A/N: Well, this chapter is a a lot longer than I thought it would be. I originally planned for it to cover the next day as well, but Yuma's thoughts took a lot more space than I thought, and I hope it didn't make this chapter too slow. I hope you guys like the whole deal with Yotaro and Rindo. They don't have much interaction in the anime or manga, unfortunately, since neither are main characters like Him, Yuma, Osamu and Chika. I just wrote that part in the way I think it would play out should a problem like the current one arise. Anyway, sorry for any typos, errors, or crappy writing overall. I'll be back next week with another chapter.
Yuma hadn't really thought about his actions much earlier in the day when he left Tamakoma. It had been only a few hours after Tachikawa left that Yuma decided to leave for awhile. He told the others that he was just going out to look for some leads, after seeing Jin eyeing him warily. While no one had Yuma's Side Effect to tell if he was lying, they let him go. After what Jin said, they had been sure Yuma wouldn't get himself into an unsure fight. Yuma wasn't stupid. Even though he was angry about what had happened to Osamu, he knew Jin was right. He shouldn't go fight the assassin just because he's angry. He's not the only one who was angry, and if he were to be hurt or killed, there was no doubt that Osamu would blame himself. That's the last thing Yuma needed at the moment.
However, when Yuma had left Tamakoma, his only clear intention was to only be out for an hour or two. Instead, he had stayed out very late. He walked around the whole of Mikado, not noticing the sun slipping below the horizon until the world around him was suddenly dark, illuminated by only streetlamps and headlights.
In the middle of the street, Yuma stopped, his head tilting back until his eyes were locked on bright white globe in the sky. The moon had a draw on Yuma, and every night he felt the need to look at it, even if it was a glance. It reminded him of his homeland, Neighborhood, and that in turn reminded him of his father. Yugo had been a strong, smart man, and Yuma saw him in Osamu. The only real difference was strength, since Yugo was far superior to Osamu in skill. Both were willing to help those in need, though Osamu seemed to be willing to go a bit further than Yugo would go.
When Yuma had found out about Osamu's attack, he had first been enraged. The assassin wasn't supposed to hurt his friends. It was only supposed to target Yuma. The fact that it was, as Jin said, using Osamu as bait to get Yuma to come out in the open, was low hanging fruit. Osamu was weak, but he was important to Yuma, an ideal target. Chika was similar, important to Yuma and weak. Sure, she had an enormous amount of Trion, but even if she was able to bring herself to shoot a living being, she wouldn't have much luck against the assassin's skill. It would be especially bad if the confrontation was a close one, where her sniper Trigger would be useless.
In the end, Yuma had few options. He could fight this assassin once and for all so it wouldn't hurt his friends and possibly die in the process, he could reveal the assassin's true intentions and get help in taking it down while likely losing the trust of those close to him, or he could just wait and see, keeping a close eye on Osamu and Chika. The first option had the least risk for Yuma's comrades, but the most for Yuma himself. The second option was a balance of both, though even if the assassin was taken out, Kido might try to have him executed for 'breaking the rules of their agreement' or something like that. The third option had the least risk for Yuma, but the most for his friends. He felt that it was the most selfish option, and immediately wanted to discard it. However, he didn't want to harm the trust of people like Osamu and Chika, who didn't deserve it, and Jin had told him not to go after the assassin on his own. Yuma knew Jin's Side Effect had been acting up lately, but he didn't know to what extent. If he went for option one, Jin might forsee it and intervene, plus Yuma had the feeling Jin already understood the situation very clearly.
Yuma was still contemplating his options and going over his choices when the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood up. The boy was instantly on alert, his spine stiffening and his legs tensing, ready for a fight. It might be going against Jin's advice to fight, even if the assassin came to him, rather than the other way around. Though on the other hand, in a case like such he wouldn't have been lying earlier When he said he was just going out yo look for leads, not to pick a fight.
"Trig-" Yuma began quietly, though he cut off when he remembered something from back when he first joined Border. Something about energy signatures and Triggers that he didn't understand much. If he activated his Trigger, Border would know instantly. In the case that Yuma was being paranoid, if he activated his Trigger and no danger arose, he'd been in deep trouble, and would be unable to properly keep Osamu and Chika safe. The best idea would be to not activate his Trigger unless he confirmed that the enemy was there. He would have a small time frame though, very clearly remembering how fast the assassin's attack had been years ago. It could be even faster now, and could possibly leave Yuma with no time to react.
The surrounding area was dead silent, despite the fact that cars and a few people had been passing through only a minute ago. It put Yuma more on edge, and the teen glanced around, looking for those all-too-familiar purple flames. He was ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"Hey, Yuma-kun!"
Yuma's head whipped in the direction of the source, his lips parting as he got ready to activate his Trigger. Through when Yuma's eyes landed on the black haired, green eyed teenager calling his name, he snapped his mouth shut and instantly tried to look as normal as possible.
"Oh, Arashiyama-senpai," the young Neighbor said nonchalantly, nodding at the captain walking toward him on the street. Kitora, Satori and Tokieda were also there, and Kitora already looked ready to get into an argument with Yuma even though the two hadn't even spoken to each other yet.
"What're you doing out here so late at night?" Arashiyama asked. Yuma shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Even in his Trion body, he felt cold and heat, and his hands were getting chilled.
"I didn't have anything to do, so I went out to walk, but I lost track of time a bit," Yuma said with a duckface. "What about you, Arashiyama-senpai?" he asked.
"We were all at Border late finishing a commercial. Us four were just headed home. You should go too, Yuma-kun. It's getting cold, and its already pretty dark," the older teen recommended. Yuma nodded, then waved at the four agents as they continued their walk. Yuma noticed that the odd feeling he'd had earlier was gone. Maybe he was paranoid...
Deciding to take the advice he had been given, Yuma headed back to Tamakoma. It was likely Osamu was awake by now, and he was planning to recommend that both Osamu and China start staying at Tamakoma where they would be safer, not in danger of being attacked on their way to work. Also, even though the assassin had gotten past the security system, there were five skilled agents, one with a Black Trigger, who would protect them.
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When Yuma got back to Tamakoma, everyone was washing dishes or watching TV. They seemed to have just finished dinner. Shiori was the first to notice the white haired Neighbor as he walked into the kitchen.
"Yuma-kun, are you hungry? We still have some curry if you are," the operator offered. Yuma nodded and thanked her as she went to get him a plate, Konami taking over handling all the dishes herself in Shiori's absence. Yuma then continued to the living area, where Jin, Rindo, Reiji and Kyosuke were sitting around the TV. Osamu and Chika were also there, but they were both asleep on one of the couches. It made sense, since it was late, and they were probably exhausted. Yuma noticed that Yotaro was sitting extremely close to Rindo, with Raijimaru on his other side. Rindo had his arm behind his son, stretched out on the back on the couch with his hand hanging limply. Yuma recognized the position instantly: protection. Rindo cared for Yotaro very much, and Yuma guessed the man was worried that his young son could possibly be a target.
Jin, who sat in a chair, was the first to notice that Yuma was in the room.
"Did you find anything Yuma?" he asked. Yuma shook his head.
"No, but I was thinking Osamu and Chika should stay at Tamakoma until this whole assassin issue is over with. They're both too weak to protect themselves," the Neighbor said, nodding at Osamu to emphasize his point. Jin nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing," he agreed. Yuma nodded, and was about to speak again when Shiori called him, saying his curry was ready. Yuma left the living area to eat his dinner, and Jin watched him go with slight relief. With his Side Effect not working, he had been unsure if Yuma would be okay. He was glad to see that the Neighbor was unharmed. At least one good thing had happened that day.
Not long after Yuma finished his curry, the Tamakoma agents began heading off to bed. Jin woke Chika and Osamu, and with the help of Yuma, got the two sleepy teens to the guest rooms and into bed before the both fell asleep again. The two were exhausted from the assassin issue, like everyone else, and Osamu was still tired from his run-in with the assassin, despite the fact that he had slept through a decent portion of the day.
Konami, Shiori and Reiji retired next, going to their rooms. The three were bid goodnight by those still awake as they left to get some sleep. Jin, Yuma, Kyosuke, Rindo and Yotaro remained in the room. Yotaro was fast asleep against his father's side though, his helmet sliding forward a bit on his head. The boy was still sat extremely close to his father, leaning against the man's side.
"Jin, can you take care of things at Tamakoma for about an hour tomorrow morning? I spoke with Yosuke earlier, and asked him if he could watch Yotaro for a few days. I told him everyone here would be a bit busy for the next few days and I didn't want to leave him here by himself all the time, since he's only five. I'm going to drop Yotaro off tomorrow, and he's going to stay with Yosuke until this assassin buisness is done," Rindo explained.
"You're worried Yotaro could be attacked, since he's small and for the most part defenseless," Yuma said, voicing his earlier thoughts without beating around the Bush or sugar coating his words. It was just like Yuma to be a bit blunt, even in sensitive situations. Rindo nodded, his face drooping in an uncharacteristic frown. It made sense that the man would be worried, and Yuma felt bad that this whole problem had escalated to the point that Rindo was sending his son off to a trusted friend for what would likely be many days, possibly even a week or more, and for what? None of this would have happened if Yuma hadn't panicked that first time he saw the assassin. He should have attacked, done at least something. There were plenty of other agents there that could have helped him. This whole mess could have been avoided, stopped before it even started. Yuma pushed those thoughts away though. No use crying over spilled milk.
"Yeah, I'll keep an eye on things," Jin agreed, his tone kind, the one he used when he wasn't goofing around but also wasn't being straight faced and dead serious. Just the one for a casual conversation. Rindo smiled and nodded, before standing. He picked Yotaro up and carried the boy out of the room, Rajinmaru following behind them. The man did not return, so everyone assumed he had gone to bed.
Without a word, Kyosuke got up and waved over his shoulder, signalling that he too was going to turn in for the night. Neither Jin or Yuma said anything, instead staring at the bright TV in front of them, yet to be turned off.
"I should probably get some sleep if I'm going to take care of the place tomorrow morning," Jin said a short while after Kyosuke left. Yuma nodded as his senpai got up. Jin ruffled Yuma's fluffy hair, giving the Neighbor a small smile before heading to bed. In his room, Jin tossed his jacket aside before changing into something more comfortable to sleep in. It had been a long day, and his headache had made things much harder than they needed to be. Jin flopped down on his stomach on his bed as the exhaustion caught up to him, creeping up his limbs and turning them to lead. The agent didn't bother to even try moving out of the uncomfortable position he was in, instead letting his mind go blank as he fell asleep.
Left alone in the living area, Yuma couldn't think of anything to do. He decided to continue watching TV, since he still didn't know everything about Japan. Maybe he could learn something. Though the odd feeling of being watched quickly showed its ugly face, constantly creeping up on the Neighbors senses before disappearing when he looked around. Yuma recognized this not as instinct, but as paranoia. It would be a really long night.
A/N: One last thing. I have a poll up on my profile right now. It would extremely helpful for you guys to go vote. It's just a thing about future stories and the characters who would involved. You don't have to vote, but it would be great if you did. Also, sorry if it seems like I ignore reviews. I always read all reviews and I'm really glad you guys took the time to comment. I just noticed I never really say anything about those and I didn't want to seem rude.