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[Log] 60 - Step to Choice

2009-03-17T08:33:48Z

Date: 03-16-09
Characters: Kei, Katoji
Summary: Just another day in class, followed by a chance to visit the 5th Division House.

The bell rings across the campus signaling the end of the last set of classes and the beginning of this set. Students begin to crowd into the kidou building in anticipation of the kidou class. Some of them absolutely love it and some of them are asleep already. The teacher of this particular class is pretty straight forward and lets those that want to skitter off to do other things. No use forcing them to learn any more than the basics if they don't want to learn. Some people just don't like kidou apparently.

The bell rings again and the teacher has not yet arrived. This shouldn't be a big surprise to any of them. The class always starts at ten minutes past the bell, exactly. At least the teacher is reliably late. For now they busy themselves with talking and showing off tricks or whatever it is they do - oh, and he always leaves juice and cookies in the podium which some of the students have taken advantage of.

If there's one way to tell that a teacher's gotta be a likeable sort, it's by the fact that he leaves snacks for them. Usually around this time Katoji gets hungry anyway, so it's excellent timing! The class has been notably different than the introductory kidou courses with Masayume Nozomi, mostly because no one had told the boy that he should watch out for this teacher and not be caught alone or something. And besides... COOKIES!
He's sitting at his desk, nomming on a cookie right now, glancing around the room. It's still kind of weird for a teacher to be so late to their own class, but then Katoji figures he must have his reasons...

Tick, tock, tick, tock...Exactly ten minutes now and a noise is heard as the door slides open and Kei walks in yawning, "Well, well, well. I see we've already lost about half of you." He snickers as he looks over the only half of the class left and walks towards the podium. He slides the bag he was carrying off and throws it on the desk next to the podium before looking at the ones crowding the cookies and juice, "Shoo, shoo. Go sit down now, you had your ten minutes." With that they obediently replaced the food and returned to their seats. Kei stretched and finally opened up the bag before grabbing a list.

A few minutes later and Kei had sucessfully managed to read off /only/ the names of those present and automatically mark the absent ones. "Katoji-kun here?"

It never ceases to amaze him how this teacher manages to do it. Maybe it's like some kind of internal clock or something? Katoji dusts off the crumbs from his desk and uniform once the teacher does arrive. Stifling a snicker as he watches the other students return to their seats, he sits back and waits for their teacher to get set up. The boy looks up from a picture he'd been doodling in the back of his notebook once his name is called, and he waves his hand back and forth. "Here!"

Kei nods as he finishes off the list and throws it onto the desk next to him. Then he pulls out a book from his bag - The all holy grail of this particular person containing the names, purposes, ranks and incantations of any kidou he's ever been told about. Though he doesn't open it, he really doesn't need it and so turns back to look at those in the room. "Hmm, So i've taught you the basics. You all got that quiz don..Right, quiz."

There's a sound of paper being moved about as he withdraws a pile of quizzes from the bag and begins to hand them back. Some of them cry, some of them smile and some of them shrug. As usual, he gives the highest score back first and that was Katoji-kun. "Alright, good work. Oh, Shizura-chan, I can see that." A girl in the back silently put a cookie back on her desk and blushed. She looked away quickly from the eyes of the other students.

Kei is once again back at the podium and staring into space. "Alright, I suppose it's that time. I assume you all can use Sai and have memorized its incantation. That being said, we're going to do a special aptitude test today. I want each of you to use it on me without the incantation. Yes, in other words, you are to silently use it. Each of you take a turn trying." He stood up and walked over to a clear corner of the room and put his hands behind his back, "Alright, just go down the row."

The students began coming up and trying their best, but mostly they failed. There were a few and then Kei would simply cast the bindings off afterwards - if anything, clutzy and late he may be but he does know his kidou. It was finally Katoji-kun's turn to try it out. "Alright, come on up Katoji-kun."

He'd been holding his breath at the mention of the quizzes, and releases it with a sigh of relief once he's passed back his paper. After glancing it over, he slips it into his notebook, flipping it closed as Kei resumes speaking. Sure, remembering things and writing them down is one thing, but doing it could be different. Masayume-sensei had told him he had some talent for kidou, and that had been enough to fuel Katoji along so far. The rest of his drive is from promises made and sheer determination.
Of course, that doesn't mean the kid's unsusceptible to getting nervous when it's his turn to do things. Swallowing, he stands. Taking a deep breath, Katoji focuses on Kei, envisioning how the spell will take effect as he brings a hand up. The words are in his mind, but they go no further than that as he speaks them internally.
...okay, this should be easy. You learned it already, and it's mostly concentration anyway. Bakudou #1... Sai!
His hand flicks as he thinks it, fingers rigid as he points his palm towards his teacher.

Kei watches Katoji-kun seriously, if anyone could do this he could. No doubt about his latent ability with Kidou. Sure enough, the seals form around his hands and soon they're tied to his back. "Well, that's great." He gives Katoji-kun a wave..wait, wasn't his hand just tied? How does he do it? Anyways, he's back at his podium now and looking out over them, "Listen up. Those of you that did it, congratulations, you've been practicing. Those of you that failed, practice more. This is essentially a test of practice. If you're familiar enough with Sai, it should work. Though there are some that just don't have the ability. However, that doesn't mean you should be down. There are captains within the Gotei 13 that don't even have the ability to use Sai without the incantation. It's certainly not a necessity."

He looks around at them and then shrugs, "So, I gave you all handouts on the most common forms of Hadou right? Can any of you use them? Sho and Byakurai are the best starting points. So, a show of hands?" No one raised their hand an so he looked over at Katoji-kun hoping that at least he could use Sho or Byakurai.

It's always a great feeling of accomplishment when you do something you hadn't been sure you would be capable of doing. Beaming broadly the boy sags in relief, although he does double-take at Kei's ability to so easily shake off the bindings. But then he wouldn't be teacher if he didn't know how to dispell something so simple, right? That reasoning is enough for Katoji to not try thinking too much about it, and he's back in his seat by the time the teacher returns to the podium.
Hadou is a different matter, and Katoji's familiar with them enough. Why, even before he came to the Academy, he'd make up all sorts of silly incantations when he launched surprise attacks on his brother- although they really had nothing to do with kidou. He certainly had the heart for it though. It sort of surprises him to see a lack of hands being raised with Kei's inquiry, and it makes him wonder if perhaps they're just shy or he's in the wrong class. That'd be silly though- he would have figured that out a long time ago if he was! All the same, the boy's in the process of lowering his hand, his head half-ducked down when Kei glances in his direction.

Kei shrugs, "Can't be helped. Come on you all, study them. It's only your first year so I can't really get into anything deep with you, but this is still better than nothing. Before I came, first years weren't even allowed to touch kidou, something about being," he paused and sighed as a loud explosion rocked the kidou building. The source of the sound was the classroom across the hall - that was the remedial classroom. "Anyways, now that they've fried another one of them. I really didn't have anything else planned today, so why don't we just take some time off. We have about thirty minutes left until next period so stay in here. Feel free to ask questions of me or just hang out. I'll just be up here keeping watch."

He nods at them all and then opens up his immense tome to another page. There he began to read and after a few seconds shut it snapping the lock back into place. "So, out of curiosity, you're all first years and in a few years you'll be choosing your path. Anyone thought of the Gotei 13 divisions? Questions about them?" He was asking, but many of them weren't listening. Of course, they'd get this talk in another class too.

Katoji practically jumps out of his seat with the explosion sounding off. "Wh-" He stares in the direction of the door, sweating. "...hope they're okay over there..." he murmurs, sinking back in his seat. He looks back towards the front of the room at the teacher, then around at the class that has pretty much disappated into their own chatter. Well, there's still some time yet, and it'd be silly to shout across a room for a conversation on one else has any interest in hearing.
The boy gets up and gathers his things, moving closer towards the teacher's podium before he plops down in an open seat there, grinning at Kei. "Ah, I haven't really thought too much about what division I'd go into.... I know my roommate is set on the 6th though..."

Kei looks down at Katoji-kun and thinks for a moment, "The sixth. Do they actually do anything?" He snickers to himself and shakes his head, "Eh, I'm sure they do. Sometimes the divisions duties are kept quiet for reasons beyond our control. I know the fifth division has some secrets too." He moves the podium and then sets a seat down where it use to be before plopping down. "So, you're good with Kidou. You could join the Kidou corps or the fifth division, though they also have need of kidou in the fourth division. It really depends on what you want to do. The ninth division is good if you like news and reading reports and the eleventh division is, well, the eleventh division. Everyone already knows what they do." He thinks some more and shrugs, "Eh, no one wants to join the fifth division so don't worry about it as a choice and really, they tend to make people move away from us now."

"Uemiya-san really admires Kuchiki-taichou," the boy explains, grinning. He rests his elbows on the desk, propping up his chin in his palm. "Hmmm.... I... dunno if I wanna join the Kidou corps..." he admits, looking momentarily bothered by something. It's the Kidou Corps. that made Antoku's life so difficult, and Katoji doesn't want to be a part of something that would be so harsh towards the uncontrollable abilities of his friend. But.... on the other hand, maybe that way he'd be able to work with or further help Antoku...
"...hm. I... guess I'll have to wait and see. I...I've been to the Eleventh Division and met the captain, but... I don't think that one's for me." He smiles wryly. "What does the Fifth Division do?"

Kei shrugs, "Everything. We're the messenger division really so we get called on for various purposes. Sometimes we just deliver supplies to the earth side shops and other times it's orders to take a message to a shinigami currently residing in the realm of the living. Lately however, it seems like i'm the only one left in the division. I end up working not only on the academy, but also handling any and everything that comes to us. Of course, the lieutenant helps me out but I prefer not to bother her with it most of the time. I'm sure you've heard what happened." He looks at him curiously, "If you wanted, I could take you to visit the lieutenant one day, she'd enjoy meeting someone like you with a latent kidou ability. Oh, I suppose I should mention that we're well known for kidou." He looks around at the classroom again before calling out, "Shizura-chan!" She once again shyly hides whatever she had and turns away from the others.

"Oh..." Katoji blinks tilting his head. It sounds like a busy job, but at least it couldn't be boring, that way. He nods slowly at mention of the lieutenant. It was hard not to be aware of what had happened, especially with the attack made by the former captain and his Arrancar, but even that seems so long ago now. Ever since the boy had come to the Academy and Seireitei, he'd discovered just how different things were from all that he and his brother had used to think about the workings of the Shinigami.
"Oh? Really?" The suggestion pulls Katoji from his thoughts, and he lifts his head, blinking at the teacher before grinning. "I'd like that!" Hinamori-fukutaichou certainly sounded more friendly than some of the other captains and vice captains, or is it just that she didn't sound as imposing?

Kei nods, "I'm sure she'd love to meet a student interested in the fifth division. She's pretty mello and you'll find she's easy to be around. Just don't mention the incident okay? Act normally and everything will be fine. I'll talk to her and set it up when I see her again, should be sometime today since i'll be heading out to the HQ." He looks over at the class and the bells ring signaling the end of this class and the beginning of the next, though for the most part all the classes were done. "So, have you seen any of the HQs yet? I wonder if they care for students being in them...probably, I doubt they'd want you to stumble upon anything." He sighs, "Anyways, I'll definately see about it. I'm sure the lieutenant will say yes. So, you're done with classes now? If you are, I might have something you'd like to see given your interests." Students started to file out of the classroom but Kei held out a slip for Shizura-chan, somehow he had written it without Katoji seeing him do it - man teachers are freaky like that. "You know what it means, have fun and next time don't do that." She pouts, grabs it and stomps off. "Detention for Shizura-chan again huh. I wonder if she'll ever stop? She like that in every class? Or am I the only one who gives her the slips?"

Ahahah... funny he should mention that! Katoji jerks his head up, chuckling nervously at the question. "Umm... w-well, I've been to the Eleventh and then the garden of the Thirteenth- um... that one was kind of an accident though..." he admits, scratching his head. Besides, he'd been given a more formal look at the place recently.
Oh, is class over then? Katoji hasn't even noticed, and he now looks back to see the other students packing up and leaving. He smiles weakly at Shizura before glancing back at the teacher. "Er... maybe?" He shrugs. "But yeah, I'm done with my classes for the day..."

Kei nods, "Well, if the eleventh showed you around, I suppose I can show you around our HQ. Not like there's anything but paper work and packages for Urahara-senpai." He sighs, "I still have to deliver those and I definately don't feel like dealing with the kidou corps today...You wouldn't believe the third degree you get when asking to go to the shop. Even with packages in my hands, they have to carefully inspect each one. Annoying as hell. You'll get to get use to that too." He snickers silently as he stands up and puts the big book back into his backpack. Before long, he fishes out a slightly smaller book entitled beginning kidou of all categories. He hands it over to Katoji, "There. It's got all the beginning kidou I can think of. All the categories too, though the healing might be a little hard to get at first." He looks at the clock and shrugs, "Well, you want to come see the HQ? I can't promise you'll see the Lieutenant, but it can't hurt to show you the main area I guess. Unless of course you've got other plans."

"Umm... it wasn't so much being shown around as it was being given a task to do- and then a mad scramble to get out alive," Katoji laughs weakly. It isn't really an experience he cares to go through again. He stands up and gets his things together, not too much trouble considering they were all still neatly piled before him. "Urahara...?" He scoops up his books and things, and then shifts the weight of his load to one arm so he can take the book that's handed to him. "Oh wow! Thanks a lot, Aono-sensei!" he beams. Kidou certainly oughta be more interesting to read through than those shunpo theory books that his senpai had given him once. Instant tranquilizers right there.
The boy shakes his head. "No, don't have anything planned today, really. Unless you count homework." He grins. "I'd like to go, if it'd be all right?"

Kei nods, "Yeah, sure. I'll get you in our little abode. Not that anyone guards it anymore, oh and if you notice anyone in there, ignore them. They know not to even back talk me. The last one that talked about how long it took to get supplies now ended up with burns and half their leg missing. I hear they just got out and healed." He snickers as he grabs his bag and walks out of the room with Katoji following him, "Homework? Eh. I didn't give you any, I bet it's that history professor. He's way too into his job."

He isn't sure what to think about that, an awkward grin somehow or another remaining on his face for lack of knowing what a more appropriate expression would be. Note to self- don't get Aono-sensei upset! Katoji nods his head in understanding, and once the teacher starts towards the door, the boy follows along at his heels.
"Ah, well, he always says it's important to know about what's happened before in order to have a better grasp of what's going on now, and I can see how that would make sense... but sometimes it's a lot to absorb."

Kei shrugs, "Eh, we all have our own ways of teaching. To be honest with you, I'm surprised the vice principal hasn't killed me yet. She's really straight fisted and doesn't tolerate any lateness. Somehow, i'm still breathing." He looks back at Katoji and notices the weird grin, "Uhm, about that last one. I only did that because lately they've been piling work on us even though they know I'm the only one doing it. So when someone complains to me, it really makes me mad, you see? So yeah. Just figured with that face of yours I should explain."

Another wary grin touches his face. He knows how Iesada Satsue can be, and even if he has gotten off easy once, Katoji knows better than to push his luck. He knows that the woman's even more harsh towards her staff, and really wouldn't put it past her to go to such extremes as what Kei mentioned.
"W-wow...." he blinks as Kei explains himself. Doesn't really make the kid feel any better, but at least his teacher's honest? And potentially scary, apparently.

Kei shrugs as he they approach the headquarters of the fifth division and he opens the door. Inside, it's filled with packages, slips of paper and other various things. There's about twenty bulletin boards with pinned notices on them about benign things the other divisions want done. Though this part is almost ignored, Kei stops as he peers into one of the package filled rooms. There is a person staring back. "It's the one behind you on the top shelf. Blue A." The person turned around, grabbed his package and sneered at Kei before talking.

"You know, you've been kind of..."

Kei stared at him with eyes full of rage, "Do you really want to finish that?!"

Almost as a knee jerk reaction, the guy jumped out of an open window and scampered off. Kei watched the window for awhile before turning back to the stairs and leading Katoji up them. Once at the top, there was only one other person there. A girl, probably about Kei's age.

"Oh, back from school? Ah, a friend!?" She smiled at Katoji.

Kei watched her, "You know, you're really supposed to be in the sixth division. You were reassigned as their secretary."

She shoots him a glance, perhaps even scarier than Satsue-senpai's. You can almost feel the ice oozing off of it as Kei backs down and nods, "This is our secretary Katoji. She's the only one left."

The walk to the Fifth Division House isn't completely unfamiliar to Katoji, especially since he's been to the Fourth, Eleventh and Thirteenth previously. He blinks owlishly as he peers around the place once they enter, amazed at how much stuff is there. He almost bumps a pile, staring at it as it wobbles precariously before settling again.
His teacher gains his attention again once he starts shouting at the other guy, and the boy very nearly drops his books from being startled. He clings to them awkwardly in half an attempt to keep them from falling, staring wide-eyed at his teacher. Such a difference from how he usually is...
Katoji only manages to calm down a little with the appearance of the young woman. A smile comes easily to his own face, but he swallows as he catches that look flashed Kei's way. Shiver. Bad memories. "A-ah... um... nice to meet you..? Chihara, Katoji," he says, forcing a smile as he bows, which has him drop the books he'd been trying so hard not to let go of.

The secretary walks over and picks up the books for him before laying them on a clean table. For some reason, this floor was spotless as well as the door to the quarters area. There were no notices for jobs or packages or letters. A very different sight indeed. The secretary turns around and smiles at Katoji, "Katoji-kun, I'm Saionji Kozue, you can just call me Saiko like the rest of them." She looks over at Kei indifferently, "And this one, even though he can be scary and acts stupid, is rater dependable as far as all the work downstairs goes. He's also a good teacher, but you'd never guess that from the way he treats his class. He does that ten minute thing with you too right?"

Kei sighs as he goes to sit down at his desk and look over the two, "Hey now, I'm not a bad sorts, even if I do get mad at them. They started complaining again. I really hate this...Wait, she might. Is she doing any better?" He casts a glance over to the closed door and it confirms the answer. "Right, so Katoji-kun, welcome to what is left of the fifth division. We get along good here I think."

Saiko turned around holding some tea, "Would you like some Katoji-kun?"

"Ah- thank you..." the boy says as he straightens. He smiles a little easier and nods his head, and can't help but laugh a little as Saiko mentions about Kei's tardiness. "Eheheh... yeah, actually... But he's not a bad teacher," he adds, in Kei's defense. Katoji follows his teacher's glance towards the door, blinking curiously before he realizes whom Kei might be referring to. Looking back at him then, Katoji grins faintly and nods. Another blink and a nod are given in Saiko's direction at her offer. "I'd like that, Saiko-san."

Kei grins as he goes after the tea, "Be careful with the tea, it's liable to make you come back. I'd have to say it's second only to my mom's. Speaking of mom, maybe I should go visit her. I've been so wrapped up here I haven't been lately."

Saiko prepared tea for Katoji and then handed it over to him, it was the same as if he was at a cafe, except the glass looked like it might have cost hundreds of dollars. "Well, enjoy Katoji-kun and please sit down. There's plenty of desks."

There really were a ton of empty desks now. It looked really lonely, but almost all of them had a name on them. Perhaps they kept them there for a reason. "Well, he was thinking about his choice of division, so I thought i'd bring him here. It use to be really lively in here huh?"

Katoji almost doesn't want to take the tea cup for how nice it looks. He carefully accepts it, cradling it in his hands so he won't go dropping it, and he almost panics for a moment when he's told to sit down. Slowly the boy makes his way to the nearest desk and nudges the chair out with a foot before settling down with a sigh. Now he can enjoy his tea, and after a sniff, he can tell it's good stuff, almost like Ito-senpai's!
"...your mom? Where does she live?" he asks, pausing from blowing the steamy liquid before he tries a sip. "I... should probably visit my family too, some time.." Not family by relation, but they're the only family he knows here. It seems like so much longer than it's been, and writing letters is only so satisfying. As he sips his tea he looks around the place again. "...it looks so lonely in here..." he says quietly, more to himself in observation.

Kei looks over at him and nods, "It is, sometimes, but we get along. I don't mind to spend all my time doing this if it's for the lieutenant you know. You'll understand when you meet her." He smiles at him and then sighs as steps are heard coming up the stairs. Saiko also stops to stare towards the stairs as an 8th seat of the 11th division walked up them. Saiko bowed politely and Kei only looked up at him with little interest.

The man turns to look at Katoji and snorts, "You got a new soulless worker? Heh. You've sunk so low that you're stealing children now?" He turns to look at Kei and drops a sheet of paper on the desk.

Kei calmly sips at the tea that he just received and doesn't even bother looking up at the man. "He's a visitor and i'm sure you've no reason to be here any longer," he says as he eyes the other person.

There's a sneer and then he turns around and leaves, stopping at the doorway and looking at Katoji, "Some advice kid. Don't join this division, they're already dead." He continues down the stairs laughing hysterically.

Kei looks at the paper and sips his tea, "Not all of them are like that, but some of them are. Mostly, all the jobs that get dumped on us come from the 11th and 12th division, but the 11th is the only one I can imagine that does it to be spiteful. They don't like that /it/ happened. The 12th division, well they're weird anyways and their requests almost always are normal. As for this one, moving half of their training weapons from their HQ's dojo to the academy, this is just them being spiteful." He takes another sip of tea and looks over at Katoji, "Thus my advice not to come to us. Try to fit in somewhere else for your own good."

It would have been childish to think that the loss of a division's captain wouldn't affect the rest of its members. Just being here makes Katoji realize just how much he -isn't- aware of. He folds his legs to rest his hands and the teacup over his knees as he peers at the steamy wisps that come up from the liquid.
His thoughts are interrupted with the arrival of the man, amber eyes narrowing in a faint glare at his attitude. "...man, is it a requirement to be a jerk to join the Eleventh...?" he finds himself muttering. He looks back at Kei, listening and nodding slowly. "...but... I don't have to make a decision for some time anyway. And there's no telling how things will be in a year, or even a month or a week, right?" He smiles. "...but it must be a lot of work you have to split amongst yourselves..." The boy looks at his tea again, thoughtfully.

Kei looks up at him, "Yourselves? Saiko stays here to take care of the lieutenant and I do all the work. I only wish there was a plural to it." He grins at him as he takes another sip of the tea, "This is true, but even so, I don't think a few years in the academy will make things better for us. I can only hope." He grabs the paper and then stuffs it in his desk to keep it free from the sight of the lieutenant. They really try their hardest to make sure she doesn't know about it.

Saiko looks over at Katoji and sighs, "Unfortunately, they've always been like that. Especially that one. Urahara-senpai is nothing like them and at least their Kenpachi doesn't seem to be dumping these things on us, but he won't openly do anything either." She sighs quietly as she goes back to cleaning the room.

Kei looks up at Katoji, "Oh, my parents. They live in the 3rd district of west rukongai." He then looks over at Saiko, "Oh, did I tell you he's the prodigy this year?"

The Third District is so much closer than the Twenty-third, but Katoji supposes that's no grounds for excuse not to visit, regardless. Absently the boy swirls the rest of his tea in his cup, watching the liquid swish about lazily. The prodigy comment goes right over his head as he's too busy thinking again. It doesn't seem fair, but then what is fair? It's all a neat facade at a glance, but when you get to know people, then you see inside, how things really are...
"...hey... Aono-sensei....?" Katoji speaks up, lifting his head. "...is the Fifth Division accepting interns...?"

Saiko giggles, "You always bring the prodigies in your field because they remind you of when you went through so long ago."

Kei nods, "Aye, that's true." He takes another sip of tea as he looks over at Katoji, "Interns. I don't see why the lieutenant wouldn't mind an intern...but you know if you take this job, you're going to...Well, I can't really promise you won't get some of what just happened too." He looks at Katoji seriously, "Though, I can't stop you and they can't stop us from functioning. If you really are interested in working around here, I can ask her. I'm sure she'll say yes."

He looks over at Kei earnestly, lowering his feet back to the floor to sit properly. "I... I don't care what anyone might say. I just want to be able to do something to help, and we've been encouraged to see if we could look into how divisions work anyway, so it'll be taking care of two things." He smiles, smiles are something that comes easily for him, a boy that always looks towards the positive things, that'll always want to do something to help others, even if it means going out of his way for it. That's Katoji.
"So... if it's okay, and if she'll let me, I'll be happy to do what I can around here."

Kei looks at him and takes a final sip of tea as he stands up. "Right, let me talk to her. I'll get back to you as soon as I do, right?" He smiles at him, "Now, i'm not kicking you out, but I have to go start working lest I never hear the end of it." He stretched out and then looks down at the supplies for Urahara-senpai, "Hmm, no kiodou corps today. Packages it is. Later." With that he walked downstairs and started on his work day.

[Log] 59 - Blade Song (Unfinished)

2009-03-17T08:19:08Z

Date: 01/31/09
Characters: Katoji, Umeko
Summary: Umeko's got a new toy, but where did she get it from?

-=[Academy Grounds - Seirietei]=------------------------------------------------

The wooded grounds of the Academy offer both relaxing scenery, quiet walkways (sometimes,) and practice room for generally hard-working students attempting to build a career as a shinigami. A high stone wall surrounds the grounds, broken in places by wrought iron gates. It runs straight up to the Academy building itself, and contains several smaller buildings that stand adjacent to the main. These satellite buildings contain dormitories, a greenhouse, storage, and duplexes for instructors to reside in if they wish.

One foot slid forward through the grass as the blade was drawn back from a swing through the air. The song it sung still reverberated though the length of the blade; it told Umeko's ears that it had been swung true. Finally, it seemed as if she was beginning to understand the blade, having to nearly unlearn everything she had been taught with a bokken.
She had been gone for a while after her classes were over, which was a pattern she had followed since receiving her new sword. Friends were not forgotten, but Umeko's focus was elsewhere -- catching up with her classmates. Enough time had been wasted on worrying about the trivial things, and with Kinzentokiri, she felt her goals were finally within her reach.
"... Again." Umeko urged herself to try that swing once more. Narrowly focusing her eyes, she hesitated no longer and swung the blade in an underhanded, diagonal motion, the tip slicing off the tips of grass at her feet as she gave a brief yell and followed through with her feet to stand. "SEI-YA!"
She stood still after that quick movement, the tips of grass fluttering off into the breeze, and once more, Kinzentokiri sang its sweet, little song.

The remainder of the current school year seemed to plod along, remaining relatively uneventful ever since the events of the attack that had practically rocked Seireitei. But now it was as though none of that had happened, and a semblance of normality had settled, so much so to Katoji that it stuck out as even stranger to him than it would have had things continued to be spattered with chaos.
It bothered him, how easily it seemed that people could go back to routine. Despite the fact that classes had resumed and his usual greetings and casual interactions with his fellow classmates had not changed, there was still a gap that began to form in the closer relations he had with people. At first Katoji accounted it towards preparation for the finals that would bring with them their promotion to the second year. He wouldn't have minded it as much were this the case, but it still bothered him all the same.
All the more so was the obvious absense of Antoku. He'd been gone ever since the arrancar attacks, and Katoji was mindful not to go looking for him. Not outrightly. He still caught himself wandering about, keeping his senses open for that familiar feel, that one reiatsu that he had come to identify so easily over others. ...it was never there when he sought it out. The boy did so now, but it was another presence that he noticed, and one he felt he'd recently become a little more distant from as well.
He'd change that. This he decided as he redirected himself, walking towards the grassy area that Umeko had designated as her practice grounds. He missed talking to Umeko. He missed hearing her play her shamisen and idly wondered if she'd been able to retrieve the instrument after abandoning it outside. All such thoughts vanished as he heard the girl's shout, and there he saw her, poised with a real weapon in hand. It made for a pretty dramatic image, such a different air from the Umeko Katoji had become so used to. He nearly startled himself as his voice spoke up.
"...Yukieda-san..?"

Exhaling slowly, she stood there with the blade in the air, listening for it to quiet down. It was quite a lovely sound, she thought. After so much failure, she could hear her progress and feel it reverberate into her. If only Umetarou could have seen her then, standing so confidently and sure of herself for once.
Just as the song ended, she felt something... and then heard her name. Immediately she lowered her blade and sheathed it as her head turned towards the source, her expression a little surprised and very much unlike the one she had just seconds before. Eyes widened slightly, she searched for the familiar face -- someone who she had not spoken to in some time.
"Ah, Chihara-san...!" She smiled and lowered her head in a quick nod, her hand falling away from Kinzentokiri's hilt as she turned to face him. Having been caught off guard by his visit, her greeting might have seemed a little awkward. "It's been a while, hasn't it...?"

That was more like the Umeko he knew, although the shift between expressions was kind of strange to watch. Nevertheless, Katoji smiled brightly in turn, nodding back at her. "Uhn, it has! Which is kind of weird when we have the same classes and stuff..." He shrugged his shoulders, laughing a bit. "But we haven't talked or anything for a while."
The boy edged past the invisible line of the clearing, wandering closer towards his classmate. "That's a nice sword," he said, glancing at the weapon now sheathed at Umeko's side. It was obvious to him that it wasn't their usual asauchi, not just by look, but there was just something about it.

Umeko tilted her head a little and laughed softly. It was true that they had many classes together, but recently, she had been using much of her spare time to train with her sword. If she wanted to be able to stand up to the rest of her peers, she had a lot of work to do... Her shamisen had laid quietly in her room undisturbed ever since she was able to recover it during the invasion.
Umeko continued to smile as Katoji approached, but was silent for a few moments after he regarded her sword. Her eyes slowly casted down towards it, and a hand came up to gently rest upon the hilt. "... Yes, it is. It's a lot easier for me to handle... my wrists were too weak for the bokken and asauchi, really..." She then looked back up to Katoji, having calmed down just a little. "... I had fallen behind, but I think I might be able to catch up with everyone now."

Still smiling, Katoji nodded again. "It did seem to suit you," he said. He could remember how she stood with it quite clearly, blade and wielder in perfect harmony. It was kind of scary too, in a way. "I'm sure you'll be able to catch up too." The boy forged ahead, having no doubts the girl would be able to do well. She certainly wasn't a slacker so far that he'd noted.
It felt nice out here, and he always did enjoy being outside. Katoji stretched his arms out over his head, yawning. "Ah... that feels good!" He swung his arms forward before letting them drop to his sides. "So where did you get it?" he asked, genuinely curious, indicating the sword again.

[Log] 58 - Lingering Clouds Don't Hide the Sun

2008-11-16T04:58:03Z

Date: 11-15-08
Characters: Katoji, Masa
Summary: Katoji goes to visit Masa in the 4th's Sick Ward.

-=[Sick Ward - 4th]=------------------------------------------------------------

Masa's head tilted backwards as the last few grains of rice were shoveled into his open mouth. Giving little time to chew, he let out a satisfied sigh and relaxed, placing the empty bowl in a stack of six others resting on a table next to his bed. Finally, he felt as if he were satisfied. The nurses were so nice to keep giving bowls of rice, and he really would not have insisted if he were not so hungry! A forearm rose to wipe the stray grains from his face after he set his chopsticks down.
He was okay with rice, but he would not have minded something a little more... substantial. Once they discovered the bentou box given to him by some of his students, they told him that he would need a bland diet for at least a few more days since he was in near starvation. It was too bad though... those girls had probably put a lot of effort into making that for him.
He rested back down on his pillows, closing his eyes momentarily while he had another moment of peace and quiet. His left hand came up to run through his newly cut hair, and still his fingers found it quite odd. A new set of bandages had been put on shortly before his meal, though the nurses were confident that he wouldn't need such bandaging soon around his chest. For now, though, he was wearing a standard issue white kimono that was easier to take off and on for them. It was slightly open in the front to expose those new bandages, though the real problem wound on his thigh was concealed and ached every now and then. A long wooden crutch was sitting next to his bed so that he could get up occasionally without limping too much. It was propped next to a hand-written sign on the wall that read "No Kidou Treatment."
His fingers remained buried in his hair as he sighed again and muttered out. "What I wouldn't give for some steak... or fugu..."

Just down the hall, faint voices could be heard only slightly louder than the general hum of the 4th's ambiance, that of which wasn't all that much to begin with. "First room on the right? Okay, got it! Ah- yeah, I've been all right, thanks, eheheh..." Eventually someone enters the room, an unimposing figure clad in the very best of his casual, non-academy wear, which was all the same, very plain. He had a familiar scarf thrown over his shoulders, an almost faded yellow dashed and crisscrossed with thin black lines.
It didn't take Katoji very long to locate where his teacher was assigned in this room, it was pretty empty after all. His face brightened visibly as he saw the man there, and taking care not to trip in his eagerness, the boy made his way over towards Masa's bedside. "Okazaki-sensei...?"

He had heard sounds outside, but he had dismissed them for normal hospital noise. It was only when he heard his name spoken nearby did he snap out of his trance, eyes widening and blinking before casting a glance to his side. "Eh?" The blue hair was unmistakable, though the yellow scar caught him off guard at first. Letting his hand fall back to his side, Masa pushed himself up to sit.
"Katoji-kun, how nice ta' see ya...!" Masa wore his usual grin, and his face was perhaps a bit more visible now because of his new haircut. "I really appreciate you kids comin' ta' visit me." He tilted his head and the grin grew a bit wider. "I hope yer all keepin' up with studies."

His own grin had broadened as he saw Masa to, aside from being in a hospital bed and bandaged, looking fairly well. At least he was in good spirits, but then hardly was there a time that Katoji ever saw his teacher without a smile. "I heard you had come back, but it was surprising to hear you were in the Fourth!" He looked concerned with that, hands clutching the ends of the scarf tightly in front of him in an attempt to keep them occupied.
"You're okay, right? What happened to you?" the boy frowned, and then blinked as something else finally struck him as well. "And what happened to your hair!" Not... that he would complain about it, the change seemed rather abrupt though. Or did the medics have to do it so that they could treat him properly? Aaaah, what's going on~~??

He watched him fiddle with his scarf, but his mind was not the scarf itself... no, suddenly his thoughts crossed to its original owner. His smile grew a little more subtle then. "Yeah, I didn't really intend ta' come back this way, either..." Not at all. Then again, he was thankful that he had not died out there, too. It could have very well ended up that way.
Instead of answering Katoji's first question, Masa dodged it and resumed his grin, a hand coming up to take a hold of a bit of his new streak of highlights. "Aaah, well, it got kinda messed up when I was gone, and when a couple o' friends in th' 9th saw me here, they all laughed their asses off 'n then got me some help I guess." It was really nice of them, but he didn't know if he could get used to such a trendy sort of look. It certainly did leave Iki absolutely speechless, but he didn't know if that was a good thing yet or not.
"I'm alright now though, a week 'r two of rest should have me on my feet again... Hopefully I'll be back ta' teachin' then, too." Yet another worry that he didn't want to necessarily vocalize to Katoji. The kids didn't need to worry about what happened.

He didn't have to worry, but he would always be concerned. The frown lessened with the explanation about the new hairstyle, but Katoji could tell that there were details left out. He looked down at the floor, brow furrowed as he turned thoughts over in his head.
Masa had left the Academy almost abruptly, and at the time it was definitely not something to be done when security was high and everyone kept looking over their shoulder for another possible attack. He hadn't been the first to leave the Academy, however, and only a few had become aware of the initial disappearance. Amber eyes slowly lifted from the floor, taking in the area he stood within, lingering over the crutch that was propped there, pausing upon the little sign that was written and posted there on the wall not far from it. His senses honed in on something else then, like two puzzle pieces clicking into place, and the boy looked back at Masa, eyes widening slightly.
"....Yoro..."

The clues were a little much, weren't they? Masa didn't stand much of a chance, but then again, he might as well have "Sadakata" etched on his back. Masa turned away, folding one hand over the other in his lap. By then, his smile had faded into mere remnants of his former one, and his tone of voice quieted. "Yer a smart kid, Katoji-kun. I'm a lil' too slow for ya." He then glanced out of the corner of his eye towards the door, to watch for any passerbys.
"... I don't wanna say too much, 'cause it's all a buncha crap I don't understand... but I'll tell you this --" Masa's eyes then shifted over to look Katoji in the eye. "... Sadakata is fine. Doin' better out there 'n I ever saw 'im here, anyway." Of course, Masa knew little about Katoji's relationship with Antoku. "... I don't know if he'll ever come back." He grinned momentarily, a bit of a snort coming through his nose. "...I didn't get a chance ta' ask."

It had been tricky. You had to be knowing what you were looking for. The traces of Yoro's mark were faint, but once Katoji had taken notice of it, it read as bright as a beacon.
Katoji abandoned any attempts to try recovering his own smile for the moment. There wasn't much reason to be trying to force it either. Masa had been hurt by Antoku. Yet, at he same time, he was still here, and not, say... left for dead in the streets of Rukongai. The boy nodded as his teacher finally made mention of the other student, confirming things- as if there had been any doubt at that point. "So you went after him after all..." he said quietly. Someone had to. But no one had succeeded in bringing him back. The news Masa relayed to him was as good as anything Katoji figured he could expect, when it came to Sadakata Antoku.
"...there's a lot I don't understand either..." A weak semblance of a smile fought its way back across Katoji's face. Smiles never stayed away for long if they could help it. "...but... that's good to know. That he's all right," he said, letting his fingers loosen a little from where they had been twisting the faded fabric of around. "...it's... it's okay if he doesn't come back, isn't it? He never wanted to be here in the first place... and all they want is to use him..."

He watched Katoji's reaction with a solemn look. It was probably a little hard to think that a friend or... someone he thought of as a friend to leave, just like that. In his life, Masa had so many friends and loved ones leave him behind, and it was never easy. "... b'fore he left, I told him ta' live his life. That's been my philosophy always, before you kiddos were probably even born." Masa's voice was low and a little rough from years of nicotine and tar marring his throat. "...now, I don't know if he wants ta' come back or not, but he's gonna live on his own terms... not /theirs/."
A hand came out warily for Katoji's shoulder, but it made it's way there eventually. "... Until then, don't regret anything... You do th' same as I told 'im." He looked down at the scarf again and then cracked a bit of a smile, though it was a little sad. "I have a feelin' you'll see 'im again, anyway." Probably on better terms, too, he concluded.

That made sense. That was how it should be. It sounded like what Antoku would go by, and it was probably what most should. Otherwise, it was no longer your life, was it? Katoji looked out past his bangs that threatened to hide his eyes, and after a moment he nodded at Masa. Live your life. It was a simple concept, but one that many people deluded themselves into thinking they'd been doing all this time. It was jarring to realize you weren't.
Why did Masa look that way? There was something more behind the words, behind the mention of meeting Antoku, behind the wounds the shinigami had received. Katoji didn't know what to think for the words offered him. He thought perhaps he should be happy. It would be nice to see 'toku again, wouldn't it? But not if he were dragged back against his will. If it came down to that, then Katoji felt it would be better to not see him again. They had parted on reasonably good terms, although the words Antoku had left with him then had been puzzling. Were they in warning of the things that had happened, back then? Or something else? That Antoku had sought a chance to leave the Academy wasn't something Katoji was surprised with.
You just didn't expect it to be then.
"...thanks, Okazaki-sensei..." Katoji spoke up, after a while. His smile was not full, tinged at the edges with regret for his lack of understanding, but it was the least he could offer. He didn't want anyone to be worrying about him.

Masa's shoulders dropped as he sighed. As much as he wanted these kids to go through their lives without a hitch, that was impossible. No matter how positive one looked at life, it never saved a heart from being broken. He trusted that Katoji was strong enough in heart to weather the pain that he was going to experience, but still... it was never easy.
He just hoped that Antoku would never do to Katoji the same he had done to Masa in that alleyway. And, for Katoji's sake, Masa did not really want to speak about it. He didn't want Katoji's opinion of Antoku to change -- it didn't need to. Masa was ... not a friend to Antoku that day, despite the intentions he had.
Hand dropping from Katoji's shoulder back into his lap, suddenly Masa brightened back up. "Oi, Katoji-kun, do ya mind helpin' me? I wanna take these bowls t' th' nurses who keep waitin' on me hand 'n foot. These 4th Division members are th' nicest people, y'know?" He reached back and swatted at the crutch on the wall. It was juuuust out of his reach, but there was no way in telling if that was for his own good or not.

"Hah?" Katoji blinked almost quizzically at the change of Masa's expression. Whether it was by force or not, it worked like magic in chasing away the heaviness of the earlier conversation. Either that or it had simply startled it into non-existence. The boy allowed himself to grin, a little more like his usual self. "Oh, I can take them for you, Okazaki-sensei," he said. "You should rest up so you can get better faster." He stepped over to pick up the stack of empty rice bowls.

"When someone reaches for somethin' they can't reach, ya should try ta' help 'em out, isn't that right?!" Masa's eyes focused on Katoji sharply and his jaw was jutted out as his arm continued to be outstretched towards his crutch. Though Masa was being serious, he came off so childish and goofy most of the time that even in this situation, he never was a threat to the kids and they all likely knew that. Even now, his attempt at angriness was amusing. Still, Masa was determined to get up and was just expressing in the best adult way he knew how. He was more a threat to himself falling out of bed than he was being angry at Katoji.

A couple of the bowls went clattering as Katoji jumped at Masa's shout. He flailed in a failure of an attempt to catch them, and watched as they rolled about on the floor, almost taunting him. The boy glanced back at Masa, the end of his lips quirking in an awkward sort of grin, as if it wasn't quite sure it was supposed to be there. "But..." Well, this was Okazaki-sensei, after all.
He didn't mean to, but Masa looked so ridiculous trying to be serious and upset. It probably wasn't a nice thing to do, but Katoji couldn't help but laugh. "I-I'm sorry, Okazaki-sensei..!" he snickered, trying to stifle them behind a hand. He dropped down to gather the runaway bowls and set them back with the others. "Okay, if you're really sure you wanna do that..." Hurriedly the boy made his way around to the other side of the bed to get the desired crutch, holding it out to Masa. He'll just have to make sure the guy didn't topple over, although what with the teacher being so much bigger than him, Katoji doubted he'd really be much help.

Despite the chaos he had created, Masa remained narrowly focused on Katoji, his serious and determined face not faltering... that was, until he heard Katoji laugh. The look chipped away until it had transformed into a soft smile. It would have been silly for him to think that he could fix everything that was wrong, but... at least Katoji still smiled. He was such a strong kid.
"I'm gonna get bed sores if they don't let me get up every once in a while...!" He grinned as he took the crutch that was held out to him, then motioned for Katoji to step aside as he sat up and swung his legs over. He cringed a little -- he couldn't help but do it. Muscles in his right thigh were still mending the best they could, though they would probably be exactly right again. Nothing that Masa couldn't handle -- his left arm was the same way.
With his legs over the edge, Masa planted the crutch firmly onto the floor before slipping off the edge of the bed, rising and slowly placing his barefeet on the floor. He jumped then, and squealed. "Cold...!!"
The crutch laid under his right arm, and Masa's strong hand gripped the handle. Once he believed that he was ready, he motioned with his left hand for Katoji to give up some of those bowls. "Don't fall behind now, alright? I can still run circles 'round anybody."

The boy hovered by even as he was made to move, just in case Masa overestimated his ability to get on his feet. He watched, holding his breath as the man swung his legs over to one side of the bed and set his crutch down to stand, and gave a yelp at the sudden shout. "D-don't /do/ that!" Katoji gasped, clutching his chest. He tried to look very serious when he spoke, but thinking back, it was a funny sound for such a big manly shinigami to be making. A grin quickly reappeared, and the kid nodded as he went back around to gather the bowls up again. He grabbed the first few to hand over, once he was sure Masa wasn't about to fall flat on his face. "Hai!"

Masa was able to handle the bowls quite easily -- it was a blessing that he was left-handed in this case. Without another word, he put the crutch out and then hopped with rest of his body to catch up with it. After he repeated this a few times, he became more used to it and was moving smoother, but still rather slowly. He didn't want to scare Katoji with how fast he could really move once he got going -- he had already seen everyone else's reactions and decided it was best not to do that again.
He stopped at the door and looked back with a smile that was the warmest he had given during Katoji's visit. "Thanks a lot, Katoji-kun. Yer a gonna make a Gotei real lucky someday."

It was probably for the best that Masa didn't speed down the halls- Katoji would have been more worried about whether his teacher should be doing that or not given his condition. At the same time, the kid was relieved to see that Masa was still the tough guy he'd been made out to be. He should be back to teaching in no time, which was good because classes just weren't the same without him.
Katoji didn't know what to say in response to Masa's comment, but it was something he needed to hear. He felt much better for the visit, and whatever weight had been dragging on him the past weeks had now been lifted. It seemed a simple matter, but all the same, he was happier for it. The boy made a pleased sound as he flashed Masa one of his trademark smiles. Thank you, Okazaki-sensei.

[Log] 57 - Of Things To Come

2008-11-15T19:33:43Z

Date: 11-14-08
Characters: Katoji, Sumiyaka
Summary: A semblance of normality has begun to settle in Seireitei again, but only on the surface. Katoji comes out for a break from studies and runs into another upper-classman.

[Log] 56 - To Choose

2008-10-02T05:45:46Z

Date: 09-29-08
Characters: Katoji, Yoshinori
Summary: Distraction! Someone's gone missing recently, but what should he do?

-=[Keiei-Ue's Roots - Shinigami Academy]=---------------------------------------

Reputedly one of the oldest trees in Soul Society, Keiei-Ue is a huge yakusugi tree with heavy, strong limbs that seem to support the sky above rather than sprawl out under it. The shade it casts is deep, like the carpet of golden needles mixed with thick green grass underfoot. Knotted roots crawl out from the foot of the tree's trunk, some as thick around as a man's chest. The air here is more gravid, somehow, as if the years gathered around the tree slow down light and sound.
Overhead, Keiei-Ue's long, soft green needles sway gently in the breezes that pass by, fingering through the clouds.

Even though things have settled around the Academy Grounds and a semblance of the usual solace began to return to Seireitei, the memory of that explosive day's events were never far from anyone's mind. It's taken some concentration to get back into the normal routine, and it is only minor relief to know that the originators of the terrifying reiatsu were now gone. Katoji can't forget what he had seen that day, when he and Yoshinori had been brought along by Hitohiko to further investigate the madness that had erupted in the form of arrancar invasion. Hitohiko's abilities had been the only thing keeping the two from faltering in the presence of such power, and even then it had been so immense that the boy had been sure if he blinked at the wrong time he would collapse.
That was then. This is now.
It has scarcely been a week since the invasion, but it seems a time long enough that the boy has not ceased to scold himself for not noticing sooner. He'd found the scarf sitting almost innocently there in the closet, folded neatly and tucked away in a manner that made it seem that it had only tried to be inconspicuous as an afterthought. It hadn't taken him long to recognize it, and though he had puzzled over the little card that had been pinned at its end before stuffing it into a pocket, he spent not a moment longer in the room, hastily stuffing the pale yellow scarf with the black criss-crossed lines under an arm as he dashed out into the hall.
He'd combed the school grounds eagerly at first, the roof first, but he was able to tell even before he reached the end of the second floor's hall that Antoku was not up there. The neutrality that bordered happy soon began to wind down to a mildly frantic concern the longer he looked. The library, the classroom halls and dojos, the garden, the archive building. Not. There. Not anywhere. He couldn't feel that reiatsu anywhere on campus, and a part of him wondered that perhaps the wayward upperclassman had gone off Academy Grounds.
So here he sits now, under the big tree where he and Umeko had first felt the oppressive reiatsu of the arrancar intruders. He'd found one of his crayons poking out of the grass, one of the several he'd dropped in his haste to get inside that day. Umeko's shamisen was gone and he hoped that she had been the one to reclaim it. These however, are not things he dwells on for very long. Perched upon one of the higher gnarls of the thick roots of the ancient tree, Katoji sits with his back against the trunk, a knee bent with his foot resting against another twist of wood. The yellowy scarf hangs half across an arm and bundled so as not to drag on the ground. The boy looks up at the leaves that shift and filter light with the breeze, thinking.

It was rather hard to go about the normal routine after all of the chaos passed. To go with Hitohiko in the first place was something he wouldn't usually do. It just felt...so surreal. But soon after all of it ended, he relapsed back into his usual state. Maybe not all the way back into it, however; the noble has been silent, but he hasn't shown much of his usual apprehension as he walks down the halls. Crimson eyes hold a semi-vacant look to them, staring through the other students as he makes his way around the Academy. A little strange, but no one else tried to talk to him.
Once he gets away from the crowded areas, he takes a moment to stop. In fact, he doesn't really know if he suffered from mental trauma or not. Yoshinori remembers everything that happened that day, and he stayed awake and alert the whole time. Every word said, every action taken, all of it is still fresh in his memory. He shudders, taking a deep breath and exhaling before continuing. No use mulling over it now. It happened, and that's how it went.
Going outside made things a little better. Without the excess reiatsu flow, the air is light. Not being weighed down by anything helps. The noble walks onward, using the time to unwind a little more. As much as he can, anyway. As he makes his way past Keiei-Ue, he pauses. "Eh?" Yoshinori's head swivels slightly, squinting as he tries looking at the figure who sits underneath the tree's shade. "...Chihara-san? What are you doing out here?"

The weather is nice, especially hidden in the cool shade of the great tree. Katoji's thoughts had taken every tangent that presented itself, his eyes becoming lidded as his weariness from running all over the Academy Grounds has finally caught up with him.
And then a voice- a familiar one that speaks his name. "Huh-AH!" Amber eyes widen, and for a split second the boy forgets where he is, worrying that he's dozed off in class or something. He twitches into a more rigid stance, and then finds his balance severely compromised. Arms flailing, Katoji goes sprawling over the limb of the tree with a yelp, legs flipping right after as he hits the grass on the other side. The scarf has managed to land over his head, and somehow or another the kid lies on his stomach rather than his back. "...."

Oh, he didn't mean to do that. Yoshinori pauses, watching the boy flip over after the initial reaction. "Ahh!" The noble hurries over to the roots, stepping over one of them and leaning over the other, dark bangs falling in front of his face. "Chihara-san?? I'm so sorry!" Ah, he's back. Somewhat. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to..."
He shuts up, climbing over to check on Katoji. With a grunt, he crouches next to him, a hand reaching over to move the scarf from his head. "..." The other hand extends, offering the first year some support.

"...ite....." comes the whimper of a response from under the scarf. His eyes squeezed shut, Katoji finally opens them once he's sure that things won't be spinning when he does so. He lifts his head just as the black lines are removed from his immediate line of vision, blinking at the hand and then the student who extends it.
"Ah... Ito-senpai..!" he says with a mild grin, and he lifts a hand to accept the help up, pushing himself up with the other.

There's just something about the grin that makes Yoshinori smile back. A normal, involuntary thing, that's all. He really should smile more often, but a faint one is all he can return at the moment. Katoji's grin isn't as bright as it usually is, however. Was it his imagination?
The noble's grip maintains the balance as the other gets back up, holding on without squeezing too tightly. At least, this was the idea. There is a noticeable amount of pressure wavering from it. His eyes remain on the scarf a while longer before switching back to Katoji. "...You went to your classes, right?" he asks softly, tilting his head.

The lack of a verbal response is made up for with the look on his face, an obvious enough answer for the question Yoshinori asked. "...oh crap..!" Katoji gasps, running a hand down his face. He'd gotten so caught up in looking for Antoku that he'd completely forgotten how much time had gone by- wait, what time is it now anyway?
The boy drops his head with a groan, looking down at the ground, following the trailing edge of the worn scarf before he throws it over a shoulder. Wrapping it around his waist would still have it dangling past his feet, even if he wound it about several times.

"..." That answers everything. If he was a stickler for rules, Yoshinori would be lecturing him about the importance of going to class and getting past the first year. But it isn't like that. Instead, he shakes his head, a small chuckle slipping out as some sort of consolation. "Just as long as it doesn't continue like this," he says, knees unbending from the squat.
He straightens his back, rolling a shoulder as he watches Katoji put the scarf on and over his small body. It is definitely a long scarf, and it only dwarfs the boy more with it still hanging off of him. Yoshinori blinks. "...Where did you get the scarf from?"

"I didn't mean to! I just... forgot..." he finishes lamely, scratching the back of his head as a wibbly, sheepish smile pulls across his face. Katoji forces himself to meet Yoshinori's eyes rather than study the second year's feet.
He should have been expecting the question, and yet it almost seems to surprise him all the same once it is asked. "Oh- this...." The boy fingers the edge of it. "From An... Sadakata." There's no doubt in his mind that it's the very same that Antoku usually kept about his person.

He was sort of hoping for a different answer. The pattern doesn't lie. Although he's only seen it twice, he remembers it well. Of course, Sadakata was never the most pleasant person he's met briefly during those classes. And there is a difference between seeing someone and actually speaking to them.
"He's...quite generous, isn't he? To leave you his scarf." Especially when he couldn't be approached. Yoshinori pauses, his face showing quiet concern. He did catch part of the 'An' coming out before it turned into 'Sadakata,' and it just makes him wonder. "...I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm prying, Chihara-san," the noble speaks, crimson eyes glancing back into Katoji's, "but why are you out here? What's the matter?"

"...." Katoji looks down again, his eyes spying another of his missing crayons there just a little ways from his right toe, but he doesn't hurry to pick it up. It isn't a very distraught look on the boy's face, one would realize after careful observation. A faint, sad smile is there though.
"...he's not here. I looked all over the schoolgrounds, but he's not around anywhere..." he says quietly. It's possible that he could be outside, but the reiatsu traces on the scarf were next to non-existant- it had obviously been sitting in his closet for some time, and that was what bothered him more than anything. If Antoku has left that long ago... Katoji fell into his own thoughts on that.

Seeing his small friend go silent is unsettling. He is worried, after all, and it is normal for anyone to worry about someone they cared about. Yoshinori gets a rough idea of how long Katoji actually knew Antoku; the time spent is something on another level. "But why would he leave," he adds quietly, fingers touching his chin in thought.
Personal matters come into play. Selfish reasoning. Maybe it was a random, spur-of-the-moment type of deal. But Antoku's presence was something different. If he actually knew about the relationships he's kept with Matsuhiro and Katoji, then it would make more sense to him. Being out of the loop does have its advantages and disadvantages. Yoshinori looks off in another direction, his eyes staring off into the distance before returning to the younger student. "He'll be all right..." He tries to encourage, but his tone is weak. Uncertainty. Antoku is the type that seems to be able to take care of himself, isn't he? "...Others might be looking for him. I-If they noticed..."

"He knows how to take care of himself," Katoji finds himself saying, and he lifts his eyes towards Yoshinori again. "I'm sure he's okay. It wasn't that..." That he hasn't expected it to happen? Maybe. That would explain why he isn't as bothered by it as he would have thought himself to be. If Antoku's really left, really, -really- left, then that's good, right? Then Katoji should hope for the older boy's success in being able to stay away this time. It's what he'd wanted after all, right?
Yoshinori's words do nag at him though. The sad smile is gone from his face, the more usual expression settling, now into one of subtle concern with the slight furrow of his brow, the tiny quirk of his mouth. "....they probably will notice eventually if they haven't already..." he says, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Should I hope that they don't find him..?

Thinking that Katoji supported the idea of Antoku escaping without a trace never came up in his mind. Seeing the boy's expression change makes him feel a little more curious about things, but he's not really sure how relaxed he should be at the moment. Nothing else is going wrong. Still, he reminds himself to keep from going in too deeply. "Whatever happens, happens," the noble says with a small sigh, pursing his lips afterward.
The other thing Yoshinori does is eye the scarf and how it's wrapped around the first year. It's like it's bothering him to see it drag. Probably a habit from his mother whenever he had long articles of clothing on when he was younger. "Chihara-san, the material is dragging," he chides gently, gathering the end that dangles.

"Huh? Oh-" Katoji blinks, watching as Yoshinori picks up the end of the scarf. "It's really long," he says, fingers plucking at the material as he tries to figure out how to better drape it so it won't get any more worn out. Its edges are already frayed, but it's still a good scarf. A good scarf with secrets of its own...
His thoughts go back to the matter that had been presented, and he looks at the second year student quietly for a moment before reaching out with his hand to grasp Yoshinori's sleeve. "Ito-senpai, don't tell anyone that Antoku's missing, okay?" he says firmly, amber eyes looking at the taller boy imploringly.

Winding the end of the scarf up stops when the other grabs the wide sleeve, eyelids fluttering with a start. "Eh?" His hands stay wrapped in the material as he flicks his gaze back at Katoji, slightly puzzled about the request. Keep a secret? Yoshinori can tell he's serious about it, however, his tone and look adding to it.
The noble closes his eyes for the moment before nodding. "...I won't," he answers. That's about all he can say. Hands move again, one arm moving more than the other while unwrapping the scarf and resetting the way it drapes on Katoji. Just as long as it doesn't trip the boy as he's moving, he'll be fine.

Katoji holds on for a second or two longer before letting his grip relax, and with it, the look on his face. He nods his head, a silent thank you, not only for agreeing, but for not asking for any explanations that he wasn't sure he could give. It takes a few tugs and rewrapping to ensure that the length of the scarf doesn't go any further past his knees, and after Yoshinori appears satisfied with the arrangement, the boy looks at it and grins.

Learning how to wrap and wear things through observation made it easier for him to do things when he was at home. Of course, with all of the fuss in trying -not- to get Yoshinori to do everything himself made it a little more challenging. The satisfied 'there' completes the task as hands and arms fold over each other loosely near his own body, a faint smile reappearing on his features. Yoshinori is fine without having to know everything; if he did, it would get him more involved in it. Sometimes it was better to let things go as they're suppose to. However, it wouldn't hurt to ask one more thing. "...So, are you going to continue looking?"

His fingers toy with the loose ends of the scarf as he shakes his head slowly. "No... if he doesn't want to be found then I won't try to..." Katoji says, having well made up his mind, it seems. Besides, the students were still advised to stay around the Academy grounds for the time being anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Ah. "All right, then," Yoshinori nods slowly, saying nothing more about the topic. His right hand dips into his left sleeve, taking out a small bag of senbei. He then holds it out for Katoji to take, a smile added for some sort of encouragement. "You should get back to doing whatever you need to do. Or rest a little longer."

Perk! Katoji is thankful for the subject change, and he smiles brightly at Yoshinori, brighter still with the offering of treats as he accepts it. "Ah, yeah, I guess so. I... probably missed all my classes for today though... well, maybe Uemiya can tell me what I missed." He steps back and offers a small bow. "Thanks for listening, Ito-senpai."

The noble bows back, chuckling a little at the sudden shift. Just as long as he can be of some help. "Not a problem," he says, not going hazy on the freshman like he usually would. Yoshinori gives Katoji one last nod before turning, picking his way over the unleveled ground and twisted roots effortlessly to go back to his room.

Ito-senpai really is nice... Katoji watches as the upper-classman leaves, still clutching the bag of senbei. Finally he steps forward to return to the dormitory halls as well, but he hears a quiet snap underfoot, and jumping back, he flails at the broken crayon lying there on the grass. He picks up the stick of blue that now hangs halved at an angle. Scanning the grass below, he picks out a couple more crayons before giving up and making way back to his room.

[Log] 55 - Curiosity - Ripples IV (Unfinished)

2008-10-02T05:19:06Z

Date: 08-30-08
Characters: Hitohiko, Katoji, Yoshinori
Summary: After making it back off the roof, the two students run into Hitohiko, only to be brought back up and then to investigate the site of conflict itself!

-=[North Wing 2nd Floor - Shinigami Academy]=-----------------------------------

The second floor of the Academy's North Wing has a more secluded, heavy air than the first. First year students are never housed here, and the south entrance to the student library is not far from the stairwell. Square windows appear at the far ends of the hall, leaving ample room for the rows of oak-paneled doors that line both walls. Loud noises are few and far between, and quickly stifled.

Instead of help, they get something a little better than a wild lion. However unlikely it may seem to a student who has in the past found him or herself pinned firmly beneath the thumb of Hitohiko's Interest (the capital letters are altogether necessary,) in something quite like a crisis, Hitohiko's first move is to, shockingly, protect his Interests.
And so he came swinging around the corner at the hallway's far end, one hand on the pommel of the zanpakutou he was wearing at his hip. It was illegal to wear one's zanpakutou in the city, and surely permission could not have been granted already. Nevertheless. There was no over-excited cat following him, and his right hand was black as pitch, right up to the sleeve of his shihakushou. Unbothered by the massive thundercloud of threatening reiatsu, Hitohiko fixed his tilted eyes on Yoshinori the moment he sighted the boys piled beneath the roof's ladder.
"Ito. It's time to get off your belly for a day. We're going to have a look at our visitors." It was almost as if, unfortunately, Katoji was a table, or a rug.

That voice. "Ah!" Yoshinori turned abruptly to see that it was indeed his Favorite Teacher, Hitohiko-sensei. It might not be exactly what he had in mind, but it worked. The idea of actually being protected was far from his mind; it was probably for the best, however, seeing how every time he met with the teacher only brough more pain. Formalities had been forgotten the whole time the man spoke, eyes blinking quizzically as he fought against the strain of the muted reiatsu.
It took another moment to think about what he just said "H-Hitohiko-sensei! What...we're going to take a closer look!?" he balked, shaking his head a little. He knew the answer, but he just needed clarification. "Ooooh dear..."

Someone was coming! And from the uniform they were clothed in, it had to be one of the teachers if not quite obviously, a shinigami. Katoji blinked, first up at the new face - Hitohiko? He was sure he heard the name before, but this would be the first time he'd have an image to place with it. The boy then glanced at Yoshinori, cocking his head before outright wincing at the older student's slip on handling his nerves. "Huh? Wait-"
He straightened, still well aware of the heavy presence in the air. His eyes slid over the man's right hand- why was it black like that? Katoji wasn't so much put off by the presence of the zanpakutou readied at Hitohiko's side- even Fione had grabbed hers earlier as some small gesture of comfort. Kind of made him wish he had something as well, but his pockets were empty of even his crayons- not that they would have done him any good if the situation became dire.
"You're going back out there?" Weren't they supposed to stay inside though? Not that those were official orders of course! It just seemed more sensible a thing to do...

Hitohiko had a way of staring wide-eyed at anyone who was being foolish or making mistakes, as if he truly could not believe it was happening. He came to a stop half a dozen feet from the boys and simply tilted his head to the side as he stared at Yoshinori, eyebrows raised in little surprised commas on the sentence of that moment. When the boy began to moan to himself, the shinigami blinked several times rapidly and diverted his attention to Katoji.
This one was pathetic, too, but in a different (somewhat sadder) way. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he was looking the child over from head to foot, because lack of manners bought you absolutely no favours with Hitohiko. "Yes." He sounded startled and amazed that he was being questioned. Hadn't he said it loud enough? Were the words too complicated? Or was the child just addled? "This gibbering fool will come with me." And at that, he gestured absently to Yoshinori with his black hand. A drop of ink fell from his fingers as he did so, and left a tiny black explosion on the floor.

Wh...

Yoshinori set his teeth together slowly as he stared back at Hitohiko, definitely seeing through the act of...whatever it was he called it. If it was all honest emotions, then that was surprising. This was no time to be annoyed! Or insulted. He'll just have to take it. Poor Katoji was being forgotten, but the noble got back to him, giving the boy a glance. "Don't mind him, he's always like that," he murmured, squaring his shoulders rigidly.
The ink droplet exploding on impact made him shut up. It also made him wonder what exactly Hitohiko planned to do with such, but the idea was there. "I suppose I can," he answered, sighing. A hand went up to rub his temple, crimson eyes looking back at the teacher. "I should get my asauchi," he thought aloud, sort of wavering upon whether or not he should take it. Still, he managed to keep his breathing even against the pressure, mood switching and all.

That look he was being given was just a little unsettling. It was like the man was trying to look hard enough to see clear through to his bones. Katoji swallowed, shifting uneasily where he stood, but he kept his wide-eyed gaze upon Hitohiko, unable to keep from looking the man over as well. There was decidedly something different about him, but then most of the teachers at the Academy were rather unique. This one just happened to be a little more obvious for his almost exotic appearance.
The hand easily drew the boy's attention again; he looked at it as it was moved, throwing a glance at Yoshinori as he was indicated, but not for more than a second since he already knew who Hitohiko was implying, and the little drop of black was watched all the way until it completed its kamikaze drop onto the floor boards. He was taking Yoshinori with him? And... even more amazing, Yoshinori was agreeing to it! Just what sort of relationship did these two have? Katoji realized that his senpai definitely had more of an edge to his tone and demeanor once Hitohiko had come and addressed them.
"...can I come too?" His mouth moved before his brain could finish working out if that was really a good thing to ask, but it was too late to retract the question now, and neither was there much uncertainty for asking it reflected in his amber eyes. No one was telling them what was happening, and if the teacher here was going to look then he very well didn't know what was going on either. It made perfect sense. Mostly. And if Hitohiko was dragging along Yoshinori, well, why couldn't Katoji come along? If only to make sure the young noble wouldn't completely lose it, although he had to admit, this was certainly a different Yoshinori than he was used to.

Hitohiko's almond-shaped eyes slid to the side and re-affixed on Yoshinori. "And what will you do with that toy sword? Where I'm taking you, you won't even be able to kill yourself with it. Unfortunately. On your knees; I don't have time for you and your endless yipping." The boy was like a Maltese pup, always barking and yipping and snapping whenever he wasn't cowering, as if that alone would convince onlookers that he was fierce. It wasn't cute even when Soul Society wasn't keeling over.
To the miniature student Hitohiko gave a brief second glance and a dry, humorless agreement. "You may come, but if you can't keep up, I will leave you behind to die. Kneel."

A terrible relationship, that's what it was. Yoshinori narrowed his gaze at the teacher, knowing that even if it was an insult to his usefulness, the man was right: they were only students. Going against a Hollow at their level was suicide.
And yet here they were, being told to go and observe these monstrocities up close.
The noble huffed, the look he cast downward saying 'fine.' He knelt in one fluid motion, hands balled up into fists on his lap as he stared ahead, looking back at Hitohiko. There was a twinge when Katoji was told the last sentence with such frankness, but he said nothing.

"Wakatta," the boy said with a curt nod, unflinching despite Hitohiko's bluntness. He had no intentions of trying to take on something as big as this on his own, but nor was he wanting to be left in the dark about it. Someone had to go find out, and even if Yoshinori seemed at odds with this teacher, that he was actually agreeing to the man's whims spoke much for...something. Katoji wasn't sure if it was out of respect or oppression. He decided not to jump to conclusions- after all, he'd only met the man just now, but then first impressions are always the strongest.
It was easy for him to kneel at a word, his legs having wanted to give out earlier, but the break from running around had certainly helped, at least a little. He didn't ask questions- the more questions, the more time wasted, and in such instances, time was not something to be wasted.

"Your manners," Hitohiko told Yoshinori as the young man sank down in assent, "Are unforgivable. How do you live with yourself?" Yet despite the words he said, there was an airy, casual quality to the tone that implied that although what he said was true, no particular animosity was attached to it. He raised his right arm and drew back the sleeve with his left hand while Katoji knelt as well.
Ink ran like blood down the inside of his arm, and Hitohiko had a complexion as pale as chilled milk, whiter and brighter than even the silver crown of horns that sat above his brow. With pinkie and index fingers holding back his sleeve, Hitohiko seized Yoshinori's chin and yanked his head up straight using the thumb, fore and middle fingers of the same hand. With the wet fingers of his right hand raised, he leaned over the boy's head and began to trace a symbol across the center of his forehead in quick, precise strokes. The ink proved to be much colder than the skin it was on.
"Whatever you do, do not touch it. Don't even touch your face. Nothing happens to this mark until I remove it myself. Can you handle that one, simple order?" Hitohiko pushed Yoshinori's face away briskly and turned on the younger student, reaching out to do the same.

His manners were fine. He could stand to behave a little more properly with Hitohiko, but the last time he tried, it didn't work out. None of that was important right now, not when the words had no exact tone to them.
Whatever Hitohiko was now doing just made Yoshinori stop. It was an eerie feeling, but it also made him wonder what the teacher had in mind. The young noble barely had time to react when he felt the ink's coolness touch him. Wait - didn't this stuff just explode and sizzle earlier?! He froze in place, eyes staying wide open as each stroke was written skillfully. The order was simple, yes; as Yoshinori was pushed back, he nodded curtly, his skin prickling.

Not knowing what to expect, Katoji kept still and waited, watching. He also listened, which only made him wonder more what was up between the two. He'd never heard anyone speak to Yoshinori so, much less ever see the young noble act in such a tense, annoyed manner. It was nice to see him gain something of a backbone rather than be so easily flustered. Perhaps Chitaka would even be proud! Of course, she'd likely also be upset at Hitohiko for treating her master like he had. Katoji kept from saying anything on Yoshinori's behalf, quite simply because he didn't know what to say. As he had decided earlier, drawing things out here would get them to where they wanted to go no quicker.
Where was that ink coming from? ...was it even ink? Katoji watched the contrasting tones as black trailed down that pale arm, and out of reflex he squinted as Hitohiko traced out a symbol upon his forehead in like manner as he had to Yoshinori. If this was some sort of kidou, it was sure a strange method, but then the boy supposed he could hardly say for certain when he was only a beginner in learning the demon arts. "Yes sir," he murmured, balling his hands into fists at his sides so he wouldn't absently have them brushing at his face.

"He spends his free time with a murderer, but see how he flinches away from me," commented Hitohiko dryly. He squeezed his fist around his sleeve as he stepped back and wrung a dark puddle of ink out on the ground, carelessly stepping in it a moment later. As the toes of his tabi slowly turned black and as their foreheads began to bleed out cold, thin rivulets of ink, Hitohiko drew the sword he wore at his hip, held it up high and then brought it down sharply over the stone head of a statue that stood beside a window. "Kenka shinaide, Oroboros." The blade shattered like brittle ice, sent a rain of mirrored fragments smoking to the ground. They bounced, steaming, scattering, dissolving.
The shinigami carelessly abandoned even the hilt of his sword as that, too, fell away in ice and smoke. Without alarm for the zanpakutou he'd just destroyed, he reached out with his fingertips to touch the image he'd painted on their faces. "These will come with us," he said. "Break them."

This....this was extraordinarily creepy. The second year student gasped as the ink ran from the seals, the cold running through his body. No, he can't scream now, either - it wouldn't be good. Instead, he bit onto his lower lip, his brow furrowing as he tried to concentrate on what was going on.
"..." He didn't move from his spot, disoriented by the shards and smoke. Break them? That didn't sound good at all.

Hardened amber, the type that trapped insects in their yellow prison for years and years. The look wasn't quite a glare, but it carried with it a spark as though ignited by flint. The boy bit down on any comment, but neither did he look away from the man. The coolness of the ink on his skin ate away at whatever flush of a temper might have appeared, and in the next instant Hitohiko had released his zanpakutou- and promptly struck it to smithereens.
Katoji was unable to hold back a small gasp at that, watching the shining bits cascade to the floor in that glassy, glimmery sound. And then he found himself staring, nearly cross-eyed as Hitohiko placed a finger at the symbol on his forehead. /Break/?? The boy held his breath...

When Hitohiko called on his zanpakutou and asked it not to fight, it was so simple for him to take along any inanimate objects he was touching, should he want to, that he no longer had to think about it. Taking living things along was much more difficult and had taken him an uncountable number of years to accomplish. The zanpakutou took a solid, cohesive spiritual body and broke it into billions of tiny, separate segments: harmless to other spiritual bodies of the same type at this stage should anyone happen to run into them, but an incredibly unsettling sensation for the person it was happening to. There was no pain, he was sure, but everyone who had been willing to speak to him about it afterwards had described the sensation differently than the last, so eventually he'd stopped bothering to warn others; he never knew what to warn them about.
"I appreciate that you may feel sick or unpleasant right now," he said, which was only half untrue. "But please recover quickly. Keeping both of you together is going to give me a headache before long." Hitohiko would rather leave a student behind than return with a student whose leg or elbow he'd let fall off somewhere.

Whatever he just did right now was still very confusing to the noble. However, it also brought a strange sense of awe. Of course, Hitohiko's concern came up soon after all of it finished, Yoshinori's gaze flickering as he quietly follows the odd commands. It wouldn't do to lag behind anyway.
Mentioning the sickness and unpleasantness made the second year feel off; power of suggestion? He shook his head, giving a glance over at Katoji to see if he fared any better.

This was new. It was also unexpected, and with it came uneasiness for this unique mode of transportation. That was what Katoji supposed he could liken it to, although he wasn't quite certain what was taking place. He said nothing and was reluctant to try moving lest he make Hitohiko's task any more complicated than it was. The boy felt dizzy, but it felt like he hadn't moved at all. Trying to work out how that contradiction even made sense only made his head hurt, and it wasn't like the thick reiatsu that plagued the air had gotten any lesser. It was a bit late to realize that if they were going to its source, the feeling would only get much, much worse.

Hitohiko stretched both of his arms over his head like a child waking from a heavy nap while the boys got their bearings. For him, this fragmented state was much lighter, so much more liberating, than the paltry, every day flesh he clumped around in. He felt a little younger each time, and as those who had known him two or three hundred years ago could attest, the clock seemed to be ticking backwards, not forward, for Hitohiko. (Although not far enough back to excuse taking children into an un-scouted battleground.)
"The roof," he ordered, dropping his hands back to his sides and sweeping past both students. This would be fun, even! He'd never felt so much heavy, blood-thirsty reiatsu in Soul Society before, and although it would be over far too soon to relish and study, he was certain there'd be more than enough time to record a whole library's worth. Although he wasn't humming when he siezed the lowest rung of the ladder, there was so much enthusiasm in the way he pattered up to the roof that his ponytail /bounced/. "Concentrate, brats. Which direction is the worst of it coming from?" he called down as he pulled himself out on to the roof.

Back up to the roof? Back into an open area of crazed reiatsu that felt like it was crushing the very bones inside of them? Yoshinori opened his mouth, closing after two seconds when he thought better of saying anything questioning that order. He stood up slowly, still feeling the weight of the first, but also now feeling the effect of the second. It was very hard to manage, but it made moving a little easier.
And then Hitohiko went on ahead filled with some sort of boundless energy.

"....."

Again, he was at a loss for words. Yoshinori grabbed onto the rung of the ladder, climbing up slower than he usually would.

But... we just came from up there... Katoji would have said as much, but he didn't want to sound like he was complaining, especially to this teacher that seemed to enjoy needling Yoshinori into being pushed over his limits. His legs felt numb from kneeling- probably more because of Hitohiko's doing - it felt weird once he started to actually try following the two. He would have been more amused at the latter's eagerness and haste in making way to the roof if it wasn't for the feeling that his head and stomach were at odds with seeing how long one would outlast the other before giving into motion sickness.
Katoji valiantly pushed the thoughts from his mind as he clambered up to the roof. He paled at the question- he did that already and it hadn't been very fun. Still, he -had- asked to come along... Closing his eyes to help gather his bearings, the boy tried to open his senses again, prepared to be hit by the worst of it. It felt muffled somehow, but he could still tell that it was there, even if he didn't feel it as much as he had in his earlier attempts. A glance was thrown Yoshinori's way before Katoji looked out towards the edge of the roof. "....it's..." Too much. He shook his head, looking again before pointing out a direction. "-or... maybe... agh, I can't tell- but it seems like there's more concentrated that way..."

All of Hitohiko's questions were rhetorical unless he happened to get an answer that interested him or unless he was asking uncomfortable questions for the sake of making the person he was asking them of squirm. Dealing with him effectively took a certain measure of practise, skill and timing. Already he had tuned the boys' voices out, and by the time they were both up on the roof, he was standing at the edge with one foot up on the railing and his eyes fixed on something far away in the horizon.
The more he reached for it, the more certain he was that all of the students should remain indoors, with the instructors preparing them for evacuation on stand-by. In fact, he was absolutely certain that was the wisest choice Satsue could make at this time. Hitohiko turned to look over his shoulder, eyes gone foxy with amusement.
"A hundred lives were just extinguished to the West. Get up, hurry! We'll see none of it if we stay here." And he raised his hands, left and right, white and black, turned palm-up for them to take. They wouldn't be able to keep up at all if he didn't help them rush in.

Hitohiko was really scaring him now. He's never seen the teacher like this. It was weird. Staggering a little, Yoshinori swallowed, his voice sounding strained. "What?!" Really?!? Crimson eyes dart over at the horizon before fixing back on the hands of the one who called them over.
This was no time to turn back now. Yoshinori's brow furrowed, the second year moving closer to where Hitohiko stood. What other choice was there? They certainly couldn't go back inside with the rest of them. The noble's hand reached out toward the upturned palm, grasping when he probably wouldn't. A strange concept, but it was best to figure it out much later.

And he wants to -go- there??? Katoji once again threw a look at Yoshinori, an inquiring one that clearly asked: Is he okay? He didn't have time to wait for a reply as Hitohiko was clearly in a hurry to get them all killed. A hundred lives? Really? The boy swallowed as he stepped forward and lifted his own hand, hesitantly at first before finally taking hold of that which had been extended towards him.

"Can't you hear me when I speak?" Hitohiko wondered. He grasped first Yoshinori's thin, bird-like hand, then gripped Katoji's round, hard little hand. He compared them briefly, but when he realised what he was doing, he said, "I wonder what Satsue was worried about?" He lurched over the railing with both boys in tow and not a word of warning.
Hitohiko's flashsteps turned out to be shockingly normal. He took them in great, leopard-like bounds, pouncing from gable to chimney to drain spout in a staggered, pattern-less zig-zag. Once, while passing near the 4th Gotei house, it became obvious that he was dodging the panicked squads of shinigami being dispatched to the city's gates. A thing like that could easily give one the impression that he was knowingly breaking the law, but instead of giving an excuse or explanation as he hurried beneath a broad bridge with both boys in his grasp, he laughed a little beneath his breath and ducked beneath a low copse of trees to shield them from the eyes of the shinigami passing close by.
By the time the West Gate came into view, Hitohiko was possessed by a kind of cheerful, drunken abandon. "Deep breaths, then hold them," he called merrily. His hard, smooth fingers dug into their hands with surprisingly strength, his feet hit the road once, and then his bounding flashsteps become one bright, blinding blur of colour.
For his passengers, leaving Seireitei was just ten long, terrifying seconds glaring lights, with no air, no gravity, no sound except a huge, drawn-out cracking, as if a great sheet of ice were splitting painfully in half.
When gravity and oxygen came flooding back, the feeling of his white-hot grip was the first thing that felt solid, followed closely by the hard ground beneath their feet. He released them both at the same time, raising his hands with a magician's flourish and turning around to survey the landscape he stood on. To the south and north stretched a black and gnarled forest. Behind them, a dusty, stone-filled road, and to the west, a wide, low city, smoke rising from its heart in a grey-black plume. Hitohiko raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun so that he could stare in the direction of the smoke, and when he lowered his hand, the shadow remained beneath his eyes, like tar.
"Devastating, isn't it? Have you figured out what they're trying to accomplish by sending monsters of this level into Rukongai yet?"

The words will have to be disregarded for now. He can hear them just fine, but the comments Yoshinori comes up with are stuck in his throat. Everything he says is usually thrown back at him anyway, so it's no use trying. Seriously - Hitohiko will be the death of him. Or worse.
The thoughts continue to reel with what has been stated, his own feet stepping forward when the teacher moves, a short stumble taking place before catching himself in order to keep up. Shunpo isn't a problem at all at this speed, and Yoshinori does well enough. Crimson eyes do take in whatever action is going on around them, but nothing can be done to actually see how well each squad is doing to keep the situation under control. The noble then ducks his head once they reach the trees, feeling the brush of stray branches and whatnot in passing.
Strange how things suddenly start to speed up. Yoshinori glances sideways at Hitohiko, mouth gaping a little before he does whatever the crazed person says. The breath is taken too quickly. With his heart racing, he squints, light and speed overwhelming. Seconds never seem like seconds, but once it's over the noble coughs, shuddering as he is released. The new venue brings him to focus away from staring at his hand, the burning sensation fading from his mind as the question is posed. "...Not exactly," he starts, but he pauses. "Still, it is strange to have something of this size happening all at once. It's...distracting..." Wrong or right, Yoshinori will just have to wait for the verdict as the veil of worry hovers overhead.

He hadn't even had time to yelp as he found himself yanked up and over the stubborn railing that tried so hard to prevent people from leaving its feeble perimeter of protection from the gravity and the ground below. Automatically his feet began to move in some effort to maybe make himself less of a burden, although it seemed as though Hitohiko had no problem towing the both of them along. Katoji watched as things passed them by in a blur, not due to terribly great speed, but the erratic path of movement the shinigami chose to take them. The boy jerked a look towards Hitohiko with the laugh, the questions that had been jostled off the tracks of his train of earlier thought slowly being replaced: Just who was this teacher, one who was able to make Yoshinori act so differently, one who eagerly sought out this new danger, one who was making it quite apparent that he didn't want to get caught doing it!
Katoji didn't take the time to wonder, having learned by then that with Hitohiko there was no time for hesitation. Obediently he inhaled, nearly blurting it right back out with the sudden shift of... everything. What, what, what..?! His head was filled with a whirl of questions once again, but even more so, he was beginning to feel dizzy and being unable to take a fresh breath was not going to help.
Soon enough- or perhaps much too soon, everything around them settled again, and Katoji gasped for air as though he'd been previously submerged underwater. He looked down at his hand where Hitohiko had held them, half expecting to see the teacher's handprint there yet. Absently he rubbed his wrist as he looked around to see where they were. That tell-tale feeling of the unnamed presence felt much closer now, and the boy wondered how they managed to still be standing at all. His eyes grew wide as he saw the smoke from the city. "...how terrible..." he murmured as he continued to stare. Hitohiko's question did not go unheard, nor did Yoshinori's reply. Slowly, Katoji shook his head. "...well... I guess that'd work if they wanted to draw the shinigami away from Seireitei... unless they just took a wrong turn..."

"Strange? This is guerilla warfare. I suppose you think it would make more sense for them to attack slowly, perhaps send us a 'repondez s'il vois plait?' Naturally, Ito, well done. A born strategist." The boy couldn't think his way out of a paper bag.
Hitohiko looked down at Katoji. "A wrong turn? Don't correct yourself, you're smarter when you don't try to think." He turned and pointed to the horizon in the East, where the white walls of Seireitei were just barely visible, like foam on the hem of the sky. "This far away is still not quite a threat. They will dispatch a few select shinigami to deal with the major threats far away from the city, which is ideal for Seireitei. This destruction?" He gave a careless wave of the hand to indicate the flames. "It means nothing to us. Only inconvenient for the wandering souls here. The shinigami will do damage control and then withdraw. We are only being prodded. Would you like to see the hollows this is all attracting? This is a feast for them."

Of course. Yoshinori feels a jab, but he doesn't need to reply. Strategizing was never a strongpoint and choosing to say this much already proves he needs to work on that. And to say that to Katoji deserves protest, but there's just something about the teacher that makes one shut up and listen. His brow creases, nodding slowly as Hitohiko expands on the rest of the tactics and explanations are made, his eyes wandering over the scene twice more. Well, it's not very hard to think about at all. Simplicity in planning. Then why doesn't the mind work like that all of the time?
Thus the reason why there are those in charge of Seireitei on the whole.
Yoshinori swallows. "Prodded," he murmurs, taking the residents of this particular section into quiet consideration. "...Just as long as they're all right..."
His gaze flickers with the mention of seeing the actual Hollows causing the ruckus. Usually it's something that should set off a red light. However, Yoshinori straightens instead of cowering. Like we have much of a choice, he thinks, quickly ridding himself of the somewhat defiant thought. "...Yes," he answers, his head tilting down an inch.

Rather than say anything to Hitohiko's response regarding his own observations, Katoji held his tongue, instead looking where the man pointed out, and then back in silent consideration. The following words didn't sit well with him. "...it means nothing to us.....? But... the people...." There were still people that lived there. This was farther out than he had ever been before within the Rukongai, and he knew that there was still farther districts, but all the same...
The boy swallowed, looking back at Hitohiko. "Wait... are the ones out there not hollows?" Such an immense reiatsu, whatever they were had to be big! Katoji glanced at Yoshinori, nodding weakly in turn. They were out this far to see what was going on, no use in turning back now.

[Log] 54 - Noble Effort - Ripples III

2008-08-27T07:04:52Z

Date: 08-26-08
Characters: Katoji, Yoshinori
Summary: After finding Yoshinori, Katoji and the upper classman head up to see if they can find out anything else about the sudden shift of the atmosphere.

-=[Room 313 - Shinigami Academy]=-----------------------------------------------
Upon arrival, the first thing a visitor would notice is the floor. Cushions of many different shapes, sizes, and colors nearly take up most of the space, making hard to walk across the room normally if one isn't use to stepping on soft things. The room's elaborate decor is the other main attraction here; a gaint shelf of dark-lacquered wood takes up half of the wallspace next to the window each divider filled with miscellaneous objects just screaming out wealth and status. Seven vases are set in one row, each meticulously designed...and full of yellow flowers. Adjacent to the window, a small box-shaped brazier sits with a fancy kettle set for boiling water for tea. Small antique cabinets line up against the wall opposite of the shelf, their contents probably full of sent items from home. The low black lacquered table with subtle floral designs rests in the center, contrasting greatly with the cushions. The second year's bedding, padded with extra blankets to spare, is set farthest from the door.

It's nice. And...comfortable.

What.

It was the first word that came to mind when it happened. Everything else after that started to mentally collapse as the unseen pressure changed.
He was minding his own business, as usual. Academic work and other activities needed to be done, and Yoshinori wasn't going to start failing those classes. Nothing was touched or had been picked up after the moment passed, a couple of the items stored among the shelves and inside the small cabinets shaken or knocked over. Two of the vases are broken, but it has yet to be noticed.
Although everything else seems all right, the extra blankets and pillows have fallen onto the bedding, some of the cushions spilling over and ending at the low table. A minor fix. And yet, it looks like the pile of softness is still sort of shaking.

"Ito-senpai..!" The first shout comes from just outside the door. Katoji steadies himself by the wall as he tries to use his senses to worm past the heavy feeling of the impressive reiatsu that still threatens to overwhelm him. Vaguely he feels it, or believe he does. It's enough, and without further hesitation the boy throws open the door. "Ito-senpai, are you here...?" he says as he steps into the room. His amber eyes scan the cushion-ridden floor after sweeping the room at eye-level. He blinks, then starts towards the unusual pile. "...is that you...?"

The pile moves slightly as a voice is heard, jolting again when the door bangs against the other cabinet sitting behind it. And although sitting under a pile of soft things makes everything else sound mute, the voice is clear enough to recognize. "...Chihara-san...?" comes a muffled response between a blanket and an ornate cushion. He opens an eye and peeks through to see that it is, indeed, the first year.
"Ch-Chihara-san!" Ito's head breaks the makeshift fort, the pillow on top of his head sliding off to the side as everything else 'crumbles' around him. "You felt it too? Oh, so I wasn't going crazy!" The young noble has an extreme look of worry and panic written all over his face, his lower lip now being bitten.

Katoji isn't sure how he'd look right now, but he hopes it's better than he had earlier when he and Umeko had first felt the spike of reiatsu outside. He's managed to get over his trembling, or at least so long as he wasn't standing still for long, but the smile he grants Yoshinori seems strained all the same. "Y-yeah. I'm not sure what it is... except that it's not -here-." He wants to make that part clear at least. For now they are safe... he hopes.
"You okay, Ito-senpai? I left Yukieda-san and some of the others downstairs cuz I wanted to see if you were here..." His legs wanted to fold beneath him. He'd run inside with Umeko, and then he'd gone and run upstairs after departing from his other classmates' company. A mistep is all it takes for him to give in to his exhaustion, his foot setting down on the edge of another cushion, resulting in him falling forward. Well, at least his landing would be soft.

He breathes a ragged sigh of relief, trying to return the smile in his overwhelmed state of mind. "I, I-I'm okay. Now. Sort of." Hearing that some of the others are gathered in one place is good. Yoshinori really didn't think that Katoji would go through all that much trouble to see if he's all right. However, he's glad that the boy did. "I-I hope the others are okay too, you know? The, the teachers an-"
Crimson eyes widen as Katoji goes down, the pillow pile breaking as Yoshinori goes to catch the first year. "Chihara-san!!" He aims the boy's head from hitting the cushions with the same amount of force, but there is still enough padding to keep from any real injuries. The noble just landed roughly, too.

It is a rather dizzying split-second of not being able to tell which side is up and which is down, but it ends with Katoji finding himself on the floor, held by the older student. "A-ah! I'm sorry Ito-senpai!" he stammers, trying to sit back up so he can see if Yoshinori is all right. A lot of good coming up to check on him would do if Katoji ends up being the one at fault for him needing a check-up!

"It's fine, it's fine," Yoshinori repeats softly, still worried about his small friend. It's dangerous to run that much and not have the stamina for it! At least Katoji is responding, thankfully. After helping the younger student sit upright, he breathes a little easier. Closing his eyes, the noble frowns slightly. "Let's...let's try this again. W-who else is there with Yukieda-san?"

The boy nods, finding it not to have been all that great an idea as his he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment to stave off the dizziness. "Uemiya-san... and Kierre-san," he replies, amber eyes opening again once he's certain he can do so without sprawling over. "I... haven't seen anyone else, but hopefully they're still on campus..." Where is Antoku? He isn't in this building, otherwise Katoji would have been aware by now. It still felt as though something was trying to sit on his head, and he wonders how long the presence of whatever it is would linger. Absently he wondered if the buildings would collapse beneath it if it lasted any longer.

The Academy never really did practice drills, did they? Surely they've had some sort of verbal warnings, at least. Yoshinori nods, furrowing his brow. Regathering his thoughts is harder this time around, but he manages to get some of them together. "Were you going to try finding the teachers? I'm sure everyone has enough sense around here to some sort of head count..." It does make more sense to outside if something like this keeps happening. "Ah..."

Blink. "Ah... well, we would have gotten around to that eventually..." Katoji says, scratching the back of his head in the way he usually does when he's nervous. "You'd think they'd be over to tell us what happened by now..." But no one's told them anything yet. Maybe no one really knows what's going on, and that thought worries him. The boy frowns and gets to his feet, hands squishing into cushions as he does so. No point in hiding in a room as if the answer will come to them.
"...come on, Ito-senpai," he says. He knows he can't very well go out to investigate the thing at its source, not when it is able to floor him at this range, but if there's any other way to find answers that he can think of, he'll certainly try the alternatives.

The young noble stays silent for a while, thinking about whatever Katoji hammers out. Still kneeling, he nods curtly, his expression sobering. In a rare situation such as this, he would have gone straight to his parents. Toshiaki-san was the next best person to go to since he probably was use to it. None of the candidates listed were present, however. If he only had a bit more courage, Yoshinori would be fine. Well, it's a good thing he can work with his current mindset.
The second year gets up moments after the first year does, smoothing out his uniform briefly before speaking. "Where exactly are we going first?"

The boy is already picking his way through the cushions and towards the door. "The roof," he says, not even sparing Yoshinori a glance back- he doesn't want to end up on the floor again, no matter how soft a landing would be provided. He reaches the doorway and turns, waiting for the upper classman to follow.

He says nothing else, accepting Katoji's resolve for the time being. It's questionable, but he can see that the younger student knows something he does not. Yoshinori follows in silence, trying to maintain his calm.

No, not really. Katoji isn't even sure that they'll be able to see anything from the roof, but it's someplace that's still on campus and yet gave something of a view of Seireitei. At the very least perhaps they'd be able to see some of the teachers and other students from there.
Katoji steps outside and makes his way down the hall towards the ladder. It feels like it takes forever to cross the hall, the air still thick that the boy half expects it to turn visible. His hand sets upon the rungs in front of him, and he glances over his shoulder for Yoshinori before he begins to pull himself up.

Yoshinori gives the boy more credit than he should, but that's how it works. He can also feel something intangible weighing down on him, his senses starting to overwhelm again. This will not end good if he can't stay focused. Drawing in a sharp breath, he strides down the hall as fast as he could, still feeling the pressure.
Once he gets to the ladder, he pauses, head hanging down in order to recollect his bearings. The noble then looks up, giving Chihara a small smile for reassurance. He'll get on the ladder after Katoji has gone up some more.

A part of him wonders if the feeling will be worse again once he gets outside. He doesn't stop climbing until he's reached the outside, and once there he all but collapses down on the roof. It had been more tiring than he thought, going up, but he felt that if he stopped in the middle of it, he wouldn't be able to continue.
The floor of the roof isn't the cleanest place to lie on, and knowing this, Katoji forces himself to stand again. He lifts his head, half-heartedly dusting his uniform off as he looks towards the railing and past to see if he can get a glimpse of... well, anything, really.

Maybe climbing up wasn't such a good idea, after all. Yoshinori feels like there is more weight added onto him every time he passes the previous rung. Eventually, it settles heavily upon him when he reaches the top, forcing the noble stay crouched. As if being on his knees is anything new.
It feels like his chest is going to cave in. Hopefully, it doesn't. "Chihara-san," he says hastily, gasping and glancing over at the other student. Here, he tries to move, crawling before getting back up on his feet. "...Anything?"

Somehow or another Katoji has made it over to the railing. He doesn't go too close, not trusting it to hold up his weight if the atmospheric effects added to it. He stares into the distance, looking around slowly from his vantage point. And when his eyes fail to show him anything more than the scenery he is familiar with, he closes them to risk trying to use his reiatsu senses again.
It's like opening a flood gate. Even though he expects it, the feeling is an overwhelming one that causes him to stagger. It's as if not trying to concentrate as much on the already nearly palpable presence that hangs around them acts like an automatic buffer. He gains a vague sense of a large spread of whatever it is that's out there- multiple points of origin? No wonder it feels so strong...!
He feels his hand on the railing, grasping it tightly. It takes some effort to try blocking it out again, a feeling that wants to bring him to his knees. Gasping, Katoji forces himself to remain standing, and he looks back out at the grounds of the Academy that sprawl out beneath them. No one is in sight. He's hoping that means everyone's inside.

"Chihara-san?" He's not answering. The noble's cry isn't as clear as he thought it was with all of the interference. What is the boy trying to do?
Yoshinori struggles, taking a few more steps before he stops again. Shoulders slump forward as he rests his hands near hs knees, his head barely lifting to keep an eye on the other student. His timing couldn't be better. "Chihara! Stop!" Stay standing, please, Yoshinori thinks, stepping forward. If he tried to do what Katoji did just now, it probably would have been the same. He doesn't want the boy to do too much in one sitting. "Let's go back. It's too intense up here!"

Are his brains leaking out of his ears yet? He wouldn't be surprised if it is at this point. The boy is barely aware that Yoshinori is there. The words sound so far away, but the flicker of a familiar reiatsu is something much appreciated, much needed to be felt. He grasped for it, held onto it. Slowly Katoji backed away from the edge of the roof and towards Yoshinori. He's shaking again, reaching a hand back to try grabbing for the other student's. His body simply wants to fall and curl in upon itself. Not here. He can't. A rough gesture is all he can manage. Back to the ladder!

Hopefully there isn't any of that. That would be bad, and adding that onto the matter at hand will make it worse. Pushing himself, Yoshinori reaches for Katoji, a hand grabbing for the boy's wrist as the other tries to keep him from falling over. He does see the motion, glancing at the scenery and then over toward the ladder. Now, to get back over there with a person in tow...
With a grunt, the noble moves rigidly, making sure Katoji is still able to follow along. A step, three steps. He pauses to take a breath, knees bending under the invisible force. No, they can't be overtaken by this. Yoshinori pushes off the roof, lifting Katoji the best he can to /run/ over to the ladder. He also yells, but again, it's distorted by the reiatsu. This goes fairly well, each step staggering up to where the ladder stood quietly. Grabbing the rung, the noble kneels roughly, ushering the other student to go down first.

Although he's thankful for the help, the sudden extra assistance in moving does not help for his stomach suddenly feeling about ready to hurl. Everything's moving both too much and not at all. He feels them stopping, he opens his eyes even though he hasn't realized when he'd shut them. Now, if only he can manage without falling. Katoji slips past Yoshinori and takes hold of the top rung, lowering his foot down until he can feel another rung beneath it. The going is slow, but he doesn't want to miss a step. Down, one hand, one foot, other hand, other foot, one hand, one fo-
He misses, the sudden drag of his own weight pulling his hands free from the rung. It's... a short fall since he'd at least made it little more than half way down. He lands on his back, groaning for a moment before he forces himself to roll to the side in case Yoshinori should step on him.

Everything looks good now that Katoji clambers do-
Oh shoot, he fell. Yoshinori gasps as he lowers himself down, the invisible weight lifting a little from his body. He touches down carefully on the floor, dropping into a kneeling position next to the poor boy. "Chihara, are you okay?" the noble asks, sounding exhausted and worried. His head bows for a moment, but he brings it back up again, dark bangs fluttering with the movement. "I...I'm sorry, not warning you about that. But...b-but you shouldn't have strained yourself up there! That...it was too much." He extends a hand, offering to help Katoji up.

Still lying on his side, the boy shook his head. At least it's easier for him to hear Yoshinori's words now. The fall managed to help clear his head a bit. The general feeling of the heavy atmosphere hasn't gone away with it though, unfortunately. "...I...think I'll be okay. ...shouldn'ta done that..." Katoji attempts a laugh. Slowly he sets a hand flat on the floor to begin trying to push himself up, and only then does he reach for Yoshinori's extended hand to help get to his feet. "Ow, ow...."

"Let's at least run by the clinic later, just to check," the second year adds, letting go when Katoji finds his balance. He also stands up, tilting his head. "And...maybe there are some people over there, too," he murmurs, thinking about it some more. Groups of students shouldn't be too hard to find if they're in large numbers. That would just leave their friends, but they should be checked up on, too. He looks at Katoji again, blinking. "Are you sure you're okay?" Concerned, that's all.

Katoji smiles wearily, giving a small nod. Anything bigger would have caused him to stumble again. "I'm fine- I'll be a lot better once... whatever that is goes away. It's... spread out though, from what I could tell. Which isn't very much..." he admits. "Didn't see anyone else out on campus so I'm hoping they're all inside..."

More than one source. It only makes sense. The noble nods, making a concerned noise. "That's good. The others being inside, anyway," he says softly, running a hand over his head. Just as long as it passes, and as long as it's taken care of by the Shinigami...
"I suppose we should move, then," he proposes, still a little shaky from all that has happened.

Better than one giant source. Now -that- would be terrifying. Katoji's only heard about how strong captain class levels are, and could only imagine what their reiatsu felt like. He has the feeling he doesn't want to experience this up close, especially if it might be like this.
"...yeah... let's go..." His steps still uneasy, the boy makes his way along the hall at Yoshinori's suggestion, keeping along the wall in case his legs decide to give out.

[Log] 53 - Strength In Numbers - Ripples II

2008-08-24T06:19:46Z

Date: 08-23-08
Characters: Fione, Katoji, Matsuhiro, Umeko
Summary: Umeko and Katoji run back into the Academy and come across a couple of their classmates, but unfortunately none of them have any more information for what's going on.

Though whatever out there was still making her stomach churn and her limbs feel a little heavy, Umeko pressed on through the Academy to try and find whoever she could. There was something going on, and while there was little any student could do, she did not want to sit idly by or cower alone. It was a good thing that she had been with Katoji when it had happened, as it had given her a little courage.
Coming into the dormitory wing, Umeko had been running (or at least the best run she could muster). She came to a slow stop once she came around the corner, slumping over and putting her hands on her knees as she panted. It was a pity that she had not learned to shunpo, and that whatever was out there had drained her a little. Casting a gaze down the hallway, Umeko was unable to call out but looked to see if anyone was there all the same. Everyone else might have gone into hiding already, which was something she worried about.

His first instinct would have been to shunpo, but he figured the last thing they needed was him colliding with anyone. Besides, his legs were still shaking that he was lucky enough to still be able to run alongside Umeko as they had made it into the building. Neither of them had spoken since they had entered, saving their breath to carry them to where their friends and fellow schoolmates were to make sure everything was all right, perhaps even find out what in the world was going on.
Even though Katoji hadn't been speeding down the hall, he nearly went right on past Umeko when the girl turned the corner to stop. He didn't bother to backtrack once he slowed to stop as well, setting a hand against the wall adjacent from her as he tried to catch his breath. He wouldn't usually be so winded from such a run, but panic had certainly played a better part for wearing him down. The boy glanced down the hall to the residences that stretched ahead of them, trying to see who he could sense by reiatsu, at least until they found the strength to continue.

Fione's senses are poorly developed still, which is probably the only thing keeping her stable at the moment. She's worried, but at the same time oddly content, now that she's successfully completed becoming Iesada-sensei's secretary.
Now her thoughts are turning to her family, but she's fighting against the urge to reach out with her senses and grasp around. Just meeting Kurotsuchi-taichou when he was relaxed had overwhelmed her, whatever must be out there would be even further beyond that. Which makes her moody as she again focuses on her insufficencies.
As such, she's trying to push her concerned thoughts away as she heads to her room, seeking a voice of reason that awaits her there. Hopefully a voice of comfort.
Of course as she comes down the hall she sees people ahead of her, "Oh... Chihara-san and..." She pauses, "Um... Y... Sorry, I can't recall your name offhand..." She blushes a bit. The two may notice that she's a bit sweaty, from running around earlier, but she's had her chance to regain her breath since.

That unexpected surge of reiatsu had come as a shock, but Matsuhiro refused to allow himself to show any signs of worry. Whatever was out there was at some distance, and though is own senses were far too poor to discern just how far, he could tell clearly enough that it wasn't coming any nearer. So he was in a much better state than the two that had come sprinting into the hallway.
Rather than sprinting in from points unknown, he was descending rather calmly from the second floor library, his history text book still tucked carefully under one arm. From the bottom of the stairs, the first person he saw was Fione, whom he regarded with only an arched brow. This was mainly because it took only a moment longer to recognize the pair that stood catching their breath.
The disinterested expression faded and he stepped fully into the hallway, moving past Katoji towards Umeko. "Umeko-chan? Are you all right?"

Her eyes followed Katoji as he passed, but movement and voice elsewhere caught her attentions. Umeko saw a girl down the hall that she had only seen once or twice, and only now had she ever thought of introducing herself. She felt a little bad, as these were not really the right cirumstances. "Ah, Yukieda... Yukieda Umeko. I'm afraid I've never introduced myself, I'm sorry." She blushed, too, and lowered her head in a bow as she stood up straight.
Another voice made her blush strengthen, and she lifted her eyes only a little to see that Matsuhiro was approaching. Her hands folding in front of her own chest, she replied softly. "Yes, I'm alright... I'm glad to see you're alright, too." She noticed how calmed he seemed despite the circumstances. Looking around a little, she felt a need to inquire. "...So I'm sure everyone felt that, right...?"

Trying to openly use his reiatsu senses only earned him more of a headache than he'd started with, any immediate presences being muffled with the ever heavy feeling that still hung in the air. Maybe with the number of people inside it dampened the other feeling? It certainly seemed worse for what it was when he and Umeko had been outside.
"Kierre-san.." he panted as he saw the girl coming towards them, the relief of seeing others growing when Katoji saw Matsuhiro come down and then begin to approach them as well. "Uem-" He was passed right by. The smile that had been half-way on his face hung in place as if uncertain whether to resume or fade. Katoji drew himself up from the wall, and he glanced back at Fione since Umeko was handling the inquiries. "Anyone say anything? What is it..?"

The blonde girl blinked as she turned to the new arrival, her head bobbing in greeting to him before she spoke, "Kierre... Fione." She replied, a bit hesitantly. There was no use in going into her family at a time like this.
"Yeah... I know." She replied to the inquiry about feeling that, with a somewhat dismissive tone. Her gaze then fell on her room door further down the hall. She hesitates at Katoji's question, but for now remains silent, looking a bit torn about waiting here or going to her room.
"Are you three okay?"

He hadn't meant to ignore Katoji, but Umeko had seemed to be in a bit worse shape than his roommate. Or perhaps it was simply because Matsuhiro felt the other young man was a bit more capable of taking care of himself. Really, it was a compliment!
Matsuhiro placed a hand briefly on Umeko's shoulder before turning to face the others once more. "There have been no orders... and no information." This, he frowned at, glancing over his shoulder towards the dormitory exit. "But yes... I felt it. It doesn't seem to be moving closer..." Of course, despite the confident tone, Matsuhiro really was a poor judge of if it was moving closer or not. Any real ability to detect reiatsu was not from any talent of his, no matter how much he might have pretended.

There was comfort in Matsuhiro's gesture, and she managed the smallest of smiles. But, despite how safe they might have felt at the moment, Umeko could not help but feel dread. Whatever was out there, despite the fact that it was not moving anywhere, it was horrible. And, if it was where she thought it was...
Looking to Fione, she nodded, but a different worry had settled in, and it was apparent in her expression. Looking between the other three, Umeko paused a moment then spoke out softly. "... To me... it felt like it was someone was trying to choking me from miles and miles away..." It sounded a little crazy, but there was no other way to describe it. "Katoji-kun and I felt it when we were sitting under Keiei-Ue... we came in here looking for everyone." She could not exactly remember what they were supposed to do in an emergency situation, but she felt it was best to at least find where everyone else was going.

That Fione acted so indifferently in regards to the situation bothered him. Has the girl felt such a thing before then? Katoji was pretty sure he'd show a bit more concern even if it wasn't the first time for something like this to happen, and even if they were safer here, what about those that were wherever the source of the presence was?
Matsuhiro's words brought small comfort, and once he got a better hold of himself, Katoji was able to confirm that it with his own senses. He nodded slowly, again in agreement with Umeko. The sudden drop of reiatsu was almost stifling. "...I hope everything's okay out there... wherever it's coming from...." he said worriedly, glancing back down the hall they'd come running through but a while ago.

A soft sigh escape's the blonde's lips, "Just remain calm and indoors. Iesada-sensei's here. As are... some of the other teachers." She speaks very softly, as if she's still a bit uncertain.
She then begins to walk towards her room again, slowly, still feeling unnerved but trying not to show it outwardly. Not that she's doing a very good job at all of keeping it out of her eyes, even if her voice is level.
"Its hard, but we should remain here for now... We can look into family and friends once things are safe again..." She mutters, a hint of her worry actually making it into her voice for a moment.

Though Matsuhiro had no real personal worries regarding loved ones in danger in Rukongai, he still felt at least a measure of concern on behalf of his roommate and Umeko. He still hadn't moved from Umeko's side, but with his hand still on her shoulder he began to lead her gently down the hallway towards her door. Out of all of them, she seemed to be in the worst state of mind, if only by a little.
As he moved slowly down the hallway, he couldn't help but glance back over his shoulder once more in the general direction of the reiatsu he'd felt and then, almost to himself, he murmured, "What do you think it could have been?" Though he wouldn't admit his own senses were far too dull to notice any distinctions other than that overwhelming pressure, he still couldn't help but wonder aloud just what was going on out there.

Umeko moved along as she was guided, but she stopped short of her doorway. She didn't want to be alone, left to worry and dwell upon her thoughts. She turned a little, looking up at Matsuhiro for a few moments before letting her eyes drop. "...I don't know what it was, but it was horrible. It couldn't have been anything good." Being young and a student, Umeko's ability to sense reiatsu was not exactly in-tune, but it was just impossible for her to not feel that there was something wrong.
"And though we may be safe here, I can't help but think of everyone out there..." Feeling that it might have been a little selfish her to say anything about her parents and friends back home, she cut herself off then, letting her hands drop to their sides. "... Is that all that is to be done? Stay in here and wait it out...?"

Katoji watched as Matsuhiro began to lead away Umeko, and he began to trail after them, not without a glance at Fione to see if she'd be coming along. Their rooms were all right near each other's anyway. The reminder about the well-being of their friends and families only weighed even more so upon him with the fact that they weren't able to know where exactly the threat was situated. What if it wasn't just one thing? Or... well, was it even a threat? Captains had pretty heavy reiatsu, right? He didn't know what to think anymore.
He shook his head, a wordless response to Matsuhiro's question, but he would agree with what Umeko had to say. Eyes looked towards the ground as he slowed to a stop some steps from them. "...I wish we could do more, Yukieda-san... but.... we still don't know for sure what it is that's out there...." He lifted his head again, and it would be obvious that he wanted very much to do something more than just stay and cower as well by the look in those amber eyes, but he knew if they could likely just be more of a liability if they ended up trying something foolish.

Fione reaches her room and opens the door as she calls back, "We're just students... If we go out we'd just cause trouble for our teachers and the other Shinigami."
With that she bolts into her room for a moment, soon emerging as she finishes affixing her small pink-sheathed blade onto her belt, her eyes looking a bit less frightened now, though she's hardly completely relaxed. She shuts the door again behind her, gently.
"It can't possibly last forever, we can get details once things clear up... So we should try to stay as relaxed as we can, the most we can do right now is help each other, I think?"

Pausing outside Umeko's door, Matsuhiro cast a brief glance to the other two. They had both responded exactly as he would so there was no need to repeat them. Though he hated to admit it, they were all still too weak to deal with something like that. Most if them, in fact, would never be strong enough even after centuries of experience. It was times like this Matsuhiro reminded himself that he needed to grow stronger so that moments like these would not have to exist in his future, not only for the sake of his family's pride, but for the sake of protecting those he cared about.
Eyes focused in on Fione again, more specifically, on the sheath she now wore. Brows creased at that action, though he had to admit it was prompted mostly from his own minor dislike for the girl. "What do you need that for?"

It was hard to admit that they could do nothing, but Umeko nodded to what Katoji and Fione said, and then swallowed hard. She had not seen her mother and father since she had left to come to the Academy, and to think that they were alone out there against... whatever it was out there was very unsettling indeed. Being powerless felt so bad that it nearly ached.
She blinked as she suddenly saw Fione dart into her room, tilting her head a little. When Fione brought out a sword, Umeko's eyes widened a little before she showed some concern. "... Anything to feel a little safer, I suppose..." Much like her own need to be around people in times like this.

A glance was given Fione's way as the girl ducked into her room and then stepped out again, armed. Her zanpakutou again? At first Katoji thought perhaps the girl was going to go against all she'd just said, but with what Umeko said, he nodded slowly, kind of wishing he had something of his own to feel a little safer. "I...guess so..." More like hoped so. Without details Katoji didn't know what they should expect. Fione's following advice was easier to be said than done.
Although he'd stopped shaking by now, he still felt restlessly uneasy just standing there. He looked at Matsuhiro almost imploringly for something more to be said, to help them with... whatever was going on. The boy wanted to comfort Umeko too, but his roommate was already at her side, and Katoji didn't think that crowding her would help very much. "....you going to be okay...?" he asked her.

Matsuhiro's question brings a soft blush to the blonde's face, but Umeko explains before she can. Fione nods ever so slightly at that, "...Kind of like the big Chappy plushie I had as a girl..." She admits at length.
The fact that Matsuhiro knows of her family is totally unknown to the girl. As is his dislike for her. She's always been downright awful at recognizing coldness towards her.
She sighs, gently running her fingers over the blade's hilt, leaving it sheathed, "I hate this..." She whispers, quietly enough that even with the proximity the others have, they might not hear her.

While Matsuhiro's uncertainty was just as strong as theirs, he felt a need to continue to put on that calm facade. They seemed to respond well to it. It was nice to think that at least he was able to do this for them. His hand remained on Umeko's shoulder even without realizing. She had always seemed so fragile...
Even if it made some degree of sense that having a zanpakutou at your side might bring some measure of comfort, Matsuhiro's opinions were still colored by those personal feelings and he did nothing more than frown briefly at the blonde girl before looking away entirely. He had already assumed that Fione had recognized him as well, or at least knew something of his family and thus felt no need to explain, or even acknowledge any rudeness he expressed to the girl. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon. There's no need to do anything more than wait."

Umeko briefly looked between Matsuhiro and Fione, and she felt a little bit of awkwardness. It may have been just her, but she sensed a little coldness coming from Matsuhiro that was aimed at Fione. It was just strange, since the hand on her shoulder was warm and comforting. What was up with that?
Feeling someone else's eyes upon her, Umeko looked around Matsuhiro to see Katoji. Katoji seemed just as disturbed as she had been, and he was isolated where he was. Not wanting to feel like he was alone, she gave him the best smile that she could muster, and nodded to try and reassure him. With friends like him and Matsuhiro, she could never fall much into despair.
Looking back at Matsuhiro and Fione, Umeko quietly put her hand on Matsuhiro's arm as she slowly lowered herself to sit. Her legs were still tired from running and from the pressure that had been put on them. "Excuse me... I think I need to sit for a little while."

He nodded at Matsuhiro. It was best to think positive in this situation. He didn't like the growing tension that he felt- not just from outside, but with the present company. Why? Anxiously, Katoji looked between those his friends- yes, he considered them all friends, even if he's only recently met with Fione and could count the times he's actually talked to her on one hand. But then that's just how he is.
Umeko's smile was just what he needed, and one he easily found himself returning in hopes to bolster the girl's confidence as well as his own. It was still awkward for them to be standing out there in the hall, or in Umeko's case, sitting, but none of them seemed to want to go anywhere further. Still, there were more than just this handful of students to check on, and although Katoji was glad to see they were all right, he wanted to see about others as well.
"I... I'm gonna go up and see if Ito-senpai's okay." Hopefully he wasn't freaking out. Maybe he could find Antoku too, although that would be a bit harder since he knew the boy had been long removed from the room on the second floor. He smiled in what he hoped was one of reassurance before he turned to move past the trio and towards the stairs at the other end of the hall.

The blonde actually has no idea who Matsuhiro is or what his family is! She doesn't share her parent's obsession with nobility, she actually believes them that she IS minor nobility. Fortunately, she hasn't noticed any rudeness from him at all, especially not with how she feels right now.
When Umeko sits down, the other girl looks to her, frowning slightly, "Are you alright? Anything I can do to help, Yukieda-san?"
"Alright... Take care Chihara-san." She calls after Katoji, now left alone with two people she barely knows, robbed of one of her few proper acquaintances.

Matsuhiro would have been terribly insulted that Fione did not know who he was. Luckily for her, there were more important issues to consider at the time. When Umeko sat, Matsuhiro finally removed his hand from her shoulder, not wishing to sit down yet himself. Instead, he offered a brief nod to his roommate. "Give my regards to Ito-sama." The words were level, but inside he was scolding himself for not thinking of Yoshinori under such circumstances. But he trusted Katoji to take care of their nervous senpai.
He was on the verge of asking Umeko how he might help when Fione voiced the question before he had the chance. This also caused a tight crease of his brow, but he said nothing, simply waiting for her answer so that he might see to her needs before the blonde girl.

When she finally sat, she felt as if the world had finally stopped spinning. She put a hand to her chest, as if she were catching her breath, and then looked up to watch Katoji leave. "Be careful, Katoji-kun," she called out after him softly, so softly that he might have not heard, "...and thank you." He would know what it meant.
Looking to Fione, Umeko managed another smile, but it wasn't quite as bright as the one she gave to Katoji. "...I'll be fine, if I can rest a few minutes here." The shock of it all had really drained her, and worrying about her parents so did not help matters. Yet, she didn't say a word about them. It was her burden to bear, and did not want them to needlessly worry.
Folding her hands in her lap, she looked back up to Matsuhiro, but saw that he was looking rather callous towards Fione. What was going on? Did they have some kind of disagreement? Matsuhiro was always so quiet and would never discuss such a thing...

Fione for her part isn't showing Matsuhiro any coldness. She's still unawares of how he regards her. She just smiles to Umeko and nods, "Alright, if you need anything just let me know..."
She smiles gently, before looking to Matsuhiro. For all the ignorance she shows towards recognizing his coldness towards her... She does notice the warmth he's showing Umeko.
She now feels a bit awkward since she doesn't really know either of the two aside from the fact they're classmates. Which may be why she just otherwise falls silent.

[Log] 52 - Moment[um] - Ripples I

2008-08-20T05:31:32Z

Date: 08-12-08
Characters: Katoji, Umeko
Summary: Talk of the past and what they should prepare for the path ahead of them is suddenly interrupted by matters of the present.

-=[Keiei-Ue's Roots - Shinigami Academy]=---------------------------------------

Reputedly one of the oldest trees in Soul Society, Keiei-Ue is a huge yakusugi tree with heavy, strong limbs that seem to support the sky above rather than sprawl out under it. The shade it casts is deep, like the carpet of golden needles mixed with thick green grass underfoot. Knotted roots crawl out from the foot of the tree's trunk, some as thick around as a man's chest. The air here is more gravid, somehow, as if the years gathered around the tree slow down light and sound.
Overhead, Keiei-Ue's long, soft green needles sway gently in the breezes that pass by, fingering through the clouds.

The breeze that danced through the branches of the ancient tree carried the sounds of a high tempo shamisen song. Having found a burst of confidence, Umeko's playing had improved as well, her fingers moving along the strings and handling the plectrum with a little more ease. The pleasant weather that day had inspired an upbeat song, and she played what she could remember.
Her confidence had sprouted from a very unlikely source, and there were many reasons for her to feel even worse because of it. Instead, however, she found herself focused again, despite the obstacles that laid ahead for her. This new concentration had come out in her playing.
Honey-colored eyes were open, but they were not looking at anything in particular. Umeko sat on a massive root of the tree with her shamisen across her lap and a few books also set to the side near her feet. Playing music helped her to focus in her studies some, and so for a few minutes, she was completely entranced in her playing as time passed on around her.

The faint strains of music were what roused him out of his daydreaming on the rooftop. Could it be Ito-senpai or Yukeida-san? Regardless of whomever was responsible for the music, it was something that drew Katoji to investigate all the same. He'd gathered up his things and made way down the rungs of the ladder, dashing down the hallway and bounding down the stairs. It was harder to hear the music inside, but once he stepped out again, it didn't take him long to catch the tunes that floated through the air.
The closer he got, the easier it became to rule out that it wasn't Yoshinori by his senses. That only mean it was one other person, unless of course there happened to be another shamisen player on the school grounds that he hadn't heard of. He came up quietly by the large tree, blinking up at the great thing as he slowly wound around its base and closer to the shamisen player perched on its thick roots. A grin touched his face, and silently he listened, resting a hand against one of the roots that rose up beside him.

She forgot that her music was so easily heard and that it always seemed to attract attention. And, everytime she gained a spectator, she always managed to notice them at the last possible moment. When her classmate arrived, Umeko was nearing the end of the song, marked by a sudden increase in tempo that required quick flicks of the plectrum.
The song ended much like someone losing momentum from a spin. Very gradually the notes slowed before she gave a final few strums and a couple knocks on the wooden body of the shamisen for a percussive element. She sat still for a few long moments before letting out a small, satisfied sigh. She had never been able to master the song before she left home.
As she turned to set her plectrum down and pick a soft cloth to wipe her shamisen down with, she caught a person's presence out of the corner of her eye. Hairs standing on the back of her neck, Umeko slowly turned to see who had been watching her this time. One would think that she was used to it by now!
But it was very hard to be nervous around this person that she saw. Blushing a little, Umeko smiled at her fellow student warmly. "Katoji-kun, hello...!" She lowered her head a little in a friendly bow. "It feels like it's been a while..."

He wasn't able to describe the feeling he felt inside as he listened to the song's rise and then eventual fall. There was something about the sound of a shamisen that translated so much emotion from player to instrument, although he thought perhaps the same could be said for any instrument were the player very linked to their music. Katoji didn't know how to play any instruments.
When Umeko finally realized she had an audience, the boy grinned at her, half relieved that she hadn't started like Yoshinori had. He gave a bow in response, tacked out of reflex to Umeko's own. "Hi Yukieda-san!" he greeted cheerfully. He nodded, carefully balancing the sketchbook he'd brought along over a root. "Yeah... I guess things have been busy for people lately, heheh." He inquired if it would be all right to join her sitting there with a gesture. "How have things been?"

To his gesture she nodded, scooting a little on the root to give him room. The root was one of the bigger ones, and it still amazed Umeko that what she sat upon was alive and anchoring the tree that grew above them. She could only wonder how long the tree had been growing, as she had heard that some Shinigami lived to be thousands of years old. It was a little intimidating if one stopped to think about it.
Smiling still, Umeko had started to gently wipe on the shamisen's surface after her rather intense playing. "They've been alright, I think..." She trailed off a little, though still smiling. Her eyes had fallen down to the body of her shamisen. "I think I'm finally on the right track after hitting a few rough patches." She did not elaborate as to why, but it was nothing Katoji needed to worry about.
Her eyes coming back up to him briefly, she tilted her head in inquiry. "How about you? You always seem to be busy, but maybe it's just me..."

Katoji plopped himself on the large root there beside her, wondering for a moment how many times before the tree has served as a natural bench for students. He smiled, giving the root a pat. Thank you for bearing with people for so long! You must have seen a lot! The boy looked over at Umeko again, cocking his head at her as she trailed off in her response. He gave a slow nod, all he could offer without an understanding of whatever had been bothering her. His feet swung back and forth a bit as he looked down, thoughtfully.
"...hope everything's okay... we haven't talked a whole lot but it seemed like the last time we did, you had a lot on your mind..." He didn't mention his roommate's name- he recalled how uncomfortable she seemed to say anything in regards to Matsuhiro then. Lifting his head again, he blinked and then smiled at Umeko again. "Ah, things had been a little busy for a while, but if I don't have things to do, I get bored really easily," he said. "...not that schoolwork doesn't keep us busy enough!" he added with a laugh.

Continuing to wipe down her shamisen, she quietly avoided Katoji's questioning for a few moments. She had approached Matsuhiro, and was not sure if all their issues were really resolved, but there was a little hope. Katoji being Matsuhiro's roommate, she wondered if they had talked about it at all... but then quickly dismissed that thought, as Matsuhiro was not very talkative.
"Yeah, I was falling behind a little in classes, but I think I'm caught up. I just have to keep focused and work hard at it..." She was still smiling, but it had softened considerably. "I have had a lot on my mind, but I need to fight to keep from being so distracted."

He didn't like to pry, but he couldn't help but be concerned about his friends. Matsuhiro was hard to talk to about some things though, and even though he showed his own concern back when Katoji had come back from being stuck in the med. ward of the 4th, there was still a palpable wall between certain things. Still, the boy felt their friendship had progressed considerably. He still remembered the words of caution Takeshi had told him way back. It was kind of funny to think about them now.
"That's good! I thought I'd fall behind too with... well, Uemiya-san helped so I didn't, and I think I'm pretty much all caught up too!" He beamed, not realizing his offhanded mentioning of his roommate until two seconds later. Ah, um... moving on..! "I think I know what you mean though. I get distracted way too easily..." he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Sometimes it surprises me how I've even managed to get through all the school work and stuff for this long."

Umeko did catch the quick change of subject. It was good to hear that Matsuhiro was helping out his classmates. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge that he had completely changed because of what... well, whatever happened between him and Antoku. She had apologized the best she could, and the turnout was a little to be desired, but... it was something she could hold on to.
Not wanting to turn her attentions completely to a sobering subject, she looked up at Katoji again and smiled, taking a light pink cloth that was spread in her lap and folding it up gently. "We just have to fight for what we want, you know? Keep our eyes on what we want and work hard for it..."

"Oh..." The boy fidgeted, hoping that his slip of the tongue hadn't caused any upset. That Umeko smiled at him made him feel slightly reassured. "Yeah, you're right!" Katoji could understand that sort of reasoning. It was refreshing to hear it spoken to him though, even if it was a mindset he knew he already possessed. His own smile resurfaced and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Sometimes it's hard to find the drive to do so though, huh..." he considered, leaning back against the trunk as he gazed up at the branches that towered above. "...but that just means you have to work at it all the more." He glanced at Umeko. "Na?" Beam.

Setting down the cloth beside her and propping her shamisen against the root, Umeko's hands planted down behind her as she leaned backwards and looked up into the tree's mighty branches. They seemed to reach out into the sky, as impossible at that sounded...
"Un...!" With a smile in her voice, she confirmed Katoji's statement. A hand came up to shield her eyes as a breeze shifted the branches in such a way that the sun's light was allowed to break through a little more. What a pretty tree this was, and to have survived so long, Umeko was quite amazed.
"We don't have a choice really, if we are to be able to reach the things that we want... I used to hesitate and just hope for the best, but that was a bit childish of me..." The hand came down from her face and was placed back behind her as she leaned back more, her legs lifting slightly from the ground, her toes pointing a little.

It made him feel all the more happier to hear Umeko's confirmation. He laughed, following the girl's gaze upwards. Katoji wondered how high up the tree really was. From down where they sat, it was hard to really tell. He eyed the branches... they looked pretty sturdy...
"Well... in a way we do have a choice- but it's just that, the decision to push forward or to give up, so I guess it'd look pretty limited for what to choose," he mused. "I used to be the same... just go with whatever happened and trust I'd get by..." He squinted his eyes at the light as it came filtering past the branches. "...but then I started feeling like I wasn't really doing anything much, that way..." That was why he came here at first. It had been an easy decision to make when faced with the chance to do something useful with his life or just continue to float along. Things changed since he entered the Academy.
"...so why did you decide to come here...?" he found himself asking.

"I guess you are right... but I don't want to think about the choice of giving up." And that reasoning would become clear, as Katoji seemed to ask just the right question. It caught her a little off guard, as she sat up a little and looked towards him. Her expression dulled a little, but she managed to keep herself from falling away completely.
Looking back up into the trees, her voice was soft as she continued. "...well, you see... I had a brother, a twin brother... Umetarou, he came here before me." She tilted her head a little, and her pointed feet kicked a little up and down. "He was really determined to make something of himself, and I was scared, so I think he wanted to show me the way here..." She then brought herself forward to sit, her legs falling. There was a longer pause before she found the right words to continue on.
"Well... after he went six years in the Academy... he died in a training exercise. I was sad for a while..." Looking up to Katoji again, there was just the slightest hint of mourning in her expression, as she had come a long way in moving on. "... but I decided that I had to go on and make something of myself, not only for my sake, but to achieve my brother's dream as well." She nodded, smiling finally.
"That's why I say I have no choice, I suppose... I don't want to give myself the chance of ever failing. My brother's still with me."

All at once he was sorry he asked once he saw her change of expression. "...ah..." His words caught in his throat, a swallow doing nothing to clear it, but by then Umeko began to answer his question. And so he sat quietly, listening as she spoke. He caught the past tense of her words, he looked down at the ground as the reasons for such were explained. When Umeko looked at him again, she'd see the regret on his face, the shared sadness for her loss aside from having to bring up such an obviously sensitive subject.
Eventually Katoji managed to lift his amber eyes to meet hers, and with her smile he felt he had to smile as well. It must have been hard, and he could only imagine how much of a struggle it must have been. But she'd come this far. There was no point in making her sad for things she'd gotten past, only help her keep looking forward. His smile became a little brighter with this thought, and the boy offered a nod along with it. "I'm sure he'd be proud of you! It takes a lot of guts to move out of your comfort zone. I mean, well, you're here still. Sure, it's only our first year, but it's been long enough to nearly be towards our second!" Katoji rocked forward where he sat, kicking his legs back and forth. It was hard to believe until he really thought about it, just how long they'd been there.

Certainly the last thing she wanted was people to feel sorry for her. Umetarou would have hated to know that, too. Thankful for Katoji's bit of encouragement, Umeko nodded, eyes shining with warmth. "I can hardly believe it's been that long already. I do know a lot more than when I first came here, though." She gently placed her hands together and interlocked her fingers as her eyes trailed back up into the canopy and the sparkling sunlight. "Though..." She giggled softly, pausing for a moment. "I say that now, but imagine what we'll all know before we graduate."
"Or what we'll fight, even..." Though she was a little fearful that the same fate in store for her was the same as Umetarou's, it would almost be a matter of avenge. Umeko was not a violent or vengeful person, and the hollow that had killed her brother had long been destroyed, it was a hurdle she hoped to cross. She almost thought it would be a final step in her brother's passing.
"You're not scared, are you? Of fighting Hollow?" She looked towards him once more, eyebrows lifted in a curious expression.

It became easier for him to smile again, the tense feeling having passed. He nodded slowly at Umeko, glancing upwards again in thought. "...I..." He considered the question. "...I guess I am, a little. We don't really know what to expect, after all... Fighting Hollows isn't a game." Katoji looked down a moment, and then back over at Umeko. "But I'll fight a Hollow to protect and to help others. That's kinda why we're here to train, right?" He smiled again. "...what about you? I was told we'll have to go out on the field for testing several times or so..."

He had a good answer. Nodding, she turned her head away and looked ahead of her, but at nothing in general. "We were born with this power to protect people, and that's what we should do..." Her brother had died protecting others from a Hollow. If they had not been born for that purpose, wouldn't his death have been in vain? She didn't want to believe that, of course.
"... But I guess it's okay to feel a little scared. I know I do." She would have been lying if she said otherwise. To face those monsters -- it was one thing to talk about it, and an entirely different thing to actually do it. Defeat and death were always certainties.
"Having friends around surely does make one feel braver though, I think." She smiled again, leaning back a little and resting her hands on her knees.

"It's easier when you have others to get through things than going at it alone," Katoji said, nodding. "Even if you're scared, knowing you're not the only one that has to face something can give you strength to face whatever's in front of you." Being alone made things much harder, but then Katoji supposed it also depended on the person.
He stretched out his arms over his head, then reached over his his sketchbook before digging into his pocket for several crayons that he'd brought along since he hadn't wanted to carry the whole box; a semi-worn stick of black, a fairly pointed green, orange, yellow, and a stick of sky blue that looked overly used for the bit of wrapping torn off and away from the tip to allow for continued usage. Katoji opened the sketchbook up to a page a quarter of the ways colored in that very same blue. Perhaps as expected, he picked up the blue crayon first to likely resume the task. "....heh, I'd be more concerned if someone -wasn't- scared about having to face Hollows..." he continued as he began to fall into the motion of filling in the rest of the page, leaving a few patches of white for clouds. And then quite suddenly, a stroke was faltered, and the crayon snapped.

The thickness of the atmosphere that suddenly hit could have almost been physical for the distinct difference it presented than but seconds before. It came quite suddenly, and although it could be discerned for what it was after a moment's realization- a very strong, unmasked reiatsu- more careful observation of it would perhaps reveal that it wasn't just due to one presence, but yet the sheer pressure made it hard for novices to distinctly tell one from another. At the very least they could know that whatever it was, it certainly had to be bad news.

As Katoji moved to get his sketchbook, Umeko caught his movement out of the corner of her eye and blinked, looking over to see what he was doing. Seeing the crayons and sketchbook, Umeko smiled and leaned over to see what he was doing. Only if she had the ability to draw! Seeing Matsuhiro's paintings had made her a little jealous, and then Katoji's drawings did, too. Her adoptive mother had dabbled a little in calligraphy, but Umeko had attached more to her teachings of music.
"Maybe you're right... I wonder if even the experienced Shinigami get scared--" She cut herself off short, just after Katoji's crayon broke. The air... it had become so heavy, she found it harder to breath. Sitting back, she put a hand on her chest as she quickly began to feel ill, like she was being pushed down... it was reiatsu. Only more horrible. Whimpering a little, Umeko cringed and then looked up at Katoji, her face flushed white. "Did you... did you just...?" It was making her heart race and her entire body like it was being pushed down! Did he feel it, too?

The boy didn't answer immediately, but it was more than obvious by the look on his face and the sudden stiffness of his poise that he had felt it too. His amber eyes were wide, staring out towards the gate, but he wasn't sure where this incredible reiatsu was coming from. He'd never felt anything like it before, and it made him feel no better to know that this wasn't even anywhere near whatever was responsible for it. Katoji looked just as pale as Umeko did, and it took him a moment more to find his voice, only after belatedly realizing that Umeko had spoken.
"Wh....what is that...?" he swallowed. The crayons had all scattered to the ground, his hand sliding towards Umeko's if he could find it, a small gesture for comfort, as much for himself as for her. He was already trembling badly enough. "...we... we should probably get inside..." If they could even get to their feet. He had a feeling that walls wouldn't be able to protect them from whatever it was that was out there, but staying out here made him feel horribly insecure.

Looking around, she suddenly felt as if the world around her had become much darker. Her eyes searched the skies as her breathing became a little erratic. She almost jumped when Katoji reached for her hand, but he would find that she took his hand with both of her own, as they both were trembling. "... Y-yeah... we need to find the teachers... or somebody..." They would know what this was, right?
Her eyes darted about to their scattered belongings. Were they important right now? Her mind was spinning, trying to fight off the fearful energy that was pressing her down her entire being. She felt sick at her stomach, too. "... Let's hurry, we should see how the others are, too..." She could hardly begin to wonder if and how everyone else was reacting.

Katoji gasped when he found his hand grabbed by two, but he just as quickly gripped Umeko's then. He nodded stiffly, hoping his legs would hold up as he made to stand. The sketchbook went sliding off his lap and onto the grass to join his crayons, half closed as it landed propped against one of the tree's thick roots. The boy didn't seem to notice as he got to his feet, but his thoughts traveled along the same lines as Umeko's as he hoped everyone else was all right. "Come on...!" he said, helping the girl to her feet.

Standing was a little difficult, as she found her legs were trembling a little, too. Umeko knew, though, that she'd have to muster the strength and courage so they could find the others, too. She only hoped that they were alright and that they would all be safe.
Her eyes cast down at her shamisen. ... She could always get a new one. For now, it would be safe there. Finding everyone was more important now. Looking up to Katoji, she nodded, and started off towards the Academy.

[Log] 50 - Too Close For Comfort

2008-08-04T18:52:00Z

Date: 08-03-08
Characters: Fione, Katoji, Ryuujin, Tenshi, Yoshinori
Summary: Sparring in the dojo meets an awkwardly abrupt end with the Ryuujin's arrival.

-=[Practise Dojo 1 - Shinigami Academy]=----------------------------------------

Although he's brought his broom, it sits off to the side, propped against the wall as if playing the part of an audience. The dojo is otherwise empty, the weekly break from schooling obviously taken advantage of by the most others. Katoji feels he's doing the same, just in a different way. He's been helped by his roommate in bettering his sword kata, but Matsuhiro has his own things to take care of, so the kid will do what he can on the side. He has to get strong after all, if he intends to be of any help to his friends.
Occupying one corner of the dojo, Katoji stands facing the wall, swinging the practice sword in front of him, a downwards strike, repeating this for several times, a small shout paired with each. He pauses, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, then shifts his stance a bit and tries again. He really hates doing this sort of thing because its so repetitive, but no one else is around to ask for a spar.

The idea of practicing alone seems to have been taken by the first year without much hassle. Usually it was the young noble left to his own devices in situations like this, but he had other things to finish. School time just eats away at everything.
Yoshinori stops at the entrance of the first dojo, resting a hand against the wall as he watches Katoji in the middle of his run. It would be considered rude to enter without warning him. Of course, does knocking really work within this place? A firm, hollow knock on the outer frame is tested, followed by a quick bow. "Chihara-san, it's good to see you're working on your kata," he greets, somewhat calmly with a small smile.

There's that...tingle of a sensation that someone is coming, but Katoji can only say that it's someone he knows, but also not his roommate nor Antoku. That really doesn't narrow things down very much. He follows through with another two strikes, deciding he'll look after the third, but apparently his perception for reiatsu isn't as honed as he'd like it to be yet.
"Ahh!" he yelps, his hands fumbling for a grip on the bokken that has suddenly leapt from his hands. He fails. It clatters to the ground, and he stares down at it. Oops. Dismissing it for now, Katoji spins around to face the doorway and the older student. "Oh hi Ito-senpai!" he says brightly, tossing his hand up to wave across the empty room, a sheepish grin on his face. "Err, yeah... ahahah...." A look is cast down at the weapon on the floor.

"Oh dear," Yoshinori says with a gasp, shoulders hunching as the bokken fell. The sounds echoing off of the wooden panels fade as he walks over. "I-I'm sorry about that!" He really is. The noble never thought he'd surprise anyone in that manner. With one fluid motion, the practice weapon is picked up and offered back to Katoji. "Here," he says softly, tilting his head downward at the younger student. "I...I was actually planning to do the same. I didn't think anyone else would be here at the time, however."

Goes to show how much Katoji had really been concentrating on his sword forms. He scratches the back of his head, accepting the sword from Yoshinori. "You didn't ha-.... thanks, Ito-senpai." He smiles brightly then. "Oh, well hey! Since you're here and I'm here, wanna spar? I feel stupid swinging at the air all the time, and anyways, it'd be better to go against a real opponent, na?"

He blinks. The last time he sparred was....when was that? During classes, it was mandatory. But he did spar with Chitaka...and Masayume-sensei some time ago. Katoji brings up some good points, and he seems capable of holding his own in a fight. At least, to some degree.
"...I don't see why not," the noble chuckles, nodding with approval. "Sure." He goes over to the racks, picking out another bokken. After testing its weight, Yoshinori returns, stopping short and bowing toward the first year. "Let's see how this goes, then," he smiles briefly, settling into the basic sword stance.

Katoji salutes the older student and steps back, watching as Yoshinori heads over to select his weapon. For a moment the boy looks back to his broom, then gives the bokken in his hand a good swing or two before he walks towards the center of the room. He bows back towards the other boy, giving him a nod as he slips a foot back and adjusts his grip on the smooth wooden handle of the practice sword. "Okay..." He lets his weight shift from his right foot to his left, then to the other again, and after the third silent count he makes his move, pulling up the bokken as he gives a large step and a small hop before bringing it down towards Yoshinori. "HA!"

It's a good start. The bokken clacks roughly against the other bokken, abruptly stopping its intended path before drawing back. Yoshinori steps away, the wooden sword returning to mid-stance for a few seconds. Another wide step is taken, the blade angling as he seems to thrust it at Katoji. However, it swings in an upward arc at the student at the last moment; Yoshinori grunts, keeping himself from all of the yelling he's suppose to do in sparring. His left-handedness also makes things awkard all the while, but he figures his opponent can work with it.

The boy pulls back his blade as well, keeping an eye on Yoshinori's movement before fixing the positioning of his bokken as the other student comes towards him to strike. Whoa, surprise! Katoji can't help but grin as he abruptly has to reangle his blade, thankful that he's got a better grip on the thing lest it be sent to the floor again. He moves the bokken against Yoshinori's, almost rolling it beneath the other before nudging it upwards. He then cuts downwards with his sword. If he comes too close to his senpai that it would count for a hit, he pulls it short, but if it's avoided, he'll let it come all the way down before drawing it up again.

Yoshinori keeps his grip firm as well, his blade going up and around as Katoji makes the next move. He takes the hit with a jolt, but it's nothing serious. He's been hit harder in other cases to the point in which he couldn't hold back tears. Ah, class memories. Horrible times.
The bokken makes it back to its original position with a slight twitch. It's in place held before the noble moves forward again, Yoshinori suddenly aiming with a low strike at Katoji's leg. He doesn't mean to injure Katoji, either - although he tries to tap, it probably wouldn't work, dodged or not.

The boy swallows an apology- this is a spar, and Yoshinori seems all right for it as he resumes manuevering. Katoji's blade is too slow as he tries to divert it to the low-aimed strike, but it's an awkward position to work with, and belatedly he realizes he doesn't have to try blocking everything. He drops his stance completely, something Matsuhiro might yell at him for were he there to watch, and he swings that leg back to avoid the other student's sword. He chops down at the already low-angled blade to make it go all the way towards the floor before he jerks his bokken up to stop its point by his taller opponent's face.

Well, this is interesting. One moment, Yoshinori was crouching low. The next, Katoji's bokken is right there in front of him. It was such a simple move, too. The noble stays perplexed, blinking several times at the wooden blade, glancing at the first year at every other moment. After a minute and a half, he gets back up again, the wooden blade sliding away and brought back to his side. "You win," he shrugs, wearing a weak smile.

The serious look that had been on Katoji's face slips, and he steps back, lowering his bokken. "Ah, we can go for another round if you want," he smiles. "I'm still trying to remember what Uemiya-san's told me, oh, and I apologize if I start looking scary like him cuz that's how I remember how to do the moves," he admits.

Not a bad idea, considering how fast the spar ended. He looks at his bokken, thinking about it. "We can do that," Yoshinori nods. He has no problem with this.
Again, another pause is drawn out after Katoji explains his facial expressions during the spar, causing the noble to raise his eyebrows slightly. "...I see," he replies, his faint laughter awkward. Time to move back into the normal fighting stances. Yoshinori eases into the form, waiting for Katoji to get ready. As soon as he does, the noble moves first, raising the bokken and aiming to hit somewhere around the boy's right shoulder.

The first year student can't help but laugh as well. It does sound like a silly thing. He's hoping he grows out of the face-making habit, but if he can be as intimidating as Matsuhiro in a fight then maybe it'll be worth it! Rar!
"Okay!" he pipes, hopping back a few paces and settling into position. Eyes widen as Yoshinori takes the first move this time, and clumsily he jerks his sword to the side to knock his senpai's weapon away from him.

A good move, but the first year will have to do better than that. The noble's own features become somber, eyes narrowing a bit as he concentrates. The weapon shifts, swaying and moving back quickly to make another attack. Yoshinori swings the blade across the middle, adding a jab to the end of the sidelong arc. Speed is being put to good use in these moves, but there is always a chance that one (or both) may miss depending on how much reaction time is left.

These manuevers are more of what Katoji's used to seeing, and now that he's getting back into the swing of things (haha!), he seems more confident in the placement of his bokken, and he bats away the first swipe, wooden blades clattering at the second. He keeps them locked as long as he can, angling Yoshinori's downward. The look of determination flickers, and then he looks thoughtful as if he's trying to figure out what to do next.

Maybe the combination was read too easily. It was a standard exercise, after all. Seeing how Katoji catches him off-guard makes the second year jerk his head back some. This causes a brief moment of panic, the bokken still in place as he struggles to move away. Surely he's been through this before, but Yoshinori still needs to brush up on some of the actions. Katoji is doing a whole lot better on his front.
He does manage to get the blade out of the lock, but what exactly does Katoji have planned?

Planned? You're supposed to plan these things out? Katoji's plan is to not get hit, and so far he's doing a bit better at that. He lets Yoshinori pull away from him, but not for very long, instead taking a step towards him, bringing his blade upwards, angled from side to shoulder.

Well, it /seems/ that way. Stepping back is just a part of something improvised. His bokken follows the strike, but it only slides against it roughly. He doesn't do a good job at blocking it fully, apparently. Or is it another point?
Yoshinori takes a couple of steps back, unsure of what to do now. Stop or go on? He keeps his gaze on the younger student, breathing slowly, evenly.

Katoji seems to take notice, tilting his head with a brow quirked in silent inquiry. He lowers his blade to mid-stance, not pressing another attack. "...do you want to stop after all...?" he asks.

The noble closes his eyes, the thought mulling over and over in his mind. He can stop, but they barely started. It was sort of bad to see sparring sessions cut short due to reluctance. Yoshinori shakes his head, crimson eyes fluttering open. "N-no, we can go on," he responds, squaring his shoulders. "I...I need to get back into it."
Refocus and concentrate on what is going on, that's what he needs to do. The bokken falls into a low stance, his mind mentally preparing him to continue. "Ready," Yoshinori says lowly, stepping forward while the blade arcs up at the boy cleanly. Two more steps around the youth and the blade comes back down, each strike depending on Katoji's own responses.

Looking concerned about the decision to continue, Katoji nevertheless indulges Yoshinori by bringing his blade level again. He nods, preparing. He meets the first strike easily, stepping back and to the side as the upperclassman drives the offense, parrying neatly and then moving to counter with a thrust before pulling his blade up again. That determined look of his has once again settled upon his face.

Matsuhiro has taught Katoji well. Or is that all coming from the boy himself? Yoshinori is impressed. As the blade is blocked, the noble takes his time to recover, sidestepping to aim another blow at the boy's chest. Of course, timing is everything, and it may be off.

It's a combination of what he's learned from class and Matsuhiro, but when it comes to application and style developed from said manuevers, it all falls upon the person that ends up wielding them.
Katoji raises his blade perpendicular to Yoshinori's, taking a step back as he does so. He braces the back of his bokken with his other hand, feeling the force of the other as it clacks against it. He tries to feel if the weight is there behind it, and if so he moves to shove back with both hands, having a more solid push with his both hands supporting the blade at either end. If he's successful he tries to shove it upwards, and then he'll turn the blade ninety degrees so that it's horizontal now, and he pushes the line of the bokken straight towards Yoshinori's own chest granted he's given that opening. Wait, that -can't- be a sword move.

...No, no it's not. That isn't...
Yoshinori's eyes widen at this, the previous counter doing what it was suppose to. And then /this/. It throws Yoshinori off completely, his own blade hitting him since he makes no effort to stop it. He's too busy trying to think of what just happened.
He stumbles back, crouching before sitting promptly upon the wooden floor. The noble still looks puzzled, but he's all right.

There had been another approach that stopped outside, still in the hallway, watching through the doorframe. Seeing the fight ended, the blond first year pushes off the far wall she was leaned against with her rear, walking forward as she claps gently.
"Well done match Ito-san, Chihara-san. Oh, I didn't mean to spy or anything, I was just coming to train and saw you both here..."
She trails off, getting a bit red in the face before she drops into a quick curtsey in greeting. Her Zanpakutou's actually at her side, since she was coming to train.
She looks to the two, still blushing lightly from the realization that she was technically spying, "So um... that was a most unusual way to end the match Chihara-san... You're both pretty skilled though, I'm not that good at basic swordplay."

"...ah..." Katoji blinks down at Yoshinori. "AH! I'm sorry!" he flails. "I didn't mean to- I mean, well, it was out of reflex- Oh wow! I sure hope I don't do that with a real blade!" He looks at the bokken in his hand, then moves to offer his other to help Yoshinori up. A glance is cast at Fione as she steps in, and the boy smiles at her weakly. "Oh, hey Kierre-san..! Um.... yeah, it was kinda of accidental... Effective, I guess..." He tilts his head at the girl. "You come to practice too?"

It's hard to tell just how long the grim spectre of Ryuujin Sasaki has been observing the events. Being quiet and subtle is hardly a defining characteristic of the senior student, yet his reiatsu would have been carefully compressed, settled cross legged in a corner out of the way -- and not immediately visible from the door, as well. Crooked within one arm is a bokken of his own, stooping forward with a tsk-tsk cracking through the air like a whip. "That was interesting!" he offers, languidly flowing to a stand and brushing at the base of his hakama. With a flourishing gesture he rests his own wooden blade across a lean shoulder, march towards those assmebled nearly a swagger. Fingers rake through the bleach tips of his hair, suddenly advancing upon Katoji in a blur of motion. An arm swoops like a noose, trying to pull him within a headlock so a vicious noogie can be applied. "Ya ought to be more gentle to classmates!" is admonished, but the tone is completely teasing and, were the attempt successful, he'd be all but immediately released. "You're not bad, though." To Yoshi, "That was terrible." Attention returns to Katoji, apparently not bothering to say anything more to the noble. Ouch.

The second year makes a feeble attempt at calming Katoji down, waving his hands limply at the boy. "N-no, I'm all right, I'm all right! Chi-Chihara-san..." Oh dear. This is very similar to how Chitaka acts whenever Yoshinori is pushed around or hurt.
As the hand is taken, Ito pushes himself back up onto his feet. And suddenly - people! "Ah?" He looks at Fione, surprised to see her here. "K-kierre-san..." Of course, before he's able to say anything else, Ryuujin appears. He stares at the upperclassman, his surprise level going up. "S-Sasaki-senpai..." He blinks, registering what was just said. "EH?!"

Fione catches her breath slightly at the (to her) sudden appearance of a fast moving apparently senior student she hadn't seen before. She stares a bit as he grabs Katoji like that, watching.
Then about when Yoshinori speaks up she realizes what was said to him.
"Hey! Ito-san did well! I don't think I could have bested him! There's no reason to tell him he was terrible just because Chihara-san did something odd and caught him offguard!" The indignant blonde freshman calls out, a bit huffily.
Shortly after that she actually realizes Katoji asked her a question, "Hm? Oh! Sorry, yes... Ommy gets grouchy if I don't train for a bit at least every other day..." Though she's not entirely certain if Katoji's even in a position to listen to her thanks to the headlock, even if it is released now.

"Wha- Sasaki-senp-AAgGk!" Katoji's bokken falls on the ground, his hands grasping at the thick arms of the upper-upperclassman. "Owowowo-" Dropped. Thud. "Grk." The boy rubs his head and tries to return his hair to some semblance of order before he winces as he tries to get up again. Really, was that really necessary? He grabs his bokken from the floor as he stands, in time to jump to Yoshinori's defense along with Fione. "Yeah! I- well, okay, yeah." It was an odd move, but he's always felt better using a staff (or rather his broom). "...Onmy?" he blinks, glancing at the girl again then.

Of course it wasn't. Unneccesary force? Why, that's Ryuujin all over. When Fione interjects, she's given a sort of hard sidelong appraisal, like some kind of bug who's opted to begin buzzing around his head. "Who's she?" Katoji's further backup elicits a dismissive wave of the hand, and a 'Bah!' "I didn't mean to shatter his fragile feelings. But if a single freaky move from a student a year beneath you results in that... What if that had been a hollow, Yoshinori?" He leans forward, brows raising. "And you had lost your head? You ought to expect the unexpected at every turn. I won't coddle you for failure! Think fast!" He snaps out his bokken, and attempts to whap Yoshi right atop the head with it. ...Before trying the same on Katoji. "You too!!" Thereafter, it would rest on his shoulder.

Noharu Tenshi was just walking around looking for some space to do some sword training, solo, it seemed; but only because he hadn't really found anyone else beside Ranmaru to spar with. Now, even that's put to a hault because of that assassin attack a while back. It was really making him regret agreeing to let Haru give up his life to get him into the academy. Tenshi sighed and and altough he seemed to travel so flowingly, to him, each step was weighted with guilt and his academy issued asauchi bounching light at...
Upon entering the First Practice Dojo, Tenshi is immediately greeted with some strange blurry something crossing right in front of him, he couldn't help but check out what was going on. There were mostly people he had met before; Kierre-san... probably still mad at him for that whole trap thing. He sighed with regret, but quickly shook the thought off. There was also Chihara-san who he had only seen a couple nights ago on the roof with Minamoto-senpai. Ito-san was also present, getting back on his feet from being knocked down it seemed... Tenshi thought he remembered hearing he was a second year student. Katoji must be a good combatant. That all said, he couldn't recall who the older student was, but he had heard his name being called, 'Sasaki-senpai', he figured he might get by. Finally, he approached the group gathered as Katoji pulled his head free.
"Greetings, All." Tenshi said with a slight nod to each gathered briefly, doing his best not to look at Fione. That wasn't hard however as he found himself focusing on the someone known as Sasaki-senpai. He was kind of cool, though he'd never say it.

Oooh, he's not making a good impression here, not at all. However, both Chihara and Kierre are standing up /for/ him. They are Chitaka's replacements, each having the same aure of boldness in the face of their senpai.

The idea of saying something else in his own defense is shelved for the time being.

When Ryuujin does address him, Yoshinori feels more tired than he should be. Maybe even crushed. His eyes do snap open when the senpai's bokken comes flying at him, having enough sense in him to take a flash step away from the danger. However, he falls short of completely dodging it, feeling part of the blunt object run past the side of his head. It's...not a good feeling. Not at all. Yoshinori pauses, gaping at the older student in disbelief. "S-Sasaki-senpai?! You're insane!!" Tenshi is not noticed right away, but he does hear the boy greet everyone. What timing.

Fione frowns, eyeing the new 'intruder', but since he asked Katoji she'll let him answer.
Tenshi's arrival gets a brief look before she turns away, not bothering to reply, walking over to help Yoshinori stand back up.
"Are you alright Ito-san?"
Katoji's question is noted, but she'll get to him when things calm down. Making sure Ryuujin's not going to keep assaulting Yoshinori and helping the tall upperclassman and making sure he's okay has priority for the moment.

Amber eyes practically bug out at the older student's actions. "Sasaki-senp-AH!" Katoji pulls up his bokken up, bracing it between his hands as he hears Ryuujin's crack against it. He'd jump right in with Yoshinori's protests, but he looks more startled from the near strike to his head. He's already been cracked in the skull one, he doesn't really want a repeat visit to the 4th, thanks! The boy looks pale as he lowers his bokken. He plasters a smile on his face nevertheless, stepping back from them. "I should... I needa go... oh, Noharu-san," he bobs his head distractedly towards the smaller student and then turns and bows to Yoshinori- they hadn't formally concluded their fight. "...thanks... sorry, I just..." It's strange for him to suddenly be so awkward about things, but he turns to quickly replace the practice weapon on its rack before dashing over to reclaim his broom and then making a run- perhaps even a shunpo dash towards the door. It's not that he wanted to leave so quickly, but he isn't sure what he'd do with all the anxiety that suddenly built up within him. Scared?

"Insanity is good!! If you don't know what I'll do, you'll stay on your toes, and you might live a day longer! Haaaahahahah!!" That laugh can hardly be stable, one hand upon his hip and head thrown back. But this fades away almost immediately, glancing towards Tenshi and offering a salute with his bokken. "Fine, get outta here!" is offered towards Katoji, making a shoo-shoo motion with his free hand. Anything peculiar does not visibly register upon his face, but empathy is probably near the bottom of his personal traits.

Taking Fione's silence as a good thing, Tenshi breaths a sigh of relief and then turns his attention to Yoshinori who appeared to have some condition right now. "Is he-" But before he can fully ask that question, out walks Katoji in a manner that sends shivers down his spine. Looking back at Ryuujin, he bows for a moment keeping his eyes on him, uncertain due to the recent crazy moment. "My name is Noharu Tenshi and it's an honor to meet you, Sasaki-senpai." Having said that, he stands back up and looks back over at Yoshinori. "What happened over there? He looks dazed..."

Everything builds up. Emotions, reactions, thoughts. All of these are kept in check as Yoshinori still keeps his eyes on Ryuujin, his mind still reeling. Sure, he's suppose to be helpful, but really...
"I...I'm fine, Kierre-san," he says quietly toward the girl, thankful for her support. It's about all he says, his gaze falling on Katoji as he makes a hasty exit. "Y...oh..." he sighs, watching the boy go. He is concerned, but he cannot do anything right now.
He gives Tenshi a longer look, acknowledging his presence now that he's been in the dojo for a period of time. Of course, he's not really in the mood for chatting as he usually would. "...I'm sorry," he apologizes to the three, bowing curtly. "...I need to clear my head." He then turns to exit the building, his thoughts overlapping as he goes.

[Log] 49 - If I Could Change the World

2008-07-30T18:58:18Z

Date: 07-29-08
Characters: Katoji, Tenshi, Yuichirou
Summary: Katoji comes up for a breath of fresh air and ends up with a side of philosophical debate.

It was getting on to be night time and right now, and throughout all the confinements of the the Academy Dorms and Halls, there was one such location that would served to get some fresh air, while not require a whole lot of walking to get to... The Roof. Here, despite the lack of room, one had a clear view of the sky which at this time was dark and star filled, a truly beautiful sight. Which is the exact reason why one student, Noharu Tenshi, was venturing up here at such a late hour. Not that so many new and taxing events had occurred recently, just that... well... he was starting to feel really lonely, despite being surrounded by so many others like himself.

It was pretty close to curfew, but Katoji had been feeling rather restless in his attempts to make the most of his study time. Sitting in his room was no fun, and he had no desire to bother his roommate with his fidgiting. "I'm gonna go for a quick walk," he'd informed Matsuhiro before slipping out. He hadn't bothered taking anything with him since he figured a quick walk would be just that- a quick walk.
The quickest way to get outside was by roof access, and it was a place Katoji was quite familiar with. He clambered up the cold rungs, and while he hadn't initially expected anyone else to be up here, even before he got to the top he already realized he wouldn't be the only one up here. Tenshi's reiatsu was not one he was familiar with enough to identify, unlike Antoku and Matsuhiro's.
"Ah- No..haru-san?"

Looking over at the newcomer on the roof, Tenshi almost immediately recognized him. "Oh, Chihara-san." He acknowledged with a wave and warm smile. "It's nice to see you again." Having said that, he returned his glance to the sky. He seems lost in the vastness like a trance.

His hesitant look gave way to a bright grin, and Katoji pulled the rest of himself up onto the roof, dusting off his hakama and his hands as he got to his feet. "Heh, what brings you up here?" he asked, crossing over towards the other student. He tilted his head curiously as the other fell silent again, following Tenshi's gaze skyward. The view of skies was something Katoji himself never tired of, be it day or night. There was something about that too that brought about feelings of nostalgia.

Tenshi didn't look away this time and kept on looking at the sky when he replied. "I don't know." He sighed, "It's just that I've been thinking a lot about why I came to the Academy and I really don't know if the ends will justify the means..." He wasn't looking at the sky anymore; instead he took a couple steps away from Katoji "It just sucks!"

Katoji blinked, looking back down and at the other kid. "...whaddya mean...?" he asked, scratching his chin with a finger. He smiled wryly at the frustrated exclamation. "Ahaha... well... why -did- you come to the Academy?" he decided to ask.

No longer walking, Tenshi dropped his head and ran a hand through his hair and sighed once again. "I guess to change things..." He began, still not looking at Katoji, yet when he started speaking again he turned to face him. "I don't know. Do you remember your life in the human world? I mean, I don't, but I think I remember being unhappy then.... and then here... Doesn't the world seem unfair? Not right? People getting bullied, push down, and ostracized all for some stupid reason?" He said as he tossed his hands up above his head before running them through his hair and actually grabbing it in both hands like he were going to tear it out.

All the while Tenshi had been moving, Katoji watched in silence, waiting for whether his question would be answered or not. He nodded slowly in understanding; Tenshi's reasons for coming here were not too unlike his own nor his brother Kunio's, and likely a good number of others, of that Katoji was certain. He was caught off guard by the question asked him in turn and it showed on his face, a blank look that improved not much even as he let the words sink in.
"I... really don't remember much details myself..." he admitted, forcing a smile. He could recall impressions from memories sometimes though- it's what had influenced him to do things here, to take chances, to just want to be something more than whatever he had been, back then...
"It isn't fair, but then it isn't all bad either. It depends a lot on what people do, for themselves as well as for others," he said thoughtfully.

Hearing Katoji's words, Tenshi dropped his hands to his side and turned to face him once again. He looked sedated, if not only for the moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right..." Then something popped in his head and he started taking steps back over to Katoji. "But anything anybody ever is for themselves. Good ahead, prove me wrong. The goodness that happens in the world? Would it even exist if people weren't striving for peace /for/ themselves? No, and that's precisely what's happening here, in Soul Society. They separate people into the elite or not and the not... they get pushed out into the outer districts of the rukongai. What's up with that?" He said, standing only a couple steps from Katoji. "It's ego and vanity that drive it, you know?"

From the opposite side of the roof came a cheerful voice. "You ain't got the experience in this world to make a judgement like that." Yuichirou had been present on the roof for quite a while, though the freshmen wouldn't have noticed him unless they had put a distance between themselves and the ladder and looked behind one of the pointed eaves of the roof. He lay on his back, legs crossed and gaze upturned... and most importantly, reiatsu masked.
Yuichirou rose carefully and moved into view of the two freshmen. He didn't like hearing some kid talk like that about the world. "Shinigami don't put people anywhere. The only reason the outer districts of the Rukongai are chaotic is cause they're farthest from the Shinigami. Not because we put 'em out there. You got a lot to learn, kiddo."

He lifted his head as Tenshi approached him, but remained standing where he was, amber eyes meeting those reddish ones. After it seemed that the kid was done for the moment with his insistant inquiries, Katoji finally shook his head. He was about to make a response, but someone else chose to make one instead, just then. Hardly was Katoji's reiatsu sensing abilities honed well enough to have caught the upper classman's presence, and as Yuichirou made himself known to them then, it was quite startling.
"Gah!" the boy yelped, taking a step back as he clutched at his chest, whipping about to look for the source of the voice, watching as the older student emerged from where he had been hiding. No one Katoji was familiar with for certain, but even with Yuichirou standing there in plain sight, it was still hard to really sense him, so the boy figured he must be a higher level student than they were. "Um.... hi...?" he offered, awkwardly.

When the shadows answered instead of Katoji, Tenshi took a step back from his acquaintance in order to observe the area a little bit better. The voice wasn't familiar to the boy and even when he made himself known, Tenshi still struggled to place him; but it was clear to him that he wasn't a first year. Also noted was the fact that despite the nature of the conversation and his own elevated tone, the one speaking to the contrary was docile and happy. To say the least, he was taken aback by the contradiction. That, however, didn't mean that he was done with the point. He addressed the older boy.
"Is that so? Well then, why don't the shinigami expand their territory to totally encompassed the area where the chaos is? Isn't it best managed from the inside? Because despite the turmoil that exists on the edges of society, there are bunches of people who do no wish to be out there but are forced to because of their formiddable surroundings. They get left out, smothered, and die without a word." Tenshi shook his head. "But maybe I'm all wrong. Tell me, Shadowed-Truth-Speaker, give me your knowledge."

Freshmen. Yuichirou shook his head for a moment as the kid continued to press him. But he didn't respond right away. Rather, he offered a nod to Katoji along with an introduction. "Minamoto Yuichirou. Pleasure to meet you." The name was printed in several places beside the words '6th-year student squad leader' if any of the freshmen had bothered to read.
With an easy posture, he turned to face Tenshi, a half smirk on his face. "Cause it ain't our job." It was a simple answer and he could have left it at that, but he went on. "A Shinigami's job is to maintain the balance between the living and the dead. To guide souls to Soul Society and release the spirits of Hollows. The most important task is to maintain the balance. Without balance, both worlds would cease to exist. 's why we had to get rid of the Quincies. 's why we can't waste our energy patrolling the outer districts of Rukongai. Chaos and order in Rukongai ain't gonna matter if the entire world ceases to exist. Ya gotta have priorities. Can't do it all."

The name rang a bell, but like as recognition wouldn't kick in until later when this meeting was long over. Nevertheless, Katoji could always find room for doing formal introductions, especially with such a philosophical line of conversation hanging there. He came up for some fresh air and here he was getting smothered. A bow. "Chihara Katoji. Nice to meet you, Minamoto-senpai," he said, certain at least about this student being higher ranked than them. He said nothing more, listening instead as Yuichirou continued to respond to Tenshi. It made sense, but then it also bothered him. A lot of what was mentioned was nothing new to him. He knew about the Quincies, about the unfairness of lifestyles in the Rukongai, as even though he hadn't come from that high a numbered district, he knew how rough things could get for those not fortunate enough to be able to forage and survive. It wasn't a good thing, and yet it wasn't possible to fix everything so easily, no matter how much one might desire. It's why he did what he could, as he could, even if it was small, an isolated case, perhaps not even relevant to very many. Katoji's aspirations weren't very wide-ranged, but he felt they were practical, at least from the perspective of one with only so much ability as he had.
"...it's almost curfew time..." he murmured, although he wasn't really sure how much time had passed since he'd come up. "I think I'll head back for now. You probably should too," he said, smiling at the both of them. "Maybe... maybe we can talk more about things another time though?"

With Yuichirou's introduction, Tenshi's eyes widened considerably. He hadn't heard the name uttered in any formal aspect, but while reviewing lists of academy staff and student squad leaders, he had come across the name and took care to memorize it he ever encountered him. Yet, despite the awe at meeting such a respected student, he tried to listen to his answer... finding it... empty, for him at least.
"I get what you're trying to say...Minamoto-dono I really do..." Tenshi began, thinking carefully about what he wanted to say... But, before he could say properly phrase it, Katoji jumped in with his notice of curfew, something Tenshi really didn't want to get busted for. It was a weak reason for getting in trouble. "All right." He looked at Katoji acknowleging his statement with a nod before turning back to face Yuichirou.
"Well, I'll give it to you. Shinigami should be focused on the balance between souls living and dead, which needed to include, as horrid as I understand it was, an end to the Quincies... but I still think more could be achievably done by someone with enough will and a design." He sighed. "I won't go into that any further tonight for the same reason Chihara-san stated... right now, though..." Tenshi bowed, "I'd like to state that I appreciate your explanation and would like to introduce myself as Noharu Tenshi. Conversational opposition aside, it is nice to meet you."
With that, he stood up straight and turned back to Katoji. "I'll walk you back to the dorms." He then proceeded to head towards the access ladder, which was positioned near the upperclass student.

[Log] 48 - Breaking In

2008-07-29T18:34:32Z

Date: 07-29-08
Characters: Antoku, Fione, Katoji
Summary: A small, random gathering at the Academy's Communal Lounge.

-=[Communal Lounge - Shinigami Academy]=----------------------------------------

Once again Fione has chosen to move her lounging location closer to the lounge's teapots. Perched immediately beside that table in one of the chairs, she has a large mug of green tea she's sipping at idly while writing in a small purple book.
She pauses, brushing the small quill-looking pen's feathery tip against her lip in thought, before renewing her writing, careful not to disturb her mug on the edge of the table.
Her schoolbooks are set aside on the floor nearby, so she's apparently done with studying, at least for the time being.

Katoji doesn't frequent coming by the lounge and could probably count the times he's been up in here on one hand. Today's decision has been mostly in part of hoping that perhaps he'll catch his brother Kunio hanging about like he did the last time. Sketchbook and his box of crayons tucked under one arm with one of his school texts (he thought he should at least bring one along to try studying), the boy looks around the room as he steps inside. His eager look of anticipation wavers as he finds the room nearly empty, but he still finds cause enough to smile as he recognizes the one person he does see sitting there.
"Oh, hi... Kierre-san!" he says brightly, grasping about his mind for the name, waving with his free hand.

For the record, Antoku was walking his pet, not the other way around.
Something gloomy and roughly person-shaped slouched past the doorway behind Katoji. Because it was wearing one of the Academy's white and blue jackets slung over its shoulders, assume this is a student. -not one that's been in any of Fione's classes, either.
Instead of greeting her, Antoku limped past Katoji on his way to a chair by a window, as if neither of them existed. The only concession to Fione's existence he made was taking the extra time to give her a wide berth.

The blonde snaps the book shut instantly upon hearing Katoji start to speak, tucking it between her leg and the arm of the chair as she looks up, smiling and without a pause to try to recall the name, "Chihara-san, hi. I hope you're doing well?"
She nods to the teapot closest to her, "If you came here seeking tea the green tea there's fresh, I only just poured my mug a few minutes ago."
After floundering with the pen a second, nearly dropping it twice, she decides to bend over and set it down ontop of her schoolbooks.
She then lingers for a few moments, gazing at the other student. She can only assume he's another upper classman like Ito-san. Still, he seemed to wish to be left alone...

"Ah, 'toku..." the smaller boy starts as he sees the school's resident delinquent walk on by. He tilts his head, smiling faintly, perhaps in pleasant surprise that Antoku's actually surfaced in public... or... well, as close to public as one can get with only three in the room.
Grinning back at Fione, Katoji bobs his head in response to her question. "Yeah, things are all right I guess. Oh, thanks- sounds good... So how're things with you? Getting used to the place?" He sets his things down on the edge of the table so he can help himself to some tea. "Hey 'toku, you want some...?" he calls over to the other boy, feeling it shouldn't hurt to ask.

The chair presents a unique problem. Antoku pauses in front of it briefly before reaching out to grip the chair's back for balance. Favouring his back, he settles into the chair slowly, awkwardly. The zanpakutou sheathed in heavy, stained leather and slung around his shoulder gets thrown sharply at the floor as thanks for getting in the way.
"Not if it's hers," comes the grumbling answer, as he struggles to find a comfortable way to lean back.

The girl smiles at the question, "Yeah, I think I'm actually adjusting. Some people can be... different, but its not as bad as it seemed at first. You kind of get used to the quirks... most of them at least."
At the tattered looking strangers reply to the offer of tea, she blinks, "I don't mind and I'm fairly certain I didn't mess up this batch, it tastes just fine. Feel free, I put it on for anyone."
She finds the fact the tattered looking stranger was carrying a weapon a bit odd, since the rules require them to leave them in their rooms unless needed. However, she dismisses it from mind. Either she assumes he has some special reason for this or she's just come to accept from sharing a room with Yae that the rules get broken routinely by some people.

Katoji grins and pours another cup, picking both up and walking over to offer one of them to Antoku, and not without a concerned look as he watches the other shift in his place. Sampling a sip of his own cup of tea, he waits until either Antoku takes the other off his hands or refuses it before the boy comes back over to the table near where Fione occupies to reclaim his things. He nods belatedly to the girl's response, glad to hear that she's been adjusting to academy life.

"Isn't that charitable." He doesn't sound like he /really/ thinks it's charitable, but Antoku lifts the cup off of Katoji's hand with three fingers braced around the cup's lip. Instead of saying 'thank you' or otherwise expressing gratitude, he sniffs at the steam rising from the tea he doesn't even want suspiciously and then hisses, "Go -talk- to her, you idiot." Katoji was too good at stupid, sometimes.

The girl fortunately seems to fail to spot Antoku's urging, despite she was half-watching to see if she'd accept the tea. She simply lifts her own mug and takes a sip, "So what brings you up here Chihara-san? I hope I'm not in the way for anything?" The two boys do seem to know each other afterall.
"If so I'm fine with leaving, I finished studying already." And she's sure as heck not writing in her dairy with other people around. Well, other conscious people. Yae's generally pretty safe.

Managing not to roll his eyes at the hiss from his senpai, Katoji does throw a scowl over his shoulder at Antoku. He does not need to hear this guy of all people tell him to socialize. Looking back at Fione over his tea, the boy lowers the cup as he shakes his head. "Oh, no- not at all. Actually I should be asking you that," he chuckles, easing into a nearby chair, books and his colorfully boxed assortment rested upon his lap. "I thought maybe I might find my brother in here but I guess not. He must be working pretty hard." With a shrug at that, Katoji sets his cup down at the edge of the table, slipping his mostly new sketchbook out and flipping to a blank page. "Am I bothering? I can move elsewhere if I am."

There was a sharp, sardonic snort from the ragged scarecrow slumped in the chair at the notion that Kunio 'must' be working 'pretty hard.' Antoku dipped a pinkie finger in the tea and then stuck it in his mouth, as if Fione's reputation as a merciless poisoner preceeded her.

She didn't mess up that batch of tea last week THAT badly. It was just too overpoweringly lemony. No one died! Honest.
"Brother? I've never heard you mention a brother before." She seems curious. And its not like they've spoken that often for her to know everything.
"And no, like I said I just finished studying. Its just relaxation until bedtime for me."
The sketchbook gets a curious look as well, but she doesn't ask. She knows how it can be to have someone looking over your shoulder with stuff.

"Oh good," Katoji says, setting the sketchbook on the table, scooting closer to it so he won't have to stretch some awkward distance to do anything. He places the book and crayons there beside it, taking up the tea cup for another long, thoughtful sip. "Ah, yeah- his name's Shoda Kunio," he explains, freeing his hand of the cup and poking the crayon box open with a finger as he tries to ignore the snort from the upperclassman. So his choice of medium might seem a bit childish, but his drawings are a far cry from stick figures and lolipop trees with square houses and triangle rooves. He selects a stick of brown, eyeing its tip before applying it to the blank sheet before him. "I did bring a book to try studying, but I wouldn't be surprised if I started zoning out as soon as I cracked it open." He smiles sheepishly.

_ ________________________________________________________________ _

Fascinating. The tea tasted exactly the way Antoku imagined the walls in the 4th Division must taste. While the freshmen distracted each other by exchanging their creative failures, he smoothly transferred the tea cup to the windowsill. There, he carefully poured it against the seal of window and windowsill; just enough to fill the small gap between the two and run out to the wall outside without overflowing and spilling to the floor.

The girl is fortunately unawares of the glowing endorsement her tea's recieving at the moment, thanks to Katoji holding her attention.
"Really? Some of our books can be a bit dry, but I still find them interesting myself." She replies, to buy time to see if she recognizes the name Shoda Kunio from any of her classes. A bit of a difficult task to go through mentally.
"But of course, I've pretty much spent my life seeking entertainment by reading or painting or such. I even picked up several chores around the house out of boredom."

-earning a second snort of disgust from the far corner of the room.

While Katoji holds no particular revulsion for tea, he thinks it has about the same appeal as drinking hot water. Sometimes it isn't so bad, but he finds the subtle hint of flavor that never quite reaches your tongue once you swallow it down to be somewhat annoying. What he would give for a can of soda. He doesn't seem in such a hurry to resume finishing his tea.
"I guess some parts are interesting, but a lot of it just seems to go on and on..." The quick lines he's made on the paper are given a look of appraisal before he sets down the crayon he'd been using and pulls out another, a dark orange. "No offense..." he says, glancing over at Fione again, "...but that sounds like a pretty boring life..." The look on his face says quite clearly what he thinks of her resorting to chores as suitable entertainment. Wow. Seriously?

A disgruntled look crosses the girl's face briefly before she forces it back to a neutral smile, "Yeah, it was. But things are different here. Hardly ever boring for too long..."
She then turns her gaze to Antoku, "I don't think we've met before... So I'm guessing you're a higher year student? My name's Fione, daughter of the Kierre family." Ah yes, when the conversation gets icky, introduce yourself to someone that looks rather feral.

Katoji was just being honest!

Antoku's humble joy at being spoken to was palpable.
"Sorry about that." There were few things sadder than hearing a person's genetics had betrayed them by becoming well-bred. When and if Antoku located his ability to feel human sympathy, Fione could have half of the pity he'd been planning on giving Matsuhiro. Although he hadn't visibly moved, he held the teacup half-balanced on two fingers when, moments before, he'd been spilling its contents out on the windowsill. It would have to stay there until the girl got sick of being Sophisticated At Him and went back to Katoji.
-who /should/ have known better than to let her bother Antoku in the first place.

A blink crosses the blonde's face at the reply. She was expecting several things, consolation wasn't one of them. "...Dad isn't all that bad. He just comes off as mean due to how focused he is. And you are?"
Yes, she just assumed the upperclassman had some past dealings with her father. Why would a total stranger be pointlessly rude?

It isn't his fault that Fione's attention's slipped, but then Katoji hadn't actively been trying to keep it in the first place. The look she'd shot him after he'd so tactfully commented on her life was not easily ignored, and the smile that surfaces thereafter makes him nervous. Still, he can nod in agreement with her about how things work here.
Once Fione begins speaking to Antoku, Katoji glances between them, the eye on the tyrannosaurus not quite finished with his new distraction. He opens his mouth, snaps it shut again as the girl's reply to Antoku confuses him. Wait, how'd she figure her father into this conversation? Scratching his head, he reaches for the tea cup again, having second thoughts about even trying another sip as he feels how the cup's already cooled somewhat.

Was she fucking joking? When he finally looked at her, his expression was one of cold disbelief. She had to be new. Had to. Antoku knew Satsue had given her usual student body lecture about him when he'd returned to the Academy.
"You really don't know." It wasn't a question. He was so used to a hole opening up around him in crowded rooms the moment he appeared, that finding someone who didn't freeze up was like beholding a horrible train-car accident. Several moments later he recovered from his disbelief and promised, "I don't know your freakin' dad, girlie," as he turned away again. The cold shoulder could not have been more obvious.

Fione has only been here a couple of weeks now. She didn't know Antoku. She might've heard some rumors about someone like him, but clearly not enough to buy into and identify him to avoid. Even if she did know of him its questionable if she'd avoid him. Chihara-san seemed to know him and be amiable enough with him.
Still, the cold shoulder catches her off-guard rather nicely. A look crosses her face a bit of a cross between hurt and suprised. She even casts a quick questioning look to Katoji, before looking back to Antoku.
"...No, I don't. If you're someone I should recognize, I must apologize, I haven't been here that long... So if I said or did something to offend you, I apologize, it was certainly not intentional..." Its the only reason she can think of.

It would be rude to recap a warning even he hadn't bothered to follow, and especially in the presence of said person the warning was about- more so since said person is also a friend. Katoji lifts his eyes from the paper again; he'd tried to resume his drawing but found it hard to do so with Antoku's less than subtle response, although it's delivered more gently than others he's heard.
The boy offers Fione an apologetic smile and a headshake. Best you don't dig a hole any deeper...

She was still trying! Antoku makes no attempt to hide his aggravated sigh. He should have stayed in bed, or at least waited until after dark to go out. The discomfort that turning around in the chair costs him is welcome this time--it feeds his irritation. "Let's try this again."
God damn Katoji for being here, too. That made it worse. "I'm Antoku. The Dean's assistant--or whatever she calls herself these days--told all you little kids to leave me the fuck alone. It's an actual rule. That's how much I hate you. And it's nothing personal, before your lacy little heart gets bruised. I just really, really hate every Hime-sama I meet. So let's start out on the right foot by avoiding each other like we're supposed to, from here on out. Okay?"

The blonde blinks as she listens to this, shutting her eyes briefly to steel herself. Yet another. All her life she's been struggling to prove herself as something more then just a frail, pretty face. Trying to earn respect. It would seem Chihara-san's acquiantance would be another one of these.
Her eyes re-open with a determined edge to them at length as she studies the older student. Antoku. She's heard the name in passing, but not much. Plus who can trust idle gossip?
"If I was a small, frail little 'Hime-sama' I wouldn't be here trying to become a Shinigami. I have my past grooming, admittedly, but I hardly see why that should be grounds for you to immediately hate me."
That stubborn streak can kick in at the worst of times...

Oh for fuck's sake. Every word out of her mouth has a slow but obvious effect. By the time she's done declaring the power of her hormones, Antoku's eyes have lost their sleepy indifference and refocused sharply. Without moving a muscle, his whole body's posture has gone from seeming about to flee to seeming about to lunge. "Hime-sama says I'm not allowed to hate someone without her permission, hah?"
Just a little, he leans forward over the arm of his chair, resting his elbow there. It's almost casual. "In that case, I hate you because you think you're not frail. You really think that? I hate how stupid that is." Permission granted?

A slight twitch. She eyes the other student warily for a few moments, the risk of lunging not seeming to sink in, "Quit calling me that. I've never sought any respect from my station. Nobility or streetrat doesn't matter here." Plus there's the whole fact she only THINKS she's nobility, but she doesn't know she's not so that doesn't help.
"I've made it into the academy on my own merits, and I intend to proceed through and into being a Shinigami on my own. I know I can't become friends with everyone, I'm not that naive, but to be judged before you even know me?"
A terse, thin smile crosses her face as she looks the other student over, "Though I supposed you get that a lot yourself. You look crude and rough, perhaps you even are, you certainly at least act it. But I'll at least make an attempt to learn you for myself before I decide just what you are."
Being looked down upon is unfortunately one of the easiest ways to bring her out of her shell. Here, we see where this can lead into problems.

"'Streetrat,'" Antoku echos softly, the hair-thin white scar on his lower lip twitching once.
"Please, spare me the honour. Hime-sama is going to become a shinigami-san, and she's going to do it on her own merit. Because /that's/ a redeeming virtue, I'll try real hard to keep it in mind." Fluidly, he slides to his feet, no sign of his earlier painstaking motions in evidence. A stomp on the end of his zanpakutou's sheath flips it off of the ground just enough for him to catch. As he jerks the braided leather cord over his shoulder, he adds, "Welcome to the Academy, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do."

She's definately bristled. Being called a hime-sama and mocked so is grating on her. Being looked down upon like this by a total stranger...
The change from pained to fluid motion is noted, but not outwardly shown, "I'm sure I'll make do here." She replies to his final words, with a forcedly cool, even tone. Rather then irritated, she manages to put a almost challenging inflection to the words.
She won't outright ask how she can prove herself to him. Its not like he'd give a serious answer. Still, its just another goal to keep in mind. Afterall, he seems to in the very least tolerate Chihara-san, so there must be SOME people he doesn't act like this to.

If Antoku knew that Katoji had been going around telling people he thought Antoku was his friend, there'd be hell to pay. "Thank God; I was so worried."
No matter how aggressive he was when the other students came too close to his personal bubble of physical and social space, Fione's career was firmly in her own hands. He was not in the habit of sabotaging smart-mouthed rich kids. Being left alone was gift enough.
No thanks to Katoji, by the way. Antoku ignores both freshmen as he stalks his way to the door. In his experience, becoming completely blind to another person's existence was often hint enough. The last goddamn thing he needed was somebody's over-padded little princess trying to express her True Inner Strength at him.

To be judged so blatantly... Usually there was some reason for being looked down upon. Things usually made sense. This guy though, he just... hated. It was like a cheesy book villian brought to life.
"Spare me your sarcasm. See you around, I guess."
Yeah, she'd have to look into this guy. A rule to leave him alone? He can't be that awful. Chihara-san knew him and spoke directly to him. There's SOMETHING in this guy. And for better, or more likely worse, she thinks she has to find out what.

[Log] 47 - Situation (Unfinished)

2008-07-29T18:25:17Z

Date: 07-20-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji, Matsuhiro
Summary: Returning to his room after an outing with Yoshinori, Katoji is met by one slightly troubled Matsuhiro.

[Log] 46 - Think But This and All Is Mended

2008-07-20T07:45:54Z

Date: 07-09-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji
Summary: Talk of future, present, and past.

-=[North Wing Roof - Shinigami Academy]=----------------------------------------

From here one has a full view of the Academy's grounds, and beyond the grounds the shapes of some of the taller buildings in the Glories are visible above the trees. The school itself blocks the view in the opposite direction.
As this small rectangle of rooftop was never intended to be accessible except for repairs, it is surrounded only by a low, wrought iron safety fence. Despite that, the stone-paved roof is littered with cigarette butts and sometimes discarded food and drink containers.

Antoku threw the syringe high up into the night air.
It wasn't the run-in with Satsue, in the Dean's office, or even the fact that his room on the second floor had been empty for a week or two, vacated and scrubbed out. It wasn't really the hospital or the words that had been exchanged there; those were just consequences, cause and effect. It was the library, the things that'd been said /there,/ and yes, Antoku's loss of temper afterwards, too. It was that, and nothing else, that was making him avoid Katoji. Katoji, Matsuhiro--all of the freshmen if he could help it, as if their chipper inexperience was a disease he feared contracting. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about it, whittling away possible causes, until he'd come to that one, unavoidable conclusion.
Yoro-Ritsuryo whistled in its sheath as he whipped it around like a bat and sent the syringe exploding out in a silvery rain of sharp shrapnel over the school grounds far below. Take that...evidence.
He was swimming in a blissful kind of relaxation even before he could turn around and go fishing through the canvas knapsack he'd brought with, in search of something else to bat off of the roof. Simple...stupid destruction...the mindless kind of physical activity that required him to pay attention to other things...he didn't know what he'd do without it when he was finally too grown up to indulge.

Antoku's scarceness had not gone unnoticed by at least one person, and of course it would be the one that more rational people would think would be the one to keep his distance after That Incident. In truth, Katoji had been looking for the upper classman when he could, having not seen him since that meeting in Satsue's office. The boy checked Antoku's usual haunts in between and after classes, but he had so far been out of luck in actually finding the other boy there.
While certainly the events of weeks past now had far from disappated from his mind (really, how could anyone forget those things?), Katoji had certainly bounced back to his usual routine, so it seemed. His face no longer hurt when he offered his plentiful smiles to others, and the bruising had gone down considerably thanks to the salve Miyo had supplied him with. He was quite thankful for the notice to his teachers that Satsue had provided after all, and with Matsuhiro's added concern it hadn't been too much trouble to catch up to all the things he had missed. Things could have almost been thought of as normal. Katoji wished it were that easy.
To think that he was going to forgo his recent routine. He'd made his way up to the second floor, sparing a sad glance at the room that Antoku no longer occupied as he intended to drop by Yoshinori's next door... He'd stopped halfway down the hall and looked up.
And then he'd broken into a dash and run towards the ladder, clambering up the cold rungs and pulling himself up onto the rooftop just as the sound of shattering glass tinkled cleanly through the air in the wake of that curved and broken zanpakutou. His mouth open, Katoji realized he wasn't sure what he was going to say. He began to wonder if he should even try to say anything. So silent he remained, although trusting his presence to have been noticed.

And the world went blue.
Antoku looked up from where he was crouched over his knapsack, one fist wrapped around his zanpakutou's pocked, time-blackened hilt while two fingers rammed a plain wad of white bread in his mouth and the other hand fished through the bag, his eyes as wide and black as a moth's.
Huh. The timing was good, as much as some weaker part of his soul cringed away. The kid arrived on the heels of the first part of a really good high. He made a brief, muffled noise in lieu of a greeting--the best he could do with his mouth full. Antoku pulled something out of the bag, looked at it oddly, and then tossed the unopened bottle of beer at Katoji, sloppily. Let him have it. Antoku could find another later.

Reflexively, the boy fumbled for the object tossed in his direction. It would have been messier had he still been halfway on the ladder. Successfully managing not to drop the thing, Katoji eyed the bottle, puzzled as to what he was supposed to do with it. Though he'd never drank it before, he vaguely recalled the smell and frankly he hadn't been impressed enough to want to try it. Still holding the beer, the boy decided that as good a sign as any that he was welcome to stay, and he wandered closer towards Antoku, looking down as the other rifled through his bag before squatting there a ways from him, the bottle set down on the ground with a soft clink, his freed hands clasping over his knees. Any further silence felt awkward to him, so the boy decided he should at least try to say something.
"...so... hey. ...'sup..?" Like that didn't sound even more awkward than the quiet had been.

The sharp, shattered head of Antoku's zanpakutou ground against the cement rooftop. Antoku folded his own hands over the sword's pommel in loose imitation of the pose Katoji had set.
Tough question; better think about it.
"Is that a rhetorical question?" New word. Discovered this last Sunday, in a book about pre-Socratic philosophers and then later expanded upon in a dusty, smudged dictionary. He'd kill himself before admitting he'd read the book, but he'd decided to keep the word. He uncurled a heavily-scarred forefinger from where he clutched Yoro-Ritsuryo, the fingernail gone greenish-black from some recent, unnamed injury. "I'm sitting on the roof with a skinny freshman. Was that what you were really asking?"

The boy shrugged in response, the neutral expression he'd had leaning more towards a smile with the question posed in turn. "I guess it could be considered that. ...don't usually get actual answers to that, but I figured I ought to say something." He'd seen Antoku about books before, or was it books left about Antoku? Back when the older boy had been secluded in the Academy clinic, there'd been quite a few heavy ones that Katoji could remember. He never thought much of it. He probably wouldn't either, if he ever actually caught Antoku poking through books again.
"...okay, lemme rephrase then," he said, tracing a finger along the ground. "....what've you been up to? I haven't seen you since we were called to Iesada's office..."

For once, Antoku's face twisted straight into honesty. He sneered a little, turning his head to the side as if he couldn't handle looking directly at any person while they were displaying so much unrelenting, uncalled-for concern for him. "Shit, that's a stupid question. Why don't you ever come up here and talk about yourself? People do that. They talk about themselves and try to get the rest of the world to, you know, connect or whatever their issue is?"

His head had already been lowered as he traced old scratches on the floor, but with Antoku's shift to evasive answers, the boy ducked his head a little more. "...I just thought I'd ask..." he murmured, his chin propped over an arm that he'd folded to rest over his knees. "...anyway, 's not like there's much to talk about myself...." Amber eyes peered between the curtain of his dark bangs at the other, then looked back at the ground, his fingers slipping over a small bit of rock, and he resorted to using that rather than a finger to scratch faint lines there on the floor before him.

Passivity disarmed him, leaving him to grasp ineffectively, bare-handed, at his desperately thin cloak of social arts. Antoku glanced at Katoji and away again sharply, bristling from head to toe with resentment. Finally, either because the balance had at last been pushed too far out of line or because drugs, like they teach you in school, make you say things you normally wouldn't, he demanded, "Why are you always like that?! Dammit! You /always/ do that! Why don't you get angry?! Why don't you say anything back?! Are you a person or a dead limb? I know you can hear me, I know you can understand me!"

The scratching on the ground stopped, the boy cringing at the tone of voice taken against him, but to his credit he didn't throw his hands up as though expecting to get struck again. Slowly he raised his head, just enough to look over his arm, and for a while he stared at Antoku.
"...I do understand you! But I don't see any reason to get angry, really... I know you say things like that, but then most of the time it's just how you are... Besides, what good would it be to get angry about stuff like that?" His brow furrowed, not completely out of being upset as it is out of confusion. "Am I -supposed- to get provoked by every sharp thing said? Is that what you want?"

"Well I don't...." It trailed off as quickly as it had begun.
Antoku put his own head down and twisted his grip around Yoro's pommel until his knuckles were white and bloodless. "...sure, it doesn't make sense if you say it like /that/," he mumbled. He had no explanation for why he was the way that he was, or how that way was different from how other people operated. It was obviously broken, but that was no reason to disown it. It was broken, but it was /his/, and not a lot in the world was /his/. He couldn't just let it go. So he kept on twisting his fingers around Yoro's blackened old hilt while he stared down at the dirty cement roof and wished he knew a good way to say that he hated whatever it was that made him allow Katoji to stay around him.

Likewise, Katoji fell silent as Antoku fumbled and failed for a retort. He let his gaze fall back towards the ground where he'd scratched out a rough, tiny picture of a koi fish. Eyes flicked back at the other boy when the silence continued, the awkwardness creeping its way in with the silence again. Once again the ground received his attention.
This was something he'd come to accept of Antoku, but then he'd already accepted the other student so that was a given. He hadn't given up and cowered away under a blanket somewhere after taking that punch, and perhaps others if they knew the truth of that injury he'd received then would think him crazy for still insisting on hanging about Antoku. Katoji wasn't sure whether he should try saying something else again, feeling that another attempt would result in the same as being quiet.

Without raising his head, Antoku said, "Since we're talking about it," in a low voice. "I want you to...apologize for what you said in the library that day." They hadn't been talking about it, not exactly, and he didn't specify which day he was talking about. It seemed fairly obvious that one might stand out from the rest all on its own.

With a blink, Katoji glanced back over his arm at the other boy again. Apologize? He wasn't aware he'd said anything offensive... or if he had, then it was obviously something he didn't consider as such. He knew all too well what day in the library was implied, and while it was a hard thing to forget, there were some details that were fuzzy. Overall, he was pretty sure what he'd said didn't warrant an apology, although if he knew what Antoku meant, then he would probably go ahead and do so.
A prompt. He needed a prompt, and half-expected to be yelled at again as he finally went ahead and meekly asked, "....what did I say...?"

Antoku didn't look up.

After a minute or two of thought, he said, "Three times before you graduate, there'll be an exam involving real hollows. You'll be put on a team with a few other students, and your grades...and your life, too...will depend on those other kids as much as it does on your own performance. Each time you have this exam, it'll get harder. Exponentially." That was a new word, too. "The last one is very dangerous, but I've never taken it, because of my heart."
He paused, searching his memory, and found he wasn't sure if Katoji knew about- "I can't over-stress it. They think the piece of Yoro that's still in there is set right up against it, that it slices and slices itself on that piece if it stretches too much. That's why I don't have to do any of the P.E. I can't even run. I'm crippled." There was no hiding the bitterness in his tone when he said it, not even for a naturally-talented liar like Antoku.
"...but...when you take that exam, Mitzy-Mae, I'm going to be on your team." His fingers shifted over the black chips of jade on his zanpakutou's handle. "And you're going to pass no matter who I have to kill, even if it's me."

He'd raised his head again as Antoku spoke up, and without yelling. He held his breath as if worried that it would disturb all the words that the boy said somehow. No, Katoji hadn't known exact details, and what he did know about Sadakata Antoku's condition was pieced together by things he heard and observed. Still, he'd never brought it up. Patience has rewarded him with an explanation, and from one who would know how to accurately give it.
....and again the silence. Katoji said nothing, words having left him again. Expressing pity would not make the mood any better, nor would further showing of concern. Antoku probably knew those would be the two easiest things that would come from him anyway. By the time Antoku finished speaking, Katoji had fully lifted his head, the stone all but forgotten in his hand, his eyes watching the other searchingly even though Antoku refrained from bringing up his own gaze.
"....why...?" Why be that intent on something like that for him? "...toku... I..." Don't understand. Or maybe he did. Hearing all this placed a heavy air to layer over the awkwardness. That Antoku said as much meant... well, to put inadequately... a lot, and while he could never say he wasn't appreciative of it, Katoji had to wonder why him. What was his worth that ...
...but then he'd offered as much when he'd told Antoku that he'd help him get away from the Academy, didn't he? Mouth closing, Katoji looked down at the ground quietly again.

There was no instant, easy answer. Antoku was not a simple person; he thought in layers and always at an angle. By contrast, Katoji was blindingly simple, when he wanted to be. Antoku was positive that it was only by virtue of the other student's accepting nature that Katoji was able to stand him. So he didn't try to explain, he only said, "Isn't that what you want? To be a strong, important shinigami? If your goal isn't worth the cost of my life, how can you say you really want to be a shinigami?"

His goal... that wasn't his goal at all... or at least, not so bluntly. He wanted to become a strong shinigami so that he could protect others... and Antoku so plainly said that he would help him do just that.... Katoji didn't look up immediately. For a moment it seemed like he wouldn't, but finally he broke his silence again, eventually lifting his gaze with it.
"...I want to. I want to become a shinigami," he said. "...but why are you willing to do so much...?" For me?

Simple questions that couldn't possibly have simple answers, again. It was even worse when the answers contained something that felt...too nice. Too patronizing. Like a weakness in his personal army. He never gave /those/ answers. But there were still parts of the answer that felt safe. Black jaded glittered wetly between his fingers as he tilted Yoro-Ritsuryo slightly to the side.
"Why do you call it 'so much?' I'm reckless, not suicidal, don't get me wrong. But I have to die some time. What's wrong with picking a time and a purpose?"
_________ _
Antoku lifted his head a little and found an interesting fold on Katoji's sleeve to look at from beneath his eyelashes. "'Remember that you will die.'"

Katoji considered an ultimatum that ended with one's life as 'much.' That was the most that anyone could ever give of themselves, because that was everything. That was his initial thought. He waited, and when no answer came immediately, he thought that perhaps he wouldn't receive one at all. Even once he did, he wasn't sure what to say in response for it. It was a very dismal outlook, but he could not say that it wasn't something he didn't understand.
He remained still as Antoku finally raised his head, even if just a little, and their eyes still didn't meet, but Katoji wasn't so much focused on that so much as the words the other boy quoted then. The crow.
He smiled ruefully. "'All life is carried by death.'"

Even though he didn't smile, humor danced at the corners of Antoku's dark eyes as he quirked one eyebrow and faintly bobbed his head in agreement. "'Your life, my death,'" he mis-quoted, almost cheerfully. "It seems cheap payment considering what's being bought. I think a few others will also die for it, after me." He looked up briefly, while his knuckles went whiter still.
"You will be a hell of a shinigami. It's satisfying revenge. Thank you."

He didn't smile for very long. He still wasn't sure what Antoku was implying- after all, surely there were plenty of others that would make potentially excellent shinigami as well. He was one of many that had come to the Academy, after all. Being told that there would be other deaths didn't sit well with him. What good would his doing anything be if he wouldn't be able to protect and help people like he wanted? Or... He was thinking about it too much and his mind was whirling.
Katoji nearly missed as Antoku looked up, about to drop his head down again, stopping with a jerk as he noticed the movement from the other. The words conflicted. They were good, but they were also... well, no. At first he thought the pairing was disturbing. He thought on it a moment longer, choosing not to say anything then. Instead, he met Antoku's look, giving a nod.

With laughter dancing behind his eyes--he never really laughed, never--Antoku looked away coldly, rolling his shoulders just to test the reptilian sensation that honesty gave him, to see if he could handle more of it. The drugs helped. He should make it a point to shoot up around this kid, it was worth it. "Did you know that thinking about me dying makes your reiatsu stronger?" he asked, conversationally. "That's what I think it is, at least. Hard for me to be sure. Especially when you dwell on it. Just now was great."
Using his zanpakutou like a walking cane, Antoku slowly began to push himself up to his feet again. "If I could manage to die slowly over the course of a few months...think of how strong you'd be!" Well, he only found dark things funny. It was one of the symptoms of his disorder.

The frown returned. What a horrible thing to say, even if it is about himself! It made him want to.. shiver, really. Katoji shook his head. "That's... how can you say something like that?" He pushed himself to his feet, his legs almost giving out from under him having been stuck in a folded position for so long, but he managed to right his balance with a step back. The boy sighed, deciding not to press the issue, not really expecting for Antoku to give him an answer, but then the older student was in one of his looser tongued-moods.

"It's like talking about taking a nap after thirty years of insomnia, Mitzy-Mae." There was nothing particularly cold-blooded about the tone he said it in, unless his general air of total relaxation counted. "Just something to look forward to." And with that, he returned to the shapeless knapsack and began shifting through it again, in case he'd remembered to bring any more food up with him.
"Or were you complaining about what I said? How you affect Yoro when we talk about this? I don't know what to tell you about that. Thought you'd want to know."

"...mm..." He shook his head again. "...not complaining... and... I guess not really objecting either, now that I think about it..." Katoji ran a hand through his hair, although little good it did for his bangs; they always fell back in place anyway. "...you've never really told me about what....about what Yoro does.... so I can only guess for how it would make sense..." He shuffled his feet a bit, glancing at the ground again.

"I don't really know, either." Asked what Yoro did by anyone else, Antoku would say that he had /no/ idea. "Mostly it's about colours and shapes. No one else seems to see it, so I make sure that I don't see it, either. Things like that could land a guy in the crazy house, you know what I mean?"
He found a dented tin can of peaches with an old-fashioned key on the top and a bottle of water. Antoku held up the can and searched it for an expiration date. When he couldn't find one, he shrugged a little to himself and settled for the peaches anyway. "At first I thought it was that every person had a different colour. --well, I mean. At /first/ I thought I was insane. When the pain wasn't so bad that I didn't pass out like a girl every five minutes. After a year or two I figured out it's about zanpakutou. I think Yoro puts them into categories, sort of. You're the only person who's ever made blue like this, though. Not sure what that means about your zanpakutou, since I've never seen it before. I got theories, though."
Antoku flicked the tin key over his shoulder once he had the can open, as reckless about littering as he was with his own safety. "Want one?"

"Ah..." Even if it wasn't a complete explanation, speculation of Yoro's properties helped to clear up quite a few things. Had he more time to do so at his leisure, Katoji would have thought back on all the instances before where he'd been about Antoku, but even in just thinking back on what he could at that moment, it was really only a small bit of clarification. It didn't explain anything for Yoro's destructive tendancies- that was Yoro, wasn't it? The name of Antoku's zanpakutou had never really been named before, but the boy was able to figure that much on his own here and now. He nodded slowly, able to understand those reasonings, at least roughly so.
"...oh.... sure...." Katoji said, blinking at the can. He hardly ever turned down food, and Antoku was nice enough to be offering... and what was the worse that could happen from eating overdo peaches but get an upset stomach? The kid settled back down on the ground again, this time sitting cross-legged than squatting, mindful of the bottle of beer that he'd set down earlier. He'd hate for it to break and smell up the roof. "....what sort of theories...?" he prompted hesitantly, his question a nudge back on the previous subject.

While he fished a slimey slice of peach out of its bath of syrup with two fingers, Antoku made a sour face and grumbled, "I don't like being wrong. I hate guessing." And therein was the real explanation for what Yoro was.
"But...look, don't hold it against me if I'm wrong, all right? But you weren't blue when I first met you. It started happening later on. It got brighter each time, happened more often.... Here you go." Syrup dripped on the roof while Antoku held the slice of fruit out. "You do it specifically when you wallow in killing me. Or when you feel bad for other people, or sympathetic, or whatever your damn problem is. It's hard to say since I can't feel your, you know, feelings. I have to piece all of this together through conjecture."

Lacking anything else to busy himself with, Katoji took to watching as Antoku worked out one of the slimey peach slices out of the can. "Pff, you said it was a theory, so who am I to get on your case if it ends up being wrong?" the boy grinned lopsidedly. He eyed the piece of fruit that was held out to him, trying to figure out the best way to grab it, and lacking for figuring any better method to do so, reached over to grab it with his fingers. "Thanks..." He looked at the little puddle of juice that slowly spread out, and counted off a few before he quickly moved the peach slice to transfer to his mouth. Hm. There wasn't anything outrightly bad about it that he could tell, anyway. He licked off his gooey fingers as he continued to listen to the other boy's guesses.
"...you'd have a better idea of it than I would, since you've got something else to compare with my moods," he considered. "...makes sense though, I think... I still remember the first time you even mentioned a color to me." He gestured with his wet fingers. "Was up here too. Heh, seems like quite a while ago..."
He used his other hand to lean back upon, looking skyward. "...you don't have to say if you don't feel like it.... but I'm curious... how'd you get your zanpakutou? I know they told us basic, abridged things about them when we first got here, but no one's really said -how- you figure out your own... unless it's just something that happens..."

...
Antoku looked at the can he was holding, face devoid of expression. He rubbed the pad of his thumb against the can's edge while he thought for a moment.
The words, when they came, were forced. "I don't...think you'll like me anymore if I tell you that."

Was it that bad a thing? The boy straightened his head again, glancing back at Antoku quizzically. The hesitation of his words only brought slight concern to his curiosity, but for the while he said nothing, just watching the other quietly. After a moment, he smiled faintly and tilted his head back again. "If that's what you think, then that's fine. You don't have to say..." he said.

While he had actively thought about his zanpakutou and evaded sharing anything about it that he could for years, how he'd found it was something that never came up. And that had been nice. Antoku put the can of peaches down on the mini-rail at the edge of the roof, spending a few minutes trying to get it to balance.
He could at least answer part of that question, though. "It's different for everyone." The weird shift to his tone implied that he found it highly unlikely that anyone else had run into their zanpakutou in exactly the same manner that he had. "Some of these assholes seem to just find it. You know. For the fuck of it. Most of them supposedly 'learn to find it' through training, or practise, or something. I've seen it happen here with the fifth and sixth year guys. Some people find it when they need it. ...why, thinking about shopping for one?"

"Well I can't be a shinigami without one..." came the response. "...I just wondered if there were any sort of particular pointers for it..." Katoji shrugged his shoulders. "Guess we'll see." It wasn't something he'd not thought of before, but then as a student training to be a shinigami, it was kind of hard to keep from anticipating such a thing. He always had to remind himself it was just his first year, but all the same, he couldn't help but be anxious.

"You could try putting yourself in mortal danger all of the time. Who knows, maybe you'll stress yourself into forming one early." That sounded like a great idea, didn't it? Antoku backed away from the railing, hand raised and ready to snatch at the can in case it tipped. "Has it ever occurred to you that having a zanpakutou and whatever stupid ability comes with it is actually harmful? I mean...if we have the ability to do magic and go around using it whenever we want...that can't be right, can it? Eventually the really strong people would turn into tyrants because of it...people would die, lose their freedom.... Wouldn't it be better if we all just lived, struggled, and died the way regular humans were meant to?"
He flopped back down on the roof next to Katoji when he'd backed up enough, hooking his arms over his raised knees loosely. "I mean...think of how things break around me. Glass and stuff. Imagine what it'd be like if I could do that on purpose."

No, he never actually thought about it that way. He rubbed at his chin with his fingers, making a face as he discovered them still slightly sticky. "...I guess when you put it that way..." Dropping his hand down to help prop himself up, Katoji tilted his head in Antoku's direction. "...it's not something I really thought about... but then... it's not like I ever thought about even being able to do those sorts of things before..." And surely before coming to the Rukongai, no one ever thought of such things as possible, right?
"...I see your point though..." He sighed. "...people like making things more complicated though... I probably wouldn't have minded if I'd never known. Things'd be much simpler..."

"If the people with all the power hadn't started showing up and changing the balance, you mean?" Antoku squinted one eye shut and made a pistol with his thumb lifted and his forefinger uncurled. The can of pickled peach slices exploded into four pieces of shredded tin and sticky globs of fruit. "Toka!"
He glanced over at the other student as he dropped his hand and syrup dripped off the railing. "If our teachers knew I could do that, they'd expect me to do it to other people on command. And /I'm/ the dangerous one people should stay away from?" As far as he was concerned, he was in a madhouse peopled by killers and killers in training. "Matsuhiro's zanpakutou won't be anything like yours. His is...cold and sharp, but, eh, small? ...in a way. Precise."

Eyes widened at the display, sticky splatters of peach syrup being the least of his concerns. He blinked as one of the tin bits clicked wetly against the floor beside him, and then raised his amber gaze back towards Antoku just as the other boy dropped his hand. "....wow..." It wasn't one of those eager wow's of awe, but it still spoke for some amazement all the same. Katoji swallowed at the thought of it being used against a person, and he gave a small nod in understanding. "I won't make mention of it," he said, not sure whether Antoku expected some sort of acknowledgement from him, but he decided to say so anyway. Ah, but now his roommate was brought up. "...oh...?" Katoji didn't say it, but he felt that the descriptive terms Antoku used for Matsuhiro's zanpakutou seemed fitting. Cold and sharp, huh? Well, Matsuhiro at least seemed to be a little more amiable, once one got to know him.
"...what color was he?"

"Was?" Antoku echoed, folding his hands behind his head as he rolled back and stretched out one leg. "He die? Usually dark, real pale purple, pale grey, dark, pale brown. Sad, weepy, determined, chilly, isolated. That's the impression I get from it, anyway. It's not really a science. I think I could draw his if I concentrated. That makes me think it won't be very complicated."
He paused, yawning until his eyelashes were wet, and then squinted at Katoji. "Yours won't be as simple as you are. ...were."

"Oh you know what I mean!" Katoji scowled, sticking out his tongue. He hmm'd thoughtfully as Antoku described the colors he saw Matsuhiro in. He wondered what it would be like to see colors about people. Seeing the other yawn made him feel like wanting to do so, but he fought off the urge.... for all of two seconds before succumbing. "Ah? Hey."

Antoku scowled a little, eyes rolling up and to the right as he considered something. "There's a girl in your class who makes...clear colours? But mostly sounds. People don't usually make me hear sounds. I don't know what she is. Your 'brother' is grey-green, green-yellow, green-black, green-blue. Poison colours. But not that interesting. You and that girl are the only unusual freshmen so far." And now Katoji knew more than his instructors did.

Katoji arched a brow again. "There's several girls in my classes..." he said flatly. "...but...sounds?" So not only colors then? He sat straighter, his hand brushing against his hakama and incidentally, a spot of peach syrup that had splattered on him earlier. Yuck. The boy rubbed at the spot while he listened. He wasn't sure what to make of Kunio's descriptive colors, but he chose to say nothing on that matter. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen his brother in a while, or at least, not long enough to talk to.

"The only freshmen I know by name are you and that Wolf. No one's supposed to talk to me, remember?" Don't sound so insulted that he couldn't give a name to go along with his analysis. They were all just stupid, scrubbed, rabbity little faces to Antoku. He never would have noticed that girl in particular if not for the sounds.
He stared up at the sky and tried to see the mirage-like shift in the light as it passed through first Yoro, and again through another barrier far, far overhead. He still hadn't figured out what that was. "Aa, sounds, like...." His eyes narrowed while he searched his mind for a way to describe what he heard. "...sounds big. Very big. So wide. You know how I said Matsuhiro's zanpakutou is narrow? It's precise? This thing she's going to do is big."
Then he screwed up his face and twisted shut his eyes in a violent scowl for just a second. "Not, not in /strength/, it's like.... If Matsuhiro was a knife, this girl would be a fog. A lake. ...it's hard to explain impressions. I don't...have an education for this kind of thing."

He hadn't really meant anything by it, but rather than drag on the point, he let it go. Leaning forward, the boy rested his chin over his non-sticky hand, elbow propped over a knee. He tried to understand what Antoku was getting at with his descriptions for the sound, and supposed it was considerably harder to describe something intangible to someone else.
"I...yeah....I thiiink I get what you're trying to say..." Katoji said, his own brow furrowed as if he were trying to force himself to conjure up such imagery of... well, a sound... in his head. "I'm not quite sure how that would sound like exactly, but I kinda get the idea."

"The difference," Antoku continued insistantly, irritable only because he was frustrated by his own inability. "Between a sharp whistle and a, a...a big, low gong. Or something...something.... Before I died, there was something...."
He trailed off, grinding the heel of a scarred hand against his forehead, grimacing again. "But I'm starting to forget things." And that was a desperate feeling. It meant that the last life was beginning to fade away. It meant soon he'd only be left with this life, this utter failure. He /wanted/ to remember the noisy cars and the hot black petroleum asphalt runways the planes cruised down and the radio antennas and the huge ocean liners with their...their...what was it called again?
Antoku let it go gently. "It doesn't matter. This stuff only happens to me."

Katoji found himself peering anxiously at Antoku. His attention wasn't so much fixated on the sound anymore than it suddenly became once the other mentioned something that actually linked him to a former life. It was strange how easy it was to forget that most of the people here had lives before this one, and he was one of them. He hadn't been here as long as most of the others, and while he could remember things like the layout of city streets, the busy crowds that filtered along down the sidewalks, cars that weaved in and out amongst each other, he could not very clearly remember things that defined his own personal experience there. Vaguely he would catch snippets of a memory, mostly half-formed reminiscenses. The box of crayons, for one, and somehow, being up on the roof looking out at the things below and farther off in the distance....
Chitaka had asked him about it once before, what his previous life had been like. He wasn't able to tell her, although she seemed to recall quite a bit from her own. Katoji decided not to let it bother him though, or at least try. If there were some parts forgotten, it was likely not without reason. It certainly didn't apply to everyone, and he couldn't help but be sympathetic to Antoku's admission. Antoku had been here so much longer than he had though, from what Katoji could gather, his years in the Rukongai but a meager handful, if even that.
"....there were already lots of things I forgot when I arrived..." he said, letting himself lean back again, shaking out his hand before he set it back on the ground. He could have continued to press with questions, but he'd been asking quite a bit already. Shaking his head, Katoji looked back up at the sky. "...I got the main point, at least," he returned back to the other subject. "It's a big difference from just saying it's a sound." He smiled.

Already?
Antoku turned his head to the side and eyed the freshman, one eye shut. "When you arrived where? This prison, or when you hit Rukongai?" Was it possible to die, wake up somewhere else, and find the life before already vanishing? The thought filled the back of Antoku's mind with ice; he'd clung to his old memories desperately and worn them like badges of honour, like shields.

_ _ ____ _ .

He was still watching the skies overheard when he responded. "....when I found myself in Rukongai..." That was all of several years past, and his memory hadn't much improved. "...now and then I'd be reminded of things... but it's always like trying to look through a dirty glass, you know? Like... no matter how hard you try cleaning it off, you still can't make out anything really clearly on the otherside." Katoji shrugged his shoulders, smiling sadly up at the sky. "Makes me wonder if I really want to remember whatever it was, but I guess sometimes you can't help but be curious."

.................
Antoku's silence was one of absolute, stunned disbelief. "...aren't you...empty?" Everything Katoji knew, or said, or did, was a result of nothing more than a couple of meaningless years trotting around early Rukongai with Prince Phillip? How does a person base their ideals on something like that? Where's the rock beneath the faith? How does one find the strength to back up their convinctions? It would be like standing on smoke.

"...no... I'm not..." This was spoken after a moment's worth of thought, and yet without hesitation once he had decided upon the answer. He looked over at Antoku, his smile still present, although the sadness of whatever regret he'd felt earlier had completely melted away. "I couldn't remember details.... but that doesn't affect too much of who and what I've wanted to be, does it?"
Katoji could recall those early times when he'd been puttering about almost aimlessly in the Northern 23rd district of the Rukongai. He might have felt a little empty then... lost for direction- no familiar faces, no set path before him. That had slowly started to change though, and when Katoji had first come across Kunio, it had made him realize what he could do. Having someone to look out for was a step in finding himself, it just felt like it was what he wanted to do. He had the impression that he'd never been able to really be of much use before coming to the Rukongai, but no further details had shown themselves for all the times he spent staring at endless sky. It was an incredibly lonely feeling that he was often left with, but one that he no longer really felt ever since finding a family to stay with, making friends here... How could he possibly be empty with everything he'd found for himself here?

[Log] 45 - New Faces

2008-07-10T02:18:49Z

Date: 07-09-08
Characters: Fione, Katoji, Tenshi
Summary: Back to the library. A new student.

[Log] 44 - Food, folks and fun?

2008-06-29T05:15:27Z

Date:06-28-08
Characters: Katoji, Tenshi, Yae
Summary: Yae's cooking a hotpot up on the roof, although one might wonder where exactly she acquired the goods.

Yae picked this spot to start herself a little fire to cook. She was already chased out of the courtyard for starting the fire, and figured the rooftop would be a place where she could remain alone long enough to fix up some delicious treats she managed to lift during the morning hours. The target? A Buddhist shrine in Rugonkai, one built for the wealthier residents. The loot? Lotus seed buns, dumplings, and green tea rice balls stuffed with red bean paste. /Absolutely delicious./ She set up a big pot of water above the fire, and waited patiently for the water to boil so she could steam this stuff.

It wouldn't be the first time Katoji's smelled smoke up here, but the smell was distinctly not the type linked to cigarettes. He already knew as he climbed the last of the stairs up that he would not find Antoku here. He had a vague sense of someone else, but unlike the older student, he wasn't as familiar with the reiatsu of other students to be able to identify from a mere feeling.
"Ah, Miyake-san!" the boy said as he recognized his fellow classmate, beaming broadly despite the bruising of one side of his face, that of which at least didn't look half as bad as it had days ago.

After a brief bit of sword training, Tenshi decided that he should also work on his physical combat as well. This time, he decided to have a go on the Roof of the Academy's North Wing. The only problem was, by the time he had climbed all the stairs he began to smell smoke...
"What?" Tenshi asked himself, continuing to ascend the stairs until he approached the door that was all ready open revealing two people on the roof, a boy and a girl. The latter appeared to be cooking while the former seemed to be a little surprised, but did appear to know the girl. At this point, Tenshi couldn't help but wonder if he had wandered into a surprise picnic between lovers.
"Um... Excuse me?" He began, taking a couple steps into the open. "Are you two doing something private or do you mind if I train up here for a while?" Tenshi's tone was happy but had the slightest tinge of nervousness to it. Despite it all, he had a very cool expression on his face.

Oh man, she thought she'd be left alone all the way up here. Yae lifted her eyebrows and sighed at the sight of these two. "You're all welcome up here as long as you keep your damn mouths shut about what I've got here." She lifted the lid on the pot and dropped a sort of mesh fitting into the pot. The bamboo basket was pulled closer as she started unloading the loot into the pot so it could be steamed. It was enough for a feast. "In fact, I wasn't here to begin with. Got it?"

Tenshi shrugs at the girl's intense secretive nature. "Okay, whatever. As long as you don't try and steal any of my moves." His tone was confidant and almost challenging her to even try to match him, not that he was really all that much better than her, as far as he knew. Bowing to her slightly, he began to make his way over to a side portion of the roof away from Yae. "Is this far enough away from you?" Tenshi asked outloud to apparently no one. "At least, that's what it would sound like if I were trying to figure out how far away from someone they wanted me to be while cooking their secret meals!" He was facing the away from Yae the entire time he spoke.

Yae had always proven to be a strange girl, but she'd never been so sharp in her words for all the times he'd ever talked to her. She was cooking up here? It looked like it, but Katoji found it a strange place to do such. He nodded numbly at her, glancing then to the other one who'd come up shortly after he had. This student was one he was sure he hadn't seen about before, but that gave him no reason to not be friendly. Grinning, Katoji offered a wave at him, even as Tenshi had moved to the far end of the roof to be out of Yae's way.

Yae? STEAL?! Never! What are you talking about?
She finished with placing those tasty items into that makeshift steamer and stood up to face Tenshi, allowing her hands to rest upon her hips. "What makes you think I'd want to steal any of your 'moves'?"

Tenshi, at his place on the roof, looks back at Yae with a bored, but competive expression. "I don't know, but I can't trust that my greatness won't be coveted." With that, he shrugged and began to walk back towards the exit. Maybe he was simply goading the girl. "Whatever, I'm going back to my dorm. You guys can have the roof to your selves for your little makeout date party." Tenshi managed to say that as he passed Katoji and in that moment he shot him a wink and pointed back at Yae with his thumb, whispering, "Have fun with her, she's doesn't look hafl bad..." Then Tenshi was gone and down the stairs.

"...." Katoji blinked at the guy, not really sure he was liking the attitude. Not that Yae'd helped with her own, but still... He continued to stare at Tenshi as it seemed the student had a change of mind and excused himself, and it took him several seconds (which by that time, Tenshi was gone) before the words exchanged finally sunk in.
"Wha- what's that supposed to mean?!" he stammered, glaring towards the ladder. Snorting, the boy shook his head and glanced back over at Yae. "What was his problem..." he muttered as he dropped down to sit beside her. Curiosity had won out again, it seemed.

Yae scowled as Tenshi decided to run off at the first sign of confrontation. What a chump. She moved to sit back down to tend to that cooking food. "Guy couldn't back up his words, I'm sure." The lid was removed off the pot as she glanced inside to see how the food was cooking. She was doing pretty well for having to makeshift an entire kitchen outside. "You want any?"

"Haven't seen him before... know him?" He glanced back as if to see if the other was still lingering somewhere, then looked back to the hot pot as Yae removed the lid. Sure smelled interesting, at least. He wasn't quite sure what all was floating around in there though. Katoji knew Yae had interesting tastes already from her preference for coffee, but he thought perhaps it couldn't hurt to try, especially since she was offering. He hadn't eaten yet today anyway.
"Sure," he said, grinning.

"Nuh-uh," Yae answered quickly as she shook her head. "Never saw th'guy." These foods were a little more traditional than her usual taste for the bitter drink. She set a plate down between themself, as she'd only really prepared for herself. A pair of long cooking chopsticks were used to pick out those foods and place them on the plate. The pair of chopsticks was passed to her guest, as she simply plucked a green tea mochi ball off the plate with her fingers to plop the bit of food in her mouth.

Katoji took the chopsticks with a chirped thanks, and after watching Yae pick up one of the green tea balls (boiled?), he peered at the rest of the things that had been set on the plate and chose a dumpling for starters, chewing on it thoughtfully. Mm. Not bad.
"So, what's the occassion? Or did'ja just feel like coming up to cook here?" he asked after having finished the dumpling, deciding on one of the lotus seed buns next. So far as he was aware, it was usually only Antoku up here aside from his occasional visits.

"Ah, one instructor chased me off when I tried to start a fire out on the courtyard." Yae took a dumpling between her fingers, oh so carefully as to not allow her fingers to burn... she bit down on half, and took a moment to herself to eat. "I figured I wouldn't be stopped up here."

Nodding, the boy laughed a little at that. "Oh. Well, I guess they have good reason to be concerned, but then I've never really seen anyone else try cooking things anywhere on the grounds before." Not like this, anyway. He chewed on a bite of the bun. "...don't think they care too much about what you do up here though, unless they just don't keep track." Or probably because this was as much of a hangout for Antoku as anywhere else that they let things slide.

She finished off the other half of the dumpling and licked the tips of her fingers. Yae then nudged at Katoji with her elbow. "Jus' be sure to leave an offerin' to that Goddess Kannon for this stuff. Its kind'a holy property, I guess." Nothing's sacred to Yae. Funny how that worked out, by all means she should be burning in some hell to redeem her sins--or at least by what she had been told alive. For a moment she pondered this, before snapping up a lotus seed bun. No way will this Katoji fellow have those all to himself.

Katoji almost choked on his second bite, setting down the chopsticks so he wouldn't accidentally stab himself as he pounded a fist against his chest. "-wh-huh...??" He wiped at his eyes, which brought an extra wince as his hand brushed over his bruise, peering at Yae as he wondered what she was going off about. He sure wasn't familiar with any goddess by name of Kannon, anyway.

"Goddess Kannon," Yae spoke slower while she watched Katoji's reaction. "You know. The bosatsu." She remained quiet before proceeding on. "Guan Yin?" Her hand raised up to slowly rub at her temple as she thought back to those history lessons given from the neighborhood temple. "Avalokitesvara?" Enough guesses. Just went did the religion hit Japan, anyway? She wasn't so sure herself. History wasn't her strong subjects. "Where'd you say you were from?"

The kid scratched his head as he looked blankly at Yae. It was like she was speaking a foreign language, and for all the names she rattled off, she probably was! Slowly, Katoji shook his head, just in case the look he had on his face wasn't an obvious enough answer. "Aah... Shinjuku..." he said, although he was pretty sure he'd never mentioned where he was from, and he'd hesitated on giving a district number after considering the basis for her question.

"Shinjuku... Tokyo? You never heard of this stuff?" Yae always had trouble getting away from it, even if her family wasn't particularly observant to begin with. She also overlooked the fact that they could have lived during very different times. Oh well, she shouldn't wait too long to eat. This stuff was going to get cold fast. "Lucky, lucky."

There were lots of bits and pieces of his former life that he couldn't remember details of, but he was pretty sure he'd never heard of such weird names. The only temples he'd ever gone to were for funerals or school fieldtrips. "Nope," he said, shaking his head. He looked down at the remaining things on the plate, tentatively picking up the chopsticks again to nab another dumpling. It'd be a shame to waste the food, and maybe whatever-her-name-was-of-a-goddess would be forgiving towards his ignorance. Or would that just be more grounds for condemnation? He nibbled at the dumpling in contemplative silence.

Goddess of Mercy, to be specific, so Katoji was good. Even Yae could be spared despite her tendances to steal. But, hey, at least she left the soft drink. Well, not the whole soft drink, she DID drink it. Why not? The drink itself was just going to go to waste. "I left her a pretty neat can, so I'm good." For stealing delicious offerings, sure!

Katoji wondered what a goddess would do with a can, but he shrugged. He paused in mid-chew as his thoughts came in and around again. It was kind of backwards to be considering it now, but the more he let himself think about it, he had to wonder. "...hey, if this is holy property, why're we eating it? Where'd you get this stuff?" he asked, although not in an accusatory tone.

Yae took another lotus seed bun and bit down. She at least chewed up her food good and swallowed before speaking. "Where do you think I got it from, sheesh? One of the shrines in Rugonkai. An' don't go around telling people what I did."

And it was back to staring at her. "....wait, so you mean you stole it?!" he gaped, nearly dropping the hashi and the half a dumpling he still held. Nice recovery! So what did that make him now, an accomplice? Whatever the case, his stack of secrets was slowly growing with this one added to the list.

Yae rest a palm against her forehead. "/Yes/," She replied rather sharply. It took him that long to figure it out? "Those rich folks just leave this stuff sitting out for these so-called Gods, and then they throw the stuff out. Can you believe that?" The rest of the lotus bun was finished off before she continued to prove her point. "I just put this stuff to good use, that's all."

He popped the last bit of clammy dumpling into his mouth, resting the chopsticks against the edge of the plate as he flashed another sheepish smile. Leaning back to prop himself up with his hands, Katoji looked up at the sky, nodding. "....I can see the logic of that. Actually, I've never really much understood the point of putting out food for things like that... it just gets thrown out after they get spoiled anyway, na?"

"I'm sure they'll think the Goddess had it for herself." And chased it all down with a delicious, sugary soft drink. "Maybe it'll make them stronger believers, or something." Whatever, Yae didn't need to justify her reasons behind stealing. She did it, and its always wrong, but she didn't care.

Katoji didn't question Yae further on the subject of stealing. In fact, he seemed to be settled again as if the girl hadn't mentioned a thing about it. "Hm," he said, but he wasn't one to linger on such thoughts for long. If there was one thing he had to admit, it was that the food had been very good, stolen from a goddess or not. "Thanks for sharing."

"Yeah, no problem." Yae had her fill already. She picked up the pot and slowly poured water upon the burning embers to put them out for good. What was left could go to whomever wanted to eat... and the mess? To whomever wanted to clean it up. As for herself, she'd gone on her own way. "Later days."

"Ah..." Yup. Yae was still a strange one. Katoji waved as the girl went off. "See ya, Miyake-san!" He eyed the mess that was there, then sighed to himself. He supposed it was the least he could do by cleaning up... Slowly, he moved to stand...

[Log] 43 - Insert Excuse Here

2008-06-28T19:14:00Z

Date: 06-28-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji, Satsue
Summary: Called in for the inevitable 'explanation'...

-=[Dean's Office - Shinigami Academy]=------------------------------------------

The Dean's office is, in fact, two offices. A sort of reception room doubles as Satsue's office; her desk is set next to the paper doors that separate this room from the Dean's. Chairs line the wall on the far side, the others full of filing cabinets, plants, and whatever looks like it might belong. For a place with so much stuff, it's kept amazingly neat.
The Dean's office itself is, on the other hand, spacious. Bookshelves are nestled against one another on the left and right walls, overloaded with books upon books upon books. The few filing cabinets that he has are stuffed over in a corner. His desk sits at the far end of the room at the middle of the wall, facing the entrance with a large, comfortable-looking seat behind it.

Antoku arrived with his zanpakutou hanging from a braided cord looped across his torso, covered in sweat and using his Academy kimono as a towel to scrub his face with. Instead of dragging on the ground behind him, the end of his scarf had been pulled up and thrown around his shoulders once and left trailing off the back of the opposite shoulder. His right hand was still largely blackish-purple in colour, but the bruising had begun to enter into the gangrene-green draining stage that created a nauseating corona all around its edges. There was blood on his scarf, his Academy jacket, and his hands. There was always blood, somehow. It wasn't a great deal (for Antoku,) and he didn't limp when he walked, so he was presumably not about to die from the loss of it.
When he finished mistreating his uniform, he slung it over one shoulder and held it there with his thumb hooked in the collar while he thumped the door of Satsue's--oh, sorry, the Dean's (wasn't he dead or something?)--office with his elbow. "Satsue-e-e. I'm coming in." There wasn't a threat in existence which could teach him to respect the boundaries of Satsue's office. He made it a /point/ to violate it.

It was a moment he had been both dreading and expecting. All at once the eagerness of having to return to the Academy had vanished as if someone had opened a trapdoor beneath it. That was about where he felt his stomach was now, somewhere at his feet, which would explain the extra weight he thought he felt in his steps as he made his way down the hall, seemingly longer than he remembered it. His bruised face still hurt if he scrunched his mouth and eyes up a certain way or touched it, and since he wasn't one to keep make-up on hand, it was still very much there, albeit the salve he'd been given to put on it helped immensely for the pain.
His head lifted as he felt Antoku's reiatsu just up ahead. He shouldn't have been surprised, and he wasn't sure if he should have felt glad that he was about the Academy grounds after all. Katoji's steps momentarily slowed, and he forced himself onward once he noticed. No point in dragging this out any longer. Swallowing, the boy covered the rest of the distance to the doorway of the office, and he gave a small knock as he lingered somewhat reluctantly at the doorway.

She was smoking when they arrived, which was strangely a good thing. A wreath of smoke usually meant she was in a "good mood" or at least, not in a bad one. By her standards. Even if that little blessed black heart of hers made it seem she was incapable of emotion, as she was sure Antoku would put it.
She hadn't particularly been surprised when a messenger from the 4th had come calling, although she had one heart-stopping moment when she thought it was Antoku in the infirmary again. No, they said. Well, they said, he was /there/, but he wasn't the patient, some other ki--at which point she said thank-you-and-good-day after a quick description of the other boy (it could only be Katoji or by some far stretch Matsuhiro if Antoku had stayed at the clinic, more likely the former, which she would've bet money on if asked).
She ignored Antoku's banging knock on the very same principle of don't-give-brats-attention-they'll-only-want-more and maybe-they'll-go-away, for once not twitching in irritation at the loud noises. .... yet.
"Well don't you two look a matching pair. What story am I to be expecting to hear circulating this time?" she asked Antoku, scrutinizing him up and down once he was in the office but otherwise making no comment (yet), before she swung her gaze over and subjected Katoji to the same silent, piercing-eye criticism. Grey eyes found Katoji's face after their sweep, and locked there. "What happened?" she asked him, very pointedly, holding up a hand with palm facing towards Antoku to indicate he should shut up before he thought of anything smart to say or he'd lose his tongue.

Antoku looked up and to the right sharply right before Katoji knocked, because for him, that was when the world went blue.
Afterwards, he said and did nothing to greet the other student. He hadn't seen the little bastard in the hall before this and was under the assumption that Katoji was still in the 4th Division--/where he should still be./ Instead, he shook out his wretchedly abused uniform jacket and threw it over the back of one of Satsue's chairs, then threw himself down in it without being asked to, one leg slung over the chair's arm. While she talked, he picked small twigs and pieces of dry moss out of his hair, and rolled his eyes when her speech turned exclusively on the weakest link in the chain. "Why don't you take some candy from him next?" suggested the felon brightly as he lounged.

No sooner had Katoji managed to enter the room had he found himself pinned by Satsue's gaze. He fumbled for a grip of confidence he wasn't sure he had, but all the while he at the very least managed to force himself not to shy away from meeting the woman's eyes. And then came the question. He knew it was coming, yet know amount of expectance could have made him any more ready to answer it.
The boy wasn't able to glance over at Antoku even if he wanted to, but perhaps that was all for the better. Satsue didn't need to think that he was being coached by the older boy for what he should say, anyway, but Katoji knew that his shunpo excuse wouldn't very well work with the assistant to the dean as it did for Yoshinori. He took a deep breath, finding it surprisingly more calming than he thought it would be.
"....it was an accident...." he managed to say without a quaver in his tone, pointedly trying to ignore Antoku's words.

She rested her chin on the backs of her knuckles, one elbow propped on her desk. "I hate sweets," she said in reply to Antoku's jibe, although once Katoji answered she glanced between the two of them. She'd forgotten, strangely, how nervous Katoji was in her presence -- go without seeing a student long enough and you'd even forget their name -- so she attempted to make up for it by lessening the severity of her scrutiny while she took a drag from her cigarette. Perhaps she was too used to Sadakata disregarding her intimidation entirely that she thought Katoji would have picked it up by now.
"I believe /that/," was the droll answer in Katoji's direction, although she spared a look for Antoku while she said it before she looked at both of them. "How--" did it happen, she almost pressed, but then she exhaled and switched her train of thought. Antoku better appreciate her dropping the subject. "What I mean to ask is, what is the 'official' story on what happened," she asked instead. More or less: what's the popular lie so I don't act surprised when I hear about it down the line and choke on my coffee from my inability to hang onto my suspension of disbelief.

Antoku leaned his elbow on the chair's arm and propped his knuckles against his temple as he droned, "Sadakata-senpai lost his temper and hit Chihara-kun, it was all very sad and traumatic, really. Then Chikara-kun went to the 4th so that his injury could be examined properly, I hope he learned his lesson, Sadakata is a menace, I thought I told those kids to stay away from him, someone should really put that brat to sleep for once and all, yadda yadda yadda, etc., etc., etc., /ad nauseum./" He tore a small piece of tree bark out of his hair, glanced at it, and flicked it on the floor with a twitch of his dirty, scarred fingers.

It was like a physical grip was suddenly loosed about him once Satsue's eyes shifted to Antoku. Even if it was but a brief glance, it helped Katoji to try and calm himself a little, and Satsue's efforts to try accommodating for his nervousness helped, if minutely. He hadn't expected his answer to be accepted at all, but for that moment that the woman spoke the word intended to delve into the heart of the matter, the boy felt as though he'd almost swallowed his tongue. That would have been an awful mess, but with the new angle of approach that Satsue chose to take on the matter, Katoji, although not necessarily feeling more at ease, at least managed not to choke.
He wasn't sure that he was supposed to answer, and although his mouth at least made the effort of opening as if in attempt to do so, Katoji felt some odd relief in hearing Antoku make a response instead. It.... wasn't what he would have said, but he supposed at least he wouldn't be blamed for saying anything he shouldn't have this way.

"Thank you for that wonderful story, Sadakata," were the words exhaled in smoke, and the rest she either ignored or made no comment on. "I'm sure I'll hear about Chihara falling down the stairs or something similar soon enough." She motioned with her cigarette vaguely. "That's all. God forbid people think I like either of you. --About the projectile lessons. Palmb--I came across the unexpected gravesite of what looked to be a rather bursted avian, and following the incident with Hineno's untimely-departed eel, I can only assume some wayward student of mine had something to do with it so if you happen to find out who did it would you be so kind as to tell them they probably /shouldn't/ practice around buildings and-or other living objects?"

"I'm pretty sure that was me, too. If I see me, I'll mention it." Antoku rolled to his feet with such casual, effortless grace that a person could begin to wonder if he had all the same bones as other people did. As he yanked on the cord over his shoulder to resettle Yoro and swept his uniform kimono over the opposite shoulder, he said, "Hey, Mitzy-mae's gonna need you to sign off on those two days of class he missed through no fault of his own. You got that covered?" I could show you how to fill out the forms if you like.

._
__ _
_________ _ _

Falling down the stairs didn't sound very pleasant. Katoji sure hoped that would not be the case, but he smiled weakly. It was draining just to be here. He was about to bow and not try to dash out the door when Satsue brought up the matter of not only the deceased bird but Neal's apparent demise. Wait, so did he really kill the eel after all..?! "-ah.." Once again, saved by Antoku. This time Katoji couldn't help but glance over at the older student, but he was in no state to figure whether he should laugh or protest at the response. Best... he... just not say anything then. Well, except for one thing, if only for old time's sake.
"-it's Katoji!"

There was a moderately spaced pause after Antoku's last statement, and she regarded both of them impassively before she glanced down to the perpetual stack of papers she had in front of her. It was as much a dismissal as any other, even if words hadn't followed. "I'll think about it." That was all she was going to say on the matter.

"I'll remind you if you forget, don't worry." And he would, too. Antoku turned to go-
And stopped long enough to set a silver pen down on Satsue's desk, not far from where he'd first stolen it unthinkingly. It was one of those funny habits that sneak up on you when you're busy looking at other things.
On his way out, he glanced at Katoji and remarked, "You look like you belong in a half-way house." It must be hard living with a husband like Mastuhiro! Antoku casually flicked a psuedo-wave over his shoulder as a farewell to them both, as Yoro split the empty coffee mug on the far corner of Satsue's desk in two, neatly.

[Log] 42 - Interrogation

2008-06-25T21:00:34Z

Date: 06-24-08
Characters: Matsuhiro, Katoji
Summary: Katoji comes back to the Academy. Of course someone will have to ask questions.

-=[Room 203 - Shinigami Academy]=-----------------------------------------------

Though the dormitory is much smaller than Matsuhiro's usual quarters, he has made the best of his space. Not wanting to be accused of desiring special treatment, the bed is covered in standard issue sheets and pillows, though beneath it is a cedar trunk of fine make and filled with Matsuhiro's more valuable possessions, including his more expensive clothing and a rather expensive calligraphy set.
Within the closet are a number of identical Shinigami Academy uniforms, but to the far right can be seen several fine kimono and haori in varying dark shades of blue, green, rust, and black, obviously well made and obviously worth more than the entire contents of his roommate's closet. The desk is kept neat, with only a few books in view atop it. However, positioned centrally before the chair are several leafs of rice paper and a small black case containing a variety of brushes and ink sticks.

The right side of the room is of stark contrast to Matsuhiro's due to the fact that there really aren't any furnishings at all, save for a modest futon roll neatly set in one corner, and a plain goza mat laid out on the floor where the bed roll would most likely be laid out every night. In the opposite corner is a pair of cushions, one stacked on top of the other, whereupon Chihara's asauchi usually rests. There's a small wooden board resting beside it, likely used as a table when needed. One would find Chihara's closet equally bare save for necessities; a couple of pillows piled over a folded blanket and a few changes of clothes. Over beside the door on this side of the room rests a broom, strangely enough, propped up against the wall.

Matsuhiro had never been the worrying type. He'd heard enough of what had happened to his roommate to know he wouldn't die. He had even considered visiting the boy at the 4th Division, but those plans had been dashed not by a busy schedule, but by the knowledge that it would be nothing more than awkward silence. And awkward silence was hardly what Katoji needed.
When he'd heard from Ito-sama that his roommate would be returning, Matsuhiro hadn't given him more than a nod in response. However, having heard the news, he hadn't been idle. Waiting in a small basket beside Katoji's bed was a simply wrapped box. Inside was a variety of treats, some simple candies and other more elaborate, obviously more expensive sweets. And somewhat less obvious, a simple scroll rolled carefully and leaned against the box. A painting. A water scene under bright sunlight and at the bottom, the messily scrawled signature. Uemiya.
Matsuhiro himself was seated at his desk, textbooks open and seemingly uninterested in anything around him.

It had taken long enough, from Katoji's perspective, for him to be allowed to go back. The last thing he wanted was for people to worry about him, and he knew that staying away any longer would only add to concerns.
His return was without fanfare, and he had made his way through the familiar grounds as if nothing had happened. The few that he'd recognized as he passed them in the halls were greeted with a smile and a wave as he usually did any other day, and Miyo's application of make-up over his bruise seemed to do enough of a trick to keep people from really noticing the mark on his face at a glance.
While he wore a smile on his face, he couldn't deny the tension he felt growing with each step as he approached his dormroom. Katoji swallowed and then gave a knock on the door, not so much to ask permission to enter so much as it was a signal that he was going to enter. It was his room as well as Matsuhiro's, after all. The boy slipped in silently, letting the door close behind him. He looked over the room, happy to be back, even if it had only been a few days. Slowly, Katoji urged himself to go further into the room, his eyes pausing upon the small basket beside his bedding. A smile touched his face, and he looked over towards where Matsuhiro sat at his desk.
"...tadaima...."

He heard the door open, though he didn't turn right away. Whatever he had been reading seemed to occupy most of his attention at the moment and he didn't even offer a response at first. It was only once the book had closed that he turned, glancing over his shoulder at his roommate. Brows creased and he gave the other student a rather harsh inspection, looking for any signs of unhealed injury, any bruising... anything he could think would have sent Katoji all the way to the 4th Division rather than simply around the corner to the Academy clinic.
Finally, he turned fully, rising from his chair as he did. "I heard you were coming back today. I hope you're feeling better." No mention was made of the gift he'd left, almost as if he would rather not talk about it. He wasn't comfortable with displays of sentimentality.

With his roommate's attention finally granted towards him, Katoji found himself looking down at the floor under Matsuhiro's inspection. He shuffled his feet nervously, his shoulders hunching up as if he were trying to duck or shrink away from sight. "Ah... you did?" He wasn't sure if he should be worried about that, but he supposed if anyone had the right to be reassured of that, it would be his roommate. "But yeah, I'm feeling much better, thanks..." His smile seemed strained, and his eye contact didn't last for very much longer as he looked back at the floor again. "...'m sorry if I worried you..."

His response did not come right away. He simply maintained his focus on his roommate, even when the other seemed almost afraid to meet his eyes. Perhaps it was for the best because Matsuhiro's gaze was not exactly friendly. It was harsh, but beyond that was worry. And even further was suspicion. It didn't take a genius to know that there were secrets being kept.
He debated his next course of action for a moment before opting to turn away before Katoji burst into tears from having to look him in the eye. As he took a seat at his desk, he gestured over his shoulder towards the gifts. "Those are for you."

Once Matsuhiro finally looked away from him, Katoji felt the pressure shift with him. Releasing a slow breath between his teeth, the boy watched as the young noble stepped back towards his desk, and at his words, glanced towards his side of the room and the gift basket by his bed. He walked over to kneel at the edge of it, picking up the basket and setting it on his lap so he could better inspect its contents. His face brightened with a smile once again as he saw the assortment of candies and things, but when he found the scroll, he set the basket aside so that he could unfurl it. There was a pleased gasp from him, and Katoji looked over his shoulder at Matsuhiro, beaming despite the slight poking of pain it provoked from his bruised face. "Thank you, Uemiya-san!"

He responded without turning his head. "I thought you could use a change from the crayons." With his back to Katoji it was impossible to tell, but it was just quite possible that Matsuhiro was smiling. He had never been especially fond of Katoji's crayon artwork so wasn't it about time they had something a bit more sophisticated. And hadn't he been neglecting his own artwork lately?
His smile did not last, though. His back remained turned to his roommate and his posture grew more rigid. He'd softened the kid up with candy and gifts and now came the interrogation. "Now maybe you can tell me what happened."

Whether Matsuhiro had been looking back or not, Katoji wouldn't have noticed since he was back to staring at the painting again. It was so wonderful- he hadn't known Matsuhiro to be an artist, or, well, he'd assumed perhaps the noble did some things now and then but all he had caught a glimpse of during the boy's move to the room was the set of paints.
Katoji was in the process of rolling the picture back up carefully (he'd find somewhere to hang it later) when the inevitable question was asked. ".....it's... nothing, really. It was just an accident," he said quietly, setting the scroll back in its place in the basket.

Matsuhiro had never been the most skilled at reading others, but Katoji was as open as a book. That hesitation gave him away as easily as if he'd printed the words on his face. Though he remained seated with his back to Katoji, not wanting to throw the boy further off by glaring daggers at him. It was better for both of them if he glared at his desk instead.
"That's unusually vague for you. You're usually eager to share everything." Indeed, he'd heard more insignificant details about Katoji's life than he'd ever wanted. One would imagine the boy would be eager to spill all the information about his time in the 4th.

Not when he'd given his word. This was the hard part, the part Katoji had dreaded about his otherwise anxious desire to return back to the Academy. Confrontation. Interrogation. He stared down at the basket of sweets almost guiltily, Matsuhiro's words sinking into his back like claws. The boy licked his lips, swallowing as he sat there, grabbing handfuls of his hakama as he suffered through the silence much too long to be passed off as a normal period for thought.
"...sorry..." he whispered, ducking his head down further. He couldn't say he promised he wouldn't say anything, because that would be saying enough. Neither could he very well say what had happened, but it wasn't as though what he had settled with made any more of a difference. They all pointed to the same thing: something was up, but Katoji wasn't going to say anything about it.

Sorry, huh? With a shake of his head, Matsuhiro shifted, turning his chair around so that he could face his roommate. Of course, he hadn't been expecting the pang of guilt that would strike when he saw the state Katoji was already in. He still would never understand how a kid this innocent would ever want to become a Shinigami.
With a sigh, his expression softened. "I'm sorry, too." It was true, but sorry didn't necessarily mean he was going to let Katoji get away with lying. "But I already know it has something to do with Sadakata. Doesn't it?" It was a guess, of course, but based on the fact that Yoro hadn't been nearby since Katoji was hurt led him to believe it was more than just a guess. And more than just a coincidence.

The boy tensed as he heard the sound of the chair shifting behind him, and he only withdrew further as if he could disappear with enough effort. The apology in return relieved some of the tension, but it only doubled with the mentioning of Antoku, and it showed as the boy flinched slightly with the name, as if Matsuhiro had jabbed him with a needle. Silence met the noble's inquiry, as much a condemnation as a verbal response would have been.

Well that had worked out just about as well as he'd thought. He did his best not to show his irritation with his roommate, but Matsuhiro had never been quite good at hiding his unhappiness. One hand rose to rub at the scar on his cheek, an act he'd managed to avoid for the most part before now. Yet with his mind so fully focused on Antoku, he couldn't help but feel left out of the obvious secret. It was safe to say Matsuhiro was not very happy with the bond his roommate had developed with Antoku. "Where has he gone, Chihara?"

It was not a secret Katoji bore proudly, but he was sure that even if he had chose to openly speak of what had happened between himself and Antoku, that the reasons for why he still thought nothing less of the other student would probably not be understood in the way he saw it. Although gradually the boy seemed to relax slightly from the position he remained sitting in, his shoulders were still dismally slumped, and he still felt no inclination to speak, but the answer he gave would have been the same if he had spoken it rather than give a shake of his head as he did then.
He had no idea where Antoku had gone off. He hadn't seen him since the other day... that would be two days, maybe? Two days ago at the 4th's clinic.

He was getting nowhere. Never before had he seen Katoji so tight lipped and he had a feeling that if this was something important enough that his roommate wouldn't speak about it, there would be no forcing the information out. With a shake of his head, Matsuhiro watched his roommate from across the room.
Just when it seemed the silence had grown so heavy that it might begin to crush those carefully wrapped candies Matsuhiro had bought, he spoke again as if he'd never even asked about Sadakata. "Well, what did they say at the 4th? Did they send you back with any orders?"

It was a subject change at the very least, and one Katoji welcomed with a small sigh. He lifted his head slightly, turning it to glance over a shoulder hesitantly. "...ah... not really. Just not to overdo anything..." he said, offering a faint grin. It was hard to maintain, wavering at the edges, and so the boy returned his attention to the basket again. He hated the feeling that had filled in the giant gap between them, he felt bad for saying nothing in explanation, but he didn't know what he should say. If he'd chosen to try lying it would have been just as obvious, and already he felt guilty for telling Yoshinori that the accident had been in part to another failed shunpo stop.

Matsuhiro didn't quite believe there had been no instructions at all, but he didn't put any pressure on Katoji to spill more information. He could work with 'don't overdo anything.' A firm not was given in acknowledgement. "Then I expect you to not overdo anything." Whatever the case might have been with Antoku, Matsuhiro was still prepared to take his responsibilities towards Katoji seriously. After all, it was his job to look out for the kid... and he'd already done a poor job of it.
"No sword practice outside of class and take a break from that shunpo training you've been obsessing over." He expected no questioning and so waited instead for acknowledgment of the newly set down rules.

That managed to draw a laugh from Katoji at least. "Hai, hai," he said, finally shifting in his spot on the floor so that he could sit sideways, making it easier for him to glance over at his roommate. "....and I got sick of the shunpo books Sasaki-senpai lent me to read so I returned most of them to the library..." Which was what eventually led to his injury, but he wasn't about to say that! Awkward silence followed his words, and once again he let his gaze drop to the floor.

The laughter, at least, was good to hear. It meant things were no longer quite so serious between them. At least, that's what he had assumed, but as it turned out the awkward air returned surprisingly quickly. Face turned away from Katoji, Matsuhiro took a moment to gather his thoughts. Finally, though, he came to a decision.
His books were promptly closed and he crossed to the window where he drew the shades. Then, after gathering his books, he turned to face Katoji, putting on his best stern expression. "I'll let you get some rest. Do you need anything before I go?" He didn't' say where he'd be going, but it wouldn't be far. There was no way he'd let Katoji sneak out of the room now that he'd determined rest was the best solution.

Katoji blinked, the movement drawing his attention again, and he watched as Matsuhiro got up and walked to the window and then back. "Ah... no, I think I'm good here..." he said, his roommate's sudden decision to be off somewhere offsetting most of the remaining tension that lingered between them. He tilted his head at the young noble curiously. "...um... where're you going?" he asked.

He paused, considering his answer before replying with a brief, simple, "Outside." Not outside the building, though. More like outside the door.
He had nearly turned to leave again before he thought better of it and offered a few more words in a less harsh tone. "If there's anything you need, I'll take care of it. You'll need your energy for the summer party, right?" He managed to sound completely unenthused about the upcoming event, but he knew damn well that Katoji would overdo things in a flash for the sake of a party.

The blunt response seemed to get the same response from Katoji as if he'd been a kicked puppy. He was suddenly sorry he asked- after all, he hadn't really answered any of Matsuhiro's questions, so why should the noble humor him any?
"You... you don't have to- I said I'm fi-" Blink. "Wait, there's a party?" He must have missed that note. Surprised interest was most prominent on his face, and although his guarded air still had not been dropped completely, there was a glint of the usual Katoji in his amber eyes.

"Something silly about the start of summer." Matsuhiro was no fan of parties when there were more important things to be done. He had never liked games, nor had he ever been a fan of celebrations and he honestly had no plans to go at all. There was training to be done. Tests to study for. Things that held much more importance than a party!
"I know you'll want to go, so if you want me to let you, you'd better get your rest." He nearly smiled for a moment, but the expression was forced back lest Katoji think he wasn't serious. But the next offer betrayed him much more easily than a tense smile could. "If you need something to wear, feel free to borrow something of mine."

Oh, that did it. The wariness melted away, replaced by a grin that seemed the most natural expression for the boy's face. "Wow, you're starting to sound like you'd be my mom or something!" Katoji laughed. He was even more encouraged by the smile that had alighted on Matsuhiro's face, and was all the more pleased at the offer.
"Really?" Matsuhiro was sure being generous! Or just hinting that he knew Katoji had nothing much to wear to a summer festival. Not that Katoji cared, he was just happy at the odd sort of acceptance and friendship that had grown between them during the last months. "Thanks. I'll have to look later," he said.

Any suggestion that he was Katoji's mom was completely unwelcome. Brows creased and his scowl returned, though it was a difficult thing to do when his roommate was suddenly being his usual, happy self. Feeling a bit disgusted at the comparison (and wondering if he really did sound like someone's mom), Matsuhiro pulled the door open. Best to escape before he managed to humiliate himself further.
"Get some rest. I'll bring you some dinner later." He didn't wait for any reply, but instead stepped out into the hallway, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Yes mother!" Katoji called after him, barely able to stifle snickers. It wasn't said in a malicious way, he genuinely appreciated Matsuhiro's concern for him. Once he'd gotten a handle on his laughter and the silence had settled once again, albeit leaving a lighter atmosphere, the boy crawled over to his bed, grabbing the basket to drag along, and once he flopped down upon the futon, he pried the little box open again to fish out one of the pretty candy pieces. He smiled to himself as he turned the carefully wrapped piece between his fingers.
There were others that cared about him after all. He had to keep that in mind, otherwise he'd make a lot of people sad and cause a lot of unnecessary worry. To want to protect people didn't only come as a physical thing, after all. He just wished he didn't realize these things after the fact.

[Log] 41 - Good Company

2008-06-24T04:35:47Z

Date: 06-22-08
Characters: Katoji, Miyo, Yoshinori
Summary: Yoshinori comes to visit Katoji at the 4th, and both make friends with one of the medics and talk of silly things like make-up.

-=[Sick Ward - 4th]=------------------------------------------------------------

Again he's lost track of the time, but surely it couldn't have been too much longer than when he'd first woken up and talked to Antoku. The rest had been much welcome for him, and despite his worries about the consequences of what would happen, Katoji found sleep grasped at him easily. He would have thought himself fine if not for the pain that twinged through his skull when he woke up.
Oh yeah. He's not in his dorm, that's right. Light stabs at his eyes as he opens them, and out of reflex he lifts his hand to rub at them, only to bring a fresh bout of pain as his fist brushed the tender area that he'd gotten socked. "Owww..."

"You shouldn't rub at it." The chastising words come from a gentle but pleasant voice inside the room and when Katoji looks over he'll spot the red haired girl standing at a table where a basin of water is sitting. Judging from the armband she wears it's obvious she's one of the 4th division's officers and probably the new shift nurse for the afternoon and evening hours.

A cloth is dipped into the cool water of the basin and then wrung out carefully with both slender hands to drain the excess. Once that's finished, Miyo walks over to the bedside and offers the cool compress to the patient. "How are you feeling, Chihara-san? You slept right through lunch." Again she smiles a little. "Would you like something to eat?" Because she'd be happy to get him a meal. Miyo figures he must be pretty hungry.

That voice... is definitely not Antoku's. Katoji can tell without looking that the other boy's not around the room. He only hopes things don't get out of hand. Deciding it probably better not to think about it, the boy instead lets his hand fall to the side, and he glances at the red-haired shinigami that comes over. The cool compress is quite welcome, and he whispers a quiet thanks for it. "I... thought I felt better... and then I woke up," he says, smiling faintly. "Ah- I missed lunch?" Katoji looks somewhat disappointed at this, but Miyo's inquiry makes him feel all the better. "Oh, I'd like that very much!" he pipes. "...if ... it's not too much trouble."

Miyo shakes her head, some of her bangs swishing in the process. "No trouble at all." That's what she's here for! To take care of the people who need taking care of. Even if other shinigami don't consider the 4th's position very seriously, some do see just how important they are. If it weren't for the 4th, how would anyone be able to get back to their regular duties once something has happened? Because of this, she is full of pride when it comes to her work. "I'll be right back." So he shouldn't go anywhere. Miyo walks over toward the door for the short departure. "Oh, and please don't sit up too quickly, it'll make your head spin." If he really wants to he can test it out but then he'll just see that she's right! The girl slips out quietly. The kitchen isn't far so she'll be back soon enough with a lunch box for him.

How can he go anywhere? Well, okay, Katoji probably could go somewhere if he really wanted to, and if he didn't know any better- but he does, and he also remembers the las time he tried to get up, everything was sent off kilter so badly that he probably would have fallen right out of bed. "Okay." He can only force a wry grin at Miyo's warning. A little late, but a welcome reminder should he have forgotten the second time around. For the moment, Katoji decides to remain lying there, resting a hand over the damp cloth on his face.

Down the corridors of the Fourth Division's sick ward, another student travels, his steps fleeting past a couple of the members going about their business. The second year turns the next corner with ease, swiveling around another Shinigami carrying medical supplies.
How did he not notice it? After all of the stressful things going on at the academy for Yoshinori, his mind was in a flurry. One simple moment in passing by Sazaeno Uegami set it, a brief sentence about Katoji's reiatsu missing from the school's grounds. With that, the second year hurried over, his other two classes skipped for the day.
Asking the right questions and his overall politeness gets him over to the assigned room in good time. The young noble knocks, his head peering around the doorframe. "Ch-Chihara-san?"

Oh? Another voice- and one he knows this time! "Ito-senpai!" the first year student says, pleasantly surprised as he turns his head a bit to try getting a glimpse of him. This really isn't the most ideal of positions to see the doorway, so Katoji decides to attempt sitting up, making a point to do so slowly. Despite the obviously swollen and bruised side of his face, the boy wears a bright smile as he can now see Yoshinori's head. "Ah- what are you doing here?"

Although he's smiling, it immediately stings Yoshinori to see the youth so...injured. The look on the second year's face also reflects that, eyes starting to tear up. "I-I was told," he stammers, stepping closer while managing to keep the tears at bay, "...U-Uegami-sensei said he didn't feel your presence anywhere on campus..." His head tilts slightly as his right hand reaches out a little. "...oh goodness, what happened...." Yoshinori murmurs after a while, shaking his head.

"Ah..." Katoji's smile falters at the ends. Yoshinori's explanation is enough though- their reiatsu class teacher certainly proved an expert for the subject he taught in, so it doesn't surprise the boy that he of all people would have noticed something amiss. Wait, so does that mean he keeps an active track of everyone's coming and going, or...?
His thoughts are effectively derailed as he sees the young noble looking as if he would cry soon. "I- it was just an accident...!" the boy hurriedly assures the second year student, patting the air with a hand in a reassuring gesture. He grasps for an explanation- one that's believable but at the same time doesn't involve Antoku. "I ...just had a little trouble with shunpo breaks again..." he says, laughing weakly as he scratches the back of his neck.

Returning with the tray of food, Miyo pauses in the doorway. Shunpo breaks? That's not what the bruise looks like to her, but she doesn't correct Katoji as he's trying to explain his accident to his friend. No doubt there are some notes on the medical chart about Katoji's injury and just who brought him in here as well. "I have your meal." She says softly, not really wanting to interrupt. If it looks like no one minds, the girl walks over to the bedside and carefully sets the tray down on Katoji's blanket-covered lap. "If you don't like this I might be able to find something else." But a traditional bento lunch should be sufficient, along with the tea she brought for him.

Well, that covers all of the bases. A nod and a quick sleeve-dabbing at his crimson eyes shows Yoshinori accepts this reason. He does know how bad Katoji is with stopping, but still. The teen's head is the only thing bandaged visibly, so it's still consistent with the story. The noble blinks when Miyo comes back into the room, taking a step back to let her get the bento to Katoji. He nods, smiling weakly.

Katoji feels horrible for having to lie to his friend, but feels it would be better this way, for everyone. And he had promised Antoku he'd say nothing about what had happened otherwise. He freezes slightly when Miyo returns, but he recovers with a sincere smile and a nod. "Thanks, ah... I didn't get your name.." The boy looks over the food, and certainly isn't going to be one to complain. It looks delicious- even more so considering he hasn't eaten since... whenever Antoku had brought him food last... which.. would be whenever he last woke up. It's easier not to try figuring it out, so Katoji instead turns his attention to his food. With an eager "Itadakimasu~!" he digs right in.

Miyo blinks and smiles when her name is asked. "Mikazuki Miyo. I'm an officer of the 4th division. Mostly I work here in the clinic." But sometimes she goes out with patrols or does work in the city as well. Wherever she's needed, that's where she goes. She's pleased that he asked her name. Some shinigami don't even do that much! But she can tell this pair of friends are nice people. Miyo knows Katoji's name since she read his chart, but a curious look is given to the other young man. "And you're a friend of Chihara-san's? It's great that you would come to visit."

Chihara's lunch habits bring a little relief to his mood. Sometimes he wonders how the boy can keep up his pleasantries. "I-Ito, Yoshinori," the tall student stutters, bowing his head in a belated greeting. "I...w-well, y-yes, I thought it would be good..." Yoshinori's brain sort of malfunctions, but he's able to bring it back. "Th-thank you for taking care of Chihara-san, Mikazuki-san."

The boy gives a small nod of his head, because a big one would make his head hurt again. "Nice to meet you, Mikazuki-san! Thank you again for everything," he says after swallowing a mouthful of food. Katoji takes a sip of tea, unconsciously trying to mimic the elegant way he'd seen Yoshinori hold it times before when they took tea in his room.
"Thanks for coming to visit too, Ito-senpai." Yoshinori is one of the last ones Katoji wants to be overly-concerned about him. Poor noble has enough things on his plate!

What a nervous young man, Ito-san is! Miyo tries to calm his nerves as best she can with her friendly expression. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable and stay awhile? There's a chair right here." She walks over to one side of the bed and brings the chair out a little for him. "Please, have a seat." Her eyes look from one of the students to the other. "You two must be good friends." Is she right? After all, Ito came all the way over here to visit and he appeared very concerned, too.

Yoshinori waves his hand, probably in response to both Katoji's and Miyo's words. "A-ah, really, there's-" He pauses, blinking several times at Miyo. "I shouldn't...." Well, she does let him stay, and tells him to get comfortable. "....O-okay..." The young noble sits himself down before he does anything else, folding his hands in his lap. A weak chuckle escapes his lips. "I just met Chihara-san this year, but...yes, he is a good friend." He says this calmly, shrugging. Actually, he's made more friends than last year, sadly. But, all in good time.

After he's come all the way from the Academy, it would be a shame for Yoshinori to head off again so soon. Setting down his tea, Katoji resumes finishing the last of his bento. "Ito-senpai's been very nice! Na, Ito-senpai- I haven't missed too much, have I?" he asks, glancing at the second year student as he seats himself in the chair Miyo brings for him. "I hope I haven't been away too long- I don't even know what time it is right now..."

Miyo smiles a little when Ito takes his seat. "I'll pour you some tea." That she has handy in the room so she won't have to go to the kitchen to fetch it. At the table, a fresh cup is poured and a cup and saucer are carried over and offered to Yoshinori. "Oh, so you're his senpai." That's great! It's nice to have someone older to watch over you. She's sure Katoji really appreciates all of Yoshinori's consideration.

"I-I don't think so," Yoshinori thinks, leaning back a little. He doesn't mention skipping his own classes, seeing that he'll be able to catch up with the workload easily. "It should be mostly review, more or less. I have notes..." The noble nods at Miyo with a faint smile. "Thank you," he says softly, the teacup and its saucer taken gingerly, sipping its contents gracefully.

"Review..? Oh yeah- we're supposed to have finals soon too, huh..." Katoji looks slightly worried at that, but he's pretty sure getting the information he needs will be hard, once he gets back. That would mean dealing with Matsuhiro and possibly his brother, and undoubtedly they would barrage him with questions. He...does not look forward to this.
The bento box set aside as he's finished, the boy picks up his tea, taking a sip before he glances at Miyo again. "Mikazuki-san? Do you think I'll be able to go back to the Academy soon?"

Miyo reaches for the tray with the empty bento and sets that away on the table so it's out of reach. She'll return that to the kitchen later. At the question, Miyo walks back over to the bedside and leans forward toward Katoji. Don't flinch! The girl's hand lifts to touch his forehead gently, mostly to keep any stray hair away while she looks at the injury and then into his eyes to examine the pupils. "Hm, we'll see how you feel tomorrow, okay?" Maybe he'll recover enough overnight. But she doesn't want him to wobble and fall over on his way back to the academy, just because he's eager. He might injure himself all over again.

The teacup clinks lightly against its plate, Yoshinori watching Miyo tend to Katoji. For now, he remains silent, only agreeing with Miyo's suggestion mentally. He does want to see that his friend is well enough to go back to school, but he also wonders how some of the others will react. Mulling over it distracts him, his eyes having the distant, far-off look to them.

Having long set aside the cloth since it was no longer cool anyway, Katoji sits patiently (not a pun!) and waits as Miyo moves to check his injuries. He tries very hard not to flinch as the woman moves her hands along his face, but she's practised enough to not cause him any additional pain. The boy looks a little disappointed at her decision, but he supposes that it might be for the best, and as soon as he can expect since the day's likely almost over anyway. "Okay..." he sighs.

Miyo smiles sympathetically to Katoji as she leans back again. "I know it's hard to wait, but really you're better off. I'm sure you know that." So she doesn't really need to tell him. Besides, if he isn't fully recovered it'll just be harder for him to study and do well on his exams. "I can request that your teachers send you some material if you'd really like it, but your rest is more important right now." Miyo flushes slightly at all the words. "I mean, that's what I think." But some people are more stubborn about things.

At this, Yoshinori comes back from la-la land. This is record time, too. "Oh. That's very thoughtful, Mikazuki-san." Yes, that might work. Keeping Katoji focused on his studies shouldn't be too much of a hassle, either. Maybe. "I-I'm sure the teachers wouldn't have a problem with that...besides, it's important to keep up."

"N-no!" Katoji blurts, surprising even himself with it. He grins, shaking his head, noting that he is able to do so without suffering as much of a headache as he had when he tried the other day. "I mean... well, if I'm going to go back tomorrow, I don't think it'll be worth the trouble. Besides, I can just ask my roommate or my brother." He especially doesn't want to draw unnecessary attention to what happened to him, as who knows what his teachers would think if they found out he was in the 4th's medical ward?

Miyo has a feeling he just doesn't want his teachers to know about it, but Miyo just nods at his request once she lowers her fingers from her lips after his outburst. "If that's what you really want." No sense in arguing it. "But don't try to push yourself, alright? Please stay another day if you really have to." Otherwise he could just end up back in here and then even more people would know about it. Not to mention that shiner he has probably isn't going to be gone overnight no matter how much he wills himself out of bed.

The teacup is still held within his grasp, the shout making his heart race in surprise. Yoshinori blinks rapidly at the boy, the cup and saucer pulling closer to him just in case. Added security? "....Well....all right." If Katoji is uncomfortable with facing the teachers, why push him into it? It wouldn't be good. With Miyo's response, he nods in accordance to what is said. Poor Katoji, almost bored out of his mind, probably.

Katoji smiles gratefully at the two for their understanding. "Okay, Mikazuki-san. I promise I won't. I'll let you know right away if something happens, too," he says. He's really hoping that doesn't turn out to be the case, but he figures it's better to be safe than sorry. However, he's pretty sure his absence has been noticed already since he's been pretty good at attending his classes. If he were to be out any longer, people would definitely start to wonder. The boy also wants to know what all's happened with Antoku, if he's already gone and informed Satsue of what he did. The tea cup in his hands is all but forgotten, resting there on his lap over the blankets.

Miyo looks relieved to hear that he's going to keep her informed. At least she won't have to worry about him personally that way. Not to mention, the less staff who knows about this the better kept his secret is, right? She won't gossip, not even to the others in the 4th division about his strange behavior. Getting out of the sick ward.. well, that she understands. No one really wants to stay in bed all day. "Thank you." Miyo just hopes he won't push himself too hard. "I know Ito-san definitely won't let you over do it." A light smile is passed in the older student's direction. "Since you're awake now, why don't we medicate that bruise? It'll help it to heal faster." And he definitely wants that, she's sure. Miyo walks over to the cabinet to look for the correct cream to use on the mark.

How strangely easy it is to read Yoshinori's mind. Again, the second year nods, his own expression thoughtful. His thumb runs over the ceramic cup's surface. Surely there were some students that usually forget to attend the required classes, but for those who do attend daily can use a break once in a while. Of course, in his case, he should be working on doing his best. The motivation is there now, more or less. Crimson eyes glance between the 4th Division member and the first year, his mouth twisting.

The boy follows Miyo's glance towards Yoshinori, and he smiles apologetically. Sorry for making you so concerned! Oh... don't make that face! Katoji looks down at the tea cup again, swallowing another sigh. It's a welcome interruption from Miyo- the suggestion to treat his bruise. That sounds like a fine idea indeed! "I'd like that, please," he says, and adds another "Thank you..."

Miyo walks to the bedside again once she's found the appropriate medicine. "Please close your eye." If she were to somehow make a mistake she wouldn't want to hurt his eye by getting stuff in it. Once that's done she dabs a fingertip into the cream and then begins to apply it to the bruise very carefully. It has a cool and easing sensation so she's sure Katoji will appreciate it being on such a tender area. There's a little smile at a thought. "If you really wanted to hide it, I have some make-up you can use." A soft giggle is held back. "I've noticed it's a big trend now." For guys to wear eye-makeup and such. But that's to look intimidating, isn't it? Not to cover up their marks.

Yoshinori gives Katoji a return look. I'm sorry! I'm only concerned...Ohhh dear.
He sighs softly, quirking an eyebrow when Miyo mentions wearing makeup. It easily throws off his current train of thought. "Makeup? R-Really? That's...something new." For him anyway. He doesn't recall seeing many men with makeup on. "Huh..."

Obediently, Katoji closes his eye at Miyo's request. The medication spread over his bruise does feel nice, and the boy figures the less it hurts, the better it'll look. Naturally, he can't help but open his eye again to stare at the shinigami medic at her suggestion. "Wh- huh?" Make-up? That's girly stuff! Unless you were a goth, anyway, or something... Oh wait, there are some weird shinigami that wear eye make-up in the ranks, aren't there? So he's heard, anyway. "...make-up makes them look intimidating...?" he asks, his tone dubious.

Miyo dabs some more cool cream against Katoji's eye and nods. "That's right, I saw them in here just the other day. They were hurt in some goofing around.." She's not exactly sure what those academy students were doing. "I think they were trying to emulate someone." They must've really looked up to whoever it was. "Because they had make-up on, just like this." Some of the cream is dabbed with each finger and she makes a mark on each side of her eye, then knits her forehead and puckers out her lips to look tough. Grrrr. "Of course, it was in color." Not white like the medicine, which won't do any harm to her even if she plays with it. "Sure it can look intimdating! It's like... war paint." They know about that, right? "Isn't that sort of.. the way of the warrior?" Miyo doesn't know a lot about that kind of thing but she does read a book or two! "Uhm.. not that I'm suggesting you should wear stuff like that! I only meant we could hide your bruise with something to make it disappear." Not make it stand out of course. She's sure they shouldn't be emulating a person like those guys were anyway.

Yoshinori blinks. His facial expression is a mix between something of curiosity, wariness, and amusement. Miyo's descriptions are quite entertaining. "I...I see," he responds, holding a hand up to hide the lower half of his face. No, he's not laughing, really.

For a moment or two, Katoji blinks as Miyo tries to show them how the make-up had looked, staring blankly. Seriously? "...pfft!" Even if Yoshinori is trying to cover his laughter, not so the first year student, but he has nothing to hide. He laughs, and even though it brings with it a small poke of pain as his cheek bunches up, it's nothing terribly uncomfortable that would keep him from continuing.
"Ahahah! Wow... yeah, I've heard of war paint, but somehow that doesn't strike me as very intimidating..." Or perhaps it's just how silly Miyo had looked with her attempt. It was still amusing, and Katoji appreciates her all the more for it. "But..." he says, once he gets his snickers down. "...if there's a way to make this less...um... obvious...? Then I'd be up for trying it..."

If they do laugh it's fine. It's the effect she was going for! And laughter does heal wounds too, just in a different way. Normally she wouldn't consider herself funny, but Miyo does get a small boost of confidence thanks to the way they receive her impression. "I guess it's not really the same thing." There's some lingering embarrassment at being the center of attention for the moment. Miyo walks over to the mirror that's hanging on the medicine cabinet door and reaches for a tissue to carefully wipe the cream away, closing one eye each time it's brushed at. Once that's finished she tosses the tissues away into the trash and turns around again, clasping her hands in front of her. "I can come in before you leave tomorrow for classes." Then she can dab some of that makeup there to lessen the impact of the bruise.

Okay, so it is good. Yoshinori doesn't get to laugh all of the time. Still hiding his mouth, he peeks over his cupped hand. "I-it's a good idea, though," he says with a hint of laughter. And then he stays quiet again, shoulders shaking.

Katoji grins over at Yoshinori. He probably looks an interesting sight with the cream over his bruised face. "Oh, you will? Thanks Mikazuki-san! I appreciate it!" he says, beaming at the woman. He has no doubts he'll feel well enough to go back by tomorrow.

Seeing Katoji revitalized with such energy also makes Miyo think that he'll be well enough to go back to the academy tomorrow. In the end that is best, since she remembers perfectly well just how much hard work must be put into academy work in order to graduate. Then they might find a division that's perfect for them, just as she did. She can only hope they manage to fall into the division they can call home, just as Miyo loves the 4th division. "Well, I should let you get your rest." Her face, still somewhat pink under the freckles, does smile as she gives a light bow of her head.

Rest does sound like a good idea, and Katoji does need it if he's going to attempt going back to the academy tomorrow. The second year also gets up, the cup and saucer still in hand as he clears his throat. That's enough laughing for now. "Maybe I should go as well," Yoshinori adds, bowing his head at Miyo as she goes. He looks back at the first year for a moment after he says this. "If that's okay with you, Chihara-san?" He doesn't want to be too much of a bother visiting.

The boy feels much better after all this. Friends certainly helped for his mood, as did making new ones, and undoubtedly he certainly considers Miyo such, even if they'd only just met. "Okay. Thanks again, Mikazuki-san!" How many times has he said that already? He doesn't care. "See you tomorrow!" Katoji then looks to Yoshinori and grins at him. "Oh, go right ahead, Ito-senpai! You probably have a lot to do, but thanks a lot for coming!" He grins. "I'll see you tomorrow too, yeah?"

Miyo smiles a little and nods, lifting one hand to tuck some of her red hair behind one ear before collecting the dishes that need to be cleaned and leaving the room with them. She'll continue her duties with checking on any other patients and tidying up before the end of her nursing hours. After that, it's back to her room for some rest. Tomorrow she'll be back early to keep her promise and do what she can to conceal Katoji's bruise.

Yoshinori nods, the faint smile returning. "All right, then. Take care, Chihara-san, Mikazuki-san." The cup and saucer set is handed back to Miyo without much effort on his part, and as Miyo leaves, he follows after, turning to look over his shoulder briefly as if to make sure Katoji is staying put. And within seconds, he's gone. Back to the academy with him.

He waves at them both, since his hand, unlike his head, doesn't hurt at all. With Yoshinori's extra glance back, Katoji can't help but laugh a bit, and he waves his senpai off before settling down in the bed again. It's quiet again, and although he doesn't feel all that tired, he knows he'll be anxious for tomorrow that he should best at least -try- to get some extra rest.

[Log] 40 - Some Things You Can't Take Back

2008-06-21T21:47:17Z

Date: 06-16-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji
Summary: ...in the sick ward of the 4th.

He knew his way very well, and traveled it with all due haste. He could have done it at any time of night or day, eyes open or eyes shut, because this was the route he would take the day that his heart finally said "Enough." Over puddles that never rippled and a short-cut that involved a seven brief steps on air over a canal without a bridge, because he did not want to run all of the way down to where the bridge was and back up again--it was a trip his passenger would have enjoyed if his passenger had been awake to see it. But maybe it wouldn't have lasted long enough to be enjoyed; for all that he was certain he'd never run so slowly in his life, he was opening the swinging West Entrance with his forehead and barreling through in fantastic time. (That bimbo of a substitute teacher would have given him a gloomy 'A' for the performance.)
"Don't you people have anything better to do than stand around?!" he raged at a waiting room full of battered victims, all of whom had gotten there long before. It was his heart that did it, though. A young woman on the way to her lunch break, wrist turned over so that she could see her watch, who had once sewn his cheek after An Unfortunate Thing In The North Gate Market, recognized him. She knew about his heart, so Katoji was handed over to strangers before the strangers in line ahead of him got their chance to be interred.
Antoku had given them Yoro-Ritsuryo on its knotted old cord to go with him. Nobody liked it, but there were more important things to worry about and what the heck did this kid run into? He crouched next to the bird feeder outside the West Entrance for about an hour, until his nerves got the best of him and he went trotting off down the alleyways with his hands in his pockets.

At least in this state, he would be saved the trouble of having to answer unpleasant questions. As it was, Katoji wasn't aware of anything since he'd passed out on the floor of the library. He had taken quite a hit back there, and being wide open had taken the full brunt of the blow. His landing on the ground hadn't been any more graceful, and it wasn't like his battered head could've used an extra knocking around.
A concussion was the easiest thing to write off in terms of injuries, a blow severe enough to have completely knocked the boy unconscious. Hopefully there would be no rumors spread as to what those Academy students were possibly getting themselves into these days, or perhaps the teachers they'd been hiring were all evil taskmasters of a sort. Regardless, the primary concern at the moment was their young patient. A hairline fracture, a bit of cheekbone chipped, but with the proper treatment any internal injuries wouldn't be long lasting, and after enough rest, it was concluded that the boy should recover quite nicely. Physically, anyway.

Antoku went back, by and by, with his hands in his pockets just the way they'd been when he'd left, although he was a little more grey each time he drifted in. In for a few minutes, out for hours, then in again, five minutes, out, five hours, and people stopped telling him to get back to his classes and just let it be.
Yoro-Ritsuryo was by turns a cobra or a hot potato; no one wanted the thing in the hospital, but since Antoku wouldn't take it back, it became a wedge for propping open the window furthest away from Katoji's bed, where it could do the least harm. Without its owner, its destructive radius seemed vastly reduced, and the window at last became an acceptable compromise.
When the in-and-out routine failed to produce a functioning Katoji within a day, the 'in' began to get longer and the 'outs' shorter. Soon, Antoku was dozing fifteen minutes at a time, with his chin propped up on the back of a chair he refused to sit face-forward in. He napped like a cat, roused himself groggily, circled the patient's bed, and then drifted off again, over and over
....eventually he drifted back like a ghost, dutiful in his guilt, hooked his elbows over the back of his chair, dropped his face in his arms, and went slack. Pudding in little white dishes stood scattered on the floor, hints from nurses who cared too much.

As soon as he finally started to come to, he almost instantly regretted it. It felt as if he had an invisible vise clamped about his head, and at first the dull echoing quality of his surroundings continued to linger so that he felt that he was submerged underwater. Eyelids twitched, lashes parting fractionally, yet enough to allow light to come stabbing in when he'd gotten so accustomed to the dark. He whimpered, a tiny sound that resulted from a parched throat and a gummy tongue, eyes squeezing shut, only to ease up as it only made his the headache more evident to him.
After a while, Katoji tried again, uncertain that he'd ever felt so awful in his life. He cracked his eyes open, forcing them to remain so until things came into focus. Vainly he tried to moisten his lips, growing somewhat disturbed to vaguely taste blood when he tried to swallow. All the while he stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't a ceiling he knew. Where was he? Slowly sounds began to permeate through the clogged bubble of his hearing, but it still got him nowhere as to figuring out where this place was. The last thing he remembered, well, wasn't he in the library with An-
He turned his head sharply- a mistake that brought on a wince, but he bore it with teeth clamped until the twinge tapered off as he looked towards where he had sensed him. Katoji wouldn't have been able to explain the expression that crossed his face as he saw Antoku slumped asleep on the chair, a jumbled mix of emotion as it was, but a weak smile slowly traversed its way across his face.

While Katoji watched, a nurse wandered into his room to push an empty cart that had been standing by the door out into the hall. She returned a moment later to tug a knit cap on Antoku's head while a friend encouraged her silently from the hallway. She was gone seconds later, and Antoku hadn't so much as twitched.
The black cap had pointed felt animal ears on it. Obviously Antoku had been here before. His ability to sleep sitting up, surrounded by people, was magical by itself. Now if only something as little as that could make up for losing control of his temper.
Ice in the glass beside Katoji's bed resettled with a /clink./
Either guilt or the discomfort of the chair's hard corners woke him, and then only barely. Antoku lifted his head muzzily, saw that Katoji had not been buried or taken away, then shifted his weight, refolded his arms, and put his head back down. Fox ear? Bat ear? Maybe some kind of cat- One of them was sticking up at a sharp angle as if listening attentively for anything Katoji had to say.

....wait.

Antoku's head bobbed back up sharply, wide-eyed. "You woke up." He sounded like Katoji wasn't supposed to be able to do that...and a little like he wasn't sure he wanted him to. Shit. What do non-medics say to the injured? His experience was limited. Maybe- "Don't get up." Yes, that was familiar. "Do you--You want me to get your doctor?"

For a moment Katoji wondered if he was still dreaming. Antoku's new piece of headwear certainly seemed somewhat jarring for his overall image, but the boy found some amusement from it as it drew more of a smile from him, and almost a laugh. Well, it did draw a dry, quiet chuckle, but the movement it caused did not agree with the headache that continued to gnaw at him so it didn't last very long.
He would have been ashamed to realize he tensed when he saw Antoku stir, but watched wide-eyed as the other boy did so, then abruptly drifted back off, and regardless of whether the ears of the knit cap made him look all the more comical, Katoji's smile had smoothed out, almost as if he was trying to hold his breath. And suddenly Antoku had awoken and was now aware that he was indeed awake. The first words that came from the other's mouth made him blink. "Y...yeah..." he confirmed, not really sure what or if he was supposed to say anything to that. The next words that stumbled from Antoku's mouth received something more of a curious look. He hadn't tried to move anyway, so the order was pointless. Katoji took some time to consider the last, but he didn't feel like he needed anything. "...no, that's...that's okay," he said, forgetting himself long enough to attempt a headshake with his response, an action he quickly regretted as could be told by the wince that flashed across his face.

Lip curling as if he were looking at something particularly slimy, Antoku stared at the bed-ridden patient and struggled to ask, "It doesn't hurt, does it?" Because it /looked/ like it hurt. In fact, it hurt to look -at-. He'd never quite realised how other humans looked when they'd been battered. Previously the people he'd hit weren't actual persons, like himself. He could only imagine how disgusting it would look if someone were to c-
"I can go get...you know, go get something for you to take. ...to make it less..." Ugly? I mean, painful. Hurt less.

"...only if I move a lot..." he replied, mindful not to do just as he pointed out to save him the pain. He didn't like the look Antoku had on his face, and the tentative way that the older student was going about everything was just too strange for him to comprehend. It wasn't like him, at least, not what Katoji had grown used to from the Academy. The smile had faded from his face with the last wince, and he was too tired to try to actively maintain one.
It was him, wasn't it? The reason he was here, the reason it hurt... Katoji squeezed his eyes shut as Antoku's words from when they were in the library came rushing back to him. He couldn't remember everything exactly, but what the tone had been vivid enough to express the feelings paired with them. So what should he say then? The hurt he felt wasn't only from pain of his physical injury, and he didn't trust himself just yet to say anything about what had happened.

The hook of hesitation sank into his tongue and drew out a longer, more uncomfortable silence than Antoku could remember having ever endured before. The horror of what he'd done broke down under the guilt of it, made him slowly look away, put his chin down on the back of his chair again. Somehow he felt he should have been comforting this kid, and putting him at ease, as if it was the least he owned for having caused him pain. A colder self at the back of his brain reminded him that the pain was nothing, that he'd been through it and a thousand better, and stayed on his feet.
But wasn't it just because he'd had to? Was it a betrayal of self to begin to think it was all right if everyone didn't /have/ to feel everything the way he'd felt it? Because...because he realised that it would seem unfair for a person like -this- person to feel any of the things that Antoku had. It was so illogical! And yet-
When he glanced back, he looked like his stomach was taking ill. "...I didn't tell them what happened. It has nothing to do with me getting in trouble for...it. I don't want anyone to ask you why I did it. Because you're the stupidest person I know. I think you'd /tell them/ if they asked." What do I do?

Amber peered out between his lashes once Antoku spoke up again. He... didn't mind at all that Antoku hadn't said a thing, he might have well expected as much. It would only make things much more complicated if he had. Katoji resented the latter said, however, his brow pinching in mild frustration, and he shot a hurt glare over at the older student, ignoring the twinge from his injury as he shifted his head.
"-I wouldn't have-," he said sharply, a tone drastically different from the usual casual one normally used, born from being upset and emotionally exhausted, frustrated and not in the mood to tend the usual patience and tempering that he would have yesterday. He swallowed, as if saying as much had hurt him as though he'd swallowed a mouthful of glass. He forced himself to continue, feeling it would be worse kept in than let out. "I wouldn't have told them anything." Just because he wouldn't have said anything didn't mean that they would be able to piece together what might have happened. Reasons for why something happened lost importance when there were valid enough answers for who was involved. The boy swallowed again, fingers curling around the edge of the thin sheets that covered him, tugging them up towards his chin. He hunched his shoulders as he rolled on to his side, as if he were trying to make himself as small as he possibly could. That Antoku was on the side of the bed where he didn't have to lay his injury flat was both a plus and a drawback in that he couldn't turn away from him.
He'd long let his glare drop- the strain only made his head hurt more. "....I'm sorry...." he said quietly, a repetition of what he'd said before he'd passed out after being struck earlier on. "...I thought... no.... I wasn't thinking enough, was I..." He closed his eyes again. Now that he was awake and aware, he could once again think about the things he'd said, from what he could remember of their talk in the library. It was fuzzy around the edges, but he remembered well his intent, and how he had been so certain he was doing what he thought would be.... What he thought. He wasn't sure what he was thinking anymore, and the throbbing pain in his temple wasn't making it any easier to fathom.

Antoku's eyebrows raised sharply when Katoji's tone lashed out at him. He didn't react otherwise, though. It suited him better to settle in and weather the words thoughtfully. Until Katoji was done, he remained unmoving, but behind his eyes he was trimming the carcass of the moment, cutting free the things he didn't want to feel, pulling off the things he didn't want to say, scraping gristle away from the pure purpose he needed.
Katoji had gone silent long enough, he supposed that was all that was coming for the time being, so Antoku stood up stiffly and pushed aside his chair a bit. Not a very good place to fall asleep, he reflected numbly while working the blood back into the underside of his chin with his knuckles.
This was going to hurt. It was going to hurt a lot more than just about anything, but- Not closing the door first. That was a good touch, because he was going to be twice as mortified if someone saw this.
Antoku went down on one knee a respectful distance the side of the hospital bed, with that sour, grey-green look of illness still around the corners of his eyes and his mouth. "Look." Meeting that mopey gold gaze was miles out of the question. "Even though I wasn't /wrong/ about why I did it...er..." No, that wasn't right, start again. Antoku squinted one eye shut and tilted his face away a little more. "Ergh. About what happened...I'm sorry. Uh. I'm really-. That's the truth. I...regret it. A lot. I have a. Uh. A bad temper and I. You don't even know what you were /saying,/ that's the dumbest fucking-. Sorry, I mean. I mean. You know. I apologize. For what I did to you."

Beneath the blankets, he cringed as Antoku stood up, however not without feeling ashamed at himself for being so fearful. Afraid he'd get struck again? Afraid of Antoku? Katoji forced himself to relax, slipping his hand from the sheets to rest over the corner of the pillow by his chin. He watched as Antoku came over, eyes widening as he saw the other boy kneel a ways by the bed.
Slowly Katoji coaxed himself from the cover of his blankets, and he couldn't help but stare, more so as Antoku began his rocky apology. He finally blinked, finding his mouth hanging open- as if it needed to get any drier. He closed it with an all too audible click of his teeth, and in realizing he'd been staring, the boy forced himself to look elsewhere. It was obvious that Antoku was uneasy about saying what he had managed to say, so giving him the extra attention probably wouldn't make him feel any better about it. It was... the oddest apology he'd ever received. It also sounded the most honest of any he'd probably ever received.
"...I know...." he said quietly. He knew about the bad temper too, but to experience it for himself was different from hearing about it. Letting himself settle on his pillow again, he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again to look towards the adjacent wall. "....I..." He wanted to sound as sincere as he felt. "...I accept your apology. It means a lot, 'toku...." The corner of his mouth quirked. "...that you... that you brought me here..." -although he still wasn't sure where here was - "...and you stayed and waited...." Everything. He sighed lightly, letting his eyes rest again. "...I never wanted to make you mad..." Why would he..?

"I'm still mad!" Antoku declared hotly. It was obvious that the effort of slowing himself down so that he could stop and begin to set right what he'd done before attacking the thing he was angry with Katoji for in the first place was a work of constant, monumental effort for him. He had never withdrawn anything he'd done or said before, and for him, apologies were expressed in silence, with deeds or kindness or gifts, or any combination of those. Saying it was so much harder than words had a right to be. But Katoji liked words, they were how he communicated, and he was the one who'd gotten hurt.
Dammit, though, that had been the problem in the first place. Okay, okay, patience, Antoku, patience.... "We're still gonna talk about that, but...I think now it's probably beside the point. I shouldn'ta. I shouldn'ta done that. You're too little. And you don't know how to fight. And you're too clumsy to defend yourself." Not entirely as apologetic as he could be, somehow. "And I've never had a friend before. That makes you different and...I'm still learning. I'm sorry." Antoku kept the knuckles of one hand on the ground and his eyes on a particularly interesting crack in the tile flooring.

Katoji nearly ducked back beneath the sheets again, his eyes snapping open with Antoku's sharp words. He looked guiltily at the pillow near his cheek, his turn avoiding eye contact. He held his breath as the silence crept cautiously in again, and when the other spoke up once more, he hesitantly lifted his amber gaze back towards him. Was he supposed to be making him feel better? Those certainly weren't the most choice words to do it, but even if they weren't very positive, Katoji didn't feel at all hurt by them. At first he almost pouted. He relaxed again, grinning weakly instead. He scooted himself towards the edge of the bed as close as he could manage without almost falling over, and he reached a hand out with a finger to poke lightly at Antoku's head. He wasn't sure what words to say- he'd already said he'd accepted the apology, any more would be awkward repetitions. Yeah. So he'd just poke the other instead.

Fine, you do that just because you can and no one else could, you little smartass. Antoku grimaced until he was nearly cross-eyed at Katoji's hand. "...so. Does that mean you know what I should do?" Pause. "...because no one knows where you are and it's been about a day. ...ish." Thankfully, Prince Phillip III, seated up in the stratosphere on his high horse, was incapable of seeing through the clouds around his head and wouldn't have noticed. Katoji's teachers and roommate, though....

...oh yeah. There was that. Katoji finally relented in his poking, letting his hand drop to dangle over the edge of the bed. He rested his chin over the other, his head more propped up by his arm than the pillow itself. It'd probably a lot of fun when he tried to lie back again, definitely not something the kid looked forward to.
"That long? Gah..." Frowning thoughtfully, he tried to recall what day it was and the schedule of classes that went with it. "......" His silence wasn't very encouraging, but he'd run into a mental wall. If not Matsuhiro, someone would have been bound to notice if it'd been that long already, and unfortunate for this situation, aside from being a little tardy now and then to classes, Katoji wasn't one to normally miss any.

Matsuhiro had surely noticed the complete absence of Yoro's hissing after a few hours. Antoku had never told Katoji exactly what he'd done to Matsuhiro, primarily thanks to the Satsue Iceberg colliding with Katoji's Titanic Abandonment Complex right after he'd done it. And Matsuhiro just loved following the rules; he'd probably begun crowing early on. Sticking his scarred lower lip out slightly while he pondered it, Antoku looked up slowly.
"I don't want to scare you," he said quietly. "But you've got a lump on your face like...it's like the size of a chicken egg. It looks like you've got a third eye growing out of there. Have you seen your reflection yet? It's freaking awful."

"I haven't even had the chance to try sitting up yet," the boy muttered in response. His fingers were already tentatively lifting to touch the tender side of his face where it still felt swollen yet oddly numb. He traced the lump lightly, twitching as he reached the top of it, and then he let his hand fall atop the sheets again. "...dunno how I'm gonna explain this one..." Katoji couldn't remember ever having been hospitalized for an injury, and he was pretty sure that despite all the spills and crashes he'd taken from failed shunpo stops that he'd never collided so hard to knock himself out. He let his eyes close again. His head still had that tight feeling about it, and trying to take into consideration the new problems they had to deal with certainly made it feel no better.

Antoku watched with the still, faded look he had, somewhere between cool impartiality and amusement. It wasn't a smile (his smiles were cruel in any case) but maybe, around the edges of his eyes, it could have been. "Mm," he agreed more quietly. "If you think that's ugly, you should see the other guy." When Katoji was better, he would be giving in and showing his hand to the nurses. Ruptured tendons or broken hand, it would give him permanent trouble in a few weeks if he didn't, and he couldn't open it up and staple the tendons in place himself. ...at least, he didn't think so.
"Listen." He sidled nearer to Katoji's bed smoothly, staying down on one knee and keeping his shoulders low. "I can't hide you from Satsue. I'll go tell them what I did...but you can't tell them why. Nothing about it. You don't have to lie; I'll do that. Just tell them nothing. I need your word."

Katoji wondered just how bad his face looked, and he had to wonder who the unfortunate other guy was. He opened one eye to peer at Antoku when he heard him come closer to the bed, and remaining silent, listened as instructed. He opened his eyes fully once Antoku got half-way through what he had to say, and by the time he was at the end of it, the boy was pushing himself to sit upright. "You're going t-?!" Mistake. He grabbed the side of the bed as the room swayed dizzily, his other hand sprawling across his face as he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to make things stop spinning.

The hand that had been on the floor darted out, but Antoku's expression did not so much as flicker, as if his face were completely separate from the engine of his body. He only needed his thumb and first two fingers to catch the freshman by the back of the neck and support him. It didn't have to be for long, and it didn't have to be his full weight, (what, all 45 pounds of him?) it just had to keep him from spilling out of his own bed or getting sick on himself. Antoku's fingers were hard, calloused, and in strange places, completely slick-smooth, like glossy paper, where the scars were thick enough to take away the texture of skin. He waited, patient. If there could be anything other students went through that he understood, it was weathering an injury.
"Yes, I'm going to. I'm the one who did it, after all. ...are you going to relax or do I get the nurses?"

He wasn't expecting that. He much appreciated it too, considering that he very nearly missed the edge of the bed when he'd made a grab for it. Katoji very slowly opened his eyes again to look between his splayed fingers, just in case he were to find that things were still moving around. It was... a little better. He lowered his hand, glancing at Antoku pitifully. Ugh, he hated this. Sighing, he mumbled an okay before moving to lie back down again.
"......okay....." Not really. Who knew what Satsue's reaction would be. Then again, Antoku had as much as what one could almost consider 'diplomatic immunity' than anyone else would have. But what if he were asked directly? Say nothing? He'd said he wouldn't tell them, but that'd probably make them suspicious either way. Whoever 'them' was. Katoji quit while he was ahead.

When he took his hand back, it was a hair too quickly, as if he had been touching something that made him squeamish. Antoku did not like other people near him, and touching was out of the question. He just wasn't -used- to it anymore, and it made his skin crawl. It took effort not to wipe his hand off on his sleeve.
"'Okay,'" he mimicked in rotten falsetto. "It's not a joke. Any at all from you about the stupid, /stupid/ thing you said, and we're both going to be sorry as hell. You more than me." That wasn't true. Antoku was positive he'd be sorrier; Katoji would just be worse off. "If you have to talk, tell the truth by avoiding it. Get weepy and say I got mad out of nowhere and beat the hell out of you. Whatever it takes. Now give me /your word./" He wanted a promise, and he wasn't going to leave without it. For a person who lived by lies and empty silences, Antoku put a great deal of stock in promises.

The tone was lacking in the desperate sharpness that Antoku had used when he'd made Katoji promise in regards to Nozomi. It was a different kind of severity though, and Katoji knew better than to ignore it. It was a moment before he resettled, nearly having had another bout of motion sickness when he suddenly found the support of Antoku's hand suddenly gone. Pillow.
"I said I wouldn't say anything earlier, right? I won't. I say anything then. I give you my word." He'd learned from the last time that the older student didn't accept anything short of what he specifically asked in spoken confirmation. Concern flickered in his eyes though. "...but what about you...?"

Katoji's worry was almost over-looked. Antoku looked away...and then looked back again sharply. "What? Me? What /about/ me?" He was nearly offended. It could have been the simple concept that Antoku couldn't take care of himself, or that someone like Katoji was trying to worry about someone like Antoku. "I told you, I need to tell them where you are. I'll tell them what I did. The end."

It was obvious from the look on his face that he wanted to say more on this, but with this familiar track of conversation, Katoji had the feeling it wouldn't go anywhere.
...and yet, he had to. "...I don't want them sending you away..." Satsue had already been wary about giving what little priviledges he already had, but if she found out he'd gotten hurt, that'd complicate things, wouldn't it? And then what?

Antoku braced himself in a chilly bath of absolute awe and disbelief. Wasn't it way too late to be worrying about this kind of thing? He shot a look to the doorway, tilting his head, and made sure there was no one lurking there.
"Not to rile you up more, Mitzy-Mae, but that's going to happen no matter what. The day Satsue decides I've 'graduated,' I'm gone. What you should care about are the things you can change. Stuff you can achieve, and be proud of. You like helping other people and making a difference, right? Do that."

That was why he had thought to offer helping Antoku figure out a way to get away. That's why he was so confounded when Antoku had reacted as he had. If he were going to be further upset by the older student's words, Katoji wasn't doing a very good job of showing it. In truth he wasn't, at least, not in an angry sort of way. It bothered him, yes, that Antoku sounded quite convinced that that would be that.
"...what good would that be if I can't even help one person when they asked... and when I said I would...?" He looked up as he said this, as if he were asking the ceiling, and he wasn't really sure that he wanted to be answered, somewhat fearing what sort of a reply Antoku would give.

"Do you think you're /God/?" Antoku challenged, bristling. "Do you think you have the absolute right to promise anything to anyone you feel like? I'll tell you something your teachers won't. If you don't pick your battles in life, you die. That's it. End of discussion. It's a fact. If you want to help people, that's great, good for you, you're a saint. It feeds your co-dependency issues, and I applaud that, I really do. A person like me could never understand that kind of thing. But you won't help anybody if you waste your time, your energy, and your life trying to do impossible things. Are you getting this?"

"....." No amount of bracing ever seemed to work, and as much as Antoku meant to be positive, the words still stung. Or maybe it just felt like it did more so because of the strain from his injury. He didn't think the feeling could be justified by that though. Katoji knew that what was said made sense, but he still felt like he'd missed out on something. Or that something was left out.
Amber eyes continued to look up at the ceiling. He was tired, tired of trying to ignore the pain that continued to throb on the side of his head, tired of trying to explain his reasons that he had thought were perfectly valid, only to have them dashed to bits under the presentation of different views and reasonings that he hadn't considered. Because he couldn't consider it in that way- no, not couldn't- just never thought to. It was quite plain that they saw things differently, and yet they'd thus far made up some compromise that had allowed them to be able to get to where they were now.
...to be told that there were some things he had to accept as they were was something Katoji could not easily swallow. It wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to not be seen as worthless. He wanted to make things different. He wanted many things that wouldn't completely form in thought for all that he tried to make of them. Why was it always harder to think of them and bring them up when you tried? The boy figured it was a sign for him to give it a rest. He wasn't even sure what time it was- he'd lost complete track of everything since he'd woken up here- here of which he still hadn't been informed as to where here was exactly but by now he had an idea.
His silence was as good as a 'yes, I'm getting this' as Antoku could expect. It meant that Katoji wasn't going to try throwing out more words, it meant that he was listening. Offering opinions required a functional mind, and his wasn't feeling up to par for continuing.

Antoku's own words wore him down, until he was silent, too, left to rub his thumb against a temple and glare at the wall. Fine, he knew he was up-ending a bucket of harsh reality on a little kid's enthusiasm. In a way he felt bad for it, but in another, he was frustrated by choices and motivations that seemed just plain suicidal and self-destructive, to him. He climbed to his feet again, groaning melodramatically.
A hand that had gone blackish-green-violet on the back, fat and stiff around the first two fingers, yanked Katoji's ear- -on the not-broken side of his head- -and reached down to shake out a blanket folded on the foot of the bed. Antoku drawled, "Well, excuse me for saying I'm too much for you to handle. You're the guy in the hospital bed, not me, so you'd know." The blanket went 'fwumpf' as he snapped it out and let it settle over Katoji messily. You stupid little kid.

"Owowow!" He broke his silence unwillingly, but it was hard to keep quiet when someone was tugging on your ear. The tired, serious expression was replaced with a tired, pouty expression as Katoji lifted a hand to rub at his sore lobe. Any words that would have followed in protest were lost with the loud sound of the blanket as it was unfurled and left to fall over him. Instead he stared. It was still a weird thing to process- Antoku being nice, Antoku apologizing, Antoku caring... Antoku.. playing nurse.

/Not nursing!/
He was dividing a stream of thoughts that were obviously a little too fast for the canoe riding them. "Tell you what," he continued casually, his best bargaining tone on. He crammed fistfuls of blanket in around Katoji with an eye on incapacitating his arms more than covering him up properly. "When you can stand up to one of my punches, we'll re-negotiate this whole savior business as far as I'm concerned. Fair?"

By the time he realized what Antoku was doing, he was already being secured under the blanket. Hey, no fair! Oh, stupid head! Katoji's first thought was to try pulling the blankets loose, but it was the proposition that the dark-skinned boy gave him that had him pause. The boy looked up at him, staring for so long that it might have been thought that Katoji'd suffered a relapse or something from his head trauma. He finally blinked, and his lips pulled into a tight, but unmistakable grin. Ah, that was more like Katoji.
"Deal."

"Ah that's great, you're filled with pointless hope all over again." Well, whatever, it was safer this way. It wasn't like he was going to take a swing at the kid again. Besides, it made him happy. Lookit him beaming over the idea of getting slugged again. Maybe he really had gotten dumber. Scary.
Antoku folded his arms across his chest and stuck his hands under his arms; pinning the bruised one made it feel better in an agonizing way. "No more trying to rescue people bigger than you, remember that. Hey, you want me to get them to get you some drugs? I'll ask for the good stuff." Nobody knew the selection around this place better than he did. After all of this, his professional opinion was the least he owed Katoji, right?

It was easy to be happy. It was harder being depressed. Katoji knew that such a simple proposition couldn't nullify all that Antoku had said earlier. If they kept things up any longer, they'd wear themselves out in reasonings and arguments, and neither of them would budge from where they currently stood. This... this was just a compromise for the moment. Whether it would hold or whether it would be dropped once Katoji was back on his feet, well, he figured he would just have to see. For now...
"....hai hai..." Did he mean bigger physically or ..? He didn't ask. Instead he quirked a brow at Antoku as he offered to go find someone to give him drugs. "...if there's something to make my head stop feeling like something's sitting on it... otherwise I think I'm okay... it doesn't hurt so much if I close my eyes.."

"There are worse things," Antoku promised unthinkingly, oddly relieved. There were thousands of things that felt worse! This was such a little thing, it was insane when he thought of how worried he'd been, and here the kid was fine. Of course he was. He was a kid, they were made of rubber. Hell, /Antoku/ was still a kid, Katoji was so far in the green zone it was ridiculous. Never again would he worry over some innocent little bruise and bump. Why, just think of all of the stuff that could have been happening to Katoji. ...if...he were somewhere else...at another time...and a different person. "I'll just-"
He turned to go, paused. "...anything else? Don't ask for anything I won't get you, make it simple. No world peace, no puppy dogs."

".....maybe something to eat..." Anything to get the stale taste out of his mouth. Katoji let himself sink against the pillow, and he decided that getting some more rest wouldn't be too bad a thing. He hadn't forgotten his concerns from earlier, but he figured so long as he was here, he wouldn't be able to do anything much for them.
"...thanks again, 'toku..."

"Ah, shut up. I'll get you grub." The hell if he was going to hang around some grateful kid all day. Sulking around his embarrassment, Antoku's advanced his slouch and sulked out the door, jaw set in determination, fingers reaching up to rake back through his hair in aggravation.
A moment later the stupid-ear hat came hurtling through the doorway. "For fuck's sake! That's molestation, you sick freaks!" Thanks, thanks for telling him! Thank you! He would remember this later on, FRIEND.

[Log] 39 - Something To Be Said

2008-06-17T07:01:39Z

Date: 06-02-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji
Summary: Sometimes things aren't quite put into proper perspective until it comes out of your mouth, but by then it's too late to rethink and retract.

-=[North Library - Shinigami Academy]=------------------------------------------

The North Library is a strangely stately affair despite that none of the more dangerous books are archived here. The center of the main room has a neat row of tables, each surrounded by simple chairs. Above, the ceiling looms a full two stories away, surrounded by a latticed wooden railing that circles the second floor. Beneath the second floor row upon row of solemn bookshelves stand watch over the bowed heads that browse their aisles. The north wall has two sets of windows; those on the first floor are smaller and surrounded by smaller shelves set into the walls themselves, and those on the second floor arch straight up to the slanted ceiling. A tidy, black wrought iron staircase spirals up from the southwest corner of the room, connecting the first and second floors.

He hasn't been getting along with his zanpakutou and has no idea why. They generally agreed with each other on those topics Yoro-Ritsuryo chose to comment on, yet more and more Antoku found the ideas Yoro put forward were irritating and unacceptable and, when he said so, found Yoro unwilling to retract his opinions. So, why? Nothing insulted Antoku more than the idea of psychology, with it's neat little labels for every thought a man had and the way it deigned to designate a mood or choice an actual disease. Yet he was at a loss. How else did a person approach the problem of bickering with one's own loud-mouthed, dirty-minded soul?
And so he'd resorted to books that lectured on the various so-called facets of shinigami and the many nuances that their zanpakutou expressed. He'd taken plenty of classes on it, of course, and half-listened to some of the lectures, but the big, boring, dusty old books in the libraries went to lengths that even someone as dull as Iki wouldn't sink to. So far, all he'd learned was that he disliked this study topic more than he'd realised.
Seven of the books were closed and stacked on the table he'd propped his feet up on. Two more were open beneath his heels, with torn strips of paper hanging from them as bookmarks. The last was set in his lap while he hunched in his chair over it. As he read, peering down through the lenses of a pair of narrow glasses with stern black frames, he rubbed a pencil's eraser against his temple and tried to will away the headache forming behind his eyes.

Books. One would think that Katoji would be sick of them by now with all the reading he's forced himself to do for all that Ryuujin had lent him. He'd managed somehow to get through one, although whether anything had actually sunk in was another matter.
He'd come to the library to see if he could return some of the shunpo books, as he found that some of them were indeed from the school. Hopefully Ryuujin wouldn't remember how many books he'd given Katoji, so he wouldn't notice that a few were missing from the ridiculous pile! And so, bearing quite an armload of books, the boy came through the doorway, making way for the nearest table so he could set the heavy things down. Carrying them up the stairs and down the hall was such a pain!

The world turned blue.

The glasses were gone from sight by the time Katoji rounded the corner and Antoku was on his feet. There were a lot of large books shoved messily in one of the shelves near-by, and the librarians' aides would be annoyed when they saw that. The table he was leaning his hip against was bare except for an open dictionary with a pencil sitting on top of it. With his arms folded over his chest and one eyebrow raised, Antoku watched the freshman enter while wearing breathless yet smug poise of someone whose last moment scramble was fully successful.
"I told you reading that shit was useless," he stated smoothly in lieu of a real greeting.

Most of his attention had been devoted to making sure he didn't take a mistep or run into anything. Once the books had been settled on the table and his arms free to stretch out from the uncomfortable position they'd held for so long, Katoji looked over towards the table Antoku now stood by, blinking. The words spoken were as good a greeting as any, and even in spite of such, it didn't prevent Katoji from offering his own greeting in turn.
"Oh, hey!" he said, smiling brightly as could be expected of him. He looked at the stack he'd brought, thumping a hand on the topmost one. "I... actually wasn't able to get through these. I'm hoping I can slip them away without Sakaki-senpai noticing." At the most, he'd flipped through them, and he was pretty sure from what he'd read that they all said about the same thing. And Ryuujin was able to get through things like these? Ugh... Clearly, Katoji was more of a hands-on type of learner than the literature type. "...um... so what're you up to? I'm not disturbing you or anything, am I?" he asked, glancing back at Antoku, and then the table he stood by.

Antoku watched Yoro-Ritsuryo breathe eagerly down the back of Katoji's neck from the corners of his eyes. By slow degrees his jaw set itself into a stubborn, locked angle, and by the time Katoji turned around, Antoku's lower lip was ticking in irritation. "Me? Oh...hell, no. In a library? I just like the quiet." The lie was too effortless to think about.
He leaned forward at the waist and squinted down his nose at the books Katoji had set down. "You're bringing them back?" He'd assumed Katoji was getting more of them or, worse, actually reading them. "Good. By the way, I'm not in trouble, and Satsue doesn't officially know about the attempted homicide." Poor Neal.

For some reason he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, the way it did when someone unexpectedly loomed nearby and gave way more attention than was comfortable. A brief frown pulled at his mouth, and Katoji gave into his curiosity, glancing over his shoulder before swinging his gaze back towards Antoku as the older student spoke up again.
A lie as it was, it was an answer with reasoning the boy could understand. He never really preferred complete silence himself, and when he sought out peace and quiet, it was always the type that came with the natural ambiance of wherever he chose to settle himself at the time- the roof, the wooded grounds in front of the Academy, the flower-covered hill...
"You won't tell him, right?" he grinned, cupping a hand by his face in a conspiritorial manner as he said this, although he knew from before that Antoku shared no love for the books that tediously wore out the subject of shunpo. The next bit of news given him brought first a blink and then a smile of relief... soon to be followed by a confused and then concerned knitting of his brow. "...wait, what do you mean by the last part?" he frowned. Or was 'toku just pulling his leg again. Or maybe he was referring to the poor bird..?

"You broke the eel tank in the science lab." Antoku glanced overhead just long enough before he added, "The eel is fine. Chomei isn't mad." Chomei probably wasn't even aware that he was a shinigami. Or that he had legs. Or that he wasn't a banana.

"...." Katoji wasn't sure whether to be mortified or relieved- so he attempted to be both. It didn't work very well. He decided should simply be glad that nothing got killed after all. "...phew..." he sighed, letting himself slump forward, his hands resting against the table. "That's good to know."

_ _________ _ _
_ ____ _
__ _

After a brief silence, Antoku turned himself to fully face the other student, arms still crossed defensively over his chest, hip still propped against the edge of the table. "Hey." It was a very dark version of the word, intrinsically personal.
Most of the long plaits of Antoku's hair had been individually wrapped in thick black thread and tied up at the back of his head. He kept it pinned there between the forked gold teeth of a kanzashi that looked far, far beyond his personal financial means. The only lock of long hair that was still loose was beginning to have a tendency to fall over his eye. On occasion, he lifted a hand to stab at it with a fingertip and move it out of the way. "What you said the other night...."
Why clarify which night?
"...do you think it was true, or just impulsive?"

It was that sort of tone that just demanded attention, the way a mugger with a knife did. When you saw that knife waving at you, you couldn't help but look at it. The relaxed look Katoji had adopted slipped from his face completely, replaced by a slightly more guarded one, not due to mistrust of Antoku, but to being attentive of what would come next. He allowed himself to straighten again in place, his fingers sliding across and towards the edge of the table before his hands dropped over the end to settle at his sides, curling into loose fists.
"...well... you did say not to think about the question..." Katoji said as he thought back on that brief conversation, if it could even be called that. His bright gaze paused on the top cover of the book pile before slowly lifting to look over at Antoku again. "I... think it's a little of both. There's probably other things to add to the list, but that's the first thing that came to mind, and... well, I can't say it isn't true, once I thought about it."
He tilted his head at the other. "...'toku? Why'd you come and ask, then..?" Instead of, you know, waiting until daylight or something.

"Some eyes see better in the dark," Antoku answered, sounding like someone quoting something they'd heard so many times it had become a part of their mental repertoire. He looked Katoji up and down critically and then looked away for a moment.
Katoji was right in his way. It would be true, just like plenty of other answers. Everyone had more than one specific fear. But the fear that comes to you in the middle of the night, in the bed of your worries, was the fear at the core of your motives. He raised his eyebrows in an absent expression of helplessness. "I asked when I needed to know. If I had waited until morning.... I wouldn't have needed to know anymore." Antoku was a person who knew what it meant to need something, and knew the difference between need and want.

Talk about cryptic. Katoji pursed his lips at that, positive that there was more meaning to that, yet not knowing exactly what that meaning could be, especially not without a point of reference. It wasn't like Antoku's further answers explained much more, but in a way, the younger student thought that perhaps he had puzzled out a connection between the two. The result was more of an idea than anything solid, a vague sense of a picture that wasn't really there.
So what was he supposed to say to that? It wasn't like he was asked another question, and he'd received an answer, whether it made sense to him or not. It was as much as he could have expected, and he acknowledged such with a nod.

Antoku was frowning before he knew he was doing it. Somewhere deep down in the core of his rather unforgiveably intense personality was something that madly wanted to be understood while, at the same time, leaping and lunging away from anyone who made the attempt. He was intelligent and unfortunate enough to understand this about himself, which meant that it came down to choices. Antoku hated choices because he was used to people making them for him and because he was so afraid of /being wrong./
Eventually he looked away from Katoji first, never one to look someone important in the eye, and rubbed a finger against the bottom of his jaw as a means of self-distraction. "Um." Antoku was not given to natural 'um'ing. "You like pictures...right?"

It was just as well that Antoku had broken the silence between them. As much as Katoji had wanted to do so himself, he wasn't sure what he could say that would make an awkward moment such as this any less so. He folded his arms in front of him, a pose that lasted only so long before he pulled up a hand to scratch at the back of his neck distractedly. Maybe he should put those books away.... Oh right, he'd come here to do that, didn't he?
That 'um' gained his attention quickly enough, and indeed it was a strange thing to hear from the older student. Blinking his wide amber eyes, Katoji peered at Antoku again, blinking once more at the question. He heard right, right? "Uh... yeah," he replied, unable to help but smile a bit as he confirmed it.

Antoku pulled a thin pencil out of his hair, where it had been stabbed in next to the kanzashi, unhidden in the razor-cut mess he wore that passed for a hairstyle. "I'll show you something," he said.
He tore a page out of the back of the dictionary thoughtlessly and sat down beside the table again. Once he began to draw, there was a glazed look to his eyes that usually suggested insincerity of some kind in Antoku. It was more likely that he was unsure of what he himself was doing. He was done quickly, though, with no time to rethink it. As he turned the paper around for Katoji to see, he absently rubbed the pencil's nib against the picture, smoothing out a line.
It was a black bird of some kind, mid-flight. A raven or a crow, or maybe just a silhouette. In it's beak it was holding a white flower. Antoku quietly slid the paper to the other student. Go ahead.
"Everyone sees a bird and a flower. It /is/ a bird and a flower. The important part is what you decide the bird and the flower are." He pulled at a lock of his own hair, arms folded on the table, eyes on the upside-down drawing. "The bird can be death, or justice, or fate. They tell us to pick."

Abandoning the books and the table he'd set them upon, Katoji wandered closer to Antoku's table to watch. He first studied the poise of the other's pencil, the movement of his hand, the lines that resulted. From the picture he then glanced at Antoku himself, his head tilting at the far-away expression on the other boy's face.
Once the drawing was completed and turned towards him, Katoji looked back at it, managing to suppress an anxious swallow as he was reminded of the accidental target from the other week. That aside, it was a pretty good picture. He didn't figure Antoku was the type to go drawing birds carrying flowers in their beak at random, so he wasn't surprised when meanings were attached to it. With the paper slipped over towards him, he picked it up to have a better, closer look at it as he listened to the other student.
"...and what about the flower...?" he asked. If the bird had meanings, then certainly the flower had its own interpretations as well. "Or is its meaning supposed to be paired with whatever one decides the bird represents?"

"Something like that," Antoku said, glancing away as he searched his memory, briefly. "It's usually the thing we desire from what the raven is. Or should desire, I guess. Glory, or life. Vengeance, sometimes. It depends on the raven you get." He paused. "That's how they say it. You decide 'which raven' you've been given, that kind of thing. For some people it's just 'how we do things,' but sometimes the older guys will judge you by it. I saw a guy get killed because his raven was the type the killer disliked. Or, he used it as justification to kill someone he already didn't like," Antoku added.
Balancing the pencil between his fingers as if using it as a kind of pointer to help him keep his place in a lecture, Antoku said, "If your raven is death, then he could mean these things: 'From death, glory.' or 'Out of death, glory.' There's a big difference between those two. One means glory extracted from any human death or deaths, one means glory from your own death. Then there's 'Your death, my life.' 'Your death carries my life' is how it was explained to me. In other words, you kill so that you may live. It can mean that you have no choice, that it's self-defense, or just that you kill for a living. After that, there's 'Glory or death.' Anyone with that raven is usually...extreme. They tend to take up that creed and intensify it...winning is everything. Some of the older guys have 'Remember that you will die.' Or 'all life is carried by death,' is another way to say it. That one is a good equalizer. No matter who you are, you're already dead...a lot of those guys are good men, and fair. A few are nasty work, though. If everyone's just worm food anyone, why shouldn't they do whatever they want to anyone they want? That's how they can think, sometimes."
He went silent, waggling the pencil between his fingers and thinking, remembering, sorting experiences. It was an enormous amount of information, coming from him, but now that he'd begun he felt enlivened and even obligated to continue.
"If the raven is justice, then it could be 'Justice be done, even should we perish.' I was told that the white rose is death, in that case. It can be determination to see justice happen no matter who dies in the process, or just dedication to vengeance. An eye for an eye. With justice, you also get 'Death to the guilty is life to the innocent' or 'He threatens the innocent who spares the guilty.' Basically, you're hurting good people when you don't take it on yourself to kill someone who deserves it. The other one I know is 'The end of life is not the end of death.' You can also say that as 'Death may take my life, but justice will take yours.' The raven becomes death /and/ justice."
He set the pencil down on the table with a tiny 'click.' "And if your raven is fate, then there just one. 'Fate carries me.'" So which one would -you- pick?

...there was something more to the picture; he couldn't help but feel that he'd seen it before. A black bird...
Katoji kept a shrug to himself as he glanced between the image and Antoku. This wasn't the first time he'd ever heard the older student speak for so long, although it was arguably the most he'd ever said at once. Thankfully the kid wasn't the type to make such a big deal about things like that, and if anything, he'd much rather encourage Antoku to speak than give him cause to keep his mouth shut. So he listened attentively.
A lot of interpretation for such a simple picture. Lots of things were like that though, weren't they? Katoji would have never thought as much were he to draw something. He drew things at face value, with no more meaning than that it had been something in front of him or that he had thought of at the time. Others that looked at the results were the ones to put meaning to these things, to make it their own, in a way. Same thing here, he decided. Same thing with one square of crayoned blue.
What would his raven stand for? And did it have to be a raven? Ravens and crows were kinda ominous. Katoji couldn't help but wonder now, and all of the meanings mentioned by Antoku sounded pretty extreme. He'd come from one of the higher numbered districts of Rukongai though, so Katoji could only imagine how harsh things had been there since he'd never been anywhere above the 23rd. Death, glory, justice and fate... The first year student scratched his chin, lifting his eyes from the drawing to look over it at Antoku again.
"...what type of raven is yours..?" he asked after some hesitation.

Nothing but his eyes moved. Antoku swiveled his stare up from the pencil and fixed it on the other boy's face. It took him several seconds to remember that Katoji would have been able to see-- And then the tense coil of his shoulders relaxed slightly. He tapped a fingertip against the pencil as a way of distracting himself. It gave him something to do, something else to look at.
It helped to remind himself, again and again, of who he was speaking to. Just Katoji. Just Katoji. Just Katoji.
"'Remember that you will die,'" he said, setting his fingertip against the pencil's graphite tip. "If you had one, which one would it be?"

He knew to expect that question, it was only fair. Flattening the drawing on the table despite its not needing to be flattened, Katoji shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Antoku's choice was a grim one, but then all of them were in some way or another.
He'd already known which one he would have said after all. The boy's eyes remained upon the drawing as he spoke. "'Fate carries me.'"

"Not a bad choice," Antoku admitted, one hand searching the folds of his clothing in the familiar where'd-I-put-that-cigarette gesture. "If I'd picked mine while I was here, that's the one I would have decided on. Back then, you know, there's no time for that kind of attitude."
He considered Katoji for a moment. "A little fatalistic, for you." No pun intended.

Letting his hands rest at either side of the piece of paper on the table, Katoji hunched up his shoulders in something of a shrug. "My second choice would have been the same as your's- or at least, the rephrased version. But I guess in the long-run it'll come to mean the same as the one I said to begin with, depending on how you look at it. Na?" Fate... It was something he never really dwelt upon so much that it was a conscious thing for him, but now that it was brought up and now that he thought about it, it didn't have to be considered something like an intangible force, but also a result.

"Really?" Antoku had found the cigarette and was now looking for his matches. Despite how pre-occupied he looked, he had one eyebrow up and a tight set to his mouth. "You know...if I had to guess at it before this, I would have said, 'The end of life is not the end of death.' If I had to name you a crow, that is."
But then...the things Antoku thought were virtues weren't the kind of things most people thought of as such. The things he saw in Katoji might not have been the kind of things anyone else would see, or even look for, in academy students. "It's just messing around, though. I'd cut my left hand off before I'd let you wear a crow. Just, that's the sort of thing I was thinking about." Antoku folded back a pleat of the scarf wrapped around his waist and patted down his shirt. Still no matches.

Katoji tilted his head at that one. It would have been his turn to ask "Really?," but that would have sounded silly. He let his expression speak for him instead, brow quirked, eyes blinking. It turned into something more of a confused look as Antoku continued, but he let his mouth close after lips had parted, thinking they had something to say. As he watched Antoku resume seeking out his matches, the boy couldn't help but let his eyes drift back towards the drawing there spread in front of him.
"...what brought it up...?" His mouth found what it wanted to say again.

A wave of a scarred hand, airy dismissal of the topic. In these small ways and many like them, Antoku enabled himself to talk about things he normally would not by belittling them. If they weren't really important, then they were beneath the dignity of substance, of emotion. They weren't exactly /real/, and they couldn't matter. "I don't know," he drawled, looking for a place in Yoro's web that he could light the cigarette with instead. "I dream at night, that sort of thing. Happens to all of us, they say. Like a bad trip that doesn't end."
And he hadn't quite noticed it yet, but some battered and much-dogged corner of his soul shied guiltily away from the simple fact that he'd said something about getting high in front of Katoji. So he turned his face away and shielded the cigarette with his hands while he lit it, eyelashes low.
But it was definitely not a Crow of Fate. Katoji didn't believe in the inevitability of existence, because Katoji felt guilt when he couldn't help someone. Katoji was disappointed in /himself/ when he failed. Personal responsibility did not go hand in hand with fate, in Antoku's experience.

He said nothing, mostly because he wasn't sure what or if he should say anything at all. Idle dreams and thoughts again, then? Just like what had brought Antoku to his dormroom that one night? Surely his thoughts must be deeper and with more incentive to gain feedback than he was letting on, otherwise he wouldn't bother to bring them up at all. Fears, death, justice and fate- for the most part they were all rather grim subjects.
Fate was a tricky subject to touch upon, one that Katoji never devoted much thought to. To be forced to think about such a notion, the boy had a tendency to look at things in a completely different angle from what others normally would. Perhaps he was trying too hard, looking too deeply on a matter that would have better be taken as simple. It was the complete opposite of his sense towards art, but he needed to be prompted in most cases to even take meanings into consideration. He wasn't about to explain his reasons now- he hadn't been asked. The easiest one he would have been able to give would be that it had been the lesser of several... well, none of them were evil.
The boy rocked back on his heels, pulling his hands away from the table. He'd long since stopped letting himself being concerned about Antoku's habits to light up in the library, but all the same he didn't care too much for the smell. "...have... you been able to sleep lately...?" he asked quietly. He recalled more than a few times when Antoku looked like he had been lacking in enough rest.

"Not really," Antoku muttered behind his hands. "What are you, my mother?" And yet because it was Katoji, the words were just idle filigree, totally lacking in malice; things that dressed up Antoku's conversation by habit.
He didn't explain because concern for his well-being was a concept so foreign that it often took him a foolish amount of time to see it. As it was, he was too pre-occupied to reconsider everything Katoji said the way he normally would. By the time Antoku leaned back in his chair, he had his fingers messing up his own hair, the cigarette hanging from his mouth, and a strangely bashful flush across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. "I was thinkin'...." Observe the awkward, ponderous attempt of a guilty man attempting to be casual. "...maybe you wouldn't mind so much if I went home."

Pfft. He snorted at the follow-up to the initial response, smirking in that 'I shoulda figured you'd say something like that' sort of way. Still, he was concerned about Antoku's lack of sleep, the same as he would be with any of his friends if they'd shown as much. With the silence that followed, Katoji thought about getting back to returning those books like he'd meant to, before he forgot about it. It's the odd expression that creeps across the other student's face that had him hesitate again, and his own brow knitted together as if he was trying to discern whether or not he was seeing what he was seeing.
"....eh..?" He blinked, holding off on letting his tongue rattle off anything more before he could consider a bit longer what was being said. "Well... I... don't see why I should... I mean, what's wrong with going home...?" He paused. "...you're not talking about just visiting, are you?"

"Not really," Antoku muttered behind his hands. "What are you, my mother?" And yet because it was Katoji, the words were just idle filigree, totally lacking in malice; things that dressed up Antoku's conversation by habit.
He didn't explain because concern for his well-being was a concept so foreign that it often took him a foolish amount of time to see it. As it was, he was too pre-occupied to reconsider everything Katoji said the way he normally would. By the time Antoku leaned back in his chair, he had his fingers messing up his own hair, the cigarette hanging from his mouth, and a strangely bashful flush across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose. "I was thinkin'...." Observe the awkward, ponderous attempt of a guilty man attempting to be casual. "...maybe you wouldn't mind so much if I went home."

Pfft. He snorted at the follow-up to the initial response, smirking in that 'I shoulda figured you'd say something like that' sort of way. Still, he was concerned about Antoku's lack of sleep, the same as he would be with any of his friends if they'd shown as much. With the silence that followed, Katoji thought about getting back to returning those books like he'd meant to, before he forgot about it. It's the odd expression that creeps across the other student's face that had him hesitate again, and his own brow knitted together as if he was trying to discern whether or not he was seeing what he was seeing.
"....eh..?" He blinked, holding off on letting his tongue rattle off anything more before he could consider a bit longer what was being said. "Well... I... don't see why I should... I mean, what's wrong with going home...?" He paused. "...you're not talking about just visiting, are you?"

It was with pure curiosity that Antoku peered up from under his bangs and wondered, "Why would I go home just to visit?" The place was a hole. Nothing was clean, there was never enough food for everybody, and the only rules anybody had to adhere to were the ones laid down by whomever was bigger and meaner than you were. It wasn't a place you wanted to live, much less visit, but if it had one thing going for it, it was that no one there cared if you stayed or if you went. Nobody would drag you back if you left, or threaten to lock you up for the rest of your life if you tried to leave. You could do anything you felt like doing, or die trying.
From most aspects it seemed unappealing, and yet.... No matter how miserable he'd been there, or how close to dying he may have come, Antoku would always wake up /alive/ until the day he died. Not like here.

It was understandable why Antoku would want to go home, at least for the most basic reason that Katoji could think of. This place was not one he chose to be at of his own will, but even if he got through the classes and actually did graduate...that wouldn't guarantee his freedom, would it..? The boy looked down. It was a sobering thought, not one new to him, but one he'd almost forgotten. He couldn't very well let himself be unconcerned about it, he'd gotten himself in this far, hadn't he?
It only led to other things that he'd never thought to consider until he'd met and really got to talk to Antoku. He couldn't say he understood him, not well enough as he'd like to, but much more than most others, but from Antoku's perspective of things, from what he'd been through, from what he was going through even then opened up a completely different way of seeing the Academy, the society of shinigami, everything he'd first looked at as some big and wonderful thing. While surely the main idea was, there were still other things, other workings behind the scenes, details, unfairness...?
He grew tired of standing, so he resorted to kneeling beside the table, resting his arms on the edge, his chin over them. For a while, it appeared as though he wouldn't say anything at all. Katoji wasn't even sure if he was supposed to make a response to that, but the question seemed more rhetorical than one that expected another answer in turn. He looked in front of him, finding the picture of the bird there.
"...when were you wanting to go...?" came the quiet inquiry, almost as if he didn't want to disturb the silence.

"Every minute of every day of every week of every year," Antoku said.
He was already looking away in the airy, laid-back way that meant he was really just avoiding eye contact. For all his occasional ferocious intensity, Antoku was absolutely incapable of meeting his kindest feelings and intentions headlong. Even without the addition of Katoji's cloying, innocent and above all /trusting/ stare, he would have turned his face away...because the real problem was that Katoji hadn't said he wouldn't mind if Antoku left. That wasn't a /problem,/ because Antoku didn't care what other people thought, and it was no big deal, because Katoji was just some kid whose name he couldn't remember half of the time. And it certainly didn't matter, because little kids were a dime a dozen, and that's what Katoji was--a little kid--which was also why what he thought could hardly be considered an /obstacle/. Because they weren't. Just....
"It ain't like I have a date or something. I was just thinking." Just thinking. "I'd need a new plan. Last few times didn't work out." Obviously?

"I didn't mean..." The boy trailed off. Well, what did he mean then? By the time he looked back at the other again, he found Antoku looking anywhere but at him. He let his gaze fall upon the picture again, just because it was something to look at, to keep his eyes occupied or something. His legs weren't protesting yet at the position he'd taken up, so he remained where he was for the time being.
"...did you just leave last time..? And... if we left, wouldn't they figure where you'd go?" The word slipped past his teeth without him realizing it, and he continued. "...how many times have you tried already...?"

__ _
_________ _ _

"Three," Antoku answered, scrutinizing the end of a lock of long hair he'd inexpertly knotted into a braid and tied with a piece of thread pulled from the hem of his school uniform's sleeve. He took his time with the rest of what Katoji had said, because hasty choices were what made corpses.
Just leave? Did he actually mean- "Are you asking if I had permission to go? Are you joking? /Me/? They'd never." Never. Never. Never. "I may ruin a lot of shit, but Satsue's making a cold fortune just by keeping me under this roof. I dunno what she makes if I graduate, but I'm betting it's got something to do with how much they think the ability to destroy kidou's worth." What it's worth to keep anyone else from being able to destroy Seireitei's use of kidou, too. It was a shame he couldn't control it.
He didn't answer the third question. It was sticky, and full of pit-falls.

Silence all too willingly filled in the space after Antoku's last words, and Katoji let his head roll to one side, still propped over his arms. It was a complicated matter, one that he would have never been aware of had he never chosen to further associate himself with Antoku from the beginning. He wondered if he felt better knowing there were some darker aspects to the whole shiny dream of becoming a shinigami over being oblivious to the matter.
The boy had not even been here a year and already so much had changed. Of his brother, he'd seen less and less, victim of studies much like he'd found himself, but it was a despairing thing to realize when before the two would hardly go a day without checking up on each other. The school itself wasn't bad- there were plenty of useful things to be learned, and for the most part it seemed everyone that attended actually wanted to be there. Yoshinori was probably another exception though, but hey, he'd made it to his second year so that accounted for something, right? And then here was the one person with abilities that the Shinigami very obviously had interest in, and he had no desire to be there. Talk about irony, but then there was no escaping it, even in the realm of the living.
The prolonged silence made him uncomfortable, and after a while, Katoji flicked his amber gaze back towards Antoku. "....so what now..?" he asked hesitantly.

He was good at being dead. When Antoku stopped moving, he became a dark smudge on the background's dull pallette, like an inanimate thing. Until the end of his cigarette began to crumble, the only thing that gave him away was the grey smoke curling up around his face. Then he moved, weight shifting to one side, and glanced about for somewhere to-
Right, library. With a glassy look of forced calm, he flicked the ashes onto the palm of his opposite hand and drew an audible breath. He said, "I hadn't thought this far ahead. Thought I'd ask and you'd say, you know, 'why not? Go.' and that would be it. I'd say, you know, 'thanks, I'll remember your name,' and then I'd be out of here. Wasn't, uh, expecting."
Wasn't expecting -this-, you God-damned-undefeatable-inhuman-monster! Wasn't expecting this huge, passive, gentle ocean of resistance. Wasn't expecting it to be more than a passing topic. Wasn't expecting to be questioned, wasn't expecting it and how do you plan for this kind of thing? He'd even thought, maybe, just maybe, some kind of reactive anger and made a loose contingency plan for that. But he wasn't expecting /you./
Antoku closed his fist. "Well, it was just a thought."

'Expecting'...? "I wouldn't say that, it'd sound like I didn't care or something," Katoji replied, a frown in his tone although it came out more as a pout on his lips. Antoku didn't expect him to care, then? But he must have cared himself at least a little, otherwise he wouldn't have brought it up himself, right? The boy remained with his head on its side as he continued to peer at the other student who seemed to be avoiding making eye contact. Finally, he nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. Just a thought. Not one to be brushed off though.
"...we'll figure something out." It couldn't be an impossible thing, could it? Of course not!

"It's not 'not care,'" muttered Antoku sullenly as he shook the ash off of his hand and on to the floor. Not minding if someone does something and not caring--they were two different things! The fact was that no one in life hung around. They couldn't. They died, they moved, they learned, they /got on with it,/ and a wise person expected it. You could care, but /minding/ all of the time would just destroy you. He hadn't been trying to make Katoji sound like some callous, hardened criminal, just-
What.
Antoku rolled his head back and squinted at the student hunched down in front of the library table. "...what's that mean?"

He suddenly found Antoku looking back at him then, and he blinked almost confusedly at the question. What's what mean? He was about to ask, but there had only been two things he'd said, and it just hadn't occured to him that he'd said anything that demanded explanation.
"...that we'll figure something out," Katoji repeated, lifting his head from the pillow of his arms. "There's got to be a way that they wouldn't expect or be able to figure out things to be able to bring you back- we'll just have to find that way around it. It's easier said than done, but doesn't mean it can't be..."

Antoku stared, lips parted.
After a very long moment he lurched forward, arms thumping on the table, the feet of his chair thumping down on the floor. As he leaned into Katoji's face--almost--with one eyebrow arched up high, he made sure to speak slowly, and be very, very specific. "Did you just propose to help me run away from the Academy?"

With the older student's sudden movement, Katoji very nearly fell back from the precariously balanced position he maintained on the balls of his feet. He ended up having to grasp the edge of the table with his hands so as to prevent that from happening, all the while staring back at Antoku since he was left with very little option given the proximity.
"...yes," he said, finding himself surprisingly calm as he spoke. In fact, he looked more surprised at the fact that he was being asked.

The eyebrow went up a little higher.
Again, the momentary silence.
All at once, it was dangerous. Yes, fine, he had proposed that he steal away and bring Katoji with. Assuming the kid had said yes--and Antoku had /not/ assumed that the kid would say YES--it was logically very, very unlikely to work out in their favour. Especially not as far as Katoji was concerned. But circling back to the fact that Antoku had not expected agreement, this was something so far in the opposite direction that he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around it.
"Katoji," he explained quietly, slowly. "They will kill you."

__ _
_________ _ _

He waited. He listened. He somehow managed to ignore the protesting of his legs as they finally decided (incoveniently) that they had reached their limit in this position. "The people in the place you want to return to, or the ones that want to keep you here where you don't want to be?" No, he didn't miss the fact that Antoku had finally, -finally- called him by his name rather than the stupid pet one he'd conjured up months ago. Months. Had it only been months?
"They'll only kill me if they catch us," he continued, his fingers still wrapped around the edges of the table, the only thing effectively keeping him upright.

__________ _

Antoku stared for another second, his pupils dilated to two tiny pinpoints of black.
He hadn't even realised he had been holding his breath until after he'd hooked his fist around sharply to slug the other student. Hard. Too hard, for someone smaller than him, much too hard for someone he didn't hate.
And then he was standing bolt upright while his chair clattered back on the floor behind him, shouting until his voice broke. "Are you fucking, fucking RETARDED?! You think that's the kind of choice you can make?! Nobody dies for me without my permission! You think that's fucking acceptable?! You think that's worth it?! 'ONLY'?!"

That look. He felt as if his blood froze in his very veins, suddenly very cold and stiff. Katoji hadn't thought he'd said anything wrong- he'd only said what he meant. It made sense to him, it was what he'd agreed to at the very beginning, wasn't it? To help him. So why? Why...?
Only split seconds before he realized what would be happening next did his brow finally furrow, a frustrated look replacing the calm one he'd mastered earlier. //What do you want then?// It was a question conveyed only in his eyes, those ever amber eyes, hurt because it seemed nothing he tried to do could ever satisfy Antoku.
And then... Pain. His mind didn't even register what had hit him; he hadn't seen it coming until the world momentarily blacked out, only barely feeling the floor beneath him as when his blurred vision returned, it was viewing everything at an oddly skewed angle. Antoku's shouts were both loud and muffled, his words at odds with the growing ringing in his ears.

He's mad again. When is he not mad? Why can't he just see....? I just thought...

Blackness tinged the edges of his vision again, slowly eating away at the tilted library, his eyelids fluttering closed. Maybe lying here for a bit will help him clear up his thoughts. But at the very least, he could apologize. For what, he wasn't sure, but he felt he should. It came out as a murmured whisper: "I'm sorry..."

[Log] 38 - Answers In the Dark

2008-06-03T06:09:04Z

Date: 05-24-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji
Summary: Restless from disturbing dreams, Antoku sneaks a visit to Katoji to rid himself of at least one question on his mind.

[Random] Another Sketch Dump

2008-06-01T06:05:03Z

Iki Sketches

Masa Sketches

Takemaru Sketches

Katoji Shunpo'ing

Katoji w/Sanyoukou (Shikai Concept) 01

Katoji w/Sanyoukou (Zanpakutou Shikai) 02

Sanyoukou (Naginata) Tsuba/Guard Piece - Detail Concept

[Log] 37 - Reiatsu 101

2008-05-25T07:41:14Z

Date: 05-20-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji, Matsuhiro, Sazaeno, Takemaru, Yoshinori
Summary: Attending Uegami-sensei's reiatsu first class.

-=[Academy Grounds - Seirietei]=------------------------------------------------

The wooded grounds of the Academy offer both relaxing scenery, quiet walkways (sometimes,) and practice room for generally hard-working students attempting to build a career as a shinigami. A high stone wall surrounds the grounds, broken in places by wrought iron gates. It runs straight up to the Academy building itself, and contains several smaller buildings that stand adjacent to the main. These satellite buildings contain dormitories, a greenhouse, storage, and duplexes for instructors to reside in if they wish.

It was rare that Matsuhiro ever dreaded a class (with the understandable exception of kidou class, of course) but this was one of those rare cases. It wasn't so much doubt about his ability to do well, but rather how his own reiatsu might compare to his fellow students. What if his was weaker than most? Or weaker than all? He would never live such a distinction down...
Still, he showed up to class with time to spare and waited there for the rest of the class to assemble. There was no sign of the sensei as of yet, but still, Matsuhiro was not about to drop his guard. He wasn't going to be the kid caught lounging around when he was supposed to be ready for class. He would leave that distinction to Nakamori, who no doubt would embrace it eagerly.

The weather is pleasant, as it usually is. To have a class outside of the normal academic venue is a nice change of pace and scenery. The noble breathes in, keeping a neutral smile for once in place of his constant worried expression. He walks casually, looking about the grounds to see if anyone else is already present.
Or maybe they decided to change the location again?
Yoshinori pauses. "...I hope I didn't go the wrong way," he murmurs to himself, eyes darting about. Oh dear. Again, he walks forward, blinking when he sees Matsuhiro. Insert a happy wave and the bowing of his head.

Lacing their fingers together briefly, Okiko returned the squeeze before she let go and leaned up on the balls of her feet to kiss his brow, pulling his head down just enough with hands on either side of his jaw so she could. She could pass the time training further until his class was over.
Speaking of-- "... here they come," she said, although he probably felt them long before she did. "Try to come back in one piece, I lost my sewing kit and I don't think tape would hold you together that well."

"Ito-sama." Matsuhiro offered a deep bow to the upperclassman. "It seems we're the only ones here..." That came as a bit of a surprise. Usually there were others who didn't run in late.

"It appears so," the second year replies softly, tipping his head to the side. Yoshinori glances around. "Hm...I wonder what's taking some of them..."

He was fairly certain that he couldn't possibly mistake where this class would be held. There were only so many wooded grounds on the campus, and he was actually quite happy to find that they'd have it outside rather than in. He lacked the usual bounce in his step, for as eager as he was to attend this class, there were still some things he couldn't quite free from his mind. As relieved as he was that he hadn't heard anything regarding the broken window, Katoji couldn't help but be concerned at the same time. Muuuuh....
The boy perked considerably as he came towards the small grove, and he grinned brightly, waving a hand towards his roommate and Yoshinori. "Hey!" he chirped, practically bounding over the rest of the way.

It would've helped to know what time the class was scheduled, let alone what time it was right now. Takemaru was never keeping a distinct track on time. If time was anything, it would be against him. This would be the fastest anyone had seen him move in some time. Feet trudging in a gallop towards the area he was told the kidou class would be located. Occasionally Takemaru would kick his heels, almost tripping over his own limbs. But atleast balance was on his side this time. He managed to keep himself from falling and taking in a big mouthful of dirt.
Only a few students were already present as he looked ahead. Hopefully Umeko was here! Faces were scanned while his feet would slow their frantic pace. Unfortunately, Takemaru didn't spot his best friend but that wouldn't stop him from attempting to do his best.
The thought of who might be stronger or more trained never skipped through this student's mind. All he knew was that he'd want to be at the top! Lifting a hand to wipe a bead of sweat from his brow, Takemaru would finally join the group. Conveniently, he stopped right in front of that dull-faced Uemiya. 'Hmph, we'll see who's better.' The cocky smirk said it all.

Not following Katoji, not following Katoji, not following Katoji....

Coincidence brought him in from the same general direction that Katoji had come from, only much later. He'd managed to put his Academy jacket on over his own clothes, a rousing show of effort, but not to put out his cigarette before class. He wore his zanpakutou on a braided rope over one shoulder, his braids twisted up in one knot, and sunglasses to keep the nasty daylight out of his eyes. Ugh, and look at that, the sun was still completely up, looming overhead like a giant, pulsating migraine-in-the-making. Awesome. Substitute-sensei was a sadist.

He leaned over obligingly, and he brushed the side of her cheek with his lips as he straightened. A nod was all given in response to her as she noted the arrival of the students. Yes, he'd been aware. Only a few so far. He was pretty sure he was supposed to expect more.
"...I didn't realize reiatsu training would be so demanding of me that I'd have to worry about that," he replied, completely deadpan. "I'll make sure damages are minimal." He finally stepped away from her, reluctantly, and went to retrieve his haori that he'd left at the corner of the platform, slipping it over his sleeveless uniform as he started towards the small group of students in his usual inconspicuous manner. Purely out of habit, really.
He purposely took the round about route towards the students that had arrived. Each of his footsteps rolled along the ground, minimizing the sound as he went along. He came up behind Antoku, brushing past in silence, fingers a blur as they idly snatch at the cigarette in passing like a hawk snatching up fish from a stream. Not a glance given towards the boy, Sazaeno resumed his leizurely pace until he came up towards the edge of trees where the rest of the group waited.

What a surprise that Nakamori had even bothered to show up. Yet not enough of a surprise that it would prompt Matsuhiro to comment, or even acknowledge the other student with more than a brief nod. The nod he offered Katoji was deeper, though, and more polite. A product of his growing fondness for his roommate, no doubt.
He had only just noted Antoku's arrival, noting his arrival with nothing more than a slightly creased brow, when he caught sight of the sensei's approach as well. Well, it was about time. But because it wasn't his place to scold any teachers for showing up late (even only a few moments late), Matsuhiro greeted him with a deep bow. "Sensei."

Yoshinori brightens when Katoji arrives, nodding at the first year with a faint smile. "Good to see you again, Chihara-san." When Takemaru shows up and says such a simple 'greeting' toward Matsuhiro, however, he reacts with a short, nervous laugh. Ararara.
And then...with another student on the scene, the second year looks over. He feels sort of uneasy for a moment, but as soon as the blur known as Sazaeno comes around, he is instantly confused. "Eh? Ah!" A nervous bow is added.

"Forgot," Antoku said a hair's breadth before he lost his smoke to an instructor. Again.

It would be nice if Yoro could do more than warn him. Between Masa, Iki and this new guy, Antoku might have to start buying the things like real people did.

Broken windows and what not were shoved aside in favor of enjoying the company of his friends and fellow classmates. Katoji grinned as he nodded between Matsuhiro and Yoshinori, but at the curious look from the other, the boy followed his senpai's gaze towards the others that have come. Oh, there's Nakamori- he got a wave too, and OH WOW A TOKU. For a moment or two, Katoji stared as he saw the dark-skinned boy approach, before he shook his head out and decided to offer a biiig smile and a wave to him as well. Hey, Antoku attending class was a rare thing, so he was ecstatic to see the guy making the effort.
And like a shadow sweeping up from behind and then past him came who Katoji figured must be their teacher. He glanced at Matsuhiro and nodded to himself in confirmation before he hastily attempted to follow his roommate's example, acknowledging their teacher with a bow.

After barely acknowledgin Uemiya's nod, Takemaru would turn away. A single hand raising in less than a wave to greet the other students. Smirk replaced with a friendly grin. He didn't need a greeting from the rest of them, just as long as they were aware he was here.
Just as Uemiya's voice reached his ears, Takemaru would offer a glance over his shoulder, to spot the sensei approaching. Turning on his heel, he'd offer a less formal nod (but more than respectful in his own mind) to Sazaeno. Squinting, Takemaru would finally notice Antoku. This is like the first time he's seen this guy in any class. Atleast he has a better attendance record than Sadakata.

Sazaeno came to a stop at the edge of the mishapen circle that they had unwittingly formed. He looked... almost bored. Eyes scanned those present, and to those that acknowledged him with bows and nods he gave a nod back. Sigh. Formalities. This would take some getting used to. Just another mission, he told himself, closing his eyes, half expecting (or was it hoping?) that they'd all be gone once he opened them again. No such luck.
Drawing in a breath, he straightened from the slight slouch he'd adopted in his walk over. "Uegami, Sazaeno," he introduced, without much flourish. He turned his head towards each student, looking not so much with his eyes as with that of his senses. He'd had plenty of time to observe the particular reiatsu presences of the students, and it hadn't been too hard a task to find the names to tag onto them. It was basic information gathering, something he knew how to do well.
"Uemiya... Ito... Chihara... Nakamori... and Sadakata," he said as his gaze passed over each one. Smaller a group than he'd expected, but he supposed that was something he should be thankful for. "I expect you all know why you're here." He turned and started to circle the group rather than take a place at its center. "...I suppose a good place to start as any is to figure out what you know about reiatsu, what its significance is to us, to you as future shinigami." It was supposed to be a question, even if he didn't make it sound like it. Brown eyes darted from one to the next, finally pinning Takemaru. "Nakamori." If you'd care to give it a shot?

"Quit waving, you look epileptic," he muttered to Katoji when he was close enough. Big word for someone who couldn't read. Antoku's final slouch landed him somewhere within arm's reach of Katoji, who was -not- his friend, and who he was studiously not looking directly at.
One of the first things you learn at the Academy is which classes you can skip, which classes you can't skip, and to never skip a class taught by a substitute or a temporary teacher. (Unless it's kidou. And you're Antoku.) He'd have been happy to blow this one off if the instructor had been one of the Academy's instated teachers, but....
...but he was... .....walking behi-
And Antoku found himself holding the blackened copper hilt of the zanpakutou behind his back, even though he resisted the urge to turn and keep the threat in front of him. You /always/ keep the threat in front. Instead, he compensated by taking a small step away from his nearest classmate and watching Sazaeno with Yoro instead of his eyes.

Well at least this sensei wasn't so uptight about formalities and manners. Takemaru was tired of getting an earful of that. Listening intently to Uegami-sensei's words, this student pondered the answers in his own mind. A confident grin hopefully could cover any confusion. It came as a surprise when he heard his name. Smile disappearing for only a brief moment as he took a step forward, clearing his throat with a muffled cough. "Uh... reiatsu is a spiritual power that allows us'ta use kidou fightin' techniques. But not limited'ta that. It has somethin'ta do with zanpakutou, I think." He was mainly thinking about appearing smarter than he looks-... wait, that was insulting! Well the confidence dulled the more he spoke. It wasn't because he was embarrassed or nervous! He just lost his train of thought for a moment.

Matsuhiro stood a bit straighter when class began, hoping to impress his sensei not only with his abilities, but with his manners and attention as well. Yet he couldn't help but smirk when Nakamori offered that... less than impressive answer. Not that he was about to jump in himself without being asked...

There is no response on Yoshinori's part. Just seeing how well Takemaru handles his answer is enough to nod his head at slightly. He can't help but feel nervous around Sazaeno, however, standing at attention.

Oh no, he hated answering questions like that. At the very least he was surrounded by familiar people, and it was a small enough number. That was enough to have Katoji relax a little. He was all smiles when Antoku spoke to him, smiling all the more when the other came to take a spot beside him. That was probably the only reason he noticed when Antoku suddenly grew tense. He blinked, arching a brow in question, but he looked back towards the teacher to see his reaction to Takemaru's response.

A look was shot in Antoku's direction, a sharp look that was a definite contrast from the lethargic one he'd been regarding them all with earlier. And just as quickly it was banished, quick enough to make anyone that might have caught it wonder if they'd really seen it then or not. Sazaeno ceased his circling, standing back where he had started, looking at Takemaru again. He finally nodded. "A good start. How about a non-textbook sounding answer though?" His eyes roved the faces of the students again, seeking another target. "There's much more to reiatsu than that. Sadakata." He could easily tell out of the group that this boy was at least familiar in reiatsu control, and from what he'd heard of Antoku, Sazaeno was not in the least surprised.

"Reiatsu is for killing each other with," answered the figure skulking darkly behind Katoji in a bland, ill-amused voice.
That wasn't a threat, it was a prediction.

"......" Sazaeno arched a brow faintly at that response. It wasn't exactly what he'd expected as an answer. Smirking lightly at Antoku, he shrugged. "I won't deny that answer, although that's putting it pretty bluntly." He decided to try someone else then. "Uemiya, if you please?"

Yes, now pick the kid with no reiatsu at all. Where'd Satsue find this cruel bastard, anyway? The gutter?

_ ________________________________________________________________ _

A step was taken back again so he could blend back with the group, even though he was almost always placing himself infront of his fellow students. Takemaru only offered a brief glance in Uemiya's direction before the teacher called on someone else. He always had the problem with not answering in textbook lingo, wanting to put definitions and instructions in his own words. That was always easier to learn right?
Only when he heard the answer from Sadakata, hand was cupped over his mouth and stifling a snicker. And here Takemaru was going to say something similar. It was used in fighting, whether it was to kill or harm an enemy or ally. Finally that expression dulled. Just hearing that name made him ill. Though, Takemaru could only sneer when looking in the student's direction. 'Let's hear it, Uemiya.' He thought.

It was a challenge not to smirk at Antoku's answer, though Matsuhiro at least had the courtesy to wait until the sensei had turned his focus away to allow the expression its freedom. Thankfully, by the time the sensei turned his attention back, Matsuhiro's face was as serene as possible. Had he been smirking? No, not Matsuhiro.
When the question was directed his way, he was silent for a moment, contemplating his best answer. Nakamori had managed to get some of it right, but he wasn't sure exactly what Uegami wanted to hear. Still, giving a poor answer was better than none at all.
"It gives us our strength, measures our power..." There was no enthusiasm in the response, though.

....

The second year just blinks slowly, the corner of his mouth twitching shortly after Sadakata's sweet response. It's like he doesn't know whether to smile or look disturbed by this.

However, Matsuhiro makes him relax a little. Just a little.

________ _

Katoji glanced back at Antoku with his response, forcing a grin. He really wasn't sure how to respond to that one. Was it just him, or was the tension in the area spreading? At least Yoshinori didn't seem to be at anyone's throat. The boy offered the second year student a reassuring smile before he looked past him to Matsuhiro, blinking.

In truth there was no particular answer that Sazaeno was expecting. He mainly wanted to know where this group was so that he could figure out where to start things. Matsuhiro's lack of enthusiasm wasn't helping for things. At least the answer was fairly close, short as it was. Nodding, Sazaeno folded his right arm across his chest, tilting his head in thought.
"All right. Everything I've heard is correct; they're all part of what reiatsu is as a whole, but not limited to." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Reiatsu is an important thing to acknowledge. As with what Nakamori and Uemiya have said, it does influence our power, for combat, for kidou, to some extent even our stamina. And as Sadakata offered, it can be used to kill. A person's reiatsu makes all the difference depending on a situation. In some ways it can be considered a lifeline. If you can't tap into that presence, then you can't harness its strength."
Opening his eyes again, he looked at each of the students. "I'm getting ahead of myself though. Bear with me, this is my first time teaching," he admitted, waving his right hand. "We'll go back to the beginning of things. You didn't have to provide me with introductions. Aside from thinking I'm either some crazy stalker or something, how do you think I could manage that?" His throat was going to hurt at the end of this; he'd never spoken so much in his life. "Ito." He gestured in the young noble's direction.

"H-hai!!" Katoji's reassurance (in place of Chitaka's) goes poofle at the simple mention of his last name. Wait - he's suppose to give an answer? Right - add to what has been said.
Yoshinori fidgets. Easier said than done.
"Um," he blurts, recomposing himself seconds later, "...You're...psychic?" OH NO WAIT. "I mean! Uh- r-reiatsu can reveal, or be an identifier of sorts, since...everyone here has their own spiritual level..." Most of his words are tumbling, but he's doing his best on formulating an answer.

Antoku was too busy squinting at their teacher--the same way he spent hour squinting at the sky--to notice Katoji's attempt to stay positive. When Sazaeno began speaking again, Antoku shut his eyes and blocked out the sound of his voice. He'd had this class before, who knew how many times. Nothing that Sazaeno told them would be new to him. Instead, fingers tapping uneasily over his zanpakutou's handle, he listened for something else. It was always much...much harder to hear when it came to experienced shinigami.
Mildly compromising Matsuhiro's ability to hear was a small sacrifice he was perfectly willing to make.

It seemed his answer hadn't been all that bad. That, at least, was some form of comfort. More of a comfort than his weak reiatsu would be once the class really got started. A sidelong glance was cast first at Takemaru, then at Katoji. What if they were stronger? No, it couldn't be possible. The universe couldn't be so wrong, could it?
He paid close attention to Uegami's speech, though it was a bit odd that he had to strain to catch all the words. One hand rose, pressing firmly against his left ear as if that would somehow help. How strange. Maybe he was coming down with something...

Yeah, go Ito-senpai! Katoji mentally waved a couple of pennants in silent support as Yoshinori was called on to answer. He somehow or another managed not to fall over at the response. The follow up was better, he thought, and to show his approval, the boy flashed his taller senpai a thumbs up.

-as a scarred hand swung around and cuffed Katoji sharply upside the head. Knock it off.

What the- hand coming at 3 o'clock!! The boy yanked his head back out of reflex, and nearly ended up falling into Yoshinori.

Sazaeno maintained a mask of seriousness, even though it would have been very easy to facefault at Yoshinori's response. He very much wanted to facepalm too. Thankfully, Yoshinori got his brain in gear and provided a more acceptable response. To that, he received a nod from the teacher. "Exactly," he said, snapping his fingers before pointing at the young noble. "Identifiers, easier by feel, and with some work, possible to be visualized. I want all of you to close your eyes. And no, we won't be visualizing oceans," he added. "I want you to try sensing those around you. Believe me, that'll be the easy part. Getting your own reiatsu under control will come later, and from what I can tell with some of you, definitely needed. Some of you are practically blazing." He sighed, eyes sweeping the students again, pausing on or between Katoji and Yoshinori for a moment longer before continuing. He flicked another glance towards Antoku, lasting not a second longer before he looked towards Matsuhiro. "Something wrong, Uemiya?" he asked.

A chuckle erupted from Takemaru's throat at the noble's response. It sounded like something he would say himself. Only when he corrected himself and sensei agreed to it, Takemaru would gather himself. A single brow would arch at the mention of oceans. Man, what was that about? He heard about it from some of the other students.
The moment eyelids would slowly shut, he heard sensei's question of concern for Uemiya. A single eye opening to send a glance in the snob's direction. What was Uemiya doing, being a spoil sport? But at the sight of what looked to be struggle, Takemaru could bask in amusement.

The subtle reference to Nozomi's silly kidou class produced another faint smirk... that is, if he'd heard correctly. With a quick shake of his head, an attempt to clear away whatever had come over him, Matsuhiro turned his full focus back on the class just in time to hear the instructions, or at least what he'd made of those instructions. Try to sense those around you... Yeah, we'd see how well /that/ went.
His arm came to rest at his side again and he was about to follow instructions when he thought he caught his name from Uegami-sensei. "Hm? Oh... No, sensei. Nothing's wrong." He offered a deep nod of acknowledgement and closed his eyes before he was forced to explain anything further.
One would think it would be easy to sense those around you, and yes Matsuhiro managed to get a sense of something, but it was muddled. There were distinctions there somewhere within it all, but it was difficult to draw the line where one person stopped and the next started. But the centers were clearly there, distinct... only the borders were fuzzy.
Of course, Takemaru was completely ignored.... if he'd even been noticed at all.

Well, at least he didn't fail completely. Yoshinori sighs, relieved from the attention as Uegami-sensei continued onward with the lesson. Thankfully, he sighs inwardly when there is no imagining of large bodies of water. Other than this, he closes his eyes as well, his breathing silent.

_ _________ _ _

Stifling a snicker himself, Katoji sobered almost instantly as he met Sazaeno's gaze for that brief moment. Huh? Did he mean him? He shuffled his feet, hesitating to close his eyes as they'd been instructed as he instead looked curiously at Matsuhiro. Well, if he insisted nothing was wrong... The boy closed his eyes finally, taking a deep breath before letting his shoulders droop as he expelled it.
...it sure was dark. What was he supposed to be looking for? Brow furrowing in concentration as he squeezed his eyes shut more tightly, he brought to mind where everyone had been standing. Maybe that'd help?

Antoku said, "/Hey,/" quietly, his head turned off to one side where no one was standing.
He opened his eyes just as the rest of the students were closing their own. While sound came shrieking back in focus for Matsuhiro, Antoku was grumbling to himself and backing subtly away from the rest of the group again. Yoro's reflexes were better than his own, but some damn warning that he was going to retract his hands would have been nice.
Sulkily, he hooked the hand not holding Yoro's hilt across his torso and watched his classmates with his own eyes. Two of them had better be taking this seriously.....

With no acknowledgement, Takemaru shut his eyes as instructed. It was so quiet, dark... and comfortable. What exactly was it they were looking for?
Head began to droop as it became far more relaxing, Takemaru's mind wandering from the lesson. A minute soon lingered, feeling like forever. Takemaru didn't even notice that he was starting to lean until he began losing balance. Eyes opened quickly as he took a step back to regain balance, placing his heel atop of someone's toes. He hoped it was just a clump of dirt... Falling asleep standing up is not a good idea!

"Eyes -closed-, Nakamori," Sazaeno said. He watched and waited until they all had their eyes closed. If any of them were able to get a sense of anything at all, they'd probably notice that the picture according to their senses would be obviously lacking in one's presence when there clearly were supposed to be six. It had been that way since he had come to join his students. He'd kept his reiatsu tightly constricted out of habit, aside the fact that he found it easier to observe the presence of others without having to peer through a curtain of his own.
His mouth opened as he saw Takemaru sway, about to say something, but his attention was quickly pulled back to another matter. Instantly his eyes fell back upon Antoku. It was an impassive look on the outside, but one just as scrutinizing as Antoku's had been earlier. Eventually he turned his attention away from the boy, but not without something to say. "If you find this exercise to elementary for you, then you can at least offer some pointers to those that might not be doing as well."

"It's just not my thing," Antoku answered. "/Sensei./" Shut up shut up shut up. He was used to being left alone in classes, and didn't want to argue for it. The kids weren't going to learn anything that way. And he couldn't compromise by doing what the old man wanted, that'd just-
He searched for the quickest, lowest common denominator possible. "They aren't like me. Zanpakutou's broken. I just watch." Understand? That's how we do things around here.

"Broken, perhaps. But that doesn't change the fact that you've obviously more experience than them in controlling and sensing reiatsu levels," Sazaeno replied, although he was looking at the rest of the students as he did so. "I may not have taught classes before, but I've certainly attended them, and from my understanding, participation is required if one's expecting to get properly evaluated for passing. You're here for a reason, and I'm not accepting watching as an answer."
He stepped over to set a hand on Takemaru's shoulder. "Keep your eyes closed," he directed the students, adding a "and don't sleep, Nakamori" as he moved the student to another area of the small clearing they occupied. He went over to do the same with Yoshinori, and then Matsuhiro and Katoji. "This isn't a memory game. I want you to actually try to get a sense of who's near you and who isn't."

For fuck's sake.
"Broken, and I don't have advice for them," he muttered irritably. "I know who the hell they are with my eyes shut." He just doesn't know their names. They'd be gone in a couple of years, it wasn't worth the trouble. And it certainly wasn't worth arguing about.
-in front of Mitzy-mae.

Matsuhiro cracked an eye open for just an instant, peering at Nakamori and his napping. Amazing how that boy could sleep even on his feet. It was one thing to sleep through his classes (at least when he wasn't watching Neal), but another entirely to fall asleep in a class like this!
He didn't think long on it, though, as there was something much more interesting going on. With his hearing back to normal (and what the hell had that been about anyway?) it wasn't hard to divide his attention between his task and listening to the conversation between Uegami-sensei and Antoku. Brows creased a bit, but he said nothing, instead turning his focus back on sensing his classmates.... and damn, but Nakamori was still too close for comfort, even after having been moved away from the fool.

"Sadakata, ya can do it. A lil' extra trainin' an' practice never hurt nothin'." Takemaru announces as he's directed to another location in the area. Once over there, he sits his rear down on the ground so he doesn't risk falling face first into dirt; just in case he would doze off. Hands were tucked behind his head as his eyes closed again. Legs crossed, Takemaru attempted to concentrate.
"Now ...what am I supposed'ta see..." He muttered to himself. Brows furrowed as he tried to keep his attention on the task.

No, he's not really stuck in another realm yet. He can hear the teacher talking fine. He can also sense Takemaru tipping over and catching himself. How strange...was that part of it? And with Sazaeno's additional prompt, Yoshinori now takes the time to 'glance' around at the others in the area.
Matsuhiro....ah, there he is. Yoshinori twists his mouth a little, now able to sense Katoji and his happy vibes, or something similiar to that. And then there's Takemaru again, and...wow, it is hard to sense the teacher. Very interesting. Antoku also has....something he cannot really describe. Is there even something there? Well....it's not like Yoshinori is hiding or anything. In fact, he probably has his reiatsu going wild. Whoops.

Unlike Matsuhiro, Katoji didn't risk a glance over at Antoku. He heard the words exchanged easily enough. Chewing on his lower lips, he lowered his head as he tried to resume concentration on trying to sense out where everyone wa- oh hey, he was being moved.
No, wait, now he wasn't sure where everyone was... and... that.. was the point, wasn't it? He found it pointless to grin since no one'd really be seeing it anyway, so he kept it to himself. He had a vague sense that someone was to his right, and so he tried to focus in that direction. Blurred masses of glowing... stuff. That's what he made out. There was one there beside him, and something across.... and then to his left. A grin split his face in spite of himself.

No answer this time. Perhaps he felt the same that Antoku had. It wasn't worth the trouble. This was only the first session, and Sazaeno knew it was already turning out to be a rocky start. How long has it been anyway? Likely not as long as it felt it was. Sazaeno held back as sigh as he looked at the other boys, resting his right hand at his hip. Starting with Matsuhiro, to the student's left was Katoji, then across from the boy continuing in the now spread out circle, Yoshinori, with Takemaru situated in a space somewhere between him and Matsuhiro.
"All right. Eyes still closed. Uemiya. Who is to the left of you?"

Of course he had to be first... and he wasn't even ready! Maybe if he'd been given longer he could have started to turn those overlapping images into something more concrete... or something even identifiable, but no. He had absolutely no idea and that uncertainty showed on his face. Still, far be it for him to give the simple answer and admit he had no idea. Better to guess than to admit to a failure.
"To my left..." A stalling tactic. He had a one in three chance to guess correctly. Those odds weren't terrible... He would just have to hope for the best. "Nakamori." At least he sounded confident, even if he wasn't.

"Nice try," Sazaeno replied, no sarcasm in his tone. He looked towards his next victim. "Nakamori. Who's to your right?"

Takemaru was just not getting ahold of this exercise. Eyes squinted tightly shut and relaxed continuously. Then he made the foolish mistake of repositioning himself. Back layed on the ground, hands still tucked behind his cranium. Legs stretched out.
For a moment he'd open his eyes and take a glance up at the sky. Only after a deep breath, Takemaru would close them again. Oh hey... there's something.. some blurry th-... 'Wow, it's really quiet and relaxing out here.' Mind drifting again...
By the time the teacher had come to him, he was drifting off. Hearing his name, eyes would open. "Huh, what?" He wasn't sleeping, no way!

"....." Clearing his throat, Sazaeno shook his head again. "I'll come back to you later." He wanted to sigh. "Ito. Who's across from you?"

His mind stops wandering for the moment, brow knitting. This should go well...

Wait. Across??

"Ah..." Is there someone there?!? Yoshinori sees....NOTHING. Blank space. He clenches his teeth together before answering, lacking any of the confidence he should have already under his belt. "......no one?"

_ _____________ _ _ _.

With Yoshinori's response, Sazaeno had to smirk. "I should have been more specific. I guess I'll give that to you, it's true enough." He looked towards Katoji.
"Chihara. Where's Sadakata."

Oh THAT's no fair! Katoji frowned at that question. "Huh? Oh, um... well he's right over there," he said, pointing back over where Antoku had been left. He arched a brow as he realized what he was saying, but he was pretty sure of his answer. Now that he mentioned it, he could very easily tell where Sadakata was, he was the most obvious to him, apart from all the other blurs that were there around him.

"Where he needs me to be," muttered Katoji's tag-along nastily.

This guy...really need to leave.

__________ _

Matsuhiro's breath caught in his throat and for an instant he neither moved nor breathed. It was safe to say he was still not entirely used to Yoro's presence, no matter how he tried to convince himself of the opposite. And yet, Yoro did have a tendency to be incredibly helpful when the need arose....
The breath he'd been holding released slowly. There was Katoji. He was easy to recognize in those calming shades of blue. But the black... this was new. Someone entirely different.
"Sensei?" He cleared his throat to attract Uegami's attention and then, eyes still firmly shut, pointed directly at him.

Darn it, he fell asleep again! If he wanted to get somewhere in this lesson, he'd have to keep focus. Another deep breath and Takemaru sat up, eyes closed. Brows furrowed as he tried to get that blurry imagery back. "Focus.. focus..." Takemaru muttered to himself, reminding himself to keep his consciousness.
"....They're just blurs." He spout, not necessarily meaning to say it aloud. Takemaru had no idea how these other students were identifying the others. They all looked the same to him. Heck, he couldn't even see anything of the sensei. But he was aware that he was there, since he had heard his voice.

It had been a random question, really. Sazaeno had only asked because he hadn't want to leave Antoku out, but with Katoji having successfully pointing out Antoku's position, he hms quietly, stroking his chin. "Good." He flicked a look out of the corner of his eye at Antoku, deciding not to comment on that. There was that odd feel again in the air, the one that he'd only picked up ever since Antoku had entered the area, but as usual Sazaeno kept it to himself. Instead he turned his attention back to Nakamori, about to address him again when he heard Matsuhiro's voice.
"Hn...?" He looked towards the boy, quirking a brow as he found the young noble facing him. "....." It bothered him. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the student. "Good, Uemiya." He watched him a moment longer before turning around to face Takemaru again, not without his eyes passing over Antoku again though.
"That's a good start. Now that you're awake, Nakamori, who's to your right?"

It was so difficult to identify each of them. Uemiya wasn't to his right, since he just heard his voice come from the opposite side. That's a way to cheat, think of the voices! He couldn't just admit that he couldn't really identify everyone with those blurs. Then he was called on again. Brows furrowing as he thought; trying to construct a picture in his mind as the blurs continued to offer him no help.
"...Uhm, Ito?.." He had to make a guess. Hopefully luck was on his side (for once) and would hand him the right answer!

Though he should have felt somewhat ashamed of the unfair advantage Yoro created for him, Matsuhiro's feelings were anything but. There was a certain thrill to this power that he couldn't quite grasp or even explain. There was simply the realization that with this, he could reach beyond his own weaknesses and boundaries and become something truly amazing. He would be able to impress his teachers and make a name for himself.
There was no stopping the smile from spreading across his face and even the unsettling words from Yoro did nothing to stop it. His fascination with the things he could see went beyond any instinct of fear. He spoke softly, a mutter under his breath that would be difficult to distinguish from a soft sigh. "Thank you."

Such was not a possibility Sazaeno had ruled out of his mind. It's one of the reasons he'd resituated them fairly far apart, in order to limit the students from using their more mundane senses in order to figure where everyone was. After nodding slowly at Matsuhiro, although still unable to shake what bothered him, the unlikely teacher watched as Takemaru's face twisted in effort to figure things out. He nodded then. "Correct. All right, you can all open your eyes again." He once again rested his right hand at his hip, his left arm having remained hanging at his side the entire time.
"I think that'll be it for today. Not too bad for a first. I want you all to keep practicing though. Practice watching without your eyes, sensing without simply relying on hearing and seeing." And for Takemaru's benefit, "- and try not to fall asleep while doing it."

...How was the last response suppose to explain anything? Unless...Sazaeno /is/ standing right there in front of him. Of course, this may have changed because of Matsuhiro's unseen realization. Then again, the teacher may even still be in place without moving an inch. This is very complicated.
Crimson eyes flicker, adjusting themselves in the day's light. He sighs, rolling a shoulder, stopping when he sees Sazaeno is nearer to Matsuhiro than him. Okay, so he did all right after all. Fortunately, he doesn't have to go to the clinic, either.

"-'ll do that," muttered Antoku, tapping his sheathed zanpakutou against his thigh impatiently while he glared off to one side. This was such a waste of his time. And he could be sleeping, too. Or eating, or smoking. He could practically be doing all three at once.

Eyes opened immediately as he got a right answer. Silently cheering, but advertising his achievement with a wide grin. Hey, no one knew that he was just using his other senses! Yes, it's done... no way he'd be able to pry at Takemaru anymore. This student would be one of the first to leave the scene at the mention. Passing Uegami by, Takemaru offered a nod. "Thanks fo' the lesson Uegami-sensei!" He didn't mean to appear eager to leave, but... he was late for his afternoon nap.

Katoji blinked in the light as he opened his eyes again. Oh wow, he was way over here. With no reason to be so far off from the others anymore, the boy gravitated back towards the rest, slowing as he neared where Antoku was. He gave a wave at Takemaru as the boy was off almost immediately. An accomplished grin was cast towards both Matsuhiro and Yoshinori, and a brief bow in thanks towards Sazaeno.

Matsuhiro said very little once he'd opened his eyes. He simply offered a bow to Uegami-sensei, doing his best to fight the growing smirk on his face. "Thank you for the lesson, sensei," he offered, though his mind was far away from Uegami or his class. It was focused instead on that voice.
"I will practice."

Yoshinori also bows after a while, a silent thank you. The second year then takes a step back, turning to go back to...whatever he has to do. And have snacks.

First mission, done. Sazaeno nodded towards his departing students, looking over at those lingering for a moment longer before he turned and started to walk back towards the area where Okiko's obstacle course was.
Only the first...

Antoku dispensed his professional opinion to Katoji beneath his breath once the other student was close enough. "He's probably not a rapist."
... "Serial, anyway." Let's get the hell out of here before he comes over and tries to put his hands all over my reiatsu again.

Tilting his head at Antoku, the boy blinked at his words. "...??" He smiled weakly in that uncertain sort of way before waiting for the other to start walking before falling in step beside him.

[Log] 36 - Oops.

2008-05-25T07:34:39Z

Date: 05-23-08
Characters: Antoku, Katoji
Summary: Up on the roof again. A brief lesson in the art of kestros-wielding.

This is inventory.
Antoku crouched on his heels near one corner of the roof with the sky above, the school grounds behind, and a spread of little things that ended other things set out before him. An old piece of rumpled canvas protected them from the rough surface of the rooftop, and a rumpled drawstring bag made out of the same canvas sagged at his side. He counted the knives, the daggers, and the other, trickier ones beneath his breath, and when he was satisfied that he'd lost none of them, settled down with whetstone in hand to check each for cleanliness and quality.
He'd already cleaned out his room, searched it over and over, pulled off the sheets and blankets and sent them down to be washed. He'd pried open the window, taken out anything that belonged to him and found new hiding places for it all. And when he left, the room had looked pleasantly unoccupied, with its door ajar and its big, stern shadows. The only thing he'd felt a little regret about had been leaving the silly crayon drawings behind in the clinic.

The muffled ringing of metal as palms and feet clambered up the rungs of the ladder to the rooftop made it more than obvious that Antoku should be expecting company soon. Katoji made no effort to be secretive in his venture up, he never really did. One might have said the boy made more visits up there ever since Antoku had been stuck in the clinic. It would have been a silly explanation he'd have given, were Katoji asked why, but it did seem as though the roof was lonely of its lack of previous company. He wouldn't have denied the fact that every time he made his way up to the rooftop he'd always hoped to see that familiar shadow of a student there.
It appeared that his diligence was rewarded today. "Sadakata-san!" Katoji greeted brightly, pausing to set the book with loose sheets of paper tucked between its pages and the box of crayons that he'd carried up with him down on the roof so that he'd have that hand free to wave. Not...that Antoku was even facing his direction, he realized belatedly. Oh well. With a small 'hup!' the boy pulled himself up, and he scooped up his things before making his way towards Antoku's corner of the roof.

Wiping a small knife off on the folds of his shirt, removed for just that purpose, Antoku shot a gloomy look over his shoulder. It might have been a guilty look if he were good at that sort of thing. And...'Sadakata-san' again?
He started on a new knife after a moment. "Is it just me, or are you turning into a hooligan?" Hanging out on the roof when he should be in his room surrounded by text books, the august soul of true training. Thinking about it made Antoku feel weak in the IQ.

Now what sort of fun was staying holed up in your room? Katoji blinked, tilting his head as he approached the other boy. What was with that look? His brow arched in response, but then he grinned again, as if to make up for Antoku's lack of reciprocating the gesture.
"Huh? Whaddya mean?" he asked, plopping down beside the other. He set his book down, the ridiculously thick tome that Ryuujin had lent him on the subject of shunpo- or at least, on certain properties. The boy had hoped that by coming up here to read rather than remain in the room, he'd have less a chance of falling asleep through the first chapter. He was trying, he really was- he'd promised Ryuujin he'd do his best, after all.
"You feeling better?" Either finding Antoku up here was due to his finally being excused from his term at the clinic or he was hiding from Iki again.

Instead of taking the time to accuse Katoji of becoming a delinquent, Antoku used the edge of the Laguiole knife he was holding to scratch the side of his jaw and leaned over to get a better look at the book. Two pieces of wide white medical tape covered two different cuts on the left side of his face, one on his lower cheek, the other at his temple. He scraped at them with the edge of his knife next, nudging the cover of Katoji's book open with a finger from his free hand. "I wasn't sick in the first place." What was this? Dramatic woodcuts and essays about the deep inner implications of shunpo?
"This is a lot of pointless garbage. One of the new teachers give you this?" There /were/ new teachers around. He'd felt them brush past the edges of Yoro's fingers on several occasions.

Katoji looked over at the knives and things that were laid out. Wow, where'd he get all these? "I know you weren't sick, but all the same..." He lifted his head to glance up at the sky. "I'm glad you're back," he said, beaming. "I think the roof was lonely without you."
He looked out of the corner of his eye as Antoku poked at the book, and at the other student's appraisal, Katoji couldn't help but laugh. "It was given to me from one of the upper classman... he apparently got it into his head that he's going to teach me how to properly shunpo and stop-" He tilts his head to look down at the book, lips quirking into a lopsided grin. "He unloaded a whole pile of books like this on me the other day and expects me to get through them in two weeks. I can hardly stay awake to finish one chapter of this one. Instant sedative right there."

The knives were older than Antoku, he'd come to the academy with them. There were the important ones, the back-ups, and the highly-specialized ones. There were other things, too, some oddly-shaped and some still stowed in neat, hand-made pouches that looked suspiciously belt-ready. The one he was holding had been tapping thoughtfully at his lower lip, but it paused when Katoji looked overhead.
"Not the roof," Antoku corrected gruffly, distracting himself with the book. "The clouds." The roof was just a big window from which a person could look out on freedom. Still, Antoku /had/ missed his big window, and he'd like to think the clouds had missed him. Antoku was the only one who could see them correctly, after all.
With a flip of his hand, he thumped the book shut again, the very picture of lofty disgust. "Since when do those prima donnas care about lower classmen? You should be spending your time with the zanjutsu teachers, the reiatsu teachers, and stuff like...zanpakutou theory. Whatever they call it. Not this crap." Maybe he should throw it over the edge-!

Pulling his knees up to his chest, Katoji rested his arms over them. He looked back at Antoku, and then back up at the sky above. He nodded slowly, then smiled again, as if he'd been told some big secret. He still didn't regret the worn out crayons resulting from his attempts to replicate the scenery from up here, but two-dimensional depictions were nothing in comparison to the real thing. And no amount of drawing could grant a person the feeling of freedom.
"I dunno, I just ran into him last week, and the next thing I know he's all about helping me." Katoji shrugged his shoulders, turning his attention towards the book again. "Sasaki Ryuujin. You familiar with him? He's real tall and loud, but he's nice all in all."

Giving the book one last warning look, Antoku picked up the palm-sized whetstone he'd been using before. "No. I don't know. Maybe, if I saw him. No one's allowed to talk to me. I don't talk to them." He'd been at the academy longer than any of the other students. Sure, he'd been failing the exams while everyone else passed and moved on, but waves of his peers had washed on past him, all of them nameless. "Maybe he thinks you're cute." The knife made a steady, bright sound each time it scraped over the whetstone Antoku held. "Don't put out on the first date."

"...hah hah." The boy scowled at Antoku, then dropped his chin over his arms. He watched as the other student carefully honed the blade in his hand. It was an odd thing, him sitting there with the person they'd all been warned to keep their distance from, the person that was said to be dangerous and that they should have nothing to do with him. It had been how many years that the same warning had been issued, but was it only recently that things finally changed?
Hearing from Antoku about the lack of interaction just bothered Katoji. "...you've never talked to anyone else before? At all..?" And accepted it?

"Mm," confirmed Antoku. Three knife scrapes later he realized what Katoji was really asking and looked up from his work, one eyebrow raised awkwardly against the white tape on his temple. "I talk. In class, I answer if the instructor makes me. If someone says, 'Are you done with that?' I say 'yes.' I talk." He wasn't mute, or pretending to be.

"Well okay, that's a given I guess..." He tried to imagine how one could possibly go through school without saying anything. Maybe one could get away with it for a period or two, maybe even a day, but.... No, he was focusing on the wrong thing again, wasn't he? Katoji tilted his head, still resting it against his arms. "But I mean... like talking to someone, well, just because." He realized perhaps it was a silly thing to ask after all.

Antoku considered the question while he wiped the knife off and poured a little water over the whetstone. He squinted down the knife's edge before going back to methodically scraping across the stone again. "Well...what kind of thing does someone like me say to people like them? ...hardly manage to talk to you," he added gruffly. Katoji was just an anomaly. And when he did run into the kid, they didn't really talk. Antoku communicated his expectations, and Katoji agreed or disagreed. He had no idea where the kid was from or how he got here...the kind of things Antoku imagined other people needed to tell each other. He turned his arm over and cut the skin with a jerk from the knife, a test that seemed to satisfy him. The knife was wiped down, wrapped up, and set aside.

Watching him continue to sharpen the blade was strangely mezmorizing. Likely it had to do with the repetitive movement, and the gentle scraping of metal against stone. It didn't jar the general washed out ambiance up on the roof, but nor did it demand attention. "...hardly, maybe..." Katoji nodded, smiling again. "-but you do. Oh, but talking to other people on a general basis isn't too hard and doesn't take that much effort, really..." He raised his head again, watching as Antoku lifted the knife. "Just a simple 'hey' or a 'yo' or something, you know?" His brow twitched in the mildest of winces as he watched the other student test out the sharpness of his blade, but perhaps to his credit he knew better than to voice any concerns about Antoku's chosen methods; like as he'd been doing this enough to know what he was doing.

"No," admitted Antoku. "You don't get it, Mitzy. When you greet people, they think you want to talk to them. And I don't." The next knife looked like a short, aged piece of bamboo until he split it in half to reveal the blade in between and twisted the two halves around to become the knife's handle. The look he gave it while it was under inspection was the type usually reserved for a rich man observing a drunk in a gutter. This one could take a while.
"There's nothing in my life that has anything to do with them. This life, or the last one. And I don't need their help. Think about it."

"...well, I guess they'd think that if it came from someone that normally keeps to themselves..." Again Katoji dropped his head over his arms, his eyes once again shifting to Antoku's hands, to the next knife the boy picked up to work on. There he sat, the book, the paper and crayons all but forgotten where he had set them. He hadn't really felt like reading anyway.
"....what is it you want in this life...?" he asked quietly, after a time. It wasn't spoken in sarcasm, it was spoken as an honest, curious inquiry.

"A nap," said Antoku without thinking. He splashed water on the whetstone and began again.
And again it took him several knife strokes for Katoji's words to sink in. The scraping sound slowed, then stopped. He was squinting at the round, dappled rock, his nose wrinkled in distaste. Not only did he stay away from other people, but when his day forced him into conversation, he faced it as insincerely as possible. The closer a topic came to his core, the less comfortable he was. Finally, he cleared his throat with a growl. "Who has time for that crap? Never had a chance to think about it. Can't afford a hamburger, never thought about the whole cow." The scraping resumed, steady and rhythmic.

The answer disappointed him, but then he found himself wondering what sort of an answer he had been expecting if not that. "...it'd be nice if some things were simple like that," the boy said thoughtfully. He arched a brow as Antoku paused in his work, as the general silence settled as if it had been on edge and waiting all this time for the infernal scraping to cease. Katoji found himself smirking faintly at the rest of the response that finally came, along with the scraping that returned with a vengence.
"Hm," was his noncommittal reply, but he prodded no further for a better answer, nor did any more questions come to follow.

Despite himself, it annoyed him. It was a wood splinter, too small to hurt at first but, over time, began eating its way in....
"Is that the kind of shit you think about?" He turned the balisong knife over, began on that side, and took his vengence on the steel. The sound the stone made was higher and sharper than before. "Or did some buddy of yours tell you that one?" It wasn't as if he knew the kid that well, but Katoji'd never brought up.../garbage/ like that before. /Useless/ garbage. The kind of crap princes think about-- not real people like the two of them.

The new level of grating metal against stone made him cringe at first. Did he make him mad? Katoji blinked, seeming puzzled at the sudden change in attitude from the other boy. The frown he felt didn't quite surface completely on his lips. He turned his eyes towards the edge of the roof.
"...no, not really..." he began. "...actually... you're the one that made me think about it just right now. Didn't mean anything by it though..."

Antoku let go of the plan to beat the hell out of Matushiro that'd been forming in his mind, if only because Katoji sounded like he was telling the truth. Unlike other people (basically, everyone else,) he had no delusional belief that this kid wouldn't or couldn't lie if he really felt like it, it was just unlikely. So he grumbled, "I'm not mad at you," because that had been a common misconception, back when he'd had his own life. "Just..."
His slimey, bruised soul shuddered in revulsion. "...mnh...just, you know.... Bitter topic for me." He made an empty circular gesture with the hand holding the balisong, rubbed the back his wrist against his mouth, and went back to working with the whetstone.
It was very, very important to remember that he owed Katoji. Not for anything he'd done yet, but for what Antoku was determined to make him do some day.

Katoji nodded slowly, some of the tension relieved from him with the somewhat forced explanation given. Antoku was trying, and that he'd even bothered to say anything at all was appreciated. "Uhn...." he replied, that sound given in understanding, paired usually with a nod but never really had a real meaning, was purely implication. Eventually he pulled his gaze from the scenery beyond the edge of the roof, slipping it back towards Antoku, back to the blade as it was once again set to the stone.
The silence that settled again just made things feel awkward, at least to him. He wasn't sure what to say further, and knowing Antoku was not the most ideal of conversational partners did not want to push him into it. Sitting was fine, wasn't it? Katoji could be content with just sitting there in silent company of the other. He smiled at that, looking up at the sky, as well as he could in the position he sat, anyway.

__________ _

He could see it, out of the corner of his eye. Slowly, the irregular grid over the sky around Katoji was blooming in shades of blue and teal, like ink seeping into a tablecloth. Antoku tilted his head away from the sight purposefully, to keep himself from staring. It was easier to think in patterns if he didn't look directly at them, too. What would be /really/ easy, he reflected, would be letting Katoji see the net. ...he turned his left arm over again and tested the knife he was holding.
"I know you know how to sweep hallways, but have you ever used a kestros?"
Good enough. Antoku had never really liked this knife anyway.. He blew dust off of it, wiped it down absently, and folded it up again. "I could teach you. Even with those short little arms, you could use it."

It was a good thing classes were out for the day, otherwise the peacefulness would have vanished abruptly. It was nice when there wasn't anything to worry about, no time limitations, no immediate expectations. Well, there was that book that sat almost tauntingly at the edge of his peripheral vision, but Katoji forced himself not to think about it.
And then the silence was broken, and this time not by him. "Huh?" the boy blinked, looking back at Antoku then while his mind tried to rewind what it caught of the question. "A 'kestros'...?" As if that didn't answer the question already. "I don't even know what that is," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck as he flashed an awkward grin. It vanished with another blink at the offer to be taught. Really?

"Well," Antoku rolled his eyes up to the sky as if asking Heaven for forgiveness, permission, or both. "You'll probably just break your nose, but...."
But it gave his hands something to do while he thought. The weapon in question was bundled in a hip bag made of some unidentifiable, beaten old leather that made a heavy clink-clack noise when Antoku hooked a finger over the mouth of the bag and drew it over. What he took out was a loop of tightly-braided, stiff cord. There was a largish loop on one end, and the other ends were knotted together. He rolled to his feet with casual smoothness and beckoned the other student to him. "Your wrist goes through here. Might be a little big for you, but try it."

Eager curiosity obvious in those amber eyes, Katoji slipped his hands from his knees and with decidedly less grace clambered forwards until he was in a more suitable position to straighten his legs to stand. He stepped over towards Antoku, eying the strange piece of equipment as if trying to make heads and tails out of it... which he probably was.
"Here? Like this?" he asked as he lifted his hand, checking with a glance to see which- left or right, before slipping one through the loop.

_ ____ _
__ _

"No. Yes, this-- No. There, like that." Dammit, it was like dressing a baby. The loop goes over the dominant hand like /this/ so that the rest of the cord can hang down like /that./ He shook the cord out to straighten it, stooped to grab the side opposite Katoji's wrist, where the ends of the cord had been tied together. "Here, hold this in the same hand. You need a good grip, the knot will help with that. Got it?"
It was a beaming relief to be explaining a weapon instead of something to do with himself. Antoku picked up the pouch and produced an oblong, somewhat egg-shaped stone from it. It was an unremarkable grey colour, and he held it, turned it, to show the other student the pair of grooves that had been carved all the way around it, like rings. "One of these goes on those cords, and the gouges will keep it in place," he offered the rock balanced on the tips of his scarred fingers.

He was trying, he really was. Now that he saw it, he had a vague idea of what it was supposed to do. Maybe. At least he had the right hold on it, once Antoku had explained and showed him. "Oh, I see," Katoji said, his fingers curling around the cord, poking at the knot with the finger closest to before looking to the next item produced from the pouch. The stone was taken carefully in his free hand, tentatively as he wasn't sure how heavy it would be. He hefted it in his palm to get a feel for its weight, turning it with his wrist to get a good look at the furrows winding their way around it.
"So.... oh, okay..." the boy said, looking from stone to the cord in his other hand.

....
"You don't get it," Antoku sighed. "'ere." He slipped his own hand through the loop and off of Katoji's wrist like a fish through reeds. Contrary to the bitter, spiteful mood he projected around the other students, Antoku was strangely comfortable with being physically near someone, as if it were a pre-accepted danger when a conversation was not. He flicked the knotted end of the cord out of Katoji's fingers and caught it as it swung around.
"It's all one piece of rope, but think of the half around your wrist as the holding cord and the other half, the end with the knot, as the release cord. Follow me?" When shook out and free of tangles, the kestros was remarkably well-behaved when Antoku set a second stone on its lowest point.
"Keep in mind...this thing is dangerous," he added absently, taking a step back. The windup was easy, and fast. Two swings and the stone was humming through the air while Antoku craned his neck and looked for a target. "...what should I aim for, Mitzy?"

Automatically he let his hold loosen once Antoku reached for the cord, and the rest of it slipped easily from his grasp once the other student took hold of it. He made it look so easy. Katoji watched as he grasped the kestros and positioned it, and then as he set the stone in place before giving his warning. He nearly ducked when the thing was brought up and set spinning, his arms brought up only about half way in the typical stance of reaction. Slowly he lowered his hands, watching the thing whirl.
He'd let the name slide the first time, and he considered correcting him for the second. Not that it'd ever made much difference before. He swallowed down the retort, instead turning his head to look out and around the grounds below for something to hit. How far can that thing go? "Mmm... how about that tree there? The one kinda standing off by itself on the grounds," he pointed out. It was a tree he passed a number of times.

Squinting down his nose out over the grounds, Antoku judged the distance for a thoughtful second, then took a step backwards. "That tree ever do something to piss you off?" The sound the sling made changed with its speed. He took another half-step backwards. "For a lot of distance...." The words were slower because now, finally, Antoku was concentrating. Anywhere else in his life, any other situation, he was blithe and flippant. "...you have to throw underhanded."
The high-pitched whine of the weapon stopped abruptly. Antoku straightened from the bow he'd dropped into and, like every sportsman in every universe, held as still as a pointer while he waited to see how well his shot had (or had not) annihilated the intended target. "...haven't done this...in months...but I-"
There was an explosion of feathers and what is best referred to pinkish-reddish-whiteish bits in the air above and roughly to the east of the tree-target. In the silence that followed, Antoku folded one arm over his stomach and put the other hand over his mouth. "...do you think that was unlucky?"

... "I mean for me, not the uh, raven."

"....."
".................."
He had stood as still as Antoku had once the stone had been released, had watched carefully every adjustment of the other's stance as he had explained each point before letting the stone fly. With bated breath he had followed with his eyes as it went soaring, waiting anxiously for it to hit its target...
The result... was not what either obviously had expected. Katoji stood there, open-mouthed. He did not just see that. He couldn't hope it was a hallucination either, because frankly, imagining birds combusting into feathers and blood was not something he wanted to envision out of the blue. Even when Antoku finally broke the uneasy silence that had continued to stretch between them, the other boy remained staring at the scene of the crime.
"...I.... don't know what to say, really..."

The sound of Antoku's voice was muffled by the fingers he held pressed against it. "'Oops' usually covers it."
"....."
".................."
"I couldn't have made that shot if I'd wanted to. Not in a million goddamn years. ...it took me years to hit my first rabbit. And it was holding still, too."

And the damn thing was that he'd never have such great luck if, say, his life depended on it. You had to have a certain type of personality to attract that kind of luck at just the right time. Antoku had the certain sort of personality that lead the bowstrings to snap or the rake to hit him in the eye at just the right time. It was inverted genius.
So he offered the kestros to his smaller classmate with a little bit of reluctance. Katoji could probably sling a stone with his eyes closed and hit the only spot on the whole dragon that was unprotected, save the town, marry the mayor's daughter, and get the key to the city. So unfair! "Here, your turn." ... "Don't think of it as murder. Think of it as forced reincarnation."

It had the same horrifically intriguing appeal that car accidents did in that no matter how much one might not want to stare, they just find themselves incapable of tearing their attention away from it. Katoji finally managed to blink, and a second or two passed before he finally snapped his jaw shut with the slight click of his teeth. It was just a bird. It was quite an amazing hit, all in all, but... Okay, it was unintentional, and whether it was something to be proud of or not was mostly to be decided by the one who had slung the shot.
Finding the kestros held out to him again, the boy looked at it almost blankly before actually taking it up in his hands. He wasn't really sure if he was feeling uncertain about giving it a try because he was afraid he'd hit something he wasn't supposed to as well, or if he was worried that he'd screw up and not be able to do it at all. "...." Oh yeah, he hadn't considered it murder- he thought it was an accident- thanks a lot for -that- thought. Nevertheless, Katoji at the very least doesn't seem too bothered to back down from giving it a shot on his own.
Licking his lips, which took some time to moisten because of his equally dry tongue, he spaced himself from Antoku and looked at the cord in his hands. He adjusted the loop, letting it slip down into a better position about his wrist, and he held the other end of the kestros as he had been directed earlier, having a better idea now that he'd seen Antoku do it. Oh sure, it had looked easy when the other boy did it, but now that he'd been given it to try again, Katoji wasn't as sure about it. He glanced at the older student before resting the other stone he'd been holding onto the cord, making sure it sat snuggly within its groove. All in all, the procedure was pretty basic. A little momentum, aim and timing. Once again, easier said than done. The more Katoji thought about it, the more he thought he'd likely end up knocking himself or Antoku out than successfully releasing the stone anywhere.
All at once the uneasy look that had been on his face vanished, replaced by one of determination. Just do it, he told himself. "...here goes..." he murmured in warning, swinging up the cord with the stone loaded, whipping it around to keep it in place before it fell on his head or someone's foot. This was probably the easiest part. Getting it to go where he wanted it... Katoji let it swing a few times more over his head, and he readjusted his stance. "...same target..." he announced, having nothing better to try for, certain he probably wouldn't hit it anyway, if even get close. "...the tree, I mean," he couldn't help but add, smirking at that. The kestros thrummed through the air over his head as he gave it another few circuits. One... two... After going a quarter of its next round after he mentally counted three, Katoji released the length of the knotted end of the cord to let the stone fly...

"Heads up." When the stone and sling began whirling again, Antoku dodged backwards liked he'd been hit already. It wasn't intended as an insult, but the only thing he trusted less than a weapon in his own hand was a weapon in a kind person's hand. He had a very long personal opinion about nice people and combat, and the overall gist of it was rather grisly. And just because Katoji had no reason to murder Antoku horribly did not, in Antoku's experience, mean that couldn't change in a moment.
To think he was going to hit a target that far away on his first try was a little extravagant even for Katoji's syrupy good luck. In his own rusty, awkward way, he tried to soften the blow of any potential failure. "Listen, even if I hadn't taken that bird out I don't think I would have hit that tree. Nobody makes it the first time." He took another step back reflexively. "I mean, it doesn't help that you're a whiny little girl. It's okay if you miss."

Scowling at Antoku's words, Katoji tried to keep his focus on not failing miserably with the kestros. Failing miserably amounted to bludgeoning either himself or Antoku over the head with the stone or knocking someone's head clean off with it by accidentally once he let the thing fly. While he didn't expect to make it even halfway to the tree he'd pointed out initially, he wasn't sure whether Antoku was really trying to help for his confidence or not. Then again, this -was- Antoku, he reminded himself.
With the stone's release, the boy fell silent just as the other had during his own demonstration. He held his breath, watching as the stone flew- well, definitely not in the direction he'd wanted it to go. At the very least, it wasn't going backwards or in any danger of hitting either one of them. On the other hand, it went rocketing rather dangerously towards the window of one of the flanking buildings below. As soon as he realized where it was going to hit, Katoji drew in a sharp breath, slapping a hand over his mouth in a decidedly more drastic gesture than Antoku had done earlier on. "Hocrap..!" he gasped.

Antoku darted towards the edge of the roof with a hand thrust out towards the rock as if he could stop it.
A few seconds later, when reality nudged his nerves, he took a seat beneath the hand rail that circled the roof and began searching through his clothing for something to smoke, numbly. "Well," he said, reflectively. "If I were you, I'd take a step or two away from the edge." He wasn't positive, from this distance, what Katoji had done /exactly/. He could make a good guess, but he'd honestly never tried attacking other wings of the school from up here, and he'd rather be sure before assuming the worst. Which was amazing. He was a negative person. For once, he was attempting to think positive.

For a good moment or two Katoji remained rooted in place, amber eyes wide, his hand still clasped over his mouth as if it was the only reason he was still able to keep any air within him. A part of him was hoping he'd just imagined it all, that he hadn't -really- sent a projectile through school property. The other part was screaming repeatedly inside his head 'I'M SO DEAD!'
He only half heard Antoku's words, but by then reflex had started to tug at the semi-frozen gears of his brain and forced his legs to withdraw from the edge of the roof. He all but collapsed into a heap beside the other boy, still staring numbly towards the other building. His hand was still gripped tightly around the kestros, his knuckles white, the cord forgotten as it lay there constricted within his grasp.

"It's all right." Antoku put his arm out to shove the other student away.
Away from the edge and closer towards the center of the roof, as opposed to the alternative. For once.
"Whoever looks up here will see me first." The obvious villain was obviously the villain, especially in this place. In all his years at the academy he had yet to prove otherwise. "I think...if you hit anyone in the melon...someone would already be shouting." A pause. "Or screaming." Personally, the screaming got on his nerves with unimaginable speed.
No cigarettes? Antoku gave up on patting down his clothes and let his elbows lean atop his thighs. "...that was accidental, right?"

It was easy to knock Katoji back, and if he hadn't already been on his way downwards he would have certainly fell right over. Instead, he landed on his rear, that effectively jolting him back to attention as his arms managed to work properly then in order to prop him up. Well, at least he was away from the edge all right. "But..." You didn't do it. It was me. He watched Antoku quietly before swallowing a few times so that his mouth wasn't so dry.
"Ye...ah...." he said, reluctantly glancing back towards the other building again, even though from his current position he couldn't really get as good a view of the damage.

"No screaming, still," said Antoku, the Professor. "If you hit anyone, they're dead." He said that approvingly, like Katoji had planned it that way. Like it was good news.
He looked back over his shoulder, one dark eyebrow raised sharply. "What's that face for?" The kid had gone all teal and, strangely, slightly coral pink in places where the same pieces of Yoro's edges touched Antoku as well as Katoji. Vaguely, Antoku waved his arm up and down, his eyes fixed on his own wrist as if he'd just realised what a wrist was. Then he squinted through his eyelashes at Katoji and said, "Tell me exactly what you're thinking right now. It'll make up for me being in trouble."

"I..." His thoughts were a mess. What was he thinking right now? Katoji blinked, finally, perhaps, as he wasn't sure how long he'd been staring. He looked down at the ground, which wasn't all that far since he was sitting there. "...I..can't let you take the blame for something you didn't do." Once he'd managed to sort out his muddled thoughts, he grabbed onto the clearest line and clung to it. He managed to level his gaze with Antoku's. "It's my fault- I didn't mean to... I -hope- I didn't accidentally kill anyone- aw geez..." His free hand was lifted to run over his face, pausing at the edge of his chin again, the other hand only finally relaxing, blood slowly working its way through his fingers again.

Antoku's eyebrow still had not dropped.

"Well, yeah you can. Do you have time for detention? Actually, I don't think they give detention for involuntary manslaughter. I think they give you ten-to-life. Here." He leaned over and reached out to pull the corded sling out of Katoji's grip. "Give me that, it's a murder weapon."
It could have been adorable if Antoku hadn't been allergic to stupid decisions. Even when he hated someone, he hated watching them make utterly stupid choices more. Out of the two of them, Katoji was the one with something to lose. And /no one/ was dead. Antoku knew what the after-death swarm of human activity looked like.

The cord slipped easily from his hand now, and Katoji barely felt the loop slip over and off of it. He was too busy staring at Antoku still. Finally he averted his gaze, glancing back at the floor of the rooftop. Maybe he didn't kill anyone, but the realization that he could have dawned on him much like he'd had a bucket of ice cold water dumped down his back.
How could he say it so... frankly? The boy knew better than to ask that. He said nothing for the time being, then finally forced himself to look back at the edge of the roof again before he crawled towards it to peer towards the broken window. It was still pretty quiet, all things considered. This was a fact he wasn't sure whether he should feel better or worse about. He was inclined to want to feel better about it because anything was better than feeling like you had a lump of lead in your stomach.
"...do you think Iesada-san will be upset...?" he asked, glancing back at Antoku with a sheepish, wobbly smile that he had a hard time making stay on his face.

"Satsue?" repeated Antoku. Both eyebrows quirked up.
No matter how often he heard them say it, he'd never get used to hearing Satsue called that. It didn't fit, somehow. Maybe they hadn't realised she was a person yet.
"I don't think you and I agree on what 'upset' means when it comes to her. But..." He raked his fingernails against the front of his throat and looked back down over the edge of the roof, towards the broken window. "...she likes me enough to hit me. Even if it sounds backwards, it means she doesn't think of me as a student. She thinks of you as an accessory to me, you know. Good for your career. Don't ruin it by getting in trouble when you don't got to." He swung his feet around beneath himself suddenly, lurching to his feet. "I can walk down there and make sure no one was hurt. That's what you want?"

How'd that make any sense? Katoji tilted his head at the other boy, arching a brow right back at him. He had to remind himself that the odd relationship between Satsue and Antoku had gone on far longer than he knew. If she didn't think of Antoku as a student though, then what -did- Satsue think of him as?
Sighing, the boy let himself sit again, leaning partially against the lame little fence. He blinked again, watching as Antoku got to his feet. "...just to be sure..." he said, managing a small but genuine smile of appreciation for the offer.

Antoku pointed his forefinger at Katoji sharply for the look he'd just been given. I don't know specifically what you're thinking, but it's wrong, whatever it is. Stop.
But he said nothing and just groaned about the chore even though he'd offered on his own. While he was lashing Yoro-Ritsuryo around his torso, tying his faded yellow scarf around his waist, and knotting the sling around his left forearm, he said, "But you need to take my stuff back to my room. Or yours. Stick it under the mattress or something, just don't lose it or you'll lose your hands, you dig?" If he walked in that room and there was a bubbling bloody corpse on the floor, this was going to be a very long week.

He almost flinched at the gesture. Almost. It came off as more of an innocently confused blink. As Antoku proceeded with tying and arming himself, Katoji clambered to his feet, wiping off his hands on his hakama. "Ah? Oh, um, okay." Sounded easy enough. He just hoped he wasn't caught loaded with weaponry to be asked questions. Now -that'd- be fun. "Er..." he glanced back at the knives and things that had been abandoned in the corner with his almost forgotten book on shunpo. "Any particular way I needa wrap those up..?" he asked as he started towards them.

"Use the oilcloth they're on. If there's a sheath next to it that's the right shape, use that. ... Don't be so afraid of them." Antoku turned his chin up while he fastened his collar. "It's not like I've ever killed someone with one of those." If there's no death notches on the things, maybe Katoji wouldn't act like they were so dangerous. And if Katoji got caught with them, he could just tell the truth and say they were Antoku's, absolving himself of sin and raising him to the status of civic sub-hero. It wasn't worth worrying about.
Antoku looked up from knotting his scarf, his face as severe as it always was, with a smile in the corners of his eyes that no one ever got to. "There's nothing down there but some broken junk. If it's mad at you, I'll kill it." As he turned and sauntered off towards the ladder, he waved one hand vaguely in the air. Ssssshf. Chores.

"Okay," Katoji said as he squatted by the assortment of knives. "...'m not afraid," he muttered. He wasn't so much concerned about handling them because they might have been used as opposed to accidentally scratching them up or something. Putting the knives away by sheath was almost like a game, and matching those up was easy enough. He paused to glance over his shoulder to regard Antoku again, shaking his head at the older boy's words as went back to gathering and putting the knives away for transport. He was unable to keep the faint smirk from his face as he did so.
"....thanks 'toku...." he said quietly.