2025-07-25: That Step

• Cutscene: That Step
• Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Shizuko Kato
• Where: Hirasaka - Dark Streets
• OOC Date: 2025-07-25
• IC Date: Thursday, June 14 2012
• Summary: Tsubasa discloses their abuse to their fellow gangmate Shizuko, and Shizuko tries to help... though she's far from an expert.

Tsubasa lopes down the dark Hirasakan street, their gait a touch lop-sided thanks to the bokken they've strapped to one leg. (They've gotten used to not getting tripped up.) "Yo, Princess!" They yell down the street, to the girl walking there. "Wait up!"

Shizuko turns, her bright hair decorations on either side of her hime cut fluttering. Just as Tsubasa's wearing their boys' uniform to expose their midriff, so is she in the girls', with a long skirt and loose socks. "Eh? What's the matter, Tsubasa-kun?" She asks, turning to them. Her tone grows teasing, as she asks: "Change your mind on walking me home~?" She lives in the girl's dorms, so it's easy for Tsubasa to know where that is. Same place the Boss lives.

"That, ain't it," Tsubasa huffs, coming to a stop. (They ran all the way back to her...) "I gotta... talk to you."

"Sure," Shizuko says, her tone growing a touch more serious. "C'mon, let's go sit down." Of course, the place she elects to sit is a large electrical box, an upturned shopping cart beside it left by local miscreant youth to make it easier to vault up onto something taller than they are. They're not supposed to be up here, it's dangerous! ... well, that's the point. "So," Shizuko says, once they've clambered up together, "what's up? You in love with someone, or what? Took you long enough! It's been almost a year...!"

"No!" Tsubasa snaps, frowning at her.

Shizuko pouts, a frown forming on her face, too. "What, you don't wanna be in love again, like, ever?!"

"No!!" Tsubasa denies that a touch more vehemently, shaking their head. "What, no, listen, shut up," and it takes them a moment to shift from Shizuko's idea of a serious subject to theirs. "... it's my dad," they say, finally, looking down. "He's bad."

"Tsubasa-kun..." Shizuko sighs, looking to them with compassion. "I knew that. He threw you out after that bastard punched you, remember?"

Tsubasa grasps at their other arm with a hand, rubbing at it self-consciously. "No, look, it's... he hit me!" It all comes out in a yelp, though they quickly quiet down, scowling at the fence opposite them as Shizuko gasps with alarm. "And... that's not the first time it hurt," they add, their tan covering at least some of their embarrassment. "Just the first time he used a fist..."

"Oh, shit," Shizuko exclaims, hand over her mouth. "But... you're one of our best fighters. Why don't you fight back, like you did last time?" She's talking about Hajime; she remembers them sticking up for themself, in the bitter end.

And Tsubasa is quiet, long enough for Shizuko to realise she said the wrong thing. Before she can walk it back, though, they find their voice: "I can't. When it's him... I can't."

"Oh... shit, guess it's actually harder when you can throw a punch and can't, huh?" Shizuko can't throw one to save her life, but she can imagine how powerless Tsubasa must feel to be so tough and not be able to fight back regardless. "Sorry," she folds her hands in her lap, looking down at her painted nails. "I'm a dick."

"It's cool," Tsubasa says, but they don't say anything else, either.

The silence reigns, long and awkward. Somewhere, a dog barks -- but it's not Lance, who was trained to run home when Tsubasa ran from their problems. She'll have to wait a little longer, because Shizuko speaks up before Tsubasa loses their nerve, right in the middle of them shifting their weight. "Hey -- uh -- does the Boss know?"

"... yeah." Tsubasa's weight settles back onto their illicit perch, the heels of their palms unbracing from the box's edge. "She... saw him dragging me out of the station. When we got got after the Foundry Boss jumped us a couple months back."

Shizuko frowns, an edge of frustration to her voice as she asks, "So why didn't I know?"

Tsubasa hears it, and can't really blame her. "It was too much, so I didn't wanna say shit. I was scared, alright? And like, ashamed and shit..."

Shizuko turns to them, one hand planting behind her as she pivots a knee onto the electrical box. "Scared of what?" She asks, not unkindly.

"I... I don't know!" Tsubasa exclaims, though they do know, and they make a little more of an effort soon enough. "That you wouldn't, believe me," they choke out, gravelly. "Or you wouldn't give a shit. Or you'd think I really was crazy... they said I was, after I lit that joint up."

Shizuko smiles, a touch uncertain, but at least trying to be supportive. "I knew something was going on with you," she points out, gently. "I'm not blind, you know? But you've got such a short fuse... I didn't want to make things weird getting all up in your shit."

"No, I -- I want you up in my shit," Tsubasa shakes their head, looking away. "My family doesn't want me, so... the gang's all I got."

"Hey, we look out for each other, right?" Shizuko entreats them, reaching out. "That's why I taught you how to get a good discount, and you taught me how to invite myself in! C'mon --"

But she tries to grasp Tsubasa's hand, while they still aren't looking at her. She's looking at them, though, so she sees the way they tense up, the way they jerk their hand back as they snap their attention to her again. "Fuck outta my space!" They yell, right in her startled face.

"Shit! Sorry!" Shizuko yelps, clasping her hands to her chest. "I didn't--!"

"Don't touch me!" Tsubasa snaps, before they realise their friend looks scared, not ready to do something awful. They pull back, too, remorse colouring their explanation. "No, look, just... ain't no one touches me unless I'm in a fight or nothin'... not since all this shit happened." They take a breath, and hold out their hand, palm-up. How does the Boss make it work...? "Look, it's okay, just... just ask first, all right...? It's worse when I don't expect it." When they can't avoid it.

Shizuko hesitates, but there's something in what Tsubasa said which does drive her to take their hand, after a moment. "Do you really... only touch people when you're punching them?" She asks, slightly horrified.

"... yeah," Tsubasa admits, squeezing her hand.

"That sounds... so lonely," Shizuko murmurs, clasping their hand in both of hers. Their family doesn't want them, they don't have a boyfriend... they didn't even tell her something like this was happening to them...

Shizuko has to sneak in, getting back after curfew, but it's not a big deal.

Under Ichika, at least, the gang takes care of each other.