Kobe's look of confusion matched Jin's as the two of them exchanged the [u][b]most awkward[/b][/u] of all handshakes. Kobe laughed again, reminding himself Jin wasn't simply a couple years older like he seemed. It made Kobe wonder exactly when the fist-bump had been invented. Before Jin could start the two of them walking up the street again, Kobe set down his food and grabbed Jin's wrist.

     "Alright, if we're going to be friends you gotta know how to do this," Kobe felt a little prickle of embarrassment as he said [b]friends[/b] out loud. He hadn't exactly confirmed up until this point that he thought of Jin as such. Kobe folded Jin's fingers into a fist, and then punched his knuckles before releasing his wrist, "that's a fist bump, courtesy of the 21st century,"

     The crowd was beginning to thin out now, and the end of the festival hallway of stalls was in sight. 

     "I don't know, I guess. The teachers all told me my abilities were best suited for Frontline combat. Squad 11. That would be fine, but I've spent a lot of time this year building strategy. Sparring you, Asami, and Ageha, I feel like my battle intellect has grown. I'm not afraid of the Frontline, but I want to be more useful than that," The last words stunned even Kobe as he said them. [i]Useful[/i] to whom exactly? He didn't feel any strong sense of loyalty to the Gotei 13, at least not yet. So where was this desire to be seen as useful coming from?

      Hazy memories of emotions filled his head. The feeling of being robbed of his potential via his death. The betrayal, and anger he'd felt at the very idea that there could be a god controlling any of this, and that that god would choose to end him before he could ever accomplish anything. What was the purpose in his death, or his life? Maybe that's what he wanted so badly for now, a purpose. After Jin replied to his statement, Kobe simply asked:

      "You?"