"May the seasons come in order!"

The four stand up, Haru rising first and Yuki rising last. The redhead looks uncomfortable in the group, being the newest of the seasonal representatives, and Natsuki slides next to him, giving him a sunny smile.

"It's fine. We've known you were coming around for a while, and Haru is pretty new as well."

"T-Thank you." Yuki says, and Akira can already see his barriers melting from the summer sun smile that Natsuki gives him.

He turns his attention to Haru instead, deciding that the new Spring representative is a tad more interesting, cheerfully speaking to the grass that grows on his side of the table, the flows that bud. But the second Haru turns to look at him, his face contorts into a frown, and the Autumn representative is a little hurt, a little curious, and a lot confused.

"We're meeting to discuss the changing season." He says, deciding to continue, autumn winds blowing around him gently, yellow-red leaves dropping from his turban. "Passing of the season from Winter to Spring."

Haru jumps for joy it seems, and again, strange feelings attack Akira. But he ignores them.

"Since both of you are new, we'll have to help you." Natsuki chimes in. "I help the Winter, to prevent over-ice, and Autumn helps Spring, to prevent overgrowth."

Yuki, Akira notes, seems almost pleased with this. Haru, on the other hand, seems to dislike the idea intensely.

Still, ritual demands it, and he refuses to break ritual for feelings, of all things. Haru will simply have to deal with the necessary touch.

They move to the very center of the room, where a large circle is painted, a spot for each season decorated. Akira stands above the Autumn circle, the brown tree branches around his legs.

Across from him, Haru steps into Spring, the light grass growing under his feet, flowers springing.

What a pretty thing, Spring is.

Natsuki and Yuki stand across from each other as well, and when Yuki looks up at him nervously, snow piling around him, Natsuki smiles gently, sun and sand hitting the edges of his feet.

Akira clears his throat. What they do on their own time isn't his business, but now isn't the time for such displays. And they've only just met, but well, that's a little different, for things like they.

He reaches out and Haru looks at him, seemingly stormy for such a season. It almost makes Akira smile.

His hand grasps his with resistance clear, and he grabs the small hand slightly tighter than he meant to as a result. Just not to lose the connection, is all.

Yuki and Natsuki do the same, summer warmth reaching through to the core of Yuki's winter world.

They close their eyes and begin, and when Akira feels the surge of growth that would overtake nature, he pushes it back with the pitiful deaths of millions of leaves, and he feels the shudder that rips through Haru, and smiles, almost sad.

He knows for a fact that Natsuki's push against the cold winter feels the same to Yuki, but he also knows Yuki will accept it much better, because while ice melts, grass dies.