[Kitsumi]

A shiver ran through Kira, and Storm wondered if he had overstepped his boundaries. He certainly hoped not - he rather liked this girl, or as much as he knew about her, of course, and he didn't want to scare her off by being overly physical or something of that sort. He had always been the touchy-feely sort of guy; not in a sexual way or anything like that, though. He simply relayed his feelings through touch. For the most part, it was nothing but friendly. Of course, at the moment, he wasn't sure if it was simply a friendly touch, or more...

Storm shook his head. Obviously, being here in Idalani Falls was messing with his head. Sure, he believed in love at first sight  - always had, probably always will - but this girl was way out of his league. She was kind, and beautiful, and yes, even powerful. He would be far better off not letting himself care for someone that could never care for him back.

Watching as her eyes filled with tears, Storm felt a sense of sadness himself; the fact that she had felt pain in her life made him sad as well. Removing one hand from hers, yet keeping the other one within her grasp, he tenderly caught a stray tear on his finger, wiping it away with his knuckles. "I'm sorry," he said simply, choosing to relay his feelings with his eyes instead of his words.

{2-3}

[jobiehanna]

Yakira smiled softly. "No need to be sorry," she said with a sniff. She could see something in his eyes, though she wasn't sure what is was exactly. There seemed to be a kindness there that comforted her, but there was something else that was hard to place. She reached up her free hand to grasp the hand Storm had wiped her tear away with. "Thank you for caring," she said softly.

The last person who had truly cared about her wasn't around anymore, and the thought depressed Kira, because she didn't want anything to happen to Storm. Her luck with friends and love had always been bad. Sure, she'd found it, but her loved ones always died somehow. Since then she had been careful who she was around. She briefly thought about getting up and leaving, but something about Storm held her where she was was.

[Kitsumi]

"Well, I am sorry," Storm said, enjoying the warmth of her hand over his. "I'm sorry that I can't stop the pain you feel, or take away the feeling of loss. I'm sorry that I can't keep your tears away, and bring you laughter instead." He smiled at her. "You don't need to thank me for caring, Kira. I care because I want to...and because I can't help but to care about a lovey girl like you."

He saw sadness in her eyes still, and so he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to lean against him. "Is there something else bothering you?" he asked.

{2-4}

[jobiehanna]

Yakira was so thankful for Storm's understanding. She wanted to tell him how grateful she was, but thoughts of her deceased mother and mate crowded into her mind and she choked up. Storm was so much like him that she couldn't help but remember him when storm talked to her like that. And then he took her into his arms, and she just melted.

The tears came with the memories of Lahn, her old mate, holding her like Storm was. She ended up wrapping her arms around Storm so that she rested against his chest and could hear him breathing. It was so comforting... She regained her composure after a few moments listening to him. "Yeah," she said softly. "Whenever I get close to someone... something happens to them," she spoke into his chest as she told him, but she was pretty sure he was able to hear her. "Like, my mother died, my best friend, my previous life-mate was captured by poachers and killed. I can't get close to anyone... I don't want you to die," she ended with a glance up at Storm.

[Kitsumi]

Kira settled against him, crying, and Storm stroked her hair and rubbed her back tenderly, murmuring soft words of comfort. She felt so soft and vulnerable in his arms; all he wanted to do was just hold her, protect her, take care of her. Even if she was way out of his league...he could still help her, be her friend.

Her voice was soft as she spoke, and Storm strained his ears to hear her words. It took him a moment, but her words eventually registered in his mind, and he felt a pang of sadness for all that she had been through. Losing her mother, her best friend, and her lifemate...it had to be hard. Storm had lost very few people in his life, as he rarely settled down long enough to really get to know someone. But thinking about Eta, Zeta, Theta and Epsilon, his only close friends, he realized that it would kill him to lose even one of them. And yet Kira had lost three of her beloved; it had to be horrible.

"I can't imagine how that feels," he said quietly. "I'm so sorry. But for what it's worth, you have me now." He scarcely made promises to be there for people, as he oftentimes ended up having to leave on business or other such matters. But this time, he knew that he would be able to keep his promise. "And I won't die, or leave you in any way." He brushed a hand through her hair. "It's not your fault that things happened to them, Kira, you must know that."

{2-5 :: Level 3 Reached}

((Ooc - wow...Kira sounds JUST like how I used to be a little bit ago o.O Honestly, I said almost the same exact words to my fiance (Code Chaos on here) when we first started getting close, about losing everyone who got close to me and how I didn't want to lose him as well.))

[jobiehanna]

Kira felt so comfortable and safe in Storm's arms. It felt to odd to her to feel that way in someone else's arms other than Lahn's. It felt so right to be in Storm's arms, even though she had just met him. She hadn't felt like that in a long time. His words were comforting as well, though she found something wrong with one part of them. "You can't stop yourself from dying," she commented solemnly.

Oh, how she wished it was possible. But no one could prevent themselves from dying. She found herself holding on to him tighter as they spoke and he touched her hair. She was always gentle, of course, but she just didn't want to let him go. He just seemed so, important. "I know it's not my fault," she said quietly. "But... I just miss them so much sometimes... It feels like a part of me died with them, ya know?" A single tear rolled down her cheek as she said the last part, and she didn't even bother wiping it away.

((Wow, ironic much? I think that's the word. o_O I had no idea. I'm guessing you didn't say the captured by poachers and killed part? ))

[Kitsumi]

Gritting his teeth suddenly, Storm said quietly, "There are ways to keep one from dying...or to bring one back once they have." He knew of only a couple of these, of course, and most of them...weren't right. Torrent, for instance - as soon as she was brought back, she was obsessed with living, fearful of death. So she went and nearly got herself killed at a vampire club looking to be changed. Now, she had chomped on Storm on several occasions that she was too lazy to go out and find a victim. And then his father...well, that wasn't a pretty story in the slightest.

Storm felt her grip tighten, and he tightened his accordingly. He didn't hurt her, of course, but he held her tightly and pressed her against his chest, giving her the comfort and security he was sure that she needed at this moment in time. "Shh, it's ok, Kira. I understand. I've had things happen in my life that made me feel as if a part of me had died inside. In a way, it has; but those parts have healed, and yours will too, I'm sure. You're starting the healing process right now by grieving." He wiped away the tear that began to slide down her cheek.

{3-1}

((Haha, nope, didn't say that xD And yeah, it is ironic haha))

[jobiehanna]

"But the ways I've heard of keeping one alive aren't very pleasant," Kira mused. "Like vampirism, and selling your soul, or whatever people who are desperate to stay alive. I don't want you to do that," she said softly. "Stay human." She glanced up at his eyes once more. They were so gorgeous and so alive. She didn't want him to loose that quality, the being alive-ness that radiated off of all living beings.

The way Storm brushed the tear away so gently sent a pang through her heart. It was like being with Lahn again, but this wasn't Lahn. This was Storm, and he was completely different. But she could already feel herself liking him. "It's been so long, I should think I would have healed by now," she said with a sniffle. The most recent death was, of course, her lifemate. That was the hardest thing to get over. She knew he was gone and he'd never be back, but part of her wished that he had never been captured. She needed to erase that from her mind though. He would want her to be happy and love someone else eventually. "But I guess he'd want me to be happy and move on," she said out loud as she followed her train of thought. She bit her lip with a nervous smile. "Right?"

[Kitsumi]

"Yes," Storm said, nodding slowly. "You're right. The only cases I've seen...haven't ended quite well." The way she looked at him, it made him feel as if she was gazing straight through to his soul, and he found himself shivering involuntarily. It wasn't from cold or discomfort, but rather, from the acknowledgment of the fact that the way she was gazing at him was rather intimate. He knew that she hadn't meant it to be so, but it was. Meeting her gaze easily, he said quietly, "As you wish."

"It takes a while to heal, sweet." Storm found that he had pulled her so that she was practically sitting in his lap, and was now rocking her gently. The gentle back and forth motion had always soothed him, and he could only hope that it did the same for her. "But it doesn't matter how long it takes; what matters is that you're healing." Even though he was unable to hear her thoughts, it was clear that Kira spoke about her lost mate in her next words. "I'm sure that he would, Kira." he said. "If he honestly and truly loved you, which I have no doubt in my mind that he did, what with the lovely girl you are, then he would want you to be happy, no matter what."

{3-2}

((I recently watched the Princess Bride with my fiance...had to put the 'as you wish' part in there haha))

[jobiehanna]

Kira found herself blushing slightly, because of how intimate this meeting had gotten. She didn't mind it, no. But it was unnerving to her how quickly she had opened up to Storm, who she had only met so recently. And how he had received her with open arms, it was unique, she thought. Because not many people would comfort someone who was practically a stranger like Storm was doing now. He shivered, and she could see something hiding in his eyes, but she couldn't quite place it, so she pushed it to the sideline. She wondered briefly what it was, but didn't want to pry.

The comfort of him rocking her was soothing and helped her to settle her emotions. She smiled at him, "Okay," she replied softly. Then she lifted her arms from around his waist and wrapped them around his neck and shoulders, placing her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she added just as softly. "You've helped me very much," she continued. "I've never talked about any of this, with anyone.. except you." Her gray eyes went up to find his once more.

[Kitsumi]

He noticed that Kira was blushing, and he wondered if perhaps he should pull away, to keep from making her feel uncomfortable. But she didn't seem uncomfortable at all - in fact, she seemed rather...well, at home in his embrace. Of course, it might have been only him who felt like that...God, he was falling for her already. That wasn't good, but he couldn't help it. He was nowhere's near good enough for her, but she was just too perfect for him not to fall for.

When she wrapped her arms around her neck and leaned against his shoulder, Storm felt just so...protective of her. "You don't need to thank me," he said softly. "I'm really glad I could help. You deserve to be happy, and whoever it is that makes you happy, well...he'll be the lucky one." Storm suddenly blushed and looked away. "Sorry, I don't mean to keep babbling on like that." At the mention that he was the only one she had told, his eyes softened. "I'm so glad that you trusted me enough to let me be the first. And I promised, your trust in me is not misplaced."

{3-3}

[jobiehanna]

"It's okay, really," Kira said with a small smile. "I don't mind." She actually liked the way Storm talked about what he was thinking. It was so nice to be able to talk to him like she was, and him returning the conversation. If there was one thing that bothered her, it was having a one-sided conversation, especially when she cared about that person.

"Do you think you're lucky?" She asked the question innocently, wondering what Storm was thinking about that. Did he think he was lucky enough to make her happy? Did he have any idea how happy he was making her right now?

[Kitsumi]

"Alright, good," Storm chuckled softly. "I'd hate to know that I've only been boring you for the past...however long it is we've been talking. I tend to talk too much, I know." He grinned. "But hey, at least there hasn't been a lull in the conversation, right?"

Kira's question flustered Storm, and caused a wave of heat to rise to his face, coloring it slightly pink. "Well, of course I'm lucky," he said in a quiet voice. "I'm sitting here talking to a beautiful, spectacular girl." He looked down, suddenly unable to meet her eyes, afraid that she might possibly see the emotions that he was trying so hard to keep hidden, not willing to risk the embarrassment and pain of rejection.

{3-4}

[jobiehanna]

Kira nodded in agreement. Indeed, there hadn't been any awkward silences, which she was very happy about. It was always a good thing when two people could just talk. Kira could see the blush rising on Storm's cheek and wondered if maybe he truly cared about her. But when he looked down at her, he was avoiding eye contact. "Thank you," she said softly.

Then she did something she wasn't expecting to do, but rather it felt like she was being pulled to do it without conscious thought. As Storm looked down at her, Kira raised herself so that she could kiss him. She pulled him closer so that their lips were touching, and she kissed him gently, wondering if she was even doing the right thing. Everything was going kind of fast, but it just felt right.

[Kitsumi]

Storm didn't know what to do. It was obvious that he was developing feelings for Kira. He had always believed in love at first sight, but did she? And was this truly it? Storm couldn't tell, and he had no way of knowing. When he was so absorbed by his feelings, as he was at that moment, it was hard to tell where his emotions ended and truth began. At this time, he could honestly only hope that he made the right choices in the next few minutes to follow.

Suddenly, Kira was raising up towards him, and Storm wasn't sure what she was doing. But as she pulled him closer, he knew without a doubt what was happening. Their lips met, and Storm pulled Kira into his lap and tilted his head to kiss her better.

When they finally pulled apart, he gave her sheepish, half-smile. "Umm...do you believe in love at first sight? Or at least first meeting?" he asked quietly.

{3-5 :: Level 4 Reached}