A/N: New chapter. This one is a little short, and I'm sorry if it's boring. Anyway, I'm sorry it's a little later in the day. I planned on updating when I got home from school but there was an issue on a bus that had too many people and not enough room, so I got home late. That aside, sorry for any OOCness, crap writing, errors, etc. I'll try to make sure the next chapter is a little longer, though that will depend on how I do on Science test this week. (Anyone else think schools have too many tests?) I'll be back next week with another chapter, so enjoy.
Tachikawa composed himself quickly, pushing aside his surprise at his boss' words like the professional he was.
"Should we notify Rindo? Tell him Yuma may he in danger?" the attacker asked. Kido shook his head.
"No. For now, no part of this conversation leaves the room. I'm just making a guess and giving Yuma the benefit of the doubt, since he hasn't acted against us in the past. His assistance in the previous invasion also gained him some trust. Plus, the last thing I need right now is for Tamakoma branch to get distracted," the man said. Tachikawa nodded.
"Should we at least tell Mikumo? He seems to already know," the young man pointed out. Kido nodded.
"True, but he's too close to Yuma, and Side Effect or not, Yuma would know if Mikumo was lying about something. If Mikumo knows, Yuma will know. Besides, Mikumo blindly trusts Yuma, and as long as Yuma says he doesn't know it is, Mikumo will believe him. Also, Mikumo may act rashly if he discovers the truth. If Yuma really is being hunted and he's keeping quiet like this, there is the possibility he's trying to keep others out of it so they aren't harmed. We both saw how Yuma acted after Mikumo nearly died in the second invasion. He might be trying to protect his team, since neither Mikumo or Amatori have the skills to defeat that assassin," he explained. Tachikawa looked confused.
"Kido-san, how would you know how powerful the assassin is?" he questioned. Kido rubbed his forehead.
"Your mentor, Shinoda, you know his strength. He's the strongest White Trigger user in Border. Four years ago when Yugo died, it was related to that assassin. I don't know the details, but if that thing fought Yugo and won, there's no way anyone in Border could beat it. Maybe Amo, since they seem to have similar Triggers, but even that isn't for sure. All we know is that we are facing a dangerous enemy, and should proceed with caution," the man said. Tachikawa nodded.
"Come to think of it, Jin probably already knows what's going on. Should we get him involved?" Tachikawa recommended. Kido gave the agent a look that said he had come to the same realization.
"I'm sure he does know, especially after hearing what Mikumo said. While Jin trusts Yuma, he is also well aware of the fact that Yuma is protective of those close to him. He knows that Yuma wouldn't hesitate to lie if it meant keeping Osamu and Chika out of unnecessary danger. Jin himself has done plenty of the sort in the past. As far as I know, he's been protective of them for awhile. When I sent Miwa Squad after Yuma, back when we didn't know who he was, Mikumo apparently planned to step in and assist Yuma. Yuma, however, kept him out of it. Sure he didn't need help and he knew it, but help would have no doubt made things easier for him. My point is, Jin trusts Yuma, but not blindly. He won't believe every word that comes out of Yuma's mouth, and we both know that he doesn't sit back and watch when Yuma's life is in danger," Kido explained, reminding the twenty year old in front of him of an old mission.
Tachikawa cringed slightly at the memories of the failed Black Trigger retrieval mission. It had been a complete failure, all thanks to Jin.
"That is also why I don't believe we should tell him about our theory," Kido said. Tachikawa looked at his boss with a puzzled expression.
"Jin will no doubt do some investigating. He'll probably watch around, use his Side Effect on whoever he can. He'll work behind the scenes like he always does, setting things up to go his way. However, he may wait on putting his plans into action, since he likely knows taking on a Black Trigger is dangerous. He'll want some sort of confirmation before he does something like that. That's why if he finds out that we believe Yuma is in danger, he'll likely go for an offensive approach rather than a defensive one. We don't want that. If the assassin is after Yuma, we don't need Jin getting himself killed too. His Side Effect isn't working right, and that could cause him to walk right into a trap. Jin is a powerful asset, and despite how lying he is, I don't want to see him die," Kido clarified. Tachikawa nodded in understanding.
"Let's just hope you're right about Mikumo believing Yuma, or this'll go downhill fast," he said. Unfortunately, luck isn't always on Border's side.
That night, Osamu had Yuma walk Chika home. Osamu wanted to finish up some strategies for the next Rank War at Tamakoma, so he was hard at work on the computer. However, only a few minutes after Yuma and Chika left, Osamu got a monstrous headache. The teen rubbed his forehead and took a break, heading up to the roof to think.
'Is Kuga really safe? He never shows any fear on his face when he talks about that assassin, but does that mean he recognizes it an is suppressing his reaction?' The thoughts swirled through Osamu's head.
"You're worried about Yuma, aren't you, Four-Eyes?" said a familiar voice behind Osamu. The teen jumped and turned to see Jin walking up to him. Somehow, the moonlight made new features on Jin's face show. Dark circles under his eyes, which were a little sunken looking. His usual smile had turned to a forced-looking upturn of the lips. Obviously he had been pretty stressed out lately. It was something Osamu never thought he'd see on Jin, then again, the future had to be far more than stressful. All the foreseeing he was likely doing now that they had a powerful enemy lurking was no doubt catching up with him.
"Of course I'm not worried, Kuga can take care of himself fine," Osamu said, tearing his eyes away from Jin's stress-marked face. The latter sighed and crouched down on the roof next to Osamu.
"Earlier you said the assassin that showed up here reminded you a lot of the one Yuma told us about when recounting his near-death. Do you think it the same assassin?" Jin questioned.
"Yuma said it wasn't, but the similarities are strong. Then there's the fact that he never really reacts when he sees or hears about it. You'd think that something new like that would get some sort of reaction out of him. I just wonder if maybe he's suppressing his reactions to make us think he doesn't recognize the assassin. It's like when telling a lie. You have to keep a straight face or everyone knows you're lying," Osamu explained. "Still, I'm sure I'm just imagining things. Yuma wouldn't lie about something this important," he added. Jin nodded.
"You really trust Yuma, that's good. He seems to really trust you too, and Chika. He's also always been pretty protective of you guys. You three have come along well as a team," Jin pointed out, standing up. He clapped Osamu lightly on the shoulder and said something quietly before heading for the stairs.
That night, after walking home, Osamu couldn't sleep. Jin's words from earlier were on loop in his head.
'He's lost a lot, and I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to lie if it meant protecting someone he is close to.'
A/N: If anyone has any prompts they want to see done, I'd love to hear. I know I never got around to this before, but I'm going to have an extra day and a half off school next week I think, so I might be able to write a few things then.