Orenji no Taiyou

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko was in pain. He wouldn't show it, he couldn't. Not with the closeness of his father to seeing his other sons after so long of being deprived of them.

He hadn't taken his medicine today and when he didn't, he would get a headache that formed before Mr. Lawson took over him. If he didn't take his medicine soon, he knew he might be taken over by his other personality. It was pain with Mr. Lawson, it was pain without him. Haruko could not get a break.

And now as he, Jiro, Taro, Orange, and Jesimea walked down the quiet street towards his apartment, his friend, whom he had charged with watching his father while he had been gone, was not making the headache or agitation any better.

"The man was throwing stuff at me and yelling in Chinese! What the hell was I supposed to do?" he cried in Korean as they came closer to Haruko's apartment. Haruko rubbed his temples hard.

"He is an old man. I can't believe you left him..." Haruko purred as they arrived at his apartment and he jerked out his key.

"I went back, Haru. I am young not stupid...he was fine and dandy when I went back. So..." the man said. Haruko ignored him and opened the door going into the dark entrance hall. He turned and looked at Jiro who was yawning widly. He smiled at them all and sighed.

"It is much too early in the morning for this. And besides, papa probably won't wake up until tomorrow anyway. My friend Soo will show you to your places where you can nap. I am going to check on papa and then I am going to go locate some food down the way here. I have none here," he chuckled lightly and watched as Soo rounded them up and lead them down the hall of the apartment. Haruko waited for them to turn out of sight before leaning against the wall to catch his breath.

Just the small walk from the ship port here had winded him and doubled his head pain. He touched the lump in his pocket that was his bottle of pills. He shook his head. He would take it later.

Reaching out for the door handle of the door across the hall. He took it and turned opening the door and peering into the dark room. He put his bionic eye on heat sensory and the room burst into blue light. The only things emitting heat were his father on the bed and a heater in the corner. When he saw his father move he smiled slightly and leaned back out of the door, shutting it.

When he turned, he saw Soo standing right in his face and he jumped slightly. The younger man smiled crookedly.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked in Korean and Haruko glanced down the hall.

"Just make sure they all have whatever they need and keep watch on Papa...I should be back later," Haruko informed him as he went back to the front door and slowly opened it, going outside and shutting the door behind him. He breathed in slowly and sighed out through his nose.

He didn't know what he was going to do, but he couldn't live like this. He refused to.

[Asher Perez]

"When is it?" Asher yawned as she watched Roman sit in the living room reading a paper about pod racing. She was trying to keep herself occupied for she wasn't used to this kind of silence and this much freedom.

Back on COruscant she had friends to keep her occupied and had patients calling her asking medical questions...keeping work going even after hours. She missed work terribly, but she also was enjoying this alone time with Roman after not seeing him for six months.]

"Three days away." Asher wasn't fond of pod racing but if Roman liked it she made sure to get involved some way. She missed him while he was away, but for some reason she still felt sad and lonely. She wondered if it was because she was in the prescense of her brother's belongings or perhaps the pictures of he and his loved one were everywhere. Asher had been lonely before but for some reason being with Roman wasn't taking the pain away. She wondered if it was because she missed her work, plants, and her own home...but that still didn't seem right.

"Whatever you want to do, I can't say no to you!" She looked at him and winked. She missed him terribly and to hear him and see him made her very happy.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko slowly meandered through the street shops, glancing around at things that might actually have been edible. But he didn't buy any of it. He was too tired and too distracted to really care about food right that moment.

He had been feeling worse and worse since he had gotten off the ship. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. He still felt that hole eating away at his heart. He was so tempted to just allow Mr. Lawson back just so he wouldn' t have to be alone. So the pain of having no one was dulled slightly.

Haruko had not been paying attention where he had been going. He looked up quickly and did not recognize the street he had wandered onto. He shook his head. He was getting dizzy. That was probably not a good sign.

[Asher Perez]

Asher yawned and stood up walking over to the kitchen where she was going to put up dishes she had washed from breakfast. She was listening to Roman talk on the phone with one of his friends he had on Tattoine. They were talking about a new star they had found together a few nights ago, Asher smiled as she eavesdropped, but had he not been so excited she would have minded her own business.

She wasn't one for finding starts but she was one for finding constellations and whenever he began to get excited about stars, and gases, and nebulas...she couldn't help but share his enthusiasm.

"I know, it was so cool! Damn!" Asher slammed the cabinet door when she heard the word escape his eleven year old mouth. She frowned and suddenly the happiness was gone, but only for a moment.

"Romano!"

"Sorry!" She heard him yell as she took her glass of water and wandered into the living room and over to the open window that allowed her to view the busy streets below. She sighed when she took a sip and began to study those who walked by mainly picking at their eating habits, the way the walked, anything and everything related to a health issue. She knew that it was bad whenever she went on a vacation, no matter how short, and work butted its ugly head into her free time.

"Asher, you are overworked." She said to herself as her eyes found a man stumbling around below. "Ah...drunk. Need to stop that you are ruining your liver!"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko could feel himself getting foggier and foggier. He was going to faint and he knew it. He reached up and grabbed his head his eyes not focusing on anything. He had known this was coming. Somhow he had known.

Grabbing the stairrail and held on for dear life as his world spun amazingly in front of him. He turned his face towards the building. His eyesight was blurry but he was sure he caught someone looking at him through a window before the tell tale stab of pain drove him downwards and he felt the hard ground meet his head as black overtook him and he was out of it.

[Asher Perez]

Asher tilted her head as she watched the man look up at her with a glance that let her know he was in a state of....something else. She frowned as she saw him look at her then before he could do much of anything else he fell face first onto the ground. Asher was in a state of shock, but only for a moment. What the hell just happened outside of the apartment building?

"Romano!" She screamed after she watched a few up people jog over to the lifeless body laying face first on the hard concrete ground. She tossed the glass cup into the sink as she ran past the kitchen, hearing the fragile cup shatter when it hit the metal tub. "Romano!" She yelled again. Asher ran to the front door and heard him coming out from the bedroom.

"What? What?" He yelled, her loud voice bringing him back to reality.

"I need your help!"


Asher stood looking over at him, biting her lip nervously. She didn't mean to do it, honest she hadn't. She wanted nothing more than to have him comfortable...but...she was now realizing that perhaps a crick in the neck would've been much better than having no...

"¡Asher, mirada qué encontré!" Asher turned to look over her shoulder to see Roman standing holding up a leather wallet. She frowned and scolded him with her face as she glanced at the sleeping man then back to the kitchen where she watched the boy sit.

"Don't snoop!" She was hesitant at first to jog over to Roman, but when she realized he wasn't going to wake up she knew that there wasn't anything wrong.

"It is his wallet, it is in a foreign language." The boys voice was excited as his eyes traveled over the different characters, amused beyond all words. Asher wondered why he wasn't this interested in English than he was with the odd writings. She took the wallet and frowned.

"Nihongo." She said to herself. By the looks of the mans wild colored hair, multiple peircings, and beautiful slanted eyes it was easy to see he had to have been Japanese, after all the clothes he was wearing literally shouted it. Asher had seen the style back home considering she lived three blocks away from the NIHONGO District. The clothing, make up, and hair styles were something she was envious of for she could never get away with any of it.

"It says his name is Haruko Lawson. Luckily it wasn't in their characters." She looked up at Roman who smiled wide, holding the mans thick long black jacket that had been covered with many pockets. He was saying his name to himself a few times, his thick spanish accent not really helping at all. Asher bit her lower lip as she sat the wallet on the table somehow feeling as if she had invaded his personal space.

"Roman, sit down and finish your dinner." She pointed to the table and grabbed the jacket from his hands. She watched the boy sit and quickly dig into his fajitas that she had prepared a while ago. She was contemplating whether or not she wanted to search his pockets, try to wake him up, or let him stay till morning. She wasn't one to kick people onto the street especially after falling that hard on concrete, but for some reason...his twitching was beginning to worry her.

She glanced away from Roman over to the man on the couch, his thick clunky boots hanging over the arm of the couch for his long lean body was too big for the object he was resting on. Before Asher knew it she found herself digging into his pockets, finding nothing but lint and cigarettes, a kind she had seen in NIHONGO back home.

"Oh, hermana..." Asher turned her attention to Roman who was chewing a mouthful. "Those over there fell out when I was hanging up his coat." Asher frowned and followed his hand to where he pointed. On the kitchen counter sat a lone bottle of medication and for a moment she was straining to read the labell, but she was quick to fill in the distance by walking over to them and picking them up.

"Hmmm..." She groaned to herself as she read the medication and then glanced over at the grunting man. "You smoker." She grinned to herself as she walked over to see the cigarettes.

"Uh oh, is that why he blacked out?" Roman's words went in one ear then out the other. She knew she preached to Roman many times about the problems with smoking, some medications reacted to nicotine causing anxiety, anxiety then causes panic attacks, then panic attacks can cause black outs. She knew that was probaly what had happened, that or he had missed his medication.

"Put this back where it belongs." She touched his shoulder with her left hand as she walked behind him and over towards the couch. She sat the bottle on the table and cautiously moved from the coffee table to the couch where she watched his chest rise and fall. She was biting her lower lip afraid of any more accidents.

Asher pushed on his arm kindly and whispered his name, knowing that this wasn't going to really work.

"Haruko." She said once, then twice. After a few more attempts she realized that he wasn't going to wake up. Smiling she glanced over her shoulder to Roman. "Looks like I'll be sleeping with you tonight." She winked at him and saw the face of disgust.

"We can pour water on him!" Asher laughed gently and looked down at the sleeping man and shook her head in disagreement.

"No, no." She leaned upright and let out a sigh. She walked over to his long legs and then to the arm of the couch and grabbed his left leg with her hands. Slowly, as she watched him, she slid her hands into the bottoms of his pants, feeling the top of his thick soled combat boots under her hands.

"If I wore boots these tight, I'd pass out too, Muchacho." She slowly untied his boot, followed by the other. She felt the heat resinate from his socks and all she could do was sigh and shake her head.

"Not good to wear tight, tight shoes." Roman stood next to her and smiled as she bent down and began to massage his feet hard and deep making sure to run her hands up and down his legs, trying to improve his blood flow. "This will do you good." She said to him not caring whetehr or not he heard, after all he was knocked out.

Roman watched her for a moment as she stood rubbing his feet and staring him down, her eyes studying him as if this were an algebra equation. He could already tell she was interested in him, whether or not it was because of his medicine her eyes said she was wanting to know him better.

"Romano..." She glanced away from the man still sleeping. "Go get me a blanket. I think we are going to have a guest tonight." She smiled at him and Roman nodded.

"¿Clase de manta?" Asher heard him ask any type of blanket and she glanced over her shoulder as she watched him jog into his dark room.

"Sí, caliente." Yes, she said. a warm one. she finished with a grin.

[Haruko Lawson]

Oh, the gods must have taken pity on him. Haruko knew that they must have. He was alive. But not entirely there. Mr. Lawson had come forth and Haruko felt as if he were still half asleep.

Opening his eyes, Mr. Lawson immediately registered two solid facts. One, someone was rubbing his feet. Two, half of his face was gone. The former made him very happy. The latter however, did not.

Sitting straight up, and looking frantically around with his one good eye, he registered a woman at the end of the couch rubbing his feet and a younger boy across the room, watching with wide eyes.

"Kusso!" he yelled out, pouncing up and crouching on the couch, his hand going to his face where he touched his half electronic skull and the wires that attached them to his true skull. He slid off of the couch, his eye on the woman. Turning, he located a dresser with a mirror above it, and went over muttering to himself in Japanese. He looked at his refelection and pressed the loose half of his face to his skull, running his finger long the seam and watching as steam hissed from it, sealing it back into place. He popped his temple open and typed in a code. His bionic half of his face rebooted and his eye flickered blue then brown then half blue half brown. He kept watching himeself in the mirror.

"Lawson shi ha , imadate chi saru . Hoka tonokorewo , yoku shinaika," he muttered to the mirror image as he felt Haruko begin to stir inside of him. He shook his head.

"Iie," he snorted. Haruko awoke fully and stomped his foot.

"Lawson-san!" he cried. His eye flickered from blue to brown to blue then settled at brown. He sighed, leaning on the dresser and then glancing back in the mirror at the woman and the little boy. He spotted his cigarettes on the table, and turned stepping over and picking them up, getting one out with his teeth and locating his lighter, lighting the cigarette up and taking a drag.

Haruko saw the front door. He reached over, getting his wallet and glancing at the woman.

"Sorry for the trouble," he muttered under his breath before turning and stumbling towards the door.

[Asher Perez]

Asher was in a state of shock, but only for a second as she had been before when she witnessed him falling. She heard his whisperings and then it registered..the man was aparently mentally unstable for the medication label told her so. Why hadn't she noticed before?

Because you were too infatuated with his face! Asher glanced over at Roman and waved a hand at him, warning him with her eyes to go to his room and shut the door. She had handled people before with certain mental instabilities and they sometimes became violent and she didn't want Roman to see anything of the sort...if anything were to happen.

"You aren't any trouble, friend. I would like to help you..." She bit her lower lip and walked quickly in front of him, blocking his exit. She knew that this was a good way to get knocked in the head, but she didn't care she was far too interested in him to let him go.

"I know...I cannot really stop you from being on your way considering the fact you just woke up with half of your face is missing, there is a woman massaging your feet speaking in a different language...I suppose I would be ready to get out of here as well but..." She glanced at him then down to his feet and bit her lower lip before glancing back into his deep brown eyes.

"If you are wanting to go...then...I guess you should, but I would hate it for you to go outside of the apartment building and harm yourself again." She sucked on her bottom lip after the words came out and she moved her eyes to the floor again and pointed with her finger. "Shoes would prevent a lot of things."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko stepped back with sudden dizziness, and slid down to the floor looking at his stocking feet. He looked back up at her giving her a crooked grin.

"Well, it is improper to have shoes on in the home anyway...so..." he said, working off the diziness with a puff of his cigarette and standing straight. "I guess you have just prevented me from leaving...but..." he glanced around him and spotted his pills on the table. He reached for them and popped the lid off, tapping out two. He placed them on his tongue and dry swallowed them. He sighed out through his nose, just realizing that the kid still had his jacket. He looked at the woman and smacked his forehead.

"I have completely taken advantage of your home, your couch, your hospitality, and not even introduced myself..." he said. He bowed deeply, as was Japanese custom. "I'm Haruko Lawson. Alhough I imagine that if the little one has my jacket you already know this tidbit of information." He smiled at her again as he stood. "I am afraid once this damn medicine kicks in I will pretty much be useless, so I would like to not pester you and the precious one any longer, if it can be helped." He politely bowed then began to hunt for his boots, as, although he would have liked to stay longer and talk with the kind woman, he knew that he would be an invalid pretty soon, and didn't want to bother them with himself.

[Asher Perez]

Asher followed him and smiled, his kindness coming as a slight surprise. She had really taken advantage of him and his situation, a man was knocked out for many hours, she took his things, his shoes off, rubbed his feet...just blocked him from leaving...searched pockets. She was a criminal!

"Mister Lawson..." She stepped towards him with her right hand extended, ready to touch his broad shoulder. "I would like for you to have a seat and to please," She moved her hand and grabbed the cigarette and pulled it out of his mouth and walked over to the kitchen and quickly put it out by running water over it. "Smoking can react with your kind of medicine, I don't mean to be rude, miel."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko watched her put out the cigarette, and as if on cue, Mr. Lawson whispered in his ear.

Don't let her treat you that way, you weak son of a bitch... he muttered. Haruko shook his head, the sudden presence of his other personality coming as a slight shock, but somewhat of a comfort. That hole was suddenly filled, even if negatively. He bit his bottom lip and rubbed his temples, ignoring the whispering, or attempting to, as his headache worsened quickly. He smiled a little bit at her.

"I'm sorry...I'm just...give me a minute..." he said, turning from her a little, forcing Mr. Lawson down a little and opening his temple, letting the steam hiss out. He sighed as the pressure was released. He turned back to her, and smiled a little more than before. He nodded. "Alright, Sensei. No more cigarettes. It isn't really my habit anyway," he said, shrugging. Then he sighed, patting his pockets. "Kusso..."

He glanced around, his memory beginning to get bad as the medicine kickeding in again. It took him a moment to remember tht the child had his jacket. He looked at the woman, and held out his hands as if showing her he had no weapons.

"Would you mind asking the little one where he stowed my jacket? I am afraid I am rather helpless without it..." he chuckled, feeling rather pathetic right this moment.

[Asher Perez]

Asher glanced over at him and saw the smile. She wanted to melt at that exact moment. For some reason seeing him in the living room smiling and talking to her...it made her happy.

"Sure." She said as she nodded her head. She turned on heel and walked to the door off the kitchen. She waited a moment and when he opened the door she smiled. "Roman, where did you put..." Her eyes found the large heavy object on his bed and she pointed. "He wants his jacket."

"Is he okay?" She glanced over her shoulder at Haruko and continued to smile.

"He is okay. He is just needing his jacket, can you please give it to me?" She watched him nod then turn and grab the jacket. He walked it over to her and when she went into the living room he followed behind her after she stopped by the kitchen and grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water. She made her way into the living room and handed the jacket to him and, without truly asking, took a seat beside of him and then handed him the water.

"Drink this, it has been a while since you had any fluid intake. You can't take such heavy medicine without some water to flush it down."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko looked at the water and accepted it, but did not drink. He didn't like to drink anything with this medication. He didn't know why, but on this stuff it made his more sleepy if he drank liquids and he was already going to be dying.

Haruko spread the jacket out on his lap and began going through the pockets to see what they had not taken out. Luckily, his comlink and his brother's number had not been some of them. He glanced up at the boy who had followed the woman in and smiled a little. He nodded.

"I apologize for being so hostile when I woke up. You and your, um..." Haruko looked over at the woman and his eye went into scan mode, whirring slightly, all her vital stats popping up on a screen after seaching through files from a thousand different resources. He smiled, looking back at the boy. "You and your sister scared me. I hope I didn't worry you too much, Roma..." he said, absentmindedly repeating the boy's name in Japanese after reading the feed from his eye. He continued to go through his pockets. He was not finding his aparment key and he couldn't figure out why.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled at him, perhaps a bit too happily. She enjoyed his deep voice immensley and his company as well even though it wasn't truly what one would call normal visitation.

"I don't want to seem like this big...bossy woman, but you need to drink. Um..." She paused and glanced over at Roman and smiled, his face never failing to make her happy. "Roman never gets scared." She looked over at Haruko and nodded to the water.

"Tell me, I know I am not your doctor, but does your medication do anything to you? I would like to figure out why you passed out in front of my building!" She grinned at him and glanced at his coat before making eye contact. "Lose something?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko looked at the water but still ignored it, then glanced at woman again. He sighed, amazed she had not yet introduced herself even though he already knew her name. He sighed a little pulling out his comlink and Taro's number. He held up a hand.

"I have lost my apartment keys. And anyway, I need to tell my brother I am alright. By this time, my friend will probably have worried his ragged with the possibilities. Forgive me, Miss Perez." He turned slightly, a little shy to speak Japanese in front of two complete strangers.

He dialed his brothers number and listened for Taro's voice, eager to hear one that was familiar. After a moment, he heard a click of someone opening the link.

"Hai, moshi moshi? Kokono Lawson Taro," came Haruko's brother's voice and Haru sighed slightly. It was relief to hear his language.

"Taro, kyoudai-ko. Watashi ha Soo ga shinpai shitei tara u makuaru. Watashi ha nannin kano yuujin to kousei dearu," Haruko said, his voise slightly low so as not to invade his hostesses space. He heard Taro shift.

"Hai, okay. Choudo chuui shinasai. Ai," Taro said. Haruko nodded smiling to himself.

"Daisuki. Sayounara," he said.

"Sayounara," and Haruko heard his brother break connections. Haru turned back to the woman. He bowed. "Gomena--eh, I mean, sorry. I just needed to make sure my friend hadn't freaked everyone out." He smiled again, still a little on the paranoid side about being here.

[Asher Perez]

Asher watched him as he spoke, taking a closer look at his mouth and the way his Adam's apple bobbed when he spoke and swallowed. For some reason she was confused, had she said her name at all? She glanced away for a moment then looked over at Roman who was yawning widely.

"Brother, go on to bed you look tired." She heard Haruko speaking in the background and as he finished his yawn he nodded and walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her and she hugged him tightly. She stood up off the couch and picked him up as she hugged him tightly. She squeezed him and spun him in a circle, laughing at him as they almost fell over.

Roman laughed and put his feet on the ground and kissed her.

"Love you, hermana." She replied in Spanish and rubbed his head and watched him look at Haruko and wave, not knowing if he saw. He jogged away and she turned to look down at him before he hung up and spoke to her.

"It is quite all right. By the way, my name is Asher Perez, I suppose I told you earlier?" She frowned slightly as she took a seat beside of him again, her naked arm brushing against his upper arm. She cleared her throat and scooted away just an inch, the contact somehow seeming too personal. "Sorry."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled at her shyness about touching him. He shurgged his shoulder slightly and leaned back, lying his head back on the couch and staring at the cieling.

"Did you tell me earlier?" he asked, knowing the answer was no. He shook his head. "Doesn't matter though. Miss Perez," he said, looking back at her and nodding as if just meeting her for the first time. He looked about the room. The first time he had really done so in the past hour. His eye scanned everything and gave him more information about Asher and her brother. He coughed slightly and glanced at her, his eye immediately reacting by giving him her blood type, body weight, height, and it scanned her body for any weapons. When he found none, he turned it to heat sensory and it scanned her for any bionic body parts. She had none.

After this, he felt more comfortable in her presence. He looked down at the floor then back up at her and smiled, referring back to his newly stored files of her.

"So, you are a doctor?" he paused. "Or actually, an herbal practitioner to be more precise? Is this how you knew smoking would react with my loony medicine?" he chuckled lightly, ready to have a semi normal conversation.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled at him as he talked, her stomach was crunching into ball as she continued to stare at his throat. She wanted to touch it....she didn't know why and that was a very odd thing for her to want to do...but the voice that came out of his mouth was making her wonder if it was real.

"Hmm?" She had heard his question but for some reason she couldn't focus, his voice...face...everything was interesting to her. She smikled and shook her head yes. "Yes. Sometimes, if you skip your dosage, you can have moments of dizziness and spells of where you just black out, then again nicotine can cause anxiety, and of course anxiety can cause panic attacks which then....leads to black outs." She bit her lip thinking she had talked too much for her own good, the practitioner in her overtaking her brain.

"Haruko, er..I mean....Mister Lawson...." She wanted to smack herself for saying his name. Technically she wasn't working right then but she still wanted to be polite and corteous, after all he was about to disperse information that was very personal. "Have you had a spell like this before?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko waved his hand at her when she corrected herself after calling him by his first name. He smiled wide at her, and couldn't help but laugh at the fact that she was too adorable for her own good. No one had ever called him Mister Lawson before, and he had always preferred it that way, since his sinister personality was usually known as Mr. Lawson.

"No more Mister, please. Just Haruko. Actually, call me Haru. Everyone does. You pretty much saved my life. You have the right to call me whatever sounds pleasing to you," he smiled, winking at her out of habit. He sighed then, going over her question in his head. The last time he could remember getting one of these was the very first time he had gone on any kind of medication. He looked at her, and ran a hand through his long hair, and then tying it back with a string around his neck for that specific purpose.

"Well...when I was younger and I got my bio-eye, I went on pain pills for it. About two days after I had started regular doses for it, I had one of these. Haven't had one since though..." he paused. Then he nodded. "I just went on this a few days ago, so I was due for one." He shrugged. "Its my own fault. I got these things and never took them. Its my fault I passed out out there, not the medicine." He laughed, then shrugged, suddenly not believing he was telling this all to a stranger. But something about Asher Perez, made it very easy to tell her anything.

[Asher Perez]

Asher giggled lowly and in a way it made her wonder if she was flirting. She wanted to smack herself for having the thought of him being attractive cross her mind. She bit her lower lip when she figured she was smiling too much and her face grew a bit pink when he winked at her. She swallowed the fear down and tried to remain calm.

"You know..." She shifted on the couch and turned to look at him, putting her right arm on the back of the couch. She felt her knee collide with his own and she suddenly touched his leg. "Sorry!" She said hoping she hadn't harmed him, even though she doubted she had. She realized she had just touched his leg and when it registered that this wasn't Roman she moved her hand to her lap where she was quick to push her palms together.

"Sorry." She said again, her face must've grown three shades brighter. She had a gift of touch, anytime she laiud her hands on someone it calmed them....healed them in some way. As silly as it sounded, she knew she had that effect on people, but touching Haruko...she just couldn't do it. He was too pretty to touch.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko laughed out loud and reached down, taking her hands into his own and holding them gently. He didn't know why she was so afraid to touch him, most people rarely were. And he was a very touchy person, so none of it bothered him. He looked at her and smiled.

"I don't bite really. And I am human, despite what this hunk of metal says," he said, tapping his forehead and smiling again at her. "You don't have to keep apologizing. I expect we are going to touch one another once in awhile if we sit in these proximities. Unless you's like me to go sit over there. If you don't like me being this close," Haruko said, curious. He was still holding her hand and though to him it didn't seem strange, but he didn't know how she would take it, so he eased back a little wating for her to tell him to move.

[Asher Perez]

Asher held her breath the second he took her hand. She glanced at the long fingers that clasped over her own. She looked up at him and saw the grin on his face...her heart was racing so quickly she swore that any moment it would fly out of her chest.

She loved to touch people, matter of fact it was part of her job, but for some reason she couldn't help but feel like she were doing somethig sinful when touching Haruko Lawson.

"I'm sorry." She frowned and shook her head noticing she had apologized for apologizing. She laughed lightly and continued to keep strong eye contact, her mind telling her he was absolutely dreamy. "I like having you this close." She wanted to smack herself, had those words just escaped her mouth? Did she just say that to him? Why could she not be normal around this man?

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko cocked his head slightly and smiled. Had that just been a flirting ploy? Haruko knew flirting ploys and that had been one if he had ever seen it. But somehow, coming from her, it was cute and innocent and just made him want to hug her. Haruko smiled a little more and then glanced down at her hands. He had not yet let them go and was content to sty this way. He nodded.

"Me too," he said resolutely, though not really sure why he had become so determined to draw closer to her all of a sudden. He choked on the words he was about to say and instead it fell out of his mouth in Japanese. "Utsukushii..." he smiled a littled and shook his head, letting go of her hands and standing, pulling his hair down. "Sorry. Brain misfire."

Haruko walked slowly away from her, glancing up the stairs at the door to the younger child's room. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"Your brother seems very smart," he said, his eye spotting a book about stars in the kitchen beyond where he was standing. "I have two little brothers that I only met around a week and a half ago and I am already seeing that it is difficult," he laughed. "But I also have a very simple mind." He winked at her again before turning his back on her.

Haruko dug discreetly in his pocket for something he had put there earlier. This was so bad for his health and he knew he might get caught at some point, but he doubted now would be tht time. He pulled a leaf from his pocket that was rolled in a crepe paper like second leaf. He placed the drug between his cheek and back teeth and chewed. It was a second way to calm his nerves if he couldn't get a cigarette. They weren't addictive, but were as bad or worse for your health than cigarettes.

When he finished, he turned back to her and shrugged.

"Well...I have taken up so much of your time. I don't want to keep you from sleep," he said motioning in what he thought might be the direction if her bedroom. "I can leave."

[Asher Perez]

Asher watched him and for a moment her mind didn't register what he had said, then she understood he had said something in Japanese.

When he let her go and walked away, while speaking about her brother then his own, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander over his body. His back was strong slim and very attractive...but the best thing she saw, and God knew she was going to hell for this one, his butt was so squeezable!

"Romano is very smart. He loves the stars, erector sets, pod racing...ugh! That boy is going to be the death of me!" She laughed gently as she tried to keep her mind focused on things more important than his butt, although it was very nice to think of. "I raised him so I like to think I had a lot to do with that. Unfortunately..." She glanced at her nails for a moment before looking back up at Haruko.

"He has two other brothers that I don't know very well or get along with. They act too immature and too stupid for their own good. I don't want Roman to grow up like that. I try my best to love what he loves..so far the only thing I don't like is his pod racing thing!" She felt like she had just read a book. Her mouth was in a state of permanent smiling and she knew that both Roman and Haruko had something to do with that.

"You are not taking up my time, Mr...Haruko. I would, if you don't mind, would like it if you spent the night here. I would rather see how you are doing with your medication rather than toss you onto the street to faint again. After all....you might not be so lucky to have me save you." She winked and for the first time in her life she realized she had purposely flirted with a man.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled at her, suddenly thinking that is might be such a good idea for them to sta in the same house together. The shameless flirting was getting ridiculously...hot. Haruko ran his tongue across his bottom teeth and then bit his lip glancing about. Then he sighed.

"Well...I don't have a change of clothes..." he paused. Then he sighed. Then he patted his pockets. He had just remembered that he had not been able to find his earring after he had woken up. It had disappeared. Haruko absentmindedly touched his earlobe, then looked at the woman. "I'm sorry to hve to jog your memory so badly, but do you recall seeing a long chain earring with a sliver loop on the end around here anywhere? I had it on when I passed out and it was gone when I woke up..."

He didn't wait for her to answer before going over to the couch and getting down onto his knees to search on the couch.

Big mistake.

He hadn't know that such a change in elevation would set off the diziness too, but almost a second after he got down to his knees, his eyes unfocused and he wobbled, falling sideways onto the floor, grabbing something, though he wasn't sure what it was, to steady him.

"Oh god..." he muttered, his eyes not focusing at all. He blinked several times, but could not steady himself. This was going to be one hell of a night.

[Asher Perez]

Asher hadn't realized what happened until she honestly found herself on the floor, underneath Haruko. She knew he had fallen to his knees to look for his earring, but when he grabbed her arm by accident she fell to the floor, his eyes glazed in a haze and when she felt him fall on top of her...

"Haruko?" She said calmly as she touched his face that was mere inches from her own. She had been in worse situations than this, but not once had she ever enjoyed it so much. "Haruko, take a deep breaths." She swallowed trying not to panic. She slowly ran her hand over his head and somehow embraced him in a hug, as if this were helping him in some way.

"Close your eyes and breathe, the dizziness will pass in just a moment, I promise." She didn't truly understand why she was allowing him to lay on top of her, but she knew that moving him could probably cause confusion and she wasn't sure how he would react to unfamiliar situations. Well, by the looks of it a while ago he didn't react too well, especially if he had been talking to himself.

"It will pass..." She continued to say lowly in his ear, praying to God that it actually never would.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko was slightly confused. He felt heat underneath him, but he couldn't see what it was. He had plenty of air in his lungs but was gasping for breath. He didn't know exactly what had happened until he felt Asher's arms around him, her voice echoing lowly in his ear.

At first she sounded very, very far away. Part of it was because he was so tired. Part of it was because his ears were roaring slightly as the blood rushed back to them. He shook his head slightly, his hands planted around the warmth under him and on the floor securely. He would be fine in a moment...he just needed to breathe...just breathe...breathe...

But as his eyes came into focus and he realized just exactly what kind of compromising situation he had put them into, he wished the floor would have just swallowed him and never spit him back out.

Closing his eyes to avoid more dizziness, Haruko slowly eased backwards away from Asher, his heart beating so hard in his chest from the close quarters thety had just shared, that he was sure she was going to hear it. Haruko made his way back and into a standing position before opening his eyes and looking down at Asher. He shook his head, taking deep breaths, partly to calm his attack, mostly to calm his hormones.

Leaning down slightly, he took her hand and helped her to her feet. He looked into her eyes a moment before suddenly all the energy seemed to be drained from him and he sank to the couch, leaning his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands. He sighed out.

"I'm sorry, Miss Perez. I didn't mean to do that...I'm...a little out of it...I think that's pretty obvious," he said, his eyes beginning to ache with fatigue. "I think...maybe I should call my brother...he can come get me..." he said, his words slightly slurred, as the rush of blood, emotions, and hormones all mixed to make a deadly combination of breathlessness and tire. He attempted to look for his comlink, but could barely see his hand in front of his face clearly.

[Asher Perez]

Asher brushed off her shirt and tried to regain the breath she had lost by simply feeling him on top of her and having him so close, but when her hormones were pushed aside she realized that this was a serious thing.

She walked and crouched in front of him and finally touched him. She grabbed his wrists and forced him to hold his head up on his own and look at her. She shook her head forcefully and gave him a stern look.

"No." She said raising her eyebrows. "You aren't going anywhere without my permission!" She stood up, still holding his wrists and pulled him to his feet, wrapping one arm around his waist. "You are sleeping in here tonight, I'm going to make sure of it. Lean all your weight on me if you have to, just stay with me." She began to move him towards the small set of stairs to her brothers room. She never would sleep on his bed, ever, but it would be perfectly fine for Haruko to.

"Stay with me, Haru." She looked up at him and smiled. "If you do, I promise you won't need me to break your falls anymore." She winked trying to throw a bit of humor into the situation. Hopefully, he could take a joke very well.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko was aware of what was going on and could even muster a laugh. But when he felt an actual bed underneath him and he knew he was safe he couldn't help but lay his head down and let the fatigue take over his body.

And naturally, the first dream he had was about Asher Perez. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he knew she was there, could see her face and feel her hands against his own. And by the time the dream expired, Haruko jolted awake to find sun streaming in through the window of whatever room he was in.

His eyes scanned around a moment and he realized that he was alone. Whether or not it was still morning was the question. His eye switched to information and he read that it was nine o'clock. For him, too early to be up, but he was not at his own home. He was in someone elses.

Breifly, he wondered if he would be allowed to take a shower. He didn't have a change of clothes and he was fairly sure that a woman and a little boy would not have male clothes that would fit him. Sitting up in bed, he rubbed a hand down his chest, tracing a tattoo on his collarbone absentmindedly as he thought.

[Asher Perez]

"Rise and shine!!" Asher slowly opened her eyes ath the sound of Roman's voice as he loooked down at her with a smile. For a moment she stared back up at him the blankets edge covering her face save her eyes. She groaned and pulled the blanket tightly around her, but the motion let her Roman know what he had to do. He grabbed the blanket and jerked it. Asher shot straight up for she knew that was probably coming.

She pulled the blanket towards her and fell back onto the couch. Roman laughed as he fell ontop of her. She moved around, trying to toss him off but he stayed on her stomach, laughing as if this were a ride.

"Get off!" Asher said in a laugh as she unveiled herself and began to push his back. He laughed and screamed 'no' in Spanish as he grabbed her legs. She laughed and tried to move her legs out of his grasp, but it was to no avail. "Off!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!" This continued for what seemed like hours. Asher was wide awake, but it was too much fun for her to end. She was rolling around on the small couch with an eleven year old boy ontop of her. The blanket was wrapped tightly around her it was almost suffocating. She began to unwrap herself, but Roman wasn't helping her. He continued to bounce on her as she yelled for him to move. Roman purposely began to wrap her in the blanket even more, they began to fight for the blanket and before either one could win they both rolled off the couch and landed onto the floor in a hard thud.

Asher and Roman was holding parts of the blanket and were laying amongst the mass of the large patchwork quilt. They both looked at one another almost shocked that they were on the floor. Asher burst into laughter as did Roman. For a whole minute they laid on the floor rolling around enjoying what ignorance they had just shared.

Had this been with anyone else nobody would have been able to find the situation funny. Roman was the first to make a move, he stood and nearly fell onto the floor when he got tangled up in the blanket. They laughed a little longer before they both began to fix the couch and straighten up the living room they both had managed to tear apart.

After they fixed a throw rug, moved the coffee table back to its original place, put the cushions and pillows in the right position they folded the blanket together. Asher glanced at the edge of the quilt where she moved her fingers to grab the edge Roman had, uniting the edges to finish folding the heavy blanket.

They spoke lowly after Asher had seen Haruko's shoes beside the couch. She was far too used to being loud with Roman for they were the only ones living together and very rarely did they have guests stay. Technically this wasn't her home so she couldn't consider this a normal guest sleepover. Asher thought to herself as she put her clothes on from the night before. Slowly buttoning up her black quarter sleeve blouse. Roman being used to seeing her wander around their home wearing nothing but her skivvies she swore seh was scarring him, any day she was expecting him to tell her he was gay or she find him dressing in her clothes, but so far he was too involved with science to care about anything else.

"Why did you wake up so late?" Asher looked up and over at Roman who was setting the kitchen table for breakfast she had yet to make. "Wild night?" Roman smiled and expressed himself by jumping his eyebrows.

"Silencio!" She said as she laughed. "Pervert." Roman laughed as he went back to placing the plates by three chairs. Asher grinned and looked back down to her shirt and finished buttoning it up leaving two undone at the top.

Roman was half right about last night when she helped him into bed he literally passed out again, but this time she was sure it was caused by tire. She had wondered if she should've let him be, but she couldn't.

Asher bit her lower lip as her mind went back to last night. They had both toppled onto the be for he was so heavy. She had helped him get under the covers and she turned off the lights then tried to make sure he didn't need more covers or blankets, but he was mumbling almost the whole time so she wasn't quite sure whether or not he needed one. She figured that since he wasn't truly in a state of consciousness she could do some things he might've objected to when truly awake.

She looked down at her jeans that were laid on the couch she bent forward and grabbed them by the waist and watched them unfold. She was quick to unbutton them and slide her left leg inside the rough material. When he had gotten situated on the bed she waited a while in the darkness, sitting in a chair just watching she felt like an obsessed woman watching an attractive man sleep, but she did have a good reason...sort of.

When she figured he was out of it enough she had walked over to the bed and tolod him to sit up for a moment. He acted as if he were drunk, which technically he was sleepy neough to be drunk. She had braced his back with her left arm while she helped him out of his shirt. Any other time Asher would have been quick about it for she had learned how to make people undress quickly so she do her exams, but she couldn't rush Haruko, dind;t want to rush.

Asher flet her cheeks grown warm as she stopped dressing to think about undressing Haru. She quickly put her other leg inside the jeans and pulled them up, trying not to act obvious in front of Roman since he had a great ability to know when she found someone attractive. But still, as she pulled the waist of her pants over her butt, her mind went back to the night before.

She had allowed Haruko to abandon trying to take his shirt off ffor he was so out of it. Asher just smiled at his disabilities and moved his right hand away from his shirt./ When he moved it to his side he had accidentally toppled to his side in the bed. He had grabbed her back as she leaned over him to push the sleeve off of his shoulder. He groaned in a way that made her stop and glance sideways at him. His eyes had been closed and his brow was furrowed. He had moved his hand off of her back and then happened to graze butt. Asher had been dying of a heat strike due to their closeness and when he had groaned then touched her in a way that wasn't meant to be intimate she could barely breathe.

Somehow she had managed to get him out of his shirt and helped him lay down since she felt he was too impaired to do it himself, plus she was enjoying touching him since she was sure this was as close as she'd ever get to someone she found so attractive.

Asher felt like she had violated him now that she had a moment to think of him and how he had been last night. She also knew she would probably not remember a thing she had done or said.

The moment his shirt came off and his head hit the pillow Asher was enthralled in his innocense and beauty. She had seen many men, young and old, shirtless before but Haruko was different. The way his skin practically glowed in the dark, the way he breathed in deeply, the way he felt when she touched him, the tattoos...He was almost like a work of art.

Asher tried to think of what was going on right then at that exact moment in time, but her mind wanted to go back to last night. She had stayed in the bedroom for almost an hour to make sure he breathed regularly and to see if he had any trouble sleeping. She realized that everything was fine about 30 minutes into her staring, but by the time she felt confident to leave him she couldn't find the strength.

She sat in the dark continuing to watch him sleep, marvelling over how attractive her was, how she could never meet someone like that under normal circumstances, and how she could never be with someone like that for he was too...sexy and she was too plain for him.

She didn't know why she was so curious as to what kind of girls Haruko was attracted to she figured he went for model-thin blondes who were so hot men drooled at her passing and worshiped the ground she walkedone Asher wasn't model-thin, she had curves in places she didn't even knew existed. Her boobs were too big, her hips were constantly expanding, and her stomach was all...there!

Secondly Asher was foar from being blond! Spanish were naturally dark both in skin and hair color. The only light thing about her was her hazel eyes and she doubted Haruko liked variations of green.

It annoyed her when she realized she was picking herself apart. She was always happy about her looks knowing she was curvy and beautfiul but when comparing herself towaht Haru might like...she was at the bottom of the list.

"Hell." She said to herself as she finally zipped upo her pants and headed to the kitchen. Haruko wasn't a potential boyfriend! He was sick and in need of medical advice not a date!

As she prepare to cook she continued to think of Haruko and everything that had happened last night. It would have been a dreak come true if she could at least touch his soft warm skin juist once more.

"Once." She whispered to herself as she grabbed his medicine bottle and popped it open finding a pill and placing it on his empty plate. She wasn't going to let him get by the morning without taking it and eating breakfast.


"He'll love having a Moather." Roman's voice scared her. She looked over her shoulder till she found him.

"I'm not being a mother."

"No? Then let him be a man and take it himself." Asher looked back to his plate. She wasn't being a mother, she was being a doctor. But why was she going to make him eat healthily? Why was she going to make sure he was going to shower? Why was she so concerned with making sure he had someone to watch him whenever he went home?

"I'm not being a mother. I'm caring for him." Oh, how she was.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko remembered very little about the night before. All he remembered was hitting the bed and getting sleep. But now that he was awake and realized that his shirt was gone he wondered what exaclt had gone on last night.

Standing up and yawing he walked towards the door, feeling remarkably rested. He opened the door and looked down the stairs, slowly making his way down them to see if he could locate a shower. When he heard voices he paused on the stairs and sighed out through his nose.

He considered just waiting for someone to come by and discover him, but he figured that that would have been rude. So he crossed his arms over his chest, not wanting to go back up and get his shirt, and then walked down the remaining stairs peeking around the corner looking around.

"May I inquire as to where a shower might be? And whether or not I may utilize it?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher glanced up from Roman and saw Haruko peeking over at them. She smiled happily.
"Good morning!" She said happily as she walked over towards him and suddenly realized he had on no shirt. Her eyes grew wide and for a moment she wondered if she had just invaded his privacy by seeing him shirtless.

"Oh, I am sorry." She turned away and grinned to herself. "The shower is up the steps and the second door on your right. You may use it, towels are in the small closet."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled a little and looked back up the steps to the door she indicated and smiled hoping that he had brought at least his synthesizing orb. Hopefully, he had reenergized it with new outfits.

Going up the stairs, he opened the door and went in, looking about him a moment, before getting a towel and started the shower. He took off his pants and slid into the heat of the shower, savoring the way it felt on his skin. He loved taking showers. He loved to be clean.

Haru washed his hair and then his body and quickly got out of the shower, drying off a little before hurrying back to the room he had been in and picking up his coat. He searched through the many pockets before finally finding his synthesizer and smiling down at it. He put it on the floor and it immediately formed upwards into a new outfit for him consisting of a mesh long sleeved shirt, baggy black cargos and a black visor with Japanese written across it.

When he finished dressing, he went back out and made his way down stairs, pausing halfway down the steps to pull his visor down slighty before going in to join Asher and Roman. He bowed to them.

"Thank you for the use of your facilities," he said. "I hoped I didn't make a complete fool of myself night previous."

[Asher Perez]

Asher hadn't really been able to focus on anything she had been doing that morning. All she could do was make breakfast and think about Haruko. She had somehow managed to make a few eggs amongst other things.

She looked up at him and smiled brightly again, far too bright for the morning hours but for some reason she couldn't help but feel different whenever she saw Haruko.

"You are very welcome. Please, sit down and have some breakfast..." She pointed to an empty chair where he would see his empty plate and the medication she had already laid out for him to take. "I don't mean to be bossy..." She bit her lower lip as she walked over to Roman's plate and poured some eggs onto the porcelain object while briefly glancing away. "you need to get in the habit, sweetheart." She bit her lip harder as she realized she just called him that.

"It will make you feel better to eat afterwards, too."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko slid into the seat and looked down at the medication. He sighed. It wasn't that he wasn't in the habit, it was just that yesterday he hadn't felt like taking it. He took it in his hand and dry swallowed it, staring at the table a moment before glancing up at Asher as she gave him food. He nodded and looked at Roman. He had been brought up to wait for the male host to eat first.

When the boy took a bite of food, Haruko slowly followed suit, not really that hungry this morning for some funny reason. He enjyed the taste of the food she gave him although he hadn't really taken the time to see what it was.

Haruko was suddenly very interested in Roman. He looked over and realized that he had never been around a child younger than seventeen. And it was a new experiance for him. He smiled slightly.

"So, your sister tells me that you are interested in pod racing, hm?"

[Asher Perez]

Roman looked up at Asher and smiled wide, shocked that he had even mentioned it. He looked away and over to Haruko with wide excited eyes.

"Yeah, yeah! I love Pod racing! Hermana, I mean sister, she roots for the sucky guy and I root for the winners and she tries to get involved...eh she doesn't enjoy it that much." He smiled at her as she ate quietly, every once in a while staring up Haru.

"Damn, it would be great to have someone go with us who enjoyed it like I do!" Asher tossed her fork down and looked at him with an evil stare. He was quick to notice for he apologized and went back to his excitedness.

"Do you like pod racing? You should come with us in two days!"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled wide and nodded enthusiastically. He knew that if this kid was into pod racing, they were going to get along swimmingly. Haruko remembered something and dug in his jacket that he had brought down from the room he had stayed in. He pulled out his own racing lisence and slid it across the table towards Roman. It was all in Japanese and Korean as those language companies were his sponsors only, but he thought the boy might be interested anyway.

Haruko nodded to it, taking a quick bite of food before speaking. He pointed over his shoulder and indicated the laminated peice of paper.

"I got that just down the way here. You might know the place. I race for Sun Racing Partnership and Ijarashii Inc.," Haruko paused a moment, trying to think of anyone famous who raced for them. He nodded. "I think that Twi'leck winner last year, Keade something, raced for S.R.P. Do you know who I am speaking of?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher watched Roman take the paper and study it a smile so wide on his face that he could literally swallow the planet of Tatooine whole. He nodded, energy bursting through.

"Yeah! You raced with him? You are so lucky!Sis won't let me get into a pod racer even if I paid her! Hell, she won't even let me stand on the sidelines because she says it is too dangerous!" Asher tossed her fork down again and looked up at him.

"It is! You don't know what those people are going to do!" She smiled at him after her sudden burst of parental guidance. She shook her head and looked away from Roman to Haruko, continuing to smile brightly.

She hated Pod racing with a passion but she tried to get involved with Roman's activities, but knowing Haruko was a racer...for some reason she just now fell in love with the sport.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled at the boy who was way too adorable for his own good. Haruko grinned wide and looked over at Asher. He laughed and then raised his eyebrows.

"What do you say, big sis?" he said winking at her. Then he turned to Roman. "If I go with you to this pod thing, we can stop by my place, I'll show you my pod. And if Shimai says yes, you can try it out. I even think there is an abandoned race track out in the feilds behind my house."

Haruko looked back at Asher and smiled at her. He reached over and took her hand, bowing his forehead to it and sighing.

"I'm sorry. I am taking complete advantage of your hospitality. Assuming I am going anywhere with you. Please forgive me. I don't know what's come over me," he said. Although he had a fairly good idea it was this odd need to spend more time with her, and not let her get away from him.

[Asher Perez]

Asher swallowed the large lump of fear down her throat when she watched him bow his head and apologize in a manner that made her nearly swoon. His hand was so soft, she was shocked that she had remembered him touching her last night in another kind manner. Asher was enjoying this mans company far too much and it was easy to see that Roman was enjoying it too, for he was the first man to ever have real contact with him and actually show true interests in him.

"That would be so cool!" Roman looked at Asher and smiled. "Come on! I would love that more than anything! He'd be with me....I'll be safe!" Asher heard him but she wasn't exactly sure what he had said! Her mind was in a different world, mainly lost in Haruko's eyes whenever she caught his glance. She was bound to say yes to anything that involved Haruko.

"I don't know, Romano, racing is so dangerous." She let her hand slip out of Haruko's grip. She wanted to keep her hand in his own but she didn't want to make this more intimate than it should have, but she knew the action would seem like she was recoiling.

"Perhaps if Haruko would be by your side...I might allow it." She glanced up at Haruko and smiled shyly, she can't believe he just touched her hand again!

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled at Asher warmly and leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs and merely watching her smile. She seemed to be doing a lot of it, though he wasn't sure if just the way she was or what.

Haruko was extremely, extremely, attracted to Asher Perez. And Haruko rarely became attracted to woman anymore. He was mostly too laid back to notice if there was a beautiful woman in the room or not. He was happy to just hang out and be a people watcher, not involving himself in thier lives. But Asher was different. Something about her intrigued him beyond all safe human levels, and he found himself so drawn to her, it was actually getting into physical pain territory. He wasn't sure why all he wanted to do was look at her and hear her voice. He didn't why that funny situation he had accidentally put them in the night previous had made every hormone in his body flare up so amazingly. Even thinking of it now made his heart speed a little bit.

These were things he was feeling for a complete stranger the day after meeting her. His mind reeled at the thought of what he might be feeling a week after knowing her.

Somehow, even though these things were quite welcome and made him feel like he hadn't in awhile, it frightened him a little. Part of him wanted to talk to Asher and get to know her, and her life and just know her. The other part of him was that voice that had developed in Orange's tone a long time ago. It was the part of him that still could not let her go. It was that hole eating him from the inside out that seemed only Orange Diren would fill.

Haruko picked up his plate and walked it to the sink, walking aound Roman's chair instead of Asher's, afraid he would touch her, and judging by the way she had reacted the other times he touched her, she did not want him to touch her. He turned and leaned on the sink, smiling.

"Well, boy. It looks as if you might have yourself a pod racing friend," he said with a smile. He looked over at Asher and realized as his eyes found hers, that he had not actually taken the time to look into her eyes, something he loved to do because of the things you could tell by just looking into someone's eyes. But of course, looking into her eyes did not help the strong attraction problem to her that he was facing.

[Asher Perez]

Asher felt her face grow red and warm. When she was caught staring at him...her world fell apart! He was so cute! So...everything! Not only was Roman obviously enjuoying his newfound friend, she was enjoying it too for it had been a while since she was in mature company.

"Yes!" She heard Roman yell excitedly, grabbing his fork and scooping more food into his mouth like it were going somewhere. Asher smiled at Haruko and quickly looked over at Roman, afraid that her smiling and staring was going to freak him out.

"Slow down there, it isn't going to leave your plate." Asher touched his arm and stood up, grabbing her plate and taking it to the sink. She breifly looked at him and grinned before putting them into the sink. When she turned she felt her arm brush against his and she simply smiled this time. For some reason the more she touched him the easier it became to not stop.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko sighed out through his nose and glanced at a clock mounted on the wall. He needed to get back to his brothers, but he also didn't want to leave Asher's and Roman's company. He knew he was going to be facing some serious drama when Taro and Jiro finally met thier father, but he also knew that maybe it wouldn't be as horrible as he was expecting.

He watched Roman eat and for a moment all he could think about were his "father" and "mother". By blood, they hadn't been. Hell, by even race they hadn't been. But they had loved him and that was all that had mattered. Even though some of the things they had done were slighty unorthodox, they had still done everything for him, given everything for him. He owed all he was to his parents, or the two people he considered to be his parents. Especially his father. He had given blood, sweat, tears, and time for Haruko, had been there for him when no one else was. What had happened to them, and who had done it absolutely ripped him in two. But watching the way Roman and Asher interacted reminded him of he and his mother. Roman reminded him of himself so much that it was slightly uncanny.

Taking a breath as he launched out of memory lane and back into reality, he looked at Asher as he picked up his coat and pulled it on, patting every pocket to make sure everything was secure. He smiled breifly picking up his bottle of pills and stuffing it into a bag on his hip.

"I should probably stop invading your privacy. I am sure you want to spend time with your brother and I am sure Roma wants to spend time with his sister, so," he smiled, looking back at Roman. He tapped his racing lisence that was still on the table. "Why don't you look after that for me, kiddo." He turned to Asher and pulled a data card from his pocket, and then getting a data pen from there as well. He leaned over and wrote down his comlink number and then his address. Haruko stood straight again. "If you decide you still want me to come along in a couple of days, call me. And if he just wants to stop by at some point here in the next few days or so, that's my adress." Haruko bowed deeply to her. "I want to thank you for all you have done for me. I cannot tell you how much your hospitality and aquaintance means to me. If there is anything I can ever do for you, please don't be afraid to contact me in some way. Thank you again, Asher Perez."

[Asher Perez]

Asher was sitting on the couch, staring at the phone for the longest time biting her index finger. She felt like a stalker, obsessed, anything and everything dealing with affection in the worst way. She had been lost all day since Haruko left her home, she and Roman talked about the man almost all day long and even spoke of what they could do if Haruko still wanted to go to the races.

Roman had not stopped talking on the phone with his friend telling him about Haruko and the license...the plans...anything and everything they had learned about him he told over and over again. Asher enjoyed his newfound friend, but she couldn't help but fear that maybe Roman was looking at Haruko a little bit more. She was a mother to Roman, much more than she was a sister, and she was the father he needed but she could only do and teach so much...that male figure in Roman's life was lacking and she was almost positive that Haruko could be stuck in a situation he did not want to portray. Asher was sure that Haruko wouldn't try to fill such a position, but probably be more of a friend...she hoped.

It was nearing eleven at night and she was dying to talk to someone since Roman had passed out in the bedroom around 9, he had talked so much avout Haru it had literally worn him out. She smiled as she found herself thinking of Haruko in a way that frightened her. She could honestly say that this male attention was going to do Roman some good, but being a father figure wasn't something he needed to receive from him but somehow Asher liked that idea. She felt silly and really obsessive to already replace her father who was no longer in their lives and not feel bad for it. When it came to her father she was always consumed by guilt, but for some reason Haruko took that guilt away.

Asher bit her lower lip and finally bit the bullet and reached forward and grabbed the phone and quickly dialed Haruko's comlink. Yeah, she had looked at that piece of paper almost all day long for she was excited and was ready to call him. She was patient, very patient, but for some reason she wasn't able to control herself any longer. She dialed the number quickly and pulled the phone to her ear and continued to bite her finger, praying he'd answer for her heart was beating so fast if he didn't it would probably stop.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko laughed right out loud as Jiro cut a shine in the living area of his home with Taro, forcing the older to chase him, eventually grabbing him about the waist and subduing him. Watching the two was amusing, though Haruko was sure they might have been covering up the fear they were feeling for meeting thier father.

The man had not awakened yet and Haruko knew this wasn't abnormal. But he was also slightly hoping he did not wake up before Haru got a chance to hear from Asher and whether or not he was still wanted on the trip to the races.

As he sat on the couch he heard a faint beeping. Jiro must have heard it too for he perked up immediately and looked at Haru, who was searching around for his comlink. Jiro moved forward to help him search.

"Look under the couch, Jiro," Haruko instructed in Japanese, and his little brother got to the floor and peered underneath. He made a triumphant sound and reached under, grabbing the comlink and sitting back on the floor. He pressed a red button and held it up.

"Moshi moshi!" he said happily into the phone. Haruko laughed, grabbing at the comlink, but Jiro pulled away, laughing a little. He grinned. "Hello? This is Jiro Lawson, you've reached Haruko Lawson's comlink."

Haru gave up trying to grab the comlink and hoped whoever was on the other end would simply understand that Jiro was way too excited right now for his own good.

[Asher Perez]

Asher frowned and looked at the phone and then pulled it back to her ear just in time to her Jiro speaking to her about this being Haruko's phone. She laughed loudly and lively, this new voice surprising her and amusing her.

"Well hello Jiro Lawson!" SHe laughed lightly as she breathed in as she pulled her legs into the lotus position on the couch, leaning back in comfort. "Might I ask...are you by any chance related to Haruko?"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro looked at Haruko whose eyes widened at the sound of the woman's voice. Immediately, Jiro got up and out of Haru's reach. He was now officially interested in the ways this conversation could go. What exactly had Haru been up to when he had been gone for a night?

"Yes, actually," Jiro answered her question, propping the comlink against his shoulder to his ear, so he could pull up his pants and move to sit down on a couch opposite Haruko. "I am his youngest brother. It goes him, my brother Taro, and then me." He paused a moment to think, smiling a little. "But we just met him a little past a week ago, so it is still confusing which brother you are calling for when you yell at them."

Jiro glanced over at Haruko who was watchin with a crooked smiled on his face. Jiro was eager to find out who this woman was. Haru had never mentioned a girlfriend here on Tattooine, though he hadn't really had to even if he had one. Jiro looked back down at his own hands.

"So, um...are you like Brother-ko's...mm...girlfriend or something?" he asked, smiling when he saw Haruko stifle a choke and get held back from attacking him by Taro. Jiro then smiled. "Not that its any of my business of course."

[Asher Perez]

Asher laughed away from the phone, this conversation was highly amusing to her considering she had never experienced something like it.

"Oh?" She said happily as she raised her eyebrows and began to play with a string on her patchwork quilt that laid over her legs. She was going to play with Jiro for a while, hopefully he'd play back.

"Haruko didn't tell you? He is dating a gorgeous Spanish woman here on Tatooine who goes by the name Asher Perez! We are practically engaged! I cannot believe you have not been informed!" She was probably going to get into trouble for this, but it was an opportunity to not pass up. Hey, Jiro asked for it!

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro laughed hesitantly, not sure if she was joking or serious. He looked at Haru and by the way he looked questioningly at the phone, Jiro figured she was playing around with him. Sitting back and getting comfortable and grinning.

"Oh, well, you know Asher, he is a big flirt and the girls just fawn over him. So, I think it might be news to you if I told you that he's got a Twi'leck on Coruscant, a Corellian, on Naboo, and three or four Chinese girls on come planet I can't remember the name of," Jiro said, barely able to keep from busting at the seams from laughing because of the look Haruko was giving him. He snorted slightly as he put a hand to his mouth.

"Well, you know," Jiro said, smiling at Haruko. "Maybe Brother-ko would be nice enough to introduce you and I." Jiro smiled at Haruko who had worked Taro's hand from his mouth.

"Shinne!" he called across the room at Jiro through a hard choke of laughter.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled widely as she heard Haruko in the background, the word being unfamiliar to her. For some reason her heart skipped a beat at hearing his deep voice in the distance speaking in another language. She swallowed trying to calm herself, she was too hyper on this phone conversation for her own good. Asher had never been this hyper or excited in a long time over talking to a man, especially his brother!

"Well if he has that many things waiting for him...do you have any single brothers?" She bit her tongue, she was doing something completely irrational! Haruko was definitely going to consider her a weirdo from now on.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro laughed out loud and then looked at Haruko who flipped him the bird. This immediately cracked Jiro up even more and he fell back onto the couch laughing out loud. This woman was somehow making the entirety of the Lawson brothers ecstatic. Even Taro was laughing a ridiculous amount.

"Sorry, Asher. I'm attached, Brother-ro's attached. Engaged at that!" he laughed out loud, wondering suddenly why he was sharing this information with someone who he didn't know. Then he shrugged as if she could see him. "Just poor Brother-ko. He has nobody. Just me and my girlfriend anfd my other brother and his fiance. That's it. Unless another Lawson brother falls out of the woodwork, everybody but he is happily attached."

Jiro paused a moment, then looked at Haruko who flipped him off again and Jiro shook his head.

"Well, Asher, Haruko is about to have a stroke across the room, so I guess I will hand you off to him. Nice speaking with you," he laughed. "Sayounara, Asher-chan."

Jiro went across to Haruko who snatched the phone immediately. Jiro had had way too much fun just then and he hoped that would happen more often.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko grabbed the comlink, smacking Taro away and then Jiro just for what he had done. He then put the comlink to his ear and moved out of the living area and into the front hall, so his brother's could not hear what he was saying. He aighed heavily.

"I am sorry, Miss. Perez. My brother, the littlest one is a little bit happy about something right now," Haruko sighed out in one breath, almost too quiet for he himself to hear. He purred slightly in his throat. "I apologize for him."

[Asher Perez]

Asher giggled as she bit her finger again a habit of shyness she had learned over the years. When she finally heard Haruko's voice she smacked her forehead, enjoying his voice far too much. She bit her lower lip and tried to stop grinning as she kept her free left hand on her head while her face and body grew ten degrees warmer.

"That is okay, Haruko." She looked up at the television that was black and reflected her lone image. She saw the goofy grin on her face and she immediately looked away trying to think of what she was calling him for. Hell...did she even have a reason? Did she just all of a sudden think of him then decided to call? Lawsy mercy...this was definitely not like her!

"Uh...hi! I...I...I was just calling to say that!" She let out a soft laugh of embarassment. She knew that at any moment Haruko was going to call her weird, tell her to leave him alone, then she was going to die of embarassment. She swore that in two seconds her body was going to catch on fire, but she still had more to say, more embarassing revelations.

"And to tell you that I was thinking about you."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko cocked his head, bringing the comlink away from his ear and looking at it before putting it back and sitting down on the floor, crossing his legs and staring at the black toe of one of his socks. He smiled a little, the moonlight shining through one of the windows casting a blue glow on his clothes and skin. The hall was dark otherwise.

"Thinking about me?" he asked quietly. For a moment he wasn't sure what to say in response. No one had ever called him to tell him that they had been thinking about him. Orange had never done that, and no one prior to Orange had done it. Most calls he received from women were to ask him where they could meet him for a quickie. He licked his lips slightly to wet them, before chuckling deeply. "Well...um...thank you...I think."

He paused, biting his lip and looking down the hall to make sure his brothers weren't peering down the hall at him and listening to his conversation. Or lack thereof.

"I guess this would be the appropriote time to say that..." he smiled a little. "I was actually thinking about you too."

[Asher Perez]

Asher smacked her forehead again and pulled the phone away from her for a moment so she could squeal with happiness. For some reason she felt so relieved to tell him that! She had never done something that stupid in all her life actually telling a guy that she found attractive that she had been thinking of him. God! How could she not think of Haruko? Beauty was apparent, but for some reason she couldn't help but feel this huge desire to actually talk to him, get to know him...Roman too.

Asher pulled the phone back to her ear and continued to smile, even had she wanted to wipe it off her face she was sure it'd never go away, not after he told her he was thinking of her as well, even if it was to not make her feel awkward.

"Yeah?" She wanted to kick herself for saying that! Luckily she continued to be honest while speaking with Haruko. "Since you left earlier today I don't think I have been able to think of anything else!" She was burning alive! She tossed the blanket off of her and laughed. "Silly, huh?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko shrugged slightly. He was strongly attracted to Asher, but for some reason--though this had never happened before--he felt very comfortable talking to her. He didn't feel strange or out of place. And he liked that feeling.

"Not really," he said slowly. "Sometimes you just have to think about someone." He paused a moment. "I haven't thought of a single thing besides you today."

That had been a dumb thing to say. He barely knew the woman and he was all but telling her he wanted her. So badly it actually was painful. All but begging her to let him go over there again and spend another night with her, except not in a separate bed. What the hell was wrong with him!? She was a stranger. A stranger. That simple. And she was just wanting to be friends, he was sure. That's all. Right?

"God, I'm sorry," he said, grabbing a piece of his hair and pulling as hard as he could, pain going through his scalp. "I didn't mean to be weird there."

[Asher Perez]

Asher laughed, beginning to twist a piece of her hair around her finger, tugging slightly as she contained a squeal of excitement. Haruko was driving her insane and she had barely known him for 24 hours. She opened her eyes after a moment then smiled.

"Sorry to break the news to you Haruko but you are not anywhere near being weird!" She laughed lightly and moved on the couch to stretch out for some reasong feeling like a teenager talking to her crush.

"I hope I didn't call you too late? I was just wanting to hear your voice..." Again another stupid thing to say, another trurhful thought that had managed to skip the part of her brain that processed what she was going to say! If Haruko wanted to see her again she'd be surprised, hopefully she wasn't being too bold for him.

[Haruko Lawson]

"No, no. I can't sleep anymore. So, I am up until all hours of the damn night," he chuckled out, getting up from his standing position and stretching out, walking to the window and looking out. Night on Tattooine was one thing that Haruko did like about the planet, one of the few things. For some reason, Haruko had the urge to ask Asher if she wanted to meet and talk watching the moon, but he restrained himself. That was crossing the line.

He could hear her move on the other end of the line and smiled, something about that sound making him suddenly aware that he was in fact talking to another human being, not an angel. Though she might as well have been, for the things she did to him was not human.

"And besides, you can call me at anytime, day or night. I will pick up and talk to you. Don't ever worry about me not wanting to talk to you, Miss Perez."

[Asher Perez]

Asher again contained a squeal of excitement. If she could she would have met him any time of day to just see him again, to know that he was alive and well, breathing....and, of course, to see that face of his! She rolled her eyes and continued to smile.

"Same here, Haruko, and please don't ever call me 'Miss Perez' again, Asher is what I want to hear you call me."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled wide, glad that he now had permission to call her first name. He nodded, making and an agreeing noise, and bowing to as if she could see him.

"Thank you, Asher," he said quietly, looking back out at moon, sighing slightly. He was a big idiot when it came to stars and the moon and the sky in general. He loved to star gaze, though he wasn't much of a star expert. He chuckled. Oh, how he wished he could see Asher's face again. Just for a moment. Waiting for the pod races was too long. He wanted to see her this moment. But he knew it was much too late for her to go out and he wasn't about to suggest that she leave her brother home alone.

"So..." he muttered, unsure of what exactly to say to her. He didn't want to say something moronic, but he didn't like the silence. He wanted to hear her voice. If he couldn't see her, he wanted to hear her. "You speak...Spanish...right?"

[Asher Perez]

"Si." She said with a light laugh. "I do. Taught English to myself." She bit her lower lip and wondered what to say, she had been thinking of him all day and she even told him so yet she had nothing to truly say to this man...nothing that would make an appealing phone conversation. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought about seeing him sooner, the race was two days away and if she was going through withdrawal now in the amount of time left she'd be dead.

She thought a moment then nodded, she was going to just go ahead and ask...hoping he'd not say no.

"Haruko, I would like it if you came to dinner tomorrow night. This way I can make sure you are doing okay, feed you, see you." She knew that was going to sound pushy so she tried to brace the truth with something medical even though she'd probably regret it later, but nothing good came to mind.

"I don't mean to sound pushy, but maybe you'd like that? Roman won't be here tomorrow since he is going to a friend house to play around and do boy stuff! I'd like to have some company." This was way too soon to be inviting him over for dinner with nobody else here except her, but she didn't care she was having too much fun! After all it was going smoothly for her so far.

"Would....you like that?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko suddenly felt his stomach twist into knots of elaborate shapes and sizes and the thought of eating right that moment was very unappealing. He hadn't expected her to invite him to dinner, let alone dinner in the house with her alone. Not that he wouldn't enjoy it immensely. He just wasn't sure he trusted himself not to do something stupid.

Taking a deep breath and getting control of himself, he thought a moment and knew that if he just stayed a safe distance from her--arms length was probably alright--he'd be just fine. He just didn't want to do something and have her hate him forever. He didn't want to offend, or frighten her in any way. Realizing that he had sat there almost a minute without giving her an answer, he coughed slightly so that she knew he was still there.

"Actually..." he said, looking down at his feet. "Actually, I'd really like that, Asher." He smiled, and laughed. "Though maybe you could just be Asher tomorrow instead of nurse." He chuckled a little hoping that she didn't take that to mean it bothered him. He just wanted to talk to her, as her.

[Asher Perez]

She was dying on the other end, she was holding her breath, her heart was beating a mile a minute, her stomach was twisting with every passing beat and this was all do to the silence. She was literally hanging onto his last words, praying to not hear rejection.

"Actually..." She knew it was coming, he was probably going to tell her he had things to do and wasn't going to be able to make it, Asher had just frightened away something she desperately wanted. Luckily, before she was about to smack herself for being stupid his voice gave her some glint of hope.

"Actually, I'd really like that, Asher." RELIEF! She breathed out a sigh and she smiled, happy to hear those words come out of his mouth. "Though maybe you could just be Asher tomorrow instead of nurse." She laughed in response, half of it finding his comment funny the other because she was trying to let out her nervousness.

"You know, since you asked me nicely, I think I'll be Asher." She moved on the couch unable to stay in one place for she was excited and restless. She bit her lower lip when she scooted into the lotus position again.

A million things ran through her head at once all pertaining to Haruko and his visit tomorrow. She was already planning on what to fix, what kind of things she needed to pick and clean up, what she was going to wear...she laughed again at the thought of wearing the most risque outfits she owned but knew this wasn't a date...this was....dinner, besides she was the most unsexiest person in the world! She had tried being sexy before, but she just failed miserably and made an idiot of herself. Hell, as sad as she hated to admit this...she had never even been kissed.

"I am so glad you said yes!" This had been the first time since she had ever asked a male, a stranger at that, to come over for dinner. It was obvious that tonight had been the first for many things, especially when it came to shameless flirting and letting him know her inner most thoughts about him. She was practically screaming at Haruko, screaming at him telling him how bad she wanted to see him again, wanted to just...do anything and everything for him.

"Why don't you come by around six, or whatever time is most convenient, I'll wait for you."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled into the phone. Inside of him he was aware that this wasn't anything more than dinner with a friend he had met. Though Haruko did want it to be something more, he wasn't about to press the matter at all. A long time friend was much more important than a short time lover.

Haruko's stomach lurched just slightly, as if the butterflies from his teenaged days had fluttered just a little in thier sleep. He realized that this was going to be a civilized meeting with a woman. Something he had not had since Orange. Every woman since Orange had been heated lovers, one night standers, make out friends, or merely friends with benefits. This was actually going to be a full blown normal dinner with a nice woman who also happened to be attractive. In a way it made Haru wonder if his rusty hinges on this type of thing would even work, and in another way, it made him excited to oil them a bit.

Unable to keep a smile from playing across his lips, Haruko chuckled a little bit against the comlink, running a hand down through his hair, the part of it that was long and undyed. He took a deep breath.

"Well...maybe I could wander around there about seven," he said, hoping she didn't mind it an hour later. He felt like he owed her an explanation now. "My friend Soo and I have to pick up some parts for my ship around five thirty and I am not sure how long it will take to move the parts out to my ship. But if seven isn't good for you, then, I'm sure we can work around it...somehow." He'd shoot himself befor he let this opportunity slip away and he would find a way around anything on his schedule to make sure he ate dinner with her.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled, happy that he had set a time most convenient for him. She didn't care if he wanted to eat dinner at 4 AM she'd be ready and willing to fix food if it meant she'd get to eat with him.

"That would be perfect!" She knew she sounded too excited about eating dinner with him, but she wasn't about to hide her excitement not now. "Seven, eight, nine, heck eleven...I would be happy to have you over to eat dinner!" She bit her lower lip and tried to contain herself but she was failing miserably at it.

"I know," She laughed gently. "I am getting too excited about a dinner, right?" It was on the tip of her tongue to say 'friendly' but she didn't want to, didn't actually want to accept that that was what it was, and all it would ever be.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko laughed out loud, bursting at the seams to just say how cute she was in Japanese, so she would not know what he was saying. But he restrained. He had probably freaked her out enough with his face falling off, he didn't need to scare her anymore. But he was genuinely excited about this dinner, although he knew he shouldn't overreact about it.

Switching the phone to the other ear, and scratching the one that had been supporting it, he blew his breath on the window and watched the steam spread out then slowly melt away, until he ran his hand over it and wiped it away.

"Don't worry about getting too excited," he smiled. "Its always good to be able to get excited about something."

[Asher Perez]

Well you are the one that I am truly excited about! She wanted to scream this at him, smack him and just....hold him down and do things she had always wanted to do in her mind. She was the horniest virgin ever alive, she knew she was. She had thought about Haruko and her hopping on the good foot and doing the bad thing almost all day but of course this information was going to be kept to herself.

"I guess I will see you tomorrow, then? I am sorry that I interrupted you and your brother...I didn't really mean to call so late." She bit her lower lip, she had done this so much that it was finally getting raw. She smiled and looked down at the blanket and tried to make this sentence work so he would not get suspicious.

"Your brother is funny...I can't believe he'd tell me you were all alone, I am sure you have them lined around the block." When it came out of her mouth she realized how random this thought was...if he didn't catch her drift then he was completely ignorant.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko coughed slightly into his hand. The subject of women was not exactly the thing he wanted to talk about right that moment, but if Asher wanted to know whether or not he was attached, he would tell her. In as discreet a way as possible, of course. He shrugged.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say lined around the block. Hell, I wouldn't even say lined at all," he laughed slightly. "My brothers have had the chance to meet people they truly want to spend thier lives with, and for that I thank Buddha. But, I have not been blessed with the right person yet. Part of it is my fault, and my neglect to take my medicine. When Mr. Lawson is about, I don't even want to be near me, so." He laughed again. "Although I don't know why any woman would want to be around me anyway. I am way too eccentric for my on good."

[Asher Perez]

Asher chuckled. Haruko was adorable! She wanted to take him home and keep him forever! She smiled and nodded. "You are not eccentric, you are you...and from what I saw I liked the way you are." The envelope was continuing to be pushed, any moment she was going to say something really bad and get herself in trouble and have Haruko not come to dinner at all.

She wanted to ask him how was it possible that no women were lined around the block! He was such a vibrant person and she had been all but enthralled with him, hey so enthralled she was inviting him to her brother's home when she was alone.

"If you don't mind my saying so...I would have lined up outside of your door a long time ago." This was definitely too bold for her tastes. She needed to get off the phone otherwise she'd just end up telling him Haruko, lets make this dinner a date!

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko trembled visibly at her words. She would have been the woman he would have wanted lined outside his door. As it was though, he felt as if he were the one eating out of the palm of her hand. But at least he was enjoying himself. For some reason, this conversation was way more enjoyable than he had thought it might of been. Both of them kept making subtle references, but neither would come out and say what they meant. It was driving Haru crazy, but making him want more and more at the same time. He smiled.

"Well, you are welcome to line outside my door anytime it makes you happy," he said, quietly, just in case his littlest brother had decided to eavesdrop. He chuckled. "You are welcome around me anytime you feel like you want to be bothered by a schitzo maniac, with a wierd sense of humor, and even weirder sense of self." He laughed out loud. "Man, you chose a winner to help when you decided to pick me off the street."

[Asher Perez]

Asher laughed at his words, Haruko was driving her into a maniac! That voice, the way she remembered his face, his body, his humor, his ability to carry on a conversation...it was all so amusing to her and she couldn't help but feel the need to have more of it all, all of Haruko that was.

"I think it is the other way around, you were the one lined up outside of my door! Er...laying outside is more like it!" She giggled and let out a sigh. "This is going to sound silly, but then again this whole conversation has been silly, right? Haruko I am actually very glad that you fell down in front of my brother's house."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko chuckled, then paused. For a moment, he just let the words roll over in his mind. Let himself think about what exactly the underlying meaning of that statement could be. But then again, maybe all it was was a simple saying that she was glad they were friends and nothing more. Haruko shifted his position, really glad now that they weren't talking face-to-face. Otherwise, he probably would not have been able to restrain himself from just kissing her.

Suddenly preoccupied with that thought, it took a moment for Haruko to respond and when he did, he wasn't sure what exactly fell out of his mouth. He was dwelling still on that last thought and was having a hard time getting it to go away.

"I have to say, Asher Perez," he said, lowering his voice a little more reminding himself of the way Taro's voice dropped a ridiculous amount when he whispered about something. "I don't think I would have wanted to be saved by anyone but you. You don't know how much you mean to me."

Oh god. He had let it slip. He had been holding back that thought the entire conversation and that one damn thought had thrown him all off. And his concentration had been ruined and now the conversation was going to be shattered, he knew it. She was going to freak and tell him not to go to dinner, to never go near her again, and then hang up on him. He could feel it in his bones.

[Asher Perez]

Asher sat silent for a moment as her brain processed what had just been said to her. For a moment she swore he was going to say something after it to tone it down a bit, but he never did. She swallowed after a long time and then smiled, trying to calm her breathing and keep her heart intact within her body.

"I..." She had no idea how to respond to him she could go ahead and just tell him straight out that she found him wildly attractive with all this sex appeal and that she was more than willing to just let him do his thing. Asher refrained from it, of course.

She laughed and smiled, why couldn't she stop smiling!? Since she met him that was all she could do smile and laugh. "I am glad. I don't think I would have invited you to dinner if I didn't feel the same. I really want to see you again." Asher! YOU IDIOT! She could hear her mind yelling this to her, she was ruining any chances of keeping this dinner friendly and unawkward, hell she was probably ruining chances of it actually happening!

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko sighed out through his nose, this news somehow making him feel not so bad about what he had just said. Though it didn't help the thought that had made those words slip. This dinner tomorrow was bound to be an interesting one, now that they had gotten out in the open that they were at least a little bit attracted to one another. Though he wasn't exactly sure what for Asher was inappropriote. He would have to behave himself very well tomorrow when he was actually in her presence.

He grinned, then laughed, hoping that maybe if he laughed, it would take away some of the tension he could hear her having. Haruko switched the comlink to the other ear again, propping it against his shoulder as he lifted his shirt up to inspect his belly button ring that had come loose and was pinching him painfully. At least it had brought him slightly back to reality.

"Well, then I think you'll be happy to know that the feeling is very much mutual," he said, knowing that she would probably think he was speaking just about wanting to see her again, when really, he meant whatever feelings had motivated her to say it were well over mutual as well. He grinned down at his stomach as if he were looking at Asher right that moment. This was going to be interesting.

[Asher Perez]

Paranoia, nervousness, stomach sickness, sweating, panting, a headache. All of this couldn't begin to describe the many range of feelings Asher was going through at one particular moment. She had been cleaning house all day long trying to make it look halfway decent since her brother did not have very good tastes in decor. She had even cleaned in places she never thought she should clean, these spots mainly being under the couch, under the rug, even under the bed. She was shocked to find herself cleaning in her brother's bedroom considering the possibility of Haruko stepping foot in there was not probable. Asher had been going on this cleaning spree she dusted, swept, mopped, lit candles, sprayed air freshner, flipped couch pillows, fluffed couch pillows, straightened the rugs, cleaned dishes, anything and everything she could think of to clean she happened to do it. The last thing she worried about was herself and she was regretting it now since she was completely dressed in her stain tan colored v-neck shirt and black slacks, make up on, and hair in a thick towel drenching with water.

Asher was standing in the kitchen biting her finger making sure she had everything cooked and ready, the Mexican stir fry now sitting on the stove being kept warm. She had spent all day on fixing it making sure to do everything right and make sure it would turn out the best it ever could. She had even took the time to make dessert in the middle of the day. Asher wasn't one who over did things but at that exact moment, as she glanced around the kitchen and living room, she had overdone it all. The place was too neat, too tidy, too spotless, smelled to good...she was suddenly regretting everything she had managed to do even though earlier she had been quite proud.

It was bad when one only cleaned house when guests arrived, but it was even worse when your baby brother watched the whole time giving you a look that let her know he thought she was an idiot. When she realized he had been watching with entertainment then out of curiosity, she felt evil and guilty for not actually inviting her own brother. When he finally did ask her reason for doing so she couldn't lie to him, she never being one to lie good anyhow. The second she said Haruko was coming for dinner he was jumping all around and telling her that he was going to call his friend's parents and tell them that he couldn't come.

The moment Asher heard him say that she became very defensive, as if he couldn't share in on this moment that was simply between two friends. She didn't know Haruko very well, let alone well enough to actually trust him and know that when he came into her brother's home he wouldn't attack her, knowing that Roman wasn't going to be there, but she wanted to be alone. Asher wanted to smack herself for saying that simply because she didn't know him well enough to be alone with him period, but that was why she was having him over...to get to know him!

Roman didn't take her orders to go and not break a promise, this being her reason, well. He had pouted for almost an hour up until it was time for him to leave when he then jumped up with excitement and headed out the door after telling her bye. She realized, after he head gone, that he didn't give her a kiss. She didn't know why but she felt violated by this. She never said good bye to anyone she loved without giving them a kiss in case it would be the last chance they ever saw one another. It was odd and morbid to look at it that way, but it worked, everyone she knew was now in the habit of kissing each other upon meeting and upon leaving.

It was nearing the designated time for Haruko to arrive and she felt ill. Had she not known better she would have sworn the feeling to hurl was caused by him and him alone. She made sure everything was ready to go, but when she realized her hair was soaking wet she quickly threw her head over and pulled the towel off, looking at the dark strands as she scrubbed her head dry with the towel.

Soft music was playing from a tiny radio in the kitchen, it of course being a stereotypical sound that many people like her were caught with, Spanish salsa music. She had been cooking all day and she had to have some entertainment and aside from thinking of Haruko's adorable face and body, she had danced around to her favorite kind of music, remembering when she used to enter Salsa and Cha Cha championships.

Asher shook her butt as she stood back up, listening to one of the songs playing lowly. She continued to rub her head as she walked out of the kitchen and upstairs into the bedroom where she tossed the towel onto a chair that held a small pile of her clothes. She wasn't going to let Haruko come into the bedroom anyhow so she figured to let the bedroom be a little messy. She ran some mousse through her hair and walked out into the living room to wait and feel nothing but nervousness until he arrived.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko slowly strolled down the almost deserted street as he fixed his long black trench coat and then pushed his bucket hat down farther on his head.

For being so nervous the evening previous, Haru was oddly calm now. Even though he was on his way to eat dinner with a complete stranger whom he also found to be widly attractive. It used to be such a difficult thing thinking about himself with anyone but Orange Diren. And now, it was ridiculous how quickly he had seen someone else as potential.

The suns were setting over Tattooine quicker than he remembered them doing, but that wasn't such a horrible thing, as at his home on Coruscant, his mother had always made dinner after the sun had set. It made him feel more comfortable. And God knew he needed comfort.

As he drew nearer and nearer to Asher's home, he felt his stomach flip a little bit. For a few moments he felt as if he were a teenager again, going on thier first date and absolutely sick about it. But he was a grown man, twenty-six years old and well enough past that stage of his life to not be so nervous. Yet, here he was about two houses away and he felt as if he might just pass out in front of her door...again.

The front door was just as he remembered it being, though he wasn't sure if he had been expecting it to have changed over a night and day. But either way, he mounted the steps to her door and stared at it, wondering slightly if she was actually going to be there. He contemplated not knocking, and saving himself the fear and possibilty of embarrassing himself. But he knew that more than anything he would want to embarrass himself in front of Asher. He grinned, raising his hand and knocking three times.

His heart stopped as he swore he heard movement inside, half of him begging her to answer, the other hoping she wouldn't. Taking a deep breath he waited, praying breifly that Buddha would speed him.

[Asher Perez]

Asher glared at the front door where she heard the knocks that let her know Haruko was now standing outside of her door, waiting for an answer. She was so nervous and yet she wasn't. The fear she had five seconds ago had seemingly been replaced with excitement. Asher stood up an jogged into the kitchen to turn the music off before jogging back and to the door where she drew in a deep breath, praying to God she wouldn't do something stupid tonight, but somehow whenever she was around someone she found mildly attractive things never went right.

She pushed her hair behind her ears, brushed her shirt, straightened her pants, anything and everything to primp before opening the door. She bit her lower lip and just bit the bullet and quickly unlocked the two locks and grabbed the silver decorative handle and pulled it towards her and saw Haruko standing at the front of her door. The second she saw him she automatically had the urge to kiss him like she would any other friend, but she remembered that Haruko, at this point, was just an aquaintance.

"Haruko!" She said happily, tilting her head to the side and smiling brightly. "I'm glad to see you conscious today!" She playfully winked and waved her hand towards her inviting him in.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko grinned wide as the door opened and she invited him in. Bowing slightly, he stepped in, toeing off his shoes and glancing around. He reached up and took off his bucket hat, holding it in his hands and hoping Asher didn't really notice the very drastic hair color change.

The eveing previous he had completely forgotten that he was coming to dinner tonight and he had gone into his bathroom at around twelve o'clock at night to play around with some of hair dyes. Haruko was just glad that she was seeing the good results instead of the nice baby pink he had accidentally died it the first time. Now, it was completely black except for two parts in the front that were deep blood red.

Haruko looked around at the house. It was cleaner than it had been the night previous. Not that it had been dirty by any stretch of the imagination, but now, it was spotless. A thought of Asher cleaning house popped into his mind and he couldn't help but grin wide at that thought. She was so adorable.

"Thank you for inviting me over to dinner," he said, quietly, turning to her and bowing deeply. "It was very kind of you to invite a complete stranger over to eat dinner with you." He smiled wide and nodded again. "Thank you."

[Asher Perez]

Asher watched him toe off his shoes then pull his hat off while his eyes found his way around the living room. She watched him bow to her several time after her continued to thank her for inviting him to dinner. She wanted to smack her face for she couldn't stop grinning like a fool and blushing at how adorable he was and how his hair had slightly changed. Had it become redder?

"You are most welcome, Haruko." She smiled again and gestured with her whole left arm as she shut the door. "Dinner is ready if you want to go ahead and start to eat? I hope you don't mind Mexican stir fry?" She didn't know what his food tastes were like so she tried to go with something spicy, with rice, vegetables, meat, and bread hitting any food type possible.

"You do eat meat....right? Please...tell me you do!" She chuckled slightly as she walked towards him and touched his arm, praying to God he wasn't going to spring her with such a shocking revelation.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko had mostly consisted of fish and really didn't know if he liked any other meat. But if Asher made it, he would probably eat it. And this Mexican stirfry? He had never heard of anything like that. He had eaten only Japanese, Chinese, and Korean foods since the day he came from the womb, so he was very ignorant in other types of foods. Quickly, he tapped into his bionic databases and searched them as quickly as he could. He found a definition of it and read the Japanese characters several times before understanding. He nodded, looking back over at her.

"Ah, I see," he said, nodding again and then sucking air in through his teeth. "I imagine I am going to like it, if my reading is correct, though I am afraid I have never heard of anything called Mexican stirfry," he said, hoping he hadn't butchered those words too badly.

[Asher Perez]

Asher laughed and nodded, pointing in the direction of the kitchen ecstatic that she was able to have him in the home again. For some reason having him around brightened everything up, the most notable being Asher Perez herself.

"I hope you'll like it. If you don't...I think I can make you something different." She smiled and laughed gently, he was adorable even when he wasn't doing anything! What the heck was wrong with her? "I'm glad you came, I don't think I would have made it another hour by myself, I don't do being alone."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko sneaked through the hallway, afraid to touch anything, suddenly feeling slightly out of place in the very clean home. He looked around at Asher and smiled, unsure of what exactly she had said, for he had been paying close attention to were his socked feet stepped, as if he might stand on a wrong square of floor.

He made his way to kitchen and peered inside at the food sitting on the stove to stay warm. And almost immediately the scent of spices, vegetables, meat, and a slight sweet smell of some perfume Asher was wearing filled up his nose, and he breathed in deeply, the warmth of the kitchen making him feel very at home. He shed his long black trench coat and draped it across his arm, quickly staightening his black turtle neck sweater and black cargos. He wasn't dressy, as it had been a long time since he had actually gone out alone with a woman without the intent to screw her, or vice versa. So, he had been at a slight loss for what to wear. Now that he was here he was feeling rather insecure.

He sniffed the air and smiled, pushing these thoughts from his mind. He looked at Asher. He touched her shoulder blade, a gesture he had learned a long time ago when he had lived with his Chinese parents. They had always pressed on his shoulder blade when they greeted him. It was a weird gesture, but gave you contact with the other person without being wierd.

"This is really...really nice," he said, looking around and smiling down at her again. "I hope I didn't underdress."

[Asher Perez]

The kitchen was slightly warm but the moment she felt his hand touch her the temperature grew a thousand degrees, yet when he talked she chilled. What an odd effect Haruko had on her. She smiled and shook her head her heart beating so fast at such a simple gesture.

"No, you are not underdressed. I think I am overdressed. IT has been a while since I have had anyone over for dinner, aside from my usual friends back home on Coruscant." She stepped over to the table and pulled out a chair and touched the seat as if patting it for a child. "Here you go, just have a seat and I will get you whatever you need." The second those words escaped her mouth a vision of one hot steamy night with Haruko made its way into her mind. What the hell was wrong with her? Haruko was a stranger, a hot one at that.

"You can lay your coat anywhere, too." She smiled and turned to the stove and uncovered the stir fry pan and bent down and smelled the enticing scent, her stomach growling with fury.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko laid his coat on the back of the chair, feeling a little awkard as he slid into the seat while she was still standing. But, she had instructed him to sit, so he would. He continued to look about him, but the moment he let his eyes go, they wandered to where Asher was standing at the stove. He immediately knew that had been a bad idea. But by the time he realized this, it was much, much too late.

His eyes had found the hem of her pants, no skin visible from under, but that was what the imagination was for and Haruko's was working in overdrive at that moment. Slowly, his eyes traveled up the smoothness of her black pants, wrinkling slightly near her hips as she bent over a little. He went a little farther up, the roundess of her thigh finding its way to the hollow of her pelvic bone, and then smoothly transitioned into a flat stomach. Haruko knew he needed to look away, for suddenly, the warmth in the room had just raised about ten degrees.

His eyes went up her back, the slope of her spine and the line of her back visible under the cloth of the shirt. The line of her spine gently rolled up into her shouler blades and neck, her creamy skin finally slightly visible under her hair, and Haruko knew immediately he was in trouble.

Ripping his eyes away, he preoccupied himself with a little place on the cieling as he prayed hard to Buddha to give him strength, and to give him grounding from temptation.

This was going to be one hell of a night.

[Asher Perez]

Asher allowed the heat to warm her chilled arms where there was no material from her shirt. She was burning alive everywhere else from where she had thought about Haruko in the most unpleasant way...well...not really unpleasany but not the most innocent way. This was a friendship and even if it had a potential to turn into something more, which she was sure it wouldn't, she wouldn't even know what to do if she were kiss him. She knew that she could only stand over the hot stove for so long, but for some odd reason she liked it over there where she could give him a nice shot of her butt. Asher's face grew warm, again. She had to stop thinking of things she knew nothing about.

She turned and walked over to the table, smiling at Haruko when his eyes finally found her own. In her right hands she held the stir fry pan and sat it down in the middle of the table, the steam resonating into the air and the scent filling the air as it moved. She looked down at the rice and other things thrown in and glanced up at Haruko and smiled again. She didn't realize it until she was bending completely over the table to sit it down on the cloth that Haruko, if he was looking, could get the best shot of her black lacey bra and major cleavage.

When she was at the stove she could've sworn she felt like he were looking her over, but she was always paranoid like that. Asher wasn't one who figured guys looked at her in that way since she was the one with many friends who were boys, and never any boy friends.

Sure she was pretty and had curves, but she was unable to truly find her place in the dating scene. Asher's inability to break the habit of being a mother-like figure and role model for Roman was causing her to be a prude and never dress in a way that attracted the opposite sex. Until....tonight.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko was careful to keep his eyes up and out of the line of fire of anything that might turn his stay here severely uncomfortable. He looked at the food and smiled as he watched her unable stop from imagining what it would have been like to touch her face nd lean over to kiss her as thanks instead of having to keep saying thank you the way he was doing. He felt slightly castrated without being able to speak his mind, something he was very used to doing.

He was very out of touch at having a normal conversation with anyone. He and his brothers were really weird and had the strangest conversations when they got alone. They had years and years to catch up on and being with each other made them very weird. Jesimae and Orange were pretty wierd right along with them and the few friends Haru had outside of them were all as wierd or more so than he.

So he was in a new ball park all together.

"Thank you, Asher-san..." he said absentmindedly adding the san at the end out of habit. He shook his head, chuckling deep in his throat. "Sorry. I meant, 'Thank you, Asher.'" he laughed again.

[Asher Perez]

Asher looked up at him and smiled, giggling like a small child at adding that onto her name. She had heard a few of her friends say it back home, but it never sounded so cute until he said it to her.

"It is quite all right, I kinda like it." She smiled and stood up and walked over to his side and put a few scoops of the stir fry on his empty plate along with a few pieces of bread. She was tending to him like he couldn't do it himself, but she somehow had an odd habit of doing that.

When her hip brushed against his arm as she moved away from him she almost gasped, that was way too close for comfort, despite how much she liked it. "Sorry." She said as she stepped back from him and blushed. She was embarassing herself by being so shy around him, but she couldn't help it people she liked had the tendency to do that.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko glanced sideways at her, not saying anything in response to her apology, but keeping his eyes firmly planted on the plate in front of him and waiting for her to sit across from him. He didn't really want to acknowledge the fact that the contact with her hip had made the butterflies in his stomach flap wildly, and the heat he was already feeling rise a degree or two. Once she was a safe distance away from him, he looked up and smiled at her nodding to her.

"You'd be the first," he chuckled. Then he looked down at the plte and the foreign foods she had placed there. He wasn't exactly sure where to start as he did not know the Spanish way of doing things. He didn't know if, like in the Chinese culture, the man ate first and the women two minutes afterward, or if they were completely different from how he had been brough up. He took a breath, hoping she would take the initiative.

[Asher Perez]

Asher walked over to her plate and quickly poured some food onto her plate, along with a few pieces of freshly baked bread. She glanced up at Haruko and smiled, not knowing the point of doing such a thing. She took a seat and grabbed her napkin. The second she sat down she stood back up.

"Drinks!" She said slightly loud. She laughed as she put her hands on her cheeks, speaking in spanish as she made her way to the fridge, cursing herself in her native tongue and immediately apologizing to God after saying the long string of obsceneties.

"Haruko, what may I give you?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled at her slightly stupidly, or at least he felt stupid after smiling like an idiot. He waved a hand in front of his face as he followed her movements with his eyes and scooted around in his seat a little to get comfortable.

"Just water, please," he said, feeling slightly releived that he was going to get some liquid into him. He was about to died of a heat stroke and water sounded very good. Especially since the food smelled very spicy. For a moment he wondered about the heavy liquor he had at home and whether he littlest brother had restrained himself. He smiled a little at that thought, then turned his attention back to Asher.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled at him and nodded grabbing a cup from the cabinet. She grabbed some purified water from the fridge knowing her brother loved the expensive tastes, and then walked over and handed the full cup to Haruko.

"I am going to drink, I promise I won't get loopy on you!" She winked at him and walked back over to the cabinet and grabbed a wine glass. She then pulled out a margarita glass and put the previous one back up. She grabbed the small pitcher in the fridge that was slightly slushy and poured herself a frozen margarita. She closed the doors she had opened and walked to her seat and pushed it in and glanced up at Haruko and smiled, yet again.

"Usually they are for dessert, but I enjoy them while eating."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled at her, looking at the thing she had poured and cocking his head at it slightly as his eye scanned the drink and he got a definition and history read out. He scanned the characters quickly and nodded. His eyes switched out to normal vision and he looked at it, and smiled.

"I have seen others drink something like this," he said, looking up at her then smiling. "But we don't really have it in my culture, or the Chinese culture, although some people do drink it." He smiled. "Thank you for the water. Thank you for everything."

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled and laughed as she took a quick drink and sat it down. "Haruko..." She began as she grabbed a napkin on the table. "Stop thanking me, I should actually be thanking you anyhow!" She put the napkin in her lap and began to toss the food on her plate after she salted it a bit.

"Had you not said yes, I'd be stuck staring at the walls and listening to Cha Cha music and drawing. This place would be turned upside down with sketches, paper, pencils...my brother wouldn't be too pleased with me."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled. He saw her begin on her food, so he took this to mean he was also allowed. Saying a quick itada kimasu to himself before touching the fork to the food and picking up a little bit. He didn't want to be rude by only taking a small bit, but he had also never tried this before and didn't know what it tasted like.

He put the food in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully a moment, letting the flavors combine in his mouth and let his brain and tongue process the taste of what was on it. He nodded, smiling wide after swallowing. He thought oishii. But he was embarrassed to speak Japanese or any other language in front of Asher. He nodded.

"Good. This is really good," he said, smiling still. "I have never eaten anything like this before."

[Asher Perez]

Asher looked up at him and smiled as she chewed a mouthful. He was so cute! She wanted to just tear everything off the table and crawl across it and attack him. That was what she had been thinking when she glanced up to find him chewing, his thick sooty lashes curving on his cheek as he looked down. He was so attractive, the more she kept sneaking peeks at him and thinking of dirty little things the hotter he seemed to get, as well as her.

"I'm glad!" She said enthused that he was enjoying it. She had been praised for her cooking many times but when Haruko did it...it blew everyone out of the water. She wanted to kiss him so bad! Or be closer to him. She felt like a stalker but she didn't care, she was so attracted to this man it was now unbarable. She wondered what he would honestly do if she were to touch him in a way that was meant to let him know she liked him more than a friend. Asher knew that that was a question to remain unanswered for she was too cowardly to do anything remotely sexy or remotely frank like that.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko, though a normally very restrained person, was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his mind on talking to Asher, not thinking of the things they could do in the bedroom. He hadn't this issue with mental restraint in a long, long time. And it didn't help when he looked up found her eyes and a spark of something flashed through them, giving him the split second idea that maybe she wasn't as clueless about this as he had originally judged her to be.

Now, Haruko could choose one of two options:

A, he continue on through the night like nothing had happened and maybe, maybe, slip a kiss in at the end if the evening if he could, and she would allow. Or, B, turn up the volume a little, see if she is receptive to heavier forms of flirting, after all it was his department.

Although, technically, he had a C option as well. Do absolutely nothing that she does not instegate. Haruko felt slightly bothered by this, knowing that his body would protest it greatly. But she was a lady, not a whore like he was used to dealing with. And he was going to treat her like a lady, letting her make the move, so that he did nothing to offend her.

This might be harder than he had originally conceived.

[Asher Perez]

Asher glanced away the second she saw him look up at her. She felt her face grow a deep red for being caught staring, whether or not he had noticed. She knew what she was doing and she wasn't really enjoying the fact that she was unable to keep her hormones under control.

Hell, she was 24 years old and probably the only virgin left alive in the galaxy. She wasn't going to deny the fact that she had been ready many times, she had just never found that one exact person. Hell, she hadn't even been kissed by a guy before other than family. She was wondering what it was all about, she had been wondering since she was kid. It was sad she was this old and had no experience in at least one thing.

Asher was wanting to touch him again, this time purposely because she liked the sensation she got deep inside of her stomach when she realized his skin was against her own. She could not even begin to imagine what she would feel if his lips were on her own. She'd probably catch on fire, which she was about to do the more she thought about him in a way that was far more than friendly.

She leaned down and scooped up some food and chewed. She washed it down with the frozen alcoholic drink that was tangy and lime flavored. When she looked above the brim of the glass she saw Haruko. She wanted that man more than anything, it was just getting that bad.

[Haruko Lawson]

In true and absolute fact, Haruko would have gladly crawled across the table to kiss her, touch her, anything that would just put them in contact with each other. He wanted to feel her skin under his hands and much, much more under his body...

If he had been a Christian, he would have been going straight to hell for the things he was thinking that moment. As it was, Buddha was just not going to allow him access into the next life. but he was sure that this was worth it. This had to be.

Taking another bite of food to hopefully distract himself, he thought of things he could say to spur on conversation, but he had nothing interesting to say to her. Nothing she would find interesting. He had plenty of things to say, but she would probably look at him and wonder why she had invited him over. He felt slightly awkward as he continued to eat.

[Asher Perez]

Asher wasn't exactly sure what to talk about, yet there were millions of questions going through her brain at once. Who were his brothers? Who were his parents? Where was he from? What did he love? What does he do for fun? Does he love animals? Stars?

She stared at her plate after that last one. Stars was something Asher had a soft spot for. Roman introduced her to stars, but she had naturally loved them since she was a kid. To think of she and Haruko outside on the veranda glaring up at the night sky standing close to each other, showing one another stars.....she'd end up dying. That would have literally been her dream come true, but then again she wasn't one who got many dreams she asked for.

Asher stood up and held her empty plate and walked over to the sink and rinsed it out. She had to break the silence any moment Haruko was going to wonder why the hell she even invited him over.

"So, Haru, tell me about yourself, your family, your friends...where you are from. Tell me all about yourself." She bit her lip. She had just spilled the questions on him, why couldn't she be normal for once? She turned around and smiled at him brightly, the thought of him standing beside her and washing plates with her just flashing in her mind.

How she would love to have him stand behind her, his hands in the warm sudsy water with her own, washing dirty plates together, the intimacy level they'd be sharing....God! What was wrong with her? What normal person thought about such things on their first true meeting?

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko watched her get up and go to the sink and decided to follow, putting his plate into the sink and rinsing it quickly before stepping back and looking down at her, as she asked him questions all at once. He grinned down at her, now just wanting to kiss her nose and hold her, for she was too cute for words.

He leaned back on the table taking a deep breath and sighing it out through his nose as he took another drink of his unfinished water. He absentmindedly tugged on his belly ring through his shirt as he thought. He supposed he could tell her all of that if she wanted, he really had no problem. Taking another drink, he sat it down and looked at her, moving his hand from his belly ring to his lip ring and tugging.

"Well," he began, continuing to look at her as he thought. "Well...the only family i have are my two younger bothers, Taro, and Jiro, whom you spoke to on the comlink, and my father, Jin'la. But he has SDS. He won't live long. I mean, they are blood family, but..." he paused. "The people who raised mae are whom I consider actual parents. They were Chinese...good people. Good, humble people." He paused again, thinkin a moment. Then he smiled.

"As you might have guessed, because of the fact that for the past few months I have been in almost a constant state of Mr. Lawson, I have few friends. Most of them weren't exactly reputabe anyway, so, I suppose those times were to weed out the true from the fake," he shrugged, not really sure of the answer himself. Then he got to her last question and laughed a little.

"As for where I am from...technically it is the lower levels of Coruscant NIHONGO Distrct, in a grubby old bar apartment with two boarded up windows, little furniture, and an even less amount of things for a five year old to play with," he laughed. "But I count it as a little shop and house in the BEJING District and and old apartment in the HWAN District." He smiled. "I have many origins."

[Asher Perez]

Asher was enthralled with Haruko, she absentmindedly saw him pick at something on his shirt then tug on his lip ring. Oooooh that lip ring! How she would have loved to kiss him with it in, to feel it against her mouth, to tug on it herself....she was getting too excited for her own good. She was supposed to be listening to the information she asked for not thinking of the carnal thoughts running amuck in her mind!

When he had finished she was smiling brightly. She had been doing it so much since she met him yesterday that her mouth was hurting, yet she couldn't stop!

"You still are the most interesting person I have ever met! And I am sorry to hear about your father, I lost my father three years ago. Although he is still alive, in my heart and mind he is dead." She suddenly felt sad and guilty, but not enough to drag her down. When she saw Haruko's face she couldn't help but smile again. What was it about him that made her want to be around him?

"I actually live on Coruscant. I live in the Spanish Harlem District with Roman. He lives with me for six months out of a year, the rest is split between my older brother Javier and Jesus. I don't see them much, we are quite disfunctional." She laughed slightly wondering to herself why she was diispersing this information, but for some reason it was that "thing" about Haruko. She felt like she could trust him with anything she said even though that was silly to think since he was a stranger, still.

"My older brother's are quite mean. Anyhow..." She sighed out and waved a hand and walked towards him, not really sure why maybe because the gap between them was too big. "I have a private practice in the District. I live in an apartment above a Mexican Restaurant with Roman." She smiled at Haruko when she realized she had just given him directions to her home since it was the only place in Coruscant with that kind of restaurant. Before she could say anything else she noticed something on Haru's face...something black.

"Oh, you have a..." She smiled and waked to him and stopped mere inches away from him. She lifted her right hand and brushed away an eyelash under his right eye. "eyelash." She said lowly when she realized this was dangerously close.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko tilted his head slightly to the side, so that there was a little more of a gap between thier faces. Alarms were going off in his head and he wasn't sure why. They never had before. But now they were going into overdrive to warn him about something. And something was the fact that without realizing it, he had tilted his head in the other direction just enough so that another inch or two and they would be locked in a kiss.

Naturally, Haruko's testosterone and endorphines began working it as fast as possible, his heart speeding, his breath getting quicker, his body heating up all over. His brain was preparing him for what instinct told him was going to happen. Prepping him for and intense energy exhertion; getting his body ready for what it was percieving as an oncoming sexual encounter.

It was about here that Haruko's good sense and self restraint kicked in. He stepped backwards, a safe distance away, though he was still afraid she would hear his heart pounding even from the step he took away. He took a deep breath, and reached up, brushing at the cheeks she had said the eyelash was on, though he figured she had probably gotten it. He wiped his eye slightly, and looked down at his hand. He did see an eyelash or two there. He brushed his hand against his pants, and looked at Asher. Now that his breath was back somewhat, he would be able to speak.

"Sorry," he said, bowing. He stood back up and tongued his lip ring, wishing he hadn't moved away now.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled softly a pain shooting through her body like she had just been shot down. She nodded and looked away from him to the ground and pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear with her index finger and bit her lower lip.

"No, I am sorry. I should've just told you." She spoke lowly, why was she so hurt by his moving away as if she were poisonous? This was her first attempt to get severely close to a guy and she even had a good reason! There she was...scaring away the guys again. She just didn't have what other girls had about being able to rake them in by the bundles. She felt her cheeks grow warm and she knew her cheeks were practically glowing red.

She briefly looked up at Haru and gave him a quick smile before brushing by him to clean up the kitchen table. She bit her lower lip as she did so. Haruko was being nice and probably didn't want to be that forward, he was being respectful. She admired that a lot in men, but at that moment she was almost positive that friends was all they were going to be.

"Haruko, would you like to go outside with me?" She could keep it friendly. Star gazing was friendly, right?

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko watched her a moment, but could not read her emotions. that was the one and only thing this damn eye couldn't do. Read minds. He smiled down at her and nodded, moving next to her and slightly behind her to allow her to lead him to wherever it was she star gazed on this God-forsaken planet.

Haruko felt bad for stepping away from her like that, but that situation had been much more than dangerous. He didn't know how much she knew about being in such close situations with men--she seemed a bit clueless--but if he had been someone else, or hadn't been on his medication, he could have had her wrestled to the floor, restrained and undressed in a matter of moments.

But he knew that there were other ways to get close to her without putting them in a situation that might make them do something they would regret. He thought star gazing was probably a good thing. He knew that he might be able to convey to her that he wanted to be closer to her, without overloading either of thier bodies circuits all at once. He knew neither of them would want that.

"Yes," he said, smiling a little. "I'd like to go."

[Asher Perez]

Asher was happy about that. At least she knew he was still wanting to be her friend. She nodded at him and put a few plates in the sink before walking into the living room, hearing him following behind.

"Roman I go out here every night to look at the stars. He took his telescope so we are gonna have to suffer and squint at things." She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. She was excited to go outside with Haruko, to star gaze! Sure she had done it many many times but for some reason she felt like a child receiving candy!

"Do you do much star gazing? Tattooine is a lot better than Coruscant, I'll tell you that much." She grinned and looked ahead and walked out the double doors onto the veranda. She was a bit shocked at how chilly it was outside, but she ignored it. She was burning alive at the close encounters she was having with Haruko, a little cool wind could do her some good.

"In Coruscant, if you look up all you see is tall buildings and traffic. Here...all you see is brilliance."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko followed her out getting his boots on the way and sliding into them before he went outside with her. The cool air felt good on his skin and he let out a deep sigh, happy to feel some coolness. He stood on the veranda and looked up into the sky. The stars were clear this evening and Haruko could see everyone as if they were right on top of him. His bionic eyes could see closer using its telescope lens and they were even more beautiful using that than just using the naked eye. He stood for a moment before answering her question.

"When I was sixteen and got my bionic eye, I went star gazing for the first time on my seventeenth birthday. I haven't really been since," he said, sighing. "Shame. I really do enjoy it. And Tattooine's skies are the most open that I have ever seen." He paused, still looking up into the sky. He could see how someone would become inerested in studying the stars.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled as she hugged her arms, leaning her head back and staring up into the deep purple sky that was painted with glistening stars. She wanted to get close again, wanted to feel his body heat resonate, his smell linger under nose, hear him talk, breathe, hear him live.

The human body was something she loved more than anything, and although mere words of admiration can make someone feel loved it had to be real, Asher could always tell how someone was feeling by their bodies and the way the moved and reacted. But for some reason Haruko was the hardest person to read, his body langauage was so different. Her mind couldn't stay inactive, it was jumping from thing to thing, all of it still consisting of Haruko in some way.

"I agree, Tattooine has beautiful skies, I guess it makes up for the ugly terrain." She bit her lower lip and gave him a sideways glance, taking in the way his neck looked, the way his adam's apple moved, the way his face was...how gorgeous he looked under the star's light. She smiled and looked away, afraid to get caught.

"I am glad Roman has the ability to show me things I normally would have never noticed."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko didn't say anything, merely continued to look up at the stars. He had put his bionic eye into telescope mode again and was looking at a star that looked blue. As he scanned the stars, he noticed movement in the corner of his eye and looked over.

Off in the distance, a star had gone Super Nova, and the explosion sparkled magnificently, although he didn't know if Asher could see it well from where she was. He reached over putting a hand on her shoulder, and pointing.

"Look, Asher..." he muttered, stepping up behind her. He reached around her, touching his hand to her face, and gently turning her head upwards a little more. He reached around her with his other arm, pointing upwards at where the star was, hoping she could see it unaided. "It is a Super Nova..." he paused, letting his hand drop to rest on her shoulder as he spoke into her ear. "They say that for every Super Nova, there are lovers somewhere just finding one another," he said to her. He didn't know why he had shared that old story with her. But for some reason, it had just fallen out of his mouth.

And for some reason, it made him smile.

[Asher Perez]

Asher was a bit surprised when he said her name, but she was more than shocked when she felt his hand move on her shoulder her whole world literally melted in that single instance. She could hear his heartbeating, the air entering and exiting his lungs, she could feel the way his voice vibrated in her ear. All of these things made her dizzy and it was like she had an overload of sensations from one single person.

She saw what he had been wanting her to see and for a whole minute she stood there feeling him behind her, his hand on her shoulder, continuing to breathe. His voice was still running in her mind, she could still hear the little myth he had told her and for some reason she loved it. Asher felt her face grow warm again, yet her body remain cold. She slightly shivered as she thought of Haruko talking into her ear again. She felt the bumps on her arms form and she was quick to rub them slightly as she stared up at the sky.

Asher so wanted to turn around and give him the worst kiss he would ever have in his life, after all she not being experienced at all she'd do it wrong. If she actually had the courage to do it, she would've but of course....she didn't.

"What do you think?" She was finally able to speak, although she didn't know how for she swore her mind was only able to do one thing, think of Haruko. "You think that little tale is true?" She glanced over her shoulder at him and grinned slightly, how she wanted to just kiss him!

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko looked down at her and grinned a little. Of course to anyone else, Haru would have simply laughed about it and waved his hand and told them no. But this evening, with this woman, made everything normal disappear. He nodded his head a little.

"Could be..." he said quietly. He felt her shiver underneath him and chill bumps form on her arms, and a pang of worry went through him. He reached down arund her, touching her hands and feeling that they were very cold. He looked at her. "You're freezing..."

Without really thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her small form under him, covering her arms with his own, and pulling her closer to him. Wearing a sweater, he was much more than warm and had plenty of body heat to share. He made sure her arms were covered by his before placing his chin on her shoulder--as keeping it up caused her hair to tickle his nose--and looked up at the stars again.

It only then really occured to him that he had just put his arms around her and pulled her very, very close to him with the simple intent of merely warming her up. And now, they were so close, Haru could feel the pulse in her neck on his own. He wasn't sure whether to be terrified, or completely and totally blown away. He smiled, discreetly snuggling a little closer.

He was blown away.

[Pistol Garret]

EDIT

[Asher Perez]

Asher shivered once more at the sound of his voice. She loved to hear him talk, his deep voice was so comforting to her and she didn't even know why. But she wasn't able to think of much else when she felt him move and suddenly his hands were on her own and his voice was in her ear again. She knew she was cold, but she swore she was burning alive because of this closeness they were sharing.

She was about to protest to let him know that she was fine, even if she wasn't, but the second she felt his arms wrap around her, his strong back nearby, she didn't even know her own name. She would've been fine had he just stayed put for a moment, but when she felt him envelope her, draw her near his back, feel his body heat, hear his heart beating....this wasn't happening was it? Asher bit her lower lip when she felt him snuggle her close to him, before he then became so brave he put his chin on her shoulder.

Asher was ignorant when it came to relationships and romance...but she knew that this wasn't just friendly anymore. There was no possible way that this little action, however mindless it may have been, could not have been done without thinking of what it meant. Asher might've been gullible to think it meant something when it really didn't, but for some reason she did not care. She wanted to be blissfully ignorant because this was the best thing to have happened to her since the day she came to pick up Roman.

"Haruko..." She said his name in a sigh and for a moment she didn't know why. She did it because she liked him, liked his name, liked the closeness, the touching...to say his name kind of completed her feeling, but she knew she could've have just sighed his name for no reason. "I've never....never done anything like this before." Asher felt her cheeks grow red again, what was her problem? Why couldn't she just stay quiet?

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko lifted his head from her shoulder and slowly eased himself back into a full standing position. He wasn't sure if she was subtly telling him to get the hell away from her, or just warning him that if she did something wrong to forgive her because she had never done it before.

Haruko wanted to respect her, wanted to know if he was bothering her in any way, so that he could stop what he was doing. But right this moment, he couldn't tell if he was bothering her, or if she was just mindlessly saying something. He slowly let his arms drop away from her and back to his sides, opting not to anger her any farther if already had. He stepped away from her and went to the bar around the veranda leaning out it and looking back up at the stars, shifting his weight from his right foot to his left.

He was being stupid about all this. Of course she want him manhandling her. They barely knew each other. So why did he feel like he'd been holding her that way his whole life? Why did he feel like he knew her better than anyone? He shook his head, running his hands through his hair.

"I'm apologize, Asher. I...I don't mean to..." he paused the words not coming out of his mouth. He chewed his lip. "S...sorry..." it was the only thing he could say. What else was he supposed to?

[Asher Perez]

Asher put her arms around herself again, the second he moved from her she somehow felt like she were dying of hypothermia. Having Haruko there to warm her for only a moment then move away made her feel a million times colder than before. She didn't want to do something stupid to cause that to happen, and guess what? She had succeeded in doing something she feared most.

"No." She said lowly feeling like a complete idiot for even saying something like that! Any normal guy would run off too. "I'm sorry. I said something that probably didn't pertain to your good intentions. My mind went...too far ahead of the situation." She felt like such a jackass. She was now prepared to crawl in a hole and wither away otherwise she'd be doing it right in front of him.

She let out a sigh and rubbed her face with her hands. She was either very ignorant or he was very shallow and didn't like his women to be as sexually dumb as she was. Asher looked over at him and was tempted to just wrap her arms around him and squeeze the life out of him for he felt so good! But she couldn't, she had already done enough damage.

"Sorry..." She said very lowly, wondering if he had even heard it.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko looked over his shoulder and sighed. He turned and leaned against the railing. He shook his head and then waving his hand in front of his face.

"No, no..." he muttered. "You can only speak from what you know. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I am truly sorry." He smiled a little and walked back towards her, looking down at her face and giving her a wide reassuring smile. He shook his head again and then brushed some hair from his face. "Don't worry. Just tell me if you ever feel uncomfortable with me. I want to know, so that I can make it right." He lifted her face to look at her.

"Please."

[Asher Perez]

If Asher had the courage of Roman she would have easily been able to stand on her tip toes and give him the biggest kiss of his life, but considering she didn't even know how to she knew it would have been impossible. But, as little as she knew, it didn't change the fact that she was still human and had hormones that raged wild within her. If she could she would have easily told him to show her how they did things in the far East.

"You didn't make me uncomfortable, if I may be so bold I kind of liked it." She grinned and put her head in her right hand, her face burning red from being so truthful. Could she ever lie? Ever? She looked back up to him when she felt she actually had the courage and shrugged her shoulder.

"If will tell you if you do, Haruko, but at this rate I doubt there is anything you could do that I wouldn't enjoy." Again her faced burned red. This was a stranger and yet she was throwing out the welcome mat for him to do whatever he pleased. She was being too trustful of Haruko, but somehow it felt okay to do.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko grinned lopsidedly and looked her up and down a moment. He may hae been uncivilized in the past, may have screwed anything with a skirt that was alive, but now he was Haruko. Not, half Haruko, half Mr. Lawson. This was who he was. This was the person he wanted to be, and Asher was the person he wanted to show that to. For some reason, he wanted her to see that he was not a barbarian. He was man. A man that was not the animal most thought he was.

He licked his lips slightly, looking up into the sky and smiling at it, as if it knew what he was thinking and that it would be thier little secret. If Asher didn't think he was an eccentric weirdo by now, it was probable that she never would. He glanced at her a little. Then he pointed up into the sky at a very bright yellow star.

"See that..." he muttered a little, unsure of whether or not she had heard him. "That is a moon, of what planet I have not figured out yet. But...when I was seventeen, that is where I got my bionic eye, and its how I found Tattooine and..." he paused a little, glancing at her then chuckling. "And you, if you really think about it. I have it to thank for being able to stand out here with you right now."

He had no idea where that had come from, but it had just been something that he had found slightly ironic that he could see that moon so well from right here, when everywhere else he had stood had obscured it from view. Somehow, it made him feel closer to this woman.

[Asher Perez]

Asher looked at him with a raised chin then she moved her eyes to the moon he was talking about. She moved her head a second later and put all her attention into it. How she wanted to see it, how she wanted to know that it was the place he received his eye, but to her dismay she couldn't see it. She followed his hand several times but it was to no avail. She was getting distraught after a third try, obviouly the third time not being her charm.

"I...I can't see it." She said sadly, wishing she could have at least shared that piece of information with him. She walked over to the railing and squinted her eyes, but still all she saw was stars. "No...I don't see where you are pointing." She wanted to kick Roman for taking his telescope, had he left it she would have seen it and she would have been able to know that Haruko had been there.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko squnched his nose up and walked over, leaning over the railing with her. Then he bit his lip. Hoping he wouldn't offend her, he once again wrapped himself around her, putting his right hand on her shoulder and taking the back of her left hand with his. He stretched his and her arm out, pointing her finger right on the moon and looking at her, thier faces very, very close, thier bodies pressed gently together.

"There..." he muttered into her ear. Then he slowly moved it to a fainter shine that almost not visible. "Then there, to Coruscant..." he moved her hand again to a brighter, but still faint star far from Coruscant. He smiled. "Then there, Naboo." Haruko then brought her hand down and pressed it against her chest, turning her to look at him. He smiled. "And now to you."

[Asher Perez]

Asher was barely breathing by the time she felt him against her. She was tempted to just turn her head and feel his cheek against her own, but she resisted the urge, barely. She looked at the moon and smiled, happy he had done so otherwise she'd never see it. Asher had gotten lost in between Coruscant and Naboo, but she was literally brought back down to Tattooine when she felt him move her hand to her chest and turn her to speak.

"And now to you." Haruko was lethal to Asher's health, he was causing her heart to speed up and slow down at the same time, made her lose her breathe, her ability to think, move, talk, and caused her stomach to twist into forms she'd never imagine.

"Haruko." She squeezed his hand on reflex when she said his name. She wanted to tell him what he was doing to her, tell him that she had no medical term for what he was doing to her, and no idea why she was feeling like such a teenager with a huge crush on someone she barely knew. Something she did know...Asher was loving every single moment of what she was feeling and experiencing.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled warmly down at her as he felt her squeeze his hand as if for support. He dropped his eyes slightly to look at the ground, then he looked back up at her. Every time he looked away then back up at her, she seemed to get more beautiful. He couldn't help but want to lean down and give her a gentle kiss on her lips that looked so smooth. He wanted to hold her close to him, show her what she was missing by never being that close to a man before.

But he refrained from his natural male urge to grab her and kiss her. He knew that would have been the worst decision of his life, so he merely let thier hands drop, but he continued to hold her hand gently, hoping she wouldn't pull away.

[Asher Perez]

Asher felt the moment he dropped their hands her heart had fallen with it, but she was almost shocked that he was still gently holding it. She felt her heart speeding up so fast that it was hazardous to her healt and sanity. She wanted so much to kiss him, tell him to hold her, be against her again, but it would be too much for him. She wasn't one to do things like look at stars and hold hands, after all she wasn't one for doing anything romantic with guys. The only time she held strangers hands was to take blood.

Asher figured if he was going to be the bold one and keep her hand in his own, which she loved for his long fingers practically engulfed her own, she thought she could so something as well. But what? She had a choice to kiss him, touch him more intimately...that was all she knew she could do. She was so close to pushing herself to him that she actually had stepped a few inches closer to him, all she had to do was look up and get on her tip toes and do it, but her feet were securely on the ground.

She bit her lower lip, fighting the urge, fighting so hard that she was about to draw blood. She moved up and was so close, so so close that she could feel his breath on her face. She chickened out, so bad. She put her free hand on his shoulder and leaned ot his hear and grinned.

"Thank you for coming to dinner, for everything." She was such a chicken.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko had seen it in her eyes far before she had actually done it. He knew she didn't have the courage to kiss him, and--though his head was reeling with her being so close to him--he wasn't going to push her to do anything. Nothing she didn't want to do. When she whispered in his ear, thanking him, he stepped backwards and bowed deeply to her, and smiled.

"Thank you for having me, Miss Perez," he said, smiling and looking back into the house. He nodded to her, taking this as her cue to him to 'get out'. He went back inside and got his jacket, throwing it around his shoulders and sliding his arms in, buttoning it up. He also got his bucket hat and put it on his head, working his long unruly hair into it and walking to the door, looking down at the big clunky boots he had worn here. He stood, waiting, hoping Asher would come to say goodbye. Although he wasn't sure if he was going to hold his breath. He felt as if he had probably been way too forward all evening and she wanted him to go so she could rest.

[Asher Perez]

Asher was biting her lip the whole time she watched him through the doors. She had wanted to kiss him so bad! She wanted to stay there for a while longer, she wanted him to stay a lot longer. She wasn't exactly sure why she was such a scaredy cat and actually said her thanks when in reality she had wanted him to stay and have some dessert, stuff she had been making all day long. She was wanting to curse herself, but opted not to. She was almost sure he was glad to be getting the hell away from her.

"Don't hesitate to...come by again." Asher walked out into the living room and saw him waiting patiently. She was so happy two seconds ago but now she was desperate to get them back. He looked so cute in his outfit, but she loved him before much better because he was staying with her for a while.

"I didn't mean to be...pushy for you to go, Haruko. I...my mind got the best of me." Too bad I didn't let it go all the way. "I enjoyed every moment of tonight, I would love to do it again." And again, and again, and again.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko looked at her from under the bucket hat as he pulled his boots on and draped his pants over top, tapping them on against the floor before looking up and smiling at her again. He leaned forward, hoping that this wouldn't freak her out. He touched his lips to her cheek and gave her a small kiss, on her cheek below her eye, before leaning back and nodding again.

"As would I," he said soflty, as he opened the door and gazed out, longing to stay with her and not go out by himself. He looked back at her. "You have my number. I'd like to hear from you again, if its okay with you..." he smiled. "Good night, Asher."

And he went out the door, making his way down the steps a breeze catching his trench coat and hair, pulling them out and spreading them around him. He was unhappy that he had to go, but he hoped that maybe she would in fact call him and they could do something together again.

[Asher Perez]

Asher leaned her entire body weight on the door and then laid her head onto the door. For a whole minute she stood with her head on the door and her body leaning awkwardly.

"DAMN IT!" She squealed and jumped up and down and stomped on the ground, letting out the energy she had somehow managed to keep contained during his visit. His visit that was too short. "Eee, damn it!" She continued to jump up and down then she ran into the living room and fell onto the couch, burying her head under a pillow and screaming into the cushions.

"Asher you freakin idiot!" She sat up and tossed the heavy pillow on to the floor and began to pout. She wanted to kiss him so bad! Wanted him to stay, wanted him to do things unimaginable by humans. She just wanted Harko!

[Haruko Lawson]

When Haruko arrived home, he sneaked back into his bedroom hoping to avoid any questioning from his brothers. Gladly, they were asleep and oblivious to anything but the insides of their eyelids.

Haruko couldn't believe that there could have been so much sexual tension in one room before. He had never been around someone like that. It was slight cold water for him as he had always been around women willing to screw him at a word. Asher was so different. In a way, he loved it. In a way, it was driving him insane.

He flopped back on his bed and closed his eyes, letting his body chill out from the work out it had just had. Asher was going to be a work to figure out. But he was determined to do it. He was determined to figure it all out.

[Asher Perez]

Asher laid on her back and stared up at the living room ceiling and the odd shapes being made from the moon. She couldn't stop thinking about Haruko, she couldn't stop thinking about what she could have done with Haruko, she couldn't stop thinking about what she could have made him for breakfast...she was just insane.

She had pouted for almost an hour wanting to just...touch Haruko again, hear him, feel him, see him...amongst other things she wasn't even wanting to think of for she got too hot and red in the face. Asher tossed onto her side and stared at the tv, wishing that she was in her brother's bed, but if he caught her doing that she'd never hear the end of it. She rubbed her face and let out a frustrated sigh, she had never been so caught up with one man in all her life, she wanted to just smack herself and get over it. After all, after the pod races she was going to Coruscant, going home to never see that beautiful face again.

She let out a sigh of sadness and frustration and rolled around some more trying to get comfortable but didn't. She bit her lower lip as she thought about something. She glanced at the table and wondered if she should..wondered if perhaps the time was too late....Asher smiled and sat up and grabbed the phone and dialed his comlink. He had given her the proposition to call anytime of day and by God she was doing it.

Asher dialed the number and bit her lower lip, praying he'd not mind her late night call.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko heard his comlink beeping from under his bed as he and his brothers had a pow wow in his room, talking about all sorts of things, mostly thier father and things concerning Jesimea and Orange, and now, Asher. He glanced around him and yawned, looking at Taro who shrugged a little, then reached under the bed and grabbed the comlink and handed it to Haruko. He took it and pressed the answer button.

"Hai, moshi moshi," he purred into the comlink and watched as Taro and Jiro began thier own conversation, thier Japanese quiet so as not to bother him as he was on the comlink. For a moment, he heard nothing and wondered if the person had gotten cut out on him. "Hai? Moshi moshi."

[Asher Perez]

Asher was scared to death, she was going to bug him until he couldn't take it anymore. She was holding her breath the entire time and after she heard him speak she lost her voice and ability to talk. Luckily, he spoke again.

"Haruko?" She smacked herself. "Did I wake you? Please tell me I didn't!" This made the second phone call that had no true meaning, no true purpose, all Asher wanted out of it was to hear his voice and to tell him she was thinking about him...but wouldn't that be too bold?

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko sat up a little waving a hand at his littlest brother who had just laughed loudly, and rather rudely. Jiro quickly stifled himself, but he and Taro were still laughing about something they must have found funny. Haru glared at them.

"No, no, no. No waking. Hang...can you give me a second, please?" he took the comlink down and looked at his brothers, raising and eyebrow. "Wakarimashita, otokonoko. Sukoshi chinmoku oyobi ooku no puraibashi. Kara!" he said. Taro and Jiro both exchanged glances and then looked back at Haruko who got a warning look on his face. "Kara."

"Okay, okay..." Jiro conceded, getting up and taking his brother's hand, lacing thier fingers together and pulling him out of the room as well, closing the door behind them. Haruko smiled, pulling the comlink back up to his face.

"Okay, I am sorry, Asher. No, you didn't wake me."

[Asher Perez]

Asher waited on the line, biting on her lower lip and laying on her back as she stared at the ceiling and tried to get the butterflies out of her stomach. When he came back she felt the ability to breathe come back to her mind.

"Are you sure? I am sorry, I do have an odd habit of calling people late at night." She laughed lightly and rubbed her forehead with her free hand, smiling so bright she swore Haruko could feel it through the phone.

"I was just calling, again, to say hello." And that I want to see your face again! Could she actually ask him to swing by? Could she make up a lie and tell him he left something there? Could she actually convince him to come over just so she could kiss him?

"I am sorry, Haru. I am surely getting on your nerves, huh?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko chuckled deeply in his throat and kicked at a box his brother had left on the floor. He shook his head as if she might see it before remembering that they could not see one another.

"No, you aren't," he said, getting up and going into the bathroom, examining his hair and the deep red locks in front of his face. All in all, they didn't look so bad, although they didn't look exactly as he might have invisioned them looking. He sighed again and leaned back on the sink counter. "I think there is a funny inability on your part to get on my nerves, or in my nerves, or around my nerves. My nerves seem to like you quite a lot." He paused, smiling. "And I usually go with what my nerves tell me."

[Asher Perez]

Asher laughed lightly continued to let her mind travel to what he was doing at that moment. What was he wearing? She laughed and sighed.

"What are you doing? Did I interrupt anything important? I also have an ability to do that as well." She bit her lower lip waiting for his reply, praying to God he said he wasn't doing anything constructive for she was toying with the idea of inviting him back over, but she was almost sure he wouldn't dare go for that one.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko shrugged and laughed a little, realizing just then how little of a life he had and how consumed he had become with sleeping, eating and laughing. And literally nothing else. That wasn't cool.

"Actually, I was doing literally nothing. My two little brothers were in here and we were talking a little, but they can talk better than I can with each other. So...really, I was doing nothing," he laughed, wishing then that he had a video conversation box. Or he wished he knew her well enough to just say, 'I am coming over'. But he didn't and he wasn't going to. He smiled a little, and looked down at the floor. "I don't think you could ever interrupt anything," he laughed.

[Asher Perez]

Asher let out a sigh of relief as she moved her mouth away from her phone. She smiled and pulled the phone back to her mouth and she licked her lips, wishing she could see him.

"Haruko, I was thinking about you again." She bit her lip and shook her head. "I know that is really...out there, but I cannot help it! Since I met you, all I can do is think about you and how you are. I am tempted to ask you to come over, but you probably don't think it would be a good idea." She didn't know why she was telling him this, but she figured it was good a time as any after all she was going to be leaving here in a few days never to see him again.

How could she be so attached to one person after two days? How could she like someone so much that thinking about leaving killed her inside. She wanted Haruko in the worst way even if that meant as a friend.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled broadly, taking the comlink down, looking at it and then raising it back up. He nodded a little, before standing and glancing out his door to make sure his brothers had gone to bed, or at least away. Then he nodded again.

"Well...your apartment is only walking distance. If you would like me to come over...again, I'd like to," then he smiled and glanced around him. "I am afraid I have no good clothes to put back on. If you don't mind a t-shirt and excercise pants, I'm game." He chuckled slightly, figuring she would probably laugh it off and consider it a joke, when truly he wasn't. But he didn't mind if she thought it was a joke. Just thinking about maybe seeing her again made him feel happier.

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled and laughed. Was she going to invite him over, again, at her brothers house at night alone? Why not! He was game...right?

"I would like to see you again, is that akward? If you want, I would love the company! It is too quite here and I cannot sleep for anything." She smiled and smacked her forehead and made a slight squeaky noise. She was so excited all of a sudden, and even more wide awake than before.

Asher was slightly concerned, she didn't trust herself with Haurko, but for some reason she was okay with knowing that. She wanted Haruko in the worst way and the second she sees him in a t-shirt and excercise pants she is going to attack him, no doubt. Hopefully he wouldn't mind.

"I am not coming on to strong am I?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko laughed as he stood off of the counter and wandered bac into his room, getting into one of his drawer and fishing out a pair of his plaid half excercise, half sleeping pants, and pulled them on over his boxers. Then he shook his head.

"Chill out. You worry too much, you know?" he said with a wider grin and a deep laugh. "In my book, coming on too strong would be asking me to jump in the sack right now after only knowing me for two days." He laughed again. "You are hardly asking that." Not like I wouldn't like it... he thought to himself as he chuckled a little more and pulled on a wife beater on, then finishing off the exceedingly attractive--yeah right--ensemble with a red waist long button up sweater, as he was about to freeze to death. He patted his pocket to make sure his keys were still there and then sighed.

"Well...I suppose I am on my way. See you in a moment or two, yes?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher wanted to smack herself in the face and scream at the top of her lungs. To hear him say that filled her up with such gut wrenching joy that she could barely contain herself. She could only imagine saying that to him, she was practically begging for it, but she had morals to deal with and for some reason she was willing to break all of them jsut for Haruko, just for one night.

"Yes, yes! I will see you here in a while! Bye!" She hung up, way too excited for her own good. She jumped up off the couch and did a happy dance then she ran over to a mirror nearby and saw her braids, how silly she looked! She was only wearing short skimpy shorts and a white tank top and braids, she thought it would be wise to put something more decent on but for some reason she wanted to be a little flashy. She wanted Haruko to see how sexy she could be.

"Although this is far from it." She groaned and walked away and fell onto the couch. Haruko was going to think she was weird. She was acting it that was for certain! When had she ever invited a guy over to her home at such a late hour? Never! But at least there was a first time for everything...right?

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko tossed down his comlink and made his way to his front door, sliding into flip flops, knowing he must have been the most attractive creature on the planet with socks, flip flops, his hair tied back in a messy bun and a visor on his head. He rolled his eyes as he went out the door and locked it behind him.

The night air was chilly as he hurried down the way towards the turn off. He was happy now that he had worn a sweater, but not so happy with his choice of pants, as the wind went straight through them and to his legs. He flip flopped down the road and turned off at the end of the way, trying to remember whether or not he had taken the first left or first right. That damn medicine was making his memory bad.

Deciding on the first left, he continued on down the way. After awhile he was readying to go back and try right, but when he spotted the apartment lit up and recognized the steps, he grinned wide and hurried through the darkness and cool air to the steps, going up and looking up at the door. He raised his hand and knocked three times, as he put his keys into his pocket and shook some hair from his face that had fallen loose from his bun and/or his visor.

[Asher Perez]

Asher jumped off the couch and smiled, jogging to the door not really caring that she was practically bursting out of her skimpy sleep outfit. She didn't even turn on the lights. She went to the door and quickly unlocked it and pulled it open, the cool night air chilling her more than she thought it would have. But Haruko's face made her warm and almost catch on fire. He had that kind of effect on her.

"Haruko!" She said with a smile, her breath condensing in the air. That was something she hated about Tattooine, in the day it was blistering hot but at night it was freezing cold. She smiled and stepped aside, her naked feet especially not enjoying the cold air. "Thanks for coming." She couldn't stop smiling! She wanted to attack him! Wanted to eat him alive! Wanted to touch him...God the things that her mind had thought of!

"I couldn't help myself." Asher felt like an idiot, even more so now considering he could see her face and how red she was.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko waved his hand in front of his nose and stepped inside, glad to be out of the cold. He toed off his flip flops and shut the door behind him so as not to let the cold air in. He noticed the outfit she was wearing and wondered breifly if she actually was trying to kill him before anything had actually happened.

He reached up and pulled his hair from the bun shaking it free underneath his visor. He smiled down at her and then glanced around the house again. He smiled a little wider.

"Well, isn't it funny how I just feel like I left this place?" he chuckled a little bit. "But somehow, I am really happy about it."

[Asher Perez]

Asher watched him with slit eyes, she was taking in the sites as if he were some animal locked behind a cage. Which, come to think of it, she wouldn't mind being the one to tame his wild side! Asher felt her face grow warm for even thinking like that, that was not like her at all! But for some reason her newfound energy and ability to do things she wasn't used to doing...she was accepting it rather well and was enjoying every moment of it.

She looked him up and down and couldn't help but think he had gotten twenty times sexier than before. Her hormones were raging and he hadn't even been in her prescense for more than two seconds. She could smell him in the breeze and she just allowed it to engulf her. When he spoke to her she bit her lower lip, unable to keep herself calm and in the same place.

"I am happy that you are here again." She took a dangerous step over to him. She was smiling brightly and glaring up at him. She was going to kiss him, damn it, before this night was over Asher made it her mission to at least get one true kiss from this man.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko looked down at her and smiled. A smile that could have been misconstrued as mischeivious, but he let it turn back to friendly before she would have had a chance to figure out what he had been thinking right then. He reached up and pulled off his visor, taking it and slipping it over her head, before nodding and looking her up and down.

"Looks good on you. All you need are some crazy hair colors and long socks and you'd fit right in where I come from, ne?" he smiled down at her again before turning and wandering into the house again, the closeness of where they had just been, making it harder for him to see quiet straight.

[Asher Perez]

Asher giggled like a happy child. She followed him, taking the moment to check out what goods he held in the rear, but that was a bad mistake. She was ready to attack him at any moment. Sure she would have no clue what she was doing but for some reason it would be okay for Haruko to teach her everything she wanted to know.

A man like Haruko had moves people have probably never seen before, it was obvious he had some experience, she just wished she could have said the same. She was too ignorant to find the right parts and places, she knew for a fact she'd be the one screwing the whole mood up, no pun intended. She wanted Haruko in the worst way and she was dying to tell him simply because he had that effect on her. Asher wanted to tell Haruko every thought, both good and bad, that ran through her head. She just wanted Haruko to be there and listen to her and make her feel the things she desperately wanted, even if it was just friendship.

"I'm leaving in two days, Haruko." She sighed out as she pulled off his visor. "I wanted you to know that the day of the races will be my last day here. Roman and I will be heading back home. I'd like to keep in touch with you." She walked into the dark living room and sat his visor on the coffee table and took a seat on the mound of blankets and pillows on the couch.

"Will you keep in touch with me? Maybe we could see each other again." She shrugged her shoulder feeling like a kid again, her shyness kicking in, her inability to remain strong and couragble taking over and shutting down. She was close to doing something bold, kissing him, but he had moved before she got a chance. She was going to, come hell or high water.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko followed her into the dark living room and sat beside her on the couch. He sighed a little and then looked back over at her. In the darkness, her skin glowed unearthly and her hair shined gently, as if they let off thier own light, when he knew good and well, the moon was shining on her. But somehow, the moon didn't hold a candle to the way this woman glowed.

It was ridiculous how quickly he had found himself in a position where he actually genuinely cared for someone after only two days. But he really did care whether or not he saw Asher Perez. He looked down at her and sighed.

"Its a funny thing. My brothers, I, and thier girlfriends are leaving in a couple days as well," he said quietly. He smiled a little. "We're headed back home to Coruscant. I know my brothers want to be back home and I have a funny urge to be back as well..." he paused. "Where are you headed for?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher frowned. Was this really happening? It was such an odd string of incidents these past two days. First Haruko falling on the ground, then the dinner, now they were headed back to the same place.

"You kidding?" She leaned forward and touched his knee. It was almost the same as the night before but for some reason this time she had no plans of recoiling. "Roman and I are heading to Coruscant as well." She said in a gentle laugh. She shook her head and tried to keep the butterflies under control in her stomach.

"I live in Spanish Harlem." She licked her lips after she spoke, her eyes traveling over the curves and shapes on his face. How soft he looked, how he shimmered in the darkness, how he was just this awesome work of art sitting in the living room right next to her. She was dying to touch him again, touch his skin. Then again there were many things she was wanting to do to Haruko. She kept on smiling and shrugged her shoulder.

"You must give me your address, I will visit...if...that would be okay?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko looked at her and smiled. His heart had leapt at that information though he wasn't sure why. He touched her hand and then smiled a little wider. He was about to ask something that was very spur of the moment, but he hoped she would accept and the others would not object. He licked his lips.

"Asher..." he began slowly. "I don't want to freak you out or aything, and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but..." he paused slightly, looking up at her, looking her square in the eyes. "I want to invite you and Roman to come with us back to Coruscant. It would save having to pay for the expensive transports, and you would be flying with someone you know. We can take to you to your home, I only live in the NIHONGO District, which is not far from the Spanish Harlem district..." he paused again. Then touched her hand again.

"But I don't want to make you feel like I am trying to get you to do anything you don't want to do, or don't feel safe doing. And I wouldn't ask you to come if it were only my brothers and I. But there will be Roman, and myh brother's girlfriend and fiancee, and they will be able to take you in..." he hoped he didn't sound like he was trying to force her into anything. He just wanted her to know that it was safe and that he wanted her and her brother with them.

He did hope she didn't smack him and tell him to stay away from her family.

[Asher Perez]

Asher thought a moment as she looked into his eyes. For some reason hearing his invitation made her feel so relieved. She had been stressing over how she was going to pay for their transport back home on a semi-safe transport. Having Haruko ask was a dream come true and she was almost positive Roman would have no objections.

"Haruko, that would be very nice." She smiled unable to truly say anything else. This was giving her a free trip home and it was also giving her more time to be around Haruko Lawson. She was so attracted to him it was getting ridiculous! He was so sweet and so kind and she got along with him surprisingly very well and she was so drawn to him. She felt like a moth drawn to the flame, unable to tear away from him. She continued to smile and she grabbed his hand and squeezed it, this action always being something that showed affection in her family.

"You are a good person, Haru, a very good person and I am so glad I have had the opportunity to spend this much time with you." She laughed lightly and sighed out. "In case you didn't know... I have a crush on your, Haruko." She laughed again. She just wanted to tell him, at least she felt better and he knew where she stood and if he wanted to just be friends that would be great.

At least this way she wouldn't do anything too forward and too blunt, like the thought of her kissing him after his invitation. Sure she ran it through her mind, but she opted to say yes and tell him how she felt. Asher was already regretting her decision to say that, but she couldn't help the fact that she felt so much relief.

[Haruko Lawson]

For a moment, Haruko wasn't sure if she were joking or serious. In fact, even after a moment or two, he still wasn't sure. He didn't want to be serious about it, and have it be a joke, yet he didn't want to laugh about it and have it be serious. He blinked a couple if times hoping that maybe the situation would become clearer if he did. It didn't.

That was the thing about women Haru had never quite understood. One minute they were your friend, the next they either hated you, or were in complete love with you. Not to say that it upset Haruko if she was telling the truth. But the way she had said, so quickly and bluntly, and then laughed afterwards he wasn't sure if she had been joking or not.

Haruko felt her hand still on his and he decided that technology was going to have to figure this one out.

His bionic eye whirred slightly in his head as his vision went red as if he were looking through red glass. Though it was not a conscience thing, his bionic eye and the brain behind it kept tabs on the other person's heart rate, perspiration, breathing rate, red and white blood cell count, and whether or not there was activity in any given part of thier brain. Haruko tapped into this information and got Asher's vital stats, reading that her heart rate had quickened since she had spoken, her blood was in turn pumping quicker, her perspiration rate had gone up a little, and there was immense activity in the part of her brain where common sense would have been telling her it had been a bad idea to say what she just had. Yet there was also a slow down in activity in the part of her brain that stored information, the information he assumed being that she liked him as more than friend. And now that she had gotten it off her chest, her brain didn't have to work so hard to keep it in. The corner of Haruko's mouth curved a little. She was in fact telling the truth.

Quickly flipping his bionic eye back to normal vision and he looked into her eyes, smiling a little.

"You surprise me, Asher," he said quietly. "You really do." He paused a moment. Blinking once and acting before his better judgement told him to stop while he was ahead, Haruko moved his hand on hers to lace thier fingers together and leaned forward, gently touching his mouth to hers, hoping that if she didn't want him to kiss her, she would move away at the simple touch and not once he had already begun to kiss her.

[Asher Perez]

Asher felt sick to her stomach. She was going to throw up, she was going to have a heart attack, panic attack, anything kind of attack that was going to end her life the second she felt his hand touch her own and his fingers lace in between. Then, he did kill her. The kiss sent her over the edge and she was no longer the same person she had been two seconds before because her mind had completely shut down.

She swore she was going to die the longer she let his mouth touch her own, but yet she had never felt so alive in all her life! Her heart was racing, her body temperature was rising to dangerous degree's, and she had no idea what the hell she was doing. She kept her mouth on his own and wondered what to do next, she had never kissed a guy before let alone be kissed. What was she supposed to do? Where was her nose supposed to go? Her hands? Her...tongue?

Asher slowly moved back, her face beet red. She drew in a breaht for she couldn't breathe. She barely looked at Haruko, she was too shy, she was too ignorant to know these things. She had just probably ruined something she loved so much. She lifted her free hand and touched her mouth.

"Sorry, Haru." She said lowly, so scared that she had just offended him by moving away. "You are the first person to ever kiss me. I...don't know what to do." She wanted to cry. Was this normal? "I want you to do it again, I just...don't know what to do." She felt like such an idiot. Any chances she had with Haruko just went out the damn window.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko didn't want to push his luck, but he knew by the look on her face that she had, and still did, want him to kiss her. He smiled a little, then raised his hand and brushed her cheek. He wanted to laugh out loud so badly because of how adorable she was. She was so terrified as if he might smack her face because she had never kissed anyone, or just didn't have experiance. He couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't, but it didn't matter to him. The fact that she was allowing him this close at all, and had invited him to do it again made him happy as a lark.

He tucked a peice of her hair behind her ear before glancing down at her hand that he was holding, and then back up at her and into her eyes. He wanted her to feel secure, wanted her to feel comfortable, not like she had to do anything special to impress him, or make him like her. He liked her anyway, and nothing she could do would probably change that.

"There's nothing to it," he said to her, smiling again. He could feel her heart beating fast as his fingers brushed over her wrist. He smiled a little wider. "Relax, don't worry about it. If you are willing to close your eyes, I'll do all the work."

[Asher Perez]

Asher swore she was panting like a dog, but it only seemed and felt that way. She was taking in shallow breaths silently but her heart was beating so fast that she knew for a fact he could probably hear it, see it, and feel it. She was sick to her stomach, the butterflies made it seem like she had just been smacked with a sledgehammer. She had never felt so comfortable in her life teling someone how nervous they were, how they had never been kissed, how they were ignorant about sex...Haruko was the only person she could say the most dumbest things to and not get judged.

Asher took a moment to wonder if she wanted him to do all the work, but after a moment she knew that it was best since she had no clue what to do. He would be her "teacher" so to speak, and she couldn't think of a better person to practice on anyhow. She nodded and smiled, not fully for she was still afraid to look him straight in the eye. She wondered if he wanted her to close them now... she knew this was going to look stupid, but she did as he asked and closed her eyes, drawing in one more well deserved breath, praying to God she wouldn't die if he kissed her once more.

"Teach me." She said lowly, almost in a whisper. Why did she not feel ignorant when she said that out loud for in her mind she felt like the biggest jackass that ever walked.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko nodded, though by that time she could not see him. He moved his hand from hers, back to her face, gently brushing her soft skin with the palm of his hand. He leaned forward again, taking care to be as gentle as possible.

Once again he felt her lips touch his own and fire crawled up his spine. This time however, he tilted his own face so that she could stay in her position, and he put a little pressure on her lips. He didn't think she would respond, for the way she had talked, she knew absolutely nothing. So instead and making her wonder what to do next, he parted his lips and allowed his tounge to run across her bottom lip, hoping she knew at least to take this cue to either allow his tongue entrance, or refuse it.

For some reason, though Haruko had kissed many, many woman, he had never been this nervous about it in his entire life.

[Asher Perez]

Asher's mind freaked out and went haywire. What the hell had he done that for? She could feel his breath against her tongue, tasting him before actually "Tasting" him. She arched her back from the tingle crawling over her body from the sudden rush of excitement. She didn't honsetly know what she was doing so she went on instincts.

Asher lifted her left hand to touch his thigh, not honestly knowing why. She moved forward slightly, very slightly, and moved her tongue out of position in her mouth and moved it into his own. The second she felt the strong slick muscle touch her own she felt like she was on fire. This was by far the best thing she had ever experienced in all her life. She was so happy Roman had gone away for a night.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko was please at the sensation both her hand and her tongue caused as thye touched him. He allowed his tongue to slide into her mouth, effortlessly searching every part of it, her taste sweet in his mouth and overwhelmingly intoxicating.

He let his other hand rise up to wrap around her neck, the other resting on her shoulder. He turned his head slightly to let the position be more comfortable than that which they had begun in.

Haruko didn't know if it was getting hotter in there or if that was just him. Either way, he was about to die of a heat stroke and all his body was telling him to do was moan. Obviously, that wasn't going to happen, he didn't know how much he had already freaked her out.

But naturally, in common Haruko blundering fashion, a small half grunt half growl escaped his throat, and it escaped his mouth as a chuckle on her own. He hoped that didn't scare her.

[Asher Perez]

Asher didn't know what the hell happened, but when his tongue began to move with her own and he placed his hand on her neck she was lost in him. She frowned softly when the pace quickened slightly. She was burning alive, now she knew how sex came about. People kissing like this caused their bodies to overheat and the only thing they had left to do was tear off clothes!

She was in a daring mood now and she scooted closer to him, moving her hand up his thigh and up to his side. She grabbed his shirt in her fist and pulled slightly, deepening the kiss as if she had done this a million times. She was shocked it didn't take that much time or energy to learn how to kiss someone so wonderfully, so passionately, so..so hot. She couldn't breathe but this wasn't going to end so soon, she wanted this to continue for years and years. She wanted to keep the feeling of Haruko on her and the taste he gave her in her mouth and mind.

Asher moaned slightly, her mind having let it out when she found herself thinking awkward thoughts of them doing this closer. She wanted to just crawl right on top of him and keep it going, but she resisted, somehow.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko couldn't help it. His hormones of course had taken thier cue and were raging ridiculously. He couldn't breathe, barely feel and all he wanted was to make these feelings last forever.

He felt her pull him closer and he immediately responded with how he usually did. His hands moved from her neck to her sides and finally arund her waist, as thier tongues continued thier lazy waltz inside thier mouths.

Haruko needed breath, needed release, needed something. At least he could get some oxygen. He moved slightly to the right moving his lips off of hers to get a breath, then slowly traveling down her jaw and to the hollow of her neck, savoring every taste and sensation she brought to him.

His common sense was almost out the window and he wondered vaguely if this were going to be too much for her.

[Asher Perez]

Asher gasped for a breath the second she felt his lips move. She was half thankful for it since she was getting a breath but she enjoyed the way it felt to taste Haruko. Yet, to feel the burn in the wake of his kisses on her neck excited her too since it was new. She kept her eyes closed and again instinct's kicked in. She leaned her head back slightly allowing him more access and more skin. She lifted her right hand to his neck and head, enjoying the way this felt too much. She continued to squeeze his shirt in her left hand, moaning slightly when her mind moved to more dangerous things.

"Haru..." She said slightly, not truly meaning to say his name since she was trying to let out the well deserved breath. She wanted him to keep doing this, keep kissing her, keep against her. She opened her eyes and wondered how far he'd let her go. She was willing to do whatever he wanted to without stopping him at all.

Morals were now gone and she had just crossed a line she swore she'd never do, but this was too good to pass up. When one had such a great thing in front of them without having to do much...she was willing to do anything to keep it going for she had no clue when she could ever experience this kind of thing again.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko's normal instinct was of course at this point to begin taking off clothes. However, he had the feeling that if he and Asher did anything more than make out, Asher might well regret it in the morning. Indeed, he might also.

He slowly drew his tongue across her collarbone, nudging her shirt out of the way slightly to allow him access. He moved his way back up to her lips grazing them with his own before, slowly allowing his eyes to open and look down at the woman. He took several deep gulps of breath.

"That is how you kiss someone, Asher Perez..." he breathed. If that was how she kissed, Haruko breifly wondered how she would do other things. But then he remembered that he had hoped maybe his interruption might allow her a moment to consider what they could do, and whether or not she wanted to take that step. They had only known eachother two days.

[Asher Perez]

Asher slowly opened her eyes, lazily as well for she wasn't quite ready to stop the maddness she had just experienced. She could still feel his breath on her, his hands, his mouth, his tongue, his taste...Asher just wanted more, more, and more.

She heard him speak to her and she suddenly remember that was all they were doing, kissing. She panted as she looked at him his attractiveness just exploding now. She couldn't think straight, let alone want to. If she could she would honestly submerge her mind with thoughts of Haruko, but she wondered if he felt the same.

"Oh." She said, nodding slightly. That was the most ignorant reply to have ever given. She was sure he wanted feedback, but she had no idea how to respond after such events. She just did what she felt was normal, well she wasn't sure if anyone did this but she was going to chance it. Asher kissed him again and slightly pushed his shoulder, wanting him to lay down on the couch and just let her have control for a while. She just wanted to make out with him some more. She was trying to convince herself she could rip her clothes off at that very moment and not regret a thing, and she was almost positive she could, she just wasn't sure how Haruko would see her in the morning.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko felt himself pushed back against the couch, the movements becoming more daring, more interesting. He parted his knees slightly to allow her room to lay down on him if she so desired; he so desired it.

In another situation, in another time, with another Haruko, he would have jumped at the chance for hot, slow, passionate sex, and then 'goodbye' in the morning. But...he didn't feel right about that. Somehow...he felt like he really wanted to know this woman before they jumped in the sack. This had been the first time he had wanted to get to know someone so badly, yet just rip clothes off at the same time. This conflict of emotions was killing him and he didn't know what the right road was.

But right that moment, all that mattered was that they just kept kissing. Haruko pushed his tongue back into her mouth, arching his back slightly, his movements more deliberate.

[Asher Perez]

Asher's mind was in another world. All she wanted to do was kiss him everywhere possible, take in as much of him as she could without doing something she was going to regret for the rest of her life. If she could have her way with him, it'd be best later, but that wasn't to say she didn't desire him then at that exact moment. Asher kept her mind on Haruko and his body rather than sex, sex, and more sex. At least this was just a taste of things that could possibly come. Making out was nothing, well it was something to her, but it wasn't going to cause guilt later on.

She crawled on top of him, her left hand running down his side while the other was propped on the couch's armrest next to his head. She was just going to kiss him and, if her hands allowed it, touch him some more of him, perhaps all of him if she could.

She moaned slightly when she kissed him deeply, this was too good to put a stop to. She just wanted to continue doing this, even if she couldn't breathe she loved it far too great to stop. She let her left hand travel to his thigh again and she was mentally aware of the dangers that lurked in going there so she found his hands and moved them around on her body, enjoying the sensation she received by feeling his hands travel her.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko quickly took control of his own hands, letting them travel down her chest, to her stomach, slipping up her shirt just slightly to touch the creamy skin he found there. His other hand was occupied with her thigh, traveling up and over her hip and then on the inside of her thigh, making half moon shapes on her leg.

He didn't know how long his body would contain itself. He feared, if properly provoked, he would do something incredibly stupid, yet the feelings he was having were far beyond anything he had very fel before. All he wanted was this woman and this woman only. He didn't want her to stop kissing him, he didn't want her to stop touching him. He didn't want any of it to stop.

All Haruko Lawson wanted, as God was his witness, was Asher Perez.

[Asher Perez]

Asher let out a grunt. She opened her eyes and moved away from his mouth and glanced down at him. His inflamed mouth beckoning her to go back for more kisses, but she couldn't just yet. She waited for his eyes to open before she would say something.

She continued to prop herself up with her right hand and she moved her left hand to her face, pushing her hair behind her ear. She kissed him once more and moved back again and let out a sigh.

"Haruko...how far are you willing to let this go?" She bit her lower lip that was wet from saliva. She was panting lowly as her eyes scanned his beautiful face. If she had her way he'd say as far as she wanted to go, but she wasn't sure how she'd respond and how he'd react.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko's common knowledge slowly swam to the foreground and his basic god-given good sense began to churn in his mind again. Naturally, his body and instincts were telling his mouth to open and say what he really felt. I want you fully, Asher. The words were almost fully formed on his tongue and lips before he remembered why he liked Asher so much in the first place.

She was different. She had had an interest in him, first and foremost before any other feelings. She had talked to him as one human being to another. She never assumed anything, never jumped to conclusions. Asher was just kind, and caring, and beautiful.

And that was the extent of his knowledge.

His stomach sank a little as his body began to rev down from the high he had just been on, and he realized that he didn't know this woman. Not truly. And she didn't know him. They were all but strangers, and yet here they were, lying motionless on a couch, she on top of him, panting like there was no tomorrow, lust and desire burning for each other. No matter what Haruko had done previously, no matter what other mistakes he had made, he could not see this being right. Something was all wrong.

Slowly, and carefully, he sat up, drawing his legs to his chest and swinging them over the edge of the couch to lean his elbows on them and then his head in his hands. He had to think, had to sort out his feelings, had to just, cool down. For a few long, agonizing moments, the silence stretched on in the room, the only sound was that of thier breathing, or in Haruko's case, the sound of him holding his breath.

Then he turned towards Asher and slowly, gently, put his arms around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him, embracing her deeply, trying to let her know how sorry he was, how confused.

"I want to, Asher, believe me...but..." he paused, leaning back a little and looking into her face. "If you knew me top to bottom, I would say yes. But I am still only an acquaintance to you. You don't know me...and I am not trying to say that I am some horrible person going to leave as soon as I get some...I am opposite of that..." he looked her deeply in the eyes. "But I have problems, Asher. There is no getting around it and I...I can't do that to you. Take something so important without telling you this, without either of us really knowing. I can't do that. Not to you. I'm...so sorry...I..." but his words trailed off, he didn't know what to say. He had never felt like this before. Never cared for someone so much that he was terrified of hurting them, terrified of how they would look at him next morning.

Haruko didn't want her to tell him to leave, and certainly hoped he hadn't just caused a huge rift in whatever relationship might have evolved...but he knew that if he didn't tell her what he was thinking and feeling, he might never forgive himself, and she might never be the same.

[Asher Perez]

Asher listened to him with such open ears and with all her attention turned onto him. She was not truly wanting to stop, but she knew she had to otherwise things could happen that they both might regret later, she more so than him.

Asher didn't know why she felt like her heart was being ripped open and torn into shreds when she listened to him tell her how he had problems. For some reason she wanted to be the one to help solve them all, whatever they may be, and to heal him and love him for all it was worth. She didn't really know why she was having this deep desire to take care of him as if he were helpless, but whatever the reason she didn't want it to go away. She wanted to have the option to be by him and help him through whatever troubles he experienced.

Asher knew he had the best of intentions and so did she, but it kind of made her wonder if she had done or said something wrong to make him not want to go anywhere past this couch. She was willing to accept his decision for in the back of her mind she was hoping he'd say kissing was all they could do. She sighed out and leaned into his shoulder putting her arms around his stomach and laying there as if he were her makeshift pillow. She pushed her right cheek onto his shoulder and closed her eyes, hugging him tightly as if he were going to leave.

"Don't be sorry, Haruko." She said in a sigh as the weight had been lifted. She was so turned on by him, even now and hearing his words only worsened her desire, but she was glad they were not going to be doing anything tonight.

Asher liked Haruko far too much to let him go so easily. It had been so long since she had someone to love, and love her back, and although she wasn't about to say this secret out loud, she had no problem thinking of Haruko in that way. If she could she'd get to know every part of his life and soul in two hours and go ahead and tell him she loved him, but that was humanly impossible. It could take years and years to figure someone out, hell some people were so complex that not even the closest of people knew them completely. All Asher knew was that she was suddenly willing to let him take his precious time getting to know her and vice versa.

"Take all the time in the world, Haruko. Tell me whatever you want because I am always willing to hear you and to see you. I'll get to know you as long as you are willing to tell me." She squeezed him and kept in place, her eyes still closed. She wanted him to stay all night, stay so she wouldn't be alone, and stay so she could hold him tightly. Just because they weren't going to "sleep" together didn't mean they still couldn't sleep together.

"Take all the time in the world, I won't be going anywhere unless you tell me to."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko was releive when he heard her say these things to him. His heart had been beating so fast and so loud that he was sure she would have heard it and his stomach had been churning, the butterflies fluttering magnificently. But as she leaned into him, held him close to her, told him that she was willing to listen, to know him and let him know her, he felt like maybe he wasn't a big failure after all. That maybe someone could love him.

That maybe there was life after Orange Diren.

As sad as it was, Haruko had always compared women he knew to Orange. As much as he had hated her, wished he hadn't ever known her, he couldn't help but still feel strongly about her, still wonder what might have happened had they stayed together. He hadn't been able to not compare women to her. Until just now.

Asher had somehow taken him out of his body, out of his mind. Shown him that maybe he wasn't some psychopathic maniac out for everyone's blood. Talked to him as if he were an actual human being, and not someone to be spoken down to because he did have a mental illness. She had treated him like Haruko Lawson. And he had never been able to truly say anyone had done that.

Haruko took in a deep breath and smelled the scent of her hair and clothes and how clean she smelled. If he could have he would have stayed there forever. Just he and him, not saying anything, just silently speaking, communicating in a way that no one else understood. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I don't want you to go anywhere..." he muttered. "I just want you to stay here, where you're at."

[Asher Perez]

Asher grinned in his chest as she felt it rise then fall. The way his heart was beating let her know that he had somehow become relaxed when only moments ago it was beating wildly. She wanted to stay right there with him, hugging him as if he were her own personalized teddy bear. She moved slightly and leaned against him and became more comfortable, but not once letting her hands drop from around his waist. Haruko was having such an odd effect on her.

Asher knew the human body and knew how it worked, but nothing in her medical books and in her brain could she figure out why she was having such strong emotions for one human being she had met only a few days ago. She loved not knowing the answer to that question, but in a way she was being drove insane because the way her feelings were focusing on Haruko and only Haruko.

She drew in a deep breath and smelled Haru's scent, knowing she would never want to get rid of it off her clothes or body. She loved how he smelled, hell she loved everything about him at that moment in time. If she could she would honestly have her way, Haruko would never go anywhere either. She exhaled slowly and smiled.

"Since you said so, I will be right here. I'm not going anywhere."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled into her hair as he took another deep breath and smelled it. She must have thought he was so strange, one minute being all over her and the next being the biggest abstinate Buddhist in the entire universe. She probably wanted to smack his face and tell him to quit being such a baby. She probably was just waiting until he left to bitch about him.

But if she was, she was doing a good job of hiding it.

Haruko leaned back a little and looked at her face smiling at her, and hoping that she wasn't thinking badly of him, or hoping that he would just leave. Although he was getting a feeling suddenly of overstaying his welcome. He smiled a little more at her.

"Maybe, I should go...I don't want to get into your space."

[Asher Perez]

Asher bit her lower lip as she looked up at hi, She wondered if perhaps she had been to forward and too truthful and that she had scared him away. She honestly wanted to leave and tell his family how awkward she was, so be it. She just didn't want to hear it face to face for she like him so much.

She nodded, showing him that she ddn't like the idea of him leaving so soon obvious, but she was not going to stand in his way one bit.

"Okay." She said even sadder than she had intended, but not letting him go just that quickly. "If you want to, you can, although I find it impossible to have you invade my space." She wanted to tell him how bad she wanted him to stay! How bad she wanted to just sit with him and hold him! How she just wanted to be with Haruko. She felt like such a woman, a huge hormonal, sexually ignorant woman!

"I wish you could stay." She was practically telling him to, but in a way that wasn't too pushy or too forward cause she did not want to come off so strong she would scare him off for good.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled down at her and leaned back in close to her, holding her small form to him as if protectively, like something might just hurt her as they sat on the couch together, as safe as anything. He shifted a little bit so he could see her face more clearly, and then he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

"Asher, I can't stay as long as you would like me to. I just don't want to end up bothering you or Roman...or the brother that lives here," he chuckled slightly, just then remembering that it wasn't her apartment.

[Asher Perez]

Asher, for the first time, regretted having a little brother and an older brother. If this were her apartment there would be no way in hell he'd step foot out that door, even if it was a crime. She nodded sadly, feeling like a fool, yet not. She smiled at him and drew in a deep breath and let it out just as fast.

"Okay, Haru. I guess seeing you twice in one day is enough, although I cannot promise you that I might become highly addicted to you." She winked at him and shivered, already feeling lonely as she moved from her warm comfortable position.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko nodded and stood, walking backwards a little before turning and making his way to the door where he had hung his vidor and sweater. He pushed the visor on over his messy hair and grabbed the sweater. He didn't honestly want to leave, but he didn't want to bother Asher with his wierd ways. He just hoped he didn't think he was some freak weirdo.

He glanced over at her and smiled wide.

"Well...I suppose I should say goodbye then, shouldn't I?"

[Asher Perez]

No! Asher wanted to scream this at the top of her lungs. She hated goodbyes, especially when it involved Haruko Lawson. She liked him, everything about him that she had learned so far. Asher thought it was safe to say she knew him well enough to want to date him, right? She just wondered if perhaps he was leaving so soon because he thought she was too sexually ignorant. She was jumping to conclusions and she hated that. She smiled and walked behind him and felt her stomach flip when she realized they were at the door.

"Goodnight, but not goodbye." She smiled as she pointed a finger at him. She liked Haruko way too much to say goodbye because that thought bothered her. She was going to see him again, and soon if she had anything to do with it. "Good night, Haruko. Thank you for coming over...again." She felt her face grow a bright red. She couldn't believe she had called him like that, inivted him over at such an hour, and made out with him on her brother's couch.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko nodded, bowing and sliding into his shoes, opening the door and looking out into the windy, forgotten street. The moon causing all the dust and sand to shimmer so brilliantly that it almost looked like daylight. He tossed a peice of hair from his face and stepped down the stairs, the wind immediatey beginning to tear at his face, hair and clothes.

He turned, not looking back, considering it bad luck, and headed back down the street towards his own home. It was ironic to him that he had lived in that house just down the way from here to never know that it had exsisted an suddenly finding someone there that he truly cared for.

Going back over the events of that evening, he wondered if maybe he had made the right decision. If maybe he should have just continued with her, instead of backing out like an idiot. But then he chastised himself internally. He could not regret this desicion. He hadn't felt right about it and Asher had needed to know this. He shook his head and sped his pace.

When he arrived at his home, he silently unlocked the door and slid inside, locking the door back behind him. The house was dark and quiet. He slowly made his way through the house and pressed an ear to each room where his brother's and thier lovers were staying. When he heard nothing but calm breathing, he could retire peacefully to his room.

He took off his jacket and shoes and visor and slid between the blankets of his bed, lying his head down on his pillow and staring placidly up at the cieling, taking a satisfyingly deep breath, and allowing his eyes to close.

Women were a funny thing. They could drive you crazy while making you happier than you have ever been.

[Asher Perez]

Asher closed the door and sighed trying to adjust herself and figure out what she had just allowed. She was so turned on by Haruko and she had no idea what to do about it. She was so tired now that he had left, but yet her mind was wide awake and ready to conquer the world.


She yawned largely as she took her place on the warm couch that still had the soft scent of Haru. She loved how he had rubbed off on her and was lingering on her blanket, shirt, and pillows. She smiled widely thinking back to all that she had learned tonight and all the fun she had kissing him. She slid in between the covers and pulled them up around her tightly, his smell lingering to her nose and the resonating warmth calmed her shaking nerves that wanted him still.

Asher was so cluless when it came to things in the sex department, but for some reason she was having an easy time thinking of learning from Haruko. She was struck on him and she was almost afraid to say she felt for him in a way other than friends. This scared her because she had no idea how he felt in return.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko jolted awake with a pounding heachache and a whispering in his ear. A familiar one. He screwed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. With all the commotion he and Asher had gone through the night before, he had forgotten completely to take his medicine. And now Mr. Lawson was back full force.

Not being able to help the feeling of wanting to just let his other personality alone and deal with it as he always had, he rolled over in bed and grabbed the bottle of pills off the night stand. He popped two in, and dry swallowed them, rolling back over under the warm covers and curling up like a cat, one hand over his face to keep the stale morning light that was streaming in through the window from hitting his face.

He yawned wide and smiled slightly as thoughts of the night before rushed back to him through memory and sensation. It was ridiculous how much he had wanted Asher.

[Asher Perez]

Asher hummed along with some music playing lowly in the background as she ate her small breakfast, wondering when Roman was going to come home. He was normally there around 10, but it was almost going on 11:30 and she was beginning to worry. She continuously glanced at her wrist watch only to see that time was moving very slowly and her mind kept thinking horrible things that could have happened to him on his way home. She wanted to smack herself and tell her brain to shut up, but it was impossible for she was like a mother to him and cared for him more than the world.

Asher slowly rose and put her empty plate into the sink and ran the water, quickly washing up the small amount of dishes she had managed to dirty. She heard the door being unlocked and suddenly relief washed over her as she sat the soaking wet plate into the dish drain. She smiled widely and grabbed a towel nearby and turned the music down and walked quickly into the living room.

"You are late! I was about to send out a search party!" She laughed lightly and glanced up from the floor of the living room to the front door that was open. She locked eyes and suddenly the air in the room had left as well as the good feeling she had felt just seconds before.

"Javier!" She said with shock, her older brother shadowing the doorway with his tall muscular build and a huge duffel bag filled with clothes. "What are you doing here?" The second they escaped her mouth she knew she was in for it.

"This is my house, Asher, I live here. Matter of fact I should be asking you that same question. Why are you still here?"

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko flipped back over in his bed and looked up at the cieling. He hadn't been able to sleep any more after he had awakened and it was difficult for him to sleep anyway after he woke up. And the sunlight was not helping him at all. Sighing heavily, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and glanced at the clock set into the wall. Eleven twenty-two.

He yawned wide and walked to his bathroom. He took a quick shower and dried off, pulling on a pair of tightass jeans, his favorite that he owned, and a white t-shirt. He pulled a zip-up blue hoodie over it. He pulled his hair back into a half pony tail and walked out of his room. The house was always drafty but this morning it seemed colder than usual.

His brothers were not up yet and he did not know if Orange and Jesimae were, but he needed to go for a walk and get some real food other than the stuff he kept stocked here.

Making his way to the door, he slid into a pair of shoes, he wasn't sure what, and then he headed out the door, sliding his black visor on his head as he went. The sun was not yet scalding, but it was not exactly cool either. He made his way down the road and found the small booth that he used to frequent when he lived here more.

Haruko paid quickly for a bag of food, something he needed dearly, and set out again, wondering whether or not he should be bold enough to stop by and see Asher, even though he was not invited. He didn't think she'd mind if he stopped by, but he didn't want to embarrass her.

[Asher Perez]

Asher swallowed and tried to remember how to think and how to actually talk. Javier was a big man and she had never enjoyed fighting with him for he had a mean streak, a streak that could get physical if pushed to the limits.

"Romano...he went and stayed with his friends." She didn't know what to do or to say. Javier looked like the devil Himself and ready to chew her up and spit her out. "We decided to stay a few extra days." His face grew red with anger. Something Javier hated was when people mooched, and although she wasn't one, to Javier staying in his house and eating his food considered people moocher's in his eyes.

"Good for Romano, but what are you still doing here? You know the rules, you know how I don't like you being here after two days." Asher nodded, swallowing large pockets of air for salavia wasn't present. She wanted to go home now, wanted to be out of Javier's face and way. She knew the rules they had laid down many years ago, but it was just one day, one extra day. Why hadn't he waited to Roman to call him and tell them when they had left? Why was he here so early without warning?

"Why are you home so early?"

"Not that it is any of your damn business, Asher, but Alejandra and I had a fight." Asher wondered why, but knew that Javier wasn't one for sharing. She wished they had been closer for she'd like to console him and tell him that everything was going to be alright, but they weren't like the normal family. They weren't close enough.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko was walking to the beat of a song that was stuck in his head and he was looking around him like and idiot. He felt particularly happy this morning, though there was no real reason to be. He wanted to see Asher, badly. Which was funny, because he was pretty sure he had gotten about as far into her space as was humanly possible.

He was still trying to decide whether or not to stop by and see her. Wondered if she was up at this time. He figured she probably was, but didn't know if she would get angry if he didn't call beforehand.

Deciding that she probably would not be bothered if he just stopped by to say hi, he turned down her road and began leisurely up it, actually enjoying himself, which was something he rarely did when he was up this early. He could the apartment building in the distance, and the song that had been in his brain suddenly swept out with thoughts of the night before. He grinned. She probably thought he was a big jackass.

[Asher Perez]

Asher grabbed her coat, tears in her eyes, wanting to leave his apartment as soon as she possibly could. The pain in her arm began to creep up her spine, his tight hold as they began to scream at one another not helping their relationship any more than it did to scream. He had a death grip on her arm and she wasn't one who enjoyed getting yelled out because she had eaten his food, sleeped on his couch, and was planning on leaving the day after tomorrow.

Asher heard him yelling obscenities to her, telling her she needed to go back home and stay out of his private life. She felt the tears sting her eyes when the bitter reality hit her: She had no true brother's except for Roman. She slammed the door, she thought, not really knowing if it was her or Javier. She pulled on her coat and jogged down the steps wanting to just get away from that apartment and what horrors were going to come to her if he ever found out about Haruko.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko's red lights went off when hee saw Asher literally throw herself out of the apartment, her shoulders shaking, indicating tears. He sped up, running over to her. He stopped behind her, and then reached out touching her shoulder with his hand.

"Asher?" he said, his voice laced with worry as he wondered what the hell had happened inside and where Roman was. He brushed some of her hair from her face. She was crying hard, or appeared to be. The worry and fear rose in him even more. "Asher, what happened? Are you alright?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the deep voice come from behind. She turned around quickly and saw the one person she actually wanted to see. He asked her what had happened and for a moment the argument crept into her rmind again and she felt the tears rising back in her eyes. She shook her head and stepped into his chest and hugged him.

"It is my eldest brother, Javier. He and I just had an argument about Roman and me staying there. He and I don't get along very well, Haru. Not well at all." She didn't know why but putting her head on his chest and hugging him with all her strength made her feel calmer, better. She wished she could just hug him forever, but knew that any moment Javier was going to burst out of the apartment when he realized someone had slept in his bed.

"He grabbed my arm kinda hard, he isn't the best person to have a fight with."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko slid his arms around her and rested his cheek on her head, looking up at the apartment. If he had been there, this Javier would have had the pleasure of dealing with Haruko Lawson. He wasn't a violent person by nature, but when backed into the right corner, and Asher was defiantely the right corner, Haruko could get almost as nasty as his alternate personality.

He squeezed Asher tight to him as if he could protect her from what had already happened, but he knew all he could do was try to make her feel better. He took a deep breath and looked down at her, leaning downwards and kissing her gently on the cheek.

"Did he hurt you?" Haruko asked, determined that if she said yes, he would storm the place and bring the bastard down.

[Asher Perez]

Asher thought for a moment, he had hurt her yes, in a way that was probably not going to make sense to Haruko, since she was sure he and his brothers never fought like this.

"No, he just grabbed my arm and jerked me around. It is nothing really, Haruko." She kept her face on his chest, wanting to go away wanting to just pretend that she and Javier did not meet. Asher drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "Javier and I have never been very close and we don't get along very well. I just...want to go away from him for a while."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko snorted in the direction of the apartment. If there was one thing he hated worse than himself, it was a bully. Someone who picked on others who could not, or would not, defend themselves. Someone who wasn't as big as they, or as strong.

"Javier needs to be taught some manners apparently," he blew, then looked down at her. "What about your things? And Roman's? Don't you think you might need them...or no?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher kept a death grip around Haruko's waist, her face still planted firmly in his chest. She felt her puffy eyes sting with more tears as she glanced up at the building and wondered if she should just stay away for a while and come back later when she was sure Javier would be gone. She moved her head and looked the other way, pushing her cheek against him.

"No." She said lowly, glancing across the street to a few people walking along, smiling happy, and minding their own business. That was one thing she liked about Tattooine, people had too many things to do, mainly stay inside for sand storms were a common thing and many didn't want to contract SDS. She wondered if she could just ask Haruko to go somewhere with her, keep her company, and when the time was right take her back to the apartment where she would get Roman and go on to a hotel so they could still see the pod races.

"Roman and I will just stay at a hotel tonight. Roman is too excited about the races to just suddenly change my plans." She sniffed and let out a sigh so she could breathe. "This has happened before, except last time he wasn't as angry." She grabbed her wrists around his waist and hugged him tightly, squeezing him and closing her eyes tightly. Holding Haruko so close and being able to cry on him like a big child made her feel a lot better, even though she was sure Haruko was annoyed that she was acting like a kid.

"It is Pod Races then home where nobody can bother Roman and I for another six months." She moved her head back and looked up at him and grinned slightly. "Those six months meaning my brothers, not you."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko shook his head and stroked her hair and shoulder. It was something he couldn't stand to see women bullied, and the way he felt about how he had treated so many as Mr. Lawson...it made him sick. But now that he could see it with his own two eyes, he was angry and for some reason, very offended. It was as if Haruko felt that Javier was giving males a bad name...or at least him a bad name. Haruko didn't know why he was taking this so personally, but he was.

Turning slightly, so he and Asher were pointed down the street, he slid his hand down her back and laced his fingers with hers, looking down at her. He reached up with his opposite hand, brushing away some of her tears and making a purring noise.

"Now, no tears. Tears make him feel like he has won. Don't cry where he can see you...come to me and you can cry...but he will get worse if you let him see you cry..." he said to her, leaning down and kissing a tear as it slid down her cheek, its warm saltiness dissolving on his tongue and leaving a bitter-sweet taste in his mouth. He smiled. "And there is no need for you to stay at a hotel. The house I am in now has more rooms than I know what to do with. You and Roman may stay with me, if you don't mind hanging around with my brothers and one's fiancee, and the other's girlfriend," he laughed, hoping to cheer her spirits. He hadn't seen her cry and now he knew, he hated it when she cried. He wanted to make her pain go away. He wanted to love her where her family was apparently falling short.

[Asher Perez]

Asher sighed and felt the pressure on her shoulders slowly being lifted as she heard Haruko tell her all the words she needed and wanted to hear.

"I don't want to impose on you Haruko, but if you don't mind do you think he and I could stay the night and leave tomorrow for the races? I will do my best to stay out of your way." She knew the offer was on the table she was just afraid of annoying him, running him off so soon, and losing something that was already so important to her.

"Matter of fact I can make Roman stay another night with his friend?" She let out a sigh of stress and looked up at Haruko and smiled. A night with Haruko, a whole night in the same house...she didn't know if she could handle herself.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko laughed, keeping his arm around her and beginning down the street, back towards his home. He shook his head and gently stroked her shoulder, looking down at her.

"No, no. As long as you don't mind Roman meeting my family, a rather dysfunctional one, then he is welcome to come along. There is no need for him to stay another night unless he wants to. You and he are always welcome at any place I call home."

He smiled down at her again, glancing back over his shoulder at Javier's apartment, and sneering slightly. He turned back and looked ahead of him, sighing out through his nose. Something had to stop, and Haruko knew if he was around, he would be the one to do it.

[Asher Perez]

Asher loved the feeling of walking down the street with Haruko holding onto her still, taking her in as if she were the lost puppy he had been a few days ago. It felt good to know that she was being taken care of for once, she and Roman. She had spent most of her life taking care of others she had so wanted to find someone to finally take care of her for a change, even if it was Haruko.

Asher leaned her head on his shouder, loving his height, loving how she felt in his arms, loving how she felt in general when she was around him. "Thank you Haruko." She said lowly, squeezing his waist. "I appreciate you letting us stay, he and I will not get in your way."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko once again shook his head as he turned back down his own street and they continued to walk. He smiled and glanced down at her.

"Don't worry about getting in my way, Asher...you nor Roman could get into my way..." he said, glancing around the street as if waiting for someone, but continuing to go on about walking towards his home. "As long as you can handle two of my little brother's and their respective attachments, then you'll fit right in."

[Orange Diren]

Orange yawned as she moved on the tiny bed she was having to share with Jiro. She loved Jiro very much, but a tiny bed and his large body didn't match that well, especially when she was the smallest of the two. She was taking a nap trying to regain her strength from the sleep she had been losing a lot of since the moment they got to Tattooine. The emotional strain this was taking on her was far more great than Jiro, at least she thought so. Jin La...she hadn't seen him, yet, but the way Haruko had been talking about him she wondered if he were almost a bone. Apparently he hadn't been out of his bedroom for many many months, if not a year. She wanted to talk to Jiro about how he felt, about what he thought of his father, about how he was doing emotionally. He wasn't one to give her this kind of information for she was still learning about him.

Orange was proud of herself, she wasn't assuming things as much as she used to, she was monitoring her behavior, and was getting along with Jiro very well. She loved him more than the world, but somehow changing herself to save their relationship seemed to have been the best thing she had ever done.

Slowly she moved out from under the covers, wondering immediately where Jiro was. She wanted to see his beautiful face, wanted to spoon with him, wanted to smell him, wanted to just be with him. She had a dream about him and naturally she was craving him. But who wouldn't want to see Jiro Lawson?

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro had wandered away from the bedroom--and Orange--unwillingly. His body had told him that he needed sustinance and water or else he might die. So he had slowly found his way out of his bedroom and to the kitchen, rummaging around in the food he was finding there. Though he was finding little that he liked, he noticed that there was more Korean food here than Japanese. Not that that bothered him, just that he had never eaten Korean food before. In fact the only foreign food he ate was that that Orange cooked. And little else.

He was too picky for his own good.

Jiro had considered going in and seeing if his brother were awake, but when he had heard his older brother moving about in the bathroom in thier room, he had assumed that the man would come out soon and join him.

He also had lost his eldest brother, as Haruko had not been in his room when Jiro had gone to see if he was up. So Jiro felt like a strange minority as he wandered about the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand and his hair pulled messily back into a ponytail, although it sprayed out from his head because his hair was too short to do this. That had been one thing he envied about Taro. At least his elder brother's hair did as he asked at least ninety-five percent of the time.

Jiro was lucky to have eighty-two percent.

Breifly, Jiro wondered if Orange had awakened. His natural instincts had grown used to having the woman around and when she wasn't he automatically wanted her near to him. Glancing out the door, he began reflecting upon thier time together.

They had been through some trying experiances, despite their youth, and the youth of thier relationship. Jiro also thought, for a few moments, about the two other lovers who had walked in and out of his life just recently. Ren being one, Mei-li being the other. Although he could not exactly classify Mei-li as anything but a close friend that he had been attracted to, she was still an important part of what he had with Orange. In a way, all his lovers seemed to be. There were parts of all of them in him. No person he had been with had left him without taking a bit of him with them and leaving some of themself imprinted on his heart.

He was still innocent, too much so for his own age. But he was also quite not so. In different ways he was very ignorant, and in others he was much too knowledgable. Jiro didn't know how Orange could be attracted to him at all with all of his internal dysfunctions, both mentally and emotionally. But somehow, she had stuck with him this far. He just hoped, and prayed, she would see fit to stay with him...

[Orange Diren]

Orange groaned as she opened the bedroom door, Jiro's pants about to fall off of her hips. She rubbed her right eye with the heel of her hand, her hair pulled into a messy ponytail, her left hand scratching her stomach underneath the white wifebeater, also Jiro's. She was humored by the fact that she no longer wore her coveralls and mainly began to steal his clothes.

"Jiro..." She sang lowly as she moved into the kitchen where she saw him glancing at some foreign food. "Jiro..." She sang again as she heard his long baggy pants scuff the floor as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her cheek on his strong back. "Love you." She said in a sigh, already about to fall asleep leaning against him like she was.

She loved Jiro so much it was killing her. She had just woken up but for some reason it felt like years since she had seen his face and held him close to her.

"Whatchya doin'?" She asked as she squeezed him lovingly. "You left me."

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro glanced back over his shoulder at Orange as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his back. He smiled down at her and took a drink of his water, blowing a sigh out through his nose.

"Morning, Orenji-chan. Sorry I went away. My body needed sustinance. But this is all Korean and I have no idea what is going on so..." Jiro shrugged and turned around, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and leaned his nose into the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath of her scent and allowing his brain more oxygen than it was getting. He nuzzled her neck and smiled against her skin.

"Did you sleep well, baby girl?"

[Orange Diren]

Orange smiled into him and nodded.

"Okay I suppose, but having a guy almost on top of me who weighs more than me doesn't make it easy to breathe." She laughed lightly and squeezed him. "Water sounds good, but then again so does food." She moved her head and glanced at what he had said was Korean. What the heck did Korean's eat? Was it like Chinese or Japanese? If so then she was willing to try, but she couldn't tell due to the odd characters.

"Are.....are you going to eat that?" She glanced up at Jiro with an odd face that was filled with wonderment. "If you are then so will I...I think."

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro chuckled. It was true, he moved a ridiculous amount in his sleep. He had figured that maybe when someone else was sleeping in the same bed with him then his body would avoid hitting them. Apparently, he had been mistaken. He leaned back and walked away from her, putting his glass down on the table, fishing through a cabinet for something he could read.

"No, I'm not eating anything I can't read...but I'm sure my brother has something Japanese in here. He is after all that race..." Jiro paused as he scanned the Korean characters on the food, looking for something with familiar characters on it. Near the right side, he found a box and his eyes were releieved to see his language. He made a triumphant noise and pulled the box forth, holding it out for Orange to see, forgetting for a moment that she was not Japanese and could not read it, and therefore was probably not as ecstatic to see it as he was. He grinned at her.

"Breakfast noodles and vegetables!" he exclaimed, looking over the characters on the back of the box. He smiled again. "Good. Now I have make them!"

Jiro was way too happy for his pwn good this morning. For some reason, even though there was the black cloud of his father hanging over his head, having Orange, Taro, Haruko, and Jesimae all in one place made him really happy. He felt like he had a family. A real live one. Something he had never had the privilege of experiancing.

[Taro Lawson]

Today. Today Haruko had said that his father would be awake enough, and ready to see them. This was the day Taro had been both anticipating, and dreading since they had boarded the ship to come here days ago. Now that the time had come, he wasn't exactly sure what all he was feeling.

Taro was hating himself right at this moment. Hating what he was doing, but unable to find any other solution. He had locked the bathroom door, Jesimae was sound asleep, everyone else was either asleep or doing something else. He had privacy, had solitude. He had his drugs.

Taro laid his head back on the wall as the burning in his nose slowly subsided, the powder now sucked down into his lungs, spreading through them, making them ache, but giving Taro's head a spin and calming his nerves. This wasn't nearly enough to make him high, and it was just as harmful as smoking a cigarette. But it calmed him more than his cigarettes did. And he needed to be calm.

Blinking several times in succession to clear his vision, he crumpled the bit of cardboard balanced on his knee, and stuck it and the used straw back into his duffel bag, deep in so no one would know it was there except for himself. He stood up off of the toilet and kicked his duffel bag away from him, going to the sink and mirror and looking at himself. His hair was still wet from his shower and his face was slightly flushed. He inspected his eyes, tongue and nose, and was glad to see no signs of the drugs he had just inhaled.

Sighing out through his nose, and feeling the air burn his raw passage, he rubbed his eyes and washed his face quickly to remove any access powder that escaped him when he brushed himself off. He zipped up his duffel bag and bit his lip, feeling the sudden urge to sob. He knew what he was doing was wrong. He was clean, he knew that. There were lung problems in his family already and he was smoking anyway. He didn't need the added inuries of drugs. His lungs had already had too much of that from when he had been a junkie only two short years before.

And now, he had Jesimae. And he knew that if she found out, she would throw his ring at him, and tell him she never wanted to see him. But technically, he wasn't a druggie. He wasn't even getting high. This drug was not one that could get the user hooked, and it was not powerful enough to get him high with three or four doses in a sitting. It was a very mild drug, much like a powdered cigarette.

But it was still a drug and he was still using them. He felt horrible for it, but he already felt like such a burden on Jesimae anyway that he knew he needed to deal with it on his own, otherwise he was going to drive her away with what he had done already.

Shaking his head and running his hands through his damp hair, he kicked his duffel bag again, just from good measure and washed his hands and face again, hoping that the fear, anger and regret would wash away with it.

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae grunted as she rolled over onto her left side, running her palm over the fading warmth on the sheets. She slowly opened her eyes, knowing that Taro had left a while ago. She hated waking up to find him gone, it somehow didn't make her feel right. It made her feel sad for it brought back memories of when she'd wake up at her old home on Coruscant, cold and alone.

She began to move up and rubbed her eyes violently trying to get them to focus. She sighed and let her hands fall to her sides as she sat up glancing around the room trying to get the puffiness out as she yawned largely, her eyes watering. She sighed and moved out from underneath the covers and moved towards the bathroom. She felt her body shiver from the cold as she grabbed the handle and turned. She was half asleep, but she was for sure the door had been locked. She frowned and shook the handle.

"Taro?" She touched the door with the palm of her left hand as the other continued to wiggle the door handle. It was awkward for Taro to lock the door, she had been with Taro everywhere and had seen almost everything one could so it wouldn't be anything new to go into the bathroom with him, but for the first time since she met him the door was locked.

"Taro, baby? Are you in there?" She hoped he was okay.

[Taro Lawson]

Taro's head snapped erect when he heard the door handle jiggle. He glanced over his shoulder at the door as he slid into his jeans, zipping them up and slicking back his hair, taking a breath through his raw nose and leaning over to the door, taking the handle and turning, unlocking it, and allowing it to swing open slightly so he could see Jesimae's face in the dim of the room beyond. He smiled a little at her.

"I'm in here," he said, opening the door fully to allow her access to the bathroom, while turning back to the sink and finishing drying his chest and rubbing the towel through his hair. He blinked hard to clear his vision before dropping the towel to the floor and picking up his duffel bag, hoisting it over one shoulder and holding it there with his hand. He turned and went out past Jesimae, kissing her cheek as he passed.

Moving to the bed, and praying that she hadn't been standing outside the door long enough to hear him snort, he secured his duffel bag closed with a laser lock, discreetly so Jesimae would not see it. When he finished, he went to the closet and dumped the bag inside, grabbing a grey, long sleeved t-shirt from the top of the closet and sliding them on. He peeked out of the closet.

"Sleep well, baby girl?"

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae was in the bathroom quickly relieving herself. She heard him fooling around in the bedroom as she moved from the toilet to the sink and washed her hands quickly following suit by washing her face. She heard him speak to her as she walked out into the bedroom brushing her hair as she yawned.

"Hai." She said with a slight laugh as her eyes watered more. "Yeah, I slept well." She tossed the brush onto the messy bed not really enjoying the place where they had been staying. She felt out of her element, slightly. She didn't like the feeling the house gave her, how dreary the atmosphere was, and how electrically charged the air was. But this morning it seemed worse, tense. She glanced at Taro and and smiled watching him go back into the closet. She pulled off her shirt and walked into the closet and grabbed something out of her bag, a long sleeved white shirt followed by a pair of grey yoga pants. She looked up at Taro as she changed on the floor, pulling the shirt on then standing as she stepped into the pants.

"How about you?" She glanced away to tie the drawstring her hair in her eyes. She ran her hand through it and looked back up at Taro. She smiled and kissed him on his pouty lips and rubbed his cheek, but frowned when she felt her cool hand being burned off by the heat resinating.

"Honey are you feeling okay?" He looked flushed, his nose was very red, and he kept sniffing. "You are burning up." She placed the back of her hand on his forehead and ran it down his face after a moment. "Taro, sweetheart, you are on fire."

[Taro Lawson]

Tari shook his head, moving away from her touch as it sent pain through his hypersensetive skin. He smiled a little, putting his hands behind his head and walking out of the closet.

"I slept fine. The bed is a little uncomfortable, but as you can see, I lived," he said, pointing at his body and then face, grinning a little wider. Then he turned and looked at the notebooks he had spread out on the desk that inhabited thier room with them, picking one up and flipping through it, trying to keep his mind off of Jesimae's gaze, and trying to avoid looking at her. He didn't want her to see the truth reflected there, didn't want to see the question in her eyes.

Because he could never tell. Never ever.

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae frowned as she watched him. Something wasn't really quite right with him, Taro was acting...funny. She was never one to truly jump to conclusions but for some odd reason he seemed to be hiding something, seemed to be avoiding something, and seemed to be a little jumpy.

"Obviously you are not fine, Taro." She walked over to him and put her hand on the book he was fiddling with and looked down at him. "Taro? Is something wrong?"

[Taro Lawson]

Taro blinked slowly at her hand that rested on his book, before looking away from her and at the wall, his mind trying to think of something. He could say he just wasn't feeling well, that he had the creeping crud. He could say almost anything and figure she would believe it, but he felt bad enough already, he didn't want to lie to her.

Looking back down at his book, he leaned back and slowly lifted his gaze to look at her, smiling a little bit more than was probably necessary.

"I'm fine, baby girl. Probably just a little bug, will pass in a day or two," he said lowly, blinking several times to gather his thoughts, then nodding. "I'm okay, there's no need to worry."

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae frowned slightly, more confused than anything really. She wondered if he was telling her the truth but his smile look put on. She figured it was best not to push the issue any further considering Taro wasn't one who enjoyed such things. She nodded lowly and moved her hand off the book and leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead and ran her hand through his wet hair.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. But if you feel bad or worse....you'll tell me right?" She bit her lower lip as she gathered his hair in her hands, tugging slightly to keep his focus on her. She leaned down and gave him another kiss on the forehead and let go and leaned back and made sure not to make her words sound like a demand.

"Please."

[Taro Lawson]

Taro nodded at her. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her shoulder, her hair tickling his face. He nodded down into her shoulder, hoping she did not realize that he was clinging to her for dear life.

"I'll tell you if I feel worse. It is probably just Tattooine's climate. I am a creature of habit and this is different for me. I'll be okay..." he said to her. He finally found the strength to stand upright and let her go, looking down at her and smiling. Then he nodded to the door. "I am going to go see if my little boy is up, and get some edibles. Do you want to join me?"

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae held him gently but not very tight. She didn't really want to hold him at that moment because something just didn't seem normal, whether it was Taro or her or the Tattooine in general. She nodded at him and smiled. Despite whatever awkwardness she was feeling she still love Taro with every fiber of her being and wanted to just hold him tightly and squeeze the life out of him, but he obviously wasn't feeling too good to be roughly handled at that moment by her.

"You know I cannot go two feet without you, Taro." She smiled at him and winked.

[Taro Lawson]

Taro took Jesimae's hand and moved out of thier room and down the hallway, passing Haruko's room and then Jiro and Orange's room and finally the room in which the young Korean boy slept. Taro assumed he was still asleep, for besides his father's room, his was the only door shut.

Taro found the kitchen and went through the door. Immediately, he saw Orange sitting down at the table, and secondly, he saw his little brother's back. Jiro was bent over a pot on the stove, stirring something with a spoon. Taro nodded for Jesimae to sit down. He walked around the table to wear Jiro was. Taro grinned, happy to see his brother. He put two arms around Jiro's waist and laid his head between the younger boy's shoulder blades. Jiro jumped slightly, but then laughed and put his hands over his brother's.

"Morning!" he exclaimed happily. Taro grinned and fit his chin over Jiro's shoulder, gazing down to see what was being cooked. He sniffed the air, but was met with a burning sensation. He squenched his nose and blinked.

"What is that, baby?" he asked, he asked, letting go of his little brother, kissing him on the cheek and moving back to lean against the table. Jiro glanced over at him.

"Breakfast noodles!" he said, waving when he saw Jesimae. Taro didn't know why his little brother was so happy, but he hoped that the mood rubbed off on him.

[Kagami Nakamura]

EDIT

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae took a seat and began to strike up a conversation with Orange. She briefly glanced over at Taro and Jiro still wondering if anything was wrong with him. She loved Taro, but she hated how he was one to withhold things. She kept her mind occupied with Orange and Jiro's night.

Orange mentioned Taro's behavior in a whisper. Jesimae hadn't truly noticed but it did seem that Taro wasn't very happy there, then again Jesimae wouldn't have been either if she were having to see her estranged father.

[Taro Lawson]

Taro sighed to himself as he slid greatfully down into a chair. His night had been a rough one. He had woken up a billion times, had dreams that frightened him beyond all reason, and at one point he had broken out into a cold sweat for no reason at all. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to be back home on Coruscant, in bed, sleeping peacefully before any of this had happened.

He crossed his legs underneath the table and pulled a pack of cards from his pocket that he had discovered underneath his and Jesimae's bed. He leaid them out and began playing a Japanese form of solitaire, wondering breifly if there were a game everyone would play with him. He needed to get his mind off of his father, his situation, his sins.

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae laughed lightly with Orange as they talked about how neither one of them had ever eaten so many noodles in all their life. She glanced over at Taro who was playing a card game, by himself. She wondred if he would play something with her since she would gratefully do anything with Taro at any given moment. She sighed to herself wondering if she was literally obsessed with this man half as she thought she was. This couldn't have been healthy for her.

"What are you playing?" She asked as she leaned towards him slightly. "Want to play anything with me?" She felt like a kid, but yet she didn't when asking him this.

[Taro Lawson]

Taro glanced up at her and smiled a little. He motioned to the cards and shook his head.

"Its an old Japanese game my mother taught me ages and ages ago. Its supposed to tell your future," he chuckled. He gathered the cards and handed them to her. "What do you want to play? I will play anything."

He was glad she had offered to play something with him. He was feeling very lonely and was hoping that if he was preoccupied with something, then he would feel a little more like he belonged here.

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae smiled at the cards then shifted her glance up at Taro. "Not wanting to see your future?" She winked at him and took the cards and quickly began to shuffle.

"Mmm, we can play anything you want to. I prefer simple and easy games like Speed or Poker. But if you have anything in mind I will gladly play." She shuffled them enjoying the sound it made against the table. She glanced over at Orange and lifted the cards, asking her if she wanted to play something as well.

[Taro Lawson]

Taro nodded leaning back in his chair and accidentally running into Jiro, who made a squeaking sound and jumped. Taro smiled over at him as he came around the table with the pot. He set it on the table but did not seem interested in eating any logner, if he had been when he began to make it.

He sat down in a chair next to Taro who smiled at him as he watched the younger boy push his hair over his shoulders. Taro glanced back over at Jesimae.

"Poker...Jiro, you in?" Taro asked, looking over. Jiro shrugged, yawing and then leaning forward, nodding. Taro looked back over. "Jiro's playing too." He smiled. He hoped this would bring his mind off his situation.

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae smiled happy that now everyone at that table was involved in the game. She laughed and shook her head.

"It would be an even better game if it was strip poker!" She laughed jokingly. "Getting naked is always fun in the mornings, is it not?" She laughed again as she began to deal out the cards to everyone at the table.

[Taro Lawson]

Taro had not been expecting her to say that, but for some reason that thought appealed to him. He grinned wide, and looking at Jiro who, at first looked mortified, then seemed to understand and gave a grin that could not be rivaled. He looked at Taro raised his eyebrow.

"Chotto, watashi ga roshutsu shiteiru au kotowo eru houhou," Jiro said, popping his eyebrows once at Taro who laughed and nodded.

"You know it, baby..." he said, winking and then looking back at the others. "Shall we take this to the living room?"

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae laughed and looked at Taro like he were insane. She laughed once more and looked at Orange who was obviously enjoying the idea a lot.

"Are you serious?" She said as she moved her eyes around the table. When they landed on Taro she couldn't help but enjoy the thought of having him naked this early in the morning. She shook her head nad sighed as she grabbed the cars and stood up.

"Let us go into the living room. If you want to put on clothes that you normally wouldn't wear I suggest you do it now before this gets serious." She glanced at Taro and Jiro and smiled as she walked out of the kitchen. This was a great way to start off her morning.

[Taro Lawson]

Taro laughed, wondering what would happen if he lost his pants, considering he wasn't wearing any underwear. But that was what strip poker was about, then, wasn't it?

Taro stood and took Jiro's hand, moving behind Jesimae as they moved into the living room. Jiro escaped for a few moments back into the hallway, Taro assumed to put something else on, but reappeared a moment later, a big stupid, very Jiro-like grin on his face. Taro could not help but laugh. He turned and winked at the girls.

"Well, I'm ready to strip," he said, discreetly lifting an eyebrow in Orange's direction, as the nod to his past self was really pointed in her direction. She had been the only one in the room to actually watch him strip and pole dance. He bit back a laugh that was threatening to come out. "Let's get going."

[Jesimae Lawson]

Jesimae laughed lightly as she looked at everyone and the faces they had on when they entered the living room, Jiro's being the one she found most interesting. She sighed and began to hand out cards once again. She wasn't wearing much, but she wasn't planning on losing either. If she was lucky she could get the Lawson brother's naked in no time.

"Not to toot my own horn, but I am a professional gambler and am very good at this game. I hope you all are ready to strip, obviously Taro is." She smiled and glanced over at him before moving her eyes to the other willing members of this family.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro was way too hyper about all this. He was so high off of his life right at this moment, he wondered how anyone could ever want drugs when they had this natural rev.

He smiled up at Taro as they sat across the table from the girls, this reminding him of when they had played Engeki on the way from Naboo. Although some things that had happened as a result of that game had been rather uncomfortable, the memory of the game was fun and made Jiro even happier. He was ready to go, knowing that in ten minutes he could be completely naked and totally embarassed, but for some reason, that didn't bother him right now.

He was sure if the girls chose his pants--and he was fairly sure it was the first thing they'd go for--then they would get a kick out of what he was wearing underneath. Although the fact that his brother went without anything underneath might appeal to them more. But either way, this was making Jiro very happy. He felt as if he were doing something for himself for once, plating a game that would make him happy, not doing it for someone else. These people, in this room, and one that was at present somewhere else, were his family.

Haruko, Taro, Orange, and his soon-to-be sister-in-law, Jesimae, were his true and real family. They made him feel like nothing else mattered, like they really loved him...like they gave a damn about what happened to him.

And he had never been happier in his life.

[Orange Diren]

Orange was excited to play strip poker for she hadn't played it in a long time. She couldn't wait to get Jiro endressed as well as Taro, after all that was the intention of this game. She and Jesimae buddied up, as usual, and were pumped about playing this game and getting it started.

"I am ready to see some skin, boys!" She said happily as she picked up her cards seeing something she liked-two pair. She showed the cards to Jesimae and they both looked at one another and laughed. What was to be the first thing to go on the boys? Shirt? Pants? Orange whispered her idea to steal Jiro's pants for he was wearing somethign highly unusual, hopefully they didn't have anything that could be the hand they were dealt.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro peered annoyed at his hand of cards and babbled to Taro in Japanese, complaining about it as he showed his brother what he had gotten. Taro peered at the cards and shrugged, showing his own, which were not good, but better than Jiro's. Apparently, the Lawson brothers were not lucky.

Jiro did all he could with the hand he was given, but could not get it good enough to win the shirt Orange was wearing, which was what Jiro would have chosen, although he imagined the newly engaged Taro would have had other ideas. Jiro pouted at Taro a moment before looking at the girls.

"And you?"

[Orange Diren]

Orange smiled evilly at Jesimae then at the two boys who looked distraught over their hand. She sighed out and shrugged setting her cards down.

"Jes and I have two of a kind, you best have three of a kind or something cause we are about to make one of you pay us with clothing." She winked and looked at Jesimae who smiled in return. Orange was praying hard in her mind for them to have nothing, nodda, zip so she could get one of them shirtless, or pantless whichever they desired most.

"Show us what you got!" Orange said happily.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro laid his head down on the table and waved his hand at them, in all its horrid glory. He didn't play poker much, but he knew enough to know neither his hand nor Taro's combined could best thier two of a kind. He licked his lips and pointed at Taro.

His brother also laid down his hand and shook his head, grinning wide. Jiro smacked his arm and grabbed his shirt, pulling on it hard.

"You're gonna lose this first..." he said, laughing hard. He looked at Jesimae and Orange. "Undress him first! He deserves it!" Jiro exclaimed, smacking Taro over the head.

[Orange Diren]

Orange and Jesimae laughed at his reaction to what they had. They had discussed what items to take off first but not neccessarily on whom.

"No, it isn't for you all to decide! It is up to Jesimae and I!" Ornge smiled evilly and looked at Jesimae and they leaned in and began to talk about what was to come off. Of course, Jesimae wanted to take off Taro's pants, but Orange of course was leaning towards Jiro more. They began to quarrel but Orange knew the jaw dropper to end the argument.

"Jiro!" Orange said after a moment after explaining to Jesimae the situation. "Jesimae and I want your pants!" She smiled as Jesimae started to laugh, her eyes watching him like a hawk. "No fighting about it. Off with your pants!"

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro licked his lips, and smiled not really that disappointed that they hadn't chosen Taro. He stood up and stepped over the pillow he had taken to sit on. He unbuttoned his pants and then unzipped them. His brother had one hand on his forehead, his small body trembling with laughter.

Jiro bit his lip and winked at Orange and he pulled his jeans down and tossed them over the back of the couch. His brother glanced up to see if he had finished, and when he did, Jiro saw all his composure go out the window. Taro collapsed onto the floor, one hand on his forehead, the other clutching his stomach as he died with laughter.

"Totemo atsui! Sou atsui! Oroka denakereba Jiro no kami ha watashi wo tasuke ru!" Taro gasped. Jiro began laughing as well.

"Hai, hai, Kyoudai! Atsui ne!" he answered before sitting back down on the floor next to his brother. He looked at the girls. "There you are, ladies."

[Jesimae Lawson]

Any ability to keep her mouth shut went right out the window when she saw the thong Orange had been explaining to her. She couldn't help but fall on her side, face beet red, air hard to come by, and tears streaming down her face. Jiro had never looked so hot in all his life than he did at that exact moment. When she was able to speak, and that took a good long while, she sat up and tried to tell him what she thought.

"Jiro..." She laughed loudly as she kept staring at the bright pink and white laced undies he had obviously been given. "Might I say that pink matches you well." She fell onto the floor laughing again as was Orange who was clutching onto her for dear life. They laughed together loudly, everytime they saw Jiro they couldn't keep a straight face.

"Can I borrow those sometime?" Jesimae asked him as she sat back up and pulled the cards together to pass a new hand out. "Although I don't think they'd look as good on me as they do you." Jesimae handed the cards to Orange because she was laughing so hard. What kind of man would actually borrow that kind of underwear? Obviously someone not very normal, thank God the Lawson brother's were far from sane.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro grinned at them both. Obviously Jesimae had just realized exactly how odd he was. Yes, these did belonged to Orange, that was obvious, but Jiro knew they'd get a kick out of them. Besides, it was just his family. It didn't bother him at all.

Jiro picked up the cards he was given a big smile still on his face, his brother's cries of atsui ringing still in his ears. He glanced over at his brother who had a smile on his face and was looking at his own hand of cards. Taro had been slightly off lately. More than usual. Of course, Jiro had weighed in the fact that they were going to meet thier father and Taro was uneasy, but he had still been more than normally off.

Jiro had smelled something funny on Taro when he had hugged him in the kitchen. Something he could not quite place, but that made him very uncomfortable. Jiro had decided to ignore it, but it was still eating at the back of his mind slightly.

[Asher Perez]

Asher looked at Haruko who was taking her in the correct direction of where he lived. Her sadness had fled the moment she had seen Haruko and had been touched by him, but now she was filled with nervousness. She didn't know why for sure considering she met new people everyday but she figured it had something to do with the fact that this was Haruko's family and she was willing to go over the moon to impress them, to gain apporval. She mentally rolled her eyes, she never cared about what others thought about her, especially people she didn't know. But for some reason this was different! This was the hardest judges of them all and Haruko would probably listen to family if they didn't like her.

Asher wasn't even daying this man....at least not yet and it wasn't like she was marrying him. She smiled at Haruko as the drew in a deep breath, she was anticipating on seeing his family, especially the one she had an interesting conversation, Jiro!

"Are you sure, Haru, that your family won't mind my staying? I don't want to be a burden."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled down at her as he saw his house in distance. It was large and imposing and he didn't know why his father had given it to him, it wasn't like Haruko was going to stay on Tattooine any longer than he had to. He hated it here, hated the people, hated the atmosphere, hated the food. There was little about Tattooine that he found redeemable. Asher was one of the biggest redeeming qualities.

He shook his head quickly at her, brushing some of his funky colored hair from his face. He licked his lips as his bionic eye whirred slightly to zoom in on his home. Then he shrugged.

"It's my house, so my family can't tell me who and who not to have there. Besides, they are all very laid back and will probably not even notice that you aren't part of our rather dysfunctional family. Especially Jiro, the littlest one, the one you talked to. He is a loving kid, and will probably adopt you as his own the moment you walk in the door..." Haruko chuckled. "As for Taro, the eldest of my younger brothers, he doesn't exactly speak much...not any words you would understand. And anyway, he is kind, and has Jesimae to keep him reigned in, so. But the girls will love you, both of them...I don't think there is anything for you to worry about." He winked down at her.

"And if any of them give you trouble, just tell me. They're afraid of me. Me being so awful and all," he said with a wry smile.

[Asher Perez]

Asher looked up at him as he towered over her. She liked his height, actually loved it. She wasn't one to get attached quickly for her job didn't allow it, but for some reason the moment she looked at Haruko she fell head over heels for him. She smiled at him, smiling so big because she remembered how innocent and attractive he looked when he slept, and smiled because she remembered kissing him the night before. She was so attached to him already it was scary, but hopefully Haru wouldn't mind having his own personal fan club.

On reflex, and because she wanted to, she put her arm around his waist as they walked and laid her head on his upper arm and drew in a slit her eyes as a huge gust of wind came, tossing sand and dust their way. She bit her lower lip when she realized she was using Haruko to protect her from something very harmless, it was sad to get attached to someone so quickly, especially when she was one to protect herself and hardly ever depend on someone else to do it for her.

"Haruko, to me you are the most un-awful person in the world. If I hear you say that again I will make you rethink fear." She laughed lightly as she looked up at him. How could he think he was awful? Asher found him more appealing than anything and to her he was the most normal thing that she had seen in a long time.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko didn't laugh. It wasn't that he was trying to spoil the mood, not at all. But Asher had not seen Mr. Lawson, not really. She had seen him only slightly when he had awoken the first time meeting her. But she had never seen the havoc he could cause, the pain he had caused, the suffering, the anguish...the fear.

Asher knew he had a split personality problem. To her it was simply that. A medical problem that could in fact be fixed with medication. And in a way, it had been. He no longer heard the constant voice in his ear, the constant wondering of whether or not he would wake up himself. Or if, in fact, he would ever be himself again.

Asher didn't understand the things he had done to people. He had raped, tortured, killed. Only God knew how many. Mr. Lawson was not a good person. Haruko was not a good person. He had not taken the steps he could have to prevent Mr. Lawson from getting this far. From going this deep. From getting to him this much. There was actually a lonliness without him. An empty space.

Haruko cared for Asher. Cared for her more than she knew. He never wanted her to see him as his other form. Never wanted her to know the things he had done, the crimes he had committed in his lifetime. He never wanted her to know that he had overcome girls exactly like her, raped them continuously, and finally, murdered them in cold blood.

Haruko was not a good person.

A tremor overtook Haruko as his mind tried to flee the dark places he had plunged it, and his grip tightened slightly on Asher's hand. She was the only thing anchoring him in this sane world. But he immediately took the pressure off, for fear she would feel it, ask him what was wrong. He knew that someday, she would have to know. But now, was not that day.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Asher. You don't know what it means to me..." he whispered, unsure if she had actually heard it. He glanced up at his large home as they came closer and closer. He smiled at her, changing his mood back to normal as quickly as possible. "We're almost there. Are you ready to meet the other Lawsons?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher looked up at him and smiled then glanced back at the house and let out a sigh of nervousness and nodded.

"I suppose I am." She smiled and squeezed his hand. She liked Haruko Lawson far too much and meeting his family was the most complicated thing she was having to do. She had never had a steady boyfriend, not saying she and Haruko were that far along. They had just made out. She wanted to go so far last night, she wanted him so bad, but yet she couldn't. She now realized this was what she had been missing by spending all her time consumed in work and in Roman.

"If they are anything like you, I will enjoy myself far too much." She was giving him compliments understanding how it felt to be outcast as someone bad, someone who didn't deserve what she was wanting to give him. She wondered if he was disagreeing with everything she had been telling him, that he was normal adn that he just had a few things different. She understood the complications he had to deal with, the arguments within himself he went through. To make him feel loved and normal was her goal because in reality she wanted to love him and all his faults for she had many as well.

She squeezed his hand tightly again as they drew closer she was now nervous as her body could allow. She hoped to God they'd like her and hoped they'd not find her odd for liking Haruko so much after the odd turn of events.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko's turned his eyes upwards as he approached the house. He mounted the steps up to the door and pulled out his key card. He reached out to unlock it when he heard a rather loud cat call come from inside. He paused and looked at the door. What were his brothers doing in there? It sounded interestingly like one or the other of them were giving the girls a rather enjoyable strip tease. Although he would not put it past Jiro, he prayed that they were not. Imagine what Asher would think if she saw his brother...

Haruko shook his head. Surely they weren't. Not in a home that didn't belong to them. Then again, Jiro had been having a tendancy to treat it as his own. Seeing as it did belong to his brother and Jiro already loved Haruko enough to adopt him and anything he owned as his own.

Haruko glaned back at Asher to see if she had heard it, but her face was imapassive. Looking back at the door and praying again that they were all decent when they walked in, Haruko slid his key card through the key slot and the door opened. Haruko pused it open, holding his breath.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro heard the sound of a keycard in the key slot and looked over his shoulder. The girls had worked him out of his pants and Taro out of his shirt. Jiro was having fun, and now that Haruko was back, maybe he would get in on it too. Wouldn't that be just the girls' luck if they got all three Lawsons naked.

Jiro sniggered at that thought and kept his eyes on the door behind him. He saw Taro turn around also, waiting for Haruko to come in. However, when the door swung completely open and Haruko was not the only one standing there, Jiro saw Taro's face go slightly white, and then a pretty shade of pink.

Jiro could not really see who was with his brother, but he could tell it was a female. Raising up a little to see who it was, Jiro looked back at Orange to see if she could also see the other person.

"Kyoudai? Iru no?" he called out to Haruko, even though he already knew it was his brother.

[Asher Perez]

Asher felt fear course through her body then suddenly go away by the time she entered the home. She was hearing all sorts of rucus coming nearby and she was excited to meet his family, especially Jiro whom she had spoken to once before. She stepped in and glanced around and when her eyes laid on the sight of two women and two men, one without a shirt the other...

"Oh..." Asher was shocked it came out of her mouth she was really wanting to laugh, but it came out in a tone that was more horrified than anything.

Asher's eyes looked at the man without a shirt and slightly took in his beautiful face, and chest, and made an assumption that he was very cute but the boy to his side...

"Jiro Lawson I presume?" She said with a slight laugh as she walked towards him, seeing something she'd never forget. "Nice....panties?" Asher's face must've been beet red because all she could feel was the blood in her body rushing straight to her face.

"Uh...hi. I'm Asher, we've spoken on the phone." She smiled through her shyness and reached out her hand hoping to God she had the right person.

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro smiled wide, getting up, really not thinking twice about the fact that he was pantsless until he stood and his brother stood next to him, shoving him in the shoulder. Jiro looked over and Taro had snatched his pants off the back of the couch, throwing them over to him.

"Your pants?" he said, somehow keeping a straight face. Jiro caught his jeans and laughed, sliding them on and buttoning and zipping them. He jumped over his pillow as his brother pulled his shirt on. Jiro looked at Asher and grinned wide.

"Hi, Asher!" he said, glancing at Haruko. "Anata oyobi kanojo ha koibito dearuka?" he asked. Haruko lifted an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Jiro..." he said repraochfully. Jiro shrugged then turned his attention back to Asher. He put his arms around her shoulders and squeezed her gently.

"Its nice to meet you, Asher!" he exclaimed. When he leaned back, he pointed to his other brother. "That is Taro, he is Haruko and my brother. That's his fiancee, Jesimae Phoenix. And that is my girlfriend, Orenji--mmm...Orange Diren." He looked back over at her. "We are really glad to see you."

[Asher Perez]

Asher laughed lightly, not really sure what to say to the awkward meeting in a lifetime. She moved out of the hug to be introduced to everyone playing what looked like strip poker. She looked at everyone with wide eyes that were alert, shocked, and interested all at the same time. So far she was enjoying herself and she hadn't even been there three minutes.

"Hi." She said to everyone, shaking their hands after repeating their names, a way that helped her remember. "I am sorry to have interrupted your alls game." She smiled at Jiro especially considering she saw more of him than any one else.

"I am glad to have finally met you, Jiro. After that phone conversation aside from Haruko you've been the only person on my mind." She bit her lip her truthfulness taking over her. She hated how honest she was and how she was unable to take things and shape them into something less bold. She felt her face grow red and she touched his arm. "I hope you don't mind me being so bold."

[Jiro Lawson]

Jiro laughed out loud, looking over at Taro who winked knowingly. Jiro grabbed his hand, and then took Haruko's and put them together, lacing thier fingers together.

"2 nin no roujin ha kekkon shiyoutoshiteiru!" he said to them, as they both laughed, and nodded to Jiro who ran hand through his hair and looked back at Asher. "Be as bold as you would like to be, love. We are Lawsons here...well...all but Orenji, but we all might as well be Lawsons, and we are about the boldest, most dysfunctional family you'll ever meet. We won't mind it."

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled and laughed apparently they were very loud and very open about things she wouldn't have imagined. She bit her lower lip not really knowing what to do, sure she could cut up and laugh and have a good time but...with strangers? She didn't want to call them that and actually didn't like saying that in her mind. Strangers that sounded so impersonal and so wrong. It didn't suit the Lawson's.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your fun and games. Haruko...may we speak for a moment?" She smiled at everyone letting them know that this wasn't something bad but mainly concerining where she was to sleep and if the family didn't mind. She hated being a pest more than anything in the world!

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko nodded, steering her away from his awkward family and into a room farther down the hallway, that was like a sitting room. Haruko closed the door behind him and turned, putting his back to it and leaning on it. He let out a sigh, wiping pretend sweat from his brow.

"Sorry about my little Jiro. I didn't know they were playing strip poker," he said, rolling his eyes slightly. Then he looked back at her. "What was it that you needed to talk to me about?"

[Asher Perez]

Asher laughed a little looser now and ran her hands through her hair. "You have such a cute family!" She smiled and hugged herself, imagining she was squeezing the life out of Jiro. He was so adorable, yes even in that pink lacey thong. She let out a sigh and walked over to Haruko and touched his shoulder.

"Trust me I have seen much worse." Asher wanted to touch Haruko for some reason, kiss him, do something to let him know she didn't think ill of him or his family just because they were playing a game...that somehow involved losing clothing. She squeezed his elbow and let her hand fall and she shrugged.

"I don't want to seem like a pest, Haru, but where will I sleep tonight? Are you sure that it is okay? I really don't want to inturde."

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko smiled down at her and blinked a few times, wondering why she was so worried about being a pest. Haruko thought there was no way in the world Asher Perez could ever be a pest. He nodded.

"Well, we have about three extra rooms, one down here and two upstairs. So any of those is fine. And of course it is alright. We all welcome you as our own family. We're Lawsons, its very difficult not to fit in with us somehow."

[Asher Perez]

Asher smiled feeling a bit better now that she had heard him say it was okay several times. She nodded and drew in a deep breath. "I will go get Roman a little later, right now I think I was a bit too shocked by Jiro's...unmentionables." She didn't know why but suddenly her mind moved to Haruko the night before, how she could've seen him in his unmentionables. Asher wasn't one to do things like that, but she knew that if given a chance she'd probably attack him at any given moment.

"Where do you sleep?" Asher glanced up at him with a crooked grin, sure that was very blunt but she was curious. Where did everyone sleep? Where was the most noise? She didn't care for noise, but if Roman wanted sleep he'd need to stay in the place where there wasn't that much rucus.

[Haruko Lawson]

Haruko laughed, more to himself than anything else. He tapped the wall behind him slightly, a nervous habit he had picked up from somewhere. For some reason, what she had said had made his stomach lurch, and a shiver go down his spine. Then again, it could have just been that it was cold in the room. But something about Asher made his stomach do a funny fluttery thing that it hadn't done since he was a teenager.

"I sleep right down that direction. Right at the end of the hall. Jiro and Orange sleep directly on my right and Taro and Jesimae right next to them. There is the one room down here right across from Jiro and Orange. And then the two upstairs right above them and Taro and Jesimae. Um..." he paused a moment, thinking about Roman and where a young boy would be wanted to sleep. He imagined somewhere where he couldn't be distracted from the sleep he was wanted to get. He pointed up to the cieling.

"The room right above Jes and Taro would probably be good for Roman. And if you would like, you can sleep in the room next to him. See, my brothers have a bad habit of laughing a little louder than they should after hours. But if you prefer to to sleep in the room next to me, you are welcome to it," Haruko explained. "We aren't an excessively loud family after lights out, so if you need quiet, you should be able to find it here." He smiled down at her, just because he could and then leaned back on the door, taking a deep breath, feeling as if he had just read a book.