Hey! I know, I've not updated 'Joy, Pain and Regret' nor have I updated 'The Maze', but this one shot just popped into my head and I felt like writing it down. I'm trying my best to update so pls bear with me. It took me about three days to type it and it's the longest word count since I kinda got carried away while writing. I hope you enjoy this one shot. I hope none of the characters are ooc. This one shot portrays both their thoughts and feelings.
Disclaimer: I never did own Kaze no Stigma.
A blood curling screech pierced through the air as the youma slowly disintegrated into nothingness. Ayano gave a massive sigh, wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
The mission was over. Successfully.
He watched her glum mood. The energy around her was quite low considering her usual energy. But his own sadness and guilt was so much that he didn't really care for her petty troubles.
It was that day. The day where he lost everything that mattered to him. Tsui Ling.
He told Ayano that he was going somewhere and that he would not be taking any missions. At least not for a few days.
She just nodded her head, not asking him where he was going or what he would be doing. It was unlike her but right now he couldn't care less.
She turned around and walked away towards her house without a word. He watched the twenty year old woman walk away from him, her crimson hair waving and flying around her in the slight breeze. She didn't look back and he slowly turned and went his own way.
He stood on top of a tall building, his eyes scanning the city at night with its night clubs and shining lights. He slowly closed his eyes, seeing a long haired brunette with loving jade green eyes. But then the scene changed and he saw her covered in blood as her soul was sucked out of her.
Her scream echoed in his brain as her last words came back to him.
"She wished you were dead."
His eyes snapped open. He stood up, flying down from the high- rise building and landing on the floor with a soft thud. He started walking towards a bar where he could drown out his guilty conscience in unlimited alcohol.
He woke up with a start, his head throbbing from all the alcohol that he had last night. Looking to his right side, he saw a random woman sleeping next to him, her body tangled in the bed sheets. His phone started ringing. The girl beside him started stirring.
He reached over and took his phone from the bedside table. It was Ren. Pressing the answer button, he held his throbbing head with his other hand and spoke to his younger brother in an annoyed tone.
"What is it Ren?" The girl next to him sat up, listening to his conversation.
"Nii san!" Ren's voice was filled with worry. Kazuma sat up straight in bed, becoming suddenly alert.
"What happened Ren?" He asked again, calmly.
"Do you know where nee san is?" His body tensed.
"No. Why?" He replied.
"She didn't come home last night. I thought she stayed over with Nanase and Yukari. But when she didn't return home even in the morning, I called both of them. They didn't see her after college. So I thought she might
be with you…." His voice trailed off.
"Did you notify Jugo?"
"That's the strange thing. When I reported this to him, he seemed really out of it. He said that it was okay and to leave her be. Then he spaced out suddenly." Ren's voice now became a shriek, his patience wearing thin.
Kazuma slowly rubbed his temple. "So you have no idea where she might have gone?"
"No" came the reply. "Could she have been kidnapped nii- san?" His little brother asked him rather nervously.
"I don't know. I'll be right over Ren." He hung up quickly, reaching out for his shirt and pulling it on quickly. Grabbing his cell phone, he turned around when the blonde – who he seemed to have forgotten – called out to him.
"Where are you going?" She asked with a slight accent.
What the heck! She's a foreigner?!
"Out." He replied curtly before slamming the apartment door on the unknown woman's face.
He landed in the Kannagi compounds and saw Ren pacing nervously around the garden. As soon as the fourteen year old boy saw him, he came rushing over to his brother.
"Nii-san! You're here!"
"Now tell me where have you searched so far and have you tried talking to Jugo again?"
Ren shook his head." Yes, I tried talking to Uncle Jugo, but he's really seems out of it. So don't bother talking to him. I searched all the usual places where she goes…the cake shop, the park, the karaoke place…..but she's nowhere."
Kazuma opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by his brother "But I'm sure Yumeka-san knows where she is!"
"Yumeka-san?" Kazuma's eyebrows raised in question.
"Yes, she's nee-san's personal maid. She's middle aged and has been working for the family for many years. She and nee san are very close."
Just then, said maid was walking down the hallway. Spotting her, Ren called out. "Yumeka-san!"
She turned around at her name and started walking towards them.
"Yes, Ren-kun. What 's the matter?"
The blonde looked at the dark haired, blue eyed middle aged kindly woman and asked bluntly "Do you know where nee san is?"
Yumeka san looked slightly surprised and was silent for a few minutes before replying silently. "I think she needs time alone young man. I suggest you stop looking for her. Today is a bad day for that poor child." She said this sternly, looking at Ren with her smoldering blue gaze.
"So she hasn't been kidnapped, has she? Then why didn't she come home last night?"
Yumeka-san looked at the blond wearily but her face contorted into something that resembled worry. "She didn't come home?"
"No." Ren replied. All the time Kazuma just stood there silently, listening to the conversation. Now he stepped in, deciding that this was taking way more time than necessary.
"Look, we know that you know where Ayano is. So just tell us okay? She hasn't come home at night. For all we know, she might be in big trouble right now."
Yumeka-san's gaze turned towards him. Sighing, her shoulders slumped and she said dejectedly; "Fine. I'll tell you. You youngsters sure are pushy!"
She looked them in the eye. "I'm only telling you this because I'm worried about Ayano-chan. I'm not sure if she'll be there but it's a good guess. She'll be at the foot of Mount Yamasaki." She looked at Kazuma. "You'll find her there."
Ren turned towards his brother. "Let's go nii-san." But before he could take another step, Yumeka san's voice stopped him.
"You are not going anywhere young man."
"What?! Why? "Ren asked.
"First, you've got pending homework. Second, you've got training to do with your father and I'm sure he'll be quite angry if you don't show up."
"I guess you won't be coming little bro." Kazuma said before Ren could protest. "I'll take care of things. Trust me."
With that, he took off into the sky, leaving an angry little brother behind.
Mount Yamasaki was on the outskirts of town and it took one hour to reach there by car, but by air, it only took fifteen minutes.
He flew at max speed, noticing the black clouds of rain in the sky. It was raining heavily in a few minutes and by the time Mount Yamasaki came into view, he was completely drenched.
As soon as he reached, he scanned the base of the small mountain from the sky. He knew this place. This was where members of the Kannagi family were buried after their death.
He spotted the cemetery and saw a figure standing in front of a tombstone.
He landed with a soft thud, walking towards the drenched and slightly swaying figure.
"Ayano?" He called out cautiously, praying that it was her.
As he came closer, he saw the said girl standing with a dazed and unfocused look in her eyes. She didn't seem to notice his presence. As he was about to shake her shoulders to gain her attention, she started losing her balance, falling in his arms.
He looked down at her and watched as she muttered.
"It s-should have b-been me who died….not her." Her eyes closed as she lost consciousness and fell limply in his arms.
He carried the red haired girl bridal style, wondering the meaning of her words. But before he took off into the sky, he turned to look at the gravestone in front of which the heiress of the Kannagi clan had been standing. Reading the engraving, he finally realized why she was here and why it was such an important day for her.
In Loving Memory Of,
Arisa Kannagi
A beloved mother, wife,
daughter, sister and an
important member of the Kannagi clan.
You will always be remembered.
He looked at the girl in his arms. It was her mother's tomb. Today was the day her mother died.
Collecting his wind, he flew in the sky, an image of a crimson haired kindly young woman fixed in his mind. Aunt Arisa…
She was the only person who he still considered family…..even though she had passed away. He closed his eyes momentarily and remembered how she used to treat his wounds after his arduous training with his father, how she always tried to motivate him and how she always asked his old man to cut his son some slack. He remembered her very well. She was just like Ayano, with her long crimson hair that was always fashionably braided, her kind and beautiful face, and her soothing voice. He was only thirteen when she passed away and he still remembered the grieving people. That night, he had cried himself to sleep.
Reaching his destination, he landed in an alley and started walking towards a hotel.
Her head was paining. Badly.
She slowly got up, sitting up in the bed, holding her aching head in her trembling hands. She looked at her surroundings. She was in a room. Looking around, she saw two windows on her right side and saw that in was raining outside.
Rain.
Wait a minute! Wasn't she just outside in the rain!? How had she come here?
She panicked. Looking down, she noticed that she wasn't in her normal clothes. She was in new jeans and a green coloured top.
What had happened to her clothes!?
Now Ayano had completely freaked out. She thought about all the bad things that might have happened to her.
Rape? She certainly didn't hope so.
Kidnapped? That didn't seem likely.
And so the list went on.
She was so engrossed in her thinking that she didn't notice the door open and she also didn't see the tall brown haired man that walked in. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.
"I see that we're finally up."
A shriek escaped her lips and she almost jumped into a defense stance.
"KAZUMA!" She shouted, realizing that it was him.
"Yup." He said, popping that 'p'
"Did you bring me here?"
"Yup."
Her face turned as red as her hair as realization dawned on her.
"DID YOU CHANGE MY CLOTHES!?" The temperature in the room became higher as she glared at him, her eyes narrowed to silts and her face as red as her hair.
He smirked, a teasing expression overtaking his usually emotionless face.
"No, I didn't." He heard her give a sigh of relief. "But I would have loved to if I knew you wanted me to."
She shrieked. "PERVERT!"
He merely chuckled.
"I asked one of the hotel maids to change you." He answered her unasked question.
Ayano looked at her hands, feeling his unnerving gaze on her. Finally the silence became too awkward for her, she stammered, finally looking him in the eye.
"What?" Her voice was quiet. She knew what he wanted to know. But they were all things that she didn't want to answer. But she just couldn't bear the damn silence anymore!
He looked at her, his dark coloured eyes penetrating her as if they were seeing through her entire soul. He didn't speak for a while and she just wondered if he hadn't heard her, but that didn't seem likely. They were in a quiet room, alone and in complete silence. There was no way that he wouldn't have heard her. So she just sat silently, squirming under his gaze.
"Why?" She looked up, startled. He had spoken.
She pretended not to understand. "Why what?" She tried to look confused but she must have failed because his next question confirmed that.
"What were you doing in that pouring rain and why didn't you go home last night?"
She remained silent, suddenly finding her fingers interesting.
"AYANO!" She jumped, and made the mistake of looking at his face.
His usually calm demeanor had broken and he had an angry expression on his face. He had never given her that look before. That was the look he gave to enemies. The fact that he had given her that look really meant that she was in trouble.
Knowing that there was no escape, she answered in timid voice. "I wanted to be alone."
His face softened. "Why didn't you go to Nanase or Yukari? Ren was really worried about you."
"I couldn't go to them. They wouldn't understand. No one can understand." Her bangs covered her eyes so he couldn't see her expression.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently, knowing that it felt better when you talked to someone about your troubles. She had listened to him, so maybe he could return the favor.
"YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!" He was surprised at her sudden change of mood and watched as her shoulders shook and as drops of tears fell down on her folded hands.
"Why can't I understand?" He asked calmly.
"Because…" She started sobbing, kicking off the covers and standing on her feet and stood in front of his tall figure, just barely reaching his collarbone.
"Let's just go home" She said, still sobbing and trying unsuccessfully to stop. She tried to walk past him but he grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"No." Came his simple reply.
He had never seen her like this. So touchy, so emotional, so…vulnerable. He didn't like it one bit. Where was that fiery temper of her? That burning personality? Where was the girl that fought him that night at Pandemonium?
He had the sudden urge to hug her. To tell her that it was going to be alright. And for the first time in many years, Kazuma Yagami listened to his heart. Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her closer so that she was sobbing on his chest, making his dry shirt wet(A/N: He changed into dry clothes.).
He didn't know how long he stood there with her in his arms, but after some time, her sobbing stopped and she stood silently in his arms. Slowly, she pulled out of his warm embrace and looked down, avoiding his eyes.
"Let's go home." She said in a timid voice.
"Tell me what's wrong."
"Why are you doing this?" She looked up at him defiantly, anger in her eyes.
"I'm trying to help." He replied calmly.
"Help?" A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Help!? You're just doing this for money aren't you!? You don't really care what's wrong! The only reason you came here is because you're getting paid! Isn't that right!? ANSWER ME!" Her voice increased by one decibel at each word, anger evident in her eyes.
"Ayano I re-"He tried to speak but the emotional wreak in front of him interrupted him.
"NO! LET ME TELL YOU THE ANSWER! ALL YOU CARE IS ABOUT YOURSELF! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME OR REN OR ANYBODY ELSE! MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! THAT'S ALL YOU EVER CARE ABOUT. IF YOU REALLY CARED, YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT I-"He had enough. Shaking her shoulders, he forced her to look at him.
"AYANO! Listen to me!" He looked in those enraged crimson orbs. "I didn't come here for money. I came here because I was worried!" She stopped squirming, but there was still anger in her eyes.
"You didn't return home at night. You weren't answering your phone. No one knew where you were!"She stood silently. " DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED REN WAS? How worried I was…?"
Her head was down as she stared at the floor.
"I'm sorry. Let's forget I ever said that." She was trying to evade the topic, he knew that. He had never seen her so messed up. So he looked at her and asked her more gently; "What's wrong?"
She refused to answer, standing silently.
"Is it about Aunt Arisa?" Her head snapped up, hearing her mother's name.
"H-How d-did you…..?" She stammered.
"I know that today is the day she passed away. But Ayano, you've got to understand, your mother died on a mission. She fought bravely and killed her opponent. I'm sorry that she didn't make it…." His voice was filled with regret as he looked at the said woman's only daughter.
"You don't understand…" Her shoulders shook again and he knew that she was crying.
"Ayano…..' He tried to calm her, but was interrupted. Again.
"She didn't die. She would still be alive…..if it weren't for me…"
"What?" His voice was gentle, but he was shocked. Everyone believed that Arisa Kannagi had died during a mission. At least that's what he had been told.
"I'm responsible for her death. She died because of me! If I hadn't gone searching for her….if I hadn't come between her fight…if she hadn't pushed me away from the enemy's blow…..then she would still be alive." She was now like a hysterical child. Her face was filled with tears, her eyes were puffy and her shirt was crumpled.
He just stood there silently and in shock.
"She pushed me out of harm's way and got hit instead. She would have easily won if I hadn't intervened! I killed her! DID YOU HEAR THAT! I KILLED MY OWN MOTHER!" She shouted like a lunatic.
Breaking out of his shocked stone–like state, he shook his head. "Calm down Ayano!" He shook her shoulders. "No. You're not responsible. You were only seven when she died. There was no way you could have known or understood what was going on! Do you know why your mother saved you? It's because she loved you and I'm sure that she just couldn't bear to see her daughter get hit and die in front of her eyes. Call it mother's instinct….."
"You're right…she did love me…Do you know what her last words were? She said to me 'Remember that I'll always love you…no matter what.'" A sad smile graced her lips.
"She died in front of me. And there was nothing I could do instead of watch her take her last breath. I know that I was a kid and there was no way that I could have done anything but….."She looked up, having calmed down a lot.
"You still blamed yourself…." He completed for her.
"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I shouldn't have said all that before. Thank you for helping me." But she was still crying.
"Didn't you tell me not to dwell on the past? Then why are you doing the same thing? Why don't you do what your mother would have wanted and just live your life and be happy? Don't be like me."
"I always try to do that. That's the reason no one has ever found out about mother…But when that day comes, somehow I cannot control myself and I just want to be alone with her. Because no matter how much I apologize to her, it will never be enough. Dad never blamed me for her death but I know about all the agony that I've caused him. But you are right. I should just get over it. That'll be the best for her…and for me." She smiled.
He smiled back, realizing something. There were people out there who had lost something dear to them. But they had managed to live. Ayano had gone through this trauma when she was seven and he had lost Tsui Ling when he was eighteen. If seven year old Ayano could handle it then so could he. No one could replace her mother but he could learn to love again. And the key to his future was standing in front of him. Ayano.
He took steps towards her so that their bodies were almost touching. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear; "You really are something else." He felt her shiver and an evil smile covered his face.
Pulling away, he raised her chin and bent down, capturing her lips with his. She gasped, obviously shocked. But soon she kissed him back. He didn't know how long they kissed, but when they pulled apart they were both gasping for air. Her face was every redder than her hair. If that was even possible.
"W-Why did y-you do t-that?" She stammered.
"I told you before didn't I?" He smirked. "I'm very selfish and I have strong desires."She blushed even more.
Smiling at her flustered face, he said in a gentle voice.
"Why don't we help each other?" She looked confused at his question. So he elaborated.
"I'll help you forget about your mother and you help me forget about Tsui Ling. How's that?" She looked at him, red in the face.
"W-What d-do you mean?" She mentally smacked herself for stammering. He was just playing with her like always, wasn't he? But all thoughts left her brain when he spoke.
"What I mean is…..this." His lips crashed on hers again in a passionate kiss, almost knocking the air out of her.
He was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of being alone, tired of feeling guilty, tired of being lonely….He was gonna move on now because he was sensible and knew that Ayano wouldn't wait for him forever.
She felt save. Safe in his arms. She had never felt like this before. Only he made these emotions come out. Whenever he was around, her heart started beating loudly, her brain would stop working and she would turn into the sixteen year old girl that she had been when they first met.
Pulling away, he rested his forehead on hers.
"See what I mean…" He murmured.
"Yeah."
"We're quite the couple, aren't we?" He chuckled.
She blushed a deep red as she looked at him and nodded her head.
"It just feels perfect to have you here…like this." He gestured towards their position, with his hands around her and her hands on his chest.
She nodded. "It does." Her beautiful blush was still on her face.
"I'm moving on." He stated.
"But I thought-"She started but was interrupted.
"Tsui Ling is the past. I've always cared for you, but I wanted to sort my feelings out before telling you anything. And I think that I've finally succeeded. That's the last time that I ever drink myself unconscious on her death anniversary."
"You did what?" She asked.
"Never mind…." He replied hastily, not wanting to tell her his state last night nor about the woman that he had woken up beside. He didn't even remember anything himself.
She seemed to have dismissed the topic.
"I love you." The words just came out and she was surprised at having said it without stammering. Now that they were out, she decided to go for it. "But you've known this all along."
She almost expected him to deny it, but he didn't.
"I've known."He said.
Just then his phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he picked up the call, pressing the answer button.
"Nii-san! When are you heading back? Is nee-san alright?"Ren's voice came over the line.
"Yes, she's fine. And we're heading back now that the rain has stopped." He looked through the window, seeing the clear blue sky.
"Ok then. I'll wait for you. Bye." Ren hung up and the line went dead.
Shutting his phone, he looked at her questioning eyes.
"It was Ren. He's waiting for us. You have got some explaining to do to that poor kid. He was worried sick because of you." She nodded.
"Kazuma?" She asked before they were in the sky.
"Hm?"
"Can you keep this a secret? What I told you?" She asked tensely.
"Your secret is safe with me." He replied gently, before pulling her closer and flying back home.
There! It's done! I hope the characters weren't ooc. I hope you guys enjoyed reading. I wanted to show how much she has been affected by her mom's death. I just thought that it would be sweet, you know, if both of them could help each other. I hope it isn't too rushed.
Please review! Thank you!~