I got you a gift!

The pair had agreed to meet in their usual spot at the willows. Iki and Kotori hadn't seen one another in a while and that was mostly due to the amount of responsibility she had taken on herself since Hattori's abandonment. There honestly wasn't much time for anything other than work and, being the industrious sort like she was, time off didn't often cross her mind. It wasn't right for one so young to be so busy, so when the invitation came, the girl easily accepted.

She left Willa and Tanuki behind, knowing that she would be safe with Kotori. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, especially not after he'd gone so far as to save her life. Since the departure of her father, Ikigai had packed away her elegant kimono's, so the young princess met the Armada boy without her usual garb. Her coat, however, was as pristine and white as the brightest, freshest snow. She had grown considerably more feminine, if possible. Coming upon her second birthday, Ikigai was close to being full grown.

The young lady padded into the clearing, searching for the familiar form of Kotori. She had changed a bit since they'd last met. Her eyes were significantly different and she was a little self conscious when it came to them. Following a meteor shower, both her eyes and her sisters had changed. Both had slit pupils like a snake. Iki's own had stayed brilliant silver, but were now marbled with thin, black lines.

Once her eyes fell upon the earthen brute, Iki's face lit up in a smile and she hopped over one of the small streams to get to him. "Kotori," she purred softly, giving her head a little tilt as she spied the tiger pelt that accompanied him.

"Ikigai"