RP Log: Fuji and Ryoma

[http://users.livejournal.com/_lensflare/]

Date: Current omgyay!
Warnings: None ... ah, discussion of impending doom?
Summary: A somewhat-stressed Fuji asks Ryoma for a favor ...


It wasn't like Fuji to feel sick, but he was unwell enough that morning to elect not to go to class. Too many people crowded into the library anyway -- he wasn't a telepath by any stretch of the word, but the thought of being in close quarters with so many other students for another day was enough. Maybe he'd go back the next day.

He decided instead to spend the morning in his room -- his own room, at least his own dorm room -- trying to distract himself from the lingering thoughts and worries of the people he cared about. His own brother might be gone, and not likely to listen to reason, but there was still a chance to save Bunta ... wasn't there? He'd tried talking to Niou about it, but the conversation had been cyclical and confusing, and he'd walked away from it with only a little more help than when he'd started. He'd wanted to talk to Kenta, but the younger boy seemed hesitant to discuss anything relating to his brother, and it wasn't likely he could have done anything, either.

Ah ... distraction wasn't helping. Perhaps he'd have fared better in the makeshift classroom. Or at least outside.

Resolute, he grabbed his keys and camera and left the dorm.

Ryoma stepped out into the crisp fall air, nearly breathing a small sigh of relief as a number of the mutants inside dropped just beyond the edge of his perception. The classrooms were at least a bit spread out - having everyone packed so close together was very grating on his mental senses, to say the least. He shoved his hands into his pockets and hurried across the grounds, not particularly caring where he was going so long as it was away from the mass of people behind him.

... Fuji was up ahead, though, he realized, feeling the mutant before he came into view, strolling along as well and carrying a camera. He approached the older boy cautiously, wondering only idly why he hadn't been in class. It was much more obvious now when someone skipped - aside from Niou (and Ryoma knew where he was, at least), Ohtori and Kaidoh were gone as well, resulting in at least a few suspicious murmurings as to their whereabouts.

Well. He didn't have anything else to do - and no one else to talk to, really. Not at the moment. "What's your excuse?" he asked as he approached Fuji, matching his pace.

"Hm?" Oh, for missing class, Fuji realized -- it would be apparent that he wasn't there now, wouldn't it? Not that the class sizes were that large to begin with .... "I wasn't feeling well this morning," he explained. True enough, even if the malaise wasn't physical in nature. " Didn't do very well to stick around with my head under the covers, though, so I thought some fresh air might help." He smiled, regarding the younger boy. He might have some advice -- after all, the two couples spent enough of their free time together.

"Ne, you don't have class right now, do you?"

"Nope, no elective - not like there's anywhere to hold 'em at the moment, anyway."

"Do you want to take a walk?"

A walk? Ryoma shrugged - he was already kind of on one, and it wasn't like he had anything to do until training. "Yeah, sure, f'you want," he said slowly, wondering what Fuji wanted. He rarely did anything without some kind of motive in mind. "Don't have anywhere to be for a while. On campus, or off?" He didn't particularly care how far they went - so long as they didn't run into anyone trying to blow him up. He was not looking forward to doing that again anytime soon.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind off," Fuji laughed. If the crowds bothered him, there was no doubt they had an adverse effect on Echizen. "A change of scenery might do both of us some good, hm?"

"Yeah, sure. That's fine." Ryoma turned to head in the direction of the school gates, assuming (correctly) that Fuji would follow. It really was a very nice day outside, crisp but not cold, and the leaves had started to change and fall on campus as well as off.

They walked in silence for a moment, though Ryoma knew it wasn't likely to last. So he might as well get the ball rolling. "So... what d'you want?" he asked conversationally, glancing up at the boy beside him. He figured that he might get brushed off once or twice, but maybe asking right out would get him an answer quicker than not. He couldn't play games the way Fuji seemed to, so he might as well be blunt because it was all he knew how to do. Or cared to.

Let it never be said that Echizen was dense. Fuji really didn't think he was all that obvious, so of course the question had to be attributed to the other boy's sharpness.

He laughed. "I want to clear my head," he said lightly. And perhaps a few others, but he didn't say that. "Don't you think that school might be enough to drive someone a little mad?" Fuji smiled, but there was a serious intent behind his words, a curiosity that might be sated by a response based on Echizen's keen observations.

"Hn." Ryoma thought that school might be enough to drive someone a lot mad, but maybe that was just his opinion. "Sure it is," he replied, eyeing Fuji warily, wondering where he was going with this. It was a bit hard to tell. They walked on a moment more, passing shops and cafes filled mostly with working people on their lunch breaks - anyone their age was still in (regular) school, but Ryoma didn't care much about the few odd looks they got.

"So's there something about school you wanted to talk about, then?"

"More the madness than the school," Fuji remarked, moderately amused that Echizen had latched onto the wrong end of his question. He knew better than to think that the school had anything to do with Bunta's impending decline, though.

"Say you knew something bad was going to happen," he said slowly, sure he knew where he was going but not as certain of the path to take to get there.

Madness? Something bad? Now Ryoma was confused... was Fuji worried about something like that? He must be, or he wouldn't have brought it up. It seemed odd, really that he'd bring it up at all - and all the more so unless he wanted Ryoma to do something about it.

"... Okay. Say I know something bad's going to happen," he echoed, thinking about such a scenario. "Depends on what it is," he said slowly. "An' whether anyone can do anything about it. You want my opinion on something?" That must be the case - why else would Fuji ask?

Yes, Fuji supposed that was what he wanted, since it wasn't an actual instruction, that he was looking for -- just a general direction." If it's something that someone could do anything about," he said, though he knew that that didn't really clarify the issue. Echizen wasn't a telepath, after all -- If he wanted to accomplish anything with this conversation, he'd have to address it directly.

He'd wanted to keep the list of people who knew what he knew small, but Echizen was trustworthy. He paused, taking a long moment to compose his thoughts -- he didn't want to misstep, not with this issue. "I belive Bunta's in danger," he finally admitted.

Ryoma frowned. Bunta? All right - he was weird, and definitely not always in the good way. But in danger? His entries had been... kind of disturbing as of late (and so had his dreams), but was that really grounds to think he might be in danger of... going mad?

Apparently Fuji thought so, however, and Ryoma was silent a few minutes, turning that idea over in his head. And there was really only one logical conclusion. "'Cause of his powers, you mean," he said. He'd been unconscious the only time he'd ever synched Bunta, but that didn't mean he didn't know how his powers worked. They could make thought into reality, essentially (or would be able to, someday). Was Fuji worried about Bunta having problems understanding that? Hm. Might not be so far off the mark.

"That might be it," Fuji replied. It was likely, after all, that his powers would contribute to the decline that Yumiko had predicted, but she seemed to hint at something ... else. Not that Fuji could tell what she was getting at, all the time; the two of them were so alike in being cryptic, and it didn't always mean that they were cryptic on the same wavelength. " But it might not. That's ... part of the problem."

"Well. I won't argue he was prob'ly pretty damn weird to begin with," Ryoma remarked, glancing absently in a few of the windows as they passed, not really looking inside but watching their reflections as they walked by the glass. "But he's got trouble understanding his powers, far as I can tell. Seems like that is part of what you're worried about." He really couldn't say more unless Fuji was more forthcoming with information. Which was just as likely as not.

"Part of," Fuji mused. At the very least, though Yumiko hadn't given him any indication of the cause of Bunta's impending madness. Maybe that was it, actually. Niou had suggested the same ... it made sense, of course.

He brightened a little, turning and casting his eyes downward to meet Echizen's. "Would you mind working with him, then? I'm afraid I'm already giving him all I'm able to. And it doesn't have much to do with powers," he laughed. Unfortunately, the attention Fuji paid him didn't seem to be a real cure; it was more likely he was only staving off the madness temporarily.

"Working with him? What d'you mean, exactly?" Ryoma considered Fuji's... rather strange request, eyes on the older boy as he smiled down at him. This didn't seem sanctioned by Hanamura - Fuji wouldn't have been so roundabout if it had been. The fact that it wasn't didn't bother Ryoma at all - it wasn't like he cared much whether she knew or condoned every action he took... but still. He wanted to make sure he understood - and cared to consider - what Fuji was asking.

"You do realize the only time I synched him I was asleep. 'Less you want me to do it again?" And what? Explain to Bunta how his powers weren't worth going mad over?

... It was a valid point, though, Ryoma thought with a bit of an internal sigh. Nobody's powers were worth going mad over. And if he was interpreting this correctly... Fuji couldn't help Bunta in that respect. And Hanamura certainly couldn't help him. Damn, the only person who might be able to help probably was Ryoma.

"That wouldn't be a problem, would it?" Fuji hoped it wouldn't; he was running out of options. And Echizen was able to understand people's powers better than they could themselves; he'd done so with himself, even if he didn't care to admit it. He was far better equipped to handle -- and troubleshoot -- any issue arising from one's powers.

Ryoma sighed, but it really looked like he was the only person who could talk to Bunta, at least about his powers. Hell, maybe if he synched Bunta again they'd be able to get him to stop projecting his dreams, at the very least. That might preserve the sanity of the rest of the student body, even if it didn't do much for Bunta. Though he supposed the real point was to talk Bunta into understanding what the hell it was that his powers did, and the fact that going crazy due to them was not going to solve a damn thing. The older mutant might be weird, but Ryoma wasn't about to wish insanity upon anyone.

"I c'n talk to him. Maybe synch him and explain something." Maybe that'll be good enough. Though from the sounds of it... it had better be.

"Aah ... Thank you." Fuji knew he was putting a lot of stock in Echizen right now, but it seemed he was up to the challenge.

He felt a little lighter with some of the tension eased from his mind. It may not be a sure shot, but it was far better than what he had only hours ago. He could already feel his customary smile slipping slowly into place as the worry dissolved. "Ne, Echizen --"

"Hm?"

And as the younger boy looked up in response, Fuji raised his camera and snapped a quick picture, heedless of the viewfinder.

Ryoma shrugged. There wasn't much use thanking him before he'd said anything - there was no guarantee this was going to do anything. Maybe it would just make it worse. Though that definitely was not his plan. "Yeah, sure."

He blinked as the camera clicked - "...What was that for?" Scowling slightly, he thought that Fuji was really just as weird as the next person. And he'd never understand it. Especially not Fuji's sort of weird.

Fuji just smiled. "You'll see~" he said cryptically. In truth he didn't really have any plans for this particular photo, but if Echizen was successful in working with Bunta, this would be a good moment to have a memory of.

It was another form of thanks, really. Fuji didn't take photos of people he didn't like. (Surprising, then, that he didn't have any photos of Bunta ... hm. He'd have to remedy that. ♥)

"Hm ... do you want to stop somewhere for a snack, or would you like to get back?" Fuji didn't think Echizen was in any hurry, but thought it would be nice to give him the option.

Ryoma shook his head. "Whatever." It probably wasn't good that Fuji had that... but worrying about it now was pointless. The older boy probably didn't plan on doing anything with it, anyway. He was like that.

"... Nah, should get back." Karupin would probably want to be let back into his room soon, and he did still have afternoon training, loathe though he was to go to it. Fuji agreed, so they turned at the next intersection to head back, walking in silence the rest of the way to Ryuhana.