Aha! My next KaJuu fic! My friend helped me with this one...she doesn't know it, but she did...Thanks, Kisa-chan! Luv ya' lots! Oh yes, set right before the battle between Kogenta Akame (the really ugly string user) and Kadz. This came up when I realized the bottoms of Juubei's shirt were all ripped up. That CAN'T be a new fashion statement, so I came up with this.

-Rip.-

In Mugenjou, what you took was what you got. Even in the beltline beggars couldn't be choosers.

Especially when it came to clothes.

Once you picked something, you stuck with it. Because when someone comes down from Babylon City to kill you, the last thing you would think about is why you didn't change your underwear last week, anyway. To children of the limitless fortress, clothing and food were always secondary.

"Juubei." A young voice beckoned. "I want you to prove your loyalty to me."

"How so, MakubeX?" the Kakei man asked, barely tilting down his sunglasses to see the boy more clearly.

"It's almost time to go against Kazuki-san. Akame is almost finished. After that, I'll use the giga wire and you'll hop in." he explained, bringing up a diagram on his monitor. "But are you prepared for that?"

"I am."

"No, you are not."

So...after that...how did it come to this?

The brown haired man had been ordered by MakubeX to meditate. To think about nothing. Absolutely nothing. If he thought of absolutely anything at all, he would have to tear off a piece of his shirt. This wouldn't be effective on anyone else except all hundred thousand people in Mugenjou. Because once what you took was what you got, especially when it came to clothes.

This was especially bad for him because it was the only shirt he had ever owned.

So Juubei proceeded to complete his task. When he stopped thinking about anything, he would be allowed to fight. Him, being a man of few words and simple thinking, wouldn't usually have to think about anything anyway.

But this time was different.

He closed his eyes, slowly but surely, so nothing would distract him from meditating.

First he saw black.

Then sparks of light.

Then a hand, catching the sparks of light. (1)

Then that hand, leading up to a hem of a kimono.

Then the kimono, leading up to a smiling face.

Then he saw Kazuki.

He opened his eyes quickly, grabbed his shirt off the floor and tore off a piece from the bottom.

This time was different because the only thing he could think of was Kazuki.

He breathed in and out. He closed his eyes again, so that nothing would distract him.

First he saw black.

Then sparks of light.

Then a pitch black night, with fireworks in the air. (2)

Then two hands, touching.

Then two hems of kimonos.

Then two brown haired children staring at the dimly lit skyline.

Then he saw Kazuki.

He opened his eyes again, now furious with himself, and grabbed his shirt and ripped off a huge chunk of cloth.

He kept breathing in and out. The Kakei heir needed to calm himself down. There was no need to think about anything.

He closed his eyes.

First he saw black.

No need to think about anything...

Then he saw a spark of light.

No need to think about anything...

Then he saw tears, staining someone's white shirt, while a child's hand clutched onto it.

"Mataku...where those people making fun of you again?"

The child nodded slightly. "Gomen...I didn't mean get your shirt wet..."

The older boy sighed. "It's okay. You can cry as much as you want."

The younger child shook his head violently, and let go of the boy's shirt. "I'm okay now."

"I won't always be there to protect you." The older boy started. "But I'll try to be here for you like this. Okay?"

The younger child looked up, and smiled.

"Thank you, Juubei..."

Sadly, by the end of this flashback, Juubei's poor shirt had almost been ripped to shreds. It was too hard to stop thinking about the one whom you swore to protect with your life until you took your very last breath.

It was too painful to stop thinking about anything.

But he had to.

"Well, Flying Needles Juubei? Are you ready now?" MakubeX started, "Ready to kill your friend?"

"No."

MakubeX was taken aback by this sudden confession.

"I'm ready to kill an enemy."

The silver haired boy smirked.

"Now go."

"Say Juubei, are you gonna protect me forever?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Forever seems like an awful long time."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Silence.

"No...no, I guess not."

"Why did you ask, then?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to stay with me forever..."

"Flying...Needles? Is that you, Juubei?"

"I will. Forever."

The thread master took a quick notice that his friends' shirt was almost completely tattered.

-The End.-

Whoa. BTW, none of these flashbacks really happened...they are just figments of my wild imagination...

(1)Can you tell what Kazuki was doing? He was catching fireflies. Get it?

(2)Have you noticed that BOTH these flashbacks take place in summer? Summer fireworks, catching fireflies in summer (cause they only come out in summer) ...maybe cuz it's summer right now, perhaps? -.-;;;