At last!
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos.
Well then! I hope you're all excited for this next chapter after the last one, things are getting intense and it only gets higher tension with every chapter! That said, things will get better soon.
Hope you're all doing well!
"We can't do that!" Said Maya, "We can't negotiate with terrorists!"
"You're correct...But we might not have the time to come up with an alternative." Said Chifuyu, "That said, I'm more focused on seizing the opportunity, but as it stands, we have no means of working things to our advantage."
"There has to be something! Anything! There's no way they can get away with this!"
"Yamada-San, do you honestly think I'm feeling calm at all? I feel I have to stab myself to hold back the urge to find and crush Phantom Task! It's taking everything I have to maintain any degree of self-control!"
"Then why are you of all people considering complying with this?! They'll just take what they want and keep Thomas anyway!"
"I know!"
"Then why?!"
"Do we have another choice?!"
"Th-There has to be another choice! Anything!"
Chifuyu and Maya argued over Phantom Task calling Chifuyu with demands. It was all so sudden, they didn't have time to set up anything to trace the call, and the call had been deleted from Chifuyu's phone history, like it'd never even happened.
The caller made demands, made a remark, and hung up.
"Very well then, I'll keep this brief." The caller said, "All I ask is to borrow your other male students for an hour, no more, no less. They will be returned unharmed and unchanged by anything. They, nor you, will do anything rash or violent. Once we're done, the students, Scott included, will be returned to the IS Academy, and we can go our separate ways for the time being. We will not ask for their IS Units, just the students. Comply with our demands and you will get Scott back unharmed."
The caller said no more, her message was quite clear.
Chifuyu barely had any time to memorize the demands, she was lucky to even had recited it in time.
The staff that needed to know had been informed, and the duty to make the executive decision now rested on their shoulders. The risks of losing more students, Phantom Task going back on their word, even someone dying was quite high.
But did they have any other option? Probably, but not without a lot greater struggle.
Was this the right thing to do? Would Thomas be okay with them having to negotiate to get him back safe and sound? Would Yin or Alex be okay with Phantom Task using their son as a bargaining chip?
What would Ichika think? Would he be okay with this?
As much as Chifuyu would absolutely love nothing more than to go on a warpath, a sword was useless when faced with ideas. She could up and run around, swinging and cutting enemies down all she wanted, but not when there was nothing for her to strike.
No matter which way it was spun...Chifuyu had to comply for now.
There was simply no other foreseeable alternative.
Elsewhere...
"Thomas?" Squall knocked on the door, "I'm coming in."
Squall entered Thomas's cell, and found Thomas lying on his side on the cot. His back was to her, the only sign of life being his soft breathing as the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. The aura around him screamed of sorrow, angst, rebelliousness, and depression.
He was in a good mood.
"As you know, we've scheduled for you to be released soon. If there's anything you'd like to say to me, now is the best time to do so. I expect you to be on your best behavior while in transit, is that clear?"
"...Not my friggin' mom..." Thomas grunted.
"What was that?" Squall turned to Thomas with judgmental aura.
Thomas grumbled quietly, still not rolling over to face Squall.
"I'm not going to lie to you, you're correct; I'm not your mother. However, I'll treat you like a child if it gets you to behave, is that clear?"
"...Yes ma'm." Thomas spat.
"Good boy." Squall sighed, "I'll return with your meal in a few minutes, please try to eat this time, the IS Academy is praying for your health and safe return, and all you've been doing is making us seem cruel and unusual by starving yourself. They see you and they'll blame us regardless."
Thomas was silent.
Squall groaned.
"You honestly think we'd poison your food? You're more valuable in perfect health than if we just killed you. Honestly...You really are such a child."
Thomas grunted.
Squall chuckled, and left the cell.
She then went to attend a strategy meeting with the rest of her team.
"Now then," Squall began, "I'll discuss the current procedure of this coming operation. The IS Academy will send their male students to the designated location. Once we're certain the coast is clear, we'll move them to our lab for examination. Under no circumstances is anyone allowed to follow through with any sort of personal vendetta. After all, things are quite delicate as they are, any sign of hostilities might completely end chances for dialogues."
Madoka, Autumn, and Kana nodded in acknowledgement.
"Now then, the operation should take no longer than half a day, every second makes both male students and the IS Academy more likely to send an armed response against us. In the event of such, Scott is to be extracted from the field, and soon after, we're to cut all traces."
"But what about the test subject?"
"It'd be a waste...We take the test subject with us. The very mention of the test subject is considered to be a maximum risk. All words and speech must be relegated to this very specific encounter."
"Understood."
"Once the examinations are concluded, Scott is to be released to them, and the boys are to be directed back to the designated meeting point for the IS Academy to pick up. Under no circumstance is anything else on-site at our lab to be exposed to them, we can't provide them with any information."
"Roger."
"Now then...Prepare the labs, Scott will be moved into position once the other preparations are made."
"Yes Mama!" Kana trotted off with Madoka to follow Squall's orders.
"Do you honestly think those IS Academy brats are going to comply?" Autumn inquired.
"They'll have to if they want their precious friend back."
Some time later...
"I know you have questions as to why I've called you here." Said Chifuyu, "I'll do my best to explain the situation."
Chifuyu assembled Ichika, Elias, and Tyrone, and held a private briefing in her office.
"What's going on, Orimura-Sensei?" Ichika was so confused.
"I called you here for a specific operation. The Representative Candidates are not required, and have therefore not been informed of anything. Things are on a need-to-know basis, and the Representative Candidates are the last people that should know."
"So what is it?"
"An exchange. Phantom Task has made an anonymous call, they want to take samples of you three, and in return, will release Scott back to us."
"What?! Where?!"
"We're not certain, but it's fair to say we'll be informed soon enough."
"Then let's go! If we use our IS Uni-"
"No."
"Huh?!"
"As it stands, any signs of hostile action towards Phantom Task might very well end up coming back to haunt us. We have to comply with their demands for now, we simply don't have the time to find any sort of alternative."
The boys were all silent. Sure, they could shout and say things all they'd like, but this was when push was coming to shove. They were completely caught off-guard, they had an ultimatum, and it was a dangerous one.
"There's no doubt as to what Phantom Task intends to use this research for." Said Chifuyu, "But simply put, we're currently too tightly knit for them to make an operation to attempt to abduct you three. They know we'd go quite far to bring our students home, PR-nightmare or not."
The boys were still trying to process this information.
"This isn't a very easy decision, there's seemingly no right answer." Chifuyu sighed, "I don't blame your silence, not even most adults aren't faced with such fragile and weighty decisions. It's completely understandable if you're afraid, and if you don't want to do this. In good conscience, I don't feel right even if you were willing to send you off to such a dangerous deal."
There was only so much left to say.
"Understand this is in exchange for Scott. However, if you feel this is unreasonable, we'll do everything we can to renegotiate with Phantom Task. There's only so much we can do with the time and resources we have...Rest assured, we're ready to fight if it comes to it."
"...What'll happen if the girls find out?"
"I anticipate it'll be a nightmare trying to keep them calm and docile if they find out. However, we can't just retrieve Scott and bring him back into the fold as though nothing happened. However, the problem is that they're not as essential to this operation, and the unrest this news will generate will prove to be more risky than helpful."
"So what're we gonna do?"
"If this operation goes well, the Representative Candidates will be informed upon your return. However, I'm prepared to brief them upon your departure. There's no way that they're going to be happy if we tell them during or after the operation. However, the risk their unstable attitudes will pose are quite high."
"Well, that isn't too far from the mark..." Tyrone spoke up, "I mean, the big problem is how we do this..."
"Correct. The choice is ultimately up to you, I can't make the decision for you."
The boys looked to each other for answers.
"I don't see any other choice..." Elias stated, "The only chance we have-as much as we don't like it-is to play along."
"Is...Would Thomas be okay with this? Would he do the same for us?" Tyrone inquired, "I don't know him as well as you guys..."
"What really bites is that he'd do the same after all." Ichika sighed, "He'd suck it up and get it done with, and if somebody went back on their word they'd be laid right out and he'd be pretty mad."
"I guess that settles it." Tyrone shrugged, "We gotta bring him home, no matter the cost."
"Very well then." Chifuyu affirmed, "I'll await for Phantom Task's next move, and make our response."
The boys acknowledged, and were dismissed.
They quickly rushed off to Ichika's dorm to discuss the situation amongst themselves. Things since the abduction were quite depressing, with most of their entertainment on the mainland being cut off, and the limited activities due to security reasons, the boys had been stretched to their limits.
"Do we really wanna do this?" Said Tyrone, "I mean...I dunno what to think man..."
"I suppose the world really is an unfair place," remarked Elias, "It's quite obvious they want to see how we're IS-compatible."
"Them and the rest of the world." Ichika groaned, "I guess any plans for a normal life don't matter anymore..."
The boys sighed...Ichika was right. All three of them each had their own plans to spend their lives. Sure, they never expected to be IS-Compatible, but simply that fact alone caused such an uproar the world demanded they sacrifice their plans for whatever benefits they wouldn't share in.
"Still...The best we can do is hope, right?" Offered Ichika.
The boys grunted in response.
Hope had run out the door a long time ago.
Meanwhile, Chifuyu sat and awaited for anything to happen.
Her phone was on her desk, as she awaited a call from anyone-not just Phantom Task. She'd thankfully sent a quick message to Alex to assess how Yin was holding up. Thankfully, Alex was able to get Yin out of bed for once.
Much like the girls, Yin wouldn't be informed of Phantom Task's deal.
If she got word of the situation, there'd be no telling how far Yin would go to intervene and crash any chance for a peaceful exchange. Nobody liked the thought of Phantom Task laying their hands upon the boys, but without any more intel on Phantom Task, it was the only option they had.
The silence was unnerving...What if Phantom Task had already retracted their deal?
As if to quell her worries, the phone rang.
Chifuyu checked the caller ID, it was unknown, but it was most obviously Phantom Task.
"Seeing as you've taken the call, I anticipate you'll accept the terms?" The caller greeted.
"...Yes."
"It sounds like you wouldn't dare to do so," Chuckled the caller, "Did you leave the decision up to them?"
"That's not something you need to know."
"Perhaps, but it's quite telling what kind of person you are, Brunhilde."
"Just give me the information I need."
"Very well, I suppose any sort of conversation is out of the picture..."
Chifuyu's face twitched.
"Now then, in several days' time, you will receive one final call to begin our little exchange. You will escort the boys over to the docks on the shores of Tokyo Bay, from there, you will be instructed to leave as our escort will transfer the boys to a private facility. Once the examinations have concluded, you will receive a call to return at the docks at a specific time, and from there, the boys will be returned. You will be watched upon arriving at the designated area, do not bring any sort of insertion team or trace the boys, I cannot guarantee anyone's safety should the terms be breached, is that understood?"
"...You leave me little other choice, acknowledged."
"Good. I expect you to make this your priority, this offer won't be on the table if you decide to back out now."
With that, the caller disconnected.
Chifuyu sighed.
This better be worth it...There was no telling what was to happen, even if things went well.
They made a choice.
It was yet to be seen if it was the right one.
Several days later...
Ichika, Tyrone, and Elias assembled in Elias's dorm.
It was nighttime, an ideal time for them to mobilize without raising too much fuss.
Chifuyu informed them prior of the situation. They could say they were ready all they wanted...But they could never prepare for this kind of situation. As Chifuyu had told them, this wasn't a decision that any adult could make without problems either.
"Okay..." Said Tyrone, "So...We're taking our IS Units or not? I mean...If things go south we can fight back..."
"At the same time," Said Elias, "Doing so would put Phantom Task on defense, it might count under breaching their terms."
"Whatever the case, we can't let Phantom Task lay hands on our IS Units." Said Ichika, "If I remember, they have the means to steal an IS and bypass it...If that happens to one of us, there's no telling what they'll do with it."
"I see your point..." Concurred Tyrone, "Just gotta play along until it's all over...Who knows? Maybe they'll give us lollipops for being such well-behaved kids during the examinations?"
Elias and Ichika snorted a little at the joke.
"Okay that was a little funny." Said Ichika.
The boys giggled a few moments longer, and sighed.
Someone knocked on the door.
Ichika rushed over, only to find Chifuyu in the doorway.
There was no doubt why she was here.
"Boys," She declared, "The time has come. Phantom Task has made their call, it's time to commence with the operation. I'd advise you to take off your IS Units and leave them here for safekeeping. Rest assured, should something happen, we have a means of pulling you out."
"You do?"
"There's no time to explain, get moving, the monorail will be waiting for you."
With that, Chifuyu closed the door and went off to see about final preparations.
The boys looked to each other, they were very uneasy.
"Well," Tyrone shrugged, "Thomas ain't coming to us, so...Let's go...?"
"Right..."
"Yes, of course..."
The three boys each removed their Standby IS Units, and set them down on the desk. They moved cautiously through the halls, thankfully, there was nobody outside, meaning the boys could move from the dorm to the monorail easily.
Chifuyu and Maya awaited them.
Maya was trying to steady her breathing before she hyperventilated, Chifuyu was stoic as ever, but it was clear she was still very shaken by this ordeal. The boys were very uncomfortable, there was no right solution to this problem.
The ride to the mainland was very awkward and quiet.
Upon arrival, Chifuyu and Maya quickly marched over to a car, and ushered the boys into the back seat, and began to drive off into the night.
"Here's the situation. Me and Yamada-San will escort you to the docks in Tokyo Bay, you'll wait there for Phantom Task. They'll move you to a secure facility, I've been told Scott has already been moved there as well, once Phantom Task completes their examinations, they'll bring you and Scott back to the docks for us to pick up. This operation should take no less than a few hours, which was agreed upon by both the IS Academy and Phantom Task."
"...Orimura-Sensei," Inquired Ichika, "Do you think they'll hold their word?"
"They better, I was able to find a way to put them in check should they decide to go back on their word."
"You...You do?"
"I can't disclose it until the exchange is over." Chifuyu said simply, "It's fair to say Phantom Task has anticipated such."
The boys were silent...It was good to know Chifuyu reassured them, but...The lack of substantial evidence made it bittersweet.
The car stopped, and Chifuyu and Maya stepped out as they opened the door for the boys to exit. The boys exited the car to find themselves right outside a docking yard, seemingly privately owned.
"Inside." Chifuyu instructed, unlocking and opening a door for the boys to enter the docks.
Chifuyu paused.
"Orimura, come here."
Ichika stopped, and approached Chifuyu.
Without warning, Chifuyu quickly ensnared Ichika in a tight hug.
"No matter what happens..." Chifuyu whispered, "You're my precious little brother, I'll chase to the ends of the Earth to keep you safe."
"Ch-Chifuyu-Nee..."
"Ichika...It's Orimura-Sensei." Chifuyu sighed, releasing Ichika.
"Y-Yes Ma'am!" Ichika straightened his back.
"Go on and group with your classmates, and remain calm, this will all be over and we can return to normal soon."
"Right!" Ichika trotted off.
Chifuyu sighed and turned away.
Children were resilient, but nobody could ever truly recover from an experience like this.
A short time later...
Ichika, Elias, and Tyrone waited.
They'd left all their electronic devices at the dorm room with their IS Units, they had no way to pass the time. However, they'd elected the inconvenience willingly to prevent any sort of hacking or data theft Phantom Task may have set up.
They were there on business, nothing more.
After a long, uncomfortable period of time spent standing about awkwardly, a van pulled into the docks, and screeched to a halt. The back doors swung open as the front cabin of the van opened to reveal Autumn and Kana.
"As much as I'd love to end you three for the trouble you put me through..." Autumn said, "I suppose this will have to do, step into the back of the van, and make sure you're on your best behavior, we don't want any...Accidents, now, would we?"
Autumn was taking pleasure in watching the boys at a very low point.
The boys piled into the back of the van and made themselves as comfortable as they could.
Soon after, the van jerked and squealed as it took off and drove away from the docks.
The boys were anxious...What exactly did Chifuyu have in mind? A covert IS-squadron? The Academy staff monitoring from orbital satellite? Perhaps even the Representative Candidates were secretly informed after all and Chifuyu had them on standby?
The boys had no windows in the van, they were going in blind.
The trip was smooth, quiet, and uncomfortable. The boys had no notion of time, or even location. Were they homing pigeons, they'd always know where they were as they'd be able to tell where north was.
But they were just a trio of students.
After what seemed like forever, the van came to a stop.
The boys squinted as the van doors opened, there was a blinding light.
Squall stood before them.
"Step out of the van, you will walk to designated areas, you will not deviate from your orders, understand?"
"Y-Yeah..." Ichika groaned.
"Let's get it done with." Tyrone stepped out.
"As long as you hold your end of this exchange." Said Elias.
"You're allowed to talk freely, nobody's saying you can't. Just try not to be completely rude, yes? After all, we're giving your friend back, you can at least be a little refined with your witty insults."
The boys were silent.
Squall chuckled.
Three guards came out, and quickly scanned the boys to ensure they were unarmed.
"Now then, right this way."
The boys looked about themselves as they were ushered off to a large room. All around them, they quickly found themselves in a base of some kind, however, there was nothing of luxury or carpeting.
They must've been at some kind of hangar so something.
The boys were very tense, their hearts beat fast, sweat began to form,
The boys were led to their destination, and entered...
...Only to find Thomas strapped to a chair at the other side of the room, hooked up to an IV-Drip with a very moody look on his face.
"Thomas!" Ichika jolted.
Squall raised a hand to halt Ichika.
"Oh? Hey guys!" Thomas lifted his hand to wave, "Been wondering where you trotted off to! Gee-willy, I'm positively fucking pissed right now! Crappy carpool, no phone usage, not even internet service! I have half a mind to speak to the manager!"
The boys looked very perplexed, confused by Thomas's banter.
"He refused to eat," Squall explained plainly, "We had to give him nutrients another way."
Squall gestured to several examination tables.
"Now then, boys, would be so kind as to take your shirts off? The sooner we start the sooner you all can go home."
The boys sighed and quickly did as they were told.
Squall walked over to Thomas and stood by his side as the boy ranted on and on.
As soon as the boys laid down on the tables, doctors came in and began to apply alcohol strips and penicillin to ensure the boys were clean. The needles stung, Ichika winced as he felt the injection.
"Try to relax," Said the doctor, "You'll certainly find that your shoulder will be sore after this, but that's only natural."
"...Hate needles..." Elias whimpered.
The doctor cared little, and pressed a syringe into Elias's arm.
"Just get it over with." Said Tyrone.
"Please try not to complicate things." Said the doctor tending to Tyrone.
The boys did their best to relax and think of their happy places.
Thomas and the other hand, looked thoroughly exhausted and weary of his current predicament.
Soon enough, the doctors had taken several samples from each of the boys. Soon after, they performed small checkups on the boys to assess their health, much like a normal visit to the hospital. The samples were quickly put into blood-bags, and the doctors quickly left the room.
"O-hooo Christ..." Tyrone groaned, "My shoulder's so sore...I feel so nippy..."
"Grab your shirt, here." Ichika trotted over with Tyrone's blazer.
"Thank you." Tyrone shivered the cold away as he put on his blazer.
"Nngh..." Elias groaned, "I dislike needles greatly, this being a prime example as to why...I just don't like thinking about it."
"Hey hey," Ichika assured, "Well, at least you got to face your fear, just remember that way, and it'll feel a little less unnerving!"
"I suppose you're correct..."
"Oi!" Thomas shouted over, "What am I, chopped liver?"
"Be a little more polite and I'll consider it!" Ichika quipped back.
"God DAMN I missed some good dialogue!" Thomas declared.
"Well then," Declared Squall, "Seeing as we've gotten that out of the way finally...You promise to behave yourself once I let you loose?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever..." Thomas grunted.
"Good boy." Squall quipped as she released Thomas's bindings, letting him stand up from the chair.
Thomas sprang up in the blink of an eye, and quickly enjoyed his freedom of movement by stretching himself, several pops and cracks emitted from Thomas's body, so much so that it could be heard across the room.
"About time!" Thomas snapped, moving over to the bother boys, "Lousy service, no rec activities, no tour, no sights, the food was okay...I think, so that's a plus, but the staff are fucking weirdos-I give it one star on Trivago!"
"Why only one?" Squall chuckled.
"Well I was gonna say negative five, but I did get some decent meals..."
"I see, so the best way to your heart is through your stomach?"
"...Shut up." Thomas pouted.
"Now then," Squall continued, "I'll have guards escort you back to the van, and send you home. Understand one thing, each of you: You will not disclose or mention ANYTHING of the events that have transpired here to anyone that doesn't already know of this little exchange. It will be easier on both Phantom Task and the IS Academy that this is buried, for the sake of public image, is that clear?"
The boys looked to each other.
"We'll see." Ichika stated, the boys nodded.
"I suppose that's the best answer I'll get from a gaggle of teenagers..." Squall sighed, "Very well then, You will wait here for your escort, I have business to attend to."
Squall walked past the boys and shut the door behind herself.
Moments after, the boys quickly turned and began to crowd Thomas.
"Guys what the fu-?"
"We're so sorry!" Ichika cried, "We failed and you got captured and then everything was miserable and-and-"
"Furthermore the IS Academy was in chaos after things went public!" Elias summarized, "The staff are discussing a public interview to assess the situation next week...There was a lockdown, the monorail was restricted, everyone was completely wound up."
"Holy crap," Tyrone sighed, "I mean, it was pretty crappy I can't lie, everybody was freakin' out when they told us you got kidnapped...Good god I...I got no idea what I'm doing right now..."
"I don't think anybody does," Ichika realized, "I mean, did anybody ever expect this to happen? Guess we gotta take it as it comes."
"Has really nothing happened since I got stolen away by Phantom Task?" Thomas looked perplexed.
"Honestly? Not much..."
"Ah well, that just means I don't need to play catch-up too much."
"It certainly wasn't the same without you..." Ichika sighed.
Soon enough, guards came in and escorted the boys to the van. There weren't any grand goodbyes, the boys boarded and were bound for home in mere moments.
Thomas looked out the window to find Squall seeing the van off.
He sighed.
"Ma'am!" Cried a guard, rushing over to Squall, "The subject's gotten loose! We're unable to locate-"
"What?! Quickly, lock down the facility now...Dammit, if the subject got into the van..."
"Ma'am?"
"It's nothing. We'll have to make sure our insider at the IS Academy can determine my suspicions or not. The project is still salvageable, but we can't afford to let a key subject already undergoing experimentation escape, it'll blow our plans wide open."
"Understood ma'am!"
Meanwhile, in the van...
"Tell us, what did they do to you? Did they touch you inappropriately? Force you to take drugs? Interrogate and torture you? Do they go further and do non-consented acts to you? Tell us, we're here to help..."
Thomas sighed.
"I'm gonna be honest: I lost any sort of fear I had when one of their guards tried to say she's my big sister or something..."
"Wai-wai-wait what?" Tyrone said, "One of 'em tried to ara-ara you?"
The other boys turned to look at Tyrone.
"...I mean what else're you gonna call it?" Tyrone questioned.
"Fair point." Thomas concurred.
Just then, Thomas felt a bump under his seat.
"...Did we hit a speed bump just now?"
"No, don't think so..."
"Weird..." Thomas shrugged, "Anyway...I guess one of 'em did try to 'ara-ara' me."
"What did she do?"
"Offer me a snack bar from a vending machine and said she was my big sister."
"...Really?"
"I cannot make this up, she actually did that. I just...I could not feel intimidated by that."
"Jeez..."
"It's a good thing you're back now, before they did something awful." Elias remarked.
"We're not there yet..." Thomas mumbled.
Thomas decided to not mention he felt small bumps from his seat.
After a long ride as the boys caught up, the van finally screeched to a halt. However, the driver and passenger in the front cabin audibly exited, but after some time of waiting, the boys were quite perplexed.
"...Did they just ditch the van?"
"I...I dunno..."
"Sounds like they're gone...Why leave the van?"
"I mean...I guess that driving back with the van can leave it vulnerable to be tracked, but leaving it behind and...Oh nuts, they might've set it to explode!"
"I-ah-shit!" Thomas searched frantically, was that's what under my seat?!" Thomas finally looked under his seat.
What he found was not something he was expecting.
"What the actual fuck?!"
"No time! Get out, now!" The boys scrambled as they broke out of the back of the van. Elias dove out first, Tyrone sprawled out second, Ichika tripped over in third, and Thomas reached under his seat and launched out of the van.
The boys scampered away desperately, screaming and yelping as they tumbled about in an attempt to escape.
After several moments of the boys freaking out, the boys began to calm down as they looked back to the van.
"...Uh...So...When we get back we say we defused and disposed of the bomb, right?" Thomas said, his back to his friends.
"Right." The other boys said.
"Hey wait..." Ichika noticed, "Thomas...What's in your hands?"
"Oh right. Guys, don't freak out..." Thomas turned around, "But...I found him under my seat."
In Thomas's arms was a little boy.
The boy looked confused and afraid, trembling with fear as Thomas held the boy. He had one blue eye, and one golden eye. The boy had black hair, and looked no older than an elementary school student.
"Who...?" Ichika awed.
The boy shivered as Ichika stared at him.
"Who...Are you?"
A/N: I am so, so sorry for taking so long with the chapter. I am unable to properly return to rhythm when it comes to writing. It takes me too long to write a chapter, as compared to the previous pace I used to have. Things have been getting harder for me in real life, and I just hope I can finally get back to you, dear readers, who give my works meaning.
However, with this, Thomas's kidnapping concludes!
But, who is this new child? Where does he come from? Why is he here?
Tune in next chapter to find out!
Big thanks to Xenowishes, he's helped me, and I am grateful for his help.
Next time: Shoto.
Leave a review, they're much appreciated and show that you care!