Please Read!
So I've decided that I have to keep IkkiKazu in this world and to do that I'm going to keep writing these little one shots in my free time. I hope you don't mind :P I hope to see more IkkiKazu in the future too! They're just too cute together !
A/N: This is a POV I do every now and again. It's something I'm very fond of doing as it puts a new perspective on things. I hope you enjoy it. This, much like 'Stay' and later chapters of 'Folly and Sin', will be a bit darker of an atmosphere. I love Air Gear, and I like facing the challenge of putting them into these 'dark' situations, if you can even call it dark.
I apologize ahead of time if things seem OOC. 'Coz in the manga, and in the anime with Japanese language AND anime with English language, I sense a slight shift in their personalities. (Example: in English they seem a bit more rude in their words, and have a bit more of a rough edge)
Ok I'm done with my rant. Finals are next week, so sorry if I become inactive. I'll try my best to keep up with FaS and my oneshots. Oh, and thanks to anyone that took the time to read this, lol. And thanks to the people who have been reviewing!
I hope this doesn't fall flat. It might just be me but if you pay close attention to the Air Gear series, you'll see that Kazu has a rather dark and cynical way of looking at things. I tried to portray that in this story, and I think I did it rather well. Let me know!
Pairing: Ikki x Kazu, duh!
Warnings: One F bomb. Again. (?)
Disclaimer: Not mine.
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Air Gear
A fiction by Crimson Vixen
Lovesick Fool
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Who knew it would come to this? So fast, so sudden. Still so young.
And even when you're sprawled in a rather uncomfortable angle on the ground, blood, both dried and fresh, running down your face, you can't help but tell yourself only one thing.
Don't look. Don't look.
Because Ikki hovering over and comforting a bawling Akito is not the last thing you want to remember.
Because you're such a lovesick fool.
Ok so perhaps you are not really dying. Or maybe you are. It's hard to tell, since it's never really happened before. Since you never expected this to happen. It all happened so drastically, too, you barely had time to blink. In fact all you could even remember was an explosion, possibly two, smoke and screaming, falling debris and you falling with it. And here you are now.
At least Onigiri and Buccha were able to get the girls out in time, just like Ikki had asked. Because, leave it to the crow, he didn't want anything to happen to anyone. He'd told you and Akito to leave, too, but you were both stubborn and refused to leave his side. There's a little bit of competition between the two of you that only you guys seem to be aware of. Like some unspoken game the both of you danced with so dangerously. Ikki seems oblivious to it. But that's ok. He's better off not knowing.
God, he probably feels so guilty right now, though. For not pushing hard enough to get you out of there.
Now was anything but the time to be musing over how Akito was winning right now, but it was the only thing you could focus on. Even in this horrific moment all you want to do is win Ikki's attention. Yeah you care, yeah Akito is a member of the team but... But you were there first. You were always there.
How can you be so cold hearted? For all you know Akito could be dying. He better not be, though, 'coz regret doesn't look good on Ikki.
Heh. You're such a lovesick fool.
The ground is confusingly cold against your cheek, even though you're sure there's fire around you somewhere. You can feel it licking at your skin, making you sweat. Your vision is a little blurred. You want to move, move towards Ikki, but for some reason, you can't bring your body to move.
"…Ik… Ik…" you strain, but your mouth has never felt so dry. Although it won't do any good you try to reach out towards him, only your arm can't even lift off of the ground. You can hardly hear your own voice.
You do, however, hear yourself laugh. Something as beautiful as AT should never end in something so ugly. If you had known there'd be teams this dangerous you wouldn't have gotten into it. You would have done everything in your power to prevent Ikki from getting into it.
Lovesick fool.
You smile bitterly. It's a bit late to be thinking like that. What will they tell your parents overseas? What will they think when they find out their son had gotten into something like AT so deeply, had turned into a Storm Rider with the potential to be a King?
In spite of your mind telling you not to, you can't help but turn your head to face the blob that is Ikki crouched over Akito. You can hear the small Rider mewling and as you stare more intently, you can see the Ikki blob lean closer to the Akito blob. You bite your lip viciously. At least the little guy is alive. Jealousy is really uncalled for right now but you've always been honest with yourself and lets face it, that's just what you feel.
Ikki and Akito are too far away for you to hear anything over the flames and all the static noise rushing into your ears. They are ringing so loud its hard to concentrate, anyway. It's hard to tell but it feels like you keep slipping in and out of consciousness. Your head hurts a lot; probably a good cut there from when you hit your head on the ground.
Just as you're about to sink back into inky blackness, you see Ikki stand on his feet, albeit wobbly. He looks like he can barely stand up straight but he makes his way over to you anyway, and falls heavily to his knees once he reaches you. He seems to sense your vulnerable state, hands shaking just over your body as if he's afraid to actually touch you.
'We've been through worse' you try to say, but your voice is broken. Won't work for the life of you. Heh, for the life of you.
Ikki's worried face slowly starts to focus, at least a little bit. You've never seen him so distressed. Smoke fills the air behind him. His face is littered with cuts and bruises and what looks like soot. You probably don't look much better. His jacket is torn, missing one sleeve, his hair is a little singed. Still, he's the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen. Even in a hellhole, he looked like a God with the ash filled winds swaying his hair.
He finds the nerve to slide his hands under you and slowly roll you onto your back, gently untangling your limbs and feeling around to see the damage. You close your eyes as his hands roam over you, gripping your joints, poking your sides, angry when you writhe a little when he touches your ribs.
He curses a bit, hands brushing hair away from your face, which was clinging to your skin. His hand against your cheek feels good. You're almost upset when he pulls it away.
"Can you move?" he asked hoarsely. "Kazu?"
Your eyes blink open. Had they closed?
He keeps running his fingers through you hair while he waits for the answer that won't come out, muttering something over and over again but you can't hear what it is. He looks so distressed. Probably doesn't know what to do. Can't blame him. No way he could carry two people out at once, and it just wasn't right in Ikki's mind to leave one behind.
"Fuck. It's ok, we got this. Fuck."
But then – wait, what's he doing?
The world as you see it starts to move and whir because Ikki's picking you up at the shoulders and pulling you in for a hug, mindful of your ribs. An actual hug. You smile; you can't remember the last time the crow did that, if ever. Reminds you that he's human with emotions, but you already knew that. But your neck starts to feel moist where his head is, where he's murmuring something into your skin. After a moment he gently places your head into his lap and whispers something about keeping your eyes open.
And you try, staring up at the ugly excuse for a sky, Ikki's silhouette just at the corner of your vision. The dark sky carries orange ashes through the air, making it look as though there are clouds made of lava, mocking you.
It sucks that your last thought would be a regret. A regret that you couldn't even keep one last promise for Ikki, your idol, your hero, your best friend. Because no sooner had he asked you this favor do your eyes drift shut, cause damn, they're just so heavy, and all the sounds that were previously buzzing around your ears starts to fade into nothingness.
The last thing you are aware of is the sudden and unexpected sound of a cell phone, and the jerk of Ikki's body and a euphoric gasp from his lips as he hears it in the distance, too. There's a shift under your head as he moves, and then you sense nothing else.
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Naturally it felt new because, well, it was. Today was the first day in your life that you woke up and had someone else beside you. For the first time ever you were able to open your eyes and stretch your arm across the bed and have it land on someone else's body. And if you kept it there, you could feel a heartbeat. And if you really paid attention, that heart beat matched your own.
Just like the hearts of soul mates were supposed to do.
Fuckin' lovesick fool.
The room was unfamiliar. White and plain. A hospital, if you had to guess. But then, why… How?
"I couldn't help it," Ikki's voice reaches your ears. It's like he read your mind. You finally meet his eyes. "I'd be pretty pissed at myself if I left anyone behind."
How the hell did you manage to...
Well, it wouldn't be the first time Ikki surprised you.
But wait. That's right.
"You… You're phone," you murmur, suddenly reminded that your vocal cords needs a little warming up. You sound scratchy, it feels scratchy, but it could be so much worse. Ikki nods, a relieved smile on his face.
"Yup. I'd lost my phone but luckily Ringo gave me a ring and I was able to find it. That's how we got help. We really ower her one."
"Oh…" you breath, letting your eyes drift shut and your pillow cradle your head. Then you open your eyes. "Akito?"
"Is fine," the crow reassures. "He's still sleeping. The both of you are going to be fine."
"That's good," you grin, but he frowns.
"You should rest your voice for a while."
"You just want me to shut up."
"Nothing gets past you," Ikki chuckles, reaching over the side of the bed and grabbing something white. Or at least what used to be white. Your hat has definitely seen better days, but at least it had survived. When did Ikki have the time to save it? You mutter a somewhat bashful 'thank you' and pull the covers up a little more.
The life of a Storm Rider was way more trouble than you ever expected. But then again, it was Ikki that had gotten you into the sport in the first place, and well, the boy was always trouble. Besides, what good is life without the occasional thrill? One thing was for sure, with Ikki around, you can always expect an adventure.
Yeah, you're in a hospital bed and all you can think about is what a troublemaker Ikki is. And how much you love it. Typical.
Hah, you're such a lovesick fool.