A/N: Yes, I know, I'm evil, but hey, I'm the Almighty Author. I'm authorised to be evil (just so you know, pun intended ^^).
'Neways, I hope this clears up some stuff. A more complete explanation will come in the next chapter so don't worry. I won't be hiding (much) from you anymore ^^.
Chapter 20
Yuuji skidded to a halt as he saw Kawazoe bring down the sword upon his daughter. He too had bolted towards Emi the moment he had felt Kawazoe's reiatsu grow.
"Please God, no", he thought as he saw Jun standing there, a smirk on his face as he held his blade, everything but the hilt still obscured by the dust.
Tears had already started forming in his eyes when he noticed the look on Jun's face had suddenly shifted. Yuuji frowned as he took a closer look and noticed that the claw used to attack Emi was positioned at an unusual angle. Judging from the angle it was in, it hadn't struck Emi at all but had stopped moving before hitting her.
Jun cursed loudly as he tried to pull back his sword out of the dust. He didn't know what had happened. One moment he had been well on his way to ridding soul society of another pest when suddenly his sword had stopped mid swing, and when he tried to pull it back, it wouldn't budge. This thoroughly confused and ticked him off at the same time.
Bellowing in anger, he swung his left claw in a sideways arc to whatever had trapped his other blade. The following clash left his arm numb as his other attack was stopped as well. Not wanting to make the same mistake as with his first attack, he quickly pulled back as far as he could. His right arm was still trapped along with the claw.
"What in the blazes is happening here", he muttered.
Everyone surrounding them had stopped, wondering what was going on with Jun. Shinji too had stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the confused look on Jun's face. It wasn't until a familiar pulse of reiatsu filtered through to him that he understood exactly what had happened, even if the pulse itself was extremely weak and warped, even if it was impossible. A smile came over his face.
As the dust slowly settled down, Jun's attention was drawn by a small flicker of light being reflected off metal. Slowly, a sword was revealed, held exactly where his left claw had been blocked. His eyes widened as he noticed the shape of the sword. Its spiked back and broken chain on the end of the hilt gave away the owner of the sword. Small arcs of lightning raced violently across the blade, almost challenging Jun to try another attack.
"That's impossible", he breathed, having recognised the sword almost instantly. Everyone else in the surrounding area that recognised the sword was stunned as well. Everyone had heard the reports of the Ninth Division fukutaicho dying.
Jun looked at his right blade, not knowing what was happening. According to the reports the left blade had been shattered and buried along with the badge, and the right sword had blocked his left attack.
"How the hell did he stop my first attack?", he pondered.
Almost as an answer to his unspoken question, the rest of his blade was revealed. Jun's eyes widened as he watched a hand gripping the searing hot blade of his zanpakutō as if it were nothing.
"Didn't I tell you last time we met that you would never hurt her?", a familiar voice came from the dust.
"No way".
"I assure you, it's completely possible", it replied, right before a massive pulse of reiatsu blew away the cloud, revealing a lone figure standing between Jun and Emi.
Emi had dropped to her knees, waiting for the final blow to finally come. She had accepted her fate without too many problems. Seri would be fine, her parents could even take her as their own child without too many problems. She closed her eyes, hoping it would be quick. The roar of the flames almost tore her eardrums but it didn't really matter. She waited for the blade to cut through her skin but started wondering if she was already dead when it didn't come as expected. As a second clash resounded through the area she opened her eyes in wonder. Surrounding her was a huge mass of dust, she couldn't even see her hand in front of her eyes, and all she could hear was Jun cursing loudly. She was still wondering what had happened when suddenly an awfully familiar voice made her heart skip a few beats. She looked up at the source of the sound when a blast of equally familiar reiatsu flared up and blew away the dust, revealing a person standing between her and Jun.
She was confused.
"Kaito?", Emi whispered at the figure standing before her. She was confused, the voice was Kaito's, the reiatsu, even if somewhat warped, was Kaito's and the sword held in the right hand of the figure was without a doubt Hyakuenrai. But the figure himself wasn't Kaito at all.
"Yeah", the figure replied while turning around a bit, releasing his hold on Jun's blade, "It's me Emi".
"You might not believe it, but it's me", he continued, "I know the changes might shock you, but I guess that's normal".
Emi simply swallowed as the figure replied with Kaito's voice. Raising her head, she looked at his face and froze. It was Kaito, no doubt about it. His face was exactly the same as it had been on that day, almost a year ago, when he had met her in the Fifth Division headquarters. The last moment of happiness in her life.
But at this moment, she didn't know what to feel. She wanted to believe that he was alive and standing in front of her, but her mind was screaming to her that this was someone or something else. No one could have survived what he had gone through. Combined with the change in physical appearance, it was enough to cancel out her joy at seeing her husband alive and well.
"What the hell are you", Jun interrupted them. He too was confused. Standing in front of him was something that blurred the line between man and monster.
His face was almost exactly the same as before, except his brown eyes had turned into slitted amber ones, the dark shade of the colour giving off a peculiar vibe. His brown hair now had streaks of white in it and had grown out to reach between his shoulder blades. But the most apparent changes were the white lines running across his arms, and most of all the wings and tail coming out through the tattered fabric he was wearing, a line of white scale like armour ran down the back of his neck and continued down along the tail.
"As I said, I'm Kaito. It's your choice to either believe me or not".
Jun was shaken out of his confusion by the pulse of the last of his subordinates fading out of existence and the arrival of the remaining taichō at the scene. He needed to get out of there, but most of all, he needed to put some distance between himself and the thing standing in front of him.
Not even replying, Jun quickly grabbed some papers he had stuffed into his outfit and threw them into the air. It was one of the more useful kidō techniques, allowing the user to transport himself instantly towards a preset location. In an instant, he had vanished, leaving the battlefield far behind him.
"Are you alright?" Kaito asked as he held out his hand to help Emi up. She nodded, still dazed by Kaito's appearance.
"Is it really you?", she asked him as she took his hand.
"Even though I look like this, yeah, it's me", he smiled at her as he pulled her up before enveloping her into a hug.
"I missed you so much", he whispered into her ear.
"What happened to you?"
"Its a long story", he replied, "I'll explain it later".
He looked up to see all of the taichō present at the battle surrounding them, swords drawn and at the ready.
"Step away from her", Yuuji's voice commanded.
"I guess I have some explaining to do", Kaito muttered.
"I won't say it again, step away from her", Yuuji shouted again.
Kaito broke the hug.
"Go towards you father Emi", he smiled, "I'll explain everything after we get home".
He gave her a gentle nudge and watched as she slowly walked towards her father.
"The only place you're going to is hell you bastard", Yuuji growled as he brandished his sword.
"How dare you impersonate my son".
"You mean son-in-law, right? Besides, it's really me".
"Bullshit, I've fought enough hollow to know that there are some that can take on the appearance and even reiatsu of anyone they want".
Hearing the word hollow, Emi was shaken out of her daze. It was the only possible explanation for the changes in Kaito`s appearance.
"True, there are hollow that have that particular ability, and yes, I'm a hollow, though not in the usual sense of the word".
"That's all I needed to know", Yuuji roared, "Kajiki".
His zanpakutō glowed blue as it lengthened into a thin lance. It wasn't the first time that Kaito saw Yuuji's released zanpakutō and he knew what to expect. He dodged to the side, using his sword to deflect the thrust even more. Even so it still tore through the clothes on his chest, revealing more white lines and some scales running along his sides.
Not wanting to let Yuuji continue his assault, Kaito quickly grabbed the lance, holding it steady.
"Just hear me out alright?"
"What is there to listen to, you monster", Yuuji bellowed, desperately trying to get his lance out of Kaito's grip.
"Why won't you listen to me", Kaito snapped. He slammed his sword into the ground and used his now free hand to smash down onto the lance's shaft, breaking it in half. Throwing away the now useless tip, he grabbed Yuuji by his collar and pulled him close. Instantly, both Tetsuo and Shinji jumped forward, swords drawn and released.
Using his free arm and tail, Kaito intercepted their attacks, holding the two weapons steady.
"Take a good look Yuuji", Kaito growled, "Where exactly do you see the hole a hollow has huh? Where do you think my mask is? As I said, I may be a hollow, but not in the usual sense of the word".
"What do you mean", Yuuji spat out, taking in the details nonetheless.
"I mean that I'm not a full hollow", Kaito continued, "I don't know what happened exactly, but all I know is that while I'm about ninety percent hollow, I still have ten percent that's something else".
"You mean you're a mix between a shinigami and a hollow?", Shinji muttered.
"No, the ten percent is something else. I'll explain when we get back to headquarters".
"How can we possibly trust you", Tetsuo asked hesitantly, clearly disturbed by the fact that someone could actually hold his sword without any apparent side-effects.
"Actually, it's quite simple. I have all three of you more or less at my mercy now. Do you really think that if I truly were a hollow that I would leave an opportunity such as this as it is? Seriously, a chance to cut down the shinigami force by half with little to no effort. It would turn the rest of the task force into nothing more than a dessert".
"He's got a point Shimizu-san", Shinji sighed, "he could have easily killed all three of us in an instant, yet he didn't. That combined with the obvious lack of some of the more defining trademarks of a hollow means that we should at least offer him the chance to explain himself fully".
"Thanks Yoshikune-san", Kaito smiled as he let go of their zanpakutō, "oh, and could you seal Akarikai? The light is really annoying to me now".
"Sorry about that Kaito-kun", Shinji smiled apologetically.
"I hope you know what you're doing Yoshikune-san", Yuuji said, he was still looking warily in Kaito's direction.
"Not to mention the trouble the Sotaichō will probably give us for this", Naoki muttered as he closed in on the four of them.
"I'll assume full responsibility for that", Shinji replied.
"We will have to take your sword from you Kaito-kun", Tetsuo said.
Kaito nodded in response before pulling his sword out of the earth. Flipping it backwards he handed it to Tetsuo, hilt first.
"Not that it's going to matter much", Naoki continued muttering.
"Don't worry Fukuda-san", Kaito grinned, "as soon as they allow me back into the Gotei 13 I'll have another sparring match with you". The Eleventh division taichō visibly brightened at these words and formed a grin on his face, one that wouldn't disappear for the rest of the week.
"Kaito?", a silent voice interrupted the taichō. Emi had recovered a bit from the shock and was now looking straight into Kaito's eyes. He smiled, recognising not fear, but curiosity and wonder in her look.
"Yeah, it's me", he replied.
She jumped forward for another hug but was stopped by her father.
"I hope you don't mind, but she'll have to stay away from you until we're sure you can be trusted".
"No problem Yuuji-san, I guess it's to be expected, since I look like this", he sighed, "It's been a year, I guess a little longer won't be a problem, right, Emi?".
She simply nodded, tears in her eyes. But unlike the tears she had shed in the past year, these were caused by joy coursing through her body. He was back. His reiatsu might have changed a bit, but the base feeling was still exactly the same as it had been a year ago. It was him, without a doubt.
Standing back into the crowd now surrounding the taichō were the rest of the academy group, staring wordlessly at Kaito.
Finally, Momiji spoke up.
"Figures he'd be the one to save Emi", he grinned at the rest of them, "that guy won't die even if he's killed".
"The true proverbial weed eh?", Sakamoto added with an equally large grin.
"Agreed", nodded Midorikawa who was holding a squirming Miharu. She had tried to glomp Kaito the moment he had shown up, regardless of his appearance. Of course, Midorikawa had intervened with a timely cast Kidō spell. It was obvious the taichō were still wary of their friend, and given the circumstances, they had every right to be. He had to admit that even he, as one of Kaito's close friends, was a bit distraught by his sudden appearance and the changes in his physical shape. It was anyone's guess as to what the psychological changes of his obvious transformation were.
"I still wonder what happened to him", Saruwatari though out loud, "he looks like a hollow and even his reiatsu feels almost exactly like that of a hollow".
"Don't tell me you're still afraid of hollow", Momiji teased his girlfriend, only to receive a small smack against his head in response.
"I'm sure we'll get some answers in time", Midorikawa smiled, interrupting their little scene, "for now, let's just be glad that he's back".
His friends nodded in agreement as they watched the taichō signal for them to leave, Kaito walking in the middle of a circle formed by their superiors. Though their swords were not drawn, tension was still tangible in the air.
As they walked, Emi's attention kept being drawn towards the more prominent physical characteristics of Kaito's new look. She had listened carefully to him when he was describing how his zanpakutō's spirit, Hyakuenrai, looked and was surprised to see a stunning resemblance between the two of them. Well, at least for as far as her imagination went. Naoki on the other hand was having the same thoughts, but on the contrary to Emi, he was sure of the resemblance between the two. He and his wife were the only two to have ever seen Hyakuenrai as it was materialised by Kaito. He shared a look with her. Receiving a nod in response, he too put the things together and quickly formulated a theory as to what had happened to one of his favourite pupils.
A welcoming committee was already waiting for them when they arrived at the gates to Seireitei. As they were walking, Tetsuo had contacted the Sotaichō and given him a brief explanation of the situation. The only reply he had received was to continue their journey back to base and follow orders as they got back. Now it became clear why their orders had been relatively vague. Along with the four gate guardians, every single taichō and fukutaichō had assembled in front of the gate, including the commanders of both the Onmitsukidō and Kidō Corps. The upper tiers of each division were also present. Topping it all off were the Sotaichō and his fukutaichō. In short, almost the entire military might of the Gotei 13 was present and accounted for.
A look of interest came over the Sotaichō's face as he saw the strike force returning. Even amongst the impressive gathering that was taking place, he was the one that stood out the most. As should be expected of the Sotaichō of the Gotei 13. He was a tall man, easily over six feet. His black hair was tied up in a traditional ponytail worn by the samurai of the old days. Pale eyes stood in a face that shone with confidence and experience. Even if he looked to be only about forty, the man was still one of the oldest members of the Gotei 13.
Whispers coursed through the crowd as they caught their first glimpses of Kaito. Looks varied from confusion and shock, to disgust and utter horror. Noticing the expressions, Kaito began feeling nervous, his tail unconsciously swishing back and forth. Shinji was quick to catch on to his former subordinate's situation. Carefully placing his hand on Kaito's shoulder he smiled reassuringly, effectively calming him down.
Glad to see the swishing of the tail dying down, Shinji forced himself to relax a bit more. He had been wary of the damn thing, it really looked like it would hurt if he were to get hit and judging from the way Kaito had stopped his scythe earlier, he was sure that it possessed a massive amount of power.
"So, this is Fujiwara Kaito, am I right?", the Sotaichō suddenly spoke up.
"Indeed he is, Hasegawa-sama", Shinji spoke up. He had assumed responsibility for anything concerning Kaito and his current condition, so it was only logical for him to answer the question posed by the person who was without a doubt the strongest shinigami alive.
"Most interesting", the man mused, putting his chin into his hand and dropping into some sort of a thinking pose.
"I've seen a lot of things in my life, the so called Arrancar being one of the stranger things, but this is completely different isn't it".
"Yes sir, he's unlike anything we've ever seen".
"Erm, excuse me, but could you please stop talking about me as if I'm an exhibit in a museum or something?", Kaito interrupted them.
"Of course, Fujiwara-kun, I apologise for being so rude, but it's still strange", Kazuma smiled at him.
"Uh oh", Naoki shuddered.
"What's wrong dear?", Yushio looked at him questioningly.
"I know that expression on the Sotaichō's face", he explained, "every time he sees something or someone interesting, peculiar or if it's something he doesn't completely trust, he gets that expression on his face. He's about to 'test' Kaito".
"What do you mean, test him?"
"Oh, you'll see. The man did it to me as well, given the 'unconventional' nature of my zanpakutō. He wasn't completely sure he could trust me so he gave me the test as well".
"Please, Fujiwara-kun", Kazuma continued, apparently oblivious to his surroundings, "Could you step forward a bit?"
Kaito quickly did as he was asked. It was only logical that you should not disobey a direct order from the only man capable of exerting enough pressure on those pricks of Room 44 so they would let him back into the Gotei 13. Scratch that, he would be happy if they decided not to execute him.
"Excellent, now, I'm going to ask you to do something and I expect that you'll comply fully with my request, failing to do so will have serious consequences if you understand what I mean".
Kaito nodded. He'd do whatever it would take to get reinstated into the Gotei 13.
"Perfect", Kazuma smiled broadly, "it's really simple actually. The only thing you have to do is pass my test".
"I knew it", Naoki grumbled.
"If you do so, you'll be free to return to your duties in the Gotei 13, which is probably the thing you're looking forward to, well, except for perhaps a hug from your wife".
This comment caused Kaito to blush slightly. He hadn't missed the hidden meaning behind those words, but it was true nevertheless. A year was a very long time to be apart from the love of your life.
"I'll do whatever you ask of me sir", Kaito bowed.
"Very good", Kazuma grinned before turning to Shinji, "Yoshikune Taichō, please hand Fujiwara-kun his sword".
Shinji got an extremely distraught look on his face at hearing his superior's order, but complied nevertheless. A small ache shot through his heart as he glanced down at the sword again, the only surviving blade of what used to be a pair.
Kaito had an equally confused look, even as he took back the blade, careful not to make any sudden gestures that might look aggressive to the men surrounding him. He knew that anything might set them off, given their current state of mind. He wasn't worried about the taichō surrounding him, but the others were a different story altogether.
"Now, Fujiwara-kun, my request is quite simple, though it might be hard nevertheless. I want you to fight me, using your full power".
Kaito looked as if he'd been clubbed on the head with a stick, his mouth hanging open. His expression was being mirrored by the entire Gotei 13, minus Naoki, Kazuma and his fukutaichō.
"And no, this is not a test of you deciding whether or not you are supposed to attack me, I'll be initiating the attack so don't worry. But I strongly recommend you use your full power. I won't be holding back".
As he said this, Kazuma slowly drew his zanpakutō, revealing an uncharacteristically golden coloured blade.
Feeling a pulse of reiatsu coming from the Sotaichō, Kaito quickly positioned himself into a defensive stance.
"Simply defending won't help you Fujiwara-kun", Kazuma shouted as he launched himself forward, leaving Kaito only time to brace himself for the impact.
Kaito quickly raised his sword, barely in time to block Kazuma's strike. The following clash threw up dust as the earth surrounding Kaito's feet visibly cracked. Using the back of his hand, Kaito brushed aside the Sotaichō's sword and brought down his blade in a diagonal slash, cutting the fabric of Kazuma's shihakushō.
Kazuma frowned, looking at his ruined clothes. He didn't get much time though, for Kaito was already approaching for a counterattack, his sword cleaving sideways through the air. Having already brought up his sword, Kazuma was caught by surprise when Kaito stopped his attack moments before it hit. His confusion didn't last long though, a massive smack to the opposite side of his head caused him to be lifted off his feet as he was thrown into the wall surrounding Seireitei, the shockwave rustling the clothes of most of the shinigami standing near it.
"What the hell?", Kazuma muttered as he pulled himself free from the thick stone walls. His question was answered quickly, simply by looking at Kaito. He was standing there, the tip of his tail swishing slowly back and forth on the exact spot where Kazuma's head had been only moments before.
"I see, I forgot about his tail it seems".
Pushing himself out of the wall, the man put his sword in front of him as he flew back towards his opponent, left hand placed diagonally on the guard.
"Shine down, Ougonjidai".
A bright golden light was emitted by the Sotaichō's zanpakutō as he released it, though it had died down by the time he had reached Kaito.
Having been forced to raise his hand to shield his eyes because of the light, Kaito was caught a bit by surprise when his opponent seemed to appear out of thin air the moment he dropped it. Dodging to his right, Kaito winced when he felt something cut through the skin on his left shoulder. Rolling back to his feet after his hasty dodge, he faced Kazuma again.
His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed that even though it had been released, Kazuma's zanpakutō hadn't changed at all.
"Ok, what's the big idea here?", he asked the man.
"What do you mean Fujiwara-kun?".
"I know you released your zanpakutō, but I'm not seeing any changing of shape or anything".
"Oh, so you want it to change its shape do you? Sure, I can do that", Kazuma grinned, just before his sword shone brightly again. Moments later he was standing with a golden war-axe in his hands.
"Or would you prefer this shape?"
The process repeated itself, though this time, he was left standing with a golden teaspoon. Jaws dropped all around, while Kazuma's fukutaichō simply sighed, putting his face in his hands.
"Oh, sorry, that one's reserved for tea-time", the man smiled apologetically.
Tired of being semi-ridiculed by Kazuma, Kaito didn't give him the time to strike back. He smashed his sword into the earth before bringing his hands together in front of him, index and middle fingers pointed slightly downwards and almost touching while his thumbs were pointing slightly upwards. As soon as he brought the tip of his tail over his head and hovered it over his hands an eerie sound cascaded over the small square outside of the wall.
Kazuma's eyes widened visibly as he instantly recognised the sound. His reaction was shared by most of the upper ranks of the shinigami surrounding the two combatants. It was the unmistakable roar of a Cero being formed. A blood red light began shining from between Kaito's hands, small beams of the light shouting out of the ball that was being formed.
"Shit", was the only thought running through Kazuma's mind moments before Kaito's eyes narrowed and the blast shot out, tearing a deep trench in the earth as it raced towards the Sotaichō.
The resulting blast temporarily blinded anyone who had looked directly into it and massive amounts of dust and debris had been thrown into the air at the energy attack struck its target.
"Easy there people", Naoki shouted as he noticed the taichō that hadn't accompanied them on the raid had already drawn their swords and were ready to attack Kaito, "It's not like the Sotaichō would die from a blast like that, you should know that".
"Indeed they should", came a voice out of the dust. As it cleared, Kaito and the shinigami present were surprised to see Kazuma standing right on the spot where the trench ended, unharmed, his clothes smoking a bit, with a huge teaspoon in his hands, the bigger end of it having been planted partly into the earth as to shield him from the blast.
"I must say Kaito, I'm impressed", the man continued, ignoring the stupefied expressions on the faces of his subordinates, "I didn't even have time to change the shape of my spoon, only to enlarge it so it would better deflect the blast. In any case, I'm satisfied, you've passed my test".
Kaito simply stood there, mouth agape. Unable to even respond.
"In other words, I'm allowing you back into the Gotei 13, though there might be some changes concerning your status, don't worry. But before we go through with all that, I will be needing an explanation on what happened during the year that you were absent from here. Of course I would also like to hear how you managed to undergo such apparent physical changes during that time. So if you could please follow me".
"Hasegawa Sotaichō-sama, you can't be serious", Fujimoto Yoshitoki, the Eight Division Taichō exclaimed, "It's a massive security risk to let something like that into the Gotei 13, even more so if it's given a position of authority. Room 44 will never allow something like this".
"Fujimoto-kun", Kazuma responded, "there is a saying. You only know a person until you have fought against him. I have, and I must say that that person standing in front of me now is not a thing or a hollow, but Fujiwara Kaito, Fukutaichō of the Ninth Division".
He turned around, before turning his head and addressing the taichō again.
"And about Room 44, I've long since told them to stay out of matters concerning the Gotei 13. That's my turf, and if they have a problem with it, they'll find out how it feels to have a teaspoon shoved up their behinds".
The entire crowd assembled shivered at the thought. Without a doubt, none of them would look at a teaspoon in the same way ever again, not after Kazuma's small show.
With this, he signalled the gate guardian to open the gate, granting them access to Seireitei.
"You coming Fujiwara-kun?", he asked without even turning around.
"Yes sir", Kaito smiled, before looking questioningly at Yuuji, who looked from Kaito to his daughter. Noticing the smile on her face, he simply nodded slightly, trusting the Sotaichō's word on the matter. With moment Emi had left her father's side and bolted towards her husband, throwing herself in his arms with such force that she almost knocked him to the ground. Before he even had a chance to recover, she crushed her lips against his, finally toppling him over.
He enjoyed the moment for a while, before gently pulling Emi back.
"I missed you Emi", he smiled at her, before he put his hands around her and pulled her into a tight, but gentle hug.
"Do you ever die?", a voice shattered through the moment.
Kaito and Emi looked up to see their friends standing there, wide smiles on each of their faces.
"Nope", he replied to Momiji's question, grinning from ear to ear, "you should know that by now".
"True enough", Momiji laughed in response.
"Don't worry Shimizu-san", Shinji reassured Yuuji, who was watching the scene with a concerned look in his eyes.
"I know Yoshikune-san. It's just that I don't know what to think or how to react. Less than an hour ago I was scared to death that I had lost my daughter during the raid, and now, not only is she perfectly fine, but my son has returned as well".
"It's perfectly fine to feel a bit emotional at this you know", Shinji smiled, his eyes shining, moist from holding back some tears. Even if they were tears of joy, it wasn't really suited for a taichō to show too much emotion in front of a crowd such as this.
"I guess you're right", Yuuji agreed, before walking towards his son and daughter.
Kaito looked up as the current leader of the Shimizu clan, the Ninth Division Taichō, his own superior and the father of his wife came to a halt right next to him.
"Welcome back son", Yuuji smiled, before pulling Kaito and Emi up effortlessly and enveloping them into a hug.
Kaito simply put one of his arms around Yuuji's back, Emi doing the same.
"It's good to be back".