Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private][completed]

[Koizumi Ren]

OOC note: this thread takes place approximately ~1 year prior to the "present".


A light breeze set the tone for the early morning hours just outside of Tsuyoshi State Orphanage. With it, the wind carried a fast rhythmic sound-- the heavy pitter-patters of a young boy's feet as he dashed down the stairs. His voice cut through the gentle air of the morning as he leapt through the gates and out into the street, "Ren-taaa~n enters the limelight!~". His sing-song voice cracked with the last note as he landed from the air, his hands balled into fists and stretched towards the sky. Ren's face was beaming, and it seemed he couldn't be more satisfied with himself.. but there were no reactions. He held his pose for a bit longer, waiting for someone, anyone, to show themselves. But, no attention. With a huff he let his arms flop to his side and his hands find his pockets to nestle deep within. His expression quickly became a lopsided scowl that screamed on its own: "That's it? Nothing? Nothing at all?" Anybody else would've let their appearance speak for them, but Ren was his own sort of special someone. "Oi.. oi, oi, oi, oi." With every 'oi' Ren just sounded more and more irritated. He let a sigh escape his pursed lips and grumbled, "No one is here to greet me. What's with that?" He enunciated each syllable clearly and loudly.
The young boy stood around for a second longer, before letting out an exasperated groan and beginning to walk. "I just wanted to spend my first walk to the academy with someone else, ya knoooo~w?" Ren mused out loud, his tone drawn out and exaggerated. Even the way he walked was exaggerated and eccentric: sticking one leg out completely..step. Sticking the other leg out completely..step. "Jeez.. here and there are exactly the same. Nobody's around when I'm around!" The 'there' Ren mentioned was his precious secret; one that would not easily be divulged. Except, possibly, to someone special. Ren sighed again, this time more subdued than before. I wish I had someone special. I don't even have friends.. I haven't made any breakthroughs with the others at the orphanage either. This place isn't bad, but.. Ren's thoughts trailed off. With a snap he threw his head back, drew in a deep breath, raised his fists once again and shouted, "O Heavens above! Thrust a beautiful angel upon me and let me begin my journey towards salvatio~n!" No voice cracks this time; just a boy, going through puberty, shouting. Some squeals here and there, but nothing too bad. Ren held his pose again with his eye squeezed shut, basking in the cold stillness of.. wherever he was. Where was he? His head snapped back into its natural resting point. Ren glanced around. He blinked, and reality set in:
Ren was completely lost. At some point during his moody journey, he must've taken a wrong turn.. or something. Ren twisted his body, looking around, scanning the area. Suddenly shy, Ren meekly raised his voice, "... Can somebody please help me?"

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

Another morning, another day of school just waiting to be tackled. Although Shuya was a little upset to see his final weekend come to an end, he was optimistic about the new school term -- particularly the new friends he would make. This was yet another chance for him to change things up, to become more outspoken, and become better known. Whether or not he'd succeed remains to be seen.

With a farewell to his parents and a quick run back to his house to pick up his forgotten lunch, he set out toward the school, hands wrapped around his bag's straps. Luckily, the weather had started to cool, so he had the perfect excuse to wear his trademarked sweatpants-hoodie combo; well, secretly trademarked. As he took step after nonchalant step along his usual route, he began to hear a voice in the distance: faint, but seemingly that of a boy. A pretty loud boy at that. Curious, Shuya strayed from his routine to find the source, eventually coming across one Koizumi, Ren, looking around as if he were lost. The barely audible "Can somebody please help me?" confirmed Shuya's suspicion.

"Um..." Shuya spoke up, naturally a little suspicious of the stranger, "do you need any help?" That question had had an obvious answer but, Shuya being Shuya, he felt he needed to ask. "If... if you want to get back to the main road, it's not too far from here. I could show you the way if you'd like." He finished off his statement by pointing in one direction, his other hand clenching the strap of his bag. He couldn't tell what it was: was he just nervous because he was talking to a stranger, or did he sense something in this boy that wasn't quite right? Maybe he was just thinking about this too much.

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

At Shuya's voice, Ren instantly hunched over into an animalistic battle stance and whipped his head around to look at the boy, adding his own "Dwaa~ang!" sound effect. Suffice to say, Ren felt blessed. "My gift from the Heavens!!" he exclaimed, rushing over to Shuya's side. He grabbed the other boy's shoulders and held him tightly. "Hey!.. Hey, yeah. Hey ya." Ren paused, letting the desperation in his voice hang in the air. Suddenly bouncing up and landing with his feet splayed farther apart, Ren shook Shuya aggressively. "Yeahyeahyeah... I need help baaa~dly!" Ren exaggerated a sob, his voice breaking and quivering. "I am lost. Please, pleaseplease.. help me?" He stopped shaking the poor boy, and removed his hands from his body.. for a second. Ren slide down to his knees and hugged Shuya around his waist, pulling him close and holding him tight. "I was so alone, ya know?! But Heaven answered me..! You're my ticket." His voice cracked again as he faked crocodile tears, and moved his face upwards with a sigh and stared at Shuya's face.
Blinded by excitement, he hadn't noticed how.. dull the new arrival looked. With a plain expression and plain hair, Shuya didn't seem to stand out much. And to add to that, his clothes were.. also, rather plain. Soft, but plain. The only thing that Ren could be bothered to stare at was Shuya's eyes. A pretty orange. "Heyyyy." Ren drawled out, lifting his face from Shuya's stomach. "You're so boring looking, but your eyes... they really are something!" He was in awe at how stunning the plain boy's eyes were. It was like enjoying a nice balance between Summer and Autumn.. fresh leaves that are already somehow turning orange. He placed his chin back onto the boy's tummy, relaxing his grip. "Buuut.. Nobody is going to look at your eyes if you don't make yourself stand out." Ren propped up suddenly, back on his own two feet. He realized for the first time, too, that he loomed over Shuya. Not too much, but just enough to stroke Ren's ego. He reached out and brushed Shuya's bangs aside. "A stronger color like red would do nicely! Everybody would look at you, then." Ren smiled his first sincere smile this morning.
"Also.." he started to add, "I'm going to be late if you don't hurry and show me the way back."

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

Once Shuya was noticed, he recoiled a bit. The... battle stance? that Ren decided to display more than caught him off guard. The sound effect only added to that surprise. The exclamation was the cherry on top. "H-hey!" Shuya exclaimed, suddenly finding himself being grabbed by the stranger. Ren spoke to Shuya as if he had known him forever. As if they hadn't just met less than a minute ago. It was all very overwhelming and Shuya wanted nothing more than to get away from the situation, but he could do nothing but sit there and hear the boy out. But... every word Ren spoke, Shuya couldn't help but think that this was just a ploy. Some kind of game Ren wanted to play. No one could possibly be that dramatic, right?

"W-well... Like I said, I can help you." He looked down at his leg's captor and attempted to display the friendliest smile he could. "But I'll need my legs back for that." His request wasn't immediately acknowledged, however. Something else had seemed to grab the eccentric lad's attention: how boring Shuya apparently looked. "Boring?" Sure, Shuya wasn't the flashiest dresser, often putting comfort ahead of fashion, but he never in a million years thought he looked boring. In fact, the one thing Ren pointed out as being remarkable was something Shuya couldn't control: his own eyes!

At last, Ren rose to his feet, brushing Shuya's bangs aside and giving him a little recommendation on his hair color. Red? A huge difference from his natural brown color, but one that would make him stand out for sure. But did he even want to stand out? He was pretty comfortable with the amount of attention he had already and, while he wished his peers would notice him more, he always thought his behavior was the thing holding him back from getting more. Shuya took a step away from Ren, rolling a few thin locks of hair through his fingers, trying to imagine himself with red hair. "I'll... keep that in mind. I wouldn't want you to be late, nor would I want to be late either, so follow me." With that he turned around and started walking, beckoning Ren to come with him. "Where are you headed, anyway?" he added, not even turning to make sure the boy was following him properly. At this point, he was just so surprised that all he wanted to do was get to class, cool down, and forget all about this weird encounter.

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

"I'm headed to the academy. Ya know, THE academy. With a captial A. Though, I guess I didn't say it that way the first two times." In spite of Shuya's lackluster appearance, Ren found him incredibly amusing. He was awkward and bumbling.. Ren decided he wanted to tease him some more. He skipped forward to catch up with Shuya, who seemed intent on absconding. Sometimes Ren would feel so insecure about being near another person that he kept them on his blind side, but Ren really was so intrigued by Shuya that staring at the shorter, softer boy felt like the right thing to do. He walked alongside Mr.Plain McPants for a second longer before reaching his hand out to grab Shuya's sleeve. He peered at Shuya's face again, intently studying his face. Ren huffed, "Sorry, sorry. Did I scare you?" his voice was more kind than before. Though he was sorry, he wasn't exactly done. The taller boy leaned down and moved his face in close to Shuya's as they continued to walk. "Whe~re are you going? You don't seem like a capital-Ayyy-cademy student." As Ren talked in his high-pitched sing-song voice once more, he snaked his hand down, previously grasping Shuya's sleeve, to grab Shuya's hand. "Its more fun walking together if we hold hands, ya know?" His whole face beamed; Ren seemed pretty satisfied with himself all over again. "Oh!" Ren stopped walking and let go of Shuya. "Duh... introductions. What's your name?" Though Ren really did care about the stranger before him, he left no time for response. "My name is-" he did a dramatic pose, sliding his left foot behind him, leaning forward, and thrusting his fists towards the sky. "Koi! Zu! Mi! Re~n!" With each syllable he pumped his fists and punched at the air in front of him. I'm glad.. to finally have someone to talk to. Ren smiled and held his pose as he waited for Shuya's response.

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

The academy? With a... capital A, apparently. Shuya kept walking, keeping his brisk stride, fully aware that the boy was creeping up behind him. Well, it was less of a creep and more of a skip, hop, and jump routine that soon had the two walking side by side. "I've seen that place. I pass by it all the time on my way to school. It shouldn't be too far from here." While he looked around to make sure he was leading Ren the right way, as even someone who walked the same route numerous times could take a wrong turn every now and then, he felt his sleeve being tugged. Looking at the source of the tugging, he came face to face with his acquaintance, who had apparently taken quite an interest in his face. "I'm not... scared, exactly." He figured the wide-eyed look he shot right back at Ren would complete his thought and get the point across for him. Still, surprisingly, during all this, the two never broke their stride. They just looked a little silly staring at each other, with Shuya occasionally looking at the road ahead, while walking.

"I'm not a capital A-cademy student. My parents usually keep me away from that place. Something about it being too dangerous." Although, right now, the Academy seemed like a walk in the park compared to this. When Shuya felt Ren's hand wrap around his, his first reaction was to pull away. Looking at the beaming face changed his mind. At the very least, it seemed being around Shuya made Ren happier. Much happier than he was a few moments ago. "My n-" Shuya began to speak, promptly cut off by the eccentric Ren who not only decided to give his name but did so with what could only be described as a flair that would rival even cartoon characters. At this point, Shuya had stopped walking completely, transfixed by the sight before him. "Shuya," he said after a few moments of silence. "Takagi, Shuya. Nice to meet you," he added, continuing to lead the way to the capital A-cademy. Those last four words were mumbled, sounding like much more like slurred speech than any distinguishable words.

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

Although not entirely pleased with Shuya's reaction to his totally awesome introduction, Ren chased after him anyway. "Nice to meet you, Shuya~kun!" Ren blinked as he realized he accidentally talked over Shuya; the other boy made his voice sound so small that Ren had not even noticed until they finished their sentences. "Oh!.. Sorry." He sheepishly apologized as Shuya began to walk again. Ren reached up and scratched his head, momentarily messing up the already-wild warm purple lockets.
He watched the other boy go before sprinting after him, "Ya know, the capslock-A-capslock-cademy isn't bad at all, it-" Ren started, though he never got the chance to finish. In his passionate jog to catch up with his tour guide, he hadn't been paying attention to the ground at all; as such, it was only natural that he would find himself stepping on a pebble that was probably too big to be called a pebble. It threw off his whole equilibrium. Before Ren hit the ground with a squeal, his ankle rolled and his foot twisted inward. The weight on his awkwardly placed foot had caused a sprain; one that Ren, who was now rolling on the ground groaning, was all too aware of. The sharp, fresh pain that came with the injury kept Ren laying down for a second. Upon propping himself up, the sprainee found himself with a few scrapes on his knees. "Jeez.." he whimpered, pulling himself up completely. His brow furrowed with worry as he tried to walk naturally.. only to be nearly knocked down again. "Gah.." Ren's eye found Shuya's and he smiled with a goofy look on his face. Dramatically slapping his hands together as if in prayer, he implored his savior. "Shuya~kuuu~n. Can you do me another favor?" his voice shaked a little. "I don't think I can walk on my own now." His face flushed with embarrassment over the whole situation. First, he got lost. Okay, no big deal-- except he got saved by some normie looking kid with some incorrect perceptions of the job Ren aspired to do. That didn't necessarily make him upset.. he'd been enjoying the other's company thus far. But then, when trying to persuade Shuya to change his feelings about the Academy, Ren tripped on a stupid rock that anybody else would have just kicked around, or stepped over. And now, Ren was probably going to be dependent 100% on Shuya to get all the way to school.. he felt guilty. Shuya's going to be late because of me. After this, he won't want to see me again..

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

"It's fine," Shuya responded to Ren's sheepish apology. Shuya didn't necessarily mind being cut off like that. After spending five minutes with Ren, he had come to expect something like that. While completely unfamiliar, it was pretty amusing to see this clear opposite of a person in front of him. As Shuya listened to Ren go on about the Academy, mainly due to his own curiosity with the place he'd seen numerous times yet never walked into, he suddenly heard a yelping noise and found himself being pulled down. Although he was able to avoid completely wiping out on the ground, his companion was not so lucky. "H-hey! Are you okay?" Shuya asked, worried, even though the answer was right in front of him. While it seemed Ren hadn't been seriously hurt, he did suffer enough of an injury that it kept him from being able to walk properly, let alone follow Shuya's brisk steps. And, if Ren hadn't surprised Shuya enough, he decided to, while on the ground, clap his hands together and ask for help. It was a pretty over the top way of doing so but, again, Shuya had come to expect this of Ren.

"I suppose I have no choice," he responded, taking his bag off and placing it down next to Ren. He followed this by turning around, crouching to one knee, and holding out his arms behind him while motioning with his hands for Ren to come on. "I don't want to be late, and I'm sure you don't want to be late either. The best thing I could do is carry you the rest of the way; luckily it isn't far from here. You'll have to go to the nurse or whatever they have at that academy on your own though." Strangely, Shuya spoke with such confidence here, not a hint of hesitation to be heard. While he was nowhere near the point where he could talk to Ren without any reservations, he did know that he had a mission to complete. He couldn't just leave this guy on his own; that wouldn't sit well with him at all. "You'll also have to carry my bag since I won't be able to." Also, he thought to himself, looking at Ren and then at the road ahead, I really hope he isn't too heavy.

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

Ren hesitated at Shuya's advance. He was suddenly feeling shy. Isn't this the kind of moment people in romance novels are pining for? He tried to keep his expression as it was before, so as not to betray the mildly embarrassing thoughts he was having. "..Mmhm." Ren nodded. "That's fine. Thanks." His tone was much more mellow than before. Humbled by his injury, Ren reached for Shuya's bag and slid it on. I suppose this is what I was secretly hoping for, Ren mused as he pulled himself up onto Shuya's back and wrapped his arms around Shuya's neck. "My weight shouldn't be a problem, I think." He thought out loud without any prompting. "There was a long period of time where I wasn't eating well and I'm still adjusting to the treatment here." He supposed it was fairly obvious he wasn't born in Kumo. His awkward bumbling through the streets and even managing to get lost made quite a case for that impression. With a sigh Ren nuzzled his face into the crook of Shuya's neck. "Ya know.." he mumbled, picking up where he left off before his tumble, "Shinobi do stuff like this, too." His voice was muffled due to his position, but he went on. "Helping others who can't help themselves is a primary goal of shinobi." Ren perked up and smiled down at Shuya. "It's tough work to get to that point where you're allowed to help people as a shinobi, but it’s worth it." Ren stopped himself, his grin disappearing. "I'm still a student, though. The training can be scary, but if you hold onto the goal of helping people..it kind of gives you the strength to push forward." The academy student smiled once more and poked at Shuya's face. "You have that kindness in you." Ren leaned his face back down and let it rest again against Shuya's neck. "I hope I can be like you in that regard." Ren had never been able to easily understand people. Despite that, he had always felt a deep pull to do good things for others.. maybe that was why he put on such an energetic front: to cheer people up and make them happy. Ren closed his eye and listened intently at Shuya's breathing. If it gets too tough for him, I'll try walking on my own. Though he secretly hoped they could remain as they were; it was nice.

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

Once Ren had secured himself on Shuya's back, complete with arms wrapped around his neck, Shuya stood up and let out a brief, but audible, grunt. While Ren wasn't the heaviest of people, he was still the size of a whole person. And Shuya, being mostly a sheltered bookworm most of his life, had close to no experience with lifting anything heavier than groceries; and even that, depending on how full the bag was and how many bags he had to carry, could be difficult. "At least you're adjusting now." Shuya couldn't really think of anything else to say in response. While he thought to ask where exactly 'here' was, part of him felt the answer was obvious and, not wanting to be laughed at, decided against it. Putting one foot in front of the other was the only thing he felt he needed to do at the moment. Thankfully, the trip wasn't just the sound of stray leaves rustling or pebbles being kicked to the side under Shuya's feet. While he slowly, but surely, made his way down the road, he listened to Ren's speech, chiming in every now and then with a 'really?' or a 'huh.'

"I don't... think I'm that kind." Shuya finally responded, looking ahead at the increasingly visible top of the large building that had to be the academy. "All I've done is give you a lift. I'm sure anyone in my position would do the same." Shuya's mind, at this point, couldn't comprehend any other possibility. No one would leave a kid sitting on the ground unable to take any more than a few steps, right? "Honestly, I've thought about joining the academy. But it's never gone further than a thought. I just don't think I could make it there." Shuya thought back to his parents discussing the stories they'd heard from friends in the academy and them warning him about the dangers of the world. It wasn't exactly the stories they told that made him reluctant to try becoming a shinobi. It was more the concern they displayed whenever those stories came up. As if the possibility of Shuya getting in any of those situations was just too much for them to bare. That alone convinced him that maybe it was better he stuck to what he was good at. "Have you ever felt that way?"

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

"Wahaaaaa!" Ren laughed at the suggestion that anyone else may have helped him. "No, no. I mean, maybe if I were gentle like you, but.." He didn't finish his sentence, instead opting to pinch Shuya's cheek. "It means a lot to me that you were here to help, Shuya~kuuu~n." Ren's enthusiastic tone had returned and he was smiling once more. At least, until the topic of parents came up. His smile stayed but it looked painful and forced. Truth be told, his memories of his own parents was getting foggier and more distant with each passing day. Maybe he was intentionally forgetting, or it was a side effect of trauma. Ren couldn't tell. Shuya's question drew him back into reality. His smile softened. "I don't have any purpose without the goal of becoming a shinobi." Ren didn't elaborate any further. If he said too much, his past could be found out. Though, with the state of Kumo, him having lied about himself probably wouldn't cause much conflict. He tightened his grip on Shuya. "Hey, ya know? If you transfer to the Academy, we could be classmates." Ren paused, fearing he was getting ahead of himself. He had never had any friends, and hardly any acquaintances.. so Shuya being here, and helping him, and talking with him made Ren want to never let him go. Selfishly, Ren finished his thoughts. "Then, if we're classmates, we could be together and protect one another. I could return the favor for today!" He gave a soft chuckle and recoiled his face so he couldn't see Shuya's expression. If he was going to get rejected, he didn't want to face it head-on. Still, he started to feel desperate. Completely deadpan and blunt, he burst out: "I don't have any friends." Flustered that he let that slip, he clamped his mouth shut. Though maybe that too was obvious, seeing as he had been walking alone earlier.

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

"No purpose without that goal," Shuya mumbled to himself, wondering what Ren could possibly mean by that. Surely everyone has a goal, whether they become a shinobi or not, right? That's what he was always told and had come to believe. However... Shuya hadn't exactly figured out what his goal in life was. Whatever he eventually decided to do, he just knew he wanted to make his parents happy. Just as Ren brought up the possibility of them becoming classmates, the Academy had come into view, the logo clearly visible and easily readable. To Shuya's surprise, the building was a lot larger than he had previously thought. He had never given it much of a second glance, despite the number of times he walked past it, but now that he was intentionally going towards it, its size was honestly quite intimidating.

"The idea of joining the Academy still seems a bit scary to me. But I guess," Shuya paused, wondering if he even wanted to finish that sentence. His former courage had, once again, taken a backseat. He was once again the usual, often hesitant Takagi, Shuya. Before he even got the chance to finish, though, Ren dropped a bombshell on him: He didn't have any friends. While he thought it was a strange thing to tell someone Ren had just met, Shuya could sympathize with him. Despite attending the same school for years, due to his hesitant nature, he never had anyone he could call a 'friend.' Just numerous 'acquaintances.' "I guess if I didn't have to go through the Academy alone, it would be fine. Having a friend would make it easier. Speaking of which, there it is." At last, their destination was right in front of them.

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

Ren's heart skipped a beat when Shuya mused about going to the academy.. and then it sank again when the school came into view. His time with Shuya had been more comforting than anything else he had been through since coming to Kumo.. and in spite of how nice it had been, he didn't quite feel like he had accomplished what he had wanted to get out of Shuya. Though he hadn't particularly focused on achieving that goal, either. "Another thing about your eyes.." Ren began, staring up at the academy, "Is there's a passion behind them. You've got potential, I think." Ren glanced up at the sky and drew in a deep breath. He patted Shuya's shoulder, and before sliding off of his back, gave him a quick peck on the cheek. The initial pain of his twisted ankle had subsided, so Ren found it a lot easier to limp around on his own. "Thank you for your help, Shuya~kuuu~n." He smiled over at his newfound companion as he circled around him and made his way up towards the academy with an awkward gait. Ren slowed as he got closer to the front doors. He hesitated for a brief second, before turning back to face Shuya. "Uhmmmooo~h. Can I ask another favor of you?" This was the third one.. Ren felt he was building up a lot of karma he'd have to return. "Can you walk me home after class? It'd be nice to see you again." His awkward smile made the sentence seem sort of heart-warming, in a way. Ren's body language was even awkward; his hands shoved into his pocket as he put his weight on his good foot. Ren was nervous, and could hardly stand staring down at Shuya as he awaited his answer.

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

Now that the duo had reached the Academy, Shuya was finally able to take a break. Even if he was still carrying Ren at this point, just being able to stop moving was more than enough for him; the trip from their starting point to here wasn't exactly a short one. Potential, huh? Shuya had been told many times before that he had the potential to do or be something, but he never took it as more than what a parent would usually tell their kid. Somehow, hearing Ren tell him that he had potential while at the same time knowing close to nothing about him, made Shuya happy. It was the first time he'd heard that he had potential and actually believed it. But, "If... you say so," was the only thing he could spit out in response.

Just as Ren got off Shuya's back, Shuya's hand rose to cover his cheek. The kiss left on it, while an odd gesture, was one that he was sure had a lot of gratitude behind it. "Glad to help," Shuya added, waiting until Ren was safely in the Academy before leaving. Thankfully, the injury wasn't very major, and Ren was able to walk on his own two feet. "Can I ask another favor of you?" Shuya heard just as he turned around, looking to see Ren in a much more reserved stance than before. It certainly was a unique sight. With the question that would soon accompany that stance, though, it was understandable. "S-Sure. I'll walk you home." Maybe the time they spent together was causing him to develop a sweet spot for his new companion. Whatever the reason, he didn't see the harm in coming back here to take Ren home. He'd be walking down this road anyway. "I'm not sure when classes are finished for you, so I apologize if you end up having to wait long."

...

Hours later, the school day had come to a close. Shuya followed the rest of the class out of the room, lugging his backpack as usual. Lots of homework to get done tonight... I wish the break was longer. Unsurprisingly, on his way down his usual route, he came across a familiar face waiting for him at the entrance of the academy. "Hey, Ren-kun, I'm here," he exclaimed, waving the boy over. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

The academy student's face lit up.. his smile beamed stronger than it had at all that morning. Ren waved goodbye to Shuya as he turned to enter the school building, "That's not a problem.. See you then!" Ren needed all the time he could get.. what he had planned could end up being very time-consuming.

...

Ren's head snapped up when Shuya greeted him. His expression was.. a bit fearful and uncertain. Still he managed a smile. "Heya, Shuya-ku~n." His voice trembled slightly; when he heard the shaky words come out of his mouth he was slightly embarrassed. Now adorned with crutches and a properly compressed ankle, he could support himself. His use of the crutches was a bit awkward.. he lumbered towards Shuya while keeping his face towards the ground, concentrating hard on moving. However, even as he got close to Shuya and stopped hopping forward, he kept his face down. "Uh..uhm." Ren began, his hesitation clearly audible. "I.. I don't know how to say this." His face flushed. Avoiding eye contact, he reached down and fumbled around in his pockets. After a second of nervous searching, Ren drew in a deep breath and held it. With both hands, he thrust a sealed envelope towards Shuya; because of the shifted position of his arms, Ren's crutches fell to the ground. Still, he did not make any move from his stiff position, awkwardly balancing on one foot. "I don't..know how to make friends, but.. This is for you!" His voice cracked at the last note and Ren kept his face lowered to the ground. This is embarrassing, he thought to himself, This is really embarrassing. He tried to recall exactly what he had written, scanning his memory to make sure he didn't write anything incredibly stupid. Though, it's not like he could change what was written now.

"Dear Shuya-kun,
Thank you very much for helping me today. Before you arrived, I had prayed to God to send me an angel.. and then you appeared! So I really believe we're meant to stand by each other. But even though you're my angel, you seem very meek. So, I want to protect you, too. I'll work really hard to be worthy of standing by your side and to keep you safe. As long as you're by my side, I think I'll be capable of anything! I know we just met today, and maybe one could think that not enough has happened between us so far for this kind of bond to have formed. It may even just be one-sided. Maybe I'm only attached because you're the first person to extend such kindness towards me.. but I really want to repay you! So please, let me stand by your side as your first official friend. It'd mean the world to me!
Love, Ren-tan."

After every sentence that seemed appropriate, Ren had drawn little cartoon hearts and stars. He even signed the letter with a little doodle of himself doing a peace sign.. but none of that could make up for his sloppy handwriting. Though the font he wrote in was bubbly and cute, the actual execution of it was almost impossible to read. Of course, Ren did not realize this himself. As he recounted what he wrote, word for word, all he did was beat himself up over how corny it sounded. He couldn't help but feel maybe he was going too fast.. maybe this letter would push Shuya away instead of bring him closer. Those kinds of thoughts raced through his head as his shaky hands extended the letter to the other student. The way Ren was shaking was almost comical; he was jittery and it was obvious. The anxiety from the whole situation was causing Ren to practically vibrate.

 

[Shuya]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

"I see you went to the nurse," Shuya responded to the greeting, the new crutches and ankle compress being a dead giveaway. "I hope you don't have to be in them long." While Shuya, himself, had never broken a bone or sprained an ankle badly enough to need crutches, he knew how cumbersome they could be for those unfortunate enough to have to use them. So, his sympathy was with Ren. He wouldn't get the chance to think too much about that, however, as he watched Ren, clearly much more nervous than earlier, slowly moved closer to him, pulled out a sealed letter, and handed it to the young lad. "Ah!" Shuya exclaimed, watching the crutches fall to the ground. He bent down and picked up the crutches, exchanging them for the letter. Something about him getting a letter this way reminded him of a story he'd overheard occasionally, especially at school. Usually, a girl would give a guy a letter like this and, in the letter, would be a written confession. Wait. Is he seriously...? As that thought ran through Shuya's head, he hurried and opened the letter to see what was inside.

The handwriting was, well, quite messy. It certainly wasn't in any font or style Shuya had been used to reading, so trying to decipher the message was a task. Still, he could make out some words here and there and connect the dots between difficult areas. Truthfully, half the time he was distracted by the cartoonish shapes added every few sentences. While he knew he wouldn't be able to read this out loud if prompted, he had read enough of it to give him an idea of what Ren tried to say. So it wasn't that, huh? Shuya thought to himself, giving a heavy exhale of relief. He had no idea how he'd be able to handle such a situation and was beyond thankful that it was just a friendship invitation. But even that was more than enough. Despite Shuya being determined to make at least one friend today, ultimately he was unsuccessful. Even with all his self-coaching during the break, he still couldn't bring himself to talk to one of his classmates. They were just too... different. How he ever worked up the courage to talk to Ren earlier, he'll probably never know.

After reading the letter, Shuya folded it back up and placed it back in the envelope. He looked back up at the nervously shaking Ren and, honestly, couldn't help himself from smiling. "You don't have to repay me." he finally said, believing that 'repay' was the correct word he read. "I'll walk alongside you to make sure you can move properly. The last thing I'd want is for you to fall," he added, taking a few steps forward until he was side-by-side with Ren. There were a million things Shuya thought to say, but none of them would've accurately got his point across than this: "Shall we go now, first official friend?"

[Topic left unless stopped!]

 

[Koizumi Ren]

Re: Hoppin' and Skippin' to ..here, accidentally. [private]

A squeal couldn't help escape Ren's mouth as an elated grin crossed his face. He even felt a bit teary-eyed at Shuya's words. Putting his crutches back under his arms, Ren's posture finally relaxed. He could not have wished for a better outcome than this- he was absolutely ecstatic about how things had turned out. His nervousness completely gone, Ren had no issue returning to his regularly scheduled program of strange eccentricities. "Nyeeehheyy, Shuya-ku~n." He gently nudged the other boy, careful not to fall over because of his injury. "The world needs more people like you!" He chuckled at his own statement- not because the thought was funny or insincere, but because he truly did believe that. In such a short time, Shuya had, in Ren's opinion, displayed the kinder side of humanity. It was nostalgic and familiar to Ren, like eating your mother's cooking after many years of nothing but junk food. Although the orphanage Ren resided at was lavish, there wasn't exactly much love, either. So having someone like Shuya at Ren's side, in Ren's opinion, was the exact supplementary motivation he needed. As they walked home together, Ren could only hope that there would be many more school days like this in the future, wherein the two would walk side by side.

[thread left]