Of Times Since Passed (open)

[Dream Wolf]

Dream went and changed. He was arguing with Fang the whole time he change, so instead of just taking five or so minutes, it took him ten...

Tell her. Tell her what I feel. If you don't I'll tell her myself. I can do that now, Dream, you know I can...Fine, PLEASE tell her. Come on? Just because you cant handle your feelings for Max doesn't mean you have to keep me from experiencing love...Bastard.

Dream sighed as he told Fang NO over and over. He finally got out of the locker room and nodded to Kris smiling. "Let's go, even Fang likes to get pampered now and then, so he should be content with that."

Fang surged to the surface long to enough to get one word out. "I-"

Dream reasserted his control. "Sorry, he is afraid you'll think he's gay or something..."

[Deleted]

Kristina nodded to Dream when he told her they should go, she walked with him and nods her head to his comment. She then heard Dream say something before Dream claimed that Fang was worried about her thinking he was gay or something. "I'm not bothered if he is gay." She stated, not getting the hint that Dream was hiding something from her. As they walked she was pulled into her own thoughts, she felt disconnected from the rest of the world, blame it on the fact that she didn't have her brothers anymore, what is worse is one was her twin. She felt so lonely with him not around, making it impossible for her to hear him laugh or tease her. I'm sorry I couldn't save you... She closed her eyes for a brief second before opening them back up so that she could see where she was going. "Which one first?" She asked Dream, trying to break the silence that seemed to be between them.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream chuckled. "He's not gay, but he thinks that spa days are for women and gays, he gives me grief about it, but you gotta remember we don't just share a body, we share a mind. He thoroughly enjoys having Stacy work the kinks out of our spine. And the Swedish hot stone massage? Heavenly, pretty sure Luz gave Stacy her gift for massage, though shes not actually gifted."

Dream lead the way to the massage parlor, the name on the sign simply read 'Stacy's' and had an image of a rolled, steaming towel. Dream opened the door and called in. "Stacy, it's me, Dream, and I brought a friend, hop that's okay..."

"Dream come in shut the door. You and your friend are welcome, always, after you fixed that damnable pipe that feeds the bath." A rather large woman came out of a back room, she was not large as in fat, but large as in, most people thought she was the descendent of the mythical Giants of Norwegian legend. She was so large, and so heavily muscled (yet still feminine to look at) that she looked like she could take on a Brute and win. "Will you take the usual Hot stone and a soak? Also if you soak, the women's baths are being cleaned and the men's bath is acting up, so we only have the mixed baths left."

Dream paused at that news. "I'll leave it up to Kris. I don't have an issue with it, honestly, I mean I grew up soaking in your mixed baths, Kris however is from a prim and proper background, probably hasn't been in a mixed bath situation for years." He flinched as he said it, wishing he could take the words back, since anyone who had kids knew that the only time a child was in a mixed bath was with siblings.

[Deleted]

Kristina listened as Dream claimed he wasn't gay, she was tempted to find out who Fang liked, if anybody at all but decided not to ask. "Oh I see. So he likes who you like." She teased, not realizing what the comment would mean to Dream. Kristina stayed quiet, allowing Dream to do all the talking, Stacy told him to close the door and she was closer so she did it instead. A lady came out and she couldn't help but be surprised, that woman looked like she could hold her own against Darkness if the time ever called for it. Stacy asked Dream if he would like the usual and explained the woman and men's bath, leaving just the mixed left. Dream then said it was her choice and she was about to answer until the comment had slipped from his mouth.

She put on a fake expression, "I wouldn't say years." She paused, "More like months... Nicholas loved going to places like this, we went to one just before moving to this town." Which would explain why Stacy hadn't met her yet. She found herself glancing at the ground. They had been planning on making a trip down here, before Nicholas and Garrett got murdered that is. "Mixed will be fine." She answered, pulling herself from her sad thoughts. "Not a bad guess though." She answered finally, choosing to change the subject. "How much is this?" She just remembered that she didn't have any change in her wallet, only her card, that Dream requested her to avoid using.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream let out a mental sigh of relief, She hadn't been upset, at least not too much. He gave her a look of amusement when she asked about cost.

"Stacy never makes me or my friends pay. It's a trade of services, I fix the pipes of the baths when they break down, and she gives me and my friends free massages and the soak comes with it. I used to come here with my parents a lot, and my mom and Stacy used to be sparring partners. I mean my mom wasn't exactly a big woman, but the only one who could hold out against her with a sword was Stacy. And just so you know Stacy is Master Callus's sister." Dream took Kris by the hand and pulled her to the women's changing room and pushed her inside. "There are robes inside, pick one you like and put it on. Then go through the door on your left, that's the massage room, I'll be waiting for you there."

He went to the men's changing room and quickly undressed and pulled on a robe, he tied it securely, not wanting anything inappropriate to happen. He really did see Kris as a sister, and in all honesty, being in the mixed bath with her would be little different to when he, Candy and his childhood friends would do the same. He smiled a bit as he remembered that Cassy would be coming home soon, she had won her fencing competition and was now world champion, so he had something to talk about with her.

He entered the room and sat on the left most table, Stacy and another woman, Grace, waked in just before him and were preparing their work stations with oils and creams, and they both added water to the stone steamers for the coming massages. He smiled at Kris when she did walk in and nodded at the other table. "You're going to love this."

[Deleted]

Kristina was a little bit surprised but not by much when Dream said they would trade off, him fixing the pips for free massages and soaking. "Oh I see." She answered, glad to meet Stacy. Dream took her hand and she followed him until he pushed her inside. Telling her to pick a rope and then to come out on her left. She slowly went towards the ropes and picked one at random, before changing into it. She then slowly walked towards the left and came out to see Dream was meeting her where he had told her he would. She looked at the other table and slowly walked towards it before sitting down. Smiling when he told her that she was going to love this.

Since Grace was giving her the massage, she waited for her to tell her what to do before laying on the table. It was easier than assuming that she knew what was coming. It felt nice having a back massage though, since it had been a little while since she had a massage last. She tried forcing herself to relaxed but it was hard not thinking about her brothers.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream could sense the tension in Kris, and he focused his absorb on the energy of her tension, drawing it out and into himself, he was able to convert that energy, but for most people Tension was tension. He let himself relax a bit, the massage was wonderful, and he could feel the stiffness from his recent excessive exorcise. He blamed himself for the deaths of Kris brothers, and had been punishing his foolishness. He was getting up even earlier, and running until he puked or passed out, his usual one hundred pushups became two hundred, and he did situps until his abs cramped beyond use.

When the massages ended he was almost sorry, but then the thought of the long soak in the natural hotsprings behind the building perked him up. He got up and almost fell down as he had become so used to the tension in his body he was unable to make his muscles work now that they were relaxed. He walked over to Kris and held out his hand. "We both need this, don't be shy now."

He tilted his head and smiled, almost teasing, but not quite. He guided her to the bath, which was open air with high walls on either side. There was no one else there. He walked over to an area thick with fog, being mindful that Kris might prefer at least some privacy. He climbed into the bath and waited for the sounds of her getting into the water to finish, before he spoke. "Me and Candy used to come here all the time, and my childhood friends, Cassy and Roxxy. I was worried you wouldn't want to be in the bath with a guy you barely know, but for me, mixed bathing is normal..."

[Deleted]

Kristina noticed the tension leaving her and she came to realize it was from the help of Dream. She opened her eyes to look towards Dream and smiled at him before closing her eyes again. It would become much easier for her to relax now. Thoughts of her brothers were still there but just the memories of their faces, she pushed the thought from her mind when it became to much to think about. When the massage ended she slowly shifted to her feet, now standing, she took Dream's hand and followed him. A small blush on her face when Dream wasn't looking. How am I not supposed to be shy? I've only ever done this with my brothers....

She forced the red to flush from her face, as to avoid being noticed. She wasn't sure if he noticed her face before she had changed face expressions because it still felt hot to her. Dream had let go of her hand and walked into a thick fog. She got in, instead of going over towards him. When she was in the water all the way she heard him speaking to her. "It is fine Dream." She answered him back, he was like a brother to her after all. Though she had just met him she knew she could trust him. It was becoming a whole lot easier for her to relax. No more worries, not right now.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream let the water soak into his flesh, feeling the heat all the way to his bones. He almost submerged his head, but then an idea hit him, as relaxed as they both were he decided to ask her a question, one that was close to his heart lately.

"Kris, please be wholly honest with me...Do you hate me for what I did? I mean, I know we are trying to relax, but, it hurts not knowing...If I had stayed with your brothers they would still be alive. Not only did your brothers die, but so did the two Chasers watching them." He asked it quietly, not sure if she would even hear. Even as he asked this question Fang was being his usual self and trying to get Dream to move closer for a peek. Dream was disgusted by this, as he truly saw Kris as a sister, and felt that trying to think of her as any other girl would be as difficult and twisted as doing so to Candy.

[Deleted]

Kristina was deep in thought, since silence seemed to come between them. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Dream asked about her brothers. "I don't hate you." Kristina answered him back, looking towards the fog where he was hiding. "You left them to come for me." She corrected him, "My brothers.... even if you had been with them. They... she would have killed you too...." She looked away, "You made them not die in vein." She answered him, "Don't push yourself Dream. My brothers wouldn't want that." She closed her eyes, "I punish myself too, it needs to stop." She opened her eyes and smiled at Dream, not sure if she would follow her own advice or not but she didn't go out of her way to prove that to Dream or Candy. She took in a breath, feeling like she had one brother left and she wasn't about to lose him to depression.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream settled. "Thats good to know..." He sighed. He was trying to be relaxed, but something was nagging at him and for once it wasn't Fang. Some memory was tugging at his subconscious and he couldn't quite grip it. It was driving him crazy as he tried and failed to figure out what it was. Then Fang started pushing images into his head about what may lay beyond the steam and he was further distracted, which only served to aggravate him more.

He was about to yell at Fang out loud when the memory came back to him. He'd been in this very bath just three months ago. He had pushed this to the back of his mind, not wanting to think about. Cassy had confessed to him...He had climbed out of the water and she had confessed right there. But he only thought of her as a sister, just like with Kris. That had been the last time he had seen Cassy before she had left for her Fencing Competition. She had been dwelling on that rejection for almost a three months...

"Kris. I need to ask another question. How do you apologize to a female friend who confessed her love to you, you rejected her saying you saw her as a sister, and she left without word and was gone for a few months?" He asked quietly again but his voice held a taint of fear to it. He was terrified that Cassy would hate him or might get sick, she had always been fragile with her iron issues. And despite her real strength he had always been protecting her from others...and he had probably delivered the biggest blow of her life. He slowly explained all of this to Kris...He couldn't even ask Candy about this, she was always wary of Cassy, but Cassy had been good at hiding her thoughts...

[Deleted]

Kristina listened to his question but she wasn't sure how to answer it. She went a few minutes of not saying anything, deciding it would be easier for her to try and come up with an answer instead of giving the easier one. Her mind continued coming up blink and she sighed. "I'm sorry Dream, I don't know the answer to that question, but I feel like if she had confessed to you that she must have liked you a whole lot and I don't believe she would have thrown it all away just because of your comment." She answered him back, wanting nothing more than to hug him, but now was not the time for such a thing.

Perhaps when they were leaving. She tried relaxing, but it once more was slowly starting to become harder for her. I wish you guys were still here. She blinked a few times and sighed, trying to force herself to relax, unsure of when time would be up. She figured Dream or Stacy would remind her, "Do you always move into the fog, Dream?" She asked, trying to change the subject. It seemed strange for him to do so, when he was going here all the time with others.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream liked the answer, it gave him hope. He question though made him smile. "I was trying to be courteous of you, I wasn't sure if you'd feel comfortable with me able to see you. I mean, with Cassy, I saw her naked all the time, our parents used to swap babysitting days, so I literally grew up with her like that. Not to bring up painful memories, but I guess it was like we were twins or something...I always saw her as a sister, and to think of her as anything else...well I guess it would be like if you had tried to think of Nicholas a just a guy. It's just weird..."

He moved through the water so he could see her, and she could see him, but still kept his distance. "To be honest, I see you the same way...You aren't just some girl I met less than a month ago, you're family, and I realy don't have a lot of family anymore. My grandparents died before I was born, my parents of course, they've been missing for over a year now, and everyone says there is no way they survived that storm. Cassy, Roxxy, Candy, and you, that's what I have for family right now."

[Deleted]

Kristina glanced towards Dream when he came out from the fog, "Well, it is slightly strange, but I'd like to think I'd get used to it. I never had a problem with my brothers before." She answered him back, though her way of solving the naked problem was just to not look. Simple as that. "Yeah I know the feeling, I wouldn't ever look at Nicholas like that, so for Cassy to feel like that to you it must have been strange. Though to her, she might have saw you as more than just a brother. Can't blame her seeing as she wasn't exactly related to you. Though it is sad that she liked you a lot and you only liked her like a sibling. Hopefully you two can work it out."

It was nice to hear that Dream saw her as a sibling more than a friend, though it was also nice to know that they agreed on it and it wasn't just one of them thinking it. "I've never met Cassy, or Roxxy. They sound real nice though." I have Dream, Max, Candy, Isidore.... hopefully this list will grow. Oh yes... whether he likes it or not I have Fritz.... She decided Fritz at the last moment though. "You know us, got to keep our family safe." She agreed, smiling towards Dream as she thought of them. Isidore was the only one on that list she truly was worried about, he wasn't able to protect himself like anybody else.

[Dream Wolf]

Dream smiled at her. "I hope she can forgive me. She should be home soon, I just hope her dad doesn't find out about her confession, he hasn't said anything, but he might be waiting for Cassy to have her words with me before he kills me..." Dream didn't think that the man would actually kill him, but the swords-master did not really like or trust Dream, he only let his daughter be Dream's friend because she had sobbed uncontrollably when he had tried to end their time together. She had sobbed so much she vomited actually.

"You know, I hate to talk like this when we are supposed to be relaxing, but I want to talk about Cassy. The first time we met, I was about a year old, she was a month younger than me. It may seem odd but I actually remember stuff from that far back. She was so small, even though she was close to the same age. She was born with a rare disorder that makes her body not able to metabolize iron on its own, she has to have it infused with certain enzymes to make it work, but the best way has always been to drink specially prepared animal blood. When we were seven, two years after I merged with the pipsqueak that became Fang, a trouble maker attacked Cassy. That was the first time Fang ever took over my body. He...he beat that trouble maker until it was nothing but thick ooze. That was when I realized what he was, he wa-"

He was cut off as his eyes darkened to green, Fang had something to sy and this time he would not be stopped. "I was protecting her! She was the only one who called me something other than IT and abomination! She was MY friend to-"

Dream took control, it was hard, but he managed it. At least Fang hadn't been able to mention that he loved Kris...