Tatsuya Yamazaki - Ultimate Street Fighter
Tatsuya had never travelled outside of the vicinity of Japan before. In fact, travelling by plane was, in itself, an experience unknown to him.
In the 24 hours prior to their arrival at Terminal TX of Concourse C of an airport in a country entirely unfamiliar to him, Tatsuya had the opportunity to discern for himself the advantages and disadvantages of travelling by airplane.
The impressive part, he reflected, was the fact that humans were capable of travelling by air in the first place. While his girlfriend gushed about the lovely foliage she had noticed from the sky, Tatsuya recalled for himself what it was like to see the tops of clouds, set aglow with the golden rays of the sun. While he was not one to get
excited persay, he would be lying if he said he was not awed by the sight. During the flight, he had spent a fair number of daylight hours simply staring out of the window.
Every other aspect of travelling by air, the man once titled 'Street Fighter' cared little for.
Perhaps worst of all were the stares Tatsuya earned, especially in the airports. While this was not a new experience for him, his preference for keeping his torso bare seemed especially problematic for everybody else. He thought he already disliked how heavily regulated the airports were, what with all the paperwork, business and deadlines to adhere to, but security certainly took things to the next level. Customs in either country did not take too much of a liking to him at all, with Tatsuya being frequently pulled up for screening, frisking and borderline interrogation. This, he initially despised, but soon enough he grew jaded with the process. Fortunately, Kai appeared even more bothered than he was with the repetitive and unnecessary interference, and was quick to intercede with a few words, and threats, of her own (flaunting their status as alumni of Hope's Peak worked surprising wonders). This assisted in getting him cleared more efficiently than he would otherwise, but was no less exhausting to persevere through.
Luckily for him, his girlfriend had also had the foresight and solicitude to take the initiative in purchasing for them first-class tickets. It would suffice to say Tatsuya did not very well know the difference in seating arrangements. However, despite the extra expense, he only deemed the flight to be tolerable at best. He had found it difficult to sleep, having managed only a few hours of rest. It could be said that the relative privacy first-class offered was the most they'd received since arriving at the airport. Nevertheless, the experience left Tatsuya with a distinct yearning to arrive at their destination as soon as possible, ultimately uncomfortable and thoroughly disinterested in any form of travel in which he was stuck in any one place for too long a length of time.
Having finally touched down, emerged from customs and recovered their luggage with minimal issue, Tatsuya was subtly relieved that a significant part of their journey was over. Grateful for the opportunity to stretch his legs, and to walk corridors where there were much fewer people who were likely to stop him or stare, Tatsuya used these few moments alone with Kai to relax. They were precious moments, he imagined, as once they encountered their cohort of five years ago, the chance for rest was sure to reduce significantly.
Despite having a gross need for sleep (he understood better now, this idea of 'jet lag' he had heard thrown around before), Tatsuya was still somewhat mentally present. Kai's bright tone of voice was perhaps the only thing that succeeded in keeping his attention; as they walked, he tiredly stared out the windows at the runways, listening to her ramble without offering any real acknowledgement. While it would be interesting to go sightseeing, that wasn't the purpose of their trip, and they both were very well aware of that fact, he knew.
Even then, Tatsuya wasn't all too keen over this idea of meeting royalty. He was in fact far removed from it, uninterested in how wealth conferred certain powers to some individuals over others. He had nothing to do with people of the type and expected nothing of them either. But Kai was so excited over the opportunity to explore their royal gardens that he really did not have the heart to deny her the trip, nor to refuse to accompany her on it. From a practical perspective, his intention was to treat the entire ordeal as though it were a vacation from his career as a teacher of martial arts, to which he had been committed for a good three years now. Although he did not anticipate he would benefit from this grandiose meeting with royalty, it nevertheless made Kai happy, and so it doubled as a break from his strenuous work schedule too.
Tatsuya had seemed to tune out a little, up until nervous mention of the possibility that they were travelling in the wrong direction. The last thing he desired was that they get lost in some place he'd have trouble navigating out of… or that they miss the flight they were instructed to catch, leaving them stranded in the absolute middle of nowhere.
"I would hope not." He commented tersely after a moment's contemplation, without change in direction or pace.
It seemed their concerns were unfounded, however, when they discovered the gateway as described in their invitation, as well as a few familiar faces to boot. Tatsuya did not feel too strongly about those he saw to be present, even if he was on closer terms with Hara and Eiji than he was the majority of his old classmates. Otherwise impervious, he faltered when Kai leaned in to whisper to him, his neutral expression quirking just the slightest as she felt it necessary to remind him of his and Eiji's special 'relationship'. Something of which he genuinely had zero regard for, in the romantic context… but of which she obviously found plenty entertaining, of course.
"Kai…" He started in protest, but did not continue for lack of desire of making a scene in front of the others. It was but playful banter, anyhow… not that he found much mirth in any of it.
Huffing as she pulled away following the quick peck on his cheek, Tatsuya purposefully avoided any eye-contact with Eiji as they approached the end terminal. This was not exactly the way he wished to initiate this reunion of theirs, but for the moment he decided to keep quiet, letting Kai do the talking. The barest nod served as Tatsuya's form of greeting upon the address from Himari, his eyes otherwise averted as a sign of his apparent disinterest in socializing.
Approaching the nearby seating to set down the luggage he was carrying (his own, as well as Kai's, not that it was very much for him to hurl about), Tatsuya lingered beside Hara. While he didn't respond to the polite greeting he was offered, more-so due to exhaustion than anything else, he seemed comfortable enough in his presence. The conversation that ensued nearby was of little surprise to him, what with Eiji forgetting his girlfriend's name. He wouldn't expect anything more of the Tattoo Artist, whose blasé nature he was not in the least unacquainted with.
Tatsuya heaved a sigh as he sat himself down, running a hand through his messy hair and over his nape, and giving his sore neck a stretch. It would be a while yet, he grimly anticipated, before their travel would draw to an end. Then, he could finally obtain that rest he deserved. It was all essentially a matter of time now.
Having nothing better to do, Tatsuya leaned back in his seat and quietly appraised each individual as they showed up, attempting (and mostly failing) to put names to faces, or to recall if he knew them at all. He was never much of a social butterfly in high-school. That, on top of the time-induced alterations in the appearances of those he graduated with, did not very well assist his memory. Giving up early in, he decided to form 'first impressions' of those he saw instead, maintaining relatively neutral thoughts of those who approached save for a few. One appeared to be accompanied by a serpent. Another presented as notably tense, if not borderline feral in demeanour, and sported rather unusual burn marks across the face.
Tatsuya thought that he would hate to board a plane with some of these people who, judging by their loud and/or seemingly reckless nature, were likely to bring the vessel down in flames within minutes following departure. After his experience in the airport, he wondered then if the employees were even capable or reliable enough to control the more chaotic individuals among them.
He felt himself grimace. Probably not.
But it seemed this is the risk one must take to make their significant other happy. To this, Tatsuya, once an aggressive, unrestrained and unruly fighter, was now largely consigned.
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