[PRP] - Distance of the Heart [End]

[Daffupanda]

-- AIM Rp between Nili'Jicho and Kapuki ((DFA & Felyn))

Nili was... stunned. In fact, he was extremely confused, and alltogether shocked; it was a rare sight to behold. The Kizaa prince was currently sitting on a random boulder on the beach, his eyes gazing distantly towards the ocean waves, unblinking, looking yet not quie seeing.

His usualy smooth pelt was roughed up here and there, as if he'd rolled around on the sand, but rather than hurt, the prince looked.... shocked. He'd tried to sort out his thoughts, but was failing rather miserably at it; his own problems, summed up to the recent relevation his brother had spilled upon him had left him looking rather patheticaly confused.

Kapuki was walking along the beach, paws somewhat caked in the collected sand, though it was periodically washed away in gentle caresses by the flow of waves against her legs. Her face seemed somewhat distraught, saddened at the same time. She was confused, and rightfully so. She wanted to hate him, but she was finding it hard, even when the thoughts of his words still fresh in her mind. Why did he have to be so childish?

The ocean's breeze brought a familiar scent downshore to her, and her pale eyes swiftly lept up to find the warming, paler figure of her friend. "Nili," she called, half filled with excitement, and half filled with some sort of need. Need of companionship, help, comfort.. all of it. She shook off her paws as best she could and clambered her way up the beach. Sad eyes fell upon him as she sat slowly, but her own problems melted away at the sight of him.

"Nili.. what happened?"

At the sound of his name, the small male blinked once, twice, as if coming out of a trance. Then, slowly, he turned to face the female, looking somewhat distraught, and somewhat confused, "Kapuki," it was said softly back at her as she approached, yet he made no move to get near; he was still suffering from the aftermath of his fight.

There was a long moment of silence, the smaller male looking away, his ears pressing against his skull, "I... had a fight," he mumbled slighly, feeling the need to edge closer to the female, wishing to seek comfort in her warmth, yet being warded off by something. A phantom of a notion, a though, "He hit me."

She frowned immediately at his words. Her mind rolled over, trying to understand who would possibly want to hit Nili. Then, of course, her mind settled on the answer - Tau. "I'm.. oh, Nili," she said softly, her eyes full of a sudden sympathy. She moved closer, laying down at his side, leaning into him. She had no pretentions against curling up against him - she needed comfort to give as well as receive, but she didn't push it too far simply because of the way he was holding back. "I teased him, because he was being mean, but I didn't think.."

She trailed off, sighing, trying to figure it out. The frown creased her brows, eyes staring off towards nothing. "If it helps.. I hit him too?" She knew it probably wouldn't, but she felt as if it were her fault. It was, actually. She had made him do that.

And then, the moment she curled against him, the small male broke down; it was something he'd never done before, but then again, he'd never fought before either, and he'd never been inclined to use physical, brute, force either. My, but wasn't today a first for lots of things?

He burried his face against Kapuki's pelt, hissing softly, as if ashamed of the tears that trailed his face. He knew she'd come for comfort; oh, he'd seen it in her eyes, and there he was, making it harder on her.

He clung to her as if she were a lifesaver; in a way... maybe she was. His face rubbing rithmicaly from side to side as he calmed himself down. Then... after it passed, he felt nothing. Just a hole; a deep hole within him, and he let out a sigh, "What'd you tell him anyhow?" he pulled away from her, brushing away the trails of the tears from his white pelt. A snort followed her words, "He totally deserved that, then," he grumped slightly, still brushing away non-exhistant tears, "Why doesn't he understand... why does no one see. I'm diferent."  

[Daffupanda]

She let him lean into her, let him burry his face against her darker hide, let him cry out all the pain that was filling him up. She didn't mind that he needed her, because she needed him too, and that was all ok with her.

"I didn't really.. say much, actually, I just let his mind take it how he wanted to," she shrugged, thoug her eyes still held concern, despite the calmness of her voice. "I simply told him you came to see me sometimes." Which was the truth - Tau really had taken it all upon himself to make such a ridiculous connection. She and Nili? Ew.

"I do," she said suddenly, at his words, eyebrows furrowing as she tiled her head. She didn't know what the difference was, or why, but she saw one. He wasn't a silly boy like Tau, because he was too.. gentle on the inside. Something about the inside. "To me, you are just Nili."

He snorted again, her words making sense to him after all what he'd heard his brother say, "Yes well, he took it to heart... he said you belonged with him..." still rubbing away at non-exhistant tears, the male allowed himself to sigh, calming himself down. He'd broken down several times in a day, and it was emotionaly... draining, to say the least, "He thought...." a pause, a gulp, and a blink as he tried to skirt around the topic, "He thought you and I .... that you and I..." he whirled a paw, as if to elaborate, but allowed the thought to die.

Ew.

Another pause, and Nili raised his head to look up at Kapuki, his eyes widening, giving him a femenine touch, making him look extremely innocent. In a way, the facial expression did not match him well; Nili had always been known for his sharp tongue and his swift mind. If there was one word that did NOT descrive Nili, it was no doubt, innocent, "You do?" he sounded guarded, almost as if he were not sure she understood, but then he took the time to stare into her eyes, and a small, gentle smile graced his maw.

The first smile in forever, it seemed, "I love you too, Kapuki, just the way you are. Don't ever change. Not for me, or for him. Not for anyone," he lifted his head and pressed his forehead against hers briefly. Then he frowned, "He left, you know. He said he was done. He left..."

"Gross," she said softly, wrinkling her nose as she got what he was implying. Sure, she knew Tau had been thinking it, but she didn't need it voiced. Wasn't that like.. incest or something?

As he leaned into her forehead, though, she let her smile return and her eyes shut softly. "I wouldn't change for anyone. We're like the seashell and the flower that we sent to sea that day - together in the world." She had not realized how much he meant to her, or what it felt like to have someone to be so close to. Tau couldn't ruin this, not this.

"He what?" she said, letting her eyes flutter back open. She snorted softly, reaching up to brush at his cheek with a paw, "he's just hotheaded. He'll come back." Although, she did let a small sneer scrunch her features, "but I don't know about all this business of belonging with him. I told him that I was through."

Indeed; the day he'd found Kapuki, in a way, he'd found a part of himself. A small part of himself he hadn't even realised he'd lost till he'd found it, and Nili was sure that no one would ever be able to change that... to marr that in any way. She wasn't his soulmate, but she was someone important to him, all the same.

"He left," he repeated, his forehead against hers. He knew his brother better than anyone else, for despite all their diferences, he'd always admired that what he did not have. Tau had always had... all what Nili didn't. He was large, confident, cocky, and he was, above all, family. It was something Nili could not deny.

He inhaled through his nose, closing his bright blue eyes, even as he retreated, allowing her to whipe his cheek with her paw. Contact was not something he was used to having from others; it always made him uncomfortable, but with Kapuki, it was diferent, "No," he told her, his eyes opening, his brows knitting together, "No; he's gone," he had no idea why he was so sure, or what made him think such things, but he knew, deep down, his brother had gone, "He's not comming back, Kapuki," a pleading note was attatched to his voice, sad, "Not unless we bring him back."

Oh, he'd always known they belonged together. He'd known, from day one, but he kept silent.

Kapuki had that feeling that Nili was having, at the exact moment, though she never would have known for sure. She guessed that they shared it, that they always had, and would continue to. They were part of each other, and at that moment, she realized what chapter of her life would be coming. She'd have to leave her blood-family in favor of following her heart, and the family that was bonded to her by it. They would understand, her family, and perhaps be happy that she had found somewhere she belonged.

"You are sure," she said softly, slowly. It was less a question and more a statement, though her brows furrowed as she said it. Slowly, she pulled her head away from his, turning to look out at the ocean with regret settling on her heart. She had heart Nili through Tau, and not on purpose. She had hurt Tau too, and she was surprised, again, to find that that hurt almost as much.

"I guess.. you want to go find him then?" she whispered, chewing on the inside of her cheek as soon as her words passed her maw. Tau was a touchy subject with her, the reason she had been sulking before coming to Nili's rescue.  

[Daffupanda]

"He's gone," he repeated again, this time a whisper; he had no idea why he was so sure, but there was a dread that coiled within him, like a snake, waiting to strike within him.

As Kapuki retreated, Nili turned to gaze at the ocean, the breeze rolling against them, making the branches of the trees they lay under, sway. Then, softly, he reached up to grab one of the flowers that had been hanging from the tree he'd rested under till Tau had come. The flower snapped from the branch, and lay within his teeth, beautiful colors that matched his eyes shinning on it's petals, "I'm alright," he said suddenly, even through the flower he held, and then he smiled, "I'm alright; you understand... you know me. You know what, who I am," and that was what was most important to him.

After just a moment's pause, he stretched his neck and place the flower behind her ear; it looked as alien against her pelt, as it'd have looked at home against own, for some reason, "I think, we both should. We both want to," turning, he licked her maw, and smiled against her pelt, "It says thank you, by the way."

She smiled at his words and nodded. She did know who he was, what he was, and that was all she'd ever wanted of him. Her attention drifted out to see, eyes half lulled as breezes danced over her pelt, as the soft swishing of the waves against the beach called to her. She was surprised as she felt his touch, her eyes drifting back to him.

She reached a paw up, nudging the flower lightly as it set behind her ear, a small smile on her maw as she felt the affectionate gesture. "Perhaps I do," she said softly, "and the ocean is not precisely pleased that I let its gift run away." She turned her attention back to the waves, and frowned, as if she could hear ridicule upon the whispers of the crests.

"For what?" she said, turning her pale eyes back to meet his. She did not ask what, for she knew, but she couldn't say she wasn't a touch surprised.

"Yes," he murmured, "Perhaps you do," and this said, he left her side to grab a flower between his paws. He stared down into it for a long, long time, then turned to smile at her; the traces of the tears were still there, and his pelt was roughed up and there was dust and sand on his usualy pristine fur, "For everything."

But at the same time, even though he was at his worst, the flowers told him he'd never looked more beatiful in his life; like a bloom swaying under the stormy weather. The smile bloomed on his maw again and after leaning in to sniff at the flower, he looked at her, "Maua," he said suddenly.

She nodded slowly, a smile spreading on her maw. She still did not entirely understand it, but she was not sure she was meant to. She had helped him, and in a way, she supposed she had helped those that truly were a part of his soul. She accepted it, nodding, and pushed herself to her feet.

Scouring around in the sands for a few moments, she drew up a small shell, and as she grasped it between her teeth she made her way to Nili. With a purrish-growl, she caught his tail, then proceeded to curl the little item into the tuft, so that it was fastened to it in a sense - kind of twisted so that it was secure.

"Maua?" she said softly, for a moment looking quite confused, then let her eyes flutter towards the flower he was examining. "Is that what it called you?"

His tail twitched, but he allowed her to curl the item amongst the stylish, long, black hair that formed his tuff. His pelt, mane, and tail, had always been longer than Tau's; his form smaller, and his pelt longer, in a way, lovelier. But it didn't matter to him now, because, yes, they were diferent, but that was the whole point of life, wasn't it?

Rubbing his eyes, almost as if the unshed tears would show up again, the male nodded, "Yes... I don't know why, but it hurts," he told her, "It hurts here," he pressed a paw to his chest, but as soon as he finished rubbing his eyes, Nili... now Maua, smiled awkwardly, "It said Maua is blind too, and should go after his heart," he too stood, and lifted a paw, as if expecting her to take it, "Let's go after that dumbass; knowing him, he'll get himself into trouble, and then, we'll feel bad over it."  

[Daffupanda]

They certainly were different, and for that Kapuki was glad. In Nili she had someone she could trust, the sister she never had, and someone she wouldn't give up if the world demanded it. In Tau.. she had something. Something else, but she wasn't quite sure what yet.

"I'm not sure how I'll bad I'll feel over it," she said with a small grin, though it was a tease, and her eyes flickered to the ocean. She remembered the day she had found him, tossing and tumbling in the ocean. What if he went back? Horror suddenly struck home, and her face become a solemn mask. Oh, but he wouldn't!

A crach of waves brought her attention to the shore, her ears tilting. "Nerida and Maua to the rescue," she said softly, then, with a smile, nudged his shoulder. They really had better find him. He was no good without either of them.