CHAPTER 5

Some Other Beginning's End

The sky was clear and blue. The hole in the sky had repaired itself and the final cracks were receding into nothing. A new day had come at last.

The ocean was free of fog, although a smoky haze remained over the city. Zearth was just offshore, battered but standing tall like a knight on duty. Its vast shadow covered the burned and battered city, as if it were protecting the people from the morning sun.

Within the black behemoth's white cockpit, Yoko and her friends were hard at work helping the city's ongoing search-and-rescue efforts. Komo and Ushiro were huddled behind Kanji, using the data on his laptop to plan their friends' actions. Ushiro had his phone in hand, ready to call and coordinate with the authorities.

Yoko was standing in the horseshoe's opening, monitoring the rest of her friends through Zearth's screens. Everyone was in the city in search of trapped civilians or first responders. Maki traversed the coast, Aiko the skies, and everyone else the streets. Occasionally, they would contact Komo through her earpiece for directions.

Eventually, Yoko's earpiece projected a holographic text message before her eyes; Chizu here, can you read me?

"Yoko here, reading you loud and clear," she replied. "What's going on?"

I think I see Waku.

"Copy that,"

Yoko opened a new screen that showed an unnaturally red cyclone of fire cutting through the sky. It vaguely resembled a Chinese dragon, not unlike Maki and Aiko's cyclones of water and wind.

"Yep, I see him to." Yoko turned around to address the other three in the cockpit. "How about you guys?"

"We know. Give me a moment," Kanji said while keeping his eyes on his computer. "Calculating Waku's location. And there he is."

Chizu's next message appeared on the other three's earpieces as well as Yoko's. You want me and Kirie to intercept him?

"Only if you have the time," Komo answered

I'd say the situation is under control here.

"Very well then," Ushiro ordered, "Get Waku up to speed."

"Hey, you don't mind if I listen in on your guys?" Yoko inquired.

Sure, why not?

Yoko watched through the screens as two hooded black figures rode a slab of concrete up the side of a building like a magic carpet. Once they made it to the top, they landed the slab in the middle of the roof and waved at the fiery cyclone in the sky. The cyclone stalled for a few seconds before descending to their location.

The swirling flames dissipated the moment they struck the roof, leaving behind a tanned, black-haired boy of above average height in cargo shorts and a striped-red shirt.

"Hey there," the boy in stripes warily said. "So, I know you guys are my friends, but which ones?"

The figures pulled their hoods back. One was a stern-looking girl with long reddish-black hair wearing a plaid pink scarf. The other was a meek, chubby boy with messy brown hair and a right eye sealed shut by a vertical scar.

"Ah, you two," the boy in stripes continued. "Um, long time, no see."

The girl in plaid reached out. Droplets of pink ichor floated out of her sleeve and formed a sentence above her open palm; Good to see you, Waku.

"Same to you, Chizu." Waku forced out a chuckle to try and lighten the mood. "So, how much did I miss?"

We've already taken out the Echo.

"Well, that's a relief," Waku chuckled again. "Now we just have to rescue people."

Almost everyone's been rescued and/or evacuated.

"What? You're done already?" Waku moped as he surveyed the city. "Aw, man, I wanted to save some lives."

Don't worry, we still have work to do, and hey, at least you showed up. More than what can be said about Kodama or Kako.

"Don't be like that, Chizu," the chubby boy gently implored.

I'm just stating the facts, Kirie.

"They have their reasons for their absence."

"Hey, guys?" Kanji's voice inquired. "Something just popped up that needs our attention. In fact, Waku would be perfect for the job."

Chizu pulled her phone out of her coat and texted. We're listening.

Kanji continued. "Fire department needs help evacuating an apartment complex. I'm sending you the address as we speak."

Got it.

Chizu nodded at Kirie, who snapped his fingers, causing the slab to start floating and shimmer in brown light.

"Hold on," Yoko's voice interceded. "I can give you guys a shortcut."

A circle of crimson light appeared above the slab. The apartment Kanji had been talking about was visible through it.

Chizu used her ichor to ask Kirie, Are you okay with this?

"Sure," Kirie shrugged while the slab flopped back onto the roof. "It's probably for the best if I save up my energy."

Chizu glanced over at Waku. I hope you're ready.

Yoko watched Waku, Chizu, and Kirie enter her portal from the relative comfort of Zearth's cockpit.

She then looked over her shoulder and asked her friends, "So, you guys want to do anything once we're done? Maybe breakfast?"

"Sorry," Komo answered. "I'd love to, but I need to get home before my mother notices I've been missing for hours."

"You can say that again," Maki's voice laughed. "Luckily my parents are used to me sleeping in late during the summer."

"How about you, Kanji?" Yoko wondered, "Your mom doesn't really care about your whereabouts, right?"

"Yeah," Kanji sighed. "But I want to help Ushiro deal with the bureaucracy that's about to come our way."

Ushiro simply nodded in agreement.

One by one, the rest of Yoko's friends called in to give their excuses for wanting to leave within the hour.

Eventually, Yoko shrugged and said, "Oh well. It was worth asking."

Yoko couldn't blame her friends for wanting to move on from the battle and return to their regular lives. Still, she was grateful that she got to spend time with them, and she was relieved they were as committed as ever to the greater good, just like they were when they first came together all those years ago.

It was the final evening of the camp, which had been moved to a grade school on the southeast corner of the island after the incident.

Yoko leapt over the gate that separated the school from the rest of the town. Even with her right arm in a sling, she did so with ease. She then made her way down a wooden walkway that led to a beach.

When Yoko reached the end of the walkway, she took a moment to remove her shoes and savor her first steps onto the smooth black sand. She found it more pleasant than the original camp's gravel. Then she headed over to a circle of rocks, driftwood, and other chair substitutes her friends had set up around their campfire. Yoko took a seat on the largest log, between Moji and Nakama, and watched while Kanji argued with Kako.

"Why can't I fly the drone?" the brunet in yellow whined.

Kanji groaned, "Oh, I don't' know, Kako. Maybe because Aiko has it right now?"

"And she's just using it as a fan while she sunbathes! I want to fly it!"

"Just wait your turn, will you?" Kanji remained focused on his phone, even while conversing with Kako. "Also, try not to electrocute yourself like the last time."

Kako rolled his eyes. "Lay off, will you? That was an honest mistake!"

"An honest mistake?" Chizu deadpanned, "You've certainly made a lot of those ever since we got here."

Chizu, clad in a plaid pink dress, was sitting on a boulder not far from Kako, massaging her bandaged wrist. Sitting on the ground next to her and doodling in the sand was Kirie, dressed in a t-shirt and brown sweatpants.

"Fine, I'll give you that," Kako conceded with a forced chuckle. "But I'll find a way impress you before this camp is over. You'll see."

Chizu scoffed, "That seems unlikely."

"Just give me a chance, will you?"

"Absolutely not."

"Come on!"

"Kako, please, let it go," Kirie implored. "I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think you'll win Chizu's heart anytime soon."

Kako barked, "Nobody asked for your opinion, chubby!"

Kirie winced over the brunet's outburst. Chizu simply let out a disgusted sigh.

"Hey Kako," Waku called out. "Can you keep it civil over there?" Up until that point he had been tending to the flames.

"You stay out of this, hot stuff!" Kako snapped.

Kako charged towards Waku but only made it a few steps before he tripped and sailed through the air. He barely had time to scream before he crashed into the sandy flats.

Waku got up to get a better look and asked with genuine concern, "Are you okay?"

"Ow," Kako moaned while lying face down with his limbs splayed out.

Daichi buried his face in his hands and lamented, "Some things never change."

The stocky boy was sitting on a cinderblock on the other side of the circle. Komo was sitting on a cooler next to him with Maki's cargo shorts on her lap. Her was nose buried in a book as she did her best to ignore her friends' antics.

"Kako's acting up again, isn't he?" Kodama questioned. He was sitting behind Daichi, holding a firework with a lit fuse. "You want me to shut him up?"

"Absolutely not." Daichi turned to give the small boy a stern glare. "Violence is never the answer for something like this."

"Ugh," Kodama groaned, "You guys are no fun." The small boy pointed his firework at the ocean at let it fly off into the distance, where it exploded with a bang.

Kako got up and stormed off, bitterly mumbling to himself as he left the circle and walked down the beach.

"Well," Yoko chuckled nervously, "That Kako moment ended better than usual."

"Maybe," Nakama countered, "But he's still annoying." She was busy sewing a new blouse for Aiko out of a patchwork of fabrics.

"No argument there," Yoko sighed while checking the bandage on her left cheek.

"I can't believe this camp's almost over."

"I know, right? I'm going to miss everyone here, even Kako."

"We have each other's phone and emails," Moji reminded the girls. "Not to mention the Zoom meeting you guys are planning for next week."

"Oh, yeah. Looking forward to that." Yoko raised an eyebrow. "Hold on. 'You guys?' What's that supposed to mean?"

"I probably won't be attending. No offense, but I think I've got enough friends as is."

"Really? I way I see it, you can never have enough friends."

Nakama set aside the blouse and closed her sewing kit. "So, what's this meeting going to be about?"

"Anything really. We're just trying to learn more about each other."

"I see. So, if I wanted to talk about sewing things, you guys would listen?"

"Of course. An artist's perspective is always appreciated."

"And what wouldyouwant to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll show off some more of my brother's game."

Nakama's face went paler than usual as she inched away from her freckled friend. "Thanks, but I'd rather not."

Yoko bartered, "You don't have to play if you don't want, but I still need—"

"No!" Nakama screamed, much to Yoko's shock. She paused for a moment, surprised by her own outburst, before continuing, "I'm sorry, I can't. I just can't."

Moji was as composed as ever, and yet the way he was gripping his first-aid kit indicated that he too was unnerved by the mention of the game.

Yoko remained calm, but in her mind, she was struggling with what to say next. Her instincts told her that her that her friends had figured the game's true nature, or they were at least close to it. Part of her wanted to confirm everyone's suspicions, yet she wondered if letting the truth slip out would elevate their unease into a full-blown panic. Her friends finally seemed to be moving on from the Echo battle, and she didn't want to ruin that.

Yoko concluded it would be best to change the discussion to something more pleasant, but she didn't know what she could change it to.

"Oh wow, look at the sunset!" Maki called out. She had just returned from an ocean swim with Kana, who was carrying a sea sponge she had found on the shore.

Yoko and her neighbors looked in the direction Maki was pointing. The sun was about to vanish behind the town, its final rays of light painting the horizon in fiery hues and turning the clouds into a grove of cherry blossoms. Yoko surveyed her friends and saw that they too were enthralled by the light show unfolding in the sky. Even Ushiro, who until that point had been eating snacks underneath an umbrella just outside the circle.

A light in a nearby house went on. It somehow reminded Yoko of the lights that would grace the night sky in an hour or so.

Yoko mused, "I wonder what the stars will look like tonight."

"Probably like last night," Moji shrugged. "Not as good as the campsite."

Yoko deflated a bit. "Right, can't forget about the clouds and full moon. Although the moonlight on the clouds could have its own kind of charm."

"You think so?"

"Maybe," Nakama suggested. "Not ideal, but I'll take it."

Yoko perked up a bit. "Yeah, me too."

Yoko was happy she was able to get her friends to stop thinking about her brother's game, at least not directly. After all, the natural beauty unfolding before them would be one of many things they would someday have to protect from the Echoes.

Yoko's mind returned to the present and the cockpit when she got a call from Moji asking to be let back into Zearth's cockpit.

"Are you heading out?" she asked Moji after teleporting him to his seat.

"Yeah," Moji said while he took his coat off. "Got some work to do."

"You work during summer vacation?"

"Well, kind of." The sharp-dressed boy hung his coat over the back of his chair. "Getting ready to apply for college is practically a job in and of itself."

"College? We haven't even finished our first year of high school."

"I want to get into a good medical school." Moji settled into his chair. "The way I see it, it's never too early to prepare for something like that."

"Ever the overachiever," Yoko smirked. "Anyways, take care and give your other friends our regards."

"I'll try, but I don't see them all that much these days."

"Oh. That's unfortunate."

After Moji teleported away, Yoo heard someone else teleport in. She turned around to see Kodama sitting on an office chair wearing an orange jersey and tinted shades.

"Kodama," Yoko declared, "You made it."

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you," Kodama half-heartedly mumbled after a yawn.

"You look tired," Kanji chuckled. "I can see why you're late."

Komo and Ushiro looked up to acknowledge Kodama's presence before refocusing on Kanji's computer.

"Well, excuse me for not being a morning person," Kodama groaned. He took a small tool out of his pocket and used it to adjust a joint in his cybernetic left hand.

"It's okay," Yoko assured the small boy. "We're just glad you're here."

"Sure, thanks." Kodama shuffled out of his chair and made his way over to Kanji. "Where is everyone, anyhow?"

"On the ground," Kanji answered. He kept his eyes on his laptop while reaching into one of his briefcases.

"Wait, we're fighting the Echo on foot? That sounds dumb."

"No, the Echo has already been dealt with," Komo clarified while Kanji pulled out an earpiece and handed it to Kodama.

"What? Really? I missed all the fun?"

"Not all of it," Kanji replied. "We still have a city to clean up."

"Meh, better than nothing." Kodama took a moment put his earpiece on before walking behind Kanji to get a better look at his laptop.

While Kodama and Kanji discussed what to do next, Yoko watched as Daichi teleported in. "Welcome back," she commented.

Daichi marched over to his seat cushion and moped while taking off his coat.

"Sorry, but I need to go," he declared. "My siblings are probably awake by now."

"And what about your assignment?" Ushiro questioned.

"Don't worry," Nakama's voice stated through the earpieces. "At this point, I can handle the situation down here without him."

"Understood."

Daichi settled down on his seat cushion. He glanced over at Kodama, who was making his way back to his chair. "Surprised to see you here."

"Yeah, I know, missed all the good stuff," Kodama sighed before taking his coat off his chair. "Actually, how's your family doing?"

Daichi closed his eyes. "They're fine."

After he finished putting his coat on, Kodama smiled in a more genuine manner than he usually did. "That's all I needed to hear."

Daichi smiled back before vanishing in a golden flash.

"Look alive, Yoko," Komo commanded. "I'm sending you the location where we'll be needing Kodama."

"Got it!" Yoko turned around to look at the small screen that just appeared on top of the others. As she figured out what part of the city she could see through that screen, she reminded herself that unlike Daichi, the morning wasn't done with her. In fact, the war was just getting started for all of them.

"You ready, Kodama?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Yoko."

"What was it like living on the frontlines of a war?

"It was unusual for sure, but like any kid should, we still learned what it meant to grow up. We saw what lied beyond the safety of our parents and society. We found out how it felt to truly laugh, cry, rage, and scream.

"More importantly, we came to understand that growing up isn't the end of the journey. There would always be more for the fifteen of us to discover about life and death, about pain, fear, fury, sorrow, and joy.

"And even after everything we had been through in middle school, we still had much to learn about ourselves, each other… and Zearth."