Summary: At a time, a power was sealed within the world. Human’s sought to let it loose. When their goal was met, their reckoning was also released. They wanted power, but never got the chance to see it. But was this power good or bad and was it meant to save or destroy them?

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but this chapter was a pain to write. Even though I’m done, there are some parts that I may change later, but I don’t think it’s that bad—unlike my other, earlier chapters. I’m embarrassed to read some of my earlier ones now. Every time I go over some sentences I’m like “What the hell was I thinking?!!!” or a calmer version of that extremity. So yeah, I’ve done some changes from chapter 1-4 so far and am working on chapter five. I noticed that Kira’s and Rizé’s relationship was going way to fast for my liking, so that’s changed a little. (After all, there are two sequels in the mix for this fic; they can’t fall in love just like that). Also, I might as well mention that end of chapter six will probably be extended—I’ll see how I feel—and chapter seven and eight will have a slight make over. Everything from chapter nine and up I’m pretty much okay with—with only minor errors or changes.

Anyhoo, look out for that sometime soon. I’ll say when. So with that, on to chapter sixteen! Also, if some things don’t make sense right now in this chapter, they ultimately will later.

Later and thanks for reading.

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REIGN

Chapter Sixteen:

Fly Birdie, Fly Fly Away

Small clipped words of an unknown, lost language rushed forth through his mouth as he ran across the icefields. The eyes of the unknown sun, sent down separate beams of light, like spotlights shining down on an escapee from jail. A ribbon flew into the sky, shining blue and brilliant in the night time. Why the sun was out at night, he didn’t know and he didn’t bother ponder it. He just ran.

His young body was reaching its limit as the ribbons shifted and swirled on his clothes, blocking his vision as they rose up almost sporadically, unendingly, until he could see nothing but blue, glistening material.

Jumping forward, he fell. Sliding on the ice, hitting small jutting ice blocks along the way. Cuts laced his body, tearing his clothes and causing small, but painful bruises. He pushed himself up slowly, coughing up blood onto the ground. He spoke once more in that unknown language, looking up and meeting the eyes that matched his exactly.

Silver wings of carved platinum arose from his back and he cast a haunting gaze towards the one on the ground. Was this what he had turned into? A worthless dreamer watching what he would become? Seeing his fate over and over. Succumbing to the end. He looked down, his eyes looking at the ice beneath him.

And as he continued to stare downward, the loud sound of a firing gun sounded through the air, releasing a breath, taking away a heart.

And as he slumped lower and lower to the icy ground, he couldn’t help but let his first few tears escape.

✯❦きたろ❦✯

A black trench coat with the ends wafting through the air, just due to the simple movement of walking. His eyes were shielded by his golden brown hair that had grown out during the long days of journeying.

He still didn’t know why he cared—no, not cared. Frankly, if he wanted to, he could just stop here and wallow in the next new depression that would come. He sighed. He had just figured why he kept going. He was a coward, of course. Running away and not facing what fear he had; especially now that his head was probably being searched for by every head-hunter imaginable on the face of the planet.

That included one of his so called friends.

How had things gotten this way? When did things become so twisted and screwed up to the point where he couldn’t or could barely comprehend them? He scowled, pulling up his hood to hide his face. People stared at him strange, but he didn’t pay them any form of heed. They didn’t know what he went through—what he was going through. They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand. They had no right to judge.

Not like his non-existent glare would help matters. It wasn’t like they could see his face; add to that that he wasn’t even glaring in the first place.

Then he remembered that piercing gaze that his friend gave him as he escaped with his brother in tow…

Another memory… This one of destroying a once majestic organisation fighting for peace.

He hated the memories. Hated what he had done. He deserved to be punished for them. Someone like him didn’t deserve the tactical thinking and immense power inside him that leaked out on continuous, periodic intervals.

Why was he cursed like this? What had he done? Where was his place in the world? Did he have one? What this place where he was meant to belong? He didn’t believe so. Nothing was good anymore. Nothing was moving forward for him. Everything had become a standstill. Sure, he was still journeying, trying his best to help in any way, shape or form. But it didn’t have the same taste of satisfaction anymore.

He stepped into an alley, walking down the dark alleyway slowly and silently. He felt them start to well up languidly—tauntingly. He leaned against the wall on his right side, his gaze casting itself downwards. His lip quivered and he shook. As he finally slid down the wall, meeting the ground below, he did something that he hadn’t done in years.

He cried.

✯❦きたろ❦✯

“Either way, I’d have to say that I need some new competition.” intoned Hitoka, swaggering forward, his face getting closer to Halley’s; unbearably close. The other brunette backed away quickly, but continued to stand in front of Rizé, protecting him from the spiky haired boy with a highly flirtatious attitude.

“Then challenge me.” offered Halley acidly.

Hitoka moved his hand swiftly, cupping Halley’s chin and licking his lips. “I said new competition. New blood.” Hitoka let him go harshly, bypassing the boy and moving closer to Rizé. “For a better definition: you.”

Rizé narrowed his eyes with a grunt. “Who says I have to agree?”

Hitoka stared at Rizé’s angry face for a moment, before breaking out into a jovial grin. The words that came out of his mouth, however, didn’t cause anyone else to feel the same joy. “I have to say that you’re kind of cute when you’re angry. Maybe close to being even cuter than Halley here.” he laughed again before continuing, “Plus, I’ve already made the terms quite clear. Be a coward, Rondé gets his ass kicked royally. I’d do the honours. Or you could be brave, face me and maybe if I’m merciful, I’ll let you win.”

It was almost like a fire had exploded inside Rizé, moving outward and making his body as taut as a wooden board. “Let me win?” questioned the brunette, highly offended and rather venomous at the moment.

Hitoka’s gaze seemed to take on a rather playful glint, including the shameless flirtatiousness that exuded from his every pore. “I like the fiery ones.” he murmured loud enough for only Rizé and Halley to hear.

Hitoka barely missed the punch sent launching his way. He smirked blowing a kiss at Rizé and Jin had to act fast to stop the brunette from doing something he’d regret. Even though Jin had him well restrained, Rizé had grown stronger and more agile. Thus, he was still able to throw punches and well aimed kicks while spewing out profanities by the bucket load. Jin was actually shocked at the level of bad language coming from Rizé’s mouth.

Hitoka chuckled again. “He’s really fiery, isn’t he? I may enjoy meeting him in the race. Of course, I’m assuming that you agree.”

“He doesn’t agree!” shouted Halley.

Hitoka cast him a simple look. “I’m not sure if I like his talent for ventriloquism, however. Although it is a feat to copy Halley’s voice.” Halley caught the underlining insult easily.

“He’d just end up getting hurt!! After all, everyone knows that you cheat.”

Hitoka actually looked pissed—royally pissed—at the comment. “Cheat?” he muttered, his ire growing, “I don’t like being called a cheater, babe. You know that as well as I do.”

“I’m only saying it because it’s true.”

“Truth in fact or truth by eye? That’s two different things, Halley. If you think I cheat because I’m just more vicious than the other Cresters, then screw you. You would prove my point. You not made for this sport.”

Halley scowled. “Like you’re one to talk. I’m the one that introduced you to it.”

Hitoka scoffed at Halley. “Oh. Well then, I guess I should be thanking you, shouldn’t I?”

“Damn you.” stated Halley lividly.

“Hah. Eternal damnation. I’ll be waiting for it and embrace it with open arms. Know why?” Hitoka chuckled once again, “Because I know you’ll be joining me. I’ll make sure of it.”

Halley opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was at a loss for what to say. He looked down, scowling at the grass popping up out of the ground and through the bricks below. It wasn’t an interesting sight, but he couldn’t look at Hitoka right then. Something inside him had just been broken.

Hitoka stared at Halley silently. He wanted to say sorry, but what would be the point? They weren’t friends anymore. The point was made quite clearly by an angry Halley a few years back. But still, something was there between them. Hitoka could see it in Halley’s face and he could feel a sinking feeling in his gut.

Turning away, he turned back to Rizé, who seemed to have calmed down considerably. Still, that angry frown laced his features and Hitoka smirked at it. “So, what’s your answer, hn?”

Rizé wrestled free from the vice grip his silver haired friend had him in and crossed his arms. “What do you think?” asked the brunette acidly.

Hitoka looked mildly surprised. “Well, would you look at that. Bravery. It’s something I admire. I expect to see you in three days, Rizé, Selcien extraordinaire.” The silver haired boy laughed amusedly before walking away with his men walking behind him.

Halley watched him go with a forlorn gaze before grimacing harshly and marching furiously into the garage. Rizé watched him go with a confused expression, as did his allies, but Kai stared on silently, aware of the situation. She followed after Halley quickly and the others watched her go.

✯❦きたろ❦✯

Sitting in the spare room of the garage was Halley, silently cursing and sobbing all the same. His eyes were shut and his legs were drawn up as his head rested uncomfortably on his knees. He sat in a little corner of the room, his hands clenched and his teeth gritted. What was he? Stupid? Why the hell was he crying?!

He knew why, but refused to acknowledge it.

When he heard footsteps ahead of him, he wasn’t surprised. In fact, he sort of…welcomed the person ahead of him. Although, his head being in the state that it was in didn’t bother help him in showing any type of civility. “Go away.” ordered Halley quietly.

Kai stood silently, but didn’t go away. When Halley didn’t say anything more for awhile, she continued to move forward. She had to be delicate about this. She always concerned herself with Halley’s well being. She did it for any and every friend; she was just that caring. However, when it came to Halley, it was a new thing altogether.

Halley was stubborn, to put it bluntly. He was a stubborn asshole that didn’t listen to anything that anyone said and sometimes Kai just got so fed up with it that she gave up and left him to just sit by himself and fume away. Still, she always felt guilty for leaving him.

She moved closer to the upset and sensitive boy, reaching out a hand to place on the brunette’s shoulder. Halley shrugged it away, a scowl forming rapidly on his lips. “I said go away, Kai. I don’t feel like talking right now.”

“C’mon, you need to start opening up. At least a little bit.” stated Kai.

“Who asked you?” barked Halley.

Kai sighed softly, gazing at Halley, touching his head and stroking the dark locks as well as the scalp underneath. Halley seemed to relax a bit, but that scowl still continued to take residence on his face. “Halley. Stop acting like a little kid. I know that you’re upset and I get that. What I don’t get is why? Every time you see Hitoka, you lash out at him. Before you used to be the bes—”

“I’m adopted!!” shouted Halley, crashing his face onto his knees—not as violently as some of you are thinking. More sobs escaped his lips as he continued. “I’m adopted. This isn’t my real family, Rondé isn’t my brother and Max isn’t my grandfather. He’s my adoptive father.”

“What does that have to do with Hitoka?”

“Everything!! Everything! He’s the one that my family—my real family—chose! They just ditched me for no reason and kept him!”

Kai’s eyes widened considerable at the news, knowing where Halley was going with his short story. Hitoka was his brother. “They…kept him… What did I do, huh? What the hell did I do to deserve that?” He shook his head violently, crying all the more, “They took me away from my brother! My twin brother! Do you know how that feels?! They fucking took away a piece of me!! They took him away!” yelled Halley, almost as if the sound itself came directly from his heart. He broke down then and Kai hurried to hold him. She didn’t know how he felt. The only thing she could clearly relate with was the loss of his brother. It hit home within her, awakening a small dream that she had wished when she was younger. That no one would be pulled away forcefully from the one they love and cherish.

But it kept happening anyway.

She held him tightly as his arms slinked around hers, pulling her closer to the point where both of their foreheads touched. Kai blushed, unwillingly because the way her body took it Halley was making advances on it. But she knew that wasn’t the case. Halley was just looking for comfort and she wasn’t unwilling to give it.

“I’m sorry.”

“Everyone says that.” stated Halley quietly as the sobs died down a bit, “I never liked the phrase. It sounds fake as well as pitying.”

“Well, I’m sorry for giving you that impression.” retorted Kai, giggling.

Halley smirked, looking up at her. She moved away from him, but sat closely in front of him as Halley looked out into the nearby window. It didn’t look like he was going to start up any sort of conversation, so Kai decided to. “What I don’t get is taking it out on him. He didn’t do anything.”

Halley sighed dejectedly. “He was the one that told me when we were younger. I got upset and said that he was lying, but he still persisted till I believed him somewhat. I went home and asked Max. He told me that it was true. So after breaking down, I ran out of the house, looking for Hitoka. When I found him, I yelled at him and told him we weren’t friends anymore. He looked liked he was on the verge of tears. I regret it, but I don’t see myself apologizing to him anytime soon.”

Kai frowned in confusion. “Why not? All of this seems so trivial!”

“It is. But when I yelled at him that day, something inside of both of us broke. That link we had snapped and was lost forever. We went our separate ways; he became a gang leader and I lived my life as best as I could. That’s all I could do.”

“No it not!” said Kai, “You can still make up with him. I saw it in his eyes when you guys were arguing. He misses you, Halley! Just make up already!” fumed Kai, causing Halley to laugh; she always did this. Became angry for someone else. “What’s so funny!?”

“It’s nothing.” said Halley shaking his head, “Anyway, I can’t do that. Not until we come to an agreement about Rondé and everyone else that stupid gang terrorizes.”

“But if you become his friend again, you can convince him, can’t you?”

“He’d probably want me to join up and once I say no, we’d be enemies again with an even slimmer chance of getting back to what we once were.” Halley stood, wiping his red eyes and moving over to a nearby desk to retrieve his hair-tie. He pulled his hair back into a ponytail, leaving a bit of his shoulder length hair in his face, over his right eye. He turned back to Kai, who was watching him, and nodded. “There is one way that I can think of, though.”

“What?”

“Winning this race. Someone needs to put him in his place. He’s a spoiled brat right now. Maybe Rizé can do something about it.”

“But you said that—”

“It may seem impossible, but I managed it.” said Halley, waving his hand in the air dismissively, “You were there for my first race. It only took me three weeks to make it to the Tree-Toper ranking.”

“Yeah, but you’re a prodigy. A legend among all racers.” said Kai, pouting worriedly.

“Who says that the same can’t happen for Rizé?”

✯❦きたろ❦✯

Rizé sat in one of the couches of the garage in the spare room where Kai had left her guitar. Jin sat next to him lazily, not caring about the race or what consequences came with it if either Rizé won or lost. Fua was sitting on the floor, humming a tune with his eyes closed, apparently at ease. They waited with Rondé for Halley and Kai to come down from upstairs.

Jin turned his head to the little, blond boy, curiousness dancing within his eyes. “Rondé? Question. It this place actually a garage? It seems more like a small house to me.”

Rondé laughed happily. “Gramps said that he needed a lot of space to work and decide to buy a small house and modify it into a garage. It isn’t really much of a modification since it looks the same like when he bought it. But sometimes he lives out of this place so it’s almost like a second home. Most of the time it’s only me and Halley in our actual house since grandpa has to fill a lot of orders.”

“Wow. Is he really that good of a board maker?” asked Rizé.

“The best!” replied the boy.

“Maybe he can make me a board.” mused the brunette quietly.

“I’m going to make your board.” Rizé turned to the nearby stairs, his eyes locking with Halley’s golden irises.

“What?!” shouted Rondé, clearly in disbelief.

“Ah, don’t do that, Rondé. I need you to believe in me if it’s going to work properly.” said Halley as he descended the rest of the stairs with Kai following behind, smiling. “Rizé’s going to need a board and he’s going to need to learn how to crest. Why not do too things at once. I’ll get started on the board and I’ll have a friend of mine teach him.”

Fua nodded. “Makes sense. But, won’t it be a lot of trouble?”

“Not at all. Kai will be my assistant. She’s naturally good at anything mechanical. How she does it, I’ll never know.”

“I’m not doing most of the work, Halley.” stated Kai, fitting him with a rather heated look while crossing her arms.

“I’d never think of it!” said Halley happily.

✯❦きたろ❦✯

That ‘friend’ that Halley mentioned…

…just so happened to be someone that the entire group knew.

Azreal smirked at his new ‘apprentices’ and their shocked faces. More so Rizé’s since he was the one that seemed the most baffled. Oh, how Azreal loved to know people. “Shocked?” questioned the blue haired boy, chuckling softly.

Rizé pointed at Azreal rather harshly and Azreal backed up in fear of the boy’s sanity. “It-it makes no sense!!” he shouted.

“It makes a lot of sense.” stated Azreal, grinning from ear to ear, “Me and Halley have been friends since diapers. This is my hometown.”

“Why didn’t you mention it?” asked Fua.

“Mention what? Halley or the town?”

“The town.”

“Oh. Well…never got around to it. Noticing everything that was going on with Jin becoming an old hen and Rizé being M.I.A; you can kind of see where the time went.” explained Azreal, mirth still dancing within his eyes.

Jin shook his head, somewhat smiling. “You are a fluctuation.”

“Exactly. Get use to it.” replied Azreal, holding a blue board under his arm simply. He was wearing a white striped shirt with a black hoodie over top of it and blue jeans that were slightly ripped and faded. His shoes seemed to have gone through a lot of love too. “Now. Since he entrusted me with teach you guys how to Crest as well as Rizé’s little predicament,—very nicely done, by the way—I will now impart my wisdom on the craft of gliding.”

“You sound very high of yourself.” muttered Jin, rolling his grey-blue eyes.

“I would listen to him.” said a male voice from behind the three boys standing before Azreal in an area called The Plateaus. The Plateaus was an area dedicated to Cresting and the practice of it. Many people from the everywhere in the world went to train there. Even then, Rizé could see many people flying around on their boards, performing almost gravity defying stunts as if it were second nature. It heightened Rizé’s resolve to learn the sport. It looked amazingly cool.

The area they were in was covered in clean cut grass, as to not hinder the wind patterns and make it easier for new learners to learn. There were some obstacles to fly through or around, but that was for later when they were a little better. In different areas of The Plateaus, more obstacles were created in order to challenge those that were really good. Rizé would have to excel to the highest level in a few days. Truly, he wasn’t sure if the feat was even possible, but he would try. He was just glad that he had the resources to do so. He wasn’t just going to give up and not face some bully; no matter if he was really good or horridly bad.

The three turned around in unison, all raising their eyebrows in surprise and confusion as they saw Kibuto swaggering his way over to the group with a puppyish grin. “He’s ranked number four in the world rankings for Cresting. I’d show him some respect.”

Azreal clapped giddily. “Finally!! Someone appreciates my hard work!!”

“Sure, whatever.” stated Jin, crossing his arms and smirking when he saw Azreal’s defeated look.

“What are you guys doing here?” asked Kibuto, fingering his orange board when he noticed some dirt on it.

“I want to learn how to ride one of these things.” said Rizé, looking at his own, temporary blue board.

Kibuto chuckled lightly. “Well, that’s cool. I just came to relax a bit. Take a break from Julia.”

Jin’s eyes narrowed playfully. “Why…?”

“It’s not what you’re thinking, Jin.” stated Kibuto, dismissing his thoughts simply, “We just needed some space. Being together all the time is fun, but I missed hanging out with the guys or just playing sports like I used to.” He shook his head. “I’ve practically had to protect her the entire way here.”

“Still, from what I’ve seen Julia do, she is rather helpful in the healing department. When we came back, she was able to heal our cuts and stuff.” orated Fua.

“It’s because she’s majickally inclined. She’s always has been since we were little. Hey Rizé, remember the instant ice?”

Rizé laughed, holding his stomach at the memories. He was surprised he remembered it, and that it was actually a true memory. Well…at least I know that one is true, he thought. “Oh yeah! That was hilarious! We had to wait the entire day before we could even drink our drinks.”

“Winds, that day sucked. It was hot, too.”

“Now that I think about it, we could have gone back to the house and got more.”

“Huhn… Yeah we could have. Why didn’t we?” asked Kibuto.

“Who knows? We were probably being lazy because it was a hot day.” stated Rizé light-heartedly.

“Yeah, probably.” Kibuto chuckled lightly once more before throwing out his board in front of him, “Well, enjoy your lesson. I’m going to head over the harder areas. Join me later if you guys want to.”

“Rizé’ll probably be there by later on this evening.” stated Azreal rather confidently. The way that the blue haired boy said that so confidently made Rizé swell with pride. He believed in him.

“Alright. See you later, Rizé. Good luck to the others.” with that, Kibuto took off into the air, leaving a swirling vortex of wind behind. Jin, Fua and Rizé watched the boy go. Azreal caught their attentions once more crossing his arms much like a drill sergeant would. He even found a toothpick from somewhere and it was currently taking residence within his mouth—Rizé silently wondered where the piece of wood came from.

Azreal suddenly made a very disgusting hacking noise and spit out saliva and mucus all rolled into an almost perfect little ball. It landed on the grass and Rizé made a mental note to avoid that area at all costs; that was just nasty. “Alright, newbies. Time for some training.” announced the blue haired boy with a smirk, “You’re going to need to get limber to do this—helps feel the wind and stuff. So, a few minutes of stretches and we’ll be on a roll.”

“Um…can we bypass the stretches?” asked Rizé.

“Sure.” stated Azreal, “But don’t blame me if you get a cramp from being all tense-like. After all, you’re newbies. It’s not like you’ll figure of the basics of standing properly on a board so that you don’t cramp.”

“Can’t you just teach us that?” asked Fua.

“‘Course! However, just to be safe, do the damn stretches.” ordered the blue haired boy as he lifted his leg, bending his knee so that his foot was behind him and pulling with his hand. He stood like it was normal to be on one leg. He didn’t wobble at all.

Rizé sighed and looked at his other two companions in annoyance. Really, he didn’t want to do this. It screamed to him that it was pointless, yet, he would digress. He needed to learn this sport quick. So if Azreal said this was the way to begin and get better, he would do it; even though it irked him.

After a few minutes or so of different stretches, Azreal proclaimed that it was time to stand on the boards and begin to fly. Fua was rather excited about the entire ordeal. He had always wanted to fly. Alas, he didn’t have wings, but this was as close as he could probably get to flying without them or the help of an airship below him. Jin was calmly anxious. He just wanted to get it over with.

Rizé was slightly nervous, gulping as he threw his board on the ground, watching it hover above the grass. Azreal had explained that this was due to the board catching the low wind. There were many different levels of wind, but it was divided into three easier categories to remember: Low Wind, High Wind and Medium Wind. Races usually took place in Medium wind areas because high wind was too unpredictable. Low Wind led to Medium wind and Medium Wind led to High Wind. Therefore, Rizé and company had to learn transitions.

“Listen up.” began Azreal loudly, “Transitioning is very important in racing. You need to be able to read different wind patterns in Low and Medium winds to progress forward and win. Now, since there is more than one level in each ‘Wind’, you must know how to use that to your advantage. The first task is figuring out how to make it to Medium wind without falling. I’m not going to help you—that is unless you just really suck or something. Anyway, meet me up there.” Azreal was airborne before anyone could utter a sound. The wind that came from under his board pushed him vertically upward and once he was high enough, he weaved and then stated in one spot in the air. “C’mon! Hurry up!” he shouted.

Fua was the first to try it. He was a little shaky at first, but quickly caught his balance and somehow made it up to where Azreal was with only minor scares of falling here and there. Rizé went after him, taking a running start, with his board in his hand, tossing it out in front of him, jumping on it while it was catching the low wind. He hopped on while it was positioned on an angle and rotated, catching another wind and rising upward. The wind coursed through his hair and in front of his face and he smiled. He liked the feeling. Soon, he was with Fua and Azreal up in the air. Azreal clapped with a large grin plastered on his lips while Fua gave Rizé a hard high-five.

“That was so cool, Rizé! How’d you do that?” asked Fua.

“What do you mean? I just hopped on a board in mid-flight.” stated Rizé, not catching why both males were so amazed.

“You actually preformed your first trick. The way you jumped on the board was called a Vertical Rotation—Highway-Side Style. Don’t mind the name.” explained Azreal, “I have to say that that was quite impressive.” Azreal glanced downward, snickering at the sight. Fua and Rizé looked at him in confusion before looking down and laughing out loud themselves.

Jin wasn’t faring to well and in fact, it was quite funny. He couldn’t even get high enough into the air without falling flat on his face. Rizé winced at the last fall. It looked painful. “Jin!!” he called, trying to keep his laughter in check, “Do you need help!?”

“I think he needs more than just help.” joked Azreal, causing Fua to crack up laughing and almost loose balance. Rizé shook his head at them and rocketed downward to help his friend. He grabbed Jin’s hand, steadied him and then slowly rose higher into the air making sure that Jin kept his balance. “You can do this, Jin. It isn’t hard, you just have to get used to it.”

“Thanks, Rizé.” thanked Jin in a quiet tone.

Soon enough they were at level with Fua and Azreal carrying on with the lesson. “Well, now that everyone is here, we can continue. Hopefully you all have a good hold on balancing and can figure out transitioning. Now to actually ride. See that plateau over there? Meet me there using what you’ve learn. Use the different wind speeds to your advantage.” The three boys nodded and all lined up. What Azreal met by different wind speeds was that there were different wind currents. Some were faster than others. Using transitioning, the three boys were expected to land on the right current successfully and get to the plateau quickly.

When they saw Azreal sit comfortably on the edge of the plateau, they took off. Fua seemed to have a great start, but couldn’t maintain it, causing Jin to pull ahead. He transitioned to another wind current that he felt near him, but was finding it hard to choose which one would be the best current to ride on. When he saw Rizé pull in front, he knew he had made a wrong decision.

Rizé crouched low on his board, easing himself downward. Before he had left, Halley had told him to do this cut the wind resistance, but he also mentioned something about currents. If there was one directly below him, crouching would ease the board downward without falling and if he stood up at the right moment, he would catch that current and be able to ride it.

He passed through the current, the wind opening for him and creating a soft swirling vortex that dispersed within a few seconds. He stood as he saw the next current approaching. When he looked onward, he paled. The current curved in the most impossible ways. He whimpered lightly, wondering what he had just gotten himself into. Once he landed, he was off.

The current was insanely fast; add to that the curves and loops and you had one dizzying ride. Rizé couldn’t count how many times he looped or didn’t something else that his body didn’t necessarily appreciate. But after awhile, he got the hang of it. Seeing a rather hard part of the current coming up as well as the plateau that Azreal was sitting on, he needed to find another current to transition to. When he finally saw one, it was above him in an upside down loop.

It was the only way, so he jumped, taking his board with him. It felt like he crashed against a hard surface when finally landed on that loop, but it was nothing compared to how he had to manoeuvre to make sure he stayed on the current. It took him quickly past the plateau, but before he rode it to somewhere else entirely, he jumped off, landing on his feet, sliding in a kneeling position on the flat surface of the rocky platform.

When he was sure that he was fine, he collapse on the floor with a sigh. Azreal walked over to him, chuckling a little. “I must say, you’re brave. Some of the top people wouldn’t dare go on something like that.”

“I didn’t know it was going to end up like that!” said Rizé and he laid his head onto the ground, his body sprawled out.

“Currents are like that. Sometimes they can be unpredictable. Well, either way, you’re first. Fua and Jin seem to be locked in a tie though.” stated Azreal as they landed in unison, running over to the brunette who was suffering from the after effects of dizziness.

“Rizé!! Are you okay?” asked Fua, taking off his scarf and somehow finding a way to use it as a fan.

“I’m fine, Fua…” moaned Rizé, pushing the scarf away, “Give me a second and I’ll be good as new.”

“Well, you have time to rest, Rizé.” said Azreal, “I’ve taught you the basics and all that. All that’s left it practicing it.”

Rizé sat up, shaking his head and breathing in heavily before standing up, appearing to be completely fine. “Well then, I’ll get started. There’s really no more lessons, Azie?”

The blue haired boy grinned. “Well, a few, but just some short things that you can pick up quicker when you’re more comfortable. So just try racing for awhile and getting you wings.”

“What else is there?” asked Jin.

“Well…dodging, weaving, tricks—if you want to learn it.” stated Azreal playfully, listing them off with his fingers.

“Cool!!” exclaimed Fua, launching a fist into the air, “I wanna learn tricks!” Rizé grinned at him, before he went speeding off, hopping on his board and flying into the air. Fua followed quickly after. All that was left on the plateau was Jin and Azreal.

“Do you think he can do it?” asked Jin, crossing his arms.

Azreal shrugged his shoulders. “Dunno.” he said simply, “But, I’m sure that he has it in him. It’ll be a feat, but I believe in him.” Jin stayed silent, inwardly believing the same thing.

✯❦きたろ❦✯

The three days passed by in something akin to the speed of light. Rizé found himself having a hard time recollecting the even of the past few days since he was so dead set on winning this race. He trained for almost twelve hours a day, excelling at the sport, much to Halley’s approval—that is, whenever he had enough time to watch. Azreal, his trainer of sorts, was glad that his pupil would actually stand a chance up to the elites in the Under The Clouds ranking.

Rizé often thought about the large jump he was making into the rankings. From newbie to the second highest ranking in the entire racing society… Azreal has somehow managed to make the jump official even though, Rizé would have never qualified for something like that at his current level of Cresting. He was glad for it, though. Now he could just challenge Hitoka and get it over with, without having to do pointless races just to reach his level of expertise.

However, something in his mind told him that it was planned this way from the start and that Azreal’s smooth talking had nothing to do with the large jump. Instead, Rizé thought that it may be Hitoka’s doing that he was able to reach such a high level in such a short time. After all, he had said three days. Maybe he made arrangements before hand, figuring that there would be no way for Rizé to reach the level required for that match in just three days; including races and training.

So Rizé continued to wonder. What was the point of all this? Sure, Hitoka was threatening the well-being of a little child, but was that it? Rizé didn’t think so. There had to be more… Something that he didn’t know. Maybe he did it because he felt that he could win easily since Rizé was considered a newbie. And why just him? Fua and Jin took down just as many guys and just as viciously. So why him? What was the point of just asking him?

Rizé was found frowning near the reception desk in a large building where the races were being processed and analyzed—including the racers, the course and other multitudes of things that Rizé didn’t quite understand as of yet—before the race began. He was told that the reception desk would be the rendezvous point where everyone would meet to give him some support. At the moment, he was early. He wanted to be so that he could skim through his thoughts and calm down a bit before the race.

Looking up as he heard his name called, he saw Kibuto coming towards him by himself. Lately, he and Julia were doing other things, without each other. Rizé still found it odd and he did worry about what was going on, but Kibuto reassured him that everything was fine and to not worry.

The boy with the ponytail—the one that was now longer and ended below his waist; Kibuto’s hair always grew fast—walked over to the brunette boy who was wryly smile for a reason that Kibuto didn’t know. “What’s with that face, Rizé?” asked the golden-orange eyed boy.

“I was just thinking. It’s kind of funny. I didn’t notice how amazing this place was when I first walked in.” said Rizé, motioning to the gargantuan size of the building, the large screens that would show the race adorning the walls, the odd orb-like lights the shone in a clear yellowish-blue colour, hanging form the ceiling and illuminating the area in it’s light. Rizé stared at the entire area, ignoring the people. The large building was a work of art. Practically, but beautiful at the same time. How the architect had managed it, he would never know.

Kibuto smiled warmly at the shorter boy. “Are you that nervous?”

“I was,” answered Rizé truthfully, “but not so much now. I can handle it.”

“You’re going to have to. Hitoka is a feared competitor among the races.” stated Kibuto, “Lose your focus and you’re finished.”

“Thanks for that.” muttered Rizé dryly and Kibuto just laughed.

“I’m only telling you the truth.”

“Yeah, I know.” Rizé glanced around, still seeing no sign of the others. “Where are they?” The burgundy haired boy shrugged in response, causing Rizé’s frown to deepen. The race was going to start in at least twenty minutes and they still weren’t here.

“They should be coming soon.” said Kibuto.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m glad someone came, at least.”

Kibuto frowned at the brunette beside him. “Don’t think like that, Rizé. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. Don’t worry.” Rizé wasn’t in the best of moods. He was irritated and antsy; two things that he didn’t like the feel of. However, nothing would calm his nerves. He shouldn’t have looked at that clock a minute ago. It was making him nervous all over again. Time was ticking down. The head to head battle was coming and he wasn’t sure if he was ready. He crossed his arms—a sign of nervousness that Kibuto caught on too. He sighed lightly.

“Rizé. C’mon.” ordered Kibuto, beginning to walk ahead of the small brunette, beckoning him to follow. Rizé did so, eyeing his friend strangely.

They trudged through the large crowd, coming to the front door of the building and walking out into the bright sunlight. Rizé winced a little. Looking up, he glanced at the sky. He stopped walking. His hair blew softly as the wind moved past it. It blew through the rolled up silver and white bandana he wore on that forehead, the black cap he wore atop his head—threatening to blow it off of his head—the second silver and white bandana that rested around his neck, the black sleeveless tee, the beige cargo shorts with two straps that connected at the front and the back—it almost looked like overalls, except with the straps to hold them up falling loosely to the side. It touched his skin, coursing past his arms—the right one covered in enough armbands to supply at least ten people—his fingers—the parts that weren’t covered by the semi-fingerless gloves; two of the fingers were covered—running past bare calves and around his light golden-brown shoes with white stripes on the side.

Thoughts just seemed to go away at that moment. He closed his eyes, picturing himself winning the race. Coming across the finish line… Beating Hitoka and seeing his face. Celebrating with everyone… He almost missed hearing Kibuto speak.

“The people here love this sport. They hold it in high regard.” started Kibuto as he looked up at the sky too, wait for his friend, “In a way, it is like their culture. This sport has been here for awhile, although it has changed over the years. Before, the people of this region had wings and flew with the spirits of the wind. It was said that the wind goddess was kind then, granting happiness to all and everyone. She granted this region the ability to fly. Even know, she favours them. Or at least, that’s what it looks like.”

“What’s your point?” asked Rizé.

“My point is that you should respect the sport just like the people here respect the sport. Do that and you won’t screw up.” concluded Kibuto with a silly grin.

“Well you don’t have to worry about that. I’m pretty sure I’ll being trying my hardest to respect the sport, Kibuto. After all, I don’t want to fall to my untimely death, do I?” joked Rizé, chucking a bit.

Kibuto laughed too, but then went back to being serious, but light at the same time. “That guy, Hitoka. He may seem like a bad boy, but I’ve raced him before. A few days back at the Plateaus. He challenged me for the fun of it and seemed to genuinely enjoy the sport, unlike some of his friends.” Kibuto smirked, “He’s a good guy, Rizé. Even if you loose, I doubt that he would beat up on that kid you’re doing this for afterwards.”

“How can you be sure?” questioned Rizé, clearly unbelieving.

“Because, Rizé…” said Kibuto as he began to walk again down the white brick sidewalk, “He told me that he wouldn’t. And I feel like I can take his word for being truthful. I’ll be watching, alright, Rizé?”

Rizé stared at his friend’s back for a few moments, wondering at how un-Kibuto that goodbye was. Where the hell was he going, for one? For two, what did he mean he trusted Hitoka? Was he even listening to what he was saying? Rizé frowned, crossing his arms as his air took on an angry static-like feeling. Was there something to what Kibuto was saying? If anything, he could add confusion to his list of emotions that he was feeling. Somehow, that odd little conversation was beginning to make Rizé wonder if Hitoka was doing this entire thing for a different reason.

Deciding not to focus on it, he decided to go back into the building. In mid-turn, he spotted his friends waving at him. For some reason, he never noticed his group was so…large.

“Rizé!!!” shouted a familiar, hyperactive, feminine voice rather loudly in the already loud and excited crowd. Rizé was immediately pounced on by Julia in a very violent way that ended up knocking his hat right off of his head. He tried pushing the girl off, as well as trying to get some circulation back into his arms and air back into his lungs, but it was rather hard. The girl had the strength of ten bulls without knowing that she did. That was the most dangerous part.

Zeon was next to Jin, rolling his eyes at the scene before him while Jin was laugh his ass off, unwilling to help as usually. Rizé was going to hurt him one day. Just throw him some pit with hungry boas, poisonous vipers and mongooses that didn’t hunt snakes and were able to withstand poison, that way Jin would die a horrible—horrible—death. Then another thought occurred to him. He would add skunks. Yes… Yes, skunks. That would be a great finish. He would smell bad as he died and long and torturous death. In his mind he laughed an evil and maniacal laugh; one that rivalled most of the evil super-villains on those superhero shows.

“Where’s Kibuto when you need him?” whined the brunette.

“He isn’t here yet?” asked Fua, crossing his arms, looking at Azreal for answers.

Azreal peered down at the shorter boy with green hair, looking amused. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Fua, but I’ve tried spreading my visual prowess to locating missing people and you know the one thing that I’ve found out?” Fua shook his head and Azreal grinned in a friendly manner, “I found out—and this is the fun part—that my eyes can only see what is in front of me. And since I can’t see Kibuto anywhere, I can therefore conclude that I don’t have a clue as to where the guy is. So stop looking at me like a hold all the answers.” stated the blue haired boy, smiling a sickeningly sweet smile and he rubbed Fua’s head quite harshly causing a whimper to escape the boy’s parted lips.

“Ow! Stop it, Azreal!!”

Zeon went to Fua’s rescue, pulling the green haired boy away from the blue haired one and glaring at him. “Leave him alone.” said Zeon rather snippily. Azreal eyed Zeon with a raised eyebrow, before smirking with hidden intent. Unbeknownst to Zeon, it was all a plot on Fua’s part to play a practical joke. Fua turned around with a rather large, scorpion looking creature in his hands. Zeon yelped and jumped back, but then scowled when he saw Fua laugh along with Azreal. “Ha, hah! You’re too funny, Zeon! It’s fake!” explained Fua, the fake scorpion, which was actually made with the green eyed boy’s mysterious strings, disappearing instantly. “Neat trick, huh?”

Zeon crossed his arms, looking down, gritting his teeth and began to shake. Fua stared, perplexed at the way the blond haired boy was acting. “Um…are you okay?” asked Fua as he moved to Zeon.

“Idiot.” stated Zeon as he looked at Fua in the eye, underneath the hoodie that he wore. But he soon calmed down, draping an arm around Fua calmly with an actual smile on his face. Azreal was actually more scared by the smile than Zeon’s temper—which he figured wasn’t quite diminished that the moment. “You’re right. It was a good trick, Fua. Do it again and I won’t come looking for you when you’re body goes missing.” Zeon’s grin widened as he tightened his grip on Fua’s arm. Fua started laughing nervously, catching the underlining threat other than the whole not looking for him when his body went missing.

Lukas laughed as he came up behind, standing next to Azreal as his snickers began to die down a little. Azreal smirked as the orange haired boy came to a stop. Being the eldest of the group, they were able to convey certain things without words and still some how manage to understand what each other was thinking. Jin had seen it on many occasion. To say that it was normal would be a lie. Then again, adults always seemed to be able to communicate using nothing but facial expressions and a whole multitude of other things which teenagers and those who are younger would never be able to comprehend.

Jin turned back to Rizé, walking over and prying Julia off the smaller boy. Julia huffed, but didn’t protest too vividly. After all, she didn’t want Jin to get angry at her. In all cases, his temper was considered the worst among all the original group of friends. “So,” began Jin, “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I can be.” stated Rizé, massaging his neck to get the cricks out.

Jin nodded as he reached behind him, pulling off a large bag off of his back and handing it to the brunette. “Don’t open it till you get into the locker room. It’s a gift from Halley to you.”

Rizé’s eyes widened as he held the bag before him. “You mean…?”

“Just don’t open it till you’re ready to use it, Rizé. Those were Halley’s orders.” Rizé nodded an affirmative, clutching the bag to himself tightly. Jin smiled as he watched Rizé grin at his gift. He looked like a happy child. Much like he was when he was younger after awhile of living in his and Rjku’s household.

“Thanks!” thanked Rizé genuinely.

“Hey. I’m not the one who made it. Thank Halley.”

“I will. But I’m not thanking you for that.” said Rizé looking down at the floor; finding his motion foot scuffing the ground much more interesting than Jin’s face at the moment, “I wanted to thank you for everything. You’re always there looking out for me no matter what. You’re really a great friend.”

Jin stared at Rizé seriously for a moment before smirking softly and placing a hand on the short, brunette’s head rubbing it roughly. Rizé whimpered for him to stop, but it only resulted in causing the silver haired boy to laugh. “I never knew you were so corny, Rizé.”

The blue eyed boy frowned violently, crossing his arms. “I’m never thanking you again. You suck, Jin.”

“Hey, that’s not fair.”

“Screw you.”

The banter continued along the same lines for awhile, Rizé and Jin sending random insults back and forth at each other while the others watching with grins on their faces. No one noticed the absence of Rumor and no one pondered where the man had gone off to. No one noticed when his bag was gone from his room. No one noticed him leaving early in the morning.

Now, he was just a man falling…

But even though he posed a threat, that wouldn’t rain on the group’s parade. Today was a day to focus on one thing and one thing alone. And that was Rizé winning. They all give him their support. They all rooted for him and they would be there for him not matter what. That’s what friends were supposed to do.

So until the time came to worry—they wouldn’t. Until it came time to contemplate—they wouldn’t. They would just enjoy the moment…while it lasted.

✯❦きたろ❦✯

Standing at the starting line was a small brunette who stared into the eyes of his adversary. The other boy stared back calmly, his board under his right armpit and his lips pulled upward into a slight smirk. “Well. You showed.” stated Hitoka, standing tall in his slim, navy blue outfit. It consisted of a navy blue jacket with laces, a plain white t-shirt underneath, dark blue jeans with suspenders on them, hanging loosely off of the boy’s shoulder’s underneath his jacket, and plain white sneakers.

Hitoka placed a hand on his hip, resting on one leg. “I guess I should congratulate you for making this far.”

Rizé smirked right back at the boy, ignoring the greenery around him of the magnificent area he was in. “Thought I would give up? I should tell you now that I’m not a person who throws in the towel when the impossible is placed before him. There is a possibility for every situation.”

“I see.” commented Hitoka flicking a strand of his spiky hair, “Well, since we’re being civil to one another, how about I tell you about this place that we are standing in?”

“Alright.” Rizé said, agreeing. Truly, he did want to know. The area was amazing. It resembled a deeply rotted ruin covered in moss and mould as well as covered in greenery. Vines, trees and grass among many other things were located everywhere. The ruin was barely seen. It seemed that after a few years of being in disrepair, the plants and shrubbery had taken over, creating a large forest. However, that wasn’t the amazing part. This whole area…was floating above the ground. Way above the ground.

“This place is called Sky Ruin; the race is going to be taking place here.” orated Hitoka calmly, “This place used to be part of the actually surface of Evane. A few miles from here is a large crater—that’s where this place originated. Somehow, it managed to rip itself out of the ground and fly all the way here, where it eventually stopped. Why it decided to rest itself above Awreis, no one knows.”

“So…what’s it a ruin of?”

“A lost civilization of some sort.” said Hitoka dismissively, “It’s not important. If you want to find out more, check it out yourself later.”

Rizé grunted and then looked out before him. The starting line faced a large clearing. It was a cliff leading downwards. That was where he had to go first and that was all he knew. He barely knew anything about the course; the people at the front desk hadn’t explained anything to him. All they said was that there were markers lining where the course was. So he was going to have to look around to see the markers to lead him to where he needed to go.

Rizé sighed. They just had to make things so much more difficult.

“SKY RUIN-34890-293. RACE RANK—3: “UNDER THE CLOUDS”. RACERS, PLEASE LINE UP AT THE STARTING LINE.”

Well, that was it then, wasn’t it?

He had no more time left. It was do or die. …Well…not that morbid, but it was along the same lines anyway. He moved to the electric fence-like starting line with Hitoka moving in close beside him. Rizé watched him from his peripheral vision ignoring the cocky look Hitoka was giving him. “So it starts, huhn, Rizé?” Hitoka chuckled. “I’m pretty excited about this. I heard you were pretty fast. That means I’ll have to be on you like a hawk trying to catch a rat. You’re my dinner, Rizé. Mine.”

Rizé turned his head to him, a grin plastered on his childish face. “Do you seriously think I’m afraid of you? Please. I have other things to worry about. You’re just a hurdle along the way and I plan to jump over you.”

Hitoka didn’t have a chance to retort. The countdown began and every one of the racers grew tense. Rizé didn’t know what came over him, but he just…blanked. He wasn’t thinking as he heard the numbers sound off in his head. They echoed; taking an eternity to actually reach that final number.

When it came, he didn’t even realize he was ahead of the pack.

It was such a rush. He went so fast. He didn’t hear anything, didn’t feel anything. It was just him and the sky before him.

He twisted viciously when he saw a marker before him. They looked like large spheres of blue, radiating light blue shockwaves of light in a certain direction. This one pointed downwards. Rizé went into a nosedive—even though he was advised not to millions of times by Azreal since it was an easy way to lose your footing and fall. However, all those rules went out the window. Rizé was just following his instincts wherever they led him.

He went sharply downward, using the gravity for extra speed. But then he began to slip.

He grunted, falling off of his board, but grabbing it, righting himself upwards parallel to the cliff. He pulled the board under his feet, gained a burst of speed and headed into tunnel near him where a second sphere was located.

Dodging the falling rocks trying to block his way he made it to another clearing. This time it was inside the ruin. The floor below him was tiled with deep brown stones and large pillars rose upwards into a dark abyss above.

Rizé didn’t bother slowdown, seeing another sphere before him, pointing upwards. He shifted his board, catching another wind and moving upward rapidly. His eyes darted around wildly, watching out for anything out of the ordinary. He looked behind him after awhile, sure that nothing would hit him—this area of the ruin looked relatively safe—but came face to face with a familiar silver haired boy.

Rizé gritted his teeth as Hitoka moved beside him with a flirtatious smile. It was infuriating. “Hello, my pretty brunette.”

“Don’t call me that.” reprimanded the blue eyed brunette, shifting his board to make some distance between him and the other boy. Hitoka “tsk”ed and moved his boards so that he was beside Rizé again. Rizé growled in warning, but it went unheeded. “I told you I’d stay on you like a hawk. But I must say it was pretty hard. With those tricks of yours, you’re somewhat unpredictable.”

“Yeah?” asked Rizé, feigning to be actually interested, “Well predict this!” A gust of wind passed by Hitoka in a violent gale that threatened to throw him off of his board. He steadied himself and then looked up. What he saw even send him into awe. Rizé’s body was curved in a crescent shape high above him. He resembled a dolphin jumping out of the water. Hitoka tore his gaze away from the boy, looking to where the board was. His eyes widened. It was gliding on another current and, apparently, Rizé was going to land on it.

The silver haired boy whirled his head back to the boy in the air, watching him flip gracefully and land on the glider. Rizé winked at Hitoka, almost as flirtatious as he was, and took off, leaving the boy in the dust.

In a few more moments, Rizé was back outside, the clean air coursing through his nostrils. He revelled in it for a moment, before finding another sphere pointing ahead of him. It was leading him to the deep dense part of the forest. Rizé paled. It looked almost impossible to go through. Vines, branches, huge roots of trees, bushes, leaves—it all didn’t paint a pretty picture and they were all coming up fast!

Just to make the situation worse, Hitoka somehow caught up to him and got close enough to whisper in his ear. “I’m going to love seeing you get through this, pretty boy.” And then he sped by, not even allowing Rizé a retort. Not like he needed to give one. It would be pointless. Right now he had to focus on nothing but getting through that forest to the next sphere that would point him to the finish line. Transitioning to another current that was faster, he flew head first into the dense forest, following after Hitoka, determined to win.

The first branch flew at him and he barely missed it by ducking his head. He saw Hitoka smirking ahead of him and gritted his teeth—Hitoka was the one that did that. He recalled Kibuto saying something about Hitoka having an attack board and using it well. Actually, Halley hinted at it too. Maybe this is what Halley was mentioning that day. These “tricks” of sorts that were meant to cause pain to another racer. Rizé scowled. He did not like the way Hitoka played.

He saw the next branch, actually seeing Hitoka slice it off with the side of his board. Rizé had never noticed it before, but there were blades, sharp ones, present on Hitoka’s board. If Hitoka truly wanted to skewer Rizé or his board, he could have done so…quite well.

Rizé watched as the branch ran up to meet him. Staring it down, he jumped. His right foot landed on the tree limb and he pushed up, rocketing forward with his board under him. More branches came and he jumped over them all like he was some sort of jungle cat that was amazingly agile and swift. Twisting and turning around and around. He dodged everything, using to propel him forward so that he didn’t loose his board. It was like he and his board were one; never losing the tie that bound them to each other for this race.

He jumped on trees, sometimes used his board for leverage when he could and then continued to jump on the other things sent his way. Hitoka didn’t look to happy, but then again he was far away. If Rizé could see, he would have seen Hitoka smirking and his eyes blazing with the thrill of competition. In his mind, he was enjoying cresting for the first time in years. Rizé was the first real threat he faced in a long while.

Rizé’s blue eyes saw a clearing up ahead of him and narrowed his eyes, a mischievous glint in his eye. Now it was his turn.

Landing on his board, he crouched down looking straight ahead. He ignored Hitoka and focused on nothing but the sphere at the end of the clearing. It was pointing ahead and in the distance, he could see the finish line. He kept going. He kept going. Going… Going… Losing himself…he just went forward. The wind cut by his face rapidly. He heard nothing but the wind shooting past him. He was catching up to Hitoka—who looked shocked and almost in awe. But Rizé didn’t see. All he saw was the finish line waiting there to greet him.

He kept speeding up, his eyes sharp. He didn’t even realize he passed Hitoka and put an amazing distance between them. This was the homestretch. Nothing was before him. It was just him and the clouds. Him and the sky. Nothing else. A large boom was heard, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He just continued to move forward.

He came in first…

Hitoka was second and everyone after him came at different intervals all in states of shock. A newbie…had won in an Under the Clouds race…

Rizé came to a slow stop, nothing but the air surrounding him and little mechanical balls with lenses taping his win. He just stood on his board…staring at nothing in particular. It was taking awhile to set in. A smile was twitching at the end of his lips. It was coming. He could feel it. The bright grin burst out and a large whoop of joy escaped his throat, coming up to his lips and making it’s way out with such force that it even scared him a little. But he didn’t care. He had won! Rondé would be fine and everything was going to be good! He did it!!

Below, where his friends were watching in a nearby stadium on a large screen, they all cheered and high-fived each other. Halley was letting out large exclamations of joy, as was Kai and Rondé. Jin was actually letting out a large grin for once, but that was quickly squashed when Kibuto and Azreal jumped on him yelling praises for the brunette boy. Julia and Fua were singing a chant that Halley taught them for a person winning a race and they were singing with such gusto that eventually the entire stadium joined in. Zeon was having a fit of chuckled that he couldn’t stop for some reason. No one knew why; not even he himself. Lukas was—and he swore he would never do this again—was dancing like a fool.

By herself, in another area of the arena, was Kira, her long hair flowing behind her as she rested on the bricks of the large circular stadium. There in her hoodie, that was two sizes too big, she smiled warmly, a soft blush on her cheeks. He won. She knew he would and she was glad for it.

Tsora walked up beside her, sitting down with a simple smile. His long trench coat sprawled out behind and beside him. Kira noticed his eyes looked puffy and worry immediately rose up within her. “Tsora…? Are you okay?”

Tsora shook his head and grinned. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing. It’ll be resolved soon anyway.”

Kira looked at Tsora in confusion, but his face revealed nothing like usual. She turned back to the screen, continuing to watch the brunette boy.

✯❦きたろ❦✯

Later on that day, Rizé was standing at the same stadium that everyone was watching the race in. He was in the middle of the large arena, looking around at all the people looking at him. As soon as he arrived there, he was immediately jumped on by his friends. They all congratulated him—all in various expressions. Hitoka was there too, although off to the side with Halley, apparently discussing something very important, but at least they weren’t yelling this time.

Soon it came to the time of presenting the medal for winning the race. Rizé didn’t really know what was happening and Kibuto tried explaining it, but he was so excited, the words came out jumbled. So Rizé was just going along for the ride.

When he saw a boy, no taller than he was himself with dark brown hair and decked out in princely attire, he immediately became nervous. The boy smiled warmly at Rizé, chuckling a little. “Amazing, if I do say so. I’ve never seen a race like that ever.” said the boy, catching himself at the last minute noticing that he hadn’t said his name, “Pardon me. I am Sukava, the king of Awreis. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rizé Elienline.”

Rizé stayed silent for a moment, eyeing the boy before him in confusion. This kid that was his age was the king of the largest city in the world—well, after Xzhershe anyway. It didn’t compute. “You’re the king of Awreis?”

Sukava chuckled. “Disappointed?” he questioned as Rizé friends all fell silent and were looking at the new comer curiously.

“I was just picturing someone more…uh…”

“Older? Everyone says that. My father died recently and handed down his powers to me. So I am the King.” stated Sukava.

“Oh.” replied Rizé.

The boy before him was a blond with silver-ish undertones to the colour. It shined brightly in the sun as did his aquamarine eyes. His skin was pale, but it was mostly covered by the clothes he wore. “Now, since you are the winner, you get this.” stated the King, digging into a rather large pocket and pulling out a rather gaudy necklace. He handed it to Rizé, staring at it in amusement. “This signifies your…initiation into the ten “miracle workers”.”

“Miracle workers?” questioned Rizé.

“A name given to the prodigies who somehow enter into this sport. There are then, you are the eleventh. That blue haired boy behind you is the second. Halley is the seventh. Any more of you and we’ll be able to have one amazing race on our hands.”

Azreal pushed Rizé out of the way forcefully—and into Jin, who was not too pleased about it—and stood over Sukava with his arms crossed. He didn’t look too playful at the moment. Sukava smirked upwards at the blue haired boy before him, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I see you’ve decided to grace me with your presence once more.” greeted the King.

“How could you not remember my name?!!” shouted Azreal.

Sukava paled a little, pulling one hand out of his pockets and scratching his head sheepishly. “Well, what do you expect? I’ve never been good with names! Plus I’m King now. It doesn’t help that I have to spend my days going over manuscripts and going into meetings with stuffy old men every week.”

Azreal cocked his head up at the sky a little, seeming coming to a realisation of some sort and then looked back down at the new King. “Point taken.”

“Exactly. But I’m sure I’ll learn it again soon. Always do.” said the blond haired boy confidently. He then looked back at Rizé, a kingly smile adorning his face; to Rizé, it actually looked like he fit the role of “King” with that smile, but his attitude definitely didn’t scream “King”, even though he tried hard. “Well Rizé, I congratulate you and as I prize specifically by me, you are welcome to stay in the castle with me.”

A loud stuttering noise was heard near where Halley was standing with Hitoka and sure enough, it was Hitoka who was making the noise. His on his lips rested a smirk laced with cockiness and mirth. His eyes where along the same lines. “Please. Sukava’s just lonely and looking for someone to hang out with.”

Sukava just smiled warmly at the boy.

Hitoka swore out the side of his mouth, ignoring the laughter coming from Halley.

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To Be Continued…