Description: Like Father, like son. Raizo gets a surprise visit from his pride and joy, Hyo. Wait, no. I meant his other pride and joy. Well, no, Justice High has always been there. And his next pride and joy is his pair of bunny slippers. I suppose Batsu is somewhere on that list, and when he shows up with OUTRAGES of OUTRAGES about the lack of Justice High fighting for donations, things get heated up. By talking.
Justice Academy. It is a place of learning and strength - the heart of Raizo Imawano's Project Justice. Things have been mad here, for a while - Raizo and his teachers protected Justice during the mad invasion of some short while ago, but with that successful protection, Justice has certain responsibilities, does it not?
But Raizo Imawano gives no indication of them. He is in his office as the day closes, the massive, upscale, woodpaneled office sized up to suit his titanic frame. For the moment, he is turned toward the picture window at the rear of his office, staring out across the view of his fortress-academy, his monocle gleaming in the fading light.
He wonders if he has been too quiet.
Raizo's door is closed. His secretary is doing secretary stuff.
Silence? Silence has always said to be golden. Many wise men and women has sought the solitude of silence, the spiritual serenity of such a condition. Justice High was serenity, when it was being run right. It was a reflection of Raizo's own skills as it's leader.
Which only add to the insult when the door crashes open.
Batsu winds back his kicking leg dressed in his Taiyo High uniform. He wasn't invited. He had trespassed through the school only with the true aura of a ninja: Loudly, bluntly, and with the use of threats and reputation. The secretary is risen from her desk, leaning over, pleading to the boy. "Mr. Imawano is not taking visitors! Please, Batsu, he does-"
The secretary is cut short as the hot-blooded teenager slams the door shut. Batsu stood there, arms crossed in front of him. A look of disgusted impatience was over his face. His eyes were locked squarely on his back. The teenager was here over something small. Something almost tiny, but very symbolic, at least to him. And carefully, with a low, terse tone, the student from Taiyo High spoke to the great Raizo Imawano.
"I thought the door would always be open for me, Dad."
Raizo hears a commotion - distant, but a ninja master is difficult to surprise when one is as...boisterous...as Batsu is. And then his door explodes open, and Raizo slowly turns. A handful of possibilities spring to mind. Billy Kane, back to set his office on fire again. Saishu Kusanagi, back to set his office on fire again. Kyo Kusanagi, here to set his office on fire for the first time. Takuma Sakazaki, here to knock his office out the window. Hyo, mind-controlled again. Kurow, back from the extraordinarily cunning pit trap Raizo has subjected him to. Hotaru or Yurika, brainwashed and evil. Bang Shishigami, who doesn't even really exist, but that's never stopped anyone from trying to kill Raizo before.
...or Batsu. He really should've been in the top ten, Raizo muses.
Raizo finally faces Batsu, but before addressing his own boy, Raizo reaches a taloned finger out and finds the intercom button, pressing and holding it down. "Miss Kinomoto," he says. "In the future, please remember the silent alarm under your desk only signals my office."
He releases the button, and then looks up at Batsu, smiling - a thin, professional look. He's usually a more boisterous father, but...Batsu wants something, and he's not going to insult the boy by pretending he doesn't know it. "Son," Raizo says. "As you can see, it opened. How may I help you?"
The tension was thick. Batsu held himself strong in the presence of his elder, wiser father. He had his eyes just fixated on the bear of a man, a sort of arrogant aura met with a silent, half-hearted respect. The teenager had a mission. It was impulsive, but it came from his heart. And as his father continues to put forth his... professional aura, the teenager continues to project his own, thin veil of contempt.
"This is about Justice High, Dad." Batsu rattles off hotly. He was keeping this simple. "Some chick- erm, lady from Seijyun High is throwing a great fundraiser, and all the schools should be united in helping it. Well, I've been throwing punches around for charity, and I've noticed something. It really came to me when we had the huge school fight. We had Gedo High, Seijyun High, Taiyo High, and Pacific High all united in a single one on one free for all. But you know what was missing? Your school, -Dad-"
"Why hasn't Justice High helped out?"
...ah. This.
Raizo, titan of a man that he is, folds his hands across his broad belly. He doesn't gesture for Batsu to get comfortable, because when he does that there is usually an about even chance the reaction will be to blow his desk to smithereens, and Raizo likes this desk. Instead, he tilts his chin up at his son. "And whom would you propose we send?" Raizo asks. "I can hardly participate in a fundraiser." He holds up his hands, long claws freshly scrubbed, but both father and son know the blood they draw so freely. "Hyo is occupied with certain other concerns around campus. Kyoko and Hideo are..." ... ... "...occupied. We don't have any other warrior students on campus. It seems Taiyo and Gedo attract most of the fighters, at the moment..."
Raizo arches an eyebrow, or eye-ridge, or whatever that thing is. "Yet, you feel this is a just cause?" he asks, seriously. "Do tell me more."
Oh great. Word problems.
Raizo knew how much Batsu hated word problems.
With the grace and surgical precision that could only come from a kid with GUTS like Batsu, the teenager slowly grew a somewhat dull look on his face. His father was, well, being reasonable. And that was hard for Batsu to work through. But as he repeated back what the principal said under his breath, he ran through the logic.
And when he felt like he had a hole, he charged in.
"Uh... Yeah! Yeah! This is a just cause! Because when everything falls apart, like Southtown, you don't hide away. No, you go out, and you go out to your community! You go in arms with your brothers and sisters! The schools need to come together in arms to raise money, and, well, you've nothing to offer! You have plenty of students, and you don't even have to give the best one! I mean, shoot, let me explain the whole idea behind it."
"Yuri organized it, and we have these fights. There is some sort of.... fundraising formula, Dad, where you get money raised when you lose, but more money if you win! I mean, there could be other methods, but those don't matter!" Batsu shook both his fists at the last word, shaking the very air before him. "You should have known about it, and I bet you did! Well, if you can't get someone to join up for Justice High, then I will FIND one, Dad!" And then, Batsu raises his own eyebrow. That eyebrow. The teenager was giving the only look a frustrated teenager could give to a parent that didn't seem to understand.
An impulsive challenge to authority.
That wasn't so much a hole as an open door, but...it'll do.
Raizo tries to hide how pleased he is with all this. Of course, in point of fact, he's had Justice students doing their own small parts - he trains them too well for them to simply let things stand. But Raizo has also allowed people to begin forming their own ways to handle the situation. He's not sure whether or not to be pleased that it is not a Justice student but rather a young Seijyun woman taking point...Batsu mentioned Yuri...Yurika? Hmmmmmm.
"Will you?" Raizo hums, tilting his head just so. Not everything can be solved with a fight, his body language says. He is completely at ease. He is the master of these proceedings, in the end - and the Imawano taught control of one's own mind as well as of others. Even as his son rails against him, Raizo seems perfectly at ease.
Raizo tilts his chin up again - challenging, now, his features narrowing. "Then prove it to me," he commands. "Find me someone who will bring honor to the name of Justice High School, and I will back them with all of my strength." He doesn't set a failure condition, a punishment - he knows his son. His stung pride will be penalty enough for failure.
Batsu has many talents. But like many up and coming youths, he has several weaknesses. He had spirit, that was true. When he felt that his father did something wrong, he didn't think it through. He just followed his heart, and charged right on through. He didn't have much of a plan for when he was here. But he still performed, flying off the seat of his pants. That was all fine and dandy, except for one problem.
He was so DUMB when it came to tricks.
As Raizo held strong, Batsu refuse to allow himself to feel like he was becoming weak. Yet, it seemed to make perfect sense NOT to fight his father. After all, this was an office. And last time he broke something in his office, his mom made him pay for it. But then the leader of the Imawano family continued to push him, upping the ante with every breath. Batsu was dense to the ninja mind tricks, something that was a bit disappointing. And instead of subtly, it was replaced with something far less, well, impressive.
"FINE old man!"
Batsu crossed his up, throwing his posture up high. Where Raizo was calm, Batsu was energetic and furious. "FINE! I'll do it. And you better watch out, because I'm going to put them through the same thing I had to go through. You are going to get your student. And you know what? It WON'T be Hyo. If HE can't be bothered, then SCREW HIM. SCREW HIM!" And like that, Batsu began to charge right back to the door... before stopping dead in his tracks. Hand on the door handle, he glanced back at his father, his expression showing only a minor wane of his intense personality.
"Oh. One more thing."
Raizo tries not to actually smirk to his son's face. It's a little disheartening, actually, that the boy didn't even /think/ about the possibility that his father was setting him up to do his bidding, but...it /does/ make his life easier. And it's nice to know he's still got it! At least a little. Batsu isn't exactly hard mode."Then I'll look forward to your results." If Hyo objects, well...that's his perogative. Raizo will keep him from killing anyone /too/ hard.
"Yes?" Raizo asks, to prompt Batsu's final words. He's halfway expecting to eat a Guts Bullet any second now.
Batsu take his gloved hand, and rubs the back of his head. He looks away from his father, something bothering him deeply. That weenie Hyo was probably going to get either pissed or pissy when he catches wind of Batsu looking for the best and most spirited of Justice High, and being purposely being left out. But that wasn't the concern on the boy's mind. No, his last words would come from something more peaceful. And what was, truthfully, the real reason why Batsu was sent here.
"Also. Um. I'm supposed to also ask you if you would have dinner with us tonight. Mom got a good deal on steaks, and she knows how much you like steak."
And like the wind, Batsu slams open the door, and walks out, leaving it wide open. The secretary leans over her desk, staring as the boy leaves. And just as awkwardly, she turns her head to look upon her boss, somewhat surprised nothing was blown up, nothing was broken, and there was no fighting.
Well, not yet.
Log created on 21:21:08 08/21/2009 by Batsu, and last modified on 21:10:23 08/26/2009.