From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/27/2007 14:01:33

What Miya didn't know. What no one knew was the dastardly doings that were going on among the students of Salem Academy. Mr. DeVries was asked to watch over a crowd of young Lesser Schoolers during a recess break. The students were playing freeze tag. A simple enough game, made all the more deadly by the fact they could actually freeze each other with ice bombs.
There were guards over the field and he was there to make sure he could unfreeze the children in they should get stuck. It seemed like a bad idea at the time, but the teachers insisted the children needed exercise.

He stood watching. When one of the little boys being chased panicked and cast a huge petrifying spell on the bully. Anger amplified Magic to such a degree that the sky ripple with power. Kanaan reacted before he could think and stepped in front of the boy.

And in that moment he was completely petrified. He couldn't even put his foot on the ground. His mouth hung open.
The children gasped. And whispered to each other. But before anyone could blame them all ran away squealing. Now he was in the dampening field with the inability to move. How powerful could a child's spell be after all.
He stood agape in the field.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/27/2007 15:03:01

Still humming, Miya made his way down the various halls and glanced out the window on whim.

Pausing, he stopped and glanced outside again, a brow raised high. Was that..?

Without another moment of hesitation, he quickly walked down the stairs and out into the school fields. And there stood Kanaan. Well. Sort of. More like petrified. Dropping his bag, he quickly drew out the symbol for "unbind" onto Kanaan's back with a finger, laying his palm against it to activate the magic and unbind Kanaan.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/27/2007 15:47:42

"Detention for everyone of you who thought it would be funny to stick me in the ladies changing room!" He said the second his mouth unfroze.. He panted. "I can't move!" He said. He was still a bit stiff and his extremities were stuck.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/27/2007 15:55:34

"Just calm down for a second."

Miya kneeled onto the ground, ignoring the fact that it probably wasn't very clean, and began to gently massage Kanaan's legs, coaxing the stiffness out of them. "It takes awhile to work on your full body, you just need to relax first."

The tip of his tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth as Miya concentrated on massaging stiff muscles.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/27/2007 16:50:11

He barked. "Damnit I swear sometimes those children. They left me hear and then the Middle Schoolers were pointing and laughing. Urrrg." He was angry not helping his feelings.

"What time is it?"

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/27/2007 18:51:07

He simply shook his head, continuing to massage Kanaan's legs before finally, he pulled back, sitting back on his haunches.

"Children will be children and one day, they'll grow up. And it's late. Almost time for you to be going home."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/28/2007 00:43:08

"What is so funny young man." His hand actually twitched. "See I guess it is working. "But you cut off curfew for two weeks and all of sudden no one will spit on you if your neck in on fire."

He was grumpy. "I'm glad I punished them. This shows how mature they are." He grumbled.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/28/2007 00:47:04

Giving a brief shake of his hand, he just rolled his eyes and leaned forward again, hands continuing to massage Kanaan's lower leg. "I'm sure at one point in your life you were mischevious."

Concentrated on his work at hand, he didn't seem to realize it seemed slightly inappropriate to be massaging Kanaan's thigh. "Besides, it wasn't anything too serious."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/28/2007 01:00:42

"I learned too quickly what happens to children who don't behave. I was raised better." He said. "Is my hand shaking. He wondered if his hand was wagging? cause his body felt numb. "I can't feel a thing yet."

He looked aroubnd "I just wondered what sort of craziness happened while I was away. I'm sorry for all the chaos there must have been in my absence."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/28/2007 01:06:52

He shrugged, still massaging Kanaan's thigh, fingers working deep into the muscle. "It wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I'm not that incapable, no matter how much I look it."

Giving him an impish smile, he laughed softly. "I think there's a few papers on your desk, but since you always pile through your work during the mornings, it isn't anything you can't handle."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/28/2007 01:40:58

He was wounded a bit none of the teachers missed him all afternoon. "So no one wanted to see me at all?" He wasprobably too incredulous at that. He wondered if he had any close friends on the staff other then Sasha.

"Did I feel that on my leg?" He said "I think it is working."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/28/2007 01:57:10

Miya shrugged, continuing to massage the leg, happy to hear that he was getting his feeling back.

"One professor came by, but just left when she saw you weren't there."

Quietly, he took one of Kanaan's hand's and began to massage it, working his way out from the palm.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 01:23:03

Now Kanaan couldn't exactly be blamed for what happened next... well probably. It was entirely certain that he was as perverted as he thought he was. But as he got attention to certain parts of his body from Miya... his own student not barely 20 years old he began to pant. And soon Certain parts of his anatomy that should have unfroze refused to.

He was quite shocked himself. It hadn't be that long had it. It wasn't right at all. Thank the heavens the boy hadn't touched his thigh or he would have felt it.
"That feels.... I think I will be able to handle myself soon."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 01:28:13

"Are you sure?"

He lightly massaged Kanaan's leg again, as if to make sure that he could feel it. "Can you feel that? Or move your leg for that matter?"

Glancing up, he blinked up at him. "Are you feeling okay, you look a little flushed."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 02:07:10

PERFECTLY NATURAL!" He might have said too loudly. "Perfectly natural. Maybe I Should try to move on my own He jerked away and fell off balance."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 02:15:24

Miya jumped slightly at the sudden shout, falling back soundly on his bottom. He moved quickly to get to Kanaan's side. "Don't be silly, you're obviously not better yet."

He tugged Kanaan up, forcefully slung Kanaan's arm around his own shoulders and helped him out of the room they had been in.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 18:23:17

He put his arm around Miya willing it to go down. He Was feeling quite awkward. But soon he could limp to the next place. "I know I can make it. I probably won't need your help much longer.
Ikra who had been chasing a mouse and caught it happened upon the scene. ALl Ikra saw was Kanaan shouting and this strange boy trying to steal him.

The familiar shrieked angrily and attacked Miya's shoelace.
"Let him DOWN!"
"Ikra stop."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 18:26:55

Surprised by the sudden attack, Miya took a few stumbling steps back, forcefully made to drop Kanaan's arm. He blinked and glanced at Kanaan in confusion.

"Did I.. do something wrong?"

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 22:08:14

"He thinks you are the one who attacked me."
"Ikra. Ikra. stop it. You are being ridiculous."
The little beast bit through Miya's boot.

He was so embarassed. Miya was hurt because of him. yet Miya didn't drop him.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 22:19:18

He gave a soft yelp, trying to dislodge the teeth from his boot. "Maybe.. maybe we should go somewhere else." A small wince as he managed to get his boot away from Ikra's mouth.

"Somewhere safer?"

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 22:30:01

"Ikra. Stop"
The little beast stopped and was angry and went up to his human. The poor thing couldn't move. He didn't know what to do with himself. He sniffed and made cooing noises.

"Maybe if we went somewhere to crash. And I mean that literally." He said "I may need to fall over. and make a thud."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 22:33:10

He gave a soft laugh, still cautious of the animal. "We can go to my place. It's close by and I have an extra futon."

Slowly, he let hsi arm slide around Kanaan's waist again, urging him towards the direction of his place, key in hand.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 22:38:19

Ikra chased behind on heavy legs. He was very interested. I shouldn't be in you apartments its not appropriate

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 22:45:02

He rolled his eyes, simply leading the other towards his apartment. "It's okay, no one's going to know. I'll cook you some dinner so you can get food in your stomach and start to move faster."

Miya unlocked his door and ushered both familiar and professor into his apartment, setting Kanaan down on a chair.

Small and slightly crowded, Miya's apartment seemed cozy and warm, various plants and greenery crowding the window sills, books piled high on his desk and some on the floor. A few knick knacks added a personal touch, a single, faded picture of his parents perched on his desk.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 22:47:39

He tried to be good he did. "I insist that I must retire to my own place. And he got far enough to go three steps. But he held onto the table.
"Perhaps I can have some coffee or tea." He said dizzy.
Ikra jumped into the room skittering expectantly as if he could catch him from falling

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 22:54:18

Miya quickly held the other up, setting him down on the chair again. "Exactly."

Once he made sure Kanaan wasn't going to attempt that again, he set the kettle on, going to the window sill and plucking out a few herbs, carefully folding them into a tea packet. Pouring out the hot water, he dipped the tea packet in it. "Drink up. It's with my own herbs."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 22:59:10

Legal herbs I hope." He said he drank. it tasted gritty. He took a deep breath as Ikra skittered about. Until he caught scent of another animal in the room. He licked his beak lips. Maybe he was getting thirsty too

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 23:24:50

"Of course."

And then, as if on cue, a small black kitten came ambling towards Miya, rubbing up against his legs and purring incessantly.

He laughed, he cooing softly to the animal and bending down to pick him up, only resulting in a few painful claws to his leg. "Alright, alright." He bent down instead, allowing the kitten to jump into his arms. "My famliar doesn't like being so high up."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 23:30:03

Kanaan nodded. "Well they never do. Kittens can be adventurous at times." He was starting to unwind as he rolled his heavy shuolder muscles. "That boy should get an award for this spell."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 23:36:28

He let the kitten loose from his arms, watching as he pawed at Kanaan's legs, wanting to be held.

"Entertain him while I make us some dinner, yes?"

A quick smile and he whisked off to the kitchen, making a quick dinner.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 23:38:10

He was stuck.
"Ikra Tell the cat I can't play I'm hurt."
Ikra was confused. So he towered over the kitten. "Is he the guy?" He asked loucly puffing up and trying to look bigger then the kitten.
"No Ikra leave the kitten alone. You'll scare him."
Ikra hissed.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/29/2007 23:47:24

The poor kitten slinked away, frightened by Ikra as he hid behind Kanaan's leg. He mewed softly, peeking out from the leg to glance at both Kanaan and Ikra.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/29/2007 23:59:41

"Ikra what are you a man or a mouse?" He said.
"Ikra is mouse." He grred and chased the kitty behind the leg and threatened to nip off the tip of his tail.
"Miya. Could you please." Kanaan was meek as Miya was in the other room cooking and their were two tiny animals fighting and he couldn't even lean down and tear them apart. They were both right under him."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/30/2007 00:02:51

The kitten gave another small mewl as he ran away, hissing softly as he reached out and batted at Ikra's beak. He disliked being toyed with.

Miya showed up a moment later, two plates of pasta in his hand, a confused look on his face. "Is something wrong?"

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/30/2007 00:52:44

Ikra yiped and hide in the corner.
"There was a fight." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. Ikra is normally better behaved. I can't see is the kitten alright? He didn't bite his tail did he?"
He felt helpless not being able to bend over and control his familiar.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/30/2007 00:59:32

He set the plates at the table and bent down near Kanaan's feet, coaxing out his kitten.

"No, he's fine."

Petting the kitten once, he sat down in a chair next to Kanaan. "Think you can move your hands enough to eat?"

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/30/2007 01:21:28

He wiggled his fingers. He tried to make a fist and it almost worked, It was his back and shoulders that seized up.
"I don't think I can make it. Perhaps we can have some coffee first?"

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/30/2007 01:24:34

He nodded, exiting and returning with two cups of steaming coffee. He handed Kanaan's mug to him before siting down and sipping his own.

After a quiet pause, Miya glanced up at Kanaan. "So.. I bet your family's proud of you. You know, being the head of the school and being pretty young at it."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/30/2007 12:18:19

"That is the first time in ages anyone has called me young." He said the coffee was heavy but he can manage. "He laughed. "How old do you think I am?"

He wasn't ready to ask the first question. He had no family but Sasha and Ikra. And it hurt too much to talk about. Many of his surviving uncles and aunts thought his livelihood was below his status. But as holder of the Devries Trust he would get little more then job offers from time to time and the occasional disappointed look.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/30/2007 12:23:59

Miya shrugged as he sipped at his own coffee. "Late twenties?"

He glanced at Kanaan's face, eyes squinted as he studied him. "Maybe 35?" He always was bad at guessing ages, especially since people always said he looked so young.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 09/30/2007 14:29:28

He smiled "I am almost sixty years old." He said "Though not barely middle aged, I do take the compliment. I haven't be thirty five since you were born."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 09/30/2007 14:33:47

He raied a brow, surprised by the confession. "But you look...younger then that!"

Miya dropped his glance to his coffee mug, giving a small laugh. "I am horrible at guessing ages."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 00:16:55

He smiled and sipped. Thankfully the question of his family and parents was forgotten. He struggled to hold the cup and spilled some on his arm.
"Blast I feel like an old man now."

He said. Shaking his head. "I've made a mess of your particle board table."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 00:22:11

Miya simply smiled and shrugged as he extracted a handkerchief from his pocket. He gently wiped at the spill on Kanaan's arm. "It's fine, spills dry."

He leaned back and carefully mixed the pasta as he scooped some up in a fork. "And you best eat the food before it gets cold or all my hard efforts are going to go to waste." He nudged the fork against Kanaan's lips. "You never answered my question before.. is your familiy proud of you?"

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 00:49:32

He looked down at the food and bit his lip. he looked up at him "Um is this entirely necessary. I mean..." He was so uncomfortable asking for help or being vulnerable

He'd rather be petrified all night in a field if this was the alternative. Then he thought about how Miya had saved him. He sighed.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 00:53:56

"Yes. The faster you get food into your body, the faster you get unpetrified. Eat up."

He nudged the fork against Kanaan's lips again, this time, a small smile tugged at his lips as he tried to coax Kanaan into eating at least a bite. "Please? How about, if you eat a bite, you can.. uhm, you can ask me a question or request something within reason from me? It's an equal trade."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 00:57:14

"Alright." He said. "I have a question. Why do you feel the need to treat me like a child. i think I can handle it Miya." He grumbled. He was getting crabby now.

"Alright. Alright. WHat on Earth should I ask you?" He said. He didn't really get the point of the fun of the game so he might have been hard to reason with.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 01:01:16

He rolled his eyes, his own boss was starting to act like a grumpy five year old who had been denied his nap. "Anything. What color I like, what I like to do, why am I working for you, so on and so on. Get creative."

Miya forked up another mouthful of pasta, a brow raised as if he was questioning if Kanaan was going to cooperate with him.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 01:05:27

He shook his head "Why do you wear a bulky scarf over a tiny little whiny burn mark like it's some kind of disfigurment. You can barely see it."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 01:12:43

At that, Miya's eyes widened and his fingers instantly flew to his neck where they rubbed at a familiar spot on his throat. Suddenly, the small black kitten that had previously been gone attacked at Kanaan's feet, small claws attempting to rip apart the shoe as the familiar felt the distress from Miya.

Miya simply left the fork on the plate and bent down to stop the kitten by picking him up. "Stop it, he's not doing that on purpose." His voice shook and Miya's eyes were wet with tears as he thought back to years and years ago. "Because. It's a reminder of something that I don't want to think about. And it's not a burn mark, it's a knife wound."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 01:16:54

"Well when did you get a knife wound up there." Sounding perterbed for some reason and upset. But mostly at himself. "Is someone after you?" He said. His first instinct to circle the wagons and not anything else in. "Cause I can help you." He was always a little too confident he could solve things.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 01:27:40

Miya shook his head, the tears he had tried to contain now freely falling down his cheeks, the hand over his mouth tried to muffle his quiet sobbing. Crying already and he hadn't even told the story yet.

"It was a long time ago." His voice shook, punctuated by soft hitches of his breath. "I was traveling with my parents, we should've been more cautious, I should've been keeping a better eye on our surroundings." His eyes were squeezed shut, hands going to block his ears as if he was reliving the very experience, as if he heard his mother scream again.

"There were eight of them against us three, we never stood a chance. They killed my father first and all I could hear was my mother screaming and then suddenly, she was quiet and by the time I look over, she's had her throat slit and there's a knife at my throat and I'm next and then suddenly I'm running away and there's blood down my arm and my throat hurts and.. and I don't remember anymore. I don't want to." And now, Miya's crying so hard he can't talk properly anymore.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 01:33:43

Kanaan had an arm on his back and the boy in for a tight hug. "Its so hard to remeber these things the mind just stomps them out. What was going on? What you were doing? It's alright." He said softly. He wasn't fully mobile in the fingers butit was just as well.
"You don't have to I was just... I saw it while you were sleeping at work."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 01:40:54

He couldn't stop his tears, even as they were soaked up by Kanaan's shirt. "I couldn't stop running, I ran and ran and thought they were coming after me, going to kill me like they killed my parents." His voice was soft and monotone, as if Miya wasn't even really there. "And I should've gone back, should've helped them rather then run like a pathetic coward."

He closed his eyes again, face shifted to the side and buried into Kanaan's chest, shame and guilt burning in his mind.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 02:07:33

He let him say what was on his mind instead of censorring the boy. Letting his secret feelings well to the surface. "Is that that what you think? Or how you feel? He said "Or is it something else entirely?"
He knew that once you said something that horrible out loud about fear and doubt their could be no turning back and either you believed it or you didn't
He could twitch his fingers a little.

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 02:13:38

"I know it."

It was as if a completely different Miya had emerged, one that lived in feelings of guilt and shame rather than the boy that always smiled and looked happy.

He pulled back slightly, eyes downcast as they stared at Kanaan's shoulder, his eyes red-rimmed and wet. "You think it too, don't you. Some weak, pathetic boy." He scoffed as he dragged a palm across his cheek, tear tracks wiped away.

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 02:17:07

He pet his cheek with a mobile finger. ""I don't know. You were the only one there. I think personally that you were lucky to have escaped. I know that now you are kind and diligent and try hard. So I can assume there was nothing you could have done by yourself. But you won't believe me. Ever." He said "It's what you believe."
"If you believe a lie to prevent yourself from loss or fear then that is your business, but you will believe what is in your heart."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 02:23:29

He leaned back in towards Kanaan, practicaly on his lap as he shuddered against him. Eyes closed once more, he pressed his head against Kanaan's shoulder. "Tell me I'm a good person and I'll believe you for tonight."

Miya clung to him tight, fingers tangled in his shirt. "Please tell me I'm a good person."

	From: able_kanaan	Date: 10/01/2007 15:26:23

He pet his head Just beginning to thaw out muscles that had been completely frozen and dead.
Everyone needed to hear this. Everyone needed this somehow, but not many people would dare just ask.
"Of course you are a good person Miya. I've not known you very long but I trust you." He said "Somehow I do. ANd that you did what you had to do."

	From: burningforyou	Date: 10/01/2007 15:37:10

He sighed, comforted by those words, even if he knew that by tomorrow, they would mean nothing to him. But for the moment, Miya was happy to accept it as the truth.

"Thank you."