tampered | Log; Ongoing

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: The Fountain

Log; Ongoing

When; 25th July, Friday Afternoon
Rating; G, safe for all.
Characters; Hikari (

missranktwo) and Tohru (

aibyoukaonigiri)
Summary; On realizing they are both new to the city, both need jobs and both need clothes, Hikari and Tohru decide to meet and get to know the new but strange world they've been dropped into, and have a little fun along the way.
Log; It was a warm and bright afternoon, and most people were out and about in the City, especially since many chose to stay indoors the day before due to the curse. Thankfully, this did not deter the spirts of the S.A student sitting on the Fountain edge, waiting expectantly for her new friend to appear.

Well, they had only spoken a little but in Hikari's eyes that was enough to call a frienship. And Tohru seemed so nice it would be silly to say she was otherwise. Exactly why she knew it would be a lot more looking around this strange new place with the other girl than by herself. Hence why she was waiting patiently by the fountain, dipping her fingers into the cool water occassionally.

She had to admit she was beginning to miss seeing her friends, but hey, she wouldn't let it get her down. She'd keep working here until at some point, she would get to go home. Then she would be able to beat Takishima. She could and would succeed, of that she was certain!

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Ah! I thought finding my way back to the fountain would be easy, especially with a map, but-- Glancing around her, the young onigiri gasped for breath. But I guess I'm just not very coordinated in the city yet. It wasn't that she was actually running extremely late, rather, she liked to keep her appointments. It would be rude to leave someone waiting, especially when it was a new friend! For the past five minutes now she'd picked up her pace, but had quickly slowed down. She'd always been one of the last people to finish in the school runs at home, but she'd always finished.

Right...

Feeling a touch of apprehension, Tohru was nervous. Job hunting and interviews could make her feel a little anxious. It would be nicer doing it within the company of a new friend though. They'd only met over what everyone called the 'network', but she was excited. Although the curses had slowed down her determination in exploring and accomplishing everything she wanted to in the city, it had given her the wonderful opportunity to meet with others, which is what led her to today. Although I'm not sure what Hikari-san looks like, yet. It was like an adventure!

Rounding a corner, the the sight of the fountain sprang to life, and Tohru sighed in relief that she'd managed to find it without being horribly late. She'd begun to feel worried. Still catching her breath a little, she slowed down as she approached their meeting place. There were a couple of men standing around, with one girl sitting along the edge of the water. Long, beautiful dark hair flowed over her back, with a beautiful complexion. So pretty... Tohru thought, as she walked a little hesitantly over. Since they'd never met, she wasn't sure if this really was the person she had planned on meeting. Straightening her hair a little, which had come out of place in her rush to get here, Tohru smiled.

"Ano...are you Hikari-san?" She asked questioningly, an apologetic note attached to her voice. "I'm sorry if I'm late! I got a little bit turned around, despite having the map." Smiling sheepishly, she raised an embarrassed hand to her cheek. "I guess that I'm not the expert map-reader that I thought I was." Despite that though, Tohru was excited. From the reaction, this was definitely the new friend she had made the other day. A brilliant smile flashed across her face. "But I'm really happy. It's so nice to meet you, Hikari-san!"

Edited 2008-07-25 14:53 (UTC)

While busy thinking, it took a moment for Hikari to register the voice that was addressing her. Turning her gaze away from the fountain, she saw the young girl before he hurridly apologising, why she didn't quite understand. Nevertheless, just as she predicted, the girl was very sweet in nature. Somehow, if Akira was around, she would no doubt think Tohru as very adorable.

"Tohru, it's great to see you face to face." she grinned. "It's great to meet you too, ready to go look for work?"

Quickly, Hikari stood and brushed herself off, tugged at her white school blazor, which by now already had a few scuff marks on the cuffs. She REALLY needed to find more clothes. After all, the exclusive S.A uniform didn't come cheap.

Nodding in answer to the taller girl's question, Tohru agreed.

"Yes! I'm not really sure on all the places that are hiring right now, but I've heard of a few that might be fun to try to apply at regardless." There had been a place called 'The Cat's Eye', or so she had heard. It was probably a little predictable, but anything with 'cat' in the name was always attractive to Tohru. There were a couple of other places she had in mind as well, but it was probably best to start with what they were closest to, to begin with.

"Did you have anywhere you wanted to start first? I'm not actually familiar with the city yet." A little daunted, she didn't think it was your typical place to live. If there were curses that could affect the people, who knew what surprises they could be in store for. "It seems like a really nice day though. I'm glad! It's the perfect day to be out and about like this. I was beginning to feel a little cooped up, back at home."

Smiling back, Hikari listened to the other girls suggestioned, before pausing to think herself on what was best to do. She wasn't exactly familiar with the layout yet either, since she had spen the last few days organizing herself, figuring out what she needed to do for studying and training, so she wouldn't lag behind.

"Well from the looks of things there are a lot of stores around the Square. Why don't we look around for a while for clothes, and at the same time see if they are any vacancy notices in the windows?" she suggested, stepping over to head in the right direction.

"And yeah, it is a great day." Hikari agreed, stretching her arms out wide. "I was only inside so long to sort out my school stuff. It good to get out, plus that ticking was beginning to bug me a lot."

"Clothes shopping sounds like a good idea." the onigiri said thoughtfully in response.

Clothes had been the most complicated part of Tohru's arrival, beyond the curses and her own confusion. When she'd arrived, blood had stained and covered the top of her shirt, and large gashes across the shoulder had rendered it unfixable. It had been quite the sight. Without anything to change into, Kyou had lent her some of his clothes. If he had been tall before however, he absolutely loomed over her now. They had engulfed her petite frame, and she'd barely managed to walk without tripping over the length of his pants.

If it wasn't for Shigure-san, I'd still be fumbling around in those large clothes. He's always so kind... As usual, without even demanding anything in return, he'd taken time out of his busy schedule to make sure that she had a few new sets of clothes. She couldn't help but smile thankfully in memory. But! That was just the reason she needed to get a job now! She needed to be sure to help pay him back, and do all that she could for the house! The determined fist she made sent a shot of pain up her arm though.

Wrapped tightly in a secure guaze, her upper arm, and even the side of her neck was wrapped with white bandages, and slowly healing. Bruises adorned her arms, legs, and the rest of her body too. She'd been careful to pick out a long sleeved, collared shirt, along with a long skirt for their journey around town today, in order to cover those injuries up. It didn't hurt, except when she jerked or moved those muscles too quickly. She wondered how Kyou felt, when he'd wrapped them up for her. He'd seemed upset about the wounds.

"Your school stuff, Hikari-san?" Tohru asked, shaking her head from her internal thoughts. She didn't remember hearing about a school in the area. "Is there one here? I didn't see any on the map!" If there was, she knew she needed to enroll into it right away!

Edited 2008-07-25 16:14 (UTC)

"Well let's get going!" Hikari cheered, grinning as they began walking through the bustling city centre.

Glancing curiously at Tohru, she wondered why the other girl was covered up so much. She couldn't see any skin at all, which was a surprise considering it was such a warm summer day. Still, she didn't think to question it, as she tugged on her S.A white school blazer. Hopefully she'd find something else before wearing it out. She was proud of this, it showed how hard she had worked, in getting in the elite group of the school, though she wished at times the other students wouldn't swoon over their class so much.

Turning back, she pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think there's a large library called the Academy or something like that. If there are classes anywhere, it would be there. I'll have to check for sure though." she said, smiling confidentally, hand clenched in a determinded fist. "Plus I'll need to see if there's a gym or something too. Gotta train my body as well as my mind."

The fact that the girl really was a happy, incredibly nice individual, made Tohru's day. She'd sounded so friendly from her journal, it made sense that she would be just as friendly in person. Glancing about at a couple of the nearby shops, she looked for ones that were nice, and at least reasonably affordable. She still wasn't one hundred percent sure on the currency rates here, so it was probably important they pay close attention to anything they buy. Shigure had given her a short run-down, but only hands on experience let you really learn.

"Ah, so you work out a lot, Hikari-san?" She asked, glancing to her side at the girl next to her as they approached one of the first buildings in the centre. "I have a friend who does as well! He's super strong, and really fast! He told me yesterday that he needs to find a good place to do the same." Giggling a little, Tohru remembered one of her first memories of Kyou, as he excitedly spoke to her all about his Shishou, and martial arts. It had been the first time she'd truly seen him so excited over something. It had been just like seeing a little kid receive candy. Only...Kyou wasn't fond of sweets.

"I'll bet the two of you would get along very well!"

It was just as they were passing the first few stores that Hikari heard the question, grinning happily. She always did like talking about her efforts.

"You bet, even since I was kid! My dad started me off in training, but it's my goal that kept me going." she answered. It certainly seemed like an era had passed since she had first sworn to beat Takishima after he handed her, several times since she was so persistant, her only defeat. It irritated her at times that her rival seemed to find everything so easy, while despite her best and endless efforts she had still failed to beat him. Of course, that didn't mean planned to quit anytime soon.

Turning back, she listening to Tohru talk about her friend, finding a little odd that a sweet girl like her had a friend who'd be interested in working out. Then again they were friends now as well. Still, she was rather intersted; anyone who liked training was good in her book.

"Oh, well maybe I can meet your friend some day." she smiled.

"Oh! I would really like that. It would be lots of fun. I'll bet that the two of you would get along very well. Plus, I think Kyou-kun is always willing to talk about things like martial arts! It's really interesting."

Stopping to stare at the first store their feet had led them to, Tohru blinked up at the clothes on mannequins, hanging in the window. The clothes were pretty, fitting about the same age that Tohru assumed both Hikari and her were. Smiling cheerfully, she pointed up at the clothes indoors.

"Do you want to go inside? Hikari-san! I think that this outfit would look really pretty on you." Pointing to one of the first one in the window, it was a beautiful sundress of light complexion, with a small, frilly cut along the top. Everything else in the store looked really nice as well, with a large variety of different styles. Whoever had started this particular shop, seemed to have come from a world similar to their own.

"Well," Hikari grinned. "Maybe I can drop by and meet him sometime, if we can talk about fighting skills."

She was so caught up in the conversation that she barely registered being in front of the shop, and blinked in confusion at the outfit her friend was pointing to.

"Really, you think?" she asked, eyeing the dress questionably. Not that it wasn't pretty, far from it! But Hikari was no used to wearing such things. She often wore jeans and t-shirts when not at school, since they were more comfortable and easier to move in, since she was often running around or training. Still, didn't do any harm to try something new.

"Well, let's take a look!" she said, walking forward and going to hold the door open for the Tohru to come in behind her.

"Oh, wow! It's so big inside!" Eyes wide, Tohru's gaze took in the expanse of clothes around her. There were so many, it almost seemed impossible to believe everything she was seeing. The outer building belayed the actual girth of how large the shop actually was. She didn't know if she actually believed they'd walked into the same building they had seen. Everything about the city was so confusing. What she thought she knew turned out to be different. How was it that a place such as this existed?

"I'm sure Kyou-kun would like that," the onigiri said cheerfully. Eyes catching a pretty skirt, Tohru idly lifted it up to glance at the price and size. Okay, think reasonable! I have to be careful. it was important that she spend wisely, especially until she had a job of her own. Clothes were essential though. Even though Shigure had offered to buy her whatever outfits she might need, she couldn't just accept something like that. He did so much for her, if she just allowed someone else to pay her way, then it would be entirely selfish. Shigure was forced to pay rent and take care of other expenses too. It was the least she could do.

"Actually, Hikari-san, I'd love if you came to visit us! You don't have a roommate yet, right? Of course I'd let both the others know, but it would be fun."

Since coming to the city, there had hardly been a moment when Tohru was alone. Kyou was by her side most of the time, and there was often some kind of chatter going on within the house. When going to bed though, or waking up in the morning, when Shigure was still asleep, and Kyou already gone for his morning work-out, she heard the ticking. Alone in her thoughts, with the ticking thrumming in her conscience, it could be a little disconcerting. Tohru couldn't imagine what it would be like to live alone with it.

Meanwhile, Hikari glanced at the racks, trying to see something she would like, not terribly used to picking out clothes. She eyed some t-shirts thoughtfully, checking the style, while talking to Tohru. She had to be sure with made of something not too flimsy. There was always the likelihood she would tear or rip something too fancy or delicate, something that often drove her mother mad.

"Oh, well I'd love to come up and visit, if it's not too much trouble." the rank two girl smiled, scratching the back of her head with a content and somewhat lazily smile. "So, wanna try some of this stuff on?" she continued, unaware of her new friends concerns for her. Really, she didn't think that much on the matter, even if she did wonder now and again what the other S.A. students were doing.

She seems to be doing okay...despite everything. Still a little concerned, Tohru bit her lip. But as long as nothing is wrong...

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea."

It was known among her housemates that Tohru tended to buy clothes that were more practical than cute. She enjoyed pretty clothes, but until she felt confident in her money situation, she thought it was probably best to go with sturdy and useful, rather than beautiful. Picking a few outfits out, after checking their tags, she gathered them up in her arms.

"I don't think we have to wait to use the dressing rooms in this store." Checking to see that there were a couple that were open, Tohru pointed one out to Hikari with a cheerful smile. Disappearing through her own, she set her clothes up on the hanging hooks. There was a stool, with mirrors on either side of her. Even the fitting rooms seemed spacious.

Carefully stripping her top, Tohru winched lightly when her hand brushed across her upper shoulder. In the mirror, where she could see her front and back, the bruises littered across her body stared back at her. It looked a lot worse than it felt. They were healing too, and Tohru didn't think the cuts would scar. It would have looked a little odd though, if she'd worn something that showed the injuries. For the same reason, she didn't think she'd be able to 'model' them off to her new friend either.

"Were there any you liked?"

Nodding, Hikari followed the other girl into the changing area, and quickly went inside a stall. She hung the few pieces of clothing on a nearby hook, and proceeded to try them on.

She found a few comfy shirts, along with a pair of black jeans that fit very well, and a casual denium skirt. These would do until she had a bit more to spendon finding a job. Still she had a little money left, and there was that dress...

Carefully slipping it on and tying it at the back, Hikari looked herself over in the mirror, trying to distinguish if such a girly thing looked good on her. Her ears perked on hearing her friend in the next stall,a dn called back.

"Um, a few things I guess." she answered, still trying to figure out whether she should get the pretty gown or not. Shaking her head, she hesitantly slipped out of the dressing room, and gently knocked on the wood of teh cubicle next to hers. Maybe a escond opinion would help.

"Tohru, would you mind telling me what you think of this dress, I'm not sure about it. Can I come in?"

There was hesitation in her new friend's voice, and Tohru smiled. Clothes shopping could be a little hard sometimes, picking the right things out. Whenever she had went with Uo or Hana, it had taken longer than when she was by herself, too. Usually they disagreed with the things she wanted to purchase. In fact, her mom and Shigure normally had too. Vaguely she wondered if she was just unfashionable. She saw things she liked on her friends fine, but when it came to herself...

Hmm...

The sudden knock on the door caused Tohru to jump, her mind having fallen deep into thought. That surprised me. Turning to glance at the handle, which she'd left unlocked as the doors that were unoccupied were simply meant to be left ajar, Tohru opened her mouth.

"A-ah! Yes?" She managed, after removing the surprise she'd felt from her voice. Only a second later and Hikari's soft voice filtered through.

"Tohru, would you mind telling me what you think of this dress, I'm not sure about it. Can I come in?"

"Um, yes!" Tohru responded, so that Hikari could hear her on the other side of the door. That wasn't a problem. She thought Hikari probably looked pretty in whatever it was she was wearing, too. She seemed like that kind of person. "Just give me a minute! I'm still in the store's clothes. I'll change back into my own."

"Sure, I'll wait." Hikari replied, shifting around, slightly self conscious about being outside the dressing room in the airy and delicate dress.She tapped her foot on the floor, turning around to casually move back to lean against the door of the changing room.

Now, if she had taken the time to look down, she would have seen that the door was actually unlocked, due to the 'vacant' sign in the metal lock. But Hikari being Hikari, she would never have thought on that, merely assuming her friend had shut the door properly, and would have to wait til she opened it to let her in. And so, the rank two girl leaned all her weight against the door, waiting patiently...

Before having the door swing inside and causing her to fall backwards into the cubicle with a gentle thump.

Both hands crossing the bottom hem of the shirt Tohru had put on, she lifted it up and over her head. It was one she liked, and thought she was probably going to get. Right now, she only needed a few things to get her by. Beyond that, the outfits Shigure had bought her were pretty, and it wasn't as though she didn't know how to do laundry. She kept up with all her chores faithfully, and without hesitation.

Hands moving to the new, shorter, skirt she had decided to try on along with the top, Tohru was surprised when the sudden creak of the door met her ears. Gasping, her arms moved protectively across herself when all at once she saw Hikari stumble into the room. The girl hit the wall with a light thump, which Tohru exaggerated to be a large crash, and looked stunned a moment. Panicked, Tohru's heart thumped out of her chest.

"OH MY GOSH! HIKARI-SAN!? A-Are you all right? Th-The door, I thought, and then--!" Mindless to the fact that she was just in a bra and skirt (they were both girls after all), Tohru rushed to her friend's side, a look of concern bright in her eyes. Hikari was sitting against the wall, where she had lightly fallen. Kneeling down worriedly Tohru was flustered as she tried to discern whether she'd injured herself or hit her head too hard.

"Do I need to get someone!? Hikari-san!" She gasped, raising a hand up into the air a distance away from the girl's face. "How many fingers am I holding up!?"

Ow ow ow, that hadn't been plesant! Hikari shook her head lightly, trying to dispel her dizziness as she moved to sit up. Regaining her focus, she saw her friend hovering over her in concern, and offered a light smile to try and calm her down.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, I just thought the door would have been locked." she said, rather sheepish as she rubbed the back of her head with one hand while using the other pull the skirt of the dress down, since it rode up a bit in the stumble. "There's no need for you yo be upset..."

Hikari would have said more, but halted her voice. Now she could look at her friend properly. And now, she could see the many bruises and scratches that were on her harms and torso. Here eyes widened in slight horror, before narrowing in concern. Just what...

"Tohru...how did you get all scratched up like that?"

The declaration that she was fine did little to sooth Tohru's fears. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could I forget to lock the door? The mistake had left her new friend injured! What kind of a start to a friendship was that? This was definitely terrible. She needed to find a way to apologize and make it up to her right away!

"Tohru...how did you get all scratched up like that?"

Eh? Glancing down at herself for the first time, Tohru realized the mistake she had made. Eyes widening, she scooped up the shirt she'd just taken off, and held it in front of her as a shield, as though that were enough enough to cover what her friend had just seen.

"Ahaha...oh, those? Nothing really. They were just an accident. I'm super and clumsy and all! Ahahahaha..."

While Hikari could be terribly naive in many senses, when it came to other people, perticulary those she cared about, she was very sharp in mind. She knew so many marks could not have been made my Tohru being clumsy.

Also, a person who had seen her fair share of fights, the rank two girl knew attack marks when she saw them. And with her friends nature, she assumed that there was little Tohru could do against anyone elses agression.

Picking on her...in Hikari's mind it was inexcusable.

She shook off the agressive thoughts, not wanting to upset the other girl more if she showed her anger. Instead her face softened, as she finally sat up, and looked at her friend in a gentle, open manner.

"We're friends, right Tohru? You know you can trust me, with anything, okay?" she offered in a comforting tone, slowly reaching and, taking one of her companions hands, squeezing it in reassurance.

"I..."

Blinking up at her in surprise, Tohru felt slightly embarrassed, if touched. The bruises on her body, they hadn't been intentional. There really was no way to explain that however. Ultimately she knew that she was going to be fine. She hated for her friend to be under the wrong impression though.

"Thank you, Hikari-san. That...makes me so happy." Quickly squeezing her hand back, the onigiri's eyes practically shone. "Friends~ ♥ T-That's such an honor!" For her concern, Tohru was definitely going to have to pay her back some day.

"Um...ladies..."

Shocked to hear another voice, Tohru squeaked in surprise. Head swirling to the side, her eyes abruptly widened. Face glowing, she realized for the first time...that they had yet to shut the door.

"A-Ah!"

Hikari only smiled back, a warm glow about her as Tohru squeezed her hand. Well, it was true, they had become friends in a short period of time. It may have seemed sudden, but it fit very well. They were both happy and optomistic individuals, and they had so much fun together already. The S.A. girl could only hope this fun would last.

On hearing the interruption, Hikari also looked towards the open door. She blinked a moment before scratching the back of her head awkwardly, feeling silly for forgetting about the door.

"Eh, s-sorry. We'll be done soon. " she said sheepishly as the store attendant walked away. The rank two girl also stood, straightening the skirt of the dress again before looking at her friend. She was still weary of those marks, but Hikari decided not to pry now. She would just have to watch, make sure no one else decided to try and harm Tohru.

"So, we better go pay for these clothes huh?"

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Log; Ongoing

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I FAIL! I didn't see that you had posted. DX

Don't worry, it happens. ^-^

Re: Don't worry, it happens. ^-^

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I totally suck. DX sorry things will still be slow ><

No worries, it' happens dear. ^_~ <3~