(A/N: I've made slight changes to previous chapters and the synopsis. Sorry for any inconvenience)

 

“And who are you? What’s your name? Where were you going to go?” Hero asked the hot girl beside him. He wasn’t stupid, it seemed things had dampened somewhat since he had lost his mind to having sex with her, so he had to try and pay attention once again…Or at least act like he’s paying attention at the very least.

“…Alex.”

Hero stopped and blinked. ‘Alex’, the word was small and started with A…Had he wanted to hear Aero?

Yes…

He felt it, that confliction once again. He had tried to forget, tried to live without that confliction…But, so easily it had returned upon even thinking of the name. Had he wished for it? Why?

“Alex?” Hero asked again, like he wasn’t sure.

 

Aero quickly looked up and nodded, “Yes, Alex!”

It was done now, she had said Alex, thinking of the pain that she had felt from their past.

…How stupid though, they had been away from each other for so long and she couldn’t even be honest about her name!

If there was one thing that Aero had learnt when it came to obtaining a partner, it was that a relationship required trust…And lying was something that didn’t gain any of that! So why was she doing this!?

Perhaps they were never meant to be together all this time…And just the thought of that made her sad…

Without a doubt Hero was the only person to make her feel like she was on eggshells, that she was on a ‘rollercoaster’…Even right at this second, she felt…More alive…

 

Looking at Hero, his lazy looking face, like he couldn’t be bothered shaving for a few days…His lips…

He obviously didn’t look the same, as you gain the features of your new mother and father, but he was handsome…

Dammit! Aero thought…She frowned to her female head and heart. Why couldn’t she be a man!? Perhaps if she were, she wouldn’t think how handsome Hero was so fucking quickly!

Well, just for a little bit, she’ll stay with him. No doubt, she thought, he’ll be the usual man she knew, and she will be able to leave…This time it will be easier too. Her life isn’t only of him now, she has grown to become a person that…Isn’t all about him anymore…

 

Hero gave her a small smile and almost felt it incredibly painful of the very potential truth of never seeing his friend again.

After his friend had left, he had felt wrong. He had behaved so terribly that it was no wonder that he never got his friend back to his side.

It had never felt real for Hero, when Aero had left. He had followed and followed, destroying things on the way like…Like a child having a tantrum.

Upon chasing Aero all the way to Greece, or wherever it was, Hero had gone as far as putting a temple on fire and accidently killing his friend. It was…The biggest regret in all his life…

Even in accident, Hero had felt tremendously saddened by what had happened and had left immediately…Oh, it had been such a terrible accident!

 

Why had he been so close to the flames? Why hadn’t he felt the pain of the small burns that he had?

All he can remember was that Aero had stated that he was not returning for a while, and that he needed time alone.

It just wasn’t what Hero wanted to hear! He had never, before then, understood one easy thing…And that was that he had wanted Aero by his side. They were connected all this time. They had been together, in more ways than one. Brothers, friends…Lovers…They had gotten in trouble together, fought together, lived together…They had done so much together, only to just suddenly lose that!

He had used his anger, to not getting his way, into punches to his friend’s body. It was in that fight that the fire had been started, that they even didn’t see that fire getting out of control, but it was the last thing on Hero’s mind! He felt like he had to knock some sense into his friend so that they’d be together and that was that…

 

Seeing flames overtake his friend, having even gotten burns on himself when he got saved from getting on the fire earlier, it had been horrific.

They had been fighting, but those bruises meant nothing as fire had enveloped his screaming friend.

He had heard of a witch getting burnt alive already back then, but seeing it…Witnessing it, was something else.

Having stood there in shock, unbelieving his deepest fear, Hero had not done anything…To his ever-lasting breath, to which comes back even if it leaves, he will never forget that day. His friend engulfed in flames…The pain in his heart severely outweighed the burns he himself had…He felt that his soul had shattered…What…Had he done!?

For months, even years, Hero had nightmares upon that day. It wasn’t just the day repeating itself, it was his friend talking to him while on fire. The nightmare would remind him of screaming and pain…Burning pain…

Yes, that was a turning point in Hero’s life.

 

 

Hero’s next few years were very lonely, he did not want to be around anyone as he realized and regretted his emotional outbreaks.

It was hard to admit but after a while it’s also so painfully obvious…He loved Aero the most…He hadn’t wanted him to go and had always just trusted that Aero would stay by his side.

Everything fell apart afterwards…Nothing at all mattered…

He wanted to hate religion, faith, he wanted to blame everything else but himself but, in the end…He knew it…It had been all his fault!

Aero had done what Hero had never thought he’d do, he left…

He’d taken for granted all the years that they were together, the bond that they had, and never did he think that Aero would leave him and never come back.

Then, upon chasing after him, to call him names and state terrible false things that would most likely hurt his dearest friends’ feelings…He didn’t mean any of it, none…Then, added to that, went as far as helping him get killed, no…He never deserved another chance with his friend, yet alone looking upon him with his own eyes! Never…

 

***

 

Aero stared at the sleeping Hero, as they now travelled by bus back to civilization.

His friend still had that moment of silence before he spoke…Well, unless he was talking about sex. This newest body of his was not as muscular as another that he had seen, not as hairy either. Actually, even though the body lacked abs, it didn’t mean it wasn’t sexy and didn’t turn her on.

They had agreed on a few things before getting on the bus and that was that they were going to leave this town on the next bus…Wherever it went. That was something Aero had sort of missed. Without Hero, Aero seemed to lay out plans. That was why going to the ghost town had been so weird, because it wasn’t planned! The original plan was to leave Australia almost immediately and go back to Greece!

Now…Now that Hero was sitting beside her, sleeping like a baby, Aero almost felt like it didn’t matter where she went. For what she thinks as ‘the short time’ that she’ll be with Hero, nothing else really mattered right now.

 

They had stated a few places upon where to go, stated that they’d pick up condoms when they got off the bus, but then used the remaining time before the bus came to explore each other’s bodies.

It was obvious that he was very happy with her body. Well, she was sure, there probably was a little number of men that wouldn’t be. She was nearly half like an anime character really…Which sorta sucked and was awesome at the same time. Her breasts weren’t over the top, but she could get away with wearing and outfit that brought out the best in them. She didn’t wear those long stocking type things…They were absolutely annoying, only ‘made up’ by a non-prisoner who cared a lot less about comfortability! She did wear a skirt though, which again brought her back to being ‘like’ an anime character. Of course, her hair wasn’t pink or blue or anything, but it was somewhat thick and looked pretty good in just a normal ponytail…Which only made Hero want to pull it…

So…His desire for her really did make it difficult to not go all the way and forget everything!

Hero, like always, nearly lost himself to her and it really did bring back memories, also that of questions.

Was he like this with everyone?

Of course, before anything was ‘inserted’, Hero was reminded upon their agreement and had to dive in with his tongue instead…

 

It was like a huge tease to both of them. They obviously wanted one another but had decided to wait!

Ah, always such a problem, this man. Aero thought.

The agreement was also something that they wouldn’t fight either, it’s not like they didn’t have a long time, they could, even just in the next couple of days, agree to meet each other after these two lives and spend the next lifetime together too…So, even if sex was off the table for the next few hours or even days, there was absolutely no rush…And, both of them knew how great it was to wait!

They had played the forbidden fruit before…And also not played it but been there…

A matter of diseases has already been stated, surprising her upon his virginity in this life, but the other big matter of children had still not been talked about so…There just was absolutely no way that they were going to have unprotected sex!

Conception obviously was not new to Aero, nor would it be the first time that she would use it, but she just hadn’t cared for it so far…It seemed pretty clear that when she was a woman, sex wasn’t on the mind as much as when she was a man. Woman were…Well they were more like nurturers…They tended to the flock, the…The kids…You know. The men had more of a fighting and…And bold…Approach…

Aero shook her head to her own type of thoughts to genders and tried to forget about it…

 

Opening up his hand, to place hers in it, Aero leaned into Hero’s shoulder and closed her eyes. If there was a good time to be sentimental over Hero, it’s probably better to do it when he’s sleeping…

Yes, she thought, I’ll only show him my lingering love for him while he can’t see it. I’ll exert it all out of me so that it’ll dissolve and…

She liked his thighs…Why his thighs? Well, his thighs were…Strong? They were manly…They were attached…Ah, whatever it was, she had held those thighs while they had played.

What was strange though, was that if anyone should be the female in their relationship…It should have been Hero. Like usual, he looked like he liked it even more when Aero took the initiative. He still liked it on the bottom like a fucking bitch!

 

What is it though!? Why did it not worry Aero at all! Even in female form, she wanted to dominate the man completely!

Dammit…

Aero moved slightly, trying to get rid of the remembered feeling of Hero’s hands on her bum cheek’s.

How had she lived to nineteen without sex!? Because…She was just so damned horny right now!

Looking up at Hero’s face, she glared at him.

It’s all your fault!

With a response of a short second frown from Hero, Aero blinked and lost her glare.

What is he dreaming about to frown? Something from the past? Something that he is afraid of…Is he dreaming about spiders!? Does he still hate spiders!?

 

Smoothing out those frown lines, Aero smirked to his small snore and laid her head against him again…Looking at his thighs…

Well, anyway, it seemed that she was looking forward to something ‘hot and sweaty’ too much to be able to sleep!

They were heading towards Newcastle, then they would fly out of there.

Strangely, they both had minimal with them, almost like…Almost like before, like they were home.

The new age was different, so shouldn’t they be too?

Why don’t they have some big bag full of stuff?

They both just had a small bag with one other pair of clothes…Some small things, like a toothbrush, but otherwise…That was it!

When they realized how similar they were with their bags, Aero had flinched to Hero staring at her for a moment but was firm in her decision to never admit to him about being Aero…Being the Aero that he knew and had a past with.

 

She will have fun with him, like a friend. She will get rid of lingering whatever’s and when they both get annoyed or had enough of each other, they will go their separate ways. Besides, she wasn’t really the same Aero anymore anyway. Since they had been together last, she had become someone that shows her emotions, using them straight away. She was not the same person that only had one thing in her eyes, one thing in her heart.

She had…She had loved another being now…She had…Had a…Had more, more experiences, that’s it! Who…Who wants to be on rollercoaster type of rides anyway, they…They rip you apart and break you! No…Aero, Aero is…

…As much as Aero wanted to say ‘gone’, she did not…

 

 

On the other hand, Hero wouldn’t believe it, even if he did find some clues already that led Alex to remind him often of Aero.

It wasn’t like he didn’t want it to happen, it was more like…In his eyes, it wouldn’t happen…

As far as he was concerned, he did not have any chance of seeing Aero again and that was that!

But he could wish and pretend…

If the hand that was inside his was Aero’s…He’d want to hold it slightly tighter. So, he closed his hand a bit more, then really did fall asleep, feeling quite happy, even though they were stuck on a bus for so long!

But, with the pretend ‘Aero’ sleeping on his shoulder, holding his hand, a woman that wasn’t running away from him, in fact doing the opposite…It was like a dream! He wanted this dream to continue for a long time…

 

***