Told Ya So (Cupcake)

[Nanasawa Minako]

He asked if he looked like he was the type to go out looking for a fight. She nodded. He did look like that type of person. He smoked and he talked really rough. He was smiling when he fought those guys. Minako tapped her chin as she thought about it more. The first time they met a week ago, he was going to get into a fight with a random businessman. "You look like that type of person." He acted like that type of person too. She didn't think of the boy as a bad person, but he definitely did fit into the dangerous category.

He explained he did hide most of the day and she nodded. Hiding seemed like a good idea, but it didn't create a healthy lifestyle. "You still need another hobby, a less violent one," she repeated. He seemed a bit grouchy over it all, not that she really cared. To deal with his aggravation, he let up a cigarette only for her to toss it away. He told her to stop and she shook her head as she gave him another serious, disapproving look. "No." He did a poor job of taking care of himself and it seemed like he needed someone to shape him up. Minako was the type of person to help better others whether they wanted it or not.

"I love about two miles that way. But uh, I don't think you should scream at them. They're both sleeping," she explained. "Dad gets up at six for work and mother doesn't have to go to the studio until noon."

She knew her parents' schedule very well as well as her own. Her parents were fairly stagnant people, so they didn't really have too much variation in their schedule. It meant at a certain time, the three of them could be home and enjoy family time for dinner before they were all too busy again. It was nice.

"You're hurt so you can go home. I wrapped my leg so I can get home."

[Tenchi Lui]

He looked like the type of person? Well, yeah, he supposed he was trying to fit that portrayal of a badass so he could keep people from messing with him. He supposed it worked to an extent and drew the bad crowd to him as well. He did dress to fit the stereotype and he had the attitude and volume of voice that worked against him. He did look like the type, he would give her that.

She lived two miles from where they were and that would mean he’d be about two and a half miles back to get home. He could do that no problem. Who needed to sleep anyway? Sleep was for the week. She was insisting that she could get home on her own now that her leg was wrapped up. ”Jus’ shaddup. I’m takin’ y’home. S’not like y’can run away in the event someone does approach ya. I ain’t got the broken ankle, I can get home fine after I’m done.”

[Nanasawa Minako]

Nobody was going to approach her. She didn’t understand his weird worry about ruffians trying to find her and fight her. Even when there were weird people who wanted to fight, not one of the four men had hit her. Two seemed to misunderstand her let go for let’s go but she supposed that was an easy mistake to make? It was still rather incorrect. “It’s not smart since you’re injured and live nowhere near me. Carrying me home would put extra strain on your body. I can walk,” she explained. She stood back up on her foot and showed him how capable of standing she was. It hurt but the pain was tolerable.

He still looked determined. It was fairly bad. She didn’t mind him walking her home if this were a normal situation but he was hurt. He didn’t want to take the pill either, so the adrenaline in his system would wear off by the time he got to her place since it was a peaceful walk.

“You’ll tire yourself out trying to take me the Esquaria residential area, then you’ll be really tired when trying to get back home.”

Didn’t he understand? He didn’t look like he understood her at all since he looked like he might pick her up again. Being carried like a sack of potatoes was rather awkward but it did help kept strain off her leg. She just wasn’t the only person hurt here and he needed to consider the limitations of his own body.

“So if you get in a fight then, it will be bad,” she warned. He liked fighting, so he needed to realize he had to be ready for his next fight. The boy wasn’t listening. Minako sighed. Why was he so stubborn when she was trying to help him? The girl gave up. “Okay. I’ll tell you where I live, but you have to promise no fighting today.” She held out her littlest finger towards him, waiting for the boy to hook his finger with hers.

“Pinky swear.”

[Tenchi Lui]

”Yeah, it’ll be bad. For the assholes who attack me.” He was confident in that. He would dish out better than he would get. If a couple of dudes jumped him and tried plowing into him, he would just started pounding them hard enough until they passed out from the experience; it didn’t matter if he was dead tired, he was always ready to pound some guys.

She said she would give him the directions if he pinky swore not to get into fights today. Ha! She was trying to trick him but he could see right through the trick, ”Can’t, already got in a fight today.” He replied with a smug look but threw her over his shoulder and started walking down the sidewalk, ”’Sides, the sooner I get y’home and the sooner I get back, the less likely I’ll get into one.” It was a weird sense of logic but it worked for his needs. ”So y’ma has a studio? What she do?” He had picked up on the information previously and it had peaked his interested slightly.

[Nanasawa Minako]

He tossed her over his shoulder and started heading off without her consent. She definitely wasn't telling him w here she lived if he refused to agree to her terms. She would just be kidnapped by the strange boy who seemed to enjoy lugging her over his shoulders. Minako didn't get why he kept tossing her over his shoulder like she was an accessory. He was just weirder and weirder with every interaction.

"Hmm? Mother is a ballerina coach," she replied without much care. When she was younger, her mother was a performer and her father was a theater enthusiast. Supposedly, he father was an obsessed fan that won the heart of his favorite dancer. Minako wasn't sure if the story was supposed to be romantic or creepy.

"It really wouldn't interest you. It never interests me."

Her mother was a wonderful woman and great mother, but Minako had no interest in ballet. The girl was taught proper form at a young age but rather disliked it all so she never remembered. Instead, she found tennis as her true calling. It worked out since both her parents simply wanted her to learn something and do her best to excel at the sport or hobby.

"By the way, I'm never telling you where I live."

[Tenchi Lui]

”What? The tool, tutus, tights, glitter, feathers an’ all that crap ain’t up your alley? You’re s’pose to be a girl. Ain’t it a requirement to like that frilly crap?” Clearly he was well versed with what a ballerina wore; well, some of them at least. His dad has made several costumes before in the past. At least when Tenchi was younger. He had seen all that fabulous frilly clothing and had thought the stuff way awesome because it was so light weight and durable. It was the same stuff that superheroes often wore when they fought crime so for an eight year old, it was logical that spandex had to be awesome.

”By the way, I’m never telling you where I live.”[/b]

Tenchi turned his head slightly but had to stop because there was a body in the way. He smirked at the girl, ”That’s fine. I’mma jus’ drop y’off two miles from here, in Esquaria residential area. Ya already said that’s where y’live. Dun need an address or nothing to get there. I know the way.” He felt pretty smug about it. Good thing he had been paying attention when she had mentioned it.

[Nanasawa Minako]

She blinked a few times as she looked at the boy from her upside down position. "No," she replied sternly. She didn't know what his idea of a ballerina was, but her mother wasn't covered in flitter, fire and all that crap. On top of that, she really didn't like ballet or whatever he was trying to describe. Minako liked tennis. The sport was rather fun and took a lot of skill. Even if she managed to get herself in to peak physical condition, there was always the fact that an opponent could be smarter and outmaneuver her. There were several things that went into a game that made it new and challenging every time.

"Your ideas on a girl are really weird," she said casually.

She didn't understand what he thought a girl was, but she didn't fit into it. It was obvious she didn't fit with her current clothes since they lacked tightness, glitter, or feathers. Minako didn't like those things. She had no clue what types of girls he hung out with that seemed to like such weird things. "You don't have sisters, do you?" she asked. If he had sisters that ran around in weird outfits and claimed they were ballerinas then they were lying to him. They were lying to him a lot.

The Esquaria residential area was a large encompassing area. It wasn't just one row of houses or one neighborhood. It was just the residential area in the Esquaria sector. This plan was completely terrible. She wondered if he even realized how bad his plan was.

"You're going to take me to the wrong neighborhood," she said aloud.

[Tenchi Lui]

”I ain’t weird.” He completely read far too much into the statement. Just because his ideas on a girl might be weird, he immediately assumed she was calling him weird. How was he supposed to know what a girl was supposed ot be like anyway? He was a dude and not a chick. He didn’t even know any girls so it’s not like he had much to base it off of except the scarce amount of interactions through his father’s shop.

”You don’t have sisters, do you?”

”Nah… old man never found anyone after ma.” He responded casually.

”You’re going to take me to the wrong neighborhood.”

”Guess I’ll jus’ be wastin’ all my time puttin’ you in the wrong spot then. Makin’ the trip pointless only to aggravate my injuries for nuthin’.” He responded as if he were rethinking his decision to carry her, ”It’s cool. I’ll jus’ drop ya off in the middle of it then. Simple. Dun care what happens after that”

[Nanasawa Minako]

He said he'd be wasting both their times, but he didn't stop. He was really stubborn and bullish boy. If he realized how useless this was going to be, he should have allowed her to walk home on her own. She didn't understand the boy at all. At this rate, she wasn't sure if he understood himself and his reasoning for continuing this trek. She supposed the stubbornness refused to let him stop since he made such a big fuss. "So stop now and don't aggravate them," she fussed. He kept going though. Minako huffed. He was such an idiot! She was trying to help him out! This wasn't about her health but his own!

The boy came up with a new plan what was really stupid. "If you're talking with me somewhere to protect me, then obviously you care. It would be rather pointless to try to go so far to keep me safe them drop me somewhere to get hurt?" She had no clue what the central part of the Esquaria residential area was like. She didn't assume gangs or bad people hung around her neighborhood since it was so family friendly. Then again, she hadn't really seen those types of people until today.

[Tenchi Lui]

She wanted him to stop so he wouldn’t aggravate his injuries but he had a grand master plan, he had every intention of just guilt tripping her into giving the right directions to her place or at least somewhere in the general area that she’s located in.

"If you're talking with me somewhere to protect me, then obviously you care. It would be rather pointless to try to go so far to keep me safe them drop me somewhere to get hurt?"

Tenchi raised a brow at that trail of logic. It almost worked but he had already settled on his course of action, ”An’ the fact y’complainin’ ‘bout it means y’care. I have no problem walkin’ two miles from here in the direction that I need to go, an’ drop ya off. Got a problem with it then y’can just tell me where to go.”

[Nanasawa Minako]

"Only if you swear not to get into another fight today," she told him bluntly. She would be a sack of potatoes and carried to the next city if she needed to. She could easily walk back to her house injured. She could also call her parents and tell them about being kidnapped by some weird person that thought he was doing a good deed by dropping her in the middle of nowhere, thus making her late to get home. They might even encourage her to stay home tonight, though that would be bad since school was really important. It was okay to miss the occasional practice but she still needed to go to class every day.

"I care about your health and have suggested you stop. But you keep walking and carrying me like this. By the way, someone will probably notice and call the police. This isn't normal," she responded with a sigh. The longer he took, the more people that would wake up. She looked like a hostage rather than someone being helped.

[Tenchi Lui]

”I can’t make a promise that I have no control over. People attack me an’ then I’ll fight back. Odds are, I’mma be sleepin’ most of the day away.” That was close enough to a promise in his book. He could have flat out promised her that he would not get into another fight because he had no obligation of upholding it and she wouldn’t know otherwise. He could walk away from her after making a promise and punch the next person he saw in the face and she would be none the wiser. It’s not like they lived next door to one another.

”Doubt it. S’not like you are puttin’ up a fuss an’ whatnot. Coulda carried ya like a baby but that woulda been awkward an’ harder.” He probably could have done the whole trip there with her in his arms but he would take the easy approach and carry her like potatoes. ”’sides, why the hell do y’care ‘bout my health? S’not like ya half any obligation toward my well bein’.”

[Nanasawa Minako]

"Then I have no intentions of telling you where I live."

She didn't want him to go off and get hurt and he didn't want to break a promise by fighting because he found a group of people on his way back. It was a standstill with the two of them. Minako groaned. He wasn't a liar at the very least since he didn't go making her an empty promise. She could respect that about him. She couldn't respect him thinking girls were into glitter, feathers, and tights. And she didn't like how he seemed to thing fighting people all the time was okay.

He didn't think people would take notice, but considering how the clerk looked at them when they walked in the pharmacy, she was sure someone would notice. She just wasn't sure what reactions would be.

The boy wanted to know why she cared about his health. Why did he care about her wellbeing? It was human nature to have compassion towards others. It was why she kept nagging him about his lack of fitness since it was something that could cause problems later. "No, but it's normal not to want others hurt?" she explained confused. When she played against opponents, she didn't want them to trip and hurt themselves so she would win. Concern for others was something people were just supposed to feel.

[Tenchi Lui]

Her response was posed as a question, ”It is? News to me.” Tenchi wasn’t sure if he cared whether or not people were hurt in general. He only remotely cared about her wellbeing because she was a girl roaming about in the middle of the night and from his understanding, girls were weak to begin with, add to the fact that she now can’t run away in the event of some other group finding her, then she wouldn’t be able to get away. If he came across some dude laying on the ground, or some dude having just been stuffed in a trashcan, then he wouldn’t bat a lash or lend a helping hand. Men don’t take help and they don’t offer other men help.That was just an insult to their manliness or something.

”What’s the phrase. We’ll jus’ agree to not agree or sumthin’? Y’wanna make me promise sumthin’ an’ I’m not gonna put myself in danger by makin’ that promise. An’ if people go on an call the cops on me because of this, then whatever. I’ll jus’ point out y’busted leg an’ tell’em I’m jus’ takin’ y'home.” Seemed simple enough but he also knew the cops would probably be stupid about it too. They'd likely still think the worse case scenario. Whatever.

[Nanasawa Minako]

"I guess so," she replied then sighed. She didn't understand why he would disagree to sympathy. Everyone was capable of that emotion. It's why commercials showing homeless animals appeared asking for donations because they wanted to play on sympathetic feelings to get others to donate. Seeing a fellow human had that affect too. Even if they were strangers, she didn't want to see him bruised and bloodied so she purchased things to care for him. The girl sighed to herself. There was nothing she could do. He was too stubborn.

He probably knew the police would never believe him, and she wouldn't be helpful since if the police asked her she would point out they don't know each other and that he didn't know where her house was. She had asked him to put her down several times now too. In the end, he'd probably end up arrested for just being a rather rude and stubborn boy if that was against the law. "You can't see my leg is injured since it's bandaged up properly. It just looks like you're kidnapping me from the way you're carrying me." He wasn't kidnapping her. He was actually helping her but he didn't look like the helpful type. It was all to do with appearances sometimes.

"You know, you almost a nice person. But I think right now you're helping me more to be stubborn than nice."

The first time they met he gave her water. The second time he attempted to protect her. Now he was taking her home because her leg hurt. It was all nice things but he always went about them in the wrong way.