Since Natsuo had come back from his trip, he had been acting different, he wouldn't tell anyone where he went, and he was more secluded than usual.
Youji was becoming more and more concerned for his fighter. They were never apart and yet now it felt like they were never together anymore. Youji had asked Natsuo about what had happened when he left for his trip, but Natsuo had responded with a simple "Nothing happened, I just got information, that's all." Finally however, Youji couldn't take it anymore, he wanted his fighter back to how he was before.
"Natsuo! Talk to me! Why are you acting like this? What happened?" Youji asked, meeting the redhead's gaze as they stood in Soubi's home, Ritsuka was with him, the two were equally curious about why Natsuo was so distant lately.
Natsuo sighed, his single green eye focused on Youji before it moved to Ritsuka. "I told you, nothing happened. I've just been busy. I did gather all I could on Soubi and Seimei didn't I?" The redhead said. Youji frowned, but didn't push it. He trusted Natsuo and would believe the fighter no matter what.
Ritsuka however was wary of his friend's words. He now found it hard to believe anything Natsuo said based on the fact the redhead lied so often. For all he knew Natsuo had yet to say anything truthful. The black haired youth opened his mouth to speak his thoughts when the front door opened wide, Kio Kaidou coming in carrying various bags. "Hey little brats! Ritsuka too! Where's Sou?" Kio asked with a grin, not knowing Soubi had abandoned them for Seimei.
"He left." Youji answered with a shrug.
"He left?! I mean yes that explains why he hasn't been in class in a while, but he left you guys alone?!" Kio asked, his voice rising slightly.
"That is what he said isn't it?" Natsuo said arching a brow at the man.
"How long has he been gone? Did he leave meals for you? When will he back?" Kio asked, fretting over the three kids like a mother hen.
"He left a week ago. From what I can see the cabinets are basically bare. And we're not sure when he'll be back." Ritsuka answered.
"How dare Sou not leave food for you cuties! I'll make you food right now! You three just sit there and wait!" Kio told the kids before he took his bags into the kitchen.
"I can help if you want, Kio." Natsuo offered, surprising everyone.
Kio blinked at the young fighter, from what he knew, the Zeroes hated to help others, and yet here was Natsuo offering so easily. "Uh...sure? You can chop the vegetables." Kio told Natsuo, remembering how well Natsuo was with a knife last time the redhead was in the kitchen.
Natsuo got to work on chopping up the carrots. His mind wandering as he worked. 'I've known for a long time now that Miss Nagisa hated me. But granny Zero told me miss Nagisa hated her as well, maybe the zeroes she hates have a time limit for how long they have to be zeroes? If so... then when will my time be up?' Natsuo thought before he let out a hiss, his thumb bleeding from where he had cut it with the knife he had been using. He stared in horror at his bleeding finger.
'I-I felt that...' he thought worriedly.
Kio looked over at the younger fighter and frowned as he saw the blood. He grabbed Natsuo's hand and examined it carefully. "Luckily it's not that deep. Some alcohol and a bandage will fix it!" the green haired man told Natsuo.
"I'm fine though. It doesn't hurt." Natsuo lied, hoping he didn't look like he was in pain.
"It may not hurt, but it would be bad if it got infected." Kio said before he went over to where the first aid kit was and took out a band-aid and a bottle of peroxide. He held Natsuo's pale hand over the sink before he poured some of the peroxide onto the cut. Natsuo kept his face neutral, despite wanting to cry out, it hurt too much. Once the peroxide part was over with the band-aid was put on, something Natsuo was grateful for.
"There we go! Good as new!" Kio said with a smile.
Natsuo frowned and looked at his bandaged thumb while Kio was putting the first aid kit back up. 'No.' he thought sadly. 'It's not good as new.'
Dinner was filled with a heavy silence. No one felt like talking. Kio frowned, he hated how this silence felt suffocating. "Uh... so do any of you like art?" he asked, trying hard to break the silence.
"I like to look at it. I can't draw though." Ritsuka said, his eyes focused on the large pot of various meats and vegetables. Youji was looking at it as well, the two of them picking out their favorites and putting them in their bowls.
"It's the same with me, but Natsuo is really good." Youji said before he began to eat.
Kio looked over at the redhead, interested. Maybe he would be able to see some of Natsuo's art work sometime or maybe they could draw something together? "Really? What do you draw?" Kio asked.
Natsuo was staring off into space, not even listening to the conversation, he was distracted by the thought that he was able to feel the pain from hurting himself earlier. He only got back into focus when Youji kicked him. He looked around briefly, noticing Kio's eyes on him. "Huh?" he asked.
"You draw?" Kio reminded.
"Oh yeah. I draw flowers." Natsuo said dazedly. Youji frowned. Was it him, or was Natsuo acting weird around Kio?
Natsuo, who had been playing with his food sighed and stood up. "I'm going out." He announced before he went over to the door to put his shoes on.
"No you're not! Now sit back down and tell me what's going on with you!" Youji ordered, grabbing Natsuo's arm roughly.
Natsuo glared at him. "I'm not Soubi. You can't control me. Now let go." he told his sacrifice.
Youji glared back at Natsuo but let go. He was angry, angry that his fighter was pulling away from him, angry Natsuo was acting so different, and angry at himself for letting it get this out of hand with his fighter's attitude.
"Guys..." Ritsuka muttered, sad to see his two best friends fight like that.
Natsuo swore under his breath as he walked down the street to a nearby park. He hated that he and Youji fought like that and he hated that the fight had caused him to cry, something he very rarely did and annoyed him.
"A fighter? Mimuro! Look!" Natsuo stopped walking and turned around, coming face to face with a guy and girl pair.
"I see that Mei. He's pretty cute and alone this late at night." the male said smiling at Natsuo.
"Mimuro! Stop calling everything cute! But what do you want to do?" The girl, Mei asked, looking up at the male.
"It would be good practice if we were to fight him. Hey little fighter! Want to battle us for the experience?" Mimuro asked.
"You want to battle me for experience? Fine. Let's go. I'm in the mood to attack something anyway." Natsuo said, shrugging at the pair before him.
"Well then call your sacrifice so we can begin." Mei told Natsuo, looking all too eager to fight someone.
"I don't need him. In a battle between us, I'm far superior in strength. I could beat you without even trying." Natsuo said confidently.
"Cocky aren't you? Well we'll see. We're Fearless after all. Meaning we aren't afraid of anything." Mimuro said before he took the girl's hand into his own, their names appearing on the back of their clasped hands.
Mei nodded, her eyes filled with determination. "Systems expand! We request battle!"
"Systems expand! I accept!" Natsuo got ready as well, he could fight solo, he didn't need Youji. The pair he was up against were weak anyway. He knew Youji could feel him activating his battle systems, but he didn't care at the moment.
"Restrain!" Mei yelled, faster than Natsuo expected.
Natsuo gritted his teeth as his wrist was bound by a single rope. "Burst! Infinite tiny bombs explode on your skin."
Mei gulped and looked over at her partner. She couldn't let him get hurt! "Deflect!" she called out, glad they had been practicing.
The spell bounced off of the duo and hit Natsuo, tearing at his skin. 'Damn. This actually hurts.' he thought. "Break apart!"
"No! Deflect again! Don't let it touch Mimuro!" Mei yelled worriedly.
Natsuo fell to the ground, shaking as his arm broke in several places. Tears were threatening to fall as he tried to stand back up. "Stop deflecting!" he told the girl, angry that he had yet to lay a single hit on them.
"Stop sending scary moves at us then!" Mei retorted childishly.
Natsuo rolled his single green eye and began to think of a way to get a hit in. Their power was far below his, even smaller than Breathless' power had been when he met them, but their defense was high and the girl was deflecting every attack he made. "Fire. Come out and burn these fools! Show them what happens when they mess with a zero!" Natsuo called, summoning flames.
"Mimuro..." Mei was scared now as a small inferno came at them.
"I can handle it. Just attack him. He's weak right now." Mimuro whispered, smiling at her despite having been hit by a blast of fire.
Mei nodded. "Right! Uh... From the flames that hurt Mimuro... double the intensity and make it twice as painful!" she tried. Natsuo hissed, he couldn't dodge it. She was faster than he would have liked and the attack was stronger than he expected it to be. His breathing was labored, he could barely move much less fight. He weakly looked up at the pair as they walked over, both smiling.
"That was a good fight! You're really strong!" Mei complemented, the fight over with.
"Yeah... you're not too bad yourself." Natsuo said, still trying to catch his breath.
"You need help? We could walk you home if you like." Mimuro suggested, worried about the redhead he had just faced off against.
"I'm fine. Just go." Natsuo said, standing up. He hated showing weakness and refused to let the two that beat him help him get home.
"Okay then..." Mimuro said though he was wary to leave.
"Come on Mimuro, if he doesn't want help, we shouldn't push it! Let's go to McDonald's before we go home!" Mei said grabbing Mimuro's hand and dragging him away.
"We just got McDonald's." Mimuro whined but allowed his fighter to lead him away.
Natsuo sighed, glad they were gone. He took a single step forward and wobbled a bit before he collapsed, his injuries worse than he thought. "Y-Youji..." he called out for his sacrifice.
Youji sighed, only barely focusing on the game he and Ritsuka were playing. He felt Natsuo activate his battle systems, but it was over so fast he figured there was no need to run over to his fighter's side. He had just started to use a move he knew would kill Ritsuka's character in an instant when he froze suddenly, his cat ears twitching. He could hear Natsuo's voice. He turned toward the door and jumped up. Natsuo! He was calling Youji!
"Natsuo!" he yelled out causing Ritsuka and Kio who had been doing the dishes to look at him with curiosity.
"What's wrong?" Ritsuka asked with a frown.
"Natsuo's calling me! We need to go find him!" Youji was panicking, the last time his fighter had called him was when they were eight and Natsuo had gauged out his own eye.
Ritsuka didn't like how scared Youji sounded and nodded, setting his controller down on the ground before he stood up. Kio was already putting his coat on and grabbing his keys, not sure what kind of state Natsuo would be in. The three quickly put on their shoes and ran down the stairs to Kio's car, getting in so they could find the fighter.
It didn't take them long to find Natsuo. He was in the park, his head resting on one of the benches as if he had passed out there trying to get onto it. His skin had burns and small cuts all over, and his right arm was very obviously broken, lying limply on the ground beside him. "Natsuo!" Youji yelled rushing out of the car as quickly as he could, Kio and Ritsuka heading over as well, both gasping as they saw the boy.
"Is he...okay?" Rituska asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"He is..." Youji answered before he turned to Kio. "Stop just standing there like an idiot and help!" He growled out. Kio jumped but rushed over to Natsuo, lifting him up. Rituska ran ahead to open the door while Youji trailed behind, wondering why Natsuo hadn't called him until it was too late.
"Should I take him to a hospital?" Kio asked once he was back in the driver's seat.
"No. he doesn't need to go. Just take us back home." Youji said, knowing that his fighter just needed sleep and his injuries dealt with.
Kio frowned but drove back to Soubi's place, trusting Youji's judgment. When he pulled up, Ritsuka got out first and opened the door so Kio could carry Natsuo again while Youji ran up the stairs to open the front door and get the first aid kit handy.
Kio began to wrap up Natsuo's wounds, his mind thinking of the numerous times he had to take care of Soubi. Once he was done he let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding and looked at the sleeping redhead.
"How'd he wound his eye?" Kio asked, it had bugged him since the day he had met the pair and with Natsuo asleep, he felt it was a perfect time to ask.
"He did it to himself when we were eight. When it happened, he cried." Youji answered, looking like he was going to cry himself just thinking of his fighter in such a state.
"...I wasn't crying." Kio and Ritsuka jumped as Natsuo sat up, both not expecting him to be up so soon.
"You said you didn't remember that day." Youji reminded while he hugged his fighter from behind, missing how Natsuo let out a small grunt of pain.
"I don't. It's just that I don't cry." Natsuo said prying himself from Youji's bone-crushing grip.
Ritsuka moved closer to his friends, glad Natsuo was awake. "How do you feel?" Ritsuka asked.
Natsuo shrugged. "I'm fine?"
"That's good. I'm keeping you home from school tomorrow anyway though." Kio said. He was worried about Natsuo and refused to let him go to school after being found in such a state barely even ten minutes ago.
"I'm fine though. And I've missed too much school already." Natsuo told Kio, not that he really wanted to go, he just was hoping to use it as a distraction from the ability to feel pain he developed.
"Yes. But you're covered in burns and cuts and have a broken arm. A day of rest won't kill you and I'm sure Youji wouldn't mind getting you the homework you missed." Kio retorted.
"Natsuo. Stay home tomorrow. Seriously you look like you were in a car accident that had the car explode with you in it." Youji told the fighter.
Natsuo sighed, giving in to Youji's plea. "Fine, I'll stay home."
"Good." Youji nodded. "Now before we go to bed, what the hell were you thinking?!" the sacrifice yelled grabbing Natsuo's tail and giving it a harsh tug.
"Hey! Stop that!" "Natsuo cried out, finally managing to free his poor tail and look down at his lap, his sore tail sitting next to him. "Look I just thought I could beat them on my own. Their power level was tiny compared to mine."
"What! That's stupid! You should have called me! We're a team Natsuo!" Youji yelled angry tears falling down his face, he had been so worried about Natsuo and now that his fighter was alright he found himself angry with him.
"I know, okay! I know... I-" Natsuo couldn't stand to look at Youji, seeing him so close to crying made him want to hold him tight and never let go and it scared him, it scared him to think he could be losing his Youji. "...I was just testing something."
Testing what?" Ritsuka asked, curious about the answer.
Natsuo looked up, his green eye glistening with the tears he was holding back. "I was testing the amounts of pain I can feel, if I could feel any."
Youji glared at the back of Natsuo's head. He knew his Fighter was always trying to test out if he was still unable to feel pain or temperature, but it was always so reckless, and this time, he could have been seriously hurt, or worse, if the pair had been any stronger, he could have even died. "And?" Youji asked harshly. "The results were the same as always right?"
'No. because now I was able to feel everything. Now I'm not a Zero.' Natsuo thought sadly. "Yeah. The results were the same." the young Fighter lied, not wanting Youji to know yet about what had happened.
"Then stop with these stupid tests! I seriously thought I was going to lose you! And go to sleep! Even though you're staying home I still need to go!" Youji huffed, obviously upset with Natsuo.
Natsuo was about to argue with Youji and tell him to stop ordering him around, but he was tired. Being so emotional and sore drained him. He laid down beside his sacrifice and curled into him, hoping that when he awoke in the morning it would all have been a horrid dream of his and he'd still be a Zero.
Ritsuka shook his head at the pair, before he turned to Kio. "I'm going to head home. If I stay any later mother will be upset." he told the man.
"Okay. Be safe! I'll be staying here for a while until Sou comes back." Kio said with a smile before he walked into Soubi's room and decided to go to bed early.
Natsuo sighed as he awoke, Youji was already gone for school and Kio was hovering close to him. "Don't you have an art class to go to?" Natsuo asked bitterly, hating the amount of attention Kio was giving him.
"I do. But I want to make sure you're okay enough to leave home alone for an extended period of time." Kio answered without even batting an eye.
Natsuo blinked. "I'll be fine. I'm probably just going to eat something and get some more sleep. You can go. Nothing will happen. Me and Youji have been alone in this house before." Natsuo said, annoyed at Kio.
"Well... if you say so. But call me if you need anything, I put my number in your phone already so if you need me for whatever reason call and I'll come!" Kio said, pointing to the phone the Zeroes owned that lay on the table charging.
Natsuo eyed it, before he sighed. "Sure whatever just get out of here, you're pissing me off."
Kio seemed to accept this as a reasonable answer and left, leaving Natsuo alone in the house.
The redhead got out of his bed and walked over to the kitchen. He moved to open the fridge and stopped, letting out a curse and a hiss as he tried to move the arm he had wrapped up, momentarily forgetting about last night and how he gotten badly hurt. And most of all he had forgotten that he could now feel the pain from the injuries he had received. "Damn...I need to talk to granny Zero." he moved over to his phone and scrolled through until he found the woman's number.
"Need to talk to you. It's urgent." he texted. No sooner had he texted this that he got a reply from Yamato telling him to meet in Shibuya town after school as well as an address for the store she wanted to meet him in. He wrote the name of the store down on a piece of paper and deleted the text, setting his phone down afterward. All he had to do now was head out to Shibuya town and find Yamato.
Youji was starting to get sick of lying about Natsuo. He almost wished his fighter had been awake when he left so he had some sort of excuse handy for when someone asked where Natsuo was. "Is Natsuo alright he's been gone for a while, I'm worried." Yukio asked Youji during lunch,
"Y-Yeah! He's getting better. He had this..uh, terrible cold and stomach flu." Youji said, now wishing he had Natsuo's ability to lie.
"He had that before didn't he? That was a few days ago, wasn't it?" Yukio asked.
"Ack! He did didn't he... heh, uh...I guess it never left..." Youji responded, turning to Ritsuka for help.
"Oh, well I hope he gets better. Maybe we should go see him and wish him well? Do you think he'd enjoy this tangerine from my lunch?" Yukio asked holding up the small fruit, looking at Youji worriedly.
"N-No that's-"
"Good idea, Yukio. We'll go see him after school, and he'd like the tangerine." Ritsuka said interrupting Youji.
"I'm glad you think so, Ritsuka! Hey, We should invite Yayoi too! He's smart, maybe he'd know of something to help!" Yukio said with a smile before she stood up, taking their lunch trays so she could throw the trash away.
"Ritsuka! What are you doing?" Youji hissed after Yukio left.
"Yukio will get worried and won't stop asking about Natsuo until she sees that he's okay. We'll just go over, bring Yukio and then leave." Ritsuka explained to his friend.
Youji agreed, knowing Ritsuka was right, and hoped Natsuo would be okay with it.
Natsuo swore as he put on his clothes, he didn't think about how his arm would still be sore even after sleep. He sighed and tied his shoes, pocketing the address and getting ready to leave. He was just about ready to head out the door when he heard the voices of Youji, Ritsuka, Yayoi, Yukio and Kio coming up the stairs. "Crap... if they see me leave..." Natsuo muttered and quickly climbed into bed, acting like he was asleep, his clothes and shoes on underneath his thick blankets.
"Natsuo! We're home and brought Yukio and that other dude Ritsuka knows!" Youji called out.
"Welcome home..." Natsuo said, making his voice sound weak.
"Oh Natsuo! You sound awful! Here! I brought you the tangerine from my lunch to make you feel better!" Yukio said going over to the bed and handing him the fruit.
"Thanks..." Natsuo said looking over at Ritsuka and Youji so he could know what kind of excuse they gave him at school.
"I heard ginger ale helps calm an upset stomach so on our way here I picked some up for you." Yayoi added, handing a large bottle over to him.
"Yeah. Hey, Natsuo needs plenty of rest for his stomach flu. Thanks for coming over and trying to help him. Natsuo you sleep, okay? Kio? Can you watch over him while me and Ritsuka go play with our friends in the park?" Youji asked before he dragged Ritsuka out of the house.
Once they were gone Natsuo let out a loud sigh and threw the blankets off of him. "I need to start writing excuses down for him, stomach flu? Really Youji?" the redhead mumbled before he stood up. "You can go now, Kio. I'll be out anyway and there's not much point in you staying in an empty house."
The man shook his head. "No way, little brat. I kept you home so you could rest, just where the hell are you going anyway?" he asked sternly.
"Like I have to tell you anyway. But if you really want to know. I'm going to Shibuya town on business. Now that you know, good bye." Natsuo said and made his way to the front door, ready to leave and talk with Yamato.
"Like hell you're going there! What do you have to go there for anyway?" Kio questioned, standing in front of Natsuo so the redhead couldn't leave.
"I told you I have business there. Now move before I make you." Natsuo growled out, trying to push the green haired man out of the way with one arm.
"It's a two hour drive from here to Shibuya, an hour and a half if you take the train and you're hurt. Youji asked me to watch you while he's gone and I won't let you leave on your own to a large town like that by yourself where you're cuteness could get taken! Now unless you let me take you and stay with you the entire time, get back in that bed." Kio was strong and refused to back down, not when he felt Natsuo was going to do something stupid.
Natsuo glared at him, his single green eye darkening before he deflated. He had to meet with Yamato soon and if it was the choice of having Kio drive him or stay home and miss a chance to see the older sacrifice, he'd deal with the man. Plus in a big town like that, he could easily lose Kio. "Fine. Let's go."
The drive was long and silent, Natsuo busy thinking of what he was going to say to Yamato, and Kio not wanting to anger the boy that was so skilled at using knives. When they got to Shibuya, Natsuo looked at all of the large building and pulled out the address. He walked ahead, rolling his only eye as he heard Kio panic and run behind him. He finally found the store Yamato asked to meet him, a cute little tea house and made his way over to Yamato.
"Whoa! What happened to you? You look like you've been put through the ringer!" Yamato commented, her eyes large as she saw Natsuo's appearance.
"Thanks. I actually feel like that. But I guess this is what I get for fighting on my own." Natsuo said, holding his injured arm.
"You feel that?" Yamato asked, pointing to the bandages that covered the young fighter.
Natsuo sighed. "Yeah...and, it scares me believe it or not. If I can feel this, then does that mean I'm no longer a Zero? It can't be true. Being a Zero, it's what is keeping us together." Natsuo said, referring to himself and Youji.
Yamato hummed and went over to the ordering counter, buying two drinks while Natsuo went to a table and sat down, his mind swirling. It was a few minutes later that she came back, holding two steaming cups of coffee. "I used to think the same way, that being a Zero was the thing keeping Kouya with me," Yamato said, causing Natsuo to jump.
She let out a small laugh and set their drinks down on the small table. "But you know, when I lost my name. Kouya was closer than ever before to me. If Youji really loves you, than even if Miss Nagisa orders Youji to come back to her, he'll stay with you."
Natsuo looked down at his coffee. If Nagisa did tell Youji to come back to her, would he stay? He doubted it. He knew Youji and he knew that no matter what Youji would go with Nagisa. "I don't think he'd stay if Nagisa called. He loves her far more than he loves me. He'd go back to her."
"You think so? When we were against each other, I could feel your bond. It was strong. A strong bond like that wouldn't break so easily." Yamato tried reassuring the boy.
"But...he doesn't love me the way I love him! He loves older women like that! I say I like older women to go along with Youji. But he really likes them! He unhooked our teacher's bra before, he's always looking at her boobs or Nagisa's boobs saying things like, "Hey, check her out! She's pretty and still has her ears! And look at her boobs! Their big and bouncy!" I just, it would be nice if he checked me out like he does our teacher..." Natsuo ranted, ending it with a slight pout, not noticing how irritated Yamato now was upon hearing about the younger Zero sacrifice.
"He's said that before?" she deadpanned.
Natsuo nodded and took a sip of his coffee before he spoke again. "Or if the woman is flat chested he'll laugh and-"
Yamato had enough and covered Natsuo's mouth with her hand. "I get it. Look, and I'm just throwing this out there but, why don't you try and kiss him? You know, be abrupt with him? It worked for me." Yamato suggested as she took her hand away, her mind traveling to her precious Kouya.
Natsuo's cheeks were as red as his hair and he was shaking his head rapidly, his long curls moving with him. "No! I can't do that! Ew! He'd think I was a total weirdo! If I did that, he'd leave for sure!"
Yamato shrugged. "Okay, it was just a suggestion no need to get your panties in a bunch." she then frowned, realizing the situation they were now in. "Look, even if you tell him, or don't... Just try and keep him from leaving. If he leaves then he'll get paired up with Kouya and it'll be on your head."
"I won't let that happen. I told you before, I'm way ahead of you on that. Anyway thanks I guess. I have to get home before Youji does or else he'll know something is up." Natsuo said getting up. Yamato nodded and stood as well.
"Be careful now. You can feel things now." Yamato said, referring to his injuries before she left the redhead alone.
Natsuo frowned, knowing she was right and left the tea house to try and find Kio. To his complete lack of surprise, the green haired man wasn't hard to spot as he tried and failed to hide behind a newspaper on a bench right outside where Natsuo just was at.
"Let's go Kio." Natsuo told the man.
"So was that your girlfriend you were with?" Kio asked as the two walked back to Kio's car.
"What?! No! She's my...friend, kind of. Anyway, don't tell Youji about this trip, He'll ask too many questions and get upset at the answers." Natsuo told the man before he climbed into the car, hoping they would get home before Youji and Ritsuka.
A redone version for all of you! and it's better! please review!