Getting into Trouble

[Demeter]

Dream glanced at Kura and smirked. "And it doesn't mean that I'm willing to call you my step-daughter but we're stuck together." She shrugged. "Enjoy the poison and don't worry about saving it for special occasions. My sister can always make more."

Once Kura was on her way to where ever she wanted to be, Dream turned to Rhystic. The location of the elopment was still in question. "Well, there's also Las Vegas but that's a little, I dunno, cliche?" Dream thought for a moment. "What about Hawaii? It'd be warm there and still far away from our fathers."

She leaned against one of the doors. "I've always wanted to to go Hawaii." she said and glanced at Rhystic out of the corner of her eye. She grinned at him. "Come on, We can find a gateway to either place quite easily I think." She grabbed his arm, barely gave him enough time to pick up his duffel and pulled him out of the house.

Now that she was getting to know him, not to mention the fact that she'd sprung the idea of an elopment on the guy, she was letting him see her more...friendly personality, the one she preferred around her sisters.

[Shinigami]

Rhy had a small smile on his face when Kuraku had come up to thank Dream for the poison. At least she would bend that far. And she wouldn't be forgotten, that would have to be reassured when they got back from their little adventure.

Rhystic turned to Dream when she started talking about Las Vegas, raising a brow, and then nodding in agreement when she called it cliche. He gave her Hawaii suggestion more thought. He had never actually gone there before, and it did seem sufficiently far away. Plus it was supposed to be relaxing.

When she tugged on his arm he found out how surprisingly strong Dream was. Either that or she was too excited to leave and he had been too distracted. Rhy had barely enough time to grab his bag, but he managed to hoist it over his shoulder. He caught up to her so she wasn't pulling on his arm any longer. "Well, I guess this is as good an excuse as any to go to Hawaii. Now to find a gateway."

[Demeter]

Dream sank her feet into the sand and watched as the sun set beyond the herizon. They'd feld to Hawaii and the marriage had been conducted in a quick ceremony with the help of a justice of the peace and his staff. They'd decided to take a few days before returning home. After the wedding, they'd sent off messages to their respective fathers with copies of the marriage certificants. They'd yet to recieve the replies they knew were coming.

At the moment though, Dream sprawled herself out on a quick section of beach. She'd changed out of the dress she'd worn for the ceremony and now wore a red, flower pattered skirt that was simply tied around her waist and a thin-strapped tanktop. The heat in hell was a more oppresive sort of heat but here she was comfortably warm.

There was still the whole wedding night issue to skirt around. She liked Rhystic, he seemed like a nice man even if he was a little antagonistic towards angels, but she didn't feel ready to take that last, giant step. But how to get around that? Fall asleep on the beach?

Dream smilied. She didn't think falling asleep out on the sand would be too hard. This section of beach was owned by the hotel and somewhat private. And, unlike most people, she was half-aware even when she slept. She turned her head and smiled when she saw Rhystic approaching. "Anything from the meddling old bastards yet?" she ask while sitting up. She kept her feet buried.

[Shinigami]

The marriage had been quick, to the point, and rather painless. Rhystic thought he would have been more nerve-racked at actually going through with it, but the fact that it was so informal helped tremendously. After their taunting letters were sent home and they had a place to stay while they relaxed, the two had split up for a bit.

He had contemplated getting a room with two beds, still unsure about how comfortable Dream would be with them sharing one, but he figured it would seem too suspicious for two newly weds to not be sharing a bed. Rhy got a king size instead, plenty of room for them to have their own space.

Rhy had changed into jeans, the bottoms of which ended up getting rolled up to look like flood pants, and a t-shirt. He explored around the hotel a bit, as he always liked to know what was in the area and how to get there. Dream had mentioned heading off to the beach, so that's where he headed when he had finished his exploration.

As Rhystic trudged through the sand, barefoot with sneakers in hand, he spotted Dream easily enough. That section of the beach was fairly deserted, which he was greatful for. Rhy returned her smile as he approached and sat down next to her, setting his shoes off to the side and leaning back onto his elbows. "Nothing yet, but to be honest, I haven't actively been checking. But I'm sure we'll know when they reply."

[Demeter]

Dream snickered. She knew that her father would be beyond steamed when he got the message she'd sent. She was just glad that she'd made sure to include no trace about where she was staying. The marriage certificate may have said Hawaii but she'd never said where they were bunking. She kust hoped that her mother could keep the idiot away and busy while they were lounging in the Hawaiian sun.

She glanced at Rhy. "So, just because we're married do we have to sleep together. Cause it's not like we did this out of love but rather out of revenge though I'm sure that the justice of the peace would have refused on those reasons."

Dream laughed and dropped back onto the sand. Just the thought of anyone marrying anyone just for revenge seemed so silly. She stretched out and yawned. She thought of the king sized bed and then she thought of the whirlpool tub included with the king-sized bed. She shrugged those thoughts off. She wanted to lay in the sun and sand for a while longer.

[Shinigami]

Rhystic was a little shocked that Dream had come right out and asked if they would have to sleep together. It was true that they had married in order to get a little revenge against their parents, but they didn't exactly -hate- eachother either, otherwise they would have simply avoided each other at all costs.

Rhy sighed and laid back in the sand, tucking his hands behind his head. "Of course we don't have to sleep together. And I won't ask you to. Not even after this. I know this situation isn't very conventional. And I'm quite sure that the justice of the peace would have refused if he'd known -why- we were getting married."

He paused, just laying back in the sand. Even if they knew they wouldn't be sleeping together, sleeping in the same bed had the potential to get a little awkward. The room that came with the nice large bed was also nice in its own right and had a fairly comfortable looking sofa. "If you don't feel comfortable sharing the bed I can sleep on the sofa. I've slept in worse places."

[Demeter]

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. I'm sure that we can erect a barricade of pillows or something." Dream glanced at Rhystic from over her shoulder. "We should get used to sleeping in the same bed. I can't see us tricking your father into believing that we are sleeping in the same room by going into the same room at night and then one of us running willy nilly into a different room."

Dream rolled onto her stomach, shoving hands and feet into the sand. She stared at Rhystic. Seeing him here, out of hell, was a nice sight all together. He seemed so much more relaxed when not bothered by the duties required of a Custos lord. "So, what should we do with our vacation?"

[Shinigami]

Rhystic couldn't help but laugh as he imagined a wall of pillows between them. It was quite an amusing thought, but he got himself under control quickly. Rhy still had a hint of a smile on his face as Dream sad they may as well get used to sleeping in the same bed. He raised an eyebrow at her use of 'willy nilly' and glanced over at her. "My father will be pissed enough that we did this, so he might take to watching us like a hawk. Though, we could always just fight a lot."

The smirk on his face as he glanced over at Dream was enough to give away the fact that he was joking... but was willing to go along with it if needed. Rhy closed his eyes and just soaked up the sun for a bit. He opened his eyes to glance at Dream when she spoke again. At that moment he realized just how little they knew about each other. "I don't know.. I guess that all depends on what you like to do."

[Demeter]

Dream grinned. "What I want to do is sleep, actually get warm for once, sleep some more, and taunt my father. Maybe see some of the sights." Dream rolled around in the sand, enjoying the sand warmed material. "I can never get warm. Something about being a creature destined to rip angels from their fluffy-ness because they do stupid things and escorting the scarred souls of people to where ever they belong. That and the Rivers of Hell are freaking cold." Dream shuddered. She'd fallen into those rivers more then once when a unruly fallen tried to get away.

Dream tossed her hair over one shoulder, wondering if it was possible for her skin to tan or if she would just burn. She glanced over at Rhystic. She'd bet anything that he'd tan and get a lovely one too. He was probably like that. "What about you? Surely you'd want to do something other then nothing."

[Shinigami]

Sight-seeing sounded fairly interesting to Rhystic. He had seen a little of the more urban sights as he wandered around earlier during his quest to find out where things were. Nature had always been something he loved, and Hawaii sure had a lot of natural areas still left untouched. Maybe they could check out a volcano, as well. He glanced at Dream as she spoke of having difficulty getting warm. Rhy frowned, not seeing how anyone part Angel could do such a job. It just seemed illogical.

When she asked what he wanted to do, he hummed, thinking for a moment before answering. "Well, sight-seeing is definitely on my list. I'd like to see one of the Hawaiian volcanoes. Though, just doing nothing sounds rather refreshing, it may be too boring for being in such a beautiful place. Maybe swimming, in the ocean, but it's a little late for that..."

[Demeter]

Dream stretched out on the big, fluffy king sized bed. They were going into the evening of their third night in Hawaii. They'd hiked, swam, and run around like crazy tourists. They'd even gotten to know each other a little more. Rhystic had defiantly learned about her fear of spiders. She'd seen a big spider on their hike. She'd screamed and jumped on Rhystic's back. The after effects had been a bit awkward.

Spiders were nasty, evil things. They made her do things she wouldn't normally do.

Dream, having taken a nap before dinner, sat up, grinning when she sank into the sinfully soft bed. She was dressed in her usual sleeping uniform of men's boxers and a ribbed tanktop. She bounced over to her suitcase and dragged out one of the flirty little dresses her sister's had shoved on her. The resturant in the hotel was a dressy place and she felt underdressed wearing whatever.

She took the dress and bounced into the bathroom. After showing, Dream dressed, fixed her hair, and headed out to the main room to put her shoes on. Rhystic, already dressed for dinner was waiting for her. Dream grinned at him and headed for the heeled sandles she'd purchased in the hotel giftstore. The dress her sister's had forced on her was a shiny blue color that just skimmed her knees and was held up by a thin pair of straps. She'd managed to sweep up the heavy length of her hair up into a knot.

"Hey," she said while sitting on the bed and sliding her feet into the sandles. "Ready for dinner? Any messages yet?"

[Shinigami]

Rhystic DeLuge was actually having -fun- for once. He and Dream were actually getting along, and had even been learning little things about each other. Like Dream being afraid of spiders. That one had amused him, especially after she had jumped onto his back. If the situation hadn't gotten a little awkward after that he would have half jokingly offered her a piggy-back ride for the rest of the hike.

She had also gotten to see one of his fears. Drowning. While he was a fairly good swimmer, the rip-tide in Hawaii was considerable stronger than he had expected it to be and he had gotten pulled out into the ocean a little further than he had wanted. One wave and crashed right over top of him, which had disoriented him and forced him under. He was out of the water as soon as he could manage after that and simply sat on his towel on the beach and watched Dream swim.

At least it had given him the opportunity to tan a bit. And he didn't even burn first.

Rhy had been dressing in lighter clothes to blend with the locals a little better while they had been there, and today was no exception. He wore nice khaki pants and a light blue polo shirt. He had dressed for dinner earlier, while Dream was taking her nap, and had been wandering around and checking to see if they had any messages. When he thought he had given Dream enough time to nap and get ready he went back to the room. He found her dressed, but barefoot, so he waited for her to put on her shoes.

"I got ready while you were napping earlier. And we have one message, though its for you. I think my father is still in shock, but Lord Darius must be worried." He handed her the message once she had gotten her sandals on.

[Demeter]

Dream actually stuck her tongue out at the message. "He's not happy with me. Wanted a big family celebration. Well, to bad for him. It's a good thing that I like you," she said to Rhystic, "more then I used to. That and you didn't laugh at my spider phobia. Mean old Reaper scared of spiders." she muttered to herself while walking down to the resturant, escorted by Rhystic.

Most of the hotel staff knew that she and Rhystic were newlyweds so it required them to put on a bit of a show. The moment they stepped into the plush resturant, Dream leaned against Rhystic's arm and pretended to be completely besotted by her new husband. She had no problem with the touching, just the intimacy.

The wait staff escorted them to one of the better tables and Dream scooted on in. Once they were settled, and the wait staff were away, she turned to Rhystic. "Are you happy that we did this? I mean, it's not like we had any choice. It was either our way or theirs."

Dream leaned back against the padded chair and sighed. "If I know my father he'd have me walking down the aisle in a fluffy princess dress." she snorted. "With bows"

[Shinigami]

Rhy chuckled as Dream stuck her tongue out at the letter from her father in a child-like manor. He gave a little smile when she mentioned it being a good thing she like him... more than she used to. Of course, he liked her more than he used to as well, so that helped. When she mentioned her spider phobia he glanced off to the side, because he had honestly almost laughed at her...

As they made their way into the restaurant they both fell into their 'we're a happy newlywed couple' routine. While Dream leaned into him, he slid his arm around her waist and leaned into her. Rhystic hoped he looked convincingly like he was being touchy as well as protective of his new wife. Once they were seated and left alone he glanced up as Dream questioned him. "Well, I'm not unhappy. And this was definitely the best of the two choices for us, instead of having to do this the traditional way."

Rhystic shuddered at the thought of Dream in a big fluffy princess dress, with bows. Mainly because he knew if she had been dressed up like that, his father would have made sure he had been in a tux to match. When a waiter approached their table he was looking up to tell the man they needed more time to look over the menu, but when he was handed a message the waiter explained. "This is from the front desk, Sir. They said it was very urgent."

He glanced over at Dream before looking at the folded message he had taken. He nodded to the waiter and waited until he was gone to open it. It was from his father, but he read on. His eyes narrowed a bit with annoyance and anger, but soon were widening with worry. Rhystic looked up at Dream. "Kuraku. She's disappeared. We need to go home. Now."

[Demeter]

Dream hurried up to the hotel room. Rhystic would settle the bill while she saw to his things. The moment after he'd said that Kura was missing, she'd scrambled from her seat. Though she didn't really like the girl, Kura had, to Dream's knowledge, always been findable. For her to be missing, something must happened during their absence from Hell.

She stuffed belongings into bags, not carrying if any of her things ended up in Rhystic's bag or the otherway around. Once she had their bags packed, only slowing down long enough to carefully store the few breakable trinkets they had purchased during their vacation, Dream headed for the lobby. She turned in her keycard and then headed to where Rhystic was waiting for her.

Finding the gateway was easy enough. It was in the little town they'd landed in but cleverly hidden to look like part of the surrounding landscaping in the little town park. Like most Earth Level gateways, it was unguarded and could be keyed to any location. Once they'd popped into the seventh layer, Dream turned to look at Rhystic. "Did the message say anything else? Is she in hell, heaven, Earth?"

[Shinigami]

Rhystic had informed their waiter, who had been standing near by, that they would not be dining that night before he headed straight for the front desk. Dream had gone back to the room to collect their things, and he felt a minor pang of guilt at having her pack everything, but his was too worried about his daughter and it seemed the fastest way to leave. He settled their room and any other charges they had and waited for Dream by the doors of the lobby.

When she had dropped off her key and walked over to him, he immediately took his bag as to not make her carry it back. They did not chit-chat on their way back. In fact, neither of them said anything until they arrived in the 7th layer, and even then Dream asked about what else was in the letter. "My father doesn't know. Only that she can't be located. He said he was holding Caspian for me to question."

That worried Rhystic. He had known who Caspian was the moment he petitioned for a place in the army. He knew he was the only survivor of the Dusek family, and that it had been the Himura's, Kuraku's family, that had been responsible for him being an orphan. Rhy had accepted Cas because of his skill, but he had always worried the Custos would find out. He sighed. "I think Caspian found out the truth about Kuraku. And if he hurt her..."

[Demeter]

Dream, in a move to, at the very least, understand the woman who would be her step-daughter, knew the bare bones of the situation. It had been easy for her to find out if Rhystic had fathered any children; her sister being married to his younger brother and all. Dream, upon hearing Rhystic basically confess that his two generals had, at one point, been on opposing sides, skidded to a half. "Wait a minute. Your two generals are the two....He's the only survivor of the...Her birth family are the ones who did the..." Dream trailed off, shaking her head.

She hurried to catch up with the man. "And I thought my family was high on the dramatics scale. Atleast we have no near blood fights going on. Crazy stepmothers and a bunny rabbit for a father yes, but nothing like that." she muttered as she walked. "I can help look for her. Send out a message with the Reapers. They are all over heaven, hell and earth. They'd be able to keep an eye out for her."

[Shinigami]

Rhystic eyed Dream as she began to put all the pieces together. He was a little annoyed at her comment about his family being dramatic, though he probably found it more annoying because of his agitated and worried state. "Kuraku had nothing to do with those attacks! She was just a child, the same age as Caspian was! Angels had been holding her captive..."

When Dream mentioned the Reapers looking for Kura he whipped his head around. "No! I mean... if she's hurt, or scared... No Angels. And no men, no matter what blood runs in their veins." He sighed, muttering to himself, "I need to call Hawk..." just before squaring his shoulders, taking on a soldier's posture as his home came into view. There were even guards waiting at the door to let them in.

[Demeter]

"Geez, it's not like I was going to say hold and detain the girl. We can blend in you know. How else would we catch skittish fallen angels? And I never said that Kura had anything to do with those attacks. It's like the family of those monsters blaming me for their deaths. Not that they didn't deserve it." Dream muttered the last part as she followed Rhystic into the house.

It seemed that they would be returning to their previous behavior not that they were back in hell where Rhystic would be the big, bad Custos lord and she the woman with angel blood in her veins. It wasn't that she didn't understand about Rhystic caring for Kura; he'd been her father for years and she his daughter. Obviously Kura rated high then her at the moment.

The reapers had their uses. They were present on every layer of heaven, hell and roamed earth in droves. She knew that many people used reapers as spies and paid them well. They were good at blending and very few cared for the beings who were neither Custos or angel. As Rhystic walked off towards the business part of the house, Dream walked towards the room she'd been given. It seemed that she would just be in the way until something could be done.

"I'll just be in my room then." She called over her shoulder. It seemed that Hawaii would be a nice memory.

[Shinigami]

Rhystic winced a bit as Dream responded to his little outburst. He was over-reacting, he knew, but Kuraku's safety might be at stake, and he didn't need a male reaper or an Angel sending her off the deep end. Rhy wasn't sure how much of the story he had actually told Dream. He would have to find out, and tell her the rest if needed, but later. After he had seen Caspian.

He began to stalk towards his father's office, not noticing that Dream wasn't following him. He stopped and turned when she called out that she was going to be in her room. Rhy didn't know why he had expected her to follow, but he let her keep going and turned to continued his stalking. There was another set of guards outside of his father's office, and as he approached they also opened the door for him. He walked in to see Marrus leaning back against his desk, in his Custos form, with his arms crossed over his chest, and Caspian was kneeling on the floor. He looked doubled over, like he had been hit, recently.

Caspian looked up as Rhy walked in and his eyes widened, "I barely even touched her! She just freaked out and ran!" Rhystic's eyes narrowed as the guards closed the door behind him. "That means you still touched her, correct?" Cas sat up, but as soon as he did Rhystic hauled him up to his feet by his shirt and slammed him against the wall, pinning him there with a forearm to the throat.

Faced with the blood red eyes of a Custos whose only daughter was missing, Caspian relayed the whole story. He had wanted to avoid as little harm to his person as he could. Rhystic stalked out to the library to cool off before he did anything rash.