MPK: So...Forget notes, this is just happening how it happens. (EDITED)
Takuto lunges towards Wako.
BOOM!
A large figure hits the ground. Kazuma shields Niika from any flying debris, that luckily doesn't hit either of them—the four cough because of the hovering dirt in the air. Before the dirt can even settle, the figure leaps into the air and smacks down beside Wako and Takuto. This causes them to move away from their previous positions quickly. It also creates a new wave of dirt to fill the air, blinding everyone and infecting their lungs once again.
Kazuma grabs Niika's hand, "We gotta move!" and runs back down the path.
Without hesitation, Takuto grabs Wako's hand and follows them. "Let's go!"
They all run without looking behind them. The heavy object shoots up into the sky and flies around, landing right behind them and into the ground again. The sudden shake in the earth causes everyone to lose their balance and slide down the path, further toward the bottom of the hill. Takuto and Wako were able to fall into a tree and break their fall with their feet. Niika and Kazuma couldn't however, tumbling all the way to the bottom of the hill.
"Urgh!" They both let out at slightly different times.
"Niika-chan! Kazuma-kun!" Wako helplessly shouts from above. She and Takuto let go of the tree trunk and manually slid their way down in their direction.
Kazuma props himself up enough to crawl on his knees over to Niika. She's face first in the dirt. He shakes her a bit, "Niika, are you okay!?"
Niika picks up her head and starts to answer, but is stopped, by a vision.
Takuto and Wako slide down the hill towards her. "Niika!" Takuto shouts. Suddenly the green-shaped figure that had been flying over to them at a fast pace, shot towards her and Kazuma. Just when it is about to collide with them, the figure changes course and moves in the opposite direction, slamming into the earth in front of Wako and Takuto instead. The two end up falling into the dirt and the debris erupts upward, burying them both.
Niika blinks, "They'll get buried..."
"What?"
She barely has enough time to register anything in her head before the scene she had just seen begins to play out. Using her arms, Niika plops up quickly into a sitting position. "If that cybody hits the ground again, the flying dirt will bury them!"
Kazuma sits up with her and realizes what she means. "Mermaidoll..." He growls. He stands up, "Not on my watch." And with a single clap of his hands, Kazuma activates his first phase in a cool way. Time stops, leaving the world at his mercy for the several seconds it gives him. He takes that time to sprint up the hill, grabs Wako and Takuto's hands, and pulls them forward further down the hill. As time starts again, Kazuma makes sure to catch Wako before she hits the ground and the three of them fall back. He lands in a squat, gripping the dirt to stop the momentum. "Miss Wako, are you okay?"
"Yes, Kazuma-kun." She nods, "But how?"
Takuto, however, lands on his azz. He lets out an "Ow!" when his back hits the dirt. Kazuma barely acknowledges it, his eyes drooping boredly. "You can catch her but not me!?"
"You're a man. Suck it up." Takuto gains an anime vein mark.
"Takuto!" Niika helps him sit up quickly. She worriedly looks at him.
"Midori no me~" He stares back just as worried. Kazuma does his best to ignore his jealousy during such a dire situation.
Mermaidoll stops short of their location and pummels itself into the ground. The dirt and debris rise again, falling down the hill. It falls too fast to run. "Brace yourself!" Kazuma shouts shielding Wako.
"URRRAH!"
"Huh? Niika-chan!?" Takuto shouts. A green glow lights up Niika's cybody mark. With a wave of her arms, Niika has created a huge, glowing, emerald-green dome around the four of them, shielding them from the dirt. When the debris passes and settles, Niika drops her arms.
"Midori no me, that was amazing!" Takuto says in awe.
"I didn't know you could do that?" Kazuma sort of says this as a question instead of a statement. Niika drops to one knee panting slightly. Takuto supports her.
"N-Neither did I..."
CLINK!
A sound from above was made. The four look up and watch as, out of nowhere, Tiger and Jaguar land on the ground in front of them. Mermaidoll hits the ground backward seconds later. "We have come to help!" They shout, "Please hide the Maiden!" As Mermaidoll starts to stir, they ready themselves for another attack. Both Tiger and Jaguar are armed with a katana and wearing samurai armor in a style fitting to their names.
They stand up and Kazuma releases Wako from his grip. They watch Tiger and Jaguar attack Mermaidoll from both sides, then watch the cybody take control of the fight in a matter of seconds. It grabs them both by the neck, "We can't just leave the fight to you!"
Takuto can see the white-haired male's green eyes suddenly blinded with anger. "Oh no, he's getting pissy again." Kazuma runs forward, grabs the cybody's legs while its arms are occupied, and judo throws the cybody down into the ground. "Kazuma! What are you doing!?" Takuto shouts, "Tiger and Jaguar are still in its grip!"
"Shite." Kazuma blinks and realizes this. He backs up. The girls breathe the best they can in their choke holds after the sudden whiplash. Mermaidoll stands up again with a backflip.
"Niika, hide Wako!" Niika turns to see Takuto with a tree branch in his hand.
"What are you planning to do?!"
"Be a guardian!" Takuto runs forward past Kazuma, "Chesto!" The branch breaks as it collides with Mermaidoll. He hops back in surprise. "It didn't work..."
"DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT WOULD WORK!?" Kazuma shouts at him.
"OH SHUT UP KAZUMA!" Takuto yells back. They glare at each other.
Kazuma scoffs, "Just follow me." Takuto seems to nod. The two then charge forward. Kazuma's sprint is more of a Naruto run, while Takuto's sprint is slightly more normal.
The two split apart after running side by side. "Kazuma!" Takuto signals from one side of Mermaidoll. Kazuma spins and is able to land a punch on it. Mermaidoll flies backward.
"Takuto!" Kazuma signals from the other side. Takuto grabs a huger, thicker tree branch than before, one that could rival a tree trunk instead of a branch. With a careful swing, Takuto manages to slam into the middle of Mermaidoll and ram it to the ground. The maids grow pale from more whiplash, but Mermaidoll seems to be down for the moment. The two boys tackle it just in case.
"Let them go! Mermaidoll!" Kazuma says trying to free Tiger from Mermaidoll's left grip.
"Your fight is with us!" Takuto shouts at the cybody, prying free Jaguar from Mermaidoll's other hand. The two grab the girls and back away. "See?" Takuto says waving what was left of the last tree branch in his hand. "It worked this time!" Kazuma's eyes roll.
"I think you need to spend more time on Newton's laws in physics class," Kazuma tells him. Takuto looks confused.
Above, Arata seems to have recovered from his fall finally and heads back up the hill. A quick glance down makes him realize the fighting has stopped. When he reaches Mami, he scolds her almost like a child. "Hey! What was that all about!? How dare you hurt my sister and her friends!" Arata tries to look as stable as possible, aside from the fact he was clutching his stomach. His rib cage hurt like hell from the straight impact of the tree trunk. "You have no right to hurt them like that! Or me for that matter! Calm down! What's your deal!?"
"That's right! Get her Mommy Arata!"
He ignores Anaki to keep his focus on Mami. Mami doesn't seem to be listening, however. She grows pale and holds her chest. "Ugh..." She falls to a bended knee. Arata falters, the overprotective side of him taking over. Regardless of what she had done, she was still a classmate of his. It would be wrong not to help her, and leave her writhing in pain. No matter how satisfying it would be~
Arata shakes his head. "Yano? Yano-chan!" He moves over to kneel beside her. "Are you okay?" She moves away but he grabs her and holds on. She struggles against him, "I'm not an enemy...you don't have to~"
"ARATA WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' MAN!? TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ENEMY LADY! Not exactly a good plan!"
Arata clutches his head due to the ringing of Anaki's voice. He does his best to ignore it. He isn't taking advantage of Mami, he is truly acting out of genuine concern. That's all.
"You keep telling yourself that."
"Yano-chan look at me." When their eyes meet, she seems to freeze. "You don't have to be afraid of me. We're on the same side. Just take a deep breath and calm down." On queue, Mami breathes. "Now tell me what's wrong."
"Mermaidoll...Those freaking outsiders!" She growls weakly, "They shouldn't be here on this island...You shouldn't." Mami looks Arata right in the eyes, "Arata-kun. You better not be lying about...not being on their side. Or the next time I see you I'll~!" She shakes, "~Definitely get you back..." Mami finally leans back on him for support.
Arata doesn't seem to notice the sudden droop of his eyes or the faint glowing of his mark. "I'm sure you will. Good girl." He lightly coos into the girl's hair.
"Ondine!" A yell in the distance seems to bring both of them back to reality. On their right, another girl in a weird outfit appears. "What are you doing here!?"
Arata scans her over, "Another one?"
"Oh no, more Crux!"
This makes Arata stiffen. "You! Get away from her!" The black-haired girl yells advancing over.
Mami blinks, "Wait Ivrogne! He says he's not on their side!"
"But not that he's on ours, right?" Her eyes widen with shock. Ivrogne tries to punch Arata, but he's able to block it with an arm.
"I don't know what this is, all about..." Arata says, "But I haven't chosen a side, yet. That means I can still be swayed."
"Kazuma-san!" Back below, Tiger has enough strength to hug Kazuma around the neck. "Thank you!" She presses against his chest with a smile and Kazuma blushes slightly.
"Yeah, sure..." He mumbles.
"Yes thank you both for saving us." Jaguar directs this to Takuto.
"It's cool." He rubs his neck. Meanwhile, Mermaidoll grows active again.
"Are you guys okay?" Niika trudges over to them with Wako.
"For the most part," Kazuma mutters turning away while clutching his hand.
"Uh Kazuma," Takuto starts, "Did you really think punching Mermaidoll like that was gonna work? Without having repercussions?"
"Oh shut up Takuto!" Takuto smiles in response.
He then flashes that smile at Niika, "We're good."
"But this is still not over." Kazuma points out, "I should've known it would've taken more to destroy that thing. Look!" Mermaidoll stands up as if the last blow was just a light summer breeze. The boys stand in front of the girls.
"Takuto, Kazuma!" Tiger and Jaguar hand over their katanas to their rescuers. "Use these!" They thank the maids and all the girls flee backward, giving the boys some room.
Takuto looks down at his, "I'm not the best with one sword. But I'll~!" He trails off when he catches the item flung in his direction.
"Lucky for you dual wielder," Kazuma cuts him off. He throws a punch in his hand. "I don't always need a sword." With one final shake of his injured hand, he cracks both his knuckles ignoring the pain. He turns to Takuto, "Just like before!"
"Let's do it!" The two shoot forward in a sprint just like before. However anticipating that Mermaidoll, had learned from last time, Kazuma pushes Takuto in the opposite direction of where he went for the last attack, and he travels Takuto's previous path. They finish their half circle, trapping Mermaidoll in the middle of them. "Kazuma!" Kazuma jumps up, and slams a two-footed kick into Mermaidoll, before backflipping back onto the ground in a cool pose.
"Takuto!" Mermaidoll is kicked with too much force to recover. However, Takuto only has limited time to act because of it. He propels forward, "Flair! Galactic. Cross. Slash!" And with an X-shaped slice, Mermaidoll falls before Takuto can turn around.
Kazuma trudges over to his side, "Nice."
"It was pretty cool wasn't it, hehe." He chuckles, "But a backflip? Was that really necessary?"
Kazuma dusts off the rubble from Takuto's shoulder, "That? Just light work." He gestures to the girls, "Besides, I think they enjoyed the show."
"Oh. Is that what this is about then..."
"Yeah. HEHE." He mocks. Takuto frowns, but then they are both able to laugh.
In the middle of Ivrogne and Arata's verbal squabble, Mami suddenly screeches, feeling pain in her chest. They both look down at the girl squirming violently in Arata's arms. "Hey! What's wrong!?"
"Stop, Ondine! What are you doing with the Mermaidoll? Don't you know the South Maiden is over there?!" Ivrogne shouts in alarm after seeing the situation before them.
Arata looks up. He watches as the cybody that had hit him earlier lifts into the air. It flies around in a circle in a continuous pattern, so fast that only a circle of light can be seen. "What's happening?"
"It's not me, I swear!" Mami whines, "The Mermaidoll is out of control~urgh!"
"Is there anything we can do?" Arata asks, worried about both the girl and the people down below. "To make this stop?"
"I told you, didn't I? Ondine..." Ivrogne mutters to herself, ignoring Arata's question. She kneels beside them.
'This girl...With the black hair. And the snarky attitude.' Arata thinks, 'She seems familiar.'
"She should, you do have a slight crush on her after all."
Arata's blue eyes widen, "No way. Keito?"
"Why do you even sound surprised!? Who else looks like her!?"
"My name is Ivrogne." The girl presses through gritted teeth, "And you shouldn't be here, witnessing any of this." She pulls a small vial from her pocket and waves its open contents in front of Mami's nose. Mami, who is breathing hard, calms to the point of fainting.
"You can give up the act now, there's no stage out here," Arata says referring to her outfit, slightly less provocative yet just as weird-looking as Mami's. "Besides whether you like it or not, I am witnessing this. So just get over it. I want to help." Mami goes rigid in his arms. But even with Mami unconscious, Mermaidoll doesn't stop. "They aren't stopping...Didn't she summon that thing from her body? How is it still moving if she's asleep? Is this her subconscious going wild?"
Keito, who doesn't look like she has an answer, swallows any one that she is going to try giving. Arata looks to her waiting for one anyway. She analyzes the situation and she reluctantly speaks. "Arata. Do you remember your last physics class?" He nods, "Let's say I had a remote control car. If I push that car down a hill, and I turn the remote off, will that car automatically stop moving?"
"No." Arata thinks aloud, "There would be too much loss of potential energy, and gravity pulling down on it at the same time. The car would continue to move on its own...Oh, I see."
"That's right. The car won't stop until it is physically stopped by the ground at the bottom of the hill. The same applies to Mermaidoll." Keito's eyes narrow at the sight below, "One must now physically stop it."
By this time, Mermaidoll had plowed itself into the Earth once more. However, this time, it arises again, with hundreds of its brothers and sisters. Copies of Mermaidoll surround the six. Everyone calls one another names. The boys and the maids are put in protective holds by three or four copies each, while Niika and Wako end up getting choked. They all struggle against the copies to no avail. "Niika!" Arata shouts. He starts to advance down the hill.
"WAIT!" Keito shouts removing her mask and quickly pulling Arata further away instead. "GET BACK AND GET DOWN!"
"What? What is it!?"
CLINK!
A knife plows into one of the copies. All the commotion stops and turns in the direction of the knife's owner. Sugata stands there in the same position as when the knife left his hand. "Get away from Wako." All the copies drop everyone suddenly and leap into the sky. Sugata's mark glows a light blue color, lightning surrounds him.
"Don't..." Wako mutters. "Sugata don't!" All the copies take aim and head in the direction of their target. It happens so fast, that no one has time to react, but the one being attacked. Sugata's cybody mark projects itself in midair.
"Apprivoise...Samekh!"
"DON'T DO IT!" But Wako's scream isn't heard and fades into the loud boom that is heard next, and the bright blue light that erupts into the air. It spreads far enough to cover the whole area and a flash of white blinds everything and everyone in its path.
Sobbing. Sobbing is all that could be heard when Niika first awakes. Niika blinks as Kazuma's face comes into view. "Niika, can you hear me? Wake up."
"Kazu-kun."
"Thank goodness." Tiger sighs in relief. "We thought we had lost you too."
"Lost...Too?" Niika fully came to. She sits up. Kazuma holds her in place on one side while Tiger is on her other side. Niika looks over the girl's shoulder. She is able to finally locate the source of the sobs. They belong to Wako. Wako, who had buried herself into Takuto's chest, is sobbing the heaviest of sobs Niika had ever heard.
Niika faces Kazuma, "What~"
She can't even ask. She just waits for him to clarify. "Remember Sugata's cybody ability that Wako explained earlier? The King's Pillar? Well, he used it. That idiot went and used it..."
"He saved us all from Mermaidoll, Miss Takashiro." Tiger tells her, "But now the master is..." She frowns. Niika waits for Kazuma for the answer.
"He's in that deep sleep. The one that the other King cybody users never awoke from..." Kazuma's face went dark, his tone low. Niika's eyes widen and she covers her mouth.
"Oh no. Poor Sugata-kun!" She looks down tearing up, "How awful!"
A hand is placed on Niika's shoulder. "Niika." Niika turns around.
"Onii-sama..." She gets to her feet. Tiger and Kazuma do so as well. "Nii-sama, did you hear? Sugata...Sugata-kun is..."
"I know Niika. I feel bad for the guy." Niika hugs him; Arata hugs back.
"He was just trying to protect us..." She stands back and wipes her tears.
"Listen. I'm going to stay here tonight." He says gesturing to Sugata's mansion. "Tiger and Jaguar think it's best if some people with cybodies are guarding Sugata for a while."
"Yeah, I'm going to stay here too actually." Kazuma cuts in after finishing a conversation with Tiger. She enters the house. "Right now, Sugata is vulnerable right now. As the owner of the King's cybody, if anyone catches word that Sugata apprivoised...especially The Crux...that would be extremely dangerous. For him, and us."
"Arata-kun!" Tiger calls from the doorway, "Jaguar is calling for you."
"Give me a sec!" Arata calls back to her, "Niika, so just go home without me. You know that back roadway from here right? Just go straight home. I'll check on you when I can. Oh and here." Arata pulls out a cell phone. He hesitates but puts the phone in her hands. "Sugata...was kind enough to get these for us, after he found out we didn't own one...Before all this. Keep it on you at all times, and out of sight."
"Yes, Big Brother." With that Arata runs inside the house.
"Is he a pain in the azz?" Kazuma asks trying to make light of the situation, aside from Wako's continuous sobs in the background. "It's just...well it's not his voice, but more like his tone. He just gives off that "I'm a pain in the azz" vibe." He also just genuinely wants to know.
"My brother doesn't have the pain of a donkey, Kazu-kun. At least, I don't think..." Kazuma internally slaps his forehead.
"That...went right over your head Niika."
"What? Where?" Niika looks up to the sky. Kazuma does it again.
"Kazuma! Arata needs help lifting Bocchama into his room now!"
"Aw, what a weakling." Kazuma says, "Well duty calls. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Kazuma starts to walk into the house but turns, "By the way, I know this is a bad time but I have to say it. You don't have to think too hard about what I said earlier. Just promise me, that the two of us can take some time to talk later about it."
"Talk about..."
"My love confession." Niika gasps, "Night." Kazuma smiles faintly, before entering the house as well.
With everyone else gone, Niika has no choice but to focus on Wako and Takuto. She approaches the two but decides to keep her distance. Takuto basically cradles Wako as she speaks to him in between sobs. A small pain develops in Niika's chest. "Sugata...he always carries that knife...in his pocket...I've always been too scared...to ask why, but today...he uses it to protect me! And...even the King's Pillar too!" Wako cries, "Today is his birthday and I couldn't even wish him...Sugata!" Takuto starts to look uncomfortable but endures it for Wako. "He's important to me! We've been together since we were little you know?"
"Wako..."
She grows quieter but still sounds upset, "I was born on this island in the South Temple and inherited the mark. When I was told that I was fated to be trapped here...if it wasn't for Sugata being here with me, I...We shared the same burden. But now~" She grips Takuto's shirt. "Why are there cybodies on this island? Why were we born here? Why?" These questions aren't really directed to anyone and are more rhetorical. Niika decides to be supportive and intervenes in between Wako's crying.
She gently places a hand on Wako's shoulders, "Wako-chan, please cheer up. I know Sugata will wake up soon. I just know it!"
Wako doesn't respond for several seconds. Then she does, "...If I hadn't been, so selfish...If I had never used Takuto...We would have never been here, we wouldn't have been in any danger...And Sugata wouldn't have had to apprivoise. So thank you, Niika-chan." Wako lets go of Takuto. She faces Niika with red and puffy eyes, "But I still don't feel any better by hearing that."
"Miss Wako!" Kazuma shouts from the open window on the upstairs floor. "Sugata's room is ready now. You can come to see him."
Wako wipes her eyes, "I'm coming!" Without another word, she breaks eye contact with Niika, dries her eyes, and runs inside. Niika let out the breath she had been holding since Wako had stared at her. She is relieved she can breathe again.
"Well...that was..." Takuto can't find the words.
"Hey! Red-headed idiot!" The both of them look up at Kazuma, "Niika better get home safe. Or next time I see you, you won't be." Kazuma says in a menacing tone. Takuto lightly gulps under Kazuma's glare.
"Y-You got it, B-Buddy." He shuts the window. And then it was just the two of them. There's an awkward silence in between them.
Takuto manages to say something first, "So much...has happened today, haha." Niika doesn't respond. "Who knew that Sugata~"
"It's getting late. Goodnight Takuto-kun." Takuto is taken aback as Niika makes her way down the paved road from Sugata's home. She had rejected him so quickly. But it just felt wrong to leave things the way they were right then. So Takuto just had to try again. He grips the gold pocket watch in his hand and looks up.
"Wait, Midori no me!" Takuto shouts. Niika stops, "Let's walk home. Together." When Niika doesn't say anything, Takuto presses further. "At least halfway. Please." Niika turns the side of her head slightly towards him. Takuto takes this as a yes and they begin to walk together. But the walk is as awkward as ever. Neither can look each other in the eye, and neither can find a stable subject to talk about, without touching upon the night's events.
"So..." Takuto mumbles, "You think you'll be ready for the Physics test?"
"I hope so. I borrowed Brother's notes."
"Did you...understand everything?" Takuto tries his best to make small talk.
"For the most part." But Niika refuses to give longer answers.
"Maybe it's just me who needs a tutor then...Maybe you could help me? Not now, but a little later?" He asks.
Niika frowns, "Maybe." More awkwardness. Then Niika asks a question. "Your Galactic...Flair?...You were able to use it outside of Zero Time?"
"Galactic Cross Slash..." Takuto corrects her, "No not really. I really just said it to make the move sound cooler than it was. I didn't know you could even use your cybody powers outside of Zero Time. Until you did." More awkward silence.
It is Takuto's turn. "I...uh...didn't know you could do that...the barrier thing." He says from slightly in front of her.
"...That? I just...did it on impulse. I have no idea how...I'm just glad it saved us." Niika admits. Takuto waits for her to ask a question. However, Niika breaks the standard of their convo and continues to talk. "I'm...I'm always so used to it. Being the one who's helpless, and can't do anything. Back there, it was you and Kazuma who protected Wako before Sugata showed up. That's what Star Drivers are supposed to do right? Save the maiden from danger, and protect everyone...but I couldn't even do that..."
"That's not true." Takuto turns back to face her, "What about when you warned us before? If you hadn't put that energy barrier up, the four of us would've gotten buried by debris! And you kept Wako away from Mermaidoll~"
"If I kept that barrier up longer, I could have protected Wako! If I could have kept it up and made it bigger...I could have protected everyone, and then...T-Then Sugata wouldn't have had to...Sugata wouldn't have~!" Niika buries her face in her hands as the tears fall. Takuto is surprised by Niika's sudden outburst.
"Hey! Don't let what Wako said bother you!" Takuto tells her, feeling as if the blonde's previous words fueled Niika's current ones. He stands closer, "You did what you could! And I'm sure that if you could do more, you would have!"
Niika forces herself to stop crying and stands still. She looks away. "My house is up that path." She gestures even though Takuto knows. "I should go."
Takuto feels frustrated. He knows it is probably for the best to leave Niika alone at that moment, but he can't help but stop her again. "Wait Niika!" He shouts her first name, making Niika jump. "C-Come to the beach with me!" It was such a ridiculous thing to ask at night. But he knows that if Niika left now, nothing would have changed between the two of them since that awkward morning. He wanted to at least leave with the two of them on good terms, especially with everything that had transpired that day.
"But Takuto~"
"Look. You're sad, I'm sad, and that's not good. We both could use some positivity right now." He tries to convince, "It's better to continue the walk and clear our heads than to end it abruptly and go home in a bad mood."
Niika hits him with a sad look, then sighs. "Okay."
The shoreline wasn't that far away from where the two of them were. It takes about five minutes to step through the forest pathway and reach where the water and sand meet. The ocean sparkles with the light from the moon and stars. The wind lightly blows in their faces. "That's a nice sea breeze." Takuto nervously rubs his neck. Niika sits down and closes her eyes, feeling the wind. Takuto sits too.
Niika finally speaks, "Kazuma said something like that earlier too."
"He did?" She nods. "That reminds me..." Takuto hesitates, "He confessed to you before, didn't he?" Niika flinches. "I heard him over Wako's singing. I wasn't eavesdropping I swear!" She bites her lip. "He uh, seemed pretty serious...Did you give him an answer?"
"I-I didn't get a chance to," Niika says, "Mermaidoll attacked."
"Ah, I just figured you talk afterward, sorry." Takuto suddenly lowers his voice, "...Do you like him? As more than friends?"
"...I don't know." Is Niika's answer. Takuto starts to pry some more, but Niika's demeanor stops him. They're engulfed in an awkward silence. Takuto looks out towards the water.
"...About today," He begins again, "The reason you didn't come to class this morning...It was because of me right?"
Niika turns away, "Huh? No..."
Takuto eyes her carefully, "Really? Then why?" Niika nervously fiddles with her hair. "So it was me. I knew it." He sighs and looks out at the water. "I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel, uncomfortable." He tells her, "Midori no me, you once told me that a kiss isn't a quick peck on the lips, but a deep and passionate one with your first love, right? So really, neither of us has had a real first kiss yet." Niika's eyes widen, "The bet's still on...heh heh." His laugh is short and dry.
"...I suppose it is."
"I don't want that weird moment before to ruin our friendship."
"Friendship?" Niika thinks aloud, tucking her knees to her stomach. She thought she would be happy, finally being acknowledged as a friend. But the word sounded weird coming from Takuto's mouth.
"I think we became friends at this point, right?" He gives a light smile. "I really don't want things to be awkward between us. Can we just, start being friendly with each other?" Takuto doesn't want to be too forward, but he wants her to get the message. "I want to get to know you better, Midori no me. I don't want to fight anymore." He suddenly becomes aware of how he is sounding. Takuto clears his throat and raises his voice, "Plus! If we're going to be fellow star drivers, we've gotta work together~" He exclaims to ease the tension.
After a moment, she lightly smiles back. "Yeah."
Takuto blushes when Niika looks up. "Y-You know, " He looks away starting to mutter, "D-Did you know...uh...if you look lay down to the ground, you can just faintly feel the radiance of the earth!" It is the only thing he can think of at the moment to say. Takuto wants to keep the conversation going, but finding another topic proves difficult. Especially when his mind is so focused on...
The thought makes his face almost turn the same shade of red as his hair, as he watches Niika press her body to the ground. When had Takuto started feeling this way? "I don't feel anything."
"Ah, really?" He catches himself just staring at her long brown hair.
"Check with me." She insists and Takuto does. The two of them lay on their stomachs next to each other. Niika concentrates hard, but Takuto just can't seem to focus. Not on the ground anyway. "No, I don't feel it." She closes her eyes, "This is peaceful though." She mutters softly. Her emerald eyes make contact with Takuto's ruby ones. Not expecting Takuto to be gazing right back at her, she jerks a little.
"Sorry." He mutters lowly not wanting to scare her away. Niika shyly tilts her head upward to look up at the night sky.
She takes a breath, laying a hand on her stomach. "Takuto."
"Yes?"
"...Happy Birthday." Takuto's breath catches. With widened eyes, his gaze shifts abruptly back to Niika's face above. "Even though today was bad in some ways, you were able to lighten the mood and make happiness out of it. I'm jealous." She admits, "I really admire, how positive you are. I hope for the most part, that you had fun."
Takuto is in shock. He has literally forgotten how to breathe. Not only that, but he had forgotten the main reason he had been bitter about today. In those few moments he spent alone with Niika, the only thing he was thinking about was her. He had forgotten that it was Sugata's birthday, an anniversary of something terrible, which prevented Sugata from wanting to enjoy it. And after learning that and experiencing what he had today, he was surprised that he had forgotten that it was his own birthday today as well. "How...did you know!?" He gasps, propping himself up on his hands.
"You hinted at it a lot today actually." Niika reveals to him, "You looked really sad, despite speaking so cheerfully. But I get it. It's really sad, for your special day to be an anniversary of something so terrible..." Takuto couldn't believe he absentmindedly had been expressing his private thoughts aloud. He takes a deep breath and calms himself.
"You figured me out." He lets out before verbally thanking her. He grips his pocket watch with a light smile. "Thank you, for caring." She nods without a verbal "You're welcome".
Niika suddenly sits up and stretches her body out, "I should really be going now. Arata doesn't know I'm not home yet~Takuto-kun!?" Without warning, Takuto tugs Niika back down and tightly hugs her around her waist. "What on Earth~!"
"Please!" He suddenly begs, "Don't leave me yet!" Niika's eyes widen due to his dramatic behavior. Although his red locks droop in front of his face, he can see how desperate he starts to look. "I'm sorry...it's just, I don't want to go home yet...there's only ten minutes until midnight. Just a little longer, please Niika." He hugs her tighter at the mention of her given name and buries his face in her stomach. Takuto doesn't know what had gotten into him. All he knows at that moment is that he doesn't want to be alone. He hopes that Niika doesn't think he is weird for that. Or worse, she would make a pervert comment.
But suddenly, Takuto feels a small hand lightly touch the back of his head. Niika's body has relaxed into Takuto's arms, as she lightly turns toward him and pulls him close. In the silence of her just stroking his hair, he concludes that she has agreed to stay. She hums quietly in between the two of them, and suddenly it is like she is comforting a small child. There is something odd about Niika's hums, but he doesn't think too much of it. Takuto could almost cry, lost in the moment. Takuto leans back a bit, "Why did I come to this island?" He mutters. The question is rhetorical, but it still makes Niika's hand freeze. The redhead just lightly speaks aloud, "I...just...Niika?" He asks, "Do you think we should have come to this island?"
Bringing her hums to an end, Niika replies, "Big Brother...always says that everyone has their own missions in life and that paths cross for a reason. We both have our reasons for being here right now...Now we just have to learn how to live with fate."
Feeling sleep tug at his eyelids, Takuto shifts up to lean his forehead into Niika's shoulder. "More like how to deal with it."
"Kazuma-san, everything here is alright at the moment. You should go home and rest since you have school tomorrow. We should be okay with just Arata-san." Jaguar says holding out Kazuma's stuff. The white-haired male shifts away from the windowsill.
"I'm sorry. I just pulled an all-nighter last night; I'm usually good at this sort of thing." Kazuma asks rubbing his eyes. He can't hide that he had been asleep. "Are you sure you don't need me to keep watch?"
"We'll be fine. It's practically dawn and The Crux don't usually attack more than once at a time." She states frowning. Jaguar peers at the unconscious blue-haired male on the bed. "There is not much more damage they could do here anyway."
Kazuma frowns, "I understand." He suddenly lowers his voice to a whisper. "Still, I'd keep an eye on Arata. I personally feel that something's off with him. I'd be careful."
"You're more of a danger than I am, Kazuma."
"Ah! I thought you were asleep Arata-kun!" Jaguar shhs Kazuma when he exclaims.
"What guard falls asleep in front of the person he's guarding?" Kazuma's sweatdrops, "Exactly."
"To be fair," Jaguar says while helping Kazuma into his jacket. "Your eyes were closed, Arata-san." Arata looks away.
"Ha! Liar!"
"Please! The Maiden just fell asleep in the next room." Tiger says coming in. The boys apologize.
"Fine. I'm leaving." Kazuma walking towards the door. "You better stay on your guard, all three of you." The girls bow respectfully.
"Wait Kazuma." Arata says, "Do you mind going by my house to see if my sister's okay? Since it's on the way and she didn't call."
"Sure. What's your address?"
"It's in your phone, along with my number." Arata throws Kazuma's mobile device at him without warning. Kazuma still catches it. "Call me when you get there." Kazuma is too tired to ask when Arata took his cell from him. Instead, he shoots him a halfhearted glare, and looks to Sugata one last time, before heading out.
The house was a mile or two away from Sugata's mansion. It appears to be a mansion itself from the outside, or rather that it was housing for the rich. It is more modern looking than Sugata's place though, with flat roofing and large glass windows. Most of the place is see-through; there is no privacy, at least on the first floor. "They have to be renting." Kazuma thinks aloud as he unlocks the door with the key he was given. His thought is justified when he sees all the untouched-looking furniture. More questions appear in his mind, and he has the urge to explore the place, especially since a kid from a middle-class family, and he is in awe at what the upper-class living space looks like. But he reduces his urge and heads upstairs.
There are four rooms. Two of them with open doors. A bathroom and a bedroom, one could tell at a glance. The other two rooms Kazuma investigated, and easily concluded to be Arata's and Niika's rooms respectively. Just one problem, Niika isn't in hers.
"Niika!" He calls out through the house, immediately assuming she isn't asleep somewhere else. He quickly searches through each room, muttering a quick "Excuse me!" before opening each one. He doesn't stop to gawk at anything like before, his agenda being to quickly find the girl. He runs back downstairs to check the bottom floor. Another bathroom, a spare bedroom, a kitchen, a living room again, and a locked basement door. This raises a red flag for sure. But Kazuma concludes that perhaps it was out of privacy, and doesn't look too much into it, since he doesn't have time.
The whitenette goes back to the second floor and to Niika's room, where he looks out from her balcony. He can see the edge of the cliff the house is on, and the vegetation below. He can also see the ocean shore. And on the ocean shore, his green eyes swear he sees Niika lying down on the sand, her long brown hair distinctive from far away. Kazuma suddenly jumps from the ledge. He falls downward using his first phase to stop time and catch himself before he crashes into the side of the cliff. But as he gets closer, and Niika's sleeping form becomes more visible, he realizes that she isn't alone and who is keeping her company.
At that moment, his cell phone rings. Kazuma starts not to answer, but he does anyway. "Kazuma! I told you to call! It shouldn't have taken that long to get there!" Arata shouts through the phone. "Is she there!?" Kazuma closes his open mouth and swallows words that have been boiling on his tongue since the moment he landed.
Kazuma knew when to take a loss.
"Yes. Snug as a bug in a rug." He speaks in his normal voice, though his facial expression is anything but. "I'm heading home. Good night." He cuts the call before Arata can speak, and heads back up the cliff, taking the long way back to lock up the house. Kazuma doesn't look back. "A loss is a loss."
And so the adventure of life goes on.