To say the mood for lunch that day was awkward would have to be the biggest understatement of the century. The tension was thick and uncomfortable, the only sound being the chopsticks connecting with plates as food was quickly eaten. Two residents in the room, however, refused to touch their meals which made the atmosphere all that more unbearable. Everyone watched with concern as a fiery girl and bad tempered boy sent death glares to each other from opposite ends of the room.
The pin dropped when he smirked at her, which raised her temper. Finally fed up, Kazume rose to her feet with her teeth gritted.
"Megumi…feel free to have Keiichi take you home. I can't stand to be in the room any longer with this insensitive and arrogant jerk! I'M LEAVING!"
Before Megumi could object, her friend had stomped out of the room and down the hall until everyone heard the slamming of the front door, and eventually the sound of her engine as she left the temple.
Belldandy sighed and turned to the smirking redhead. "Arimon, may I speak with you outside please?"
The redhead shrugged before following her outside. Once Belldandy closed the door, she rounded onto her cousin. "I don't understand what is wrong with you! Kazume is a perfectly nice girl! Why are you being so mean to her?"
Arimon rolled his eyes. "She's being just as equally mean back to me. I don't see what the problem is."
Belldandy could feel her patience starting to wear thin. "She was perfectly polite until you went and insulted her. How else did you think she'd react?"
Arimon carelessly shrugged. "She can do whatever she likes, I couldn't care less. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going out for a while."
Belldandy watched helplessly as he lifted himself off the ground and quickly disappeared from view. She was now starting to really worry. Kazume had left in a very bad mood, and Arimon didn't seem to care that he had left such a negative effect on her. She clasped her hands together and gazed into the heavens. She could only pray that things between them would improve and that one-day they could become good friends.
Kazume sped angrily through traffic, barely avoiding merging cars and only just avoiding red lights. Her rage at Arimon had blinded her causing her coordination to be thrown off. She skidded around a corner, losing control of her bike as she was sent sliding into a nearby pole. She groaned in pain as she shakily rose to her feet. Ignoring the stings from the grazes on her arms and legs, she picked her bike back up and remounted. She revved her engine again and took off again at a slightly slower pace, acting as if nothing at happened. Eventually she pulled into the driveway of her apartment. She dismounted her bike, flinching slightly from her wounds. After locking up her vehicle, she limped to the front door, unlocking it before entering. She stumbled into her room, collapsing onto her futon. A painful throb reminded her of her injuries so she forced herself upright to inspect them. Reaching down, she grabbed the end of her grubby jeans and rolled them up past her knees. Large grazes were plastered on both legs with small trickles of blood splattered all the way down to her ankles. She grimaced at the sight; well at least no bones were broken.
She sighed when she realized she had no clue what to do next. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She dialled her best friends number before holding it up to her ear. A few rings later and she heard Megumi's voice."
"Hey Kazume! You feeling better?"
She smiled. "Well, depends what you mean, my mood has improved but I need your help…medically."
Her friend's voice turned to concern. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"
Kazume chuckled in embarrassment. "Well I was really angry while riding home and I had an incident turning a corner. I lost control of my bike and fell off. I have all these annoying grazes on my legs…can you come help me?"
Megumi's voice immediately turned from concern to horror. "WHAT? Hang on! Don't move! I'm on my way! KEII! We need to go! Kazume is…-"click"
Kazume chuckled. Well at least she won't have to wait very long. And she was right, barely fifteen minutes later, a very worried Megumi burst through her bedroom door and upon seeing Kazume's messed up knees, began panicking as she raced around the house collecting things to help her clean her friends injuries. Once she had everything, she scurried back to Kazume's room, to where her unusually calm friend was waiting patiently for her. She quickly sat down and placed the items next to her. She then turned to the injured girl and began treating her wounds. It only took her a few minutes to clean all the blood and bandage her knees. It also made it a lot easier with Kazume sitting perfectly still throughout the entire thing. At one point while she worked, Megumi happened to glance at her best friends face. She was staring distractedly out the window with a far-off expression. She wasn't sure but for a moment she swore she saw a glint of hurt in her eyes. She wondered if this had anything to do with Arimon. This guy had no idea how much his prejudice could be hurting her. Kazume had struggled to make friends her whole life and had finally found somewhere she could make a living. For him to just waltz in and stab her the way he did, Megumi could only imagine how that must have felt to Kazume, who was only trying to be friends. She knew that the anger she was showing towards him was only a substitute to hide the pain she was really feeling. Megumi was scared that one of these days; her friend was in danger of having a mental breakdown.
But Megumi never voiced any of these fears to her. Up until that day Kazume had been cheerful and bubbly. And she didn't want to take that happiness away from her, especially after everything she's been through.
She finished by clipping the last bandage into place. As if on cue, Kazume turned to her and smiled. "Thanks Megumi…I'm sorry for my temper earlier."
The brunette smiled and waved her off. "It wasn't a problem, but I was surprised by how calm you were about the whole thing."
Kazume grinned. "Have you forgotten? I'm a motorbike racer, this isn't the first time I've had an accident."
Megumi grinned back. "But of course, you're quite the trooper than aren't you?
The redhead laughed. "Well I have had my adventures." She then stood up and stretched. "Anyway I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to go and take a walk. They keep my legs healthy and functioning even after a good scrape on the road."
Her friend smiled. "No worries. I'll catch you later then."
Kazume nodded before walking out. She smiled at the bright sun directly above her. The weather had been fairly nice lately, which was strange since they were coming to the end of spring and approaching autumn. But she wasn't complaining; this gave her plenty of time to enjoy the warmth of the golden rays. She leisurely strolled down the path, cheerfully greeting all those that passed her. She walked for a few miles before she reached a large playground. Several children were running around and playing with their friends. This sight brought a slight twinge to Kazume's heart, reminding her of the childhood that she had missed.
"Well, well, enjoying the view are we?"
The new, yet, familiar voice turned her blood to ice. She groaned. Oh hell why did she have to run into him here? Letting out an aggravated sigh, she turned around to meet the gaze of a smirking Arimon. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What the hell do you want, more excuses to inflate that already overgrown brainless head of yours?"
Arimon glared at her. "Well aren't you just full of smart words? Is that the best you've got, you short-tempered midget?"
Kazume burst out laughing. "Oh wow, is that your worst? Ooh that was harsh! Don't think I'll ever recover from that!"
Arimon glared as she continued to cackle loudly. 'What the hell was up with this girl? Did nothing bother her?' He growled in irritation. "Shut the hell up you stupid COW!"
This only made her laugh more as she mocked him by making a loud 'moo' sound. His temper hit climax as he finally lost control. He stormed up to her and grabbed her arms to peer straight into her eyes. He snarled. "GET OUT OF MY FACE WENCH!"
Her laughter quickly turned into a snarl of her own. "KISS MY ARSE MORON!"
They shared one last glare before stomping into opposite directions, oblivious to the scowling parents and awed children. But Kazume was the only one unaware of him stopping briefly to turn around slightly. He stared curiously at her for a moment. Something about her was off. She was happy and cheerful, free of worry around her friends. But the instant he says the smallest thing to rile her up, he sees the tiniest glint of hurt flash in her eyes. And yet she covers it so well with her anger that he wonders if it's really there. But this thought passed in a flash and just like that he was back to feeling irritated. He shook his head, scolding himself for feeling these ridiculous and unnecessary emotions. 'What is that girl doing to me?'
Kazume strolled quickly out of the park to dash around a corner. Once there, she slid down the wall, defeated. She felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes and a pain in her chest. She would never admit it to anyone, but she hated what was happening between her and Arimon. She had never lost her cool so regularly around a single person before, but even though he irritated her to no end, she didn't hate him. All she wanted was to be his friend. She sensed that he was just as lonely and friendless as she had once been before she met Megumi and the others. She had seen it, the longing in his eyes as she conversed with her friends. The way he stood back, slouched against the wall as if he was labelling himself an outcast. Kazume sighed heavily. What was she doing? Why was she picking fights with him? Why couldn't she be herself and make an effort to be nice? She shook her head. Well she did try to begin with; earlier when she had met him she had been polite and friendly. But he pushed her buttons by immediately shooting her down with his pride. She frowned. That had really hurt. He had no idea of the pain that shot through her heart. And now every time he called her a name, she's had to cover herself up by either yelling back or laughing at him like she did earlier. Overwhelmed with guilt, she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face into her thighs, as a single tear finally broke free and rolled down her cheek.
(Two weeks later)
After the harsh encounter in the park, Kazume had agreed with herself that she would try harder to mend things with Arimon. But every time she attempted to get close to him, he would just sneer at her with some new jibe and walk away. Of course she never let him go with a comeback of her own, always left feeling guilty the moment he disappeared from view. And over the past weeks, the insults they exchanged only became more hurtful as each day flew by. He was making this very hard. Her patience was growing thinner with each day and she could feel her mind starting to break. She needed help. She finally decided to have a talk with Belldandy. Normally she would go to Megumi for these problems, but Arimon was Bell's cousin, so maybe she had an idea with how to approach the dog without getting bitten.
So one cloudy afternoon, she finds herself steering into the car park of their grounds. She noticed Arimon leaning against the wall near the front door. She sighs, great here we go again. Dismounting her bike and removing her helmet, she walks up to the front door, doing her best to avoid eye contact with the man who was throwing a sly smirk in her direction. Ignoring him, she lifted her already clenched fist and knocked loudly. A few seconds later, the door slid open to reveal Belldandy's younger sister Skuld. The black haired girl grinned when she saw Kazume.
"Hey Kazume! What brings you here?"
Despite Kazume's irritation with the redhead who was pulling immature faces at her, she smiled fondly at the girl. "Hi Skuld, I was wondering if I could talk to Bell…is she here?"
Skuld nodded. "Sure thing! Ill just go grab her."
While the shorter girl went back inside, Kazume decided she would stay where she was and wait for Belldandy there. Turning around she decided to take a walk around the temple, paying no heed to the redhead who was starting to look annoyed.
"What's the matter Red? Are you chicken?"
Kazume froze in her tracks and slowly turned around to face him. He wasn't wearing his usual, taunting smirk. Instead he was glaring hard at her, his mouth curled into an annoyed frown. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't you have anything better to do than waste my time?"
Her bored tone grated at his nerves. "Shut up! Don't tell me what I can or can't do? You think you can ignore me forever?"
Kazume could feel her mind starting to unwind; she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. "What in the hell do you want with me?"
Arimon sneered. "To make you see how annoying and pathetic I think you are!"
Something snapped inside her as she finally had enough. She roared at him. "LEAVE ME ALONE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! JUST GO AWAY!"
Her final plea fell on deaf ears and Arimon kept going, neither over them knew what they were saying anymore; both fed up with the other. Which was why Arimon would come to regret his next words.
"Why don't you shut up? Annoying pipsqueak! Do you know how much your voice makes my ears bleed? You're nothing but a worthless, good for nothing, human being! I don't how your parents live with you! Why would anyone want to raise an obnoxious brat like you! If I were your father, I would be rid of you in a heartbeat! THAT'S HOW ANNOYING YOU ARE!"
Silence. The weight of his words hung heavily in the air. Arimon was barely aware of his rant, too blinded by his own rage. He waited for her comeback, anything to continue their usual routine and end with both of them storming away as usual. What he wasn't expecting, though, was Kazume staring at him in shock with tears appearing at the corner of her eyes, where he could clearly see the pain he had just inflicted. Without another word, Kazume walked around him and headed back to the front door, with her head lowered and bangs over her eyes. Confused, Arimon looked behind him in time to see her disappear from view. 'What had just happened? Why was he suddenly overwhelmed with so much guilt? Was she crying?' With these heavy conflicted thoughts, he wandered the opposite direction, thinking about how horribly he must have hurt her.
Belldandy turned her head when a knock sounded on the kitchen door. "Yes? Come in."
The door slid open to reveal her younger sister. She smiled. "Hello Skuld."
Skuld smiled. "Hey sis. Kazume's out the front, she wants to talk to you."
Belldandy nodded. "Alright, thank you."
She paused with her cooking (like turning the stove off so the house doesn't blow up), and made her way outside. When she saw no one, she felt confused until she heard soft muffled sobbing to her right. She looked down to see Kazume crying uncontrollably into her knees. Belldandy immediately kneeled down to the shaking girl. "Kazume? What happened?"
The distraught girl just shook her head and continued to sob. Belldandy turned her head and looked around. She opened her mind and concentrated, until she felt a presence not to far from where she was. Arimon. It was then Belldandy understood, the rivalry between Kazume and her cousin had finally spiralled out of control and now one of them had been extremely hurt. Knowing Kazume just wanted to be left alone, Belldandy set out to find Arimon. She found him seconds later on the exact opposite side of the temple, leaning against the wall and gazing at the sky with a thoughtful expression. Sighing softly she slowly approached him and leaned next to him.
"What did you say Arimon?"
Without averting his eyes from the sky, Arimon repeated his words from earlier. Belldandy shook her head sadly. "Whatever possessed you to say such a thing?"
He shrugged. "I don't know… it all just came tumbling out of my mouth. Maybe I had just run out of things to say."
Belldandy pushed off the wall and stared hard at him. "Well you've really hurt her. You have no idea how much truth was behind those words."
Arimon finally looked at her with confusion. "What do you mean?"
Belldandy's expression softened and she looked away sadly. "Megumi came to me about a week ago, and told me about Kazume's past. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father had abandoned her and left her for dead on the street when she was only a young child. She spent her childhood and teenage years in an orphanage, and lived several years alone even after she left." Belldandy paused to look up at Arimon, who was staring at her with wide eyes.
She smiled sadly. "So you see Arimon, until she moved here, she's lived a lonely life. So when she met you, she only wanted to be your friend. But when you insulted her, it really hurt her, so she tried to cover it by starting a rivalry. But I can see she hates it. After every fight you two have had, I see nothing but guilt and shame in her eyes." Belldandy turned slightly. "Come with me, there's something you need to see."
Stunned with everything his cousin had just told him, he followed her around the house until she stopped at a corner. She looked at him and pointed to something. "Look over there…and see the damage you have done."
Gulping slightly at what he might see, Arimon took Belldandy's place and peered around the wall. His eyes widened with shock at the sight before him. There was Kazume, still in the same position Belldandy had found her in. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her legs as her knees rested against her mouth. But it was when his gaze shifted slightly upwards that Arimon felt something in his heart change. Her normally bright brown eyes were dull and shattered. Endless tears poured down her face, making a group of droplets at her feet. Arimon felt awful. It was true he never truly liked humans, but seeing this girl's heartbreak clear as day on her face had split his soul in two. Literally. Compassion, friendship, warmth, concern…all these positive emotions rose to the surface and in an instant he felt like a different person. He felt his demonic side shrinking away as his deity half took over. Now as he stared at the fragile girl, all he wanted was to soothe and comfort her. With a rare smile, he turned to Belldandy.
"Thank you, I'll take it from here."
She smiled and nodded at him. He turned back around and walked towards Kazume, who was unaware of who was approaching her. Cautiously, he knelt down to her level.
"Kazume?"
Her head shot up as she stared at him startled. Realizing whom it was, she scrambled up the wall and sprinted past him to get to her bike. Arimon yelled out desperately. "KAZUME WAIT!"
She gave him a disbelieving look. "Stay away from me!" And before he knew it, she was gone, leaving a cloud of dust behind her. Arimon collapsed to his knees, the weight of what he had done crashing onto his shoulders. He had been so cruel, overtaken by his pride as a demon. That dark side of his had clouded his mind, not allowing him to see the pain she was going through. In some ways she was a lot like him. He never really had any friends growing up either; in fact he still didn't really have anyone except for his cousins. He had always known how kind and compassionate Belldandy was, which was probably why he resented her. He was jealous of her loving nature, and how it was so easy for her to get along with everybody. She had even found the love of a fairly nice guy. Yes, Arimon thought to himself, Keiichi wasn't' half bad when he really thought about it. And neither was his sister, Megumi. He had often seen her and Kazume together and was very envious of their close friendship. But seeing them in his mind now, he couldn't help but smile. The sound of their laughter and giggling echoed in his ears. He focused on the thought of Kazume smiling, and if he were honest with himself, had never really seen her smile properly. He would only see a glimpse, but then she'd notice him and her expression would immediately turn sour. He felt more guilt gnaw at his stomach; this was his fault. This whole drama could've been avoided if he had been nice to her from the beginning. It was his fault that horrible things had been said between them, and now it was his fault that she was heartbroken. He fell to his knees and lifted his head. He opened his mouth and roared, finally releasing the frustration that had been buried deep within him.
(At the same time, back in the Demon Realm)
Hild scowled as she watched her tormented nephew mentally tear himself apart. She had a feeling this would happen. That god side of his had finally pushed it's way into his conscience, and why? Because some pathetic little girl had shed some tears.
A presence behind her snapped her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see Mara bowing before her.
"Mara, what do you report? Is it true that Arimon is crumbling?"
Mara nodded. "Yes my lady, I have been somewhat near him. I can sense his heart is beginning to change. That human girl has had a strong effect on him since the moment they met."
Hild frowned. "He better not end up falling for that fire-headed pipsqueak, does he not remember the consequences? I suppose I should've seen this coming…he is half god after all. Just like my daughter."
Her mouth twisted into a devious smile. "Well then…if things start looking bad, then I may have to pay this girl a visit." She smirked as she stared down at the young girl. "Be careful Arimon, or this Kazume maybe just be your own undoing."
The very girl on both Arimon and Hilds' minds had just arrived home. Without bothering to lock up her bike, Kazume stumbled into the apartment and towards her room. The tears had stopped a little while ago, but the sting was still fresh and she felt emotionally drained. She heard Megumi call out but she was too tired to answer. Just as she lay down onto her futon, her door slid open and Megumi poked her head inside.
"Hey, you're back already? That wasn't a very long talk with Belldandy."
Kazume shifted her head to gaze sadly at her best friend, the fresh tearstain marks still evident on her face. Her voice cracked at she whispered. "M...Megu…mi." New tears threatened to break out which had her best friend by her side in an instant.
"Kazume? What's wrong? Who did this to you?"
With a weak, tired voice she relayed to Megumi what had transpired between her and Arimon. After hearing the hurtful words he had said, Megumi clenched her jaw in anger. "That BASTARD! I am going to KILL HIM! Insensitive jerk!"
A hand on her arm stopped her. She looked down into the pleading eyes of an exhausted redhead, who shook her head. "No Megumi…don't go, I just need you here right now."
Her best friend nodded before lying down next to her. Kazume leaned into her while Megumi wrapped her arms around her in a sisterly embrace. She stayed there, holding her friend, whispering comforting words to her until finally, Kazume's eyes drooped closed as she drifted off into a dreamless slumber. Making sure she was probably asleep, Megumi slowly released her and lifted herself up. She reached over to grab the blanket and placed it over her friends sleeping form. She gave Kazume one more gaze before she stood to her feet and walked out of her room and towards the phone. She needed to have words with a certain male redhead.
Arimon flinched as Urd and Skuld both shrieked at him. Belldandy had decided that as a punishment for making Kazume cry, he would have to endure an hour-long lecture from both of her sisters at once. He had begged for anything else other than having to be subjected to them, but Belldandy was merciless and had refused. Now he sat cross-legged on the floor of the tearoom as the two goddesses yelled, flailed their arm and even sometime smacking him across the back of the head. He was at least grateful neither was using their magic or inventions on him. He shivered at the thought. He glanced to the side to see Keiichi watching everything with a helpless expression. He grinned at the man, silently telling him that it was okay and that he deserved it. And it was true, he was willing to go through every punishment his cousins could think up, and he still wouldn't have made up for how much he had hurt Kazume.
After what seemed like an eternity of what sounded like two banshees shrilling in his ears, he finally walked out with his ears ringing loudly, rubbing the inside of them with the tip of his pointy finger. He vaguely heard the sound of the phone ringing in the background but didn't pay much attention to it. But a minute later, Keiichi stuck his head outside. "Hey Arimon, you have a phone call. It's Megumi and uh…she doesn't sound too happy."
Arimon gulped. Oh great, now he has to hear it from her best friend. With knots in his stomach, he walked inside and took the receiver from Keiichi. Taking a deep breath he slowly lifted it to his ear. "H…Hi Megumi" He immediately pulled the phone away from his ear when he heard her enraged yell.
"DON'T YOU 'HI MEGUMI' ME! YOU INSIGNIFICANT INCONSIDERATE WANKER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR BREAKING KAZUMES HEART! IF I WERE THERE RIGHT NOW I WOULD TEAR YOU INTO TINY LITTLE PIECES! DO YOU HEAR ME JERK?"
Arimon waited for her to stop before bringing the phone back to his ear. "Yes, I hear you I know what I did was terrible."
There was a slight pause before she replied in a much calmer and surprised voice. "You…you do?"
He chuckled. "Yeah…listen, I realize how immature I was before. My pride got in the way of everything and I took it out on Kazume. She's the last person that deserves any of my crap but she ended up being the victim anyway. I only wish I could take back every word I said. I want nothing more than to make amends with her, but I think I'm the last person she wants to talk to."
A long sigh sounded from the other end. "It's good to hear you've had a change of heart, but it won't fix the damage that's already been done. You'll need to give her some space for the moment. Wait until she's at least acting a little happier, then maybe you can try talking to her. But for now…leave her be."
Arimon nodded. "Very well…but is there any way I can still be there for her without having to talk?"
There was silence for a moment. He jumped when she suddenly yelled. "YES! There is! About three weeks from now there will be a motorbike race! Kazume will be representing our Auto Club! Why don't you come and cheer her on?"
Arimon furrowed his brows. "Wait…I knew she rode a motorbike around but I didn't know she was a racer."
Megumi chuckled. "You bet she's a racer! And she's damn good at it too! The girl is unbeatable!"
He laughed. "Alright, count me in. I'll be there."
"Sweet! Well I better go, she'll kill me if she finds me talking to you."
He nodded. "Alright, it was nice talking to you Megumi. I'll catch you later."
He waited for the 'click' before hanging up himself. He stood staring at the phone, deep in thought. The race was in three weeks. Maybe if Kazume saw him there, she would give him a chance to explain. But Megumi was right, for now he needed to give her some space.
At that moment, the girl on Arimon's mind slowly stirred from her sleep. Her tired brown eyes flickered open. She hadn't been able to sleep very long; her mind still conflicted with the events that had occurred earlier that day. Arimon's words still echoed inside her mind, haunting her even in her dreams. Kazume sighed tiredly. She had no time to worry about her personal problems; she needed to focus on the race in the upcoming weeks. Sitting up, she lifted her arms and stretched them above her head, her shoulders letting out several cracks. She threw the covers off her and stood up, grabbing some clothes before walking out to have a shower. She had a long night ahead of her.
(Two hours later)
The sun was slowly setting as Kazume drove into the racing arena, her entrance announced loudly by the roar of her motorbikes engine. Several heads turned to stare at the newcomer, the area turning somewhat quiet. Kazume ignored them and made her way to her pit stop where the Auto Club was waiting for her. She smiled when she saw Megumi waving her over to the garage. She steered her vehicle undercover before switching off the ignition and dismounting. She turned around to see her best friend walking up to her with a large grin.
"Hey Kazume! Glad you made it! You ready to show these guys what you can do?"
Kazume laughed. "Geez Megumi, it's only a practise run, the actual race isn't for another few weeks."
Her friend shrugged. "I know that, I meant those idiots in the Club. They're not expecting much because you're a girl. Just wait until they see what you're made of!" As she said this she punched her fist into her palm.
Kazume grinned. "Well I guess I better get out there then. Keii and Bell here?"
Megumi nodded. "Yeah they're here, in fact Bell's gonna be the one to start you off."
She smiled. "That's good then, I'll go say hello to her and Keii before I get started."
The two friends strolled outside to greet the rest of the Club. Kazume walked over to the stands to say hello to Keiichi and Belldandy. As she talked to her friends, movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She glanced over to see the slouched figure of Arimon sitting on the top stairs, gazing blankly at the racetrack. Kazume raised an eyebrow, what was he doing just sitting there? Why was he even here, surely he didn't come to watch her? That was impossible, after everything that had happened between them, she was positive he hated her. Deciding to pay no more heed to him, she turned back to the group.
"Hey I'm going to go ahead and get started on practise. I'll see you guys when I'm finished."
Megumi leapt forward to her best friend's side. "I'll come with you!"
The two girls separated from the group to head back to the garage. As they chatted away, they were unaware of Arimon following them with his eyes, his stare lingering on the perky redhead.
Arimon watched the best friends walk along the track, before disappearing from view as they went inside. He sighed. He knew she had noticed him and had chosen to ignore him. He was expecting this behaviour from her, but he couldn't help the small painful twist in his stomach. Now more than ever he just wanted to make things right.
A few minutes later, the girls emerged again, only this time Kazume was wheeling her bike onto the tracks while Megumi made her way back to the stands. He leaned forward attentively as Kazume placed her helmet on and mounted her bike. As she revved her engine, Belldandy walked out onto the track with a black and white flag. All went quiet as she raised the flag for a few seconds then quickly brought it down. Arimon watched in amazement as Kazume took off at an alarming speed. Both her and the bike quickly became a dark blur as she raced through the course. This was no ordinary race; there were twists, turns and sharp corners everywhere. And let's not forget all of the huge stunt hills placed all over the course. Arimon wondered how she was going pull through this, but during the next few minutes that doubtful thought was immediately wiped from this mind. Her skill on that bike was outstanding; her first obstacle was a ridiculously sharp turn as she leaned to her right, her side dangerously close to the road. But she expertly kept her balance and easily made the corner. Next up were the jumps. As she came up to them, she turned her handle to increase her speed. She sped up the small hill and launched herself in the air. Arimon's jaw almost hit the floor as she lifted her legs off her bike to perform a perfect handstand on the handles, before smoothly falling back down to sit gracefully on her seat just as the bike landed back onto the road. Arimon was impressed, Kazume definitely knew what she was doing as he watched her easily complete the rest of the course without breaking a sweat; the Auto Club was definitely going to win in three weeks from now, especially with a racer like this. A small smile appeared on his face as her friends and the other club approached her, cheering loudly.
Arimon stayed where he was as everyone else left. His mind was still replaying over again how amazing Kazume had been. She had such a small, delicate figure and she was able to pull of incredible and dangerous stunts like the ones he saw just earlier. He shook his head, that girl never ceased to amaze him. Even when he was verbally abusing her, she would take him head on and shoot right back. A new feeling arose in his chest as he imagined her in his mind…what in the hell was happening to him?
He answered his own question the very next day. He was sitting on the temple veranda, gazing blankly at the partly cloudy sky. Belldandy was standing near him, humming a gentle tone as she hung out the laundry. But despite the tranquillity, Arimon's mind was the exact opposite. He was still trying to figure out why he couldn't stop thinking about a certain redhead. She had done nothing but give him the cold shoulder (not that he didn't deserve it) and yet she was constantly inside his head. His eyes narrowed slightly, why couldn't he stop thinking about her?
"Hey Belldandy!"
Arimon turned his head to see the very same redhead approach his cousin. He silently watched as the two talked quietly but was startled when Kazume suddenly threw her head back and laughed. And then it was like everything became clear. He felt himself become stunned as the bubbly girl transformed from an average girl, to an amazingly beautiful woman. His body froze as he, for the first time since he met her, looked at her in a whole new light. Her smile was bright and blinding, as it seemed to rival the suns rays. Her brown eyes sparkled; he could only imagine how breathtaking they would look under the moonlight. And then there was her hair. The colours seemed to combine together to create the perfect likeness of a sunset, but held the strong bright embers of a roaring fire.
Arimon hastily stood up and walked away, refusing to look at her anymore. What was going on? He practically ran back inside the house, oblivious to the two girls staring after him with confusion.
(Two weeks later)
The following weeks after his mental breakdown with Kazume, Arimon now did his own part in avoiding her like the plague. Every time he so much as glanced at her, this rumbling burn would appear in his chest and he was forced to walk the other way.
On the slightly brighter side, this made it easier to fulfil his promise to Megumi about keeping his distance from Kazume. The redhead had noticed his sudden withdrawal but gave no complaints. In fact she was a lot happier since the day she met him, which only worsened his gut wrenching guilt.
The silence between them had been carrying on for two whole weeks, and honestly it was starting to drive Arimon insane. He wanted to find Megumi and beg her to let him talk to her. This tension was becoming ridiculous; he hated being on Kazume's bad side, which was somewhat ironic since that was the only side of hers he'd ever been on. And now that he saw her in a more positive way, he was aching to know how it would feel to be her friend. So with renewed determination, Arimon found himself outside Kazume's apartment knocking loudly on their door. He heard footsteps approach before it was pulled open and he was met with the surprised face of Megumi. The brunette frantically looked around them before ushering him inside and closing the door behind him.
"Arimon, what are you doing here? You're lucky Kazume isn't home!"
He ignored her last statement. "I can't stand it any longer Megumi, this ridge between us is unbearable. I need to apologize to her and tell her how I feel."
Megumi sighed. "Fine you can talk to her, luckily for you she'll probably be willing to listen. But just in case, if she does choose to keep ignoring you, use that chance to tell her everything."
Arimon nodded when suddenly the sound of an engine was heard coming into the driveway. Megumi pushed him towards the door. "That's Kazume, now's your chance."
He nodded again and opened the door. His gaze landed on Kazume who was wearing a pair of mechanic over alls. 'Where had she just come from?' He watched as she pulled a metal box out from some bushes and opened it. She dug around for a few seconds before pulling out some random tool he didn't recognise. For the next few minutes he stared at her while she happily fiddled around with her bike. He smiled slightly when she went to wipe her forehead, leaving a streak of black grease on her skin.
'Now's my chance.'
Arimon took cautious steps towards her, finally stopping when he was only a metre away from her. Kazume had halted with what she was doing to glance at him, but when she saw who it was she turned back to her bike and continued working. Remembering Megumi's advice, he took this as his only opportunity to voice his feelings. He took one extra small step before crouching down so that he was eye level with her.
Arimon allowed his heart to take over as he opened his mouth and words came pouring out.
"Kazume…I know that I hurt you. And I know saying sorry isn't going to fix anything especially after what I said to you. But you have to believe me; I didn't mean any of it. That man you met that day, that isn't me. That was someone, looking back now, I don't even recognise. And when I think about how I insulted you, it makes me sick to the stomach. It was cruel and unfair to you, not to mention hypocritical. After you had walked away, Belldandy came out to talk to me. She told me about your past, and how much you have gone through. It reminded me of myself."
By now he had Kazume's attention. She had put down her tools and was facing him, listening intently to his heartfelt apology. He smiled at this and continued.
"I also had a rough childhood, if you could call it one. My aunty raised me; who was rather strict. I have no idea who my parents are and I've never really had any friends. So when I saw you and Megumi, I guess I was just jealous. The two of you share a bond that I've never had; if I didn't know any better I'd swear you were sisters. I was envious of your friendship with her and it brought out a side of me that I'm not proud of."
He paused again to see her reaction. Her expression was still very unreadable, but her eyes were fixated on him. He allowed himself to openly smile, wanting her to see how open he was willing to be.
"So…are you going to say something? Feel free to yell and scream at me for being a arse, hell you can punch me if you like." He turned his face to the side to permit her to slug his jaw. Kazume shook her head sadly and finally spoke.
"I don't understand…why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? I thought you hated me."
Arimon stared at her in surprise. "What? Why would I hate you?"
She lowered her eyes slightly. "What you said really hit home…not because it was mean; but because it was true. So after that I couldn't face you anymore, let alone look at you. Just those few words brought back that one memory of my dad abandoning me, and it kept coming back each time I looked at you. But it didn't seem like you cared how I felt, so to me it was like you really couldn't stand to be around me, especially after the last couple of weeks."
Arimon's guilt multiplied as he listened. "So…you didn't hate me either?"
She shook her head again. "I never hated you, I couldn't stand all the fighting we were doing. But you were making it very hard so I just covered how bad I felt with insults of my own. But in reality, all I wanted was to be your friend."
Arimon couldn't believe it. She didn't hate or despise him. He sighed with relief. "I'm glad, because I never hated you either. After our last fight, I wanted nothing more than to apologize over and over again. But Megumi told me that I had hurt you too much and that you needed some space. So for the last two weeks that's what I've been doing, waiting for the right moment to talk to you so I can tell you…just how truly sorry I am…for everything."
Kazume stared at him. "You were just giving me space? So then…what were you doing at the racetracks that other day?"
He smiled and gave her a simple response. "Showing my support."
Her eyes widened in disbelief at his declaration. To show her he was serious, he offered her his hand. "Please let me be your friend Kazume, for both of our sakes. I promise I will be by your side a hundred percent. I will never ever hurt you again. And I will also give you my word to come to your race and cheer for you…like a good friend should."
Kazume's eyes darted from his face to his hand, hesitating. She locked her gaze with his to see if his was sincere. She was surprised to find nothing but kindness and compassion staring straight back at her. His gentle expression was definitely something she wasn't used to, but if he was trying so hard to be friends then she needed to give him a chance.
Giving him a small, shy smile, she finally accepted his offer and gently placed her hand in his. The boy and girl were now starting a brand new friendship. But the story for them was only just beginning. In the coming year for them, they would go places and accomplish many things together. And as they become closer, they would find their friendship gradually intertwining into an everlasting bond.
End of Chapter