Good Times... [Shizuka/JT]

[Raphael Laurent]

Raphael’s truck putted along the road through Karakura, and he couldn’t help but think about things that had happened. And that was when his mind, invariably, shifted back to Shizuka, a person that he’d met in what seemed like forever ago, and the card that she’d given him. He thought for a few seconds. It was an odd thing, but he still had that card. Once he’d made the last delivery he parked his car and sat in it for a few seconds, deep in thought. Pushing himself out of it he went into the main delivery building, and started getting changed. As he was, his wallet fell out of his pocket causing the Xcution card that Shizuka had given him went clattering to the ground as well.



Bending down, he picked up his wallet and stared at the card for a little while. He couldn’t remember what she’d said to do with it, whenever he made a decision or…was it if he wanted to talk to her? He couldn’t quite remember, but regardless he’d made his decision. He just had to push energy through it and she’d be able to find him…? He held it in his hands, rubbing his thumb along it. It was odd that so small a thing had such an incredible ability. As a matter of fact, it was complete lunacy. She’d probably been fucking with him and they’d had him under surveillance of some kind ever since they’d first run into each other.



But his mind crossed into the realms of insanity as he stared at the engraving on the card, Xcution. What if…what if she hadn’t been messing with him and that forcing energy through the card would actually generate a method for her to find him? Was…he ready for such a meeting? Not realistically. She was…overwhelmingly powerful and could no doubt destroy him with little less than a thought. Resistance, as they say, would be ultimately futile. She could crush and toss him aside and he wouldn’t be able to do much about it…



But he held the card in his hand regardless, thinking and pondering over what specifically she’d told him would happen. It was something about being able to find him anywhere, no matter where. Chuckling, Raphael held the card in his hand. “Yeeeeah right. There’s no way in hell that something like that existed.” With a bit of a playful and annoyed smile, Raphael slowly fed a bit of energy into it, nothing like a test, both of his control as well as if the damn card actually worked, especially now that he could do so.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

"You called?"

A female voice rang out from behind the man standing in front of her, and she expected him to turn around. Shizuka would be there, standing and smiling, wearing a white tank top that hung loosely on her form as if she were going to a beach. The top had her favorite signature purple star on it and was accompanied by denim shorts. She wore sandals but, of course, kept her little travel bag with her shoes on her as she typically did when wearing anything other than what transformed into her Fullbring.

The feeling she got whenever someone pushed their Reiatsu into the card was an interesting one. It felt a bit like a shiver, but also as if something was pressing on her mind to tell her exactly where to go. The only reason why she showed up so quickly was because she used techniques to get her there, but there was an advantage to that. Since Raph was in the same town as Shizuka, it worked out pretty nicely. It wasn't as if she needed to travel far, so she simply followed the trail.

Not only that, but Shizuka had changed a bit since they first met. One of these changes included the ability to sense people. Finally. For years she had been plagued with no energy sensory skills at all, and she finally developed the talent! It may not have been as strong as some other people she's met, but what she had was more than enough. This was exciting! She could finally sense Raph. He felt familiar, but his energy was so different from even the small amount she had picked up from before this meeting. Fascinating.

"I imagine you've had time to think over my offer!" Shizuka paced around the man to give him a good look. "That's awesome! You held on to the card for quite some time. I almost thought you threw it away, honestly!"

The woman smiled a pleasant smile and stopped her pacing as to remain in front of him. She didn't respond to too many calls like this, she had to admit, so it was interesting to see that someone wanted to meet in such a traditional way. She always liked how Xcution handled recruitment. She loved the dark and mysterious ways they had, only for someone like her to show up and that whole aura be demolished because of her typical upbeat personality.

"So! What can I do for you?"

[Raphael Laurent]

He felt her before he heard her, if only just; she was as quick as he remembered and he couldn’t help but take in a bit of a steadying breath as she appeared. Still holding the card in his hand he couldn’t help but smile. Jesus Christ these things worked far better than he thought was possible. He couldn’t help but notice that she’d changed, somewhat; not in appearance or really even mannerisms, but he could feel an odd level of maturation from her reiatsu. It made him chuckle, as he thought about it. Back before he hadn’t been able to sense such subtleties out of others and yet now… Even standing there, thinking about it, he realized that he had, in a way, called her here.

“Ah, Shizuka-san.” He smiled as he watched her walk around him, yet when she mentioned the deal he couldn’t help but let out an audible laugh. “I haven’t had as much time as you might be thinking, to have considered your offer.” He watched her for a second, not entirely sure how much he could really discuss about Taka in front of Shizuka. Best not to take any chances. “I ran into a pretty weak hollow and thought I could take it on without any real spirit powers. Managed to kill it with part of a destroyed car, but I passed out pretty much right after that. Just woke up recently with the most basic aspects of what you all call fullbring. Been trying to teach myself a bit more about it through…specific trial and error, but I’ve kept it with me all this time, yeah.”

It was an odd game that he most often had to play with people that had more power than him. He had to be careful about the way that he went about it since she and many others could practically break him like a twig. Yet there was a great deal that he could learn from them, pretty much each and every one of them. “I’m trying to still consider everything that I’ve got to deal with. I’m trying to actually work before I even think about trying to join anything, if you know what I mean. Not gonna have people calling me useless or weak. Realistically… I thought you were joking about this card.” Raph turned it round and round in his hands a few times.

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

“I haven’t had as much time as you might be thinking, to have considered your offer.”

"Well, shucks." The blonde snapped her fingers as she spoke to add a gesticulation. "So what happened?"

“I ran into a pretty weak hollow and thought I could take it on without any real spirit powers. Managed to kill it with part of a destroyed car, but I passed out pretty much right after that. Just woke up recently with the most basic aspects of what you all call fullbring. Been trying to teach myself a bit more about it through…specific trial and error, but I’ve kept it with me all this time, yeah.”

"Hmm... That's pretty crazy, Raph. And dangerous. I'm glad you kept the card on you. I just wish I could have helped you, but it's exciting that you're unlocking some of your abilities!"

“I’m trying to still consider everything that I’ve got to deal with. I’m trying to actually work before I even think about trying to join anything, if you know what I mean. Not gonna have people calling me useless or weak. Realistically… I thought you were joking about this card.”

Shizuka knew exactly what he meant. Truthfully, she got pulled into Xcution a long time ago but wasn't so sure she would have said no later down the line if someone had asked. She enjoyed what she did, all things considered, and didn't have a problem with it. But the comment about people calling him useless or weak kind of ticked her off. Humans at their basic levels weren't much to sneeze at, sure. But they had so much potential. To be a Fullbringer was exciting! He should know that.

"Ha! A joke? Nope. No, it actually works. I hand those out to people I feel have talent, and you definitely do. I mean, you can refuse me," she began, shrugging her arms. Her smile soon turned into a smirk. "But I won't lie to you. Xcution offers a sense of family and protection that other organizations don't. And if you want to be a mercenary, I won't stop you. I just wouldn't want you crossing paths with my people, is all."

It wasn't a threat so much as it was a warning. She wouldn't be able to protect him if he ended up on the wrong side of a fight. All she could do would be to try to steer people away from him, perhaps encourage them to go after someone else, but if she gave Xcution an order, they would need to obey. She expected it from her members. Raph wasn't in danger by any means, and Shizuka didn't want him thinking he was, but he would need to learn and grow as much as possible. He has to be able to take care of himself.

Now that he had some powers unlocked, it shouldn't be too difficult. If he needed any help learning how to use them, she would offer. That being said, he didn't seem interested the last time they met, which is why she just left him her card instead. But he called her here, which meant he needed something from her. If he wasn't totally sure that he wanted to join her and her cause, fine. But then...

"So what is it you need from me, Raph?"

[Raphael Laurent]

Ever since recovering, Raphael had been neglected the card, had completely forgotten about it and had focused on getting better and forgetting what had happened. That had been the hardest part, turning a blind eye to it. The fact of the matter was that trying to pretend something so paradigm altering didn’t happen was damn near impossible. Harder, still, for Raphael as a young man that had so recently, and quickly, awakened to powers that he’d never fathom a human could’ve had. Yet still there were other things to learn, so much to find out about and experiment with. So much to learn about himself and what he could truly do. True, he’d thought the card to be a joke or prank. Something that would’ve exploded when he tried to use it, but…it had been real and he was still trying to wrap his head around it.

He watched, listening intently, as Shizuka explained that she didn’t just give the card out to just anyone, which went against what Raphael thought. He was pretty sure that just about anyone would get them for recruitment. Family? Protection? Raphael couldn’t help but allow himself a second or two of hesitation in his thoughts. She wasn’t going to force him into doing something that he didn’t want to do and if he didn’t want to. But at the same time her smirk sent a crystal clear message that, if they were crossed and he was on the other side, that he could very well be in trouble.

Still she was more than amicable, while they weren’t enemies, and Raphael had it in his head to take full advantage of every opportunity that he could. What did he want, though? That seemed a silly question to him, yet still he would answer truthfully. “I might be able to do things, now and I’ve got a modicum of control, but… I need to know more. I need to know how far I can go with this ability, what it can do, and how best to improve my stamina with it! I need to know as much as possible and that’s why, despite the fact that I thought it was a joke, I was willing to bank on the card so that I could meet with you and learn as much as I could from you. Last time I had no idea what was going on, but this time…I know what you did and have a better understanding of how you did it, so help me understand what else can be done, and how to push this farther!”[/color]

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Raph showed the promise of a typical Fullbringer first starting out. She remembered when she was at his level not too entirely long ago, though she felt as if she'd been where she was for, like, ever. People developing their powers for the first time was an amazing experience and made them feel like superheroes. Shizuka certainly felt that way. To have reflexes and senses to the extent that she did, more than a regular human, was insane. She felt powerful and special. She wanted Raph to feel that way and he seemed unsure of himself still. Determined, but unsure.

"So you want a mentor?"

This was an interesting concept. She had never actually been anyone's mentor before and thought this would be a good opportunity. She didn't get a chance to teach other Fullbringers how to harness their powers, and hers were kind of forced out of her when she and Kento were training all those years ago. If Raph needed someone like that now, she'd be more than happy to offer her services. She desperately wished he'd consider joining Xcution in the process, but she knew she couldn't force that decision on anyone. She was understanding of that much.

Shizuka placed her left hand on her hip. "I think I can do that for you. We're the same, after all. My abilities are similar to yours at the core, even if our overall powers are different. I don't mind helping you."

This way, she'd know Raph could defend himself. She had a soft spot in her heart for other Fullbringers and she didn't meet them all that often. Despite the fact that meeting other spiritually aware people seemed pretty common, she didn't actually come into contact with people like her. Like, almost at all. This would be a new experience for her, as well, being able to help develop one of her own kind. So if Raph needed her in that way, she would be more than happy to oblige for the time being.

[Kitai Yoru]

24 paragraphs, 120 TP awarded