I will take this chance to bow down and apologize to everybody for my slow updates. I really am sorry.


The local villagers came to know him and he came to know them. He learned how to fish from Hamano and Hayami – though strangely enough it felt like he had done it before – and the local musician taught him how to play a piece on the piano – the said musician praised him for his fast learning skills; though it was a bit fuzzy, Shindou was sure he used to be a pianist before he was a half-robot.

Kirino and he became good friends, if not best friends. They talked a lot with each other and everywhere the pink-haired male went, the half-robot was sure to follow. Kirino didn't mind at all. He liked the company, and he liked talking with Shindou. Strangely enough, Kirino couldn't seem to understand why Tsurugi kept his distance from the newcomer.

That aside, today was the seventh – eighth? – day Shindou had lived here with Kirino and the others. His wounds were thoroughly healed now, merely fading scars of the past. Even though Shindou was fully aware of the consequences staying here – the village of Raimon was known for the people's hatred towards robot and thus any kind of robot found inside the village would be executed immediately – he couldn't help but to want to stay here longer. The friendly people were definitely beckoning. He liked going into the market – something that he had planned to do today.

The brunet stepped off the ledge. Kirino wasn't in the village today. He had told Shindou that he would be roaming the woods for a while; something that Kirino now considered a habit despite the danger of the things outside the fence. Shindou wanted to come along but Kirino had sternly told him not to. It would be bad if Shindou got injured again. So, Shindou obliged to his new best friend's words. As he took slow steps towards the market, Shindou's mind drifted off to Tsurugi. Somehow as the days flew by, the navy blue haired male seemed to look more familiar each time Shindou interacted with him. Even the other day when all of them went fishing in the nearby river – Tsurugi had calmly laid his fishing rod against a rock and he would sit next to it; a position Shindou felt like he had seen countless of times before.

Speak of the Devil; Tsurugi was just a few steps away from him. It looks like he was returning from the market. In the exact same moment Shindou noticed Tsurugi's presence, the latter noticed Shindou's presence too. They stared at each other for a while before Tsurugi slowly advanced towards Shindou. The younger male stopped right in front of Shindou and bowed his head a little out of respect for the older male. "Good morning, Shindou. Are you going to the market?" he asked politely.

The brunet couldn't help but to stare into Tsurugi's eyes. Where had he seen those eyes before? Where? He just couldn't put a finger on it. Plus, his head ached every time he tried to remember. For now he could only assume he had seen those eyes back in the past. So did that also mean Tsurugi was part of his past? If yes, then why did Tsurugi not recognize him?

"Oh, yes. I take it you're going back to the apartment block?" Shindou smiled, nodding a little. Tsurugi's room was just a level above Shindou's room – which was situated beside Kirino's room.

Tsurugi nodded back without saying another word. There was an awkward silence between them. The navy blue haired male was staring into Shindou's eyes as the brunet himself stared into Tsurugi's eyes.

Shindou bit his cheek. Something was bothering Tsurugi, he could tell. The creases on Tsurugi's forehead gave it all away.

"Can you come with me?"

The sudden question caught Shindou off guard. His eyes widened a little and his face was made of pure shock. Tsurugi's eyes seemed to shine with determination. At the sight of this new development, he nodded. "O-Okay," he replied – though still not really sure if this was the right decision. Tsurugi turned on his heels and walked to a direction that didn't lead to the market nor apartment block. Shindou took a step forward and followed the younger male cautiously.


Tsurugi had led him to the river from the other day – Raimon's source of water and fish. He stopped under a shady and single tree that overlooked the rest of the river. Other than the tree, the only plants available were the grass beneath their feet and a number of flowers scattered around. The fence built for protection was still a good distance away from them – the forest, beyond it.

Tsurugi turned around and faced Shindou again. His forehead's creases were clearer now. His bright orange eyes had a new spark; a spark of worry, anticipation – and hope.

"Shindou…" Tsurugi started, his eyebrows furrowed. He seemed to be hesitating."Are you familiar with the Inazuma Team?"

Shindou's shock couldn't be measured. His eyes were wide, so wide he thought it wasn't possible. His gasp seemed to echo in his own ears. How? How did Tsurugi know about the Inazuma Team? Unless…

No. No, no. It couldn't be.

Seeing Shindou's reaction, it was enough for Tsurugi to confirm his assumption. "You do know." He stated that fact with crossed arms.

The brunet lowered his head. "How did you know…?" he suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia, sadness and anger in the same time. He didn't know how. He just did.

"You should know how better than anybody else," Tsurugi replied, his hands had dropped to his side. His fists tensed. His eyes narrowed and he scowled. "Don't tell me you don't remember anything at all?!"

Shindou screamed as a sudden pain shot through his head. It felt like a bullet had been shot into his head. His knees buckled. His brown orbs shut tight in agony. Shindou dropped lower, grasping the grass with his fists – trying so hard to get rid of the pain. Tsurugi panicked and he too dropped to the ground next to Shindou, trying to comfort the brunet. "Shindou! Shindou…!" his teeth clenched together. "I knew it. That guy, he really did erase your memories." His tone was filled with anger, hate, despise for a certain someone that lived in Teikoku City.

The brunet on the ground forced an eye open. "W-What… How did you know that…" he asked weakly, his energy depleting quicker than a fox can run. He stopped thinking and the pain itself slowly decreased.

"Can you at least stand…?" Tsurugi asked, this time with worry. He held Shindou by the shoulder and helped him stand up. Shindou didn't give up though. He had this idea that Tsurugi was avoiding his questions on purpose. Once he was on his two feet, he gripped Tsurugi's shoulder blades and glared into his face. "What do you know about my past?" he hissed through gritted teeth.

Tsurugi wasn't fazed at all. In fact, he calmly stared back. He lifted Shindou's hands off of his shoulders and released them. Once that was done, he straightened his body – his feet close together and his straightened arms were no more than one centimetre away from his body. Tsurugi lifted up his own right hand and saluted with three fingers straightened while the pinkie finger and the thumb were bent inwards. His eyes narrowed.

"Member #2 of the Inazuma Team. Tsurugi Kyousuke, at your service."


CLIFFHANGER! And a pretty nifty one at that.

InfoBot: Uwaaah! Turns out Tsurugi was part of the infamous Inazuma Team! What shall come out of this revelation?! More surprises, of course!