Two

For Kuroudo, Literature was one of the most interesting subjects to grace his life as a student, and that he was thankful for. Unfortunately, its schedule was right after lunch, and at such an unholy hour, even enthusiasts like him would have the tendency to drift off into excessive boredom – or in some cases, sleep – once in a while. While their teacher, a middle-aged father of two named Shiawase Heike, tolerated such behavior in his class, one's fate in his exams depended on how much one would pay attention to his discussion. He relied not on books or the information stated within their texts, as he believed memorizing such insignificant data were futile; instead, he focused on the background of the references and the implications of what had been written there.

"Alright, class, get your books and start reading The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe, while I take the roll. I advise you to read it carefully because I will be asking questions later, and those who can answer me without looking at the text will earn extra credit," Mr. Shiawase instructed as he sat down and began rummaging through his drawer for his class record. When he finally found it, he stood back up and called the students one by one for their attendance.

Shichigawa Kazuya, one of Kuroudo's subordinates back when he was the captain of his former Gear Fighting team Griffon Japan, sat beside the blonde on the left side. He was a tall, well-built teenager, and one of their brightest students in their section, academically speaking. He seemed to be engrossed with the story, not paying attention to the attendance check as he was one of those who would be called last, but when their teacher turned away from his direction, he quickly slipped a piece of paper on the other's desk. He then went back to 'reading' the text, but was, in actuality, waiting for his seatmate's response.

I called Mitsuki to check up on him, but Yukina said he hasn't come home since yesterday afternoon, after practice. It's not like him to disappear just like that, Kuro. And I'm sure he didn't run away, because he's not that kind of person. What I fear is that he's not the first Gear Fighter to go missing. The other day, Ohkawa Kishin did, too.

"Jin! Oh, right, he's excused… Marume!"

The blonde flinched as he was called. Quickly, he affirmed, "Present!" before nodding at his teacher, whose gaze lingered on him for a few seconds, as if analyzing how come his response hadn't been automatic like usual. He then looked away and picked up his pen to answer Kazuya's disturbing message, leaving his book unattended as he had already read the story beforehand. As Mr. Shiawase called, "Ohmori!" and dead silence filled the air, a chill ran down his spine. Mitsuki, who took over Griffon as captain when he left the team almost two years ago, was definitely not a delinquent.

The last sentence startled him even more. Kishin – captain of the Mighty Gears, the Gear Fighting team that flattened the Tobita Club during the Manganji Cup exhibition round – came from an aristocratic family, one of chess masters and champions. He was one of the most watched over teenagers in Japan, as he was a chess prodigy in his own right, with bodyguards to protect him from every danger and servants to obey his every command. But how could he have disappeared? Kidnapped, perhaps? Still, how could that have possibly happened? And if he was really kidnapped, why?

He asked Kazuya for the details.

Hiroshi told me, he unintentionally overheard Takeshi talk to someone about it over the phone during lunch. The thing is, no ransom was asked, nor were Kishin's parents contacted. I suspect this is some sort of conspiracy. The Tokyo Open is next week, and that's the first major tournament that will generate sub-points for the Asia Cup as well as a generous amount of money. Some team must want an easy climb to victory.

Kuroudo frowned. It made sense, but not quite.

Presuming that it was indeed a plot of some Gear Fighting team to win the Tokyo Open without breaking a sweat, why resort to kidnapping? A team could still compete even if their captain's not around, as long as they'd have a substitute fourth player. And there were other more clever ways to achieve victory the underground way without the danger of being arrested and imprisoned for some heinous crime, like sabotaging other's Gears or blackmailing the most threatening players. Not that those acts wouldn't get punished by the Gear Fighting Association, of course, but the consequences wouldn't be too much for the players at fault to handle.

And why kidnap Kishin? It was reasonable to take Mitsuki, as Griffon was one of the more formidable teams – though not as much as the Tobita Club or the Manganji Dreams, whose players had been achievers during the World Cup, himself included – but the members of the Mighty Gears had parted ways months ago, realizing that they were better off in other fields rather than in Gear Fighting, even if they had the skill, and very remarkable Gears to complement that. The team was no longer a threat to anyone.

He didn't know what else to say to Kazuya, or what to do about Mitsuki's disappearance, for that matter. All he knew was that he and his friends had to be careful; Gear Fighting conspiracy or not, something was really going on, and it wasn't good.

-x-

Takeshi was the first to arrive at the Tobita Club's headquarters, and he was in a good mood, despite the fact that his mother had gushed over him during breakfast and that he was forced to wear the cursed green teddy bear shirt in front of a guest. Their class adviser and first period teacher had been asked to represent their school for a seminar, so their morning classes had been cancelled, and, like a bonus, their last period teacher fell ill and dismissed the class as soon as she finished checking their attendance. He only had three subjects for the day, and he didn't have any exams to worry about.

But as soon as he stepped in the place that had once been his second home, his good mood suddenly vanished and was replaced by anxiety and discomfort. So much had changed, not only with the clubhouse's interior, but also with the atmosphere itself. On display were twice as many trophies as there had been during his time. And while the poster of Marino Yuhya – the first Asia Cup Champion who was, unfortunately, killed in a car accident in Brazil – remained pinned to the wall, beside it was a larger one of his younger brother and successor, Kouya, and his teammates, all of them great players in their own right. Kouya was the World Cup Champion. Kuroudo and Jirou were both finalists; the blonde was only a step away from the championship when he lost, while the latter lasted until the quarter finals. And while Kyousuke was the first to be eliminated among the four, he was, no doubt, a genius Gear Master.

What am I doing here? he suddenly found himself asking.

"Hey, you're early."

He spun around and found Ririka closing the door of her office, and as soon as his brown eyes met her green ones, he flashed her a welcoming smile, one which she gladly returned. He couldn't hold it for long, though, and shortly after dropping it, he sighed heavily. "And the prodigal son has finally come home." He then turned away, refusing to give her the opportunity to look into his eyes once more. "I… I don't belong here anymore, Ririka."

Ririka shook her head, stepping up beside him with slow yet sure steps. She paused for a moment before voicing out her thoughts, however, not wanting to jump on him. She could tell he was afraid, but not in the way most people would define fear. It was comprised more of reluctance than the desire to run away; he seemed to want to step in, but just not yet. When she saw him raise his head slightly, his gaze no longer on the floor, she decided it was the right time to talk. "You've always been part of the Tobita Club, Takeshi, even when you were our greatest enemy. You know that as much as I do."

She smiled, recalling how, nearly a year ago, Takeshi had left the team in the hands of Kouya – left it in shambles – and how it had helped make the younger Marino a winner. The young man was someone whose plans were not easy to comprehend, and in the same way, she found herself baffled at his decision to rejoin the team he had turned on as an enemy. Not that she didn't want him to; he was her other best friend aside from Yuhya, after all.

"But I'll never blend in with them," he continued to protest, allowing his gaze to wander around helplessly for someone or something to come into his defense. But there was nobody else in the premises but the two of them, and the only thing that served as a reminder of how things were in the past was the poster of Yuhya holding the Asia Cup trophy high above his head. It didn't make much of a difference. "They're not Yuhya, Alex and Shingo. They're people I haven't worked with, but rather, worked against."

"I never said it was going to be easy, starting over in a team you were once the boss. As much as I would like to make things a lot easier for you, I can't. But I know you can do it. I've seen you do much harder things; compared to being the greatest thorn in Kouya's life, this will be a piece of cake. Some of them might not like you and openly display that, Takeshi, but they know you're a Gear Fighter they can trust out there. Even Kuroudo realizes that much."

Right on target. She really was his best friend. But he chose to drop the subject altogether, knowing that dwelling on it will only bring up pride-breaking revelations that he really didn't want to get into just yet, and pulled out the necklace he had bought from the merchant Mr. Isuji earlier that day. "Here. I got something for you."

She gasped. "Oh… that's so… so beautiful… I… you're really giving me that?"

Takeshi nodded with a smile, moving forward to put it on her, but the door suddenly flew open and an extremely cheerful, "Good afternoon!" resonated inside the clubhouse. Reflexively, he thrust the necklace into her palm instead to avoid displaying any more gestures of affection, knowing that Jirou, who admired Ririka to a great extent, might easily mistake those to be something more than friendly. He then turned around to regard the newcomers, who weren't just members of the Tobita Club, but his soon-to-be comrades. He felt himself shiver.

The captain was quick to notice and acknowledge his presence, however; they had been on friendlier terms ever since the conclusion of the World Cup. And the other three – the Gear Master was not with them for some reason – were polite enough not to treat him as if he was invisible, even though they were clearly apprehensive about the entire idea of him joining in just like that. Even Kuroudo managed a spare a nod towards his direction before going over to Ririka to inform her that Kyousuke was ill.

"Well, guys, let's get this underway. Gears out," he heard the deputy owner of the Tobita Club announce loudly, and he nodded, feeling a bit more relaxed than he was when he first arrived. He put down his bag and took out his Gear, Gaiki, and Kouya, who had settled down on the bench right next to his, let out a teasing smile as he held Garuda Phoenix up. The gesture made something spark from within the young man; the brunette had just executed a move Yuhya had done so many times in the past. It felt like the old times.

But he soon tensed, though not visibly but still to a great extent, as soon as Ririka's next sentences reached his ears. It didn't feel like the old times anymore.

"Kaoru, referee's post please," she requested before turning to address the players with the smile she always sported. As much as she wanted to introduce Takeshi and provide him with his own special zone in the team, she didn't like the idea of treating him differently just because he was her best friend. He had been in the Tobita Club much longer than the other three, and so she was confident that he knew how things were run. "Alright, guys, listen up. The organizers of the Tokyo Open have decided to use the tag-team format to level up the playing field with our European rivals, and since Kyousuke has chosen to concentrate on becoming a full-fledged Gear Master, you'll need to regroup. As much as possible I want you to come up with a combination that requires the least adjustments."

"I'll go with Takeshi. I've studied his tactics and his Gear already, just as he has studied mine. Besides, it'll be a killer combination. The phoenix and the dragon, just imagine that! Shining Sword Breaker and King of the Dragon Fighters! We'll be unbeatable!" Kouya exclaimed enthusiastically, beaming. His suggestion was so quick that it didn't seem like he was affected by the tag-team arrangement at all.

"Well, I like the sound of that. And the fact that you two aren't trying to destroy each other anymore, it's really a relief. Alright, Kuroudo, let's go." The former baseball player grinned at the blonde, but stopped as soon as he noticed the other's frown. "What's wrong? Don't like having me as your team partner? Look, I know I'm not as good as Kyousuke and I don't know you as much as he does-"

Kuroudo shook his head. "No, Jirou. That's not it." He shifted his position slightly, sweeping his gaze from one companion to the other. Takeshi was no exception, as much as he disliked having the conceited Manganji brat around. He then continued, "Didn't Ririka just say that it would be best to have a combination with the least adjustments? This arrangement, while seemingly advantageous, is actually very cumbersome. All of us will be adjusting." He waved his hand before Kouya could interrupt. "I know, I know, you know Takeshi's moves and he knows yours. But both of you will still have to adjust."

"What do you suggest, then?" It seemed to have wounded Kouya's pride that someone objected to his brilliant proposal, when in fact he was the captain of the team, and that someone was merely under his command. The blonde wasn't even close to becoming assistant captain, as much as he had the experience in running a team.

The half-French Gear Fighter answered his glare with one just as fierce, but it lasted for only a moment, just enough for it to be seen by their stubborn, bigheaded captain. He then resumed taking up his nonchalant front, cocking his head to the side slightly to regard everyone else in the premises and replied in his always-sure tone, "The least number of possible adjustments would be two. That would be me," he paused to point at Takeshi, "and him."

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Author's Notes: There you go, another chapter for this crossover. I apologize for the delay, blame it on school as well as CGT/DBZ deprivation, but I do hope you enjoyed it. Please review, thank you!