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School Rumble (Broom and I)

"...I'll stick around after, too," Kuki said, giving a polite bow before excusing herself. Mei...really seemed like she needed someone just to...be there, and Kuki would be that person.
--
Jana didn't feel like herself lately, but she knew why. She just hadn't had the time to really focus on making herself feel better, some things came first. She wanted to see Mei, really badly...to make sure everything was going okay, but she couldn't leave this be either. Jana had spent enough time being lazy, they needed to lay this foundation immediately. They had already chosen some successful prospects to lead the regions, she'd take care of Red, Damien would handle Blue. Right now, Green wasn't causing a lot of problems yet...so they would focus on the key areas worth covering.

Her room was a makeshift place, a bed on the corner, a desk in the middle. They had to start from scratch, they had hastily made files from everyone who got recruited from Jana's little drive...but she just couldn't focus right now. She sighed, leaning back on her desk. She was healing well enough, the ache was gone...but it gave her no great pleasure to hear that he had escaped. Mei was probably beating herself up over it...she tapped a pen against her desk, eyes trailing lazily over the laptop. Emails about this or that...pledges of support...ugh. She just wasn't cut out for this, but she was forcing herself to be, for Mei's sake, if nothing else.
 
Mei really did need someone there. She couldn't always ask Jana to be around. She was content with being by herself for a long time, but now that she was actually allowing herself to feel emotions she didn't want to go through them alone. She didn't entirely trust Kuki with her feelings...Jana was the only one. But maybe if they spoke more, that would change.

****
Jana would hear a knock on the door. A very sharp knock. Remy had been busy with a few things. Actual school was one. Then she had to check on her brother all the time and make sure he was actually doing work. Levy was actually quite lazy sometimes, which is why he liked standing watch or guarding places. But since their main prerogative was getting things set up, he had to do busy work. Though something unrelated to work was bothering her. Something really, really bothered her.
 
Kuki returned around lunch time, as promised. They didn't exactly have anything set up like they did in the old base, so she hoped some chinese take-out was fine. She sat down the bag with a polite smile, pulling out a few things. "I um...got you General Tsao's and some steamed rice, but you can have my beef and chicken if you want it," she offered. "...Are you doing okay?"
--

"Come in," Jana said, sitting back in her chair as a surprising face came in. "Hey, Remy," she smiled faintly. "...What's up?"
 
Mei had been working on getting the cafeteria up and running, but ordering the equipment was going to take a little while. Not to mention hiring the workers back. But that was something she had put on the back burner considering there were more important things to do. So she wasn't surprised when Kuki had brought back some take out. Mei was at her desk, organizing a bunch of papers that had been gathered from the old building. Some of them were barely legible, those were the ones she threw out. "Oh...I'm okay." Mei told her, giving her a weak smile. "General Tsao's are fine. My father loves those, so my mom used to make them all the time." She leaned back in her chair a little and rubbed her good eye.

****
Remy had to..restrain herself. She knew this had something to do with Jana, but Jana was her friend. She couldn't get angry with her, even if this was her fault. Not to mention, she heard from Levy what happened to her. She didn't want to make things worse. "I haven't seen Justin in days, Jana. I tried calling him. I tried knocking on his apartment door. I've asked all around for him, and no one has seen him either. The last text I got was that you two broke up. Then..nothing."
 
"Mei, you really need to relax," Kuki murmured gently. "Those papers can wait, you need to focus on getting better," she said, laying out the container for her. She was doing everything she could to distract herself, it looked like. Kuki was going to do her best to fill that void.
--

"...What?" Jana mumbled, rising up. "You're kidding! Come on, let's go," Jana said, already putting on her jacket. Dammit, that idiot...just because things didn't work out didn't mean she wanted something bad to happen to him. She was still a little sore, but that fire in her eyes came back like an inferno. If it had anything to do with those fucking whores...ugh, one thing at a time. One thing at a time, Jana.

"He wasn't at his place?"
 
Mei knew Kuki was right, but she couldn't be alone with her thoughts. They were...bad thoughts. Either she was beating herself up, or she was thinking about begging Adam to stay with her...for whatever reason. Or she was thinking about Komoku. A bad thing on a different level. "I...just don't think I should be doing nothing. It's my fault that I got these injuries. I wasn't..strong enough." If there was one thing Mei always could rely on, it was her abilities. But today they were just...put to shame. This reminded her too much of back then. Back when she used to be perfect at everything, and then the moment she failed everyone left her. She failed Adam and Jana. She couldn't fail again...

****
"No..." Remy said as she looked away from Jana. "Look, I can look for him on my own. You're busy here, aren't you? And Mei's hurt, I heard. I just wanted to know what happened between you two. I know him better than anyone, so I thought maybe if I knew...I'd figure out where he is. What did you break up with him for?" She asked as she shoved her hands in her pockets.
 
"Nobody will ever be strong enough," Kuki murmured. "You grow stronger through hardship, Mei...nothing will ever change if you do not fail. Failure makes us better people, stronger people. I know this is true...because I learned from my mistakes. I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
--

"...We...had a disagreement on what it meant to be together," Jana mumbled, sitting back down. She supposed she didn't have any right to be concerned, did she? "I told him that I didn't think sex was what made us loyal, he thought otherwise. He didn't like me...being me," she said, glancing at her. "And I wasn't going to change that for him. Remy, let me help...I'm sorry I hurt him, but it wasn't going to work...but that doesn't mean I want anything bad to happen to him."
 
"..I don't like change, Kuki. It scares me." Mei said after a little while. "I'm changing...every single day. I'm scared..every single day. I was okay when it was just personal stuff. Feelings. Even though it really hurts, and it confuses me. But strength is all I know. Now I have to...figure out how to get better so I won't lose to that girl again. I suppose I need a teacher." She could only think of her mom. Her mother was the only master she knew with the Ice element. Mei hated the way she used it, because all she did was making stupid ice figurines and snow cones and other worthless things. Though she had never once felt her mother change the temperature in the air likes she did..not even when she got the slightest bit angry. Mei knew deep down her mother had mastered the element.

****
"I don't know if that's a good idea, Jana." Remy was still..angry with her for hurting Justin. But she slouched a bit and looked at the floor. "To be honest, I never thought you two were good together, because you always made him feel...self conscious about himself. He wanted nothing else but to change himself for you, to be a better person for you. He stopped talking about doing those ratty things...said he would clean up his act and help with DC...he wouldn't stop going on and on about being strong enough to protect you. You probably never asked for him to do that...but.." Remy trailed off and looked into Jana's eyes. "You're the first girl who's made Justin want to be better. I'm afraid you not being in his life now makes him want to be worse. So yeah, I guess having another pair of eyes will save us some time. I don't want to be too late if he does something stupid. So let's go."
 
"..." Kuki glanced down at the table a moment, before moving closer and hugging Mei tightly. She didn't know what to say, but she knew...she could relate. All she could do was nuzzle against her shoulder. "...Change is good," Kuki finally said. "...If I had never changed, I never would have met you, or...or understood what Damien really did to help me. Or meet Jana, or...any of this. It scares me, too...I want to stay in my room every single day, but I don't, because...I know there are people who like seeing me."
--

"...Yeah," Jana could only mumble, securing the daisho to her belt to follow her out. She deserved all of that, really. "...Remy, I never meant for this to happen," she said. "But...he wants something I can't be, and I can't give him what he wants. I don't want to do that to either of us."
 
Mei was surprised at the sudden hug, but she looped her arm around Kuki and held her close. She..didn't seem to mind physical contact from girls anymore at all. Even earlier when she hung onto Damien, she didn't mind being so close. Didn't think twice about it. She supposed that was a good thing. It was...trust. Trust she had in others. She trusted that they wouldn't harm her so she let them be close. "You're right, Kuki. Change can be bad, but it's not always bad. Right now I'm trying to change DC for the better, and I think it's working. So I guess my personal life is no different." She said thoughtfully.

*****
"Then perhaps in the future you should tell whoever you date what kind of girl you are, Jana. Not every guy likes open relationships. Some guys want to feel special, and like they are the only ones in your life that you're attracted to. Justin may have slept with me...but he didn't really enjoy it. He didn't enjoy me. All he was doing was pretending I was you." Her voice was bitter, but she tried her best to behave. It wasn't..all Jana's fault. But she was worried...about where Justin was.
 
"Nobody ever has this all figured out," Kuki smiled shyly. "...I thought I did, and then you and Damien came and proved me wrong...for the better, too. I um...I don't know what that sort of thing is like with Adam and...and Komoku, but I know that you'll do what you feel is best for you and everyone else, Mei." she said firmly. "I have faith in that."
--

"Is this about Justin, or about you?" Jana muttered. "Look, I'm sorry that we didn't work out, but I didn't exactly have any goddamn time to tell him anything. I did what I thought was best, nothing more and nothing less. I'm sorry that I'm the reason you can't be with him anymore, but I don't really give a shit right now. I want to find that idiot and make sure he's safe, so until then, let's save this catfight for later, okay?"
 
Mei blushed a little when Kuki said Komoku's name. She sighed and then started to open her container of food. Kuki had gone all the way out of her way to bring her lunch and she didn't want it to go cold. "Yeah. What's best for me now though...is staying single. I really like Adam. I liked being with him. But I don't think we're what's best for each other. Especially after what I did." A deeper blush came across her face. "Now that I think about it, I think I just enjoyed..the attention, and the kissing...I enjoyed feeling wanted. Adam was nice to me and I liked it. But I think there's supposed to be something more there." Something like what she felt with Komoku. She hated that man with a passion but...he had something Adam didn't.

*****
Remy sucked her teeth and then started walking ahead of her. She wasn't going to fight with Jana. She did feel somewhat..obligated to defend Justin because of her feelings for him. Also because they had known each other for a long time. But Jana was her friend too, so she should probably remain neutral about it. "Sorry..." She began after a little while. "I'm going to try his apartment again today."
 
"...Something like Komoku?" Kuki asked curiously. "...I am surprised that man is...capable of making you feel that way, to be honest..." Still, she wasn't judging...it was just...well, it was complicated. Obviously was for her, as well. "I'm surprised he is capable of having such charm."
--
"Sure," Jana said, smiling faintly. "I'll go with you, don't worry about it, okay? I know you like him...I just think I'm not the one for him, maybe you are," she shrugged. "Maybe you aren't, I don't know...I don't care right now. Let's go make sure our favorite idiot is okay."
 
Mei blushed madly, nearly dropping her food everywhere. She hesitated for a moment before answering. She would be...honest with Kuki. Mainly because she deserved that much. "The man doesn't have charm...at all. At least not traditionally, but...I guess I just liked that he didn't need to ask me all the time if I was sure about something. Or if I liked it...he just already knew. And he went for it. He took what he wanted because he knew I wanted it..." She could feel herself getting warmer as she talked about such intimate things with someone she never really talked to about romance and relationships. She knew Kuki wouldn't judge her. "I am always in control over things. I am always the strong one. The one who people are afraid of. I don't like that during personal relationships."

*****
"...I don't want to be with him anymore, Jana." Remy sighed a bit as they walked out of the building. "But I'm worried about him, so let's just talk about this later." It was true that she was angry with Jana, but if she was still in love with Justin...she would have been happy that they had broken up. Ever since she had read that text she just felt bad for him.
 
"...He is what you needed, but not what you thought you wanted," Kuki said after a moment. "Adam is...what you thought you'd want, but not what you needed?" she tried carefully.
--
"...I see," Jana mumbled. Yeah, she could understand why Remy felt bad. "Well, let's see what we can do, chances are...or hopefully, he's just holed up in his house." Assuming that Jana could get him out, she'd just bust the door down like usual.
 
"Something like that.." Mei said as she started to eat. "Komoku..isn't exactly what I need either. Maybe. Who knows...I don't really know him. I can't imagine him being able to tend to the more tender side of things, like Adam did. And I did like that...Maybe I liked a little bit of both."

*****
Remy was silent the entire way to his apartment. When she got there, she knocked on the door. There was silence. She knocked again, and was met with the same response. "You want to try?" She asked Jana. This was basically what happened last time she was here.
 
"I suppose there's only one way to really find out, Mei," Kuki said, nibbling on her rice. "But...personally, starting with something I didn't know I wanted is better, I think...even if this ended unfortunately."
--

"Sure," Jana said, moving to the door and tapping her knuckles on it. "Justin," she called. "C'mon, I know you're in there. Open up, or I break the door down." she said faintly. "And I will, trust me."
 
"You're right, Kuki. I don't think Adam could ever look at me the same anyway. I just hope after all this, we can be friends at least. It will take some time for him to...forgive me maybe. But I don't want us to...stop talking for good." Mei then sighed a little as she thought about pursuing anything with Komoku. "I don't think I'll be dating anyone for a while, though. I don't really think anyone is into me like that anyway. Komoku doesn't strike me as the relationship type."

****
There was nothing but silence. Which was...strangely relieving to Remy. He wasn't just ignoring her. Then again, she felt bad for thinking that. They needed to find him.
 
"...But that's not what you're looking for," Kuki pointed out quietly. "You just...want to be accepted, don't you? I don't know anything about Komoku, but...it sounds like he just knew what you needed. That's enough, isn't it?"
--
Jana frowned a moment, well...he got the warning. She took a step back and drew one of her katana, heating the edge to cut through the slit between the door and the frame before sheathing it and simply opening the door. She wanted to make sure he wasn't just hiding out and being miserable. "Justin?" she called again, stepping inside.
 
Mei stopped eating for a minute and then sighed softly. "Yeah. That sounds right. Probably." Exactly, actually. Komoku just..was different from everyone else. Just like Jana actually. She felt like she didn't have to be..perfect around him. She could just be herself, and be accepted. At least that's how she felt.

****
When she opened the door, the place was..exactly the way it was when she left that night she had broken up with. There was nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact that nothing had been moved. The bed was still out, sheets a mess. His phone was sitting there, and when Remy picked it up, it was dead. She sighed softly and then looked around the rest of the place. No one was here...no one had been here for days.
 
"Then...I guess you know what to do," Kuki smiled faintly. "Even if you don't want to admit it, Mei."
--
Jana's brow furrowed faintly in concern, arms crossing. She was honestly trying to think of where Justin could be. "...Okay," she mumbled. "I haven't talked to him since the break-up, Remy...I can't possibly imagine where he'd go. I never knew that much about what he did."
 
Mei blushed further and kept her eyes on her food. "What...are you saying I should give Komoku a chance, Kuki? He's rude and disgusting and I doubt he really wants anything other than a fling with me."

****
"I tried all his usual spots. But no luck. None of his...employers have heard from him. That's not really good, considering he needs to work to keep this place. Maybe we should try to look around town. I got one more place to look, but if he's there...then I'd really be surprised." Justin had never visited his parents after he moved out but...that was the last place she could think of.
 
"Yet whenever you talk about him, your face gets all...schoolgirl crush like," Kuki teased. "You kind of like him, don't you?"
--

"Well, let's see..." Jana murmured, following her out. "If I was miserable, sad, and I wanted to cry my eyeballs out...first place I'd go...parents?" Well, Mel was her parent, her Mom if there was ever a Mom. She was...really happy to see that she was sticking around, honestly. Maybe they could spend more time together, but...one thing at a time.
 
"W-what?!" Mei looked at Kuki, obviously flustered and slightly surprised by what she had pointed out. "I hate Komoku...but he's kind of good looking I guess. When he's not being a pig...and he does good work. But other than that...there is nothing about him I like." A bold face lie. There were plenty of other things she liked about him. Things that made her body shudder in delight if she even thought about it.

****
"I'm going to his parents, but I doubt he's over there to cry, Jana." Remy said as they left his apartment. Hopefully no one would rob the place seeing as how they broke the door. "If he's over there, he's probably just wanting to feel even more sorry for himself than he could if he was alone. His father and mother aren't exactly the most comforting of people, especially since they only care about scoring their next high."
 
"You hate Komoku because you're supposed to hate Komoku, or you hate Komoku because you actually have a good reason?" Kuki said, quirking an amused brow. "There is nothing about him you like, at all?"
--

"Oh good," Jana mumbled. "So why in the world would he go there? I'd rather wallow in my own misery....but I guess misery loves company?"
 
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