Kazuki's Story

(OOC: Okay... this turned out to be a novel... I won't normally do this, hell, this is the longest post I've ever made in my life. I normally do 2 or 3 paragraphs! For those who are too lazy to read all the way through, it's just summing up how she feels about the school, her getting there, the orientation, and dropping her things off at the front of her dorm. After everyone makes their entrance post, I'll start the orientation.)

Anaru was suddenly awaken by the loud screech of her alarm clock. She groaned in frustration as she slammed her fist on the top of the clock, eventually hitting the snooze button. Once again, she had a restless night. Mostly because she stayed up until 2:00 AM, forgetting about her first day of school, but details, details. After succeeding to turn off the alarm, she stood up and started her morning schedule.

After taking her morning shower, Anaru dressed up in a pale pink dress with a white, see-threw laced overcoat. After slipping on her shoes, grabbing a wrapped muffin, and swinging her backpack over her shoulders, she opened the door and started walking the pathway to a taxi stop.

As she was waited for the taxi to arrive to take her to her new school, she thought about all the new people she'd see. People like her. Although she felt joy and excitement by the thought, she was awfully anxious. For all she knew, these different people with abilities or types of human-like species could be practically insane! The thought of all the chaos made her feel like there was a knot in her stomach. Nevertheless, she's not hesitating to get out of that stupid apartment and out to see a new area, maybe even starting fresh.

Eventually, the taxi arrived. She crawled in and set her book bag down beside her as she took out a dull scrap of paper. She handed it to the 'taxi driver' and waited for his response. After a few moments, he handed the paper back to Anaru and nodded. She took the paper back, stuffed it into her backback's side pocket, and slouched into her chair as they drove off.
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Hours had passed, and Anaru's worries about the school are now in the back of her mind. Honestly, the only thing she is worried about now is how much money she's going to have to pay for the taxi driver. She glanced out the window and her eyes widened in astonishment. It looked like something out of a fairy tail; lakes with swans, vines wrapped around pillars, and cherry blossoms everywhere. Then again, it is called BlossomCrest.

After finding relief that she didn't have to pay the taxi driver for such a long and risky drive, she stepped out of the car. She scanned her surroundings as she stood at the front entrance of the school. The big clock planted above the school doors says 9:00 AM, meaning there is one hour until the orientation starts. It even said on the flier that they'd announce on the intercom when it's time for all the students to gather up in a certain area. So while she waited, she decided to roll her suitcase around to find her dorm.

After finding her dorm, she left her suitcase up against her dorm's door. Not exactly the brightest idea, but she didn't have a key. Students would receive their keys for their dorms as soon as the orientation ends. They say it's a way to make sure students don't skip the orientation. After dropping everything off, she wandered around the school.

Kazuki leaving out created one hectic scene at home. His mom kept asking "Did you get this? Did you get that?" while his older brother kept adding on to the list of things he SHOULD take. His sister found it in his best interests to give him a prolonged lecture on the "DOs" and "DON'Ts" of dorm living, and the hyperactive twins decided it'd be a good idea to help him pack... Their idea of packing being to throw random stuff across the room to see what would land in his bags. All of this happened consecutively, if not simultaneously, with Kazuki stuck in the middle of it, trying to get things (and himself) ready and out the door. He didn't want to be late for the opening ceremony, and after a lot of convincing the rest that he could handle it, he was finally able to get things done with at least a little bit less confusion and chaos.

When he left the house, stacking his bags into the back of the awaiting taxi, he turned back to the five people who wore vastly different expressions as they saw him off. With a smile and a wave, he disappeared inside the taxi, handing the driver the address. They had a few conversations along the way, all of which seemed to put the cab driver into higher spirits, but for the most part, Kazuki was absorbed in watching the scenery and daydreaming, his nervousness and excitement at what lay ahead the perfect fuel.

When they finally arrived at the academy, Kazuki was amazed at just how grand he structure was. When he tried to pay, the driver said with a laugh that there was no need and that it'd already been taken care of, which was a little confusing. Nonetheless, he was glad. After all, he didn't have too much money to spare anyways.

The gated entrance in and of itself was awe striking, but the scenery around the place, he thought, was even more amazing. The cherry trees in full bloom were the main attraction, and seeing them was refreshing.

Stretching his arms above his head, he noticed the large clock that he'd somehow missed before, and grinned. Thirteen minutes to spare. "Made it!" he exclaimed as he was able to pass through the gates with his bag in tow. Now all he had to do was find his dorm room, and then find wherever the place was that the opening ceremony was being held. Yep. His optimism told him he had more than enough time.

After asking the first person he saw about the dorms, he headed over, seeing as he passed down the halls that some people had left their bags outside the doors. He decided to do the same, dropping his on the ground before heading out towards the place he was supposed to be in, say, seven minutes?

Anaru nodded as the boy asked if she was sure. "I wouldn't of offered it if I wasn't serious." She said in reply to the boy's unsure reactions. As she was waiting for the boy to take her map, she felt someone staring at her. She glanced over to her left to find a boy with white hair and red eyes looking her way. Anaru saw how he was studying her hair, and then she made eye contact with him for a few seconds as he made his way up to her eyes. She quickly darted her eyes in front of her and straightened her posture, finding this a little uncomfortable. After the boy finally took the map from her hands, she nodded. "You're quite welcome."

After watching the small group and the boy with her map leave, she frowned slightly. Honestly, she's only spoken a few sentences to them all, but she felt like she actually had a chance to bond with the group. Anaru watched them walk inside, and then slowly made her way towards the entrance, keeping her head down as she got lost in her thoughts.

Suddenly, she heard a voice beside her.
"That was nice of you, offering the tall one a map and all...especially when you just transferred yourself."
Anaru's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a masculine voice, causing her eyes to dart to her left. She found herself staring at the same exact boy who was staring at her a few moments ago. He spoke while messing with his hair, as if he were becoming shy. She blinked and then turned to see if he could possibly be talking to someone else. You'd be surprised by how many times she had made that mistake. After seeing they're both practically at the end of the crowd, she turned back and cleared her throat. "... Thank you, I suppose... although, I wouldn't say it was just a random act of kindness... I truly just didn't find a need for it anymore."

After the boy stated that she should move quickly to find a seat or she'll end up standing, she smirked slightly in reply. She found it quite humorous, since it certainly wasn't a problem for her kind. Nevertheless, she nodded. "I can assure you that I'll be just fine." She said as she made her way towards the Auditorium, still standing by the boy's side.


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"Ah yes, another year full of new students... how delightful it is to see them running free, isn't it Sherman?" Mr. Sakagami said as he spoke to his pet bird. He was currently behind the curtains, feeding his Border Canary his daily meal. "I suppose I should get a move on, don't want to keep my children waiting, now do I?" He said as he fixed his tie to make himself appear more presentable. Mr. Sakagami honestly didn't expect his bird to reply to him or anything like that, it was only a matter of a Master and pet bond. He picked up his bird's cage and placed it in the stage's wings.

"Alright... let's make a good impression..." He mumbled to himself as the curtains opened, reveling only himself, a microphone, and it's stand. He smiled as he heard his students clap in his presence. Mr. Sakagami approached the microphone and tapped on it, making sure it was on. After doing so, he looked up at the audience full of children with special powers and took in a deep breath.

"Welcome everyone to BlossomCrest Private Academy!" He started off as he spread his arms out. "As some of you know already, I am the founder of this here school, and you should know that I made this school not only for you children to roam freely for your stay, but for you to know that's it's fine to be a 'freak' as the humans may call it. Look around! Some of you must be surprised to see so many students with amazing abilities, hm? All that I hope is that you'll take advantage of this chance to be around other special children like yourselves."

"However... now we need to cover all the boring things." He said with a sigh. Those who had been able to spend time with Mr. Sakagami know that he's just as full of a child's spirit as the students themselves. "The rules of this school is strict and there is no reason whatsoever you should break them. One of these rules would be no bullying. If you are seen picking on another student, then you shall be restricted by certain rights, or expelled from the school. Another one of our rules is no drugs, alcohol, or any of those harmful chemicals will step foot in my school. Indeed, some of you are at a legal age, but as long as you're here, there will be none of that in this school. Following that, is your time restrictions. Students may not roam the halls of the school past 12:00 AM. If you are caught, same consequences apply. However, there are acceptations if you're a werewolf. But there were only 3 werewolves who were registered in this school year, don't you dare try making up an excuse like that when you're not such a creature."

"Moving on to your dress code and class rules. As you may have noticed, you haven't received your uniforms yet. Never fear, they're all cleaned and folded on the top of your beds. At the end of orientation when you receive your room keys and get settled in your dorms, you will now have to wear your uniform at all school hours. I know they may not be the most stylish of outfits, however, it is required during first period, second, third, lunch, electives, and so on. The only time you may dress freely is either on special occasions or in your own dorms. As for your class' rules, your teachers will gladly lecture you on that." He said as he winked in the direction of the teacher's against the wall.

"And now my dear children, I'll have to leave you with that. Most of you should have the common sense to know what to do and not in a school, especially in one that's such a important part of your lives. Although, before I let you go, please know that I am free to talk to any of my students. I love making bonds with each and everyone one of you, seeing how talented and individual you all is one of my favorite advantages of this job. Just stop by my office or catch me in the hallways if you need anything." With that, he took took a bow and turned to leave the stage.

Suddenly, the intercom came on.

"All students are required to receive their dorm keys and get settled in. Your keys will be waiting for you at the table provided at the front of the Auditorium. Early tomorrow will be when you start your classes. Your schedule is located inside your uniform's pocket. In the mean time, get familiar with the school and have a great day!"

Anaru nodded as the boy asked if she was sure. "I wouldn't of offered it if I wasn't serious." She said in reply to the boy's unsure reactions. As she was waiting for the boy to take her map, she felt someone staring at her. She glanced over to her left to find a boy with white hair and red eyes looking her way. Anaru saw how he was studying her hair, and then she made eye contact with him for a few seconds as he made his way up to her eyes. She quickly darted her eyes in front of her and straightened her posture, finding this a little uncomfortable. After the boy finally took the map from her hands, she nodded. "You're quite welcome."

After watching the small group and the boy with her map leave, she frowned slightly. Honestly, she's only spoken a few sentences to them all, but she felt like she actually had a chance to bond with the group. Anaru watched them walk inside, and then slowly made her way towards the entrance, keeping her head down as she got lost in her thoughts.

Suddenly, she heard a voice beside her.
"That was nice of you, offering the tall one a map and all...especially when you just transferred yourself."
Anaru's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a masculine voice, causing her eyes to dart to her left. She found herself staring at the same exact boy who was staring at her a few moments ago. He spoke while messing with his hair, as if he were becoming shy. She blinked and then turned to see if he could possibly be talking to someone else. You'd be surprised by how many times she had made that mistake. After seeing they're both practically at the end of the crowd, she turned back and cleared her throat. "... Thank you, I suppose... although, I wouldn't say it was just a random act of kindness... I truly just didn't find a need for it anymore."

After the boy stated that she should move quickly to find a seat or she'll end up standing, she smirked slightly in reply. She found it quite humorous, since it certainly wasn't a problem for her kind. Nevertheless, she nodded. "I can assure you that I'll be just fine." She said as she made her way towards the Auditorium, still standing by the boy's side.


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"Ah yes, another year full of new students... how delightful it is to see them running free, isn't it Sherman?" Mr. Sakagami said as he spoke to his pet bird. He was currently behind the curtains, feeding his Border Canary his daily meal. "I suppose I should get a move on, don't want to keep my children waiting, now do I?" He said as he fixed his tie to make himself appear more presentable. Mr. Sakagami honestly didn't expect his bird to reply to him or anything like that, it was only a matter of a Master and pet bond. He picked up his bird's cage and placed it in the stage's wings.

"Alright... let's make a good impression..." He mumbled to himself as the curtains opened, reveling only himself, a microphone, and it's stand. He smiled as he heard his students clap in his presence. Mr. Sakagami approached the microphone and tapped on it, making sure it was on. After doing so, he looked up at the audience full of children with special powers and took in a deep breath.

"Welcome everyone to BlossomCrest Private Academy!" He started off as he spread his arms out. "As some of you know already, I am the founder of this here school, and you should know that I made this school not only for you children to roam freely for your stay, but for you to know that's it's fine to be a 'freak' as the humans may call it. Look around! Some of you must be surprised to see so many students with amazing abilities, hm? All that I hope is that you'll take advantage of this chance to be around other special children like yourselves."

"However... now we need to cover all the boring things." He said with a sigh. Those who had been able to spend time with Mr. Sakagami know that he's just as full of a child's spirit as the students themselves. "The rules of this school is strict and there is no reason whatsoever you should break them. One of these rules would be no bullying. If you are seen picking on another student, then you shall be restricted by certain rights, or expelled from the school. Another one of our rules is no drugs, alcohol, or any of those harmful chemicals will step foot in my school. Indeed, some of you are at a legal age, but as long as you're here, there will be none of that in this school. Following that, is your time restrictions. Students may not roam the halls of the school past 12:00 AM. If you are caught, same consequences apply. However, there are acceptations if you're a werewolf. But there were only 3 werewolves who were registered in this school year, don't you dare try making up an excuse like that when you're not such a creature."

"Moving on to your dress code and class rules. As you may have noticed, you haven't received your uniforms yet. Never fear, they're all cleaned and folded on the top of your beds. At the end of orientation when you receive your room keys and get settled in your dorms, you will now have to wear your uniform at all school hours. I know they may not be the most stylish of outfits, however, it is required during first period, second, third, lunch, electives, and so on. The only time you may dress freely is either on special occasions or in your own dorms. As for your class' rules, your teachers will gladly lecture you on that." He said as he winked in the direction of the teacher's against the wall.

"And now my dear children, I'll have to leave you with that. Most of you should have the common sense to know what to do and not in a school, especially in one that's such a important part of your lives. Although, before I let you go, please know that I am free to talk to any of my students. I love making bonds with each and everyone one of you, seeing how talented and individual you all is one of my favorite advantages of this job. Just stop by my office or catch me in the hallways if you need anything." With that, he took took a bow and turned to leave the stage.

Suddenly, the intercom came on.

"All students are required to receive their dorm keys and get settled in. Your keys will be waiting for you at the table provided at the front of the Auditorium. Early tomorrow will be when you start your classes. Your schedule is located inside your uniform's pocket. In the mean time, get familiar with the school and have a great day!"

Kazuki entered the auditorium a minute or two late. Thankfully, not many people seemed to notice as he took his spot. With a smile he though "At least I didn't miss it," however, his smile faded a tad as the school rules were listed. Kazuki himself didn't have a problem with the rules. His shadow, however, tended to cause trouble for him. His shadow could cause misunderstandings in either the bullying or roaming around past twelve departments, but Kazuki really hoped that didn't happen. He decided not to think about that right now, and instead tried to listen to the rest of what Mr. Sakagami was saying.

He was kind of excited about having a roommate, and wondered what kind of personality and ability the guy would have. Grabbing his room key, he headed back to the dorms. Once he settled in, he'd be able to meet up with a lot of new people. He smiled, excited at the thought of all the people he would meet and the diversity he'd seen on the faces of all the other students.

After opening the door to his room, he was a little disappointed to see that his roommate hadn't yet made it back to the room. "Well~ He'll show up sooner or later." Kazuki began to unpack all of his things, choosing the bed at the far side of the room away from the door. Then, he actually noticed the room. How he'd missed it, he had no idea. His mouth kindly dropped open as he gazed around. It was much larger than he'd expected a dorm room to be. Much more grand, and it crossed his mind that if he hadn't had his ability and intelligence, there was no way he'd be able to attend such an apparently rich school.

He gave a laugh, hopping back onto his bed. He decided to greet his roommate before anything else and sat thinking of different ways he could greet and introduce himself. He was so absorbed in thoughts that he didn't realize his shadow had taken physical form beside him as Kazuki babbled to himself about it, practicing different ways introducing himself.

Kazuki heard a bored and somewhat annoyed voice say, "Are you stupid? Why the hell do we need a roommate? There's already two of us. It'll just be troublesome and annoying if anyone else appears, just like it was at that loud and crowded house."

"Of course we need a roommate, and it wasn't that bad at home. It was usually fun, and-" With a shock, Kazuki turned a little too quickly, causing him to fall off of the bed with a none to pleasant landing.

"Looks like you really are stupid."

Looking at what was a mirror image of himself, Kazuki said, "You! Why- How- Stop materializing without telling me!"

"I've materialized. There. You've been told."

Kazuki face-palmed thinking that there was no way something good could happen if his shadow came out. "Well, dematerialize before anyone sees you."

His mirror image looked back at him with a bored expression that turned into a sneer, "Are you an idiot?"

This other half of himself was about the only person Kazuki highly disliked. "Please disappear. It's the first day."

He smiled at Kazuki with an unsettling expression, "That's what makes it fun."

"....Disappear."

"No."

"Disappear!"

"Make me," a smirk crawled onto his face and Kazuki clenched his jaw before sighing in defeat. Problem was, he didn't know how to make his shadow do much of anything. "Like that's possible..." he mumbled, a childish sulk in his voice.

His shadow came off of the bed and ruffled his hair, still wearing his smirk, where as Kazuki immediately pushed his hand away. Suddenly, the idea of meeting new people wasn't so appealing, which made him a little depressed. This was going to be a long first day.

"Well?" Kazuki had been in a bit of a staring match with his shadow, who appeared very smug in a dangerous sort of way. Neither had spoken fo some time now, so when the mirror image spoke, he was a little startled. "Aren't we going to go explore this dump like you talked about with that cab driver? Hmm?"

"No. Not until you dematerialize! I really don't want you to get me into trouble on the first day," his shadow only stared at him.

"You're really pathetic," he commented to Kazuki as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going!?"

"To look around this f****d up place. What el-" his speech was cut off as Kazuki tackled his shadow, both of them tumbling over, but Kazuki the only one to actually hit the ground. His shadow had dematerialized before they hit the ground, returning to a normal form of a shadow.

Kazuki stood up with a relieved sort of sigh as his shadow failed to rematerialize. Really, he wished he'd started his high school career here rather than transferring for his 11th grade year. Then, maybe, he'd actually know something about how to control his ability. He looked around his dorm room once before smiling.

"Well, I'll get to meet my roommate later anyways. Alright! Time to explore and meet some new people!" The thought made him excited now that his shadow was out of the way. However, he still wished he had a map of the place. It was pretty big, so it wouldn't be too difficult for him to get lost alone... his shadow somehow always knew how to get around a place, maybe... No! It'd taken forever to get him to disappear. Kazuki was not going to let the soreness that was setting into his shoulder from the fall go to waste.

"Eh," He shrugged, "I'm bound to run into people anyways," and with that in mind, he left the room humming to himself in an upbeat tone.

"I didn't mean to make it sound like a competition." Axel hastily added as she pointed out his rather rude sounding sentence, "Rather I was pointing out that I'm probably the most desensitized to anything fuss-worthy, and so the most likely to be blase about it." Axel figured he wasn't going to get any further with Anaru at this point, at least for now, and decided the best thing would be to head out before things got too awkward.
"Well, I'll let you unpack, I'm gonna go meet a new guy who has no idea what's where, I don't know who or where they are, but the rules of the universe suggest it to be so, like finding that thing you've looked for all day right under your nose two seconds after asking for someone's help. Toodles!" he said, and he left the room like he was late for dinner... Well, lunch. He'd broken walls to get to dinner on time. He took a good two steps out of the room before rule number two of the universe kicked in: There will ALWAYS be someone/something right in front of you when you try to start running in a direction you're not looking, and Axel fell back. As he rubbed his back from the shock of landing on his posterior that hard, he inspected his crash pad. The person in this event had rather red hair, and eyes to match. Another Main Character, this was going to be a fulfilling year! He made a small cushion of purple aura underneath him, and quickly changed its shape to a sphere, pushing him to his feet before extending a hand to the new guy.
"Howdy, Axel Lerate, sorry about the whole crashing-into-you-thing... Should I just call you Lost New Guy?"

For the third time today, Kazuki ended up meeting with the ground with an unpleasant thud. For an athlete, hitting the ground three times in such a short amount of time doesn't really hold very good indications.

With a blink, Kazu watched as a glowing pool of purple came into being, moving and changing shape under the guy he'd apparently run into, until it pushed him to his feet. "Whaaa..?" He breathed in a curious and amazed tone (kind of like when a kid discovers something new). Then suddenly a hand was in front of him,

"Howdy, Axel Lerate, sorry about the whole crashing-into-you-thing... Should I just call you Lost New Guy?"

"Eh, ah, no-" still a little startled by and interesting in the purple glow pool, he kind of stared blankly at the guy for a second before a friendly smile crossed his features and he took the guys hand, "I'm Kazuki. Kazuki Ishigawa." He was finally meeting someone new! And his shadow was still dematerialized, so that was a plus.

When he was back on his feet, Kazuki stretched his hands over his head before dropping one hand to his side and rubbing the back of his head with the other, accompanied by a little bit of an embarrassed laugh, "I guess I am kind of lost." His eyes widened in surprise and he pointed at the dark haired guy in front of him, "Ah! But how did you know? I even forgot I.. was lost..." While he spoke, his voice changed from surprised to dumbfounded.

Axel shrugged, then spoke.
"Rules of the universe we live in. Know them, and you can pretty much work your own wishes out from it. Besides, you're new, since I've never seen you here before, and I got lost on my first day as well. Ended up in Calcutta, I was so damn lost. So, you look to be about my age, you gotten a grip on your power yet? What it is, how to control it, any of that? Wait, let me guess your power first..." As Axel spoke, he looked at Kazuki's face for signals, one of the simplest tricks for mind-reading without the power once you get the knack for it. Fire, water, air, light, shadow, you can do something with shadows... Manipulation? Creation? Possession? Teleportation via shadows? ...I'm lost." He then rubbed the back of his head, smiling weakly. "Sorry about that, I have a tendency to try and figure out everyone's powers, makes it easier to keep track of them all. Mine isn't mindreading, as nice as that would be, it's tangible manipulation of spiritual aura. Much better for getting things from far away."

Kazuki watched Axel as the guy spoke, focusing on following what he was saying.

Calcu-what?

"Tangible manipulation of spiritual aura..." Kazuki repeated, not quite sure how that works, but guessing it had something to do with the purple glow he'd seen. Then waving his hands in front of him with a smile said, "It's fine, but, ah..." A little confused as how to explain his own ability, he put his hands into his pockets and gave a shrug, "Well, I guess you could say my shadow materializes into a second me... kind of like a doppelganger?" He'd never really explained his power to anyone before because they usually found out about it when he had to explain that the person who'd just insulted them, or something, wasn't really him, but his shadow... Not that many people actually believed him since he'd never met someone else with powers until now.

At the second part of the guy's question, Kazu kindly looked down in embarrassment. He had no idea how to control his power.
His mind changed gears, and he suddenly was curious about the guy in front of him, "You're a junior, too? How does the aura thing work?"

Axel nodded, his mind forming a rudimentary idea as to what that could mean.
"And let me guess, this Shadow is you, but meaner? And if you ever say it isn't you, it'll go on a rampage that only people wearing glasses can stop? Sorry, bad joke. But I suggest you play Persona 4 at some point. It'll be a weird trip for someone with your powers. And technically, I should be a senior, but the school didn't accept my time in England two years ago dealing with my psychopathic sister and her rampaging cronies as "studying abroad". But I digress, the aura thing's actually the EASIER of the two to explain. You know, what with 18 years of use behind it." Axel took a deep breath to collect his thoughts, and began. "Everyone has a spiritual aura around them that sort of acts like a meter of their soul. With time, people can open their senses enough to feel other people's auras. This is why two skilled martial artists can know they've found a worthy opponent without even speaking. I, due to being born with my sixth sense torn wide open, can make mine tangible, then manipulate it around my body just as easily as you could flex your arm or breathe. To give a visual aid, he formed a translucent second skin all around himself, then reformed it all back into his false leg. "Like that. I did a stress test a few years back, and while it varies with my willpower and mental state, I can get the aura to a dense enough state that I can stop everything short of cannon fire. So, you've had enough time to get a grip with your power, right?"

"Aah..." Kazuki said slowly, a little confused by Axel's joke, but the confusion changed to interest as the other guy explained about his grade situation and his power. Briefly, he wondered if he'd be able to feel other's auras with time, but highly doubted it.

He blinked, taken aback, "Cannon fire?" Everything short of cannon fire.... Well, that was definitely a shield he didn't want to collide with.

The conversation came back to Kazuki with the topic he wasn't that eager to bring up. He rubbed the back of his head saying, "I haven't mastered it yet..." and gave an embarrassed smile accompanied with a light laugh. "I actually have no idea how to control my power. Sometimes it seems like I'm able to, but I don't know how it happens. Most of the time, my shadow materializes randomly. He usually causes trouble, and I sometimes have to chase him down." The worst misunderstanding usually happened whenever he lost his shadow and had to chase him down.... though there have been pretty bad ones when he was with his shadow as well. Kazuki sighed, "It gets complicated."

Axel nodded at Kazuki's wonder towards Axel's durability.
"I learned during my little family argument. One of my sister's cronies could make everything she touched pristine, and then improve it until it couldn't be improved anymore. She made a pirate ship fly. It was... One of my weirder fights, to say the least. But anyways..." Axel paused as his aura formed a purple tentacle with a spear tip on the end, then prepared to stab the shadow in the leg. "Let's see if we can convince him to come ou-"

It was at this point Axel saw a new girl appear in a poof in the buff, and just before she jumped into the bushes, he saw her face and his heart stopped for a quick second.
{Oh, HELL no, Axel.} he thought to himself, trying to look away. {She is at MOST fifteen, and I didn't raise you to be no loli-chaser.}

(OI!)
(What?)
(You're really gonna do this? Make me a lolicon? Have you ZERO shame?)
(And being a lolicon is... Bad? We both know the best slice-of-life anime all involve a cool guy/girl who melts at the thought of lolis, or even one specific loli. Just consider yourself that guy!)
(...You sick bastard. I want older-woman-chaser as a trait for the next two rp's at LEAST, and no more of this missing leg shit, deal?)
(Deal. Now get back in there, you cradle-robber, you!)
(FUCK YOU!)

"Who WAS that?"

Miiko was still shaking, she had already gotten dressed and didn't want to see Yuji really; but she couldn't be rude even if he had seen her... bare. "No, no I'm dressed already!" Her heart dropped when she heard someone else yell. Someone else had seen her... Miiko's reputation was already ruined and classes hadn't even started!

Maybe if she stayed in the bushes they wouldn't realize it was her... But what was the point? Yuji had already seen and it's not like she was still naked. Miiko slowly stood up and saw at the edge of the tree line that there wasn't one, but two more people. Miiko stepped around the bush and walked up to Yuji, "what did you see?" She was giving him a chance to tell a lie and say he hadn't seen anything, it was probably the only way she would forgive him.

What about those two others? What had they seen? Miiko was flat as a board, they were probably laughing at her underdeveloped body. Wait, was she being the pervert now? They could have seen nothing and had just walked up to the forest.

Kazuki was about to tell Axel that stabbing his shadow while it wasn't materialized and, well, just a shadow wouldn't do anything. He himself had dropped knives and such in the kitchen with a clumsy hand, but none of that hurt his shadow, which he was oddly relieved about.

Just as Axel's spear stopped and speech cut out, Kazuki caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. His face turned red and he only turned towards where the girl had disappeared when Axel asked who she was. Kazuki was too embarrassed and shocked to really say anything, but he heard his voice along with feeling a familiar weight on his shoulder, "Hmm. Not bad. She's cute, but a little too underdeveloped, don't you think?" His voice continued with a snicker, "Though SOMEONE seems to have a thing for little lollies. 'Who WAS that?'" and ended with mimicking Axel.

Kazuki almost groaned as his mirror image moved his arm from Kazuki's shoulder to stretch.

He saw the girl stand up out of the bushes, now fully clothed. "I-I wonder why she was... like that?"

Kazuki felt a nudging tap on his back, "Go ask. I'm sure Mr. Loli over here is dying to know."

Kazuki's face flushed as he turned to his shadow with a "What the hell!? Are you crazy!?" kind of look. His shadow only shrugged with a bored expression. Kazuki then remembered and glanced towards Axel, a little worried about what his reaction would be.

Axel closed his eyes and let his aura flow to this arm. The purple miasma took the shape of a giant gauntlet with speared tentacles sprouting from the back, with two aimed at Shadow Kazuki's groin, one on each pressure point under the shoulder on the chest, one on his solar plexus, and one on his throat. When Axel reopened his eyes and spoke, gone was the carefree, happy Axel. What was showing was a shell-shocked veteran who looked like he had killed before, and would do so again happily within a moment's notice.

"Please, continue. See where that gets you. I can let anything Kazuki says slide, he seems like a decent person at heart. YOU, however, I will show zero mercy to. Now to set some rules if you want to keep your position as one of the living with all their limbs viable. You will address me as "sir", and nothing else. You will speak with kindness while I am around, and you will use a different tone. You will treat Kazuki as you would a brother in arms at all times. And if you think for one second your little shadow trick will save you, realize that if you break any of my rules, you won't be able to show yourself again for as long as I am around. Do we have an understanding."

The last sentence wasn't a question, but a statement. Axel blinked again, and while the shellshock was gone, the fierceness remained in his eyes. The gauntlet and blades didn't waver.

"And for your information, I normally prefer older women who know what they're doing." NOW he let the aura drop, and he looked back at the girl. "But I felt something I haven't felt in years looking at her, and I... I think this will be an interesting year."

Kazuki was a little panicked at the show between his shadow and Axel.

The shadow smirked. "Like any of that's actually gonna happen. Thing is, to keep a position as one of the living, you have to be, oh, what was it again? Oh, yeah! You have to actually BE one of the living. For now, I'm just a shadow." Kazuki's shadow gave a mock salute before dematerializing.

Kazuki sighed, feeling exhausted as the fiasco ended. Not a great way to start the year. Make a friend. Friend meets Shadow. Shadow mocks friend. Friend goes scary psycho on Shadow. Shadow mocks more before dematerializing.... Well, Kazuki knew one thing for sure. His Shadow and Axel would NOT get along.

"Yeah," Kazuki agreed, shaking the negatives off and offering a smile, "this will be one heck of a year." His voice picked up it's normally positive tone. "Let's go greet them. Her and that guy she's with... I did come out here to meet new people after all!" His voice picked up some excitement at the end, and he tapped Axel's shoulder, "Come with?"

Axel took a soft breath, letting his anger flush out as if it had never existed. His response to the shadow's escape was eerily serene, like the shadow's attempt at rebellion was nothing more than a child's tantrum. And in a sense, Axel was used to dealing with unruly people.

"And yet you flee to safety. Because you know now. You know I'm not safe to be around. And until you learn manners, it will remain that way." He paused for a second, then continued, his eyes flaring purple, "By the way, just because you're not tangible doesn't mean I can't feel your presence. It also doesn't mean you're untouchable. Because you've just shown me coherent thought, however primal. Thought means brain patterns. And THAT means an aura, which I've seen. I can get to you through your aura, and I assure you will not enjoy our next meeting as much as I will."

Once again, Axel returned to his "normal" self, the one who wasn't one push away from experimenting new weapons ideas on those who pushed him.
"But yeah, meeting them is alright with me!" as they walked, Axel frowned, deep in thought.

"By the way," he asked, looking over to Kazuki, "Why come here your junior year?"

Yuji face was beat red Miiko walk in front of him not sure of how to answer her question. He glanced his eyes to the side and saw a few guys looking at them though a window. Yuji shot them a quick death glare to try and scare them off; Miiko had suffered enough although he did not think he would seem very intimidating.

Returning his attention to Miiko who looked as though she was going to stab him. Never before had Yuji found something so scary and yet so cute at the same time. After deciding he did not want to die he answered. "What did I see? Well...... I did not see anything really, things happened so fast i could not get a good look....... Not that I was trying to or anything" Yuji added the last part in hastily, Yuji hated to lie but sometimes it was best.

Miiko breathed a sigh of relief, even though she knew it was a lie. It was still better thinking that he had seen nothing then knowing he had seen everything (although it wasn't true). Miiko turned towards the new arrivals that Yuji had been glaring at and waved, "hello." She said to the two and walked up to them, of course, they were much taller than the green haired female who hardly piqued at five feet.

"I'm Miiko and you are?" One had really nice red hair and the other had silky black hair. Miiko had an obsession with hair color since her's was actually white, she had dyed it green a while back and it took a while for her hair to revert to it's original color. They called it albinism or something, but Miiko hated the thought that she was missing something so she referred to the lack of pigment as frosty.