Borrowed Wings

By: moonlightstar12

Warning: Shonen-ai! And Agito cursing too.

Summary: He didn't like having to run to keep up with the crow and the continuously growing flock that followed him, so people helped him, letting him fly on borrowed wings, but he didn't like that either. He wanted to fly on his own.

Disclaimer: I don't own Air Gear and never will!

A/N: In this story, Akito and Agito are twins!

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"Hey Ikki!" Akito greeted cheerfully, sitting at the table he shared with Ikki, Agito, Ringo, Ume, and Mikan. Agito didn't bother with a greeting at all.

Ikki mumbled something inaudible as he sat at his spot at the table. Seeing breakfast instantly woke him up, and he basically inhaled his food.

"Keep that up and you'll choke you fucking crow," Agito commented offhandedly.

Ikki glared daggers at the offending boy. "Shut up, you," he said. Then his glare disappeared. "Oh yeah, we have practice today, remember Agito?"

Agito snorted. "Of course I do, dumb ass."

"Language," Rika reprimanded.

Ikki, who had just finished his breakfast, got up from the table and left for the door.

Akito jumped up happily, mirrored in a less chipper way, by Agito. "Wait for us," Akito called , running out after Ikki, followed by Agito, and then Ringo.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The six original members of Kogarasumaru, along with Emily, Yayoi, and Ringo were on the roof of their school. Onigiri, Kazu, Buccha, Agito, and Ikki were assembled in a group, discussing something while the girls, along with Akito, sat on the sidelines.

Ikki decided that today, they were going to relax and just ride, claiming that they hadn't rode just for fun in a long time. Agito complained about this, claiming they needed training, but was complete out-voted, when the other three boys and then the girls, plus a sheepish Akito voted against it. The only one who voted with Agito was Kazu, but after hearing Ikki say something, he changed his mind.

"Come on, you need to relax, dude," Ikki said lazily, hands behind his head, one eye closed, the other on Agito.

"Yeah, all we've been doing is training and battling," Buccha agreed. "We need a break once and awhile."
Agito scowled. "I don't need a fucking break. Maybe you do, but not me."

Ikki shrugged before standing up. "Suit yourself," he said before a grin broke out on his face. "Cause we're gonna fly!"

The most of others cheered before joining Ikki as he left off the roof. Agito and Akito were the only ones left.

"Hey Agito?" Akito said.

Agito glared lightly at him, slightly miffed at his twin for not agreeing with him. "What?"

Akito smiled. "Can you help me? I want to go flying too, but I don't know how. You'll help me, right?"

Agito's glare disappeared at that. He couldn't stay mad at Akito. The only one he knew who could was Kaito but he wouldn't think of him at the moment. Agito nodded before being helped up by Akito and walking off to the staircase.

Upon entering said staircase, they saw Ikki, who was standing in the middle. "You two take too long," he complained before heading downstairs again, expecting the twins to follow him.

They did.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

They were in the park now, Ikki, Kazu, Onigiri, and Buccha racing each other, while the others watched.

After Kazu won the race, Ikki finally noticed the others weren't doing anything. "Hey!" he called. "What are you guys doing? I told you! We're gonna fly!" he said loudly, swirling in a sharp u-turn and coming up to the ones sitting on the bench, grabbing Agito, who cursed at him, and pulling him off the bench, causing Akito, who had been holding onto Agito, to fly up with him. In a panic, Akito grabbed for the nearest thing in the opposite direction, thus, grabbing Yayoi, who had been standing behind him. She yelped before being grabbed on by the hand of Emily who was being dragged away by Ringo.

Kazu, Onigiri, and Buccha caught up with the group of flailing people, deciding to help out. Kazu grabbed Emily, who blushed madly, but allowed herself to be put on Kazu's back.

Onigiri reached for Yayoi hungrily, but before he could make it, Buccha had scooped her up, and raced away. Onigiri glared before turning his attention to Ringo, hoping she hadn't brought her ATs and needed a ride. His face fell when he noticed she'd been wearing them the whole time. She was up in the front, with Ikki, Kazu, and Agito.

Agito pulled his twin close before just barely lifting him off the ground so his feet were no longer touching it and slowing him down. Akito was smiling happily as he was helped from not only Agito, who was holding his left side, but Ikki too, as he helped the now struggling Agito, keep Akito up and maintain his speed, by grabbing Akito's right side. Agito sighed in relief, speeding back to his normal pace, causing Ikki to have to repeat his actions.

Akito bet that they were a weird sight. Ikki had led them out of the park, and they were racing down the streets now, him, Ikki, and Agito in the lead, followed closely by Ringo and Kazu with Emily on his back. Buccha was carrying Yayoi bridal style behind them, with Onigiri looking crestfallen slightly behind him.

"So, are you guys ready?" Ikki shouted to the group, seeing his destination, a draw bridge that was going up. By the time they got there, it would be almost three-quarters of the way up. If they hit it then, they could be propelled into the air and then if they shift directions in the air, they could free fall right into the river.

The group cheered again.

Ikki grinned. "Okay," he said, then addressed the ones on ATs, minus Ringo. "You guys know the plan?"

Kazu, Onigiri, and Buccha all shouted in agreement, while Agito just scowled but nodded anyway.

"Here we go!" Ikki yelled and by then, they were n the draw bridge, which launched them all into the air.

"Oh yeah!" Ikki yelled in delight before taking Akito and shifting his direction, so he and the others were no longer aimed at the other end of the bridge, but the water under it. He checked back and saw the others had done the same.

Ikki and Agito let go of Akito, drifting away from him in opposite directions. Akito looked over his shoulder and saw that Emily had flown out of Kazu's hold and was above him now, him laughing at her. Buccha had let go of Yayoi as well, and he was laughing as Yayoi screamed.

Akito giggled. So this was what it felt like to fly? He spread out his arms like a bird. The sensation was making him giddy. I want to do this more often! It's so fun! He flipped onto his back with a little difficulty. It's kinda hard to move in the air. He couldn't see several people on his back; Buccha and Onigiri were completely out of sight, and the girls had leveled up with him. The only one who he could really see now, was Ikki, who was flying higher than all of them, able to stay in the air much longer.

As he flipped back over, he heard a splash, and then another one, as Buccha and Onigiri landed in the water first. He was getting closer to the water now. Agito was next to him, even he looked like he was having fun. Kazu was a little ways under him, shifting so he could hit the water without hurting himself.

"This is the best!" he heard Emily cry out from next to Kazu and Yayoi.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Yeah!" Kazu stuttered in agreement, even though he was visibly pale, him not being able to swim.

Ringo was falling next to Yayoi, changed into a diving position as they all hit the water.

"You ready, Agito?" Akito cried happily at his twin, smiling brightly.

Agito, getting infected by his twin's mood, smiled before nodding and closing his visible eye, getting ready for impact. Akito copied his move. A second later, he felt another presence near him and saw Ikki diving before slowing down and hitting the water with a large splash. Akito laughed at him, before quickly closing his mouth and eye and diving into the water as well.

The water was freezing and hurt a little from the impact, but it was better than hitting concrete. He swam up to the surface, seeing Agito doing the same simultaneously. Buccha was in the process of saving Kazu, who was flailing, trying to get out of the water. Onigiri was on land, eying Emily, Ringo, and Yayoi, who, thanks to the water, were soaking wet, thus, making their clothes stick to their bodies.

Ikki swam over to the two of them, taking Akito with him, seeing as the more innocent of the two was physically weaker than the other, who was, at the time, swimming next to Akito.

By the time, everyone was out of the water, they all were even colder than what they'd been in the water, the cold air hitting them all relentlessly, but they were still smiling. Nothing was more thrilling than flying, even if it was just free falling.

Ikki grinned wildly. "Let's do it again!" he exclaimed, but his idea was quickly shot down as everyone complained about the cold. Ikki frowned before sighing in defeat and turning away, yelling a goodbye, which was returned by almost everyone, and starting to walk away, flanked by Ringo, who decided to try and walk close to Ikki, claiming it'd help them warm up.

Ikki looked weirdly at her for a second before turning around to address Agito and Akito, who were falling behind. "Hey! Ringo just got this idea! We're supposed to get close like this to warm up!" he said to them, taking her suggestion as one for the whole of them, not just him and her.

Agito half-carried half-dragged his twin up towards the two of them, ignoring the look he and Akito—mostly Akito—received from Ringo, and glared up at Ikki.

The gesture made Ikki want to laugh, seeing as Agito was completely soaked and he looked a little like a pissed off drowned kitten, rather than a shark, but seeing the glare intensify made him think otherwise.

"Don't you dare," Agito hissed in warning, seeing the amusement in Ikki's eyes and already telling what he wanted to do.

Ikki just smirked before taking Akito and putting him over his shoulder, careful not to hurt the small bluenette. Akito blushed at the close contact, causing Ringo to subconsciously glare at him, and Agito to, in turn, glare at her.

Ikki, oblivious to the glaring match going on around him, decided they were going too slow and picked up speed, clutching tighter onto to Akito, to make sure he didn't fly off. Agito and Ringo, noticing he was leaving them, raced to match his speed.

Akito, had, meanwhile, fallen asleep on Ikki's back, the cold making him tired. He didn't notice the match between his twin and Ringo. All that mattered to him at the moment was the way Ikki' body temperature rose to warm, thus warming him up at the same time.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Akito was in his subconscious, a black pool of water, links of orange wrapped around him comfortably. He knew he was dreaming, that was the only time he would be able to see Agito here with him. He didn't know why, but they always appeared in this pool when they fell unconscious, both very much aware of being there.

Agito was in the air, floating above him, the same orange links wrapping around him. Both of his eyes were closed, the eye patch nowhere to be seen; they didn't need it her.

Akito smiled at his twin and his eyes slide closed, mind going over all the events that happened up 'till then. His smile faded.

'Ikki hadn't completely kept his promise that day. When he promised he'd save us from the bottom of the well and help us fly. He'd done most of it, he'd saved both of us from the well but he only helped one of us fly.

While one of us flew high in the sky, the other was still stuck on the ground, no longer in the well, but still not in the sky.

He didn't like having to run to keep up with the crow and the continuously growing flock that followed him, so people helped him, letting him fly on borrowed wings, but he didn't like that either.

He wanted to fly on his own.'

He could see it, him flying by himself, instead of having to rely on Agito. It was wonderful, thinking he could do all those things his friends did, and not having to worry about whether or not he was being a burden on his brother.

He wanted to fly too, but not fight, of course. He wouldn't, couldn't fight; not then, not ever. He couldn't imagine hurting another person. As much as he was against it, that was Agito's job.

Thinking of Agito gave him an idea. Maybe I can ask him to teach me how to use ATs? He knew he probably wouldn't be anywhere near as good as Agito, nor as destructive, but still. If Agito could just show him how to do it correctly, he could fly by himself.

His inner self smiled at the prospect of being able to do the things everyone else could do. Maybe Ikki would pay more attention to him then? If he knew how to ride?

The only reason he'd gotten so much attention today was because they all were hanging out together. If it had been any other day, Ikki would have been so busy training with Agito and the rest of them, that he wouldn't have time to pay attention to Akito, or anyone else that wouldn't be able to help in a battle.

But if he knew how to ride, then Ikki would pay him more attention?

That possibly added onto his list of good things about learning ATs caused him to smile happily. He'd ask Agito to teach him tomorrow.

His dreams were filled with images of him and the others riding together, him finally being able to ride by himself.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Agito?" Akito asked excitedly, waiting for his twin to wake up. Ever since his revelation the night before, he'd been waiting for Agito to get up.

Agito growled in annoyance, finally being roused by the innocent bluenette's almost constant calls. "What?" he snapped lightly.

"I have to ask you something!" Akito exclaimed, earning another growl and Agito's attention.

He shifted in the bed until the two of them were face to face. "What?" he repeated.

"Will you teach me how to use Air Treks?" Akito asked, his visible eye shining brightly in glee.

Agito just stared for a second, before his reoccurring dream snapped into his head.

Akito and himself were riding together down a long, green hill, both extremely happy. They try to go up into the air, with Agito holding tightly onto Akito's hand.

But then something happens to Akito, and he falls, no longer riding with him, but him dragging the boy along, a cloud of dust following him.

"Akito!" (1)

Agito blinked, wide-eyed. "No," he deadpanned before turning away.

Akito looked at his twin in disappointment. "No? Why?" he asked.

Agito flinched at that. He hated making Akito sad. "...Just no. I don't want you to ride. You might get hurt."

Akito shook his head. "No I won't! I won't fight or be apart of your battles or anything, I just want to ride," he said.

Agito shook his head again. "I don't care. You could still get hurt. ATs are dangerous," he said, trying to reason his twin out of it.

"Then why do you do it? If you can do it, I should be able to too," Akito said, his excitement completely demolished.

"..." Agito couldn't think of a response to that.

Akito took this as him winning their little argument. He smiled happily. "So you'll teach me, right?"

Agito looked at the pleading boy's face. He sighed. "Fine."

Akito squealed in delight before hugging Agito. Agito automatically stiffened, not used to people touching him without hurting him, but before he could do anything else, Akito had let go.

"Thank you so much, Agito!" he exclaimed.

Agito looked at him for a second before turning away. "Yeah, whatever. Just go back to sleep, it's too early for this."

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A/N: This is my first Air Gear story! I just watched the anime and didn't read too much of the manga. Tell me if it's good or not!

(1) It's talking about the dream Agito said he had when he and Ikki were fighting Behemoth. Except it's a bit different, they aren't floating in white first.

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