Apart from the Ocean part 16

[estirose]

If you've been following this on Inkwell, there's a small but significant correction in this part.


Title: Apart from the Ocean (part 16)
Author: estirose
Fandom: Kamen Rider Kiva
Words: ~1000
Characters: Shinoda Aya (OC), Kuramae Noboru (OC), Ramon, Jiro, Riki, Megumi
Warnings/Rating: 13+/PG-13
Prompt: Table 2, prompt: Dark
Summary: Aya has to live with the fact that monsters don't think like humans.
Author's Notes: I'm hoping to use as many of the 25 prompts as I can for one story, and am therefore designating parts as I go along. Any left over prompts will be used as snapshots on Aya's life. Since the characters are Japanese, I've used Japanese name order here. The universe itself belongs to Toei and TV-Asahi, as does the original version of Kuramae Noboru. The universe that Aya slips into is from my "Boxed In" AU.

A half an hour to an hour after the incident with Kuramae-san and the others, they were finally allowed to return to their corridors, though the doctors promised that if they behaved themselves, they would be allowed to continue to associate.

Aya slipped into her room, finally glad to be out of there. She blinked as she turned up the lights in the dark room registered that she wasn't alone. "Kuramae-san, are you all right?"

He smiled at her. It was a weak smile, but a smile none the less. "Sorry about the abrupt departure. I just didn't want to deal with a Wolfen that was enraged and protective."

"Kuramae-san, are you a Fangaire?" she asked. She had to know, though she had guessed that he had to be. His mirror was, and he had withstood her punches.

"I am," he affirmed. He blinked at her. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but I thought it might be easier on you if you thought I was human. And then... well, I got used to pretending I was. Maybe I did want to be your human friend instead of yet another Fangaire studying you."

"I didn't think a Fangaire would run from a Wolfen," she admitted. "Were you trying to hide what you were even then?"

"Well," Kuramae-san admitted, "That and the fact that I'm a Sheep Fangaire; we're not exactly fighters. Dr. Hamagaki can fight, I really can't. I'm really good at running, though."

Aya raised her eyebrows. "And you were going to protect me in case some psychopath burst onto the grounds and tried to abduct me?"

Kuramae-san shrugged. "For one, you're pretty well protected before anybody ever got to you, even if we were out on the grounds. There's a pretty substantial fence there, and it's monitored. It's meant to stop, or at least slow down, a Franken, much less a human. And secondly, I could protect you from a human. I'm just not up to fighting Wolfen."

"Kuramae-san," Aya said, hoping that she wasn't making an error, "Are you sure you should have told me about the fence?"

"I presumed you would have guessed that we have good security precautions that would include a fence," he admitted. "The Wolfen - Jiro - pretty much had guessed that part. Since you're smart, I would have assumed you did too."

"Well, I did," Aya said, "But I didn't expect you to confirm it to me!"

Kuramae-san's smile became more genuine. "You wouldn't be stupid enough to try to escape." He paused. "Shinoda-san, is it okay if you call me Noboru? And can I call you Aya? I miss calling you Aya."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Aya said. She quickly located her father; he was in his room, so he couldn't hear their conversation. She considered doing it to annoy her father, but too much was at stake. "I don't want my father after you like Megumi's father is likely to be, and I'm not sure Riki-san won't go after you if you've pissed off my father. I think he already thinks we're sleeping with each other. My Dad, that is. I don't want you to lose your job because the one Franken wants to kill you."

Kuramae-san laughed. "I guess I have been touching you a lot," he said. "But maybe privately, when we're outside and I don't have to worry about them overhearing?"

"I... can live with that," she said. Anything to help her escape. And if it came down to sleeping with Kuramae-san... she'd live if it got her the freedom she craved.

"I'd reassure them that I'm not sleeping with you and wouldn't - professional reasons and Fangaire taboos - but I don't think they'd believe me," Kuramae-san said.

"Taboos?" Aya asked, interested, and perhaps relieved that she wouldn't have to trade sex for freedom. "Is this a secret taboo or...."

Kuramae-san grinned wider. "They're hardly a secret," he said. "If you can't find the information on the Internet, let me know and I'll find you a book or two on the subject. In the meantime, I can assure you and the others that I have no designs on you. Or Aso-san."

"What happened back there anyway?" Aya asked. "I feel like I'm missing the whole picture?"

"I'm guessing, from what the room monitors picked up," Kuramae-san said, "That there was a version of me on your world, he was fairly nasty, and he did something bad to Aso-san. There's a fair amount of duplication between your world and ours - a version of Aso-san and her father exist on our world, albeit as distant descendants of Wolfen, and the Fandiri we recovered is an effective double of the Executioner's apprentice - albeit one that was apparently raised by a Fangaire and not a human. Not much I can do except apologize and stay away from the Wolfen."

"Guess not," Aya said. It made sense. "Speaking of overhearing things - and I know this is asking a lot - but could you talk to Dr. Hamagaki about turning the monitors in my room off? It didn't used to bother me, but with my father's complete disregard of my privacy, I'd like to think I have *some*."

"I don't think so," Kuramae-san said. "But I can ask Dr. Hamagaki. If she thinks it's a good thing, then she will. She does like you, you know. It's just that she has to protect you as well."

Aya smiled weakly. "Thank you," she said.