Knowing who to thank for good fortune was tricky when you were a supreme, almighty being. If Kibitoshin had been just that little bit more arrogant, he'd have thanked himself for the way that night had ended just as things were starting to get tricky.
Not that he had been scared of finding a mountain lion. Goodness, no. Perish the thought. He was a supreme almighty being, after all. It was simply tactical thinking on his part that had left him wholly and passionately opposed to the idea of hunting monsters to eat. That, or it was the red meat. Yes, he wasn't supposed to eat that much red meat. Terrible for his digestion.
...
Clearly.
With a heartfelt sigh he sank down into his nice, uncomfortable bus seat near the front, not too far from one of those scary grunts, and settled down into his terrible Doyleton clothes for the journey. He wasn't relieved that he wouldn't be fighting to the death, understand, it was simply the way that his new shoes were so much more comfortable than his military boots had been the day before. It would do him good to get out of the Institute and into the snow for a while. Put some colour on his cheeks, as his Ancestor might have said. That terrible claustrophobic choke the building had couldn't have been good for his nerves.
Not that zombies were much better, but still. At least he wouldn't have to eat the pink goo. And he had a window seat for the journey, so that was good, wasn't it?
... oh, who was he kidding? The Kaioshin sighed again, and this time it came out a world or two sadder than he'd realised it would. He was trapped, he was ashamed of himself for being frightened over nothing last night, and he was still cross with Franziska and with himself for the desire to apologise that was slowly creeping up on him. And to top it all off, his sweater had bumble bees knitted on it. He didn't see how he could possibly be happy today, even if he tried.
At last, she was finally out of those stuffy military uniforms; spending the entire day yesterday was a bit disturbing, but at least she stayed asleep during most of the afternoon and night. Both the uniform and the increase of military personnel's brought up some unpleasant memories that she didn't want to remember. And to top it off, that side of her was becoming restless.
If the head doctor is not in charge anymore, it should be easier to escape now. Everybody else is now part of an army, so it shouldn't be too hard now...I have too...all of-
"MOVE IT GIRL. I SAID KEEP ON MOVING!"
"A-Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Yep, just like the good old days...except that it would've been aimed at the SDF recruits. Plus she would've been in her school uniform, instead of wearing baggy sweater with a sea lion wearing a black bow tie and dark brown pants. Maybe they'll let her keep the sweater if she asked one of the nurses.
Too infatuated with the little sea lion, she quickly sat down in a random seat when the same guard yelled at her again. Once he left, that's when she noticed that the seat was already preoccupied.
Kibitoshin jumped. He'd been too busy staring out of the window to pay much attention to the other people getting onto the bus, and now there was someone else sitting next to him- oh, dear. He hadn't really wanted a conversation, not with the terrible mood he was in. But while she was a stranger, the Kaioshin somehow doubted that she was going to argue with him or pick a fight or cause him any trouble.
She was very small and very young looking, though not quite so small and young as Goku, with short brown hair and a nervous expression. His first thought had been that she looked terribly like a trapped rabbit, all anxious brown eyes and twitchy uncertainty, and his second that, were he a human teenage girl, he would probably have looked a lot like that. Before his fusion, that was. She even had a cute animal sweater on, too, though it seemed infinitely more appropriate for her than it did for him.
At any rate, it always felt strange to meet people more timid than he had been at the start of his stay here, and he couldn't help but feel a little fond of her for it, like he had Hanatarou. "No, no, it's fine!" Kibitoshin answered, giving her a little smile and tugging out his sweater in demonstration. "I mean, we match, right? I'm Kibitoshin, by the way."
"Thank you, I'm Chise. And, um, nice to meet you," she replied. He didn't seem to be a rowdy or a mean type of guy, which was always a good feature in her book. In a way, he appeared to be just as friendly as Fai, except for the slight pointy ears; and wondered if he was an elf.
"I suppose we do match," she continued, pointing at her own sweater. "...well, mine sort of matches a little. It would've been better if it was a bear or if yours had a dolphin on it...N-Not saying that bumble bees aren't cute or anything!" Or calling his sweater ugly. Hopefully he wouldn't be offended by her comment.
Right, so it was Chise. Kibitoshin had never been the best with remembering things, but to be honest in this case he was probably going to have more trouble finding her than summoning her name when they met again. She seemed like the sort who'd sooner put her head down and hide than bounce up and reintroduce herself, but that was okay with him. At least it meant she wouldn't snap at him, like certain other people.
"You think?" He tugged at the sweater again, making a face, and the bees stretched to black and yellow caterpillars. "I think a bear would have been better. They're kind of ferocious, right? Bumble bees are nice, but they just aren't that intimidating. N-not that the sealion isn't right for you, of course!" he added hurriedly, waving his hands a little. So much for being the sensible, calm adult...
In Chise's case, whenever a person talked to her at least once, she would make an effort to remember them. Aside from remembering cities, it was something she decided to do after destroying everything from left to right. Proof, that they were alive and that she still was human.
She giggled when the bees suddenly turned into caterpillars. "Bears are ferocious and are scary, but only on the outside! Because deep, down inside, they're really friendly and nice. I know two people who are both like bears. Even though they're sometimes mean to me, they do care a lot." As for sea lions, they were cute.
"Sea lions are cute...but they're not me. I mean, if the sweater had an animal that represents the person wearing it...a hedgehog would be an appropiate choice for me."
Ferocious and scary on the outside, friendly and nice on the inside. Kibitoshin had met any number of people who fit that description, and it didn't take a genius to work out that he wasn't one of them; he couldn't even be ferocious in his own head, never mind to other people. "I guess there are a lot of people like that, huh?" he said with a little laugh. "A lot of fighters tend to be hard on the outside and soft on the inside."
Like Vegeta, and Piccolo, and maybe Sechs in patches. Maybe even Franziska, if he approached her right- but that seemed so alien now, so impossible, that he didn't let himself linger on it for long. Every time he thought he saw a little softness with her, he just ended up with a big, uncomfortable bruise on his head.
"A hedgehog? You mean... all prickly and shy?" He smiled a little. "You don't seem all that prickly to me. I know we've only been talking a little while, but..."
"Maybe they're like that because they want to be seen as strong and tough. There's only one bear-like person that's a fighter; he's a ninja. The other person, well, isn't a fighter at all. He's my boyfriend," who I miss very, very much.
Not all that prickly? Oh Kibitoshin, you have no idea what she's capable of.
Hearing that comment brought a small smile to her face. "Most of what you said is correct, in regards to my current state. If we were in my world, it would've been entirely true. Let's just say that from the time that we've talked, you wouldn't survive for more than two days. One, if you were on my side. And if you were on the opposing force, I'm sorry to say, but I'll be the last thing you'll see."
"Not that it'll actually happen here, of course!" she quickly added.
The smile that was still there, didn't match the rest of her expression.
"That makes sense," Kibitoshin agreed, still thinking of Vegeta and Sechs. He couldn't think of two people who wanted more to be seen as powerful- except for maybe... no. Focus. "Ohh, your boyfriend?" He gave a laugh, grinning at her sheepishly. "It must be great to know him inside and out like that. I bet he really trusts you. I've never really had a someone like that before personally, so you'll have to-"
Then he stopped, because Chise was carefully explaining to him that, under any other circumstances, he would already be under a death sentence.
He hesitated, blinking a little in alarm. This wasn't a joke; Chise couldn't have sounded more deadly serious if she'd tried. And it wasn't that she was boasting, either; she was smiling, yes, but he'd heard men boast about their power, their ability to kill and hurt. He'd seen the look on their faces, and sensed their arrogance. The smile here was simple, flat and disturbingly incongruous.
"... I-I'd never have guessed," he said eventually, looking away. The more he tried to sound at ease, the more awkward he sounded. "Though appearances can deceive." A pause. She's just a nice girl is all. Just because she's powerful that doesn't mean she's bad. Right? "I suppose... I suppose I could do a lot of damage in my world, too. Not that I would, unless I had to."
"They definitely can, which is why some military forces often use it as a way to catch their enemies off guard. Their expressions' of shock, disbelief, terror, and inbridled hatred; I'm used to having those faces aimed at me." But it still hurt everytime she saw them.
"But that was all part of my 'job', before I ran away with my boyfriend, before I woke up here." Her smile still there, but sad this time.
She sounded so matter-of-fact as she sat there, in her cute sea lion sweater, telling him about the looks of shock and horror on the faces of those she opposed. It was unnerving in a way he couldn't fathom, so different to the brash, eager glee of Babidi or the Shadow Dragons. It was sad.
But part of that was reassuring; she didn't seen happy about what she did, whatever it was. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask.
Kibitoshin shifted in his seat, fumbling blindly for the right words. This wasn't what he'd expected to be discussing with Chise at all. "I had- I have that kind of job too, in a small way." He hadn't worried especially when he'd killed Bibidi, but thinking about it now was making him uncomfortable. "I'm glad you got away. Your boyfriend sounds like a nice man." There, that was safer ground for both of them.
Not that he had been scared of finding a mountain lion. Goodness, no. Perish the thought. He was a supreme almighty being, after all. It was simply tactical thinking on his part that had left him wholly and passionately opposed to the idea of hunting monsters to eat. That, or it was the red meat. Yes, he wasn't supposed to eat that much red meat. Terrible for his digestion.
...
Clearly.
With a heartfelt sigh he sank down into his nice, uncomfortable bus seat near the front, not too far from one of those scary grunts, and settled down into his terrible Doyleton clothes for the journey. He wasn't relieved that he wouldn't be fighting to the death, understand, it was simply the way that his new shoes were so much more comfortable than his military boots had been the day before. It would do him good to get out of the Institute and into the snow for a while. Put some colour on his cheeks, as his Ancestor might have said. That terrible claustrophobic choke the building had couldn't have been good for his nerves.
Not that zombies were much better, but still. At least he wouldn't have to eat the pink goo. And he had a window seat for the journey, so that was good, wasn't it?
... oh, who was he kidding? The Kaioshin sighed again, and this time it came out a world or two sadder than he'd realised it would. He was trapped, he was ashamed of himself for being frightened over nothing last night, and he was still cross with Franziska and with himself for the desire to apologise that was slowly creeping up on him. And to top it all off, his sweater had bumble bees knitted on it. He didn't see how he could possibly be happy today, even if he tried.
[free!]
Reply
If the head doctor is not in charge anymore, it should be easier to escape now. Everybody else is now part of an army, so it shouldn't be too hard now...I have too...all of-
"MOVE IT GIRL. I SAID KEEP ON MOVING!"
"A-Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Yep, just like the good old days...except that it would've been aimed at the SDF recruits. Plus she would've been in her school uniform, instead of wearing baggy sweater with a sea lion wearing a black bow tie and dark brown pants. Maybe they'll let her keep the sweater if she asked one of the nurses.
Too infatuated with the little sea lion, she quickly sat down in a random seat when the same guard yelled at her again. Once he left, that's when she noticed that the seat was already preoccupied.
"Um, y-you don't mind if I sit here, do you?"
Reply
Kibitoshin jumped. He'd been too busy staring out of the window to pay much attention to the other people getting onto the bus, and now there was someone else sitting next to him- oh, dear. He hadn't really wanted a conversation, not with the terrible mood he was in. But while she was a stranger, the Kaioshin somehow doubted that she was going to argue with him or pick a fight or cause him any trouble.
She was very small and very young looking, though not quite so small and young as Goku, with short brown hair and a nervous expression. His first thought had been that she looked terribly like a trapped rabbit, all anxious brown eyes and twitchy uncertainty, and his second that, were he a human teenage girl, he would probably have looked a lot like that. Before his fusion, that was. She even had a cute animal sweater on, too, though it seemed infinitely more appropriate for her than it did for him.
At any rate, it always felt strange to meet people more timid than he had been at the start of his stay here, and he couldn't help but feel a little fond of her for it, like he had Hanatarou. "No, no, it's fine!" Kibitoshin answered, giving her a little smile and tugging out his sweater in demonstration. "I mean, we match, right? I'm Kibitoshin, by the way."
Reply
"I suppose we do match," she continued, pointing at her own sweater. "...well, mine sort of matches a little. It would've been better if it was a bear or if yours had a dolphin on it...N-Not saying that bumble bees aren't cute or anything!" Or calling his sweater ugly. Hopefully he wouldn't be offended by her comment.
Reply
"You think?" He tugged at the sweater again, making a face, and the bees stretched to black and yellow caterpillars. "I think a bear would have been better. They're kind of ferocious, right? Bumble bees are nice, but they just aren't that intimidating. N-not that the sealion isn't right for you, of course!" he added hurriedly, waving his hands a little. So much for being the sensible, calm adult...
Reply
She giggled when the bees suddenly turned into caterpillars. "Bears are ferocious and are scary, but only on the outside! Because deep, down inside, they're really friendly and nice. I know two people who are both like bears. Even though they're sometimes mean to me, they do care a lot." As for sea lions, they were cute.
"Sea lions are cute...but they're not me. I mean, if the sweater had an animal that represents the person wearing it...a hedgehog would be an appropiate choice for me."
Reply
Like Vegeta, and Piccolo, and maybe Sechs in patches. Maybe even Franziska, if he approached her right- but that seemed so alien now, so impossible, that he didn't let himself linger on it for long. Every time he thought he saw a little softness with her, he just ended up with a big, uncomfortable bruise on his head.
"A hedgehog? You mean... all prickly and shy?" He smiled a little. "You don't seem all that prickly to me. I know we've only been talking a little while, but..."
Reply
Not all that prickly? Oh Kibitoshin, you have no idea what she's capable of.
Hearing that comment brought a small smile to her face. "Most of what you said is correct, in regards to my current state. If we were in my world, it would've been entirely true. Let's just say that from the time that we've talked, you wouldn't survive for more than two days. One, if you were on my side. And if you were on the opposing force, I'm sorry to say, but I'll be the last thing you'll see."
"Not that it'll actually happen here, of course!" she quickly added.
The smile that was still there, didn't match the rest of her expression.
Reply
Then he stopped, because Chise was carefully explaining to him that, under any other circumstances, he would already be under a death sentence.
He hesitated, blinking a little in alarm. This wasn't a joke; Chise couldn't have sounded more deadly serious if she'd tried. And it wasn't that she was boasting, either; she was smiling, yes, but he'd heard men boast about their power, their ability to kill and hurt. He'd seen the look on their faces, and sensed their arrogance. The smile here was simple, flat and disturbingly incongruous.
"... I-I'd never have guessed," he said eventually, looking away. The more he tried to sound at ease, the more awkward he sounded. "Though appearances can deceive." A pause. She's just a nice girl is all. Just because she's powerful that doesn't mean she's bad. Right? "I suppose... I suppose I could do a lot of damage in my world, too. Not that I would, unless I had to."
Reply
"But that was all part of my 'job', before I ran away with my boyfriend, before I woke up here." Her smile still there, but sad this time.
Reply
But part of that was reassuring; she didn't seen happy about what she did, whatever it was. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask.
Kibitoshin shifted in his seat, fumbling blindly for the right words. This wasn't what he'd expected to be discussing with Chise at all. "I had- I have that kind of job too, in a small way." He hadn't worried especially when he'd killed Bibidi, but thinking about it now was making him uncomfortable. "I'm glad you got away. Your boyfriend sounds like a nice man." There, that was safer ground for both of them.
Reply
Leave a comment