&& missed you [Axel]

[Akkii]

Despite the fact that it was still late winter, it was particularly hot today. The sun beat down on Tokyo, and many were walking around in summer wear. Mikie was wandering the streets of the large city, exploring. She had just moved here with her parents, since her father had been offered a new job. So here she was, away from any friends she had in the last town she lived in. Not as if that mattered. Ever since Schatten and his family up and left, she’d been rather miserable. Things were too boring. Schattan’s cheerful attitude had always brightened her days, and without it, things just seemed bleak.

She could feel herself sweating a little bit in this heat, and she regretted wearing jeans today. Oh well, at least she hadn’t brought a jacket out today. School had just gotten out, and she was looking forward to the weekend. Plenty of time to walk around and take in everything about the big city. She already had a job at a restaurant near her house, and she planned to start tomorrow. Maybe she’d meet some new friends that way. Or, at least keep herself occupied so she didn’t spend time wondering about where Schatten and his family had gone. She hadn’t really spent much time with the others, though she recalled his parents being nice and his siblings rather interesting.

Sighing audibly, Mikie caught herself looking around the crowd for a familiar face. She did it often. There weren’t many people out today because of the merciless heat, but she could see a couple of people her age, and then a few adults, some talking in a business-like tone on cell phones as they rushed down the sidewalk. Her brown gaze wandered to the window of the shop she was passing. Sundresses and summer outfits filled the windows, and she made a mental note to visit this store sometime. The clothes looked nice.

Now, Mikie looked down at her feet as she walked, looking at the sidewalk. Here, it was paved with bricks, although the beauty was ruined by dark circles all over that were obviously chewed gum that people couldn’t bother to throw in a garbage.
Glancing up, she realized she’d nearly run into somebody. Mikie made to sidestep out of the way of the tall person, but as she saw his face, she stopped. She wondered if she was imagining things. It would make sense—she thought about Schatten so much. Besides, the eyes were different—gold replaced the beautiful, piercing blue in his eyes. Still, without thinking, Mikie erupted, “Schat!”

[C R I S I S]

The sudden heat wave that had struck wherever they were living now was not a good surprise. He hated the heat; the way it felt when someone’s shirt stuck to their back, the misery as you only wished to crawl into some deep hole in search of cool, in search of some sort of comfort. When it had come down to it though, he would gladly take the heat any day rather than the taunting calls of Gabriel; for some reason his sibling seemed to think he cared who he was dating. He hadn’t said the name of who he was dating yet, but for some reason, seemed almost absurdly pleased at the fact he had someone to call his own.
As if he cared who Gabriel was dating. His brother could date anyone in the world, and he wouldn’t care.
Well, almost anyone. Sitting in the shadows, a sudden wave of depression seemed to strike him, making his golden gaze flare suddenly. Yes, there was one, one that he would never want to see Gabriel dating, one that he would easily protect with his own life and whatever sanity he had left; but she was many, many miles away from him, if she was still where he had left her.

Left without a word.
How that burned him, and still to the day, there was no way one could measure the guilt he had from that; though it wasn’t as though he had had a choice in the matter. Gritting his teeth slightly, Schatten looked away from the sidewalk, black hair falling into his eyes as he did so. Today, he wore a black and gray shirt and a pair of jeans that he had found somewhat with the shirt he was wearing. His shoes were old—holes were found in various places in the souls, but they weren’t going to be thrown out. Maybe he was getting too clingy with possessions of the past, but it was all he had nowadays, aside from his torment of memories, memories of how things were once upon a time. He couldn’t walk down that road though, not unless he wanted to rip what was left of himself, of how he had been before all this had happened, into fragments that would never be the same; losing the bit that he had of himself, the fun loving person that seemed to be nothing more than a fleeting dream these days. Or rather, would it be a nightmare?

Hopping up from the bench, he couldn’t stay sitting another moment longer, Schatten watched the crowd for a moment, smirking faintly as he caught random conversations—enhanced senses did come in handy at times. Stepping into the crowd, he walked down the sidewalk, the sun at his back. It was the weekend, a time where he was out of the house as often as possible just because he couldn’t stand his ‘family’ anymore.
Stephanie, the one he had once called mom, was nothing more than a sl**.
Stefan, the one he had once called dad, was weak, worth nothing, in fact, it was almost as though he was missing in the mind.
Gabriel had become a major pain in his butt; the two were constantly fighting, nearly killing each other in the process.
Storm hadn’t changed much, but now she was so much more fragile, not really a werewolf as everyone else was. She was the weakest of the pack, the one who wouldn’t amount to anything unless she accepted what she really was.
And he, he had changed so much from what he had once been. There was a deep fear inside of him, a fear that he had lost himself as well as his mortal body that night.

Sighing, Schatten wasn’t paying too much attention to where he was going, people were always stepping out his way when he walked, they feared him; it was so easy to tell. Fear…it was such a strong smell, impossible to overlook, exciting the wolf within him. He had no friends here, friends only caused you pain, or even worse, you caused them pain. There was no winning in this world, it was amazing there was such a thought as world peace. Peace was nothing more than a dream dreamt by those who had a perfect life. It was worthless, pointless, and impossible to achieve.
Out of the corner of his gaze, Schatten watched as someone stepped to the side; a face that was so familiar it made his very being hurt. But there was no way that that could be who he was so often thinking of; there was just no way. This person was a Walker; he could smell the coyote on her.
There was just something so familiar about her though, something that his mind refused to put to rest. Stepping to the side as well, he walked a couple steps past her, when a single word stopped him dead in his tracks; liquid gold gaze growing wide; shock dancing in their depths.

There was only one person who knew him by that; only one person who could call him that. That voice…he knew that voice. Could it only have been his imagination, wishful longing? No. He didn’t know how he knew, he just felt that this was no trick; this was no illusion. Turning around, Schatten stared down at the girl, his eyes still a little shocked.
”Mikie?” He asked softly, a curious tilt to his tone; but there was also a deep undercurrent of hope; as though he wasn’t sure if this was right, but he was hoping, hoping with everything he had left, that this was no joke. The world was a cruel place after all.

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[Akkii]

There was no mistaking that it was Schatten once she’d registered his face. The distant look in his eyes was one of the more familiar things about him. He was always thinking, always observant, and that could make him distant at times. She recalled waving her hand in front of his face teasingly when she’d talk to him, although she knew well that he was listening to her completely.
He had been her friend since about Kindergarten. At that point, she’d kind of just roamed outside of the group. When her teacher had seated her at the same group as Schatten, though—and it was the one group with only two seats—she had started to glom onto him. She would follow him everywhere, trail after him like a lost puppy. Of course, at the time, he might get irritated with her for following him everywhere, but they soon grew close. Often, the two were mistaken for brother and sister.

Of course, he didn’t know about her dad. She didn’t talk about him much. He never paid her any attention. Didn’t bother with watching her. Most of her life, she mainly took care of herself—not all that difficult for a coyote to do, luckily. Only a few nights had she ever resorted to actually hunting in her coyote form, but still, it came in handy. She was aware he hated her and didn’t care. Her mother had died giving birth to her—he had every right to hate her, she felt. But it bothered her. He had never come to a single Parent-Teacher conference. She had done every possible thing she could do to impress him, but it just didn’t work. He was married again, to a woman that was never around. Mikie had her own suspicions, but she really didn’t care anymore. Just watched out for herself, and sometimes, on rare occasions, Schatten. Although he had never needed much looking after.

The scent that hit her right after she called out her best friend’s name brought her back to the present. Why did he smell like that? A werewolf.
Schatten’s a werewolf.
It made her eyes widen visibly, but only for a moment. No, she wasn’t frightened or anything. Just shocked. Her Schatten? A werewolf? Haha. It was kind of funny—they both had animal forms now. But still, she was aware of what happened in order to change. She wondered if anyone else in his family had been attacked, or if it was just him.

She gave a smile, though it faltered at first because the surprise was still whirring through her mind and probably written all over her face. She nodded, cheerful. Normally, her emotions were more toned down, but she hadn’t seen Schat in so long!
”Yup,” she replied. ”In the flesh. I can’t believe it. Can’t believe you came here! Had I known, I would have been so much more excited.” Her smile remained, and grew wider. She felt tears jump into her eyes, but only for a moment. She blinked them away before they could spill out. Mikie had decided a long time ago not to cry. It just didn’t help anything. It only made the situation worse. She wouldn’t even cry happily—as what had been about to happen right now. Though, she was a little sorrowful, too. He’d come here. He hadn’t even told her. It really did hurt. But, that was okay now. She could never get angry at him. He obviously had his reasons.

Mikie stepped a little closer, but not so close that it was uncomfortable. She leaned casually against the wall of the shop, very near where he stood.
The streets were even clearer now. The heat was getting worse, and she wiped her bangs from her sticky forehead, fanning her face with a hand.
”It’s really great to see you,” she told him, voice more toned down now. She looked at him under her long eyelashes. It was an endearing habit she had, where she’d tuck her chin down just a little and look up into his eyes. The girl examined his orbs. The gold was pretty, but she’d miss the piercing blue. They were so pretty. When she was younger, she told him this. He seemed a little irritated that she had said he looked pretty, but by then seemed to have been used to her doing things he was uncomfortable with. She couldn’t always tell what was going through his mind, though. Maybe he actually liked it, or maybe it actually made him mad for a while. Whichever, he didn’t act as if he minded.

Letting out another sigh, Mikie tilted her head slightly. ”So, have you been here in Tokyo since you left, or have you been moving a lot recently?”

[BLAH. Fail. I’m so, so, so sorry. D8]

[C R I S I S]

It was simply miraculous.
He had never thought he would see her again, even with his immortal years.
After he had had been shoved from the only home he knew, forced to leave without so much as a goodbye, he had thought that that was the end; that the only place that he would ever get to see her again was in his memories, when he dared to look back at how things had been before this mess happened. Back to times when life had been simple, happier. Just knowing now, that he was standing somewhat close to his only best friend, it made it seem as though the world wasn’t as bad as it once had been. He felt...freer than he had in so many years, as though a giant weight had been taken off his shoulders. Maybe he was high, though he hadn’t taken anything. Ever so faintly, a small half grin flashed across his face, though his golden gaze was still distant; just like before, he was as unreadable as a closed book. But would he really be Schatten if he was like an open book? Being unreadable though, was not equal to distant; something that so many people failed to understand. For as he partially grinned at his old friend, there was no hostility or coldness in his gaze, only a sort of amused shock at the whole thing.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t even know I was coming here until I arrived.” Schatten said softly, smile fading away for a moment. He hadn’t even known where he was when they had first arrived; he had only learned what town they were in when he had gone to school for the first day and they had introduced him to the class—quite an awkward experience that he had no wish to repeat ever.
“Of course, if I knew that I was going to run into you here, and then maybe I would have reacted with more…grace…to this move.” Looking away, Schatten smirked slightly, something that wasn’t exactly all too pleasant; but there was truth behind his words. There had been a lot of ‘fun’ to get him to move here with the rest of them, and now he was glad they had managed to force him to this little place, fate worked in mysterious ways it seemed.
Even the fact that she was a Walker was fine with him; it was enough just to be able to have this conversation. At least being a Walker happened to be something one was born with—not an abomination, something that should be killed upon sight.

Looking over at her, Schatten dipped his head slightly.
“I…do apologize for never telling you Mikie. But I didn’t have the chance to tell anyone anything. It is pretty safe to say that it is a very long story.” With a somewhat bitter look, Schatten shook his head slightly, sighing softly. He hadn’t missed the look of hurt in her gaze, but he doubted she was as hurt as he was with himself. Someday, he was going to find a way to make it up to her; he didn’t know what he would do, or when the time would come, but as soon as the opportunity came forth, he was going to take it. Living with the guilt on top of everything else, it had changed him. He had known about the change, yes, but not as strongly until now, when one of the shadows of his past was standing right in front of him; though it was a good shadow. His only saving grace was the fact that she wasn’t mad at him. It always seemed that no matter what he did, she was never mad at him, even when everyone else was tearing him apart for whatever he had done.

Watching Mikie for a moment, Schatten’s bitter look left for the moment, replaced by a more relaxed look, revealing the dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t been sleeping very well ever since he had been changed, and it was obvious. There was almost a fragile air to him, as though he was barely clinging to whatever was holding him together. Only a flicker remained of how he was before; one could almost see it darting through the darkness that seemed to surround him now. Becoming a werewolf had not done Schatten any favors emotionally—it seemed as though he was ready for a breakdown. As he grinned slightly at Mikie though, it was almost like the old days, give or take a few things. Ignoring the heat was proving to be a challenge, but leaning in the shade as well, it wasn’t as bad as it had been when he was in the direct sunlight; good thing he wasn’t a vampire. Turning to ash was not something he had any wish to experience, thank you.
“It’s great to see you too. I have to admit, I never thought I would see you again.” Schatten said softly, gaze watching the few people that passed by; they were basically alone on the street now and as usual, that was making him become more social; he really did not like other people.

For a moment or so, there was silence between the two, though it wasn’t awkward. It was almost as though the two were still getting used to each other again.
Suddenly, Schatten gave a small, almost laugh.
“We’ve been moving everywhere. So far the longest we’ve stayed anywhere has been a little over a month before coming here. As far as I know, I could be forced to pack up in the middle of the night without any warning.”
Shaking his head, Schatten’s gaze narrowed slightly, though he was still looking at the people passing, though he turned it back to Mikie’s after a couple moments.
“Did you just move here? I haven’t seen you around—otherwise I would have spoken to you before this.”

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[Akkii]

Mikie listened intently as her friend spoke, deciding she wouldn’t make a sound until he was finished. She usually did all the talking anyway, it was time he had a turn. She honestly didn’t think that she would see him again, either, however much she often hoped and prayed for it. Schatten was her only real friend. Sure, she socialized with others, got along with others, but she was never able to make friends with them. It was only because she’d glommed onto Schatten in kindergarten that they were so close now. She’d been looking for someone who cared, someone who didn’t just ignore her on sight. Schatten had been that someone, and still was. When he’d left, it had been as if there was a huge hole in her heart. She’d been alone. Her already poor grades slipped down as far as they could go, because she just didn’t care anymore.

But her he was, living, breathing, standing right in front of her, talking to her just like the old times. Sure, his eyes were a different color. And he was a werewolf now. But she sure didn’t care. Now, she wasn’t the only odd one, at least. Not to mention she wouldn’t have to keep the secret from him anymore.
When he was finished, she reached down, gently grabbing one of his hands in both of hers. Not a romantic gesture, of course. She held onto his hand tightly, as if afraid he might disappear.

”Feel free to take me with you next time you up and leave, though, ‘kay?” She asked. Tears actually sprung into her eyes for a moment. Though, they were joyful ones, not sorrowful. She blinked them back quickly, grinning up at him.
”And yeah, I just moved here last week sometime. Oh, and it’s all right that you didn’t tell me. Must have been hard.” She smiled at him knowingly. A lot of change, in a really short time. It messes things up.
Sighing, she dropped his hand and tucked both her own behind her head as a sort of pillow as she leaned against the wall.

”I’ve already settled in pretty well. I’m unpacked, I got a job as a waitress, and…” She trailed off a little hesitantly, almost as if she wasn’t sure whether to say it. Then, shrugging it off, she added, a little shyly, ”…I think I might have even gotten a boyfriend. I met him the same day I got my job, and he asked me out. So I guess I don’t really know him that well, but I’ll be driving myself to the restaurant he invited me to, so I’m being safe at least. But anyway, maybe I shouldn’t say he’s my boyfriend yet, huh? His name’s Gabriel.” The words came out as a rush, just saying what came to her mind, as she usually did.
Then, an image of him flashed through her mind, and something occurred to her.
Oh, shoot, that’s Schatt’s brother.

[Sorry. It epically fails. But you should be able to reply to it, which is what matters.]

[C R I S I S]

Eyes lazily flickering over the few passing people, a strange feeling seemed to fall over Schatten, cloaking him almost, in a way that he had long ago given up for dead. Just being around the one person he had actually thought to be his friend, the one who he had been able to show his true self to without any worries about what she might think about it, it brought back the memories he had been trying to suppress, memories that he had to resist the urge to grin as he thought about them. Kindergarten had been the best time really, back when everyone had been so innocent.
Even if he had never gone over to Mikie’s, and that she had smelt funny some times. Blinking at the thought, Schatten’s mind flickered over this thought; he had never noticed it before, how odd. Then again, young kids did tend to be ignorant. Looking at her now, there was no visible or mental evidence that he could smell of any type of abuse, though a faint smell, one that was very familiar to him, he just couldn’t place it, seemed to mingle with her own scent. Head tilting to the side for a moment, Schatten gave a mental shrug, and listened as Mikkie spoke, relieved that she wasn’t mad at him.

As she grabbed his hand in an almost desperate way, Schatten flinched slightly, relaxing only as she grabbed his hand. There were bruises on his arms, as well as a lot of scars. It was obvious by that alone that he had been a lot of fights, but fights with whom?
”Haha. I’ll be sure to drag you along, with or without warning.” Schatten said softly, his tone lazy as usual when he was in a calm mood. Though he was in control of his wolf most of the time, Schatten would never forgive himself if he lost control around Mikkie; and because of that, if things looked as though they might turn bad, he knew he would have to leave before he could lose it. He couldn’t hurt her—he wouldn’t allow it. This playful banter was good for him though; he had missed it so much.
He wasn’t the trusting type, and hadn’t made friends here. So few saw this side, the lighter, less depressed side, it was almost as though a more fragile part of Schatten had poked its head out, ready to face the day.
Frowning slightly, Schatten looked back over at the people, not meeting eye contact as he did when speaking about an uncomfortable subject. He never tried to hide anything though, that was one thing one had to admire.

”Yeah. Everyone got changed, it wasn’t just me. Now, nobody gets along. Dad is gone, Mom is a sl—prostitute in a way, and Gabriel and I are always fighting, trying to figure out pack status. Due to a recent near incident, Storm is afraid of guys, though she hasn’t changed all too much, thankfully.” He could talk more about it, but watching the people that passed, he found that he wasn’t comfortable with this in a public place. There were too many ears, too many eyes, watching, wondering what he was talking about. Even if they didn’t know what he was talking about, it was better if they didn’t even try to fathom a guess about it. Sighing softly, Schatten shook his head, running a hand through his inky black hair, golden gaze somewhat more distant than normal. Blinking once, Schatten turned his gaze back to Mikkie as she finished speaking.

It was as though he had been punched in the gut. Mikkie was dating, that was OK. It was the fact she was dating GABRIEL that killed him. He knew now why his brother had been acting the way he had been, why he had been tormenting Schatten. Gaze narrowing, Schatten took a deep breath, speaking slowly.
”Congrats Mikkie.” He said softly, though this time it was laced with some emotion that was too mixed to tell exactly what it was.
”If he hurts you somehow though, be warned, I will be after him.
I should be going now.” Looking at Mikkie for a moment, Schatten offered a thin smile, a dip of his head, and walked back the way he had come, knowing that this wouldn’t be the last encounter he had with Mikkie—something he was glad about.

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