irismessaging | 2nd Shadow/4th Punch [accidental voice]

[There's silence for a few moments on the other end aside from a few rustling sounds, but Ryoji's voice is eventually heard, whispering harshly. He's clearly panicked about something, though without video, what has him so worried remains unknown.]

Minako-chan? Are you there? I know you know Akihiko-sempai well, so d-do you know how to calm him down? I had no idea he could be so rough-

[A deep voice abruptly cuts him off.] C’mon, Ryoji. Quit messing around. After you get it down your throat the first time, you’ll get used to the taste!

[There's the sound of footsteps-not Ryoji's own, based on the way he gasps in surprise and... is he whimpering?-and then more shuffling as Ryoji attempts to end the transmission. He hopes Minako got the message... it was private, right?

Of course, Ryoji doesn't manage to stop recording, and the whole camp can now hear what he and the other person are up to.

Akihiko can be heard sighing.] Hey, don’t look at me like that… I’m not gonna chase you around the whole damn camp, you know.

[He pauses for a moment.] Okay, I got it. Get down on your knees, and open your mouth. You can close your eyes too, if you want. I’ll take care of the rest.

Um... o-okay... just be careful.

[There's some more rustling sounds and footsteps, and then moments later, the rustling sounds quicken as Ryoji moves about. Something is in his mouth, and he's making muffled pleas in amongst his choking. He swallows part of it down, and then makes a breathless plea.]

S-Sempai, please-

H-Hold still, Ryoji… Trust me, you need this… Keep telling yourself that, and don’t spit it out.

[Akihiko's words seem to stop Ryoji's struggling, and he only chokes for a moment before he can be heard swallowing and gasping for air. He coughs a few times, and his voice sounds shaky.]

That tasted awful...

[Akihiko exhales in relief, sounding pleased as he encourages the junior.] You did it. Good job. And don’t worry; you should stop feeling sore in a few hours. Just be sure to take a hot shower when you get back to your cabin.

[It's at this point that Iris finally feels sorry for the traumatized campers listening in and ends the message.]

((Akihiko and Ryoji will both be responding to any tags. Not to worry guys, they didn't actually do anything terrible.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ryoji comes around to the side, notes the punching bag. So that's what he was taking his anger out on. Good, Ryoji may be safe now. He offers a small smile as he takes a few steps closer.]

I just wanted to apologize for how I acted this morning. I should have been more grateful to you for helping me out. Sure, I was a little sore, but I was being kind of immature about it. So I shouldn't complain. I'm really sorry.

[He would always take his anger out on something inanimate, or a Shadow, before resorting to other people. Once in a while, Junpei might receive a punch or two, and he used to fight with Shinji a lot, but he had different relationships with them. Akihiko didn’t know Ryoji well enough to breach their relationship past professionalism, especially if he was acting as his trainer.]

......

[Akihiko shook his head, and then absently glanced off to the side.] You don’t have to apologize. I didn’t realize I was being so rough on you.

[He frowned with concern. After a moment, he turned back to face Ryoji, telling him in a sincere tone.] I’m sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t mean to… I’ll understand if you want to stop training with me.

[Maybe he didn't know Ryoji well now, but the underclassman was definitely trying to change that. Maybe it's a bit selfish of him, but he did miss his friends from school, and regretted not having the time to make more friends. Now that he's getting a second chance, he's not going to let it go.

And besides... Akihiko could need someone too, right? From the way he's acting right now and the things he's saying, it's easy to see that he's regretting what happened this morning. He hastily shakes his head, trying to look reassuring.]

O-Oh, no! I'm fine! I know you didn't want to hurt me, and I know it's supposed to hurt the first couple days...

[His smile fades without him wanting it to, and before he really knows what he's doing, he's saying too much.]

Please don't stop training me. I haven't learned enough yet.

Ryoji... I haven't trained like a beginner for years. [Because after Miki died, everything changed. That was when his obsession with power truly began.] I'm not sure if I can... hold back enough to teach you, at your current level.

[Maybe he sounded cold, or even arrogant, but he was being completely truthful. What he didn't tell Ryoji was that he'd never actually trained someone before, on a personal level like this. Boxing practice was completely different. Both he and his sparring partners knew what they were doing. Ryoji was completely new at this.]

Are you really sure you wanna learn from someone like me? I mean... The others thought I was trying to kill you, you know...

I know. I did have some instinct back in our world, but now that those powers are gone, I really am like a beginner.

S-Still! You don't need to hold back. I promise, I'm tougher than I look.

[Ryoji could at least read past the cold manner of speaking Akihiko used. Something about the way he was so stiff and formal now... Right. He still wasn't ready to trust him. And Ryoji hadn't finished telling him the whole truth, had he?

He bows his head, avoiding eye contact.]

I do want to learn from you... That is, as long as you want me around. Trust me, you shouldn't blame yourself for any of this.

[At least Akihiko hasn't succeeded in killing anyone, really.]

[Akihiko frowned with disbelief. He was going to have to be completely blunt with Ryoji, to make sure he understood what he was possibly getting himself into.] You need to be aware that this is just the beginning. It’s only gonna get harder from here on out. Muscle soreness – that goes away, and your body can build up resistance to it. But the other stuff? Most of it’s mental, and you need to be able to handle all that. I’m gonna have to push you to your limits, Ryoji. That’s the most effective way for you to get stronger.

[It was what he went through. Whenever his body felt too tired, or if he even had an inkling to quit, he would think of Miki. He would remember how helpless he had been to save her, and how much he hated that feeling. It gave him enough motivation to run just one more lap, throw one more set of punches, push himself that much further. He didn’t become a boxing champion by sitting idly on his ass, after all.

Akihiko sighed quietly, recalling the way he had spoken to Minako earlier.] Are you talking about the… [He paused briefly and looked around to make sure no one else was listening in.] …Death stuff? I know that you’re going to… die, in the future. Why do you think I’d turn you away for that reason?

2nd Shadow/4th Punch [accidental voice]

Action-it's always time for more fiascos with these two.

Action-murder/punching times? >8D

Action-preferably no murder, not when Ryoji's nice and mortal ;;

Action-i think by this point, Aki wants to punch himself orz

Action-no no no, don't do that, Aki! ;;

Action-shit just got real...