Dinner With The Frienemy

Kukai Souma is walking along the harbor, looking sort of worn out. The assault on Tokyo by Kunzite recently meant there'd been a lot of damage done to the harbor - again - and so he's out, looking around, making sure there was nobody hurt or no-one he knew from school or by reputation who needed anything. The back of his jacket has a long slash along it where the stuffing is falling out a few pieces at a time. He looks tired, but he's still moving....

    Indeed, the attack on Tokyo by Kunzite had shaken a lot of people up. That, combined with the sunspots had led to many natural disasters throughout the world, including Tokyo: The waters on the harbour were pretty rough, and many ships had been destroyed through numerous storms. Many people had undoubtedly gone missing.

    It went without saying that such a lighthearted event like Utau's concert, had been postponed with all the chaos going on. Utau herself was walking along the harbour with her bodyguards not far off, feeling particularly sad after her strange encounter with Ikuto.

    However, when she spies an exhausted looking Kukai with a half ripped jacket, she feels oddly concerned, waving a dismissing hand at her bodyguards as she heads towards him. "Kukai-kun...What happened to you?" She does her best to feign non-concern, of course.

Kukai Souma stops, hearing his name, and looks up. He harumphs and reaches up, scratching the back of his head, looking away from her. He looks tired, like he spent the morning fighting, and then has been running all day. Which he probably has.

Daichi is sitting on his shoulder, looking exhausted, leaning against Kukai's popped collar. "What, me? Nothing, nothing. I'm fine." He grins and brings one hand up, giving her a thumbs up. There's a slight tearing sound and a little bit of white stuffing falls from behind him. The grin cracks, just a bit, but recovers.

    Utau sighs. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out something is up. "You look exhausted. And your jacket's all torn up. I suppose you were playing hero again." she frowns softly. "Oh, were you involved in that..Tsunami incident? Maybe you should take a break from fighting. Working yourself to death will do you no good."

    Even so, looking around at the nearly destroyed harbour, Utau knows that someone as stubborn as him wont stop when the real battle has just begun. "I suppose you will be searching for those kids who went missing on that yacht during the freak tsunami.."

    Eru and Iru peek out of their eggs at Daichi and Kukai. Eru looks especially concerned, although she knows it would take Utau a lot of convincing to get her to help out.

Kukai Souma turns away from her as she moves closer, just a bit. The last thing he wants to do right now is get into a fight with her, even when she's being about as worried and caring as he's ever seen her. He doesn't want to argue about taking a break. But his teeth grit hard when she mentions the yacht and the tsunami. ".... I'm... gonna have to rely on somebody else to go do that for me. There's something else I have to go do."

He looks at her, from one side, arms crossed, then sighs and lets them drop. "Look. If you've got something in mind right now is the worst possible time so you go ahead and go do it, ok? And I'll pick up after you when I get back. But please. Right this second, don't make any more stress for me than I already have."

Daichi perks up, looking at Utau's eggs, then lifts one hand and waves to both of them. He looks as tired as Kukai is.

    "What?" she arches a brow, folding her arms as she glares back at him. "Seriously. I was showing concern and you took it the wrong way..We're actually delaying our concert since the whole 'tsunami' thing..And I've been ordered to focus on rescue efforts for the time being. People need inspiration and comfort at a time like this. They've even talked about a benefit concert."

    "But I'm a little concerned too. What's REALLY going on? There's some sort of greater evil at work here, isn't there?" She hesitates. "Maybe I want to help too. I'm no hero, but I dont want to see more people die because of it.."

    Utau steps towards the edge of the harbour as she speaks, peering out at the distance. So, he's not going to look for those kids? Maybe he's got a bigger evil to fight. "So, where are you going..?"

Kukai Souma looks out at the harbor for a minute, trying to make up his mind. ".... Ok. If I tell you? You don't breathe a word of it. Not to Eclipse, not to Easter, not to your manager, not even to Ikuto if he pops up and says 'hi sis, what's up?' Nobody."

He sighs, clenching one fist, thinking, before finally letting it out. "There's a... a youma, or demon, or monster, or something, from the Sun, at the North Pole, who intends to destroy the world. And unlike a lot of the small fries that get taken down every week or two this one's apparently one short step from pulling it off. So we're going. A bunch of us are all going. And while we're gone things here are going to go crazy." He doesn't say anything about what's going to happen while he's there.

    Utau's eyes widen a little as he tells her the truth, although she nods grimly. "I...See. Quit worrying so much, I wont tell anyone!" Her tone is a bit firm as always, but today, for once, there is worry and a bit of concern showing there too.

    "Besides, Easter is already busy working on relief efforts here. They probably already know anyways, and they have no desire to assist such a being. People are scared, they need someone to believe in. That's why I'm still shooting promo shots and singing songs to lift peoples' spirits."

    Hearing that there's a powerful youma out there that might destroy the world causes her to clench her fists. That's pretty scary, and not something she's ever dealt with, before. However, she has her hands full here. "I will do my best to help with relief efforts here. I won't let anymore people get hurt.."

    There's just the slightest hint of sadness in her eyes when she hears he's going to fight such a powerful evil, however. "So..When are you leaving?"

Kukai Souma is angry. Upset. A little nervous. He keeps it all under wraps for now, though. For once, none of it is Utau's fault, even though he knows she's going to end up stealing X-Eggs while he's gone and there's nothing he can do to stop it. "...Thanks. People are gonna need that, too." He tries not to scoff at her words about not letting people get hurt, but again. It's an argument he doesn't have the energy to have right now.

He looks over at her, then turns, shrugging. "A couple hours. We're gathering to leave in a couple of hours. I had to say goodbye to my friends and I had to call my big brothers. Told them I was going to stay at a friend's house that needed me for a couple of days and that I was all right." He pulls at his collar, his neck seeming tight. He lets out a long, slow breath, recentering himself, and looks over at her, grinning. "Look. Don't worry. I'll go, do this thing, and come back with plenty of energy to stop you at the concert." Daichi grins and stands up, giving her and Iru and Eru a thumbs up as well.

    Utau narrows her eyes, looking a bit annoyed. Oh yeah, she's sure she can imagine what he's thinking. She's gonna cause trouble while he's gone. "You really do worry too much, guess it's a Guardian thing. However, I have too much work to do than worry about stealing X-eggs."

    She smirks, "I give you my word that we can continue our little battle whenever you return. In the meantime, like I said, Easter already has its hands full trying to protect people and minimize damage to Tokyo."

    "A lot of people are scared. Even if you don't believe that X-eggs are not our priority right now, you should realize that Easter's reputation and their desire to win the confidence of people is the most important thing right now. Everyone is scared, and the natural disasters will continue until you beat that thing. That's why they need order and calm, someone to protect them from the natural disasters that will happen here while you're gone."

    When he tells her not to worry, she just snorts, walking a little ways away from him. "Don't go getting the wrong idea or anything! I don't really care if you guys want to go off and play hero." the hesitation in her voice and the slightly sad look in her eyes however, suggests otherwise.

    "I will however, keep my word, about not stealing any X-eggs, at least until you return, and on focusing on relief efforts...On one condition!" There she pauses dramatically, waiting to see if he'll ask what that condition is.

Kukai Souma faces her, listening to her talk, crossing his arms again. He really doesn't believe her about Easter - at least, he doesn't believe that's what Easter really wants. It may be what they're telling her, but in his heart he believes what Easter wants more than anything is every Heart Egg in the world under their control.

He catches that look of sadness in her eyes, though, that moment of hesitation, but then... yeah, here comes the Utau he knows and can't stand most of the time. "Fine. Sure, let's hear it."

    Utau folds her arms, still not looking back at Kukai. Instead, her gaze lingers out towards the sea..Her father was lost at sea, or so the story goes. They never found his body. Watching it right now seems to calm her down a bit.

    It'll be her first time playing 'hero', and it'll be a challenge, doing damage control with the majority of the heroes out of the city. Honestly, she has no real desire to do evil things for Easter however, not that she expected Kukai, or anyone else to understand.

    "You..Have such little faith in me. Not like I care or anything. You just see me as some heartless villain out to steal peoples' dreams. Fine, believe whatever you want. You may never learn the truth, but I at least, really will make every effort to help those people.."

    She sighs, glancing sidelong at him. "However, this might be goodbye, too. I...Never had a lot of friends, but..." But you were the first, she'd like to say, but doesnt. Because it's stupid, she's not really his friend anyway, just another villain to beat.

    "You..Once promised to treat me to dinner. Then let's do it, before you leave."

Kukai Souma frowns. He wants to tell her he's not seen anything to prove that she's worth any faith, but somewhere in the back of his mind another voice pipes up, saying 'you've never given her a chance, and she doesn't want to be who she is..'

He looks at her for a moment, willing himself to see her in a different light. "...You know. Maybe I won't ever learn the truth." He reaches over and takes her hand in his, then grins. "But I should try, at least. It's not goodbye, not forever. So before I go, sure. Let's go get dinner."

He looks around at the damaged harbor, trying to think. "There's a little Italian restaurant I passed on the way here. Do you think your bodyguards won't shoot me if we walk a block or so?"

    Utau is just full of mysteries, and maybe there's a part of her that is willing to do anything for Easter, if only for the fame and fortune she owes in large part to them. There's also the fear of harm coming to her brother, but she's never really told anyone about that fact before.

    However, she is actually looking forward to having a chance to do something besides hurt people, especially if Easter is willing to allow her a break from stealing peoples' dreams while the heroes try to defend the earth from the Dark Kingdom.

    "Perhaps you're better off not knowing the truth." She smiles coolly as she says that, but the girl is rather surprised when he's willing to give her a chance, not even resisting when he takes her hands, although there's a bit of the defiance in her cool amethyst eyes again, "Hey, dont get the wrong idea of anything. It's not like I'd miss you if something..Happened. But.." She bites her lip, "But you know, there wouldnt be anyone around to stop Easter if you and your friends dont come back."

    Oh right, and then there's the bodyguards that she'd rather forget about. "They're fine, I was trying to keep peoples' spirits up earlier by having a brief rehearsal, and they're busy now helping with relief efforts, you know, for appearances. So they'll leave me alone for a while..Where's this Italian restaurant? I've never eaten Italian before."

Kukai Souma shrugs as she talks. "And I wouldn't miss you if you weren't around to be such a pain in my butt. But while we're annoying each other so badly, we might as well try to not annoy each other so much."

He can't help but grin, the first real grin he's felt in hours, and for just a second the prospects in his future don't weigh on him. And something in the back of his unconscious, reptilian brain makes him blink a couple times at that lip bite.

He chuckles and begins walking along with her at a rapid pace, not quite pulling her along. "It's up here - I passed it on my way into the harbor. And somebody'll stop Easter, even if it's not me. Maybe it'll even be you. Ever thought of that?"

Daichi, sitting on his shoulder, hops up and nods. "I bet Iru could stir up as much trouble for Easter as she does for everybody else! And even Eru would help her against them!"

    Utau smirks, "Well, someone has to keep you on your toes. If there wasn't someone to oppose you, your Guardians would get bored quickly. Am I not right?" Seems she never tires of bugging the hell out of Kukai or vice versa.

    "You should be thankful that the world is being left in my capable hands." she actually smiles as she says that. "Besides, lately, Eru's been getting on my case. She really wants me to chara-transform with her, and she's been pushing me to use my powers for good."

    Even as she speaks, Eru peeks out of her egg at Utau but says nothing. Iru however, makes a face, pushing the lid back on her egg. "Dont listen to Eru! She's such a goodygood! Being bad is waaay more fun! Techeche!!"

    Utau rolls her eyes, "See what I mean? At least you only have to deal with one chara at a time. These two drive me crazy sometimes.." She sighs, "But just once, I'm curious to see what it feels like to be the 'hero'."

    The last comment about someone else stopping Easter, maybe even herself, is not far from the truth, and Utau even raises an eyebrow at that. "I....Can't even go there, right now. There is too much at stake, more than even you realize. But it's not something I can really talk about.."

Kukai Souma laughs and walks along, then nudges her gently. "Hey, so far you've not been much of a challenge by yourself. If it wasn't for your lackeys I could take you." The fact that he utterly failed the first time they fought seems to be outside of his mention.

He sighs. "At least it's not the worst ending I could think of." He looks down at Utau's Guardians, then grins. "I do a lot of good Iru, and I have a lot of fun doing it. You should give it a try sometimes. You can be plenty bad to bad things and be good." He nods. "I can't imagine what it'd be like to have two voices in my head all the time."

He arches an eyebrow as she mentions that, but then nods, opening the door to the restaurant for her. It's well lit and modestly upscale, and the matre d' approaches them. Kukai smiles, reaching up and making sure his tie is less disheveled. "Two, please."

They're lead to a corner table. The restaurant is almost empty at the moment, but the few staff on hand who'd come in after the events of the morning are active.

    It's when Kukai mentions her being not much of a challenge that her usual competitiveness kicks in. "Now wait just a minute! Didnt I beat you...At least once? And the first time it was pretty much a stalemate!" amethyst eyes narrow, sparkling with arrogance. No way she's letting him win this battle!

    "And next time it'll just be me against you, we'll see who wins!" she smirks, "I dont need to rely on others for help, I can fight you all by myself. But are you really ready to take me on alone?"

    Eru whimpers, popping out of her egg again, "Utau-chan! Stop talking like that! Kukai-kun's a really nice boy! Besides you..."

    Utau quickly stuffs her back into her egg, shutting her up before she says too much. "That's enough from you..." Iru just grins and nods her head in agreement with Utau, chuckling wickedly. "Yeah, we'll beat you and Daichi! fair and square!!"

    By that time, they're led to a table, and Utau peers hungrily at the menu once it's offered. "Hmm...what should I try? I've never eaten Italian before..what would you recommend?"

Kukai Souma laughs and shakes his head. "I'm not sure. The one time I ate at a place like this before I was 11. I had their seven layer lasagna and it was awesome, though. I dunno if they have it." He looks over the menu, then back at her, grinning. "Hey. Next time I'll be ready for you and I won't hold back anymore."

He finally taps an item on the menu "Garlic chicken in alfredo noodles. I think I know what garlic and chicken is. I'll try that." He indicates it to the waitress who'd joined them. "And a glass of water, please."

    It's very strange to be casually chatting with your enemy while having dinner with them. But maybe Utau's just happy for the company, however strange it is.

    It's not often that she can get out of the Easter skyscraper and hang out with people her own age of course, and it's kinda of nice too, even if they are often at each other's throats. How very different it might have been if she were not forced to do evil things for Easter.

    "Hmm, guess we'll see. I'll be waiting for you, when you get back, then we can both go all out." She actually smiles when she says that, like it's a game, even though she knows it's not. "However, I dont fight to kill, even if that other guy did. I hope you know that...."

    Utau would say more, but she'd rather focus on this tasty looking dinner. "Then, I'll order the seven layer lasagna. I'm pretty hungry afterall..And some white wine." Water? Who drinks that at a restaurant? Phhht!

Kukai Souma grins and nods. How different it would have been if she'd just been another girl at Seiyou Public. Would he have noticed her? Would she have noticed him? Well, he would have been the Jack, and she would have been a famous singer. Who knows.

"Well I won't keep you waiting long." He nods seriously. "I don't even like to fight to hurt. It's not good or right to do permanent damage like that." He grins. "And I don't really want to drink alcohol right now. It's still early."

Their meals come out quickly, and Kukai begins taking several bites out of his, Daichi curiously looking at the white noodles...

    Utau nods. "I know exactly what you mean..But sometimes people fight for a reason, and sometimes that reason isn't all that obvious." She would say more, but is uncertain as to how much she can trust with him. Instead, she shakes her head. "Anyways, everyone has their personal demons to battle I suppose."

    She draws in a breath, inhaling the various delicious scents of Italian cooking which just makes her all the hungrier. And hey, it's been a long night for Utau, so she totally deserves this!

    As for wine, well Utau has what she wants, when she wants it, even if she is a bit young for wine. But in Japan, it's not such a big deal of course. At the very least it helps to calm her down.

    "You'd better eat up, this could be your last meal..But I'm sure you'll just turn up again like the bad penny that you are." She smiles faintly at that, "At the very least, I can say I had the chance to have a bit of fun first.." She hesitates. "If...We dont see each other again. Well...It's been fun. Really.."

Just before Kukai can take another bite, his cell-phone begins ringing. He sits up straight. For just a moment, he'd forgotten. He looks in his pocket, and pulls it out, gritting his teeth.

He stands, reluctantly, and looks at Utau, one hand gripping the table. "... Utau... I wish things were different. I know things will be ok. The sun keeps turning, as long as the Earth is here to see it. But.."

He shakes his head and smiles at her, but this time even the famous Jack of Guardians' good humor isn't enough to hold back his sadness. "If they'd say a single word..." He looks at her. He'd stay, if they'd let him. But he promised. He was going. They need him, just as much as Ikuto needs Utau.

He reaches over and pats her hand. "This is my Easter, I guess. Keep an eye on the place, huh?" And with that he's gone, leaving his wallet and a half-eaten meal on the table behind him, heading towards the door, the North Pole, and destiny.

    Utau is hoping to enjoy her potentially last meal with a guy who didnt seem all that bad in the end..When his phone suddenly rings. He's already heading out the door and the food hasn't even arrived yet! It..Must be really serious..

    She sighs, trying to make light of the situation. "Well, fine then. Just dont blame me when you're out in the middle of nowhere, wishing you'd had a chance to finish a good dinner with a beautiful idol who isn't even as bad as you thought."

    Though her expression softens when he pats her hand. "Kukai..Stay alive. I'll be waiting for you..." she hesitates, "You know, so we can continue our fight." Then he's suddenly gone, and Utau's alone...With two full meals. Well, might as well eat 'em both! She's pretty starved afterall...

    Damn bad pennies..