Clipped Wings
Series: Future Card Buddyfight Characters: Kanata Ozora, Tasuku Ryuenji, Gao Mikado Pairings: KanaTasu if you squint?
Chapters: 1 | 2
Summary: Tasuku saw a bit of himself in Kanata. That's why he wanted Kanata to be able to spread his wings again.
A/N: I almost forgot to post this here whoops. I haven’t actually watched a single episode of Buddyfight X. I’m only drawing on basic ideas, but otherwise diverging completely. This was the year of self-indulgence
Throws some vague references to the Fall from Grace series so if you see anything that you’re sure didn’t happen in the anime, it’s because it actually didn’t happen
Thank you to Ena (@n4391) for helping me with this. You can also read it here!
Enjoy!
“An invitation to join the tournament?”
Takihara nods gravely, and Tasuku sighs and returns his gaze to the files he had been looking over in his tablet.
“With everything going on, I don’t think I can afford to participate. I’ve been barely able to keep up with school as is…”
“You won’t even consider it?” The worry on Takihara’s face is evident in the form of creased eyebrows, and he looks at Tasuku with concern set deep in his eyes. “A couple of weeks off from Buddy Police work could do you some good. We’ll be able to handle things…”
Tasuku smiles, though it is somewhat empty, and there is little humour in it. “I wouldn’t be able to do it in good conscience… We’re close to getting a lead on these ‘Chaos’ guys too. I don’t want to relax just yet…”
Takihara shakes his head, but cedes to Tasuku’s decision. The boy is unyieldingly stubborn when he’s made up his mind. Changing it is more trouble than it’s worth.
“You’ll have to find a replacement, then… The tournament is a fight between fighters chosen as representatives for the worlds. You were chosen to represent Star Dragon World, so it might be tough to find someone else…”
“It’s okay,” Tasuku says as he absentmindedly swipes the tablet screen up and down, as if hoping answers will leap out at him if he does it enough times. So far, no dice. “Gao-kun told me that more and more people have been using it lately. I’m sure I’ll be able to find someone.”
Tasuku starts his search in an obvious place: Aibo Academy. With its repository of budding Buddyfighters, he figures that there is sure to be at least one noteworthy Star Dragon World user.
After an hour of searching through the Buddy Police’s database, he finds one.
Ozora Kanata.
A dark horse of sorts, the sixth grader had won several tournaments in the past, but has ceased activity in recent months. Among the few Star Dragon World users he finds, Kanata is the one who stands out the most.
“He’s the one…”
Tasuku appears on the school grounds in his civilian clothes at the end of the next school day to avoid causing a ruckus, but someone familiar recognizes him and runs up to him anyway.
“Tasuku-senpai!”
Tasuku smiles when he sees Gao’s approach. “Gao-kun. Long time no see.”
“It really has been a long time! I haven’t seen you in forever! Mom’s been really worried. She keeps talking about how she’s gonna slam you into the ground if you show up looking ‘pallid and exhausted.’”
Tasuku can’t quite contain the nervous laughter that escapes his throat. “Is...is that so? Please tell Suzumi-san that I’m fine, and that she doesn’t have to worry…”
Gao has begun to pout, and Tasuku looks away before he can get sucked into his huge amber eyes. “I don’t believe you,” Gao says. “It’s been a while since you’ve visited our place. It’s been so long that even Noboru’s begun complaining! He keeps asking me whether you’re coming over today, whether you’re gonna be here or there…”
“Even Noboru-kun? I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder.” Tasuku is smiling, though, when the blond comes to mind. Despite Noboru’s prickliness, Tasuku knows he’s a good kid. Gao concurs with a nod and a grin.
“Let us know when you’re free again! It’s been a long time since the three of us were able to hang out together. You should sleep over again too. Mom’s always cleaning the guest room so it’s always ready for you in case you drop by.”
In spite of such harsh and troubling times, Tasuku is able to smile warmly, thinking about how Gao and his friends and family are always going out of their way to make sure he has a place with them.
“Thank you. I’ll visit sometime soon.”
“Alright!” Gao pumps his fist, but seems to realize something, and turns back to Tasuku quizzically. “Why are you here in Aibo anyway? Is it another undercover mission?”
“No… Not this time. Gao-kun, do you know of a student named Ozora Kanata? He’s in your year.”
“Kanata? Yeah, he’s in the class next to mine. Why?”
“I see. Can you tell me more about him?”
“Huh? Sure. You see, he’s…”
As they walk together throughout Aibo, Gao tells Tasuku of his schoolmate. Once lauded as the “no-damage fighter,” Kanata was one of the strongest fighters on the scene, his partnership with his Buddy Monster and incredible synergy with the Prism Dragon build making him top class.
“He probably started after even me, since it was after Star Dragon World began appearing. Maybe you remember giving him his core deck case?”
“I do, actually. I remember the faces of everyone I’ve ever given a deck case. I don’t really keep track of them afterwards, though. You’re probably the only one.”
“Ehhh! Lucky me!”
They both share a chuckle before Gao continues on.
“I’ve never actually fought him, so this is what I got from word-of-mouth… But apparently, he won a lot of tournaments. And get this--he was able to win entire fights without taking a point of damage. Never lost a fight once! So he was super strong!”
“‘Was’…?”
“Ah, yeah, about that…” Gao frowns. “I heard that he lost interest in Buddyfighting because he could beat everyone so easily. There was also…”
Tasuku nods, waiting for Gao to continue, and Gao’s face falls a little. “I heard that people also began hating him. Because of the way he plays. Stuff like, he’s looking down on his opponent, hiding behind his Buddy, and not even bothering to launch a direct attack… But, I think it’s because people were bitter towards him. Since he had just started, but became a pro in no time.”
“A hated genius…”
“Yeah, yeah! Exactly like that! People didn’t want to fight him, and Kanata didn’t want to fight other people because of that, so I guess he just kinda stopped?”
“I see. What does he do now?”
“Kanata? Uhh… I think he’s part of Aibo’s soccer team. He’s been into soccer since before he got into Buddyfight. Come to think of it, they always have practice after school, so they should still be on the school grounds! I can show you there if you want!”
“I would really appreciate that. Thank you.”
Tasuku explains his own situation to Gao on the way to the field, and Gao agrees to help him. They watch a soccer team in progress, and one player clearly stands out above the rest. With dual-toned minty blue and white hair and deep blue eyes, Kanata zips between the opposing team and launches the ball into the goal with expertise. Gao’s eyes light up in admiration, and Tasuku observes silently as Kanata’s teammates high-five him for the goal while the opposing team huddles to regroup. This goes on for the next little while before the club president finally dismisses the team, and the members disperse.
“Ah! There he goes! He’s gonna wash up on his own. Let’s go talk to him--”
Gao’s phone suddenly goes off, and Tasuku yelps and jumps at the abrupt loudness of his ringtone. Gao is snickering as he answers, but the humour fades from his face when he hears who’s on the other end. Tasuku can swear he can hear Suzumi Mikado yelling at him.
Gao claps his hands together apologetically as he looks to Tasuku. “Sorry, Tasuku-senpai! I totally forgot that I had practice today… If I don’t get home in five minutes, Mom’s gonna kick my butt.”
Tasuku smiles both reassuringly and sympathetically. Even with a Buddy Skill, the Mikado dojo is more than five minutes away. Gao’s in for a rough time. “Don’t worry about it. I can talk to Kanata-kun on my own. You should go. Say hi to Suzumi-san for me, okay?”
“Will do! Seeya! Let’s meet up again soon!”
Tasuku waves and turns to where he had seen Kanata walking off and starts in that direction too.
The path leads him behind Aibo Academy, where Kanata is hunched over the outdoor tap and running his head under the cool water. Tasuku waits until he’s done…
And waits…
And waits…
But Kanata isn’t moving.
Concerned, Tasuku calls out to him.
“Ozora Kanata?”
Kanata finally slowly raises his head from the tap, staring at Tasuku with sleepy-looking half-lidded eyes. His bangs cling to his face and his soaking hair drips water onto the grass.
“Ah… Sorry. I must’ve fallen asleep.”
Tasuku cocks an eyebrow. “...While there was cold water running over your head?”
“It happens sometimes.”
The little Prism Dragon that had been standing beside Kanata, whom Tasuku assumes to be Athora’s mini form, pipes up:
“You’re so silly, Kanata! Did all of that cold water feel good?”
“It did, it did. It felt so good that I fell asleep.”
They both share a light chuckle, and Tasuku feels slightly concerned.
Tasuku definitely remembers giving a core to this boy. Back then, Kanata’s eyes had been bright with wonder and enthusiastic to discover the friend in his Buddy, Athora. Tasuku had seen a bit of himself in Kanata that day.
But when Kanata finally turns to Tasuku again, Tasuku sees that his eyes have lost their light. The passion that soccer seemed to have ignited within Kanata has fizzled out now that the game is over, and all that is left in his sleepy-looking eyes is emptiness.
“So… You’re… Uh…” Kanata’s brow creases over as he thinks. “That guy who appears on T.V. a lot… Umm… Gaen Kyoya?”
Tasuku feels like he has been punched in the gut, and it takes him a few moments to recover. That is not a name he had been expecting to hear any time soon, nor is that person anyone Tasuku ever wanted to be confused with. “Ryuenji Tasuku. I’m with the Buddy Police.”
“Kanata,” Athora says, with endless patience. Tasuku swears he can hear a twinge of fondness in his voice. Or is it amusement? At Tasuku’s expense? “He was the one who gave you your core deck case, remember? When we first met.”
“Ohh. Yeah, that guy. Ah, it’s you, the one who gave me my core deck case.” Kanata seems enthralled, but his face falls a little. “But if you’re here...does that mean you’re gonna arrest me?”
“Eh?”
“Absolutely not!” Athora leaps in front of Kanata, seemingly appalled at the notion. “Kanata has done absolutely nothing wrong his entire life! If I must fight you to prove Kanata’s innocence, I will!”
“I’m not here to arrest him,” Tasuku quickly intervenes before the situation spirals downwards. “I actually wanted to ask a favor of you, Kanata-kun.”
Both boy and dragon’s interest appear piqued by the request. “A favor…?”
“That’s right. The World Buddyfight Tournament… I want to ask you to participate in my place, as Star Dragon World’s representative.”
As soon as he hears the word “Buddyfight,” Kanata’s demeanor completely changes. He looks away with a grimace and seems to shrink back. Curiosity becomes apprehension, and the rest of Kanata’s emotions seem to become shrouded in a veil.
“Buddyfight, huh… I don’t really play Buddyfight, though. You see, I’m kind of not that good at it…”
“Huh?” That doesn’t line up with what he has heard from Gao. “You won many tournaments back in the day, didn’t you?”
Kanata shrugs lackadaisically. “That was then… I probably just got lucky. I’m focusing on soccer now, so… Sorry. I don’t really have the time.”
Tasuku feels as if that isn’t the full story, and notices that Athora has fallen strangely silent, but before he can speak up again, Kanata suddenly straightens up.
“Ah! I totally have to get going now. It’s real late. Bye, Tasuku-san.”
And before he can stop him, Kanata runs off, leaving Tasuku to ponder his vague excuse.
That night, Tasuku lays on his futon with Jack’s mini form curled on his chest, but finds that he can’t sleep.
“...Jack, are you still awake?”
“...I am. You’re thinking about Ozora Kanata, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. I can’t help but wonder whether he was telling the truth. According to Gao-kun, he was really strong, and the records can’t be lying, but… I don’t know. He seemed like he really didn’t want to Buddyfight. If that’s the case, then I don’t want to force him into it...but…”
“But you think something felt off about what he said, correct? I felt that way too.”
“Really?”
“I did.” Jack opens his amber eyes a crack, and looks at Tasuku. “I think he lied because he was afraid.”
Tasuku reflects on what Gao told him earlier. “Because he lost interest… Or because people began hating him.”
A hated genius…
“It’s possible. We don’t know the extent of what happened, but it’s clear that the experiences have clipped his wings. He prefers to stay grounded where it’s safe.”
“But he has so much potential!” Tasuku sits up abruptly, and Jack tumbles onto his lap. “I could see it in his eyes, his bond with his Buddy! It’d be a shame for all of that to go to waste, wouldn’t it?”
A little disgruntled, Jack shakes himself off and stretches his wings out before looking up at Tasuku again. “If you think it’s wrong, then it’s up to you to show him, Tasuku. You’re the one who chose him.”
Despite Jack’s words, Tasuku feels uncertain. His previous enthusiasm vanishes like wisp of smoke as he thinks of all of the ways this could go wrong. “I don’t know… I can’t connect to people as well as Gao-kun can.”
“Have faith in yourself, Tasuku.” Jack places a tiny claw over one of Tasuku’s hands. “You don’t necessarily need the same strengths as someone else to achieve the same result. You have your own unique way with people. There will be something that you can do. No… You’re probably the only one who can do it. Who can help Ozora Kanata fly again.”
They settle down after that, but even after Jack has drifted off, Tasuku spends a long time staring at the dark ceiling, chewing on Jack’s words.
Tasuku appears at Aibo again the next day, and again waits for Kanata to finish with practice. He approaches him again, and meets the same response. That he’s busy with soccer, that he’s focusing on academics, that he doesn’t play Buddyfight anymore. No matter how hard Tasuku tries to get through to Kanata, his attempts are rebounded off the impenetrable walls that Kanata has erected around himself.
“I did a bit of asking around. Other people in your class say that when you’re called on, you answer the questions wrong on purpose, yet you still get really good grades. The others call you a ‘doofus’ or an ‘airhead,’ but you’re really not one at all, are you?”
“Tasuku-san," the 6th grader pauses and slowly turns to Tasuku, addressing him with so calm and lighthearted a voice as if he were simply talking about the weather, "I’ve been wondering this for a while, but are you actually a stalker?”
Tasuku blanches, a little taken aback by the sudden question. “Does...does it feel like I’ve been stalking you? That wasn’t my intention at all…”
Kanata smiles sleepily. “Even though you’re really cool on T.V., you’re actually pretty bad at personal relations, huh…”
Right back at you, buddy!
“I just want to understand,” Tasuku is sure to choose his words carefully, just in case Kanata somehow manages to turn them against him again, “why you put up an act like this.”
“It’s not an act, though… Sometimes I can’t even remember what 2 + 2 is, and I really do put my shoes on backwards everyday.”
That was oddly specific. “Are you happy with people thinking that way about you?”
“Mmhm. It’s the truth, after all.”
“Is Athora happy?”
Kanata visibly falters at the question and doesn’t answer. Tasuku continues speaking.
“He cares about you a lot, I can see that. But...he’s still a Buddy monster who formed a contract with you. You won’t even consider picking Buddyfight up again for his sake?”
Kanata bites his lip and looks down. Athora places a paw on his shoe as if to reassure him.
“I’m fine with the way things are, Kanata…”
But all three of them know that isn’t entirely the case. Tasuku can hear it in Athora’s voice, and he knows Kanata can too. Judging from the way he reacted to Tasuku’s sudden question, Kanata had been thinking about it for some time, perhaps even before he met Tasuku.
“Kanata-kun,” Tasuku is sure to face Kanata to make his intentions clear, “will you have a Buddyfight with me?”
There’s no answer, so Tasuku continues.
“This is the very last thing I’m going to ask of you, and then I’ll leave you alone. You were right, you know--I’m not that good at personal relations. But I can understand someone through a fight. And I want to understand you, Kanata-kun.
“Regardless of whether you win or lose, I won’t force you to accept my request either. So you don’t have to put anything on the line in our match. We can just have a fun fight without worrying about anything. Does that sound fair?”
Kanata finally looks up. “...Just one fight?”
“Just one.”
“...Okay.”
Athora is visibly delighted, and Tasuku has to dampen his own feeling of triumph so that it does not show in an obnoxious display of cheers. But Kanata isn’t finished speaking yet.
“I have one more condition, though, Tasuku-san. I don’t want anyone to see our fight.”
“Hm… That’s fine with me. I can’t promise anything, though... Paruko-san always has a way of finding out…”
“Did you say something?”
“No, nothing. I know just the place.”
The fight begins with a slow start. Tasuku strikes hard and fast, but his attacks are deflected each time. However, Kanata makes no move to launch a solid attack, opting to chip away at Tasuku’s life little by little. Tasuku only knows the Prism Dragons as a defensive build, but Kanata’s plays are beyond even that.
It’s almost as if Kanata’s too afraid to attack.
So Tasuku attempts to goad him into it.
“What’s wrong? You’re not planning on spending the entire fight hiding behind your Buddy, are you?” he says, and the expression he wears exudes confidence. Kanata only smiles harshly in turn.
“I did tell you I wasn’t good at Buddyfighting… I’m not sure what you were expecting from me, Tasuku-san.”
“You won’t win against me and Jack that way. This match will be over soon if you don’t get serious.”
Kanata clicks his tongue at his hubris, and Athora shakes his head.
“Don’t listen to him, Kanata. He’s just full of hot air; he has yet to deal a single point of damage on us. Stay calm.”
Kanata takes a deep breath and focuses on Tasuku, and finds himself admiring how free Tasuku’s eyes look.
Tasuku manages to break through Kanata’s absolute defense, destroy Athora, and inflict his first point of damage on Kanata.
That’s when Kanata finally gets serious. Tasuku sees the way Kanata begins truly coordinating his plays, almost out of desperation, and sees that his own suspicions were on the mark.
A small smile on his face, Tasuku raises Radiant Star, Linkage, and attacks.
It’s a close match, but Tasuku emerges victorious. With a vicious combo of Linkage and Soul Generator, with Radiant Alma and J Galaxion in Jack’s soul, Tasuku unleashes a brutal 4-hit attack with Galactical Punisher that tears down Kanata’s defense for good.
Kanata takes the loss into stride, smiling sardonically.
“You beat me.”
But in spite of the lackadaisical posture and averted gaze, Tasuku isn’t fooled. There is a spark in eyes that were previously dull and uninterested. He smiles and approaches Kanata.
“You almost had me there. I had to go all out on you from the very beginning, but you only began fighting me seriously halfway through. Can you imagine how that could’ve turned out if you gave it your all from the beginning?”
“You’re giving me too much credit, Tasuku-san. I’m not actually that good.”
“If you keep saying that, you’ll disrespect yourself, and Athora.”
Kanata falls silent at that and looks up at Tasuku again, and Tasuku takes that as a cue to continue speaking.
“Please give it some thought. I think you felt it in that fight too, didn’t you? You want to see how far you can go.
“Isn’t it about time that you spread your wings again? Ozora Kanata.”
Kanata is still silent, and Athora hovers in between them.
“Please give Kanata some time to think. We’ll have your answer by tomorrow.”
Tasuku smiles and nods. “Alright. Understood. Thank you for the fight, Kanata-kun.”
As Tasuku walks away, Athora turns to look at Kanata again.
“He was actually quite nice after all, wasn’t he, Kanata? ...Kanata?”
Kanata stares after Tasuku’s retreating figure and slowly raises a hand to his chest, where his heart is still pounding, and his blood still tingling with adrenaline.
There are only two thoughts on his mind at that moment.
I want to feel that rush again.
And…
I want to beat Tasuku-san.
The next day, boy and dragon arrive at the Buddy Police with their answer, and Tasuku smiles.