A/N: I don't own World Trigger

Mimics

Chapter 57: For This Life...

"You know, there are more than Trion Soldiers in the Neighborhood."

Jin's hand stopped halfway to his mouth, spoon just dangling there as he looked up at his mentor with confusion. "Like other type of monsters?"

Mogami shook his head as he grabbed the carton of milk off the counter to put it away for Jin. "Nope. Border isn't a military force created to fight Neighbors." He turned back to the counter, smiling at his new student as he leaned his cheek on his palm. "I understand you saw visions of yourself fighting Trion Soldiers and you have your grievances with them for killing your mother, but I want you to see that Neighbors aren't all bad. The world beyond the gate is quite different from this world, but it is similar in some respects. For example, there are many different countries in that world just like this world and just like here, they all have their different ways of living, cultures, and aren't all bad. Of course, there are some countries that will attack us without hesitation but there are also countries that don't want war and just want peace but that doesn't stop other countries from attacking them."

Jin dropped his spoon into his bowl, studying Mogami's face with a curious expression. "Are you saying...humans or something like humans live over there?"

"Nothing something about it. Neighbors are humans that live in that world. Trion Soldiers aren't monsters but weapons created by them for the purpose of attacking other countries or protecting their homes. It's just like this world. You have good people and bad people." Mogami reached across the counter to ruffle Jin's hair. "I just want you to understand and not blame all of them for your mother's death. There are some really great people over in that world who don't deserve your anger."

Jin swished his spoon around in his cereal. Even though his eyes were locked on his cereal, he was listening intently to his mentor. When he sought out Border to find out why he could see the future, he didn't truly know what he was getting himself into. He thought he could get answers and a sword that he could use to prevent the horrible futures he saw from happening. Did the idea of revenge for his mother ever cross his mind? Sure, it did. He imagined killing those monster–weapons–plenty of times to get back at them for taking his family from him, but he never thought beyond that. He didn't think that humans would be involved in this.

"I don't want you to regret anything by letting yourself be blinded by anger. If you look at Neighbors with open eyes, you can find some loyal friends in them."

That...didn't sound all that strange to Jin. The idea of there being good people and bad people in the other world made it sound exactly like this world. While Jin accepted his anger at the Trion Soldiers, he didn't want to be only fueled by anger. That sounded like a painful way to live. While it still hurt that his mother was gone and he was going to accept his life as an agent of Border in response to it, he still wanted the chance to be happy and to enjoy life.

"Why are you bringing it up now?" Jin wondered.

Mogami picked up his empty bowl and turned to the sink to clean it. "We are allied with a couple of countries in the Neighborhood and one of them happens to be in range so they are going to make a visit here tomorrow. I didn't want you to freak out." He paused in cleaning his dishes to look over his shoulder at his student. "Of course, if you're not comfortable with the idea of humanoid Neighbors just yet, you don't have to come meet them, but I think meeting them will help you see the Neighborhood in a different light. It's not a world of monsters like you think."

Trion Soldiers were something to be scared of, something that have haunted Jin's dreams since he lost his mother to one. With a sword at his side, he didn't have to be afraid anymore as he had a way to fight back now. That didn't lessen the pain of the death of his mother, but he knew she wouldn't want him to be fueled by only anger and fear. She would want him to enjoy life.

If there was one thing Jin learned in the past couple of years, it was that there was no running from the future. Nothing would change if he hid from the futures he saw so he would stand up and face them.

"If you say they are good people, I have nothing to fear. I would love to meet them."

The bright grin that Jin got from Mogami was enough to make him smile just as brightly since it felt like Mogami was quite proud of Jin. Making Mogami proud of him was one of the new things that Jin wanted. He wanted his mentor to acknowledge him and give him affection just because it felt like something that had been missing from his life since his mother died.

The sound of Mogami washing his dishes filled the silence that wafted over them as the conversation ended. It was a sound so familiar to Jin as it reminded him of his mother getting chores done around the house. It helped the last of the tension in his shoulders to ease away, letting himself relax in his seat.

It really felt like such a domestic setting when they were in the living room and kitchen. It was a far cry from the basement which was completely dedicated to Neighbor technology and training rooms where all of the agents were constantly trying to one up each other.

It was truly an amazing world he had found himself in.

As usual, bliss never lasted. Jin had found a new family in Border after his mother died and he was left with no one. They got him out of the orphanage and gave him a home and something to fight for. Those first few years he was with Border, he got complacent because life had been so good and he could be happy with the life he now had. Aristera had been a real eye opener for what exactly Border was doing and how dangerous this life was.

Being an agent wasn't going to be easy. It was a life full of training and fighting invading forces. It was a life that would be filled with anguish. A life where it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. There were plenty of fun times to be had and a life to enjoy, but like with anything, around those moments were a lot hardships that they had to go through. That was the reason Jin used his free time to enjoy every moment and made sure his friends and cute juniors did the same. They needed to remember to appreciate everything the world had to offer to them.

It was the reason that when he saw Yuma in the barracks earlier and saw a future of a party of agents in the solo rank booths room, he snatched up that future instantly. While it didn't turn out all that great when Yugo and Mogami showed up, for a brief moment before, the smiles and laughter had returned to his friends.

And then got promptly snatched away.

Jin jumped away from Mogami, landing on the bridge's railing. He didn't stop there as he jumped backwards along the ledge to dodge the wind blade that was ejected from the cement in the spot he had originally landed in.

"Oooh," Jin taunted, smirking confidentially at his mentor even as the wind blade managed to slice off a few strands of his hair. "Impressive. You've truly managed to master the wind blades so easily." Even with his side effect, it still took Jin a few months to fully master using Fujin, though that was also counting in the fact that he was mostly training by himself with it. When he did train with other agents with Fujin at his side, he always held back. There wasn't a reason for him to go all out against his allies with a Black Trigger. A Black Trigger should never be used to its full power unless the situation absolutely demanded it, and training never demanded it. He could see the same understanding in Yuma who, to Jin's knowledge, always held back. Perhaps the only time he went close to going all out with his Black Trigger was during Aftokrator's invasion.

Mogami jumped onto the railing and chased after Jin. In response to his attack, Jin jogged backwards while blocking each one of Mogami's attacks. "It's a weapon based off my life force and Trion so isn't it only natural that I would be so in tune with the ability?"

Jin knocked Mogami's sword away to give himself space and time to jump down from the railing to land back down on the bridge. If he truly took the time to think about it, what Mogami said made sense. Mogami and Yugo created the Black Triggers but never knew what the abilities of them were and had no practice with them. They shouldn't be using them as easily as they had been. A Black Trigger matched the person who poured all their life and their Trion into the creation of it. Maybe it was just instinctual to Yugo and Mogami to excel at using the Black Triggers abilities with such ease.

"So, you can be in tune with a weapon's abilities but not with your own emotions?" Jin countered, taking the chance as he was backing away from Mogami to reload Fujin's wind blades, wincing a bit as the cracks in the hilt screeched in protest at the power he was forcing through it. This couldn't go on for much longer if he wanted to avoid destroying Fujin.

Instead of continuing to chase Jin, which would take him closer to the Tamakoma building, Mogami backed up. That building felt like it was towering over Mogami, taunting him with a life that he had lost a long time ago. He wanted to be inside that building, sharing laughs and a calm moment with friends. Sadly, it didn't matter what Mogami wanted. What he desired was much more important and what he desired wasn't in the building. It was resting in Jin's hands. Jin would never let Fujin go so the only way for Mogami to get it back would be to kill Jin.

"I am fully in tune with my emotions." Mogami took his attention off the building behind Jin to refocus on his student. "I know I don't want to kill you, but I also have come to understand it doesn't matter what I want. I've come to accept this as my fate."

It worked perfectly.

It was almost instantaneous. Before the last word had even left Mogami's mouth, the calm exterior on Jin's face slid away to rage. He knew his student very well and he knew he would hate to hear his mentor, or anyone really, just accepted a horrible fate without trying to fight tooth and nail to change it.

"What is wrong with all of you?" Jin snapped, hand tightening around Fujin, uncaring if it caused any more damage to the already weakened Trigger. It was like he didn't get enough of this from Yugo and Yuma when they were talking about the inevitable constantly. He couldn't say anything in regards to the Kugas since he didn't know them in the past, but Mogami was not like this. His mentor was always looking towards the future with a smile and a glint in his eyes that spoke of the dreams he was looking forward to seeing become a reality. He didn't like pointless fights and would exhaust resources to find a way to stop bloodshed with both sides amicably separating. He didn't just bow down and accept his fate like this. "You, Kuga-san, Yuma. When did this become a competition of who can give up the hardest?"

"Give up the hardest?" Mogami repeated. "That makes no sense."

"No, it doesn't!" Jin snapped, barely resisting the urge to throw his arms up in the air in his frustration. "And yet, you're all doing it!" It didn't make sense for Mogami and Yugo to be doing it. Their programming spoke of them prioritizing their lives above all else, and yet, for as much as they were fighting for their lives, they were just as much not trying all that hard to live either. He understood that neither Mogami nor Yugo wanted any of this to be happening and they were trying to resist. The problem he was having it with it was just the acceptance they had to either being killed by Border as it would set things right or do what they needed to do and live with those consequences. Why wouldn't they just try harder to resist? To help Border stop them?

It was a rare sight to see Jin get mad. Even when he was a child, he was always a calm child. As he studied under Mogami and grew into a fine agent, it was less about being calm and more about Jin always acting like he was in control of the situation even if he wasn't in control. He needed to radiate the confidence so as to throw his enemy off.

Mogami was one of the very few people that Jin ever allowed to see pass his mask to reveal that he wasn't always in control or calm. He had his own heartache and pain from losing his mother that Mogami helped him through. On top of his personal losses, he had to struggle with a side effect that never left him alone. A side effect that was helpful but at the same time made him feel quite alone, though in Mogami's experience with people with side effect, he thought that was true for all of them. A side effect only sounded great until it was realized how ugly the world was.

Jin had to face the harsh realities that people faced just by looking at them. Yugo had to learn just how much dishonesty there was in the world. A Neighbor friend of his who had enhanced hearing had to hear all the harsh words spoken about people or about him.

Mogami did what he could to help Jin learn to control his side effect and not let it be a permanent fixture to him. He couldn't always be looking at the future. The present demanded his attention just as much, if not more, in some cases. Having helped Jin for years to train him into a fighter and how to use his side effect as well as how to 'shut it off' in a sense so it wasn't occupying his whole life, Mogami was the one who knew Jin the best which meant he knew exactly what he needed to do and say to set him off.

There was no hesitation from Jin in coming after Mogami. He could tell by Jin's eyes that he wanted to kill Mogami because he believed Mogami did not belong here. As real as Mogami felt, he was of the belief that Jin was correct in his thinking. Mogami felt like he was alive, he felt the emotions for all his old friends, he felt the desire to be with them inside the base again, but he also recalled the final memory of lying on the ground with Jin leaning over him, tears spilling down his face. A young, fourteen-year-old Jin while the current Jin was much older and more prepared to take on the world.

He wasn't sure how many years had passed since that moment of Jin crying over him as he turned the last of his Trion and life force into a Black Trigger and him opening his eyes to see the current Jin with a white-haired child on the roof. Add onto that the fact that he felt a connection with Fujin and he distinctly remembered planning to leave behind a Black Trigger as he laid on the ground with his blood pooling around him, he knew for a fact that even if he felt like the real Mogami that it wasn't real. He was just a fake with the memories and feelings of the real thing.

Simply an imposter that everyone knew didn't belong.

Perhaps it was cruel of him to push Jin with his words.

Perhaps it was cruel of him to urge Jin forward with killing him.

Jin already watched Mogami give the last of his life to create a Black Trigger and now he was backing Jin into a corner to kill him.

A fake him, but it was still the face of his mentor that Jin was going to have to strike down.

That Mogami was going to force him to strike down.

Yugo and Mogami. They were both just so confusing to Jin. He understood from Yuma that a contradiction was at play but this type of whiplash he was getting from both of them was getting quite tiresome. The whiplash was from the Trion Soldier programming and the personality developed from the memories overlapping. One part of Mogami wanted one thing while the other part wanted something completely different.

These two sides couldn't coexist so Mogami said he was just going to accept his fate as the villain. It was irritating to hear after listening to this nonsense from Mogami, Yugo, and Yuma all week, but Jin also knew that he was quite adept at reading people. He wasn't as good as Yuma since he had a side effect that made the truths as clear as day for him, but for Jin, who made it his habit to watch his friends as he schemed his way through situations, he was able to learn little ticks about the people he was close to.

It had been over five years since he last saw his mentor and the one in front of him was just a Mimic, but those little ticks of Mogami were present even in the Mimic form. Jin could tell when he was being played by Mogami. Mogami had a habit of egging Jin on with his words to push him into acting rashly or even sometimes to simply encourage him.

While the words Mogami just said invoked anger in Jin, the windows of the future playing around Jin spoke of another meaning.

It was a future that Jin had been fighting for all week.

*Mimics*

"Can I ask you something?"

Karasuma blinked a few times in surprise, waking from the light doze he had been nodding off into. Yuma was right earlier when he said he should go to bed, but he didn't think he would be able to fall asleep easily while knowing Jin was out fighting alone. It seemed that worry was silly if he was starting to nod off here, but he still wanted to stay here to give Yuma some company. "You aren't the type to ask permission first. You usually just ask directly."

Yuma glanced over at his senior, eyes twinkling with amusement. "I wasn't sure if you would want to talk as you looked to be napping. Perhaps going to bed would be a better option than asking you to assuage my curiosity. I don't sleep anyway so I can wait for Jin-san on my own." Since Rindo and Shinoda wanted to wait until morning to talk about Yugo when they weren't all exhausted and could think properly, all Yuma could do was wait for Jin to return. Whether he won or lost tonight, Yuma would be waiting for him. Since everyone else was trying to get rest or guarding Yugo, Yuma would be the one waiting for when he returned.

"And be alone with your thoughts on what is happening out there?" Karasuma questioned.

Yuma's eyes flickered back to the window, worry gnawing at his gut. Even with Karasuma by his side, it did nothing to ease his concern for Jin. If he was using his Border Trigger, he wouldn't be as worried since if he lost, he would just bail out. At the same time though, Mogami was against killing Yuma directly for Yugo's sake. Surely, if Mogami was willing to do that for Yugo, he would be willing to do the same for himself, avoid killing his precious student if he lost his Trion body. "The thoughts will be here whether you stay awake or not. You shouldn't exhaust yourself so much just to stay up with me. I'm not about to run off." He shot Karasuma a reassuring smile. "Don't really have anywhere to go anyway."

"I'm not trying to play guard to keep you from doing anything, Yuma. I'm here as a friend." Karasuma pointed out. He shifted to sit on the window seal to mirror Yuma's position. He pressed his back against the wall and brought his legs up to the ledge, bending them much like Yuma was so they could both fit. This way, they could both stare right at each other. "You've had a difficult week and being left alone with your thoughts isn't something you really need right now. Thinking alone is a good way to stress yourself out as you overthink anything. I may not be able to offer any solutions, but I am a good listener. Sometimes, all you need is just someone to rant at."

Humming softly to himself, Yuma turned his head to face Karasuma, dropping it back against the wall behind him. His mind had been reeling all week about Mimics and Yugo and Mogami. He had enough turmoil yanking at every part of his mind without wanting to voice it out loud right now. "Can you tell me about 'found family?'"

Karasuma didn't think Yuma could surprise him anymore, but he seemed to keep finding new ways to throw him for a loop. "Why are you asking about that?"

Yuma shrugged. "Jin-san mentioned it earlier. He keeps saying I should call him nii-san which makes no sense. Him and Mogami are weird. Mogami wanted me to call him Oji-san too." The last part seemed to be muttered to himself but Karasuma still heard him.

"Ah," Karasuma nodded in understanding. "I think Jin-san was just teasing you, Yuma."

Yuma tilted his head in consideration.

"That child you're remembering has persevered through many difficulties since then and has grown up past the recklessness of a kid who wanted nothing more than a fight." Jin argued. In his hand, Fujin came to life once more with eleven new slashes. "But no matter how much stronger he has gotten in the past four years, he doesn't have to deal with this alone. I will end this nightmare for him. This is my job as his brother."

It didn't sound right that a 'found family' was just Jin teasing him. His words had been nothing but honest back then. Perhaps the tone where he kept demanding to be called nii-san had been teasing, but that declaration to Yugo had been completely honest and heartfelt.

"Not all families are blood related." Karasuma started upon seeing the conflict twisting on Yuma's face. "Found families are a family you choose to have. It's a family that exists because of mutual understanding and shared experiences. A found family is about your bonds and a support network that will always have your back. Sometimes, like in your case and Jin-san's case, there are no biological relatives left to be your support or in some cases, someone might be born into a family that doesn't give the support or love they need so they instead find people who can give them the affection and love they need. Everyone needs someone who will support them since no one can do everything on their own so finding people who will understand you and help you when you need it sometimes becomes so strong that it goes beyond friendship. It is like you found a new family."

"Ah," Yuma nodded to himself. Karasuma was good at explaining things and what he said made sense. It didn't make the concept of it any less weird to Yuma, but at least he knew what it meant now. It kind of reminded Yuma of the soldiers he saw in Calvaria and how they were so close to each other and would drink to their success and survival in the war. Something that Yuma never participated in because though he fought by their side, he never felt like he fit in with the soldiers. Perhaps the fault of that lied with Yuma because of his lack of trust in Calvaria because of the higher ups attempts to manipulate him, but he truly felt more like a weapon to them than an ally. "And that has to do with anime how?"

Karasuma choked on the air he was breathing, staring incredulously at his young friend. "What?"

"Jin-san was going on about how I need to watch some anime when we were arguing about it." Yuma explained.

Karasuma simply covered the top half of his face in despair. "There are quite a few animes out there that are focused on a found family trope. He was probably suggesting you watch one to get a better understanding of what a found family is." Though, since the animes never used 'found family' as a term in the show, Yuma wouldn't understand what he was supposed to be realizing without having someone explain what a found family was to him. It was no wonder Jin hadn't been able to get his point across to Yuma if he hadn't even explained things properly to him.

"Hmm," Yuma dug his hand into his chin as he thought it all over. "And Jin-san thinks of Tamakoma like a family?"

"You don't?" Karasuma asked, not really trying to pressure Yuma into having agree with Jin's thought. He was just curious on where Yuma's mind was at the moment.

"I don't really know." Yuma admitted. "The only family I had growing up were my mom and dad and my mom died when I was really young. For the longest time, it was just me and dad. We were a family with just the two of us. I never had a big family or a big support network so I don't know what it is supposed to be like."

"It's not about 'supposed to be like.' It's different for everyone." Karasuma corrected. "It's about what you need and what you can give back to friends when they need help. It's about enjoying each other's company and having fun together. Perhaps some fights will happen among the group, but no one can agree all the time but as long as you don't let their fights destroy the friendship you have, you can get pass the disagreements."

The party that was full of laughs and excitement over Tamakoma-2 making the away mission squad.

The training with all his senpais and eagerly fighting their special Triggers, even if he did lose against them most of the time.

Having meals together that was made by a different member of the Branch every night and enjoying each of their specialty dishes.

Osamu, Chika, Hyuse, and Yuma sitting in the basement as they strategized for their matches.

Yuma sitting on the roof alone until someone came to join him and brought him a drink and either a conversation or just silent company.

Osamu keeping Yuma hidden when he learned he was a Neighbor and Yuma returning that act of friendship by agreeing to join Border to protect and help Osamu and Chika.

Jin and Yuma arguing all week, but despite those arguments, still having each other's back every step of the way.

Konami opening up and telling Yuma about Aristera and Yuma returning that trust with a hug to his mentor.

They had all been there for each other for months. Ever since he joined Tamakoma, Yuma had realized that he felt more accepted by the people around him than anywhere else. Even knowing he was a Neighbor didn't cause them to turn him away. Knowing how hated Neighbors were here, it became a concern of his of what would happen if he was found out, but Jin assured him Tamakoma would always have his back and so far, they always have.

Knowing the support that all of Tamakoma gave him was a relief. If it was ever revealed he was a Neighbor, there was a chance a good portion of the Border agents would turn on him but the Tamakoma agents would always be there to defend him. It would be a shame if the Border agents from headquarters turned on him though. He had a lot of friends here and would hate to lose them just because he wasn't born in this world.

Still, even if it happened, Yuma felt assured in knowing he wouldn't lose all his friends. Normally, Yuma would just chalk it up to the loyalty that Tamakoma agents have for each other, but perhaps there was more to it. While most of the agents didn't live in Tamakoma, it was still a place they all spent a lot of time at with each other and sharing meals. Yuma never truly had a home after he left Tropoi. At least, no physical location to call home. It was why Yuma understood the concept of home being where the heart was. As a child, after his mother's death, Yuma's home became the life he shared with his father and Replica. Since they were constantly traveling, being with Yugo and Replica was enough for Yuma.

Then Yugo died, and even though he still had Replica, Yuma had felt so alone in a giant world. It was just him and Replica in a world surrounded by people but never truly feeling like he belonged, like he wasn't being seen for who he was. He was seen as the son of Yugo who held a Black Trigger that would save Calvaria.

He wanted seen as Yuma Kuga.

Though he was recognized as the son of Yugo by his father's old friends, he was more than just that to them. They saw him as Yuma and they wanted to help him. Tamakoma welcomed him with open arms and smiles and laughs. None of them berated him for faltering under the stress of his trauma coming back to haunt him. They gave him comforting smiles, hugs, words of encouragement. They let him lash out but held no resentment for him because of it. Instead, it was simply understanding that came from them. They opened up in return, revealed their own traumas, and thus, would never look down on him for hurting because they suffered in the past, were still suffering in the present.

It was exactly what Yuma needed. Someone to see him and tell him it was alright to feel this way. There was no shame in it.

And now that they've seen this side of him, seen his trauma tear him down and still accept him despite that, Yuma could say with full confidence, he felt even closer to them. A void in his heart was being filled with warmth and love that he thought he would never receive again.

Something he had thought he had lost forever.

Yuma knocked his head back on the wall, eyes sliding shut as he smiled to himself. So, that's what it was. "You're a really good teacher." Yuma commented, surprising Karasuma at the compliment that seemingly came out of nowhere. It was something Yuma already knew though from watching how much time and effort Karasuma put into helping Osamu improve as a fighter.

"You're a good student." Karasuma replied, relieved to see the tension draining out of Yuma's muscles. He wasn't sure what conclusion Yuma had come to, but it seemed to have been a positive one. "Wanting to learn and actual listening are good traits to have."

"I realized a long time ago that I'm not going to know everything or be able to do everything on my own. I'm not ashamed to ask about something I don't understand." Yuma replied.

"And yet you were insistent in going after Kuga-san alone in the beginning." Karasuma said. It had been a surprise to all of them to see how high-strung Yuma had been when the Mimics first started attacking.

Yuma cracked an eye open to stare across at Karasuma as he gave him a weak shrug. "There is no excuse for that. Well, no good excuse at least. It's just personal and I didn't want to make it your problem." He raised his hands in a hopeless manner. "And that turned out horribly. I haven't done anything in days to actually deal with my personal problem. You all are the ones who have been working so hard while I've been trapped in the base being protected." For not wanting to make Yugo Border's problem, he had been failing spectacularly at that. His friends were right in that he should be giving them all a lot more gratitude for all that they have done to help him and keep him safe.

"They are doing it out of a sense of duty as an agent or because you are their friend. Despite that, you should remember to give them all a proper thanks." Karasuma said.

"Aye," Yuma muttered. He wasn't opposed to the idea of expressing gratitude for everything that his comrades had done to help him. It was more of the fact that they had thought he was being mocking when he did it earlier. What was he supposed to do to show he was sincere in his thanks if bowing and saying thanks wasn't enough?

*Mimics*

Mogami watched Jin with a curious look as his expression twisted into one of pain. Not physical pain as he was in a Trion body and couldn't feel pain, not to mention Mogami hadn't hit him yet. It was, without a doubt, a look of pain that accompanied Jin when he was staring at the future and didn't like what he saw. It was something he usually hid as he didn't want people to realize just how often he was looking into the future or have them get worried that there were going to be problems in the future. What Jin saw would be hidden behind a collected expression.

The only ones who ever got to see through his collected nature were those Jin was close to and fully trusted. Mogami was on the short list of people that Jin was comfortable enough to let see through his mask. Was being the keyword there. Considering Mogami was now the enemy, Jin should not let him see through his mask.

Did the future Jin saw distress him that much?

Or did he simply forget that this version of Mogami was not the same as his mentor in the past?

It truly didn't matter either way. At the moment, Jin was distracted with his side effect. How many times did Mogami tell him to focus on the enemy in front of him and not the different types of futures playing out in his windows of the future?

Even though his eyes were locked on the futures playing out in front of him, it wasn't like Jin was unaware of Mogami's presence. It was hard to forget his mentor in front of him when it was his future he was studying. It's not like Jin's vision was compiled only of the many windows that showed all the different paths of the future that could happen. It was just a few windows floating around him with Mogami standing in the center of those windows.

Or he was standing in the center of them for most of the time.

Until this point when he had jumped in the air and was coming down from his jump right on top of Jin. Jin took a step back as he swung Fujin up to block Mogami's attack. Taking another step back, Jin twisted his sword to the side to free it while pushing Mogami away. His eyes flickered in the opposite direction as he swung Fujin multiple times to block every wind blade that Mogami had unleashed. As he blocked the last one his side effect warned him of, Jin dropped down to his knees to avoid being beheaded by Mogami from behind. Without even looking behind him to see Mogami's next move, Jin flung Fujin above him to stop Mogami's Kogetsu from coming down and slicing him in half.

Jin lifted his free hand to brace it on the flat side of Fujin to put more strength behind his block to keep Mogami from overpowering him and knocking his blade away. He tilted his head back slightly so he could look back at Mogami through his bangs. Even as he was staring at his mentor, Jin couldn't help but have his attention split between watching for Mogami's next move and the windows of the future that were warning Jin of Mogami's next attack as well as showing him where the future was going.

It was always so distracting.

Jin would be the first to admit that he did abuse his side effect. He goes out of his way a lot to help his allies and protect Mikado City by manipulating the battlefield in Border's favor. He used his side effect to gauge the reactions of people for whatever stunt he was going to pull before he did it. He used it to tease his friends. He used it to help him decide which path he should take or which path he should try to push his friends to take.

He acted like he knew better than them. He saw the future and all the different paths that they could all fall onto. Using that information, he selfishly used his allies as pawns and told them what to do and where to be at to help protect the future. He discreetly, and not so discreetly sometimes, urged people down certain paths and to make the choices that would benefit their futures.

Because he was so sick of seeing the horrible futures play out in the windows of the future he saw and then having to see them play out in present time. He couldn't stand seeing the horrible futures become reality anymore so he was selfish. He fed information to his friends and tried to push them down the path that he thought was best.

That he thought was best.

What made him think he had the right to choose those paths?

It wasn't his choice. He saw paths he thought were best, tried to push people towards those paths, but ultimately, whatever they chose to do was their decision and it shouldn't weigh on Jin beyond that.

Despite that, it always weighed on him. He saw all the options available to them and was constantly distracted by them all the time. Time and time again Mogami warned him off from over reliance on his side effect since it could get him killed. Jin did his best to follow the lessons from Mogami, but after the disaster of Aristera, Jin instead learned how to embrace his side effect.

The problem came when he was in combat, and truly, that was where Mogami's real issue with Jin's side effect came from. He saw Jin using it as crutch in battle because he would get too distracted planning ten steps ahead in a fight that he would miss the fact that his counterattacks to future attacks would change the outcome in the present or he would forget to focus on the present moment and get killed immediately. Mogami was right in his prediction as to what would happen as Tachikawa had managed to kill Jin plenty of times because he let himself get too distracted with watching the future.

He was going to end up in the same situation he did when fighting Tachikawa.

With his head flying off his shoulders because he wasn't focusing on Mogami.

Neither Mogami nor Jin would get anywhere while their blades were locked together like this. With Jin on the defensive and only having one sword available to him while using Fujin, he couldn't do anything without risking injury from Mogami. Mogami would have to be the one to make the next move. Even without his side effect telling him so, Jin knew Mogami would be the one to end this stalemate at some point.

"Fujin is a blade quite similar to Kogetsu." Mogami said, surprising Jin at the start of another conversation. He would have much preferred that Mogami made his next attack so Jin could free himself from being locked in a crouch with the threat of Mogami's Kogetsu hanging over his head.

"You always were so fond of Kogetsu." Jin agreed, refusing to let Mogami see his annoyance at being stuck here.

"I thought you were too." Mogami replied. "Until Yuma told me you created a new type of sword and chose it as your main weapon because you couldn't be at your best with Kogetsu." He leaned down, pressing more weight onto his sword, making Jin work harder to push up on it to keep from losing his grip on Fujin. "You never once beat me, Jin, and now you have a new type of sword that makes you stronger. Instead of using it, you went back to using a sword type that will hinder you."

The reason Scorpion worked so well for Jin was because it allowed him to move faster. Scorpion was designed for fighters who valued speed. The purpose behind it was because Tachikawa was basically a prodigy with Kogetsu and Jin couldn't match his strength using the same type of sword. What Jin needed was speed. If he could move faster, he could avoid getting killed by Tachikawa. If he wasn't slowed down by Kogetsu, he could still use his side effect in combat and move fast enough to avoid getting killed at the same time.

"It was Kogetsu that slowed me down, not Fujin." Jin bit out. The offensive power of Fujin coupled with his side effect was a deadly combination to the point that he could take on Border's top Attackers and come out on top. If he could beat Kazama squad and Tachikawa while avoiding snipers' shots, he could beat Mogami.

He just needed to focus.

Focus on the enemy in front of him and block out any thoughts of his mentor.

The important thing right now was ending this reign of the Mimics.

"And how will you fare against someone using the same abilities as you?" Mogami didn't wait for an answer this time as he finally pulled his Kogetsu back. As he prepared his next attack, Jin was already on the move even before Mogami had fully lifted his sword to free Fujin as he already saw this happening with his side effect.

Jin twisted to the side to get away from Mogami while at the same time swinging Fujin. He didn't bother with trying to hide what he was doing. Tricky plays with wind blades hidden in the ground was pointless in this fight. Mogami could sense the attacks coming and Jin could predict where they would come from. Hidden blades that could be unleashed whenever would only work as a distraction here and Jin didn't believe for one second that it would be enough to divert Mogami's attention.

So, a direct attack.

When Jin swung Fujin, he just sent the wind blades flying through the air, straight for Mogami right in the open. With multiple wind blades at point blank, Mogami was forced to back away from Jin and throw up his Shield. There were too many wind blades released by Jin for Mogami's Shield to protect him fully as it snapped to pieces after getting hit by one wind blade. Seeing as before Jin unleased his wind blades Mogami had been in the middle of moving into a new attack, he couldn't adjust his sword fast enough to block the rest of the wind blades coming his way.

As fast as Mogami was, being attacked by powerful wind blades at point blank was too fast for anyone. There was no time to think. All he had time for was acting on instinct. His Shield saved him from immediate death by giving him an extra second which he used to throw himself to the side. Even with dodging, it wasn't fast enough to spare him damage as he felt one of the wind blades tear through his arm, leaving his dismembered hand flying freely in the air.

It was easy enough for Mogami to recover from losing a hand. If he drained enough Trion from Fujin, his hand would reform much like Yugo recovered from losing his hand earlier. The problem was time. It would take too long for his hand to reform, which would be longer than this fight was going to last.

There was already so much damage done to Fujin at this point. Jin was risking Fujin by using it right now so there was no way Jin would prolong this fight. The stronger the opponent, the longer and harder the fight would be. A fight between Mogami and a now experienced Jin would be a back and forth battle with them fighting over who would get to be on the offensive.

Jin would not take this battle lightly. He would give it everything he had.

It took Jin five seconds to get his bearings back. Once he did, he was immediately closing the distance with Mogami that he had just fought to get. Since he and Mogami had wind blades, neither of them would have the advantage by keeping the distance between them. To be honest, it didn't seem like either of them would be able to get the advantage and keep it. Using the same type of weapons and the same fighting style put them at the same level. If Jin was using his Scorpion, he could use a different fighting style that would change up this fight.

As it was though, Jin using a sword that was similar to Kogetsu meant that he was going to revert to the fighting style Mogami taught him. With that being the case, he knew how Mogami was going to move and how he would attack and block each one easier. It also meant that Mogami was in the same boat and was blocking Jin easily.

Each swing of their swords was blocked by the other and soon their blades were ripping through the air at insane speed, leaving a trail of shimmering light following their blades from the wind blades flickering around their swords as they stayed unused.

Tachikawa had said it to Jin before. At close range, Fujin was just like a regular Attacker's sword. The power of Fujin was in the wind blades and the distance that Jin could take before using them. It wasn't that he couldn't use wind blades at close range like this. The reason he wasn't using them to attack point blank was because his sword was being blocked before he could properly swing Fujin and release the wind blades. It was the same reason why Mogami wasn't using his.

If they continued to just block each other's attacks like this, it would just be a stalemate while they wasted their Trion.

Something had to give.

"The Black Trigger gives them strength which makes them stronger to fight, but it also is restoring who they were when they were alive without the free will to make the choices the real ones would make. They don't want to fight, but they must but with each passing day where they draw power from the Black Triggers, they get a little bit more aware of the memories of the past and the feelings. They are learning to resist, even if it is only for a moment." Yuma explained. "I know you tried before and hated it," He hesitated for a moment because he understood the pain of looking at someone he loved and seeing a mix of an enemy and old ally staring back at him. "You're allowed to be mad and angry. I know I am, but don't put it on Mogami or even my dad. They are our enemies, but this wasn't their choice. We can hate Meraki for all of this, but right now, we need to help Dad and Mogami. They are suffering just as much as we are."

"You want me to reach out to him." Jin concluded, having eyes only for Yuma.

Yuma was convinced he could reach out to Mogami in this moment and force him to falter enough to give Jin an opening. He wanted Jin to push aside his anger and see Mogami for the victim that he was. For the mentor he was underneath all that Trion Soldier programming.

Ever since Mogami had appeared, Jin forced his own feelings about the situation to the side. He wasn't going to let himself get attached to Mogami because he knew this wasn't real. In fact, Mogami constantly attacking Border proved to Jin just how much of a fake he was. He felt more anger over the fact that his mentor's memory was being destroyed by a fake of him attacking Border and attempting to murder their personnel. Focusing on his frustration was easier than thinking about how the Mimic of his mentor was feeling about what he was doing. Focusing on keeping Yuma alive was a better use of his time than thinking about his deceased mentor.

Now, though, he was being told to focus on the person in front of him and only him for the time being.

But, just how was Jin supposed to reach Mogami?

The next time Jin blocked Mogami's attack, he didn't follow it up with one of his own. Instead, he jumped away from Mogami and landed on the bridge's railing but he didn't stop there. He continued jumping backwards and made his way up to the roof of Tamakoma.

Yuma and Mogami had been racing towards Tamakoma as they fought earlier and Jin had finished off that race by bringing Mogami here when he took over the fight. He wasn't sure why they were coming here, but perhaps it had to do with his memories. Tamakoma was Mogami and Yugo's home years ago. Their home and life's passion. It was only natural they would be drawn to it. Whether it was because it was a familiar location because of their memories or a fleeting emotion of nostalgia was pulling them was the mystery here.

Either way, Jin could find a way to exploit it.

The same way the Mimics exploited the memories to hurt them.

The same way Jin taunted his opponents with his visions of the future. He did it to his enemies and he did it to his allies when he had to fight them.

Just because it was now the image of his mentor in front of him, that was no reason to cause him hesitation.

The roof of Tamakoma.

It was starting to become a place for people to open up at.

Jin didn't even need his side effect to know that Mogami would follow him up here. He would follow Fujin wherever it went.

Fujin was a distraction.

One Jin didn't want at the moment.

The blade was deactivated and put in the pouch at his side.

With a weapon no longer in his hand, Jin walked along the roof, head tilted slightly back as he looked up at the moon shining down on him. While the moon was the main focus of his vision, the windows of the future were popping up all around him as he observed the very near future. Mogami was going to appear on the roof in the next few seconds.

Without a weapon in Jin's hand, what would Mogami do? An enemy would attack without mercy. His mentor, whether it was against an ally or enemy, would never strike an unarmed opponent. He was just honorable like that. It was a stark contrast to Kuga Yugo, but whereas Mogami stayed living in the peaceful Japan and fighting very few actual serious battles over the years, Yugo had spent years traveling the Neighborhood. Years of traveling in such a dangerous place with a son to protect would make Yugo more willing to do whatever it took to keep them alive.

Even as he heard Mogami's feet hit the roof, Jin didn't turn to face his mentor. Though he was looking up at the moon, Jin was completely focused on the futures playing out right before his eyes. There were two paths that Mogami could take right now. Quite frankly, it didn't matter which option Mogami chose. The end result wasn't going to change.

"I know I trained you better than this." Mogami scolded. "You never turn your back on the enemy or sheath your weapon in the midst of combat."

"And what about you?" Jin retorted, stubbornly keeping his back to Mogami. He had full confidence that he wasn't going to get impaled with a sword anytime soon. "In a battle of life and death, when given an opening, you should take it. That honor of yours will just get in your way. Though, it seems you already betrayed that honor of yours when you attacked the engineers at HQ earlier."

That had been a low blow. Jin's mentor would never attack civilians like that. It was possible the real Mogami Soichi was inside this Mimic somewhere, but he certainly wasn't out when the Mimics attacked headquarters earlier. The real Mogami and Yugo were in there somewhere. They were created from the memories and emotions of the ones who had died.

It was the contradiction of the Mimics that kept Yuma alive for as long as he had been. If Yugo had truly been nothing but a Trion Soldier working for Meraki, he would have been a lot harsher in his attacks against Border and Yuma. Yuma wouldn't have even survived the first confrontation with Yugo if Yugo truly wanted his Black Trigger at any cost. From the very beginning of this, there had been resistance in the Mimics. The power from the Black Triggers made that resistance stronger, but it didn't create it.

Jin didn't want to acknowledge it because it would make things harder for them. For him. For Yuma. For Konami. For everyone who knew them when they were alive. Yugo and Mogami were truly here. They just weren't completely themselves, though they were fighting to be true to themselves.

Failing miserably at that, but they were trying.

Mogami's grip on his Kogetsu tightened at Jin's accusation. No, that wasn't right. He couldn't call it an accusation when it was completely true. All Mogami had been focused on when he was inside Border's HQ was destroying the Trion barrier and stealing Yuma's Black Trigger. Nothing else had been important. Not until he saw his best friend's son about to die at least. Seeing Yuma so close to death while reminding Mogami so much of Yugo had caused something inside him to break.

Mogami didn't know what it was that broke in him, but he did know he was grateful for it. For all that Border was currently his enemy, just as Yugo didn't want to be the cause of his son's death, Mogami didn't want to be the one to kill his best friend's son either. It was a relief that he had been able to make the choice to help Yuma instead of continuing down the route of trying to hurt Border.

He just wished he could stay on that route and stand here while Jin plunged a sword through his heart.

So he could pay for what he has done and for those he had hurt.

So he could set things right.

The world had long moved pass Mogami and Yugo. They were two of the founders of Border, but they were no longer needed. Border had far surpassed the small organization they had been when it was first created. As much as Mogami would love to see this new, stronger and bigger Border, it was no longer his place.

Jin smirked, but there was no amusement in his expression, not that Mogami could see his face anyway with his back still to him. "You can't even bring yourself to defend your actions, can you?" It was strange that Jin felt a sense of relief when Mogami didn't immediately rebuttal Jin's attack against his honor. It could have easily just been because Mogami didn't feel he had to defend himself against Jin, but Jin saw it as something more than that. Mogami likely believed what Jin said. He knew what he did went against what the real Mogami would have done if he was still alive. Mogami probably hated himself for it and didn't feel he deserved to defend his actions.

Not that there was anything he could say to defend his actions that would get Jin to agree with his actions. There was very little Jin could respect the Mimics for.

Very little because, surprisingly, both Yugo and Mogami were taking actions that were actively going against their programming.

All for Yuma.

Yugo giving up the fight to prevent draining any more of Trion from Yuma's Black Trigger.

Mogami giving his Trion to Yuma to heal his wounds.

The connection was Yugo. Yugo was the father of Yuma and he was the best friend of Mogami. He tied this triangle of the three together. For all of Yuma's frustration to the Mimics, he was somehow managing to pull the real feelings of them out. The feelings that were always there but being repressed by their programming. The love a father had for his son and loyalty of Mogami to his best friend. Yugo had originally told Yuma to come to Japan because he trusted Mogami would protect and look after Yuma with no judgement.

Somehow, those feelings were coming out in full force and Mogami and Yugo were finally freely acting on them.

How long would it last though?

Mogami healed Yuma and was already back at the point of fighting them.

When would Yugo make his move?

Jin shook the thoughts of Yugo away from him. He had to focus on Mogami. In this moment, his mentor was the only one that mattered. "You gave up all your Trion to save Yuma. That shows me more than enough that you're in there. My Mogami-san." He turned around to face his mentor, smirk switching to a soft smile at the image of his mentor who was pointing his sword down on the roof instead of at his student. Standing across from each other, it reminded him of so many days in the training room. Standing on the roof of Tamakoma together, it reminded him of so many late night talks with his mentor, both serious and fun.

If he ignored the face of their late night conversations mixing with a fight, it could be just like those nights that felt so long ago. The peaceful nights of being in one another's presence, taking comfort in the existence of the other.

"Did I ever tell you how grateful I was for you giving me a home in Border?" Jin asked.

"It never came up." Mogami replied. Though his student never said it out loud, he was able to see it in his eyes how much he enjoyed being in Border and living at their base. Once he got comfortable around Border and learned how to properly control his side effect, he was more willing to open up and cause mischief with Konami. Jin wasn't a shy or unsure kid. It was his side effect that caused him to hesitate. Seeing all the negative futures scared him and left him freezing. Being trained by Border and given power meant he could find people who would listen to him and he could stop the futures from happening.

Jin grimaced. "I suppose it didn't. And that was my mistake." He took a few steps towards Mogami, watching cautiously for any violent move from Mogami as he got closer to him. "I can see the future so I should know better than to not speak my mind before I lose the chance forever." It was why when he had something important to say now, he didn't mince his words. He would go right up to the person he needed and just say it. Perhaps it made him very blunt sometimes, but he wasn't going to waste time by beating around the bush. Sometimes what he said was something he needed to get off his chest and other times it was what his allies needed to hear, even if they weren't going to like what he had to say. He didn't hold back anymore.

Staring at Mogami now, who was looking at him with curiosity, Jin could just see his old mentor. He wasn't trying to attack or close distance to grab Fujin from Jin. He was just listening intently to his student. It really did remind Jin of the mentor from years ago who was always there for Jin and ready to offer an ear to listen or to give advice.

"I know my mentor is in there so I'll say it now." Jin's hand twitched as he thought about going for his sword as he continued to close the distance between him and Mogami, but he resisted. "Thank you for everything, Mogami-san. For this life you have given me."