Chapter Twenty-Five

"Wakashimazu, WATCH OUT!!!"

She was lost in a boisterous world of screams. People were flocking, shrieking, paralyzed, and some were running. She was stuck to the spot, only hearing the out-of-control car and Wakabayashi's scream.

"K-K…" Her jaw trembled, her throat felt dry. Genzou had left her to rush at the scene, but what could she do when she had cold feet?

No, please. Not again. Her hands flew to her face, too startled to do anything. She commanded herself to move, to shout, to do something.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." She whispered desperately. "Not again."

Kaede stumbled to her feet, a deep red blossoming on her cheeks. She hoped desperately that nobody saw that accident happen. She hated being so clumsy.

"Are you alright?"

She raised her head. The girl looked about her age, but her eyes held a maturity that Kaede had only seen in a number of people, despite being in a pair of dirty overalls and a striped long-sleeved shirt that had fading colors.

"My name's Maki." The girl said with a gentle smile, extending a hand. "Let me help you up."

"N-no… I'm fine… I… uh, thank you, Maki-san." Kaede blushed harder, flustered, and tried to regain her balance. Her ankle throbbed, but she held on a nearby wall for balance.

"Are you sure?" Maki eyed her.

"Yes."

Maki smiled. "What's your name?"

Before Kaede could reply, they heard a loud scream. The voice was foreign, but Maki seemed to recognize it, because she ran away, her long steps frantic. Kaede wobbled in the other direction, going around the alley into another exit, a shorter one, closer to the store she should be getting to.

She stopped when the sudden blare of the afternoon light welcomed her, and illuminated the person right in front of her.

"Ken Wakashimazu…" she breathed out, overwhelmed, before recognizing the continuous screeching of tires. She smelt burned rubber, it was a tragedy ready to strike.

She was near, if she just jumped, she could push both of them out to safety. Maki was an alley away. She'd be too late.

"KEN!!!"

"Face your fears, Kakutama."

Glazed red eyes widened. Why did Krizzie say that? And what the heck was Ken doing here in Nankatsu? Why was she watching him again? She had torn herself away, kept her distance, and disciplined herself to remaining a mere spectator, why did this have to happen again?

"It's not fair…" she trembled.

"Don't play dumb Kakutama. I know who you are."

"Darn it! Stop making me feel guilty," Ruby eyes flashed with sudden anger. "KEN-KUN!!!"

--

Her eyes felt heavy, and someone was saying her name. She wished they would stop, whoever they were, their calls were giving her a headache.

"Come on, Kaede-chan! Wake up!"

She groaned, and then faced the other way. She felt a few dark strands litter across her face and swat them impatiently away. Sleep. Sleep sounds good.

And then she remembered Ken.

"OW!"

Kaede shut her eyes again, this time her hands flew up to meet her forehead after colliding with another head when her own shot up.

"What the hell did you do that for?" the same voice snapped. A groan followed.

Kaede's eyes widened. "Ken?" she asked breathlessly.

"What?" he asked sharply, making her forget her earlier euphoria.

Kaede's eyes widened, and the pulsing of her head was momentarily forgotten. Ken Wakashimazu, in flesh, was face to face with her, and she just knocked him over with her head. Ken stared at her as she turned from unhealthy pale to tomato red.

"OHMIGOSH, I'M SO SORRY KEN-SAN, I…" she stopped, suddenly remembering her daredevil stunt. "Oh my god, are we dead?"

Ken chuckled, and Kaede felt horrified. Obviously, dying seems amusing to him.

"Why are you laughing?" she exclaimed indignantly, rising to her feet. "This is no time for fun and games, Ken-san! We're dead! And this doesn't look like heaven!" she paled. "Oh my god, I went to hell!"

Ken's face contorted into something akin to confusion, or had that twinkle been a spark of amusement?

"I knew it! IknewitIknewitIknewit!" Kaede started panicking, not noticing the growing smile on the karate keeper's face. "I knew that mosquito had been weird! I shouldn't have listened to Ace-kun when he told me to swat it away! Oh dear, what if it died? Am I going to hell jail? Am I going to be a devil's kitchen maid?" Fear was written all over her face. "OMG, what if they make me the guinea pig in the experiments of some evil mad scientist who died years before we did???"

Ken's forehead creased. "I don't think there's such a thing as hell jail, is there?"

Kaede didn't even bother to listen. "God must've convicted me of bugslaughter!!! That's it! That's why I'm here!!! To pay for all the lives of those poor insects I killed. I'm a disgrace!!! An exile!!!"

Ken chuckled.

"Kaede-chan—"

"—I don't deserve to live—well, technically, am I dead—but still!!"

"Kaede-chan…"

"All those poor, poor things! How could I have been so cruel? I should've put myself in their shoes before I—"

"KAEDE-CHAN!''

"WHAT?"

Ken grinned at the ruffled look on the girl's face. "Tell me this, if you and I are dead, then why is my head throbbing from an earlier impact made with your own pretty face earlier on?"

It took Kaede a while to process the sentence, and after that, she managed a sheepish grin. "Uh, we have a few neurons that are not dead yet?"

"Creative," Ken mused. "But dubious." He smiled.

"But just to be sure…" Kaede mumbled to herself. Ken strained to hear. "I better go to confession tomorrow."

Ken felt a wrinkle on his forehead.

Kaede closed her eyes solemnly. "To rid myself of filthy sins…"

He couldn't take it anymore. "Pff— AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"This is no laughing matter, Ken-san." Kaede scolded strictly, fighting down the urge to hide behind a large rock. "Even bugs have the right to live. All living things must be respected! Maybe that's why God has rejected you access to heaven: you don't know how to respect the dead."

Ken grinned. "As much as I would like listening to your inspirational talk for a bit longer, Kaede-chan, I believe they're all waiting for you to realize that you and I are not alone in this lovely spectacle."

Kaede stared at all the people around, just realizing they were surrounding them from the beginning, and a bright red flooded her already rosy cheeks. She sunk to the ground, embarrassed, but relieved. At least I saved him.

"Excuse me for laughing, Kaede-chan…" Ken laughed, not looking even a bit remorseful. "Ahahahhaha… but you looked so cute and I j-just… ahaha…"

"Sure, laugh at the drama queen," Kaede mumbled, sarcastic now that her fear's gone. "You know, I don't really mind." She tried to ignore the funny feeling in her stomach after she realized that THE Ken Wakashimazu had just complimented her.

Ken wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "That's good to know Kaede-chan."

She shot him a glare.

"Kidding!" Ken cried at once. "Don't get so aggressive."

"I thought I was going to die." She muttered darkly. "That's nothing to laugh about."

"You thought you died." Ken corrected.

"You're not really helping, Ken-san."

He shrugged. "That's just my nature, I guess."

She huffed, and slicked out her hair, suddenly conscious of how she looked. She blushed when she realized she had once again caught his undivided attention. She cleared her throat. "What happened to the driver?"

He looked serious when she looked at him. "He swerved at the last minute. That reminds me. Thanks for the push back there."

Kaede felt pride swelling in her chest. "No problem." She told him. "Did he apologize?"

"What?"

"Well, he almost killed you, didn't he?" Kaede reasoned. "He should at least say sorry."

"An apology won't make a difference. I'm probably going to sue him either way." Ken admitted, pushing his hands into his pockets. "As soon as he leaves his stupid vehicle anyway."

"You haven't seen him yet?" Kaede asked incredulously. "I would've thought that's the first thing you would do!"

"I had been too worried about you when you blacked out on the spot." Ken admitted with a light blush. "Besides, Genzou and the others are taking care of it right now."

The two of them turned just in time to see the car door open. The driver spoke to Genzou in hushed tones before stepping out.

It was Krizzie.

Krizzie: Wakeke… I think this whole drama piece deserves a chapter all to itself, no? Well, it doesn't matter if you disagree anyway because it's already posted. Review people! PLEEEEEEEEASE!!!