Description: So You've Been Attacked By A Ninja, Now What. Aboard the mysterious Suiryuu as an interested spectator, Hotaru is surprised to find none other than Sakura Kusanago-, er, Kasugano doing secruity patrol. There's some catching up with events, past and present, as well as some friendly banter about a couple mutual problems.
While the Suiryuu may be the host of the biggest thing in fighting circles right now, the highly customized boat has actually been pretty quiet since Hotaru came across it while following a trail of rumors and smart guesses on her part. Most of the contestants have been out proving themselves worthy to actually get aboard the yacht as part of the qualifying round of action. The few who have already made it showed up in such rough shape that most of them have been recuperating in preparation for the fights to come.
Which has left Hotaru pretty much alone to check out the boat, hang out in the library while skimming old books that are kinda over her head in most areas, or standing around up on the deck in order to lean against the railing and just watch the sea or stare at the harbor, watching the occasional 'agent' make their way aboard the boat after a hard fought battle.
Which is what she's up to now, elbow propped against the deck, eyes glancing over the dock, enjoying the sea breeze rustling her hair and clothing as she wonders who else she might catch a glimpse of making it aboard. One thing is for sure - folks participating in the event have been very tight lipped. Secrets upon secrets abound and the contestants all seem on edge, many unsure if they're even still in the tournament after ambigiously concluded matches. This is the strangest fighting event she's ever heard of, Hotaru muses, sighing a little as she turns around to lean her back against the rail in order to look over the top deck of the boat again. She's ready to see some action /here/, for a change.
The parties boarding the Suiryuu have not escaped the notice of the ship's Chief of Security, who's been making regular patrols about the ship. Sure, she probably ought to be paying attention in college... but Sakura Kasugano couldn't exactly turn down the chance to be a part of this event. She's been mighty curious about what Seishirou and Riko have been cooking up lately, and this was the perfect chance to find out first-hand.
Even though she hasn't really learned much. And probably won't.
Still, being there is better than being square, and since she gets to see all the successful participants sooner or later, it's good for appeasing the fighting fangirl's thirst for meeting and greeting other fighters! Case in point: she gets to meet up with Hotaru, who she's been wanting to run into for a couple months now. It's hard to mistake the girl, leaning against the deck as she is. ... It might be a bit more difficult to recognize the Taiyo graduate though, as she's undergone a complete change of wardrobe, really! Much like other Suiryuu guards, she's wearing a shirt with a baggy, overly loose neck, and a crew armband with the rising sun emblem of Jinchuu upon it -- though, in contrast to the others, her shoulders and upper arms are clad in mesh, terminating around the elbow. It's a pretty airy outfit, really -- the Chief of Security wouldn't be caught dead in this summer heat wearing anything huge and overly hot!
Perhaps to aid in recognition, Kasugano approaches Hotaru, making her cheerful voice heard! "Heeeey, Hotaru! Glad to see you made it aboard!" She'd kept the headband and the infectious smile, as well -- don't leave home without 'em!
The only slightly younger fighter managed to pick Sakura out while she was disguised and spying in a dusty town in Thailand, so the wardrobe overhaul isn't likely to throw her off here. Still, the unmistakeable cheerful voice and signiture headband pretty much make it impossible to miss Sakura. The only thing that makes the pig-tailed girl double-take is what, exactly, the outfit is.
"S-Sakura!" Hotaru replies, sounding astonished and just a little confused, though the gladness in her voice is easy to pick up on as well. The outfit is studied with a somewhat pointed expression, before she finally lifts her hand to rest flat against her cheek, her expression becoming very somber as she intones conspiratorially, "You know... they let you on for free if you're a recognized fighter. Someone like you doesn't have to sneak aboard in a disguise..."
She maintains the serious expression for a long moment before finally giving in to the grin that refuses to be suppressed.
Kasugano would've personally preferred an outfit with a bit more.... panache, perhaps, but she'll personalize it more later. Right now... it's an appropriately serviceable for a guard, and it'll work!
... Is she getting sassed though? Sakura's expression hardens for a moment: she might have to assert some authoritay! ... But the quasi-serious act dissolves into a faint smirk as she shakes her head, "Nah, what fun is that? I got to knock someone out for this and pretend I was in a spy movie or somethin'!"
After a moment, the fighting fangirl tosses her hand dismissively to the side, her smirk in full bloom now. "Nah, I'm totally here to keep you hooligans from wrecking the ship! ... An' to keep the real nasty folks from interfering in the match I guess." She flicks a thumbs-up afterwards, "But hey, it pays well!"
Still... as she speaks, it seems there's a bit on her mind. The more she sees Hotaru's grin, the more she remembers of their last meeting, a set of memories largely shoved aside by the programming, and the deprogramming which followed it. Oh, she remembers, alright... enough to follow up with a more appreciative smile. "Never did get to say it, in all the confusion... but thanks. For what you said in Thailand." She breaks her eyes away from Hotaru for a moment, glancing off to the harbor, "I wish I could've had my head screwed on tighter, there." Tossing a skewed glance to Hotaru, she adds, "But yeah, you were -mostly- right..."
"Huh," the girl replies, the grin fading into a warmer smile now that she's finished teasing... or has she? "And I thought all of the security types around here were just more pesky ninjas," Hotaru states, eyes closing as she shakes her head before opening one blue eye to peer almost accusingly back at the Taiyo graduate, "You haven't turned into a ninja, have you?"
She relaxes then, opening her other eye, elbows propped behind her against the railing, falling quiet as Sakura brings up a trying time from the past. Memories that surfaced usually in the more quiet hours of peaceful reflection are brought freshly back into her mind. "You're welcome," she states after a long moment. She had come to find a lot of things there weren't as they seemed on the surface. "I guess mostly right is better than being mostly wrong like I can be at times. I-" She pauses, swallowing, as if struggling with how to phrase something.
A glance is cast off to either side, a typical furtive inspection as if to make sure no one else was within hearing range, Hotaru's demeanor slipping into something a bit more wary than before. "With everything that happened there... all of the wrong things that happened... Kurow Kirishima is back to business as usual here as if none of the wrongs he committed have stuck to him." Her tone is soured a little. The lack of justice in her mind is clearly a sore point. But she pauses then, eyes focusing on Sakura with some intensity, as if very interested in how she reacts.
The more she trains with Ryu, the more of his own features she adopts as her own. She doesn't take them all, or else she'd be boring as heck! But she has learned 'restraint' and 'humility' over the years, leading to a very simple smile in response to Hotaru's mock-accusation. No, not a ninja, but not really -denying- it with her current Ryouhara-like attire.
Mostly right, mostly wrong.. Hotaru recieves more of that simple smile in response as Kasugano listens to what the young lady has to say. No sense in rushing: the Ansatsuken fighter is genuinely curious in what Futaba has to say here. It's another perspective, and one very important to her.
But she isn't revealing any particular secrets here. And Sakura... seems to be glad for a moment that she held her tongue. "No, I'm not a ninja. Lots of ninja lie, they're deceptive, they're pretty good at just about everything except that whole 'telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth' thing." She shrugs afterwards, still keeping a fairly controlled smile about her: "But yeah. I know. He's a lying, conniving =jerk=, and I'm keepin' him at arm's length. I'm not gonna let myself get suckered in by him. Wouldn't have the first time either, if not for Vega, anyway..." She shrugs faintly. "I'm keepin' an eye on him, anyway... best we can do is really try and keep him from doin' any more harm. It's not like we can just lock him up in prison or anything." She wiggles her fingers, mimicking as if she were to have those huge and ugly claws of his.
Laughing faintly, she shrugs cheerily! "But that's one reason I'm here... I want to learn to think like a ninja, and maybe it'll help, y'know?"
As Hotaru listens to Sakura's response, she seems to relax a little, quiet, faint smile returning. There's so much she would like to ask the girl. So much about what happened in Thailand, so much about what she knows about Kurow that she herself doesn't know. But at the same time, as she had mentioned to Raizo not long ago, the thought of asking Sakura to trudge through all of those memories again wasn't something that she really wanted to do.
"You said I was mostly right," the girl states after a moment, her mind thinking back to the very emotionally trying exchange she had with Sakura when she found her at long last after long, gruelling weeks in that wartorn nation. "Where was I wrong?" She sounds curious now. She does have the tendency to be somewhat self-righteous, though she feels she's justified in it. But she has also been at times introduced to other perspectives when she was willing to put aside a little indignation in order to hear another person out with really listening rather than just pretending to.
"Also... I was wondering... how did you get..." She struggles for a moment, trying to find the right vocabulary to expressthe question. How did you get over being crazy about Kurow; How did you stop being so manipulated. Who finally helped you screw your head on right. None of those options quite fit what she is looking for. "...I mean, when we talked back then, you were," she frowns a little, still struggling here, "Well, you don't feel the same why about Kurow now than you did back then. Did someone help with that?"
For dealing with her brush with the young man's manipulations, she had to turn to Alma for help. But how did Sakura do it?
There's a lot Sakura =doesn't= want to dredge up -- another good opportunity to use the crutch of a pensive smile as an answer. She relies on that for a little while, but of course, Hotaru deserves a bit more of an answer than that, after their last little chat.
... And her smile grows, in degrees. "Well, for one thing, you gave me a lot more credit than I deserve! Geez, Hotaru... I mean, you make me out to be like this perfect angel who came down straight from heaven or something! I'm just =me=, okay?" Of course, from the way her cheeks turn a light pink while saying that, it's clear she =was= quite flattered by the compliments at the time.
But... she goes on to explain with a shake of her head. "Well, you actually =are= an angel, so maybe, like, this won't make any sense, but have you ever done something you knew was wrong, but clammed up and did it anyway? Like, =knew= you should stop whatever it was... but it's like your body just wouldn't listen, your mouth kept moving?" She scratches her cheek, regarding Hotaru's response, but continuing regardless of it after a moment. "That's kinda like it was for me. I =had= all the right thoughts, but, like... I couldn't =speak= them. I couldn't =do= anything, like I was stuck in a nightmare." She looks off into the water for a moment, resting her elbows on the deck as Hotaru had a few moments ago. "Really, Rose and Cammy gave those thoughts a voice, let me push out all the bad ju-ju."
That was Vega they pushed out, though. Kurow... "... Eh. Kurow's a liar and a cheat, but y'know... he =can= be nice. If he wants something." She glances back to Hotaru for a moment. "Guess it's just a matter of figurin' out something he wants, and dangling it just out of his reach, y'know?" Her shoulders shrug, and she looks back to the water, smiling with bemusement at the sight of the occasional splash of water. People trying to get on board, hee. "But yeah. Tons of people helped me, I'm really grateful so many people went through all that trouble." In true tomboy fashion, she can't admit this while looking =directly= at Hotaru...
When Sakura tries to brush off the things Hotaru said about her when they last spoke, the girl interjects at some point with a 'Well, I meant it...', her tone quiet, sincere. She gives the Suiryuu security guard an awkward smile as she gets called an angel in return though, but whether she is flattered or feeling like maybe that's not a very accurate descriptor for her isn't clear. And at the question posed as to whether she's ever done something she felt was wrong but was unable to stop herself from doing anyway, a vague "Nn," is offered. A 'yeah, been there, but don't want to say how' kind of response.
Rose and Cammy are mentioned and Hotaru makes note of their names. It's good to know who out there might be able to help if she comes across someone else in the same kind of circumstances Sakura was in. The words about Kurow are taken in with a pensive look, though she can't help but return Sakura's smile with a nod and slight smile. "You're welcome," comes the two words at the tomboy's indirect thanks.
And then there is a long silence, as if Hotaru has either run out of things to say or is back to struggling how to word something. She moves forward to lean against the rail alongside Sakura, watching the same determined, struggling Jinchuu participants fight their way toward the boat while also trying to kick, punch, and/or drown each other on the way. Finally out of left field comes the next question, Hotaru just blurting it out as if opting to spit it out rather than stammer through some more clumsy phrasing. "Say, do you know anything about the Imawano ninja clan and Kurow's connection with them?"
Well, sure. It seems =everyone's been lured into difficult situations sooner or later, even if most of the folks Hotaru's and Sakura's age have less weighty matters to deal with. Sakura knows enough not to pry, while acknowledging that she more or less =made= her life public whenever she started acting as an agent of Shadaloo.
But things are different now, and the Suiryuu Chief of Security has more recent matters to consider. Those people struggling about in the water, for one. Hotaru's question, for another. "Uh... I know Kurow was -trained- by them, but I think that's... about all I know." Kasugano laughs mirthlessly, glancing over at Hotaru. "I mean, it's not like I ever saw need to ask him, y'know?" Another brief chuckle follows, then a question of her own, punctuated by a skeptical raise of her brow. "Why, what's on your mind there? You been having ninja troubles or somethin'?"
"Something like that," Hotaru replies, managing a very short laugh in light of the wording Sakura chose to use. When /doesn't/ she have ninja troubles? Kirishima, Koga, Imawano, Kisaragi, Riko... But the troubles that pertain to her question are of a more specific variety.
The girl turns around, leaning her back against the railing again, gazing across the deck out toward the limitless ocean. "Well, hmn." There comes the hesitation again. She's broached the subject she wanted to, but isn't sure how to go from there. "It's come to my attention that Kurow doesn't act alone. He has people that do stuff for him. I've was harassed by one such a couple weeks ago. I don't know how many more there are, but..."
She huffs then, turning toward Sakura directly, "Have you ever met Principal Imawano?" Hotaru doesn't need to specify of which High School. No one that has ever gone to school in Southtown could possibly not know of the bear-like beastman that rules Justice High after all.
That's a whole lotta ninja! Luckily, if Sakura has a problem with a ninja, it's only one at a time, and -- except for Eiji Kisaragi, she's been able to maintain some sort of parity with them, insofar as skills are concerned. It just takes a while for her to get used to the trickery.
"Eh... if you've got a problem with ninjas, you gotta go right to the source. Hit 'em when they don't expect it, before they can get all kindsa tricks put together." She laughs, stepping back and gesturing to the ship. "If you don't keep an eye on 'em, they'll end up floating a massive ship like this right under your nose!"
That wasn't =really= an answer, no, but Kasugano seems to think it's relevant. Stop the ninja threat before it turns into something? ... Tough, and she's never managed to do it herself, but it probably sounded better in her head.
As for Principal Imawano... Sakura shakes her head slowly. "Nope. Never in person, anyway! I just know what Hinata and Natsu told me 'bout him, way back when Hyo was 'round trying to take over the world or somethin." She twirls her finger idly, resting her elbows back on the railing. "Hear he's doing better lately, though..."
The advice is received all the same, Hotaru's smile a bit rueful, "It seems everyone knows a lot more about ninjas than I do. I wonder if there's a good book on the subject," the girl muses thoughtfully, attention back on the harbor. Maybe 'Ninjas for Dummies' or 'So You Got Attacked By A Ninja, Now What.' Someone out there has to have filled the demands of the common school girl needing to know more about ninjas after all!
"That makes sense though," the girl ponders, right hand coming up to rub her fingers against her temple thoughtfully. "I guess, in a bit of a way, that's kind of what I'm trying to do. That's why I went to talk to Principal Imawano. I mean, he's in charge of the place Kurow goes to school after all. It... it's been very interesting."
She looks toward Sakura, brow furrowed a bit. "He, ah, wants to meet with you sometime. He'll want to talk about Kurow. I just figured you should know so you're not surprised if you find a bear on your porch someday." she finishes with that faint smile accompanied by the sparkle in her eyes she gets when she's teasing about something. "You should talk with him though. He knows a lot of things. Just, erm, don't ask him to demonstrate Imawano-ryu for you," the girl adds, her right hand dropping from the side of her face to rub her shoulder a little, remembering a wound now healed.
Really, Sakura could just about write that book, too! Maybe she'll write it once she passes college-level English; if she'd written it nowadays her overuse of the word 'like' would give editors hives.
"... Huh, you're... " Kasugano shakes her head, pleasantly impressed by Hotaru's initiative. "That's pretty amazing, you goin' up and talkin' to him like that. Way to go!"
But, thanks to Hotaru's own trepidation, Sakura seems to be getting a bit anxious about the prospect of Raizo coming to visit. "M-maybe I should just go talk to him myself, then, after we're done with this overblown boat ride, huh? I kinda hate getting surprises at home, y'know?" A reasonable standpoint, considering recent events...
... Kasugano quirks an eyebrow at Hotaru's mention of Imawano-ryuu. "Y-yeah. I, uh... " Pause. "I gotta wonder if they keep the claws on =all= the time, really. I mean, that could get painful!"
Hotaru's smile strains a little as Sakura compliments the way the girl decided to start taking care of business herself by approaching Justice High's founder. In truth, the Kenpo artist was scared half to death the first two times she approached Raizo, her head filled with rumors from the Seijyun girls who told her that the ursine Principal ate students for lunch. Literally quivering with terror when she first met the man, it took some time before she came to see the administrator for who he really was and fear became respect.
"You really should. I think you'll find it interesting and helpful," the girl states calmly about Sakura posing the idea of approaching Raizo on her own. The comment about claws, however, elicits a laugh at last as Hotaru shakes her head, "Uh, yeah, in the case of Principal Imawano, I can safely say that he kinda does." It's his claw-like fingernails afterall, but she doesn't really elaborate just now. Though Sakura doesn't seem as nervous about approaching him as /she/ was, going into details on the clawlike hands the man has still doesn't seem conducive to the whole 'You should talk to him' thing.
Standing up straight, no longer leaning against the rail, Hotaru rests her hand at the back of her neck, "Haha, I feel bad for taking up so much of your time. Then again, I guess things aren't too stressful just /yet/. Not that many people aboard. I bet you'll have your hands full once the next round draws near. It must be pretty exciting seeing this event play out from another side. You probably have a lot better idea of what's going on here."
Really, Sakura puts on a tough act, but she has fears just like anyone else. It's the main reason Vega and Kurow were able to get so far into her head -- taking advantage of those fears and putting them to their own uses. Hotaru may not have initiated conversation with Raizo, but by speaking of him as more honorable and less duplicitous than Kurow... well, that's something. Besides, Kasugano could always use another excuse to get into Justice High.
"Sure, I'll go!" she affirms, clenching her fist. "But I'll bring help this time," she adds, a shy smile giving acknowledgement to the impetuous streak that got her into the Shadaloo mess last time.
But... with Hotaru standing up and seeming to wind down, Kasugano clicks her heels together. Not that her soft-soled shoes =have= heels per se -- just that it's good to look nice and official as her post requires. "Right, I probably =should= get back to my patrol... It's no bother though, I'm glad we got to catch up with each other!" But soon afterwards, she scratches her cheek, looking downwards a bit, regretfully.. "And, er... yeah. If anything, I kinda feel sorry for you folks! Seishirou's a monster when you give him enough time to plot stuff out..."
Hotaru's not the only one who can tease, though -- a fact Sakura makes clear as she follows up on her remark, looking up with a smirk, and winking. "Heh, I'm sure we'll see each other sooner or later!" The simple suggestion of 'As long as we don't have to deal with too many stowaways' is implied by the slight trepidation as she draws in a deep breath, but it remains unsaid.
Smiling, the Ansatsuken prodigy gives another brief nod, awaiting Hotaru's response before continuing her rounds.
Hotaru leans her head to the side slightly as Sakura gets ready to make the rounds. "Oh," she blinks, shaking her head, certain that the young Security Chief must be mistaken about something. "I'm only here to watch. I wasn't invited to participate." She shrugs a little then, the expression suggesting that while it might have bothered her at one point, she has a different perspective on being not included now.
"Riko explained why. At least, I think she was explaining. I kind of got lost listening to her. But no, I'm just here to see the sights." she smiles then taking a step away from the rail and stretching her arms out at her sides. "Best excuse to take a week off from school I've had in a whole," she adds with a laugh.
"But yeah, I'll see you around. I hope you don't have to much trouble keeping things secure once everyone finally makes it aboard. I have a feeling there's going to be some... well, strong personalities all stuffed onto this boat and some ruffled feelings to go with them. Might get interesting..." And with that she shrugs a little. Not her problem. Passive Spectator. Not going to get involved. Has enough of her own problems already. Yes.
/ I'm only here to watch. I wasn't invited to participate. / Sakura actually feels kind of bad when she watches Hotaru say that. Poor girl looks kinda crestfallen about that, really! "Well, yeah..." she continues, a bit softly at first -- but like most of Sakura's moods, that sure doesn't last long! "... But you'd demolish most of the other folks here. It's not really about =us= any more, is it? We've already got =our= tickets to the future." Kasugano smiles back with a wink, lacing her fingertips behind her head. "And yeah, it's a lot more fun to watch. Heck, I might even be able to use you on security staff, d'pending on how things go..." Whether the Taiyo grad is serious about that is left unspoken, as the Chief of Security continues walking on.
It's rather telling that the girl waits until her face is out of view before she starts grinning up a storm. Only here to watch -- hee. She knows Seishirou and Riko a bit too well to presume they =wouldn't= have more up their sleeves -- especially with the intense aura borne by this ship. Kasugano's grin just grows larger and larger. It'll be fun, to say the least!
'Us.' 'Our.' Hotaru's eyes widen a little as Sakura seems to count her as being in the same echelon of fighter as she is. "Y-yeah," she stammers out a reply, sounding a little overwhelmed all the sudden at the thought of the inspirational, iconic fighting school girl considering her to be in the same boat, as it were.
She laughs a little at the idea of being part of the security staff, "If you need any help with any rabble rousers," she offers, the willingness to lend a hand obvious in her tone. "Anyway, thanks Sakura. I'll seeya around. It's not THAT big of a boat after all. Take care of yourself."
And with that, Hotaru heads off in the opposite direction, thoughts of getting a snack and retreating back to the library to see if there's any good ninja books she should be reading filling her mind now.
Log created on 18:48:55 08/30/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 09:42:20 08/31/2007.