Fault Lies With Who Now? [Akira/Natsumi]

Ice cream was better than fighting. She had only tried two flavors since she ended up in the City of Light, and there were like a dozen more Natsumi wanted to get her hands on. Strange… How did this man know what to offer Natsumi to get her to reconsider her whole mood? She watched him closely, eyes moving up and down on the suspicious guy. He… was nice? She could use the ice cream this time.

“Y’er payin’. I ain’t got no money and y’er the one offerin’ insteada fightin’,” Natsumi’s demeanor calmed. The anger in her eyes faded and the power she exuded followed. “I’ma be gettin’ me a triple scoop with caramel and sprinkles and cookie dough too.” Natsumi pulled her hat out of her backpack and placed it on her head, leaning it forward to hide her eyes. She slid her hands into her pockets and waited.

Natsumi had been out here a while, so she definitely looked poor and dirty. She was wearing an old cap, baggy jeans, and a dusty black t-shirt, so the lack of money was definitely evident. Before they left the warehouse, she picked up a large backpack, clearly stuffed with whatever she may own. The quick walk to the ice cream shop made it clear Natsumi had little to talk about. She just wanted to frozen sweet treat!

“Triple scoop, extra, extra caramel and both sprinkles, please!” Natsumi stepped up and ordered for herself, interrupting Akira with an excitedly raised voice. As they made her bowl, she was shaking like an excited child. She got hers and immediately went outside to sit at the tables the shop provided. She paid little mind to the man accompanying her until he spoke. “No job, no funds, no home, no nothin’. Why you askin'?” Natsumi said, taking a large bite of her ice cream. It caused immediate regret as her body tensed to fight off an intense brain-freeze.

“Nah, I ain’t no Vandenreicher like Natasha. She does all that sorta thing,” Natsumi spoke like this was all just a fact of life. She knew some of the Vandenreich workings because of what little Natasha told her about, but she never planned on joining them. Though, in a moment where she stopped inhaling her ice cream, she thought back to multiple people she met. Maybe joining the Vandenreich could be a good thing? It was hard to imagine, but the second red-head she met was there and he didn’t like the Duvalier either… Hm. It was somethin' to think about...

“Why you like the Vandenreich so much? You a member?” Natsumi said, pushing the conversation elsewhere as she started eating again. “You out here recruiting anyone with a little bit’a power? The hell could they do with me?”

Nom, nom, nom, nom…

Natsumi finally looked up from her ice cream, having intentionally eating the caramel and sprinkles first. Licking up a stray sprinkle from the side of her mouth, she pointed at the strange albino shinigami. “I ain’t got problems,” she said adamantly, clearly in denial. Her dirty homeless garb, clashing with the clearly brand new backpack packed to the brim, were clear indicators that she had a few issues. “Besides, Natasha is a Vandenreicher and I ain’t fond’a apologizin’ to Eiji.”

“Mmm…” Natsumi finished up the rest of her ice cream real fast, fighting off another brain freeze before throwing the bowl away in a nearby trashcan. “Why would I join the Vandenreich?” She was thinking out loud at this point, barely acknowledging Akira until she couldn’t come up with a reason. Then she looked at him. “You tell me why I would join the Vandenreich. They gonna experiment on me? They need me to fight or somethin’? People don’t keep ya if they don’t need ya.”

There weren’t many who would describe Natsumi as a woman, but Akira did not know her well. She was female, yes, but with the mindset of a young girl. Mentally, she was probably around fifteen years old. Luckily, with more exposure to the world, she was becoming a little less naive. Well, her version of naive.

“Never seen a hollow before. Heard of ‘em, but ain’t seen one yet,” Natsumi said, putting her hands behind her head and leaning back in her chair. “What’s the Vandenreich gotta do with ice crea-… What’s wrong with my fashion sense? I like my hat and my jacket and my pants. Your fashion sense is stupid! Marshmallow.”