akimoto kozue

#face #give me mountains of gelato #i command it

mini yakuza || kozue & kai

"It’s not like I look at it every day," he replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I’ve probably spent more time melting mirrors than I have looking in them." After a short pause he grinned and added, "Plus I was drunk when I went out and got it dyed, so the first time I realized it was dyed was a week later when someone said something about it." It had been strange really. They’d complimented his hair and he’d been confused for about 10 minutes before he’d bothered to look. He wasn’t quite sure he liked it, but he was 100% sure he didn’t care enough to change it.

The man’s stomach began to make itself known; it was full of popcorn, sure, but one can only ingest so much shit before real food needed to be added to their diet. “Sounds good to me,” he said in return, flashing a small smile at the woman’s laugh. She had a nice laugh, he kind of wished she did it more. Maybe it was just around him though, he’d never really given her a reason to be anything but pissed off.

Her memories, which quite frankly sounded traumatizing as hell, sounded like fantastic adventures when she described them. “Damn, well, that souds…” he sought for the right word mere seconds before giving up. “Fun.” Nodding his head, he glanced around at the streets, sniffing slightly to see if he could smell anything. “What makes this place different from other ramen shops?” he asked, filling the silence. “Is the food better or is it more like a memory thing.”

She was a little confused as to how you could burn your own scalp with chemicals and not even notice for a week, but decided not to question it. Kozue just decided to settle on figuring his peripheral vision was shit, and rolled with it.

The stroll through the neighbourhood was pleasant, albeit cold as all hell, standing close to him helping out with the heat rolling off his body in waves. He was like a portable space heater, it was pretty sweet. "It was fun. I really miss it sometimes but I guess I'm too old for it now or something… Can't really relive the past." She said with a bit of a sigh. "Though cosplay is pretty common here, maybe people won't notice if i put on my old uniform again and galavanted around. Some people might think they saw a ghost." Kozue laughed as she figured out which way to go and headed off towards it.

When he posed the question about the ramen shop she had to think for a minute on it. "Well… I guess a bit of column a, a bit of column b." She cast her gaze towards him for a moment. "I used to go there all the time after school…. or skipping school. But the reason we went there so often was because the food was so amazing." They approached what looked like a little hole in the wall ramen shop that looked as though it had been there for a century with it's classic japanese flair. "Here it is." She said with a grin, and walked through the door, finding a seat towards the back. The air was warm and thick with the scent of different savory broths and beer.

There was a bit of a rowdy atmosphere, that seemed to quiet after a few moments, attention turning towards Kozue. She hardly noticed as she ordered up two beers and two bowls of her favorite Tonkotsu Shoyu ramen, the japanese rolling off her tongue. "I sort of ordered for you I hope you don't mind, just trust me, it's going to be great. " She said, peeling off her layers of winter wear, putting them on the chair behind her, down to her dress, tights and boots. The beers came quick and she took a long drink from it, letting out a satisfied sigh . "うまい!" She exclaimed happily. "Do you know how hard it's been to get a good Japanese beer?" She said to him with a grin.

After a few moments savoring her beer, she noticed that some people had come up and stood beside her. The best word to use to describe them was unsavory. "You need to move." She looked up to the source of the voice and blinked a few times as though she'd seen a ghost. The boys looked like higher class Japanese thugs, around her age, if a bit younger.

"Aki?" She asked, a surprised tone in her voice and suddenly the air shifted as a chorus of "Banchou?" started from the group of boys.

"Holy shit it's the fucking dangerous monk!" Chimed in a guy from a few tables down and suddenly the air changed from rowdy to an almost silent respect, as almost everyone shot up out of their chairs except for a few deeply confused customers who had decided to try a new restaurant on a lark. Almost instantly, Kozue was rushed, her name and "banchou" and "kiken'na souryo" being repeated constantly, Koz looking thoroughly overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"Where did you go?!"

"We thought you had died!"

"Why did you never contact us!?"

"YOU HAVE HAIR?"

She tried to answer as many questions as she could before she finally just got up and hugged the one called Aki tight, exchanging a few words and smiles with him. It was at about that time she realized how lost Kai must have been.

"Oh man, I'm sorry, um… this is my… gang?" She said sheepishly gesturing around to the group of men that had gathered. Almost instantly, the air shifted yet again to one of intimidation, all pointed in Kai's direction. The language barrier was there, but the distinct feeling of about 20 protective 'brothers' was transcendent of that particular wall. It was as though he was being brought home to meet the family in a weird way and all Kozue felt at it was a deep sense of embarrassment.

"So… is he your boyfriend?" Finally one of them piped up.

"NO!" She exclaimed quickly, going bright red. "He's not my boyfriend!" Her life was turning into an awkward slice of life manga and it's not the kind she wanted it to be.

Kozue x Jeremy Scott for Ketchup magazine

Cruel Angel's Thesis || Kozue & Kai

Kai’s shoulders stiffened slightly, his entire being screaming with unhappiness at the new topic of conversation. He really didn’t want to talk about that kiss, he didn’t even want to think about it. He was never good at dealing with his emotions and although he didn’t regret the decision he’d made (mostly because he vowed to himself never to regret any decision since it’d seemed right at the time) he still realized he’d royally fucked up whatever chance he’d had with her.

"I don’t really know what to say to that so I guess I’ll just go with: I didn’t mind, I’d never mind. You were just… plastered, which didn’t really feel like consent." He shrugged his shoulders then, still uncomfortable and still at a loss for words. Whether or not he’d said the right thing for once remained to be seen.

#para: cruel angel's thesis

She was a little surprised at how gentlemanly he was about it. "I thought…" She said quietly to herself, looking away from him, before shaking her head. She honestly thought she'd done something wrong that night. "Honestly I've slept with worse guys… much worse guys. By comparison… Kissing you isn't that bad." She crossed her arms over her chest, keeping herself moving forward, a faint blush playing at her cheeks.

Kozue let out a sigh and lifted her head up, dropping her arms to her sides. "Either way sorry I brought it up." She commented, waving her hand a bit. "I'm just being stupid or something I guess."

mini yakuza || kozue & kai

Kai stiffened slightly as the woman grabbed his hand, wondering what on earth had caused the reaction. Then again he wasn’t entirely sure why he’d reached out to touch her in the first place, it wasn’t as if he could instill upon her the warmth he had been born with. The power was more of a curse anyway, even if the benefit meant he was never cold. He flashed a smile anyway, the words that flew out of his mouth unfiltered, “But of course”.

"My hair…..?" he responded, looking up and pulling at his locks. "Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that," he continued, dropping his hand and flashing a smile. "Thanks." Short, simple, as his replies usually were; but he felt a different kind of warmth at the compliment, something that had never occurred before. He didn’t know what it was exactly, it was like getting his ego stroked while simultaneously being humbled. Whatever it was, it felt good, but it left him with little to say.

The human torch shook his head, “I haven’t had a lot of foods. I ate a lot of microwaveable things as a kid and when I got older I just… ate basic things. Like meat, mainly meat actually. vegetables so I didn’t get scurvy.” He shrugged his shoulders, “Spending half a paycheck on food just seemed like a waste.”

She missed the warmth of his fingers as soon as they had left her cheek. She shivered a bit as the last bit of warmth left her and crossed her arms tighter around herself. "How do you forget about something like that, your head is completely different color." She said, quirking an eyebrow and giving a smile behind her scarf. She knew if her hair ever changed color she'd never forget. She'd always wondered what it would be like to have blonde hair, hell, even brown hair. Her hair had been jet black her entire life.

When he told her about what he ate, she was a little surprised. "That sounds really shitty… Well, everything's on me tonight since you're coming with me." She said, looking ahead through the trees, seeing the city lights not far off. "Either way, Japanese food sets the bar pretty high for food in general I have to say. Though it might just be bias on my part… Probably not, it's pretty fuckin great." She said with a laugh.

Soon enough they were on the vibrant streets of Kawaguchi, heading down the streets to her favorite ramen shop. It was a trip down memory lane for her, vibrant pictures of fights and parties coming back with every alley they walked past. "Oh! Remember when I told you about that fight where I ended up pretty much black and blue everywhere? That was right down there, near that overpass." She said, pointing off down a dark corner. She sounded a little excited and happy over the memory, a smile playing at her lips as she pulled down the scarf. "Which means we're close the ramen place." She said, looking around, trying to regain her bearings and remember which way to turn next.

#para: mini yakuza

#face #don't touch me

shot by katsuhiko kimura

mini yakuza || kozue & kai

An all too familiar voice pulled him back to reality, making him blink a few times as his eyes focused. The first thing he noticed was the bright blue covering the woman’s legs; Well that’s new he thought to himself, folding down the top of the kernel bag and hopping off the wooden crate. Brushing non-existent crumbs off his shorts, he nodded his head, a little surprised she’d asked him. He always seemed to fuck it up but then she’d come back with a new proposition and they’d be right back where they started before he messed up, again. It was like a cycle he didn’t know how to break.

Tossing the bag back onto the crate, he then noticed the flushed tones on Koz’s face. Glancing around the campsite he suddenly realized it was probably cold. Never having experienced the feeling, he wondered if it was truly as uncomfortable at everyone made it seem. “You look freezing,” he said, reaching out and pressing the backs of his fingers to her cheek for a moment. The difference of temperature was there but it meant nothing to him - it wasn’t uncomfortable as he stayed warm but…. he could tell she wasn’t very warm.

"Anyway," he continued suddenly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Where are we headed? Ramen? Those are the noodles right?"

#para: mini yakuza #cirquekai

After the awkwardness of their last few interactions she was glad he'd said yes. She just wanted some good food. Good Japanese food. Tonkotsu ramen, katsudon, gyoka, takoyaki, korokke, kare pan, castella cake, anmitsu- she had the main restaurant and then a bunch of little bakeries and shops she knew she wanted to visit to get food. She'd read somewhere in a magazine that guys didn't find girls who ate a lot attractive, but she didn't really care. As far as she was concerned, he only really tolerated her. She wasn't expecting much more from him, at least that's what she convinced herself, but she at the very least appreciated his company…

She stood a little nervous as he reached out to her, but it melted away the second hid warm fingers touched her face. "Oh my god-" She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cold cheek letting out a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes. "You are a godsend." She said happily as he heated up her face. She hadn't felt real proper warmth in weeks- the fabric of the tent did little to shield you from the cold temperature and she found herself trying to gain from warmth buried under blankets, wearing layers of sweaters and not moving for hours on end until she had to perform. Sometimes she didn't bother to get food in order to maintain her cocoon of warmth.

Her eyes opened up again and she blinked, letting go of his hand. "Your hair." She said blinking, feeling a twinge of jealousy run through her. She'd always wanted to be able to dye her hair but never could. "It um… It looks good." She said and pulled her scarf back up over her mouth and cheeks, starting to walk along, crossing her arms.

"Basically we're going on kind of a food tour of the city. But mainly I want ramen, yes." She said, casting him a look, her voice muffled by the scarf. "You've never really had japanese food before, have you?" She asked as they made their way towards the city.

mini yakuza || kozue & kai

Beanie pulled down over his newly blonde hair, Kai sat cross-legged on top of a wooden crate near the main performance tent with a bag full of popcorn kernels in his lap. One by one he pulled them out, popped them with a flash of fire, and then ate. The pattern had lulled him into some sort of trans state, rendering him completely ‘spaced out’. It was like the popcorn version of highway hypnosis. That or he’d transformed into Walter Mitty.

The past month had gone by without much to entertain him; and with all the extra time he often contemplated why he even stayed around. The answer should have been obvious with all the stolen glances and times she popped into his head, but his stubborn desire not to notice won in the end. Lately he’d been receding back into his shell, ignoring the invitations to go out and opting to drink himself into oblivion instead. On the bright side he hadn’t lit his bed on fire in nearly two weeks, a new record.

Now he spends his days working out, performing, eating and getting drunk. And not just any sort of drunk, he drank enough of the cirque’s shitty beer to get plastered on a nightly basis. It was just about the only kind of fun he could have; so he made a point to do it over and over.

#cirquekai #para: mini yakuza #an entire para of clothing descriptions oh yes i am so creative #w/e she's cute as frick

Kozue was bundled up to fight against the cold January air, warm in layers of a black sweater with eyes all over it, a trench coat with chunky knit sleeves, and a simple black dress underneath it all that ended well above her knees. She'd be damned if the weather was going to stop her from wearing short skirts. It was practically all she wore. Her exposed legs were protected by a pair of bright blue tights, a rare splash of color in her monochromatic wardrobe, her well worn boots adorning her feet. On top of it all she had a furry bomber hat, grey fur on black, mittens and a matching scarf. All those layers and yet it felt like the cold wind blew straight through her.

Now the reason she was retreating from the relative warmth of her bed was that they were near her homestead, and so close to her favorite restaurant in all of Japan. The best ramen was just a brief walk away and she was willing to push all the awkwardness that had transpired aside and ask Kai for yet another favor…. He has said he didn't mind, after all.

She found him perched on a crate eating popcorn that he was popping kernel by kernel in his hand. "Hey… Would you mind going into town with me?" She asked him again, arms hugged close around her as she hopped from foot to foot, trying to keep moving and keep her body temperature up. Her face was nearly entirely hidden from the oversized scarf and hat. "There's a place I want to go and I don't know who else to ask." She said, rubbing her hands along her sides. God damn it why did it have to be fucking winter. She figured her cheeks and nose were probably red from the cold and she was right. She was going to question why she was sitting out in the freezing cold, but his power probably made it more than bearable.

Cruel Angel's Thesis || Kozue & Kai

After loosening the straps of the backpack, Kai rolled his shoulders back and let them adjust to the weight. The bag was still heavy, which made sense given the amount of books within it, but it bit into his shoulders less now, making the transportation easier. “You don’t wear white all that often, you should go with that,” he responded, glancing at the women before continuing on, pretending he hadn’t just admitted to watching her closely enough to know what colors she wore on a regular basis. Then again it wasn’t hard to tell, if he had to guess he’d say that at least 90% of her wardrobe was made of different shades of black. He hadn’t known black came in shades until he met her; he hadn’t known a lot of things until he met her.

#para: cruel angel's thesis #cirquekai

She cast him a look as he spoke. Did that mean he actually remembered what she wore? She really didn't wear a whole lot of white, he was right… Her head was a little foggy around the edges from the couple of beers she'd drunk. It had turned off her filter for a brief moment. "Hey… Sorry if I made things weird by kissing you the other night…" Kozue spoke softly, fixing her bangs with her hands nervously. She wasn't quite sure how to handle a situation about this… Usually if she made a move she wasn't rejected. This was all new territory for her.

"I was drunk and I do stupid things when I'm drunk… Though usually I end up in the hospital, with something broken, not necessarily a bruised ego." She kept her feet moving, walking through the forest, keeping her eyes trained on the ground below her. "It was just a silly mistake. I don't know what I was expecting really." She knew she'd at least been expecting to get lucky… But maybe even more than that. Part of her kind of wanted someone who could love her, but that didn't seem like it was in the hand she was dealt. She sure as hell didn't expect it from some stupid kid.

shot by katsuhiko kimura

Cruel Angel's Thesis || Kozue & Kai

Kai looked at her, raising a brow but not saying anything. On the topic of weight he always stayed quiet, never truly understanding why girls thought it mattered so much. Sure, he usually found slimmer girls more attractive, but it wasn’t like he looked at someone with a little extra and threw up. If anything having extra was better than being underweight, in his eyes the girls with the best figures were the ones that were fit; which Kozue was.

He shrugged, he hadn’t really thought about like that. Sure it was awkward but he didn’t really see a need to edit himself because of it. To him it was less of a compliment and more of him stating a fact; at least, that was permanently how he could going to view the situation. “Things might never stop being weird,” he muttered honestly with a small shrug. Mostly because I don’t know why the fuck I can’t think straight in front of her. If I knew why I could fix it.

"Yeah, sure," he said, a small scoff escaping. "You should wear the pink one," he replied offhandedly. It really had been a beautiful dress on her, although he had a strong suspicion she’d never be wearing it again. Sometimes he wished he’d held the blackmail over her head a little longer, simply because their interactions had gotten more and more amusing as time went on. Glancing at her and making sure she was walking fine, he held the door to the outside open, the backpack straps biting into his shoulder. He’d have to loosen the straps once they were outside.

#cirquekai #para: cruel angel's thesis #SHORT AS EVER LOVING FRICK BUT IT'S A POST

Kozue crossed her arms in front of her chest as the two of them, managing to find a way to stand that didn't hurt her back much. At his little mutter, she cast him a short look. She wondered why he said that. Maybe he didn't see anything with her beyond just the occasional favor. That kiss was a huge mistake and she knew it. He was taking it the wrong way and it was ruining everything. "I guess…" She said quietly to herself, looking down at the terrain in front of her as it switched from bar floor tile to pavement

She ruffled her hair, flustered at his comment. "God man I swear I'm going to burn that dress." Her cheeks were a light shade of pink themselves. "Besides it wouldn't match my act at all. I have some black dress laying around in there. Or a white one… I don't know." She sighed and pushed the blush from her cheeks as they walked down the road. She really needed to figure out a way to get him to stop making her blush. It was getting out of hand...

#face #i'm baaaaaaaack