Chasing Ghosts[Kenichi, Natsumi]

Kenichi's world tournament tour was moving along relatively well. He fought and defeated his fair share of opponents so far, enjoying each bout with a nostalgic joy he hadn't experienced in months. Emboldened by that joy, he continued his travels until he arrived in Europe. Of course, there was one small issue, though. They had to construct an arena, and that would take a few days.

For Kenichi, that was a few days too much! Still, he supposed patience was a virtue, and decided to enjoy the scenery, traveling into a forest with a camping bag at his back. He had packed enough food, a sleeping bag, and any other necessities he'd need for his survival. If he ran out of food, he'd simply hunt. After arriving In a place he found most comfortable, he began setting up his little sanctuary.

"Wait a minute... What is that familiar... Natsumi, is that you!?"

Kenichi looked at Natsumi's wounded form with a dumbfounded expression. He was shocked by what he saw and dropped working on his tent to rush toward her at a breakneck pace. She was bloodied and bruised, but she didn't appear to be on the verge of death. She hadn't suffered any dire wound, either. Good, good. Without missing a beat, he grabbed a few dry blankets and opened his bag up. Whatever happened, he wanted to get to the bottom of it! Who hurt his dear friend!?

"W-What happened to you?"

"A-ah, well, I mean, you know, that...."

Kenichi was promptly taken for a loop the moment she rose from the ground, as though her wounds were inconsequential. Truth be told... she was right. He had gone completely off the radar for a while. He smiled sheepishly as he nervously rubbed the back of his head. This wasn't quite the reunion he imagined... but, he could work with this! Sighing softly, he raised his hands in surrender. He would gladly explain everything to her, but first, she needed to calm down, sit, and recover. After that, she could chew him out as much as she wanted.

"I know I've been gone for a while, and I'm genuinely sorry about that, Natsu. I know it's bold of me to ask, but can ya calm down, sit, and at least let me bandage you up? Feed you something? During that, I'll tell you... everything you want to know. That sound good?"

"Sorry, I promise I'll explain everything soon."

Kenichi quickly set out a long sleeping bag for Natsumi to rest in as he continued to observe her, paying close attention to her words. What type of enemy had she made? Who were they? Were they still in close vicinity? There were a whirlwind of questions cycling through his mind with each passing second, but none of them mattered more than making sure she was okay.

He quickly darted toward his bag, grabbing a first aid kit and one of the many bento lunchboxes he had brought along to sate his appetite. Rushing back over to her, gently placing the food at her lap, he pulled her arms upward to start nursing her wounds.

"Okay... don't react crazy, but... if you want to know, one of the things that happened to me is that... I got drunk, and uh... I got... um...."

He hesitated a moment before finishing his sentence.

"...Married.'

"N-no. I mean, well, I was married, but I'm not married anymore. Now that I think about it... we only got engaged, and even then, that wasn't something I did in my right mind..."

God, why did the atmosphere suddenly feel so intense? He expected to reunite with her in many ways, but this was less than ideal, and she seemed visibly upset with him. Think, Kenichi, think! What sort of words could he use to appease the agitated telekinetic? Of course, first, he needed to establish that he wasn't joking. Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, he continued his explanation.

"Ahem... I went on a vacation, consumed too much alcohol, got drunk, and ended up... engaged with a bubbly redhead lady. We never... made it that far. I just struggled to tell her I wanted to take it slow, and... didn't really do anything. Moreover..."

He sighed as he gazed down at the ground.

"I just disappeared from the world I knew because... I felt terrible. My boss got kidnapped and nearly died... and I... felt like I failed her. You're right. I should've kept in touch, even through phone calls, and I feel terrible about that..."