Break

Author: Seth

"It is always infinitely preferable to take a break as opposed to breaking.
Unfortunately, some people must be forced to see this." 

 
"Oh c'mon, just a couple of rounds," Haru pleaded, hands clasped in front of himself, puppy dog eyes at the fore. "Please?"

"No, absolutely not." Taiki replied testily, eyebrows knitted in a frown, ruthlessly beating down a sudden desire to tug the blonde boy's cheek and go 'Awww~'. "I must have all these supply reports filled out by nightfall. I have no time whatsoever for simple, and to be perfectly honest, frivolous 'Track and Grapple' exercises."

"It's 'Tag', Taiki." Haru's eyes lost their unnatural shine as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "And it's not an exercise, it's a game."

"Even more reason for me to refrain from participating." Taiki turned back to his supply reports. "Due to my observations I am of the opinion that 'Games', as you call them, are nothing more than an elaborate method of wasting time and I see absolutely no reason why I should take part."

"But we already gave you a reason." Shion, who had been standing next to Haru, whined. "We need another player, and you need to get out and mingle with the guys, loosen up a little, have a little fun."

"I do not need to 'mingle' with the guys." The Talos prince bit out irritably. "I have to complete these reports or there will be dire consequences. What use will 'Fun' be to me in that respect?" Taiki cursed lightly as a particularly vicious brush stroke blotted the paper. "In fact, what exactly will 'Fun' do for all of your comrades who should, by all rights, be training?"

"Stress relief for one." Shion replied seriously before a grin spread across her face. "That way we don't all act like we've got a gigantic icicle shoved up our collective ass, unlike someone I could name~"

"I do not have an icicle shoved up my-" Taiki spluttered, reddening slightly at the purple haired girl's crass language. "Be that as it may," he coughed, regaining some of his composure, "I still believe that my stress level will lower a great deal more should I finish these reports on time instead of constantly putting them off."

Shion sighed dejectedly before tilting her head and giving Haru a malicious yet questioning smirk. A smirk of his own spread over the purple eyed boy's face as he gave her a quick wink in return, hastily tidying his expression into one of innocent cheerfulness as he turned back to face Taiki.

"Ahhh, that might be a bit of a problem~" Haru rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"How so?" Taiki asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion at the playful lilt in the cheery fool's voice.

"Well you see, I'm on laundry duty this week," Haru explained. "And if you don't come out and play with us, I just might get so depressed that I'd make… mistakes when washing certain clothes~"

Taiki's expression darkened. 'So this is their game' he mused.

"Perfectly understandable." The ebony haired boy responded magnanimously, the lessons on court wordplay surfacing from the depths of his memory. "I'm quite certain we can find someone who can relieve you of your duties temporarily, and failing that, a little dirt or a small tear never hurt anybody." Taiki started to relax.

"Come to think of it," Shion tapped her chin. "I think I misplaced my jar of itching powder along with the jars of soap in the laundry room."

Taiki blanched.

"I'm sure we can find it if we give the room a thorough search." The leader of Unit 8 started to sweat.

A sharp ring resounded through the cramped office. Shion had drawn her katana from its saya and was running an oiled rag over it.

"You'd do that? Just for me?" She asked in a disturbingly cute voice. "There has to be some way I could repay you." The rag followed a well worn path along the blade. "You said you needed to get rid of that paperwork, right? I could help you…" The yakuza girl looked speculatively from her katana to the paperwork piled on Taiki's desk.

Taiki gulped. Perhaps a little break was in order after all…