Chapter Five: Rainy Afternoon

The rest of the day did not go well for Lilika, no matter how hard she tried to look into the bright side of things. Despite their acts of defiance, Kouya most especially, they were unable to stop Kuroudo from leaving them. He didn't even say anything to rebuke the club's captain for tearing the resignation letter; he only walked past the younger boy without a word, making an unpleasant shiver run down their spines as he did so. And he did not turn back. He disappeared into the bright morning light, although it seemed the complete opposite for the rest of the Tobita Club.

But the blond Gear Fighter's departure was not the only thing that made Lilika upset. Later that day, while browsing through the World Wide Web in search for an interpreter she could hire to assist Kuroudo during his stay in the United States, she spotted a full-length story of the young man's illness and resignation at the GFA website. She had slammed her fists on the keyboard at the sight of the article, her temper slipping out of her control; how could the others have known when the select few who did promised to keep it a secret?! To her anger and frustration, the exposition was published with complete details, all of them right --- the series of attacks back during the Asian Cup, the disease and its real nature, the reason of Kuroudo's resignation, and the fact that Takaya Tobita, her father, was sponsoring the surgery.

She continued to walk under the pouring rain, holding the plastic folder that contained the printout of the article close to her. Though she hated being soaked wet, she found herself enjoying the weather to the full extent. She didn't even bother to call up her driver and request that she be picked up; the cold fangs of the shower felt very pleasant in comparison to Kuroudo's resignation and the news that was spreading all over the world like wildfire.

"Lilika!" a voice suddenly called out from behind her, and when she didn't stop, the owner of the voice repeated her name again. Sighing in annoyance, she turned around to see who it was, and found herself looking at a Gear Fighter in a red jacket with narrowed eyes. Takeshi, however, plainly ignored the look that she was giving him; his attention was not on her acrimonious disposition, but rather on the fact that she was walking around while raindrops were falling on her head. It was something Lilika Tobita wouldn't normally do. He folded his arms in front of his chest and asked, "What in the world are you doing? Is something wrong?"

"It's none of your business, Manganji."

He allowed a smile. Lilika never called him by his last name, even if they had broken off into two rivaling Gear Fighting teams. "It's raining," he pointed out bluntly, gesturing towards the spot where he was standing to suggest that she take refuge under the waiting shed that was keeping him dry. But she shook her head in reply. "Fine. Suit yourself, Tobita." His smile had transformed into a smirk by then, amused that he had gotten back at her so soon, even if he originally didn't intend to. "But tell me, are the rumors true? Is Marume really… well, deaf?"

Those words made the young woman angrier than ever, as that was precisely the reason why she didn't want the news about Kuroudo's condition to be divulged. Many disliked the Tobita Club and its members, especially those who experienced defeat by the hands of the four young men who lead the entire team, and like Takeshi, they would not let the chance of insulting the youngsters pass. Enraged, she stormed towards the Gear Fighter and slapped him --- slapped him hard. "I should've known," she spat in a low, lethal voice. "Who else has the power and resources to do such a thing, to divulge such a secret? I thought you were better than that, Manganji, but apparently, I was wrong! You'd do anything just to destroy the Tobita Club, and I've seen that! First you convinced Kyousuke to join you and figure out the secrets of the Garuda Eagle for your benefit; and now, you scattered the news about Kuroudo's condition to the whole word! How low could you get?!"

"Excuse me, Tobita, but Jin joined and used us to figure out the secrets of the Garuda Eagle for your team's benefit. He took advantage of the highly technological devices at our laboratories to help Marino and your team gain victory," Takeshi retorted coolly, despite the fact that he was already mad at what she had done to him. Slapping others and accusing them falsely were very bad things to do. "And second, I did not have anything to do with the article about Marume, as much as you think I did; I was just as surprised as everyone else to read all about it at the GFA's website."

"Then how did the news leak out?! Who could've done it?! Only you, Manganji --- only you!" Her anger getting the best of her, Lilika began to pound Takeshi's chest with her fists as he walked up to her, but to her surprise, he just stood there and simply allowed her to lash out all of her anger on him. Shortly after, her tears took over, and she buried herself into his arms.

That made Takeshi flinch, as he did not expect that things would take that much of a turn. He pushed her away reflexively, but his apparently rough gesture was immediately redeemed as he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shivering form. Even if their bodies touched only for a few heartbeats, he felt how cold she had become due to the rain that soaked her from head to foot, felt how miserable and alone she was at the recent happenings. She cared too much for her team and its members, just like a loving, concerned mother. That, the Gear Fighter knew, was the reason why the Tobita Club never crumbled despite of all the pressure, despite of all the trials and tribulations --- the members cared for one another, not only as teammates, but as friends and family.

He then turned around and walked away, leaving the sobbing young woman on her own. He was only a few meters away from where he last stood, however, when he stopped, closing his eyes in solemn contemplation. "I had nothing to do with the article, Lilika," he said softly, his hands resting casually at his sides. "I know I've lied to you before, but you have to believe me this time. I absolutely had nothing to do with it." A red car then rounded up from a nearby curb and came to a halt in front of the black-haired young man. Before he slipped into the automobile, however, he told her, "By the way, Natsuuko Takate would be your best bet. Her profile's at the MCO website --- if you're interested."

And at that, Takeshi Manganji left.

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Author's Notes: MCO stands for Manganji Corporation, the name I made up for the Manganji group of companies for this fic of mine. Anyway, here's an update, because I got a good grade (praise God) in our Math long exam! I was surprised myself at the turn of events, and of course, very happy! *jumps around* So… I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but it'll be sometime this week. This is actually the only fic I've been working on recently. Again, thanks for your reviews. You guys are great!