Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Spoilers for up to episode 11. Also-- this is me having the male characters call each other each other by their surnames now, since that was how they referred to each other in the original series (I've only seen the dub so this was news to me). Believe it or not, I do take my characterization seriously.

--

Shingo had been hoping that a drive to the park (and thus getting out of Bio Base for an hour or two-- no offense to Peebo, but he could only take living in something that felt like it came out of a science fiction movie for so long) to enjoy the unusually warm spring day would help to clear his mind and restore his focus. And it had worked-- that is, until he spotted some yellow wild flowers amidst all the green. Then all the memories (and the doubts, and the fears) came crashing back.

Koizumi Mika, the fourth member of their team, was dead. She had died honorably, saving the rest of them. They had recently found a new girl, Yabuki Jun, who possessed the potentional and the drive to fill the void Mika had left. Mika was a hero, and Jun was all they could ask for (and then some) in a replacement.

However, neither of these eased Shingo's worries.

If Mika-- Mika, who had been stronger than the rest of them put together-- could fall in battle, so could anyone else on the team. It was something they had all known and accepted when they agreed to help Peebo fight Gear, but Mika's death had made the possibility real. To be honest, Shingo couldn't muster up much worry over his own life being in risk. He had already lived his dream of being a championship race car driver, and it wasn't like he had anyone waiting for him once Gear was gone.

But what if it wasn't him? What if it was Shiro, or Jun, or Hikaru?

... Or Ryuuta?

Just the idea-- Ryuuta lying on the ground, lifeless, nothing left to do but bury him next to Mika-- was enough to make something in Shingo's gut twist painfully. He had lived through losing Mika. He was almost positive that he could live through losing Shiro or one of the girls... but he couldn't stand not having Ryuuta next to him. He just couldn't.

Shingo didn't know what was worse: the fact that Ryuuta had come to mean so much to him so quickly (more than anyone else on the team)... or not knowing why.

"Takasugi! Takasugi, I'm over here!"

Speak of the devil. Ryuuta came rushing up to him. After taking a few moments to catch his breath, he grinned up at him.

"I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to finally find you! Did you know I've been running around the city all morning looking for you?"

"Why didn't you just call me on my Techno Brace?"

Ryuuta's grin went from cheerful to sheepish just like that.

"Don't worry about it-- I wasn't really in the mood to talk earlier anyways."

The younger man blinked. "Is something wrong?"

Despite what was going on in his mind, Shingo felt his lips twist upwards. "... Of course not. Now come on, I'll drive you back. Gou's going to be upset if we come home late tonight."

It wasn't until his car was in eyesight that it finally hit Shingo... if he was that worried about losing Ryuuta, why not do something about it? And he would, too: from now on, he'd keep an eye on him in each battle, do everything in his power to make sure that Gear wouldn't get the pleasure of killing Blue Three as they had the original Yellow Four.

It wouldn't be easy. There was a good chance he would get himself killed in the process.

"Takasugi!" Ryuuta was leaning against the passenger door. "Are we going home or what?"

But it would be worth it.