Takane no Hana - 34 Obsessions
Title : : Takane no Hana ; ;
Authors : : Akilei, mpemba_effect , lilblooskies , esanabridges ; ;
Note: Yet another revival attempt.
Grabbing the nearest weapon, Mitsuru charged out the door, skipping down the stairs several steps at a time. Of course. They had been here exactly twice before, and both times Kotone had attempted the same thing. He couldn’t quite remember the reasons behind it, since he’d tried to erase the thoughts from his memory. He didn’t try to think about it too much, after all, stuff like that was best put behind him. How did he not think of this before? Unless - maybe - Kotone had been planning it from the start and drugged him somehow to make him forget. It was definitely possible; Mitsuru had let his guard down a bit during the first few moments of vacation.
After a while of running, Mitsuru heard footsteps behind him. Miaki must have gotten one of the people he’d asked for. He looked back for a split second to see that it was Ryuu. That was good. The weapon that he happened to grab on the way out had been a gun, and they all knew Ren couldn’t deal with guns. Once he was approximately ten meters away from the spot, Mitsuru slowed down, making sure to keep his footsteps silent as he walked through the underbrush. He saw several animals scattering in different directions and made a face, urging himself to make his steps quieter. When Miaki and Ryuu caught up, they too began to silence their steps.
Eventually, Kotone came into view. She was holding the gun in one hand, looking down at the rushing water below her. She was standing on the edge of a ravine, surrounded by jagged rocks and the rushing sound of river water - that was probably why they had managed to stop her before, she couldn’t hear them coming. It was strange to pick such a place for a suicide.
Why?
Mitsuru shook his head. His objective was to stop her, not worry about her motives. He handed the gun to Ryuu, whispering, “Do me a favor and shoot that gun out of her hand, would you?”
It took Ryuu less than five seconds to aim and shoot. Of course, the bullet went straight at the gun’s center, knocking it forcefully out Kotone’s hand. She remained motionless for the longest three seconds Mitsuru had ever experienced, turning slowly with a sad smile on her face.
“You three are so silly,” an electronized laugh came from her, “Three times, in the same place? Of course you’d come looking for me. This is such a ridiculous place to die, too, isn’t it~?” Mitsuru, Ryuu, and Miaki walked up to Kotone - or, the likeness of Kotone. It obviously wasn’t her, perhaps a statue with a voice recording on it or a robot. Mitsuru growled in frustration and Miaki patted him on the back. Of course. The past two times - either she didn't really want to suicide and was just setting up a convenient fake-out for later, or she had just learned from them and switched places. Third time's the charm, he supposed.
“Don’t be so upset, Mitsu~” The robot spoke. Either she was still alive and the robot was transmitting her voice, or she knew exactly what Mitsuru would do.
Either way, Kotone probably didn’t expect him to realize her intentions so soon.
“We still have time.”
“How long are we supposed to stay here, anyways?” A young man of about twenty sighed, leaning back against a tree. He ruffled his own short, dark brown hair, looking around at the clearing. After that insane A1 bounty hunter with the red streak had left, everyone had agreed to turn off the music because none of them were particularly interested in dancing. He and the two new recruits for A2 were seated at the edge of the clearing, under the growing shade of a tree. Although he was a trainee as well, he had entered his training stage years ago, and was almost finished.
“I’m sure they’re doing something important, Leone,” a very smart-looking boy muttered over his touchpad. He had light brown hair - dyed - that barely grazed over his eyes. The edges were raggedy, and he had obviously not cut it in a while.
“This sucks,” a sigh followed the last trainee’s words as she fell backwards onto the grass. Her layered black hair with highlights spread out messily around her head. “And Ryuu’s not even here!” she heaved yet another heavy sigh and rolled back and forth, “What. The heck.”
Kazue, who had been walking around nearby, stopped herself. Did someone just say his name? Her interest piqued, she moved somewhat closer to the group of A2 trainees that was settled near the edge of the forest.
Leone made a face, “Again with the fangirling? Come on, Manami, we get the idea. You like Ryuu.”
Kazue raised her eyebrows? Ryuu? Had a fangirl? Strange. She expected the people here in the government units to be more…responsible about their feelings.
So they were all just idiots in the end, after all.
“SHH!” Manami shushed him, putting a finger to her lips, which were pursed in a pout. “What if someone hears, stupid! Seiichi, make him shut up!”
Seiichi’s eyes never left his touchpad, “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know about you crush on Ryuu. Have you ever even talked to him?”
Manami sat back up indignantly, “Of course I have! Kotone-san told me to fetch some cake for him once, and when I came back, she was with Ryuu, and he thanked me for bringing the cake! And he was so cute!”
Leone raised an eyebrow, “Cute? Manami, you do realize that he’s about five years older than you, right? Don’t you mind the age difference at all?”
“It’s okay as long as it’s under ten years~” Manami’s voice was light and wistful. At that point, both boys realized that she wouldn’t be returning to the realm of the living anytime soon, so Seiichi went back to programming on his touchpad and Leone suddenly found it extremely interesting to see how many pieces he could break a thin stick in.
Clearly, the conversation was over. Kazue backed away slowly and carefully, making sure she didn’t announce her presence to the trainees. Who knew these people could be so stupid?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into something tall and really warm. Something really tall and warm that was moving at an extremely fast speed. An injured ‘oof’ escaped from Kazue’s mouth before she could stop herself and she stumbled backwards.
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Kyuki took a step back, “You okay?”
“Why would I be?” Kazue grumbled, waiting for something about how she couldn’t resist bumping into him to come spewing out of his mouth.
Amazingly, though, Kyuki failed her expectations, “Ah, alright, sorry about that, I was a bit distracted.”
Kazue resisted the urge to let out a scathing reply, since Kyuki was managing to suppress his narcissistic self; she supposed she could spare him for the moment.
“Hello? Is someone there?” Kazue and Kyuki turned to see Leone, the A2 trainee, with his head tilted, “Oh. It’s you guys. Sorry, I was just getting bored, so when I heard something…I guess I just wanted to see what it was.”
“Oh? Bored? What happened to Dante?” Kyuki asked, one eyebrow raised. Dante was always ample entertainment when he was bored. He was quite easy to tease.
“He’s brooding because Miaki’s not here and he hasn’t seen her all day,” Leone made a face. A stifled sigh came from Kazue’s direction, and the other two looked at her curiously.
“You don’t like them being together?” Kyuki asked.
“No - They should just be more focused,” Kazue explained.
Kyuki nodded, “Oh, I see what you mean.” He shrugged, “Well, things like that happen. Speaking of which…” he looked towards Leone, “Isn’t there a girl in your unit that’s completely obsessed with someone?”
“Whoa. Where did you hear that?” Leone raised his eyebrows, “Yeah, she’s a new trainee. Her name is Manami. And she’s obsessed with - well, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell you, but I suppose I could say that the person’s name begins with the letter R.”
Ren? Wait. She’s a girl, too, though. Don’t tell me she’s even got girls to turn lesbian for - Kyuki shook his head. He was being ridiculous.
“Ren? But isn’t she…a girl?” Whoops, did Kyuki say that out loud? “Oh, she’s the insane one who brought us here, isn’t she? Don’t tell me you like her?”
“What?! No,” Kyuki made a face. Did it really seem like he liked her? Well, he supposed she was tall. And he was tall. And they were both bounty hunters. But… “More like…a rival.”
“For him, not for her,” Kazue muttered under her breath.
Kyuki chose to ignore her, “Then…Ryuu, right?”
Leone nodded. Kyuki looked at Kazue. Somehow, she didn’t seem surprised at all. Had she heard of it before, too? Kazue didn’t seem like someone who would indulge in gossip like that, though.
“Right. So. What do you guys think they’re doing, anyways? Keeping us away like this…” Kyuki looked back in the direction of the house, “It’s getting really late. Oh, that reminds me. I need to go back to jogging.”
“Jogging?”
“I run track. Well, actually, I usually just do short-distance, shot put, and jumps, but there’s not much I can do to practice here other than just jogging. Well, see you later!” He waved to the two trainees, jogging deeper into the forest.
Why did I think of Ren first? This is all Kaim’s fault…
Authors : : Akilei, mpemba_effect , lilblooskies , esanabridges ; ;
Note: Yet another revival attempt.
Grabbing the nearest weapon, Mitsuru charged out the door, skipping down the stairs several steps at a time. Of course. They had been here exactly twice before, and both times Kotone had attempted the same thing. He couldn’t quite remember the reasons behind it, since he’d tried to erase the thoughts from his memory. He didn’t try to think about it too much, after all, stuff like that was best put behind him. How did he not think of this before? Unless - maybe - Kotone had been planning it from the start and drugged him somehow to make him forget. It was definitely possible; Mitsuru had let his guard down a bit during the first few moments of vacation.
After a while of running, Mitsuru heard footsteps behind him. Miaki must have gotten one of the people he’d asked for. He looked back for a split second to see that it was Ryuu. That was good. The weapon that he happened to grab on the way out had been a gun, and they all knew Ren couldn’t deal with guns. Once he was approximately ten meters away from the spot, Mitsuru slowed down, making sure to keep his footsteps silent as he walked through the underbrush. He saw several animals scattering in different directions and made a face, urging himself to make his steps quieter. When Miaki and Ryuu caught up, they too began to silence their steps.
Eventually, Kotone came into view. She was holding the gun in one hand, looking down at the rushing water below her. She was standing on the edge of a ravine, surrounded by jagged rocks and the rushing sound of river water - that was probably why they had managed to stop her before, she couldn’t hear them coming. It was strange to pick such a place for a suicide.
Why?
Mitsuru shook his head. His objective was to stop her, not worry about her motives. He handed the gun to Ryuu, whispering, “Do me a favor and shoot that gun out of her hand, would you?”
It took Ryuu less than five seconds to aim and shoot. Of course, the bullet went straight at the gun’s center, knocking it forcefully out Kotone’s hand. She remained motionless for the longest three seconds Mitsuru had ever experienced, turning slowly with a sad smile on her face.
“You three are so silly,” an electronized laugh came from her, “Three times, in the same place? Of course you’d come looking for me. This is such a ridiculous place to die, too, isn’t it~?” Mitsuru, Ryuu, and Miaki walked up to Kotone - or, the likeness of Kotone. It obviously wasn’t her, perhaps a statue with a voice recording on it or a robot. Mitsuru growled in frustration and Miaki patted him on the back. Of course. The past two times - either she didn't really want to suicide and was just setting up a convenient fake-out for later, or she had just learned from them and switched places. Third time's the charm, he supposed.
“Don’t be so upset, Mitsu~” The robot spoke. Either she was still alive and the robot was transmitting her voice, or she knew exactly what Mitsuru would do.
Either way, Kotone probably didn’t expect him to realize her intentions so soon.
“We still have time.”
“How long are we supposed to stay here, anyways?” A young man of about twenty sighed, leaning back against a tree. He ruffled his own short, dark brown hair, looking around at the clearing. After that insane A1 bounty hunter with the red streak had left, everyone had agreed to turn off the music because none of them were particularly interested in dancing. He and the two new recruits for A2 were seated at the edge of the clearing, under the growing shade of a tree. Although he was a trainee as well, he had entered his training stage years ago, and was almost finished.
“I’m sure they’re doing something important, Leone,” a very smart-looking boy muttered over his touchpad. He had light brown hair - dyed - that barely grazed over his eyes. The edges were raggedy, and he had obviously not cut it in a while.
“This sucks,” a sigh followed the last trainee’s words as she fell backwards onto the grass. Her layered black hair with highlights spread out messily around her head. “And Ryuu’s not even here!” she heaved yet another heavy sigh and rolled back and forth, “What. The heck.”
Kazue, who had been walking around nearby, stopped herself. Did someone just say his name? Her interest piqued, she moved somewhat closer to the group of A2 trainees that was settled near the edge of the forest.
Leone made a face, “Again with the fangirling? Come on, Manami, we get the idea. You like Ryuu.”
Kazue raised her eyebrows? Ryuu? Had a fangirl? Strange. She expected the people here in the government units to be more…responsible about their feelings.
So they were all just idiots in the end, after all.
“SHH!” Manami shushed him, putting a finger to her lips, which were pursed in a pout. “What if someone hears, stupid! Seiichi, make him shut up!”
Seiichi’s eyes never left his touchpad, “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know about you crush on Ryuu. Have you ever even talked to him?”
Manami sat back up indignantly, “Of course I have! Kotone-san told me to fetch some cake for him once, and when I came back, she was with Ryuu, and he thanked me for bringing the cake! And he was so cute!”
Leone raised an eyebrow, “Cute? Manami, you do realize that he’s about five years older than you, right? Don’t you mind the age difference at all?”
“It’s okay as long as it’s under ten years~” Manami’s voice was light and wistful. At that point, both boys realized that she wouldn’t be returning to the realm of the living anytime soon, so Seiichi went back to programming on his touchpad and Leone suddenly found it extremely interesting to see how many pieces he could break a thin stick in.
Clearly, the conversation was over. Kazue backed away slowly and carefully, making sure she didn’t announce her presence to the trainees. Who knew these people could be so stupid?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into something tall and really warm. Something really tall and warm that was moving at an extremely fast speed. An injured ‘oof’ escaped from Kazue’s mouth before she could stop herself and she stumbled backwards.
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Kyuki took a step back, “You okay?”
“Why would I be?” Kazue grumbled, waiting for something about how she couldn’t resist bumping into him to come spewing out of his mouth.
Amazingly, though, Kyuki failed her expectations, “Ah, alright, sorry about that, I was a bit distracted.”
Kazue resisted the urge to let out a scathing reply, since Kyuki was managing to suppress his narcissistic self; she supposed she could spare him for the moment.
“Hello? Is someone there?” Kazue and Kyuki turned to see Leone, the A2 trainee, with his head tilted, “Oh. It’s you guys. Sorry, I was just getting bored, so when I heard something…I guess I just wanted to see what it was.”
“Oh? Bored? What happened to Dante?” Kyuki asked, one eyebrow raised. Dante was always ample entertainment when he was bored. He was quite easy to tease.
“He’s brooding because Miaki’s not here and he hasn’t seen her all day,” Leone made a face. A stifled sigh came from Kazue’s direction, and the other two looked at her curiously.
“You don’t like them being together?” Kyuki asked.
“No - They should just be more focused,” Kazue explained.
Kyuki nodded, “Oh, I see what you mean.” He shrugged, “Well, things like that happen. Speaking of which…” he looked towards Leone, “Isn’t there a girl in your unit that’s completely obsessed with someone?”
“Whoa. Where did you hear that?” Leone raised his eyebrows, “Yeah, she’s a new trainee. Her name is Manami. And she’s obsessed with - well, I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell you, but I suppose I could say that the person’s name begins with the letter R.”
Ren? Wait. She’s a girl, too, though. Don’t tell me she’s even got girls to turn lesbian for - Kyuki shook his head. He was being ridiculous.
“Ren? But isn’t she…a girl?” Whoops, did Kyuki say that out loud? “Oh, she’s the insane one who brought us here, isn’t she? Don’t tell me you like her?”
“What?! No,” Kyuki made a face. Did it really seem like he liked her? Well, he supposed she was tall. And he was tall. And they were both bounty hunters. But… “More like…a rival.”
“For him, not for her,” Kazue muttered under her breath.
Kyuki chose to ignore her, “Then…Ryuu, right?”
Leone nodded. Kyuki looked at Kazue. Somehow, she didn’t seem surprised at all. Had she heard of it before, too? Kazue didn’t seem like someone who would indulge in gossip like that, though.
“Right. So. What do you guys think they’re doing, anyways? Keeping us away like this…” Kyuki looked back in the direction of the house, “It’s getting really late. Oh, that reminds me. I need to go back to jogging.”
“Jogging?”
“I run track. Well, actually, I usually just do short-distance, shot put, and jumps, but there’s not much I can do to practice here other than just jogging. Well, see you later!” He waved to the two trainees, jogging deeper into the forest.
Why did I think of Ren first? This is all Kaim’s fault…