Whispers of the South Wind

Chapter 32

Living with someone else was hard.

And while it certainly wasn't early Commission training and working nearly nonstop on their orders hard, it was a fucking adjustment for sure.

The first day had been fairly easy, though to be fair she slept a majority of the time back then, the painkillers they had put her on forcing her body to sleep. She'd also been that way the majority of the time she was in the hospital and that coupled with her broken leg had left them in the odd position of figuring out how to get everybody home. Keigo wasn't comfortable with the idea of having to haul the trailer that was carrying Lady, so Anthony had given him the keys to his truck to drive home from West Virginia while he took her and her truck to haul Lady home.

"Trust me, you'll appreciate the peace later," he'd said with a smirk, though Keigo hadn't really understood it.

He liked her, he liked spending time with her, so he wasn't sure why Anthony thought he'd need space from her. Especially not after fighting so hard to finally get this far with her. He honestly wouldn't mind spending the drive home together, but he knew better than to argue with Anthony about it. Instead, he got into the truck and spent most of the six-hour drive home on the phone with Tomi, talking things over with her.

"I am so glad you're making such great progress with her," she said hesitantly when he finished catching her up on everything that had happened, and Keigo was already painfully aware he was about to get some type of lecture or words of wisdom. "But have you actually ever lived with someone before?"

Keigo paused, furrowing his brow as he tried to think back on it before letting out a small breath. "I had a roommate for a few months at the Commission during training. I was almost eleven at the time."

"Only a few months?" she asked back, the curiosity evident in her tone.

"Yeah. He, uh, didn't last long in the program..." he said, trailing off as his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

In all honesty, he didn't even really remember his name, but he certainly remembered the way he died. It's hard to forget the first time you kill a person after all.

It had started as a routine search and rescue training exercise, a scenario they had practiced a million times before. They were thrown into a simulated disaster zone, similar to UA's entrance exams and their own training drills, but this time, the city was already in ruins. Buildings lay in disarray, the ground unstable to mimic the aftermath of an earthquake. Their mission was clear: locate and assist the "civilians," represented by sandbags fitted with heartbeat simulators, and execute the appropriate medical and rescue procedures.

He and his roommate had decided to team up, making use of Fierce Wing's ability to sense and detect vibrations to pick up on the heartbeat simulators. He brought them to a rooftop, quickly depositing his roommate next to him before perching himself on the edge of the building. He used his hands to grip the edge, the rough stone digging into his palms slightly, before fully stretching out his wings. He was swift, sending feathers through the smashed windows of the neighboring building and closed his eyes as he waited for any type of feedback to make their way back to him.

His eyes flew open, his remaining feathers fluttering behind him as he drew in a sharp breath. "Got one!" he said excitedly, the boy next to him giving him a large smile.

"How do we get across?" He asked, titling his head slightly before casting a longing glance at Keigo's wings. "You've got your wings Hawks, but I can't fly and they'll dock me points if they catch you carrying me. We were lucky they didn't catch us flying up here."

Keigo was quick, looking around before spotting a few boards laying nearby. He used his feathers to gather them, letting out a sigh of relief when they were just long enough to stretch between both buildings.