1221/Intimacy

Intimacy
Date of Scene:	18 March 2016
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Residential District
Synopsis:	Tadase and Amu meet in secret and exchange smewchies.
Cast of Characters:	Tadase Hotori, Amu Hinamori

---

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Platinum Royale holds the now de-henshin'd Amu in his arms as he leaps only slightly less gracefully across the skyline, landing on her balcony. Smiling. Because she's being rather incoherent. Or maybe it's because she called him Tadata again. Could be both, really.

"We did well today, Amu." he says, shifting up and playing balancing games with the quarter-conscious girl in his arms so he can get enough hand free to open up the door to her room. "You did well. They got away, but with hardly anything." he assures her.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
It's the landing that does it. No matter how hard Tadase tries, he's just not quite graceful enough at landing to prevent jostling Amu a little. And while she's certainly exhausted, she's nearly as far gone as she was at the North Pole.

Her eyes open, and the first thing she sees is Tadase's smile. The smile brings a blush to her chees, and she leans up to wrap her arms around Tadase's neck, clinging to him gently.

"Hi," she says softly. "That's a nice way to wake up."

Meanwhile, the quartet of Charas have all floated along behind--the girls supporting the exhausted Yoru--as they make their way back to Amu's home.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase smiles down at her as he quietly opens her balcony door. Right now, he's really glad that it's not difficult to open or loud, because either of her parents seeing him carrying her through the window would prompt a bunch of questions before they even got to 'and what's with that outfit?!'.

His own cheeks tint at her comment as he carries her in. "Well, last time I did this you didn't even wake up." he comments, scooting across the floor and laying her in her bed. Once he does his henshin vanishes with a sparkly golden ~pop~ and Kiseki floats up and towards the other charas.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Last time?" Amu asks, furrowing her brow in confusion. She absently scratches the hair at the nape of Tadase's neck as she thinks that through. Leaning further into him, Amu places her head on Tadase's shoulder until, at long last, he lays her on the bed.

"Oh, last time," she mumbles quietly. "Yeah. You left me in my clothes," she notes half amusedly. "I woke up really sweaty and gross. You could ahve at least taken my sweater off."

She smiles up at him, half sleepily, then says, "Hey, so that's twice you've carried me across the threshold, then, isn't it? Getting to be a habit."

She stifles a y awn, then curls up with one of her pillows and pats the edge of her bed in invitation. "You can sit," she offers him.

Meanwhile, her charas all help Yoru back to the little carrying case that has been serving as his home before hugging Kiseki and sitting down to chat quietly.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"Ye-ah" he says, hit voice making a hitch with her hand on his neck for a moment before he squares away. At the talk of the clothes he looks away. "I figured it was probably less appropriate to start undressing you, at least while you were unconscious." he says, before realizing what he said, face going red, turning away, and trying to 'clear his throat.'

Then Amu makes her comment about walking across the threshold and everything just seems very loud in his ears for a moment as the redness just intensifies and he physically has to shake himself free of it in order to sit down.

He's still tense - though it's not just because of the talk today, but because he doesn't know how to begin a conversation with her after all that's happpened so recently, so now he's just occupying space on her bed and occasionally sneaking glances at her.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu takes a deep breath, then reaches up to gently grab Tadase's hand. She squeezes it softly, then closes her eyes. And for a moment, the poor boy might worry he's going to have to extricate himself from a sleeping Amu's grip. But then she mumbles, "We need to talk. Just the two of us, I think."

Amu squeezes his hand again, then slowly extracts her hand and rolls over onto her back before sitting up on the edge of her bed next to him. She doesn't say anything else, for a moment; just leans down to start taking off her boots.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase nods, and he does worry for just a moment before she finally talks lowly. That mumbled phrase gets his attention though, and he turns to her in time for her to start taking off her boots. He nods. "Yeah, I think... we haven't gotten to talk enough without the others around." he admits. "And maybe never without them snooping." he mumbles.

He tries to relax but he still is kind of tense with everything that's been happening, and he fidgits with his hands because he really can't find anything better to do with them right now.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Last time we talked just the two of us was on a park bench," Amu says unhappily, "and we discussed how I was a brat to Nagihiko, but still wanted to make sure he wasn't being hurt by our relationship. And so far that has seemed to have been a monumental disaster."

She sighs and kicks her boots aside, then pulls her skirt up just enough to unclip the garters affixing her thigh highs.

"So ... there's that," Amu says as she starts peeling the stockings off. "But also we should talk about Virtue. Or ... well you know. Because I don't want you to think I'm going to stop fighting against X-eggs or evil bad guys. Because I'm not. I'm still here for you."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
There is a deep, deep sigh from Tadase when she starts up and discusses their talk on a park bench. The way that went was not a happy memory for him. And Tadase does not excel in any way at holding his emotions on such things back. Still, he leans forward a bit.

His eyes turn to her before his head follows. Another sigh, different though. "Well, I wasn't sure - but a lot of emotions were running high when you talked about Virtue. I was really glad to see you out there. And it was... really impressive to see you transform with Yoru." he adds.

"I always fight better when you're on my side, too." he says after a moment.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"It's not that I don't want to fight," Amu says to him softly. "It's just ... we discussed dealing with Ikuto so many times. And so many times we just let him get away. I told you I wasn't going to let him do that anymore, and that's why I kidnapped Yoru," she explains softly.

"Well," here she drops her voice to a whisper and glances uncertainly towards the box where Yoru is sleeping, "I'm still not sure it's enough. And it certainly wasn't soon enough. I'm done letting villains get away with things. Because that's what he is, Tadase, a 'villain'. I'd love to save everyone. I really would. But that's not the way the world works."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
This wasn't what Tadase was expecting, but he's actually well-prepared for this sort of talk by the fact of his position and the fact that it's something he's given a lot of thought. "Look, Amu." he says, turning to her, all of his personal issues vanishing in light of this more pressing one. "I think you made the right choice with Yoru and all... I think it was a time where action was needed. But I'm worried about the way you're talking."

"I don't just 'let' villains get away with anything." he states, clearly. "But people make mistakes. And I want to give them the chances to right that. And sometimes it takes a long time. But I'm not trying to play by the way the world seems to work right now. I want to act the way it /should/ work."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"Meanwhile," Amu replies to Tadase, "People get hurt. People's dreams are destroyed. Tonight," she notes, "we witnessed the creation of several hundred X-eggs. We saved most of them, sure, but how many did we fail to save? A dozen? Two dozen? That's one or two dozen people who will never grow up to l ive out their dreams," she points out quietly.

"One or two dozen children who have had their lives permanently destroyed by Easter's bullshit." Her cheeks are growing flush, but it's not with embarassment. This is Amu angry, and it's getting worse and more passionate with every word. "So how much of a chance do we give those responsible, Tadase? How many children's dreams is one redeemed villain worth?"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase shakes his head, and looks her in the eyes. "I know. And maybe we'll get some of them back, and maybe we won't save them all. I know that. It's something that weighs heavily on me." he admits.

"But where do you draw the line? Do you know where you'd draw the line? How many mistakes are you willing to let someone make? One? Two? Ten?" he asks, getting a little passionate about this himself. "I'm not stupid. I know we can't save everyone." he says, one hand clenching into a fist.

"I couldn't save that girl, the one during the White Flower. No matter what I tried she wouldn't listen to any of it." he says, turning away a bit. "And before you talk about how easy it is to kill someone maybe you should try doing it." he adds, quietly. "Because I did. Before she threatened the city, I was one of the people who reduced her to ash. So don't assume I'm not aware of what it takes to defend others."

"But what would you do, Amu? To those two from tonight. Would you break bones, would you go farther? Do you think what Ikuto has done is enough to earn that? Or more?" he asks, shaking a little bit. "I don't think he's so far gone... but if we start hurting back, he will be. And not just him. What if you seriously injure him in order to stop him - do you think that girl he's with will stay out of it? Do you think she has friends? Something like that might never end."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu balls her stockings up, then throws them across the room where they land in a messy heap next to the door. "I don't have all the answers, Tadase," she says quietly as she crosses the room to her dresser. Pulling open a drawer, she starts rummaging through her clothes. "But I draw th eline at once. If you repeat the same action, and I let you do it, then I should now feel responsible for what you have done. It's not much better than just looking the other way."

She pulls out a pair of pajamas, then sets them on the dresser and looks up into the mirror, studying herself.

"Break bones? I don't think I want to, but if that's what it took ... yes. I don't know if I can kill someone," she admits, "but if I feel like there's no progress being made otherwise, I'd sure consider it. But I have to draw the line at once, Tadase. Do it a second time and I should take more drastic measures than an asskicking and a warning. And maybe that's really the answer: I feel I should escalate in proportion to the continuation of the mistake. Because someone has to stand up for the people getting hurt!"

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"So then what if they're being controlled?" he asks, continuing the conversation, watching her as she walks around the room. "What if they're operating under false understandings, incorrect beliefs?" he presses, and stands up sharply.

"Are you confident you can tell every time? Are you sure that's a role you want to take on yourself? Because I've seen more than one person who came around on attempt four or five or later."

"In fact, they're the rule rather than the exception." he says, folding his arms. "If you only give people one chance, you're going to have a lot of unecessary blood on your hands, Amu."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu reaches up to take her hair pin out and sets it on the desk, allowing her hair to fall in a messy wave down to her neck. She stares in the mirror further, grips the edge of her dresser, then slams the drawer shut. "I've already got a lot of unnecessary blood on my hands!" she protests angrily, turning to glare at him.

"Amu-chan?" calls her father through the door. "Is that you?"

Amu blushes and glances back to the door. "Yeah, dad. Sorry!"

"Back from the concert already!? How'd it go!? I didn't see you come in! I got some great pics of Ami-chan tonight, do you want to see them?!"

Amu grimaces and shakes her head. "No, sorry, dad. I came in quietly. Sorry you didn't see me. I'm really tired, though. I'll look at the pictures in the morning, promise! I love you!"

"You too, squirt! Try to keep it down, though. Ami-chan's asleep."

Amu reaches up to rub at her arms, then at her eyes, then slumps down onto the floor in front of her dresser, hugging her knees.

She stays quiet for a few more minutes, then sighs. "I don't know what to tell you, Tadase. Except that your reaction is exactly why I don't belong in Virtue anymore. I'm not ... sure you're going to like me, the more I get involved in all of this."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase gets very quiet after Amu yells - largely, that's part of remembering they're talking so much with her parents still home. And he shouldn't exactly be in her room without them knowing. After the exchange is over, and she says her last bit, he looks over at her. Then he gets up from her bed and walks over, leaning down.

And suddenly he's reaching down to the knee hugging girl, hands on her shoulders, pushing forward, arms wrapped around her and hugging her tightly.

"Amu, there's nothing you could do that would make me not like you. You might upset me sometimes. You might make me sad, or mad, sometimes. But the reason I like you isn't going to change."

"The reason I like you is probably the same reason you feel this way, so strongly..."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
"But I'm going to drag your Virtue into a place you don't want to go," Amu protests quietly, even as she leans into his embrace. "I'm going to make it something you don't want. Or else we're going to fight about what being Virtue 'means'. I don't want to have that fight with you, Tadase-kun. And I don't want the other members of Virtue to be confused. Honestly, I want you to be right. I want you to save people. I just ... don't think it's practical."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
"So don't be Virtue, then." he says, quietly. "Be Amu. Be whatever you have to be. If it's not what you believe, it's not what you believe." he adds, squeezing her tightly. "I want you to be a part of it, but I don't need you to be a part of Virtue, if it's going to cause you so much trouble, or if you dont agree with it all."

"But what I do need, is I need you to be Amu. We, the Guardians, we still need your help. Your strength." he says, and after a pause. "I do, too. I've realized that lately."

"I don't know how things are going to go with you and Virtue. Or if you've figured anything out about Na-chan, or anything else. But... even if you can't be in Virtue, I want you to be with me."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
Amu looks up at Tadase uncertainly, then opens her arms and wraps them around his neck. "Promise?" she asks him quietly. "Because I don't want to fight about this. And if ... if I do decide that I need to make that ultimate call, I don't want you to hate me. I don't think I could handle you hating me, Tadata. Not you, and not Nadeshiko. I need you guys so much. I can't ... I can't do this without you at least forgiving me."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase leans in. "Hasn't this whole thing been about how I forgive too much, too easily?" he whispers with a soft smile. "Look, if I can forgive that damned cat, I am pretty sure there's nothing the girl in my arms right now could ever do to make me hate her." he says, and then leans in and kisses her on the cheek. "Not as long as you keep being true to yourself."

Amu Hinamori has posed:
It's true. This really is all about him being too forgiving. And the realization of that hits Amu like light. She gasps, just a little, then looks up and meets his eyes. For several heartbeats, Amu finds herself lost in those eyes, until her whole world is consumed by them.

And then she starts to fall into them, slowly at first, but the pace quickens the closer she gets until Amu's lips are pressed gently to Tadase's, eyes still open as she stares into his.

Tadase Hotori has posed:
It doesn't take any time at all for Tadase to press back on the kiss, pushing his lips against hers, his hands coming to her shoulders. Staring into her eyes as they kiss, and frankly, not wanting to be the one to break it. Not the kiss, not eye contact - despite all of their disagreements earlier, this moment in time seems absolutly right, and it seems like in this they might possibly be on the same page.

Amu Hinamori has posed:
It is innevitable that something will break this perfect moment. But it's sure not going to be Amu. She continues to kiss him for as long as he kisses back, eyes simply lost in his.

Honestly, is anyone surprised when the door to her bedroom bursts open and in comes a crying five year old?

"Amu-chan, Amu-cha--" Ami cuts off in confusion at the sight of them kissing, and Amu hastily pulls away and puts space between herself and Tadase. Her face turns bright red and she hugs her arms. "Ami, sh," she begs quietly, as she crawls to the door in haste and shuts it behind her little sister. "Please don't tell mom and dad," she begs.

Now Ami-chan is normally a very alert and aware little sister, and she senses an opportunity quickly. But luckily for Amu and Tadase, her desires are also very simple. Ami wraps her arms around her big sister and hugs tight, then begs, "I had a nightmare and I'm scared," she whimpers. "I won't tell momma and papa if you let me sleep in your room tonight."

Tadase Hotori has posed:
Tadase moves perhaps less sharply away from Amu than Amu moves from him, but then again, it's not one of /his/ family members. Still he does slowly make backsteps away and towards the balcony. Kiseki hides behind Tadase, too. Tadase makes hand motions that roughly translate to:

     YES TAKE THE DEAL

    I'M GONNA GO NOW

    TEXT YOU SOON