A/N: So I had to go read through the entire story for this chapter, and I cringed a lot. Fun times. I actually don't go back to look at what I've posted unless I'm checking for errors or looking for information. Anyway, sorry for any OOCness, errors, typos, and just crappy writing overall. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.
Jin and Rindo sat in silence, the tension in the air turning the mood to a stressful one.
"So you think the assassin is after Yuma?" Rindo asked, wanting to confirm that he'd heard the teen right earlier. Jin nodded, his eyes narrowing.
"I thought this same way when the problem started. The fact that Yuma completely lost it at HQ that day, saying 'It's here' before blacking out, had me thinking. I don't see how Yuma and the assassin aren't in some way related. If they weren't, Yuma wouldn't have reacted that way. He was raised in a world of war, not a world of fear. He doesn't faint when he's afraid, and actually, I don't know if he ever really feels much fear. If the assassin was a stranger to him, he would have taken up either an offensive of defensive position, ready to fight or run, whichever was the better choice," Jin explained, thinking back to the first day of the assassin issue, which felt like it had been years ago.
Rindo dropped his elbow on his desk and rested his chin on the heel of his palm, fingers curled over his mouth as he began to think Jin's explanation through. Yuma had only been on their side of the Gate for a few months, and the teen was anything but an open book, though they knew him pretty well. To be more accurate, his habits had come to light, though Yuma himself was still quite a mystery. To Rindo, at least. The Tamakoma Director fixed his eyes on Jin. The brunette in front of him was very similar to Yuma in many ways.
While Jin may not have been raised in a world of war, he'd spent years training as a solider and even longer dealing with a Side Effect that showed him things that would and would not come to be, both good and bad. Both teens knew the pain of loss, as well as hatred and the itch for revenge. Both suppressed that itch well, but it would always be there, worming around under their skin and pumping through their veins. If anyone could figure out Yuma, both Jin and Osamu would have the best chance, though Jin was one of the few who would be able to relate to Yuma. If Jin thought something was going on with the younger teen, chances were he was right.
"Didn't Yuma say that his episode at HQ was due to his dying body? It's plausible, given the connection between his Trion body and real body could affected due to the state he's in," Rindo pointed out. He wasn't trying to shoot Jin's idea down, but he wanted to see if Jin' s argument had enough evidence to shoot down a few counters. If that was the case, the likelihood of the brunette being right would be much higher, and if that idea was going to lead to action, it would need to be as solid as possible.
"That is a possibility, though that only furthers my suspicions of what he said being a lie. He said he didn't remember anything after when he dropped, but it wraps the situation up too conveniently. Plus, I think if the problem had been because of his dying body, something else related to his real body or his Trigger would have happened by now, some sort of malfunction. He knows that while most of us at Tamakoma are pretty good at distinguishing truth from lies, we don't know for sure. None of us have his Side Effect. When we we're questioning him after he woke up from his HQ incident, he either dodged the question or gave a simple answer, though those could have easily all been lies. You were suspicious back then, too. You even gave us the order to watch him," Jin pointed out, his last few sentences sounding almost like accusations. The teen had quite the argument, and he seemed to just be getting started.
Rindo nodded and sighed. Yuma had been a bit off that day, and while there were plenty of possible reasons behind the Neighbor's behavior, the unfavorable ones seemed to be most likely.
"He was fine when you all watched him though. No odd actions, he wasn't hyperaware, never looked over his shoulder," Rindo countered. Jin gave the man a nod.
"True, but we both know he was onto us. He's an extraordinary kid," the teen replied. Score Jin-2, Yuma-1.
"Kyosuke informed me that he overhead Yuma talking to himself in his room one night. He mentioned the majority of Tamakoma, you included. Do you think it's related?" Rindo asked. Jin frowned.
"Do you remember what he said?" the teen said, leaning forward slightly. Rindo shook his head.
"I don't remember exactly, but it was something about you and Tamakoma-1. Yuma mentioned something about you guys escaping and fighting someone," Rindo recalled, running a hand over the stubble on his chin. Jin leaned back in his chair.
"He may have been talking about us fighting the assassin. Should he not be able to defeat it, we were the best opponents at the time," the brunette guessed, his eyes shifting around the room as he thought.
Rindo kept his eyes on the teen across from him. He could almost see the gears turning in Jin's head. The teen was not one to sit around and do nothing. Jin fought when he needed to, and when he wasn't fighting, he was either behind the scenes setting things up or looking into the future and devising a plan. Now that he could not fight nor see what was coming for them, all he could do was think. Rindo was sure the Jin was probably extremely frustrated about his current situation, though the teen didn't lash out. Instead he was putting his restlessness to work.
"There was also the time when the assassin showed itself in Tamakoma. Yuma didn't look worried at all, even though he denied having ever see the assassin. The rest of us were surprised, even if the shock didn't last. I feel that Yuma should have had some sort of reaction, war-honed flight or fight instincts kicking in. He isn't stupid and he knows his strength. Unless he was sure he could beat that thing in a fight, which I don't think he was thinking that, he should have at least been a little surprised or even worried," Jin said, though by the end it seemed like he was talking aloud to himself.
"Yuma said straight to Chika that he didn't know the assassin. He's pretty close to both Chika and Osamu. Are you sure he would lie to them?" Rindo asked, pulling Jin from his thoughts. A serious look tinged with sadness formed on Jin's face.
"Haven't you ever lied to protect someone you care about? You saw how Four-Eyes and Chika-chan reacted to the assassin. If Yuma had told them that it was the assassin who meant to kill him four years ago, he would have made things worse for them. In their eyes, Yuma is almost invincible in many ways. To say that something has the ability to take Yuma down would do nothing but scare them," the teen explained. The two in the office lapsed into silence.
"Yuma was pretty tense after the assassin got into the base. It was odd that he suddenly wanted to investigate, but that doesn't automatically mean the assassin is after him. He could have just wanted to get out of the situation," Rindo said, breaking the silence after a few minutes. Jin nodded, his eyes on the floor.
Suddenly, a few moments later, the brunette's head went up, icy blue eyes holding a dangerous light.
"Did Kido-san and Tachikawa-san ever say anything about Yuma being the assassin's target? They learned about his situation awhile ago, so they know he was attacked four years ago. At least, Kido-san does. I think Tachikawa-san was leaning toward Yuma being the target after Four-Eyes was attacked. When Yuma saw what happened he just about went after the assassin. I thought it was just him being angry, but I think there's more to it. Four-Eyes isn't very strong, and he isn't too much of a threat in any way that he would need to be put out of commission. He couldn't be the target because the assassin wouldn't have left him alive in the alley. There's other possibilities, but I'm pretty sure he was just bait, and if I had to say who I think Yuma is closest to, it would definitely be Four-Eyes," Jin said, his thoughts coming together. Rindo nodded. It was a good point.
"That's true," Rindo agreed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
"I know that plenty of us want to deal with the assassin and get this over with, but no one's put more work into gaining information and thinking than Yuma," Jin added. Rindo pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Do you think your attack was also bait? You and Yuma are pretty close it seems," the man pointed out. Jin shrugged.
"That could have been part of the reason, but if the assassin wanted bait, it would have chosen an easier target, like Chika, and wouldn't have bothered with my Side Effect. I think it wanted me out of the way, and the fact that attacking me would upset Yuma was probably just a bonus. Though the fact that I'm alive means I'm likely not the target either," Jin said, getting a nod from his boss. The two fell silent once more.
After almost five minutes of silence, Rindo spoke.
"Are you sure about this? If Yuma isn't the target and he's just looking to fight the assassin, we might end up encouraging him by calling him out. Right now, we can't have anyone fight. While I believe in Yuma and Tachikawa's abilities, I don't know that they would be successful if they fought the assassin themselves, being our only two available combatants who stand any chance at all. We need all the fighting power we can get to bring the assassin down without causing problems. We can't let anyone get hurt, let alone die, or someone might do something stupid," he said. Jin shook his head.
"We don't have time. I hate to say it, but I won't be in perfect shape when the time to fight comes. Plus, it might not be too much of a bad thing if we encourage Yuma," the teen said.
"Why's that? You know what this assassin can do first-hand," Rindo said. Jin nodded.
"So does Yuma, if I'm right, and he's the only one who knows what it's like to fight the assassin when it's trying to kill you is him. Also, I think you've figured out by now that Yuma is the only one we can rely on to beat that thing. Amo would destroy half the city, and while Tachikawa-san and Shinoda-san are good, I don't think a normal Trigger could beat the assassin. We need a Black Trigger," Jin said, laying his thoughts out for Rindo to see. The Tamakoma Director nodded, seeing where Jin was coming from. The teen was probably right.
Rindo was just about to speak when Jin yawned, back arching, his eye widening mid-yawn as a sharp bolt of pain shot through his chest. He clenched his jaw and hissed instinctively, his hand flying to his wound. Rindo frowned at his agent.
"You should sleep. I know that's all you've been doing the last few days, but you'll heal quicker. By the looks of it, you're nowhere near healed right now," Rindo said, his voice a bit stern. Jin sighed through his nose, though it was light enough not to aggravate his chest further. The teen stood up from his chair a bit slowly, dropping his hand back down to his side.
"Someone needs to talk to Yuma, and they need to do it soon. He's been quiet lately, and I have a feeling he'll be acting soon," Jin said. Rindo nodded, both to acknowledge Jin's statement and to dismiss the teen. Without another word, Jin left Rindo's office and walked up to his room, where he dropped down on his bed and let exhaustion wash over him, not even bothering to take off his shoes.
A/N: Just a side note, I got full credit on that fanfic I accidentally turned in :D