Kensei Shimiza's Story

Today was just another day to Kensei. He had sat at home for the past few hours working on his new puzzle of Tokyo in the Night. It wasn’t a flashy picture, just the skyline with everything all light up. It was approaching ten o’clock and the sun had clearly set. Today was the first day all week that Ginji hadn’t stopped by to hang out and as a result, Kensei was awfully hungry at this hour. He hopped over to his computer, the light blue screen illuminating the room. “Let’s see how much money I have…” He yawned as he checked his bank account. “Just about 20k (Yen) that should be plenty.” Kensei logged off his computer and walked out of his apartment.

“Sloan would probably be fastest. I’d get to walk along the boardwalk too.” Kensei set off, walking down the two flights of stairs onto the pavement. He began his stroll down Sloan, a quiet little street that was the home of the only apartment buildings in Beamore. ‘I wish I had a bike…’ The walk wasn’t real long; it was more of a waste of time. He yawned as he turned the corner to get onto the boardwalk.

Prince was another street that ended on the boardwalk; Kensei just happened to notice some sort of scuffle as he walked by. “I swear, if Ginji is participating in those night fights again…” Ginji had a habit of being short on money and found out that these night fights could produce some hefty cash prizes. It wasn’t something Kensei liked to see at all, no matter if you win or lose, you’re always beat up. ‘I just hope they don’t notice me, I’m not getting wrapped up in that shit.’ Kensei continued his walk, praying that the group of guys down Prince wouldn’t notice him. Thankfully he cleared the intersection peacefully. It was only two more intersections until he arrived at Beamore’s sole sushi bar, Oshiguru Sushi. He was what someone could call a regular there. So long as he had the spare yen, Kensei made Oshiguru a regular destination.

The walk continued. Kensei was almost to Oshiguru’s when he tripped, falling flat on his face. “What the heck…” He picked himself up and rubbed his face, feeling a little bit of blood falling from his forehead. “Well that’s just awesome…” He rose to his feet after a few moments of wiping the blood off of his forehead and rubbing his aching forehead. He couldn’t see anyone around and he knew something deliberately tripped him. Alas, there was nothing but a shadowy figure sitting on a nearby bench.

Looking around, Kensei found no trace of any mischief. “I could’ve sworn…” He knew something tripped him, he wasn't a clutz by any means. The only good thing was that the bleeding wasn’t excessive, it actually stopped pretty quickly. He walked up to the shadow covered person sitting on the bench. “Excuse me; did you happen to see anything, odd, just a second ago?” Kensei wasn’t exactly sure why he was bothering this person; it just seemed to be the right thing to do. His spare room was free for the night and he didn’t like seeing anyone forced to sleep on a metal bench all night, even if they were homeless, one kind gesture can make a world of a difference.

Ginji took slow deep breaths as the adrenaline left his bloodstream. His opponent, a fatter drunken man about his height, was lying face down in the alley. There was no doubt that the man was unconscious. Ginji could still see the man's face thanks to the dim light from the surrounding buildings. His nose was at an odd angle and blood leaked from either nostril. There was no doubt that it was broken. He wouldn't have been surprised if a tooth or two were chipped or broken. Or even missing. Ginji didn't pull any punches. He went down in three strikes after one clumsily thrown punch. It wasn't even difficult. Ginji didn't like it, but deep down he wished his opponent had fought more.

The wall of men that encircled the improvised fight pit slowly dispersed. The spectators occasionally stumbled on the boards; one particularly drunken man fell flat on his face with a grunt and muffled swearing. The "manager" of the fight approached Ginji, and handed him a rather large wad of bills and coins. It would certainly get him through the week, possibly several if he managed it properly. The fight manager offered some muted congratulations before he himself wandered off. Ginji slowly pocketed the money and turned to leave the alley. He felt the spot on his arm where he deflected his opponents drunken punch. Nothing. He doubted it would even bruise.

A sneeze made him stop in his tracks. It came from a grouping of garbage bags near the front of the alleyway. Ginji cautiously approached the bag, body tense and ready for any possible confrontation. He stole a quick look over his shoulder to see what the other man was doing. The fight manager was busy trying to wake up the unconscious loser with no success. His focus was centered on the garbage bags once again. When he was able to see what was concealing the garbage bags, he didn't expect to see what he saw.

There, siting among the foul smelling filth, was a rather cute girl in one of the strangest outfits he had ever seen. It looked something that belonged in a cosplay competition. Her body was covered in pale white scars that almost blended into her pale skin. She looked like she had been through a war or something. Ginji felt sorry for her, nobody should have to live in filth like that. He took a chance and stretched out his hand.

"Hey. I don't know where you're from, or what you're doing living in garbage like that. It's not my place to inquire into things like that. But if you would be willing to trust a total stranger, I can take you to my apartment and give you a place for the night. A bed and warm food, how does that sound?" He finished his proposition with a (hopefully) warm smile on his face. He felt like he should help this girl, for reasons that he couldn't understand at the moment. He wondered how she would respond.

Lidiya Ugov

Lidiya had long since finished her walk, and was soon passed out on the uncomfortable metal bench. Well...she was sleeping untill she heard a loud thump as someone fell on the boardwalk, not to far in front of her. Lidiya sat upright, her mouth twisting into a deep scowl. 'Who in the hell is up this late?' She thought heatedly. She watched as the figure picked itself up, holding a shadowy hand to it's face. Lidiya snickered softly, figuring the figure had injured itself.

“What the heck…Well that’s just awesome…” The figure began to look around itself, seeming asthough it was searching for something. She heard a clacking of shoes, and the figure began moving towards her. Lidiya narrowed her eyes, and sat cross legged across the bench. Yawning, she leaned her head against her hand, waiting for the figure to reach her. She was still tired, and would've killed for a cup of coffee right then.

“Excuse me; did you happen to see anything, odd, just a second ago?” Lydiya paused for a moment.

"No..." She said, her small voice breaking the akward silence between the two of them. "Nice fall. You okay?" She asked, standing. She walked closer towards the figure, her demon get-up swishing across her legs. She finally got a clear view of the figure. A male stood in front of her, a few inches taller than herself. Dark brown hair fell in streaks across his forhead, covering a pair of large hazel eyes. Lidiya frowned once more, waiting for the man's anwser. She never had been patient, and figured now wasn't a time to start. She was especially ornery, considering she had lost her powers recently.