"This place never changes."
A blonde headed girl stood before the majestic fountain of Ria high. The crystal blue waters splashed against each other, with little droplets dancing gracefully amongst the air, later falling into the blue pits within the fountain. Spring was approaching the land of Ria. The grass was a vibrant green, the trees started to sprout leaves, and the sun was a comforting temperature. Two tangerine colored butterflies fluttered past Tiffany giving her a warm presence. She observed the enormous school ahead of her, remembering past events that gave Tiff her new life.
"Yes, this is the perfect place to help out!"
Tiffany wanted to do some sort of community service for her resume to look good at the university. What a better way to do something good for the school that brought Tiff so much happiness.
"Hhhhmm, I wonder if Mattus will remember me?"
Tiff perched her purse up as she passed several group of kids talking amongst themselves. It hadn't been too long since Tiff graduated from Ria High, and her appearance from her senior year still preceded her. She could almost pass as a student if she really wanted too.
Tiff decided to sit on a nearby empty bench to fix her make up. Her tight black skirt pressed against her legs as she bent to sit down. Tiff puckered her lips together as she applied her pink lip gloss on her plump lips. She brushed her locks behind her back as she straightened out her white button up shirt from any indecent wrinkles. You would think she was getting ready for an important interview with the way she dressed and looked. Then again, Tiff was always the type of person to arrive at a fashionable expense, even at the most casual of occasions.
Tiff sighed as she looked up to the almost cloudless skies. Her pink eyes shimmered as the sun's rays splashed onto her face. Being at Ria gave her new found happiness, yet at the same time it was still so painful to be here. She wondered what ever happened of her old friends. The only people she ever saw once in a while was Ai, Makie, and Oliver, but that's not saying much. One thing Tiff was super excited for was a Ria High reunion where everyone would just get together and laugh about the good ole days. It would be a while before anything like that would happen though.
"Well, I guess I should be heading in..."
Tiff firmly stood up as she rested the straps of her purse on her shoulder. Her black designer heels clanked as she walked forward towards the doors of the school. Maybe this would be her chance to finally say goodbye to her friends the way she wanted to.
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A blue haired man named Rayan walked along a path composed of triangular stone sections. In front of him was the collosal campus of Ria High School. The main gate of the school stood tall and proud, gleaming a pearly white under the unobstructed rays of the sun. Spring was the time of year that the school looked most beautiful and inviting to Rayan; insects flitting between fully bloomed flowers, oceans of grass in all directions as far as the eye could see, the radiance of sunshine on the school buildings.
It had been far too long since Rayan had left this place. It was more than the school he had attended in his youth -- it was home.
The brown leather of Rayan's boots resounded with clops against the stone walkway with each step he took. They were combat-ready boots, ones that Rayan had kept strapped on for the past year and were by now caked in dried mud and blood. The rest of Rayan's outfit was even more shoddy; his pants were marred by multiple cuts, and his signature blue jacket fared looked like it had been thrown into a meat grinder, given all the gashes in it. The only piece of clothing Rayan had that looked the same as when he had last walked off the Ria High campus was the beautiful cerulean scarf that hung around his neck, the tail end parallel with his left arm.
Rayan had left the school as a retired teacher; he returned as a battle-seasoned mercenary warrior. Although he had plenty of money from his assignments, Rayan hadn't the time for keeping up his appearance during his missions, not even his hair, which had grown long. At least he was clean-shaven.
As Rayan approached the main gates, he noticed a slender female figure standing there. Her head was arched up, indicating that she was staring up at the massive entrance. She appeared very professionally dressed and was quite attractive; her blonde hair rustled like fresh blades of grass in the Spring air. When Rayan came within a few feet of her, he stopped.
"Miss Tiffany Savior, returning for a job opportunity? I hope you aren't here for class reunions, or you'll be waiting until the Summer." Rayan spoke in a clear tone, with a hint of humor. His right hand he kept inside his one remaining jacket pocket; his left hand Rayan extended towards Tiffany with an open palm.
"I didn't expect to run into such a fine graduate. How long has it been since your graduation?" Rayan asked with a slight grin.
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Tiff hesitated to take a step forward toward the doors of the building. She wanted to go in, but it was almost as if something was pulling her back. A rush of wind viciously brushed against the side of her body, as falling leaves and flower petals twirled in unison from the stampede. Ready to take another step forward, Tiff was suddenly interrupted by a familiar yet unknown voice. Tiff turned her head to the side, and arched her back a bit that made her booty stick out. She witnessed a tall blue haired man behind her, who looked like he got in a fight with a paper shredder. She fully turned her body to face him, as she blinked a few times completely baffled by the man. She tensed her body a bit, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He looked like one of those sick perverted guys who abducted young ladies, raped them, then dumped their lifeless body in a ditch. The man then spoke to her, with a tone that inclined they had known each other at one point in time. She blinked again, being completely silent as she tried to remember who this guy was. The man then extended his arm out, in hopes of receiving a handshake from the blond beauty. Tiff eyed the hand for a few seconds then looked up at the man's face, giving him a strange look. She fell deep in thought as one by one the puzzle started to come together. Then just like "period" season, it hit her.
"...R...Rayan...?!" Tiff whispered under her breath.
Tiff smiled in disbelief as she completely ignored his handshake and went in for a hug instead. Her arms were wrapped snuggly around his neck as she slightly swayed side to side. She then gently pushed herself away as she brushed away some dirt on his shoulder.
"OMG, It's been so long!" Tiff said with thrilled excitement.
In all honesty, Tiff didn't really know Rayan all that well. She never enrolled in his classes nor did she really have any deep conversations with him. Really the only reason why she knew him was because of Kurai and Ky. Of course even acquaintances were considered "best friends" in Tiff's book....then again, what isn't Tiff's friend.
"I just got out actually. I'm going to a university in Centropolis city."
Tiff then brought out her playful side as she made a little pose, winking at Rayan.
"I'm a model now, you know! Of course my biggest dream is to act and be famous on the big scene!!" Tiff become all starry eyed as she thought of all the possibilities that could be made in her life. She then came back to planet Ria as she explained what she was doing here in the first place.
"I'm actually here for a little community service. I thought 'hey if Ria High gave me a chance to change my life, why not I do the same for others!' and well, here I am."
Tiff smiled a bit as acted with her hands while finishing her little sentence. She then payed attention to Rayan, who didn't look so hot.
"Soooo....let me guess, your a professional hobo!!" Tiff said in a joking tone. She smiled a bit as she started to poke one of the holes in his jacket as she asked another question, but this time in a more serious tone.
"But like seriously...What happened to you? I know you went on that journey or whatever, but was it really that hectic?"
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Rayan wasn't surprised at Tiff's hesitation. After all, he had only met her in passing, knowing of her primarily through his student, Ky, and another student named Kurai. What did surprise him was Tiff's enthusiasm upon recognizing him; he stiffened his arms and back as Tiff embraced him, not knowing how to respond. After a moment, he got braver and leaned in enough to return the hug.
"I'll bet you got a lot of extra credit this way," Rayan said, chuckling.
Tiff pulled away and immediately went into an excited speech about her new life, that she was going to Centropolis for college to become a potent model. But when she suddenly got interested in his ruined attire by slipping her hand through the cut marks in the cloth, Rayan temporarily forgot to ask her for more details about college and why she was at Ria High.
"A hobo, huh." Rayan gave a short laugh. "I'm sure how I look now would get Joy into a fit a laughter." Rayan's expression then became more serious, just as Tiff's tone had become more serious.
"I've made my living as a mercenary. I took on a lot of assignments, and underwent a lot of pressure in battle. Most of the time, I had to fight twenty or more armed adversaries in close combat. Grim business."
Pausing, Rayan also tugged at a sliver of his jacket, which was surrounded by twin holes, clearly where blades had penetrated. "I wanted to hone my fighting skills. I've fought many opponents since I left the school, usually as part of a government assignment. This particular pair of marks was given to me by a friend of yours -- Ky."
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"Mercenary huh."
Tiff remembered the days back when she was an assassin for the Majin organization. All the horrible things she had done, and all of the horrible things they had brainwashed into her mind. To her, killing people was like second nature to her, but now she could barely hurt a fly.
His little story intrigued Tiff as she didn't know this was the reason for his departure. Tiff retired from the "fighting" business and hasn't lifted a foot to kick someone for quite some time. Ever since her loan status for the Federation expired and her graduation from Ria High, Tiffany faltered with her training. Then again there really wasn't any reason too. Life had been so peaceful for Tiff now. No activity of the Majins, Ky's disappearance, The Federation finally cutting her loose, it was almost as if it was surreal.
"Well now, I guess that makes more sense." Tiff said to keep up the conversation.
It wasn't until Rayan mentioned Ky that things really started to get interesting for her. Just hearing the name gave Tiff a plethora of conflicting emotions. Her face was stern, watching Rayan like a hawk. She didn't know what to think.
"Whoa Whoa...Wait...Ky? You fought Ky?"
Tiff became tense as she adjusted her purse with uneasiness.
"Oh and he's not my friend. Friends don't try to kill one another." Tiff said in a mocking irritated tone.
A part of her wanted to know what happened in the battle, but another part just wanted to ignore it. Heck Tiff got so tired of waiting for him that she moved on and got herself a boyfriend. Tiff then moved closer to Rayan as she placed a firm finger right below his shoulder.
"Oh and you tell Ky, the next time you see him that I have grenade with his name on it, and that I'm gonna shove it so far up his a** that he's gonna have one explosive orgasm!!!!" Tiff's voice started to rise in frustration as her bangs violently lay dormant on her face, covering the right side of her eye. It wasn't fair for taking her frustration out on Rayan however and she slowly started to cool down. She took a deep breath and took a step back, feeling a bit embarrassed by the action.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap...it's just that...alot of things have happened since you left."
Tiff didn't know what to think anymore. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all. Surely the bad memories would take affect sooner or later. Tiff just stood there, feeling a bit awkward, not know what to say next.
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Rayan said nothing at first, merely allowing Tiff to express her frustration, one shoulder poke at a time. He had to snicker momentarily when she brought up the grenade, though.
"Don't worry, he already has a wound he's healing off from our duel," Rayan said. "I can't tell you who he was working for, or why our paths crossed. But his goal wasn't to kill anybody... our battle ended pretty quick when he evaded me and ran off. Probably had to obtain something for an employer."
Rayan unpocketed his hand to place it on his hip, then continued.
"Where I come from, friends live to fight each other. It's how they improve. It was actually pretty refreshing to clash blades with him, even just briefly. I guess I felt proud of how far his technique has come since he graduated. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll let him know to watch out for you." Rayan's mouth curled into a lopsided smile. He was trying his best to sympathize with Tiff without becoming intrusive. Rayan decided to revert back to the topic of her college.
"So, a university in Centropolis. Which one? I got my degree from Moonlight University, downtown. I crammed high school and college into a little under six years... After that I came to teach at Ria High, you see. Anyways, Centropolis has some of the best universities out there. Congratulations on getting accepted."
Rayan paused, his hands tightening. It looked like he would have to intrude into her life just a bit more. He cleared his throat, then put his hand back into is pocket.
"I thought I should warn you... my duel with Ky was in Centropolis. So you should keep aware, just in case he tries to contact you."
Another pause. Rayan thought of how he could make their conversation more uplifting. He smiled, and then added, "So, I guess it's a modeling school you're going to. I remember that sometimes I'd overhear students talk about you, saying how perfect a model you'd make. I must concur. You have quite a fig- er, you look the part. Oh, yes... you said you came here for community service. What exactly did you have in mind? The campus is already beautiful, so I would assume you want to do something besides clean up trash."
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Rayan managed to steer the conversation on a lighter note, asking Tiff which university she attended. She grinned a bit trying to keep her spirit high as she looked over to a group of unknown kids as she spoke.
"I go to South Imperial University. I am currently majoring in theatre arts. The modeling gig was just to help me get noticed."
She looked over back at Rayan smiling intently as a calm breeze passed by the two of them. She lightly giggled and nodded her head a bit as he congratulated her on her acceptance at the school. Kiyowa also attended the same school and the two of them bought a little condo together. Ironically enough Kiyowa was Tiff's agent and manager. Tiff dozed off a bit, almost forgetting the very reason why she was here. Rayan then went on to change the subject, which wasn't to Tiff's liking.
"He was in Centropolis...?"
Tiff froze a bit at the statement. The very thought bugged her to no end. Immediately everything around her started to fade as she started to think to herself.
What was Ky doing in Centropolis? Was he there to find me? No...If he was there to find me, he would have come straight for me and not battled Rayan. And Rayan said he was doing something for he government or whatever...What does that mean? Ky was always the type of person to do things his own way with his own orders. I wonder if the Federation knows about this? No...they would have contacted me...but then again they did cut me loose. Could the Majins be involved? GGGAAAHHHH No, not now!! Just as everything was being put into place! I don't need this right now!!As she was thinking, Rayan started to talk some more, but Tiff was too phased out to hear what he was saying. She managed to catch a glimpse of the last part of his sentence, but as she spoke she seemed misplaced and impatient.
"Oh well, yes it is still so very beautiful, but I was thinking more of helping the students out. You know, like helping with the clubs, or the athletic programs, or maybe even some funding for the school. You know."
Tiff gave one last smile as her foot fidgeted a bit from standing too long. A short silence pierced the duo as Tiff swayed a bit with awkwardness.
"Um...well, it was nice seeing you again...but...I really must be going. Till the next time we meet."
Tiff gave one last smile as she faced away from Rayan taking a few steps forward, only to abruptly stop in her tracks. She turned her head a bit with her body still facing away from him. Rayan was only able to see a profile of her face with her bangs covering her eye.
"Oh and if you see Ky again....don't mention you saw me. I don't want him to be part in my life anymore....nor do I want to be in his."
Her tone was very serious with a hint of a melancholy twist. She then turned her head away as she proceeded to the doors of the massive building, leaving Rayan behind without any words.
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