Description: Hotaru's recent rampage has drawn the attention of a noteworthy school administrator who finds her diversion from prior behavior cause for concern. Trapped in a classroom with the bear-like Raizo, Hotaru is forced to make a difficult decision.
Even with how upside down Hotaru's life has been the last few months, she still attends school. She already lost a year out of her high school education traveling abroad and she knows full well she can't afford to lose yet another year of school if she ever wants to graduate from this institution. Weekends have been filled with fighting, violent SNF battle after another, the girl acting out with anger and viciousness the likes of which no one would have ever expected from the diminutive fighter. Her friends have been concerned, some of them calling her out on broadcast television such as one match Frei jumped into the middle of the... well fray, and chewed the berserking fighter out on the spot.
Weekdays are, however, much like usual. Boring classes, tests, exams... Today is no different for Hotaru at Seijyun High. Trudging along, her heavy bookbag weighing down her back, she makes her way to the next class as part of her daily routine. English studies. Important for any aspiring fighter hoping to be understood in their world-wide travels as part of their fighting career!
Dressed in her school uniform, hair worn down, the kenpo artist pauses at the classroom door for a moment, her thoughts all over the place, her mind wandering over the SNF event she just had with Roberto the prior weekend. She had been having fun fighting the soccer fighter... it was a whimsical, family fun match... Up until she lost it near the end and attacked the Taiyo student back with what might be construed as lethal force were it used against someone slightly less durable as Roberto. How can she ever face him again after something like that, she wonders, hand turning the handle to pull the door open.
Time to put it out of mind. Time to focus on class.
Hotaru Futaba has been up to some truly questionable activities. Her behavior has been changing - slowly growing more aggressive, more upset, more...well, violent.
Every teenager has a rebellious stage. Every fighter has that time in their life where they realize that they truly could, if they wanted, go take over a small town and rule over it like a god. The teenage fighters have it the worst of all, although the fighting schools of Southtown tend to cool egos. That is, in part, why they exist - to tame those impulses, and teach them not only strength, but control /of/ that strength.
That's the theory, anyway. But sometimes, things go wrong. And /sometimes/, things go wrong enough that men of power feel the need to step in.
When Hotaru opens the door to her classroom, she'll see him there instantly - leaning aganist the far wall in his usual tan suit, standing there like he's always been there, arms crossed and watching the door wtih intensity: Raizo Imawano. Principal of Justice High.
Raizo has met Hotaru on several occasions before. The girl's vigor and verve were heartening, especially in light of the situation she'd faced with Kurow. To see what she's become now, watching it happen on live television...Raizo has become worried. Just what happened to cause this? Just how far has it spread? Is this the work of natural processes that will work themselves out? Is it at least something that can be healed or understood? Or has Hotaru become something Raizo must work his family's mission upon, with prejudice?
His lips are turned down. Has he ever been this serious before? He looks like he typically does while dealing with matters concerning Kurow, and yet--Kurow has been silent for so long, it couldn't be, could it?
He looks up, matching eyes with Hotaru as she appears. "Miss Futaba," he rumbles, serious. "We need to speak."
Stepping into the room the girl comes to a stop. The principal of Justice High has a presence felt in an instant by even those not attuned to recognizing the fighting spirit of powerful individuals. There's just now way a student can't know he's there. Unless, of course, he doesn't want to. But that's another matter. The small fighter turns toward the back of the room, blue eyes widening as she takes in the impressives sight of the school administrator.
"P-Principal Imawano," the girl chammers as he speaks her name and indicates a need to speak. When they first met, her fear of Raizo was justified by rumors told to her by the girls at Seijyun. A bear, a beast, a child-eating monster. But then she got to know him through repeated visits and the edge came off, the man becoming someone she admired greatly and held in high respect.
What then has changed to justify Hotaru's paling face, nervous stammer, mouth left agape as her feet seem suddenly stuck to the floor? Maybe it's because she knows... or suspects... what might have brought Raizo to her today. "I-," she tries to find her voice, only to fall quiet after trying for a moment.
Hands lower, clasping in front of her, the girl bowing her head, avoiding looking toward the large adult at all after the initial shock has worn off. "Okay," she states, as if she had a choice in the matter, her arm coming up to shrug her heavy bag from off her shoulder and let it drop to the floor with a thud, before she takes a moment to straighten her jacket and tie and finally look up toward Raizo. By the time she does, her expression has become neutral, lips pressed tightly together, blue eyes a mixture of nervous yet defiant in a cool, distant way.
Raizo doesn't smile at her as she stammers. He doesn't offer that grin, or a sly thumbs up, or a wink. He's here on business - deadly serious business, and of his own accord and desire. This is the side Hotaru hasn't seen before, the reason very smart, very brave people really do /fear/ Raizo Imawano.
Because sometimes, just sometimes...he doesn't try to act like he's /not/ a terrifying bear of a man.
He doesn't give any overtly threatening gestures...but none of his calming mannerisms make an appearance, either.
She's afraid. She's /terrified/. She knows why he's here. She has to. THat's the only explanation. That's a good sign, actually. If she didn't seem worried, if she was puzzled or confused, that would mean she was pretty far gone. To see that she knows perfectly well that she has done something /deserving/ of his attention...that's excellent news, indeed. That tells Raizo that her morality hasn't slipped very far.
And /that/ tells Raizo that it's not too late.
He steps away from the wall as Hotaru fixes herself. He looks to the doors, thoughtfully. "Thank you for your cooperation," he says. The formalities are thick in the air. By now he would normally have asked any other student at all what their home life was like - were they doing their homework? Any problems with friends or family? Any grade problems? Some of it was harmless small talk. Others, real opportunities for growth - tutoring was always a good way for Justice students to get some hands-on leadership work, after all.
Nothing. No distractions, this time. He wants to talk about only one thing, and Hotaru probably already knows what it is.
He steps over to the door and looks outside. "Mister Kageyama," he says, quietly. "I'm sorry, but this is important. I've already spoken with the principal - she's arranged for the rest of your class to meet down the hall in the conference room. You understand, I hope. This is important." A brief pause, and then Raizo again: "Thank you."
The old man's pretty crafty, apparently. He turns back around, closing the door behind him, and nods at Hotaru. "We'll be able to talk in here. I've already made the arrangements."
As Raizo moves away from the wall to draw nearer to the door, Hotaru moves in further, turning around to keep her eyes on him, leaving her bag lying on the floor listlessly. Hands clasping behind her back, the girl makes an effort controlling her breath, putting her fighter's composure to work on her behalf to keep from looking as terrified outwardly as she really is. Raizo would be able to sense the difference though...
The principal heads toward the door, taking a moment to discuss things outside with the teacher who's class this is. It's a credit to Raizo's prestige that he could even arrange something like this on short notice... Hijacking a teacher's classroom is serious business at the stuffy girl's school. And the exchange just allows the seconds to tick past, one by one, making things even worse for the girl.
By the time Raizo turns back around to face her, her face has paled slightly since he last glanced her way, and she doesn't look any more relaxed as Raizo shuts the door, blue eyes fixing on the now closed portal as if all hope of escape had just been cut off, leaving her resigned to her inevitable fate.
"Y-yes," stammers the girl, kneeding her hands together in front of her. "Principal," she states again, bowing her head slightly. Her hand comes up and tugs at her collar a little. Is it just abnormally hot in this room?
Raizo's prestige? Oh yes, he's quite powerful. But it didn't hurt that Hotaru's own administration couldn't ignore the girl's behavior forever.
It's one thing for a tough-as-nails fighter like Zaki, who's built her entire reputation around that behavior. But what message does it send, to the wealthy and powerful families that support Seijyun, if one of their renowned, well-behaved, kindly fighters, suddenly turns into a brute who will randomly use lethal force in a friendly match? Nothing that brings money in, that's for sure...
Raizo watches the girl for a moment, lips curled down dangerously, monitoring her. It's true that her body language is hopeful. Even if she's trying to be defiant, trying to put some of that fighter's calm into her tone and posture, she knows perfectly well what will happen if Raizo decides he's truly unhappy with her behavior. Those claws are not for show. Raizo knows all this.
This is the terror of Raizo. Not merely his appearance, but his /mind/ - a terrifying, cold, calculating instrument. He is the last surviving Master of Imawano. Their powers of mind control were absolute. Being able to read and manipulate social cues...that's such a minor thing, compared to their mastery.
"You've been up to some interesting things, Miss Futaba," Raizo says. Not Hotaru - Miss Futaba. "Worrying, as well. I hope you'll be glad to hear that young Roberto is in stable condition."
Even more time passes as Raizo scrutinizes her and Hotaru begins to show signs of nervousness more by the moment. Hands, now slightly damp, continue to knead each others fingers in front of her after she finishes with the collar tugging. Blue eyes glance up to Raizo occasionally, before finding /anything/ else in the room to gaze at, while at the same time trying to look not so obvious about it.
Interesting things he states. Blasting Roberto in two different fights with lethal force... nearly putting her fist through Zach Glenn in a Neo League match... Shouting at her opponents with little to no provokcation in her fights, as if all the patience she had had finally run dry and she was on an endless rampage ever since... Yes, interesting things. Worrying things.
"I-" she starts, her tone suggesting she was about to protest the implication that she did that to Roberto on purpose, "He-" she continues, digging for another excuse, her voice struggling to sound strong still before she finally gives up, her shoulders slouching a little, along with her bowed head, "...I ... don't know what ot say."
"Good," Raizo says, with an almost shockingly serious tone. "If you knew what to say, I would probably be forced to throw you out that window."
He's not kidding.
He puts his hands behind his back, and begins to...pace. It's not a heartening gesture. No, the opposite - a motion designed to show that he is in complete command and control. He is the one with the power, here - she is the student.
"If you knew what to say," Raizo continues, "it would tell me you were already dangerously far gone, possibly beyond help, and certainly beyond the point where my mere presence and speaking to you would be of any use. We would have to skip straight to more unpleasant business."
He leaves what that might be unsaid, although it's probably not hard to guess.
Finally, after pacing the rest of the track, he comes to a stop, turning to address Hotaru directly, facing her, with his eyes cast down toward her.
"Dangerous things are afoot, Miss Futaba. Perilous things. Kurow has fallen quiet, for now - I have managed to distract him from his tasks on a wild goose chase that it will take him some time to complete. But there are other matters that are rising, matters I cannot handle alone. I need assistants, not..." Dangerous maniacs who blow holes in their friends. "...problems."
He closes his eyes, allowing her to stew on this particular jab, and then finally says, "That new attack appears rather ferocious. Is it the source of this?"
As Raizo speaks, Hotaru's eyes are on the massive teacher, watching him ambulate back and forth across the space in front of her. Listening. Quiet. Pensive. Had he approached her but four weeks ago or so and this might have been going a completely different direction. She was unrepentant, rebelious, sure of herself then. She hurt a lot of her friends during that time, in both deed and spoken word. But her friends have made a stalwart effort on her behalf since then, bringing her back, little by little, such that she is in the state that she is now. Contrite enough to listen.
He mentions unpleasant business and she shrinks just a little, their spar on the fields of Justice High not forgotten in the slightest. As he turns toward her, the girl cringes, almost looking ready to bolt, as if maybe she'd rather he /did/ throw her out the window. At least she'd be out of this awfully stuffy, hot, uncomfortable room! But he isn't turning to attack, but to warn. Mentioning Kurow, and other dangerous affairs in motion. He mentions assistants and she remembers when she would have been honored to be called such, proud to be regarded worthy. But now she isn't so sure she should ever be counted as help for him...
He mentions 'that attack', and Hotaru lowers her eyes back to the floor. Ferocious, deadly, twisted. A corruption of chi, a legacy of a murderous ninja clan, a technique she should never have been taught. "It... I-... I have known it for over half a year, but I had never used it until recently... it..." She lifts her right arm slowly, staring at her right hand intently. "Well, it's very strong." And very addicting. "I thought it was my right to use it... I mean, in fights... those who are really successful... they don't seem very gentle to me. I-... I just thought I was doing what other fighters do."
Raizo listens to this. His hands are behind him, resting there in a stern, patrician gesture of authority. This is the man who leads Justice High. This is the terrifying titan of power who escaped the wrath of an entire clan of ninja, a wrath so great that they /destroyed/ themselves to find him. This is the man who built a high school that looks ready to change the world, and built it with nothing but charisma, charm, and promise.
This is Raizo Imawano. And his attention is all yours...
He hums, quietly, as Hotaru finishes explaining the situation. "Miss Futaba," he rumbles - there is less of an ice to his tone, now. But he isn't ready to forgive her yet. "You must understand that there is genuine evil in this world. There is genuine good, as well, of course, but..."
He stops speaking for a moment. He stands stock still as he speaks. Normally, in easy conversation, with friends or could-be friends, he is a man of constant motion. He taps his fingers and fiddles with hair; he stretches and shifts and groans. But no, now, he is stock still, regarding Hotaru with all the intensity of a gargoyle waiting to strike.
This is becoming a less ominous conversation...but it is still a lecture. This is not a friendly warning between peers. Go to Sakura for that. This is an older, wiser man, dressing down a child who made a very dangerous mistake.
"You are correct in that other fighters can be harsh. I have been, myself. I hope that that spar did not push you to this. What you must understand is that there are some techniques that are powerful - Michael Bison is known for punches that can kill an elephant. Rugal Bernstein has his Genocide Cutter. These are powerful attacks...but they are not /evil/, in and of themselves. But just as men and women can be compelled to villainy by their own evil hearts, there are techniques - techniques that often eclipse even these in power and force - which are, of themselves, forces of evil."
His gaze hardens. His face contracts just slightly, a tiny narrowing of the eyes to emphasize his next words. "Such techniques are hallmarks of the Imawano. To fight evil, what better way than to use its own methods? Of course...you have seen what such techniques did to young Kurow."
Sakura did bring that up. Good verses evil, techniques that might be used by both... or techniques that might corrupt. She struck Sakura with the attack and the Taiyo grad said it felt very much like every evil technique she had ever been hit by before. Did Hotaru want to become like them? The girl nods slightly as Raizo emphasizes to her that good and evil are not merely concepts, that they are in fact quite real, quite genuine.
She looks up to regard him as he speaks, making furtive eye contact before turning her eyes away as before, though the contact is gradually getting longer each time now. He speaks of harshness in fighting and she quickly shakes her head as he mentions their spar before. Then he speaks of the strength of techniques of some of the most powerful fighters in the world and the girl looks up, eyes on him with rapt attention.
And then... he mentions Kurow and Hotaru opens her mouth, "But how can you fight against people like Kurow if you are not willing to pay the same prices to learn the same techniques, the same power?" she asks, her right hand clasping, the girl taking a brave step forward, her posture more confident, as if some of the fear had begun to bleed away. "He... he's not even as old as me yet..." Her brow furrows, Hotaru looking away again, right hand still clenched in front of her. "How can you fight someone like that... it's not fair... they can draw on techniques that are so power, but to use techniques like them makes me wrong?"
Her left hand comes up, resting lightly against her chest as she looks back toward Raizo, eyes wider now. "I don't want to be weak. I don't want to be left behind. I- My brother is so much stronger, I want to be like him! If this technique... if the Satsujinken is the key to catching up with him, then..." Her mouth twists into a frown as she looks back at her right hand.
Raizo almost - almost - begins to speak again...
"Brother..." Raizo murmurs, and his eyes for the first time wander away from Hotaru, toward the floor. Not ashamed, not the terrified aversion of the eyes poor Hotaru has been doing - a drifting away as his thoughts turn from her and toward something else, if only for a moment. "Is that it? Your...I didn't know."
He turns his full regard back to Hotaru, after processing this development. "I suppose impressing family is a reason...but I'm afraid it doesn't change much. Justifications...no, I won't belittle you with such a word. Reasons - even the best reasons - can make the slope all the slipperier, Miss Futaba. Sadly for us all, they do not make it any less /steep/."
He wants to open his arms and be more friendly - really, he does. She's shown at least some desire for penance. But...but he must be the disciplinarian, here and now. This lesson must be driven home with the verbal sledgehammer, if the physical one is to be avoided.
So for now, Raizo merely punctuates his thoughts with a moment of quiet, before continuing: "The power of many evil techniques is that they enable a warrior to become more powerful more quickly than they normally would. Shortcuts are tempting, especially in the paths of the warrior...but shortcuts are also frought with peril. The reason growing in power takes time is that to grow in power you must also grow in wisdom. To skip the wisdom is to court disaster...no. It is to invite disaster into your very heart."
He pauses, a moment, pondering his next words...and then tips his head up, a little, and murmurs, "Shall I tell you a secret, Miss Futaba?"
As Raizo looks lost in thought for a moment, Hotaru remains quiet, eyes coming up from staring at her right hand to regard the impressively statured man. Definitely not one who spens a lot of time just sitting behind a desk, this one. No way. He chides her for her reasons, to impress her brother - not enough, not to use /that/. Slippery slopes... Her lips press together, the girl looking just a little remorseful now. He understands her reason, it seems... that he doesn't dismiss it outright seems to get through to her.
Shortcuts. That's a lot what Sakura told her as well. But Raizo provides a new insight - a new part to the puzzle, and Hotaru is just barely in the right state of mind to appreciate it - 'wisdom'. That's the problem with shortcuts. Power, without the appropriate wisdom to use it properly. Her eyes widen slightly as she stares at Raizo, the comprehension evident in her eyes. That's the missing piece. The weight of the truth resonates with the girl, once praised for her own youthful wisdom that has seemed absent for so long a time.
"I-..." Her left hand continues to rest against her chest as he mentions disaster invited into one's very heart. Disaster just about describes her life in recent months, she must admit. But then he mentions something else and Hotaru's eyes fixate back on the ursine administrator, "A secret, Principal Imawano?" she asks, nodding her head just ever so slightly. Yes, she would like to know.
Understand? Well...Raizo has his own brother problems, although if Raizo ever wanted to impress Mugen, those days are now long gone. The man is dead, and still Raizo holds only contempt for his mad sibling. Perhaps what he feels is similar to hope - the prayer that broken siblings can be reunited, even if only through the violent sports of this world. Certainly he does not quite understand Hotaru's exact situation, but he at least has the wisdom to acknowledge it for her. To dismiss the reasons for one's efforts as useless wastes of times - such an action is the course an evil man would take, a callous man who cared nothing for the minds and hearts of those around him. Raizo can be dangerous, and Raizo can be cruel, but rarely is he truly hurtful.
He doesn't allow himself a smile, but he is pleased inwardly pleased by Hotaru's look of comprehension. His eyes dart to the resting place of her hand, thoughtful. Isn't that the--hmm.
He turns his attention back to her eyes.
"Have you ever wondered, Miss Futaba, why I do not take action more often? Only recently, after the events in Thailand, have I truly stepped onto the world stage. A man like me...I could have stepped in at some of the earlier tournaments. Perhaps even during Thailand, though I fear I realized the trouble there far too late. Peculiar, don't you think?"
He monitors her face for processing of this query, before he answers himself: "The reason is not what you might think, that I am but one man and cannot take the world under my wing. That is true, but...in truth, it is more complex. Miss Futaba - if I, or any man or woman of morals, be they Chun-li or the wanderer Ryu, defeated every source of evil, no matter how small, there might be in this world...who would succeed us?"
He shifts his stance, broadening his shoulders, tilting his chin upward just slightly. He knows this is not a kind way to think. It is a secret precisely because few would approve of the realization that kindly old man Raizo thinks of them in such utilitarian terms, and yet...
"To fight, warriors must improve. To have a reason to improve, there must be something to fight. Children on the schoolyard deal with bullies and thugs. I and those like me...we must spend our time dealing with the foes of the entire world, to keep them in check. And we can do that due to the fighters such as yourself. The men and women of the schools, those who are still learning power, and perhaps may yet gain more, must face the enemies who are themselves still learning. The champions of tomorrow learn of their enemies today, Miss Futaba. Young Sakura, or Roberto...even Hayato and Nagare, they deal with enemies like Kurow, like the thugs of Metro, the coalition called the Syndicate. The enemy will often be stronger, for that is the nature of evil - to seize power, heedless of their ability to use it wisely or with honor. That is what many of the students learned years ago, when Hyo was mad with his father's battle-lust. The power to overcome evil comes from comeraderie, Miss Futaba."
He nods, slowly, hoping she understands this. "Your friends and your allies are the blade of justice. Not even my hands can cleave my enemies alone." He closes his eyes, thoughtfully. He hums. "It is my hope that you will be the former, Miss Futaba. You have shown wisdom and compassion. You have shown me so much potential. I would be truly saddened if..." If the worst should come to pass. If Hotaru should fall.
The small student stares up at Raizo as the seconds of the clock on the wall tick by. One by one, she can hear each of them now, the room in abject silence, only the sounds of her heartbeat heard alongside the ticking seconds. Thoughts of her wayward, wandering brother and of her fierce, brutal encounter with him when they last met so many months ago. She had been unable to impress him then in spite all she had tried, but now? What if she found him now? Could he deny the strength of her technique?
He begins to explain why it is she hasn't seen him out gallivanting around the world, saving everyone, saving the day the moment there is any trouble anywhere. Surely there are few more powerful than Raizo Imawano in all the world. Of this she is convinced. Surely if he were to simply intercede, he could defeat so many... prevent so many wrongs, assure so many rights... Why WOULD he hold back his powerful claws? He could be such a force for change, beyond his school walls. But there's a reason why not to.
But if all of the powerful wrongs were defeated, if every monster crushed, every villain squelched by those with the power to do so... what of the future? What of the next, rising generation? Hotaru listens with rapt attention, marveling at this glimpse of the world as seen through Raizo's experienced perspective. It's like Sakura had said... Hotaru can't go around thinking that she alone will have the burden of protecting the world - she can't use that /excuse/ for dabbling with a clearly evil technique. It doesn't wash. Comeraderie makes up the difference. It bridges the gap between those who fight and learn and grow properly and prudently, allowing them to match those who took short cuts, and paid the price of blood for their superior strength. It's a pragmatic answer - Evil is stronger, because of the path it takes. But good can still conquor, because of the strength they can all give each other.
The girl's eyes shimmer just a little, her mouth pressed tightly closed. "Principal Imawano... I... I won't use it anymore." she states. She feels something inside. A tinge of remorse, a hint of regret for the actions she had committed in the last few months. Looking back on the events that transpired in the light of how Raizo described her, they seem so foreign, so alient. "I'm not going to take the shortcuts. I understand." she affirms softly.
Lowering her hands to her side, Hotaru closes her eyes and bows her head formally, "I should have come to you sooner... I-... I'm sorry." She knows it in her mind how wrong she's been. The savage fury she's attacked her opponents with... a chip on her shoulder, something to prove... is that really her? When is the last time she's truly been happy? How long has it been? How could this path be the right one if it has brought her nothing but misery?
Raizo's gaze does not soften. He watches Hotaru as comprehension crosses her mind, writ large across her face. She understands.
There are those who would take umbrage to such words. What right does he have, to decide that evil should be preserved to train the future? What right does he have, an old, dusty academic with a bitter grudge against a dead man? Who gave him the right?
But she understands. She does, he can see it as her eyes turn wet and her confession comes. She will not use it again. Will it be so simple? Such powers...she used it without thinking, at least once before. It may come again, unbidden. But she knows now - she has the knowledge to bolster her will. She can rely not only on herself, but upon her friends. That should at least give her the strength to go to someone who can help her, even if that help does require a few bruises.
There may yet be prices to pay for Hotaru's mistake...but the worst, perhaps, is now over.
Raizo nods, slowly. "You knew what I would say. I don't blame you for not coming to me. To face a man like me...no, I don't blame you. Trust in your friends, your peers, Miss Futaba. An old man like me won't be around forever. But, with any luck, I will live to see the day you surpass me."
The old man turns, striding with measured steps toward the door. His hands disengage from behind him, moving to simply sway as he walks. "There are questions yet on my mind, Hotaru, but I think that's enough for now. Now, if you don't mind me monopolizing a little more of your time..."
He turns to face her over his shoulder, offering one of those big, friendly grins. "...I've ordered a pizza."
Log created on 22:31:48 04/02/2008 by Hotaru, and last modified on 13:13:02 04/03/2008.