Description: After Kentou encounters the girl known as Kurogami Kimi, he goes in search of Mizuki--even injured, he has something to tell her...
Ah, evening at the Shrine. Though it will be perpetually unkempt--people who believe in New Age stuff might say that as long as Geese Howard and the Syndicate are the de facto ruling class of Southtown that the negative energy will keep it that way--Mizuki does what she can. Maybe it's because of her background, maybe her nature. She gets teased about it.
But here she is, at the Shrine, dressed in her miko outfit as is only appropriate, and instead of her baton, or her gohei, she wields her bamboo broom. Her target? Dust and leaves; she is sweeping, of course, by moonlight and by the faint light thrown by nearby streetlamps that just barely penetrates the gloom.
Perhaps not the smartest thing to do, ever, but Mizuki -can- take care of herself... besides, sweeping is monotonous but also calming, while Mizuki wrestles--still--with the most important topic she's had to deal with in her young sixteen years--what to do about Kimi.
'You tell her what a bad girl Kimi was, Okay?'
That phrase echoing in the back of Kentou's mind as the youth labors up the stone stairway of the Shrine. Limping slowly, the boy can only wonder why the girl HAS to live so darn far from civilization.. But then, considering the state of affairs in Southtown, perhaps its actually a wise choice. Regardless, the youth is at the edge of his endurance. Perspiration rolls down his brow as he virtually crawls, hands occasionally reaching down to pull himself up along a few steps before his unhurt leg is rested enough to carry his weight. If it wasn't for the endless sprinting and running training, the boy couldn't possibly have made it this far.
As is, Kentou is at the nadir of his constitution and as he crests that final step.. simply flops down upon the cold stone. Now that the exertion of his trek is beginning to wear off.. He's starting to regret his decision of not wearing a jacket in this cold, near-winter weather.
At least, with all his travel, he's had plenty of time to think. Think about what that attack could possibly have been about. The boy knows he's playing into that psycho girl's scheme. Clearly, by her own admission, Kimi just wants to cause trouble and hurt people SPECIFICALLY so Mizuki knows about it. The notion that Kentou is complicit in that plan is ... aggravating. But, the youth has no choice. Mizuki -must- know what Kimi's doing to people, even if it is what Kimi ultimately wants. At the very least.. Hopefully Mizuki can shed light into this problem and know what to do about her.
For the moment? Kentou will just rest there at the end of the long stone path. Spend some time regaining his breath and warding off the evening chill as best he can.
With the natural state of the Shrine to be one of quiet and loneliness, it's really hard to miss someone coming up--even in near darkness. And Mizuki proves that she's not a total throwback as, when she hears steps, she pulls out a flashlight--and clicks the maglite on, shining it around.
"Is someone there?" she asks, softly, a little worried--she is, after all, a pretty single girl. And then she flashes the light across Kentou's form. It is pretty easy to recognize him--she doesn't know too many kids with long braids.
"Wh--Kentou-kun?!?" Dropping the broom, which hits the stones with a light clatter, Mizuki strides swiftly over to the collapsed young boy, her brow wrinkled and her lips tugged down into a frown.
She doesn't ask why Kentou's injured. It could be any of a number of reasons. She just reacts, first and foremost. "C'mon, can you walk? It's warmer in the shrine..." It's cold out, sure, but Mizuki's skills lie in ice chi; she's a little more resistant to cold than others. Helpful on a night like this, as she goes to help Kentou up.
%Kentou is one distinctive boy, that's for certain. That, and it helps that he wears the same kenpo uniform unfailingly every day. Not one to blend into a crowd, he.
Stealth is not the object of his visit, however. As a feminine voice speaks up, Kentou's gaze widens.. Turning his head to look upwards from a sideways angle, "Y..Yeah? .... Mizuki-san?.." Venturing a guess at the familiar voice. Dark eyes squinting as the flashlight shines directly towards him, throwing up a hand to block the light. Out in the woods, its all but pitch black on an overcast night. The sudden change in luminosity is almost painful.
"I..I'm okay.. I'm okay.." The boy stammers gruffly, noting that shocked tone to her voice. Breathing heavily, the boy attempts to push himself upwards in a bid to prove his words.. Managing not even a fractional success.
Thankfully the boy is pretty light, and though he tries to stand on his own.. he doesn't refuse the help as it's offered. If anything, the exhausted Kentou leans into Mizuki's assistance a bit more than he intended, "..I'll be.. I'll be fine.." He murmurs, "G..gotta warn you.." The idea of a warm shrine is a welcome one, but the boy tries to fulfill his mission first and foremost.
Never know if that crazy girl was stalking him the whole way... From what little he's seen, he wouldn't doubt it for an instant..
Kentou's tone of voice, his inability to stand... his words. They all strike a chill of fear into Mizuki, a chill quite unlike anything produced by winter's own bite. Even if he says he's okay, he clearly isn't, and so Mizuki brings Kentou up to his own good leg, supporting him as she walks him to the shrine.
It -is- warmer in the Shrine, and the inside is actually warmly lit by candles. Again, she doesn't address Kentou's words at all, at least not yet. Once inside, she lowers him to the flooring, and examines the leg that is most obviously injured. "Hold still," she advises, laying her hands gently onto the leg. Closing her eyes, she summons energy, and a blue-green glow flares up over her hands, concentrating and building... and then being sent, with a rush, into the injured leg. It feels like a rushing bath of warm, healing water... and then, once she's begun the process of healing Kentou's leg, she sits back.
Her blue eyes meet Kentou's gaze and she says, without preamble, "_She_ attacked you, didn't she..." Those eyes are sorrowful--sad that her personal problem has now just become a public one.
Stepping inside of a warm room again feels so good the boy barely notices the pain in his knee for a few moments. A chill runs through his body as he offers a soothed sigh. "T..Thank you.." Kentou murmurs, the kindness of her assistance alone would have been enough for him. Gently seating himself down upon the floor of the Shrine at her direction, squinting eyes taking in the glowing candles and Shinto decor. As his family was culturally Chinese, Kentou never had much to do with Shinto. He supposes, if pressed, his father was more Buddhist than anything. But religion was never a major drive in his life.
Well, that isn't true. Better to say, the pursuit of martial skill is Kentou's religion.
"..I need to.. to tell you.." The boy stammers again, voice halting with a slow hiss as the discomfort of his leg makes itself known while stretching the limb out upon the floor. Within his baggy pant-leg, its difficult to tell the extent of the damage. Clearly, its nothing good at his reactions.
At her advisory, the boy blinks to her.. His breath catching in his throat as he witnesses the girl spawn glowing blue-green power. Immediately the youth's first knee-jerk reaction is to instantly roll out of the way.. His body tensing as if preparing to do just that.
Glowing things from people have universally meant pain in his experience.
"W..what are y.." Stammering, eyes staring at the energy in complete confusion.. That is, until an ocean of relief is unleashed. A surprised gasp escapes his lips as the pain very quickly dissolves within the gentle power. His eyes closed as he supports his weight with his hands behind him.. barely managing to remain upright, "..W...Wow.."
Once Mizuki's touch fades.. Only then does the boy's eyes blink open. Staring at his leg in disbelief. Eyes moving from the young Miko's face to the repaired leg in turn as he slowly.. gingerly reach down to touch the handiwork. His leg is still a little stiff, and won't be 100% for a few days... But the damage is reversed.
"..How did you?-" The boy's bangs and braid flail over his shoulder as he looks straight to the girl in no small amount of awe. Only for that look to be preempted by the astute accusation. For a moment.. Kentou is stuck between a whole host of emotions, his confusion growing by the moment as it's all he can do to simply nod, "..Y..yes.."
Mizuki's lips curl upwards in a faint smile. "It is... a special... trick. An ability. Something I have spent many years learning to do and refining," she replies, by way of explanation. "A pretty rare ability, as I am told, but one I'm proud of. Though I guess it might explain why I'm not a great fighter," she muses, half to herself, "since 'great fighters' focus on defeating their opponents... not healing others."
A shake of her head, her crimson ponytail shaking out behind her. "It's rare enough that some think it is 'unfair'..." Apparently she still hasn't shaken those thoughts from her head, thanks to Drake. She pulls her hands away and folds them into her lap, sitting on her heels.
"Feels better? It's not one hundred percent, I'm sure, but it'll be better soon enough, I think." A soft laugh from the miko. "Talent comes in handy around Alma-kun... he seems to get injured by other fighters a lot. Comes in handy at the YFCC too, with all the minor injuries people get there... but anyway." A sigh, as she settles back, her eyes unfocusing.
"It's funny. I don't know her name. But she's... she's like my opposite number. She's the latest scion of her family, as I am... and her family and mine are... our histories are intertwined from a long, long way back... I
"I'm sorry. She's been spying on me... she probably came after you just to get at me."
Kentou stares at Mizuki.
Stares.
For a long moment, the boy simply holds the single most shocked and aghast expression the girl has seen the boy hold to date. Listening to her description of being 'unfair' or rationale for being a 'great fighter' is clearly processed but not immediately commented upon. If Mizuki grew a second head that started spouting nursery rhymes.. This is what Kentou's expression would be.
"Y..You can ... You can heal people.." Kentou finally manages, eyebrows lifting as he bobs his head with every word, "..You can -heal- people. Like.. Like that. Just like that.." The boy slowly shakes his head, as if trying to brush off the disbelief until he finally blurts, "...Are you crazy?!"
The boy immediately then sits up, whirls his legs about to kneel upon them. The previously injured leg is sluggish, but the pain is wholly gone. More proof compounding the weight of his words, "WHY? I mean... WHY are you wasting your talent on just.. just fighting?! You can heal people! Thats.. Thats -incredible-! You could go to the hospital like.. like.. RIGHT NOW and rebuild so many lives.. You could be saving people Every Day. You could do more good for people than.. .. Hah.. Than -I- ever will." The boy thumbs to himself to punctuate the point.
Kentou loves martial arts and he is completely dedicated to his path. That's what he's good at .. it's what his family is good at. He'd never abandon his quest. But at the same time, he fully acknowledges not everyone is as.. bound to their fate as he is. Moreover, he fully recognizes that he has nothing particularly useful to offer society at large.
The ability to heal the injured, even the critically injured, with a wave of your hand? That's more important than any fighting art mankind has ever created. Even Kentou recognizes that.
"Why.. Why are you just sweeping a stone path and worrying about fighting when.. When you are -way- more than that?"
Oh. And that small other matter.
"..H..her name is Kimi.." Kentou finally adds, a bit exasperatedly.. catching his breath from his brief tirade.. Certainly, that explanation begins to make sense on that venue. ....And that hatred this Kimi feels is suddenly much more justified.
Who wouldn't be jealous of Mizuki, knowing what he knows now?
Mizuki smiles faintly. "There are some who don't think it's all that incredible, Kentou-kun. Like I said--they think it's something unfair. That it's something I shouldn't use in a fight." Her smile fades, slightly.
"And I can't heal everyone... and I can't heal everything." Her thoughts turn to Kiyoko, the girl with the terminal disease. "I don't want you to think that i can, because..." Her face falls.
"... Because I can't. What I can heal--the limits of my power--are greater than you might think. I'm no superwoman, Kentou-kun. What I can do is limited. I can't fix diseases. I can't fix everything... and it costs me to do what I can."
Her blue eyes are still full of sorrow. "If I could just go down to the hospital and start healing people, I would..." He doesn't understand; she can see it in his eyes. Her head lowers, her eyes dropping from his.
"And... I have my own obligations. Obligations to friends... obligations to family. And obligations to the world." Kimi is part of those obligations, and one she will have to face, and soon.
Her mouth opens again, as if to say something further, but then she stops. "Thank you for telling me her name. I suppose that I shouldn't say this, but I suspect that if we fight again and she wins, I will likely not survive... so if I don't, then I must humbly apologize for disappointing you, Kentou-kun." Rising to her feet, she bows, slowly.
"I thank you for your friendship, however brief it may be. Stay here and rest a while before you leave; wouldn't want you to reinjure your leg. I--I have to go find her."
Ironically, it seems Kentou is of the other persuasion. Its a gift that shouldn't be squandered ON fighting.
As Mizuki protests the value of her healing power, Kentou's expression softens a little bit. The boy doesn't understand this ability, and the notion that it has limitations is fairly easy to understand. It would explain just why Mizuki, as kind hearted as she is, doesn't automatically go forth and use this power for the betterment of mankind.
But yes. Actually. The boy does begin to understand as Mizuki mentions obligation. Friends. Family. These things Kentou is acutely aware of.. How they weigh in upon one's destiny, regardless of how else one's talents could be applied.
The boy then issues an exasperated exhale as she quickly rises. "W..wait.." Kentou urges.
His hand reaches up in a quick bid to grip the fabric at her mid-pant leg. Preventing her from fleeing off to prepare for this battle she thinks she must perform. This isn't his business, he knows that. He was here to fulfill an obligation to an acquaintance.. and he has done so.
However, Kentou doesn't just give up on anybody, even people he barely knows, "Mizuki.." The boy murmurs, his eyes parallel to the floor and looking away, "..I..I know something about obligations to family.. But I chose them.. for myself.. for my own reasons.." Only then does the youth turn his piercing brown eyes up to her. Peering past his bangs as he demands a single earnest answer from her before he lets her walk out of here, "..Did you?
Mizuki stops, and once again meets his brown eyes. Is she choosing this path for herself? Surely. but not only for herself--for others, as well. She can't ignore or run away from this obligation. Kimi has made it plain that even if Mizuki wanted to just run away, she'd keep on coming... and that would be fine, but she's also attacking Mizuki's friends.
"Frei-san asked me the same question. And my answer to you is the same as to him. I choose this path because there is no other choice; even if I wanted to turn away from my obligations, she doesn't want to. And she's targeting my friends. I can't allow that to happen."
The miko nods, firmly. "But I am also choosing this path because I truly believe it is right... not just because of familial obligation or obligation to others. Do me a favor, Kentou-kun. When you can, please let Alma-kun know that..."
"... that I'm sorry." Reaching down, she gently disengages Kentou's grip on her pants. "This is going to be the final battle between Kimi and myself, when I find her. I'll do my best to make sure she doesn't come after any of you, ever again..."
Kentou's world is a simple one. If this is the path that Mizuki chooses for herself.. Then that is the path she must take. Just as the boy does what he does because he whole heartily believes in it. For good or ill. No matter the cost. Has the boy risked life and limb any less for what he believes in? To protect those he.. cares for?
Kentou has reservation about her decision.. He doesn't believe she should face this alone. Clearly, its what this Kimi wants of her. She's playing right into that maniac girl's hands.
The boy has to ask himself. If positions were reversed and he decided to do something.. would he take 'no' for an answer? Or let anyone stop him?
The hand at Mizuki's pant-leg unclasps at the same moment her hand touches his. The boy's vision fixes on Mizuki's for a few moments before drifting away to the candles of the shrine.
He doesn't like it.. but he respects her wishes. The request for that message to be sent to this 'Alma' is met with a brisk nod.
After a few silent heartbeats more, as Mizuki crosses the distance of the Shrine, the youth's voice clearly rings out, "...Mizuki-san.."
Head tilting to the side, looking upon her in profile as he manages a small, if sincere smile, "..Gambatte.."
Log created on 21:30:57 12/03/2007 by Mizuki, and last modified on 19:19:48 12/04/2007.