Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Nippontai High

[Centimane]

When Kazuo wakes up he almost feels worse than he did the morning after the "legendary" party the General had taken him to two days previously. When he'd woken up that time his head, contrary to what logic and his bathroom mirror were trying to tell him, had swollen to about the same size as Mount Fuji. However the wild flip-flopping in his stomach had made it very clear, very quickly that, unlike the dormant Fuji, Kazuo was overdue for a major eruption. Good thing he'd already been in the bathroom by that point.

As the nurse begins to help him upright Kazuo takes stock of his situation. Not that bad actually, by this time tomorrow he should be more or less back to normal. Could've been worse.

Could've been f*cking better, too....

Kazuo sits casually as the nurse removes the needles from his torso, having had recent and lengthy experience to make him comfortable with a nurse working on his naked flesh.

'Kazuo-san?' Kazuo recognises the gentle, worried, voice immediately, & sure enough turns to see Ryoko standing next to the bed, hands behind her back, with a concerned expression on her face. 'How are you feeling?' she asks, before casting her eyes aside & adding in a whisper, 'I was really worried about you...'

"I'm fine" , he says gruffly as he looks down at his torso and sees all the scars there. Suddenly he's not feeling so casual, and he starts looking for his shirt. Damn it! Why does this girl make him feel this way? Why should Kazuo give a shit if she sees the scars on his chest and doesn't like the way they look? Kazuo, who despite his size and general appearance is still quite young, has spent the majority of his short life not giving much of a shit about much of anything. So he is, unsurprisingly, at a complete loss as to what his giving a shit about Ryoko's feelings might actually mean. All he knows is it makes him uncomfortable and he usually avoids anything that makes him uncomfortable, but for some insane reason he keeps coming back for more. Sure, Ryoko's hot and everything, but is she really that hot? What the hell!?

Almost before he has time to realize what he's saying, Kazuo looks up at Ryoko and says gently, "thanks for waiting with me Ryoko" .

Gah! What the hell was that ? I sound like a frickin' pussy! What is wrong with me? Maybe that fat kid dropped me on my head after I passed out or something...

Kazuo's ruminations, and his intense embarrassment, are cut short however when...

Akaji bows low before the nurse

"Good afternoon, togi-sama. I don't believe we have been introduced yet. My name is Akaji Maro, President of Class 1B. Jinsei here has informed me of the unfortunate events of this morning."

Akaji presents his classmate who is, hopefully, looking adequately repentant for the apologetic role Akaji is giving him.

"Kazuo-san is new to the school and an experienced fighter. In fact, Presidents Junzo, Takeshi and I were discussing his timely appearance with the tournament tonight. Kazuo offered a fight to Tetsuo-San and Jinsei-San, for practice."

Akaji eyes Ryoko as he says this, hoping that she sees that he is trying to preserve the honor of all those involved.

"Tetsuo and Jinsei, seeing that Kazuo-San would be such a formidable opponent, gave their all...Kazuo-San, being new to the school, thankfully held back. It would have been unfortunate for one of our tournament team members to be here today..."

Akaji steps up to the bed and bows slightly

"Kazuo-San, I would like to thank you for preparing our fighters for tonight's very important championship. Please allow me to be the first to welcome you to Class 1B."

Throughout Akaji's speech, Jinsei looks noncommital and somewhat hard to read. But when the class president finishes his explanation, Jinsei nods, smiling politely at everyone.

Jinsei looks pleasantly back at him, and then looks at Kazuo.

"Welcome to Nippontai High, Kazuo-san."

Kazuo had gotten ahold of his shirt and was just finishing with the last button as Jinsei spoke, though both students would have gotten a good look at his chest covered in fresh bruises and old scars.

For a moment he looks back and forth between the two students with an incredulous look on his face. Then he bursts out in raucous laughter, nearly doubling over with its intensity, before abruptly cutting off with a stifled, "ow!" and putting a hand to his side.

"That was some welcome kid!"

Wincing in pain, Kazuo looks back up at Akaji and Jinsei and a slow grin began to spread itself across his face.

"'Practice match'...'he held back'? Hahahaha - ow! Ah, you're too much Maro-san."

"If you want to thank somebody for keeping your judoka outta the Nurse's Office, then thank mister 'ninja-master' over here", said Kazuo, his expression sobering up some as his gaze settled on Jinsei.

"If it hadn't been for him and his sneaky tricks coming at me from outta nowhere, it'd be fat boy in here instead of me, and he'd have been in much worse condition!"

Kazuo pauses for moment with his eyes on Jinsei, seeming to weigh something in his mind before continuing.

"Y'know?", he says, "I can't decide whether to be pissed off at you or to admire you kid. I thought I was the dirty fighter... I mean, I've been in a lot of fights and seen a lot of underhanded moves, but what you pulled out there... man!" Kazuo shook his head in mock-admiration as he spoke, "Seriously, you must've already been maneuvering yourself into position while the rest of us were still gawking at that nova kid. A building blows up and somebody flies out of it and your first thought is that it's an opportunity to get the drop on someone when they're not looking? Now that's commitment to your art! I could learn a few things from you I think."

Kazuo looks at both of the students before him and smiles one last time before moving brusquely between them on his way out the door. But as he reaches the doorframe he stops and turns around with a questioning look on his face.

Looking directly at Ryoko, Kazuo looks as if he's completely forgotten the others are still there and says, "Hey, do you still have my pack?"

[ezekiel]

"If you want to thank somebody for keeping your judoka outta the Nurse's Office, then thank mister 'ninja-master' over here", said Kazuo, his expression sobering up some as his gaze settled on Jinsei.

"If it hadn't been for him and his sneaky tricks coming at me from outta nowhere, it'd be fat boy in here instead of me, and he'd have been in much worse condition!"

Kazuo pauses for moment with his eyes on Jinsei, seeming to weigh something in his mind before continuing.

"Y'know?", he says, "I can't decide whether to be pissed off at you or to admire you kid. I thought I was the dirty fighter... I mean, I've been in a lot of fights and seen a lot of underhanded moves, but what you pulled out there... man!" Kazuo shook his head in mock-admiration as he spoke, "Seriously, you must've already been maneuvering yourself into position while the rest of us were still gawking at that nova kid. A building blows up and somebody flies out of it and your first thought is that it's an opportunity to get the drop on someone when they're not looking? Now that's commitment to your art! I could learn a few things from you I think."

Kazuo looks at both of the students before him and smiles one last time before moving brusquely between them on his way out the door. But as he reaches the doorframe he stops and turns around with a questioning look on his face.

Looking directly at Ryoko, Kazuo looks as if he's completely forgotten the others are still there and says, "Hey, do you still have my pack?"

::blink

"I see..."

Akaji turns back to Keiko and she nods quietly. Looking at Jinsei and the nurse he coughs slightly, interrupting any intervention Jinsei may have, and thanks the nurse for taking care of Kazuo, once again bowing low.

"Kazuo-san...your first class is track-and-field. If you do not think you can run today, please ask nurse for an absence pass."

Akaji nods at Keiko and Jinsei and heads towards the door

"We should go."

If Kazuo lets them out, they head to the Principle's office.

[Expendable]

"Let me go!" she demanded hotly, struggling.

"You're the one who decided to fight him," Akira stormed. "You think the headmaster doesn't know that already? Or the coach? Your mistake, not mine."

[ProfPotts]

Locker Room Larks:

"Me?"

"Wooow...you're a really big guy...must really validate your ego to push around the smaller students..."

Tetsuo's eyes briefly dart towards the tattooed new kid, but he just grunts & ignores Tora's comments - maybe it was just the sort of day he was having, but Tetsuo couldn't help but think that fate had it in for him when it gave the only kid in the school who hadn't seen or heard about the fight a big mouth & an attitude to match...

"Let me go!"

'Sure,' Tetsuo sneers, his face close to Akira's, his breath & spittle hitting her cheek, 'right after I get some payback...' ::angry

"You're the one who decided to fight him... You think the headmaster doesn't know that already? Or the coach? Your mistake, not mine."

Tetsuo's features twist with rage - I decided? That stupid thug tried to ambush me! If Jinsei hadn't been there he may have succeeded...

'Urusai gaki! All you had to do was to keep your mouth shut, ketsunoana! Koro shite yaru!'

::nuclear

[urusai gaki = shut up, brat!, ketsunoana = you @$$hole!, koro shite yaru = I'm going to kill you!]

Famed for his incredibly strong grip Tetsuo goes straight for Akita's tama [b@lls] - 'cos it'll hurt like hell, but won't leave any visible marks on show. With one meaty hand still pinning Akira to a locker by 'his' neck, Tetsuo grabs his victim's crotch hard with the other - only to discover a serious oversight (or two... ::sly ) in his tactics...

::blink

... The large judoka's hand loosens its grip on Akira's nether-regions, feeling about for a few uncomfortable seconds more to confirm his discovery...

::blink

::jaw

Releasing Akira & leaping back as if he'd been stung Tetsuo stares stupidly at her, pointing a chubby finger, & stammers,

'Y... y... you're a g... g... girl?!' ::blink

Nursing a Grudge:

"I'm fine... thanks for waiting with me Ryoko"

Beaming a smile Ryoko suddenly leans forward & gives Kazuo a peck of a kiss on the cheek, before turning to pass him his clothes. That kiss must have just been platonic... right..? ::unsure

When Akaji, Jinsei, & Keiko arrive Ryoko bows politely to them, but keeps quiet as they speak with Kazuo - although she unconsciously places her hand in front of her mouth in shocked reaction to the rather... informal... manner in which Kazuo talks to the esteemed class president.

"Hey, do you still have my pack?"

Recoving a little from her shock Ryoko nods quickly & hands the pack to Kazuo.

"I see... Kazuo-san... your first class is track-and-field. If you do not think you can run today, please ask nurse for an absence pass... We should go."

When Kazuo leaves the nurse's office & heads towards the locker rooms Ryoko trots after him - seeming pretty subdued after Kazuo's exchange with Akaji. Reaching their destination she favours Kazuo with a brief smile, before vanishing into the girl's changing room. Heading into the boy's changing room Kazuo is confronted with Tetsuo, clad in only a towel around his waist, backed up against a locker, pointing at Akira & looking as if he's just be visited by the restless spirits of the hungry dead... ::blink

[Presuming Jinsei also heads to his PE lesson, then he witnesses the same scene, natch]

Meanwhile Akaji, with the ever-present Keiko in tow, reach the Principle's office... [we can just let this bit play out behind the scenes if you want, zeke]

*****

Tamamo traced her fingers gently over the contours of the heavily customised motorcycle parked outside Nippontai High - she smiled as she felt the residual warmth coming off the beautiful machine: someone obviously took loving care of her, but also liked to ride her hard & fast - that was the sort of person Tamamo wouldn't mind meeting...

'Would you two like to get a room together?' Nagumo's snide little voice interupted Tamamo's happy contemplations. Snatching her hand away from the bike she snapped it into a quick backhand strike directed at the skinny, oily, be-spectacled little snot's face: he fliched, throwing his arms up & cowering, but the blow stopped short before striking home - caught in the hand of a totally black ninja-esque figure which sprang up from the shadows pooled beneath the motorcycle!

Fixing the shadow-figure with a narrow-eyed stare Tamamo spoke aloud, adressing not the puppet which held her, but the puppeteer,

'Let go of me, Shinobi,' her tone was full of unconcealed threat, 'you know I can take these things apart.'

In response the slender, fine-featured, figure of Akinori stepped from the shadows of a nearby cherry blossom, his movements both regal & graceful, his long purple-black hair flowing down the back of the black silk kimono he wore. Another step brought him to Tamamo's side, where he reached up & gently touched her flushed, oil-stained, cheek with the back of his hand,

'Deserving though Hentai may be of your wrath, little Kitsune,' Akinori's voice was as smooth & persuasive as ever, & Tamamo felt her anger calming almost instantly as the bishonen continued, 'this once I suggest you spare him so that we can all achieve our goals here today.'

Relaxing Tamamo nodded - the shadow-ninja released its grip on her wrist then turned to bow to Akinori, its master, before disolving back into the shadows from whence it came. Tamamo ran her fingers through her short, spiked, black hair & adjusted the gang-coloured leather jacket she wore over a ripped 'Geryon' T-shirt & leather biker trousers: Akinori's ninjas were always doing stuff like that, even though he created & controlled them - it seemed a little weird to her, but Tamamo guessed that, what with Akinori being such a stickler for tradition & ettiquette & all that stuff, it was just a reflection of how he saw the things. Arching her back in a cat-like stretch the rather slim, boyish, Tamamo glanced around, then shrugged,

'Okay, I guess we should do this thing,' she agreed &, with a nod of confirmation from Akinori, leapt into the woods surrounding the school & vanished.

Watching Kitsune leave Akinori then turned his attention to Hentai - the skinny, badly dressed, kid with messy hair gave his usual sneer in response: Akinori resisted the temptaion to roll his eyes. Although he rather loathed the perverse boy he couldn't deny what he was, or that he, in his own way, supported the cause. Before he could say anything more Hentai was rubbing his hands together,

'I'll take the pool,' he declared, his eyes almost sparkling in anticipation. Akinori sighed,

'Yes, of course you will,' he reluctantly agreed, before frowning slightly & adding, 'just don't do anything so stupid as to get yourself caught.'

Negumo pantomimed a hurt look,

'Who,' he asked with mock innocence, 'me?'

Akinori's frown deepened,

'Just go,' he ordered, 'I have responsibilities of my own to attend to.'

Akinori watched as Hentai stalked off round the side of the building, & shook his head - he'd never expected having to work with someone so... dishonourable... when he'd heeded the Call, but he guessed he could put enduring Negumo's presence down as a trial he had to overcome. With one final sigh he stepped back into the shadows...

[Alex Green]

Locker Room Larks:

Kenshi goes to the locker room to change into his gym outfit, takes off his clothes, then gets a good view of the Tetsuo vs. Akira incident.

*Sigh. Being built like a mitoid doesn’t mean you have to act like one.*

Releasing Akira & leaping back as if he'd been stung Tetsuo stares stupidly at her, pointing a chubby finger, & stammers,

'Y... y... you're a g... g... girl?!' ::blink

Kenshi says,

::blush :Squeak: ::blush and covers his neither regions with his hands. ::ohmy

[Expendable]

Locker Room Larks:

'Urusai gaki! All you had to do was to keep your mouth shut, ketsunoana! Koro shite yaru!'

::nuclear

[urusai gaki = shut up, brat!, ketsunoana = you @$$hole!, koro shite yaru = I'm going to kill you!]

Famed for his incredibly strong grip Tetsuo goes straight for Akita's tama [b@lls] - 'cos it'll hurt like hell, but won't leave any visible marks on show. With one meaty hand still pinning Akira to a locker by 'his' neck, Tetsuo grabs his victim's crotch hard with the other - only to discover a serious oversight (or two... ::sly ) in his tactics...

::blink

Akira stared wide eyed back at Tetsuo, her face turning red....

... The large judoka's hand loosens its grip on Akira's nether-regions, feeling about for a few uncomfortable seconds more to confirm his discovery...

::blink

::jaw

Releasing Akira & leaping back as if he'd been stung Tetsuo stares stupidly at her, pointing a chubby finger, & stammers,

'Y... y... you're a g... g... girl?!' ::blink

Akira sobbed and bolted for the door, tears already streaming down her face.

[phoenix]

Heading into the boy's changing room Kazuo is confronted with Tetsuo, clad in only a towel around his waist, backed up against a locker, pointing at Akira & looking as if he's just be visited by the restless spirits of the hungry dead...

Jinsei, walking in, watches for a moment, then sets about changing himself nonchalantly. ::cool

[Centimane]

Heading into the boy's changing room Kazuo is confronted with Tetsuo, clad in only a towel around his waist, backed up against a locker, pointing at Akira & looking as if he's just be visited by the restless spirits of the hungry dead... ::blink

Akira sobbed and bolted for the door, tears already streaming down her face.

Kazuo watches as Akira flees, then turns to the shaken Tetsuo and asks, "bad sexual encounter? Or did that kid just see you without your towel on?"

Kazuo thinks his joke is pretty funny, but as he begins to remove his shirt he can't help but be aware that his own scarred body isn't much to look at either.

But hey, you take your laughs where you can get 'em, right?

With his shirt off Kazuo looks like what the boxing federations call a "light heavyweight", and nothing at all like a highschool kid. While not as enormous as Tetsuo, nor as well-muscled as the other new kid with the tats, Kazuo's body is lean and hardpacked and has a spare, utilitarian look to it. His arms and torso also sport an alarming number of scars, not to mention fresh bruises from his recent pounding.

Kazuo sets about changing quickly and efficiently without paying any mind to any looks his scars or bruises might be earning him.

[Expendable]

Kazuo watches as Akira flees, then turns to the shaken Tetsuo and asks, "bad sexual encounter? Or did that kid just see you without your towel on?"

Choking back sobs, Akira fled across the gym floor, heading towards the hallway and the nearest girl's bathroom.

[ProfPotts]

Boys Will Be Boys:

"bad sexual encounter? Or did that kid just see you without your towel on?"

Kazuo's comment snaps Tetsuo out from being stunned: for a moment it looks like the big judoka is ready to re-start the fight, but then he grinds his teeth & pointedly ignore 'scar face', instead busying himself with getting changed. ::angry

The lads head out to find Coach Chiba already directing the boys who were a little less tardy: a process which appears to involve a lot of whistle-blowing, shouting, & the occassional demonstartion by the ex-sumo. Pretty much every track & field sport is being practiced across the field: from hurdles, to pole-vault, to the javelin & hammer toss, with everything in between. Those who've been at the school more than a day (& any others who take the time to notice) know that the boys' P.E. class is often much appreciated by the girls from the other classes which can see out across the sports field ::blush ::wub ::blushing : many a reputation has been won or lost on the sports field, & showing off (or trying as hard as possible to not be seen at all) is the order of the day.

Tetsuo, always one to play to his strengths, heads over to the hammer toss & shotput - leaving the running & jumping to his lighter, more agile, classmates.

[Time to demonstate those investments in physical Ability scores chaps!]

Girls Will Be Girls:

Bypassing the crowded girls' locker room, Akira finds the nearest traditional sanctuary of privacy in high school life - the girls' bathroom - host, in most schools, to untold weeping pupils over the years: a place where she can lock herself in a cubical & wait for the ground to swallow her up. ::cry

Akira's not sure just how long she's been crying when she opens her eyes to see a large black cat curled up in the corner of the cubical, watching her... Something about the cat strikes the girl as odd (apart from the fact it's there at all) - & then she realises that it's not just black, it's completely black - even its eyes... ::unsure Watching Akira watching it, the creature stands up, stretches, then pads out of the cubical, under the door, pausing to glance back - almost as if it was waiting for her... ::ninja

[Expendable]

Girls Will Be Girls

Akira's not sure just how long she's been crying when she opens her eyes to see a large black cat curled up in the corner of the cubical, watching her... Something about the cat strikes the girl as odd (apart from the fact it's there at all) - & then she realises that it's not just black, it's completely black - even its eyes... ::unsure Watching Akira watching it, the creature stands up, stretches, then pads out of the cubical, under the door, pausing to glance back - almost as if it was waiting for her... ::ninja

Akira rubbed her hands across her eyes and tear-ravaged cheeks - she must look terrible. But the cat gave her pause - what was a neko doing in the bathroom? And so strange-looking! And how did it get in?

"Sorry," she told the cat, reluctantly getting up and straightening her clothes, then opening the cubical. "Did you get stuck in here?"

She glanced at the mirror and cringed slightly, but crossed over to the door and opened it. What was a cat doing in the school? And that look it gave her. Did it really want her to follow?

She glanced back towards the gym, then back at the cat. Anywhere was better than that place, right now.

"So where are you taking me?" Akira asked.

[Alex Green]

Boys Will Be Boys:

Kenshi immediately moves to the pole-vault. It's not flying, but it's close. He sets the bar at it's starting level, does some warm up streaches, and off he goes.

However he does, when he's done with his first jump he says to anyone near by,

"Flight. Definately flight. If I get an eruption wish..."

(EDITED to say something)

[SkyLion]

Changing was simple. His leather pants went into the locker along with his black tank top, leaving him clad in only his basketball shorts. Inevitably his appearance would garner some attention, whether the rippling definition of his muscles or the tatoos which swirled across his shoulder girdle and up his entire neck. Tora flowed like water past the other students and Coach Chiba, seemingly content in his own world.

*This PE class is going to be a joke,* he thought. Moving away towards an open section of the track Yushiro began his own warm up routine. Bending down to touch his toes, he bounces sliglty before returning to a vertical posture and lightly hopping from one foot to another. Abruptly, he drops into a full middle split, bending his chest all the way to the ground. With arms in pushup position he then presses slowly and smoothly into a perfect handstand. Allowing his legs to open in stradle for balance, he knocks out 10 free standing handstand pushups, before lowering his feet with control back to the ground. Some arm rotations to open his shoulders back up and Yushiro stands ready for whatever Coach Chiba plans to throw at them...

{{Moved this post down for the appropriate moment.}}

[Centimane]

Still feeling like bloody ground beef (and, being Japanese, Kazuo finds this even more repulsive than your average Westerner), Kazuo just sort of follows the motions during his time in PE. He puts just enough effort into his activities to constitute 'excersize', without making any effort to show off (as if he would anyway).

He thinks, what a lousy day...., and focuses on not focusing on his sore ribs.

[ProfPotts]

Curiosity:

Seeming to once more pause to make sure that Akira is following, the strange all-black cat pads softly out the door to the bathroom, down the corridor, & slips through a side door, leading outside...

... Outside Akira finds herself by the side of the school, a short way from the woods which surround much of the campus; she can hear the sounds of the boys' PE lesson getting into full swing round the back of the building, but for the moment she appears to be all alone... apart from the cat, which stops, then sits staring at her for a moment before... melting into a pool of shadow! ::ohmy

'Good afternoon, miss.'

The soft, well-spoken, yet masculine voice comes from behind Akira - between her & the door back into the school: turning she finds herself face-to-face with an attractive bishonen boy, maybe a little older than she is, with long, straight, purple-black hair she'd just kill to have herself. Dressed in a traditonal style black-silk kimono Akira suspects that some, from a distance, could mistake the slender figure for an attractive young woman - but her own experience with her father & his... associates... doesn't allow Akira to make any such basic mistakes. The boy bows politely, then looks deep into Akira's eyes,

'Forgive me, miss,' he says, his tone gentle & concerned, 'but I couldn't help noticing that you seem to have been cryng... Is there anything the matter?'

Many Tails:

'Hey, watch out!'

The cry goes out across the sports field as one of the boys badly mis-throws a discus, sending it hurtling towards his fellow pupils, who scatter out of the way - only for the offending piece of equipment to disappear into the woods befond the sports field. Glancing up, Coach Chiba points to a few of the boys at random: Kazuo, Tora, Kenshi, & Jinsei,

'You four, go look for that discus!' he orders, before returning to his berating of the boy who threw it in the first place...

*****

Far enough into the the shadows of the woods to be well out of sight Kitsune flipped the discus over in her hands & smirked: looking over the four pupils who began to make their way towards her she nodded in appreciation. The odds, she knew, of the four most likely candidates from the group being chosen to fetch the discus were pretty slim... well, they had been, until she'd done something about it... like she'd caused the mis-throw in the first place...

... Placing the discus further into the woods, at the base of a tree, Kitsune leapt into the high, concealing, branches with one easy, fluid, motion & waited for the four to approach. Shinobi & Hentai would try their best, she knew, but from where she was perched, the fox trickster thought to herself, her odds of finding one had just increased four-fold. She was bound to come out ahead now... ::sly

[Expendable]

Curiosity:

... Outside Akira finds herself by the side of the school, a short way from the woods which surround much of the campus; she can hear the sounds of the boys' PE lesson getting into full swing round the back of the building, but for the moment she appears to be all alone... apart from the cat, which stops, then sits staring at her for a moment before... melting into a pool of shadow! ::ohmy

"Neko-san?" Akira asked, stepping forward and craning her neck. Where had the cat gone to?

'Good afternoon, miss.'

"Eeep!" Akira chirped, wide-eyed. Her hands clenched instinctively into fists as she spun to face whoever had snuck up behind her.

The soft, well-spoken, yet masculine voice comes from behind Akira - between her & the door back into the school: turning she finds herself face-to-face with an attractive bishonen boy, maybe a little older than she is, with long, straight, purple-black hair she'd just kill to have herself. Dressed in a traditonal style black-silk kimono Akira suspects that some, from a distance, could mistake the slender figure for an attractive young woman - but her own experience with her father & his... associates... doesn't allow Akira to make any such basic mistakes. The boy bows politely, then looks deep into Akira's eyes,

'Forgive me, miss,' he says, his tone gentle & concerned, 'but I couldn't help noticing that you seem to have been cryng... Is there anything the matter?'

"Matter?" Akira blinked, nonplused. She belatedly returned his bow, unfolding her hands at her side. "Uh, I uh, was following a black neko...? Not that the cat made me cry, I like cats. Do you like cats?"

'Steady girl, you're babbling,' she scolded herself. Who was this beautiful boy? Why was he wearing a kimono? It wasn't a festival or anything, you almost never saw someone just walking around wearing a kimono anymore.

"I was going to the changing room to put on my swimsuit, but the coach shoved me into the boy's changing room instead. I tried to leave but some boy grabbed me and... and...."

Tears welled up into her eyes as the memory came flooding back. She collaped to the ground knees first, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed again.

[Alex Green]

Many Tails:

'Hey, watch out!'

The cry goes out across the sports field as one of the boys badly mis-throws a discus, sending it hurtling towards his fellow pupils, who scatter out of the way - only for the offending piece of equipment to disappear into the woods befond the sports field. Glancing up, Coach Chiba points to a few of the boys at random: Kazuo, Tora, Kenshi, & Jinsei,

'You four, go look for that discus!' he orders, before returning to his berating of the boy who threw it in the first place...

Kenshi spares an angry glance at the thrower of the wayward disk before jogging to follow it. ::glare

He says to the others,

"Did anyone see it land?"

[SkyLion]

Many Tails:

'Hey, watch out!'

The cry goes out across the sports field as one of the boys badly mis-throws a discus, sending it hurtling towards his fellow pupils, who scatter out of the way - only for the offending piece of equipment to disappear into the woods befond the sports field. Glancing up, Coach Chiba points to a few of the boys at random: Kazuo, Tora, Kenshi, & Jinsei,

'You four, go look for that discus!' he orders, before returning to his berating of the boy who threw it in the first place...

,,

Tora stopped working out on the parrallel bars. Twisting into a dismount he hit the ground running full tult in the direction of the discuss throw. When he reaches the treeline he catapults up to a low-hanging tree branch, using his momentum and arms to pull his legs up into a coiled and tiger-like crouch. Springing up into the air he grabs a higher branch like an uneven bar and vaults himself forward, dissapearing into the woods.

{{Edited for Descriptiveness}}

[Centimane]

Privately thankful for an excuse to stop his exercises, Kazuo starts off towards the woods. He couldn't care less where the damn thing is and it's a pretty sure bet that if anyone finds it, it won't be him. Kazuo thinks he might just get 'lost' in there for a bit, maybe have to light up a cigarrette to keep warm. Then he realizes that he left his pack back in the changing room with the rest of his stuff. Damn.

Kazuo's about to check and see if he might be able to slip past the coach and then back out to the woods without him noticing when he sees that kid with all the tats go vaulting into the woods like a dog after a frisbee. Well, more like a monkey actually, but monkeys don't chase frisbees (or do they?) and Kazuo likes his first analogy better anyway. He gives up on the idea of sneaking past the coach, smirks at pretty boy's enthusiasm, and heads into the trees, telling Kenshi along the way that 'no' he has no idea where the discuss went (and couldn't care less, 'have fun lookin' though, ok kid?')

Maybe he'll take a minute to appreciate nature and sh*t. That's supposed to be good for you or something right?

[ProfPotts]

Prince Charming:

"Matter?... Uh, I uh, was following a black neko...? Not that the cat made me cry, I like cats. Do you like cats?"

The boy just smiles a rather enigmatic smile, but remains quiet as Akira continues...

"I was going to the changing room to put on my swimsuit, but the coach shoved me into the boy's changing room instead. I tried to leave but some boy grabbed me and... and...."

As she starts to cry once more Akira feels the boy's arms around her,

'Hush, Princess,' he whispers softly, 'you won't have to worry about such mortal concerns any longer...'

The boy's tone, his words, are at the same time both soothing & sinister... Akira feels him let go of her, only to have the warmth of his arms replaced by a sensation like cool liquid covering & engulfing her! Opening her eyes she's shocked to find nothing but pitch darkness - if it weren't for the ground beneath her, & the fact that she can still breath, Akira would swear that she was drowning. It's almost as if the darkness itself is liquid, like the thickest of fogs, but with substance - a nightmare of trying to run, but finding herself slowed to a snail's pace, the dark closing in, holding her back... ::unsure ::devil

Woodland Spirit:

"Did anyone see it land?"

Tora leaps eagerly ahead as Kenshi & Kazuo follow at a more... sane... pace (& Jinsei... well, who knows..?), & soon the three find themselves quite a way into the woods - out of sight of the sports field - still unable to locate the errant discus, until...

... Kenshi, the most observant of the three, spots the discus resting at the base of a tree. It's pretty inconceivable how it got all the way there - it must have rolled a long way after landing. As he moves to retrieve the thing, a girl's voice calls out from behind the three,

'Don't you boys know it's dangerous to come into these woods? They say that evil spirits are to be found here...' ::sly

Turning, the three pupils see a rather skinny, boyish, figure standing behind them - although quite pretty, the girl (who seems about the same age as they are) has short, spiked, hair, & is dressed in motorcyle leathers (trousers, boots, jacket, with a rippled, oil-stained, T-shirt with a picture of the Teragen terrorist Geryon on the front). Her clothes are in the style of a motorcycle gang: the symbol she wears on the jacket is a nine-tailed golden fox.

Stretching in a back-arching, feline, style the girl grins at the three boys (in the manner of a cat stalking three mice... three small mice...), then says,

'Just so you know, I'm Kitsune. You have three choices ahead of you: evolve, die... or beat me & escape...'

... It seems clear that the girl counts 'option three' as a joke... ::huh

[Centimane]

Woodland Spirit:

Tora leaps eagerly ahead as Kenshi & Kazuo follow at a more... sane... pace (& Jinsei... well, who knows..?), & soon the three find themselves quite a way into the woods - out of sight of the sports field - still unable to locate the errant discus, until...

... Kenshi, the most observant of the three, spots the discus resting at the base of a tree. It's pretty inconceivable how it got all the way there - it must have rolled a long way after landing. As he moves to retrieve the thing, a girl's voice calls out from behind the three,

'Don't you boys know it's dangerous to come into these woods? They say that evil spirits are to be found here...' ::sly

Turning, the three pupils see a rather skinny, boyish, figure standing behind them - although quite pretty, the girl (who seems about the same age as they are) has short, spiked, hair, & is dressed in motorcyle leathers (trousers, boots, jacket, with a rippled, oil-stained, T-shirt with a picture of the Teragen terrorist Geryon on the front). Her clothes are in the style of a motorcycle gang: the symbol she wears on the jacket is a nine-tailed golden fox.

Stretching in a back-arching, feline, style the girl grins at the three boys (in the manner of a cat stalking three mice... three small mice...), then says,

'Just so you know, I'm Kitsune. You have three choices ahead of you: evolve, die... or beat me & escape...'

... It seems clear that the girl counts 'option three' as a joke... ::huh

Kazuo is really starting to wonder what kind of karma is dumping on him lately, because today went rapidly from being annoying to sh*tty. And now this busu shows up and wants to fight! Which is just wierd, really.

When did he become so popular?! Unbelievable!

Normally Kazuo has no problem with fighting - looks forward to it actually. But in his mind a person should have something that is at least distantly related to a reason for wanting to fight. Since this chic doesn't have one, that he can see, Kazuo also doesn't see the point.

Also, he has a hangover (still). Also, he just woke up from having the crap kicked out of him by not one, but two people. Also, also, neither of them had any reason to want to fight him either (at least, none that he's willing to admit to)!

Kazuo looks off in the distance with an air of annoyed boredom after the strange girl gives her challenge, and then turns to face the her.

'Maji?', says Kazuo and fixes the girl with a one-eyed look of incredulity (the dead eye manages a look of listlessness, which is much better than it normally manages, and goes decently well with the incredulous look of its still-working partner).

After a moment he shrugs and says, 'Whatever...'

'Well', he says, looking between the strange girl and his fellow students, 'I hope you guys have fun. But my day has been choberiba, and I'm just not up for dealing with weird little girls with abnormally skinny asses.'

He stops and looks the girl over again.'Hell, even if my day had been choberigu, I still wouldn't be up for dealing with an ass that skinny.'

'I'm outta here.'

Then Kazuo starts to walk away....

[Expendable]

Prince Charming:

As she starts to cry once more Akira feels the boy's arms around her,

'Hush, Princess,' he whispers softly, 'you won't have to worry about such mortal concerns any longer...'

The boy's tone, his words, are at the same time both soothing & sinister... Akira feels him let go of her, only to have the warmth of his arms replaced by a sensation like cool liquid covering & engulfing her! Opening her eyes she's shocked to find nothing but pitch darkness - if it weren't for the ground beneath her, & the fact that she can still breath, Akira would swear that she was drowning. It's almost as if the darkness itself is liquid, like the thickest of fogs, but with substance - a nightmare of trying to run, but finding herself slowed to a snail's pace, the dark closing in, holding her back... ::unsure ::devil

Akira felt so embarrassed, crying in front of a boy like that. Only why did he call her princess? Mortal concerns? What did he mean by that?

And then his arm moved - and suddenly something cold swept over her.

"What is this?" she cried out. It was dark, so dark! She checked her eyes to make sure they were open - they were. She pushed herself upright, but there was nothing to be seen anywhere!

She was facing the school - the boy had been standing between her and the building. Maybe she could walk out? Akira took a step, then another - it was so hard...!

"Stop this!" she yelled angrily, her fists balling up. "Stop this right now!"

[Alex Green]

Kenshi looks over the babe...

*Thin. I know that animal on her chest too...*

'Just so you know, I'm Kitsune....'

*Right. That's the name of it. Odd name. Maybe a costume... Oh crap!*

Kenshi says as much to himself as to the others,

"She's a nova."

[SkyLion]

Tora looks down from his position in the upper branches of a large tree. Practicing Parkour in the woods was always a nice change of scenery. The organic angles and curves of the environment, and uneven terrain made for a stimulating workout as well as alloweing him to scan the ground for the missing discus. Kenshi however, spotted it first...cueing the entrance of a mysterious challenger.

,,

She was pretty cute alright...bit of a Tom, but nonetheless with a sense of style and attitude that caught Tora's attention. Why was she calling herself a mythical creature? And why was she challenging them? She didnt look like the technical school type so probably not from Kuro-tek. Her Geryon shirt suggested Novazuku but so far he couldn't see any of the "special effects" they were known for. So, Tora decided to do what had always worked for him in unknown situations...try andd flirt his way out of it.

,,

After Kazuo says his piece (what a charmer that one...), Tora calls down from his high perch,

,,

"Hey! Foxy-babe! I can see you decided school was as boring as we did...while we're all ditching class, why don't you and I go get into some mischief, eh?"

[phoenix]

"Did anyone see it land?"

Jinsei sighs, jogging along behind Kenshi.

"I thought I did, but it seems not to be around..."

'Just so you know, I'm Kitsune. You have three choices ahead of you: evolve, die... or beat me & escape...'

Jinsei blinks.

"She's a nova."

"Or just another Teragen poseur. Either way, she did just threaten to kill us... I wonder how fast she can run."

Clearly Jinsei is unsure how to react, but Kazuo's walking away puts the ball back in her court anyway. He tries to stand in a place where, if Kitsune runs after him, he can employ a classic martial arts move of sticking out his foot to trip her... ::devil

[i'm here I'm here I'm here! ::blush ]

[Alex Green]

Kenshi watches the mystery woman to see how she reacts to Kazuo and also shifts the disk to a throwing grip. He's starting to be very concerned about all this.

[ProfPotts]

Living Nightmares:

"What is this?... Stop this!... Stop this right now!"

Trying her best to move forwards Akira's cries go unanswered... then she feels a strong hand clamp over her mouth & an arm lock around her neck. Then more hands from the darkness grip her firmly, pinning her wrists, ankles, forcing her down to the ground, smothering her... & yet more hands press down on her, some scratching at her skin, or ripping her clothing, as if a whole crowd of people were all intent on her abuse... Unable to catch a breath, she starts to feel light headed - her headache returning as a painful, pounding, throbbing just behind her eyes... ::ohmy

The Trickster's Tails:

'Whatever... Well... I hope you guys have fun. But my day has been choberiba, and I'm just not up for dealing with weird little girls with abnormally skinny asses... Hell, even if my day had been choberigu, I still wouldn't be up for dealing with an ass that skinny... I'm outta here.'

"She's a nova."

"Or just another Teragen poseur. Either way, she did just threaten to kill us... I wonder how fast she can run."

"Hey! Foxy-babe! I can see you decided school was as boring as we did...while we're all ditching class, why don't you and I go get into some mischief, eh?"

The 'skinny-@$$ed' girl seems more amused by the second as she listens to the four [count 'em, four! ::wink ] pupils' reactions. Glancing between Kazuo & Tora she smiles a predatory grin, & an actual honest-to-God glint of light shines for a moment in her eye,

'Oooh,' she coos, 'that's a nasty fall...'

Suddenly there's an ominous cracking noise as the branch Tora is perching on snaps, sending it (& him) plumeting to the ground - where the falls of both the branch & the boy are broken by the exiting Kazuo! A loose splinter from where the branch snapped flies through the air at speed, slashing a deep cut across Jinsei's forehead - reflexively moving his hand to his wound Jinsei staggers back, only to smash into Kenshi, sending the mayor's son tumbling back to smack his head against the trunk of another tree!

[All four pupils are Bruised with Lethal damage, & all four are now sprawled on the ground too... ::devil ]

Executing a remarkably graceful cartwheel & aerial somersault the girl, Kitsune, lands in a crouch next to Kazuo & Tora - grasping Tora's chin she tilts his head up &, face inches from his, hisses,

'Is that the sort of mischief you had in mind, stud?' ::devil

[SkyLion]

Suddenly there's an ominous cracking noise

"Huh?"

...as the branch Tora is perching on snaps, sending it (& him) plumeting to the ground -

"Ahh!"

...where the falls of both the branch & the boy are broken by the exiting Kazuo!

"Oof!!!....nnnnn *cough*....Ow."

Executing a remarkably graceful cartwheel & aerial somersault the girl, Kitsune, lands in a crouch next to Kazuo & Tora - grasping Tora's chin she tilts his head up &, face inches from his, hisses,

'Is that the sort of mischief you had in mind, stud?' ::devil

His body limp and relaxed, Tora's mouth cracks into a grin through the pain, his voice a little winded

"...nnnn...actually...it was something more...nnn...like this..."

And with that his face lunges forward, pressing his lips firmly against the girl's. No tongue. Not wet or sloppy, but a nice, firm, solid kiss on the lips.

[phoenix]

A loose splinter from where the branch snapped flies through the air at speed, slashing a deep cut across Jinsei's forehead - reflexively moving his hand to his wound Jinsei staggers back, only to smash into Kenshi, sending the mayor's son tumbling back to smack his head against the trunk of another tree!

"Ahh! Hell!" Jinsei cries out in pain, covering the blood gushing from his wound with his hand. Nova power nova power... ::ohmy

And with that his face lunges forward, pressing his lips firmly against the girl's. No tongue. Not wet or sloppy, but a nice, firm, solid kiss on the lips.

Jinsei almost laughs, but turns it into a ragged cough of pain. Crazy! and Brilliant! he thinks simultaneously.

Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, he ignores the pain of his wound for now and leaps up to a crouch, then launches a low kick into Kitsune's rib cage!

"Rush her!" he cries to the others after the blow, adopting a defensive crouch.

[Regular kick, then defensive action.]

[Centimane]

As Kazuo begins walking away he's shocked to see an actual glint of light from his would-be assailant's eyes. He hears her say, 'Oh, that's a nasty fall', and hears the snap of a tree branch over his head.

Kazuo doesn't even bother looking up, he already knows what's coming. As the boy and his branch descend on him like a kamikaze pilot consumed with feelings of nationalistic pride descending on a Yank battleship (banzzaaaiiii!!!!!!), Kazuo has just enough time to think, this totally blows, maybe I'll get lucky and the fall'll knock me out again. Or kill me. ::glare , and to give the girl an exasperated, pleading look as if to say, 'why?'. Then Tora hits him, which hurts like hell but completely fails to knock Kazuo out.

Kazuo expresses his general frustration at this, not to mention his overall sense of extreme discomfort, by saying, 'oof!', and leaves it at that.

Anyone who has spent a reasonable amount of time around Kazuo (i.e. 3 to 5 seconds) will know that he's about as subtle as a swift kick in the taint. So it is unsurprising that, as he pulls himself up and sees two teenagers kissing right in front of him, he really doesn't understand why Tora would still be interested in this girl after what she's done (Kazuo may not be subtle, but even he can make a connection when the obvious stares him in the face long enough, so he's pretty sure she's a nova now).

Unless he's into that Sado stuff? Whatever...

These thoughts float across the back of Kazuo's mind and are quickly submerged by the cold fury welling up inside him. He's pissed and he doesn't care who knows it.

While Tora and the girl are still in the midst of their kiss, Kazuo's fist, with two of its knuckles jutting forward to make a point, crashes into the girl's throat ((or so I hope)). Banzzaaaiiii!!!!!!

((Kazuo will make a targeted attack, aiming for where the adam's apple would be on Kitsune's throat. I'm operating under the assumption that this qualifies as a +3 diff, +4 damage attack, but if I'm wrong that's fine. Kazuo will drop a willpower point on this attack.))

[Alex Green]

The Trickster's Tails:

Glancing between Kazuo & Tora she smiles a predatory grin, & an actual honest-to-God glint of light shines for a moment in her eye...

::blink *Gulp. Nova.*

Suddenly there's an ominous cracking noise as the branch Tora is perching on snaps, sending it (& him) plumeting to the ground - where the falls of both the branch & the boy are broken by the exiting Kazuo!

Kenshi winces with sympathy.

...Jinsei staggers back, only to smash into Kenshi

*ow.* "Uff!"

...sending the mayor's son tumbling back to smack his head against the trunk of another tree! [All four pupils are Bruised with Lethal damage, & all four are now sprawled on the ground too... ::devil ]

*OW!*

”OW!” In the confusion Kenshi drops the disk.

And with that [Tora's] face lunges forward, pressing his lips firmly against the girl's. No tongue. Not wet or sloppy, but a nice, firm, solid kiss on the lips.

::blink ::ohmy

Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, he ignores the pain of his wound for now and leaps up to a crouch, then launches a low kick into Kitsune's rib cage!

"Rush her!" he cries to the others after the blow, adopting a defensive crouch.

::blink ::ohmy

Kenshi thinks, *Oh this is such a bad idea.*

Kenshi gets to his feet and attempts to hit her.

[Expendable]

Living Nightmares:

Trying her best to move forwards Akira's cries go unanswered... then she feels a strong hand clamp over her mouth & an arm lock around her neck. Then more hands from the darkness grip her firmly, pinning her wrists, ankles, forcing her down to the ground, smothering her... & yet more hands press down on her, some scratching at her skin, or ripping her clothing, as if a whole crowd of people were all intent on her abuse... Unable to catch a breath, she starts to feel light headed - her headache returning as a painful, pounding, throbbing just behind her eyes... ::ohmy

'I don't want to be here!' Akira wanted to scream as she felt the hands all over her, holding her down, doing things....! It was a thousand times worse than what happened in the boy's locker room. She tried to bite the hand pressed over her mouth. 'I don't want to be here!'

The throbbing in her head suddenly spiked, making her go rigid and scream despite the hand clamped over it. She almost forgot the groping hands tearing at her clothes as the burning pain in her head began flowing all through the veins and nerves of her body like molten electric fire. Images formed in the darkness, floating in front of her, some distant, others close by. Like the stall in the girl's bathroom. The place she was just in a little while ago. Even though she was being held down she could somehow feel herself reaching for it....

[ooc: Teleport 1 (L2 Q2) NP3 please? I think I'm close enough to try for an emergency teleport to the bathroom]

[ProfPotts]

Kissing with Confidence:

"...nnnn...actually...it was something more...nnn...like this..."

Considering her rather hard image Kitsune's lips prove to be soft & pleasant to kiss... but not for long: before Tora can tell if the girl's responding or replused by him Kazuo's fist thrusts towards them both...

... at the last moment Kitsune pulls away, rolling into a backflip to a standing, fighting, posture; by sheer willpower alone Kazuo manages to control his deadly jab so that it stops a fraction of an inch away from Tora's eye (which, considering the speed, power, & technique of the jab would surely have been crushed by Kazuo's blow had he allowed it to land)...

"Rush her!"

Jinsei's on the girl in a flash, his kick powering towards her chest - only for Kitsune to narrowly avoid the attack by arching backwards with superhuman agility which would put a champion limbo dancer to shame. Once the kick's passed over her Kitsune snaps back upright, her hands never once touching the ground during the whole maneuver,

'Shame on you, Aki-chan,' the Nova girl chides, a grin on her lips, 'I thought you were a judoka, not a...'

... her words are cut short as Kenshi's rather basic, but solid, punch flies towards her: Kitsune twists to the side, but the simple attack proves more effective than the fancy moves favoured by others & manages to connect... just...

... An incredible leap sends Kitsune bouncing off the trunk of one tree, half-way up, to land high in the branches of another. Crouching on her new perch she stares down at the pupils as her fingers carefully dap the trickle of blood from the corner of her lip. She tastes it, & slowly her frown transforms into a smile,

'Saiko!' she declares, 'I was promised a challenge here, & it seems that you boys don't disappoint. I know the famous competitor Aki-chan, of course, but who are you others? You've proven interesting enough for me to bother to find out your names... before you die that is...' ::sly

The observant notice that, rather worryingly, the glint is back in her eye... ::devil

['Saiko' = 'awesome!']

Eruption!:

'I don't want to be here! I don't want to be here!'

The pain in her head blossoming until it seems to burst out of her in great floods it takes a moment or two before Akira realises that she's no longer in the darkness, no longer being held down &... touched... Instead she finds she's kneeling on the cool tile floor of the bathroom, the boy nowhere to be seen...

... Maybe it was all a dream? Just her imagination? Could she have dropped off in the bathroom, or - considering the pain still throbbing in her brain - slipped & banged her head? But then why were her clothes still ripped..?

Clutching one of the sinks Akira drags herself upright - then glimpses her reflection, & knows that nothing will ever be the same again... ::blink

[Time to describe Akira's tranformation into a Quantum god(ling)!]

[phoenix]

Thrown off balance by his kick's failure to land, Jinsei is swept from his feet and lands on his rear. Swirling in a whirlpool of anger, fear and desperation, he feels a strange new pressure in his mind, and throughout his skeleton and muscles...

He picks himself up unhesitantly and waits for the next blow to fall.

The observant notice that, rather worryingly, the glint is back in her eye...

"I'll show you Judo, you evil witch! Don't take another step towards me or my friends!" ::angry

Jinsei's youthful voice is a harsh scream of anger now.

[Jeremiah]

Seiji ran a few sprints when P.E. began, but his event of choice now seems to be staying out of the way of the instructor and only participating when he can't escape notice.

"You know, if you even tried having a good attitude about this you might enjoy it. You're not nearly as incompetent as you're making yourself look."

Seiji scoffs to himself as he jealously watches the four boys sent off on discus duty in the woods.

"Oh shuuuut up. You sound like my brother. God...I don't need a good attitude, I need a little luck. You know how sweet a deal going to look for the discus would have been? I could have just struck off on my own, stayed out there the entire time and not gotten in too much trouble. But no, now I have to deal with this..."

Seiji trails off, realizing that standing in the middle of the track and talking to yourself seems to attract even more attention that standing in the middle of the track and not talking to yourself. He sighs and jogs over to the starting blocks to race a few of the other boys. Despite his attitude, he is more athletic than he appears and intensely competitive, so he gives the race his all.

"See, that wasn't so bad. I'm in your head, remember, I can tell when you're enjoying something. Can't lie to me. Searching for a discus in the woods doesn't really seem like too sweet of a deal to me anyway, I bet those boys aren't happy at all about being out there. Now line up and go again. If that short kid wins another race I'm gonna climb out of your head and fight him. Ugh, he's so obnoxious. Beat him. Please."

[SkyLion]

Tora's head doesn't move or flinch, but one eye glances to the periphery where a large fist dominates its field of vision.

"Huh?.... ::indifferent ::glare ::blink ::cursing Damnit! Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to interrupt people when they're kissing?!" he fumes at Kazuo.

,,

Tora stands up, dusting himself off before taking in the new scene.

" *Sigh* ...Why must people always resort to violence in order to communicate...?" He asks himself rhetorically

"Yo! Foxy-babe! Why you gotta go on being such a downer with all this talk of killing people? Must make you feel reeal baad to go picking on people with no powers. In fact, I doubt you could fight all four of us without leaning on your quantum crutches..."

[Centimane]

Kazuo has to admit that he's pretty impressed when little miss human-frickin'-slinky undulates out of the way of his fist, but mostly he's just pissed (which is fast becoming a near constant frame of mind for him). For some reason or another, he actually bothers to pull his punch at the last minute, sparing pretty boy from Kazuo's own monocular fate. He's pretty pleased with himself for demonstrating such control over his actions though. Good for him. ::indifferent

Kazuo forgets all of this however, and keeps his eye on the assless wonder as she dodges and weaves and seems about to get away clean when suddenly the little bozu actually connects (what was his name again?). Yeah! Kazuo's about to congratulate him when...

Tora's head doesn't move or flinch, but one eye glances to the periphery where a large fist dominates its field of vision.

"Huh?.... ::indifferent ::glare ::blink ::cursing Damnit! Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to interrupt people when they're kissing?!" he fumes at Kazuo.

::huh '.....no.',,

Tora stands up, dusting himself off before taking in the new scene.

"* Sigh* ...Why must people always resort to violence in order to communicate...?" He asks himself rhetorically

"Yo! Foxy-babe! Why you gotta go on being such a downer with all this talk of killing people? Must make you feel reeal baad to go picking on people with no powers. In fact, I doubt you could fight all four of us without leaning on your quantum crutches..."

::glare ::rolleyes

"I'll show you Judo, you evil witch! Don't take another step towards me or my friends!" ::angry

Jinsei's youthful voice is a harsh scream of anger now.

::blink ::huh

'Saiko!' she declares, 'I was promised a challenge here, & it seems that you boys don't disappoint. I know the famous competitor Aki-chan, of course, but who are you others? You've proven interesting enough for me to bother to find out your names... before you die that is...'

The observant notice that, rather worryingly, the glint is back in her eye...

::blink ::glare ::indifferent

Kazuo really isn't the most perceptive guy on the planet, not by a long shot, but even he can see that the situation is totally outside of his control. He can also see that at least two, possibly three, of his fellow students have got their own ideas about how to handle this situation, and one of them at least is an idiot....

This whole mess rouses Kazuo's nihilistic side, and he starts to laugh. Not loudly, and not obnoxiously, and not really with much humor either. He says, 'This is hilarious.' He looks at Kitsune with his good eye and continues, 'Look girlie, thanks for all the flattery. Really. But cut the crap will ya? If you really wanna fight us then stop yer flirtin' and fight. All that posing is so lame.'

((edit: yeah, Kazuo takes a defensive position too (probably should've mentioned that, huh?).))

[Alex Green]

... her words are cut short as Kenshi's rather basic, but solid, punch flies towards her: Kitsune twists to the side, but the simple attack proves more effective than the fancy moves favoured by others & manages to connect... just...

Part of Kenshi exults in simplicity once again cutting through all the overly-complex acting and counter acting. Another, saner, part of him realizes that he just became the next target.

... An incredible leap sends Kitsune bouncing off the trunk of one tree, half-way up, to land high in the branches of another. Crouching on her new perch she stares down at the pupils as her fingers carefully dap the trickle of blood from the corner of her lip. She tastes it, & slowly her frown transforms into a smile,

'Saiko!' she declares, 'I was promised a challenge here, & it seems that you boys don't disappoint. I know the famous competitor Aki-chan, of course, but who are you others? You've proven interesting enough for me to bother to find out your names... before you die that is...' ::sly

The observant notice that, rather worryingly, the glint is back in her eye... ::devil

Kenshi doesn’t bother to answer. His Dad’s name wouldn’t help and might hurt here. His head still hurt a fair bit from the knock he’d gotten earlier. Much worse, he recognized the woman’s behavior for what it was. He’d seen this sort of thing before. A few months ago he’d noticed his sister’s cat ‘playing’ with a mouse outside. The cat would let the mouse go then catch it again. After watching for a few minutes he’d gone inside. Two hours later he’d gone outside again and the cat was still at it. He’d double checked his watch and been awestruck by the sadism. This was what was happening here. Unless a fiery nova with wings showed up they were going to end up like that mouse. And since he’d thrown the only connecting punch he was next.

(OOC: Unless he erupts Kenshi will take a full defensive action)

[Alex Green]

His head continuing to pound, Kenshi waited for nova's next move. A cat with four mice would chew off one of their legs, just to slow it down. And he was next! It was going to be *his* leg. The action seemed to slow down and he really, REALLY, JUST WANTED TO WIPE THE SMUG EXPRESSION OF HER FACE!

Kenshi yelled "Sadistic Animal!" and in an eye blink flew close enough to punch her. Standing 12 feet in the air he again tried to hit her with the same punch that had worked before.

[ProfPotts]

"I'll show you Judo, you evil witch! Don't take another step towards me or my friends!"

"Yo! Foxy-babe! Why you gotta go on being such a downer with all this talk of killing people? Must make you feel reeal baad to go picking on people with no powers. In fact, I doubt you could fight all four of us without leaning on your quantum crutches..."

'Look girlie, thanks for all the flattery. Really. But cut the crap will ya? If you really wanna fight us then stop yer flirtin' and fight. All that posing is so lame.'

Kitsune laughs out loud, pacing a little along the thin, high, tree limb as she does so, & calls down to the boys below,

'Maybe you guys would like me to cut off my own legs or something too, eh? Would that make you brave heroes feel a little more confident?' ::rolleyes she pauses & pantomimes a thoughtful expression, 'Actually, cutting off a limb or two could be fun... now who should I start with..?' Once more her fingers touch the tender spot on her lip as her predatory eyes seek out the lad who managed to land a punch... ::sly

"Sadistic Animal!"

As Kenshi bellows with what seems to be near-panicing rage he suddenly flies upwards, almost as if pulled by wires - he doesn't even leap, he just sort of 'rises' to hang, standing on nothing but air, a dozen feet up, face-to-face with the mocking Nova girl! ::ohmy

While Kenshi's classmates are, no doubt, rather stunned by this turn of events, Kenshi himself doesn't yet seem to have noticed - still running on adrenalin & rage he swings another punch at Kitsune. The many-tailed fox, however, doesn't seem surprised at all by Kenshi's new found talent for levitation & leaps away from his punch, landing amongst the branches of a neighboring tree, with almost contemptuous ease. Kenshi's punch, meanwhile, connects with the trunk of the tree she's just vacated: the thick timber shatters into splinters in response to the blow, the top half of the tree crashing down to the ground! Kitsune sports a broad grin on her face,

'Yes!' she proclaims, pumping her fist in the air in victory, 'I got one! In your face Shinobi!' ::laugh

Between jaw-dropping shock at Kenshi's defiance of gravity & the sudden necessity to dodge a shower of splinters & falling logs the pupils left on the terra firma have little time to react as (just in case they didn't have enough to cope with) the very shadows around them suddenly 'ooze' forward & bubble up until four jet-black figures, each dressed as a ninja, surround them! ::ninja

::jaw

On the tree branch next to Kitsune a figure steps out of the shadows - a good looking boy, maybe just a little older than Kitsune & the Nippontai High pupils, dressed in a traditional style kimono of black silk & sporting long, purple-black, hair. Sparing the hovering Kenshi a brief glance he turns to Kitsune,

'I'm sorry to spoil your fun, Kitsune,' he says, his words soft, yet firm, with a well-practiced formal accent, 'but I found an eruptee a short while ago... I'm afraid you lose this time... but keep trying, you'll beat me one day...' ::sly

On the ground below, silently, the four ninja take fighting stances & leap to attack the pupils...

Elsewhere...

Halfway through his race Seiji is making the circuit past the woods when he hears a rather disturbing 'crashing' noise from within... something... maybe a little voice in his head... tells him that something's very wrong... ::unsure