5WIRL + Wanderer COLLAB!!!

Chapter 6

  Kazuha fretted all evening and all night. He was walking through the door to the training room when he realized that he had accomplished nothing.
  Well, not nothing... He had set a tiny goal for himself. He took a crumb of Beidou's advice and gained enough resolve to tell himself to at least hold Kunikuzushi's hand if he could... but he wasn't sure he could even do such a simple thing...
  And he was even less confident in himself when he saw Kunikuzushi again. Just looking at him made Kazuha feel squeamish! How was he supposed to live with this reality?!
  It was even worse when Kazuha noticed that Kunikuzushi smelled different today. He smelled like vanilla, along with his natural scent. Was he wearing perfume?... He wanted to ask but then thought it might be a weird thing to say... He really had no idea how to even begin to talk to Kunikuzushi anymore...
  Kazuha almost had a heart attack several times that day. Most of them because they were practicing choreography... and that meant that he and Kunikuzushi were touching each other pretty much the whole time...
  Kazuha had an excuse prepared for Beidou. He would say, "we were holding hnads while dancing... that counts." But did it really count?... He sighed, knowing Beidou would never except such an answer. She would say that Kazuha needed to "express himself" and that something he had to do anyways didn't count.
  "You okay?" Kunikuzushi asked, snapping Kazuha from his thoughts.
  "Oh- uh, yeah," he smiled. Being around Kunikuzushi made Kazuha feel better and worse all at once. Around this time the unit was taking a quick break.
  "Did something happen?" He lowered his voice.
  Kazuha shook his head, "no, no, I've just got a lot on my mind... It's nothing too serious, so don't worry."
  Kunikuzushi held no expression as he looked over at the others, "we'll talk about this later."
  Kazuha opened his mouth to give another excuse but Kunikuzushi stood up and walked over to Heizou. He sighed, what was he going to do, now? Kazuha was a terrible liar, there was no way he would get out of this alive!
  Aether sat down next to Kazuha, smiling at him. He flicked his eyes over at Kunikuzushi as if to ask what was going on.
  Kazuha covered his face, "Aether, I'm hopeless... I cant even bring myself to hold his hand... even looking at him makes my heart feel like it's going to burst..."
  Aether chuckled as he pat Kazuha's arm, "I believe in you."
  Kazuha couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Aether..."
  Aether gave him a thumbs-up, "you've got this."
  "We'll see," Kazuha pursed his lips as he looked over at the rest of the group.
  "Just do what feels right, Kazuha. You don't have to put on a show for anyone."
  "You're right... I should stop focusing on the end goal and focus on what's in front of me." Kazuha smiled, "you are way too good at encouraging people. It's like you have a super power."
  Aether only giggled, closing his eyes as a response.
  "Alright, let's go again!" Heizou clapped his hands together loudly and everyone went back over to the mirror wall.
  Kunikuzushi stretched out his hands forward, "don't overthink the movements, they'll come naturally if you let them."
  Kazuha nodded nervously as he approached his designated spot. He took a deep breath as he stared at his reflection. He didn't look so much like a mess (besides his red face), but he sure felt like one.
  "Let's do the right-left-turn-slide again," Heizou said once everyone was in place. If we can perfect it now, it'll be easier to put it together with everything else later."
  Kunikuzushi nodded as everyone turned to face the mirror.
  "You can start the count," Kunikuzushi offered.
  Kazuha nodded again, though felt like his mouth wasn't going to work properly. Nevertheless he took one last deep breath and tapped his foot as he counted.
  "One-and-two-and-three-and-four-and-"
  "Right-and-left-and" Kunikuzushi spoke with him as they raised both their arms.
  "Turn-and-" Kazuha hated this next part most. But he only hated it because it made him anxious, other than that he love it.
  Kazuha and Kunikuzushi turned to face each other, "slide-" they slid their feet across the floor, coming close to each other and holding their hands slightly away from each other's faces.
  "And..." Kazuha tried not to feel embarrassed, but it was so hard when they were so close... If he just leaned a little bit forward, they'd be touching...
  Why did Heizou have to torture him like this?!?!
  Kunikuzushi smiled a little bit, "what side do you normally wear your mic?"
  "What? Oh- uh, my left," Kazuha answered. Why would Kunikuzushi ask that?...
  "Then it's alright if we touch the right side," Kunikuzushi's hand hovered closer to Kazuha's face.
  Kazuha blinked in complete shock. "Oh."
  "Unless you don't want to," Kunikuzushi faltered.
  "No, it's fine," Kazuha cupped Kunikuzushi right cheek, surprised by how squishy he was. He wanted to laugh and say he had a baby face, but kept it to himself. Then he realized he was touching Kunikuzushi's face...
  Kazuha slowly and anxiously met Kunikuzushi's eyes, scared for his life.
  Kunikuzushi shrugged, "whatever you want to do. It's not like the audience will be able to tell, right?" He put his hand against Kazuha's face as well. Then he blew air out his nose as he poked Kazuha, "you have a baby face."
  "You don't have much room to talk," Kazuha pinched his cheek gently.
  "Yeah, I guess not," he chuckled as he took a step back. "Let's go again."
  Kazuha had completely forgotten what they were doing and where they were. He was suddenly brought back into reality. He fearfully looked at everyone else through the mirror.
  Venti and Xiao were off in their own little land, being all gushy again. Heizou and Aether, however, weren't. Aether smiled at Kazuha through the mirror, offering him another thumbs up. Heizou smirked, offering no encouragement and only making Kazuha feel more embarrassed because they had seen (and probably heard) everything!
  The entire next hour Kazuha was nervous beyond reason. Then, he started getting into a rhythm and was able to focus again.
  Before he knew it, the day was almost over and everyone was leaving.
  Kunikuzushi exited out the balcony door once again and Kazuha followed him dutifully.
  Kunikuzushi seemed amused, "you're rather persistent."
  "Hm?" Kazuha blinked. "I don't know what you mean..."
  "You keep coming to speak with me," Kunikuzushi gestured out at the buildings, then rested his hands on the rails. "What's an Angel like you doing chasing after a demon like me?"
  Kazuha hesitated. Did Kunikuzushi know...? He paused before he walked over and carefully put his hands onto the cold metal railing.
  "I don't think you're a demon..." Kazuha spoke quietly.
  "So you finally admit that you're an Angel?" Kunikuzushi chuckled.
  "No. I... I didn't say that..."
  "Hm, if you say so."
  Kazuha took a deep breath, "Kuni... I'm not that good and you aren't that bad... Forgive me for saying so, but you've got it all wrong."
  "Oh, really?" He grew more amused, it seemed.
  Kazuha nodded, avoiding looking in Kunikuzushi's direction. "I have my flaws, just like everyone else... and you are a lot better than you think."
  Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes, still smiling, "that still doesn't explain why you're here."
  "Well... what if I told you that I like talking to you?" Kazuha slowly looked at him, scared of everything at once.
  Kunikuzushi blinked in surprise, then he laughed. "What kind of an answer is that?!"
  "It's... it's a truthful one..." Kazuha felt his face getting hot.
  "Sure, but," Kunikuzushi shook his head, "it's so simple."
  "Does it need to be complicated?... If I like talking with someone I'm going to want to talk with them more..."
  Kunikuzushi chuckled as he leaned against the wall, "you're rather strange for an Angel."
  "I- I'm not..." Kazuha sighed.
  Kunikuzushi shook his head, "does it matter what I call you? Just because I say it doesn't make it true."
  Kazuha hesitated before responding. "I know... but I still..."
  "I would think you would be flattered by it. I mean, Angels are supposed to be pure and perfect, right?" He pointed out.
  "Yes..." Kazuha pursed his lips, "but it feels... kind of patronizing when you say it..."
  "What? Can't handle a little teasing?" He chuckled. "Isn't that what friends do?"
  Kazuha blinked. "Oh, I guess you're right..."
  "Sorry if it seemed like I was looking down on you," Kunikuzushi apologized, still wearing his smile, "I didn't mean it that way."
  "No, it's alright." Kazuha shook his hands along with his head.
  "There you go being a pushover again," Kunikuzushi closed his eyes.
  "I am not," Kazuha pouted, folding his arms.
  "Earlier," Kunikuzushi started, his tone shifting drastically. He sounded serious and almost upset, even. "You looked like you were in pain."
  Kazuha felt like there was a wrong answer here. Like he was forced to choose an answer to a trick question. "I..."
  "Can I see it?" Kunikuzushi held his hands out as he stood up.
  Kazuha paused. So Kunikuzushi was just worried about how badly he had hurt Kazuha?...
  Kazuha felt his heart melting, "you aren't a demon at all, Kuni..."
  Kunikuzushi frowned, "are you going to show me, or what?"
  Kazuha snapped out of it. "Oh, right." He quickly pulled up his sleeve and unwound his bandages. Underneath was a dark-colored bruise over his wrist. It wasn't very big and it wasn't swollen. It was just a bruise.
  Even so, Kunikuzushi stared at it with disdain.
  "It doesn't hurt anymore," Kazuha assured him. "Honestly, it just looks bad."
  Kunikuzushi shook his head, but didn't say anything.
  Kazuha sighed quietly as he wrapped himself back up. "Kuni, please... don't blame yourself for this... I shouldn't have done something like that in the first place..."
  "Then why did you?" Kunikuzushi asked, hardly speaking louder than a whisper.
  Kazuha looked up at him in shock.
  Kunikuzushi was staring off at the scenery. His jaw was clenched tightly and he had a far-off look on his face.
  "I..." Kazuha didn't know what to say.
  "You even did so before..." Kunikuzushi said slowly, as if trying to piece everything together. "After you finished telling the story... you thought I was asleep and-"
  "I'm sorry!!!" Kazuha bowed deeply. "I wasn't thinking and my hands acted on their own! I didn't mean any harm by it!"
  Kunikuzushi blinked down at him. Then he shook his head, "stand up, you didn't do anything wrong..."
  Kazuha stood. "But-"
  "I just wanted to know... why you wanted to know how I would respond..." Kunikuzushi was staring down at his hands, which were gripping the rails tightly.
  Kazuha felt like his face was going to burst into flames. "I- I don't know what to tell you, Kuni..."
  "The truth, preferably..." Kunikuzushi chuckled. "It's just... that's such a strange thing to be curious about..."
  "Is it?..." Kazuha asked quietly. "I just wanted to know..."
  "But your curiosity got you hurt," Kunikuzushi narrowed his eyes at Kazuha's hand.
  Kazuha chuckled nervously as he put his hands behind his back, "ah, well... It was worth it."
  "Huh?! But you-"
  "I feel like I understand you better, now," Kazuha smiled sheepishly down at the floor. "And now that I know a bit more about your background, I understand why you reacted the way you did."
  Kunikuzushi folded his arms, "what good does any of this do you?"
  Kazuha clasped his hands together nervously, "I... Well, it brings me closer to you..."
  Kunikuzushi stared at him for a long moment. Then he snorted, "seriously? You're *such* a weirdo."
  "Really?" Kazuha laughed nervously. "Because you claim to be single and yet you wore a different perfume today..."
  Kunikuzushi blinked. "You... noticed that?..."
  Kazuha nodded, "I mean, we were rather close to each other all day..." He felt panic rising inside him.
  Kunikuzushi chewed on his words. "I am single... I just knew we were going to be practicing choreo today..."
  Kazuha felt so incredibly embarrassed. He didn't know wether to apologize for assuming or if he should apologize for existing at all.
  "What about you?" Kunikuzushi quickly turned the conversation around, "you're much more dressed up than usual."
  Kazuha held his breath. He hadn't even meant to but he kept finding himself wanting to look his best for Kunikuzushi...
  "I'm not... dating the person I like..." Kazuha said in embarrassment.
  "But you're going to see them, right?" Kunikuzushi smiled, "you shouldn't keep them waiting."
  "I'm not," Kazuha shook his head.
  "So you saw them this morning?" He then smiled wider, his expression becoming more sinister, "or is it a nighttime visit?..."
  "Kuni-" Kazuha'a face was burning up and he had to stop himself from screaming. He didn't know what to do! His mind was filling with thoughts he shouldn't have! And Kunikuzushi's expression wasn't helping!!!
  Kunikuzushi laughed, "I know, I know, sorry, sorry."
  Kazuha took a deep breath, "it's not... we aren't..."
  "So you aren't dating your special someone, and you aren't that close, either," Kunikuzushi put his hand on his chin. "How long have you known them, then?"
  "Can... can we talk about something else?..." Kazuha asked helplessly.
  "No, I find this very entertaining." Kunikuzushi laughed, "you get embarrassed so easily."
  "That's only because it's you..." Kazuha muttered under his breath.
  "Well???"
  "Ah- uhm, it hasn't been long since we met in person... but I've known them longer than they've known me..." Kazuha explained quietly. He didn't have the energy to try and worm his way out of this and lying wasn't an option.
  "So, what? You stalked them?" He raised a brow.
  "No! No, I would never!" Kazuha shook his head and held out his hands.
  Kunikuzushi laughed, "I'm only joking!"
  "I just knew them online... and they're kind of popular, so..." Kazuha pressed his hands together nervously.
  "Are they another idol?!" Kunikuzushi asked excitedly.
  Kazuha held his mouth shut, fiddling with his clothes.
  "It is!!" Kunikuzushi laughed, "there's hope for you, then! There aren't any rules about idols dating other idols, are there???"
  Kazuha was a bit surprised by how interested Kunikuzushi was. "Uhm, I don't know..." he looked away.
  "Come on, you can't just give up! You love them, right?"
  "I..." Kazuha looked around.
  "You said you did yesterday," Kunikuzushi nodded to himself. "Doesn't love give you a ton of motivation and stuff?"
  Kazuha paused, "sometimes... Wait, have you actually never... fallen in love before?..."
  "Uh, not romantically..." Kunikuzushi had a bit of pink bleeding onto his cheeks as he looked away. "But I love my family, though that's probably different..."
  Kazuha nodded, "it's a little different..."
  "I'm kind of useless when it comes to romance. Miko likes romance novels and movies, so I've seen plenty. But I just can't seem to apply it to real life..."
  "Well," Kazuha chuckled, "it's a lot less glamorous than the way media presents it. It's so much more messy. Not a minute goes by without me constantly worrying about how the person I love feels towards me... I'm so worried that I'll say the wrong thing, or act too soon..."
  Kunikuzushi giggled, "but you can't."
  "What?" Kazuha looked up.
  "You're an Angel, and Angels can't make mistakes," Kunikuzushi was smiling.
  Kazuha felt like he was going to collapse and go into cardiac arrest. How could Kunikuzushi think so highly of him?!
  Kunikuzushi looked down at his watch. "I should probably get going. Don't put any strain on your wrist, okay?"
  Kazuha couldn't keep up. "Uh-"
  "I'll see you tomorrow," Kunikuzushi pushed the door open.
  "Ah-" Kazuha turned around.
  Kunikuzushi waved as he exited.
  "Oh..." Kazuha stared at the closed door before him.
  What was he supposed to do with anything that just happened?!?!