Heaven is a place on earth (Vincent) [2 Warnings]

[Leiken Chu]

[Trigger Blood] [Mature] Warnings for this thread due to the nature leiken's ability and activity in the posts to follow.

The day had been rather placid in comparison to the days that had passed before it. There was not much that had occurred since the events with Odion. At least nothing that involved the loss of control. For this he was thankful. Though there had been other events, ones that he could not get out of his head, and ones that had built certain tension for him making it entirely difficult to concentrate.

There was alot that people did not know about leiken. Some of his darkest and most embarrassing secrets remained tightly locked away within his mind. There wasn't anything anyone could have said or done without extreme force for him to give that information over. If he could help it he would take it to the grave. However, the more embarrassing of the matters was one that he could not help himself but risking the most as well. Due to it's nature he knew had always imagined it would be found out sooner or later. However, he'd grown cocky, arrogant over the fact that he'd been good at hiding it and today was no different.

Leiken's training session was scheduled this day, so that is where he went, but he'd arrived a good deal of time early. Twenty minutes to be exact. That was enough time for a quick bit of playing his game right? This is what he was banking on after all. He had not been wrong about it thus far, then again he usually didn't have anyone to meet when he did such things, but the thought alone is what had urged him forward.

Leiken sat leaned back against the far wall of the room. His scarf bitten between his teeth to silence the huffs of breath and nosies of delight that would escape his lips. His head would rest back against the wall and his eyes rested closed as the thoughts flooded to the scent and embrace that he'd still not been able to get out of his head. one of his legs was raised, pressing the heel of his foot into the floor, while the other laid rest to that very floor. The knit-fabric of his over-sized shirt was bunched up his abdomen.

Yes, Leiken was doing less than appropriate things right there in the training room while he passed the time. Perhaps it was the thought of being in semi-public place that made it difficult for him to behave. No matter, he had to hurry anyhow, he couldn't get overly[/i] carried away given how little time he had to fully dive into his own little fantasy world.

Of course inwardly he blamed those teases for the fact. Even if it was not truly the case. Leiken had always had that dirty little habit.

[Vincent Meian]

The military had taught Vincent many things; be prepared for anything, always have enough rations for a mission, never hurt civilians whenever there's a choice otherwise... so many things, all ingrained into the trainer's psyche despite his relatively short time serving his country of origin. However, the thing that followed him everywhere was a simple rule; never be late. It was because of this that the tall man tended to arrive between ten to fifteen minutes early to any engagement he'd arranged beforehand, so that he was ready and able to begin whenever the other party arrived. Very rarely had this ever gotten him into any sort of trouble.


Today, however, it wasn't so much "trouble" as it was... an awkward situation.


He arrived at the training room with fifteen minutes before his scheduled appointment with Lei. He'd told him the room number beforehand and honestly expected the boy to be late or not show up at all. The trainer didn't expect the sight he'd stumbled across when he glanced through the training room door's small window to make sure it was unoccupied. To be short, the room was not as empty as he expected, and the Japanese man turned away from the window and pressed his back against the wall with a speed one would have thought from a teenager stumbling on a similar situation.


Is... is he really.... He was shocked more than anything, but there was a bit of shame as well that he'd seen a student in such a... position. Especially when he'd been concerned with the idea that said student may be thinking of him inappropriately. In short, the tall man was stunned and waited for a few minutes to gather his own thoughts before glancing back into the room. The soldier wasn't one to peek or anything; he just wanted to make sure the boy inside had finished and was cleaning himself up. No use in making things more awkward between them than they already were.


Vincent's second look proved more fruitful; Lei was dressed again and seemed bored as normal. With a sigh, the trainer braced himself and entered the room, masking his emotions enough to appear as nonplussed and stoic as normal. "You have arrived early," he noted aloud to the younger male. "Good; we may start immediately, then."

[Leiken Chu]

Lei would finish nearing closer to the time he had been scheduled to meet with the man. In that time he'd cleaned up and re-dressed himself. Lei would have sworn he'd seen someone pass the door window, but he thought nothing of it as the sight had not lingered long enough for him to suspect that someone had seen or been watching. Though had he known that vincent had seen it would have only made it easier for him to taunt the older man.

When vincent entered he would be standing, this time leaning against the same wall he'd been sitting against before. Though he was wiping his hands with hand-sanitizer as though he were a germaphobe. Though truly he just didn't want to be unclean after his little bit of self-satisfaction. He looked up toward the man making a brief flustered expression. "Oh...yeah. I thought I'd put efffort in keeping in my word and at least show up on time. " he stated casually despite himself.

Lei slid the small bottle of hand sanitizer into his pocket again before pulling his scarf off. Folding it neatly, after all, it had been a gift long ago. He placed the blue, white, and green fabric aside on a nearby table window seal before looking to the man. "Okay, where are we going to start?" he questioned with a faint look of interest.

[Vincent Meian]

"Good," he replied, nodding his head in approval. Vincent appreciated it when students decided to act responsibly. The fact that it was obviously not why Lei had shown up early in the first place was not really his concern at the moment. Perhaps, at a later date, he would suggest that the younger male discuss such... habits with Dr. Neville to avoid causing embarrassment to either the student or anyone that stumbled on him. But, that was not on today's lesson plan.


"Your powers appear to activate in moments of high-stress interaction," the trainer stated, jumping immediately into his lesson without segue. "Meaning, of course, when you are particularly angry or frightened. In order to control them, you must learn three things." The tall man held up one hand and ticked off each of his points with a finger.


"First, to control your emotions and keep them from automatically activating your powers in moments of stress.


"Second, to harness the abilities you have that you may use them with precision and care, leaving the collateral of such an effect at a minimum.


"Third, to create mental shields so that you cannot be forced into an abuse of power by those with offensive mental powers." He paused after this last one, then asked bluntly, "Do you have any questions thus far?"

[Leiken Chu]

"Yeah." he stated plainly. Though he seemed a little awkward. Both due to the things he'd done, but mostly because he wasn't used to being 'obedient' or cooperative. However, he had given his word that he would try. Leiken tried hard to keep his word when he gave it and that is why he did so on very rare occasions.

Lei watched the man carefully, unable but to remember the fantasies he'd drawn up with the man's fingers raising into the air, but with a hard swallow and a light exhale he pushed them to the back of his mind. "Three things..." he repeated observing the man as he ticked them off.

"Controlling my emotions, harnessing them, mental shields i heard. If those things define complete control then I'm really far away from that. " he raised his hand running it through his hair with a sigh. "I'm so far off it seems impossible." he muttered aloud.

He took a moment to think before responding to whether or not he had questions, "You said: to keep from being forced into abusing my powers by those who have offensive mental powers. There are people that can force me to use them? " he stated confused by the statement.

[Vincent Meian]

Considering the circumstances of his arrival, Vincent was hyper-aware of Lei's every action and reaction despite wanting to put the idea out of his mind. Therefore, the glance to his fingers coupled with the swallow and sigh did not go unnoticed and it took an extreme amount of effort to push the thoughts away. He really hoped that his suspicions about his student's amorous intents were incorrect; he really didn't want to go through that process all over again.


Lowering his hand, the trainer shook his head. "It will be difficult," he replied, "but it is not impossible. Training takes time and a will to succeed. To believe that you will fail invites defeat even when success is within reach. Over time, control will become easier and eventually it will be..." The trainer fumbled with the phrase for a moment, not sure how to translate it properly before settling on something else, "Second-nature."


He nodded once in regards to Lei's question; it was a good one, and something he had not thought to ask as a student due to his own pride. "There are some metahumans with abilities that allow them to manipulate thoughts and emotions," he answered honestly. "A small percentage of them use those powers for personal gain or amusement. By turning their powers on you, it is possible that they can force you to use your abilities in a destructive manner."

[Leiken Chu]

"I can handle difficult. I cannot do the impossible. So I hope that you are right." he stated not really knowing why the other man was shaking his head at first. "I am not going to die a monster without a hero's heart" leiken stated with a certain look of stubbornness. "no matter how long it takes..." he breathed out in a heavy sigh. "Second nature? That sounds nice." he admitted.

Leiken tensed slightly at the explination. If he had not already been paranoid before he deffinitely would have jumped straight into paranoia. Though it did heighten the emotion for him, "Isn't there some law or something against that? I don't like the idea of someone else swimming around in my head. " Leiken stated defensively. "I can outwit alot of people in battles of words, but if they can get past words to control me..."

His heart was racing, making his own abilities panic somewhat to the idea of someone using his power for their own amusement, what if they did? Lei knew very well that his power could be destructive, he didn't want the blood of anymore innocent people on his hands, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. "I need to learn that. Those shields. Teach me them." he stated firmly. As if he were trying to order the man to do so in his own panic. Expecting to 'skip' the steps and go right to that because to him that was more important to defend against.

However, deep down he knew it would not be that easy and it only made him uneasier knowing that he would have to be wary until he was able to.

[Vincent Meian]

A hero's heart? The words rand a bell of familiarity in the trainer's thoughts, and he realized after a moment that his wife had told him the same thing when he came back from... well, where he'd been so long ago. If you can fear that you are a monster, doesn't that show that you have a hero's heart? she had told him then. Had she said the same thing to Lei that day in the infirmary?


"You will die being what you make yourself," he answered, his tone firm but a slightly faraway look in his eyes. "With your stubbornness, it will be many years before you begin to worry of such things." He nodded in agreement with his student's latter statement. "It will get easier."


The panic in the teen's voice snapped him back to the present, however, and he frowned. The point of the lesson was to give the boy confidence, not panic him further. As Lei babbled about outwitting people, Vincent decided he'd had enough. This would go nowhere if he kept acting like this. "Urusai!" he stated sharply, ordering the boy into silence even as he was ordered to train him. "Those people are few and such things rarely happen. This training is a contingency, not an assurance, and panic is counter-effective. Get a hold of yourself, boy!"


The harsh tone was meant to snap the boy to attention, not frighten him, but if it angered Lei so be it. Anger was something Vincent could use; despair was not. Calming his own temper, the soldier sighed. "Shields will not matter if you cannot control your emotions," he stated, firm but no longer ordering. "If you were to build mental defenses now, they would be filled with weaknesses, and you would not discover that until it is too late. First, I will teach you to defend against yourself and then I will teach you to protect yourself from outside threats. What is within is most important."

[Leiken Chu]

"Death can come at any time. " he stated quietly. "Regardless. I WILL learn. No matter how long it takes." he stated with that stubbornness that the teacher had mentioned. Though his irritation showed somewhat in his expression.

'Does he think i can't learn normally? Does he think i'm stupid or something? I'll show him. I'll learn it even if i have to train myself.' he thought to himself with a mild aggrivation still on his features.

Jolting slightly to the other man's shout to shut up. He couldn't help but to feel a bit startled by the loss in temper, he had not seen that part of Vincent before, but the sudden tone change struck a chord within leiken that made him silence completely and star at the man near wide-eyed. Leiken couldn't help but to feel some comfort in the tone however. Was he unusual for that? He'd been yelled at before, but he had never felt comfort in it. Leiken's features reflected the confusion in his mind.

"Wakarimashita" he would reply to the man at last. Speaking of course in the same manner he was yelled at. It reminded him too much of the last school he'd attended merely for the fact that he'd often heard that word. He breathed out heavily. As he listened he saw that the man was right, if he couldn't even stop himself, how could he stop other people.

Lei looked to the other man then, "Teach me how to control my emotions then, please." he stated giving the man a gaze that showed just how lost he was with how to do that very task. Though the man's raised voice rang in his mind, it had such authority, and had struck so deeply within him. Maybe because vincent was the first person he'd even had a small ounce of trust for in so long, maybe because he'd just been fantasizing about the man in a dominating fashion, who could know for sure?

[Vincent Meian]

Losing his temper was not terribly rare for Vincent; he'd had a bad case of being an angry teenager for most of his young adult life, and the temper never really went away. Despite this, he'd learned to control it; the fight with Professor Vandaveer as few days prior had been the first instance he'd actually lost control of his temper enough to strike someone in a good number of years. He hadn't used his powers in anger for nearly two decades. The sharp tone was something he'd taken from his teaching at Eisai - a way to show students his impatience and annoyance with them without resorting to force. Even still, it was the first in a long series of steps that led to truly releasing his fury, and it concerned the man as the startled and confused look came over his student's face. So, he reigned in the anger and smothered it as he'd been trained to do. There would be a better time and place to release that tension, but those were neither here nor now.


At the assent of understanding, the trainer relaxed further. Though it was unusual for Lei to give up control to authority that easily, Vincent thought it was likely because he really wanted to learn how to control himself. He could not read minds, and he didn't know what was going on behind his student's eyes any more than the next person; he simply nodded and motioned to the floor. "Have a seat," he directed. "We will start with meditative techniques. Just concentrate on controlling your breathing."


Many children chafed at having to sit still for long periods of time, and the two of them had an hour. If the soldier could teach him patience in a week and have the boy sit through a session without acting out somehow in a month's time, he would consider it a success. Until then, small steps.

[Leiken Chu]

Leiken shifted slightly, moving to sit on the floor after a moment to regain his composure, he lowered himself down to sit. Though it was not easy for him to concentrate knowing what he'd done nearby while thinking about the man. At least not yet anyway. "Meditating? " he questioned. He almost had the urge to make a remark about how silly it sounded to do so, but he reminded himself this was something he -had- to do.

"Okay so how do i do this? Like on tv? " he stated crossing his legs and holding his hands upright and on top of his knees. Looking up to the other man for a sign of approval though he choked a little on his words to see the man towering above him again. Lei took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. He could really use some of that breathing control at that point.

[Vincent Meian]

As Lei sat, Vincent took the moment to breathe deeply once and calm himself for good. Forcing the anger away wouldn't solve anything in the long run; it had to be minimized and becalmed before anything could be done. "Yes, meditating," he answered, looking down to the boy. "It can be called other things, but it a technique used to calm yourself and shut away outside forces. I have found that it helps me focus on my own thoughts and emotions clearly."


A wry smile came to his face at the question. It was just the sort of thing his student would say, and the soldier was glad to have a bit of normalcy back in the session. Folding his long legs beneath him, the trainer took a seat on the floor in front of Lei, sitting on his knees with his shins pressed flat against the floor. "You may sit in any way that makes you comfortable," he replied. "As long as your position is not uncomfortable, it is fine."


There was something about the way Lei had looked up at him that seemed strange, but once again Vincent pushed it from his mind. Meditation was used to calm oneself and journey within; thinking about outside forces would not help the process. "Focus on breathing and nothing else," he reminded. "In, and then out, repetitively. It will give you some place to start."

[Leiken Chu]

Lei watched the other man's movements like a hawk. Though his eyes perhaps said more than he spoke of it when it came to how he felt with the other man setting right infront of him like that. "I see. that makes sense" he finally said though he shifted to let his arms rest across his lap at that point. To him that was more comfortable because he could balance his weight out better through out his body.

Lei nodded a bit, "Okay." He stated though he wasn't really sure of what the goal was here. Even if he breathed and relaxed Lei couldn't understand how to truly let go of everything and just be. However, he would try his best. "Okay i'll give it a shot." he stated as he rested his arms over his knees as he sat there cross legged.

Lei stared at the man infront of him, taking in a deep breath, exhaling it a few moments later after holding it in. Letting the sting of his breath being inhaled so deeply catch his mind. He focused on this aspect until it was that his own pulse had drawn a little slower. His eyes stared at vincent the entire time, however, yet somewhat past him. He stared in a daze like he did occassionally though he could still feel loudly the pulsing of his own blood and the pulsing of vincents, the the urge his abilities had to take hold of that blood seemed quite strong.

It begged with him, pleaded with him, and he struggled to resist listening to it. He heard the beat of his own heart loudly in his ears and his features would display his own inner thoughts well at that point. He took in another deep breath, exhaling, listening to the sound of his own breath escaping him and feeling the pressure leave his chest. It was hard for him to concentrate with the sensation of that other man's blood so close to him. In efforts to draw focus to his own breaths he closed his eyes.

Letting the his senses alter to make up for the loss of sight. He heard his own breathing, now on equal plane with the sound of the blood, though it was becoming almost irritating as his thoughts raced. His fingers curled against his knees as he gripped at the fabric there. he breathed out a hard breath, his concentration breaking, "I don't know how to do this. All i can hear is our blood pulsing. It's all i can feel and i listen to my breaths but it is just a dull sound in comparison. " he exhaled all at once.

[Vincent Meian]

Though he didn't quite see the intensity of Lei's stare as he sat, Vincent could see it once he'd settled. It was almost as if the boy were watching is every move, daring the trainer to do something violent or surprising. Or maybe marking every movement to memory. Either way, it somewhat unnerved him and Vincent stared back without flinching. Eventually, he assumed, the tension would break.


"Good," he replied at Lei's agreement to try. "Relax, breathe slowly. Feel your pulse slow and your muscles relax. Be calm, and count your breaths."


The stare-off lasted for quite a while, even into the start of the teen's meditative practice. Eventually, the gazed drifted away and the tension was broken, allowing the trainer to relax somewhat himself. He settled into his own slow cycle of breathing, almost matching his student's but not quite - after all, his lungs were slightly bigger and needed more air. The cycle lasted for a short while, and for that time both males were fully at rest.


It took a few moments longer, but eventually the soldier realized that his student was focusing far too hard. He first closed his eyes and then his face took on a pouty scowl that intensified as he focused, and Vincent could more intensely feel the slow and purposeful thudding of his heart in his chest. The sensation neither startled nor frightened the trainer; he expected it to happen. Lei needed to become more aware that hearing and feeling the pulse of another's blood did not mean he had to control it. He needed to learn control, and to push such thoughts to a corner of his mind. In short, to focus on not taking control.


Control by release of control. Power by powerlessness. These lessons were the foundation of being at peace with oneself and with one's abilities.


"Be calm," the older man ordered. "Do not lose yourself in the beating of your heart. Push such thoughts to the furthest corner of your mind. Focus only on breathing." This would be difficult for Lei, and Vincent knew that the boy's focus was coming to an end soon. He was not used to such inactivity, and he didn't seem to be able to resist the siren call of his powers very well. The fact that he was trying was admirable, though; the trainer had expected to feel more than just an amplified heartbeat and had been impressed when that had been the extent of the boy's powers affecting him.

[Leiken Chu]

Leiken's cheeks grew a little warm with the other man's returned stare. Though he did not break the stare right away. He continued to hold his eyes locked within vincent's gaze for perhaps an awkwardly long time.

However, when it had broke lei's mind was filled with thoughts that he was finding very hard to supress. Lei tried, whoever, to push those thoughts from his mind. Though his struggled attempts to relax and to have control of his breathing he had temporarily locked away his emotions.

He could feel the pulse of the other man's heart, he could feel it calling to him, his abilities wrapped each pulse yet did nothing more than increase his pulse. "I am trying. It's hard to hear my my breathing over your pulse. " he breathed out. He took in a sharper breath, it stung his lungs a little, but it brought his attention more focused into pattern of his own breaths.

He took in slow breathes, exhaling, he almost felt tired suddenly. For a few minutes he would grow silent as if he had fallen asleep, though he was still very awake, he was merely lost in some other part of his mind. The sound of his own breathes, of vincents pulse, brought back memories of his past. It was not that long ago, but it almost felt like an eternity.

This particular memory occurred within his freshman year of the Japan sister school of Hammel. His own breaths mimiced the breeze that had blown his open shirt in the wind that day. He leaned against a fence, staring past to the distant buildings that lined his eye sight, giving a rather nice panoramic view. Lei had been lost in that stare when he'd been suddenly started.

His heart rate jumped slightly as he remembered this touch.

A very slightly taller male stood behind him, gripping him around the waist, resting his chin upon Lei's shoulder. Though his face held a look of pain within it's expression."you're hurting me." he would state plainly. Though it didn't appear he cared truly. Despite the bruising on his skin they healed rather quickly. Lei apologized only to hear the other man laugh and tell him it as nonsense. Lei seemed happy, at peace, despite his abilities being so uncontrolled.

Lei's ability released any sort of controll upon Vincent's pulse and almost seemed as though he'd completely recoiled into that memory. however, it was at that point that lei would take in a sharp breath. Breaking himself from that memory, immediately standing and moving toward the window as he spoke out. "I can't do it." he choked out. facing away from his trainer to hide the fact that the memories had brought tears to stream down his cheeks.