The first rule of Fight Club is... - Open to Ion and Sync [Trabia Garden - Thursday Night]

[shotaball]

He'd stopped along the way a few times when he found a place to take photographs, so it took about twice as long as usual to reach the Training Hall. Ritsuka just couldn't help himself when it came to photography. As they approached the hall, he perused the pictures they'd just taken with a satisfied look on his face. Ion was very photogenic so

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[the_empty_me]

Sync had spent nearly the entire day in the practice area, just as he usually did; for someone like him, for someone as driven as Sync, it was only a matter of course for him to push himself to his limits. Of course, there was another reason he had been in the practice area for so long.

Namely, he had done some calculations. Figuring how long it would take his twin to arrive in Trabia, if he dropped everything as soon as he got news of Sync's success in becoming a full SeeD, and took the fastest mode of transit to the Garden, had been a matter of minutes; after that, he had been secluded in the furthest corner of the area, hoping beyond hope that maybe, just this once, some sort of decency would be sent his way and he could maybe, just once, evade his creepy stalker twin brother.

But that hope was cruelly dashed. Just like all of his other ones.

With a sigh, Sync adjusted his mask and tried to duck behind the equipment. Maybe, if he was very quiet and still, Ion and Ritsuka could pass by without incident...

[will_of_lorelei]

Of course, Ion had a knack for ruining Sync's plans despite his good intentions. No matter what.

He enjoyed Ritsuka's company along the way to the practice area, blushing lightly when his friend complimented on how he looked in each of these pictures. He'd long since forgotten that he was still wearing the latter's jacket, absent-mindedly hugging it closer when they reached their destination. It was so much bigger than what he imagined, but he supposed it had to be for the purpose it served.

"Wow..." Ion's mouth was slightly open in awe, giving a small twirl to take in all the sights. Whether it be coincidence or a 'freaky twin thing', the Fon Master managed to stop only a mere few feet away from where Sync was hiding, turning towards Ritsuka curiously.

"Do you come here often?"

[shotaball]

When he had first come to this school, the size of the hall had impressed him. Gongaga didn't have anything to compare to this place by any means, and the sheer number of people who could fit in here was unlike anything he'd ever seen. As the months passed, however, and he spent more and more time in the hall, the awe had gradually slipped away to be replaced with his usual bored familiarity. This place was just another classroom to him now.

Ritsuka stopped when Ion did, surprised that Sync wasn't there. His partner took every opportunity to practice even if Ritsuka wasn't there to absorb the damage.

"Yeah," he said as his eyes scanned the room. "I come in here a lot. If I'm going to pass the SeeD exams, I need to."

Not that he had to do much beyond stand behind Sync and try not to faint from the pain, but he still needed to practice. Ritsuka crossed his arms, frowning slightly as he realized his partner wasn't around. It just didn't make sense. "Sync should be here somewhere..."

[the_empty_me]

...it was just Sync's luck. He could hear his twin's voice getting closer and closer, until it seemed like Ion was going to wind up almost on top of Sync. But it seemed like he had, as yet, remained undetected; that was good. He'd be giving it his level best to remain undetected, because the last thing he needed was for his triumph to be even further dulled by his annoying, simpering, fate-stealing younger brother!

Of course, at the rate it was going, Ritsuka was going to be giving his position away. If it came down to it, Sync would prefer to make a splash than to just be stumbled upon, especially since he knew that That Idiot had run off without his bodyguards. How could someone that stupid still be the Fon Master? It was mind-boggling! And even more infuriating than baffling, because no matter how many object lessons Sync gave, Ion still wouldn't learn.

[will_of_lorelei]

"I suppose that's true..." After all, this was a school for fighters, so it'd be rather pointless to be there in the first place if they weren't looking to hone their physical and magical skills. Ion kept his eyes alert except for the one spot where Sync actually was, because that would've meant that his twin was hiding, and why would he ever want to do that?

When nothing came out as striking, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out as loud as he could.

"Sync~! Where are you~?" The area was almost empty anyway, so no one really paid mind to his voice as it echoed along the walls. Little did Ion know that this would most likely turn his brother away rather than his own intentions.

[shotaball]

"It's like homework to come here and work out." Ritsuka could almost sense that Sync was somewhere nearby. He'd been noticing that he got a nagging sensation at the back of his mind when his partner was close, but the feeling was so vague, he often just ignored it. It was there, thought, sitting in the corners and shadows of his brain, telling him Sync had to be in the practice arena. It just didn't make sense otherwise.

Suddenly, Ion started calling out right next to him and Ritsuka flinched, hands flying up to cover his ears as his second set flattened against his head. Ion's voice echoed in the large hall, bouncing off the walls and making the one or two other students turn to stare. Ritsuka whipped around, feeling his tail bushing up against his will. "Warn me before you do that next time!"

He highly doubted that shouting Sync's name would make the boy appear. In fact, he was almost certain it would have the opposite effect.

[the_empty_me]

Oh no; when Ion called out Sync's name, the older twin winced and curled up a little tighter, as though by shrinking down he could pretend That Idiot hadn't just done something insanely, unbelievably moronic like he just had. And rude, too! What if someone had been trying to cast a spell, and that sudden shout had disrupted their concentration! Argh, so rude!

And while Sync wasn't going anywhere anytime soon- besides maybe in a hole so he could hurry up and die already- his aggravation still showed in a quiet, yet still audible growl. How could he have been saddled with a twin like that?

More importantly, didn't Ion realize that now Sync was never going to live it down? ...no, no, Ion probably didn't. Because he was the Fon Master. Everyone loved the Fon Master. No one would ever go out of their way to tease the Fon Master. Or they'd be apologized to death.

Oh, how much Sync hated his brother at that moment...

[will_of_lorelei]

Oops.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Dropping his hands, Ion rushed forward to Ritsuka's side, looking rather embarrassed from the whole ordeal. He hadn't meant to cause so much trouble, especially in a place where people needed to concentrate more than ever. Looking over at the other students that he managed to distract, the teen began flailing his arms in their direction.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt you!" He said loudly, though nowhere near as loud as he was a few moments ago. Looking back and forth between Ritsuka and the students, Ion wished he could do something to make up for being so rude. However, despite all his yelling, there was still no Sync in sight. For a moment, Ion wondered if he could ask whoever was there to point him in the right direction, but he felt that he had already bothered them enough for tonight.

[shotaball]

The echoes died down and he lowered his hands, his second set of ears still flat against his hair. It had hurt when Ion yelled, mainly because he had been right next to the green-haired boy. The other students rolled their eyes and went back to their practices or left the arena, giving Ritsuka disapproving looks for bringing a civilian into the hall. He glared right back at them before turning to Ion and shaking his head. "Just... don't do that, okay? He's not

[the_empty_me]

Great. Ritsuka had heard him. While normally Sync was glad his unofficial partner had extra-sensitive ears, this was one time where he wasn't so glad. Still, it wasn't like he could take it back now. The older twin slowly stood up, then glanced at Ritsuka. Despite the mask on his face, Sync had an uncanny knack for getting across precise levels of disapproval.

"I'm trying to pretend that my partner didn't bring a disruptive civilian into a SeeD training hall. And that said civilian wasn't here in the first place. Oh, and waiting for that civilian to be removed so I can get back to my training. How about you?"

And never once did he look at Ion's direction. That would come later, when he could no longer ignore the other twin's existence.

[will_of_lorelei]

Ion seemed to have this anti-angry!Sync shield up at all times, because despite his brother's ill babbling, his heart leapt when he heard the distasteful voice from behind the equipment. But he knew when to keep his excitement at bay, carefully walking towards Ritsuka and stopping next to his friend to get a better look at his brother. His face scrunched up, taking in every detail of the latter, and he found himself inching closer until he was standing right in front of him. And, rather innocently, Ion bent over and tilted his head up to look underneath the mask his brother had been wearing

[shotaball]

Sync's disappointment and disdain were tangible, causing Ritsuka to drop his gaze. As soon as the older boy had stood up, he knew he was going to get scolded. Still, it wasn't like he'd known that Ion was going to yell across the entire hall. "I'm sorry, but he was looking for you and I thought you'd be in here. He came all this way and--"

Again, Ritsuka was cut off mid-sentence by Ion, but this time it was because the twin crept up and peered beneath his partner's mask. The color drained from Ritsuka's face, amazed once again at how different the two were. He hadn't known Sync long, but when Ion crushed hugged Sync, he knew his partner would not be happy about this turn of events. Standing awkwardly to the side, he tried not to look at the brothers as they had yet another strange reunion. All he could do was count down the seconds until Sync blew up at his twin. No wonder he'd been hiding if Ion was wont to do such things as hug him and shout across an arena to find him.

[the_empty_me]

He was hugged.

Sync the Tempest was hugged.

It was a good thing that the younger brother had apparently built up a tolerance to Sync's fury, because when Ion peeked beneath the mask, he'd see nothing but blazing green eyes glaring right back at him. He'd managed to ignore the younger one for about ten seconds; a new record.

"Aoyagi Ritsuka," he muttered, the full name letting his partner know, as if he hadn't already, just how annoyed Sync was, "you know that I can't stand this guy, and you brought him here when you had to know that's where I was?"

But now he had to dislodge his brother, somehow, and the problem was that he didn't want to smack a Fon Master around. Why bring more wrath down on his head? "As for you, Fon Master? I think I speak for everyone in this Garden when I say this, and I really mean it, so listen carefully." Then he leaned in, every word brutally enunciated and perfectly clear. "Go back to Daath!"

[will_of_lorelei]

"Sync, don't blame him." Ion murmured with his arms still wrapped around his brother. While he had no ill feelings being treated the way he was, the Fon Master knew where the blame should've been placed whenever his brother was angry and he himself was nearby. Even when Sync turned his attention on him, he could only smile before finally pulling away to dust off the latter's shoulders.

"It's okay, I probably would've found you on my own anyway." He hummed, laughing lightly as a thought came up. "You're really loud when you yell 'Bastard, get out of my way!' or 'You're nothing but garbage!'"

Ion might've not been as good as his twin when it came to copying his voice, but it was a good impression nonetheless. He even contorted his face into a scowl similar to Sync's to provide support to his examples. As usual, Ion was oblivious of his brother's growing fury, instead enjoying the time that he had.

[shotaball]

After seeing Ion's face when he first saw Sync in the infirmary, Ritsuka had always held out a hope that the two could reconcile someday. He didn't know what the story was, and he knew it wasn't his place to ask, but the hope remained. For someone whose entire world was his brother and finding him again, it was difficult for him to understand how someone could hate another family member. Sync, however, was quickly proving his ideas were based in fantasy. "I didn't know, it was just a feeling." He'd apologized once and beyond that, the way his tail drooped and his ears were back expressed his sincerity. "Besides, what were you doing in here by yourself? You know I should be here to train with you

[the_empty_me]

"Don't try to order me around, Fon Master," Sync spat, finding everything about the situation to be endlessly frustrating and aggravating. Endlessly. It had been this way since time out of mind, Ion scolding Sync in various ways, and always the older boy was infuriated at it. Like someone with so little experience in the real world could possibly know why Sync was doing what he did! "And don't laugh at me, either!"

Especially since the terms 'garbage' and 'bastard' both hit a very raw nerve, and especially when it came from Ion, of all people.

The older brother irritably shoved Ion's hands aside, suddenly storming away until Ritsuka was shielding between the two, then he stopped to look over his shoulder. "As for you? I thought you'd still be feeling the effects from the mission; you know that I don't slow down when I'm training." It was an unspoken, yet binding agreement between them; if Ritsuka slowed down, then Sync would leave him behind. The reverse was also true; if Sync was useless, then he didn't want anyone to stop and help