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"String Devil blood...did we have to travel out so far for this one?" Reze asked as she walked back with Asa down towards the airport, yawning. "We got a nearly three hour flight just to get back to Tokyo...Yakushima doesn't even have that many breeds this far out, why are we stuck with busy grunt work like this?"
"Apparently, the guy was wanted for previous offenses...and an election is coming up so the government guys want to come off as harder on Devil Breed offenders." Asa, somewhat distracted, kept walking ahead. "It's stupid but...it's an easy assignment and it's good for getting us to climb the ladder. Sometimes you gotta do stupid things for the greater good like that."
"If you say so...you alright? You've been off ever since we started headed back." Reze looked over at Asa, noting the trepidation on her face. "Is it because it's going to rain? I should have brought an umbrella..."
"I just...I don't like storms. I don't like being caught in them, hearing them..." Asa admitted as grey clouds gathered overhead. "It's a stupid fear but...I can't do much about it. When I was fourteen, my mother...I lost her to the Typhoon Killer."
"Oh...weird, I think I read a report on him. I didn't know you were a survivor...wasn't that his second rampage..." Reze mumbled before the rain began to drizzle down. "Oh."
"It's fine! It's fine...we're not too far from the airport. We can get inside and catch our flight with no trouble..." Asa tried to assure before she heard the thunder rumble, causing her to whimper.
"Look, there's a store not too far from here. We can just duck in and wait it out. We'll get another flight---"
"NO! I'm not letting this...this stupid thing keep me from living my life! I told Makima what time I would be back and I'm not going to be late because of---"
The rain began to pour down on both their heads, drenching them both. Asa froze, clutching her head while sucking in her lips. Reze grabbed her hand and dragged her into a nearby forest to take shelter under a cedar tree.
"Asa...Asa, I'm here." Reze placed a hand on her cheek, feeling her tremble. "Do you need anything?"
"I need...I need to call Makima...I need let her know...I'm going to be late..." Asa reached for her phone in her jacket pocket, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she tried to close one around her phone.
"Okay, first...your breathing. Can you breathe for me?" Reze reached to hold Asa's hand, taking it out of her pocket to still it. Asa made an effort to steady herself...before a lightning strike behind made her shriek, causing her to pant uncontrollably.
"I'm fine! It's fine...I just...I just need to lie down! Is there soft enough moss around here?" Asa began to jabber as she looked around. "I'm fine when I'm lying...or sitting! I could sit! I just need to find something hard enough to---"
She was cut off by Reze's lips pressing against hers, her eyes widening as soon as she realized what was happening. The weather was around 4 degrees celsius, the rain seeming to freeze over when it hit her skin and she could feel her heart trying to beat through her skin. Something beneath her very anatomy, however, was beginning to glow brighter...after a minute, Reze pulled away. Her cheeks were the brightest Asa had ever seen them, her usually confident eyes averted as she could barely work up a smile.
"I only did that...because I didn't have a paper bag. I'm sorry..." Reze sheepishly admitted. "When the rain calms down, we can get going and not have to talk about---"
Asa moved without meaning to, cupping Reze's face before joining her lips together with hers. She knew she was clumsy, inexperienced, embarrassing herself...but when she felt Reze's hands around her waist, she felt like there was some worth in being selfish. The pocky Reze had brought her earlier was still on both of their breaths, further distancing Asa from the tempest above her. She didn't care about anything important anymore...just what mattered.
Which was conveniently maudlin enough for her to never notice the crow on a branch of a tree several feet away from them, blinking as it flashed its gaze towards Asa's pocket. The buzzing had stopped, the smartphone indicating the one missed call from Makima...