Author's Note: I know it's been forever, but I haven't had net access, blah blah blah... Anyway, I'm finally continuing to write my Akira/Aoi fanfiction. I could've left it at one chapter, but it didn't seem finished, and I never intended for it to be a oneshot.

Just a note: The lyrics I put at the beginning of this chapter are, well... sort of lyrics I thought fit the situation. The song is not a 'theme song'. In no way do I think that Aoi and Akira would be into My Chemical Romance or Escape the Fate (awesome bands... but VF characters headbanging? Goh or Lion, maybe). Just thought I'd give a heads up before people look up the 'There's No Sympathy For The Dead' lyrics. Those are some trippy lyrics.

But here we go with this chapter!

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Look Away

An Akira Yuki/Aoi Umenokouji story by Strike to Incinerate

Chapter o2 - Wash Away Your Sins

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"I cannot change you (I cannot change you)
you'll never change (you'll never change)
I never would expect to break this in the end"

There's No Sympathy For The Dead - Escape the Fate

--

It was six in the morning when Aoi awoke, a slight headache chiseling away at her brain, sure to become something more painful, and Akira's kiss still burning on her lips.

She flushed, which helped make the headache subside, and got out of bed. She was going to need some asprin, and to make breakfast for her younger sisters and Akira. Midoriko and Shiroi had to go to school, and Akira... well, he had to sober up. She still felt horrible that Reiji-sama was dead, but it would be worse if Akira lost the Budokan, too.

The hardwood flooring was still cool against her feet as she made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass and filled it with cold tap water, and took a few aspirin. The bottle was almost empty, thanks to Akira... but she wasn't bitter. She had given up on being bitter to him. It just made him mad, and when he got mad--

-- he pushes me up against a wall to play tonsil hockey.

It wasn't even a sarcastic thought, and the fact that she wasn't angry with him for that made her cheeks turn red, and she couldn't think of what lastest fad her teenaged sister wanted to follow for her breakfast regime.

God, it tasted like cheap wine, and he hasn't shaved in days, his hair was greasy...

And Aoi knew, that no matter how much she tried to devalue it, it was probably the sexiest thing she'd ever experience in her entire life, short of, well... doing it.

Gummi bears, she remembered. Apparently, there was this rumor that gummi bears were lower in fat and calories per serving, compared to walnuts and cashews, so that was what Midoriko wanted to eat. She's going to end up anorexic soon enough... Aoi thought, annoyed, making her head pulse.

Shiroi ate miso soup, rice and eggs, like normal people, and that meant that Akira would be having that, too. Aoi prepared the stove and the food (the rice was already cooked, and the miso was instant, so it wasn't difficult), and soon, the house was full of the smells of good food. The only thing left was to dig through the snack cupboard for Midoriko's damned gummi bears...

"Good morning, Aoi. It's nice to see you in the kitchen, for once," her mother said, her voice soft and teasing.

Aoi rolled her eyes. It was her chore to make breakfast every morning, since Midoriko was 2 and she was seven. "Good morning, mama," she replied absently, still searching.

"Midori-chan already ate all of her gummi bears," Aoi's mother informed her. "She's on to wasabi peas now."

Aoi laughed; Midoriko hated vegetables. She was going to have a fun time with that one; did she think the peas were made of wasabi? But, wasabi peas, they did still have in their cupboards, and she grabbed a small green package, and placed it where Midoriko usually sat at the table.

"Aoi-chan..." her mother began, something in her soft voice telling Aoi that she was about to get serious. "Why is Akira-kun here?" she asked her eldest daughter. "In our guest room?"

Aoi raised a brow. "Didn't dad tell you?" she replied, surprised. Her parents usually shared things like that. "Reiji-sama died... Akira's having a hard time dealing with it. I offered to let him stay with us. Dad said it was fine," she answered.

Her mother didn't look convinced. "Why did Shiroi see you pouring all of your father's sake down the drain, then?" she asked.

Aoi sighed. Shiroi was the youngest child, still precocious at seven years old, and everyone's pet. She was quiet, and shy, and inquisitive. She couldn't get mad that Shiroi had gone to their mother, not like if Midoriko had, because Midoriko did things like that just to be a brat. "I told, Akira's having a hard time, okay?" she replied.

"Aoi... I don't want an alcoholic around Midoriko and Shiroi," she replied sternly.

Her honey colored eyes widened. "Alcoholic? Mama, he's a friend of the family!" she protested. "He used to be over here all the time when we were kids!"

"When you were a child, yes," her mother agreed, folding her arms over her chest. "But you're an adult now, and he's a drunk. Don't you care about your sisters? He could get violent!" she pointed out.

"Mama!" Aoi snapped. "Stop it. I'm helping him get back on his feet. He's not a drunk; he's just confused. Don't you feel bad at all about Reiji-sama? Don't you remember how hard it was for everyone when Shizuka-sama died?" she said, bringing up Akira's mother, who had died when Akira was 14, and Aoi was 8.

"Of course I do!" her mother snapped back. She had been close with Shizuka, just as her husband had been close to Reiji. "But this is about the safety of you and your sisters... I'll go to your father, and tell him--" she began to threaten.

"Tell him what?" Aoi returned, her eyes narrowed. She was an adult now, her mother was right; she wasn't going to take this 'I'm the matriarch' crap anymore. "I told you that dad said he could stay. Dad's DELIGHTED that he's going to stay. You know he loves Akira like a son!"

"That he was forcing himself on you," her mother countered. "As much as he loves Akira, he loves you and your sisters more. If I tell him what I saw... he'll agree with me."

Aoi hated when her mother got vindictive like this, but she still lived in the time where women stayed home and cared for the kids and the house while the husband went to work. The time where the social life was ruled by the wife. Aoi didn't live in that time, and she knew her mother hated that. Aoi lived in the time where, as soon as she had turned eighteen, she was equal to her parents, and didn't have to obey every single thing they said.

"Do it. Tell him that," she shot back, her lips curling into a triumphant grin. "Tell him that Akira did just that. That he took advantage of me... and I liked it. Tell him we're dating. Go ahead. Tell him that I'm pregnant, and Akira and I are going to run away together. Go right ahead. See how much he likes the idea of that," she said, knowing it was her father's, and Reiji-sama's, dream for her and Akira to get married and spawn hundreds of super martial artist children.

Her mother's face turned bright red. Her mother, being a traditionalist, didn't like to hear the idea of one of her daughters sleeping around, getting pregnant out of wedlock, and eloping. Her eyes became slits, glaring daggers at her eldest, mouthiest daughter, her husband's clear favorite... and she slapped her.

Aoi reeled, but then laughed. It had stung a little, but she'd been hit a lot harder. In comparison to a well delivered piston kick from a stocky black woman, that was like a mosquito on her arm. "Why don't you go make some fucking tea or something, and leave me alone, before I tell dad that you're getting abusive?" she said defiantly.

That didn't help. Her mother simply snarled, "I wish your father knew what a mouth you have... you're going to become a disgrace," and marched away angrily.

Aoi laughed loudly at her back, but secretly, she was glad that no one had seen that fight. She hated fighting with her mother, but she was so rigid and hard to deal with, it sometimes couldn't be avoided. She had a heart of stone, and few very got to have a place in it. Akira had been kicked off the island, as far as her mother went, but she knew that her mother couldn't kick Akira out of the house. She was so traditional that she would listen to whatever Aoi's father said.

She sighed, and began plating up the eggs, near tears. A weak, almost coughing sound, left her throat, and she wiped at her eyes. It was so stupid, and now she regretted saying those things to her mother. One day, her mother wouldn't be there to argue with... Just like Shizuka-sama had gone so suddenly, so could her own mom.

Around the corner, Akira sighed, feeling something other than self-pity and anger for the first time that week. He felt guilty about putting Aoi in this situation... because he refused to deal with his feelings of frustration about his father's death. Aoi already had a lot to deal with; she shouldn't have to defend him at every turn, too.

--

"Aoi... I think I'll just got home," he told her as she washed the dishes after breakfast. Her younger sisters had already left for school; eating breakfast with them had been an interesting experienced. The middle one had told him he was going to get fat eating all the food her older sister had cooked for him, and the youngest one was quiet and shy, but asked him if he was her older sister's boyfriend... because the middle one had said so. That had been awkward and almost funny.

"Eat and run, eh?" she said with a soft, forced laugh.

He knew that, despite doting upon her youngest sister, she was still upset about the fight with her mother that morning, and he could understand it.

"No, it's not that. I shouldn't be imposing on your family like this," he replied, running a hand through his mussed black hair. Thanks to a shower and a change of clothing, both provided by her, he looked decent. He still had stubble and a five o'clock shadow, though.

His sudden change in attitude made an alarm go off in Aoi's head. Once upon a time, she had been an experienced eavesdropper, and she knew the signs of someone who had heard a conversation not meant for them. "You heard my mother and me, didn't you?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

He shook his head quickly. 'Shit, why is she so damned clever all the time?' he thought, half in annoyance, half in admiration. She had an intuition that bordered on ESP. "No... I told you. I'm imposing, and it's rude," he insisted.

"You didn't think you were imposing when you ate all the food in the cupboards yesterday, and tried to get to my dad's sake," she replied quickly.

He frowned. Now she was being difficult. Couldn't she just accept what he was saying. "Aren't you listening? I'm cured; I'll be a good boy now. I'm done staying here," he told her firmly, standing up.

"Stop lying to me, would you?" she asked him.

"I'm not lying!" he lied.

"Yeah, you are. You're not hard to read, Akira," she said, rinsing out a bowl.

"Shut up!" he roared. "Maybe I'm just sick of your constant nagging! You're not any different than your mother!"

She turned around, a wide grin on her face. "You did eavesdrop," she said, triumphant.

He gave up. "Yeah, whatever. It wasn't hard. Anyone awake could've heard you two screaming," he admitted.

Her face turned pink. "I'm sorry... if what I said offended you. I was just trying to make my mother angry. You know how she is; women stay home and cook and shit," she said quietly, looking down at the hardwood floor. He nodded, understanding. "I don't actually want to run away with you and have your babies and whatever. I just knew that she'd get pissed if I said I did. She was making you out to be the bad guy, and you're not."

He didn't argue with her. He'd even tried to make her see that he was an insufferable dick, and she wouldn't. She was bound and determined to believe he was a good person, and he wasn't going to stop her if she wanted to delude herself that badly. "Whatever you say, Aoi," he replied.

"So, you're not going to leave?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I'm still out of here," he replied instantly. "Why would I stay?"

She gave him a funny look. "Whether you think so or not, Akira... you need help. You can't keep drinking and bottling your feelings up until they--"

He cut her off. "What? Explode?" he asked. "Like you're one to talk, after that fight with your mother. Why don't you just tell her that you don't like how traditional she is?" he said.

She frowned at him, and it was almost cute. "It's different," she said stoutly.

"How?" he replied. "Because she's alive?"

"That's not what I meant, Akira."

"No, I know what you meant."

"If you're mad at your father for dying, maybe you should just say so," she spat. "I know he'd be angry at you for pushing away the only person who wants to help."

"Yeah, help herself into my pants," he grumbled.

She didn't like that comment, and she showed it by walking over to him, and pushing him towards the door. "Fine. Get out of my house."

"Thought it was your dad's house," he said, trying to be clever.

She didn't think so. "You want to leave so badly, I can't stop you. You're stronger than I am. You could've said no when I told you I was bringing you here. Be a god damned drunk, see if I care!" she shouted, standing in front of him, nearly six inches shorter.

He looked down into her eyes, getting a good look at them for once. They were bright and hard like amber, and full of passion. He swallowed; it was intimidated. He didn't realize how much she cared...

"Aoi..." he spoke softly, his voice calm and serious, like it used to be. "Are you in love with me?" he asked.

She looked away. "No," she answered, but he could hear the bitterness in her voice.

She was. Maybe it had started as a form of adoration; he was the most promising student of the Budokan, her father spent a lot of time with him, he was skilled. Why wouldn't little Aoi admire that? And then, as they grew up... he stopped visiting. He went away to train in the mountains. He didn't answer her phone calls or reply to her christmas cards. He didn't act friendly with her at the third, fourth, of fifth world martial arts tournaments. Now, he was throwing everything away, in her eyes, because of his father's death.

Disappointment was worse than anger, and bred deeper feelings of resentment.

It was a lot of maybes, but he knew he couldn't be far off.

"You must hate me then," he said.

"That's the most stupid fucking thing I have ever heard," she snorted. "Just because I'm not falling all over myself for you, doesn't mean I hate you."

But it did. They both knew that Aoi Umenokouji either loved or hated him very much to be so passionate about this.

It was suffocating him. "I'm going. I'll call you later, so you know I'm not dead," he promised her, heading for the door.

"Yeah, whatever," she said, turning to walk away from him. "You didn't call for ten years, why start now?"

Akira Yuki hated being right.

--

"Deep into a dying day
I took a step outside an innocent heart
Prepare to hate me fall when I may
This night will hurt you like never before
Im going down so frail n cruel
Drunken disguise changes all the rules"

Wish I Had an Angel - Nightwish

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That's the end of chapter 2. I promise that I will have the next chapter up in less than six months from now, so bear with me.

Oh, and leave me a review, will ya? I love them!