A/N: gosh, PLEASE READ THIS!!!
We have a problem and that problem is me! This chapter has been done for a while now, but I haven't uploaded it because there's something horrible about it that I can't put my finger on. It's such a badly written chapter and I'm ashamed to post it and you guys have been so amazing to me and sending me love and encouragement that I'm afraid of dissapointing you all! You and your reviews mean the world to me, so I wanted to make this chapter up to standards but I think I may have failed. I tried, regardless, but before you start flaming me, I'm aware that there's something about this chapter that just doesn't sit right. I don't know - mind you I'm still looking for my muse. I think that might be playing a part...
I guess, heh, I'm just trying to apologize ahead of time if this chapter is... iffy. Perhaps a bit OOC, which I hate, but I've been writing and rewriting and playing with this chapter for so long, but if I don't post it then there's no way the story can continue. Try to be gentle with this ugly chapter and ignore all the jumps it makes. x.x wah ! I posted this because I can't seem to fix it anymore and I know you all want Ikki and Kazu to finally wise up and make love, yes? I thought so. I do too.
Warnings: badly written chapter, possible OOC (for Ikki mainly), parts seeming to move fast.. Me always seeming to miss some sort of spelling error oo There's mention of a beach. I can't recall if they live near one but.. just work with me here on this, geez
THANK YOU!
Real quick, I wanna send a thanks out to Kitten chan for drawing me wonderful fan art!! Please, if you go to my page, I have links to her beautiful fan art. You should go check them out and leave her comments. Here's one inspired by Folly and Sin chapter 11 - - http:// kitten - chan (dot) deviantart (dot) com /art/ airgear - overprotective - 69422766
And DO make sure to check out the rest of her art (there's more AG stuff in there if you look and please do so!) and leave her your best reviews!
http:// kitten - chan (dot) deviantart (dot) com
And I've had more offerins to do fanart (feels soooo loved). By all means people, you do not need my permission. You may do as you please - I'll be flattered no matter what you decide to do.
Ok, also due to Kitten chan's kindness, the last chapter of Folly and Sin got twice as many reviews as normal (and they're still comin'! We're in the triple digits!) so if I took the time to thank each reviewer, we would never get to the story. So I'm sorry everyone, for not individually thanking you but you're kindness is not being ignored ! Thank you so much to all the reviewers that have been reading and supporting this story, even when I as the writer am fretting over the quality. You guys are loved by the deepest depths of my heart!
Thats 'nuff babbling, don't you think? ' On with the story! (gulp)
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Air Gear
a fiction by Crimson Vixen
Kiss and Tell
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"You don't…" Kazu tried to say at first, but then stopped to make a face. He shifted himself on the couch. Emiri was running around like a madwoman, gathering blankets for him, making him snacks to eat, bringing him magazines and the TV guide. She even managed to find a place for everything around him, within arms reach. Once she settled down in front of him, sitting on the coffee table, Kazu was able to get it out. "You don't have to do all this."
In fact, it was making him uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being served on hand and foot. Several times he had tried to tell her that he wasn't bedridden by any means, or couchridden for that matter, but the girl would have nothing of it.
He stared at the chicken noodle soup that she had so kindly made for him, - homemade, even – but he had to draw the line when she scooped some up in a spoon for him and waited for him to open his mouth. He tried to let her down as gently as he could.
"I can do that part myself, really," he forced a smile, feeling guilty already when Emiri shrank back a little. Why did girls take everything so personally?
"Oh, Kazu-sama," she whined. "I'm sorry. I'm just so upset about what happened, I…"
She stopped herself when she saw the look on her crush's face. Kazu was obviously in no mood to talk about, let alone even hear about his 'condition' or anything related. However, she just couldn't help herself. Seeing the blonde look so vulnerable struck a chord in her, and her womanly instincts told her to take care of the boy, and even though he thanked her for her concern, he was being rather resistant of her help. He was a boy, after all, and boys had pride and easily crushed egos.
But to her surprise, Kazu looked sympathetically into her determined eyes, and he let out a large, defeated sigh. "Fine, go for it," he said softly, parting his lips and holding his mouth open.
Emiri had to bite her tongue to keep herself from squealing, and held her breath to keep the butterflies in her stomach from flapping their wings too fast. Her hand shook as it held the stem of the spoon and brought it towards Kazu's waiting mouth. This was just the kind of thing she liked to day-dream about in her free time. Her, taking care of Kazu in all the ways she could think of, in sickness and in health, and Kazu, in turn, allowing her to do so.
Kazu closed his mouth around the spoon and let Emiri slide it back out. He swallowed the soup hard, letting the warmth slosh down his throat and spread to his belly, and slouched back into the couch. There was just too much running through his mind. It made it difficult to find his appetite.
He knew that Emiri was one of his biggest supporters. But what if she found out that there was another racer out there that was just as fast, if not faster than him? Perhaps he would lose her, too. Kazu licked his dry lips and flung a heavy arm over his face, trying to block those thoughts. Before losing that race, he hadn't fully thought about what would be at stake.
"Kazu-sama?"
"I'm fine. Would you mind if… I mean, I really need some time to myself right now."
"O-oh!" the girl exclaimed, blushing ferociously and standing up. "Of course!"
And as she was gathering things into her backpack, voices of Ringo and Yayoi started running through her head; their words telling her to tell Kazu about her feelings before it was too late. But no, she shook her head, now really wasn't the right time for that kind of thing. Surely he didn't want to have to deal with anything else right now. Still…
She left the soup sitting on the table just in case he felt like eating something later, and decided to leave the covers as well. Kazu could return them to her later when he was done using them. Everything else, she packed, and just before she turned to leave, she stared at the boy. Her legs were itching to move. Only she wasn't sure what direction to point them.
"Kazu-sama?" she whispered. Kazu must have heard her because he uncovered his face and looked back at her. Her words died in her mouth before she could even start, and instead said; "Get better soon. I'll see you later."
And in a burst of courage she never thought would grace her, she bent over the couch and pecked Kazu on the cheek. Then, not even allowing herself to view his reaction, she ran out of the house like the sprinter that she was.
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--
'Little Crow'
For some reason, Ikki would just melt at the way Simca said that little nickname. She knew how to move her body just right so Ikki couldn't take his eyes off of her. It didn't matter what he felt or didn't feel, anybody would stare at a body that fine. And stare he did.
"Simca, we have to stop meeting like this," Ikki blurted, half jokingly.
"Then why don't we meet another way?" Simca offered playfully, in a husky voice. Ikki was certainly intrigued. Though surprisingly not excited like he thought he would. Simca was a beautiful lady, but the more he saw of her… the more bored he got with her. He wondered if that really made sense, or if it was shallow, but in the end, if he had to question himself, that was all the answer he really needed. After all, if he was growing bored with each meeting, well, that didn't say much for being in love… Infatuated, maybe.
HA! Ikki mocked in his head. What a joke – am I nuts? Millions of guys would jump at the chance to be with a girl like Simca.
So why wasn't he jumping?
Those boyish instincts kept kicking in and dragging him back. He was a dog by nature - all boys were, and Ikki was one of the doggiest. So then why... A hard to reach lady like Simca flirting with him was a huge ego boost. He took her hand and pulled her towards the railing and sat her down on the ground, where they had a nice little view of the city beneath them.
He sat down next to her.
Hell, what was love, anyway?
Ikki peered over the edge to gaze at the city lights. He liked the view better at night, when all the streetlamps and random windows were lit. He licked his lips and slid his eyes to the side to look at Simca, who was boldly staring directly at him. In the next instant, he felt her delicate hand squeeze his gently.
Whatever his feelings were, that didn't say much for Simca's. There was a chance she really had a thing for him, and there was just as much a chance that she was using him for her own desires. There was no real clear cut way to find out and most boys wouldn't care if it meant something or not – not when they got to be next to a pretty thing like that – but frankly, Ikki didn't like being used. That was probably what was holding him back. Being toyed with and led one wasn't something that struck Ikki as ok.
"Simca," the crow sputtered. "What do you think love is?"
"That's a complicated question. How very deep of you, Crow."
Well girls liked deep guys, right? Ikki smiled a bit, well aware of how she avoided actually answering the question.
"That's not what I meant – ah?"
Simca had practically thrown herself at the boy, pinning him on the ground with her body, her hair falling around them and forming a curtain that separated them from the rest of the world. The boy couldn't help but smile devilishly at the feel of her soft breasts pushing against him. This is the kind of thing you see in the movies. The kind of thing that boys dream about. Isn't it?
"Love is attraction. So it really depends on what attracts a person." she said with a smile, leaning in and kissing him on the nose and then lightly on the lips before adding on personally; "For instance, I have a thing for power."
"I see," Ikki responded, sitting up and gently pushing her aside. "That's too bad."
He was proud of himself, but inside a part of him was crying out. Simca was on top of him and he pushed her away! But after putting two and two together – power equaled lust, lust didn't always equal love, Ikki wanted the girl to love him, not his status – he wasn't sure he really wanted anything to happen. Well damn alright he did but at the same time, if it wasn't for the right reasons…
Ikki laughed a little to himself. He really had changed over the years. Girls would always be a mystery, though.
…This would still be a helluva lot easier if she wasn't so… hot! Part of the reason he was here was he wanted to let the girl know that it was going to be all or nothing, and if she didn't want to give it all into being with him, he didn't want to waste his time playing around with something that would never move forward. Ikki liked to progress and gain, and didn't like playing around with things that would never get him anywhere.
"You seem distracted."
Both of the teens were sitting in their previous places. Ikki rubbed at his nose.
God, it wasn't like he didn't want to want her. It was just that… Ikki had learned over the years how to not lie to himself, even if that meant accepting a truth he didn't like. Heh, he may have picked that up from Kazu...
"You know, I've been hearing that a lot lately."
"You wanna talk about it?" the girl pleaded, running a hand up and down Ikki's bare arm, seeming to disregard her previous rejection. She crawled behind the boy and started rubbing at his shoulders. Ikki hated himself for relaxing into it so quickly. Why were girls so hard to turn away? "Oh, you're so tense."
That made sense. Images of dead bodies still jumped into his mind when he least expected it. His best friend was…
"Yeah well…" the boy sighed heavily. "I just wish there was an easy way to tell."
"When you're in love?" Simca giggled. "If it were easy, we'd all get it right the first time."
Well, Ikki mentally shrugged, that was one of the more sensible things that Simca had said to him all night, and he thought about it for a while. He also questioned if a seductive girl such as her had ever actually been in love herself. Or if she always fell in love with the idea of beding in love with someone.
"How do you normally tell?"
"If you're asking me what love it, it's hard to classify," she responded, moving her hands further down his back to rub at the base of his spine. "There's love between family, and between close friends. There's love between a man and his career or between a person and whatever God he chooses to believe in. There's an endless list of ways to love somebody."
"But I'm talking about…"
"I know," Simca breathed into his ear. Her hands found their way under his shirt and she wrapped her arms fully around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "But little Crow, if you are looking for true love defined, your lover should feel like your best friend. Someone you feel comfortable with and you would do any and all things for them, even if that means putting their happiness before your own."
Ikki blinked. Simca was making a lot of sense, like she'd given it prior thought. Her answers were unexpected and… meaningful, even if she was hitting on him in the process. Made him think.
"Why?" she pried, running her hands up his chest and down again. Ikki shuddered and eased himself away from her touch. Words could not even begin to explain how difficult it was. Her fingers were so soft and delicate, and knew just what to do to give a guy goose bumps. "Do you think you've found love?"
"No," Ikki answered quickly. "I've just been thinking about it."
"I see."
And they both were silent after that, both staring out at the city, lights casting a glow like the buildings were burning in a harmless fire. Ikki looked over to Simca yet another time, and smiled weakly.
His heart was beating at a normal pace; his hands were dry and smooth. He felt no apprehension threatening to eat him alive. Not like when he first met her. Maybe he was just used to her, but her closeness no longer made him nervous.
And sure she had faith in him and the things he could accomplish, but was she in love with him?
All of his thinking was starting to spoil his night. Somehow, his magical nights out with Simca the Swallow had turned out to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. And eventually one day he would be able to admit that a person can't really go inside of a box and disappear, that someone can't be sawed in half and live, or that a person can just be using you as a plaything and yet love you at the same time…
But for the time being, he was willing to fool himself into thinking he believed in magic. At least until he was able to make up his mind.
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Emiri ran. And she ran hard. She wished, however, now that she was miles from Ikki's place, that she would have at least stayed long enough to see what kind of face Kazu made when she had kissed him. She could just picture those baby blue eyes blinking in surprise, or those soft lips trying to utter something cute and bashful, or maybe even disappointed features because she had left so quickly and he wanted to kiss her some more. Ok, so maybe that last bit was wishful thinking, but she still wanted to see his face. At least to know if the kiss was a make-or-break move.
Emiri only stopped running when she spotted Yayoi in the distance. Her figure was walking towards the water of the beach, and Emiri set her feet that way, quickly closing the distance between them.
"Yayoi!" she shouted, frantically waving a hand in the air.
Yayoi turned around swiftly, hair twirling with her and getting caught in her mouth. She looked surprised to see her friend here, of all places.
"Yayoi," she said again when she was finally next to the other girl, only slightly out of breath. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
"I actually… was going to meet someone," Yayoi answered quickly, tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Ohhhh," Emiri grinned evilly, catching the hint immediately and nudging Yayoi with a suggestive elbow. "Who's the lucky guy?"
Yayoi easily shoved Emiri away and made a face. Crossing her arms, she tore her gaze away from her friend and towards the water. A girl like Emiri couldn't possibly understand, could she? Too childish. She began grinding her teeth before speaking again.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"You'll be so proud of me!" she exclaimed. There was no willpower in her strong enough to keep herself from blurting out the next part. Her cheeks were on fire and her clammy hands pressed together like she was in some desperate prayer, putting her clasped hands against her chin she shouted; "I just kissed Kazu-sama!"
Well hold on now. Huh? Yayoi spun back around so fast that sand went flying. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape. This was news!
"On the lips? How long? Who initiated it? Were tongues involved? Were hands? Give me details! How did it happen?"
Emiri blushed and then laughed; this was one of the things she liked about Yayoi. Underneath her stoic exterior and logical approaches, she was just another teenage girl who gave into the temptation of gossip. Not only that, but Emiri never shut up about Kazu, so hearing any sign of progress was something worthy of her attention.
"Well," Emiri felt suddenly small now. The moment didn't have anything too romantic about it. It was more like a random burst of something compelling her to do it, and she didn't even leave the boy any time to say anything before she was done. At first it was to avoid any kind of rejection. But when she thought back on it, if Kazu by some chance returned those feelings, she just walked out on them. Damn… "I… it was just… on the cheek. I kissed him on the cheek and…"
"And..? Did he kiss you back? Say anything? What?"
Emiri began twiddling her fingers.
"N-no... I kissed him real quick and then I left."
Her moment of fame was up, and it wasn't very memorable. Yayoi proceeded to shake her head and 'tsk' at her friend, putting a hand to her shoulder.
"Look, Emiri," she began. "We're going to have to talk about this later, alright? We have things to discuss."
The shorter girl nodded without any hesitation, but she couldn't help but find it weird. It was very un-Yayoi-like to not start lecturing about it right away. So then why was she – Oh! Oh.
"Oh…"
I actually… was going to meet someone.
Well far be it from her to get in the way of something like that! Emiri quickly thanked her friend, promised to remember their rain check and ran off, following the shore. It looked as though she wasn't going to be the only one with a story to tell when they got together again.
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When Ikki got home, his feet automatically lead him towards the couch. His mind was simply racing with thoughts he couldn't kill. Simca was being just as forward as ever, and he was just as confused about his own feelings as ever. The days were getting longer, it felt like, and his body was starting to slow down. Which reminded him; He also felt responsible for Kazu, and for what had happened to him. And naturally, he felt guilty about not being able to prevent it. He was the leader, right? Wasn't it his job to keep shit like that from happening? Too many things were happening at once and this was just another layer on the cake.
When he got to the couch he saw a bunch of crumpled blankets abandoned on the floor and a full bowl of cold soup on the table. It was obvious that the blond had been there, but there was no Kazu.
He knew he was jumping to conclusions, he knew he was being irrational, but seeing the couch empty like that sent his stomach into flips, because in his mind Kazu wasn't just not on the couch, he was missing from the couch.
He dashed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and clutching the railing to pull himself up there faster, up to his room. When he got there, his door was slightly ajar, and instead of just bursting in, he stood next to the doorframe and took a listen. There were people in there, in his room, with the light off. He couldn't stop himself from eavesdropping.
His ears perked up when he heard a deep voice. Sano was in the room, talking. Ikki assumed Kazu was safe and sound on his bed, which was way more comfortable than that couch could ever claim to be, and he heaved a sigh of relief.
Way to overreact. Ikki figured that his lack of sleep was the reason he jumped the gun. He would never get paranoid about things like this otherwise. Tch...
Swallowing the lump in his throat and cupping his ear to hear better, he tried to listen in, and he peeked around the corner to get a glimpse as well.
In the room, Kazu was sitting Indian style on his bed as expected, looking buried underneath the thick covers like he was wearing a cloak, either hiding from the world, or Sano, or both. He'd recently been finding the bed and couch to be exponentially cozy and vital to a bruised sense of self.
In other words, Kazu hadn't left the house since he came back a two days ago.
Sano was sitting on the edge of the mattress, one leg folded under him and the other hanging over the side. His foot was tapping the floor as if agitated. He reached out a hand and started pulling the covers down, then brushed Kazu's golden locks back and out of his face. Kazu didn't blink, didn't even budge, let alone pull back from the touch. That alone irked the crow. Kazu was one not entirely fond of being touched, especially by Sano.
"Kazu-kun," the older boy said softly. "This is not healthy. All you're doing is making everyone worry. And you need to eat something."
Ikki mutely nodded, still out of site. He didn't think he was a bad person for not feeling bad for Kazu. He felt it was perfectly justified to be pissed at him for moping around. What would moping do for him, anyway?
"I know," Kazu rewrapped the blankets over and around him and grumbled into the comforters. "But I'm not hungry. I can't eat if I'm not hungry."
Sano gave a rather irritated sigh. Ikki gathered that he must have been sitting there for a while, trying and failing to win some sort of battle with the younger boy. Ikki was getting frustrated with Kazu's refusal to eat anything; that guy was already thin enough as it was.
"I'm leaving it right here," the brunette mentioned, finally giving up and setting a bowl of something Ikki couldn't identify on the dresser next to the bed. Ikki managed to duck out of sight before the Iron Clock came out of the room. He was sure someone like Iron would be able to sense him there regardless, but if he did, he chose not to acknowledge him.
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--
It wasn't until the next day that Kazu had started eating again, his growling stomach becoming too much of an annoyance for him and the people around him. And he went outside when Ikki got fed up and shoved him off the bed and dragged his stuttering ass out the door. He wore AT's too, as he normally would, but he went just fast enough to get by, like he was just using them instead of regular shoes. It wasn't that he couldn't do anything anymore, Ikki duly noted, it was just that Kazu didn't attempt to do so.
And that was irritating.
Ikki couldn't shake the tenseness in his shoulders, the bags from forming under his eyes, or the way his mind couldn't stay focused on one thing for an extended period of time. His friends were starting to worry about him – hell, he was starting to worry about himself!
That didn't bode well with him, either, since half of him was still worrying about a certain stubborn blonde, who over that past few weeks, seemed to have distanced himself from the rest of the world. He'd agreed to go back to school, but in what seemed like a shell, always lost in thought and mind elsewhere when people tried to talk to him, much to Ikki's troubled mind. For a while, Ikki tried miserably to ignore it in hopes that whatever it was that was dragging Kazu down would let him go and let him resurface to the way he was supposed to be.
It had been so long since Ikki had heard the boy genuinely laugh.
He spent a lot of time watching Kazu out of the corner of his eye. It was easier to pretend nothing was wrong when Kazu didn't directly say anything, but it was hard to ignore it when Kazu's face was so worn and abstracted in thought. Still, he already had so much to worry about and there were still so many unanswered questions concerning Kazu's temporary vanishing act, making it that much hard to ignore it.
In fact, the very next day at school, Ikki was reminded of the subject. Ironically, it was brought to attention because Kazu wasn't there, and he couldn't see that brooding face.
That morning Kazu had left early and Ikki had assumed that the boy just headed off the school early to avoid conversation. But once the crow had gotten to school, he knew that once again, Kazu had failed to show up. So today, after the bell rang and everyone was free to leave, he did so without a single word. He knew where he was going, kept his eyes set forward as he treaded, nearly guaranteeing himself that Kazu would be there when he arrived.
Sure enough, after a mile or so, the white fabric of Kazu's beanie grabbed Ikki's attention. It was a big contrast to the grey sky behind him, even moreso to the fence, and Ikki briefly noted that Kazu's light colors made him look like life in a dead painting. Though not very much alive. The crow trudged stiffly to the other boy leaning up against that god-awful fence, and put a strong hand onto the blonde's bony shoulder.
There were lots of things Ikki wanted to ask right then. Like how long Kazu planned on skipping school. Or when he was going to stop being such a self centered ass. Or why he was making things so hard on him. Better yet, if he understood just how few up his was.
Kazu lifted his eyes to meet Ikki's, brows knitted in a way that showed he'd been in deep thought for a while now. Ikki knew his friend was embarrassed about his appearance, what with his darkened eye and all around dead looking manifestation and everything. A battle scar wasn't something to show off if you were at the losing end. And lord knew that Emiri would screech and make a scene as soon as she saw someone had even considered scratching Kazu's face. He could understand the logic of not wanting to go out into public until he looked and felt better, but at the same time…
Of course, even if Kazu didn't want anyone to see him right now, it was uncharacteristic of him to hide away like this. Shrink into the distance maybe, but not to hide completely. If anything the blonde would be pushing past the crowds to be seen. He blinked slowly, squinting past the light shining down from the cloudless sky and really focused on Kazu's face.
"There's more to it, isn't there?" the crow monotoned. Now was just as good a time as ever.
Kazu made a face. There Ikki was again, making that know-it-all look on his face, mixed with sincerity; a mix of expressions that only Ikki seemed able to pull off so well. He could only bring himself to stare at his childhood friend, mouth unable to work, or maybe just not wanting to.
When he gave no answer, Ikki found his patience wavering. He'd backed off the other night when he found Kazu in his room, because he was glad to see him alright and at the time, that was really all that mattered. But now that he was back and acting like a child, it was just starting to get on his nerves.
"Man, you gotta stop comin' here. S'no good for you."
As he expected, the face Kazu made was a tad angered, but nothing big came from it. Just a quick exclamation. Or at least an attempt at one.
"Just who do you think you are to tell – "
"Kazu, all you do anymore is come down here and just… that's it! You don't do anything but sit here, moping about who knows what, making yourself miserable."
Kazu wanted so badly to retort but again, Ikki had made a point that was too hard for him to counter. Yeah, he came down here a lot nowadays, because it was the only place where he could be alone to think things through with a clear head. But maybe it was getting a little excessive. Too much thinking never led to anything good.
"I-"
Ikki approached him, stood next to him, lacing his fingers through the wire, trying not to smile when Kazu looked at a loss for words. Of course he looked as though he was just itching to say something back, to defend himself perhaps, when Ikki's phone rang. Lips twisting at the distraction, Ikki flipped his phone open.
"Yeah?"
Moments later, he wished he had never picked it up at all.
--
--
In an instant, everything in the world halted, sending Ikki straight back to the house, Kazu obediently at his heels with no questions asked.
But some things couldn't be helped, and Ikki couldn't ignore that phone call, 'coz something was certainly up now. That one murder was turning into a string of murders, and being the one to report it, he was unwillingly involved. What irritated Ikki the most was that by involving himself, he was involving the people around him.
However, there was just one little detail that made his legs strain harder when he was running. The murders that happened tonight were the same as the ones before – brutal, plentiful, and all the victims were Storm Riders.
Naturally, being one himself, it put him on a bit of an edge. His whole body throbbed from running and when he got there, he felt practically numb. What little information he'd gotten over the phone mingled in his brain, jumping around all scrambled with the things he already knew and even though he was able to put certain pieces together, he planted himself in front of Ringo, the one behind the call, hands cupping his knees as he quickly caught his breath.
"What happened?"
It was so rushed and oh, where to begin?
Ringo seemed to be speechless, holding her hand fisted nervously over her mouth. It was apparent she was trying to speak and horribly failing, so she dug through her clothes until she pulled out several photos. Whatever authorities that were here earlier were already gone, leaving Ringo with nothing but a warning and these... Ikki quickly concluded they were copies of police photos. She shakily handed them to the boy, who examined them briskly.
His eyes widened. Amongst the gore and crippled limbs in the photos, there was a message smeared across a brick wall with a substance that Ikki knew but didn't want to think about; something red and thick. And it read;
Sky King
Ikki gulped.
This was no longer the matter at hand that it was before. He was only safe for as long as these creeps didn't find out who he was and where he lived. For whatever reason, he was being hunted. And what was worse, was that the cops probably had no idea what it all meant.
The only sound Ringo could stutter was Ikki's name before Kazu, still shadowing his movements, sensitive to the obvious fragility of the situation but hating the feeling of being left in the dark, grabbed Ikki's shoulder and turned him around.
"Ikki, what's going on?" he asked frantically, looking quite exhausted by all the sudden commotion. How could a day shift so dramatically? Kazu couldn't figure it out.
It was about that moment that it hit Ikki, about what kind of rut he was running into. In a short period of time, he'd gotten a couple visits from the police about the same crime from undoubtedly the same criminal, one who apparently thought the only good AT user was a dead one, who was also specifically looking for him and his team, and with Kazu invited into their home for an unknown length of time, secrets, though never a likable route to begin with, were no longer an option.
After licking his lips to moisten them, Ikki turned to his longtime friend. His eyes skipped around the blonde's puzzled face, over his bruised flesh and chipped lip and finally into his concerned eyes. Seeing him like that was hard enough. But knowing that the members of his team were now in certain danger, well… this wasn't going to be easy.
--
--
He was a thin man, but the look in his eyes made sure no one crossed him. His teeth, in spite of his unkempt hair and skin, were straight and white and overall, perfect. But he didn't smile very much. Lately, there hadn't been too much to smile about. Not with some punk nosed little brat roaming around the city with feet nearly as fast as his own.
Riffle spit angrily to the side, gaining the attention of his partners.
One of them, Weaver, crinkled his nose in irritation.
"Forget that kid, Rife," he said in a scratchy voice, bringing over a nimble arm to pat the other man on the back. "He's a nobody – we probably won't ever see him again. I mean, you beat him. That's all the matters."
"You should have seen the look on your face," another irresistibly laughed, slamming an open palm on the table. Mantis' voice was sleek and spoken in a slight whisper. His laughter was loud and dark at the same time.
Ignoring Mantis' laughter, Riffle balled his hands into tight fists. He couldn't tame the blood from boiling in his system.
"I still think we should have killed him," he muttered darkly, then he looked over his shoulder and spoke louder. "You hear me, boss? We shoulda killed him on the spot."
The Devil jerked his head to the side to crack his neck, and leaned further back in his seat.
"Talent like that is hard to come by," their leader spoke, catching them all off guard, and only infuriating Riffle more. "And you're wrong, Weaver. We will be seeing him again, just as soon as I finish thinking something through."
Riffle growled deep in his throat.
"He's just some stupid kid! A Storm Rider, no less. I thought you-"
"Calm yourself."
"Fuckin' shit."
The darkness seemed somehow cold when they all hushed, listening to the sound the water drip and rats squeak and scurry. Their home was unclean and smelled of mold and whiskey.
Then their leader reached out and grabbed a remote to turn the television on. The small screen flickered to life and cast a faint light over all four men as they brought their attention to the news. The Devil smiled, the skin around the corners of his mouth creasing.
That is, until he cast his eyes down to Riffle, still silently irate in his seat. It was natural, he assumed, to be annoyed with someone like the boy they came across a couple of nights ago, and Riffle brought up a good point about letting him go. Sometimes, though, even the Devil himself could be caught in a good mood.
There was just something about him, though. Something too good and too rare to eliminate from the world. A kid with that kind of talent didn't need to be killed off so quickly, but perhaps, he didn't need to be let go of either.
"Weaver."
"Sir?"
"I have a job for you."