Apologising Thunderbolt (Rai/Rin)

[Rai Inazuma]

OK, so Rin was mad at him. That much was obvious and after a minor lecture from Sheeka (complete with being hit over the head by his stuffed animal), Raitaro had a very vague understanding of what he'd done wrong. Apparently, kissing, especially first kisses, was a very big deal for girls. Admittedly, Raitaro was raised by a mother who told him explicitly until he had grandchildren she was going to kiss his face every day (he was still 5 when he was told this but if Shinnosuke was to be believed she was quite likely to carry out this threat), so perhaps his standards were a bit screwy. Suffice to say, kissing someone you thought you were going out with as a means to allow a sketchy ass dude you just met to escape with his life (no small part of which was so Rin would avoid jail-time for killing someone in public) was not really good guy behaviour.

As of right now he''d been trying to not make a big deal of it but after getting the cold shoulder often enough to get freezer burn and his grandpa giving him a speech about life sometimes didn't work out he was taking drastic measures. Drastic, incredibly hard to deal with measures. He'd gone to school (and missed Rin, though he still wound up getting screwed over somehow...), he'd even asked for help from a very unlikely source but still no dice. He adjusted his admittedly poorly done tie and took another look at his clothes. Proper mafioso clothes, italian suit, black tie, he actually looked like he was a member of the mafia in this. He'd been in the kitchen for around 2 hours earlier, locking the door and fending off any entrance with his ladel. Whatever he'd been making, it was apparently done and the rest of his family subtly paid off to go out for the late afternoon. To fund this little escapade he'd had to sell his pride, his baby... his guitar.That had hurt but it was important, he wanted to show his conviction and his real apology.

He could always buy it back after he earned some money...

Now wasn't the time for that, now was the time for trying to remember what he'd spent so long struggling to force into his malfunctioning spear brain for ages now. And for trying to spot Rin's approach. Problem with Varia training, they were reeeeaaally hard to spot. Finally, he thought he saw her. Bolting from his hiding place, he leapt, slid to a halt in front of Rin with his forehead pressed to the floor and knees bent in the traditional pose of supplication as he shouted
"Mi Amore, Mi Dispiacente per mi sciochezza. Affamato?" hot damn, he actually learnt enough Italian to get that message out. He was still impressed by his brain. And as looong as she didn't want him to say anything in English he'd be fine since he appeared to have forgotten what little english he knew to make room for Italian. Japanese, Italian and Russian, that was now all he had going for him. Well, he only has limited brainspace...

[rin]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; color: 121212; text-align: justify; text-transform: normal; font-weight: 100; float: left; width: 120px; word-spacing: 1px; border-left: #000066 solid 3px; border-right: #000033 DASHED 2px; background-color: ececec; height: 334px; ] Tags: Raitaro Notes: None [/style][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-size:9px; line-height: 13px; background-color: #ececec; color: #1f1f1f; padding: 10px; width: 280px; text-align:justify; height: 309px; border-bottom: #ececec SOLID 5px; text-transform: normal; overflow: auto; float:right;] In the back of her mind, Rin knew that Raitaro's actions shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did, but for some reason her temper had been worse than usual as of late. She'd been so worried about him when the accident had happened, but none of that seemed to matter to the boss. As usual, Rai's naive nature had led him to choose the safety of an outside over his own Guardians, because the truth was obvious. Rai didn't trust her. Out of all the Guardians, Rin was different, because she was the only one that hadn't been previously selected by Rai's father and by the boss himself. She'd always assumed that was enough to bridge the obvious gap and difference in their belief, that it was enough for him to understand that she only wanted to protect him, but it seemed she had only been fooling herself.. Worse yet, the boss continued to deny that he had any desire to be the leader and what's more he demonstrated none of the traits of the person that had managed to defeat her in the duel. Then again, maybe it was fluke. They'd been using wooden weapons and perhaps the outcome would have been very different had she been using her box weapon. Still... As much as Rin liked Raitaro as a friend, she'd despised his lack of ambition. The Superbi family were hardly what anyone would considered slackers. They were by nature determined to move heaven and earth to accomplish their goals, so to serve someone who wanted to do with the mafia, something that ran fiercely through her blood, was the equivalent of denying what she was really was at the day's end. Yet, he continued to proclaim his want to date, but did he really know the first thing about her? Rin had tried to warn Raitaro before she was accepted, but it seemed that warning had fallen on deaf ears. Truth was, he was like every other boy at school, they loved only the mask that she wore. As mad as she was, it was more likely that while Rin might have hurt Vico, she was smart enough not to kill him. The Varia were considered geniuses, after all, if she wanted to kill him, then there were far easier ways without running the risk of getting caught by the cops. However, she had wanted to see if he could back up that confidence, because unlike people, swords weren't capable of lying. However, in the end, Rai had stopped her, because he didn't have a single ounce of faith in her, not as a friend and not as his Guardian. It was a wound that was only made worse by his kiss, an act that could have got him killed had Arashi ever learned about it. If Raitaro didn't shape up soon, Rin could already see the worst possible outcome. His ignorance could get one of his guardian's hurt or worse, killed. That was the last thing Rin wanted to see, but as she made her way towards the house to collect some more of her things, something she'd been doing more in secret because she believed the space was necessary for a little while. Before she managed to reach the steps though, something came darted out of and slide in front of her, causing her hand to retreat to the hilt of the blade in surprise until he spoke. Almost immediately, Rin recognized the voice as the boss, who raised up and apologized for his foolishness, before questioning if she was hungry. It was a strange sight to see the teenager in an actual suit, but it was certainly more becoming, though doubted he would make a habit of wearing it. "I'm not in the mood for you games, Rai, and I told you not to call me that." Rin answered firmly, though her voice was oddly calm as a sigh escaped her. However, her stomach suddenly growled in protest to her stubbornness. Her brow lowered in annoyance as her stomach seemed to betray her, but the swordsman had a habit of skipping meals when she was stressed or truly upset. "Fine..." She finally conceded, though didn't sound thrilled about it. "But don't think this means I've forgiven you. I've just been busy all day and missed lunch." Rin explained, glancing off to the side as she moved up the steps, wanting to make clear that it would take more than a few words in Italian to fix the problem. Although, no sooner had the smells from the kitchen hit her than Rin stopped in her tracks and she glanced back at the boss curiously. It was unmistakeable. Rin knew her Italian food and she could recognize that scent anywhere. "... What did you do?" The Rain Guardian questioned in concern. She should have known, he had a habit of being impossibly sweet when it came to these special occasions, but he also had a habit of emptying the Spiaggia's account to accomplish those means. Why was he pulling out all the stops for her? Then again, Sheeka had probably given him a tongue-lashing when she suddenly seemed absent from the Inazuma household for a few days and had even missed school, a matter completely unlike the Rain Guardian, who had a habit for sticking close to the boss' side. [/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=color: 1f1f1f; font-size: 8px; margin-top: -10px; text-align: right; margin-right: 5px;]made by REECE of OTE[/style]

[Rai Inazuma]

At Rin's expression of mild disbelief that he appeared to have cooked a plethora of Italian food was highlighted by his grin as Rai sweeped in to swing the door open
"To properly apologise, I spent all day slaving away over a hot stove. I had to ring Arashi to ask what food would be best" Rai would never know how close to doom he had come. Raitaro felt pretty pleased with himself, he'd done a reasonably good job of cooking all that stuff so when he looked in and saw his family eating half of it he was, understandably, frustrated.
"AHHH!! What are you doing!?"
"You've been in the kitchen all day, we're starving"
"Plus, you made food for about 6 people"
"Well, yeah, but you guys get the scraps! This is my Apolodinner! Yoooou, out out out!" with a flurry of hands and a volley of protests, Raitaro managed to push his squabbling family out of the doors and shut them, leaving Rin to the mostly in tact apology dinner.

Huffing in annoyance, Raitaro turned back to his Rain Guardian and took a deep breath. He'd been dreading this part but it was part of his plan. He had to do it or Sheeka was going to keep hitting him with that teddy bear thing
"OK, so I know why you're mad. Well, I know BOTH reasons why your mad. First one is because, despite my awesome good looks and constant flirting, we are family and APPARENTLY me and my mom were the exception to this rule of constant displays of affection so that probably was a little unacceptable so sorry, hence dinner.

The OTHER thing is... it probably looked like I was interfering in a pretty legitimate blood match but I stepped in because- well, I believe in you. More accurately, I believe you're crazy strong, even though he was the head of a family you coulda wiped the street with him. Hell, you could do it with me, I genuinely believe you're the strongest woman besides my mom I'm ever going to meet. But, and I mean this from a place of love, you have a teeeeeny tiny anger problem. Which is fine, Sheeka has a height one and I have a brain one, we all have our quirks but the point is the three of us work so well because we compliment each other. You and Sheeka do the wisdom, me and Sheeks do the restraint, me and you do the butt-kicking.

I'm not sorry I stopped you kicking the tar out of Vico, but I'm sorry if it made you think I didn't trust you. I do. You and Sheeka are the best friends I have. So I learnt some Italian, made you some food and sold my-" he paused, nah, no point ruining the moment "Anyway, uhh, yeah, hope the foods good. My greedyass family didn't seem to mind it so hopefully it's fine" Raitaro turned to go, hoping his impressive speech hadn't just made his hole any deeper.

[rin]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; color: 121212; text-align: justify; text-transform: normal; font-weight: 100; float: left; width: 120px; word-spacing: 1px; border-left: #000066 solid 3px; border-right: #000033 DASHED 2px; background-color: ececec; height: 334px; ] Tags: Raitaro Notes: None [/style][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-size:9px; line-height: 13px; background-color: #ececec; color: #1f1f1f; padding: 10px; width: 280px; text-align:justify; height: 309px; border-bottom: #ececec SOLID 5px; text-transform: normal; overflow: auto; float:right;] Rin looked on a little surprised as Raitaro explained that he had spent much of the day cooking and had even gone so far as to contact her older brother for advise on the dinner. However, as he caught sight of the intruders, the boss immediately reacted, leaving the Rain Guardian to stand there in confusion to wonder as she observed the banter. Why?.... She couldn't remember how long it had been since she'd had decent Italian food. The stuff was rather hard to find in Japan and since Rin wasn't much of a cook, found herself almost homesick as the familiar scent of garlic and basil drifted through the area. Once he had managed to shoo the other family out of the room, he turned back to her curiously and was speaking again. Strangely enough, Rin remained oddly stoic and allowed him to finish, until he made mention of selling something that immediately seemed to peak her interest. Raitaro didn't have anything worth selling, did he? Aside from his blasted guitar, which he was horrible at playing-... No, he wouldn't have. "What did you sell and how much do you need to get it back?" Rin questioned seriously, letting out a sigh as she shook her head in disbelief. "Enough, I get it. You trust me to be strong, to be a swordsman, but that's it...." She deciphered calmly, almost looking a bit regretful at the matter. "That's fine.... I'm not normal. I figured that out a long time ago, but I had hoped that you would have realized by now just how much I have to hold back and the real reason for it... I'm more than aware of your views, but I have never killed without a direct order.... I'm an assassin, but I'm not a monster." Rin explained, the faint tone of disappointment ringing more clearly than any anger. Then again, it was the truth, despite her obvious temper, things could have been so much worse had Rin not cared what the boss thought. Reaching over to grab a plate, her red eyes seemed to linger on the food. "Rai, can I ask you something?" She questioned hesitantly, finally glancing back to the young boss curiously. Yes, he was her friend and she cared about him, but Rin had to know the truth. "Once we find the Mare Rings and the Vongola Ring Battles are decided... What do you plan to do? I guess, what I want to know is, do you plan on becoming the Boss of the Spiaggia, in more than just name?" The swordsman asked seriously, that piercing gaze settling on the young man seriously. Then again, Rin had tried to be patience, but the world around them was now moving faster than ever and it was time to know where Raitaro planned to be standing when it was all over. [/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=color: 1f1f1f; font-size: 8px; margin-top: -10px; text-align: right; margin-right: 5px;]made by REECE of OTE[/style]

[Rai Inazuma]

Raitaro seemed to maintain his look of genuine apology until he heard Rin's assessment of what she thought he'd meant, that he trusted her to be strong and a weapon and that was it. She carried on but Raitaro's face was hidden, veiled in shadow as she explained how it was hard for her not to kill people and that she'd hoped he would have understood that by now. As soon as she finished her piece there was a slam, Raitaro's fist striking the wall even as he kept his eyes low
""I trust you to be strong and that's it"? That's really what you think?" Raitaro glanced up, looking in his eyes now there was a strange light to them which would be hard to place by nearly all of his friends but it was the faintest hints of anger
"Rin, if that's what you think then I must have really screwed up something fierce to make that how you see me. You are strong, that's a big part of why my dad accepted my recomendation that we accept you into the family, but it wasn't why I chose you. I asked you to join because from the minute we met I knew what you were like, the intelligent, loyal, deeply kind person who would not just do her job but care for the rest of us too.

I don't just trust you with fighting, if we're at a restaurant and you recomend food I'll trust you and give it a shot, if we're trying to navigate somewhere and you say you know the way I'll trust you, if I start acting stupid because of a pretty girl and you tell me she's just doing it to manipulate me I'll believe you! I may not act on it immediately, but I'm not going to just outright decide your wrong because I trust you and your judgement. But that doesn't mean I'm going to think you're right every single time. Me disagreeing with one decision is not me saying I don't trust you. You and Sheeka are the most important people in the world to me, so don't dare say I just see you as a sword!" this was punctuated by a pointed finger and an alarmingly serious expression on Raitaro's face. He may be an idiot but thinking that Rin didn't believe he cared about her had really struck a nerve. Though the next question was more complicated and lead to a rather awkward head scratch from Raitaro as he tried to find the right words to answer it.

Walking to a chair, he flopped down and rubbed his forehead. He really didn't want to be having such a serious discussion, he was hoping that the food and italian would be enough to get Rin to chill out and let things go back to how they were but it looked like he'd need to get everything off his chest
"You know what Spiaggia means? Of course you do, but surprisingly, I do too. Only word of Italian I knew as a kid was Spiaggia meant Beach. The first Captain of Spiaggia called it that as a pun, Mare Rings, Spiaggia, he thought it was funny. My mom kept it because whenever she thought of a beach... all she remembered was the good times. Spending time with her friends, her family occasionally and that let her carry on when things were hard. It's funny, before the Annullarre thing she made me promise I wouldn't join the mafia unless I really wanted to? Well, that kinda went out the window. The actual mafia side of things was the Giglio Nero, which again you almost certainly know since you're my brains, so technically I'm the Giglio Nero's 13th Boss. But I'm keeping the Spiaggia name because I don't want us to just be an organised crime family. Hell, I'd rather we did NO crime but that may be dubious since we don't always line up with the law.

I want us to mean what my mom wanted it to mean. I want Spiaggia to be about US, about Sayomi, Sheeka, Dad, Den-niichan, Ayane, Me and you. So I guess this depends what you're asking me, if you're asking will I become the boss who'll run the family right, make us dominant, kick the crap out of any who oppose us. No. I'm going to protect the Mare Rings so that everyone's safe and live every day happy to be here for her sake. The day my mom died I was the Boss of Spiaggia in every way that matters to me, it just depends what you want that word to mean. All I want is my friends to be happy and to live alongside with them" Raitaro tilted his head to look at Rin again "What is it you want? Because I'm willing to do what I need to to make it happen. Though I'm out of guitars to sell..." perhaps ruining his serious peak, Raitaro gingerly poked two fingers together in front of his chin as he added this last note, and kept a slightly nervous eye on Rin. He was actually worried how she'd take that message, he was never sure how him expressing what he actually felt came across like and was just a little bit nervous

((OOC: Jesus Christ can that boy talk when he needs to @_@ Serious Rai is a wordy mofo))

[rin]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; color: 121212; text-align: justify; text-transform: normal; font-weight: 100; float: left; width: 120px; word-spacing: 1px; border-left: #000066 solid 3px; border-right: #000033 DASHED 2px; background-color: ececec; height: 334px; ] Tags: Raitaro Notes: None [/style][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-size:9px; line-height: 13px; background-color: #ececec; color: #1f1f1f; padding: 10px; width: 280px; text-align:justify; height: 309px; border-bottom: #ececec SOLID 5px; text-transform: normal; overflow: auto; float:right;] Rin flinched slightly as his fist hit the wall, though her gaze soon narrowed in warning as he question her words. Of course, that was what she believed. His actions had spoken far louder than any words and it had been a sting at the swordsman's pride far worse than she ever cared to admit to. Despite this, Raitaro attempted to explain himself, though didn't bother to interrupt him when he accused that he had royally screwed up. No arguments there. The boss could have used any other method to stop her and he'd chosen 'that'. She didn't know what to think anymore. Rin didn't want to be viewed as a sword, but she'd never assumed that he would think he lax enough to pull such a childish prank on a respected member of his own family. It was disrespectful, no matter how you sliced it. "This is about more than one decision, Rai! I have spent years making my reputation in the mafia. I am the fifth person to ever hold the title of Sword Emperor, the third in the Superbi family, and the only female. Yet, in two minutes, you managed to embarrass me worse than anyone ever has. It was bad enough that I lost to you in a mock duel, but for you to step in between me and another opponent... in that fashion..."

[/b] Rin tried to explain, biting down on her inner lip, but she was so furious with him, she could barely gather the words. "Do you have even the smallest ounce of understanding about the codes of the mafia? Had it been anyone else, I would have killed them, but I trusted you as my boss and as my friend!"[/b] She snapped, but suddenly halted and seemed to realize what she'd just admitted to in her anger.

Turning her back to him, Rin's struggled with the inner battle between her pride and the truth. There were so many lines that Raitaro had crossed, he really had no idea. Rin wasn't prone to trusting people, she'd spent her life as an assassin, but upon joining the Spiaggia she had dropped her guard for a single brief moment. She was so stupid! For the first time, Rin understood the sentiment of being used and it hurt more than she wanted to show, but hiding it was next to impossible. Instead, those red eyes remained distant as the young boss moved over to take a seat and began to explain about his knowledge of the family and what he wanted for the future. It wasn't until the question was turned on her that a sigh escaped her in thought.

"You said that you want peace, but there are two sides to that name, Rai. A beach is certainly a beautiful place, but it's also a very fragile environment. It takes only one rogue wave or storm to wash away everything... In your present condition, can you honestly tell me that your capable of preventing such events from happening? Can you look into the eyes of those that swore their loyalty to the family and bear on your shoulders the responsibility of what happens if you fail?..." Rin questioned seriously, the severity in her tone as cold as ice. Then again, the Rain Guardian knew a little something about the price of failure. Death was a constant in the mafia, but simply choosing peace did not make you immune from war, not in the mafia.

"To become a boss means more than blood, it means standing at the forefront of the worst storms and crisis a family will ever have to face and succeeding, because there are no other options, except to win, no matter what.... As it stands, there are enemies stronger than me that we may have to face, do you think you have what it takes to stop them without anyone getting hurt?"[/b] She added, though the answer was obvious. Raitaro neglected his education and skipped out on training. He didn't exactly inspire confidence in most, but the mafia world would not wait around for him to decide to grow up. By then, it would be to late and Rin couldn't let that happen.

Reaching up to push the long bangs from her face, the frustration was evident as Rin rubbed her forehead quietly for a moment. "Do you have any idea how scared I was when you got hit?..." The Rain Guardian questioned softly. "How close it could have been? Do you understand that feeling?... I don't have much of a family to speak of anymore, but I don't want to loose anyone else... I just want a boss that I can have confidence in when he says that he'll never let that happen. One worth looking up to and claiming in front of others, whose ambition inspires, even if those pursuits are simple. That was the potential that I saw in you when I joined the Spiaggia and it's what I've wanted you to become..." Rin explained, her jaw clenching at the confession as she turned away to hide the faint shade of red on her face.

It was probably the most sentimental statement Rin had ever said to anyone, let alone a member of the Spiaggia, and one of the few times she had ever admitted to wanting to look up to anybody, but it needed to be said. Raitaro had just as much potential as her brother did to be a boss. The question remained, however, if he would accept that potential and show ambition with it for the sake of the family that he claimed to love. Rin wasn't asking him to declare war or do anything outrageous, only to show everyone that spark that had caused even the Sword Empress to surrender and that had drawn her to the Spiaggia in the first place.

[/style][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=color: 1f1f1f; font-size: 8px; margin-top: -10px; text-align: right; margin-right: 5px;]made by REECE of OTE[/style]

[Rai Inazuma]

Perhaps to his credit, Raitaro didn't say anything to Rin's shouting about her embaressment. He'd made her dinner, learnt Italian so he could apologise properly and even tried to convey WHY exactly he hadn't thought it as big a deal as her (their differing opinions on this being why he even thought he needed to apologise beyond his usual level) but since that had either not got through or she was too mad to hear it yet he put it to one side, and did his best not to remember how the one thing he remembered from meeting his mom's Italian friends was that kissing was basically a GREETING so being this angry about was obviously not about a labradoodle style smooch and about her pride which was hence the apology in the first place. Still, she at least seemed to understand he didn't just see her as a weapon.

As she asked him questions about what he'd do he found himself trying not to chime in on various points. He had answers, whether or not she wanted to hear them was another story, but he waited until the end of the questions and idly picked at some of the food he'd laid out for them. He loosened his tie as she asked if he knew how worried she was; he wanted to point out that was showing a lot less faith in him than he'd shown in her but while he may not act it, he was wise enough to recognise some reactions are emotional not logical. He was still chewing when Rin trailed off, her aspirations for him apparently weighing heavily on her mind. He took a second to think before looking her in the eyes and trying to convey things as honestly as possible.

"I would die 10 times over before I let anything seriously harm anyone in my family. That ... may not help your worrying about me much, but it's the truth. I don't know if I'm ever going to be what you want in a boss, if I'll ever end up being like Vongola Decimo or Byakuran-san, but I can tell you with complete honesty that I'm my mother's son. There isn't any point worrying about what we'll do if we fail because I will not fail. If the enemy is stronger than me, I'll still force them back, if they're faster I'll outmanouever them, if they're determined I'll show them what real will power is. I know you don't see me train much (though given how smart you are, you might wonder why I'm still in awesome shape despite looking like I do nothing) but I can give you one piece of comforting knowledge: You've never seen me attempt something with my 'Dying Will'. In an arena where everyone else is throwing fireballs and creating illusions of teahouses, I can kick 7 shades of crap out of them with a long stick. If serious stuff is happening, I'll handle it with a minimum of foolery" this was kind of the test right here because it was really to see if Rin had already heard about him and Sheeka VS the Annullare guys earlier that week which had literally been 4 hardcore mafia assassins VS Sheeka and him armed with a broom.

"I don't know if I'm going to end up as the world's best leader, I might end up driving the whole thing into the ground but if I have you guys with me I feel like I can actually deal with this 'Spiaggia Boss' thing. I'm putting in work so you can be a little... I dunno if prouds the right word, I think I'm getting closer to 'not embarassing in front of other mafioso'. I care what you think about me so sorry if I got a little mad earlier when I thought... ahhh, forget it, Andiano a manchiara (andiamo a mangiare).. right?" breaking eye contact, Rai spun around and set his mind to working on some of the pasta he'd cooked, doing his best not to look at her while he tried to work out how a fork was meant to be used on this stuff...

[rin]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; color: 121212; text-align: justify; text-transform: normal; font-weight: 100; float: left; width: 120px; word-spacing: 1px; border-left: #000066 solid 3px; border-right: #000033 DASHED 2px; background-color: ececec; height: 334px; ] Tags: Raitaro Notes: Sooo Long! Apologies! [/style][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-size:9px; line-height: 13px; background-color: #ececec; color: #1f1f1f; padding: 10px; width: 280px; text-align:justify; height: 309px; border-bottom: #ececec SOLID 5px; text-transform: normal; overflow: auto; float:right;] It should probably be noted that there were Italians and then there were the Varia. With the exception of Lussuria, someone outright attempting to kiss another out of the blue was a good way to either get shot, a knife thrown at you, or cut in half. The act was never advised and that trait had not only been lent by Squalo, but Rin's own father, who despite sharing the Superbi temper, had always been notoriously protective over his little girl. Rin almost shuttered to think of the trouble Raitaro could have faced had he still be around. She could keep a secret like that from her grandfather, because he was miles away and to old to really deal with such matters at his age, though doubted it was still a good idea to tell him anyway. The last thing they needed now was a family visit, nothing good ever came from family visits. However, as Raitaro began to speak once more, his words recalled something that her grandfather had once chided her for during her early years as a swordsman. It was a time that came for every warrior, one where fear and the obvious difference in strength proved apparent, leaving her with a troubling problem, to give up or keep fighting. In the end, Squalo had managed to convince her that she was thinking about the matter to much, because there were no other options in the mafia or in swordsmanship. No matter what... You had to win. Staring down at the young boss now, those words suddenly rang ever more clearly through her mind. There was no wavering to the young boss' words, despite his mention of a fight that earned a curious look of confusion from Rin, who had yet to learn about the confrontation with the Annullare. Was that really it? Rin was good at her job, but had the pressure of the Ring Battles and fear for his safety really clouded her judgement that much?... Damn it! She needed to say something to make this right, but what? Rin cursed lightly, before letting out a sigh. "It doesn't make me feel better about your safety... But I suppose if he weren't willing to do that much, a boss wouldn't be worth following."

[/b] Rin concluded quietly, reaching up to rub the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry, Rai.... Between the stress of the Ring Battles and maintaining my title, I guess... I might have been a bit..." She attempted to explain, struggling through the words, but Rin wasn't exactly known to apologize frequently, so this was obviously a very rare moment. "It's just... It's complicated. It was one thing when I just thought of us as boss and subordinate, but then you called me your friend and the your girlfriend... I dunno. I can control my fear when I'm the one of the battlefield, but you and Sheeka.... Your probably the first friends I've made since coming to Namimori and the first one's I've made in since leaving the Varia." The Rain Guardian admitted seriously, wanting to stress the importance of the matter. Maybe her emotions had got a little out-of-hand, but they weren't as outrageous or unthinkable as many would imagine.

"Maybe it would make more sense, if I explained some of my past.... You see, when I was only seven years old, I learned first hand exactly what it was like to feel helpless. I lost my parents and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. I hated that feeling and myself more than I can possibly say, so when my grandfather began teaching me, I swore that from then on, as long I could hold a sword, I would never see that happen again. I know better than anyone just how dark and dangerous the mafia can be and I don't.... I don't want to loose you guys.... I know, I shouldn't feel that way. That I should just have confidence in my boss, but more than that..... your my friend and I.... I worry." Rin explained, her words tapering off, unable to lift her gaze. It was the first time that the Rain Guardian had ever revealed anything about her past or how it was that she come to be raised by her grandfather, rather than her parents.

Slipping down into a chair, her long bangs hid most of her face, but it was clear from her demeanor that this had more to do with just a kiss. Rather, it was merely the straw that broke the camel's back, a result of trying to remain strong and bottle up her feelings. "I worked so hard to claim my title, to be the best and ensure that I would not only carry on my family's legacy, but be able to protect those around me. I don't want all of it to be for nothing. No one wants the Spiaggia to be strong and safe, believe me... And no one has more faith that you can do more than live up, but surpass the boss' of the past. Just promise me.... Promise me that until that happens, you won't die, please?" She pleaded with him, allowing her hand to slip across the table to rest on his cautiously, uncertain if he would even accept her apology. Any anger that lingered seemed to fade from her expression as the truth became clear.

There was nothing more that Rin could have wanted than Raitaro to be right, but she needed to know that he wouldn't do anything reckless. Rin would have very easily given up her life without regret for her family and would have expected it from her boss, but the possibility of that being necessary scared her more than she often let on. Besides, Rin had hidden the truth of why she was so hard on him long enough. Perhaps it was time the Rain Guardian put a little faith in the person she had chosen as her boss. She could count one hand the number of individuals outside of the Superbi family that knew all the details of her past, but for now, it seemed a risk worth taking to make Rai understand and to finally make amends for becoming so upset with him.

"I'm sorry. It's weird... You remind me of my grandfather in a lot of ways. He always says, that I over think things, so I hesitate and then frustrate myself because of it... I guess he's right in a lot of ways." Rin added, forcing a faint smile in apology as she used the forked to finally gather a taste of the spaghetti and meatballs. As she chewed though, her gaze seemed to soften somewhat, before a true smile crossed her features. "Wow, this is really good." Considering Rin knew good Italian food, that was saying something. "Thank you." She spoke, figuring he deserved some credit for all the hard work. True, Rai had goofed horribly, but he seemed to have learned his lesson and there was no point in wasting good food.

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=color: 1f1f1f; font-size: 8px; margin-top: -10px; text-align: right; margin-right: 5px;]made by REECE of OTE[/style]

[Rai Inazuma]

Raitaro did manage a smile at her observation that a boss who wasn't willing to die for his subordinates wasn't worth following. It was why he was always a bit tetchy about being labelled the boss, he didn't think he deserved to be the one everybody protected just because of some stupid rank thing, they should all protect each other.

He listened to Rin's story, about her parents and her grandfather and he felt... like he understood. When his own mother had died he didn't react in the MOST emotionally healthy manner by alternating between crying and denying and his lack of training still hampered him from being as good a warrior as he could be. He felt something similar, he didn't want anything to harm Rin or Sheeka either but he never really gave it much thought. The two of them could handle whatever crap got thrown at them, all three of Spiaggia's core trio had faced and dealt with hardships and loss, but Raitaro was kind of the hole there. He may be nigh on impossible to injure but he'd had plenty of opportunities to have been,

Rin told him what he needed to hear, that she did believe in him (which combined with Sheeka gave him a grand total of 2 supporters, because who the hell knew what Sayomi was thinking) but that she worried because they were friends. He knew what she meant, it was why whenever she had duels he was being tackled to the ground by other Spiaggia members so he couldn't interfere, he knew she'd win in his head but in his heart he was scared for what might happen if a million to one chance went wrong. But how could he tell her he'd never die? That he was definitely going to survive whatever else came for them? Hell he was pretty sure he was going to die most fights they go into and emerged pleasently surprised?! Ahhh, well, now it looked like he didn't have a choice in the matter..
He lifted his hand to touch Rin's as she finished comparing him to his grandpa and made eye-contact, his face momentarily somber as he seemed to think about it before splitting into a grin
"Hey, come on, we both know I'm too stupid to die" yeah, even if he was going to be getting the ever-loving crap kicked out of him, it looked like he was going to have to keep going for his friends.

Her reaction that his food was good though spurred a surprised look from Raitaro
"Wait, really!? Ahhh, man, I was really worried I screwed it up because I had no idea what Meatballs were, I seriously got it right? Awesome!" spurred on by the revelation he could apparently cook Italian food he stood up and began doing a mini-victory dance, interupted by his family sliding the doors open
"Huh? Hey! No food for free-loaders, this is all for Rin! Cook your own dinner!" Diving at his family with fists ready for a traditional Inazuma beating, Raitaro's brain did have enough time to measure one last thought before his fist met with his dad's kidney and all hell would break loose

"Thanks Rin"

((OOC; Ending got a bit silly but it is the Inazuma's >_>, Rai and Rin are besties again ))