BRIAN

"Is this really necessary? Okay, I get it, Maya was acting weird, but that doesn't mean that she has bad intentions!"

"Perhaps not. But I'm not taking any chances. Not now that we're about to make some actual progress. Just being careful, nothing more".

Kiri rolled her eyes, muttering something about being "overly paranoid". But she still followed me while I took a VERY panoramic router back to the arcade, meaning that she didn't completely disagree with me.

Look at her, not running headfirst into shit anymore… for now. I knew better than to think that she had already kicked the habit.

Spoiler alert, she hadn't.

But for the moment, I took as many twists and turns as I could, following my friend's directions so as to not get lost, until I was sure that we were out of anyone's radar. Kiri was quiet during the entire trek, likely trying to find a logical explanation over what happened earlier, but not having much success. The gears in her head were turning so loudly I could hear them from a mile away.

"Don't lose focus. Whatever is happening with your friend will have to wait… if it's something not related to our mission…"

"What do you mean…?"

I inhaled through my nose. She was not going to like where this conversation was going to go.

"I think she was spying on us. She knew where we were, but not where we went. Either she herself wanted to see where our hideout was…"

"Or someone ordered her to… but who? The Yokāi don't have a proper leader. We're something along the lines of an independent group. We operate separately towards the same goal…"

I hummed.

"Or maybe she isn't working for the Yokāi at all…"

Her form stiffened. I didn't have to look at her to know that she was glaring at me like I had personally offended her.

"You wouldn't be suggesting what I think you're suggesting…"

My silence was her only answer. Her mouth opened and closed in disbelief.

"I can't believe you! You actually think that Maya is working for someone in the Hashimoto family! How dare you even think that!"

I glared right back.

"I can! What other solutions do you see?! If you have a better hypothesis, I'm all ears! I'm not accusing her of being a traitor, but I can't rule out the possibility either, especially because I don't know her!"

Great. Another fucking argument. It seemed like we were unable to keep the peace for more than a couple of hours. We were just too different… our views of the world were polar opposites. Like I said some time ago, friction was inevitable. Heroes and mercenaries don't really mix together too well, especially if the latter's moral compass is a bit… loose, like mine.

I was 100% sure that we were about to have another episode where we refused to talk to each other for multiple days straight…

"I know! I know that she's not giving you much to work with! I see your point of view… in your shoes, I would think the same! But…"

She sighed.

"You don't trust her. I get it. I'm not asking you to do that. I'm asking you… to trust me. I can get to the bottom of this. Maya is not a traitor… and I will prove it".

… I had underestimated just how much we learned from each other, in those short two weeks since we met. At the start of it all, I would have scoffed and told her to just accept the facts and stop being delusional…

But I could see it in her eyes. She wholeheartedly believed that her friend was innocent. That there was something underneath that neither of us could see, something that could provide an explanation for her suspicious behavior.

Kiri was right. I didn't trust Maya in the slightest. Her mannerism had left a bitter taste in my mouth, all of my alarm bells screaming bloody murder. But still, the green haired woman was my friend, that had to mean something.

Rule number one, huh?

"All right. I can trust you. If you want to investigate the matter while we have some time, I'll follow your lead. Just… keep an open mind to every possibility, okay? I'll do the same".

My companion grinned brightly at that.

"I can get behind that! Thank you… for believing in me. It means a lot to me…"

Seeing her happy automatically caused a small smile to slip on my face. She probably didn't even realize how much power she held over me… good thing she had no idea, to be honest. The only thing missing was something to officialize the agreement.

I looked at my hand, then hers. A full handshake was way too much for me… but maybe…

"Are you… offering your pinky finger?"

My ears caught fire.

"T-Tim used to say that a handshake was the best way to finish business… but, you know…"

I gestured to my hand, referring to my… touching aversion. She brought a fist to her mouth, trying and failing at stifling her chuckles.

I was starting to get second thoughts… when a gentle warmth wrapped itself around my finger.

Kiri's smile almost gave me a panic attack by itself.

"We have a deal then. Pleasure doing business with you!"

We kept the contact for a couple of seconds, before I hastily took my pinky back.

"R-Right…"

I coughed, trying to get a grip on my emotions.

"L-Let's head back! I could fall asleep at any second!"

She nodded back.

"Good idea. After you… Leader".

I was going to die. Kiriko was going to kill me one day. I finally understood the meaning of "killing with kindness".

KIRIKO

How can a dude so quiet and sullen look so damn adorable all of a sudden?! His red cheeks, pinky pointed towards me, stuttering like a teenager trying to ask out their crush.

I couldn't say no. To do that would have been akin to kicking a puppy, to me. But most of all, I was over the moon at the fact that he trusted me. Having someone so paranoid and distrustful outright say that he believes in you, gives you quite the shot of serotonin. Even after all of our rough spots, our friendship survived the adversities.

It made me grin like a fool. The expression lasted for the rest of the evening and even through most of the night.

The other half was spent agonizing over what the hell is wrong with Maya and what I could do to help. Because I was convinced that she wasn't evil, or had nefarious intentions. In my eyes, either we misunderstood her…

Or someone was forcing her to act the way she is. And that someone was plenty obvious, in my eyes. Those damn Yakuza bastards…

I wasn't even entertaining the idea that she was acting of her own free will. But Leader was. And I did not like it. At least he was willing to change his mind, given enough proof. Issue was, even if I promised that I would keep my options open, I was convinced that I was right and that mine was the only explanation possible. Being overly positive is a flaw all in itself…

I woke up the next morning feeling energized, even though I slept maybe… five hours at best. I was more or less bouncing up and down. I had to get going and burn that energy, possibly by kicking some Shadow butts!

"So… any idea when we'll be able to investigate Maya's issue? I'm worried about her…"

I pretty much assaulted Leader the second he came back from breakfast run. It may not have been something as important as the Palace, but the thought of one of my best friends in danger made me antsy. All adding to my restlessness.

"Later on, if we make good time on our primary objective. We're gonna have to see what's behind that bronze door. But you're right, this is also not something that we can afford to ignore… just because we managed to get away last time, we may not be as lucky…"

I huffed, not really surprised. He saw Maya as an obstacle in the best case scenario, if not an outright enemy at the worst.

"Could you at least TRY and pretend to share some of my worries? Just because she was not acting like herself, doesn't mean she's in our way or trying to undermine us…"

He shrugged.

"I'd rather be prepared, just in case. Nothing wrong with being careful".

Didn't we had the exact same conversation the night before? I felt a weird sense of déjà vu all of a sudden.

But still, his paranoia knew no bounds. No matter, it just meant that he'll have to eat his words once the situation is solved.

We are the donuts that he brought back (while muttering that he had to learn how to make them himself. That was one bit of good news) and we were ready to get to business.

We just had to be more careful about it, given the substantial increase in Hashimoto security around Hanamura. If it wasn't already obvious that something nasty was brewing, now would have been a good time to connect the dots.

Bunch of psychopaths… declaring war on their own damn turf! I kept looking around, trying to see if I could spot Maya anywhere, hoping that she was hiding somewhere she wouldn't be found.

We changed alley once again, luckily for us there's no shortage of them, before slipping back into the Metaverse. There was just one problem…

"Security hasn't gone down. Not even a little bit…"

Knight's voice was laced with confusion… and a touch of anxiety.

"Is it weird? I mean, we kind of rampaged inside that temple yesterday…"

"It's very weird. Usually, after around six or seven hours, a Palace's alert level will go down. I don't see why this one would be different… unless something happened that refreshed the timer".

I blinked owlishly at him.

"You mean that there might be more people like us around?"

"Perhaps… or, most likely, something happened in the real world that caused Hashimoto Katsuki to keep his guard up. Always remember, a Palace is always influenced by its master's state of mind and cognition of the world around us. Is something happened that caused our target to feel threatened…"

"Then the Palace will also sound the alarms…"

I finished the sentence for him, earning an approving nod and a smile.

"You have been listening to me then! But that still doesn't change the current issue…"

I tilted my head to one side.

"Is it even an issue for us? I mean, whatever it is that alerted the bastard wasn't caused by us, correct? That means our disguises should still work, at least until we insert those keys…"

He hummed, mulling it over.

"You might be right… wanna test that theory?"

I smirked like… well, like a fox.

"Thought you would never ask! Let's get going then, the faster we deal with this, the faster we can try to help Maya!"

Yeah, my focus was still on that. Bite me.

We changed into our Hashimoto costumes and proceeded through the short trek to the door. The samurai Shadows were definitely more alert and careful, but we still managed to pass without anyone even glancing in our direction. I was right then, fact confirmed when Leader flashed me a miniscule smile and thumbs up.

Not too long after, our destination was in sight. Now then… what to do?

BRIAN

I flipped the keys between my hands, trying to come up with a possible solution. Four keys, four keyholes. The seasons were still the focus of the enigma, as far as we were concerned, but neither of us had any idea what the elements were even supposed to mean.

"So, there's no connection between the elements and the seasons in Japan's folklore?"

Miko shook her head sideways.

"Not that I know of… but maybe the solution is easier than we believe…"

I allowed a small sigh to escape my lips. At this point, yeah, it was obvious that we had to start seeing things from a different perspective. After all, no problem ever repeats itself.

I eyed the key in my hand. There had to be some sort of clue somewhere!

We kept silent for a little bit, until Kiri decided to speak.

"Maybe… maybe we have to completely forget about the seasons. Maybe they were never the focus in the first place! Do you remember the bells? They were not named after the seasons…"

The Bell of Youth, Decay, Silence and Awakening. They still kept close ties with the seasons, but at the same time… could that be the connection we were looking for?

I turned towards her.

"If you had to akin Youth to any element… which one would you choose?"

She crossed her arms, giving it some serious thought.

"Maybe… fire. Because it's the only one among the elements that has a clear start and finish! On top of that, it was also the only element that was actively discovered, making it the 'youngest' among them!"

I hummed, seeing the logic in her statement. I picked up the key from the Bell of Youth and brought it inside the keyhole. I had no idea what could have happened if we were wrong… but we also had to try something. Besides, if Kiri believed that she was right on this…

Then, I trusted her.

I took a deep breath… and turned. The sound that riverbereted was the same that one would hear when something had been unlocked. I grinned at Miko.

We were on the right path.

"Good! Next, Decay. Which element can encapsulate this concept the best?"

She barely even hesitated this time around.

"Wind. While it is true that water can also destroy, given enough time, the wind can level entire mountains! It's one of the deadliest among the four, even if many do not think so".

I nodded and twisted the key of Decay inside the appropriate keyhole.

Once again, correct.

"Silence… are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She smiled, happy that we were figuring it out.

"Earth. There is a reason why hermits tend to migrate on top of mountains or in the middle of deserts! There is nowhere quieter in the world than surrounded by rocks and sand".

Once again, we were right. The only one left…

"Awakening. Water".

"Naturally. Life started inside the sea, after all. It's where everything started… and where life will always find a way to flourish".

It was a beautiful thought… I have to admit, the Palace's master was one of the scummiest people on the planet…

But the entire place was simply breathtaking, if you took the time to see it and think about it.

The last keyhole was unlocked, and with it, the massive bronze door groaned open, inviting us to proceed through.

Or so we believed. Miko and I barely managed one step forward, before a small cloud of smoke blocked us from proceeding.

When it dissipated, we were greeted by a Shadow clad in a dark tunic, looking very similar to classical representations of ninjas. Even down to the shurikens between its knuckles, ready to be thrown at any moment.

"Halt. It is strictly prohibited to step foot into the sacred Zen Garden. Your disguises are finely crafted, but they cannot fool me, intruders. Prepare to fight, if you do not wish to die!"

Great, first the massive demon in armor, now a man in pajamas. From one extreme to the other. The Shadow melted unto itself, giving birth to…

Another fucking knight on a horse. Wonderful. Only that this one was completely red, with a lance for a weapon.

Ah fuck…

"Eligor! Watch out Miko, this thing is no joke!"

I heard her shout something back at me, but I had no time to heed her words. We were about to face our most dangerous enemy yet…

Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.

Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of UTFW, the show where character growth does actually happen! Eventually!

There was supposed to be more action in this chapter, not gonna lie… or even any action at all, but I ended up getting swept up with the interactions between Kiriko and Brian. They're polar opposite in almost every conceivable way, but for whatever reason they mesh up very damn well. Maybe because, even beyond their differences, they genuinely care about each other. Who knows.

That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!