Description: Time passes, and evil is vanquished. After having lent her jacket to Shurui, Kenji recieved a call from the girl one night with an offer to return it. What could come of such a romantic meeting in the park..?!
It's only been about a month or more since Kenji and Shurui met in the catacombs of Casino 7, but to Shurui, it feels like ages ago already. The physical scars have healed quickly enough once she found the will to eat, sleep, and exercise properly, while the mental scars have been forced into the back of her mind by new problems both minor and major. It was Marise's experimenting that made NESTS seek out the girl, after all, causing a host of things that may or may not accelerate into something far more dangerous depending on how she treds on those eggshells. ....But that's a problem Shurui, without a doubt in her mind, does not want the Guardian Kings to interfene on this entirely different problem. No matter their reasons for coming to Casino 7, they've earned a debt from the clone that she's not sure how to sufficiently pay.
She could start by giving Kenji's coat back, at least. That's as good a starting point as any.
The phone begins to ring at the Ashima, Shurui nervously staring at the coat in her hand. It's been cleaned to hell and back, of course; if there was any trace of blood or sweat left on it, it won't be from lack of trying. "....." ..... Wait, how will Kenji read this if she's calling him like this?!
It's been a month, but a long month. It's left him thinking about what's in the future for himself, Tenma, Hakuya, and Stasya... Most recently, even, he's gone out of his way to make sure the Kiryuu swordsman was all right by throwing himself at him-- fists first. So finally, now that things have settled down and gone back to what seems to be ... well, at least, -relatively- normal... he's settled back into his activities with the student council, he's run around and talked to his family. He's even catching up with the manga that he'd missed out on reading since Stasya had disappeared!
So, plunked down at the desk in his room, the Gedo student is reviewing the finer points of mathematics-- one of his most vile of archnemesis. But somewhere around then, about halfway asleep over his notebook, his phone screams a blazing riff of upbeat music and a small chorus of voices singing, 'Burning Rangers~!'
Needless to say, it catches his attention.
Tiredly, somewhat confused, he looks at the display and the unnamed phone number on the display. It sings one more time in his face before he clicks the "Call" button, bringing the phone up to his ear.
"Hello?"
Ring, ring. Ring, ring. For better or worse, Kenji's unique ringtone is unheard by the clone, replaced by, well, something far more ordinary. Shurui has barely been able to figure out how to get her own to respond to her voice out of neccessity, despite having had the damn thing for a few months. It's the reason she got the phone in the first place- that, and it would read her text messages aloud, with, as she found out, varying degrees of success.
When Kenji's voice answers through the ear piece, Shurui nearly drops it from the cradle between her ear and shoulder, taking a moment to steady it before thinking to answer. "Yeah, uh." It's a girl's voice! ".... This is Kenji, right? This is Shurui Chiang. From... er..." Phone conversations are always so vexing for her! Not to mention the issue at hand is already an embarrassing one to reference. 'Hello, I wish to return the coat that you used to cover my skinny, filthy naked body that day you and your friends killed this one wom-' "... I want to give you back your coat. The one you gave me that day. It's been washed. So. Uh." She pauses. "When could I give it to you? When'd be a good time?"
Ring, ring. Ring, ring. For better or worse, Kenji's unique ringtone is unheard by the clone, replaced by, well, something far more ordinary. Shurui has barely been able to figure out how to get her own to respond to her voice out of neccessity, despite having had the damn thing for a few months. It's the reason she got the phone in the first place- that, and it would read her text messages aloud, with, as she found out, varying degrees of success.
When Kenji's voice answers through the ear piece, Shurui nearly drops it from the cradle between her ear and shoulder, taking a moment to steady it before thinking to answer. "Yeah, uh." It's a girl's voice! ".... This is Kenji, right? This is Shurui Chiang. From... er..." Phone conversations are always so vexing for her! Not to mention the issue at hand is already an embarrassing one to reference. 'Hello, I wish to return the coat that you used to cover my skinny, filthy naked body that day you and your friends killed this one wom-' "... I want to give you back your coat. The one you gave me that day. It's been washed. So. Uh." She pauses. "When could I give it to you? When'd be a good time?"
Oh.
-Oh.-
Kenji's suddenly alert, fighting off the tiredness in his voice in a matter of seconds. The Gedo student flicks back his long black hair, now not styled up into the wild, feathered spikes he's so famous for. Kenji twists in the chair at his desk, holding the phone lightly and remembering to have to commit the number to his phone's memory-- and that's while he throws an elbow luxuriously onto his desk's edge and grins. "It's good to hear from you," he says, voice suddenly as smooth as ever.
"Well, whenever is fine. School or meet in the park or ... whatever. Why, where are you? You're not standing outside or something, are you?" He even stands up and peers out the window to make sure, his face marked with a small amount of concern... because man, that'd be eerie.
"So, uh... yeah. Whenever!"
The transition from slob to sauve is quick, while Shurui? She's still stuck at slob. She *hates* talking on the phone, even if, in the case of Kenji and his 'sunny' aura, it spares her poor eyes.
At the question, Shurui's thin brows furrow together in slight annoyance. ".... Why would I bother calling you if I was outside your house? I'm not some sort of-" A blurry mental image pops in the back of Shurui's mind, of a energy signature called K' hanging outside her window....
... on the second floor. Okay, so Kenji's question is a valid one, even if he has no idea about the sorts of people that come from the same source as her. It's probably Muda's harsh upbringing that was only thing seperating her from.... well, a person who hangs outside your window and knocks until you let them in.
Her voice seems a little more understanding when she resumes. "... Uh, at gedo. In my dorm. You wanna meet now? In the... er.... what's a good spot for you?" God, the last thing she needs is people seeing her freely associating with Kenji. Amd where does he live, anyway? Fumbling for her shades and pocketing in, she says, "... I'm free now. Don't think I will be after this, though."
The Gedo dorms-- all the way in the city? Fidgeting for a moment with the phone, Kenji paces around in a small circle. Heading out all the way down there at this hour...? Well, he's done worse, to be truthful-- lie to his family and tell them he's staying at Hakuya's place when he was actually off across the world breaking into a casino with a grenade launcher mounted on the back of an armored fighting vehicle after his friend had gone on and befriended a German arms dealer and ...
It just wouldn't end well.
"Well, I'd feel bad if you came all the way out here. I mean, I'm up in the 'burbs. Do you wanna meet halfway or something?"
Unfortunately, Shurui had called with the idea of Kenji being in the dorms. Which isn't a complete stretch; many students do due to lack of funds, having no family or relatives willing to house them, or for the simple pleasure of being away from whereever they were before. As for the distance? Well, normally Shurui wouldn't mind at all, but..... certain circumstances force her to reconsider that first notion. Igniz can show up at any time. Best to limit her comings and goings to Southtown proper. "The park," Shurui quietly answers. "We could meet at the park. The bus makes frequent stops there."
Later...
Spring in the park is hardly a sight to dismiss. Songbirds court in the tops of trees, while in the green, a group of school kids play frisbee. The smell of cut grass, fresh and slightly wet from the morning's shower, lingers in the air, and the breeze is sweet as and delicate as the petals of tulips poking out brilliant red in the bright sun.
Dressed in clothing that better suits the change in temperture, Shurui definitely has physically returned to the girl she was, when she and Kenji first met in the classroom, no longer the child-like creature that laid huddled in Hakuya's arms like an abandoned animal, her raw, pink hands clutching to the jacket like a security blanket...
That very same coat is in her hands, on a wire hanger, blowing in the breeze. If she spots Kenji (which is like spotting an interregation light in a dark room), she'll fumble to bring those shades down, covering her sensitive eyes from the Guardian King's.... enthusiastic energy.
Later indeed.
So he gets dressed, handing off an apology and a long-winded story as to the nature of his going-out and hurries off to his date with destiny-- or so he would think-- and after a few dozen hops, skips, jumps, and a moment to pause near the cafe-eatery near the park to greet a few of the girls from Seijyun Academy for Girls...
He arrives.
When he does so, it's also a little bit surprising. He's not wearing that puke-yellow uniform, dressed in a beaten old t-shirt with an obscure brand logo refrence and jeans. His Kick-Rollers? ... Well, he never leaves home without those. The most surprising thing is his hair, if it can even be seen with her sunglasses on, if she can even see it at all. For once in his life, it isn't styled. It isn't flying everywhere or in the controlled, careful style that he's become accustomed to and famous for, instead letting it hang down at random in rough shag.
And usually, he's very careful with his appearance.
"Shu~ru~i~!"
He comes from around yonder bend, holding two cans of chilled coffee from the vending machine at the park's edge. He's rolling on the wheels extending down from his boot-sneakers, and screeching them to a halt so he can stomp them back down into the soles and walk properly.
"It's been awhile since I saw that jacket," he remarks with amusement. He holds out one of the cans. "Want one?"
Thankfully for Kenji and his date with destiny? The grey-haired girl is a little warmer and certainly more receptive. And, unlike last time? Mentally stable. That's *always* a plus.
As Kenji approaches, Shurui finds herself squinting, trying to decipher the details of his appearance. Her third eye has made no mistake in concern to the fellow Gedo student's identity, but something about his profile is.... different. Granted, it may have been different when she gained his coat, but the girl was in no mood to pay attention to anything then.
This venture is aborted when Kenji offers her the chilled coffee, which Shurui accepts with her free hand with a quiet, ".... Thanks." Then, holding the beverage close to her squinting eyes to decipher what it is out of curiosity, she then pauses to hook a tip of a pink finger slight underneath the hoop of the can's pull-tab, opening up the can with a crisp crunch and taking a sip. .... That's a strange taste. She looks at the can again. ".... Never had one of these before," she reflects idly, brown eyes going from the can to Kenji's face.
And then she remembers why they're meeting here. It's easy to forget, here where laughter drifts in the air and the breeze stirring against cut grass.
But it needs to be said. Shurui looks down, almost humbly. ".... Thank you, for back then. I know it was you being nice, but... it really meant a lot to me. I-" She doesn't know how to put it into words without it coming off wrong. After a few attempts in vain, Shurui finally manages to say something. ".... It felt like forever since I felt safe. That coat helped. I knew I was among people who were here to help me and Stasya. All of you helped, and I'm not sure how I can begin to pay that back. You and the Guardian Kings even...." She trails off. The girl isn't sure who landed the blow, or the nature of Marise's death- just that a bunch of high school students who shouldn't have to worry about dealing with things such as these came in and killed another being.
It was all for the greater good, but how does that leave them all? "...." Suddenly embarrassed at her words, she thrusts the clean, nicely pressed coat out towards Kenji. ".... I'm okay now. I don't need it anymore. It belongs to you."
"I don't make a habit of drinking them, but they're very nice on occasion. The jitters, they get you so easily when you drink a lot of it."
But Kenji smiles still, flicking his hair back away from his eyes. Damn stuff was annoying when not styled, he only realizes now-- but going out of his way to look his best would probably result in him being a whole lot later than they had agreed to meet. So! His attention turns to more important things at hand. More ... serious, recalling the Casino Seven incident.
And then he reaches forward, not to take the jacket, but to reach up and flick the girl on the forehead. "Don't even worry on it. You don't gotta repay us for anything at all, Shurui! You're one of our friends, see, and that's all that really matters on this one." He reaches down next, pulling his coat off the hanger and slinging it over his non-coffee wielding shoulder.
"I realize there's a lot of stuff you gotta deal with after something like this. I mean," he stammers out, scratching at the back of his head, "I'm not gonna say that I know just what you're goin' through, 'cause I don't, and I probably won't ever know what it was like down there. We've all had a lot of stuff to think about an' deal with since we came back from America, and really? Like I told Tenma, this isn't something we oughta try to deal with alone. So anytime you gotta unload or get worried about what happened or if someone's after you or something-- just tell us. Anytime you need it, I'll throw my jacket over your head and knock someone's fudgin' block right off their head, alright?"
He even holds up his fist a bit for emphasis.
"...!" The gentle flick against her forehead startles the girl at the first, then, quietly, a small, but genuine smile curls along her lips. "... Okay, then." Something slightly melancholy slides past her eyes as she reflects on this, only to disappear like the sun peeking through a passing cloud.
Kenji may be offering his help, but Shurui can't afford to let him, or any of the other Guardian Kings, get involved with NESTS. If they are how K' says them to be, people with valuable manpower like the Guardian Kings would be seen as valid specimens to be collected. It's best to let them all have the chance to resume something of a relaxing life.
Especially Stasya, with all she had to endure.
The coat is taken from the hanger, and Shurui lowers the hand holding it, looking upon Kenji still with that rare, small smile, even if its light happiness has become slightly dampened. "I appreciate that, Kenji. Not sure if Tenma'd share that sentiment if I come running at you guys with trouble on my tail, but... generally, I'm the sort to take care of things myself anyway. But..." Sh shrugs. "Look after your teammates. A true gan... er, well." A soft 'heh' escapes under her breath. "Well, it means the same thing at the core, right? A true team looks after each other and stays together."
Quietly she looks down to the iced coffee in her free hand, and gulps another part of it down. "..... By the way.... about when we first met. Sorry about that; I didn't mean like wanting to deal with anyone then."
The thing that she doesn't consider-- the thing that she may not even -think- of-- is what would the boys of the Guardian Kings do if Shurui was kidnapped? Be it their problem or not, the four of them would never leave someone behind like that, never let them face a terrible fate. They defied the law, they defied logic, and they certainly defied the odds by shattering the walls of a casino built better like a fortress and beat the living hell out of a strange old witch living in a hovel in the pits.
They're all like comrades, in that sense.
Kenji's head tilts just a little bit, his arms folding. They're a 'gan..g?' Pleasantly amused, he starts to laugh. "Oh, don't worry about that. It's okay to call us whatever-- team, gang, it's all the same. We're friends, and I'm sure that Tenma, Hakuya, and Stasya would say the same."
As for the apology? "Haahaha! Don't worry about that a bit, I mean, like... you're probably one of the only few girls I can count on one hand that didn't virtually slam my face into a wall when we met. I mean, shuu-- I got stories, like this one time a girl from Pacific-- well. It's a long story, but it involves a dirtbike, a second story window, and ... ow." He winces instinctively, just shaking his head.
"Just be happy!"
Perhaps a very naive thing to say, but that's Kenji Ashima for you one more time-- a raging, hopeless optimist.
Indeed, while Shurui is ultimately thankful to the Guardian Kings and considers their sacrifices to be no less due to it, she's been of the mindset that they came for Stasya. It's a viewpoint that has never bothered her much at all; perhaps, if she knew someone was coming for her? She may not have tried so hard to escape. Or given up more quickly when the days began to pile up. Besides, Stasya was the one who was hurt the most, in Shurui's mind. Marise wouldn't have killed Shurui until she was sure; Stasya was the unlucky girl who came in right when Marise had found out the answer to her prayers. Thus, the Russian's words and deeds were not as tolerated as Shurui's.
Hopefully, Shurui will never be in a position again to find out the extent of the Guardian Kings' protective nature. One thing remains clear: Shurui's respect for the team runs deep. ".... Either way, if any of you ever need anything, let me know. If I'm around, I'd be willing to lend a hand. There's.... sparring, for one," she considers. "I fought Hakuya about a month before... well." She pause. "We managed to come to a tie.
.... The choice of words falling from her mouth seem awkward to her: not only are they freely showing her true feelings, they remain stunted by the secret consideration that, perhaps, there might be a time that she can't be there, for reasons Kenji, Hakuya, Stasya, and Tenma may never know. ... That is, if Shurui has her way.
..... Well, it *was* tempting to slam Kenji into a wall, but, being a new student *and* carrying the will of a vengeful elderly Chinese man fresh in your mind? ...... If only she stayed obedient to that. Maybe she wouldn't be in so much trouble all the time. Shurui forces her thoughts down with another swig of the iced coffee.
Just be happy, huh? Her cyncial tongue itches to respond to that, to shoot it down like a proud hunter. However, the knowledge of what Kenji did, and what they both went through, sobers her need to jab at Kenji's idealistic credo. Defeated by context, Shurui lets out a long sigh, shoulders sagging. Her tongue makes a compromise. "I see why you're kept around."
Sparring... she fought Hakuya, too? It brings the last time the Guardian Kings had a brawl to mind, the sprawling battle that took over the rooftop of the main building of Gedo High-- and it brought him head to head with his teammate with one of his favorite, most potent attacks. It even brings a slight grin to his face, thinking of that. He also grabbed Tenma's bokken and dragged him around the roof, and Stasya kicked the crap out of him. "Hakuya hits pretty hard... heck, Tenma and Stasya hit like a car. I still whupped 'em all, though!"
Oh, friends.
And then he laughs. "What, did you think Tenma kept me around just because I'm the best looking one of the group, and I actually have a good reputation?" His hand even sweeps up, his weathered knuckles tossing a soft punch at Shurui's shoulder. "C'mon, besides. Hakuya's the one that out-happies the happy of everyone else's happy around here."
The gears seem to change unconsciously, Kenji's head tilting. "So you live at the dorms, then? I didn't realize."
"Yeah. He..." Shurui thinks back, her head craning to the side. "He does hit back really hard, actually." The soft good-natured punch surprises Shurui as it hits- even as her body briefly attempts to deflect it away like so many coarser punches in the past, she stops herself, blinking as the Kenji's hand drops off.
Without knowing it at first, she smiles a small crooked smile. ".... Yeah. He's... very happy." Silence. It's not a bad sort of silence, not the sort Kenji may have gotten at least once when humoring a girl who was less than impressed. No, Shurui *herself* seems to be the element that's *awkward*. "... Yeah, I live at the dorms. I don't have a place to live, and I can save money." She sips from her iced coffee, finishing the metal can. ".... I've been fighting, but. Dunno what I really want to do. Fighting in tournaments... well, it certainly got me into a lot of messes, so far, despite all the people I've met."
It was so much easier to deal with people when Shurui felt she had permission from the world to be an ass, even to people who held their hand out with the kindest of regards. Now? Well, Muda might as well still be alive, with how closely she follows those social mandates, despite them leaving her with an awkward vulnerability when facing people on normal terms. But, it's better that than to regard the world as your enemy and to go it alone, no matter how big your problems are.
It's then that Shurui hits upon an opportune solution to her awkwardness- she can fight Kenji.
It's not that she's the blood-thirsty sort or whatnot, even if she's far from being pacifistic. It's just that she could forgoe the awkward process of talking and being social altogether, plus find Kenji's strength and weaknesses. Then, she'd learn from them, and become stronger. ".... You... wanna spar sometime? Even right now." A pause. ".... If you feel like it." This tact thing. She needs to use it more.
"Aah. Yeah... I've been saving up any of the money I get after doin' those fights and stuff, whatever doesn't go to cover any of my own hospital bills, I've been puttin' into savings so I can go to college and not be a huge burden on mom and dad." He sounds confident, like he's got some kind of plan... and it's a plan he's proud of, really! "But I can kinna bet how it's been with stuff... the tournament I was in last, hoo... man. I ended up breakin' my arm. I had to fight for the entire thing with just one arm until I could could finally get off the stupid boat and get home. Mom had a fit, took me straight to the hospital. For a second, I was afraid Tenma and Hakuya would've tried to drag me all the way there and leave me on the doorstep."
He looks up to the sky, his voice calming down. "Still didn't tell her all the stuff that really happened on that boat..."
But then he looks back down to Shurui, shaking his head quick. "Er, anyway--"
Kenji grins a bit, his attitude overall shifting harder and harder towards being like that of his teammate-- not Tenma, of course, but the near-perpetual good mood of Hakuya. "I have s'more work to do for school at home, but ... god. Looking over math and more student council junk is going to make my eyes cross. So..."
Folding his jacket over his arm and setting it down on the grass, he places his can of coffee next to it. "I've got the time if you do?"
A twinge of envy swirls in Shurui's chest, but becomes placated just by the Guardian King's overall personality. He has the family she sort of wanted, deep down. Normal. A sort of unconditional love that should couldn't seem to find in Igniz's voice. Lots of people have those sorts of families. They come in all shapes and sizes.
She can't selfishly forget the one she had. It was for two years, but Muda's influence lives on. She doesn't act like someone born and bred on the streets. She no longer has to tread that road. Her inheritance should help her find a college of her choosing; while it may not pay for all of it, she has a lot more than any NESTS clone shut out of that perfect garden could ask for. "... Sounds like you know what you wanna do with your life." She grins. "That's good, y'know. And to have a family like that. And a team."
Then again, it's not as if Shurui doesn't mind the ability to do and go where she pleases. At least, when circumstances didn't make her limit her movement. Or is it still the case? Adelheid's talk certainly made her bold enough to go to the park, after all. "As long as you're sure." Tact again! Or would that be manners? The jacket comes off, revealing the t-shirt underneath. "... Not going anywhere."
This is a set of mannerisms she can talk and read. Punches, kicks. Defense. Offense. "Already studied."
When you're cooped up in your apartment? Well, eventually even homework gets done of its own accord.
"Yeah..." he starts, straightening back up. "I dunno what I wanna do, though. Hahaha. I'll go be a teacher or somethin', huh? That'll be the day."
So with his returned jacket set down and straightening back up, the young man stands good and ready--
With his hands in his pockets.
It's unknown if he's actually taking this whole thing seriously, or if he's going to take it easy on her because of her injuries, or if she's a girl, or if ... this really is how he likes to stand when he's about to get into a fight.
Leaning forward a little, he grins. "Well, either way, let's see how you do-- ladies first, y'know?"
COMBATSYS: Kenji has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kenji 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shurui has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kenji 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shurui
A teacher? Kenji? ..... It could work. He seems to be the most 'normal' of the Guardian Kings. So normal that, perhaps, at a glance, he doesn't fit in, but when viewed closer, helps with the group's overall cohesiveness.
As for Shurui herself? Muda was a professor in his younger days, thus, by proxy, Shurui's considered that career choice once or twice at some herself at some point. ... However, knowing what she knows now? That just doesn't seem *right*. There just seems to be too many things going against her in concern to that. But then.... what should she do?
.... Shurui doesn't want to think about it anymore. She raises her arms, settling in a familiar pose: one foot held in front, hands at the ready in front. "..... If you say so." Raising a hand, she suddenly closes it in a fist and, taking a solid step forward towards Kenji, jams it into the ground, a charge of psycho power rocketing through the ground in the small distance between them, like an electric current.
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Shurui's Little Earthquake.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Shurui
What's wrong with being a little chivilrous in a time like this? Wasn't that supposed to be part of the key, the path to becoming a super awesome gentleman? Saying stuff like that always worked in the manga, but... as much as his life sometimes feels like one, it really can't be called "a manga."
Energy coursing towards him, Kenji drops himself into a bit of a squat. He doesn't watch so much as react, his hands pulling out of his pockets and slamming against the ground. He jerks, his eyes going wide-- this power's odd, but almost familiar, even! And his own chi flares up, a burst of an opposing current used to shield himself. He'd seen others do it before, so ... well, at least the gamble paid off?!
So he sprints forward, his arms coming up and his posture resembling that of a boxer. His body twists, leans-- and then he hooks a broad punch at Shurui. While it's a rather swift, good punch, it misses her entirely-- and for good cause. "UuuuuRAGH!"
His arm moves a little faster than normal, a little harder than normal. Still, the effect is the same: A bolt of white-blue chi rips through the air a few inches past his fist, a broad, close-range wave of energy trying to score a few hits by dragging across Shurui's front and giving her a rough time!
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Shurui with Twelve Gauge.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Shurui
.... Thank god the world isn't what Shurui secretly favors as "a manga". .... After all, she likes... well... what could be categorized as 'really really cheesy shoujo manga'. You know, the sort where it takes the heroine and hero forever to awkwardly notice each other, then culinates with the hero chastely kissing the heroine and *gasp* holding her hand! And, if it's another genre, the hero actually happens to be a handsome alien/reincarnated important person/prince/god/spirit/superhero in disguise, and saves the heroine when she's in danger, despite her *also* being an alien/princess/goddess/spirit/reincarnated important person/superhero in disguise. Those sort. OHOH and the ones where the girl gets teleported to another world which happens to be full of chastely romantic men and this somehow is interesting to her even if the girl usually never chooses and DAMN IT YOU SHOULD CHOSE THE SHY QUIET ONE he kicks ass an
Life is not a manga. No. And it'd scare Shurui if it was.
The psycho power thrums in a way that's probably familiar to Kenji, having a teammate who also sports powers of the same source as Shurui's own. This, however, does not keep him from properly landing a strike of white-blue chi, dodge as Shurui might from the physical punch. She stumbles back from the force. Ah. Nice trick.
But before Kenji has a chance to possibly ponder whether or not he was a little too hard on the girl, she recovers, moving in with efficient grace in an attempt to fend off the Guardian King with a quick horiztonal swipe against one of Kenji's ankles with a raised foot.
COMBATSYS: Shurui successfully hits Kenji with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Shurui
And yet, the manga that he reads tends to be closer to the way his real life is-- he's the dashing young hero that gets thrown into all kinds of zany situations and unable to get that perfect rose-colored life. He fights for the world!! He's a defender of justice!!
And man, do the girls love his shoes.
The psychic energy still resonates slightly in Kenji's hands, the stinging sensation leaving him after a few moments. His own swing connects in the tricksy way that it was designed, and -- he grins.
But that grin costs him!
Falling back to the ground, he lets out a grunt while his back takes the brunt of the strike. He breathes hard, but ultimately rolls himself off to the side and stands. Kenji's arm reels backward, then launches ahead in an odd way: His arm bends almost like it was rubber, the optical illusion not applying to the most important part, his fist. It moves on a straight course to plow into Shurui's gut and keep going like some kind of battering ram, his fist feeling roughly as hard as a slab of granite on impact.
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Shurui with Missile Fist.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Shurui
So far, Shurui hasn't said a word, insulting or otherwise. Instead, she seems to be all business, answering only with a grunt or a wheeze whenever a punch or a kick makes an impact. She wasn't kidnapped willingly, oh no. She fought, just like Stasya. .... It's just that her kidnapper was just as able to react back, using the girl's weaknesses to her own advantage.
To anyone else watching, Kenji's arm almost seems to warp, but to Shurui, the energy within his arm overlays that blurry warped display outlining exactly where the teenager arm lies. Despite this, Shurui's not fast enough to react. Her reaction time does not allow for enough room to dodge, and the fist jams into Shurui's stomach, knocking the air straight from her lungs and sending her directly backwards as Kenji keeps charging.
When she finally lands, Shurui flips onto her feet with a grunt, holding a hand against her stomach. That *hurt*. She almost spit the very coffee she just drank into Kenji's face! ........ Ah well. Can't have a fight without getting messy. Her nose bled for what seemed like forever after that fight with Adelheid, and that wasn't counting the bruises the skilled young fighter left behind.
When viewed in those terms? Kenji's fists are definitely put into perspective. But she doesn't want to face him just *yet*. Arms close together then fling upon wide, their action releasing a rain of wispy grey bullets shooting directly at the happy-go-lucky Kenji.
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Shurui's Riot Act.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Shurui
Moving forward-- ever-forward, it seems like-- Kenji's body lurches to a rather brief halt while Shurui's sent backwards into the air, his footing short and light and his fist drawing back slowly, to his side. Punch after punch, he has the goods!! ... The goods that don't react well to being perforated by a barrage of bolts of psychic force.
Staggering a few steps even before they strike, his forearms cross high with his palms turned outward. His express intent is to protect his face and neck, letting the rest just rain across what's not protected. It -hurts-, too.
"Whew..."
His arms cut out into an emphasized runner's pose, and then he starts running at the girl full-tilt-- not one bare inch of speed is spared while he runs, runs... his arm rears up one more time...
And then he jumps.
Like he's doing some sort of godforsaken long jump, Kenji Ashima sails through the air with his leg thrust out, trying to stomp right down on Shurui's chest. To her eyes, she may see the surge of energy shooting right down his leg, the brighter burst trying to push out of his foot and -into- her body...
And then the distinct *BLAM* of that chi nigh-literally 'detonating,' generating a rather nasty shockwave that'll likely shake up her insides.
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Shurui with Magnum Spike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Shurui
Shurui tries to dodge. She really does. Her eyes see the attack coming, her body is instantly reacting, and-
This is the downside of this ability. When you fail to react in time, you're in the first row of the theatre of PAIN. Shurui sees that energy, sees that energy shoot down Kenji's leg like a pinball in a pinball machine. When it hits, it does exactly the same thing- Shurui feels the psycho energy inside her spilt apart as Kenji's chi is roughly pressed into her body, with appropriate sound.
"Gkt!" A gutteral sound of agony rips from Shurui's mouth as she goes down. Down, but not out. Forcing air into her lungs, the clone rolls over onto her side and forces herself onto her feet, focusing that whole matter of psycho energy back into the core of her, instead of spilt all over the place. It may be a spar, but she can't let Kenji go that easily; here, she still fights like it's her against the world, social mannerisms placed aside so she can become someone far more analytical and effective.
Time to attempt to show Kenji that she can punch back just as hard. Swinging into him in an attempt to get close to his chest, Shurui launches a small punch, the point knuckles of her first few fingers scraping against the center if it makes contact. This punch is then followed by another punch with her other hand in the same style, the other cycling back to replace it over and over, a fast wheel of small punches smashing against the center of Kenji's chest.
Shurui tries to dodge. She really does. Her eyes see the attack coming, her body is instantly reacting, and-
This is the downside of this ability. When you fail to react in time, you're in the first row of the theatre of PAIN. Shurui sees that energy, sees that energy shoot down Kenji's leg like a pinball in a pinball machine. When it hits, it does exactly the same thing- Shurui feels the psycho energy inside her spilt apart as Kenji's chi is roughly pressed into her body, with appropriate sound.
"Gkt!" A gutteral sound of agony rips from Shurui's mouth as she goes down. Down, but not out. Forcing air into her lungs, the clone rolls over onto her side and forces herself onto her feet, gathering her wits together in order to focus on the fight. ... She can't go against him immediately. Not with something that could be slow, or use up what strength she has available to her after that last attack of his.
Stategically, she manuvers just at arm's length; quickly, a sharp jab flings out in an attempt to hit against Kenji's chest before she disengages, still gathering herself for her next move.
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Shurui's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Shurui
When the burst of energy ruptures, Kenji scissors his legs to land on his feet. He, too, winces-- that one looked like it hurt, and doing a whole ton of damage to a friend is something that he's never really liked... or gotten used to, admittedly. He gives her all the time she needs to get back up and get centered-- as it may well be needed. With the attack she throws next, he turns his arm out and catches the punch before it impacts-- giving him a bit of padding, thankfully.
But then he pushes it to the side, ducking hard to follow that fist and move into what could potentially be a blind spot for any other person... but who knows, with Shurui?
"URAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--"
His arm drops low as he assumes his stance, the white-blue chi -exploding- from his fist. It rips up to his shoulder and trumpets up beyond, a warm-felt power that still roars in the air and burns in a feral way. He holds the pose, too, letting the power within him continue to gather and grow...
COMBATSYS: Kenji gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kenji 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Shurui
Ah. Kenji is charging. Shurui's glasses are on, thank god, but she's not entirely spared from this spectacle.
Voooooonnnnvoooooonvoooooonvoooooon
That's the sound in her head right at this moment, something like a metal bar placed against an object that's vibrating insanely fast. Shurui grits her teeth against the literal sirens blaring in her head. Kenji is charging, it seems. Also, it seems that Kenji should be using that power to provide electricity to third-world countries with the way it makes her 'third eye' go spastic. ... One doesn't have to be powerful and be able to cleave through enemies to set Shurui's sirens off. Sometimes, you just gotta be Kenji, ie just have a nice pool of chi to shape attacks from. Owowowow.
Kenji might notice the girl seem a little pale. Not from fear, but from some kind of internal nausea. ..... Thankfully, it doesn't seem serious enough to keep the girl from managing. It's.... akin to watching a dog cower under a high-pitched squeal that you can't hear.
Recovering from that setback, Shurui moves in, her fist held out and her body positioned behind it. Pressing the momentum of her body into the punch against Kenji's chest, she manages to deliver a painful punch in a small amount of space, utilizing the strength of her body rather than just her arm.
COMBATSYS: Kenji just-defends Shurui's Strong Punch!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kenji 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Shurui
It takes a few moments, but he straightens up and gets his bearings-- even while his arm still glows. As the harsh glow is even dulling -his- ability to see, Kenji watches Shurui closely, and her reaction to the energy he's pulling out gives him a moment of pause. What? Is she sick? Or did his last shot to her gut make her want to get sick?
At least she's still attacking.
Kenji reacts to the fist thrown at him accordingly, his left hand turned outward and catching Shurui's fist and stopping it cold-- but then he's just -not there-. Like some sort of savant, the brawling youth somehow defies the laws of physics in one of his favorite manuvers, somehow using the fellow Gedo student's fist as a hinge-point to throw himself over her head. He flips, sort of.
Landing behind Shurui, the energy in his arm shunts down his arm, growing stronger and stronger in his fist. It happens all at once-- as he turns to face Shurui, pivoting hard on his heel.
"SET-!!"
And then a beam of light pierces the girl-- in no way is it a harmful thing, but the energy is still none the less -there-, going through her and well beyond in either direction. Kenji's blazing chi focuses in full into his fist as it makes contact with the beam, and-- his fist -launches- forward. Incredibly telegraphed, but no way can it not be a painful thing coming. Looking to plow into Shurui straight-on, the fist conveys a hard impact before the chi is released in the form of a -powerful- shockwave, blasting over or shoving whatever's in the path beyond the Gedo girl. And through it, Kenji's voice is heard, using English:
"RAIL GUN!!"
COMBATSYS: Shurui fails to counter Rail Gun from Kenji with Subtle Knife.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kenji 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Shurui can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kenji 0/-------/------=|
Vooonvoooonvoooon
Kenji's chi pulses in time with Shurui's slowly developing headache. Right when the girl was *sure* her fist struck gold, the teenage boy proved to be the more agile, flipping over and turning roughly to face the girl. SET.
A beam of chi pierces through Shurui as she slowly turns around, not even seeming to meet the Gedo boy's eyes. It doesn't stop her from react to Kenji's actions, dark eyes wide and calculating as her body tenses and readies itself to counter the Guardian King's burning spirit. "....Nnnngh!" She makes her gamble, attempting to punch the oncoming train called Kenji with a near echo of the Gedo boy's energy, albiet in psycho form.
Some people, right at that moment, make appropriate oooo's and aaaah's at the display, as if they were watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. In America.
RAIL GUN. The gamble was lost. Epically. Lost in a way that could be described as satisfying in the way that she was utterly overwhelmed by Kenji's attack, rather than just pummeled like a thug in an alleyway. No, there seems to be a damn good reason Kenji's part of the Guardian Kings- he's a chi bomb. Shurui's eyes fly open at the point of impact, then winces tight as she is sent backwards, body twisting through the air as she lets out a rather unladylike feral grunt of pain.
She lands. Tumbletumbletumebletumbledizzyslowdowntumble...... dizzy.... Dizzy. World's kind of..... far away right now, but that's only because of
Pound. Pound. Pound.
Headache. The world has become Headache and Pain with the sweet smell of grass running up her nose a consolation prize. "......" What was that about finding a person's weaknesses and strengths and learning from them? She can't remember. Her head's pounding too damn much.
Kenji gets no sound effects. Kenji gets no migranes, either. Kenji's ... mostly just ... getting... nothing. No major paints, and only a dull roar in his right ear the good most of the time, the powers he wields becoming more and more commonplace to him, easier to tap into and draw out. Maybe someday he'll even be able to do more, but ... that'll be determined by what else comes flying his way in the future.
So his power shunts forward in a most violent way, trying to slam into Shurui. Likewise, she tries to throw all her power in at -him-, and ... well, even if it -is- failure, there's a brief moment of Epic that goes beyond the level of Epic that the young Ashima usually finds himself thrust into.
His face falls, -hard-, as Shurui goes tumbling across the grassy park. The energy in him stabilizes, too-- back to the level that it usually is, or perhaps even a little distressed. It makes sense, with the hand at his hanging jaw that reaches out toward her before coming back in, his eyes wide. Oh-- Oh dear.
Hurrying across the grass to where the girl is, Kenji lowers himself down onto one knee and leans forward a little.
"Aaaa... haha... sorry...!"
COMBATSYS: Kenji has ended the fight here.
Pain, pain, pain, pain. Rolling slowly onto her back with a grunt, Shurui's eyes are winced shut up until the time she hears and registers Kenji's presence through the thrumming of her headache. She opens her eyes, revealing those dark brown iries that were hidden before by those rose-tinted glasses she has a habit of wearing.
.... wait, her glasses are missing oh hello there kenji how are you
Where the fuck are her glasses? Shurui slowly and awkwardly rolls onto her side, peering at the blurry grass as her hand stumbles around. Who knows where they got knocked off to; that punch was epic. She *really* doesn't want to move all that much after this ".... g-glasses..." she mumbles in reply, eyes narrowed as if avoiding the glare of a bright sun out of the corner of her eye.
At least Kenji's aura has died down since then. Giving up after a half-hearted search within the span of her arm, she lets out a slow sigh. ".... Let's call you the winner... Don't think I can take much more than that." A twinge of a smile appears along her lips as she stares at the sideways blurry green of the grass. ".... Are you disappointed?"
Glasses... A large part of him is wholly amused by this, to the point he even lets out a little bit of a laugh, rubbing the back of his head. Life, manga... et cetera.
Though he watches her closely, the eyes narrowing and the groping around for her lost specs. He feels bad, really! And Kenji rises, the mild grin on his face remaining. "Haha, no, ... I was just worried that I might've knocked your block off. You think I need that kinna guilt hanging on my back?"
So the Student Council Secretary looks around for a bit, left and right, trying to find the glasses worn by his classmate. He's stepping lightly, too-- he doesn't need to go stomping down on her specs while she's taking a breather and grasping the land in search of her means to see.. more hilarious, what with the secret of what her eyes actually -do-. "Oh, here!"
He squats and picks up a small, twisted twig, his brows furrowing. "... ..."
Returning to Shurui, his hand extends to her. "Well, let's go check over where I punched you. Can y'walk..? I hope I didn't hit you -that- hard."
A sneaker comes up at Kenji's cheek as soon at Shurui hears that laugh, though it lacks any of the strength that was shown in the fight just minutes before. In fact, all it does, if it hits, is smoosh the skin, the smell of old sneaker nudging at his nose. Shurui doesn't need to be that brutal; she's made her point. Besides, she's too exhausted.
"... Don't go worrying on me just because you *won*," Shurui says, face turning towards Kenji's own. "If I didn't think I could handle you, I wouldn't 've bothered asking." And if she did ask? Well, it'd be because she was sure she could stand a good beating. Adelheid beat her hard, but she was able to learn from it, as well as gain a certain understanding of the young blonde.
The gray-haired clone's frustrated expression lightens when Kenji strikes upon something, but then sighs when she clues into the fact that it is, in reality, something else. "..." With a hesitant lift of her hand, she accepts Kenji's hand and is pulled up. "... Your eyes are going to be be better than mine. They don't help me *see* any; just... keep my eyes from getting worse. They're real sensitive."
S-Smelly girl feet?! Even before he can rise, he nearly tumbles back on his behind, but it's all good.
Pulling Shurui up to her feet, holding her hand and pulling her up at the elbow too, Kenji lets out a little bit of a laugh. "Well, it's not that. I just don't always like beatin' friends up, y'know? What if I hurt someone for real, and all? It's an honest concern, if y'ask me."
Not that she did.
And then he looks down at her hand, and then pauses before letting go. "... Haha. Um. Anyway."
Walking toward 'ground zero,' so to speak, Kenji's hands tuck back into his pockets while he toes around at the ground, trying to keep his mind on an actual goal for once. "Ah, I see! That's cool. I don't have anything like that, and I don't need glasses. I always say my sister does, but she just kind of slugs me in the mouth for that, ha ha." He stoops over a bit, reaching out to the grass. "Is this it...?"
"... You consider me a friend?" the girl ponders aloud. Shurui looks mildly surprised, then, making sense of it, seems to accept the revelation. It's not that she didn't welcome the idea at all, of course; it's just... well, it's so easy to consider everyone on nuetral terms, even when someone's made such a big sacrifice for you, as Kenji and his team did.. But the fact that Kenji considers her a friend? Well, yes, she could consider Kenji a friend back. Yes, she decides. She would. "... You'd have to do a whole lot worse to hurt me."
Cue Shurui seeming oblivious to having held the teen's hand for longer than the space of a few seconds. Well, he was holding onto her hand! She didn't see any reason to terminate it. .... Poor Kenji.
Following behind Kenji as they stroll over to locate the Missing Glasses, Shurui ponders over his words. "What's your relationship with your sister like?" she asks tactfully, curious enough to casually peer into the window of seeming normalcy that Kenji offers. .... Of course, Kenji may disagree with this opinion on his life.
Speaking of casually peering around, Kenji has indeed located Missing Glasses (1)! Cue victory music and gratitious posing. "Did you find them?" comes Shurui's voice over the Guardian King's shoulder.
"Well, of course! I'm not supposed to?"
And he honestly looks confused for a moment. It's rare for him not to turn around and call someone friend, rarer more for him to be mad at someone for any length of time-- and a scant few amount of people can hold his ire.
Poor Kenji.
Reaching down and picking up the glasses, he blows a bit of grass off them, then plucks a few errant blades caught in the cracks free. He turns, offering the specs to Shurui with a smile. "Yep, right here. Looks like they're in one piece!" So proud that a fanfare -should- rightfully kick up and mark the momentus occasion.
"Sakuya? Well... ehh. She's my sister! What can I really say that prolly hasn't been said before? She used to get worried about me a whole lot, back in Osaka. She used to be my sparrin' partner, too, until we got out here. I have no idea if she's still fightin' or practicin' what we had learned..." Kenji scratches his cheek, tilting his head a little to the side. "I dunno. She's my sister!" he says, again. "She goes to Taiyo, though, she said she wanted to go to a school with 'standards.' I laughed."
"Nono!" Shurui waves her hands palms up in front of her. " I didn't mean it that way." Well, she's being awkward again. ".... It's just... well, you could've easily written me off as a jerk. Or be so tramuatized by the second time we met that you wouldn't look at me this way at all. But you're regarding me as a friend, all the same. So, I guess, I just thought it was nice." She pauses a beat.
"You must have a very open heart." The girl considers this, along with his aura, as she takes the glasses from Kenji. Maybe that's the power behind it? His nature. But which came first? The chicken or the egg? Did his personality come about because of his aura, or was it vice versa? Then again, it could just be good genetics. "That can be rare, in people. Some people befriend everybody, but they're all closed up in reality. Their friends are really acquaintances, people they use."
"... Heh." Shurui's lips form into small sincere half-smile at Kenji's words. "You gotta realize- It was just my dad and me, so I've always kind of wondered what that was like, having a sibling and all that. I'm grateful for what I got, though; don't misunderstand me. It's a good thing, having someone to look out for you."
Open...? If only she really knew him before, then her opinion might be a whole lot different. ... Maybe. Still, the compliment hits him oddly-- and it's reflected in the quirk of his eyebrows, the smaill smile cracking on his face. Dragging his hand through his hair and pulling it away from his face, the young brawler nods. "I um. Thanks! I guess." he says, pumping a hand up into a thumbs-up.
"Ohhh, I see. Yeah, I think I'm the only one in the 'Kings that has a sibling to harass them at all hours of the day-- she's got my mobile number-- and all that." His hand turns out and he starts counting on his fingers, one flicking out with each statement. "My dad works in a cubicle downtown, mom's a hospital nurse. My sister's a pain... and ... well," Kenji says, grabbing his chin and smiling all dashing-like, "I'm just your common, every-day man. Your Student Council Secretary, with aspirations for Presidency. The ... not-strongest in the Guardian Kings, even! Yes... and I stride toward the future with confidence and strength."
Kenji's face even turns toward the heavens, starry-eye.
"... Or something like that."
"Don't take it the wrong way," Shurui says, hearing the awkward tone in his voice. God, this is why she does horribly with nice people. If someone's rude to her, she knows *exactly* how to be rude back. Or, at least, have an idea of what to do. Kenji may not be the best when it comes to the opposite sex, but he means well and she doesn't know how to *deal* with that.
A normal, every-day student. How could someone like this even go to Gedo, and yet still find a spot to fit in? He's one of the few that proudly wears that puke yellow uniform with pride (yes, it's so distinctive a color that even *she* notices it and hates having to wear the female version of it from time to time). "... Why did you choose Gedo, out of all the schools you could have gone to? You seem like the sort that could've gotten easily into a place like Taiyo, or maybe one of the other schools if you didn't wanna be in the same school as your sister."
"All right."
And he leaves that at that.
Walking back over toward his jacket and can of coffee, he takes a long moment to reflect on her question, stopping to hoist it up-- the chill's gone to outdoor tempratures by now-- and taking a sip, holding his jacket over his arm. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder the same thing. 'Cause ... well, you probably won't believe me when I say it, but my dad and I sort of picked it out on just a list. And I had been enrolled before I saw the campus. It was late in the year, so they wanted to get me in as soon as possible."
Kenji looks back to Shurui, grinning. "But I like it at Gedo. I mean, people rag on it and go on and on about how it's the 'worst school' and the 'poor kids school,' but just look around the campus sometimes. You've got a bunch of punks and thugs, sure, but there's a kinna community there that you really won't see in a lot of other places. They're not the super elite, and some of 'em got into a lot of trouble over the years... but still, a lot of them've cleaned up their acts. That gang leader guy, Kazama? He really cleaned the place up. So even if there's a lot of gangs there, everyone's still tight-knit.
His finger lifts. "And they don't load you up with a lot of really boring or annoying classes, they try to teach practical stuff to students in their second and third year, or a lot of kids will use this place to launchpad to another school or somethin'."
"Besides," he says, shrugging listlessly. "If I didn't go to Gedo, I probably wouldn't have met Tenma, Hakuya, Stasya, and you. Or if I did, we could've all been enemies or something in a school rivalry. It's got it's perks, I guess-- the rivalry thing-- but now we all can look out for each other."
Siiiip.
Blinkblink.
Indeed, when Shurui gets that explanation, she finds it hard to believe at first. He never even looked? Granted, Shurui didn't either, but her selection of schools was a bit limited, despite the good grades. Wacky records, and all that. Muda could get her an identity, but he couldn't fabricate a past that wasn't there to begin with. But, in the end, she still had a choice of, say, going to Taiyo, or even Seijyun, since what grades she did have were, while not the top of her class, still decent.
"I came here because I could relate to the people better. The school I went to before this... didn't do so well, socially," she admits for the first time. ".... You could probably understand why, talking to me now. But I was a lot worse then. Learned a lot of bad habits before that, and, when I was adopted, my dad was the only one who was stubborn enough to not take shit from me. I was really lucky to have him. He would've preferred me going to Seijyun, though." She pauses thoughtfully. ".... I'll make it up to him by going to a good college, I think."
.... College. That seems so weird now, after all this business with NESTS and becoming close to fellow experiments who wouldn't have *any* chance of getting the same fortune she's had. "... I appreciate that. But yeah. That's what I like about this school too. People don't care if you're a little different."
After Kenji's taken his turn talking, he makes an honest effort at listening to Shurui's side of things, her story-- coming to Gedo, and her take on the school itself. It makes him feel a little good-- because, well, it was true. Nobody cared what you looked like, half of it was your character and ... usually the other half was if you had the guts to stand up for yourself and fight for something.. even if it was just to defend yourself.
"Y'know, I don't see you in the Seijyun uniform. A lot of them... well, Tenma uses the phrase 'princess' a lot, but sometimes they come off like they're high-class punks? It's weird. I knew this one girl there, she was flingin' around this big chain and a sickle on it like a ninja. We were gonna go out once, but then it was like she couldn't remember anythin'. Not like... not like she didn't care or she didn't like me, but just like ..."
Kenji shakes his head. "Eh, nevermind. It's not that important, I guess."
Kenji finishes his canned coffee with a solid gulp or three, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "A good college, then! And then becoming successful and living an awesome life, right?" Asked with a swift point of his hand at Shurui, as if expecting a positive answer.
"Anyway, you've changed, right? So lift your chin and walk forward. If people try to keep you from doin' what you want to, knock their freakin' blocks off. And if you can't do it alone, then you got me to call on. If I'm not on class, you can always find me in the student council room or on the roof with Tenma, Hakuya, and Stasya." And then his fist extends out to her, 'cause there's some 'spec knuckles to throw out here. "Cool?"
"Heh. Not sure if I see it either. The one they got for girls here is embarrassing enough, with the skirts and everything." .... Skirts, *and* they're puke ochre. Not that Shurui is automatically adverse to skirts, they're just.... difficult. Kenji's recollection causes Shurui to raise an eyebrow in curiosity, but, she easily pushes the matter aside as Kenji does.
"Yeah, I guess," Shurui replies in answer to that enthusiastic hand, her lack of confidence a glaring difference of degree from Kenji's own confidence. Well, yeah. A good college. If she survives. Then again, college has always seemed like some sort of assumed, distant goal, eternally in the future. One of Muda's main complaints of Shurui is her seeming lack of ability when it came to planning for the far future. Things like taxes, bills, homework, and so on? She gets. But things beyond that year to year existance? The idea of it just seems.... hard to grasp. Sometimes, it *does* seem like she is, in reality, just three years old. "Dunno what sort of life is out there for me, really. .... Just so used to living from month to month. I guess a lot of people here are like that, though."
Has she changed? "Of course I've changed. Wouldn't be here otherwise," Shurui says with more confidence. "But yeah. I will. Just don't get into trouble yourself, okay? We both got things we hold close; don't go sacrificing that without a second thought." She gives a small, but genuine small at the enthusiastic Guardian King. "I'll tell you if I need your help. Just tell me you'll not forget what you got going for you, 'kay?" The offered fist causes the girl to blink a little before her mind registers the blurry object for what it is; then, in a somewhat untimely fashion, she nudges it with her own fist. "... I guess so. I'll... be seeing you in class, I guess."
It'll be when Kenji gets on campus, turns on the TV, the radio, or goes on the internet that he'll possibly learn of the raid on Taiyo High by some very strange characters, none of which are aligned with any rival school. While this may or may not be of any importance to him, the all-school bulletin may catch his eye with the person they were supposedly looking for:
A certain girl named Shurui Chiang.
Log created on 21:17:20 04/28/2008 by Kenji, and last modified on 22:05:35 05/22/2008.