Relaxation (Cole)

[Karashi Usaki]

Karashi sighed. She had had a tough time since her arrival at the school. She had been made fun of, bullied, and everything else. She had been through that back in Japan, but not as intense as what she had gone through here. She didn’t like this place at all, but she knew if she were to quit, she would dishonor her whole family. That was not an option, especially for a Japanese girl like Kara. Karashi couldn’t quit now. Not since her parents had gone through a lot to put her here.

Karashi sighed again, fighting back tears. She didn’t want anyone to see her crying. The last thing she needed was a pity party. What she did need was a friend, or at least someone who was there for her. She didn’t care if they didn’t like her, or didn’t want anything to do with her. She just wanted someone to be there for her. She felt so alone in this school, and she hated that feeling with a passion. Karashi wasn’t the type of person to just go and fix that.

Karashi watched a butterfly, and before she knew it, the tears were falling silently down her cheeks. At this point she didn’t care who saw. She brought her knees to her chest, and tucked her head into them, her hair draping over her arms. Her entire body shook with her sobs, the only indication that something was happening to her, albeit not good. Her tiny frame shook with each wave that the sobbing caused. Karashi had never felt so alone before.

[Cole Kessler]

It had been a long time since Cole had come back to the school. He looked around as he walked through the front gate. Nothing had really changed since his last being here. Other than a few minor tweaks and additions to the building and the grounds that encompassed it, Cole didn't see anything that truly stuck out to him. His acoustic guitar rested at his back, the sling comfortably hugging Cole's torso. It seemed that the soft sounding ax always accompanied him to his destination. As he passed the library, Cole's mind briefly flashed back to the day he and Sam had exchanged fists. All of it because Cole couldn't stand by as Sam hurt a young girl for rejecting him. The memories were still fresh in his mind all the way up to the amount of detention the two friends received because of their fight.

As he strode away from the library and toward the courtyard, he caught sight of the auditorium. He laughed remembering back to the sex-ed seminar that Doc Neville had put on and does so yearly still. The fun that his group of seniors had that day. From the gothic princess straddling him to LaRousse and the other's sabotage of the video that the kind Doctor had shown them all. "Good times...." Cole said with a smirk. However the smirk changed to a slight frown as he continued to think back.

Most of his friends were now off doing their own thing. Sam had joined the military and been deployed. LaRousse moved off to another college. Rayne had moved off to god knows where. Tae, well, who knew where she had gotten off to. Cole had tried to maintain a friendship with her, but he never really saw her anymore. "C'mon, Cole. Get your effin mind out of the past. Nothing good comes from living in it." He told himself and continued to walk around.

AS he brought a cigarette to his lips and lit it, Cole noticed a young woman sitting alone on a bench. AT first he didn't think anything of it, but as he took a drag he could hear her sobbing. Cole couldn't just stand aside and let her cry like that. The Hero in him wanted so badly to sing her a song, but that would likely end up being really awkward. So he flicked aside the cigarette and took a seat next to her. "Normally I would sing a song to cheer you up. But seeing as how I don't know you, I figure that would end up awkward." He jested with a smile. "Now, how about you tell ol Cole what's wrong. And I'll see if I can help fix it. Sound good?"

[Karashi Usaki]

Karashi knew someone was coming. She could hear the footsteps coming up the path. However, she didn’t move from her ‘fetal’ position, if you could call it that. Had she been on the ground, it would have been a fetal position. But she had to keep herself balanced in order not to fall off the bench and injure herself. Another thing for people to tease her about. That’s all she needed right now. Karashi was being sarcastic of course.

Karashi wasn’t expecting the man to sit down next to her. She didn’t like people being so close to her. She was always afraid that they were going to hurt her or bully her in some kind of way. However, she got a different vibe from this man. He seemed gentle, and his voice was soothing to her. Why, she didn’t really know, but she liked it. She looked over at him. “S-Singing…? I-I like s-singing…” Karashi’s voice was soft and barely audible, and she stuttered between sobs.

Karashi wiped her tears, trying to stop her crying. It was hard once the tears started to flow. “I-I’m sure you w-wouldn’t want to hear m-my story… No one e-else seems to care…” It was true, and it confused her. This man was a complete stranger to her, and yet he decided to come up to her and ask her what was wrong. Why? Why did he care? She buried her head in her knees again, although her sobs had decreased this time. Karashi’s voice was muffled when she spoke, but one could still hear what she was saying.

“Well, considering y-you care enough to a-ask, I guess I’ll t-tell you…” Karashi sighed, trying to fight back new tears. What she really needed to do was stop crying. However, she couldn’t fight them, and for a second time, she cried. She spoke through her tears and sobs. “I-I’ve been bullied and I-I don’t know w-why… I-I’ve been nothing b-but nice t-to people, and t-they think it’s funny t-to trip me and t-then laugh at me w-when I h-have to pick up my books…” Karashi shook her head. “I-I’m such a f-failure. I-I’ve dishonored my f-family…”

[Cole Kessler]

Cole understood where the girl was coming from. He wasn't always the guy he was today. Though most of his bullies moved off by the time he had hit high school, there were still some present. It all changed during his junior year though. Regardless of that, this young woman was in need of a friend. Cole stopped himself from putting an arm around her because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He simply sighed, "Kids these days...." He smiled, "That's not a way to welcome a new girl. So unfair." Cole told her, "I remember the day when a new student was welcomed with a smile. Not shunned like some sort of virus or something."

Cole strummed his guitar lightly, "Well, on behalf of the ill-mannered students of our fair slice of America, I apologize and hope that things get easier. Wanna know my secret? Fuck. Them. Ignore it. Show them that you refuse to let it get to you. The minute you stop caring what they think: The minute you make them powerless." Cole explained to her, "That's how I got through it." Cole smiled at her, "I think you can do it, too."

Cole strummed his guitar once again, "You said you like singing?" He questioned, "Got anything in mind??"

[Karashi Usaki]

Karashi frowned, looking up at the man with a side glare. He wasn’t exactly making her feel better. In fact, she was thinking about moving to another spot so that she wouldn’t have to listen to this idiot rant about ‘kids these days’. God, he sounded old. She wanted to move, but something caught her eye, something that sparked her interest. The man had a guitar. Which meant he played. Which meant that he might sing too. Karashi was a bit interested.

Karashi really didn’t like the advice he was giving to her. It sounded weird, and almost… gross. She wanted to tell him that it was, but she didn’t want to be rude. It seemed like he was in the middle of a rant, and she knew better than to interrupt someone while they went off on a tangent. She had actually learned that the hard way, from her father. The slap to the face she had received was more than enough reminder to wait until someone was finished. Karashi perked up a bit when he asked her what she had in mind.

“W-What do you mean…?” It suddenly clicked for Karashi. He wanted to play a song she knew so that she could sing. “O-Oh… Um. Well…” She was trying to think of a song, and the first one she thought of, she started to sing. “Lately, I’ve been, I’ve been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be…” She stopped and blushed. “S-Sorry… I’m not that good…” Karashi looked away, blushing harder. Why was she so embarrassed?


((Disclaimer: Lyrics are from Counting Stars by OneRepublic))

[Cole Kessler]

Cole strummed lightly as she began to sing. It took him a moment to realize what song it was, but when he finally did, he smiled. He was so used to playing rock that he had to stop strumming for a second and realign his fingers. Pop and Rock were two completely different genres when it came to playing guitar but Cole was always able to adapt between each style. As he began playing again, she stopped singing. Cole looked at her with a smile, "Like hell you're not good. That was great, in my opinion." He reassured her.



Cole began playing again, this time singing along hoping that she would join in, "Lately I been, I been losing sleep; Dreaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard; Said no more counting dollars. We'll be counting stars. Yeah, we'll be counting stars." As Cole continued he hoped that she would sing the next part. He didn't want it to seem like he was trying to serenade her.

[Karashi Usaki]

Karashi blushed again, looking away. She wasn’t used to getting compliments, so when she did get them, she took them to heart. She liked compliments, and it baffled her as to why she didn’t get them that often. Probably the same reason that she was bullied, although she didn’t understand that either. But she wasn’t one to really question things. She only did that when she it was absolutely necessary. Karashi liked the feeling she got when complimented.

Karashi listened as he started to play again, and then smiled as he sang. He was good. Not just average good. He was so good that she thought he needed an agent and everything. She wanted to tell him, but she didn’t want to interrupt him. In fact, she felt the need to join in, and decided to, just for the hell of it. This time, she let loose, not caring who heard her. “I see this life, like a swinging vine, swing my heart across the line, in my face is flashing signs, seek it out and ye shall find, Old, but I’m not that old, young, but I’m not that bold, and I don’t think the world is sold, I’m just doing what we’re told…” Karashi stopped, looking to him for the next verse.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole couldn't help but widen his smile as she began singing again. When she looked at him he paused in lyrics, but continued to play the song's tune on his guitar. "And you say you're not any good at singing?" Cole chuckled. He ran through the bridge of the verse a second time before continuing the song with his voice, "I feel something so right by doing the wrong thing. And I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing. I could lie, could lie, could lie. Everything that kills me makes me feel alive." Cole continued playing through the chorus, but he didn't sing it. Instead he played through and picked up at the start of the second verse, "I feel the love and I feel it burn down this river every turn. Hope is a four letter word. Make that money; watch it burn. Old, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold."

Cole kept playing and singing but looked to her for a moment. He didn't speak to her, but merely nodded to her to join in and help finish the song.

[Karashi Usaki]

Karashi blushed at the man when he asked the rhetorical question about her saying she wasn’t good at singing. Apparently she was, even though she didn’t really see it. Still, she liked this song, and definitely wanted to finish it out. She was definitely into it, and she swayed along with the notes he played, closing her eyes as he sang the next part where she had left off. She actually expected him to sing the chorus, and she was definitely ready to join in, but Karashi was surprised.

Instead of singing the chorus like Karashi thought he would, he just played through it. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to sing it or not, but he had already started into the second verse, so she just decided to go with it. It’s not like she had a choice or anything anyway considering he was already into the second verse. She really didn’t mind. She was glad to really sing anything. When he looked to her, Karashi took that as a sign to pick up where he left off. With a smile, she continued the song.

“And I don’t think the world is sold, I’m just doing what we’re told. And I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing. I could lie, could lie, could lie… Everything that downs me makes me wanna fly!” At this point, Karashi launched into the chorus. She wasn’t about to get cheated out of it a second time. Besides the bridge, it was her second favorite part of the song, and she wasn’t going to miss out. “Lately I been, I been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard, said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars.” Karashi looked at him, waiting for him to finish up the rest of the chorus.

[Cole Kessler]

Cole continued to play and sing along with her. IT wasn't that he didn't want to sing the chorus, but that he wanted to get into the second part of the song quickly as it was his favorite. "Lately I been, I been losing sleep dreaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard. Said no more counting dollars we'll be counting stars. Lately I been, I been losing sleep; dreaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard; said no more counting dollars. We'll be, we'll be counting stars." Cole sang as the song wound down.

Cole slowed his play for a moment as he reached the final lines of the song, "Take that money. Watch it burn. Sink in the river. The lessons I learned." With those words the song ended and Cole's fingers slowly stopped their dancing along the neck of his guitar. With a happy sigh, Cole looked to the young woman and offered a handshake, "I'm Cole. Cole Kessler."

[Karashi Usaki]

Karashi smiled as the man finished the rest of the song, just as she had hoped he would. She was starting to come out of her shell a bit, and she wiped her eyes to make sure that there were no more tears. Her eyes were dry now, and she wanted them to stay that way. Whether they actually did was a totally different story. Karashi was an emotional person, especially when it came to being picked on and bullied like she had in the past week.

Karashi smiled, but then frowned down at the outstretched hand. The man introduced himself, but to be honest, she didn’t know what he was trying to do. She didn’t really do handshakes in her culture. She took his hand and touched it, and then looked away. “Um, I’m not sure what you were trying to do there… In my culture, this is how we say hello.” She stood up, put her hands together, and bowed, speaking a Japanese phrase. “Kon'nichiwa, watashinonamaeha karashi Usakidesu.” Karashi then stood upright and smiled. “Translated, it means, hello, my name is Karashi Usaki. You can call me Kara fir short.”

[Cole Kessler]

At first, Cole didn't understand her merely touching his hand. It wasn't until she spoke that he realized that he'd forgotten about the cultural differences between the two of them. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you, Kara." Cole said after a short pause. He stood up and returned her bow. He had seen enough Oriental Fighting Movies to know that when someone bowed in greeting that was disrespectful not to do so in return. He returned his guitar to rest at his back and moved to pull his cigarettes from his pocket. As he pulled one from the pack, he looked to her, "Care for one?" Cole said as he lit the own of his own and held the pack out to her. He didn't know if she smoked or not, but it didn't matter to him. Cole had a rule: It's rude not to offer to share. Even when your company didn't partake of tobacco.

Cole waited on a response from her as he took in a drag from his cigarette. "So, Kara, how long have you been here?" Cole asked quietly.

[Karashi Usaki]

Karashi was glad that he realized what she was doing and even returned the favor, as was custom in her country. Most people just stood there, looking at her as if she had two heads. At that point she would have to explain what she was doing. At least this time someone had the knowledge. It made her proud, although she wasn’t exactly sure why. Despite the feeling, she still didn’t know what to think of this man. Karashi figured she would just have to get to know him.

Karashi frowned when she saw him pull out a pack of cigarettes. In her culture, that was a huge sign of disrespect. It was a close second to dishonoring your family, which was the ultimate form of disrespect. Drinking was right along with it, as well as drugs. She shook her head at his offer. “No thank you, and you shouldn’t either.” She wanted to take the damn thing out of his mouth and smash it in the ground with her foot, but Karashi knew better.

Karashi coughed as he took a drag from his cigarette. She was trying in the most subtle way possible to let him know that it bothered her that he was smoking right in front of her. She moved away a bit, trying not to breathe in the smoke, hoping that he wouldn’t notice it, and even if he did, she hoped that he wouldn’t take offense to it either. She wasn’t exactly good at conveying her feelings to other people, especially people she didn’t know. Karashi was horrible at making friends.

Karashi was a bit caught off guard at the question, but she quickly regained her composure and, after clearing her throat, answered him quietly. “Only a few weeks… Or has it been a week…? I haven’t really been keeping track…” It had seemed like she was there forever, but she knew it hadn’t been a full month yet. Right? She shook her head. She had had such a bad week that it was already messing with her head. Great. Karashi was losing her mind already.