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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 6:38:20 GMT -5
The teen blushed under the praise, and was completely unable to look at his grandfather, instead watching the scenery go from being rural township to being seaside feilds. He even gasped a little when the sea came into view. It'd been a while since he had come to visit his grandfather.
"I can cook, a little, sensei." He offered, knowing that his mother had taught him how, but that he wasn't sure if he'd be able to cook requests. After all, he wasn't exactly an EXPERT.
"It... would be nice... to practice with you again." Kazuma had to admit it, his dark eyes turning to his sensei. "I missed it... Practicing in the garden, like we did... before..." He shrugged, unsure what BEFORE he meant, because there were a lot of them.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 16, 2012 6:49:22 GMT -5
He wasn't surprised that Kazuma was able to cook. He spent a lot of time with his mother, or he used to, anyway. But, he was pleased all the same. At least Kazuma was passionate about something. "Alright. I can do okay myself, so we should be able to find something we can eat. We will be spending a lot of time together." As they approached the sea, he could see the surprise on Kazuma's face. The boy used to love the sea. When the bullying first started, Kazuma spent the summer with him. They were on the beach every day, trained in the gardens, ran in the mornings, trained under the rising sun on the beach. They swam every day too. Kazuma was stronger then, and he was so much happier too.
"I miss before too." he said, smiling at him. He wondered what Kazuma wanted out of this. He honestly, really wondered what he should be thinking. "But, we can make before the present, we just need to work on it. It's not as warm as it was during that summer, but we can work on things inside."
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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 6:57:25 GMT -5
Kazuma nodded, wanting before to be now also. The last half hour of the drive was spend mostly in silence, each trying not to make it any more awkward. Kazuma used the time to reply to Mercury and also to think over exactly what he wanted out of this. Spending time with his sensei would be AWESOME, but he needed some kind of goal... King Kazma was already world champion... And he couldn't think of anything he wanted... other than to be left alone...
His reply was thus: "You shouldn't spend the extra on two day shipping... I'm okay waiting for it. Or, I could give you some for the shipping. As you said, it's a pretty useless item."
He felt guilty asking for so much when the shipping was going to be ridiculous. Then he realised, that the other had given him information, telling him he was greek. How strange...
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Post by Fateful on Jan 16, 2012 7:03:58 GMT -5
The rest of the drive was silent, but pleasant. Mansuke had time to think about what he wanted to do and how he was going to change his work schedule to spend time with Kazuma. And yes, despite his age, he still worked. and he worked hard! But he loved what he did for a living, so it didn't really feel like work to him. A smile met his lips at the thought of teaching Kazuma the ways of a fisherman. The boy wasn't built for work on a boat, but who knows, he might enjoy it if he gave it a try. And it would only be for a day or so.
"Eh, I don't mind." Was Mercury's answer, as he tried to fall asleep in bed. "You don't have to refund me or anything. Like I said, I really needed this item. I got all the others I needed from noobs and idiots. So, whatever. I got some of them for a steal, literally. I did some trash coding for pathetic styles of martial arts. Besides, I was really rude to you. You gave me what I needed on a leap of faith. I could have backed out and been a douche about this. I wanted to do something to show you how much I appreciate what you did."
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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 7:11:16 GMT -5
Mercury's reply came, just as they were exiting the car, stepping onto the sandy beaches just behind Mansuke's home. He read through it, and found that this was definately one of the least douchey of his online aquaintances. So, he did what any person who'd found a person online they could talk to would do. He added him to his friends list. I still disagree with macros, but if it helps gain enjoyment for the sport, then it's understandable. And I appreciate what you are doing for me as well. I hope you don't mind me adding you to my friend's list."
Going into his granpa's cabin by the sea, he set his things down. There were really only four rooms to the house. The bedroom, the kitchen, the living room and the bathroom. Kazuma remembered that the last time he'd stayed here, he'd been young enough he and his sensei had just shared a bed. This time, he figured he'd use a futon in the livingroom. Because otherwise, it might be awkward...
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Post by Fateful on Jan 16, 2012 14:05:58 GMT -5
Still disagreed with macros? He chuckled and shook his head. He did have the right to feel that way, but it was kinda stupid. Macros was made to help. "I'd offer you macros, but I don't really know much about the way King Kazuma besides the fact he does Kung Fu. I could make you a single attack just to show you the use of macros. It's like training." He said, trying to make this clear. "It's like finding an attack in a book that your sensei doesn't know and learning it on your own. Oz can't possibly learn all forms of every single battle style. That's why they let me sell power-ups. And I only deal with experienced fighters. Only those that have skill get things from me. I don't deal with noobs and I don't give things to those who don't deserve it."
Mansuke rubbed the top of Kazuma's head, smiling at him. "You can sleep in the bedroom, Kazuma." He stated, picking up one of the boy's duffle bags, his bones creaking. He disregarded his back issues, because he thought Kazuma deserved some privacy. And it his place to give up his place to sleep for his guest.
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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 14:15:51 GMT -5
Kazuma looked up from the message he'd been sent, to see his elderly grandfather toting around his bags and claiming that the teen would be the one on the bed. Dark eyes closed in minor annoyance, and he shuffled forward, taking the bags gently from the male, and setting them beside the couch.
"I... WANT to sleep on the floor, sensei. That way, it's like... a training camp. Besides..." Here he blushed and looked away, "I'm not used to sleeping in western beds. So I can just use a futon out here." He smiled warmly, "Sensei deserves the bed. I'm the one who's intruding here."
Sitting down on the couch, he didn't bother listening to his sensei's excuses, because he was stubborn too, and he wasn't gonna change his mind. Typing up a reply, he sent it pretty quickly, wanting the other to realise.
"I understand. But every move King Kazma does, I know by heart and can perform in my own body. Except for the flying. That's not physically possible IRL. I just feel that someone should study what they're doing online. Not spend fifty dollars on a macro so they can do a roundhouse kick like chuck norris."
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Post by Fateful on Jan 16, 2012 14:24:53 GMT -5
Mansuke watched the boy, knowing that determined look in those dark eyes, and he smiled, nodding. "Alright then." He put down his things and smiled at the other. "Get settled, I'm starving." He walked into the kitchen, looking around for something to make them for a late breakfast. It was foolish for him not to eat before he left, but he had to get up a little before six in the morning to be at Kazuma's house by eight. He was a little too lazy to get up that early to make himself some rice.
Xerxes... actually genuinely respected him for that. "Wow, seriously? Dude, that's awesome! I wish I was half that talented. I'm just... sorta like a code monkey, I can't really fight. But how many things can you do outside of the game that King Kazuma can't do because Oz doesn't allow it? I'm willing to bet that he could only be enhanced. If I programmed something wrong, unlike everyone else, you could correctly, or, conversely, you could help me program it. But that's your choice. I just want you to know the reason I do what I do. Mercury isn't a fighter, he's a trader. I think of myself as a Sensei, and that's what they call me for what I give them. And I do have the train them to learn the keys that activate the moves." Even though Mercury didn't battle, he still fought with others and was considered to be pretty good. Despite his slow and "pathetic" animal, being a tortoise, the wings made him faster and he was hard to injure, considering the size and strength of his shell. Whenever he gave an AV macros, part of the fee he charged them was the time it would take to train them to use it properly, and he would spend a few days, if he had to.
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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 14:33:41 GMT -5
Another quick reply. Kazuma was kind of impressed. He typed fast, yes, but this guy was capable of putting up quick responses much quicker, and full ones too. He also made good points. There were some things that he was able to do in real life that OZ just couldn't simulate. He sighed a little, as he walked into the kitchen, typing out his own response.
"That is a very good point. But instead of selling them, I beleive OX would be better served if you just put them into the coding, and let people discover them. Perhaps then, they will understand the kind of toil real martial artists go through."
Then, he set his phone down, gently bumping his sensei out of the way. "Go sit, rest. I'll make us breakfast sensei." He smiled, a small smile, offering to do the labor so his grandfather wouldn't have to.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 16, 2012 14:43:05 GMT -5
Huh... That was actually a better point than the one he made. He hadn't ever thought that Oz would do something like that, so he shifted. "Well, they do, to some extent. But as I said, they couldn't possibly do everything, that's why they get paid a part of whatever I do. All of the attacks you use is what Oz allows you to do, right? So it did learn some of them, but with everything Oz does, it wouldn't possibly give everything away for free. Oz is a business, like everything else in the world. They give the battle zone a lot of work, updates. it runs than almost any other Oz server. They give you a lot of stuff for winning too. So, that money has to come from somewhere. Coding is how I use Oz to make money, aside from the job I already have. I can't claim to know what learning martial arts is like, but not everyone is as dedicated as you are."
The long pause in response allowed Xerxes, despite how much he wanted to talk to Kazuma, to fall asleep.
Mansuke smiled at the boy. He watched him and nodded. He was so independent and thoughtful. He wished, more than anything, that Kazuma could just gain back his confidence. He was able to do so much, but he was just... so uncomfortable around others. Not that he could blame him, he'd been picked on, bullied, threatened, and that was before he came out. High school was so much worse for him than elementary and junior high.
"Kazuma?" he asked, sitting at the table. "I want to ask you something, and if you don't want to talk about it, you can tell me that, okay?"
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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 14:52:59 GMT -5
The brunette paused. Two things at once. A reply from Mercury, and his grandfather's voice sounding like he was going to ask if Kazuma knew about the birds and the bees. Oh god... So awkard! He almost wished he hadn't offered to make breakfast. But instead of dwelling on it, he pulled out three eggs, and a bit of milk, and started scrambling it together.
Pulling out some bread, he dipped it into the eggy mixture, and nodded. "Hai, Sensei. Ask." He offered this as a truce, because he wanted to make his sensei happy, and he wanted everyone to stop thinking he was such a pitiful child. He wasn't. Not really. He just... wasn't worth all the hype they put up about him. It was Natsuki and Kenji who saved the day, with some help from Wabisuke. All Kazuma had done was get knocked around and cried a little.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 16, 2012 14:58:53 GMT -5
Kazuma couldn't be more wrong. Sure, he didn't save the day, but he was the only reason they got as far as they did. The original idea to stop Love Machine with his battle strategy was amazing, but it was just too hot without air conditioning. He did so well, and fought as hard as he could. Samurai were admired for the skill they possessed. They won, and they lost, but they always retained his dignity, even in death. Kazuma fought hard, and even though he did not save the world with koi koi, as Natsuki did, Mansuke knew that Natsuki had been inspired by Kazuma. He was the reason she won, even if there was nothing he could do about it then.
But, in the aftermath, he saved their entire family. It was Kazuma, not Kenji, who stopped Love Machine from dropping that bomb on their house.
"Why did you stop going to school?" The question was firm, but quiet, showing that Mansuke was unaware of what happened in his grandson's life that caused him to hate that school so much. He worked day and night to get into that school, because it was one of the best, and then he just... quit going. He might have been gay, but a fight with his father shouldn't merit him completely withdrawing from school.
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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 15:09:39 GMT -5
The question didn't have a simple answer. It harked back to the days in middleschool when he was made fun of for being weak, when he was bullied for being meek and quiet. He still didn't know what he'd done to earn the hatred of his entire class. Everyone thought picking on him was a wonderful way to releive the stress of being a middle schooler in Japan.
Tacks in his shoes, garbage in his desk, borrowing his notes only to return them completely damaged beyond repair... He'd been run through the gammot. For a while he'd just... stopped talking... But his kaa-san had convinced him that things would be better in highschool, that if he got into a high class school, he'd be able to rise above it. Everyone would respect him.
But it was all lies. He'd tried so hard, passed the entrance exam with one of the highest scores they'd ever seen... But within the first week... It had started all over again. He couldn't stand it. Hated being shoved into the walls by bigger boys. Hated that he wasn't allowed to use his skills to fight back, that he never even thought to until it was over.
In the end, when he couldn't even pass all of his classes, failing his mathmatics class due to lack of concentration, he just... didn't go anymore. How could he? He'd failed his mother, he'd failed his class, and he'd gotten the worst score in history on that test. He'd forgotten to even PUT HIS NAME, he'd been so nervous.
He'd locked himself in his room that day... didn't come out for three days... Then, he came out at meals and to play with Kumai... but that was it... And then, after his fight with his father... he just stopped coming out at all.
No simple answer... but he supposed it all boiled down to, "Because I failed. I didn't see the point in going if I was just going to dissapoint everyone."
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Post by Fateful on Jan 16, 2012 15:18:41 GMT -5
The emotions that plagued his grandson's face were hidden when the teenager turned away. He sighed, watching the shoulders of his pupil and knew how hard this was for him. Kazuma had always been shy and quiet, and it reminded Mansuke much of himself when he was young. The comfort he had being loud and the center of attention when the situation called for it took years for him to be comfortable with. He wanted his grandson to be happy, but he was at a loss on how to make that happen. But he wanted it to happen, so he'd find a way, even if he had to train him for the next few years, he wanted Kazuma to be successful.
He failed... Well, he was aware of his scores. He'd done so poorly after doing so well in the entrance exam that the school actually had the nerve to question if he cheated. And, he just became so depressed that they didn't question when the student didn't come back. He was a failure, anyway, the letter had said. "You're not a disappointment to us, Kazuma. In our eyes, we are the ones who failed you."
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Post by otakulady89 on Jan 16, 2012 15:31:28 GMT -5
His shoulders tensed harder, and the spatula scraped at the eggy bread in the pan. He wanted to make sure that it didn't burn, he told himself. He wasn't trying to prove the irrationality of his sensei's statement. He was the one who failed. HE was the one who'd earned the ire of an entire class cluelessly. Obviously there was just something dislikeable about him, since it'd happened two different classes, two different schools.
"You haven't failed me, Sensei. Neither has Kaa-san... Tou-san..." He paused, unsure if he could truly say, without lying, that his father hadn't failed him. He wanted to, but it wouldn't be right. "It's why I'm here. To relearn, right? After all, I've failed so many times... that it's just not worth it to keep going. So, you're going to show me new things, right?"
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