"Uh?" is quickly becoming Ryo-Chan's main quote.
Ryoga came back to consciousness slowly. The first thing he saw was his backpack on a push cart. The second was Tony standing behind it, holding up a bunch of bags, smiling evilly, and leaning on the cart.
The third thing he noticed was a slight pulling pain in his right ear.
"Ow," he said, reaching a hand up and wincing at the pinching sensation.
"Sorry 'bout that. But I was right, it looks pretty fucking cool."
"Uh? What does?"
"Well, first things first, come with me. And pull the blindfold on, I'll take you where we need to go." Tony set the bags down on the cart, made Ryoga sit on it, and started to push. Ryoga readjusted the bandana to where it was a blindfold for maybe the second time in his life and went along for the ride.
The cart stopped, and Tony pulled him up. They walked a little bit, then Tony stopped. "Stand still. And, um, maybe you outta strip."
"What?"
"But keep the bandana on, okay?"
"Uh?"
"Trust me."
"Trust YOU?"
"Fine, I'll do it, you child." Tony started to tug at his belt when Ryoga decided he'll do it.
"But nothing funny!"
"Relax, I'm just gonna change your clothes. I bought you new ones."
"Why can't I put them on myself?"
"A, I'm not sure you know how, and 2, I want you to be surprised when you see them."
"Oh." Ryoga felt his shirt being lifted off. "They are men's clothes, aren't they?"
"Originally, but a lot of girls wear them too. But no, it's not a dress, if that's what you're worried about. Slide these pants on, will ya? I'll hook 'em up for you when your done."
"Hook them up?"
"Just do it." Ryoga sighed, but did so. Tony handed him a shirt with instructions to put it on, then he started to connect the buckles.
"Tuck that shirt in, okay? I'll give you an over-shirt in a minute." Tony hooked a watch on his left wrist, then handed him some bracelets. "Put these on both hands, ok?"
"I'm not sure I get this."
"We're almost done, just put this on." Ryoga slid the over-shirt on. "Now, I'm gonna hand you some belts."
"Some?"
"Yeah. The long one goes on your waist of course, but put the shorter two over, um, this area." He tapped him mid-calf. "On one each leg or both on one, take your pick. In fact, you can do what I do, one on one and two on the other. I bought you a few more." Ryoga buckled the second belt.
"One on both legs? Or two on one?"
"Sure, but cross 'em." Ryoga shrugged, criss-crossing the second over it and tying a third higher on his leg. Tony handed him some more, and he reversed the effect on his right leg.
"I'll do the shoes, and then I'll finish up. When I'm done, put the bandana back where it belongs, but keep your eyes closed until I say so."
"Why am I doing this again?" Ryoga asked as he tied the bandana back in place, eyes held shut tightly.
"Kinda 'cause I told my Mom that I would, and she wanted to see receipts for the credit cards. I used my own allowance and work money too, but hey, it seems like it'll be fun. Since I kinda adopted you this week, taught you a bit of Americana. You owe me a favor."
"What?"
"Take me to Japan. And I wanna learn to read and write it too. Foreign Exchange program type thing."
"Or Adopt-a-Gaijin."
"Gaijin?"
"Foreigner."
"Ah." Tony connected the last thing and smiled. "Okay, all done! Look in the mirrors."
He opened his eyes, staring in front of him. The man in front of him was familiar, yes, but it couldn't be him.
He had on baggy black pants with thin dark blue stripes, covered in chains, belts and bondage straps. The undershirt was a plain white shirt with Kanji in the same blue coloring. He read the words, laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"No Baka."
"Huh?"
"That's what that says. 'No baka'."
"Well, there's more under the over-shirt. It's designed kind of strange. Writing on one sleeve, the top of the front, the bottom of the back, the bottom rim."
"All of it's the same phrase- 'Watashi no baka.'"
"Which means?"
"I'm an idiot."
"Sorry."
"Aw, it's okay." The over-shirt, he noticed, was plain black with blue piping and letters spelling out 'Ryo-Chan' on the pocket.
"Custom lettering?" he asked, pointing at it. He stared at his new combat boots with Velcro ties.
"Yeah."
"Huh." He picked up one of the many necklaces. It also had his name, 'Hibiki', in small beads. The others were a small black piglet,(he made a mental note to hurt Tony) a Pentacle, a chain loose around his neck, a hemp necklace that looked built on his neck, a Buddhist rosary necklace, a pair of dog tags and a small Japanese flag with the Kanji 'Nipponjin' under it. He also had several Buddhist prayer bead bracelets and a sports watch.
"Think I have enough necklaces?" he joked, then noticed Tony's assortment. 'Maybe not.' he noted.
"Nah, it looks good. The flag matches the earring."
"What?" He noticed the small ruby gem. "No way, that's coming out-"
"Hey, it'll get infected if you take it out in the next three weeks!" Tony protested.
"Infected?!"
"I got one too, okay? It's no big deal, a lot of American guys do it."
"But-?"
"Hey, it's the only way my Mom'd let me get one, alright?" Ryoga stared. "It looks good, man!"
"And you cut my hair."
"No, it's the same length, it's just not so shaggy and thick anymore. And it goes better with the bandana."
"But-?"
"Yeah, it's cool. Trust me on that. Let's go find Carla and ask her. But you gotta show her the tattoo."
"Tattoo?! No, I don't believe it!"
"Yeah, on your arm. It's Henna, it'll fade off in a while. But for now it's pretty sweet."
"I had a bad experience with a tattoo once, alright?"
"It's just a lion. Hell, you picked it out."
Ryoga blinked. "Lion? Not a face?"
"Face?"
"Never mind." Ryoga looked in the mirror again. "I guess it looks decent."
"What? You look great! Typical American teenager!"
"I'm nineteen!"
"And I'm seventeen. It's how people our ages dress, Ryo. And it looks really good on you, dammit."
"Does it?" Ryoga looked at the reflection again, this time from an American perspective. "Yeah, I guess I do." He smiled. "At least, I look better than you."
"Damn you. Damn you to friggin' hell."
Ryoga came back to consciousness slowly. The first thing he saw was his backpack on a push cart. The second was Tony standing behind it, holding up a bunch of bags, smiling evilly, and leaning on the cart.
The third thing he noticed was a slight pulling pain in his right ear.
"Ow," he said, reaching a hand up and wincing at the pinching sensation.
"Sorry 'bout that. But I was right, it looks pretty fucking cool."
"Uh? What does?"
"Well, first things first, come with me. And pull the blindfold on, I'll take you where we need to go." Tony set the bags down on the cart, made Ryoga sit on it, and started to push. Ryoga readjusted the bandana to where it was a blindfold for maybe the second time in his life and went along for the ride.
The cart stopped, and Tony pulled him up. They walked a little bit, then Tony stopped. "Stand still. And, um, maybe you outta strip."
"What?"
"But keep the bandana on, okay?"
"Uh?"
"Trust me."
"Trust YOU?"
"Fine, I'll do it, you child." Tony started to tug at his belt when Ryoga decided he'll do it.
"But nothing funny!"
"Relax, I'm just gonna change your clothes. I bought you new ones."
"Why can't I put them on myself?"
"A, I'm not sure you know how, and 2, I want you to be surprised when you see them."
"Oh." Ryoga felt his shirt being lifted off. "They are men's clothes, aren't they?"
"Originally, but a lot of girls wear them too. But no, it's not a dress, if that's what you're worried about. Slide these pants on, will ya? I'll hook 'em up for you when your done."
"Hook them up?"
"Just do it." Ryoga sighed, but did so. Tony handed him a shirt with instructions to put it on, then he started to connect the buckles.
"Tuck that shirt in, okay? I'll give you an over-shirt in a minute." Tony hooked a watch on his left wrist, then handed him some bracelets. "Put these on both hands, ok?"
"I'm not sure I get this."
"We're almost done, just put this on." Ryoga slid the over-shirt on. "Now, I'm gonna hand you some belts."
"Some?"
"Yeah. The long one goes on your waist of course, but put the shorter two over, um, this area." He tapped him mid-calf. "On one each leg or both on one, take your pick. In fact, you can do what I do, one on one and two on the other. I bought you a few more." Ryoga buckled the second belt.
"One on both legs? Or two on one?"
"Sure, but cross 'em." Ryoga shrugged, criss-crossing the second over it and tying a third higher on his leg. Tony handed him some more, and he reversed the effect on his right leg.
"I'll do the shoes, and then I'll finish up. When I'm done, put the bandana back where it belongs, but keep your eyes closed until I say so."
"Why am I doing this again?" Ryoga asked as he tied the bandana back in place, eyes held shut tightly.
"Kinda 'cause I told my Mom that I would, and she wanted to see receipts for the credit cards. I used my own allowance and work money too, but hey, it seems like it'll be fun. Since I kinda adopted you this week, taught you a bit of Americana. You owe me a favor."
"What?"
"Take me to Japan. And I wanna learn to read and write it too. Foreign Exchange program type thing."
"Or Adopt-a-Gaijin."
"Gaijin?"
"Foreigner."
"Ah." Tony connected the last thing and smiled. "Okay, all done! Look in the mirrors."
He opened his eyes, staring in front of him. The man in front of him was familiar, yes, but it couldn't be him.
He had on baggy black pants with thin dark blue stripes, covered in chains, belts and bondage straps. The undershirt was a plain white shirt with Kanji in the same blue coloring. He read the words, laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"No Baka."
"Huh?"
"That's what that says. 'No baka'."
"Well, there's more under the over-shirt. It's designed kind of strange. Writing on one sleeve, the top of the front, the bottom of the back, the bottom rim."
"All of it's the same phrase- 'Watashi no baka.'"
"Which means?"
"I'm an idiot."
"Sorry."
"Aw, it's okay." The over-shirt, he noticed, was plain black with blue piping and letters spelling out 'Ryo-Chan' on the pocket.
"Custom lettering?" he asked, pointing at it. He stared at his new combat boots with Velcro ties.
"Yeah."
"Huh." He picked up one of the many necklaces. It also had his name, 'Hibiki', in small beads. The others were a small black piglet,(he made a mental note to hurt Tony) a Pentacle, a chain loose around his neck, a hemp necklace that looked built on his neck, a Buddhist rosary necklace, a pair of dog tags and a small Japanese flag with the Kanji 'Nipponjin' under it. He also had several Buddhist prayer bead bracelets and a sports watch.
"Think I have enough necklaces?" he joked, then noticed Tony's assortment. 'Maybe not.' he noted.
"Nah, it looks good. The flag matches the earring."
"What?" He noticed the small ruby gem. "No way, that's coming out-"
"Hey, it'll get infected if you take it out in the next three weeks!" Tony protested.
"Infected?!"
"I got one too, okay? It's no big deal, a lot of American guys do it."
"But-?"
"Hey, it's the only way my Mom'd let me get one, alright?" Ryoga stared. "It looks good, man!"
"And you cut my hair."
"No, it's the same length, it's just not so shaggy and thick anymore. And it goes better with the bandana."
"But-?"
"Yeah, it's cool. Trust me on that. Let's go find Carla and ask her. But you gotta show her the tattoo."
"Tattoo?! No, I don't believe it!"
"Yeah, on your arm. It's Henna, it'll fade off in a while. But for now it's pretty sweet."
"I had a bad experience with a tattoo once, alright?"
"It's just a lion. Hell, you picked it out."
Ryoga blinked. "Lion? Not a face?"
"Face?"
"Never mind." Ryoga looked in the mirror again. "I guess it looks decent."
"What? You look great! Typical American teenager!"
"I'm nineteen!"
"And I'm seventeen. It's how people our ages dress, Ryo. And it looks really good on you, dammit."
"Does it?" Ryoga looked at the reflection again, this time from an American perspective. "Yeah, I guess I do." He smiled. "At least, I look better than you."
"Damn you. Damn you to friggin' hell."