sorry about the blood in your mouth. i wish it was mine.
Summary: Kamen Rider Gaim. Betrayal is a funny thing-until it's not. "I didn't want you to find out."
Author's note: Well, after seeing episode 22 this happened. I just don't understand how no one is suspicious of Micchi still.
Disclaimer: Gaim might be a bit happier if I owned it.
Sorry about the blood in your mouth. I wish it was mine.
I couldn't get the boy to kill me, but I wore his jacket for the longest time.
-Richard Siken
"You knew about Yuuya." Kouta quietly accused.
"I didn't want you to find out."
Mai did a double take, looking dangerously close to tears as she began to put together the pieces of the puzzle. "Know what about Yuuya?"
Micchi pressed his lips together, wishing with every fiber of his being Kouta would just keep his mouth shut, would just protect Mai from the ugly truth. She deserved to be able to smile without having to worry about the world ending.
"I killed him." His voice was hoarse and the younger boy closed his eyes and craned his neck towards the sky. It was sunny—too sunny for news like this to be told.
"W-what?"
"It wasn't Yu—"
"You don't know that."
"Kouta…" Mai whispered helplessly, her tears spilling over from her eyes.
"But Micchi…how did you know?" Kouta spun on his heel and his stare bore into Micchi's skull. The younger boy gave a dull smile and turned away, walking towards the railing. He had assumed Kouta would stay blissfully ignorant for longer—he had assumed Kouta wasn't able to brush past the fog and see his true face.
"The white armored rider never told you his name, right?" It wasn't an answer, not really, but then again Micchi couldn't keep assuming Kouta was dumb—he wasn't. Maybe he'd understand it in a way not even Micchi could.
"What does that have to…" Kouta's voice trailed off as Mai collapsed to the ground, covering her mouth with her hands to try and muffle the whimpering sobs escaping from her throat. This wasn't right. Mai wasn't supposed to be crying.
"Takatora Kureshima." Micchi swallowed and tried to block out Mai's mourning cry that seemed to come right from her soul; exposing a painfully honest wound that could easily become infected…and in fact, it probably would.
"…Kureshima?" The words sounded garbled from his mouth.
"Yes." Micchi reached in his pocket and wrapped his fingers around his Ryugen lockseed. It was unfortunate (a little more than unfortunate if he wasn't lying to himself) that their friendship had to end in such a way. Micchi was doing this for them, after all.
"Mai, stand back." Kouta murmured in her ear, smoothing her hair back and hooking his arms under hers and hauling her to her feet. "Mai, go now!"
"Kouta." She sobbed, wiping her face hastily in an attempt to regain her composure. She sniffled once, hard, before straightening up and squaring her shoulders. "Micchi."
"It's okay, Mai," Micchi forced a gentler smile in her direction and nodded, as though giving her permission. "You should go back to the team."
She turned and began to run. She only looked back once.
Micchi wished it was that easy.
"Hai! Budou Arms! Ryu, Hou, Ha-Ha-Ha!"
Kouta slammed his lockseed down.
"Soiya! Orange Arms! Hanamichi on Stage!"
"I'm sorry Micchi, but I can't let you—or Yggdrasil—continue to do this. This isn't how you protect the world."
Beneath a mask, Mitsuzane Kureshima smiles. "It's okay, Kouta. This is how I'm going to protect you."