Inspired by hashleaf's fab AgitoxYayoi fic A Forbidden Love? Fans of the pairing please go and read it, if you haven't.

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Weakest Link

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Yayoi knew that in Kogarasumaru, after her best friend Emiri had actually become an Air Trekker as well, that she was the weakest link. It was an undeniable fact.

So when she had been taken hostage for a second time by Orca and had been pretty much useless except to provide support to Agito with that self-sacrificing mouth-to-mouth, she knew that next time – and she was positive that there will be a next time – that she might not be so lucky.

She had fretted about this one night during training, and hadn't been keeping track of her teammates' times as she usually did.

And Agito noticed this.

But he wasn't the type to poke into someone else's business. So instead he said, "Aren't you going to time those fucking idiots?"

"Ah?" she said as she snapped out of her stupor. "Oh, oh yeah." She shook her head, twin ponytails turning this way and that. "Sorry, Agito-kun, I was just...thinking."

He only looked at her, but not to with an annoyed look so she continued.

"I...well, I know that ever since Emiri became an Air Trekker, that I'm the weakest link in the team."

He didn't say anything to that but also didn't deny it, so she ranted on.

"I've been held hostage twice already. Next time – I don't think I'll be so lucky." She hugged her knees to her chest. "I'll only drag the team down. Maybe...maybe I should..."

She left the sentence hanging, but he understood where she had been getting at.

"...You're friends with that Kururu chick, right?" he said eventually, almost reluctantly.

She looked up at him. "Kururu-chan? Yeah, why?"

"What time is it?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. Agito was acting weird tonight. "8:30:56. But what does that have to do with Kururu-chan?"

"What you just did...telling the time down to the exact second thing...it's one of the traits she and her Tool Toul To members have."

She stared at him. "What...?"

"And you also understand what Crow's fucking pet says, don't you?"

At this, Yayoi recalled the time when Kururu had shown her abilities as the Pledge Queen. The Tool Toul To had been using bird songs then...

And yes, she remembered understanding somewhat of what they had sung at that time.

Her throat went dry. "So you're saying...I could become a tuner?"

He shrugged and started walking away. "You could quit the team," he said instead and left her with her thoughts.

.-.-.

That had been quite awhile back. Right now, there was another battle going on, and once again she was on the sidelines.

But this time, she didn't feel down and useless. This time, she knew she was ready if time ever came.

The time when the opponents would become desperate enough and would go so low as to attack her, the weakest link – the only non-Air Trekker on the team.

And today, it did. She noticed it instantly, the glance one of the opponents slanted her way, could calculate that it took him precisely half a second to decide before he dashed towards her.

She'd been keeping her distance from the battlefield, so when this guy had lurched towards her, the rest of Kogarasumaru had been far away, and it was a distance that even Kazu couldn't cover faster than her attacker because he had a head start and had been much closer.

"Yayoi, run!! Run!!" Emiri screamed, even as she tried to reach her best friend as fast she could, trying, but failing.

But she didn't do as her teammates screamed at her to. Instead, she stood her ground and her attacker had sneered. Who does this bitch she's kidding? he had the time to think as he reached out to grab her by the shoulder.

He hadn't expected her to suddenly crouch down, out of his reach, and he cursed. "You bi-!," he shrieked just before he fell flat on his face.

"W-what?" he sputtered a little blood as he took a look at his ATs. Whose wheels, one from each, had suddenly disappeared. "You bitch, what did you to my wheels!"

She smiled and held his two missing wheels up between her fingers. "Looking for these?"

And in her other hand at her side, she held what looked like some sort of tool.

The tool that she'd probably just used to steal the wheels right from under his feet.

He fumed and felt a flush creeping up his neck. This girl was supposed to be useless, just some sort of cheerleader for Kogarasumaru! How did she manage to this to him?!

But apparently that wasn't the case anymore, and he had just been humiliated. Terribly, completely, humiliated.

"Why you -!" was all he managed to get out before a slash of air suddenly whooshed past her and sliced across his mouth, giving him a bloody Joker-like smile, making him scream.

"Fucking piece of shit," Yayoi heard Agito mutter from where he had suddenly appeared right behind her.

She turned around and looked at his singly exposed golden eye. "Thank you, Agito-kun."

He shrugged and that was when the rest of the team reached them. Emiri practically tackled her to the ground. "Oh Kami, Yayoi! Are you ok?! Did that jerk hurt you?! I'm going to kill him!!" Emiri's questions ratted on before she could even edge any answers in.

She couldn't help it. She laughed and hugged her friend back. "I'm fine, Emiri. I'm ok. More than ok, even!"

It was then that they noticed that it was strangely...quiet. It was common knowledge that silence and Kogarasumaru just don't mix.

So they turned to see that all their male teammates were staring at them – Kazu with a slight nose bleed, Onigiri with a drool, Ikki with fervent pants, Buccha wide eyed and even Agito with narrowed, but clearly shocked eyes.

And that was when they realized how suggestive their position looked to them. Emiri on top with her very short shorts and Yayoi on the bottom with her cleavage on display with that shirt of hers for all the world to see.

Knowing teenage, filled-to-the-brim-with-hormone guys? Especially the selected few on their team? Oh, yeah, instant favourite femme fantasy come true.

The two girls sprang away as if they'd just been electrocuted. "You perverts!!" they shrieked together, and Emiri body slammed Onigiri while Yayoi jabbed her tool right into Ikki's stomach.

The more fortunate of the boys looked on at this, sweat-dropping, and decided that Yayoi was also to be listed as one of the increasingly many dangerous, do-not-provoke-unless-you're-suicidal females. Emiri, of course, had been on that list since the beginning of time.

When Ikki and Onigiri had at last, been rendered to mere indistinguishable splats of blood on the ground, Yayoi said, as if in relief, "Well, at least now I can wear it."

Emiri looked cluelessly at her. "Wear what?"

She took something out from her trouser's pocket. "This."

She placed it swiftly on her head. A hat.

Not just any hat, but a Toul Tool To hat, with a butterfly on the side and all.

"Wow, Yayoi-chan!! You mean you made it in?!" Emiri couldn't contain her excited shriek.

"Awesome, now we have our very own tuner in the team!" Kazu said.

"Congratulations, Nakayama," Buccha said, his enormous hand on her head. "Good job."

As she thanked them all, she sneaked a glance at the remaining conscious member of their team. Agito was only looking at the scene, not involving himself as always, but their eyes met.

And she gave him the sunniest of smiles.

He only held her gaze for a moment before he turned and walked away.

She missed seeing the barely there smile on his face. But that was ok.

She knew it was there anyway.

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The end

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My first Air Gear fic. Hope everyone was in character and that you all enjoyed it. Thanks for dropping by and reading Weakest Link. I'd love to get feedback, so don't forget to click that cute little Submit Review button down there! -

Btw, I'm not sure exactly when the timeline would be for this fic, but it's definitely after the Orca battle and maybe before the tournament.