The Religious and the Delinquent (Ryax + RV)

Sora nodded as he listened to Lisa, "A diplomat huh? That's quite something. Better not get on your bad side then or I'll get some government on me.", he said a bit playfully, sharing a weensy insecure smile with her. Sora could clearly see a bit of a blush on Lisa's cheeks, although not understanding why she would blush from just telling him why she had come here.

He laid notice to how Lisa's expression and look changed a bit, as she soon after started talking about their project together. "Uhm.. I have time to work on our project any day, from whenever we end that days classes until the evening when it's getting dark. Then I have to go back home and do some chores.", he said lightly. Sora made it sound like he had a real home to return to, one with parent's that expected chores and all; he didn't want to expose himself too much to Lisa, not revealing what the true state of his life was as of now.

"As of how to approach the subject.. Maybe we could do something like this..", Sora said softly as he began to lay up his plan, "First we should define a couple of primary bow types that are found throughout history, determine their strengths and weaknesses so we have a ground on which we can build or knowledge base with. We should also try to define a couple of commonly used arrow types throughout history and what their properties would be so that we have a more stable ground to stand upon where we can start assessing the battles more thoroughly and maybe start to really be able to understand and explain what they should have chosen for types of bows and arrows and positioning strategies instead that could have helped their cause more efficiently.". Sora was clearly ranting and had thought this through quite heavily. The last class where he had seemed to goof off and do nothing, he had actually found himself thinking about something for a change, and he thought long and hard about how they would approach their project which he had great interest in. He just kept on talking, "After that, we should really pick out what ages and cultures we would like to focus our work upon and start researching how their armors were made up. Then we would have a perfect knowledge base to actually test out our theories... If we wanted..". He was done ranting, he was averting his look from Lisa at his last words, a bit blushing as he had found himself ranting about their topic, showing much more interest then he was comfortable with sharing.

"Uhh... Sorry for taking over like that..", he said a bit lowly, looking back at Lisa and hoping that she wouldn't have minded his little process exploration.

Giggling, Lisa nodded. "That sounds like a plan, we can do it after school today then? Maybe at your place or mine? I just don't want to hang around the school all day." She suggested, knowing it sounded delightful that he had chores. Although she really had no idea just what kind of chores they were or just how he lived. She wouldn't have minded his secret life though, the one away from school, as long as he was honest to her about it. But she didn't push the issue, there wasn't a ground for it and she didn't want to seem like she was imposing too much on his life outside school.

Though as he begun the rant, Lisa just finished up her Ramen, though obviously multi-tasking as she was listening to him in the process. Though slowly drinking half the soup, she couldn't get it all down as she gently pushed it forward. Unaware of how little he actually had to live for, she would gladly give him the rest of the Ramen soup as she nodded. "It's okay. But I'm surprised, everyone's calling you a delinquent, but when you put your mind into it, you're actually quite clever." She said softly, almost looking dreamily at him.

She then looked down at her soup, blushing, remembering that it was good restaurang manners to finish one's food. "I can't finish the soup, do you want it?" She asked softly. Thinking about the project a bit too. "It sounds like a lot of good ideas, especially to get a feel of it. We'll have to dive deeper under the surface when we begin analyzing the different battles in accordance to armor types, amount of soldiers and quality of arrows." She said, beginning to talk herself. "Also, I think we should go with the 13th century British Longbows, just for a starter. They were the heaviest bows of the world, one required the ability to draw a 120 pound string up to their ear. Only farmers and hunters were apparently drafted as archers." She said softly, having been quite tantalized by that era herself.

Sora was relieved that she liked his plan so much, a sincere smile formed on his lips that froze a bit as she asked where they would be, but he quickly replied, "Your's!.. Ehm.. Sorry. I mean, we can be at your house. I wouldn't want to hang around in school more then necessary anyway. And today would be a good day to start it.".

Sora stared a bit at isas unfinished soup, he could fee himself wanting to just grab it and finish it in one go but he restrained himself. As Lisa praised him, he smiled a bit insecurely and laughed softly with a tint of nervousness, "No.. I am a delinquent, I just like the idea of shooting and killing with a bow that's all..". His lie was not so clear this time, but he thought it was best to still keep things covered up, but he found himself wanting to reveal his secrets for Lisa, both to get a bit closer to her and to help their project immensely. He couldn't believe that she had such a quick and effective way of swaying his emotions, he had thought that he had sealed away his emotions enough when he was with other people, but there was something about Lisa that lured them out bit by bit.

"Really!? Can I have it!?", Sora said excitedly as he stared excitedly at Lisa, his hands already moving to pick up her bowl and already had it in midair and brought to his lips before Lisa had the chance to speak her mind again, gulping the delicious stock down his throat and set the bowl back down on the table, moaning softly and sighing delightedly. He looked at her and smiled stupidly and a bit sorry like as she began to speak, causing his expression to change to a more focused one.

He loved how she ranted as well, talking about something he loved so dearly but could not dare to say just yet. He loved the idea and soft 'Tsch' escaped him as he heard about the 120 pound drag in the bow, as he thought that he could probably easily do that by now. Suddenly, much to his fears, Mr. Izuragi stood next to them, smiling and staring down, interrupting their conversation as he blurted out Sora's dear secrets, "Ohhh, are you having one of these projects again? And about Bows nonetheless? That's perfect! I bet Sora talked you into doing that with him, he's always been a bit of a nut for archery as his parent's passed away and left him that magnificent ancient Japanese war bow. Little sora here has been practicing for years and years!". Sora groaned clearly as he gestured that Mr. Izuragi should be quiet, but it was already too late as Sora let out a loud sighing groan as he looked quite displeased and shyly over at Lisa, his face blushing red.

Hearing his words, Lisa shock her head. Laughing nervously, she enjoyed hanging around him, though she could almost sense something was off, something wasn't right with what he told her. Though she didn't push it, she then heard him mentioning that he was still a delinquent. "I don't think so." She disagreed softly with him. "But we shouldn't discuss it, it'll only ruin the mood." She smiled, then beginning her rant.

She nodded when he asked if he could have it, though she noticed his noise when she mentioned the british longbows. Her curiousity had peaked already, but this sparked another side. Was he really able to draw that much? Though she soon heard Mr. Izuragi's voice, making her flinch and blush as she turned towards him. Though a soft gasp erupted from her lips at the mention of Sora doing archery, and that his parents had, not only let him inherit an ancient Japanese war bow, but also passed away.

She looked down, noticing that it wasn't the best time for her to find that out, and especially not from the restaurant owner. But as she noticed how much Sora was blustening, she couldn't help herself as she laid her hands across the table, taking his gently. "It's okay." She said softly. "You have secrets that you weren't ready to tell me, so it's okay. I won't tell anyone, I promise." She told him softly, giving a soft smile. "I am sorry to hear that your parents have passed on." She then added, a serious look in her eyes. Death wasn't something she joked around with, that much was serious business.

She then shock her head, still looking at him. "I'm sorry if you're embarrassed about your past. But if no one needs to know then I'll help you keep it." She smiled, slowly standing up. "Thank you for the delicious food, Mr. Izuragi." She then told him, holding her hand down towards Sora. "How much do I owe you before we leave?" She asked him, pulling her wallet out with her other hand. She'd generously tip Mr. Izuragi for the delicious food, whether he would accept it or not.

A warm smile spread across Sora's face as he heard Lisa's words. She didn't think of him as a delinquent after all, even though she had seen his fighting and his behavior in class, clearly feeling his rude behavior from when they had first met as well.

Sora was terrified of Lisa's reaction. He knew that she was a nice person, but since the years back when he had gotten so terribly rejected, he was always very scared of telling anyone his secrets and truths. Her reaction however, shook his core a bit; not only did Lisa accept his secrets and truths, but she accepted that he had and possibly have secrets hidden from her. On top of that, she wasn't going to tell anybody about it either, and not make fun of him for what he did and how his life was. All of it caused a warm feeling to stir inside his hears, one he had not felt for many years. Sora blinked a little as he stared with a confused look on his face on Lisa. He nodded softly as a soft smile slightly adorned his lips on the contrary to Lisa's serious one. "Thank you.", he said softly and honestly.

"It's our pleasure to serve Sora and his friend.", Mr. Izuragi said, smiling widely and warmly. Then he shook his head a bit, "No, no. No need to pay us for this. We're just glad to have had Sora here again after his while of absence. Now I trust I will see you here again soon Sora, and you are as well always welcome Sora's friend. Take care now!". He turned around, leaving his back to them as he walked slowly back behind the drapes, parting with a few devious words, "But if you do feel like you must give us something in return, you can always accidentally forget some money on the counter, perhaps something that would reflect how you liked the meal.".

Sora laughed lightly and smiled a bit, "That's a typical move from him right there..". He took Lisa's hand and helped himself up with it a bit gently as to not make her fall over. "Thank you for the food!", he yelled so they would hear it in the kitchen. "Let's go?", Sora asked Lisa softly as he smiled and looked at her, already heading out of the door, holding it up for Lisa as he waited for her to be ready, getting some of the fresh air into the shop as well. He wasn't sure of where to go, they still had a little while until class. His heart was a bit shaken, his thoughts traveling to that they could spend some of their free time before going back to class again, to explore the park they passed a bit.

Lisa noticed the terror in Sora's eyes, at least at first. Then it was replaced with acceptance, joy. She knew he had kept it a secret, but why should he be punished? If he didn't trust her, it wasn't because of anything she'd done, it was because of himself. So it wasn't up to her to judge him for how he looked at her. Instead, she was glad when he smiled, hearing his words of thank as she could tell he was being honest. Not that she minded, it made him interesting when he'd been so mysterious and secretive. "I'm glad you're not too mad about it." She smiled softly as they got up.

Though hearing Mr. Izuragi's words, she couldn't help but sigh softly. "Please, call me Lisa." She told him as he left, his words ringing in her mind. It was free if they wanted it? But she was free to leave what she thought the meal was worth? She had no clue how the prices at the place were. So she pulled out more than tripple of what the meal costed, leaving it by the bowls they'd eaten from. She didn't seem too worried, and if Sora had looked closely, there'd been well over much more than he could most likely dream of seeing when it came to money. She was certainly well off, being a diplomats daughter.

"Yea, let's go." She said. Letting him yell for them as she made sure to place the money while he went to the door before moving to him, heading out. "That was really good." She told him, liking her arm in his once they got outside as she gently looked up at him. She knew the time, knew how much longer they had available as she walked back slowly with him. "Do you want to relax somewhere before we go back?" She asked, knowing she didn't mind spending time with him, just relaxing and enjoying time. Though she knew it might seem odd, she had a friend already, a boy even.

Her heart, of course, was in turmoil. She'd never had much attention from boys before, at least not this kind. She'd been used to them oogling her body, staring at her figure. Though it'd driven her to dress more conservative, she still couldn't help but be torn. She knew Sora was a sweet guy, a gentle person down under his image of being a delinquent. Even if he considered himself one, Lisa could tell that if he really wanted to, he could shed that cocoon and grow into a beautiful person. And if he needed a few gentle pushes, she would be there. Though with the fear that her heart may be shattered in the process, fearing that he might find a woman at some point who made him more happy than she could as a friend.

"It was nice to meet you, Sora's friend, Lisa.", Mr. Izuragi said softly as he disappeared behind the drapes. Sora chuckled a bit and he looked over at Lisa as she put some money on the table, a slight look of awe shot though him. He couldn't see the amount as he didn't recognize the bills, they were clearly Japanese but had never seen that type of bill before, but it looked like it was a lot, but he was just happy that she gave them something at all so that their shop wouldn't disappear completely. Sora smiled warmly at her next words, "I'm really glad you liked it.". He felt how she linked her arm with his again, this time he didn't react at it, but merely accepted and liked it instead. It felt right somehow.

"I would very much like that..", he replied a bit softly, looking down at Lisa with a happy smile. Of all the places that they could relax on, all that Sora could think about was the park they had passed, all that luscious and intricate green leaf work and relaxing atmosphere the pond gave off. They could lay on the grass and let their minds disappear for a while if they wanted. "What do you say we go do our relaxing in the park? It's really a perfect day for something like that after all..".

Sora's feelings and emotions had been thoroughly jumbled now. Since the severe reveal shock he had gotten years ago he had completely shut himself out from the world, changing his appearance and mindset to mask himself out and disguise himself with another personality so he wouldn't get hurt like that again. But Lisa on the contrary drew all of his secrets to her like a sponge, accepting all of them without a blink of an eye. It was all slowly causing Sora's feelings to appear and jumble all over his mind, his mask had been broken a bit, even cracked if you will, causing all the backed up emotions to be let free at the same time. It was all causing him to feel so much towards Lisa and everything else. He was although, stalwart in trying to keep his facade from crumbling for Lisa for a while longer.

Sora took a deep breath, releasing a soft and long sigh, calming his emotions as he put on another smile, awaiting her answer anxiously, hoping that she would accept his offer of relaxing in the park.

Smiling, Lisa walked back with him, hearing that he'd like to go to the park with her and relax there. "Sure, let's go there. I'd like to see the fish again too." She said, giggling softly. Letting him lead the way, she could tell his defences were slowly shattering around her. She didn't push it though. She didn't want to see him angry or upset, she wanted to see him smile and just enjoy the time with her. At least for as long as she could. Though walking there, she let her mind wander off in the process.

He was the first guy she'd pretty much spoken to directly and openly. The first guy to even go out with her, despite it only being lunch. And he was the first guy to somewhat open up to her, even if it was involuntary from the fact that the restaurant owner had blown his secret. She would gladly share some of her secrets with him as well, should he want to ask her about anything. As she saw the park up ahead, she smiled, her mind returning to herself.

The weather was gentle as they made it there, hardly a breeze, though enough to make the tips of Lisa's long hair flow lightly in the wind. "This place is beautiful." She told him, letting go of his arm to move forward, her strides long, elegant. He'd be able to tell that she enjoyed walking a lot as she stopped by the pond, leaning herself a bit out over it, smiling as she watched the fishes swimming around, the sun glistening in their scaly bodies.

He smiled at her words noting that the park is beautiful, nodding and sending out a soft and dreamy 'Mhmm..', "It sure is.". She released his arm, happily and playfully leaping and striding around on the grass. Sora looked at Lisa as he kept on walking a bit slowly, noticing something of a radiant beauty being hidden in her smile and joy. Her steps and movements were so perfect and lovely, her dress was amazingly well fitting for her body and her overall appearance was stunning, the details were too many to explain them all. Suddenly she had stopped by the pond, leaning a bit over it as she gazed down onto the surface and beyond.

As Sora joined her after a short while, he also looked down on the fishes, though not as excitedly as Lisa, as she herself caught more interest and attention from him then the fishes he had seen many times. He couldn't help but to gaze at her reflection, smiling unconsciously at the sight as he shook his head slightly and cleared his mind once again, returning a bit back to his current self. "Those are Koi fish.", he said softly, following a golden glistening fish twirl around in the water with his eyes as he asked her, "I was thinking about asking if you had Koi where you used to live, but I don't even know where you came from in the first place. I saw your writing, it was roman letters but I couldn't make out the language..", his voice was soft and a little curious and shy at the same time.

After her answer, he traced his steps back shortly to a large patch of grass. He turned towards the pond again, laying himself down on the grass and looking up onto the clear blue sky, closing his eyes and taking in the sounds around him, his arms crossed behind his head and his legs crossed over each other as well. Another soft sigh escaped him as he relaxed his entire body quite a bit, letting his skin be kissed by the high-in-the-sky lunch time sun, letting his smell, hearing and physical sense be caressed by the park's gentle experiences. A soft breeze grazing the leaves of the trees in their surrounding. The birds where chirping ever so lovingly in their surrounding. Despite what Sora is now, one could catch a glimpse if they payed attention to him, of how he really was instead of the fabricated protective shell he had become.

Seeing him soon by the pond too, she smiled, nodding. "Nice." She said, stepping back a moment later, just watching them. Though she then heard him ask to her language and what she wrote in. Biting her lower lip, she let him step back ab it. "I can't write that well in Japanese. I can read it perfectly fine and speak it, but I can't write it. So I've been allowed to write in English for assignments, and I take my notes in Italian." She told him. Obviously she was embarrassed by her flaws, though she knew she'd eventually learn enough to get the hang of how to write in proper Japanese.

Seeing him heading to the grass, lying down, Lisa bit her lower lip. She wanted to join him, but she wasn't sure how to do it properly. So she slowly moved over to sit next to him, smiling softly as she watched him for a moment, seeing how relaxed he was before she looked back out around the park. "It's beautiful." She told him softly, her voice calm, relaxed. She was enjoying the quiet moments there with him, her voice barely more than a whisper, yet loud enough for him to hear her. She didn't want to come off as someone who mumbled a lot after all.

Her mind slowly wandered off, bringing her back to Italy. Though she knew she wasn't there physically, she couldn't help but miss her old friends, some she even kept in contact with through emailing. Though she was afraid they'd eventually slip into the blankness of her brain, disappear from her existence. But as much as she wanted to keep them all with her, she knew it would be impossible as she slowly thought back to her current position. She was a European girl in Japan, a foreigner, and no matter how she might look at it, she knew her way of life would always mark her out against everyone else. She might not be the most abnormal girl, but she was different enough to stand out on her own, especially in a place where she seemed to be the only one with her religious views.

"English, Italian and Japanese huh.. That's amazing how you know so many languages. I only know Japanese and English so far..", he said, praising her a bit for her good knowledge of and around languages. As he laid himself down on the grass, relaxing and enjoying the nature around him, he hardly noticed how she had approached him with her light frame, barely causing the ground to react to her movements at all. "It really is.. It's one of the better spots around here..", he said softly, clearly indicating that he knew the area and it's surroundings quite well, knowing several places where one could spend time relaxing like the way he used to do under his favorite tree. He didn't care one bit that she had a bit of a low voice, as long as he could hear her he was happy about it.

He opened his eyes slightly, looking at Lisa being shone upon by the sunlight, giving off a beautiful aura around her. "Come, lay down and relax now.", he said with a rather soft voice, patting the ground beside him with his hand as he closed his eyes again. He laid there in silence for a while taking in the lands around him further, how the sounds of the park echoed slightly when bouncing off of the tall building sin the vicinity, also being muffled by the lush trees in their surroundings, how the fish occasionally splashed lightly in the pond and how the birds chirped and sang their lovely soft and soothing melodies.

Sora could not shake off the lingering fact that Lisa was locked with him in the project now, making her struggle to make him work with her and in the process loose what little credibility she had amongst her new found peers of the class and school. "I'm sorry..", he said softly, "Sorry that you got stuck with me, ruining your otherwise so happy future here. I know you would have gotten along with our classmates just fine, some of them even sharing some of your ideals after all..", his voice a little sad, clearly the emotions coming from how he had inadvertently caused her reputation to sink to his own if not even lower in the eyes of everyone else at their age, for showing him compassion and caring. "Please don't say anything, I just want you to know that... it bothers me that you have to suffer for me.. I will try to do my best to help you get it back.", he said softly, his voice a bit firmer and steady to show for his determination.

"I have a thing for languages." Lisa replied softly, giggling at him praising her as he kept on talking afterwards. She enjoyed hanging out with him as she listened to him, nodding in response when he asked her to lie down next to her. She slowly laid down, her hands folded in over her stomach as she closed her eyes. Listening to him in his final rant, she shock her head softly. The place was perfect, a calm place with colourful surroundings. It was perfect peace except for his voice. Though she didn't really mind it as she heard his emotions come out in the process, letting him reveal himself slowly to her.

When he finished, she smiled, turning on her side towards him, one of her hands moving up to support her head as she watched him with a soft smile. "You don't have to be sorry." She whispered, shaking her head lightly. "I might've gotten along with them. Shared ideals and future wishes, but I'm not the kind of person who just ignores another person like they don't exist." She told him. "I'm not suffering for you, I'm making my own future by following the ethics and morals I believe in personally." She finished, knowing he was letting his emotions free. She knew she was going to end up pushing herself eventually, she had to overcome the barriers put up in her own mind.

Though as she made up her mind right there, she pushed herself over one of the edges. She leaned over, placing a soft kiss on his cheek before leaning back, turning onto her back and looking up at the sky. "I'll be your friend Sora." She told him, her voice calm, soft and gentle. "If you want to get anything off your chest, don't be afraid to tell me. A secret is a secret, I won't tell anyone." She added, looking up with a soft sigh. "I don't want any fake friends, that's why I sat next to you." She told him.

After a small pause, she continued again, her head still looking up at the sky. "I had a friend in Italy, we used to talk, she was religious like myself." She explained. "But one day during the summer break, she had come with me and my family to visit my aunt and uncle's residence, I walked in on her having sex with my cousin." She explained. "When I confronted her late that night, she told me she'd never had any faith in her beliefs, she had used me because she wanted to get close to my cousin." She explained to him softly. "After that, I secluded myself from everyone for a few months, and only let in the people I trusted the most." She told him, sitting up slowly, her fingers picking up a straw to look at. "Ever since, I haven't made any new friends unless I really wanted them." She told him softly.

Sora listened carefully at Lisa's words, reveling in the strong determination and belief that her voice radiated. He let a faint smile paint his lips as he replied, "I'm glad that you are so different from everyone else around here.", his voice gentle. Sora simply laid there on the grass next to Lisa, having his eyes closed and enjoying everything around him. He didn't even notice that she leaned in towards him, but he sure noticed her supple lips gently and briefly placed on his cheek. A very small and curious whimper escaped him as he opened his eyes and tilted his head, looking at her, but she had already turned herself away, staring up onto the sky.

Again he listened to her voice, his chest feeling a little strange at her words. "My friend.. Keeping secrets..", he mumbled thoughtfully, his voice filled with emotional thinking as she spoke. How could they be friends already, and how could she be his friend, could she even be trusted not to break him apart? These were the thoughts coursing through his mind at this point. Sora had gotten so used to the new self that even his emotions killed off the concept of having someone closer to him, a friend even. But slowly Lisa's kind words and beliefs began breaking down the barriers surrounding his heart, letting him open himself up for her and possibly puzzle himself back with the scattered pieces of his former being present everywhere.

As Lisa continued, talking about a bit of her sorrowful past, how her trust and beliefs were busted, broken completely by her close friend that she held dear. The expression on Sora's face had turned into a slightly saddened frown at her words, he didn't know that she had been so painfully hurt, much like he had. He sat himself up next to her, putting one of his hands on hers, looking at her with compassion in his eyes. "I'm sorry you had to feel something like that.", he said softly, his voice a little low. He looked down on her hand, how her fingers flicked and played with the straw as he let his thoughts and emotions wander a bit. She told him such a thing that he himself dreads to part with, should he tell her about his own past? Many thoughts raged inside his mind, the emotions welling up from inside as the shell to his heart cracked.

Shortly, he felt that he could trust Lisa, that he could expose some of himself without getting hurt again. He was quickly braving his deep emotions to crawl out of the crack in the shell covering his heart. "You're not alone..", he stated, almost mumbling as he let a soft sight escape his lips. Sora was just about to part with his hurtful past, exposing himself to Lisa, but he couldn't get himself to expose so much so soon. It was not that he didn't trust her, it was that he couldn't yet reveal that part of him, it was too painful and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stand against the raging emotions that would arise. Instead he stood himself up, looking down on her with a soft smile, "Class is going to start soon. It wouldn't be a good thing to be late on your first day now would it.", he said softly, reaching out a hand to Lisa to help her up on her feet. Sora wanted to spend some more time with Lisa before revealing any more then Mr. Izuragi had done. He was also starting to really look forward to after school when they would hang out and work on their project.

Lisa was glad when he let her know he saw her as different from everyone else. Though she heard his mumbles, she decided not to push into them, to just relax herself and open up to him. She'd gone at it now, shared something that she could slowly tell he had felt too. The pain of being heartbroken, to lose trust in someone who had meant the world to on. She then suddenly felt his hand on her's, making her gasp softly and blush. Her eyes averted down and away from him, more because she was shy than not wanting it. His skin was soft, almost gentle against her's. Though when he pulled his hand away, she wanted to reach out, to grasp his hand and hold it.

She heard him try, the mumble as she then accepted his hand. "You don't have to push yourself into telling me. I understand fully that you need time." She told him as she got up, smiling to him, her hand keeping hold on his for a bit before letting go. "You're right, it would look bad on the new student to be influenced by the delinquent and being late for classes." She laughed softly, trying to make a bit of fun out of the whole situation. "No offense or anything." She added after a little bit, hoping he wouldn't mind her joking about.

Her mind was running wild. She could still feel the touch of his skin against her's, the gentleness of his touch. For some reason she wanted to hold hands with him, to let their fingers lace together as she'd done many times over with her friends. But she held herself back. Afraid he'd push her away because of his own past, she decided to just let it slide as they begun walking back towards the school, she couldn't bear losing the only person she'd met to consider a proper friend in Japan. The only person who seemed to be in somewhat the same boat as herself.

Sora smiled softly at Lisa, "Thanks..", he replied with equal softness as he helped her up on her feet.He did indeed need more time before he could fully open himself up to anyone but himself, especially since Lisa was a woman as well, with a beauty even matching or surpassing his childhood friend. Sora laughed a little softly at her joke and replied sincerely, "No offense taken, it's true after all.", shooting a warm smile towards her. She had clearly succeeded in lifting the mood from the previous deep and almost painful memory lane conversation.

As they started walking back towards school he laid notice to something within himself that he had almost hoped for yet dreaded that he would never feel again. He was starting to feel a light form of attraction towards Lisa, the same attraction he had felt towards his childhood friend. But since Sora had such a dark past with that type of feeling, he felt a bit disgusted at himself, his face turning a bit stern at the realization and thoughts that welled up within him. He was going to try to suppress his feelings and keep them to himself so he wouldn't hurt himself or Lisa in the process. Though he was having much trouble with dealing with it currently as his heart was opening again, all the bottled up emotions slowly making their way to expose their presence. Lisa was simply too good of a person to let Sora's heart be, he couldn't control the chain reaction that was set in motion by her words a while ago.

As they got back to class, Sora went over to his little corner again, but this time he wasn't going to disregard the lecture entirely, but instead he decided he wanted to partake in the lecture a slight bit, changing his attitude a bit for the sake of their project and Lisa. During the class, Sora had raised his hand once to answer a question. The teacher had stared at him for a while, ignoring all of the other hands in the air and eventually asked Sora to answer. After Sora was done talking, some of the braver of the class had argued against him, telling him to stop wasting their time with answers that clearly weren't right. The teacher, however, spoke quite clearly, "That's right, Sora. Well done.", effectively silencing the entire class in awe as they stared at Sora. Sora sounded a simple 'Hmpf' as he looked away, starting to stare out the window again. The rest of the students had begun to mumble slightly, clearly shocked by the sudden yet correct disturbance. Shortly the teacher regained composure and kept the lecture going until it was the end of class. Sora still partially paid attention to it even though it looked like he was staring out the window.

Eventually the class was over, being the final class of the day, Lisa and Sora were free to start working on their project for a while if they wanted. Their classmates were looking a bit sour yet amazed at Sora as they gathered their things and went out the door to do whatever they would be doing.

Grinning softly, Lisa let her mind just remain her own on th ewalk back. Though as they sat in the lecture, she was surprised to suddenly see him raising his hands before giving his two scents about the topic. Though many seemed to be upset over his choice, she was thrilled. To hear him breaking off from his usual pattern was good, though she knew it was because of her that he did so, she was still pleased. Though when the lesson ended, she could tell the others were both amazed and upset. Though she kept her composure, packing her things away as she looked over at him with a soft smile. They could finally begin their project together.

But just as she got up, her phone begun ringing, making her flinch for a moment, remembering where it was as she quickly slipped it open, her language changing to Italian as she spoke with the driver. Giving off a soft laugh, she informed him that she'd be bringing a guest back to the home, for the project they had before she hung up, turning back to him with a soft blush. "I'm sorry for changing languages like that suddenly." She said, looking down as she picked up her jacket and put it on before getting her bag. "My father's driver is here to pick me up, but you're welcome to ride along back to my place. I'm sure my mother would be thrilled to meet you." She said with a soft smile.

She then remembered the project they had to make as she headed towards the door. "Come on, we need to get a head start on the project too." She said, heading down quickly, knowing he'd be able to keep up, the big car holding just outside the school, the driver giving them both a smile before opening the door to the back for them. He wasn't a chatty guy, so they'd have the ride all to themselves to talk.

The class had gone underway quite quickly for Sora, paying a bit of attention again and even talking a bit was something that he had missed. The subject however was not his strong suit, but that mattered not. The determination of him to live up to Lisa's expectations drove him forward for now, slowly bringing the old Sora back from his fortress of solitude that he had been imprisoned in. As he picked up his backpack, Lisa's phone rang, causing him to flinch lightly, being the first time he'd been hearing it.

Lisa answered, but not in Japanese, but rather in a language foreign to him. Was this her native language, Italian? Whatever it was, it was beautiful and he was slightly enchanted by it, causing him to stare at her a bit. As she turned back he blinked a bit, quickly looking away and fiddling with his backpack as to act unphased by her sudden change. "That's fine. There is no reason for you not to get to speak your native language when talking to your peers.", he replied and smiled warmly as he looked at her again, standing himself up with his backpack.

He froze a bit at the mention of a driver, thinking of the apparent luxury that would follow with such an obvious expense. He wasn't sure that he would actually be greeted so pleasantly that Lisa thought he would. He was a delinquent after all, even looking like one, even being a boy that she would be bringing home the very first day, what kind of madness could this possibly lead to. His thoughts were a bit jumbled but he quickly snapped out of it at her next words, sprinting lightly after her to catch up.

He had caught up to Lisa and was just about to say something when he saw the big car, letting out a light gasp at the sight. Her family were clearly rich, there was no doubt about it. "You weren't kidding, did you Lisa..", he said softly, his voice a bit lowly from the sight as he felt quite under dressed and lower class for such a ride as this. He stared a bit at the driver that held the door open for him, blinking lightly as he bowed, "Thank you.", he voiced yet a bit lowly. He knew that he shouldn't since it was simply this man's job, but he couldn't help it being in this, for him, uncomfortable situation.

He stepped inside the car after Lisa and looked around slowly, uttering a soft "Wow..". He had never actually been inside one of these cars, only ever seeing them rarely from a bit away. "Are you sure that I can come home to you? I don't feel like the type of person that any rich one should hang out with..", his words still a bit lowly, clearly worried over the outcome.

Lisa could tell he was staring at her when she answered the phone, but she'd figured it was only because of her speaking in Italian with the driver. But as they got down, she knew he was following her. So she headed inside the car, hearing his words of amazement as she giggled softly. She nodded to the driver once he was inside, they were ready to leave. And a moment later the car pulled off, slowly and steadily to head through the traffic towards her residence where she lived with her parents.

"I'm sure." She said, moving a hand over to pat his thigh gently. "Just relax, be yourself and greet my mom, then you should be fine." She smiled, looking out the window, still amazed at the massive city she now lived in. "Besides, she'll probably try to poke her nose into our project every hour or something like it so I'll try to keep her busy." She laughed softly, looking back at him. She knew the ride wouldn't be too long, but it was still a noteworthy distance.

Though as they arrived, she slipped out quickly, a somewhat large house being in front of them. It had two floors, a nice front with a big garden. Though it seemed rather quiet as she lead the way, the moment she opened the door, a tall, pretty European woman stood in the door. She spoke in Italian at first, Lisa replying softly to each question, shaking her head in the end before leaning in close, explaining that she had a friend with her, letting her mother see Sora as she then turned to stand between them. "I'm going to have to act as a translator, my mom doesn't speak Japanese yet." She smiled.

A couple of quick words then followed in Italian as Lisa took a moment to translate it in her head. "She says you're welcome in our home and she hopes our project goes well. I told her your name already, but she'll check up on us before dinner." She said, her mother stepping aside to let them inside, Lisa leading the way as she slipped out of her shoes in the hallway, leading him upstairs to a very bare room. There was a crucifix of wood on the white walls, nothing else. Though a couple of packed boxes and one opened box were put in a corner where she was still unpacking her stuff.

Sora laughed a little nervously at her response while they were being driven to her home. "You really think so?", he replied to her assurance softly as he gained a sliver of hope that it would go well. He did trust Lisa now after all, the little time they had spent together she had still proven herself to be a genuine and good person.

As they arrived to what looked like a small estate of a kind, Lisa had quickly slipped out of the car, Sora soon to follow. As he stepped out, he gazed at the house and the surroundings, again a soft 'Wow' escaping his lips at the sight. He was clearly not used to any kind of luxury. It was a bit quiet, the sound of the cars being muffled and away in a distance, it had a nice and serene calmness to it.

Sora followed Lisa a bit slowly to the front door and when it opened, a rather beautiful woman stood in the doorway. Lisa and the woman started speaking Italian to each other, Sora of course not being able to understand a thing what they were saying but it seemed to go rather well as he observed them both a bit curiously. He did however make the assumption that this was Lisa's mother, which he would find out later that it indeed was. He couldn't help but to compare the two women in front of him, one equally beautiful to the other, he could see the clear resemblances in their bloodline and beauty.

"I can live with that.", he replied as he returned a small smile. He gasped lightly at the translated welcome and put his hands together, close to his chest and bowed deep, "Arigatou Gozaimazu!(Thank you very much)", he voiced softly yet assertively as was the custom to show respect.

He followed Lisa inside, also taking his shoes off in the hallway, his eyes wandering and gazing away at the beautiful interior as yet another gasp escaped him. Sora was clearly REALLY not used to luxury in any physical form. She led up up the stairs to what was quite a bare room so far with not much in it except the beautiful cross on the wall and some moving boxes. "You have a beautiful house.", he said softly as he looked around a bit.

"You know. If you ever need any help with moving stuff or unpacking things, I could maybe be of assistance if you wish..", he offered his help softly before he continued, "But now we absolutely get going with our project. Do you have any books we can research or anything that could help us get started?", he asked. "Maybe you have one of those 13th century British Longbows laying around that we can use?", he asked, a slight grin appearing on his face, clearly a bit of a playful sarcasm over it all, thinking that it was probably not the case.

Lisa didn't mind letting him look around as the ywalked inside. She was glad her mother had allowed him inside, especially since she knew her parents had been hesitant about the Italian boys visiting her. They seemed different after the move to Japan so as she heard his comments and then his words once inside her room, she looked at the boxes with a soft sigh. "I don't have a warbow of that age, but I figured we could go online and search around?" She suggested.

She then moved to set her bag down next to her bed. "Have a seat, I'll find my laptop." She told him, moving to her desk, opening one of the drawers as she pulled a 17" screen, Toshiba laptop. It seemed a bit heavy, but she easily carried it over to him. She sat next to him on the bed, putting it into her lap before opening it, turning it on right after. It seemed almost brand new, she'd gotten it just after they'd moved to Japan so she had barely used it.

"Do you have any sites or stuff we could search for as a beginning?" She asked, not realising how close they sat as she turned her head, her eyes softly gazing into his. She hadn't thought much about it before, but she was starting to get older, she wasn't just a normal teen anymore. She was two months from her 18th birthday, a day that would mark her entry fully as an adult. And she still hadn't kissed a boy. She hadn't been in love or anything else that most girls her age would usually be busy with.

She snapped back as she heard the laptop's cooling unit turn on. She typed her password in quickly, a blush covering her face as she prayed silently that Sora wouldn't have found her staring to be too annoying to him.

"I figured as much. But that sounds like a good idea.", Sora replied with a smile. It wasn't easy to find one of those bows these days, but the ones that were circulating were all in poor condition due to the large time frame they've been around and used. It wouldn't be hard to find a good replica or anything if they would want to try it out.

"Sure.", he replied softly as he sat himself down on her bed, leaving her ample room to sit on either side of him if she would. He stared at the laptop, though he should have been used to the luxury that Lisa was enveloped in, he was still a bit amazed over the expensive instrument she had for getting knowledge. 'Hmm..', he voiced softly as he searched his mind for a few sites. He had found a few he liked to ogle at while using the computers at his school. "I know a few we maybe could find something at..", he said as he voiced his next words a bit lowly, still not being fully comfortable with being so exposed as he was to her, "I guess.. we could search Wikipedia for some information on the long bow type that we want to start with. Their articles are usually good and informative.", he assured if she didn't know already.

He had noticed her staring into his eyes, like she was seeking information from within him. He didn't mind as she did ask him after all and he gave her his honest answer. He interpreted the stare more to be something like of a wanting to get knowledge and having him come with thoughts and contributions for their project more then anything else. Instead he enjoyed Lisa's attention more and more, how she lightly and slightly hidden relied on him to provide them with some information on the basis of her knowledge being that he has some archery experience from that loudmouth Mr. Izuragi at the restaurant.

Sora looked away while Lisa was prompted to enter the password to her computer, he didn't want to get in trouble or invade her privacy like that. In reality, Sora had never had any serious relationship with anyone, much to his utterly crushing transition into his teens where his emotions had mastered his mind. He had never felt the softness of a woman's lips, never gotten to taste the sweetness of making love or simply having sex. Since his utter defeat by his childhood friend he had never since thought about being in a relationship with anyone, or not even simply thinking the thoughts of relationships or intercourse as it would likely well up pains within his heart, everything being so tightly knitted to his childhood friend.

However, Lisa was on a good way to untie his painful bonds with his fears and terrors. She was ever so itty-bitty slowly relieving him of his pain. Of course, Sora could not feel the change happening and would probably not show much deliberately of it either during the transition if he ever did notice himself becoming soothed by Lisa's growing presence in his life.

"We can try that." Lisa nodded, having heard his suggestion as she went straight for the browser once her laptop had started up completely. It didn't take long for her to open up the Google website that allowed them to search for pretty much anything they wanted to find as she put in the keywords they needed. "We just have to be critical of the source we want to use. At least while we look it through." She said softly, knowing she'd been scolded when she was younger for quoting and using an unreliable source for an assignment.

She soon found what they were looking for, all the details about the longbow and it's use on the battlefields of medieval Europe. "I hope this will give us a good basic start, but let's see." She said, moving the laptop a bit over, resting on her leg and knee and his leg and knee, giving them both equal view on the screen so they weren't limited.

She'd never had sex either, never been kissed by anyone but her parents. She hadn't even though about getting a boyfriend at all. Her entire life had been around tradition, education and family. She'd only ever busted her former friend with her cousin, but other than that, she knew next to nothing about sex or relationships. No one she knew were in one or had told her about it, though she knew how to reproduce, that much had been taught to her in the catholic school she'd gone to. Along with the fact that they weren't allowed the use of protection, that it would be up to God to decide if they conceived a child or not.

But she didn't push her mind back to that, she was too focused on reading up on the article along with the fact that she had to control her own emotions, and not fall head over heels for Sora, not to give in to the first boy she had ever met and been this close with her.