Description: Natsu and Daigo get away from it all for a brief rendezvous. No team, no gang... just the two of them. All alone, as they try to settle their differences.
This was one of Daigo's favorite area of Southtown : the park near Seijyun High was a vast area with many trees and gardens. Even during the winter, the snow offered quite a view and this place was generally fairly tranquil and serene. A perfect place to meditate and enjoy the beauty nature had to offer.
The Gedo Gang leader was enjoying the tranquility the place had to offer. He is currently sitting on one of the bench in the park, along the road that leads through the park to Seijyun High. His eyes seemed closed, enjoying the silence and faint noises of nature : the breeze against the trees' branches that sounded like a melody.
Would Natsu truly come? He wonders...
Natsu Ayuhara didn't want to come.
She'd gotten Kayoko her apology. She'd gotten a begrudging admission of guilt. That should be enough. She would have been totally justified in letting Daigo wither by himself.
She had, in fact, been waffling on whether to seek him out or not. Accordingly, when she is finally seen coming round the bend towards Daigo, it's five minutes past the scheduled time.
She came. Alone. Because she has unfinished business still.
"Kazama," she intones, her deep voice carrying over the sounds of nature. "I'm here. What now?"
Her voice slowly stirs him up from his reverie. Daigo turns his head in Natsu's direction, opening his only valid eye to stare at her. His emotions remain indiscernible behind his cold facial expression.
The tall behemoth slowly rises from his bench and nods at Natsu, acknowledging her presence. He stares at Natsu for a long moment, assessing her silently.
"I heard you started fighting," Daigo says, turning his gaze away, "In professional leagues..." Daigo adds. He returns his eyes back to Natsu, "Tell me, do you want to get justice for yourself? Do you want to beat me up, to avenge your friend?"
Natsu's frown persists as she stares back at Daigo. Palms rest upon her hips as she watches the man rise, and listens to him speak.
"... I started fighting, yes. But if I hadn't? I'd -still- want to pop you in the face."
She inhales. Exhales. And continues.
"But what I want, and what can feasibly -happen- are two different things entirely. Acting out... -vengeance- on you won't -solve- anything."
The tall volleyballer makes a fist. Looks down at it. "I've watched how you fight. Studied your technique." She makes a wry face -- a smirk, of a sense, but of the self-deprecating sort.
"I wouldn't last ten seconds against you. What would I gain from that? Your -respect?-"
Daigo unfolds his arms, resting them by his side, palms opens upward, as if he was inviting Natsu. "If that's what you want, then why don't you come get it?" He asks her.
He lowers his hand some as Natsu answers his question soon afterward and he turns his gaze away. The things she has done and now that she admits she studied his technique makes him hum thoughtfully.
"IS that what you want? My respect?" Daigo asks. He glances back at Natsu and shakes his head, as if he didn't believe that, "I've seen it, Natsu -- this rage boiling down inside of you. Does it come from you feeling so powerless, Natsu?" He asks her.
"If you had one chance," Daigo says, narrowing his eyes, "One opportunity to do it, even against all odds, would you take it?"
Natsu shakes her head. Speaking of 'respect' may have been the wrong tack to go, but at least she can address the thought. "No. I don't care about -your- respect. But I care about -mine-. Whether I can look -myself- in the mirror tomorrow morning."
This may be the most the tomboy has talked about her feelings in a long time.
Does she feel powerless? She gives Daigo a tacit nod on that point -- yes, she does feel powerless, but damn if you can get her to -say- it.
But when he asks if she'd take an opportunity to hit Daigo... Ayuhara looks down at her fist again. Frowns.
She looks up. Her eyes stare into Daigo's one good eye.
"No. I wouldn't."
She takes a measured breath before continuing. "All I want to know is, was it worth it? Putting Kayoko in the hospital for some dusty old uniforms? So you could -stage- an attack on Justice High, and hurt -more- people?"
She has only a vague hypothesis that she's -right- about this. But this seems like as good a time as any to bring up what's =really= on her mind.
With a soft thoughtful hum from his throat, Daigo folds his arms around his chest and tilts his head down. His expression seems to soften a bit when she mentions Kayoko but the towering giant remains silent, lost in his thoughts for a moment.
Was it worth it? It is too late for regrets, and nothing he could do would change the past. This was the hardest part when it came to take decisions.
"Would anything I say help you mourn over what happened?" Daigo says rhetorically, "Any reasons would just be excuses, and nothing I could say or do would undo what happened," He shakes his head slowly and adds, "I do not expect you to understand, I don't think you would."
He lifts his gaze back up at Natsu and adds, "Though what I offer you is a chance to let go of this rage inside of you," He adds, "Before it devours you from the inside and you end up doing something you'll regret,"
Natsu's lips purse, as she listens to Daigo's words. Reasons? He wants to -explain?- He doesn't expect her to understand, but he's shying away from the explanation.
"I don't want you to explain yourself to me! It'd be nice, but you think I'm too stupid, too intolerant to -care?- Fine! But what I -want- is for you to -stop-. Stop hurting people. Stop hurting friends, =pretending= to be someone you're not."
Nostrils flare. She listens to the chance, the offer. And shakes her head. "If you want to just go on hurting people? Just admit that. And stop pretending you're a decent human being! If you want me to haul off and deck you so =you= can sleep well at night and continue committing these =atrocities=... well, sorry! It's =your= ego I'm fueling by hitting you, not mine!"
Daigo remains silent through Natsu's speech, controlling his emotions and hardly showing anything. His features harden a bit and he buffs his chest a little as Natsu's words.
"What do you think of me, Natsu? Am I the worst person you've seen? Don't you think I'm some scum? Some worthless filth?" He asks, "Do you think I'd deserve to suffer, that Southtown would be better way off without people like me?"
The /worst/ person? "... Daigo. Are you trying to convince me, or yourself? Let's see, Daigo. You -ruined- Kayoko's entire volleyball career. You think Gedo's so -noble-? So -downtrodden?- That yours is the only school with -problems?-" She shakes her head. "Every single Gorin student has one goal: to get picked up professionally. Every. Single. Student. The best Kayoko can hope for is coaching now, she's missing out on her senior year."
She gestures towards Justice High, though it's not visible far to the north. "Athena Asamiya. Beautiful, talented, the voice of the school and possibly of Southtown herself. She was attacked by students wearing Gorin uniforms. I don't know any of those students."
Natsu's frown grows. "I don't think you're worthless, or else I wouldn't have come. But maybe you are. Maybe you're beyond hope. Maybe you've beaten the "victim" drum so much that you don't realize you're actually just a thug. A bully. Not the strong voice for honor and reason you seem to think."
There -- she puts the finger right on it : "Exactly, Natsu," Daigo replies, "This shadow of a doubt exists constantly in everyone in Gedo. Thugs, bullies, delinquents, young criminals... It's all the labels we have, only because of a few rotten apples,"
He narrows his eyes at Natsu and he gestures toward the other schools, "Justice High... Taiyo High... Gorin and Pacific High, all of them have always looked down on us, treated us like filth,"
Folding his arms across his chest, Daigo growls and says, "Even the most talented, brilliant student, given the worst enviroment, and with everyone telling him that he's a worthless scum is going to end up that way,"
Glaring at Natsu, Daigo adds, "It's time the other schools reap what they sow.. To see the consequences of their actions, to stop being blind to all of this," He lifts his hand up, as if to prevent Natsu from vehemently replying to his pleas.
"Don't tell me my ways are wrong, Natsu -- you can't judge how are lives are, neither will I claim that your reality is any easier than ours..." He heaves a soft sigh and turns his head away, "Desperate means, but necessary if we want things to drastically change,"
He rests his hands on his waist and glances up at Natsu, "The fact remains : Kayako was injured and it saddens me that it had to come to this. Nothing that I can do will change it now..."
Natsu stares Daigo right in the eye. He meant every word he said. Even as she spelled it out for him. Even as she -stated- every one of his crimes, he still acts defiant, like hurting people was somehow the right thing to do. Her face reddens, sweat beading at the back of her neck. She's so angry... but Daigo's fearsome size keeps the tall amazon in check.
"So noble. Because we bother to call you what you are, you'll continue to keep living up to your reputation." She shakes her head, at this. "I won't waste any more breath on you. You apologized to Kayoko, and that's... that's all I really expected."
Natsu turns on her heel, starting to walk back the way she came.
"Natsu," Daigo calls out to her as she starts walking away, "Unlike what you think, I take no pleasure in hurting others or doing this. It is a necessary harm," He turns on his heels as well, to leave on the other side of the road.
This was the burden he was giving himself, that came with trying to give his fellow students and friends a brighter future. He doesn't blame Natsu for hating him, it was only natural. All Daigo hopes is that through all of this, he won't also start to hate himself as well, "Believe what you want, or think what you want of me..."
Natsu doesn't respond, just keeps on walking. She'd heard him -- it's hard not to hear the Gedo student's loud voice.
She spoke her mind, and heard Daigo speak his, which was way more therapeutic to her than punching him in the face could have ever been.
- - - BONUS FEATURE [Is it OOC? Is it not? YOU DECIDE] - - -
Daigo just stares at Natsu leave, lost in his thoughts.
~~o Damn, I wish I had a cloak that would flap in the wind, it would make me staring at her all the more epic o~~
He shakes his head after a moment and leaves.
Log created on 19:14:53 12/16/2014 by Natsu, and last modified on 22:19:39 12/16/2014.