tenipuri_xp | [log] Tezuka + Miyuki

★ date: ~~right... NOW.~~ Tuesday, December 18th, 5 - 5:30 pm.
★ rating: G, if I'm not mistaken.
★ summary: Miyuki runs into Tezuka on-campus and gives him a hand; they clash and learn a few valuable lessons.

The sun setting so early was depressing, in Miyuki's opinion. It was hardly winter, and already, she couldn't wait for the days to get longer again. As it were, she was relying on one of the pole-mounted lights near the training center for illumination. It cast the shadow of a tree against the wall, and she had been able to perch on the shadow of a branch without too much trouble, where she now engaged in some light focus practice.

She'd been discovering, lately, that she could relax her concentration a little bit, so long as the shadows were still in her field of vision. Distractions could still be a serious consequence, though. Especially when they came in the form of attractive older men.

Flicking her gaze over to the man nearby, Miyuki tried to pay attention to both him and her shadow at once. He seemed to be wandering a little, as if lost, and he wasn't in Ryuhana uniform. Maybe he was a new teacher? She refocused her attention on the shadows when she felt her balance waver, but called out to him, anyway.

"Naa, Megane-han. Y'new here?"

Tezuka had been looking for some staff who could tell him more about the training rooms. Once again, he'd arrived to practice and train, only to find that telekinetic occupying the danger room. As Tezuka admitted to himself his own training tended to be a gross underutilisation of the danger room's capabilities, he was amenable to seeking other places to train. Ryuhana was a facility that catered to the training of mutants and mutant abilities; surely there were other locations, more low-tech but still safe for mutants with unstable powers and a distinct lack of control. It was difficult to find staff members in the evening, though. Tezuka would not approach the staff quarters for help—staff were entitled to their time away from the demands of their jobs. He'd just walked outside, wondering what to do, when he heard the greeting.

The source of the sound came from above, and Tezuka looked up, prepared for another winged mutant like Shishido-sensei. It wasn't Shishido-sensei, though—instead, the speaker was a young female figure suspended in mid-air in a sitting position. Another telekinetic? He wasn't quite sure. It was difficult to speak to her like this, though, because she was close enough that looking up like this was impolite (though perfectly innocuous, as she was wearing pants).

Tezuka backed up, far enough that he was no longer looking up at the other from an inappropriate angle. "Good evening," he said. "My name is Tezuka Kunimitsu, and I'm a ..." Well, he couldn't exactly say student, not precisely. Trainee? Making a decision, he decided to avoid labels altogether. "I attend night classes here. It's nice to meet you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the other backing up slightly. Only then did it occur to her that her current position was less than conducive to conversation, especially conversation with a stranger who was, from the looks of things, new to the school. With a sigh, she pushed away from the invisible branch beneath her and caught it with both hands on the way down, her eyes still on the wall, then dropped the last foot or two to the ground without consequence.

Dusting herself off unnecessarily, she turned to face the man and got her first good look at him. 'Attractive' had definitely been the right word, she realized with a grin.

"Chitose Miyuki," she greeted with a dip of her head. "Just 'Chitose's fine, 'f y'don't mind." She went over the rest of his introduction in her head, then brightened a little. "Hey, so you're one a' Tsubasa-sensei's students! Tsubasa-sensei n' I are tight." The last part was said with a wink and a little laugh.

Tsubasa-sensei? Wasn't the name of the teacher Shishido— Oh. The wings. Tezuka watched as she lowered herself to the ground, still trying to discern her abilities. Definitely nothing to do with magnetism, since he didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, but she didn't seem to be a telekinetic. Not exactly. "Chitose-san," he said politely, nodding his head in a slight bow. "Yes, I train under Shishido-sensei." He wondered if the teacher knew about the nickname—it was certainly fitting.

Now that the other was on the ground, Tezuka could see her more clearly. Chitose was wearing the Ryuhana uniform of a boy, but that was most definitely a girl, in name, figure, and voice. She'd addressed him in Osaka-ben, too. It seemed Ryuhana's fame had spread across Japan quite well. He hadn't been able to discern her powers, but he felt strange asking. It would be strange to ask her what she was doing up in mid-air too, though, because after all, it was none of his business, and she had no reason to satisfy his idle curiousity. As a student with a uniform, and considering her control over her abilities, it was safe to say she'd been here longer than he had. "It seems you are my senpai at this school. Please take care of me in the future," he said, bowing again.

Miyuki did her best to resist the delighted noise she wanted to make immediately following his greeting. This guy was a piece of work, and a fun one, too. Laughingly, she said, "Then you'll call me 'Chitose-senpai,' not 'Chitose-san.'" 'Chitose-san' didn't invite the sort of familiarity she wanted with people most of the time, so she tried her best to coax people into friendlier forms of address. It usually worked.

"S'there somethin' in particular you were lookin' for, or 're y'just havin' a late tour?"

Oh. Well. She was younger, but certainly Tezuka's senior when it came to control over powers, and she had been here earlier. "Chitose-senpai," he said politely, humoring her. Perhaps his ... "senpai" ... would be able to help him, at any rate. "I wish to use the training rooms, but I wanted to learn more about them, first. Perhaps you could assist me?"

"Well, y'found 'em, at least, so you're off to a good start," Miyuki remarked, chuckling. She drew a little closer, stealing a glance at Tezuka's shadow out of habit before looking back up at him, bright-eyed. She liked him all too well already. "What'd'ya wanna know, Megane-kun~?" The address changed, if only because she'd decided he was her kouhai, and it was therefore appropriate. Perhaps she took liberties.

"Please call me Tezuka," he said, nodding politely. There were too many people with glasses; that nickname would be inconveniencing if allowed to stick. Though on second thoughts, having her call him "Tezuka-kun" would be strange ... but at least Tezuka would know it was directed specifically at him. He set those thoughts aside for now—there were more important matters to attend to. "Could you please tell me if the training rooms for powers training too?" If they were shielded, then it might be safe to train in one of them instead of unnecessarily monopolizing the danger room. Tezuka didn't need that much space if he was training for control and precision.

Oh, so he was one of those. Miyuki laughed a little, deciding to meet him halfway. "Tezukun," she obliged after his question. He was awfully polite; she'd just have to work that out of him.

"The training rooms?" she repeated, glancing toward the building. "There's only the one room, technically, but y'can do pretty much anything there, from what I hear. Don't spend much time in there, myself; my powers 're pretty non-destructive." Turning to regard him again, she asked, "What d'you do?"

Well, Tezuka reflected, it wasn't so bad, though not preferable. He accepted the name with a nod. "The danger room? Could you tell me if there is there a schedule to sign up for its use, then? I'd like to minimize the amount of time I keep others waiting." That, and the amount of time he spent waiting for others.

At the question, he paused. "Non-destructive?" That sounded like a blessing to Tezuka. "It appears I affect magnetic fields and generate my own. And yourself?" He would not comment on the apparent admission to being slack in training, since someone who could control their powers so finely wouldn't appreciate the point from another who could barely master turning theirs off.

It was difficult not to be amused at Tezuka's apparent want to please, so Miyuki didn't try too hard. She grinned and shook her head, explaining, "The other trainin' groups usually partition the space off so we don't bump shoulders while we're trainin'. 'M sure people could do the same for off-the-clock trainin' sessions, too. I'll show ya." Slipping her hands into her pockets, she jerked her head to indicate that he should follow her, and made her way into the building.

"Magnetism?" she echoed as they walked. It was small talk, but she was genuinely curious. She aimed a mischievous glance over her shoulder at him and said in a singsong, "Powers of attraction~?" Laughing again, she explained, "I'm umbrakinetic; I affect shadows through my shadow. Not usually troublesome, but it's taken a lot a' refinin', and it'll take a lot more."

Tezuka managed to conceal a pained look. He'd already heard the joke once, his father having said it in a joking manner. There, it had been his filial duty to allow his mother and grandfather to chuckle uneasily, and to say perhaps it would help him socialize. His parents had found that amusing, and his grandfather moreso, for Grandfather had choked on his tea, laughed, and then patted Tezuka on the back, saying there was hope for Tezuka yet.

It was strange how simple sentences like that affected others. If he paid no attention, this one might go away. "Aa," he said, not feeling up to attempting an explanation when he himself hadn't learned the extent of his powers yet. On the other hand, there was another topic of conversation available ... Shadows affecting shadows. "Umbrakinesis sounds like a most unique power," Tezuka said, meaning it. And it definitely sounded harmless. "How long—"

—Have you been a mutant? That was what people said to others who were afflicted, who had changed, who weren't what they were now. Tezuka hadn't changed—he'd just learned of another facet of himself. It was unfair and bigoted to say it to others. The world needs re-education, he thought, uncomfortably aware of his own need for such. "—has it been since your powers first manifested?" he said instead.

Regardless of her own curiosity, Miyuki was pleased when the conversation's focus turned her way. She did enjoy the attention, and she didn't mind talking about herself at all. "I was about thirteen," she answered, a bit reflectively. "I thought I was telekinetic," she laughed. "It took me a while t'sort out what was really goin' on, but after that, I started practicin' pretty regularly."

She nearly went on to explain how she'd kept quiet about it, how her parents had felt about mutants, their subsequent discovery of her power and her escape from the city in the face of the Cure, but she thought better of it and shut her mouth. If he asked, she'd tell, but she didn't feel the same need to spill her story that she'd felt when she'd first arrived. It had become easier as of late to set that part aside and just focus on moving forward, and for that, she was glad.

In lieu of her life story, she said, "You're older than I am, yeah? How long's it been for you?"

Tezuka nodded as she explained. Inside the building, the lights showed Chitose to be younger than him by what seemed a bit of a margin. Perhaps she was in the same year as the telekinetic he'd met only a few days ago, he thought, noticing the lack of a tie and how her collar opened. Respectfully, he averted his eyes, looking ahead instead and focusing on where they were walking. "Five days," he said quietly. He wondered how long it had been since she had been thirteen. Five years, perhaps?

Tezuka would have liked to hear more about how Chitose had come to terms with her newfound status, but it would have been impolite to inquire if she didn't offer the information herself. She hadn't been Cured, obviously, but his research had turned up interviews where mutants had encountered various attitudes from their families and loved ones. Not everyone had been as blessed as himself, and it would be rude to bring up unpleasant memories. Under his sweater, his arm twinged a little. He re-slung his backpack, not saying any more as they approached the stairs down. He hoped she would speak some more, though.

Eventually, Tezuka's academic curiosity demanded that he ask at least one more question. "May I ask if your powers were the reason you moved a lot?"

Five days wasn't a lot of time. He really was new, she thought with a pang of sympathy. He was dealing with it well, at least; she hadn't been nearly so matter-of-fact and composed about it five days after her discovery. Then again, she'd also been thirteen, which was a far cry from the older-and-wiser twenty-five or so that she assumed him to be.

When he asked about her moving a lot, Miyuki smiled. "He~h. It shows, still, doesn' it?" She shook her head, only mildly rueful. She tried to camouflage the mix of dialects she'd normally speak in using Tokyo-ben, but it didn't always work — her time in Hyogo and her Osaka-born boyfriend coupled with a childhood in Kumamoto made for a bizarre amalgamation of speech patterns and slang, and she wasn't always as attentive to it as she probably should be. "When my parents found me out, they weren't too happy. I left Kyuushuu, an' I did travel a lot for a while; spent plenty a' time down in Hyogo, so I picked up a lot a' that, too." Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Jus' be glad I keep up as much Tokyo-ben as I do, or you'd be lucky t'understand a word I said." Opening the door that would lead them to the basement, Miyuki held it for Tezuka to go through.

"Only occasionally," Tezuka said politely—the mixture of dialects would have been more difficult if it hadn't been for the research he'd done listening to interviews with mutants across Japan. Reading between the lines, he suspected her family had not been supportive. "I envy your breadth of experience," he added, in case she felt any insecurity about it. "Please teach me well in the future."

There were at the door now, and Tezuka reached for it, only to find Chitose had opened it first and was holding the door for him. Chagrined, he shook his head, taking hold of the door. "After you, senpai," he said.

Miyuki was almost having a hard time not parroting everything he said — not because she wanted to mock him, but because it all struck her as incredibly quaint and charming. Maybe she needed to spend more time with people like him; he was wonderfully fun already, and boys her age were never this considerate or polite (and thusly, never as fun to unravel). He reminded her a little of Yagyuu in the way that he kept a respectful distance between them. Yagyuu maintained the professionalism even under the duress of her affections, and she wondered if Tezuka would do the same.

Eyeing him and the door he was holding, she said, barely repressing giggles, "I'll go first if you give me a hug."

At first, Tezuka looked at her, replaying the words in his head—he must have mis-heard. But no, she was giggling, much in the same way Tezuka had learned to be weary and wary of. Only the most unpracticed of undergraduates did that—Chitose Miyuki must be younger than he had first assumed, and it would be bad to hold her youth against her, but all the same, Tezuka felt annoyance and irritation rising within him.

It must have been his fault—perhaps he had been too permissive in allowing her to call him "Tezukun". It was too late to retract that, but he would have to make it clear in the future. Letting go of the door, he said, coldly, "I apologize, senpai," enunciating the last word precisely.

With that, he walked past her, down the stairs. He was quite aware he was being impolite, but she'd crossed the boundary first, and Tezuka would yield no further. It would be even more impolite (and disrespectful) to pretend he didn't mind, and he couldn't even understand how a young girl would ask a perfect stranger to hug her like that. What sort of upbringing had she received; what sort of upbringing did she think he had received? Mentally, he apologized to his mother for acting in an unsuitable manner and causing this in the first place. He would take care to be more proper.

That aside, Tezuka did, however, check to make sure the way was clear of obstacles and possible causes for accidents. It was one thing to make sure everyone was clear on where they stood with respect to propriety. It was another to ignore the welfare of someone so much younger. Senpai or not, she had experienced life, and deserved respect for that. At the foot of the stairs he moved to the side and paused for her to rejoin him, expression carefully blank.

The change in the atmosphere was immediate — almost as soon as she'd spoken, Miyuki could feel the ambient temperature drop, and her expression went with it. Tezuka's words, short and clipped as they were, stung more than they should, coming from someone she'd only just met. For a few moments, all she could do was watch him descend the stairs. She was lucky to have caught the door again, but she'd only barely let go of it in the first place.

It was a moment before she realized her mouth was slightly open, perhaps on the beginning of a protest, and she shut it, swallowing. Obviously, she'd been too forward; she realized her error in retrospect. Tezuka was clearly a fan of convention, and Miyuki was anything but; her familiarity with near-strangers and vague acquaintances alike was just one in a long list of habits she had that defied convention (and propriety, too). All the same, most people tolerated it, and many even indulged her — she had nicknames for her own teachers, and nearly always played fast and loose with honourifics and polite speech. Until now, it hadn't been a problem.

There was no doubt that it was a problem now. Swallowing her pride and the urge to walk away and leave him there — it was almost unbearable, being cold-shouldered like that; how dare he? — she followed him down the stairs. The look she gave him upon her arrival at the bottom probably made her feelings clear: she was quite wounded and a bit angry, but not childish enough, it seemed, to retaliate.

Instead, she took a step back and bowed, carefully, her eyes on his feet, and she tried to keep her voice steady as she said, "I'm sorry, Tezuka-han." She intended to elaborate, to explain that she understood her mistake and that she would be more respectful in the future, but the slight sting in her eyes and the rising feeling of shame kept her from it, and she fell silent.

Tezuka had expected Chitose to sulk, to tease him, to laugh and act as if nothing had happened, or even to burst into tears and run away. He hadn't expected this sincere apology. Feeling his throat constrict and his face heat up, Tezuka looked away, not wanting any more shame than he already felt. He had been too harsh on her—she was young, and hadn't deserved that sort of treatment. She'd taken an immature and irresponsible act of his, and replied with such maturity he knew he had no grounds for thinking himself her superior in any way.

It only took a moment for Tezuka to find the proper response to such magnanimosity. "The apology is mine to make," he said, stiffly but sincerely, for he truly was ashamed of his earlier actions. "My behaviour was uncalled for and unaccountably rude." Taking a step back, he bowed, too. "Please forgive me, Chitose-senpai."

Miyuki was slow to stand, but she did, after a few moments of silence, and took the opportunity he presented by bowing to blink away tears while he wasn't looking. Taking a fortifying breath, she let it out in a sigh and reached out to touch her fingertips lightly to his shoulder. "Don' sweat it too much," she offered with a wan smile. "I can let it go if you can let it go."

Even if they could both put this behind them, though, Miyuki wouldn't just forget about it. There was something to be learned in here, and it was something she should have learned a long time ago, she was certain. Something about propriety, 'everything in moderation' — she didn't want to sort it out right now, because she was sure that sorting it out would make her feel stupid and childish. She hated feeling stupid and childish when alone; the distaste was intensified tenfold when there were other people around.

The touch on his shoulder made Tezuka straighten, bringing him out of reach again. It was better that way; he was uncomfortable with uninvited contact, and yet after what he'd just done, it would have been difficult communicating that to Chitose. "Aa," he said, nodding his acceptance.

Standing here at the foot of the stairs was uncomfortable enough, the way the atmosphere felt tense around them. "Please lead the way," Tezuka said, bowing slightly again. If they focused on the task at hand, perhaps there would be a chance they could still have a professional relationship. If nothing else, she seemed to have accepted his apology, and he had learned another thing about himself. There is always something to be learned from others, Grandfather had often said. As usual, Grandfather had been right.