Post-Anime Summertime Record

City lights

A lot of things had changed in the three years that had passed since the Mekakushi Dan met in that never ending heat of August. In general, their lives had changed for the better. Kano had gotten a job, Kido picked up school again and was now preparing to start college, while Seto continued doing several part time jobs here and there. Mary still lived with them and, with Seto's help, also got a job at the flower shop around the corner. The young medusa was now a lot more accustomed to society and they were all glad that she managed to befriend some of her colleagues.

Momo now had gone international and gave concerts all around the world, while her brother acted as her manager, as well as her song writer. They earned quite a fortune. Not to mention that Shintaro was now a lot more outgoing, meaning he occasionally left the house, and happier, ever since Ayano got back out of the Heat Haze. They were a nice couple.

Same could be said for Takane and Haruka, or Konoha and Ene, as they liked to be called now. Those two finished school and supported each other with their dreams. Recently Konoha was accepted to an art school, and Ene earned money as a professional gamer and Let's Player. Talk about dream career. Hibiya still lived on the countryside, but visited the city regularly, and usually stayed at their apartment during the summer holidays.

However, despite all these changes, the bond they all shared never really faltered. They weren't just a gang that shared the same hardship anymore. They were friends.

They moved on from the horrible things that happened to them, but held onto the good ones. They were happy.

So of course, being the leader, Kido was glad that they had spontaneous meet-ups every now and then, as well as planned gatherings, mainly because of Momo's tight schedule.

"Leader, huh?" She chuckled at the thought while preparing some snacks for everyone. They were going to arrive soon for the movie marathon they'd planned. It was some horror series, so she would probably spend the night in the kitchen pretending to do something important and drown out the sounds with her headphones. And if that didn't work, then god help her survive this night.

Kido wasn't a leader anymore. Sure, she still tried to look out for everyone, but with her added school stress, she wasn't really able to do everything on her own anymore. Now the responsibilities were pretty much equally divided between everyone. Maybe it's because everyone had grown up to take care of their own things now? That's probably part of the reason, too.

But still, Kido was happy whenever they still called her 'Danchou'.

"Danchou~?" An all too familiar voice chimed behind her.

"What is it, Kano?" She turned to face him, abandoning the cupcake dough she had just mixed, and was greeted with the probably sliest grin she'd ever seen.

"Don't grin at me like that. Makes me wanna punch you." She growled and wiped her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Huh? Can't a guy be happy for no reason? It's important to smile, you know!" He teased and looked down at her. Yes, Shuuya Kano had managed to outgrow her with time. Well, not so much him as his boots. They were about the same height now, but his height increasing boots made him appear a few centimetres taller than her. Of course, heels were a possibility for Kido, but she still hated those things with a burning passion. Sneakers were just fine.

"Not like that. You're irritating." She turned back to her baking utensils, making sure to hit Kano in the face with her hair in the process, and filled the dough into the small cupcake pans.

"You're making cupcakes?! Awesome." He exclaimed while leaning over her shoulder to inspect her work, making sure that she was terribly aware of his superior height. This had always been a sore spot between them both, and even though he was cheating with his boots, he felt like the winner of their little competition.

"Yes, now get off my case or you won't get any!" Kido hissed and elbowed his side to make him get off her.

"Ow!" He yelped, "That's not fair, Kido! Besides, I came here for a reason." He looked at her with his feline irises that shimmered golden in the artificial kitchen light, his eyes literally screaming mischief in her face.

"And what would that reason be, Kano?" She slid the cupcakes into the preheated oven, closed it, and put her hands on her hips, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Hmm, I want to show you something." He hummed and winked at her, turning out of the door and giving her a wave, signalling to follow him.

"Put on your shoes, we're going outside." The boy said, fidgeting impatiently in his spot.

"Fine."

"Don't you want a hint?"

"Huh?"

"Aren't you curious? I'm gonna show you something really cool, you know?"

"Knowing you, your definition of 'cool' is highly questionable, so no. I'm more concerned than curious." Kido replied dryly.

"Oh come on, why are you so cruel today? Is life as a short person that hard? Hm?" He leaned towards her and gave a cheeky smirk as he added, "Did you have trouble reaching for the flour I put on the top of the shelf?"

"Why, you...!" She grabbed his arm and twisted it in a way it probably shouldn't get twisted in, but hey, it did the job, he shut up.

"Okay, okay, I give! I'm sorry, you win! Ow..." He rubbed his sore arm as she let go and gave some well deserved whines. Then he brightened up immediately and swiftly took her hand in his.

"Come on now, we don't have all night! The others are gonna be here soon!" And he pulled her with him out of the door and into the alleyway next to their apartment.

It was dark already, and the alley was only dimly lit by a singular street lamp. If it was any other guy than Kano pulling her into a place like this she would probably have made her escape already. But, as hard as it was to admit, she trusted him with her life. So no matter how peculiar that huge bulk of whatever under the tarpaulin looked, she believed it wouldn't pose any danger.

"What is that?" She asked, eyeing the strange object curiously as Kano stood beside it, as giddy as a five year old in a candy store, and grasped the tarpaulin, ready to pull it off.

"Oh, you'll see~. It's going to blow. Your. Mind." He teased, "Get ready! One, Two...Three!"

As he uncovered the foreign object, a shiny new red and black motorcycle was revealed.

"Woah." Kido gaped at the thing in awe, her mouth hanging open in utter disbelief.

"I know." Kano grinned knowingly and ran his fingers along the smooth material of the machine.

"Where..? I mean, how did you...?" She stammered, approaching the intimidating machine as if inspecting it.

"Sponsored by the company~! For work of course, but I'm free to use it privately too, as long as I pay for the gas."

"And for what exactly do you need a motorcycle at your job?" She eyed him incredulously.

"Special deliveries. Kinda got promoted to an independent courier a while ago. I may have to work at odd hours, but I get more money and this baby here~."

"Do you even have a license?" She asked doubtingly.

"Of course, I've had one for a while." He said.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you have a legal license?" She crossed her arms and glared daggers at him.

"Oh Kido, what's important is that I can safely manoeuvre this thing through the streets, and believe it or not, I have a lot of experience. So who cares about trivial things like that?"

"I do. Because I'm not going to bail you out when you get caught driving with a fake license."

He just shrugged his shoulders and turned away, grabbing a helmet and offering it to her.

"Wanna go for ride?" A grin spread across his face.

"What? I'd rather not die, thank you." She retorted sternly.

"Kido," He gave an exaggerated sigh, "Do you really think I'd offer you a ride if I wasn't one hundred percent sure it's safe?"

He had a point. He'd never deliberately put her in danger. That was something she strongly believed in.

And that thing did look very tempting with its shiny metal and the inviting leather seat. Kido had never really been interested in that sort of thing, but with the machine standing right in front of her, she couldn't help but notice her hands were getting sweaty. Did she just discover a new guilty pleasure of hers?

She quickly snatched the helmet from his hands and watched him pull a spare one out of the top box. He showed her how to properly put it on and got onto the motorbike, patting the space behind him.

It was a bit tight, being squeezed between Kano and the top box, but it also felt rather exciting. She'd never been on such a vehicle before, and honestly, she probably was a little bit scared, although she would never admit it if he asked.

"Hold on tight, okay?" Kano instructed, his voice muffled because of the helmet, and she wrapped her arms around his middle.

The engine started and the headlights illuminated the alley before them. Any second now they would head off to a ride of disaster and motion sickness on a death machine. Why did she agree to this again?

The machine began to move with a loud growl and her grip around him tightened instantly.

Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh-

This strangely reminded her of a rollercoaster ride. And everyone knew that she was not fond of those. They were going really slow as they made their way from the alley to the street, but the feeling of not being in control and being completely unsecured short for her hold onto the boy before her set her nerves on fire. Her heart was beating so hard Kido wondered if he could feel it.

When there finally was a gap in traffic, Kano swerved onto the main road and their speed increased at an alarming rate. Kido screamed internally and pressed herself against the blond haired boy as if her life depended on it, which probably was the case anyway.

Her eyes were shut tightly as she could feel the sharp wind pull at her clothes and the hair that stuck out from her helmet. After a few moments of getting used to the rapid sensation she opened her eyes and was met with a dazzling view.

To both sides of the road giant apartment buildings reached up to the sky, illuminated by the cold artificial lights of windows and neon signs. The lights whizzed by so fast Kido almost felt dizzy. It felt like a dream. As they slightly leaned into the curves of the road the whole world seemed to shift with them, and the mesmerizing play of multicoloured lights engulfed them completely.

It made her skin tingle with goosebumps and an incredible feeling of freedom.

Here she was, in the middle of some sort of dream like daze, her emotions jumping from fear to excitement to amazement to love, holding onto the boy who so often found his way into her mind for dear life. For all she knew he could make a mistake any moment and kill them both, but she didn't care. For this moment, it was just the two of them. Only them, the speed, and the city lights. Maybe it even had something metaphorical to it, not to get philosophical. But at this exact moment she was sure, that she trusted him more than any other person in the world.

How ironic, that the one person who she trusted with her life, her whole existence, happened to be the most cunning liar she knew.

A liar and a thief, for he had stolen her heart a long time ago.

For the rest of the ride she let her body rest against his back and let herself be swept away by the sputtering sensation that bubbled inside her chest.

They arrived back at the apartment a good twenty minutes later. They got off the bike and Kido quickly took off her helmet, combing through her hair with her fingers as they got all tangled up with the wind.

Kano took his off too with a loud "Pwa!" and grinned at Kido.

"So, how did you like it?" He asked expectantly.

"It was alright..." Kido answered, averting her gaze. She didn't want to admit that she actually really enjoyed this experience. She had to keep up her image as the cool and level headed leader of their group, and taking a liking to such dangerous, not to mention illegal, activities wasn't really on her to-do list.

"Oh really?" Kano smirked and moved closer to her.

"Because from the way you held onto me I'd say you either enjoyed it very much, or you were scared. So which one was it, hmm~?" The smirk on his face grew by the second and so did Kido's urge to hit him upside the head.

"I-I was not scared!" She stammered, and the blush on her face only made it less believable.

Kano laughed at her reaction and covered his new toy with the tarpaulin.

"So I take it you enjoyed it? That's good, you gotta get used to it after all." He hummed and blew some dust off his helmet before he put it back into the top box.

"What do you mean by that?" What did she have to get used to? As nice as it was, she didn't think she would get onto that thing any time soon again. After all, she didn't have a reason. She could get to any place she wanted either by walking or taking the bus or other public means of transportation.

"Well, I was thinking..." He said as his voice trailed off, only to regain his posture again seconds later.

"Since you're going to college soon I was thinking I could pick you up every now and then. Your new friends there would be so impressed, don't you think? They'll think you're so cool!" He smiled, although it didn't seem very genuine.

"Kano, the college is half an hour by bus, I won't need you to pick me up." Kido retorted. She appreciated the thought, but wasn't college about becoming independent and becoming an adult? Besides, she didn't care about what 'her new friends' would think of her. And how would being picked up on a motorcycle make her cool anyway? It's not like she was the one driving it.

"Still, I think it's better." Kano argued. And even though his face still showed the same smile, he spoke quickly and his voice shook a little.

"How would it be better? You'd just waste gas and that's going to cost you a small fortune." She scolded, not really getting what his problem was.

"I don't care about that!" He stated and looked at her with determined eyes.

"Kido, I-I don't like the thought of you going home alone every day. You're a pretty girl and who knows what some of those guys might be thinking! It's not a very safe district anyway." He tried to explain himself and Kido's cheeks flushed a bit at the compliment, as unbelievable as it was. His explanation made sense, but for some reason Kido suspected that was only half of the truth.

"Since when were you such a worrywart? I walk around on my own all the time. I can take care of myself." She growled and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She felt a bit insulted. They'd always been equals and all of a sudden he felt like he had to protect her? No way in hell.

Suddenly Kano's expression changed. His smile faded into an expression of annoyance and maybe a little bitterness. However, what shocked Kido the most was the strong hold he suddenly had on her arms as he slowly pressed her against the side of the building.

"Kido, listen." The sobriety in his voice made her shut up. She couldn't see his face. His eyes were hidden in the shadow that cast over his face as his head hung low. The streetlamp only illuminated the alley scarcely, and she was sure that not even the people passing by on the main road would be able to see them if they didn't squint their eyes.

"You're going to leave us. I know you'll still live here, but you'll make new friends, meet up with them, maybe even find a lover..." He whispered that last part.

"And that's okay! We're happy for you! You worked so hard for this and you deserve nothing less than the best."

She could only stare at him as the words tumbled out of his mouth with utmost sincerity.

"You've taken care of us for way too long and it's about time you did something for yourself, but..."

His hold on her arms slackened and his shoulders slumped slightly as he took a deep breath.

"But please, let us be a part of your new life, too." His voice cracked and he looked up at her with eyes full of utter misery. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close, startling her yet again.

"Please don't leave me." His words were barely a whisper against her ear, but their meaning screamed so loud at her it shook her heart and soul.

So that's what this was all about. He was scared she'd shut them out of her life? What a stupid thing to get worked up about.

Kido chuckled a little and gently returned his embrace.

"You're such an idiot." She ruffled his messy hair as a reassuring gesture and continued in a soft voice.

"I'd never leave you. You know that, come on." She said while rubbing his back in an attempt to calm the boy before her. They'd been together all their life and shared both good and bad memories. They helped each other overcome hardships and supported each other no matter what. And he thought their relationship would be over just like that? He truly was an idiot.

"You never know." He grumbled.

"I do know, Kano. I know that I want you in my life now and I will want you in my life in the future. And even if I befriend some new people, none of them could ever mean more to me than you guys."

He didn't reply, but instead tightened his hold around her and pressed their bodies together.

"You can pick me up from college if you want, I don't mind." She finally gave in and Kano lifted his head to look at her, his arms still around her shoulders.

"Is that a promise?" His cat-like golden eyes locked with her coal tinted ones and they gazed at each other, not daring to blink.

"Yeah." Kido breathed. "It's a promise."

Kano released a shaky breath and Kido only now realized how close their faces actually were. She could feel his hot breaths against her own and his scent invaded her nose, intoxicating her mind.

Kano's eyes fluttered for a moment and his head tilted slightly to the right as the gap between their faces grew smaller.

"Can I...?" He asked reluctantly, his voice being nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

Instead of vocalizing an answer Kido closed the distance between them and placed a shy kiss on his lips, to which he responded with a kiss in return.

It was light and chaste. Not like in those movies where the couple goes full out french kissing as soon as they lay their eyes on each other. No, this was different. There was no lust involved, not even any sort of hot desire. It was the purest and sincerest form of affection. But the kiss held so much meaning, so much emotion, that the message was conveyed all the same.

Her hands wandered to his cheeks, holding him in place just a little longer, before they pulled away. Both of them looked to the side and they parted, standing a few steps away from each other, fidgeting awkwardly.

Kido was glad it was so dark or else her deeply crimson tinted face would be even more embarrassing than it already was.

"Well..." Kano finally broke the silence and looked up at her.

"Does that mean I won't have to worry about you finding yourself a boyfriend anymore?" He asked jokingly, although his voice was still shaking, probably because he was still nervous.

"No." Kido said, still not meeting his gaze and tugged at a loose thread on her sleeve. "You don't, idiot. It's not like you ever had to, most boys don't think about me like that anyway!" She quickly added, mostly to change topics. Her feelings were on a rollercoaster for the second time this night and she needed time to digest everything. And maybe dream about the feeling of those lips meeting hers again. A little. Maybe.

He grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, trust me Kido, they do. I'm a guy after all. And I know what kind of things I think about you." He winked at her and she blushed furiously. She was about to lash out at him when-

"Oh no." She paled.

She turned on her heel and dashed for the apartment.

"K-Kido? Hey, what's wrong? Was it something I said?" He stumbled after her and only caught a glimpse of moss green hair disappearing in the front door.

The smell of burnt cupcakes met his nose.

Characters and Kagerou Project belong to Jin