Red, White, and Blonde [Kaoru/Akira]

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru had never been so lucky. Well, technically she had. But it had been long enough that she had forgotten. The problem with luck is that it's best to share it with someone else. And when you don't really have anyone else, well, it wasn't nearly as fun. "Who to grab... Red Car Guy? He hasn't been returning my calls. Um... Chocolate Coffee? Mmmm... she's probably working, I don't want her to get into trouble for taking time off... Kung-Fu Shades? No... I forgot to get his number." Kaoru was kicking her feet back and forth as she named off the various people she had met.

The train rolled into a station before she could figure anyone out. When the announcer named the city, a dim lightbulb flashed. She knew someone in this city. She knew someone who'd be perfect for this. Dashing off the train and almost forgetting her bag, Kaoru left well before her own stop. It'd be fine; she could always just mooch another one. She pulled out her flip-phone once more and dialed one of the myriad of contacts in there. "Hey, Library Santa? It's Kaoru—we talked about our bodies falling apart and fairy tales? So like, I'm coming over to your shop. Be there soon. Kaybye!" Without giving him a chance to answer, Kaoru hung up and began sprinting.

It took her an hour to get there because she didn't know exactly where to go, but she eventually found it. Bursting in, she found Akira quickly. She was almost bouncing with excitement. Not at necessarily seeing him, but with what she held behind her back. "I don't have a cool old book to give you or anything BUT I do have something you're totally going to like. Guess what it is!"

Lilio Candidior

AKIRA TAIRITSU

Peace. It had been a hot minute since Akira had managed to return to the estate, hearing a great deal about a plethora of locals who were eager to see him for a therapy session or two alongside grab a book. It was within this absolute serenity that he felt his phone suddenly begin buzzing with excitement or was it due to the girl behind it? Kaoru. The name that came up was: Concerning Gremlin. It was not so much a conversation but a one sided self invitation, barely able to get a word in before it hung up. Well fuck.

."No rest for the wicked I suppose..”

He mused to nobody in particular before too long, large oak doors were sprung through and the excitable entity that was Kaoru came into view. The man offered a soft smile, left hand tugging at his waist coat a bit as a brow slowly raised at this red bull induced movement, finally able to speak with a soft chuckle.

."Hello to you too Kaoru, I hope you’re fairing well? As for the gift sitting behind your back, I’m…Uncertain…I shall go with a stuffed animal of some variety? Narwhal perhaps?”

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru let out the noise of an incorrect buzzer. He had chosen wrong. Which was good. She'd've deflated had he guessed correctly. "Wroooooong. So I answered some random history question which was like totally easy if you lived in the era. This guy—I think he must have been a radio or TV host or something—he was the one asking and he was surprised I answered right. I ended up winning something—wanna see wanna see wanna see?" Without giving him a chance to answer the rhetorical question, she pulled out two laminated slips of paper.

"Two coupons for an all-inclusive three-day-two-night stay at Tsurunoyu Onsen! I was struggling to find someone to go with, but then I remembered you saying you liked some hot spring in the Rukongai. I figured it'd be a good blast from the past, don't you? C'mon, I'll even help you pack!"

Lilio Candidior

AKIRA TAIRITSU

Jazz music came to a fucking abrupt halt.

Akira blinked at Kaoru, a tirade of words that had been shockingly blocked by the sudden roadblock that was this rather abrupt surprise. Did she not have other female friends?! Not even males?! He couldn’t just tell her, hey I can’t because I have to prepare for the mass assasination of a fucking government. The man thought this didn’t take too long at all before a soft exhale followed, offering a soft cough.

."I’m rather impressed you got the answer, though regardless that is quite an expensive trip. You certain you wish to take me? Flattered as I am, engaging with a book man in a spa sounds like a one way trip of falling asleep from boredom.”

He entertained softly, a gentle laughter following as a single word echoed in his earlobe from Zathrusta.

."Pussy.”

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru's smile twitched for a moment. She wasn't expecting him to say no like that... But wait. He didn't actually say no. He just said he'd be boring. Well, too bad for him. He wouldn't be the first or the last boring person she dragged along on an escapade. "Then maybe you should get drunk. I dunno if that'd make you more fun, but it has made other people more fun to be around. Escept when they're throwing up. That part I don't like. But that doesn't matter! Just because you think you might be boring doesn't mean you would be."

"I bet you could use a nice long soak in a tub you don't have to clean afterwards. Because that's the trouble with baths. They're enjoyable, but then you gotta clean the tub afterward and it just ruins the moment, you know? Anyway, I'm not going to force you... But I think you'd have more fun than I think you think you would. Besides," Kaoru pointed to the coupons. "Free. Food. I don't think you can beat that. C'mon, just say yes and let's goooo."

Lilio Candidior

AKIRA TAIRITSU

Stareeeee.

This wasn’t going to go in a way that didn’t hurt her feelings or made him look like a fool, a valid point to Kaoru though for different reasons. When would he get another opportunity to relax after this coup? Very little time to actually use to relax to some degree. Those who overstress are bound to lead themselves into a very early grave, an intent he’d be inclined to avoid at all cost. There was no doubt some hint of mischief that she had in store but that can be handled accordingly. A soft chuckle followed before a resigned tone uttered the words.

."You’ve tied my wrists, Kaoru. I’ll come with you to the springs then.”

It was with that of which Akira began to move, heading off to pack any of the necessary requirements for an overnight trip. That and both of his phones in case of emergencies, both by work and his side project. It didn’t take long though Zathrusta was oddly silent at this point in time, once his palm hit the hilt of the zanpakuto to take along it spoke.

."We speak at the springs.”

A few blinks of confusion as Rivu’s silence had been abrupt as is ever since the fight a while ago revealed his name was incorrect. Eventually he made his way down with a smile.

."Shall we then?.”

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru's smile somehow widened. This was fantastic. Another good memory to add to the collection. She'd only been to a hotsprings... twice before, but it was always alone. And when she'd try to talk to people there, they always suddenly heard their wives or husbands calling for them... Instinctively, she knew what was going on. She just forced herself to believe it wasn't that. Instead of dwelling on that, Kaoru just nodded and shooed him away. "If you take too long, I'm coming up to help!"

Kaoru noticed a familiar style of bag he carried. She wanted to see his sword and see how it differed from ▉▉▉▉▉. She'd sneak a peak at the hot springs. She didn't help him carry anything, as it should have been his job to ask her for her bags. But that wasn't important. She wasn't one to get hung up on the little things—just notice them.

Kaoru wasn't sure he could keep up with her in Hohō, so she elected for more mundane transportation. The train ride to the resort was a relatively uneventful one. There was only a small amount of small talk (mostly about the current weather and if he enjoyed it or not). It was during the cab ride from the train station to the onsen that Kaoru spoke up.

"I'm a bit surprised, you know." Kaoru spoke without prompt. "You've got that bookstore, but, like, you didn't have Akane Tsuzukawa's newest book, nor George McEllis's. Not even the new Tom Clancy novel... And I looked a lot. Both of those have had lines at other places. So what's got you so busy and neglecting your shop?" Kaoru had no idea the depth of the question she just asked, but it was genuine curiosity. She figured him to want his little shop to bring in money enough for food.

Lilio Candidior

AKIRA TAIRITSU

Akira was prompt enough to collect everything of necessity, though had actually elected to carry her bags for her. It was not lost to him about normal decorum for such engagements, even on a cordial level but it had been a rather civilized talk with her on the journey. The idle small talk saw them discussing things like the weather, which he had no real feelings about, usually summer was something he disliked but Japan was rare that whilst heated could also be breezy to deal with it. Within the cab ride though, he sat with a book parted by the thumb until Kaoru threw a curveball his way.

Why had it been neglected?

Well that was a loaded inquiry, as Akira glanced away from the current philosophical piece of literature he had elected to peruse for this ride. A brief moment of glancing at her, followed with a surprisingly swift retort, best he had already thought of these things in case someone else had a similar curiosity.

."Africa. There has been a plethora of disturbances there since Vastime’s fall, but the Hollows there have grown increasingly more violent as time passed. I elected to document the case myself, so it took me abroad for a bit and well…Participation in their containment aside, everything went well. ”

Good enough reason as any.

."Impressive of you to figure that out though, my absence from a lack of a few books. It’s rare to find such a keen eye.”

KAORU NAGUMO|LAUGHING WOLF

Rosa Rubicundior

Kaoru didn't catch any hint of surprise from Akira. She wasn't exactly looking for it, and he wasn't going to show it. "I don't really see it as all that impressive..." Kaoru shrugged. It was a basic observation to her. "I had heard something of that... I thought of going myself. Instructors back in the academy were always all 'with great power comes great responsibility.'" Kaoru mocked one of her old teachers then giggled. "But it's not my responsibility to help out there. I figured the Gotei and the 'protectors of Earth' had that under control. I am surprised you went. You hide who you are, or at least try to. Going there is, like, asking to get noticed."

"I guess I don't picture you as some goody-two-shoes that does things to help people in need. You've got the scent of an observer, but also someone who gets their own hands dirty... probably more than you'd like, if I had to take a guess." Kaoru didn't sense a 'good heart' within Akira. She sensed kindness. She sensed purpose. But she didn't sense a lick of 'good.'

Lilio Candidior

AKIRA TAIRITSU

This psycho analyzing wasn’t exactly comforting or was it?

She had been difficult to deflect since their first engagement, following a wave that ordinary people did not and as such, merely talking about her was exhaustingly micro managey in alot of ways. The way she glanced him, on the mark about a few things though he had to confess either Kaoru didn’t know how intuitive she was or actively played the role of a bit of a goldfish. Then it hit him. This cab driver was going to have to be hit with that Kido of all things. A small grimace forming across his lips only to finally respond to this bingo board of callouts.

."If the Gotei and Vandenreich failed to achieve containment then the ongoing result would be a mass spread of Hollow kind. That’s an issue for everyone, furthermore the most likely attacked areas would be packed chunks of easy meals and spiritual energy, Japan, China, Asia in general. ”

His gaze directed to her once again.

."Regardless, anyone who noticed me was rather occupied with the horde. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty Kaoru, it saves everyone else the trouble of having dirt in the first place. Some of them are simply built or wired in a certain way that makes life a little more confusing, why not utilize it?.”

Gods did he hope to arrive soon to the Spa.