True Cross Academy, Japan
Rin Okumura threw the bag for his sword over his shoulder and sighed. It had been a long day and he was sure thankful it was over. He nearly had to drag his ass to start moving when the bell rang. He stepped into the hallway and tiredly made his way for the huge doors that stood between him and the fresh air outside. It was getting late in the day and the sun would set soon. Even though he was tired, he decided it would be good for him to get some air and take a little walk. It was autumn and all the leaves had already changed colors and were falling off the trees. The grass was littered with red and orange leaves, and seemed to be a sea of sunset colors. It was a chilly day and though he had his uniform jacket buttoned up, he was still cold. He let out a shiver as a gust of wind blew by and through his thick hair.
He took a deep breath as he made his way past the courtyard. He prayed no one would say a word to him because he wasn't in the mood for conversation. People were all around, hanging out. He envied them for what they had. They had friends, parents who were still alive, and siblings who didn't think of them as a dangerous and uncontrollable. The loneliness that crept up his spine then was hard to ignore and shake off. The day was Friday and that meant that all the students here would be out at parties and bars. He thought of all the cute girls that would be out and about and it only depressed him further. He would be stuck in his dorm all weekend, as he had promised his brother he wouldn't get into any trouble at all. Yukio had gone away for a week to do work somewhere up north but didn't say much else. He was too mysterious as far as Rin was concerned. It annoyed him and Yukio was well aware.
It wasn't that he and Yukio were 'fighting,' he would say they were merely 'having a tiff.' They hadn't seen eye to eye these past few weeks. Yukio got moody sometimes...
Rin hung his head low as he walked down the boulevard with his hands in his pockets. He decided to take a walk around town to clear his head. He had so much on his mind and the crisp air felt good to his lungs. Whenever he was upset or nervous, he liked to be outside not cooped up in a house or a dorm room.
Shiemi waved to him as he passed another dorm house. He smiled and waved back. "Hey," he said before moving on.
His mind was elsewhere as he crossed the street. He wondered how life would be if the old man was still around. When he was alone he often thought about how life would be different. Rin shook his head as if to shake off his thoughts. He didn't even notice as a man came tumbling out of a bar door and rolled to a stop. He got up and grinned. "I'm okay, Jack," he told a buddy of his. The man tripped again, having drunk a little too much. He fell onto the sidewalk in front of Rin, who didn't even have time to react. He stepped on the man but began apologizing before he was even taking another breath.
"I'm so sorry," Rin explained, offering the man a hand. "I didn't see you there." The man on the ground proceeded to take Rin up on his offer as he helped him up. Rin didn't even see it coming as the man punched him square across the jaw. Rin fell backwards, stunned. He landed on his butt down on the hard, cold sidewalk. The tall drunken man smirked again and nodded. "That was for wrinkling my shirt." He dusted off his hands as if it was a job well done and he was proud. His silver hair was messy and his shirt was wrinkled to all get-out. He looked no older than sixteen, with a little facial hair just beginning to come in.
Rin gritted his teeth and tried to hold in the small growl that would have escaped his lips. It took all his energy to hold in his blue flames but he managed. He stood up slowly and walked up to the taller man. "So, you think you can push people around?" The crowd of people who were watching began to get nervous and leave, some going back into the bar and some walking away. The drunken man tried to stand up tall but he just hiccupped and slumped his shoulders instead. Rin balled up his fists. "What's your problem? Alcohol turns people in the biggest assholes, I swear." He said the last bit under his breath but the drunk heard him none-the-less. He grabbed Rin's shoulder, spinning him until he landed flat against the wood door of the bar. His back went straight into the doorknob and it began to ache something terrible. It surprised Rin that the man was so strong. He was muscular but skinny, too. He didn't look like a guy who was able to hold Rin back, nevertheless do it while he was drunk.
Rin tried to break free but he was exhausted and didn't really care too much. Finally, he sighed. "Look mister, I'm not in the mood for a fight. You're just drunk and boy, do you smell like a keg. You should just go home and sleep it off." He was trying to joke a little but the man wouldn't have it. "Should I really?" He raised his eyebrows at Rin rather smugly and tightened his grip on the shirt collar. "You know what I think?" the man said, moving closer to Rin. His breath smelled like death and Rin couldn't help but scrunch up his nose. "I think you should go to hell." Rin chuckled at the irony of this man's words but said nothing.
The man let go of his collar just as he moved to punch him again. He was too slow, though. Rin caught his fist and hit him in the face with his elbow. The man fell backwards and much to Rin's dismay, caught himself. His nose started to bleed but he barely noticed. He was too far gone. "Drunk," Rin mumbled, pissed off.
The man put up a finger at him and hiccuped. "Drunk? That is not my name. My name is Chika." That was the last thing the man said because he fell over and onto his back. Rin watched this all happen, finding it slightly hilarious. No one else was around anymore and the sun was beginning to set. He looked down the man who was out cold on the pavement and shook his head.
"I can't just leave him here," he thought as he scratched his head.