Aegis practically beamed when Dawn smiled at him, "I'm so glad to hear that!" he replied, his suspicions confirmed that she hadn't been injured. His smile didn't fade for a moment when she inquired as to who he was. Instead, it widened if possible, "I'm Aegis," he replied cheerfully, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" he said with a slight bow, not yet being accustomed to the human ritual of shaking hands. He then gave a slight bow in Lucia's direction as well, "And you too, miss!" he said in an equally jovial voice as he surreptitiously played both fields.

Lucia could not shake the idea that there was quite possibly something else going on in Dawn's mind as she stood and spoke of being nervous about school. Letting it slide, as she was probably just projecting feelings with her elaborate imagination she smiled slightly and nodded her head. "Yeah, I can understand that. Though isn't this your last year as well? Are you planning on leaving here for college, or not so sure yet? As for school tomorrow, you'll be fine. I recall you always being a decent student in class and I know that you're well liked." She was only being sincere in her words.

As the newcomer approached them, he commented on the weather and asked if Dawn was alright. It seemed she was meeting far more people than she had anticipated today, maybe this school year would be completely different. As the male introduced himself as 'Aegis', she gave a slight nod of the head in his direction. "A pleasure to meet you Aegis, I'm Lucia." She tapped a finger to her chin as she studied him. She could not recall seeing him recently. Perhaps he had moved here with the new family as well?

"Aegis, I really don't remember your face. Did you just move here, or are you an exchange student maybe?" It was rare, but on occasion they had their share of exchange students now and then.


((Oy, I hope that this is alright.))

"Nii-chan Nii-chan!!"

Musica turned around from his place at the kitchen stove, his reflexes had been trained well enough that, the pan and spatula were safely on the element top as he grounded himself and caught two brightly-coloured of energy. His purple eyes softened as he felt two pairs of arms wrap around his waist, and wrapped his own arms around the childish bodies of his twin siblings. His tone, however, was a mix of kind sarcasm.

"More fantastic trouble, you two?" At home, they spoke in their mother tongue: Japanese.

"Nuh-uh~!" protested pink-haired Sunny, the only female of the family.

"There're new people in town~! New people~!" chirruped her green-haired brother Riley, gold-hazel eyes shining with excitement.

"Nii-chan, let's go say hi!"

"Yeah, and bring them snacks!!"

"Nii-chan, pleeeeaaaaaase~?"

Their silver-haired brother raised a justifiably skeptical eyebrow; his youngest two siblings were known for being absolutely terrific pranksters, and experience had left little to imagine just what sort of "greeting" they would give the newcomers. Truth be told, Musica himself was rather curious about this new family that had moved in. Rumour had it that there were four siblings like his own family, only instead of a single sister there were two. The apprentice chef could feel the hopeful eyes of Riley and Sunny boring holes into him, but as always, he was "head" of he household and often had the rationality needed to make wise decisions.

"No," was his firm choice. "You know how this town's like . . . most everyone's probably already over there to welcome them. We'd just overcrowd the place more than it already is."

His words took almost immediate effect. The twins' faces fell simultaneously, and they stared up at him with deplorable golden eyes. It was a tactic that they knew was fail-proof with their brothers, Sunny particularly since she was the little Aragaki princess. Musica felt his resolve waver, but held firm to his decision and shook his head. Riley and Sunny's expressions fell - if possible - more than they already had, and, looking absolutely dejected, they slowly slid off their brother and turned away, slinking slowly out. Watching them, Musica sighed through his nose as she shook his head wryly but grinned. Those two were so good at acting. But he knew that if he didn't say anything more, they'd sneak out on their own and get into even more trouble. Returning his attention to the food in the frying pan, he didn't look at them as he spoke.

"Besides, Kat's not back from work yet. Maybe tomorrow would be better, so we can all go together as a family . . . I wonder if people have already given them too many cookies?"

The tall man didn't need to look to know that the twins had locked gazes with each other as excitement and glee plastered themselves all over their faces. He grounded himself once more to avoid being knocked into the hot stove element as his siblings tackled him in a hug from behind.

"Musi-nii-chan is the bestest nii-chan in the world~!!!"

And off the two went to their room, squealing in delight and giddiness as they plotted exactly how tomorrow's visit to the new people's house would go. Musica had to roll his eyes. Those two were sometimes so easy to please . . . or maybe it was because he just spoiled them rotten. Well, whatever. Of course, now the real problem came up: what on earth was he going to make for the newcomers tomorrow?

Aegis focused his attention on Lucia when she introduced herself and noticed the way she seemed to be staring at him intently. He was excited by her interest in him. Although he had been in the human realm for nearly a month, he hadn't had many meaningful interactions with the womenfolk and he was reveling in every once of practice he could get before his first encounter with Spring.

Aegis hesitated for the first time when Lucia asked about his origins. He couldn't rightfully reveal who he really was so he would have to come up with an alternative. Lucia's suggestion seemed quite appealing. Being a foreign exchange student would give him an air of mysticism and explain why he didn't understand some cultural elements as well as give him an excuse to go to go school. There were disadvantages to this story as well however as he didn't know the geography of the human world for example and ran the risk of revealing himself as a fraud.

Deciding that the cover was not worth the risks he went with a simpler explanation, "I moved in at the beginning of Summer," he said with a nod, "I work part-time at the art gallery. You should stop in sometime, there are many beautiful things to see there!" And with that, the strange man decided to take his leave, "I must be going," he stated decidedly, "I hope to see you two ladies again sometime!" The tall blonde flashed a final smile in their direction before exiting the park.

----------

⊱ A time skip has occurred:

⊱ Today is Autumn 1st, the first day of school. Be sure to wish Autumn a very happy birthday!
⊱ The time is (to be determined by the first post).
⊱ The weather is cool and cloudy.

All characters can (and should) post now, no matter where they were left off yesterday. Also, let's try to spread out today. I think one of the reasons the first day got so slow is because there were too many people in a single encounter. ⊰

Nathaniel rose to the morning surly having to wake up early again. Dressing quickly in his usual suit, he headed downstairs to help himself to some breakfast. Once he was ready for the day he headed out towards school, dialing Aegis' number to see if he wanted him to do something of find out anything he could about Spring since she was the only person of interest he would be encountering for the majority of week days.

Weak rays of sunlight peeked through the cracks in the blinds, drawing lines on the curtains and filtering into the dim room beyond. Slowly, it crept onto the bare walls, slipping past the drawer and the bookshelf and slithering onto the bed, where an oblong lump rested beneath the burgundy covers. Only a shock of silver hair was visible on the pillow. The room was silent, serene in the early morning peace. On the nightstand, the silver digital clock's blue numbers switched to 06:15.

REET! REET! REET! REET! The sudden electronic screech shattered the stillness of the day, demanding attention and nattering at its owner to get the hell out of bed already. The lump in the bed stirred, and there was a muffled grumble, almost drowned out by the damn noise. The blankets moved as a bare toned arm snaked out and, after a few moments of groping around, found the offending object and dropped a fist on it, effectively cutting off the insistent shriek. The arm slipped back into the covers, and there was another passing of silence before the figure in the bed finally decided to get up. Said notion of getting up was easier decided than executed, however; instead of actually rising, the person merely rolled, dragging his covers with him to land on the hardwood floor in a tangle of twenty-two-year-old man and blanket. There was a short struggle as his senses slowly started to gear in again, and after a minute or so a disheveled, bleary-eyed, and not very happy Musica head popped out from the mess.

Cool morning air caressed his face as he opened the front door and jogged out down the driveway and onto the quiet street. Dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, the white-haired Japanese set a brisk pace, and proceeded to run his daily jog around town. In his pocket, his mp3 player buzzed music into his ears. It had been rather frightening at first, unsure of where to run, what to expect, where the landmarks were. But now, he had memorized this town, and could do his routine blindfolded. This was the reason he has such a good sense of direction: his personal training grounds and patrol of sorts. He liked looking around, where he could see things no one else could see and not seem suspicious for it.

The cold water from the shower was a shock against his skin, jostling off any remaining threads of sleep and clearing his sleep-fogged brain. Musica stood in the shower for a bit, eyes closed as he simply enjoyed the feel of water running down his body. First day back to school for the twins . . . Maybe something interesting would happen today . . . Something out of the ordinary, mundane peace of Beachview. It wasn't that he didn't like that peace, rather that after a while it got a little boring. Well, the newcomers would be one. For the town, anyway. Personally he didn't give a damn. With a sigh his hand found the tap and turned it off, wincing slightly as the protesting squeak echoed in the small space. It took him a handful more minutes to finish his morning routine, and with another sigh, this time through his nose, the apprentice chef stumped downstairs to make breakfast.

Iku rolled over, mumbling some nonsense as her sister shook her, attmepting to wake her from her slumber. "Itoshigo wa, damare! Watashi ga oboete iru, kotoshi no owari koro ni tōchaku ga arimasu ka?" she moaned, pulling a nearby pillow over her head. Aiko ignored her and began going through Iku's drawers, pulling out the basics for Iku - a bra, panties, a cami, and socks. "Namakemono de, sā! Chichi wa, sore wa anata wa oboete inai, seijō ni modotte kawatte ita?" Aiko replied in the same tone. Grumbling, Iku sat up and chucked the pillows around her at Aiko, who was already dressed.

"Why do you make me get up so early? Huh?" Iku asked, slamming the door to the bathroom behind her. Aiko shook her head and made Iku's bed, retrieving the pillows and placing them neatly on her twin's bed. "Clean your room when you come out, Nemui. I'm making breakfast." Aiko trotted down the stairs, greeting her father as she passed by on her way into the kitchen.

"Sore nitsuite wa shinpai shinaide kudasai. Watashi wa pankēki o tsukurimashita," his voice boomed from behind her. When she turned around, her father motioned to the plate with about eight pancakes sitting on top of it. "Thanks," she said, grabbing a nearby plate and placing three pancakes on her plate. She ignored his stare, not feeling in the mood to speak any more Japanese at the moment. "How was it yesterday?" he asked as she sat down, pausing as he heard a clanging upstairs, and then a dull thud. "Fine. They were nice. Two go to the school, and the other two are getting jobs. I think one of the guys has a job already. Huh," Aiko replied, drowning her pancakes in maple syrup.

She checked the time on the clock above her father's head - 6:50. "Iku! Go eat, or you won't have time!" their mother shouted from the top of the stairs. "Why does everyone pressure me in the mornings? God damn it, leave me alone!" A slamming of the door punctuated Iku's words, and more clanging sounded. Aiko and her father just looked at each other before he went back to reading his newspaper and sipping his coffee, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

- Translations -

Itoshigo wa, damare! Watashi ga oboete iru, kotoshi no owari koro ni tōchaku ga arimasu ka? ~ Aiko, shut up! I have late arrival this year, remember?

Namakemono de, sā! Chichi wa, sore wa anata wa oboete inai, seijō ni modotte kawatte ita? ~ Come on, lazy! Father had it changed back to normal, don't you remember?

Nemui ~ Sleepy

Sore nitsuite wa shinpai shinaide kudasai. Watashi wa pankēki o tsukurimashita. ~ Don't worry about it. I made pancakes.

Green eyes flicked open as something buzzed at Aegis' ear. "Hmmm?" came the vaguely curious yet half-asleep groan from the inhuman man. Eventually he realized that the strange vibrations were in fact coming from his cellular device and flipped open the phone to receive Nathaniel's call. "What is it?" he asked, not angrily but sleepily. Although he did work, Aegis shifts tended to run in the evenings and in his brief time span spent on Earth he had grown accustomed to sleeping late, or at least later than six thirty.

Nathaniel chuckled, amused that the supposedly all-powerful being he was working for slept in before saying, "Good morning Aegis, this is Nathaniel. As I hope you remember, I have to go to school Mondays through Fridays for the majority of the day, is there anything you'd like me to do? Anything you'd like me to do regarding Spring since she'll be the only target with whome I'll have contact?"

Aegis wondered why Nathaniel even bothered introducing himself as the human male was the only one who had the number to Aegis' phone. Even the white-haired male didn't know his own phone number. As his eyes and ears explained the reason for the call, Aegis searched his memory for any previous knowledge of what Nathaniel was telling him. The topic sounded familiar and Aegis decided that Nathaniel had indeed mentioned something about this school obligation. "Hm..." he began, debating his orders to the human teenager, "Let me know if she seems to take interest in any particular individuals, especially males." Aegis needed to know who Spring would come to call on as allies but more importantly weed out any possible competition.

Soft sizzling and popping filled the air, tangoing with the rich aroma of ham and eggs as Musica stood by and watched breakfast cook with a critical eye. From beyond the bubble of his kitchen world, the man could hear muffled thumping and movement as his younger brother finally dragged his ass out of bed and busied himself with getting ready for the day. The silver-haired man himself was already set, his work uniform worn just the way he liked it beneath the spotless white apron he donned. If there was anything that he was meticulous about, it was his cooking space. Had to be clean, had to be wiped down and washed thoroughly and cooked evenly. Behind him there was a snap as the automated kettle turned itself off, water within boiled. The male abandoned his frying pan long enough to pour the steaming liquid into a large pot of tea and shove a tea cozy on top. With a deft flick of his wrist the egg flipped and was slid neatly onto a waiting slice of buttered toast. Its companions met the same fate, and once everything was prepared the stove was turned off and the pan left to cool. Musica himself was already moving out of the kitchen and stumping up the stairs in a purposely noisy way.

"Oi, Takeshi, Hibari, up! You're gonna be late if you sleep in anymore!"

Family means no one gets left behind . . . of forgotten.

Breakfast was, as usual, noisy and only a little hurried. Even though Musica and Kevin's shifts at the cafe and library respectively didn't start until an hour after school started, it was their daily ritual as a family. With their father an almost non-existent presence in the house, the siblings did everything they could to keep their family bonds close and strong. That meant walking the twins to school; they'd done it when Musica and Kevin were still in high school, and it wasn't about to change. Not even when Riley and Sunny graduated. All they would do is wake up an hour and a half before the earliest shift (and for Musica, even earlier because of his jog) and walk to work together.

The twins looked less than thrilled with the prospect of going to school again, but still attacked their food with gusto. Kevin was dressed in what he called his "library clothes": a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark green wool sweater vest, and black slacks. The clothes he always wore to his job at the library. His reading glasses were on, and his nose was, as usual on any day, buried in a book about jewellery-craft. He had long since eaten his share of breakfast, having come down before his younger siblings, and only his hands moved to either sip at his milk tea or turn the page.

Musica himself was occupied, though with the newspaper. He had it gripped on one hand, the other resting on the table to occasionally tap on the surface of pick up his mug. Eventually, he glanced up at the clock and folded the read before standing. His movement alerted the twins, while the scrape of his chair against the floor snapped Kevin from his reading. No one needed any words; they all knew what the oldest brother standing up meant. Time to go.

"Nein."
One of those graceful delicate hand shot out from under the mass of blankets and pillows coming to land on the snooze button.

"More sleep..." Lucia mumbled to the mechanical alarm clock as she let herself doze off once again. It was short lived as she heard her bedroom door open and her mother's voice calling to her. A gentle touch seemed to find her slender shoulder, and she felt the weight of the small woman sit upon her mattress.

"Love, time to get up. I've got breakfast waiting for you downstairs." Her mother's thick German accent still managed to creep into every word that she pronounced, she was still working hard on her English and was slowly getting better at it. Lucia turned over to look at her mother and managed a a half smile.

"Thanks, I'll be down in a few minutes." Her mother returned her smile and left her room. Leaving as she had entered, nothing but a gentle whisper of clothing as she moved.

"Alright. Here we go." She said to the ceiling before sitting up and scrambling to get out of her entangled sheets. She was excited but somewhat nervous that this was her last year as a student at the local High School. Fishing through her clean laundry hamper she found a pair of black jeans, clean undergarments along with deep violet socks, a matching tank top, and a larger black tank top to go underneath, and finally a fitted black hoodie with a fun tribal-esque design inscribed in crimson that ran down the length of her right arm. Adorning her usual accessories of stainless steel hoops in her ears and a few plain bangles and rings, she paused to tame her hair with a brush.

Making a quick trip to the bathroom, she washed her face and applied a real basic amount of makeup. Light eyeshadow with black cat eye liner complete with mascara. When she was satisfied she headed down the stairs to meet her mother at the kitchen table, where her breakfast sat ready and waiting her.

"This looks amazing." She said with a smile as she plopped down into the chair opposite her mother and began serving herself some of the fruit onto her pancakes, then adding syrup.

"Lucia, I may be working late at the gallery tonight. We have a new employee that I need to make is trained in properly. I'm sorry that I won't be home right away to talk about your first day." Her mother almost looked sheepish at having to share the news with her daughter.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. Besides, I'll probably have some homework to deal with... If I get one of the instructors that I'm assuming that I get. But I look forward to sharing my day with you when you get home, and you can tell me about yours." She watched as her mother let out a small sigh of relief. She knew that her mother hated leaving her for prolong amounts of time, especially after her father's unexpected death. Glancing at the clock Lucia finished the rest of her breakfast and stood to rinse off her dishes. Placing them in the dishwasher, she paused to kiss her mother on the forehead thanking her for the food. Heading over to the door she paused to grab her messenger bag and headed out the door for her first day of school.


X--X


Spring was an earlier riser. It didn't matter how late the girl stayed up the night before, somehow she managed to get up around the same time with the same jovial attitude about the new day.

"First day of school!" She couldn't help the outburst in her room as she danced around trying desperately to figure out what to wear for her first day in the human's school. She had three outfits laid on the bed. One was a dress that she felt may be too over the top for school, the second was considered dressy casual, while the final was more casual.

"What do I wear?" She tapped her chin tentatively looking at the three outfits, then letting her soft green gaze wander around the room. Her eyes spotted a simple short dark green skirt. It was a favorite of hers, and she thought it would be perfect for the day.

"Yesss." She drew out the word as she plucked the skirt up off of the chair feeling the sturdy, yet soft cotton fabric under her fingers. Turning to look around the rest of the room, she began to dig through the chaos that she had caused while uprooting her room looking for the "perfect outfit". She wondered if any of the other people that lived here did the same thing. Deciding to wear layers, she found a dusty rose colored tank top that was made of a thin stretchy material. Over the top she layered a simple t shirt in the same material colored in black. She wore black socks that stopped about mid thigh, and donned a pair of ankle boots that matched her tank top. She came across a small, light sweater identical in coloring to her skirt with buttons up the front that she put on. The sweater's sleeves stopped halfway down her upper arms, and reached only below her bosom line.

"Somethings missing...." She muttered as she turned to admire her outfit in the full length mirror that hung behind her door.

"A necklace?" She rummaged through her jewelery box and placed a long string of fake pearls around her neck that she tied into a knot halfway down the length. She had spotted this as a sort of 'fashion' in some magazines and thought that it was appealing.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed completely giddy with excitement for the day to start. She was almost out of her room when she remembered to turn back and fish out her brother's birthday present from under her bed. It was a book that she had come across entitled Dante's Inferno. She found it to be a favorite amongst many bookworms and instantly thought of Autumn. It was currently wrapped up in a neat, metallic spring green package completed with a pale gold ribbon and bow. She had hand made a small card with cherry blossoms decorating the front and birthday wishes were written inside.

Clutching the small gift to her chest she stood and hoped desperately that he liked it. He and Winter were the two she had always felt awkward about finding gifts for them seeing as they were not exactly the friendliest of the four seasons.

Heading out the door and down into the kitchen she was not surprised to find that she was the first awake. Setting her brother's gift down on the counter top, she turned and stood on her tip toes to fish around for a box of cereal.

"First day of school, my ass," Iku muttered, stomping down the stairs. With the time now being 7:00, Iku filled her plate as quickly as she could and set to work on the pancakes. Aiko looked at her with disapproval at the same time that their father began to speak to the both of them. "Gakkō no nochi ni wa, ryōhō no mise ni iku hitsuyō ga arimasu. Anata ga kōnyū ni hitsuyōna mono o watashi wa anata no risuto o ageru - "

"English? We do live in America, after all," Iku muttered between bites. "You two need to keep using your Japanese, else you'll forget it soon enough. Like I was saying," he scolded, "You'll need to buy a few things from the store. I'll give you a list before you go, as well as the money. The money is to only be used in the store. Alright, Iku?" A slight grumble was misinterpreted and the girls' father sat back in his chair, straightening out his newspaper. Aiko giggled and got up, taking her and her sister's plates, leaving Iku to scramble behind her for the last piece of her pancake before it headed down the drain. "Can you let me finish eating?" Iku moaned, and Aiko flicked her older twin on the forehead. "Jinsoku ni shi, nemui atama o shite kudasai," Aiko grinned, bouncing back up the stairs to grab a jacket and her backpack. "Get mine too!" Iku yelled, with the response, "Not likely to!"

x - x - x

- Translations -

► Gakkō no nochi ni wa, ryōhō no mise ni iku hitsuyō ga arimasu. Anata ga kōnyū ni hitsuyōna mono o watashi wa anata no risuto o ageru. ~ After school, you both need to go to the store. I'll give you a list of what you need to buy.
► Jinsoku ni shi, nemui atama o shite kudasai ~ Be quicker then, sleepy head.

The alarm had been going off for a while and Dawn bolted awake, suddenly aware that she was supposed to be getting out of bed right now. She stared at the clock and let out a cry as she saw how late it was. She literally jumped out of bed and grabbed the clothes she had layed out the night before. Hurrying to get dressed immediately, she gathered the few things she would need for her first day of school. As she got on her second shoe she hefted her bag onto her back and ran out of her room, down the stairs to the kitchen. Her mother stared at her like she was some kind of demon. Dawn ignored the look and grabbed a piece of toast and a small portable brush with a mirror as she rushed out of the house. There was no way she was going to let herself be late for the first day of school. Generally, she was one of the few students to get to school early, and she intended to keep it that way.

Autumn woke to the sunlight that somehow, no matter how he tried to shut the curtains, had filtered through. Groaning inwardly, he half fell out of bed, looking at his calendar on the wall of his room, his heart sank, today was his birthday, the most dreaded day of the year for him. He started to change his clothes, taking an extremely long time in doing so. He knew that, knowing his siblings, that Spring would be awake by now. He just hoped to mother nature that she wouldn't be loud and wake the others. Taking a hat and putting it on his bedhead of hair, he cautiously opened his door. This was the only day he wouldnt take the window to get out since Spring will probably track him down some way or another.

He stretched, hearing his bones creak from sleep. As he dusted himself off, he took in a large breath and made his way down the stairs. As he came too the kitchen, he saw that, to no surprise, Spring was up bright and early, looking for something to eat. He chuckled, and pulled up a chair. Looking at the gift, he then dismissed it and looked at Spring,"Hey there Spring, how's my little sister doing this fine morning?"

He leaned back on the chair and looked at the gift on the table, he was honestly curious, what could Spring have possibly bought him THIS time? It didn't look that big, and Autumn was actually looking forward to his birthday. Maybe he would go to school today, just this once. Being his birthday and all,

"Gotcha!" Spring bounced down to the flats of her feet after clamping a hand around the cereal box. Her large triumphant smile was short lived as she looked over her breakfast. "Nooooooooooooooo!" She wailed seeing that it was a box of raisin bran. Like a child she simply discarded it letting it fall to the floor. Her eyes darted back up to the open cupboard, they narrowed in frustration as if it were it's fault and not the person who had placed the boxes accordingly. Quickly she scrambled onto the counter top below the cupboards and stood slowly using the ledge to help steady herself as she peered inside.
"Aha! Now this is what I wanted!" Again that triumphant look was set upon her face as she reached in and grabbed her prize.

She managed to jump down from the counter and was pulling a bowl, a spoon and milk from the fridge when she heard someone moving about in the house upstairs.
Finding herself pleasantly surprised that it was Autumn, she was almost floored at his equally jovial attitude. Beaming at him she answered, "I'm actually really excited for school in the human realm." She wiggled slightly as she poured her breakfast into the bowl and placing the spoon in with it. Unable to contain herself anymore, she rushed over to her brother who had taken a place in a chair and threw her arms around him giving him a tight squeeze.

"Happy Birthday Autumn! Oooh, today is going to be so much fun! How are you today? Oh!" Stopping herself short she released her hold on him and took a step back, her eyes going to the small package that sat near him. Turning back to him she asked in a much more quiet and even tone, "Can I please give you your gift now? Please? I promise I'll be quiet." She grinned sheepishly at her brother as she waited patiently for his answer. She hoped that she hadn't destroyed his mood just yet, especially since the day was still so young.

Autumn held back the urge to laugh and tease Spring as she struggled to get her cereal. When she got down and started making her breakfast, he gave his sister a small smile,"I'm okay, nothing has ruined my birthday so far.."

He almost screamed out in shock, however, when Spring unexpectedly "attacked" him with a birthday hug. He put his hand on her head, and started to ruffle her hair. He looked at the clock, school would start in a few minutes, hours, he really didn't care. Looking back at Spring he laughed, seeing how he had made her hair a slight mess right then.

Autumn then faked a look of surprise when her little sister asked about the present,"For me? You shouldn't have!" He joked,"Yeah sure Spring, as long as I can go before the others get up," The last part came out bitterly. He predicted that Summer was going to make an even bigger deal out of the matter of his birthday than Spring did. And Spring was very....lively to say the least.

He leaned forward, half excited for the gift, half anxious to leave. Autumn poked the gift cautiously, as if it were out to ge him,

"So? What did my lovable little sister get for me this year?"

A cavernous yawn greeted the morning as the Aragaki siblings ambled out the door of their beach-side house. Kevin had to admit, for all the presence their father had in their lives, he had chosen a good place in the quaint little town. It wasn't anything nearly as breathtaking as Alberta, but it was still beautiful, and it meant a short walk to the beach. But the beach wasn't their destination at the moment; it was school. Stretching, he grunted softly as he heard his bones creak and pop into a more comfortable position. There was the jingle of keys behind him as Musica locked the door, and the moment their tall brother had replaced the keys, Sunny and Riley seized both their older brothers' hands. Together they made their way down the driveway and down the block.

Remnants of summer clung to the morning air, still warm but with the briskness that whispered and reminded that autumn was here. Sunny was up to her antics again, humming cheerfully as she swung Musica and Riley's arms in time with the beat of whatever song was playing in her head. They weren't the only ones heading off for school. As they made their way along the sidewalk, the twins spotted a fellow classmate walking to school as well. Recognizing her, they called out and waved to her.

"Lu-Lu~"

"Morning~!"

Kevin and Musica, hearing the called greetings, turned to see who they were calling to, and seeing Lucia, greeted her as well, the former with a kind smile and a wave while the later merely gave a nod. With Sunny leading the way by pulling on them, the siblings' pace sped up until they had crossed to the other side of the road that separated their house from Lucia's and waited for the girl to catch up with them at the corner of their street. Sunny grinned brightly at the other girl as she approached.

"Lu-Lu, let's walk to school together!"

"Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I just told you what it was silly." She stuck out her tongue at her brother and nudged the small package over to where he sat. "Come oooooon! Open it! I have to get to school soon. I don't want to be too late for my first day." She pulled her bowl of cereal over to her and plopped down into a seat. Spring made quick work of her breakfast, here eyes staying on her brother as she waited for him to open his gift. No doubt he wanted to escape before the rest of the household awoke. She was excited to see if Summer had come up with anything to do for Autumn's birthday and hoped that she could help with decorations later.

X---X

Lucia took a moment to appreciate the new day. So far the weather seemed decent and it had yet to bring that bitter wind their way that signified the turning of the seasons. She had not bothered with locking the door as her mother was still home and she knew that she would be leaving fairly soon as well. Though, not that there was an issue of safety here in these parts, in fact there hardly ever seemed to be any crime at all. Pondering as she began walking for school, she actually couldn't recall the last time she heard something horrible happen in the news. Anywhere else, and it would be a different story.

Her attention was caught by the sound of a female's voice calling her by one of her nicknames. With a grin she spotted the family of four siblings standing together. She quickly caught up with them, and began to return the greetings to each. Nodding her head to the two eldest siblings with a slight smile, a light blushing fell over her cheeks briefly as she looked to Musica. Any traces of the lighting change in coloring vanished as she looked to the twins and smiled at them.

"Hey you two. Yes, I'd love to walk to school with you both. Are you excited about the new year?"
She did not know much about the Aragaki family and had always been curious about them. The only real interaction she had had with them was the brief moments with the twins during school.

Autumn groaned, as much as he liked getting things, he hated guessing. Half excited, he opened the gift, revealing the book that Spring had gotten him. You would think that a book would be a worthless gift, but to Autumn, it was the greatest thing he has ever seen. "Oh! You got me something better than last year, I'm surprised! Nevertheless, I love it."
Autumn gave his young sister the first genuine smile of the short time he had been awake. Now, he was definitely going to school, his mood was unusually happy, and when he's happy, usually he's more fun to be around.
"So, you going to school Spring? I'll come with you, spare me the thought of meeting Summer and ruining my good mood."


~SWITCH~


Chiki shot out of bed, since it was the first day of fall, it was one of the most busiest times of the year for her. With all the more dampening weather, along side with more deliveries of the people and such, Chiki needed to be bright and early. Quickly changing out of her pajamas, she pulled on her shirt, stuck her head in her pink, kitty sweater, getting her gray tights on, she was almost ready. She was about to run out before she ran over to her mirror. She put on her goggles, nodded at herself, and went downstairs. Pulling on her pink and yellow polka dotted boots, she put her messenger bag on her shoulder, grabbed a piece of toast, and ran out the door. Closing the locked door behind her, leaving a huge mess in her house.

She was Chiki, the young, tomboyish, and overly active messenger/animal shelter worker/repair girl of Beachview. Some call her strange, some call her a hyper critter, others just call her different, these were the titles that she walked around with with pride. The good thing is, she's fast, efficient, and can get the job done with deliveries, and repairs, most of the time...

((I wanted to say how sorry I am for not posting. I thought I had subscribed to this thread and I didn't. So I forgot about this thread. Once again I am very sorry.))

Kelly had just moved into town. She had finally unpacked her stuff, or really just gotten it off the trucks and into the house. No she was much more worried about her store. So without unpacking anything she drove over to her new store. She had paid for the store to be set up so she at least didn't have to worry about that. She looked around the store to make sure everything looked alright. She turned on all the lights and unlocked the doors. Might as well get to work. She turned on the open sign then walked back to the counter.

At first she stood behind the counter like she thought she should then grew bored. She pulled herself up on the counter and pulled out a book.

It took a few minutes, but Dawn managed to make it to the school without incident. Not that anything bad usually happened on her way to school, not in this peaceful town. She knew that she had a few minutes until she needed to be in class, so she pulled one of her favorite books out of her backpack. As she started to read, she wondered when the other students would start showing up. Dawn shrugged and poured her attention into the book before her, at least until someone talked to her or class began.

Aiko and Iku turned the corner, spotting Lucia and the Aragaki family. She began to shout out to them, but the greeting turned into a cry for help as Iku pounced on Aiko, holding her hand against the younger twin's mouth. "We don't know them like that," Iku protested to her struggling sister. When Aiko was released, she huffed and picked up her bag, walking much quicker towards Lucia and the Aragakis.

"Aiko! Son'nani hayaku aruite wa ikenai!" the protest came, among other things. "Lucia! Wait up for me!" Aiko said, drowning out her sister. They jogged up to Lucia and the others side-by-side, Iku trying to get a response from Aiko, who ignored the other effectively.

~ Translations ~
Aiko! Son'nani hayaku aruite wa ikenai! - Aiko! Don't walk so quickly!


- x - x - x -

Summer didn't feel the greatest today, though it was common when the seasons changed. Just like always, though, he would put on a good poker face in spite of his brother's birthday. He headed downstairs after getting dressed with Autumn's present, finding his youngest siblings huddled together in the kitchen. He caught Spring's gaze and raised a finger to his lips, then frowning when Autumn said that he didn't want his mood ruined, which suprisingly hurt. With his younger brother's present in his hands, he retreated back up the steps and went into Autumn's room, where he laid the present down. It wouldn't hurt to stay out of his way until they left, anyhow.

Spring was overcome again by her brother's reaction to the gift and practically attacked him once again with another of her hugs. "Really?! You think so? I'm so happy that you like it." She was practically beaming, her attitude extremely radiant at the elated mood she now held. She had released Autumn and again stepped back as she listened to him question about school, and then mention about Summer. At that moment she had met Summer's eyes and noted the motion of staying hushed as he turned and retreated back up the stairs.

Concealing her pout, she turned to look at the clock and took note of the time. "Yeah, we should probably get going then. Shouldn't be late. right?" Spring picked up her empty cereal bowl and walked over to the sink, rinsing the dish out before placing it into the sink. "Just let me go grab my bag." She called over her shoulder as she rushed past Autumn and back up the stairs. Making her way to her room, she quickly retrieved her bag from a pile of clothing and exited. Spotting Summer, she whispered in his direction, "Summer! I'm sure that he didn't mean it. He's probably just still, um- Mad at mother for having banished us. Today's your first day at your new job, right? It should go great." She smiled warmly at him before glancing at the stairs.

"I really want to stay home, but I know we have to go to school. I'll see you later!" With that she bounded down the stairs and to the front door, calling to Autumn. "KAY! I'm ready!"

X---X

Lucia had stopped and turned around to see that the Love twins were not far behind. With a half smile she turned and waited as Aiko rushed over with Iku trailing not far behind. The two always managed to make her laugh with they way the argued. "Morning Aiko." With a nod of her head in Iku's direction, "Iku." She addressed the other girl as well. "All set? Did you meet the new family at all?" She asked curiously glancing at the twins before slowly starting to walk again.

Autumn barely kept in his screams when he was "attacked" by Spring's hugs yet again. Trying to regain his breath, he realized, that he should be getting something to eat. As he was going to get an orange, he heard Spring talking to someone, he was too lazy to eavesdrop on his sister.

Autumn saw Spring bound by him, he laughed, and walked over to the door. He opened it, looking at Spring,"Now Spring, behave in school will you? We need to be our best here with the humans." Sticking his tougue out in a teasing manner, he peeled his orange as he walked out the door.