Festival Event: Alice Ball

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As the clock stroke 6, the towering doors of the Alice Academy gymnasium opened; a smoke of gray coming from inside the spacious room. It’s time for this year’s Alice Ball.

By the opening of the gymnasium is a few staff members and an usherette made out of ice. With an amiable smile, the ice creation marked an invisible stamp on the wrist of every student who came in the room. The invisible stamp is actually an alice nullifier so that no student will be able to cause mischief during the ball.

Each corner of the room has been draped with pretty gray and pink curtains to embrace the theme of this ball—something gothic yet sweet: Shota/loli. The gymnasium had been circled with a number of tables for the students to rest when they become tired of having fun.

At the back of the gymnasium, a long table full of food and drinks had been set up. Many scrumptious delicacies and finger foods were there being supervised by the academy robots. Beside the food table was a narrow, spiral staircase which lead to the inside balcony, which house more seats for the students and staff to occupy. From the balcony, the whole gymnasium can be seen.

By the ceiling, the lights have been set up, as well as the speakers. To request any song, students would have to instruct the tuxedo-clad robot by the bottom of the stage.

Ah, the ceiling. It had been covered in midnight blue cloth adorned by sparkles to pose as stars. Although the gymnasium’s roof can’t be opened, the students would sure to have the ambiance of the outside—the ceiling being the sky.

Similar to the ceiling, the stage’s walls had been covered in dark cloth and shiny flecks to imitate the night sky. Star-shaped sequins dropped from the stage roof; even though there is not much need for the stage, it’s always nice to decorate.

The students had been asked to dress in Lolita or Shota fashion. It’s going to be fun seeing the students in their ball attires, that’s for sure.

SUMMARY:

• Attire: Loli/shota (gothic or sweet)
  
• Time: 6 PM to 2 AM
  
• Place: Alice Academy Gymnasium
  
• Every student is obliged to be marked with an alice nullifying stamp; nobody can escape from this one
  
• The only opening for the gym is the front door; nobody can enter unless it’s through the front door

Have Fun!

[Sir Matsujun]

Wearing a black skinny jeans his black gloves, he joined the staff members to prepare. Since the theme was Loli/Shota, he decided to wear black-ish things. He doesn't like to wear his black T-shirt because it's not that cold in there, it's kinda hot. Matsujun was half naked, letting his 6 pack abs seen by the other staff. He was waiting for the other staff to response for anything that will make him speak.

He moved forward to the chair and sat down. He saw all of them were realy busy. He was thinking if he would help or not, it's not his thing to help because his rich. Matsujun tried to fit in and went to the corner and summon some pretty gray and pink cloth to help them cover it.

HE then smiled and went t the chair.

[`.aya.mitsuki.]

Aya entered the place at the front entrance. She was wearing a red and black Gothic Lolita dress [ooc: this picture] Aya walked around the place. The place looked great even if it was the gym. And even the entrance looked great. She wondered how the other students will react to this. And She wondered how they will look like. And while she was roaming around she saw other staff members. She walked to where they where and said hello. She bowed and put on a small smile will a little blush on her face. And then she sat down. Others seemed busy one seemed relaxed.

She sat down on and kept silent. She wondered if there's anything she can do. But what can she do to help. Maybe she'll ask later.

[xxRyuu²-kun]

It was a fine night, the moon shines so bright. Ryuu prepares himself for the ball, just thinking to participate but not to really join the ball and dance with someone.

The theme is Gothic-ish thing, and he quite like it. He opened his closet and put out a skinny black jeans, a checkered sleeve-less shirt, black fitted shirt, black coat and a cloak.

He put them all on. First is his fitted shirt that was topped by a red-checkered chaleko. Then his skinny black jeans. After that he put on the black coat and lastly his coat.

Again he opened his closet to grab a black pair of boots. He grabbed the nicest one and wear it. After that, he wear his chain earrings and his cross ring and necklace.

After putting some eyeliners on his eyes and black eyeshadow. He hurried to the hall. Upon arriving there, he saw no one but two staff members. One is from one of his class, and the other is probably one of the school high staffs. He entered the hall in the front door and just sat somewhere to wait for the others.

[x A m r i t a . . .]

And here comes the fun after a whole week of leaning in classes, and boring stuff. The alice academy ball with a theme of loli/shota, wether the costume would be gothic or sweet, it'd be fun to see what everyone came up with.

Wearing a black long sleeved shirt with silver buckles all over the place, tightening the shirt on his torso, while loose pieces of cloth sticks out where it wasn't buckled. The shirt's cut was so low that it passed around five inches below his collar bone. A lose, blazer-like white jacket was worn over the shirt, and a black loose fitting black pants with two barely visible pockets at each sides. His belt was ornamented with a lot of tiny square-based piramids each positioned next to each other which makes them stand out. It was worn loosely that it falls diagonally from his hips to the top of his tighs. His socks were horizontal black and white stripped socks, and his feet are covered by black closed in shoes. His head was protected by a black and white trucker hat, which said the words: "Porno Grafitti" in block letterings and the front.

His hand was stamped with something that didn't appear, after it was stamped. He didn't care much about it though. The ball was going no where for a second. He was early of course. The first thing that caught his attention was the cieling, decorated with amazing features that portrays the night sky. And the food on the table looked delicious.

Looking around from just the food and the cieling, there was three others in there. A student whom he's seen before, and two teachers who appeared to be newer than the rest.

[MiMi]

[[OOC: Uhm..Is there music??]

Ah the ball,it was one of Miyaki's favorite things when a festival happens.Anyway,She walked towards the gymnasium wearing her gothic dress and fixed her hair like this.She entered the front door,with her right hand.She saw some of her students and saw some staff members that were chit-chatting.

She took a glass of drink where the drink's were and sat on a chair that was near staff members.She looked around and saw some students and some teachers dancing.

[Watcher]

Finally, the safety and comfort of his room. He had been away for so many months that he had almost forgotten what his room looked like. Closing the door behind him, he kicked off his shoes, before staggering forward and letting himself drop onto the soft bed, letting out a satisfied sigh. He closed his eyes and thought about what had been going on in the past few months. He and two other students, both two of the most powerful students, had left the Academy to fight an unseen war against opposing factions of the Academy. The same factions that had been troubling them since the Academy had started of in the first place. It was, after all, a great way to earn money and control over people with abilities that could help take over the world. And it had indeed been deadly battle.

Kurogane wondered if he could ever forgive himself for having killed so many people and forcing the two students to have witnessed and participated in the battle. He buried his head onto the bed, letting out a muffled sigh. It had indeed been a bad couple of months, but in the end, they had managed to inflict enough damage to give them a couple of years of peace and they had come back, in one piece, more or less. They had made their return a secret, wanting to surprise his old colleagues. Argon, Althea, Katie, Setsuna, Arose, Valen and many others.

Then, an image popped into his head. It had been a poster he had seen while making his way into his apartment. He kept still, trying to retrieve the image in his head. It was the Alice Festival Ball, that was happening in three hours. The theme was different from last year too. Last year, it was a Masquerade Ball, held by Argon. Now, it was this gothic-type ball held by Setsuna. He sighed. Did Kurogane have any gothic attire in his closet? No, none at all. Sighing, he sat up.

He was still exhausted, but this Ball gave him the opportunity to surprise and catch up with his old friends. Walking over to his closet, he opened it, noticing that he only had white polo T-shirts and three pairs of pants. Under his breathe, he cursed. The 22-year-old Student Dean had no costume for the Ball. Well, he did not really have much of a choice. Taking a quick bath, he put a new white polo-shirt on and a new pair of pants, placing his small purple sunglasses onto his nose bridge. But that was not going to be all.

Taking a black coat from the floor of his closet, he put it on. It reached down to his ankles, the design black and a few stripes of red on the sleeve. Then, reaching back, he grabbed the hood, placing it over his head and hiding the top part of his face. Satisfied at how it prevented him from being identified too easily, he placed his hands at the side pocket of the hooded cloak. No, it was not a raincoat. Just a personalised coat, that's all. Leaving his apartment, he close the door behind him and started making his way towards the Academy Gymnasium.

Upon arrival, Kurogane noticed the ice usherette by the entrance and could already tell who had created it. The Ice Queen, Setsuna. He let out a small smile as he walked towards the usherette, hoping that it would let him pass. Just to let the usherette recognise him, though, he pulled his hood slightly up, giving the surprised usherette a smile as he simply walked past it, putting the hood down once more.

The cloak half open, revealing part of his white polo shirt and the lower pat of his pants where the cloak parted. It was long sleeved, reaching down to his wrists. The moment he entered, he gave the area one quick scan, his eyes hidden by the shadow of the hood. There was a topless man, most probably a new staff member. Aya was there. Kurogane remembered testing her entrance into the staff commitee. It was the same day that they had been attacked by Yumi's demons. Miyaki was there too, with her unique crimson hair. Two other students were there too, neither of which he could name. Where was Setnsuna, though? Kurogane missed her a lot, especially the lessons she gave her about archery. It had helped a lot, truth be told, in his unseen war.

Still unrecongised, he made his way towards the buffet table, grabbing a cup of fruit punch, before making his way up the spiral staircase up to the balcony. Taking a seat on the far right, he let out a sigh, a smile on his face as he looked over the whole gymnasium, wondering how long the staff had been looking at him. He had been rather suspicious, after all. And with special intructions, the usherette would not tell anyone about his presence, save maybe for its creater. Setsuna had higher authority to the usherette than Kurogane had.

Well, this was going to be one fun ball.

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[OOC: Last IC post before I go... ^_^ And by the way, if you're wondering about what Secchan's wearing, it's simply FMA's Lust's gown. xDD]

Everything was going on smoothly. The gymnasium had been set up as it was planned to be, and the students are arriving one by one. Well, it was only about 6 PM, and they aren't really required to come on time. After all, it was their ball, and it's their decision if they come late or not.

Hayashi Setsuna, one of the staff members who had been assigned to take care of the Alice Ball, stood by the balcony, looking down at the door to where the ice usherette, which, by the way is her work, was. Like the one she made for her introduction to the academy staff, the ice creation was created in her likeness; short hair, amiable smile. If the usherette wasn't almost transparent, it could easily mistaken as Setsuna herself.

To match the rather shota/loli theme of the Alice Ball, the raven haired teacher wore something elegant yet gothic--a sultry black gown. The chest part had a slight cut on the center, enough to show a little--cough--cleavage. A lovely black necklace with a red rose on the side was also there to adorn her neck. Her high heeled red shoes made her taller too, although that wasn't really necessary--she was already 5'8 ft. tall without heels. Setsuna didn't really pay attention to her hair; her black mane looked nice as it is.

Smiling, she went down the stairs as she noticed a familiar man by the buffet table. She walked up to the spiky-haired figure and pat him slightly at the shoulder.

"It's been a while, Kurogane," she said, that charming smile not leaving her reddened lips. After the quick greeting, she made her way towards the robot by the stage and asked for a microphone, deciding to welcome all to the Alice Ball.

Taking a deep breath, the female sensei held the microphone given by the robot spoke. After a long speech, she finally said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you this year's Alice Ball!"

[||D e c a y . . .]

OOC: Sweet's not sellin'. And most of the teachers dropped the whole loli/shota thing -_-;;

A childish side of this black-haired teacher appeared. It was the ball night tonight, and the theme was loli/shota. Loli, the term used for little girls who are aged four to twelve year old, and shota was the same thing, except for boys. True that they've still got twelve year olds and below in the academy, but the teachers, who are mostly on their twenties, having to wear such clothes.. would it even fit them?

Well, it won't stop this childish teacher to dress like a shota. It'd be scary if one of the female teachers was a shotakon (a girl who has a shota complex), they're multiplying by a thousand every year. Looks like hunks aren't in sale anymore. Nowdays it's either bishonen or shota. And it looks like the males are into it too. This sensei couldn't be helped though, he was always childish whenever the shota-fever hits.

He'd dyed his black hair with brown, almost blonde streaks just for this ball. That color always stands out to be the 'shota's hair color'. He took a long hot shower which was always refreshing, especially when you're going out at night.

Wearing a long sleeved white blouse, with a black ribbon as a necktie. He had a brown vest over the blouse, and a light, sky-blue jacket which had neither a zip or buttons. Instead, it comes with a zircon white cross pin. The colar of the jacket was folded, making it look like a sailor uniform, when it's not. His pants are three-quarters, with the same color of the jacket. His newly dyed hair was partly covered by a matching hat, which made him look more and more like a ten-year old instead of a twenty year old. His socks reached half way up to his knees, pure white in color, and his feet were covered by ankle-high closed in black shoes.

The shoes gave him a little lift in height. He was no wear near tall. Not for someone around his age anyway. Amongst the kids he was tall, yet some of them had already passed his height, making him look like a senpai amongst the seito. But today was diffrent. Today, he looked like a kohai amongst the student, if his height were minused by just a few inches.

As he entered the gymnasium, the first thing that was in his mind was 'ootoro'. The luxurious fatty tuna sushi that everybody craves. Well, not everybody. Just everyone who knows what it is. It was like chocolate to people who loves chocolates, and it was coffee to whenever likes coffee, and even worse: it's more addictive than alcohol or smokes. He walked to the back of the gym, to the table filled with delicious looking food, searching for his ootoro.

[Watcher]

That tap on the shoulders made Kurogane jump slightly as he turned around, only to see the familiar and beautiful face right in front of him. He gave her a smile, then noticed what she was wearing. Unable to stop himself, he gave a soft blush as he looked back up to her face, into her eyes. Well, that only made it feel more awkward for the Student Dean. True, she was older than her, but still, Kurogane could not help but wonder... Ah, never mind. Seems that she had been able to recognise him so easily. He wondered how, considering that the cloak covered his whole head, save his nose, mouth and chin. Perhaps it was the white polo shirt and the familiar jeans? Perhaps.

"Yeah, long time no see, indeed. Missed your archery lessons."

He gave a small chuckle. More than once, Kurogane used the lessons that Setsuna had given him in his dangerous war outside the Academy walls. It kept him calm during tense situations and it certainly helped him in terms of accuracy and precision. Then, as Setsuna started making her way towards the stage, he followed her for a bit.

"Find when whenever you're free. There's something we need to talk about."

And then, he turned and left, going back to his seat in the balcony and sitting down, his hood still over his head as the coat acted as an extra cushion on his chair. Kurogane looked over from the corner of the balcony, where he was sitting. This was definitely a good job. It seemed that the Academy had been hiring the right people for the job. Questions was, were they able to protect the Academy from the dangerous villians that could attack any time? Still, Kurogane did inflict enough damage to regain peace for long period of time, but who knows? New oppositions might jst come up.

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[OOC: I know I shouldn't be here, but Chrynosh ish ibil~ >_<]

"There's something we need to talk about," the young dean told her. Setsuna was rather perplexed at his tone. What could possibly Kurogane tell her? Could it be that he didn't like what she did with the festival? That thought definitely made her sweat a bit.

Or maybe he just wanted to explain himself why the heck he fled without even saying goodbye. But come to think about it, this female teacher isn't one to talk; after all, she once left the academy without saying bye either. She laughed that thought off--she and the dean isn't that close.

Nevertheless, Setsuna's curiosity was fired up. Right after her speech, she went towards the back of the gym, but her eyes were set on the door. She looked at her ice usherette put stamps on the students who entered the gymnasium. Then she looked away, and scanned the balcony.

Found him, she told herself.

Finally she went upstairs and decided to seat by the dean. Pulling a chair beside Kurogane, Setsuna smiled. "Hey," she said, settling down on the chair.

[Watcher]

Kurogane closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back against the chair. It was good to be back. The feeling of knowing that he was once more in the safety of his home was truly relieving. He let out a smile, but it faded. He opened his eyes, staring at the stars painted onto the ceiling and thinking just how many families he had ruined. His ticket to Hell had been assured. "Thou shall not kill" no longer applied to him. And he brought Hiei and Saturos along with him too. How could he? He was a student dean and yet instead of controlling the peace and preveting fights, he was fighting and making kids do it with him. Was he a failure? Had Shaira made a bad choice actually hiring him as a student dean?

Then, he heard the sound of wood against concrete and sat up, snapping out of his thinking trance. Turning to his right, he saw Setsuna sitting down beside him and found himself slightly blushing once more. Though, he never understood why, but it seemed to be his only reaction to Setsuna. Perhaps it was because more than half of his staff were beautiful females. Still, why Setsuna? Kurogane let out a soft chuckle to himself. The 22-year-old student dean was still too young, eh? If so, what about one of the well-known couple in the Academy, Hiei and Hime? That was true love, wasn't it? Fire and water.

"Hey. You're looking exceptionally pretty tonight. Good job on the ball, by the way. I'm impressed and ashamed of not being here to help you with it."

Kurogane gave her a smile, turning back to the dance floor below them as it was slowly filled with students who arrived in cute little gothic attires. Though, Kurogane had to wonder... Why this theme?

[Jenesis "Ex"]

OOC: ...is it just me, or are there more teachers attending this than students? >>;...

Outfit [Click]

She stared at herself in the full length mirror, a slight scowl escaping her lips. She hated showing off her legs; mind you, they were quite a sight, but she just hated it. Going into her closet, she pulled out a pair of long black sweats that were loose around the legs, and pulled them on underneath the knee length, funny looking skirt. What? It was most definitely funny looking in her opinion. She brushed her hair with her hands before pulling on a rather lacy necklace that she tied around twice, making it into a choker. Her pale complexion went rather well with the dark colored clothing, she noticed, before slipping on her black heeled boots. She was, approximately, an inch and a half taller. Lovely, isn't it?

Leaving her room, she went straight toward the ball, heels clicking along the ground as she did. She was not going to have a good time, but rather, for the food. What? Come on. Free food? Who could miss an opportunity like that?

Once in the gym, she maneuvered through the many students toward the back of the gym, where the food would most likely be. Small smile carried on her thin lips as she eyed some of the delicacy's on the table. Hand reached for a plate and began placing all different kinds of food onto it, careful not to bump into anyone. Fork was held between her teeth, and once she had one of most of the things there, she went toward an empty round table to sit at, her right leg crossing over her left. Food. Loveelyyyy... She would most likely leave after she finished though. Not a surprise.

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[OOC: A month after... xDD Sorry if it's crappy. I haven't had any practice.]

Setsuna then propped one elbow on the table, trying to make herself more comfortable in front of the young dean who strongly resembles her younger brother. A smile formed on her lips as Kurogane complimented her looks. "You really think so? Well, uhh, thanks."

It was good for her to know that the dean liked her presentation. Well, everything wasn't exactly her idea, but she organized it, so she should also be credited for it, right? She wasn't always the one who'd spearhead something like this, but it's always nice to try something as creative as this. Another smile formed on her lips, this time, a more modest smile.

"It was the children's idea," she said, looking down to the ground, observing the crowd of students starting to increase. "Me and my staff simply organized it. Still, it's been hard without Sir Silvercraft... I mean, Argon, around." She wasn't exactly as close to Argon as she is close to Kurogane, but they've exchanged ideas quite a lot. Come to think of it, Argon hasn't been around for a long time.

Well, Setsuna's thoughts were already drifting too far; she shook her head slightly and turned to Kurogane.

"You can always help in cleaning all the mess up, can't you?" the raven haired sensei said jokingly, nudging Kurogane on his shoulders. Clearing her throat, Setsuna leaned against the chair, and then tried being a bit more serious. "By the way, you wanted to talk to me?"

[Watcher]

"It was the children's idea,"

At that, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked down on the enlarging crowd of students below them, a smile on his face. As always, the students never ceased to amaze him with their unique and impressive ideas. He always wanted to give them the best life they could have here in the Academy, considering that for some of them, it was their only home, a place where they belonged. That was the reason why Kurogane fought and fought. Despite being the youngest in the staff, he felt rather old already, perhaps because he was just exhausted.

Argon Silvercraft. Where was that guy? He had been a good teacher and leader among the staff, even better than the young Kurogane himself. His disappearance was one thing that Kurogane had never been able to find out or even have a lead on. He just disappeared without a trace and without a clue, just like that. At that, he leaned back with the image of the red-head in his mind as he turned to look at Setsuna. Then, Setsuna snapped him out of his trance by cracking a joke, getting a simple chuckle from the dean as Setsuna nudged him, that blush on his face staying like a make-up.

Then, Setsuna cleared her throat, her question entering his ears. Kurogane then sighed, lowering his head, before he turned his chair so that he faced Setsuna. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he did, looking into her eyes in a rather awkward passionate way that he was not even aware of.

"Well, here goes."

He cleared his throat, taking a deep breathe, before opening his mouth once more.

"The reason why I wanted to talk to you, is to tell you about what I did outside the Academy. I fought, with two students alongside me. I fought against the AAO and other organisations that posed a threat to the Academy's peaceful atmosphere. I fought and unfortunately, I killed too. Every single day in the past months, we've been fighting and fighting and killing non-stop and now, we have finally won. As a prize, we were only able to secure peace for the Academy in the next five years. We failed to completely destroyed them, but we were already exhausted of fighting and also because we had suffered injuries."

Then, the image of the scars on his back flashed in his head, causing him to flinch and grit his teeth. Scars of both battle and torture.

"But I don't feel so happy at all. I don't feel that satisfied. True, I'm glad that the Academy will be more peaceful now, but I just can't feel it, you know. Especially when the screams of those I've killed keep on echoing in my head."

At that, he placed both of his hands at the side of his head as he closed his eyes, lowering his head. It was totally torture and he knew that the two boys he brought with him were suffering too. It was all his fault, which was why he did not feel so glad about his victory. And he did not definitely deserve to be a student dean anymore.

[/ / s e t s u n a [ i ]]

It was really nice for Setsuna to know that the young dean was opening up to her. Imagine, somebody with Kurogane's image, confiding to someone else? Although it's true that people are social, there are those who decide to keep their mouth shut, and in this case, the raven haired woman thinks that Kurogane is one of them. Well, she shouldn't complain anymore, should she? The guy's already about to start telling her about what happened to him while he was gone. Setsuna would listen to him with a smile.

The moment Kurogane started to open his mouth, the air around suddenly got heavy. As he continued with his story, the smile on the lips of his female colleague turned into nothing more than a straight line. The gleam in her eager eyes slowly faded as well, but who could blame her? With news like that, nobody probably could react in a good way. It's already quite a feat that Setsuna had managed to show an expression of neutrality.

Her hazel eyes shifted towards Kurogane's clenched fist. This kind of thing might be too much for somebody as young as him. Even to a twenty-six year-old like Setsuna, this is far too much to take.

Was there any more she could do for Kurogane? Or for the academy, for that matter? For him to tell her something like this would mean that, although implicitly, he wants Setsuna to do something. What's more, has he told this to anybody aside from her? A matter as big as this should be dealt with utmost care.

There were so many things running inside Setsuna's mind. She could only end her inner ramblings with a deep sigh. And then she turned to Kurogane. It was good to know that the academy is safer now, but there was something she needed to ask of him before saying anything else. She placed a hand on his knees and smiled faintly.

"Well then," she started, her voice a bit shaky yet retaining its softness, "Are they alright? The students who fought with you, I mean?"

That being said, one could easily conclude that Setsuna is very dedicated to the students, whether she has mingled with them or not. Kurogane, despite being young too, can cope up with something like that, but the students' innocence should not be tainted like this. Not at this time.

Not on her watch.

[Watcher]

The students who fought with Kurogane. Masaaki Hiei and Saturos Furian. One of them famous for his dedication to the security to the school and the other famous for his battle ability. Both of the students willing to help the students, depsite knowing the consequences and the risks. Knowing them, they would be in the same situation as the young dean was in. He opened his eyes and noticed Setsuna's hand on his knee, his cheeks flushing slightly as his hands lowered themselves, one resting on the arm of the chair and the other on the table as he looked up at Setsuna. She was the only person he had told and he knew that other than the three fighters, Setsuna and undoubtly Hime would be aware of the excapade the three had participated in.

"Hiei and Saturos are two of the most powerful students in the school and both of them knew of the consequences before we left. And the last I saw of them, both seemed fine, though Hiei did suffer burns on his arms."

At that, Kurogane leaned back on the chair as he looked up at the ceiling. The Student Dean's job was to protect his students and ensure discipline. What he had just done was send two of his students out to war with him and put them right in front of danger. What kind of Student Dean was he? Kurogane closed his eyes, letting out a chuckle as he did. Then, lowering his head to look at Setsuna, the brown-haired young man spoke once more.

"I don't deserve to be a student dean, now do I? Sending the people I'm supposed to protect to danger. I should have gone alone, eh?"

He chuckled, though it sounded rather sarcastic in a way. He just did not want her to worry, that was all. Though, why would she worry? The only relationship between them was in office and also teacher-and-student in terms of archery. He let out a sigh. There was something else on his chest that he wanted to give out. Something that was more... That had something to do with her.

"And there's another thing I need to confess."

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Masaaki Hiei and Furian Saturos. Many have said that the two of them are very skilled when it comes to combat. However, it was only Hiei that Setsuna has seen so far, and she's not very familiar with the boy Saturos. Now she knows who she would talk to after this.

Yes, he was smiling, but Setsuna knew better, and it was painful for the raven haired teacher to see Kurogane somehow break down like this. It was painful for her to watch him wallow in self-pity, but nobody can blame him for that. For somebody of his position, it really wasn't right for him to involve his students into dangerous battles like that. But then nobody can blame him for that either.

"You're right... You should've gone alone. You shouldn't have involve Hiei and Saturos," she said, looking into the young dean's eyes. "But you only did what you think is right. Don't blame yourself for it."

Squeezing the dean's hands, Setsuna repeated herself, "Don't even think of blaming yourself for that." Setsuna was supposed to say more, but then he said he wanted to confess another thing. Having heard about the AAO news earlier, she braced herself for more grave news to come. She had to be strong--strong for the young man who just confided something to her and for the academy who's not aware of the current situation.

Setsuna let out a deep sigh, and then asked, "What is it?"

[Watcher]

Don't blame himself. That was the only thing he had been doing for the past few months, sadly. And he did not seem to stop anytime soon. Kurogane closed his eyes again, letting out another fake chuckle as he opened his eyes, giving Setsuna a smile and a nod. Worrying her was the last thing he wanted. All he wanted to do was to let someone be aware of his leave, so at least he did not have to get bothered by the whole staff. Then, he felt pressure on his hand and looked at it, only to see that Setsuna's hand had moved to grab it, squeezing it. His eyes widened slightly as his face turned pink. Alright, this was it. As hopeless as Kurogane felt, he was going to have to do it sooner or later, eh? Or it would just haunt him in the future.

He looked up, deep into her eyes as he returned the pressure with his hand. She might see him as some kind of moron for bringing it up at this time, but after having many close shaves at death, he might as well 'clean up his closet' before he finally gets caught by the Grim Reaper. Gulping, he sighed. Then, his lips parted.

"Setsuna... I don't really know a better way of saying this, but... I think... I think I love you."

And there it was. For a moment, it felt great to finally get it off his chest, that attraction 'haunting' him every single time he let his mind wander free after work. And then, he thought about rejection. She was 27 years old and he was turning 23. How high were his chances? Considerably low. He himself admitted that. But hey, that was two less burdens and secrets to keep.

[/ / s e t s u n a [ i ]]

[OOC: I knew this was coming xDD]

The words "I think I love you" resonated in her ears.

"Oh," she breathed.

Setsuna was taken aback, to say the least. She never really expected for this kind of thing to happen. Sure, she's been noticing that Kurogane blushes every here and then, but it was rather normal for her--her younger brother would always react like that when she was being close to him.

That's right. A younger brother.

Setsuna has always thought of Kurogane as nothing more than a younger brother. That's why she has always been so kind and considerate to him.

He reminds her of Akihito.

She could only smile and squeeze Kurogane's hands even tighter. "Thank you... but you see, when I told you that you remind me of my younger brother, I meant just that. Even though I'm only a few years older than you, I can say that you still might be confused."

She's not saying this because she thinks he's too young for him, but because she thinks he might be confused in his feelings for her; all her doings must have made Kurogane's feelings all mixed up. It was basic psychology.

"I sure you'll find somebody else more suited for you. And when you find her, tell me, okay?" she said, just like the older sister that she is.

[OOC: No hitting on Secchan, Chrynoshie! xDD]