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Ankh huffed as Eiji tried to ask him to help out at the Cous Coussier for the tenth time this morning.
"Come on, Ankh, be useful." Eiji chided, poking him in the shoulder. Ankh only turned away. He'd long gotten used to the idiot's babbling, too bad. "Ankh!" the brunette yelled again, grabbing his shirt and tugging on it. Ankh swallowed the whole ice pop he was sucking on and pointed the empty stick at Eiji.
"There is an idiot at the end of this stick." Ankh said, as sourly as he could. Eiji's lips twist into sort of a triumphant smirk. "Ankh," he started innocently, with huge, round eyes, "Which end of the stick are you talking about?" The avian Greeed's face burned red with rage, and he was about to throw the darned idiot against the wall until Eiji laughed, his eyes dancing with sunlight, reaching out a hand to push the stick down. "Throw that away." he remarked, trying to not choke with laughter at Ankh's petulant face. "Tch." Ankh sighed. "Properly." Eiji snarked back, pointing at the dustbin in the corner of the kitchen.
Grudgingly, Ankh trudged past a smirking Goto. The man's snickers could easily be heard by Ankh, but he showed no signs of hiding them. Ankh bristled at the sound of a particularly loud guffaw from one of the customers as his gaze followed the blond across the kitchen.
Although Ankh made an effort not to show it, it was times like this that he loved.
*
And those times were gone.
"Kazari!" Ankh yelled at the golden cat, his Condor Medal in those dirty paws of his. "Sorry, Ankh." the cat yowled lazily, then leaped away. Irritation seared the edges of his stomach as he shot an angry glance back at the idiot. As usual, the unselfish fool was helping a man that nearly got caught in the rubble that had fallen in the battle. Ankh, not caring about the man, walked over to Eiji silently and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"What was that for?" Eiji asked as he shoved Ankh's talons of of himself. "We. Lost. My. Medal." Ankh spat in the brunette's face. Eiji didn't look like those Medals mattered in the least, but Ankh knew that he was incapable of not being sorry.
"What do you want now?" Eiji muttered as Ankh grabbed him again.
"Aisu."
*
"Ne, Ankh." Eiji murmured one day before bed. "Do you think that Greeeds can love someone?"
"Hah?" Eiji was being, well, Eiji.
That sweet, goofy smile of his lit up his face again. "Do you think Greeeds can love someone?" Rolling his eyes, Ankh looked away. "I thought I told you that we don't have feelings. We're just a pile of Medals."
Eiji grinned. "You're such a great liar, Ankh." And towards the wall, where the idiot couldn't see, Ankh smiled. It was, after all, his only excuse to cover up the truth.
He had Eiji for all that he was, the idiot that lacked self-preservation skills, always rushing to the aid of others. And what he loved even more was the fact that Eiji would shut up and obediently buy him aisu whenever he felt like one.
Flicking a finger at Eiji dismissively, Ankh yawned. "Sleep. Or you're going to collapse tomorrow even before I get you into a Combo."
*
[TAKA! KUJAKU! CONDOR! TAJADOR!]
He watched TaJaDor, up there in the air, dancing on the currents, so light and free. The brilliant red wings caught the updraft and shimmered in the sun, beautifully spreading wider. Seemed like Eiji really did know how to wear his Medals well. TajaDor, so light and agile that it could accurately be described as a crimson butterfly. The flames engulfed the Lion-Jellyfish Yummy and it vanished in a massive fireball. TaJaDor, landing gracefully on the ground.
TaJaDor, looking at him serenely through the Taka Head Brave.
And Ankh burns with envy, his wings clipped.
*
"Oi, Eiji! Wake up! Eiji!" Ankh yelled, smacking Eiji's face again and again. He refused to admit that he was panicking for this idiot. He only stopped when Hina dragged him away with that ridiculous strength of hers. Pulling away was not a clever option, so Ankh let himself be carried away like a baby.
Eiji'd been loaded up into an ambulance and driven, sirens screeching, to the hospital.
And now, Ankh found himself staring down a purple armored version of his useful idiot. Stupid purple Medals. He was still unsure how they'd gotten into Eiji in the first place.
"Raawrgh!" The axe struck brutally down onto Kazari and the Yummy. The Yummy burst into Cell Medals and out of Kazari came a Kamakiri Medal. "Hah." Ankh smirked, catching the Core. "Serves you right, you kitten. Go home mewing to your mother." Predictably, Kazari turned tail and ran like the coward he was. Roaring in rage, PuToTyra was about to give chase, but what seemed like exhaustion made the armor disintegrate, burning away like smoke and the Medals retreat back to the his body. Eiji staggered for a bit before falling over completely, his head hitting the pavement.
"Idiot." Ankh snarked, before walking over to check on the unconscious fool.
*
Ankh screamed as one of his Cores vanished into the impostor's arm. The bedroom door burst open and Eiji and Hina charged in, both doubling back at the strong wind. Gasping, Ankh tried to speak to Eiji with his eyes. Help me, they said. Get rid of him. Eiji was still Eiji, and Eiji didn't get a clue. Hina did, however, and together they formed a human chain, trying to anchor Ankh. Ankh looked back at Hina and Eiji, and pushed something into Hina's hand. He had confidence they would never let go, no matter what the cost. But he couldn't go on. Not any longer.
Come for me.
And Ankh vanished, the Core holding his consciousness slipping out of his control at last.
*
"I-I'm... sorry..." the idiot breathed, his eyes purple. They were facing each other, the waves lapping at their shoes gently, as though trying to tell them to stop. "I shouldn't have tried to kick you out. But keiji-san just came back, and Hina should have him. They're...f-family."
"Hah." Ankh snarked. "You fool. Just give up the Medals already, before you lose control."
"I-I already told you... I can't." The brunette tried to speak, but he couldn't seem to get enough breath to do more than utter those words. "I need... t-them...-" "Then quit staggering about like a drunk!" Ankh shrieked at Eiji. "If you lose consciousness, you might never wake up again!" Blasting a fireball at Eiji, the brunette fell to the ground and pretty much just lay there, retching, his hands twitching.
The Greeed walked up to him. "Ne." He said, standing there, hesitant of what he should do next. "Ankh... why are you here?" The fool asked. "O-Oh yeah... I for...got." He reached into his pocket and smiled, tiredly and gently. "There... you can buy today's aisu with this..." He held out his underwear for tomorrow, a few coins inside the colorful fabric. Ankh was stunned. Even after what he'd done, Eiji still cared about the promise that they had made.
That action spoke more than a million words could say.
*
"Oi! Eiji! Wake up, you're gonna die!" Ankh smacked at the brunette's face desperately, sneaking fervent peeks at how close the ground was at irregular intervals.
"Huh?" Eiji opened his eyes. "Oh. It's fine... I don't think I can do much anyway." He turned his worried gaze back to Ankh's floating hand. "And besides, you're..."
"Ceh. Don't worry about me. I got what I wanted." Ankh snarked. Even now, he was still thinking of him, a lifeless pile of Medals. This was too Eiji. "What you wanted? But if you die... then..." Ankh shut him up with a smack on the cheek. "I got my aisu." he smirked, flicking out one and licking it leisurely. "Ah..." Eiji nodded with a small sigh.
Ankh passed him an ice pop as well. Eiji tried to enjoy the cool, sweet taste of it, knowing that this would probably be the last thing he ate before he turned into a pancake himself. "Crap." Ankh growled as his ice dropped to the ground far, far below. Laughing, Eiji pulled the ice out of his mouth, holding the empty stick in his hand. He pointed the stick at Ankh.
"Don't you try me again with that end of the stick nonsense of yours again." Ankh huffed."I thought you were the one that started it?" Eiji smiled cheekily. Ankh would be grinning if he still had the detective's body. Overgrown five-year-old he was, sometimes. He really hadn't made a mistake while choosing OOO, had he?
"At the end of this stick," the Greeed said, "is an idiot."
Eiji smiled that one sweet smile that had danced across that pale face of his so often, placating Ankh whenever he needed to calm down. Each time he had smiled this beautiful smile seemed to each have a different, special meaning to Ankh.
"At the end of this stick," the brunette murmured, peacefully and serenely, that gentle, beautiful smile still on his face, "is my family."