Description: In celebration of Akira's SNF victory, Yurika invites her best friend for lunch! Now nice is that.. Unfortunatly the biker isn't in the most chipper of moods and it sort of just goes downhill from there for a while. Friendship can be so complicated. ..
Due to a major fire in the culinary arts department (darn those freshmen), the smoke was so bad that one side of the building had to be temporarily closed down.. This pretty much made it so that Akira and Yurika had the rest of the day off, and .. Well, after having seen the results of Akira's SNF, she decided, 'Why not celebrate?'. She refused to allow Akira to ride her bike, so they were chauferred up to Southtown village where they were brought to the current local..
Yurika was careful not to be too ritzy.. In fact, they pretty much ended up at an eat-in sandwich shop; Yurika couldn' talke herself into taking Akira to a burger joint, she just couldn't stomach it. So this was a nice compromise, even if things were a little pricy.
The line is pretty short, and hopefully the wait will be also- because they're pretty much straight out of school Yurika is adorn in her usual light blue attire, and that unusual little aura of delight whenever she's with her closest friend. Yurika herself had been pretty busy though, and also on a bit of edge.. A very tiny bit. Akira has yet to have asked her anything about Kurow or Shadaloo, and is too frightened to ask her friend about what she's thinking... Would today be a bad time to bring it up? She's struggling a bit with said thoughts right now.
It's a good thing Yurika hasn't seen Akira's new bike in person yet.
Still, that train of thought is kept private, because, well, Akira doesn't say much. Besides, Akira rationalizes, she wouldn't be able to ride her bike anyway, because she doesn't have her gear on, something she's a bit OCD about. Akira's in her school uniform, which is a little sooty, but not so much as to make her look actively dirty; she was in third period remedial home ec when a souffle exploded into a fireball and that was the end of class for the day. Her forearm is in a bulky blue cast, currently signed by -- honestly, a very small number of people, although the word 'GAN' in marker is so huge and thick as to nearly take up the whole thing anyway.
In line, though, Akira remains rather silent, per her general mandate. She looks around every now and then, but mostly her gaze fixes on, say, a handrail, or someone's shoes, or anything considerably below eye-contact sea level. Finally, though, she looks over at Yurika; or, more specifically, at the side of Yurika's head, obscured by thick curls.
Yurika, for the most part, decides to just.. See what happens. It's difficult for her to tell what's on Akira's mind sometimes, despite how much she understands the bikers even most subtle of movements. She can feel the girls eyes on her, making her cheeks pinken a touch, and she turns to look back with that mysterious, but delighted, smile of hers. Soon they're at front, and Yurika places her order, "I would like a garden salad and a.. Ah, turkey sandwich please." she says, and then looks to Akira, "Remember, you may have whatever you wish it's on me, Akira. Oh, do you think you'll be signing up again this week?" she asks out of curiousity. She'll never forget Akira's squeal at the end of the match. It was a very very rare reaction, it gives her goosebumps just thinking about it!
Totally not creepy at all or anything.
Akira gives Yurika a curt nod at the reminder regarding the bill. It's not a rude gesture, just a bit clipped and awkward. When it's time for her to order, Akira could be seen to 'clam up,' inasmuch as this is possible when she's been as silent as a stone the whole time anyway. Her voice seems to catch when her mouth opens, but it only takes her a second or two to get the hang of 'talking.' "I'll just, I'll um, I'll just have the Greek salad," she says. If her concern about feeling guilty that her friend is paying for her meal shows, one look at the ninety-nine pound fighter could easily recast in the light of just assuming she's one of those 'I don't like to eat' types.
Then, Akira turns to face Yurika again as they move over to the pickup area. "I had to sell the bike," he finally blurts, her voice tiny and her cadence too rushed to really convey any lachrymose emotion. "My parents, uh, my foster parents said we couldn't afford the insurance. So I sold it." Akira's gaze then returns to her feet as she prays Yurika does not try to throw money at her.
Yurika raises a gloved hand to her mouth and does her best not to giggle at her poor friend. It was adorable, much too adorable! A single salad isn't much surprise to her, actually it's a huge relief that Gan and Edge do not appear to have convinced the student to stark indulging in steakbomb subs with sirloin steak and brandy. A major relief indeed. As they continue onward though, Yurika's dark eyes widen a touch in surprise to the story. Was motorcycle insurance really that expensive?
Akira has every right to pray silently, and it's perhaps to her relief that Yurika doesn't seem to be going the flustering route- She's actually very impressed that Akira would be able to make a decision that must have been one of the most difficult in her life! It takes quite a bit of willpower not to hug the girl right then and there, "I'm sorry to hear that, that.. Must not have been an easy decision. I understand you're working to become more independant but.. Akira I am always will to support you in any way I can.. I wish you would have spoken with me first."
At the register Yurika makes the payment and the lunches are already prepared and handed to them thanks to the miracle of modern technology. ".. A- Ah I'm sorry, I.. Perhaps shouldn't have said that. Are you certain you're going to be all right?"
"I'll be fine," Akira mumbles, still looking down.
After a long pause, Akira looks up, if only to take her meal. "I still have my old bike. I made enough from the fight to fix it, and to get my leathers repaired. That used up nearly all of what I got paid." Akira shrugs. "I should have talked to you, probably, I don't know. My... folks just have to tighten the belt a bit, is all. I figure if it were Daigo, he would have done whatever was best for the family, even if it's not really mine." Akira doesn't consciously play the orphan card, but when she's that glum, it becomes a sticking point.
Holding her salad and plastic-wrapped utensils, she stands there, waiting for Yurika to lead the way.
It's starting to dawn upon Akira that she's feeling.. Really down. It's not an emotion she sees very often from the schoolgirl so when she catches on, she actually looks.. Well. Guilty. She's quiet as she leads the group of 2 to a window table, she takes a seat and picks up the dressing, adding it to her food.. Is she struggling to find something to say?
Of course not, she just wants to express herself without coming off as heartless. Her expression brightens a touch again, "Oh wow really? I'd love to see what you've done with your bike, Akira.. It really would have been a waste for it to be neglected, I mean you've spent so many years working on it, didn't you?"
".. I.. Agree with what you say about your brother.. But you know, your sacrifice doesn't help you grow up if you only feel pain from your decision. If you don't feel you truly did the right thing in the end." Yurika then adds, her eyes seeming to darken a touch.
"No, it -- /was/ the right thing to do," Akira says, carefully holding her skirt as she sits down, subtly indicating her general discomfort at the feminine garment. She doesn't cross her legs, but rather keeps them clamped together like a vise. "That's why it sucks. And they've always done so much for me, and I'm not even really their kid." It's true -- it's not like any school other than Gedo would have stood for one of their pupils living 'with my gang warlord brother in an abandoned warehouse somewhere' or any of that, and the Kazamas don't have Kirishima money. So foster parents are kind of a necessity of Akira's orphanhood.
"It looks pretty much the same as before. This crazy woman with kind of a dumb haircut was throwing it around. I wanted to break her face for it, but it's better now. I should probably change out the tires when spring comes, though. I guess I'll do another SNF for that, if Seijyun doesn't bite my head off for it." Akira's bitterness at having to quit her old job is mostly held in check, as she listlessly pushes her salad around in its container, before adding too much ranch dressing.
"I dunno, I just wish Daigo were around more. It'd make things so much easier. He always knows what I should do." Akira looks up at Yurika for a moment, but just as quickly looks back down at her bowl of ranch dressing (with, somewhere in there, trace strata of a Greek salad) and shrugs.
That's.. Another thing. Akira certainly is talking a lot more. That actually is quite nice, and it makes it a lot easier to understand Akira's feelings when she expresses them. But in the back of her head there certainly is that feel of temptation.. The temptation to subtly shift her friend's way of thinking. Really, Daigo not being around is a really good advantage for h- Er.. No. This certainly is not the time to be thinking about that, the musician decides and shakes her head as if snapping herself out of it.
And looking a touch guilty again as a result. ".. O- Of course.. I ah.. Well, I can sort of understand where you're coming from. About your brother.. You don't have to worry about Saturday Night Fight, I'll be able to smooth that over easily enough.. A good number of our students participate in it, and is allowable for the most part." Whatever excuse Yurika uses is probably a good one.
After taking a couple of bites, she continues. "That kind of love is really a beautiful thing, Akira.. To be honest, I'm rather jealous of you. I'm certain you'll understand their feelings better in time. As for me.. I'd be more than happy to listen to you whenever you want to talk. Perhaps my judgement of what's 'right' is a little skewed, but.. I have a bit of experience too. And working things out can be done through communication. I'm not your brother but I'd love to be your big sister.. Akira.."
Without her brother to talk to -- or at least bask in the warm, glowing, warming glow of -- Akira has to make do with, sigh, friends. Of course, with Gan and Edge, she's usually got her helmet on and is too busy affecting cool postures to say much that can't be conveyed through pointing at the shoplifted beer and making a 'gimme' gesture. And who knows where Zaki is lately, anyway. So: Yurika. Akira is nothing if not practical.
When Yurika makes her statement, though -- the one that triggers a response should be obvious -- Akira looks up, before she can even take a bite of her big ranch mess. She stares at Yurika, kind of open-mouthed, for a long moment, as if the air was sucked out of the room and also the room was frozen and under the layer of freezing ice Akira was also turned to stone. She even drops her fork, which lands with a 'blurp' in the ranch. The silence lingers, before Akira closes her mouth and sits up in her chair.
"I--" The girl seems hesitant, but she always seems hesitant. This time, there's something more to it, though. "I'm not sure if that's... really... a good idea," Akira says. There is indeed something more than hesitancy in her voice: there's fear.
Yurika regretted it the moment the words left her lips. But really, what was the worst that could happen, she'd just say 'no' right? Well, no, it wouldn't be quite that simple. There's very little that's simple about the two these days. What she didn't expect, however, was fear. And she can pick up sound very very well.
Yurika stares at her friend for a moment, and then gives a nervous giggle, raising her gloved hand to her lips again. "You think so? W- Well, ah I.. I suppose that was a rather childish idea to bring up, wasn't it. That's so embarassing.." she then replies, though her head then lowers a bit.
".. No, that's no good. I know exactly why. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry.. I just.. There isn't a day that passes where I don't worry that you doubt our friendship. I.. I suppose it's only right that you feel that way."
Akira again fails to respond until after a prolonged pause, but this time, it's more her style, as she sits there with a semi-sullen, semi-dejected expression and looks at the edge of the tabletop in a way that suggests her eyes are glazing over. She folds her arms, but not in a stern way -- more like an attempt to shrink inward, upper arms kept straight down and flat against her ribs, fingers cupping their respective opposing elbows. The pause continues.
"We're still friends," Akira finally says, without looking up. Her voice has a more decisive quality than she usually applies, sounding less like a mumble, if only because she recognizes the gravity of what she's saying. "We'll always be friends, Yurika. But... even so." Akira squints slightly, as if she wants to look up, but refuses to let herself.
The pause lasts a few more beats. "I can't really ever forget... stuff," she says, that indecisive slacker tone creeping back into the word 'stuff' as she goes the easy route rather than calling spades spades. "And some things I can't forgive." Akira's voice is a little rough. She jostles her arms-folded position slightly, as if suddenly uncomfortable. Her tone grows flat, neutral and ambivalent in the prideless Akira Kazama tradition. "But we're still always gonna be friends, so."
They're alarmingly comforting words from Akira, really. But it doesn't make Yurika feel any less a creep, struggling with her own thoughts, morals, and techniques during her own moment of silence. There's been a lot of irrepairable damage done, and secrets revealed.. Things are only going to get bumpier as they move on, unless one of them gives in to the other.
"Thank you, Akira.. Again I apologize this was supposed to be about you and I ended up shifting it to myself.. I'm a bit embarassed again.." Yurika murmurs, looking a touch sheepish as she looks to her considerably shyer schoolmate. "Perhaps.. We should change the subject for the time being? If we get the chance, perhaps we should have another match before your next SNF." Hmn. Why doesn't Yurika participate in those things anyway? If Akira wants to ask, she's going to have to ask another time because she'll dodge that subject today.
Log created on 19:34:02 01/14/2009 by Yurika, and last modified on 19:04:41 02/16/2009.