A/N: Muhh... slow updates... no one shots lately. People's challanges not being touched. Writers block... BLECH! Not to mention very little time to work on things. Hope you all weren't expecting great things from this chapter - it was a bitch to write, had to get a lot of things out of the way. But the next chapter is all in my head and should hopefully make up for it.
I hope to get out another one or two updates before I leave home for 5 months. I'm really trying, guys. Ask Masi-no-Ichigo!! She knows how much I've been trying and struggling with this chapter. I'm very tired these days, too, lol.
(whine piss moan)
I also know I have lots of stories and chapters to review, guys, please try to wait for me to get back into the vibe.
Well the next update shouldn't take as long as this one did. I hope. Start of this chapter takes place right after the last one ended - I only tell you this in case it's been so long that some of you forgot what even happened. And yeah, all the contents of this whole chapter totally happens in one night.
And just in case I don't update again in time, I must ask again, is anyone going to Otakon? I'll be going as Kazu with Kitten-chan as my Ikki.
Uhm, I'm really tired so I can't think of more to say right now.
Warnings: I should HOPE you know my usual warnings by now.
Thank You
KidAngel: lol how is it that you're usually the first reviewer? Yeah, see, you seem to get what I mean about forcing the story to move forward a little bit faster. Realistic or not, my readers and myself want to see something HAPPEN, instead of chapters and chapters of build up. Thank youuu!
Jess: Filler is only good, in my mind, if it has at least SOME linking to the actual storyline or plot. And I really wanted to play with Ikki and Kazu's younger years, in a way I saw it in my own mind while ignoring the latest few chapters of the manga. Glad you liked!
iKat.13: Well... you know me. I like to leave people dangling. I've been meaning to touch on their childhood for a while, and had it all planned out BEFORE those chapters of the manga came out. Thank god for Ikki's brash personality, making a 'rushed' chapters seem at least a little more fitting. Thank you, hun.
Slifer: Lol so happy you like that line - I was kinda smirking when I wrote it. I know I fuss about OOCness a lot, but it's mostly just me fretting about my idea of Ikki and Kazu not matching up with the idea other people have, you know? I hope this update wasn't TOO long a wait, I know it's been a while.
Chubby-King-Chocobo: I'm actually having trouble dealing with Akito, lol. As mean as it sounds, he's more or less finished with his importance in the story and now he's written in because he's supposed to BE there. (bad author) Must say, it's hard to try and develope several people at once. I've never done it before.
FallenAngelKiya: Better and better? Aw that's so sweet of you to say, and wonderful to hear since I've been freaking over them lately. I actually DO want to write manga, and doujinshis, and fanfiction helps I think.
Masi-chan: lol you fell asleep on me last night! Well even with all your spoilers I hope you get some surprises this time around. Thank you muchly for your wonderful review, and I was smiling when you mentioned the Morningside song. You are so spazztastic I love it.
Arrow.Aero.Air: I wouldn't say the best, but you saying that sure does feel good! You don't really dream about FaS stuff, do you? That'd be so insane. You think about it during soccer? lol how awesome! Well I only hope that this chapter satisfies you as much as the last one did.
Forgetfull: Happy to be of service, darling! Thank you for the comments about the cosplay, that means a lot to me! Aw, try not to stay up too late reading this one, ok? You should sleep! This fic will always be here XD
ranchan-akari: Yeah, I'm pretty much putting Ringo through hell, I realize. But I don't want to ignore her obvious feelings for Ikki. Thank you so much for your kind words, too.
TheaBlackthorn: Thank you! I really adore Ikki's impulsive nature - you know, it can be REALLY fun to write. I must thank you muchly for waiting so patiently for this chapter. Reviewers who are willing to wait for updates make the actual updates that much easier.
Katanari: 2 in the morning? Why are you people staying up so late to read!? (I'm not one to talk, I stay up really late editing and updating.) Don't worry about coherency, I'm totally in tune and used to spacey rambling reviews, lol. Natural and real, thank you! And thanks for the luck on the job, tho in another two or three weeks I'll be done (thank god).
Emi Sue: Emi Sue my darling, I don't mind at all if people miss some reviews! You should know that by now, but thanks for popping in to tell me all the wonderful things you said. I missed you, though - so happy to see you around. (HOW did you get music notes in your review?! XD)
Blizzy: Oh Blizzy my awesomely well worded reviewer! Once again your lengthly comments make my day, cuz I get a perfect mix of "THIS was good" and "this COULD have been better" etc etc. I feel like I get a lot out of your reviews and I can't thank you enough.
Endy: Be careful not to let ffnet gobble up your review, love! I hate when it does that, but you spew on about FaS enough on MSN that I don't care if you leave even a three worded comment. Thank you hun, for your devotion this far, and for, ya know, your awesome friendship.
Ikichi: Yeah, most stories end at some point, lol. I won't be leaving you tho! I'll prolly always be around to give out Ikkazu fics. Thanks for the comments, hun!
MindFuel: SEMI-filler, yus. It wasn't totally important but it wasn't totally UNimportant either. Either way, happy you enjoyed. I'm trying update like usual but the latest chapters are getting harder and harder to write.
Udyjay: I know! Her work is just the best! Reviewing along the way is fun in my opinion, and it's really easy for me to follow and understand. And your reactions are fun to read, anyway. The couch scene was good for you, ne? Awesome to know! Thanks for the review and don't worry, even though I'll be busy in another state, I'll be doing my best to work on things.
Seiji-kun Chiaki-kun Eiji-kun: I just hope that if updates do get spaced out a lot more due to my trip, that readers will still be interested enough to finish reading it! LOL you really thought that was that funny? That's fantastic, haha! All of your comments meant a lot to me so thank you.
shoxxic: PLEASE forgive me for not reviewing your fic yet! It's so wonderful and worth one of my best reviews but you know with my long reviews I have to really be in the right mood to leave it properly. Anway, YEAH that's a long break you took but I'm SOOO happy to see you back! Awesome to know you're still around, hun.
MisakiTsuki: Inspired? Really? You flatter me. A-and FANART? Are you TRYING to reduce me to a puddle? Thank you so much not only for the review but for your patience.
Bobolac: I do love cliffhangers. Wow, I'm flattered that you spent a few days catching up to the current chapter. Things like that make me feel really great about my story, which is good since as of late I've been a lot more strict and stern on it (another reason for more spaced out updates)
Kinomoto-san: Thank you! I get that a lot, about me being nervous about my writing but I can't help it - it's just in my nature I guess. You are too kind.
Peachie Bunni: lol I'm kinda unoriginal, don't you think? ZOMG ANOTHER MURDER NAO WUT!? haha, but yeah, Ikki and Kazu can't really seem to catch a decent break to move things forward, hm? Glad you liked the kissing scene as much as I did writing it.
GrayFox2k7: I never got around to reposting the part of your review that was eaten by ffnet but it's ok. I have it in my email and I've read it and that's all that matters. As always, thank you for the kind comments and in depth observations. It's always very fun to read such lengthy reviews. Thanks so much too, for taking as much time as you did making it.
(no name? DX ): Eeee ok I feel like a bad author. I try so hard to recognize my reviewers by their style of of speech and review, but without the name showing, I have no idea who's reviewing. I feel so bad, but god your comments were so spazzed and awesome! They were very kind and hella fun to read!
Sagri: Please hun, there is no need to apologize. Exams are important! The memories, if put anywhere else, prolly would have seemed REALLY out of place, so that's why they're there now. The murder victim should prolly be more important than I make it, lol, but its mostly there for the drama ahah.
Nightshade47: LOL well THANK YOU for your strong devotion!! I can't believe you're so excited! Thank you so much for all the things you had to say, I laughed so hard at your disregard of Ringo, lol.
nonday: I was wondering if that was getting confusing. If it is, that's totally my fault. Mm but no, Kazu doesn't know... yet. Yeah, I really do think that Ikki loves and cares for Ringo but for the life of me I can't see it as anything romantic. So happy to see you shift through so many emotions/thoughts while reading. And I think that a lot of the AG characters act older than they are. Don't you think? XD
Vilde0806: Good to hear! Those kinds of thoughts kinda calm me down about my chapters. Try not to worry TOO much for Ringo. I do have plans for her, but depending on how things go, it might be a little wihle before I get to that. I hope you keep reading on!
rei yamata: Aw, I'm so happy that it could cheer you up. I really hope everything is well with you, hun. I won't probe but I wish for the best. And of course, thanks for the lovely comments and compliments. Your email didn't come thru (reviews and ffnet is funky like that) so that's why I didn't respond. Whatever pin you want to do is fine - I much rather be surprised! You are so sweet.
Cool: aha, thanks. Updates come when they come, tho.
xxoxLOVELESSxoxx: Don't worry too much about the length, hunny. The fact that you reviewed at all always makes me happy. I know! There just isn't enough Ikkazu in the world - a lot of people can't seem to grasp its obvious potential. Your question should be answered fairly well in this chapter.
Bug: Thank you! I'm trying to be so very careful not to have him jump into the mind of "I guess I'm gay. Whelp! OK!" AWESOME! Another IkkiKazu fan! That's such great news to hear!
Private Show: Sorry hun, but the review replies and authors notes are going to stay as they were. Anyway, while I respect your suggestions, we will both be sticking to our own opinions. But I think it's also good to accept the style and format of other authors, even if we don't agree with it. Thank you tho, for your comments, and for taking the time to sit back and leave your thoughts.
Artistic18: For some reason, I really enjoyed your review. All newcomers are welcomed with open arms (You'll find that the Ikkazu fandom is full of the kindest, sweetest and encouraging people you'll find on ffnet. (In my biased opinion) I'm the same way, I like the 'best friends since childhood' concept and Ikki and Kazu were perfect. I'm glad you read, too, and I'm also glad you were converted, lol. I really hope you stick around.
Whew!
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Air Gear
a fiction by Crimson Vixen
Trust
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With all the things going on at once around her, what with all the lights and sirens, the darkening sky and gloomy clouds, the blanket wrapped securely around her shoulders in a scene screaming déjà vu, all Ringo really had the mind to do was clutch at her blanket and watch Ikki and Kazu from a distance. The two of them were conversing out of hearing range; Ikki was crouched over, examining something she couldn't see or just being low to the ground to be low to the ground, and Kazu was standing just behind him, arms crossed over his front and half hugging himself in the chill air. She wished she could hear what they were saying. Just a few key words here and there, words that Ikki was saying to his best friend since childhood, so she could get a slice of what was on the crow's mind.
In spite of her more girlish instincts spitting her into a stream of hollow denial, Ringo could reluctantly admit that even from a distance, even with her being here and therefore out of the picture, even with the two of them next to each other but not touching, it somehow seemed appropriate. She knew she would later regret thinking so, but they just... looked good together.
And very carefully she monitored the way Ikki slowly rose to his feet and faced said best friend, sliding off his jacket and not only handing it over to the blonde, but wrapping it around him and over his head just as the first drop of rain hit her nose. Kazu did not pull away – Ringo didn't even see his lips move – but instead, stepped closer to the crow. It was almost all the girl could bear to see and she forced herself to look down to her feet, embarrassed, ashamed, hurt. It was a rather conflicting mix of what she wanted and didn't want. She wanted to see what happened next, but didn't want to later regret acting out on such a stupid curiosity. Oh what she wouldn't give – anything – to be in Kazu's shoes right now, though; to be cozy under the crow's jacket, cheeks illuminated by rotating blue and red lights and the aftertaste of Ikki's flavor lingering in her mouth and the indent of her body on the couch inside.
Making herself blush, Ringo quickly shook her head before her thoughts had a chance to go further. It was one thing to fantasize about ones self with a crush and another thing to see those fantasies play out with your crush and another person. She never thought she'd see the day she would be jealous over another boy when concerning Ikki's affection. Her surprise was near indescribable since that boy was Kazu, someone she'd known since her own childhood, and yet it was that very same reason that she shouldn't have been surprised at all.
Ringo tried to remind herself that this was not the time or the place to be thinking this way. She pulled a 180 and faced her back to them in order to resist the temptation of melancholy.
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It was no one they knew. Another Storm Rider, but no one they knew personally. Ikki tried to push down the relief that was trying to overcome his worry, so that it didn't turn into guilt. Who knew if it would be a stranger next time? With the way Ringo was crying earlier he'd feared the worst, but it was probably just the girl starting to stress over the matter. Well, Ikki didn't blame her. He was starting to stress over it too. These things were happening too much too often, and it made Ikki feel like he was being slowly strangled.
"Maybe it would be better if you went back home," Ikki mentioned, tugging his jacket a little snugger around Kazu's bony shoulders and dopey head. His fingers fiddled with the collar, knuckles grazing the underside of Kazu's chin.
Kazu blinked. Most of his life, he was periodically reminded of all the times he hated the way Ikki felt the need to take care of and look after other people. Or rather it was the way Ikki felt so highly about himself that he made it his responsibility in the first place, even when no one asked for his assistance. Though while at first the thought was grating, Kazu was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he actually liked the idea of Ikki protecting him. It wasn't a feeling he could explain, though. It just didn't feel like weakness anymore, simply because Ikki was doing it by his own choice, much like everything else he did.
But there were certain things that the crow didn't get a say in, and this was one of those things.
Kazu cleared his throat when Ikki's hands slid away. He looked left and right, seeing nothing but lights and cars and men in uniform, Ringo bundled and facing another direction, Sano combing the yard and looking totally lost in thought with Akito tagging along not too far behind him and occasionally stealing a glance at the crow, Ikki's housemates grumpy and tired and conversing over by the street, before he finally focused on Ikki's eyes, which strangely made everything else disappear.
"No."
Ikki blinked rapidly in a way that made him look like he was batting his eyelashes.
"What?"
"I said no," Kazu repeated without even a moment's hesitation. And if Ikki wanted or needed an explanation… well that one was easy. "We're comrades, remember? A team, best friends and…"
But Ikki raised a hand to keep Kazu from saying anything more. Knowing what they were in his head and saying it out loud within earshot of the public were still two completely different things. He put a hand on his hip and with his other hand, pointed a finger at Kazu. He wagged it back and forth as he scolded.
"Are you telling me you don't trust me?"
Kazu was blank for a moment, feeling a bit more than just offended, but he didn't fall for the bait. Trust didn't have much to do with it. It was about sticking together because that was how it had always been.
"You? What about me? And that's not what I said," he quickly recovered. "Just that… if you're involved, doesn't that automatically mean I am, too?"
At this, against his better judgment, Ikki smirked; the response was so quick and casual. Like it should have been common sense. Kazu's steadfast persistence caused Ikki's mind to quickly and briefly leap back to his yesteryears and their earlier days as the Eastside Guns. It was pretty much the shit back then, before they found AT. And Onigiri was always a good follower, did what he was told half the time and did whatever the hell he wanted other times but still eventually got the job done. Kazu, before AT, was usually found with the security of a baseball bat slung over his shoulder and a lot of bark spewing from his mouth. But although sometimes a little edgy and hesitant, Ikki's right-hand man. And Ikki himself…
It might have just been in his head but Ikki felt as though he hadn't changed at all.
Ikki squinted through the rain that was steadily starting to pour now. He focused on Kazu, bangs still getting soaked even with that jacket now draped over his stupid head.
One thing about Kazu certainly hadn't changed, either; he was just as loyal as he'd always been – Ikki would go so far as to say unconditionally. Through bullying and school and rivals and hardships, through girls and stupidity and mistakes that only young boys can make, through accidental kisses and not so accidental ones, police sirens and homicides and stupid, stubborn blondes who looked like a pathetic pup in a doghouse under a team jacket, Ikki was sure that if Kazu was still standing here with him now, in this fucked up mess he'd found himself elbow deep in, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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The flashing lights were gone. Which was good since they were starting to give her a headache. She was finally inside and warm. Which was also good since she was shivering outside. She assumed both Ikki and Kazu were in Ikki's room while she was in hers, which was only slightly bothersome, but she also wasn't alone. Of all the times Ringo had to stare into the cunning grey eyes and annoyingly sly smirk of that migratory bird Simca – and certainly Ringo made it a point to avoid such confrontations – now was probably the worst.
Not that Ringo ever wanted to see the other girl, or that any time was a good time to see her, let alone in her house, in her room, sliding her thighs along her window frame to let herself in. With Simca simply letting herself in all the time like she owned the place, Ringo's nerves were suffering greatly, and whether or not Simca knew this, what with Ringo's fingers balled into tight fists and lip upturned into a snarl, the swallow didn't seem to pay it much mind.
But Ringo didn't feel like letting Simca get a word in to begin with, or even take two steps further into her room for that matter; she showed no hesitation or second thought when she reeled her arm back and gave a good hard smack across Simca's cheek. Sure the bird hadn't done anything yet but Ringo felt it was still justified for all the past times she should have slapped Simca but didn't. Ringo massaged her palm with her other hand, the sting was well worth it.
The swallow's cheek was cherry, and Ringo knew that even if it was just for a second, Simca's eyes flashed with something that wasn't calm and collected. Knocking Simca off of her self-positioned pedestal, or even making her lose her balance temporarily, was a powerful and wonderful feeling indeed, even if it was just for a moment. It was like water in a vast desert and Ringo wholly lapped up the feeling to the best of her ability.
When the migratory bird's eyes flashed back to normal and pinned the pigtailed rider in her spot, Ringo didn't flinch. Simca was the type of girl you had to really hold your ground with, and she was ready to do just that.
"What do you want?"
"Not exactly a friendly greeting, wouldn't you say?" Simca drawled in that tone of voice that just sent waves of displeasure up and down Ringo's spine. Her grey eyes were calculating, eying Ringo up and down and sometimes jittering around the room as if looking for an escape or just avoiding the grief of meeting the other girl's eyes.
"Take it as a mild tip-off," Ringo practically said through her teeth, finding herself guarding the door into the hallway. There was no way she was going to get past her. There was no way she was going to reach Ikki.
"You know, I thought that maybe with our shared adoration for the little crow, we'd – "
"Don't try to act like you give a damn about Ikki because it's getting old. You don't understand him and you definitely don't appreciate him. I won't let a slut like you treat him like some toy."
Readily, Ringo would later come to terms that she was shooting anger towards the swallow that had built up over time, and she was bringing up things from the past that she hated about the other girl, but those feelings she was spewing were ones that never grew old. She had all the reason in the world to hate Simca, and honestly, there was no shame in expressing that hatred.
"A bit defensive," Simca mumbled a little, finally sliding her hand off of her cheek and letting it rest at her hips. Her lips morphed into something resembling a pout. "I can't even stop by for a little visit without you attacking my intentions."
"I want you to get out," Ringo bit darkly, ignoring everything that the other girl had said so far because in her heart and in her mind there was no room to believe her, or to care. She wasn't in the best of moods to begin with anyway. "And I don't ever want you anywhere near this house, or Ikki, ever again."
Her words seemed to echo and bounce off the walls with the short silence that followed, and Simca, even after such things were spoken to her, found it in her to smile. As if she'd done nothing wrong. Ringo seethed.
"My, my, you are just a bundle of sunshine, aren't you? Did something happen, by any chance? That you're taking such an interesting tone with me?"
Ringo had to remind herself just how tricky Simca could be. It wasn't farfetched that she knew things she wasn't supposed to, and Simca had this way about her, where she tried to manipulate conversation to make other people say things themselves. And when she didn't know something but wanted to, she tried to find ways to make people spill.
Even knowing these tricks, it was hard for Ringo not to play into her hands. Images flashed across the back of Ringo's eye lids when she closed them; images of Ikki on top of his best friend and most certainly not just wrestling him or fighting him. Pictures of the boy she liked and cared about so much, kissing someone else, being allowed to and capable of stopping and pulling away at any given moment and deliberately choosing not to. At least until he found they were being watched...
Ringo quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts, but something must have been written clearly on her face because Simca seemed to catch it.
"Ah…" she sighed carefully, putting a thin finger to her lower lip, intrigued. She nodded to herself, like she had just confirmed a thought. Her lashes twitched and flipped up so her eyes could stare at the other rider. "So something did happen."
Although she didn't want to tell her rival that she was right, her silence was probably all the answer the swallow needed. And Ringo had a fairly nasty feeling swirling around, telling her that Simca was going to hang around a little bit longer than originally planned.
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Kazu figured that on a night like this, Ikki needed him more than usual. Not that Kazu felt Ikki needed him to begin with, but Ikki needed him more tonight than he was saying, at any rate. Ikki needed his company.
Naturally, Kazu felt extremely guilty when he decided to sneak off anyway as per the request of a man he didn't particularly like, repeatedly apologizing to the crow under his breath as he crept through the house like he didn't belong there, chest constricting into something excruciating as he made a left turn. He couldn't bring himself to imagine what Ikki was thinking or feeling right now, what with the weight of dangerous homicidal maniacs looking for him and leaving him the worst kinds of warnings, their badly timed and newfound relationship and all the times he'd up and vanished without a trace (kind of like right now).
Odd, perhaps, but perhaps his gut had told him to use the side door for a reason. It was closer, anyway, and it was less likely for him to make noise. And maybe he listened to that gut feeling for a reason. Maybe that evening Emiri was meant to be weird and use the side door of a friend's house instead of the front, at some odd hour of the night.
She stood there with her arm raised and fingers curled into a weak fist to knock, clips in her hair and AT's on her feet, eyes blinking wildly when Kazu opened the door and stared at her.
Maybe it was all just some big set-up, designed with Kazu in mind to keep the blonde from leaving. Maybe there was such a thing as fate.
Whatever it was, Kazu saw it fit not to deny or disrupt the flow of things, because his gut was telling him something he couldn't quite understand just yet, and he kept his feet planted to the ground.
"Did you, uh, need something?" Kazu practically deadpanned. No cruel or rude intentions were there, but this girl, whether it was fate or not that she was standing there in a windbreaker and sweatpants, giving Kazu the idea that she was in mid run when she made the decision to stop by, had horrible timing. She took a step forward, putting herself half way through the doorway and resting an arm on the frame; Kazu couldn't help noticing how close the track runner's body was to his - yet strictly not coming in contact - and she seemed to be very aware of that fact.
"I just have to tell you, Kazu," she murmured right away without a hello or explination, seemingly forcing herself to speak. "...that I know. And this is… really hard for me. You know, knowing and all. About you. But I…"
"Em…" Kazu started, confused, but Emiri pushed a slender finger to his lips; a silent demand to let her speak while she could.
"I just want you to be happy, you know. That's all I've ever wanted. And I want to support whatever or whoever it is that makes you happy. But I can't say that I'm not mad at you. I can't say it doesn't hurt."
After all it isn't easy for a girl to love and let go at the drop of a white knit hat. It wasn't easy to ignore the more possessive parts of affection. But then again, what was jealousy other than a darker side of love?
Kazu was tempted to scratch at his temple, as if the action would help him figure out what seized Emiri to pick here and now and speak a language that was like talking between the lines. The girl sighed, pushing herself further into the doorway when Kazu's expression didn't meet her satisfaction. She knew, though, how to speak in terms that Kazu would patently understand.
"You know those times when Ikki sees right through you? I know it too, because it's the same feeling I get with you," she explained. "But those times when he does see you, and you get really happy? I don't want to take that away from you."
It was impossible for Emiri's feelings to click inside of Kazu at this point because he'd admittedly, recently, already known about them, but something else still clicked in his brain, something akin to a realization. Along with it there was a new respect for this girl in front of him, confessing her heart with the acceptance of obligatory heartbreak and braving her feelings through the spoken word at the heavy risk of rejection, making Kazu feel almost shocked with her skills of observation. Her abrasiveness was something new about her personality that was starting to show more and more, and Kazu could honestly say it was a change for the good, for Emiri, and for himself. In a way he was envious of that trait.
But her timing, much like everyone else's lately, still needed some serious work. As admirable as Emiri's actions were, they were not as convenient for the blonde as he would have liked.
"Emiri, I swear to god when I'm back, I'll sit down and we can talk for hours and I'll listen to everything you have to say but right now... Now is a bad time."
Emiri's eyes were big, shocked and surprised and affronted, hand clutching at the doorframe a little tighter than necessary. She blinked at the boy disbelievingly, feeling like he was shrugging her off when she was trying to get something fairly important off her chest. Boys were just so damn insensitive in the moments that counted the most. Selfish. It wasn't like it was easy for her to be here, saying these things, and here Kazu was telling her to hold it to a later date, like it was just that simple.
"And you have to promise me you won't follow me," he went on to say, cupping her round shoulders with his hands and lightly squeezing to emphasize his plea.
She tried to look past her frustrations and took a deep, slow breath to calm her nerves. She knew it was almost like a double standard, almost like Kazu had no right questioning her company at some odd hour of the night, but Emiri in return couldn't help wondering where the blonde was heading off to, or why it was so important that he got there, alone, instead of spending a moment with her.
The track runner opened her mouth, but it was another voice that sounded, beating her to the punch.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Emiri's eyes traveled to the sound and Kazu whipped his head around.
"Not what you think, I'm sure," the blonde defended, semi stepping closer to the doorway. Emiri, still standing next to him, nearly bristled from seeing the way Kazu's composure suddenly crumbled when Ikki merely showed up. The jet jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to point outside. "I was just heading out to get some fresh air. I'm feeling suffocated."
Ikki, standing with his arms crossed and in nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, jutted out his lower lip in what appeared to be contemplation. For some reason ignoring that Emiri was at his house, now of all times, his fingers ebbed into the skin on his arm a little bit, causing Kazu to believe the crow was irritated with him, but that feeling was starting to become easier to ignore.
And so then Ikki blinked, and then half turned, and Emiri pushed past Kazu and demanded that the crow wait. That was it? He was just going to let the boy leave? To this, Ikki turned back around but leaned against the wall for support.
His mind was worn and because of it, his body looked as if it had reached some limit that Ikki wasnt supposed to have.
His eyes jumped from Kazu's to Emiri's to the floor, shrugging a little bit as he spoke.
"…If Kazu says he's going out to get some air," he said quietly but firmly. "I believe him."
The trust Ikki had so openly placed in Kazu's word was both admirable and frustrating for Emiri. Part of her was moved while another part of her was slightly resentful. In front of her, Kazu's body seemed to jolt at the statement, then slowly relax as he stared at the other boy, like he couldn't take his damn eyes off the guy.
Kazu's feet tingled, wanting to move but wanting to stay because Ikki had just sent something coursing through his veins. He didn't want to believe that Ikki was stupid by any means, but for Ikki to actually trust his word so readily… Either the crow really did have this faith in him that the blonde had yet to grasp, or he was being tested. Maybe Ikki… didn't believe him but wanted to.
But was the concept of Ikki really believing him really so strange?
Kazu swallowed and took a step back, accidentally bumping his foot into Emiri's shin, reminding him of where she stood and how it proved to make an exit slightly difficult. When he turned to face her he was almost shaken by the expression she was giving; so accusing and questioning and causing guilt to spread goose bumps over his arms. In order to escape her eyes, Kazu closed his and turned his head before opening them again, once again refocusing on Ikki, still holding the same posture as before, with a bored look on his face. Kazu's teeth rested carefully on his lower lip before speaking.
"I shouldn't be too long, but don't wait for me," he muttered, succeeding in sounding in character and staying put a moment longer only because it looked like Ikki had something to say.
Uncrossing his arms and pushing himself off from the wall, Ikki looked at Emiri and then Kazu, looking like he grinded his teeth momentarily from behind his lips in what Kazu assumed was thought again, before turning around to head back.
"Just be here in the morning."
This time it was Emiri that jolted. Ikki's casual remark could have been rude or controlling, or she could have been unconsciously overanalyzing it so she could have a valid reason to hold something against the crow at the moment, and she wanted to say something – though she had no clue as to what – but felt Kazu's hand still on her shoulder as he gently guided her to the side so he could leave. And he called back to Ikki with a short wave of the hand as he walked away.
"I will be."
And Emiri stood there in the doorway, in the middle of two boys walking in opposite directions, not even looking at each other but still somehow managing to convey something between them that she wasn't able to pick up. She looked after Ikki until he rounded a corner and out of eye sight, then looked after Kazu until he was so far gone into the distance she couldn't make him out anymore.
If she fought back now, it would be a losing battle, because both Ikki and Kazu seemed distracted by something, haunted even, and perhaps her timing was off, but Kazu was the type to linger and reflect on things spoken. She could only hope that hers would lead to some type of resolve.
--
--
Kazu didn't like telling lies, and he certainly didn't like being a liar. But a liar was such an easy thing to become. Tell one little fib and then make up two more to cover the one before it. Eventually you become so lost in your own web of lies and deception that you start to believe them, and then you become another person entirely.
And telling little lies here and there to Ikki to keep the crow from figuring out his secret felt a lot more painful now than it would have a few days ago, before they were, you know, together. But tonight hurt one hundred times over because it felt like he was taking advantage of Ikki somehow.
Tonight felt a lot more ominous than usual, though Kazu thought it was sad that nights like this and feelings like that were starting to become commonplace. The time was right, the place was right, but the feeling was off, not that it was anything comfortable to begin with. The eerie silence that surrounded him and threatened to swallow him whole made the hair on the back of his neck stand, and as per his habitual ways, Kazu looked for answers in the moon above, but tonight he found it to be hidden behind a heavy curtain of clouds.
That might have played a part in the ally seeming... darker than usual.
Even the sound of his wheels gently rolling along the concrete was deafening to his ears. Though it could have just been his senses on high. Whatever it was, it allowed his ears to also pick up the sound of running water in the distance, or at least the sound of it splashing the ground. He was drawn to the sound and followed it. After mere moments of strolling deeper into the darkness, something he was unwillingly getting used to and more comfortable with, his eyes were able to make out faint shapes a few feet away. Kazu resisted the urge to hold his hands out in front of him to feel around at the risk of looking like a fool.
Somehow, even though it was hard to see, the gleam of the knife caught his eyes instantly. Only it wasn't really the blade itself that glinted and grabbed his attention, but whatever was coating it instead. The first thing to jump into his head was a drastic, gory thought, but by far the most believable at the moment, and the longer he stared, the more the dark color seemed to match with what he was thinking.
"…Blood?" Kazu asked, speaking it out loud when he only meant to think, and he clamped his hand over his own mouth when he caught his blunder. Three sets of eyes all turned to pin him, and the blonde lost all ability to function properly. Why would they all look at him so accusingly when they were expecting him? Fingers over his lips and possibly trembling, Kazu blinked rapidly as he returned those gazes and then finally settled on the Devil - who had yet to shed light on a name - as he lifted his eyes from the knife he was rinsing off under the water.
His eyes were more or less adjusted to the dark now and that was how Kazu noticed it wasn't just on the blade but the Devil's hands and arms as well. Even his clothes were splattered. Sure, now Kazu knew he should have put two and two together faster even if he didn't want to believe it, that coincidences were not always that, and it was possible that he'd landed himself in the worst kind of company.
"Holy shit," Kazu muttered, unable to tear his petrified eyes from the Devil's blood-stained hands. His red and black face did not smile nor frown as he continued to wet his palms. The jet removed his hand from over his mouth and used it instead to weakly point a finger at the man who had never officially been given a name. "It's you… you guys are the ones who…"
In the beginning Kazu had fell into the idea that his mingling with these guys and the ones after Ikki were two different issues, and it was all just rotten timing, but now he had another reason to call himself an idiot. Then again, it was conceivable that somehwere some part of him knew but wouldn't acknowledge it.
The jet took careful steps backwards, until his back hit something solid and strong arms wrapped around his torso. Arms pinned to his sides, the boy kicked with his feet; if these guys were really the same ones looking for Ikki – and yeah, Kazu was pretty damn certain that they were – Ikki had to know.
"You seriously just figured that out?"
Kazu spat and squirmed and struggled until his foot came in contact with his captor's knee. A familiar, gruff voice spewed a curse – Kazu should have known it was Riffle from the get-go, though how the creep got behind him was a mystery – and he had enough of an opening to scramble away from those arms.
Riffle stared after the blonde with furious eyes as voices sounded off from all directions, narrowed in on the kid's retreating back as he tried to move and regain his balance at the same time, and it only took the speeding bullet a single second to catch a glimpse of something rather interesting. His rage then turned into something else entirely.
"Hey!" Riffle spat, chasing after Kazu, a run that took only a few fractions of a second with the way the blonde was tripping over his own feet in such a hurry, and capturing his shoulder. He clutched at the smaller rider and brought him back to the others. He spun the younger rider around before getting a better grip on him with both hands. His fingers dug into the blonde's skin when he tried to pull himself free another time. There were bound to be bruises again, and Kazu's first thoughts were of how to explain them to Ikki. "Boss! Check this out!"
The Devil ceased his actions and turned to his subordinate with an intrigued upturn of the lips. Riffle clutched even tighter at Kazu's thin arms and forced the boy's back towards his leader. Immediately, dark eyes fell onto the jacket the blonde was wearing, and at the design that labeled it.
Suddenly, the Devil found that today could very well be an interesting day.
He approached the blonde with an agonizingly slow gait, and put a hand to the black and purple emblem splayed over the young boy's coat, smudging it a little with what had yet to be rinsed from his hands. With a smooth roll of the tongue, he read it out loud the jumbled pack of letters.
"Kogarasumaru."
Kazu's eyes shot wide fast enough to cause them to sting, blood freezing within his body. He tried to swallow but his body wouldn't even allow him that luxury anymore.
In the past, Kazu had always found reasons to be angry with himself and the choices he'd made, the things he'd done and failed to do, and the things he'd said or never spoke, but nothing had ever led him to a more powerful sense of self-hatred as much as this. In all of the confusion and conflict and emotions running so fanatical in his life, stacking and crumbling like dominos tipped over before the full set up was complete, it'd completely slipped his mind to remove Ikki's jacket. Kazu was convinced that it was the single most stupidest things he'd ever done.
Riffle spun him around again so he was facing the Devil face to face. The masked man's hand, still wet with a mix of water and blood and dirt, reached out and ran two lithe fingers along Kazu's jaw line and to his chin, where he tenderly lifted the boy's head. Kazu lowered his brows, making sure that this man met with a glare.
"Kogarasumaru" he spoke again, carefully. "Tell me, that wouldn't happen to be the legendary team said to be led by the next potential sky king, would it?"
That was right; up to this point, these guys didn't know the name of the other team he ran for… He'd been so careful not to give that information away. Kazu looked off to the side briefly. Then, realizing what a dead give-away that was, met the devils eyes once more.
"And this... boy I hear you're so infatuated with... they wouldn't happen to be the same person, would they?" he went on to say. Kazu's mouth hung open for a bit before moving.
"No. It's not."
Kazu had never known the need to prepare for situations like this, so after speaking those three words, he could say nothing more. He bit his tongue when Riffle jostled him and emitted that terrible laugh of his.
"Oh, this is too good!" Riffle practically beamed, gaining looks from his boss and both Mantis and Weaver with the strange way he was chuckling. His team mates were all showing different expressions, but it was clear that there was a collective peak of interest. It was like they were all waiting for Riffle to state the obvious in his excitement. "This little faggots a member of the team you've been lookin' for the whole time!"
While the new tidbit of information was valuable, the devil didn't see the same humor in it as his subordinate did. The boy rumored to be the next Sky King was the current leader of a team called Kogarasumaru, and while Kazu had stubbornly refused to drop the name of the other team he stood for, his jacket told no lies. Right under his nose and he hadn't known; how irritating.
Kazu appeared to be putting the pieces together in his head. He'd basically just drawn a giant target on his best friend's hide.
All the excuses and escapes were running marathons through his mind the longer the devil stared at him and the more Riffle's fingers tightened. He was tired of striking deals and digging himself into holes but this was a serious matter and he had to do what he could.
Kazu didn't feel like a hero. He didn't feel like a martyr. He felt like a desperate kid with no options left.
His simple offer, or more like a plea in disguise, flowed freely from his mouth before he had a chance to think it over. In his rising panic, he had very little time to stop himself; He'd keep running for them, he'd do whatever they say, and he'd keep his mouth shut about what he knew. Just so long as his team leader was left alone.
Now, if they'd take him up on the offer was another matter entirely.
Waiting for some kind of response, Kazu bit the inside of his cheek so hard it burned. There wasn't much else he could propose. He was left with very little option; Ikki's actual name was still a secret, as was where he lived, but Kazu feared that it wasn't enough to keep the crow safe.