harsh weather, poor memory {open}

[kazuyuki sato]

The creaking of the door resounded throughout the empty, short corridor into the lighthouse. The pounding of rain resounded through the building as the droplets were allowed to pour into the doorway, the usually closed entrance feeling fresh air for the first time in days. The lighthouse was populated by few, and only rarely did others visit, normally under strange or obscene circumstances. He supposed this was one of them as the boy pulled himself inside, soaking wet and chilled to the bone. Gasping breathes escaped his pale lips, a tiredness settled in his eyes. For what reason he had been out there, he wasn't quite sure. He always seemed to have these sort of flashes where he just wasn't there, only coming to minutes or sometimes hours after his previous engagement.

As the shivering boy pressed himself against one of the walls, clutching his damp clothing in search of some warmth, thoughts pounded into his brain, a head ache beginning to form from the constant jabbering and pestering of what seemed to be not his own ideas. Whines and complaints seemed to hit him from every angle, a mild curse following whenever he tried to push them away, allowing his own daydreams to flood in. Yet they always seemed to come back, their sounds escalating from mild whispers to loud chatter whenever he thought they had disappeared. He sometimes wondered what it was like for other people, to have their mind completely to themselves. It must've been awfully quiet. Who would they even talk to when they were alone?

He slid down to a sitting position near the doorway, letting out a sigh as he realized the other was not going to stop. "What do you want?" He asked, irritation quite obvious in his tone. His teeth gritted when he realized he had spoken out loud, seemingly a taboo even though he was certain they were alone in the room, or even the entire building for that matter. A grumbling voice seemed to begin to mutter in his ears, the heavy rain forcing it to sound distorted, yet Kazu was able to make it out. "This is boring! Let's go play. Can't we go home and watch tv on the new set or something?" Human, yet not human. Imagination, yet as real as if he could touch.

Yuki was a strange existence to Kazu. He knew at some point he had to have been not with the extra mind, but whenever he tried to place the memories before he appeared, they seemed to disappear. He wasn't sure if they were blocked by the strange force that existed in his head, or if he honestly couldn't remember. The snarky, noisy voice was something Kazu needed, yet something he really didn't want, in a way. He completed him, as he completed the other being. Without one, they were like only half of a person. And while Kazu was completely certain he was the dominant personality, he couldn't help but feel like he'd be completely empty without him. Knitting his eyebrows, he finally let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"We can't. The weather's too bad. What were you thinking when you went out in the first place?" Kazu thought of himself as a nice person, really. He liked to be gentle to other people, and them to be gentle back, yet he always held a scolding, aggravated tone towards Yuki, even if the other being was acting in a good mood. Several complaints followed, mostly 'boos' and 'stop being a lazy ass', but he just ignored them as he started to pull off his shirt. He was cold, drenched and wet, and he was sure no one would be out in the old lighthouse in this sort of weather. He certainly wasn't getting any warmer in the clothing, and there wasn't anyone about for him to think shyly of. As he began to take off his trousers, the last bit seeing as he wasn't about to strip off his underwear any time soon, a sharp wolf whistle echoed through his brain, Yuki obviously being amused by the situation. A scowl appeared on his features, but he just pushed back the other half's thoughts as much as he could, pushing the wet clothes away as he laid back against the wall once more, hoping that the rain would just fly away soon. He was beginning to get tired of having to listen to a bored Yuki very much.

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[koneko eri]

the skies in the morning had been calm and blue. eri had gone out early today, rising even before sunrise to go exploring around the many roads-less-traveled around the outer edges of jukyo. she walked lazily through empty, overgrown trails, drinking in the aura of the woods. she had stopped occasionally to stare at a formation or animal of interest, making sure to leave marks on the trunks of larger trees as she went. she normally had an excellent sense of direction, but the rumor that the great forest was incredibly easy to get lost in was true. the winding trails seemed to go in circles at times, and many so-called landmarks were not easily recognizable. signs that had been posted on the sides hadn't been maintained well at all and the paint had worn off. not even the outlines of the letters were visible - the weather had beaten the wood to the point of illegibility. so, unsurprisingly, the girl had become disorientated and was now running frantically through the blackness.

the rain stung her face and eyes as she ran forward, no longer on the trail. she could feel undergrowth scratching at her legs and pulling at her dress, that was heavy and soaked through and through. she thought that she'd been running for awhile now, but couldn't be sure. it was so completely black that only the outlines of objects were visible. sporadic flashes of lightning helped her decide which way to turn. she hated this feeling of being hopelessly lost the most. she was a demon! a great air goddess! shouldn't she be able to do something more than just wander around aimlessly? she couldn't risk reverting to her true form - a great white bird - because of the storm. there was the chance that she could be struck by lightning and be sent plummeting down back to earth, no better of than she had been to begin with. she felt so angry that tears came to her eyes and she grit her teeth. she continued on, stomping despite being barefooted.

there had to be some kind of structure out here. a rickety cabin or shack. even one of the ruins would be fine, as long as it had some sort of roof! eri wracked her brain and looked around herself desperately, looking for some kind of sign. for a fleeting moment, there was a bright yellow light. then again. she thought it was simply the lightning at first. she looked into the sky and saw a sharp beam of yellow streak across rhythmically. it was artificial light. a lighthouse! finally, a beacon of hope!

"yes!" she cried, smiling triumphantly. the lighthouse should be automated, now. there would be no one there! she could dry herself and rest for the night. beaming with new found energy, she hiked up her dress and scurried in the direction of the light, using one hand to shield her eyes from the punishing rain. the girl was surprised and relieved; she had found it rather quickly. the lighthouse looked rather imposing. a dark column of stone, standing tall while bright lights flashed in the background and thunder roared. she couldn't afford to pick and choose now, she knew full well. there was no way she could spend the night outside in this storm. she approached the the big door comprehensively. when she thought she heard voices, her stomach fell. she strained her ears to listen, to discern what they were saying.

it seemed like they stopped just as she got there. they had been light to begin with. it could be that her mind was playing some kind of cruel trick on her. she thought it over for a second and decided that she didn't care who it was in there. she would be spending the night whether they liked it or not. she was sick of her sopping clothes and her hair that was plastered to the sides of her face. she drew in a deep breath and started to open the door slowly. it begin to creak, so she ripped it open quickly so the annoying noise would cease. eri stared around until she was met with a figure, one who appeared to be mostly nude. she tipped her head and furrowed her brow. she was trying to make sure that she wasn't seeing things, but it probably looked like she was studying him. she whipped around quickly and closed the door. "sorry for intruding," she said quietly, turning around in his direction once again. however, she looked at the ceiling and bit the inside of her cheek nervously. she hoped she hadn't walked in on something she shouldn't have.

[/justify]

[kazuyuki sato]

A few coughs escaped from his throat, the boy clinging to himself with a huff as he waited as patiently as he could for the rain to let up. He knew it could be hours from now, but he hoped it would be at least soon. His pale skin shivered underneath his own icy touch, he himself wondering if it was such a good idea stripping down so quickly. It was at better than shivering in a wet school uniform, he supposed. A few mocking sounds from Yuki riled up for a moment, much to the displeasure of the pale brown headed boy. However, they only lasted for a few moments. As Yuki began to poke and tease, his voice suddenly cracked, falling down as if he had heard something. "There's someone there." Those were the only words Kazu managed to make out before hearing the sharp, creaking sound of the door opening.

Kazu refused to describe his scream that followed as feminine, but the alternate personality would've definitely said it sounded like the screech of a middle school girl. To the boy, privacy was of the up most importance, and being seen without his clothes on breached the policy of his quite quickly. He was completely certain he was alone (or at least, mostly, seeing as the other guy just wouldn't quit following him), so he had committed a deed he thought he would never do -- get naked. Yet here she was. As Kazu shut his mouth in an attempt to cease his rather high pitch reaction, he couldn't help but study the stranger, who seemed to be staring right back at him. Pale, rosey hair reached down well below her shoulders and past her shoulder blades. It seemed naturally straight, he guessed, seeing as it was curled only a bit from the wet and damp weather. A dark, noodley strapped dress hung on her body. Kazu himself thought this was a tad strange, as it was just exiting the spring season, and he himself refused to wear light clothing until it was too much to bear, but he supposed others thought differently.

"Stop staring at her clothes and do something, Kazu." The hissing whisper came, almost as if Yuki thought the girl would somehow hear him. His attention flickered back up, and as he realized that he was still basically naked, Kazu rushed towards his damp clothing in an effort to cover himself up. A red hot blush flushed across his cheeks in embarrassment as he stuttered out a few words, "U-Um, just wait, a second, please." He rushed to pull back on the cloth, proving to be far more of a difficult task than he assumed with it sticking to his skin so easily and tugging here and there. It took far more effort than it did to take off to put his trousers back on, a thousand curses going through his mind and a thousand "Watch your language." commentaries following. He managed to get his shirt half on, half off by the time he called out to the girl, an awkward silence seemingly settling and grating at his nerves.

"Um... So, nice weather, right?" A light, stressed laugh followed at his own joke, a long boo resounding through his head. Kazu certainly had never been good with the girls. That was always sort of Yuki's own personal skill, being able to flirt and do what he wants with the opposite gender. At one point, he was even sure the other half had managed to convince another man to give into a couple kisses. He wasn't sure what went down after that, since Yuki blocked his consciousness and memories, but he was sure he didn't want to find out that badly. It was a strange world, he supposed, and Yuki was a strong member of it, dragging Kazu along for the ride. He let out a short sigh as he fully fitted his damp clothing on, turning around back to the soaking girl. "You can come in now, uh, sorry about that."

[koneko eri]

they stared at each other for a few dumbfounded moments until the boy's relatively feminine scream broke the silence. eri quickly turned to face the door. she cringed and felt like slamming her head against it. why hadn't it occurred to her to knock heavily on the door before entering? of course, she hadn't expected to be immediately met with nudity. her face reddened as she realized the hilarity of this situation. she felt so nervous and awkward she felt like either bursting into tears or laughing out loud. but doing that would only make things worse. she could hear him fumbling around with his wet clothes. she vaguely wondered if time had slowed down just for the purpose of making them suffer in ungainly silence for longer.

she didn't associate with humans much. it's not like she had some kind of traumatic experience involving them or anything - aside from being chased with spears in the olden days. she had met some that she hated, like hunters, who blindly believed that all demons were evil. they didn't stop to consider that not all were alike; so she didn't think about if all of them were stupid, either. some normal civilians were fine to talk to, as long as the conversation didn't turn to the strange sightings and urban legends of jukyo. skeptics were by far the best. they were all so spirited about not believing in things they couldn't see with their own two eyes - and yet, there she was, a demon herself standing right in front of them. eri found it so amusing. she wondered what this boy would be like. she imagined that he didn't think much of it, as a superstitious person probably wouldn't be caught dead disrobed in a haunted lighthouse.

the hazel-eyed girl turned around and smiled uncomfortably, her back against the door. the storm raged outside. it didn't seem to let up at all. thunder still crashed loudly enough that the ground seemed to move. "oh yeah, it's beautiful outside," she said in reply to his joke, letting out a huff of laughter. she leaned over and rung out her dress with both of her hands. water splashed and formed a puddle on the floor, which began to drain out of the crack beneath the door. she found herself growing annoyed with her sopping hair and dress. she understood why he took his clothes off now. she had stared at him before, but nothing about his appearance had really sunk in. he had chestnut hair and blueish eyes. he looked pleasant, with a mild temperament. he seemed to feel quite embarrassed about what had just happened, so she decided to just forget about it.

"it's fine. i should have knocked, but i didn't think anyone would be in," she explained. "i got lost and caught in the storm. i was out there for awhile, so i'm glad to be here. my name is eri," she said in the friendly voice. there was no point in being awkward about it now. she was wet, cold, and tired. if possible, she wanted to curl up in a corner and fall asleep. "do you think there are any blankets left over or something?" she didn't know if he had looked already. the base of the lighthouse seemed mostly empty, but there were a few wooden cabinets and some boxes lined up against the wall. attendants hadn't been around for awhile. maybe they left something behind.

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[kazuyuki sato]

The boy half-nodded towards her replies, refusing to look her in the eye after being caught in such an event