Description: A chance encounter leads to Hotaru learning more about the other lives K' has been leading since she met him at the YFCC so long ago. A crucial warning serves as a portend of things to come as the girl finds out that those who rule her hometown may be a lot more than they seem.
School's out for a winter's respite. A break from exams, projects, papers, homework, and all manner of scholastic torture. It's also between rounds in the world famous Strolheim team tournament. A tournament in which one Hotaru Futaba has had a strong showing. Besting both of her preliminary opponents somewhat handily, her awkward team of misfits moved on to an impressive showing in both of the rounds so far, with the teenaged fighter herself making a very determined, fight winning rally against the mysterious Grandmaster fighter, Gen. Surviving not just one but two of his most powerful techniques, the tenacious girl tipped him over, securing a very unexpected round one victory.
Round two also went strong for the strange team. But when a break came up for all the matches to be finished, the girl left the castle behind and booked a fight back for Japan. Some fighters were stuck there for the duration, but for the young celebrity, world travel was no big deal. The problem with straying outside Strolheim however is the media.
Hounded for interviews, camera and photo shots, and guest appearances, the increasingly famous fighter was hard pressed to get any time to herself. Which might explain that while she's in the vicinity of the YFCC, she's not dressed in any of her familiar outfits. Clad in street clothes that should blend in just about anywhere in Southtown, she has on a brown shirt covered by a warm blue coat. A black skirt would do little to keep her legs warm from the chill air, but the black thigh high stockings should help. Even her hair has been left down, bereft of ribbons, in her attempt to not be easily spotted.
The hour says that it's only mid afternoon, but the dark sky makes it seem late at night. Pesky short wintery days. Her 'civilian disguise' isn't enough though. Walking along the sidewalk, she finds herself stopped short by a young man stepping into her path. He looks like he's trying a bit too hard to blend in too. Trendy clothes... for a year ago and a notepad tucked under one arm, a pen in his ear. "Hotaru Futaba, yes?"
A quiet blink. If he didn't seem so absolutely certain, bluffing might be an option. But not here. He doesn't even pause for a full second.
"If I could just get some-"
Her smile is quick and doesn't even look forced, "Please speak with my agent to schedule interviews and-"
"But we're right here, and it won't take long." He starts to walk briskly along with the girl as she slips deftly around him and picks up her pace, lowering her head, and hoping to just leave him behind.
As he persists, speed walking alongside the girl, she shakes her head, "So sorry," her smile is a bit forced now, "I'm in a hurry."
"A hurry? Who you going to see? Are you going to visit a certain someone on the run from the-"
"No comment." she answers, cutting the question off as she turns a street corner, walking even faster as she tries to ditch the reporter. It doesn't seem to be helping. "Can you talk about your experiences at Germany? How was it like to-"
"No comment."
Hotaru's not the only one who's been busy. Days passed, life slowly creaked back to relative normal in the wake of that raid to recover his sister, and K' ultimately decided on what to do when reprisal come at him from Southsynd. He'd take it upon himself, keep it away from Whip and Shurui... and if Geese so much as tried to force him back into the fold, well. He wouldn't be going. As far as the ruthless, pragmatic young ex-experiment was concerned, the arrangement had long since outlived its value.
It was all far easier said than done. He's certain he's going to suffer for what he did, but he's also determined to somehow survive through the reprisal: though most would cite such a thing as impossible. However, K' was never one to ruminate too long on the plausibility of his plans. Just the necessity of their enactment.
No reason not to be careful, however. K' has operated on an increased state of alertness the past few days; given his normal state is already that of a fugitive from a dangerous cartel, this is really something to see. It shows a little in the way he opts to travel in a far more visible manner now than he usually does. The elusive K', once a sight almost entirely absent from any conventional walks, can now be seen prowling sedately down the sidewalks of Southtown as if nothing were unusual, dressed down in a rather unseasonable leather jacket and a pair of dark, worn jeans.
Except very soon, something unusual -does- happen. K' hears the familiar sounds of a fighter being harassed by a reporter from around the next corner. Normally he wouldn't care, and would just detour to leave his hapless peer to their fate... but from the sound of the girl being harassed, it's Hotaru. Hmph, might as well...
Even the machinegun-tongued reporter doesn't get a chance to spit out his next question before a sudden shadow swallows him. Should he be able to wrench his starstruck eyes off Hotaru long enough to see what's interposed into their path, he'll discover a most-unimpressed K' staring point-blank at him. The young man reaches up, tilting his shades down to get a better look at the poor reporter; and the motion reveals a somewhat ominous gleam of yellow eyes.
"...Hey." K' leans forward, pressing into the reporter's personal space in an expert display of aggressive posturing. One could almost imagine his hackles bristling. "You deaf? Fuck off..."
Knowing someone like K' is a very interesting experience. Out of no where he'll sweep in, save your life, rush off to save someone else's life, then you spend a couple weeks hoping everything turned out okay. She was confident that everything must've gone well. In spite being dragged off to an international tournament in Germany, thoughts as to how the enigmatic recluse was doing with his own affairs back in Southtown occasionally occupied her thoughts.
She had discovered Yamazaki was still on the loose as his nightmaric visage started popping up in broadcast fights. Those were matches she just couldn't watch, the memories too fresh, the pain too real. She isn't squeamish about watching a violent display of martial arts, but only someone facinated by morbid attempted maimings would sit through a Yamazaki match in her mind. Finding he was still alive might sooth Kentou's conscience, but it only bothered her. Not that she held it against K' - it was merely a testiment to how unstoppable that monster really was.
But Yamazakis are the last thing on her mind as the reporter refuses to give up. Chasing the girl as she hurries along the sidewalk, head down, refusing to give him anything to really make a story out of, she's just about to barrel right into K' without realizing it. Maybe it's that fighter's instinct that has her stopping abruptly just before she would've accidentally headbutted K' in the chest, but she manages just in time, looking up, azure eyes blinking in surprise.
That flash of thought that this is someone helping the reporter pin her down for a moment of aggressive questioning is put to rest the moment her eyes settle on his face. No. Of all people, K' would not be someone cooperating with this nosey reporter. Besides, the look on his face speaks volumes to that effect.
And the man at Hotaru's side knows it. Stopped just as abruptly as Hotaru, he's not nearly so relieved as she is to see who it is blocking the path. Of course, being an informed fighting sport reporter, he knows who he's looking at. Which means he also knows the reputation K' has for how he deals with media sorts. "W-well, now, you know how you types can be- I mean, not to say that- I mean, people want to know and, well, it's our job to, ah, that is..."
Hotaru smiles faintly, her expression one of mild bemusement even if she feels just a /little/ bit bad for the guy. Turning to her side to face him, she lifts her right hand and waves it quickly, "Bye bye, now."
The gig up, his well being possibly on the line, the young man must decide that isn't a sound reward/risk factor to stick around in the presence of not one fighter but two, neither who want to talk, and one who looks about ready to grip him by the face and chuck him out of here. Shoulders sagging, notepad lowered, he turns to shuffle back a few steps before finally turning around with a sigh of resignation.
Lowering her waving hand, Hotaru turns back to the tall young man, getting a rare glimpse at those eyes so often hidden by his signiture shades. "Thanks." she remarks with a smile before blinking, glancing off to the side, cheeks tinting a little pink, "I mean, not just for this, but also, ah-" Now it's her turn to stammer. She had run several ideas through her mind about what to say when she saw him again. How to make it clear how grateful she was for his timely intervention, for the injuries sustained on her behalf. But now that she's face to face with her rescuer, she finds herself experiencing a rare loss of words!
Even if Hotaru HAD run into him, it's doubtful K' would have really noticed or minded. The girl was probably one of the very few he would allow to trespass-- even accidentally-- into his personal space like that. He wouldn't let her stay LONG... but the fact that he'd permit her to come that close at all was already a surprising enough concession.
No such exceptions will be granted to the reporter. K''s gaze, fixed, uncompromising, and threatening, neither strays nor blinks from its fixed and direct lock straight on the man's eyes. Though eye contact has been given a positive connotation among humans, among beasts it's the worst sort of threat one can level. That in mind, there can be little doubt how K' is using his murderous direct stare in -this- particular instance.
Though the man sure gives him a lot of openings to make a lot of really cutting rejoinders, K' doesn't take any of those opportunities. The man might be stupid enough to try to stand his ground and argue a little longer, and then K' really would have to get him by the face and discard him from the conversation. He stares after the hapless young man as he finally trudges defeatedly off... and then his gaze reroutes down to Hotaru.
At first, he seems prone to just acknowledge her thanks for that particular save, and then move on. But when she clarifies, and starts to stammer, K' hesitates. He makes a full stop, turning to face her properly, and slowly he peels his shades the rest of the way off to fully reveal his odd yellow eyes. The shades get hooked into the inside pocket of his jacket, and then K' waits patiently for a conclusion that never quite comes.
Once he's pretty sure she's not going to get out whatever it is she's trying to express, a brow quirks. The expression is slightly humored; you can see the amusement if you squint. "Looks like you patched up OK," he observes laconically, before he abruptly swings his gaze to one side-- breaking eye contact as the mood turns more informal-- and smirks. Mostly to himself. "As for that..." And, equally eloquent as Hotaru, K' dithers a bit in silence before he eventually just lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "...Yeah. I know. No reason to pull something looking for a way to tell me it."
For the moment, K''s personality has bought the two a moment of time alone on the sidewalk. Not that life has stopped around them. Cars continue to traverse the busy Southtown streets. People shuffle about on ways to and from locations of various importance. But in spite being in the middle of it all, it seems that there's only one other person present to the girl.
His patience in waiting for her to finish her statement almost makes it worse. At least he looks bemused, if one looks hard enough, rather than irritated for holding him up. She's glad he pauses, in fact, even if it means she isn't going to get away with just mumbling the rest of her thanks to a retreating leather jacketed back as he continues on.
He remarks that she looks all right in his own way and she nods twice quickly, eyes shifting back up to meet his as soon as he sheds the shades and places them in his jacket. There's an intensity to those yellow eyes of his that she realizes she's always found facinating. A burning to survive in spite the crushing weight constantly on his shoulders from so many directions. "Yeah..." Her hand goes to rest at her side, just over her hip, where there was once a gaping hole in her flesh. A scar is hidden there that may never really clear up, but the pain is gone. The physical kind, anyway. "Took a while, but I'm back to the regular leagues now." she states. She's able to fight again, as her performances in the Strolheim tournament have born out.
His shrug, for as distant as some might take it, seems to be enough for her. Hearing him acknowledge her poorly expressed gratitude at all is something, and his way of deflecting her struggled attempt brings a sheepish grin to her lips for a fleeting moment. "I-" She's afraid to ask what happened after he left. But she also wonders. It had to have gone all right. She will just have to trust that that's the case. She decides not to pry. It's not her business. "... I just wanted you to know. I wanted to get you something," she continues, toe of her right foot scuffing the ground once in another moment of awkwardness. "I don't really remember a lot of that night, but I do remember seeing you were hurt too."
Her eyes glance to his shoulder in a cursory inspection before shifting back to his eyes, "Hope you're okay-" Her voice cuts out, eyes shifting back to his shoulder before skimming down along the length of his arm before coming to rest at his right hand. She blinks twice, mouth opening, glancing back to his face, mouth closing, then looking back at his hand, then back at his face, "...how /are/ you doing?"
K''s intense gaze follows the motion of her hand. It looks at the place where there was once a gaping hole, its expression unreadable and steady. He listens absent-mindedly through her mention that she's back to regular fighting by now, though he makes no reply and doesn't ultimately seem interested in the information. He never really did care much about sanctioned fighting or his place in it, much less that of anyone else.
His attention only seems to sharpen when she moves on to something else. He watches her, a little bemusedly, as she tries to figure out how to frame things. He has no idea his silence and demeanor might be what's contributing to her awkwardness, no idea at all he might be intimidating. As far as he's concerned, this attitude he's affecting now is considerably /gentled/.
But then, his idea of gentle doesn't really match up with most of the rest of the world's.
Neither does he seem to notice she's curious as to what happened. It doesn't occur to him that she might actually care, or be concerned. He simply responds to what she says aloud, a little bit of relief exhaling out of him when she finally says something he can understand and reply. "Get me something...?" Or, well, scratch the 'understand' part. "Mmn. You don't have to get me shit. Number you gave me that night found me Chun-Li faster than I could have done myself." A long pause, and then, more grudgingly, "... and what you told me last time we fought? ...that had its place."
It's a moment Hotaru should treasure. An instant when K'-- the taciturn, the emotionally-removed, the prideful-- actually admits that someone other than him could have been right about something. That what they said could have helped him in some way. But in this instance... K' really feels Hotaru deserves to hear it. And the reason becomes clear when he finally shifts his right hand forward-- into the light, so she can see it better. So she can see the way it's bare of anything but a simple leather glove. 'How are you doing,' she asks, instead of the question she really wants to ask-- and K' lets the simple spark and flare of fire along the back of his hand speak as his answer.
The slight intake of breath accompanying the little flame suggests that the fire is still not without pain... but the control he has attained is clear in the next moment when the flames wipe obediently away. "Turned out I really couldn't do it alone," he finishes, a bit wryly, withdrawing in order to fall back into an indolent slouch. "If you didn't help me that night, I'd probably would've lost the one person I needed."
If she thought about it more, she might determine that she found it easier to talk to K' when she didn't really care what he thought or said. Speaking her mind clearly without worrying if it drove him away or if he ignored her as a result. But now that she thinks of him in a new light - no longer the curiously reclusive stranger lurking around the YFCC from time to time but something else entirely, she wishes she could sound more eloquent or more clever with her words than she finds herself feeling presently. The intimidation of addressing him now is not so much purely his fault as it is shared by her as well.
He frees her of the obligation of getting something not by simply saying she doesn't need to but by explaining how after a manner she already had done so. Sapphire blue eyes widen just slightly. The number she was glad to provide, but it's what he brings up secondly that surprises her. What they talked about before in that match in a far off country... She had never expected him to take her entirely seriously. His life experiences might have seemed so different than hers that she may have had no place speaking to his circumstances. But she spoke what she thought, what she felt... and at least some of it stuck.
Her expression loses some of its nervous awkwardness, her mouth shifting into a quiet smile. There's a certain glow of warmth to it. No smugness to be found, only relief and happiness for what he shows her next as he extends his hand. The fire dances to life, under his direct control. Pain at using it she can understand, having gone through her own trials of chi use over a year ago. But it's significant all the same. The last time she saw that hand without its glove, his arm was covered with uncontrollable fire that burned not just her but him as well. How far he's come.
Her eyes break from his hand back to his face, watching the emotions play there; emotions that he usually made such a point to keep hidden from the world lest someone take advantage of a perceived weakness. Even when the moment passes and he slips into his indifferent slouch, it feels like there's something different there. "You did it..." she states quietly but still plenty loud enough to be heard over the bustle of the city. "I'm glad."
She pauses, her mind processing all that he had said. It was a lot more than she had expected out of no where like that. She clarifies after a moment, "Glad for you, glad you were able to save your sister." While he has never spoken to her of Whip at any length, Shurui has. That must be the person he needed to get this far. It makes sense based on what the other girl had told her before. She almost wants to thank him for letting her know, but she catches herself, falling instead back into silence. If she thanks him too much she'll drive him crazy, she's certain!
K' would wholeheartedly agree with Hotaru, were he privy to her thoughts. Many things are a lot easier when one simply doesn't care. Back when he had first got out of NESTS, when he was a selfish existence living only for his own needs-- a creature that had only its life to lose, and even then didn't particularly care if it did-- things were almost painfully easy compared to how they were now. He didn't have to think about anyone but himself. He didn't have to try.
And yet, though K' doesn't particularly like this new state of affairs-- still tries to hold the world at arms-length-- he's found that sometimes, it's actually easier to HAVE other people. The list of people who K' would allow any closer than a mere brusque trading of words is still painfully short. They can be counted on a single hand. But it seems that somehow, Hotaru is getting up there in his regard. That he even trusts her enough to talk this much is already a monumental accomplishment.
K' actually looks like he likes Hotaru better when that nervousness is out of her face. It's likely the young man hates twitchy, anxious people because they continuously stimulate his deeply-programmed instinct to attack, making it hard to think around the dictate graven in his genetics. Her relaxation therefore seems, in turn, to calm him. His tense and watchful intensity moderates down to something a little less piercing.
It's that calm helps him get the necessary focus-- he's still not entirely fluent-- to show her what he wants to show her. In that instant he seems like a child, wanting to prove what he's learned. The display is brief, but the fact his point was made is clear in the genuine relief he can perceive in her expression, and he has to take a moment to wonder at that look. A year ago, he would never have thought anyone could give enough of a shit about him to look like that. He would never have thought himself enough of a human being to deserve it.
Thinking those darker thoughts, he momentarily looks troubled. The expression passes soon enough when Hotaru references something he's sure he's never mentioned before. His eyes shift back to hers, that direct intensity bleeding back into his gaze as his stance straightens just a bit. The strength of his protective drive, when it comes to Whip, is clear in that moment. Though he's perhaps the last person one would expect it from... K' looks exactly as a brother should look when his sister is mentioned. It might sadden the girl, when she thinks of her own brother.
"...Yeah. It was to save her." K' says little more after that, visibly incapable of the natural 'thank you' that should follow. Of showing the same gladness Hotaru does. His emotional range has been too damaged for him not to defend himself with indifference against the painful disappointments that can follow any attempts at happiness. Not knowing how to cope with or respond to her spoken gladness, he holds his tongue. He lapses into silence a moment, watching Hotaru almost palpably. "...where did you hear about her?" To his credit, he looks genuinely curious, as opposed to suspicious. He can't recall ever mentioning her to Hotaru, though he could be wrong.
She perceives the shifts he goes through if not always correctly understanding the reasons why. She can guess at some, but not at others. That protective edge - given what all has transpired in their lives, is understandable. That it would even come up in conversation with her might be a bit more surprising. But he's been taught not to trust anything or anyone for so long... she can sympathize there. Empathizing with an upbringing so different is far more difficult.
Her smile is soft as he tells her who she helped save with her small contribution. Expecting more acknowledgement than that doesn't seem to cross her mind in the moment, which leaves her focused on his question when it comes. She nods slightly, as if expecting him to want to know. So protective, so worried about from what direction threats might come, it stands to reason that he'd be thorough in knowing how information like that got around.
"A while back, Shurui was talking to me about friends of hers that had been captured right out of a hospital room and how she was worried about not being able to do anything to help them... A friend and his sister," she continues, putting the pieces together as she remembers them. She glances to the side briefly, clearly trying to think back on the encounter, "I don't remember how I figured out she was talking about you. But I did."
She looks back toward K' then, smiling faintly, "So that's how I found out about your sister." She doesn't even really know her name, a fact that might be made clear by the way she never mentions it. "I'm not sure..." Hotaru continues, her tone changing just slightly, "How much she has told you, but she was really worried about you two. You're pretty important to her." she finishes, her smile still present, her tone soft. She shakes her head, "With regards to your sister, it's not really anything I would be speaking of to anyone else." She senses, perhaps, his worry, and seeks to allay it if possible.
One might expect K' to smile at the mention of Shurui's attachment to the twins: or at least, to acknowledge her concern with some kind of appreciation, warmth or a reassuring look. But then again, seeing as this is K', one might not. And one would be correct not to look for any.
Instead of anything Hotaru might expect, K'... looks troubled at word of Shurui's worry. He looks even more burdened to hear Hotaru tell him how important he is to her. He says nothing at first, thinking it all over, and he's quiet so long Hotaru might start to wonder if she's said something wrong. She hasn't-- K' is simply finding himself reminded, yet again, of how his presence in Shurui's life might be having more of a detrimental effect on the girl than any beneficial one.
He and Whip just aren't like other people. They are always going to bring trouble home. There will always be the chance that they will suddenly just be gone: taken away, never to come back. And he knows quite well how much it hurts to have things taken away like that.
"Yeah. That was us," he eventually confirms, rousing out of his momentary reverie with a slight lift of the head. He looks troubled a moment, as if uncertain whether this should be said and how he should even phrase it if so, before he finally decides to just state some of his thoughts aloud. "And she told me enough. Enough for me to think she cares too much about us. It's not right she care that much about things that might not be there the next day." Things that might ultimately bring her trouble.
His head turns away, making only the most absent of slight nods when Hotaru assures him she'll keep their relation discreet. "...best you keep it that way. Like Shurui should keep discreet. I pissed off the wrong people getting my sister back." Though his head doesn't turn back forwards, his eyes slide back swiftly to fix on hers. "You don't want them thinking you might give a shit about me. Or me, you."
When he remains quiet, she does as well. There's a lot of guessing, a fair amount of wondering, and a hint of intuition that goes into trying to figure out what it is he's thinking about. But before she can come to any definite conclusions, he speaks up. She nods slightly with regards to the story being about them.
But where the conversation leads next, she couldn't have guessed. His worry that Shurui cares too much provokes a soft blink from the girl, her expression shifting from relaxed and friendly to one bearing a slightly more serious edge. He says that it's not right to care for things that might not be there the next day and the girl stays quiet, her hand lifting up to brush her unrestrained hair idly back over her shoulder as she thinks.
She's not surprised that he's angered some bad people in saving his sibling. If they weren't trouble, they wouldn't have caught her in the first place. But someone like K'... he's tough enough to deal with it, right? He's defied the entirety of the NESTS cartel for this long. Surely he can deal with the inevitable repercussions brought on by rescuing his blood relative...
As he continues though the situation seems even more grave, her eyes meeting his in that moment he glances back. She looks a little taken aback, mouth opening to respond immediately but closing just as shortly after, before breaking eye contact to glance to the side. To keep anyone from knowing that he matters to her? That's a tall request. But she can understand it. She has already been violently assaulted for her connection to another - an experience leaving lasting scars, both physically and emotionally. She risks similar repercussions, perhaps, dealing with the young man in front of her.
"It makes sense... to keep it quiet," she agrees, her tone reluctant but reasonable. She can't argue with that reasoning. She isn't out trying to die or attract undue attention from whoever K' angered in freeing his sister. That would just be crazy. "But you can't disapprove of Shurui caring about you." She pauses for a skip of a heartbeat, "Or me either. Just because something might be gone tomorrow doesn't mean it can't be appreciated today." She smiles, her expression weighted by a hint of sadness as her mind thinks to those lost over the years. "The pain of losing someone can linger for a long time. But the memories formed with someone important to you are just as lasting."
She exhales a little, folding her right hand over her jacket to grasp her left forearm. "It makes her happy to know you for now. She would want to enjoy it for as long as it could last, even if it couldn't be forever..."
While it's true K' is a consummate survivor, having dodged attempts by the Cartel to recapture or kill him for over a year, there is only so much even he can do. And he knows it. He has no idea how Geese is going to take the news-- whenever it gets back to him-- and no idea how far-reaching his retaliation might be. K' broke his arrangement with the master of Southtown. He willfully disrupted Syndicate doings, injured Syndicate men, and then absconded with a Syndicate prisoner. And worst of all, afterwards, he did not turn himself in. He showed zero contrition.
It's because he'd decided he felt none. That he no longer cared to live on a leash: much less, the leash of a man his sister and her work seemed sworn to oppose. Being able to remove the glove himself, with his sister's help, had encouraged him. It had given him the confidence to think he could do everything else without having to answer to Geese and his tutelage.
It did not, however, give him the confidence to expect that the punishment would be light. Though K' had had no choice-- stuck between the rock of losing his sister, and the hard place of disobeying Geese-- Howard was unlikely to see things that way. There will be reprisal. He just doesn't know when, or how bad it will be... and for the time being, he's trying to quietly keep those he knows away from him. To tune up and practice with his newfound control so that he could be ready for the fall of the axe, when it came. To think about leaving this place. Running away.
To wonder just how much he should warn Hotaru about. He watches her in thoughtful silence, clearly thinking about what on earth he's to do with her. The decision, fortunately, is forestalled slightly when Hotaru's agreement detours slightly to make a point. He seems momentarily puzzled that she's arguing with him, as if he hadn't expected to be defied. A distinct flicker pangs in his eyes when she talks about loss; whenever somebody talks about loss as an inevitability, he just ends up thinking of Whip.
The fear triggered by that makes his tone sharp. "Didn't say I don't appreciate it while I got it. But I can't let it drag people down." A pause, before-- with a brutal honesty-- he adds, "It makes for a dead weight on my shoulders too, if people care too deep. I start having to think about -them-. I got plenty enough practice losing things already. Not being able to keep anything. What's a couple more times? What's a little more distance? It's for her own good. And yours."
The entire time he spoke, K' hadn't so much as tensed out of his indifferent, casual stance. To any onlooker, his conversation topic would have seemed as bland as the weather... and there's no hitch in his demeanor when he switches to talk about something a lot more dire-- just who it is he's angered. He does, however, try to shift them into a far less obvious place than the sidewalk right by the street. "...speaking of your own good. Guess you should know. It was the Syndicate. Their boss, in specific." There's nobody around, and his voice is so quiet even Hotaru'd barely be able to hear him. He acts as if he's paranoid the very city might grow ears at Howard's behest; and given Geese's power here, well, it very well might. "Be careful of Geese Howard. Don't EVER let him even SUSPECT you know."
He's not sure, in the long run, if it'll help her to know this... or if it'll hurt her. But K', over the months he's trained with Geese, has come to know the man. He's come to see just how soullessly devious he can be. And he wouldn't put it past Howard to use Hotaru's ignorance of his true persona to lure her in, were he ever of a mind to do anything to her.
K' has been leading multiple lives in the time Hotaru has become aware of him. The young man, escaped from a high tech Cartel that dabels in genetic manipulation, cloning, and is run by a self-proclaimed god is one side. The other side has been working for the biggest racket in Southtown, in the personal employ of the King of Southtown himself. The other is of the brother and keeper of not just the sister she's never met, but also a guardian of poor Shurui as well. Getting glimpses into either side of the mysterious K' gave her pieces to the whole, but she always knew she was missing a lot of it.
Living a duality of existences proves very difficult to maintain for long though. Living all of those different lives - hiding as much as he can from each person he comes in contact, seems to have finally proven impossible. In the end, those existences collide, the requirements of each in direct, uncompromising opposition to each other. As K' speaks, the perceptive girl can see the gears turning in his head constantly. He's trying to figure out a way to get through this sudden, drastic transition in his life. And it isn't going to be easy.
She reads his expressions, her empathetic mind making the best conclusions she can. He speaks up, responding to her words about loss, about being able to enjoy another's company for as long as it lasts, and the girl responds with a faint visible frown that only sharpens when he calls others caring about him being just more deadweight. "I think," she muses, her tone soft but audible, "We talked about this doing it all alone thing before," she finishes, her frown melting into a sad smile before her eyes shift to the side and her expression becomes more neutral. "There's always the chance for loss... but to isolate ourselves because of that... it's as bad as having already lost it. You're not doing Shurui... or me any good that way. We're not that fragile." she finishes, glancing back toward him.
Only to find that he's trying to move them off to the entry of the nearest alley. Was he even listening?! The girl blinks, slipping out of the public sight along with him, her eyes widened slightly, wondering what it is he's decided to take them here to share. He mentions the Syndicate and it doesn't seem to register, the naivete with which she's viewed Southtown life showing for a moment. And when he utters the name of Geese Howard as the one behind it all - as the one she has to watch out for, the girl looks abjectly shocked.
She turns to the side, staring down the alley but not seeing anything at all. He's saying that the Syndicate, the criminal empire of Southtown, is lead by none other than Geese Howard himself? It seems impossible at first, but memories of her days at the Kyokugen Dojo and the strange edginess there regarding Mister Howard's name when mentioned. They had never told her - never brought her in on the family secret. But now she's beginning to understand what they knew that she did not.
Turning back toward K', her expression conveys belief. She trusts him. If he says Geese Howard is the devil then the girl standing in front of him seems to have no reason to believe otherwise. "I won't let on that I know." she declares. "I'll be careful." She smiles wryly, "I won't give you one more thing to worry about, you've already done so much." She exhales softly, shaking her head, trying to digest the ramifications.
"You know, if something happens, and you need to... make sure Shurui or your sister have a place to stay, I have rooms." She shrugs just a little, her smile waning after making the offer. Just one more attempt to let him know this isn't something he has to solve by himself. If he needs to escape town, they don't need to be left alone.
If one were to ask K', the young man wouldn't even be sure himself of how he came to lead so many different lives and be responsible for so many different people and things. He had never been the type to care overmuch about anything that wasn't himself. He'd run away because he wanted his own life. He took up with Geese because he wanted to get stronger. He clung onto Whip because she was his sister; to Shurui, because she reminded him of the things he had been through. But somehow, all those selfish motives ended up putting him right in a position to have many connections he hadn't even strictly intended.
It's all enough to give the independent, self-centered loner, who'd never learned how to deal with other people, a massive headache. It's fortunate that the other major character trait of his was an inviolate sense of responsibility, or else all those people he'd picked up might well find themselves high and dry now.
He was listening to Hotaru, however, even if he was simultaneously trying to herd the both of them off somewhere not so public. He doesn't respond up until they're out of easy sight, however, and when he does it's-- at first-- with silence. He regards her quietly a few moments, visibly weighing her words in the slow, methodical sense that is so typical of those who aren't accustomed to thinking through complicated philosophical concepts like loss and isolation.
He still doesn't look quite like he understands, but there is one thing he does get. "...guess you were right about one thing at least." A glance angles down at his right hand. "I couldn't do that alone." It's a concession... but it's not a full admission that Shurui and Hotaru wouldn't just be better off without him in their lives to begin with.
He did want to use what time he had wrested for himself, out of the aegis of the Cartel, to have all those things he'd seen normal people have. But once he acquired them, he discovered that he could lose them as well. His lost memory, his lost life... both were losses that were a very fact of his nature. They no longer hurt as much. But the fresh sting of losing something he'd worked hard to get? That he treasured? He's just not ready to grasp the idea that to have and to lose is better than not to have at all. He's used to not having things, after all.
And with the addition of Geese Howard as an enemy, the dangers inherent in knowing him have just gotten worse. Media attention on Hotaru means that his associations with her haven't gone unnoticed, and he is afraid of some reprisal against her in order to punish him. Towards that end, he shares Howard's true identity with Hotaru, hoping to arm her against that. He's relieved that she believes him.
Her declaration that she'll be careful seems to placate him, and he leans back slightly. Her next words, however, just set his eyes to narrowing again. "...Whip is as much a dangerous factor as I am," he replies tersely. Both the twins have their powerful enemies; both of them attract danger wherever they are. He pauses visibly after that, however, and then admits, a little more soberly, "...think it's time Shurui had a more normal life than with either of us, though. Longer she stays with us the more danger she ends up in."
He pulls back a little after that, like a cat that has gotten tired of petting and is stirring restlessly in a desire to leave. He seems to have said his piece. No longer the sort to rush to leap into things on impulse-- there's too much for him to lose, now-- he needs a while to go over what it is he wants to do about this mess. At the last minute, he hesitates briefly, and then he adds awkwardly, "...this is yours."
Hotaru's cellphone is flicked back through the air towards her, taken out of a pocket. It seems he held onto it, just in case he ran into her again. But there is more to the gesture, as soon becomes apparent when he finishes: "...put my number in it. In case."
For all his attempts to act out of pure selfishness, the young man has found himself with more attachments than he could have ever expected. And perhaps equally puzzling is how little any of the other people seem to mind it! Hotaru seems easily placated as he allows that she was right about one thing when they last conversed/fought about these things. Getting just a little concession out of K' is a challenge!
She doesn't even say anything. Just gives him that quiet, faint smile again. Neither condescending nor overly gushing, just a silent way to let him know she can perceive some of what's going through his mind and that she appreciates that he's willing to think it through. Can't really ask for more than that right now. He warns that his sister is a dangerous factor and gives her name and Hotaru isn't disuaded, merely nodding slightly, though there's that glimmer of curiosity in her eyes as she can't help but wonder more about this secret sister of his and what her background is to incure a slew of hostile threats just like him.
As he mentions Shurui, however, Hotaru nods slightly, understanding that once again his protective nature at work. He's not going to let that girl stay in a dangerous situation, it sounds like, if other options exist. But as she glances away, brow furrowing slightly, she speaks up softly, "Shurui seems to be a target as well. I don't know if it's certain that having her with you puts her at any greater risk than keeping her away. But if you decide that it needs to be the case, there's options at least."
She blinks as he reaches into his pocket, hands coming up to cup the phone as she catches it, looking down at it with an amused grin. She had a replacement, of course, not ever having actually expected to get this specific phone back. She had often wondered what exactly he had done with it but it seems that all this time he had been holding onto it. Hotaru glances up, about to thank him, when he adds that second part about his phone number, and she falls quiet again, glancing down at the phone as if it suddenly became more special than it had mere moments before.
Glancing back up, she cradles the phone briefly. "Thanks," the girl remarks, holding up the phone for a moment "Good to know." she finishes, sliding it into her pocket. "If there's anything I can do to help with..." she nods slightly, implying a vague 'everything', 'anything', 'whatever', "Just let me know, okay?" He probably won't, but she has to try all the same!
Her hand comes up, brushing her unrestrained hair back over her shoulder as she focuses once again on K', a subtle sheepishness slipping back into her behavior, her hands clasping behind her back. "Or, you know, if you ever want to, ah, talk again, or anything, just give me a call." She sways on her feet a little, taking a step back as she leans forward slightly, "It was good to see you again." Even if entirely accidental, and the topics de' jour weren't too pleasant, she doesn't seem to mind.
K' doesn't elaborate on his sister. It's clear to see that however protective he might be of Shurui, he's about ten times more obsessive when it comes to his sister. No details on her are forthcoming; K' simply looks at that curiosity, and makes no response to it. His expression is impassive as ever... as if he knows Hotaru is wondering, and yet purposefully still says nothing.
Besides, he's a little busy looking troubled when Hotaru reminds him that Shurui has been a target in the past. That she might be one in the future as well. While it's true NESTS may never stop hunting her, K' is faced now with the reality that letting her linger around him may add enemies she did not have before. He knew full well that he had stayed safe in Southtown as long as he had because he was under the aegis of Howard. It was his -intention-, in the first place, to acquire such protection when he let himself be pressed into Geese's tutelage. Now that the deal is off, K' is aware that anyone he knows could become fair game.
"It puts her at risk of Syndicate attention," he replies shortly. "A risk she didn't have before." He doesn't say it, but it's implied in his words and in his demeanor; he won't endanger Shurui's ability to live in this city, if she wants. And he leaves it at that, as Hotaru seems content to defer to his decision on the matter.
The girl meets his return of her phone-- now with the added bonus of containing something so rarely-given as his number-- with an offer to help him if he needs. He pauses in the middle of turning away, looking neutral about this development, before she abruptly adds the option for him to call her if he wants to talk. His impassiveness transforms, briefly, into a puzzled look. What would there be to talk about if there wasn't something urgent?
K' doesn't get a chance to even contemplate the possibilities before Hotaru adds on another thing he's totally unprepared for. A shy statement that it was good to see him again. He looks even more confused at the very suggestion. He's used to being a stormcrow, to only appearing when something bad is going on. That someone could actually be happy to see him is pretty much totally abnormal.
He hesitates awkwardly at her words, caught halfway in the midst of turning his back, but somehow not feeling it entirely natural to complete the motion so soon after she says something like that. He hovers in a sort of in-between point with a grumpy tolerance for a few seconds, shoulder turned towards the girl and his yellow eyes searching her expression, before he huffs a noncommittal-- but not entirely hostile-- breath out in reply.
"You think so...?" This rather odd reply to Hotaru's admission could have been ominous... if K' hadn't added a few moments later, with the flash of an amused smirk, "That's a new one." With that, he turns his back fully, pacing away in a loping stride. He's nearly back at the main street before he pauses again. Glancing over his shoulder, he finishes, "...could get used to it. Maybe," before he turns the corner: making a quick retreat before it can be registered he might have said anything remotely nice.
Log created on 04:14:43 12/22/2008 by Hotaru, and last modified on 03:48:58 01/04/2009.