Chapter Text
Kenzaki said his goodbyes to Zi-O and his companions, watching them walk into the distance, talking amongst themselves. It wasn’t until they were out of view, and as the sun began to fall, that he realized fully what had just happened.
Out of seemingly nowhere came a Kamen Rider who stared down the Overseer, and ripped the Undead from their very beings like one would a stubborn bandage, and Amane of all people, was the key to their freedom, though it was not of her own volition. She was moments from killing them outright if the beast had its way.
He wondered, as he stood there all alone, exhausted, if that death would've been a mercy. He shook his head, pressing palms into his eyes. Amane and Hajime were now gone as well, but he had a feeling they would be back at the cafe, if only for a little while. Sprinting over to his trusty Blue Spader, he hopped on and followed the roads until they were more familiar.
When he finally pulled up to the café, he took his time making it up the ramps, a hand dragging across the railing. As he looked up to the sign, the pent-up nostalgia hit so hard, he felt like he’d been punched in the gut.
In that same moment, Amane stepped outside, stretching her arms and taking in the cooler evening air, before noticing Kenzaki hunched over on the railing.
“Mr. Kenzaki? Are you okay?!” She leaned over the top railing, terrified.
“Amane...no I’m good.” He looked up at her and smiled weakly. “Just...tired I think. Can I come in?”
“Of course, of course, come in! It’s been so long!
Inside, Hajime bit into a chocolate-covered biscotti, staring into his tea cup. He pressed his fingertips into his cheek, pulling at it until it began to sting. Nothing had changed much except now the bandages that were on his face were stained in red blood. So much had happened today alone that he wasn’t planning on visiting Jacaranda, but Amane insisted, and there’s no way he could say no to her.
He heard some shuffling noises in the front before a familiar face came back into view. Amane came close behind, an arm wrapped around the other man’s.
“Look who came to visit! Kept us waiting too damn long, didn’t he, Hajime?” She smiled, let him go, and made her way over to the area behind the counter, prepping some things.
Hajime said nothing, looking at them both as he munched on his snack. They were at each other’s throats only hours ago, it was so strange seeing him calm again. Their first meeting in over a decade, and it nearly ended in ruin.
“Do you want a bit of coffee? I can whip up some food for you too!”
Kenzaki took a seat on a stool near the counter. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll just have what he’s having.”
He watched as she prepared what she called a special tea blend, placing some loose leaves into a little mesh ball, pouring the tea over it with a flourish. He stared as the colors slowly changed from yellow, to a deeper brown.
Amane reached under the counter and pulled up a couple of chocolate biscotti, placing them on a small plate and sliding it next to the tea cup. She rested an elbow on the counter and laid on her hand.
Her smile faded as she spoke. “What the hell even happened today…? Who were those people? Why did one of them look like the man who turned me into that thing?” She shuddered, grabbing a mug and pouring herself some coffee. She chugged it straight and went back to her resting position. Neither Hajime nor Kenzaki could answer, even if they wanted to. She figured that they were probably as confused as her.
“Hajime, I don’t know what happened, but I’m sorry for whatever it was.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” He turned to face her while taking a sip of his tea. “If anything, it was my fault. If I had been there to protect you—”
A loud bang brought them both out of their drowsiness, staring as Amane’s hands were planted on the counter. “Hajime. I’m not a little kid anymore. Let me say sorry, just this once, please.”
He knew she had nothing to apologize for, but even now, she was incredibly headstrong. “I, I forgive you.” He wanted to assure her that no apologies were needed, but it would have just made her feel worse.
“Good…” She turned her attention to a startled Kenzaki. “As for you! You were gone for so long, and no one told me why! Said you went off to travel, but you couldn’t even send a postcard, or a souvenir? A single call wouldn’t have killed you!”
“I’m sooo sorry, Amane, I’ll make it up to you next time, okay?” He put his hands together, pleading, giving puppy dog eyes.
She smiled and tapped him on the forehead, before wagging a finger in his face. “You better!”
With the worst of it out of the way, the rest of their stay was a bit less stressful, Amane and Kenzaki mostly trading stories as Hajime half-listened. He wanted to know what he was doing all this time, but his stubbornness made that difficult. Whenever they shared a laugh, he could feel his chest tighten.
Kenzaki regaled Amane with stories of bunking on large ships, flying to lands brand new to him, the beautiful beaches and deserts, how he would often get lost in countries he could barely speak the language in, and how most of all he missed Japan a lot. He was truly sorry he couldn’t bring anything, but all he really had was his bike and the clothes on his back.
It was well into the night when Amane realized she couldn’t be up any longer. She still had a restaurant to run. “You can stay here if you want...the old room downstairs is mostly cleared out, but I can find a spare futon!”
“Ah, I couldn’t do that to you. I’ll be fine. Tell your mom I said hi as well, hopefully she’ll be up next time.”
“I should get going.” Hajime stood up.
Amane nodded. “You’ll come running, right?”
Hajime looked back and smiled. “Whenever you need me. Good night.”
The moment the door closed behind him, Kenzaki waved goodbye and sprinted off after him, hopping over the railings before he reached his bike. By then, Hajime was pulling out, looking back briefly before speeding off. Kenzaki quickly slipped his helmet on and gave chase.
Though he had made it to the cabin the first time, his mind clouded by Undead instinct meant he didn’t really remember where it lay, especially at night no less. He spent some time chasing after the red bike, hoping the entire time that he wasn’t trying to give him the slip. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, he could see some lights in the distance. The other bike pulled up, and he could see some of the patio.
Hajime got off his bike and walked through the door, only half closing it, much to Kenzaki’s relief and growing fear. He tiptoed up the patio steps, knocking lightly on the door, just to give the other a head’s up, before stepping inside.
Hajime was at his desk, his coat resting on the back of his chair. He was looking over some photos he had taken earlier in the week, some of a nice waterfall. It had been tricky to get a decent shot, with the winds splashing some errant drops on his lens. He tried to focus on the minute details even as Kenzaki stepped inside.
Kenzaki looked around as best he could without drawing too much attention to himself. It was bigger than his room at the café for sure, but it felt more sparsely decorated, less pictures on the wall, instead they were strewn all over the nearby coffee table. There was a place to sleep, and a proper desk, and not much else.
He shifted his weight between his legs, a hand fiddling with some loose change in his jacket pocket. When he brought his gaze to Hajime, it felt like he was looking at a different person. It seemed like too much time had passed between them to make things right.
He cleared his throat. "Maybe I should go."
Hajime finally spoke. "Don't."
"What? Don't what?"
He knew Hajime wasn't going to repeat himself, but he still asked. With no other response, he dusted his ratty jacket off, and walked back over to the cabin door, a hand grabbing the knob, but not turning it. More than anything, he wanted to hear Hajime ask him to stay.
Hajime stared at Kenzaki's hand on the knob, unblinking.
They were two stubborn men, who in their time apart had grown in gnarled ways, subsumed by solace. Even if they could no longer live for an eternity, they were so used to being frozen in time.
Kenzaki looked back at him, his hand still firmly on the doorknob. He remained silent but smiled, his eyes a mix of confusion and pain. Hajime thought he was wincing.
"If you're going to leave, then go." His eyes moved back to the hand on the doorknob.
"You're breaking my heart, man."
Even with the most pressing matter in both of their lives mercifully erased, they still felt trapped in their own cages. The Battle Fight was officially at its end, but breaking a habit that had gone on for over a decade wasn't going to be easy. They trained themselves in avoiding the other like the plague, because there was no other choice, because they had to.
It hurt so much, and though he did his best to hide it, it was suffocating Kenzaki.
The years that passed him by shaved off a bit of his optimism, but he still had love in his heart for all of humanity, even as he was fighting as Blade against Chalice while Amane was wreaking havoc. All he felt in that moment was nothing but regret that this is how it would end.
Kenzaki struggled to keep his facade up.
"Kenzaki...?" Hajime wanted to move, but if he heard Kenzaki tell him to stay back one more time, he wouldn't know what this newfound grief would do to him.
This was supposed to be freedom.
A loud repetitive tone began to sound, and it took Hajime a moment to realize it was his cellphone. He snatched it off his desk, flipped it open and turned away.
It was Amane. It sounded as if she had just woken up.
"I'm sorry to be calling so late, I was just worried...ah, is Mr. Kenzaki there? There's something I didn't get a chance to tell him, and I never got his number!" Her laughter was like the sun’s warm rays, taking a bit of the edge off.
"Yes, he's still here." With most of his body still turned away, he craned his arm and the phone towards Kenzaki. He gingerly took it from Hajime, making sure not to touch anything that wasn’t the phone itself.
"Yes...? Oh, Amane! Didn't know you were still up, did something happen? Oh I know, I know..." He was quiet for a moment. "Are you sure? I'd be happy to but...yeah, yeah... can't make any promises but I'll do my best. Oh! I just remembered, next time, can I have some of your pilaf? I've heard it's delicious... It's a deal. So that's it? ...alright, goodnight Amane."
He gently closed the phone and placed it on the coffee table, on top of the scattered photos, and slipped his hands into his jacket pockets.
"What did she want?"
"Oh, y'know, this and that."
Hajime let out a rough exhale before leaping out of his seat, rushing Kenzaki and grabbing his shirt, pulling him down close. His eyes went wide and his teeth bared as he spoke.
"This isn’t funny and this isn’t a game." His lip curled up as he hissed the last word. His frustration was reaching its apex.
Despite how terrifying he looked, the only thing Kenzaki thought was, he couldn't remember the last time they were this close. Even in the old shack, they kept some distance between them. Hajime was adamant on being alone, and he didn't fully trust him then either, though he didn't dare leave him where he lay.
Oh, how the tables had turned.
It was nostalgic, with Hajime moments away from returning to Chalice to try and take him out for good. Though that first part was thankfully out of the question. Well, he could still hurt him, and for good, it would just take a bit more work on his end.
"You’re right, it’s not. If you gotta know, she just asked for a favor."
Hajime's grip slightly loosened. "What was it?"
"She told me to keep it a secret." He pressed a finger to his lips. "It's gonna be hard to keep, but for her I'll try."
He wondered if this was him taunting or, even worse, if it was Amane not trusting him with something, despite it all. He let go of the shirt and just stood there, looking nowhere in particular, not really sure what to do next.
"Sooo, is that the only bed?" Kenzaki pointed to the small twin sized bed in the corner.
"It is."
"Wish there was a couch, but I can grab the floor—"
"There is a loft upstairs. You can take the bed." They were both about equal in terms of comfort anyway, so he didn't really mind. He was grateful for the subject change.
Kenzaki was surprised at Hajime's offer, he thought he’d have sent him on his way by now. "If you're sure...?"
Hajime walked over to a small closet and pulled a large comforter out. "Don't make a mess, or I'll kill you."
Kenzaki couldn't help but laugh, trying and failing to stifle it. "That a real threat or, you learn a new way to say that?"
"Try me, and you'll find out." Hajime couldn't help but smile for a brief moment before bringing his lips back to a stiff line.
He rolled up the comforter and threw it into the area above. As he slowly made his way up the ladder, he felt a wave of drowsiness hit him, causing him to stumble. It was a reminder that he was human now, and humans, even their strongest, needed rest.
Kenzaki reached out to steady him but pulled his arms back before Hajime noticed. He knew he was acting like an idiot, he at least had some self-awareness, but he’d grown accustomed to sealing himself away from those he’d never seen again. But as he turned off the small lamp near the bed, some of that icy layer began to melt. He kicked off his sneakers and shrugged off his trusty BOARD jacket, folding it as best he could, and placing it on the floor, under the bed. He hoped Hajime wouldn't consider this a mess.
He threw himself on the bed, its springs creaking too loudly for comfort. He froze as the sound echoed, but heard nothing from the loft above him. His face was now buried in the pillow, and he took a deep breath. It smelled so much like him, how he remembered him. He twisted himself with the thin bed sheet, enveloping himself in more of the faint scent, all of it tinged with metal. Once comfortable, he clutched tight onto the pillow. He was so tired.
Hajime opened an eye as he began to hear light snoring beneath him. He too eventually fell asleep, his final thought of the night wondering what Amane had asked of Kenzaki.