A Dangerous Chess Game || Ryuusei

As he was sitting in the canteen, having arrived about fifteen minutes early, the lieutenant had found himself re-reading Igarashi's file one more time. Holding a military-issued iPad-like device in his hands, his fingers scrolled through the information, curious blue eyes taking in all of it while his brain digested everything at the same time. The military instincts in him had already begun devising ways of how the boy could possibly improve himself, a plethora of possible pathways opening up to be explored. First and foremost what interested the Lieutenant the most was the boy's quirk - an ability to make the boy turn invisible. But how far did it stretch? How long could he keep himself invisible? Could he possibly turn other things invisible? Such an ability could provide invaluable for search and rescue, search and destroy, recon, infiltration, sabotage, espionage... you name it. So many possible ways of using this type of ability; Ryouta's mind was racing at how to best employ this lad.

Somewhere along the line the blond soldier had lost himself in thought, not even noticing when he popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, inhaling and exhaling a puff of grey smoke. It didn't take long for his attention to be redirected elsewhere, though, as a younger-sounding voice called out to him. Glancing up curiously, he was a little surprised to see his aforementioned charge having arrived. He checked the clock, five minutes early. Heh. Kid's punctual.

Smiling, Ryouta stood up and offered to shake the student's hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Igarashi-kun. Please, drop the formalities. You're not a soldier, so no need to put on this whole respect bravado," he advised warmly. "Sit. Let's have a chat. Man to man, yeah?"

"Coffee?" The Lieutenant offered, pushing one of the two cups he had gotten from the canteen towards Ryuusei. It was far from the best he had ever tasted; heck, it could be argued that it was probably some of the shittiest coffee he had ever tried. But fuck if the bitter taste didn't kick his mind into gear. 

"Now," he began, taking the cigarette from his mouth and leaving it in between his index and middle fingers. Leveling Ryuusei with an inquisitive stare, he began, "Why did you join Yuuei, Igarashi-kun? You know what. Start from the beginning. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Consider this like a job interview. Just, y'know, relax. Take it easy. Start from the beginning."

Waiting for the younger boy to begin speaking, Hideaki Ryouta had tried sipping on his coffee, finding the taste utterly atrocious after all. If it weren't for his morning cigarette he was fairly certain he would've flung the damn thing across the canteen and back into the face of the jackass who had served it. Seriously, would it kill them to get some better coffee beans? 

Regardless, when Ryuusei had begun speaking, the Lieutenant had turned on interviewer mode, listening and nodding to the boy's words, double checking the facts on the military issued iPad like device in his hand without showing it to the boy. A sister, an attack, and a disastrous accident. All of it had seemed... familiar to the Lieutenant. The circumstances differed by a great margin but the concept of what happened was the same as what he had gone through with his own brother when they were kids. It was something that drove him into the military in the first place, much alike what was happening to Igarashi-kun as well. He rubbed his chin, deeply in thought, his mind trying to process the situation. Somewhere along the line a small smile appeared on his face; he could almost see himself in the kid. It was a strange thought.

His eyes had eventually drifted from the small screen in his hands to Ryuusei, noticing how the boy was playing with his fingers - a clear sign that he was uncomfortable talking about this. That was natural, really. Everyone had difficulty expressing their own deepest thoughts. Especially, he noticed, thoughts that one hadn't fully accepted yet. Living for someone else, huh... he knew what the feeling was like all too well. It was a fleeting feeling - knowing that you were accomplishing someone else's dream for them. But, at the same time, it was something that could utterly consume you, making you feel like less of a person than you already thought you are. People were beings that required communication and connection, that simple fact that been law. But, at the same time, people were also individualistic creatures, requiring their own goals and dreams fulfilled to feel accomplished. Sure, there were outliers - people who thrived off of selfishly aiding others. But Ryouta could bet his money on the fact that this kid wasn't one of those people.

"Reaching for the stars, eh..." The Lieutenant finally spoke after a while, waving off Igarashi's reply. "You know the story of Icarus? In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of Daedalus, a skillful craftsman and artist. The two of them had been imprisoned by the King of Crete within the Labyrinth, something Daedalus himself had invented. Refusing to stay captive forever, Daedalus had fashioned two pairs of wings with feathers, wooden frames and wax. He gave one pair of wings to his son, Icarus, warning him that if he flew too close to the sun the wax would melt. Icarus, having gotten a little too excited by the concept of flight, had completely forgotten his father's warning and tried to touch that red ball of fire in the sky. Suffice it to say he ended up plunging to his death in the sea."

"Now, why am I telling you this little story? I'm sure there's many meanings you can take away from it - most do, in one way or another. But mostly, Igarashi-kun, it is my belief that you need to set your priorities straight. Take it one step at a time. While I have nothing against you reaching for the stars, try too many things too quickly and it will overwhelm you. Before you can reach for the stars, first you need to develop a way to fly. After that? A way to land. Then you can begin learning how to soar. And then? Well, then it's up to you what you do. You are always free to decide what you want to do, but you need to remember to have safeties in place so you don't crash and burn."

"Heroes. Being a hero isn't all that new," the blond Lieutenant added, exhaling a puff of grey smoke before patting the cigarette, letting the ash helplessly fall into the ashtray. Fixing his bandanna, he set down his iPad on the table, leaned back into his chair and glanced at the ceiling in thought, "Doctors. Teachers. Firefighters. There are many respectable individuals who most of society would consider heroes. This whole idea of needing a superpower to be a hero is pretty shitty, if you want me to be honest. Anyone can be a hero. All you need is the right mindset. The traditional sense? I don't think there is a traditional sense. This whole notion of a career as a hero? In my honest opinion it de-legitimizes what a Hero actually is."

Glancing at Ryuusei, the Lieutenant smiled, "So what I'm trying to say, Igarashi-kun, is that while you don't think you can be the "traditional" type of hero," the blond emphasized this with air quotes, "You can still be a hero. The only thing you have to do is set your mind to it. That's all you have to do. You don't need some kind of class or diploma to tell you that hey, now I can run around town with a cape and call myself a hero! No. What you need is the drive to protect that which is threatened. That's my firm belief of what makes up a real hero."

Leaning over the table, the Lieutenant brought both of his hands over, leaning his chin on top of them while supporting himself with his elbows against the table. Looking at Ryuusei with a curious glance, he smiled, "Or am I wrong?" He asked, trying to coax the answer out of the teen. The kid was confused; unsure of himself. Before any training at all could be done, he needed to point him in a direction. It didn't even matter if it was the right one. The most important thing was to get him started. Where he goes from there was his own decision. Since, after all, just like most things, the most difficult part was starting.

When faced with the question, Ryouta had a very particular answer for the boy. It was one that he himself led his life by; one that kept him going even when he thought there was nothing left to fight for. And as he pondered on how to present his answer, the Lieutenant had stayed relatively quiet. He inhaled the last of his cigarette, taking one final and very long drag before putting it out in the ashtray. He let the poisonous nicotine linger in his lungs and throat for a little bit before exhaling, at the very same time lighting another. He enjoyed having conversations with people he didn't know - or rather, was trying to get to know. They helped get his mind running without making him revert to combat strategies and diplomacy to get the juices flowing instead. A simple conversation, a clash of ideologies and philosophies - he always enjoyed new perspectives. 

"I can see where that question is coming from," the blond soldier finally said, leaning back against his chair again as he crossed his legs. He took a little while to continue speaking, taking the cigarette from his mouth and scratching his brow lazily. "It's a rather romantic concept, isn't it? For you to give it your all just to reach that precipice of greatness. To stand on top of something. To experience what nobody else has experienced before. To achieve something you've dreamed of your whole life, something you kept telling yourself was impossible. It's a noteworthy idea and dream, to be sure, but... let me ask you this, Igarashi-kun," he then turned to Ryuusei, his face a clear sign of a casual interest, yet his eyes clearly betrayed the fire of curiosity within the older male, "what's next? What's after that? Nothing. To achieve such a romantic dream, you have to sacrifice your life. You put your everything on the line, reach the height that nobody else has, and for a fleeting moment you feel like you've accomplished everything. Like you're leaving some kind of legacy behind. But... are you, really?"

"You leave a blueprint for somebody to follow and improve on. I think humanity, all throughout its meager existence, person to person, has been trying to build on the failures and successes of the people that came before. That's naturally how we grow, correct? And while I can respect the idea of giving all of yourself to one goal... is that really enough? It shouldn't be, if you ask me." The Lieutenant took another moment to take another silent drag from his cigarette, letting the younger male catch up with his train of thinking. "If you ask me you have to keep on going. There's always something more. Something greater that you can achieve. Icarus gave his life to reach the sun, and maybe he was happy about it when it happened, having no regrets of dying. But what do you think would run through his head if he realized that, a year, maybe ten or a hundred years later, somebody else could do the same and more without having to sacrifice their life? That's how I see it. You always have to stay hungry. Always have to improve. If somebody else is able to easily build on something you've achieved, have you really achieved everything you could? Or did you just throw away half of your potential because of a desire too great to reign in?"

The smile that spread on his face spoke volumes. It wasn't just one of happiness, content, or whatever the hell else one could think of. No, in this small exchange, it was more like a sign of trust, perhaps. Ryouta himself wouldn't comment if you were to ask him, but what the Lieutenant was saying through that facial expression alone would be obvious to anyone. You can reach that precipice and more. It was that unbreakable trust he showed people and their abilities that granted him the respect that he garnered in the military. Hideaki Ryouta was a man that was for the people. His job, as he himself put it, was to help make those around him better. And he had a very particular way of going about doing said job that made people naturally want to follow him... until they were strong enough to walk beside him.

After another pause, the Lieutenant removed the bandanna from his head, letting his wild blond locks reign rampant on top of his head. Fiddling with it in his hands as he left the cigarette in between his lips, he listened to the student's words, nodding in acknowledgement. "Rankings can be a good thing. They can show you where you are and where you need to improve. But they certainly aren't everything. Popularity, fame - it's all just a vanity fair. I'm sure you can agree that things of that nature are irrelevant yet from what I can see the current system is doing its best to promote it. The whole idea of hero schools feels like a PR stunt - a good one don't get me wrong; people with quirks need a better reputation if we want this discrimination to end. But the government is going about it as though they're trying to raise superstars. I just hope it doesn't go to their heads..." he smiled again, "at least I know it won't to you."

"It's not at all selfish, Igarashi-kun. Everyone needs their own path - a road map that only they can follow. Sure, you may get people who come along the ride, but at the end of the day your life is yours to live. How you choose to do so is up to you and nobody has the right to stop you from doing it. And if they do, you just have to be strong enough to do your own thing. If you're not? Become strong enough. Yes, I know that sounds just as romantic as what we just talked about, but I do believe it's true. Human potential has no limits provided we don't limit ourselves. The emergence of quirks - something we previously thought was just something you'd see in movies - is proof enough of that, wouldn't you say?"

"So now I want to ask you - what do you think feels right for you? Even if you can't answer the question, give me a vague idea. I know you've been struggling with it but I also know you've been thinking about it. So - hit me. What does a hero student who feels out of place want to do with his life?"

Story-teller Dauwz 30x2= 60
Ryuusei 31x2=62

Oho~ I been keeping an eye on this topic, I'm looking forward to this chess game of morals and Ryuusei's fate on the board~