The Kiretsu Project

Hello everyone, this is my second Air Gear story. It takes place before Akito and Agito learn that Kaito is actually their father. I hope you enjoy.

I thank SailorMoonFanForever for beta reading it, even if she has no idea what this show is about. (Read this with a laugh)

Nothing belongs to me.

Chapter One: The Letter

"Hey, Agito! Pass the ball!"

It was a perfectly normal day in the local high school. Agito was in his gym class, playing soccer. He was avoiding the opposite team with talent. He was swift and his legs were strong, which made him a great ally when playing soccer. He was in the middle of the field, making a bee-line for the other team's goal. He avoided all of the adversaries and obstacles. Victory was in his grasp, but it was a sports team. He technically had to let other people have the ball too. He growled and kicked the ball in Itsuki Minami's general direction. The other members on the team were in a pretty good mood, because the competition was always high when Agito was on the field: he hated to lose. The girls, who were having gymnastics not to far away, sometimes looked at them and cheered for their favourite team. Agito stopped running as he looked at the ball that Ikki was now pushing towards the goal. Hearing the other team members cheer, Agito understood that Ikki had managed to score. The blue haired teenager smirked and walked away, crossing his arms. The damn crow was always the winner, always the hero, always the popular one. He didn't really mind though.

"Wow, you and Ikki-kun make such an amazing team, Agito... I'm jealous..."

This voice, calm and sweet, came from deep within Agito. The teenager lost his smile and walked towards the fountains. If anything, he was jealous of the affection that his alter ego had for Ikki.

"Shut up, Akito. The coach would have annoyed me if I hadn't passed the ball to anyone."

He drank some water, stretched and looked to the sun. It was a really hot summer day, perfect for A.T. Fortunately, since it was the last class of the day, Agito was about to go home. He wanted to get away from Ikki.

Agito wasn't really living with Ikki anymore. He had gotten back to his previous life, living with his older brother and working for the Wind G-Men, while still being part of Kogarasumaru. Akito and Agito would have stayed in the Noyamano's house, but the sisters were always short on money, and Ikki was tired of always waking up next to Akito, who had the bad habit of always sneaking up in his bed. Akito had decided to stay away for a while, and besides, he knew that his older brother, Kaito, preferred to keep an eye on them.

Akito was slowly skating home, humming a little song. He was in a pretty good mood, like always when he left school. He went through alleys and streets, using all his agility to avoid bumping into other people. It wasn't long before he found his home: it was a huge van and it was usually parked nearby when school was over. As Akito came closer, his smile disappeared. He could see Kaito sitting behind the wheel. The older male looked as nonchalant as ever. He was smoking a cigarette, his arm resting on the open window. Seeing his younger sibling, he called out to him.

"Hey, little shit... Get in. There's some letter for you."

Akito blinked as he opened the passenger's door, sitting next to his older brother.

"For me? What does it say?"

Kaito exhaled the cigarette smoke in front of him, not looking at Akito.

"How should I know? But it seems like it's from a laboratory."

Akito blinked once as Kaito was handing him an envelope. It was white and simple. There was no address written on it, only his name, as well as a symbol printed in black ink. The teenager blinked and tore the envelope, taking out the letter. Seeing that it was actually addressed to Kaito, he handed it to the other male.

"Um, I think that you're supposed to read the letter, even if apparently, it concerns me."

He was smiling sweetly as Kaito was looking at him with an annoyed expression. The white haired man took the paper and quickly read what was written. When he was done, he smirked and put it away.

"Scientists from The Helix Laboratory want to conduct some experiment in exchange for money."

He crumbled the paper and threw it further away in the van. Akito blinked and looked outside, wanting to avoid the eyes of his older brother.

"Nii-chan... Are we going to go?"

"Tch... fuck no."

Akito lowered his head and got up. As Kaito was putting the key in the engine and starting the car, the boy picked the letter up and took a look at what was written again. There were no details about the experiment that they wanted to put the boy through, only an address and the name of the leader of the project. Akito knew that it was better for him to shut up and never insist, but he was curious anyways. He came closer but didn't sit on the passenger's seat, instead standing in the little door way.

"Nii-chan... I'd like to go."

Kaito, who was already driving on the highway, looked back at Akito, frowning slightly.

"No, I'm not letting anyone experiment on you!"

Kaito had his reasons though. Even if Akito didn't really know these reasons, he knew Kaito would probably never give in. Thoughts of the woman he loved flowed into Kaito's mind, as he looked at Akito's reflection. It was thanks to science that she basically lived in the teenager, but he didn't want to risk upsetting the fragile balance of his son's mind. He shook his head and focused on the road again. Akito sighed and sat in a corner of the van. Since Kaito was driving, he could not really stop and punish him for his impertinence.

"Nii-chan, we could go and..."

"Shut up."

"... And see what they want, and if we're not okay with what they want to do..."

"Are you deaf or what, you little shit?"

Akito hesitated, feeling the aggressive rise in Kaito's tone of voice.

"We can simply leave, Nii-chan... If we disagree..."

Akito was wrong about the fact that Kaito wouldn't get up and hit him. The man hit the brakes and got up. He approached Akito and raised his fist to hit him. The boy's eyes opened wide and he hid his head, shutting his eyes tight. Kaito hesitated and ended up lowering his hand. Akito was right after all. These scientists only wanted to meet them, and there probably would be a lot of other candidates for the experiment. He sat at the wheel again.

"Yeah, it's true that they promised to pay us."

Akito looked up only when he heard Kaito's voice from far enough. He smiled sweetly. He had no idea what this experiment was about, but he was getting curious. Besides, any reason was good to take a break from work.

Thanks for reading, don't hesitate to send me a review or something.