I've seen you before! [Alex Hikari]

[Kazuya Hikari]

Despite his response, the last thing Alex wanted to get into was a debate. There was a time and a place for such a thing, but right now was not one of them. "... Yes. It is because we are humans, that we can feel emotions. We can feel pain. We've all loved, and lost. Life is not simple, it is a complex network, shaped by everything we've experienced so far." A life with no regrets. Alex wished he could say the same for his own life. But his life was not so simple that he could wish everything that he done away. It just didn't work that way. "Keep living that way," Alex replied, as he smiled slightly at Drea, "Life is full of twists and turns, but if you can live your life to the fullest and not look back, it's a life that's worth it." Not looking back. If only it was that easy. There were far too many things in Alex's life that occurred, for him to simply lock them away and not look back and reflect on them. It simply couldn't be done.

"Thanks, I appreciate being called an ass." Alex replied back sarcastically. Some things will and never change. Though it felt rather strange to be called by his real first name. He was used to being called Alex, or even Ryuu for that matter, but never Kazuya, and only one person called him Kazu, and that was Kyoko. "Well most people never stuck around to see beneath my sarcastic attitude." Alex added, as he flicked his index finger up, and made a flame appear on the tip of his finger, and melted his yogurt treat a bit, so that he wouldn't get a brain freeze, at the very least. He then made the flame disappear, before taking a spoonful and eating it. "Yes well, when you're known as the 'King of Sarcasm', sometimes too much sarcasm isn't a good thing. At least, if you want to have a decent conversation." Alex replied, as he looked over at Drea, smiling wiry. "There is more to life than meets the eye. Today more than yesterday... Tomorrow more than today... Keep wishing. Wish strongly, wish hard. Continue to wish for that which your heart truly desires."

[Drea]

"... Yes. It is because we are humans, that we can feel emotions. We can feel pain. We've all loved, and lost. Life is not simple, it is a complex network, shaped by everything we've experienced so far."

Drea only smiled at him, almost indulgently. They'd have to agree to disagree. He'd grown in his own way, and she'd grown in hers. Maybe she was being naive or optimistic, but she didn't really care. She was who she was, and until she went through the necessary events or experiences, she might not ever change her views on the matter. Still, it wasn't as though she didn't understand what he was saying. She only disagreed with it.

"Keep living that way, life is full of twists and turns, but if you can live your life to the fullest and not look back, it's a life that's worth it," he told her. She barely kept herself from frowning. She'd known he'd suffered some hardship when he'd spoken on his opinions between Emily and his sister, but she hadn't expected it to be to the degree that he felt his life wasn't worth it.... It was what he was implying, anyways.

"Thanks, I appreciate being called an ass. Yes well, when you're known as the 'King of Sarcasm', sometimes too much sarcasm isn't a good thing. At least, if you want to have a decent conversation."

Drea shrugged. She could have decent conversations without sarcasm, but then, she hardly spoke to strangers. Simply calling out to someone else was a rarity for her.

"It's all based on perception," she said simply.

"There is more to life than meets the eye. Today more than yesterday... Tomorrow more than today... Keep wishing. Wish strongly, wish hard. Continue to wish for that which your heart truly desires."

At that, she grinned.

"Isn't that a given? Another day is another twenty four hours. That's more time spent awake, aware, and alive. Of course it will be filled with wishes." Smiling, Drea laughed. "How else would humans live? Certainly, we, as a whole, are not humble."

[Kazuya Hikari]

Alex couldn't help but smile mentally. There would always be those who won't necessarily agree with his opinions, but that was the facts of life. He found there was little point in worrying and dwelling on it, he took it, accepted it, and moved on, that was all. Yes, Alex suffered hardships, most that any normal person would never experience, but he wasn't saying his life wasn't worth it. But the reality was, Alex would do anything for Emily, even if it meant putting his life in danger. Call him reckless, call it stupidity on his part, but that was how selfless and how important Emily was to him. Because he acted sarcastic and cynical, most people had the tendency to keep away from him, in turn, driving them away from him, but he had felt, at the time, it was for the best, it meant he wouldn't forge close friendships with others and they wouldn't get hurt.

"There is no being that does not have some wish. If there are those who claim to have no wish for themselves, those people truly do not know the depths of their own hearts." Alex pushed his empty cup away, having finished his yogurt, and interlaced his fingers together before resting them on the table once more. It was true. Everyone had something they wanted, no matter how small, it was still something to chase after. "... What do you wish for, Drea? That is to say, you know a little about me, but I do not know much about you." Alex asked, as he looked at Drea in mild curiosity. "... Of course, you are not obliged to answer my question, nor will I force you to answer it. It is your choice alone."

[Drea]

"There is no being that does not have some wish. If there are those who claim to have no wish for themselves, those people truly do not know the depths of their own hearts." he spoke, pushing his emptied yogurt cup away. He crossed his fingers before placing them on the table.

She nodded at his words. She'd already said her piece, so she saw no real point in repeating her words once more. They both agreed that people were ever constantly longing for something. It was a sad, but true, fact of life... and of people.

Drea was no exception to that rule.

"... What do you wish for, Drea? That is to say, you know a little about me, but I do not know much about you." he asked her. She started a bit, staring wide-eyed at him. No one... had ever thought to ask her what she wanted in regards to herself. She was... taken by surprise, in a sense.

"... Of course, you are not obliged to answer my question, nor will I force you to answer it. It is your choice alone." Kazuya continued, almost reassuringly.

But Drea wanted to answer it. As though she were a caged animal given permission to walk away from its bars.

"I..." her mouth dry, she took another bite of her still chilled yogurt before continuing. "I want to be useful." she said simply. She bit her lip for just a second before smiling, almost secretively, and continuing. "I want to be found as a useful person."

[Kazuya Hikari]

Alex looked back at her in mild curiosity, it seemed that, based on her reaction, no one had ever thought to ask what is is she wished for. She had to have a wish, because as said before, every being has a wish, no matter how small it was.

"...? Go on." He said, urging her to finish saying what it is she so desperately wanted to say, as she took a bit of her yogurt before continuing on. "..." Such a secretive smile. It was like she knew there was more to her simple statement than what was just said. "... I see." Alex responded, as he fixed her with a calming stare. "I would presume this also means you wish to prove your usefulness in turn, to Emily?" She wanted to be acknowledged as someone useful. In some way, any way, she wanted to be able to help out, so she wouldn't be seen as someone that was uselessly lively.

If she wanted to prove her usefulness, she would have to show her abilities. Just saying you want to be found as useful, wouldn't be enough. "... And what exactly do you intend to do, to prove your usefulness?"

[Drea]

"I see," he said. Drea wondered if he really did. "I would presume this also means you wish to prove your usefulness in turn, to Emily?"

It was true, to an extent. She wanted to be useful to her sister - and certainly her parents, teachers, fellow students, and even the few kind strangers she might run into on the streets. She had no real limit as to whom she wanted to be useful to, or even how. As long as she was useful, it was okay, right?

So, in response to his question, she simply smiled. He could take that as an affirmative or a negative as he wished, but to her it was no answer at all.

"... And what exactly do you intend to do, to prove your usefulness?" he asked her.

She chuckled at that. It was an almost sad-sounding laugh, but one that hid behind the chiming tones of her voice.

"You're assuming I'm useful at all," she said, that smile still in place. She hesitated for a moment, before proceeding. "I guess I really just want to do what a lot of others do. I want to make a difference - a change, maybe. Something to leave a mark on others, to prove that I exist." And to prove that I have any worth, she thought to herself.

Then, blinking at Kazuya, she smiled again. "What about you? What's your wish?"

[Kazuya Hikari]

Her smile really didn't answer Alex's question. All it really told him was, it was solely up to him how he could interpret her smile to be, either yes, or no. Talk about evading answering the question directly.

Hearing her chuckle made him raise an eyebrow slightly, not because it was not at an appropriate time, but because despite her chiming voice, he could detect a hint of sadness as well, no matter how well-hidden she tried to keep it. "Everyone is useful. It doesn't matter how small it is, it's still something that we are all able to do." Alex replied, his arms now folded casually across his chest. Perhaps now it was rather optimistic of him, but he believed everyone, in a small way, was useful. "We all want to make a change in this world. To prove that we actually existed, and weren't just a figment of someone's imagination. But there's a difference between wanting to make a difference, and actually making a difference." Alex had wanted that too. That was why he had sought after the Student Body President title, back when Mitsuki had been the Captain. That was then, this was now.

He would still work to make a difference. He would just go after it from a different approach. "... To become stronger not simply for the sake of getting stronger, but to protect those that I care about deeply."

[Drea]

She blinked at him. Everyone is useful, he claimed. She smiled at him, albeit a bit falsely. "Of course," she said. "Everyone is useful. As useful as they possibly can be." She didn't say that her own usefulness lasted to the extent of nothing.

At his next words - about existentialism - she blinked. She never had believed that she might be a part of someone's imagination. She'd considered it, but promptly dismissed it. Who would think up a useless person? But the fact that she wanted some sort of acknowledgment of herself was true, so she couldn't really say much to that.

At his wish, though, she smiled. It was a very small smile, but it was a true one. To become stronger for those that he cared about. It was a good wish.

One that reflected himself.

To become stronger to protect others was to mean that he was necessary to them. To care for them and to continue increasing his strength meant that he intended to continue his relationships with them. It was a matter of imposing oneself on another, and yet remaining true.

She was relieved by the thought that he was no different from the others. He, too, was human. He, too, was restrained by one simple fact.

His selflessness reflected the simplicity of his selfishness.

And that, despite whatever else he or she might say or do, Drea could trust.

[Kazuya Hikari]

Alex was selfish. Simple as that. His wish was selfless, but the fact was, deep down, the very core of his wish, was for himself, and himself alone. He wanted to get stronger, stronger than everyone else that he knew. Gabriel, David... and Emily most of all. He wanted to prove himself, prove that he wasn't helpless, prove that he was able to fight back against those that were deemed a threat, and most of all, prove that if a gang war were to break out, he would be able to hold his own. He didn't want Emily to have to worry about him. He may be a replica, but he had the same underlying goal that the original held long ago. Both of them wanted to become stronger for themselves. And in the end, deep down, that is what everyone wanted, even if they don't realize it. Human beings are selfish. They do everything they can to further themselves, to rise above everyone else.

It was this selfish wish, that spurred others on to keep striving ahead. Replica or not, Alex was human. His purpose of creation was to replace the original Alex that had died. But he intended to show that he had another purpose, not just made to replace someone else. He was going to surpass the original Alex, he would no longer stand in the shadow of the original. "... You may not believe my words, that everyone is useful," Alex said, as he pushed his chair back and rose up, "But even if your contribution is small, it is still something. Continue to do what you can, Drea. Because whether you believe yourself useful or not, I know one thing is for sure. You are not a figment of my imagination, nor will you ever be one. You are alive, and are here right here, right now." And that's all.