Contemplation of a Prince [OPEN]

Reiguu Ejji tilted his head backwards, allowing himself to relax a bit against the tree he was sitting under. He was currently half-sitting under the shade of a big tree, which grew in one of the more secluded areas of Kizuna Academy. As was his custom, Ejji had escaped the crowds of students after the last bell had rung, seeking a place where he could truly be alone for some time. He had a lot of things on his mind right now, and needed a breath of fresh air and some space to really think about things.

Yesterday he had spent all of the day secluded in the privacy of his room at home, in the security of the Reiguu Mansion. It was possibly the only day he had cut class willingly, not being really sick. He had felt horrible enough to call in sick though, an his mother made sure to inform the school that he had been in no condition to attend. She had no idea what happened... but Ejji couldn't just stand there and tell her he had a run-in with the supernatural. He would surely be put in a mental hospital. He was simply glad that he had an opportunity to spend the whole day with his mother, who cared for him.
... and he had a really strong urge for hugs yesterday. So he could get as much as he wanted to, and as long as he wanted to. It was like being in heaven, feeling her soothing hands run through his hair and her gentle breath like a lullaby, cradling him to sleep.

Now though, he had to face the gruesome reality. There were things out there that a human mind could hardly comprehend. And he needed to face this.
Ejji let out a deep breath. He did not know what he wanted right now... loneliness or company. For some reason no matter how much he tried to submerge himself into deep thought about his problems - his mind refused to cooperate. His thoughts too scattered to concentrate. He couldn't read either.

Ejji's inner musings were interrupted when a new sound entered his ears - the sound of rain. He gazed up, looking at the now clouded sky through the thick of leaves. It was quite warm these last few days, even though the weather right now tended to be cold. He decided it was a stroke of luck that he had come here, and was now hidden away from the increasing downpour. The young man wondered if most students were not that lucky right now, but in truth he did not wish his thoughts to linger on meaningless people right now. He had nothing to do with the rest of the school, aside from his few new friends. Well - one was a friend, and the other... he was not sure yet.

Ejji was one again brought out of the depths of his mind, but this time it was a dull thump that had distracted him. He looked around, wondering if he had imagined hearing the sound, but when he was about to shrug the issue off, he heard the sound of someone's voice, saying something. He wasn't sure what it was, since the sound of falling water interfeered with his hearing. It was a good thing that his ears were a bit more sensetive than other's.
Wondering if there was anyone else by the tree, Ejji decided to look on the other side. It was not like he had any issues with company, but he needed to make his presence known. He wouldn't want to intrude on anyone's private time or overhear anything he didn't want to. That could cause some problems for him, and even perhaps his reputation. Ejji also wondered who was close enough to this place to seek shelter from the rain, since they weren't anywhere near the area of the Academy's Entrance.

Leaving his bag behind, the Reiguu heir went around the tree, his perceptive eye catching sight of someone on one of the lowest branches. In a split second Ejji was faced with a problem he did not forsee - he had no idea how to start a conversation right now. What could he say?
"Who are you?" - no that was too rude, and came out of the blue. "What are you doing here?" - was along the same lines, and that one was actually pretty easy to guess. "Hey you, my name is..." - would just be plain uncomfortable and unnecesarry. So here was Ejji Reiguu, completely confused about what to do next, and time was ticking. He would be found out soon enough, and so Ejji decided in that split second to begin in a most eloquent way possible.

"Ahem..." was all he would muster to say, keeping a straight face. It was loud enough for the newcomer to notice, he hoped.

When the person resting on the branch spoke back to him, Ejji finally managed to ge a good look at her, for she was a girl and a familiar one at that. He would recognize that hair color anywhere, since he had caught sight of it in class more than once. Not that he was staring or anything, but the bandages and possibly dyed hair did attract attention from him. Before he could respond, however, the girl - Watanabe Chiyo - if memory served and it always did, continued to talk.
Ejji was honestly surprised when she told him he was being creepy, since it was just the very thing he was trying to avoid by showing himself. He didn't watch her sleep or anything! And then she did something horrible, out of the blue - she called him a pervert....

The snow-haired young man went rigid, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes slowly widening at the sight of this girl, calling him that for no aparent reason. Was there a reason? Was he really a pervert? No - he was just checking out who was on the other side - he wasn't thinking any bad thoughts, honestly. She was cute though, he realized...
Suddenly Ejji exploded, his Ice Facade vanishing before anyone could say "Yamada Tarou".

"P-p-p-pervert?!" Ejji's broken voice sounded loud and clear. In all his life, being called a "pervert" was not something that happened to him. This was maybe the second or the third time this happened, and Ejji could not help but drop his cool attitude because of sheer shock and embarassment. His cheeks now flushed red, he tried to regain some footing. "I do not watch girls sleep! It's improper! I would never!" he did not realize that he was overreacting, badly, to something the girl probably did not even mean.

The Reiguu heir honestly tried to save face. His impecable reputation could be possibly ruined with this! How quickly the rumours would spread, and all the girls would know! He had to clear this up. Even if he was subtly looking at the sweater - it was just a misunderstanding.
Ejji quickly put on his calm face, although the traces of his blush remained.

"You should not to throw such accusations, Watanabe-san." Ejji spoke again, this time with a normal voice. He was sure he remembered her name right. "You should know your classmates better than that. Since we are in the same class after all."

Ejji's right hand went to his ear, subconsciously, to touch his earring. A small motion due to a habit he had not done in a few years now. He did that whenever he felt embarassed, since back then when he first pierced his ear he was overly-conscious about it. Even his mother decided to comment on it, even though he told her the reasons why.
Usually he restrained himself, his Ice Facade helping him, but it was broken with little effort just a few moments back. Good thing he didn't really panic.

"I was simply trying to make my presence known, so no misunderstandings... would occur." he finished lamely, even if calmly, explaining himself, like he was caught guilty with a cute plush toy in hand

If Ejji were a lesser man he would have already face-fell onto the ground or deflated with shame like any other normal male student. However, that was not the case. The only reaction he gave this time around was an another blush and a huff, seeing that the girl would persist with calling him a pervert. He guessed there was nothing he could do short of slight intimidation... but the last time he did that on a girl he felt like a jerk, and besides this Watanabe girl seemed to be hurt all over her body. His eyes easily picked out wounds and scrapes both old and somewhat recent, and it made him wonder what was the story about those. Was this girl naturally clumsy... or were other people to blame for her physical well-being? Honestly, Ejji would not be surprised if some of the female or male residents of Nadashiki were responsible - brutes and hooligans that they were.

Ejji's eyes unintentionally moved to track her hand when she moved - the one she used to hold down her skirt. He quickly looked up, hoping the girl wouldn't notice, seeing as he had no desire for her to have a base of accusations about him being a pervert.
He decided that an introduction was in order, after all - he did not give her his name... and being called the "E-perv" was not an option.

"My name, instead, will do - it's Reiguu Ejji. Nice to meet you... I guess." he added the last words as a small afterthought to his automatic introduction. With that ove he decided to go onto other topics, since he did not wish for a prolonged and/or uncomfortable silence. "I am not going to bug, you - if you truly do not wish for the presence of my company - just say the word and I shall be on my way." he assured the girl, glancing away from the safety of the tree and into the pouring rain. He did not fear sickness, even though it could take hold if he went out into the open, since he didn't have an umbrella with him. He would respect her wishes, even if it was a danger to his health. "After all, I am the type of person who knows the true value privacy, should you need it."

Ejji made a meaningful pause, letting the girl make her own conclusions as to his words. He hoped she would change her mind about him... or perhaps she was just making fun of him, teasing him? He didn't take that option into account, but would that mean she was friendlier than she seemed? Or was she perhaps not friendly at all and just snippy? He could understand her though - he simply came out of nowhere and what possible opinion she could have on him? He was a complete stranger, well almost if you count being classmates.
There was one last thing he wanted to know, so Ejji decide to voice hisquestion.

"I am saying that because you seemed to have a desire for privacy, did you not?" he asked, somewhat more intently than he spoke before. "After all - this is a fairly secluded place in the Academy Grounds, and I come here to seek the very thing I speak about now. Are you here for the same thing?"

Ejji looked her over, trying to discern the cause of her many bruises, scrapes, cuts and bandages. He made sure she would notice this, for actions would prompt a better raction than words alone.

Well, Ejji did want to see a reaction to his lingering stare and he surely got one. He honestly could have anticipated this one, but it seemed that matters of the female mind escaped his superb genius. What happened was that Chiyo got angry with him, a logical and natural reaction, and advanced to grab the collar of his shirt. Being powerless to stop it for the moment, Ejji would simply show a little frown as the girl yelled in his face, threatening to "kick his ass". The snow-haired student honestly hoped this wouldn't turn into a chase around the tree if he decided to resist any such attempts...

The Reiguu seemed to get a somewhat solid grip on the girl's personality by now. She seemed to use words with disregard for opinions, and yet supposedly meant nothing truly rude by them. She was not a "damsel in distress" type, instead going agreesive when confronted with obvious interest for her injuries, or her body overall. And she seemed nice enough to care for his wellbeing, not sending him into the merciless rain.

Ejji was not as passive to a threat like this as some could be, though - so he made sure to grab Watanabe's wrist, making sure not to squeeze hard or anything, so as not to hurt her on accident. He just wanted to keep the situation clear - he would somewhat defend himself, even if not strike back at her. He was not the kind of person to hit females, but he would try to block or evade a hit if it followed, and try to escape her grip. For now he just stopped at grabbing her wrist.

"I apologize if I offended you..." Ejji began with his "old man talk", as she called it, trying to keep his eyes on hers. "... but I could not help but notice the many small wounds you have, and wonder as for their reason. However I shall not pry into any matters you do not wish to disscuss."

Ejji then could not help but notie that she was bascially very close to him. Face to face, so to speak. He suddenly started feeling strangely uncomfrotable and bashful. "Umm... if you could please let go of me now?"

Once again he tried to continue with a more diplomatic apprach to matters. He didn't want the girl to stay angry with him, after all.

"I would like to avoid a conflict like that, since it leave us both displeased with the situation. I promise, I will be sure to cease actions like that in the future." he promised her, quite sincere in "attempting" to do so. He did not know if he could really do it, since he had never before encountered such a situation. Ejji always tried to keep his promises though.