Whatever Akkarina did or said, she had an effect on Venus. The woman's muscles tensed up, her veins throbbed with super heated liquid. Her skin turned red hot, scorching and evaporating the water that flowed over them. So much so that the water even stopped touching them completely! It was a dome of steam and crackling bubbles of boiling water. Akkarina's powers weren't as refined as her mother's; she didn't have climate and cold powers to that extent. Most of her powers involved rain and electricity. The head caused her to retract her hand from Venus' body and give her wife a glare.  Both sets of eyes locked in a heated tug of war; glowing red vs kaleidoscopic beauty.

As Venus spoke, Akkarina's head tilted. Listen? She had to think about that for a second. She thought that she always listened to Venus' wants and needs. Was it something she was missing? Then, it happened. Venus issued a command. That command was for the Queen to get down on her knees. For what? She couldn't imagine.  It was so odd for Akkarina to get on her knees for anyone, yet alone her wife. The hissing of the water around them was the only thing that disturbed the silence betwixt them. Her eyes lowered over Venus' body, down to the bottom of the tub, then back up to Venus' eyes again. She was not kidding! And, she was VERY serious. After what seemed like a multitude of minutes, Akkarina relented. With a sigh, Akkarina slowly lowered herself to her knees. Her body struggling to stay standing as if it didn't understand the mental commands it had received. She said nothing as her knees finally laid to rest. She looked up at her lover with a slight narrowing of eyes.

Akkarina was growing very frustrated with Venus and her refusal to see that the Maridian was TRYING. Sighing to herself, Rina straightened herself out and began to ponder what she could do. She had never been subject to a situation like this nor have she felt this way about someone before. She only knew how to fight and be a dominant figure to anyone she was around. Maybe that was the key. . . Maybe she needed to MAKE Venus listen to her. Either that, or allow Venus to vent her frustrations out on Akkarina herself. Pressing her palm against the door, Rina closed her eyes and took a very slow and deep breath. As she exhaled, the water from the shower reacted in kind; mimicking the presence of Akkarina around the neck of Venus.  "I can't do that right now. We can give her some time. But now. . We should work on. . ." Within moments of speaking, Rina's form was behind Venus - Not a physical form, but a virtual representation-. "Us."

As she finished, the form filled in and Akkarina was completely there; transporting herself from the outside of the door and into the shower. Now, just as bare as Venus, she would allow herself to be Venus' Punching bag for a while, to at least let her get the anger out of her system. But, first, Akkarina must assert her dominance. Her hand gripped the hair of Venus at the root and pulled her head back. The other hand grabbed her by the throat while applying a slight squeeze. "I don't want anything other than us to get over this bullshit. Whatever it may take for you to see that I am f u c k i n g trying here!" She said roughly and aggressively against Venus' ear before releasing her wife from under her control. "I'm F U C K I N G trying!"

So many thoughts flowed through Akkarina's mind; like a rushing white river carrying enough forced that would cause even salmon to not be able to swim against it's current. The waters banged against the rocks of her mind and heart, eroding away the hard chunks and quickly breaking the Stormbringer down. She had never seen Venus like this; so passionate, so fiery, so. . . Angry. But was that anger? Or a deep disappointment? Which would be worse? Akkarina had fought so hard to avoid disappointing her parents and linage that she had actually disappointed the people who she means the most to; and that stung like a jellyfish. Her pursuit of power, in the grand scheme of things, proved worthless. She wanted power for all the wrong reasons. . . . She wanted to prove that she could live up to her blood line, be as strong as her mother and father. These reasons had caused her to forget the reason they were so powerful: protecting the ones that they loved. Not some selfish self service that Akkarina had been perusing.

One would think that all of these years together would cause Akkarina to see this flaw in her character and change. Hell, even Akkarin would tell her that she needed to get her act together; maybe with his talks with Venus on the rare occasion that they would meet, he absorbed more information about Venus than Akkarina did. The dark eyes slowly began to swirl back to their original colors as tears, as rare as they are, started to be born from the corners of her eyes and race down her cheeks. "I. . " She managed to mumble out before Venus began to berate her. No matter how strong Akkarina's body and mind is, her heart would forever be fragile. But this moment has shattered her heart, mind, and soul. What was the point? Why fight to be stronger when it didn't even matter when it needed to? She was born and bred to be strong. She has the blood of gods flowing through her, and because of that, fighting was thrust upon her as early as she could remember. There was no room or time for emotions.

Akkarina, for the first time in her life, hung her head as Venus scolded her and walked off. The slamming of the door caused her to jump and sigh. She stood there for a few minutes; minutes that seemed like hours. Slowly, she turned her tear streaked face up toward the bathroom door. She wanted to reach out to Venus, but she was frozen solid; stiff with regret and shame. Should she even be a queen? A goddess? A mother? A wife? With all of the training she has been breaking her self with, she failed to realize that Airika was incredibly emotional. Maybe Akkarina would learn that one day. She slowly made her way to the bathroom door, pressing her back against it and slid down in a heap. The woman hugged her knees and broke down in tears and sobs. She had never done this before; her father would berate her if she had cried. But, her mother would comfort her. What Venus had said cut deep and she couldn't bring herself to figure out with to say to Venus in response. What COULD she say? "I. . I'm sorry. . ." Was what she said, not knowing if Venus would hear her or even think that she meant it.

Giving the loud shower some thought, Akkarina channeled her voice through the falling water. "I'm sorry. . We had this argument many times over the years and it's sad that it takes this to get me to understand. All of this training can't teach me the lessons that you and our daughter could teach me. . ." She said, reluctantly rising to her feet, turning to face the door, and pressing against it. Her somber emotions causing the weather to become a gloomy mess. "I need a different kind of training, one that you have slowly tried to bestow upon me." She said as tears continued to flow with no sign of stopping. "Please. . " Another word that she had rarely, if ever, spoke in her life. "Teach me. . . Make me better. . . For you, Addie, and myself. . ." She sobbed as the words spilled out. "My lineage starts with us. Not my parents. . " She wanted to transport herself through the moisture and enter the shower with Venus, but the Maridian was stunned and didn't know what to do. This was far out of her comfort zone and area of expertise..

Akkarina still didn't know what to make of Calyx and Addie. They seemed so good together, yet she felt that he was a distraction for her daughter. Taking a deep long breath as Venus spoke, Akkarina simply listened; not wanting to react so fast to what was being said. Something was really bothering Venus and obviously this wasn't it. In fact, simply speaking of this seemed to shift her wife's mood slightly. "Trying to cook?" Akkarina asked, her lips forming in a small grin as she pictured what type of mess that the dynamic duo could have conjured up. "I guess I'll leave them be for now.." Akkarina spoke in a hushed tone; multicolored orbs surveying the beauty who sat beside her as she continued to inform the Maridian of what happened in her absence.

At this point, the grin widened into a smile. They were training together!! Akkarina couldn't believe it! All of that pushing has finally paid off! She couldn't help her giddiness as the story progressed, but near the end, she could see where Venus' sadness spawned from. They broke up. . . That was really quick. She could respect the fact that he needed to get stronger. . . She saw a lot of herself in him now that Venus has explained the whole situation and she could do nothing but sympathize. It was good that Addie was getting on with her life, even though training her body would have been much more beneficial to her in this day and age. But, they never listen to her. "My heart goes out to him. But he is a strong child. He will be alright.." Akkarina tried her best to sooth Venus' worries, but that was all for naught.

Venus' tears made Akkarina's heart ache, but soon, she was made to understand why they were flowing. It wasn't that their child had left. It wasn't the fact Rai's family was in trouble. It was something else; something more sinister and cowardly.  The kaleidoscopic colors that always flowed so freely; dancing like rivers of light upon Akkarina's eyes suddenly stopped. The colors suddenly began to grow a deep dark blue as the story unfolded. As the silence between them fell, the mood of Akkarina was felt as thunder blasted outside, rattling the building. She stood up, hands curled into fists as she trembled. Winds whipped up outside, and even inside the room where they reside. Seeing Venus in this state drove Akkarina crazy, and just the thought of how Addie could have felt. "Where is this person?" Akkarina asked calmly, even though there was a storm brewing. Being the hot head that she was, she didn't think of consoling Venus; only revenge. "Let's go.. Take me there.." She spoke slowly and calmly while eyeing down her wife.

"I know. I know" Was all that Akkarina could say. She knew that these missions were always putting a strain on Venus' emotions. It was one thing that always stuck with her upon her travels. This time. . . This time was different and Akkarina knew that. Something was really bugging Venus, but she couldn't quite get what was bothering her. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. This was very taxing and difficult. I'm back now and I don't plan on leaving any time soon!" Akkarina tried her best to reassure her wonderful wife that all will be okay now. She knew that Venus was very emotional. "I missed you.." The Storm Mother muttered silently so that only Venus would hear; even though they were alone, she felt the need to say it in that manner.

Akkarina cupped Venus' face as the woman tried to fight back tears. The salty pools of liquid were not visible but could be felt by Akkarina and this caused her heart to drop. Slowly and lightly, Akkarina placed kisses upon her wife's forehead, cheeks, and finally her lips. Before offering her a smile and several kisses to her eyes to kiss away the tears. What Venus didn't expect, Akkarin had been teaching Akkarina to show more affection and softness; he was always that type and wanted to help Akkarina in all aspects her her own life. It was an essential part of their training as well. "So, tell me what I missed."

Akkarina must have been extremely tired; she had never slept this long nor this soundly. She was usually the one to rise early, sometimes mocking Venus internally about her ability to sleep nearly all day. The trip and training with her brother was brutal and nearly killed her, but it was needed if she were to hone in and be able to control her powers before they rip her apart. Her body was healing; slowly, yet healing faster than a normal person's would.

The kiss caused Akkarina to stir slightly and a small smile crept upon the woman's face. Her fingers danced lightly over Venus' arm as the words from her wife's mouth coherently made their way into the Maridian's ears.  "Hmmm..." She mumbled quietly, eyes fluttering open slightly. As her view came into focus, Akkarina's smile widened. She had missed her wife and thought about her every second that she was away. That was something she tried not to do, for she felt that it was a distraction. "Why. . ." Akkarina started as her gaze honed in upon Venus' face. "Why do you look so troubled, love?" She asked, grasping Venus' hand into her own while sitting up.

In spite of everything, the young girl smiled at her mother's humor, knowing that there was an ounce of truth in it. Adelaide shifted in her position on the floor when Venus said that there was something that she needed to talk with her about. The urgency of in her tone stopped the tears and her brow furrowed.

Raijuta dead? Her eyes widened. As soon as she said Calyx was in a coma, Adelaide was up on her feet and shrugging in her jacket.

"I have to go mom," she murmured. The shock was evident in her expression, but she was set on getting to Calyx and she knew her mother would understand.

Adelaide gave her a swift kiss on her cheek and was out the door.

When her mother came in, she did not even bother trying to stop the tears. It all hurt too much to try. Adelaide curled up against her mother, placing her head against her chest. The feel of her mother only made the tears become less reserved.

"Mom," she buried her face in her hands, "I failed. I lost so much for this school. I lost Calyx and..."

She did not finish the sentence. Instead, she shook her head and attempted to pull herself together, but ultimately failed. What could she do to make it right?

"There's nothing I can do," she said, finishing her thoughts out loud. "I made a mistake and it hurts."

This wasn't like the times she fell and her mother chased away the pain with a kiss. She held no power in any if it and that alone had pushed her over the edge. Adelaide had not been sure if she should confide in her mother. Not because she did not trust her, rather she did not want her to think differently of Adelaide. But she could not keep it in either. Adelaide sank lower against her in defeat.

"A professor there threatened my grade if I didn't... didn't," Adelaide stuttered, shaking her head. She looked at her mother giving her a meaningful look before explaining further. "I didn't want to lose my chance. I went to his office, but Calyx..."

Her voice ****. "The next day, he took something I had left behind to the president and told him I had bribed him. I lost everything I worked so hard for. I just couldn't, mom."

An overwhelming amount of shame and guilt pulled her out of her mother's embrace. She ran her fingers through her hair and hung her head as more tears flowed down her flushed cheeks.

Adelaide returned home carrying her luggage and whatever last bit of dignity she still maintained. The weight of the world had placed an invisible weight on her shoulders, making her slump as she walked in the door. Skin met the cool, smooth surface of oak as her hand gave the door a gentle yet firm push behind her, closing it completely. The house was not illuminated by anything but moonlight, making even the corner lamp stand seem eerie in the shadows. Adelaide tiptoed up the stairs. Wherever her moms were, she did not want to alert them of her unexpected presence. With every bit of strength left, she hoped they were asleep.

She hardly made it up the stairs before a wave of built up shame brought an onslaught of tears. Ignoring them, she hurried to her room and shut the door behind her. Throwing aside the luggage, Adelaide sat on the bedroom floor. She pressed her knees against her chest and bit down a whimper as she cried. All the pain of losing Calyx and missing out on the chance to attend a school that would have guarenteed her dream career, came out. Part of her longed for one of her mothers, but she want to have to explain to them, or worse lie, about what happened. Adelaide wept in her lap, shielding herself from the world around her with small, fragile arms that barely even blocked out her room.

It's been days since Akkarina had been home; the thought of how much Venus would be worried and or upset that she had been gone so long lingered in the Maridian's mind as she headed her way back to their home. The trip to see Akkarin was refreshing; it had been so long since she had seen her twin brother. He had changed so much, yet remained the same in many ways. The training was so intense that it had left Akkarina bruised and sore. Her body was surrounded with clouds, aided by splintering lightning as her power was growing. With a deep sigh, Akkarina picked up the pace to head home so she could get back to Venus and her daughter, who undoubtedly hasn't trained one bit since she had been away. It was a legacy for their family to try to become the strongest in the universe. How would Airika feel if her granddaughter was just a pretty face with no substance. Rina scoffed at the thought. Adel was her own woman now and it seemed the bloodline thinned with this one, but Akkarina loved her regardless and would do whatever she needed to protect her little girl. Even though she was hard on the child and seemed cold and heartless at times.

Rina's energy finally dissipated as she returned to her home. It was so quiet; unlike Venus and Adel to be so quiet in the house. She would worry about that later, all she cared about now was plopping down her her bed and relaxing her body for a few hours; she knew that she had deserved it. As she made her way to the room, the woman threw her clothes off while jumping on the be. With a long sigh to herself, Akkarina had drifted into a soft sleep. The peace was comforting, yet strange. She would enjoy this while it lasts as she recuperates.