Chapter 17: Home

Growing up, Ava had traveled a lot with her parents. In fact, they hadn't settled into Death City until she was 6 years old. Her parents had told her they found out that she was in her mother's belly while they were visiting her father's parents in Africa. She was born while her parents were vacationing in North Carolina. Her home for the first six years of her life had been Louisiana before they moved back to Death City for her to begin proper schooling with the people she would be growing up with. Summers with her parents included a lot of traveling, but once they returned to Death City, the fully settled, whatever they were searching for becoming insignificant. Death City became home. Fire and Thunder became more settled and more like a big brother and sister to her. She finally was able to meet Liam and understand more about a family. She had been content and never thought much of leaving the city.

Then she met Rion.

He was younger. He was actually a lot smaller when she met him and had been through a lot in his short life. He lived with a traveling circus. His parents died and he was abused by the man who was supposed to be caring for him. He called the man Master and spoke of himself as if he were less than a person. It hit a nerve just thinking back about how little her partner had once thought of himself. He had grown a lot in the past three years. He held his head high and spoke up when he felt it necessary. No, he didn't really like to be asked about his past when greeted by newcomers, but he found ways around it. She never prodded and they moved forward together, always willing to listen to one another's requests. That being said, she beamed excitedly and nodded at her partner's request on a small vacation from Death City. She didn't ask questions for the majority of the journey and simply listened intently as he explained the directions and pointed out coordinates on a map, teaching her unknowingly. He was smarter than he led on. He knew a lot about traveling, following proper coordinates, and hustling to get certain things done. It was interesting to experience, but the day had came when they were to make the final trek until they made it to their mystery destination, and curiosity finally won over.

Rion was across the room they were soon to be checking out of, shrugging on his travel bag and shoving his hat over top of his always unruly hair while Ava pulled on her boots, glancing over at her partner and analyzing his mood every so often. It hadn't changed much, but she was starting to realize that he was getting slightly more anxious, if not nervous about where ever it was they were going. Finishing with tying her shoes, the brown skinned girl allowed herself to stand fully and pin the golden haired boy with a determined look that caused him to falter when he turned and faced her.

"Ava? You ok?" he asked uncertainly, raising a brow skeptically. Sucking in a breath, the girl released and began a tangent.

"When are you going to tell me where exactly we're going? Do you really know where we're going? You're not pretending how to read a map are you? Are we on some kind of weird pirate treasure journey? You know if we were on a treasure journey you could have just told me! I mean who the hell else would I tell?! What kind of treasure are we looking for anyway? Are we gonna have to live on the run after we find this secret treasure?" She rambled on and on, Rion staring at her in very evident confusion.

"Aves calm down!" The boy called out, holding up both her hands in an effort to shush her. At the sound of the pet name, the girl slowly shut her mouth, blue eyes staring into golden ones. A smile crossed her partner's face and she stood straight, shoulders relaxing. "We're not on a treasure hunt. Far from it." He started before scratching his head awkwardly. "I wanted to visit my… to visit the crew… my family." They stared at each other silently.

"W-what?" Ava choked out. Rion's cheeks had dusted pink and he lowered his gaze.

"I wanted to see how the crew was doing… I haven't seen any of them in years." He had to be kidding. "With everything going on I guess I needed to make sure that at least the people I care for are ok… Let them know that I'm ok, you know?" He had lowered his gaze some time into what he was saying, now looking up cautiously at his meister. "Is that weird? Are you mad at me?" How could she be mad at him? At the end of the day, no matter how you look at it, those people before Shibusen were all her knew since he was a baby. Of course part of him, fear aside, would want to know how they are. Exhaling slowly, Ava shook her head.

"No…" she answered and allowed a bright smile to cross her face despite the anxiety she now had in her chest. "It makes sense. I'm glad you brought me with you." She answered and pulled her own bag from the hotel bed. "I guess we should get moving while we still have an early start, right?"

"Really?" His eyes had brightened, allowing the girl to relax significantly and nod.

"Of course. We're partners. Where ever you go, I go."

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He had questioned her when she was packing both of their bags. Of course he would. She was one of the sloppiest people he had ever met and the way he threw his clothes into a bag haphazardly had warranted some yelling. However, he was shut down immediately when she blurted out they were to be going to California. To see her family. Liam had stared blankly at his red haired partner as she continued shoving away at least a weeks worth of clothing, trying to register the reasoning for this sudden trip, but then he ran back the turn of events over the past couple of days. The terror they had witnessed. The losses. He supposed going back home for some time will bring back some normalcy for her.

"We won't be gone long. I just want to see my family… I want to know they're safe." Aimee had said, her back turned and voice low as she continued her sloppy packing. He didn't argue, simply took to properly packing his own bag and waiting for further instruction.

A quickly scribbled note, a couple days on public transportation, and an awkward argument with a cab driver later, and Liam stood, face written in confusion, at the entrance of a trailer park while a nostalgic smile crossed Aimee's face.

"We're… here?" The young Shinigami finally asked, cocking a brow at his content partner. The red head beamed back at him.

"Yup! This is home." She answered and stood straight, head held high. "I know it's not exactly a mansion or anything, but this is where I'm from. This is who I am." She answered and heaved a sigh when she didn't receive a comeback. "You're going to like it, I promise. My family can be a little… eccentric, but it will be a nice change of pace." With that, she led him through the parked housing lot, ignoring the curious looks from the few residents that were out. A couple people shouted excited greetings from their windows but Aimee hushed them, a bright smile on her face and words about wanting to be more of a surprise. Everyone seemed friendly enough and the community was well kept.

"Are you sure your family will still be here?" Liam asked, catching a glimpse of children playing at a playground not too far off.

"My dad isn't a fan of change." Aimee answered easily. "Once he's comfortable he can stay in the same place forever. I was born and raised here. Here is where our friends and family all know where to find us so I guess there's never been a reason to move." She explained with a shrug that caused her partner to stare at her in mild disbelief. Did people really live in such a mindset? He decided it would be best not to question her as they finally approached a rather large, slightly beat up, beige colored home.

"This it?" Liam asked and glanced at the red head who was suddenly stiff and holding her breath. Her nerves had clearly finally caught up with her.

"Yeah… this is it." She answered, now clenching and unclenching her hand as she stared at the beat up door.

"Aimee?"

"It's been over three years since I've been home…"

"Are you ok?" There was a long pause. She was lost in her thoughts, only snapping back to reality when Liam placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him and concern was written all over his face. She forced a smile. He knew the difference between genuine and forced. He always knew.

"Yeah, just thinking too much I guess." She answered before reaching up and pounding on the door. There was a loud shuffling and muffled voices calling out.

"I said I got it, dammit!" A deep male voice barked out before the door flew roughly open. For once, Liam was taken aback by what was happening, while Aimee remained completely calm. In front of them stood a bear of a man, a thick head of auburn hair atop his head, dull green eyes bearing down on then and his slightly stubble chin clenched as he took in the young adults at his door. His broad shoulders relaxed slightly and so had his expression. "Aimee?"

"Hi daddy." She answered, a small smile crossing her features. Without another word, the man came storming through the door, which had amazed Liam even more, considering his large stature, and had pulled the red head into a tight hug. The man beamed, suddenly less terrifying than before and placed his daughter on the ground, taking in her appearance.

"Look at you! You look healthy. They been treating you good over at the specialty school of yours?" Aimee laughed and nodded. "Look at you." The man breathed before turning his head, looking over his shoulder and cupping and hand to the side of his face. "TRISH! Come 'nd take a look at what the cat drug in!" He then paused, glancing at Liam, eyes roaming the uncomfortable shinigami for a moment before a mischievous smile crossed his face. "And she brought a boyfriend with her!"

Yes, this was going to be an interesting trip.

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Once again, Shibusen was quiet. Death City was quiet. Out of respect, he supposed it should have been. The month of October had ended on a dismal note and November was colder than usual considering where they resided. The mood had easily spread from the school and into the city. Children weren't seen running through the streets after school and even the vendors packed away their items when the sun began to set instead of staying posted up and conversing with those who worked late or were taking an evening stroll. No one really wanted to be on the streets after dark and who could blame them? Even the students seemed to be hiding.

Ares let out a sigh, leaning back in his spot on the couch, staring vacantly at the television. Before leaving, Rion had confided in him. The kid was taking his partner to go see his family… well the people he considered to be his family. He had been scared and wanted to know that they were ok with all the insanity that was taking place. Rumor had it the Shinigami's son had left on some trip with his partner as well. There was a question where the Ford and Éclair kid had vanished to. Absently, he lifted the remote, un-muting the television and flipping through the channels, though not really paying attention to what was on the screen.

"You wanna maybe settle on one thing?" Snapping out of his trance, the young man looked over his shoulder at her partner. She had her silver hair pulled into a sloppy bun at the top of her head and was wearing one of his hooded sweat shirts which fell just mid thigh. She was leaned over towards him, brow cocked in curiosity. "You've been flipping through the channels nonstop. I'm sure you've gone through them all at least four times." Looking back at the controller in his hand, Ares slumped back, turning the TV off before tossing the remote to the side.

"Sorry… guess I got a little distracted." He muttered. There was a shift in the couch as Lyra climbed easily over the back and slid in the open spot next to him.

"You starting to freak out like everyone else?" she asked. There was no teasing in her voice as she let her hair fall loose and began coming her fingers through it, wrinkling her nose slightly whenever she caught a kink. Ares watched her carefully from the corner of his eye, only responding when she looked at him expectantly.

"I'm not going anywhere if that's what you're implying." He answered finally. Lyra hummed in acknowledgement, now taking to twisting her hair into a single large braid over her shoulder. She didn't say anything for a while.

"If you plan on leaving, you'll take me with you, right?" Ares blinked.

"What?" Finishing her braid, the white haired female let out an exasperated sigh, flipping her hair behind her and pinning her confused partner with a stern look.

"It was English, you goon." She answered harshly. Ares fought back an annoyed frown. "I mean are you gonna freak out and think you're some kind of threat and leave without a word again, because I will hunt your sorry ass down again." They stared at each other, one very serious and the other contemplative. After a moment, Ares began laughing. Lyra's glare hardened.

"You're such a brat!" he informed as she gave him a rough shove. He leaned to the side on his elbow, continuing to laugh. "Ya gonna get a group of kids to help you again too?" he asked and she huffed, pursing her lips.

"Don't joke, I'm being serious." She informed, though not as loudly as her other declarations. "You're not always yourself. I can't be so sure sometimes." Laughter finally subsiding, Ares smiled and sat up straight, turning on the couch so he was now facing his headstrong, frowning partner.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ly." He informed. "The one place I had to hide, you already found out." He paused for a moment as her frown melted away and a warm smile crossed his face at her relaxed posture. "And besides, what kind of man would I be if I just up and left my girlfriend behind?" he asked and leaned in, brushing his lips briefly against hers. When he pulled back, Lyra gave him a shove which he laughed off.

"You're such a twit sometimes, you know that." She muttered before shifting her legs under her body. "But seriously… Everyone who can is going back to where their roots lie."

"Their roots?" Ares cocked a brow at her choice of words. "You mean like home?"

"Yeah. All the kids that have left, Gabe and Aiden aside, aren't Death City kids. They had homes away from here. They're going to see how their original families are." Reaching back for the remote to flip on the television, Ares shrugged a shoulder.

"Can you blame them? Shits been getting crazy around here. Wouldn't you be worried about if your parents were ok if you hadn't seen or heard from them in forever?" he asked, settling on a football game that came on the screen.

"Of course." Lyra answered. When nothing smart followed, Ares looked at her expectantly. She was staring distractedly down at her hands which was unlike her. Lyra never held back when it came to tell him anything that was on her mind.

"Lyra?"

"Ares… I think you- I think we should take a leave of absence as well." He blinked.

"What?"

"When was the last time you went home? Especially since coming back to Shibusen? When have you seen your parents? Or spoken to Grams?" Pushing himself up, Ares leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"Lyra, why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because it's important. If a couple brats can figure it out then I shouldn't have to spell it out for you… Or did stumbling across Miss Misery's dead body not strike something in you?" His heart skipped a beat and he stiffened significantly. That was right. People were dying. Families were being broken… Even those kids had figured it out. The next day was not promised.

"It's been a while since I've spoken to Grams… and I suppose I should pay my parents a visit." He bit out.

"I'll come with you." Ares smiled faintly as she moved closer, their sides touching as she waited for him to raise his head and look at her.

"Thanks… I'll need you."

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The one thing that Ayame could say she truly appreciated about the apartment she shared with Zeke was that it was never really completely silent. There was always some form of sound that filled the air, whether it be an appliance, the television, radio, or Ayame's favorite, music coming from Zeke's room. With the way things were going and the fact that half of their friends were off on some journey, Ayame found herself spending a lot of time indoors. The city wasn't the same and she didn't feel nearly as comfortable simply walking around. It didn't help that her parents and Sid had strongly advised against random roaming in the first place.

Watching as the sun set outside her window, the dark haired teen tossed her own music player carelessly to the side and slid out of bed. She was tired of finding ways to distract herself and attempting any studying was just not an option on her list. Easily, she slipped through her door and to her partner's, just making out the sound of him playing a tune. Slowly pushing the door open, she peaked inside. Sitting in his bed, back against the wall, guitar in lap and large headphones over his ears was Zeke. He didn't seem to notice her at first, continuing with his tune before pausing, shaking his head for a moment and starting from the beginning. Cocking her head to the side, Ayame assessed the tune. It was different from what he usually played. It was soothing but alluring at the same time. She felt his music always revolved around the mood he was in but never asked what exactly his muse was.

Walking further in, she waited until she noticed her presence before smiling brightly, hands clasped behind her back as she waited for further invitation. Glancing up from his work, Zeke pulled his headphones off and raised a brow. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked only for the girl to shrug.

"Nothing… I'm bored… and kinda lonely." She answered.

"So you came to bug me?" The white haired boy finished. When Ayame nodded, he wordlessly moved over, making space beside him on the bed, which she exuberantly accepted. She sat beside him, knees up to her chest and shoulder against his arm as she leaned in heavily as if trying to see something further into what he was up to. "You look a mess. What were you doing before you came in here?" The boy asked, tugging a lock of her unkempt, dark hair. Ayame pursed her lips.

"I was lying in bed listening to music." She answered, swatting his hand away. Yes, she was wearing shorts, an oversized top, and her hair was falling out of the sloppy bun she had attempted earlier, but she was home and wasn't really thinking about looking presentable. "Don't judge me." she accused.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Zeke hummed as he went back to strumming random notes on his guitar. "You smell like candy." He added distractedly as Ayame rested her chin on her knees.

"I was eating Starbusts." Ayame answered. They sit in a comfortable silence for a while, the random notes Zeke managed to string together filling the room with the same melody from earlier. "Zeke?"

"Hm…"

"How do you make up these tunes?" The girl asked, watching as a slight smile touched his lips.

"Each one has a special significance." He answered with a smooth shrug of one of his shoulders as the tune he played began to switch. It was very basic and familiar. "For example, I call this one The First, cuz it was the first tune I made on my own." He explained and began switching between each tune, giving titles and some explanations to different ones. He drifted into a new tune and Ayame perked up.

"That's the one from your soul!" She chirped, eyes lighting up. Zeke let out a low laugh but nodded.

"Yeah… I call it Soul Resonance." He answered and glanced momentarily at his enthralled partner. She was completely absorbed in everything he was doing and saying, watching the movements of his fingers against the guitar strings. Her attention span had always been annoying to him, but at the moment, she was hanging on every note and any words accompanying them. With the simple manipulation of his fingers, the tune once again began to change.

"What's this one?"

"Something new I'm working on." Ayame was watching him silently, following his fingers, or at least trying to, brow furrowing in concentration. She didn't notice that her partner had been carefully watching each one of her expression until his fingers stopped moving and the sound came to a halt. She blinked and looked up at him.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" She asked. Zeke was staring at her before blinking back in confusion, snapping out of whatever daze he was in.

"What?" He sputtered and the girl wrinkled her nose at him.

"Why'd you stop playing that tune? I liked it!" she informed, frown turning into a bright smile. "What do you call it?"

"Hm… I haven't thought of anything yet." Zeke answered distractedly. Ayame twisted her mouth to the side in disapproval before tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Well clearly it has to have some kind of significance cuz you went back to it so easily. All your songs have one, you said." She cocked her head slightly to the side as she thought. "Well it's too peaceful to be about what's going on right now… What about…" It had happened faster than either of them had expected. Ayame hadn't thought to pay any mind to his distracted behavior. Zeke was always zoning out in some way, shape, or form. That being said, she was pretty sure that time had completely stopped the moment his lips made contact with hers. It wasn't forced, their lips making enough contact for it to be very evident that this wasn't a dream, but not so much to feel like she was being forced. Falling under the spell of what was happening, Ayame felt her eyes flutter close and soon Zeke pulled back. They stared at one another in a dazed silence before he finally spoke.

"I'll call it Starbursts."

Author's Note: Whelp! I finally did it, guys! Ayame and Zeke shared their first kiss! XD My babies are all grown up. I was really debating when I was going to do this... Actually, at one point Zeke wasn't even going to be Ayame's first kiss. I had some major drama lined up BUT considering all that's going on, I decided to just keep moving forward ;) Next chapter, we get to see into the lives and pasts of Rion, Aimee, and Ares.

Please read and review as usual! :D