[IC] The True Self - Persona

[TrixyTrix]

[u]Akiko Asakura - In a quiet alley near the Warakuma Shopping Mall/u]

Akiko looked down at her fists which were stained with a little blood. Several teenage boys were lying down on the floor around her. Some were out cold while there were a few still cringing in pain from the kicks and punches she just gave them. The boys were from some prestige school from another prefecture. They had come to Warakuma possibly to just pass the time. Akiko was already in a rotten mood since she just had been lectured for yelling at a freshman till she cried like a baby. It was not her fault she yelled at her. The new student was pissing her off for trying to be all friendly with her and smiling so happily.

Anyways, the boys had bumped to Akiko while she was rushing to the shopping mall to get something for her stupid parents. Her grandfather had managed to catch her before she could dash off somewhere to tell her of the errand. Akiko had strongly refused and even tried to hit her own grandfather but the old man looked too pathetic for her to hit so she reluctantly agreed. After bumping to her, the boys attempted to help her up but she pushed them away. She got up on her own and walked off but the boys had blocked her way. Akiko immediately started to beat them up after that.

Akiko decided to just leave the boys there for someone to find. One of the boys managed to get up and tried to attack her from behind. Akiko frowned as she had anticipated it. She quickly the boy's punch with her left arm and later dealt an uppercut punch with her right hand at the boy's face. The boy was knocked unconscious.
"Weaklings..."
Akiko continued her walk to the shopping mall. She felt her left arm hurting a bit.
"I guess they got a lucky shot in. Tch..."
Akiko made a note to visit the pharmacy later. She quickened her pace so she could finish the errand quickly so she could to her usual place. She also needed to remember to buy flowers for that.

[TrixyTrix]

u]Akiko Asakura - In a quiet alley near the Warakuma Shopping Mall/u]

Akiko looked down at her fists which were stained with a little blood. Several teenage boys were lying down on the floor around her. Some were out cold while there were a few still cringing in pain from the kicks and punches she just gave them. The boys were from some prestige school from another prefecture. They had come to Warakuma possibly to just pass the time. Akiko was already in a rotten mood since she just had been lectured for yelling at a freshman till she cried like a baby. It was not her fault she yelled at her. The new student was pissing her off for trying to be all friendly with her and smiling so happily.

Anyways, the boys had bumped to Akiko while she was rushing to the shopping mall to get something for her stupid parents. Her grandfather had managed to catch her before she could dash off somewhere to tell her of the errand. Akiko had strongly refused and even tried to hit her own grandfather but the old man looked too pathetic for her to hit so she reluctantly agreed. After bumping to her, the boys attempted to help her up but she pushed them away. She got up on her own and walked off but the boys had blocked her way. Akiko immediately started to beat them up after that.

Akiko decided to just leave the boys there for someone to find. One of the boys managed to get up and tried to attack her from behind. Akiko frowned as she had anticipated it. She quickly the boy's punch with her left arm and later dealt an uppercut punch with her right hand at the boy's face. The boy was knocked unconscious.
"Weaklings..."
Akiko continued her walk to the shopping mall. She felt her left arm hurting a bit.
"I guess they got a lucky shot in. Tch..."
Akiko made a note to visit the pharmacy later. She quickened her pace so she could finish the errand quickly so she could to her usual place. She also needed to remember to buy flowers for that.

[TrixyTrix]

-repeat post-

[TrixyTrix]

----------------------------

[I-Am-X]

Akira Kirigakure // Warakuma High, Archery Range

Surprisingly relaxed, quite unlike Rokoru, when taking the papers, he carefully looked them over before placing them on top of another form and looked right at him. "Heh, it's no surprise, with him in charge and all. Not one of my biggest fans." He grinned before continuing, "But seriously though, I'm guessing you transferred in within the last year or so, so it doesn't surprise me. And to answer your question, I am. Akira Kirigakura, from Class 3-1. I'm not entirely new to the club, try asking Rokoru, I'm sure he'll be glad to bust a blood vessel about it." He laughed as he took out his watch to check the time. Saying his farewells, he left the Archery range and headed to a vending machine to get a drink. "Probably should stop and get something to eat before heading home."

Finishing off his drink, he made his way towards the entrance.

[I-Am-X]

Akira Kirigakure // Warakuma High, Archery Range

Surprisingly relaxed, quite unlike Rokoru, when taking the papers, he carefully looked them over before placing them on top of another form and looked right at him. "Heh, it's no surprise, with him in charge and all. Not one of my biggest fans." He grinned before continuing, "But seriously though, I'm guessing you transferred in within the last year or so, so it doesn't surprise me. And to answer your question, I am. Akira Kirigakura, from Class 3-1. I'm not entirely new to the club, try asking Rokoru, I'm sure he'll be glad to bust a blood vessel about it." He laughed as he took out his watch to check the time. Saying his farewells, he left the Archery range and headed to a vending machine to get a drink. "Probably should stop and get something to eat before heading home."

Finishing off his drink, he made his way towards the entrance.

[I-Am-X]

Akira Kirigakure // Warakuma High, Archery Range

Surprisingly relaxed, quite unlike Rokoru, when taking the papers, he carefully looked them over before placing them on top of another form and looked right at him. "Heh, it's no surprise, with him in charge and all. Not one of my biggest fans." He grinned before continuing, "But seriously though, I'm guessing you transferred in within the last year or so, so it doesn't surprise me. And to answer your question, I am. Akira Kirigakura, from Class 3-1. I'm not entirely new to the club, try asking Rokoru, I'm sure he'll be glad to bust a blood vessel about it." He laughed as he took out his watch to check the time. Saying his farewells, he left the Archery range and headed to a vending machine to get a drink. "Probably should stop and get something to eat before heading home."

Finishing off his drink, he made his way towards the entrance.

[I-Am-X]

Akira Kirigakure // Warakuma High, Archery Range

Surprisingly relaxed, quite unlike Rokoru, when taking the papers, he carefully looked them over before placing them on top of another form and looked right at him. "Heh, it's no surprise, with him in charge and all. Not one of my biggest fans." He grinned before continuing, "But seriously though, I'm guessing you transferred in within the last year or so, so it doesn't surprise me. And to answer your question, I am. Akira Kirigakura, from Class 3-1. I'm not entirely new to the club, try asking Rokoru, I'm sure he'll be glad to bust a blood vessel about it." He laughed as he took out his watch to check the time. Saying his farewells, he left the Archery range and headed to a vending machine to get a drink. "Probably should stop and get something to eat before heading home."

Finishing off his drink, he made his way towards the entrance.

[Sho Minazuki]

Rui Shinichi | Archery Range - Warakuma High

"Oh", his shot hit the mark. In the background he noticed Rokuro, or someone by the name had arrived and not long after he figured out it was the club president... Regardless, he didn't turn to speak to them, for one he was actually absorbed in the form right now. He quickly gave Sato the notice that he was okay as well before he left. He was familiar with form, because of Kendo, but he seemed to still get one or two subtle parts wrong... He quickly tried to adjust those though. Regardless after some time, he noticed someone had come up to him. He turned to see Leiko, and not too far behind was her friend Saya, whom he saw earlier back in the classroom.

"What a surprise to see you here. Are you thinking about joining Archery?"

"Ah... I already joined", he replied simply. Apparently Archery and Kendo practices didn't clash that often, it appears Mondays had both clubs going though, so he can still be part of both with little consequence.

"Are you? It doesn't look like your Drama Club is active today, so it'd work out", he responded. Clubs in Japanese schools actually chose set in days for their activity, they didn't simply rock up to the hall or room whenever they pleased for club activities, though if they did, it'd usually be equipment related.

[Malik]

Katsuro Sakuma | A restaurant at the mall or something I don't know...

Katsuro reclined back in his chair with a contented sigh. The school day was over, and that was cause enough for him to celebrate. Sure, there would be another tomorrow, but that was tomorrow, and not today. Today, he could just sit here and think about which clubs he wanted to get involved with. He had heard about more than a few possibilities;

-Kendo club. Kendo was always popular. Katsuro wanted to swing a sword around as much as the next man.

-Archery club. Katsuro probably wouldn't find shooting arrows as satisfying as hitting things with a sword, but he could still have fun with it.

-Manga/Anime club. Katsuro liked to read from time to time, and maybe there would be a colourful character or two in the club.

-Drama club. He didn't mind the idea of giving acting a go, but he didn't know if he would have any talent until he tried out for it.

He had also heard something about an Idol club opening at the school this year. He thought it might be funny if he turned up for that, but ultimately decided against it. He had a feeling someone's eyes would burn in their sockets if they saw him in a maid outfit, or worse, a bikini.

Unfortunately, his folk's nagging kept playing on his mind as he thought about clubs. If he joined too many, he just knew he would get another earful. He could just pick one, but he couldn't make up his mind. His only hope was that an answer lay at the bottom of the bowl he was eating out of right now.

Such was the great vexation plaguing this clearly thoughtful and complicated young man.

[Cuco]

After having left Noboru to his own devices with that other girl, Sachiko just decided to take a walk. It really made her wonder. She wondered if he had always been this quick to change emotions? Maybe he had been, and she simply hadn't noticed. Maybe she had just chosen to think positively about it in the past and ignored the signs. She didn't want to think she had just imagined his adversity to the preforming arts. She knew how his siblings were, and she had always thought the last thing he would want would be to get involved in their kind of thing. He DID seem less than pleased just before he told her he was joining drama, but on the other hand, now he seemed completely fine. She probably wasn't going to get to the bottom of this just wandering around in circles.

She found herself at the mall, and recognised a distinctive smell. It was a restaurant. Maybe a bite to eat would clear her head? She went inside, and she found someone she knew. "Well well, Katsuro Sakuma. Fancy meeting you here." She took the seat across from the man. "Let me guess; cut up about all the club opportunities you might miss out on?"

[Malik]

Katsuro Sakuma | Still in a restaurant

With a look of mock surprise, Katsuro said "How did you know!?" He knew she knew because this dilemma of his was no secret to his friends. "Yes, I have to make the heart wrenching decision on which of these clubs I really want to join. I shouldn't go picking more than 5 like I did last year......key word being shouldn't." Katsuro definitely wanted to join in every club he had considered joining. But he knew it was going to be really bad for him if he didn't make a smart choice now. He doubted his willpower would be enough to keep him from trying to do exactly the opposite though.

"But you know, you look pretty down yourself, Sachi. Don't tell me you're feeling sympathy for poor Katsuro and his woeful choice?"

[Cuco]

"Yes, it's just terrible." Sachiko matched Katsuro's sarcasm. "Actually, I'm a little concerned about a friend of mine...." There was more to it than just that. She had gone through the most bizarre experience yesterday, had a terrible day in general, and just plain felt divided about a lot of things. She decided against speaking of the former of those, even if she imagined Katsuro would just think she was kidding if she told him she had been attacked by flying tongue monsters and shot lightning at them using a large, multicoloured man. That, or he would think she was on drugs. She still wasn't a hundred percent convinced she wasn't. "You could say they're acting really....out of character. I don't think I should go into details, but it's made me worried. They won't tell me what's going on, either, and I've asked. There has to be something going on for them to act the way they are, but I can't do a thing about it when I'm in the dark like this."

She wondered a little if it wasn't weird, going on about something Katsuro wouldn't know a thing about. She wasn't really expecting anything here though, she was venting more than anything else. "So, any sage advice from the sagacious Katsuro Sakuma?" She figured that if nothing else, Katsuro would at least be able to put a humorous spin on things. It might help her take her mind off everything else, and that's about all she could do right about now.

[Malik]

Katsuro Sakuma | Listening to serious business

Katsuro listened patiently to Sahiko's concerns. He wasn't at all good with this emotional stuff, but he wasn't going to be an arse and not hear her out. At least she did him the mercy of lightening the tone of this talk at the end. "Certainly, just let me delve into my pool of divine wisdom..." He made a show of waving his hand over his bag, which sat at the foot of the table, pretending to do something mystical. "The great sage Katsuro Sakuma assures you that all your problems will disappear if you only pay for his meal. He will only accept legal tender." He held out his hand for a second as if he expected to be paid. He quickly retracted it. "Yeah, I don't have a clue, Sachi." He said, talking more seriously now. "All you can do is wait. Good thing you're not me, cause I would probably go mad waiting for things to happen patiently. But they have to let it loose sometime, either by telling you or by doing something that gives it away."

He chuckled. "Listen to me, talking like I'm smart or something. What's the guy that's fretting over which club to join going to tell you about serious stuff?" He realised most of his meal was done by now. "You going to order something, Sachi? If not, we may as well go somewhere else."

[Haru Nyan]

Ayano: Classroom 3 - 1
The girl dashed back through her classroom, she was panting and tired...She couldn't take all of it...What matters was that she managed to successfully deliver the gift to Kami. It was a lot more harder than what she envisioned it to be, but that's beside the point. Class started and Ayano sat down to her seat again.
As the lectures droned on and on she began to wonder...Did he like the gift? Would he even talk to her after this? Of course he would...Her mind was so focused on those topics that she barely got anything from the teacher now...Those thoughts kept on taunting her until the bell rang.

The loud clattering made the girl's train of thought come to a sudden halt. Time flies by so fast when you're noticing it, she thought...The girl gathered up her things and was prepared to go home...Maybe this time she can finally get her 'friends' together and beat that dragon they've been hunting for so long. She stood up and that's when the classroom's door opened and Kami's head was looking around, for her presumably.

Ayano went out of the room to talk to the boy. She turned around and sighed deeply..."Right, just...talking...I should be able to do that..." she said. Trying to reassure herself. Then, she faced him and asked "What is it? Is it about the gift? You don't like it? I know, I have horrible taste, don't I?"

[Savo]

-Kaminari : Warakuma High-

As the girl exited the classroom, Kami wondered what to say to her. Would he apologize for what he did right there, ask her if she wanted to Han out or walk home, or maybe check out some of the clubs. Kamis mind was a jumbled mess right now, as if he was trying to solve a strenuous problem that took almost all of his energy. Despite the fact that he had these many decisions, he felt had too many to choose from. Kami didn't know which option would work, for him or what Ayano would say. He anxiously sorted what he would do while Ayano muttered something behind her back. As he finished up, he pondered while keeping a calm composure as he listened to her speak.

"(Alright, so just be prepared for what she has to say... I'll apologize to her when I get the proper chance to go to the park with her some time.)"

As he let that final thought run through his head, he didn't expect her to talk about the gift, much less about how she believe that she had horrible tastes. Kami looked surprised by her statement, almost as if he had lost a grip on a discussion of sorts. He didn't come all the way over here to talk to her about that. He gave her a small smile before speaking to her.

"No, I don't hate it... I came here for multiple reasons, and its time to at least complete one of my tasks... And that's thanking you Ayano. This gift really means a lot to me, especially since it came from you..."

His genuine grin widened as he spoke, and soon his face went back to the way it was previously. The smile eventually faded as he nervously tapped the tips of his fingers, antsy about something he was going to say. Would he take the plunge, or would he walk off like a coward who didn't complete his task. As he nervously contemplated on it he decided not to back down an actually take the dive.

"But, I didn't j-just come here t-to say thanks for the gift Ayano... I just wanted t-to know if you wanted to hang out, and maybe heck out some of the clubs or maybe something else."

[SwordfishKnight]

"Yeah let's get out of here." Noboru said, quickly walking out with Chiaki to directly outside the mall.

"Bye bye Noboru! Don't get hurt, okay?" Aiko yelled out sarcastically, melodramatically waving as the younger two distanced themselves from the twins.

As soon as they got outside, Noboru took a deep breath and started stretching himself so he wouldn't pull any muscles. "Hey Chiaki, I would recommend stretching your legs a little bit. If you don't it'll hurt. A lot." They finished up stretching and when Chiaki was ready, Noboru started a jog with her following shortly behind. He took in the fresh air, steadily breathing in and out in order to keep his speed up. The weight on his back was heavy, slowing him down enough to let Chiaki keep up and breathe a little.

As they finished out the run where they had started, Noboru stopped and took a sip of his water.It had only taken ten minutes to run the whole route. He felt perfectly fine, considering this was something he did all the time. Chiaki was a different story however, as he didn't know whether she kept in shape or not. "Hey, how are you holding out? If you think that's enough for the day, let's head back in the mall and get something to eat. My treat."

[Kissu]

Saya Ueno: Warakuma High- Archery Range

Saya felt her heart sink slightly as her senior made an audibly heavy sigh in response, her forced smile disappearing into a look of despair as soon as Rokoru's back was turned. Of course she managed to screw it up again, as usual. I'm just being a nuisance. The disparaging thought forced its way into her mind, shadowing her usual sunny self as she anxiously plucked the seam off her sleeve altogether. This was a stupid idea. Stupid stupid stupid stupid-

As soon as Rokoru turned back with the registration forms, the anguish on her face was quickly replaced with the carefree smile that she had plastered on earlier. He moved onto a more formal introduction of himself and his role in the Archery Club, before handing her the forms and instructing her on where to sign. She glanced through the papers as he did so, feeling a modicum of relief that the instructions appeared simple and fairly easy to follow. She wasn't particularly in the mood for squinting through volumes of rules and regulations at the moment.

"Thank you, Senpai." She looked up at him with a genuine look of admiration as the anxiety she had built up within herself started to ebb away. Despite his commanding (and somewhat intimidating) presence, he didn't seem so bad. Saya was just overreacting about the whole situation, as usual. "Umm...", she chewed her bottom lip as she patted her pockets, her face creasing into a slight frown. "Oh darn, I forgot my pen. Can I borrow yours, Sen-"

Her words died in her throat as he shrugged off his jacket in a lazy gesture, exposing his taut, muscular arms to her bewildered gaze. The rest of his well-built form was clothed in a slightly crinkled white shirt that looked like he had just carelessly thrown it on first thing in the morning, but rather than detracting from his appearance, it almost looked kind of...appealing.

Unaware of her own actions at this point, Saya's head tilted slightly to the side, her mind wandering to less...savoury thoughts. She could only imagine the power those arms would hold when drawing an arrow against a bowstring, beads of sweat trickling down his brow as he concentrated on his target, eyes dilated and focused...

"Hmm?" A sound of an arrow splintering wood nearby drew Saya's attention immediately back to reality, her pale skin suddenly flushing to a brilliant shade of pink as she clapped a hand over her gaping mouth with mortification. What was she doing, fantasising about the Club President in such a scandalous way?! And right in front of him!

"I-It's fine!" Saya squeaked, hugging the papers close to her chest as she quickly turned away so he couldn't see the interesting scarlet colour she was becoming. "My friend has one! I'll give them back to you later! It's fine!"

Without another 'it's fine!' just for good measure, she quickly shot off like a whippet on a racetrack, nearly tripping over her own heels in the process as she darted off into the distance.

---

Leiko Hamada

"Hmm?" Leiko hadn't intended for the conversation to reflect back on herself, so when Rui inquired whether she was joining the Archery Club, she quickly stifled a smirk with the back of her hand. "Oh, no. I'm not here to join the Archery Club. Rather, it's more like I was taken here against my will." She jabbed a thumb back to where Saya was still conversing with the Club President. "Unfortunately, my friend can be rather lacking in confidence in some areas, so it often results in me being coerced to support her. I could be doing something slightly more worthwhile with my time, but that's the price of friendship, I suppose." She shrugged, having nothing more to say on the matter as she picked up an arrow from the quiver idly, stroking the feather end with the tip of her finger. "So what other clubs have you signed up for?" She asked in the most casual tone that she could muster.

[Cuco]

As Sachiko figured, Katsuro wasn't really going to be a big help with this. She got a small chuckle out of his performance, she could say that much, and he was trying to be helpful. Still, the idea of simply waiting around for things to resolve themselves was cold comfort, and she hardly needed to be told to do it. But she hardly came here expecting to achieve a revelation of understanding. "Yeah, I'll order something." She took a moment to go order her meal before returning to conversation. "Oh, I also got roped into joining that Idol club thing that popped up recently. Somehow, Misaki got involved with it and now she insists I join in with her. I would've said no if it weren't for me feeling a little guilty over how I treated her today. So you'll be seeing me in some kind of embarrassing outfit at some point this year. Your dream come true, right?" She really was a little worried about this Idol club business. It wasn't a bad idea, but she really didn't think she would feel comfortable doing photo shoots in weird outfits like those models were always wearing. Who knows, the whole thing might just end up being a magnet for the school's collective perverts. In any case, she would have to give it a go, or Misaki would never let her hear the end of it.

[XLegs]

Toma Tanaka - Warakuma Shopping Mall

Toma couldn't help but let out a small laugh, both from the realization that his question had been unexpected, and by the quizzical look on Kotori's face.

She took it in stride, however, and answered, before asking him why he wanted to know.

Instead of saying anything, he simply replied with a sly smile, motioning her to follow him with a small movement of his head. He made his way to the donut shop, which luckily had no lineup. Stepping up to the counter, he made his order.

"I'll take two cinnamon donuts," he said, running a hand through his hair to get a few stray strands out of his eye. "In separate bags, please."

After paying for them, he took one bag in each hand, and turned to face Kotori. He held one out towards the girl, giving her a small, relaxed smile.

"As thanks, for showing me around," he said. "I hope it hasn't been too painful so far." She seemed like the kind of person who would have politely declined the offer, if she had known before he had spent any money. But now that the treat was already bought, she couldn't possibly turn it down. Hopefully.