Silver Carousel: Volume 6

Act 1: A Chained Heart

     It's midday. Both of the suns are shining, and the breeze is enough to balance it out. It's a seemingly perfect day. Lilia and Blade are starting to get along- Lilia thinks that Blade is hilarious, laughing at his faces and comments constantly. Marie was getting used to her heavier, stronger body made of metal. It's hard to walk properly, but she was having a good time. Boni and Cicero prance around, sniffing and tasting and seeing new things. Bons are their favorite- small rabbit-dog-cats with long, floppy ears, a long tail, and claws. They were everywhere. Kazuki walks beside Yukio, quietly thinking of the walks they used to take, smiling to himself. Yukio-
-is in distress. Though it's hard to see, Yukio isn't skipping or humming. He is, however, smiling, which is enough for everyone else after the incident in Jestare. He gets hot, though he's normally quite cold to the touch. His movements are slower, and he's extremely quiet- it doesn't even seem like he knows where he's going. No one seems to notice. Not even him.

"Ooh, that river is a perfect place to stop! It has trees for shade, and rocks to sit on, it's a good place to stop," Lilia goes on.

"Deuces!" Blade calls, winking at his joke. He hops over the small stream and sits under a tree, arms resting behind his back. The rest of the group follows, sitting under a tree or on a rock. Yukio stumbles slightly, falling lazily in the middle of the grass.

"Jeeze, you good?" Blade asks Yukio.

"Yes, I'm fine," he says blankly, smiling.

"Papa packed us snacks," Kazuki says. "Lots, too. Crackers, popcorn, some drink boxes, chocolate...."

"Gimme the food! I'm gonna starve to death!" Blade shouts.

"Calm down," Marie snaps.

"No, dammit! I NEED FOOD!" he lunges over to Kazuki's bag, laughing. Lilia pulls on his shirt, and he smacks her hand away.

"NO ONE RESTRAINS BLADE FROM HIS GOODIES!" He yells and dumps the bag on his face. They all laugh. Yukio chuckles, but seems tired.

"Oh hey! Treats for Cici and Boni," Kazuki says, holding two pieces of jerky above the animals' heads. They both sit pretty, and they happily eat their treats. They all split the chocolate (not Cicero or Boni. The rule still applies), they each get five crackers, and one juice box. They relax peacefully, laughing.

"...Zeus literally tried to steal a thing of soft pretzel cheese, for crying out loud, and this crazy chick chased him around the entire Arena! I was dying, like, actually choking on the damn pretzel. And by the time she gave up, I had already snarfed the whole thing like the fatso I am. He was mad, and I bought him another one. Good times."

Lilia is rolling on the ground, her face red.

"Are you okay, Lilia?" Marie asks.

"Yeah... oh man, that was great!"

"It's your turn, Master! Tell us a story!" Kazuki says, grinning. Yukio snaps out of his daze.

"Oh, um...okay. What do you want to hear?"

"A story?" Blade says sarcastically.

"A funny story," Lilia adds.

"Oh, alright. There was a time when Gerrard, my guardian, had to wear girl's underwear."

"Nuh-UH!" Blade says, already laughing.

"Mmhmm, Boni was just a baby, and was clawing all of his underwear. He only had one pair left, and they were dirty. So he had to make a mad dash to his bedroom after his shower and steal his daughters' undies."

"How do you know this?" Marie says, looking at him suspiciously.

Yukio laughs. "He forgot to grab a belt."