The Lion meets his Light.

Leo's room wasn't too bad. There was a pile of clothes on the floor that were dirty with a pile in the basket that was clean. So, besides some dust and books, it was not that bad otherwise.

Leo: At least this is somewhat clean. And I may have caused some confusion. I only eat that much here, Akari. I still eat the 3 basic meals a day, it's just I only eat here about once or twice a week. Sorry, didn't mean to concern you that much.

He gave off a stupid grin, showing a bit through his scarf. Misunderstandings, Leo's life in a nutshell.....Not really, but it does feel like that at times.

Akari walked over so that she could start picking up his dirty clothes to take them to the laundry room and run a load. She looked over at him with a small sigh. "Good. I thought you were a little too fat to only eat once or twice a week, anyway," she said with a grin, obviously feeling more comfortable as she picked up a sweater off of Leo's dresser, smelling it to make sure it was clean, before walking over to the bathroom to put it on. She came back out in nothing but the sweater, which came down to her thighs.

Leo laughed as she walked in with his sweater. It was really weird to see it on her, but it was pretty cute, admittedly.

Leo: You look good in my sweater. And thank everyone that I am fat so it would fit you just perfectly. Anyway, unless you can cook or teach me to cook, then I would be happy to stop eating out all the time. Plus, I am not that fat.

Akari blinked up at him with a small smile. "Thanks. I like your sweater. It's really comfortable," she remarked, then made a face when he said "thank everyone I am fat so it would fit you just perfectly." "Are you calling me fat?" she asked, crossing her arms and pouting her lower lip out just a little bit. "And yes. I can cook. So you don't have to spend all that money on disgusting food they sell in fast food places." She walked downstairs to the kitchen to look through the fridge, bending down and frowning thoughtfully.

This girl really liked to jump to conclusions. Kind of a pessimistic as well, but that'll come back to haunt him later.

Leo: I didn't call you fat, Akari. It was a joke on that if I am bigger then you, then it would fit you a lot better. Anyway, I like fast food places, but it would be nice to get a nice home cooked meal.

He stretched a bit, ignoring her obvious disappointment in the lack of ingredients. Understandable if she wants a nice home cooked meal.

Leo: Write down a list of ingredients and I'll head out to get some for you quickly, okay?

Akari crossed her arms, crouched in front of the fridge and then walking over to write down everything she needed on a piece of paper. She walked over to him again and handed it over. "I'm going with you," she said with a small smile. Then she walked over to put on her slip-on white tennis shoes and hopped out the front door, still just wearing the sweater. It did look like a short dress on her, so it was fine. The sleeves were a bit too long, though, not that she cared. "What do you want for dinner?"

Leo: Hmm.... How about spaghetti and home made meatballs? Haven't had those in a long time.

Oh yes, spaghetti. Just like mom used to make back when Leo was younger. Of course, she's dead now, so that won't happen again anytime soon. Plus, it was a bit of a long run to actually have Akari be able to cook that. Or at least, he thought it was.

For now though, it was time to go to the super market. He slipped his sneakers back on and tighten his scarf. He gestured at Akari, and the two of them were off to the market.

Akari smiled brightly. "That's easy," she boasted as she headed down to the market, humming softly as she walked into the big building. She grabbed a basket and whisked her dark copper hair behind her shoulder, frowning thoughtfully as she first headed to go get the noodles.

On her way there, she passed a woman with a baby in her arms. A flash of sadness lit in Akari's eyes, before she chased it away swiftly and looked at the baby with a smile. She should be glad for mothers who had gotten to keep their babies. It was what she wanted more than anything in the world.

Akari headed down the aisle to get some dried noodles, pretending like nothing had happened with the baby. She got a box of the thinner kind - angel hair noodles - and then went to get some tomatoes, spices and beef for the sauce.

Leo pushed the cart around as Akari picked out what they needed, throwing it in the cart as she gathered the ingredients. Though, there was that look of sadness on her face when she saw the baby. No, not just a look of sadness, maybe a bit of sorrow, longing? And then a look of happiness? Does she have a police record? Must look into this later. Going to go to dad for this one.

Anyway, after gathering the food, Leo went over to the counter and paid for it all, then headed back home.

Leo: I'm really sorry to say this, but I'm going to help you out with the cooking. So, if we get green meatballs and noodles that are harder then diamond, you know who to blame for it.

Akari shook her head quickly. "No, I want to cook. I mean, I did just intrude on your place. I should help you," she said with a small smile, still a bit distracted as she took a couple bags to carry back to the house. "We want edible food, right?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and chasing the last bit of sadness away that had lingered on her since she saw the baby. She headed inside and put away what needed to be put away, then put a thing of boiling water on the eye of the oven. She pulled out the noodles and put them in before making the sauce, humming quietly.

"You could fix me a glass of milk if you wanted to be really helpful," she said over her shoulder - she had raw meat on her hands.

Leo didn't notice how the look came back. he did, however, get her a glass of milk like she asked him to. He set out a place for the each of them, then went to the couch. He laid down on it and pulled out his book, then started to read. There wasn't much else he could do here, so it was time to read, as it always is time to read. At least, to him it was.

Akari finished up in the kitchen and left the food to cool for a little while, humming quietly and moving to sit down on the couch beside him, putting her bare feet comfortably in his lap as she leaned back. She looked pretty tired - she didn't have insomnia, but she did often get nightmares about her baby. She closed her eyes, intending on just taking a short power nap, but ended up drifting off into a deep sleep almost automatically. It was a good thing she'd turned the stove off.

30 minutes into reading after Akari fell asleep.

Leo:.....She's asleep.....Okay, that was stupid.

So, besides saying stupid things, it was probably best to let her sleep. He got up and walked over to the meal. Cooled off pretty well, a bit luke-warm, but that would be fine, he wasn't picky. After finishing eating, it was time to clean......Weird, but, it was the right thing to do with Akari doing the cooking. So, he put the leftovers in a big container and that in a fridge. Before he cleaned the dishes, however, he put his scarf on Akari, to help keep her warm. Now, off to clean the rest of the dishes.

Akari shifted slightly when she felt his scarf on her. She wrinkled up her nose at the strange, foreign smell, then relaxed as the warmth seeped into her skin. The girl curled up into a tight ball on the couch, murmuring slightly in her sleep. She didn't even stir when she heard him cleaning in the kitchen. She hadn't even noticed she was so tired, but to be honest, she was always tired.

He finished cleaning the dishes, which wasn't that long actually, since there was only a few things to clean, really. So, that was easy to finish up. But, that's not really that important. What is, though, is Akari. He sat behind the couch, trying to listen in carefully to what she was saying. Was it a nightmare about her past? Was it a good dream? Or was she just dreaming up random stuff. Well, there was only one way to find out, and so Leo listened in.

Akari whimpered softly and shifted around into a more comfortable position. She would tense up every now and again, gasping before relaxing once more. "N-no, let me keep it," she breathed, then her nose wrinkled up slightly as tears gathered into her closed eyes. "Please... don't take it away..." Then she put her hand over her stomach and grabbed it so hard her knuckles turned white. She whimpered and then jumped, her eyes widening as she felt the scarf around her. She sniffled, brushing her tears away quietly.

Oh no! Girl is awake with scarf! Girl has the scarf! Repeat, Akari has the scarf! Neck scar is within view, plan-Wait, seriously?! Leo, snap out of it! Come on, now is not the time to be worrying about if Akari sees the scar on your neck, got it?!

So, Leo took a deep breath, relaxing a bit. If she saw his scar, oh well. What matters most is that she needs someone to comfort her right now. So, he hopped over the couch, sitting to the right of her.

Leo: Sounds like you had a harsh nightmare Akari. Need to talk about it? Or just a drink?

Akari jumped slightly when Leo hopped over the side of the couch, then forced herself to relax. She offered him a little smile, noticing his scar but not going to mention it. She flicked her amber eyes back up to his red ones, still smiling uneasily.

"I'm all right," she said shakily, sighing softly and closing her eyes, her fingers brushing the scarf around her neck. "It was just a bad dream." She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again. "Thank you for giving me your scarf. I like the way you look without it better," she said softly, one hand still protectively guarding her flat stomach.

Leo closed his eyes and leaned back, not sure if patting her stomach was a wanting for food or something else. But, time to talk.

Leo: Seems to be more then just a bad dream, but I'll let that rest. I personally think I look better with my scarf, mainly because I don't like that scar on my neck. I'll be a bit honest with you, I was hoping to hide it a bit longer then an afternoon.

Leo put a supporting arm on her shoulder, along with a warm smile.

Leo: if you have anything to ask or tell me, I'll be in my room. Your plate is out and the food is in the fridge. You can warm it up and be fine.

Akari smiled a bit in a sad way. "I'll admit, I don't like people seeing my stomach for a similar reason, so I can't blame you with that one. But it's okay if you show it to me, because I won't tell anyone about it. Besides, I have way worse than just that one scar you have," she told him gently.

All right. Apparently it was time to tell him something about her. She looked quite thoughtful for a few moments, jumping a bit when she felt his hand on her shoulder. It was comforting, so she let him keep it there. She even looked grateful for it.

A small smile crossed her face and she sighed, shaking her head. "I guess I should probably tell you something about myself. After all, that's a good trust-building exercise. Let's see..." she said, putting one finger to her lips as she thought about how to word what she was about to say. "Hm. I want to tell you that I'm not a virgin, and that I was rejected by my parents. The dream I had was when I lost someone I loved more than anything in the world," she murmured softly.

Leo: Parents forced an abortion on you, didn't they? Alright.

He gave a small sigh, and got a bit more comfortable. Well, he got this far, might as well press on a bit more. Though, he was slightly annoyed that his first guess was wrong. On the bright side, she's not a felon. So, that's always good to know.

Leo: Why don't you tell me the whole story, Akari? If I know this much, might as well tell me the whole story.

Akari shifted awkwardly and shook her head. "I... I think that's a little too personal," she murmured quietly. Then she inwardly chastised herself. She may as well just tell him. "Nevermind. I'm sure you would've found out sooner or later, so I may as well tell you," she agreed softly, shifting so that she could sit a little further away from him and hug her knees to her chest.

"It started when I was thirteen years old. I was a good girl who went to church with her parents all the time. Then I met a boy named Tyler at my school. He was tall, black haired and blue eyed, and very handsome. So, I thought I was in love and by the end of my thirteenth year, we were way too intimate. When I turned fourteen, I found out I was pregnant," she mumbled, blushing in shame. She hadn't told anyone this, so it felt weird to say it out loud. "Tyler left immediately and wouldn't have anything to do with me after that, and I went to Mom and Dad because I didn't know what else to do. Dad hit me and Mom started crying, and the next day they made me kill it. They didn't care that I was crying and begging them not to, all they cared about was their image," she whispered, burying her face in her knees. "They still made me go to school after, and you wouldn't believe the rumors. I wanted to kill myself. And then they made me go before the elders in the church, and they put bad markings all over my stomach with a tattoo machine. Then I tried to go home afterwards, and my parents had locked the door," she murmured, curled in a protective little ball on the end of the couch.

Stupid religious zealots. Anyway, Leo picked Akari, surprised on how light she was. He gave her a big hug, firm but not too the point of choking. This was mainly for him, as he didn't plan on telling Akari about his past just yet. Yes, it was bad she got pregnant earlier, her forced abortion was also terrible, but he killed his own mom. Although, not too sure which one was worse, Leo was still going to keep that a secret.

Leo: It'll be fine, Akari. It was horrible, but it was in the past. The best you can do is learn from those mistakes and just try again. Now, let's get you something to eat, it'll help calm you down. It always helped my dad. Of course, he was a detective, and it was always doughnuts.....

Akari sniffled and brushed her hands across her eyes firmly to prevent any tears from escaping. "I'm okay," she said, surprised that he was hugging her. "It happened a long time ago, so it doesn't bother me too much unless I really start thinking about it," she said with a sheepish smile. "I don't know if I'm hungry right now, though. I kind of feel a little sick after thinking about it. I'm mostly just tired," she admitted, not making any move to worm her way out of his arms. After all, it did feel good to be held like that, admittedly. She wouldn't tell him, though.

Leo: Alright, let's get you some sleep then.

He easily lifted Akari and carried her to his room, setting her down in his bed. It wasn't like he was gonna sleep anyway, so might as well let her have the really comfy bed. He laid the blanket on her, then stretched.

Leo: I'll sleep on the couch tonight, or wander the streets. One of the two. Gnight Akari.

Akari offered him a small smile of gratitude and nodded her head. "Thank you," she said in a quiet voice, looking away with a sigh as she curled up on the bed, her bare legs brushing against each other. She glanced back up at him with a slight blush, clearing her throat.

"Um, Leo, do you mind not telling anyone else that story? Did it bother you?" she asked worriedly, hoping that it didn't disgust him or anything of the sort.

Leo: I don't see you with any difference, Akari. If it was me, I couldn't handle something like that, and of course I won't tell anyone. Not my business to tell. G'night Akari.

He patted her head one last time, then left her alone. The rest of his night consisted of an adventure for Leo. After 3 hours of sleep, Leo left to explore the town as usual. He got himself an Icee at a local super market. After some more exploring, he ended up at a playground, which was usually where he ended up. It was always nice to hang here, mainly because there was a slide big enough for him to just lay down and think, which is what he did.

The next morning, Akari woke up in no sort of hurry. She walked into the kitchen and put on some eggs and sausage to cook, rubbing her amber eyes tiredly. She'd had better dreams ever since she'd been moved to Leo's bed, thankfully, and she felt very well-rested. She frowned, looking around for her Meister when she realized he wasn't there. "Leo?" she called nervously, not liking the thought of him abandoning her in this house.

About half an hour before Akari woke up, Leo traveled back home. He didn't go inside, however. He decided to head to the back yard, relaxing and reading in a lounge chair outside. Well, he really wasn't reading, he was thinking. It was pretty exciting to have a weapon and to go train, even if his lazy butt didn't like it. He would have to do some preparation, though. Get some more supplies to make dummies, then make them. That would be an important thing to do, since he's not sure if the ones he has is very good in condition.

Akari blinked slowly and picked up a cup of coffee she'd just brewed to head outside in the back yard. She relaxed when she saw Leo out there and walked over to sit down on the ground beside the chair. "Hey," she greeted brightly, despite a bit of unease in her eyes. She still thought that he would think down on her for what she told him the night before. Most people did.