A new home (Open)

Kimiko Young

Kimiko was playing hookie.

She didn't feel like going to school right now. After punching a guy square in the jaw for publicly humiliating his girlfriend, Kimiko was in thin ice with the school administration and she just knew the guidance counselor's cronies were going to be breathing down her neck like hawks all day. Despite fully knowing that she would get into even more trouble because of what she had done, she just wasn't up for that stuff right now, so she opted to explore Downtown instead when she heard a little girl cry.

The sound of a little girl crying was the easiest way to catch Kimiko's attention, next to girls screaming and girls asking for help. Whatever transitory plans she half-cooked in her brain was completely erased and re-purposed into one goal: To find the crying girl.

Kimiko pushed through the crowd and, just down the street, she found a girl literally crying over spilled milk. She walked up to her. "Hey, little miss, are you all right? We can get you a new bottle, ok? Please don't cry. I'm Kimi. I'm here to help."

Kimiko... did not want to go back to school.

But she wasn't going to leave this little girl alone.

Kimiko followed her around to ensure she wouldn't cry or get hurt. It was a funny sight, a thin sixteen year old acting as a big, tough bodyguard, but Kimiko had a rapier and she wasn't afraid to use it.

"I'll take you, Lexi. I'm from the High School, so it's no problem," she said, smile as charming as a prince. She wanted to be a stable figure for this girl considering, right now, she seemed lost. Everything must feel large and threatening.

She pulled out a handkerchief from her pants pocket and handed it to Lexi in case she needed to wipe milk off her stuff. "Here you go. I'm sorry I can't offer you a change of clothes or hand sanitizer, but I figure this is the next best thing. Now, the school..."

She left the shop, but only to make sure Lexi was following her. She glanced at her bunny. It looked... it looked suspiciously familiar.

"Er, are you looking for Professor Octain?"

Mr. Kimi. It made her heart warm. She was glad she was giving off a 'masculine' vibe. It was the first step to Princehood. "Elementary, huh? Do you like being in Elementary school? What's your favorite subject?"

And then the little girl started talking about Octain. She had only heard about him from word-of-mouth. She had a friend that took his classes and she would say that he was a good teacher but overly dramatic, and she had to admit, every time she would see him talking at the Hallway, Kimiko could only confirm what she said. She thought his mask was pretty neat, though.

"He's a good teacher. I haven't taken his classes myself, magic's not my thing, but he's taught my friends some neat stuff and his mask is pretty cool!" She paused. "It sounds like you miss him, huh? Don't worry, we'll take you to him soon."

At the mention of powers, Kimiko beamed, taking a few steps forward and walking backwards. She was excited at the prospect of showing people her cool power. "Laser beams? No, I have something cooler! Watch."

She stopped walking, raising a hand to indicate for Lexi to stop. When she did, Kimiko placed a hand over her left breast. She thought: Sharp and protect.

There was a bright, tingling feeling... and then a hilt of a sword came out from where she placed her hand. She used her right hand to slowly pull her sword out of her tattoo. When it came out, it was a magnificent, rose-themed rapier.

"Ta-da!"

"Huh..." Kimiko nodded, listening to this little girl talk about Professor Octain. She had to admit, prior to this, she didn't care about him much. But if he had such a big heart that he would prioritize this sweet girl over himself? He was all right in her book. "You know, your dad sounds like a great guy! You're lucky to have him, Lexi. And you're right, we should totally take classes with him. Maybe he can teach us to shoot laser beams from our eyes!"

As she showed Lexi her power, she reveled in her adoration because, let's face it, it was a pretty cool power.

But then she tripped.

That was dangerous, with her sword out! The stuffed animal almost got cut in half, but years of Athletic activities honed Kimiko's reflexes for the better, and she was quick enough to catch Lexi by the stomach and catch her almost torn doll before it hit the floor. She let the sword drop onto the pavement because, right now, her bravado wasn't important.

The sword stayed perfectly intact. She helped Lexi to her feet again. "You're all right, little princess." She smiled, but it seemed to fade as she slowly handed her her doll. "I'm sorry your bunny got injured. My friend knows how to sew! She can fix her up in no time."

It was a sad story, when she pieced the big picture from Lexi's tiny snapshots of it. It tugged at Kimiko's heartstrings. She wished little girls like Lexi, so sweet and innocent, would never get hurt. But the sad reality was that the world was cruel to women. She gave Lexi a reassuring pat on the head.

"I'm sure you'll find a better life here, for you and your dad. And if you ever feel sad or alone, like everything's impossible to do, I'm sure you'll be able to get through it, because you have the best weapon of all." She pointed at her chest, smiling. "Your strong heart."

Kimiko gasped, clutching her chest.

She was so touched. It was almost like she was asking her to be her prince on a white stead. She had always thought... if she could be the kind of person that people would want near them to save them, didn't it mean she was halfway to princehood?

Kimiko took the rapier and swung it in the air. It disappeared to... wherever her rapier went she wasn't using it, she supposed. She immediately got on her knee and took Lexi's hands into her own. "I'd be honored, Lexi! Don't be afraid to call on me if you need any help, all right? And don't worry about not having friends. I'm sure you'll make —" She made a wide gesture with her arms. "— this much when you get there!"