Anyway, I admit to only watching the anime. I have yet to read the manga so I'm unsure if it goes into how Midori and Ai met, therefore this is my version of their fateful encounter.
Breathless
"Midori, I got what you asked for," a young purple-haired girl approached her partner, swinging an aluminum can between her fingers. A pair of ears still protruded from her head and a tail steadily swung between her legs, poking out of a hole in her skirt.
Her green-haired companion accepted the drink, pulling the tab. It made a familiar hiss as it opened.
"What is it though?" the girl seated herself next to her partner in the empty bus stop.
"Coconut and green bean juice; it's only on for a limited time."
"Coconut…and green bean…juice?" Ai's face contorted in disgust. "You have weird taste, Midori."
"Then you don't want some?" Midori tilted the can teasingly in her direction. "Once we're back in school, you won't be able to taste anything like this again"
"I don't want to taste anything like that ever!" Ai muttered.
Midori shrugged, taking another long gulp of his drink. Soon they would be back in school, not that he particularly minded going back there, but he would miss the freedom they had when outside. Ritsu-sensei was right about Soubi being so strong. He could just imagine Sensei's smile when he heard of what they had been hired to do.
A Fighter and Sacrifice are like soul mates. Two fated companions destined to be together…
He ran as fast as he could through the darkening streets of the city, his heart was pounding against his ribcage and his breaths were short. Skipping over an upturned trash can, he took a short cut through an alleyway and raced the rest of the way down the deserted streets.
He remembered what his senpai had told him. He had spoken to him in that eerie, scary voice that covered his arms with goose pimples and made his tail prickle every time he heard it.
"Sensei worked very hard to find the one who shares your name," he had said. "Don't be late, Breathless."
"I'm late!" he cried, applying another burst of speed.
It was getting darker and darker when he arrived at the appointed spot and the shadows were rising across the street. He looked forlornly at the bus stop where his Fighter would have been waiting had he not been over an hour late. He checked the nearest streets and any bus stops he passed on the way. All of them were painfully empty.
"There's no one here," he sighed, his ears flattening just a little. Maybe he would be punished for loosing his Fighter. He shuddered.
…Fate will bring together those a thousand miles apart…
It was bad news if he could not find the one meant to be his Fighter. Without a Fighter it would be impossible for him to progress any further than he already was.
There was a beach not too far away, though it would be empty during the middle of October. Slowing to a gentle walk, he made his way to the beach. He had a gut feeling that he would find something there.
Twilight was fast approaching. In the west, the sun was beginning to set. It bled into the sky and sea, dyeing the heavens in red, orange and gold and caused the water to sparkle as if a million stars were trapped just below the watery surface.
He saw someone standing balanced precariously on the very tip of the pier, pure white birds swaddling around her feet without a care in the world.
…Without Fate they will miss each other though they come face to face…
It was a young girl. Her hair was clipped short and waved in the sea wind, she still had her cat ears and tail and she was quite young, about his age he estimated. Sunlight illuminated her skin, exploring the creases and crumples in her clothes.
White birds flew over her, casting their shadows over her body. She did not seem to notice him staring at her. Her eyes closed and her chin lifted towards the sky. She looked as if she would sprout wings of her own and fly into the golden sky right there and then.
He moved closer, walking along the pier towards the girl. She did not seem to have noticed him even though he was only a few feet away.
Another step proved fatal to his stealth as startled birds cawed in alarm and flapped their wings to escape from their earth-bound companion. The girl jumped at the sudden disturbance, spinning around in alarm. Their eyes locked and held.
…They will always be drawn together…
She had been angry. She had been left for hours to stand alone like a lemon waiting for her Sacrifice to come. Perhaps she should have known that it was too good to be true that she would have a Sacrifice; that she would finally belong to someone and someone would finally belong to her.
Her anger had subsided as she made her way to the beach, even her frustration and bitter disappointment was quelled by the sound of water gently lapping the land, ebbing and flowing in time with her heart.
Closing her eyes, she reveled in the warmth of the dying sun. Its gentle rays caressed her face and the wind
Suddenly, the birds around her took flight. Her eyes snapped open and she whirled around, eyes instantly meeting crimson ones watching her. She started; surprised that someone could approach her without her noticing. A gasp escaped her lips. For a moment, she stood breathless.
It was him, her fated partner.
Birds flew between them, dropping their feathers as they alighted from the pier. She stared wide eyed at the green haired youth only a few feet away. Their eyes never left each other.
…And their bond will be deeper and more intense than that of any two other people…
Both of them stood, neither one saying a word, and then the girl smiled tentatively and asked; "Are you my Sacrifice?"
The boy nodded, still a little dumbfounded and unable to recover his voice.
The girl's smile broadened. It was no longer shy or nervous and lit her eyes with warmth. "I'm Ai, your Fighter," she bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you…um," she faltered, lowering her head to try and cover the blush with her bangs.
Feathers littered the pier from when the birds had taken their sudden flight. The boy bent down and picked one up between two delicate fingers. It was pure white, without a single fleck of grey or black. Ai curiously watched him twiddle the soft feather between his fingers.
He looked at her, scanning his Fighter once more. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. I'm Midori," he said, and then he smiled.
…So intense it leaves you breathless.
Woo! First MidorixAi! I'd like to write something about Zero (female version) and of course Soubi and Ritsuka. I'd like to think of the italics as Midori remembering something Ritsu-sensei's might have said to him once. So, you know what to do now. R&R!