DISCLAIMER: Nope, I don't own Kaze no Stigma. There likely would've been more Ayano x Kazuma moments if I did. XP

She could go on no longer. Ayano collapsed to her knees, her muscles screaming with fatigue even as her heart and her mind screamed with frustrated rage. She couldn't even muster up the energy to brush aside the hair that spilled over her shoulders or even over her face.

"Had enough yet?"

Fresh anger swelled inside her at the sound of the voice, the tone managing to just barely toe the line between being casual and being insulting, but it was still not enough to overcome her fatigue. She was only able to summon the energy to look up at the owner of the voice. Ayano scowled up at her tormentor, who was casually lighting up a cigarette and not even deigning to look at her. This was so unfair... Here she was, hunched over and panting for air after her unsuccessful attempt to sock him in the face like he richly deserved, and Kazuma looked as fresh as he'd started. Hell, he hadn't even broken a single drop of a sweat after all of that dodging of his! And he'd even taken the liberty of greeting Ren in a genuinely warm and friendly manner when the younger boy had come upon them during his return from school! He turned a grin toward her, a triumphant grin that was full of the certain knowledge of his superiority and not even sparing an ounce of effort to conceal that at all.

Jerk... she snarled mentally.

"Well, guess we'll leave it at that," Kazuma said dismissively before helping himself to another drag of his accursed cancer stick (which, she reflected, he was probably immune to since he probably cheated and found some way to make the wind spirits purify the damn thing for him... again, jerk.)

As always, the fact that this had even started had been his fault. It had been bad enough for her when he'd flipped her skirt up with a sudden gust of wind. Of course, he'd played innocent and pretended it wasn't him, but she could see right through his lies, that damn pervert!

(Ayano had not reflected on the fact that Kazuma was fully capable of telling her a bold-faced lie and she wouldn't have been any wiser about it unless he told her.)

Then he'd just had to make it worse by making a comment on her choice of underwear ("Striped panties, huh? Better watch those high kicks, a lotta guys have a fetish for those."). In an embarrassed rage, she'd hurled herself at him in a vicious flurry of punches, all of which had about as much effect on him as a pebble hurled against a tank. Actually, even less, because she hadn't been able to make a single one of them land.

Still panting heavily, Ayano's brow furrowed as she gazed at the ground, burned out anger giving way to melancholy. She could never get over just how immense the difference in power between them was. She'd always been remarkably talented with Enjutsu, and while she knew that she had a long way to go before she could match the likes of Genma and her father, she had always considered herself to be quite strong. But in the face of Kazuma's power, all of hers counted for nothing. There had been that one time when Kazuma had gone berserk, but... She closed her eyes, already shaking her head at herself. There was no way that could count. That had been just a bare fraction of what he could really do, even without tapping into his contract with the Wind Spirit Lord.

And half-asleep, I bet, she thought with some bitterness.

Even in times like this, she had gone all out against him more than once... He hadn't even gotten singed. A few times, she'd watched him cheerily ask Ren how things were going at school and listening with genuine interest to his little brother (who had wearily answered his questions, frowning at the fire flying around) while she had been swinging around Enraiha at him. She felt so... so weak... It was true that she didn't feel any fear of him, because his power was on such a godlike level that fear was just absurd, but whenever she paused to think about just how vast his strength was, she couldn't help but feel diminished.

A hand was offered to her, intruding on her thoughts. She looked up, seeing Kazuma extending his hand to her, the triumphant smirk replaced by a more casual smile (which she noted still looked like a smirk; probably came with the territory of being an arrogant ass).

"C'mon," he cajoled. "How long do you intend to stay down there?"

She scowled but accepted his hand. He pulled her up to her feet easily, but her tired legs had decided not to do as they were told and allowed her to crash into Kazuma's side. She was left clutching him as he looked down with amusement at her. Ayano's cheeks flushed a light pink at this, mostly out of the embarrassment of needing to be helped up, of course. And... she was close enough to feel his body heat, after all... The moment was ruined as he playfully mussed her hair, drawing an indignant yelp from her. Kazuma grinned down at her when she turned a glare up at him.

"If you keep pouting like that, your face'll freeze."

"You're not helping," she spat.

"Never said I was," he replied. When she continued to scowl at him, he smiled again. "C'mon, princess, don't be like that. Here, I'll treat you, how's that?"

She bristled. Did he honestly think she was some child that could be so easily won over by something as simple as food? Ayano opened her mouth to rage at him, but her stomach chose to growl its input into the conversation. Sheepishly, she covered her abdomen with both hands, blushing lightly as Kazuma smirked. She averted her gaze from him. Well... if she had to be honest, she had gotten a bit hungry while flailing pathetically at him... And besides, it was only right for him to make up for starting this in the first place. She turned a scowl up towards him while he cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting for her reply.

"Fine, but if you take me somewhere cheap, I'll kill you. I want a real meal for what you just put me through!"

He chuckled easily. "I'm not sure what sort of imagined crimes you're thinking of, but sure."

Kazuma extinguished his cigarette against the ground before kicking up a small wind to carry it off the Kannagi grounds. Ayano stared after it briefly. Most likely, he'd throw it into a trashcan off the grounds... or maybe at some hapless passerby, the jerk.

He turned to leave the grounds, calling over his shoulder, "Shall we?"

Ayano nodded, but watched him walk away for a bit. It astounded her that even just that small display reminded her again what the difference in power between them was. Kazuma certainly had the power to ensure that his winds wouldn't cause unnecessary damage; it was just that he normally didn't bother because he didn't care. But unlike her, if he really cared enough to, he actually could, much like how Genma could keep his fire from burning anything that he didn't want burned. She was nowhere near that level yet.

Yet.

She scowled at his retreating back, fists clenching into tight little balls.

One day... she vowed to herself. One day... you won't be able to toy with me the way you do now.

Yes... it wouldn't be tomorrow, and it might not even be anywhere in the next few years, but one day, she would catch up to him. One day, he would be forced to acknowledge her as more than just Ayano, the girl who he toyed with at every given moment. Maybe she would never again be superior to him, the way she had been when they had dueled four years ago, before he had become monstrously powerful... but that was alright. To be able to catch up to him, to stand beside him as an equal and be acknowledged as such, that was enough.

Ayano jogged lightly until she was walking next to him, gazing up at him as he walked at a jaunty pace, his hands tucked in his pockets. Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he said, "Done thinking your deep thoughts, I see."

Unperturbed by his teasing tone for once, she continued to look at him evenly. "You better watch out, Kazuma. Because one of these days, you won't be able to toy with me the way you do now. I'll be as strong as you are one day!"

He grinned down at her, returning her even stare. "Oh?" he asked, his tone once more so casual and playful that it was almost insulting. "Is that right? Well then, I'll just have to look forward to it then."

She nodded before turning her gaze forward, her determined expression giving way to a more relaxed one. Kazuma faced forward as well, but he continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye, concealing his gentle smile.

I know you'll get there, Ayano.

Fin

Ficlet idea that hit me, and I just let it flow from there. What can I say, the relationship between Ayano and Kazuma fascinates me. XD I think they've got a great dynamic. I tried to capture a more serious moment than my previous two Kaze no Stigma fics did. It was a little rough trying to polish it off with Kazuma, since he's really bad at being honest about how he feels, and he is rarely kind to Ayano's face. More like a backhanded kinda affection, I guess. XD

If you've made it this far, please leave a review. Constructive criticism would be great, but even if you just wanna comment to let me know what you think, that's fine too. Flames shall be stored for cold days, and maybe for amusement *shifty eyes*. Until next time! ^_^