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 Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 4:24 pm
Frosty breaths left Katsuo's mouth periodically, the only indication to the outside that he was still truly among the living. The headphones comforted each of his ears with their soft foam insulation. He wasn't supposed to listen to music during school hours. However, when had that ever stopped anyone, let alone him? It wasn't as though any of the teachers would actually punish any of the kids whose parents could likely have them fired in a heartbeat. As much as he didn't want his parents' money to talk for him, it was useful occasionally.
His eyes closed, Katsuo laid peacefully in the sunlit grass. Normally, he would take shelter underneath a shady tree. Today it was much too cold to even stop while not under the warmth of the sun. He'd decided if anyone did attempt to bother him, he'd either ignore them until they gave up or they'd continue because it was important. He had a little while before his next class, anyway. He could at least relish his freedom until next hour.
Songs flew through his head, bringing back old memories with each passing note. Old bands, old friends... His father's business associates... He'd thought their faces to be gone forever, but now he could recount conversations that he shouldn't even have heard almost perfectly. He had found tracks from years previous, ones whose bands had long since disbanded and headed off their separate ways. Their faces mingled with the music, eventually to the point where he could no longer distinguish memory from music.
His hands moved up to his mouth slowly and cupped each other. He breathed out all of the hot air he'd had in his body in an attempt to warm them. After he moved his hands again, he covered his mouth with the scarf to keep his face warm. He'd probably catch a cold in the end, but the warm grass felt good enough right now to make up for it.
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 3:11 pm
With his eyes closed and ears occupied, it was doubtful Katsuo would have been able to detect the subtle approach of unhurried footsteps even as they proceeded in his direction. However, the newcomer didn't seem to mind. His own ears were filled with the music of his green mp3 player. Carefully crouching over his schoolmate, emerald eyes appraised the peaceful student. Blue-grey bangs framed the pale face so that it almost seemed familiar.
"Arata?" Roka asked himself quietly. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Gently, so as not to startle his peer, he reached out a hand and tapped the boy on the shoulder. "Arata Katsuo?" It then occurred to him his words were being lost on deaf ears. Craning over him, Toshiro slowly and deliberately mouthed his words while accompanying each with its hand sign equivalent in sign language. Just in case.
["Arata Katsuo? Is that you? Arata-san, what are you doing out here on the ground in this cold weather? You're making a fool of yourself! Not to mention freezing to death. Don't you find this demeaning? What if someone sees you?! Get up!"]
The urgency of his gestures conveyed his apparent distress at Katsuo's 'foolish' actions. He seemed to want to make it clear that while not only was the Arata name's reputation at stake, but the Toshiro name's as well. Katsuo's actions would be reflected upon his own whether the class B music student knew it or not. Roka seemed irked that his childhood acquaintance could be so careless. Despite the fact, of course, that Toshiro himself had, on numerous occasions, taken a break to go outside and listen to music. At least I didn't lie on the ground like a homeless invalid, he thought defensively, arguing with his conscience.
As the Arata family and the Toshiro family were close business associates, the heirs to both families had met before when they had been much younger. Not so young that they couldn't remember one another, however. Roka, at least, knew that Katsuo's name and image had been drilled into his head twice daily as a child. He wondered if Katsuo was as familiar with him. Or if, even after all these years, he would be recognized at all.
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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:14 pm
Katsuo's daze almost lead him into the calm darkness of unconsciousness. He could feel himself dazing off, finally getting some sleep even with the sound resonating through his head. He was only vaguely aware of something out of place around him. At the moment, it wasn't enough of a bother to actually worry about. He merely continued listening to the almost-complete song he'd been listening to.
It was only when he felt something touch him that he awoke from his slumber. Normally, he would have jumped at the sudden touch, but he was still in a daze. Who cared enough to actually bother him while he was listening to his music? He hoped it wasn't some good citizen who just happened to be wandering by and decided to tell him that class was starting. One of his eyes peeked open curiously to see who was standing above him. Still half-asleep, a fog seemed to temporarily cover his vision, leading him to believe whoever it was was a girl.
But wait, what would a girl be doing wearing a boy's uniform? Moreover, why did they look so familiar... Oh. As the realization passed over him, he began to understand that not only did he know the person, he knew the person very well. "Toshiro-san?" He tested the name out, but decided that it was not only too formal, but to odd to actually use in a conversation. His open eye shut once more, followed by a sigh. Before peeking out into the sun again, Katsuo rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand tiredly.
By the time his entire awakening was complete, he'd missed half of whatever it was that Roka had silently been trying to tell him. Even at a short distance, he wasn't the best at reading lips. All he got were the last question and order. But even from those final two sentences, he knew he'd been getting a scolding. Although he heard the final desperate command, he didn't follow it, completely, merely standing up to be in a more comfortable position.
"Roka..." He decided not to go with the name he'd made up back when they were kids. At least, not now. Roka seemed tense enough at the moment. "You know I don't understand sign language." He sighed again. "Just calm down, all right? I don't think taking a rest in the grass is really going to ruin my reputation -or yours, for that matter." Convienent memories came back to him, forcing him to remember exactly who he was seeing. Someone whose father was his own father's friend, therefore, someone who he was required to be on good terms with. He had only vague recollections of meeting him a few years previous. His face, however, was impossible to forget.
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