Author's Note: Yo! Double update for the patience!
Also, I'd really like to thank those that have posted reviews for this fic. It really... just makes my day. If I haven't sent you a private message in thanks, I'd like to give you all a general I LOVE YOU.
And on a more serious note, I'm seriously debating titling each chapter according to Kariya's moodswings.

Enjoy. =]

Chapter 6
Day 3 continued

"So what's with the smiles?"

It wasn't as if he was grinning from ear-to-ear, but his usual morning pallor wasn't nearly as grey. He met her in the middle on her I'm-less-tired-than-thou manner so consistently that it was off-putting.

He also happened to be wearing skinny-jeans and wow. She couldn't handle that just yet. She'd just gotten over what it felt like to be in his arms. To be enfolded in him.

She blushed.

"Putting up an effort helps, I guess," he told her, pulling his strap over his head to rest on his other shoulder. His eyes crinkled the way they always did when he found something amusing. Not funny. Cute, maybe, in his own sense of the word. "C'mere." He beckoned her toward him.

Not knowing what to expect, she took a step closer. She pressed the thermos to her chest as he adjusted her headband. The little pink sprig of hair was tamed. "There," he mused, then hooked his thumbs in his belt-loops. "You done? We're meant to be checking out A-East."

"Now?" she said, patting the top of her head with confusion. What did he do? "So I AM late," she concluded.

"Just a bit." He shrugged. "Gave them time to be complete idiots without hassle."

"Rude," she muttered, and managed a grin. His responsive smile was quick.

"'Kay. Let's go."

She followed him as he weaved through the crowds. Through scramble crossing and the main streets, and she kept her eyes between his shoulder blades. Her main goal: protect the tea. That citrus blend was pure gold and no one could tell her otherwise. And he had known it.

What was his favorite breakfast? Guilt swathed her insides. At least the French toast had worked.

It didn't register that her eyes were tracing the patterns in his wings until she had finished that train of thought. She swallowed that admiration to stifle her guilt and it was surprisingly easy. His wings were beautiful. Confident, raised, a glossy black. Were they smaller? Were hers?

"Hey look."

She blinked and followed the line of his arm to his finger. In her perspective, he was pointing roughly in the direction of that little prick of a tater-tot. She made a sound of disgust, sipping her tea. Let it wash down his appalling taste.

"You know what I think?"

She looked up at Kariya, glad to get Spud's silhouette out of her vision. "What?"

"I think I want to know what he lost." His dark eyes were distant. Less curious and more thoughtful.

Uzuki swallowed and stared into his face until he focused on hers. "And you?"

He winced. "Not the time, Uzuki, please." She wasn't exactly tickled with that response, in the way she pursed her lips, but she let it go. "I'm just... Going to ask him. Okay?"

"He's not going to like it."

"No one does." Kariya paused. "But this kid? If he gets erased, I'll want to know. There's something about him."

Uzuki blinked. "Like Sakuraba? I hope n-"

"Hey!"

The yell was so loud, Uzuki was rattled. Kariya turned, surprised, toward Spud and saw him lower his voice pin. Guy had to be talented to use a pin like that. It still didn't have the same effect as in battle-you just couldn't do that-but it did magnify his voice. "Speak of the devil," he muttered.

Uzuki nudged him. "Aren't we the devils?"

"Myth."

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Spud didn't use his pin this time, but he didn't waste any air, either.

"Okay?" Kariya said, raising an eyebrow and not bothering to move as Spud approached him. Again, he was without his partner.

"I need you to open a wall for me," Spud said.

Kariya looked almost affronted. "Uh no. Ask a support."

Spud's face was an odd, angry red color. "That's the issue! He asked Kazu to wear all blue and he can't."

Uzuki frowned. "What?" What was wrong with blue? All-blue was a bit much, but not as bad as some colors.

"Why don't you do it instead?" Kariya asked, looking thoroughly perplexed.

Now Spud was definitely flushed with anger. Frustration. Both. "He didn't ask me!"

"Sounds like a personal issue," Uzuki said bluntly. Her blue eyes were full of steely dislike.

He glared straight back, then turned back to Kariya. "If I fight you and win, will you lower the wall?"

"Don't tempt me to fight you. It's only the third day." Kariya stared evenly back at Spud, meeting his gaze, but a lot less harshly than Uzuki.

"How about we just give him a high level. A mammoth. Make it easy for this weakling," Uzuki suggested caustically.

"Don't bring me down to your level, you whore," Spud spat at her. Uzuki froze, a flush making its way in blotchy patches in her complexion.

Before she could even fathom a response, Kariya took a step forward and gave the most frightening "enough" that she had ever heard. Everything about him was suddenly dangerous and dark. Spud barely stood his ground.

"You've crossed the line. I won't help you," Kariya growled. "Get out of my sight."

Spud recovered from his shock faster than Uzuki. He wasn't able to even meet the pure intimidation Kariya was putting off- perhaps due to his unfortunate height. He swallowed, mustering the last of his defiance to form some sort of confidence. "I need this." It was an unrefined and wary plea.

Kariya didn't move an inch.

"Please." Something distorted in Spud's expression had forced that word out of his mouth. It sounded like it didn't belong.

"Then apologize," Kariya demanded. His black coffee eyes bored into Spud like he had every intention, and very well could, beat the filthy crap out of the kid, then throw him off of ten-four.

"I'm sorry."

Kariya made a scoffing noise far back in his throat. "Not to me."

Spud choked on his own voice for a moment, almost shaking with barely concealed rage. "I'm sorry," he said, anger etched in every line of his small body. But he was angled toward Uzuki and it was directed at her.

Kariya looked to Uzuki for even a small amount of acceptance. She wanted to punch Spud's face in until he bled from his eyes, but evidently Kariya found something. He stepped back.

"Call your partner over. Defeat this-" He flicked his wrist and a Mammoth Noise roared to life, making Spud stumble back. "-and the wall's down."

Uzuki watched as Spud scrambled away from the Noise's great steps, using the last of his voice to scream for Kazu.

The two Reapers moved out of their zones, Kariya now looking considerably more pacified. Uzuki still looked like she was going to murder something.

"He might get erased," Kariya whispered into her ear. His close proximity unconsciously made her turn into him. Not necessarily relax, but her body spoke comfortable familiarity. "You're welcome."

Uzuki folded her arms, looking away from him. "I don't need your help."

"No. That wasn't the point." His pins disappeared with a flash and he began to make his way around the Noise to reach the wall.

"Okay. Well, I can defend myself," she said to his back, watching him work the rest of... Whatever that was out of his shoulders.

He glanced back at her, something like a grimace nestled in the corners of his mouth. "I've never needed to be pissed on your behalf, Uzuki. That was all me."

"Oh." She reflected back on what he had looked like for just that moment. He would have been at home with a scythe.

He shrugged, then approached the Support stationed at the wall. "Yo. If this kid and his partner defeat the behemoth, go ahead and let him through, KC."

KC peeked out from under his hood, shaking his shaggy platinum hair. "I have never seen a guy freak out so much over clothing. Seriously. Those two aren't normal."

Kariya nodded, looking back at Spud running circles around the Noise and primarily using Pyrokinesis. So not that good. Better than most just using two types, though.

"That's not a lie," he muttered, cracking his knuckles absentmindedly.

KC looked over at Uzuki, giving her a friendly wink. "Lookin' fly, girl."

Her smile was wry and amused. "Do people even use that phrase anymore?"

"Don't care," he said. "I like the look."

Kariya watched her, reminded of how much she loved flattery by the way she smiled. "Thanks, KC."

"You deserve some admiration."

She tucked stray strands of pink behind her ear. "Doesn't everyone?"