Description: When NESTS attacked the YFCC, Kenji was one of the people who came to Shurui's aid. Now that new wounds have healed and normal life has restarted anew, Shurui feels compelled to somehow thank the Guardian King for putting his life on the line.... with delicious, delicious cake. Delivered to his house. Cue lots and lots of awkward pauses and bratty siblings.
It's a beautiful summer day as a rail train pulls into the stop located at the northern end of Southtown Village. When the doors open, passengers file out, their number including salarymen (and women), children, an old couple back from a trip to Southtown's core, and, well.... one very confused, very short girl. "....." Shurui presses a magnifying lens to a map as people file past her, adjusting the plastic bag hanging on the bend of one arm. Deep creases forming in her mouth as she studies. And studies. Her eyes look up and narrow, trying to make sense of her surroundings. ".... I.... hate..... maps...."
His house. Shurui is going to Kenji's house. If this has happened months ago, she would have refused. However, that was before the Guardian King put his life on the line.... twice now? She can only hope that she's not the only source of overwhelming 'in over your head' grief for the otherwise normal student; he *really* shouldn't have to deal with this shit. And she shouldn't ask him to deal with it. Damn it, so what if he's a decent fighter. He should be thinking about his family! What would they think if he suddenly disappeared?!
Grumbling as she navigates the streets blindly (hah! but not quite that literally), Shurui takes a while to finally make it to Kenji's door, only managing to find the house after another kind old couple take pity on her and point it out. ... well, a little bit *too* kind. Once it dawned on them that she was looking for a 'boy's house', their glances went to the box, back to her frustrated face...
"Oh, to be young again..." she heard them say as she walked off. God, can't a person give another person something without it looking like a proposal?! ......... then again, she *is* the one who went through the trouble to bake a nice young man a delicious cake in a nice box. The box, while nice looking, was on clearance, of course. YOU ALWAYS THINK AHEAD.
Reluctantly ringing the indicated house's doorbell as if it were a launch button for a nuclear bomb, Shurui attempts to maintain her composure, willing a smile to replace the deep frown that had stubbornly etched into her face moments before.
Ah, the home of the Ashimas. It's what you'd expect in the suburbs of a Japanese city, even in one that's as Americanized as this one-- a short gate, a front door, and two stories devoted to the family that moved in from Osaka what feels almost like a year ago-- a lifetime for some! And the old couple that knows the teenaged boy that lives there so well, the young man that always talks smooth and is polite to the good majority of the street.
Such a good boy! Not what you'd expect from a Gedo student.
So the doorbell rings. There's a pounding of footsteps from within, and a feminine voice calls out a short, 'I got it!' And that's when the door opens, and there stands a girl dressed as you'd expect from a teenager. There's a resemblance to Kenji in her appearance, though her hair is cropped a bit short and her bangs are held back with a clip across one side of her face. More appropriately, she has that same happy-go-lucky attitude to her. And... even if she isn't a fighter (so far as anyone in the house knows)... she has quite the similar aura.
Girl. Box. Something smells good.
"Can I help you?" she asks, eyebrows high.
At the sound of a female voice, Shurui's face goes blank. Wait, did Kenji ever mention he had siblings? God, she can't remember. Maybe she messed u-? ....Okay, no. *Definitely* did not mess up. And the Ashima girl who opens the door is *definitely* not adopted. Shurui quickly slips her tinted glasses back on, coughing into her hand to excuse the awkward moment.
Girl. Box. Delicious steamed sponge cake. Girl looks young. Looks..... like a typical Gedo student, almost, with the hoodie and the pants and the weird hair. But why would a girl be here? "..... Is. Um." Shurui steels herself, then, her voice now deadpan, she asks, "Is Kenji here."
oh god please don't take this the wrong way dear god kami sky wizard whoever is up there or on earth deity hell she'll even pray to igniz if by some weird coincidence he *IS* some sort of god of aural ass capes
"... I came to give him a gift. For helping me with a problem." THERE. SOUNDS PERFECTLY LOGICAL RITE ".... I figured if I came here, he wouldn't... have to transport the cake home."
DELICIOUS CAKE.
Mess up? No, she didn't mess up. It definately said "Ashima" on the faceplate next to the gate's hinging door. And the girl's aura, yes, it's definately just like Kenji's. Then why did she never go to school with him? Why didn't they go to the same place? Why--
Is she grinning?
Her mouth's open just slightly, the corners of her mouth pulled up into a big wide smile, her eyes wide and the light of amusement filling her gaze. A gift for Kenji? A gift for her brother?
She leaves the door wide open while she takes a prancing step back into the house proper, beckoning behind her. "Come in~! I'll go get him~!"
She charges up the stairs across from the door, disappearing upstairs.
"KENJI!! THERE'S A GI~RL HERE WITH DELICIOUS TREATS FOR YOU~!!!"
"Sakuya!!"
The next thirty seconds is filled with the sounds of punches, kicks, a loud *BAM*, and the tell-tale sound of an Ashima charging their proverbial lazars. Then, he stumbles down the stairs, his hair mussed up and bearing a split lip, nearly tumbling down to the entrance of the house head over heels. "S-Shurui!!" he stammers out in surprise. "What a nice surprise, ah-- um--"
As he speaks, stammers, and inquires about his classmate's well-being, a pair of faces are peeking around the corner-- one's a taller man, wearing glasses. The other, a shorter woman, has long black hair and eyes that still has a hint of mischevious fury hidden away inside them. Truthfully, Kenji resembles his father there, as much as his sister would claim that he's adopted. A little red-faced, a little unprepared for the visit, the Missile Fist coughs into that impossibly hard right fist and throws up his arm to lean on the wall inside the entrance as cooly as possible. "So!! Ha ha... yes. That is to say, what brings you out here?"
Shurui can't see the smile at first; at best she can detect it. Then, the full weight of Sakuya's mischevious smile leans in on the helpless Shurui, leaving her dumbfounded as she is directed, nay, WELCOMED into the Ashima household.
Why the hell is entering the house of a NORMAL family so much more nerve-wracking than temporarily residing in the household of a man who bleeds fire and a woman who. .... Well, okay, the latter isn't all that dangerous unless you mess with her gear, and that's *only* because Shurui doesn't understand the sophisicated shit that's been installed in everything. If she sneezes on it, she wouldn't be surprised if a base somewhere goes on the fritz.
But yes. NICE NORMAL FAMILY. With a NICE NORMAL SIBLING FIGHT going on upstairs as Shurui is left to stay in the foyer, holding her package. When Kenji's face finally appears, the girl pauses to itch her head distractedly. "Um..." she begins with a mumble, looking down at the bag. ".... I brought you cake. 'Cause you helped me. And stuff." And, with everyone staring, she's definitely *not* going into detail. "Yeah." Her eyes shift to the side.
..... Is this how a normal family house operates? Man, this is more chaotic than she expected! "You're.... not allergic to milk or anything, right?"
And so, Shurui Chiang is the first person from Gedo to meet Sakuya Ashima, the younger sister of the school's notorious Missile Fist. Kenji won't ever lie and say that he's pleased to have his sister meet a fellow classmate-- as it is, he somewhat dreads the day the Guardian Kings decide to storm his house-- and hopefully she won't be coming downstairs at any time remotely soon. He doesn't need her coming down and snapping photographs to hand off to the student newspaper at Taiyo or something!
"Oh, no, er-- I'm not allergic to any of that stuff," Kenji replies, somewhat awkwardly. This is one of those moments with his guard down, and the second time that Shurui's seen him without it all styled up. He looks better, at least, after all of the hell he went through with the YFCC and helping the former NESTS girl defend it.
His parents continue to watch, briefly, if only to ascertain the situation. This girl looks so young! And she's from his school, too? But she looks so normal, they think to themselves. Could she really be...? No, they can't be that judgmental, after all, their son goes to Gedo High!
... Voluntarily!
They lean back out of the room to converse with each other, padding off to the kitchen to have coffee and discuss amidst themselves if their son is really ready for that 'birds and the bees' talk, or if it's just another one of his friends. Of course, they already know what his answer's going to be, but it'll still be fun to pick on him!
"So uhm--" he starts, looking left and right. "Y-You're doing okay after what happened ... right? With the uh," Kenji says, pausing, "... Extra credit work at school?" He even gives her a little bit of a knowing look-- it's hard enough going to -sanctioned- fights without his parents worrying, but if they were to overhear that their son is getting involved with battles with international cartel members with fantastic hair and two capes... well...
He doesn't want to be grounded until he's twenty-one, really.
And really, how glad can you be when your younger sister seems to sense the great oppurtunity to get back at you for whatever wrongs you've commited towards her? It's like that fighting game where the announcer dramatically announces 'FINISH HIM'.
"... Your au.... you look better. After..." Damn it, they can't talk at all here! "... After you fell down the stairs." God, is that the best she can do?! "I would have tried to give you something sooner, but some things happened with my friends. I could have just gotten you something, but that's not enough, you know?" Shurui may be stingy with her own money, but that doesn't keep her from being a giving person when she wants to be.
"Yeah. I'm better." Shurui looks to the side. "Things might not ever be better, but I can make sure they don't get any worse. But, thank you. You really helped me." A pang of guilt flashes in her face. "I sort of treated you badly too. You were trying to.... uh. Break me and that other student up. And you got hurt doing that." Shurui finally looks up. "... I don't want you to get in over your head. .... with solving things."
"Haha, yeah, well... falling down the stairs like that, it was a pretty bad spill. And the nurse wasn't too sympathetic to my plight, either, huh? 'Get back to class!!'" he says, throwing in a gruff, angry voice at the end of it to keep pushing the idea that the injuries he had were of the common, garden variety. Nope, no international cartels of evil sniffing around at -his- school!
It doesn't take a genius to decipher what Shurui's trying to say, talking about the situation-- the battle, Kula, K9999, Igniz... most importantly, getting in over his head. Kenji has a sinking feeling that he's already well beyond that point now, what with the things he saw and the things he did to the invaders there. Maybe they won't come after him directly, but he's already got the web of lies and deception well-mapped out in his mind. It's just like this manga he has...!
But even if the actual situation is more serious, putting a parallel to it like this is what keeps him from worrying too much. That's enough for him, now as he rubs the back of his head and smiles a bit. "Hey, look... don't worry about it. If you ever need a hand, you know where to find me. Roof, student council room... heck, even the classroom, as much as I know y'don't really see a lot of people there!" he adds with a laugh. "Just uh... be careful."
"Heh-heh. Yeah." Shurui rubs the back of her head, her gaze continuing to stray around. "Shouldn't get too carried away playing the hero!"
"I will. You should be too." A pause. ".... Because the nurse won't be so nice next time." Ahahaha. Ha. God. Now Shurui's melded the auras of the school nurse with Igniz's for an image that proceeds to throughly disturb her. Oh GOD. Would Igniz be able to get away with panty-hose that well?! From what she's sensed in her aura, he probably has the legs to get away with it.
Fucking. Hell.
"I doubt the nurse'd come after you again," Shurui then says, "But you should watch out for her, either way." Shit, now the nurse sounds like some creepy pedo! "But you haven't done anything to make her worry about you, I don't think." She then focuses her gaze finally on Kenji's face, as if to hone in on her next point. "If anyone bugs you or you need my help, let me know." The gaze stays there a second or two, stern and serious, before it lapses back towards the floor. ".... So yeah. I really.... really wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you did that day. Standing up for me, that is."
"If you mean 'fell onto Hizashi's fist' then yeah, falling down the stairs really did suck," he says, thinking quick on his feet. No problem blaming a classmate, given Gedo's atmosphere, but to say 'fall down the stairs,' that is something not even Kenji is clumsy enough for. Still, he laughs, and rubs the back of his neck. "Well, just as long as your friends are lookin' after you, that's okay."
Still, his feet shift a bit, his gaze shifting harder, the look to Shurui's baked goods and back to the girl with the rosy glasses. She keeps apologizing, over and over. The excuses are veiled, censored for anyone who may be listening down the hall or just out of sight at the top of the staircase, but Kenji still knows full well her meaning. And then he lifts up his hand and knocks on the girl's forehead, proudly beaming at the NESTS runaway.
"I did it because I wanted to. If I don't help out my friends, then I'd be a big a-hole-- and besides, I got to get a glimpse at what else is out there." That statement, much less thinly veiled. As Kenji lowers his hand to hook his thumb into one of the front pockets of his jeans, the sloppy-haired youth tosses his head a bit to get his lengthy bangs away from his eyes. "So don't apologize, don't blame yourself. It's all cool. I promise."
Usually, it would be out of character for Shurui to be apologizing this much. Granted, it hasn't been until recently that she's ever had to ask for help for a task with such far-reaching consequences, even if she's been willing to approach the idea when she knows that the outcome will be in her and her friends' favor. If NESTS had taken an acute interest in Kenji, his normal life could have been ruined forever whether he had been successfully kidnapped or not.
These scenerios keep running through Shurui's head, even now. *Especially* now, in fact, being surrounded by the elements that make up Kenji's sense of home. Mother, father. Sister. House. Stairs. Kitchen. Lobby. Mailbox. School. Life. She has some of these, some now, some in the past. In short, she had enough to feel that they were special things that should not be taken away from anyone.
He knocks on her forehead. "H-hey!" Shurui rubs an open hand to the site, even if Kenji didn't knock remotely hard enough to cause any injury. The loud beaming aura isn't enough to obscure the presence of a good ol' fashioned smile, especially when it's that obvious. "You know, you could always transfer to a sister school in another country if you wanna see 'what's out there' all that damn much. Get some culture other than spaghetti day at the cafeteria." She lifts the cake box in its bag, attempting to push it into Kenji's chest. "Take the cake already! I don't wanna risk dropping it or something."
But then, NESTS, as powerful as it is... it doesn't know his determination. His passion! The strength of his will and character. They don't know how much he wants to graduate from high school, go to a good college, have a great girlfriend, and become a successful adult in the future. That rose-colored student life is what he wants, and he told himself a long time ago that he'd do what it takes to ensure that happy days like this would last forever.
It feels like it's right out of a manga, but ... that's Kenji for you.
With the cake box thrust into his chest, the young Ashima sweeps his hands under it quickly to catch it and relieve Shurui of the burden. He smiles a bit at the attitude, but then his voice drops to that smoother, deeper tone. "But I like seeing the world here..." he says teasingly, putting on his best sly smile. Shifting back to his usual self, even, he reaches up with a hand to flip back his hair from his face, then returns it to properly support the rest of the cake. "Besides, I do enough travellin' 'cause of my fighting and all of that. But... I think you can get what I mean."
People like Igniz, Kula, K9999. Villains, simply put.
If only some of the manga type female characters you saw in manga were here. Stasya might fit the profile, as may Whip, but Shurui? ..... Of course, there *are* people who have a fetish for girls with glasses... and she *does* look underage....
Let's not go there.
The deep tone makes the girl blanch as Kenji accepts the cake from her. "I'd hit you, but I might ruin the cake. Ingredients cost money." Or not, when there seems to be coffee jars of money just sort of around the place. Living in with two people who don't seem to mind the idea of assassination as a job title allows them to earn quite a bit more money than Shurui is used to seeing.
Staring at Kenji a while, Shurui frowns, mumbling, ".... I better get back home before it gets dark. Can't navigate around this part of the city really well without some light." A handy excuse, perhaps, but also one that's true. Shurui's night vision depends on people where light falls her.
He laughs, amused by her reaction. "Hey, don't hit me! I bruise!" he says, shying away just a bit. The cake is clutched protectively to his chest, as though it would get destroyed should she take the slightest of swings at him-- and he must protect it!
Still, he gets his good nature back and keeps himself from pushing the smooth talker routine too far. Then she states that she has to go, and for a moment, he looks curious. "A'right. Then, just be careful on the way home, what with all of that, uh..." He spares a glance over his shoulder. "... Homework." Presenting his fist, grinning a bit, he realizes the comment isn't exactly fitting with their cover story in the Ashima household, but ... it'll have to work, for now.
Whether or not Shurui understands what the fist means, it hovers for a few moments before returning to his side, then he leans forward a little bit. "Er, uh, you don't need an escort or a ride back, do you? And you'll be at school, right?"
"Homework. Right." When presented with an amiable fist in front of her, Shurui notices it a second later before raising her fist in turn to bump knuckle to knuckle.
Does she need an escort? Her? ..... Well, it *could* be nice but-
oh yeah k'. Shurui looks nervous. She shakes her head in light dismissal. "Nnn, no. The brother and sister I live with... the brother's in a foul mood right now. You *really* don't want to be seen with me." .... Oy, would that be a horrible thought. K', placed firmly in his foul mood by Whip's disappearance, and Shuruing coming in the door from an unannounced day-trip with Kenji in tow. Nooooooo. She'll spare Kenji *that* little corner of the world of experience for now. "I'll be at school tomorrow, barring anything weird going on. If I don't show up and you or Stas are worried, give me a call and I'll let you know what's up." She shrugs. "Don't be alarmed, of course. I'm being overly careful sometimes, so I might just be stayin' home because the wind's blowing wrong or whatever." She shrugs.
.... And that confidence just as quickly leaves when she realizes, once again, she's in KENJI'S HOUSE. "...... Keep this a secret, okay?" Her brow wrinkles. "I don't want Tenma getting any ideas. Or anyone else for that matter. Got it?"
"Ah, er... okay, I guess I can see that. Just make sure that you all stay safe, I don't wanna hear about your parents or anyone goin' crazy because I was too stupid to go walkin' you home. Just ... um. Stay safe, got it?"
Still, he's a bit relieved to hear that she'll be coming to school. Expressed with a slight settling of his stance, the faint smile on his face, Kenji really doesn't want to see a friend not come to school anymore due to a moron and his excessive use of conditioner. "No, that's okay. I mean, I'll have to go upstairs and--"
*click-FLASH* "Too late~!"
Kenji's eyes close. "Sakuyaaaaa..."
With a few more fast-paced thumps up the stairs, the younger sister is gone just as fast as she came, leaving the young man to bow politely. "I apologize, Shurui, I am going to have to go kill my sister now. I'll see ya tomorrow at school?"
"Yeah. Don't worry. I'll be safe. Just take care of yourself, okay?" She grins, though the smile becomes a little forced as she realizes that her declining Kenji's offer is for his *own* safety, rather than hers. Besides, she doesn't want anyone to see her and Kenji walking together be-
... Well, damn. Shurui just stands there with an expression akin to a deer caught in the headlights of an eight-wheeler, mouth gaping open. "..... fuck." Thankfully for Kenji's parents, it's just within the range of inaudible, and, well, they're probably too busy pondering the indication of a visit from a girl.
Kenji bows, allowing Shurui to gain just enough wits to nod dumbly back. "Y-yeah...." Yeah, Shurui'll be at school. Definitely.
..... unless this photograph grows wings and FLIES AROUND THE INTERNET. Then, she'll need to become a nun and live in the mountains.
Log created on 01:02:47 09/20/2008 by Shurui, and last modified on 02:55:00 10/02/2008.