Can I just say, your reactions to last chapter's cliffhanger were so incredibly funny? The screaming. The crying. People cursed me to hell and back. It was hilarious.

That said, I have no regrets and I would do it again.

Ryuamy: Oh it was definitely outrageous to end the previous chapter there. It was hilarious for me, though. Your reactions still crack me up to this day. Yup, lots of explanations needed! Many questions and theories, I see, but as usually all I'll say is: it will be revealed in time… thank you for reading!

ChuLian: Nah, Tenma's just traumatized by the mirror.

Iona-Violet Flower: Unfortunately I couldn't add the confrontation between Tenma and the Holy Emperor yet, it was getting too long, but it'll appear next chapter! Thank you for your kind words!

orozaslegend: I'm not planning on a reaction story for this, sorry!

LaLaLa: Oh boy here we go… I WILL TELL YOU WHAT TO DO IF IT MEANS YOU WON'T SCREAM AT ME, YOUNG PERSON. Lmao sorry about your sleeping schedule, hopefully you saw this chapter at a better time. YES LET'S ACKNOWLEDGE HOW AWESOME THE TEAM IS FOR A SECOND THERE. ''no, i will not shut up about their friendship and no, you can't make me'' good thing I wasn't planning on it because I can't shut up about it either! Honestly Tenma needs to stop being a martyr but it's ingrained in him at this point and it will be something he struggles with in the future (and shall be addressed more eventually). The adults are just as crazy as the teens, they just hide it better. ''I also kind of want to see Kidou & Endou kill Kibayama, but that is just me'' maybe in the oneshot collection. NO I DID NOT KNOW THAT WHAT? Good news: more Aoi and Tenma fluffiness here! Very minor but still.

You: Jezus fuck, how many rollercoaster do you want in one chapter, Yara?

Me: yes.

AHAHAHA I TOLD YOU SO. I TOLD YOU YOU'D SCREAM. You can't say I didn't warn you! This review cracked me up so much, I swear :'D

Flan-Girl304: well, hello there! Omg now that you mention it you have been in my reviews for SO LONG. Damn. I'm impressed by your tenacity in keeping up with this, like, seriously. Wow. "a change in the force when it's updated" skfhqbduhf
I'm glad you loved the chapter, I did too! This one's fun too, I think. "I was so shock when they trusted Tenma with his own health" yeah so we're they tbh, but no worries, next chapter Tenma will do something stupid again and the natural order will return. Aoi deserves more love, she's such a wonderful character! Lmao I'm actually writing an AR spinoff in which the entire team ends up in the past and it's,,, a fun one. You think this Tenma is bad? JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THEM ALL TOGETHER. Thanks for reading!

NicoLizca: Many of your questions will be answered this chapter! More on Shuu next chapter though, this one was getting too long so I couldn't add that in. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

HOSHINO: I'm honored you'd write a review this time then, so thank you! I'm glad the last chapter got you so fired up, haha

Inamory: oh no you got me. I'm trying to cause mass heart attacks by writing fanfiction, damn, now I'll need to come up with a new plan. "you shouldn't be able to go away after dropping this" the fun part (for me) IS THAT I CAN. Seriously, words cannot express how much fun I had with all the reviews freaking out, lol, it was gold. Aww, thank you for your sweet words, they mean a lot. It's been tough to keep up my writing at times, but I love it too much to give it up.

MarMarie05: Welcome, welcome! I'm trying to get AR up to date on ao3 as well but it's taking a while because it keeps slipping my mind. I'll try to do better and get it all done before 2025! Ahaha MUCH has happened in these ten chapters, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading it! Thank you for your comment!

nigoi: thank you for your review! I'm trying to focus more on other characters, since the story is so heavily dominated by Tenma, and I'm glad that seems to be working out! Worldbuilding is a lot of fun and there's several plot holes that I'm trying to fill up here. It makes me really happy to see how much you're enjoying this story, so thank you for reading!

Guys, can I just say, thank you to everyone who left a review or has supported me in a different way, it means the world to me. I wish I could reply to every single one of you but that would take way too long, but please know that I read and value every single review I received. Thank you so much for supporting me!

Accidental Reverse Arc 4

"Takuto-san?"

Tenma has lost his mind for real this time.

He must have, right?

Because there's no way that it's really the seventeen-year-old Shindou Takuto standing in front of him, not when he'd only just seen his younger counterpart a handful of minutes ago, and yet.

And yet, that's exactly what it looks like.

"Tenma," he says again, reaching out for him, and Tenma just.

Moves.

In half a second he's crossing the room and Takuto, Takuto, opens his arms wide to catch him right when Tenma stumbles into him.

Takuto steadied him as he wraps his arms securely around the younger brunet. Tenma goed willingly and melts into the embrace.

It soothes some of the sharpest edges around his heart, familiar in a way that aches, like a piece he didn't know was missing has suddenly clicked back into place.

It feels like coming home.

"Tenma," is choked out a third time and Tenma burrows his face in Takuto's shirt, latching on as if he doesn't want to let go. He never wants to let go.

And Takuto holds him just as tightly in return, as if he can hide the younger brunet from the world, and the next breath he takes sounds awful, stilted and ragged, his ever present composure for once completely torn to shreds.

Tenma has never heard him sound like that.

Tenma has made him sound like that.

He clings onto Takuto, as if that will make it any better, as if he will be swept away by the weight of the world if he so much as loosens his grip. He can't.

If he lets go he doesn't think he can get up again.

Takuto is here.

Somehow, he's here. Somehow he's crossed through time to find him. Somehow, somewhere, Raimon has been looking for him all this time.

Tenma's breath catches.

It goes against every instinct he has, yet he tears himself away from Takuto despite the hands attempting to tug him back. He only manages to lean back far enough to lock eyes with a familiar dark gaze, but it's enough.

"Raimon," he chokes out. "The team, are- are they okay?"

He needs to know they're okay- they have to be-

"Yes," Takuto responds immediately, seeming to understand without words how much he needs to know that. "Yes, we're okay, we're all okay, I swear."

A wounded noise escapes the younger brunet as he slumps forward, willing his heart to stop racing.

His team is alright.

A weight he'd forgotten about is lifted from his shoulders.

"Breathe, Tenma," Takuto mumbles softly, rubbing circles on his back. The younger gulps down a mouthful of air, the relief of it nearly leaving him dizzy.

It feels like the hardest thing he's ever done but after an eternity and a second, breathing gets a little easier. All the while Takuto holds him together as he falls apart, and Tenma doesn't think he's ever been so thankful in his life.

When the world has finally stopped spinning around him, the young brunet finds himself hanging on a bit longer. He shouldn't, he knows, there's so much they need to talk about and he's already wasted god knows how much time. He'd be embarrassed if it weren't for the exhaustion crashing over him.

And yet he doesn't have the strength to let go.

(To find out none of this is real after all.)

"Am I- am I dreaming?" Tenma whispers wetly, and he doesn't dare look up. Doesn't want to be wrong, doesn't want to see he's lost his mind and find out he's alone again.

Has been alone this whole time.

He doesn't think he has the strength to glue the pieces of his heart back together yet again if he is.

He feels Takuto still against him, just a moment, and then his grip tightens almost painfully. "No," he breathes, and Tenma can feel him shaking his head. "God, Tenma, no, no, this is real, I'm here. I've got you. I'm here. We both are.''The elder doesn't seem like he's inclined to let go anytime soon either, and the younger is more than happy to snuggle into the hug.

That is, until he feels the tremors in the arms around him.

For a moment he's confused, but then there's a soft sniffle from above him, and instantly the brunet is tearing himself away despite the hands trying to tug him back. He doesn't fully manage to escape the embrace, but he leans far enough back to spot Takuto's wet face.

''You're crying,'' he says dumbly.

Takuto chokes on something halfway between a laugh and a sob. ''So are you,'' he returns with a weak grin, and his voice wavers a bit.

''Oh.'' Until that point, the younger brunet hadn't actually realized that, but now he's aware of the dampness on his cheeks. With more than a little reluctance, he disentangles one hand from Takuto's shirt to wipe at his eyes.

He doesn't understand why his best friend's face is suddenly twisting horribly, but then careful fingers are curling around his wrist and tugging it forwards. Takuto is staring at the bandages, and his next exhale is shaky as his eyes trail to Tenma's other hand, still bandaged as well. He sounds strangled when he asks, ''Tenma, what happened?''

The younger brunet shies away, trying to think of a way to explain… everything.

He doesn't want to. God, he doesn't want to tell Takuto - to give him even more reason to worry when he already seems sick with it.

"I…"

Hands land on his shoulders. "Tell me," Takuto begs, and Tenma wouldn't believe it if he wasn't seeing it himself. Shindou Takuto does not beg. "I've been so worried, we've all been so worried- and now we finally found you-"

Tenma can't stand hearing him this way. There's no getting around this, the younger brunet realizes, and he finds that suddenly, he doesn't want to either. He's spun a web of lies around himself, no matter how much he hates it to lie to the younger version of his team- but he can't do that to this Shindou Takuto. He can't.

"Got on Fifth Sector's wrong side," he mumbles.

Takuto goes very still.

"Fifth Sector," he repeats carefully, as if the words are unfamiliar after so long. And they are - Tenma had been thrown off as well, the first time he realized he'd need to deal with them again. "Of course, they're still active at this time," Takuto mumbles quietly, eyes wide.

"I'm okay," Tenma says quickly. "I swear. But- Takuto-san, how are you here?''

The name is both familiar and odd on his tongue.

The look Takuto gives him is one Tenma is all too familiar with - that he sees right through his attempts at distraction and the silent promise that they will revisit this topic later, and the captain smiles helplessly at the familiarity of it all.

But for now, at least, Takuto drops it in favor of answering his captain's question. "It took a long time to find you," he begins hoarsely. "I… I don't even know where to start, really. It was complete chaos and you weren't- you weren't waking up."

Takuto's voice breaks.

Tenma swallows and squeezes Takuto's wrists. "I'm here," it's his turn to say.

"Yes," the elder whispers. "You are." Tenma can't find it in himself to be surprised when he's dragged into another hug.

He wraps his arms around Takuto's middle instead and burrows his face in his shoulder.

Takuto holds him tightly for a moment longer before reluctantly letting go. "Sorry," he says quietly.

"Don't be an idiot," Tenma says on reflex, surprising himself. He wouldn't dare say this to the younger Shindou yet - but the Takuto here, now, only smiles and Tenma finds himself returning it. "I wasn't waking up. Am I still…"

"Unconscious," Takuto finishes. "A coma, officially."

Tenma grimaces.

"At first it seemed like that's all it was," the elder continues. "Fei went to his own time to see what exactly could've happened, but we didn't realize you were in a different time altogether until later."

"So this is really… me?" Tenma can't help but ask, a quiet doubt he hadn't wanted to acknowledge before. "Not just that my younger self suddenly got my memories?"

Takuto shakes his head. "It's your, I guess conscious is the best word, that's somehow become stuck here. According to Dr. Arno, you won't wake up in our time as long as you're still here." Dr. Arno, the future's leading expert on time travel - of course Fei would've gone to him for help. "The current hypothesis is that your conscious was basically torn from your body somehow and ended up here when the time machine created an unstable wormhole, where it clung to the object most like… well, you."

"My younger self," Tenma finishes, trying to wrap his mind around it.

At least it's good to know he's the actual sixteen-year-old Matsukaze Tenma and did not just get a bunch of memories dumped in his head that don't belong there. That means that there might be a way for him to return, instead of being stuck here knowing things he shouldn't.

But still…

"This is so weird," he voices his thoughts.

Takuto huffs in amusement. "It is," he agrees, thankfully looking less like he'll start crying again.

"I have so many questions."

"We do too," his friend says, his smile fading. "But I can't stay here for long. This," he gestures to the purple-tinted kitchen around them, "is something like a wormhole, and it's only stable for a short amount of time. A pseudo-wormhole, if you will."

Fear grips at Tenma's heart and he clutches at Takuto's arm. "No," he protests, his voice sounding small even to his own ears. "You can't leave."

"We're not leaving you alone," Takuto hurries to reassure him. "Wait a moment." He reaches into his pocket and takes something out, showing it to Tenma.

"A watch…?"

Takuto chuckles. "Now that we finally found you, we don't want to risk not being able to find you again. This is like a tracking device, which pinpoints exactly where you are in the time stream. May I?"

Tenma nods and offers his uninjured arm, allowing Takuto to attach the device to his wrist. It's made of smooth white metal with a large, glass circle in the center, lined with black. It fits snuggly and Tenma finds himself inspecting it. To someone who's familiar with it, it's obviously technology from the future, but it could also pass for a regular, if oddly futuristic, watch.

"There," Takuto says, and taps on the glass screen twice. The black lining lights up blue, and tiny numbers appear on the glass - the time. "Like this it looks like a watch."

Tenma's not really listening, though - something Takuto said just now stood out to him. "What do you mean with where I am in the time stream? You know now, right? Can't you coordinate that?" he's not a genius on time travel theory, but that should be possible. It's the system used in the Time Caravan, and he's familiar enough with that.

And yet Takuto is shaking his head, features twisting into a frown. "Tenma, this isn't the regular type of time travel we've dealt with so far," he begins, and something in his tone puts the younger brunet on guard. "By being here, you're changing the timeline-"

"What?" fear claws at Tenma. "I'm- am I– erasing our time?"

Takuto tries to hide it, but Tenma has known him long enough to recognize his hesitation.

The younger brunet reels back. "No!" he protests, shaking his head wildly. He feels sick. "I- I can't, I never meant to-!"

"Tenma!" Takuto grabs hold of his shoulders again. "No, that's not what I meant, I swear!"

The younger almost refuses to believe him, but-

But this is Takuto. His confidant, his strategist. He wouldn't lie about this, Tenma has to believe that.

Takuto is speaking quickly, almost stumbling over the words. "In theory, if you're here long enough, you could- but Dr. Arno is confident that if we get you back to our time soon, the timeline will restore itself." That, at least, lifts some of the dread Tenma felt and he staggers a step forward, suddenly feeling tired enough to sleep for a hundred years.

Takuto is there to support him, and he steers the younger brunet towards one of the kitchen chairs. Every touch is gentle and cautious, until they're both seated at the kitchen island. Like this, Tenma feels smaller than he ever has before when next to Takuto.

It takes him a moment to realize that he is; he's always been shorter than his best friend, but in his younger body, the height difference is unmistakable.

Tenma swallows, his throat suddenly sandpaper dry. He remembers Kyousuke teasing him about being shorter than him and Takuto, remembers hiding a smile and pretending to be mad. There's absolutely nothing funny about it now.

What if he's stuck like this, unable to return to his own time, unable to go home? What if things go wrong, and he destroys the world as he knows it? His friends?

His attention is pulled back to the present when Takuto reaches out and takes his hand, his touch featherlight. His dark eyes seem troubled as he stares at the bandages covering Tenma's skin.

The younger brunet squeezes softly, and Takuto shoots him a fleeting smile.

"The problem is," the elder says carefully, getting back on topic, "that you've created a parallel timeline, but instead of eventually merging with the regular timeline again, it's continuously deviating still. It's like you're rewriting the actual timeline as you go. We needed to find you at the exact moment you're changing the set timeline - just a second before that would mean the timeline hasn't been rewritten yet, so it'd just be the regular Tenma. A second too late means the changed timeline is already set in stone."

That… makes sense, in a way, although Tenma doesn't fully get it. "I think I understand…"

Takuto smiles fondly at his uncertainty. "It's complicated, I know. Point is, it's pretty hard to check every second of three years for where you've made changes and where not, especially when the readings were all over the place - the last few months are already out of tune with the actual timeline, despite it only having been two weeks."

Tenma freezes, eyes growing wide. "What?"

He's distinctly aware of Takuto's response, but more than that, it feels like the rest of the world is underwater. Muted.

A horrible suspicion begins to creep up on him.

"Takuto-san," he says hollowly, "I've been here for two months."

Takuto falls silent.

For a long while, they stare at each other with equally wide eyes.

(Neither knows exactly what this means - except that it's nothing good.)

"Right," Takuto says hoarsely. He clears his throat. "Right. I'll- have to mention that to Dr. Arno."

Tenma nods, desperately trying to find a different topic to focus on. He blurts out the first question that comes to mind. "And the watch?"

Takuto takes the distraction for what it is. "It lets us track you," he says. "We don't know how to safely separate your conscious from this body yet, but Dr. Arno is working on it. Once we've figured it out, we can immediately come get you."

Finally, Tenma smiles again, a little lightened by the news. It's not what he really wanted to hear - that he could come home right now - but at least now he has hope.

"That's good," he whispers, and Takuto squeezes his hand for a moment.

Tenma grips back as tightly as he can without hurting himself.

"We can't create a pseudo-wormhole too often," Takuto says softly, an apology in his dark eyes. "It takes a lot of energy, and it needs to recharge for several days, maybe weeks… although I guess that could be longer for you, if our times move at a different pace."

Tenma winces.

With his free hand, Takuto reaches out to the device on his captain's wrist. "Here," he mumbles, turning the black circle around the glass plate. The numbers on the screen disappear, and it instead becomes fully black. "If you tap it twice now, we'll get a signal and we'll try and contact you immediately. It's for emergencies."

The younger nods, relief washing over him - at least he has some backup now, no matter how sporadic it might be.

Takuto twists the circle in the opposite direction, and the clock appears again. Oddly enough, he doesn't remove his hand and it allows Tenma to spot a similar watch on his wrist as the one he himself is wearing.

The younger brunet waits for him to say something else, but the elder doesn't, refusing to look at him.

"Takuto-san…?"

His friend's grip tightens. "I'm sorry we can't do more."

Tenma shakes his head immediately. "Don't say that," he protests softly. "You've given me so much. This morning I didn't even know if our timeline still existed."

It's a fear he'd desperately tried to ignore, but one that in reality had been creeping up on him since day one.

Still, despite his words, Takuto's pained expression doesn't fade.

"I'm glad you're here," Tenma whispers. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Takuto responds automatically, and finally he looks up again, a weak smile on his lips. "We could only send one person and it was either someone from the team or Fei, and he was afraid you'd be angry."

Tenma snorts. "I am angry. Tell him his training menu is tripled until I get back."

Takuto throws his head back and laughs, and the sound of it loosens something in Tenma's chest. ''I'll let him know,'' he chuckles, grinning widely. The brunet smiles wickedly in response.

A soft beeping breaks through their reverie.

Takuto frowns and lifts his arm - it's the one with the watch Tenma spotted earlier. The screen is blinking with blue light and when the elder taps it, the blinking stops.

"What was that?" Tenma asks, trying to ignore the heavy knot in his stomach.

Takuto's apologetic expression doesn't help. "A warning that I've only got five minutes left until I'm pulled back," he says softly.

Although Tenma isn't overwhelmed with his earlier panic again, the prospect of being left alone still makes him clutch tightly at Takuto's hand, uncaring of his injured hands. "I still have so many questions…"

"I know. But they'll be answered soon, I promise," Takuto tells him. "I don't want to leave you but I swear to you, we're doing everything we can to get you back. Do you trust me?"

The question has Tenma pausing, an involuntary smile forming on his lips. "You know, younger you said something similar today."

Takuto is surprised for a moment and then reaches out to lay a hand on Tenma's head, messing up his hair and ignoring the brunet's protesting shout. "I'm smart no matter how old I am," he says, chin lifting arrogantly.

Tenma laughs and Takuto keeps up the look a second longer before joining in. Once they've calmed down, the younger nods slowly. "I trust you," he says, with a confidence he doesn't know the origin of. "I'd trust you with my life, Takuto-san."

Takuto's eyes are a little glassy when he says, "Thank you, Tenma." They fall silent for a bit, although it's not a bad silence. It's comfortable, both trying to commit the other to memory knowing it will be a while before they'll see each other again.

"I just can't get over how young you look," Takuto whispers, and Tenma startles a little. He doesn't know what to say to that.

This time it's the strategist who needs a moment to compose himself.

"Right," he says eventually, clearing his throat. "Do you have any more questions right now?"

"Too many," the younger mumbles, but Takuto's words have reminded him of something and he can't help but ask, "what do you think happened to the younger me?"

Takuto blinks, clearly not having expected that question, but soon his eyes turn calculating. "Dr. Arno theorizes his conscious is still there but is being suppressed by yours," he answers. "It's just dormant right now."

That sounds fair. "I'm glad I didn't accidentally kill myself," Tenma jokes, a little taken aback when Takuto glares at him.

"Don't say such things," he scolds.

"Sorry," Tenma offers an apologetic smile - after how worried the team must've been, not knowing where or rather when he'd been all this time, he can't blame Takuto for being prickly about such jokes.

The elder sighs. "It's alright, I just…" he trails off.

Tenma doesn't like the downcast expression on his best friend's face. "I get it," he says, trying to reassure him. "I've been worried about you guys as well."

Takuto relaxes a little. "Right, we-"

Another beep cuts him off and he looks down at his wrist. His watch is blinking again, this time red. "We've got a minute left."

Tenma swallows and nods, getting to his feet. When Takuto follows suit, the younger brunet throws his arms around his middle and holds tight. That's alright though, because Takuto hugs him back with just as much force.

"Tell- tell the team to take care of themselves," Tenma stutters over the beeping of the watch, pretending he doesn't know he's shaking. "Tell them not to worry too much, and that I'll be back soon, and- and tell Kyousuke he shouldn't bottle all his emotions up, and tell Kariya he shouldn't play too many pranks and-"

Takuto laughs wetly. "You sound like Sangoku-san." Tenma squeezes his eyes shut, trying not to cry. "I'll tell them," the elder mumbles. "You be careful too, okay?"

"I will," Tenma whispers, and then, finally, the thing he's been wanting to say all this time. "Tell them I miss them. Tell them… tell them I love them."

Takuto's breath catches, and he hugs Tenma tight against him.

The beeping increases.

"See you soon, Tenma."

Tenma can't stop the tears from coming anymore. "See you soon, Takuto-san."

The world seems to twist around them and then suddenly the weight Tenma was leaning against is gone.

He stumbles forwards, catching himself on the kitchen island, and watches with wide eyes as the purple around him fades away. In a handful of seconds, the kitchen looks just like it did twenty minutes ago and Tenma's breath begins to pick up.

He bows his head, blinking rapidly, and a flash of white catches his eye.

The watch.

Somehow the sight of it steadies him. He's not alone, not like before.

Maybe his friends aren't here right now, but they've searched for him, they found him. They'll work tirelessly to find a way for him to return.

Tenma inhales slowly.

Right. He can't let them down now.

He clutches the watch against his chest, feeling the cool metal underneath his fingers, and vows he'll do his best, too.

He owes it to his team, after all.

Both of them.

Trying to readjust to the current situation when it feels like Tenma's world just got turned upside down is anything but easy.

The match against Zero, Fifth Sector - it all feels so far away right now, he muses to himself as he swirls the tea in his cup. Around him the team has become a bit more energetic, conversations picking up as Midori hands out the last few mugs.

Apparently whatever that pseudo-wormhole was also slowed, or perhaps paused, regular time. Or something like that, Tenma theorizes, since it seems only a few minutes at most have passed for his team - his younger team - while the world had turned purple.

He wishes now that he'd asked Takuto when he'd had the chance, but he can't blame either of them for being a little distracted.

For now, Tenma has secluded himself in an armchair near the kitchen doorway, from which he can see most of the room and the door. He's staying out of any conversations, too much on his mind to talk.

He breathes out slowly, watching the ripples in his tea.

He would expect to be freaking out right about now.

Oddly enough, he's not.

The awful silence where Pegasus would usually provide commentary still gnaws at him and all the little aches and pains from the match are coming in full force now - being sick in the middle of a game doesn't make it any better, either - but there's something oddly… calm, about him.

He glances at the watch on his wrist.

("The team, are- are they okay?"

"Yes. Yes, we're okay, we're all okay, I swear.")

Maybe it's got to do with that.

It's definitely got to do with that.

There's a lot on his mind at the moment, everything Takuto - Takuto! - told him about, but as hard as it is to accept it, Tenma knows he can't do anything on that front from his position. He's got to trust his team to handle that. For the time being he's still stuck here, so…

So he has to focus on this time.

His grip on his cup tightens, and he sets to scheming.

God Eden. Fifth Sector. Gouenji- no, Ishido Shuuji.

Senguuji Daigo.

Tenma doesn't know if the man is on the island right now - hasn't caught sight of him at least - but he would be surprised if he wasn't. From what he knows of the man, which is unfortunately a lot less than he would've liked right now, he'll stick close to the Holy Emperor and keep an eye on Raimon whatever chance he gets. His newfound interest in Tenma himself in this timeline will likely only encourage that.

Days ago, when Tenma first arrived on this island, he snuck a chip into God Eden's systems to give Soar a chance to hack into it. He's got no way of knowing how successful that was, having left all of his Soar tech at home except for the tracker. Despite the inner circle's distaste of the idea, they all had to agree on it - with Tenma in the middle of enemy territory, a communicator and his hidden camera were too likely to give him away somehow, and they can't take that risk.

For a few dubious moments, the brunet considers the situation a little more - should he try something else, try to get into closer contact with a computer here?

He hadn't expected to spend any more time in the actual building than what was necessary for the match against Zero, so he'd originally gone for the first opportunity that arose, but now he wonders if that was the best idea. In the end, though, it doesn't matter anymore. He's placed the chip and there's no way he can put it somewhere else now, and it was the only one he had.

A little disappointed that his hacking skills aren't any better - pretty much nonexistent, honestly - Tenma discards that line of thought. He's done everything he could for Soar, and anything else would just be needless risk taking.

Which, really, means that his job here on God Eden is done. Staying here longer than necessary is needless risk taking.

So he'll have to do what he can to get his team home as soon as possible.

Which brings him back to Senguuji Daigo.

Tenma sips from his tea as he considers that. His last interaction with the man had been… anything but pleasant.

He shivers a little. Even now he can still hear the sound of breaking glass.

With a shake of his head, he firmly pushes all of that as far away as he can. At the very least… at the very least, the Holy Emperor is present as well and that means Senguuji can't touch him here. Not without risking his own cover.

How much trouble is Senguuji in, anyway, for the last kidnapping stunt he pulled? Tenma knows that wasn't officially approved and Gouenji is no doubt furious about that matter.

Not just the kidnapping.

Rather the 'showing up covered in blood at the start of a match' part.

And who knows, with Aphrodi having so clearly been seen with him, and having had dealings with Fifth Sector - Tenma isn't certain whether he's simply a business partner or actually works for them - it's possible, even likely, that Gouenji would've interrogated him about the whole matter. Tenma hadn't mentioned Senguuji by name, though, and the man probably has enough influence within Fifth Sector to avoid being caught.

Obviously Gouenji will have a suspicion, heck, he's one of the few that knows Senguuji is their main enemy, but one of the reason Gouenji as the Holy Emperor couldn't just remove Senguuji from his position was because of how deeply the man had hooked his claws into the entire organization. Which means that just a suspicion won't be enough grounds for Gouenji to directly interfere with Senguuji, not without solid proof.

Still. That also means Senguuji can't afford to give the Holy Emperor such proof by targeting Tenma right here and now.

In the end, the situation is deceptively easy - Raimon has to stick together, which they will, if not because they're far too aware of the danger they're in then because Endou will not stand for anything less, and they have to get off this island as soon as possible.

And…

Tenma should probably keep his mouth shut near Senguuji.

He knows himself, okay? He can get a bit self-sacrificing at times, especially where his team is concerned. There's no doubt he'll be tempted to speak up at some point, and there's no saying how Senguuji will react to that.

Right.

Tenma winces.

That could become a problem.

For now, he just resigns himself to hanging back as much as possible and otherwise dealing with whatever comes, when it comes.

Keep Raimon together. Don't say anything stupid. Get off this island as soon as possible. Sounds easy enough. Right, he can definitely do that. As soon as they're dismissed by the Holy Emperor, they'll be intercepted by Zero, or rather Ancient Dark, and he trusts that Shuu won't let anything happen-

The brunet blinks.

With Takuto's surprise visit, he'd completely forgotten that Shuu had asked him to talk.

Tenma throws a considering look at his team, spread out on the couches, as he chews on his lip - and promptly winces at the sting of raw skin. There's no way they'd let him leave now, nor can he sneak away, and he honestly doesn't want to either. Talking to Shuu, as much as he wants to know just what exactly was happening at the end of the match, will have to wait until they get out of here.

Some of the tension leaves him, now that he's got at least the basics of a plan, if it can even be called that.

With his cup cradled close, the brunet settles more comfortably in his chair and takes in the sight of his team again. To someone who knows them as well as he does, the tension they're carrying is clear - being in the midst of enemy territory does that to a person - but at least they seem to be enjoying their break for as long as it lasts.

They've settled into smaller groups, as is common when the whole team is gathered like this. Midori and Nishiki are sitting cross-legged on one of the couches, talking quietly over their tea. Tsurugi has secluded himself in an armchair much like the one Tenma is sitting in, leaning back with closed eyes and valiantly ignoring the squabbling between Kariya and Kirino nearby.

Tenma stifles a laugh when Kurumada, fed up with both defenders, throws a pillow at them.

All in all, they're relaxing as much as they can, he's glad to note, no doubt helped by Kidou's watchful presence. Their coach has taken up the seat directly facing the door, initially just sitting quietly but it seems Shindou has managed to draw him into a conversation now.

Shindou…

Tenma swallows.

He looks so young compared to the Shindou Takuto he'd just spoken with. Of course Tenma had noticed it when he first woke up in the past, but throughout the weeks he's become used to it. Now, though…

The changes are unmistakable again. His features are a little softer, jaw and cheekbones not yet as defined, and in the future Takuto prefers to wear his hair pulled back instead of loose.

(Shindou's hand on his shoulder. ''Trust in us,'' he tells him.

Takuto holds his hand carefully. ''Do you trust me?'')

Then again, maybe he's not that different at all.

Maybe it's just a coincidence, or maybe Shindou feels the eyes on him, because the strategist looks up and raises an eyebrow when he catches the brunet staring. Tenma smiles at him.

Shindou smiles back.

Eventually, though, Endou does return.

There's a knock on the door and Kidou is immediately alert - they all are, really, as their coach gets to his feet to crack the door open just enough for him to see who's on the other side.

Kidou relaxes marginally and that's enough of a sign for the team to do so as well, even before they catch sight of Endou and the other adults. "You're back," Kidou mumbles, something akin to relief in his voice, and lets them in.

Endou's dark eyes settle on the team immediately, scanning over each of them as he does a silent headcount, and even crooks a smile at them when he notices the many empty mugs scattered everywhere.

The rest of his friends trail in behind him, Fudou throwing a casual, "you kids alright?" at them as he drops down onto a couch. He's the only one who sits down, though, the others notably staying on their feet.

Kurumada asks what they're all thinking. "So what's the verdict, coach?"

For a moment Endou says nothing, just takes in the sight of them all. He looks grim without his ever present smile, grim and pissed off. "The Holy Emperor insists on congratulating you in person," he says through gritted teeth. "For your success in the Holy Road so far."

It doesn't go unnoticed when he clenches his fists.

"Alone?" Kidou demands sharply.

The team watches them uneasily, and Endou shakes his head while Fubuki explains. "Endou-kun claimed that, as they are minors, the coach is their acting guardian and should be present."

It seems that the team, as one, breathes a sigh of relief.

That doesn't go unnoticed either, and Kazemaru smiles reassuringly at them. "We'll be waiting right outside for you."

"I'm joining."

All eyes turn to Kidou, and for the first time Endou's mask cracks. "Kidou, you…"

When he trails off, the man pushes on. "We're both listed as Raimon's coach," he says shortly, and nothing else.

Not that he needs to, because after another second, Endou nods, something unspoken passing between them.

Then their main coach turns to the team. "Listen, I know you're aware of this but I'll say it again. Stick together. I'm serious, guys." Endou waits for them to give a unanimous, "hai, coach!" before he continues. "Don't draw attention to yourselves. Don't speak unless spoken to. Shindou…" he grimaces, "you're most likely to be addressed, and normally it's your role to speak for the team. Are you okay with that now?"

The captain hesitates for a moment.

Then his face sets in determination and he nods sharply.

"Right," Endou mumbles, "right." He doesn't seem to know what else to say, raking a hand through his hair. Then he takes a breath and says, ''Tenma.''

The brunet in question tries not to look guilty as he glances up at his coach.

As usual, Endou surprises him. ''Will you be okay?''

He'd honestly been expecting warnings to behave, but then again - Endou doesn't exactly know what kind of trouble he's gotten himself into the previous times he was summoned by Fifth Sector, except that it was nothing good and left him bloodied and beaten on live television.

…on second thought, that is a very fair reaction.

''Hai, coach,'' he says dutifully, and at the doubtful looks he gets from not only his entire team but also several of the adults, he winces. ''I… was planning on keeping my mouth shut and hoping I don't get noticed?''

One of his teammates groans.

Endou closes his eyes for a handful of seconds and nods a few times, seemingly more to reassure himself than to agree, really. ''Right,'' he says once again, sounding very much not as calm as he's trying to portray. ''Okay. That's… a good plan.'' He shares a look with Kidou, and then turns to the team once more. ''Alright, no use in waiting. Let's get going.''

A Seed guides them to the Holy Emperor, the walk there silent and tense. It's not far, and part of Tenma appreciates that. Less time to overthink.

The office they're led to is much smaller than the throne room where he last met the Holy Emperor, and much better lit. Despite that, it's just as richly decorated with mahogany furniture and soft lilac walls, a floor to ceiling window looking out over the field they fought on not even an hour prior.

Ishido Shuuji is seated behind the desk, back to the window, and smiles pleasantly as Raimon is ushered in.

He is flanked by Utsunomiya Toramaru and Senguuji Daigo.

Tenma goes icy cold when he catches sight of the latter, and tries to swallow against his suddenly dry throat.

His hands burn.

Breaking glass.

Pain.

When something, no, someone brushes up against his shoulder, the brunet sucks in a sharp breath that is thankfully covered by the noise around him. His eyes dart to the side and-

Aoi stares back at him intently.

Without even thinking about it, Tenma reaches for her hand and holds tight. She startles for a moment but something must give him away because then she's gripping back just as tightly, a physical anchor in this raging storm.

For a moment, he thinks she's shaking.

Then he realizes numbly, it's him. A tremor he hadn't even noticed before is running through his fingers. His hands still burn.

"Welcome, Raimon."

Tenma flinches at the sudden voice and Aoi's grip tightens for a few moments. She doesn't let him go.

Without Tenma noticing, the whole team has filed into the room, and a short glance over his shoulder tells him that their coaches have taken up position behind them. Tenma himself is further back than he'd usually be, encircled by teammates, and that quells his sudden panic more than he'd have thought.

Ishido Shuuji inclines his head in greeting.

When no one responds, he hums, taking his time in scanning them all. Raimon shuffles tensely and the slightest upward twitch of Ishido's lips tells them that he's enjoying this.

"And welcome," he continues in a voice soft and smooth, "Endou Mamoru, and, to my surprise, Kidou Yuuto." His eyes settle on the former. "I thought we'd agreed upon only the coach, hm?"

With Endou behind him, Tenma can't tell what he looks like, but he certainly sounds hostile when he answers, "Kidou and I coach this team together."

The Holy Emperor looks amused. "Do you now? Very well, I suppose." His dark eyes settle back on the teenagers in front of him. "Your coaches might have told you already. I wished to congratulate you on your success so far."

There's a few beats of silence.

Then Shindou, front and center, inclines his head. "Thank you, sir," he says politely.

"I much enjoyed your match today, as well. You put up an impressive fight," Ishido continues without acknowledging Shindou in any way, instead scrutinizing the rest of the team as he talks. When his focus shift towards Tenma's direction, the brunet lowers his gaze, not wishing to catch his eye.

Right here, right now - Gouenji won't put more attention on him, not with Senguuji in the room. He's perhaps the only one who knows how dangerous the man is, and he must at least suspect that he was behind Tenma's last visit to Fifth Sector. The brunet knows that, but this whole situation is making him uneasy nonetheless.

Ishido is still talking. "Truly, Raimon's games are always such a delight. Perhaps I shall make time to watch your next match in person. Against Arakumo, was it?'' as if he hasn't memorized, and even interfered with, Raimon's opponents before.

To their credit, the team does a good job of hiding their reactions, though it was likely intended to bait them. Shindou doesn't even stumble. ''Yes, sir.''

Ishido looks amused. ''We shall see. Though, I am curious," he starts, and Tenma knows the man well enough to see that this is where it really begins, "those Keshin techniques today, wherever did you learn them, hm?"

And there it is.

Raimon tenses imperceptibly, except Tenma knows them well enough to notice. And from the looks of it, Ishido does as well.

He raises an eyebrow, and it makes him look all the more condescending.

"We had some help," Shindou answers carefully, "but I'm afraid we don't know where it originated from, either."

Not a lie. Tenma hadn't told them.

"How unfortunate," Ishido drawls, and Tenma is suddenly painfully aware of the feeling of eyes on him.

He doesn't look up. He already knows who's watching him.

Instead he squeezes Aoi's hand for a second and she returns the gesture immediately. Their entwined hands are hidden from view by their teammates in front of them.

Shindou keeps his face blank beneath Ishido's watchful gaze, and eventually the man tuts, as if he's dealing with nothing more than a misbehaving child. "Will you not tell me who aided you?"

"I'd prefer not," Shindou says outright, and a ripple of unease goes through the team. Their captain doesn't back down, head held high.

Ishido plays at disappointment but anyone can tell it's fake.

And all of a sudden, Tenma has a bad feeling about this.

The Emperor holds Shindou's gaze for several moments, and then gives a mocking sigh, shaking his head patronizingly. "How very unfortunate," he drawls once more, and then his lips quirk up into a mockery a smile. That's the moment Tenma lowers his gaze to the desk and clutches tight at Aoi's hand. "However."

The weight of dark eyes settles on him and Tenma barely suppresses a shudder.

''I believe I can take a guess.''

The temptation to add a ''well, fuck'' after that last line was strong, but I resisted.

HOW'D YOU ALL LIKE THE TAKUTO-TENMA REUNION? It hated me while I was writing it, these two just did NOT want to do what I wanted them to do. Honestly though, they'd talk about one point and in trying to explain that something would be mentioned that they couldn't not freak out over. It was a headache, seriously.

Yeah, Tenma and Aoi hold hands. Because Tenma was about to have a panic attack, sue him.

.

Literally the entire interaction between Tenma and Takuto was:

Tenma: *cries*

Takuto: *cries because Tenma cries*

Tenma: *cries because Takuto cries because Tenma cries*

Takuto: *cries because Tenma cries because Takuto cries because Tenma cries*

Or, an alternative:

Tenma: *freaks out*

Takuto: *calms him down*

Tenma: *now calm*

Takuto: *freaks out*

He really went ''great, now it's my turn!''

i can't even with these two.

.

Tsurugi, behind the scenes, at Tenma: fuck.

Tsurugi: he's quiet.

.

Endou, this entire chapter: if any of you so much as touch a hair on my kids' heads I will END YOU.

He was ready to throw hands, I'm not even kidding here.

.

Kidou: I'm joining. I'm a coach of Raimon too.

Endou: omg you've finally signed the adoption papers!

Kudou, in the distance: I'm still waiting for that child support money!

Kidou and Endou were both ready to throw hands with anyone threatening their kids. Also, I'm not saying Kidou owns a rifle.

But oh, if he did.

.

Gouenji: Welcome, Endou Mamoru… and Kidou Yuuto? Whatever is this stray doing here?

Kidou: oh fuck you Gouenji

.

Tenma: I know Gouenji wouldn't endanger me right now by addressing me individually in front of Senguuji

Gouenji: Well hello there

Tenma: *chuckles* I'm in danger

.

Next chapter: Tenma makes Endou go grey early.

Again, thank you all for reading and for supporting me, and I hope to return soon with another update!

- Yara

PS: for those who want to see more of my stuff, I also have a tumblr on which I'm relatively active, so check it out! It's yarameijer. tumblr. com without spaces! There is some amazing art by smallish-stuff on tumblr from the Tenma-Takuto reunion there!