Description: Mizuki encounters Kimi once again, this time on a cold after-school afternoon... and while no blows are exchanged, words suffice for a battle of wills.
With the season well into Autumn and creeping toward Winter, the streets of Southtown Village is starting to find itself less busily occupied than before, at least when it comes to the outside. But this is especially the case for today, which is experiencing harsh winds that make the day feel much colder than it already is and who wants to be out in something like that?
Well with the exception of those bundled up and either rushing to the mall or a nice cozy coffeehouse, there is one particular schoolgirl who is quite underdressed for the ocassion. The school-uniform clad Kimi is spending her time pretty much the same way she's been doing all week. Standing within a crowd of five schoolboys, all with some sort of present in their hand.
"I bought you that new album you were looking at, Kimi."
"Hey Kimi, I bought that soap with the fragrance you said you liked."
"Kimi, I just happen to have to lattes, you want one?"
"Oh wow, you all are so thoughtful!" The icy-blue haired girl chirps delightedly, a bit of a blush forming on her cheeks and more or less just acting very coy and cute. "There are so many gifts, I don't even know which one I should accept first, I only have two hands after all." <3 It's probably safe to say, that she's in a good mood today. But then again, that's never a really certain thing of the ninja.
Hnn. So apparently Kimi's been... uh... 'hard at work'... Mizuki is bundled up for the oncoming winter, which means basically she's wearing the traditional heavy winter coat over her school uniform. Hood down, she's walking along--actually, just parting ways with a friend, with a friendly wave, as she's heading into town and her friend back to Justice.
"See you later, Chie-chan," calls Mizuki.. who then stops short. Way short. That voice... Mizuki turns slowly, and even if Kimi is the 'real' ninja she'll spot that blue hair first, and her lips will turn down into a slight, but still uncharacteristic, frown.
Sadly, the path she has to take is such that she's going to pass by Kimi... so she squares her shoulder, grips her bookbag (baton slid through the top flap for keeping) in both hands, and starts walking. Maybe Kimi won't notice.
'Hard at work' couldn't be any more correct. Maybe it's her way of relieving stress, no one but her parents would really be able to tell for sure. But one thing is for certain and that is it was absolutely no coincidence that herself and Mizuki are on the same block.
So while the miko is actually making her way toward Kimi, she is already setting things in motion, her hands clapped togeather as she pretends to have come up with an amazing idea. "Oh I know! The first two to get me that adorable Munchlax plushie in the UFO machine, I'll pick them!"
It's both sad and comedic really, how quickly the teens are making a burst toward Southtown village, hearts in their eyes. And in that same fluid motion, Kimi is turning completely to block the path of Mizuki back first, quite possibly 'accidentally' bumping into the other girl in the process. "Oh oopsie!" <3
By the way. Yeah, she noticed.
'Munchlax'... somehow it figures that Kimi's into the 'kiddy anime' stuff. It just figures somehow. But Mizuki is definitely not the type to make snide comments, so she just tries to move past bef--
--too late. And she realizes, belatedly, she doesn't even know the other girl's name yet. Mizuki stops short of bumping into Kimi, though it's a near thing; she stops, and stands there, her breath curling out as wisps of fog in the cold air.
"Excuse me," she says, softly, "but I need to get by, so if I could just... get past, it would be appreciated." Calm, calm, she must remain calm. Can't remember the beating she took at Kimi's hands...
There's silence for a brief moment after the sort-of apology, and Kimi very slowly turns her head to look over her shoulder. "Oh! Mizu-Mizu!"
Kimi turns fully, one hand behind her back, the other clasping her little wooden compact, and she looks the well bundled fighter over. It's just a brief glance though, as she then notes sweetly, "I see you're as conservativly dressed as ever, but I admit it is rather cute."
There's a pause then.
And then a longer pause.
And one more, almost as if encouraging Mizuki to speak up.
And she snaps the compact open, peering at her reflection. "If you were still in elementary school I mean. But I didn't want to talk to you about fashion today, I wanted to apologize about our fights end.. I'm sure you remember, the one that I nearly flattened you in last time? The ice thing really was an accident you know? I feel really bad about that." <3
'Accident'. Right. Mizuki's eyes narrow as she totally ignores Kimi's cracks at her 'fashion sense'. She remains where she is, breath curling out from her mouth, her blue eyes set on Kimi.
And then there's a pause.
And a longer one.
And one more... as Mizuki's blue eyes just gaze at Kimi.
"Why are you doing this?" she asks, softly, her gloved hands tightening on her bookbag.
'Talk to her', said Frei... and it's a good idea. "We don't have to fight. I'm sure there's some way we can work things out..." The plea is serious, and heartfelt, something even Kimi would see in Mizuki's eyes.
But lurking behind that softness is a steel core. If Kimi wants to fight then Mizuki will make sure she wins...
Did Mizuki just steal a page from Kimi's book? For a moment she seems completely oblivious, but when she does catch on, her gaze does break from her reflection back to the miko in very mild annoyance.
But it vanishes quickly enough, she snapping the thing closed and asks, "Why am I doing what, exactly? I don't believe there's really any kind of fighting left to be done, unless you had some sort of overwhelming urge to redeem what little credibility you may be clinging to.." It all said, of course, in an all too cheeful tone. She most certainly sees it. But her own gaze, even through her mask of cheer makes it clear she's not satisfied with what she's hearing.
"Or are you telling me you're relieving yourself of your clans duties like that foolish friend of yours as of this day?"
Mizuki's gaze remains calm, even as she turns her head from side to side, minutely. "If you're talking about Frei-san, then no, I'm not relieving myself of my clan duties or affiliations. His story is very different from mine. From ours."
Those intensely blue eyes stay very focused on her opposite number. "I -don't want- to fight you. But if you won't agree to a mutual change then I will have to... because my clan elders believe in the rightness of what they're doing and I believe in them."
Oddly intense, and implacable, is Mizuki. "Maybe I won't win--not now, not ever--but every time you defeat me I will get up again... and I'm sure your own clan elders won't let you not 'deal with me'..."
"Hmmn!" Kimi seems intruiged, or enlightened.. Possibly relieved? But most of all amused. It's so easy to just call the girl 'weak', but at this point, she's losing satisfaction in even that. So just moments after that, her expression just drops.
Her red eyes mildly narrow, but stern, the ninja gives a slow shake of her head. "You don't understand the situation that you're in at all, do you. Obviously I won't agree to a mutual change, because everyone in your clan, including yourself is a fool. With equally foolish ideals. If you're even in doubt that you can win a fight with your rediculous ideas, perhaps you should either reconsider those ideals, or think about killing yourself so I won't have to. I guarantee you, Mizu-Mizu, the next time I put you down, you are not 'getting back up'. Or have you suddenly decided I am not an assasin?"
"I know what you are, and what you're not," replies Mizuki, her voice soft but cored with steel. Take it as you will; either it means Mizuki is prepared to die if Kimi beats her and decides to take her life...
... or she thinks Kimi won't actually do it. But she won't say which it is. Instead, she merely looks at Kimi... her blue eyes filled with remarkable amounst of compassion for the girl who would be her killer.
"Then I suppose we'll have to fight it out, eventually..." she replies, and her expression shifts to a sadder one. Turning slowly, she says, "I wish things hadn't turned out this way. We should have been friends..."
Kimi raises a single brow slightly. That wasn't something she had expected to hear from Kimi really, and the girl certainly seems sure of herself. Knowing who she is? The possibility of friendship? Neither is actually too foreign to the ninja. And yet she doesn't seem to be moved at the very least by Mizuki's words, and she completely ignores the compassion that is practically oozing from her 'rival' of sorts.
Yet there's a mildly tight feeling in her chest. ".. Wait. Before you go, there's something I want you to tell me, while looking me in the eyes. About what you just said."
Mizuki was halfway through a forward step--but she stops, and turns, fearlessly meeting Kimi's eyes. She doesn't speak, but her gaze speaks for her--and it says 'Ask.'
Surely, if any of those poor, unwitting boytoys are still around they've been captivated by this exchange, a battle of wits and words with nary a strike to be found... on either side. And yet something has been won and something has been lost... but what?
Mizuki knows, now, that she'll have to fight Kimi eventually, in a fight for 'all the marbles'... but she doesn't yet know when that fight will take place...
Kimi said that she wanted Mizuki to tell her something, related to past sentances. It was more or less a lie. The moment Mizuki turns back, she of course would be greeted with a slap right across the face. It was designed to be a cheapshot of sorts, but Mizuki may have seen it coming anyway.
"You don't know me. You don't even know my name. Why would I even -think- about being friends with someone like you? And don't you ever say either of those two things to me again." Kimi says flatly, her blazing red eyes somehow giving off a chilling gaze.
She doesn't say anything after that for a moment, leaving a rather uncomfortable pause.
For a couple seconds.
And then a few seconds more.
And the swung hand is brought to her own cheek, the young ninja looking as chipper as ever, positivly beaming! "I lied, I didn't want you to say anything, I'm such a naughty girl, aren't I?" <3 "Mizu-Mizu, you do me a favor and when those boys come back, tell them I went home, pretty please?"
So, in the end, it's a lie again. Mizuki seems disappointed--far more than perhaps she should be, given that Kimi just completely tanked any idea of friendship with the Kamigawa girl. She's so disappointed she doesn't even try to defend against the slap... or she just doesn't care to. It stings, more so for the cold air, and her cheek reddens, but she remains stoic.
"You're right. I don't know you or your name... but that doesn't have anything to do with friendship. But isn't it sad?"
Once again she turns, and she won't be turning around this time, "thinking that you know me, when you know as much about me as I do you...? I hope that your clan at least loves you..." And she starts walking. Relatively confident that Kimi's not going to attack again, and her step more sure, now that she's extended the olive branch.
"... What?" Kimi seems mildly confused, but overall satisfied with the end result. She likely won't get a response even if she asked, at least that's what she believes, and simply dismisses the comment with a wave. For one reason or another she doesn't strike from behind, at least not this time around.
She would like to say she'd be walking from this unscathed, but she can't shrug of Mizuki's words as easily as she thought she could have. So when she turns her back to the miko and walks her own path, it's with a slightly twitchy eyebrow. ".. Rrgh. D- Damn you. What do you know anyway, I'm not listening to you."'
Log created on 21:38:18 11/14/2007 by Mizuki, and last modified on 11:21:25 11/23/2007.