Heh... a bit of fluffy fun/angst... erm. Let's see- a bit yaoi, but really,
nothing explicit at all =P and based on Raideen the Superior- a rather
lovely show where our heroes transform by tearing off their clothes
beforehand... ^_^ 

Oh, and if one cares... massiveish spoilers for the end of the series... 

Night on the Grass: By Monica Shin

	Ruins of building are still prominent in the landscape of this part of
Japan, even though more than a year has passed since the God-Raideen had
launched its attack on the planet. Even with all the communities rebuilding
with the Raideens help, some places have just been consigned as trash with
nothing to save. I can't help shaking my head- it's only an hour away from
Tokyo, and yet, you would think it was another world from that thriving
metropolis... 

	Still, it fits my mood well enough. It's usually deserted- but if there
does happen to be anyone here, they're probably scavengers trying to find a
few trinkets or salvageable items left behind in the devastation. Even
after the God-Raideen had been stopped by all of us in Raideen Superior,
the world hasn't returned all the way to the place it had been before...
Not that I'd been expecting that or anything, but it would have been nice. 

	Looking out at the dead, ruined scene before me, I can't help but feel
something... empty, almost. Sad, certainly. Why? Why have I been feeling so
depressed lately? I should be happy, shouldn't I? The threat against the
Earth is gone. Now, everyone is just so much more relaxed as the Angels and
the Hearts, having mock competitions on stage with each other as idol
groups, not as real enemies. Helping out as Raideens, not having to fight... 

	But. I sit down atop of a larger pile of rubble, and start to throw
pebbles at the devastated land that had once been a street. The rocks hit
the ground, and seem to be swallowed by the tall grass and the sinking sun.
I sigh as I watch the blood-red sunset, unobstructed by anything in the
horizon. 

	Sooner or later, this place will probably be bulldozed down, and left to
become another memorial to all those who had perished on that horrible
day... but for now, it is my sanctuary, my only place of escape in this
cruel dark world... Crinkling my nose at that last bit of purple prose, I
can't help but chuckling. Well, something like that.

	If someone does happen to stumble upon here, all they will see is one
rather depressed boy... I'd like to think young man, but everyone seems to
think I am still a child, so boy it is. Although anyone who had survived
that day of fire and death should be thought of as more mature than a mere
child... 

	If that person stumbling by happens to be a young lady who follows music
and groups, she might recognize that boy... young man... whatever... as the
black-haired keyboardist of the current hit, the Hearts. That is, if the
young lady is perceptive enough to match the rather plain, depressed person
before her with a member of that flamboyant band...

	As it is, the only things that seem likely to happen upon this site are
some crows or some derelicts... Hopefully, mentioning crows wouldn't bring
down that Crow from the sky. I look up involuntarily, but don't see the
form of an overprotective Kazuya, so.. I'm almost sure that I've gotten
away from Kazuya-san, but one can ever be too sure with him. 

	Still, I think I can say with all certainty that I am totally alone-
"Fujimaru-kun? What are you doing here?" I start at the light voice behind
me, and turn my head toward the person who has defeated at least one
certainty in my life... Just one? More than one, certainly... Hayate flies
up from the ground to the top of the rubble, and smiles at me.

	"Hayate-kun... Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Hayate sits down next to
me and gives me a curious look. I notice that he had been smart enough to
take off his shirt- both because of the unusually hot day, and because he
had been flying, after all- and ruining good shirts isn't something even
Raideens should do on a regular basis. Of course, we had, when there had
been an enemy... but now, there was no excuse. Not now, when there were
truly very few things left... and now was nothing, compared to what it must
have been like, right after that day.

	I frown to myself as I remember the stories of the hardships, of the
desperation during the first few days. No one knew where to get anything
and riots had been common. No one knew how many had died after that day,
because of the massive scale of the destruction, and the monsters- both
supernatural and human- who had taken to hunting weaker prey... 

	It hadn't hit people until weeks and months later- after a semblance of
order had been established, and the fear and desperation everyone had been
feeling had lessened a bit. That was when people had realized that their
world was totally different. Little things, really. They noticed that their
favorite store had been destroyed, or that a certain television show had
been canceled... not really significant, considering all they had lived
through, but some people had just snapped, and... 

	We had come back- the five of us- from the darkness that we had been
transported to with the God-Raideen, to a devastated world. We had come
back with the knowledge of how we could fix it, and in what time period, to
do what we had to do. We had all heard what the God-Raideen had said- that
demons must be destroyed. We had seen it destroy the Earth, because of the
Raideens. It thought that the Raideens were demons, and it would do
anything to perform its functions of destroying all demons- and it didn't
care that Earth would be a casualty.

	I had been the one to recognize the comet flying by, telling us that we
had a year, where we could destroy the threat that would make the
God-Raideen come back to destroy again. What we had to do was really
simple. Just get rid of all the Raideens. Just that...

	I realize that I've been staring out into space for the last five minutes,
and give Hayate a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, Hayate-kun. But
really- what are you doing here?" He gives me a grin, and replies, "I
followed you, of course. You were really distracted- during that whole
hour, you didn't even notice I was there." 

	"Oh." My reply is short, almost curt. Hayate gives me a look asking me
what's wrong, but doesn't ask me anything. Instead, we sit watching the sun
set in companionable silence. Finally, I ask him in a quiet voice, "Why did
you follow me?" I look at him through the gray darkness, and see his face
turn away from me just a little... his eyes are in shadows, covered by his
longer hair...

	"Because... because-" He turns toward me abruptly, and gives me a fierce
look. Almost angry... "Why have you been avoiding me? Why? What did I do?
You told me we were friends! But-" He stops himself, and looks down at the
ground. Taking a few stones from the pile next to me, he starts to throw
them into the darkness, looking away from me. 

	I start to answer, but find that I can't. Somehow, I can't say anything at
all as I watch his bare arm's smooth motion, launching rubble into the
broken pieces on the ground. He shivers slightly, and puts on the jacket
that he had tied around his waist as he had been flying. I'm cold myself,
so I wear the coat I'd brought along just in case.

	The silence between us stretches out, tighter and tighter, until it snaps.
Hayate throws a rock with too much force, overbalancing him, and the rock
that we're sitting on. With a loud cry, he starts to fall with the rocks.
"Hayate-kun!" I can't help screaming out his name as I catch him mid-fall,
hovering in the air. 

	"Damn... another jacket." I hear myself say that, and then can't help but
start to laugh. It was ridiculous- all of that danger, and we had
over-reacted to a pile of rocks... Hayate starts to laugh also, and then
closes his eyes and leans against me. His breath against my chest makes me
shiver and I hold him for a moment, suspended there between the stars.

	"Hayate-kun, are you all right?" My whisper cuts through the moment, and
he looks up at me with an almost panicked look in his eyes. He gets one arm
out of his jacket as quickly as he can, considering he's being held up mid
air, and then jerks away from me as soon as his own wings can support him.

	"I- I'm fine, Fujimaru-kun. Thanks..." Hayate flies a small distance away
from me to a clear spot on the ground, and I follow him quietly. He's
managed to find the one place where it almost seems like nothing had
happened here. A little grassy knoll with a few flowers growing here and
there- almost idyllic. Actually, it kind of reminds me of that preserve in
Africa that-

	I close my eyes for a moment, and then open them again. Now- I pause. Now
is not the time to think of that, is it? A small, bitter smile creeps up on
my face for a moment before I notice and sigh quietly. Hayate has lay down
on the grass, stretching out and looking up at the stars. I follow suit,
and gaze up at the vast emptiness that I could reach out to if I wanted to...

	Hayate's whisper makes me want to close my eyes again. "Fujimaru-kun. You
never answered my question... why? Why haven't you been talking to me? I
thought that after all of this was over, we could go back to being
friends... 'cause I thought we were friends, no matter what Kazuya-san made
you do-" 

	I laugh out loud at that, and then I do close my eyes. Looking at the dark
inside of my eyelids, I let that day in Africa flash before me again.
"Kazuya-san didn't make me do anything. Don't you understand?!" I sit up,
opening my eyes, and look down at him for a moment. His eyes are wide,
uncomprehending. For a guy who's supposed to have an IQ of 250, he just
never seems to get it...

	"Don't you see? I asked Kazuya-san to give me the responsibility of... of
killing you. Of destroying you. I asked him!" Hayate's eyes are filled with
shock as he also sits up and grabs my shoulders. "You... why? Why-" Feeling
his hands gripping me with more force than he probably realized, I steel
myself to look up at him and tell him something-

	Except... Except I'd forgotten that if I look up at him, I look into his
eyes. Into his incredibly large, deep, brown eyes that are now filling with
pain and tears... Hayate doesn't let go of me and forces me to keep on
looking at him with sheer willpower alone. "Why did you do that? I thought
that we were-"

	Dammit. I hadn't wanted... I didn't want to- Why the hell am I crying? I
can't stop the tears as they start to run down my face, droplets falling
onto Hayate's hands. His voice is tinged with panic as he notices my tears.
"Fujimaru-kun? What- what's wrong? I'm sorry- if you don't want to-" I wrap
my arms around his waist and let my head go on his shoulder. 

	"Fujimaru-kun..." His whisper breathes against my ear as he holds me
tight, his arms warm against my neck. Hayate doesn't say anything more,
letting me cry on his shoulder for what seems like years... Finally, I pull
away and rub at my eyes, trying to put a smile on my face. Even I can tell
that it's can't seem terribly genuine.

	The words are pouring out of me now, for some reason. Why... "Hayate-kun.
Don't you understand? I killed you!" He's about to interrupt me, but I
don't let him. "I know that you're alive, that you're here. That somehow,
you managed to survive. But it doesn't change the fact that if I could
have, I would have."

	I shudder as I remember holding Hayate's still body in the hot sun.
Dying... "I was willing to do that- to do that to my only friend..."
Quietly, I smile and look down at my hands. "I know- the Hearts... But
that's different. Family is what they are- sometimes I don't like them very
much, but they're going to always be there. But you... Hayate-kun. You were
the first friend I had ever made on my own. The only friend that I feel so-"

	I'm saying too much. Beyond too much. But for some reason, I just can't
shut up- "That I was able to do that, to the person that I think I-"
Choking it off somehow, I manage not to say it. "That I was only
unsuccessful because of luck- I'm a devil. A monster..." I look up from my
hands, my eyes almost blind. 

	Suddenly I chuckle and feel Hayate shift in reply to my bitter tone,
putting a hand on my arm in concern. I pull away, and ask him in a shaking
voice, "Did you know? The only time I was happy during those days was when
I truly realized what it meant. That I was a Raideen, too. Of course, it
meant that I had to die... I had made little scenarios about being in the
afterlife, after I was killed, or I had killed myself... however it
happened, I knew that my death was inevitable."

	"It was more of a dream- I would be dead, and you would come running up to
me and tell me that you understood why I had killed you. Or you would be
running away and I would never be able to catch up with you..." I feel
hollow inside as I smile at Hayate. Reflected in his eyes, I know exactly
how pathetic I'm being.

	Taking a deep breath, I stand up from the grass. "I- Hayate-kun, sorry. I
didn't mean to... I'm messed up, aren't I? Never mind-" Hayate's hand
reaches up and grabs mine. He pulls me back down into the grass, not
letting go of my hand. "Fujimaru-kun..." Hayate's voice is just a little
uncertain, as if he was on the edge of some huge cliff and he thought
someone was going to push him.

	"Fujimaru-kun. Please-" He looks away for a moment, before forcing his
eyes to look at mine. Chocolate one second, and the burgundy the next...
I'm drowning in them. They're not sad anymore, those eyes- they're shining,
anticipating. "Please. Finish your sentence."

	I could say 'What sentence?' but I know that it won't work. I guess that
250 IQ managed to catch something... "To the person that I think I-" I know
I'm blushing horribly, but I can't seem to stop myself. I stiffen myself
up, and finish it in a rush. "The person that I think I love. You-
Hayate-kun, I think I love you..." 

	I wait for the rejection, and look up when he doesn't say anything. I look
up to meet a gaze that somehow doesn't have hate or fear in it. Matching
love... happiness... "Fujimaru-kun... I- I think I love you too." Hayate
said it as rushed as I had, but those words...

	"How- how can you? After what I did- after what I tried to do-" Somehow,
irrationally, some part of me is still trying to make it obvious that this
has to be a dream, that he can't possibly mean it. "Fujimaru-kun... from
all that you just told me... I would have to be an idiot not to realize how
much pain you were in, and how justified you were in doing what you did."

	Hayate smiles, and takes his arms out of his jacket. He sits close beside
me and drapes it over both our shoulders so that it means us having to
cling to each other for any kind of warmth. Inside me, I feel that warmth
breaking through the last knot of darkness I had stored within myself.

	Smiling, I sigh and lean against Hayate's bare chest, and turn my head
toward his. He had been doing the exact same thing, and somehow we manage
to bump noses... We manage to exclaim simultaneously, and then start to
laugh. We both flop down onto the grass, and somehow, I'm staring straight
into Hayate's face, and neither of us are laughing.

	We stare at each other for a timeless second, before my mouth moves to
meet Hayate's with a light touch. I move my hand to his neck, moving him
closer to me, and his arms wrap around me in a warm embrace that abolishes
the need for the jacket lying under us. Our lips meet again, and lock onto
each other in a starved way... we hadn't even realized we had been needing
this...

	Finally, the long, amazing kiss breaks off, and we both pant in each
other's arms. "Fujimaru-kun- I don't think I love you." I stiffen in his
arms as I hear what he says. "Oh. I see-" Hayate's light tap on my forehead
stops my mind's spiral into darkness, and he smiles into my eyes.
"Fujimaru-kun, I don't _think_ I love you. I _know_ I love you. Okay?"

	I nod and smile back feeling both incredibly silly and relieved. But no
anger at all... Not at him. Never again. He's mine- my brave, naive,
wonderful Hayate... Looking at him speculatively, I ask in a teasing tone,
"What could we possibly find to do at night all by ourselves?"

	Hayate laughs, and then pulls me down next to him. "I think we should find
out, don't you?" His lips stop speaking as I touch mine to his, and then
we're both quiet for a while... Well, no. That's a lie... we're definitely
not quiet, but we're not really talking now, are we?

	I can't help giggling a little as Hayate's overgrown haircut brushes
against my stomach. He gives me a fierce look, to which I shrug helplessly.
I grin after I get an idea, and flip him over so that my breath is warm
against his back. He struggles for a bit, before I tickle him to
submission. After that, he's still, probably wondering what I'm about to do.

	Taking my headband off, I gently place it on his forehead. Tying it so
that his hair was out of his face and mine, I shake my hair out with a
smile. "As long as my hair doesn't do the same thing to you, it should be
all right-" I stop as Hayate's hand reaches up to where I had placed my
headband.

	Just a little worried, I look at him with a curious frown. "Don't you like
it? If you don't, I'll just-" Hayate's smile was so bright as he just says,
"Thank you." I blush and nod, only to be pulled down by Hayate back onto
the grass. His lips meet mine, and I feel 'home' and safe...

	The next morning, I wake to find that we're rather terribly tangled in
clothes that we had tossed off haphazardly the night before. I wake Hayate
with a kiss, and he moves his head from my chest with a slight moan. "Wake
up, sleepy. We should get back before they come looking for us, ne?"

	Hayate smiles at me sleepily, and then nods. "I suppose..." Taking his
coat, he lets his wings extend fully, when he starts at my laugh. "What?" I
point to his clothes that are in a pile on the grass. "You may want to wear
those..." He blushes a bright red, and grabs the clothes quickly.
Interesting... I had no idea that blushes could extend so far down a
person's body...

	As he dresses, Hayate starts to laugh also. "I'm used to being naked from
being Falcon, I suppose... I didn't give it much thought, and it's not like
I got any sleep last night..." He sticks his tongue out at me and then
smiles. I lean over to him and give him a slow, lazy kiss. 

	Hayate leans against me and sighs. "What are we going to tell everyone?" I
shrug, not really knowing what to say. "We'll see how they react, and...
well, it's not like they can really do anything." But even as I say that,
we both have somewhat sick expressions on our face. "Fujimaru-kun... let's
just hope they don't mind."

	I nod, and we both put on all our clothes before leaping into the sky.
Glancing at Hayate, I feel that he's reveling in the flight as much as I
am. I give a loud shout, and here him echo it in the air. I reach over, and
almost shyly take his hand, and his grip is tight and sure. We don't let go
for the whole trip back...

	We land near the place where all of us have been living. It's a rather
convenient building- a renovated theater with enough room for all everyone
to live and practice in. Hayate smiles at me nervously, his breath coming a
bit faster in anticipation of the conflict inside. Looking at the building,
he sighs and notes, "I'm glad we were able to find it, considering
Reiko-san couldn't just let us live at her place anymore. I mean, she's
married now and all... besides, our old place is a bit small for all ten of
us." 

	I nod and then take a deep breath, before replying, "Let's hope we don't
have to move out..." I let go of his hand, but we nevertheless go in as a
unit, side by side. I hear the sounds of music and jumping inside, and
realize that they must be practicing... I give Hayate a serious look, which
he returns, and he opens the door to the stage and goes in, with me close
behind. 

	"Hayate, Fujimaru! There you are..." Hishou's enthusiastic voice trails
off as he looks at both of us. Everyone else's greetings or reprimands dies
out similarly as they all look at the two of us with somewhat stunned
faces. Looking down at myself, I wonder what's wrong. After all, we're not
that dirty, and-

	Finally, Ikazuchi says, "Well... I was expecting this, but not quite so
soon." Then he laughs, and asks in an off-hand way, "I wonder how many
girls are going to drop both our bands now that our cutest members are
unavailable..." They all stare for a moment before Kyle chuckles and
follows up with, "Or how many fans we're going to get because of the
relationship..."

	Everyone else starts to chime in merrily, and the tension breaks down
quickly. Both of us are almost tossed around as all of our- well, our
family, really- either congratulates us or offers us sage advice about love
and life... My utterly lost expression must have caught Kazuya's eyes, as
he sighs and leads me away from the crowd for a bit. 

	"Fujimaru. Were you planning on keeping it a secret?" I shake my head
uncertainly. "Well, we were going to sort of tell you all quietly and-" He
laughs a true laugh for a moment, and then tells me with a grin, "Next
time, don't be quite so obviously messy. But even then... well, don't lend
Hayate-kun your headband, and don't let him put so many hickeys on you.
Okay?" He shakes his head again, and pushes me back into the crowd.

	I flush as I realize that of course, my headband was on Hayate, and that-
Blushing even more brightly, I go over to Hayate and repeat what Kazuya had
just told me. He turns even more red than I had, and then starts to laugh
rather helplessly. I join him, and give him a quick kiss which leads to
even more of a commotion. Even Hishou and Kazuya joins in on the
roughhousing, leading me to rethink my whole conception of the two as the
adult leaders...

	Still, among the crowd of totally childish, immature Raideens, I feel that
this is where I belong... and when Hayate gives me longer kiss in return, I
know that I'm home.

-----
Monica/Akira-chan/Heero/Hayama/Naga/Kircheis no Miko- Proud TABBE! Member
monica@pipeline.com - http://www.pipeline.com/~monica/- Up! Yay! ^_^
Loves- CLAMP, LoGH, MB, RKen, Z/B, Gundam, EVA, KoDoCha, RoV, Subby, Seig
"Tell Annerose-sama that Sieg kept his promise..." - Kircheis-sama
"Watashi no Andre?" Oscar Francois de Jarjeyes