Chapter 20: Blurred Lines

"You're right," Kota trailed off.

Myzuki was stunned to say the least that he just come out and said that. He really isn't the kind of guy that will admit that he is wrong in something. She opened her mouth to say something in response. However, he held up his hand to silence her, this irritated her. He apparently had more to get off his chest.

"You should probably take a seat," he motioned to the bed.

She took him up on his suggestion.

'Geez he's being quite demanding,' she thought.

Once she was seated, he walked over to the window and looked outside. If he looked at her while he told her, he would just chicken out. He needed to do this, he had decided. Her decision wasn't something he wanted now. He just needed to tell her how he felt.

"That night you're referring to. I was being prideful. I am not good at expressing how I feel. Now I feel I should just be fourth coming. No matter how much I look back at that night, I know that I am not alone in my feelings. I still stand firm in my belief that this, whatever it is you have with Ikki is a distraction. I don't know him as I did Kenshin. Therefore, I really cannot tell you if he will betray in the same way. However, I do believe that it's nothing more than a passing fancy. I like you Myzuki! I don't expect you to let me know how you feel. I am sure you are confused with the all the feelings you have going on inside and me telling you this is not really helping. I am not going to let you slip through my fingers again,"

He didn't bother to turn around. He felt nausea and just continued to stare out the window as he waited for her to say something, anything really. The silence was getting to him.

She approached him and wrapped her arms around him. She laid her head on his back. He brought up a hand held her hands. She stayed like that for a while that Kota though maybe she had fallen asleep while standing. He was about to say something when she spoke.

"I have had this suspicion but I never really wanted to say anything. I thought maybe that I was being arrogant. You're right about my feelings being a big jumbled mess. I don't know how I feel about anyone just yet. I am just acting on pure emotion at this point. I just hope that you will be patient while I sort through all of this and please continue to take care me like you always have Kota,"

He turned around to face her. She didn't pull away. He held her in his arms. He lowered his face to her and pressed a chaste kissed to her lips and then looked at her once again. He cupped her cheek with his hand and touched her forehead with his.

"Of course,"

Outside a few miles from the house Ikki and Ringo, just finished having an AT battle. Sometimes in order to communicate with each other properly they would battle each other out until they were both exhausted. They were panting heavily laying on the ground waiting for each other to catch their breath.

"Do you like her?"

"Yeah," Ikki admitted. However, he wasn't sure to what extent.

He really needed to evaluate how he felt. He knew he liked her but just how much. He has a strong connection to her. He looked over at Ringo. He had a strong connection to her too. What kind of feelings were they. Did he care for Ringo like a brother or something else? There was sexual tension between him and Myzuki; would the novelty end if they have sex. Is that why he has hesitated? Maybe he was just unsure of how Myzuki felt. Like most girls that liked him, it was obvious when they did. With Myzuki, things were just a mystery. Maybe he just liked the challenge of it.

"Well I'm here and I always will be Ikki. I know that I am not your official tuner and I stand in for Kururu from time to time. You're just a likeable guy. I can't really blame a girl that likes you but I am not going to wait around forever Ikki,"

He knew this. He had a connection with the three of them even Simca to a point but that resolved itself with Nike back in the picture. Sometimes he felt as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and it can be exhausting. Maybe that is to be expected of a king and not just any king, but the Sky King.

"I know. I don't expect you to either," he replied.

"Well now that it's settled. Let us get back before they send out a search party. Oh, and Ikki just be honest with her and more importantly yourself,"

She didn't wait for acknowledgement from him. She just took off and headed back to the house. He sighed and sat there for a few more minutes in silence before he headed back too.

A week passed and they got some training done in relative peace. Cokefire had formulated a plan. Ikki and Myzuki pretty much kept their distance from each other. Myzuki wanted to focus on getting her dad back. She wasn't going to allow what was going on in her romantic life to get in the way.

It was their last day and Myzuki was packing. Her cell phone rang and it was Katashi, no surprise there. He had called at some point during the week for and answer. She agreed and before she could ask him where he wanted to do the exchange, he interrupted her. He had told her that since Ikki was so willing to bend to her whim, she should throw in his regalia too. She figured he didn't want to battle Ikki.

At first, she protested, and he told her that she could be persuasive if she needed to be. He had made sure to add on the pressure by sending her a more recent picture of her father. She was horrified. He was blindfolded, battered, bloodied, and bruised. Moreover, those women were doing unspeakable things to him. She gave in and told him by the end of the week she would have them. Ikki protested when she revealed what Katashi had wanted besides her regalia. He told her how important his were to keep everything balanced and maintained. Cokefire intervened and had a brilliant solution to all this, so, Ikki agreed reluctantly.

Therefore, here it was the end of the week and Katashi was calling her, most likely to set up an exchange time and place. She didn't even get a chance to say anything before he spoke.

"There's a warehouse a few miles from your school. Meet me there at 3 pm. I'll text you the address. Oh and come alone, if that wasn't obvious,"

He hung up and she received his text with the address shortly after. She was staring at her phone lost in thought.

"Was that him," Ikki asked.

"Yeah,"

"You nervous?"

"Yeah,"

"Don't be. I've been watching you train your ass off all week. You got this. Do you remember the plan?"

She faced him and smiled genuinely at him.

"Thanks Ikki and yeah I remember the plan. Don't you go forgetting either,"

"No way, you forget who you're talking too,"

She approached him and gave him a warm hug and a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks! I really mean it. I appreciate that you are willing to go this far,"

"Then why did I just get a kiss on the cheek. I mean –"

She elbowed him in the gut.

"Do you always have to ruin a good mood with your perviness," She smirked.

They both just laughed at that.

"You kids ready," Cokefire stood at the doorway.

"Hell yeah," they said in unison.

"Team Kogarasamaru is ready to kick some ass," Ikki shouted.

You could hear Kazu and Onigiri yell incoherently from downstairs.

"Hey! I'm not on your team. Thank you! I have my own team," Myzuki said.

"You know what I mean," Ikki looked at her sheepishly.

Later on that evening Kota escorted Myzuki back to her place. He kissed her on the cheek before she went in. He was hoping to stay with her tonight but everyone was already taking their places and he needed to as well. He tells her everyone will be monitoring for anything that transmits through the microphone.

"Everyone will be keeping an eye on you. You are not alone out there, unless you chose to be,"

She just smiled back and waved him off.

When she went inside, she curled up on her bed. She missed her dad. She missed the way he would annoy her about schoolwork and chores. She missed him when he was gone for work but this was different. She didn't know if he would be coming back this time. Everything relied on this plan. She was the one responsible for this happening to her dad. She had a slurry of emotions going through her. Before she knew, she had fallen asleep.

She woke up the next morning a little disoriented. She was still in the same clothes as yesterday. She decided to go take a shower and get some semblance of normalcy going. Once showered and dressed she grabbed her AT's and put them on. She had her and Ikki's regalia in a backpack. She grabbed it before heading out.

She rode for a little while before stopping at a lake. She still had time to kill before meeting Katashi. She needed to relax and maintain focused if this was going to work. A police officer stops by her and asks her if she should be in school. She told him that she was home schooled and he seemed to accept the answer.

"Maybe hanging out here so in the open isn't such a good idea," she thought

She decided to leisurely make her way towards the address that Katashi had sent. The closer she got she couldn't believe how filthy this part of town was. Her school wasn't too far and she never noticed this dilapidated section of the city. It's no wonder Kenshin and his group was able to surprise her with their presence here.

She made it to the warehouse where they were supposed to meet. She got there a little early. Myzuki decided to jump on to the rooftop and do a little recon for herself, before meeting with him. She was getting bored after just a few minutes. Okay so patience's isn't her strongest suit. Just then, she saw a black SUV pull up and those women got out of it. They popped the trunk and took someone out. She wasn't sure who because he had a black cloth over his face.

She had a sinking feeling. First, this meant that their hideout is somewhere else, maybe. Second, she wasn't sure if that was even her dad. She didn't know what to do? Should she continue with their plan or should she renig on their deal. What if Katashi was trying to set her up? She felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and it was a message from Kota.

"Stay focused. I got your back always,"

That was all she needed to know to get her head back in the game. She refocused and decided she would stick to the plan. This could all be a ploy to mess with her head. It was time. She jumped down from the rooftop and made her way to the warehouse entrance.