The moonlight pressed down on the city of edith, blanketing the city in a veil of darkness that almost shifted it entirely from how it looked during the day. High above the streets upon a rooftop, a crimson cloak billows in the wind, Cold sapphire light flickered beneath the hood as Van and Elaine separate, its glow seemingly tracking their every move. The scene drew out, revealing the full figure standing against the chilling backdrop of the night sky.

The figure seemed to relax a bit once the two figures were out of sight, and hopped off the rooftop he was standing on, leaping to the next and starting to run off into the night. He hadn't meant to follow Van like he had, he'd left his room above Arkride Solutions to explore the city under the guise of night a little bit before his new boss, so finding him out here had been a surprise. He knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, even with the excuse of his past, but he couldn't help himself, not really.

He soared downward, his crimson cloak billowing in the wind behind him. Something about the rush of cool wind that he could feel against his covered face filled the young man with a sense of nostalgia. He touched down on the sill of a window, then pushed off again, using it as a launchpad to propel himself to the next rooftop, on which he landed with ease.

'It's almost like no time has passed when I'm out here like this. How many times on a mission would I stay out of sight like this? Preparing for the inevitable encounter with my objective? It's funny looking at it like this and realizing how much life's changed since then.'

It felt like he was always running from something. Whether that be the weight of his past, Omnexis themselves or the fear of this unfamiliar territory he found himself in. He touched down on the next rooftop with a light step, and just as his foot touched the ground his eyes widened beneath the hood.

"You?" he said softly, "You're that girl from the other day, Renne right?"

A girl with bright purple hair and yellow eyes is watching him, her arms folded over her chest as she inspects the individual before her. Her brow quirked slightly, an amused expression taking shape on her face, "Good to see you again, Kai."

"You're out late," he muttered, glancing toward the expanse of Edith like it was suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world. "Shouldn't you be in the dorms or something?"

"Like you should be in your room above the Arkride Solutions office?" Renne countered.

"Are you here to be my minder or something?"

A smirk crossed the young woman's countenance, her arms rising to fold over her chest, "No, judging by your situation, you've got more than enough of those already. This? Just a coincidence."

"Hn."
"You don't have to be nervous around me, XIII."

She knows!?

No—she suspects.

His mind raced, instincts screaming at him to move—to deny, deflect, something. They'd only crossed paths once before, and it had been nothing. Just a girl showing him the way to Arkride Solutions, nothing more. He had been careful. He was careful. So how—

Renne tilted her head, golden eyes glinting with sharp amusement. "Huh. So I was right."

Tch. A gamble, then. She hadn't known—until now.

His jaw tightened, exhaling slowly through his nose. "That's a dangerous thing to assume."

She smirked. "And yet, you reacted."

Kaiyuu clenched his fists, forcing himself to relax. Too late to pretend it didn't land. He met her gaze head-on, the sapphire light beneath his hood flickering ever so slightly. He was already piecing together a couple of different things, one thing was abundantly clear. This was more than random guesswork.

"But if you must know, Aerion asked me to check in on you."

"My brother Aerion?"

The mention of Aerion made something flicker in Kaiyuu's mind. His body instinctively stiffened, his pulse quickening just slightly at the name. He had not expected that—Aerion—his brother, the one who escaped Omnexis before him, the one who had always stayed one step ahead. The very thought of Aerion having knowledge of his movements, especially now, triggered a sense of unease.

"Why would he send you?" Kaiyuu asked, his voice low and guarded. Despite the tension in his chest, he kept his tone neutral, though his fists remained clenched at his sides. The last thing he needed was attention drawn to him—especially from someone like Renne, who was no stranger to hunting down targets.

Renne, still perched casually on the rooftop, gave a knowing smile. She tilted her head as though she were indulging in a private joke that Kaiyuu wasn't yet privy to.

"Tch, figures he's still keeping tabs on me."

Kaiyuu's words hung in the air like a weighted sigh. The mention of Aerion, the one person he thought was still out of reach, made him feel exposed in a way he hadn't anticipated. He had assumed that, for all his careful planning and secretive movements, his brother wouldn't have noticed him—let alone sent someone like Renne to keep an eye on him. His frustration with the situation was palpable, but he kept his expression calm, his features masked beneath the hood.

Renne's grin only widened, sensing the shift in Kaiyuu's demeanor, and she allowed herself a moment of amusement at his discomfort. She knew all too well how easily a name could rattle someone who thought they had escaped their past. But Kaiyuu's composure had slipped only slightly, and she wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily.

"So," Renne began, her tone light but laced with amusement, "It seems like your brother's been keeping tabs on you, even here. It's funny, don't you think? All this time, I figured you'd want to be free of him. But I suppose... old habits die hard, huh?" She leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "Seems like you've got a bit of a tangled web around you, Kai."

Kaiyuu forced a deep breath, squashing the tension building in his chest. "Don't mistake my actions for dependence," he said, his voice colder now, though the flickering light beneath his hood betrayed the steady pulse of emotion that he refused to let show.

Renne's smirk never faltered. "Who said anything about dependence? It's just... interesting, that's all. I figured you'd be further from the web by now. But here you are, still within reach of those who keep track of you."

Kaiyuu's jaw tightened again, but he resisted the urge to snap back. Renne was skilled at pressing on the exact spots that made someone uncomfortable. He had been in enough precarious situations to know that keeping his composure was the only thing that mattered. Stay in control. Stay focused.

Renne tilted her head slightly, her gaze softening just a touch, though her amusement remained. "I get it, though. I'm not here to make things harder for you. I'm not your enemy... but I'm not your ally either. Just... a reminder. You can't outrun the past forever. Especially not when it's attached to your name." Her eyes glinted again, the golden hue sharp in the dim moonlight. "But you knew that already, didn't you?"

Kaiyuu said nothing for a moment. His mind raced, piecing together the layers of his past, of his relationship with Aerion, and of everything that had led him here. He had tried to forget his origins, tried to escape, but now, standing on the edge of the city with Renne in front of him, it was clear that no matter how far he ran, he was never truly free of them.

"Fine," he muttered after a pause, his voice tight. "I don't need your help, but I'm not running either. Aerion doesn't need to send you after me. I'm not his problem anymore."

Renne watched him for a moment longer, her expression unreadable. Then, with a casual shrug, she hopped down from the rooftop, her feet landing softly on the pavement below.

"I wasn't going to do anything, Kai. Don't worry," she said with a final glance back, her voice carrying just enough to reach him, "He's just concerned, that's all."

Kaiyuu's fists tightened slightly at his sides, not in anger, but in restraint. Concerned? The word didn't sit wrong—no, it was expected, even—but hearing it from Renne of all people made it feel... different.

Aerion keeping tabs wasn't surprising. That was just how things were between them. Even when they weren't in the same place, Aerion had a way of knowing. Of keeping watch. That wasn't the issue.

What was the issue was Renne knowing.

He didn't like that.

Kaiyuu exhaled through his nose, forcing himself to keep his tone neutral. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised," he muttered, the faintest edge of amusement creeping into his voice despite himself. "He's always been a step ahead."

Renne's expression shifted slightly, a glimmer of curiosity dancing behind her golden eyes. "You don't sound upset."

"Why would I be?" Kaiyuu shrugged. "It's Aerion."

Renne tilted her head, scanning his reaction with sharp amusement. "That's not the response I expected."

"What were you expecting?"

"Something more dramatic," she admitted, grinning slightly. "You do have a bit of a reputation."

Kaiyuu scoffed, crossing his arms. "Don't lump me in with the ones who don't get along with their family."

Renne let out a quiet chuckle at that, folding her arms as well. "Fair enough. Though I wouldn't have guessed you two were that close just by looking at you."

Kaiyuu shrugged. "Not all bonds have to be loud."

"True," Renne conceded. "Still, I don't think Aerion would have asked me to check in if he wasn't at least a little worried."

Kaiyuu sighed, running a hand through his hooded hair before letting it drop back down to his side. "Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to him."

Renne arched a brow. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," he echoed.

She seemed to study him for a moment longer before nodding, her smirk fading into something almost approving. "Good."

Kaiyuu huffed a laugh. "What, were you going to give me a lecture if I said no?"

"Oh, absolutely," she said without hesitation, her grin returning full force.

He rolled his eyes, but the tension in his shoulders had eased.

Renne turned to leave, but not before throwing one last glance over her shoulder. "Don't keep him waiting too long, Kai. You know how he gets."

Kaiyuu waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."

He watched her go, waiting until she disappeared into the city streets before finally letting himself breathe properly.

Aerion, huh?

Well, guess he had a call to make. Still… his gaze lingered on the path she had taken, his thoughts trailing just a little too long after her. There was something about her—not just the way she carried herself, confident and composed, but the way she seemed to see through him.

A girl who knew too much, yet revealed little. An enigma wrapped in sharp words and golden eyes.

And for reasons he didn't quite understand, he couldn't get her out of his head. Sighing to himself, Kaiyuu forced his mind away from thoughts of the young woman and refocused them on other matters.

Aerion was keeping tabs on him, even now? Then…how many of the Exalted was he following at the same time? Kaiyuu hadn't heard from Aerion since the incidents in the Empire a few years ago. Aidios only knew what his brother was doing now. Still, it'd been years since they regularly kept tabs on each other. It was more of a check in from time to time to see how things are these days and as for some of the exalted, he'd not heard from them in even longer. Raven and Ryosuke had been particularly scarce.

"Guess it's just one of those things," he sighed.

He was about to leave the rooftop himself, then a loud sound interrupted the young man's thoughts and he clutched his stomach tightly, hunching over. He sighed, forcing himself back to his full height, "Better go and get some food before going back to the office."

End Chapter

Hey guys, another update finished. Sorry that this one is more filler than anything else I just really wanted to write something that bridged a few things. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless and we'll see what comes. Next chapter Arkride Solutions finally begins their first major investigation. See you there!