2209/Mid Loop: Koji

Mid Loop: Koji
Date of Scene:	07 January 2025
Location:	Function Hall
Synopsis:	Hinoiri ambushes Koji... over many loops. Getting angrier. And angrier. And angrier with each one... until, finally, she manages to find out his deal. It turns out he isn't the one trapping her... and his history mirrors her own. However, while he cowered from the light in the darkness... she chased it, even as it burned her. In the end, the truth was somewhere in the middle.
Cast of Characters:	Hinoiri Kirara, Koji Silvia
Tinyplot:	Hinoiri's Endless Loop

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Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Mid Loop:

Hinoiri was going to kill someone. She'd been through this loop... what. A dozen times now? At least. Maybe more. She'd started AVOIDING going by Setsuna's office a bit ago.

Now? She was furious. She'd found this boy... Koji. She'd seen him before. Here and there. Sometimes.

But always slinking around the background. He thought he was sooooo clever. But he was always there. Always just... randomly around.

He thought he was SO! BUCKING! SMOOTH! It took her a while to notice him...

But then she had, and realized he was always slinking around. Trying to avoid notice.

Finally, she'd tried to confront him. Only for him to disappear around a corner. Next time she came out from behind that corner and he ran past her, only to disappear into another room. Then she came out of that room, only for him to...

This repeated like, five loops. Before finally she just SHOULDER CHECKED HIM INTO THE JANITOR'S OFFICE!

Slammed the door behind them and ran forward, grabbing him by his collar and just SLAMMED him into the wall before he could brace himself properly.

"LISTEN HERE YOU BUCKING WEASEL!" she snapped, practically frothing. "I've had it with your BUCKING games! So you'd better put an end to this before I choke you with your tie! You understand?!" she asked, the fury clear in her eyes...

As a few cleaning bottles dropped from the cluttered shelves that had gotten shoved in the tussel.

Koji Silvia has posed:
After over a year of dealing with all the stuff that the mahou world can throw at you, even to the point that the supposed safety of the Radiant Heart Academy Campus isn't what it was meant to be... despite a new barrier going up... it can lead to someone acting a little suspicious.

And apparently this can be enough that not getting noticed can mean getting noticed. It can mean that you get that feeling you're being followed, and you understand those hairs on the back of your neck and MOVE.

It's that inherently cat-like unpredictable nature that has him where he is now, with someone he's only really known a few times and gotten along with better than most of the other people in this unique social circle from the beginning. He had the reflexes to roll with the shoulder-check and almost had himself up into a fighting stance, but the unfortunate training of being magical meant that instead of going for a block he was going to his Device... and so Hinoiri got hands on him. His self-defense did not have much Judo to it, or he could have shaken it off, so instead his breath gets knocked out of him.

Glasses askew, looking down at the girl... there's no fear in his eyes, there's no anger in them either... he's masking and he's masking hard, and when he speaks, his tone is very careful, "If you don't want Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon, At least one of the Gingas, and Rashmi coming down on you like a literal building of regretful understanding... maybe you should let go of my tie, and tell me why we're in here?"

It's a calm equal to the anger he's facing, which may not be the best of signs...

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara glared at him, the fury evident in her voice. "Listen. You're..." Pause. "Passable. You've helped me i nthe past. So I'm going to be nice. I don't know what kind of sick, nasty game you're playing. But it's done. Whatever magic BS you have going on, whatever stupid plan you've got, if this is some kind of 'Oh, let's teach Hinoiri a lesson!' thing? It. Ends. Now."

"And I swear if you don't think I will feed you your teeth, whether or not you have a henshin, you are *drastically* underestimated just how pissed off I am. I have spent the last week dealing with your shenanigans. I'm not letting go of your tie until you end this or you're unconscious. So make your pick."

"And trust me, right now? I don't care if Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask AND Rashmi are right behind me. I will not hesitate to break your face. Are we clear?" she snapped, visibly shaking with rage.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji has something not a lot of the other magical types have... except maybe the Cures... a decent amount of foundational hand to hand training from a strict master. His mother.

Which is why his response to Hinoiri's blatant threat and words is probably not the best one. Instead of him explaining himself he moves, fast and hard.

Facing Hino, his right hand shoots up, grabs her by the wrists and presses his thumb in on the pressure point, just like he was taught. Taking a half-step in, he pulls his arm, Hino's and his tie across his left, so he can step out in the confined space, spin, and try to pin the back of her head to the wall with his elbow, while also getting her arm extended enough she may let go of the tie.

The calm voice remains, not the semi-snarky Mahou voice, or the more nervous tone he takes with other people, "You want to talk, you talk like a person. I don't need a henshin to take you out. Ammonia. Hydrogen Peroxide. Rubbing Alcohol. I can use any one of those to hurt you, and I don't want you to make me."

It then hits him, and he releases, and takes a step back, but is now in a proper ready stance, "So you're the one who's been following me today. What do you mean by a week... I got a text from Usagi begging me to stop by her classroom because she wanted a bento for lunch. That's down the hall around the corner, past the bathrooms, up the stairs, two doors down and to the right."

By which he's giving Hino the exact path he's been following most of this time, plus or minus the few detours because he realized he was being followed. Again.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara hadn't expected him to actually try that... she'd been preparing for henshin. Maybe him taking a swing at her. Trying to shove her away.

She hadn't expected him to try and twist and then lock her hand. It took her by surprise, despite herself, and then she was pinned. Or maybe she was getting sloppy, too many resets...

"Just try it," Hinoiri said bitterly. "This morning when I wake up? I won't underestimate you again."

Of course, when he releases her, she turns to face him, and she didn't look... well... scared. She looked furious. Worse, thanks to Fuyuko she DID know how to defend herself. Granted, likely not as well... but Fuyuko had hardly been a slouch and Hinoiri was someone who would happily accept a bruise in order to get just a tiny smidge better at anything.

"... And wait, what?" she asked. Then she blinked. Opened her mouth... and... "No. Okay. No. I don't believe you. I've been trying to ambush you for the last five loops. Besides, you are ALWAYS! THERE! In the background. When I was talking with Usagi? There you were. The test? There you were. Getting back from the witch? There. After talking with Chibiusa? There. You're always around, trying to avoid being noticed, but there you are! How do you explain that? WELL?" she snapped.

The closet was likely getting some confused looks by now but she did not care.

Koji Silvia has posed:
That's a lot to get thrown at someone all at once, and a lot of it accusation and blame.

For most of it, there's a reflection of light blocking off his eyes from being seen, the shimmering shift of it as his head goes through some micro-moves as he's obviously keeping an eye on Hinoiri... and then he takes a step back... and then grabs the shelving and yanks it down as he bolts for the door!

He's not in bad shape for someone as slender as he looks!

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara eye twitched... Okay, so today was a wash. But she caught him once, she could do it again.

Admittedly, the second time she got him in the closet... she was beginning to suspect... maybe... just maybe.... something was up.

Still, when he tried the arm twist on her? Her own wrist moved, breaking the grip with a firm tug.

When he stepped in, she had her elbow waiting for his face, while her foot moved out to try and knock his foot out from under him, to try and drive him to the ground... and then drop onto him, in an attempt to pin him.

"What is your game? Why have you locked me in this time loop?!" she asked, the fury clear in her voice.

And confusion. Okay. He... knew she was going to... "And the whole 'I'll get you with ammonia and hydrogen peroxide' threat doesn't work on me. I come from a world with dragon, I've had fellow students who could literally devour me and they didn't intimidate me, what makes you think YOU'VE got a shot?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji hasn't fought anyone who's actually had a decent amount of training, since most of those who go to Mahou after school focus more on learning their powers, and not how to break holds, throw a punch, of take a fall. So when his break and counter gets countered, and he's pushed down into a knee-pin, all he can do is turn his head and look up at Hinoiri...

The look he gives is genuine fear when you spell out exactly what he was about to say, right after you throw the part about something about a loop.

It takes the smart kid a moment to finally catch himself up on a conversation he's never had, "Okay... A... time loop? I don't deal in time magic. There's no one I actively know who deals in time magic."

However... he does still have his hands and access to Hanzo. Your watching his eyes lets him get to his phone, touch it and just say 'Set up.'

A Flash of magical light, and a LOT more light in the room to blind and disorient... and once more... He's GONE.

-AGAIN!-

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara eye twitches. Okay. Fine. So maybe he wasn't doing this. But maybe, just maybe? He was doing SOMETHING. Why else would he run?

... Okay, there were SO MANY REASONS to run right now. But when she was in this state, she didn't realize that.

So, next loop? 'Who deals in time magic'.

"I swear if you say 'set up' and henshin, next loop? I'm bringing a whole bottle of that medicinal cinnamon flavored cough syrup and stuffing it in your mouth the moment you try. Without warning. So I want answers, now. Because I've got literally *all the time in the world* now thanks to you or whoever you're working for and, right now? You have *all* of my focus."

Koji Silvia has posed:
He's on the defensive once more, his body is reading like a coiled spring, ready to move. That may be part of it... he's observing and reacting as things come at him, faster than perhaps even he knows.

So when the question is asked of him, he straightens, and adjusts his glasses. Which allows the light to cover them, as if he can tell where those angles are and to help obscure himself somewhat, "You've countered my moves."

He then looks around, "We're in a small space where I don't have much choice. Either I use what's here or I transform, but you say you're ready for that because of something... a loop..."

Vaguely beginning to catch up, "I don't work for anyone. If I did... you really think this would work?"

"Are you really mad at me, or are you just looking for a target."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara let out a low, soft sigh. "I have spent four loops on this fight, you know. And it's kind of annoying, because I have to do a lot today as it is. I am very mad at you. I want to know why you're always there. Always in the background. Scrounging around. Trying to avoid notice. I don't want to have to hurt you, but well... look around, where we are. How we got here."

"So just tell me what I need to know, and this never happens. Got it? That's all you need to do. Easy enough, wouldn't you say?" she asked, not exerting any extra pressure on his arm. "That, or we have this talk tomorrow for me, today for you, but your mouth tastes like bad medical cinnamon. Then we just move up. Trust me. I'm a unicorn on the edge. There is no end to the bad cough syrup tastes I can find."

Koji Silvia has posed:
And all Koji gets from that statement, is the thing that frazzles his hair and skews his glasses, "You're a... UNICORN?!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times, opened her mouth. Then blinked a few more times. Blinked. Stared. Blinked. Closed her mouth. Opened it. Tried to speak. Closed it. Opened it. Stopped. And just... Just... "You... you didn't know? Yes. I'm a unicorn. Well, a unicorn pony. You... didn't know? Did... wow. Did... you know I was Sunbreaker?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Blink-Blink. Blink.

He subconsciously shifts, trying to get out of the situation, like any fighter is taught to do, to look for an escape from a hold or a lock so that things don't get worse, but with his brain engaged, Koji replies.

    "I sort of knew, but I was outside of that whole thing. You hadn't done anything to me... until you hurt Mamoru and then tried to replace the sun. So... I stepped up where he couldn't. But he's also more forgiving then I would be. Most of them are."

He gulps, "You're really a unicorn. Man this is awkward."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. Oh gosh... he was daft. She sighed and nodded. "Yes. I'm a unicorn. And yes, they are. It's why I'm trying so hard to be a better person. So I want answers. Wait. Why is me being a unicorn awkward?"

"... Oh my gosh... you're not like... listen, I've heard the stories people tell about unicorns here. I'm not going to lead you to a sword, nor do I think you're a pure maiden and, trust me. The whole thing about us being nice? Dramatic over simplification. I mean, I think... most ponies are, generally, nice? Or try to be? But... I got banished from my home, so I'm likely not a good example. So. Answers. Gimme."

Koji Silvia has posed:
There's an exasperated sigh from the young magical boy, who then his shoulders slump in defeat.

    "I don't want to be noticed. I don't want the pressure. So I fudge test answers, I hold back in gym class... I pretend to fall asleep and miss the teacher asking me a question once in a while. So I'm good, but I'm never the best. I know right where I need to be so that I don't... show up."

Even as he struggles again, he goes on, "I'm not like the rest of them. I don't have this weird and fantastical former life, or some fairy-magic friend who showed up and told me I was going to be a big hero. I'm not the one who gets the good ending. All I get is to watch while the people who do the real stuff and get to shine shine. So I'm there, making sure they get that shot."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. And then.... she just... "Oh... oh wow. That. That is... quite possibly... the most pathetic thing I have ever heard. So. Let me get this straight."

"You hold back and don't do your best... because you're scared you'll stick out. And if you stick out, you're terrified that you won't be able to meet expectations, is that it? 'I'm not special enough, so if people see me, they'll just be disappointed in the end', right? So you just make up some excuse about how 'they're special, but I'm not'? Am I reading this wrong?"

"So instead you scrounge around in the shadows, slinking about like some kind of stalker?"

Koji Silvia has posed:
That one causes Koji to snap, "Oh."

Gritting his teeth, he actually snarls out as the wrong button is pressed, "Pardon my Usagi, but you're a magical FUCKING Unicorn who's got no idea what it's like to not just be half-Japanese. So get the hell off me, and get out of my sight, or I -WILL- stalk you down, and I -WILL- make sure you're no one's problem ever again. I'll dump you in the same place I plan to dump Otto when I get done with him."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara cocked an eye and then gave a light chuckle. "Oh. Wow. Koji... I told you. I'm a unicorn. I come from a world with dragons, minotaurs and hydras. I used to go on little quests to study them. For fun. Well, and extra credit. I have almost been eaten a thousand times."

"... And even if you threaten me... come tomorrow? You won't remember this. I will. And what does being japanese have to do with anything? I'm not *any* japanese. I was *banished* to this world. I'm not japanese at all."

"If I'm wrong? Then tell me. If there's another bit to this? Something you want me to know? Then say it." Then she pulled back, letting him go.

"But, frankly, you're only getting one chance at this, Koji. Hollow threats, or we can talk. Either way?"

"I'm the only one who's going to learn from this. It's your choice what I learn about you."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Immediately, Koji rolls over and looks up at Hinoiri from the ground, his eyes flat, and his glasses clear through.

It's a faint struggle, but he finally says, "When I was a kid, I had top marks. I was the first in my class, I was the fastest on the track. I always got first. But everyone around me started saying things. That I was being too much. That I shouldn't put myself out there so much, should be more humble. Should let other people have a turn. I found out later... because my Father was an American... everyone was looking down on me. I wasn't Japanese enough. I was never going to be enough. So I pulled back. And when I got to middle school, I stayed back because I didn't want everyone JUDGING ME. I had friends finally, ones who thought it was cool my dad was from another country, and that I could speak other languages. It stopped HURTING."

Now he pushes his glasses back into place to hide his eyes, "Not that you'd understand."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara blinked a few times. And then she began to chuckle. It was a grim, dark laugh. Cold.

"... My parents abandoned me in the woods. Left me as a foal to die. I ended up getting found before wolves could eat me. Sora... saw something in me. The alicorn who raised the sun and the moon. Said I was special, made me her apprentice."

"I was the best. I aced every test. You know what I got for it? Everyone around me said I wasn't worthy. I only got there because she was there. That being perfect was for normal ponies. I wasn't worthy. She was the sun, I was at best a shadow. Even my cutie mark was a pale imitation of hers."

"... I never pulled back. I never had friends. And when push came to shove? Sora banished me from my home. The only pony in our entire world, the closest thing I had to a parent... told me I wasn't worth it. I fled here. Met people. Made friends. Bucked up. Still had friends, somehow. Bucked up some more. Ate the sun. Got saved. Despite all of my mistakes, my failures, they still want to be my friend."

"... So yes. I understand. The people you knew then? They were shit. Your parents don't limit what you deserve. Those people put limits on you, and they were idiots. And now? You're surrounded by better people. Who, despite being an idiot, would let you thrive."

"And instead you're holding them to the same standards of the people who hurt you, rather than trusting them to be your actual friends and look out for you." She sighed and reached up, slowly getting to her feet.

"Buck, I've got a time loop to fix. I can't fix this, Koji. I don't even know if I want to. It... never stopped hurting for me. So... who knows?"

"Maybe you had the right idea. But... I'll be *damned* if I'll ever let some *idiot* determine my worth and tell me *I'm* not allowed to try my hardest. And you're a *foal* if you think you have to hold back to have friends."

"You might not deserve better, but your friends certainly do."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Sitting back up finally, he rests his elbows on his knees, "I know."

He actually doesn't look up when he says, "Usagi gets me to play this stupid video game with her... Call of Duty. It's a bunch of whiny jerks pretending to be soldiers in a virtual world. She... got me to play with her, and she keeps getting me to play. Because she knows I'm not... connecting with people much these days. Not since..." He stops, and then finishes, "She wants me to be able to talk to her and hang out, and she makes it... fun. It's why I deliberately aggravate her."

He then goes on, "Rashmi calls me when friends need help with their stuff... so she can show people that I'm a lot more than just that guy that shows up and gets people out of the way for a magical girl to whallop the monster of the day."

He finally stands, "If what you're saying is... I won't remember... the no one remembers. So you're feeling like you're right back where you were when Sora threw you out. All alone. No one to believe you. And fighting to make everyone see you and see what's happening..."

Again, he sighs, "Start putting it all someplace time can't get to it. All your things, the failures and successes. Use memory tricks, or... figure out how your unicorn... thing... can preserve it outside of when you start over. You're building towards a solution, so sometimes you have to be able to look at all the parts, back at the steps, and then at the parts again. And sometimes you've got to take it all apart again even when it should work to see what went wrong. Failure isn't a bad thing. It's just a way to learn."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara gave a small nod. "Yeah... Usagi... can be nice like that. But even she can be pushed too hard, too far. And... Rashmi..."

She shook her head. "These people are good, Silvia-kun. They deserve your best. Not just what you feel is safe enough to let them see. You can't live your whole life in fear of being 'too good'. Because frankly?"

"You're not. Try your best, you'll still find someone who smashs you into the dirt. But at least you'll try. You'll have something you can work for. And I don't even know *why* I'm saying this. I'm probably the last person you need to hear this from."

"... You and I? We're probably too much alike in that regard. Nobody wanted us to succeed. You responded by deciding you weren't good enough and couldn't be. I responded by saying I was good enough and doing whatever I had to to prove it. The truth? Is probably somewhere in the middle."

"... I'm going to figure this out, don't worry about that. I'm going to find out who is doing this to me. And why. And I'm going to make them pay. I have all the time in the world... heh. In more ways than one."

"It was... nice talking with you, I guess. Buck though... you're an idiot. I'm not going to forget this, by the way. When I'm out of this? I'm so tattling. Probably to Usagi. She'll be *hilarious*."

She then headed towards the door, cackling... rather... wickedly as she went.