Author's Note: Okay, did anyone else's brain short-circuit when they found out that Kaito was the Wanajima brothers' dad? I mean, seriously? I thought the surprises were over when Lind turned up, but nooo, I guess not. M'kay, I'm done ranting. Companions: "Heaven", "Hell"; "Him", "Her". In "Hallway", the son's name was a suggestion from geckogal077, so I thank her very much. Wow, this chapter is long. Sorry 'bout that. And I apologize if Agito seems OOC in any of these, especially, "Happiness". No, really. Sorry.

Hold

So here they were, sitting awkwardly, face to face.

Kaito took one look at Agito, snorted, and looked quickly away. Anyone else could have mistaken the gesture out of disgust, but the younger boy knew it was out of sheer embarrassment. He would have done the same.

Agito cleared his throat and spoke softly. "So…"

Kaito jerked, startled. "What?"

"When did you plan on telling me and Akito? That you're our…da—"

"Never." The reply was harsh, blunt, and it made the other flinch. "You were better off not knowing. Trust me." There was silence. "Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"…Yeah." Agito rose from his chair.

The silver-haired man groaned inwardly when he saw utter dejection flash across the boy's face; it was only for a fraction of a second before the familiar mask of steel covered his guise. Kaito swallowed. This was his…son. As soon as Agito walked out of this room, he was certain they would never touch upon the subject again.

"Wait."

The shark paused and looked warily at him. "What?"

Kaito motioned for him to come to him, and he did so. He was surprised when the man stood and quickly wrapped his arms around him. The boy could already feel a blush sprouting on his cheeks. "Damn it, you old man, what the hell are you doing?"

The gator muttered, "I've always been careful to hold you like a brother. And I'll keep it that way. But just this once…" His grip tightened. "…I want to hold you like a son. As soon as we leave, we'll be brothers again. But just this once…"

Agito made a noise in the back of his throat; whether it was out of irritation or understanding, the man couldn't tell. But when he felt the thin arms slowly wrap around his waist, he smiled into the blue hair.

"Dad." The word was spoken just so that Agito could know that this man before him truly was his father. It was his reassurance. When he pulled back and rubbed his eyes, he said, "You don't tell anyone about anything that just happened, got it?"

His father grinned like a crocodile. "Of course not. It would ruin both of our reputations."

Here

He would sometimes wake up to her piercing scream of terror in the middle of the night. She usually only had a nightmare after he recovered from being on the brink of death from a battle. She would dream about the enemy he had faced, and she would wake up screaming. He was used to it, and would comfort her every time, telling her that the enemy was gone, that no one was after her, that she was safe.

So when he made the mistake of going to the bathroom in the middle of the night after a battle, he wasn't prepared.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he carefully listened to make sure his wife was still asleep. He froze when he heard the sheets rustle softly. Then the mattress squeaked loudly, as though the person on it jerked suddenly. More rustling, this time louder, frantic.

Then a heart-wrenching wail.

Pure sadness emanated from that mouth, and it caused Agito to be rooted to the spot he stood. He had never heard her make that noise, and quite frankly, it scared him more than her usual fearful screams.

The wail died into sobs. Agito still didn't move, unsure as to what he should do. Then the sobs abruptly stopped. Agito took this opportunity to quickly enter their bedroom and see what was wrong.

Yayoi just lay there, staring at the ceiling. Tears flowed down her cheeks, glistening in the moonlight that filtered in from their window. Agito was chilled to the core when he saw how empty and lost her brown eyes looked.

Hesitantly, he reached out and touched her arm. "Yayoi…?"

Her head jerked and he found himself staring at her mournful face. For a few moments, it seemed like she didn't see him at all. Then her eyes slowly widened, as though realizing that he was here, and her mouth opened, a wordless cry stuck in her throat.

You're still here.

That was what her face said, and Agito reached down and hugged her tightly. She clung to him without a sound, and he murmured reassurances in her ear, rocking her to calm her down.

"Shh, shh, it's alright. I'm still here for you. I'm not going anywhere."

I'm still here.

Heaven

She could see her friends around her and accepted that she was dead. There was no way that they could have survived when the stadium had come crashing down on them.

They were all in a bright place, a stone street beneath their feet, and they felt warm and young and better than ever. Ikki looked around and grinned. "Sweet."

Kazu was freaking out a bit and Emily was trying to calm him. Akito was staring in shock at Lind, who mirrored his expression, before snatching his younger brother up in a hug. They laughed together.

Yayoi looked at Buccha, who didn't appear surprised at all, and mouthed, "Heaven?"

He grinned, shrugged. "Beats me. But where's Agito?"

Ikki snorted. "Knowing that stubborn shark, he probably hasn't died yet. He's fighting with all his strength to live." His eyes grew grim. "He knows that he might not get to go with us."

Yayoi frowned. "What? Of course he will. He's changed. He's a good person."

"But he's…done a lot of bad stuff," Onigiri said weakly, though he didn't want to admit it. "Whoever runs this place…may not accept him. I'm surprised that I even got to come with you guys."

Yayoi looked at the clouds around them with panic, then took off. "I won't allow that!"

Emily looked at their leader. "Should we let her go? We don't know what's gonna happen."

Ikki tilted his head and smiled. "Yeah, but I think it'll be alright. She'll make it work. She won't let that bastard go, even in death."

Hell

She had died in his arms. He had watched her die in his arms. And he had willingly followed suit ten minutes later after clutching her body to his, crying. And now he was dead, standing at the crossroads. The cobblestone pathway led up to a golden kingdom; the stone steps led down to a place that he knew he belonged.

His eyes narrowed when he caught sight of two beings clothed in white, their wings emitting golden rays of light. One opened his mouth to speak, but Agito scowled and snapped, "I know where I'm going. I don't need any help."

The being, the angel, slowly closed his mouth and nodded. Agito turned and put his foot on the first dark step.

"NO!"

Three heads swiveled towards the girl who raced down the cobblestone pathway, tears in her eyes. Agito instantly ran for her and swept her up in his arms, kissing her furiously. "Yayoi, please," he said as she frantically wiped the tears from her eyes. "You have to let me go. I knew that this was coming."

"No, no," the girl insisted desperately. She turned to the angels. "There has to be another way! Why can't he come with us? He's changed, I swear it!"

One spoke quietly. "Our Master has seen this boy's life. He is steeped in blood. This boy knows this too, and is willing to accept punishment."

"Then let me take his place!"

Agito hissed and gripped her arms, shaking her. "Don't you dare!" he snarled furiously. "I could never forgive myself if I let you go down there."

The second angel said to Agito, "She has offered to bear your burden, young one. Yet you refuse?"

"Of course," he snapped. "I won't let someone else pay for my crimes."

Yayoi sniffled quietly and clutched his shoulders. "Then let me go with you."

"No," Agito growled.

"You can't stop me," she hissed, her nails digging into his skin. "I will go with you, whether you want me there or not. I will not spend an eternity without you."

The two angels glanced at each other, as though having a silent conversation. A sharp coo made them all look up and see a dove descend. It landed on the first angel's arm and trilled softly. Both ethereal beings nodded after a moment and turned to the couple.

"It would seem that you are to be pardoned," the second angel said with a gently smile. "I must congratulate you. Few have been given such an opportunity."

Agito, wide-eyed, looked at Yayoi, before managing a weak smile. "Well, what do you know?"

His love laughed a bit, before choking up, and new tears spilled over her cheeks. The angels lifted their majestic wings and ascended, leaving the two to revel in the mutual feeling of relief. When Yayoi calmed, she asked, "Um…I guess we should get back to the others."

Agito hummed in agreement and helped her up. "Please," he said when they started down the pathway. "Don't ever offer to go to hell for me again. Ever."

Yayoi stopped to drag him forward into a deep kiss. When she pulled back, she smiled and said, "I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore."

Him

Look at him. Standing there, smiling at me, all calm and collected. I bet he isn't even rattled.

Yayoi managed a smile as she put one foot in front of the other, clutching her father's arm as he walked her down the aisle. It frustrated her to no end that her love could always seem to keep a level head; whereas she was panicking at the moment.

Oh, I hope I don't screw up. Please don't let me screw up!

She kissed her father's cheek as he let her go, and she went up to take her place beside her husband-to-be.

As the ceremony wore on and wound down to the closing statements, she could only think of him.

Why does he always look like that? Full of confidence like he's always right. Well…maybe he's calm because he believes he's making the right decision. Marrying me?

She managed to relax at this thought. Agito was always confident in his decisions. If he was confident about this, which was bound to be the biggest decision of his life, then she was alright with it too.

So, with eyes shining, when asked, she turned to Agito and said confidently, "I do."

Her

Look at her. Walking down the aisle, looking so nervous. She looks like she's ready to bolt. Gah!

Agito didn't miss the brief annoyance that passed over her face when she finally looked him in the eye. She probably thinks I'm all calm. Fuck, I'm not! Don't look at me like that!

He was far from calm. He always kept a calm exterior. It was pure habit. But he wasn't feeling that way at all. He was about to make a huge decision, bigger than any battle plans he had made before. This was all new to him. He felt a bit more at ease when she came to stand next to him. Just a bit.

He still couldn't help but wonder: Is she making the right decision marrying me?

The ceremony continued without a problem, and when it came close to the time to say those two binding words, Agito noticed a change in Yayoi. She seemed to stand taller now, and there was a sparkle of assurance in her eyes.

Agito could understand her thoughts perfectly. She believed that he was the right one for her. And he now knew without a doubt that he felt the same about her.

So, when asked, he locked his eyes on Yayoi and said with the utmost confidence, "I do."

Home

Home is where the heart is.

Akito had never dwelt much on the saying. He hadn't needed to. His home was with his family, and his team.

He understood the phrase much later though. His brother, Agito, had given his heart to Yayoi. And when Yayoi disappeared, his heart went with her.

Akito had never seen his brother seem so empty in his entire life.

And when Yayoi was found and her kidnappers vanquished (Ikki didn't take kindly to those who took away his precious friends), Agito's heart was returned.

Akito understood the phrase now. He understood it perfectly.

Hallway

He hated it. The hallway. The white, sterile corridor which was useful for only two things: getting a person from one end of the building to the other, and for amplifying pained screams and making it echo in his ears.

Yes, he hated it so damn much.

Ikki glanced at him. "You sure you don't want to go in there?"

Agito shot a glare at him, but there was no trace of sarcasm in the crow's voice. His eyes went to the floor. "Fuck, no," he murmured miserably. "I don't think I could handle it. After all, it went so well last time."

Now Ikki laughed. "Riiight."

Agito would have told him to fuck off, but at that moment his son, Narumi, came running up to him. "Dad! Look! Uncle Buccha gave me lots of candy. Want some?"

Agito smiled and took the offered Snickers bar. He scowled when Ikki snickered, "Yeah, Daddy. Better keep your strength up. You're looking kinda pale."

Agito jerked his thumb at the crow. "Sic 'im."

Itsuki shrieked as the little shark attacked him. Agito watched the scene smugly. Ah, that boy most definitely took after him.

'I bet you're so proud of your son,' Lind commented.

'No, really, dipshit?' Agito snapped. Then he flinched when another shriek echoed through the hallway.

'You should probably go in there,' Akito stated. Agito shook his head and scarfed down the candy bar, suddenly feeling drained.

"Hey, Agito," Ikki whined. He had finally managed to separate the five-year-old from his body and now had him pinned to the clean floor. "Seriously, man. You should go in there. She needs you."

Agito glanced at the doors at the end of the corridor and said nothing. Then he sighed resignedly and stood. "Fuck," he muttered. "Fine! I'll go. But if she tears my head off and starts screaming at me like last time, I'll be blaming you." Ikki shrugged, and Agito said, "Narumi, I know you can do better than that."

"Buh he'th got meh pinned," Narumi replied with his mouth smushed against the floor.

"Ask Uncle Kazu for help then."

Arms flailing, the little boy wailed the blond's name. A second later, a blur came jetting around the corner and knocked Ikki off the boy. Kazu picked Narumi up and dusted him off. "What's up? Need some help?"

The blue-haired kid nodded enthusiastically and they turned their eyes to the crow with predatory smiles; Ikki smartly decided to bolt for the nearest exit. They gave chase.

Alone in the hallway now, Agito turned to the doors at the far end and strode towards them.

Alright, Yayoi. I'm doing this because I love you. But if you break my hand like last time, I'm going to train this kid to be just like me too.


Unfortunately, his hand was broken again (the woman had a strong grip, dammit); Yayoi gave birth to a girl. True to his promise, Agito raised her to be a little menace. Just like her father.

Hungry

He loved these moments.

Coming home late at night, quietly removing his ATs and wandering into the kitchen where the smell of warm food enticed him. Finding his wife, asleep at the kitchen table, the latest AT magazine beneath her head.

He sat down beside her with a smirk and sniffed the food that was still hot on the table. She had gotten used to preparing dinner later than usual so that it would stay warm for him.

Hesitantly, he reached out and tucked a few locks of her hair behind her ear. She stirred and cracked an eye. "…Welcome home."

He smiled gently and tugged the bowl of food his way. "You hungry? I'm guessing you didn't eat."

She shrugged sleepily and reached out and plucked a piece of meat from his dish. "You guess correctly." She popped it in her mouth and chewed. "Mmm, I'm good."

Agito laughed and went to get more food.

Habit

He had taken it upon himself to "forgetting" her name. Ever since he had seen how irritated she would become when he would ask "Who are you?", he just had to keep doing it. He liked it. And it eventually just grew into a habit.

At school one day, as he entered the building, he saw her standing in the doorway of a classroom. He walked over to her, planning to say, "Hey, what's-your-face. Our classroom's down the hall." It would just be some light teasing in the morning. But when he got close enough, he saw that she was talking to someone. A boy. Daisuke Suzuki, to be exact. One of the more popular kids, like the members of Kogarasumaru. He was on the track team with her.

And it pissed Agito off.

He strode over and shouted, "Hey!"

Yayoi stopped laughing and turned, raising a brow. "Hm?"

He knew he'd regret this. He grabbed her hand. "C'mon, Yayoi. We've got to get to class." Apparently his action was enough to shock her in to walking with him.

"Hey, Nakayama!"

"Yeah?" The girl turned, her hand momentarily slipping out of the shark's grasp. Agito scowled. Who did that piece of shit think he was, calling her by name?

"Wanna have lunch together today?"

Oh, that was it. Agito stepped forward. "She's busy."

Suzuki smiled a little disbelievingly. "Really? With what?"

"We've got a strategy meeting today. She needs to be there. I don't know who you think you are, but you'll have to save your little lunch date for some other day." It was true that they were going to have a strategy meeting, but she didn't really have to be there, and he really didn't want to say that. He grabbed the girl's hand again and muttered, "Let's go, Yayoi."

And they left; Agito missed the knowing smirk that graced Suzuki's face.

Agito bit his lip as he tugged his Tuner to the classroom, and he was so lost in thought that he missed Yayoi calling his name the first few times.

"Agito!"

He jerked and looked back at her. "Huh?" He realized he still held her hand, and quickly jerked away. He muttered a quick sorry and entered their classroom without looking back.

Yayoi didn't stop staring at him during the entire period, and he ignored her as best as he could. When lunch came, he tried to leave by going out the window, just to avoid her, but she managed to catch his wrist. He sighed and turned slowly, waiting to see the annoyance on her face, ready to say that he didn't have to explain shit to her and that team matters were more important than lunch with some guy.

He saw a smile instead.

"W-what?" he stammered. He hated blushing, but apparently it was inevitable.

The girl grinned shyly. "So you finally remember my name?"

"What're you talking about?" Agito snapped. Then he blinked. Oh…oh. Then he gave a small shrug and managed a small smile.

Some habits needed to be broken.

Happiness

"Make a list," Kazu had said.


They had gotten a beach house from an AT match that they had won against a very rich man. And it was the best prize they could have ever gotten. They had already been there for two days and they still loved it. This was the third day, and they had just gotten back from a day at the beach.

They were all going to grab some food to throw on the barbecue, and Agito had gone to the porch. He slumped down onto the floor and finally let out the small chuckle of laughter he had been keeping in for a while. It had been…fun. And he wanted to remember it. Which was unusual for someone like him, but he didn't care.

So Kazu, after easily guessing his thoughts (next to Yayoi, Kazu was the only one who could read his thoughts easily, as well as talk to him without pissing him off), had suggested that he made a list of all the fun things they had done. "Write what makes you happy."

"A lot of things make me happy."

"Fine. Then what is your definition of happiness?" And that had been what he decided to write about.


Agito pulled out the pen and paper he had snatched from the kitchen and lay down on his stomach, reveling in the feel of the cool wood beneath his bare abdomen. The pen clicked and he started writing.

Happiness Is:

1) Winning a match against a rich team with an idiot leader and getting a beach house out of it.

2) Slapping Buccha and listening to him scream because he has a huge sunburn.

3) Laughing at Adachi's failed flirting attempts with the bean sprout.

4) Dunking Onigiri and making him swallow a gallon of salt water because he threw fucking sea cucumbers at me. Idiot.

5) Almost drowning Ikki.

6) Beating Kazu in a race. Damn straight.

He decided that since no one would ever see this list, and he'd probably burn it later, he'd go all out and write more personal things.

7) Getting to spend some time with Nakayama without the perverts of the team trying to sneak a peek.

8) Smashing watermelons.

9) Hearing Akito laugh.

He could hear his brother whisper a 'thank you' in his mind, and he smiled.

10) Beating Ikki at surfing. Punk-ass crow. You should know better than to challenge me.

11) Building a—

He hesitated at writing the next sentence. He was going to burn this as soon as he was done. He swore it.

11) Building a sandcastle with Yayoi, but only because it made her happy.

12) Eating the best steak I've ever had in my life. Kaito always was a shitty cook, and Akira was worse; Buccha's food beats theirs by a mile.

13) Getting a tan. I've never had one before.

14) Seeing Yayoi's swimsuit. Damn.

15) Kicking the pig and the crow in the ass for looking at said swimsuit. I swear, if they eye my girl one more time, I'll kill them.

16) Getting buried in the sand. Kazu built a sand sculpture on me.

17) Letting Lind out to play so that he could smile again.

Lind chuckled in their shared mind. The "play" referred to a group of idiot Riders who had just so happened to wander past, notice them, and challenge them. They had their asses handed to them.

18) Walking down the beach with Yayoi.

19) Seeing the sunset with Yayoi.

20) Swimming with her.

21) Stealing a kiss from her.

Oh, he would definitely burn this later. After a moment of looking over what he had written, he kept going.

22) Winning an AT battle against the crow because he was stupid enough to challenge me.

23) Cliff diving. Best activity I've ever done. It was so…

And the list went on.


Sometime later, he was found sleeping there. He had dozed off

"Agito!" Yayoi shook him awake. "Come on! They're gonna light them soon."

Agito was dragged down to the beach by his girlfriend, and all sleep vanished when the first stream of light shot up to the sky. It exploded and red sparkles rained down. He could hear his team hooting and cheering, and the infectious giddy feeling he usually had when they all did something fun spread in his chest. He glanced at Yayoi, and she looked at him and grinned.

"You seem happy," she commented, grinning.

He realized that he was smiling, and for once he didn't care. This was happiness. He shrugged and turned his eyes to the designs that bloomed in the sky.

"I suppose you're going to add this moment to that list?"

He jerked and locked his golden eye on her. "You, you—!"

"I saw it," she confirmed, shrugging. "I thought it was awesome. I'll have to make one too." She tilted her head, brown hair sliding over her shoulder. "But you're going to add this moment, right?"

Agito was still in shock; that list was an embarrassment to him! And she had read it? Where did he put it? He shoved his hand into his pocket and was reassured when he felt the paper crinkle. Well, as long as no one else saw it. "Fuck, yeah," he finally said, tugging her close. "This'll definitely get written down."

He kissed her, and made a mental note about what he would add.

51) Watching the sky burn with Yayoi. Definitely a definition of happiness.


And as it turned out, he didn't end up destroying the list afterwards. In fact, he continued it.