Chapter Text
~~~
(Jin)
Three days. Since the Aftokrator invasion three days had ticked by and no one, save the emergency nurses in the medical ward and agent Amatori, had so much as glimpsed Yuma. Jin had only seen a few future pathways where their success hinged upon Replica's sacrifice. The initial success and retreat had somewhat surprised him; the tidal wave of relief had been an adrenaline rush all its own. Even still, he had a feeling this may hit Yuma harder than he intended; a theory he fully meant to confirm but was rapidly having problems verifying. After recovering from his laughing fit in front of the enemy, Jin took a bit more time fully processing his surrender, aka destroying his trion body as the man refused to accept his new situation. He'd likely be staring at denial through his cell walls until his transfer to Tamakoma. While he hadn't personally told Rindo yet, Jin knew once his boss caught wind of the situation it would only be a matter of time until a deal to pull the youth into their sphere of influence was breached. The current state of Headquarters just wasn't suited to Neighbors.
Knowing Osamu's condition was unstable, but not having seen a future where he succumbed to his injuries at this stage, Jin was not feeling overly inclined to pay a visit. He would, of course he had to take care of his precious new recruits, but there were other tasks he could understandably busy himself with first.
Round after round after round. He notified Director Kido the invasion was over, but still spent a solid sixteen hours after confirming and double-checking. In all that time, he gleamed only efforts to rebuild, complaints and concerns from the citizens who survived, most of them the ungrateful blocks, though a similar story could be said for the agents. Nearly all survived though many grumbled that they wished to have fought someone stronger or not fought at all or had arrived to party a bit sooner. Everyone harbored regret, and part of him was grateful that so many people were reflecting on their performance and thinking of what to do better for next time. But in Jin's mind, there was only one person who had a right to complain in this moment and he couldn't find him anywhere. Didn't see him in anyone else's future paths. By the time the dawn of the fourth day rolled around, he was starting to worry it wasn't just Replica that had vanished through the gate. He had, unwillingly, since when was Konami so strong, taken a nap for nearly half the day which slowed his search.
By the time he awoke and wandered into the too quiet Tamakoma kitchen, Shiori and Rindo were waiting to debrief him. Another needlessly long ordeal. The Branch Chief could see him getting impatient. His eyes crinkled in the corners at Jin's increasing number of repressed sighs, distant glances, and his bouncing knee. Rindo didn't comment on the agent's appearance or behavior. Jin suspected he was fully aware what worried him so and likely held similar concerns. By the time the de-briefing and report exchanges were finished, Rindo asked what had him so bothered.
"Replica may have just been a floating data-bank to Border, but to Yuma he was his guardian, his partner, one of the only constants he'd ever had- I'm willing to go so far as to say there hasn't been a moment in time where we've seen Yuma apart from Replica."
"Hm... While you may be right, what could we possibly do about this now?"
"Even if we know it's a wild goose chase going in, it's important that we stand with Yuma here."
"A side effect suggestion?"
"There weren't many futures where Replica left, but of those not much else seemed too different, so I'm guessing we have more sway here than I initially thought. This is more elite agent advice than anything."
"Interesting. I personally think this may be a silver lining so to speak."
"How so sir?" Shiori pushed up her glasses with a frown; not quite offended by the suggestion but a bit perturbed with the lack of apparent connection to positivity.
"If what you say is true, and Yuma has been relying on a trion soldier for years, then this could be our chance to gain his trust a bit more. We relied heavily on you and Mikumo to recruit him initially, but the more people he trusts within Tamakoma the better. He's been fairly cooperative thus far but Yugo was a finicky man and I don't doubt he raised Yuma similarly. Never without reason, but one minute he's getting along great with someone and the next he had publicly humiliated them."
"Really? I sincerely doubt Yuma is the type to do such a thing."
"I'm not so sure. That is more or less how he met Midorikawa from what I've heard."
"Granted, such actions were never without reason; my guess is it had to do with Yugo's side effect, but he could be more close-lipped than Jin when it came to that sort of thing."
"If this is about his father's side effect, what does it have to do with Yuma?" Rindo fished a cigarette from his pocket with a sigh. He preferred not to light up around the kids but when certain topics rolled around he couldn't help himself. His former mentor was definitely one such topic.
"His eyes. Many of the lower ranked side effects, one's oriented towards sensory enhancement or side effect's based on minor constitutional differences, will occasionally result in physical deviations from the norm as well. Yugo had white pupils. When he lied or was in the presence of someone who spoke a lie, his pupils would turn black. Now, I haven't personally seen Yuma's pupils turn black, the kid's quick to close his eyes and play indifferent with a duck face, so he's either aware I know or suspicious by nature, but I'm willing to bet it works the same as Yugo's did."
"Do we know how he got this side effect? To my knowledge, they aren't genetic. Similar to trion levels, while those of your parents can influence the result you could just as easily get incredibly high or low levels out of nowhere. But once you're born those base stats are set. Do you think he somehow inherited it? Or did Mr. Kuga find a way to transfer his own side effect?"
"If that was the case, he must have transferred a substantial amount of his own trion as well."
"It really is a shame we can't collect the data from his fight with the neighbor but I'm sure the secrets of his black trigger will reveal themselves in time. Until then, Shiori, I'd like you to pacify Yuma. Given your extensive knowledge on trion soldiers, he should be quick to listen to your judgement. Until he comes to terms with Replica's absence, or Mikumo wakes up to speak with him, please try to help him however you can. The longer we can keep an eye on him, or keep him at base, the longer he is out of trouble."
"You got it boss!"
"Even with the high survival rate, everyone is still reeling from the fight in their own way. Jin, I order you to take another nap before you go working towards whatever future you deem best. I heard the report from Director Kido. This was the second or third best outcome, right? You did amazing. Please take a well-earned break agent Jin."
"Second or third best for Border maybe. For Mikado city at large too. But not for our agents. Our new recruits were hit especially hard. I'm so sorry."
"If you really feel the need to apologize do so to those you feel you wronged. I won't retract my initial statement or order. You did amazing Jin. Your job is to navigate the best future for Tamakoma, Border, and Mikado city at large. You did your job flawlessly. Agents will always be at risk by nature of our job. You all did amazing. No casualties in our branch. Only six communication officers in HQ succumbed to their wounds from a black trigger user; they never stood a chance. Please rest, now."
With a sigh and a heavy heart Jin retreated to his room. Shiori offered a sympathetic wave but no warm words to save him from his fate. The Boss' voice carried him towards the steps.
"I mean it! I better not see you down here for the next five hours minimum!"
~
Jin was only able to toss and turn for a few hours before he just couldn't take it anymore. After Shiori graciously agreed to the Branch Chief's orders, Jin had glimpsed Yuma. A phantom in her potential futures. Sturdy, unblinking, he stood by her. More fixture of the room than child awaiting a verdict, as Shiori typed and typed and typed. Unfortunately, the computer systems kept in the basement training area had no sense of time. By design of course, but for everyone's sanity Jin really wished he had any context at all for how long the two could be holed up down there. He'd have to offer snacks but got the feeling all he'd be asked to offer was space.
At least Yuma was there. Coming up on five days without seeing snowflake smiles or a disgruntled duck face was wearing away at his patience in the worst way. He refused to let this trip him up however, he was an elite. An elite agent wasn't afforded the luxury of 'having bad days'.
He knew at some point Yuma would have visited Osamu at the hospital. He likely spoke to Chika as well, given those two were his current motivators in life and anchors to this world. Jin didn't doubt that Yuma would prioritize the safety of those two over nearly all else. Jin also didn't doubt that the guilt he would feel within the proximity of the three he claimed to care about most, yet placed the most pressure upon during the invasion, would be near debilitating. He would have to be quick about this lest he be dragged into his own mind.
When he reached Headquarters, Mikumo had already been transferred to Mikado General Hospital. At least four eyes' condition was stable. The more time between him and the adrenaline rush that was juggling futures during the invasion, the easier it was to breath. But the easier to breath, the more time there was to reflect. He said this was one of the better outcomes, but was that something he believed? The longer he went without seeing Yuma, the more guilt grew and festered.
By the time he reached the hospital it felt as though there was a knot in his stomach. He steadfastly ignored this and, with a few flirtatious exchanges with some of the nurses that felt as though he was pulling teeth but got the desired effect of skipping paperwork, was soon brought around to Mikumo's room. He was greeted by a wall of machines, laughing, beeping, shouting that he didn't do enough to help four eyes so they were holding him together instead. His gaze darted away only to catch Chika. Statuesque in her seat, gaze fixed on four-eyes. She would be so tired by the end of this. Jin tried to fixate on her relief at Osamu waking up, but through her he saw Osamu's own guilt and regret boiling up. And here he thought these kids were a mess before. He glanced to the left at the table of presents and cards, balloons and flowers; all evidence of others who were more forthright in their care, more steadfast in their dedication to being present than he was. He who personally recruited the other two agents in the room. The two agents visibly suffering because of him.
"How's it going Ms. Chika? Glad to see you in the flesh."
"Oh! Mr.Jin! Sorry, I didn't hear you come in! I'm doing alright, thank you for asking." For the first time in as many days, Jin was almost grateful for Yuma's absence. Almost. But seeing his eyes narrow minutely at the lie would have been far preferable to the hole opening up in all the places the boy should be. Instead of calling her out, he crossed over to one of the empty seats beside her.
"How's four eyes holding up?"
"He was brought over from HQ and transferred out of the Intensive Care Unit yesterday. Since then, some people from Headquarters have been by along with everyone in Tamakoma. The doctors say he's going to be just fine though! Apparently, they're waiting for him to wake up, but no one's sure when that'll be..." Only two to four more days based on his foresight, but a forty two hour margin of error was pretty abysmal and would likely just wear down those desperately waiting to speak with their friend. Instead of offering faulty hopes, he bit his tongue and fixated on another problem. 'Everyone from Tamakoma'.
"He'll wake up soon, don't you worry."
"...That's what Yuma said too." This was the problem with his side effect. As powerful as foresight was, it provided no clues for others' past. Of course Yuma would have been by to see his friends. He'd suspected as much days ago but didn't think to visit himself. He hid behind the excuse of sleep deprivation while skirting closer to the issue at hand.
"Do you know where he is now?"
"No, I'm sorry. He stayed by Osamu's side the whole time he was at HQ. Now that his condition is stable though, he went out to look for Replica." A coldness clamped down on his chest.
"I haven't heard anything since, though."
"No worries at all. You're handling this very well Chika, especially for someone so young. I'm so, so sorry that you had to go through all of this."
"Ah, no need to apologize! I've been chased by neighbors all my life, this is normal to me. I just feel terrible that so many people were dragged into my problems this time and because of me- Because of me Osamu almost-" Jin dared not to interrupt her. The woman who barged in the room had no problems doing as much.
"Chika, I told you this isn't your fault. Those who injured and attempted to abduct you are to blame. It's always the neighbors' fault." Jin looked up to see a young woman standing firmly in the now open door. With grace, she closed herself in with them and clicked her heels over to the seat on the shaking girl's left.
"Mrs.Mikumo, I-"
"I know Chika. You've been so very brave throughout all of this. Thank you for supporting my son. You don't have to stay you know. You will be among the first I call as soon as he wakes up if you want to head home. I could even give you a ride back.
"That's- I really appreciate it Mrs.Mikumo, but after everything Osamu has done for me, I'd really like to stay here, at least until he wakes up..."
"I understand. He is incredibly lucky to have a friend like you. Won't your parents be worried though? I know if my child wasn't around for a few days, I would have the whole city out searching." Another wave of cold creeping dread tightened around his chest. Most parents would always look for their missing children. What about the children who were missing without parents? He had an incredibly valuable side effect, should he ever disappear, Border would similarly take to the streets. In Yuma's case-
"Ha ha ha, I'd believe that. It's alright though, I've been keeping my parents updated and I was with them for the past few days before Osamu was transferred here."
"If you're sure then." Seemingly satisfied that Chika wouldn't continue to beat herself with blame, the woman finally directed her eyes at Jin himself.
"Hello, another acquaintance of my son's I presume? I'm Osamu's mother; Mrs.Mikumo is fine." Acquaintance. Right.
"I'm Yuichi Jin; something of a mentor to these guys. I'd like to formally apologize for all the pain you've both been through. None of you should have ever be in danger that extreme, especially the younger agents. As their senior on the field, I take full responsibility for their safety and well being. I know this doesn't mean much now, but if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. I'm sorry I didn't act differently. Next time, I will be doing more to make sure everyone gets the best possible outcome. "
"I appreciate your kind words young man, but the doctor's assure me it's just a bit of a waiting game at the moment; not much can be done. And while I accept you're apology, there's no need for one. You weren't the one who hurt my son, after all."
'No, but I may as well have been.'
"Still, I'm sorry you have to deal with this. I know everyone's lives have been disrupted by the attack but tending to the injured is no easy feat."
"We all do our part Jin. Everyone survived thanks to the efforts of Border."
He looked at the glasses-less figure bandaged on the bed. He thought of all the photos he'd seen staked on Netsuki's desk earlier; the missing C rank agents. Thought of the similar stack on Kinuta's desk for all the non-combat personal who had perished or were injured when the Black Trigger rampaged through headquarters. He did not dare glance at Chika who had bottled her self-blame back in a jar to analyze in the interior of her mind. While he appreciated the placations offered by Mrs. Mikumo, some people just had to air their grievances out else they would fester and rot and grow unrecognizable in the recesses of their own mind.
"Heard loud and clear. Since you ladies have this under control I'll let four eyes get his beauty sleep. Sorry again, for all of this." He slid the door soundly shut behind him. With a quick breath, he flicked his sunglasses up and set out on his search. He may not be an entire city, or all of Border armed to the teeth, but he was an elite agent. Whether that title was self proclaimed or not, he would wield it and everything else within his power. There was still a missing person, after all. He prayed Yuma wanted to be found.
~
It was more difficult than he had expected. Not long after his initial search began he called in a favor with Ayatsuji, operator of Arashiyama squad, who was thankfully off-duty at the time so he could at least narrow down the zone. After she talked him through all the quadrants in the forbidden zone that had been swept by defense agents lately, none of whom had seen the boy, and looking back through the paths charted by the C-rank agents during the attack, he was able to narrow his search down to five different areas. A couple more hours later his third spot yielded results. Almost six hours after he left the hospital, Jin accomplished his goal of seeing Yuma.
He heard the sounds of debris shifting before Jin saw him. Yuma was curled down amidst asphalt and broken support beams. What was normally white fluff nearly blended into the rubble from the amount of dust caked in. The school uniform he left the base in four days ago was dirty and ripped in multiple spots. His pants completely worn through at the knees likely from constant crawling and kneeling. He moved another block aside to half bury his arm beneath a beam. Jin watched as the boy blindly felt about the dark for something they both knew wasn't there.
"Hi, Yuma. Are you planning to search the whole zone?"
"Oh, Jin." He halfheartedly brushed some dust from his pants as he arose from the destruction they were currently cradled in. He did not deign to speak further. Jin didn't blame him, but for a fleeting moment, he wished he could run from that gaze; haunted and knowing too many heavy truths to value a lie, and most of the pathways that parted from him. He blinked down at the boy before him.
"I can help if you want. It's not much, but if I think back on all the places I saw Replica in my visions, maybe we can figure out a map of places he may have been. No fine detail." He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned; hopefully honesty was all he'd given off. Just in case-
"I really would like to help, though. If you'll let me."
"...Okay." Quiet yet steady. Yuma knelt back to where he left off. Jin took a deep breath, closed his eyes and prepared for the day to be a bit longer. He had already inhaled three bags of fried rice crackers and an energy drink from a gas station he'd used the bathroom in an hour back. Didn't seem like he would be getting a break anytime soon.
Initially, his only concern had been finding Yuma. He tended to think that so long as he had eyes on someone they were safe. Doubly so with his side effect since not only would he receive advance warning if someone would be in danger, but he could also keep track of people through their interactions with others in visions he saw of them. For example, he rarely saw agent Amatori in person, yet he saw her frequently in Yuma and four eyes' futures, so he rarely worried about her. Since they parted ways in the Invasion, Jin hadn't seen heads or tails of Yuma in person or via others' futures. Never re-assuring. As soon as he had eyes on him however a whole new wave of worries washed away the old ones. There were a scant few future pathways he saw where Yuma was... Yuma? That felt an odd thought given how little he had known the boy for, but he had always been amicable if a bit withdrawn by nature, or necessity. Yet as soon as he saw Yuma, got close to him, he felt farther than ever. In nearly all the futures he saw the boy was by himself. Alone in the restricted zone. Alone on a ledge. Alone in a room. Alone in spacious and narrow halls alike. Drifting from no where to no where. There were waves of smiles, washes of others. But those waves of 'fun' faded faster the further forward he looked. Had he already lied to Yuma?
He helped him search for as many hours as the day provided. The two mostly stayed apart. Always within periphery of one another. A few times, he thought he lost sight of the kid, only for him to pop up from behind a wall or walk away from a sign. Once he saw Yuma wandering back after actually having drifted too far and tried not to celebrate that he was choosing company in this moment. Somber in their search, the silence stretched, punctuated by a poorly placed pebble or the clatter of buildings resettling. At seemingly random moments Yuma would decide an area had been searched enough, or that some other spot was better. He'd turn to Jin, point at a place only he could see, then trudge off across the ruins. Jin would follow. Occasionally he caught up to point toward a place that seemed familiar. They would stop, turn over all the visible piles and kick across shadows until Yuma once again set to drift toward the next spot. When dusk descended, and Jin could no longer safely walk without tripping over chunks of cement, he broke the uneasy silence.
"How much longer do you want to search?"
"Until I find him." Yuma trudged on. The boy had personally shared his past of fighting on and on and on. He also shared that his current body was made of trion. He never got more specific, but there was a lot Jin could infer from these two facts alone. The present and future reality before him spoke volumes about his past. He would have felt sick had he not continued to remain in a trion body himself; a fact he was initially thankful for until he realized Yuma probably hadn't felt such sensations, however unwanted they may be, in years. A whole new wave of unease washed over him. But the band-aid had to be ripped off. A continued search would yield nothing and they both knew as much. He spoke soft and definitive.
"...We're not going to find him, Yuma. Not here."
"Then where...?"
"He was on the away ship to Aftokrator."
"...I see."
Yuma stood still as a doll in the wreckage of the world. Jin watched his ruby red eyes continue to traverse nooks and crannies even as his head and hands stilled; starting to wind round the reality that further action would be futile. He didn't dare look away as the boy beside him gathered up the scraps of hope he had clung to, as a parent would a child's hand in times of need, and let them go with the wind. He had never seemed so empty, so close to a kid, than in that moment. 'I did this to him. I sent Replica away. I told him he's not coming home.'
"Shiori may be able to help."
"You just said we wouldn't find him."
"That's true. But just because we don't succeed today, doesn't mean we can't help. It's not much, but maybe she can scan what's left of him. Try to find some sort of tracker, or lingering communication channel, or even just a way to tell if he's still functioning." Yuma stared into Jin; eyes hollow but pupils white; bled dry of color and life alike. He hadn't done that to the boy, but his actions were perpetuating that look. There wasn't a future where he could figure out what was going on in the kid's head. He wasn't brave enough to cross the no man's land of silence that had shrouded those small, stiff shoulders.
"Sure." He caved, expression unchanged. Jin offered a smile.
"Alright. Let's go home." It took a few seconds before he heard faint footsteps behind him. Any placation or reassurance he had been throwing at others for the past couple days died on his tongue. 'This was the second or third best outcome' didn't hold up well to the weight of the boy's stalwart companion being taken and his first human friend in who knows how long being in a coma. 'Everyone did their best' was assumed, to speak such would only incite doubt even if he spoke honestly. 'It wasn't your fault' while true, may just break something lose in the boy. Whose fault was it? Yuma was very much like himself in that the rational part of his brain all but smothered the emotional; he clearly favored action to hypotheticals. So to rid him of a target for the grief he was no doubt running from would be-
"Where exactly are we going?"
How long had it been since he'd eaten? Since he slept? He knew most people wouldn't be overly happy with his own answers to those questions, but he was almost twenty. Yuma was so small...
"We're going home."
"...I haven't had a home since I was five." He didn't sound bitter necessarily, but there was an undercurrent of accusation in his tone.
"Back to Tamakoma Branch, if you want. Shiori has the equipment to analyze your mini Replica there."
"Okay."
"We can also get something to eat-"
"No thank you."
"Yuma-"
"I'm not hungry. I just want to focus on finding my partner. I don't need any distractions right now."
His heart plummeted to his stomach. 'Taking care of yourself is a necessity.' 'Your well-being matters; it's not a distraction to take care of yourself!' 'Is this what Replica would want?' Instead of spewing forth any of the truths that fought to leap from his chest, Jin chose not to push him any further. The pair returned home, to the military base they currently occupied, in silence.