Saved: A Stroke of Luck [CLOSED]

Spoiler:

It was a sunny day outside, and things were lively throughout Academy City. People were active left and right throughout the city. However, every inch of the city wasn't filled with people. There were less active locations, ones where if something "happened" it could easily go unnoticed. One of the people walking through this city was Minami Shimada. She was a rather small 5 foot girl, who didn't weigh all that much. She was tiny to say the least. She had purplish brown hair that was always in a ponytail. Her eyes were a distinct bright green. She had taken a walk in a different part of the city than she usually did, making the route somewhat unknown. She had a good memory, so she would easily be able to find her way back whichever way she came. She weaved her way through various buildings that were a common sight. The area was filled with a lot of small shops, ones which, unlike the larger stores, were closed on Sundays. Buildings of various forms were all around, all looked like small shops would. None ever reached past 2 stories in height. Due to the time of day (it was currently morning), what day it was, and the location of this particular strip of buildings, it was fairly empty. Minami did love being around people, but sometimes she just felt like she needed to be on her own. She was a lonely person, and sometimes being around people she didn't know only amplified this feeling. At least if she was actually on her own she felt like the reason she was alone was merely physical rather than mental. This is why she went off on her own this day, and this is why she was in this area. This was why she was in this part of town, unfortunately.

Little did Minami know, a group of students from some of her classes hung out in the area. It wasn't one of those groups that she could get along with. In fact, quite the opposite. This group commonly antagonized Minami. Why? Because she was powerless. She was an easy target. The fact that she was wealthy made them jealous, and her physical appearance often made some of the girl's jealous. This combo was, of course, very bad when they noticed Minami, all alone. Little defenseless Minami. She had speed, strength, and stamina that was superior to most humans. The problem was, she didn't know a thing about fighting. She was a rich girl, she didn't have to struggle a day in her life. Other than "true" friends, everything was handed to her in some way or another. This would make some people conceited or have that "I'm better than you personality", but Minami didn't have that. She was sweet as could be, which makes it even odder that they would dislike her as much as they did. To top it off, even if she could fight, she was powerless. If someone has spiritual power they could, generally, beat a powerless person rather easily. "Well if it isn't the 'rich' girl Minami." When Minami heard that her heart skipped a beat, as she had not yet noticed them. The voice was distinctly male, and distinctly arrogant. The speaker had short brown hair, not muscular but definitely not a runt. You think just because you have money you can go wherever you please don't you? There were a few more insults thrown from all around, but they were all said at once thus they could not really be interpreted. There were some insults, quite a few female voices could be heard using the word ugly. It was like something out of a high school drama. Minami stood scared, almost unable to move. A small gulp could be heard going down her throat. Her fingers were nervously grabbing onto her skirt. I think this bitch really needs to be taught a lesson. Minami tried to run, she turned and her hands came off of her sides, but the guy ran at her and grabbed her shoulder. She was twisted around to see a fist, and odds were it would be planted firmly in her face. She merely closed her eyes, and tried to protect her face with her hands. However, her face was still vulnerable. There seemed to be no way she could avoid it; being punched by some jerk while his friends laughed and cheered, some gathering around. Obviously, they planned to punch her more than just once.

Kirino Aozaki was not a girl that people would call 'cute'. She was tall, athletic in build, had a rather large bust, long blue hair with bangs that covered almost all of one side of her face. She was one that those around her would call 'sexy' or 'hot'. Kirino was new to Academy City, having come to the area recently. She hadn't even been able to start school just yet. Her first day was actually tomorrow, so she decided that it would likely be a good idea to try and learn the layout of the City. She didn't know where she was going. She just kept walking until she came to a less populated area. At the moment, she was wearing a small white dress that truly did look similar to a school uniform, but the black stocking and almost knee high boots she wore gave the outfit a more casual look. Not sure what to do or really where she was at, she made her way inside of a small store to ask how she would get back to the dorms. There was a nice woman running the shop that was happy to help her. As she was having the area explained to her, the woman suddenly stopped and looked out the window in a worried manner. "Those damn kids are always causing trouble..." the woman said, causing Kirino to look back to a group of teenagers. They all seemed concentrated on one girl who actually looked rather frightened. Kirino blinked a single time and began walking towards the exit. "I'll be right back..." Kirino said in a calm tone, her voice low, confident, and holding a mysterious tone to it. As Kirino set her hand on the doors handle to exit, the teenagers were placed to her left, the young girl with the green eyes and pink hair closest to her. The girl attempted to walk away, as Kirino exited the shop and turned towards them, but the girl was grabbed and forced to face a boy who was obviously going to hit her. Kirino didn't even take in to account that there were more than just that guy around. She had found her target and was going to take it out. Kirino took one large step forward and to the left side of the young girl right as the punch was initiated.

At this time, Kirino's right arm shot outwards and slammed into the boys wrist, forcing it rather easily to the side of the pink haired girls head. Although she could have done something a bit more flashy, she assumed that pushing the fist away from the girls' face should be enough. "Laying your hands on a young woman in a violent manner while your friends sit back and watch..." Kirino said, staring at him with an intense yet calm and confident gaze, though only seen through a single eye, since the other was covered by her hair, "Sir, I believe you should pull your attacks and continue on your way. This horribly disgusting act you just attempted will not go unpunished if you decide to continue on with this foolish act... I warn you now, at this moment... she had my loyalty since your honor is compromised." A long little lecture of Kirino's, but it was serious, confident, and threatening in the manner in which it was spoken. She was being serious, though she doubted a boy like this would back down to a girl when he was just about to strike another. Still, Kirino's target had been acquired and her attention was only on him, completely blocking out anything that did not seem like a threat, excluding the position of the girl she had just promised to protect.

Her eyes remained closed until she heard some sort of noise, like a fist striking flesh, and then her face...wasn't struck. She could hear the voices of some kids quietly commenting on what had happened. But...what had happened? Finally, Minami opened her eyes, as she cautiously lowered her hands so she could see. The boy had taken about two steps back, almost in shock it would seem. Glancing to the side, she found what had caused it. A somewhat tall young woman with long black hair had apparently saved her. The woman began to speak, it was an intense mature sounding type of speech. This woman's voice was interesting, she had an entire crowd that would likely go for her and yet there was complete confidence...and there was something else about her voice too. Minami, though, was still in an uncomfortable situation, so she wasn't exactly focused. Though Minami could only see the side of this woman's face, it was the side in which the eye was visible. Though it wasn't directed at her, it still felt like it could penetrate her very soul. As the woman continued to speak it seemed she was fully prepared to defend Minami.

Minami was no fool. She knew if she built distance between this woman and her, as in trying to escape to safety, she would be an easy target. All she could do was stay nearby and trust that this woman before her truly had the strength to back it up. "Th-thank you." Minami said quietly. Out of fear, she ran back a bit, and stopped directly behind this woman. She was hiding behind her, for it was the safest place she could hide. This woman had vowed to essentially act as a shield, and since Minami was completely useless in a fight, all she could do was use this woman as a shield. She felt bad that this woman had to go out of her way to protect her, but there was no other choice. If this woman couldn't back up her claim and got herself hurt somehow, Minami would probably end up blaming herself. Suddenly the male spoke up. Who do you think you are? Move out of the way so I can teach that bitch a lesson for thinking she is better than everyone else. The boy had his fist held up in front of him. Or we'll just have to punish both of you.

Minami bent over to the side. Her feet were planted firmly behind the mysterious woman, but now her head and upper body were in view to the people on the other side of said woman. "What is your problem? I have never done anything to you, or anyone for that matter! And not once have I ever even implied I was better than anyone else!" The boy seemed to be getting angrier. Obviously, the woman refused to budge. Thus the boy began to smirk. "Alright, since bitch number 2 won't move, we'll bloody up both of them." Now most of the group was moving in to attack, while the boy who was the leader formed what appeared to be a ball of fire in his hand. Minami's first response would have been how cliche it was, that is if she wasn't scared to death right now. She retreated back so she was directly behind her "guardian" and, she hoped, protected, As the group closed in and the scene unfolded, all she could do was pray that this woman could back up her claims.

Kirino's stance stayed strong and confident the entire time, yet there was something calmed and relaxed about her. She heard a small 'thank you' from the girl behind her, but did not acknowledge that she heard it. The girl moved directly behind her, seemingly taking the offer of protection that Kirino gave. The idiot boy spoke up in a threatening manner, insulting and threatening the girl behind her. The girls accused personality was not something that Kirino cared about, so his 'she thinks she's better than everyone else' pretty much went through one ear and out the other. "I am not one to judge another using the words of someone like yourself." Kirino said, though she wondered if this idiot would understand what she meant, "All I see is a group of people ready to gang up on one petite girl for their own petty and childish jealousy filled reasons..." It was then that Kirino acknowledged the words of the girl behind her. She claimed she had done absolutely nothing to any of these people. With how much fear the girl seemed to hold at the moment, Kirino could tell she was the one speaking the truth, which just strengthened Kirino's reasoning for protecting her.

Ignoring her warnings, the boy and his foolish gang of primates decided that they were going to attempt to gang up on her as well. She was insulted with the word 'bitch' and then the 'leader' of this little pack decided to fire up, a ball of fire literally forming in his hand. "Foolish..." Kirino said clearly and for all to hear. Kirino's attention instantly expanded when more people decided to move. She now had multiple targets, seeing as more of them decided to become threats towards herself and the one she was to protect. The only problem was, this could get a little messy and they weren't exactly in the easiest place to fight and maneuver in. "Is there somewhere a little more open that we could fight?" Kirino asked, "Not many of you are going to be able to get a punch off if we're standing next to so many shops." Although it sounded like she was actually giving them a chance to change their location to give *them* a chance, it was actually just gonna make it easier for Kirino to move. She refused to show her spiritual powers when she just moved to the City, so martial arts is what she was going to use. But something instantly changed her mind, "Nevermind... I'll just kick your asses here...." Kirino then moved forward at what was a normal human speed, literally using this chance to gauge the enemies power. Fire was one, now what were the rest?

Minami silently listened and observed as the conversation between the unknown woman and the idiots went on. A sigh of relief came from her mouth when this woman stated she wouldn't believe the words of the boy before them. The last thing she wanted was some gullible, or jealous, person to join in causing her physical harm. Though, it wasn't like this woman had any reason to be jealous of Minami, at least at first glance. Obviously the way she spoke showed she was much more intelligent than the group before them. When the woman brought up jealousy, Minami silently thought in her head how true it was. They were jealous, which was obvious. Someone she had been talking to once asked her a question, and when she answered the leader of this "group" overheard and next thing she knew his gang of idiots hated her guts. It was completely unreasonable, she was just politely answering a question. There was no bragging, nor did she ever act as if she deserved to look down on anyone. She didn't look down on anyone, except for these idiots. She couldn't like or respect someone like they were, especially since they wanted to beat the shit out of her.

As the gang started to move in, the woman made a comment on changing location, but quickly reconsidered, She rushed forward at the group, at...human speeds. This worried Minami for 2 reasons. First was that if she was like a normal human she wouldn't be strong enough or fast enough to deal with a group of spiritually powered students, no matter how stupid they were. The second was...HER COVER WAS BLOWN! She was vulnerable,. Her protection had just dashed forward. There were now members of the gang of students with a non obstructed straight path to her. Minami glanced to the sides in a panic before noticing a large trash can, large enough for her to hide behind! At full speed, which was actually a tiny bit faster than the mysterious woman was running at, she dashed for the trashcan. As soon as she had reached it, she crouched and only had her head peeking from the side as she watched the fight unfold. The entire group had set their sights on the woman.

While there were about 15 in total, 5 were not able to really fight. Another 5 were just watching as the last 5, the strongest ones, moved in. All 10 of the fighters need not be fought, as the entire group would scatter should the first 5 be defeated. The first one, the "leader", of course hurdled that fireball the moment the woman started to approach. He started to back away as if to keep his distance. This was due to the fact that he was not a close combat fighter, nor adaptable to the point it would be valid. He merely attempted to keep his distance as he raised up his hand and started to charge another ball of fire and fire it in a motion that looked like he was throwing a baseball. Meanwhile, one girl to Minami's defender's left fired a small energy beam from the palm of her hand, where if the woman kept at her current velocity she would be hit directly. Another boy, in between the leader and the girl to the left, cracked his knuckles with a goofy smirk. Once the ranged attacks had hit or missed, he would move in and attempt to deck the woman right in the jaw. His speed was a mere jogging pace, but his punch had superhuman force behind it. At the same time he attempted this, another boy was attempting a jab, palm open and fingers extended, st the woman's side. That boy was faster but weaker than the previous. Once all previous attacks had found their mark, one final girl would attempt to fire a small shard of ice at high speeds at the woman's chest. All movements, though above human standard, were nonfatal. Not a single move would kill a normal human in their current state, as the group didn't want to be arrested for murder. They were also quite arrogant, and failed to realize that if the woman launched an attack that their overconfidence would likely be their downfall.

Although Kirino was completely unaware of any actual reason these people dislike the young girl behind her, she doubted it was enough for a man to punch a woman in the face. That was just too much. You don't ever slam a fist into a defenseless girls face. Dishonorable. When she began moving, no, she wasn't moving with anything extra behind her. She could if she wanted to, but what would be the point of that? Her tactics were immediately rewarded as well, when the foolish people around her actually did exactly what she figured they would do. These types of people always liked ganging up on another. It was their way of asserting whatever power they felt like they had. They did it to the wrong girl on this day. First, the young boy leader of the group decided to chuck his little fireball at her. Kirino moved her upper body backwards, leaning back enough for the fire ball to go right over her body. In this position, Kirino twisted her body and using the strength she held in her legs, pushed herself into the air and into a spiral that allowed the beam to actually shoot under her. While in the air, Kirino used this chance to swing her leg around to end the spiral she was in and slam her foot into the shoulder of the 'leader'. Although it was a strong kick, there wasn't enough power to actually drop the boy, and this was done purposely. With the strength in her legs, she pushed herself up to literally stand on this guys shoulders. Because of this, she would be out of the third guy's range, unless he wanted to endanger his friend. At the moment of landing, she raised her right leg upwards and with one extremely strong swing downwards, slammed the back of her heel into the back of the leaders head. This caused the leader to fly through the air and fall a few feet away from her, while she landed in the middle of the others who now went on the attack.

As she landed, she saw a fist coming towards the side of her jaw. It was now that the cheeky grinning guy decided to move, since he finally had the chance. Kirino merely pushed her head backwards, causing the fist to go past her head. At this point, the guys' momentum was in her favor, so she shot her hand up, and grabbed his wrist. A small moment later, she shot her other hand up towards the elbow of the man who attempted to punch her and forced his arm to bend upwards, causing it to break in a grotesque manner. It was at this same time that another boy attempted an open handed strike on her. This one was faster and Kirino had not seen it coming, bad luck. She felt the boy hit her side, causing her to let go of the others now broken arm and a sharp pain in her side. She turned her head rather threateningly towards the other, unsure of what he had just done since so many people have strange and unique powers. She was about to retaliate towards him, but she sensed an increasing energy and shifted her eyes towards a young woman who shot an ice shard at her. It was at high speeds, yes, but it was weak. "Very weak..." she thought as her hand snapped up and literally caught the shard. Although it did not hit her chest, it cut a few spots on her hand, causing her to bleed. She blinked her calmed eyes and crushed the ice shard in her hand. "Do you all wish to continue?" Kirino asked as she looked at the blood on her hands. She knew that if she decided to get more serious, she'd likely annihilate them a lot easier than what she had just done, but she wasn't exactly sure if that would have been the best idea, so she truthfully took it easy on them. Sure, she broke ones arm and forced the other to the ground with a strong kick to the head, but she had reasons for each. For one, the disrespect the 'leader' showed her and the young girl she protected. Two, what she considered a sneak attack by the guy who attempted to punch her and exactly where he attempted to punch her, the face. "If you do..." Kirino said as she turned back towards the leader, wondering what he would do since they all seemed to be following him, "I will continue to fight back."

Minami watched in awe at this woman's movements. First she dodged the fireball by bending back. She was extremely flexible, it Minami had tried it she would have failed and gotten roasted by a fireball. Not to mention this woman's chest, if she didn't bend back enough the fireball could have struck it. She then went flying into the air allowing the energy beam to harmlessly glide under her. She then landed on the "leader's" shoulder in a way that got him disoriented, before bringing her foot down and slamming her heel into the boy's head. This sent him flying as this mysterious woman landed in the center of the group. Next thing she knew another boy went in to punch the woman, but she gracefully stopped the punch...and...!!! A loud crack! The boy's arm was snapped like a twig that had fallen off a sick tree. It bent in an unusual direction that arms were not supposed to bend. It was then that a gasp escaped Minami's lips, as her "guardian" was jabbed in the side by a boy Minami hadn't even seen approaching.

The woman simply turned to the boy, before a shard of ice went hurdling towards her. Another gasp of shock escaped Minami's lips ad the woman...caught it...in her hand, as if she was catching a ball. From there, it stopped. The woman asked if they would like to continue, simply stating that she would continue to fight back. The group looked dumbstruck as they saw their friend's broken arm and their leader in the dirt. But the leader stood back up. I can't wait to see you suffer. Obviously this kid had some sort of image he wanted to maintain, so he raised his hands into the air and charged what appeared to be a super fireball. It was quite giant, if that thing hit it would hurt a helluva lot. At the same time, the two girl's who had launched the magic attacks were charging up similarly large attacks. They were in a triangle formation, with the woman in the center. If she didn't escape the center, the damage to her body would be ludicrously high. The collision of a giant fireball, a giant ice blast, and a giant energy beam would also cause a nice little explosion. All of the group had backed far away from the epicenter of where the blast would be. This woman would have to be quick, lest she be struck. Though odds were if she took out 1 or 2 of these freaks, they'd all be sent packing. At all the same time, they were released. Hurdling straight towards this woman.

Obviously there was something wrong with these people. Not only has she given them the chance to back down, but she initially went easy on them in the first place. Now, instead of backing down and leaving her and the other girl alone, this idiot and two more of his friends actually plan to attack them again. She wondered if there were any laws in this city to publically using their powers. Kirino watched as three of them decided to foolishly charge up a few large attacks, all consisting of different types of energy. "Idiots..." Kirino thought, but still kept her calm, standing there staring at the 'leader' of this pack of morons. They all stood in a triangle formation around her and launched their attacks at her. Although Kirino had paid no mind to acknowledge the location of the girl she was protecting, she knew exactly where she stood. Upon impact, these attacks were going to be devastating to the surrounding area. Kirino used a technique of hers, Go-Ashi Hirameki, and vanished from their sights the moment the attacks had been launched at her. She appeared in five feet towards her right and then repeated the action instantly, now appearing right in front of the young woman. "Baria-Tossa." she thought to herself as she held out the palm of her hand and a barrier of reishi instantly appeared in front of her right as each of the balls collided with one another.

A massive explosion was created the moment the energy collided with one another. Each of them too stupid to think about the consequences of their actions. A strong gust of wind, multi-colored lights, dust, dirt, ice, and fire all shot outwards in a large radius from impact. Kirino, now standing in front of the girl with a barrier errected, did not seem to be bothered by it at all. Windows broke, doors were destroyed, walls were damaged. People in the shops around were hurt, furious, and worried. Finally the dust cleared and Kirino's barrier was easily able to block the incoming explosion, so they were safe. Kirino stepped out towards the area again, looking around to see most of the idiots knocked out and injured, luckily none were dead. "Idiots..." Kirino mumbled under her breath. She glanced back to the girl and stared calmly at her, examining her body to make sure that she was all right. "Are you injured, Miss?" Kirino asked as she held a hand out to her, offering it for help, if needed. A moment later, sirens could be heard closing in on the area, obviously being called for them. "Hm..." Kirino looked up the street to see a few officers heading their way.

As the attacks were fired the woman vanished, just vanished into thin air. Minami was still scared. She watched anime, she read manga, and she played video games. If this was anything like them, the collision of attacks would cause a massive explosion. Suddenly though, the woman appeared, then vanished again. Then she appeared right in front of Minami, who was a little startled. The woman held her arm out when suddenly a barrier appeared out of thin air. The energy attacks all collided, causing a massive shock wave. Ahh! Though she was shielded, she bent down and covered her head in self preservation. The sounds were loud. The buildings around took some major damage, though not nearly enough to make them structurally unsound. The windows and doors were the only things really destroyed. Some walls took some damage, but it wasn't too much.

After things had calmed down the woman took a few steps out to observe. At the same time, Minami took her hands from over her head and stood up. She was no longer in any danger, the idiots had apparently knocked themselves out. With a sigh of relief that she wasn't beaten to a pulp she turned her attention to the woman. The woman was already examining Minami's body up and down, though judging by her question she was simply making sure Minami was okay. A hand was offered but Minami shook her head. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. You've done more than enough." Now that the fear no longer flooded her voice, it was much different. It was soft and sweet. It wasn't the most high pitched out there, but its pitch was certainly high. She felt like enough of a burden with all that this woman had already done for her. There were sirens in the distance, and it turned out there were officers coming in their direction. "The police...and all of this destruction...because I decided to take a walk in an area of town I don't usually go...and I had to go where these idiots hung out...I feel so responsible." Minami felt kind of responsible, this DID happen because she went out of her way. If she hadn't been here, this woman wouldn't have had to fight for her. These shops wouldn't be destroyed. Normally she wasn't the type to just go blame herself, but in this case she felt she may have deserved it.

Kirino wasn't one to be offended, so when this girl shook her head at the offered hand, she merely set it right back down to her side. Hearing the statement about not to worry about the girl, Kirino merely nodded and glanced back towards the street, watching as the police closed the gaps between them. "Hm..." Kirino did not look back to her, but heard the last statement about the girl feeling responsible. "There is no point in feeling responsible for the actions of idiots. They were warned, they ignored it, they got hurt. They're like people who ignore the 'Beware Of Dog' sign and get bit. It's their fault, not your own." Kirino spoke with the same amount of confidence she always did. That was really about it for this situation. She merely turned away and walked back into the shop she had come out of to rescue the girl. "Wow..." the woman of the shop said with a shocked look on her face when looking at the annihilated ones on the street, "Well I hope that taught them a lesson, but that explosion busted my window and door... Idiots, using their powers like that." Kirino blinked a single time and then looked around as she noticed the amount of damage done to this shop.

"I apologize..." Kirino said and sighed, "I did my best not to use any of my own power... It would have been so much worse than what has happened..." Although the words may have sounded slightly cocky, they were not. She meant it in a more informative way, nothing more than that. "No, no... I thank you for what you've done." the woman said, "You warned them. I was watching the entire time. You've got some skill... I assume you're going to be joining the Academy?" Kirino merely nodded to the question to answer and the woman held out a piece of paper, "Here... A small map that can get you back to your dorms." Kirino took the paper and bowed in respect to the woman, "I appreciate your help, ma'am. Thank you." And with that, she turned to leave the shop.

Minami listened as the woman explained just why it wasn't Minami's fault. She just silently nodded as the woman went into the shop she had come out of. She stood and thought about it for a moment. What exactly was the problem? Why was she even acting so...helpless? Yes, she couldn't fight for shit, but she wasn't helpless. She had a brain, she was intelligent. Even if something happened, she could use that intelligence to her advantage. The only reason she was so afraid was because she was vastly out numbered and outclassed. If they were people who COULD be reasoned with then it would have been fine, Minami knew how to use her intelligence and logic to her advantage. These were just idiots who had a lot of power, they couldn't be reasoned with. There is little more dangerous than an idiot with power. She was just shaken. The whole incident still had her on edge, thus she acted a little...off. These thoughts flew through her head at lightning speed, all of this didn't even take more than a second to register in her mind. She was NOT the damsel in distress, and she refused to come off as one.

She immediately went into the shop after the woman and entered in the middle of a conversation between the shop owner and her. The first thing she heard was the woman stating it could have been worse if the she hadn't withheld using her own powers. Was she that strong? Considering what Minami had seen, she wouldn't doubt it. The conversation continued, and Minami also discovered that the woman was joining the Academy. For some reason...this made Minami happy. It was a little happier than one in this situation should be, though Minami didn't notice it in the slightest. Minami waited quietly for the two women to finish their conversation, after which the woman was given a map. Once her rescuer had turned to leave Minami spoke up. "Hey, I'd like to apologize for earlier. I'm not usually such a...downer is I guess the word. I was just a little shaken up, I wasn't acting like myself. I want to thank you properly for what you did, you saved my butt out there. So thank you very much for that." Minami was acting MUCH more pleasant and perky, more like her usual self. She had her happy little smile back on her face, and it almost gave her an aura of how she was feeling. This manner of acting was much more fitting for the small girl. She was able to stand up straight (something she hadn't been doing due to fear), which emphasized that she was very short, though it brought some attention to the fact her legs were fairly long. She looked much better when not slouching. "I'm Minami Shimada, what's your name?"

As Kirino turned to leave, she was instantly stopped by the unintentional blocking of a young girl standing in her way. She looked down to her, realizing quickly that it was the same one that she had just fought to protect on the street. She looked a lot better now, less frigthened, and was standing straight. It was much better than the frightened girl she had first seen. Kirino now noted the ponytail, green eyes, petite figure, height, long legs, smaller chest, and the sweet smile. She literally glanced the girl up and down, taking in her features. This was not in any way sexual, but instead a working of Kirino's mind. She was memorizing the girls appearance for future referrences and that was it. A single blink brought her back to listening to the words of the girl. She apologized for being a 'downer'. Kirino disagreed with the choice of wording, but if that is what the girl thought, then she would not correct her. She was then thanked in a more proper and sincere manner. Kirino nodded to her, keeping her mouth shut and the same calm and collected look on her face. Some would mistake her of have a 'better than you' attitude, but that was only when she was silent. Once she would speak, she'd seem calm and peaeful. After a moment passed, the girl introduced herself, telling her name.

"Hello Miss Minami." Kirino spoke in a respectful manner, almost formal, "My name is Kirino. Please do not apologize for earlier. I took no offense to your actions. And you are quite welcome. I am not one to stand around while a group of people bully another." In the middle of her sentance, Kirino's eyes shifted upwards to the arrival of the police. She saw an ambulance pull up and multiple people talking to the officers. She continued to watch, soon noticing that she and Minami were both being pointed to. "I'll explain to the officer about what happened..." the woman of the shop said happily. Kirino nodded and respectfully bowed to the woman, "Thank you, ma'am." With that, the woman walked out of her shop and went to speak to the officers. Kirino turned her attention to a couple of the idiots who had attacked Minami. They woke up and were standing off to the side, not even being questioned. It was obvious they were purposely acting like they had just got there. One of them even turned in to look towards Kirino and Minami both, causing Kirino to actually narrow her eyes in a threatening manner towards them, but they seemed unphased. "Hm..." Kirino just stayed quiet and thought for a moment.

This woman remained completely silent as Minami spoke. It was only when Minami finished that her rescuer responded. The first three words out of this woman's mouth caught her off guard. Miss? Not once in her life had Minami ever been called miss before. It was a little surprising, however, she kept listening politely as the woman had done for her a moment ago. It was an extremely respectful tone, to a degree that Minami found off putting...or normally she would. She normally didn't like when people were too serious acting, and yet this woman didn't bother her at all. Of course, it could just be because this woman saved Minami from being beaten. She did learn the woman's name, Kirino. When Kirino became silent, Minami spoke up. Her first words were not very loud, mostly surprised and inquisitive. "Whoa, first time I've even been called miss." She shook it off and went to continue. "Well, nice to meet you Kirino." Finally, Minami's eyes went to find where Kirino's were off looking. They were being pointed to. The small girl became a little worried, only because the LAST thing they needed was the police believing the wrong group of people and then she gets in trouble. Thankfully, the shopkeeper spoke up and went to explain, putting Minami's thought's at ease. Though Kirino even bowed. It felt a little awkward, because Minami wasn't exactly used to this kind of politeness. Minami's hands almost seemed to twitch a bit, as they couldn't seem to decide if they wanted to cup for some sort of bow or not.

Minami also noticed the group that had attacked them had woken up. It was...actually kind of funny to Minami, as well as sad. If the whole story was discovered, they'd be the ones in trouble, not her. Thus, they simply acted like they hadn't just tried to beat a girl up before getting their asses kicked by another girl. "They're acting all nonchalant to save their asses, that's hilarious...and kinda sad." Minami shrugged. If you don't do something wrong in the first place, then you don't need to hide anything from the police. Minami had no sympathy. Yes, she was rich, but no, she never acted like she was superior to anyone. She only mentioned it, and the idiots felt it was enough to warrant an attempted beating. They were paying the price. Yet Minami's thoughts drifted back to Kirino. She was...strange. One thing was for sure, if Kirino had a "better than you attitude" feel about her, Minami didn't notice. This was the girl that saved her after all. It was just...Minami had never met someone like Kirino. Where she came from, no one was this polite. It interested her. "So Kirino, what are you doing here if you don't mind me asking. You work around here? Or are you part of the academy?" Despite overhearing part of a previous conversation, she wasn't 100% sure of what she heard and thus wanted to hear it told straight to her.

"Calling one 'Miss' as I have done to you is merely a way of showing respect. Calling someone by their first name is not disrespectful, but shows casual behavior. I do not usually do such until a bond had been created between myself and the other. I mean no offense by it, though some take it as such." Kirino soon explained when hearing the quiet words Minami had spoken, and then looked to her with a small smile, "And it is nice to meet you as well." Kirino's attention was instantly brought back to the front of the store as the shopowner went out to talk to the police. Kirino merely kept herself quiet, uncaring to the fools that stood there as if they were innocent. They knew Kirino was dangerous now and that was fine in Kirino's mind. Now, the only thing she would have to keep an eye out for is them getting reveng on Minami when she was not aroung. "Irritating... A problem created because of the foolishness of bastards like them... I did not want to start my school year like this..." Kirino thought to herself. She was soon pulled from her own thoughts when she heard Minami speak up. It seemed that Minami took humor in from this, causing Kirino to wonder whether Minami realized she was potentially in danger because of how she was so easily defended on this day. Minami also noted that the situation was sort of 'sad', something Kirino took a second to understand.

"It's hilarious because they acted to cocky and arrogant about the conflict and now are hiding behind their own mistake... and sad because if they tried doing anything to save face... they would be the ones in trouble and not you or I...." Kirino spoke this out loudly, but in a curious tone, as if asking whether her theory on it was correct. She wasn't the best at things like that, or at least not really quick to figure them out really easily. She figured that was it, though she was also not really expecting an answer to her semi-question. Kirino's attention was once again brought away from the situation outside and she turned herself back towards Minami, looking down to the petite girl with the same calm and slightly stoic look she always held. She blinked a single time and thought for a moment about the question. "I am here to get directions back to the dorms of the Academy... I went for a walk, got lost, and merely stumbled across this place..." Kirino explained to Minami and then looked up to the situation outside once more, "I guess some things are just meant to be...." Kirino paused for a moment, but intentionally left a sense of her continuing to speak when she finished her first sentence. A moment later, she spoke again. "I do not work, though I probably should get a job and I have merely enrolled in the Academy. I have yet to attend my first class, though I will soon. I take it you're a student there as well?"

As Kirino explained why she called her "Miss Minami", Minami still didn't quite understand it. Well it wasn't that she couldn't understand it, she just wasn't the type to do it herself. Naturally, Minami shook her head. "Oh, I didn't take offense. I just wasn't used to it. Um...does that mean you'd prefer I called you miss as well? Or do you mind if I just use your first name?" As she spoke her hand rubbed the back of her head and she had an almost awkward smile on her face. Minami hoped Kirino wouldn't mind Minami just using her first name, since saying "Miss" was something she would take quire awhile for her to get used to. Kirino's small smile and friendly reply made Minami feel once more at ease. After commenting, Kirino went on and, rather inquisitively, spoke of the reasons for why it was hilarious and sad. This was obviously a question. "Something like that. Basically, there are 2 types of people. Those who learn from their mistakes, and those who ride off the momentum of past successes. I don't think they ARE capable of learning from their mistakes, which is funny and sad." Minami wasn't as philosophical as this usually, but it was a line she had once heard somewhere that she greatly agree'd with. At this moment, she wasn't realizing that being unable to learn from mistakes meant they would likely try this again.

Kirino soon explained her situation, how she got here and why. Meant to be. Those words struck Minami a bit, mostly because she realized if Kirino's life and day hadn't gone as they had she'd likely be in an infirmary. Still, when Kirino explained she had only JUST joined the academy Minami perked up. She clapped her hands together as she had a smile on her face. "Ohhhhhhh~ Maybe we have the same dorm~" Minami initially thought that since she had just met Kirino, she either didn't go to the academy or had dorms and classes that never crossed paths. If she just got here, it could mean her dorm is in the same building or a nearby one. It would be nice to have another person she knew nearby. That and a bodyguard, but again, Minami still hadn't quite grasped the possible danger she was in. Mostly she was eager to hear whatever Kirino had on her dorm. "Tell me what you know about your dorm~"

"You don't need to do anything like that..." Kirino said with a single wave of her hand, "Not everyone has the same beliefs and mannerisms as me and I will not force such on anyone. It is something I choose to do and have made habit." Kirino noticed the shy-like action of her rubbing the back of her head, noting that it was more of an embarrassment thing. Minami had no reason to be embarrassed or anything like that, but Kirino said nothing. After her mumbling to herself about the 'sad and funny' thing Minami had brought up, Minami explained her meaning. "Agreed." was Kirino's only reply to such. When Kirino mentioned enrolling in the academy, she blinked a few times as she watched Minami's actions. She stared at the girl with a calm, yet curious expression. She clapped her hands together and smiled, speaking out with a long 'oh'. She mentioned maybe having the same dorm, but Kirino doubted it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. She held it out to Minami. The paper read, "Building F, Dorm Room 2." She merely stared at Minami and waited to get some sort of reaction. She didn't have any idea where she was supposed to be going. She had literally just arrived in the city and hadn't even been to her dorm room yet. She had been at the actual dorms, but never went to her room. She didn't really know why, but something made her want nothing more than to explore the city. At least she knew now that it was needed, otherwise this girl was likely to be hurt rather badly.

As Kirino informed Minami she did not need to call her miss, a slight sigh of relief came out. "I'm happy to hear that, it wouldn't be fun constantly stressing over the possibility of messing that up." The conversation went on, and upon Minami's statement there was a simple "agreed". Minami had not noticed Kirino's shift to a slight look of curiosity. She was too busy with her inquiry. Kirino, rather silently Minami noticed, took out the paper and simply held it out. "Building F...Dorm room 2." Minami said rather slow, as if she was just shown a piece of paper where she didn't know what the words on it meant, sorta slow and drawn out as if she was pronouncing the words out. Then her eyes widened, as it had taken a moment to process it. "Your dorm room is right next to mine~" She spoke now in her happier tone of voice once more. "My dorm is Building F, room 3! I walk past your room whenever I leave the building. Minami was surprisingly happy. She didn't know this girl all too well, of course she had some serious hints as to what she was like. The girl saved her, odds are she wasn't going do anything to harm Minami, that was a plus in her book.

She snapped her fingers before holding one hand up next to her face, a single finger pointed into the air. "Well, I can show you back to your dorm if you'd like." Shortly after she thought for a moment, her hand now over her chin before speaking. "Of course, if you don't mind me tagging along, we don't have to go right back. I could show you around the areas I know." Minami looked back up smiling. "I think hanging out could be fun. Of course, it is up to you what you do." Minami kinda hoped this girl wouldn't mind her tagging along, or at least allowing her to show her back to the dorm. She found it a little...perhaps comforting; having someone who saved your life living next to you tended to do that to a person. Minami smiled, hands cupped in front of her (arms at full extension), as she awaited a response.

That was definitely not a reaction that Kirino was expecting from Minami. She was almost too happy. All she did was figure out that they were literally next door to one another in the dorms. "Definitely meant to be..." Kirino thought and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Minami. The odds of getting lost in this area at the exact same time as Minami getting mugged by a group of people are low enough, but now they are right next door to one another. There was obviously something a bit more to this, so Kirino figured that she would let the events play out in the way that they're supposed to. "Well it's comforting to know that someone who seems sane and kind will be the one next to me, not some fool I cannot trust." Kirino stated. She watched Minami snap her fingers and hold up a finger. And with a small smile as she turned away and stepped out of the small shop that they were still in, "Only if that is what you wish to do. I will not keep you from your plans. I assume these fools have done enough of that. Though, I have no problem with you tagging along..." Her eyes met that of a police officer's as she stepped out and saw him, but neither said anything. She turned down the street, unknowingly going the opposite direction of her, assuming that Minami actually would not follow her in the process. She wasn't exactly the most inviting of people, so she didn't think someone has friendly as Minami seemed to be would want to keep themselves around her for a extended period of time.

Minami noticed Kirino narrowing her eyes, the smile somewhat dropping. "...eh? Did I do something wrong? ...actually, I am acting kinda happy aren't I?" Minami started to ponder a bit. "Well, maybe I'm just happy that my neighbor isn't someone who would want to beat the crap out of me...at least I don't think you are anyway." Kirino soon had a similar statement, to which Minami merely nodded. Kirino soon exited the establishment. Minami followed behind. She also saw the same police officer, keeping quiet as Kirino did. Kirino had basically told Minami to do what she wanted, though she could tag along if she wanted. Kirino however, simply started to walk off on her own. This, of course, didn't leave much to Minami in the way of showing her around. She quickly caught up with Kirino and came to walk alongside her. "Well, all I came out to do was take a walk. I didn't have anything else to do." Minami walked with a slightly faster pace than Kirino before stopping.

The small ponytail'd girl was now a few feet ahead of Kirino. She looked around and attempted to gain a bearing on where they were. There was a nearby intersection, it was four way with a traffic light. She pointed across the street towards the north. "Over there is the area of town I am usually in, I know where things are there...lets see." Minami's gaze directed diagonally across the intersection. If she was to walk over to the street corner and walk forward, she would be crossing all 4 directions the intersection led. "In that direction is the dorms, at least the ones where we are." She turned back to Kirino. "Want me to show you around the shops and things up there?" She pointed north, where the area she knew was. "It is a pretty interesting place, and don't worry, this isn't putting my out of my way." With that, she awaited some sort of response from Kirino.

Kirino heard her questions and blinked a few times, keeping a calm apathetic expression. "No, you did nothing wrong. And there is nothing wrong with acting happy, although I am not used to the amount and level of happiness that you have shown, especially towards me being a neighbor to you in the dorms." Soon after that, she was walking down the street, assuming that Minami would not be one to follow someone like herself. She was wrong. Just a second or two later, Minami showed up at her side and Kirino turned her head to look at her, blinking once in slight surprise. She watched Minami speed up, pass her, and then stop. Kirino, curious about the girls actions, stopped a mere 6 inches behind her, definitely violating the laws of personal space, but was not really paying attention to that. Kirino watched as Minami pointed to a certain direction and looked towards there. Minami then turned back towards her after pointing a few more things out and then asked her if she wished to be showed around. "Why not?" Kirino nodded once and then waited to follow. "I do have a question about the dorms..." Kirino asked, "From what I was told, it is like a small bachelor apartment. There is a resting or living area, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a small bedroom, correct? So, does that mean the students are forced to gets jobs to pay for their own food, or is it provided by the school?"

Minami had no outward response to Kirino's response to Minami's apology. Inside, she didn't know how she felt about it, she literally didn't know how. She knew she felt unusually happy, and that Kirino was polite about the whole thing, which would creep out some people. Minami went on, getting ahead of Kirino and pointing out some places and asking if she wanted her to show her around. It was followed shortly by a why not. Kirino was positioned awfully close to Minami, a mere 6 inches. Minami felt the slight warmth from even that distance, and it caused her to get a little nervous and instinctively take a step forward. It wasn't nervous like she was scared or anything, Kirino was just kinda close...which for some reason made her nervous. Before they started to walk, Kirino asked a question. "The food? I..." Minami thought about it for a few moments. "I don't really know..." She said, feeling a little embarrassed. "I just wake up and there is food for me to eat, and any money I need is wired to me from my parents." She didn't know the answer to the question. "I don't know if the school provides it or if my parents send someone over to restock my food supply."

They came to the intersection, and upon being safe to cross, they crossed to the other side. Minami kept a quick pace, as a car had stopped to allow them across. Minami felt weird if she kept the car waiting, so she gave a thank you gesture with her hand as she quickly crossed the street. She may have been rich, but she was not a spoiled brat. Once across, she waited for Kirino to cross and then they continued on their way north. As they walked, they ended up passing a few people. The females just went on their way, occasionally giving a smile to the two girls, and some of the men did the same. However, there were a few guys whose glances were a little...too intent. Minami had long legs, and they were fairly attractive. Some of the guys (thankfully out of the 7 they passed, only 2 of them did it) stared at Minami's legs. The same two would have stared at Kirino, had their glance not seen Minami first. Minami, of course, felt uncomfortable seeing this. "I wish they would stop staring like that. I don't like it." She said quietly to Kirino, somewhat embarrassed, as she had her hands tug her skirt so it covered up a little bit more of her legs. This was by no means something Minami enjoyed, and she wished they would stop. She was a bit too nervous to do anything about it though.

Kirino's closeness remained unnoticed by herself, even when Minami took a step forward. When she moved on to ask the question, Minami's response was actually quite interesting. She was acting shy or embarrassed about it and then went on to say that she had no idea because she wakes up with the food stocked. "Well that's pretty lucky, now isn't it?" Kirino thought and then remembered back to the reasons the other idiots wanted to harm her. She really must have been quite wealthy for that to happen. Though, Kirino wondered whether it was a curse or a blessing. Did Minami know the hardships of the world? One day, when she is out for herself and living on her own, will she understand how to do so? A lot of wealthy kids did not have that experience, so when they attempted to move on from home, they were severely challenged in the real world. Of course, there were still those kids who were continuely taken care of by Mommy and Daddy and then just left their fortune. It would be interesting to see what would become of this young woman. Though, Kirino actually hoped it would be a positive conclusion. "I see...." Kirino nodded to her, but didn't really say anything else on the situations. Instead, she followed Minami across the intersection once it was safe. Kirino saw the car stop for them, but didn't speed up, taking two to three more seconds to cross that Minami did.

As they continued walking, Kirino was merely looking around calmly and taking in her surroundings, though she knew she'd never memorize them. They two of them were passing people along the street, getting a few smiles from those around, but Kirino made nothing of it. A few men smiled to them as well, though there was an obvious intent behind the smiles that would make some feel uncomfortable. Kirino was not one of these people. She was used to people attempting things on her. Unlike the one she was walking with, it did not intimidate her because of her regular skill in combat, so she wasn't noticing anything really different. As she was glancing the complete opposite direction, Kirino heard Minami speak up just barely loud enough for her to hear. Kirino looked towards Minami and then glanced around, her eyes stopping on the two men that seemed slightly threatening in their smiles. "Fools..." Kirino stared blankly at them and then looked forward, following behind Minami the same as she was before, though moving just a bit closer to her. "You'll be fine." was really all that she could really say about that situation because it was pretty much true. If they tried anything, Kirino would step in immediately. If they didn't, then they would definitely just be fine. She was just making sure that Minami realized it and would just relax.

Kirino was mostly silent, merely giving a simple "I see" to Minami's comment about how she just seems to get the food. Minami didn't know what to make of it, but she just decided not to think about it. They crossed the street and headed up north to the area Minami knew. Upon the obvious discomfort Minami showed, Kirino got a tiny bit closer and told she'd be fine. That was right, Kirino could fight. Even if Minami on her own was helpless, at the moment she had protection. She let out a slight sigh of relief and let go of her skirt. She did not like this part of town, it was a lot less friendly than where she usually went. Yes, no matter where she went there would be some guys who would eye her a bit too much, but here there seemed to be more of them. It wasn't exactly a slums type deal, actually it was a fairly nice part of town. It could have been a coincidence, but Minami still had no intent on testing that theory. "Thank you. It isn't normally this bad, not the parts of the city I usually go to anyway." She finally spoke to Kirino for trying to calm her down, because it had worked. She eased up her body and her walking seemed more like it normally would once more. However, she moved a little closer to Kirino out of security.

"I guess I should tell you. The reason those people were picking on me was because my family is...well, we're wealthy. Someone asked about my family's situation...and I told them we were well off, and well, those kids overheard. Ever since, they've liked making it a point to try and torture me." Minami finished with her words trailing off. She didn't see those kids in her classes often or anything, but when she did run across them they liked to make fun off her. They walked a bit more before something else happened. One of the two men had followed them a bit. He placed himself in front of the two girls. Minami took a nervous step back, ending up next to Kirino. Minami didn't like the situation, but she felt more at ease than she normally would. The man looked to Minami with an unsettling smile on his face. "Well well, aren't you a cutie." He then glanced over and noticed Kirino. "Wow, and your friend is hot too. How would you two like to come with me and have a little fun eh?" He obviously was trying to sound smooth, but it was just coming off as a pervert. "Get out of here you pervert!" Minami was quite an outspoken girl when she felt she was "safe". When she was in a busy part of town she usually acted like this, but with Kirino, she felt just as safe. The man was relentless though. "Don't be like that. I can show you a real nice time." Minami just glanced over at Kirino to see how she would respond.

Minami was making it obvious that she was uncomfortable in this area, but seemed to calm down when Kirino said she would be fine. This only made Kirino more determined to make sure that her words would stay true. Kirino nodded to Minami as her way of saying 'you're welcome', but her attention was elsewhere. She was concentrating on the moron that actually began following them. She did still listen to Minami's explanation about her wealth, but this was something she had sorta figured out before. She was able to tell by the idiots from before saying that Minami felt she was better than them and everything else that was said, though it was just speculation that was confirmed when Minami stated such. "I take it you have no ability at all to defend yourself?" Kirino asked, still concentrating on the one following them, but making sure to keep Minami talking. Before Minami was given a chance to answer, the one following them sped up and stopped in front of them. Kirino stopped walking and merely stared at him. Minami took a step back to be by Kirino's side. Kirino glanced down to her for a single moment and then back up to to this man, listening to his vulgar sounding advances towards them. The so called 'compliments' that he was attempting to give weren't ones that Kirino would take happily. Kirino's eyes momentarily widened just a small amount when Minami actually spoke up loud enough to call him a pervert. Kirino figured that kind of attention would make him leave, but it seemed completely opposite. In fact, the fool continued his lame advances. Kirino turned her attention back towards the guy and closed her eyes. It couldn't really be called a blink because it was held for an extra moment. Then when she opened her eyes, an intense and intimidating expression was rather apparent just in Kirino's eyes.

"Are you done now?" Kirino spoke with a lowered voice and intimidating tone. She took a single step forward to make sure that Minami was a bit behind her and the stared directly into this man's eyes. "You have no idea what you could be getting into, do you?" Kirino asked him with her stoic and at the same time extremely intimidating expression, "Tell me... with how many people in this world have developed special abilities that once were unheard of, why the hell would you be so foolish to act in the manner in which you do? Following teenage girls down the street in an attempt to pick them up? How idiotic. You have no idea what either of us is capable of. Though you've been able to slightly intimidate one of us... I am not so easy to get." Kirino began stepping forward at this point. "You have no idea the things that I can do to you... Right now I could break an arm, a leg, pull out your eye, slit your throat, cut off your head, or merely crush you with the amount of energy I have the ability to exert. You don't know. It could be any of that. So many people can do things like that and you still insist on following them. Now... Get out of there." Kirino had begun leaking her energy outwards and concentrating it on the man as a way of proving her point when she began to explain what she could do to him. She figured this would work, but some people were stupid enough not to take her seriously. Those people usually ended up getting hurt a lot...

Beforehand, Minami didn't know that the man was following. Thus when Kirino asked if Minami couldn't defend herself, she was about to go on and inform Kirino that that was the truth. Thankfully, she didn't get the time. If this man had heard that, things could have gotten a little worse. The scene at first played out without any interruption from Kirino. However, when the man did not relent, she finally stepped in. Minami watched as Kirino now stood slightly in front of her. Kirino now went off. She sounded so intimidating. Kirino went on and on, her words, tone, and expression all as intimidating as can be. Minami's eyes widened in shock and yet a strange sort of respect. Kirino went on and on, threatening the man in some fairly gruesome ways. She even leaked out a bit of energy which, although Minami had none of her own, she could feel a little bit of. The look on the man's face shifted. Slowly it shifted to frightened. Once Kirino had finished, the man actually ended up turning and fleeing, tail between his legs. Minami watched as the man hurriedly went and turned a corner, never to be seen again.

"Kirino...that was amazing." Deep down, somewhere deep in Minami's psyche, something had changed. She had suddenly gained a lot of respect for Kirino. She was so strong and level headed, something Minami wished she could be herself. Yet, there was something there more than respect now. Minami was unaware of it, or perhaps she didn't admit it, but it was something far more than respect. It was...different, this feeling. Unaware, or denying of, this change now happening deep within her, she continued on. "You were so intimidating! So calm and yet, scary. That man's face...it turned so pale, and he just turned and got away from you as quick as he could. You're so strong!" Her face was full of amazement and wonder, it showed some level or respect and an odd sort of happiness. "I wish I could do something like that...but...in response to your last question. No, I have absolutely no skill in fighting. I can run faster than most normal people, and I am pretty strong for my size...just, I have no clue how to fight. And no matter how hard I try, I can't even develop the tiniest bit of some sort of power." She felt a little sad thinking about it, but she was still awestruck. "But you, you are amazing Kirino."