The Seigaku Gifted catch glimpses of Sakuno at school, but more rarely than ever, as if she is avoiding them. They eventually decide that she is. Another backlash day goes by, and though they handle it much better this time, Fuji wonders why Tezuka barely bats an eyelash when Momoshiro drops his racquet from the pain. The problem is very quickly remedied, of course, thanks to Ryoma tossing a water bottle to the older boy, but all the same, Fuji can't help but glance at Tezuka curiously. Does Tezuka know about their powers? Does he have powers of his own?

He brings the subject up at the Gifted meeting later in the day.

"That's just how buchou is!" Momoshiro says, waving a hand dismissively. Ryoma, who is using the dozing Jiroh for a pillow, turns his head and looks over at them.

"He does have some sort of power," he informs them. "But he's different from us. I was going to bring it up, but Fuji got to it first."

"How could you tell?" Yuuta asks curiously.

"Our eyes met, earlier, and I could feel it," Ryoma says. "He's not a Core, but not a Gifted either. He's outside it, like Sakuno."

"Another Messenger?" Atobe wonders aloud, but their Core shakes his head.

"No. He seems to be standing guard over something," he says.

"Maybe he's a sort of secret keeper," Inui says, not looking up from his notebook.

"Or a bodyguard," Momoshiro says, but looks slightly skeptical. Ryoma half-shrugs and rolls onto his side so his back is to them.

"We could always ask him," he says, voice slightly muffled by Jiroh's shirt.

"I think I will, tomorrow," Fuji says thoughtfully, and after a moment, the others nod, seeing that this is the best course of action at the moment.

Ryoma, Momoshiro and Inui linger in front of the school the next day after practice, waiting for Fuji to finish talking with Tezuka. After a considerable amount of time has passed, Fuji appears, and walks over to them with a smile on his face.

"What did he say?" Momoshiro asks eagerly, but Fuji shakes his head.

"Wait until the others can hear, too," he says, earning a frustrated groan from the other boy and a scowl from Ryoma. The four of them make their way to Ryoma's house, and only Fuji knows that they're being shadowed.

The rest of the Gifted arrive shortly after the Seigaku students reach the house, and the seven of them once again claim the living room. It's good that they've let Ryoma's family in on the secret, because it means that they're rarely bothered. As they settle around the room, everyone asks Fuji to tell them what happened.

"Tezuka had no problem admitting to me that he is involved in all of this," Fuji begins. "Ryoma was right in that he is not a Gifted. Tezuka told me that he is called a Watchman; he's keeping watch over us like a bodyguard would, using some kind of device that Kara gave him. His powers are two-sided. On the one hand, he can use them to heal us if we're injured. On the other hand, he can take the injuries he's healed and use his powers to inflict them on the enemy in our defense."

"That seems very fitting," Atobe remarks, and there are nods of agreement.

"Is there a Messenger and a Watchman for every group of Gifted?" Yuuta wonders aloud.

"It doesn't seem like it. Look what happened to Kaneda and Kirihara, after all," Inui says.

"That's true," Yuuta says, blinking.

"Wait, wait. If Tezuka can heal us, why doesn't he help out on backlash days?" Momoshiro wants to know.

"Because it's backlash. It's almost necessary. And besides, it's gotten better as we've developed our powers, hasn't it?" Jiroh says, his chin resting on Ryoma's shoulder. Momoshiro opens his mouth to argue, then apparently thinks better of it and keeps quiet.

"I wonder why we were given these powers in the first place," Shinji mumbles, and goes on, putting voice to speculations and annoyances, and everyone else half-listens, silently wondering with him.

"We're all more worried than we let on, aren't we?" Fuji says quietly, smiling a little, and Shinji cuts off mid-mumble. Momoshiro and Yuuta share a glance, then look away. Atobe stares down at his hands, and behind him, Inui adjusts his glasses and keeps his eyes on his notebook. Fuji looks at them, then at the floor. Ryoma merely looks out the window, leaning back against Jiroh slightly, and the older boy tightens his hold on him just a little.

It's true; even before the attacks on Kaneda and Kirihara, before Sakuno had told them of Kara and delivered his message, the Gifted - and Inui, their helper - had been worried, and not a little frightened. They've just never mentioned it in a meeting before.

Hours seem to pass in silence, and then, finally, Ryoma shrugs off Jiroh's arms and stands up. "I'm going to get some Ponta," he announces without ceremony, and leaves the living room. It effectively breaks the solemn mood, and the rest of the boys quickly follow him, the idea of a snack being far more appealing than that of sitting around moping. Within seconds, the kitchen is borderline chaotic and full of playful arguing, and for now the dark mood from mere moments before is forgotten.

"Why are both the Watchman and the Messenger from Seigaku, though?" Yuuta wonders aloud as he reaches past Momoshiro for a can of Ponta, and nearly gets an elbow to the face as a result.

"Sorry." Momoshiro apologises around a mouthful of crackers, then answers the question. "It's probably because Ryoma goes there."

Yuuta succeeds in grabbing the can of Ponta and retreats before he can be put in any more danger. "That makes sense, I suppose. But wouldn't it have been easier for all the Gifted to be from Seigaku, if that's the case?"

"Yes, but I'm sure there's a reason for it being otherwise," Fuji says, handing Atobe a butter knife.

"Kara will probably tell us," Atobe says, taking the knife. "Thanks, Fuji." The other boy nods, smiling.

"Probably. How long until we meet him?" Momoshiro asks.

"About a week," Jiroh replies. His and Ryoma's eyes meet as they glance at each other, and then they look down at their snacks. "Ryoma-kun has been having nightmares," Jiroh adds in a quiet, serious voice. All activity in the kitchen comes to a stop, and six pairs of eyes focus on the two.

"What kind of nightmares?" Fuji asks, a concerned frown on his face.

"I don't remember them when I wake up. All I know is, they're connected to Kara and us," Ryoma says, keeping his eyes on his drink. "They started a few days ago. Since then, they've gotten progressively worse."

"The past two nights, he's actually screamed in his sleep," Jiroh reveals, and Ryoma lowers his head slightly so his hair hides his face. The other six boys exchange worried glances.

"I can't believe we didn't notice anything," Momoshiro says, then looks back at Ryoma. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Because I thought they were only dreams." Ryoma says quietly. "But all day today I've had a sense of deja vu that's directly connected to the dreams. Even now, it's there."

"Visions?" Atobe wonders.

"I hope not," Jiroh says honestly, slipping an arm around the boy beside him. "Because... if they are visions, it's not going to end well," he adds, almost reluctantly. Fuji is the only person who sees Ryoma holding so tightly to Jiroh's shirt that his knuckles are white, and thinks that if Ryoma is that frightened, the situation might be much worse off than the conversation is leading them to believe.