Chapter Four: Untimely Resignation

The three new members of the Tobita Club squatted on the floor of their headquarters, listening to Kouya and Jirou patiently, who were unfortunately having trouble at keeping away the morose look from their faces. Kuroudo's condition had capsized the ship of their emotions, as they had grown so fond of the blond Gear Fighter that they could feel the same pain that was eating up his heart due to the loss of his hearing. "There will be a practice match three days from now," the older of the two continued, trying to focus at their newfound friends' faces instead of the image of a disheartened, sardonic Kuroudo, "against the Gear Fighter of your choice. If you want to battle me, don't worry. I'll be more than glad to accommodate our match in my busy schedule."

As the rookies burst into a fit of laughter, Jirou could not help but wish that their comrade would one day smile again like how the new Gear Fighters were smiling; their smiles spread from one ear to the other in graceful, heartwarming arcs that would definitely do Kuroudo more good than a scowl. "Really? Even Kuroudo?" one of the two female newcomers asked Jirou, excitement shining through her vigor-filled blue eyes as she leaned back against the dark-colored backpack she had put aside. Midori Ichikawa, a tall and lean teenager of tomboyish breed, was recruited by accident by Kouya --- he had spotted her outside one of the Manganji's main offices, in a raving fit, cursing Takeshi and the rest of the Manganji Dream Team like there was no tomorrow, and holding her battered Gear, the Vacuum Vortex, close to her.

Hoping that the expression on his face would not give away their friend's condition, which they had promised to keep a secret so as not to cause him any more trouble, Jirou spared a sideward glance towards Kouya, Kaoru and Lilika. The look on their faces told him that they should go on with what they were doing: pretending that everything was all right. "Of course. I said so, didn't I?" he replied coolly, tucking his hands into his pockets and clamping them together as soon as they were out of the new members' sight. "Although you can't --- unfortunately --- experience battling the Shooting Mirage; it's under repair right now."

"Oh darn," Midori commented under her breath, an odd gleam leaking through her deep sapphire orbs, the gleam of a fierce desire that would drive one into a state of obsession if not met. She then sighed, disappointed. "I'll fight the Gear Master, then."

A sigh of relief escaped Kouya's lips, so much more when the other two members --- Shiawase and Nimuri Furu, a brown-eyed brother-sister tandem --- requested to battle him; tag-team, if possible. It was no longer a problem if Kuroudo would choose not to show up in three days' time, but they still hoped that he would do so and lift their spirits up. The Tobita Club was definitely not going to remain the same without him. "Well, why not? Besides, it'll be a good opportunity for us to witness how well two siblings battle together, and see what we can do about it." He then winked. "But no cheating, okay? I want a good, fair fight that we can all enjoy."

That was when Lilika felt a soft tap on her shoulder, breaking her focus, and as she cocked her head to the side slightly to see what Jirou had to tell her, she spotted their club's Gear Master, Kyousuke, standing not very far from them, and she immediately knew that it was the mechanics genius who wanted to speak to her. Turning around casually, she made her way towards the boy, who was the most disheartened one so far among the Gear Fighters who came to the club's center of operations. He was very much upset about Kuroudo's condition, not only because of its severity and the fact that the victim of the monstrous disease was his best friend, but most especially because there was nothing he could do to make a difference, nothing he could do to bring back what had been taken away from the other young man. And to make matters worse, he didn't even notice that something was wrong to begin with.

"My father agreed to fund the operation," she began, keeping her voice low and trying to minimize her gestures by clasping her hands together. She already knew what he wanted to ask her about. "He talked to Marume-san about it last night, and told her everything she needed to know. She didn't want to accept his proposal at first, but she was eventually convinced that it was for Kuroudo's own good. They'll be leaving for the United States in two days." She then felt something come up to her throat, blocking her voice. "I just hope… that he won't give up on Gear Fighting. It'll be tough, I know… but he can't possibly back out now that he's come this far. I'm not saying this because of the club, but because of himself. He…"

"He won't, Lilika. He won't." But then Kyousuke's voice wavered. "I hope."

"Why do I seem to doubt that, though?" Jirou pitched in as he walked up to the two, trying to keep an offhand tone in his voice that could easily be projected into the other end of the room. Then, his eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the door; his companions sported the same expressions as well as soon as they realized what the other Gear Fighter had just seen. "Okay, so I was wrong."

Kuroudo was standing stiffly by the doorway, although the warm smile that used to fill his face upon his arrival at the club's headquarters had been replaced by a look of indifference, accompanied by what they all understood to be a glare. He made his way towards Lilika without so as much as a side-glance towards his teammates, his frigid turquoise eyes boring at her as he approached. Then, without a word, he pulled out a folded piece of white paper from his pocket and handed it to the woman who stood in front of him with an apathetic expression on his pale, handsome features.

A resignation letter.

He didn't even pause long enough to observe his comrades' reactions; once the paper slipped out of his hands, he turned around and proceeded towards the exit, his face a mask of undecipherable emotions. Lilika took a step forward, at the verge of calling out to the young Gear Fighter in hopes to somehow make him change his mind and take back what he had given, but his best friend, Kyousuke, held his arm out to stop her. "Give him time," the Gear Master found himself saying softly, although his heart was practically screaming Kuroudo's name, his voice pounding angrily inside his head that the blond young man stop acting like an idiot and get back inside for a battle.

But the captain of the Tobita Club refused to let Kuroudo's actions pass. He grabbed the resignation letter from Lilika's hand and darted towards the door to prevent the other from leaving, a stubbornly determined look on his youthful features. The older of the two was forced to a halt at that, but the glare on his pale face grew even fiercer than ever. "You're not leaving the club, Kuroudo," Kouya announced, his trembling hands gripping the piece of paper the other Gear Fighter had submitted. He ignored the slight head movement Kuroudo let out, which was meant to warn him off --- as well as Kyousuke's yell from the far end of the room to leave his best friend alone --- telling himself firmly that there was no way he would give in to the situation. "I won't let you, no matter what you say, no matter what your reason is. I won't let you. This didn't do you any good the last time; it won't do you any good now."

Channeling all his energy to his hands, Kouya tore the resignation letter in half.

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Author's Notes: I'm back with an update, yay to me! Seriously, I updated because I was able to answer my Math exam, which was enough for me. At least I won't get a zero. *grins* Anyway, I'm going to play around with everyone here, but don't worry, I promise there'll be a happy ending. And a sequel --- yes, I can promise that this early. So keep your reviews coming! The more you review, the more I get inspired. The more I get inspired, the more I write. The more I write, the more you can read. See how beneficial it will be for you? =P