Log: Tomoka and Takashi

[taka2taka.livejournal.com]

Date: October 12, Afternoon-ish.
Rating: Uhhh, G? >_>
Summary: Before going to Hanamura, Takashi lets Tomoka try her hand at getting Burn to talk. Aw man, he knew it was a bad idea but he can't say no to her...this one's really long, but important! We swear! XD



Takashi stepped up to the doorframe quietly, trying not to disturb the girl inside the music room. He listened intently as she sang the music scale from top to bottom with surprising ease, though he couldn’t help but notice her voice sounded a bit more tiredly than usual. Too much practice was getting to her. He knocked on the doorframe to announce his presence.
“Ah…Tomoka?”
Tomoka looked up from her papers and beamed at him. “Taka-kun, you came!”
He shrugged. “Of course I did.” She sat herself down on a chair and he moved into the room. He felt a bit less anxious now that they were together. Her bubbly, bright nature always made him feel slightly perkier himself.
“How are things then? Holding up okay?” He asked, meaning that Tomoka had been stretching herself too thin lately. She waved off his concern.
“I’m fine. But what about you? Didn’t we agree to talk about your situation? How’s Burn doing? How are you doing?” She stared up at him crossly. He was taken aback by her forwardness, but he’d set himself up for this one. Tomoka was absolutely determined to get to the bottom of this.
“Um…” Where could he begin? Tell her about the voices? Tell her about his suspicions, that there was someone else inside his mind? That all of this had less to do with Burn and more to do with someone else entirely?
She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. “Why aren’t you sitting? We can’t work if you’re going to stand there pacing and fidgeting.” He grabbed a chair and sat down, obeying wordlessly. It was easier, that was true; seeing eye-to-eye was less nerve-wracking than standing up. Had he been pacing? He hadn’t noticed.
Once again she took his hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. Takashi felt warm inside again. She really did want to help him.
He didn't want her to be so concerned for his safety. Maybe it was all nothing and he was getting paranoid for no reason? Though Tomoka wasn't the kind of person to sit back and let something small slip by. If there was something wrong with someone she cared for, she'd see to it personally that is was resolved...and Takashi was grateful, but he didn't want her getting too involved, in case it was something serious. He still had a nagging suspicion that this was, indeed, something bigger than they had originally though.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and sent some mental messages and images to Burn, trying to rouse him once more. There was no response. "He's not listening. I can feel his presence but it's like he's shut-off or something. I can’t even tell what he’s thinking."
"You wanted me to give him a message, in case something I said had an effect..." she mused. He nodded, but continued to look completely concentrated on whatever he was saying to his Other self. Tomoka could somehow feel that he was hiding stuff from her... she couldn't know why or what for the life of her, but there was something that he didn't want her to know. One thing Takashi never realized about himself was that he was so easily readable through his body language and facial expressions. Tomoka only had to give him a glance to know that there was more to this equation.
It didn’t bug her that much…she had told him that she'd be by his side no matter what. She had promised. And she didn't want to let him down. If it was really that important he would have told her by now.
Struck with inspiration, Tomoka leaned even closer to him, and whispered in Takashi's ear: "Burn-kun, can you hear me? It's me, Tomoka... I don't know how this is going to reach you, but I want you to listen…" She focused on the tone of her voice and tried to send some energy into it. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was trying to do, but she felt somehow that maybe changing her pitch and intonation could affect him…?
"It's easier said than done," he said, when nothing happened. No response at all from Burn. "Neither of us have telepathic powers so of course we'd have to appeal to him through me verbally…and it’s not working.” He slumped a bit, in despair. Nothing was going to work, was it?
She blushed intensely at her failed attempt. "But you're supposed to be able to hear what he hears when he's out, and vice-versa. I can't really see how he can shut himself off completely if you can’t... or you're not telling me the truth, Taka-kun? Is there something else that’s worrying you?" she pressed; making sure was as blunt as possible. Maybe this could work if she knew what the full details were.
He blinked. "Wh-what? I don't know what you mean?" He was such a bad liar, and he knew it. Her eyes narrowed instantly, catching him in the act.
He wasn't really hiding anything from her except the fact that he was more worried for HER well being than he was for his. And, maybe, the fact that there was other voices bouncing around in his mind and he was, in all honesty, afraid of them.
Takashi opened his mouth to say something else, and paused.
He turned his head to the side. What was…?... He focused on something that had flitted across his awareness. It had been brief, but he was certain he’d sensed something. It wasn't Burn at all…It was different. He froze in place, unaware that he was beginning to shake.
He spoke after a moment’s hesitation. "Again. Do it again!"
“D-do what?” She was shocked. She had never ever seen Taka that scared. He’d frozen all of a sudden, and how he was shivering. Even his hands were beginning to feel clammy. It must be Burn, she thought. What was Burn doing to him?
She managed to regain her composure, and held Takashi fiercely by his hands. "Burn-kun..." she called out again, softly. She tried to change her pitch once more, and found that Takashi’s head moved closer, slightly. She continued on bravely. "Can you hear me...? Does my voice reach you?" Takashi was shaking his head now, looking completely confused. He was having some sort of conversation, that much she was sure. She felt left out of it, desperately wanting to know what was being said. Was she helping any or was she just talking to the walls?
Once again struck by inspiration, she started to sing softly. A song that had no real meaning in this situation, but Tomoka was just going with her gut feeling right then. She sang a song about a girl trying to reach out for the man she thought she was in love with from years ago, a ballad one she’d been trying to master for weeks. Once again, Takashi’s features perked up. He looked at her, alarmed, trying to say something. She nodded to him, urging him on, but he said nothing. He was fidgeting more now. She kept singing quietly, feeling warm near her abdomen and throat areas. Her fingertips were tingling, too.
Unbeknownst to her, her body started to glow softly.
Takashi grabbed her by the shoulders, perhaps more roughly than he'd meant to. But it had happened again--something was poking him, in the back of his mind. Maybe this was what he'd been hearing? Maybe this was why Burn hadn't been talking? Someone else...someone other than Burn was...he noticed that Tomoka had faltered, stopping in mid-sentence. He shook her.
"Tomoka--do it again. Again, the same way!" He seemed desperate now, and Tomoka knew that whatever she was doing, it was helping. Takashi’s arms began to absorb some of the energy she was putting out, from where he was grabbing her. His hands were big and squeezed much harder than she could say was comfortable, but he wouldn’t lessen his grip, no matter how much she squirmed.
She was so scared by the sudden outburst and by his rough handling that she was starting to tremble. It showed in her voice, which was also shaking as she tried to pick up the verse where she left off. She fumbled, trying to find the right key again, and thought about stopping entirely and getting him to let go. What was with his eyes? The pupils were smaller than they should have been. She didn’t like what was happening at all—what could she do? But Takashi had told her to sing... sing... No, Tomoka, don't panic... Don't freak out... Don't fail him...
She got it again, and continued with a new determination. She flowed through the rest of the song as best she could; trying her best to ignore the strange way Takashi was shaking.
Takashi's fingers tightened on her shoulders. What was going on? Where was that light coming from? Why did it feel like...he was breaking? Into pieces…He tried to talk to Tomoka but he suddenly found that he had no mouth. A wave of panic fell upon him. This was bad.
..Hello, Taka-chan. Ahh, it's nice to be awake, mmm?
Oh no. No, no, no....What had they done? Takashi had to get her to stop singing. Stop singing! Stop singing, Tomoka! He was nearly screaming the words now. But the sounds weren't coming out....
Don't be scared. It's going to be over soon.
…the real Takashi shuddered and gasped, and then was gone. In his place was…something else entirely.
She stopped singing. The energy flow cut off abruptly, causing a surge of aftershock that went through both of them. She jumped and pulled away, too surprised to say anything coherent. His hands still held her in a tight grip she knew was going to leave bruises. God, something had gone wrong. Horribly wrong...she could just feel it.
She couldn't understand what was happening...what had happened inside his mind? …whatever it was, it felt terribly wrong. Maybe it was Burn? What if he’d been taken outside by accident? She was prepared to fight him if he tried anything funny…
He opened his eyes and looked around, bewildered. "T...Tomoka...?" He realized how tightly he was holding her. He let go and stared at her, amazed as the soft glow faded and she was normal again. Oh. So the little one’s got some powers, hmm? I’ll have to thank her later for bringing me out…but for now…
Takashi brightened, looking completely relieved. His face was pale and strained from the effort of the energy transfer but he seemed to be genuinely calmed."...He's...there! He's talking!"
Tomoka opened her mouth a bit, but she didn’t really know what to say. Her body was still tingling. Where had that power come from? Inside of her?
He turned his head to the side a bit. "Tomoka...are you hurt? I...I didn't do anything to you?"
Steeling herself for whatever would come, the looked away from Takashi, and sighed to calm herself.
"... Are you... there?" she cautiously asked. She was trying her hardest not to freak out; the last thing they needed was her to screw up and do something rash. Maybe it wasn’t Burn? She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, and offend him, or worse! They’d worked so hard to get to this kind of trust level…
"I...I think so." He smiled shyly, looking for the entire world like his normal self. Tomoka exhaled, completely relaxed now. He made her so worried sometimes..!
Takashi leaned forwards, his eyes wide. "What…what on earth did you do?"
She still wasn't sure about what she could do, or what would come, so she just touched his cheek softly. "I... I don't exactly know, Taka-kun. I suppose I was so scared that something odd was triggered...Seems like I used my voice to awaken Burn, though? Since he’s awake and talking." Takashi nodded, but was quiet for a long time. Tomoka shifted uneasily. She tried to calm herself down. But something was still bugging her. Her intuition was still telling her that something had screwed up. Didn’t it always happen?
Takashi spoke again, slowly. "Nothing seems wrong...Burn says...he's confused, hang on… He says it must have been exhaustion from training that made him quiet. I guess that makes sense...ah, I mean, they make me switch back and forth a lot and it's very draining..." His solemn face broke into a smile, and he tried to lighten the mood by changing the subject. "Tomoka, did you know that you can glow? Ha-ha...” He grinned, calm and happy. Nothing was wrong.
...everything was perfect. He regarded her with a steady grin, watching as her face showed no outward sign of emotion. Ahh, are you going to talk now…? Damn it, has she caught on…?
Tomoka tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a sob. Seconds later, she was crying into her lap. She didn't know if it was relief, fright, happiness...
She covered her face with her hands, trying to calm herself down. Breathe, Tomo, breathe! "I..." She broke out again, sniffling and wiping her red face with a sleeve.

Alarmed, Takashi pulled back. Oh come on. WHY is she crying? he thought, fully annoyed. Inside his head the real Takashi was trying vainly to appeal to him. Burn was silent again, but this time because he knew what was happening and found it extremely bothersome.
Outside Takashi's mind, Tomoka had stopped crying, but the last few tears were still making their way down her face.
"...T-Tomoka..? What...Why...why are you crying?" Confusing. Girls were utterly confusing. I have no time for this, God!
She lifted her head. "You..." She looked at him. And looked.
Then she slapped him across the face.
Stunned, he reeled backwards from the force. Tomoka was small, but damn, could she pack a wallop. He fell off the chair and onto the floor, bruising several vital bones in the process. He looked up, completely flabbergasted. When I came out of there I wasn’t expecting this. I hate girls so, so much…He cursed silently, but forced himself to continue faking his best Takashi.
"What was that for? What...did I do something...? Tomoka!"
"You don't know you scared me?!" she sobbed. "You're such a moron! All of you!" She cried, and balled her fists at her sides. She turned away abruptly and refused to meet his face. After a moment, she glanced over meekly. She smiled between her tears. "Sorry... When I'm worried or scared, I get cranky. Really cranky."
Dear lord, what is going on here? This girl is a nut! Taka-chan you’re insane for liking her, mused the fake Takashi. He completely ignored the feeble reply from the real Takashi. This was starting to get fun.
“You did quite a good job of scaring me, Taka-kun. I couldn't keep on singing; you held me so tightly that you almost injured me".
Takashi cupped his injured cheek and felt the heat from the sting. If she left a bruise there, so help him...inside, the real Takashi was babbling again. The outside person shook his head, and approached Tomoka carefully.
"...I didn't..." He stopped, and grabbed one of her hands. He inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry I scared you but… it was…there was something else there and...Tomoka, I didn't mean to. Am I making sense?" He raised his eyebrows, hoping she’s forgive him .If not, he’d get another slap and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep up this ridiculous nice-guy act. Taka-chan wasn’t like this all the time, was he? Oh God, he was.
He grinned and chuckled quietly. “Do you always slap your boyfriends? If so, I'm going to start filing for domestic abuse charges. Ha-ha...”
She giggled, and softly placed her hand on the bruised cheek. "Don't scare me like that, and I won't slap you. Don't give me reasons to get hysterical, and I won’t!”
He sighed. "You’re just more trouble than you know," He said jokingly, and kissed her gently on the cheek. She turned a bit red, and so did he. ..Goddamn this body. Taka-chan...You owe me for this. Big time.
"But in all seriousness. I...ah...thank you. I should check in with Hanamura-sensei, shouldn’t I? She may want to give Burn a probing...even though I know he hates it." He smiled and stood up. Yes, like I’m really going to see Hanamura? She’d read me in a split second. I have to get out of here. But what am I supposed to do with this thing? He glanced down at the girl, and looked at her shoulders.
"...Everything okay there? I lost control back then." He motioned to her arms, but she shrugged indifferently.
"I... I suppose it's okay." She was still a little shaken, though mostly because he had scared the living hell out of her. One minute he was all calm, at the other completely despaired, and now... "I think it’ll bruise but I’ve definitely had worse. Really." She tried to put on a brave face but felt completely and utterly drained. What she really wanted was to sooth her throat, and maybe take a nap. Takashi leaned down.
"Hungry?"
"Not exactly. Thirsty, yeah. And my throat feels horribly dry."
He smiled gently and pulled her up with him. "How about we go to the student kitchen and have something to eat?"
"Well, why not, huh? Looks like I can't exactly refuse, after this".
She reached for him and briefly kissed him on the lips. “I guess we need to rest a little. You have your cold, and I’m just exhausted from my work overload."
He blushed pink again, and cursed this body once more inwardly. This is just getting ridiculous. Taka-chan, you sicken me. This girl is so not worth my time…
"You know, my cold is almost better now....though I can't imagine how you would, ah, have anything to do with that! And rest sounds...really, really great."
"Getting a cold would've excused me from the singing training. We’re lucky I didn’t get one." And she smiled.
As they left together, Tomoka hooked her arm in his and smiled, completely satisfied with herself. Not only had she helped to regain Burn’s speech, but she’d succeeded in cheering up her boyfriend—and proving her theory about her singing powers, too. All she had to do was practice this new ability and perhaps she’d be on her way towards understanding more and more about herself…
It seemed that the storm was over. For now. And Tomoka couldn’t have been happier.