Description: Lacrosse meets yoyo in the cavernous Furnace Room at Gedo high. Ichiro gives a demonstration of just what Taiyo pride can accomplish, while Haru waxes philosophical about his relationship to Gedo High. Well, that and bleeds a lot. (Winner: Ichiro)
He's had to break commitments to the professional fighting world lately, and it hasn't left Haru Izanami feeling very good... or, in fact, eating very well. Considering that Saturday Night Fight was his only steady source of income, things have been kind of tight for Haru. Not so bad that he's skipping meals, but certainly the meals are a little smaller in portion than before. Thus he's signed up again this week, but there's still a need to close that financial gap, and the answer came in the form of a phone call from the Neo League people. It surprised him a bit, Haru having had forgotten about the NL entirely after signing up for it. Did he have time this weekend for a bout on the Gedo grounds, they asked?
He did.
Of course, he wasn't expecting the FURNACE ROOM, of all places; he's currently leaning against one of the pillars, idly eating his lunch out of a self-prepared bento box. The audience is entirely Gedo students, since few others are willing to venture onto the *campus* to watch a fight, let alone down into what is widely perceived as Gedo High's own personal purgatory beneath the school. They're keeping their distance, too, though whether or not it's because of the school's general dislike of Haru's showing in professional fighting since the start of his career, or the Neo League people setting up cameras, is up for debate. For his part, Haru just continues to eat chunks of spicy chicken cutlet and rice.
Completely unexpectedly, however, is that one student -- a ragged-looking freshman with a nervous expression -- breaks from the pack and walks up to Haru with a defiant look in his eye. "Oi, Izanami-sempai..."
The yoyo-using Gedo senior raises an eyebrow, saying nothing in response.
There's a tense air for a minute, before the freshmen suddenly bursts out with, "Kick the guy's ass, alright?!" and then scuttles back to the line of spectators.
Leaving Haru watching his departure with wonder, a piece of chicken held in chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
His lips drawn tight into a thin determined line as he embarks on the long walk down the Gedo High hallway, Ichiro Oe, Captain of Taiyo High's Lacrosse Team, stares down at his shoes as he makes his way toward the Furnace Room. You'd think that following a Neo League producer and being tailed by a cameraman would be enough to ensure the outsider safe passage through the crowd of students, but it doesn't seem to be enough to stop the jeers and boos, nor the occasional throwing of fruit or trash. Sighing as an apple core bounces off the red hockey-style visorless helmet secured to his head, the teen shakes his head wearily as they near the door to the boiler room.
Fighting on the Pacific High rooftop was one thing, but why did the Neo League people have to set up this fight in the literal heart of Gedo High? Feeling every bit the privileged rich boy he is as he endures the taunts and stares, Ichiro is more thankful than ever that he convinced his father not to make him attend Justice High. Adjusting his red and black shoulder-pads and strapping them on as he follows the producer down the concrete steps, the heavy stares of the crowd makes Ichiro almost feels embarrassed about his lacrosse gear for the first time. Do they even HAVE sports here at Gedo? "Get your head right," Ichiro tells himself as he makes his way toward the makeshift ring. "Focus on the game, that's all that matters." This isn't a very good way to start a fight.
Haru hears the sounds of people in the hallways above making noise before he has any cognizance of his opponent arriving, so by the time Ichiro makes it down into the Furnace Room he's already finished his lunch and placed his empty bento box on a chair in the production support area behind the cameras. He's determined to show a cool, businesslike face and is succeeding, but inside he's reeling from that one kid's decision to give him encouragement. Outside of Hakuya, Keiji, and Adira Sen'ou, he hasn't been high on positive contact with Gedo kids... and the jeering of Ichiro he hears out of his periphery makes it all the weirder.
The blue-and-black-haired youth is stepping into the makeshift 'ring' just as Ichiro descends the stairs and makes his appearance. Haru gives him the once over, and doesn't bother to contain his surprise at the recognizable lacrosse gear and the stick. Gedo's fighters tend to be pretty damn straightforward, but he'd heard about Taiyo's many sports-adapted fighters, particularly people like Shoma Sawamura and Roberto Miura.
Hands patting his pockets, Haru grins and tightens the tied sleeves of the jacket around his waist, then nods at Ichiro. "Sorry about the reception. This is going to be fun, though..." He grins a little, making a stark contrast to Ichirio: entirely without padding, dressed in a turtleneck and gloves so the only visible skin is his face, and no weapons at all. "I'm interested in seeing how you turned that sport into your style." He sounds sincere, at least.
COMBATSYS: Haru has started a fight here.
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Haru 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ichiro has joined the fight here.
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Haru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ichiro
Tucking the lacrosse stick under one arm as he walks over to the cordoned off fighting area, Ichiro laces his fingers together to snug his padded gloves on tighter and crack his knuckles. Giving the slight boy standing across from him an even slighter nod, Ichiro stares blankly at his opponent, not a single emotion betrayed on his face as he appraises the teen across from him. Returning the crosse back to his hands, Oe swipes at the air a few times to loosen up his arms and bounces on the balls of his feet to get his blood flowing. The Game Face is in full effect.
"Hmm?" Ichiro asks as he's suddenly spoken to by his opponent. "Oh, yeah," he replies, allowing a small, yet earnest smile to turn the corners of his lips. "Sorry. Nothing puts your game face on like playing in front of a hostile crowd," he replies. "Yeah, this should be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to offer as well."
Haru's faint smile gets a little more honest, a little wider, at that statement. "Yeah... I think I know what you're saying." Haru isn't going to give the Gedo kids an inch either. Well, except the guy who told him to win, he will be spared when the revolution comes. "Besides, this crowd's probably as hostile to me as they are to you," he adds, inclining his head at the crowd of watching Gedoites, blissfully unaware of his self-fulfilling social prophecy.
For a moment, Haru's fingers flex like a gunslinger's, held at his sides, his stance loose and open. He doesn't adhere to any known martial art (or sport, for that matter), but he carries himself as best he can in this situation. He's wearing gear, and he's using a sport that has its share of rough conduct. Haru's style focuses on reading the opponent and making calculated guesses as to what to expect, and the heterochromic gaze raking over Ichiro turns very serious for a moment, almost predatory. "Alright," he says, eyeing an NL official out of the corner of his eye, who nods. "Let's go."
His right hand dips into his pocket and withdraws, of all things, a yoyo... black and gunmetal grey, the string having a dull grey metallic sheen as well. It drops toward the floor and is yanked back a few times, before Haru suddenly picks up speed and ducks forward, getting in as close as he dares and then flinging out his wrist, the yoyo looking to smack into Ichiro's chest.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro dodges Haru's Medium Strike.
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Haru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ichiro
"I wouldn't be too sure about that..." Ichiro mutters in response to Haru's theories about the crowd. As much of an outcast as Haru thinks he is, Ichiro suspects that school pride (or hatred for that matter) would probably outweigh such factors. Well, regardless of who is right, one thing is for sure, the crowd wants to see blood.
Standing at the ready, his crosse gripped in both hands, a guarded smile rises to Ichiro's lips as Haru whips out a yoyo. It's not a condescending smile though, as Haru might be used to seeing, it's more of a 'ah cool, a yoyo!' smile, the sort of smile you can't keep from forming on your face if you've played with a yoyo as a kid. Watching the almost hypnotic movement of the toy as it rises and falls a few times; Ichiro shifts his weight onto his toes and lowers his center of gravity as he assumes an athletic stance, certain that the strike will come at any second.
"Hah!" Ichiro grunts as the yoyo rockets toward his chest, the Lacrosse captain spinning a half turn aside at the last second to avoid the strike. Though they're commonly regarded as a toy, Ichiro remembers hearing that yoyos were first invented as a weapon, so he has no doubts that they'd be capable of some damage in the right hands. Still turned with half of his body facing away from Haru, Ichiro slips a hand into his own pocket and pulls out a hard rubber ball a little smaller than a baseball. "Close one! But try this!" Ichiro calls out to his opponent as he bounces the ball once on the hard cement floor and catches the lacrosse ball in the net of his crosse. "Hah!" the Taiyo student shouts as he spins and sends the ball flying towards Haru's own chest, using the leverage of his lacrosse stick to quickly build up the ball's speed.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro successfully hits Haru with Medium Fling.
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Haru 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Ichiro
He hadn't expected Ichiro to be able to move quite so quickly with all that gear on, and the surprise registers on Haru's face even as he yanks his wrist back, yoyo slapping back into his palm as he himself steps back out of the way. Surprise is one thing, but sitting there and letting himself get smacked in the face for it is quite another. The Gedo senior watches his opponent draw the rubber ball and 'slot' it before flinging it at him, and it's Haru's turn to defend himself. Sadly, he doesn't do it quite as adroitly as Ichirio did; attempting to conserve movement by pivoting only slightly out of the way, he doesn't account for the ball's speed and it smacks him dead center on the side, making him wince and draw a hissing breath in through his teeth.
"Hmmm," he murmurs, twirling off one foot and getting back into 'stance'. "Lets you attack close range and from a distance... you know, we might have more in common than you think," Haru admits, though the bruise he can feel forming from that strike tells him they are probably quite different in terms of one thing: physical power. Still, Haru's not without his own compensations. "Case in point..." Driving forward at Ichirio, Haru suddenly comes to a stop farther back from where he attacked last time... and with not one, but two yoyos -- one in each hand -- he lashes out again and again, big looping arcs looking to pummel Ichiro's padded body like a punching bag.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro dodges Haru's Garnet Intensity.
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Haru 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Ichiro
Scooping up the lacrosse ball in his stick's pocket as it rolls back to him, Ichiro spins the stick in his hands a few times to keep the ball rolling in the net as he starts to circle around Haru. "We might, yeah," Ichiro replies with an easy grin as he studies Haru. "Lots of people underestimate my style at first, which is something you probably get too," Ichiro adds, inferring that he doesn't fall into the latter category. Nope, he doesn't under estimate it, which is a big part of why he's trying not to get hit!
Eyes widening as a second yoyo appears in Haru's hands, Ichiro does the first thing he can think of and dives prone on the ground, letting the first couple of arcs pass over his body before rolling sideways out of the path of the looping attack and scrambling to his feet. So far Ichi has been uncharacteristically good at avoiding contact, something the gathered crowd has noticed too by the volume of their boos; but that trend can't possibly continue much longer. He's going to have to kick it up a notch while luck is on his side. "Don't worry, you're gunna have some action soon," Ichiro says to the crowd as he twirls his stick a couple of times, his eyes seeming to glow with golden fire as he fans the flame of his burning spirit. "The fight's just starting."
COMBATSYS: Ichiro gathers his will.
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Haru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Ichiro
His blue-black eyebrows narrow in frustration, but Haru's not a complete idiot, so he doesn't suddenly pull back like before. Instead both yoyos drop back into his hands, but don't go back in his pockets. He twirls with as much speed and grace as he can muster, following the line of Ichiro's body swerves sideways, tracking him like radar, eyes and ears open. They're also open when he promises the crowd 'some action'... but for some reason, the friendly amusement that was in Haru's own eyes turns to icy chill at that statement.
"You want some advice on dealing with Gedo students, mister lacrosse player?" Haru says carefully, letting the yoyo in his right hand drop to the floor and come back up a few times, like a lazy nervous/idle motion. "Don't patronize them. They really don't like it." Of course, the unspoken rider to that statement is: I don't like it either.
And then he snaps out his wrist one more time, a quick shot of the yoyo at range to slam into Ichiro's face, if Haru can manage it. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Of course, the offhand yoyo continues to bounce in his other hand unobtrusively, waiting its turn.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro blocks Haru's Medium Fling.
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Haru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Ichiro
A frown shadows Ichiro's face as Haru's advice is given and the golden glow in his eyes sputters softly. His mouth tightens into a grimace as he thinks about how he'd rather just not deal with Gedo students all together. Unfortunately that's not an option right now. "I'll keep that in mind," he replies shortly as one of the yoyos suddenly zings towards his face. Quickly lowering his head, Ichiro manages to put his helmet in between the yoyo and his tender headmeats just in time to have the yoyo bounce off of the protective gear and leave his ears ringing from the much amplified sound of metal pinging off of hard plastic. "Nnhhh..." Ichiro groans in irritation. He hates that. Back before he became captain of the team the older players used to fling pebbles at the younger players' helmets to the same effect. That doesn't happen anymore.
Pumping his arms in a sprint as the yoyo caroms off to the side, Ichiro seems to decide that now would be a good time to close the distance. Racing in on Haru with the speed of a natural athlete, Ichiro looks like he's about to crash into the smaller kid head on, but at the last moment he dodges to the boy's right side and attempts to drive a knee into the pit of the his stomach as he passes.
COMBATSYS: Haru fails to counter Light Kick from Ichiro with Evocative Jade.
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Haru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Ichiro
Although in the end, he doesn't succeed, the exchange of blows teaches many in the audience one important thing: watch the other yoyo. Haru doesn't look too concerned as Ichiro drives at him. Why? Because he set this situation up, pure and simple. The distance gives him extra time to work, and the second yoyo is an opportunity. As Ichiro comes at him, Haru's already bringing the first yoyo back... but Haru's turning away, trying to spin around him, bringing the other yoyo in a wide-sweeping arc to wrap around the lacrosse player's arm.
Sadly, it doesn't work; the sudden shift in direction means the second yoyo goes *too* wide, the kick driving into Haru's side... and hitting the relatively unguarded Gedo senior so hard he slams into one of the stone pillars with a sickening *CRACK* sound. Landing in a crouch, he pulls himself standing and fixes his gaze on Ichiro, saying nothing, but making it clear he is far from out.
Skidding to a halt after running past Haru, Ichiro glances back over his shoulder to observe his handiwork. That's wasn't really a standard lacrosse move, but he'd be lying if he said that a knee to the gut never happened when running by one of your opponents on the field. Nodding in satisfaction as he watches the other kid pull himself up to his feet, Ichiro gives the yoyo master a brief nod of respect. Ichiro outweighs the kid by about 40 lbs, and at only a couple inches taller a lot of that is muscle and bulk. He is ready and waiting for more, the kid has guts. Spinning the lacrosse ball around in its net a couple of times and slightly crouched in his athletic stance, Ichiro just watches Haru, curious as to the kid's next move. That last exchange didn't just teach the audience about the value of watching the other yoyo. Having two of those things and the various angles that they can attack from is a deadly equation. Ichiro is going to have to be careful if he wants to remain relatively unscathed.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro focuses on his next action.
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Haru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Ichiro
Haru doesn't move, but he doesn't look happy, either. He's trying to find the place, emotionally, where people like Hakuya and Marisol have told him to be: enjoying the fight for what it is. Sadly for him, there are two things standing in his way: the first being that Ichiro is entirely uninjured in this fight so far, and the second is that while Haru can tolerate losing, it's never been in the context of a 'friendly fight'; it's always been with an eye to the future, of his total and absolute unwillingness to show weakness in front of others. A necessary survival tactic at Gedo that, perhaps, many Taiyo students never need to cultivate.
It doesn't exactly make you Mr. Friendly, though.
"Whenever you're ready," Haru says patiently, not attacking. He's going to have to make Ichiro come to him, for sure; whenever someone suddenly stops, in his experience, it's because they're planning something. Well, two can play at that game.
COMBATSYS: Haru focuses on his next action.
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Haru 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Ichiro
Whenever he is ready? Nodding slowly Ichiro, a slight smile works its way to the corner of the teen's mouth; the kind of smirk that screams that he was born ready. Popping the ball up out of the pocket of his crosse with a flick of his wrist, Ichiro lets the ball bounce off of the cement floor once before catching it at the apex of its ascent and dribbling it back down against the floor a few times. The motion is fairly reminiscent of Haru's yoyoing.
After a couple of dribbles, Ichiro lets the ball float up towards his face for a moment as he grits his teeth in concentration. Suddenly, the rubber ball erupts with golden energy, the physical manifestation of Ichiro's burning spirit engulfing the ball and setting it ablaze. "BULLET SHOT!" Ichiro intones, as is right and proper when unleashing one of your signature projectiles, as he catches the ball with his crosse and spins the stick behind his back before bringing it up over his head and swinging it forward with all of his might, sending the flaming ball rocketing towards Haru's chest.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro successfully hits Haru with Bullet Shot.
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Haru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ichiro
Perhaps Ichiro's about to feel really good about himself. Seeing a second projectile coming his way, Haru narrows his eyes and does the only thing he can think of: he drives *forward*, looking to slide under the shot and hopefully advance on his opponent at the same time. Sadly, Ichiro's fling is much faster than the Gedo senior anticipated; the fiery sphere smacks him in the face before he can get completely under its flight path, sending him (amusingly enough) back into the same pillar as before. At least now it has matching impact fractures.
Pulling himself to his feet, Haru wipes a hand across his mouth, hand and lip now stained red with blood, face a mask of carefully constructed unconcern, which persists... long enough for him to hear the tremulous voice of the freshman he met before yelling "HEY! COME ON! KICK HIS ASS!"
Haru turns to see that said freshman isn't directing the comment at him, however...
It was directed at Ichiro.
It doesn't even seem possible, but Haru's features harden even further, and he turns to Ichiro, face cold but eyes blazing. "You heard him," the Gedo senior bites out. "I don't have all day."
COMBATSYS: Haru takes no action.
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Haru 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ichiro
Nodding once more as the ball smacks into Haru and sends him crashing into the pillar once more, Ichiro seems to be rather pleased with himself. His fighting skills seem to be improving. He was worried for a while that, unlike Shoma and Roberto before him, he might be failing in his attempts to legitimize his sport as a fighting style. The smile is suddenly wiped off of his face, though, at the sound of one of the Gedo students actually cheering -HIM- on. "What?" Ichiro replies, his head snapping around to look at the freshmen, Oe's eyes burning with their usual fiery intensity, causing the freshman to shrink back slightly.
Shooting Haru a glance as he speaks, urging him on with vitriol, Ichiro's face breaks out into an uncharacteristic mask of anger. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS INSTEAD!" Ichiro shouts fiercely as he turns back to the freshman, causing the kid to turn tail and disappear into the stunned crowd. The crowd is silent for a few moments as the process what just happened. That probably wasn't the smartest move Ichiro; you might be close to starting a riot. "Show some damn school spirit!" Ichiro continues, though in a less forceful tone as the crowd begins to resume their jeering, though it's unclear as to who their actually booing now.
It's one thing to be booed at another school, Ichiro expects that, but if there is one thing that the kid from Taiyo loves more than Lacrosse, it is school pride, and he's shocked and angered to hear the Gedo High kids boo one of their own. Looking back to Haru, Ichiro's face isn't exactly full of rage anymore, but he is certainly glowering. "And fine! If you're so busy I'll try to make this short!" Breaking out into another sprint towards Haru, it almost seems as if Ichiro is going to veer off yet again, however, this time he just keeps on charging in as he swings his head forward to try and clobber Haru with a savage headbutt, helmet and all.
COMBATSYS: Haru fails to counter Unsportsmanlike Conduct from Ichiro with Quiescent Diamond.
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Haru 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Ichiro
The entire situation has led Haru to make the greatest mistake he could possibly make: he let himself get emotionally involved. "SHUT UP," he snarls, somehow managing to make a monotone sound loud and angry, bracing himself for what's coming next. And like all the other times he's gotten angry, REALLY angry, he can feel something well up. It's not as if the only person close enough to tell -- Ichiro himself -- might notice, but the Gedo senior's left eye, the green one, suddenly seems to 'fill up' with blue, becoming the same oversaturated cobalt color as the right one. Even the air around him is suddenly charged, the faint outline of an orb or circle seeming to flicker in and out of perception around Haru's body, like a mirage... is it there or not?
The headbutt makes the point moot, and the support pillar gets impact fracture #3 of this fight as the charge pins him to it, the blue wavering and then disappearing as Haru comes very, very close to losing consciousness entirely. Once the lacrosse player steps back (presuming that he does), Haru slumps forward, hand to his stomach as he coughs up a little more blood. He's not meant for this sort of punishment, and it shows... he's also apparently totally incapable of defending himself, and that shows too.
But when he stands up, he remains defiant. "Leave them out of it," he rasps at Ichiro sharply. "They don't want me here, I don't really want me here, but I AM here, so that's that." His philosophy on Gedo summed up in one succinct sentence, though surprisingly, the words shut up more than a few of the jeering Gedo students. "I don't care about school spirit. I'm not doing this for Gedo, don't think for a minute I am."
Scooping up the lacrosse ball from it's resting place on the floor as he backs away from Haru, Ichiro tosses and catches the ball a few times as he watches the other boy. "Don't care about school spirit, huh?" Ichiro replies calmly, though there is a hard glint in his eyes. "Then maybe that's why you're losing. You might think it's dumb, but no one can succeed alone. Not entirely." Dribbling the ball on the ground a couple of times, Ichiro shrugs and continues. "I honestly don't care about you, or your dumb school," he adds, albeit a touch nervously, constantly aware of the disgruntled kids around him. "But if you went to Taiyo I'd treat you like a brother," this is directed more at the crowd than Haru, "instead of a damn outcast." That being said, the lacrosse ball erupts once more as Ichiro gives what he hopes is one final fling downward where it strikes the ground once before rebounding up towards Haru's gut. Hopefully the awkward angle coupled with another powerful blow to the kid's midsection will be enough to end the fight for good.
COMBATSYS: Haru fails to counter Bounce Shot from Ichiro with Evocative Jade.
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Haru 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Ichiro
COMBATSYS: Haru can no longer fight.
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Ichiro 0/-------/=======|
That comment makes the blue and green eyes go even wider, though with either shock or fury isn't exactly clear. The incoming ball makes for a tempting target, and Haru is confident enough in his aim and skill that he makes a last ditch attempt to avoid getting hit by actively swinging a yoyo out *at* the ball, looking to either knock it off course or snag it with the string... not easy, but he thinks he can do it. Sadly, it doesn't work out that way, and the ball hits home for the final time, knocking both the wind and the fight out of Haru, who slumps to the ground, clutching his chest and gasping for air.
He's still got it in him to respond to Ichiro. His voice is raspy from lack of oxygen, but it retains the intensity of his previous expression, and it's certainly loud enough to carry in what is probably an echo chamber, acoustically speaking. "Don't talk like you know what's going on," he says, perhaps somewhat unexpectedly. "They're doing what all people do, just maybe a little more obviously." Is that a note of grudging *respect* in his voice? Perhaps. Haru's not a complete jerkass, he recognizes that Gedo as a student body have redeeming characteristics.
The two-colored eyes fix themselves on Ichiro as he continues. "I lost because today I wasn't good enough. Tomorrow I might be. Not because of being booed and not because you want to save the outcast from the mean, mean Gedo kids. It'll be because I dragged myself up and did something about it."
Ichiro catches the ball on the rebound, and sticks it back in his pocket before looking down at Haru and listening to him speak. His face is impassive for a while as he muses over what was just said before he simply replies. "I can respect that." Slinging the crosse over his shoulder, Ichiro motions for the Neo League producer to lead the way through the crowd. Ignoring the snickering and quiet taunts as he approaches the stairs, Ichiro pauses and glances back at the Gedo student before leaving. "I'll be waiting for a rematch," he says over his shoulder, a small, yet genuine smile on his face, before walking up the steps.
Log created on 14:46:32 05/10/2008 by Haru, and last modified on 20:17:47 05/10/2008.