Light Shines Anew
Chapter 19: Departure
Jin leaned his arm on the door handle, bracing his hand against his chin as he stared out the window at the passing scenery. He wasn't really seeing the scenery, but he also wasn't watching the windows of the future. He truly wasn't seeing anything right now. His mind was pretty checked out as Rindo drove the jeep to get them to their departure point. Yuma sat in the backseat, doing the same as Jin, just staring out of the window.
"Something on your mind, Yuma?" Rindo asked, glancing in the mirror to see his young agent briefly before he was focusing back on the road.
"Not really. Just taking in the sights." Yuma admitted. "I want to memorize everything before I leave." There was so much to see in the city that it felt like Yuma had barely scratched the surface of what was to find here, but more than that, he just wanted to remember his favorite spots.
His school.
His friends' houses.
Kageura's family restaurant.
The park.
The shrine.
The train station.
HQ.
Tamakoma branch.
He didn't want to forget where anything was before he came back. He already got lost so easily in HQ and anytime he spent a significant time away, he would forget how to navigate the base again. Yuma didn't want to forget how to navigate the city just because he would be gone for at least a few weeks.
Jin smiled at the reply, but didn't say anything as he was distracted with his phone vibrating. He looked at it to see a message in the Attackers Group Chat. Upon seeing the newest message, he chuckled. Knowing that Yuma abandoned his phone in his room, Jin twisted in his seat to face Yuma in the back and held his phone out for him to look at. "Yuma, look here."
Yuma dragged his eyes off the window.
Attackers Group Chat
Konami: Wishing your surgery to go well. Picture attached
Konami, Karasuma, Yotaro, Yuri, and Michael were all smooched together, grinning at the camera as they all held up peace signs with both of their hands, except for Karasuma who was taking the selfie.
Yuma's expression softened as he looked at the picture. It felt like everyone was trying to get a picture into the group chat to him before he had to leave. There were already so many squads that had sent a picture to him. Konami and the others didn't have to do that. He had said goodbye to them at the base, but it seemed like they wanted to get in on the action. Though, he didn't get to see Yuri and Michael before he left so maybe it was for them to get the chance.
"Oh," Jin grinned as he scrolled down on his phone and showed it Yuma again. "It seems they just keep coming."
Attackers Group Chat
Yoneya: Picture attached
Yuma blinked as he stared at the picture of Yoneya taking a selfie in his squad's operation room with his team behind them. Narasaka and Kodera looked like deer caught in the headlight at the sudden picture while Ren leaned against the front of her desk, smiling at the camera. Leaning against the side of the desk, with his back to the camera was Miwa, but it seemed he had turned his head to look at what Yoneya was doing which got his face in the picture.
Katagiri: Wishing you a speedy recovery, Kuga. Picture attached
Katagiri's squad was sitting around their squad operation's room.
Utagawa: Picture attached
The picture seemed to be taken in a squad's operation room. Utagawa himself wasn't in the picture, but Toma was grinning at the camera, giving a thumb's up to the camera while Fuyushima and Maki leaned on the desk behind them, but they were both giving smiles as well.
Utagawa: Toma wants to tell you that you better come back soon. He enjoys the peace we get when you calm Kageura-san down.
Kageura: Screw you too, Toma
Yuma's eyes slid shut. Why were they all so kind?
"They don't have to go out of their way to get pictures sent like that." Yuma muttered.
"Who are you to discount what they want to do?" Jin asked.
Yuma cracked his eyes opened to look at Jin, who had taken his phone back and was staring back out the window.
"It certainly doesn't help that you haven't replied to a single one of them." Jin added.
Yuma blinked.
Oh, he hadn't.
He had just gotten so overwhelmed by the amount of support pouring in from everyone that he couldn't think. When Jin showed up in his room, he just slammed his phone down and ran. He couldn't reply even if he wanted to now.
Jin looked back down at his phone and upon seeing the messages still pouring in, he smiled and tossed the phone back to Yuma. "The scenery will never change, Yuma. You can see it when you come back. Just watch that."
Yuma looked back down at the phone.
Futaba: Picture attached
Ninomiya squad seemed to be caught unaware of the picture being taken while Inukai was playing with Futaba's pigtails. Since Futaba was in the picture, it was likely Kako took her teammate's phone and snapped the picture while they were all distracted.
Midorikawa: We're waiting for your return, Yuma-senpai. My teammates are eager to fight against your team someday. Picture attached
Shun was in a picture with his team, their arms thrown over each others' shoulders, all grinning at the camera, except Kusakabe, who looked exasperated, but fond of her team.
Hisato: Picture attached
Suwa had dragged Katori squad into a picture with him. Katori looked ready to smash Suwa's face in for daring to do so.
Yuma snorted at the picture.
Arafune: Picture attached
This time, Arafune's picture was of the snipers' range. He had gathered a bunch of snipers that were apparently free as they didn't have a day match. In the center of it was Izuho, who had her arm thrown around Ema's neck as they were crouched in front of the older, taller snipers.
Arafune: Natsume says she'll be B-Rank by the time you get back so you better be ready to deal with her in Rank Wars.
Tachikawa: Picture attached
Tachikawa's picture was of Shinoda behind his desk, wearing a soft smile as he was seemingly interrupted in his work by his former student.
Tachikawa: Shinoda-san wishes you a safe trip and surgery, Chibi.
More and more pictures with messages kept flooding in. It was like any agents that didn't have a day match was running around the base and catching all the official agents to take pictures.
Did they really not have anything better to do?
Yuma gripped Jin's phone tightly on his lap as he forced his eyes to look away to look at the passing scenery outside. This was what he wanted to return to. A world of peace and fun. All Yuma's life he knew violence and war and distrust. He didn't think the world could ever be full of so much fun or that he would have so many people he was honored to call friends.
This was something he desperately wanted to latch onto.
Yuma knocked his head back against the headrest. He caught sight of Jin's hands moving in the front seat, but didn't know what he was doing. He didn't particularly care what the power elite was up to right now anyway.
"You know, Jin-san, you never cashed in your bet from the other night." Yuma said after a moment just to distract himself from the overwhelming emotions flooding through him as he glanced down at the phone and saw more and more messages coming through. Did they never run out of anything to say?
"Hmm?" Jin seemed distracted. "Oh, that. Don't worry about it, Yuma. I'll get my favor paid in full when you return."
That should have been something Yuma should have known from the moment Jin made the bet with him. This was how Jin was going to show his confidence that the surgery would work out. He would make sure Yuma knew that he was expecting Yuma to return to give him the favor he owed.
It should have been so obvious to Yuma what Jin had been planning.
Yuma felt like that was something he would have caught on if his head had been clearer and more focused this week.
The depression he felt for days blinded him to what he should have realized.
When Yuma looked back out the window, he saw that at some point Rindo had driven the jeep into the Restricted Zone and felt his breath hitch. This was it. There wasn't much time left before he would be plunging through a Gate once again.
*L*S*A*
"Welcome everyone to the B-Rank top tier match. My name is Mikami from Kazama squad and I'll be your announcer this morning." Mikami began the commentary. She motioned next to her. "Alongside me, I have Captain Azuma of Azuma squad and Izumi-san from Tachikawa squad."
"Thanks for having me." Azuma said.
"A pleasure to be here." Izumi added.
"Today is round two of the B-Rank Wars. We have Suzunari-1 squad vs Oji squad vs Tamakoma-2." Mikami continued. "What do you two think we can expect from this match?"
"Well, it's Suzunari's first match in the top tier of the season so you might think they would struggle to compete with Oji squad and Tamakoma-2, but that would only be true if this was last season. We are in a new season and an away mission was just finished. Murakami and Tamakoma-2 went on that mission and with that, they brought back battle experiences that Oji squad can't compete with." Azuma explained. "I believe it will give both squads an edge up in this match."
"On top of that, since Murakami had been on the away mission, Kuruma-san and Betsuyaku had to operate as a two-man squad while he was gone so they would have learned quite a bit on how to operate without their ace." Izumi added. "Oji squad didn't go through any significant changes so they'll be behind on new experiences like that."
Mikami nodded along to what they were saying. "That makes sense. Fighting against strong enemies or having to change battle formation is a great way for teams to improve as they learn different ways to fight."
"Speaking of changing battle formations, we should make note of the fact that Tamakoma's roster has changed." Azuma said, bringing attention to Tamakoma's agent list on the screen. "They changed from a four men squad to a three men squad. Since it was a recent change, Tamakoma will likely struggle to adjust."
"And Oji squad and Suzunari will be aware of that. They would be fools to not take advantage of the hole in Tamakoma's formation." Izumi said. They couldn't ignore the obvious lack of an agent in Tamakoma's roster. They had to make note of the change, but they didn't have to say why Tamakoma had a team change. It was none of the C-Ranks' business about what Tamakoma was doing. Though, considering Yuma collapsed in the middle of a Rank War the other day and now he was missing from his team, it was likely the C-Ranks would talk and ask questions. The official agents just didn't have to give them anything.
Azuma nodded in agreement. The only reason people wouldn't target Tamakoma would be if they felt bad about Yuma having to drop out of the B-Rank Wars and felt sympathy for Tamakoma-2. However, Azuma knew none of the teams would do that. It would be hugely disrespectful to Tamakoma-2 and to Yuma, who wouldn't want the pity for him or his team.
"Tamakoma-2 originally started as a three-men squad so they are switching back to their roots, but that doesn't mean it will be easy for them. They became a four-man squad to boost their strength." Azuma said. "Without Kuga, their strength will drop a good margin."
Izumi had no doubt that losing Yuma was a huge blow to Tamakoma-2, but this wasn't last season. Chika and Osamu were still green as fighters, but they had learned a lot last season and on the away mission. He was sure the team would be able to handle themselves without Yuma temporarily. "I'm sure Tamakoma is aware of that problem."
"Since Suzunari is the lowest ranked squad, they will have the right to choose the map today." Mikami said to continue the conversation.
*L*S*A*
Jin set a water bottle on the hood of the jeep between him and Yuma as they were both now sitting on the jeep's hood as they waited for the Gate to open. He cracked open his own water bottle and took a sip of the water, watching Yuma from the corner of his eye as his friend still held Jin's phone to look at the group chat. "You shouldn't have left your phone in your room."
"I have no use for it in the Neighborhood." Yuma dropped Jin's phone to let it rest on his leg so he could crack open the water bottle Jin gave him. "Jin-san."
"Uh-oh," Jin said in a teasing tone. "That's Yuma's serious face. Do you have to be so serious after everyone gave you such great well wishes?"
Yuma took a sip of his water, leveling Jin with an unimpressed stare over the bottle. "I want us to be realistic for a moment because we both understand the surgery has a higher chance of failing then succeeding."
"Because we've already talked that conversation to death, Yuma." Jin replied. "I know you're nervous about the surgery, but I think–"
"No," Yuma interrupted sharply. "Not that. This isn't about my feelings on the surgery." He lowered his water bottle and stared at it, but his eyes were actually drawn to his ring on his finger. The Black Trigger that was created by his father so many years ago. "If I die during the surgery, I want you to make sure to get my Black Trigger from Galopoula. I want Border to have it."
"Yuma," Jin grabbed Yuma's shoulder in a comforting grip. "When you go under for the surgery, I don't want you thinking about that. No negative thoughts like you're going to die. When you're on the operating table, I want you to think about all the fun times you're going to have when you come back."
"Jin-san," Yuma shrugged Jin's hands off his shoulder so he could turn to face his friend, eyes pleading for him to just listen. "Please. It's Oyaji's Black Trigger. He would want it to help Border."
"He wants it to protect his son." Jin argued.
Yuma shook his head. "If I'm dead, it does no good with me. Please, Jin-san, let us look at the very real possibility that I might die during the operation. Please, if it happens, get the ring back to Border."
Jin couldn't look away from those red eyes. Yuma's eyes were usually shining with a hardened intensity that came from being a war veteran. Right now, those weren't the wise, intense eyes of a soldier. They were the pleading eyes of a child who just wanted to protect his father's memento. How could he ignore that? "Alright, I promise if something happens to you, I'll make sure Border gets the Black Trigger as long as you make me a promise as well."
"Yeah?"
"When you're on the operating table about to go under, don't think about the surgery's high failure rate. Instead, I want you to think of everything that you're going to do when you come back home, okay?" Jin asked.
That was all? That was actually very...
"Oh." Yuma looked back down at the phone sitting on his lap. It was supposed to be a very easy thing. That was where his train of thought had been going, but that was a lie, wasn't it? If it was easy to think about all the things he would do after the surgery, he wouldn't have been struggling for the past few days to smile.
Yuma woke up Jin's phone to look at the message in the group chat again.
Natsume says she'll be B-Rank by the time you get back so you better be ready to deal with her in Rank Wars.
We're waiting for your return, Yuma-senpai. My teammates are eager to fight against your team someday.
Toma wants to tell you that you better come back soon. He enjoys the peace we get when you calm Kageura-san down.
Kazama-san says you only get your rank war with him if you survive the surgery.
Be prepared to fight for to get your team's top rank back when you come back, Cougar.
Come back soon, Chibi. I still owe you a sixteen-round beating.
Be prepared to suffer currency lessons when you return, Kuga.
Better be prepared, Kuga. You're going to have a lot to catch up on when you return.
Don't think you leaving temporarily will make me forget my revenge!
Yuba-san says to return soon. He wants to kick your ass in a rank war. His words, not mine, Kuga-senpai.
Better come back soon, Kuga! You owe all of us rank wars.
Get your ass back here quickly. You still owe me a revenge match.
From Kako-san: "I'll be waiting to steal you for my team when you get back."
"Even if you're not sure it will come, there's nothing wrong with speaking of the future." Yuma whispered.
Jin stared at his friend for a moment, considering his words carefully. "Of course not, Yuma. Speaking of the future tells you what you are fighting towards. When you only speak of the surgery failing and you dying, you forget what you want to fight for." He took his phone from Yuma's lap, smiling in amusement when Yuma's hand briefly followed his as if to snatch it back from Jin. Jin didn't relent though and slipped his phone back in his pocket, but he didn't leave Yuma with nothing as he swapped his phone with one that Yuma was much more familiar with.
"My phone?" Yuma said surprised.
Jin didn't reply immediately as he opened Yuma's phone, but he did shoot him a sly smile. "You really should set a password, Yuma."
"I don't want to hear that from you when yours doesn't have one either." Yuma retorted.
"I removed mine earlier so you could access it in the car." Jin argued good-naturedly. That's all he gave Yuma before his arm was suddenly wrapped around Yuma's shoulders so he could pull his friend into his side so their cheeks were pressed together. With his arm wrapped around Yuma, he held up a peace sign in front of Yuma and nudged his friend with his foot until Yuma followed suit and held up the same sign. It wasn't until he was grinning that Jin snapped the picture.
Once the picture was taken, Yuma pulled away from Jin, but didn't get far as Jin kept his arm around Yuma's shoulders. "Why did you take my phone out of my room?"
Jin didn't answer as he was opening the group chat on the phone. "What do you want to tell them all?"
"Jin-san."
"I know I'm amazing, Yuma, but that's not a good message to give all your friends after all their well-wishes." Jin scolded.
Yuma snorted, unable to help the amused smile at the jab.
"Come on, Yuma." Jin prodded, poking his friend in the side. "You don't want to leave them all on read before you leave, do you?"
Yuma scratched his cheek.
"I didn't get to tell my dad what I wanted him to know." Yuma admitted softly.
"And what was that?" Jin asked.
Yuma's fingers dug into the blanket under him, scrunching it up into his fist. "I never fully appreciated the help Dad gave me. I always just got annoyed when he interfered in my fights and told him I didn't need his help." He gave a humorless chuckle. "And in the end, I couldn't do anything but wait for Dad to come save me."
"Yuma..."
Yuma knocked his head against the wall again, closing his eyes to hide from the world. "I wanted to tell him thank you for everything. He deserved all the gratitude for what he has done for me, and I'm not just referring to him giving up his life for me. He has protected me, trained me, taught me how to survive and how to live and I just snubbed all that he did for me until it was too late."
He had waited too long to say what he want to should have said to his father, and because of that, he never got to say it. Yugo died before Yuma could find the words to show his gratitude. And then Yugo came back as a Mimic. Yuma tried to talk sense into his father, but it was hard to break through the programming. By the end, when he forced his father to make the choice between the Mimic programming and his son, he should have said it then, but once again the words slipped away from him.
Yuma didn't want to make that mistake again.
Attackers Group Chat:
Kuga: I'm off. Thank you for everything. You've all helped me more than you realize. Picture attached
Yuma lowered his phone to his lap, keeping his hands wrapped around it. He felt his phone vibrating like crazy in his hands, but didn't look down at it as he stared up at the blue sky.
"You okay, Yuma?" Rindo asked.
Yuma glanced over his shoulder at where Rindo was leaning against the jeep, smoking a cigarette. "Why?"
"You already look like you miss Japan and you haven't even left yet." Rindo said.
"I guess I do." Yuma said softly. He had only just come back from the away mission two weeks ago. He wasn't ready to leave again just yet. "I really enjoy how peaceful and relaxing it is here."
"It will still be here when you come back, Yuma."
Yuma's grip tightened on his phone. He really hoped he had the chance to see this world again.
*L*S*A*
"And the agents have transferred in!" Mikami said. "The chosen map is Industial Area, time of day, night. Agents Betsuyaku, Amatori, Mikumo, and Oji squad have all activated bagworms and are on the move. It seems all squads are moving to meet up."
"These three squads all prefer to meet up before attacking so it's not surprising. These teams work better when they have the support of their teammates." Azuma said.
"Well, except for Betsuyaku and Amatori. They seem to be moving on their own." Izumi said. "This map is horrible for snipers, but there are a few perches which will be good for them. They will want to get to them before the other does."
"What reason do you think Suzunari had for choosing this map?" Mikami asked.
"It's possible they simply wanted to give Amatori less lines of fire." Azuma replied. "However..."
"There is no way to stop Amatori. If you block her view, she will simply blow up the building so she can find you." Izumi finished with amusement breaking through his voice. Tamakoma was always such a fun team to watch fight because there was no telling what kind of crazy thing they would do next.
"Apart from that, the narrow alleys make this map good for mid-range combatants. It's possible Suzunari wants to drag their opponents into a brawl." Azuma suggested. "We saw last season how Suzunari has a new strategy of keeping their opponents at a distance with Kuruma's Full Attack while Murakami stays on the defensive. With Murakami's impeccable defense and Kuruma's Full Attack keeping opponents back, it's hard to break through."
"I see. They will be playing to their strengths, but this formation got broken through last season by Tamakoma." Mikami pointed out.
"Through a team effort that consisted of Cronin, Mikumo, and Kuga." Azuma pointed out. "Kuga isn't in this match so Tamakoma lost the support he was able to give that helped them break through it. There is a hole in Tamakoma's formation and Suzunari will take advantage of that."
*L*S*A*
An alarm suddenly started to blare.
"Gate activity warning! Gate activity warning! Attention citizens: Gate activity detected in the Restricted Zone! Take appropriate measures!"
"Oh," Jin raised a hand to his forehead to shield his eyes as he looked at the Gate opening in their area. "That's us." He took his phone out of his pocket and shot a quick text to Arashiyama to make sure his team knew to avoid the area as it was time.
Yuma's hand curled into fists on his lap. This was it. It was time. "Jin-san, before I leave, can I say one more thing to you?"
"You can tell me anything, Yuma."
Nodding, Yuma put his water bottle and phone on the hood of the jeep and jumped off. He spun on his heels to face Jin, not wanting to make the same mistake he did with his father. He bowed to his friend. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. Before I came here, I had basically given up on enjoying life. I had forgotten what it meant to have fun. You all changed my life for the better. If I had left Japan that night when I planned to, I don't think my life would have lasted long since I had lost all reason for living. You will forever have my gratitude for inviting me to join Tamakoma, Jin-san."
Jin stared in surprise at Yuma bowing low to him. It wasn't what he expected from his friend. He had been expressing so much gratitude to everyone today. Was it really just a fear of his that he wouldn't get to say it after this?
Jin jumped off the hood and grabbed Yuma by his hoodie. He yanked the surprised boy forward and hugged him tightly. "Be safe, Yuma."
Yuma blinked in surprise as he was dragged into a hug, but he did hug Jin back after a few moments as his shock wore off.
Jin rested a hand on Yuma's head as they hugged, but he was looking up as he saw Gatlin and Ratarykov had joined them in the Restricted Zone. "Hey, been a while." He greeted.
"Not too long. You called us last night." Ratarykov replied.
"Well, it's been a while since we've seen each other in person." Jin continued cheerfully.
Yuma loosened his hug on Jin so he could shift slightly to look over his shoulder to see the Galopoula Neighbors.
"Ah, you're Yuma Kuga." Ratarykov said.
"Hello again, Rata." Yuma greeted, pulling himself from Jin's hug. "Or would you prefer Prince Orkan?"
Rata approached the group so they could speak without having to talk too loudly. "Please just continue calling me Rata, Yuma."
With the Galopoula Neighbors being here, Rindo pushed off the jeep and snuffed out his cigarette before joining the group.
"Right on time, Rata, Gatlin." Rindo greeted. "Is the rest of your team here?"
"They're on the ship." Gatlin replied. "We thought it best to keep it small to come meet you."
Rindo smiled. "Of course. We felt the same. We told all squads to stay out of this area." It was partly because they wanted this to be a peaceful meeting so having too many people on either side might be seen as aggressive. Considering the help Border gave Galopoula, Rindo didn't see either side as being aggressive right now, but it always helped to play it safe since they hadn't formally signed an alliance treaty. Galopoula wanted to be free of their debt to Border before they did that which was why this was a tentative agreement.
The other reason to keep agents away from this area was because they didn't want it widely known that Yuma went to the Neighborhood for a surgery. It was the reason they chose an area where Arashiyama squad would be in charge of. They could easily work with the Shinoda faction to keep this under wraps.
Rata nodded and looked back at Yuma in consideration as he was interested. "That is truly amazing. I heard your father accomplished this."
"Yeah."
"He must have been an impressive man to be able to seal your real body away to keep you alive for five years." Gatlin said.
Yuma nodded, smiling softly as he looked at his ring. For all the pain and grief he felt over what happened, he could never discount how impressive it all was. It wasn't something that just anyone could do. It took a lot of power and a lot of knowledge and understanding of Triggers and Trion to pull it off.
"I have your guarantee you'll help him?" Jin asked.
Yuma's brows furrowed at the question. That was something that Jin said he already confirmed as Galopoula wanted to help them to get them on equal footing for the alliance.
"Of course. It's the least we owe you for helping to free us from Aftokrator's reign." Rata replied.
Ah, Yuma realized what it was. Jin told him that he trusted Galopoula, but he wanted Yuma to do the same so he was asking questions to make Yuma see that they were giving no lies. The thing was that Yuma trusted Jin when he said Galopoula wanted to repay their debt to Border before their alliance became official. That was never what caused Yuma to stall in agreeing to the surgery.
"I just didn't realize the one who needed help was Yuma." Rata added.
"Did Jin-san never say who needed the surgery?" Yuma asked surprised.
"He gave us the injuries you have and your situation, but that was it. I suppose he didn't want us to know who it was until you agreed to come with us." Rata explained.
Yuma raised a brow. That was weird, but Jin's actions always had a layer of confusion behind them.
"When we first met, I thought you were significantly younger than me." Rata admitted. "You really do look like a child."
"That's what happens when you're struck in an eleven-year old's body." Yuma replied.
Rata nodded, scanning Yuma up and down. "I suppose your real body is the same."
"Maybe? I haven't had access to it in years, but since all nutrients that I get from eating go to my body to keep it alive, I doubt it had anything left to let my body grow." Yuma said, frowning. "Is it a problem?"
"Surgeries are always trickier on kid bodies." Gatlin explained. "Because of how small they are."
Yuma felt himself frowning. He already felt nervous about the surgery. He did not need to know about all the problems could come through with this.
"Don't look so uneasy, Yuma. Our surgeons are the best there are. The surgeries are trickier on kids, but they are professionals. You can trust them to handle this." Rata said when he saw how Yuma's expression shifted. Normally, this surgery wasn't something life threatening since it was usually done as a way to install Trion prosthetics on those who lost limbs. There were complications to Yuma's surgery as they had to get his real body out of the Black Trigger and hopefully not have him die upon them immediately doing that. "We will need to know some medical information for the doctors before the surgery though."
"Uh, medical history?" Yuma repeated. He glanced over at Rindo. "I don't know anything about that. I've been like this for so long that I never had to worry about a medical history."
Rindo seemed prepared for this though as he slapped a file on the hood of the car. "I'm giving you Kuga-san's medical files and the notes we have from when Kinuta-san did tests on Yuma to study his situation. I'm not sure if you're need them, but since you're be in a different world, I want you to have everything at your disposal."
Rata nodded and took the files. "And Yuma, do you know your blood type? I imagine you're going to need a blood transfusion." He looked at Yuma again with a frown as he recalled the list of injuries he was given. "Or a few."
"I think it was type O." Yuma said. Blood wasn't something that Yuma had to worry about in a long time, so he never really thought about it.
"It is." Rindo confirmed as he had gotten all the information about Yuma, Yugo, and the Neighborhood that Replica possessed when Yuma joined Tamakoma. "Everything I got about Yuma's medical history is in the file, but it's not a lot. It's just basic information."
"Alright, that's good." Rata said. He stepped to the side and waved an arm out in the direction he and his partner came from. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah." Yuma snatched his duffel bag off the hood along with the food that Karasuma had given him. He swung the bag over his shoulder and then grabbed his water, but he didn't move just yet. He glanced towards the Galopoula Neighbors and then looked back at Rindo. This time, Yuma found himself bowing towards his boss. "Thank you, boss."
Rindo planted a hand on Yuma's shoulder. "No need for that, Yuma. It's my job to make sure my agents are looked after and have the best care available to them."
Yuma rose from his bow and shook his head. "Not for this, but thanks for finding me a surgery and getting it available to me. I just meant, thanks for accepting me into Tamakoma. I've had so much fun as one of your agents."
"And you'll continue to have fun." Rindo declared because he did not want to think about the possibility of his young charge dying in the surgery. It just wouldn't be fair to him. Kids shouldn't die so young. "We'll keep your room open for you."
Yuma smiled in appreciation. "Thanks." He stepped away from his boss, breaking the hold Rindo had on his shoulder. As he took another step away, his eyes drifted up to the clear blue sky as he wanted to take one last time to look at this as he didn't know when he would see it again. "Right." Taking a deep breath, Yuma turned and caught Rata's eyes and nodded. "We can go."
Rata smiled sympathetically.
"Yu-Ma." Jin said, dragging out his friend's name.
"Eh, what now?" Yuma glanced over his shoulder, blinking in confusion.
Jin snatched the phone Yuma abandoned on the jeep's hood and slapped it into Yuma's hand, leaving the younger agent to frown down at it.
"It's not going to let me contact you guys from over there." Yuma said confused. He left his phone in his room for the reason that it wouldn't do anything for him in the Neighborhood. He figured Jin just brought it with him so Yuma could send everyone a message before he left.
"No, but," Jin opened the gallery and showed that he had downloaded all the pictures from the Attackers Group Chat. "But these will always be available to you."
Yuma looked down at his phone, at the pictures that everyone had been sending him for the past hour. This must have been what Jin was doing in the car. He had been downloading the pictures because he planned to make sure Yuma took it with him. That Yuma would take all these memories with him.
And since it was a phone given to him by Border, it was powered by Trion which meant that it would never die on Yuma. He could look at these pictures as much as he wanted.
"Thank you, Jin-san." Yuma said, slipping the phone in his pocket. He smiled as Jin ruffled his hair one last time before he turned, and this time, no one stopped him as he approached Rata and Gatlin. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. It's not easy to leave home behind." Gatlin said.
Rindo pulled out another cigarette and lit it so he could take a drag from it as he watched Yuma walk away with Rata and Gatlin. This was it. Yuma was going to jump into their away ship and disappear into the Gate to head to their country.
It was for the best.
There was nothing Rindo or Border could do that would help Yuma. He needed more advanced help than what Border was capable of doing in this moment. Even with the information that Galopoula gave them about the surgery, it wasn't enough to replicate it. Yuma needed the skilled hands of the Galopoula doctors and engineers who knew what they were doing.
Rindo sighed and turned his eyes to watch the sky. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the Gate opening and not too long after that, it was closing once more. He felt the jeep shift slightly as he was leaning on it. He turned his head slightly to see that Jin had gone back to sitting on the jeep's hood with his phone in his hand.
"It feels too much like when Kuga-san left."
"Hmm?" Jin glanced up from his phone to see that his boss had gone back to looking at the sky. "How do you mean?"
"When he left to explore the Neighborhood, we never saw or heard from him until Yuma arrived baring the news of his father's death." Rindo took another drag of his cigarette. "Just feels like a bad omen to send Kugas to the Neighborhood alone."
Jin stared at his boss for a second before he shifted his attention to the spot where he had last seen Yuma. There was nothing there now as he was already long gone. There was nothing they could do to get him back now, not that Jin would try. This surgery was their last resort and they couldn't do anything to interfere with it. It was time for them to trust Galopoula to handle this.
"I have faith in Yuma's strength to beat the low odds." Jin said after a moment. "I will always bet on Yuma." He shot a grin towards his boss's back. "You saw how strong and stubborn Kugas are when Kuga-san came back as a Mimic. They're pretty hard to kill."
Rindo huffed in amusement. "Yeah, I suppose they are."
*L*S*A*
"You guys were quite daring to send your prince and captain to pick me up." Yuma said by way of greeting when he walked into the ship.
"It was a show of trust." Koskero said.
"Oh?"
"You're way too cheerful for a dying kid." Reghi said.
"And you're grumpy for someone who just got his freedom back." Yuma countered.
Reghi scoffed, but examined Yuma more closely. "Are you really a teenager? I really thought you were ten years old when we meet."
Yuma grinned. "I get that a lot."
"Trion bodies don't change. Of course he looks like a kid." Wen said.
Yuma watched the group curiously. He had only ever talked with Reghi and Rata before today and since he didn't take part in the fight with Galopoula, he was intrigued to see these people. He wasn't sure what they were like as people, but it would probably be a good idea to not cause any riffs. Even if they were doing this for the alliance with Border, they were still going out of their way for him. Galopoula wasn't exactly in range to Meeden right now so they had to make a trip for this. "Thanks for agreeing to help me."
"We're only transporting you to Galopoula. Be sure to express that gratitude to the doctors and engineers we have lined up to do your surgery." Rata said. "I contacted the hospital we're taking you to and got the best surgeons and engineers on the roster for this."
Yuma took an open seat. "That may be, but I know you went out of your way to get here to pick me up so that is to be appreciated as well."
"If it's so appreciated, you shouldn't have made us wait for days to pick you up." Reghi grumbled. "We've been hovering around Meeden for way too long."
Yuma wondered what exactly Jin and Rindo told them. He obviously told them to pick him up today, but he wondered if they had been in contact with Jin or Rindo during the past few days and knew that Yuma had been debating about whether to take the surgery or not. It didn't seem like they did, but they also weren't giving much away.
Well, that was fine.
Yuma wasn't going to give anything about Border away so they could keep stuff to themselves as well. It just meant since neither side wanted to discuss their military, they weren't going to have much to talk about.
*L*S*A*
"Jin-san texted." Karasuma glanced down at his phone, glancing away from the tv where it was showcasing the current match their students were in. "Yuma just left."
Konami clasped her hands tightly in front of her, keeping her eyes glued to the screen as she tried to pay attention to the match that was taking place. It was hard to pay attention when she knew that in this moment, Yuma was on his way to Galopoula for a surgery. For as much as they pushed Yuma for this surgery, it didn't mean Konami wasn't scared for her friend.
It was very possible that today was the last time they would get to see Yuma.
And they would be left in the dark about Yuma's condition for a few weeks.
"Konami!" Yotaro raised a hand towards Konami. "Yuma will be just fine."
Konami's brow twitched and she smacked his helmet. "Don't act like you're some prophet." After a moment, she sighed and dropped her hand to rest it on Yotaro's helmet. It wasn't that Yotaro was being a prophet. They just didn't tell him how low the success rate for Yuma's surgery was. They wanted to keep him from being too scared of Yuma dying. It was enough that in their own hearts, they all had those same worries.
For as much as they all said they were waiting for Yuma's safe return, it was just hope and prayers. It was so frustrating to not be able to fight their way to the future they wanted. Konami hated it when all she could do was sit around and wait for news because there was nothing she could do to help.
*L*S*A*
"Want some sushi?" Yuma offered when he saw Reghi staring at what he was eating.
"Sushi?" Reghi said confused.
Yuma nodded and pushed the container towards him. "It's a Japanese dish. Torimaru-senpai gave me this to snack on before I left."
Reghi looked at the dish curiously.
Yomi didn't seem to have any such reservations as he reached around Reghi and snatched a sushi roll from the container. He popped it into his mouth and went back to his work, or he would have if his face didn't twist and he was gagging. "What is burning?" He demanded.
Yuma laughed. "It's wasabi. It's a paste used as a condiment for sushi." He tossed another sushi roll into his mouth. "I like the burning taste."
"You're so weird." Yomi said, waving a hand over his tongue to try to cool it down. "Is this revenge for attacking you guys months ago?"
"Hmm?" Yuma raised a brow. "I'm not concerned about that. If I was Miwa, I would be trying to chop your head off, but I'm not him. So, I have no hard feeling towards you."
"You agents are so weird." Reghi muttered, taking one of the sushi rolls, ignoring Yomi who tried to warn him off from eating it. "How can it not bother you that we fought Border?"
Yuma shrugged. "I'm a Neighbor so I get it." He said, surprising the Galopoula soldiers. "So, when I went to Japan, I got into a fight with some Border agents. Granted, they started the fight, but we still got into it and now I'm work as an agent with them. It would be hypocritical of me to be mad at you for fighting Border." He tossed another sushi roll in his mouth, savoring the taste. "We're in the same boat. I fought Border and am now working with them. You fought Border and are now forming an alliance with them."
"Huh, Jin and Rindo didn't say anything about that." Rata said.
"Because it's not important." Yuma replied.
Reghi mindlessly took another sushi roll and ate it, while Yomi just stared at him in horror as he continued to share the sushi with Yuma.
"I suppose not." Rata agreed, leaning between Yuma and Reghi to take one of the sushi rolls to try it. He popped it in his mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Not bad, but I can see why Yomi doesn't like it. He doesn't like hot foods like this. He much prefers sweets."
"Oh, sweets?" Yuma grabbed his bag off the floor and dropped it on the table. "We had a party the other day and we had some cookies left over." He explained as he ruffled through his bag. "You might like those."
"You don't have to share all your snacks with us." Wen said, watching with raised brows as Yuma pulled out multiple bags of crackers. "And we have food in Galopoula."
"I know, I know. My friends just pushed snacks on me." Yuma replied as he pulled the box of Obishima's cookies out of his bag. He pushed those to the side since Yomi wouldn't like spice cookies if his complaints about wasabi were anything to go by. "And eating with people always makes the food taste better."
Yuma found the container he was looking for and pulled it out. He slid it across the table towards Yomi. "There are chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and butter cookies in there. I'm sure you'll like one of those."
Yomi stared at the cookies suspiciously.
"They're really just sweets." Yuma promised. "Not all of the food in Meeden is spicy."
"Hmm," Yomi took one of the cookies, eyeing Yuma in suspicion.
Yuma just smiled innocently before turning to Koskero. "I saw the footage of your fight with Miwa."
"Yeah?" Koskero said confused. "You said that name a few minutes ago. The one who would want to chop our heads off if he was here?"
"He really doesn't like Neighbors." Yuma replied. "I saw your fight and felt like you got off easy with his attitude. When I fought him, he was a lot angrier and yelled more. Though, to be fair, he also lost to me and he was mad about a lot of things during our fight."
Koskero hummed thoughtfully. The fight was months ago, but he did review the footage of his fight with those agents to be better prepared if he had to fight Border agents again. The slashes that came out of the roof had been a huge shock so he had studied the fight to figure out what had happened. "Which one was he? There were two there." Well, three at the end if he counted the agent who showed up to kill him at the end.
"The one who used a sword and a gun that fired heavy bullets." Yuma replied.
"Oh, him. He did ask about if we launched a large invasion against Border." Koskero recalled.
"Mm-hmm. Neighbors killed his sister so he'll hates them all. I told him to find the ones who actually did it if he wanted revenge that badly and it seems he took it to heart." Yuma explained.
"I thought you two didn't get along." Rata said confused.
"We don't. He didn't take up my offer to help him, but it seems he is looking for them." Yuma replied. "I didn't realize he was doing that until I watched his fight with you, Koskero."
"I see. After the fight, I thought he had simply asked me that to distract me to give his ally time to set up his attack." Koskero replied.
"No way. Not with Miwa." Yuma replied. "He doesn't use conversation to distract his opponent. He's an attack now, talk later kind of guy and that is only if he wants to talk at all which isn't usually the case."
Koskero chuckled softly, but he wasn't really amused. It was more like he was surprised. "We weren't underestimating Border when we attacked because we knew you guys defeated Aftokrator, but even with that, I feel like we did underestimate you guys a bit."
"And they didn't even use their full power against us." Gatlin said. "We only saw one Black Trigger."
"We never confirmed how many Black Triggers Border has. It was one to three so maybe that one that was used is all they have." Reghi said.
The Galopoula agents glanced at Yuma, but Yuma just stared back with a smile as he sipped at his water.
"I wonder how many Border truly has." Yuma said.
Rata laughed. "Right, right. Keep your military secrets." He pointed at Yuma. "We already know you have one. That is the only way your body could be sealed in a Trigger for five years, Yuma. I'm surprised they kept you out of the battle that day."
"I had something else to take care of when you invaded, but if the battle got to a point where more help was needed, the teams on standby would have joined the fight." Yuma replied. "Luckily, we weren't needed and my team was able to continue with what we had to do."
"I'm almost offended that we didn't force all active agents into the fight." Reghi complained.
"Can't be helped. We don't have the same military prowess that Aftokrator has." Wen said.
"To be fair, all active agents didn't partake in that invasion either." Yuma replied. "They weren't all available."
"You would think with a fortune teller on your side, your agents would always be ready for an invasion." Gatlin said.
Yuma raised a brow and took another bite of his sushi. They already knew about Jin's side effect and Tamakoma was forming an alliance with them so they were trying to build trust among them. "The more likely the future is to occur, the more accurate Jin-san's prediction is. The less likely it is to happen, the harder it is to read and it also means, Jin-san can easily manipulate people around him to get them on a better path to change the future to one that he thinks is better for us."
"Which is why you were so prepared for us." Gatlin said.
"We prepared for Aftokrator the same way." Yuma admitted. "But we just didn't know what day they would show up which is why we didn't have all agents available when they came."
"It shows how strong Meeden has gotten in recent years." Rata said. "It never used to be this difficult to attack them."
Yuma hummed. "Viza said the same thing."
"Viza? That old bastard from Aftokrator?" Reghi demanded.
"Yeah, him." Yuma said. "He came to Meeden during the attack."
Reghi stared in disbelief at Yuma, choking on air. "That bastard came and you guys still won?" They knew that Aftokrator sent four Black Triggers to Meeden and that Border won the fight, but he did not know Viza went and they still won against him.
"Not easily." Yuma replied.
"Meeden is full of monsters." Reghi muttered, mindlessly taking a cookie from the container that Yomi seemed to be enjoying as he was stuffing his face. "When did they start to get so strong?"
Yuma munched on his sushi, staring at Reghi's disheartened stare curiously. He didn't know much about Galopoula. All he really knew was that Aftokrator invaded them and made them a vassal nation. Clearly, there were some very hard feelings in Galopoula about Aftokrator, not that Yuma could blame them for having those feelings.
Anger and hatred for those who hurt them was only natural. Yuma had his own painful things he went through in the Neighborhood that made him suffer through anger and grief. It was why he never faulted anyone in Border who hated Neighbors. He understood the feelings Miwa had because he had suffered through losses like him.
"And what's with you? How are you so calm while you're heading closer and closer to death with each passing second?" Reghi asked.
"I'm really not." Yuma replied. "I would much prefer to be in Japan right now, but that's just not an option for me so I can only do what's best for me." And taking a surgery that would allow him to return home and spend a long life with his friends was what would be best for him. He just had to do what his friends told him to do.
Fight for it.