Disclaimer: I don't own this, but I got an urge to play within this universe so there.

Shout out: Every now and then I rifle through forgotten or shelved (paperback) projects. Yesterday I was in a mood for tech, so there you go. Rideback universe is back into the play... and seriously, this fandom needs more love, considering the main story line is rife with opportunities for writers who want to take crack at it.

Warnings: AU-verse, not beta-read and I had entirely too much fun for it to let it go to the pits.

Citrine

His eyes were an unusual shade hat wasn't yellow , nor was it green. It was the mix of the two, lending his already exotic appearance a touch of wildness, as if warning anyone that looked at him that he was not a person to contend with.

Fragile

When he saw the tiny form in white dress on top of the roaring machine, he thought Fuego's rider was entirely too delicate to man it, despite the proof of contrary.

Dance

Their little 'bout on B-Knights was more like dance than anything else, both reaching for the same spark that existed within them, but had been borne through different beginnings - one through war and one through peace.

Voice

"Ogata Rin." The way he spoke her name was unique. It was both mocking and reassuring at once, causing her to feel both at peace and irritation at the same time. Still, she liked to hear his voice the most.

Impractical

Nobody in their right mind would've ridden a motorcycle - never mind a Rideback – clad in thigh-length white dress. It would look bot ridiculous and impractical, but on her, it looked just right.

Revenge

He wanted revenge, and for a moment, she did, too. The picture of her dear friend being mercilessly beheaded just because they thought she was her…

But she declined, making his eyes darken in anger and disappointment.

Fire

He watched her last stand against mecha Ridebacks. He had known that she was good, but he truly didn't know just how good she was. He could easily see just why was Okakura charmed by her – she and machine were living, breathing embodiment of fire.

And for a moment, he felt both relief and guilt - relief that she declined his offer and guilt for actually having wanted to drag her into violent conflict with his arch-nemesis.

Unremarkable

At first, when one saw her on the street, she would be just another ordinary girl. Petite, with long, somewhat messy brown hair and gentle eyes, glistening with naivety, a little bit shy when interacting with people. A wallflower, if you will.

But if you were one of the lucky few to see her dance… oh, then your outlook would be completely different.

The poise and grave, both wrapped in passion and happiness, that warm contentment you couldn't help but admire and envy. And if you were one of those who had seen the Rideback Girl dance with her steel steed underneath her against the police, your admiration would've grown into a worship… and you could only wonder why exactly did you perceive her as ordinary.

Broken

He never thought that there would come the day one of his beloved machines would be outright broken – not by violence heaped upon it, but by avoiding the said violence; not by fight, but by dance. And what a dance it had been. Even if he saw it from distance, his throat became clogged by the onslaught of feelings he felt at watching her dance.

Sorrow. Yearning. Determination. Affection. Regret. And love - so much love. She had completely let go of everything that held her back and shared her very soul with his last –pitiful - creation of his blood-soaked hands.

And his child had responded magnificently.

They became one, not just rider-and-machine, but riderandrideback, one mind, heart, body and soul – one entity for one breathless moment. He could almost hear the music weaved over the whine of motors and screeching tires.

Maybe – just maybe – his lingering attachment wasn't as useless as he thought it once was.

Dreams

'You are everything my dreams have seen…

But what are dreams?

You were everything my dreams have been…

But what are dreams?'

In her dreams, she relieved the moments he had been with her, fleeting as they were. In her waking hours she would sometimes turn around when she saw a flash of pure silver/white, just like the color of his hair.

And when she thought she forgot him, she saw a stone with the exact color of his eyes. Citrine, the salesperson told her. A very lucky stone.

She declined purchasing it.

It would be the best this faraway dream (nightmare) remained just that – a dream.

Hollow

He felt hollow. After he got his revenge, bot for himself and his dead comrades, the future stretched ahead of him like wasteland of death.

A lifetime of hiding - he was still thought dead, and he didn't' have any wish to change it anytime soon. Not even his B-Knight lifted his mood, because every time he rode it he remembered that little dance and her skill, equaling and surpassing his own.

Heat

Sometimes Kiefer still felt the scorching heat of Arizona's sun upon his body.

He hated it, both when it was sticky and when it was unbearably dry and scorching, like fire. It reminded him of the aftermath of that disastrous last fight and the scent of blood and burning flesh of his comrades still stuck in his mind.

No matter how cold of a shower he took, it remained with him, the sole memory of his failure.

Blood

In her dreams, she relived that horrible moment again and again. One moment, Suzuri-chan was alive, and the next, she was mercilessly crushed.

Rin had nightmares she woke up from screaming and crying with a crushing feeling of being too late and unable to save her.

Snow

Ever since that time, Rin looked at snow with different eyes.

The snowflakes reminded her of tiny frozen tears, small crystals of both regret and absolution, however minuscule it was.

She remembered the contrast between the heat of the machine below her body clashing gently with the tiny pinpricks of cold that was frozen rain.

It was, Rin supposed, a fitting end to the madness she had been involuntarily sucked into by her own inability to face her own fears.

Gratitude

She smiled a small, quiet smile at her brother's awed gaze at the poster. It was funny how she became his idol, just because of one rainy afternoon and the off-chance of her not having along her trusty umbrella.

But if anything, she was grateful that at least her little brother came out without breaking apart like she had.

Wounds

His exotic features - both eyes and hair - repulsed and attracted people in the same measure. Because of them he had found kinship with Okakura, just as he had been ostracized when he joined GGP.

His body was also crisscrossed with scars he got both in fights and when that Crybaby betrayed their ideals in the worst way imaginable.

It didn't matter. Not really. He looked at his body as means to his end of getting revenge against Cullenberg.

The wounds were just annoying byproduct, attached to unpleasant memories and a reminder that he wasn't allowed to die yet.

The only time he forgot about them was when he danced with that girl. Ogata Rin. Not to kill, but just because he could, because he wanted to share that power, beauty and everything he had ever learned about Ridebacks with her. Foolish sentiment? Undoubtedly, but how could he not?

Mirror

Their movements mirrored, as if the two of them were one and the same.

He who spent year after year on Rideback, and she, who was, despite her talent, still a novice in riding the picky machine that chose her.

Despite the difference in their circumstances, in this time, this place, in those scant ten minutes, that somehow seemed to stretch into infinity, they became faithful mirrors of each other in their awe, excitement and respect of their machines.

Gazelle

When he first saw her - fleeing from police who had mistaken her for a terrorist, of all things – he was immediately reminded of gazelle fleeing from the pride of lions. The grace she was moving with glaringly contrasted against clumsiness of her pursuers, and when she was cornered, he couldn't help but smile when she startled at his question.

"You're not going to jump?"

Of course…

Gazelles were born for jumping, after all.

Terrorist

"I am but an ordinary terrorist." And wasn't it amusing, that despite his words, the ones who were hailed as terrorists were her and Okakura?

Both of them used for his gain – Okakura for his technical genius and she was an innocent bystander who was dragged into the mess just because she had wanted to save her friend.

Both of them… terrorists for his revenge.

Race

Despite Rin's misgivings, Tamayo dragged her into competing in an official race yet again. Rin half-heartedly protested - with the experience of both B-Knight and Fuego underneath her, racing on an ordinary Rideback seemed childish and meaningless in comparison to race-regulated Ridebacks.

But with her friends' excitement and her own visibly reluctant agreement that participation - just this once - could be fun, she agreed. Of course it wouldn't be like that heart-stopping stampede of madness, nor would it be that wild and free sensation she experienced on a B-Knight… but it would be something and maybe, just maybe, it would be enough.

Protective

If he had thought he knew his old comrade, Kiefer was sorely mistaken. Of course Goblin would be protective of such a gem like her, but Okakura Gen didn't have any compunction with outright telling him just what he could expect if he hurt Ogata Rin in any way, shape or form. And this time, Kiefer didn't have the leverage in shape of revenge on his side.

Having a Goblin as an enemy was already bad enough… but add to that an overprotective Goblin.. yeah, no. Kiefer gulped. Better be on his best behavior.

Deja-vu

It was one autumn evening. Ordinary, with her laughing at something she said as she and her Shoko exited the building. Suddenly, Shoko stopped in her tracks, causing Rin to also halt with her.

Lo and behold, a little bit ahead of them there were two Ridebacks.

However, they were not any ordinary Ridebacks.

Rin felt her eyes involuntarily widen, and her heart was suddenly lodged somewhere in her throat.

Those were B-Knights. She could've recognized them anywhere. Dark, imposing, somewhat blunt and feral in their appearance, what with heir unusual shape and clawed hands.

(She was lucky Haruki was still in the club house, tinkering away. If he had seen those two, their second engineer and all around Rideback otaku would undoubtedly faint with surprise if he saw them.)

She remembered, only too well, the power of such machines (beasts, her mind whispered) between her tights - the effortless ease with which it moved, like predator it was. In her heart, Fuego would always have a special place, but B-Knight would always be something that both repulsed and attracted her in the same breath… just like a sin.

Just like one particular rider…

"You coming?" Even if his face was being hidden behind the visor of his helmet, she would recognize him anywhere.

Her lips soundlessly mouthed around his name.

"Kiefer."

Nerve

It had taken a lot of nerve to stage that little-not ambush. Especially with Okakura breathing down his neck. Heck, he could still feel Goblin's disapproving glare like hot brand on his back, but Kiefer was determined - more like desperate - enough to do this.

When he saw her, he felt as if he had been punched into his gut. She was clothed in that signature white dress of hers, with a dark blue jacket over itto stave off the autumn cold. Her hair was loose and cheeks pink from the cold.

She was here.

She was alive.

"You coming?" Even to his own ears, his voice sounded unnatural.

Her mouth moved soundlessly, her eyes wide and bright, but it was there, on her lips.

His name.

Stranger

"Rin, what – " Shoko's confused voice shattered the link between them like stone thrown into a glass window.

She had never seen Rin so shaken - not even when she was told that her dreams of dancing on the stage were irrevocably over. She was pale as a ghost, but with a hint of pink of her cheeks.

If Shoko hadn't known better, she would've thought that Rin was in love!

But while Shoko did have her eyes on boys, Rin loved dancing too much to give the opposite gender any thoughts in her mind.

But there he was, this stranger with a helmet covering his face, standing in front of two dangerous-looking Ridebacks.

And he was so rude, just assuming that Rin would've jumped at his order –

"Hey!" Shouko's startled shout didn't stop Rin from moving forward and jumping onto one of those beasts Shoko wanted to avoid in the widest circle possible.

And then, they were off, leaving Shoko behind.

Scramble

He had half-expected her to refuse. No, she would've been in her rights to reject his offer as bluntly and harshly as possible.

But instead of that, she practically flew onto her Rideback, and the metal beast underneath her woke into life with a joyful roar.

He had to practically scramble after her, as to not lose her from his sight.

A rueful grin formed on his lips when he remembered how he had to coax her onto the back of a B-Knight and now, she practically dared him to chase after her.

Well, if she wanted a chase, who was he to say her no?

Light

The light was here again. Brighter and sharper, not like Fuego's, but more down to earth and here, flowing between the four of them in a renewed cycle. They didn't need words - they had each other, here and now and it was enough.

Awkward

But all good things had to end sometime - and even that magic moment of time had to dissipate into memories.

They rolled to the front of the apartment where Rin lived. Rin slid off the Rideback, half in relief and half in reluctance as the easy enjoyment ground itself into uncertain awkwardness.

"Um…. Thanks for the ride." Inwardly, she cringed for her choice of words. She could've asked why – why had her rescued her, and why had he used her, and if she was really only the means to the end . and why he left.

Instead of railing against him she just had to go and thank him, as if he had done her a favor.

"You're welcome." His voice held a shred of uncertainty within, as if he expected another shoe of drop.

Nodding, Rin stole another glance at the black-clad from before turning and heading to her apartment, still reeling from the unexpected of-chance encounter with him –

"Wait!" He hastily interrupted her, causing her to pause.

"Will you ride with me tomorrow again?"

Her heart skipped. This was foolish.

She shouldn't have – she really shouldn't. Last time she had landed in too deep, and her involvement, no matter how unintentional it was, cost Shizuka her life.

"No. I'm sorry, but no!" She blurted out, and with that, she sprinted up to the stairs and into the hallways, not daring to look at him, a long beep from her band a mournful accusation to her cowardice.

Rejected

His rejection was a cold shower - an ice cold one - to the shy, budding warmth in his chest. But, Kiefer supposed he had pushed her far enough. She was just a teenage girl and he was a grown-up man searching for the meaning of his life.

Chuckling ruefully, he fondly shook his head as he called out to her Rideback to follow him. It would've been for everyone involved if he let her go. But Kiefer was a possessive bastard, along with having a good dose of selfishness within his veins. The memory of the light ignited between the two in their respective Ridebacks of them was good - more than just good, actually, but he wanted the real deal, however foolish his want was.

Dangerous

Her heart hammered beneath her rib cage with adrenaline and belated fear. This - this was dangerous! No - she corrected herself. This man was dangerous. She could've easily fallen in his honeyed trap, like she had before.

He may have rescued her twice, and she owed him her gratitude for that, but he was also the culprit who instigated the wrath of GGP, and used her as his decoy, no matter how coincidentally.

He was no-good, and a bad boy to the very core.

Warning

"Leave her alone." Okakura wasn't exactly approving of the actions of his old friend. He didn't exactly follow the two mischief makers - he wasn't Kiefer, after all – but seeing Rin jerk out of that dream haze her little trip with Kiefer had gotten her into was a harsh reminder of just how much had this idiot damaged her with using her as a bait for authorities.

He had warned him to stay away from her - but seeing Kiefer so miserable, Okakura gave up and let go this one time. But now, this one time was biting all of them into their proverbial asses, Rin the most out of all of them.

She was young, innocent and prematurely jaded. Her being so gifted at manning Ridebacks, as if they were an extension of her body was more of a curse than a gift. And while Okakura trusted Kiefer in a fight, he didn't trust him with taking care of one Ogata Rin. But seeing Kiefer planning again after he had fallen into the listlessness kind of tied Okakura's hands on the issue. He could only pray that if not Kiefer, at least Rin would be wise enough not to court danger and heartbreak between the two of them.

Friend

Shoko didn't like seeing her friend so shaken. Rin had suffered enough what with how many things had been taken from her. Her mother, her ability to dance, and when Rin found Fuego, Shoko felt hope that everything would turn out for the better. It had, for a short time, but then, everything crashed down around their ears. Because of her, Rin had been accused of being a terrorist and confirmed as such when she saved her foolish little brother. It didn't help that she had been saved by mysterious young man who was apparently an instigator of the whole mess to begin with.

Rin was lucky that she came out only with a slap on her wrist, due to Shizuka's unfortunate death.

And now, 'that man' was haunting her friend yet again!

"Alright, you. Spill it!" She demanded as she plopped herself on Rin's bed, willfully ignoring her friend's stutter and blush.

Puppy

He was like some kind of humanized wolf puppy, what with him chasing after Rin. Dangerous, certainly. He was a lone wolf, and that alone denoted him unpredictable. Tomoyo had grilled Okakura-san about this unreliable character very thoroughly - it wouldn't do to lose her newfound rival (-friend-) so soon, would it – and as such, she felt morally obligated to thoroughly check him. Heck, she even bullied her stupid big brother to check the bastard, not that it helped much. Okakura couldn't tell her much - Tomoyo knew this 'Kiefer' person was his teammate in army, that he was a monster on Rideback and one of the main instigators for the mess Rin and everyone around her had been dragged in, and that Okakura disapproved of him. So it really baffled her just why did Okakura do practically nothing when that man contacted Ogata Rin once more, despite his visible disapproval of situation.

But she had seen that picture of better times, before that disastrous battle on Arizona plains.

Kiefer had looked better then, less wild and with less shadows in his eyes and no scar crossing his mouth. A grown-up puppy with lethally sharp fangs, as it were.