The scandal continues: see the beginning for all disclaimers.
~ * Part Thirteen: Odd Coincidences (And Odder Acquaintances) * ~
Ikki Tenryou woke up with a yawn and a squirming body wrapped in his arms.
The first was not so unusual; it took several seconds for his sleep-fogged mind to comprehend that the second was very unusual. In the groggy state that always muted his senses whenever he awoke, the lines between dreams and reality took some time to reinstate themselves. By the time he dimly realized that something was horribly wrong with this picture, it was too late.
"Gk-gk-gk-gk-gk-gk! IKKI! That's it!"
The feel of a cool gun barrel pressing against his forehead effectively snapped Ikki out of his half-asleep state. Blue eyes flew open and filled with a mixture of comprehension and fear.
"SEEKER…"
"Waaaaahhh--!"
With propulsion that neatly mirrored his reaction when he had fallen upon Samantha yesterday afternoon, Ikki sprang out of his bed just in time to avoid getting his medabot's signature attack right between his eyes. Said blue eyes were roughly the size of dinner plates as he flattened himself against the wall, kicking things off his messy dresser as he fought to remain on his unlikely perch.
"Metabee! Don't DO that!" he howled.
The KBT-type sat cross-legged on Ikki's bed, green eyes ablaze with outrage.
"Gk-gk-gk! Then stop treating me like some stupid teddy bear!" he shot back. "I'm sick of ending up in your arms every morning!"
"What…?!" Ikki blushed for a minute as he realized that he had been cuddling his medabot, especially as it dawned on him why exactly he had been engaged in the odd activity. His entire face went crimson as he retorted, "Then stop climbing into my bed, or sleep outside or something!"
"It's my room too!"
"It was my room first!"
"Gk-gk-gk-gk-gk--! Fine! Maybe I WILL find someplace else to sleep! Anything to get away from you and your creepy obsession with Samantha!"
"I am not obsessed with Samantha, you…!"
"Yeah, right. Whatever you say, Ikki…"
Metabee swung off the bed and strolled out the door, arms folded behind his head. Behind him, a crimson-faced Ikki continued to sputter half-incoherent denials, finally giving up as he realized they were going completely ignored by his partner. Furious, he quickly yanked on his normal outfit and dashed out into the hallway after the KBT-type.
(Why does everyone insist that I like Samantha? Just because Erika took those stupid photographs…)
Ikki sulked petulantly, unable to decide which girl he should blame more for his current predicament. He, of course, was blameless… right? It wasn't his fault both girls had a tendency to take things the wrong way!
Okay, so technically he had been the one to put that note in Sam's locker – but only because he knew he couldn't talk to her with an audience! And Erika had no reason to follow him the way she did (how had she found out, anyway? Did she have some sort of radar detecting when he especially didn't need or want her around?)
One thing was for certain: until this mess was straightened out, school would be even more hideous a place to be stuck for most of the weekdays. Erika's latest tabloid-worthy 'exclusive' had spread throughout the entire place yesterday, and he wasn't looking forward to returning and suffering through the long hours of taunting, jeering, whispering and gossiping that he'd endured then.
Not to mention that no doubt Coach Mountain would be ready to seize upon the smallest excuse to force Ikki and his rumored girlfriend into another heavy-duty exercise session together.
(But why is everyone so obsessed with the idea of us as a couple?! I mean, the chances of Samantha and me ever getting together are about as high as… as Salty getting rabies!)
At that moment, Salty came barreling down the hall and shot past Ikki moving as fast as his little canine legs could take him, a thick foam covering most of his furry white muzzle.
"Whoa, what's gotten into the little guy?" Metabee wondered as he walked onto the scene, staring in the direction his puppy pal had fled. "Somebody drop a steak or something?"
When his medafighter failed to answer his query, the KBT-type looked up at him and blinked his glowing green eyes twice.
"Ikki, why are you covering your eyes and saying, 'I didn't see that,' over and over again? You're starting to creep even me out…"
"Oh, hello boys," Chidori piped, sticking her head round the corner. "Did you happen to see Salty run by?"
"No," replied Ikki, still covering the upper half of his face with one hand.
"Yup," replied Metabee, pointing where the little canine had fled.
"Thank you, Metabee," Mrs. Tenryou said, then hurried past them, armed with a toothbrush and shouting, "Salty, please! If we don't take care of that nasty plaque buildup, you'll get canine cavities!"
"…Yeah… Man, am I glad medabots don't have to worry about stuff like that," Metabee observed, shaking his head at Chidori's antics.
Ikki tuned his partner out as the KBT-type launched into a list of all the things that made medabots superior to humans and animals. Right now, he wasn't in the mood to put up with Metabee's boasting. In his mind, there was only one detail that mattered, one major difference that made the KBT-type's argument for him.
Medabots never had to worry about having to go to school and face a hung jury of their peers.
With a deep sigh, Ikki shouldered his backpack and trudged out the door, looking very much like an innocent man wrongly convicted of a crime he hadn't committed off to his own execution.
~ * ~
Not all children were as adverse to another day of school as Ikki was. Several actually looked forward to it. Then again, not everyone had the same reasons to dread returning to their respective places of education… Even some of his close friends were not nearly as affected by the recent scandal.
Karin stepped out of her candy pink limousine and stretched out her arms, exulting in the crisp morning wind that set her orange ponytails to bobbing. Her deep emerald eyes danced as she surveyed the massive Rosewood campus surrounding her. Although she had driven right up to the main school itself, mornings as beautiful as these seemed more suited to a nice, leisurely walk.
Of course, if she had taken it into her mind to try walking, it would have taken nearly the entire school day to reach the main building, and she could forget making it to any of her classes on time.
That didn't mean, however, that she couldn't enjoy a short, brisk constitutional before heading to first period.
Humming cheerfully, Karin fairly skipped along the white marble pathways that wove through most of the gardens surrounding the immediate area around the main Rosewood campus. The redhead's ponytails bounced merrily behind her, helping to draw even more attention than she was already getting from her fervent admirers.
Abruptly, however, she paused in mid-pirouette, her arms still poised in mid-swing. Karin double-blinked, confusion flashing over her face.
A familiar-looking girl was sitting on one of the marble benches in the main courtyard, face turned away as she gazed at something in a direction opposite of where Karin stood. She was clad in the standard uniform issued to all female Rosewood students: nearly-white shirt with green trim on the collar and sleeves, pink Rosewood symbol emblazoned on the left sleeve, and forest green skirt. Actually, it suited her quite nicely, considering how pale her creamy white skin was.
It also nearly matched her nearly snow-white blonde hair.
"Oh!" Karin blinked again and walked over, smiling faintly. "Why, aren't you…"
The frost-haired girl turned her head to look at her, and Karin felt her warm greeting freeze and wither in her throat. Although the redhead was almost certain this was the same girl she'd seen robattling with Samantha outside the Hop Mart yesterday, the sight of the other's face sent all thoughts of talking about that fight flying out of her mind.
The girl's eyes were extremely pale, and immediately caught Karin's full attention. They were nearly colorless, an icy blue that, when shadowed by the girl's bangs as they currently were, appeared more of a slate gray. For a fleeting instant, an image of a sharp knife with the blade frosted over flashed through Karin's mind.
A hand clamped down on her shoulder, and Karin inhaled sharply, a near-gasp of…
(Terror?)
"What's the matter, Karin?" a familiar voice asked at her ear.
"Koji…" Karin sighed the name thankfully. "You frightened me…"
"Sorry," and Koji did sound genuinely sorry at the prospect of scaring his longtime friend so. Not wanting Karin to dwell on that little mistake, he quickly changed the subject by inquiring, "So who are you talking to?"
He looked directly at the student sitting on the bench in front of them, and blinked once in surprise.
"Say, aren't you that girl we saw fighting Samantha in front of the Hop Mart yesterday?"
"I thought so too," explained Karin, glancing up at Koji, "But…"
"Oh, I wasn't aware we had an audience then," the frost-haired girl commented. She stood up and bowed politely to the pair, hands folded primly in front of her. "I apologize for not introducing myself then. My name is Sairen Shimoha. A pleasure to meet you."
"…Likewise, I'm sure," Karin replied after a short pause.
Koji shot the redhead a mildly surprised look, noticing instantly the unfamiliar note in the usually cheery girl's voice. Her trademark welcoming smile was firmly in place, however, and Koji shrugged it off. Surely he was hearing things: his Karin would never sound so unsure of herself.
"My name is Karin Aki," she introduced herself with her typical brightness, and gestured to him with one hand while adding, "And this is…"
"Koji Karakuchi, at your service," he took over the introduction smoothly and flashed his own trademark, winning smile at the girl.
Sairen's eyes widened a bit, the pale blue irises reflecting curiosity and interest… or so it seemed. At the very least, there was a definite gleam in the frost-haired girl's eyes that Karin was certain had not been there before.
"Oh, so you're the famous Koji Karakuchi… I must say I'm honored," she breathed, lightly touching one hand to her chest.
Koji blinked as the pale girl bowed politely toward him. He then smirked.
"So you've heard of me," he said smugly, folding his arms. "I'm not surprised. After all, I am the most famous student at Rosewood."
"Of course. Who doesn't know of Karakuchi, second greatest medafighter in all of Japan and savior of the whole world?"
Sairen clasped her hands behind her and looked at Koji, almost smiling. It wasn't a full smile, like the ones that so often graced Karin's face; nor did the faint glitter of her frigid eyes match the bright sparkle of Karin's warm eyes.
Koji still smiled back at her much in the same way he smiled at Karin.
(So nice to know that my talents don't go unrecognized. Usually that Tenryou steals my thunder and the spotlight… even with his lower rank.)
"I can't say that I've seen you around that much," piped Karin curiously. "I mean, to be honest, the only reason I noticed you was I remember your robattling with Samantha yesterday afternoon…"
"It's alright," Sairen glanced over at Karin and almost-but-not-quite-smiled at her. "I suppose I have a tendency to blend into the crowd… I've not exactly worth anyone's notice."
"Why do you say that?" interjected Koji, switching into his ultra-smooth mode. "You're certainly pretty enough."
Sairen returned her attention to, the same ghost of a smile coasting over her lips.
"I'm just not that talented," she replied softly, lowering her pale gaze demurely to the ground. "After all, you must have seen how badly I lost to your friend Samantha…"
"You didn't do that badly," insisted Koji. "That commoner was just lucky."
"It was a good fight, really," Karin commented. "Your medabot looked really great out there!"
"Thank you, Miss Aki," replied Sairen softly, nodding in the redhead's direction. "You as well, Mister Karakuchi. It's quite an honor hearing such praise from the Legendary Medafighter and one of Team Japan's elite members."
"Oh, stop," Karin said, blushing at the reminder of her title.
"Oh, go on," Koji said, basking in the glory of her praise.
"Really, it's wonderful that you've taken the time to talk to somebody as lowly as myself," Sairen continued, bowing again. "But I've wasted your time…"
"No, no, it's quite alright," Koji insisted. "Believe me, talking to somebody as charming as you is never a waste of time."
"Mister Karakuchi, please! You're making me blush!"
Karin blinked, looking at Sairen curiously. Strangely, she couldn't see any hint of a blush on the frost-haired girl's pale cheeks.
"Please, call me Koji."
"…Mister Koji, then. But we really must be going now. I wouldn't want either of you to miss your classes because you spent time on me…"
With that, Sairen turned away from them to retrieve her supplies from where they sat on the marble bench. Holding them demurely to her chest, she turned back and bowed once more.
"It was a pleasure talking with both of you," she repeated, looking down at the ground.
"No problem at all. Tell you what, perhaps we can meet here after classes," Koji said smoothly.
(And talk about how great I am some more… I never get tired of hearing that…)
"Perhaps…"
Sairen then turned and jogged off. Koji watched her melt smoothly into the growing crowd that was beginning to mill about as the first classes of the day grew near, then turned to Karin and smiled.
"Charming girl, wouldn't you agree?"
"…Yes…"
Koji caught the slight pause in her words, but shrugged it off, deciding it was simply his imagination. His Karin acting oddly? What an absurd concept!
"Shall I walk you to your first class, my dear?" he inquired, draping one arm around her shoulders.
"Koji, isn't your first class on the other side of the campus?" asked Karin, blinking up at him.
"…Yes."
"Oh, well, you should get going then. I wouldn't want you to be late on my account."
"Are you sure, Karin?"
"Of course!"
Karin smiled brightly at him, and Koji reluctantly admitted the point as he always had. This was actually a familiar routine between the pair. Still, he relinquished his comfortable arm around her shoulders reluctantly and took his leave of her for the time being, heading off toward his own class.
After he faded into the crowd, Karin let out a soft sigh before doing the same, heading in the opposite direction. For once, the faraway expression in her emerald eyes was not caused by her thoughts wandering to some happy little detail she's just picked up upon.
Karin was mildly disturbed.
One of Karin's talents was gleaning accurate impressions of people just by looking into their eyes. Although this ability was hampered somewhat by her always tending to see good in others no matter what horrible actions they might take, her judgements were usually quite accurate.
In Rintaro's wide violet eyes, for example, she saw a bubbling optimism, a definite energy that always crackled and sparkled like a never-ending fireworks display in those dancing, playful panes. It was why she had immediately accepted him as a friend despite the fact that the first thing he'd done upon arrival was throw the others into a panic about Ikki and Metabee doppelgangers going around and beating every medafighter they came across.
But when she'd looked into Sairen's eyes…
Karin shuddered, absently rubbing her hands over her folded arms for warmth. But the chill was not one caused by the brisk wind.
When she had met Sairen's eyes directly, it had been like staring at a wall of ice: firm, frozen. Unyielding and unreadable. The smooth slate surfaces were a blue so pale they were almost gray… they looked almost colorless.
(Soulless…?)
With another shudder, Karin shoved that concept out of mind. That was something the sheltered little rich girl could not fathom, and so she chose to ignore such a notion completely.
Besides, Koji had seemed to take a liking to Sairen. Karin had always known Koji to have pretty good judgement, so surely there was nothing to worry about.
And if anyone else happened to pick up that the bubbly redhead was concerned about something… well, it would be disastrous. Karin knew full well that people's moods tended to be affected by those around them – and she certainly didn't want to hurt anybody or bring somebody down just because of some silly little doubts of hers.
Karin blinked, then smiled brightly.
There were more important matters to focus on – like, for example, what could she do for Ikki and Samantha to celebrate their new status as a couple? Surely there was something nice she could do for them…
Humming the same bright tune she's begun that morning, Karin pushed all her doubts to the back of her mind, focusing instead on working out something nice she could do for the new couple.