The sky was a bit grey today as the young boy went along the sidewalk. Hokuto hoped that it didn't mean it would rain. He had more than a few more chores to finish before he could head home, and maneuvering through the slick streets of the city while holding a number of bags wasn't really something he was looking forwards to. The day had already been...well, if he was being honest, it wasn't one of his better days.

That had been happening a lot, lately. Here he was, just barely out of his second year in high school, and, well...mostly alone. Really, though, he had little to rail at. It had been misfortune that had taken away his mother and father, nothing more. That didn't mean that he hadn't sobbed for days, or that he hadn't wanted to curse everything for the looks that they'd given him, even though his grandfather had taken him in. He was thankful for that, even though the old man was quite a strict taskmaster most days. He was fond of saying that the family was 'destined for hardship so long as we remain on this Earth', and at times he seemed both proud and frustrated at that fact. However, he was getting in on years, and so it fell to Hokuto to perform most of the daily tasks, though in his darker moments, Hokuto quietly thought that his grandfather wouldn't be far behind his parents. Then he'd be truly alone.

Sometimes he wondered if he wouldn't be better off following as well. But those thoughts scared him on principle, and he'd quickly shake them off, like now, even if it results in his gaze lowering to the ground. His grandfather WAS taking care of him as well as he could, regardless of personal feelings, and though school was lonely, it was also going well enough- that by itself he appreciated immensely. Besides, with what his mother and father had taught him-

“Oof!” His thoughts were interrupted by SOMEONE crashing into him- or more like he crashed into someone, as he practically bounced off, sending him to the ground. Almost felt like a wall, though...

When he looked up, though, a spike of both fear and confusion ran through him. This was a foreigner, for sure; Japan wasn't host to darker skinned people like that, but he wasn't an idiot- he knew what African people were, rare though they were. This lady looked like one...and boy, she was MASSIVE. She towered over him- and most other pedestrians, too! She had to be at least six feet tall, maybe a bit more! For a second he was worried she'd be annoyed or offended, but...no, she just seemed neutrally curious, maybe a bit concerned. “Are you okay?” It was basic Japanese, but although her accent was rough, it was still understandable.

Her voice was a bit lighter than what he was expecting, but it still carried a strong tenor to it as she held out a hand to help him up. At least she didn't seem to be annoyed, which was appreciated- though he had to hold back his shock as she hauled him up- she was clearly very strong, and he was nearly lifted off his feet. “Ah! I...sankyu. Very much.” His own English was...well, he wasn't very good, to be truthful. It was one of the harder classes in school. But he knew a few small words and phrases at least. And while he'd rather not embarrass himself, he felt he at least owed her thanks. With the fact that there were few people around at this hour of the day...well, maybe it wouldn't hurt for a little bit. Besides, as his mother said-

She grinned a little and nodded, jarring his thoughts as she took his focus for now. “No problem.” That bit was in English as well, and fortunately he understood that much. He appreciated that she was keeping it simple, at least. But that was when she frowned, as though considering something. Part of him kind of hoped she wasn't about to ask a question, but the grimace of her face told him she'd deemed whatever she was about to say next necessary. And when she started... “Uhhh...where is...” Ah, yes, this. He always felt extremely awkward talking to foreigners, though he had only had to a couple of times before, at least. She took out a smartphone, and tapping a name in Japanese for it. He recognized it, actually- it was the name of a moderately sized gym nearby. It occasionally held competitions, as well, though only small and amateur ones, as far as he was aware. Taking another look at her, he only just now noticed her duffle bag and tank top and shorts as attire. Ah, that explained her strength. She was clearly going there to train. Or maybe there was a competition there? Was she invited? Well...it was close, so perhaps he had time. Besides...

His mother HAD said to be kind to those in need. It was nerve-wracking. It was embarrassing. But it was all he had left of her.

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Jessica Gaines was feeling pretty good about herself for a while there. Japan so far had proven pretty cool for the most part, although some bits she didn't get, and the language barrier kinda sucked. She had figured on this, though, and it was why she'd TRIED to bone up on some basic-bitch Japanese, not that she expected much to come outta it. She knew some this and thats from some of the games she played and the anime she watched- she wasn't, like, a massive fan, mind, but they put out some cool stuff here and there. Mostly she liked actually listening in English, but sometimes she was fine with subtitles. At any rate, the combination was juuuust enough for her to be able to at least recognize some common phrases, and that was it. Reading was right the hell out- any manga she read was 100% English, thank you very much.

Point being, she'd been enjoying her little excursion to the East. She'd worked her ass off, and smashed a lot of faces in to earn this. MMA was a ruthless sport, but she was rising the ranks quickly. No signings to anything major yet, but she'd made enough money to decide to do a little learning from overseas even (and maaaybe enjoying some of the tourist sites while she was at it), and she'd be taking those lessons to heart when she came back. But so far, not bad for a stoop kid from Palo Alto, California. Plenty of pictures to send to her mom and sister, for sure. Although maybe she could get some proper souvenirs, too...maybe some local foods shipped back or something...

Mind, all thoughts about gifts had mostly fled her head when she'd bumped into the kid who seemed to have his own elsewhere. She wasn't mad, though- she'd been spacing out herself, doing the whole 'tourist walk' and everything. Seemed young, to her. Teenager, and not in the best mood- though that was really just a vibe she got from his frowning, and, well...she'd crashed into him, why WOULDN'T he be grumpy? Least she could do is help him up. “Are you okay?” The Japanese of it, 'Daijobu desu ka?' felt odd on her tongue, but judging from how he looked at her, she'd managed to get the gist of it.

Fortunately for her, he'd responded in accented, nervous English. Frankly, she was relieved- hopefully he understood enough to not have her act a fool even MORE. But that gave her a hopeful idea, too- she'd already been lead astray by her smartphone, or at least she thought so, considering that her location was SUPPOSED to be somewhere called the 'Akatsuki Gym', mostly to hang out with one of her online friends for the first time, but...well, she clearly wasn't there, was she? Meaning she might be close, or...not. Either way, she was officially lost. So maybe he could help?

She'd had to point it out, but it seems like he'd understood her, at least, judging by how he nodded and pointed her in...some direction. For a moment she froze; this kid was expecting her to just know? But before she could do anything, he seemed to realize it as well, thank goodness, instead simply shaking his head and motioning to follow him. That'd be fine- hopefully she WASN'T too far off the mark. 'Would just be my damn luck to show up after hours or some shit,' she inwardly grumbled to herself. 26 though she might be, she was still prone to being late.

Probably would never fix that, if she was being honest.

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Hokuto wasn't sure if he'd be the best tour guide, but he at least knew where the Akatsuki Gym was. It wasn't very far, and the lady, although VERY intimidating with her hardened face and thick dreadlocks, didn't seem to be particularly aggressive, despite her obvious strength. Almost reminded him of a manga character come to life, though he would never be able to name a precise reference. She nonetheless followed him silently, and although she seemed to have a bit of a scowl on her face, he got the feeling that it wasn't aimed at him- she seemed to be more annoyed at her smartphone than anything else.

Speaking of, the directions for the gym...well, she was about a block or so away- not far, but if she wanted to get there- and she looked like she did- then fortunately for the both of them, there was an alley they could cut through nearby- he did so all the time to shave a few extra minutes off traveling, even though it was was between a pair of business buildings with stiff security. Not that anyone bothered him about it, for which he was grateful.

“Follow me- less walk,” he did his best to explain once he went in- she had stopped short briefly at the entrance to the alleyway, peering at him with naked suspicion. It made sense, but before he had to worry how to convince her, he noticed her set eyes on the distant end, the street where the gym was. With that, she nodded, her lips pursed, and began to follow him. Thinking about it, there was a manga shop not too far away...maybe he could pop in and pick up something for himself before finishing up grandfather's chores...

So enamored he was in the thoughts of what new manga he might pick up as he turned to set the pace, that he didn't notice the light coming from underneath him...

...at least not until a yell startled him, and then he could only look down at the shining lights- right before a massive body collided with his, and in the same second his vision left him.