Top pic credit: Dear Hunters

Walking closer to the open window balcony, I noticed Keigo was outside, with his back turned to me. He was on the phone.

"C'mon, like I said before...you can trust me. How long's it gonna take for you to realize that? Gotta admit, I'm getting a little tired of this back and forth shit." He said quietly into the phone.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, still very surprised by his tone of voice.

Sure, it still held some of that usual "Hawks" charm....but it was...darker....conniving....even a little malicious. I've never heard him talk like that before.

I didn't like it.

While I probably shouldn't be eavesdropping, I couldn't help but remain quiet, as I waited for Keigo to speak again. I was curious as to who was making him act this strange.

"Fine. Well, I'm currently.....out, right now. Hm? Oh, it's just for business. We'll talk about this when I get back in town. Bye." He mumbled out lowly, quickly ending the call.

He let out a big, stressful sigh, leaning his arms on the railing of the balcony.

"God damn it. I hate this." He muttered to himself, sounding incredibly distressed and unsure.

What has him so stressed?

I lightly cleared my throat to grab his attention, causing him to whip his head around at lightning speed.

He's actually surprised. His feathers didn't sense me coming? He must have been really focused on that phone call.

"O-Oh, fuck-Ari?! Hah, heyyy! H-How long have you been standing there, little chick?" He asked happily, trying to hide his obvious state of panic behind a weak smile.

I climbed out onto the balcony with him, noticing the way his eyes never left me as he waited for an answer.

"Mm, not long. Who were you talking to? You sounded pretty stressed." I asked casually, looking out at the gorgeous mountains.

Keigo swallowed thickly, immediately avoiding my gaze as he looked at the mountains with me.

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly not wanting to answer.

"Just....Diane. You know how she can be." He whispered raspily, wrapping his wing around my shoulder.

Ah. Makes sense as to why he was so upset.

His wing gently nudged me towards his body, causing me to wrap my arms around his waist. It seemed like he was looking for comfort.

"Oh. She probably told you that she knows then, huh?" I mumbled softly, resting my head on his chest.

Keigo was quiet for a moment, obviously having no idea what I was talking about.

"Um....know what?" He uttered quietly, making me dread that I was the one who had to tell him.

Really? Diane called him at four in the morning, and again right now, and didn't even mention the fact that she knew he was here? I thought she'd be more straightforward than that. Weird.

"Diane knows you're here, Keigs. She's been using Sam to try and get information about our interactions. She doesn't know we're dating, but she knows we're close." I explained tiredly, immediately feeling his muscles tense in my hold.

"Ah, fuck. Are you serious?" He groaned out in annoyance, throwing his head back to look at the sky.

I let out a sigh, as my attitude rapidly began deflating with him.

"Unfortunately." I uttered, feeling him hug me a little tighter at my bummed tone.

He could tell my mood was starting to spiral.

"Hey hold on, chicky. Don't be so down about this. I mean, when you think about it she really doesn't know much. She knows we're friends-which is something she already knew before. Yeah, she knows I'm here. That's a bit of a bummer, but as long as we play our cards right, we still have the upper hand. We're fine." He reassured, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly.

I continued blankly staring at the mountains, taking in Keigo's words. His points made sense. They comforted me. Diane really didn't know much more than she did before.

So, the fact that I was still extremely upset about this, makes me realize my annoyance goes beyond Diane knowing Keigo snuck away with me to my parents' house.

"You're right." I mumbled blankly, still trying to work through my thoughts.

I already knew what was making me upset. But, I didn't want to tell Keigo, because I knew he'd be on my side. I didn't want him to fuel my fire, and cause me to do something I'd regret later on.

Keigo laughed softly at my plain tone, breaking away from our hug so he could look at my face.

I continued looking at the mountains, feeling his warm eyes on me. He knew I was purposely avoiding his gaze.

"Ari....look at me." He soothed softly, gently rubbing my shoulders.

That smooth tone of voice instantly pulled me in, as my gaze hovered over to him.

There he was....those honey, golden orbs were gazing at me in question. His facial features were soft, only making me feel more inclined to tell him my thoughts.

He smiled faintly once I met his eyes, clearly trying to get a read on my behaviors.

"What's on your mind, chicky? What's really on your mind?" He uttered absentmindedly, intricately studying every feature of my makeup free face.

I opened my mouth to speak, before realizing I didn't really know what I wanted to say. I wasn't good at expressing my emotions. Anytime I tried to, Diane always said...

"No one likes a drama queen."

I immediately shook my head, automatically perking up my mood.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I blurted out involuntarily, cursing the emotional damage Diane has done to me for eight years.

Of course, Keigo instantly saw right through me...pursing his lips in disapproval.

"Yep, that's quite a tactic Diane's got, huh? Force away your own thoughts and emotions, only leaving enough room for what she wants. That's the product of a hero, created from the commission, Ari. That's not you..." Keigo started off, burning his gaze into my eyes as he gripped my shoulders a little tighter.

He understands my situation better than anybody...and that's a double edged sword, because he knows exactly what to say. He knows exactly how I'm feeling.

I can't hide my true self from him, the way I can to everyone else.

I remained quiet, feeling his words forcing their way into the deep depths of my heart. The depths I've forced myself to conceal.

"But, I don't want that hero, Hourglass. I want my girlfriend, Ari. I know you better than you think. So, tell me what you're really thinking." He stated quiet, yet firm, patiently waiting for me to speak my thoughts.

I lightly grit my teeth in frustration, as I tried to find a way to speak my mind. It's a skill I'm not used to working, so it's taking me a little longer to get there.

"I-I just...I'm....upset." I stuttered choppily, realizing the reason I was finding it so hard to express myself is because my thoughts were about acting against Diane.

"Okay. This is a good start, chicky. Why are you upset?" Keigo asked calmly. If anything, he phrased it as more of a statement...a stepping stone for the rest of my thoughts.

I remained lost in thought, as my mind began working for itself now....starting to piece my words together.

"I'm upset......because Diane broke my promise..." I whispered blankly, wanting to say more.

Keigo sensed this and remained quiet, allowing me to process what I wanted to say.

"Diane....broke my promise, Keigo. We had a deal, her and I. Eight years ago, when I came to her...after I found out how horrible of a person she was, I realized I didn't want her anywhere near my family. I didn't want her to manipulate my parents, or my brother, with her philosophical lies. So, I told her that so long as she stayed away from my family, I would continue to work for the hero commission. I would continue to let her work me to the bone, and shape me into the person she wanted me to be. I was to be the one who reaped the consequences, while my family gained the rewards. I know I sound like a martyr, but that's really not what my intention was, going into this..." I started off, realizing I wanted to continue thinking for myself.

Keigo was focused, intently taking in every word I was saying. He patiently kept his prolonged silence, knowing I had more to say.

"Diane's a powerful woman. Sure, little Sammy can be naive...but, do you see the influence she's already had over him in the past few months they've been in contact? Because of her, Sam has lied. He's tried to manipulate me, and go behind my back. My parents' backs, too. I know his intentions were good, but that's exactly what Diane wants someone to believe. She has a way of making people feel heroic and helpful, even though all they're really doing is committing a bunch of slander and lies. She lied to me, Keigo. She lied, and I can't help but remember our deal....so long as she stays away from my family, I become her hero. She didn't try very hard to conceal the fact that she was in contact with my family. So...does that mean....she's done with me? Am I not doing a good job? Is she sick of me?" I asked in confusion, feeling my thoughts starting to run wild.

I didn't think of that possibility until now. Was Diane sick of me? I can't let that happen...

Realizing my mouth was starting to quiver with overwhelming emotion, I quickly pressed my lips together to stop it.

Keigo immediately tried to step in, sensing I was on the verge of a break down.

"Okay! Okay, little dove! This is a good start. Let's just stop, and take a sec to think about that-"

Only spiraling deeper into my thoughts, I felt myself talk over him.

"W-Well, then that presents a whole new set of problems, because if she's done with me...my family will be out on the streets again. So, what's really on my mind you ask? Well, what's on my mind is that I fucking hate Diane Himura with a burning passion, and quite frankly, she's dead to me. But, you see I can never tell her that, and I can never confront her for communicating with my family, because she will destroy their lives. And that will destroy my life. So, I guess I'm just venting to you, and letting you know how I feel. Because, come Monday, I'll be nothing more than her bitch again. The same way I have been for eight years. I'm powerless. And that's why I'm upset." I stated, cursing the sporadic voice cracks that had managed to slip their way into my words.

Feeling his eyes on me, I quickly turned away from him...directing my gaze back to the beautiful scenery in front of us.

I didn't mean to say all of that, but of course Keigo just has a way of getting me to tap into the complicated sides of myself.

A few moments later, I felt his arms wrap around me from behind, before his wings enveloped my figure, too.

I let out a small sigh of comfort, closing my eyes to focus on the feeling of him.

Keigo's head dipped down into the crook of my neck, causing the stubble on his chin to tickle me slightly.

He didn't speak right away, giving me time to process my own words, before offering his own set of advice.

"You're not powerless." He started off quietly, breaking our long silence some time later.

"Diane has conditioned you to think you're powerless. But, you're quite the opposite. If anything, she's knows you're stronger than her. And because of that, she tries to place mental boundaries on you, to try and have the upper hand. I know this, Ari, because she does the same thing to me." Keigo explained, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"You have every right to be upset. You have every right to hate her. You already know what I'm gonna tell you. You know I'm gonna tell ya to confront her on this, Ari. I know that's not what you wanna hear, but hey, that's my advice. She has no right to treat you the way that she does. Now I'm not sayin' you should march into her office, and scream at her. You're smarter than that. But, I'm gonna tell you somethin'...Diane trained us the way she wants, and you can either let her use that to her advantage....or you can use it against her. I know what they've taught you at the hero commission, Ari. Because it's what I've been taught, too. You know how to talk to people. You know how to swing a deal, manipulate things to make them work in your favor. So, my advice? Do it. Sure, maybe I'm giving you bad advice, maybe I'm not being a good influence on you. But, I don't believe in strict black and white. I believe there are times for the gray areas in moral conduct. This is one of those times." He stated, hugging me tighter against him.

Manipulate Diane Himura? Use her own tactics against her?

I don't actually hate the idea.

"H-How am I supposed to do that? I was never good at the manipulation and skill tactics exams, during my commission training. Those were always my worst classes." I sighed out, remembering how difficult it was for me to lie and sway people into believing things.

I felt Keigo hum in content, happy that I actually wanted to take his advice, and stand up for myself.

"I'll help you. Don't worry. After all.....those were my best classes." He stated, his voice coming out just a little sinister.