Calming Relfections...[CLOSED: Katsumi + Zain ONLY]

Zain pulls up to a very quite part of the beach and gets out of the car. The salt ocean breeze seems to be his most calming point of the day. He has too many thoughts racing through his mind it is preventing him from even thinking straight at the moment. Zain closes the car door and takes off his shoes. He walks to the back of his RX-8 and places the shoes on the trunk of the car because he is being lazy to open it up. He walks onto the sand. So much shit has been going on lately. I can't even think straight. I need to have a getaway. I really do. Zain mentions as he has walked to the waters edge and stands there as the waters foam touches his feet. The cool water tries to ease his mind and help him escape the world that he was thrown into.

This feels nice, Katsumi thought, as she let her hair get caught by the wind. She found this beach only just now: she was walking and had stumbled upon this spot. It was cold out, but the breeze was causing ocean sprays. Katsumi felt the wetness on her face and closed her eyes, feeling the constant pounding in her head disappear for the first time in months. It's been way too long since I've had something calming like this. Not since--
She cut herself off. But why, when it was years ago? She should cherish memories of Naythen, not cast them aside. Not like before, when she had first learned of his death. But still, the two of them had had shared many nights out on the shore, watching the sunset, his arm around her as she fell asleep in his lap, and she couldn't help but be reminded of that.
"Get over yourself, Katsumi," she scolded herself firmly. "Just enjoy the sunset."

Zain looks up into the sky and sees the grey clouds moping about covering the sun up. Although it is really cold Zain cared less about it as he walks on the cold sand. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. 11am already. Man and I am still tired from last night. Zain recalls the event as he looks at his bandaged hand again and then looks out to sea. Although it was the morning the clouds and water made it seem like the sun was setting rather than rising. As Zain turned around to walk back to the car he noticed a girl with long beautiful hair blowing in the chilly morning air. She was staring out into space and this time something happened. His name actually tingled a bit more than usual and his bonded string actually started to glow. Zain decided to walk over to the girl with caution so he didn't startle her once he came to her location on the beach.
"Excuse me Miss." was all Zain could say as he stood there with a loss for words looking confused at the girl and this new sensation throughout his body.

Katsumi looked down at her watch; it was 11 am. Why did I think it was sunset? she wondered. I really should get some sleep.
The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end, and her lower left arm started to tingle. It was as though someone had poured cold water down her spine. Was there another unit nearby?
"Excuse me Miss."
She jumped and whirled her head around. Behind her was a young man, perhaps a couple of years older than she was. He had tan skin and long, long teal hair. Her arm, where her name was located, was positively burning now. She had never seen him before, but why did he seem so familiar?
"Y-yes?" was all she could manage, completely at a loss for words.

"Look I know this is going to sound strange and all but by any chance are you a unit at all?" Zeal asked her as the sensation started to turn into more of a burn and Zain was starting to feel the pressure from it more and more. The string he saw was getting brighter and brighter. Why this strange sensation now all of a sudden? Why this girl who looked oddly familiar to him? A flash back of Naythen came to mind when they both were at 7 Moons. they met in Ritsu's room and Zain was shoved a sacrifice even though he didn't want one. Zain came back to reality as the burning had gotten worse! The choker and the cold air was making everything hurt more than usual. Zain was starting to give into the pain and knelt down in the cold sand.

"Oh my God, are you OK?!" Katsumi cried, as the man fell to his knees in the sand. He was reaching slightly for his neck, as if the choker was cutting off his breathing. She ran behind him and bent down to his level. She tried to remove the choker, but her hands were shaking. He was a unit! But why was the feeling so intense? She finally managed to remove the choker--and froze.
The word "Boundless" was written at the nape of his neck.
He couldn't be...but he had to be....
She finally saw the connective string.
She hadn't noticed it before, but there it was, glowing bright around the two of them. Slowly, she turned back to face him, knowing exactly the pain he was feeling because she was feeling it too. She picked up his chin and brought it level to her left arm. She pulled back the sleeve to reveal the name "Boundless".

Zain was relieved to have the choker off finally since this young woman had helper him. As he looked at her name in surprise he had straightened up a bit. "It can't be...you are my new sacrifice???" Zain looked around confused and worried at the same time. Not knowing what else to do he looked down into the sand as a memory of Naythen being killed off came back to mind. Zain clutched his hands into fists out of anger as he looked at the choker in the womans hand. "I...I am sorry but...I am at a lost for words right now." He said with worry in his voice. He should have been happy for this moment has finally tied itself together but he was more confused and worried.

"Yeah," Katsumi said slowly, "I guess I am." What she really wanted to say was 'New'? What do you mean 'new'? but decided against it. She was a wave of emotions at that moment: happy for finding her Fighter at last, nervous because this was something entirely new to her, and a whole mess of other emotions she couldn't define. After some time, she stood up and cleared her throat. She held out her hand to him. "I'm Katsumi Takamura," she said.

Zain looked up and took her hand. He stood up and brushed off all of the loose sand from his sweats. "Beautiful name for a beautiful lady. My name is Zain Kajira." Zain paused for a moment as her name sounded very familiar to him. He stood in the gentle breezing thinking hard about it. A flashback of letters coming to their dorm came to mind with her name on them. "Did you know a guy named Naythen by any chance?" Zain asks as he looks at her trying to see if anything else will come to mind. Only the cold breeze and the salty water was jogging his memory. It seemed colder than normal so it must be about ready to snow soon since the rain has passed by already.

Everything inside Katsumi stopped cold when he told her his name. Zain Kajira?! Naythen's Fighter??!! No, it couldn't be, that would be too much of a coincidence....But no, she remembered why he seemed so familiar now: Naythen had described Zain's appearance often in his letters. Still, how was that possible? It had to be a bizarre coincidence, it had to be--
"Did you know a guy named Naythen by any chance?" Zain asked her, and she knew it was him. She was paralyzed for a moment, partly because of the cold, partly because of her own shock. She clenched her hands into fists to keep from bursting into flames. Finally, she stepped back a few paces and knelt to the ground. "You're him," she said, staring first at Zain and then at the sand. "Oh my God, you're him. Zain. Naythen's Fighter."

Zain felt a very sharp pain run throughout his body. He didn't know what to say nor what to do at this very moment. As she knelt down her words rang through his ears. Naythen hasn't been mentioned in years since Zain had graduated from that place and now here was someone who remembers him like it was yesturday. "Yes...it...is I. I who had belonged to Naythen years ago." Zain mentions as he is paralyzed by his own emotions. He stares at the sand and looks at his hands. He notices the bandage on his left hand was starting to unravel itself. What good was it to send us somewhere that would seperate us? Zain's thoughts raced in his head as he tried to compose himself but was giving into the cold gentle breeze as if he was awaiting death to take him as a whole. This is the same woman who Naythen mentioned often as he showed Zain the letters and described how she always wanted to meet him. Yet here she is just as awe stricken as he was because of one person.

Katsumi continued to stare down at the sand, as if it might tell her what to say next. But despite all of the questions that burned on the tip of her tongue, no words would come to her lips. Eventually, without looking at Zain, she started to speak.
"I've been searching for you. They never told me how Naythen died, only that he had been killed in some kind of accident. When I found out where the torture school was, I started looking for you, to see if you knew anything, but by that time you were gone--run off, or graduated, or something like that. So I went back to Seven Moons, graduated from there, and I've been looking for you ever since. Because I figured that he was your Sacrifice, you had to have known how he died. And if not, then...I don't know." She was surprised at how even, how emotionless, her voice was, and that her eyes were completely dry. "Please, Zain, tell me what happened."

Zain sighed as he turned away. He couldn't help but feel this burning pain inside his chest. "Even I don't know all of the details of how he died. All I can remember was Ritsu standing over Naythen's body that was chained from the ceiling to cuffs around his wrists. Naythen was motionless as Ritsu walked out of the room and into the hall way he saw me and said 'useless' and walked off. Then a very cold sensation jolted through my body like I was being cleansed in an ice bath and my name burned me until I blacked out. When I woke up they announced on the PA that Naythen had died due to complications. Deaths were always announced and if you walk to the back part of the school you will see the monuments of all their names." Zain gently touched her hands as his face was stil looking down at the sand on his rightside. "I couldn't save him at all. I don't understand it but I am thankful that you have found me." After Zain mentions this it is starting tosnow or at least he just realized it. "Let's go to my car it is getting colder by the minute." Zain mentions as he stands up and reaches his hand out to her to help her onto her feet.

"I couldn't save him at all. I don't understand it but I am thankful that you have found me," Zain said to Katsumi, holding her hands. She resisted a deep urge to tell him to let her go, but didn't. She was still reeling at the thought of Naythen's death: chained to a ceiling by someone who should have been trusted. She had never met Ritsu, it was true, but she had hated him for years because she thought he had been indirectly responsible for Naythen getting killed. So he was directly responsible for this? He had killed Naythen? Why? The image was too much for her to take, and tears started to come down her cheeks.
"Let's go to my car it is getting colder by the minute." She looked up back up at Zain to see him holding out his hand to her, probably to help her up. It was starting to snow, she realized, she should really move, but she couldn't. She looked into Zain's eyes. There was no malevolence in them, no hint of a hidden agenda. His teal eyes showed concern and confusion and kindness. Slowly, she nodded, grasped his hand, and lifted herself up.

Zain walked with Katsumi to his car on the other side of the lot. The snow was falling around them very slowly and it wasn't a lot yet so it wasn't too bothersome yet. "Look...ummm. I know this is an odd meeting and all so I am terribly sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way." Zain mentions as his teal colored RX-8 comes into view along with his shoes that he left on the trunk of the car. Zain looked at Katsumi and then back at the ground as he was waiting for her to speak even though he knew she was probably still in shock from the announcment about Naythen. As they got to the car Zain unlocked the doors and opened up the passanger side for her to get in. "I can take you out to eat if you are hungry at all." Zain replied as he stood holding the door open for her.

Katsumi couldn't help but chuckle a little at Zain's kind offer. She finally found the person she thought might tell her all about Naythen, and here he was being kind to her. For some reason, in her mind she had always pictured a brutal confrontation, one that involved a chair and maybe some kind of poking device. But no, he had told her what happened without hesitation, and even seeing her a total wreck he still wanted to help her. This one's a keeper, she joked inwardly. "Thanks," she said, "that'd be nice." She smiled at Zain and stepped in the car.

Zain shut her door and ran to get his shoes. Once they were in his hands he ran to his side and got in. The snow was really starting to come down now and driving is usually very difficult around this time of season because of the ice and such. Zain placed on his socks and shoes and then turned the car on so he can turn on the heater. "Well I can cook so if you want we can go to my place and eat and stay out of this snow storm or we can go get something to eat. It is all up to you. We can even discuss some things if you still have questions for me." Zain mentions as he opens their vents to allow the warm air to circulate in the car. Zain was happy that he finally found Katsumi and as they sat there he sighed out of relief. Naythen you can finally rest in peace now that Katsumi has found me. Zain's thoughts filled him with even more happiness as he smiled while looking out the window.

Katsumi sat for a minute as she rubbed her hands together for warmth. The heat felt good, really good; it had been a while since she had been in a car with a working heater. She was hoping that the hot air circulating out of the vents would help dry out her eyes as well; she'd cried enough for one day, this was a happy occasion, she would save her tears for later.
It WAS a happy occasion; she'd found her Fighter and at least some of what had happened to Naythen in one fell swoop. You can rest in peace, Naythen, she thought, I've found both your Fighter and mine.
"Either way is fine with me," she said to Zain, turning to him and smiling.

Zain turned to her and smiled as he turned the car all the way on. "Then I guess to my place we shall go. I think I still have a entire palette of food out from earlier this morning. You'll meet some interesting friends along the way since 2 were at the complex once I left this morning. Maybe we can sort things out now since we have found each other." Zain mentions as he backup and turns the car towards the exit. Although the snow was falling down the world has been lifted off of their shoulders now that they have found each other.

[Zain and Katsumi has left OUTSIDE TOWN and are heading to HOME:Malibu Apartments]