Seasons at The Brink
Well, just when you think it was over. That you could finally catch a rest. When you least expect it(just like crabs), it's time to kick back... and then some. Yes, I know. Worst. Introduction. Ever.
I constantly find myself amazed that I return to write about this seemingly simple character that is the wandering warrior. Yes, there are a few angles this guy offers, but nothing seemingly out of the ordinary. One of the things I've noticed is how people are getting 'in touch' with past faves. While nothing really against it, I have come to dislike nostalgia. At least the kind that is daily banquet for the senses in our general culture nowadays. They say people often find inspiration in the strangest places.
Well, given my limited skills with so many damn languages, I hope I can accomplish something worthwhile. This fic is the sequel to "Blindfolded by Memories". And while it does continue where Blindfolded left off, I feel the story can stand on its own. Of course, if you find yourself wondering what kind of narcotics was I downing when I came up with this thing, feel welcome to check back that insult to spelling and grammar.
All SF, RS and DS characters are property of the mighty CAPCOM; KOF dudes and dudettes go to the SNK/Playmore camp. For more info on the original characters and some other odds and ends, check my profile. With all the trite introductions out of the way, let's crack this bitch open.
Prologue
Sunday 11:00 P.M.
There's no easy way to describe this.
Yet, I can picture it perfectly: My head lays on the ground, along, of course, with the rest of my body, and while I can't feel any grass, this surface is soft, vaguely similar to an open field. A slender frame lies on top of me. While the figure is undoubtedly human, I am not familiar with such body. I—I don't k—wait…
Was that just now the realization of me losing the plot altogether? Guess it wouldn't sound out of the question. But at this point of my life, I find myself hard-pressed to look for the simpler, "saner" things... yeah, not gonna happen.
So many things have changed in the last 5 years. You could say it sounds stupid, or even clichéd. Believe me: A part of me would readily give you the time of day in such matters.
A simple goal is nothing to be ashamed of. Even more so if it helps you retain your sanity unscathed. During these past years, I've found a balance. Not something to be ostentatious about, mind you. But I did find this stable frame of thought. It required a certain working ethic. And while not the hardest working man in the business of life, I've never had any prior difficulties when it came to the task of pulling my own weight.
An old adage read that the hardest thing to let go of is something you never even had to beg--
"Dammit, man!" A voice growls, seemingly unsatisfied.
"Now what?" I ask, while dropping the pencil over my worn out notebook.
"What? If you could snap out of it, you would realize how half-assed your cut-ups are coming together"
Once I took a closer look into my notes, it hit me. Lame indeed.
"... Oh, sorry" A verbal thrashing awaits after that apology.
"Okay, what's bugging you now?" … well, maybe not.
"This internal monologue... I—I don't know what to make of it" Yeah, huge discovery there.
"Remain focused, then!" He lashes out at me.
"It's not because I want to, okay? This thing is hard"
He sighed. I'm supposed that he has already grown tired of my poor attempts at brainstorming for lyrics.
"Fine. I guess we can call it a day on this subject" He said, while standing up. "The music's ace, though, so don't worry too much" This, along with the slight pat on the back he gave me, made me felt a bit better.
"Thank you, Yagami" I stood up and, before I left the room, I remembered something... "Oh, and what did ever happen to the Entrance Examination Scores?"
"I... uh, I'm checking the results tomorrow" Quickly afterwards, he pretty much fled towards his room.
Little over 2 months before New Year's Day, Yagami had gone and decided to take the Entrance Exams for Geidai. Yes, I know: A suicidal mission. But I can't just back down on him. It's been two years since I've been living with him and, while not freeloading, the fee for the rent he charges me is fairly low. Also, his 'condition' has notoriously improved. Progress has been made slowly. And while not always pleasant, the atonement for the missteps committed by his ancestors has been almost completely fulfilled.
Nonetheless, it feels like something is missing. And the inability to put my finger in it annoys the hell out of me. Ignoring this thought for a moment, I quickly bend over to reach for the notebook. I need to get some sleep, for tomorrow is yet another big day.
After pulling my futon and arranging it in a proper manner, I proceed to take this damn hoodie off and lay my frame inside of my primitive resting device.
The floor is cold. Yes, somewhat comfy, but still cold.
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Monday 4:00 A.M.
Beep-Beep-Beep...! Beep-Beep-Beep! BEEEEP!
Sometimes living off campus can be something of a drag. My involuntary grunting describes this situation perfectly. Removing the top of the futon constitutes a feat in itself. A minute later, I find myself watching the mighty stubble of doom that has entrapped most of the lower regions of my face. I quickly splash it. After appearing to be a bit more human, it's time to start my exercise routine...
...Need some warming up first, though. Good thing I've slept in my shorts. After grabbing some sleeveless shirt, I finally get into action.
After all these years, it still amazes me the response my body has to calisthenics. When done correctly, it invokes a feeling similar to what a machine would hypothetically feel when their grips and cogs are tightened. It allows the body much less restraints, enabling to push the envelope further.
Okay, now for something else...
While training, something about the scenario outside of the house reminds me of my early years. Not because of the location, or the landscape, for that matter... Meguro is incredibly different from Kyoto. Yet, for all purposes, this peaceful scenario reminds me a little bit of the Area around the palace. It's been well over a decade since I've been there. In truth, I kind of miss it.
'Everybody wants, somewhere! somewhere!'
What the hell? Ugh, no. No! I like that song...! No, bad subconscious. BAD, bad subconscious!
'Everybody wants somewhere...'
Oh great, now I'm not gonna be able to get that song out of my head. This is why humming a song to the rhythm of your jogging can be a bad thing.
After my third lap around Green Hill, I realize it's almost 5 o' clock. My cue to get back to the house. On my way back, I start to notice an augmented number of peasants on the sidewalk. I guess this is where the similarities between Kyoto and Meguro end.
Living around this zone can be quite trying at times, but once you're exposed repeatedly to the overall atmosphere of the most centric wards, you kinda get used to it... or you go mental.
On my way in, I notice Iori, in all of his zombified glory.
"Morning, Yagami" I greet him as earnestly as I can.
His grunting response still gets to me. It is honestly hard to stifle even the slightest chuckle.
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A shower, shaving and change of clothes later...
"So, ready?" I ask, while I kneeled to tie a knot on my left shoe. When I turn my look up, his eyes exchange a stare with mine. Is he mad? He's been wearing the same clothes since yesterday, so I'll just take the safe route and assume he's good to go.
"The mere fact that you wake up as if some drill sergeant was going to arm-lock you is an insult to everything that stands true to a musician" That did it. It's impossible to maintain a straight face to such a silly response. As a result, I chuckle, even if only for a bit.
"Funny, I thought drama queens were something a Talent would do" His normally blank stare switched to that of a person showing an honest-to-goodness displeased expression.
"... Shut up, English Man" He retorts, a bit frustrated.
"Come on, it's almost time"
"I'm hip. Let's go"
After a few minutes of silence...
"The thing that baffles me the most is not how you keep these crazy schedules..." He yawns a little, thus interrupting his insightful critique of what has become my daily routine. "... but how on earth you decided it would be adequate to kick it up a notch?"
"Well, do you really want to do this Live DVD?"
"Well, yes"
"And do you wish to maintain your powers in check?"
"Also, yes"
"Then stop complaining" Silence follows my retort for a good chunk of a minute. When I throw a look to his side, I realize why.
"How very humble of you" He comments, while removing his newly lit cigarette off his mouth.
"I know that you're dying to use those air quotes. Please fight that urge, and remember, you need to check your test scores at Geidai"
"Roger" He said, with an overtly militaristic tone. Yes, the National Socialist salute was a bit much. "Uh, what are you gonna do after your classes are over?"
"I know that I have a bit of practice to catch up on, Yagami. But this assistant job is paying the bills"
"Not very steadily, I might add"
"That's a lie. I've been paying on time for almost a year"
"Yeah, but what about the finer things in life? I need those!"
"I believe you can go through life just fine without any sexually willing females or mind altering substances"
"Says you" Oh, great. He had to do it. He couldn't help himself. Whatever. I stopped my march for a moment, just as he did. A duel of stares ensued.
For a moment there, I swore things have gotten a bit too weird, especially since the amount of people avoiding us had only grown. Then--
"HA Ha!" His dried laughter made it obvious.
"Oh, you—!" Inside joke on Yagami's part. You wouldn't get it. Besides, it's kinda dumb. "You love to psyche people out, don't you?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do" He commented. A few more nonsensical ramblings later, we realized we had arrived to the train station.
"So..."
"Yeah. This is where we diverge. Remember, you need to transfer and get down on Ueno, okay?"
"Yes, mom" Oh, that does it.
POK!
"OW! What the hell?" I hope I slapped him hard enough.
"You were the one who convinced me to let my hair grow long"
"I joke, okay? You look fine. Just don't let her do your ponytail... ever again. It's quite scary"
"I know..." At the sound of those words, we shuddered.
We eventually snap out of it. You know, the growing crowd at the station might be a defining factor.
"Well, later" He discreetly raises his hand, with both his middle and index finger protruding above the rest.
"Bye"
Moments after I see Yagami leave, I reach for the far left pocket of my back pack. I guess I've acquired quite a few habits while living with him. I mean, wouldn't a portable media player be more efficient? Yet here I am, about to use the CD walkman he gave me last year. Checking that a Disc is already inside, I close the top, put the CD player back in the pocket and place the ear-buds on.
Blip!
The moments following me pushing the play button, this barrage of sounds spurt out. The beat starts off fairly slow, and one of the guitars has this grandiose sound. Suggesting that maybe a guitar was not the original choice to voice that figure.
But it does go with the whole picture. Then, some strange sounding whispers emerge, giving the song a creepier quality so far. Meanwhile, I reach out for my wallet. Darn it, where is it? Oh, there.
After swapping my rail card and going through the gate, I take a quick glimpse of the clock. Still on good time. The platform looks empty. One of the perks of getting up early, I suppose. Finally, the vocals come in.
The voice reminds me a lot of what Iori does when we cover bands of this style. Not that I particularly enjoy listening to such a harsh kind of vocals for extended periods, but when done right, it can be quite a spectacle. That noise seems to indicate that the train has arrived. Just in case, I remove one of the ear-buds to confirm it.
The vocals continue its assault against a relentless and, frankly, quite catchy background of instruments. When the doors of the passenger car open, I take a backwards step. Surprised that no one exited it, I enter. The train resumes its march shortly after.
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A few minutes later.
While I am quite enveloped by the music poured into my ears, I do notice a particular thing. Two girls have been keeping their eyes on me. I guess it's the damn hair. And while not quite as fiery as Yagami's, I suppose that, with its size, it actually stands out. Maybe I should give them the time of day.
As I look towards them, I offer a smile. God, I hope it doesn't look weird. Looks like it came out ok. They're seem to be giggling and gossiping. Wait, they're walking-- crap, they're coming over this direction! Be cool, be cool. They barely look 15-- what are you thinking? G'ah!
"Are you a foreigner?" The taller of the two asks, in an acceptable English. Ah, I see.
"Uh... no. Not really" I retort, in the best English I can speak at this height of the day.
"But your--"
"It's the hair, isn't it?" I interrupt them. If I wanted to stand out, obviously letting my hair long was the poor man's choice to do so.
"Your skin is a bit paler as well"
"Oh, I had not noticed that before" If somebody took my tone off my mouth… man, I tell you, I could use a lit bit of fresh fruit to wake my neurons.
I might think I went overboard with such a delivery. They both stared at me madly. Were they about to lambaste me?
"That wasn't very nice" Not quite.
"Right. I'm sorry... I'm a wee tired" I wasn't, but I had to make something up. To that effect, I closed my eye-lids and proceeded to rub them. "Not really used to talk to people this early in the morni--" I was about to continue, until, I heard them gasp. Now what?
"Hey-- that emblem" I don't have anything against being pointed at, but it's not among the things I enjoy about daily life..
"Uh, what about it"
"Y-- you--"
"Yes, I am a student from THAT University..." This was getting tedious, to say the least. After noticing the next stop, the feeling of the train stopping its march came as a sign of relief. Todaimae.
"Well, good making your acquaintances" I said, while preparing to go off the car.
"Wait!" Of course I was not going to have any of it. Now that I've gone one hundred percent jerk with these girls, I'm not about to lose my stop. I still have to prep two classes, one as A.T. and the other as student. And well, I go off and then, dew--
--are you kidding me? Is this to spite me?
No, don't lose your temper. You're not like that. Pretend you didn't take notice, and just go on about your own business, like you do on every other school day.
Oh, just in case you're recently joining, two girls have been following me since I got off the train; might as well ignore them. Yeah, nice pla--
RUN FOR IT!
"Matte kud--! Honto desu" They're still following me? Crap! Oh, I'm almost there-- quickly! Full-speed! Go-for-broke! NOW!
A good 20 seconds later, I look over my left shoulder. No track of those two. To follow me all the way to my School. Such nerve!
"Senpai! Daijobu?" I'd recognize that voice anywhere.
"E…? Un" After I attempted to remove off my forehead what little perspiration I've forced my body to generate, I nodded in response.
"So, is the whole class ready?"
"Well, almost. Only two students left"
"Fine. Might as well start already. Tell the others to get their stuff and I'll meet you there in 3 minutes. Same class-room, same amount of time as we did last Monday"
"Okay!" And he proceeds to go on his way. Good guy. A little too solemn at times, though. But that's your average Letters undergrad for you. Yeah, I'm one to talk.
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Said 3 Minutes later.
We're all gathered in the room I had reserved since last week. To begin our lecture on Occidental Ethical Thoughts.
"Well, good morning, fellow students. This is our third session, out of eight. I know most of you need the extra credit, but also remember that, more than anything, this class is focused on giving you the ability to put this knowledge into work, whether it be for the more immediate nature, like the last term exam or in the long run… or so I've been told. I might be--"
"WAIT!"
A voice resonates from the door. I back away from the Whiteboard for a mome—oh, this is rich. Appalling sound more fitting actually. If you stop munching whatever crap you're stuffing your mouth with, you can clearly hear the sound of my jaw dropping.
"You two again?" Now calm down, nothing is worth your altered tone. Perhaps a face-palm is in order…? Most definitely. "You never give up, do you?" I reiterate what's pretty obvious to my whole class.
"Well, maybe you should have awaited for us to introduce ourselves!" Oh, I see what they did there. It's their turn to act all undignified. Good times.
"O—kay. You would have to excuse me if I found myself reluctant to await your introduction, but I seldom consider a passenger car the appropriate place to do such thing…" A sigh I had not planned then allowed me to pause. Maybe I should just apologize for being rude. "… Then again, I could have been more patient. So: if you must" I added, before performing a simple hand gesture. Hey, all in the name of knowledge, right?
"Hanawa Midori" The tallest one said.
"Kinjo Sara" The more commanding of the pair finally introduced herself. "We're both first year students at Toyo"
"Ah, so you're from the vicinity. Good to know"
"In actuality, we came all the way from Chiba. Your reputation in the field of Social and Human studies is not without merits, senpai" A compliment? This early? That's just bizarre "Although you might want to polish your etiquette"
Well, a backhanded one… but a compliment nonetheless.
"Yes, not everyday I find myself being observed AND stalked by random people I have never seen before"
"But we sent an E-mail to one of your juniors over a week ago!" What? Oh…
"Inari" I need some serious wok on my social skills. Living with Yagami is clearly dulling whatever progress Hinato and Ken had accomplished.
"UH, um…" You could almost smell the fear latent in Inari Masao as his fingertips tapped each other. "See? I told you two more peo—"
"It's okay, Inari" I said, while directing my eyes towards the ceiling. "We all make mistakes once or twice. So, Hanawa-san and Kinjo-san: please proceed to take a seat" I asked, in a much more serious tone.
They did so shortly after. A quick glimpse into the rows yells out a positive response to this session.
"Well, now that I notice, aside from our 2 guests, I see many new faces today. I am glad that you decided to take this complimentary class, for it will greatly aid in your development to put your knowledge into use. If you have any questions regarding any topic, please, do not hesitate to ask… My name is Hoshi Ryu, and I hope I can be of true assistance to you"
The song Ryu is trying to block while jogging is called "Cashout" by this little, teeny, tiny bar-band called Fugazi.
Well, that's Prologue for you. Hopefully, if you're a returning eye to my emporium of assorted madness(es?) you'll notice a slightly better grammar and spelling overall. Yes, I will keep the word-butchering to a minimum, just as long as you keep digging the writing. Or not? That's up to you, boys and girls.
To be honest, real life has been fairly interesting(and just as mind-boggling to booth), so keeping up with this bad boy was a little rough. Still, this one is much more planned out, so I hope updates to be much less erratic. See ya' real soon!