#aokihonouno

[sendoaichi-blog]

The King's Interrupted Sleep

"…I won’t let you kill anyone. There’s no need for you to dirty your hands with something like that."

"--..........."

Gaillard-kun... He remembered it; More than anything.. Gaillard hadn't wished for this this sort of thing--for Aichi to soil himself with the blood of criminals. He had been counting on his own self to shove all of the dirty work onto his own ledger, but.. now it was up to him; Aichi needed to finish what they had started. I need to repent for what I've done... As he finished up with the main explosives and double checked over the manual switch sitting in his trembling palm, he stood up, wiping his damp brow before holding his breath entirely-- the sound of multiple footsteps were already homing in on his location. He had suspected as much... this whole time, they had been keeping tabs on their activity. He wasn't sure how or why but...

 "---..........." If it comes to that, then I...

[sendoaichi-blog]

Death Omen Star (死兆星)

 "--Gaillard-kun! This way!"

They had been caught off guard. In the scouting of the area around their nest, Gaillard and Aichi had found themselves entering the thin borders of Toshi City once again, just upon the abandoned outskirts that stretched probably no more than several meters away from the nostalgic, familial sights. It was bizarre and twisted; Who knew that the place Aichi that had once ignorantly known as his home could hide such grueling and unwanted secrets? It was just like the darkened backstreets Alcor had taken him through a while back, if not even worse than those shoddiest parts that this city had to offer. But in their so called covert dispatch, which had been going so seemingly well, they were no sooner greeted by their said targets, ultimately reversing the situation and having been turned into the helpless pray once again. They were forced to turn on their heels and book it through the tiniest nooks and crannies, hopping fences and dodging what sounded like thundering bullets. Damn, they anticipated us! I should have known better! But they had been so careful, so, so thorough in their investigations that this shouldn't have been a problem... Unless--- Unless they had been played the fools all along? No! Aichi shook his head of such a possibility as he and Gaillard made quick work through a narrow dumpster ally, finally gaining some distance as they continued their mad sprint throughout the darkened labyrinth. This was crazy.. This was so surreal! But if they happened to get caught, surely it would just result in their immediate deaths. The reality was that harsh, and they truly couldn't afford such an error to occur.. So long as we can knock them off of our trail and make our way back to base in order to reconsider our options, we should be all right! It's okay, everything will be--!! And then, Gaillard suddenly halted them, a figure just up ahead that was blocking their way. Shoot, how had those thugs managed to catch up? More or less intercept them like so? The other's protective stance was hiding Aichi from view, but his sight was clear and straight ahead. It had taken several moments for his eyes to adjust to the shadowed individual eclipsed in moonlight but.. But the image was completely unprecedented.

 N- no.... No way... No way, no way..! It's.... ah..... He recognized that silhouette better than anyone else. He just couldn't bring himself to react accordingly. He couldn't even speak a single word. It was him. He was here. Here for Aichi. All of those sorrowful feelings and the agonizing heartache and homesickness.. It was all returning to him along with the steeled resolved that had kept him from completely breaking down. He was a ball of contradictions and nerves and that's what kept him obediently still as Gaillard promptly left his side.                                         --Alcor....san....?

[sendoaichi-blog]

May the Lifespan Star Bring You Good Fortune as Well

They were still undergoing intense formal planning and procedures before the actual first assault. Aichi was also steeling his resolve in the meanwhile for any unpleasant events that may or may not follow... He couldn't run away and Gaillard's life would be on the line. If you could learn from mistakes through your losses when playing Vanguard, in this sort of situation, they couldn't afford to lose... That's why he continuously ran the simulations in his head before mapping out and predicting every outcome. There could be no room for error... Sitting up on the balcony railing, long coat tail flowing behind him, Aichi sensed those amber optics looking his way, craning his head to look back and beckon the other to come closer. This was a perfect opportunity to just talk pleasantly amongst one another..  "Gaillard-kun, why don't you rest and join me for a moment? The stars are shining brightly tonight.." It was probably because they were outside the blinding city lights to cloud their vision, but from where they were perched, the deep indigo infinity above their heads was absolutely dazzling; a true sea of stars for their own appreciation. 

[sendoaichi-blog]

Crumbling Routine

 "...I'm sorry.." Aichi voice was hoarse now, having slept for a day's entirety and still no better worse for wear. The morning after the catastrophe was no kinder to him, feeling listless and dry after having cried himself to the point of complete exhaustion. 

But in the instance of feeling that nearby presence, he had forced himself to rise--appearance disheveled,  dehydrated, and starving for sustenance to boot, not an ounce of energy in him to even leave the bed's edge in which he sat upon--Aichi was facing the other now, saving face now that his once turmoiled soul had quelled itself some. He owed Gaillard the deepest of apologies, especially after the way he acted... He only regretted that he had come to the conclusion of his childish mistakes after pointlessly wasting his reserves, small hands gripping the thin sheets below him slightly. I hope he can forgive me... even if he can't consider me his friend, I still--

 "You risked your life to save me and I acted like a complete child... I realize now that I really could have endangered the both of us. I'm truly sorry for that." All that struggling and begging and for what? It wouldn't have changed the situation... In fact, Aichi would have saved Gaillard some grief by refraining from acting out that unfitting outburst. It had been incredibly unsightly, after all. He was surprised he had an ounce of decency to speak to him now, on such equal grounds again, though, that was probably the heavy cloud of lethargy hanging over him that dulled his usual senses.  "Tell me, Gaillard-kun, what is it that I can do to help you shake off those criminals on your trail? I want to help you..."

[sendoaichi-blog]

To the Point of No Return.

Unfortunately, through the ambitious endeavors of one person hoping to bring about peace, brought about the tragedy of another whose world was about to be turned upside down. And though Aichi was treading the streets carefully as he usually did, simply minding his own business as he anticipated an afternoon of stress free activities, he was suddenly brought into a dangerous position, staring down a group of malicious thugs that had attempted to nab him. Without any explanation as to why or how, Aichi's legs began to frantically sprint as he was forced to take unknown back ways, cutting close to traffic and doing whatever he could in his small power to find a cut off in order to access his phone.  Are these... the same people who had attacked Alcor-san the other night..? Heart racing to the point of blaring into his ear drums, he struggled to breathe--to think coherently--as he pulled out his phone from his back pocket, nearly dropping it in his frenzy.   I can't panic... I can't panic! I have to just--!

The entirety of his palms shook as he tried to compose a new message, thumbs hitting the touch pad clumsily as he failed to type anything that made relative sense. Ugh, stupid..! Call... I'd better call instead!  Quickly switching over to his contacts, Aichi was just about to hit the dial button over Alcor's name before he was roughly seized and yanked about. Giving out a loud cry in distress, in his struggle Aichi felt his phone leave his grasp and confiscated by one of the many attackers blocking off his view, squirming and twisting to try and free himself.  "Let me go! Let m--"

His efforts were rendered futile in the end, receiving a painful blow to his lower stomach as the wind was completely knocked out of him, slumping against the nearest pair of unscrupulous arms. His consciousness was fading as the world contorted entirely to black, the last fleeting thoughts being none other than the one person whom would, most likely, not be able to come to his aid in this situation..  Al.... cor........ sa...... n..... With that, Aichi was easily hauled off into a parked vehicle nearby, his phone being used to send a message to someone else entirely as bait...

[makishima-shougo]

Intermission

It was a shabby little get together at best, Makishima playing the wallflower as he observed the gratuitous elite mingle and conspire. The food was entirely foreign, most of it seemingly unpalatable as well, imported from all over the world with various colors and spices adorning tasteless expenses. On top of that, were the gaudy decorations adorning the walls and poorly tuned musicians to the left; More and more hapless trophies to show off wasted wealth, but at least the wine was decent. (Honestly, the humble brewery on Market Street could attain more appraisal but that was just Makishima's jaded sense of opinion.) Swirling the beet red liquid in his paper thin glass, he grew restless, taking a stroll as he weaved throughout the endless line of tables and groupings. Boring, boring, boring. If had known the gathering to be this uneventful, he would have made a haste excuse and utilized his time more wisely. For now, he could only try to remain conscious throughout the dull droning of the multitude of insensible bourgeois.   Though, more to his excitable surprise, seeing as this was mostly a haven for adults, it seems that children had been allowed to attend as well..! Was their host so desperate to fill the roster that he would desperately cater to the likes of juvenile delinquents? Laughable. But Makishima recognized this one--Olivier Gaillard of the Blue Flames, the origin of which he had no interest. But he approached him nevertheless, coming to rest just to his immediate adjacent. 

 "Not one for parties?"

[sendoaichi-blog]

 I wonder if I missed anything... Aichi hummed quietly as he looked over the short grocery list again, the bags in his hands a little lighter than he expected them to be. He had gotten enough vegetables and meat for the next week, not to mention fruits and other necessities, but he couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, Alcor and him had missed something whilst checking through their fridge or pantry. Exiting the supermarket, and still very distracted of where he was walking entirely, the small slip of note paper tore away from Aichi's hold as a gust of wind sped past momentarily, his head snapping up only to nose dive straight into the firm chest of an approaching passerby. Clumsily trying to keep his balance, Aichi's bag of produce spilled over, the fresh fruits and greens tumbling into midair. "A-aah--!"