Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's not mine of course, except for my ocs

Chapter 1: Lone Butterfly

One slip and you're dead.

The pounding of one's heart is enough to send shivers down one's spine.

This rhythm of fear and excitement is what keeps me alive.

I flew through the night that had now taken over. My wings fluttered trying to match the beat of my ATs against the roof top railings. Tonight, was the night to escape. As the wind blew my dark hair wildly, i shifted my weight and jumped to the next building. They were after me for I had gone against them just like I planned to do.

"Get back here!" One of the men behind me yelled as he tried to catch up on his own ATs. The man was a part of the AT gang, Pitbull.

"Sorry, but I didn't like your guy's sound", I shouted back before jumping down into an alleyway.

Recently, I had no longer wanted to be a part of that gang. They couldn't help me with what I wanted and their way of riding was too brutal. I was one who loved to carve my road on an opponent, but it was different from these people who found it more of a sport. Also, they had caught the attention of other teams who wanted to squash them. No longer wanting to be part of that future danger, I resigned from them whether they liked it or not.

Most of the streets were empty at this hour. It was easy to maneuver through the small stands and dodge any debris. The gang still persisted and now I could make out three instead of one following me. One thing I had forgotten was the consequence of leaving their group. Quitting, resulted in having to be crushed by the people who believed you were betraying them. I thought I would be able to get away, however, my naivety proved to be my downfall considering the numbers I was up against.

"Think she would make a nice piece to my collection?" I heard one of them say while I made a sharp turn down another street.

"Of course. I'll capture her while the boss puts a pin in those wings of hers", another replied as the two bursted out in laughter.

I grimaced at the metaphor. The thought distracted me for a moment and before I knew it, I felt a sharp pain in my side. The attack was by the boss herself who wore that usual smug expression of hers. The surprise made me stumble and fall to the concrete as I cursed my own bad luck. Quickly I tried to recover and get up, but the others had caught up by now and I was soon surrounded.

"Can't fly away this time", one of them said as he grabbed a fistful of my hair to hold me in place. "Oi can we start then?" he asked impatiently directing the question to the leader.

"Yeah, but I get first punch", the girl said as she skated over closer to me. Bending down to my level, she held my chin forcing me to look at her. "One last chance to submit", she whispered to me.

I was tired from running away that my mouth felt too dry to answer at first. I sucked in a deep breath and tried to collect a bit of saliva in my mouth. This woman had always ordered her pack around and so the thought of one biting back drove her mad. She proved to be a control freak and so hearing me give in would've saved me from whatever punishment she had in mind. Closing my eyes, I took another deep breath reminding myself why I wanted to leave in the first place. I knew that there was another team I could join. This time the leader promised to help me and it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up on.

"I'd rather die", I said spitting at the girl. The image of my saliva sliding down her red face twisted in a pit of rage was enough to seal my fate. In one last escape attempt, I jerked my head back into the captors stomach. His grip on my hair loosened and I took that chance to get out of the hold and distance myself from the gang. "I'm more of a stray than a domestic", I smirked as the woman wiped off the spit.

"Seems this bitch needs to be put down after all", the leader grinned as she revved up her AT motor. Taking out her weapon, a whip strapped to her thigh, she charged at me with the intent to really take me out.

I grew worried and immediately dashed away. Something cold wrapped around my neck as I realized it was the woman's leather whip. she jerked it back causing my body to lurch backwards and crash against the floor. I struggled to get to my feet, but she cracked the rope hard against my head. With her AT pressed against my back, I prepared for the worst.

"Take this as a lesson boys", the leader barked, "No one, escapes me." she finished lifting up her leg while searching for that vital spot to injure my spine.

I rolled to the side as she brought her foot down. It broke the concrete while i simply stared imagining what it could have done to myself. Quickly I got to my feet about to make another run for it. However, I found my situation hopeless at the sight of the other members who blocked me off. 'Is this the end?' I thought looking up at the night sky. The stars were dim due to the streetlights, but I tried to spot them anyways. It kept my mind busy from my near doom. I could hear the sound of their ATs and their eager laughs.

12:00pm, midnight, 30 seconds and counting

I let out a deep breath counting the ticking seconds trying to mark down the exact time I would be dead. The air was changing and I was soon too scared to do anything. Silently I wished for someone to just come help. That person would have been my brother. It would be situations like this where he would come save me. No longer would I be able to fly again; no, I had long lost that.

33 seconds, 34, 35…

For those last moments I closed my eyes awaiting the final blow. I had given up and no longer deserved to run. The sound of the ATs suddenly grew louder, and then it was quiet. Only a single set seemed to be running followed by the sound of the others moaning in agony and pain.

"Fucking weaklings", I heard a voice say as I opened my eyes wondering what had happened.

The familiar emblem caught my eyes as I saw a new figure had appeared. I recognized this person as a member of the popular AT team, Kogarasumaru. It was none other than the current fang king who occasionally took out teams. I had never seen one of the members in action before except on television. Now, one stood before my very eyes surrounded by a heap of bodies that had been ready to kill me just seconds ago.

"Shit like this isnt even a warm up", I heard him mutter.

Finding the strength, I tried to think of what to finally say. "Um, thank you!" i shouted frantically. I gave a small bow with my body still shaking. It wasn't everyday i came across a king-level rider and being so close to one almost felt like a dream. Looking back up, I froze seeing his sharp golden eyes and fair skin stained with blood. 'He really is the Fang king', I thought to myself with a nervous gulp.

"The hell you say?" He asked having not heard me after all. "Bitch I wasn't trying to save your ass. Don't flatter yourself", he added with a smirk as I blushed embarrassed to have actually thought he intentionally saved me.

"Either way you helped me out. Just accept my gratitude", I muttered under my breath trying not to be annoyed at who I considered someone to admire. "Uh, bye then", I added, however, he had already ditched me by then. I puffed out my cheeks irritated and decided to just quickly get out of the area.

After the events that transpired that night, I knew that I had to change locations. Pitbull had more members than that and I was a bit afraid they would still try to come after me, especially if they asked for help from their allies I was fully aware of. My current high school would no longer prove to be safe and so I faked another address and guardian to switch schools in another district.

I had been conversing with the leader of another AT team about my acceptance. Being promised an actual place to stay and money from battles won was more than enough to convince me that they couldn't be that bad. I was sure to gain as much information as possible from them in order to prevent another case like last week. However, I had to undergo a test in order to join and the details for that had yet to be provided. For now, I could only wait and focus on transferring to my new school.

"Ah it was this turn I think", I mutter to myself trying to find Higashi High School. it was close by its junior high equivalent and some strangers had given me vague directions of its location. I cruised down the sidewalk on my ATs while making sure to keep track of the time. "Oh right here", I said to myself seeing the street name that corresponded to the one on my map.

Finally, I arrived at the school and stood outside its black gates for a few moments. My uniform has been delivered a few days beforehand and I fussed with the rather short skirt and ribbon that was tied too tight. Swiftly I changed into my school shoes, pulled down a bit on the skirt, and loosened my ribbon before heading to the front doors. Other students had already arrived and were lingering in the hallways as a few eyed me knowing that I was new.

The office was fairly easy to find, but locating my homeroom took up the rest of the free time i had before school started. The bell had rung while i stood outside talking to the teacher about me being the new addition to her class. With a simple nod, the lady headed inside the room beckoning me to follow her. I looked at the students noticing their confused, eager, or uninterested expressions while the teacher wrote my name on the board. Some of the faces started to seem familiar and soon it clicked in my head who some of these people actually were.

"Everyone listen up", The teacher said trying to gain her students attention, "We have a new student joining us." she added pushing me a bit forward. "Won't you please introduce yourself?" She said to me.

I nodded trying not to become too nervous. "I'm Kurizaki Ayano. Nice to meet you all", I said with a small bow.

The awkward silence that followed after made me wish I hadn't transferred so hastily. My old friends were long lost for I had no way of contacting them. Surely I figured they would soon forget me and move on with their lives while i had to deal with this situation. Eyes stared back at me as the teacher was deciding on where to have me sit. She finally saw an empty desk behind a rather small boy with blue hair and a white eyepatch.

'Oh no', I thought seeing that it was the boy from that one night. He had been staring off into space ignoring what was going on. Turning his head slightly, he raised an eyebrow seeming to recognize me after all.

Robotically I walked down the rows of desk to get to my seat. I glanced at the other students seeing that the current flame king was also not far from my seat either. With a sigh i sat down trying to avoid any unnecessary eye contact with the fang king. The teacher finally began class while I was too busy worrying about the rest of the day to really pay attention.

"Lucky. I rate her a B-", I heard someone say across from me. The comment made my stomach turn as i looked to see who had said it.

'Why me', I thought to myself resting my head on my desk. A perverted looking student had looked at me with that lecherous gaze of his. The overly plump lips, a uniform too tight, and that look in his eyes was enough to create a small ounce of bile in my mouth.

The bell rang eventually as a break ensued. I hadn't managed to really conversate with any of my classmates leaving me to get a snack by myself. I was glad that at least the vending machine wasn't too far. Taking out my wallet, I sighed at the small amount of change I had saved up from various loose end jobs. It was enough for a pack of melon bread and juice though which I was glad the school had. As the items fell down from its containment, I bent down to retrieve them while trying to cover my rear. Silently I cursed the uniform and decided to request a longer skirt in the near future or find my old pair of spandex shorts to wear underneath.

Ripping open the pack of bread, I pinched off a small piece. Heading back to class, I noticed some of my classmates up ahead, however, they were with some other students who I instantly recognized. I immediately went to the side of the wall and quietly munched on my snack not wanting to be noticed. I saw that the pig-headed boy was also among them which only made me want to be even more invisible.

"Ah its the new girl", Kazu muttered with Adachi wondering who he was referring to.

The group followed his gaze as the blonde pointed at me, a small girl with a high, black ponytail. He tilted his head finding me pressing herself against the wall and walking consciously. I sighed having seen him pointing at me and prayed that they would leave me alone. Unfortunately, one of them made his way over here with a childish grin. I already knew who he was and just kept a neutral expression while swallowing the piece of bread I had been chewing already.

"So you're new here?" He asked.

I nodded my head at the Storm king. "Yeah so", I muttered getting a bit defensive.

Suddenly the class pervert had made his way beside me. I felt his hand rest on my shoulder which made me instinctively try to inch away. "Ayano-chan transferred to my class. I think we should give her a tour right?" He said with a devious gleam in his eye. "She can then return the favor with a shot of her-ouch!"

"Shut up pig!" I shouted after having collided my foot against his face. The student crouched to the floor gripping his face in pain while I crossed my arms irritated by his actions. "I dont need a tour thank you very much", I huffed content with doing things on my own. "Now if you'll excuse me", I added turning on my heels to storm off to class.

"Ah hold up", Ikki said however I had already turned a corner and was out of sight.

I sipped on my juice as the bell soon rang. The perverted pig, beanie boy,and fang boy walked in casually. Already my expectations of Kogarasumaru had been shattered and I crushed the now empty juice box. The teacher then walked in and class started back up again. I sighed and rested my head in my hand seeing how different this school was compared to my last.

Once school ended, I was more than happy to escape the confined classroom. I grabbed my bag and headed to the lockers to get my ATs awaiting me. I changed out of my indoor shoes and locked my locker before proceeding to lace up my shoes. Silently I headed outside the doors wondering whether to find a job or start the homework dumped on to me.

"Oh you ride ATs too?" I heard a voice behind me say. Turning around, I was faced with a rather plain looking girl who wore her hair in two pigtails.

"Yes", I replied seeing that the obvious had been pointed out. "Do you ride?" I asked despite thinking she didn't seem to be the kind of person who would use air treks.

To my knowing, she shook her head. "Ah no I just help out", she said with a small blush. "Have you heard of team Kogarasumaru?"

"No duh", I replied wondering why she wanted to make such small talk with a stranger like me. To my dismay, I saw a familiar figure heading towards us. He stopped and looked down at my ATs. Now conscious, I took a step back wanting to get out of this situation. "Well I better get going then. Don't want to worry my parents you know", I said with a small lie tied in.

"Hey we could always use an extra person during practice", Ikki spoke up before I could make my escape. He grinned as if thinking it would help convince me.

"Thanks for the offer, but I really should get going. Maybe some other time", I said not planning to ever actually join them in practice. The thought seemed intimidating and I wasn't sure I would be able to handle and actual king-level work Before he could get in another word, I left the two.

I wandered around the town in search of a place to stay. The restaurants and inns renting rooms to their workers refused students and other places already had the help they needed. I stopped by an AT shop i came across which i made a mental note to remember. I always found myself tuning my own ATs and in search of different parts. Even that place though didn't accept me and the wage wasn't enough either.

"Just great", I sighed kicking an abandoned soda can on the sidewalk. It flew a few feet away before i eventually caught up to it and gave it another kick. In the end i spent a few minutes playing a lonely game of kick the can while time was running out. The streetlights soon came on and i found myself in the local park.

9:20pm, 15 seconds and counting

I found myself swinging on the parks swings. The gray seat was cool to the touch as the metal chain made my hands hurt after a few minutes. I kept swinging though not knowing what else to do. Each self push made me feel closer to the night sky as I squinted to find some stars. I kept counting the time, trying to keep track of the seconds for as long as my tired mind would allow.

"I forgot to do my homework", I muttered to myself despite knowing that was the least of my problems. I was a lost teen without parents to put her to bed, money to buy a decent meal, and an actual bed to sleep in now that I think about it. The only thing I had been doing during all this time was running as far as my air treks would allow me. When my leads would end I would just run until I found another clue.

This game though was tiring me out for another night. Slowly I lost the energy to keep swinging. Eventually it came to a stop as i stopped counting. For a moment I closed my eyes and rested my head against the chain. I knew it was no proper place to sleep however, and so I rose to my feet thinking that the nearby bench would be a better option. It was cold though and nothing like a real bed. I couldn't recall my past room was like.

"Goodnight Ayano", I muttered to myself about to lay my head down.

A shadow spread across my face. The sudden change in lighting made me open one eye wondering who it was. I soon was wide awake seeing the all too familiar kid from school. "Some house you have here", Ikki said sarcastically.

I glared at him not really liking the fact that someone knew of my situation. "It's pretty nice right?" I said equally as sarcastic. "Want to move in with me? There's plenty of space."

Before I could make another comment, I noticed his expression was rather serious. I gulped and awkwardly shifted my gaze to the ground. "Lets go", I heard him say, however the voice seemed distant for I was lost in thought.

"Wait what?" I said as he suddenly grabbed my arm to pull me up from the bench. "Oi what do you think you're doing?" I questioned.

Ikki had walked off not answering me at first. Stopping in his tracks, he turned his head to look at me. "We're heading home." He stated leaving me in a fit of confusion.

"Home?" I repeated finding it odd. "Um i don't think you understand this but i don't really have one-"

"Now you do", He said cutting me off.

I sighed seeing my protests were falling on deaf ears. I simply followed wondering what he meant by going home. In a few minutes, I found out that answer once we reached a small house. I stood outside the door wondering where i was exactly. While he pounded on the door and shouted for someone to open up, it dawned on me that he was actually letting me stay here for the night. The door soon opened revealing a pinked hair female with an irritated expression on her face.

Ikki explained the situation to her in a choppy manner. Apparently I would be questioned tomorrow. For now though, I only remember being pushed inside the warm house. I saw a futon unravel and blankets thrown at me.

"Goodnight Ayano-san", Ikki said as I was left surrounded by blankets, a pillow, and a mattress to lay on. I slowly laid down thinking this was too surreal.

"Thank you", I muttered into the pillow, "Night Minami-san", I added before breaking in tears down due to such kindness.

End of first chapter so stay tuned for the next. Please make sure to read and review~