"You're getting stronger."

Osamu gritted his teeth as the pain ripped through him, refusing to cry out and collapse to the floor as he gripped the trigger with white knuckles. After a while, his nerves seemed to be hardening against it's effects—the experience was still agonizing and torturous, but the pain was becoming more manageable.

"I'm impressed, really," Dr. Mariposa murmured, "Perhaps you're starting to get acclimated to the trigger…this means that we're making progress. Now, try again."

Sighing, Osamu held out the trigger in front of him again. "Trigger, on."

Osamu sighed, twirling his trigger around in his hand as he stared almost unblinkingly at the computer screen. He had been making notes based off of what he and Kitora discussed when he visited her last, and his eyes kept straying to his uninjured hand.

What would happen if I triggered it without blood?

The memories of the seizures kept him hesitating. It had hurt like hell, but he couldn't just keep putting it off—he had to get it under control before the next Rank Wars to avoid being completely useless.

Perhaps it'll even pave the way for those with a…monstrously high amount of Trion to use…

The brunette clenched his jaw as he gripped the trigger with a death grip, forcing himself to focus on his injured hand protesting to calm down. Chika has suffered enough from this—he wasn't about to put her through that kind of pain, especially if he could avoid it so easily...

You have a death wish, don't you?

Osamu wasn't entirely sure what Kitora meant by that, but he definitely should at least thank her for helping him get him going in the right direction concerning his trigger—he was positive he'd be blundering in the dark if it weren't for her help.

He also felt the need to apologize, but he wasn't entirely sure for what.

The brunette relaxed his grip on the trigger, wincing as he saw his bandage blossom red. Gingerly picking it up with his uninjured hand, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Trigger, on."

"So," Kitora murmured, "Care to tell me what's going on?"

Jin sighed, his grin fading slightly. "Well," he replied, "I'm pulling a few strings, and…well it hasn't been easy."

Kitora raised an eyebrow, wondering what could possibly have been difficult. "Is your Side-Effect been giving you trouble?"

Her stomach dropped when she saw the guilt clouding the blonde's eyes.

"Jin," she murmured, pushing her uneasiness away. "What is it? What's going on?"

"It's…a long story," the Power Elite sighed, "But…you deserve to know."

Now she was completely terrified, though she didn't let it show on her face. "Fine," she stated, crossing her arms. "I'm listening."

A grunt tore through his throat as he collapsed to the ground, his body seizing up as that all too familiar burning sensation seared his skin. It hurt like hell, but luckily the few months of relief he'd had off didn't destroy his hardened nerves enough to make him scream aloud and alert everyone else—the last thing Osamu wanted to was to worry his teammates even further.

The pain began to subside right as the door opened, and Osamu sat back up into his chair with a sigh as he rubbed his aching wrists.

"…are you okay?" Yuma asked, peeking into the room. "I thought I heard a thump, so…"

"I stubbed my toe," he lied lamely, running a hand through his hair.

Yuma raised an eyebrow, and Osamu wondered why he even tried. "…I was trying to activate my Side-Effect," the Megane-kun admitted, subconsciously rubbing his wrists again. "I was hoping to be able to use it without blood, but…it didn't quite go as planned."

"Side-Effect?" his teammate asked, "I thought it was the trigger that allowed you to…"

"'Negate Trion?'" Osamu supplied, turning back to the computer as he resumed typing. His hand still hurt, but he decided to simply change the bandage later. "The trigger I activated during the meeting was an average Border trigger, so it turns out it's actually a Side-Effect. Kitora-san helped me theorize about what it is that happened to me, and I'm putting it into a report to give to Kinuta-san…"

"…oh," Yuma replied, looking over his captain's shoulder. "'Trion is replaced by blood'? That doesn't sound very healthy."

"It's not," the brunette muttered, rubbing his forehead. "After the meeting I was about ready to pass out—I'm pretty sure it was one-hundred percent adrenaline that stopped me from dying when we got to Chika after that neighbor…"

"Well at least you're starting to get the hang of it," Yuma said, giving the Megane-kun a thumbs up. "At this rate you'll be using regular Trion again in no time!"

Osamu blinked, not comprehending. "What do you mean?" he asked, looking down at himself. "I…"

…he stood abruptly when he realized that Yuma was right—there he stood, clad in his full Border uniform.

"Did you really not notice?" Yuma asked, cocking his head to the side. "Maybe you should take a break if you're that unaware…"

"But…" Osamu trailed off, staring at his now gloved hands. He wasn't entirely sure if he was in his actual Trion body or his normal body that manipulated his blood, but either way he felt winded from the entire transformation.

"Raygust," he commanded, reaching his left hand out and closing his eyes.

"Osamu-kun I don't think—"

The bespectacled brunette stifled another cry of pain and fell to the floor, promptly cutting off the white haired neighbor. A searing pain lanced up his outstretched arm, but Osamu found his fist tightening around Raygust's handle.

"…Osamu-kun," Yuma said hesitantly, helping the bespectacled brunette back into his chair. "I hope this doesn't happen every single time you use it…"

Osamu shook his head, a grin spreading on his face as he lifted up the glowing, yellow Trion blade. "Of course not," he replied breathlessly, "It was a lot worse, but I-I wouldn't even be able to summon my combat avatar—let alone my weapon! The fact I can use means—"

An idea struck his head, and he held out his other hand. "Aster—"

"Osamu-kun wait," Yuma interrupted sternly, grabbing his hand. "You're shaking—"

"I'm already so close though," Osamu insisted, turning back to the computer and typing furiously. "I honestly thought I lost the ability to use Trion, but…"

But what if I can't use blood anymore?

"Dammit," he muttered, grabbing the pen sitting on the table.

The pen was plucked out of his hand and Osamu turned to Yuma, who held the pen in the air.

"…Yuma," he sighed, standing up and reaching for the pen. "I'm taller than you—"

The white haired neighbor slipped the pen in his shirt sleeve, crossing his arms. "Osamu-kun," he stated, "you need to take a break."

A part of him wanted to insist that he was fine, but a larger part of him felt himself becoming slightly light headed. "I guess you're right…" he murmured, plopping back down onto the seat as he removed his glasses and wiped them with his shirt. "What do you suggest I do?"

"We can go visit Chika," Yuma replied immediately, "you know, before you become an exhausted mess."

Osamu thought for a moment, contemplating his offer—he'd been working for a while now, so one break probably couldn't hurt…

"Besides," Yuma added, "I'm sure Chika misses you."

The bespectacled brunette finally made up his mind. "Fine by me," he decided, putting his glasses back on as he stood and stretched his arms. "Let me get my coat."

When Jin finished, Kitora found it difficult to breathe.

"Let me get this straight," she stated, "You knew Mikumo-kun was going to get kidnapped…let it happen…thought he'd die…but he didn't so now your Side-Effect is messed up?"

"It's…a lot more complicated than that," Jin replied, his smile replaced with a frown. "Mikumo-kun…his 'future' ended while he was held hostage by those neighbors…but something happened, and when he survived—which I am very grateful for—his future…didn't catch with him."

"So you're saying that he had no alternate futures?" Kitora asked, "All of them led to him dying?"

"Not all of them," Jin replied, "While all the other ends led to thousands or millions of deaths—even a few with the destruction of the human race—there were some where Mikumo-kun would survive…"

"…but millions of people wouldn't," she finished, "you were basically choosing the lesser of two—or several, I guess—evils for the benefit of humanity."

Jin sighed, smiling slightly. "I'm surprised you understand," he murmured, "Everyone else…well, they aren't too happy I sacrificed their favorite kouhai to save the world."

Kitora rolled her eyes. "Well it's easy for them to be upset," she muttered, "they didn't have to make that choice, so they blame you easily. I bet they would have selfishly saved the stupid Megane-kun at the expense of mass extinction anyway—besides, he's so reckless that he'd be pissed off if you didn't let him rush to his death."

This time, the power elite laughed. "I guess you're right," he said, "but they do have a right to be mad—"

"They have a right to be sad," Kitora interrupted, "yeah I'll admit I was sad when Mikumo-kun got kidnapped, but I'm not going to take it out on you. If anything, I'm relieved that someone knew what was going on—it means that had he actually died, it wouldn't have been in vain."

"…thanks," Jin replied quietly, "That means a lot, telling me that I didn't make a horrible mistake."

"Of course," she replied, "knowing the future sounds stressful, and people do stupid things when they're mad so don't take it personally."

"Yes it is…" the Power Elite agreed, scratching the back of his head. "And I've stopped doing that a long time ago—just wasn't worth it."

You have a death wish, don't you?

As much as Kitora wanted to just end the conversation there on a happy-ish note, she had too many questions and had no idea when Jin was going to visit her again—or if the future would prohibit him from answering them later on.

"You know…" Kitora murmured, shaking the thoughts away. "It actually makes sense—the lack of a future thing, I mean."

Jin raised an eyebrow at her, and she elaborated. "When Mikumo-kun visited me at the hospital, he sounded so…desperate to help Amatori- and Kuga-kun," she explained, "Like his life would be pointless if he didn't—"

"He's not there yet," Jin warned, "remember, this is Mikumo-kun we're talking about—he's a lot stronger than that. He's just…a bit lost I guess, like he senses that his 'future' has already passed and isn't quite sure what he's supposed to do with himself."

"I know that," she mumbled, "this is the same guy who just decided not to die, took on the very weapon he was tortured with and is trying to master it, and still had the nerve to say that he's weak. He may fight like a girl and have the stamina of a potato, but his will is as big as Tachikawa's ego."

"But you're a girl," he pointed out, "and you fight quite well."

"The point is," Kitora insisted, "It's in Mikumo-kun's very nature to be stubborn."

The power elite laughed again despite the situation. "Yeah," he murmured, "It's just…stressful not knowing his future like everyone else's—I don't know how you guys handle not knowing what's going to happen to the people you care about all the time…"

Kitora nodded understandingly. "It is annoying," she stated, "but we just trust that they'll be okay—and if it turns out they're not then we get pissed off an do something about it. Either way, it's stressful, it's annoying, and it's life."

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't even finish that," Kitora snapped, "You have enough to deal with without having to feel guilty, okay?"

"Like I said," Jin replied, "not everyone really thinks the same way…"

His smile dissipated suddenly, his eyes widening in fear. "Shit."

"What?" Kitora demanded, "What's wrong? What do you see?"

"Your future," he muttered, hastily standing up and walking to the door. "Mikumo-kun's in it."

"What!?" she exclaimed, "Is that possible—"

"Yes, because it's your future and not his," he replied quickly, "I-I'll be right back—"

"I'm coming with you," Kitora blurted suddenly, "You shouldn't go alone."

Jin stared at her for a few moments, then sighed. "You have your trigger on you, don't you?"

"I stole it off Arashiyama's coat pocket when he wasn't looking," she confessed, reaching underneath her pillow and pulling it out. "I'll explain later—Trigger, on!"

When she transformed, she plucked off the heart monitor off her finger. "We have about ten seconds before someone panics, so let's go."

The power elite chuckled softly, pulling his trigger out of his pocket. "Trigger, on."

"This place is still deserted, even after two months…"

Kasumi Mikumo made her way through the now remodeled park, sitting down on a lone bench with her trusty stick in her lap. She had come to this place every day for the past two months to wait for her son to come back, but three weeks later she finds her feet wandering back to the place where it all started once again. The people of Mikado City avoid the park like the plague due to the urban legend that anyone who steps foot in it would never return, even after it's beauty was restored in full.

Even so, Kasumi didn't mind—to her, the emptiness gave the park a hauntingly peaceful aura. The plants were still meticulously taken care of despite the lack of human activity, and the roar of the city was reduced to a gentle hum. It made her feel like she stepped into another world, just like her son did before her.

Though she knew it wasn't as peaceful as this.

"I didn't know people still came here."

The dark-haired woman blinked, snapping out of her reverie as another woman stood before her. She had blonde hair pulled up neatly in a bun and wore an office outfit with a white doctor's jacket. She looked around Kasumi's age, but something about her eyes and smile put her on edge.

"I should say the same to you," Kasumi commented as the blonde woman took a seat beside her on the bench. "I've been coming here every day for the past two months."

"Why is that?" the blonde asked, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Well…" Kasumi debated whether or not to tell her about her son. "…it brings back memories," she decided.

"That it does," the blonde replied, looking up at the cloudy sky. "…my son went hunting for rabbits once in this very park."

Kasumi's instincts suddenly went onto high alert. "Did he?" she asked calmly, "My son played in this area as a child too."

"That sound believable," the blonde woman smiled, "there are so many rabbits here in Mikado City, almost like an infestation."

"There are many," Kasumi agreed, "but they're pretty harmless. They're just bunnies after all."

The blonde woman chuckled softly. "What's your name?" The blonde asked, turning from the sky to Kasumi.

"…Kasumi," she answered with a slight nod. "And you are?"

The smile on the blonde's face twisted into a smirk, and Kasumi instinctually knew exactly who it was.

"Dr. Mariposa," the blonde answered, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Kasumi Mikumo."