Tak had to duck but didn't... provoking a stream of coarse language... At
the second attempt... he made it in....
"Hoe... I suppose you're Takashi, right? I'm Kojirou, Hime's brother." Kojirou greeted him with a slight bow.
"You were expecting the tooth fairy?" The sarcasm was almost lost amid a deep, rumbling bass voice, partly infrasonic.
The newcomer towered over Kojirou, being nearly twice as tall... literally. His body took the definition of "heavyset" and ran with it. There was a definite resemblance to Nakita... the eyes and hair were the same.
Kojirou looked up at Tak's eyes, grinning. "Well, yeah. But you'll do. Come on." he guided Tak through a maze of dark corridors with heavy metal doors, finally stopping at one which he opened easily. "Heh... they did choose wisely calling you, I see... well, Hime and Nakita are in there. I'll be with you soon."
Tak had to duck as he entered... muttering something about a low bridge.
From the inside, Hime and Nakita awaited him.
"Hoe, Tak..." Hime greeted him with a smile "Thanks for accepting it."
"This... is my younger brother..." Nakita indicated the towering green haired giant who had just entered.
"Younger... kinda hard to believe... you're not really 16, are you?"
Hime received a flat stare from Tak. "I am."
Nakita whispered to her, "He entered puberty precociously... at age 6... ten years ago..."
Hime's eyes widened heavily... "Alright, if you say... K, shall we start?" a quick thought crossed her mind, which caused her to frown barely visibly.
"What do I break first?"
"That's... pretty much the idea..." by the time she finished the sentence, Kojirou had arrived from seemingly nowhere in the room.
"Hoe, are we getting to it already?"
"Yeaown, you got here just in time."
"How much pressure you want applied? Just my bodyweight to start with?"
"That's the idea. Actually your bodyweight seems more than enough." Hime gestured for everyone to go through the door Tak had entered from, and lead the group to what seemed like a huge basement with chains tied to the ceiling, forming a sort of net.
"Nice place... so we start with 200 kilos and work up from there?"
"Pretty much. You see, each eight chains are supposed to hold a person. So, just let loose. No need to struggle." she pressed a button on the wall and the chains lowered. Walking up to one particular set of them, she motioned for Tak to lie down on them.
Tak flopped onto the chains... they didn't impede his floorward motion, which caused a collective wince.
"Nakita, I start to have doubts about this idea..."
"You said it, Kojirou." Hime answered
He wriggled out of the mess and jumped back to his feet.
"Well... he is testing it..." Nakita noted, seemingly unaffected.
"He is... but, damn... things might get a bit out of hand here..."
"Maybe we only test three or four fittings per time?"
"Yeah, that works."
"Ah, Tak... can you come with us, please?" again a walk through the corridors, now to a place with thick cuffs on the walls. Also, nails covered a fair part of the floor. Tak raised an eyebrow after he ducked in...
"Well, for this one, first your weight, if it resists, you try to break free, alright?" Hime took Tak by his hand and quickly tied his to wrists and ankles to the wall.
"Let's hope he doesn't break the wall..."
"OK..."
He let his weight hang from the cuffs... they gave a little but held...
"They're loosening... you don't need to struggle. Kojirou, are you writing down?"
"Yeaown. Nets, cuffs... what's next?"
Before Hime could release Tak, the cuffs gave way in a shower of debris and curses.
"Ow, damn... K, next room... Tak, whenever you want to stop, say it, alright?"
"What's next, sis?"
"Hmmmm... mind if we hang you, Tak?"
"Hang?"
"Yeah. Pierce your skin with hooks and hang you from chains."
"Nix that... they'd probably rip out."
"That's what I fear..."
"Ahn... am I the only one here who thinks Tak might thrash the whole place if we keep going?" Kojirou intervened
"You could remove the hooks and let me pull down on the chains with my right hand..."
"Works... alright, good idea."
Kojirou had to suppress any comment.
As they go to the room, it was obvious the chains were a lot thicker than the previous ones. "Well, just try it." Both siblings already feared the worst, though.
Tak grabbed a chain with his right hand... wrapped a loop around his hand to get a better grip... and yanked down.... the chains held....
"OK if I use my strong hand now?"
"Hmmmm..." Hime's awkwardness was more than evident. "What do you say, Nakita? You know the Mansion, and Tak well enough."
"Well... not going to get many customers heavier than 600 pounds..."
"If any..." was Kojirou's muttered response.
"Well, you don't need to, Tak. Let's get going."
"Hime, are you thinking about the same room as I am?"
"Yes, if you're thinking about the voodoo rooms."
Tak raised an eyebrow. "Voodoo rooms?"
"In them, we nail you to the ground. And there's no other way of testing it than taking them. Is that alright with you?"
Tak glared at his brother, who nervously started inching away...
"Hey, that's why I said... you wanna stop, just say it. That hurts like hell."
Tak didn't hear what was said... instead... he lunged for his brother with surprising speed. Nakita became a blur as he dodged out of the way... grabbed his pissed off brother... flipped him to the ground with a resounding CRASH...
"Oh, damn..."
"Kojirou, get a Raiya. No, get two of them."
"My thoughts exactly." he disappeared into a wall, coming back seconds later with what looked like a metal whip. As he came back, though, Nakita warned, "No need... he's unconscious."
"Good... and the floor looks like a plane crashed on it..."
Nakita shrugged, "What do you expect when 430 pounds is dropped from 6 feet?"
"Heck... what when he wakes up?"
"Nakita, do you think you can carry him out?"
"No..."
"Fine, what now? We wait for him to wake up?"
This time Kojirou had to say it. "No, no... Tak'll be enraged... and I don't wanna be near him when that happens."
"We could wait... or run..."
"Run? You're kidding, right? He'll thrash the whole place."
"Well... watch him."
"Watch?"
"Yeah..."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Keep an eye on Tak."
"And?"
"Gimme a yell if he wakes up"
Kojirou shook his head "You're so kidding..."
"Nakita, you wait here with us. Kojirou, you snag a Raiya around his shoulder, while I get the other."
"I'll go get the sedative..." Without waiting for further response, Nakita left the room.
"Wait, Nakita! Hoe... ah, damn... what now, sis?"
"Now we wait... not much more to do."
Suppressing any external indication, Tak woke up short before Nakita left... the cold feel of the Raiyas on his shoulders... looks like the rage had boiled over again... at the same time, a scan line ran down the length of Tak's body...
"Hoe, NAKITA! HE'S AWAKE!"
"AND PISSED!"
The scan completed... A quicker horizontal scan... Tak flickered... and got up... free of the Raiyas...
"Ah, damn... NAKITA!"
"HELL, ARE YOU LISTENING?"
They didn't wait for an answer, running out of the room and trying to lock Tak inside...
Tak actually looked a little bewildered... the shouts brought Nakita running...
"Great... your little brother is awake inside there. What you brought?"
"How did he wake up?
"Hm... he did."
"What else you want to know?"
"Any funny visual FX?"
"This... hm... line thing across his body."
"Hoe, I thought I was seeing things..."
Nakita shook his head...
"What is that?"
"Some guys I worked with at uni... reckoned it was theoretically possible to manipulate the Wired directly..."
"Keep going..."
"After a strong shock to the user's psyche... such as being comatose or insane..."
"What happens?"
"What is called a bodydump... the user translates themselves to the Wired without help..."
"OK... where are you trying to get?"
"Said help being connection and NAVI..."
"Fine, Nakita... but what's with Tak?"
"Is he crossing the Wired right now?"
"Nope... just standing there looking very bewildered..."
The siblings rolled their eyes, following with an unison "Soooooo..."
"Looks like a flashdump..."
"Meeeeaning?"
"He hit the Wired for a few milliseconds, then returned..."
"Ah, K..."
"Hmmm... is he still angry?"
"Doesn't look it.... but people said the Titanic was unsinkable..."
"You face the beast, then."
The color drained from Nakita's face. "Shit... full dump..."
"Hm?"
"He's no longer in the room..."
"EEH??" Kojirou and Hime seemingly teleported to inside the room. And Tak actually wasn't there.
"Nakita, let me see if I'm following..."
"If we are following. Tak had just suffered a bodydump..."
"And is cruising the Wired physically..."
"But why?"
"I have no idea..."
"Alright... how long does it usually take?"
"Varies each time... he may not dump back here..."
"So, there's no telling when, where and IF he's coming back..."
"Just wonderful..."
"And he's gotta report to the cops day after tomorrow..."
"Ahn... about?"
"Condition of the visa."
"Ah, Oc... damn."
"He's in Japan illegally?"
Nakita shook his head. "No... we entered legally, being dual nationals."
"Ah, K then."
"But what's the matter?"
"Does the Wired respect national bounds?"
"Not that I know."
"Well... theoretically... he could come out anywhere that is near a high bandwidth connection."
"Bloody hell..."
"That happened before?"
"A few times..."
"International level?"
"Yes..."
"How you managed to locate him?"
"Tak called.... had ended up in Vancouver..."
Hime suppressed a giggle, while Kojirou didn't bother.
"Don't laugh... I had to cut a week of classes to go find him."
"I suppose so... but it's funny anyway. Well, guess the test session is over..." Hime couldn't help muttering a "fortunately" ... "We just wait now?"
Nakita just nodded, shoulders sagging in defeat.
Kojirou thought for a couple of seconds, "Hmmm... you wait, right? I mean, I'm more than a little late for school... and I kinda have to go. Nee-chan IS paying, after all." as was his way, Kojirou didn't wait for an answer. He disappeared into a wall, carrying the Raiyas with him.
"Are you waiting for Tak here?" Hime asked Nakita as Kojirou left.
Nakita thought /I wonder if I should give Yasuo a buzz.../ "No real need... we might as well clean up the aftereffects."
"Good idea..." /That wall will need some work.../ "Alright, thanks for helping."
"Glad to..."
"Heh... NOW I wish Tak was here... anyway, let's get to it."
"That's one man you NEVER treat like a pack mule."
"That's not really what I meant... but thanks for the advice."
The pair started cleaning up the debris caused by Tak's "structural contracting" work. As they were finished, Hime looked a bit sadly at them "Nakita, remind me to separate a room just to put what Tak breaks..."
"What do you expect from a guy who can break the super heavyweight clean & jerk weightlifting world record with his weak arm?"
"I know, I've seen it... but it's... horrible, anyway."
"I've been trying to persuade him to compete... but Tak doesn't want to... for obvious reasons related to bodily integrity, I didn't press it."
Hime laughed at that, then added, "It'd be no fun for him anyway..."
"No competition when he shatters the world mark with a lift of triple the old score."
"And they'd much likely think he was cheating. Which could lead to some serious damage."
"A series of medical observations could establish a baseline for him.... regular observations over at least a year to establish baseline levels of testosterone, HGH, adrenaline, etc etc."
"Hell... Tak probably produces enough testosterone that some can be extracted, refined and sold without bothering him."
Hime grinned widely. "Well I wouldn't suggest that..."
"As well as other hormones... human growth hormone being an example."
"You could try an convince him, like, 'You know, Tak, since you got much more hormones than you'd need... and too much money is never enough...' "
"Yeah... y'know..."
"For a kid that entered puberty at six, he could much well stop it already."
"Well... if you or Kojirou wants to bulk up, you won't have to buy HGH at retail..."
"True... though I prefer my form as it is... and I know you prefer it too." Hime answered with a wink.
Nakita responded to that by easily scooping Hime up and kissing her. An eternity later, Hime broke the kiss. She looked up at Nakita's eyes, smiling happily. "See?"
"It was just a suggestion."
"I know."
"So, now that we're finished, what are you up to?"
"Probably have to go in... rearrange my appointments..."
"I see. Just asking because I have nothing to do."
"Well.. I have to get ready for Kannai's after effects... maybe you should as well."
"Hm? How can I?"
"So... make sure you have enough fruit juice available. How do most customers pay? Cash or credit card?"
Hime blinked a few times. "Fruit juice?"
"Yeah... that's what you told me... since Kannai doesn't drink any alcohol..."
"Yeaown, good idea. I'm off to buy fruit juice, then. Lots of it, since he can stay up for two or more nights if we ask him."
"Just out of curiosity... has he ever submitted to anyone?"
"... ... ... ... ... not that I know. Not even me. I thought I'd be able to beat him into submission, but I didn't."
"... that's saying something..."
"Why, thank you." as an afterthought, she added "You're free to try, though."
"Why don't we team up on him?"
That thought get Hime more than a little aroused. "Sure... when are you free?"
"Why not early tomorrow morning?"
"Alright. Tonight I'll ask Kannai if he can make it. Come to think of it, he's never around when you are..."
***
/Ah, damn... can already hear some irritating teacher cackling about my being late.../ Kojirou walked slowly on his way to school, not a bit worried about being late, but fearing for his poor ears when he got there. The subway ride was quite uneventful, except for an uncomfortable feeling of routine. Then again, that's what school is supposed to feel like, right?
***
"Sasaki-san, you do realize you're late, right?"
/Here comes.../ "Look, sensei, I even did my homework this time, so can't you thank me by going right to the point?"
"What did you say?" the usual response to most of everything Kojirou said at school.
"Look, old lady, I was busy at home, I didn't get late here cause I wanted to. So you can waste both your time and mine, or just go ahead and tell me my punishment. But I'd be happy if you chose the latter."
The old, stressed teacher frowned. "If that's what you want, you'll stay in detention after class, then talk to the headmistress. And your sister will have to come and talk to us."
Kojirou shook his head "Forget onee-chan coming here. She has more to do. Bloody damnation, even I have more to do... if you want, I can give her a message, but I won't make her come here. Specially to talk to the likes of you."
"The... likes of me, you say?"
"Yes. Now, excuse me." he walked past the angry and woman entered the classroom, smiling at his startled classmates, who felt outraged and envious because he had faced the sensei. And won.
When he passed by Reine, Kojirou leaned forward to give her a peck on the cheek. When she raised her head to look at whoever had done it, Kojirou smiled sweetly, his eyes closing, very different from his usual malicious, feline grins. Lain's eyes widened and she tried to say something, but the words were too weak to reach her lips. Kojirou smiled again at that, then walked to his desk, taking his NAVI and textbook from his backpack and, like a Buddhist monk, gathering all his patience in order to stand the upcoming class.
***
Suddenly, Yousuke found himself looking up at his sensei. He was a wiry man, standing in his gi, black belt cinched tightly around his waste. Sharp eyes didn't soften when they looked down at Genji's prone form, and after awhile, he spoke.
"Aren't you going to get up Yousuke? It looks uncomfortable laying there on the floor." Yousuke rubbed his backside as he stood up. The two men stood for a second in the now still dojo before he cleared his throat.
"Did you see where I went wrong sensei?" asked Yousuke as he brushed imaginary dust off his gi. His instructor shrugged.
"You tripped, of course. Remember when you train that it is important to keep your mind in the here and now. Don't let yourself wander off into the clouds until you can do your katas in your sleep. They are just as much for self-defense as they are a conduit to focus the mind, and when you move as fast as you were to that beat, you should take it seriously."
"I understand sensei, thank you for your advice."
"You're welcome." said his sensei as Yousuke moved to hit turn the music back on. As he did, his instructor spoke up again. "Wait Yousuke, I know you came to practice, but there are other things to our style that you should remember to refresh yourself with whenever you hit a block in your training."
"Yes sensei?" said Yousuke.
"So, I have noticed that among my students here, you are doing the best. You understand the forms, and why they move the way they do. To some, any karate style is just like the other. No spirituality can be achieved in this city of Tokyo. But our style is no different then that practiced outside, or anywhere, in that it too can be a way for enlightenment. Belt color as I have means very little, it's for the young students to gauge each other, but knowledge is on the inside. I think that we should go out to talk, why don't we go for a walk Yousuke?"
"Of course, sensei. Let me get my things." said Yousuke.
***
Eiri sat watching the odd boy with her eyes half-closed, her hands holding up her head. With one hand, she reached quietly into her desk and pulled out her own NAVI, setting it next to her useless English textbook. The silver paneling cast a light on the ceiling of the room, alerting all that her NAVI was, in fact, out. She pressed a few jade buttons and send a message in Chinese to Caomei.
Caomei looked at her own Hello Kitty-plated NAVI as the message came through. After she read the message on the screen, she shrugged at Eiri.
Even though he had been in the class since the beginning of the school year, neither one of them knew what to think of the boy. They had spoken to him enough to know that he lived in the "house shrouded in mystery" that they passed every day on the way to school. Once, just once, he had walked with them. They had been late that day. His sister was the legendary beauty of the area. But what else? Neither of them knew, and didn't know if he wanted them to know.
Eiri stared at the back of his head, as he sat in front of her, and looked over at her "sister" to her right. Hesitantly, she reached out a pale hand, poking his shoulder. Her paleness was nothing compared to his, but both of them were definately together in the pale family. She retracted her hand to put a stray curl behind her ear.
"Hey, Kojirou. How are you today?" she whispered as she pushed her NAVI to the edge of her desk.
"Well, you know, dear... I'm in class, but other than that, fine." Kojirou wasn't really inclined on mentioning the earlier thrashing of his house. Though he really liked Eiri's voice, he turned back towards the blackboard and turned on his own, shining black NAVI. Pressing a pew pointy buttons that hurt his fingers, he sent a message to her. Kojirou figured this way there would be a smaller chance of the sensei realizing neither was paying attention to class, and so smaller would be the chance that he'd have to stand more cackling.
___
And class being English, I suppose you share the feeling, ne? ^_~
___
***
It was a beautiful morning. The sky was an intense pastel blue, the streets moderately calm for the 10 AM hour. And of course, why would the teenagers, sitting detached in front of a vending machine, be bothered with school on a day like this?
"You know, I can't believe you drink that." The raven-haired girl harrumphed, her hands placed on her hips.
"Eh? It's just... coffee." Satoshi expressed a muddled look, brandishing the can of UCC at the girl as if it were a weapon.
"It's bad for you. They say the caffeine can cause all sorts of health problems and heart stuff." She sat down next to him, her legs crossed primly. She rubbed them- in addition to being beautiful, the morning was cold.
"Hontou ka? Who's 'They', anyway, Naoko?" Satoshi asked, popping the lid to the can.
"Some American scientist."
"Pffft." Satoshi took a large sip from the can. Naoko rolled her eyes and stared into the traffic. Satoshi grabbed her attention by nudging her side with the crown of his head. "Shingo wrote me an e-mail last night, ya know?"
"What's the boss want this time, Koneko?" Naoko asked, affectionately calling him by his DJ name.
"Mmm...." Satoshi coughed; a bit of the coffee had gone down the wrong part of his throat.
"Told you it's bad for you." Naoko smiled triumphantly.
"Shut up."
"About Shingo?"
"Yeah. Seems that Tatsumi and Shizue both fell out for last night; Shingo's gonna need us at the Tsubasa tomorrow." Satoshi took a defiant swig of the coffee.
"Tomorrow? That was our day off..." Naoko sighed. "Bet those two are off fucking or something."
"Tatsumi's gay and Shizue's Christian," Satoshi tossed the empty can into a conveniently placed trash bag. "So.... no."
"I was trying to be funny." Naoko pouted.
Satoshi smiled. "Didn't work," He answered.
"Oh, shut up!" Naoko growled, aiming a playful swat towards Satoshi's head. Satoshi stood up in time to warrant a slap on his calf.
"Wanna catch some lunch?" Satoshi asked, sliding his backpack up his shoulders. Naoko nodded in agreement, stood, and the two took off from their bench to search for a restaurant.
A beautiful day...
***
Eiri shrank down into her chair, muttering English obscenities to herself. The sound had been more than enough to unnerve her, and the horror in teacher's face worried her. As the huge man walked into the room, she reached across in horror to grab her honored little sister, Caomei. They held tightly to each other, fearing what the man might do to them. Eiri looked at Lain, who sat completely still, looking with her normal wide-eyed stare at the newcomer. She opened her mouth to speak to Kojirou, but the look on his face told her that he knew the man. She became faintly aware that Caomei had buried her head in Eiri's shoulder and warm tears were permeating the thin cloth of her white shirt. She patted Caomei's back and then buried her face in Caomei's abundant ebony hair. And thus they sat, fearing the worse from this meeting...
Kojirou heard sobbing coming from behind him. As he turned back he saw Eiri and Caomei hugging each other desperately. For some reason this got him more than a little sad.
Tak stood up to his full height and looked around. "Of ALL the GODDAM places..."
Seeing he was the only one who could do anything, Kojirou stood up and walked closer to Tak. As he passed by Reine, he realized she was just sitting there, as if she wasn't even in class.
/Damnation... he is pissed right now... good that nobody here is the reason for that.../ "Heh... my thoughts exactly. Anyway, welcome back, I guess. Though I wonder what made you come here..."
Tak just shrugged in response.
"Well, I'm assuming you don't wanna stay for long..." he turned back to the teacher "Sensei. My friend Takashi here is lost, so can I show him to the exit?"
"Might as well enroll now I'm here..."
"If you want... is that alright, sensei?"
The English teacher gathered all her strength and nodded slowly. In one of the middle rows, a girl shivered in rage at the disturbance of the class. She glared at Kojirou, who had to suppress the urge to blow her a kiss.
"Anyway, Tak, let's get going..."
As the pair walked away, Tak asked Kojirou "Who was the pissed off chick?"
"That's Aya. She's the class representative, and very annoying for someone that cute." he said shrugging
"Long as she doesn't make a pass at me."
"Yeaown, that's quite the idea. Oh, and try not to give her reasons not to like you."
"Such as?"
"Such as showing no respect for the teachers, coming to class without your uniform, and so on... she can put many people against you if she wants... ... ... not that I think you'd care, but just in case."
Tak muttered under his breath "She and I are gonna get along FINE... or she's gonna end up in the hospital... or worse. And I'm gonna look fucking ridiculous in a school uniform... it clashes with the eyes and hair."
Kojirou looked into Tak's eyes, then down to his body "True... but isn't that what uniforms are for?"
"It's gonna make me look stupid above and beyond because of my frame."
"I can see that... but then again I can't recall one guy who ever looked good in a uniform."
"Military uniform maybe... but certainly not a school one."
"Military... yeaown, maybe. Anyways, here's the enrolling office. They're gonna ask you so many questions you'll forget why they started in first place... then I guess you'll be able to get to class already. Which reminds me, don't think you'll have to stand Aya, unless you got held back and will end up in our classroom."
"Kojirou... can you give Nakita a buzz?"
"Yeah. What do I tell him?"
"That I bodydumped at a goddam school."
"Alright, anything else?"
"And get over here since he's my legal guardian."
"OK. I'll call him from my NAVI when I'm back in class."
"Thanks."
And it started.
Kojirou went back to his classroom, telling the teacher he'd left Tak to enroll. It seemed most everyone had calmed down by then. He got back to his desk and answering Eiri's message.
___
You could try to get dismissed from this class... but on second thought, it's a good chance to gossip with Mei-chan, ne?
___
Then he sent Nakita the one Tak had asked.
___
Hoe, Nakita!
Kojirou here. You won't believe it, but Tak just came back from his bodydump... right outside of my classroom. He's enrolling right now, so they'll need you here since you're his legal guardian.
___
***
Nakita got Kojirou's message... the paintpeeling language alerted Hime.
"What's the matter, Nakita?" she asked as she finished changing.
"Tak dumped... and must have landed on his head."
"Hm? Why do you say that?"
"He wants to complete high school."
Hime raised an eyebrow at that. "Just like that? Yeaown, damn right he must have landed on his head. Anyway, you better get there, right?"
"Yeah... this could take a while... no ones gonna believe he's sixteen."
"Can't blame them, though."
"I gotta dig out his birth certificate. Might not see you until tomorrow."
"OK... guess we have to procrastinate that team up on Kannai, then."
"Crap... forgot about that..."
"It's alright..."
"I'll try but no guarantees."
"No need for that. When you have the time, let me know and I talk to him."
"Oh well, see ya."
Hime grabbed and kissed Nakita before he went away. Shortly after that, she went out to get the fruit juice she'd surely need for the night.
Nakita went walkabout... first to the apartment he shared with his younger brother... picking up a copy of Tak's birth certificate and academic transcripts... Making sure he hadn't forgotten anything... Nakita headed to the school that Kojirou attended. He managed to find the front office... where his brother had parked himself beside a small mountain of forms.
"Hi, Tak."
"'lo Nakita."
"Well... I'll go give em the copies of the stuff they need and sign the stuff I have to."
Tak's head impacting with the door lintel provoked a stream of paint peeling English. Most of the senior class understood it. So did the teacher. Though Nakita had won one concession. Because Tak was a senior and because of his .... above average... physical size, he didn't have to wear a uniform.
"Hoe... I suppose you're Takashi, right? I'm Kojirou, Hime's brother." Kojirou greeted him with a slight bow.
"You were expecting the tooth fairy?" The sarcasm was almost lost amid a deep, rumbling bass voice, partly infrasonic.
The newcomer towered over Kojirou, being nearly twice as tall... literally. His body took the definition of "heavyset" and ran with it. There was a definite resemblance to Nakita... the eyes and hair were the same.
Kojirou looked up at Tak's eyes, grinning. "Well, yeah. But you'll do. Come on." he guided Tak through a maze of dark corridors with heavy metal doors, finally stopping at one which he opened easily. "Heh... they did choose wisely calling you, I see... well, Hime and Nakita are in there. I'll be with you soon."
Tak had to duck as he entered... muttering something about a low bridge.
From the inside, Hime and Nakita awaited him.
"Hoe, Tak..." Hime greeted him with a smile "Thanks for accepting it."
"This... is my younger brother..." Nakita indicated the towering green haired giant who had just entered.
"Younger... kinda hard to believe... you're not really 16, are you?"
Hime received a flat stare from Tak. "I am."
Nakita whispered to her, "He entered puberty precociously... at age 6... ten years ago..."
Hime's eyes widened heavily... "Alright, if you say... K, shall we start?" a quick thought crossed her mind, which caused her to frown barely visibly.
"What do I break first?"
"That's... pretty much the idea..." by the time she finished the sentence, Kojirou had arrived from seemingly nowhere in the room.
"Hoe, are we getting to it already?"
"Yeaown, you got here just in time."
"How much pressure you want applied? Just my bodyweight to start with?"
"That's the idea. Actually your bodyweight seems more than enough." Hime gestured for everyone to go through the door Tak had entered from, and lead the group to what seemed like a huge basement with chains tied to the ceiling, forming a sort of net.
"Nice place... so we start with 200 kilos and work up from there?"
"Pretty much. You see, each eight chains are supposed to hold a person. So, just let loose. No need to struggle." she pressed a button on the wall and the chains lowered. Walking up to one particular set of them, she motioned for Tak to lie down on them.
Tak flopped onto the chains... they didn't impede his floorward motion, which caused a collective wince.
"Nakita, I start to have doubts about this idea..."
"You said it, Kojirou." Hime answered
He wriggled out of the mess and jumped back to his feet.
"Well... he is testing it..." Nakita noted, seemingly unaffected.
"He is... but, damn... things might get a bit out of hand here..."
"Maybe we only test three or four fittings per time?"
"Yeah, that works."
"Ah, Tak... can you come with us, please?" again a walk through the corridors, now to a place with thick cuffs on the walls. Also, nails covered a fair part of the floor. Tak raised an eyebrow after he ducked in...
"Well, for this one, first your weight, if it resists, you try to break free, alright?" Hime took Tak by his hand and quickly tied his to wrists and ankles to the wall.
"Let's hope he doesn't break the wall..."
"OK..."
He let his weight hang from the cuffs... they gave a little but held...
"They're loosening... you don't need to struggle. Kojirou, are you writing down?"
"Yeaown. Nets, cuffs... what's next?"
Before Hime could release Tak, the cuffs gave way in a shower of debris and curses.
"Ow, damn... K, next room... Tak, whenever you want to stop, say it, alright?"
"What's next, sis?"
"Hmmmm... mind if we hang you, Tak?"
"Hang?"
"Yeah. Pierce your skin with hooks and hang you from chains."
"Nix that... they'd probably rip out."
"That's what I fear..."
"Ahn... am I the only one here who thinks Tak might thrash the whole place if we keep going?" Kojirou intervened
"You could remove the hooks and let me pull down on the chains with my right hand..."
"Works... alright, good idea."
Kojirou had to suppress any comment.
As they go to the room, it was obvious the chains were a lot thicker than the previous ones. "Well, just try it." Both siblings already feared the worst, though.
Tak grabbed a chain with his right hand... wrapped a loop around his hand to get a better grip... and yanked down.... the chains held....
"OK if I use my strong hand now?"
"Hmmmm..." Hime's awkwardness was more than evident. "What do you say, Nakita? You know the Mansion, and Tak well enough."
"Well... not going to get many customers heavier than 600 pounds..."
"If any..." was Kojirou's muttered response.
"Well, you don't need to, Tak. Let's get going."
"Hime, are you thinking about the same room as I am?"
"Yes, if you're thinking about the voodoo rooms."
Tak raised an eyebrow. "Voodoo rooms?"
"In them, we nail you to the ground. And there's no other way of testing it than taking them. Is that alright with you?"
Tak glared at his brother, who nervously started inching away...
"Hey, that's why I said... you wanna stop, just say it. That hurts like hell."
Tak didn't hear what was said... instead... he lunged for his brother with surprising speed. Nakita became a blur as he dodged out of the way... grabbed his pissed off brother... flipped him to the ground with a resounding CRASH...
"Oh, damn..."
"Kojirou, get a Raiya. No, get two of them."
"My thoughts exactly." he disappeared into a wall, coming back seconds later with what looked like a metal whip. As he came back, though, Nakita warned, "No need... he's unconscious."
"Good... and the floor looks like a plane crashed on it..."
Nakita shrugged, "What do you expect when 430 pounds is dropped from 6 feet?"
"Heck... what when he wakes up?"
"Nakita, do you think you can carry him out?"
"No..."
"Fine, what now? We wait for him to wake up?"
This time Kojirou had to say it. "No, no... Tak'll be enraged... and I don't wanna be near him when that happens."
"We could wait... or run..."
"Run? You're kidding, right? He'll thrash the whole place."
"Well... watch him."
"Watch?"
"Yeah..."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Keep an eye on Tak."
"And?"
"Gimme a yell if he wakes up"
Kojirou shook his head "You're so kidding..."
"Nakita, you wait here with us. Kojirou, you snag a Raiya around his shoulder, while I get the other."
"I'll go get the sedative..." Without waiting for further response, Nakita left the room.
"Wait, Nakita! Hoe... ah, damn... what now, sis?"
"Now we wait... not much more to do."
Suppressing any external indication, Tak woke up short before Nakita left... the cold feel of the Raiyas on his shoulders... looks like the rage had boiled over again... at the same time, a scan line ran down the length of Tak's body...
"Hoe, NAKITA! HE'S AWAKE!"
"AND PISSED!"
The scan completed... A quicker horizontal scan... Tak flickered... and got up... free of the Raiyas...
"Ah, damn... NAKITA!"
"HELL, ARE YOU LISTENING?"
They didn't wait for an answer, running out of the room and trying to lock Tak inside...
Tak actually looked a little bewildered... the shouts brought Nakita running...
"Great... your little brother is awake inside there. What you brought?"
"How did he wake up?
"Hm... he did."
"What else you want to know?"
"Any funny visual FX?"
"This... hm... line thing across his body."
"Hoe, I thought I was seeing things..."
Nakita shook his head...
"What is that?"
"Some guys I worked with at uni... reckoned it was theoretically possible to manipulate the Wired directly..."
"Keep going..."
"After a strong shock to the user's psyche... such as being comatose or insane..."
"What happens?"
"What is called a bodydump... the user translates themselves to the Wired without help..."
"OK... where are you trying to get?"
"Said help being connection and NAVI..."
"Fine, Nakita... but what's with Tak?"
"Is he crossing the Wired right now?"
"Nope... just standing there looking very bewildered..."
The siblings rolled their eyes, following with an unison "Soooooo..."
"Looks like a flashdump..."
"Meeeeaning?"
"He hit the Wired for a few milliseconds, then returned..."
"Ah, K..."
"Hmmm... is he still angry?"
"Doesn't look it.... but people said the Titanic was unsinkable..."
"You face the beast, then."
The color drained from Nakita's face. "Shit... full dump..."
"Hm?"
"He's no longer in the room..."
"EEH??" Kojirou and Hime seemingly teleported to inside the room. And Tak actually wasn't there.
"Nakita, let me see if I'm following..."
"If we are following. Tak had just suffered a bodydump..."
"And is cruising the Wired physically..."
"But why?"
"I have no idea..."
"Alright... how long does it usually take?"
"Varies each time... he may not dump back here..."
"So, there's no telling when, where and IF he's coming back..."
"Just wonderful..."
"And he's gotta report to the cops day after tomorrow..."
"Ahn... about?"
"Condition of the visa."
"Ah, Oc... damn."
"He's in Japan illegally?"
Nakita shook his head. "No... we entered legally, being dual nationals."
"Ah, K then."
"But what's the matter?"
"Does the Wired respect national bounds?"
"Not that I know."
"Well... theoretically... he could come out anywhere that is near a high bandwidth connection."
"Bloody hell..."
"That happened before?"
"A few times..."
"International level?"
"Yes..."
"How you managed to locate him?"
"Tak called.... had ended up in Vancouver..."
Hime suppressed a giggle, while Kojirou didn't bother.
"Don't laugh... I had to cut a week of classes to go find him."
"I suppose so... but it's funny anyway. Well, guess the test session is over..." Hime couldn't help muttering a "fortunately" ... "We just wait now?"
Nakita just nodded, shoulders sagging in defeat.
Kojirou thought for a couple of seconds, "Hmmm... you wait, right? I mean, I'm more than a little late for school... and I kinda have to go. Nee-chan IS paying, after all." as was his way, Kojirou didn't wait for an answer. He disappeared into a wall, carrying the Raiyas with him.
"Are you waiting for Tak here?" Hime asked Nakita as Kojirou left.
Nakita thought /I wonder if I should give Yasuo a buzz.../ "No real need... we might as well clean up the aftereffects."
"Good idea..." /That wall will need some work.../ "Alright, thanks for helping."
"Glad to..."
"Heh... NOW I wish Tak was here... anyway, let's get to it."
"That's one man you NEVER treat like a pack mule."
"That's not really what I meant... but thanks for the advice."
The pair started cleaning up the debris caused by Tak's "structural contracting" work. As they were finished, Hime looked a bit sadly at them "Nakita, remind me to separate a room just to put what Tak breaks..."
"What do you expect from a guy who can break the super heavyweight clean & jerk weightlifting world record with his weak arm?"
"I know, I've seen it... but it's... horrible, anyway."
"I've been trying to persuade him to compete... but Tak doesn't want to... for obvious reasons related to bodily integrity, I didn't press it."
Hime laughed at that, then added, "It'd be no fun for him anyway..."
"No competition when he shatters the world mark with a lift of triple the old score."
"And they'd much likely think he was cheating. Which could lead to some serious damage."
"A series of medical observations could establish a baseline for him.... regular observations over at least a year to establish baseline levels of testosterone, HGH, adrenaline, etc etc."
"Hell... Tak probably produces enough testosterone that some can be extracted, refined and sold without bothering him."
Hime grinned widely. "Well I wouldn't suggest that..."
"As well as other hormones... human growth hormone being an example."
"You could try an convince him, like, 'You know, Tak, since you got much more hormones than you'd need... and too much money is never enough...' "
"Yeah... y'know..."
"For a kid that entered puberty at six, he could much well stop it already."
"Well... if you or Kojirou wants to bulk up, you won't have to buy HGH at retail..."
"True... though I prefer my form as it is... and I know you prefer it too." Hime answered with a wink.
Nakita responded to that by easily scooping Hime up and kissing her. An eternity later, Hime broke the kiss. She looked up at Nakita's eyes, smiling happily. "See?"
"It was just a suggestion."
"I know."
"So, now that we're finished, what are you up to?"
"Probably have to go in... rearrange my appointments..."
"I see. Just asking because I have nothing to do."
"Well.. I have to get ready for Kannai's after effects... maybe you should as well."
"Hm? How can I?"
"So... make sure you have enough fruit juice available. How do most customers pay? Cash or credit card?"
Hime blinked a few times. "Fruit juice?"
"Yeah... that's what you told me... since Kannai doesn't drink any alcohol..."
"Yeaown, good idea. I'm off to buy fruit juice, then. Lots of it, since he can stay up for two or more nights if we ask him."
"Just out of curiosity... has he ever submitted to anyone?"
"... ... ... ... ... not that I know. Not even me. I thought I'd be able to beat him into submission, but I didn't."
"... that's saying something..."
"Why, thank you." as an afterthought, she added "You're free to try, though."
"Why don't we team up on him?"
That thought get Hime more than a little aroused. "Sure... when are you free?"
"Why not early tomorrow morning?"
"Alright. Tonight I'll ask Kannai if he can make it. Come to think of it, he's never around when you are..."
***
/Ah, damn... can already hear some irritating teacher cackling about my being late.../ Kojirou walked slowly on his way to school, not a bit worried about being late, but fearing for his poor ears when he got there. The subway ride was quite uneventful, except for an uncomfortable feeling of routine. Then again, that's what school is supposed to feel like, right?
***
"Sasaki-san, you do realize you're late, right?"
/Here comes.../ "Look, sensei, I even did my homework this time, so can't you thank me by going right to the point?"
"What did you say?" the usual response to most of everything Kojirou said at school.
"Look, old lady, I was busy at home, I didn't get late here cause I wanted to. So you can waste both your time and mine, or just go ahead and tell me my punishment. But I'd be happy if you chose the latter."
The old, stressed teacher frowned. "If that's what you want, you'll stay in detention after class, then talk to the headmistress. And your sister will have to come and talk to us."
Kojirou shook his head "Forget onee-chan coming here. She has more to do. Bloody damnation, even I have more to do... if you want, I can give her a message, but I won't make her come here. Specially to talk to the likes of you."
"The... likes of me, you say?"
"Yes. Now, excuse me." he walked past the angry and woman entered the classroom, smiling at his startled classmates, who felt outraged and envious because he had faced the sensei. And won.
When he passed by Reine, Kojirou leaned forward to give her a peck on the cheek. When she raised her head to look at whoever had done it, Kojirou smiled sweetly, his eyes closing, very different from his usual malicious, feline grins. Lain's eyes widened and she tried to say something, but the words were too weak to reach her lips. Kojirou smiled again at that, then walked to his desk, taking his NAVI and textbook from his backpack and, like a Buddhist monk, gathering all his patience in order to stand the upcoming class.
***
Suddenly, Yousuke found himself looking up at his sensei. He was a wiry man, standing in his gi, black belt cinched tightly around his waste. Sharp eyes didn't soften when they looked down at Genji's prone form, and after awhile, he spoke.
"Aren't you going to get up Yousuke? It looks uncomfortable laying there on the floor." Yousuke rubbed his backside as he stood up. The two men stood for a second in the now still dojo before he cleared his throat.
"Did you see where I went wrong sensei?" asked Yousuke as he brushed imaginary dust off his gi. His instructor shrugged.
"You tripped, of course. Remember when you train that it is important to keep your mind in the here and now. Don't let yourself wander off into the clouds until you can do your katas in your sleep. They are just as much for self-defense as they are a conduit to focus the mind, and when you move as fast as you were to that beat, you should take it seriously."
"I understand sensei, thank you for your advice."
"You're welcome." said his sensei as Yousuke moved to hit turn the music back on. As he did, his instructor spoke up again. "Wait Yousuke, I know you came to practice, but there are other things to our style that you should remember to refresh yourself with whenever you hit a block in your training."
"Yes sensei?" said Yousuke.
"So, I have noticed that among my students here, you are doing the best. You understand the forms, and why they move the way they do. To some, any karate style is just like the other. No spirituality can be achieved in this city of Tokyo. But our style is no different then that practiced outside, or anywhere, in that it too can be a way for enlightenment. Belt color as I have means very little, it's for the young students to gauge each other, but knowledge is on the inside. I think that we should go out to talk, why don't we go for a walk Yousuke?"
"Of course, sensei. Let me get my things." said Yousuke.
***
Eiri sat watching the odd boy with her eyes half-closed, her hands holding up her head. With one hand, she reached quietly into her desk and pulled out her own NAVI, setting it next to her useless English textbook. The silver paneling cast a light on the ceiling of the room, alerting all that her NAVI was, in fact, out. She pressed a few jade buttons and send a message in Chinese to Caomei.
Caomei looked at her own Hello Kitty-plated NAVI as the message came through. After she read the message on the screen, she shrugged at Eiri.
Even though he had been in the class since the beginning of the school year, neither one of them knew what to think of the boy. They had spoken to him enough to know that he lived in the "house shrouded in mystery" that they passed every day on the way to school. Once, just once, he had walked with them. They had been late that day. His sister was the legendary beauty of the area. But what else? Neither of them knew, and didn't know if he wanted them to know.
Eiri stared at the back of his head, as he sat in front of her, and looked over at her "sister" to her right. Hesitantly, she reached out a pale hand, poking his shoulder. Her paleness was nothing compared to his, but both of them were definately together in the pale family. She retracted her hand to put a stray curl behind her ear.
"Hey, Kojirou. How are you today?" she whispered as she pushed her NAVI to the edge of her desk.
"Well, you know, dear... I'm in class, but other than that, fine." Kojirou wasn't really inclined on mentioning the earlier thrashing of his house. Though he really liked Eiri's voice, he turned back towards the blackboard and turned on his own, shining black NAVI. Pressing a pew pointy buttons that hurt his fingers, he sent a message to her. Kojirou figured this way there would be a smaller chance of the sensei realizing neither was paying attention to class, and so smaller would be the chance that he'd have to stand more cackling.
___
And class being English, I suppose you share the feeling, ne? ^_~
___
***
It was a beautiful morning. The sky was an intense pastel blue, the streets moderately calm for the 10 AM hour. And of course, why would the teenagers, sitting detached in front of a vending machine, be bothered with school on a day like this?
"You know, I can't believe you drink that." The raven-haired girl harrumphed, her hands placed on her hips.
"Eh? It's just... coffee." Satoshi expressed a muddled look, brandishing the can of UCC at the girl as if it were a weapon.
"It's bad for you. They say the caffeine can cause all sorts of health problems and heart stuff." She sat down next to him, her legs crossed primly. She rubbed them- in addition to being beautiful, the morning was cold.
"Hontou ka? Who's 'They', anyway, Naoko?" Satoshi asked, popping the lid to the can.
"Some American scientist."
"Pffft." Satoshi took a large sip from the can. Naoko rolled her eyes and stared into the traffic. Satoshi grabbed her attention by nudging her side with the crown of his head. "Shingo wrote me an e-mail last night, ya know?"
"What's the boss want this time, Koneko?" Naoko asked, affectionately calling him by his DJ name.
"Mmm...." Satoshi coughed; a bit of the coffee had gone down the wrong part of his throat.
"Told you it's bad for you." Naoko smiled triumphantly.
"Shut up."
"About Shingo?"
"Yeah. Seems that Tatsumi and Shizue both fell out for last night; Shingo's gonna need us at the Tsubasa tomorrow." Satoshi took a defiant swig of the coffee.
"Tomorrow? That was our day off..." Naoko sighed. "Bet those two are off fucking or something."
"Tatsumi's gay and Shizue's Christian," Satoshi tossed the empty can into a conveniently placed trash bag. "So.... no."
"I was trying to be funny." Naoko pouted.
Satoshi smiled. "Didn't work," He answered.
"Oh, shut up!" Naoko growled, aiming a playful swat towards Satoshi's head. Satoshi stood up in time to warrant a slap on his calf.
"Wanna catch some lunch?" Satoshi asked, sliding his backpack up his shoulders. Naoko nodded in agreement, stood, and the two took off from their bench to search for a restaurant.
A beautiful day...
***
Eiri shrank down into her chair, muttering English obscenities to herself. The sound had been more than enough to unnerve her, and the horror in teacher's face worried her. As the huge man walked into the room, she reached across in horror to grab her honored little sister, Caomei. They held tightly to each other, fearing what the man might do to them. Eiri looked at Lain, who sat completely still, looking with her normal wide-eyed stare at the newcomer. She opened her mouth to speak to Kojirou, but the look on his face told her that he knew the man. She became faintly aware that Caomei had buried her head in Eiri's shoulder and warm tears were permeating the thin cloth of her white shirt. She patted Caomei's back and then buried her face in Caomei's abundant ebony hair. And thus they sat, fearing the worse from this meeting...
Kojirou heard sobbing coming from behind him. As he turned back he saw Eiri and Caomei hugging each other desperately. For some reason this got him more than a little sad.
Tak stood up to his full height and looked around. "Of ALL the GODDAM places..."
Seeing he was the only one who could do anything, Kojirou stood up and walked closer to Tak. As he passed by Reine, he realized she was just sitting there, as if she wasn't even in class.
/Damnation... he is pissed right now... good that nobody here is the reason for that.../ "Heh... my thoughts exactly. Anyway, welcome back, I guess. Though I wonder what made you come here..."
Tak just shrugged in response.
"Well, I'm assuming you don't wanna stay for long..." he turned back to the teacher "Sensei. My friend Takashi here is lost, so can I show him to the exit?"
"Might as well enroll now I'm here..."
"If you want... is that alright, sensei?"
The English teacher gathered all her strength and nodded slowly. In one of the middle rows, a girl shivered in rage at the disturbance of the class. She glared at Kojirou, who had to suppress the urge to blow her a kiss.
"Anyway, Tak, let's get going..."
As the pair walked away, Tak asked Kojirou "Who was the pissed off chick?"
"That's Aya. She's the class representative, and very annoying for someone that cute." he said shrugging
"Long as she doesn't make a pass at me."
"Yeaown, that's quite the idea. Oh, and try not to give her reasons not to like you."
"Such as?"
"Such as showing no respect for the teachers, coming to class without your uniform, and so on... she can put many people against you if she wants... ... ... not that I think you'd care, but just in case."
Tak muttered under his breath "She and I are gonna get along FINE... or she's gonna end up in the hospital... or worse. And I'm gonna look fucking ridiculous in a school uniform... it clashes with the eyes and hair."
Kojirou looked into Tak's eyes, then down to his body "True... but isn't that what uniforms are for?"
"It's gonna make me look stupid above and beyond because of my frame."
"I can see that... but then again I can't recall one guy who ever looked good in a uniform."
"Military uniform maybe... but certainly not a school one."
"Military... yeaown, maybe. Anyways, here's the enrolling office. They're gonna ask you so many questions you'll forget why they started in first place... then I guess you'll be able to get to class already. Which reminds me, don't think you'll have to stand Aya, unless you got held back and will end up in our classroom."
"Kojirou... can you give Nakita a buzz?"
"Yeah. What do I tell him?"
"That I bodydumped at a goddam school."
"Alright, anything else?"
"And get over here since he's my legal guardian."
"OK. I'll call him from my NAVI when I'm back in class."
"Thanks."
And it started.
Kojirou went back to his classroom, telling the teacher he'd left Tak to enroll. It seemed most everyone had calmed down by then. He got back to his desk and answering Eiri's message.
___
You could try to get dismissed from this class... but on second thought, it's a good chance to gossip with Mei-chan, ne?
___
Then he sent Nakita the one Tak had asked.
___
Hoe, Nakita!
Kojirou here. You won't believe it, but Tak just came back from his bodydump... right outside of my classroom. He's enrolling right now, so they'll need you here since you're his legal guardian.
___
***
Nakita got Kojirou's message... the paintpeeling language alerted Hime.
"What's the matter, Nakita?" she asked as she finished changing.
"Tak dumped... and must have landed on his head."
"Hm? Why do you say that?"
"He wants to complete high school."
Hime raised an eyebrow at that. "Just like that? Yeaown, damn right he must have landed on his head. Anyway, you better get there, right?"
"Yeah... this could take a while... no ones gonna believe he's sixteen."
"Can't blame them, though."
"I gotta dig out his birth certificate. Might not see you until tomorrow."
"OK... guess we have to procrastinate that team up on Kannai, then."
"Crap... forgot about that..."
"It's alright..."
"I'll try but no guarantees."
"No need for that. When you have the time, let me know and I talk to him."
"Oh well, see ya."
Hime grabbed and kissed Nakita before he went away. Shortly after that, she went out to get the fruit juice she'd surely need for the night.
Nakita went walkabout... first to the apartment he shared with his younger brother... picking up a copy of Tak's birth certificate and academic transcripts... Making sure he hadn't forgotten anything... Nakita headed to the school that Kojirou attended. He managed to find the front office... where his brother had parked himself beside a small mountain of forms.
"Hi, Tak."
"'lo Nakita."
"Well... I'll go give em the copies of the stuff they need and sign the stuff I have to."
Tak's head impacting with the door lintel provoked a stream of paint peeling English. Most of the senior class understood it. So did the teacher. Though Nakita had won one concession. Because Tak was a senior and because of his .... above average... physical size, he didn't have to wear a uniform.