vatheon | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Shizuo and Trunks
Where: Park
When: Evening?
Style: Prose <3
Status: Closed

The prospect of having Serph help him may have offered Shizuo a new way to try and get a handle on himself, but it didn't automatically change Shizuo's reactivity. That would take time. It certainly didn't change the circumstances that had him irritated and feeling off - the result of being down and out under the curse, as well as the other factors that have come into play - and so the following day found him in the park, trying to vent some of that excess energy. And, sadly, getting into another altercation. It wasn't as though this was new for him; back in Ikebukuro, no-good punks would often run into him and cause him trouble, whether intentional or not. Vatheon had just eased some of that. But it was back to square one - at least for now.

At least this time, the offender took off before Shizuo had a chance to really erupt. Frustrated, Shizuo tossed aside the park bench he had uprooted and turned, about to pull out a cigarette. He paused, though, noticing someone looking at him.

And, well, he had some anger built up after that interaction, so he was already on the offense. "What're you looking at?"

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Trunks stood strong, rooted to the ground, reaching out to catch the punch with a smack of skin against skin. He was strong--for a human, certainly, but Trunks wasn't going to be able to use all his own strength.

That was fine. He wasn't out to hurt anyone.

Trunks went to pull Shizuo closer by the captured fist, with the intent to flip him over his shoulder into the ground.

He hadn't expected to be caught so easily, but in hindsight, it probably should have registered as a possibility. Logically, he knew by now that there was a chance he'd run into someone stronger - it had happened with Vegeta - but rationality wasn't his strong point when he was in go-mode.

He was flipped, and he hit the ground.

Shizuo allowed the surprise to register for a moment, and then he was back on his feet.

"What the hell -" It was more of a mumble to himself than anything else. Though now there was less distance between himself and Trunks, he charged again, this time hoping to grab and throw Trunks.

Trunks was heavy, despite his smallish size--the dense muscles and bones inherited from his father's species made certain of that. Honestly, despite the strength of Shizuo's punch, he didn't expect the other man to be able to lift him. Trunks' shock when his feet left the ground was very nearly palpable, and allowed him to be thrown.

But he never hit the ground, lifted and cushioned by his ki, he caught himself in midair instead.

"You're pretty strong."

For a normal human anyway. Well, from what Trunks could tell.

When Trunks caught himself in thin air, Shizuo's rage began to deflate. That reminded him of someone - someone else who was stronger than him and seemingly unphased by his punches. Somehow who could float, too. He may have been able to lift Trunks, but it was clear he hadn't damaged him. And that made Shizuo pause and narrow his eyes.

He didn't respond to the comment, instead asking, "What are you?"

Sigh. Always the 'what', not the 'who'. Trunks sighs internally, rubbing his temples.

"Human." Half, anyway, so it wasn't a complete lie. "Just like you are, right? I just happen to have an interesting family tree."

Really, he's getting tired of people assuming that he isn't human.

"My name is Trunks."

"Human?" Shizuo's tone was full of disbelief. "Humans can't fly." Or float - whatever it was Trunks was doing - in his experience. Humans couldn't beat him, either - not really. Izaya didn't count because he had always used underhanded methods. Simon may have given him a run for his money, had he not been a pacifistic, but they had never actually fought.

Only Vegeta had managed to beat Shizuo - and beat him hard. Izaya had insisted that there were others who could match his strength, but there was something about this guy...

"Can you turn into a giant monkey?" he asked, too distracted to give his name in turn. It may have seemed like a silly question, but Vegeta had been a giant monkey when he broke Shizuo's bones - and Shizuo had thought his bones couldn't break anymore, until that point. It left an impression.

Oh, ye of little faith. "With proper training, anyone can. I could teach you how." After all, ki was life energy, everyone had it--it was a simple matter of learning how to harness it.

Trunks blinked. Turn into...that was an oddly specific question, and one that, if Trunks was right, he couldn't blame Shizuo for asking. No, he couldn't--but that was only because he didn't have a tail anymore.

"...let me guess, you're thinking of Vegeta. To answer that--no, I can't." He had the genetic capability, but without a tail, it was impossible.

Edited 2012-03-08 07:21 (UTC)

Shizuo wasn't buying it. If anyone could fly, why didn't more people learn how? Despite all the strange people and abilities lurking in Ikebukuro, Shizuo had never seen anyone float like that.

"Yeah, I am," Shizuo replied. "Vegeta's the only guy who's ever really beaten me." Beaten and broken him, was more like it. "That's why you remind me of him - you're stronger than me." And he floated like Vegeta. But if Trunks was only human, then he probably had nothing to do with Vegeta. After all, Vegeta seemed to hate humans - in Shizuo's experience.

Trunks sighed. Of course this guy had fought with his father.

"Vegeta isn't the only strong one out there, but we are from the same world. Using ki to fight is fairly common among the stronger fighters of our universe."

He wasn't about to divulge that he and Vegeta were related...not yet, and not without reason.

They didn't seem to be fighting anymore, so Shizuo took out a cigarette and lit it. It made sense to him that Trunks and Vegeta were related. At least Trunks didn't seem as confrontational - despite the fact that Shizuo had pretty much started the fight.

Not that Shizuo particularly disliked Vegeta. Vegeta was the first person to seem to have faith in his ability to control himself - even if that faith came with a threat.

Then Shizuo thought of something. He was a little slow to come to realizations, sometimes, but Trunks reminded him...

"Are you the guy who wouldn't hurt him?" Vegeta had said something about another...whatever it was he was. Someone like him who wouldn't help him grow stronger.

...so apparently Shizuo had done more than been beaten by his father. It was only fair, he supposed--Trunks had asked others what to do about his situation.

"...yeah." He certainly had his reasons, and in his opinion they were legitimate ones. He certainly didn't regret that decision. "Not unless he pushes me to it."

Vegeta had seemed willing to push Trunks to it, but Shizuo didn't say that. It wasn't his business to get deeply involved - he had just wanted to make sure he was following the situation correctly. He nodded, then finally realized he hadn't given his name. "I'm Shizuo - Heiwajima Shizuo." He was more or less in the habit of using his given name these days.

It was true, but even then Trunks wouldn't go any farther than he had to. Not with Vegeta. He just...couldn't. At the other man's introduction, Trunks just nodded, confirmation that he'd heard.

"Nice to meet you." A small, teasing smile worked its way onto the younger boy's face. "Do you always start fights with people you've only just met?"

"A lot of the time," Shizuo replied, taking the question seriously, despite the smile. He shrugged. It might have been a little while since he managed to get so caught up in irritation, but it had been something he had dealt with since childhood. "Can't help it." Though he tried - and had made progress up until this little regression.

Well, Trunks hadn't been entirely serious there, but...well, he can understand the anger and the drive to fight.

"...maybe you can. You just haven't found the right way to deal with it yet."

"Maybe." He didn't sound hopeful about it, though. A little emotional unrest, and he was right back where he started. "It's been like this for a long time, though, so I won't hold my breath." He flicked his cigarette.

"I could try to help you." Sitting idle, without anything to do to train, for as long as he had...Trunks was starting to feel restless. Like he wasn't of use to anyone.

He hated that feeling.

"How?" Shizuo knew better than to agree right away, after the last time he decided to accept an offer like that. Vegeta threatened his most important person to motivate him, and that had ramifications that extended further than Shizuo could have ever predicted.

"Well, I'd try teaching you a few meditation techniques. Your ki responds to your emotions, and your strength responds to your ki. My mentor showed me a couple ways to have better control over both." It was a way to make it easier to exploit his anger for the Super Saiyan transformation, as well, and gain better control of it--but Shizuo didn't need to know that.

"Someone else told me that meditation might help." That someone else had been Izaya - he had said something about imagining streams. Shizuo had tried, but he didn't really know what he was doing, and he wasn't exactly great at being patient and calm.

"I do want to learn."

"It does, believe me. I inherited a bit of a temper--meditation helps center me so I can put that to good use."

He picked up a rock, looking utterly calm. "It also helps me be sure I don't hurt anyone else, because, well..."

He then tightened his grip on the rock, shattering it effortlessly in his hand--an effort to illustrate that Shizuo wasn't the only one with abnormal strength around.

Shizuo could bend metal, tear up street signs from concrete, and even uproot trees. He never tried crumbling a rock like that, though. Regardless of whether he'd be able to, it was impressive. Despite having been in Vatheon for a good three months or so, he still hadn't become accustomed to the sight of people being as stronger - or stronger - than him.

"How do you do it?" To be that strong and manage to control it - Shizuo was impressed.

"I train, I meditate, I find other things to focus on. The last hasn't been so easy here. I'm used to being...well, a lot busier."

To say the least. Fighting the androids as often as he did--it wasn't fun, certainly not, and if they were gone tomorrow he'd be nothing but overjoyed. But the fighting had defined his life for so long, that he wondered what he'd be without it.

"Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. I can definitely lose it." Most often when he went Super Saiyan, though as the transformation got more use the burning rage that sustained it was starting to change into a calm, icy anger. "Sometimes it's the only way."

"Yeah, me too," Shizuo replied. He had been a lot busier in Ikebukuro, where he had a job that actually used his strength and where he chased Izaya around to expend some of his excess energy. Days spent in Vatheon tended to go by pretty slowly, unless there was a curse mucking everything up.

"What do you do if you lose it?" Let it go - try to reign it back in? Shizuo sometimes felt like his body worked on autopilot when he was angry.

"It's...kind of explosive." To say the least. "I get angry, furiously boiling mad, and then all my power just...lets go."

Trunks shrugs. "Usually it's when I need it. So I let it go--I use it. But I have to keep a clear head when I do."

Because if he makes one single mistake, the androids would be all over him and he'd be done.

"Sounds like you have a reason to fight." Shizuo didn't. Well, working as a bodyguard required a degree of violence, but not the kind of violence Shizuo dished out when he was irritated. He could only think of one situation where letting go and using his strength had been the answer - when those blade-wielding people came to tell him that they "loved" him - and that had been a singular instance. It also hadn't lasted very long.

Trunks just nodded. He did--it wasn't one that he liked to get into too much with other people. He had with Vegeta, but it was in a moment of weakness and it was with someone who could understand just how desperate the situation was.

It didn't mean that he would have, but there was a better chance of it.

"But your reason can be just as simple as having something to do, a way to vent or exercise, whatever."

"I guess that makes sense," Shizuo replied. "I've never really though to those things as reasons, though." But maybe if he did, and made himself feel more purposeful, it'd be easier. "How do you meditate, anyway? I've tried and...it didn't work."

"It's not easy, especially if you're used to being active. Picture something that calms you, maybe repeat some mantra in your head. It's hard to learn to turn off your thoughts." Trunks shrugged--he wasn't always the best at it himself, his mind was always going a mile a minute.

"I usually concentrate on my breathing. It's something physical, something you don't normally have to think about, it's rhythmic, and it's always there."

"I can try that." Izaya had told him to picture two streams - or something along those lines - and that had been too abstract for Shizuo. Breathing sounded easier - it was something on which he could keep his attention without too much effort. He nodded, then, feeling a little more comfortable with the idea of meditation at that suggestion. "Okay. I will."

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