School Lab [Destiny]

The bell rung for the next period of the day to start. The students were all told to meet the science teacher in the science lab, as they'd be dissecting frogs for some reason. Tsurinai Naito stood behind one of the vacant tables that had a frog already sprawled out upon the table top, and the silver haired teen would simply stare at the dead reptile. The other students had already found their own partners. Of course those in high school already had their groups of friends they hung out with on the regular, so when it came to finding a partner many of them jumped at the chance to work together. Naito, on the other hand, was not the type to associate himself with the rest of the student body. He made it a habit not to have friends, and was rather proud of that fact aswell. After all, friends were for the weak, and were certainly a crutch. The teacher knew Naito would make no effort to find his own partner, so she would begin to scan the classroom for someone to be assigned to work with him for the day. It wasn't his job to lower himself by asking for assistance, after all. He just was not that type of person. Leaning over the deceased frog, the silver haired teenager would narrow his eyes and begin to poke at it with various instruments that were laid out before him. For now he'd have to wait for someone to be assigned to work with him, no matter how indifferent he was to the idea in the first place.

  The thick, sour stench of formaldehyde assaulted Destiny’s nose the moment she walked through the classroom door, causing her face to twist into a grimace. She cupped a hand over her face, fingers barely covering her nose, and scurried to the one unoccupied table at the back of the room. Before she could reach it, however, she heard a sharp, “Endeux!”
 
  The blonde froze mid-stride. Straightening her spine and turning towards the voice, she saw the teacher striding towards her, the woman’s mouth in a peculiarly pursed line. Panic washed over the teenager. She hadn’t walked into the wrong class by mistake, had she? Was there some event today she had forgotten about? Or was it possible that she was suddenly failing and would be serving immediate detention? Through her frantic thoughts, all the girl could manage was a soft,  “Y-Yes-?”
 
  There wasn’t time for her to say much else. Without warning the teacher took Destiny by the arm, tugging her over to a table where a silver-haired teen was working quietly. Releasing her, the woman added, “Endeux, you’ll be working with Tsurinai,” before she scurried back to the front of the room.
 
  Destiny released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. After taking a moment to set her belongings underneath the table, she offered her partner a small smile before she glanced down at his progress. The frog was still intact, its limbs flopped uselessly to the sides. Quickly averting her eyes, she focused on reading the basic instructions the teacher had written on the board.

Naito's silver hues would shift to their corners to see the young female that was basically dragged over to him. His indifferent expression didn't change when the teacher dropped her off and walked off. She didn't even plan on addressing him about this partner and if he even wanted her. The silver haired teenager would look towards the female and scan her. From her perspective, it'd appear as if he were checking her out. His eyes went down her body and then back up to her eyes, yet he did not blink once. In reality, the Tsurinai was just judging her off appearance first. She looked like the typical carefree girl who spent her days wondering what she should wear tomorrow, and not the more grander things in life. There was an awkward silence between them, as the young man continue to look at his partner with a blank expression before grabbing a scalpel and placing it next to her. "Endeux, was it? I have an idea. How about we look away from the lesson, and start slicing into this dead reptile?" Naito spoke in a calm tone as he continued his blank gaze into her own. "You're not the type to follow instructions so blindly, are you? Doing things by instinct is... fun, is it? I believe that's the word you'd use." The young man pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb while closing his eyes. "So, don't wait on my account. Feel free to start." The Tsurinai pointed towards the frog while keeping his gaze on the attractive female. Now he'd await her response, even though he was just picking at her.

    She was growing anxious again. Reflexively her hand rose to her neck, two fingers lightly running across her collarbone in a habitually nervous gesture. Forcing herself not to panic at the prospect of slicing the animal open herself, Destiny glanced around the room, noticing that the other students were already shrieking in awe and disgust at their experiments.  It wasn’t as if the instructions on the board were in-depth, anyway, she supposed; all that had been written were basic warnings such as “handle scalpel with care” and “don’t hurt each other”.

    Sucking in a somewhat shaky breath, she turned back to the teen. “Alright.” She hoped the smile she gave him was bigger than it felt.

    It took her a minute to tie her hair back and don the gloves the teacher had left out. While some of the other students seemed perfectly at ease handling frog intestines with their bare hands, the girl wasn’t one of them. Only then did she pick up the instrument, keeping the blade down and pointed away from both her and her tablemate, and hover over the dead creature.

    //….oh dear.//  She paused, staring at the little amphibian, quite at a loss of what to do. She could make a shallow cut straight down its stomach, but would that damage the insides they were supposed to study? Cutting off its head, like she’d seen some cooks do with fish, didn’t seem quite right either. After all, fish and frogs aren’t the same thing. But then…what was she supposed to do?

     Desperate to have some idea of where to begin, she looked up at the boy standing next to her, meeting his stare. Forcing a weak smile on her face despite the embarrassed heat rising in her cheeks, she wondered, “Anything in particular you would like to see first?” At least the question would give her some time to plan out how exactly she should proceed.

The silver haired Tsurinai watched the girl's shaky gestures as she was attempting to mentally prepare yourself in making the plunge. In this case, the plunge meant digging a sharp object into the carcass of a frog. When she turned to give him a weak smile, the stoic male would tilt his head to the side and give a series of blinks. His stare was blank. Even when the heat rushed to her cheeks, he tilted his head to the side with a curious gaze. "You seem to be hesitating. Do you need assistance or something?" When she asked where he'd like to start, Naito gave a nonchalant shrug. "Right down the middle. I suppose I could lend you a hand for this part. I can tell this is nerve racking for you. Something like this is nothing, trust me." The teenager reassured his partner before Walking beside her and placing his left have over her own that was holding the scalpel. The Tsurinai had taken a part time job at a sushi restaurant in Nadashiki, so handling small blades became second nature to him. With a guiding have over her own, the silver haired teen would begin to move the blade over the frog's stomach and create a small incision. Using that incision as the base for starting the cut, he'd pull her hand downward slowly, which would cut the frog's stomach open without damaging the organs inside. "I'm not sure if you're hesitating because you don't want to hurt the frog any further, or if you're scared. But the creature is dead, it has no more say in this. If things get too disgusting for you, I'll finish the lab myself. I would rather not have a failing grade on my records." Naito spoke with a calm voice as he slowly removed his hand from his partner's and took a small step away from her. The young teen would raise a brow while looking towards her. "Is this your first time being around something dead? You've lived in Ueitawa your entire life, haven't you? Or, maybe not.. Your appearance makes you stand out amongst most of the females in this school. Especially your hair. That's interesting." The over thinking Tsurinai pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb while he tilted his head in thought. He was already forgetting that they had a frog to dissect, now taking his attention and putting it on his partner.

    It was hard not to notice the ease with which the boy manipulated her hand and, with it, the scalpel. She forced herself to note the pressure he applied and where, making sure to remember it for future labs. He was right, after all. The frog was indeed dead and wouldn’t be protesting against two high-school students prodding through its belly. And a failing grade on either of their records just wouldn’t do, no matter how plausible—or in her case, she corrected, silly—the excuse was. The moment he stepped away, she turned to face him, hands clasped in front of her. Bowing her head, eyes downcast shamefully, she murmured, "I-I’m sorry."

    Her green-blue hues raised back up at his curious questions, the rest of her apology dead on her lips. Listening intently, she waited until he had finished his piece before she made any move to reply. "Oh…no. Not at all. It’s just…it still seems almost cruel, I suppose."

    She paused for a moment, reviewing her words. Did that even make sense? Worried that she’d just made him more confused or possibly aggravated, she added quickly, "I-I mean—I…uhm…" she dissolved into a murmuring mess, growing more self-conscious the longer he stared at her. Frustrated with her lack of coherency, she finally sighed, switching topics for the time being. "N-never mind."

    "Ah, no, actually. I’ve only lived here about--" her voice died out for a moment as she glanced at the ceiling, counting quietly to herself, "...four years now. I was actually born in England." A corner of her mouth crooked upwards in a lopsided, sheepish smile. "I suppose my hair is a bit of a giveaway, no? Most people from this area aren’t blonde."

    Destiny’s head tilted to the side as she smiled gently, asking, "And you? Have you lived here for very long?" She studied his face closely, noting his own unique traits. With a twinge of childish excitement, she wondered if the guess she had in her mind would match his answer.

The Tsurinai looked at the young female bowing, and his eyes would shift away. "Don't apologize: It's a sign of weakness." He spoke with a calm voice, even though what he said was quite strange. That remark was made famous by his Father that made sure to beat it into his head when he was just a small child. When he looked back towards her, his silver eyes met her own green-blue ones, and it caused his own to narrow. Those eyes she had were something. It was like staring into the sea, which was strange because he had never been out at sea before. But for some reason, all he could think about was the ocean, and for a few seconds he was literally lost in her eyes. When she began to speak once again, he tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes to cut off their connection. "Don't cogitate over it so much. A dead frog is a dead frog, and that's that. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. It'd be cruel to simply let this opportunity go to waste to learn something new. I'm sure this frog understands in his own version of frog heaven or hell." Unlike the words that gently escaped her lips, his fell like that of a ship hitting an iceberg. How she spoke reminded him of a puppy. As she murmured, attempting to find the words to say next, he raised his gloved hand and place it on her head. Giving her a pat, he looked at her with his usual blank expression. "Save your explanation for another time. If you need to take a break from this lab, that's understandable. I'll finish it alone and say you helped me regardless. You'll still get your passing grade." With that said, he gave her another pat before lowering his hand and placing on his side.

Focusing back on the frog, he'd continue to listen to his partner while grasped the spare scalpel and continuing the "operation". "Born in England? Hm, it seems Ueitawa gets alot of foreigners. I'm actually surprised." The young teen spoke while sorting through the organs of the frog's carcass. His voice was calm and warm, even though it was a strong contradiction to the cold nature he carried upon his appearance. "..I'm used to seeing people with odd hair colors around here. After all, look at my own. Though I did meet a girl from Russia a few days ago who had violet colored hair. It was interesting." When she asked about him, he suddenly stopped his operation and shifted his gave towards her. "There's nothing special about me that you'd need to know. Ueitawa isn't my home, but I'd rather not speak about my personal life." He spoke as if it were a secret, and the way he was giving her a cold glare only meant it was personal to him. But for some reason that cold glare eased back into a blank expression as he released a short breath and tilted his head to the side. "Hmph, it wouldn't matter anyway, so I suppose I can tell. I was recently sent here by my Father. I don't live in Ueitawa, but my family does reside in Japan. It's our main place of business, after all. I suppose you could say I've been in Ueitawa for a total of two months or so. Give or take." Naito placed the scalpel back onto the table and focused his attention back onto his partner.

    The girl couldn’t help but frown at him. Despite his kind, reassuring gesture, she felt guilty for unintentionally dumping the entire workload on his shoulders and then earning a grade for doing nothing. It wasn’t as if she was physically incapable of helping him, after all. But he seemed to know what he was doing, and she decided it was best to let him work in peace. With her luck, she’d do something that would either injure one or both of them should she try and help. With that thought she set the scalpel she had been holding with the other unused instruments. //Why can’t I ever be useful…?//

    Her guilt started to run deeper as he fixed his harsh gaze onto her face. She flinched at the intensity, subtly raising her shoulders as if trying to become smaller. //Murphy’s Law was made for me, wasn’t it?// she thought forlornly, forcing her body to relax when he proceeded to calm down and answer her innocent question.

    “Oh…only two months?” she smiled pleasantly. “You seem quite comfortable here, nevertheless. It’s impressive.” After all, Destiny had moved numerous times in her relatively short life and knew all about the difficulties of settling into a new place.

    She was tempted to ask what “business” his family ran, but after recalling his reluctance to her earlier inquiry, she instead focused on their project. After all, she didn’t want to make him upset again by prying into his personal affairs.

     It didn’t quite look like a frog anymore. Rather, with its organs removed and spread out on the tray, it was similar to a toy model, albeit a rather grotesque one. However, it made the creature seem less like a living thing and more of an object, and that was enough to dispel the blonde’s earlier sympathies for the amphibian. “My you work fast. Very neatly, too.” Casting a cursory glance over the organs, she realized she could name a few on sight. The perk of having a chef for a father, she guessed. “Hmm…I suppose there’s really nothing left to do, is there?” She placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought. After a moment of racking her brain, she realized that he had single-handedly finished their experiment.

    With a sad shake of her head, she turned to him, a rueful smile on her face. “I wish I was of more help. I’m sorry I’m not a very useful partner.” The grin slipped from her face as she recalled his annoyance—or, at least, that’s what it appeared to be—at her earlier apology. “I-I mean…” her words trailed away. How was she supposed to apologize for saying sorry without actually apologizing? The dilemma made her head spin for a moment. Finally, Destiny let out a small, awkward laugh, her hands raising to cover her pink face. “Oh dear…you must have terrible luck to have been paired with me.”

The Tsurinai gave the young woman a sullen gaze as his silver bangs draped over his left eye naturally. For a few seconds he was rather quiet and indifferent, as he simply stared towards that pleasant smile she gave him. Suddenly his lips would part, and he'd speak to her about the sudden comment. "Comfortable here? I wouldn't say that." His words were steady and his voice was rather calm. "I've only grown accustomed to Ueitawa, but I surely don't feel comfortable. Where I come from, we're mostly surrounded by busy cities. When I came here and say that the Academy was located in the woods, and how quiet places like Hayabusa are, I couldn't help but be unsettled." He closed his sullen eyes as he gave himself some thought. "I haven't really attempted to explore Ueitawa thoroughly, so you probably know much more than me. If I ever need assistance finding something, I'll be sure to find you." The conversation faded away as he turned back to the amphibian lying before him, and he would tilt his head while giving a slight frown. Obviously he was still thinking of something, and the lingering smile of the organs did cause his nose to scrunch ever so little.

His attention went back to his partner as she began to speak up about his work on the small deceased frog. Honestly Naito had not noticed how fast he sorted through the frog, nor how neat he was. It wasn't his intention on tackling the situation to be neat, but speed was in mind. Once again she said she was sorry, which made him close his eyes and tilt his head downward. "Don't apologize. I told you once, that's a sign of weakness. You did fine." She went on to mention his luck being terrible since he was partnered with her, which made him shake his head. "Not at all. Actually this went much smoother than I would have imagined. Infact, you're rather easy to talk to; I have some use for someone like you. Would you like to go out with me?" The Tsurinai was honestly just asking her if she'd like to accompany him somewhere he had been meaning to go, but yet didn't wish to go alone since he didn't have the street smarts to enjoy himself there. However, how he suddenly asked it, it was almost as if he were asking her to get romantically involved with him. It didn't help that he turned towards her and gazed into her eyes with his own grey hues. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind.

    Slowly, Destiny’s fingers lowered from her eyes, allowing her to blink slowly at the boy in front of her. Did…fine? Yes, he did say that, didn’t he? She replayed the words a few times in her head, the anxiety boiling inside of her mellowing into a stagnant calm. Allowing herself a soft sigh of relief, she finally removed her hands from her face, instead holding them close to her chest as she fiddled with her gloved fingers.  

    She took his comment concerning her amicability lightly. The blonde knew she was far too quiet and a little on the awkward side. But maybe he just preferred people like that. If he wasn’t all that comfortable in this place, perhaps he was more at ease with someone who felt a little out of place herself. His question, however, temporarily derailed her train of thought.

    The childish part of her caused her to blink owlishly and another blush, this one of embarrassment, to grow on her cheeks. But she didn’t quite notice, for her rational side was busy trying to figure out why he’d ask something like that, especially if he’d just met her. He didn’t seem to be that kind of person, but then again, she’d been wrong about people before. For a moment, she wondered if he’d just mispronounced a word, like she used to when she was first learning the native tongue. //But he said he’s from Japan. Japanese is probably his first language.// she mused to herself, a once probable explanation flying out the window. After running the inquiry through her mind again, she realized he didn’t quite mean it in the way it sounded. After all, who said “I have use of someone like you” before asking someone on a date?

    “Pardon?” she tilted her head to the side. After another moment, she recalled that he also expressed a slight interest in learning about Ueitawa. The memory cleared her confusion, and she gave him a soft smile. “Ah, did you have somewhere you would like to go? I wouldn’t mind showing you around, if that’s what you want.” She met his gaze, standing just a little straighter. She may not have been able to slice up a dead animal, but she could play tour guide. That, at least, she was certain she could do.

The Tsurinai's sullen gaze watched the young woman as she seemed to contemplate to herself about something. He had no idea she was contemplating with herself over the words he chose, and once again he saw her cheeks flare up with pinkness. Was she getting sick? If he recalled, Valentina's face also turned red when he talked to her. She actually had a cold at that time, so it was possible the young woman before him was also suffering from a cold. removing the gloves, he would wash his hands and dry them off on a towel. Looking back towards his lab partner, he'd step close to her and black the back of his hand against her forehead. "Your face gets rather red, but it doesn't feel as though you have a fever. I wonder what could be the cause." The silver haired teenager would pull his hand away before tilting his own head and hiding behind the drape of his locks. "Hmm, maybe it's just something females are inclined to do. I remember Kiyomi Mio did the same... and event the Attendant. Strange, but no matter." He muttered to himself beneath his breath before giving her a nod. "Yes, there is somewhere I'd like to go after school. Sometimes when I am in town at Hayabusa, I see a restaurant called the Satoshi Market, and apparently they have very good, yet cheap steaks there. I'd like to go there and try one, yet I'm not very good when it comes to having a conversation with commoners. It's troubling." His sullen eyes remained the same as he crossed his arms upon his chest and gave a low sigh. "I'll be sure to return the favor if you assist me with this. I'm a man of my word, after all."

    “Commoners”? “Attendant”? Well, no wonder he’d have problems holding a conversation with some of the more prideful members of town, then. That, and the fact that he was a little…innocent? No, oblivious was a better word. An “innocent” person wouldn’t have such a jaded look in his eyes, or carve into a frog without a second thought. Yes, oblivious was definitely the right adjective.

    Realizing that there was no further need to wear them, Destiny peeled off her gloves and let her hair out of the ponytail she had drawn it back into. As she combed absentmindedly through the strands, attempting to straighten them, she nodded. “That sounds fine. I need to go there anyways after school as well, so it’s no trouble at all.” When he mentioned returning the favor, she shook her head lightly, a light laugh springing out of her mouth. “I don’t think that’s necessary. After all, you did save my grade just now. I rather think that this is my way of returning the favor to you.”

    She paused to give him a grateful smile. “Before I forget…thank you.” She meant for everything, such as the comforting words and the understanding actions, but she figured he’d only think of the grade. Oh well. As long as he understood she was grateful, the blonde was pleased. “Would you like to go there right after school today, or would you prefer to wait? Ah, you’re probably involved in a school club, aren’t you?” She worked the ends of her hair with her fingertips, toying with them as she thought for a moment. “If you have something to do, we could meet at the Market. Either way, my schedule is rather light, so I’m willing to go with whatever makes it easier for you.”

"Returning the favor, hm? I suppose that is the case, isn't it?" The Tsurinai closed his sullen heavy eyes and spoke to himself as if reassuring that was truly the case here. For one who over thought most things in his life, this was just another subject to sidetrack his thinking process. The pale faced young man would give a thin smile as his silver hues looked back towards her own. "Very well, I'll take this as payment. You'd be quite the business woman in the future with your verbal skills. I'll have to keep this in mind myself." Tsurinai Naito was expecting to get back into his family's business soon, and having someone who could negotiate, even the smaller things, would be of some use. He scanned her up and down once again. Something about her seemed familiar. Perhaps it was the blonde hair, the rosy cheeks, or just her manner of speaking; but she reminded him of an acquaintance he already had. This wasn't a bad thing whatsoever, but he did have a profile to put her under. Each person in Ueitawa seemed to fall under an archetype that ranged from the kind sweet girl, to the up and coming Yakuza gangster. Of course she fell in the former category, but you could never judge a book by its cover. For all he knew, she was the type to play it sweet and innocent before taking advantage of you once you stuck your neck too far out. It'd be something similar to the legendary succubus.

Amidst his thinking, he did hear her thank him which caused his silver eyes to widen slightly in surprise. What exactly was she thanking him for? Doing a project for his own benefit? He didn't exactly do it for her, it was only to help his own grades. Perhaps she was misunderstanding this? Continuing on, he would place his left hand upon his hip while tilting his head and giving his usual stoic gaze. "I am a member of the Kendo team, however I doubt they would miss me if I missed one day. I have more important things to do, such as visiting the Satoshi Market. For their... steak, of course." There was slight hesitation in his words which made it quite obvious the steak was most likely not the main reason he wished to go to the market. This was rather true, but he didn't feel like he was warranted enough to explain why he wanted to truly go there, and why he needed someone to accompany him. "We can walk to the market together. It'd save the hassle of us needing to look for each other when we arrive separately. Before I leave, I'll meet you by the front gates. Are these terms acceptable?" The Tsurinai made this sound almost as if it were a business arrangement with the way he spoke of the matter. He even lifted his right hand up to shake her own, as his silver hues stared into her own.

    Her smile widened a fraction at the acceptance of her offer. Normally, people tended to argue with her over things like this, insisting that she didn’t owe them anything and it was, in fact, they who had a debt to repay. It was actually nice, for a change, to have someone who, after hearing her logic, agreed with her.

    The only indication she gave that she’d heard his pause was a small nod of agreement at his words. In all honesty, she didn’t find it so odd. Most of the students nowadays were a little on edge after all of the disappearances around town. Some openly admitted it, others hid behind what they thought was “normal” behavior. Perhaps he was just nervous to walk the streets alone? It seemed unlikely with the personality she’d seen so far, but one could never really be sure.

    “Ah, you’re right.” Her fingertips pressed against her lips as realization dawned on her. “That does sound like a rather good idea. Yes, of course, it works quite well.” She took his hand gently, a bit self-conscious with the hand-shake her mother had once told her was more appropriate at a royal tea party rather than a business agreement.  

    Releasing his fingers from her grasp, she gave him another smile accompanied with the tilting of her head, an expression she often used at her waitressing job. “Should you need to change the meeting place or time, please don’t hesitate to find and tell me.” She doubted he would take advantage of the offer, but she laid the option out for him anyway. Who knows; perhaps he’d be dragged to the kendo club for whatever reason, or he’d simply find someone else to accompany him home. Still, he seemed set on visiting the Market, and she doubted he would have a sudden change of heart throughout the day.

"Then it's settled." The young Tsurinai would close his eyes and give a nod towards his companion. "I'll meet you at the front gates before leaving to Hayabusa. Don't be late." With that said, the bell would ring as if right on time, and the young male would give a slight bow of the head before grabbing his satchel and heading out the classroom without looking back once. The Tsurinai figured the sooner he went about his day, the sooner the time would come when he could continue his mission at the Satoshi Market. He knew the owners daughter had gone missing for a short while, and thanks to his efforts and the efforts of another, he was able to retrieve her without the loss of a life. Now he had been scoping out the area to make sure no one else would fall victim to the culprit that was behind the brunt of the disappearances in Ueitawa. Was it wrong that he was using her for this reason without telling her? He didn't believe so. After all, if she knew too much there was a chance she would become the next target. That'd just be another body on the large pile of bodies.


As promise, the silver haired Tsurinai was standing at the front gates. Using the gates as support, he leaned back onto them while tossing his satchel over his shoulder and checking his cellphone for the time. If the blonde showed up late, he'd be sure to leave her behind. Naito was not the type to wait on those who did not participate accordingly. He'd give her a few minutes to show, and if she did not, he'd leave and heady to the Market by himself.