Disclaimer: Not mine

Notes: Spoilers for the end of the series, and spoilers for 'Children of Tomorrow' as well. This is a prologue for Chapter six of 'Children of Tomorrow'

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Ryuuta didn't know why he hadn't seen it before.

He had taken everything into account before putting his plan into motion-- and Sion, despite his first ill-fated attempt to escape the Bureau and save Asami Tatsuya's era, was simply another equation. He was an alien from a dead planet that had no connection to Earth's fate-- or Ryuuta's own. As long as he kept him separate from the others, things would continue to go accordingly.

The Time Captain stared down at the currently unconscious teenager and wondered how his equation had become an anomaly.

After giving the situation considerable thought, Ryuuta had come to the conclusion that there were two main factors in his plan nearly failing. The first was the most obvious one: Sion (and it was Sion now, if even he didn't remember everything yet, it was obvious that he remembered enough) was an alien, and thus his technology hadn't had as strong of an affect as it had on his Human teammates-- and his attempts at alternating his hibernation cycles had undoubtedly made his already tenuous hold on the boy's mind even weaker. Then there was the factor Ryuuta hadn't considered until now.

... If Sion had been willing to risk everything to save this century and his companions, why wouldn't he be willing to do so again... even if he wasn't entirely sure why? And he had been before Ryuuta intervened: it had started out with reaching out to Domon, then starting his own search. He had found Ayase without even trying.

What had been the cause? Trying to make an alien think he was a Human, or forgetting what lengths the alien would go to protect a time that he had grown so fond of?

Most likely it was a combination of both.

Ryuuta's eyes didn't leave Sion as his hand hovered over his sidearm. He could do it now. No struggle, no more plans that always failed. He still had three left, but without the student who half-remembered being much more than a student, they wouldn't be much trouble.

He really could just end it now.

Ryuuta let his hand fall. No, not yet. He had waited this long for his plan to be fulfilled; he could wait a little more. And besides, he hadn't had anyone to talk to since he first came here. It would be nice to have some company-- if only for a little while.

He smiled and tousled the sleeping boy's hair before leaving the room. He'd give Sion a little more time to remember everything before they spoke.