Drabble Batch #2!
... Most of them are short, a few are... so not. ;; All of them are also horrible. *A*
Confused Judith
--
Hyobu had always found Judith's calm in the face of nearly everything to be amusing, but he especially took enjoyment out of seeing that expression falter. Her rare pouts, her even rarer fury (and even then she'd tempered it into something semi-reasonable)... all of it had been fun to witness, but this new expression of hers had its charm too.
Mainly because the mature young woman now looked like a simultaneously baffled and stubborn little girl, and the source of her confusion was a simple gaming console.
"This is more complicated than it has to be," she was murmuring now, shaking her head as if that would correct her mistake of not entering the correct combination on the controller. "And you say it's meant to be for fun?"
Hyobu chuckled, easily parrying her character's attacks. "Once you beat someone, you'll understand-- ah." The chuckle came again as GAME OVER flashed on the screen. "But it looks like it won't be this time. So then--"
Judith stared blankly at the screen, then down at the controller. After a moment, she pressed her lips together and then curved them upwards in a smile that the esper was well acquainted with by now. She'd found a new challenge.
"One more time, Hyobu."
"... Ha! We're going to be at this all night, you know."
And so they were.
Romantic Hisui
--
Hisui couldn't be called blunt or straightforward in any sense of the term; even as a child, she'd kept her friendliness open and welcoming, not one to give orders or issue commands, or even speak her mind unless it had something to do with someone else's well-being.
But time and Guy Cecil fixed what childhood guilt and pain had very nearly destroyed. Hisui had learned how to trust someone other than her master and her sister, had learned that if she remained inside, she'd lose more than what she'd wanted to preserve in the first place... and, most importantly, had learned how to take risks once again. They both had, and neither would forget the day Hisui's fingers made contact with Guy's, a split second of hesitation before their palms met.
... Of course, ten seconds later, they'd had to leap apart, but it was progress.
Ten years later, Guy had been outside practicing with his sword, when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. Chancing a glance over his shoulder, he saw red hair and a flushed face pressed against his back, and couldn't quite decide whether to be pleased or surprised that Hisui was being so open with her affection and that she was making the first move this time.
Well, Guy mused, she really did try her best. Hisui didn't engage in passionate fits of love declarations or embraces, and he was fine with it. A simple touch and her silent but warm presence was enough for him.
"The sunset," she said now, still bashful even after all this time. "I would like to watch it with you."
Guy's surprise softened into a smile, and he reached down to take her hand and tugged her over to his side. "Really? What a coincidence, I was just thinking the same thing."
Deviant Kazuha-- THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY LONG WHY
--
She was young, she remembered that much-- maybe ten or eleven. Young and willful and stubborn and annoyed that Heiji kept acting like he was ages older than her when it came to detective work and catching criminals. He'd even been inside the Facility, seen the marked-up criminals glaring balefully at him, and hadn't been afraid at all. So he'd told his friend.
"You'd cry in a heartbeat, Kazuha. You've gotta be reaaaal brave to deal with that place, an' that's why my dad lets me come along sometimes."
Had she been a little less stubborn and annoyed, Kazuha would have let it go at that. But she wasn't, so she cornered her father and begged to be taken along to work one day.
"I wanna see what you do, Dad!" She pleaded. "Everyone says it's cool that Security's out there keeping us safe, but I never get to see what happens! Pleaaaaaase?"
Helpless against the large eyes of his only child, he relented. "As it stands, we have a few trials to get through. If you stay in the hall, I'll show you around afterward. Sound fair?"
Kazuha's squeal of glee and her hug was answer enough.
-----
The building was cold and impersonal, and the trials were taking forever-- to Kazuha, anyway, who was sitting listlessly on the bench outside. This wasn't very exciting at all!
The sound of the door opening made her jerk her eyes up, but it wasn't her father who exited. Instead, a small boy walked out, flanked by no less than three stern-looking officers. About to (jealously) ask if he'd seen what was going on in there, Kazuha blinked when one of the officers gave the boy a rough shove.
"Tch, Satellite rats start when they're young, huh? It's time for your present, brat."
"Present" didn't sound at all nice coming from the man and, from the way the kid swallowed, it was clear he felt the same way. He was led past the little girl sitting on the bench, and none of them noticed when she hopped off and followed them. She couldn't help it; if she waited for her father, she'd miss whatever was going on with this boy and Heiji would scoff at her for a missed opportunity.
But even more than that, there was something in the boy's gray eyes that made her want to follow and see if he'd be okay. So follow she did, ducking behind corners whenever the Security officers glanced behind them.
The pursuit ended when the boy was pulled into a room with a thick steel door that pounded close behind them with a THUD that made Kazuha jump. The little window at the top was above her head, but she wouldn't be daunted that easily. A quick look around revealed a few chairs lined along the wall, one of which she dragged over to the door and stood on to peek through the window.
There were bits and pieces, fragments that had stuck in her mind despite Kazuha's most fervent efforts to dispel them. One of them was the way they had the boy strapped to the chair as he struggled. One was the bright light of the laser that etched a tattoo on his forehead. The last was his choked scream.
Filled with horror and a sickness that swamped her senses, the little girl tried to step back without remembering where she stood, and fell. Instead of the floor, however, a pair of arms broke her fall, and she was greeted with an embrace that felt... motherly. It was something she hadn't felt in awhile, and she looked up into the dark eyes of a plump older woman.
The chair clattered harmlessly to the floor.
The door swung open, and the boy and his escorts appeared. The boy, with his shock of bright hair, looked pale with his eyes overly bright, but no tearstains on his face. He did turn whiter when he saw who awaited him, though.
"Martha," he whispered hoarsely.
The woman-- Martha-- set Kazuha down and stepped forward. "I'm his guardian," she told the officers firmly. "I'm sorry for the trouble he's caused."
One of them snorted and pushed the boy forward. "Try and do a better job of watching him then. These Satellite kids are all the same, trash from the minute they're abandoned--"
"Hey!" Kazuha interjected angrily, making both boy and caretaker glance at her in surprise. "That's not nice! Aren't you supposed to be about protecting people, not makin' fun of 'em--"
"Hooooo?" The man smirked, sneering down at her. "Aren't you a brave one, kid. If you want to tell me how to do my job, why don't you be like your friend here, and I'll show you first hand what Security does."
The little girl flushed, more out of anger than embarrassment, and fought back tears. "I--"
"If you want to threaten my daughter," came a cold voice from behind them, "why don't you just stop now before you regret it any further?"
Now it was the man's turn to pale. "I-Inspector Toyama?! She's your--??"
"She is." Her father rested a hand on her head, a sure sign that she'd be getting a stern lecture once this had been resolved. "I believe you've done your jobs, so I think it's best that all children go home now."
Martha nodded politely, taking the boy by the hand and leading him down the corridor. Kazuha, watching closely, saw him swipe a fist across his face.
"I don't wanna come anymore," she told her father.
He smoothed her hair down and offered her his hand, which she took. She'd learned a lesson that a thousand lectures would have never been able to instill in her. "Got it."
-----
She was seventeen now. True to her word, she'd never gone back to that building, and she'd left most of the detective work to Heiji and her father, save for the occasions when she was caught up in things. Like this time, when she'd gone to deliver dinner to her father, who had been called to the scene on the news that a Marker had been detected within one of the buildings. Her father had said something with a groan about a crow, and had taken off immediately.
Kazuha had heard of him, this thief who stole cards and always won the duels Security engaged in him, so he always got away. He was a source of frustration more to Heiji than her father (who seemed more amused and exasperated than anything).
It was mere chance that she heard the roar of a D-Wheel engine coming her way, a triumphant laugh just audible over it.
The correct course was to duel a criminal, beat them, and drag them to the Facility to await their trial.
Kazuha, however much she was fond of obeying the law and the norms of the city, knew there was no way she could engage him in a duel-- not with his record and not on her own two feet.
So she deviated from the norm.
... By running out right in front of the oncoming D-Wheel with her arms spread out wide as she yelled, "Stop!"
To her surprise, the D-Wheel did, with a loud screech.
"What the hell??" Its rider exploded, glancing behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed before he got off and moved closer. "Do you normally go running out in the street, or--"
There. The instant he was in range, Kazuha acted, sliding behind him in one quick movement and twisting his arm up and behind his back. As expected, he went down on his knees, then his stomach, and she moved to anchor him there with her arms around one of his and her foot positioned by his side. The thief struggled for a few moments until she moved his arm higher, and that was enough to subdue him.
Then, surprisingly, he chuckled. "So you're their face down card, huh? Glad Security finally hired someone cute."
Kazuha blinked, then frowned and tightened her hold. "Save it for someone else. I'm not about to show any mercy to a thief."
"What, not even your name?"
No response.
"Y'know, I thought it was protocol or some shit for you guys to duel criminals, so you mind telling me why we're wrestling?"
Great, he was a talkative one. Not only that, but he was conversing as casually as though they were good friends. He even sounded amused. ... In a pained sort of way.
"You'd just win and get away, so it's the easier route."
"... Easier, huh? I could've just run you over right now."
"You wouldn't have," she said almost immediately, and believed it. She wasn't sure why, though.
The thief turned his head to look at her-- and Kazuha froze when she met his eyes, not because there was anything particularly odd about them, but because she knew them. From the startled sound he made, he recognized her as well.
"You--?!" For one fraction of a second, her grip loosened, and he felt it and took advantage of it. The next instant, the world tilted, and Kazuha found their roles reversed with her on her stomach and him crouched beside her and tying her feet together and her hands behind her back.
"Can't have you chasing after me," he explained lightly. "But your Security buddies oughtta come by this way soon enough. For now, though..." He worked his arms underneath her and picked her up, carrying her over to the curb and placing her down there despite her efforts to squirm free. "Sit there and be good, will ya? Little face down card."
"It's Kazuha!" She snapped, not at all happy with the current situation. "Stop calling me that, and stop grinning!"
Crow laughed, checking and tightening her restraints with an unusual amount of gentleness. "Can't help it. I finally got your name."
Unable to come up with a response that didn't involve blushing or screaming threats at him, Kazuha settled for a glare-- which morphed into an indignant yelp when she saw what he was now picking up. "Hey--!"
"Awwwww, and you made me dinner too. I'm sure the kids'll love it."
Kids? What was he talking about? About to ask this out loud, Kazuha was halted by a finger pressed against her lips.
"I've gotta get going, but here." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and laid it face down beside her. "A face down for the face d-- well, I guess you're sitting up now, huh?"
Her eyes narrowed, but Crow only laughed and moved his finger. "Think of it this way, you're the cutest road block I've met to date. Prettiest eyes, too."
"If you keep staring at 'em, I won't need my arms to take you down," Kazuha muttered rebelliously.
"Yeah?" He grinned at her, then returned to his D-Wheel with her father's dinner in hand. "I'll see ya again, Kazuha. Bring dessert next time, okay?"
"The hell I--"
"Thanks." This time, he sounded a lot less cocky, more sincere. And before she could dwell on that or wonder what he was actually thanking her for, he was gone and the Security officers were approaching and hastily hurrying over to untie her.
The card, when she flipped it over, turned out to be Fire Sorcerer: "FLIP: Randomly select 2 cards from your hand and remove them from play to inflict 800 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points."
"... Yeah, you'll be getting your Life Points damaged, all right," she grumbled, and none of the officers felt like pointing out that there was a faint smile on her lips.
Long-winded Tsubaki
--
"So you're that guy's partner, right?"
"Hm?" About to raise the mug of tea to her lips, Tsubaki halted and instead blew on the liquid and met Crow's inquisitive gaze. "You mean Black☆Star? Yes, that's right."
"What's it like?" He propped his elbows up on the table, and Yami cleared his throat, but chose to say nothing. "He's a pretty fun guy, knows how to make a good entrance."
"Yes, well..." Tsubaki's smile was a little strained as her voice took on a reminiscent (and slightly pained) quality. "There are times when it's better not to make that kind of entrance."
This time it was Yami's turn to look curious. "Such as...?"
"Oh, like when trying to take a corrupt mafia boss' soul while he's in the middle of dinner, or when trying to take the soul of a serial killer rock star right when he's in the middle of his hit song on stage, or when crashing through the roof of the female side of a bath house, or--"
Two hours passed, and Tsubaki was still cheerfully listing examples while both duelists gaped at her with expressions akin to shock and horror (and, in Crow's case, intrigue).
"Seriously, in front of cowboys?"
"Fifty-four men and horses strong."
Yami patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"Maybe I should start announcing my grand entrances too," Crow remarked, a thoughtful look appearing.
"THEY WON'T BE AS AWESOME AS MINE!!" The subject of their conversation shouted from behind them, executing a backflip right onto the table. Tsubaki just barely managed to snatch her tea away in time.
"... Exactly like that," she finished, and took a sip.
Needs-A-Hug Emiri
--
It hadn't been the best of days. In fact, in terms of how days usually went, Emiri could honestly say that the only days that had sucked more had been the days a slash-happy zombie had gone after her, the event where Minato had tried to murder her, and when Kazu had disappeared.
Nursing a healing bullet wound with a persistent fever, however, ranked up among those. She could still vividly remember the initial sting, then the pain, and the worse agony that followed when the accidental shooter had removed the bullet. And she could remember the annoyed expression on Minato's face when he'd found out. In a sense, that hurt even worse than the physical pain.
Not that the pain was anything to be laughed at, she thought, gritting her teeth as the wound throbbed. Minato had managed to close it, but she'd have to be ginger with it for awhile. It was just as well; she was supposed to have been careful in the first place, and she hadn't, and now she was stuck resting in a hammock for who knew how long--
"Yo, Adachi!" Ikki's face popped into her line of vision-- and removed itself temporarily as one leg shot out in a reactionary kick. "What're you looking so depressed about? My minions shouldn't have a care in their world except supporting their leader! Wipe that pathetic look off your face!"
He expected another kick. He expected insults or a scathing retort.
What he didn't expect was Emiri's eyes filling up with tears.
"Shit-- hey, Adachi, I didn't mean--"
"I'm pathetic, I knew it!" She was beyond listening now. "I-I should've just listened to Minato-kun, but I pushed things, and then some weird guy shot me, and I feel like crap and-- and--!"
Like most hot-blooded and irrational teenage males, Ikki had absolutely no idea what to do. Maybe if he took a leaf out of Rika's book and do what she'd done when he knew he'd screwed up--
... No, wrestling moves would just end horribly in this situation.
But then again, hadn't she sometimes done something else?
"Don't kill me for this," he warned, leaning over the hammock and wrapping his arms around his subordinate.
Emiri blinked, growing even more disconcerted as he patted her back. "I-Ikki-kun?"
"You're gonna be fine," he answered her. "Just rest up and shit and let this god do the rest until you're healed enough to kick the ass of the guy who shot you. Tch, I honestly thought you'd snap from everything before this-- you call that pathetic? None of my minions are pathetic, Adachi! Minato knows that too."
She sniffled, took a few deep breaths, and quieted. Who knew that Ikki could be this thoughtful...?
"... You can't reach my ass from this angle, can you?"
"Fuck! Get better soon, Adachi!"
Flailing Yellow
--
"Yellow-taaaaan!"
Yellow, known by most people to be lackadaisical and simple unless required to be otherwise, also prided herself on keeping unruffled when there were things to be done. Training her Pokemon daily had been a practice introduced and enforced by Green and, while she had originally protested making them fight, the Pokemon themselves were eager to listen to her orders and worked tirelessly to get stronger. At the end, she'd always praise them, give them treats, and return back to the base to finish up the day with sketching and hearing how everyone's day had gone.
But recently, she was finding it difficult to concentrate.
This could have been due to any amount of external factors, but the tall, heavily-muscled man waving signs adorned with her name and hearts probably had the most to do with it.
"Omny, use Blizzard--! Chuchu, Thunderbolt--"
"THAT'S THE WAY, YELLOW-TAN! HAVE THEM DANCE TO THE TUNE OF YOUR SWEET VOICE!"
"Um..."
"THE ANGEL SPEAKS! YOU BASTARDS BETTER LISTEN!"
Poor Yellow, unaccustomed to such admiration (and at such a loud volume at that), managed to pull down her hat and wave her hands at the same time. "T-that's-- they're my friends--"
Blade was suddenly kneeling in front of her with a gigantic bouquet that she was sure hadn't been there before. "I'm your friend too, Yellow-tan. Feel free to command this servant as you desire."
The only response she could give was a series of flustered sputters, which made Chuchu's cheeks spark warningly when she noticed her trainer's perceived distress.
"Ohhhh?" Blade turned a feral grin on the Pikachu. "You wanna go, rat?"
"Pikaaaaaaa..."
"Wait a minute-- Chuchu, he didn't mean to scrub you hard that one time-- Mister Blade, don't-- hey!"
Later, as she healed her Pokemon's scratches and other injuries, she made a vow to find a different, more isolated training spot.
Confused Judith
--
Hyobu had always found Judith's calm in the face of nearly everything to be amusing, but he especially took enjoyment out of seeing that expression falter. Her rare pouts, her even rarer fury (and even then she'd tempered it into something semi-reasonable)... all of it had been fun to witness, but this new expression of hers had its charm too.
Mainly because the mature young woman now looked like a simultaneously baffled and stubborn little girl, and the source of her confusion was a simple gaming console.
"This is more complicated than it has to be," she was murmuring now, shaking her head as if that would correct her mistake of not entering the correct combination on the controller. "And you say it's meant to be for fun?"
Hyobu chuckled, easily parrying her character's attacks. "Once you beat someone, you'll understand-- ah." The chuckle came again as GAME OVER flashed on the screen. "But it looks like it won't be this time. So then--"
Judith stared blankly at the screen, then down at the controller. After a moment, she pressed her lips together and then curved them upwards in a smile that the esper was well acquainted with by now. She'd found a new challenge.
"One more time, Hyobu."
"... Ha! We're going to be at this all night, you know."
And so they were.
Romantic Hisui
--
Hisui couldn't be called blunt or straightforward in any sense of the term; even as a child, she'd kept her friendliness open and welcoming, not one to give orders or issue commands, or even speak her mind unless it had something to do with someone else's well-being.
But time and Guy Cecil fixed what childhood guilt and pain had very nearly destroyed. Hisui had learned how to trust someone other than her master and her sister, had learned that if she remained inside, she'd lose more than what she'd wanted to preserve in the first place... and, most importantly, had learned how to take risks once again. They both had, and neither would forget the day Hisui's fingers made contact with Guy's, a split second of hesitation before their palms met.
... Of course, ten seconds later, they'd had to leap apart, but it was progress.
Ten years later, Guy had been outside practicing with his sword, when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. Chancing a glance over his shoulder, he saw red hair and a flushed face pressed against his back, and couldn't quite decide whether to be pleased or surprised that Hisui was being so open with her affection and that she was making the first move this time.
Well, Guy mused, she really did try her best. Hisui didn't engage in passionate fits of love declarations or embraces, and he was fine with it. A simple touch and her silent but warm presence was enough for him.
"The sunset," she said now, still bashful even after all this time. "I would like to watch it with you."
Guy's surprise softened into a smile, and he reached down to take her hand and tugged her over to his side. "Really? What a coincidence, I was just thinking the same thing."
Deviant Kazuha-- THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY LONG WHY
--
She was young, she remembered that much-- maybe ten or eleven. Young and willful and stubborn and annoyed that Heiji kept acting like he was ages older than her when it came to detective work and catching criminals. He'd even been inside the Facility, seen the marked-up criminals glaring balefully at him, and hadn't been afraid at all. So he'd told his friend.
"You'd cry in a heartbeat, Kazuha. You've gotta be reaaaal brave to deal with that place, an' that's why my dad lets me come along sometimes."
Had she been a little less stubborn and annoyed, Kazuha would have let it go at that. But she wasn't, so she cornered her father and begged to be taken along to work one day.
"I wanna see what you do, Dad!" She pleaded. "Everyone says it's cool that Security's out there keeping us safe, but I never get to see what happens! Pleaaaaaase?"
Helpless against the large eyes of his only child, he relented. "As it stands, we have a few trials to get through. If you stay in the hall, I'll show you around afterward. Sound fair?"
Kazuha's squeal of glee and her hug was answer enough.
-----
The building was cold and impersonal, and the trials were taking forever-- to Kazuha, anyway, who was sitting listlessly on the bench outside. This wasn't very exciting at all!
The sound of the door opening made her jerk her eyes up, but it wasn't her father who exited. Instead, a small boy walked out, flanked by no less than three stern-looking officers. About to (jealously) ask if he'd seen what was going on in there, Kazuha blinked when one of the officers gave the boy a rough shove.
"Tch, Satellite rats start when they're young, huh? It's time for your present, brat."
"Present" didn't sound at all nice coming from the man and, from the way the kid swallowed, it was clear he felt the same way. He was led past the little girl sitting on the bench, and none of them noticed when she hopped off and followed them. She couldn't help it; if she waited for her father, she'd miss whatever was going on with this boy and Heiji would scoff at her for a missed opportunity.
But even more than that, there was something in the boy's gray eyes that made her want to follow and see if he'd be okay. So follow she did, ducking behind corners whenever the Security officers glanced behind them.
The pursuit ended when the boy was pulled into a room with a thick steel door that pounded close behind them with a THUD that made Kazuha jump. The little window at the top was above her head, but she wouldn't be daunted that easily. A quick look around revealed a few chairs lined along the wall, one of which she dragged over to the door and stood on to peek through the window.
There were bits and pieces, fragments that had stuck in her mind despite Kazuha's most fervent efforts to dispel them. One of them was the way they had the boy strapped to the chair as he struggled. One was the bright light of the laser that etched a tattoo on his forehead. The last was his choked scream.
Filled with horror and a sickness that swamped her senses, the little girl tried to step back without remembering where she stood, and fell. Instead of the floor, however, a pair of arms broke her fall, and she was greeted with an embrace that felt... motherly. It was something she hadn't felt in awhile, and she looked up into the dark eyes of a plump older woman.
The chair clattered harmlessly to the floor.
The door swung open, and the boy and his escorts appeared. The boy, with his shock of bright hair, looked pale with his eyes overly bright, but no tearstains on his face. He did turn whiter when he saw who awaited him, though.
"Martha," he whispered hoarsely.
The woman-- Martha-- set Kazuha down and stepped forward. "I'm his guardian," she told the officers firmly. "I'm sorry for the trouble he's caused."
One of them snorted and pushed the boy forward. "Try and do a better job of watching him then. These Satellite kids are all the same, trash from the minute they're abandoned--"
"Hey!" Kazuha interjected angrily, making both boy and caretaker glance at her in surprise. "That's not nice! Aren't you supposed to be about protecting people, not makin' fun of 'em--"
"Hooooo?" The man smirked, sneering down at her. "Aren't you a brave one, kid. If you want to tell me how to do my job, why don't you be like your friend here, and I'll show you first hand what Security does."
The little girl flushed, more out of anger than embarrassment, and fought back tears. "I--"
"If you want to threaten my daughter," came a cold voice from behind them, "why don't you just stop now before you regret it any further?"
Now it was the man's turn to pale. "I-Inspector Toyama?! She's your--??"
"She is." Her father rested a hand on her head, a sure sign that she'd be getting a stern lecture once this had been resolved. "I believe you've done your jobs, so I think it's best that all children go home now."
Martha nodded politely, taking the boy by the hand and leading him down the corridor. Kazuha, watching closely, saw him swipe a fist across his face.
"I don't wanna come anymore," she told her father.
He smoothed her hair down and offered her his hand, which she took. She'd learned a lesson that a thousand lectures would have never been able to instill in her. "Got it."
-----
She was seventeen now. True to her word, she'd never gone back to that building, and she'd left most of the detective work to Heiji and her father, save for the occasions when she was caught up in things. Like this time, when she'd gone to deliver dinner to her father, who had been called to the scene on the news that a Marker had been detected within one of the buildings. Her father had said something with a groan about a crow, and had taken off immediately.
Kazuha had heard of him, this thief who stole cards and always won the duels Security engaged in him, so he always got away. He was a source of frustration more to Heiji than her father (who seemed more amused and exasperated than anything).
It was mere chance that she heard the roar of a D-Wheel engine coming her way, a triumphant laugh just audible over it.
The correct course was to duel a criminal, beat them, and drag them to the Facility to await their trial.
Kazuha, however much she was fond of obeying the law and the norms of the city, knew there was no way she could engage him in a duel-- not with his record and not on her own two feet.
So she deviated from the norm.
... By running out right in front of the oncoming D-Wheel with her arms spread out wide as she yelled, "Stop!"
To her surprise, the D-Wheel did, with a loud screech.
"What the hell??" Its rider exploded, glancing behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed before he got off and moved closer. "Do you normally go running out in the street, or--"
There. The instant he was in range, Kazuha acted, sliding behind him in one quick movement and twisting his arm up and behind his back. As expected, he went down on his knees, then his stomach, and she moved to anchor him there with her arms around one of his and her foot positioned by his side. The thief struggled for a few moments until she moved his arm higher, and that was enough to subdue him.
Then, surprisingly, he chuckled. "So you're their face down card, huh? Glad Security finally hired someone cute."
Kazuha blinked, then frowned and tightened her hold. "Save it for someone else. I'm not about to show any mercy to a thief."
"What, not even your name?"
No response.
"Y'know, I thought it was protocol or some shit for you guys to duel criminals, so you mind telling me why we're wrestling?"
Great, he was a talkative one. Not only that, but he was conversing as casually as though they were good friends. He even sounded amused. ... In a pained sort of way.
"You'd just win and get away, so it's the easier route."
"... Easier, huh? I could've just run you over right now."
"You wouldn't have," she said almost immediately, and believed it. She wasn't sure why, though.
The thief turned his head to look at her-- and Kazuha froze when she met his eyes, not because there was anything particularly odd about them, but because she knew them. From the startled sound he made, he recognized her as well.
"You--?!" For one fraction of a second, her grip loosened, and he felt it and took advantage of it. The next instant, the world tilted, and Kazuha found their roles reversed with her on her stomach and him crouched beside her and tying her feet together and her hands behind her back.
"Can't have you chasing after me," he explained lightly. "But your Security buddies oughtta come by this way soon enough. For now, though..." He worked his arms underneath her and picked her up, carrying her over to the curb and placing her down there despite her efforts to squirm free. "Sit there and be good, will ya? Little face down card."
"It's Kazuha!" She snapped, not at all happy with the current situation. "Stop calling me that, and stop grinning!"
Crow laughed, checking and tightening her restraints with an unusual amount of gentleness. "Can't help it. I finally got your name."
Unable to come up with a response that didn't involve blushing or screaming threats at him, Kazuha settled for a glare-- which morphed into an indignant yelp when she saw what he was now picking up. "Hey--!"
"Awwwww, and you made me dinner too. I'm sure the kids'll love it."
Kids? What was he talking about? About to ask this out loud, Kazuha was halted by a finger pressed against her lips.
"I've gotta get going, but here." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and laid it face down beside her. "A face down for the face d-- well, I guess you're sitting up now, huh?"
Her eyes narrowed, but Crow only laughed and moved his finger. "Think of it this way, you're the cutest road block I've met to date. Prettiest eyes, too."
"If you keep staring at 'em, I won't need my arms to take you down," Kazuha muttered rebelliously.
"Yeah?" He grinned at her, then returned to his D-Wheel with her father's dinner in hand. "I'll see ya again, Kazuha. Bring dessert next time, okay?"
"The hell I--"
"Thanks." This time, he sounded a lot less cocky, more sincere. And before she could dwell on that or wonder what he was actually thanking her for, he was gone and the Security officers were approaching and hastily hurrying over to untie her.
The card, when she flipped it over, turned out to be Fire Sorcerer: "FLIP: Randomly select 2 cards from your hand and remove them from play to inflict 800 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points."
"... Yeah, you'll be getting your Life Points damaged, all right," she grumbled, and none of the officers felt like pointing out that there was a faint smile on her lips.
Long-winded Tsubaki
--
"So you're that guy's partner, right?"
"Hm?" About to raise the mug of tea to her lips, Tsubaki halted and instead blew on the liquid and met Crow's inquisitive gaze. "You mean Black☆Star? Yes, that's right."
"What's it like?" He propped his elbows up on the table, and Yami cleared his throat, but chose to say nothing. "He's a pretty fun guy, knows how to make a good entrance."
"Yes, well..." Tsubaki's smile was a little strained as her voice took on a reminiscent (and slightly pained) quality. "There are times when it's better not to make that kind of entrance."
This time it was Yami's turn to look curious. "Such as...?"
"Oh, like when trying to take a corrupt mafia boss' soul while he's in the middle of dinner, or when trying to take the soul of a serial killer rock star right when he's in the middle of his hit song on stage, or when crashing through the roof of the female side of a bath house, or--"
Two hours passed, and Tsubaki was still cheerfully listing examples while both duelists gaped at her with expressions akin to shock and horror (and, in Crow's case, intrigue).
"Seriously, in front of cowboys?"
"Fifty-four men and horses strong."
Yami patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"Maybe I should start announcing my grand entrances too," Crow remarked, a thoughtful look appearing.
"THEY WON'T BE AS AWESOME AS MINE!!" The subject of their conversation shouted from behind them, executing a backflip right onto the table. Tsubaki just barely managed to snatch her tea away in time.
"... Exactly like that," she finished, and took a sip.
Needs-A-Hug Emiri
--
It hadn't been the best of days. In fact, in terms of how days usually went, Emiri could honestly say that the only days that had sucked more had been the days a slash-happy zombie had gone after her, the event where Minato had tried to murder her, and when Kazu had disappeared.
Nursing a healing bullet wound with a persistent fever, however, ranked up among those. She could still vividly remember the initial sting, then the pain, and the worse agony that followed when the accidental shooter had removed the bullet. And she could remember the annoyed expression on Minato's face when he'd found out. In a sense, that hurt even worse than the physical pain.
Not that the pain was anything to be laughed at, she thought, gritting her teeth as the wound throbbed. Minato had managed to close it, but she'd have to be ginger with it for awhile. It was just as well; she was supposed to have been careful in the first place, and she hadn't, and now she was stuck resting in a hammock for who knew how long--
"Yo, Adachi!" Ikki's face popped into her line of vision-- and removed itself temporarily as one leg shot out in a reactionary kick. "What're you looking so depressed about? My minions shouldn't have a care in their world except supporting their leader! Wipe that pathetic look off your face!"
He expected another kick. He expected insults or a scathing retort.
What he didn't expect was Emiri's eyes filling up with tears.
"Shit-- hey, Adachi, I didn't mean--"
"I'm pathetic, I knew it!" She was beyond listening now. "I-I should've just listened to Minato-kun, but I pushed things, and then some weird guy shot me, and I feel like crap and-- and--!"
Like most hot-blooded and irrational teenage males, Ikki had absolutely no idea what to do. Maybe if he took a leaf out of Rika's book and do what she'd done when he knew he'd screwed up--
... No, wrestling moves would just end horribly in this situation.
But then again, hadn't she sometimes done something else?
"Don't kill me for this," he warned, leaning over the hammock and wrapping his arms around his subordinate.
Emiri blinked, growing even more disconcerted as he patted her back. "I-Ikki-kun?"
"You're gonna be fine," he answered her. "Just rest up and shit and let this god do the rest until you're healed enough to kick the ass of the guy who shot you. Tch, I honestly thought you'd snap from everything before this-- you call that pathetic? None of my minions are pathetic, Adachi! Minato knows that too."
She sniffled, took a few deep breaths, and quieted. Who knew that Ikki could be this thoughtful...?
"... You can't reach my ass from this angle, can you?"
"Fuck! Get better soon, Adachi!"
Flailing Yellow
--
"Yellow-taaaaan!"
Yellow, known by most people to be lackadaisical and simple unless required to be otherwise, also prided herself on keeping unruffled when there were things to be done. Training her Pokemon daily had been a practice introduced and enforced by Green and, while she had originally protested making them fight, the Pokemon themselves were eager to listen to her orders and worked tirelessly to get stronger. At the end, she'd always praise them, give them treats, and return back to the base to finish up the day with sketching and hearing how everyone's day had gone.
But recently, she was finding it difficult to concentrate.
This could have been due to any amount of external factors, but the tall, heavily-muscled man waving signs adorned with her name and hearts probably had the most to do with it.
"Omny, use Blizzard--! Chuchu, Thunderbolt--"
"THAT'S THE WAY, YELLOW-TAN! HAVE THEM DANCE TO THE TUNE OF YOUR SWEET VOICE!"
"Um..."
"THE ANGEL SPEAKS! YOU BASTARDS BETTER LISTEN!"
Poor Yellow, unaccustomed to such admiration (and at such a loud volume at that), managed to pull down her hat and wave her hands at the same time. "T-that's-- they're my friends--"
Blade was suddenly kneeling in front of her with a gigantic bouquet that she was sure hadn't been there before. "I'm your friend too, Yellow-tan. Feel free to command this servant as you desire."
The only response she could give was a series of flustered sputters, which made Chuchu's cheeks spark warningly when she noticed her trainer's perceived distress.
"Ohhhh?" Blade turned a feral grin on the Pikachu. "You wanna go, rat?"
"Pikaaaaaaa..."
"Wait a minute-- Chuchu, he didn't mean to scrub you hard that one time-- Mister Blade, don't-- hey!"
Later, as she healed her Pokemon's scratches and other injuries, she made a vow to find a different, more isolated training spot.