His Dark, Kind Soul

Chapter 10: On a Need-to-Know Basis

Present day, Dining Hall, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen

"So, were you able to do it?" Mochu asked playfully when Koko and Kitsuneme finally showed up for breakfast. "Did you find a morsel of information to secure entry into the dorm?"

Koko didn't say anything. He looked at Mochu with a faraway look in his eyes. He appeared tense and could only muster a tight-lipped smile. He fidgeted every time the dining hall door opened to admit someone. When Ruka stepped inside, he came to his feet then sat down in inexplicable disappointment.

Mochu turned to Kitsuneme. "What's wrong with Koko?"

"I don't know," he answered as he took a seat at their table. "He says we can come back but he wouldn't expound. He's invoking Koko CoCo."

"What?"

"Koko's Code of Conduct," Yuu provided, remembering the old adage well. It was the tenet the mind-reader used when there was a particularly important secret he wasn't at liberty to share.

Ruka whistled. "Wow. He hasn't used that on us since… well, that thing about Mochu that he didn't tell us."

Mochu turned red. "And he will take with him to the grave!"

"Yeah, yeah," Koko said impatiently. "Where's Natsume?"

"He's… doing us a favor," Ruka replied. Everyone started nodding solemnly except Koko who turned sheet white and looked incredibly sick. "What's wrong with you?"

"When will he be back?"

Ruka shrugged. "You know how these things go. Who can tell?"

"And don't you even care?" Koko asked vehemently. "What kind of a best friend are you?"

Everybody blinked at his outburst. Ruka squinted at him. "Are you all right?"

Koko raked a hand through his hair. "I just had a really tough, mind-turning, eye-opening, the-world-is-eating-at-my-conscience night." He swiveled around to watch the door then muttered, "Where is that Black Cat?"

Yuu looked worried. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just… I don't think…" Koko flushed then suddenly yelled, "Koko CoCo!"

"He's been like that since last night," Kitsuneme said when everyone reared back. "And you know when he gets like this there's no cracking him."

They all exchanged a concerned look but didn't comment further. After all, Koko only ever invoked his well-known maxim if it were serious.

The door opened again and this time Hotaru and Mikan came in. They seemed to be discussing something and Mikan carried with her a small gift bag. When they walked up to the table with their breakfast trays, Ruka immediately edged away from his blackmailer.

"Sorry we're late Ruka," Mikan said as she handed over some papers.

"Don't worry about it," he replied then in a much more acrid tone he addressed her companion. "I'm sure Imai was held up untying another victim or two."

Hotaru made a face. "Don't be such a baby Nogi. You were only in the net for an hour."

"An hour I'll never get back."

"Oh, but think of the favor you did for your best friend," Hotaru smirked.

"Hotaru! Don't tell them that!" Mikan cried.

"Were the four of you together last night?" Yuu asked.

"Not exactly," Hotaru said. "I turned in early. Ruka was tied up. Mikan and Natsume—"

"Were just discussing the project," Mikan cut in quickly.

"Then how did you end up with his uniform jacket?" Sumire asked smoothly as she, Nonoko, Wakako and Anna all came to join them.

"What?"

Sumire bent down and pulled out the incriminating jacket from the gift bag. "Oh yeah, definitely the Black Cat's."

"How did you—?"

"Dog-cat Alice," Wakako answered for her. "Would you like to explain to us how doing homework could culminate in you going home in his jacket?"

"No, I really wouldn't," Mikan said, blushing furiously now.

Sumire sniffed. "Oh, and I see you also have some apples in there. Are you sharing?"

"Sumire! Stop sniffing at my stuff."

"Those aren't your stuff," she responded airily. "They're Natsume's, or soon to be his anyway. Are you sure you two were just studying last night?"

Mochu snickered. Hotaru coughed. Ruka started to pick at his food. Yuu tried to appease Mikan while the others started discussing this latest development between Sakura and Hyuuga. Then suddenly Koko slapped a hand on the table, momentarily breaking out of his trance.

"People, please!" he said then continued with much aplomb, "The Black Cat's alleged girlfriend doesn't matter right now. His current whereabouts is more important. Someone set my heart at ease and tell me where the Black Cat is."

"Stop using his codename Koko," Kitsuneme called out. "You'll wear it out."

"You, girlfriend-to-be!" Koko said, ignoring Kitsuneme and turning a pleading gaze to Mikan. "Where's Natsume Hyuuga?"

"He's doing us a favor."

"Oh, sweet mother of—"

"Relax Koko," Mikan said in a placating tone. She was quite grateful to him for taking away some of the heat on her. "It's sweet of you to worry but I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"What has you so worked up anyway?" Mochu tried again causing Koko to glare in his direction with a look that clearly stated in bold letters and all caps: KOKO COCO

Then to Mikan, he was much gentler. "I have to worry Mikan. You know how his missions are. Anything can go wrong."

Five years ago, Restricted Building, Natsume Hyuuga at age eight

The other students in the Dangerous Ability class thought of them as the most powerful team. Natsume didn't know the basis for it but it seemed to be something everyone held true. Maybe it was the number of high-profile assignments they received in a month; or the fact that they had the most stellar record in class. Maybe it was because individually, they could still score highest in their age group then combined their numbers were off the charts. Maybe it was because the Wolf was their Captain and their youngest member was a prodigy in training. Natsume wasn't sure why but they were the best in their Mixed Class and it had been that way for some time.

Natsume's gaze flitted around the room, watching his fellow Dangerous Ability students listen attentively to Davies. He was telling them about an incident at the theater, which caused uproar in the city and was enough to receive attention from a local news network. Apparently, some of them had messed up. No wonder there were fewer of them in the room.

"As penalty for their lapse in judgment…"

Natsume tuned him out. He sat at the back of the classroom with Griffin on his left. His gaze wandered over the Goliath's features, noting the trinkets hanging on his person. There were three on his right ear and he was sure one more was on the left. He wore three rings, two on his left on the ring finger and the last on the index finger of his right. He also had a silver bracelet and an armband. Natsume knew the insignias well. There were nine, nine controlling devices.

Griffin saw him staring and smirked. Then he suddenly opened his palm and a small green bird appeared in a puff of smoke. Natsume swallowed a chuckle. The Giant gave it a little toss and it took flight, circling the room before coming down to bother their female friend who sat near the middle of the classroom in deep concentration.

Sheridan straightened in her seat when the bird alighted then glanced over her shoulder to beam at them. She wore the same symbols Griffin did: two on the left earlobe and one on the right. She had a stiff bracelet on her left wrist and a purple choker around her neck. She also wore an anklet on her right foot and a single ring on her hand. Sheridan had seven controlling devices.

She let the strange, green bird perch on her finger before giggling a bit then releasing it in the air to go visit their last two comrades who sat near the front of the classroom. Ironsmith was at the front row at the leftmost seat. The Wolf was at the window, perched precariously on the sill. They both spied the bird as Griffin shared the illusion with them.

Matching grins swept over their faces and Natsume continued his inventory of the Academy's mark on its most famous students. The Wolf had been known to wear more but on a regular day he toned down his display: two earrings on his right ear, similar to Ironsmith's, then one on the left that mirrored his best friend's. Ironsmith wore a plain band on his left arm while the Wolf had the same two on his right. Ironsmith wore a pendant while the Wolf had none; but they both had rings on their fingers, plain ones they could don everyday. The Wolf wore three on his left hand then one on the right. Ironsmith sported the opposite but the number was the same. Between them, there were sixteen controlling devices.

The bird danced in front of the Wolf until it wrung a distracted laugh from him, which caused Davies' eyes to narrow as he started distributing papers around the room. The creature was about to land on Ironsmith's desk when Davies' hand shot out and he captured the bird in an iron grip and the bird vanished again in a green puff.

He shook his head at the Giant just as their team cracked up while the rest of the class wondered what was going on. "Not on my time Griffin."

"Sorry sir," Griffin said, without sounding even slightly morose. He slouched in his seat and muttered to him. "Damn psychic. It's not fair that he could do that."

Then silence pervaded the room as everyone began to study their mission sheets. Natsume had just received his when Sheridan spoke up, breaking the stillness.

"Wait, this isn't right. Nimbus should be with the Wolf."

"No," Natsume voiced without thinking. Heads swiveled towards him. It was the first time he spoke up during a meeting. He flushed. "That is… I'll be fine with just Sheridan."

Griffin cleared his throat. "I think it would be better that you stay with—"

"I want to do this on my own," he said earnestly. He turned to the Wolf who remained by the window, peering at him with a pensive look. "If I'm about to replace you, shouldn't I learn to do this without you? I can do it. Let me go."

It was the most the kid had ever said in that classroom; and he finished without an edge in his voice. The Captain realized that too but he remained motionless at the windowsill. Then his gaze flicked towards Ironsmith who had turned in his chair with a quiet smile. He looked back at the Wolf.

"He's ready," he said simply.

"I know he is," came the Wolf's reply. He glanced at Natsume and made no effort to hide the pride and anxiety on his face. But there was no hesitation there. "All right Hotshot. Make us proud."

Natsume nodded. This time it was the Captain who took his appearance in. The kid wore two earrings on his left ear and a necklace hung around his neck. He wore a silver bracelet on his right arm and a plain ring on his left. That made five controlling devices at eight years old.

And so came the final count. If Natsume had bothered to include himself he would have his answer. If that was the basis for most powerful, their team would win hands down. After all, between all of them, they had a total of thirty-seven controlling devices.

"You killed him?" Marie shrieked. "Why would you do that?"

"It was perfect," Kira said with a grin, "Surrounded by friends on a clear morning, the sun just filtering through the clouds to signal the dawn then finally, the earth with a beautiful white layer of snow. It'll be a classic."

Her eyes ran down the pages Kira handed her a few minutes ago. It was the short story they were supposed to work on together for their English class. It should've been proofread and concluded. However, it seemed Kira had also taken some creative liberties while he was finishing it the night before because their young protagonist was now deceased.

"But how can you kill off an eight-year-old boy?!"

"Eight-year-old?" Natsume repeated in offense. Kira slid a glance at the Elementary student sitting with them.

"Oh, our character is nothing like you. You'd survive an avalanche in the Arctic region even if a hundred mastodons suddenly appeared and run amok."

"Kira!" Marie cried when she reached the end of the story. "This is horrible!"

"What, the ending? It's great. It's exciting. It's tragic."

"I don't want it to be tragic," she said in exasperation. "I want it to be happy. Like fairytales or children's books or nursery rhymes."

"Nursery rhymes aren't happy," Kira protested. "Ring a ring o'roses was about the bubonic plague."

Marie shook her head, flipping through the pages in irritation. "And how could it possibly snow in the middle of July?"

"I don't know, maybe one of them had a Winter Alice." He winked at Mahiro who covered her lips to keep from laughing. Kurt and Kunimitsu were wisely staying out of the argument as well. Kira wasn't put off in the slightest. "It made a spectacular scene."

"A spectacular death scene."

"Exactly."

She gritted her teeth. "This is not acceptable."

"Part the story is supposed to be mine," he said in defense.

"Your part happens to be only five percent of the piece. I practically wrote the whole thing when you were indisposed. So either rewrite this ending or I'm scrapping your name from the byline."

"In my defense, it was a logical sequence given what the kid had been through—"

"Kira Samushiro—!" Marie began in a tone that left no room for argument. Kira didn't miss the severity, or her use of his full name, and so he immediately reached for the papers.

"Fine, I'll do it over."

"Well, have 'it' ready by tomorrow," she said irritably then began to pack up for class. "I'll see you in homeroom. By then, you'd better have that happy ending."

When she walked away, Mahiro began giggling uncontrollably at the exasperated look on Kira's face. He began scratching off lines with his pen then went on ahead and tore out the bottom part of the last page.

"Stifling my creativity, that's what she's doing," Kira muttered.

Kunimitsu didn't look so amused. "Snow on a clear morning, surrounded by friends? You might as well have described your own death."

"Maybe I did."

"And you should know better than to do that in front of Marie," he said reproachfully. "That was crass, especially since you just got out of the infirmary."

Kira looked properly chastised. His gaze went to Stone Griffin. "What about you Kurt? What do you think should happen?"

Kurt looked up from his textbook. "The Giant should live." Then his gaze landed on Natsume and he actually grinned, "And the Dwarf."

"Right on," Natsume chimed in.

"You were wrong Kira," Mahiro commented as she finished reading the first few pages of their story. "Your protagonist is exactly like Natsume. He's super smart, super fast and he's only eight-years-old. Hmm… seems to me you guys were drawing on real life."

Kunimitsu chuckled at Natsume and Kira's inverse reactions to her statement. Then he also started gathering his things. "I'm late so I'll go on ahead. Drop by the workshop Natsume."

"Uh-huh. Ruka won't be coming though."

"Your call," he said as he prepared to leave. When he passed by Mahiro, he ruffled her hair like an older brother, making her bristle. "What?"

"I'm not your little sister."

"I know that."

"Well, you sure don't act like it," she mumbled though she kept her gaze upon what she was reading. "I swear you'll miss me when I'm gone."

Kunimitsu stopped behind her and stared at the top of her head with a look of affection she completely missed. "Why? Where are you going?"

"I cross worlds Mitsu. I could go anywhere."

He smirked. "Yeah, but you can't stay away for long." Then in an uncharacteristic display, he kissed her temple before walking off.

"Well… someone's making progress," Kira teased when Mahiro visibly colored.

"Oh, shut up," she retorted then immediately changed the subject by gesturing with the papers. "This character is incredible. It's like he's unbeatable. No wonder Marie's so pissed. How did you ever manage to kill him off?"

Kira laughed then crumpled up the paper he had torn off into a ball before throwing it in the wastebasket. "Too bad you'll never find out. A happy ending is on its way."

That afternoon, before his mission, Natsume spent his time in Kunimitsu's workshop. Since the day they gave him the pocket watch, he dropped by once in a while. Kogure's work fascinated him and that wasn't missed by the ironsmith. A couple of weeks ago, he had begun letting Natsume try his hand with smaller pieces. Sometimes, Ruka would even come with him and they would spend hours trying to build a masterpiece of their own.

That particular session, Natsume wasn't in a very patient mood. He was trying to shape a small flowerpot but the acetylene torch proved to be much too large for him and so his angle was off when he circled his work. He went at it for another half hour before his patience finally snapped. In one swift motion, he dropped the torch on the floor and fired with his Alice. He successfully incinerated half the project, which caused Kunimitsu to rush over and stop him.

"Hey, hey! Simmer down, Hot Hands," he said as he came over with a fire extinguisher. "That's not the way to do this. Use the torch."

"I can't aim with it," Natsume complained. "I can finish much faster with my Alice."

Kunimitsu glanced at the smoking flowerpot and chuckled. "I'm supposed to believe that you meant to obliterate half of what you were working on?" Natsume growled. "Look, let me just show you again. It takes more patience than that."

"Fine."

Kunimitsu picked up a metal cutter, pulled on a glove then set to work on Natsume's project. "You have to use your Alice more conservatively Natsume. You can't just fire at something just because it's an easy fix."

"I know. I'm only supposed to use my Alice for missions."

He stopped. "What? I didn't say that. That's ridiculous. If you did that, you'd never have fun with your Alice." He snapped off one last wayward strip then handed the cutter to Natsume so that he could begin again. "All I'm saying is you shouldn't let it rip out of you like you did just now. You always have to keep control."

"You and the Wolf have it all figured out, haven't you?" Natsume grumbled. "What to do and what not to do with your Alice. What does it matter anyway? I'm going to end up like him in a couple of years: in and out of the infirmary."

"He really set a bad example for you," Kunimitsu muttered, "That idiot."

Natsume heard the same reproachful tone he had used that morning when he scolded Kira for being insensitive. "He really alarmed you this time, didn't he?"

"Kurt was alarmed. Mahiro was terrified. I… was angry." Kunimitsu blew out his breath. "I was angry with him for getting himself in such a state. He should've been brought in long before. He knew it too so he can't say he couldn't have done anything to prevent that."

"Couldn't he?"

He took his time to respond. "The fourth form Alice is a contradiction. It's the most absurd thing I've ever seen. To have limitless power at the cost of one's life— by our definition, it defies itself. I think it just means you are your own limit and that's supposed to be a good thing."

"But it's not."

He smiled with irony, "Which is another absurdity." He picked up the acetylene torch to help refine Natsume's work. "But it's not like you're completely powerless. In the first place, you don't have to use your Alice."

"I think the Academy took that choice from us."

"Maybe at the beginning but circumstances changed as we grew up. It was Kira's choice to keep using his Alice for what we do to keep other people from having to bear the burden." Kunimitsu kept the torch trained on Natsume's work, melting it in different angles. "He endures the pain for the rest of us and I never forget that."

"How much does it hurt?" Natsume asked softly. His senior slid a glance at him, clearly hesitating. "I want to know."

He shut off the torch and paused to consider him. Then his voice grew gentle, belying his words. "The pain begins in the chest. At first it's a smarting you can ignore, like a prick of a large needle burying itself under your skin. It's stinging and irritating but hardly painful." He laid the torch on the table then sat on a stool. "After a while it gets worse. The ache spreads through your chest where it burns. It's relentless and it feels like it won't end."

Natsume's hand self-consciously clutched his shirt as he remembered the sensation he felt right before he passed out in the training room those many months ago. He couldn't quite tell which phase he was in.

"On an advanced stage it eats at you," Kunimitsu continued. He clenched his hand into a fist. "You don't know where the pain is coming from anymore. You can't breathe. You can hardly think. When it attacks it's torture then suddenly, it all stops. You're out like a light."

He opened his hand and stared at his palm, as though he could see his Alice just dancing upon the surface of his skin. "But you're still aware… you're here… you're alive… though there's barely enough energy inside you to move or speak. Then eventually you remember to breathe. You're left wondering when you have to go through it all over again and if you'll survive it the next time."

"You must have seen the Wolf fall a hundred times," Natsume said after a prolonged pause. "You understand his Alice so well."

"Only as much as he understands my abilities." He turned away and picked up a long, metal strip and laid it flat on his palm. In seconds it shaped itself into a cat ready to pounce while Natsume looked on in wonder. "He called my talent remarkable even when I couldn't control it. He said we'd use our gifts to save lives."

"Metal-control," he murmured absently as Kunimitsu let him hold the animal. It was crudely made but still ingenious by anyone's standards. "So have you done it?"

Kunimitsu nodded. "We've been doing this for years. We've rescued a number of people and those are the times when I think being an Alice counts the most."

"I guess."

One of the clocks in the room signaled the sixth hour. At that, Kunimitsu opened his palm wide and Natsume expected the cat to leap off his hand and land upon its maker. It did no such thing. Instead the cat unraveled itself, returning to a plain metal strip. Kunimitsu then pulled out a rag and handed it to him to clean up.

"You should get going kid," he said with a faint smile. "Remember, you're the star tonight."

"Right," Natsume replied unenthusiastically. He wiped up then picked up his things. He had to be honest, he was nervous about this mission but since he had asked for this chance, he would just suck it in and play his part. Even if it weakened him. Even if it meant there was no going back.

"Fire here," Kunimitsu suddenly called when he was near the door. Natsume released a concentrated beam at the spot he directed on the flower and when the metal bent in just the right angle to resemble a leaf, Ironsmith signaled him to stop. He smiled, "Conservative, focused and having fun with it. Perfect."

"Thanks."

"You and Sheridan take care, all right?" Kunimitsu said when Natsume was walking off again. He stopped to give a nod.

"Count on it."

Present day, Study Hall, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen

Koko should've known. When Natsume was being cold and evasive, he damn well should've known. No wait, he did know. Deep down he had known it for sure but he didn't back off because proof wasn't handed to him on a silver platter. And so he continued to pry and prod and now it had come to this. Now, he couldn't live with himself.

He knocked his head against the table. Then he did it for a second time, and then a third. He didn't want to stop doing it until the Black Cat entered the door.

"Koko, you might want to stop doing that. Umm, bashing your head against hard wood tends to give you a headache."

He looked up. "Hey, girlfriend-to-be."

Mikan rolled her eyes and took a seat next to him. "Are you okay?"

Koko sat straight in his chair. He hesitated for only a moment then decided to push the limits of Koko CoCo. He spoke in a low voice. "Mikan, if you found out something about your friend that he didn't tell you, would you confront your friend about it or would you just let it lie?"

She bit her lip. "That depends, is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I don't know yet."

"Is my friend a nice person?"

"Not in the normal sense."

"Ah, hmm… is there a reason why he didn't tell me?"

"I bet there is," Koko grumbled. "Probably a very dark and noble reason, that's just the sort of person he is."

She giggled, "Seems to me your friend is a very complicated person."

"Complicated, unpredictable, lethal… but I'm also starting to believe that he may very well be the kindest person on the planet and is way too cool to be my friend."

"Well, I think you should talk to him."

"But what if he kills me?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Mikan teased.

Koko frowned. "What do you know?"

"Nothing, nothing," she said glibly then started twiddling her thumbs as she thought about his question. "I'm not sure what I'd do but… if my friend had found out something about me that I didn't tell him, I'd want to know that he knows."

"But what if there are consequences?"

"There are always consequences but all you can really do at this point is the right thing; and that's to come clean about this knowledge you're not supposed to have."

Koko slumped lower in his seat. "I never should've received intelligence."

She giggled again then stood up. "Hang in there Koko. I'm sure Natsume will forgive you."

He started to sputter, "N- Natsume? Who said anything about Natsume?"

Mikan smiled gently then pretended to zip her lips. "Don't worry. Koko CoCo."

She walked away to join the rest of the gang while Koko continued to contemplate his situation. He knew he should listen to Mikan. After all, aside from Ruka she probably had the best insight into Natsume's personality.

The day was nearly over and he still hadn't had the chance to speak with the Black Cat. He didn't show up for morning classes or lunch and it looked like he wouldn't do so for the rest of the afternoon. Koko didn't want to go through another night like the last. Abruptly, he got up and decided to prowl the corridor outside Natsume's dorm room. He was going to confront him even if it was the last thing he did. Koko gulped. What if it was the last thing he did?

Kitsuneme saw Koko leave the study hall and came to his feet as well. Something was up with his friend and he wasn't about to let him bear this alone. With that in mind, he followed Koko back to the dorm rooms.

Five years ago, Restricted Building, Natsume Hyuuga at age eight

Kunimitsu leapt off the landing then crouched low when he hit the ground. He sent a furtive look around the room then he quickly rolled to his side as projectiles came out of nowhere and headed straight for him. He swore as he broke into a run then nimbly leapt over a crate to take cover. Behind him he heard the shells crash against the floor then emit green smoke.

Stone Griffin.

He jumped out from his hiding place and fired. A shadow moved amidst the haze then he had to slide across the floor as another attack came from behind him. This time it was accompanied by blue fumes. He coughed violently.

The White Wolf.

He leapt quickly then grabbed the lowest beam before pulling himself up. Below him, his two attackers met each other at the center of the room. Kurt kicked the mock rifle in Kira's hands, effectively disarming him. The Captain reacted at once and in the next moment the two of them were locked in physical combat. Kurt clearly dwarfed Kira but that didn't deter the latter who was much more dexterous. Kunimitsu watched them for a while, contemplating the wisdom of joining the blurry of limbs in that fast-paced martial arts display. He hesitated for a second then loosened his grip, ready to join the sparring session with his rifle also abandoned.

For a moment there was chaos as they sparred with each other in a complex multi-person brawl. Then when Kunimitsu had enough, he snapped his fingers and the metal floors they stood upon exploded out of its hinges and stood between them like walls. It effectively separated them and ended their three-way fight prematurely.

"No Alices, dammit!" Kurt growled as the floors crashed back into place.

Kunimitsu held on to his knees as he got hold of his breathing. "Yeah, well, that wasn't an attack. It was more of a, 'Hey, I've had enough. Dude, stop hitting me.'"

Kira laughed then dropped to the floor, heaving in exhaustion. "I haven't had that much exercise since I got out of the infirmary."

"We need to find a better way to manage our anger."

Then simultaneously they checked their watches. They had only killed an hour. It could be a while before Mahiro and Natsume returned. Nobody said out loud what was on all their minds. After all, it would be of no merit if they started talking about their concerns out loud. They'd sooner start battering each other to pieces than get into that conversation.

At length, Kurt nodded to his seniors. "I'll check with Narumi if there's any news." Then the gruff, gentle giant walked off.

The training room doors banged close after his departure. The two who were left behind exchanged a glance then almost simultaneously they lay flat on their backs, each worrying in silence.

Kira broke first. "Why do you think they kept us back here?"

"I don't know, maybe because you're still recuperating."

"Do you really think they'd care about that before sending me back out?" Kira scoffed. He stared up at the cavernous ceiling then dimly contemplated how Kunimitsu had jumped that distance just moments before.

"Fine then, we're back-ups," Kunimitsu said, voicing at last what they were both thinking. "And the day the Academy starts using us as back-ups—"

"Is the day something really dangerous is going on," Kira finished for him. He sat up. "There are four missions going on tonight. But all three of us are on stand-by. They must be expecting something."

Kunimitsu sat up too. "Go ask Davies."

"No."

His best friend frowned. "He would know and he would tell you."

"No, he wouldn't," Kira retorted. "He wouldn't even reveal the truth about the Alices fighting us until it became absolutely necessary."

"You never went up to him and asked until it became absolutely necessary," Kunimitsu answered in frustration. "You just expected the Academy to tell you. You're still on a need-to-know basis Kira, no matter how good you are."

"Why are you taking his side?"

"Because I believe he's telling the truth when he says he cares about us," he said evenly. "In fact, I believe him when he says he wants you out of here to give you a future."

"Are you still pushing that issue?"

"For as long as it's on the table," he returned. "It's your best chance to stay alive. I'd go but they didn't ask me, did they? They need you."

"These are the same people who manipulated us for the past ten years. What makes you think I'd sign up for that after high school?"

Kunimitsu paused, "Because Nakajima would've done the same."

"Well, Taro Nakajima isn't with us anymore," Kira muttered as he stood up. "And we have Davies to blame for that."

"He was my teacher Kira, not yours," he said softly. "I forgave Davies for what happened. Why can't you?"

He ignored the question. "You're saying that for the flimsy twenty-three percent chance that they could cure the fourth form Alice, you would leave everything behind and sign up to become a guinea pig?"

Kunimitsu looked grave. "If I could be of any help to further the research, I'd do it on a one percent chance. I'd do it for you, and Hyuuga, and Nakajima, and everyone else who was ever stricken with it."

"That's a lot of talk for someone whose life isn't on the line."

His eyes grew cold. "I'm going to let that slide because you're angry."

"Why is it that every time I leave you two behind lately, you seem to be ready to hit each other?" Kurt broke in as he returned. They both turned to him in question and he gave them a grim smile. "News came and they're calling for us."

"What's going on?"

Narumi came running into the room and gave them three envelopes, clearly pre-arranged as though the turn of events had been foreseen. They ripped it open and their eyes flew swiftly over the few lines contained on the sheets.

"Wolf, Griffin and Ironsmith," Narumi narrated rapidly. "Be ready to leave in half an hour. Our opponents opened fire five blocks from here. They took hostages. Sheridan sent out a signal before we lost her at the border."

Kira clutched the papers in a death grip. His exhaustion, the conversation with Kunimitsu and his irritation with Davies were momentarily forgotten. "What happened to Natsume?"

Present day, Boy's Dormitory, Natsume Hyuuga at age thirteen

"Why isn't he back yet, Kitsu?" Koko asked urgently as he paced the corridor. "The day's over. What could keep him occupied for twenty-four hours?"

"It's a mission. You said so at breakfast, anything can happen," Kitsuneme said calmly. He was sitting on the floor, watching Koko in bewilderment. "Look, I really don't see why we're wasting our time out here. We need to work on our project."

"We're not wasting time," Koko said tersely. "Trust me."

"But our report is due tomorrow and we have nothing to show Mr. Narumi."

"We have plenty," Koko insisted. He checked his watch then threw up his hands. "What if he's hurt somewhere? What if he needs our help?"

"If he's outside the Academy, there's nothing we can do," Kitsuneme said reasonably. "What's gotten into you? You have to calm down."

"I won't calm down!"

"Koko, what did Mr. Kobari tell you?" Kitsuneme demanded. "Why are we hounding Natsume's door? Did Little Nimbus ever meet— no."

Kitsuneme paled when the realization struck him like lightning. Koko's eyes widened when his friend came to his feet. He stalked forward and Koko backed up in alarm.

"I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to!" he cried. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Oh shit, why didn't he tell us sooner? Damn it, do we want to know his reasons?"

"You have to keep quiet about this!"

"I already know that!" Kitsuneme retorted. "We have to get out of here and think about this for a minute. What would we say to him? We're lucky he's not back yet."

Inside Natsume's bedroom there was a thud and they both froze. It was followed by shuffling and some heavy footsteps. At that, Koko ran for the door but Kitsuneme quickly caught him and shoved him backwards.

"Are you nuts? You can't go in there! Nobody goes inside Natsume Hyuuga's hallowed hall uninvited. You know that!"

"But I need to talk to him!" Koko snapped. "I have to apologize."

"We can't confront Natsume after a twenty-four hour mission! It's suicide." Koko pushed Kitsuneme aside then grabbed the doorknob before his friend could recover. "Koko, you can't—"

Koko burst into the room then stopped cold when he spotted Natsume standing next to an open window. It looked like he had just arrived and Ruka was with him, already fretting about his current state. The Black Cat was covered in blood. It ran down his neck and splashed across his school uniform, leaving a horrible stain. Koko suddenly felt sick.

"Oh my god."

"Koko, get out of here!" Ruka thundered but the request was futile. In the next second, Koko lurched then fell in a dead faint at Natsume's doorway.

"Fantastic," Natsume muttered darkly as he crossed his bedroom to get to his unconscious visitor. They dragged him inside, pulled a stunned Kitsuneme into the room then the Black Cat slammed the door.