A Walk on the Side

By Cassandra

A/N: Quick update and here you go. ^_^ Thanks for the reviews and I hope that you like it. A bit angsty along the end, this chapter is. I'm excited for the next chapter! We finally get to have Kira and Aoi have a duet! Well, sort of a duet…Anyway, ja!

DISCLAIMER: I only own Kira and Aoi. This is a sidestory to Senashenta's "Walk a Mile" and Hikaru, Josei, Amai, and Sailor Stars Singer and Silencer (who are both briefly mentioned in this fic) all belong to her. The rest belongs to the wonderful Naoko Takeuchi.

Chapter III

Behind the Smiles

"Now we can stick you in the oven Seiya! Whoo! Have you heard anything funnier in your life, Aoi? Oh dear, my Kami, I really need to stop laughing soon…"

Aoi sighed as she shook her head in half-amusement and half-exhaustion at a terribly amused Kira. She had an inkling that Kira wasn't done laughing yet and she was quite right when the red-haired one broke into another flurry of hysteric giggles. Aoi actually thought of letting go of Kira's upper arm, but thought better of it. Kira may be amused, but who knew what she would do once she realizes that she was free from Aoi's control.

Kira's gleaming red hair and fashionable outfit was dusted heavily by flour and messed terribly by other such baking materials. Usually, the state of her current attire would have certainly pissed off the senshi of Striker. Thankfully, that last remark by Yaten at the expense of Seiya had somehow diverted her attention from her hair and clothes.

Aoi was certainly happy because of this. It meant that she didn't have to attend to the odious task of convincing Kira of putting off whatever timely retribution the latter had thought of for one Seiya Kou. Who knew that that unneeded baking contest would result into something like this?

As it happened, Aoi and Kira hadn't gone to the Uchu as they had originally planned after Hikaru made it perfectly clear that she didn't need two looming nursemaids watching after her as she rested. The two Outer Kinmokian senshi bumped into Yaten and Minako who were arguing. Apparently, Yaten had declared that Aoi was the best chef in Kinmoku. Of course, Minako didn't hesitate to hail Makoto as Earth's Culinary Champion.

One thing led to another and the next thing Aoi and Makoto knew, they were coaxed into a fully functional castle kitchen by Minako, Yaten, and eventually a very supportive Kira for a baking contest.

Soon, the whole crew was gathered, both Earthian and Kinmokian senshi excluding the three trainees. Of course having Kira and Seiya in the same room was never a good thing. Everything had been going pretty well and it would have probably continued that way if Seiya hadn't challenged Usagi for the first piece of whatever the two cooking extraordinaires could come up with. If only Usagi herself had opened her mouth and not Rei or Yaten, then things would just be normal. Seiya would be flirting with her Odango and Usagi would just blush or fend her off. But it didn't happen that way. Yaten had to open her mouth and say that Seiya's morning eating habits were deplorable. Seiya got riled up in the process and ended up throwing something in her general direction. It had to hit Kira and Kira being who she was didn't let such an action from Seiya slip. She threw something back and all hell broke loose.

The baking contest was left misjudged since all that came out of it were a bunch of messy senshi and one ready-to-bake Seiya, which was certainly something none of the senshi had a particular taste for. For the most part, Aoi and Makoto were relieved that their cakes hadn't ended up getting judged. It would result into more chaos and probably a bigger mess than what Makoto and Amai were busy cleaning up at the moment.

And so Aoi was feeling pretty sated and relieved as she led a still giggly Kira into their apartment. After Kira made it through the door, Aoi had to let out a bit of a chuckle at the sight of the usually neat red-haired senshi who now looked like she was half-way ready to bake. Flour clouded her gorgeous red hair and her clothes were splotched with all sorts of color. Those would be hell on the whites and Kira's special pants. And let's not get started on Kira's favorite black boots.

Aoi had been giggling for sometime when Kira finally noticed that she was the target of Aoi's amusement. She, being the ham and drama queen that she was, acted quite offended. She turned and positioned her hands on her hips as she looked at her blond partner questioningly, one eyebrow cocked.

"And now you laugh. Really now Aoi-chan, what do you find so funny?"

Aoi giggled some more at the mock-serious look on Kira's face as she approached her. Kira just had to flip her red ponytail over her shoulder, resulting into a small cloud of flour to float around her. The blond lifted a hand to wave away the cloud of floor, but was smiling still.

"Get cleaned up before I stick you in the oven, Kira-chan."  

And as she expected, Kira leaned in just a bit more towards her to flash her famous flirtatious smirk. Her voice was breathy and would have made any person's knees weak when she spoke.

"Ah, does my Aoi-chan want a piece of me?"

No matter how many times Kira flirted with her, Aoi still couldn't control her reactions. Having Kira so close and with that smirk on her beautiful face, whether she was in female or male form, always made her heart pound in her ears, just like now. She knew she must be blushing when she felt the blood rush up to her face as Kira leaned in closer and past her line of vision. Beyond the flour and other baking materials plastered all over Kira, Aoi could still distinctly smell Kira's own light cologne hanging about him pleasantly. A shiver ran up her spine as she felt Kira's gentle breath against her ear before she whispered,

"I promise I'd taste much better than someone else who shall not be named who was poured over by her Odango with some excellent cake mix."

Aoi found Kira's remark quite funny and she managed to laugh quietly beyond this pleasantly weakening haze her red-haired partner had cast over her. Raising a hand once more, she placed it against Kira's shoulder to gently push her away so she could smile directly into her dear friend's eyes.

"And how do you know that the cake mix was good?"

Kira answered with a wink and a playful smile.

"What else do you think would make Seiya good enough to stick into an oven?"

Aoi sighed again at Kira's mention of Seiya, but the silly smile wouldn't leave her face. She always liked it when Kira appreciated her cooking, even if saying it indirectly. Kira's opinion always mattered the most.

The redhead who made her smile looked questioning again as she looked into her blue-green eyes with a smile of her own, a more sincere one this time.

"What's with the sigh?"

Aoi shook her head and made a move to push Kira towards her room.

"Go get cleaned up now. We have a ball to attend don't we?"

At the mention of the ball that night, Kira sighed to herself, but allowed Aoi to push her off. She didn't go without an appropriate goodbye though. With a mischievous shake of her head, she sent a bit of flour to settle against Aoi's otherwise pristine orange dress.

"Hey." Aoi protested, but it was far from indignant.

Kira chuckled before whirling off in a cloud of flour, seemingly pleased with herself about something.

"Hai, hai Kaa-san. I'll be off to clean up now."

Aoi continued to stand on the spot to watch Kira go to her room and waited before she heard the distinct sound of a door closing before she headed off towards her own room to prepare for the night ahead.

After an hour and a half, Aoi found herself ready and quite alone in the apartment's living area. She was dressed in an ivory colored gown that was of the finest material. It was held up by only thin pieces of the gown's material and dipped into a V, just enough to give anyone who was bold enough a peek of cleavage. The skirt flowed down to the floor and was flimsy enough that it flew this way and that when she walked, but the dress had petticoats underneath creating a slightly ballooned effect. Her only jewelry was a thin sapphire necklace that set off the blue in her eyes. It peeked and sparkled under an artfully drawn shawl around her shoulders and upper arms. Her shawl was a bit transparent and slightly sparkly. Gloves shaped her slender arm and ended up to just two inches above her elbow.

Her face had the smallest amount of make-up, not that she needed it at all. She was beautiful without make-up and when she did wear it, she just did so to enhance her features quite well. Her gleaming blond hair was brushed and done into the standard Starlights' ponytail. It was an official ball, so the ponytail stayed.

As she did just that morning, she listened beyond the seeming silence of the apartment to happen upon the sounds coming from Kira's bedroom. When she heard the sound of rustling cloth, she had to sigh once more. From the sounds of it, Kira was still getting dressed. At this rate it would take a few more minutes before she exited from her room. Kira took care of her hair after dressing. It was always that way.

It scared Aoi sometimes how she knew so much about Kira.

Shaking her head at how it always happened that she finished getting cleaned up and dressed before her red-haired partner did, Aoi sighed. Her eyes opened when she noticed the quiet that surrounded her now for the first time that day and suddenly her mind was stripped of its protective barriers. If anything, her blue-green eyes suddenly looked different than before. They looked more subdued, less bright.

The apartment was quiet beyond the activity that was going on behind Kira's door and such quiet always seemed to make her turn to certain thoughts, thoughts that she usually didn't want to think of.

Like how beautiful Kira's hair was when it gleamed against candlelight.

How fierce and intense her eyes could become when he was faced with an enemy.

How wonderful it felt to be in his arms.

How wonderful it was to encase him in her arms.

How she thought of Kira as a man more and more as the days passed.

Blue-green eyes were fixed on a certain door that seemed so insignificant before. No smile now brightened her face as she looked at the door. She approached it without a second thought.

The room within was small and neat, with only a piano, a violin, an electric guitar, and a couch inside. It was their Music Room, a very sacred place.

Her blue-green gaze easily fell on the violin and she immediately felt it call to her.

After placing her shawl carefully over the couch's armrest, Aoi reverently took the violin into her hands and experimentally plucked its delicate and yet strong strings. Later, after testing for its tune and making adjustments, she placed the violin's underside between the crook of her shoulder and chin and gently lowered the violin's bow over it, creating a drawn out note. Shutting her eyes and drawing in a calming breath, she allowed herself to get lost in the music she created with her violin.

All Starlight senshi were required to undergo musical training along with their senshi training. It explained why all Starlight senshi were proficient with different musical instruments and could sing, for the most part.  Musical training was taken just as seriously as the foremost senshi training and skipping it warranted a dire punishment.

How such a tradition came to be carried out wasn't exactly known, but legend has it that the tradition came to be during the time of the first Starlight senshi, Silencer and Singer. It was said in the legend that one time, when both senshi were fighting a youma, they were slowly weakening. The youma was particularly strong, feeding steadily on the people's fear. It was the senshi's music that vanquished the youma. Not only did it cut off the youma's food supply, it also gave the people hope.

Since then, music was required during senshi training for incoming senshi.

Senshi weren't only supposed to protect the people of Kinmoku, but also to give and restore the hope that was essential in keeping the kingdom alive and united.

Meanwhile, Aoi thought that the music that was taught to the senshi was what kept them going as well. Senshi were supposed to protect their planet alone and nothing else. Despite their power, senshi were only human too and had their own emotions, which couldn't easily be shared because of the nature of their duty. Through their music, they were able to let these emotions free and share the messages that they kept within the depths of their hearts.

Music was the Kinmokian senshi's medium of expression and monumental grasp on sanity.

So now, with the help of her violin, Aoi allowed her message to be heard. She relayed her message that couldn't be said in coherent words.

As the days went and time slips by, it was getting harder and harder to remain as the one she wanted to be, the Aoi that everyone knew, the ever-smiling one. It was getting harder to smile. It was getting hard to hide such intense emotions behind friendly and amiable smiles. She so wanted to be free to say what she wanted the world to hear, but she was afraid.

Especially if he heard her.

Would he still accept her if he found out?
Will he continue to be by her side?

Or will he leave her in disgust, convinced of her betrayal?

Did he feel the same way?

Or was she just hoping as fools in love always do?

Will he ever see her as more than 'his Aoi-chan'?

So many questions and with answers she didn't want to hear.

Beautiful.

Jaded.

Cold.

Distant.

Untouchable.

Unreachable.

IMPOSSIBLE.

She pulled in a deep breath as she lowered her bow, her hand limp by her side. The bow soon clattered to the floor. She swallowed as she tried to get even more air into her lungs. It hurt when she breathed. Even after years of training, too much exertion still pained her.

Sweat beaded down the side of her face and her breathing was erratic. Her bangs and strands of her fine blond hair matted her forehead and her bare upper arms. Her eyes remained closed still. Her chest won't stop rising and falling in intense bouts of breathing.

All of a sudden her violin seemed so heavy.

She thought she would drop it.

Suddenly, warm hands were holding her upper arms and she found herself supported against a strong chest. Slightly moist lips were against the shell of her ear and she almost shivered in reaction. A deep, baritone she knew so well spoke softly into her hair.

"Talk to me."

Did anyone tell you that Kinmokian senshi were very sensitive to music and could easily be affected by it, whether they listened to or played it?

She felt so weak and she would have fallen to the floor if those same warm hands hadn't pulled her closer and with a swift maneuver, had her carried by strong arms and a moment later sat sideways over a firm lap. Those lips that whispered to her were now against her forehead. One of those arms that had carried her now supported her against a purely masculine frame while the other had drawn her closer.

Her senses were assaulted by a heady and yet pleasant musky scent. One of her hands was against the chest supporting her and she felt smooth material under her fingertips. When she opened her eyes, she saw fine black silk.

A hand was soothingly running up and down her back and she felt herself relax.

She just felt so tired and so sleepy suddenly.

"Aoi, please tell me what's wrong."

She let out a small distressed moan as her eyes fell close once more. Tired, very tired.

She really shouldn't have done that.

They were supposed to be performing as well at the ball that night. How would she be able to play well enough if she was exhausted after letting her tumbling emotions loose? Stupid, very stupid.

And so selfish.

What does he think of me right now?

Gentle fingers traced the side of her cheek to drift down and cup her chin, making her tilt her head back. Her eyes opened, half-lidded.

Silver gray eyes that she knew could change into such chips of ice floated before her vision under curls of golden red bangs. They weren't cold at the moment. Quite the opposite actually, they were warm with worry and questions.

"Aoi…"

He breathed her name and she knew she was lost again.

She closed her eyes and fought to smile a bit, even if it hurt to do so.

"Just let me rest a while, I'm sorry Kira…"

Kira, do you know?