The enemy of my enemy...

[Cloud]

Rolling his eyes at her response, the hunter drove a stressed hand up through his golden locks; long blond spikes pushed away from his forehead before they fell heavily back into place. Pulling a somewhat disgruntled face, he rose a thin eyebrow before retorting in a quiet, almost sarcastic tone. "Sure you will..."

Easily side-stepping the blades, his expression dropped slightly. He hadn't intended on her getting angry. Least of all upset. Sure, they'd known each other for year upon year, but he presumed she wouldn't be effected by his departure. She'd just get a new teacher, or probably become one herself. It wouldn't be that big a loss....

Sighing quietly at her shaken words, Cloud's soft eyes followed her as she jumped onto a high rafter. "Mikaela..." he began, watching her sadly. Jumping up behind her, he hid himself from visability before dropping from a rafter above her head to hang the topside-down infront of her.
Smiling as confidently as he could, he poked her gently in the shoulder - his bangs dangling in gravity's pull.

"Whenever you're ready... You don't need my decisions," he grinned, ignoring the sensation of blood rushing into his head, even though his skin remained as pale as always. It was his way of trying to apologise. It wasn't easy for him to say the actual words of apology. "And I'm not old," he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest as he hung there.

[Mikaela Antony]

"I will.." Mikaela quipped back stubbornly, very much like an upset babe. She heard his half-plea of her name, and her resolve wavered for a brief moment. She swallowed the lump that appeared in her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. This was just stupid. She sniffed, taking in a breath, and exhaled. She found her breath to be very shaky and uneven as she sighed out, which only worsened things. Dammit, she would not cry. She wouldn't! But she was.

She fluffed some of her blond waves in front of her liquid topaz eyes and swallowed another lump before glaring at the wood beam in front of her. A moment later, it was Cloud's face...upside down. He'd snuck up on her and startled her, and she nearly slipped off the beam. She barely caught and righted herself, shaking from the start.

Mikaela frowned, more like grimaced, cynically in his direction. "I don't need your decisions anyway." she grumbled and turned her head away. Bully for her, except there were fresh tear marks down her cheeks she'd forgotten about. She crossed her arms grumpily in front of her chest and chanced another look at her favorite person in the world. Oh, hell, that was just plain stupid to think..but it was true, dammit. She knew he was trying to apologize, but it wasn't going to work, and she wouldn't accept it. No way, no how. She'd never accept his mortality, period. End of story.

But then, he pouted. And he most certainly did not look like an adult right now. She burst into giggles. "You look like a little kid! Oh my god!" She leaned back and ended up hanging upside down, her knees barely catching the weight of her body to stop her from falling. This only made her giggle more. So here they were, both hanging upside down, and she was giggling at her superior who was acting like a pouty little baby... Silly old man.

"Cloud... I love you." She managed between giggles. She continued, not entirely realizing what she had said, and it came out more as a friendly thing. There was deeper meaning, though, and it would only take moments for either of them to realize it and dart around the subject once they were both thinking clearly later.. well, one could only guess, at least. Perhaps Cloud had heard it better than Mikaela had.

[Cloud]

Parting his lips slightly with a saddenned gaze, the young hunter feigned offence at her grumbled words. "So you're just going to do what you want... all by yourself?" he asked softly, his arms still crossed in a moody fashion over his chest.

Raising both eyebrows at her sudden fit of giggles, Cloud fought against the impending smirk - trying to keep a straight face. "What so I'm old one minute and a kid the next? Jeesh, can't I just be myself?" he shot playfully, cerise lips breaking into a small smile as she slid back off of the rafter. At least she managed to catch herself. One more injury was not what he needed when he was trying to make it up to her.

"Cloud... I love you."

Falling into his own immerse of quiet laughter, the blond smirked inbetween his own mirf - jumping down to where she had previously sat and offering her a hand as he tried to stay stable. "I bet you do," he teased, still chortling as he knelt down on the wood and peered over at her. It took a few long moments before he sat back up suddenly, vividly-coloured eyes blinked slowly.

"Wait... W-what?"

[Mikaela Antony]

"Yes, And no, not allowed to be yourself" Mikaela giggled again happily. He really had looked like a pouty little child, and it amused her greatly. Ah, the irony of him being older was splendid. She saw him smirk, and then start giggling himself, which only made her giggle harder.

The amber-eyed Spaniard took his offered hand graciously and swung up to a sitting position again. She quietened her laughter, though it still racked her rib cage violently. "No, no, I didn't mean it that way." Mikaela smiled and slowed her breathing. "I mean, it would just be, well... I mean... " Mikaela shrugged. " I meant I never need your orders, but your company is nice." She shrugged, her blond hair falling over her shoulders and looking quite like a fur collar of a large jacket.

"Oh, how proud you are!" She shouted playfully at his quip about his bet. "You would be arrogant too, wouldn't you? Not just confident in your hunting skills, have to be arrogant in everything else, eh?" She smirked, her pretty pink lips turning up at the corners, and gave him a wry, sly little look.

But then the look in Cloud's gorgeous eyes changed to...what was that? Shock? What had she said?

"Wh-what? What did I say...?" A cool shiver ran down her spine, and she tried to run over everything she'd just said, but nothing hit or stuck. What happened?

[Cloud]

Jutting his bottom lip slightly, Cloud narrowed his gaze - only managing to half keep himself from his quiet laughter. "Fine... I'll just be you," he retorted playfully, blowing fallen bangs aside with his cool breath.

"Nah, you'd be fine on your own... I just... I guess I just like having you around," he sighed softly, shrugging slightly before smirking at the student besides him, "Someone to yell at," he added casually, trying to fix the two sentences together without seeming sheepish; even though a small, but noticable streak of the crimson tint was inevitabely making it's way across his cheeks.

"I'm the best..." he muttered in a quiet voice, blank eyes staring back at Mikaela. Did she not realise what she had just told him? Was it just a joke...? No, there was... there was something else there. She couldn't have meant it, could she? They'd known each other for what seemed forever, she couldn't just love him...

Could she?

Hesitating as he stared at her, Cloud let his gaze drop slightly as he bit his lip, "N-No... It's nothing, really."

[Mikaela Antony]

Mikaela snorted and rolled her eyes, propping her hands on her hips. "The best, give me a break. And yeah, you'd need someone to yell at, huh? Getting old makes people grumpy, that's what I've heard. Next thing you know, you'll be yelling at some kid about her ball getting kicked onto your lawn.." Mikaela smirked and eyed Cloud. Some sort of faint pink tinge was creeping to his cheeks.

"But you're dodging the issue.." Mikaela's eyes became suspicious. He stumbled over his words, saying it was nothing. She reached out and placed her hand on his softly. "Cloud, what is it..?" How could it be nothing? He was stuttering, and he was a bit flushed.. He couldn't be... blushing...could he..? Mikaela's brow furrowed in concentration, running over the last moment again.

She was laughing at him upside down, she fell, he helped her back up... Oh. Her pink lips formed a small "O" and her amber eyes widened as she turned toward Cloud, her own cheeks flushing now. Her breath stuck in her throat, and her ears started to buzz; her heart felt like it was in her throat. Had she really just said that? No, no, she couldn't have. Had she meant it that way?

Awkward..

The thumping felt like it was right in her throat, hammering against the buzzing in her ears, and she swallowed her heart back down loudly. She yanked her hand back, as if she'd almost been bitten, and jumped off the beam to a lower one, then to the ground. She landed hard and toppled over. She stood quickly, brushing herself off and stumbling around to gather her weaponry.

"I-I'm sorry.." she mumbled as she continued searching for her weapons. Dammit to hell, Cloud must have grabbed a few of her blades. She couldn't remember where she'd thrown them. Was she really sorry? Well, sort of. She had meant what she said, though she'd come to terms with that on her own time, but she was sorry for putting him in such an awkward situation. Now she'd have to transfer to a different teacher, and she didn't want that. But, she didn't want some weird awkwardness to rule things, either.

Unless... Unless Cloud felt something, too. He never blushed. Never. Had she just embarrassed the both of them, or did he like her, too? Mikaela shook her head, her blond waves ruffling with the movement, and continued stumbling around looking for her weapons. She couldn't possibly hope that... Her eyes kept darting around, proof she felt uneasy about her confession. Dammit, why did it slip? And worse, she had the urge to just jump back up there and plant one on him...kiss, that is. She was fighting it, but it was damn strong. If he got near her, she probably wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Oh, please don't come down after me, please.." She muttered to herself. If he did, she'd lose it.

[Cloud]

"I-It's nothing... r-really," he stammered, shaking his head and tearing his gaze away from the blonde besides him. It didn't matter, did it? If she couldn't remember saying it, maybe it wasn't true... Maybe she meant it just as a simple friendly greeting. Maybe it was just a joke, or she was just messing with him.

It was a pretty harsh joke.

Awkward joke.

Flinching suddenly as she yanked away her hand and parried down to the lower beams, Cloud stared ahead for a few moments in silent stupor - his expression blank.

Not a joke.

Peering over as she began picking up her weapons, the hunter sighed in a downy, light breath - swinging himself back off of the rafter and landing without such a scrape in the shadowed corner of the monastery.

Gathering the few blades she had thrown at him earlier whilst keeping to the cover of the darkness; Cloud ran a moonlight pale hand through his golden locks as he fingered a blade easily between his nimble fingers - tossing it suddenly into a framing-beam just behind her.

He followed quickly behind the blade, approaching and pushing her back roughly against the beam in a forceful manner. "Don't get to cocky, Antony... You don't wanna' make me yell more, do you?" he whispered, resting his forehead against hers and gently holding her wrist in place.

[Mikaela Antony]

Damn, he followed. He kept to the shadows, though, and that was a bit helpful... but not enough. Her skin still tingled where her hand had been on his. Not a good sign. Why had he followed? She heard him yank her blades from the beams. Dammit. That meant she'd have to get it back from him.

Her and what army, right?

Mikaela started as the blade whizzed past her hair, just barely missing her cheek. He did that on purpose.

"Ass" she muttered in her velvet voice.

She took in a sharp breath after having the wind nearly knocked out of her by Cloud. He'd slammed her into a beam. He had really slammed her into a beam! what on earth was his problem? Before she could voice her outrage, though, he practically growled a whisper at her. He was suddenly very close, and it made Mikaela shiver and blush at the same time.

"Cocky about what.....?" She meant it to come out loud, but it came out very, very soft. Too soft. Amazingly soft. Dammit, the desire was obvious in her voice, even to her. Point to Cloud. Still, dammit. She took in a sharp breath and looked into his cobalt eyes. Something was different. What the hell did he feel? She couldn't just kiss him, that would be foolish, but dammit.. She squirmed a little in his grasp, but she didn't break his hold. He was so close... She took in a slow, shaky breath, and she could smell him. Dammit, he smelled nice, too. She unknowingly moved her face closer to his, close enough that if she spoke, they might end up kissing.

Mikaela's pink lips parted, her breath wavering softly in and out. Her eyes were half-lidded and glazing over with want. Her breathing was shallow, but it still moved her slight form. She whispered, the words thick and her voice a bit husky. Dammit. "What are you trying to do to me, Cloud..?" She hesitated, her breath coming in short, shallow pieces. Her lips brushed Cloud's, her hands shifted to try to grasp his wrists. What was she doing?

[Cloud]

Uttering a soft almost feline-like purring, Cloud's feathery locks tickled her olive cheeks as she pressed his forehead closer against hers. Cobalt eyes lay half closed as he gazed down at the sweet, yet dangerous, creature he held so tightly to the beam.

"You know I'm the best," he smirked in a quiet undertone, letting his tainted stare lock with the topaz gemstones that shone so brightly in her eyes. "Prove me wrong... I dare you," he whispered, noticing the small movement with his trained eyes.

No, he had no idea what was going on in his mind. It was an impluse of his part; he was doing what he felt within. Feelings he had pushed aside in years gone past, somehow managed to bury away and forget, chose to reside in the forefront of his mind - controlling his actions and the wishful thinking that filled his head.

Catching her lips in return as they brushed against his, the hunter let his grasp on her wrists falter as he slid his hands down to link each finger with hers. He pulled back after the brief touch, letting his eyes silently ask for her permission before he tilted his head slightly to one side and parted his lips once more against hers.

[Mikaela Antony]

He was the cocky one, for sure, not her. The best, hmph. She could best him. Unless..was he referring to something else...? Mikaela could feel the heat rising in to her cheeks. Her heart fluttered erratically, her pulse fast and irregular. It felt like her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. That was nothing, though, against the touch of lips on hers. She shivered and blushed again. They were so soft, so warm, so inviting..

Her breathing came quick and shallow, but silent. Her pulse caught a steady beat, but sped up. She barely registered Cloud linking fingers with her, and that was an interesting sensation. He never did that. Mikaela relished it for a brief moment as Cloud pulled away from the kiss. His skin was just as soft and warm as his lips. Cloud gave her an odd look that she wasn't sure she quite understood. She probably looked a combination of dazed, pleased, and slightly confused herself. She didn't know what would happen next, how they would talk about it, but she didn't have to.

Cloud leaned in and kissed her again and, once again, her heartbeat became erratic, crazed. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she gently moved her lips against his. His were parted, hers weren't. Was he asking permission? Regardless, she granted it and parted her lips just enough that he could feel a little heat escape. She tried to remember to breathe, but that was too hard of a function to keep up at the moment. She intensified the kiss as much as she dared (which wasn't much), and rubbed the side of his arm with her index finger, still keeping the rest of hers interlocked with his. That was as far as she'd go without a signal from Cloud, though//the current one was pretty nice..