"Ayato", Tatara called upon the young teen. The dark-haired male looked up at his superior, awaiting his orders. "I need you to stakeout an old building that could be a potential hideout if the need ever arises." The young executive nodded curtly and turned to exit the room, when he was called again. "And take the new recruit with you. Her abilities may prove useful in missions like these." Ayato scowled and opened his mouth to argue, but the look in Tatara's eyes made him think better of it.
Truth be told, Ayato had no qualms with stakeout missions. He'd done them many times and in fact he quite enjoyed being able to get away from Aogiri once in a while. What he didn't like, however, was having to babysit the new recruits. "Tch, fine!" he stormed out, missing the small smirk on the white-haired man's features.
Hinami hurried to meet up with her broody companion. She was surprised when she was told that she would be tagging along with the young executive for a mission, but was relieved when informed that it was just a stakeout. She couldn't handle their other types of missions just yet.
She slowed when she saw the other teen a few feet away, simply nodding his acknowledgement before turning away.
"Keep up", Ayato muttered. The young brunette obediently followed her dark-haired companion, running through alleys and leaping across rooftops.
The sky was darkening when they finally arrived at the building, leaping softly onto the rooftop. Hinami wrapped her arms around herself against the chilly autumn breeze. In her haste to meet up with her young superior, the brunette had forgotten her warm coat. She'd heard stories about the boy's explosive temper and wanted to avoid making him angry by keeping him waiting.
Her gaze lifted to see him watching her silently, and she realized that he was waiting for her to use her reconnaissance techniques. Hinami took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She began a sweep of the building, trying to sense any other people in the large structure. She could feel dark eyes watching her curiously, but she tried to ignore that and focus on the task at hand. After a moment she met his gaze and nodded, signaling that the coast was clear. Ayato said nothing, but Hinami could make out a faint smile gracing his beautiful features. She tried not to beam at the small gesture of approval, and followed him inside to check on the condition of the building. They were to search for anything that could prove this building useful for the Aogiri members.
The brunette walked silently through the halls, checking every room she came across. Ayato had decided to split-up so that they would cover more ground quicker. She took her time, choosing to ponder over her dark-haired companion along the way.
Hinami thought about the stories she'd hear about the broody teen. Despite his age, the young executive was feared and begrudgingly respected throughout Aogiri. The brunette knew firsthand just how frightening he could be. He wasn't exactly welcoming when she had first joined Aogiri months ago, instead putting her down and demanding she leave, saying she wasn't fit for this way of life. Hinami couldn't argue with that point, she had never been a fighter; instead she was always protected and kept safe by her loved ones. It was the main reason she had joined Aogiri in the first place. She was tired of not being able to protect herself and those she cared for, she wanted to get stronger and be able to stand on her own and help others.
Despite his initial harshness towards her, Hinami found herself becoming quite attached to the dark-haired boy. She felt safe and comfortable when she was with him, safer than with anyone else in the organization. The fact that he was Touka's family and he even resembled his sister in many aspects made her feel a little better in this brutal environment. She pondered over the fact that he was very close in age to her, yet he was so much stronger, toughened by years of striving on his own and the all battles that he'd fought. He'd seen this cruel, wretched world for what it really was, and at such a young age. Ayato was one of the strongest and most fearless people she had ever met…
Suddenly, an obscene shriek of pure terror jarred Hinami from her thoughts, followed by loud crashing sounds. "Ayato-kun!" she spun on her heel and sprinted towards the noise, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. 'I was very thorough, I'm sure I didn't miss anything!' Hinami thought to herself, panicking. 'If even Ayato-kun is this terrified, then what chance do I have?' the brunette imagined many terrible scenarios, interrupted by another scream and crash. She shook her head and berated herself for thinking such things.
She rounded the corner and skidded into the room, where she found Ayato plastered to a wall, sweating and cursing. She quickly surveyed the room, looking for the cause of the teen's distressed state. When she couldn't sense any threat, Hinami paused and looked up at her dark-haired companion, confusion etching her delicate features. The boy hadn't seemed to notice her yet, his gaze fixated on something near the door. She followed his gaze until her eyes stopped on a heinous pile of cockroaches under some crystal-like kagune shards. She turned back to her still quaking companion and raised her fine eyebrows. "Ayato-kun?" The dark-haired male startled upon noticing her, and quickly attempted to compose himself. "Are you afraid of bugs?" she inquired curiously, and couldn't help but be amused. 'Who knew the young and feared executive of Aogiri tree was terrified of bugs?'
The embarrassed teen said nothing, instead opting to glare at her, silently warning, 'Not a word'. Hinami turned away to hide her smile. Despite discovering her companion in a vulnerable state, she knew better than to anger him.
A disbelieving gasp and Hinami's head snapped up in time to see Ayato hurriedly edging along the wall away from the door, into the far corner the whole while muttering "You've got to be kidding me. Why don't you just stay dead, you freaky abomination!?" The roaches were near the doorway and had effectively trapped the distressed teen, advancing on him. "Stay back!" wing-like kagune erupted from Ayato's shoulders and he let loose a storm of shards towards the little pests. A couple particularly large horrors had managed to fly through the storm and Ayato shrieked, diving to the side and behind Hinami, who had extracted her kagune and quickly sliced them all in half before he could blink.
He paused and stared at the horde of carcasses falling to the floor and then at the brunette, something akin to awe on his youthful features. Hinami looked up at him, a single eyebrow raised expectantly. Ayato blinked and then the usual scowl took over his awed expression. He cleared his throat and his eyes darted around, looking everywhere but at the girl who had not only seen him in such an undignified state, but had saved him without any problem.
He opened his mouth and Hinami couldn't help the small glimmer of hope that began to bloom in her chest. "Just forget this ever happened", he grunted, spinning on his heel to exit the room, hands shoved in his pockets. And just like that, what little hope she'd had, vanished.
Hinami blinked and stared after him, disheartened. She knew that she shouldn't have expected any gratitude from him, but a part of her yearned for it. She wanted him to acknowledge that she'd gotten stronger; that the months she had sacrificed to stay in this brutal environment was well worth it. Instead, he'd acted like it wasn't worth remembering. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed deeply before following the dark-haired executive.
Hinami sat on the hard concrete roof of the building near the exit, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Now she really regretted forgetting her warm coat. Her head rested on her knees and she gritted her teeth against a swift, chilly breeze. She could just have occupied one of the rooms for the night, but it was easier to keep alert on the roof, where it would be easier to detect any threat approaching.
She looked up at her dark-haired companion, who was perched on the metal railing, overlooking the city. The isolated teen had always preferred being in high places, left alone with his thoughts. Hinami faintly recalled Yomo-san being the same way and smiled wistfully. She shook her head to banish any thoughts of longing that followed, not willing to start regretting her decisions now. A tired sigh left her lips and she let her head rest on her knees again.
The only time Ayato had acknowledged her since the earlier incident, was to inform her that they would rest for the night here, and then return to Aogiri in the morning. Other than that he hadn't even looked her way. She looked up again, and both their eyes widened in surprise when she briefly met his dark gaze. He quickly turned away again. She pouted and huffed into her knees, annoyed and confused. The cold was making her even crankier, and she had even considered throwing some pebbles at him. Instead, she had opted to silently glare at his back every few minutes, taking pleasure in the way he would tense up every time.
A strong gust of cool air made her shiver and duck her head back into the safety of her arms. The temperature had dropped by several degrees in the past couple hours, leaving the distressed brunette a teeth-chattering, quaking mess. "Tch", followed by a deep sigh, and then she heard footsteps drawing near. Strong arms enveloped Hinami and she froze. She let herself be guided to lean against a warm chest, head tucked under his chin. "Baka", Ayato murmured softly.
Getting over the initial shock, Hinami felt heat spread to her cheeks when she registered their position. An awkward silence fell over them. When it was close to becoming unbearable, Hinami opened her mouth to speak, but Ayato beat her to it. "Thanks", he murmured, barely audible. Hinami's eyes widened and she tried to turn to see his face, but he held tighter, too embarrassed to meet her gaze. Ayato didn't elaborate, but it was enough.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, a shy and content smile gracing her delicate features. They stayed like that for the night, resting peacefully and warm, despite the cold autumn night.