Disclaimer: These boys aren't mine, but this doesn'tevencountasadrabble is. Air Gear, Ikki, and Kazu are Oh!Great's.

There was a fine line, a very fine line, between what should have been remembered, and what should not. If not for humanity's ability to remember, pass down, and carry their ancestors' mistakes with them, the endless cycles of stupidity would likely be much more rapid. Yet Ikki couldn't bear to let his eyes drudge up the images of his best friend crumpled into a heap, huddling into himself and staring up at Ikki with hollow eyes.

"They didn't stop," Kazu had whispered. "It wasn't that kind of race. Neither of us was playing chicken."

Ikki knew. He knew, but at the time he couldn't find the words or voice to reassure or comfort Kazu. All he could do was fall to the ground as he tried to tug his friend into his arms, knees failing stupendously to support any weight.

The boys had stared for ages at the opposite end of the bridge, not seeing any sign of the opposing team or their competitor. A silly little territory squabble, a bascule bridge, and two groups of overly cocky teenagers.

The rules had seemed simple – bolt to the edge of the bridge, wall ride, and make it across the gap before the partitions became too steep to launch from. The fatal – or well, near-fatal – flaw was how neither of the teams had thought to watch the bridge in action before the time.

Neither team had expected a gap that large. Neither team had expected such a long fall. Neither team had expected such a visibly strong current. And neither team had thought to care.

And though Kazu had managed to make the jump, somehow gathering enough speed to carry momentum up the steep ramp, he only barely managed to reach the underside of the opposing half of the bridge, slamming up against the support bars and holding on for dear life.

Ikki couldn't remember how Kazu had managed to climb up as the bridge lowered, his thoughts blanking from the time when he had rushed – flown – across the closing gap to try and help the other boy back up to safety.

And when they got the chance to look for their opponents, neither of them could pinpoint any other people, just the backside of the giant cargo ship as is chugged off on it's blissfully ignorant way.

Normally Ikki would have helped Kazu search for the remaining players. Normally, the boys would have been able to stand. And by the time they could stand, it was all they could do to move themselves off of the street and into an alley.

Ikki opened his eyes, blinking away the weight from his mental exhaustion as Kazu finally moved for the first time since they collapsed in the dark and cave-like alley. He immediately grinned, pearly whites contrasting with his dirt smudged face. "Sorry, how lame am I?"

Kazu frowned.

"I'm not even the one who got hurt, and here I am lounging around like a huge prick."

"So I'm a huge prick."

"I didn't say that." Ikki chuckled, not bothered at all by his own stupid comments. He'd been chided enough for such absent-minded statements enough now to know that Kazu wouldn't hold it against him.

Kazu fidgeted slightly, but didn't mention the fact that he was perched gently on Ikki's lap, hat slapped messily over his dirtied hair, and aching frame being gently held in his friends arms.

Ikki adjusted as Kazu shifted, also not mentioning how fragile his best friend felt, and how right he felt just sitting there in his grasp – not flying about his head, and not struggling for his life on the underside of a bridge.

There can be fine lines between many concepts and ideas, like things that must be remembered, against things too horrible to be remembered.

There can be fine lines between good and evil, right and wrong, and danger and thrill.

There can be fine lines between friendship and anything more than friendship.

And there can be fine lines between the times when it's better to speak, instead of when it's better to stay silent.

Ikki chose to stay silent, lips holding back the only thought going through his head that was even mildly okay to say to the blonde;

"Hey, man. I'm glad you're alive."

A/N: Oh dear lord, guys. I'm so sorry and you deserve so much better from me after so long. I promise I haven't forgotten Eye of the Storm, I'm just out of my groove.

Which is very obvious, in this story. A short drabble, done after midnight with shakey cold fingers on a silly attempt at something more than a stupid fan fiction.

See even what I'm writing down here makes no sense.

I'm not even gonna try reading through that shit I just wrote, wow.

Any of it. Forgive all of my inevitable typos, grammatical mistakes, and horrible formed sentences. Dedications, I'm sure you know if this is for you.