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 Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:36 pm
Obsidian breathed in the warm summer air as she walked slowly down the path that wound itself lazily through the Aquila grounds. Goliath, her not so tiny mastiff puppy, pulled a little on his leash as he strained to sniff at a nearby bush. It seemed a little funny to her to think back on how strong of an influence an education facility could have on one person's life. For such a long time it had been a means to an end, a place where she could finally escape her adopted parents and live life as she wanted. But then she had broken out of her shell and forged relationships and memories, both happy and not so much. But no matter what, she wouldn't trade a single one. Each person she had come into contact with had helped to shape her, forge her into the young woman she had become, and now, after all these years, after thinking that she would finally have to move on from the world of Aquila, they had given her an opportunity she never would have imagined and so still here she would stay, four more years at the least, working with the Shutensa Corp and earning her medical residency.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:44 pm
He wasn't very fond of reunions, let alone ones that he had to sneak away to attend without telling a certain someone, but as the cab drew closer to the campus all the man in the back seat could feel was a small sense of nostalgia. It was more of a homecoming then a reunion, really, since the better part of his life and the better part of his memories had been spent and/or formed on the land that loomed before him.
Makito was silent and paid the cab fair (with tip!) when the taxi pulled to a complete stop, the only real sounds created when the driver thanked him and he opened and closed the door to leave. He wasn't one for much talking anyway, his unusually absent companion the chatterbox of the duo, but for some reason today the man felt like he could actually manage a conversation. Slowly his feet carried him onto the campus, the bag he wore slung over his shoulder hitting his back with a rhythm that matched his walking style, and in Makito's head it was like he was a student again.
The real reason he had returned to the School was because of an interview or politics, something he barely remembered reading in between dealing with home life issues, but Makito had come to think that seeing a certain girl whom had stolen his friendship might be worth the while as well. . . if he could find her.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 11:17 pm
Obsidian had been completely lost to her thoughts, Goliath happily taking advantage of his mistress' distraction and weaving back and forth across the path, sniffing excitedly at every little thing. Too bad for Obie, she didn't see the squirrel minding its own business a few yards away. Blinking as her arm was nearly yanked out of its socket, she very briefly tried to hold onto the overly excited pup, then released his leash. She had learned early on it was just easier calling him back than trying to rein him in when he had found something of particular interest.
"Go! Goliath! Come back!" she shouted, cringing as the squirrel took off and the massive beast tore off after him, completely oblivious to her. "s**t," she muttered, taking off after him. "Go!" she shouted, running through some bushes and a line of trees, not quite stopping in time to keep herself from crashing full on into a tall, lean body. "Sorry!" she quickly apologized, her cheeks burning crimson with embarassment.
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 11:37 pm
Makito was about to go and consult a directory to find his destination, the years spent away from Aquila coming back to haunt him with his vague memories of locations, when he felt something bump heavily into him. It did not knock him off his feet, he was a bit too solid for something like that, though it did manage to sway his frame slightly. He turned at the sound of a female voice apologizing, a professional smile gracing his usually stoic face, though the smile quickly dropped as a figure he had not seen in so long filled his sight.
"Ah. . ."
The first real word to escape his lips since he's started his silent pilgrimage back onto the campus was nothing more then a mere sound, his eyebrows slowly raising upward in a mixture of surprise and delight as his brain told him over and over the identity of the woman who stood blushing before him. It had been four long years, since his graduation perhaps, since they had last laid eyes on one another outside of a hospital room.
"Obie-chan."
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Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 11:58 pm
Obsidian blinked as her eyes found the face of her victim and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Almost instantly the last day they had spent together flooded through her mind. It seemed like an eternity ago and true to his promise, she had not seen either him or his counterpart since that day. Until now.
"Maki-chan... you're here," she said softly, stating the obvious as she tried to get her brain to work again. Stepping back, she swept her blue eyes over him quickly and a soft smile slipped across her full lips. "You look good," she smiled and then glanced around, half expecting to see Izumi materialize out of thin air. "What brings you back to Aquila?" she asked, turning her eyes back up to his.
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:08 am
"If you're looking for Izumi, he's not here. He's back home in Biei-cho looking after his niece, as her mother is currently overseas."
Makito knew what to say without even having to pause, the different looks on Obie's face more then enough hint as to her current thoughts, and he smiled thinly at the person who was once his dearest ice cream partner. More and more he thought of their parting in that elevator, the memory actually becoming quite vivid with just the few words exchanged, but he let it all slide. The past was the past, no need drag the waters right away.
"You're the one looking good, almost like you're glowing now. A far cry from the girl in my memories, to be certain, though probably still the same. No one really changes that quickly."
He avoided the subject of why he'd come back to Aquila, not quite ready to speak about it, instead opting for things he could say easily without too many lies dripping on his words. Besides, he was uncertain he would actually be accepted back here as someone to help with a growing problem, so it was better to not speak of what he didn't know.
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:28 am
A familiar smirk fell across her features as he spoke. He had always been able to read her so well and she felt a sadness slip through her. She hadn't realized until this moment, as she stood before him, just how much she had missed him. Despite the drama that seemed to follow them everywhere they went, he had been a good friend to her and in her experiences, she knew that that was something that should be cherished deeply.
"Seems I'm as transparent around you as ever," she smirked, then gave a little laugh, her hand rising to brush her dark hair away from her face. She had always enjoyed listening to the cadence of his speech. He made her smile a little more and she had been about to speak when a bark drew her eyes past his shoulder.
"Ah... Go..." she sighed, shaking her head as she was reminded why she had been running to begin with. "Give me one second. Don't you move a muscle," she smirked up at Makito, then quickly slipped past him to hurry over to the tree Goliath was bouncing up at, his quarry having escaped him. Picking up his leash, she struggled a little to drag him away from the tree and back over to Makito with a warm smile gracing her lips.
"Are you in a hurry, Maki-chan? Do you have time for us to catch up, maybe get some ice cream?" she smirked a little once more, shifting as Go strained at his leash in a desperate plea for attention from the new person.
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:27 pm
"I wouldn't call it transparent. I'm more or less inclined to know you'd be worrying about Izumi being with me, seeing as the two of us were inseparable in high school."
Makito smiled as Obie's face seemed to light up with different expressions, be them smiles in response or her casual smirks, and when she ran off to go fetch something or another he shifted his weight on his heels. Standing and walking didn't bother him in the slightest, he was merely stiff from the long car ride that had followed a plane ride without a break in between, and he slowly rotated his shoulders to ease out the aches and pains.
He was still rather lost in his thoughts when the young woman returned with a monster of a dog attached to a leash Makito was sure would break at any time, and despite his mild dislike for animals he put on a good face and reached down to pet the massive head.
"I'm sure you get this all the time, but when you go for walks who is being walked? You've got a beast, not a dog."
There was light humor in his words, a joke on phrasing that he wasn't used to using even in familiar company, and the man fell silent as he pondered his own stupidity. He would have surely stayed that way if not for the offer of one of his favorite treats, ice cream.
"Not much of a hurry, and as to ice cream you know I won't pass up on that. Do you think the old creamery we used to go to is still around here? I can't imagine it having closed in four years, but I haven't been back since that day to know any better."
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:35 pm
Obie laughed softly as Makito spoke and reached out to pet Go who was all too happy to attack his new friend with his large, soft pink tongue.
"That is a matter that is still yet to be determined," she laughed, giving a little whistle and tug on the leash. "Sit Go," she ordered and smiled as he did as she had said. "Rashne bought him for me a few years ago for my birthday. I don't think he fully realized what he was getting into when he bought him," she smirked, shaking her head a little and looking up into his eyes as he agreed to go with her to get some ice cream.
"It's still there and as lovely as ever. We can even sit outside with Go, if you really don't mind? Otherwise we'll have to drop him off at the apartment and I live several blocks away from here," she smiled, feeling rather excited at the prospect of catching up with her old, quiet friend. Sometimes she truly doubted that he knew how dear he had been to her.
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:21 pm
"Rashne? Ah, the person that Izumi . . . "
Makito had been entirely unfamiliar with the name when it had escaped Obie's lips, a face not coming before his eyes as quickly as he'd have liked it to, but as he ran down a list he slowly narrowed the group. 'Rashne' had to be in a group of people he'd never met, or the group of people whom Izumi had personally harmed and hated.
He knew the man to fall into the latter category, only because he made a point to know who not to be alone around and who to not let Izumi be alone around.
"I was unaware that you and he were together. How long has it been?"
Makito tried to sound pleasant as he spoke despite the mild disappointment he felt in his brain about his ice cream partner having someone special at her side, someone gained during his absence. That wasn't to say he was all alone either, if being unable to shake Izumi after all this time counted for something, but it's not like the two of them were lovers; Izumi's feelings still remained one-sided.
"And as for eating outside, it's a nice day and I could use the fresh air. Sitting in a plane and then a cab tend to have effects on one's body that I would rather not wake up to tomorrow, you know what I mean?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:51 pm
Obsidian blinked a little as Makito recalled Ra's name and lifted her brow as he mentioned Izumi as well. It was only then that she vaguely remembered Ra saying he had had a run in with some psycho who had cut him several years ago while they attended the academy. Looking down at Go, she ran her hand over his soft fur and smirked at his question. Sometimes she forgot that they had ever not been together, she thought, looking back up at him and catching a light flicker of something in his pretty brown eyes.
"Um, it's been four years now," she smiled, looking down once more to a particular ring on a particular finger. "We're actually engaged now, so we're in it for the long haul," she smirked a little, toying with the tasteful diamond on her left hand. Smiling broadly as he agreed to eating outside, she tugged a little on Go's leash and started to lead the way down the path towards their old haunt.
"Tell me what you have been up to. I've missed you. Things ended so... awkwardly for us. I often wondered where you had disappeared to," she smiled, nudging him lightly with her elbow as they walked.
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:10 pm
"Make sure to invite me to the wedding, I bet you'll look stunning in white. I promise not to bring Izumi along."
As the pair walked along Makito could only nod and smile, glad for his friend that after their parting in the elevator those long years ago she had picked herself back up and lived a life that was making her happy. For a good while back in Biei-cho he'd been worried for her, unable to really contact her without fear of Izumi and his retaliations, so when communications between the pair had ceased it was like a small wound was made that quickly scabbed over and healed with time.
"After we left, I took Izumi and we went back home. I finished getting medical treatment there and was put back into remission, as you can see. My whole family was happy about that, probably not nearly as happy as Izumi, but I think it's probably because he still can't seem to be apart from me."
Makito tried to trace back how much he'd done, for the first time thinking that four years was actually a strain to recap.
"We both managed to still graduate, mostly via some stroke of luck or our parents influences, and afterward we both went to a local college. I went in to study medicine, Izumi went in to study . . . whatever it was he wanted to study."
Izumi had never told Makito was he was going to school, and he never asked. They both had done well to get degrees, and that was good enough for him.
"How about you? Other then the ring, what's new?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:26 pm
Obie laughed softly at his response to her news. As much as she would love to promise him she would, she would have to seriously sit and think about it. The chances of Izumi showing up unexpectedly were a bit daunting in her mind.
"It won't be for a while. Both Ra and I are in the process of working to earn enough to afford the wedding that we want," she smiled and looked up at him as he answered her. Even with it more than obvious that he was not the same frail young man she had last seen in a hospital elevator, she was happy to hear him say the word 'remission'.
"You're studying medicine?" she asked, her face lighting up. "I am as well, mostly thanks to you actually. Seeing you in the hospital and meeting your young friends, it made me realize how much I wanted to help others. Right now I'm in my residency and I'm hoping to specialize in pediatrics in the very near future. What about you? Have you chosen your specialty yet?" she asked.
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:25 pm
"I want to go into pediatrics. Little kids are far more honest with adults about how they're feeling, be it physical or emotional, so working with them seems to be easier. Plus where I live there are more children then adults and very few pediatricians, so I want to be able to help the children of my childhood friends. I can consider it my way of giving back to a community that I used to terrorize."
He had to chuckle to himself at memories of his youth, times spent sending other children to the hospital with him at their side and in a similar shape. He and Izumi had full reign over the area schools, being the banchou and second in command, and when they had come to Aquila not much had changed. Even now Izumi still had some control over many of the young adults in the area, though Makito had little to no interest in aiding his partner.
"I'm slightly surprised that you're into medicine too, but I think it'll be good for both of us - a partner and a rival. The first one to make our dream come true is the winner, though I suppose we'll tie and end up having to work together."
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:35 pm
Obsidian laughed and looked up at her friend. She honestly could not remember a time where he had seemed so light hearted. It warmed her considerably to think that he was truly happy.
"And you think that's a terrible thing? To have to work with me Mr. Saeki?" she smirked and winked up at him. "I wasn't always into medicine. Well, not in the practicing side of it. Growing up I had wanted to be a Bio Chemist. But I truly fell in love with working directly with people. It makes me happier," she smiled as they rounded a corner and their parlor came into view. "And if one of us turns out to be the winner, what should we win?" she asked, looking up at him.
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