I DO NOT OWN AIR GEAR

Chapter 2:

The next morning Ringo woke up with a terrible headache, "Nggh. What happened? I totally lost my memory from last night." She said to herself while she scratched her head. Why am I so sweaty? And how come my hair is such a mess? I thought I brushed it before showering? She thought. At that moment a shoot of pain appeared in her hand. "ouch!" she said, That's right! She thought with wide eyes, I got a attack from the side-issues from my thorn regalia. She thought and let her head lean on her hands, she felt something weird and out of reaction she pulled her head back as fast as she could. "Wha?" she said shocked, her hands both of them had bandages from the fingers to half of her arms. "What is this?" She asked herself while she looked at her hands and moved them and turned them. Then she started to undo the bandages, why do I wear bandages? And why is there on some spots blood? She thought. She undid It further and futher, until she saw the start of dental impressions on her arm. She was startled and sat still like a stone, "huh?" was the only thing she could bring out. "Huh?" she said again and stared at it, after she restored a bit she went further. Until every piece of bandage was off. She stared at them. Were those her hands? The hands she always had? And why are there dental impressions all over her arms and hands? And why is there blood? She kept turning her arms around, unbelievable. She thought, "I have to tell Rika-Nee." She said to herself while she tried to stand up. She felt a pain that anyone was unable to handle, "NGGHHH." She said, you could hear her teeth grinding on each other. She fell on her knees and then her upper body also fell on the ground. From that moment on she realized she was unable to walk, with this heart throbbing pain she couldn't even move an inch.

"Ringo? Are you awake?" asked Rika soft at Ringo's door, no answer, "I know you're awake Ringo, I heard movements." She said Angry. The door stayed closed, still no answer, "If you don't open your door, I'll open it." Said Rika angry and impatient. She opened the door and saw Ringo on the floor, covered in sweat, crawling in pain, on the cold floor. "Ringo!" yelled Rika shocked. "H-Hi." Stuttered Ringo while she gasped for a breath, "Baka! Don't move so much if you overused the thorn regalia!" she said angry. Rika kneeled down on the ground, and grabbed Ringo carefully. She lifted her and put her on her bed, "Thanks." Said Ringo smiling. "Baka!" said Rika, "Rika-nee?" said Ringo on a asking tone. "hmm? Yes?" she said worried, "Why are my hands and arms covered in dental impressions and blood?" she asked carefully. "YOU UNDID ALL THE BANDAGES?" Asked Rika angry when she saw her hands and arms, "Eh? I shouldn't have done it?" said Ringo shocked. Rika sighed and said: "Indeed! Geez, all that work from yesterday, and I can do it again.", "I'm sorry." Said Ringo. "Don't apologize, Ringo." Said Rika. "Wait a minute, I'll be right back." Said Rika and then left her room.

A few minutes later she came back, with new and clean bandages and iodine. "Now give me your arms.", Ringo putted her arms down carefully and waited for her treatment. "This might hurt a little." Said Rika soft, then put some iodine on a swab and grabbed Ringos right hand. Softly she would pat on Ringo's wounds, "Ouch." Said Ringo sometimes. "Say Ringo, you really don't remember a thing from yesterday?" asked Rika when she changed arms. Ringo nodded carefully, Rika petted her head "Maybe it's better that way." She said smiling.

Ikki sat home and had nothing to do, Agito went outside "I've got something to do." He said. Yeah right. Thought Ikki, he laid down on the ground under the kotatsu with the TV on. Ikki stared at the ceiling "I wonder why Ringo acted so weird last night." He said to himself, he had never seen Ringo like that before, and was very shocked to see her like that. "I don't like this." Said Ikki uncomfortable, he stood up and watched the rain, it was still pouring outside. His face changed from confused to sad, he put his hand on the window. "Why is it I feel so down?" he said and then started to grind his teeth, "Why is it when it rains, that I can stop thinking about her?" he put his head against the window. "Why is it, that I can't do anything without her?" he said, "Why is it? That I can't protect even 1 person?". "Why is it, I even can't protect Ringo when she hurt? Why?" he said while tears started to flow over his cheeks, then he turned around, grabbed his AT's and went outside. Leaving the keys under the doormat for Agito, he closed the door. Wiped his tears away and jumped of the building into the rain, he had to distract his mind, or else he would go crazy. He raced through the city, passing everything and everyone, flats, houses, people and shops everything. He raced and raced until his mind became clear. At least that's what he thought when he suddenly rode on a familiar road, "This is…" said Ikki shocked when he saw the Shinonome mountain. This is the place Ringo and I used to play a lot. He thought, he stared at the mountain and started to smile sadly. He jumped on the mountain and looked at the view, a tear rolled down on his cheek and fell down at the ground. It didn't matter anyway he was soaked from the rain, he sat down at the ground and looked up in the sky he remembered something about this place. This was the place he felt how it was to fly, for the first time. He smiled.

"Ikki! Ikki!" said little Ringo around the 7 years old, "What?" asked Ikki who was around the same age. "What if we could fly? Soar in the sky? How would it feel?" she asked, "dunno." Answered Ikki. "Maybe we would feel how it feel if we jump of this mountain?" She asked and walked towards the edge, "Maybe…" said Ikki surprised when he joined her to look in the depth. "It's very deep, isn't it?" he said at Ringo, "yeah." She answered. "Shall we?" suggested Ikki while he stretched out his hand as an invitation. "Rika-nee is going to get angry if we did." Said Ringo scared, "That doesn't matter, she's already mad for us being late for dinner." Said Ikki with his thumb up and a big smile. Then Ringo grabbed his hand, he looked at her she was smiling and scared. "It's okay you don't have to…" said Ikki worried. "I suggested this so, I have to do it right?" said Ringo with a smile, "Ok." Said Ikki. And then they jumped of the mountain, just like a bird would have. Soaring in the sky, even if it was just for a few seconds.

Ikki smiled when he remembered that, and the sky opened up and showed some sunrays between the dark clouds. It was still raining, but some rainbows were formed. He thought about the things that happened, he shouldn't have done that he felt down right away. Ringo and he got scolded badly by Rika after that. He giggled, Ringo was always there for him, always smiling. Ikki stood up when he felt some upcoming anger. He promised himself when he left the house, when Ringo was wounded due to their battle, he would never hurt her again. And that he would protect her for everything that was coming up. "I promised myself… but why can't I fulfill this promise?" he said while his hands became fists and his knuckles became white."She's always there for me! Thus why can't I protect her?" He shouted with tears in his eyes. This sentence repeated itself a few times as a echo, "Why?" whispered Ikki. After that he turned away and headed back home.

In front of the door Ikki stayed still, he wanted to open the door but fell a familiar aura behind him. When he turned his head he saw Simca, his gentle brown eyes, became cold, and killing intending eyes. "Hi!" said Simca happy when she saw his face, "I bet you missed me?" said Simca mucous while she putted her forefinger and her middle finger under his chin and turned his face. His eyes became colder than before, "What do you want from me?" he asked suspicious. "Mymymy… what is with that attitude?" she asked happy and gave him a kiss on his cheek afterwards. Ikki stepped backwards and put her fingers away from his face, "I'll ask it one more time, what do you want from me?" he asked angry. "Oh? Why are you getting angry?" she asked fake, "Leave. If you don't have anything to say, then you should leave." He said angry. Simca put her arms around his neck, "What are you doing?" asked Ikki who became angrier and angrier. "I love you Ikki, so why do you leave me alone?" she whispered softly in his ears. "Because you hurt my friends." He said with ice cold eyes that gave Simca shivers. Ikki grabbed Simca's shoulders and pushed her away from him, "I'm sorry but, I can't return those feelings of you." He said cold, after he said that he walked back towards his door and opened it. He thought Simca would walked away. "Ah! Welcome back!" he heard someone saying happy in the kitchen, "Akito, are you there?" he asked normal when he walked inside, "ah? You knew it was me even when you didn't see me?" Asked a small boy from the kitchen. Then Ikki softly felt an elbow around his neck, "I see." Said Simca, "You're going to regret putting that ugly, useless little Thorn Queen before me." She whispered softly in his left ear and then disappeared.

"What's wrong?" said Akito when he saw Ikki standing frozen in the hallway, "ah, nothing, I'm just a little confused." He said laughing and scratched the back of his hand. "I'm sorry for bothering you." Said Akito, "Ah, that's not it." Said Ikki and walked away.

While eating ramen as dinner together with Akito, Akito was happily talking about is own house he bought recently. "We're so excited, we found finaly found a place for ourselves to live." Said akito, "Ah wait Agito has something to say." Sadi Akito smiling while he putted his eyepatch before his other eye. "FUCK! I'M SO EXCITED!" shouted Agito, "And we won't have to sleep at your place or Kazu's place anymore. FUCK!" he said smiling and then putted the eyepatch before the other eye again. "Heheh." Said aktio when he scratched his chin and smiled. "I'm happy for the both of you." Said Ikki. The doorbell rings unexpected, "Ah, I'll open it." Said Ikki, and he walked away. He opened the door and saw his neighbor Miss. Osaka standing in the doorway, "Hi Itsuki-kun, can I ask you something?" she asked. "Sure, you can call me Ikki by the way." Said Ikki curious, "I just got a call from the hospital, my father got hospitalized and I've got no one else who can look after Kin and Anda. Can you look after them for a few hours?" she asked hopeless. "Ah, sure. I mean it's not like it's the first time right? I've looked after them before." He said smiling, "Thank you! I'll get them right away!" she said happy. A few minutes later she came back with the kids, "Thank you so much!" she said while she bowed. "You've got my mobile phone number right? Contact me when something happened." She said and then walked away. Kin and Anda walked inside, "should I turn the TV on?" asked Ikki, "yes please!" said Anda. She was the youngest, Anda and Kin are actually twins, and around 6 years old, "Sure." Said Kin happy. "The usual?" asked Ikki and the kids nodded, he putted the anime network on and they watched silently.

"Do you want some tea?" asked Ikki at the kids and Akito who joined the kids with watching TV. "Sure." Said Akito, and the kids nodded. "Do you also want some chips?" asked Ikki, "Yeah!" said Anda who came running towards Ikki to get the chips. "Heyhey, cool down little one, here's the chips." He said smiling when he gave the chips, "Don't forget to share!" shouted Ikki from the kitchen when she ran away with the chips.

The time passed away and it was around 8 am when the bell rang again. "Mommy's back!" said Anda and Kin nodded happily, and Anda ran towards the door. "Anda wait, you shouldn't open the door at this time of the day." Said Ikki happy, "Because it could also be a scary stranger!" he said while he kneeled down petted her and stood up and walked towards the door and opened it, when he opened it Miss Osaka stood there. "Thank you Ikki-kun." She said thankful, "Mommy!" said Anda when she started to hug her mother. Ikki smiled, "Kin you're coming too right?" said Miss Osaka. "Yeahyeah." Said Kin annoyed while he putted his jacket on. "So how's your father?" asked Ikki, "He's all right. He only broke his arm, lucky for him." She said laughing. Ikki smiled, "bye Ikki." Said Anda and Kin waved and then they walked away.

5 minutes later the bell rang again, "I'll get it." Said Ikki, "Did they forgot something?"asked Akito. "I think so." Said Ikki while he opened the door,then he turned his head and saw someone gasping for breath, not Miss Osaka but Mikan! "Mikan?" asked Ikki, "Ikki…" she said out of breath. What's wrong?" asked Ikki, "Ikki…" she said again. "Is there something wrong?" he asked this time more worried, "They… Ringo…" she tried but she totally lost control of her breath. "Ringo? What's with Ringo?" he asked worried, "They…" tried Mikan. Ikki grabbed her by her shoulders, "Mikan Mikan! Listen to me, try to breath slowely, Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale, like that." Said Ikki, Mikan followed his instructions and started to get her breath back, "You're doing fine, just like that.". "Ikki… They… Kidnapped… Ringo…" said Mikan softly and still out of breath, "They what?" shouted Ikki angry and shocked.