Witch-Bitch

Disclaimer: Only the strangers herein are mine.

Author's Note: this is complete AU

Author's Note: I'm going to be adding more 1st POVs, so names will be used from now on.

Note on Fonts: please look at previous chapters.

Dedications: this one is for neko-girl16 (UID 1363688), for a most awesome and uplifting review.

Chapter 15: for the love of

Becky's POV

"Becky! Kai! Would you come help me please?" my mom's voice called out, startling Rei from me. somehow he had made it onto the floor with me, and I somehow had ended up tightly enclosed in his arms. I really, really liked being there, seeing his gold eyes looking down at me, totally aware of what we had been doing. But in some fuzzy part of my brain, I knew it was different… from what, I wasn't too aware of.

"kids, I would appreciate an answer!" my mom called out again. I pulled my arms out of their locked position and covered Rei's ears.

"COMING!" I shouted through the door. Rei winced at the close proximity. "sorry," I whispered, "but if I don't answer, she'll come barging into my room."

"I know," he whispered back. "still… ow," he grumbled playfully. He let go of me as I started to get up. he pulled himself up by my bedpost and sat on my bed while I straightened my pyjamas. I couldn't get my head around it still being so early, and then I caught sight of my clock, and almost choked on my next breath.

"gods, it's one already?" I exclaimed, totally shocked. Rei turned to look and his eyes widened too.

"whoa… we really lost track of time, didn't we?" he said, just as amazed as me. I stepped towards him, leaning my hip against his arm. I liked this closeness, liked touching him in a way that didn't want him for comfort, or selfishly for his strength. He put his arm around my waist almost tentatively. He still acted like he was doing something wrong, but enjoying it anyway, almost reckless.

"it was a good waste of time, though; wasn't it?" I asked.

"hell yeah," he answered contentedly.

"wanna do it again?" he touched the tip of his finger to the pulse beating in the hollow of my neck.

"let's go down before your mom drags you down. We don't want to give her any ideas." I realized the truth of his words and blushed.

"no, don't want that," I said hurriedly in agreement. I started toward the door, but then stepped back again, half-stumbling into Rei. "shit! It's late, should I change?" I tried to turn back but Rei gripped my shoulders and pushed me forward.

"no, Becky. It's Sunday, you're always in your pjs, so stop panicking. You look fine," he told me gently in exasperation. I felt my shoulders relax, and let out a breath I'd been holding in. right. Here we go.

Rei's POV

Like usual, she skipped the last two steps and set off for the kitchen with a hyper bounce in her step. I heard her greet her mom and tell her that I was visiting, packets rustling. She popped her head around the corner, her hair swishing into her face and mouth.

"pah!" she exclaimed, spitting out the strands. "mom bought the monthly groceries, she wants help carrying them in. come help?" she asked. I shrugged my answer and she turned back into the kitchen.

"by the way, where's Kai? He should be helping you too," Mrs. Kristine asked Becky just as she opened the door. she pulled it closed reflexively.

"isn't he outside?" she asked, her voice pitched a tone higher. Mrs. Kristine shook her head with her back to Becky, unpacking tins from a loaded packet. Becky looked back at me, her eyes growing worried, and then her eyes flicked to the key rack.

"mom, did dad take the spare keys this morning?"

"no. why?" I could see the story quickly forming in Becky's eyes. And I could also see inside her mind, and her worry was nagging at her. she was thinking about this morning, and she suddenly realized that he had disappeared because of that…

"I… just remembered, he said he was going to walk down to the Ellipse and wouldn't be back for a while. I'll get the rest of the stuff," she said hurriedly, grabbing my sleeve and dragging me outside. She walked out of range of the house, still pulling me by my sleeve, and then she whirled around to face me.

"Rei, we need to find him! it's my fault that he's run away, I know it is! We've got to find him before he does something stupid!" she said anxiously. With that, everything crashed into focus- what the fuck have I been doing? I felt like running my hand through my hair, but I had to keep calm for Becky. Gods, how could I keep being so stupid? And selfish? How could I keep loving her?

At this, I did run my hand through my hair. I could feel it agitate Becky, and inhaled deeply. I would have to figure this out later. Trying to think around Becky, after what we- what I did, was distracting… fuck, I couldn't even make sense to myself at this point.

"rei?" she asked in a small voice. I looked at her and smiled reassuringly, squeezing her shoulder. She relaxed in relief.

"do you have any idea where he could be?" she asked. I could think of quite a few at this point, and I did know exactly where he was: going drag-crazy at the Sandbox. But I couldn't tell her that. She had to figure this out herself, they had made a start on their connection…

"do you have his number? He never gave it to my parents." But what would that help, why would he even have it on if he ran away from me? she thought in exasperation to herself. Think Becky, think! Where would you run to? I pulled my phone out of my pocket and searched for his number, knowing it was still the same. I could give it to her now and she could try while she was thinking it out, I didn't want to pressure her. I heard the mental click in her head.

"I know where he is. Can you please take the rest of the groceries inside while I change?" she asked me energetically before racing inside, leaving me just a little amazed at their bond. And jealous.

Becky's POV

Right. Okay. I didn't know how I figured it out. But I did. if Rei hadn't been here for me, I would've run to the Ellipse, the only place where I knew I would go after crying so hard that it left me drained and down and angry, and where I could release it all. Babble babble babble.

"mom, Rei and I are going out. I'll be back later," I called out to my mom as I ran out of the kitchen. Rei was already waiting in his car, then engine purring through the frame as I jumped in.

"where are we going exactly?" he asked curiously.

"devil's sandbox. That's where he would go." And in total silence, we drove off. This was just a little more than awkward. Where were my allegiances? Or, more intelligently, where the heck was my heart? How could I be so fickle when it came to these two? I loved Rei. And I… I think I loved Kai too. But in what way did I love either of them? I started twisting my hair around my fingers.

Was I pushing myself onto Rei, because he was safe and knew me to a T? I couldn't really answer my own question until I got to know both of them in that way. And that wasn't me, I didn't play people. I sighed out loud and Rei glanced sideways at me.

"what's up?" he probed gently.

"rei…" I started and then stopped myself, trying to collect my thoughts.

"yeah?"

"what… what do you want?" I asked, pointedly looking out the window. Please give me a straight answer.

"I don't really know what I want, Becky. What exactly are you asking me about?"

"us," I squeaked out. Damnit, my voice is bloody well telling everything I'm thinking.

"I don't understand what you're trying to ask." I really couldn't expand on it, and he looked at me sideways again. "Becky, what's wrong? Try and tell me. I am your friend, first and foremost."

"why do you say that there's someone better than you out there for me? I don't understand why you think that. I really don't get why it can't be you. what if I want it to be you? and- what if it is someone else? What are you going to do? What's that going to do to you?" I exhaled loudly. Blurt blurt blurt. Just get it over with.

"you went back on your promise of this morning-"

"I never promised you anything," he interrupted me.

"fine, you didn't promise, but you sure as hell made some sort of commitment to your words! You broke it, no matter what it was, and I need to know what's going to happen because of that, I need to know what it means to you, and what it means… to me." I heard the air hiss through his teeth and then the car shuddered to a stop. I realized that we were just outside the Sandbox.

It was silent, as quiet inside the car as outside. I concentrated on Rei's face, and he looked more confused than I felt. It wasn't just plain confusion, the kind where you figured out the answer a minute later. This was more anxious, more troubled. It looked like he was struggling against something stronger than words. I waited for him, letting the hands of the car clock tick past five minutes, then ten, and eventually twenty minutes had passed in silence.

"rei?" I whispered. he was still gripping the steering-wheel in a tightening grip, his knuckles white. "rei?" I said again, feeling like I was stepping on ice. He still refused to look at me. and then, still tensed like a locked spring, he answered.

"becky, I- can't love you, but I do. It's too complicated for me to explain, and you won't… I just can't tell you," he said tightly, but sounding sad too. I reached my hand out to his, and he snapped at me.

"don't! it can't be like that!" he half-yelled. I winced back, pulling myself against the car-seat. He looked at me and the anger melted from his face. I only noticed then that I was shaking in my seat. "I'm sorry, I don't want … to do this. Becky, please," he pleaded as I shrank back against the door, against my own will. My head felt like it was shutting down, I felt outside myself, like I was fog, mist, insubstantial. I was loosing control of myself.

"don't-" the door suddenly opened behind me, dumping me backwards onto the gravel and dirt path. I stared up at the sky for a second, not sure of what I was doing on my back. "becky!" I heard Rei faintly call. I felt the earth underneath me start shaking and I sat up abruptly. Something was wrong, I knew it: not now, but going to happen. He stood over me, holding out his hands. I took them automatically, not focussing: I was listening to the soft noise of an engine. He helped me up and put me up against the car so I could keep my balance.

"are you alright?" he asked worriedly. I nodded. I felt dissociated from everything, but I understood: I could see what Rei was asking me. I nodded again, placing my hands on either side of his face.

" I understand," I said softly. and I snapped back to reality. What do i… and the noise of the engine was closer and louder than before. I took off running, not knowing where I was heading to but just following the noise, following my instincts.

I saw him prepare to jump. Saw the sand shoot out from under the rear-wheel at the acceleration down the hill. Saw the light glinting off his hair. And then, while I stood frozen, he went off the ledge, too low. Everything went crazy: the sunlight half-blinded me; he hit the ground too hard and fast, and lost control of the bike; I screamed, half-running towards him; he went crashing into a towering pile of tin roof plating.

They showered down on top of him like hail on a child.

"KAI!"

To be continued…

PO: I feel like I need to explain a bit about their moods, specifically Becky and Rei. Becky is damaged: she is extremely sensitive, and her loneliness when Ricky left combined with Kai's torment did push her over the edge, and she nearly succeeded in killing herself (there are some spoilers waiting to be blurted out, but they won't). you can basically say that she suffers from mild bipolar 2, but I'm just likening her symptoms to that disorder. Rei's mood basically shifts from his duty and his heart, and that's why his moods are so quick to change, because there's this torrid conflict inside him between his own human wants and his celestial responsibility.