Pulling her knees up to her chest, Anashi rested her head against her arms as her mind drifted toward a particular violet-eyed male. She shivered in fear – not because of her commander's lethal skills, but rather his ability to hide them. She had never witnessed something so horrific and - if she was being completely honest – she never wanted to.

Her fear, however, couldn't outweigh her concern.

Immediately following Team Japan's victory, Hikoya had silently stalked out of the stadium. No one had heard from the Leone wielder since.

"Do you think he abandoned us?" Rika murmured absentmindedly; she wasn't worried, just curious.

"I don't think Hikoya would do that … At least, not this way." Kotomi chipped in, causing Anashi's heart to clench.

"Who cares? I would be surprised if he's still allowed to compete in the World Championships after the stunt he pulled."

Shooting a glare at her silver-haired friend, Kotomi motioned to the small brunette of the team. It was obvious that she was upset, and Miyako was doing little to remedy the situation. Placing a hand on Anashi's shoulder, the Taurus wielder offered words of comfort, promising that Hikoya would return soon enough.

"You know how he is," she murmured. "He comes and goes as he pleases, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Almost immediately following her words, a soft knock sounded at the door and Kotomi smirked as if to say, 'Told you so.' Rushing to the door, Anashi opened it only for her expression to falter when she was greeted by the Australian team. When J.T. spoke, she remained silent – partially because she had no idea what he had said, nor did she care to interact with anyone at the moment. Luckily, she didn't have to as Miyako came to stand beside her.

"Why are you here?"

"We're looking for your captain." J.T. answered, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of the Japanese male.

"No one has seen him since this afternoon."

"Really," he pressed, earning a sharp nod from the silver-haired girl. "Well, if it's not too much trouble, can we wait here until he returns?"

Glancing toward her teammates, Miyako shrugged her shoulders. She didn't see a problem with the boys' presence, and perhaps the additional company would help to lighten the team's mood.

"I don't see why not," she replied, stepping aside so the boys could remove their footwear.

Making their way to the living room, J.T. faltered when he felt his toes brush against something. Peering down, his eyes landed on a black duffel bag, containing what appeared to be several textbooks.

He wasn't an expert by any means, seeing as he had yet to put in his application, but the books appeared to cover some heavy university-level content. One looked as though it had been through the wringer a couple of times, for it was marked by red tabs, tattered pages and couldn't close properly – political science. Another was pristine, marked only by several blue transparent tabs – accounting, of some sort. That was as far as he got, until he was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Miyako's voice.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, really; you guys have some interesting reading material."

"They do not belong to us – they are Hikoya's."

"He's in university?" J.T. asked, genuinely interested.

"He is older than us," Rika spoke up slowly, as though she was speaking to an idiot.

"You speak English?" He inquired.

"No, I babble in it," she retorted with narrowed eyes, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Quirking an eyebrow, J.T. frowned – clearly, Rika Yumiya was the sarcastic one of the group.

Choosing to ignore her friend's last comment, Miyako spoke up, inquiring about the purpose of Team Australia's visit.

"Well, I've come to the decision that your commander owes us an explanation and an apology to Theo. I don't know about you, but he's a little too intense for my liking. Hasn't he ever heard of something called 'restraint?'"

"So that's why," Rika muttered. "You think you're going to receive an apology from Hikoya? In your dreams, Fido."

"'Fido?'"

"Well, you have a canine-related bey, don't you?"

"That doesn't mean I want to be associated with a pet name."

"Too bad – it stays. Let's see, Grumpy Cat and Fido," Rika listed, checking off her fingers. "I wonder who my next victim will be."

"Excuse me?"

"Aside from bey maintenance and helping to manage the team, she loves to give people nicknames." Miyako said, informing the hazel-eyed male.

"So who was dubbed as 'Grumpy Cat?'"

"Who do you think?" Miyako retorted quietly as her gaze hardened when she examined the textbooks.

"You don't seem to like him much, do you?" J.T. inferred.

"Something is wrong with him – I can feel it in my gut. He is bad news for Team Japan, and everyone involved. He doesn't even deserve a place on this team."

Before the Australian male could reply, his gaze landed on Anashi as she shrugged her feet into her boots and made her way to the door. Over her shoulder, she said something in Japanese and closed the door with a firm snap, causing Miyako's jaw to drop.

"What did she say?"

"She told her to shut up." Rika responded quietly as she took out her laptop to finalize their travelling arrangements.

†††

Rika turned her gaze to the time displayed at the bottom of her laptop's screen: quarter after seven. It was getting late – Hikoya and Anashi had yet to return. The amethyst-eyed male had disappeared hours ago, and Rika sincerely doubted Anashi's ability to navigate the streets of a foreign country when she could hardly speak the language of said country.

Turning to face Team Australia, she advised them to return to their respective hotel rooms, or wherever they had come from. It was painfully obvious that Hikoya wouldn't be making an appearance any time soon and contacting Anashi was completely useless. Every call had been disregarded and they had no idea if she was even reading the texts they had sent.

Sighing in irritation, the brown-eyed girl looked up as Kotomi entered the suite with a pack of sour gummies in hand.

"Any sign of her?"

"Nada," Kotomi muttered as she slung the pack of candy onto the table. "The lobby, the restaurant, the recreation area … she isn't here."

"Could she be with your commander?" Dash inquired softly, surprising the girls as his voice filled the room with a quiet sense of authority.

"Not likely – Grumpy Cat is a loner. Can't imagine him tolerating anything with a pulse; the possibility of them being in the same vicinity by choice is astronomical."

Didn't seem that way to me, he thought inwardly.

†††

When Anashi finally made an appearance, Kotomi was torn between livid and relieved. The small brunette didn't have so much as a scratch and appeared to be perfectly fine.

"Where on Earth were you? Why didn't you answer your phone!?"

"I didn't want to be disturbed."

"'Didn't want to be disturbed?'" Kotomi snarled. "We thought something had happened to you. Do you have any idea how long I was searching for you? I nearly filed a missing person report with the police!"

Taking a step back, Anashi maneuvered her way around the older female and made her way to the sofa.

"He's not here," she intoned softly as she took a seat, vaguely noticing the Australian males in the room.

"No, he isn't; he– wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me that you were looking for Hikoya?"

Offering a nod, Anashi reached for the television remote and settled on a foreign soap opera.

"Why were you searching for that–" before Miyako could finish that question, Rika slapped her hand over the silver-haired girl's mouth, effectively shutting her up. The last thing they needed was Anashi setting out on another expedition – one had been more than enough, to put it lightly.

"Because I was worried," she answered with a hard look in her eyes.

"Have you tried phoning him?" Dash asked, surprising her with his fluent use of the Japanese language.

"I don't know what his number is."

"Didn't you guys consider exchanging numbers when you formed this team? I mean, the five of you are going to be travelling the world together for a few months."

"He probably wouldn't tell us even if we did ask," Rika sounded.

"What about social media? You may not know his number, but if he has an easily identifiable social media account you can always send him a message."

Whipping out her laptop, Rika decided that it was worth a shot. After a few failed attempts, she finally decided to perform a complete Internet search. Unfortunately, anything she did find was all in relation to Hikaru Tategami and a few mentions of Kyoya.

"Do you think TC has a website? If they do, they might have some contact information," Kotomi reasoned.

"I don't know, but why would I contact TC?"

"If we can get in touch with his parents, perhaps they can tell us how to contact Hikoya."

Shrugging her shoulders, Rika performed another search for TC. As a multinational company, it had various branches, but luckily she found a number that would connect her to its headquarters, located in Kyoto.

Fishing her phone out from her pocket, Kotomi punched in the number and waited for a few moments.

"Hello, this is Arisa speaking; how may I assist you?"

"Um, hi; may I speak with the CEO?"

"I'm sorry but Mr. Tategami is currently unavailable at the moment, however, I can put you through to someone else. Perhaps someone concerning the manufacture of your product, miss," Arisa offered.

"Uh, not quite – I'm not a customer. I was hoping to speak with Mr. Tategami; the issue at hand has no correlation to TC."

"Well, as I said, he is still unavailable at the moment, but perhaps his wife could assist you. If it's a personal matter, she may be able to answer on his behalf."

"That would be great; thank you," Kotomi replied as her call was transferred.

A few moments later, Hikaru's voice could be heard on the other side.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Tategami – it's me, Kotomi Hanawa."

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"I hope so; uh, Hikoya left our hotel suite a few hours ago and we haven't seen him since."

"I see …"

"Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell me what his phone number is, so we can get in touch with him."

"I'm afraid I cannot, dear one; Hikoya changed his number a while ago. He never bothered to exchange any new contact information with me or his father."

"What about social media?" Kotomi pressed.

"Hikoya does not have any personal accounts to speak of, nor does anyone else in my family. All accounts are handled by administration, concerning the promotion and marketing of TC's products."

"Oh … well, sorry for disturbing you."

"Nonsense; I only wish I could've been of better assistance … Tell you what, I'll exchange my personal phone number with you. Try to contact me again in a little while, if you're able to, and I'll let you know if anything has changed."

"Okay; could you just jot my number down, or text me so I know the message came from you."

"Of course."

Without another word, Hikaru ended the call, and a moment later Kotomi's phone vibrated from a text message: "Hey, Kotomi. – H. Tategami."

Smiling, Kotomi created a new contact in her phone, opting to do as Hikaru had instructed. She would wait for another hour at most.

†††

Just as Kotomi's expected call went through – and Hikaru's calm, yet commanding voice answered – Hikoya stalked through the door. His eyes were wary, and he looked exhausted. Continuing to assess her teammate's profile, Kotomi froze when her eyes landed on dark traces of blood. A small trail of it seeped from the corner of his mouth, while the rest stained the front of his jacket with dark splotches of crimson.

"Hikoya!" Anashi exclaimed, surging forward to catch him before he hit the ground. (Not that her efforts did much good, considering that Anashi barely peaked the scale at 120lb while Hikoya registered at an intimidating 240lb.) As a result, their combined weight and gravity took them both down.

"Kotomi!? What in God's name is happening over there?" Hikaru's irritated voice sounded, reminding the teen that someone was still on the phone.

"Sorry – Hikoya just showed up, but I think something's wrong," Kotomi replied, trying her best to keep the panic out of her voice, while the Australian males struggled to shift the Japanese commander and free the alarmed Anashi from beneath him.

"What's wrong?"

"He just came through the door and he's covered with blood."

"Is it his own," Hikaru pressed, worry evident in her voice, as though she knew of something the others did not.

"I-I don't know."

Seeing that she wasn't really getting anywhere, Hikaru demanded that the phone was to be placed next to her son, and that the speaker should be activated.

"Hikoya? Sweetie, can you speak to me?"

"… Mom," he choked on a weak whisper as Anashi was finally pulled away from him.

"Did someone hurt you? Have you taken your medication?"

For a moment, it appeared that Hikoya was struggling to form his words, but as soon as he opened his mouth a fresh supply of blood landed on the carpet. It was scary to say the least – Hikoya Tategami, the embodiment of terror, immobilized like a newborn kitten mewling for its mother.

Snapping into action, Hikaru ordered the others to call the hotel staff, asking that they send an ambulance to their exact location.

"What about you?" Kotomi asked fearfully.

"Kyoya and I will be there soon."

"How soon? Do you know how long the flight is? What if–"

"Nothing is going to prevent us from getting there. We'll take one of TC's jets, so expect to see us soon. When you arrive at the hospital, tell them that I've authorized you, on Hikoya's behalf, to exchange information with me, regarding his location and status."

"Okay," Kotomi replied.

Returning her attention to her son, Hikaru offered some brief words before ending the call: "Hikoya, I want you to hang tight for me. Okay, sweetheart? You've got to keep fighting."

Hikoya weakly opened his eyes, their normal amethyst glow dimming as the call ended.

†††

As Hikaru had ordered, Hikoya was taken to the hospital. When the doctor began to ask questions, Rika did her best to answer, but some were more complicated than others, seeing as she and the others knew next to nothing about their commander. When it became too stressful, she contacted Hikoya's mother once again, who explained – in English – that Hikoya had a congenital cardio defect, known as, "mitral stenosis."

Among the various symptoms were fatigue, dizziness and the expulsion of blood. Fatigue had been present from the beginning, Rika thought inwardly, but she had always attributed it to Hikoya's grouchy disposition. As for the other symptoms, Rika could only guess that their absence was linked with Hikoya's, seeing as he never spent more time around the girls than he had to.

"Is it fatal," Anashi whispered fearfully, causing one nurse to raise an eyebrow.

"She asked if mitral stenosis is fatal," Rika explained in English.

"I suppose the answer is 'yes' and 'no.' Mitral stenosis cannot be corrected with medication, although it may reduce the impact it has on your friend."

Quietly, Rika relayed the information to Anashi, who slowly nodded her head as though she was struggling to wrap her mind around the nurse's words.

"So what do we do now?" Kotomi asked, after she had gotten off the phone with Hikaru.

"I don't think there's anything we can do, except to wait and pray that his parents get here soon."

†††

True to her word, Hikaru and her husband showed up a few hours later. Their clothing was formal – as though they had left an important business meeting when Kotomi had informed them of Hikoya's state – and their eyes flared with apprehension.

Without so much as a perfunctory glance to the hospital staff, Hikaru's amethyst eyes began to scan the numbers and headings of each room until they settled on #225. As her gaze speared the pane of glass, she felt her muscles tighten and it was twice as hard to breathe. Lying on a blue hospital bed, connected to various monitors and a network of wires, was Hikoya.

His head had been angled to the side, preventing her from seeing his face, and he had been stripped of his shirt and jacket as the doctor performed an x-ray of his chest. After a while, the doctor in question exited the room, followed by a few nurses. All of them were stunned to see Hikoya's parents, especially on such short notice, but they didn't doubt that any parent would arrive to a hospital just as quickly if it was in their means to do so.

"Why is my son unconscious?"

"He was in a lot of pain, miss – I couldn't very well do nothing. In the meantime, since you're here, I'd like to ask you some questions about Hikoya … When he was born, were you notified of Hikoya's condition?"

"Yes. Hikoya was born prematurely and was the weakest of the two."

"Did you say two?" The doctor inquired, only to earn a glare from Hikoya's father.

"Yes; Hikoya has a twin sister."

"Does she also suffer from this condition?"

"No."

"And what of surgery? Has an operation ever been performed on your son?"

"No; Hikoya's case is delicate. Our doctor informed us that if he was to perform surgery, our son would run a higher risk of losing his life." Hikaru murmured.

"I see … In that case, I'd like to know what type of medication your son has been taking to counter the effects of mitral stenosis."

"Anticoagulants and beta blockers."

"Do you happen to have any for him? Otherwise, I may have to prescribe that some be obtained for him here, and that may be a little costly."

At that comment, Kyoya scoffed while Hikaru produced two small boxes from her handbag. Normally, Hikoya always had his own supply, and never fell short. The medication Hikaru carried was only in case of emergencies.

After a moment's worth of observation, the doctor nodded his head and instructed Hikaru to administer the medicine to her son when he awoke.

"How long will that take?"

"It's hard to say. The sedative should wear off in approximately thirty minutes, but, due to fatigue and exhaustion, he may be out for a few hours."