Kanone looked back to Aamori and shook his head. "Well...you are the only 'good girl' that I know that would willingly strip in front of a guy." he teased lightly, though for once he didn't seem to interested in the opportunity to imagine her in her undies. He sighed softly and leaned his head down against the area where their hands met. "I'd say...I'm the better off between the two of us...I'm more worried about Cel..." he said quietly. "Think Shimmers is with him?" he asked quietly. That was about the only other place he could think that she would be; he hadn't made that big of a mess.

Nanashi smiled slightly to Kyran and again nodded a little, chuckling quietly again when he said that he may have lost his eyes. "You're getting there..." he said quietly, "...I'm still getting used to it." he said, referring to his lifestyle, "...But I think I'm liking it better... It's nice to have someone to talk to who doesn't...bark back." he said with a soft chuckle. He smiled almost apologetically when he said that about his misunderstandings. "...I'm getting better." he said quietly. At least he didn't freak out thinking that he was going to be chasing eyeballs as they rolled across the floor. He nodded when he said that he wasn't going to lecture, he understood not being in the mood. He nodded again when he said that he had better wrap his mind around the idea of learning to fight. "...I'll learn...for the rest of you." he said softly. "...But I do hope that it doesn't come to something like that..." He looked at Kyran for a few moments, realizing how tired he looked when he laid his head back. He was quiet for a moment before he asked. "...Are you feeling better now?" he asked softly. Obviously he had noticed how upset Kyran had seemed earlier. That was yet another thing that Nanashi was decent at, when someone had a really strong emotion, he could usually pick up on it lightly.

Marius looked at Nero and then stepped off of the porch before he finally let his eyes drift down to the white sheet where he should have seen her face. He sighed softly and hugged her closer to him for a moment before he finally started walking again, without really answering Nero's question at first. "...This way." he said quietly. Now that he'd looked down, he really didn't seem capable of looking back up again. He walked silently around the house and back into the trees, obviously preferring to keep out of the main area. He didn't want to be bothered with the villagers. He then turned and started down toward the cemetery, glancing up once once they neared the area so that he could look again. He stopped dead when he came to the open area and he stared in wide-eyed awe at all of the flowers. He had forgotten abut LaRae's little gift. He almost hated to have to start digging. He finally stepped forward slowly, near the tree in the center of the opening where Celestine's parents were and then down a row, stopping at the grave that Kanone had stopped at before. The one beside it bore the name Anil, the name of his biological son. There was an empty space between those two graves, probably just big enough. "...Here." he said quietly before he glanced up to Corentin and Celeste's graves. There was an entire little group here all bearing the same last name. He sighed softly at the thought of adding yet another.

Aamori stared at him for a moment after hearing his reason for her being a freak. By the time she looked away the color had already faded from her cheeks. "You're not going to let me live that down... are you?" She asked with a small sigh. "...Well, at least I didn't strip down completely on either occasion." She paused. "I think I'd be cherry red all over from embarrassment every time I saw you, if I had." She said with a soft chuckle. She couldn't begin to imagine herself red, blue on the other hand, she could. She looked down when he leaned his head down and then sighed softly after hearing the remainder of what he said. She lifted her free hand and set it down gently on top of his head. "...I don't agree." She paused. "I came down because I was more worried about you. Celestine is going to have the rest of the group to help him through once we leave." She sighed softly. "You're going to have Marius, and a few villagers who want to share their condolences. Not to mention, Celestine gets to walk away from all of this. You on the other hand, have to live here and deal with the painful memory every time you see something that reminds you that she's no longer of the living." She paused. "If you ask me... Celestine's got it a little easier." Of course, once he gets over blaming himself for what happened. She started to pull her hand back from on top of his head and rested it back at her side. "...As for Shimmers, I'm sure that she's sitting in with him." She answered lastly. If Hikari wasn't with Celestine she'd assume she was where ever Kyran was.

Kyran kept his head back while he sat there and listened quietly to Nanashi. "Don't worry, it'd take a lot for it to come to something like that. There are seven of us total you know... and so far only one or two, three of us tops have come out of a fight hurt." He paused. "If things work the way I'd like them to, you may never have to really raise your weapon." He finally started to lift his head back up and immediately let it rest in the palm of his hand while his elbow rest to the arm of the chair. "Since you'd rather not fight... you should only have to as a last resort." He said as he stifled a yawn with his other hand. He was pretty tired considering everything that went on earlier and he was starting to mellow out which made keeping his tiredness at bay all the harder. He glanced back towards Nanashi when he heard him ask if he was feeling better. He gave a light nod. "...For the most part." He paused. "When stuff like this happens, it's hard to keep your own personal memories and feelings locked up."

Nero watched as Marius came down from the porch and waited for him to start walking, at least this time he knew he was supposed to follow him. He followed after him as soon as he had started walking, giving a slight nod hearing him say 'this way'. He kept quiet while he walked, though he did come to a stop briefly when Marius did. He was a bit awe struck himself at the sheer amount of flowers but his expression would never show that. Once Marius started again, he was right behind him. When Marius came to a stop again he did as well and looked around a little between the different graves before moving off to the side a little and slinging the shovels down from his shoulder. He took one shovel and stabbed it into the ground a little before moving over to the open space between the two graves with the other. He stood there for a moment, obviously bowing his head slightly while lifting his hand and touching four points of his body. He started by tapping lightly at his forehead, then to just above his stomach, moving then to the right side of his chest and then ending on his heart. It formed a cross once he had finished. It was just something he was told he should do before taking on such a task. He gave a soft sigh and then lifted up his shovel and stuck it into the ground as he started to outline and lift up the soil around the area they'd be digging. He glanced to Marius once while he was doing this. "...Just be thankful that you have something to put here. A lot of people aren't blessed with even a finger." He said quietly.

Kanone half smiled and then shook his head slightly when she asked if she was ever going to live it down. He sighed heavily when he said that Celestine was going to have it easier. He hadn't really thought about it that way. "...Yeah...I guess so..." he said quietly, "...But then...I gt over thing...a lot easier than Celestine does...I always have." he said softly. He nuzzled his head against her hand gently and then slowly released her hand. "...I'll...I'll be alright..." he said softly and then looked up to her, forcing a real smile to his face. It wasn't his usual, but it was better. "...I promise..." he told her. He really didn't want her to worry about him too much. "...I think I've cracked up enough...time to start hauling myself back together..." He was pretty sure a good two hour crying session had done him some good at least.

Nanashi smiled appreciatively at Kyran when he shared that he didn't think that he should have to fight if he didn't want to. He sighed softly though when Kyran said that he was doing a little better. He shook his head slightly and then nodded. "...I know it is..." he said softly. It was clear in his voice that he knew exactly what Kyran meant. "...But sometimes...that helps you understand." he said quietly. "...And I guess...it sometimes helps to know that someone else understands..." he smiled weakly. "...I think it helped Celestine." he added quietly.

Marius watched Nero for a moment, still hugging Sonia's body to him. He couldn't seem to put her down. Finally he sighed after what Nero said. "...I know..." he said quietly, his voice cracking. He honestly didn't know which was worse, having to bury her, or having nothing at all to bury. He finally laid her down gently, trying not to crush many of the flowers that LaRae had put there. He reached over to the other shovel and swallowed hard before he finally shoved it into the ground. It took him a moment to even be able to make himself scoop the dirt out of the ground and dump it int he pile that Nero was forming. He'd never had to do this before. He wasn't able to when the rest of these graves were dug. People did good to get him to even come near this place even still. He stabbed the shovel into the ground again and scooped away another shovel full, then another. On the next scoop he just froze again and lowered his head. His vision was so blurred that he could barely see the ground in front of him. He felt moister sliding down his cheeks again. He was trying so hard not to think about it, but really it was just too hard not to.

Aamori sighed softly after seeing him shake his head to answer her first question. Some how, she wasn't surprised by that. She continued to stand there quietly while he spoke. When he released her hand she let it fall back to her side. She smiled a bit hearing him say that he would be alright, then seeing his forced smile. She nodded slightly after he said that he promised and then lifted her hands up. She reached over like she was going to rest a palm to either side of his face; Just as her fingertips grazed his cheeks she quickly pinched them and tried to force him to smile more. "I hope you're not lying to me." She said as she laughed softly continuing to pull at his cheeks.

Kyran gave a nod as he shut his eyes lightly. "Yes, well, it may help with understanding... but I could still live without the memories that resurfaced." He said quietly. He honestly thought that they'd been buried deep enough that they wouldn't bother him ever again, but after what happened it just showed him how easily they could resurface. He really wasn't ready to deal with them now, he wasn't even ready to deal with them back when it happened. He sighed heavily and went quiet for few moments. He was starting to doze off but he was trying to keep himself awake. His head kept falling back a little from his hand and he'd quickly recover and sit there like he hadn't moved.

Nero had continued to work without stopping, even when Marius finally got around to shoveling a little himself. He looked up though when he noticed that Marius was no longer shoveling. He sighed softly and moved over to him after sticking his shovel in the ground. He set his hand down on Marius' shoulder as he took the shovel away from him. "Why don't you just sit down and let me do this." He said quietly. "You obviously aren't together enough to work." He added as he pulled his hand back and then took and set the other shovel down on the ground away from where he was digging. He walked back to his own shovel and pulled it out of the ground and then started right back into digging without missing a beat. He had a steady pace to when he shoveled so it was obvious by looking at him that he'd done this before, a few times no less. He'd rather dig alone if Marius was going to have so much trouble shoveling the dirt.

Kanone was pretty content with what he'd said, though when he suddenly found his cheeks taken captive he blinked and tried to speak, though the way that his mouth was being pulled made him sound ridiculous. "Wat e eck are ou oing?? Ou're oing to ull my ace off!" he asked before he reached up and tried to pry her off of his face, though once he freed himself from her grasp he couldn't help but laugh softly. Being treated about like usual really helped him feel a little better. "Freak." he said fondly, shaking his head.

Nanashi sighed softly and nodded again. "...I know..." he said softly. He watched Kyran for a few moments and then smiled slightly. He stood up and walked over to him, lightly placing his hand on his shoulder. "...You've had a pretty long day...why don't you go on to sleep?" he suggested quietly. "You're tired." He could tell that just by looking at him, and he was sure Kyran knew that himself, but he thought he'd throw it out there anyway and make it a statement anyway.

Marius looked up again when Nero put his hand on his shoulder and blinked his eyes to try to clear them. He raised one hand to his eyes to wipe them and then looked a little surprised and then apologetic when Nero took the shovel from him. He really hated breaking down in front of people, and he highly doubted that Nero wanted to put up with him. "...I'm sorry..." he said quietly as he backed out of his way. He continued to stand there for a moment before he finally went over to Corentin's grave and sat down beside the stone, lowering his head again and half wishing that his hair was free to hide his face. Instead he just raised his hand to his face again, hiding his eyes behind his hand as he propped his elbow on his knee.

Aamori continued to pull at his cheeks at least until he managed to get himself free. The entire time she had been pulling at his face she couldn't keep herself from giggling, especially when he tried to talk. She shook her head lightly when he said 'freak'. "I was only making you smile more... that shouldn't qualify me as a freak." She said then stuck out her tongue. She stood there for a moment and then lifted a hand and poked at his cheek where she'd previously pinched. "You alright? I didn't hurt you did I?" She paused. "I mean, after hurting your back like I did..." Her sentence cut off and she started to laugh a little.

Kyran lifted his head slightly when he felt his hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Nanashi for a moment and then rested his head back to his hand with a light sigh. He was tired, it was obvious but he didn't really want to go to sleep. He wanted to be awake at least until some of the others started off to bed. He shut his eyes again and then lifted his free hand to stifle another small yawn. He sat there quietly for a few moments while he tried to keep himself awake. He finally just gave in and fell asleep right where he was sitting with his head propped up against his hand. Trying to keep himself awake at this point was too much work. He'd probably have just passed out from trying to keep his eyes open for any length of time anyway.

Nero continued to shovel diligently even after Marius moved away. He hadn't even paused what he was doing to look and see where Marius had gone to. He wasn't surprised that Marius had trouble digging, honestly he was surprised that Marius had even managed a few shovelfuls of dirt. He knew it was always harder on the family member when it came to digging graves. One's mind was always caught easily, whereas someone with no emotional attachments could continue to work without any distractions. He managed to finally get a good three feet dug by the time he paused and looked up. He looked over at Marius for a moment, briefly thinking about saying something to him but decided to just keep him mouth shut. He sighed softly and looked down at the hole he was standing in. Sometimes he wished these things could dig themselves because it never seemed like you were getting anywhere, at least until you started to see the walls of dirt around you as you finally started to get deeper. He still had a couple feet left to dig, and he wanted to be done with this pretty soon. He brushed his hair from his face and went right back to digging.

Kanone couldn't help but smile a little more when he got free, though is cheeks were a little sore when she let him go. He shook his head and sighed softly, rolling his eyes when she mentioned how she'd hurt his back. "Yes, a metal pole will do that." he said simply with a grin. He sighed and stood up again. "...I should probably get back to Marius..." he said softly. He was done crying, at least for a little while, but he didn't want to leave Marius alone for too long. He knew that he had to be pretty upset too even though he wasn't crying. He wasn't the type to cry in front of his kids...his grandkids applied to that, too.

Nanashi smiled slightly when Kyran fell asleep sitting there. He shook his head and then moved over to the bed and took one of the pillow. He fluffed it up a little with his hands and then walked back to the chair and placed it behind Kyran, holding it up with one hand while he slowly pushed him back against it with the other. Honestly, Kyran seemed to fall asleep in the most random positions. "...Sleep well." he said softly before turning to the door. He slipped out of the room quietly and then sighed softly. Well, there weren't too many other places to go. His eyes wandered to the stairs and he finally headed back to them again and started down. He only took one quick sweep of the living room before he walked right back over to the couch and sat down again with yet another sigh.

Marius was still sitting there against his son's grave, trying to hide his face. He wanted to get up and help Nero dig, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew if he did he would only end up crying again. He was having a hard time stopping now. He did finally glance up again a few moments after Nero had resumed digging. He really hated that he was doing this all himself, but he was very grateful to him. He and Kanone could have been here all day and not gotten three shovels full moved.

Aamori looked at him and smirked a bit. "Since you're not going to let go that I stripped down in front of you... I'm not going to let go that one little whack to your back by a girl was enough for you to lose that little sparring match." She doubted that was going to make him stop bringing up the fact that she'd done that in front of him but it at least made her feel a little better to have something to pick at herself. She took a couple steps back once Kanone had stood up. She sighed softly when he said that he should get back to Marius. She looked at him for a moment and moved like she was going to hug him but froze when she focused on the blood that was covering his shirt. She hadn't noticed it before, or rather, hadn't focused on it. The sight of it, knowing where it came from was enough to unnerve her slightly. She stared at it momentarily and then moved away so that she wasn't standing in his way.

Nero kept digging until all that could be seen of him digging was the spade of the shovel tossing dirt over the side of the hole. He'd successfully managed, with time, to dig a good six feet. He finally stopped and set the handle of the shovel against one of the walls of dirt surrounding him. At this point he was glad that he was the one digging, he at least was able to save a well of emotions from Marius. Standing in the grave itself looking out, wasn't exactly a happy feeling. He sighed softly and moved over to the wall and stuck his arms up. He grumbled quietly when he realized that he'd dug just a little deeper then he meant to. His finger tips were a good three or four inches from the top of the hole. He heaved a heavy sigh and stood there for a moment staring up; He half wondered if Marius had even noticed that he had stopped shoveling.

Kanone just shook his head at her. He was pretty sure one good whack to the back with a metal rod even by a little kid would be enough to hurt, so he wasn't sure why she kept going on about it. Besides he'd already explained that he was hardly trying. He blinked when she started to hug him and then stopped herself and then his eyes went down to his clothes again. "...Yeah...I know..." he said quietly. He reached over to her and put his hand on top of her head before he walked out of the kitchen, his hand sliding off of her head as he walked away. He made his way back to the bedroom and stepped inside, trying not to look at the bed. "...Gra--" he stopped and stared at the chair for a moment and then looked at the bed, surprised to find it empty. He sighed heavily, knowing they must have taken her to bury. He half wished someone would have told him so he could help but at the same time...he didn't want to be there. He sighed and turned around again. "...Guess I'll go clean off..." he said to himself as he continued down the hall and started up the stairs again. Once he reached the top he just started to untie the belt around his waist as he walked down to the bathroom and finally struggled out of his shirt, grimacing when he realized that the blood had soaked through his clothes and gotten onto his skin. He just reached over and closed and locked the door and then went to turn on the water so it could warm up while he got out of the rest of his clothes. At least there was a bath robe in here that he could use when he got out. He definitely wasn't putting that shirt back on.

Marius had just resumed staring at the ground in front of him until he heard Nero stop digging. He looked up again and blinked when he realized how deep he'd managed to dig that hole. "...I...think you...overdid it...a bit..." he said quietly. He finally managed to push himself up after he'd dried his eyes and wandered over to the edge of the hole and sat down on his knees again slowly, peering over the edge. He couldn't believe he'd dug that deep, five or six feet would have sufficed. He had a hard time even looking down there, but he tried not to think about it. He wasn't even sure how they were going to get her down there without dropping her in. He cringed slightly at that thought and then sighed. "...Are you stuck?" he asked finally.

Aamori sighed heavily after Kanone's hand slid off her head. She just stood there for a few moments after he'd left the kitchen. She finally moved, wandering over to the sink. She fished around for a glass and then stuck it under the facet while she turned the water on. After she filled the glass she took a sip and then started to head to the living room. As she passed by the bedroom she glanced in briefly. She paused after she stepped past it and then backed up looking in again. She was a little surprised to see no one inside, and her body was gone too. She sighed softly, assuming that she must have been being buried. She continued on to the living room and looked over at the couch, noticing Nanashi. Well that was convenient, now she wouldn't have to go looking for him. She walked over to the couch with her glass and then sat down. She took another sip of the water and then set the glass down on the coffee table before looking over at Nanashi. "I've got a question for you." She started. "I was thinking about it, after retelling that story to Kanone... What was that boys name in the story that you told to Celestine?" She asked curiously.

Nero was a bit relieved to see that Marius had come over. The last thing he really wanted to do was stand in the hole and yell for help. He'd sooner stand there then embarrass himself like that. He looked up at Marius and sighed when he asked if he was stuck. "...Not unless you are okay with me breaking the handle on your shovel." He paused. "Otherwise. Yes. I'm stuck." He let his eyes fall back down into the hole and he stood there for a moment before glancing back up to him. "...If you want, you could pass her down to me while I'm in here... Then I can try an get myself out of this hole..."

Nanashi was just sitting close so the arm of the couch with his arms resting on his knees where he was hunched over. He sat up a little when he felt Aamori sit down and then glanced over to her, pulling his arms back a bit. He smiled slightly at her and then looked away again, though he looked back to her and tilted his head slightly when she said that she had a question. He stared at her blankly for a moment when she asked and then glanced off to the side as if he was thinking. "...Shinta." he said quietly, without looking at her. He glanced back to her again for a moment and then looked off in another direction. "...Why do you ask?" he asked quietly before he rested his elbows on his knees and leaning forward the way that he had been before.

Marius sighed softly. He really didn't care about the shovels. "...Yes..." he said quietly when he offered to put her in while he was down there. He got up again and walked back over to her body, kneeling down to lift her again. She hadn't weighed a lot before, now she barely weighted anything. He started back over to the hole and knelt down again, though the movement finally caused the sheet over her face to slide down. His breath caught for a second and he looked down at her for a moment before he pulled her closer and gently nuzzled against her head for a moment before he gently pressed his lips to her forehead. "...I love you." he whispered quietly to her before he finally pulled the sheet back up over her face again and then hesitated yet again before he finally started to lower her down to Nero carefully, doing his best not to drop her on his head.

Aamori glanced over at Nanashi when he finally said a name. She sat there for a moment before shifting slightly. She turned and pulled her legs up and then rested her back against the arm of the couch. She pulled her legs closer to her and wrapped her arms around them loosely. She looked over at him before opening her mouth to answer his question. "I was just curious." She paused. "I mean... minus a couple things, or alter them slightly, that sounded an awful lot like what Celestine's been through." She pulled her arm away from her leg and reached over to grab the glass of water and took another sip from. This time holding onto the glass after she'd had her drink. "There was even word for word, something that Celestine had said before... So, yeah, I was just curious." She was quiet for a moment before she looked back to him, obviously with another question. "So... how did you know this boy, Shinta?" She paused. "Was he a friend of yours or something?"

Nero continued to stand there after he saw Marius get up and move. He gave a soft sigh as he waited for him to come back. He glanced up to Marius and noticed the sheet had fallen from her face. His eyes fell down to the ground while he let Marius have his last few moments with her before she was put to rest. He looked back up as Marius was starting to lower her down. He reached up as high as he could and took her from Marius when he had a good hold of her. He pulled her down and held her for a moment before shifting a little so that he could lay her down. Once she was on the ground he reached down and felt around for her wrist through the sheet. He pressed two of his fingers to her wrist for a few seconds and then stood back up straight. He'd always been told to double check for a pulse before you bury someone, even if they are butchered and in all likelihood dead; Or have been dead for awhile. He sighed softly and reached for the shovel, taking it in both hands and then snapping the handle clean in half by thrusting it down over his knee. He then tossed the one end of the handle not connected to the spade out of the hole away from Marius. He looked over the remaining shovel for a moment and then stabbed it into the side wall of the hole about as high as his waist. He put his hands on it and pressed down slightly to check to see if it could hold him. When he felt safe enough he took a firm hold of the shovel and lifted the rest of his body up quickly, replacing his feet where his hands were and then reaching up to the top of the hole to pull himself up and out. Once he pulled himself out he laid on the ground for a moment, obviously quite tired from all the digging. He'd even managed to break out in a sweat, though you couldn't have seen that when he was down there. He pushed himself up and sat for a few minutes. He was giving himself at least a short break before he fought to get that shovel out of the wall and then started to refill the hole.

Nanashi just nodded weakly to her. "...Well...I would say that a lot of things that I said have been said before." he said quietly, glancing away again. He glanced back when she asked how he knew the boy. "I..." he sighed and looked away again. It was kind of hard to lie and look at someone. "...No...I didn't really have friends..but I guess he was the closest thing." he sighed softly, "...Shinta...isn't around anymore...he hasn't been for a long time." he said softly, "...I doubt that anyone misses him, either." he shook his head. Those who even might didn't have to. After all he was sitting right there on the couch. "...The old woman never existed." He confessed to her, "...It was only a story. But it got my point across." he said softly, "That was all that I was after."

Marius sat back once Nero had the body and sighed softly, closing his eyes and lowering his head again. His head snapped up again when he heard the handle snap and he blinked, though he didn't say anything. He watched as Nero hauled himself out of the hole and moved out of his way a little. He looked over to him when he got himself out and then sighed softly when he laid down. "...I'm sorry..." he said quietly again, resting his hand on his shoulder lightly when he sat up again. He still felt back for having him do all of that himself, especially seeing ho tired he was. "...I will help you....fill it back in." he said quietly. He could at least do that much, or at least he hoped that he could.

Aamori sat there listening to him quietly, occasionally taking a drink from her glass until it was empty. Once he was finished speaking she reached over again and set the glass down on the coffee table. She looked back to him and shook her head lightly. "Do you always avert your eyes when talking to someone?" She asked, though not looking for an answer. She was just pointing out that she'd noticed his lack of eye contact. "He isn't around anymore? What happened to him?" She was rather curious now, mostly because Nanashi had said that this Shinta was the closet thing to a friend, and yet he doubted anyone missed him. If Shinta was the closet thing to a friend that Nanashi had, wouldn't Nanashi miss him? She sighed softly. "...Well, at least one of the characters from your little story wasn't made up."

Nero sat there for a few minutes and looked over at Marius when he said that he would help fill it in. He shook his head lightly. "Don't worry about it, I can finish this." He started. "Besides, we've got one good shovel right now." He started to get to his feet, wiping his forearm past his face in the process. He stretched a little once he was back on his feet and then knelt down beside the hole, with his back to it so that his tail could slip down and wrap tightly around the handle of the shovel he'd stabbed into the wall. He balanced himself to keep from falling back and began to shimmy the shovel free from the dirt. It took him a few moments to get it free, only because he'd forced the spade far enough in that it could support him while he climbed out. He pulled the shovel up with his tail and then tossed it off to the side before standing back up straight and stepping away from the hole. He sighed when he finally noticed what time it was getting to be. "...Dusk ...already...?" He muttered quietly. He walked over to the other shovel, the one he hadn't broken and picked it up before returning to the mountain of dirt. He stood beside it and paused for a moment, doing the same motion over the four points on his body as he did when he started. He then picked up the shovel and stuck it into the pile of dirt and then looked up at Marius. He briefly thought about asking him if he was ready for the grave to be filled in but decided against it. If it was going to be anything like the past times, the loved one usually kept the grave unfilled for hours while they grieved more. He pulled the spade from the dirt and sighed softly before he emptied the spade over the hole and started to return it to the pile for more.

Nanashi sighed softly and glanced back to Aamori with a weak smile when she mentioned that he wasn't looking at her. "...Usually..." he said quietly, "...With people I'm...not used to talking to." he explained. He tried to keep better eye contact with her while she spoke and then sighed softly and shook his head. "...I don't know what happened to him. He's just...gone." he said honestly. He smiled weakly when she said that at least one of the characters wasn't made up. "...I like to think he wasn't. Who knows... It was a long, long time ago." he said simply. His old self was such a distant memory that it actually took him a while of thinking before he even recalled his real name, or at least the one that his mother had given him.

Marius watched Nero when he said that he would fill the hole and went to get the shovel. At least this wouldn't take as long as digging the hole out. He sighed softly, "...Thank you, my friend." he said softly before he looked away when he saw him about to throw in the first shovel full of dirt. Like before, he really didn't think that he could stand to watch. He was glad that Nero didn't ask if he was ready because he didn't think that he could honestly say that he would ever be ready for the grave to be filled, so he just looked away and let Nero take care of it. He just sat silently on his knees where he was, keeping his head bowed and his eyes closed.

Aamori hadn't really been expecting an explanation as to why he kept looking away, but she was thought it was nice to know. She had assumed that he probably had trouble looking at people he hadn't usually spoken to, especially if they were full dragon. Then again, she thought he might have loosened up a little around the rest of the group. She continued to look at him when he spoke and then sighed softly when he said he didn't know what happened to the boy. She shifted slightly and laced her fingers together in front of her legs. "A long time ago huh?" She said quietly. "How old were you two?" She paused. "Was Shinta like you? A half breed, I mean." She asked curiously. She hadn't known of very many half breeds, in fact Nanashi was the first she'd ever met that lived as long as he had. Then, she was kind of curious to know what Shinta was because she didn't think many people really associated with half breeds let alone enough to form any type of relationship close to friendship. So far, LaRae would be the first dragon that she really knew who had become close to a half breed.

Nero barely looked up once he got started on reshoveling the dirt back into the grave. He continued on for a good seven or eight minutes and felt like he was getting no where. This would really move along faster if there was someone else working with him. He sighed softly and stabbed his shovel into the pile of dirt and left it free standing. He lifted his hands up in front of him slightly with his arms bent slightly. His palms faced down and then his hands received a pitch black aura and his eyes briefly held the same aura. Within a few moments he'd created a small black orb, no larger then a melon and it had appeared to pull straight out of his own shadow and slip around to his hands. He turned his right palm upright and held the orb floating there for a minute while he produced yet another one the same way. Once he had the two of them the aura around his eyes faded, and then the aura surrounding his hands too. He didn't really care for using his magic in such a manor but for the sake of speeding this up a little he would. He tossed the orbs out in front of him and then sailed over to the broken shovel and stuck to it like glue, lifting it up off the ground. The orbs he created had a rather sticky consistency to them. They stuck to just about anything they touched, so they made a better binding method then anything. He could control where they went, but it was sometimes difficult to control what they stuck to. If someone else touched them, they'd probably be stuck until either he removed them or the magic wore off. He sighed softly and forced the orbs to start using the shovel to aid him in filling the hole. Once the orbs had started getting the dirt into the hole he reached for his shovel and then started to work again. The orbs could work twice as fast as him, and not get tired so he was sure this would be finished in no time at all. He was just glad that the sun was setting. In direct sunlight his magic would be considerably weaker.

Nanashi titled his head slightly and looked at Aamori again curiously and then glanced away again. "...Yes...he was like me." he said softly. He was me. he thought afterwards. He sighed softly and tried to think. "...That depends...on how you count. I age about twice as fast as you do... I suppose at the time my body was developed to that of about a three year old." he said simply, "But in your years...I was one and a half...give or take..." He shook his head slightly and then glanced over to Aamori again with a slight smile. "...You ask a lot of questions." he said lightly. He didn't really mind, but he thought he'd just point it out. He didn't mind talking to her, though it was a bit uncomfortable, but he could get used to it after a while.

Marius remained silently where he sat, though when he heard movement away from where Nero was he looked up in time to see the shovel put itself back together and start digging. He watched curiously for a moment and then sighed softly and looked down again. He still felt bad for not helping, but at least he had a bit of help now. He would have been up there with him if the other shovel wasn't broken.

Aamori was a little surprised to hear that Shinta was a half breed too. What was the likelihood of that? Let alone that they would have known one another? She listened to what he said, but her ears perked slightly when she noticed that he hadn't mentioned how old Shinta was. She waited until Nanashi was finished and then went to open her mouth. "If I didn't ask any questions, we'd be sitting here in awkward silence." She said with a smile. "I'd rather talk a little then do nothing." She glanced away briefly. "You were pretty young then." She paused. "You forgot to say how old Shinta was." She pointed out.

Nero continued to work nonstop this time until the hole was filled up completely. It took him half the time it would have if he was working alone. When he was finally finished the sun was nearly set completely. He heaved a heavy sigh and leaned against the shovel a bit as he held his hand out flat in front of him with his palm vertically in the air. The black aura seeped out of his hand seemed to call the orbs back to him. They dropped the pieces of the shovel where they were and sailed back over to his hand before slipping around him back into what little remained of his shadow. He dropped his hand back to his side once the orbs had dispersed and then stood up straight again. He moved over and picked up the pieces of the shovel he'd broken and then looked at Marius. "How much longer are you going to stay out here?" He asked assuming that Marius might not be ready to head back to the house right away. He on the other hand, was covered in dirt, sweaty, probably didn't smell very nice and was quite tired. He was obviously ready to head back and try to at least get cleaned up a little.

Nanashi shrugged slightly at her response to his comment. "I don't mind." he said softly, though he kind of meant that as he didn't mind either way. He tilted his head slightly when she pointed out that he hadn't given Shinta's age. "...Oh...it...was about the same, I guess." he said softly, looking away again. "...Like I said...it's been a long time." He wasn't even entirely sure of the years, though he knew that he hadn't been alive more than fifteen human years. So indeed, he was pretty young. "It's kind of hard...to think back that far." he said quietly. It wasn't that he didn't really remember he just really didn't want to try. If anyone ever asked him his mother's name he doubted very seriously that he would even be able to tell them. She was always 'Mother' or 'Mommy' to him, he didn't really learn her name and no one used it after he was discovered.

Marius looked up to Nero when he finished and then glanced down to the grave. "...I...don't know." he said quietly. He looked back up to Nero again, taking in how worn out he looked, and stood up slowly, not bothering to dust himself off. "...We can go back, now... I can come back later." he told him simply. He slowly started around the grave, careful not to step on it, and then held out his hands for the tools, "I will carry them back." He was bound and determined that he was going to do something besides carry the body down here and shovel three scoops of dirt.

Aamori listened quietly again and gave a slight nod once he was finished again. She thought about everything for a moment as she unlaced her fingers and set her hands down in her lap. She thought back to the story he had told, momentarily. "If most of that story, was.. well.. just a story..." She paused. "How much of it was really true?" She asked quietly. She was a bit curious to know if the part in the story about the boy losing his mother was true or not. Now that she was thinking on it a little more she wondered too, if Nanashi had made that story up at the drop of a hat or if he'd used it before. She sighed softly. "I do apologize, I have asked a lot of questions."

Nero watched as Marius got to his feet and made his way over to him. He stared down at Marius' hands when he held them out for the tools and then said that he would carry them. He shook his head. "No. I've got them. You can stay here as long as you need to, Marius." He said as he shifted the broken shovel to his felt hand and held the other shovel in his right hand against his shoulder lightly. He only stood there for a moment longer before he started to walk off. He was just going to go through the village rather then go around it. He thought cutting through would be faster and since there was no body to hide from the public he saw no reason not to.

Nanashi smiled weakly and then shook his head. "...I don't mind." he said again quietly. He sighed softly and thought for a moment. "...He did lose his mother..." he said after a long moment, "...She was...murdered...is really the only way that I can put it..." he said, calm voice sounding bitter for a moment, which was a pretty rare case for him. "And he didn't want to cry... because he had cried so much over...so many petty little things... It just seemed wrong to cry for that...it was too big, tears did not even begin to cover it." he said softly, "...Really...all of it was true...except for the part where he met the old woman... He did not really speak to anyone...eventually he just...went away. But what I said was true...or at least...it's what I believe." he said quietly, turning his eyes to the flood again. "...I have to believe something...it sounds good, anyway... and I got the effect that I was after."

Marius sighed softly, "...Nero...I came out here to help you, and I have been nothing but useless. You could at least allow me to carry them back for you... honestly I cannot have you doing all of he work." he said gently, though...Nero was already leaving him. He sighed softly and stood thee for a moment longer before he looked back down to the grave again and knelt back down. He guessed if Nero decided to accept the offer he could lay them down at the edge of the field for him to get on his way back.

Aamori quirked a brow slightly when she noticed the brief bitterness to his tone. Of course that stuck out to her since he'd never voiced it before. Though she wasn't exactly sure what he had to be bitter over. She continued to look at him while he finished up what he was saying. Well, that time he had answered her question better and without leaving her questioning more about the story itself. She however was curious about something else that he had said. "...Why do you have to believe something, Nanashi?" She paused. "Did something similar happen to you too?" She asked quietly.

Nero kept walking, only bothering to look back once to see if Marius was following him. Since he wasn't he guessed Marius was going to stay there. He was walking at a decently quick pace since Marius wasn't coming and continued past the edge of the field without stopping. He didn't bother letting go of either of the shovels. He'd rather carry them back with him then leave them somewhere for Marius to forget them. He wasn't even trying to make Marius feel useless, he knew the intention was there and that was good enough for him. Besides, he managed to do just fine on his own, even when it came to getting out of the grave. Although, after all of that work he was ready to crawl into a bed and pass out.

Nanashi ears twitched slightly when she asked her next two questions. Honestly...he expected her to ask if he'd ever changed his name already. He glanced over to her briefly and offered her a weak smile. "...It's hard to go through life without believing in anything...isn't it?" he asked softly. He looked away again then and stared at the floor. "...The fire clan is traditional..." he said softly, again refusing to refer to it as 'his' clan, "...It is taboo to bear a child with another race; it taints the bloodline. But it's also against their laws to kill the innocent... No child has ever committed a crime punishable by death...and unfortunately...being born is not a crime." he said quietly. Once he finished he covered his mouth, hiding a very forced yawn. "...I'm getting kind of tired, I think I'm going to go see if I can find a corner to crawl in." he said as he looked over to her and gave her a more pleasant smile as if they had not even brought up the subject. "Good night, Aamori." he said simply, nodding his head to her as he started around the coffee table to get to the stairs.

Marius looked down to the grave once Nero was gone and laid his hand on the soil. "...I will watch over them, Sonia... I promise." he said softly as he closed his eyes. He sat there in silence for a time, actually losing count of how long he had been there. Finally, he opened his eyes, thinking that it must not have been that long since there was still light, though when he raised his head again he gasped quietly when he saw the glow emitting form some of the white flowers. He looked up to the sky to see that it ws fully dark out now and then turned his gaze back down to the flowers surrounding him, again awe stuck. He'd never seen anything like them before.

Aamori had already suspected that Nanashi was the same boy that he'd been talking about but she didn't want to go assuming that without more information to back up her suspicion. She'd have been embarrassed to go asking if he and Shinta were one an the same, especially to find out they weren't. Though now, there was just too much in common for it it to be mere coincidence. She sighed softly after Nanashi had answered her questions and rather quickly came up with an escape route. He hadn't looked tired, and he after just one yawn he could determine that he was too tired to continue talking? Oh well. She couldn't very well tell him he couldn't go to sleep if he wanted to. She smiled slightly and watched as he started to head for the stairs. "Thank you for answering all my questions." She paused. "Goodnight, Shinta... er... I mean.. Nanashi."

Nero made good time, making past the bridge in no time really. He did however pause when he started past Sonia and Kanone's house. He just stared at it for a moment before sighing heavily and continuing on to Marius' house. He really did feel bad for them. Sadly feeling bad for them didn't do anything so he pushed those feelings aside rather easily. Besides, they'd all be fine. It wasn't like her death was the end of the world for any of them.

Nanashi intended to just scurry up the stairs, though there was really nowhere up there for him to go but the room that LaRae was in. He slowed and then stopped when she called him by his real name. He slowly turned his head back to look at her again. The careless expression that he had been careful to keep up had suddenly melted away and he stared at her, his ruby eyes boring into hers for a moment and for just a moment, words would not have even been able to describe the pain and loss in those ruby eyes. He blinked slowly and looked away again. No one had called him by that name since his mother had died, because no one else knew it. He hadn't spoken a word after that so his aunt gave him a new name since he would not say the other; he had been Nanashi ever since. "...Goodnight." He said again quietly once she had corrected herself. Without another glance back he continued to the stairs and walked up then, hurrying slightly once he was out of sight of the living room. He lowered his eyes again and then sighed softly as he returned to the bedroom where LaRae had fallen asleep. He just slipped inside and walked over to the bed and crawled up into it. Tonight...he doubted highly that Marius was going to be too fussy about where everyone was sleeping. He just sat down and kicked off his boots before he positioned himself on whatever part of the bed that LaRae wasn't taking up and closed his eyes once he was comfortable.

Kanone had finished his shower a while ago, and already put his pants back on, though he just left his shirt on the floor while he tried to dry his hair. He had been out for a while, though he was just sitting there now. Finally he decided it was time to head home. There really wasn't room enough for him here. He gathered his ruined clothes and hung them over one arm before he left the bathroom and went down the hall, descending the stairs without a second glance around. He didn't look for anyone as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he just went straight for the door and exited out onto the porch. He kept his eyes down as he walked in a bit of a hurry. He wanted to get there before he could think too much about it and chicken out about going back so soon. He barely even noticed Nero coming up on the house until he walked right into him and fell over backwards with a quiet 'oof.' He looked up at him without getting up and sighed, "Oh...sorry..." he said quietly. His eyes caught on the shovels and he swallowed. "...I...is...she...?" he asked quietly, hoping Nero got what he meant. He thought that she had to be buried by now.