Where It All Began

Felix's eyes narrowed when he saw Aussir in the flesh. It took all he had not to get up and go after the guy, especially when he saw Kinou in the hands of another guy. Felix slowly drew a kunai. He was not about to stand around and watch Aussir kill the both of them. Moving slowly, he watched the exchange, stopping when he saw Kim's arm move, followed by a very loud noise and then another, causing the birds in the area to fly up out of the trees. Felix however didn't move. He watched both Aussir and his follower fall to the ground, followed by a sharp scream. He...he shot them... Felix had sworn up and down that Kim refused to us his guns and now he'd just killed not one, but two people. A small grin formed across his face. "Well done, little brother," he whispered. Hiding in the shadow of the trees, he let Kim and Kinou go past before he dropped down onto the ground and went towards the bodies. "He could have at least dragged them to someplace discreet...geez, that guy is not killer." Felix rubbed his hand through his head and carefully dragged both bodies away. "It took them threatening someone else's life for you to take action, but what I don't understand is, why not ask me to help." Felix dropped the bodies behind a bush. Pausing, he looked at the bullet wounds. "Guns, quick and efficient, but too loud for my taste. Your enemy would know where you where miles away." However, Felix couldn't help but smile. The threat was gone, Kinou and Kim were safe, and all was good. This was how things should be.

(Hah, yeah right.)

Kim took Kinou as far as inside the gates of the Gears before stopping. "Go home Kinou," he told the boy. His voice was practically quivering, and because of that, Kinou looked a bit worried. "Kim..?" Kim only swallowed and shook his head. "Just go home," he told him again, before starting off towards his own house.

By the time he got to his house, Kim was still far too shaken to even lock the door behind him. He'd killed. He'd killed two people. Even though the shots had been clean, blood had still flowed from their heads. The memory of it was enough to force Kim to run to the bathroom before throwing up. He'd sworn never to use his guns on a living creature. Hell, he didn't even hunt.

Kim wasn't the type of guy who cried, even considering what he was, but no matter how much he wanted it to, that sick feeling just wouldn't go away. After about thirty minutes, he decided to just lay down for a bit. This was terrible. He felt guilty as all hell. How were there people who did this for a living? More importantly, how did they get on with their lives after killing someone? Was it just his imagination making this worse than it really was? Grabbing an ice pack from the freezer, Kim dropped onto the couch and put it over his head, grabbing the remote to his stereo and turning on soft music. He wasn't sure if he wanted himself to fall asleep or not. He wasn't sure if this action would haunt him in his dreams. Even so, it didn't seem to matter, because eventually Kim drifted to sleep with the sound of the music. After a while, he turned on his side, the ice pack falling off his head and onto the floor.

Unfortunately, the incident did follow him into his dreams, but it wasn't enough to wake him up, rather, the dream was slow paced and sickening, at least to Kim's mind, and outside in the real world, he was beginning to develop a light fever because of it.

Felix had carefully disposed of the bodies, cleaning up everything, including the blood. He didn't want Kim getting in trouble because of this mess. He'd gladly defend the guy, but it'd be easier to just keep everything orderly. When he finished he went to Kim's house to check on him. Trying the door, he found it unlocked once more opened it freely and quietly. He found Kim sleep and an ice pack on the floor. Felix shook his head and closed the door behind him, locking it. He then picked the ice pack up and placed it in the kitchen sink. Slipping out of his shoes, he sat on the couch with Kim, but instead of sitting on him, he leaned against the mechanics stomach and got comfortable. "Hmm, what a nice couch," he mumbled with a smirk. He placed his arms on Kim's side. "Kim, oh Kim, where are thee?" He called loudly. "Your new couch addition is wonderful, it almost feels like a human body." He looked down at the sleeping man, poking him lightly in the side.

Kim's dreaming prevented him from hearing the door open, or someone walking through his house. However, when Felix sat against him, he gave a small jump and his eyes opened. When he saw silver hair, he merely gave a soft sigh. He felt no better than before. What was Felix doing here anyways?

"Did I leave my door unlocked again..?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes a bit. He wasn't in the mood for visitors. He didn't want to end up having to run to the bathroom in the middle of a conversation to throw up because he'd ended up remembering what'd happened. Kim didn't bother moving from the way he was laying, and didn't lift his head when he spoke to Felix. "What's up?"

Felix smirked when Kim jumped. "Calm down, it's only me," he said. "And yes, you did." He gave a slight nod, head tilted lightly when he realized the music was playing from the stereo. "Not much, I just dropped by to say hi," he said. "Probably head over to Suki's shop for a while and bother her, then head out to take a swim." He gave a shrug. "Anyways, why don't you ever sleep in your bedroom? This couch is not comfortable enough for that, and it's bad for your back." He shrugged. "Although you look fairly comfortable down there with me pressed up against you like this. You haven't even protested." He peered at Kim through narrow eyes. "You do know I'm married to Suki right?" Felix was only teasing. He wanted to see some kind of reaction from Kim. The whole depressing look wasn't appealing, but he'd already stated that before.

Kim wondered why Felix was telling him where he planned on going. "It's too cold for swimming," he said lightly. He peered at Felix without moving his head at the guy's question. "I never sleep on my bed. It's easier for me to fall asleep out here," he told the silver haired ninja. He paused and blinked a bit when Felix mentioned how he seemed so comfy with him sitting against him like that. "You're the one that sat against me. I should be asking you that," he said, cracking a tiny grin.

Felix looked at Kim. "I don't get sick often, and the sun is out, I'll be fine." His blue eyes shinned. Swimming sounded like a very good idea right about now. He then glanced at Kim when the guy said he found it easier to sleep on the couch. "How so?" He asked. Felix's face darkened at Kim's response. "I sat against you because you were sleep and I felt like startling you. There is nothing to question it." He smirked and put his arm on Kim's head. "I did a pretty good job and you make a pretty nice couch. Soft and squishy."

Kim shrugged lightly. "Not sure. Maybe it's because I'm not supposed to," he joked lightly. It wasn't a very lively joke, of course, but it was a joke nonetheless. Hell, he hadn't even mean to make a joke. He knew that Felix wasn't trying to make a pass at him, the guy had Suki after all. "You didn't startle me," he said simply. "And for the record, I'm just not as big a stickler on personal space as most other people. So if you expected me to complain," he trailed off with another shrug, blinking when the guy put his arm on his head. Kim turned his head lightly so that he was looking at the back of the couch. He'd killed two people. How was he supposed to sit here and joke around with Felix like nothing had happened? Then again, the guy didn't know about what'd happened. He didn't need to know.

(Oh but he does know. *trollface*)

Felix wished that he could talk to Kim about the shootings, but that would mean telling the guy he had followed him. He then shrugged when Kim made a very weak joke. "You're not feeling any better from the other day, are you," he asked. "You're still depressing, even more than the other day to be honest." A pause. "If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears. Just know I don't make these kinds of offers lightly." He patted Kim on the head. "Depending on what it is, I might have a solution for you."

(Shhhh)

Kim shook his head a bit, even though it was a bit hard to see from the way he was laying his head down. "Not really." Kim was silent for a long few moments after Felix made his offer. Felix was a ninja, so it was his job to kill, but Kim... Felix didn't need to know about it, but to keep something like this to himself...Kim was sure it would kill him more than it was now. Felix would understand what had happened though, right? "I..." Kim kept his gaze on the back of the couch, swallowing before he spoke again. His voice sounded unsure. "I met with Aussir today...to give him the blueprints to my weapons, but...but only because he'd kidnapped Kinou..." He took a shaky breath before continuing. "I...I shot Aussir and one of his followers when they wouldn't give him back," he said, his voice sounding thick. He was starting to feel sick again. Just the memory alone was enough to set him off, but speaking about it felt so much worse. Kim's hands were lightly clenched, as well as his jaw. "I-I promised myself I'd....I'd never use my weapons to kill another person, and yet today I killed two..." He could swear his eyes were tearing up. But he knew himself too well to believe he would cry.

Felix was surprised that Kim told him. He had to play this off like he didn't know. "What? Why didn't you tell me," he asked. "I could have helped you." Okay, so Felix did at least want to know the answer to that. He sighed and looked down at Kim. "They were threaten your family," he finally told Kim. "No one's going to fault you for that." Felix wasn't usually this kind, but there was a time and place for everything. "Stop looking on the less pleasant side of things," Felix began, "Kinou is alive thanks to you. His parents will be forever grateful. With Aussir gone, you can finally rest easily." Felix took his hand off of Kim's head and moved away from him. "Sometimes we have to break promises to survive, so stop sulking and keep moving." Felix's blue eyes looked at Kim sadly. "If you don't, life's going to fly by before you know it, and everything that meant something to you is going to be gone. Don't let this stop you. Eventually it'll fade from memory, but you have to keep moving. If you stop, Aussir wins."

"If I'd spoken to you about it, he'd have killed Kinou..." Kim said. Aussir had his way of finding things out, and if he'd have talked to Felix, there was no doubt in his mind Kinou would have been dead right now. He didn't look at the silver haired ninja as the guy spoke. Sure, Felix was right, but it didn't stop the memory from sickening him. He was sure this would never fade from his memory. How could it when it was still so fresh, when it made him so damn sick to think about? "All that blood...it was sickening...I don't understand how ninja do it..." he said softly. Felix had so easily accepted what he'd done. Maybe it was just because it would have been hypocritical if he hadn't, or maybe it was just something else. Kim didn't want to forgive himself for something like this. He wanted to remember it, so this would never happen again.

Felix sighed. "Alright, that's understandable," he said when Kim explained why he hadn't contacted him. When questioned how ninja do it, Felix turned his head to the door. "We shinobi have rules," Felix stated. "Never show emotion." He kept his gaze on the door. "The longer we stay ninja, the less it bothers us, until we can't feel a thing." What he didn't say was that some of them went crazy along the way and quit because they couldn't take it. Or that some of them had become some used to it that they became human machines. " You'll be sick for days with the memory. It's going to take time for it to settle, but it will eventually."

Kim kept his gaze on the back of the couch. "I could never do it," he said quietly. That much was obvious. He stayed quiet for a moment when Felix said that the memory would eventually fade. He was sure he could help it along. "You wouldn't wanna pick up a few beers from the store, would you?" he asked after a moment, his head still turned away. Alcohol always calmed him, so why shouldn't it help now? Not like he was trying to drown his miseries or anything. Kim had an unbelievably high tolerance for alcohol. It was actually pretty boring.

Felix looked at Kim as he spoke. "I know," Felix said quietly. He then stood up. "You want to go with me and get some fresh air, or shall I just bring them back here," he asked. His blue eyes looked the mechanic over. The guy seriously needed to get out and loosen up. Felix didn't know what kind of stuff Kim was into, or if the guy had any friends willing to hang with him for a while, but the depression was driving Felix insane. "You know what, come on," he said as he pulled Kim off the couch. "You're coming with me. No protest, for this is not a democracy."

"Just bring them back here," Kim mumbled. The blue haired mechanic blinked in surprise when Felix suddenly pulled him up. "I don't wanna go out," he complained. He tried pulling his arm back from Felix, but to no avail. Kim wasn't weak, but he was certainly not as strong as Felix.

"You don't have a choice, I already told you that this is not a democracy." Felix started for the door. "I'm tired of seeing you look like the sad sap. It's time to live a little." Felix started down the street. It was already getting late, which meant it was going to be very live, considering that people were out setting up for the festival as well. Going into the nearest bar, Felix took a seat. "Two round of beers," he said to the bartender. He then looked to Kim. "I'm paying for everything we do tonight, you just have to keep up," he said with a smirk. When the bartender brought there beers, Felix raised his in the air. "To a fresh start and new beginnings."

Kim gave a sigh, allowing himself to be pulled along by Felix. Things were fairly more lit up than they were on other nights because of all the festivities going on. The blue haired mechanic sat down next to Felix at the bar. He recognized the bartender. Didn't know from where though. Kim actually gave a small chuckle when Felix told him to keep up. It was still a bit half-hearted, but it was something. "You're the one that's gonna have to keep up." Should he have told Felix he couldn't get drunk? There was no way a couple beers was going to do anything. Kim raised his as well when Felix toasted. He couldn't help but give a small smile. Maybe this was a fresh start. Until the next revolutionary group came along, anyways. "Cheers," he said, taking a drink of his.

(Damn it Kim, stop being a kill joy!)

Felix smirked and took a long swig of his drink. Once he'd finished, he order another round and then another before paying for the bill and dragging Kim out the door. "Tonight is a brilliant night to just be free. Look at all the festival stuff. You and I shall compete to win Suki a bear." He nodded. "It will clearly define who shall be her best friend." Felix wasn't drunk, yet...but the beer he had consumer was clearly having an affect on him. "Let it be known that you can not be me in carnival games, for I have been doing this stuff for years." He stopped at a booth where it required you to throw balls into bottles. "Let the games began," he said with a smirk.

While Kim hadn't gotten drunk from the beer, he certainly felt better. Calmer. He'd decided, at least for now not to think about what had happened earlier. He'd get sick again if he did. He'd drunk just as many beers as Felix had, and let himself be dragged out the door. Felix was clearly on his way to being drunk. It made Kim grin. "Oh, you're still on about that? I thought we'd settled that with you as victor. You must be very insecure," he joked. "And let it be known that you are very nearly drunk. I wouldn't doubt that your motor skills will be entirely up to par." He patted Felix on the head almost condescendingly. It was all joking of course, but still. "Poor poor Felix will lose the title of Suki's best friend." He grinned when they stopped at a game booth. "So, who's gonna try it first?"

Felix looked at Kim when he patted him on the head and went on to tell him that he would lose. "Well, your name definitely fits you," he said. "For I am not nearly drunk and I am not insecure." Felix picked up a ball and tossed it up and down. "And I sir, am not going to lose to the likes of you." He threw the ball and smirked as it crashed into the bottle. "Did I mention that my motor skills are just fine." Felix smirked, but it faded when the owner of the booth spoke. "Sir, you hit the wrong set....good shot though." Felix blinked clearly confused. He looked at the bottles. "The hell with this..." He handed Kim the ball. "You go first." He gave a small sniffle, watching the other guy carefully. "Hope ya miss." So much for sportsmanship.

Kim blinked when Felix mentioned how his name fit him and looked off to the side with what could have been a bit of a pout. "Jerk." The light brown eyed mechanic couldn't help but laugh when Felix threw the ball into the wrong bottles, taking the ball as Felix handed it to him. "I won't." And just as Kim'd said, the ball crashed right into the bottles. The right set. "My aim is flawless," he said with a nod, crossing his arms triumphantly.

Felix's brow twitched when Kim hit the right set. "....so...." He pushed him aside. "If I were a jerk you'd be the target," he said. "But I chose not to throw this at you because I am a nice person." He looked at the bottles and hit them. This time the right ones. "See, I was just messing with you before. Now I'm serious. My aim is flawless too." He looked at the owner. "Make this more competitive squirrel." The owner glared at Felix, who only chuckled. "Sir, don't get offended by me, everyone is a squirrel in my book. It means friend." He looked at Kim. "Right, squirrel?" He smirked and handed his friend the ball. The owner frowned but arranged the bottles in a complex manner.

Kim chuckled when Felix said he woulda been the target, moving aside when he was pushed. "Come on, don't be a spoil-sport," he teased, watching as Felix threw into the right set this time. "It's too late to reconcile, you've already made yourself look silly," he grinned. His grin frowned though when Felix called him squirrel again. "Fine, then you're a weasel again," he said with a nod, uncrossing his arms and taking the ball. He looked at the complex formation only a moment before he decided upon the right spot to hit it to make all the bottles fall. And then he threw.

Felix watched as the balls once more toppled. He no longer wanted to play this game with Kim. He knew the guy had perfect aim, so why play such a game. Then again most festival games dealt with aiming. He sighed. "You're such a damn show off," Felix muttered. "And I'm no weasel. I'm a badger, and this badger is going to whoop your scrawny ass." He took up the ball and tossed it into the bottles. All but one fell. "............." Felix turned around and walked off. He wasn't putting up with this crap. He was going to go get another drink. The hell with Kim and his perfect aim. Felix would have a perfect aim had he not been drinking.