Worry
No one ever worried about Emishi, least of all Shido.
There were things to worry about, of course, things outside of finding enough food for everyone, or the monsters from the Beltline. There was Raitei, of course. He was power--power incarnate, power that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end every time he got near the man--but unstable. His anger as easily unleashed at allies as it was enemies in the heat of the moment. And there was Kazuki, all that quiet strength, the calm facade with danger roiling underneath, danger that showed in protracted silences and the unspoken knowledge that he might simply walk away into the Beltline again, never to return. But questioning Raitei was unthinkable, and Kazuki was Juubei's to worry about, so Shido didn't worry about much at all, really, certainly not the wisecracker a level or two below the Kings in status, who was kept around because he was entertaining--though not funny--and was a good fighter.
Even after the Volts broke up, and Shido left the fortress, he didn't worry. Out of all of them, Emishi was the one with--if not family, than personal ties, at least--people who needed and depended on him. He wasn't adrift, not like the rest of them.
So no one ever spared a stray thought for the man, because he smiled and joked. He was happy.
But as Shido watches Haruki Emishi wander back into MakubeX's headquarters, whistling cheerfully to himself, covered head to toe in someone else's blood, he thinks, just maybe, someone should have.
