Dante knocked twice on the door of RAZE hair studio then walked into the small, well kept hair salon. It was very quiet, very very quiet, actually. The lights were still on, but the waiting area was empty and the blinds were drawn half way.
From behind the front desk, Kendo's mother looked up. She was wearing a stylists apron over her casual clothes.
"I'm very sorry Dante, we're closed today, come again tomorrow." She said kindly, though firmly, already reaching for a sign to hang up.
Dante raised a hand slightly, his voice casual but still polite. "I'm not here for a haircut today. Well, not from you anyway."
She paused, arching an eyebrow. "Then…?"
"I'm here to see Ken- uhh, Itsuka."
Her eyes widened slightly, surprised not only by her name, but also the tone in which he said it. Very familiar. Comfortable.
"Dante…?"
Before he could explain, a door creaked at the top of the stairs behind her. "Mom, did someone come in—?"
Kendo's voice called down before she appeared at the top of the staircase. She froze for a moment when she saw him, then quickly jogged down the stairs with a small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"Dante! You're here early," she said, brushing past her mother.
"I am?"
Her mom blinked, watching the interaction with growing curiosity. "How come I didn't know about… this?"
Kendo let out a small, awkward laugh. "You were working… I think… anyways, I figured I'd just—y'know—surprise you later."
Dante offered a small nod to her mom. "Nice to meet you again, ma'am"
She studied him for another second, eyes sweeping from his medium-long-ish hair to the highlights she gave him before, before her eyes softened a little.
"Okay. Well if you're not here for a cut, then I guess you're hers for the evening," she said with a faint smirk.
Kendo rolled her eyes, "He's here for a haircut, but from me, I wanna try it out."
Her mother coughed awkwardly, "Hard no. Maybe another time, not today, all of our clippers are being washed."
Dante looked around awkwardly.
Kendo looked at Dante with a thoughtful expression, "Well, since you're here we might as well study together I guess…"
Dante blinked. "Study?"
She nodded, grinning now. "Yup. We both have exams coming up, and if we're gonna pass and go to that training camp together, we better stay sharp."
Dante groaned under his breath but followed her anyway. "I was here for a haircut…"
"Oh well, it's okay, don't cry too hard," she teased, pushing open the door to her room.
It was cozy, soft pinks and warm oranges in the décor, a faint scent of cherry blossom lingering in the air. Posters of pro heroes lined one wall, mostly women with strong, dynamic poses. There was a tidy desk in the corner and a futon rolled up beside her closet.
Dante stood awkwardly near the door, taking it all in. "This is… the first time I've been—no, seen a girls room."
Kendo blinked. "Seriously?"
"Yeah."
She laughed softly. "Then don't just stand there, I'm not gonna bite. Sit." She plopped down beside the low table in the center of the room and opened her textbook. Dante hesitated before joining her, sitting crossed legged.
They studied in relative quiet at first, Kendo occasionally asking a question, Dante answering with various explanations that made her blink in surprise. After about ten minutes, she stared at him over her book.
"You're… actually smart?"
Dante shrugged without looking up. "I graduated college you know."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
She narrowed her eyes. "No, like… you actually understand this stuff. How?"
"…I guess I read a lot," he muttered.
Kendo smiled and leaned her chin on her palm. "Well, I'm glad. You're not just some powerful mystery guy who flies around with giant red wings swooping down and beating down your enemies."
Dante glanced at her, mildly offended. "I have depth."
She laughed. "Yeah, yeah. You're practically a philosopher. 'Life is pain, punch it harder.'"
"That's not a bad quote, actually."
Their eyes met and lingered for a second longer than usual. Then Kendo looked away, the tips of her ears faintly pink. "Okay. Back to studying before I flunk and you gloat about it."
Dante smirked, flipping the page. "I might just gloat regardless."
As the evening turned to night, the textbooks finally shut. Kendo stretched her arms high above her head, letting out a yawn. "Okay, that's enough brain work for me tonight. If I stare at another equation, I'll start having nightmares about math."
Dante gave a slight nod, rubbing his eyes. "You did great today, though. You're gonna pass for sure."
She smiled and nudged his shoulder with her fist. "So are you, I'm certain."
He stood, brushing off his pants. "Thank you for letting me come over to study… I'll probably come for a haircut after the exam."
Kendo stood too, walking him down the stairs and too the entrance. "Anytime, that's fine."
Kendo's mother peeked out from the top of the stairs and waved. "Come by anytime, Dante! You're always welcome."
"Thank you, ma'am," Dante replied with an awkward bow before slipping out the front door.
Once he was outside, his expression shifted from polite to something more serious. The smile faded, replaced with a cautious gaze as he walked into the nearby alleys. He walked while looking around at all of his surroundings, incase he was still being watched, weaving through the dark oaths until he reached the place he had left some of his sludge. He reached into the shadows and placed his hand on the wall.
With a strange sound, the sludge he had left on the wall earlier, his emergency fallback, slithered up the wall and back into his arm. His eyes flashing red as it intigrated fully.
"Warm…" he muttered, pleased that he didn't need to waste any calories.
Then, without another word, he crouched and his legs bulged. He flew upward. His body soared up through the air, landing effortlessly on a tall rooftop. The wind brushed against him, making his hair flow cinematically. He looked around, nothing. No footsteps, No gaze on him, no weirdo stalkers.
Safe?
Safe.
He stayed there for a little bit longer, looking out at the cityscape. "Still being watched…? No. Not anymore."
Dante finally turned and walked to the edge of the rooftops until he reached a place near his apartment. He leapt down silently, landing with a muffled thud and strolled the rest of the way home.
When he stepped into his apartment, locking the door behind him, a strange feeling settled over him. He took off his shirt, stretched and let out a rare giggle. It sounded like something that would come from a teenage girl. Absolutely NOT from Dante.
The smell of Kendo's room, the fair warmth of her touch in his shoulder and the way she'd looked at him during their study session. Those things lingered in his mind more than anything else.
He leaned against the wall, ran a hand through his hair and smiled once more.
Yeah.
This was nice.
For now.
A/N : I have so much new art of Dante but most of it contains spoilers and/or characters I haven't introduced yet so take this for now