The Life and Times of Kurei Katsu! [Open/Kazuya]

It was just another day in the reserved town of Hayabusa. It was strange that someone like Katsu!, who was spontaneous and enthusiastic, was born in such a quiet town. However, now that he was temporarily back in Ueitawa, he found himself wandering the streets in a nostalgic bliss. Usually the young idol was surrounded by security guards and the like, but this time he had given them the slip. No one could hold down the wild and crazy, Katsu! Muah! Hahaha! They could if he tried, but the boy always found his way to freedom! The crooked grin on his face showed just how happy he was to be free and out. Now what would he be doing today? That was a question many people asked themselves. Usually he didn't, as his manager had a habit of setting up his schedule for him for that day. Yes, his manager that also had ties with Nyar-sama, yet held no Persona of his own. The boy saw himself in a web of deception and evil, but his one track mind never really comprehended it would be trouble. After all, he was one of the main factors that helped Nyarlathotep return humanity into despair. Where the Crawling Chaos did it because of some strange bet with another God, Katsu! did it just because it was something fun to do. In all meanings of the word, he was a Child, and couldn't see the bigger picture of most things. It was all impulse.. Nothing but Impulse.

And to further prove this fact, the boy who was once walking the streets of Hayabusa had snapped back to reality to find himself sitting in a pool of warmth. Apparently he had daydreamed himself into a hotspring one way or another, as if his body controlled itself without consulting his mind. Well, that's how it usually was, huh? The boy wouldn't question how he got there. Instead, he'd give a heartfelt sigh while sinking into the warm waters with a large innocent grin. Now this was the life~ "Even Katsu! Katsu! deserves an off day, Mmm~ Isn't that right, Monki-san?" Though it appeared as though he were speaking to himself, in reality he would be referring to his Persona that had learned to stomach him. Ever since Nyarlathotep bestowed the Monkey King to Katsu!, they hadn't had the best relationship. Unlike a natural Persona, a tainted one didn't belong to the heart of the user. So there were possibilities that the host and persona could clash. Though, the two worked alot well together now, which was good! Though, all these thoughts of Personas and free time came to an abrupt end.. when he heard something..

The sound of a female voice...

Katsu!'s eyes shot to the wooden barricade keeping his young and innocent eyes from taking glances towards the luscious female figure! There were women over there! The young idol's smile grew abit more devious as he pressed against the wooden barricade and placed his ear against it. Boy, he was such a pervert wasn't he? "Kehehehe.. The forbidden fruit! I bet Nyar-sama would be proud if I stole a peek or two.. Kekeke, Mn!" He snickered like some little school girl on the last day of camp, as he attempted to jump and look over the barricade. Unlucky for him, it was way to high for him to even come close. They were so close... but so far away!

Now, he normally didn't venture that often into Hayabusa, but given the weekend had just settled in and he had some free time, he decided "Oh what the heck" and ventured into peaceful sleepy Hayabusa. Okay, not quiet 'sleepy', but hey! This place had a different atmosphere than any other part of the Ueitawa region, one that was ... soothing, for lack of a better word. And that was always a nice, positive thing. Lately, he'd been trying to gain more therapeutic benefits out of anything that could feasibly ease his fears and pain. Pelting classmates with snow, examining the beauteous natural splendors, visiting the Aiku Shrine, beating the shit out of some punks who tried to mock him for his diminutive and frail stature back at home. Those sort of things, y'know?

So what's a guy to do next in his quest to try to calm his nerves and ease the illness it would bring to his physical body? Enjoy some time at the hot springs of course!

Well, not that the logical leap is apparent, but considering he was musing on what to do next and saw a police officer (and contemplating attempting to get into a physical altercation with him to prove that all policemen were actually androids placed by the government to delude the masses), the Fsteak Market (as much as a meal would always be a good investment, he just wasn't hungry. Nor at all interested in steak that came from the Matron Cow Goddess of a Distant Land named Brittannia ... damn it, now he was a little bit hungry.)

Or the hot springs. The hot springs the purportedly increase you life span due to some ancient ritual that involved sacrificing the blood of a million narwhal babies.

So, after paying, it didn't take long for him to disrobe (also neatly folding up his clothes that he almost never wore properly in the first place. It was an odd habit of his) and placing the articles aside, here he was about to enjoy the legendary satanic hot springs of Hayabusa! With towel at his side, he would brave the flesh-melting waters of this brave new world! Or he would have had he, after calmly (and relatively quietly), opening his way to the bathhouse itself suddenly heard a very excited and cheery voice proclaim in a ... somewhat hushed tone? Well, not hushed enough that he didn't catch it, but ... y'know?

"Kehehehe.. The forbidden fruit! I bet Nyar-sama would be proud if I stole a peek or two.. Kekeke, Mn!"

And lo and behold, there he spied another teen, maybe the same age as him? Maybe older? Either way, he was clearly attempted to fulfill some perverted fantasy . . . and while he could sympathize with him about the prospective of peering on the female bath, this was definitely not appropriate. That and he was fairly certain he heard a story about a poor Peeping Tom who had been nearly torn to shreds by a back of vicious wolverine-woman or something or other.

So, Kazuya would quietly make his way over to the clearly distracted perverted monkey who was now trying to jump up and maybe look over the barricade. Fortunately, he found himself standing right behind this fellow before he decided to try to climb and immediately gave a sharp slap to the back of his head the moment he seemed to stand still long enough for about a second. Not hard to hurt him, hopefully. Just enough to get his attention.

"Oi! Are you really that desperate?" he inquires quizzically. At first he was planning on being aggressive in his questioning, but ... reflection and also hormone-driven impulses made him realize that wasn't a very fair approach. So he settled on a somewhat reproachful but ultimately amused outlook. Or something like that. Hell, he had no idea anymore. The heat in here, while soothing, was not helping him think.

Katsu! felt a sharp pain to the back of his head, and on instinct he'd grasp his head in his hands and turn to look at his assailant. "Oi! What was that for? I'm a growing young boy, this is natural, Mmm!" The young pop idol would puff up his cheeks like a child as he rubbed his head with his left hand. Looking the fellow up and down, Katsu! would give a devious grin while looking off to the side. "Hehe, I would ask to use you as a ladder to look over the fence, but you're far too short. Are you in elementary school?" The idol snickered to himself as he covered his mouth. Boy, how immature. Lifting a finger, he'd wave it infront of his nose with a childish grin. "It's not about being desperate, killjoy-san! Did ya know the sky was falling? Why over think things? Just move on impulse and do it! What you see as desperate I see as just another friday, Mm!" Katsu! gave a toothy grin as he nodded to himself. Turning back to the wooden barricade, he'd press his ear against the moist wood. "Killjoy-san, just listen! They're waiting for you, Mm. Several women all awaiting their knight in shining armor to climb this wooden fence and take a peek at their lacy unmentionables! Kehehe!" The spontaneous boy would slam his foot on the ground and clench his fist. Giving a serious expression, he would look towards the newcomer with an intense glare. "IT's settled.. You will be the one to help me climb this mountain and receive what I rightfully deserve!" Katsu! pointed towards the wooden barricade, standing in a heroic pose without moving. For several awkward seconds there would be nothing but silence. Man, he really seemed into this, huh?

However, towards the end of this awkward silence, Katsu! seemed to sway to the side. If Kazuya got a good look at his face, he'd see the boy was daydreaming. A small spot of drool dropped from the corner of his mouth, as his eyes seemed faded and lost. What the hell could he be daydreaming of at a time like this? Hey, atleast the newcomer didn't have to deal with his antics anymore right? Wrong! Katsu! would pop back to reality in a jump of life. "So have you noticed they have turkey bacon and pig bacon? Is it possible to make duck bacon and alligator bacon? How about elephant bacon or tiger bacon?! Oh could you imagine that, Killjoy-san? A world of bacon! I remember this one time where I got this one bacon.. But.. Ah.. ara?" His rambling came to a sudden stop as he puffed his cheeks and glared at the other male. Pointing a finger, he'd tilt his head. "Who are you and why are you naked?"

"Oi! What was that for? I'm a growing young boy, this is natural, Mmm!"

Was he really supposed to expect a different response? And ... well, yeah he couldn't example claim the moral high ground here since he was tempted to try to look too, but at least reigned in those thoughts. What followed next was the boy's chain of thought being broken by watching the other apparently examining him, as if to better process or understand him.

"Hehe, I would ask to use you as a ladder to look over the fence, but you're far too short. Are you in elementary school?"

A giant mental knife stabbed him in the back at the mention of his vertical complications. In fact, it took a tremendous amount of willpower to not drop to his knees and fall into a depressive state muttering "I know I'm short ... just leave me alone." and the rest of the willpower was concentrated to not strangle this person.

"... you're not that much taller than me." He mumbled as a lame comeback, mainly since he wasn't thinking of any sort of response, just reigning in those two urges that were depressive and maniacal, respectively.

"It's not about being desperate, killjoy-san! Did ya know the sky was falling? Why over think things? Just move on impulse and do it! What you see as desperate I see as just another friday, Mm!"

. . . Well, this certainly another one for the record. It seemed lately, he kept finding weird people that baffled him and his understanding of normalcy, and now we could add whoever this person was to that growing list of abnormals that damn well interested him. They were all other humans, but none of them were at all like other people. Whether this was a good thing or not for his mental world remained to be seen, but . . .

'Impulse ... haha, that's certainly one way to go through life'

"D- ... d-don't call me killjoy-san ... please." Was pretty much all he had to same aloud, while his mind considered what the clearly crazier teen had to say. That and for some reasons steamed buns were appearing in his mind. First the food, which then turned into curvaceous, luscious b-

'GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!! NOW IS NOT THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR SUCH THOUGHTS!! . . . I think?'

"Killjoy-san, just listen! They're waiting for you, Mm. Several women all awaiting their knight in shining armor to climb this wooden fence and take a peek at their lacy unmentionables! Kehehe! IT's settled.. You will be the one to help me climb this mountain and receive what I rightfully deserve!"

He could not deny that, whoever this person was, he was very much energetic. And also complicating his thoughts with the temptation of peeping on the other bath. The soothing waters were dimming in their appeal due to this pervert and the fact that he knew what this one's end goals were.

"Look, even if I could help you, I really wouldn't since it's unlikely both of us would be able to get a lo-ah, I mean ... ..." Whelp, that wasn't what he meant to say. ... Or did he? GAH, TOO CONFUSING.

But, it seems his response fell on deaf ears, as the perverted monkey still remained in his dramatic pose ... unmoving ... and unresponsive. This carried on for a few more seconds in awkward silence, until Kazuya felt compelled to draw closer.

"A- ... a-are you al-alright? he asked, resisting the urge to poke this person. For the briefest moment, he got a glimpse of the daydreaming face of this person, just in time to see his unfocused eyes and a slight bit of drool as he imagined whatever it was he was imagining. And then his attention seemed to snap back, and he was back to his normal self again.

Well, not exactly ...

"So have you noticed they have turkey bacon and pig bacon? Is it possible to make duck bacon and alligator bacon? How about elephant bacon or tiger bacon?! Oh could you imagine that, Killjoy-san? A world of bacon! I remember this one time where I got this one bacon.. But.. Ah.. ara?"

. . . What.

"Who are you and why are you naked?"

... Oh. Oh, he was talking to him now? Earlier he had starting tuning out the bacon rant and nearly turned around to just enjoy the bath rather than deal with this person again, but was pretty much left standing their speechless as parts of his soul bleed out of him from the sheer confusion he was feeling. But, it seems the conversation had finally become serious again.

The younger teen still had a towel wrapped around his waist out of a sense of decency, so at first he was unsure if the question as to why he was naked was referring to the fact he was in here with just the towel ... or ... never mind, it was too complicated to think about, especially since voluptuous women were magically appearing in his already swirled up thoughts.

"Isn't it rude to ask others who they are without introducing yourself first? he asked lightly, mostly jokingly, before chuckling and continuing "I'm Inaku Kazuya, and ... I was here to enjoy the bath. Unless one bathes fully clothed now?"

Boy wasn't this conversation just going up and down, topsy turvy? When the short guy asked him for his name, Katsu! would tilt his head. "My name? Telling you it would be far too easy, Kill-joy-san! Keheheh.." The troublesome child would snicker under his breath as he'd press his back against the wooden barricade. For some reason, he felt like teasing the guy before him. Maybe because he was finally taller than someone! Muah! Hahaha! Continue on to reply to the boy's second statement, Katsu! would rub a finger under his nose with a smug smile. "Pshaw, I bet you shower naked too. How perverted!" The pop idol covered himself with his hands, like he was attempting to hide his body from Kazuya's view. "But more importantly, what are you doing here if you're not interested in peeking at the female body? Surely you didn't come here to actually enjoy the springs! Trying to add a few years onto your life, Mm? You don't even look that old, Mmm!" Katsu! looked the boy up and down with a puzzled expression before placing a hand up to the other male's head. Dragging his hand in midair, from the boy's head, to the wooden barricade, he'd make some 'mhm' noises. "I see. Telling from my brilliant mind, and even more brilliant analysis of this current situation, I have made a decision! You are far too short to help me look over this barricade, yeah!" Katsu! nodded a few times before snapping his fingers with a devious smile. "But perhaps we can break this fortress down with the proper amount of force! WITH ME, KAZUYA!" The pop idol ran away from the barricade, and then dived into it trying to break it down to no avail of course.

"My name? Telling you it would be far too easy, Kill-joy-san! Keheheh.."

Well, at this he couldn't help but sigh and give a smile in response. After all, it didn't seem like this fellow, whoever he is, was going to be reasonable. So, instead, he just decided to wait until later to ask for his name again ... or perhaps hope someone who recognized him would call him by that. But his musings were a bit cut short by -

"Pshaw, I bet you shower naked too. How perverted!"

. . . What?

'What ... ?'

"... What?"

So while the flow of rationality, the poor half-Japanese's train of thought and his mouth were all puzzled at the possible deeper meaning of this retort, it seems that he, once again whoever he is, was not interested in maintaining that idle conversation topic. Instead he had already moved on and ...

But more importantly, what are you doing here if you're not interested in peeking at the female body? Surely you didn't come here to actually enjoy the springs! Trying to add a few years onto your life, Mm? You don't even look that old, Mmm!"

"... but I DID come here to just to enjoy the hot springs. Heard the stories about the place, decided to give it a go, immortality-bestowing asi- What are you doing?"

It was at this point the other boy had started gesticulating a little, first by apparently measuring his height, then turning around with the hand level to compare to the barricade while apparently musing on some cosmic arcane secret of the universe. This went on for several moments, during which Kazuya was tempted to just turn and step into the bath itself and just enjoy the warmth rather than pay any more attention to this. Buuuut, as his ex-conversationalist partner had the most acute sense of timing, before he had a chance to even act:

"I see. Telling from my brilliant mind, and even more brilliant analysis of this current situation, I have made a decision! You are far too short to help me look over this barricade, yeah!"

It took tremendous willpower not to react to the utter obviousness of that statement. Though, this was assisted by a burning question: What on earth went through the mind of this person? In fact, did anything obvious really go through his mind until he decided to pay attention to it? OR was he deliberately acting like this for whatever reason, and he, that is Kazuya, should just nod good-naturedly and accept this as an immutable aspect?

"But perhaps we can break this fortress down with the proper amount of force! WITH ME, KAZUYA!"

...

This was about the point in which Kazuya ceased trying to approach the problem as he had before. After all, all methods and tools he had in dealing with ... people ... had failed him in his time of need, which left him entirely on his own. And while he wasn't completely helpless and about to collapse (internally) from all of this, he certainly wasn't going to be behaving as sensibly or as sane as he used to be earlier. Case in point, while leaving Katsu! to ramming against the wooden barricade, Kazuya decided to move close and examine it to see if something could be done to assist in the two on peeping on the other bath.

"So why can't you just climb the barricade?" He inquired plainly, while approaching one of the larger vertical support beams ... poles? Things. that were clearly placed up against the bound line of smaller wood poles that made up the barricade. Really, since this was his first time to a hot springs in general, he really had no idea what the heck they used to make these barricades, but given how the barricade was made up of a wall or chain of vertical wood components, with larger horizontal and vertical supporting wood beams . . . couldn't one scale it?

Case in point in how he managed to climb up and gingerly rested his feet on the first horizontal portion of the barricade. Which seemed to hold his weight for now.

"Might be harder with one person, but if we use this pole here, we can scale up the barricade to the top." he stated calmly, providing a solution as was requested of him much earlier in the now-relatively forgotten conversation he had with this strange person.