Light Shines Anew
Chapter 18: The Bond We Share
Yuma found himself sitting in his room with a majority of his stuff sitting on the floor with him. He was going to Galopoula for a surgery so he didn't think he would need much, but he should probably still bring a few things with him. One of those things would definitely be his omamori. His friends insisted on the good luck amulet so he would trust their judgement on what it could do and take it with him.
An amulet he could see taking. Even if it didn't make sense to him, his friends believed in them so he could justify taking it with him, but could he really justify the other stuff in here? Some clothes made sense as well so he packed some of them, making sure to grab the new hoodie that Shun got him and shoved it into his duffel bag.
Considering he was going to be in a hospital, he didn't think he would need much beyond some clothes. He glanced at his bed where his octopus and cougar sat. He definitely didn't need those. They were cute, but not something Yuma needed taking up space in his hospital room.
"Packing your bag?"
Yuma looked at the bedroom door. "Jin-san. It's late. Shouldn't you be sleeping like everyone else?"
"Unlike your team, I don't have a Rank War tomorrow so I have no issue staying up a bit later." Jin replied.
Yuma snorted. "I don't know why I even ask anymore. You never go to bed a decent time."
Jin laughed lightly and entered the room, edging around Yuma since he was sitting in the middle of the floor. He dropped down on Yuma's bed. "My side effect told me you would be packing your bag tonight."
A snort of amusement escaped Yuma. "You don't need a foresight side effect to know I would be doing this. Better to do it now while everyone is asleep." He glanced at the clock on his desk to see that it read one in the morning. Everyone had gone to bed later than normal because of their movie marathon.
"You should take more than just clothes." Jin suggested.
"I don't need anything else. I'm going to be laid up in bed."
Jin nudged Yuma's back with his foot to get Yuma to look up from packing his bag. When Yuma turned to face him, Jin grinned and held up multiple bags of rice crackers that got Yuma blinking in confusion.
"Why are you handing me crackers?" Yuma asked baffled as he took the rice crackers.
"You can take some snacks with you." Jin explained.
Yuma's brows furrowed, but he smiled as he took the bags and dropped them in his duffel bag.
"Pack the rest of those cookies Obishima-chan gave you as well."
"Are you telling me how to pack my bag now?" Yuma asked amused.
Jin replied by picking up the stuffed Cougar. "Not taking this with you?"
"I don't think I need stuffed animals taking up space in the hospital."
"But wouldn't it be nice to have something soft with you to comfort you after the surgery?"
Yuma hummed softly. It was not a hum of agreement. He was simply making an acknowledgement that he heard Jin's counterargument. "Considering the type of surgery, I'm not sure I'll be aware enough to even know it's there when I wake up." He paused and thought about it. "I'll probably be in too much pain to know what is around me."
"Oh, they're going to have you on heavy pain medication, Yuma." Jin replied.
"In which case, I will be loopy and, once again, unaware of my surroundings." Yuma zipped up his bag and got up from the floor. Since Jin was on the bed, he took his seat on his chair at the desk.
Jin smiled and fell back onto the bed, leaving the stuffed cougar resting on his chest as he mindlessly pet it on the head. It was reassuring to hear Yuma talk the way he did. Usually, Yuma spoke about his impending death as if it was inevitable, so to hear him talk about what he would be like after the surgery was a huge change. It meant that Yuma was looking to a future where the surgery would succeed. He wouldn't take that away with any gloom and doom talk.
"I wish I could be there to see you after the surgery. I'm sure you'll say something funny when you're high on pain medication." Jin teased.
Yuma stuck out his tongue at his friend. "Why do you want to get material to mock me with when I'm out of it?"
"I have to always be prepared with my blackmail material."
Yuma snorted. "What blackmail material?"
"Well, it wouldn't be blackmail if I just told you what I have." Jin replied.
"Oh yeah?" Yuma narrowed his eyes at his friend. "I'm not sure I believe you when you say you have blackmail on anyone."
"Oh, you wound me, Yuma." Jin clutched his heart as if he had been stuck. "I have been a member of Border long before it went public. Do you really think that I don't have anything on Rindo-san or Shinoda-san?"
"Well," Yuma drawled mockingly. "Since you aren't sharing, no, I don't think you do."
Jin huffed. He sat up, grabbed the octopus and launched it at Yuma's head. His friend just laughed and caught it out of the air. "If I say I have blackmail to you, Yuma, then you know I have it. If I didn't, your side effect would have gone off."
Yuma grinned, dropping his octopus onto the desk. "Sure, but I want to hear it. Come on, Jin-san, it's only me here. I'm like the best secret keeper around."
That got a snort from Jin. "Didn't you let it slip to everyone that an assassin attacked you when you were eleven a few months ago?"
Yuma whined. "That wasn't my fault! I was literally falling to pieces! It was easier to just tell everyone why my body was breaking then hiding away while waiting for you all to fix it." Back then, considering he didn't know if he was would survive the Mimic attack or not, Yuma chose to walk around HQ and tell his friends why his body was full of cracks. Since he thought he was going to die because of his father, he wanted to spend time with his friends before it happened so he told them the truth. He regretted it after the fact when he survived the ordeal since it now meant that everyone knew about his health condition, but there was no going back. He made his choice and he had to live with it.
"And how many people have you told about being a Neighbor?" Jin countered.
Yuma paused as he met Jin's stare head on. The two agents stared at each other in silence as they each tried to get a read on each other. "Who did you talk to?"
"See, that tells me something happened." Jin said, grinning. "I know you told Shun and Kako-san and Azuma-san found out around the same time Shun did."
Well, 'found out' was not the phase that Yuma would use with Shun. Yuma told Shun because he trusted his friend and just needed to get it off his chest when he was in a very miserable state of mind from his dad being back as an enemy. Kako and Azuma, from what Yuma understood of the situation, were just able to deduce what it was from everything that happened.
"So, what happened, Yuma? The way you responded tells me someone else knows."
Yuma leaned back in his chair, smiling softly. "I told Kage-senpai and Murakami-senpai today. I just felt that I needed to get it off my chest before I left tomorrow." He admitted as he knew that Jin needed to be in the know of everyone who knew the secret.
"A good pair to tell." Jin said. "But, you do know this is supposed to be a secret, right?"
Yuma's smile turned sheepish. "I know, but I just feel like I can trust my friends with this."
"Well, it's worked out so far for you, but I don't know if you'll keep getting lucky with your friends if you keep going around telling people so perhaps try not to tell anyone else, okay?" Jin suggested. "This is really becoming the worst kept secret at Border."
Yuma laughed lightly. He rolled his hand over on his desk, staring at his Black Trigger. His secret really was a horribly kept secret among the top agents of Border. For some reason, they, except for Miwa squad, just felt so much more accepting of Neighbors than the lower ranked squads. Or maybe it was just him they were accepting of because he gave so much help and loyalty to Border over the past few months.
He wondered what Replica would think of all of this. Back when he first joined Border, he demanded Yuma's protection from Border agents when he joined. He refused to give any information to Border until Kido gave it. It got Yuma wondering what Kido would do if his secret got out and people hated him for it.
Actually, maybe...
"Hey, Jin-san," Yuma turned his chair back around, but his question froze on his tongue when he noticed Jin had fallen asleep on his bed. He rolled his eyes and turned back to his desk. "You should have gone to bed if you were tired. I didn't need you to keep me company."
Only silence replied Yuma since Jin was no longer awake to respond to him. That was alright. Yuma didn't need Jin to answer his question. It wasn't all that important as it was just a spur of the moment thought. Jin deserved the chance to have a good night's rest. Although, what did that mean for Yuma? This was his room and with Jin falling asleep in here, it meant that he couldn't' do anything that would make noise since he didn't want to wake his friend up.
It was too bad. He had been enjoying his talk with Jin too, but he wouldn't wake him up just because of that.
He wished he could talk to someone though.
Replica was always good for that. Since he was a Trion Soldier, he didn't need to sleep. He just needed to rest in Yuma's Trigger to recover Trion, but they could still talk while he did that. He was someone who could always keep Yuma company when everyone else had to sleep. It was something he was used to, and when he lost Replica, he had to develop a new normal for him at night.
And some nights, it was way too quiet.
Yuma sighed. He wished that Kinuta and Michael had gotten Replica fixed before he had to leave tomorrow. It would have brought him some form of comfort to have Replica at his side when he had to leave and while he was going through the surgery. Knowing Replica was there would have given Yuma a semblance of safety that someone he trusted was there watching over him while he was unconscious.
But Jin was convinced the Galopoula people truly wanted an alliance and wouldn't betray them. He believed his side effect that was telling him that, and Jin was someone that Yuma trusted so he should and would trust his judgement here.
*L*S*A*
"Today's a big day." Taichi declared, punching his fist into his palm.
"How so?" Kuruma asked.
Taichi grinned. "It's our first round of the new Rank War season in the top tier." Their team constantly made it into the top tier at least once every B-Rank War season. The problem was that they could never keep themselves in the top tier. They usually fell back to mid-tier by the end of the Rank War. At some point, they had to make it to top tier and keep their spot there by the end of the season. "And one of our opponents is taking a leave of absence starting today. It's one less tough guy to worry about."
"You always take things one step too far, Taichi." Kon scolded.
"I'm not celebrating the fact that Kuga-kun needs to take a break from Border because of his failing health." Taichi protested. "I'm just glad I'm not going to get hunted by the sniper killer."
Murakami snorted. "Sniper killer? Does Kuga have a reputation I don't know about?"
"You saw what he did to poor Akane-chan last season!" Taichi cried.
"Like he's the villain or something?" Murakami snickered. He highly doubted any sniper was offended when they got closed in on and killed, but it was hilarious to think that they had particular Attackers they were more wary of then others. "What other Attackers do you fear?"
"Do shooters count? Because Ninomiya-san is definitely up there." Taichi said.
"Everyone should fear him." Kuruma joined in.
"Azuma-san is also terrifying." Taichi added. "And definitely Nasu-san."
"So basically, you're scared of all top ranked agents." Kon said amused.
"They all have a level of intensity to them that makes the air suffocating around them."
Murakami pointed at himself. "Do I not have that?"
"You do, but you're my teammate so I have full trust in you." Taichi replied. "There's nothing to fear from someone who isn't going to try to kill me in a match."
Kuruma laughed for a moment before he turned serious and turned to Murakami. "On a more serious note, how were things with Kuga-kun and Kage-kun yesterday? You didn't say anything when you got back."
"It actually all went better than I thought it would." Murakami said, trying to keep the conversation as neutral as possible. Yuma revealed his secret to him, but that did not mean he had free reign to share it with his team. He would respect Yuma's trust in him and keep it between them. "He'll be leaving during the day matches of the Rank Wars so I won't have time to see him before he leaves."
"Oh, that sucks. His team will be busy with the match too so they can't see him off." Kon said.
Murakami had no proof, but he had a feeling that it was done on purpose by Tamakoma. They wanted to get Yuma through a Gate to the Neighborhood while most of the agents were distracted with the Rank Wars. They didn't want anyone to come see Yuma off when they needed to sneak him off. Although, Murakami didn't know how they planned to cover for Yuma having a surgery that got him back to his real body without anyone realizing he went to the Neighborhood for it.
"I doubt Kuga wants a big fanfare about his departure anyway." Murakami replied. "Besides, he'll be back eventually and back to his normal routine of being a nuisance in the Rank Wars before we can get too used to him being gone."
Taichi groaned. "The White Nightmare will haunt us forever it seems."
"Taichi, seriously." Kon sighed. "Can you at least be happy Kuga-kun has found a way that might save his life?"
"I'm thrilled he found a surgery that could possibly help him. I'm not thrilled he'll be back to cutting my head off before I get a chance to relax at him being gone for a few rounds." Taichi replied.
"He never cut your head off though." Kuruma said.
"But we all know he likes cutting heads off!" Taichi argued. "By the end of the last Rank War season, it like became his signature move!"
Murakami blinked and took a moment to pause as he thought about the Rank Wars he studied when he was getting prepared for the new season. "Come to think of it, he really did start chopping heads off. It wasn't every opponent, but it was still more than you would expect."
"See?!"
"I'm sure Cronin-kun will make up for his partner while he is gone." Kon replied. "So, you can develop a healthy fear of him while Kuga-kun is gone."
"I already got a healthy fear of Cronin-kun." Taichi protested. Hyuse was the one who killed him the last time their teams faced off against each other. Both of the Attackers on Tamakoma-2 were a terrifying force to be reckoned with. He didn't think Tamakoma-2's strength would drop that much while Yuma was absent from the team. They had Hyuse, Osamu's strategies, and a cannon girl who was no longer scared to shoot people.
"Then take this seriously." Kon scolded. "Tamakoma-2 will be giving their all in this fight to show that they are still a force to be reckoned with even without Kuga-kun."
"That makes them even more terrifying." Taichi replied. They knew what Tamakoma-2 was like with Yuma and they knew what the squad was like with Yuma and Hyuse working together. Now, they had to face the determination of a squad to show they weren't someone that could be stepped on just because they lost one of their aces.
*L*S*A*
They had a match today. It would be their first match without Yuma. Tamakoma-2 had never fought in the Rank Wars without Yuma so this was going to be a challenge. It should be one that made Osamu nervous, but all of Osamu's nerves were currently focused on whether Yuma's surgery would be a success or not. There was nothing he could do for his friend except to see him off with a smile.
And by see him off, Osamu meant that Yuma was going to see his team off since they had to leave for HQ before it was time for Yuma to depart.
"You look like you're overthinking again."
Osamu blinked and refocused on Yuma who was bracing his weight on the counter as he munched on some strawberries. "And you look too relaxed for someone who agreed to do a surgery that he is nervous about."
Yuma shrugged as he examined the strawberries as he tried to find the best one. "I agreed to try it and I'm leaving today. At this point, it's all out of my hands. I'm still nervous, but there's nothing I can do now. All I can do is accept whatever comes."
"That's a stark difference from the other day." Osamu said surprised.
"Maybe," Yuma agreed. "It's not like my thoughts on the surgery's low success have changed. It's just when Jin-san told me of the surgery and how it had a high failure rate, I got scared and fell into a depression that I was going to lose everything in a few weeks. That party the other day reminded me of everyone I have in my life. I'm fighting for life by doing this, but I'm also fighting for them. To be able to spend more time with everyone."
Osamu stared at his friend as he tossed another strawberry in his mouth.
"So, he'll be awake for his birthday." Osamu asked to confirm.
Jin smiled. "Yeah, do me one more favor, Osamu. I know you want Yuma to do the surgery, but don't mention it to him tomorrow, okay?"
"Because it will stress him out?" Osamu asked.
Jin nodded. "Just let tomorrow be about his birthday and having fun." He pushed off the wall and clapped Osamu on the shoulder as he walked down the hall to return to Yuma's room. "The rest can come later."
Osamu leaned across the counter and plucked a strawberry out of the bowl for himself.
"If I leave, you and Chika might die in a flash." Yuma said, staring up at the stars. He turned to cast his friend a smile. "And forming a team sounds fun too."
It was always about having fun with Yuma. Osamu should have realized sooner. They were so busy trying to push Yuma towards the surgery, that they forgot what Yuma really needed. Yuma had been ready to run from this world until Osamu asked for his help and it was something that Yuma thought would be fun to do while making sure his new friends didn't get killed in the process.
At some point, Jin had remembered that fact and pushed them to make Yuma's birthday party as fun as possible. When Yuma was having fun, he was more likely to put all the effort into making sure he could continue to have a fun time.
"A few days ago, Yuma hadn't passed out in a rank war." Hyuse added as he walked behind Yuma to get some juice. "His tone about the surgery changed real quick after that."
Yuma's brow twitched. That was not the reason why he changed his mind.
"Where's Jin?" Konami asked, joining Osamu and Yuma at the breakfast counter and snagging a strawberry from Yuma's bowl. "He's usually awake by now."
"He fell asleep in my room last night. I don't have an alarm set so he's probably sleeping in." Yuma replied.
Konami munched happily on her strawberry, nodding along to what Yuma was saying. "Good. He works too hard."
Yuma snorted. "Not like he's the only one. I've seen the type of workaholics you can all be."
"Excuse me?"
Yuma leveled a stare at her. "During any type of invasion that lasts a long time, you all go into overtime and forget what self-care is." He snorted and picked another strawberry. "There's not even an invasion happening anytime soon, and he is still overworking himself." He tossed the strawberry in his mouth. "Or worrying too much."
Hyuse shoulder checked Yuma as he joined them at the counter. "Like you. You can act nonchalant all you like, but it doesn't change the fact that you are scared about the surgery."
Since Hyuse wanted to invade his personal space, Yuma would return the favor and stomped on his foot. He ignored Hyuse's hiss of pain and ducked under his swipe at his head.
"I wish we could go with you." Chika said, completely ignoring the show of violence Hyuse and Yuma were displaying with each other. She saw it as their way of showing comradeship between them so she typically didn't acknowledge it.
That was something Yuma would have liked as well. It would have made leaving the surgery much easier to deal with. It would have made agreeing to the surgery easier if he could have his team by his side and watching over him while he dealt with this. Alas, it wasn't an option so there was no use in dwelling on it. "If you did that, then our team would drop so far in the rankings since none of us would be here to participate." Yuma said instead. "I expect you guys to keep winning while I'm gone.
"Of course." Hyuse replied immediately, holding out his fist. "Who do you take us for?"
Yuma smirked and bumped Hyuse's fist with his own.
His Neighbor teammates were so confident. Osamu wished that he could feel the same confidence about their team staying up in the ranks after losing a teammate. It wasn't that he wanted to doubt his team's strength. It was simply the point that he knew about other teams that struggled in the Rank Wars after losing members like Nasu squad and Yuba squad did.
Losing one member with no time to prepare new strategies was going to make it a struggle for them to in the Rank Wars. It wasn't the same as last season when they started as a three man squad. Back then, they were starting at the bottom of B-Rank and learning as they rose through the ranks. This time, they were going up against the best of B-Rank while losing a teammate.
Osamu had a feeling that even if the other teams felt sympathetic about Yuma having to drop out of the Rank Wars and they knew the stress that would put on Tamakoma, that didn't mean the other teams were going to go easy on them. In fact, Osamu could see his team getting targeted hard as the other teams exploited the sudden hole in his team's formation.
"Good luck with the match today." Yuma said.
Konami dropped an arm around Yuma's shoulders and brought him in for a side hug. "And you be safe. I can't wait to be kicking your butt when you return."
"You can try." Yuma retorted.
A knock on the counter drew their attention to the other end where Reiji was.
"I hate to interrupt, but we have to go." Reiji said, looking over at Tamakoma-2. "I know you want to spend more time together, but you all slept in late. If you want to make it in time for your match, we have to leave now. I'll give you all a ride."
Osamu sighed. Right, they had stayed up late last night to have a movie marathon together. They had wanted to spend more time with Yuma before he had to leave so they stayed up late, but they had to sleep eventually since they needed to be ready for their match today.
"Thank you for the offer, Reiji-san." Osamu said politely before he turned back to Yuma. "I hope your surgery goes well, Kuga. Your spot on the team will be waiting for you to return."
Yuma smiled and lifted his fist, which got a smile from Osamu as he bumped the side of his fist on top of Yuma's. "It better be, Osamu. I can't wait to jump back in."
Chika came up to Yuma next, but instead of giving him a fist bump like Hyuse and Osamu, she chose to hug him instead. "I'm praying for your safe return, Yuma-kun."
Yuma was surprised for a moment at how forward Chika was being with the hug, but it only took him a second to recover and he was hugging her tightly back. "I know you will do amazing in the Rank Wars. I'll be waiting to hear about them when I come back."
Chika pulled back from Yuma so he could see her smile. "We'll have so much to tell you when you come back. I know you'll be busy with your surgery, but I'm sure you'll have stories to tell us too when you return."
Yuma smiled and gripped Chika's hand lightly for a moment before he released it and stepped back to break their hug completely. As much as he wanted to enjoy the warmth of his team, they had to go their own way and he had to go his.
"Don't forget me!" Shiori suddenly latched onto Yuma from behind, hugging him tightly. "I got a little something for you before you leave, Yuma-kun."
"Oh?" Yuma asked intrigued.
Shiori reached down from her hug to grab Yuma's hand and slipped it in his hand. "Since Replica isn't repaired yet and we have a couple of these lying around, you can take this one with you."
Yuma looked down to see what Shiori put in his hand and was surprised to see a mini Replica.
"We can't go with you and Replica can't either since he's still broken, so take Mini Replica with you. I know he can't do anything since he's not working, but I hope it gives you a form of comfort, Yuma-kun. Let it remind you that even if we aren't in Galopoula with you, we're still with you in spirit." Shiori explained. "You can beat this surgery."
Yuma stared down at his mini Replica. Their mini Replicas had been handed over to R&D so they could study them as it would help them in understanding how to repair Replica. It's not that Yuma had forgotten that they existed. It was just because he trusted Kinuta and Michael to handle them respectfully as they worked on repairing Replica. However, there was more than one mini Replica as Replica had made a few during Aftokrator's invasion.
"Thanks, Shiori-chan." Yuma slipped it in his pocket, brushing his finger softly over it in his pocket.
"Of course." Shiori suddenly kissed Yuma's cheek, surprising the boy. "Good luck with your surgery, Yuma-kun, and thank you for all the help you've given us. You've saved us so many times."
Yuma blinked in surprise, but let a smile tug at his lips as he liked the affection that his teammates were willing to show to him.
"Yuma, be sure to stay safe." Reiji reached across the counter and ruffled Yuma's hair as he knew Yuma enjoyed that type of show of affection. "Galopoula may have agreed to help you, but that doesn't mean to let you guard down."
"Got it, Reiji-san." Yuma replied.
Despite saying all his goodbyes with his team in the kitchen, Yuma still found himself standing out on the bridge to see them off with a smile and a wave. Even as his team climbed into the jeep and waved him off as Reiji drove off, Yuma stood there until he could no longer see the jeep in the distance.
Hyuse was right.
Yuma could act as nonchalant as he wanted to.
It didn't take away the feeling of longing as he wished he was going to HQ with his team to fight in the Rank War with them all.
Seeing them drive off like this, it felt like the fears he had the past few days of being left behind by everyone was coming true.
"Good job."
Yuma blinked in surprise as a hand fell into his hair and threaded through his locks.
"It's best to always see people off with a smile." Jin continued, catching Yuma's eyes and shooting the kid a smile of his own to make up for the one that had fallen off Yuma's face when the jeep vanished from sight. "I know you wish you could be going with them, but don't forget, this is only temporary, Yuma. You'll be back and running off to HQ as much as you like before you know it."
Yuma clenched his hands into fists. He hoped that Jin was right and he would be coming back. Everyone, even Yuma, was speaking of the future in such a positive light as if Yuma wouldn't be gone for long or even forever. He understood why all of them were talking this way. It was their way of hoping that everything would work out positively for them.
Yuma had accepted that ideology after the party the other night and so he was speaking the same way.
He had accepted their hope into his heart.
But it didn't make the fear of the surgery failing going away.
"Come on. Let's go back inside. We still have a little bit before we have to leave." Jin pushed Yuma towards the door. "Is everything ready for you to go, Yuma?"
"Mm-hmm. Hey, Jin-san." Yuma stalled on the entrance of the building so he could look back at Jin. "Has your prediction changed?"
Jin's expression softened, hands coming down to give Yuma's shoulders a comforting grip. "No, Yuma. There is nothing we can do to change what I saw." He hated how Yuma's expression fell, but there was no use in giving Yuma a false hope of the future changing. "But don't let that discourage you. Twenty percent chance of success is still so much better than the zero percent of survival you have if you don't do the surgery." He gave his friend a small shove towards the stairs. "We have a few minutes before we have to leave, but go ahead and bring your stuff down here."
*L*S*A*
"We're lucked out by having an evening match today." Kumagai said, stretching her arms above her head. It was the only lucky break they had right now since their new sniper was still working her way up through C-Rank. They would have to hold out in the Rank Wars until she could join them.
Nasu smiled at her friend. "The festival at Tamakoma was fun, but it sure took up a long of our training time." It took so much time that after their team training yesterday, Kumagai had slept over last night so they could talk strategy late into the night with Sayoko.
Kumagai laughed. "If I didn't know Kuga-kun was leaving today, I would say Tamakoma planned that festival to distract all of us and keep us from preparing for the Rank Wars."
"Tamakoma-2 is a cunning team, but they don't sabotage their opponents." Nasu said, but she did laugh alongside Kumagai. "Besides, there was no mention of Kuga-kun leaving at the party. Did we participate in a farewell party without realizing it?"
"When is Kuga-kun leaving?" Sayoko's voice came over the laptop that was set up. "I know it's today, but do you know when?"
"Nope, he just said he would leave today." Kumagai replied. "Why? Do you miss your former teammate?"
Sayoko huffed, taking the teasing with grace. She didn't handle being around boys well, but it was slightly easier with boys younger than her. Yuma was only a year younger than her, but his childlike appearance made him look younger so it was easier for her to be with him. Since they worked closely together on the away mission exam, it had helped her a little bit to get used to people outside her team that weren't girls.
"I want his surgery to succeed." Sayoko declared.
For her operator who was nervous around boys to declare that so boldly, Nasu couldn't help but smile. None of them wanted to see Yuma die. Maybe they weren't close friends with Tamakoma-2, but they were allies and they understood how it felt to say goodbye to a teammate. Granted, their teammate only left the city and wasn't close to dying, but the feelings of having to say sayonara were there.
"Then we should let him know that." Nasu decided.
"Hmm?" Kumagai looked at her captain, wondering what she was thinking.
*L*S*A*
All Yuma had packed was a single duffle bag. There was no way to tell if it would be enough since he didn't know how long he would be gone. There was the time it would take to travel to Galopoula, plus the surgery and recovery time on top of that and then traveling back to Japan if everything went well.
Based on all of that which had to happen, Yuma could safely assume he wouldn't be back for the B-Rank War season. He was officially out of the tournament this season.
Yuma stopped by at his desk to look at the card that Yotaro had made and everyone else signed. Shiori gave him mini Replica as a reminder that he wasn't alone, but this card worked just as well. He flipped the card open. His finger brushed over all the unique, colorful signatures.
With a smile, Yuma slipped the card inside his duffel bag. As he did so, he found himself pausing when he found a certain pair of stuffed animals shoved in his bag that he knows he did not put there himself.
His stuffed cougar and octopus.
Yuma glanced towards his bed to see that they were indeed missing from his bed. He rolled his eyes fondly as he realized that Jin had been messing with his bag before he came downstairs. He huffed in amusement, but zipped the bag shut, leaving the toys in there since Jin went to so much effort to pack them for him.
Shouldering his bag, Yuma started towards his bedroom door, but paused for a moment before he was backtracking to his desk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and Border Trigger. The Border Trigger given to him when he made it to B-Rank and the phone given to him by Rindo so there was a way to contact him after he lost Replica.
The phone was going to be useless to him while in the Neighborhood. He wouldn't be able to use it for anything. It would just be something for him to lose.
He slapped the phone on the desk.
His Border Trigger wouldn't get any use in the Neighborhood since he would be laid up in a hospital bed. If something did happen and he needed to fight, he would be using his Black Trigger anyway. Besides, it also kept his Border Trigger away from Galopoula. He realized that the point of Galopoula doing the surgery was to pay Border back to put them on equal footing to start their alliance, but that didn't mean Yuma was trusting enough to let them have access to his Border Trigger while he was unconscious. It was already annoying enough that they were going to get access to his Black Trigger.
He dropped the Trigger onto his desk next to his phone.
Yuma turned to walk away from his desk. The Border Trigger was just a normal Trigger so by far his Black Trigger was far superior. It should mean nothing to Yuma to leave it behind. It was just another Trigger. It shouldn't mean anything.
And yet, leaving it behind made it feel like Yuma was fully abandoning Border. In his heart, he knew that as long as the surgery was a success, his leaving was only temporary, but...
Yuma's hand froze on his light switch as he had been about to turn the light off to leave the room and head back downstairs when he heard a vibrating. He glanced back into his room to look at his phone. It could be someone texting him or it could just be one of his group chats he was in.
Yuma's feet were frozen to the floor. He should just leave. Whatever was on his phone no longer mattered to him because he needed to leave. He would be gone from this world in an hour. Whatever the agents were discussing wasn't important to him personally.
The phone vibrated again.
And then again in quick succession.
It didn't concern Yuma.
Yuma's bag hit the floor.
Yuma was at his desk before he realized it and he was snatching up his phone.
Attackers Group Chat:
Kumagai: Picture attached
Yuma stared at the picture of Nasu and Kumagai with a laptop in the middle of them with Sayoko's chibi image on the screen. They were grinning and giving thumbs up. On the screen below Sayoko's picture was a banner saying 'Good luck!"
Futaba: From Kako-san: "I'll be waiting to steal you for my team when you get back." Picture attached
Kako was in the middle of the frame, with an arm around Futaba in front of her while An and Mai stood on either side of her. Futaba was the only one not smiling in the picture, but she was giving the camera a peace sign.
Arashiyama: We're rooting for you, Yuma. Picture attached
Arashiyama squad was clearly outside as they were on defense duty, but they still took the moment to snap a picture. They were all smiling, though Kitora's was smaller and more subtle, and Ken had his egret thrown up on his shoulder, but their thumbs up were very clear as they cheered him on for his surgery.
Yuma blinked in surprise as he saw he didn't reach the end of the group chat messages. He only heard his phone vibrate three times before he grabbed it so people must have kept messaging after he opened it.
Kageura: Get your ass back here quickly. You still owe me a revenge match. Picture attached
A picture of Kaguera and his team appeared with the message. They weren't grinning like some of the other squads, but the meaning was there as it seemed Zoe took the picture as he was in the corner of it and looked like the other members didn't know he was taking the picture.
Yoneya: Better come back soon, Kuga! You owe all of us rank wars. Picture attached
Yoneya, Shun, and Izumi were grinning at the camera, all of them giving peace signs. Yuma could make out the solo rank war room behind them and felt his heart clench in longing. He wished so much that he could go to HQ and fight in the B-Rank Wars and fight solo rank wars again.
Obishima: Get well soon, Kuga-senpai. I'll be sure to train hard to show you something impressive when you return. Picture attached
Obishima's picture was of her squad inside her squad operation's room. She was leaning in the picture from an angle as she took the selfie. Tonooka and Fujimaru were sitting at the table, both looking up to smile at the camera while Yuba stood at the head of the table, looking as stern as ever.
Obishima: Yuba-san says to return soon. He wants to kick your ass in a rank war. His words, not mine, Kuga-senpai.
Ikoma: Don't think you leaving temporarily will make me forget my revenge!
Minamisawa: Picture attached
A picture of the entire Ikoma squad in their room came through Yuma's phone, but what really drew Yuma's attention was the big banner they held that read "Get well soon!" Yuma blinked before a laugh started to bubble up inside of him. Where did they even get a banner on such short notice?
Murakami: Better be prepared, Kuga. You're going to have a lot to catch up on when you return. Picture attached
Suzunari-1 were smiling at the camera, all giving a peace sign to Yuma.
Kakizaki: We'll be waiting for your safe return, Kuga. Picture attached
Kakizaki's team were all crowded together with their arms thrown around each other's shoulders and grinning at the camera.
Arafune: Be prepared to suffer currency lessons when you return, Kuga. Picture attached
Arafune had taken a picture of his squad in their operations' room. They looked to be getting ready for their match, but they paused to give smiles and thumbs up to the camera.
Tachikawa: Come back soon, Chibi. I still owe you a sixteen-round beating. Picture attached
The picture was taken by Kunichika. She and Yuiga were grinning with a game on the tv paused behind them. Tachikawa sat on the couch behind them, one hand on a game controller with another one sitting abandoned by Kunichika next to him. He gave a peace sign to the camera, wearing his usual cocky smile.
Oji: Be prepared to fight for to get your team's top rank back when you come back, Cougar. Picture attached
Oji's team was clearly in their squad operation's room as they were getting their final preparations ready for their rank war against Tamakoma-2 and Suzunari-1. Still, they all gave the camera their full attention for the picture as they wished Yuma good luck. Kittaka was holding up a piece of paper with "Good luck" written on it with a quick sketch of Yuma with black hair drawn below it.
Utagawa: Kazama-san says you only get your rank war with him if you survive the surgery. Picture attached
Utagawa's picture looked to be taken in a training room. Kikuchihara stood behind him looking bored, but he was still giving a thumb's up to the camera. Behind both of them, Kazama had one of his Scorpion blades resting on his shoulder as he paused in training to give his team and the camera his attention.
Kikuchihara: Don't die, Kuga.
Utagawa: Once again, you take it one step too far. I'm sorry about him, Kuga.
Cronin: Don't listen to Oji. He's not going to surpass us just because you're gone. Picture attached
His team. The last to come through was his team inside the jeep. Shiori was in the side of picture as she took it, but she was grinning and had a peace sign held up. Behind her peace sign was Osamu and Chika grinning and giving the same sign. Hyuse was half turned to the camera with crossed arms, but he had one of his hands raised a bit to show his own peace sign. In the corner , behind Shiori, was Reiji who was driving. He glanced at the camera to smile as well.
Yuma blinked and blinked again.
Launching himself through the air, a grin formed on Yuma's face as the wind whipped around him before he landed on a branch that he then jumped from again. As he was soaring through the air, a shadow moved in the corner of his eyes. Before he could even turn to look, a pair of strong arms were wrapping around his torso to pull him back and hold him to the other's chest.
A surprised gasp escaped him but before he could pull out his daggers, a deep voice murmured in his ears, "What kind of mischief did you get up to this time?"
The familiar voice had Yuma going limp, allowing Yugo to hold up all his weight as he pouted. "Why do you always think I'm up to something?"
"Because you have a penchant for finding trouble." Yugo replied as he jumped through the forest, carrying his young son.
"Yeah, it finds me. I don't go looking for it." Yuma whined. At his father's disbelieving snort, Yuma scowled. "It's true! I just got bored while you were talking to that old man. I was just exploring."
Yugo sighed, jumping down from the trees to land in the clearing below and deposited his son on the ground. "Instead of running off to explore all the time, you could instead try to make friends."
"Why?" Yuma asked confused, blinking up at his father with a frown. "In a couple weeks, we'll be leaving this nation and I'll never see them again. There's no point in trying to play nice."
"Just because you haven't seen them in a long time, it doesn't diminish that time you spent together." Yugo looked up at the canopy of trees above them, smiling fondly. "All the friends I made over the years are still with me, no matter the distance between us. We may not see each other for a long time, but there is no denying the bond we share. If they need my help, I'll be there for them as they'll be there to help me if I ever need it. You should never look down on making those connections when you can, Yuma. Being alone all the time isn't going to be fun. These friends you make will be the allies you rely on when things get difficult."
Something warm was falling down Yuma's cheeks. He scrolled up through the messages to find Kumagai's again and just went through every picture that had been sent through.
And more and more kept coming through.
Pictures.
Messages.
Well wishes.
A life that Yuma so desperately wanted to stay a part of.
"I thought you were all packed and ready to go. What's taking so long?" Jin asked.
Yuma snapped out of his thoughts and slammed his phone onto his desk. "Jin-san." He rubbed desperately at his face to erase the evidence.
"Yuma?"
"Nothing." Yuma scooped up his bag off the floor, keeping his face ducked as he scurried past Jin. "It's nothing. Let's go."
Jin watched Yuma run downstairs and looked back into the room, staring in confusion at his friend's desk where he left his Trigger and phone behind.
He flipped the light off for Yuma.
*L*S*A*
It was so stupid to get so emotional over this.
"Just because you haven't seen them in a long time, it doesn't diminish that time you spent together." Yugo looked up at the canopy of trees above them, smiling fondly. "All the friends I made over the years are still with me, no matter the distance between us."
Yuma scrubbed at his face. He never understood his father's words back then. As he got older and came to Border where he met the directors, he realized who his father was talking about, but it was never something Yuma really felt he had. He had Izukacha and Vittarno in Calvaria, but it didn't feel the same as what Yugo said since he spent three years with them. With Border, he only got a few months before he had to leave it all behind.
He so desperately wanted to keep this life he had been blessed with since coming to Japan.
POP! POP! POP!
Yuma blinked in surprise at the party poppers that went off in his face when he went back into the kitchen.
Konami, Karasuma, and Yotaro grinned at him.
"What are we celebrating?" Yuma asked confused. Usually, he only saw them using the party poppers when they were celebrating one of Tamakoma-2's wins or there was a birthday party going on. Neither of those things were occurring right now.
"Pre-celebration!" Konami threw her arms around Yuma and planted a kiss on his cheek like Shiori did earlier. "For a safe return, Yuma."
If Yuma could blush, he would. Since he couldn't, he just returned the hug to Konami. As he was hugging her, he felt something pull at his leg and looked down to see Yotaro hugging his leg. He released Konami so he could scoop the younger kid up into his arms. Though he released Konami, his mentor kept her around his shoulder to hug him from the side.
"You better come back, Yuma. Tamakoma needs you." Yotaro said.
"I'm going to do my best to come back." Yuma promised. He looked up at Konami and Karasuma. "Keep an eye on my team until I come back?"
"You don't even need to ask." Karasuma replied. He scooped a bag up off the counter and held it out to Yuma. "For you."
Yuma looked in the bag curiously. "And it is?"
"Some sushi for you to eat for lunch." Karasuma said. "I got it from my job for you yesterday. Eat it when you're on the away ship."
Yuma took the bag graciously. "Thank you."
"We'll be waiting for good news." Karasuma added.
Yuma smiled and nodded.
"Are we all good?" Jin asked, appearing behind the group. "It's time for us to leave, Yuma."
Yuma glanced over his shoulder to nod at Jin. "Okay." He put Yotaro back on the ground and pat his head and broke free of Konami's side hug. He stepped back from his friends and bowed slightly to them. "Thank you for your help, Konami-senpai, Torimaru-senpai. I appreciate everything you've done for me."
"Hey," Konami pulled at Yuma's cheek. "I don't like you talking like that."
"Politely?"
"Like you need to thank us cause you won't be coming back." Konami scolded.
"Isn't it just respectful to give thanks before someone leaves?" Yuma countered innocently. He made the mistake so many times of not showing his father his gratitude. He didn't give him gratitude when his father saved him in battle when he was a kid. He didn't get to express gratitude when his father gave up his life for Yuma. And when he met his father as a Mimic, he didn't get to tell him what was in his heart. He didn't get to tell him how he much he appreciated everything Yugo did for him.
Yuma wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Since when are you polite, you cheeky brat?" Konami scoffed, but the smile couldn't be wiped away. She ruffled Yuma's hair. "I'll teach you how not to be cheeky with me when you come back. Be prepared for some rough training when you return."
Yuma grinned. "I'll need it." He was going to be out of practice from being bed ridden for weeks. He was going to need all the help to get back into fighting form. Yuma scooped up his bag from the floor and swung it up on his shoulder. "Well, I'm off then."