HUMAN -all for the future-

Musen 28 - March

“Okay…well, no not okay. I didn’t get a single word you said,” Jesse said after Kochi had tried to explain to him and Shintaro what exactly had happened at the Secret Center and how they transferred the Fallen self to Taisuke and turned Taiga back to a normal human, which more or less hadn’t been part of Kochi’s calculation, but Kochi hadn’t had time to even think about details of his really unstable theory, so they could be happy that Taiga even survived.

“And you?” Kochi asked, facing Shintaro who was staring ahead with a questioning look as if he had stopped listening right at the start. Kochi sighed and massaged his temples, but then nodded. “Whatever, everyone is fine, that is what counts. The rest can wait for later. But it seems you did well here, too?”

“Better than well, we did fantastic,” Shintaro said with a proud expression and his hands were unnecessary on his hips. They were standing in front of the Main Center where the two security fences had been ripped down by Taisuke’s team and the backup of the Centers and finally they didn’t have to worry about the Main Center attacking them anymore as they were now in control of it. Those who didn’t understand their point had been brought to the Main Center’s special observation rooms in sector B2 for now, but most of the members had easily been convinced that the West Center hadn’t been at fault for anything.

Luckily the other Centers had been easily brought on their side after the mess the Elite-Vestige had created and they had made sure to go with a group of Chasers and Vestige they knew, as well as with Fallen who could show them this time in a calm manner that they were on their side.

Shintaro had stopped the backup from the Main Center trying to follow them to the Secret Center with a few remaining Chasers and members of Taisuke’s and Shime’s group while the others had aimed directly for the Main Center.

Taiga and the others had taken off to the West Center though after they had only dropped by at the Main Center to get Shime. He had started healing Taiga on the helicopter already and Kentaro had kept pouting that he wasn’t allowed to fly it. Not that anyone except Mitsu, Taisuke and Kochi had any flight experience. So for everyone’s safety they had left Kentaro and Reo with Kochi at the Main Center and the boys had immediately made their way to Tama and Miyata who had finally gotten a chance to participate in their final battle to get some updates from them.

"And Juri is really fine? You know, the-" Shintaro pointed at the back of his neck and Kochi let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. Juri had stayed with them as well, just so that Kochi could keep an eye on him.

"To be honest I'm not sure. I need to talk to you all later about the details, but it has to wait until the situation has calmed down. For now we must decide how to proceed and keep everyone safe."

Kochi had made sure to deactivate the Elite-Vestige microchips right at the Secret Center so for now he could only hope that they were all safe. Myuto had to take care of the rest as Taiga couldn't help anymore to make them remember. But the other Vestige were also in danger. Their microchips luckily didn't work on long distance and only with a specific remote, but if they wanted to face the Government then he had to make sure to deactivate everyone's chips or they all might be in danger. It had been lucky enough for them that the Elite-Vestige and Government members were the only ones with access to the remote or their attack on the Main Center could have easily ended deadly for some Vestige. But Kochi was extremely skeptical about the silence from the Government, because usually they knew about everything going on at the Centers so their silence was a bad sign.

***

The situation was chaotic at the West Center as they had to make sure that Myuto got enough time to somehow make the Elite-Vestige snap out of it like Reia, but he had to figure out himself if his ability was able to do it as it was different from Taiga's and he couldn't just drag out all their past memories as easily as the other one.

A few remaining Chasers at the Center were taking care of guarding and had helped Shime, Hokuto and Taiga to the medical station. The one at the Main Center would have been bigger and had way more medicine for them yet Kochi wanted to give them some space from the trouble around the Main Center before they would make it their final base.

"I can keep them unconscious so you don't have to hurry," Reia said encouragingly while Myuto made sure that the special observation room was locked just in case one of them woke up and went for an attack.

Mitsu and Nika were with them in the room to help out if necessary, but Myuto hoped he could actually help them without any fight happening.

"Okay so who is the hardest to bring back you think?" Myuto asked, but Reia didn't seem sure and Myuto could see the change in his eyes and he put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know the situation is difficult for you and I wish I could give you the calm time you need to talk to me and Taiga, but it just needs to wait a bit longer."

"I know," Reia said, but the shadow wouldn't leave his face. "I have never met the others before they have been turned so I'm not sure of their real personalities, but I think the most stubborn one is Katsuki."

"Then we will start with him," Myuto said and gave Reia a proud look as he knew that the boy had so much he needed to get off his chest yet he tried his best to help.

"Get ready for him to try and fight," Myuto warned the others as he crouched down in front of the boy who was leaning with his back against the wall.

First Myuto needed him to wake up as his ability didn't work on unconscious people. So they had to wait a moment for Reia's ability to vanish so that he would wake up.

"Do you think Taiga is sad about not being a Fallen anymore?"

Reia's question had Myuto think for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I think he prefers to be human, but he had a really special ability and he is definitely disappointed that he cannot help as much as before anymore, especially with you boys. But let's focus on them for now, okay? Taiga is in good hands trust me."

***

It had been pretty difficult to convince Taiga to take a rest after Shime had helped with his healing progress, but now he was human again and needed a bit more rest to recover, especially because his wounds weren't only physical.

Hokuto had almost lost it at some point as Taiga tried to shoulder all the responsibilities again even though it had already been thanks to him that they had gotten this far. So eventually Taiga had agreed to rest before the whole Center could actually freak at him. Hokuto had helped with his mind control to make Taiga sleep for a while, because he felt too restless to easily sleep.

Since then Hokuto had been lying next to Taiga on the boy's bed and kept caressing his still blonde hair. It felt so familiar yet so weird. They had gotten together when Taiga had been still human and it made sense that Hokuto's Fallen self was the only reason for Taiga to become a Fallen in the first place, yet Hokuto needed to adjust to it once more. His strength was different now as was almost everything else about him and the telepathy was gone as well as the Fallen self had taken the instinct with him as well.

"It might feel kind of lonely at first," Hokuto admitted to himself before he placed a kiss on the other one's forehead and gained a small tired sound from the other one in return before Taiga slowly opened his eyes.

"Did you rest enough?" Hokuto asked, but Taiga didn't reply, instead he moved his hand up to Hokuto's face and after a moment his look darkened a bit once more so that Hokuto took the other one's hand and placed a soft kiss on it. "I know a lot was easier with all your abilities and I can understand that after discovering the instinct it might feel scary to be back to human, but remember that you can rely on me and the others, okay?"

Taiga flashed an almost invisible smile on hearing that before he sneaked a bit closer and Hokuto moved one arm around the other one's upper body while Taiga rested his forehead against his chest. "I think I'll sleep a bit longer."

"As long as you want," Hokuto said and placed a brief kiss on the other one's hair, happy about him finally accepting that he was allowed to have some calm moments for himself as well no matter the situation around him.

***

There had been a brief moment of control, but that had been it and Myuto realized that he was unfortunately not able to help them and the moment he retreated out of Katsuki’s mind the boy immediately freaked and tried to attack wild around them, but they had them all chained down so luckily he couldn’t use any abilities. Reia hurried to put him back to sleep so that he wouldn’t hurt himself while trying to break free.

“So what do we do?” Nika asked, but Myuto didn’t know an answer as he felt more than useless, knowing that he wasn’t able to do what Taiga had done. His mind abilities just didn’t work that way.

“Maybe Kochi and Aran can try to make a new kind of serum?” Reia suggested and it sounded like a good idea, yet it would take time and that was the least they had. Their civil war had reached its peak through their revolution and now they had to make sure to end it before the Government could actually come up with another stupid idea.

“There might be another way,” Mitsu let out with a thoughtful look and the others waited for him to explain what he meant. “I’ll be back in a second.”

“Where is he going?” Reia asked, but Nika shrugged his shoulders. “For now I guess we can only try and give every possible idea a shot. I hate seeing them like this. They are not at fault for anything they did.”

“Neither are you,” Myuto reminded the boy, but it was obvious how much Reia wanted to speak to Taiga, yet he had to be just a bit more patient. His guilt was slowly eating him up, yet he tried so hard to make up for his time as an Elite-Vestige and Myuto knew exactly how he felt.

“I had forgotten everything about Taiga, you and the others after I had been turned into a Fallen,” Myuto explained, Reia turning to look at him with a curious expression. “It wasn’t the same as with you Vestige, but I had just put it all locked in the back of my head. Fallen aren’t good with emotions so we just lock them all away. Taiga was the one who brought them back to the surface after we met again, yet it almost cost his life to save mine.”

“And now he even lost his abilities to help us,” Reia added with a gloomy look, but Myuto shook his head.

“His abilities might have been helpful for us and I bet his strength would have been more than helpful in our upcoming battles, but do you think the Taiga you know would prefer the instinct and his Fallen abilities over his human side?”

Reia thought about it for a moment. He didn’t know much about Taiga’s story after he and Myuto had disappeared, but then he showed a brief smile as he realized that no matter what had happened over the past years, Taiga’s personality wouldn’t just change so he finally shook his head with a brighter expression. “I guess Taiga was one of the strongest Fallen, yet he is definitely also one of the strongest humans.”

“Exactly,” Myuto added and squeezed the boy’s shoulder when Mitsu stepped back into the room. But he wasn’t alone.

“And how will Taisuke’s copy ability help?” Reia asked, trying to sound polite and not impatient.

“It’s not his copy ability we need,” Mitsu explained and Taisuke seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable when everyone looked at him in slight confusion. “Shall I explain or do you want to do it yourself?”

“Fine, but let’s keep the details for later. I am still not used to my own situation,” Taisuke explained and Myuto could tell that something had changed about his personality. He had realized the change at the Secret Center already. He had stopped looking at Taiga the way he had done before, which meant his instinct had calmed down, yet his whole personality had somehow gotten a calmer aura as well. “You all already got that we transferred the Fallen self to me at the Secret Center, so it’s the same as when you and Aran transferred it from Hokuto to Taiga.”

“Which means…you got his abilities!” Reia concluded with an excited and hopeful look as the other one nodded.

“That is great news. Why didn’t I even think about that,” Myuto asked himself, but things had been chaotic enough and Taisuke had been standing next to himself a lot so even his own members had given him some space.

“Do you need to switch with him to use them? You know, you are a Fallen yourself, so is it working the same way as with Taiga?” Reia asked, but Taisuke slowly shook his head.

“Here the complicated explanation starts, so to say it as simple as possible there is no him and me, there is just us. Do I make sense?”

Nika and Mitsu both nodded as they had already realized that the transition for two Fallen with the instinct was different and instead of two personalities there was just one new personality in front of them.

“You want me to try?” Taisuke finally asked.

“Definitely,” Reia said as he couldn’t wait for the others to go back to their original personalities as well.

“I guess you will all meet for the first time once more now,” Myuto said with a smile and Reia nodded in excitement. They had only known each other as Elite-Vestige and there had been no emotional connection between them, but Reia didn’t want them to feel like enemies when they got their memories back, so he made sure to be ready to show them that they were safe.

Myuto was impressed by the boy’s determination and leadership. He was definitely going to continue as their group’s leader, but this time for the right reasons.

***

Musen 26 - October

 “I will not sit around here doing nothing,” Katsuki complained, but his mother wouldn’t listen like always. But this time he had enough. His little sister was still too young to help, but he was old enough to fight and yet all he knew was the inside of this huge sized bunker, which was more like an underground city of the Government by now. After his father had been sent overseas to fight when he was still a little kid he had taken more care of his mother than the other way around, but he couldn’t waste his time anymore.

“Where are you going?” His mother asked when Katsuki packed some of his clothes and threw the bag over his shoulder. His sister was autistic and looked up at his brother with a questioning look when he placed a kiss on her hair with a smile. “Watch out for mum, okay?”

She smiled brightly and nodded while their mum kept arguing with Katsuki even when he had already walked out the living quarter they had been in for years now. It wasn’t even a house, nor was the surrounding a city, it felt like a prison.

“If everyone just hides here and waits then nothing will change,” Katsuki finally lost it and yelled at his mother who stopped and looked a bit taken aback. “I am tired of hiding here like a coward. I am not saying I am running away. I am leaving to make a change for the better, so why don’t you behave like the parent you are supposed to be and at least take care of Noriko until I am back?”

After a moment Katsuki regretted his mood swing, but then his mother nodded and tried to flash him a smile. “You come after your father after all.”

“But I will come back, so make sure to keep her safe,” Katsuki added and turned around before his mother could reply. Never had he thought that he wouldn’t see her for years after that moment, not to forget that he had even forgotten his entire family, the one reason he had decided to fight for in the first place!

-

Musen 26 - February

“You do realize that it’s not worth it breaking the law for a book, right?” Yabana’s friend asked, but the boy was determined to go even if he had to go alone.

“Isn’t it weird how they have everything stored in their Government buildings, but won’t let us have a look? None of us ever had any kind of education and yet there is so much knowledge in their protected libraries and special education Centers.”

“But you are not trying to educate yourself about the war or any useful skill. Don’t you think a book about music is worthless in this war? There are not even any instruments left, well except for that creepy old piano you found.”

Yabana smiled proudly as if he had found an ultimate war weapon, yet it had been indeed just an old piano, not even working that well anymore, but he had been fascinated by it right away. He had always hummed melodies when he was little, his mother singing him songs, which had been composed before the war. Yet he didn’t have his family anymore to teach him anything from before the war and while the Government offered shelter for orphans, a lot of them preferred to stay outside the Bunker as they didn’t trust the Government.

“But if it’s useless, then why should they keep it?” Yabana asked. “It’s just music sheets. They won’t need it for their war, right?”

“You are really crazy to go this far for something random like this. You won’t even be able to read it,” his friend complained, but he had still followed him towards the security fence of one of their education Centers in which their library was located. 

“And yet you are here with me to do something that stupid, right?” Yabana asked with a knowing smile, holding his fist out towards his friend. They had met like a lot of the other orphans out in the street and had hung out since then. Yet Yabana felt like he had found someone he could trust.

“I will never miss any of your crazy ideas,” he replied and hit his fist against the other ones, yet he would never get the chance to actually witness any more of his stupid ideas, but at that time none of them had known that.

-

Musen 25 - December

“I told you this was a bad idea,” Konpi complained, but his friend only pouted.

“I really thought it would work,” Taiko replied while trying to clean his face with his sleeve after all the remaining dust from the military drone had been thrown at him after a failed start of the engine.

“Since when do you even know anything about drones or technology in the first place?” Konpi teased his friend while he kicked some stones away from the destroyed factory building, which they used as a hideout with some other people for some months already.

“There are some awesome skills up here you don’t know about,” Taiko let out and tapped his head, making Konpi chuckle.

“What kind of skills? Failing at everything you say you can do, being scared of your own shadow? Or maybe crying at everything? Don’t forget that I know you long enough now to know what’s up there,” Konpi teased back, making Taiko pout.

“There is nothing bad about being up for trying new things even if I fail a lot and being emotional is also not bad, after all one of us has to show some emotions.”

Taiko’s try to tease back made Konpi stretch out his tongue towards his friend before he turned back to the open area in front of the building with a chuckle. It was fun to have small quarrels like this it was distracting them from the tough reality.

“That doesn’t look good,” Konpi said as he looked straight ahead at a dusk wall rising in the distance.

“What is it?” Taiko asked as he walked up to him before he gasped. “Are those Government trucks?”

“Better than Fallen I guess?” Konpi replied, but was worried nevertheless. Their place was far away from the Centers and they had never had any problems with Fallen or other fights, yet something about the Government trucks making their way out here made him worry.

“Get your stuff.”

“What?” Taiko asked a bit perplexed when Konpi went back in and grabbed his bag. “Aren’t we waiting for them?”

“No, we will leave. Now!”

“But what if they have good news?”

“Then we will get to know about them later, now hurry!”

Something just didn’t feel right about the situation, but never had Konpi thought that his gut feeling was more than right and that they should have tried to get away faster.

-

Musen 27 - February

Rinne’s parents had both been soldiers, both of them teaching him a lot when he was a child. Martial arts, combat skills and the mental strength to overcome difficult and especially live threatening situations. Yet here he was all by himself. His parents had never come back from an oversea mission, but they had also never been declared dead and every day it had gotten harder for Rinne to keep his mental strength up to keep fighting, because why should he?

Yet he was sure that he would soon drown in his own misery so he decided that he could at least try and be of some use, even if it meant that eventually he would most likely end up like his parents.

He had once faced some Fallen by coincidence and he had seen the Chasers and Vestige fighting them with all their might and that was the moment he had decided that he needed to get stronger if he wanted to face them and there was only one place he could go for that.

“What is your business here boy?” One of the soldiers at the Main Center asked.

“I’m here to volunteer in your Vestige trials.”

-

Musen 24 - December

Myuto and Taiga hadn’t come back that night and Reia hadn’t been sure what to do. The younger kids started getting restless, but they had of course heard the air raid over the city. It had been the biggest one in years and it also had been one of the last ones. Maybe the countries around them had also finally run out of resources to attack easily. Yet they hadn’t known at that time that the Government would be at fault for their own Civil War to start.

Reia had put a few older kids in charge of the younger ones as he decided to head out the next morning to look for Myuto and Taiga, without any success. He had tried to go to their usual places for water and food, but he found a lot of places destroyed. Even the small supply shop that had miraculously survived over all these years of war had finally been destroyed by this air raid and Reia didn’t even dare to get close to it as he felt too scared to even think about the possibility of them not having survived the attack.

After almost a week had passed, Reia knew that the worst case might have come true after all and he needed to take responsibility for the kids as he was now in charge. What he hadn’t seen coming were soldiers suddenly showing up in front of their bunker and telling him that Myuto had sent for them. A huge wave of relief had taken over Reia at that moment and while the soldiers couldn’t tell him anything about Taiga, he knew that as soon as they met with Myuto they would definitely find Taiga as well, but none of it ever happened…

***

Musen 28 - March

Shime had kept himself busy as long as he could. He had taken on the responsibility of guarding the Center and commanding the Chasers around the area. Their fence was back up and Kochi had made sure that their security system was separated from any other possible connection point to the Government, but everyone was still restless and on high later. Eventually they would need to decide if they should abandon the West Center or the Main Center as they couldn’t fight at two locations for long.

Now that the sun was setting and the weather had turned towards minus degrees again, most of the Chasers had retreated back into the Center, but Shime kept looking over the area from the rooftop.

“You are running away.”

“And still you won’t leave me alone,” Shime replied as he had of course heard the other one making his way to the rooftop, but a part of him was happy about it, because finally the other one spent him attention again.

“Do you want me to leave?”

Taisuke’s question made Shime turn around and for the first time he saw so much more on his brother’s face than just his instinct driven emotions that put so much distance between them.

“How are the others?” Shime asked instead while Taisuke had stopped close to the door, the cold air turning white when he breathed out and nodded.

“They should be fine. I helped them as best as I could, but even though the ability is the same I feel like only Taiga was able to use it well.”

“I can’t tell who of you is speaking,” Shime suddenly said, making Taisuke look at him with an apologizing look as he understood how the situation had changed, yet it hadn’t become easier for Shime.

“There is no switching between us,” Taisuke explained while Shime made some slow steps towards his brother. “Taiga’s and Hokuto’s DNA were different from their Fallen self so they needed to switch active and passive, but we are identical.”

“Because you are both Fallen with the instinct,” Shime concluded.

“I wish I could explain it better, but I guess I have to get used to it as well.”

“Two people have become one, that’s all there is as an explanation,” Shime said. While his voice didn’t sound judgmental, it also didn’t sound soothing and Taisuke looked to the ground for a moment when Shime stopped in front of him, the cold wind hiding his eyes under his long strands for a moment. “You have done it to save the one person who understood you. The one person who would have eventually driven you crazy if you had been forced to stay away from him if he had stayed with Taiga.”

“Yet a part of me wanted another solution,” Taisuke let out in a low voice as if everything he said sounded like an outright to himself.

“But your instinct would have never let you take another decision than one that brings you both closer together and now you got the closest outcome there was.”

It had been years since Shime had seen Taisuke that troubled, yet it was exactly that reaction he wanted to see. His older brother wasn’t a cold hearted and ruthless character. He was kind hearted and shy and the only reason that character hadn’t come back to the surface even after he had gotten the serum was because of the instinct being too busy with Taiga’s instinct. It was still there, it would never go away, yet it had calmed down through their transition. Now Taisuke’s face showed so many emotions, so many regrets and it was in a weird way the best outcome Shime could have hoped for.

“I wish I could change things for you. I really wish I could make it easier,” Taisuke finally let out, his voice so broken, his heart so heavy. “I’m sor-”

Shime threw himself to the front into his brother’s arms before Taisuke could finish his apology and he remained motionless for a moment until Shime closed his arms tighter around his back and squeezed him. Taisuke showed a smile on that reaction and put one hand on his brother’s hair while he gently closed the other arm around his back.

“I don’t need you to apologize. You did what you had to do. All that counts is that you finally see me again.”

“I’m sorry for not being there for you all this time. Not just over the past weeks, but all these years. I am so proud of what you and the others achieved over all this time.”

“You can be happy that Taiga is such a nice and forgiving person and that Hokuto’s Fallen self was with him already at that time or Hokuto would have killed you the moment you approached Taiga,” Shime teased and Taisuke could totally see that happening, but luckily they would never find out who would have won.

***

The helicopter landed on the rooftop of the Main Center with the remaining West Center members. It had been a tough decision to abandon their own Center, but after a few discussions with Kochi they had agreed that the Main Center had the better equipment and defenses for them to keep going with their revolution. The Chasers had brought the remaining trucks from all the other Centers and as much gear as they could. Aran and Kochi made sure that their system data was deleted and the Main Center's system couldn't get accessed from any other place. They risked attacks from other Fallen groups through abandoning all other Centers, but Myuto and Taisuke hadn’t encountered any other groups close by so they hoped they’d be safe for now.

"Do they even have enough rooms for us?" Shintaro asked while Juri shook his head with a teasing smile.

"If that's your biggest concern right now, then you're calmer than I thought."

"I'm not calmer than anyone else I think? But I also don't want to sleep on the ground with dozens of people in the same room."

"The Main Center has an underground facility at area B. It was established for Vestige to stay in, but there hadn't been as many Vestige as the Government had hoped."

Everyone turned around to Katsuki whose personality had changed drastically through Taisuke's help. The other Elite-Vestige had been on the last helicopter with him and they all still looked quite uncomfortable. They had apologized a felt thousand times already and Reia had snapped at some point and made them stay away from everyone for the last day at the West Center so they could calm down a bit. It had been too chaotic and hectic to have long talks anyway.

"Great, will you show us?" Jesse asked with a smile and it was weird to see Katsuki that shy as he nodded.

"Are you not coming?" Shintaro asked into the round of other Elite-Vestige, but they all seemed a bit hesitant to walk around with all the people around they had once hurt.

"Stop sulking," Reia scolded them and hit Taiko on the back of the head. The boy immediately showed an overreaction of holding his head and Konpi protectively pulled him away from Reia. The teasing and playful attitude between them was visible so Mitsu, who had picked them up with the last helicopter ride, nodded with a calm expression. He knew they'd be fine eventually. They just needed some time to calm down like all of them.

***

"I'm sorry that I had to hurry you all this much. I promise I will give everyone as much time to settle in and calm down a bit after this, but we need to be on high alert and a lot of things have to be explained," Kochi said as he gathered all West Center members, all Fallen and Vestige from all other Centers. With all the Chasers even the big training hall in area C which was usually used for the Chasers training, there wouldn’t be enough space, so they let the Chasers take care of patrolling for now.

Kochi realized how his own Center members were all restless and exhausted. Especially Taiga and Hokuto looked like they needed way more time for themselves, but Kochi knew that they were tough enough to go with their pace as war was at their doorstep.

"To explain the basic situation for us here in the Center, the defenses are up, the system can't be accessed from other places and I will start today to deactivate everyone's microchips as we couldn't find everyone's remotes until now."

An approving yet kind of anxious mumbling went through the room, but if they wanted to fight the Government then they had to do it with full force and without them being able to control their actions and lives any further.

"The Fallen and Elite-Vestige all agreed on staying with us for now. Please let your Chasers know that they can all move to the Chaser quarters in sector C if they don’t feel comfortable to stay with them in the underground quarters of sector B. We all know that the situation is really difficult for everyone.”

The Elite-Vestige and Fallen were standing with the West Center members, but the other Vestige didn't seem angry or scared. It was more the confusion of how they have ended up this way, so Kochi was sure they could work things out without a fight.

"The part I have to explain now might make some of you angry and I already apologize for that, but please hear me out until the end."

Everyone kept listening and Kochi turned to his own Center members, Juri who was the only one who already knew details, gave him a supportive nod. It was time to explain why this situation had occurred in the first place and Kochi took another deep breath before he looked back up at everyone.

"Our Government works in top secret hideouts and you've definitely not heard much about them yet, but what I can tell you about them is that the main leaders are three people. They are the triangle Government."

"A fancy name for a trashy Government," Shintaro whispered towards Jesse.

"Most of their facilities are just a distraction to take the focus away from the main location. I know where they are located and I want to start an attack on them, but we cannot just attack the same way as we did with the Main Center."

"Why is that?" Myuto asked curiously.

"Their hideout is located underneath the main Bunker for the civilians."

"Cowards," Kentaro hissed.

No one else said or asked anything, but Kochi could see it on their faces and even though he was actually scared for the first time, he knew that he had to explain further.

"The reason why I know all of those details is because I am part of one of the Government families. That is also why they only kept me in an investigation room at the Main Center. They can’t really lay a hand on me, not even the Elite-Vestige can."

Of course another mumble went through the rows on Kochi's words, but then everyone fell silent again and Kochi was left dumbfounded for a moment.

"You thought we'd get angry at this?"

It was Taiga who had spoken up, trying his best to put his own problems aside for now.

"You betrayed them not us, so why would we be angry?" Shintaro added and he made a good point.

"As long as you fight for us we will always have your back," Juri added with a smile.

Kochi kept staring at them in disbelief, but then he formed a small smile. After all these years with the West Center members he should have known that they wouldn't judge him.

"We left him speechless," Jesse teased.

"Let's get going with the important parts then?" Hokuto said, which made Kochi realize that he shouldn't waste everyone's time as even the other Vestige didn’t seem in any way angry about that sudden announcement.

"Right, so we will talk about the details tomorrow after Aran and I had some time to gather more information from the system. The plan will involve Chasers so please give them the information from today's meeting and ask who would be willing to listen to the plan tomorrow. I won't force anyone to risk their lives for this revolution."

The other Vestige nodded and they seemed ready to storm the Government building as well, which made Kochi hope that they could actually win their civil war.

"I want the Vestige to come to the main lab in sector A one by one over the day so that I can deactivate your microchips. After that make sure everyone rests, all of you had some tough days of fighting."

They dismissed the meeting after that and Kochi walked over to his members and gave them all and apologizing look once more.

"If you start apologizing or even crying now, I'm out," Kentaro immediately said, resulting in Nika rolling his eyes at him.

"I won't," Kochi promised with a serious expression. "You made clear that you still trust me and that's all I need to know."

"Great, then can we sleep now? I'm really tired," Chaka said from the back.

"I can put you to sleep?" Kentaro offered, making Chaka hide behind Shizu who immediately complained and took Genta's arm to pull him in front of both of them on which the boy laughed.

"We actually also have something we want to talk about," Taisuke said and everyone turned to him while Shime walked up to his brother, stopping next to him.

"Even if the main plan will involve more Chasers than Fallen and Vestige, we will eventually need all the help we can get, because we don't know what else the Government came up with until now," Shime explained.

"If there are even stronger people than Fallen and Elite-Vestige then this battle is going to get tough," Matsuku agreed on Shime's worries. “We don’t even know yet if other Elite-Vestige are guarding them.”

"So where do we find more allies?" Hagi asked and then Myuto stepped to the front facing Taisuke. "You want to go out and turn the remaining Fallen?"

Taisuke nodded and everyone actually agreed as the idea wasn't that shocking after all.

"If Taisuke's group and my group go then we have enough people to stand up against another Fallen with an instinct if necessary," Shime explained.

Hokuto gave Taiga a side glance as the boy had turned a bit paler on that topic. Their fight had almost cost some of their own people their lives so they hoped that there was no other Fallen with an instinct and so far they hadn't found data about any. But they had indeed found data about at least a dozen other Fallen who were still somewhere out there.

"Are you all sure you want to go?" Aran asked the Chasers of Shime's group, but they all nodded.

"You will definitely have enough other Chasers for your plan, so we want to put our energy into this task," Umi explained and Senga gave him an approving nod.

"Okay if you are all okay with this plan then I won't stop anyone. You're right after all, the more people we'll get together the better and my plan will take some days to work out, maybe even longer," Kochi explained.

"When will you leave?" Reia asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We want to give everyone the chance to leave fully recovered," Taisuke explained. "You're welcome to join by the way."

He had addressed the Elite-Vestige and they all exchanged a skeptical look until Katsuki stepped to the front.

"We've caused all of you so much trouble, yet none of us had willingly done so. We want to fight directly against those who forced us into their experiments and protect others from the same outcome."

"We'll make sure that everyone is safe while you're out there searching for backup," Reia added and Shime gave them a proud smile.

"You're young and reckless, but definitely the strongest after the Fallen so we count on you."

***

"Do you want to stay in another room?" Hokuto asked when Taiga didn't immediately enter the room Hokuto had chosen in the underground sector B. Taiga had agreed on using one of the Vestige rooms as he knew that some of the Chasers in sector C might not want Hokuto or other Vestige or Fallen around for now.

"I just wondered how you feel about staying here?"

Right, Hokuto had been so busy with his worries for Taiga that he hadn't even thought about it.

"Through my failed transition I wasn't allowed in these rooms at first," Hokuto explained. "I only stayed here for a few days before they transferred me to the West Center."

There was a silent question on Taiga's face and Hokuto could understand his curiosity as Chasers usually never see more than area C except they enter the Main Center after their training.

"Come with me," Hokuto said and took Taiga's hand to pull him along.

"If you don't want to then you don't-"

"I want to show you everything, so stop feeling sorry about wanting to know," Hokuto scolded him as he slowed down a bit and squeezed the other one's hand. "We've allowed each other to see almost all our memories in each other’s minds, do you really think I would be that easily affected by coming back here?"

Taiga couldn't find a good reply to that and Hokuto only squeezed his hand once more before he showed him around the whole Main Center.

A lot of the places Taiga recognized from Hokuto's memory, especially when they were heading to sector B4 he knew that this was the place Hokuto didn't want to remember.

"The rooms they used for Vestige who might be dangerous in their eyes are on this floor. Most of our transitions have been at different locations and we were brought here later after the Fallen like Myuto and Taisuke had destroyed the research facilities they had been turned in. After that they weren’t sure if they could succeed with the Vestige research so until Juri’s generation we all got turned somewhere else."

"Were there others like you?" Taiga asked as he had never seen any memory about that topic.

"I'm not sure to be honest. Maybe a few months or even weeks before my transition they had still failed? But if they turned out to be Fallen then they wouldn't have kept them alive."

And that was the part they all hated. They kept experimenting and killing people after their own failures and they didn't even know how many people they had killed over the years.

"My Fallen self had already calmed down a bit when I came here. But it had caused some huge uproar in the building they did the transition in. I didn't know until later that it was actually Kochi who asked them to bring me to the West Center after checkups and that he would take full responsibility for my actions."

Taiga had heard about that part and he squeezed the other one's hand and pulled it up to his face to place a soft kiss on it. "And I'm really glad he did. If he hadn't helped you then Kentaro would have most likely killed me on my first day as a Chaser."

"You were such a bad Chaser," Hokuto laughed while they kept walking back to the lower floors.

" From now on you have that Chaser back, yet I have to remind you that I was the ace under the Chasers eventually."

"Then let's hope you can keep that position. There are a lot of other Chasers here now and Aran is pretty awesome too."

"I guess I need to ask him to teach me his techniques so I can beat your ass at training," Taiga laughed.

The floor they entered was the training area for the Vestige and they immediately realized that they weren't alone. It was the fact that the boy had come back here that Taiga knew how much he actually still regretted everything he had done.

Hokuto suddenly stepped back and stroke some of Taiga's still blonde strands behind his ear before he placed a kiss on his forehead. "You should have a talk. It's difficult for all of us at the moment to find the time to talk. I'll wait in our room, okay?"

Taiga showed a brief smile and nodded gratefully for Hokuto's understanding. Taiga himself had to talk to so many people and also somehow get used to his own situation and he knew that it would all need to wait a bit longer, but this talk had to happen as soon as possible.

Of course the boy had heard them even from the other side of the huge room, but he didn't turn around when Taiga approached him.

"Nothing that happened here or anywhere else was your fault, you know that, right?"

Reia finally turned around on the older one's words, but his look was so dark, still so childish as if he hadn't aged a year since Taiga had gone missing. What Taiga didn't expect was Reia running towards him and throwing his arms around him. In silence Taiga formed a smile and gave the boy a comforting hug.

"Seems like you're still as clingy as back then," Taiga said teasingly, but he could feel Reia's body slightly shivering and he placed a kiss on the boy's hair. "The past years must have been extremely hard on you. I promise you that we'll do everything possible to stop the Government from going on with their cruel tests."

Reia squeezed the older one a bit tighter on his words, but he still didn't lift his face from the other one's chest.

"They all died…" Reia whispered and for a moment Taiga needed to adjust to his lost sense of hearing even small sounds clearly. "They promised to take us to you and Myuto, but they never did. For years they kept us at the Secret Center, each of us kept like animals in different glass rooms without any clear explanation of what they were doing. Almost weekly I saw one of them die. I couldn't help them...I couldn't do anything at all...until every single person I knew had disappeared…"

It was exactly what Taiga had feared, but hearing it directly made him tear up as well. Taiga and Myuto had taken care of all the kids for so long, especially Myuto and yet they hadn’t been able to help them.

"I was the first one to be successfully turned so I never saw the other Elite-Vestige as humans, but after all these years of testing I can imagine how scared they must have been. I promised myself to protect every single person who had to go through this transition, but of course I lost my memory of that promise, but now that I remember I want to fulfill it."

"I wish we could have found out about everything sooner," Taiga said and finally Reia stepped back and the older one brushed a few tears off the boy's face. "We could have prevented so many bad happenings, but I'm happy that we have you and the other boys now to prevent the same from happening again and I'm sure you'll be a good leader to their group."

"And that is all thanks to you," Myuto was heard from the entrance of the training facility. Reia had most likely already heard him, but didn't mind him hearing their conversation. "Not just the Elite-Vestige, also us Fallen. We're all here because of you."

"Now you're exaggerating," Taiga replied a bit teasing this time as Reia also found the strength to form a brief yet shaking smile before Myuto walked up to them and pulled Reia into a hug as well.

"If you say so," Myuto teased before he ruffled through the boy's hair and turned him towards Taiga. "But you know, Reia always clung to you back then already, I think there's just something about you that people trust you and follow you. Otherwise I wouldn't even have invited you to the bunker in the first place."

"And yet Kochi is the mastermind here and I'm more or less powerless again," Taiga said, but tried to not feel too distracted by his own thoughts. He should be happy that he had his life and body back to himself.

"And yet you'll definitely find a way to save everyone even without that strength, right?"

Myuto asked Reia who nodded. "He definitely will, but only as long as the enemy doesn't pull out a jar full of bugs."

Now Myuto burst out laughing while Taiga rolled his eyes.

"After all these years you're still teasing me about this?"

"Come on, you should have seen your face back then, it was hilarious," Myuto agreed.

"As soon as everything has calmed down I'll definitely try to find some bugs for you," Reia teased and this time Taiga jumped at him, trying to get a grip on him to pull him closer to punish him for his teasing and while Reia ran away squealing, Myuto just stood aside laughing.

They wouldn't have much time for calm reunions for now, but they all hoped that eventually this would become their normal daily life again."

Musen 28 - March

Taisuke and Shime had decided to wait for nightfall the next day so that they could leave without any possible spies around noticing them too easily. It would just give the Government an advantage if they knew that some of the Fallen had left.

So in the end they stayed for the meeting with Kochi about the details of their plan to intrude the Government building, but Kochi had only gathered a handful of people who would later give out the information to everyone else.

Hokuto, Taiga, Juri, Jesse and Shintaro were present of course, but to their surprise only Aran was present from Myuto’s group and also no other member than Shime and Taisuke had joined from their group. None of the Elite-Vestige members was present either.

“Okay so first things first. Do not interrupt me, is that clear?” Kochi asked and eyed Hokuto on that question, making it clear that the warning was mostly for him. “The others will leave soon so I will make this quick and direct. The Bunker is made for humans and I mean humans only. They are guarded by human soldiers and Vestige. I do not have any information if there are even more Elite-Vestige. I haven’t been there in some years.”

“What if they moved the Government Base away since then? Especially through our latest attacks?” Aran asked and he was obviously allowed to interrupt Kochi as the other one didn’t seem angry.

“Unfortunately we can only go with the information we were able to find and nothing in their system says anything about any relocation and while I have never been in the part under the bunker I am pretty sure it’s a huge facility by now so moving everything would take time, but we have to act fast and I mean really fast. We will make everyone head out tomorrow night.”

“Who exactly is that everyone?” Shintaro asked a bit afraid of getting scolded for speaking up, but Kochi didn’t seem to mind.

“Everyone who is willing to join, but as I said the Bunker will not let in Vestige and they have sensors and no matter if you have a deactivated microchip, they can still find it and they can also detect Fallen.”

“So only Chasers can go,” Hokuto whispered more towards Taiga than Kochi.

“But they know us, don’t they? By now we are definitely on something like a state enemy number one list,” Jesse added and he made a good point.

“This is where I will help you,” Kochi explained. “I will hack into their system and make sure that they won’t have any data about you when you enter. The guards won’t necessarily know all your faces, especially because they are looking more for Fallen and Vestige, not too much for the Chasers that were involved.”

“Because they don’t see us as such a big threat,” Taiga said and it still felt weird to him to speak of himself as a Chaser again. But for the Government he had never been something else. Kochi had hid that information the entire time.

“What if they somehow remember exactly the face of someone going?” Shime asked.

“Then that person needs to be prepared to be on their own,” Kochi replied straight forward. “We cannot blow everyone’s cover for one person and we won’t have everyone go in at once either.”

“We can’t send our Chasers into such a suicide mission, especially when we can’t contact or help them,” Juri interfered and this time Kochi got a bit angry on the interference.

“And that is why I won’t force anyone to go. I swear if no one wants to go, I will go myself.”

“I will go,” Shintaro immediately replied, Jesse throwing his arm around his friend.

“Count me in too.”

“You have no clue what will await you or what the details of the plan are, don’t just say that so lightly,” Hokuto scolded them, but to his surprise Taiga stepped away from him and walked up to the other two Chasers.

“It doesn’t matter,” Taiga explained. “When we became Chasers we decided to protect everyone, no matter if from Fallen or from others. Now we have to protect everyone from our own Government and if Vestige and Fallen can’t do it this time, then we will, no matter how difficult or risky it will be.”

Hokuto remained dumbfounded for a moment before he made an almost threatening step towards Taiga. “We can’t help you. You are on your own, against other Vestige and tons of soldiers. Who knows what else will await you?”

“And? I have stood against so many other enemies already, what is the difference?”

“There will definitely be more Chasers who want to join, we can-” Jesse tried to interfere, but got immediately interrupted.

“It doesn’t matter how many you are, you are just Chasers,” Hokuto said, raising his voice against Jesse and the boy made a step back, but Taiga remained at the same spot.

“Chasers were the ones who did a pretty good job in fighting Myuto and the other Fallen of our group,” Aran interfered, but Hokuto only gave him an angry side glance.

“Not to forget that the Chasers of my group stood more than just a good chance against Taisuke’s group,” Shime added, but all their arguments seemed to make Hokuto even angrier.

“I will go with them as well, if that helps?” Aran asked and Shintaro and Jesse seemed thrilled about hearing that.

“As if Myuto would be okay with that,” Hokuto growled, but that statement made Aran walk up to Hokuto with a serious look.

“No matter if Chaser, Vestige or Fallen, no one tells me what to do. None of you Fallen or Vestige tell any of us what to do. Know your place.”

Hokuto got ready to explode on Aran’s direct confrontation, but to everyone’s surprise it was Taisuke who put his hand on Hokuto’s shoulder and gave Aran a stern look so that the boy stepped back.

“I know this might still sound weird to you coming from me, but if you start doubting each other and fight among each other, then the Government will win without even having to try, so maybe you use this one last day wisely and get really direct and clear with everyone before you set off for this mission. Each and every one of us has the right to fight and make their own decisions.”

Taisuke looked from Hokuto to Taiga, knowing of course what was going on. Hokuto just flicked his tongue and left the room without Kochi even finishing, but no one stopped him as they knew how difficult the situation was for him.

“So you are all sure you want to go? I can’t have you back out at the last minute,” Kochi asked once more.

“When have we ever let you down?” Shintaro asked with a teasing smile.

“We will ask around if anyone else wants to join and we will let you know before the morning,” Jesse assured him.

“I am sorry to put so much pressure on you, but I thought about this a lot and there is no other way.”

“Just make sure you are all as prepared as you can be. The more emotional chaos you bring into the situation the tougher it will get, so sort things out fast,” Taisuke said once more before he gave Taiga another side glance.

“We will leave before midnight. I will make sure to inform you all before we leave,” Shime explained and he left with Taisuke first.

“We will talk to the others about the plan,” Aran said and patted Taiga’s shoulder. “You do what you think is the best for you to concentrate on the mission.”

Of course Aran had realized all the hints as well and now it was up to Taiga to decide what would benefit him and what would disturb him on this mission, but if he was honest to himself, then he knew already that he had run out of patience the same way as Hokuto and he needed to be honest to himself first before he could face him.

***

The Main Center still felt weirdly unfamiliar to Taiga even after Hokuto had shown him the entire facility. But even if he knew his way around now there was an even more disturbing feeling inside of him. The fact that he couldn’t sense anyone anymore. It just drove him insane. He felt so useless, so vulnerable and his own thoughts made him realize how right Hokuto actually was about getting angry at him for willingly risking his life for their upcoming plan, because how useful would he be? He hadn’t been a Fallen for more than a few months, yet it had changed a lot for him and he wondered if any Vestige or Fallen would even want to go back to being human if it was possible for them? With their new serum they could help the Fallen so at least their Civil War would hopefully soon end as long as Kochi’s plan somehow worked out. But what then?

“You could have just asked someone where to find me.”

The voice behind Taiga made him jump as he had been in his thoughts and when he turned around, Taisuke gave him an apologizing look as he realized that it hadn’t been the best approach now that Taiga was back to being human.

“I guess we all need to get used to this,” Taisuke let out and waited for Taiga’s reaction. The boy had made his way back to the training facility where he had talked to Reia and Myuto before, but Taisuke would definitely let him know if anyone was close as he was obviously aware of Taiga trying to find him.

“How did you know that I was here?” Taiga finally asked.

“I have all your abilities, remember?”

“Right…” Taiga whispered a bit embarrassed as if he had already forgotten about all his abilities. “You can sense humans’ presences.”

“You will be alright in the end, just give yourself some time,” Taisuke voiced out in comfort and Taiga looked up at him with a slightly confused expression on which Taisuke tilted his head. “Did I say something weird?”

Taiga slowly shook his head, before he formed a faint smile. “No, it’s just that I can see you both at the same time and while it feels indeed a bit weird, it feels good to see you both happy.”

This time it was Taisuke’s turn to smile and again Taiga could see both their smiles and it just felt so much more natural than the switching he and Hokuto had gone through over the years.

“I feel like in between all this chaos your encounter was something that was meant to happen,” Taiga said, but while he really meant what he said, there was a shadow passing his face and Taisuke of course noticed.

“But that is not why you wanted to speak to me before we leave, right?” Taisuke asked, aware of the fact that they didn’t have much time until their departure.

“If I could ask someone else I would, but Myuto-”

“His ability is slightly different, he wouldn’t be able to help you,” Taisuke said, aware of Taiga’s silent question.

“If you don’t want to then it’s okay,” Taiga let out in a lower voice as if he didn’t even want to say it, but he knew that the situation was difficult for both of them, even now, because there were things that couldn’t get erased.

“I won’t hide anything from you and I won’t lie to you. This is your choice and only yours. I won’t stop you and I won’t say anything in case you get angry or even want me to stay away afterwards,” Taisuke said and the mix of anxiety and hurt in his eyes made Taiga’s chest feel even tighter.

“I am not sure if it’s the right timing.”

“Then ask yourself if you can wait,” Taisuke suggested. “You waited once already for the sake of a fight, but now the situation is different and you will be separated for a while and I will be away too, so you have to decide what you prefer.”

It was a difficult choice, as Taiga had waited before because he knew that he had Hokuto and Taisuke around him all the time and he wasn’t sure if he could have taken the pressure at that time, but Taisuke made a strong point and somehow Taiga had thought about it as well already or he wouldn’t have searched for Taisuke in the first place.

“I don’t want to be kept in the dark any longer,” Taiga finally said as he stepped closer to Taisuke with a confident look. “I can’t say how I will react, but I don’t want any of you to tiptoe around me anymore and I don’t want to keep secrets either.”

Taisuke formed an encouraging smile as he stepped to the front as well and put his hand on the side of Taiga’s face. “No matter if Fallen or human, you didn’t lose any of your courage and even if it has a different meaning now, I still like that shine in your eyes.”

Taiga understood the meaning behind his words and he gave him a small nod and even though he tried to stay focused, his next breath came out a bit shaky.

“Then go on, let me see what I have forgotten.”

-

“So, how do you feel?”

“How I feel?”

…

 “I hope you realize that I will annoy you for a long time from now on.”

-

“Oh, no how are you? What did Taisuke do to you? And here I thought you’d come running at me and throw your arms around me.”

“Definitely not around you,” Hokuto replied.

“Poor sports,” Taiga let out. “Mh, I guess Taisuke gets the points for being the better kisser then.”

-

"Good luck trying to punish me," Taiga replied arrogantly.

"Such a confidence," Taisuke praised him before he leaned into a kiss.

-

“Now I need you to get me a new shirt,” Taiga said playfully.

“But I don’t think I will leave you in one piece if you don’t hurry,” Taisuke warned.

“Who said I would let you top?” Taiga asked and this time Taisuke’s look was difficult to interpret.

-

“You won’t forgive me for this…”

-

“I know they are afraid of our connection and I can’t blame them. I brought so much trouble over Taiga and Hokuto already, I don’t want to make them suffer any more.”

“And still you know that you might not be able to keep your word,” Taisuke added. “I might not be as strong as you.”

…

 “This will stay a secret too, so don’t worry,” Taisuke let out in such a hurt voice as if he had done the worst thing to both of them.

-

There were no words any of them could speak to make the situation any easier when Taisuke withdrew his hand and Taiga opened his eyes.

The tears immediately falling from Taiga’s eyes were what they both had seen coming, but Taisuke stepping back with the same tears falling had surprised them both. Yet Taiga couldn’t feel angry, why should he? He was still sane enough to realize that the situation had changed and Taisuke hadn’t hidden even a single memory from him. He had seen himself hurting his own friends, almost losing himself through the instinct, but of course the memories they shared together hit them both the hardest and it was just logical for Taisuke to feel as hurt as him, as the Fallen self was part of him now and he must feel as crushed as Taiga through everything he had done over the past months.

“It’s your choice what you will do with the truth…” Taisuke whispered, unable to raise his voice as he tried to get in control of his own emotions as he turned away from Taiga. “As I promised before, I won’t judge you no matter what you decide to do now.”

Everything was still a huge mess in Taiga’s mind as it would take him way longer to bring order to all these memories from several weeks, yet he intuitively reached out for Taisuke’s arm when the latter wanted to leave.

“Make sure that you and Shime come back safely with everyone,” Taiga let out, but was unable to face Taisuke when the older one turned back to him with a confused expression. Taiga let go of his arm and kept looking to the ground as he stepped back. He needed time for himself at least for a moment, but he knew that he had to be clear with Taisuke now or he wouldn’t get another chance.

“Are you sure?” Taisuke asked carefully, knowing how hard it must be for Taiga to even get a single thought straight at the moment.

Taiga let out another shuddering breath before he finally dared to look up at the other one, new tears immediately shining in his eyes. “I won’t run away from what happened and I won’t let you do so either. So yes, make sure you all come back as soon as you can. We need you here.”

The smile Taisuke formed on hearing that, fainted in seconds as his lips were shaking too much to keep it, but the relief on his face was more than visible. They would both need to find a way to live with these memories, but they also needed to accept that both their future paths shouldn’t be overshadowed by what had happened.

While some decisions had been forced by the instinct of the survival of the fittest, some had been their own, but nevertheless they needed to realize that hating each other wasn’t going to help the situation. They had both done what was necessary at that time to reach their own goals. Luckily from now on their goals were going to be the same!

***

Hokuto had shown up at the front gate when Shime and Taisuke’s group left, yet he wasn’t surprised to not see Taiga around. A part of him gave himself the fault for that as he realized that he had said too much before. Yet Taisuke had approached him before they left and even though he hadn’t said anything directly, his choice of words made him get prepared for what was going to await him.

You know that he always acts tougher than he is, but maybe this time he really is close to crumbling if you are not supporting him

Hokuto had decided to not look for Taiga and while he was of course worried when he hadn’t shown up for hours even after the others had departed, he decided to stay in their room and wait.

Until the early morning hours it had remained silent in their corridor and just when Hokuto was about to feel too restless to keep waiting as they had to part already in the evening for their upcoming mission there were footsteps in the corridor. Hokuto clenched his hands together, already able to tell Taiga’s mood just through his steps. He had known that Taiga was inside the building as he had of course worried too much to not use his presence finding, but it couldn’t tell him about his emotions and now that they didn’t share a direct connection anymore it felt like their communication skills were back at zero.

Taiga didn’t knock as he opened the door and he didn’t seem surprised that Hokuto was awake, looking straight back at him from the bed.

“I was worried,” Hokuto said instead of the stupid ‘are you alright’ question that was lying on his tongue, because one look told him that Taiga was everything but okay.

“Sorry,” Taiga let out as he closed the door and leant against it, his eyes so dark and empty that Hokuto wanted to jump up and hug him, yet he was aware that Taiga would most likely not accept that hug.

“I’m sorry too,” Hokuto finally let out after an awkward silence. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did before. I was the one to tell you to not be too down about being human again, yet I behaved like humans can’t take on any missions and I should know better by now. It was just- I don’t know…”

“You are worried,” Taiga replied calmly. “I would lie if I said I wasn’t, but that won’t change that I made my mind up. If we Chasers are able to help with overthrowing our toxic Government then I am willing to take the risk, but I should have also considered your feelings more.”

They tiptoed around each other and it felt so wrong, but what else were they supposed to do in this mess? If they fought now then it would just mess with their concentration later.

“I know we will work this out in the end as long as we are both willing to do so,” Hokuto said while he lowered his eyes to the ground with a dark expression. How much he wished they had more time to actually figure things out now.

“Do you mind if I give you one more thing on that list to figure out?”

Taiga’s voice had changed drastically on that question and it was obvious how much he struggled with even asking in the first place. Just the look on the other one’s face gave Hokuto an unpleasant shiver when he looked back up, but he had known that it would come down to this.

“If you think the timing is right,” Hokuto let out and Taiga finally made a few steps into the room.

“I don’t think there is any right timing for this, but I don’t want any secrets between us before I leave.”

There was so much Hokuto could reply to this, yet he bit every single of his words back, because he was aware that Taiga was thinking exactly the same. It was because he was going to leave that this was the most fitting timing in case Hokuto wouldn’t be able to face him and Taiga also definitely seemed to need more than one night away from this topic, so their upcoming mission was the best distraction and the second thought was something they would never say out loud, but Taiga’s wish to not keep secrets between them was also because he wasn’t sure if he was coming back, which was a fact that Hokuto also worried for the most and why he had overreacted that much before.

“If you are really sure,” Hokuto said and moved a bit to the side, opening the spot next to him on the bed and even though Taiga’s look showed so many tormenting emotions he finally moved and sat down next to Hokuto.

“Can you promise me something?” Taiga asked and the other one slowly nodded. “Can we leave all the talking for when I come back?”

Hokuto tried to form a smile as he nodded, but it was too faint to be visible and Taiga wasn’t looking up anyway. Carefully Hokuto put one hand to Taiga’s face so that the older one would look at him directly. “After everything we have been through this will not be our breaking point, not as long as we both don’t want it to be.”

“I’m so-”

“Don’t apologize before there is even any reason for it, not that I want you to apologize later either,” Hokuto said a bit harsher this time. “You said it yourself, so let’s keep all the complicated talking for later? You need to sleep after this.”

This time Taiga showed a brief smile on the reminder and as it was already morning he indeed needed to somehow catch up on some sleep before they were going to leave.

“Then can I ask one last thing?” Taiga asked, Hokuto only looking back at him patiently. “Please don’t hate me for what you’ll see.”

Musen 28 – March

As it had been Taiga’s own request to keep the talking for later, Hokuto had made him fall asleep before the older one could even open his eyes after the mind reading and he was sure that it had been the right decision as some silent tears were still visible on Taiga’s cheeks after he had put him down on the bed.

“It must have been even more crushing for you the first time,” Hokuto whispered after he had lied down next to the other one, but remained on distance. All he did was look at the other one, but while Taiga might have thought he wouldn’t want to touch him anymore in the first place after seeing all his memories that wasn’t the case. All Hokuto wanted was to respect Taiga’s wish to keep the complicated part for later and he also didn’t want to disturb his much needed sleep.

“I always forget exactly how strong you are,” Hokuto whispered as he had seen of course not just the memories that Taiga had forgotten, but also the parts from the moment Taisuke had forced Taiga to come with him. Unable to use his abilities, all on his own and forced to somehow awaken an instinct he hadn’t even known of before. Yet Taiga had gone through all of it without anyone by his side and his biggest fear had been Hokuto’s reaction to his betrayal. A betrayal Hokuto wouldn’t even use that word for, yet he would be lying if he said he wasn’t affected by the memories. It would be tough for him as well to accept everything that had happened, especially because he would never be able to truly understand the instinct, which also made him question how much of it was the instinct, how much was the Fallen self and how much it was really Taiga who had just lost his battle against being trapped all alone with the enemy.

Yet all those emotional memories weren’t Hokuto’s priority for now and when he could hear more voices in the corridor and feel the presence of Chasers moving through the Main Center, he decided to get up.

“You will need all the strength you can gather,” Hokuto said once more as he reached out for the other one and put one of Taiga’s way too long strands of hair behind his ear.

Carefully Hokuto closed the door when he stepped out into the corridor and with a calm smile he looked to the side. “How long have you been standing there?”

“If I say since Taiga entered the room will you get mad?” Juri asked back as he kept leaning against the wall with his arms crossed to his chest and his eyes closed.

“I guess I would thank you then, because that means you were looking out for him until then, weren’t you?” Hokuto asked and Juri finally opened his eyes and gave his friend a knowing look.

“Then I take that thank you,” Juri said and took a few steps away from the wall. “Are you ready for the upcoming mission?”

“Weird how he is the one going, yet I need to be the one to get ready.”

“Don’t forget that we play a big part in it too, after all they just do the first step. If we fail to connect to that part, then it will be all good for nothing,” Juri reminded him while Hokuto gave the door a last glance.

“Then I guess I need to go and apologize to Aran now or we won’t get a good start into the mission,” Hokuto said with a guilty smile and Juri patted his shoulder while he pushed him a bit down the corridor.

“Just don’t freak at him if he is cynic about your apology, you know how he is,” Juri teased back.

***

Shintaro, Jesse, Aran, Taiga and a dozen Chasers from other Centers had volunteered in the end. Kochi was pleased with the number as they couldn’t send too many people as it would just be too suspicious.

“I want you all to get yourself some backstories ready. They will ask you why you want to get into the Bunker, especially because almost no citizens are left outside in the Capitol, so get creative, but not too much or they won’t believe you.”

“And here I wanted to confuse them with a story about living with Fallen for all these years just to go back to them to share secrets,” Jesse joked, but got Shintaro roll his eyes next to him.

“That is half of Aran’s story so it’s not even creative,” Shintaro joked.

“Some of you will go in groups, others by themselves. I will send you all away from the Main Center tonight, but I want you all to make sure to keep your own times in mind before you enter. Too many people at once will be too suspicious.”

“These two will be the most suspicious in the first place,” Reia said as he pointed at Shintaro and Jesse. “Are you sure you want to send them in at the same time?”

Kochi had made a timetable for all groups and while Aran was going in first, followed by a larger group of Chasers the next morning, Jesse and Shintaro had to wait until the evening of the next day and Taiga even longer as he needed to give them a two days delay and go in last as he was the most dangerous one to get in. If they realized who he was then the whole mission would fail right at the start.

“We can behave totally normal,” Jesse complained, but just the way the two tried to sit in their chairs as if it wasn’t a normal daily task, made Reia smile back at them.

“If you say so. Anyway, I will make sure to have all the Elite-Vestige on standby as well. I feel like they all need a few more days to calm down,” Reia explained.

“You are doing a great job, but you also need to remember to rest,” Myuto reminded him.

“No worries, everyone can rest as long as they want, I will kick everyone out who tries to take the Main Center away from us,” Kentaro interfered.

“You should have maybe gone with your brother’s group, if you are that up for a fight,” Hagi teased.

“If he did then there would be no Fallen to bring back as he would kill them all,” Yuma added, making Moro laugh next to him.

“If you don’t want to fight then how about you just play guard dog here at the Center?” Kentaro shot back.

“We will abandon the Main Center the moment the second phase starts,” Kochi explained, making everyone focus back on him. “This plan is all or nothing. This time there will be no way for us to retreat, please remember that.”

“Does anyone have any other questions?” Aran asked. “This is your last chance. We don’t know for how long we will be separated inside the Bunker and how many of us can get in.”

“Can I make a request?” Taiga spoke up for the first time, making them all turn to him and Hokuto.

Taiga had slept until right before the meeting, but when he joined them all, he had naturally stopped next to Hokuto, making Juri smile at them. No matter how tough their path would be from now on, they understood how important it was to stick together for now.

“What kind of request?” Kochi asked.

“We said that we will act like we don’t know each other at least at first, but just in case something goes wrong while we are there I want to ask everyone to not help out any of us even if we get into trouble later on.”

That was a tough request, especially because they of course knew each other and Chasers of the same Center would definitely have trouble staying calm.

“Is everyone okay with that request?” Kochi asked into the round and while Jesse bit his lip and seemed to want to object he eventually nodded, together with the others.

“Okay, anything else?” Kochi asked, but Taiga shook his head. “Then everyone make sure to get ready. You need to change clothes and also if possible change your appearance as much as you can. Make sure you have nothing on you that would in any way show a connection to any Center. I can hack into their system to see when you will get inside and as long as you keep your time schedules, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Reo, you should get ready too,” Myuto said and the boy nodded. He was in charge of getting everyone out of the Main Center and to different locations without anyone seeing them. They would then make sure to ruin their clothes, maybe even hurt themselves with some slight scratches and do whatever necessary to look like someone who was in need to be allowed inside the Bunker.

“Okay, then you are all dismissed for now. I will see you all in an hour at the Main gate,” Kochi explained and they slowly left the room in small groups.

“Will you help me?” Taiga asked, to which Hokuto seemed a bit startled for a moment. “With changing my appearance, I mean.”

“Yes sure,” Hokuto finally replied before they made their way to area C1 where the Center had stored the old clothes of a lot of the people who had come for their Vestige trials or Chaser training.

“They don’t just look really old, they also smell that way,” Taiga complained as he searched through the clothes before he decided on washed out jeans and a brown sweater with some ripped parts around the seams.

“Take this one too,” Hokuto said as he held out a black trench coat towards the other one. “You have to stay out there for two days, who knows what the weather has in store for you.”

“Could be positive if I freeze half to death, then they will allow me in even easier,” Taiga said, trying to joke a bit, but both their smiles didn’t reach any brightness.

“I will take this one too then I can hide my face a bit,” Taiga said as he lifted up a simple wine red scarf and looked around a bit more, but then shook his head. “No hats unfortunately.”

“How about I cut your hair?” Hokuto offered and that suggestion made Taiga look up at the other one a bit hesitant. “What? Do you think it will look that bad if I do it?”

This time Taiga’s smile actually grew wide enough to be called teasing and then he started laughing, making Hokuto bite his lip while hiding a smile as well.

“That wasn’t my first thought, but now that you said it, can I really trust you with that?” Taiga asked while he took one of his stands in his hand and pulled it to his face. His hair was touching his shoulders already in the back, his eyes always underneath the long strands in the front.

“I can’t promise that it will look good, but I can definitely make it look as if you were out there cutting it by yourself for years.”

“Maybe then I should cut it by myself?” Taiga said while he already made his way back to the door, but then he realized the change in Hokuto's look and walked back to push him to the door. “Hurry up or we won’t make it in time. Don’t you think you can cut my hair in two minutes, that won’t work out and we should try to do something about the blonde as well, don’t you think? They will totally know that I am, well was, a Vestige or Fallen with that hair color.”

“But didn’t you just say-”

“You said you want to do it, then you get to do it or are you backing out?”

Finally Hokuto made sure to walk faster so that Taiga stopped pushing him and his look brightened up again as he nodded. “Just don’t complain about it later I warn you.”

“As long as you take care of the mess you create later when we are all done with this,” Taiga challenged and that was what Hokuto wanted to hear. Positive thoughts! The possibility of their mission working out and them finally finding a peaceful time ahead.

***

"Wow, that's definitely a change in appearance," Shintaro let out when Taiga and Hokuto made it to the main gate.

"It's not like you didn't cut your hair," Taiga replied and Shintaro had almost shaved all his hair off, while Jesse had only shaved the sides and let the remaining black hair fall to one side while also putting a bandana around his head. But he immediately went over to Taiga to play with his short black strands, but Hokuto slapped his hand away.

“The black is not a real dye so watch out that you don’t get it off.”

"Everyone ready?" Kochi asked, followed by a totally different looking Aran.

"Nice color, if you want to call it that?" Moro asked.

"Let's say we improvised with whatever we were able to find," Myuto replied and walked up to Aran who moved his hands through his ash gray hair. To make it look messier he hadn’t cut it and just put it up in a messy black and gray mixed ponytail.

"Reo, are you sure you can take them with you all at once?" Hagi asked.

"My illusion can be stretched wide enough, we just have to be sure that we hide sometimes so that I can recharge."

"Then I guess here we part. Please everyone remember the plan and make sure to stay as safe as possible. If everything works out we see you in a week," Kochi said and gave them all a nod to prepare to leave, but Shintaro and Jesse jumped at him and squeezed him in a way too tight hug so that the older one complained until he got released.

"We know you're the head of the operation, but you can still express your worries," Shintaro said a bit scolding and everyone else agreed. First Kochi looked a bit hesitant before he sighed and then smiled.

"Then everyone come here, I want to say goodbye too, not that it will be for long."

At least that was what they hoped for and they needed to stay positive after all.

Jesse and Shintaro gave him another short hug and a few of the other Chasers as well, while Aran went for a fist bump before Myuto demanded his time for a farewell.

"You get a hug no matter if you want it or not," Kochi said when Taiga made no move to walk up to him. "I don't care if you cry, just come here."

"Who said I would cry?" Taiga replied, yet that was actually why he didn't want this to be too emotional or he would indeed cry.

Kochi squeezed him a bit longer than the others, Taiga needing a moment to hug the other one back.

"You'll be fine. All of you. Just concentrate on what is important now. Everything else can be solved later."

Kochi's words had been only a whisper even though they knew of course Vestige and Fallen could easily hear them. Hokuto had turned away though and waited next to Kentaro at the main gate.

"Thank you. Please also be careful when it comes to the second part of the plan."

Kochi nodded and sent him off to Myuto. It felt easier to hug Myuto as his friend’s worry was obviously more on Aran, but Taiga didn’t feel angry about that.

“Make sure you all support each other,” Myuto said.

“As much as possible,” Taiga said as he wouldn’t go after his own request of not helping each other in case things got messed up, but they could still help each other out in other ways. “We will be impatiently waiting for you.”

Myuto grinned at him and gave him another tight hug before he pushed him towards Hokuto and made his way over to Aran. The boy was now also shifting a bit nervously, but immediately calmed a bit down when Myuto put his arm around his shoulder and placed a kiss on his hair.

"If you get too romantic I'm out," Kentaro scolded Taiga before he had even touched Hokuto.

"Then how about you go first and then you don't have to keep watching?" Hokuto teased resulting with Kentaro rolling his eyes.

"Too proud for a hug?" Taiga teased as well and spread his arms.

"Fine, if you all need one," Kentaro hissed and moved forward. The intensity with which he hugged Taiga though showed how much he tried to play tough.

"Just make sure to not get yourself killed," Kentaro said a bit scolding as he backed off and hit Taiga against the chest. "And leave some bad guys for me to kill."

"Of course, that part of the plan I will leave to you," Taiga teased back.

A bit reluctantly Kentaro walked over to Hagi and Moro, waiting for them to leave.

"Don't do anything stupid," Hokuto said so that it was Taiga rolling his eyes this time.

"Everyone is so nice to me and here you come with a threat."

"I know you listen to them the best," Hokuto replied with a teasing smile, yet both of them didn't move and an awkward moment of silence followed.

It was Hokuto though to make the first step and he put his hand on Taiga's face to make him look up.

"As promised the complicated part can wait, which means I won't let you drown in any kind of misery before you leave."

The meaning of his words followed immediately as he closed his hand a bit more around Taiga's chin and pulled him into a kiss. He kept it short, yet passionate and waited until Taiga relaxed a bit before he pulled back.

Taiga's expression was startled, yet also a bit flustered and Hokuto enjoyed that kind of emotional mess way more than the one they had to face later.

"I'll come to pick you up later, so make sure all of you stay safe."

Taiga nodded instead of replying anything as there was no need to keep trying to talk the danger of the upcoming mission down.

"Everyone ready?" Reo asked when he got ready to open the gates and all Chasers gathered, giving each other a confident look before Taiga turned back to the remaining members.

"See you in a week."

Kochi nodded at all of them with a confident look. “See you all in a week. Remember, this is our endgame.”

***

"Are you sure you want to stay here? This is a dangerous area," Reo said as he dropped off Taiga last and the furthest away from the Capitol as Taiga had the most time to make it to the Bunker.

"Now we have you and the others on our side to keep away other Fallen, so it should be fine," Taiga said.

The area he had chosen was close to the harbor, but towards Chiba where a lot of Fallen had actually been seen before and it was also the direction of Taisuke's former hideout, but that was exactly why he chose this area. No other Fallen would make their way here this easily, knowing that Taisuke might still be around.

"Take care," Reo said before he left him alone. He needed to make his way back to the Main Center as he would also be needed for the second stage of the plan.

"I will. Thank you."

With that Taiga was left alone. The morning hours had already arrived and he could see the sunrise from his area. There were no remaining houses close, just open land and the path to the beach.

He could just look for shelter, but knowing that he still had a lot of time left he made his way down to the beach instead.

It was a nice day so far. Almost no clouds in the sky, just a bit of cold wind down at the beach.

There was not the slightest sign of other people having made their way down here over the past years and the biggest sign of it was that there was no trash. Since their war had started almost 30 years ago there had been no resources to produce unnecessary materials like plastic if it wasn't for military purpose. Years before the war the world had already tried to somehow fix what they had done to the planet for decades and to a part they had succeeded, but the planet had still not forgiven them and now even going swimming in the almost fishless ocean could cost them their lives.

"One day we will all be able to enjoy this plant to the fullest again," Taiga said, knowing that it was of course not just up to them, but maybe after all these years of even more destruction and death, the remaining people would finally realize that what they needed was a new beginning. A peaceful one.

***

“Myuto, you are in my way.”

“Sorry,” the other one said and stepped away from the screen, trying to play down how worried he was and kept a close look from the back of the room, while Kochi prepared everything to be ready to block the Bunker’s system the moment Aran was in sight.

It was risky enough to hack their security camera already so he would only do it around the hour they were supposed to enter or he risked getting discovered. If they messed up their times then they were on their own.

“He will be fine,” Moro said.

“Not that I could do anything if he isn’t,” Myuto replied, making Kentaro flick his tongue at him.

“Remember that Aran is one of the most badass humans out there, put more trust into him.”

“It’s not like I don’t trust him, I just don’t trust our luck,” Myuto said, but didn’t take his eyes off the screen and that at exactly the right timing as he stepped closer again when he could see Aran approaching the Bunker, but he wasn’t alone.

“Nice move,” Hagi said as he realized that Aran was helping a hurt person towards the Bunker and while that was of course something he would normally do as well, it was more than a good cover for now.

“Okay, then here we go.” Kochi made sure to erase only Aran’s data so that the data change wouldn’t be easily noticed. At the front gate of the underground bunker were several soldiers placed who searched everyone who wanted to take refuge. Not to forget that the same as the Centers there was a high electricity fence, guarded by Vestige.

They couldn’t hear them, but Aran had already made it towards the soldiers together with the hurt person he was supporting. While two soldiers searched them, a third one had a portable screen and looked through the system of searched criminals.

“Mh, seems like we are not on the list?” Reo said as they could access the data he was looking through.

“Idiot, we are Fallen, they wouldn’t have us in that system. Their sirens would go off the moment we stepped close to that place,” Yuma said, making Reo nod a bit embarrassed.

They took the hurt person from Aran and guided him inside and Aran followed, but was stopped by the person with the portable screen.

Myuto immediately tensed, but after another moment of checking the list, the soldiers stepped aside and let Aran pass.

“And that was it,” Kochi said, relieved and restored the data the moment the soldier put the screen back on his belt. “The first one has safely made it inside.”

“Now we can only hope that he stays safe inside as well,” Myuto added, knowing that the danger wasn’t over.

“By the way don’t you think they will notice that they have left Aran in the moment they look back on the screen and his data is miraculously there the next time?” Yuma asked as Kochi had explained that completely erasing the data would be too obvious.

“There are quite some people they are looking for now that most of the Center members are on our side, so I exchanged names and pictures, which won’t be as noticeable as deleting data. So everyone’s pictures won’t be in the system anymore after I restored it, but I can’t do it ahead of time or I will need to access too often and too long.”

“Then let’s hope they will all keep out of trouble and make it by their time slots,” Myuto said now that he was a bit less tense after Aran had made it in the Bunker, not that the danger was over with that one step.

Musen 28 - March

The evening had arrived without Taiga seeing even a single person, which wasn’t that surprising as he had walked outside the Capitol area so far. But now that it was getting dark he had to start looking for a hideout for the night. The weather had suddenly changed to windy and cold. Now Taiga was more than grateful for Hokuto’s idea to take a jacket with him.

At sunset the next group of Chasers would go in and then it was Shintaro’s and Jesse’s turn, so Taiga had to slow down a bit, because now he could see the East Center already. It felt weird to see it all dark, with no warning lights around the fence or searching lights scanning the area. It wouldn’t take long until the remaining Fallen would make use of the abandoned Centers and attack, but they had to hope that Taisuke and Shime would be able to stop them and turn them back before they could actually be forced to fight on two fronts.

For a moment Taiga stopped and looked at the open area in front of the East Center. It would make a good hideout for the night, especially because there were beds and also food inside, but on the other hand, would any normal citizen dare to get close to the Centers without even knowing what had happened? It had barely been a few months since they had to bury a lot of their own after Taisuke had attacked this Center the first time. Remembering their first encounter made a shiver run down Taiga’s spine and he shook his head and stepped back. This was definitely not the place to spend the night at.

The last sunlight had set and now he had to be quick to find shelter, so he hurried to turn around just to get the shock of his life when someone stared at him from not even a meter away. As a Chaser he should have reacted a bit more logical, yet he had been so taken off guard that he had stumbled to the back and fallen over some stones behind him, landing with a squeal face first in the dust.

“Mh, definitely not a Fallen,” he heard the one behind him while he hurried to jump back up, not that he had to fear for him being a Fallen, at least it didn’t seem like that after that statement. Yet Taiga was still on high alert, especially when someone else walked up to the person standing closer to him.

They were two boys around the same age and height as him. One had light brown hair and light blue eyes, while the other one had longer wavy ash gray hair with dark red eyes. But realizing their features there was another worry rising inside Taiga.

“Who are you?” Taiga asked.

“No Fallen if you think that, so you can calm down,” the boy with the red eyes said.

“We came out here to check on Fallen ourselves, but after your graceful reaction I guess you are not really a danger,” the other boy said with a hint of arrogance and it made Taiga somehow feel angry, but he bit back a comment.

“You made him angry,” the other boy said and this time Taiga looked at him in confusion as he thought he had done a good job in keeping a neutral expression, yet he had seen his anger. No…he had sensed it!

“You are Vestige,” Taiga finally let out.

“Close, we are Elite-Vestige.”

Now all of Taiga’s worries had reached their peak. How unlucky could he be? Would they let him go? What were their abilities?

“So many emotions at once, now I wonder why you react like this, knowing our identity,” the taller boy asked as he stepped a bit closer.

“Your ability, you can sense people’s emotions, can’t you?” Taiga asked back instead.

“More or less, yes. I can see the aura around people and they show me what is going on in their mind,” the boy said and tapped the side of his own head.

“So who are you if you are no Fallen? Why are you sneaking around here?”

When the shorter boy approached Taiga a bit too fast for his liking, Taiga made a jump to the back, maybe a bit too obvious, because the boys exchanged a knowing look on that, but the taller one told the other one to stay back.

“I should apologize for the rough greeting, it’s not like we are planning on attacking you, as long as you don’t give us a reason that is,” the taller one said and then slightly bowed. “My name is Date and this is Shota, we are in charge of checking the area around the Centers, now that we are in another civil uproar.”

“What civil uproar?” Taiga lied, trying to play confused, but Date immediately tilted his head.

“You obviously know at least a bit about it, because I can see that your question is a lie.”

Now that ability was indeed quite annoying, but at least he couldn’t look directly into his mind, but now he eyed Shota who had crossed his arms in front of his chest with an impatient look.

“I wouldn’t stare at him too intensely,” Date warned him and Taiga immediately looked back at him instead. “Will you tell us now who you are?”

“I am Taiga.” He said honestly as he knew that lying wasn’t an option.

“Then what are you doing out here Taiga?”

“I was looking for a place to stay for the night,” Taiga said, trying hard to not obviously lie. But luckily it didn't seem like they were aware of his identity like Reia or the others were. Which made him wonder if these Elite-Vestige had only been turned recently.

“Where did you stay until now in such dangerous times?”

“I came from Chiba,” Taiga replied, again not a lie, as he had indeed been in Chiba a few hours ago.

“And now Chiba got too boring?” Shota asked from the back.

“As you realized before, I have heard from the uproar around the Centers, so I want to head to the Bunker.”

“Oh, so a civil war between Vestige made you somehow fear for your life, but all the Fallen around you didn’t worry you until now?” Shota asked, obviously not believing him.

“It is not forbidden for humans to ask for shelter in the Bunker, no matter the reason,” Taiga countered, but this time Shota stepped to the front, but something about the boy’s eyes screamed danger and made him look away. Yet Shota was definitely not the patient type and before Taiga could step back, he had grabbed his chin and made him look up. In an instant Taiga knew what Date meant with not looking at him for too long. It wasn’t exactly mind control, but something felt weird and even when Shota released him, there was no way for Taiga to move or look away.

“Then what exactly is your reason for heading to the Bunker?” Shota asked, but his words echoed annoyingly loud inside Taiga’s head, yet he could feel the same kind of resistance he usually used against Myuto or Hokuto’s abilities, so he tried to push Shota’s ability away to get back into control and with a huge effort he closed his eyes and lowered his head with a hiss.

“Oh, impressive,” Date said from the side. “That’s a first.”

“Now I am not sure if I should find you interesting or annoying,” Shota hissed, but stepped back, giving Taiga a moment to calm down.

“So, Taiga, did you by any chance ever have any encounters with Fallen?”

“Or Vestige,” Shota added.

 “Yes I did,” Taiga replied, trying not to be too specific.

“Didn’t seem to have ended well,” Date said and pointed at Taiga’s scar on his neck. It had been so long that Taiga didn’t even give it any thought recently and he carefully touched it.

“Oh? Weird, it doesn’t seem to be a bad memory? But also not a completely good one,” Date realized and Taiga wanted to curse his aura ability.

“Anyway, what do we do with him?” Shota interrupted.

“I don’t want any trouble. I only want to make it to the Bunker,” Taiga said and Date nodded, thinking for a moment.

“Well then this is your lucky day,” he let out with an inviting smile, which seemed way too humble compared to the way Shota behaved. “You just got yourself one of the safest escorts directly to the Bunker.”

“Great, now we are playing babysitter for a stupid human,” Shota said and rolled his eyes, yet he started walking without another complaint.

“I know the way, I don’t want to keep you from your work,” Taiga replied, but he could tell on Date’s fake smile that there was more behind his offer and there was no way he would let Taiga go by himself.

“That shall not be your worry. Shall we then?”

“I didn’t rest since I came to the Capitol, I would like to rest somewhere first,” Taiga tried again as he realized that he would make it at a completely wrong timing to the Bunker if they started walking now.

Shota growled from afar and gave him a warning look. “You have two options. I can use my trance ability on you so that you are forced to keep walking or Date can carry you, suit yourself.”

“Now I wonder why I have to play carrier, but sure, if you are too tired?” Date asked, but Taiga shook his head. They would be even faster if they went with their pace, so Taiga walking would slow them down at least long enough to reach the Bunker the next morning. Right…the next morning.

“I will walk. I will let you know when I am getting too exhausted,” Taiga finally said and started walking to Date’s obvious satisfaction.

If he was able to time it right, then he wouldn’t end up in the biggest mess, hopefully. But it all depended on the perfect timing and Kochi’s hopefully fast reaction.

***

"Any updates?" Kochi asked as he came back to the lab, but Hokuto shook his head.

"I would have sent for you, so I hope you really slept a bit and didn't just lie around waiting," Hokuto scolded his friend as he had taken over the screen for the night after the second group of Chasers had made it in without any trouble.

"Next are Shin and Jesse, I think I have all right to worry?" Kochi asked a bit teasingly, making Hokuto grin.

"Are the others on patrol?" Kochi asked.

"Yes, they feel restless as we can only get into contact with Taisuke’s team and they still found no one at all. Having no contact to the Chasers after they entered the Bunker is a really nerve-racking situation for everyone as well."

"Which means you don't have to pretend as if everything was fine. You can worry too," Kochi reminded him.

"Let's hope I don't have any reason to worry."

"Except for those two idiots being too early," Kochi growled as he looked at the screen and immediately logged into the system to get ready.

"At least they showed up at all," Hokuto let out, hoping that they wouldn't get into trouble.

"The data are blocked for now so they should be fine," Kochi said right in time before the soldier with the portable screen started searching. But then he stopped and they all turned to the gate, but the security camera they had hacked into wouldn't show the security fence, so they didn't know what was going on.

"I don't like their expressions," Kochi said worried as he realized the looks the boys exchanged and Shintaro even dared to look up at the camera for a split second.

"What the hell," Hokuto let out as Shota stepped into the entrance area, while Shin and Jesse automatically retreated a bit. When it was Taiga who followed him, Hokuto held his breath. Especially because Date was following him, so it was obvious that they tried to make sure he wouldn't get away.

"Who are they?" Hokuto asked, but Kochi shook his head while he hurried to access the database again as Shota snatched away the portable screen from the soldier and turned to Taiga. Unfortunately they couldn't hear them, but Kochi knew that whatever had happened made them skeptical about Taiga so he had to make sure that his data was not accessible.

"They are Vestige," Hokuto let out as he studied their features. "Why the hell is he always running into trouble?"

"For now there should be no trouble as long as they don't know who he or Shin and Jesse are, and it doesn't seem like it."

Kochi had made it right in time so that Shota threw the screen back at the soldier and crossed his arms to his chest, saying something to Taiga.

"Did they mess up or why the long faces?" Kentaro was heard from the lab and walked over as they didn't reply. "Oh, someone else messed up, I see."

"These two brought him in, it's not his fault," Hokuto hissed and Kentaro nodded with a slight apologizing look.

Kochi hurried to access one of his other screens to look for Vestige data, but after a moment he sighed. "I feel like he can be happy that he made it this far after running into them."

"What do you mean?" Kentaro asked while Hokuto didn't dare to take his eyes off the screen as Date had stepped next to Taiga and put his hand on his shoulder.

"They are not in the Vestige database, but even Reia and the others already had data."

"Wait, so…" Hokuto let out with wide eyes.

"Yes, they are new Elite-Vestige and if their temper is the same then they could have easily killed Taiga. Luckily they seem to be more in a playful mood than a killing one."

Shota gave Taiga another hateful glance before the soldiers let him finally pass.

"I don't like that one, he looks like an arrogant ass," Kentaro said.

Taiga hadn't looked at Shin and Jesse even once and the boys needed a moment to step back to the entrance after Date and Shota left without paying them any attention.

"I fear they won't be the only ones," Kochi explained with a troubled expression. "This means there might be another Secret Center which is not in the database or they actually turned these ones right at the Government area."

"But Reia and the others knew about all of us, why do they not know us?" Kentaro asked.

"Maybe there had been no time for them to remember everyone?" Hokuto asked. "If they turned them in a hurry to defend their main location then it would make sense?"

Kochi still remained skeptical as it didn't make much sense to him. The microchip would give them the direct link to their mind so they would have been able to put the data right into their heads, so why didn't they?

***

Taiga had tried to avoid looking at Shintaro or Jesse for the whole time and he felt like he had done a good job. Yet he did a horrible job when he entered the Bunker as he looked around like a child with wide eyes. An elevator at the entrance area had brought him down inside the Bunker, which was deeper than he had thought.

 Sure, Kochi had told them as much as he knew about the Bunker, but he hadn’t seen it growing over the last few years and it was huge. This was no simple Bunker anymore, this was an underground city. It had different levels, all connected by simple stairs and instead of real buildings there were a lot of capsule-like stone chambers, some so small that most likely only a single person was able to live in it. Others seemed bigger and had space for a family. But the soldiers explained to Taiga that food was given out at destined locations and times and he had gotten a wristband with a number, which would make sure that he got his fair share of food.

The Bunker had nothing even close to the luxury they had in their Centers. There were only shared toilets and showers, no privacy and not really much space to move and yet so many people lived here for years already, too afraid of the war and also the Fallen.

His own thoughts made him finally hurry deeper inside the Bunker. His wristband number was also the number of the place he would stay at and a sign showed on which level which number was and his was on the 5th level, the lowest level. The more stairs he took down, the more people he saw working on extending the Bunker. There were definitely not many people left outside, but creating more space was definitely a good idea. Yet they extended it to the side and not to the bottom, which Taiga knew the reason for and he kept looking for any signs of a hidden connection path or door to the government main building, which was supposed to lie right under his feet. Security cameras were placed all over the Bunker and soldiers were around to keep the order, so Taiga had to look out to not seem too suspicious.

When he reached the far end of the fifth floor he ran into two Chasers from their mission and their eyes met for a brief moment, but then the two just left to go upstairs. At least Taiga knew that they had made it in. He didn’t have the time to check at the entrance if Shintaro and Jesse had made it, but new people would most likely come to this fifth level so he would soon find out.

None of the soldiers had any Vestige features so at least it didn’t seem like Vestige or even Elite-Vestige were patrolling inside the Bunker, which was of a huge advantage for them.

Taiga took a look at his number once more, 4675 and he made a turn to another corridor, knowing his place was close. At the corner though a boy dashed right towards him and while Taiga had avoided running straight into him, the boy had stumbled and the bowl of water he carried landed right on Taiga’s clothes.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. Please forgive me.” The boy seemed extremely panicked while apologizing and he kept bowing.

“I’m not angry, don’t worry. It’s just water, right?” Taiga said and took his coat off, which had luckily gotten most of the water on his shoulder and chest so the clothes underneath were dry. It was pretty warm inside the Bunker anyway, so he wouldn’t need the jacket.

“Here please take this,” the boy said and handed Taiga a towel.

“Marius, what takes you so long,” another boy was heard shouting from one of the capsules. “Get the new water.”

The other boy who came around the corner was older than the one he just called Marius, but even though the foreign looking boy seemed young, he was pretty tall, the same as Jesse maybe. When the boy saw Taiga though his eyes also went wide.

“Please go on with whatever you were doing,” Taiga said and stepped aside so that Marius bowed towards him once more and started running upstairs.

“Please don’t be angry at him. My little brother is ill and we need more fresh water,” the boy said in the same apologizing manner.

“Why are you all so scared?” Taiga asked directly.

“You are new, right?”

“Yes, I am Taiga by the way.”

“Shori. Nice to meet you. The boy just now is Marius, he is the best friend of my little brother Sou,” Shori explained. “In the Bunker you get into trouble if you start any kind of fight or uproar, they can throw you out for that, so we make sure to always apologize and keep a low profile.”

“Sounds like a stressful life,” Taiga said, but could imagine that it was indeed a good method to keep everyone calm inside this crowded place. “How is your brother? What does he have?”

“He came down with a fever. We luckily got help from someone else yesterday and it got a bit better, but it’s still too early to say if he will be alright. Especially because we can almost never get any medication. But please don’t tell anyone about this.”

Taiga nodded and followed Shori as he walked back to his place.

“How is he?” Shori asked someone who was inside while he waved at Taiga that it was okay for him to follow. Not that there was much space for him. There was a loft bed, the upper one most likely Shori’s bed and in the lower one Sou was lying, his breathing extremely erratic with his face sweaty and flushed. Next to the bed were only one desk and a chair, not much more place to stand so Taiga waited at the door.

“If we could only get some medication or at least ice instead of water, then it would be way easier.”

The person who had spoken got up and turned towards Shori, but then he looked past him right at Taiga and both of them tried their best to not look too obvious.

“Oh, this is Taiga. He just arrived. Marius accidentally emptied some water over him,” Shori explained.

“Nice to meet you, Taiga. I am Aran.”

Taiga only nodded on their fake introduction and luckily it seemed like Shori hadn’t realized anything suspicious about them.

“Shori, would you mind looking out for Marius? If they find out that something is off then Sou is in danger.”

“On it,” Shori said and excused himself and while their small places didn’t have a door they could close, which was most likely out of security reasons, Taiga made sure that no one was close when he stepped next to Aran.

“What is going on?” Taiga whispered, Sou luckily asleep.

“They are up to something,” Aran said and looked over to the corridor once more. “When I came down here I realized that Marius and Shori were sneaking around all the time and when I realized that Sou was ill, they immediately begged me to stay silent about it.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to ask them for medication or help?”

“That’s the problem. It seems like over a few weeks something like a virus is going through the Bunker and the moment someone gets a fever they say they will help them and they take them away.”

Taiga thought about that for a moment, but then he shook his head. “That makes no sense. There are so many medications out there at the Centers which can heal infections with only one capsule or injection and if they are contagious then they should have figured that out by now and done something about it, right?”

“Exactly,” Aran said and gave Taiga a knowing look.

“After they take them they are not coming back,” Taiga finally realized. “That is how they get their new Elite-Vestige.”

“There are new ones out there?” Aran asked with wide eyes, but before Taiga could reply Shori came back with Marius and a bowl with fresh water.

“No one saw us, but while I don’t want to be rude too many people at this spot will just make them suspicious,” Shori said.

“Don’t worry. I will be on my way. My place is just a bit more down to the left. Let me know if you need help with anything.”

Shori and Marius nodded gratefully, while Aran gave him another side glance and Taiga held his wristband up on which Aran nodded.

It would be difficult to communicate without being suspicious, especially with all the security cameras, which Kochi couldn’t easily access without making them suspicious. It was difficult enough with one camera and the temporary erasing of their data. Every big change would make the Government realize that something was going on, so they had to stick with the plan.

7 days in full and Taiga had arrived at the morning of the 2nd day, so just 5 days to go and hopefully they could give the others useful information and stay safe over that time.

Musen 28 - March

“So they are all in?” Hagi asked and Kochi nodded with a long sigh.

“Somehow, yes. The last two were a bit difficult, not that it was their fault, but who would have thought that some Vestige would show up and start questioning everyone. Luckily they reacted quite well.”

There were new Elite-Vestige as well, right? There are not many people out there they can just capture and use,” Moro asked.

“They are not actually capturing them,” Hokuto said with a thoughtful expression on the now dark screen after Kochi had disconnected the camera as fast as he could. “They don’t need to chase after them. They are coming on their own.”

“Come again?” Yuma asked a bit confused, while Moro only tilted his head.

“The Bunker,” Hagi concluded and Hokuto nodded.

“They are all thinking that this is their safe place, most of them might not even know about the current situation and I bet they found a way to somehow get some of them for their experiments without anyone becoming too suspicious yet.”

“Then I hope the others come back here with answers,” Kochi said and got up. “Do you mind if I sleep for a while now that we can’t contact anyone?”

“I will let you know later if there is any update from Taisuke’s group. For now they haven’t found anyone else and they are already on their way up to Tochigi,” Hokuto said.

“I wouldn’t blame the other Fallen if they fled as far as possible from the Capitol,” Kochi replied and then excused himself.

The others remained in the lab, but Kochi didn’t head to his quarters right away. Just for a while he needed some fresh air and he made it up to the rooftop of Area A. On his way a few Vestige reported back to him about their border control and that there was no suspicious movement. Something he should be happy about, yet it just felt too calm.

It was a warm day, quite dry as well with only a bit of wind. But on the horizon were already heavy rain clouds visible. Who knew if that was going to become a typhoon or even a blizzard, but just for a moment he didn’t want to care.

In the distance he could spot Myuto and Reo going out on a patrol after some Vestige and Chasers had come back. It still seemed so unreal to have them around.

“Hokuto will get angry if he realizes that you are not resting,” Kentaro was heard as he walked up to the other one.

“I will sleep later, it’s not like I can do anything helpful at the moment except waiting.”

“You make it sound as if you have done nothing at all,” Kentaro scolded him.

“I’m limited to my technology. The moment we are out there I might not be of much help.”

“Says the one who flew a helicopter over the Secret Center to drop an immense bomb on them and even fight Juri,” Kentaro laughed and it brought a smile on Kochi’s face as well. “All of us do what we can do in this revolution and without you we wouldn’t even have come this far.”

“I just hope this all ends without us being on the losing side,” Kochi let out and Kentaro hit him against the shoulder.

“Spare me the negative thoughts. Until now you got everything working out, so why not believe in us this time too? Not to forget that there is still stuff I want you and Aran to work on, so we cannot lose and no one can die.”

“A high goal,” Kochi replied, knowing that he wished for the same, but could they all get out alive after so many people have already died? “And what exactly do you want us to work on?”

Kentaro didn’t reply immediately and stepped a bit to the front instead. He looked down towards Reo and Myuto, who were already too far away for Kochi to clearly spot them. “No matter if our transitions were forced or for our wish to help in this war there will be a time when this war is going to be over.”

Kochi nodded even though Kentaro wasn’t facing him. Since their civil war with the Fallen had started, there had not been much contact with other countries in the first place. Most likely they were trying to hold onto their last resources as well or they were also coming up with new weapons, which was a scary thought.

“So when that time comes, people like us won’t be needed anymore.”

This time Kentaro seemed to tense a bit before he let out a long sigh and crossed his arms to his chest. “I know that we are helpful in this revolution and trust me I will give it my best to get everyone out of this safely even if I have to beat up all Government members, Elite-Vestige and soldiers all by myself.”

Kochi showed a faint smile on Kentaro’s weird behavior and he walked up to him so that he could look at his face, but of course the other one slightly pouted as he obviously tried to not be looked at as it was rare for him to get emotional, but maybe exactly because Kochi wasn’t a Vestige or Fallen or even a Chaser, it was easier for him to speak this openly.

“But?” Kochi finally dared to ask with a relaxed expression.

Kentaro gave Kochi a side glance, before he looked straight ahead once more, this time forming a bright smile.

“But after we are done, I want my life back. Together with my brother I want to live the life that had been taken away from us and for that I need you and Aran to find a way to make us human again.”

***

Taiga had to try and get some sleep as he still needed to get used to actually needing sleep again, but it wasn’t like their beds were comfortable, the air inside the Bunker was quite heavy as well and it was way too warm for his liking. Under these circumstances an infection wouldn’t even be something suspicious to come up with, but Taiga was sure that there was more to that fever story.

In the morning he heard the announcement for them to get their daily water and food supply. Only for water they were allowed to go several times to ask for more like Marius had done the day before. They had different time slots for their food, but as he and the other Chasers had entered the Bunker at around the same time and had all ended up on the 5th underground floor they were all there at the same time.

Aran talked to Taiga, because he was sure that it would seem weird if someone had actually seen them yesterday together and today they would behave like strangers, but they only talked about random stuff as if they had really just met each other. Jesse and Shintaro gave them a brief look from afar and the other groups of Chasers also made sure they all realized that for now they didn’t have any updates. But one Chaser put his hand to his forehead with a look over to Aran and they immediately understood that they were also suspicious about the infections.

Their food was labeled and free for them to take, so everyone had their own share. It wasn’t much as they didn’t really have many resources in the first place and there were also some capsules, which had replaced most of the fresh food over the past years. Yet a rice ball and a soup was enough for Taiga, not that the soup was warm.

On their way back to their places, Aran and Taiga stopped by at Shori’s place and Taiga handed him his soup and Aran his rice ball.

“I can’t accept this, if they find out then you guys will be in trouble,” Shori said, but Marius looked kind of begging from the side of Sou’s bed.

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“I wonder why you think that?”

Someone they didn’t know asked from behind and they both turned to find two boys their age. Both normal dressed and with black hair, but the one who had obviously spoken seemed quite angry at them without even knowing them.

“Fuma, they are trying to help. You gave us food for Sou before as well, even though I asked you and Kento to not share with us.”

“And yet here we are to exactly do that, so you two can keep moving,” Fuma said and actually dared to push Taiga away on his shoulder. Luckily he had done that with Taiga and not with Aran, because the boy gave him a death glare already and as calm as Aran could be, he could also turn into a beast and they didn’t need a fight now.

“Don’t mind him. He is just worried,” Kento excused the other one as Fuma had stepped inside to ask Marius how Sou was.

“Don’t worry. We will be on our way then. But please let us know if you need any help,” Taiga said and Shori nodded gratefully.

“No help needed,” Fuma hissed from the doorframe and Taiga just nodded with a sigh before he moved one hand through his hair, grinning at himself as he realized that there was not much hair left to touch.

“Are you laughing at me?” Fuma growled, but this time Kento stepped up before Fuma could actually get provoked.

“Fuma, it’s not always about you and we should get going now as well or do you want Sou to get into trouble, because you started a fight?” Kento warned the other one.

“We’ll be leaving too,” Aran said and passed Taiga who waved his hand at Shori, but he didn’t miss the sudden change in Fuma’s eyes. He couldn’t tell what it had been, but suddenly his anger had changed into slight confusion, but Aran urged him to leave.

“Let’s try and stay away from them. If we are getting too much attention then we are in trouble,” Aran whispered in front of Taiga’s place. “I will look at Sou’s fever from time to time. But I fear that they will soon realize it.”

“What do we do then?”

“Nothing,” Aran replied and first Taiga wanted to complain, but what could they do? “Let’s just try and be around when they take him, so that we might be able to see where they are bringing him. If my guess is right, then they have something like a research facility connected to the Government underneath so they can turn their new Elite-Vestige right on the spot.

It sounded so cruel, yet it was their only chance and if they were fast enough then they could maybe prevent the worst from happening to Sou and everyone else they tried to use for their still unstable and dangerous transitions.

***

On the third day Taiga dared to explore the Bunker on all floors. A lot of people were walking around after all and it wasn't forbidden so he also dared to talk to some people and what he heard the most was their worries about the ongoing fevers. Everyone seemed to fear them and yet they didn't even know that there was an even bigger reason to fear them.

When Taiga was back on the 5th floor he dared to enter the area under construction. No one was around in the early morning hours and the area was not off limits. Yet he also needed to make sure that he didn't look too suspicious.

They had already built some new chambers yet they were still completely empty. With an absentminded look Taiga faced the ground. Knowing that they were right beneath them, hiding like rats for years already made Taiga more than angry. With a sigh he decided to walk back as he felt exhausted after all the stairs. He put a hand to his chest as his heartbeat was heavier than usual and he was used to training a lot so even though the Bunker was huge he wasn't sure why he felt that exhausted.

When he turned back to the 5th floor area and wanted to walk around the corner he suddenly got dragged into one of the empty chambers. But he got immediately released once more, yet a cup of water got emptied right over his head.

"What the fuck," Taiga complained and stepped back, shaking his head before he looked up. "Fuma?"

"I knew it!"

"Knew what? Why the hell would you empty water over me?" Taiga complained as he put his hand to his hair, but when he pulled it back his eyes grew wide as he realized that the black color Hokuto had put on it was coming off.

"What are you? A Vestige? Did they send you to spy on us?"

"No, Fuma, let me explain," Taiga said, but the other one seemed outraged and he jumped at Taiga, trapping him against the wall with his arm at his neck.

"We don't want your kind here. You might think you're some kind of protector, but I'll make sure that you won't get out of here in one piece if you don't piss off right away."

"I'm not a Ves-"

Once more Fuma put more pressure on his neck and Taiga wasn't sure if he should fight back or not. Just the fact that he didn't fight should make Fuma realize that he was only human, but he seemed too angry to even consider that fact.

"If you're not a Vestige, then you must be a Fallen and in that case I'll totally get rid of you here and now!"

When it seemed like Fuma was more than serious about what he had said, Taiga finally decided to fight back and he succeeded in kicking Fuma's legs to loosen his grip, yet the other one was strong and Taiga wasn't able to get away when Fuma grabbed him by the hair and slammed him head first into the wall. Taiga wanted to react faster, but somehow his body felt heavy and exhausted so it was difficult for him to focus.

"No shockwaves? Do you want to play nice?" Fuma hissed and pulled Taiga closer, but this time he was able to block the knee Fuma wanted to kick to his stomach, yet his counter was blocked by Fuma as well and the next moment he found himself thrown to the ground.

"I'm human, for god's sake! Fuma, stop it!" Taiga yelled, but the other one kept lunging out for him, Taiga unable to get away under the other one.

Taiga's breathing pace had sped up and he felt his lungs aching, yet he knew that Fuma would definitely try to kill him if he just stopped fighting back.

"Your kind is at fault for this entire war," Fuma yelled and reached out for Taiga's collar to pull him up just to slam him back into the ground before he closed his hands around his neck, making Taiga struggle for air and try to twist away from the other one.

"Let me explain-" Taiga brought out between some coughs and heavy breaths, but he wouldn't be able to make the other one calm down. Right before he felt like passing out he heard some fast steps and someone dashed around the corner towards their chamber.

"FUMA!" Kento's voice! "What the hell? Get off him!"

But Fuma wouldn't, yet he was kicked off Taiga the next moment, but not by Kento.

"Stop this nonsense right away," Aran shouted at Fuma who immediately jumped up with a death glare.

"Are you also a Vestige?" Fuma yelled at Aran.

"Why would he be a Vestige?" Kento asked as he walked up to Fuma and took him by the arm so that he would stop attacking. But when Fuma pointed at Taiga who was still on the ground, Kento's eyes went wide on the few blonde strands in between that had now washed out through the water.

"Taiga, you're…?"

"I'm not a Vestige, nor a Fallen!" Taiga let out, but on his hoarse voice Aran lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Would a Vestige get that beaten up by you?" Aran asked.

"Then what's with the hair? I've seen that some black color had ended up on his shirt and his hand so I got suspicious and I was right." Ready to attack once more, Fuma shook off Kento's arm, but what no one had seen coming was Kento pulling him back and giving him a harsh slap. "Cut it out!"

A heavy silence followed and Fuma stared back at him dumbfounded.

"Your hate is blinding you. Since when are we treating people this unfair without even giving them the chance to explain?"

"But-" Fuma tried to complain, yet he flinched when Kento lifted his hand right in front of his face with a warning stare. "Blonde hair, Fuma. Just freaking blonde hair. This is how you judged him to be a Vestige? Are you out of your mind?"

Once more Fuma wanted to complain, but then he bit his lip, realizing that he had jumped to conclusions.

"If you had just thought for a second you would have realized that there could be dozens of reasons why he has blonde hair and why he hid it. Of course people would suspect that he's a Vestige, so who wouldn't hide it? And did you ask him if the color is natural? Marius has brown hair too and remember how angry you were when someone actually asked him if he was a Vestige?"

That reminder made Fuma look even more beaten up as he had indeed reacted way too aggressive.

"Taiga," Kento addressed him and the boy looked up at him with a nod. "Are you a Vestige?"

Taiga shook his head while Kento gave Fuma a judging look. "Now it's your choice to believe him or not."

Fuma turned to Taiga with a doubting expression. "I've been lied to too often to believe you."

"At least you're honest," Aran said before he faced Taiga and held out his hand. The boy let himself get dragged up, yet once more Aran gave him a weird look. "But what if we told you our story? The reason why we are here? Would you believe us then?"

"Aran-," Taiga wanted to complain, but Aran shook his head. "We can't have them doubt us. If we want them to trust us, we also have to trust them."

"Wait, so there is actually something going on? You two already knew each other before coming here?" Kento asked.

"How much information do you get in here from what is going on with the Centers and Fallen?" Aran asked.

"We heard that the West Center teamed up with the Fallen and attacked the other Centers."

"And as always they are good at lying," Taiga hissed.

"We also heard rumors about a Fallen fighting on our side," Fuma said and immediately gave Taiga a piercing look.

"Not just one Fallen," Aran let out, making both boys look at him in confusion. "We're from the West Center. Well, originally just him, I came with the Fallen."

"You already lost me," Kento admitted.

"Then let me be really straight forward. Taiga is a human, but he was a Fallen before and I'm the son of a researcher who developed the Fallen serum and I lived amongst Fallen for several years and now we found a way to bring them back to their senses. But the Government is now forcing humans to become Elite-Vestige and they attacked us to force Center members to also become Elite-Vestige and now we've started a revolution to bring the Government down."

The silence that lay in the air after his explanation made Taiga slightly worry that Fuma would freak even more after hearing that, but then the boy slowly shook his head. "So you're not with the Government?"

"Not anymore," Taiga said. "There is way more to explain, but trust me we've been backstabbed by them in the worst way and that's why we're here, because you're in danger as well and we want to make sure to protect as many people as possible."

"Why are we in danger?" Kento asked, but then they heard people at the stairs and Aran took a quick look around the corner.

"Let's head back to our place and talk there? The longer we are around here the more suspicious we will be."

The others agreed and Kento went out first so that they wouldn't be seen in a big group. Fuma stopped next to Taiga with a kind of scanning look. "A Fallen, huh? I guess I can be lucky that I didn't meet you before then."

An indirect apology maybe? Fuma didn't seem like a person who would straight forward apologize so Taiga took what he could get.

"I wasn't a regular Fallen, but sometimes I miss my abilities. Explaining everything over mind reading would be way faster now," Taiga teased.

"Scary ability, I'll definitely keep you and your friends on my not to mess with list," Fuma joked and hit him in the shoulder as he left.

Taiga wanted to leave next, but Aran held him back on his elbow. "What is it?"

Instead of replying, Aran turned away and got some dust from the construction and put emptied it right over Taiga’s hair.

“Give me a warning next time,” Taiga said with a few coughs as he shook his head a few times.

“Not the best, but better than blonde,” Aran said as the gray and brown mix of dust helped a bit to not let Taiga’s blonde hair show too much.

“One more thing,” Aran said and put his hand on Taiga’s forehead, then down on his neck to feel his pulse.

"Don't tell me you didn't realize." Aran let out scolding.

"I did, but only about an hour ago when I was making my way up and down through the Bunker."

"Did anything unusual happen? Did a guard talk to you or did anyone touch you?"

Taiga shook his head as he hadn't encountered any irregularities. "I went to get my food in the morning and that was it."

"The food," Aran said. We all have divided shares with numbers, of course! That's the easiest way for them to decide who to choose!"

"So I'll end up like Sou soon," Taiga said, but he wasn't that worried. It was a chance for them. "Let's make a plan with the others. We need to let them know then we can use this to our advantage."

"Taiga, they will take you to who knows where. Even if we find out more through this, you won't make it out by yourself and who knows if the others will be fast enough?"

"They will definitely find out about Sou soon as well, if I go with them at that time as well I can watch out for him, but you need to let the others know immediately."

"Hokuto will be furious," Aran reminded him, but Taiga gave him a teasing smile.

"I've done way worse reckless things, let's be honest."

"Fine, but let's hurry. If this spreads fast you might not be able to get up in less than an hour."

***

Musen 28 - March

As expected Taiga felt worse already when he made it back to his chamber and now Kento and Fuma also realized the change when they had met up later.

“You look like shit,” Fuma said.

“I feel like it as well,” Taiga replied.

“You got infected?” Kento asked with a worried expression.

“It might actually help us,” Aran said as he made sure that no one was overhearing their conversation. “But we need to hurry with our preparation, because we only have a few days left.”

“Until what?” Fuma asked.

“We’ve taken over the Main Center so all the Vestige and also a group of Fallen are on standby there until they hear back from us or if they don’t hear back from us they will arrive on the seventh day.”

“But why would you storm the Bunker?” Kento asked.

“The Government is hiding underneath it,” Taiga explained, but got a scolding look from Aran.

“I will explaining, you lie down. You’ll need whatever strength you have left later.”

“And here I thought my hate for the Government couldn’t grow even more,” Fuma hissed.

“So you are here to find out more about their hideout?” Kento asked and Aran nodded as he walked over to the desk and wrote down some notes.

“We have several groups inside the Bunker. It was just through Shori that Taiga and I accidently ended up having to pretend to not know each other. I will need to give them information about Taiga’s situation.”

“How can we help you?” Kento asked and Taiga gave Aran a worried look as the boy sighed and put the pen down.

“I appreciate that you want to help and that you are keeping our secret, but when we decided to go through with this plan we were ready for the worst outcome and we still are. We don’t want any innocent people involved.”

“We are already involved and trust me I have enough reason to kick those bastards’ asses,” Fuma growled. “This fever, it also has something to do with them, doesn’t it?”

“I’m impressed you found that out by yourself.”

“If you weren’t down with a fever I would hit you now,” Fuma threatened, but Taiga only laughed.

“Anyway, I think we could help you out. If you really try to attack them, but don’t want citizens to die in that fight then you might need our help more than you think,” Kento explained. “We can help with evacuating the Bunker and spreading the word to people we trust.”

“If you really want to help I cannot stop you, but I need you to understand that it’s at your own risk,” Aran made clear and both boys nodded.

Aran turned back to his paper, but then they could hear shouting down the path of the 5th floor.

“Don’t just go out,” Aran warned Fuma who was already at the doorframe. The boy stopped, but he clenched his fists and they tried to understand words, but it was too far away. After a moment they heard someone running towards their direction and then they saw Marius first passing Taiga’s chamber and then turning back with wide eyes as he realized that they were all in there.

“Marius, what is going on?” Kento asked, seeing the boy’s panicked expression.

“THEY TOOK SOU!” The boy shouted while trying to get his breathing pace back under control. Fuma didn’t need to hear more and he stormed past Marius and down the path towards Shori’s chamber.

“Wait! Damn it,” Aran complained and hurried to copy his notes as fast as possible while Kento and Marius hurried after Fuma. “Don’t even think about getting up!”

Taiga had already sat up, but on Aran’s scolding he rolled his eyes. “I am still able to get up.”

“Right, barely. What if the soldiers realize that you are ill? We still didn’t plan anything through. You stay here! I will be back in a moment.”

First Taiga wanted to complain, but then he realized that it was indeed a wiser decision to hide from the soldiers for now, after all even if they tried to get Sou back, the soldiers would most likely only attack them and they didn’t need to bring the attention on themselves now, even though they could of course understand the others’ worries for Sou.

Aran caught up with the others at Shori’s place and Marius had stopped at Shori’s side. The boy had tried to stop the soldiers, but of course they wouldn’t let an uproar pass and even though they had of course tried to convince Shori that it was out of security reasons that he couldn’t come with him and that they would bring him back after curing his fever, Shori had refused to hand him over. Now Marius had to bandage a heavy injury on the boy’s head and it made Aran curse the Government even more, seeing the boy in such a broken state, mentally and physically.

“Stop the bleeding as good as you can, I will be back in a moment,” Aran shouted at Marius who nodded at him. Fuma and Kento had already dashed up the stairs and Aran could spot them and the soldiers on the steps to the 2nd floor. One of them was carrying Sou, but the boy was already unconscious through the fever.

“Give him back,” Fuma shouted at one of the soldiers, but he stopped when two of the soldiers pointed their blades at them.

“There is no need for any of you to make such a ruckus. We are here to help him, not to hurt him. Just stay down and wait for him to return to you when he is healthy again.”

“Healthy my ass. Not a single person came back after being taken by you,” Fuma shouted.

Aran looked up to the remaining soldiers and they were already close to the entrance area of the main floor, but luckily he made eye contact with Shintaro who was standing at the side of the stairs and had spotted him as well. Jesse was close as well and Aran tried to somehow give them a signal towards Sou and luckily they seemed to have gotten it as they moved up the stairs before the soldiers so that they could have a closer look on where they were heading.

“Let them go,” Aran hissed as he grabbed Fuma by the arm as the boy tried to actually attack the soldiers.

“I won’t let them take him! I won’t let any of them take someone away from me ever again!”

The hurt in the boy’s voice was obvious, yet Aran had to make sure that he wouldn’t interfere even more.

“Trust us,” Aran whispered so that the soldiers wouldn’t hear him. “We will be able to rescue him.”

If that was the truth Aran didn’t even know himself, yet he had to make sure that the Bunker wouldn’t end up in a huge uproar. Fuma wanted to dash after the soldiers when they turned away, but then Kento also took him by the arm and shook his head.

“I know this is much to ask, but let’s trust them? For once let’s try and trust someone again? We can’t do anything for Sou right now, even if we tried.”

Kento’s words were true, yet Fuma hated hearing them. The boy let out a loud curse before he ripped his arms out of the others’ grips and went a few steps down the stairs just to punch a wall with an outraged scream.

Most people close by had watched in panic, but hadn’t interfered and they slowly retreated again as they also didn’t want to end up in trouble.

“I know it’s much to ask, but could you wait at Shori’s place for me? And also maybe have an eye on Taiga’s condition? I will be back in a second.”

Kento nodded and made sure that Fuma would head back with him, while Aran headed upstairs, trying not to be too obvious as he looked at the entrance area where the soldiers were already out of sight.

But now someone else was causing trouble, but the kind Aran knew was just a distraction. Shintaro was arguing with a soldier about their entrance rule. Every civilian was allowed to enter the Bunker, yet if they decided to head back out they wouldn’t be allowed back in. Shintaro was now arguing with a soldier about wanting to go out for a walk, an impossible request of course, but the only reason behind it was Jesse being able to sneak closer to the entrance gates while pretending to try and stop his friend from arguing, but his eyes had been on the soldiers bringing out Sou and now that they were gone he dragged Shintaro away from the gate towards the elevator connecting to the entrance area.

“Oh come on, it doesn’t make any sense. It’s not like we can open up a window in here,” Shintaro shouted back while Jesse pulled him towards Aran’s direction and then made him stumble right into the boy. Of course Aran apologized and asked if he was okay and Shintaro also apologized and bowed before Jesse scolded him and dragged him along. What had looked like a coincidence had been Aran’s chance to hand Shintaro his note. Now he only had to find the other teams and hand them the note as well and then everything was set.

***

Musen 23 - October

"Screw the Government," Fuma yelled at his older brother, but the older boy had always been the calmer one.

"I'm not doing this for the Government. I'm doing this for you, for me and for all the innocent people who want an end to this endless war as much as you."

"Let the others fight then. They are fighting for over 20 years already and all they brought is destruction. Your presence in that war won't make a difference."

The older one sighed, yet he showed a faint smile towards his brother as he understood his point and he had always been straight forward with his opinion.

"It’s not like I’m going directly to the front line. It’s more research than fighting, but I know that you are worried. In a few years you might understand my decision."

When he tried to put his hand on Fuma's shoulder the boy shook it off and made a step back with tears of rage in his eyes. "We've lost everyone in our family in this war and now you want to leave me as well for the sake of everyone else."

"Fuma-"

"Just leave then!" Fuma yelled and ran out of their house. A house that would be destroyed in an heavy air raid just a few hours later, leaving Fuma with too many open questions and the everlasting regret of leaving like this without being able to say goodbye to his brother. He had been too afraid to even ask around and his hate towards the Government had kept him away from any official base, so he had accepted that he had lost his brother for good as he had lost everyone else in his life so far.

He wouldn't fight a war of death and destruction. For him the Government, Vestige, soldiers and Chasers were all just mindless puppets with the endless repeating circle of destruction. There was no goal of ending a war anymore, if even it felt like the other way around.

***

Musen 28 - March

"Fuma, would you please calm down?" Kento asked in a soothing voice.

"Calm down? They have taken Sou a whole day ago and you want me to stay calm?"

Fuma's scolding expression fell a bit when Kento nodded towards Shori who was sitting on Kento's bed as he didn't feel like being alone in his chamber. Marius was sitting next to him with the same ghost-like expression.

"I'll talk to Aran," Fuma said and left as he realized that it wasn't fair towards the others to act like this now. He hadn't been able to do anything. Once more he had lost someone he cared about.

"So what's the plan?" Fuma asked straight away as he entered Taiga's chamber. Aran was sitting on Taiga's bed and turned towards the other one with a troubled expression.

Fuma stopped with wide eyes on the way Taiga had ended up exactly the same way as Sou a day later. He was barely conscious and his breathing was painfully heavy.

Aran looked over to the door once more before he waved Fuma closer. "Can you look after him for a moment? I've given the others instructions and now that it's breakfast time I need to make sure everything is in place."

"Will this plan really help you?" Fuma asked skeptically.

"Hopefully. But let me explain the details after I'm back, okay?"

Fuma agreed and sat down next to Taiga while Aran hurried out with another piece of paper in his hand.

Marius had brought them a bowl of water earlier and after a moment of silence Fuma moved and took the towel from Taiga's forehead to put it into the water once more.

"This Bunker is way too warm to make this work," Fuma hissed to himself as the water was already room temperature, not that it was cold or even fresh when they got it.

"I don't need it anyway," Taiga let out in a weak voice as he opened his eyes.

"Playing tough? Did your time as a Fallen make you masochistic?"

Taiga wanted to laugh, but even for that he had no energy left anymore.

"It has made me realize how important it is for us humans to work together or the Government will use every single one of us for their own twisted plans."

"Good luck to them trying. I'll kick their asses the moment I finally get my hands on them."

"Which will hopefully be soon."

"I still don't get how you getting ill will help your plan though?" Fuma said. "If they take you then you might find Sou, but let's be honest, in your state you won't be of any help."

"No I won't, but if our theory is right then they might help me out without even wanting to," Taiga said with a small smirk.

Fuma lifted an eyebrow at him, but didn't ask more as he realized how difficult it was for Taiga to even stay awake.

"Fine, do what you need to do, but make sure to stay alive while doing so."

The teasing look on Taiga's face made Fuma roll his eyes and drop the towel on Taiga's face. It wasn't like he trusted them completely that easily, but he had lost too many people to take their risky plan as something everyone would lightly do for the sake of the remaining civilians. For the first time Fuma had met people who showed him that there might still be a way to end their civil war and maybe even the endless war if they reached their goal, so for once he accepted that it was time for him to fight as well to protect what was precious to him.

***

“So wait, you will just let them take him?” Shori whispered as they had all gathered at Shori’s place as the evening hours had arrived and it slowly fell silent inside the Bunker after they had turned off the lights for the night.

“More or less, yes. I gave instructions to the others and one group should have already told the guards that they have realized that Taiga had a fever and I told two others of our group to hide around the entrance area until they see him and then they are supposed to leave the Bunker.”

“Leave? But they will not be allowed back then,” Marius said.

“They will head straight to the Main Center to give them the signal to strike. If the timing is right they might be able to see more this time. I got a note from them as well and they hadn’t been able to see where exactly they had taken Sou before. They lost sight of him around the elevator, but they most likely used it so chances are high that they either take them out of the Bunker or that this elevator is not just the entrance to the Bunker.”

“But Sou is gone for over a day already and if they take Taiga now as well then he will be on his own for at least another day as well until your backup arrives, right?” Kento asked.

“Don’t you want him to help Sou?” Aran asked and faced Fuma who was leaning against the wall in silence the entire time.

“I don’t feel good about sacrificing someone to help someone else. I don’t think Sou would want that,” Marius said in a low voice and Shori nodded.

“And how is he supposed to help him? He is barely conscious by now.”

“Just let him do what he decided to do,” Fuma finally interfered. “Respect his decision.”

Kento showed a small proud smile before he turned back to the door and moved back to the wall a bit as they realized that someone was coming down the stairs.

Marius and Shori hid half under their blankets while the others hid next to the entrance area, hoping that no soldier would suddenly come in to check their chambers as they were allowed in all chambers at any time.

Yet when only one person came down the stairs Kento lifted an eyebrow as he was the only one who could actually spot him at the moment. Aran tilted his head in confusion when Kento’s eyes grew wide in shock and landed on Aran the next moment. He couldn’t ask what his reaction was about, but when the person passed by their chamber and walked towards Taiga’s place, Aran could finally get a clearer look on the person who held the nightlight the soldiers were carrying around. Yet his eyes grew wide as well when the person looked over his shoulder, down the corridor once before he kept moving, because the person he was looking at was himself.

***

“Taiga?”

The voice he heard sounded unfamiliar to him, yet when he fought himself out of his feverish sleep he could see Aran standing next to his bed, so most likely his senses were playing tricks on him, yet there was something that still made him stay alerted.

“What time is it?” Taiga asked while Aran remained next to the bed and looked over to the entrance even though they didn’t have any clocks inside the Bunker. There were only siren signals, telling them when to pick up their food and when the lights would get turned off and on.

“Late enough for everyone to be asleep,” the other one said in a low voice, yet Taiga caught it again. The unfamiliar voice and the even more disturbing fact that Aran shouldn’t have said that. This question was their signal in case Aran needed to tell him something urgent, because he wasn’t supposed to come back to his chamber. But his reply should have been ‘an hour before midnight’ so now Taiga was sure that whatever was going on, was something not involving the real Aran.

“What are you doing here so late?” Taiga asked, trying to pretend that he hadn’t realized anything yet. After all, their plan involved them taking Taiga away, but realizing that they actually had some skills like this up their sleeves made it difficult to calculate in how much trouble they could get from now on.

“They told me that you can get a treatment so I came to get you.”

There it was. The fake offer. But it was definitely the calmest way to handle things and most likely they had realized as well that taking Taiga by force wouldn’t be as easy as with Sou.

“Can’t they come here or bring medicine?” Taiga asked. “I don’t think I can walk far.”

“You just have to make it to the elevator,” the fake Aran said with an encouraging smile as he stretched his arm out towards him.

“Fine, the sooner I get back to strength, the better,” Taiga agreed and took the other one’s hand and let himself get pulled up. The part that wasn’t played was Taiga’s bad health, so Aran had to stabilize him while walking or he would definitely not make it. Just the thought of all the stairs made Taiga feel nauseous.

“Let’s be as quiet as we can, so we won’t wake anyone up.”

Right or more like to not make anyone realize that he was getting taken away. For now Taiga nodded and walked willingly with the other one towards the stairs. He would have loved to give a signal to the others, but he knew it was too dangerous, because if they got discovered now then the whole plan would fail.

At the second underground floor Taiga fell to his knees at the corner of the stairs and Aran whispered next to him to take a small rest.

“Would be great if the Bunker had an elevator on all levels, then I wouldn’t need to get up all the stairs just to reach it,” Taiga replied before he let Aran help him up again to keep moving.

This time he had faked his own movements as he knew that the remaining Chasers of their group had been told by Aran to be close to the stairs of all underground levels for the night so Taiga hoped that someone had heard him.

On the main level some guards were around the entrance area as always, but they let them pass without any problems, which showed even more that something was off.

“Won’t they send any soldiers with us?” Taiga asked trying to at least fake his confusion as it would also be weird if he just followed without even questioning the weird happenings.

“They told me earlier that we can head to the elevator ourselves, they will await us downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” Taiga asked with a raised eyebrow and luckily the way he had raised his voice wasn’t that suspicious, because his voice was hoarse from the start so he needed to speak louder to be understood and the surprise was also real. Yet he hoped that Shin and Jesse were close enough to hear him.

“Let me explain the details when we are there? You are exhausting yourself too much,” the other one said as he sped up a bit now that they were close to the elevator and when they walked inside without the guard, it was clear that everyone was aware of this setup. When the doors closed and the elevator moved, it indeed moved down instead of up, so now Taiga had to make sure to pay full attention to his surroundings when those doors opened. Not that it was going to be easy in his state.

“Just in time,” the other one said, this time louder as if he didn’t try to hide his voice anymore and when Taiga looked up at him, he realized the reason for it. The person he looked at was completely unknown to him. The one thing he recognized immediately though was the orange eyes.

Taiga tried to fake his shock about the other one changing appearances and he let go of the other one’s shoulder where he had stabilized himself until now and stumbled back against the elevator wall.

“What the hell?”

“Don’t overdo it. Trust me you will faint if you even think about fighting,” the other one explained and stood calmly, facing the doors, waiting for the elevator to reach the underground floor under the Bunker.

“Who are you?” Taiga asked, knowing very well that fighting wasn’t an option. He needed to lean with his full weight against the wall to even stand.

“Koji, nice to meet you,” the boy replied with a sudden Kansai dialect, which he had obviously tried to hide, but he wasn’t able to change his voice the same way as his appearance.

“You are an Elite-Vestige,” Taiga said trying to fake his surprise once more. “What do you want?”

“Oh? Didn’t I explain that before? We are here to help you with your fever. That part was not a lie. But let’s say your friends were already overprotective before and we don’t want to hurt anyone, right?”

Right, that was the lie with which they tried to get everyone with a fever down here, yet recently more people seemed to get suspicious so they needed to go as far as sneak them out. But hopefully Taiga and the others could put an end to it in the next few days. But now it was all up to Shin and Jesse and hopefully no one else would get into trouble over the next two days. Not to forget that Taiga needed to stay alive for the next two days as well.

Musen 28 - March

"What happened? Who was that?" Kento asked after Aran had sneaked after them, but made sure to take enough distance to not seem suspicious, not that he wouldn't seem in any kind unsuspicious walking around at night, but he knew he had to take the risk to talk to the others once, because all that counted was their plan from now on and it didn't matter much if Aran was going to get into trouble now.

"Well my theory is that he is an Elite-Vestige who can change his appearance, but it also seems like there is a limit to it."

"What kind of limit?" Marius asked.

"He can't use someone else's voice," Aran said after Taiga had made the other one speak close to some other Chasers earlier. "So I'm sure Taiga is also aware that he is someone else, but like this our plan worked out without any big problems."

"Isn't that person himself a huge problem?" Fuma asked. "How far do they want to take it with these special abilities?"

"For now we got the information we need. They use the elevator to get downstairs."

"So simple," Shori added to Aran's discovery.

"And what do we do now?" Kento asked.

"We'll wait for my team to arrive," Aran said. "We've got ourselves into trouble with acting this suspicious, but two of us just made it out of the Bunker without trouble. At least I hope so. They made it on the elevator without the guards being too suspicious about them leaving at night. Shin had made enough trouble before to not seem suspicious with his outrageous behavior."

"Good acting," Shori praised him, making Aran laugh.

"Trust me, he doesn't need to act."

"How fast can they be here?" Fuma asked, obviously not happy about having to sit back and wait.

"Hopefully in two days, if they are fast then at daybreak of the second day. But for now we can only be on alert and wait."

"Well I think you will wait somewhere else though."

The sudden interference didn't come from the outside, but directly from the corner of their room, making all of them jump.

"How the hell did someone get in here?" Fuma yelled and shoved Kento towards the door while Aran pulled Marius off the bed and pushed him towards Shori who was standing behind him.

"Oh you couldn't have seen me enter. I don't really walk around," the person in the dark corner said.

"Show yourself," Aran demanded, trying to figure out in how much trouble they were in.

The one in question stepped out of the shadow in the corner. Just a normal boy, yet obviously an Elite-Vestige. Tall built, black hair, but also black eyes. He looked almost demon like with the creepy smile he showed them.

"A Vestige," Fuma growled and wanted to pass Aran, but the boy stopped him and gave him a warning look.

"So, I guess you've met Koji earlier?" The boy asked.

"The appearance changer."

"Right. I'm Meguro Ren. I'm a Shadow Walker."

"One creepier than the other," Fuma hissed.

"Now I wonder what your sweet plan is about, Aran?"

The way the boy seemed to have heard their entire conversation made Aran fear for everyone's safety. He had given a fake name when he had entered the Bunker, but of course Ren had overheard them.

"Fuma, don't do anything stupid," Aran warned the other one.

"So what, we're going with him?" Fuma asked with wide eyes.

"You won't," Aran replied before he attacked Fuma without a warning, but it was just one fast move to his neck. Then he turned to Kento who looked at Fuma in shock when he crumbled to the ground, but he had no time to react because Aran did the same to him as well.

"What are you doing?" Shori yelled at him, but even when he tried to push Marius out of the chamber Aran pulled him back and hit him unconscious as well. Then he pulled Marius back in and even though the boy looked terrified he had to do the same to him.

"Sorry," Aran said as he put the boy to the ground.

"Interesting technique. So let me guess they will stay unconscious for a while?" Ren asked as he stepped closer to Aran who didn't make any move to attack him.

"At least 10 hours and no medication will wake them up sooner," the boy explained. It was a risky move as this technique was dangerous to use on humans, but getting them all caught and spill the plan wasn't going to help so Aran needed them to be out for now.

"I guess then it's only you I'll take with me to the triangle for now."

"The triangle?" Aran asked, knowing of course who he was referring to, but he wasn’t supposed to know so he pretended to know nothing.

"For now you need to decide if you want it the rough way or if you want to follow on your own? But after what you've just done to your friends I feel like I don't have to fight to get you going?"

Aran gave the other one a hateful glare, but then stepped over the others and moved out of the chamber.

"Wise decision," Ren praised him. When Aran wanted to go over to the stairs though, Ren shook his head.

"You're going this way," he explained and pointed towards the direction of the new built chambers.

Now Aran panicked a bit as no one else was aware of another entrance, but he had no other choice but to follow for now. Even if he fought Ren, there would definitely be back up coming to get him. For now he could just hope that he hadn't ended up in more trouble than Taiga.

***

Taiga woke up without even remembering what had happened after they had entered the elevator, but before he even opened his eyes he tried to focus and remember, because he needed every single information he could somehow get.

Koji, the boy who was able to change his appearance. But there had been someone else.

"Yes it's Ryohei."

On a voice right next to him Taiga finally opened his eyes. The boy who stood next to the bed he was lying on was indeed the boy Taiga had been thinking of and he had been about to voice his name out and of course he had known, because the boy was also an Elite-Vestige and had the special ability of foreseeing some events.

"Did you bring me here?" Taiga asked after he remembered that Ryohei had been the one to wait for them at the elevator, but Taiga's fever had gotten the best of him and Ryohei had told Koji to catch him before he had even fainted.

"Koji carried you here. We gave you some medication against the fever."

Just that information made Taiga panic and he tried to stay calm enough to scan his surroundings.

It all looked exactly the same as in the Secret Center so the facility was definitely for Elite-Vestige and of course Taiga immediately realized that he wouldn't be able to get up as he was chained down to the bed.

"Medication that needs restriction?" Taiga asked and lifted his arm the few centimeters he could move it up.

"Well, let's say we don't always know the side effects," Ryohei said with a smile, but then a scream interrupted them. "Will you excuse me for a moment?"

Taiga looked after Ryohei as he left the room, but it wasn't like he couldn't see where he was going as everything was out of glass. Most likely to make it easier for them to watch everyone.

To Taiga's shock the room Ryohei headed to was the one Sou was in and the boy was screaming, but most likely not out of pain, but out of panic.

Once more Taiga tried to find anything that could help him, but they were pretty good at their work. He was stuck and there was also nothing that could tell him what exactly they had given him, but for now he indeed felt better so maybe they really first treated their bodies back to health before they attempted a transition, which would explain why Sou hadn't gone through the transition yet, but now they seemed to try to implant the microchip and Sou was going berserk.

"Just keep it up a bit longer," Taiga encouraged him from afar. The longer he struggled the more chances they had to make it in time before they actually tried to force the transition on him.

But now Taiga also had to fear for the same and he wasn't even sure how his body would react to another transition as his body had gone through too much already.

***

“So we will stick to the plan, right? No matter if we get contacted or not we will leave tomorrow?” Kentaro asked, making Hokuto sigh in annoyance.

“How often did you ask this over the past few days?”

“As often as you have asked me if I can check the security cameras to make sure Taiga is safe,” Kochi interfered, something that had of course not been possible. “So yes Kentaro we will leave so get ready. Make sure the others are all ready as well. And now stop getting this hyper so early in the morning. I just got up for god’s sake.”

“Fine,” both of the boys said at the same time, making Kentaro smirk while Hokuto only shook his head as he kept pacing up and down the lab.

“I will call the others back so that they can get ready,” Kentaro said, but when he jumped off the table he was sitting on, while Kochi had told him several times to not sit on his equipment, the door opened and Hagi walked in.

“You seem in a hurry?” Kentaro realized and tilted his head.

“They are back,” Hagi said, pointing towards the front gates. Kochi and Hokuto immediately exchanged a knowing, yet also worried look.

“Who came back?” Kochi asked as they all moved towards the corridor already.

“Shin and Jesse.”

“Very helpful,” Hokuto growled, but Kochi gave him a warning look. Just because he was worried for Taiga, he shouldn’t let it out on the others.

At the gates Yuma and Moro were already waiting for the two Chasers to come closer and some of the remaining Chasers had also gathered around as they of course wanted to hear the news.

“Please don’t throw all questions at us at once, okay?” Shintaro immediately said when the others appeared at the gate. “We had to run almost the entire way to make it here this fast.”

“Luckily you didn’t die of exhaustion then,” Kentaro joked, but was also the one who had thought of bringing water for them, which made Kochi look quite impressed.

“Myuto and Reo are back too,” Yuma said and pointed towards the ruins and the moment Myuto realized that the two Chasers were back, they both sped up and were next to them in barely seconds.

“Did everything work out? Is everyone safe?” Myuto asked while everyone else had held back for a moment, but they all needed to hear as many details as possible and as fast as possible.

“So I guess we won’t go in first and sit down?” Jesse asked and only one look from Myuto and Hokuto made him bite his lip.

“We found out that the elevator they use from the surface to the Bunker has a secret level as well. So most likely it will go down to the Government, but also to a facility in which they are creating new Elite-Vestige.”

“They have another Secret Center?” Reia was heard from the corridor and the others stepped a bit aside when he and the other Elite-Vestige joined them.

“Most likely. I bet you have seen the two which brought in Taiga? I bet they were turned there too,” Jesse explained.

“I remember them talking about a new project, which was safer to be relocated,” Konpi explained. “But we never got to know any details.”

“Closer to the Government,” Katsuki guessed.

“So they are still forcing people to undergo the change?” Yabana asked, but when the two Chasers exchanged a weird look on that and Shintaro looked up at Hokuto the next second, Kochi had to stop Hokuto from walking over to them.

“Just let them explain,” Kochi warned him.

“Well, I fear you won’t like this, but I have to tell you that this was his idea,” Shintaro started.

“Why is Taiga always getting himself into trouble?” Even Taiko realized.

“Because he likes to take the spotlight,” Reo said, trying to sound a bit teasing, but the atmosphere wouldn’t brighten up of course.

“So then what was his idea?” Hokuto hissed more than he asked.

“There is a sickness going around in the Bunker,” Jesse explained. “A fever and the moment the soldiers realize that someone is sick, they take them away, promising they will help them, but no one ever came back from what we heard.”

“The sickness is caused by them,” Rinne immediately realized, knowing enough about their twisted methods by now.

“Exactly,” Shintaro said with a nod. “And Aran thinks that most likely they decide who gets it through the food supply, because it goes by number, so they can decide who gets ill. And well, Taiga fell ill.”

“Of course,” Kentaro said in annoyance, as he tried to overplay the worry he actually felt.

“Aran made sure to give us and the others all the information. They made a plan to let them take Taiga away so that we could find out where they were taking him,” Shintaro continued.

“And you couldn’t have found that out over the days you have already been there? Was no one else taken?” Hokuto asked, now his voice close to shouting.

“Usually there were a lot of soldiers taking people by force, because their friends or families wouldn’t let them take the ill ones away that easily, so it was really difficult to get close. We wanted to make sure to see if they were really gotten taken away over the elevator and Taiga was even able to let us know that they were heading to a lower level and not outside.”

“They took Taiga at night and they even used an Elite-Vestige for it,” Jesse said and turned towards Myuto. “He is an appearance changer and took the form of Aran to make Taiga trust him.”

“What the hell is that of an ability?” Myuto hissed. “We won’t even know whom to trust through him.”

“There is one thing he can’t change,” Shintaro added. “We have heard him talk and he can’t change his voice.”

“So Taiga also knew it wasn’t him?” Kochi asked and the two Chasers nodded.

“He had planned for someone to take him so even if he had realized it then he would have just pretended that he couldn’t hear the difference through the fever,” Shintaro explained.

“Which was really bad by the way,” Jesse added and got elbowed by the other one. When he gave him a judging look, Shintaro nodded towards Hokuto who had already clenched his fists.

“So the others are all safe?” Kochi asked.

“As much as we know, yes. But Aran had to move quite obviously to give us all the information so I am not sure if they found out any connection or not,” Shintaro added.

“Then get some rest now and we will get ready to leave,” Kochi said, but Hokuto shook his head.

“We need to leave now. Just leave them here to rest.”

“Taisuke and the others are still not back, they were supposed to come back tomorrow and they have found traces of a possible Fallen hideout, so shouldn’t we wait?” Reia asked carefully, but Hokuto didn’t seem to be easily reasoned with.

“After everything he has gone through until now, I won’t let him become a brain washed Government slave now or even have him die in the progress,” Hokuto hissed, but when he tried to just march ahead alone, Myuto blocked his way.

“And what will you do all by yourself? Get killed? Then Taiga did all of this for nothing.”

Maybe they had all thought Hokuto had a bit more calmness left, but he obviously didn’t, as he took Myuto by the collar. The Fallen only raised an eyebrow at that move though.

“I won’t sacrifice him, is that clear,” Hokuto yelled at the other one.

“So you want to sacrifice all of us instead so that eventually Taiga will end up on his own after all, because we are all dead,” Myuto asked back, raising his voice a bit as well.

“I wouldn’t even think about it,” Kentaro whispered towards Kochi, who made a move to interfere. “Trust me it’s safer for all of us to let them get this worked out between them.”

Everyone took a bit of distance, knowing that the situation could easily escalate, but maybe that was in a weird way exactly what both of them needed.

“If you all come with me and we go through with the plan then no one will die or do you suddenly not feel as high and mighty as before anymore?” Hokuto yelled back, but was pushed away by Myuto the next moment. He hadn’t used a shockwave, yet Hokuto was forced to take some steps back.

“We will go through with the plan, yes. But we will do so after we all have calmed down. Taiga came up with this plan to make it possible for us to act fast, but also without getting into too much trouble.”

“Right, you can stay calm, because you know Aran just sat back and watched everything happening.”

This time Myuto’s look darkened on Hokuto’s words, but he still pulled himself together.

“So do you think Aran or any of the others wouldn’t have come up with the same plan if they had fallen ill?” Myuto asked back.

“Taiga would have stopped them from such a reckless idea,” Hokuto threw back at him. “He wouldn’t have risked their safety.”

“Exactly,” Myuto replied so calmly that Hokuto’s eyes grew wide. “Taiga would have found a way to take their place and eventually we would have the same outcome. So if you know that, then why are you not accepting it?”

It was most likely the calm behavior that had Hokuto freak and he went straight for Myuto and he could call himself lucky that Myuto didn’t seem to intend to use any of his special abilities, which didn’t mean that he wouldn’t fight back.

“Are you sure we still shouldn’t interfere?” Reo asked, offering to put an end to the fight with one of his illusions, but Kentaro shook his head.

“Trust me, they need this.”

Hokuto was outraged enough to actually stand a good chance against Myuto, but that was only because he was going all out, while Myuto held back.

“Don’t you trust him?” Myuto asked as he stood without any trouble against Hokuto’s shockwave as he was immune against them after all, not that Hokuto cared in his outraged state.

“What do you know about trust? You had to brainwash Aran to make him trust you,” Hokuto hissed at him, but that was the moment when Myuto’s look changed and he grabbed Hokuto by the neck and the next moment Hokuto broke down screaming.

“MYUTO,” Hagi yelled at their leader and Myuto immediately let go of the other one, but then gave him a harsh kick to send him on his back before he sat on top of him, pulling his head back up on his hair.

“Are you listening to yourself? If you want to play dirty like this, trust me I can do that too. Do you think Taiga can ever trust you again after you tried to kill him on your first encounter?”

Instead of listening to Myuto, Hokuto tried to kick the other one off him, but then Myuto had enough and grabbed the other one’s chin with a tight grip and while Hokuto tried to keep him out of his mind, Myuto’s mind ability was way stronger than his.

***

Musen 28 - February

“This is not really a good hiding place.”

On Myuto’s voice, Taiga turned around, not that he had been hiding, at least not obviously, because he was standing on the rooftop as so often and this place had become quite busy recently.

“Obviously not,” Taiga teased.

“You could just head to your room. You must be more than exhausted after everything. Shouldn’t you ask Shime to take a look at you?”

“Even if I switched with my Fallen self, I am still physically a Fallen,” Taiga reminded the other one when he stepped next to him.

“And yet we all need to rest from time to time and you can’t pretend in front of me. Just that brief talk with Taisuke about Juri’s situation had you more than on edge.”

“Did you now develop a mind reading ability from afar?” Taiga asked, making Myuto laugh. “But seriously, you shouldn’t focus so much on me. We have so much more trouble to take care of and Juri should be our first priority now.”

“Always the hero,” Myuto let out while shaking his head, making Taiga raise an eyebrow at him. “Since we’ve met you haven’t changed a bit. Well, you’ve gone through some physical changes that is for sure, but you would always walk through hell if you could help others with your sacrifices.”

“I am not sacrificing anything,” Taiga countered, but Myuto gave him a knowing look and turned towards him in a kind of scolding manner.

“You have always and will always be the worst liar,” Myuto replied. “I know for you this might be just the ‘normal’ thing to do, but trust me you will hurt him even more if you stay away.”

The fact that Myuto had seen through him right away made Taiga look away in embarrassment.

“It’s complicated.”

You two have always been complicated, but the wall in your way is your obstacle to overcome and not his. He is giving you the space you need, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt him.”

“I’m afraid,” Taiga finally admitted. “There is so much to think about and yet I am so selfish to fear losing him the most.”

Taiga’s confession didn’t come to a surprise to Myuto as he had spent enough time with Taiga to know his personality. Since he had lost his family in the war and had ended up completely alone without any of his friends left by his side, he had always tried to be the protector of everyone else. Myuto had done the same for the orphans, yet when Taiga had joined them, he had seen a whole new level of loneliness. Taiga had even become Myuto’s safe harbor and here he had always thought he would be the older brother for everyone, yet Taiga had taken that spot.

“I fear for Juri’s safety, I feel more than broken over Reia’s situation and I don’t want to risk anyone’s safety in this ridiculous civil war anymore. Yet my biggest priority remains keeping Hokuto on distance because I fear being too close in this messed up situation might end up in losing him forever.”

“Because Reia showed you something you fear could be true?” Myuto guessed and the way Taiga turned towards the setting sun made it clear that he was right.

“That’s one part, yes, but there is something else.”

Now Myuto’s look turned curious as he hadn’t realized any other reasons except for the mess with Taisuke and Reia, which was already enough to handle for one person, Fallen or not.

“I fear that if I am not strong enough I might lose him, because he will do everything to protect me.”

A truth Myuto could only agree to. After all, both of them had started off as almost enemies, yet they were both ready to give their lives for each other now. At the same time, both their biggest fear was to lose the other one. An eternal doom loop, which made it so difficult for Taiga to even get close to Hokuto in this situation.

Myuto put his hand on the other one’s shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly while Taiga kept looking ahead instead of turning towards the other one. “Maybe I should rephrase what I have said before.”

Now Taiga gave the other one a questioning side glance and Myuto chuckled. “You would both walk through hell for each other, but I think you need to remember that we are here for you as well. Don’t just choose the more painful action just because it’s the path straight ahead. From time to time look around and take those hands, which are stretched out to you. Even if we might scold you sometimes, it’s to help you, not to punish you.”

“I guess we both need a reminder of that from time to time,” Taiga agreed with a faint smile.

“Then here is my reminder,” Myuto said and turned the other one around to push him towards the door. “Take as much time for yourself as you need, but always remember that Hokuto might walk through hell the same way you do without looking around, so show him the way out.”

Taiga chuckled on the way Myuto had actually taken over the role of the older brother this time, but he was definitely right and Taiga was grateful for the reminder. Before heading to the door he turned back to his friend once more.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Always,” Myuto replied.

“If there is a time when I can’t be there for him, would you mind reaching out for him instead?”

“If you are not getting angry at me if I punch him in case he doesn’t listen?” Myuto replied, making Taiga laugh loudly this time.

“Definitely worth it, if it saves him from a wrong decision through the same overflowing fears I need to learn how to control.”

Musen 28 - March

Myuto didn’t wait for Hokuto’s reaction after he had shown him Taiga’s memory and got up immediately, leaving the other one on the ground with wide eyes.

“What did he show him?” Reo whispered, but Kentaro shrugged his shoulders.

“Is he crying?” Taiko asked Reia, but Katsuki immediately told him to stay silent as Hokuto seemed to have indeed switched from outraged to emotionally overwhelmed.

Myuto gave him all the time he needed, but at least his idea of throwing himself into the frontline without any plan had obviously finally vanished.

“I’m sorry about what I said,” Hokuto finally let out after a moment in which he tried to get his breathing back to a healthy rhythm. Myuto stepped closer and stretched his hand out with a knowing smile.

“I know you are. Another point you two have in common. When you get emotionally unstable you turn into the biggest assholes.”

Hokuto couldn’t deny that and he let the other one pull him up to his feet again, yet his look remained troubled.

“Why did he never tell me?” Hokuto asked.

“Why didn’t you tell him?” Myuto asked back and it was more than a valid question, because Hokuto was exactly the same and while both of them were aware of it, they had tiptoed around the topic until their feelings for each other had started hurting them and the ones around them.

“I guess there is quite a lot more to talk about,” Hokuto realized. After all, Taiga’s words that evening in Hokuto’s room hadn’t only been about his Fallen self and Taisuke, it had also been about their future together and their need to sort things out emotionally as well.

“And for that you have to trust him, okay? He will be there to talk things through, because he promised that to you, right?”

For a moment Hokuto didn’t reply, still trying to get his thoughts together and Myuto put his hand on the other one’s shoulder with a supportive nod. “He trusts you to make the right decision, but he also knows how hard his reckless moves are on you, so I won’t hold you back if you want to punch him when we get there.”

That statement had Hokuto chuckle and he finally nodded with a grateful smile.

“Just don’t scold Aran for their plan, because you know that no one can win against Taiga’s stubbornness,” Hokuto reminded the other one.

“So are we getting ready to kick some ass now?” Kentaro yelled from the back and the two turned towards him with a judging look. “What? Not all of us go there to rescue their lovey dovey second half, but you can leave the ass kicking to me while you two do so.”

“Here I am on patrol for a few hours and come back to ass kicking talks, a messed up looking Vestige and a whole Center not watching out for any enemy attacks,” Juri scolded them all as he and some Vestige of the other Centers had come back from a patrol and seriously no one had even realized that they had arrived.

“Well you missed the best part unfortunately,” Yuma joked, immediately shutting up when Myuto gave him a warning look.

“Oh I saw your fight,” Juri explained. “We just decided to wait and see what will happen next.”

“Thanks for not wanting to help me out,” Hokuto scolded the other one.

“I could hear you so I was totally on Myuto’s side and you know that,” Juri teased his friend and passed him with a small pat on the shoulder before he walked up to Kochi.

“So I guess no more patrols needed?”

Everyone turned to Kochi on that question and the boy nodded with a determined look now that they were all ready for their plan.

“This is our endgame, so it’s all or nothing. Let’s get ready.”

***

It was difficult to tell how much time had passed as the lights in the facility didn’t seem to get turned off, but there was some time without anyone checking up on them except of Ryohei so now that more people had shown up again Taiga assumed that it was the next morning.

Sou had either fallen asleep or fainted at some point, but nevertheless Taiga hoped that they would not try to turn him right away and luckily Ryohei got called to another room after checking up on Sou who slowly woke up again.

Taiga also felt way better so they had really given him medication for now, but that also meant that he could concentrate more on his surroundings and try to find a way out if possible.

“Seems like he is fine? Let’s see how he fights,” Ryohei was heard and Taiga tried to see what was going on. There were two soldiers next to a boy they had just brought out of another room. He looked still young, yet he was quite tall and his hair had turned almost white and when he briefly turned his head towards one of the soldiers, Taiga could see that his eyes were white as well.

“Raul?” Sou was suddenly heard from the other room as he had just regained consciousness and he immediately tried to somehow get off the bed. “What did you do to him? Raul, can you hear me?”

Sou’s shouting didn’t impress Ryohei and instead of getting angry he told the others to stop and then looked at Raul.

“Do you know who that boy is?” He asked Raul and the boy looked over to Sou, but then shook his head with empty eyes.

“Perfect,” Ryohei said and kept moving, the others following him.

“How can you not know me! Raul! What is going on?” Sou kept yelling after the others who were soon out of sight and he started to rip on the ropes holding him down until he almost started hyperventilating.

“Sou, calm down,” Taiga yelled over at him, knowing that he could get into trouble for it, but no one seemed to be around. The boy didn’t react and started cursing and shouting while trying to somehow break free with all his might, causing more damage than anything else.

“SOU, I SAID CALM DOWN!”

This time Taiga’s shouting finally reached the boy and with wide eyes Sou looked up, trying to find the source of the voice and when he saw Taiga in the other room his eyes grew immediately teary.

“Taiga…”

The boy had only been conscious one or two times, so he hadn’t talked to Taiga or Aran much, but it was good to see that he still remembered him.

"Do you know that boy?" Taiga asked and he needed to yell to be heard and Sou also took a worried look around, but they couldn't really move.

Eventually he just nodded, but his look showed that he had been most likely a friend of him so he had been taken by force as well.

Before Taiga could ask anything else, two researchers walked up to Sou's room and the boy gave Taiga a panicked look.

"A friend of yours?" Ryohei asked as he stepped into Taiga's room and put a microchip next to Taiga's bed.

"Get away from me," Sou yelled as one of them brought out an injection. The fear in the boy's eyes was making Taiga try to free himself again, but there was no way he could. So he needed to try something else, even though it would bring more trouble towards him.

"Why do you waste the Elite-Vestige serum on someone who doesn't seem to have any potential to become a skilled fighter?"

"Oh? So we have someone here who knows more than he should," Ryohei realized with a lopsided sneer. "It's not really easy to get the right volunteers."

"As if any of us is a volunteer," Taiga barked back.

"Right, so I guess we have to take what we can get."

When they got ready to inject Sou with the serum, Ryohei just turned away and watched.

"Then how about if I told you that serum is way better used on me?"

Ryohei lifted his hand so that the others stopped and waited for his signal. With an entertained look, Ryohei turned back towards Taiga.

"My precious boy, I know exactly what you're trying here and let me tell you that we have enough serum for you later, but unfortunately you're still without a microchip."

"Are you scared that I could be stronger than you?"

The challenging tone had maybe caused it, but suddenly Ryohei's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Just to delay someone's transition for a day longer you want to do something like this? Now I wonder if you have some twisted plan or if you're just stupid."

"Willing to find out?" Taiga asked.

Ryohei didn't reply and left the room instead and Taiga felt more than relieved when he took the injection from one of the other men. Sou gave Taiga a confused look, especially when the researchers started arguing in the hallway, but eventually Ryohei seemed to have the last word so he even send them away, entering Taiga's room alone.

"Now I wonder if you're the crazy one of us two," Taiga replied, making Ryohei laugh.

"You seem extremely confident about this, but trust me I'm a bit more careful than you."

And Ryohei proved that when someone else entered the room. The person who entered was as tall as Jesse and way more muscular.

"Hikaru will make sure that in case you indeed have some weird plan that you'll not be able to go through with it."

"As if you wouldn't be able to see it coming in the first place," Taiga mocked.

"I like your attitude," Ryohei replied and didn't hesitate to get Taiga's sleeve up to get the injection ready. "But trust me you won't behave that high and mighty after this anymore."

The moment he brought the injection down, Taiga prepared for the worst. The pain, the memory loss. Would he really be forced to fight against his friends?

***

"Fuma, wake up! Fuma!"

"Damn, stop shouting," Fuma hissed on Kento's way too loud voice, but when he looked up at his three friends he remembered what had happened and he jumped up, immediately losing balance for a moment. "Where is that son of a bitch?"

"Calm down, he is not here anymore," Shori said while he patted Marius' shoulder. The boy was sitting on the bed, still obviously confused about what had even happened.

"So I was right. We shouldn't have trusted them," Fuma roared and walked outside, but when he heard the siren for the evening hours he faced Kento in confusion.

"Yes, we were out for a whole day, but I think you misunderstood his reasons."

"So knocking us out is something good now or what?"

"He is gone, the Elite-Vestige too, yet we are still here. Think about it."

"I don't want to think about it, I want my fist on someone's face," Fuma hissed.

"He protected us," Shori said as he walked out to them. "Don't you get it? They trusted us with important information, but the Elite-Vestige would have done whatever necessary to get that information. Just imagine how much we would have suffered."

It made sense and Fuma tried to calm down, but he was just too frustrated with the chaotic outcome of their plan.

"So now they have Sou, Taiga and Aran. What the hell can we do now?"

"Do you hear something?" Marius asked as he looked up towards the 1st level and soon a lot of people looked around, unsure about where the sound came from.

The soldiers started moving up the stairs and just seconds later a high pitched siren sound was heard through the Bunker together with a red light signal and the whole Bunker immediately broke out in panic.

"What is going on?" Shori asked perplexed as they all just remained rooted, not sure how to react.

The next moment they all flinched on an explosion, making some of the walls in the Bunker shake and dust crumble from the walls.

"It's them," Kento said.

"Them who?" Fuma yelled, trying to find out where to go and what to do, but eventually he just kept running in circles.

"Taiga's and Aran's friends. The Vestige and Fallen from the revolution."

"So they actually made it here," Shori said, not sure if he was relieved or not. “And way faster than we hoped.”

With the next explosion more soldiers headed towards the elevator and that was when Fuma made a decision.

"I'll go and help them."

"What?" The other three asked and Kento immediately grabbed the other one by the elbow.

"They are trained fighters, just let them handle it."

Fuma turned to the other one with a stern look and took his hand away, but gave it a tight squeeze instead. "Taiga and Aran were as well and eventually they ended up in trouble. Not to forget that we need to find Sou too. I'm tired of just waiting and hiding."

Kento didn't seem to agree fully to the idea, but eventually he nodded. "Then I'll come with you."

"I want to fight too," Marius said to everyone's obvious surprise.

"Don't even try playing parent now," Shori scolded Fuma when he got ready to protest.

"We'll make a plan, okay?" Kento soothed the younger one. "Let's help them as much as we can without getting ourselves into the main fight."

***

“Wuhu, damn that one was a nice impact,” Kentaro yelled from the helicopter after Kochi had dropped another bomb on the entrance of the Bunker. He didn’t have another of the super bombs they used on the Secret Center, but as they didn’t want to kill any civilians, these smaller bombs were perfect to get the attention of the soldiers without causing any fatalities.

“Are the others close?” Kochi asked and Juri looked down at the trucks approaching.

“You can throw one more after that they are too close,” Juri yelled from the back and Kochi went down towards the Bunker a bit more to drop one more, but without a warning he pulled to the side making everyone in the back crash into the walls and Juri almost fell out of the helicopter.

“What the hell,” Hokuto complained, but then he saw the missiles being fired at them.

“Well we got their attention,” Myuto said while helping Juri back inside before he could really fall at the next impact.

“Everyone hold on, I will drop you off,” Kochi shouted and everyone got ready.

“The others are in place,” Reia said right before Kochi made a swift escape to the left, barely escaping a hit.

The trucks stopped at the fence and the Chasers jumped right into a fight with the guards at the fence and while the soldiers at the entrance were busy with the helicopter, the Elite-Vestige got ready to bring down the fence.

“Vestige,” Juri realized when Jesse and Shintaro got thrown back towards the trucks, but luckily they had the Fallen and the Elite-Vestige from Reia’s team down there so there was not too much to worry about against normal Vestige.

“Watch out,” Kentaro shouted and this time Kochi was too close to get away and the tail rotor got hit, bringing them out of balance.

“Get ready to jump, I will give them a good distraction with this,” Kochi shouted as he tried to somehow get the helicopter down right above the entrance. “JUMP!”

Reo, Reia, Kentaro and Myuto jumped out, barely avoiding the tail rotor as the helicopter kept spinning sideward.

Kochi got ready to just crash the helicopter down, but then Juri pulled him out and pushed him towards Hokuto who immediately grabbed the boy by the arm and jumped.

“Wait, Juri!” Kochi yelled as Hokuto had already pulled him out of the helicopter and he landed really roughly on the ground and the next moment the helicopter went down and exploded right above the fence giving everyone the area to enter.

“JURI!” Kochi shouted, but Hokuto held him back as soldiers were already on their way. “Why did you do that?”

Hokuto was surprised when Kochi pushed him with an angry glare, but maybe he should have seen it coming. “You all agreed on fighting.”

“So just because you are not a Vestige or Fallen, we should let you die in a stupid kamikaze attempt?”

“Instead you let Juri sacrifice himself?” Kochi yelled back and tried to push Hokuto again, but the boy stopped him and turned him around on his shoulders.

“No, he is just better at getting out at the last moment,” Hokuto explained and Kochi’s look turned to relieved when Juri ran out of the flames. “Don’t forget that he is an Elite-Vestige now. He is damn fast.”

“Sorry, I’m a bit on the edge,” Kochi explained making Hokuto laugh.

“We all are and now let’s keep going. We only get this one opening,” Hokuto said and the other members of his team dashed towards the entrance to fight the soldiers at the elevator.

Juri looked down at his wrist where a new device was now placed instead of the old transmitter. Now they all had the new micro transmitter in their ears without the tracking device of the Government as Kochi had enough material at the Main Center to make new ones.

“Two Vestige at the entrance and one at the fence,” Juri explained as he stepped next to Hokuto and Kochi, but received a punch from Kochi the next second without any warning. It hadn’t been too hard, yet Kochi had aimed for his face and even Kentaro and the others stopped with a confused look.

“This was for acting all invincible and now we keep going,” Kochi said, making Juri blink at him in confusion, but also a bit of guilt found its way on his expression.

“And now we have even worse incoming,” Reia said and looked at the same device on his wrist. It was Kochi’s newest invention and he had made as many as possible over the past week for the teams to carry with them. The VeF radar was showing them who of their enemies were Fallen, Vestige or even Elite-Vestige. With red, blue and white dots on the radar they could tell them apart.

“Two white incoming,” Myuto said and looked towards the fence.

“We got this, keep going,” Hagi was heard over the transmitter. “We sent the Bunker team over so make sure you get the entrance free.”

“Let us know if you need help,” Hokuto said as the two Elite-Vestige made their way closer to the fence, but the remaining Chasers together with Yuma, Hagi, Moro, Taiko, Rinne and Yabana were in charge of keeping anyone from entering the Bunker and also protecting humans in case they wanted to flee the Bunker.

“It’s the two who brought in Taiga,” Shintaro realized.

“Let’s hope not more are coming, we will definitely face some of them inside as well, I just have a bad feeling about this,” Reo explained. “And now let’s get these out of the way.”

Reo got an illusion up the moment the two Vestige at the entrance wanted to attack and Kentaro immediately dashed out of the illusion after the two were confused by their sudden disappearance.

“Show off,” Myuto said while rolling his eyes.

“A thank you would be great as well,” Kentaro replied after using his special ability on both of them at the same time, making them crumble to the ground. In his moment of triumph Kentaro missed more soldiers making their way towards them and he got shot in the back of his shoulder. Reo immediately expanded his illusion towards him so that the soldiers stood back for now, not sure if they would get attacked or not.

“Idiot,” Myuto said and hit Kentaro on the back of his head.

“It’s not like I’m fatally wounded.”

“Be happy they didn’t shoot you in the head or you wouldn’t even be able to complain,” Konpi said as he, Jesse, Shin and Katsuki walked up to them from the fence to enter the Bunker with them and Reo had expended his illusion on them.

“Then how about you go and take care of them?” Kentaro challenged and looked after Reia, Konpi and Katsuki while they walked out of the illusion to fight the remaining soldiers off.

“That’s exactly why I told you to put on the Ex2 suit,” Kochi complained.

“Sorry, the stupid pride we have won’t go away with your serum,” Myuto said a bit teasing and even the Elite-Vestige had that pride as they also said they didn’t need the suit. Only Juri and Hokuto took it, together with the Chasers. Not that the bullet could have been stopped by it.

“Be happy I am wearing this stupid outfit in the first place,” Kentaro complained about the white and black bodysuit like outfit they were all wearing for this attack.

“This suit is made to identify us in between our enemies and I already told you that it will help you with regenerating faster and also support the strength of your abilities,” Kochi explained with a scolding look towards Kentaro and when the boy wanted to roll his eyes, Kochi lifted a hand, pointing his finger warningly at him.

“Fine, thanks for the suit,” Kentaro let out and rolled his shoulder, already feeling that his injured shoulder was indeed not as bad as it would usually be.

The next moment Reo took down his illusion and they faced the entrance area where no one except the Elite-Vestige were standing anymore.

“Are you coming or shall we do all the work on our own?” Konpi teased. Kentaro growling at him this time.

“If you want to make a challenge out of this we can count how many people each of us defeated,” Kentaro challenged while they all hurried towards the elevator.

“Concentrate,” Juri scolded them both.

“I have 5 already, you have what? Two?” Konpi teased.

“Stop it,” Reia warned the other one as they all got on the elevator.

“Everyone, stay alarmed. There will be tons of soldiers at the main level and we will only drop the Bunker team off and we will keep going,” Hokuto explained.

Kentaro leant over to Konpi after a moment. “Vestige count double, Elite Vestige 3 times. So I have four.”

“Still one less than me,” Konpi teased back. “Let’s see who gets the most in the end?”

Kentaro gave the other one an excited nod about that bet, but the next moment they both hissed when Myuto and Katsuki pulled them both apart on their ears.

“This is not a game, stop treating it as one,” Katsuki complained.

Konpi made a face on that comment making Kentaro laugh, but when the elevator stopped they all fell silent again.

"Get ready and don't any of you dare to die," Kochi reminded the Bunker team.

"I got them," Reo promised and formed another illusion before the doors opened.

"And if he doesn't, then we just kick some ass," Konpi said as he and Katsuki stepped to the front as well.

"And we try not to die," Jesse said, trying to sound teasing and Shintaro flashed a brief smile, but when the doors opened they made sure to take this as seriously as Kochi, because dying was definitely on the list of possible outcomes.

Musen 28 - March

“Let’s split up for now?” Hagi suggested when Date and Shota were so close that they could easily attack the Chasers and Vestige in front of the Fence without them being able to make it over to them in time. “Let’s test their strength and abilities first and then you can back-up?”

“It’s not like we are in charge, we go with whatever you feel is the best strategy,” Rinne replied, making Moro and Hagi exchange a brief smile.

“What is it?” Taiko asked.

“Nothing special, it’s just nice to have you thinking this way, because you were unreasonable just a while ago,” Moro explained.

“Well, so were you at some point, I guess?” Yabana added, making them both form a grimace.

“Touché,” Hagi replied with a laugh. “So Moro and I will go first. As Yabana and I have a similar ability we can see how they stand against mine.”

“Send the Chasers and Vestige over here to hold off any kind of back up from the Bunker,” Rinne said and they nodded before they dashed over to the trucks.

“Oh, three traitors and let’s see, two Fallen?” Date guessed, not that it wasn’t obvious in the first place. “What a shame that we have not much time to play with you.”

“Why is that, are you busy brushing your hair?” Moro asked when Date made an unnecessary movement with his hand through his hair just to flip it back with a head movement the next moment.

“For a Fallen you are quite bottled up with feelings,” Date replied, making Moro raise an eyebrow.

“Aura sensing,” Hagi immediately realized and then focused on Shota who gave him a knowing look.

“That intensity of research will cost you a lot if you don’t watch out.”

Hagi looked back at Moro on hearing that and he pulled the boy back on the shoulder when Moro kept looking at the other one. “Don’t look him in the eyes. I don’t know what exactly it is, but I feel his eyes are the source of his ability.”

“How am I supposed to not look at someone while fighting?” Moro asked, but they had to figure that part out themselves.

“Just make sure they don’t get past us,” Hagi said and got ready to attack.

“Mh, so you are with the Chasers who sneaked in recently.”

Date’s words had them both speechless and slightly in panic. Were they bluffing or did they really know?

“They shouldn’t have come back though, because this time they won’t get out alive,” Shota added and looked over to the entrance.

Right, Jesse and Shintaro had just entered with the others so they had maybe remembered them from the time they had brought in Taiga, but what if they knew more?

Hagi had no time to decide if letting the others know over the transmitter would blow their cover or actually protect them from an ambush inside, because Shota finally dashed towards them, ready to actually prove that he wouldn’t let anyone get away alive.

***

"Whups, bad timing. Sorry guys," Reo apologized when his illusion fell exactly when a good dozen of soldiers had made it to the entrance.

"No worries, none of them in here seem to be Vestige so we can go without it," Juri said and didn't even use any of his abilities when he defeated three soldiers.

"Leave someone conscious for me," Konpi said and walked up to one of the soldiers who lifted up a gun towards him.

"You want to try your luck with that?" Konpi challenged and only moved his head slightly, making the bullet miss him by inches. Behind him a squeal was heard though and he turned with a raised eyebrow towards Jesse who was staring at a hole in the wall right next to him.

"Do you mind blocking instead of dodging or at least tell us when you dodge?" Jesse asked.

"Unfortunately I can't 'block' a bullet with my abilities, but I'll let you know if I ever gain that cool ability," Konpi teased.

"Could we hurry?" Katsuki interfered and made the soldier in front of Konpi crash into two others before he could actually shoot any of them.

"Hey, that one was mine. I will count that one on my list," Konpi complained.

"Count how many you want," Katsuki complained and rolled his eyes before he shoved Konpi towards the soldier who tried to get back up, but Jesse and Shintaro held him down.

"Make sure to get as much information as you can."

Konpi nodded and switched his mind with the soldier.

"I will watch over your body," Jesse offered even though he definitely also wanted to fight, but he knew that the Vestige had the better chances in case they ran into trouble.

"Thank you. Then here we go," Konpi said in the soldier's voice and started running towards the stairs while the others kept their distance and only fought off incoming soldiers.

***

"And here I thought we had to rip the elevator out and jump down to this floor," Kentaro said as they easily found the hidden button to make it to the lower level. "So boring."

"Don't say that too soon, who knows what will await us behind those doors," Kochi warned as the elevator slowed down.

"Let me go first," Muyto said and stepped in front of the doors. "I've the longest reach with my abilities."

"Show off," Kentaro said, but didn't object. When the doors opened Myuto didn't bother to step out, he just lifted his hands looking for soldiers or Vestige, but to their surprise there was no one.

"It gets even more boring. Maybe I should have joined the other team," Kentaro complained once more.

"They either think their security system down here is strong enough to keep us out or something else is going on," Reia said as he stepped out the elevator with Myuto, but there was indeed no one around, but a huge metal door blocked their way.

"Where is Noel when we need him," Hokuto said as he looked at the scan lock next to the door.

"Maybe I could-" before Kochi could explain anything, Kentaro stepped closer to the door and tried a shockwave on it with the only result that a siren and a red alarm light went off.

"Great," Myuto complained and gave Kentaro a scolding look.

"It was worth a try," the other one complained.

"Let me try," Kochi said and moved over to the scanner. He put in two wrong numbers, but on the third one the annoying alarm stopped.

"Now the difficult part comes," Kochi said as the unlock system was a hand scan, but they had nothing to lose. Kochi put his hand down, but he wasn't surprised when the scanner made a loud noise and turned red.

"I guess they were faster this time than with the Secret Center," Kochi said.

"So more shockwaves it is," Kentaro said and cracked his knuckles.

"Let me try," Reia said and stepped towards the scanner. When he put his hand on it they all waited in silence until the door made a clicking noise and the screen turned green.

"Okay? Is that a good or bad sign that they don't see you as traitors?" Myuto asked, but Reia could only shrug his soldiers. "Let's hope they thought we were dead or something?"

"Oh so dramatic," Kentaro said as he pushed the door open. Again no soldiers were anywhere to be seen, not even researchers and that while the facility seemed really similar to the Secret Center.

"Be careful. I doubt they don't have their eyes on us," Hokuto said and looked up at some security cameras on the way, but there was no need to destroy them as they wanted to lure their enemy out anyway.

"Oh my god, they are doing it again," Reia said as he looked at one of the glass rooms and when Kochi walked up to him he gasped. Someone was chained down to the bed and the black lines on his neck showed that he had received the serum and his body had not accepted it, so he had died a horrible slow death.

"How cruel can they be," Kentaro hissed as he kept moving, but most of the rooms were empty. Just the fact though that they didn't care to do something about the bodies of those who didn't make the transition made Kentaro so angry that he turned towards one of the empty rooms and punched the glass, making it shatter.

"Now everyone definitely knows that we are here," Myuto said, not that it made any difference.

"Is anyone there?"

The voice was loud, yet still a few rooms away and the shaking they could hear from the voice made them move faster.

"How young do they want the new Elite-Vestige to be?" Kentaro asked when he stopped in front of a room with a boy looking up at them in panic.

"Are you alright?" Kochi asked and opened the glass door, which was luckily not locked. Kochi wanted to free him from the straps holding the boy down, but then he looked closer and stepped back.

"He has a microchip."

Reia looked at the boy and let out a sigh. "They implant them first so that if something goes wrong in the transition they can immediately eliminate them," Reia explained.

"I'm not an Elite-Vestige," Sou said in panic. "I'm still human."

"Don't worry, we believe you," Kochi said and looked for the right tools on the table to deactivate the microchip.

"What's your name?" Hokuto asked.

"I'm Sou."

***

It had only been a second, maybe less, but it had been enough for Moro to fall into Shota's trap and before he knew what was going on he had been thrown into one of the trucks.

"I know my eyes are just too pretty to not look at them," Shota mocked before he turned towards Hagi who had used his Soundwave on Date, but even though he had luckily hit him with it, he was now forced to wait to recharge and fighting Shota without looking at him directly was indeed more than difficult.

When Shota wanted to dash towards Hagi, he was suddenly brought out of balance by a shockwave right behind his back, but when he turned around no one was there.

"I guess I'm the best opponent for you," Rinne said next to Hagi.

"Where did you come from?" Shota hissed at him.

"Oh, didn't you see me?" Rinne teased as he vanished once more just to appear right behind Shota again, yet this time the other one was prepared and jumped away.

"Trying to fight me without looking at me. Good luck with that," Shota challenged and Rinne was obviously open to accept the challenge.

"Then good luck against both of us," Taiko said and stepped into the fight.

"So it's three against one, we'll be done here fast," Yabana said towards Date after helping up Moro and surrounding him together with Hagi.

When they all got ready to attack there was an explosion near the fence, but from the outside yet they hadn't seen anyone shooting.

"How many of you are there," Moro complained as he looked at his radar on his wrist, which showed another white incoming.

"Enough to get rid of you," Shota said with a lopsided smile.

***

"We should retreat, there are too many," Konpi fooled the other soldiers and while a few still went up the stairs to fight the others, some seemed frightened by Konpi's acting.

"We're not allowed to retreat from the lower level, so what are we supposed to do?" One of them said, making Konpi tilt his head.

"But it's an emergency," Konpi tried his luck, not sure what they were talking about.

"The Elite-Vestige are guarding that entrance, you know that. They don't care who comes through that door. I rather try my luck fighting Fallen," another one said and the others agreed, following him up the stairs.

"An entrance...right inside the Bunker?" Konpi wondered and looked for more soldiers, but all he found were frightened civilians who tried to hide.

Konpi got ready to go back upstairs as no one else was down here at the lower levels who could give him any information, but then he saw a movement on his right and jumped to the side when a wooden stick got slashed down right in front of him on the ground.

"What's up with you boy?" Konpi asked, but he had no time to relax as someone else attacked him from the other side and from the back at the same time. He only had the physical strength of the soldier for now and while he was able to dodge once more the boy in front of him didn't stop attacking.

"You do know that I'm part of this Bunker, right?" Konpi asked.

"Exactly and that's why we need you to get out of the way for now," one of the boys said and then a young fourth boy dashed out of another corner and threw a whole bucket of water at him, which didn't do any damage, but he couldn't see for a brief moment and that was when one of the older boys tackled him, making him fall down the stairs to the next level.

"What the hell is going on in this Bunker," Konpi complained and then he looked into one of the corridors where he saw several unconscious soldiers. "Are you boys on the side of the revolution?"

"No need for you to know," another boy said as they caught up with him and unfortunately the others hadn't caught up with Konpi yet. So there was only one way to find out.

"Do the names Aran and Taiga ring a bell to you?"

The confusion on the boys’ faces showed that they indeed knew those names, yet they pretended that they didn't.

"Wait here, we need to talk to you. We'll be here in a second."

"We?" One asked, but then the body of the soldier fell motionless to the ground.

"Did we kill him?"

But the next moment the soldier moved in sheer panic, but he got knocked out right away.

"He wasn't dead, but obviously crazy," Fuma said as he dragged him to the corner with all the other unconscious soldiers they had taken care of so far.

***

“We shouldn’t waste our time with him,” Kentaro hissed while he and Myuto checked the other rooms, but at the end of the corridor a dead end awaited them.

“So you want to rescue the others, but no civilians?” Myuto asked, making Kentaro click his tongue as he turned back towards the last corridor they hadn’t checked so far.

“I can’t concentrate on too many things at once, okay? Let us find out where the others are, beat the shit out of the Government and then I can feel sorry for turned and almost turned Elite-Vestige.”

Myuto had to smile on Kentaro’s attempt to actually sympathize with as many people as possible, but he wasn’t known to be good at it in the first place so his effort until now was already something to be proud of.

“I doubt anyone else is in here. Let’s see if Kochi is done with the microchip and-”

“What is it?” Myuto asked when Kentaro had made it to the last room in the corridor and froze in front of it with wide eyes. A really bad feeling took over Myuto as he walked up to him and looked towards the last room.

“No…”

There was nothing else he could voice out and Kentaro found his courage first to enter the room. After all their planning and fighting this was going to be the end of his story? Kentaro couldn’t accept it even though he had to accept that it was Taiga he was seeing on the bed in front of him. Whatever had happened had escalated and the straps from the bed were ripped, tools and shelves had been thrown through the room, even shattering the glass walls so that Kentaro’s steps made cracking noises on the broken pieces. Taiga laid motionless, blood all over his neck down to the sheets of the bed.

“This is a joke, right?” Kentaro asked, unable to even reach out for the other one, while Myuto remained in the corridor, his feet refusing to step inside the room while he kept staring at Taiga with an empty look.

“Myuto! Kentaro!” Reia was heard from down another corridor and his voice sounded alarmed, yet they hadn’t encountered any other problems until here, so how shocked would Reia be the moment he realized what had happened?

But before Myuto could get a grip to let the boy know where they were, they could hear fast steps, even Kentaro looking up for a moment at the unknown fast movements and the next moment they could hear glass shattering and Reia cursing.

“What is going on?” Myuto asked and moved towards the corner of the corridor, but Reia was obviously in another corridor, but they could hear fighting noises. The next one to come into sight was Hokuto who had also been looking for Reia.

“Where is Kentaro? Did you encounter anyone?” Hokuto asked in a hurry. When Hokuto wanted to walk down the corridor, Myuto blocked his way. “You shouldn’t go there.”

“What? Why not?” Hokuto asked and when he saw Myuto’s broken expression it clicked, but Hokuto didn’t react the way he thought he would.

“Damn, they lured us right into their trap. Does he look like Taiga?”

“Look like-? Damn it,” Myuto realized his mistake as well, but they had no time to run back or shout, because the next moment they heard the sound of glass shattering and then Taiga got thrown into the corridor with a shockwave. But when he got up and started laughing they could hear it, the voice! It wasn’t Taiga’s voice and after another moment the boy suddenly looked completely different.

“I guess I played you really good here. Especially your expression was hilarious,” Koji said when he pointed at Kentaro who wasn’t coming out of the room, which worried the others.

From Reia’s corridor they could hear someone screaming and that in the worst way they all knew of. Reia had used his Nightmare ability on whoever he was fighting against.

“Mh, you seem to have some tough people with you, good that I slowed one of you down for now,” Koji said before he vanished into another corridor from which he headed towards the elevator, so they didn’t bother to follow for now. Myuto was too worried to even consider having a long fight with the Elite-Vestige. They couldn’t get delayed even more, but Koji's choice of direction made it clear that they had reached a dead end here and needed to face him once more if they decided to get up the elevator. It was a smart move to not connect the research facility directly with the lower level.

“Kentaro, are you- oh damn,” Myuto said as he and Hokuto made it to the boy who had used the shockwave in a last attempt of self-defense. Now he was on the ground, a Dragnacit knife stuck in his lower abdomen.

“I swear I will rip that asshole’s head off if we encounter him again,” Kentaro hissed, but fell back against the wall when he tried to get up. Kentaro hadn't seen the attack coming as he hadn't caught up with the situation when Koji had suddenly moved and stabbed him.

“He seems really skilled, he hit your spine,” Myuto realized on the way the knife had gone through Kentaro’s body. “I can pull it out, but you won’t be able to move for quite a while.”

“I will check up on Reia,” Hokuto said, now that he was sure that Kentaro was at least not dying.

“Even though it was that shapeshifting asshole, I am really happy that Hokuto didn’t have to see this,” Kentaro said when he was alone with Myuto and the younger one could only agree. Shapeshifting or not, this was definitely a moment he would relive in his nightmares more often than he wanted it and that even without Reia’s ability.

***

"Watch out," Hagi shouted and pulled Yuma back right before the truck in front of him exploded.

"He is a ticking bomb, what the hell," Yuma complained while the Elite-Vestige who had just shown up in front of the fence started jumping around and laughing on the second truck he had made explode just through a touch.

Taiko and Rinne had offered to take care of the other two Elite-Vestige when the boy named Sakuma had aimed for the Chasers and Yuma at the gate and even Moro and Hagi together had quite some trouble with him.

Hagi tried to aim for him with his Soundwave, but the boy was fast and annoyingly good in reading his movements.

"Oh, can't hit me? You just need to come closer."

The threat had immediately been turned into action and Hagi was forced to retreat, because he couldn't use his special ability for now and he feared that the boy's touch could actually cause an explosion on his body.

Moro had tried to attack him from behind, but the same as Hagi he feared the boy's special ability and he jumped away the moment Sakuma swirled around.

"Oh come on you're no fun," Sakuma complained and lifted up a part from one of the trucks before he threw it towards Yuma who also needed to get close to use his special ability. The item landed in the sand next to him, but then once more out of nowhere it exploded and Yuma had to duck away from some metal parts flying around.

"How are you doing this shit?" Moro complained, because the explosions never happened right away, but after Sakuma had already touched the item.

"It's a self-protection mechanism," Hagi concluded and it made sense as Sakuma needed the time to get away from the explosion to not be caught up in it as well.

"Indeed, so let me see how it works on real bodies. I didn't get the chance yet to try it out."

The crazy excitement in the boy's pink eyes about watching someone explode made a shiver ran down Hagi's spine, not that he hadn't thought like that a few months ago, but these boys were supposed to be on the Governments side, yet they behaved the same as Fallen.

The VeF radar on his arm ripped Hagi out of his thoughts and then he looked up at Moro with a lopsided smile and Moro immediately understood his excitement.

"You might get to taste your own ability instead," Moro let out confident, on which Sakuma lifted an eyebrow, but then he looked towards Date and Shota who had stood a fair chance against the other three as they were all Elite-Vestige after all, but now they had halted and looked towards the distance.

"So what, more useless Chasers? Maybe Vestige?" Sakuma mocked them when he saw quite an amount of people approaching.

Hagi chuckled on that comment and lifted his hand. On the radar were indeed some blue spots, but that wasn't the important part. The amount of red dots was what was going to turn their fight around in no time!

“You wish.”

Musen 28 - March

"So do they have a revolution in here too?" Juri asked when Jesse and Konpi caught up to the others and Konpi explained what had happened.

"Not as much as we know," Shintaro said. "But maybe they know something about us?"

“They seemed to know Taiga and Aran,” Konpi added.

"Then hopefully they will let us explain before attacking this time," Juri said and the next moment his transmitter went off and everyone stopped at the staircase of the fifth underground floor.

"Kochi, calm down. We're not all having transmitters, let me make sure the others also know what is going on," Juri scolded the boy as he threw too much information at him at once.

"We can hear him," Reo said while Katsuki and Konpi nodded.

"But we can't," Jesse complained.

"They encountered two Elite-Vestige in a research facility. A boy they found there identified one as Ryohei, an Elite-Vestige who can predict certain events. But Reia got the upper hand in the end," Katsuki explained while listening to the explanations from Juri’s transmitter, but then he stopped on the next information and they all exchanged a worried look.

"Don't keep us in the dark," Shintaro urged them.

"Koji, the shapeshifter Aran encountered, was there too. He pretended to be Taiga and lured them into a trap. Kentaro is out for now."

"So much to our counting challenge," Konpi growled more annoyed than actually worried.

"How the hell did he let his guard down that much? We even told you that someone like this is in here," Shintaro complained.

"How would you react if you see someone you think is Taiga all covered in blood and you assume that you have just lost one of your friends?" Juri replied a bit harsher than he should after Shintaro had of course not heard that part of the information yet.

"I don’t even want to imagine…” Jesse said in a low voice on realizing how gruesome the situation must have looked for them at first.

"Who is the boy they found?" Katsuki asked and Juri asked Kochi a few more questions about their situation when another transmitter was switched on.

"We got positive incoming up here. How are you doing down there?"

"Good timing, Hagi. Please tell them we need back up down here. We encountered some trouble and Kentaro is down," Kochi explained.

"Damn, he will be sulking about this for weeks," Hagi laughed. "I'll make sure to send Shime with some of the Fallen."

"Make sure there are enough people to help at different locations," Juri reminded him.

"Don't worry, we're not short of people," Hagi said with a kind of proud undertone, but then they could hear an explosion and Hagi cursing. "Talk to you later."

"They seem to have fun up there," Reo said a bit jealous.

"Okay, so Taisuke and the others arrived," Juri explained. "Kochi’s team reached a dead end, but Hokuto will try to get into Ryohei's mind to get information. They have a boy named Sou with them who gave them some useful information as well."

"Fuma, wait-"

The voice they heard came from one of the nearby chambers and while most civilians were hiding far away from the staircase system, there was a boy walking straight at them now, followed by three more.

"That's them," Konpi said and pointed at the boys.

"We're not here to hurt you," Juri said to calm them down, because especially the boy in the front seemed quite pissed, but he stopped at a safe distance to all of them and looked at Juri.

"Did you just say some of your members encountered Sou?" Fuma asked and for a moment Juri stared back at him in confusion until he nodded.

"Yes, I think so? They said that was the boy's name."

With the next move Fuma took Juri by the shoulders, but no one felt threatened enough to make any defense move and there was no need for it as all he did was shake Juri.

"Is he okay? Did they do anything to him? Where the hell is he?"

"Okay, enough. We have better things to do than answering your questions," Konpi interfered. "You already ruined my chances of finding more soldiers to question about the lower level."

"What do you mean? We never saw you before?" Kento asked as he casually pulled Fuma back and gave Juri an apologizing nod.

"You knocked my vessel out just minutes ago," Konpi explained, pointing at the corner where they had attacked the soldier.

"But you are not looking like him at all?" Marius said completely innocently making Shintaro and Jesse giggle a bit in the back.

"No time for such explanations. If you're not on their side, I guess you're on ours?" Katsuki asked, but Fuma gave him a doubting look.

"Are we? Because I'm not sure if we can trust you more than any of the people around here."

Kento immediately gave Fuma a warning look. "You trusted Taiga and Aran, so why not them? They said they would come."

"You met them?" Juri asked. "Do you know where they are?"

"Taiga got taken by the shapeshifter, since then we haven't seen him," Shori explained.

"And Aran was with us after that until a Shadow walker showed up," Kento added.

"A what?" Shintaro asked. "He didn't tell us about that."

"It happened after he contacted all the other Chasers in the Bunker. When he came back there was an Elite-Vestige in the corner of the chamber. He said he walks through shadows that's how we didn't see him."

"Damn, another creepy ability," Jesse said with a shiver.

"Why do I think yours are not better?" Fuma asked, giving Konpi a judging look. "You use other people to walk around so that they get hurt instead of you."

"That's not quite right, but we have no time for details," Juri interrupted them. "What happened to Aran?"

"We don't know," Fuma replied. "He knocked us out."

"And that for a whole day," Marius added a bit sulky.

"So he only took Aran," Juri said and crossed his arms, thinking for a moment.

"But Aran wasn't with Sou and the shapeshifter had copied Taiga so maybe Aran is somewhere else?" Katsuki wondered.

"The lower level," Konpi said. "The soldiers said something about a completely restricted area, protected by Elite-Vestige."

"That's why Kochi's team hit a dead end. The research facility was added later to the elevator system, but isn't connected to the Government hideout," Katsuki concluded.

"So we are looking for a hidden door?" Reo asked. "There is no one left down here so finding it will be easy?"

"We just have to watch out for that Shadow walker and possible other Elite-Vestige," Juri reminded them.

"We can help you look," Kento offered.

"It's not like we can stop you and we appreciate the help, but please be careful," Juri explained.

***

"So at least all teams seem okay for now," Reia said relieved after hearing back from Juri.

"And thanks to Sou we didn't lose anyone from our team," Kochi said and the boy shyly shook his head.

Kochi and the others had started talking about Aran and Taiga and that was when Sou realized who they were, but he had also told them what he had witnessed and that was when Reia dashed after them.

Hikaru and Ryohei had tried to turn Taiga before Sou, but something went wrong. Of course Sou didn't know the details and all he knew was that Koji had been called and then they had taken Taiga out of his room and Sou saw how Koji had changed his form into Taiga, but walked towards another corridor instead of using Taiga’s room.

"But I wonder what happened?" Reia said worried while Myuto was still staying with Kentaro at the other room, because Kentaro's wound could kill him if he moved now without taking enough time to heal and they had to worry for another attack.

"I will hopefully find out now," Hokuto said as he stepped next to Ryohei who they had chained on Sou's bed and they needed to be fast, because an Elite-Vestige wouldn't be held down by the straps for long.

Hokuto concentrated on finding only the important memories for now, but luckily with the serum blocking memories before the transition, there was not too much to look through.

***

The previous day

As always Taiga waited for the pain. He had gone through so many serums by now that he was sure this time it wouldn't be any different, but it was. There was no pain and also no transition. He didn't feel any different even after several minutes.

"Okay, that's a first," Ryohei said and took another injection to take a blood sample from Taiga while Hikaru still had a close eye on the boy.

A few more minutes past without any reaction while Ryohei kept researching and then he laughed. "Now I understand why you were so confident, but I don't understand how you're not an Elite-Vestige already," Ryohei let out and whispered something towards Hikaru and the boy left the room.

Taiga got a small glimpse of Sou who couldn't do anything but watch while two researchers were still in his room, making sure he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"So tell me, how can you have the Elite-Vestige serum in you, but be a human?" Ryohei asked and that was when it clicked. Of course! He had received the Elite-Vestige serum when his Fallen self got transferred to Taisuke so that's why they couldn't turn him anymore. The chemical parts weren't clear to him, but it was a relief to know that they had reached a dead end with their serum.

The next moment Hikaru came back, followed by Koji and they freed Taiga from the straps. For a moment Taiga calculated his chances in a fight, but three Elite-Vestige against one Chaser wasn't what he wanted to try out.

"There is something else I want to test, now that we've an interesting case like this, but let's move you somewhere else for that."

Hikaru grabbed Taiga by the arm and he used more force than necessary to pull him up, yet Taiga didn't complain. He only gave Sou another side glance, but then he followed the others towards the elevator, but only Hikaru stepped in with him and before the doors closed he could see how Koji transformed into him.

***

A heavy pull on Hokuto's shoulder made him land back in reality and that right before Ryohei could actually try to somehow kick him away, because he had woken up and fought against his mind reading.

"Found out some interesting stuff?" Ryohei asked. "Oh did I wake up too fast? What a shame."

With his foreseeing ability he already knew Hokuto's answer of course.

"He can foresee, but he can't choose when to use it so sometimes when he recharges he is just like us," Hokuto explained.

"That's how I got the opening to use my ability," Reia said, but then he tilted his head with a thoughtful expression.

"What's on your mind?" Kochi asked.

"He should have just collapsed on the use of my ability, but he actually reacted like a non-Elite-Vestige and had a nightmare."

"Interesting," Kochi agreed. "So their transitions are quite unsteady?"

"Most likely. I feel like they rushed their transitions after they lost us," Reia said.

"Don't think you're stronger than us," Ryohei mocked.

"But we have better plans," Hokuto said and walked up to Ryohei again before he gave Reia a nod. The boy used his ability once more on Ryohei and the boy indeed reacted like Taiga and started screaming, but right before he could fall unconscious, Hokuto used his mind control on him and cut him free from the bed.

"Let's go."

"What did you tell him to do?" Kochi asked and Hokuto gave him a kind of apologizing look.

"I asked him to bring me to Taiga."

"Well wherever he is I feel like we'll find the Government members there as well after his transition failed. I bet they're interested in his case," Kochi agreed and let Ryohei guide the way.

***

"Oh are you that confident or are you actually too afraid to keep fighting?" Shota asked when Taiko, Yabana and Rinne retreated, but it wasn't like they had been losing, yet they were also not winning and they needed to back up the others.

Date held Shota back when he wanted to attack the incoming backup. "He's dangerous."

"And we're not?" Shota joked after Date had looked at Taisuke's aura.

Taisuke stopped next to Rinne and stretched out his hand towards his face. After a moment he withdrew it and sighed.

"Such chaos in such a short time. Let's head inside and make sure the chaos doesn't grow even bigger."

"For that you have to get past us and with a simple mind reading ability you won't have a chance."

"Then go ahead, try your luck," Taisuke challenged and stepped in front of the boy. After a moment of an intense stare exchange it was Shota who wasn't moving anymore when Taisuke stepped closer.

Date had realized the change and jumped in front of the other one to use a shockwave yet his eyes grew wide when it didn't work.

"You're immune."

"Not quite," Taisuke said as he touched Date's arm just for a second before he jumped back.

"Aura sensing? So harmless for an Elite-Vestige."

"How? Wait, why can't I see your aura anymore?" Date asked.

"Because now that I know what your ability is I can block it without trouble. But I also just realized thanks to your friend that I can copy without touching too."

"That's scary," Taiko said.

"A copy ability and immunity? Yet you also can use mind reading? What the hell are you?" Date asked and snapped his fingers in front of Shota so that the boy finally snapped out of it.

"You're not worth my time to explain that," Taisuke said coldly before he dashed to the front and then vanished without a trace just to appear behind the two boys and with two very accurate shockwaves he send them into the ground unconsciously.

"Unfortunately we have no time for you right now, so you need to wait here until we're done."

"And here I thought he would say something as cool as 'I'm your worst nightmare," Taiko joked after Taisuke had easily won.

"He stole my ability," Rinne said a bit sulking as he hadn't even realized it before.

"And he used it way more effectively," Yabana teased, but bit his lip when Rinne gave him a death glare.

"Shime, we need to head to the research facility. Kentaro is down," Taisuke said as he casually kept walking towards the place where Sakuma was fighting with the others.

"Even his hearing is scaring me," Taiko admitted, because the others hadn't been able to hear Hagi on the transmitter on this distance and Taisuke had been even further away.

"That's what he gets from always running headfirst into everything," Nika complained, yet offered to go with Shime, and Chaka also immediately joined their team.

"Don't waste time with anyone else. Let the others hold them back," Taisuke said and immediately some unknown people stepped up with an excited shine in their eyes.

"Who are you?" Taiko asked the five boys they had brought with them.

"The rescue team," the long haired boy in the front said and already excitedly moved his neck from one side to the other. His hair was dark red, so dark that it could almost not be called a Fallen mark. Another boy stepped next to him and hit him on the back of his head, making him show an overreacted hurt expression.

"After we gave Taisuke and the others such a hard time with turning us back, don't act that high and mighty."

The boy who had stepped next to him seemed to have no mark at all, but looking at his hair it didn't seem to reflect the sunlight, his hair had turned unnatural black.

"No time for introductions," Mitsu said. "Hirano, Nagase, can we leave everything else outside to your team?"

"You should have left these two as well now it’s going to be boring," a boy with violet shining eyes said and pointed at Date and Shota.

"Kishi, you'll get your battle, but we need to clear their way for now," another boy with yellow eyes and blonde hair said.

"Okay, time to go then," Nagase said and turned back to them. "Kaito, Kishi, you go in first."

"Another Kaito," Yabana said and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"We have more than one Yuta now too," Tama teased and pointed at the boy with ice blue eyes.

"Call me Jinguji. That makes it easier."

"Concentrate," Nagase yelled over to them and they all finally dashed to the front, past Taisuke towards Sakuma.

"Since when are you the boss by the way?" Hirano asked, making Nagase laugh.

"Oh you actually realized that I'm doing all the talking for years already?"

"At least let me do the fighting then," Hirano said challenging and Nagase fell back a bit.

"He is all yours!"

***

"Where the hell is that door?" Fuma complained after they had looked for a felt eternity and they didn't find anything that looked even close to a secret passage or door.

"Maybe the soldiers just got told that there was a door, but there is actually none?" Jesse wondered and it was indeed a possibility.

"If we were close to finding it I feel like some Elite-Vestige had already shown up," Katsuki said and looked towards one of the security cameras.

"Are you sure we shouldn't destroy them?" Kento asked.

"We want to lure them out so let them see and hopefully we'll be close to that door soon," Reo said.

"We got incoming," Juri realized and looked at his VeF radar. "Two white, but...wait, what is going on?"

"Don't scare us," Jesse said and followed Juri's look up the stairs and around a corner they saw Ryohei approaching and Reo got ready to build up an illusion, but then Hokuto and Reia got into sight next.

"He's mind controlled, don't worry," Hokuto explained when he saw everyone's worried faces.

"For what do you have transmitters, god damnit," Shintaro complained.

"Sorry we were in a hurry," Kochi said as he followed.

"SOU!" Fuma shouted and the boy immediately dashed down the stairs when he saw Fuma and the others.

"Thanks god you’re safe," Kento said after the boy had jumped into Fuma's and Kento's arms.

"What's that?" Marius asked with wide eyes as he looked at Sou's neck.

"A microchip to control Elite-Vestige, but they had no time to turn him and I deactivated it," Kochi explained.

"That's a relief," Shori said. "So what's the plan?"

"Follow him," Hokuto explained while Ryohei kept walking downstairs towards the under construct area. "I told him to bring me to Taiga so he most likely knows the way down there."

“But we haven’t seen anyone coming down here after you started your attack,” Kento explained.

“I think there are several entrances for the base downstairs, so they might have taken Taiga through another entrance, but we need to take what we can get for now,” Kochi explained.

"Everyone get ready to get attacked, because I doubt they will let us in there without a fight," Juri reminded them and they carefully watched Ryohei walk towards one of the Security cameras and he drew out a key with which he was able to open a small case with a number code system. After he had put in some numbers the ground in front of him started moving.

"So it wasn't a normal door," Reo said as the trap door slid open.

"This is definitely only an emergency door. I feel like they could have run already or back stab us. So everyone, stay highly alert," Kochi warned everyone once more.

"Shall we wait for Taisuke?" Shintaro suggested.

"No time for that, let's go," Konpi said and walked towards the trap door.

"You only want to win against Kentaro before he gets healed," Katsuki said knowingly and Konpi turned around with a pouting expression right before the first step of the trap door. Before he could say something mockingly though, he got taken off his feet by a shockwave that seemed to have come out of nowhere. He crashed on the floor in front of Reo and Katsuki who immediately jumped in front of him, while Reia and Hokuto shielded Kento and the others.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Konpi complained as he hit the floor with the side of his fist and got back up.

"Oh what a shame, can't you see in the dark?"

The voice came from the trapdoor and the next moment Meguro emerged from the shadows.

"That's the Shadow walker," Marius said and hid behind Fuma when Meguro looked at him.

"Then you know where Aran is," Reo said and stepped closer.

"I see, you are the rescue team? You should have come sooner."

That statement had Reo switch to worried yet also angry and he lifted an illusion around his team.

"Who wants to stay and who wants to go in?" Reo asked and his serious tone made it clear that they had to decide fast. Myuto had stayed with Kentaro so for now Reo was the one who wanted to get to Aran so that Myuto wouldn't freak.

"I'll stay, you head in," Juri offered.

"We'll stay with you," Shintaro and Jesse offered.

"Should I stay too?" Reia asked, but Juri shook his head.

"Do me the favor and watch out for Kochi, okay? Hokuto and Reo will be busy," Juri requested and the boy nodded.

"We'll help you out here in case more soldiers show up," Kento offered.

"Great, then get ready," Reo said and the moment he dropped his illusion, Ryohei also freed himself from the mind control, but he had no time to use his special ability because Jesse and Shintaro immediately jumped at him while Juri dragged Meguro away from every possible shadow place.

The others disappeared through the trap door and were on their own when the door got closed above them.

"They definitely let us in on purpose," Kochi realized.

"Then let's hope they like playing enough to drop their guard enough," Hokuto said and started running down the metal wall corridor in front of them.

They were so close now, he could just hope that they weren't playing with them too much or there was no hope of even finding Aran and Taiga alive.

***

"Kentaro, Myuto, where are you?" Shime shouted down the corridor and Myuto was heard shouting back to follow his voice as their group had no VeF radar and Myuto didn't dare to leave Kentaro.

"Oh god," Chaka said on the dead body the others had encountered before as well.

"Don't look around. We're only here to get them out," Nika said and kept going. At one corridor though he stopped and Shime gave him a questioning look as he stepped next to him and then his eyes went wide.

"What the hell? That's not just a knife wound," Shime said as he saw Kentaro sitting on the floor of the corridor with his eyes closed and his hand pressed over a way too heavy bleeding stomach.

Chaka wanted to run over to him immediately, but then Nika held him back and the way his look turned to extremely pissed, Shime moved out of the way without even saying anything.

Instead of crouching down or talking to Kentaro, Nika suddenly kicked him with such a strength that the boy was sliding back for a few meters and opened his eyes in confusion, but Nika was faster and kicked away the knife he had in his other hand before he lifted him up on his neck and used his special ability, making the other one scream out.

"That's not Kentaro's voice," Shime realized and the next moment Myuto shouted at them from another corridor to not fall for Koji's tricks and that was exactly who Nika was holding up right now.

"Trust me, your ability will never be good enough if you can only copy an appearance," Nika growled at him.

Koji had not even the chance to use his shockwaves as Nika's ability was immediately too painful and energy consuming and after another moment he dropped him unconsciously to the ground.

"They are really not as stable as Reia's group," Shime realized before an angry shouting Kentaro reminded them that they had better things to do.

"What the hell took you so long," Kentaro complained when Shime crouched down next to him to use his healing ability.

"You took us so long," Chaka scolded him. "Well actually Koji did, but as you, so it's your fault...In a way."

"Chaka, just shut up," Kentaro let out annoyed.

"Did you meet with the others?" Myuto asked as they had no transmitter on their team.

"Only at the entrance. We brought some Fallen who are enjoying themselves outside with some Elite-Vestige right now," Nika explained. "Taisuke and a few others already headed into the Bunker to back the others up."

"Then we should hurry too, heal me faster," Kentaro complained.

"If you stop moving around it will work faster and don't forget that you will still be wounded, just not that badly anymore."

"Enough to punch the shit out of a few more Elite-Vestige."

"Well at least your attitude doesn't need healing," Chaka said, making everyone except Kentaro chuckle.

Musen 28 - March

“Damn, this is not what I expected,” Reo let out when the stairs ended in a glass corridor with a view of something that couldn’t be called a bunker or secret hideout. This was a whole underground city.

The entire place felt extremely open through the white walls and the glass they had used, but that was also what caught Kochi’s attention when he touched the glass and then the white wall on the other side.

“What is it?” Hokuto asked while trying to not waste too much time on enjoying the view, because all these entitled people who were hiding in this base for years had maybe not even seen the outside world once, children being born underground, waiting for the end of a war that was already called endless, so was there anything to actually envy them for?

“This is Crystalyl,” Kochi said and his look didn’t seem pleased by its discovery.

“The fluid diamond mix?” Reia asked. “I’ve heard that before the war started they had found a method to create the strongest glass ever in existence, but because they needed diamonds for it and the progress to melt them was extremely difficult and resources were already low, they only used it in low mixtures like for the glass at the Centers training rooms or the walls at our Secret Center.”

“Seems like they had more than they told us,” Kochi said and hit the glass with the side of his fist. “They only used it all in secret until there was nothing left to use outside this ridiculous first class bunker.”

“So wait does that mean these walls are also not just white Dragnacit walls?” Reo asked and on a closer look the material indeed seemed different. Way smoother than Dragnacit, almost like painted steel.

“I think they mixed as much Crystalyl as possible with the remaining Dragnacit so that the walls would hold even the strongest air raids.

“And here we struggled to even get enough Dragnacit over the last years to forge enough weapons,” Hokuto hissed.

“Well you could have fought us with steel weapons as well,” Reo said shrugging his shoulders.

“Right, to see them break before even damaging your skin,” Reia said, but then he gave everyone a signal to step back and crouch down. There were people walking on a lower level, but they were separated by something like an open area in between two glass corridors and even Fallen wouldn’t be able to destroy Crystalyl so they could only walk along the corridor.

“They seem really confident with their base or there would be security cameras,” Reia said as he realized that there was indeed not a single security camera in sight.

“I think this one corridor won’t cross over to anyone’s living quarters and it’s not like we want to hurt any civilians in the first place, no matter how entitled and ignorant those Government people are,” Kochi said and started walking at the wall side so that they couldn’t be seen from the lower corridor on the other side.

“So you have never been in here even though you also belong to one of those families?” Reia asked.

“I preferred spending my time on the surface and at research facilities. When I was still a child I think they barely started building this so when my family decided to move in here I was already getting ready to become a researcher for the Centers and well it’s not like we have a connection where I would ask them detailed questions about where exactly they were staying or go meet them.”

The ignorance of the Government families had always pushed Kochi further away from them, but it wasn’t like he thought they were responsible for everything happening in this civil war. For that he had the triangle to point his finger at.

“Let’s hurry. I don’t want to waste any more time. I can’t sense even a single person in here, this freaks me out,” Hokuto said and urged the others to keep going.

“That’s the fault of the Crystalyl,” Kochi explained. Some special abilities might not work if they need to connect through the walls, similar to the Secret Center. I also doubt that our transmitters will work.”

“So we are on our own,” Reo said a bit worried.

The corridor was longer than they had thought and towards the end they could see a white door with a triangle symbol on it.

“So creative,” Reo said and rolled his eyes. Right in front of the door was another corridor and the moment they got closer, someone stepped out of it to block their way.

“Of course, it was too easy until now,” Reo growled. “There is not even space to fight here.”

“An Elite-Vestige,” Kochi said as he looked at his VeF radar, but the Crystalyl walls were blocking the signal and he couldn’t tell how many were around or behind that door.

“State your business,” the boy in front of them asked in an almost bored manner. His eyes were shining bright violet and he was wearing gloves in the same color.

“As if you don’t know by now why we are here,” Reia replied and stepped in front of everyone. Reo could shield them with an illusion, but the timing had to be right and Reia was their best shot to try out the other one’s abilities.

“If you want to enter the Triangle base then you have to fight the guard, who is me, Fukka,” the boy stated.

“So primitive, yet better than having long talks,” Reia admitted and dashed to the front. The other one was as expected as fast as him and their shockwaves clashed in the air from a long distance. Reia got almost close enough once to use his Nightmare ability, but the other one jumped back at the last moment.

“We have no time for this,” Hokuto complained and entered the fight. Fukka looked towards Hokuto and then back at Reia who was standing on the other side of the corridor now and could try and run for the door if he wanted to.

“So annoying,” Fukka let out with a sigh before he took off one of his gloves and put his hand against the wall. First it didn’t seem like anything was happening until he closed his hand right into the wall as if it had become liquid and as if that wasn’t stunning enough he drew a part of the wall out and suddenly had a solid white Crystalyl blade in his hands.

“I have to admit, that was awesome,” Reo let out.

“One blade won’t make any difference,” Hokuto said and pulled out both his hilts and activated them on his Ex2 suit.

“Oh, such a nice technique but let me guess, when that suit breaks then all that technology is worthless?” Fukka asked, making Kochi growl in the back.

“It’s definitely worth more than your one special ability,” Hokuto said and dashed towards him. The Elite-Vestige didn’t seem to be impressed though and when Hokuto went for a direct hit with his Dragnacit blade, the boy shattered the blade with one clean cut with his own blade, showing just how sharp and strong Crystalyl was in combat.

Reia tried to attack from behind, but Fukka reacted faster and dropped his blade to his other hand to lunge out to the back. Hokuto tried to use that opening to hit him with his other blade, but he hadn’t seen that Fukka had gotten rid of his other glove as well and had drawn a second blade out of the ground, aiming for the boy’s leg.

The pain came as a surprise, as Hokuto had thought he had made it in time out of the other one’s reach, but Elite-Vestige were indeed a lot faster than them. With a hiss Hokuto landed on one knee, holding his leg in pain.

“Leave him to me,” Reia said. “Your weapons and technology won’t help here.”

Kochi wanted to complain, because Reia also had to go for close combat with his special ability and Reo could definitely help them fight with his ability, yet Reia wanted them to prioritize finding the others.

The moment Reia went for another attack and got Fukka’s attention, Reo built up an illusion, confusing Fukka long enough for Reia to be able to use a shockwave and throw him into the side corridor so that the others got the opening they needed to reach the door.

***

Ryohei had seen Juri coming and also foreseen Shintaro's try to attack from behind while Konpi and Katsuki went for Meguro. But what he had obviously not been able to foresee was Sou jumping on his back and literally trying to claw his eyes out.

"Well, I think even without being a Vestige this boy has some fire," Shintaro laughed and dashed to the front when Ryohei used a shockwave on Sou, forcing Shori and Marius to catch him, but they both got taken off their feet as well. Shintaro had drawn his Dragnacit blade and finally landed a hit on the Elite-Vestige, but of course it wouldn't be a fatal wound.

Juri jumped in with full force, taking Ryohei of his feet and sent a shockwave right through his chest before he jumped back to buy them some time.

"A shame that none of them have any active abilities you can use against them," Shintaro said.

"I fear even my new special ability is as useless as my first one," Juri mocked himself before they heard a curse from Fuma who had been crushed into a wall by Meguro's shockwave after he had tried to back up Konpi and Katsuki and without any suit on the boy had taken in a lot of damage. Jesse immediately jumped in with his blade, bringing distance between them.

"Where are you looking?" Ryohei asked already next to Juri and sending him with a shockwave straight through the next wall as their shockwaves were extremely strong on touching distance.

"Playtime is over, I'm getting tired of you," Ryohei hissed and faced Shintaro next.

The Chaser jumped into his next attack, but this time Ryohei had obviously enough and he blocked his blade, kicking Shintaro away before shattering the blade with his leg.

"Don't get closer," Shintaro said towards the other boys who tried to dash into an attack. "If you enter the fight now, you might die."

"Jesse, get them away from here," Shintaro shouted as Konpi and Katsuki chased after Meguro who kept disappearing in the shadows, but Juri was the one to actually find him as he tried to attack the other two from behind. Meguro had turned at the last second and they had ended up falling down another staircase after Juri had thrown himself at him, while Jesse shouted at Kento and the others to get out of the way and luckily Fuma seemed to have realized that his strength wouldn't be enough in this fight as he had already a bleeding head injury and at least a few broken ribs.

Shintaro tried to get his second hilt out, but Ryohei was faster and send him straight into the next wall with a long distance shockwave before he dashed to the front and hit another one right into Shintaro's stomach and this time the Ex2 suit wasn't strong enough to absorb the full impact.

"Nice toy," Ryohei praised the suit right before Shintaro got a grip on his knife on his belt and slashed out towards Ryohei's face. He had hit and left a deep long cut on the boy's face, but Ryohei had snatched it away the next second and slashed it with a long movement over Shintaro’s chest. The cut wasn’t deep, but long and with the suit trying to rebuilt and stop the bleeding of the wound Ryohei used his chance and used a shockwave right on the open wound. The suit got ripped to a point where it couldn’t rebuild and left Shintaro without protection.

“Katsuki, stop him!” Konpi shouted as he realized what was going on, but Katsuki still hadn’t recharged from his tries to hit Meguro when he kept disappearing.

"Game over," Ryohei said triumphing as he lunged out once more as he was sure he would be faster than the two Elite-Vestige could reach him, but then he froze in his own movements without any possible explanation.

"Right on time," Mitsu was heard next to him as he pulled Ryohei away and left him to Genta who immediately jumped on the Elite-Vestige to hold him down before Mitsu's ability could fade away. Katsuki and Konpi immediately joining him.

"A bit earlier would have been nice too," Shintaro said and held his hands over his chest.

"Shime will fix that for you in a bit," Genta said.

The next second they heard Jesse yelling something before he came flying right in front of Taisuke's feet.

"Oh nice, backup. Some help?" Jesse asked from the ground and didn't even bother getting up anymore.

Before Taisuke made it towards Juri though, it was Meguro who came flying next and crashed into the ground.

"I feel like he got this?" Mitsu said teasingly while Juri came back up the stairs with a pissed expression.

"Taisuke, could you hurry after the others? There is a trap door right here. They went in to look for Taiga and Aran."

"Then what are we waiting for," Taisuke said and when Meguro was back on his feet right next to him and tried to use a shockwave, Taisuke gave him a death glare.

"Wrong person to piss off right now," Jesse mocked and they all watched how Taisuke grabbed the already hurt boy by the neck and lifted him up.

"We won't open the trap door for you and it can't be destroyed by shockwaves," Meguro laughed at him.

"No need for that. I can use shadows to get in," Taisuke explained, making the boy look back at him in confusion, but Taisuke wasn't in any mood for explanations so he just crushed the boy head first into the ground.

"I will go in alone for now. The code for the trapdoor is 5764," Taisuke explained and stepped back towards a shadow from where he vanished.

"Let's wait for the others before we follow him. If we all go in then we might bring more trouble than help," Mitsu explained and everyone agreed. Ryohei tried to kick Genta off him, but Shintaro and Jesse were already there to help and Juri was once more going for Meguro who tried to crawl to another shadow.

Mitsu remained at the side, overlooking the situation until he realized that some boys were watching from the side and he turned towards the boys who looked a bit beaten up as well.

“I guess you were helping out? Thanks, you can leave the rest to us now,” Mitsu thanked them, but then the boy he hadn’t seen at first as Kento had made him sit down, pushed Shori and Kento out of the way and walked straight up to Mitsu who didn’t even change expressions or move, not even when Fuma lunged out and gave him a harsh punch, making the others all stare at him in silence and with wide eyes.

“Ehm, weren’t they supposed to be on our side?” Jesse whispered towards Juri who had also no idea of what was going on.

“You are the WORST person existing,” Fuma hissed at the other one. Mitsu still didn’t react, but exactly that behavior made Fuma even angrier and he pushed the older one to the back and to everyone’s surprise, Mitsu didn’t stop him and made a few steps back while Fuma kept pushing him. “How dare you leave just to end up as a Fallen? How fucking dare you?”

This time Mitsu stopped the other one’s hand midair when Fuma lunged out for another punch. The boy tried to rip his wrist out of the other one’s grip, but there was no way he could especially as he was already hurt. When he lifted his left hand it only collided weakly against Mitsu’s chest. He kept hitting him weaker and weaker with every time he lunged out until his sobs were the only thing to be heard while he clenched his fist into Mitsu’s shirt.

“You promised to make a change, yet for years you vanished just to come back as a freaking Fallen.”

“I’m sorry I made you wait,” Mitsu let out almost coldly.

“I hate you,” Fuma whispered between a few shaky breaths, but nevertheless what he had just said he hugged his long lost older brother.

***

Hokuto had gotten ready to actually break the door open with a shockwave, but to his surprise it opened with a normal turn on the doorknob. They had to hurry if they didn’t want Fukka to dash after them, but they also had no clue about what was going to await them, so they abruptly stopped behind the door, Hokuto locking it from the inside and as it was a Crystalyl door, it should hold most Elite-Vestige back, but with Fukka’s ability it wasn’t clear if he could melt down the entire door.

“You finally made it.”

The person who spoke had his back turned towards them and was standing in front of three huge holographic screens. The room they had entered was bigger than they had imagined and it had two more doors, one in the back and one on an upper level where a triangle shaped table was standing. On one chair a man with short spiky blonde hair was sitting, both feet on the table, looking down at them with an amused smile, while the one in front of the screens calmly turned around with his hands on his back. He had black hair, almost falling into his eyes, but he looked like a normal researcher with a white rope and casual clothes underneath, while the blonde man looked as if he was ready to jump into a fight with all black clothes and two Dragnacit hilts on his belt.

“You can drop your illusion, they can see us anyway,” Kochi said with one look on the screen. Reo did as he was told, but he and Hokuto immediately stopped in front of Kochi.

“You have leveled up on your skills a lot since we left you in charge of the West Center. That radar is impressive.”

“Not as much as your holographic radar as it seems, Nakamaru-senpai,” Kochi shot back with an annoyed look at the researcher. The technology he was using wasn’t even available to them at the Centers and it wasn’t just that one screen that made Kochi realize that they had been played.

“You followed every single step we made, didn’t you?”

This time the blonde man laughed and put his feet to the ground and pointed at Kochi. “You little rat seriously thought you could outsmart us?”

“He could definitely outsmart you, Ueda,” another man said who stepped inside the room from the door on the upper level. He had long brown hair and was wearing round sunglasses, which he lowered a bit to look at the three intruders. “Kochi, it has been a while. How have you been?”

“Do we really need that small talk now, Kamenashi?” Ueda asked, but the thin man shot Ueda a warning glare on which he rolled his eyes and put his feet back on the table.

Kamenashi came down the stairs with a scanning look towards Reo and Hokuto before he nodded approvingly and put his sunglasses around his shirt collar. He looked as if he had been out partying instead of actually leading an underground community in the middle of a war, but he still had a dangerous aura.

“The problem boy finally turned into a normal Vestige and even Fallen back to their senses. Kochi, Kochi, Kochi…you have done amazing.”

“It’s not like I did any of this for you,” Kochi hissed at him, but Kamenashi immediately laughed at that comment.

“Right, you did it to save all the poor Fallen and also give your friend the chance to be with his beloved one without having to fear to kill him through his Fallen self.”

“You’ve been spying on us from the very beginning,” Hokuto interfered and stepped towards Kamenashi, but the man didn’t seem to feel threatened.

“We are in control of all Centers. You knew that there were cameras all over the place. You and the others agreed to all these rules when you were at the Main Center for training,” Nakamaru explained from the side. “And even with the way Kochi tried to hide all the information we still got to know.”

“It’s not like I ever agreed to becoming a Vestige in the first place,” Hokuto shot back.

“So would you prefer to be human again?” Kamenashi asked and his eyes shined dangerously on Hokuto’s reaction as he couldn’t actually reply straight forward on that question.

“Why did you let us come this far if you knew exactly what we were up to?” Kochi asked.

“Oh come on, didn’t you figure that out by yourself?” Ueda yelled from the upper floor. “It’s a game and you just put yourself game over.”

“We have invaded the Bunker, we have a lot of Fallen as backup outside and inside the Bunker and we already overpowered your Elite-Vestige, so who is going game over here?” Reo shouted back at him, making Ueda throw him a death glare.

“We intentionally didn’t let the new Elite-Vestige know about you, so that it was easier for you to make it to the Bunker,” Kamenashi added with a calm smile. It made sense and Kochi hated himself for not realizing that things had gone too smooth from the start.

Kochi took a calm look at his VeF radar before he looked up at Nakamaru’s radar, which seemed to be able to read even through the Crystalyl walls. It was also way more specific and could tell what floor and what radius was between humans and different types of Vestige and Fallen, but that also made Kochi realize something.

“None of you ever made a transition and yet you say we are game over with a Fallen and a Vestige against three humans?” Kochi asked and that made Hokuto also realize that even though their looks could be of Vestige, they were indeed humans, but also the most powerful humans they have ever encountered even if not necessarily in a physical fight.

“You brought everything we need right to us,” Kamenashi said with an entertained smile before he stretched his arm out and pointed at him. “Everything you have come up with over the past years you have destroyed. All the data and the remaining serum you have made sure to never copy towards any database the Main Center or even us could have any access to, but we don’t need any of that, because now we have you.”

Kochi wanted to punch himself for his stupidity. Of course! For them the Fallen and Vestige didn’t matter. They could just kill them and make new Elite-Vestige with their own serum, but with Kochi’s new serum and gadgets they could update their own database and create who knew what of new mutations.

“As if we would hand him to you. We are overpowering your whole underground base right now and if you don’t want your oh so entitled humans down there to get involved, you should just give up,” Reo reminded them, but once more Kamenashi only chuckled.

“How did our Elite-Vestige seem to you?” Kamenashi asked as he walked away from the three. “Compared to Reia’s group?”

“They are weaker, because you didn’t have enough time to create stable serums for them,” Kochi explained.

“Then they were exactly what we wanted them to be,” Nakamaru said and took notes on his screen before he changed to security camera updates on all three screens, showing the new Fallen fighting outside and easily overpowering Sakuma, while Kentaro and the others were heading towards the lower levels from the elevator and Juri’s group also had gotten the upper hand. Fukka and Reia were also still fighting in the corridor, yet the heavy walls would let any of their fighting noise come through.

“And what is that? Weaklings?” Reo asked before Nakamaru lifted up a portable tablet and the next moment the door in the back opened, revealing Hikaru and Raul who stepped in front of Nakamaru and Kamenashi.

“A distraction,” Kamenashi said and then Nakamaru put something in his tablet Kochi couldn’t actually see, but then they saw the changes on the monitors.

“What the hell…” Hokuto let out, shocked as he saw how the Elite-Vestige who seemed already too wounded to fight, got up and fought with strength even stronger than the Fallen.

“Still confident that you can win against them?” Kamenashi asked and let Hikaru and Raul take over. Even Ueda finally got up to get a closer look on the upcoming fight, but Hokuto stood his ground and Reo also stepped towards him.

“We won’t back out now. Bring it up, but don’t wine if you get hurt in the process,” Hokuto warned them and then Kamenashi clapped his hands in amusement when he walked up the stairs to the upper floor with Nakamaru.

“Mh, interesting. Maybe I should give you more challenging opponents then?” Kamenashi asked and opened the upper door once more, but not to step out. Instead two more people stepped inside.

This time though none of them had anything left to say as this was going to be a fight they couldn’t win if they didn’t want to lose at the same time as it were Aran and Taiga who stepped into the room.

Musen 28 - March

“Got him, go before my shadow wears off,” Nagase said after he had caught Sakuma with his shadow, his special ability. A catching mechanism for everyone who steps on his shadow.

“Let me try first,” Jinguji said and walked up to Sakuma without any kind of caution. The Elite-Vestige could still use his special ability and Jinguji didn’t even flinch when Sakuma put his hand on his chest and then laughed.

“I guess you put yourself game over,” Sakuma said with a smirk and then the explosion made Jinguji disappear, but that wasn’t what Sakuma had seen coming and he looked dumbfounded at the empty space in front of him.

“So if that had been my real body it would have ripped me apart,” Jinguji said from a safe distance.

“What? How did you-?”

“It’s a clone,” Jinguji explained his special ability.

“Hirano, no. You are not going in,” Nagase warned the other one as he wanted to approach Sakuma.

“Oh come on,” Hirano pouted, but stepped back.

“What is his special ability?” Moro asked.

“A back lash,” Kishi explained. “He can reflect the special ability of someone back at him.”

“It doesn’t work with shockwaves though,” Kaito explained. “And it has to be something he can actively reflect so mind reading and stuff like that won’t work.”

“So you just wanted to go in and actually make Sakuma explode?” Hagi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Why not?” Hirano asked, shrugging his shoulders.

“Good that Juri is more careful with his ability or we would have to watch out for two people with that kind of dangerous ability,” Yuma said shaking his head.

“Are you sure he got the serum?” Taiko asked a bit worried, but Nagase nodded.

“He has always been, well, a bit special.”

“Well, then let’s knock him out for now and head in,” Rinne said. “Yabana, help me out to get close to him and then Taiko, use your electric shock.”

“Ready when you are,” Yabana said and got ready to use his acoustic wave, but then Sakuma suddenly choked and fell to his knees.

“What happened?” Kishi asked alarmed, but no one really did anything and Sakuma didn’t seem in pain as he started laughing the next moment.

“Playtime is over I guess,” Sakuma said and got back up and then he started moving towards them.

“Woah, Nagase, stop him,” Kaito complained.

“I can’t,” Nagase said and he had to watch how Sakuma just walked over his shadow even though his ability wasn’t in the need for recharges yet.

“Guys. We have even more trouble,” Moro said and when they realized that he was looking behind them, they all turned to see Date and Shota back on their feet as if they hadn’t fought against Taisuke at all.

“We need to warn the others,” Hagi said and put his hand to his ear, but the next second Sakuma jumped at him. So fast that no one had been able to even react. Rinne was luckily fast enough to teleport towards him and use a shockwave to get Sakuma off before he could use his special ability, but then Date had dashed over to them and used a long distance shockwave, making Rinne fall back.

In the next seconds everything turned into a chaotic fight with the three Elite-Vestige powering up to a degree that the others couldn’t follow anymore. They didn’t seem to need any recharge on their special abilities anymore, which was extremely dangerous with Sakuma so luckily Hirano and Jinguji were the ones who tried to keep him away from the others with Rinne pushing him back each time he tried to dash towards someone who was thrown off their feet by Date or Shota.

“What the hell is going on,” Hagi yelled as he used his soundwave, but Shota just turned around towards him and started walking.

“They weren’t immune before,” Taiko said, slowly panicking as well.

“I doubt it’s immunity, something must be going on with their microchips,” Nagase realized.

“Then we have to get them destroyed no matter what,” Yabana yelled while he had to give up on his acoustic wave against Date as well. Rinne teleported behind Date and threw him to the ground by force, using a shockwave that didn’t seem to have any effect on him even though they were Elite-Vestige as well. So Taiko couldn’t make it on time to reach them and use his electric shock, but most likely it wouldn’t have any effect anyway.

Date threw Rinne off him and grabbed him by the neck, the boy more than surprised by his strength.

“They behave like Fallen,” Moro shouted as he recognized their own prior behavior.

“Then we should fight as we did until now as well,” Hirano said in excitement as he finally used his back lash against Sakuma and stepped back with a mocking look. “Taste your own ability.”

Sakuma looked at his chest, but nothing happened and then he dashed right at Hirano once more who yelped and started running away from him. “Okay, forget it. This is no fun anymore.”

“You can’t outrun him, idiot. Come back here so we can help,” Kishi yelled after him.

In all the chaos Moro had ended up too close to Shota and his trance ability seemed to work now even without direct eye contact and Moro cursed as he couldn’t move his legs. Hagi jumped at Shota before he could reach him, but the other one easily threw him over his shoulder and the force he used made Hagi groan in pain when he got up.

“That broke some ribs,” Hagi hissed.

“Just imagine what the remaining Elite-Vestige will do to the others if they can hurt us that easily,” Rinne said as he and Taiko used two shockwaves to somehow push Shota away to get a moment to think.

“We need to survive this ourselves for now, then we can think about the others,” Nagase yelled over to them.

“Then let’s hope they haven’t become invincible,” Hagi said and they dashed once more into their battle.

***

“How many levels does this stupid Bunker have?” Kentaro complained after they had reached the third underground level.

“We had to make it back up with the elevator first so of course we need to walk it all back down now. Be a bit more patient and don’t overdo it,” Chaka warned him as Shime had also warned Kentaro that if he started fighting right away he wouldn’t stand for long.

“Do you hear this?” Myuto asked and they all stopped.

“Finally some action,” Kentaro yelled on the fighting noises from the lower level and he almost skipped down to the next level.

“He won’t ever listen, will he?” Chaka asked next to Shime while Myuto and Nika just followed him so that he wouldn’t get himself killed right away.

“Not in this life,” Shime laughed. On a sound on the staircase he looked behind him and then his eyes grew wide as he had almost no time to react. How had they missed that he had followed them? And how the hell had he been able to get back up in the first place.

Chaka was violently pushed to the side by Shime and landed on the floor with a yelp, while Shime fell to the back, resulting with him falling down the stairs.

“SHIME!” Chaka yelled before he looked back towards the upper stairs with wide eyes. Koji had followed them and he didn’t even look hurt. Furthermore he had just thrown a Dragnacit knife at Chaka with such a speed and force that the boy could call himself lucky that Shime had somehow been fast enough to get him out of the way, but even as a Vestige he hadn’t enough time to dodge.

“Bastard,” Nika hissed as they turned back and Myuto dashed up towards Chaka before Koji could reach him.

“Are you okay?” Nika asked and Shime pulled out the knife from his shoulder with a hiss.

“Well, better me than Chaka that’s for sure.”

“Guys, we have a huge problem,” Myuto yelled down towards them. Koji was walking down the stairs directly at him and it was obvious that Myuto had his hand stretched out to use his motion control, which didn’t seem to work.

“Hey, what- Here I am gone one minute and you get all the fun stuff,” Kentaro complained as he dashed back up to them after no one had followed. “Oh nice wound. Are you getting out of shape?”

“Usually I’d say try your luck with him, but in your state you should really not do that,” Shime replied. Kentaro laughed and patted his shoulder before he wanted to dash towards Koji, but Nika held him back with a serious expression.

“For just once stay back, okay?” Nika said and it was rare to see Kentaro listening to anyone in the first place, but something about his brother’s expression told him that maybe it wasn’t the time for his carefree behavior right now. “Leave this one to Myuto and me. Protect the others instead.”

***

There was a lot to explain, but unfortunately there was no time for a reunion talk as Ryohei suddenly kicked Genta off him and made Konpi go flying through a shockwave way more powerful than before. Jesse was able to lunge out for him with his blade, but Ryohei blocked it in his palm and crushed it like a toy before he used a direct shockwave on Jesse’s chest, throwing him with a force into the next wall that even the Ex2 suit couldn’t absorb enough of the impact, leaving Jesse down on the ground.

Mitsu snapped his fingers at him, but nothing happened and Ryohei dashed towards him instead. “Everyone hide,” Mitsu yelled and shoved Fuma at the other boys right in time before Ryohei used a long distance shockwave and almost took Mitsu off his feet. They clashed with two shockwaves after that, head to head, but Mitsu was the one who got thrown back.

Before Juri and Katsuki had even the chance to understand what was going on, Meguro was back in the fight as well and used a shockwave on Katsuki and grabbed Juri by the hair and tried to throw him head first into the ground, but luckily Juri reacted fast enough to twist and kick the other one’s legs so he could break free and jump back. Katsuki tried to use his telekinesis, but the same as with the other special abilities, there was no impact. Meguro immediately vanished in a shadow and the next moment Shintaro had to deal with him after barely even being back on his feet, but the Elite-Vestige had sped up so much that Shintaro had no chance in even lunging out before his blade was ripped out of his hand and Meguro stabbed him right through his broken suit, making the blade break while Shintaro fell back with a pained yelp. Before Meguro could actually try to kill him, Juri jumped at him and tried to push him away from the others. Genta was up as well and took over after Juri had been taken off his feet by a shockwave.

His transmitter activated the next moment and a very worried Hagi was heard. “The Elite-Vestige have insanely powered up. They got back up even after defeat, as if they hadn't been hurt. Aim for the microchips. Kill them if needed!”

Hearing even Hagi that worried made it clear that everyone was facing the same tough situation at the moment and they could only hope that the Government didn’t have even more up their sleeves to turn this fight against them.

***

All Reia needed was one touch, yet Fukka was extremely skilled in keeping him on distance and even if he lost his blade he could easily just get himself a new weapon and with one lost blade he had drawn out a long spear from the ground. This time though something was different. Fukka fell back for a moment, almost losing balance before he suddenly dashed to the front even faster than before. He even hit Reia on the arm with the spear two times and he didn’t seem to plan on stopping chasing him down the corridor, but unfortunately that second corridor was a dead end and Reia ended up with his back against the wall.

“Are you kidding me?” Reia hissed as he held his arm, which had been hurt more than he had thought at first. The sudden power up had brought him into the worst situation as he had no long distance ability and when he tried to use a simple shockwave, he wasn’t even that surprised when Fukka showed a sudden immunity against it. “Great. I guess it’s all or nothing then.”

Out of options, Reia dashed right into the spear and somehow avoided a fatal injury, but still got seriously cut on the side of his ribs as the spear was sharp on the sides as well and Fukka had of course tried to slash him in half when he dashed towards him.

Reia had reached the other one and got his fingers on his forehead right before Fukka crushed him up into the ceiling of the corridor with such a heavy shockwave that it took away Reia’s breath for a moment. Nevertheless he let himself drop to the ground, waiting for Fukka to collapse or scream. Yet none of it happened and the next moment Fukka stepped on the boy’s back, making Reia curse on the strength the other one suddenly showed.

“What the hell is going on,” Reia hissed before Fukka kicked him back against the end of the corridor and drew out a small dagger from the floor this time. Reia remained on the floor, his wound causing him an immense blood loss and he feared he wouldn’t be fast enough to dodge the knife if Fukka threw it at him with that immense strength he had just shown.

“Want to play with someone in your league?”

Fukka turned around towards Taisuke who had shown up in their corridor and Reia had never been more grateful about backup.

Fukka didn’t even give Taisuke any time to grasp the situation and he threw the knife at him instead and as expected his speed and strength had increased drastically, yet Taisuke was able to dodge. Barely. Even with the instinct a small cut was opened on his cheek, but now his look turned to murderous when he lifted his hand to his cheek to wipe away the blood.

“Aim for the microchip,” Reia let out. “Whatever happened was most likely a part of the Government's plan,” Reia explained.

“Then let’s get this over with, because I have no time for you,” Taisuke hissed and waited for Fukka to come straight at him.

***

The empty stare towards them was what made Hokuto realize that no matter what had happened, Aran and Taiga were not on their side at the moment. The question was just why, because while Aran made sense to him, Taiga didn’t. He had received the Elite-Vestige serum already, it shouldn’t be possible to still turn him even Kochi had said so.

“What the hell did you do?” Kochi hissed while Kamenashi put his hands on the boys’ shoulders with a lopsided sneer.

“How about you find out yourself?” Kamenashi removed his hand from Aran’s shoulder, making the boy move down the stairs, while Taiga remained next to him.

“Aran, snap out of it,” Reo yelled at him and faced him first, but Aran wasn’t even looking directly at his friend.

“Wait, something else is off,” Kochi realized and he moved a bit to the front to have a better look, Hokuto intuitively guarding him as Raul and Hikaru were potential dangers as well. “They have no microchip.”

That realization made Hokuto immediately look at Taiga and Kamenashi even turned the boy around to prove that Kochi was right.

“So what, they only turned them into some kind of zombies? What is this shit? Come on Aran,” Reo tried his luck once more and wanted to reach out for Aran. What no one had seen coming was Aran only lifting his hand without any visible attack and the next moment Reo was on his knees, screaming in pain, folding to the front.

“What’s going on? Aran, stop!” Hokuto yelled and wanted to dash over to them, but Aran moved his hand towards him and then Hokuto shared Reo’s pain, a familiar pain, but not on a long distance special ability.

“He can use pain infliction,” Reo let out as the pain got less the moment Aran moved his attention towards Hokuto.

“Without touching?” Kochi asked. They would stand no chance against such a strong ability with so many enemies. But then Hokuto’s screams stopped and Aran looked around in confusion. It took Kochi a moment to realize that Reo had used an illusion.

“I can barely give us any time, but we need to figure out what to do,” Reo said as he stumbled over towards them.

Hokuto got up with a groan and a death glare towards the triangle leaders who seemed to enjoy the show.

“Kochi, what do you think about how they control them?” Hokuto asked.

“Most likely with something Nakamaru made. I need that tablet to know more. Or access to the screens over there. We should also let the others know."

Kochi touched his transmitter, but then he flicked his tongue. "As expected the transmitters won’t make it through the Crystalyl."

“You barely got time left,” Reo said and extended his illusion, making it possible for Kochi to dash over to the screens without the leaders noticing.

“They kept all the remaining upgraded technology to themselves and here we were told that resources have been too exhausted to create them again after most of these technologies got lost in the war,” Kochi let out in anger about how much easier their work on the surface could have been with this advanced technology.

“What about Aran and Taiga? Can we free them from this control?” Hokuto asked, but then Kochi stopped on a data file, which showed some DNA related diagrams, which Hokuto couldn’t understand.

“This can’t be,” Kochi let out with wide eyes.

“What is it? What did they do?” Hokuto asked, but then they heard Nakamaru laughing and Reo cursed when he couldn’t hold up his illusion for longer.

“Jealous? I only finished what you started. And here you thought it was impossible,” Nakamaru said, but Kochi slowly shook his head and gritted his teeth before he turned towards him.

“It wasn’t about if it was possible or not. This is going too far.”

“Kochi, don’t keep us in the dark,” Hokuto hissed from the side.

“It’s micro-biomechanical cells,” Kochi shouted at him, not that it was Hokuto he was angry at. “They can program them in whatever way they want. They are only puppets to them. If they ask them to kill themselves they will do it without hesitation.”

“Bastards,” Reo hissed, but stepped back when Hikaru and Raul stepped closer to Aran.

“But how did they turn Taiga into an Elite-Vestige after he had already received the serum? Do those cells also cause mutations?” Hokuto asked.

“Who said he was a Vestige?” Ueda shouted down to them.

“He was an interesting case,” Nakamaru added. “But you misunderstood something here. The cells are no new invention.”

“What does that mean?” Reo asked, but this time they left Kochi speechless with a panicked expression as he was the only one who caught up on what that meant.

Before the others could ask for explanations there was an impact on the door from the corridor they had come in from and the next moment the door melted away as if it wasn’t the hardest material on earth.

“Oh no, bad timing,” Reo said and jumped back from the door, getting ready to face Fukka, but then his expression changed to a smile and he started cheering. “Amazing timing. Seriously, I was never happier to see someone.”

“I guess that compliment was for you and not for me,” Reia said as Taisuke stepped into the room after he had stolen Fukka’s ability and left him unconsciously and with a destroyed microchip in the corridor. Taisuke’s attack could have easily killed Fukka as the microchip was implanted right on the spine, but they couldn’t show as much mercy as they wished they could if they wanted to survive.

Taisuke looked at Aran and then up at Taiga before he stretched his arm out towards Reo and the boy immediately understood and let Taisuke read his mind. Taisuke gritted his teeth in anger about what was going on, but then he looked at Kochi with a worried expression as he obviously had caught up on what Nakamaru had been saying.

“I guess we need to get over with this fast,” Taisuke said and started moving towards Aran without any hesitation. Aran lifted his hand, but nothing happened. Before Taisuke could reach Aran, Hikaru and Raul finally entered the fight and Hikaru’s arm suddenly turned silver when he lunged out for Taisuke. The Fallen jumped away so that his fist went straight to the ground with such a heavy movement that the whole room vibrated on the impact.

“Did he turn into metal?” Reia asked astonished, but when he looked at Raul the boy suddenly vanished and Reia immediately turned around, looking for him. A second later he turned up right next to him, trying to hit a shockwave, but Reia was faster and got his hand on the boy’s face. Raul started screaming and went on his knees, making Kamenashi flick his tongue.

“Nakamaru, don’t you think the newest Elite-Vestige are way too carefree?”

“Well we increased their Fallen DNA, so that is why their risk management is quite low,” Nakamaru said and went back to his tablet and from one second to the other Raul stopped screaming and stood back up.

“That’s what happened with Fukka as well,” Reia said and jumped back.

“And with all the others outside,” Hokuto added. “They force them to forget their pain. They would fight even half dead in this state.”

“And their cells are programmed to withstand any special ability, but it will cause self-destruction eventually,” Kochi added.

“Then I guess we need to force them to stop walking,” Taisuke said and aimed for Hikaru, yet Aran jumped at him from the side and Taisuke didn’t want to go too hard on him, yet he had to use a shockwave to get him away before Hikaru made it to him.

“Nice ability,” Taisuke realized and used the long distance pain infliction on Hikaru, but this time the boy was also forced to keep going and the ability had almost no effect. Luckily Reo had recharged on his illusion and he expanded it over everyone to give them one more chance to turn things around. But he was sure that they would easily break through it now as the other abilities also showed almost no effect anymore.

“It’s now or never, go!” Reo shouted and concentrated on holding the illusion, while Reia jumped on Raul and Hokuto took his chance and dashed up the stairs to try and get to Taiga. He reached him and was actually able to pull him away from Kamenashi without him interfering, but the size of Reo’s illusion made it more obvious and the next moment Hokuto had a Dragnacit blade stuck between his ribs and with a curse he looked at Ueda who had realized what was going on, but Hokuto still pulled Taiga away from them, but the moment Reo’s illusion fell, he had to wrap his arms around Taiga as they fell down the stairs together.

“Hokuto!” Kochi yelled and tried to get over to him, but then Ueda jumped down from the platform right in front of him, a jump that could easily break a human’s leg, but Ueda seemed tough enough to absorb the impact. Ueda pointed his blade at him and Kochi immediately stepped back.

Hokuto didn’t have time to worry for his friend though, as he got a harsh kick right against his wound before he even got up and he groaned and turned on his back. The one who had attacked him was Taiga and now the boy was crawling on top of him, throwing punches at him. He was indeed not acting like a Vestige or Fallen, but he still possessed all his skills from his time as a Chaser so Hokuto had to watch out and eventually he had to use a shockwave to get the boy off him.

“I guess it’s time to turn this fight around,” Kamenashi said as he looked at one of the screens and Kochi’s team seemed to still win even with the Elite-Vestige in their rage state. Some of them had already ended up motionless as the others had ripped out their microchips risking killing them in the progress.

“No matter how much you power them up, they can’t win against us,” Reia said as he had ripped out Raul’s microchip and Taisuke had even overpowered Hikaru as the instinct was way stronger than any of their special abilities.

“That is why we need some backup now,” Kamenashi said with an entertained expression.

“Stop it,” Kochi yelled when Kamenashi nodded at Nakamaru. “Someone get that tablet!”

The panic in Kochi’s voice made Hokuto and Taisuke dash towards the stairs, but while Hokuto actually made it on the stairs, Taisuke suddenly fell to his knees and the next moment Reia followed, leaving everyone in confusion.

“What is going on?” Hokuto asked, not sure if he should still try to get that tablet or not. Reia had turned silent and immobile while Taisuke was cursing and clawing the ground.

“Oh, you’re a tough one,” Nakamaru said proudly.

“Everyone, get out of here!” Taisuke yelled. “NOW!”

“Do as he says,” Kochi yelled, but then Raul was up once more and with his ability as a light walker he was next to Kochi with no one stopping him.

“Sorry, but you are not going anywhere,” Ueda said and moved his blade up to Kochi’s neck, while Raul took a tight hold on his arms.

Hokuto was more than overwhelmed about what to do as Taiga was getting ready to attack him once more and Hikaru got up as if nothing had happened and the next moment even Fukka stepped into the room.

“Reia?” Reo asked when the boy got up and started walking towards him with empty eyes. Then he dashed right at the Fallen, obviously aiming to get his nightmare ability working. “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s the Elite-Vestige serum,” Kochi said, not afraid of Ueda’s blade as they obviously wanted him to stay alive. “The cells were part of it right from the start. The microchips were more or less a distraction.”

“Exactly,” Nakamaru said. “We knew that you would definitely try to run tests on the serum so the cells are not freely running through it after entering the body. They will attach to the muscle tissue and wait there until we activate them. That’s why you couldn’t find them.”

Kochi cursed in anger about his mistake. But now they had to find a way to get out of this mess first.

“HOKUTO, GET OUT!” Taisuke screamed in between his tries to overpower the cells. His instinct was the only thing keeping him from losing it like Reia. But he knew he was running out of time. What Hokuto hadn’t seen coming was Taisuke getting up with a last effort and he attacked Aran, who had aimed for Hokuto in their moment of distraction Taisuke threw him through the entire room, right into the wall before he also attacked Taiga, who couldn’t even react. The boy collapsed to the front and Taisuke threw him at Hokuto and pushed them towards the back door of the room before he turned around to block Hikaru’s and Fukka's way who tried to stop them. “He won’t stay unconscious for long, get out!”

On the push Taisuke had left something in Hokuto’s hand and the boy clenched his fist around it before he looked at Kochi with a troubled expression, but the boy gave him a nod as well before he dared to kick Ueda and try to break free from Raul’s grip so that the attention was on him. Taisuke also used his last sanity to stop the Elite-Vestige from following them, while Reo had his hands full with Reia already, but now Aran was back up as well.

How had they ended up fighting against each other after everything they had gone through to make it this far? Hokuto bit his lip with such force that he could taste his own blood, but he knew that no matter how much he wanted to stay and fight, it wouldn’t make any difference. The moment Taisuke would turn against them, they were all doomed and something told Hokuto that there was still hope or Taisuke wouldn’t have thrown his transmitter at him. As long as there was hope they needed to keep going, so Hokuto finally turned around and dashed out the backdoor with Taiga on his back.

Musen 28 - March

"Fuma, get the boys out of here," Mitsu yelled at his little brother, but of course the boy wouldn't listen and wanted to enter the fight once more even though he was hurt.

"You think you can order me around after all these years?" Fuma barked back, but then Mitsu took him by the jacket and shoved him away.

"Jesse and Shintaro are down and they are Chasers, different to you. They even had a special suit and now look at them. The Vestige and Fallen also only hold on barely."

"Even more reason to back them up," Fuma complained and pushed the other one out of his way.

"Guys, we have a problem," Genta shouted and when they looked back at the fight without any explanation Juri, Konpi and Katsuki had suddenly turned against them.

"What the hell is going on?" Mitsu hissed. Now Genta and Mitsu were the only ones left. How were they supposed to fight like this? And especially against their friends?

"Fuma, watch out," Kento shouted when Katsuki turned towards them and at the last moment Mitsu got Fuma out of the way and took the telekinesis blast. Luckily he was able to get up before Katsuki could aim for the boys, but when he snapped his fingers, nothing happened. "Why are they immune?"

"Mitsu, we need to retreat," Genta yelled as he kept running away from all the Elite-Vestige, but of course they surrounded him quickly.

Katsuki aimed for the boys next and Mitsu wasn't up fast enough to stop him this time. Fuma shielded the others, but the ability was too strong and they all hit the ground quite hard a few meters away, Marius and Shori getting their arms hurt on the impact.

"Leave them alone," Mitsu yelled and got up, tackling Katsuki towards the staircase as he was out of options.

Genta cursed when Meguro disappeared and the others pushed him towards a corner.

"Come on guys, snap out of it," Genta yelled, but they didn't react. Juri used a long distance shockwave, but Genta had seen Konpi dashing to the front, yet he hadn't seen Ryohei coming as the boy had obviously used his ability to foresee Genta's next move. With a heavy shockwave right against his ribs, Genta found himself thrown into a building and of course Meguro stepped out of its shadow, ready to attack. Genta's shockwaves wouldn't work and even when he lunged out with his special ability, Meguro didn't seem to be affected.

"Surprise attack!"

"Idiot, if you shout it out, then it's not a surprise anymore," Chaka yelled after Kentaro had already jumped right at Meguro, kicking him to the ground, before he jumped at Ryohei.

Chaka had tackled Juri to the ground, but he obviously felt sorry.

"Thanks guys," Genta said as he threw Konpi right into Katsuki with physical strength, the only thing that seemed to have a small impact on them.

"Everyone, retreat. NOW!" Mitsu shouted into his transmitter and at this point no one could even complain.

"But Hokuto and the others are down there," Kento said.

"Even worse, Taisuke is down there so they will most likely have to face him too," Mitsu replied.

"Leave them to us," Nika said as he, Shime and Myuto dashed down the stairs.

"Where is Koji?" Chaka asked worried.

"He'll follow us soon. We have to lure them out or the citizens will be in danger," Myuto said, but then Ryohei jumped at him. Myuto tried to use any of his abilities on him, but it didn't seem like any would work and eventually Nika pulled him away.

Genta put in the code for the trapdoor they had gotten from Taisuke before so that the trapdoor opened.

"What do we do?" Shime asked.

"Okay listen up," Mitsu said and also activated his transmitter for the outside team, which had also reported that their friends had turned on them.

"We have a backup plan, so for now I want you to lure everyone as far away as possible. Nika, Myuto and I will take care of Taisuke and find the others."

"I stay too," Kentaro argued.

Nika rolled his eyes, but it wasn't the time for arguments. "Suit yourself, let's go.

"Make sure they are safe," Mitsu asked Genta and the boy nodded.

Genta and Shime closed the trapdoor right in time before the remaining Elite-Vestige could try and get after them. Luckily in their rage they didn't seem calm enough to try and open it again and they immediately aimed for the remaining people.

"You hide, is that clear?" Genta shouted at Fuma and for once the boy nodded as he had to keep the others safe and he didn't want to see them even more hurt so he urged them to retreat to the back where the other citizens were hiding too.

"Let's make sure that they follow us," Shime said and jumped at the Elite-Vestige and tried to turn their focus completely on them.

"Do we leave them behind?" Genta asked, pointing at the Jesse and Shintaro.

"For now, yes. We'll come back for them. Let's go."

The Elite-Vestige luckily all ran after them, but they had to be extremely fast, because Meguro could easily block their way and they knew that Koji was also in their way.

"Let's hope the others are in position by now," Genta said and Shime nodded with a worried expression. It was that one other team they needed to rely on the most now, but Shime had hope.

"Noel is definitely going to kick their asses with their own system. We just need to buy them more time."

***

This was definitely the worst escape Hokuto had ever done. After another corridor and luckily only a normal metal door, which he was able to destroy with some heavy shockwaves he found himself in the middle of the Underground city.

In this part only the ceiling was out of Crystalyl, which also showed how much the leaders favored themselves over the citizens. The only reason these people were down here and not up in the Bunker was money! Most of these families were part of military families or researchers, none of them even a bad person, just extremely ignorant to what was happening outside their perfect bubble society.

Luckily there weren’t many people down in this part in the first place, but the few people who had seen Hokuto running in with Taiga on his back, immediately ran away in panic, which was definitely better than someone attacking him.

“Great, now what?” Hokuto hissed, not sure if he could hide somewhere or if he could easily find another exit if there even was one in this part. He got ripped out of his thoughts when Taiga moved on his back and that made even more panic rise inside of him. If they started fighting in here then he wouldn’t be able to get away, not that he had any idea how to get Taiga out of that cell manipulation control.

The next thing to happen confused Hokuto, because their transmitters had fallen dead the moment they had entered this part of the Bunker, yet he could hear a signal coming through.

“Can anyone hear me?”

“Noel?” Hokuto asked.

“Hokuto? Can you give me an update on what is going on?” Noel asked and Hokuto gave a brief summary of the mess they have ended up in.

“Damn, that didn’t work out as planned.”

“Where the hell are you? What’s going on?” Hokuto asked impatiently.

“Hirano and the other Fallen we had found had stolen something from their facility when they had been turned and we realized that they were blueprints to the underground city you are in now. They had planned and started this project in secret years ago already.”

“Of course they did,” Hokuto growled.

“So Tama, Miyata, Yokoo and Senga helped us to get in from another entrance and I am getting into their security system right now.”

“You are in here too?”

“Quite far from where you are though. It’s like an emergency tunnel they built far away from the main area, it leads into the western mountain region and because we came back from the north we needed some time to get here.”

“You might want to tell him to hurry,” Yokoo was heard in the back.

“But Kochi-”

“We will take care of that problem, just give us a moment,” Tama added.

“We know the location of the leaders so we will come to help now,” Senga explained.

“But Noel, they can’t leave you alone. They definitely realized you are there,” Hokuto complained, yet he wanted nothing more than someone checking up on the situation with Kochi and the others.

“Don’t worry he is in good hands,” Matsuku was heard and Shizu and Umi also cheered in the back.

“We are fine here. Even if they send new guards or even Vestige we will manage, now listen. There is an exit close to you. If I understood your situation right, you need to get out there for now and the exit will be on the other side of the elevator entrance so you shouldn’t run into trouble as I see that all Vestige and Elite-Vestige are around the Bunker now.”

Hokuto was more than torn by everyone’s help, because it wasn’t just Taiga they had to worry about, yet all he wanted right now was to get him out of here and find a way to bring him back to his senses.

“Hokuto, don’t worry. We are all in this together, trust us and trust yourself,” Yokoo said.

“Now we do motivational speeches?” Miyata teased, but the others urged them to head towards the triangles’ location.

“Thank you guys,” Hokuto let out and focused back on finally getting to the exit, because Taiga had started clawing his hand into his shoulder and that meant he had barely minutes, maybe less, before he was going to be forced to fight Taiga head on.

***

"Oh how cute, so you think your friend can get away?" Ueda asked, putting the blade with such a pressure against Kochi's collarbone that it was drawing blood. Kochi had tried to fight back as much as possible, but eventually Raul had made sure that he would stand still and there was no need to keep fighting as Hokuto had made it out.

"I feel like you underestimate what this system can do," Nakamaru said. "That boy may be human, but he will give that Vestige a tough time."

"Oh and you think we won't?" Reo hissed, but Kamenashi laughed at him.

"Look around you. You're surrounded by the enemy. Do you really think you stand any chance?"

"As if I'd just give up," Reo hissed and even though he was more than outnumbered he seemed willing to actually try his luck.

Taisuke had fallen silent after he had held back the other Elite-Vestige and when Reo tried to approach the others, he got up and turned towards Reo with a dark expression.

"I guess someone lost his fight," Ueda laughed and walked up to Taisuke, leaving Kochi to Raul and Hikaru. "You think you can win against us with him on our side?"

"it's not like he is invincible," Reo replied, but truth was that Taisuke was indeed the closest to invincible.

"Then try your luck," Ueda offered and let Taisuke approach Reo, while the others all stood back even though they could all attack him at once.

"Let them all retreat. You wanted me, right?" Kochi interfered.

"Do you really think we'd let them form another revolution?" Kamenashi asked. "I bet they all knew if your plan fails that they will all die here."

Kamenashi moved his hand and Taisuke dashed to the front, leaving Reo with no option than trying to run away on the small space he had. He knew that none of his abilities would work so he wasn't sure how to fight. He was naturally one of the fastest Fallen, yet Taisuke had always been stronger and faster than all of them so he caught him before he could try and actually get out of the room. With a tight grip Taisuke shoved the other one into the wall, holding him up by the neck, making Reo struggle for air. The younger one tried to form an illusion, but Taisuke wouldn't get distracted by it. With a heavy shockwave he made Reo gasp as he had to take the full impact right against the wall. After that he threw the younger one to the ground and kicked him into the ribs, making Reo slide towards Kochi.

"Taisuke, stop it," Kochi yelled, not sure what else to do.

"He won't stop," Ueda laughed at him and then nodded towards Aran who stepped next to Taisuke.

When he lifted his arm Reo screamed out in pain and it was clear that he'd soon lose not only consciousness if they kept attacking him.

With their focus on the fight, Kochi actually succeeded in ripping his arm out of Raul's grip and instead of dashing straight at any Fallen, he tackled Ueda and grabbed his blade.

"Oh, how cute. And now what?" Ueda laughed at him as he hadn't even tried to keep his blade. He seemed too entertained by Kochi's last try to turn things around.

Kochi dashed towards Reo and stood in front of him and luckily Aran lowered his arm, obviously waiting for instructions. Taisuke on the other hand moved forward, making Kochi point the blade at him.

"Tell him to stop," Kamenashi said and Nakamaru kept going through his tablet, but Taisuke wasn't reacting. Kochi knew that the Fallen wouldn't easily die so he didn't hold back when he lunged out towards Taisuke, but he wasn't surprised when the older one stopped the blade midair.

"He's not reacting to orders," Nakamaru let out.

"Then make him," Kamenashi growled and even Ueda seemed concerned and stepped back when Taisuke suddenly broke the blade in half. What they had not seen coming was Taisuke turning the part in his hand around and stabbing Kochi with it right into the stomach.

"NO, KOCHI," Reo shouted, but he couldn’t do anything but catch Kochi when he stumbled right on top of him. Reo immediately searched for the wound on Kochi’s stomach, but luckily Kochi was also wearing an Ex2 suit so the bleeding got already controlled, but Taisuke had stabbed the blade almost right through his body so he would still need immediate medical treatment. “Damn it. Didn’t you say you wanted him alive?” Reo shouted at the leaders, but now they were all slightly in panic. Taisuke on the other hand didn’t seem to be done and he tried to reach out for Kochi again and Reo dragged him to the back, but now he was the only person between him and Kochi and he knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Tell the others to stop him,” Kamenashi ordered while Ueda dashed back up the stairs, leaving Taisuke to the remaining Elite-Vestige. They couldn’t even use their special abilities on each other so Hikaru and Fukka jumped at Taisuke, but to no one’s surprise Taisuke had no problem defending himself against them and even worse, he was able to get his own abilities working on them.

“It’s the instinct,” Kochi let out in a weak voice, making Reo finally pay him more attention again as he sat down next to him to look at his wound, but there was nothing he could do. “It tries to rip Taisuke out of the cell control, yet he just sees everyone as the enemy right now, because the instinct tries to fight the cells.”

“So what do we do?” Reo asked and then panicked when Aran and Reia also went for Taisuke and he didn’t want to see them getting killed by him. ”Kochi?”

There had been no reply from the boy and then Reo panicked when he didn’t react even when he shook him. “Kochi, for god’s sake if you die on me the others won’t forgive me, so get yourself together!”

Before Reo could actually think about what to do, he had to duck when Aran got thrown right towards his direction and then Taisuke used Aran’s pain infliction on Reia before he walked up to him, stole his special ability and crashed him with a heavy shockwave into the wall.

“Get this mess under control,” Kamenashi yelled at Nakamaru.

“I need to get to the main control room,” Nakamaru said and walked towards the back door of the upper level, the other two leaders following him as if there was no fight going on at all.

“Cowards,” Reo hissed before he looked back at Taisuke who had just used Reia’s nightmare ability on Raul and to his surprise the boy crumbled unconscious to the ground this time, even though he and the new Elite-Vestige had reacted differently to his ability before.

“Dude, your instinct is really impressive, but could it make you snap out of it now?” Reo asked while Taisuke walked up towards him and Reo didn’t know what to do anymore. He needed to protect Kochi, but the other Elite-Vestige weren’t that much of a help against Taisuke as they would attack him as well the moment they got up again. He tried to form another illusion somehow, but of course there was no way Taisuke would fall for it and before Reo could even try to get away the other one had grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.

“SNAP OUT OF IT,” Reo roared and tried to somehow make the other one let go, but in this cell controlled state none of them seemed to feel any pain. Reo’s next attempt to speak was replaced by a choke when he was unable to breathe and he was sure that Taisuke would definitely kill him.

But before the worst could actually happen, Taisuke was suddenly tackled from the side and that hard enough to make him let Reo drop and lose balance.

“Damn, that hurt,” Kentaro hissed and put his hand to his stomach.

“At least this time the attack really came as a surprise,” Mitsu said as he tried to make sense out of the situation, but the chaos was at its peak.

“Now the question is just, why the hell did Taisuke’s instinct not stop Kentaro and why is he trying to kill Reo?” Nika asked and kept his eyes on Taisuke who luckily didn’t immediately jump into the next attack.

“Hey, Reo, get up,” Kentaro yelled, yet the worry in his voice was obvious as Reo didn’t immediately react when his friend shook him on the shoulder. “What the hell happened?”

“Watch out for everyone with the Elite-Vestige serum,” Reo immediately let out when he opened his eyes and realized the presence of the others.

“We know,” Myuto let out as he walked over to Kochi in a hurry and let out a relieved sigh when the boy still had a pulse. “Juri and the others attacked us as well.”

“And now the next round will start,” Mitsu said as the others slowly got to their feet. Nika stepped in front of Taisuke while Kentaro and Mitsu faced the other Elite-Vestige. Myuto turned away from the others when he realized that someone was getting up behind him as well, but then he froze with wide eyes.

“Aran…” Myuto let out in a kind of hurt voice, making the others turn towards them.

“Now this is fucked up,” Kentaro hissed.

“They turned him. He can use a long distance pain infliction so watch out,” Reo explained as he slowly sat up and dragged himself over to Kochi so that he wouldn’t get hurt while the others fought.

“Where are Hokuto and Taiga?” Mitsu asked.

“Taisuke created an opening for them to escape before the cell control took over,” Reo explained. “Taiga couldn’t be turned into an Elite-Vestige, but he is also under their control. The leaders said something about a main control room and they fled through the upper door.”

“Nika, watch out,” Kentaro yelled when Taisuke started moving forward and with him the others also jumped into the fight once more.

***

The exit was more difficult to reach than Hokuto had thought. This underground system was more complex than it looked at first and the emergency exits all seemed to be located several kilometers away from the Bunker. Eventually a huge staircase was what awaited Hokuto, but right in the middle of it Taiga regained consciousness and even though Hokuto tried to use his mind control on him, it didn't show any effect.

"Stop it or I'll have no choice but to hurt you," Hokuto complained, not that he felt threatened by the other one. He was afraid of hurting Taiga.

Taiga had been still on his back so he had closed his arms around the other one's neck, yet Hokuto had just kept moving while trying to keep the other one’s arm away from his neck, already seeing the end of the staircase. Yet he needed to stop once so that Taiga wouldn't actually strangle him for real.

"I'll apologize later," Hokuto said as he turned on one of the steps and jumped back, so that Taiga crashed with his back into the wall. Hokuto wouldn't let him slide down from his back though and dashed up the last steps and luckily as this was an emergency exit he was able to easily open the trapdoor on top.

The moment he stepped outside he grabbed Taiga's arm and threw him several meters and the boy surprisingly landed on his feet.

"This serum will hurt you more than it will help you," Hokuto realized, because Taiga's body wasn't supposed to move this quick and with him obviously not reacting to pain either, Hokuto had to watch out not to hurt him too badly.

Hokuto looked around, but the Bunker entrance was already so far away that no one would even easily spot them out here. The mountains were lying in the opposite direction and ahead of him was nothing but an empty dusty space, so at least they shouldn't get any unwanted interference, except someone tried to follow them to the exit so Hokuto decided to turn and run and luckily Taiga followed him immediately.

"Come on guys, get that damn serum deactivated," Hokuto hissed, knowing that he couldn't make Taiga follow him the entire time, but he also didn't want to fight him for real.

After they had run through an endless seeming desert-like area, Hokuto stopped as a sudden thunderstorm darkened the sky and a loud thunder brought the first rain drops. When he turned around, Taiga had almost caught up to him. The boy was breathing erratically and usually he would need to take a break now after chasing a Vestige for so long, but of course the serum denied him that rest. The light rain turned into a heavy one in seconds, making it almost impossible to see each other even at this distance.

"You won't stop even if I ask you to, right?" Hokuto asked, trying to somehow reach the other one, but Taiga's look didn't change.

A bright lightning made it possible for them to see more clearly and Hokuto hated the look on the other one's face. After everything Taiga had faced over the past year, he didn't deserve to be under someone's control like this.

With the next loud thunder Taiga dashed to the front, his speed not quite on Vestige level, but also too fast to be called human.

"Just don't die until the others can find a solution," Hokuto said as he could only make sure to not kill him through his own attacks, but if Taiga overdid it, then his body could still give up on him.

Musen 28 - March

"We can't keep fighting like this," Mitsu yelled as all their abilities showed no effect at all and Taisuke made it impossible for them to just hold the others down as he was still almost invincible, but then Myuto actually dared to attack Aran when the boy used his special ability on Kentaro. Instead of keeping his focus on him though, he used the small opening he got to jump in front of Taisuke to Nika's obvious surprise. Nika had tried to keep Taisuke away from the others, but it wasn't that easy so he had to take in a lot of attacks from Taisuke already.

"Your instinct is stronger than the cells, yet it's your mind that is too weak," Myuto said and to their surprise Taisuke halted. "Nika would be dead already if this was only your instinct, but he is not, neither is Kochi. You can hear us, I'm sure of it."

"That actually makes sense," Mitsu agreed, but he couldn't actually join the conversation as he had to somehow dodge punches from Hikaru, while Raul kept appearing and disappearing around him. Nika tried to help, but Reia and Fukka got in his way while Kentaro tried to keep Aran's hands pinned to the ground so that he couldn't attack again.

"The cells told you not to hurt Kochi, yet you did. That is because your instinct will try everything to get in control of the cells, but you need to make sure to not lose control completely. You should be able to do so. Remember the time with Taiga and now you have his Fallen self, you two together can stay in control," Myuto reminded him. "Just give me an opening. Just one second is enough."

Before there was any clear reaction from Taisuke, the remaining Elite-Vestige all broke lose once more and chaos filled the room until suddenly more people appeared from the back door and luckily they jumped on the Elite-Vestige.

"Nice timing," Reo let out with a smile when Miyata sat next to him and Kochi to see if he could help, while Tama, Senga and Yokoo jumped into the fight.

"Don't interfere with their fight," Reo warned them when Noel wanted to sneak up on Taisuke.

"Where are the others?" Mitsu asked.

"They are at the emergency exit where we entered. We need them there to keep an eye on the security system, but we need Noel here," Tama explained while he kept dodging Fukka's tries to grab him and Mitsu had immediately shouted at him to make sure not to get touched by him.

"We heard a bit from Hokuto," Noel said and looked at Kochi in worry. "Where are the leaders?"

"They fled through the upper level. There is something like a central control room and Nakamaru has a tablet from where he can control them. You need to find him," Reo explained while Yokoo helped Kentaro keeping Aran down. "Leave them to us."

"Okay, Senga come with me," Noel said and the Fallen followed him up the stairs and tried to blast the door open, but as it was out of Crystalyl it wasn't that easy.

"Give me a moment," Noel said and hacked into the automatic lock just to get it open in barely seconds. "Don't get yourself killed. Just hold on a bit longer."

"Easier said than done," Kentaro hissed while Noel and Senga dashed out of the room. They should have sent more people after them, but they were barely holding on even with this number of people.

Everyone had their eyes on Taisuke and Myuto when the two clashed in the middle of the room and just the fact that Myuto was still immune against shockwaves made it easier for him to stand a chance against the other one and even though Taisuke could have used his special abilities, it didn't seem like he wanted to. He kept a tight hold on Myuto's shoulders, yet he didn't stop him from touching his face. That was the one second Myuto needed. The one moment Taisuke had successfully created for him.

"I knew you could do it," Myuto said with a lopsided smile. "Now help Noel, I need to take care of someone here."

Everyone looked slightly dumbfounded when Taisuke stepped back from Myuto and dashed up the stairs.

"Was that a good reaction?" Kentaro asked in slight worry.

"He allowed me to mind control him so that the instinct stays down for now," Myuto said as he walked up to Kentaro and Yokoo. "Let go of him."

"Are you crazy? He will immediately jump at you," Kentaro yelled at his friend, but Myuto seemed serious and Kentaro rolled his eyes before he released Aran.

"He's all yours," Kentaro said and dashed over to Nika instead to help out with Reia while Yokoo also made his way over to the others.

"Reo, can you and Miyata bring out Kochi? We need to find Shime. If he doesn't get healed, then he might not survive."

"Wait, Juri and the others are in the Bunker," Kentaro reminded him.

"I doubt that. They are programmed to get us away from the Bunker so I'm pretty sure they followed the others outside. The main fight will be happening in front of the Bunker by now," Mitsu explained.

"Fine, then let's go," Reo said and helped Miyata to put Kochi on his back.

Myuto didn't take his eyes off Aran and the same as Taisuke the boy wasn't attacking, not that this had anything to do with any kind of instinct. The question was just if Myuto could somehow reach him or at least keep him safe until Noel and the others found a solution.

***

With a hiss Hokuto pulled back after Taiga had picked up a sharp stone and slashed it over Hokuto’s face while the other one had tried to pin Taiga down, but as expected the cells would make Taiga’s body break through any human limits. Taiga didn’t give Hokuto any breaks as he kept chasing him through the now muddy space and even though he kept slipping and his body obviously tried to break down, the cells wouldn’t let him give up.

“For god’s sake, hurry,” Hokuto hissed and tried to reach someone through the transmitter, but even if anyone could hear him, they were most likely in the same mess right now.

Taiga wasn’t using attacks that were unknown to Hokuto as he had trained with him enough already before all this mess with Myuto and Taisuke had happened, but now the cells tried to force him to use the same force he would be able to produce if he was still a Fallen and when Hokuto tried to dodge and get away, Taiga actually slashed the stone down with such a force that Hokuto could hear the boy’s wrist snap on the impact on the ground. But Taiga just put the stone in his left hand and kept chasing after Hokuto. This time the Vestige took the blow so that Taiga wouldn’t get hurt even more, but now he had to keep blocking a lot of attacks if he didn’t want to actually hurt Taiga with a shockwave as the boy wasn’t reacting to his mind abilities. Even when Hokuto got a grip on Taiga’s left arm, the latter just started hitting him with the right one, even though his wrist was already broken.

“Just for once can you not get hurt please?” Hokuto yelled as he grabbed both of Taiga’s arms and kicked his legs so that Taiga stumbled. Hokuto pulled the other one with his back against his chest and forced Taiga on his knees so that he couldn’t kick him so now he only had to watch out that Taiga wouldn’t hit him with his head while he was struggling so hard that it was even difficult for a Vestige to hold him down. Taiga’s heavy breathing was the only sign of his body actually struggling, but it got swallowed by the sound of the heavy rain and ongoing thunder until for the first time Taiga actually screamed out and that in a way that Hokuto jolted and let go of him. Hokuto got up and stepped back, not sure if he had caused the scream or if Taiga’s body had searched for an outlet for the pain he wasn’t allowed to feel.

This time Taiga needed a moment longer to actually move and he looked way too unsteady on his feet. When he turned around to Hokuto, the Vestige gasped as he could see blood running from Taiga’s ears.

“No, please no…” Hokuto whispered and he stretched out his hands in defense when Taiga made a few steps towards him. “Please Taiga. You have to somehow listen to me. You can’t go on like this. I lost you once already. I can’t go through the same again.”

His begging fell on deaf ears or maybe he had also spoken too low for Taiga to hear him in the ongoing rain and of course he went for another attack, Hokuto unable to even decide what to do anymore.

***

“Holy shit,” Noel said as he and Senga arrived at a second door after their surrounding had changed into something like a backstage area of this whole underground city with the expensive Crystalyl changing to simple metal staircases and a huge computer system on a lower floor where they could spot Nakamaru trying to get their own mess back under control.

“Watch out,” Senga warned the other one and pulled him back when a soldier shot up towards their location.

“I feel like there are only normal soldiers left in here so let me go first, I will create an opening for you.”

Noel nodded and Senga ignored the staircase and jumped down right to the lower level, making all the soldiers go right for him, but even though they had guns, there was no way they could actually aim for Senga that easily. The Fallen hadn’t taken in any damage at their previous fight so he was still at full strength and soon Noel saw a chance and dashed down towards the lower level, confident that Nakamaru wasn’t going to be difficult to deal with, but then he had to stop when Ueda stepped in his way, pointing a Dragnacit blade at him.

“Nice try boy.”

Noel activated his own Dragnacit blade on his bracelet as he had only a simple ExD suit as they had only been given the older versions for their Fallen hunt, deciding that the Bunker team was in bigger need of the upgraded Ex2 suits.

“I’m not done trying,” Noel said and dashed towards Ueda. Out of the three leaders he was obviously the best fighter, but Noel was confident that his years as a Chaser gave him an advantage while Ueda had only trained inside this facility.

“Nakamaru, get the Elite-Vestige here,” Kamenashi ordered from a safe distance to all of the people fighting.

“Working on it,” Nakamaru said and Noel could see on the security screens that the chaos was obviously at its peak. Luckily it seemed like most Elite-Vestige had followed their members outside so the Bunker and the Underground city weren’t in danger, that was as long as the group around Taisuke wasn’t bringing any more trouble. That thought made him look at the security screen from the previous room, but before he could actually have a closer look Ueda attacked him, forcing him away from the main computer system.

“You won’t get any back up,” Senga said from the side after he had defeated the soldiers easily and now Kamenashi blocked his way, which surprised Noel as he didn’t seem like he could fight and he also didn’t have any weapons.

“You really want to try to stop me?” Senga asked and stepped closer, but Kamenashi didn’t seem scared, more like pretty annoyed.

“Oh, I don’t have to stop you.”

His threat didn’t seem to have any solid foundation and Senga didn’t want to waste any more time so he kept moving forward, but then Noel realized what was going on.

“SENGA, STOP!”

Unfortunately it had already been too late, because Senga going right for Kamenashi, was what they had waited for and Noel could call himself lucky that Ueda had actually pushed him back instead of making him walk into the same trap, because while Senga hissed and was thrown back by a heavy electric shock, Noel would have most likely died on the spot.

“What the hell….” Senga said as he got back up slowly, his body needing a moment to stop shaking after such heavy electricity had hit him. There was no fence, nothing visible, but Senga had gotten the full impact right before he had reached Kamenashi.

“It’s on the floor,” Noel said as he retreated while Ueda laughed at Senga and stepped back towards Nakamaru without getting hurt at all.

“Nakamaru is switching it on and off,” Noel figured out and now all three leaders were standing inside a metal ring, almost not visible between the other metal plates on the floor, but it obviously had the same high voltage than their security fences and Senga could call himself lucky that he hadn’t taken even heavier damage, because such a high electricity was dangerous for them as well, that was why they usually stayed away from the Centers.

“I can’t get him to stand down unless I make them all stop,” Nakamaru whispered towards Kamenashi.

“Can’t you just increase the control of the cells? That stupid instinct of his fights against them, but if we use them on full control then even that instinct won’t stand a chance.”

“Won’t that kill them?” Ueda asked and that question had Noel in panic, but before he could come up with a plan, they heard someone approaching and a few seconds later Taisuke showed up on the upper level.

“Oh shit,” Ueda said and didn’t dare to get out of the metal ring. “Is he on our side right now?”

“We will find out soon,” Kamenashi said as Taisuke jumped down towards them and gave Senga and Noel a side glance, but it was difficult to tell if he was on anyone’s side right now.

“Don’t, there is a high voltage device on the ground, you can’t just step over it, the electricity connects to a part in the ceiling,” Noel explained when Taisuke made a step towards the leaders, a small glimpse of hope for them that Taisuke was fighting with them right now and that he actually listened to what he said.

Taisuke looked up to the ceiling and then he turned towards Senga who slowly nodded, knowing his leader long enough to be able to read his expression.

“Noel, stay back,” Senga said and the boy did as he was told and retreated behind a huge metal pillar next to the staircase.

Taisuke went to grab a metal pipe and ripped it from the wall, filling a part of the room with steam for a moment. He threw the pipe with such a force that everyone was sure it would just go through and hit right into the main Computer, but their defense system hit the pipe midair and the pipe was thrown back with the same force, hitting the wall right next to Noel.

“Weakness found,” Senga said with a lopsided smile as he picked up a loose metal plate this time and gave Taisuke another side glance before he walked over to the other side.

“You won’t break through the system, no matter how much stuff you throw at it,” Ueda laughed at him and everyone had their eyes on Senga when he threw the plate with the same force as Taisuke, but as before it got repelled and ended up crashing into the wall.

“Told you,” Ueda said, rolling his eyes, but Senga was grinning at him, making Ueda click his tongue in annoyance. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh nothing special, just the fact that you thought your system was perfect and now you have nothing left to defend yourself with anymore.”

“Such nonsense,” Kamenashi said and turned around, wanting to look at the screens, but then his eyes went wide as he looked towards Ueda.

“What?” The other one asked and turned around, just to come eye to eye with Taisuke, who was standing right behind him, inside the circle.

“What the-”

Ueda tried to lift his blade, but Taisuke had already grabbed the other one by the neck and slammed him right into the screens without any hesitation.

“NAKAMARU, GET HIM UNDER CONTROL,” Kamenashi yelled while he also deactivated their defense system so that he could step out of the circle before any of them could actually be thrown into it.

Nakamaru had jumped to the side when Ueda had crashed into the side screens, but his main system was still up and after just a few inputs he pressed another button, making Noel dash towards them with a curse.

“What did you do?” Noel shouted as the system suddenly turned itself down, only leaving the security camera screens on and they could see how the Elite-Vestige rampaged even more than before.

“They will die in minutes if they keep this up,” Senga realized in horror, but now they had another problem as Taisuke hissed and stumbled back, holding his head.

“No, not now,” Noel said and was completely overwhelmed with the situation.

“You can’t beat us,” Kamenashi laughed at them, but he hadn’t seen one of the ripped down screens coming, which Taisuke had suddenly thrown at him. The force took him off his feet and slammed him head first into the ground, leaving him unconscious. Ueda wouldn’t get up soon either and when Nakamaru tried to run for it, Senga grabbed him and slammed him into the ground so that he dropped unconscious for now as well. The next thing to happen was Taisuke going for Noel who was sitting on the ground, staring in a loss at the mess the leaders had created.

“Taisuke, stop!” Senga tried to reason with him, but Taisuke didn’t attack Noel. All he did was pulling him up, while he obviously tried to stay sane as long as possible.

“Don’t give up. You are now our last chance. Don’t let them die,” Taisuke hissed at him and pushed the boy towards the computer system while he retreated with a groan, which soon changed to a curse as he tried to get some distance between himself and the others and Senga stepped between him and Noel.

“No matter what Nakamaru did, I am sure you can reverse it,” Senga encouraged him.

Noel wanted to reply that he needed Kochi’s knowledge of the place and the system to be able to, but he knew that there was no way they had the time to get Kochi healed and come back down. So eventually he nodded and got his tools out to connect to the database of the computer. On the screens he could see horrible fights going on, self-destruction in the worst way and he knew if he didn’t hurry, it wasn’t clear how many of their friends would die before the Elite-Vestige were forced down by the cells.

“Everyone, just hold on a few more minutes,” Noel said, trying to restore the system Nakamaru had torn down to watch them all die in the worst self-destruction battle this entire endless war had ever seen.

***

Chaka had only heard the noise and before he knew what was actually going on Genta had shoved him out of the elevator right before it broke out of its metal frame and fell down the vertical shaft all the way down back to the Bunker.

“What the fuck just happened?” Chaka asked as he looked in shock at the empty spot in front of him as he got back up.

“Seems like they were angry enough to rip the elevator cables apart,” Genta said as he looked down. “But now they will hopefully need a bit to actually get up here.”

“I fear we have other problems up here,” Shime said, making them all finally turn towards the fence area and the fight going on out there was anything but under control.

“What is going on with them?” Chaka asked, as he was sure that Juri and the others didn’t behave that violently a few minutes ago. The new Fallen they had brought with them were more running away than doing anything else as the Elite-Vestige seemed ready to rip everyone in their reach apart.

Most of the Chasers who had joined their fight at the fence were hiding or trying to help wounded comrades away, while Hagi, Moro and Yuma tried to shield them from the remaining Elite-Vestige.

“Watch out, we got incoming,” Genta said and pushed Chaka to the side when he saw Rinne locking on to them from afar and he was already sure that the boy would teleport towards them and that was indeed the case and he didn’t even give Genta a second to react. His shockwaves were a lot stronger than usual, even with some distance between them and Genta was taken off his feet, while Shime tried to attack with a shockwave himself, but unfortunately as expected it didn’t work and Rinne took him by the neck and attacked wild around with kicks and punches. With some curses Shime kept backing off, trying to avoid any heavy hits, but he couldn’t make the other one stop, so eventually he collided with the wall behind him and the punch that went straight next to his head into the wall was so heavy that the stone broke. For a Fallen or Vestige this was a possible strength, yet Shime had realized how Rinne’s arm had cracked on the impact, yet he was just going on with his punches as if he wasn’t hurt.

Just when Shime feared he couldn’t dodge anymore, Yuma tackled the boy away from him and the next second Hagi was in front of him and pushed his transmitter into his hand.

“Leave them to us, you are needed elsewhere.”

Shime only nodded, unable to even make sense out of the chaos, but the more he looked at the Elite-Vestige the more he realized how dangerous the situation was and that it was not just for them. They were hurting their bodies to a degree that it could kill them, a few of them already bleeding from their ears or mouths.

“Shime, can you hear me?”

Reo’s voice out of the transmitter made Shime snap out of it and he put the transmitter in his ear.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Where are you? Kochi needs immediate healing,” Reo replied after he had taken Kochi's transmitter to find out where Shime was.

“We are outside the Bunker, but Juri and the others ripped the elevator apart, you shouldn’t-”

Shime turned towards the shaft, but when he saw Genta and Chaka backing off when Juri climbed out of it followed by the other Elite-Vestige he shook his head. This was getting more than ridiculous. They all had hurt their arms and legs badly, while getting up to them on broken metal plates and wires, yet they behaved as if they hadn’t even fought at all yet and went right for the others.

“Never mind, they are up here, but you won’t be able to get up from there,” Shime explained.

“We have no time to get to any other exit, not to forget that a lot of crazy Elite-Vestige are in our way the other way too,” Reo replied.

“How long do you think he can hold on?” Shime asked, trying to figure out what to do.

“Maybe a few minutes,” Miyata was heard in the back. “Just carrying him until here was a challenge in his condition, I doubt even with the Ex2 suit that he can make it much longer and with the elevator broken, we won’t be able to make it to the lower floor to get medical equipment.”

Shime panicked on hearing how critical the other one’s condition was, but everyone around him was fighting for their lives as well. What if he was needed here?

“Go, we got this,” Genta yelled at him after he had somehow thrown Yabana against the wall to get a second to breathe, but the boy got up right away.

“Don’t just stand around, that won’t help anyone,” Moro shouted over to him as well while he tried to dodge Sakuma’s explosions. Konpi and Koji had also joined the fight and with Date and Shota also running up to them they were completely outnumbered.

“I will need your help for a moment, are you at the elevator area?” Shime asked as he had made a decision, after all the others were right. They had to just keep going until they found a solution for this mess, so he needed to do what he could to help as well.

“Yes we are one staircase away,” Reo replied.

Shime looked up towards the shaft and then he realized Katsuki’s eyes were on him, but he couldn’t stop now, even if his move might put others in danger as well with their self-destructive mindset.

“Stay away from the shaft and pray that I will survive this.”

“What? Shime, what the-”

Shime didn’t waste time with another explanation and he dashed towards the broken elevator doors and of course Katsuki did so as well and he barely dodged his telekinesis, but he didn’t slow down even when the other one almost got a grip on his shirt and then he jumped. A drop of several dozens of meters, but there was no time to climb it down. The Elite-Vestige would attack him immediately and now all he had to deal with was Katsuki actually jumping after him and he could just pray that he wouldn’t fall right on top of him the moment they reached the lower level.

Like a scene out of a nightmare the broken elevator came into Shime’s sight, but here came the problem. The elevator was on the lowest level at the medical floor so he needed to actually break his fall at the Bunker level and all he could see was a bit of light from the ripped open metal doors.

“All or nothing it is,” Shime said and took another deep breath before he put full force on breaking his fall at a metal plate on the side of the corridor before he immediately jumped out towards the Bunker. Katsuki had missed that movement and he ended up falling down right towards the broken elevator.

Shime couldn’t even explain how he had made this break and jump work, but he had other things to worry about, because the moment he had hit the ground he screamed out in pain. He hadn’t died so that was the positive outcome, but he had most likely broken more than just his legs on the impact, his whole body was turning numb after he had hit the ground.

“For god’s sake Shime, what the hell was that?” Reo complained as he dashed towards him, leaving Kochi on the ground next to Miyata who looked down the staircase with a worried expression as they didn’t know if anyone would follow them. Luckily after they had made it out of the trapdoor Fuma, Kento and the other boys had been taking care of Shintaro and Jesse so they didn’t have to worry for them being right in the chaos if someone followed them.

“Put my hand on my chest,” Shime hissed in pain, unable to even move his own arms anymore. Reo did as he was told, but his look immediately turned worried when Shime screamed just on Reo moving his arm up.

A few moments passed in silence until Shime finally let out a long stable breath and sat up, making Reo look at him dumbfounded.

“Remember that I can heal myself?” Shime asked while he got up and immediately walked up to Kochi. “I can still heal others, but I can’t heal myself for an entire day now.”

“Then we will make sure you are well protected,” Miyata said and moved aside so that Shime could help Kochi. Shime put his hand on the other one’s forehead, but his look remained worried.

“His condition is extremely critical. If I get interrupted in the next few minutes then I might not be able to save him.”

“Then I guess I have to take care of that problem over there,” Reo said and to Shime’s obvious surprise Katsuki climbed out of the broken metal doors.

“He shouldn’t be able to walk after such a fall,” Shime said in shock and Katsuki’s legs indeed seemed broken, yet the cells forced him to keep moving.

“What they created are no super soldiers anymore, they are suicide soldiers, only alive as long as needed,” Miyata hissed at the cruel reality of what the Government had created with the Elite-Vestige.

“Then I guess I need to hold him down until Noel and the others get their chance to kick those leaders' asses. I won’t let them all get killed for this bullshit,” Reo hissed and jumped at Katsuki.

Musen 28 - March

Kentaro had ended up trapped between too many Elite-Vestige to even find an opening to dodge or escape. After they had freaked out even more after Taisuke had run after the others, they had no chance to even come up with a plan. After a shockwave from Raul and a really heavy metal blow from Hikaru, Kentaro had crouched down with a hiss, his wound still not healed enough to take on such a fight, but then he jolted when Reia was right behind him, trying to use his Nightmare ability on him and he had seen enough of it already so he tried to jump away, but once more Hikaru lunged out for him. Luckily Nika was in time to shove the other one away, but Fukka kept chasing after him and Mitsu, both of them trying to avoid his touch as much as possible, because he had once already made contact with Mitsu’s arm and he left something similar to an acid burn wound.

“We need to run,” Nika said and pulled Kentaro up who looked over to Myuto who had his hands full with Aran and tried to keep him away from the fight with the others, yet that meant he had to take Aran’s pain infliction, but while he didn’t seem immune against it, there was also not that much damage and he stood his ground with gritted teeth.

“Lure the others to the corridor. Try to stop them from hurting themselves, we need to play for time,” Myuto shouted over to them and Nika didn’t lose any time to shove his little brother towards the corridor and for once Kentaro listened and dashed out first.

Tama and Yokoo jumped at the Elite-Vestige to get their attention so that they would follow them into the corridor, while Mitsu gave Myuto another worried side-glance and remained at the door in case the Elite-Vestige would try to get back to the room.

When Aran wasn’t able to use his special ability anymore, he dashed into a fist fight with Myuto, the Fallen trying to dodge as much as possible, but Aran was fast, maybe even faster than Taisuke in his state.

“I told you that you would be an amazing Fallen,” Myuto said as he had told Aran that before already, but the boy had always refused to be turned. Even becoming a Vestige had been out of the question for him and now he had been forced to become what he never wanted to be.

When Aran stumbled at some point, but was back up in such a rough movement that it felt like even a Fallen wouldn't move that fast, Myuto got worried. He had realized the drastic change in all their movements and now Aran was breathing heavily, his body shaking when Myuto caught one of his punches to throw him against the wall to hold him still. But even though his body was at a breaking point he wouldn't stop struggling.

"Aran, come on, you have to fight these stupid cells. If you can somehow still hear me, try to force your body down," Myuto said, trying to reason with him the same way he had done with Taisuke, but even if the boy heard him, he wasn't strong enough to actually fight the control and even worse, he remembered his prior fighting style so the next moment Myuto pulled back with a hiss when Aran used his typical blocking moves. Not that in this case that was of any help as Myuto couldn't use any abilities on him in the first place, at least so he thought, but Aran actually using this move made him realize something horrible.

"Mitsu, tell the others to not use any abilities no matter how desperate they are," Myuto yelled over at him while he tried to run away from Aran at the same time.

"Why? They don't show any effect anyway?"

"They do! The cells absorb the impact so that they keep moving as if nothing happened, but think about it, they get the damage, we just don't see it," Myuto had figured out as they couldn't just be immune.

"Damn, that's bad news," Mitsu hissed and dashed after the others. If they kept attacking out of desperation then the others might just drop dead the moment the cells took in too much damage.

Myuto could just hope that Aran hadn't taken in much damage until now or the moment the cells didn't protect him anymore, things would turn out even worse than they had thought.

***

"Taiga, stop! Please!" Hokuto whimpered as his energy to yell had left him already. Once more he had somehow succeeded in holding Taiga down as his body was breaking under the pressure. "You're not a Fallen anymore. You won't just heal the moment this nightmare ends."

Taiga couldn't do anything against that outcome though and once more he struggled with all his might so that Hokuto gave up and jumped back to not make the other one hurt himself even more in his attempt to break free.

The way Taiga's body got up afterwards made Hokuto fight with his tears. There was no movement left that wasn't forced by the cells. His bones were broken, his muscles ripped and with the amount of blood he was spitting by now, it was clear that his organs were giving up too.

"I can't do this anymore," Hokuto said, but even when he took a step back and thought about running, he realized that it wouldn't change anything. Taiga would run himself to death to follow him.

The rain had reached its peak, a last heavy downpour with light at the horizon. The ground was more water than sand by now and when Taiga tried to dash towards Hokuto, he stumbled, landing flat on the ground, even the cells unable to break his fall.

"Please Taiga…" Hokuto whispered, knowing his words wouldn't reach the other one, but he didn't know what else to do anymore and this time his tears mixed with the rain while Taiga's body was forced up once more, but this time he could only walk slowly, his body too broken to start running. But nevertheless he aimed for the other one. This time Hokuto kept making slow steps to the back, shaking his head.

"You have to stop," Hokuto tried once more and without any sign of disturbance Taiga suddenly jolted and fell to his knees. With wide eyes Hokuto kept looking down at him. Had his body finally given in? Was it safe to approach him or should he leave him alone so that he could rest?

When Taiga forced one of his feet back up, Hokuto bit his lip, but he realized that something had changed. To the worse. Taiga's attempt of getting up was now accompanied by heavy breaths and groans. The thunder had finally stopped and the sun was breaking through the heavy clouds at the horizon, making it possible for Hokuto to see clearer as well now and everything happened at once when he was able to see Taiga’s face clearer this time. He could see the pain, the exhaustion and the fear. The silent tears formed in the other one’s eyes when he moved his arm up in a painful motion to reach out for the younger one. Hokuto dashed to the front right before Taiga crumbled to the ground and even though he caught him there was so much pain visible on the other one’s face just through catching him.

“Hey…” Taiga let out in a kind of self-mocking tone and that was when all the pressure left Hokuto’s body and he broke down crying, burying his face on the other one’s chest, trying to not hurt him with that movement.

“I thought I would lose you again,” Hokuto whimpered into his sobs while refusing to put Taiga on the ground, even though it would most likely be less painful for him that way.

“I’m sorry I gave you such a tough time again. I keep hurting you,” Taiga whispered and Hokuto immediately sat up and gave the other one a judging look, but his tears wouldn’t stop, not that Taiga was looking any better.

“Stop saying ridiculous stuff. You did so many amazing things over the past week, yet we had to watch from the sideline, while you got the worst outcome.”

“Still, I could see everything I was doing. I feel sorry for Aran and also the other Elite-Vestige,” Taiga added before he let out a painful cough, Hokuto finally putting him down and Taiga turned to the side, coughing out an unhealthy amount of blood.

In his worry Hokuto almost missed his transmitter connecting.

“Everyone who can hear me, please immediately report back. This is Hagi. We are in front of the Bunker. The Elite-Vestige have returned to normal, a few of them are in critical conditions. What is everyone else’s situation?”

“Kochi will be fine, Shime healed him, but Katsuki was badly wounded as well so he is healing him for now. After that he won’t be able to heal more than one or two people for a while so we should decide who the ones most hurt are at the moment,” Reo was heard through the transmitter next.

“Out here I think most of them are around the same, none of them are in extreme danger, but we need to try and get medical equipment out of the Bunker or the Underground city,” Hagi explained.

“Where are Aran and Taiga? Is there anyone around them who can hear me?” Reo asked, but for a moment there was silence.

“I’m with Taiga,” Hokuto finally let out in a shaking voice.

“How is he?” Hagi asked worried.

“Not good. Not good at all,” Hokuto let out, not capable of even giving a detailed explanation.

“Where are you? We will send Shime to you,” Reo said.

“But what about Aran?” Hokuto asked, surprising himself that he could actually still worry about others.

“He will be fine,” Mitsu was finally heard as he had made it up to the Bunker to be able to make the transmitter connect. “Noel, Senga and Taisuke are fine, they are making sure that the leaders are not getting in our way again, Myuto is taking care of Aran and the others down in the Bunker are well enough to help gather medical supplies. We just had to make sure that the Elite-Vestige, who are still not on our side are tied down for now. Hagi, make sure that the ones outside can’t get away, Taisuke will help them later.”

“Understood, then let’s do what we can do for now. Hokuto give Reo your location.”

He did as he was told, but he knew that the other one would need a while to make it to them and the way Taiga kept groaning and coughing, made Hokuto fear that they didn’t have enough time.

“Did we lose anyone?” Taiga asked.

“No, I don’t think so. A lot of them are hurt, but if no one lied to me just now, then everyone should still be alive.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Which means you need to stay alive as well, you hear me? If not I will get all the scolding!” Hokuto scolded the other one, making a teasing smile appear on Taiga’s lips. But when he seemed to faint the next moment, Hokuto shook him on the shoulder, even though he knew every movement would hurt a lot.

“We still need to talk, remember?”

It wasn’t actually a topic Hokuto wanted to bring up right now, but it made Taiga stay awake even though it brought a slight sad expression on his face. With a hiss Taiga turned on his back and looked directly up at the other one and his expression was difficult to read.

“I won’t leave you before everything is clear, trust me,” Taiga reminded the other one before he took Hokuto’s hand with his unhurt arm, if anything in his body could be called unhurt at the moment. “Give me a moment to rest, okay?”

Taiga squeezed the other one’s hand before he could receive a reply and Hokuto slowly nodded. It made panic rise inside of him just seeing Taiga closing his eyes, but then the older one put Hokuto’s hand up to his cheek and Hokuto finally understood that he could stay in Taiga’s mind to make sure that the other one was only resting.

Slowly Hokuto leant to the front and brushed a few wet strands of hair from Taiga’s forehead to place a soft kiss on his ice cold forehead. “I need to tell you later that I love you, so you need to wake up again to hear that.”

“Then just say it now?” Taiga teased in a tired voice, trying hard to suppress another painful cough.

“You want to sleep then you have to wait for later, just make sure you wake up to listen to it,” Hokuto teased back.

“Deal,” Taiga let out, but didn’t open his eyes again. Just the fact that he couldn’t stay awake even with Hokuto’s fear of losing him, made clear in how much pain he was and how exhausted his body was. All they could do was waiting for Shime while Hokuto kept caressing Taiga’s cheek and tried to keep the physical pain out of Taiga’s mind as good as possible so that the other one could indeed finally get to rest.

***

There was no warning when Aran suddenly jolted and luckily Myuto pulled Shizu away in time before Aran could accidently hurt the other one.

“Calm down, everything is fine. We won,” Myuto immediately soothed the boy as he sat up in sheer panic as if he didn’t even know where he was.

“You lost consciousness after I shut down the cells,” Noel explained from the computer next to them. He had left Senga in charge of the leaders for now and they wouldn’t get anywhere without their precious Elite-Vestige and Noel was making sure now that all systems in this place were shut down and the cells wouldn’t be able to take over no matter from what kind of device.

“Are you okay?” Myuto asked after Aran kept staring into the room. There was a loose bandage hanging from his arm as Shizu had tried to stabilize his broken arm, because he had of course taken way more damage than they had thought at first, but there was also a reason why they didn’t have to worry as much for him as for Taiga.

“They turned me…” Aran let out, not even looking at Myuto or addressing him directly. Shizu bit his lip on hearing that and he felt uncomfortable trapped in the room, but then luckily Umi and Matsuku who had also finally made their way towards the leaders' hideout, told him to take the medical equipment they had found and bring it to the remaining teams in and outside the Bunker.

“I will check up on Senga,” Noel said and he went back upstairs, leaving Myuto and Aran alone for now.

“Which luckily left you in a better position than Taiga,” Myuto said, trying to sound positive. At first there was silence, but then Aran made a move to get up and Myuto tried to help him, but then Aran pushed himself away from him on shaking legs. It was a move Myuto wasn’t even surprised of, but that didn’t erase the sting he felt on it.

“Taiga had the advantage of the Elite serum being injected already, so all they could do was control him. I was there when they explained it. I heard it all and I couldn’t do anything to stop them.”

“None of us could. The only one who was able to fight the serum was Taisuke and even he was close to losing this time.”

“Then what will happen next time?” Aran asked, almost making it sound as if Myuto was part of the problem. But the way Myuto looked back at him made Aran curse and turn away. “We can’t always rely on Taisuke. Kochi said this is our endgame, but what if it isn’t? What if there is something else ahead? What if the next time none of us is strong enough to even stay on the right side?”

Myuto wanted to interrupt him, knowing that all he was doing was talking himself into unnecessary panic, but just for a moment longer he wanted to give him the emotional outlet he obviously needed.

“My father and all those researchers created the Vestige as an ultimate weapon and here all we are, are slaves! Slaves to exactly those researchers, the toxic Government behind it! Only three people, normal humans! Yet they almost made us all kill each other. So what good is that Fallen or Vestige DNA? I’m even a part of all this shit! I created my own serum back then and brought hell upon Taiga and Hokuto. I guess fate is laughing at me now, turning me into what I never wanted to be and even almost killing the one person I wanted to protect most over all these years while staying human. I was useless as a human, too weak to fight Fallen or Vestige, yet I am useless as an Elite-Vestige as well, unable to break through a simple cell manipulation.”

“Can I stop you now?” Myuto finally interfered as he couldn’t keep looking at Aran’s expression getting darker while his posture showed a state of mental and physical pain taking the best of him.

Aran got ready to complain and go on with his ridiculous self-scolding, but when he turned back to Myuto, the older one had already walked up to him and pulled him in a tight hug.

“Do you even know how happy I am that we all made it out of this alive?”

Aran wasn’t able to find a fitting reply to that as he hadn’t even thought about asking how the others were as he was too stressed out about his own situation.

Slowly Myuto released the other one and put one hand on the younger one’s cheek with a faint smile. “I agree, we all didn’t see this cell manipulation thing coming, not even Kochi. And yes, Taisuke might not always be here to help us, but guess what, he wasn’t there to get us out of our mess, remember? Taiga and the others were there to help us as we were still the bad guys. Then we joined to help Taisuke’s team out of their misery, followed by Reia and the others. There will always be new challenges ahead, but don’t you think we mastered them quite well until now?”

“But-”

“If we fail the next time, then we fail all together or do you think the others will all just leave now?” Myuto asked in a scolding manner, slightly pinching the other one’s cheek. “And just to make this one point really clear as well…”

Myuto pulled the other one closer for a rushed kiss and released him before Aran could even react and he placed another short kiss on his forehead. “No matter if you are a human, Vestige or anything else. I will always love you the same, because you did the same for me.”

“I don’t believe you,” Aran said so seriously that Myuto was left dumbfounded and immediately hurt, but then Aran cracked a brief smile before he punched Myuto against the chest. “You always said I would be an amazing Fallen, so don’t tell me that you’re not excited now that I am an Elite-Vestige. Be careful, I might be able to kick your ass with my special ability.”

“You already did,” Myuto replied with a laugh.

“That wasn’t a fair fight and I tried to hold back on my special ability.”

“Look? So you did have some control after all, so don’t talk yourself into such ridiculous depressive mindsets,” Myuto scolded the other one once more.

“I guess I just need to get used to this,” Aran finally accepted his own situation. “By the way how is Taiga? Please tell me that he is fine?”

Myuto nodded, even though he hadn’t heard back from Shime and the others yet. “It’s Taiga, remember? He always gets the most hits, yet he also stands up the fastest again. Let’s help where we can for now?”

Aran nodded, knowing that for now they had to calm down the situation. The main fight was over, yet they had an entire Underground city and Bunker with tons of people in uproar, Elite-Vestige who needed to get woken up from their brain-washed mindset and a lot of wounded people on both sides that needed to be taken care of. So for now all they could hope was that this time they wouldn’t run into the next problem right away and that for once they could actually resolve everything quietly and with all of them finally getting their needed time to rest and in case of a few of them also their more than needed time to finally talk some things through!

***

Musen 28 - April

The pain Taiga was in when he woke up was nothing less than horrible and for a moment he was unable to even properly wake up. Most likely he had been in and out of his sleep for some time already, unable to actually stay conscious with all the pain his body was in. Instead of fighting himself awake he tried to recall what had happened.

Everything until he had met Sou was extremely clear, after that it was a bit more difficult to remember. Ryohei bringing him to Nakamaru, then them finding out that he couldn’t be turned anymore, but controlled. Taiga hadn’t understood what they meant at that time, but then Ueda had brought in Aran, just to mock him and Taiga had freaked at them for turning him, but after that the same fate had awaited him. After that the part that gave him a headache started. Hokuto! He clearly remembered his inner fight when he realized that the others had shown up in front of him. He had felt so useless at that time, unable to control his own body even a tiny bit. The moment he had screamed out in their fight was the only moment of control in which he wanted to tell Hokuto to just leave him be as he hadn’t been able to endure seeing Hokuto struggle this much. All the pain he had brought over the other one, it felt so ridiculous. He immediately wondered if he would have been able to control the cells if he had still been a Fallen, but he had seen how Reia and the others had also lost against the serum, so most likely it was just a stupid speculation. The only way he could have controlled it was with his Fallen self and the instinct, but even Taisuke had been barely able to control the serum himself so who knew if Taiga would have been strong enough even with his Fallen self.

“Always too weak…”

“And always talking nonsense.”

Taiga thought he had only said it in his head, yet the reply he heard was obviously not from a dream and this time he forced his eyes open and to his surprise the room he was in was dark, only a small lamp at the corner, leaving the small room only bright enough for Taiga to recognize Hokuto’s face. The room was so small that only his bed was fitting in with Hokuto’s chair, but the room seemed way nicer than the rooms in the Bunker.

Taiga wanted to ask something, but just another deep breath made him forcefully close his eyes and he let out a painful groan.

“I wish I could give you more medication, but Kochi said you need to wait a few more hours or the medication could actually cause more harm than help. Shime also needs to rest. He kept healing people for days.”

“I’m not complaining, don’t worry,” Taiga let out in a low voice, knowing that Hokuto could understand him clearly. “Is everyone else safe? How did our fight end?”

Hokuto showed a brief smile and nodded. “Don’t worry, everyone will be fine. The Vestige and Fallen easily healed after everything, but a few of them needed some more time, like Katsuki who thought it was a bright idea to jump down the elevator shaft.”

Normally Taiga would laugh now, but he knew it would hurt too much. “How is Aran?”

Hokuto sighed on that question, but he didn’t look troubled enough to make Taiga worry.

“Let’s say his own past is hunting him. He blames himself more than ever that he forced you to become a Fallen, but luckily he has Myuto. And well Kentaro and the others are also there to talk sense into him.”

“Or more like yell sense into him,” Taiga replied, making Hokuto chuckle. “And everyone from the Bunker? Our Chasers? Shin and Jesse?”

“Everyone is fine,” Hokuto guaranteed him. “Jesse and Shin are in another room on this floor. They got in quite some trouble, but you know them, they are tough. And before you exhaust yourself with all these questions, this is the medical corridor in the Underground city. Kochi is more than jealous of all the equipment they have.”

Taiga wanted to say something, but Hokuto lifted his hand in a warning manner. “It’s been three days. I know you must feel like you have missed a lot, but Kochi gave you extra heavy medication so that you would stay asleep. Shime healed all your internal wounds and trust me when I tell you it wasn’t pleasant at all to have even Shime tell me that he wasn’t sure if you would survive long enough until he was able to heal you a second time.”

Instead of saying anything, Taiga pulled out his arm carefully from under the covers, even though that movement alone hurt a lot and showed that while his heaviest injuries were healed, bones, cuts and other injuries still needed some time.

Hokuto saw the movement and immediately reached out for the other one’s hand and squeezed it carefully.

“I’m so sorry that you had to go through this.”

“Me? Dude, you do realize that you were the one almost dying, right?” Hokuto replied, but of course he understood what Taiga meant.

“And yet I was able to see and hear everything around me and I hated every second of it.”

“If you say something stupid now like I’m too weak, I always cause trouble, or what so ever, I will hit you, no matter how hurt you are!” Hokuto warned and this time Taiga actually started laughing, immediately regretting it as his chest filled with pain.

“I guess I am good at hurting myself right now, no need for you to do it,” Taiga replied teasingly, making Hokuto roll his eyes. “By the way, aren’t you needed out there? I bet everything is still in uproar?”

“We are taking something like shifts at the moment,” Hokuto explained. “Through Taisuke we have the new Elite-Vestige on our side as well and as they were all originally from the Bunker, the people in here trust them and luckily after Kochi held a pretty amazing improvised speech, we got the soldiers and other Vestige on our side as well. Most of them hadn’t even been aware of what was going on behind closed doors at the Government and the few researchers and soldiers who indeed knew are now under our observation for the time being. We also sent a few people back to the Main Center.”

“And the people in the Underground city?”

“Well, we thought they would be angry to be honest. Because they paid a lot of money to get all their upcoming generations a safe spot in here, but they didn’t even know of the Bunker, neither of what was going on with the Fallen or Vestige. They had been down here completely unaware of what was going on over their heads. They thought we still had daily air raids going on. So eventually they immediately offered to help and share medical supplies, food and shelter with everyone.”

“That is an amazing outcome. I can’t believe that we actually made it this far.”

“So you took on this mission, thinking we won’t make it?” Hokuto asked, this time a bit more serious.

“Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking at that time. I wanted the mission to succeed, but I think I also just needed an excuse to run away,” Taiga admitted.

“Right. Running away, yet you also knew that I would definitely follow you if you got into any kind of trouble. Do you even know what trouble you brought upon Myuto, trying to stop me dashing right into the Bunker, when I heard from Jesse and Shin that they had taken you?”

Taiga smiled on hearing that, yet his expression fell again as he started to feel too tired to actually keep the conversation going, even though there was so much more he needed to know. “So I guess Myuto showed you?”

Hokuto nodded, but he wasn’t angry at the other one. Taiga had created that memory on purpose and it had been a smart move, he couldn’t deny that. Hokuto squeezed the other one’s hand once more when Taiga had shut his eyes without even wanting to. Once more he opened them, trying to stay awake, but Hokuto gave him a soft smile and put his free hand on his cheek.

“We didn’t rush anything until here, so there is no need for us to do so now. Sleep some more, okay? Everything else can wait for later.”

Taiga could only give the other one an approving nod before his body forced him back to sleep. Hokuto was right after all. There was still so much going on that their personal problems could still wait a bit longer and as much as Taiga was prepared, he still felt like he wanted to wait just a bit longer.

Musen 28 - April

On the third annoyed groan Juri had enough and he snatched the portable screen out of Kochi’s hands.

“Juri, I warn you, if you don’t give me that back in less than 10 seconds I will fight you to get it back,” Kochi let out so serious that Juri shook his head in disbelief.

“And that is exactly why you need to take a break, you’ve been on this for days,” Juri scolded the other one who was sitting in front of Nakamaru’s half destroyed main system, trying to figure out how to restore at least some data, but even Noel and Tama hadn’t been able to help him, after Noel hadn’t even been able to explain how he had miraculously found a way to restore the necessary data to stop the cell control. He had be in so much panic at that time that he couldn’t even clearly recall what he had done, but unfortunately the entire system was too detailed to easily reboot it.

“We can’t just sit around here all this time without showing the people something to move forward with.”

“And why not?” Reia asked as he had entered the room from the upper staircase. “Don’t you think after being lied to for years in the Underground city and being treated like test objects in the Bunker, that they can definitely deal without someone telling them what to do for a while longer?”

“Reia is right,” Juri added before Kochi could reply. “They are not mistrusting us and we are in full control of the area. We were even able to send people to the Centers to retrieve medication.”

“Katsuki also finally found his family,” Reia said. “His mother and little sister are both safe.”

“That is amazing news,” Kochi said, but still didn’t move away from the system.

“Not to forget that Noel is trying to get as much technical equipment back here as well to help with the data,” Reia added as he stopped next to Kochi. “But if you keep working yourself to death then no equipment in the world will help.”

“I will never be able to understand Nakamaru’s system. I’ve never been on the same level as him,” Kochi said and finally sat down as he was sure that Juri wouldn’t give him back the tablet anyway.

“Then how about using another option?”

“Are you all not busy enough out there or why are you coming in here to go on my nerves?” Kochi said when Taisuke entered the room as well.

“You have an amazing team out there, so it’s really not busy. Everyone is helping where they can, but let’s be honest, the new Fallen we have brought with us and also the newest Elite-Vestige are eager to prove themselves, so we all finally got a moment to breathe and you should finally allow yourself to do so as well. You’ve done more than enough for everyone.”

“Then why do I feel like I did nothing else than almost dying?” Kochi countered.

“Can I punch him?” Reia asked.

“Go on, I won’t stop you,” Juri said.

“I warn you, I am not that useless. I can still kick your ass,” Kochi warned the boy before he could even think about actually doing anything.

Taisuke flashed a smile towards the other one and except for Kochi everyone else looked amused as well.

“So what other option do you mean?” Kochi went back to the topic.

“Let me mind read Nakamaru. If there is any solution to restoring the system I will definitely find it.”

There was a moment of silence before Kochi sighed and let his upper body fall to the front, while he hid his face in his hands. “I am indeed so damn useless.”

“Don’t blame yourself for not thinking of this,” Juri scolded him. “Everything is still kind of a mess and you took charge of the entire area, telling everyone what to do and where to go. Don’t you think you’re asking too much of yourself to keep a clear head twenty four seven?”

“Fine, whatever. The sooner we get answers the better,” Kochi finally gave in.

“Then you can finally sleep a bit after we found some answers,” Reia added.

“I don’t think I will properly sleep until I am sure that everyone is indeed safe.”

Juri put his hand on the other one’s shoulder when he got up and gave him a knowing look. “They are all safe. A few of them might need a bit longer to heal, but that’s up to them.”

“Especially for those who need to heal mentally as well, because we won’t be of much help to those wounds.” Taisuke wanted to add that he was also at fault for some of those mental scars, yet there was no need to say it out loud and they all had to carry their past demons with themselves, some a few more than others.

***

“Forget it.”

“Oh come on, you don’t have to go full out.”

“You trained with us when you were still human. We used our abilities on you, so why won’t you give it a try, it’s just training?”

“We have better things to do,” Aran complained after Moro and Yuma kept trying to make Aran fight them so they could test out his new abilities.

“Then why are you not doing anything?” Hagi was heard as he approached them from the entrance of the Bunker where a lot of the soldiers were trying to get the fence back up as they still didn’t know if there were more Fallen out there who could use the chaos to attack.

“How am I supposed to do anything when those idiots keep annoying me?”

“Hey, we got rid of all the trucks,” Moro complained.

“Did you? Because I see Ryota, Shota and Sakuma over there actually still getting rid of stuff all of you threw around at the fight, so go and help them,” Aran complained and when they wanted to complain Aran stretched out his arm. “If you really want to get to know my abilities I can start with my special one.”

“Nope, thank you. Not when you are in this mood,” Yuma said and pushed Moro towards Sakuma and the others.

“You know that they only want to encourage you to accept your change into an Elite-Vestige, right?” Hagi said, but Aran only sighed and turned to pick up more metal parts, which were lying around everywhere after Sakuma had blown up everything in his reach.

“I know, it’s just- I don’t know. I need more time.”

“And we are all here to give you that time. But please don’t do to Myuto what Hokuto and Taiga did to each other for so long.”

“What do you mean? It’s not like I’m hiding anything from Myuto.”

“But you make him stay on distance. He tries so hard to pretend that he is busy, while all he wants is to talk to you and take away that worried expression,” Hagi explained, knowing of course that Aran had realized it as well.

“It’s not that easy,” Aran said, but Hagi was obviously not leaving it at that explanation and Aran flicked his tongue and finally stopped picking up stuff. “I’m afraid, okay? I know we got out of their control, but we still have those cells in us. We don’t know if there is any weird backup plan we don’t know about yet.”

“But Taisuke read Nakamaru’s mind and they will soon get all the data together as it seems and until now he didn’t find any weird backup plan in any of the leaders’ minds?”

“I know, it’s just…I don’t want to hurt him.” He had finally said it and Hagi’s look softened on hearing that. “I’ve never felt this scared in my life. I had the power to kill Myuto and everyone else in my way and I’m too afraid of that power to actually use it, even if it could be used for good.”

“Then what if we offer you a hand?”

They both turned towards the boys approaching. Konpi, Katsuki, Taiko, Rinne and Yabana were approaching them with Katsuki stopping in front of Aran with a knowing look. “None of us made this transition willingly and we know the best how it feels to suddenly have abilities that scare the shit out of you.”

“Yet you got trained properly to use them,” Aran replied.

“And still we needed to relearn everything after we got our memories back. It wasn’t like we were the perfect warriors,” Konpi added.

“And trust us, Reia is damn scared of his own ability, he has told us often enough. After he had hurt Taiga with it, he wanted to get rid of it so desperately,” Yabana explained.

“I totally know how he feels,” Aran added with a dark expression on which Taiko jumped to the front and put his arm around his shoulder.

“Yet we are all here to help not just him, but also you. And you are not as connected to us as you are to your group, so why not train with us?”

“Just because you are not my original group, doesn’t mean I can just hurt you,” Aran complained.

“Yet it will definitely be easier for you to use your ability,” Rinne explained. “The Bunker has calmed down. A lot of people are out at the remaining Centers, so why not give it a shot?”

“I guess I will leave you in their care then,” Hagi said and clapped the other one on the shoulder.

“Hey, I didn’t agree yet,” Aran complained, but Hagi just smiled and walked away.

“Awesome, then let’s for now get a bit more distance to the Bunker,” Katsuki said and started walking, Taiko pushing Aran after him.

“Katsuki, if you want to look after your family we can also train with him for now,” Konpi offered, but Katsuki shook his head with a grateful look.

“Noriko is old enough now to look after herself and our mother seems to have finally gotten a grip as well,” Katsuki said with a proud look after he had dared to look for his family a few days ago and they were luckily unhurt by the fight and had accepted him back without any big discussion about what had happened to him.

“I won’t apologize if anyone gets hurt,” Aran warned them and brought the focus back on him, but no one seemed to feel threatened.

“Neither will we,” Konpi laughed.

“Well, but better keep it a secret if we hurt you, because I don’t want to deal with Myuto’s rage,” Yabana added.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll fear me more than him after we are done,” Aran replied, making Taiko stop pushing him when he received a side glance.

“That’s the spirit,” Katsuki replied with a laugh.

***

“Oh shit-”

Fuma was sure that he would drop everything down the stairs when he had lost balance on one step as he was carrying so many things at once that he wasn’t even able to see the stairs anymore. At the last moment though he was pulled back and then the same person was so fast in front of him that he was able to catch the food supplies and tools before they fell down the stairs.

“Next time ask for help instead of throwing everything around the Bunker, that won’t help us with speeding the repairs up,” Kentaro told him as he kept the things he had caught to carry them himself.

“I don’t need help,” Fuma growled and just kept walking, ignoring Kentaro, who rolled his eyes, but started following the other one.

“Do you mean in common or from people like me?”

“What do you think?” Fuma hissed towards him while he walked down the corridor on the next level and whistled on which Sou and Marius ran up to him to get the supplies he had brought. Sou walked up to Kentaro without any hesitation and shot him a grateful smile when he took the tools from him.

“Look, even Sou likes me.”

“I didn’t say that I dislike you or any of the others,” Fuma said and walked up to one of the chambers, which got destroyed by the fight they had inside.

“So you only dislike your brother?” Kentaro asked as he started helping by putting some wooden planks at the corner to stabilize the wall.

Fuma didn’t immediately reply, but his dark look showed that Kentaro had hit the right spot with his question and he couldn’t blame him. It was obvious how he was ignoring Mitsu for days already and was also given the space he needed.

“My brother went missing on the same day I lost my little sister in an air raid,” Kentaro explained while he didn’t even face Fuma who suddenly stopped when he lifted the next plank. “I knew that the Government was up to something at that time and as I couldn’t find him anywhere I started sneaking around the Government buildings. Eventually I ended up the same way as my brother. None of us wanted to become a Fallen, yet we also never knew where the other one was until we got involved with the West Center.”

“So, how did you react when you saw him again?” Fuma asked.

“I punched him,” Kentaro let out with a kind of proud smile, making Fuma chuckle.

“There we have something in common then.”

“I know you are angry, trust me,” Kentaro said. “But even though your brother went to help out with the research by himself you shouldn’t blame him as he couldn’t have seen coming what was going to happen. In this war all we try is to help, even if that means to leave behind our loved ones in the hope to see them again after making a change.”

“Wow that sounds so deep. I didn’t expect you to be such a thoughtful character,” Fuma teased, making Kentaro laugh.

“Trust me, usually I’m not. I just feel like we are alike, so I wanted to talk to you.”

“Hey Fuma, can you help us here?” Kento shouted over to them and Fuma waved at him to wait a moment.

“I know you want to protect them. I have friends I want to protect too, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make some time to get things right between you and Mitsu.”

“I will consider it,” Fuma said and gave Kentaro a grateful nod before he headed to the other boys.

Raul and Ryohei were with them as well and the fact that Fuma didn’t seem bothered by them showed that he wasn’t carrying hatred against all Fallen and Vestige. He was just hurt by his past and protective of the friends he had found now. Something Kentaro could understand a lot.

“You should speak this openly with the others sometimes as well.”

Kentaro clicked his tongue as he stepped back towards the staircase to find Nika leaning with his back at one of the chambers.

“So that they can laugh at me for being emotional? No thank you and I warn you, don’t you dare tell anyone about this.”

“And back to your usual self,” Nika teased him, but still carried an amused smile. “One day you’ll need to accept how soft you have grown.”

“I’ll show you one of those soft punches if you don’t cut it out,” Kentaro threatened his brother who laughed, but still stepped back when Kentaro walked up towards him.

“No worry, I will keep this to myself until I find a chance to threaten you with it.”

“I dare you!” Kentaro yelled and started chasing his brother up the stairs.

A lot had changed indeed and as much as they knew that they still needed to stay concentrated, it was a relief for all of them to be able to actually take things a bit slower over these days.

***

This time Taiga didn’t feel that bad when he woke up again. He faintly remembered Kochi visiting him once and giving him some medication against the pain. There was not much he could remember from the brief conversation they had, but Kochi didn’t seem too stressed out so that was a relief. Shime and his team had been at the other Centers for a few days already, Kochi waiting for them to return until the next week. A few of the Fallen, Chasers and even soldiers from the Bunker had gone with them.

There was another capsule next to his bed and a glass of water and Taiga remembered the medication so he took it before he decided that he could try and get up as that medication wouldn’t make him fall asleep again. Several days had definitely passed and the fact that Hokuto wasn’t sitting next to him nonstop anymore showed as well that his situation didn’t seem that critical anymore.

Out in the corridor he didn’t spot anyone, the rooms next to his seemed empty as well so most people were already back at helping where they could, something Taiga wanted to do as well. First he wanted different clothes for sure. His clothes were out of cotton, nothing special, but also weirdly unfamiliar to what he was usually wearing as a Chaser.

The white walls around him made the underground city look so much bigger and more welcoming than the Bunker and when he made it to an open area where living areas and other parts of the city connected he was pleased to see that people from the Bunker were down here now as well. All of them helped where they could.

“TAIGA!”

It was the way too loud and cheerful shouting that had Taiga flinch as he had been in a quiet environment for so long and the way Jesse threw his arms around him wasn’t helping either.

“Jesse-”

“I know you’re happy to see us, right?”

“I’d be happier to see you from the distance,” Taiga said and first Jesse looked hurt, but then he realized what Taiga meant and jumped back.

“I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? I was just so happy to see you walking around.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” Taiga replied, trying to overplay that his body indeed didn’t like that sudden hug.

“Oh Taiga, you are awake!” Shintaro was the next to be heard, but luckily he seemed calm enough to not make the same mistake as Jesse. Before Taiga could reply anything, two more people walked up to them and even though Taiga didn’t want to, he automatically made a step back. A ridiculous move as he knew of course that no one was fighting against them anymore, but Hikaru and Fukka walking up to him still had him a bit panicked.

“I guess we deserve that,” Hikaru let out with a dark expression.

“We can leave you alone if you prefer?” Fukka added and the others looked at Taiga who slowly shook his head.

“It’s not your fault. I just need to catch up on the situation, that's all. I didn’t have as much time as the others to actually adapt. But don’t worry I don’t blame you for anything. We have been through much worse until now.”

“No, YOU have been through much worse,” Shintaro added, making Jesse grin and then Taiga chuckle.

“Well you are right there. I should find Myuto. He can update me the fastest about everything. Where is he?”

“Busy running away from Aran,” Hikaru said, feeling a bit uncomfortable the next moment as he realized that it might not have been his place to talk about them.

“Well I guess then he is busy enough. Taisuke?” Taiga asked, not wanting to talk about that topic for now and the others seemed grateful about it as well.

“I think he will be up at the Government rooms with Senga, Kochi and Reia? They have found a way to get the data back, but Taisuke can’t go through the leaders’ heads all day long, so they are up there for some time already to figure out everything bit by bit,” Fukka explained.

“Great, thank you.”

“You want us to come with you?” Shintaro asked.

“No, I will be fine, thanks.”

Taiga felt a bit sorry for pushing everyone a bit aside for now, but he knew that everyone was still busy with their own tasks and a lot of them like Myuto had also their own troubles, so Taiga didn’t want to draw the attention to him. He had enough problems to take care of himself.

Just the way back to the Government rooms made a shiver run through his body. How much had they all suffered under normal humans? The Government, the researchers and a lot of people who didn’t even knew what kind of twisted plan they were following all these years, including themselves at the Centers. If they had lost this battle, then who knew what would have become of this war. Luckily now they had the chance to start over, but while Taiga wanted to see the bigger picture, he still needed to take care of his own problems first.

At the stairs down to the main computer system Taiga felt dizzy and slipped on one of the last steps, but luckily got caught before he could hurt himself right after finally being healthy enough to run around.

“Well, you can obviously walk now, but you might want to take another rest soon?”

A few weeks ago there would have been so many reactions on the way Taisuke was still holding on to him, yet Taiga could only sheepishly smile at him before he found his balance again and the older one let go. At least one problem was solved and Taiga wouldn’t feel haunted by Taisuke’s presence and that was something the older one seemed to have realized as well.

“Are you looking for Hokuto?”

“I was actually looking for you,” Taiga explained.

“You want an update on the situation?” Taisuke offered immediately as he had already guessed why Taiga was looking for him.

Taisuke updating him over his mind reading was indeed so much faster than asking around. Now he knew where everyone was and who had which problems to deal with.

“Another lost brother, mh?”

Taisuke chuckled at that, but his look was also a bit concerning. “Different from Nika and Kentaro, I feel that Mitsu will need some time to actually break that wall standing between him and his brother. Fuma doesn’t look like the forgiving type.”

“Neither did Kentaro and now he is one of the most emotional Fallen I have ever seen,” Taiga added, making the older one smile.

“Taiga,” another squealing person rushed over to him, but luckily this time Taisuke was faster and he stopped Reia right before he could jump at Taiga.

“No hugs for him for now. Trust me you want to wait a bit longer.”

“Oh, sorry. Right, I should have thought about that. How are you feeling?” Reia asked instead, reaching out for Taiga’s hand instead and squeezing it with a bright smile.

“Almost completely fine again. No need to worry. Sorry that I couldn’t help over the past few days. Is there anything I can help with?”

“I have a task for you,” Kochi was heard from another door. Senga was keeping watch over the leaders at one of the back rooms, not letting them out of sight for even a second. “But first, Taisuke, do you think he is ready to move around?”

“I didn’t find anything concerning in his mind, so I guess so?”

“Of course you read my mind,” Taiga said, rolling his eyes.

“As if you didn’t notice. Just because you’re back to human doesn’t mean that you’ve lost all the skills you already had as a Chaser,” Taisuke teased him.

“So what task is it?” Taiga asked while Kochi went over to a table, grabbed a pair of keys and threw them at him.

“We have one solar truck left and it’s really amazing weather outside so it should be fully charged. I want you to go to the West Center.”

“What? Didn’t you send everyone out to the Centers already?” Taiga asked in confusion.

“To all others, but not the West Center,” Kochi explained. “We destroyed the lab, but there are still other resources, medication, food and you can also pick up personal belongings for everyone.”

“But even if I feel well enough to drive over I doubt I can carry everything out by myself,” Taiga explained a bit concerned

“Who said you are going alone?” Kochi asked with a knowing smile.

Musen 28 - April

Myuto had been able to keep himself busy for long enough to not make it too obvious that he was trying to stay away from Aran, but slowly things had calmed down and he ran out of excuses. It wasn’t like he hadn’t realized what the others were up to and he was grateful for the way they had all started to help Aran get in control of his new abilities. Even Hirano and his group had joined the training at some point.

They had split into groups staying at the Bunker and at the Underground city to be available at any locations for the citizens in case they needed help with anything. Myuto had stayed at the Bunker while Aran was at the Underground city. Another obvious point for everyone that things hadn’t been that easy for them.

But Myuto finally made it to the Underground city, knowing that Aran wasn’t outside for training. There were washing rooms and common rooms for everyone free to use and Myuto stopped in the doorframe of one of the washing rooms, watching Aran as he looked down at the flowing water, his hair still wet and his look kind of absentminded.

“It won’t come off,” Aran finally said touching his still gray hair. Of course he had realized that someone had approached, something he also still needed to get used to. “By now the color should be fading.”

Myuto dared to step behind the other one and slowly Aran lifted his head, looking at Myuto through the mirror.

“It’s your Vestige mark. It looks good if you ask me,” Myuto let out, knowing that Aran had of course realized it as well.

“I’m sorry,” Aran said, looking back down at the water. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away like this. I thought I could handle it at first, but I couldn’t.”

“And that’s okay. A lot of us had trouble after going through the transition. Remember my first day as a Fallen?”

“As if I could ever forget,” Aran said half judging, half teasing.

“I think you handle yourself a lot better than I did,” Myuto replied with a faint smile.

Finally Aran turned the water off and turned around towards the other one, but he still didn’t look up at him and crossed his arms a bit around his upper body.

“The others helped me with my abilities and while I realized that it’s nothing I should be afraid of as I can perfectly control them like every other Fallen or Vestige, I just, I don’t know, I-”

“You feel scared,” Myuto said, already knowing what the other one wanted to say. “For you the transition was different. You were right under their control the moment they turned you. It’s natural to think like this. You are afraid that someone could force you again to attack us.”

“I guess I can call myself lucky that they didn’t have enough time to take my memories or implant the chip, who knows if I hadn’t killed anyone then.”

“But you didn’t,” Myuto replied a bit more firmly this time and when Aran kept looking to the ground Myuto finally stretched out his arm and put his hand with a soft touch under the boy’s chin, making him look up. “What if questions won’t help. I understand that you feel scared and yes you might need way more time than others to get used to your situation, but I will be here, waiting, okay? I can give you as much space as you need, but I will also forever be there if you need me. Is that clear?”

Aran slowly nodded when Myuto withdrew his hand. Aran’s expression had changed now. But not necessarily to the better. He felt weak, embarrassed, useless. Yet he knew that he needed to snap out of it. He had seen through how much change Taiga had to go because of everything he and Taisuke have done to him, yet the boy had never given up even though he had been indeed scared of his abilities at first as well. But maybe it indeed took just a bit more time for him, yet he was also tired of running away and hiding. He didn’t want to be alone.

“Just let me know when you need me, okay?” Myuto said before he turned away.

This time Aran reacted intuitively and he reached out for the other one, forgetting for a moment how much strength he was possessing now and Myuto almost stumbled back to him as he was pulled back around and pulled into a desperate kiss. His lips curled up against the younger ones for a moment, but he let Aran take full control of it and carefully put one hand over Aran’s hands, which was clenched into his shirt over his chest. Slowly he moved his other hand to Aran’s face, feeling how his body was way too tense, his movements way too forced and rough, yet it had been all his insecurities which had kept him away for too long already.

Myuto dared to push the other one back, until he hit the wall and when Aran let out a small gasp on the contact with the cold wall, Myuto dared to deepen the kiss and took control of it. Aran’s movements finally turned softer as well, his body slowly melting into Myuto’s touch as the older one put his hands down on Aran’s hips.

“So I guess you don’t need to be left alone anymore?” Myuto asked, his lips still touching the other ones and instead of replying, Aran put his hand towards the other one’s cheek and pulled him into another short, but intense kiss.

“Not for now that is for sure,” Aran breathed against his lips, his hands now tugging on Myuto’s clothes.

“Then I will stay as long as you need me,” Myuto replied in a playful voice. Even if Aran was going to hide back in his shell for a while later, for now Myuto was more than willing to give him all the support he needed, no matter in what way that was.

***

“Anything else we can help with?”

“You helped so much over the past week, how about you just take a break for now?” Mitsu suggested on Kishi’s question.

“Mh, boring free time,” Hirano complained.

“Don’t pretend as if we didn’t have anything but free time over the past years,” Nagase scolded him.

“That’s what I mean. We had so much free time already, it’s boring.”

“Then go and ask around, someone will definitely have something you can help with,” Takahashi replied.

“And if not then you can just run over to one of the Centers to help over there,” Jinguji added, but Hirano immediately pouted.

“We have some free time to spare as well, want to train a bit?”

“Training it is!” Hirano yelled and threw his hands into the air, taking off towards the open area in front of the Bunker without even waiting for a reply.

“Well, I hope you know what you got yourself into,” Kishi teased as Shota, Ryota and Sakuma approached them.

“Let’s say we need to get used to this as well. We haven’t been Vestige for long and not really in our right mind set, so we can use the distraction,” Ryota admitted.

“Not to forget that I was really jealous when I saw you and the other Elite-Vestige train with Aran,” Sakuma admitted and already took off towards Hirano, the others slowly following them.

“You want to join?” Shota asked, but Mitsu shook his head.

“You go and get some of that energy out. I will head back inside,” Mitsu said, watching the boys with a calm smile.

Back at the entrance of the Bunker they were still fixing the elevator, the only thing that was still not done so instead of walking back to one of the emergency exits from the Underground city, Mitsu decided to work on the elevator for now.

The outside temperature had turned extremely hot over the past few days, making it difficult for humans to even work outside in the heat at noon.

Mitsu had no trouble bending even metal bars as that was an easy job for Fallen, yet when he kept trying to bend some parts, which had ended up stuck together one of the metal parts broke on the heavy bending and was thrown several meters behind him. When Mitsu heard a squeal behind him on that happening he turned to find Fuma looking right next to his head, where the metal part had ended up being stuck in the wall of the Bunker.

“Dude, if you don’t want to talk to me then how about you just say so?” Fuma scolded his older brother.

“It’s not like I aimed for you,” Mitsu said, but didn’t even pay Fuma any more attention and went back to work.

“As a Fallen you must have realized that I was here, right?”

“And?” Mitsu asked, putting the metal bars down for now and grabbing one of the destroyed elevator doors to see if it could be fixed.

“So even though you knew I was here you didn’t care that I could get hurt,” Fuma shot back.

“As I said I didn’t think this would happen. Believe it or not, Fallen can’t predict the future, except for Ryohei.”

“And you have no common sense anymore either as it seems,” Fuma snapped at him and this time Mitsu sighed and got up, turning to his brother with an annoyed expression.

“Why are you here?”

“Oh, am I not allowed to walk around the Bunker now? Do you want to keep up their stupid rule about not being allowed to leave?”

Fuma’s snappy attitude made it difficult for Mitsu to stay calm as well and while he couldn’t blame Fuma for still being angry, his attitude hadn’t changed much from when he was a child.

“Stop talking nonsense. If you want to tell me something, do it directly. There is no need to behave this childish.”

“Childish? I wonder why I behave like this? Oh right, because I had no family left when I was still a child so I had to find my way all by myself. Thanks for that by the way.”

Fuma had come to provoke the other one that was for sure, but when Mitsu had enough and actually walked up to Fuma with threatening steps, the younger one backed off so fast that he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Mitsu felt a bit sorry about causing such a reaction, but maybe Fuma needed to be put in place once to make it possible to have a normal conversation in the first place.

“I tell you this only once. When I went to help out with the research I did it so that I wouldn’t have to go to the front line again. I stopped being a soldier for you! I had no idea what was going to happen. Everyone in the military was convinced that the best of us should go for the trials, because we would become the main part of ending this war. We believed them. We trusted the Government and if I had known exactly how bad the outcome would be I would have made sure to give Genta more information about you to find you. I didn't leave to hurt you, I didn’t leave to end up treated like a monster, hunted by the same people who did this to me. I didn’t know that I would end up thinking that I don’t need my family anymore. I was forced to think that I was better than humans. I was forced to get away from the Capitol and forced to fight against those who hurt us and also against those who wanted to help us. If I could turn back time, trust me, I wouldn’t have left on that day and yes I am sorry for everything that happened, but stop making it sound like I am the bad guy in this story!”

Fuma hadn’t even tried to get up and now he bit his lip, looking pretty taken aback by his brother’s outburst, but there was still something else. A deep sitting anger he wasn’t getting rid of easily and tears of rage were forming in his eyes as he shot up and dared to push his brother to the back.

“Then what am I supposed to do? Shall I hug you and say welcome back brother, I have missed you? Sorry for all the shit you have gone through, but I have been through my own shit and guess what I had no one to help me either.” Fuma had started yelling, yet his last words hadn’t even made it out without his voice cracking. “We’re not the only ones in this shit situation. I’ve heard Kentaro’s story, I know about Shime and Taisuke. I even talked to Genta who seemed to know way more about you than your own brother.”

“I didn’t want to drag you in any mess in case things went bad,” Mitsu explained, trying to keep calm this time, but Fuma wouldn’t have it and he pushed Mitsu once more.

“So instead you just left me wondering if my brother was dead.” Fuma shouted once more. But this time when he tried to push Mitsu again, the older one grabbed his arms, Fuma immediately trying to pull back. “I wish I had become a Fallen as well…”

“What?” Mitsu asked in disbelief as Fuma stopped struggling and his shouting got replaced by a whisper. “What did you just say?”

“I wished I had become a Fallen as well! The same as you and the others I would have just forgotten about my emotions. I wouldn’t have been attached and it could have spared me all this pain over the past years.”

Fuma hadn’t seen the movement coming, how could he with how fast Fallen were and Mitsu pulled back just to slap his brother, making Fuma stumble back with wide eyes.

“Everything I have done was to protect you, so don’t you ever think that becoming a Fallen and being forced to live such a horrible instinct driven life is something you want for yourself.”

This time Fuma looked to the ground and clenched his fists, but Mitsu could hear on the way his breathing changed that he wouldn’t shout at him again.

“I’m jealous…” Fuma whispered his voice unstable and shaky. “I’m jealous of Kentaro not having to ask himself the question if his brother was still alive or not, because he didn’t care. I am jealous that Genta and Shime knew enough to actually go and rescue the ones they cared for, while I was condemned to wander  around clueless, without the chance of even telling you how much I envied you for your courage and hated you at the same time for leaving me behind.”

There, he had said it. Finally he had said it straight forward, without hiding behind all those tough words and walls. Now his entire body was shaking and his next breath turned into a sob when he finally dared to look up, his tears now finally overflowing. “I never hated you for your decision. I was jealous because I had to stay behind. I felt scared and useless. I had no one to show me the way, I had no purpose. All I wanted was to know if you were okay.”

It was a truth Mitsu had already known for years. Never had he thought of his brother as selfish, yet he knew that it had always been difficult for the other one to express his emotions as he didn’t want to appear weak.

“I’m sorry,” Mitsu finally let out. “Sorry for what you had to go through, sorry for not being able to help you find your way. But I will be here for you now if that is what you want?”

There was a moment of hesitation, but then Fuma made a few steps to the front once more, yet he stopped right in front of Mitsu and lowered his eyes to the ground, slowly nodding.

Mitsu let out a small chuckle on that reaction and put his hand on the younger one’s hair to ruffle through it.

“Can I get my hug now?”

“Shut up,” Fuma hissed, but then finally threw his arms around his brother and buried his face against the other one’s shoulder.

“You’ve not been useless by the way,” Mitsu whispered against the other one’s hair. “You found new precious companions, didn’t you? They trust you and they fight with you against every threat. You have to make sure to take good care of them.”

“Trust me, they will never lose me. I will never make them feel that pain,” Fuma replied and this time Mitsu also closed his arms around his brother, knowing that even though Fuma wasn’t directing his anger directly at him, it would take a lot of time for Fuma to actually heal from all the pain he had to go through over the past years, but this time Mitsu would be there to help him out no matter what.

***

Even though it had been an hour-long drive, they hadn’t talked, at all. What would have felt awkward with someone else, felt kind of natural to Taiga, especially when it was Hokuto who was sitting next to him. Of course he had immediately said that he would drive as he knew that Taiga wasn’t yet in the best condition and it had been a wise decision as the temperatures had kept rising even after noon time and the truck had turned into a deadly vessel, making Taiga almost jump out of it when they finally arrived at the Center.

“Why did you stop at the fence? It’s open,” Taiga asked as he crouched down in the shadow next to the truck, unable to even stand in the sun without feeling dizzy.

“It’s because we left it open and unprotected. I will go in first and check if it is safe.”

First Taiga wanted to argue, but then he just nodded. For once he wasn’t in a state where he could judge Hokuto for actually worrying and the younger one headed to the gates first. All Taiga hoped for right now was that their air conditioning solar system was still working and that the water was still running, because all he wanted was a cold shower right now.

At some point Taiga gave up and sat down, Hokuto most likely taking his time checking if the security system was working as well so that they could close the fence while they were here. Not that they thought that there were a lot of Fallen still out there, especially those who would want to attack the city. Even Hirano’s group had moved far away from the Capitol, leaving the self-destructive war to others.

“Taiga,” Hokuto said in a soothing voice while he shook the other one on the shoulder and that was when Taiga realized that he had fallen asleep, leaning against the side of the truck. “Are you okay?”

“Just tired. Can we go in?” Taiga asked and the other one nodded, helping Taiga up.

“The systems are all working. Kochi had only deleted all the data that could bring us into trouble so everything else is still intact.

“Awesome news, I can’t wait to shower and change clothes,” Taiga said as he pulled on the sweaty cotton clothes he was still wearing. He just couldn’t get used to them and wanted to get out of them. Yet when he looked down at his own clothes, his vision gave up on him for a moment and he intuitively reached out for Hokuto who had seen the sudden change and had already reached out for his arm.

“Maybe you need another round of sleep before all of that? You might have gotten a heat stroke on the way.” Hokuto said with his typical worried expression.

“Maybe that is not a bad idea, but only under one condition,” Taiga said, making Hokuto raise an eyebrow at him.

“If you want to ask if I stay with you then that is something that is already clear, right?”

Taiga chuckled at Hokuto's almost scandalized expression as if Taiga didn’t know that Hokuto was almost always next to him when he was asleep except he was called for something important.

“That’s why I want to challenge you with something else this time,” Taiga let out, making Hokuto’s look turn slightly worried. “If I waste my time sleeping, then you can use that time to make food for both of us until I wake up again.”

First Hokuto didn’t reply, his face resting on a thoughtful expression until he stopped and put his hand on Taiga’s forehead.

“I don’t have a fever,” Taiga scolded the other one and pushed his hand away, yet he also immediately started laughing when Hokuto chuckled as well.

“I just needed to be sure,” Hokuto laughed. “But sure if you want to get awful tasting food I can totally make you something.”

“Mh, now I’m somehow looking forward to it even more. Maybe I finally found something I am better at than you?” Taiga teased and pulled the other one a bit closer as their elbows were already hooked anyway.

“I guess then this is a challenge to not mess up the food,” Hokuto let out and gave the other one another bright smile.

Their conversation was so harmless, so joyful, yet deep down both of them knew that this was the only type of conversation they could have at the moment without things becoming dark and they wanted to wait with that part just a tiny bit longer. After all Kochi had sent them over to the West Center on purpose that was for sure.

***

It felt weird, the silence.

Reia had kept himself as busy as possible, but things were slowly calming down so he needed to do so as well, but he just felt restless.

Of course he felt happy that for once they didn’t have another fight right at the doorstep, but that also made him wonder what was going to come next.

“Hey there, what are you doing here in this heat?”

When Reia turned around Meguro and Koji were approaching him. Of course he had heard them approaching the moment they had left the fence area of the Bunker exit where they had finally repaired the elevator. A few of the citizens had also started walking outside again as they felt safe enough to finally do so, but it had turned unbelievable hot over the past two days so now it was even almost unbearable for Vestige and Fallen to walk around outside, yet Reia just couldn’t stay inside the Bunker all the time anymore.

“Nothing really,” Reia replied honestly.

“I saw Taisuke leaving earlier as well. I guess he is doing the same nothing?” Meguro asked with a knowing look. Reia chuckled on that, but the other one was right. They all had started feeling restless it was obvious. With the Bunker safe, Taisuke had headed towards the Main Center were Shime and a few others were still collecting resources.

“It must have been a tough time for you,” Koji added. “I mean all this time as an Elite-Vestige.”

“You are one too, I guess you know the struggle,” Reia replied, but Koji shook his head.

“We’ve heard stories from the others. I would say we got it way easier than you. At least we got rescued almost immediately.”

“Yet you were forced into a transition you didn’t want to,” Reia said with a thoughtful expression towards the two Elite-Vestige.

“Same as you,” Meguro said. “And you were the first one of our kind, we heard about the horrible things they did and how many people they sacrificed to get the one result that brought them so close to creating the same chaos as with the Fallen once again.”

Thinking back they all had a gruesome past and while the minority of them had actually volunteered to become Fallen without knowing what exactly would eventually happen to them, most of them had been stripped of their human side without being asked.

“Would you want to be human again?”

“Excuse me?” Koji asked when Reia asked the question without even facing the two. It had just crossed his mind. “Kamenashi had asked the question when we met the leaders and since then I keep thinking about it.”

“I want to be human again,” Meguro immediately said. “Being a shadow walker has some use I can’t deny that and our strength, speed and healing ability is indeed something any soldier would want to have, but I am not a soldier. I want to help the people around me in another way.”

“Same,” Koji said. “I hate fighting. I get scared the moment someone yells, even if I am not involved. I can’t stand up for others or myself even if I want to. Now I have the strength to do so, but I am afraid of that strength as well. I would prefer to talk things through in peace.”

“What about you, don’t you want to be human again?” Meguro asked, but Reia couldn’t answer. For days now he couldn’t find an answer to that question. It wasn’t a yes or no question for him. There was so much more connected to it and the answer would hopefully be found the moment he finally found out what his purpose would be from now on, not that he could really choose.

Musen 28 - April

It didn’t take long to get everything together they needed, but Hokuto had connected the antenna to the Bunker system as Kochi had asked him to and Kochi had told him to remain at the West Center until the weather calmed down a bit. The solar truck was fully charged through the endless sunshine, but the heat outside wasn’t just dangerous for Taiga, but could also easily ruin the medication and the food they were supposed to bring so in the end they decided to stay.

Taiga had rested two days in a row both of them actually enjoying the calm time, yet things weren’t that easy even if they wanted them to be.

On the third day Hokuto woke up alone in his bed and he immediately realized something else. Taiga had taken his Chaser clothes with him. He had always kept a spare in Hokuto’s room as he was usually spending the nights at his room and weirdly it had felt normal for them both to share the same bed once more without having to discuss that topic, until now at least.

Hokuto knew exactly where to go, after all now he could feel Taiga’s presence again, something he needed to get used to again. As if he was suddenly walking in his steps from a year ago he walked down the corridor towards the training room. The picture in front of him was just as nostalgic as it was somehow scaring him. Taiga was in his Chaser gear, the hilt of the Dragnacit blade steady in his hand before he put it down on the back of his hand and releasing the blade, showing that he had activated the Ex2 suit, so that he didn’t need his Excidium bracelet to activate the blade.

The way he moved was smooth, nothing was showing any pain or struggle in his body, yet the Ex2 suit was also helping him stabilize his body, so even if he was still not back to full strength it wouldn’t be visible now.

“And here I thought we finally got a break from all the fighting?” Hokuto asked as he entered the room and Taiga gave him a kind of apologizing smile for sneaking out this early in the morning.

“I felt restless,” Taiga admitted.

“We can leave at any time. If we wait for nightfall then-”

“You know that I don’t mean it that way,” Taiga interrupted him.

The way Taiga looked directly up at Hokuto made the younger one want to leave the room again.

“Remember when you scolded me all the time for being a useless Chaser and that I would be dead without you Vestige?”

Of course Hokuto remembered. Those words hadn’t come from his Fallen self, he had said them and he remembered every single one of them like a knife in the back.

Before Hokuto could form any kind of reply, Taiga had suddenly thrown his blade with a lot of force right towards him. Of course Hokuto could easily catch it, but Taiga was aware of that and he reached out for his second hilt and released the blade.

“Let’s see if I am still the same useless Chaser.”

“Taiga, I don’t think-”

Hokuto’s words were ignored by Taiga as he dashed to the front, right at Hokuto who immediately started backing off, but the wall stopped him and he had to actually block Taiga’s blade with the one he was holding now.

“Taiga, you are still hurt, this is-”

“As long as I am not dead I can fight, right? A Chaser’s job is to fight,” Taiga cut him again and pulled back his blade, giving a fake thrust to Hokuto’s chest before he crouched down and tried to kick Hokuto’s leg when the other one tried to avoid the blade thrust. But once more Hokuto was faster and he jumped away from the other one, finally getting more distance between them.

“Can’t we just talk instead of fight?” Hokuto asked, but he already knew the answer. Taiga had made up his mind and he was stubborn enough to always go through with his ideas.

“Since when are you trying to keep me away from getting stronger?” Taiga asked and instead of running up to the other one he reached out for his boot and drew out a knife, throwing it with full force at the other one before he closed in for another attack so that he got an opening.

Hokuto knew the other one’s way of fighting well enough to easily dodge or at least he thought so, because Taiga moved differently than he remembered from their training. His attacks came faster and he reacted way smoother to Hokuto’s dodging and for the first time in one of their training sessions Hokuto actually pulled back with a hiss as Taiga had cut him. Also the fact that Taiga hadn’t just given him a harmless cut on the arm or leg, but had with full force sliced over the side of his ribs, made obvious how serious he was about this one fight.

“You always trained with me because you were annoyed that I was weak. Then I became stronger than you so there was no need to train with me anymore, but now you pretend as if I was too weak to ever fight again. What changed?”

Here it was, the start of the conversation they needed to have and while Hokuto had hoped they could actually sit down and talk it through, he should have already guessed that Taiga needed to get his head off all other thoughts to even be able to start talking about all this messed up emotions in the first place. So this time Hokuto narrowed his eyes as he tightened the grip around his blade.

“If you want to know then I fear you have to do better than just a single cut,” Hokuto challenged and his change of attitude made a long lost shine appear in Taiga’s eyes.

“Oh trust me I can do way better. I learned not only from you after all,” Taiga reminded the other one and this time it was actually Hokuto who made the first move.

The same as Taiga he didn’t hold back. Full speed, full force. Luckily as he had predicted, Taiga was able to keep up with him and even though Hokuto was able to hit a shockwave and crushed Taiga into the ground a few meters away, the older one immediately got up, the suit protecting him from heavy damage.

“Nostalgic, isn’t it?” Taiga let out as he had been stopped right before his blade could make contact with Hokuto’s chest. Hokuto had lifted his own blade and had stopped only inches in front of Taiga’s neck.

“You losing against me?” Hokuto asked in a serious tone.

“No, you trying to slice my throat,” Taiga replied so cold that Hokuto froze for a moment, looking at the scar on Taiga's neck. That one small moment Taiga used to his advantage and instead of pulling back he actually let his blade drop and reached out for Hokuto’s arm, making the other one hiss and pull back while Taiga used that moment to drop down and reach out for Hokuto's leg as well before he jumped to get his blade.

“When did Aran teach you this?” Hokuto complained as he could feel how his abilities were blocked.

“We found some time here and there. And I figured you were still too scared to actually use your special abilities on me anyway so why not go without all of them?” Taiga asked as his special abilities were the only ones not blocked.

This time Hokuto let out a chuckle, a sound he hadn’t let out in a long time, because it wasn’t of the teasing type, but of the challenging type. That kind of attitude had annoyed Taiga a lot in the beginning while he felt excited now to finally see that side of him again.

“You wanted it this way, now don’t complain if you get hurt.”

“So are you done holding back?” Taiga asked and he got his reply right away when Hokuto dashed up to him with his blade. Now their fight was even with Hokuto’s speed and strength being taken away partly. No shockwaves, no advantages, just an even training fight.

Kicks and punches found their way in between heavy sword thrusts and Taiga’s suit actually took some damage here and there, leaving him with two cuts. But the same applied for Hokuto. Of course he would heal faster, but Taiga wasn’t holding back even without the other one having a suit on.

When Taiga used another fast move Hokuto had never seen before and used his own sword hill to pull Hokuto’s sword out of his hand, he realized what kind of fighting style he was seeing.

“They trained you well,” Hokuto let out after his blade landed on the ground a few meters away with a shattering sound.

“Well, they tried to force the instinct to activate and on the way I got to learn a few more tricks,” Taiga explained. “Not everything from that time had a negative outcome.”

Of course Hokuto knew that. He had seen most of it. But with those memories the anger came back as well and filled Hokuto’s body with a rage he had tried to suppress over the past weeks.

“While you think I got weaker, I actually got stronger,” Taiga said and lunged out for his next attack. Something about Taiga’s attitude made Hokuto’s rage swallow him and he took the next blade thrust straight on. Something not even Taiga had seen coming and he stared back at the other one with wide eyes when the blade got stuck on Hokuto’s shoulder.

“What-”

Hokuto grabbed the blade, right at its sharp part before he kicked Taiga away, forcing the other one to let go of the blade as he landed on the ground.

Hokuto let the blade drop and walked up to the older one with his left shoulder and hand heavily bleeding.

“Stronger? Stronger than who? Your previous Chaser self?”

Taiga jumped back up right away and welcomed Hokuto’s kicks and punches with precise blocks and counter attacks.

“Is that not enough?” Taiga shot back. “Do you want me to become stronger than the Fallen self? Stronger than the instinct?”

It had been in the back of their minds for so long, too long. Hokuto snapped on the mention of that time and he actually jumped on Taiga, throwing him to the ground and if the suit hadn’t been still intact then Taiga would have suffered a heavy head injury, but as he was fine he immediately tried to wrap his legs around Hokuto to change positions with him.

“Would you prefer it if I was a Fallen again or at least a Vestige?” Taiga shouted now while Hokuto tried to keep the other one down.

“As you can see even without using my abilities I am stronger than you, so what use would you be back with those abilities?”

Hokuto didn’t understand his own words, like echoes of lies he didn’t want to tell, yet he cursed himself for every arrogant word he said. Was it still Taiga he wanted to protect or himself?

In his moment of hesitation he had missed a swift move from Taiga and the next second he screamed out in pain, falling to the side, holding his hands to his ears as Taiga had pulled out a cricket and activated it.

The moment Hokuto had gotten off him Taiga closed it again, but immediately pinned Hokuto down this time and drew his second knife from his boot and put it down to the other one’s neck.

“I am useful enough to win against you,” Taiga let out with heavy breaths from their ongoing struggle, showing that he was indeed not back in his best shape, but for now the suit was still supporting him.  “I was the strongest. Stronger than Taisuke, stronger than any of you. Are you disappointed that I lost that strength?”

The provocation was working and this time Hokuto felt the change and before Taiga had even realized what had changed, Hokuto lifted his arm to the other one’s chest and threw him back with another shockwave as his abilities had come back. This time though there was no hesitation left in his movements.

Taiga had lost the knife, no weapons other than the cricket left now, but before he could activate it, Hokuto was already next to him, pulling it out of the other one’s hand and kicking Taiga into the stomach. The boy gasped, yet escaped Hokuto once more before the Vestige could reach out for him. But the situation had changed. Taiga was running out of stamina while Hokuto could go on for hours. Taiga tried to run for a knife or a blade, but Hokuto kept chasing him around, keeping him away from every weapon until he let him reach out for his knife on purpose just to vanish right behind him and reach out for his face from behind him, pulling him back against his chest.

“I am not disappointed,” Hokuto let out in a voice that was shaking way more than he thought it would. When he stepped back and walked in front of Taiga, who wasn’t moving anymore, he let out a shuddering breath before he looked in silence at Taiga lifting his arm to his own neck, the knife right at his skin. It was that moment when Hokuto couldn’t take it anymore and he released Taiga from his mind control and with one unsteady breath he looked up at Taiga who needed a moment to even realize what had happened. “I am not disappointed, I am scared.”

Here Hokuto had finally voiced it out and with that truth he finally gave in to all those emotions he had held in for weeks and he sank to his knees, the next shaky breath slowly turning into a sob and tears falling alongside it.

Taiga dropped the knife, but he didn’t seem surprised about the outcome of his set up fight. With fast steps he was in front of Hokuto and sank to his knees as well, immediately closing his arms around the other one’s shoulders, resulting with Hokuto clenching his hands in the other one’s shirt while burying his face on his shoulder.

“I never thought of you as useless. Never even once did I think you weren’t the best Chaser I have ever seen. I was relieved when you turned into a Fallen, because I knew I didn’t have to worry for your safety anymore. That was until Taisuke appeared. Each time I felt like you were safe, I had to fear losing you again. I can’t lose you.”

The honesty in Hokuto’s words was something Taiga had longed for. Never even once had he believed Hokuto’s arrogant words. Maybe in the beginning he had still doubted Hokuto, but not anymore. The boy had changed and he himself was the reason for that, but it also made Hokuto experience the biggest fear he had ever felt.

“Thank you,” Taiga let out in a calm voice as he sat up a bit more and put his chin on the other one’s hair. “Thank you for letting me be your weakness.”

Hokuto’s grip on him turned even tighter on those words, because it was something he never wanted to admit, but it was also the most important thing Taiga wanted to be told. All the times Hokuto had told him that he wasn’t strong enough as a human, every time he scolded him or stopped him from doing something, it had always been out of fear. The fear of losing the only person he had ever let into his heart.

“Thank you for not pulling away, even when I turned out to be your biggest weakness.”

Hokuto remained silent for another moment, unable to even get his thoughts back together. Never had he broken down like this in front of anyone. As a Vestige he had always felt like he needed to be the leader, the one who couldn’t get affected by emotions. Yet he had learned the hard way how heavy those emotions could get if he ignored them.

“From the very first moment I knew you would be my doom,” Hokuto finally whispered. “I was scared to let you come closer, too scared of hurting you. Then after the Fallen self had made it even more complicated for so long it was thanks to him that we are both where we are today. Yet we grew toxic towards each other over our lack of communication.”

That was a truth also applying for Taiga and he squeezed the other one’s shoulders once more before he let himself drop in front of Hokuto and moved his fingers up to the other one’s face with a faint smile. “I knew you would try to protect me at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing your own life or even that of others.”

Another blow they both had to take. They had put each other over everyone else. Hokuto had his fair share of fights with the others over his overprotectiveness and Taiga on his self-sacrificing attitude.

“We need to learn how to take better care of each other and also our friends. No more secrets.”

Hokuto finally looked up at the other one on those words and he slowly put one of his hands over Taiga’s and closed his eyes for a moment.

“I will forever be scared to lose you,” Hokuto admitted. “But I also realized that I will hurt you and others more than I actually protect you if I don’t trust you.”

Taiga showed a grateful smile on that realization, because that had been why he had even risked this ridiculous fight in the first place. He needed Hokuto to break under his own emotional pressure without any way to run away from it.

“And I promise to take better care of myself. Even if I will remain your weakness, I don’t want it to be a burden to you no matter what path we choose from here. I need to accept that I am indeed not as strong as I want to be. I wasn’t even as strong as I thought I was with the instinct.”

Hokuto saw the shadow passing Taiga’s face on that mention and he pulled down Taiga’s hands between them and squeezed them with a thoughtful look before he pulled them up and placed a kiss on the back of his hands.

“I don’t blame you,” Hokuto finally said. “All of us had to learn the hard way that there are always stronger people. People who are good at playing with our minds and manipulate our actions. Sometimes they are mere humans, sometimes they are Fallen or Vestige. You're not at fault for losing a fight you weren't even in control of.”

This time it was Taiga’s turn to share some tears in silence as the relief of Hokuto’s reply finally settled in. This part had been his weakness. His own inner demon he wanted to lock up and detach himself from. His memories had been out in the open already and Hokuto had enough time to think about everything. His decision to not let any of those happenings stay between them made a huge burden drop off Taiga's chest and he slightly flinched when Hokuto put one hand to his cheek and wiped away the tears.

“I know that you felt the weakest when you were actually at your strongest. But there is something you have to realize,” Hokuto explained, now his face also finally brightening up a bit as he put his hand down on Taiga’s chest. “You might not be a Fallen anymore, but you are still the strongest fighter in here. You’ve gone through the worst in your times as a Chaser and also as a Fallen, yet you are back here with me and you keep fighting for both of us, if that is not strength then I don’t know what is.”

Taiga let out a small embarrassed chuckle on these words before he put his own hands over Hokuto’s and looked up at the other one with longing eyes. “Then I guess I need to take care of that strength and let you take care of the rest.”

And Hokuto would gladly take care of the rest and he pulled the older one into a passionate kiss. For a moment Taiga’s lips curled up against his, but then Taiga moved his arms around Hokuto’s shoulder, pulling him closer and giving Hokuto full control over the kiss.

It felt as if they hadn’t touched each other in months, all their physical exchanges until now having been filled with too many secrets and doubts.

Hokuto only pulled back to give Taiga a moment to breathe, but he refused to let the other one back off and kept his forehead pressed against the other ones and immediately searched for Taiga’s lips once more.

“Please don’t make me hurt you ever again,” Hokuto whispered and Taiga slightly shook his head while he put one hand up to caress Hokuto’s cheek as he backed off just enough to be able to look the other one in the eyes.

“I did what I had to do so we could finally get things worked out between us, but at least I wore the suit, right?”

“You knew I wouldn’t have fought you without it on,” Hokuto teased back.

“Indeed, yet I actually kicked your ass quite well.”

“When I didn’t have my abilities and the cricket was cheating,” Hokuto complained, making Taiga laugh and jump into Hokuto’s arms, almost throwing him to the back.

“You’ve to keep training with me anyway, so now you got a taste of my new fighting methods at least,” Taiga teased back.

“Fine, but no more fighting for today, okay? You need to treat those cuts and I am sure that you will need to rest more than you are showing right now. Time to get out of that suit.”

“Oh? If you wanted the suit off you could have just said so,” Taiga said invitingly this time and got up. “But I prefer a shower before all the overprotective caretaking awaiting me.”

“Under one condition,” Hokuto said as he got up as well and stepped closer to the other one with a playful look.

“Oh? So this time you want me to make food? Did you have enough of your own cooking?”

Hokuto laughed on hearing that, but then he grabbed Taiga by the hips and pulled him into another kiss, this time greedier than the last one.

“Let me consider it, but for now my condition is that I am joining for that shower.”

Taiga formed a greedy smile on hearing that and let his own hands wander down to Hokuto’s hip. “That is a condition I will always agree to.”

“Also, maybe we can convince Kochi to give us a few more days?” Hokuto asked and Taiga immediately agreed.

“A week would be awesome.”

“I’d make it a month if I was less responsible,” Hokuto replied on which Taiga hit him on his unhurt shoulder.

“You were never responsible.”

“Oh so you want me to ask him for a month?” Hokuto challenged.

“Let’s decide after we actually get to talk with everyone about what to do from now on?” Taiga suggested and a bit of Hokuto’s smile fell on that, but they knew that even if their personal problems were solved now, there was a lot more to talk about. But just for a few more days they didn’t want to think about the future. For the past year they had done nothing but worry about their own future, not even knowing if they could all make it out alive at their next fight, so just this once they wanted to pretend that there were no fights ahead anymore.

Musen 28 - April

“Stop grinning,” Kochi scolded the two boys next to him, but when they realized he had turned off the connection to the West Center, Jesse and Shintaro exchanged a high five with some excited shouting.

“Oh come on, this is something to be happy about right?” Shintaro yelled in amusement after Hokuto had given them their status report and yet randomly asked if they could stay a few days longer at the West Center as Taiga wasn’t feeling well enough to travel in the ongoing heat.

“So are you not worried for Taiga?” Kochi asked.

“As if, seriously we could have snow, rain, a typhoon, they would find every possible reason to extend their honeymoon,” Jesse joked, all of them knowing of course what was going on and Kochi just sat back with a calm smile.

“I guess this is indeed an outcome we should celebrate.”

“Seriously if they had kept tiptoeing around each other for longer I would have freaked out at some point,” Shintaro explained.

“Then how about you finally make a move as well?” Juri was heard as he stepped into the control room and walked down the stairs towards them.

Jesse hit Shintaro with his elbow with a teasing expression on Juri’s words, making Shintaro shove him away.

“It’s not like we have any trouble at the moment. The citizens are calm, the soldiers and Vestige all agreed on patrolling and everyone from the Centers will slowly come back over the next week. Until then you are all free to do whatever you want to,” Kochi explained.

“Better grab the chance now or someone else will,” Jesse teased.

“Seriously, what’s with the need to make me go see her? We haven’t spoken for weeks. It wasn’t like we had been close back in the West Center in the first place,” Shintaro said and turned away with a slightly pouting expression.

“Yeah, right,” Juri said with a knowing look. “By the way, if you want to do something useful instead then you can help with getting on one of the food trucks. With all these people here we need to get what we can somehow find and that also from different places than the Centers.”

“I’m not in the mood to head out in this heat,” Shintaro hissed.

“Oh, one truck hasn’t left yet,” Kochi randomly added as he put it on the screen of the security camera.

“Right, it looks damn hot out there, we sho-”

“Fine, I’m going. If you are all too lazy, then I need to go,” Shintaro interrupted Jesse.

“But didn’t you jus-”

“Don’t even bother coming along, I got this.”

Jesse blinked in confusion as Shintaro dashed up the stairs way faster than needed as the truck wouldn’t immediately leave. When he turned to Kochi and Juri, both boys showed a teasing smile and then Jesse looked up at the security camera, realizing that the girl they were talking about was part of the team heading out on the food truck.

“I think it’s time for all of us to chase after our own happiness after we have chased after the wrong enemy for so long,” Juri let out with a thoughtful look and Kochi nodded.

“We’ve stuck together through all this chaos for so long and I can understand that the upcoming change might scare a lot of us, but I also hope that everyone can finally try and find their own path. This war is still going on all over the world, yet we don’t even know what is happening outside our own country’s borders.”

“Want to find out?” Juri said with a challenging tone and Jesse looked at him with an unsure expression at first, but then he smiled. No matter what way they chose, they were free to always change their paths from now on without anyone forcing them to chase after something they didn’t desire.

***

“You could have gone on the trucks with everyone else,” Taisuke said as he walked next to Shime out of the fence area of the Main Center.

“Would you have preferred that?” Shime asked, but he knew that his brother didn’t mean it that way. If he had preferred that he would have said it straightforward and after he had come all the way out here to the Main Center right before they were about to return to the Bunker, Shime realized that Taisuke had actually hoped to get a bit of time to talk to him alone.

“I’m glad that the remaining soldiers and Vestige in the Main Center finally accepted that your revolution has been necessary,” Taisuke said.

“Our revolution,” Shime added. “If you want to take yourself out of it, then my group is also not really involved. We only asked Kochi’s Center for help to get to you and your group members. The rest just happened on the way.”

“Then what are we doing now?” Taisuke asked while he kept walking with his eyes focused on the horizon where the last trucks vanished in a dust cloud as the sun slowly set.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Shime replied honestly, but then he turned to Taisuke with a calm smile. “But you have, haven’t you?”

It was the slightly apologizing side glance Taisuke gave him that showed he was right, but he wasn’t angry. It had only been a matter of time for them all to decide what to do from now on and in their case it was even more complex than for the others.

“I’m sorry,” Taisuke let out without any further explanation.

“Don’t be,” Shime said and shook his head, walking a bit to the front so that he could look at his brother. “I will be honest, I wonder if you would have decided differently if your situation was less complicated.”

Complicated, right. Taisuke wasn’t the same older brother anymore who Shime remembered. Too much had happened and Taisuke had changed in a way no one except Hokuto and Taiga could understand and for him it was even on another level.

“If you want me to stay-”

“Then you won’t become happy and that is not why I tried to get you back,” Shime immediately interrupted him. “I wanted to get you out of that miserable life of a Fallen and we succeeded. Damn, we got so much more out of it! Chaka and Kentaro finally met again, Kentaro and Nika also finally got things sorted out and even Mitsu and Fuma met again. Even Katsuki reunited with his family. I bet even Hokuto and Taiga finally sorted things out.”

On that mention Taisuke’s look turned a bit darker and Shime slowed down to hook Taisuke’s elbow with his before he gave him a smile, which changed into a serious look as he looked ahead at the fading sunlight.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. I made that point clear to everyone. Taiga helped to figure my own confusion out when I wasn’t able to. I wanted my own happy ending, but I realized that you have to move with the world around you and not force the world to move towards your own egoistic needs.”

“So will you be able to find that happy ending even if I am not with you?” Taisuke dared to ask and for a moment Shime just looked ahead, his steps now a little bit heavier, but then a smile found its way back on his face and he nodded.

“It might take time, but it’s not like I am in a rush. I need to find my own path from now on as well and I hope whatever your path will be, it won’t keep you away from me forever.”

Taisuke moved his arm away from Shime on those words and for a moment Shime feared he had said something bad, but then Taisuke threw his arm around his little brother’s shoulder and pulled him closer to put a kiss on his hair.

“I might have changed, but you will forever be my little brother and nothing in the world will make me want to leave your side without a valid reason and no matter that reason it will never be permanent.”

Shime chuckled on those words, yet Taisuke could hear a small sob in between and he squeezed the other one’s shoulder even more.

“Then I guess I need to find out what to do from now on as well or I will be bored without you around,” Shime replied, trying not to let the few tears in his eyes fall.

“You have so many amazing friends around you, I don’t worry for you getting bored that is for sure,” Taisuke assured him with a clap on his back. “Just please don’t hang out with Chaka too much or he will bring who knows what trouble towards you.”

Shime started laughing on hearing that as the boy was indeed known for stumbling into trouble wherever he could.

“No worries, no matter what the others decide to do from now on I know that all our ways will cross eventually again,” Shime said with a determined expression.

They had all faced too much to let their paths part forever, but the choices ahead of them were definitely not just giving him a headache and at one point everyone had to make their choice and they all needed to accept whatever the future was bringing, after all this was what they were fighting for. It was all for their future!

***

“Welcome back.”

Reia threw his arms around Taiga and the older one chuckled on the sudden welcome.

“You didn’t wait out here for hours, right?” Taiga asked a bit skeptical, because even though they had told Kochi that they were leaving the West Center, their arrival time could have easily been delayed through the weather or other problems on the way.

“Taisuke told me that you are almost here.”

“Of course he did,” Hokuto said as he went to the back of the truck to unload the first supplies, but he didn’t sound in any way annoyed.

“Let us help with that,” Hikaru was heard next as he, Fukka, Koji and Meguro walked up to them from the elevator and Hokuto gladly accepted their help. It had finally cooled down and they also arrived towards the evening so they wanted to be done before it got dark.

“How have you been? Did you get some time to rest?” Taiga asked and the boy nodded, yet Taiga could see his lost expression.

“I feel like everyone has finally calmed down and it gave everyone the time to sort things out, the same with you two I guess?”

Of course Reia wanted to know and Taiga nodded with a calm smile. “Yes, everything is sorted out so no need to worry. But why do I feel like you haven’t figured out something for yourself?”

Reia felt a bit caught and looked away for a moment, but then Taiga put his hand on the boy’s hair. “Hey, don’t worry. No one is judging you if you are lost right now. I bet a lot of the others are as well. To be honest I am a bit scared as well to have a talk with everyone about what we’re going to do from now on.”

“You are? But why? You were a part of the West Center for so long and you have all your friends still with you. Aren’t you going to stay with them?”

The panic in Reia’s voice made Taiga realize something else and he gave the boy a knowing look. “You have friends here too, don’t you? But exactly because we all walked this path together I think there is a bond between all of us that is strong enough to keep us together even in case of any of us leaving.”

Now Reia’s look had changed and Taiga liked the calmness and understanding showing on the boy’s face.

“Shall we bring everything in? The sooner we are done, the faster we can meet with everyone,” Taiga asked and Reia immediately helped Hikaru and the others with the supplies.

“Right, and get asked the same dumb questions a dozen times,” Hokuto added and rolled his eyes.

“I bet you will put them all in place,” Taiga laughed.

“Especially Shintaro and Jesse, that is for sure, I need to remind them that I can be scary even without my Fallen self.”

Taiga laughed even more on that threat and he could see Reia smiling back at them.

They made sure to bring the supplies in first and on the way Myuto and Kentaro ran into them helping with the remaining supplies before they of course started asking questions, making Hokuto and Kentaro almost start a fight, but Myuto also just smiled at them.

“It’s good to see you finally happy again,” Myuto said towards Taiga, while Hokuto kept walking in front, trying to make Kentaro shut up.

“The same back at you. I guess you and Aran also finally made things work?”

Myuto slowly nodded and Taiga felt relieved when his look didn’t turn darker. “Aran had a rough time and I know he wants to talk to you as well, because he feels even guiltier than ever before.”

“It’s actually thanks to him that Hokuto and I are where we are today. Without him we would have maybe lost everything already,” Taiga explained.

“Yet Aran thinks he almost cost you that everything, not that it wasn’t actually me who came up with that dumb idea. So I guess I need to apologize as well?”

Taiga pinched the taller one on the upper arm on hearing that and Myuto pulled back with an almost pouting expression.

“I’m tired of talking about the past,” Taiga said next, causing Myuto to stop walking. “I know we need to learn from our past and there is no way that I want to erase or forget it, but right now I want to look ahead. Our future is way more important right now.”

Before Myuto could reply anything they could hear Kentaro cursing and yelling while Hokuto had finally exploded and was pulling Kentaro on the ear down the stairs while yelling at him to keep moving instead of asking dumb questions and the fact that Kentaro kept quarrelling with him instead of picking an actual fight made Taiga and Myuto look at each other with a bright smile. They had all changed a lot and they all needed to find their own paths from now on, no matter if those paths would all lead in the same direction or part at some point. Eventually they would all be connected and no farewell was forever, Taiga wanted to believe in that.

Musen 28 - April

The next day after everyone had arrived back at the Bunker, Kochi had decided to finally call the main members of their revolution together to decide how to proceed from now on. The Underground City luckily had something like a community room for them to gather. It was big enough for the members of the Centers and the Elite-Vestige and Fallen to gather. A lot of the Center members had also decided to let them inform them later about the outcome of the talk so that there were enough people still around the Bunker as they couldn’t just let their guard drop as if they were immediately safe.

“I don’t want to make this a complicated talk,” Kochi said as he moved up to a small podium at the end of the room so that everyone could see him and the members scattered a bit through the room in small groups all of them still in their own thoughts, a few looking lost, some determined. “But what I really want is everyone’s opinion and I want you to be completely honest. I honestly am still not completely decided on every detail yet either, but I have decided to take on the part of guarding the Bunker and Underground City, while rebuilding the Centers with those who are willing to help. This time we are not trying to fight a war against our own, but to protect our people and help them to slowly get back to a normal life. Instead of hiding and retreating from the world, I think it is time for us to put more energy into research on how we can rescue this planet. We have been able to create so much over the past years, yet it was mostly for war and now we don’t even know what is going on in the rest of the world. We don’t know if we will face an even bigger threat from overseas at some point, but maybe we can also help them rebuild as well. I want to give it my best effort to make a better world for all of us and finally put an end to the meaningless fight. I know that might be a way too big goal to reach immediately, but I am willing to put my entire future into trying. Now I want you to honestly tell me what you want your paths to be and if you are still undecided then please tell us as well, there is no shame in not knowing.”

The room fell quiet after Kochi’s extreme honest words and to their surprise it was Taisuke who walked up a bit to the middle of the room, leaving his group looking at him curiously.

“Over the past weeks I talked with some of you as well about the future,” Taisuke said and gave Shime a side glance, but his brother didn’t seem restless. They had both made up their minds. “Kochi knows about this as well and I’ve decided to lead a team overseas to get a better picture of what has happened in the world since the endless war has fallen silent between the countries.”

Some seemed interested in the idea, cheering him on even, others seemed a bit scared of the idea of going overseas, but then Taisuke looked at Taiga and the boy almost looked a bit angry.

“This is a decision I made after a lot of consideration. We Fallen have brought a lot of trouble to all of you and we owe you a lot for all the trouble you have gone through to bring us back to our senses, but even though I honestly see this mission as a kind of redemption, I am also doing this because it was my original plan already before I’ve been turned into a Fallen.”

It was a fair point even Taiga couldn’t complain about and as long as Taisuke wasn’t trying to put himself into a difficult position just because he thought he needed to get out of Taiga’s life, it was a decision Taiga would accept.

“As a few of you have already talked to Taisuke I want to give those who haven’t heard of this a moment to think about it. If you are still undecided then you might want to consider joining him,” Kochi said and a few of the members started whispering. “But do not worry, even if you feel like joining now, you have all right to eventually stay in the Capitol after all or come back sooner than others from overseas if you feel unsafe. Not to forget that you don’t have to listen to me in the first place, I am not your leader or anything like that.”

A chuckle went through the room on hearing that and Kochi lifted an eyebrow.

“Come on, you know that you are,” Juri teased him from right next to him as he looked up at the podium. “But we chose you long ago, already in the West Center and now here as well. We will let you know if you do something we don’t agree with.”

“And we are all here to help you with the decisions, you don’t have to put all the pressure on yourself,” Myuto assured him and the others nodded.

Kochi showed a brief smile on those words before he looked into the room once more. “Okay, then if any of you wish to join Taisuke on those overseas missions, please step into the middle of the room.”

The first one to move was Katsuki, a move Reia didn’t seem to be surprised about. Then Yabana moved as well and stepped away from their group into the middle of the room.

“We will come back to check up on everything once in a while,” Katsuki assured Reia. “But it might take months or even years, we don’t even know what will await us.”

“And that is totally okay,” Reia replied with a faint smile.

“Even though we didn’t decide to become Vestige in the first place, I feel like I want to use my abilities to help where I can,” Yabana explained and Reia nodded with a knowing expression.

“That is really noble of you. I’m proud of your decision.”

Reia looked at the other members of his group, but they all gave the others smiles as well and then members of another group started walking towards the middle of the room.

Hagi, Moro and Yuma stepped next to Taisuke with a confident look.

“We feel welcome here that is for sure, but we also feel a bit restless. For now traveling will be a better option,” Hagi explained.

“I feel more useful out in the unknown, as I know that there are enough capable people back here to protect everyone,” Moro added.

“Not to forget that there are still enough people who bring trouble as well and we don’t need to add up to that,” Yuma said, making the others chuckle.

When they all turned towards Myuto, there was a moment of silence, but different from Reia there was another look on Myuto’s face and then he looked up at Taiga instead.

“I agree,” Myuto said in a calm voice. “You will be fine here and the bond we all share will follow us no matter where in the world we are.”

Taiga’s eyes grew a bit wider when Myuto stepped towards the other members, but before Taiga could panic too much, the taller one turned around and stretched his hand out towards Aran who smiled at him before he took it and stepped towards the middle of the room as well.

For Taiga it would be sad to not have Myuto around anymore for some time, but knowing that Aran was going to be with him made him feel better.

The next sound came from Kentaro as he flicked his tongue and then gave Reo an angry side glance, while the boy wasn’t even looking at him. At first it wasn’t clear why he was so annoyed, but then he pushed Reo away from him, so that the boy stepped closer towards the others.

“I know you want to go,” Kentaro scolded him. “Why are you hesitating?”

“But-,” Reo let out in a low voice. “You are the only one of our group who won’t go then.”

A realization that hit the others a bit emotionally as well, especially because they all knew by now that Kentaro was a lot of tough talk to the outside, but pretty soft at the inside. Yet he wouldn’t show that so easily and he stepped towards Nika and pointed at his brother.

“Did you see him stepping to the middle?” Kentaro asked, on which Nika showed him a brief smile. Then Kentaro walked over to Shime’s group and pulled Chaka closer to ruffle through his hair. “And I will have this idiot around one way or another as well. He is too afraid to go overseas.”

“I am not afraid,” Chaka pouted, but the others exchanged a relieved look on Kentaro’s words.

“Fine, you seem to be in good hands then. Which means I will join,” Reo finally let out and stepped towards Myuto and the others.

“Anyone else?” Kochi asked, but for now the room fell silent. “Thank you everyone. Please keep in mind that this is only our rough plan for now. Always feel free to withdraw from a path if you don’t feel like it anymore.”

“Aren’t you getting too soft with everyone?” Kentaro said a bit scolding as he was the next one to step into the middle of the room after the overseas team withdrew back to their groups. “Don’t babysit them too much or they will all just sit back and do nothing.”

“So I guess you will do something useful then?” Konpi challenging and of course Kentaro gave him a lopsided smile.

“If you want to call looking for the remaining Fallen useful, then yes,” Kentaro shot back.

“Are there any Fallen left?” Kento was heard from the corner where he had stood quietly with Fuma and the other young boys for now, but Mitsu had allowed them to be part of the meeting.

“Through the data I have collected so far I can say that there are at least one or two more groups out there. Hirano’s group is the last generation of Fallen. All the data after them is from failed Vestige experiments and we unfortunately know what happened to them.”

Kochi’s words made them all look a bit uncomfortable, but it was the cruel reality after all.

“One group might be from Taisuke’s breakout and one from Myuto’s I think,” Kochi added.

“That makes sense. We didn’t all team up after we burned down our research facility. All we did was free everyone who was in there so they decided themselves then if they wanted to stay with us or not,” Myuto explained and it seemed to have been the same for Taisuke.

“We will gladly help you with that search as we know how difficult it was for you to get to us even though you had the bigger numbers,” Nagase said and stepped to the middle, followed by Kishi, Jinguji and Takahashi. When Hirano didn’t join them they all looked at him questioningly.

“Are you not joining us?” Kishi asked.

Hirano thought about it for a moment and then he made a pouting noise. “We finally have soft beds, good food and calm times and here you want to go out again. Fine!”

The pouting expression he showed while joining the others, made the boys laugh and Jinguji hit him with his elbow. “We just have to be fast in finding them then you can get all that comfort back.”

Hirano nodded really big on that comment, his eyes almost sparkling. “Leave it to me, I will find them all in a week.”

“He is so food motivated,” Takahashi laughed.

“As long as we all have some kind of motivation I am fine with that,” Nagase added with a chuckle.

“Just don’t get in my way,” Kentaro warned them.

“You want to rescue the Fallen not kill them, so you should better appreciate all the help you can get,” Nika said as he stepped next to his little brother and Kentaro had seen that move coming so he didn’t seem surprised.

“And someone needs to hold you back in case you turn too Fallen like yourself again,” Chaka teased as he stepped next to Nika, but got tackled by Kentaro right away who tried to push him back towards Shime.

“Definitely not by you. Stay back.”

“Hey, I am not that useless,” Chaka yelled and tried to make it back to the middle of the room, making everyone laugh.

When Kentaro shoved Chaka a bit more to the back, Reia caught the boy on the shoulders and pushed him back to the middle, joining the team.

“Then how about I make sure Chaka won’t get in your way?” Reia suggested.

“Good luck with that, but you are more useful if you fight at the front with us,” Kentaro added, obviously happy about Reia’s decision.

“For that you also have me,” Rinne said as he joined Reia. “My ability is more than useful while trying to give them the serum.”

“One useful member, awesome,” Kentaro let out sarcastically, making Hirano immediately pick a fight with Kentaro and the remaining members shook their heads.

“This is going to be such a chaotic team,” Hokuto said and rolled his eyes, but Taiga shook his head.

“On the outside definitely, but they have the strongest willpower and an amazing leader.”

Reia looked up at Taiga as he had heard his words of course and he felt a bit embarrassed when Taiga was looking directly at him. For Reia it was a big step to accept that their groups would split up now that all their goals and dreams for the future were finally something they could freely think about, but he also wanted to make as much use as possible out of his own abilities and Taiga was more than proud of his decision.

“What will you do?” Reia asked the remaining two members and Konpi and Taiko exchanged a quick look.

“We talked a bit before, but for now we want to help out here. Kochi will need some Fallen and Vestige at the Centers if we want to rebuild them,” Konpi replied.

“Especially with your chaos team out there, who knows if the Fallen won’t just sneak back into the Capitol instead to run away from you,” Taiko said, resulting in Kentaro and Hirano both wanting to go for him, but he squealed and hid behind Konpi who rolled his eyes.

“Then do we have a team for the Centers as well?” Kochi asked as it seemed like the Fallen team was established as they also stepped back while Konpi and Taiko remained in the middle this time.

The first ones to step next to them were Senga and Yokoo, which surprised a few of them, because while Yokoo seemed calm enough for such a task, Senga seemed more like someone who would enjoy the overseas team.

“I feel like I had enough fights for now,” Senga honestly said. “I don’t know if I will remain at the Centers when they are back running without trouble, but for now it seems like the right decision.”

“Same here,” Yokoo agreed. “For now we are still in a rebuilding phase, the rest can wait for later.”

“Then you will need all the help you can get,” Matsuku said as he stepped next to them with a confident smile and right next to him Genta joined as well. He gave Mitsu a brief look, but the older one seemed a bit lost and that was okay. Fuma had realized it as well, but for now they wouldn’t judge anyone for not immediately deciding.

“We know the Centers the best so we can help with rebuilding,” Genta said.

“And a lot of the remaining Chasers and Vestige will definitely be thrilled to join us, especially because if I heard the rumor right then we are planning on building something like communities around them?” Umi asked as he joined the others and they all looked up to Kochi.

“That is one of the plans for the future, indeed,” Kochi said. “We have to see how fast it will work out and how many people from the Bunker will be interested, but I think we should start letting people live freely outside again and just keep the Bunker for emergencies.”

A wise decision now that there had been no air raids for years and with a group going overseas as well they had more control of the situation.

“We’re in as well,” Shintaro was heard next and Jesse tagged along, because there was no way these two wouldn’t choose the same team and it made Taiga smile at them.

“Please just don’t enter the lab of any Center without a researcher, okay?” Hokuto scolded them and they both immediately got ready to complain.

“For that they will have us, no worries,” Tama said as he stepped forward with Noel by his side.

“We will make sure that the data of the Centers get restored and the labs are getting updated and reconnected to the Main Center and also to this Bunker,” Noel explained.

“And I will make sure that our Fallen hunting team is always in contact with us and will get serums in case they need new ones,” Miyata explained.

“And I will be there to do everything else that is needed,” Shizu said so proud that it made everyone laugh and when the boy pouted Shime walked up to him and squeezed his shoulder.

“You are as important to this rebuilding as we all are. Don’t see yourself as a random assistant. You can do as much as everyone else,” Shime assured him and it made a bright smile show on Shizu’s face.

“What will you do?” Shizu asked now that Shime was the last one left from their former group and the boy looked up at Taisuke who gave him an understanding, yet kind of guilty look.

“I will search for my path from now on,” Shime replied honestly. “I might help here at the Bunker for a while, maybe at the Centers and if I feel like I am needed at the frontline I will always be there to help out any of our teams.”

Shime’s words made everyone nod as it was a noble choice, after all his ability of healing others was useful at all of their locations.

“Anyone else who wishes to join the Centers?” Kochi asked, but once more the group quietly retreated to the back of the room. “Then let me ask our newest Elite-Vestige,” Kochi said and all eyes rested on Hikaru and the others. The boys obviously felt a bit hesitant to even speak. “What are you planning on doing from now on?”

They all exchanged a few looks, but none of them seemed to have a direct reply ready. To their surprise the one who walked up to them was Sou and he took Raul’s hand with a smile.

“You are all always welcome back at the Bunker, you know that, right?” Sou asked. “Elite-Vestige or not, you were our friends before and that hasn’t changed. You don’t need to fight just because you have the ability to do so now.”

“Wise words,” Juri whispered towards Kochi who agreed.

“I want to make use of my strength and speed,” Raul spoke first. “But I just don’t know how yet. It all feels too unfamiliar yet to give a reply.”

“And that is totally okay, we should take our time and think about it,” Hikaru agreed.

“I will stay at the Bunker and help as much as I can. Maybe I can join the Centers as well for research at some point,” Ryohei spoke next, all of them slowly finding their voices.

“I want to help at the Bunker as well for now,” Koji said.

“Same,” Meguro nodded.

“I might want to join the Fallen team,” Shota said, almost inaudibly as if he wasn’t really sure if he should have said that.

“If you do then I will join you,” Miyadate assured him and they both looked up at Reia and Kentaro.

“You are more than welcome to join our search at any time,” Reia assured them.

“Just don’t pick a fight with me or you will regret it,” Kentaro warned them and weirdly it brought a smile to their faces.

“I might follow overseas at some point, but maybe not right away,” Sakuma explained.

“I was wondering about that too,” Fukka agreed.

“I will give all the teams another thought for now, but I really hope everyone finds the right path for themselves,” Hikaru encouraged them.

“You should voice out your opinion as well or you will be left behind,” Fuma was heard next and then they all looked at him. His eyes were fixed on Mitsu who now let out a quiet sigh.

“Then what are you planning?” Mitsu asked back.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Fuma replied. “Do you think the people of the Bunker will just run after you Fallen and Vestige without being restless and having questions?”

“Since when are you calm enough to help people with questions?” Shori asked with a raised eyebrow. Fuma gave him a death glare on that question, proving his point even more.

“For that he has us,” Kento interfered.

“I would love to move out of the Bunker into the communities,” Marius chirped in the back and Sou agreed, even Raul seemed excited about that option.

“Here you have it, we will be in charge of helping people move back to the surface,” Fuma said proudly and Mitsu actually gave him a smile on that decision.

“That is indeed great,” Mitsu said, but his own look turned a bit darker. “I would love to be part of that.”

“Then come back in one piece,” Fuma said, almost sounding threatening. “I know you want to go overseas with Taisuke and the others. So do it! Just promise me to come back this time.”

Mitsu stayed silent on his brother’s words as if he was afraid to actually admit that he was right, but then Taisuke walked up to him and gave him an encouraging look before he turned towards Fuma. “I will make sure to bring your brother back to you this time.”

It was a passive reminder that Taisuke had brought this Fallen group together, not that he was the cause for them turning into Fallen in the first place, yet Fuma could easily judge him for that. Yet for once Fuma knew the word respect well enough to not be snappy with Taisuke and he nodded.

“Make sure that he doesn’t do anything stupid, he is known for that,” Fuma said instead and Mitsu smiled on hearing that. Kento was the one to actually hit Fuma on that statement.

“Don’t talk about your brother in such a way when it’s actually you who brings all the trouble.”

Now everyone got amused by their quarreling and the room needed a moment longer to fall silent once more.

“That leaves only two undecided members?” Kochi asked and now it was Taiga’s turn to feel uncomfortable as everyone turned towards him and Hokuto. To his surprise though it was Hokuto who stepped up.

“I caused all of you as much trouble as a lot of the Fallen and Elite-Vestige in this room did,” Hokuto started. “All of you helped me more than I could have ever asked for. Taiga stood by my side when it would have been safer not to and here he still remains at my side.”

It was weird to hear Hokuto talk this emotionally, but as Kochi had said, this was the moment for them all to be honest.

“I feel like it would take a lifetime to repay everyone for what they have done for me, yet just this one time I want to be egoistic and request to not make an immediate decision about where we will go and what we will help with from now on.”

It was Juri who walked up to Hokuto and Taiga on those words and he put one hand on each of their shoulders with a bright smile.

“This is no egoistic request. I know that you feel guilty for a lot of things, but our way until here was full of chaos and sacrifices on all our sides,” Juri explained. “We all heal in our own way and pace. Kochi made it clear, none of you, none of everyone in this room should feel like they are forced to be useful to this new era just because there have been mistakes and tough times in their past.”

Taiga formed an understanding smile on Juri’s words and then looked up to Kochi who also nodded approvingly on the boy’s speech.

“Then I would like to request the same,” Taiga spoke up next and took his time to look through the room. “I admire every single one of you for your determination.”

His look rested a bit on Taisuke, then on Reia and finally on Myuto. “I owe a lot of you apologies, but I also need to express a huge amount of gratitude. All our paths until now were connected, some through coincidences, others even through force. We experienced hate, loss, disappointment and confusion while we also finally learned again how to express our happiness, joy and gratitude to one another. Just for a bit longer I would like to find my own happiness once more until I feel ready enough to join our ongoing fight for a better future. I promise you that I won’t watch from the sideline forever.”

The one to move first was Reia as he walked up to Taiga and threw his arms around the other one. “You are the one who deserves a break the most.”

“If you say anything stupid now I will hit you,” Myuto said the moment Taiga opened his mouth. “You asked for a break, here you get it. None of us is judging you. Both of you deserve a rest, no matter how long it will eventually be.”

“If you cry now I will laugh at you nevertheless,” Kentaro threatened, making Hokuto give him a warning look right away, but Taiga just laughed as he released Reia and squeezed the boy’s shoulders once.

“I promise you that we’ll be back with the same determination as before,” Taiga promised.

“Now I wonder why you said two though?” Hokuto said and looked towards Juri. “Aren’t you undecided either?”

Juri formed a soft smile on that question before he looked up to Kochi who gave him a nod. A reaction that made everyone look at them questioning.

“I’ve made a decision already,” Juri explained.

“Will you join one of the teams?” Taiga asked, but he had already expected it when Juri shook his head, yet his look brightened up even more. Never had he seen the boy this at peace, this determined.

“I decided to become human again.”

***

“What a shame that you don’t have a roof here to run off to. I looked for you everywhere,” Hokuto said as he found Taiga standing in the middle of nowhere a few dozens of meters away from the Bunker. There were heavy rain clouds on the horizon and it had turned humid, but it wasn’t too warm even at noon time. Everyone had retreated to their own groups after their talk had ended to talk things through more detailed.

“That was a heavy bomb to drop right at the end, huh?” Hokuto asked as he stepped next to Taiga and crossed his arms to his chest.

“I can understand why they waited until we all made a decision, but it seems so surreal.”

Kochi had immediately explained that there was no serum to turn Vestige or Fallen back to humans, at least not yet. Juri had been with him when he had discovered theoretical data Nakamaru had collected, but of course the leaders weren’t focused on demutating the DNA so it all had ended up theoretical. Yet Kochi was determined to actually make it work and Juri had agreed to help him in the only way possible, by being the first one to try the serum in case they would really find a way to make this work.

“The Elite-Vestige from the Bunker seemed thrilled when they heard it,” Hokuto said with a smile.

“Understandable, they want to be back to human the most,” Taiga replied his look still lost towards the horizon.

“Would you have decided to help Juri and Kochi with it if you were still a Fallen?” Hokuto asked and of course Taiga knew that this question was going to come.

“If I had been a normal Fallen then I think yes,” Taiga replied now that he had already thought about it for a while. “But with our Fallen self I would have not done it I think, especially towards the end.”

“At the beginning I would have totally done it just to get rid of him,” Hokuto added with a laugh, making Taiga smile in a nostalgic manner as well.

“Then would you want to be turned back now that he is with Taisuke instead?”

This time it was Hokuto’s turn to stare ahead for a moment and then he stepped in front of Taiga, slowly lifting his hand to the other one’s cheek before he pulled him into a slow and passionate kiss, which Taiga didn’t want to pull away from for the rest of the day.

“In a way it is tempting, I won’t deny that,” Hokuto said against the other one’s lips and Taiga hurried to put his arms around the younger one’s hips so that he couldn’t back off any further.

“But?” Taiga whispered and trapped Hokuto’s bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before the other one could answer.

“But I prefer to stay overprotective for a while longer,” Hokuto replied with a teasing smile as he moved greedier this time, moving his hands down around Taiga’s hips, then lower to his butt while he deepened the kiss and Taiga melted into the other one’s touch.

“I feel like I can totally live with that overprotective behavior for a while longer,” Taiga replied with his lips touching the other one’s earlobe. What he hadn’t seen coming was Hokuto suddenly lifting him up, Taiga slightly squealing on that move before he closed his legs around the other one’s hips as Hokuto started walking.

“Where are we going?” Taiga asked and played with Hokuto’s hair while the other one kept walking towards the Bunker.

“We’re going to find ourselves a room. First because it’s going to rain soon and second, because while I personally don’t mind to undress you right here in the sand, I feel like you would want some more privacy."

Taiga laughed at that explanation, but he couldn’t blame the other one. They had had a whole week to themselves, but they also had to catch up on their time they spent away from each other, so Taiga enjoyed the carrying service he got and he placed a soft kiss on the other one’s neck.

“Don’t force me to throw my plan of finding a private place first out of the window,” Hokuto said warningly and this time Taiga’s laugh was even louder and he hugged the other one instead.

“I will love you no matter what our future will bring from now,” Taiga whispered.

“You have to speak louder if you want me to hear you,” Hokuto teased, but that made Taiga pinch him slightly on the back.

“You are a Vestige, you hear me breathing a mile away,” Taiga laughed, but then he leaned back, making Hokuto stop, but he wouldn’t let him down.

“But for you I will always repeat myself,” Taiga said with a soft smile this time and he leaned to the front for another slow kiss before he put his forehead against the other ones with a calm expression. “I love you and I will forever love you.”

“Can we get any cheesier?” Hokuto asked, but didn’t pull back and lifted his head instead, putting a kiss on Taiga’s forehead. “I’m more than grateful that you will love this overprotective boyfriend of yours until eternity and as long as you won’t get tired of me eventually I will do the same.”

“Now we can’t get any cheesier,” Taiga replied and this time they both formed the brightest smiles they had seen on each other’s faces in a long time before they burst out laughing.

慕和 (Shinowa) - year 2　(2 years after Musen 30 the last year of the era of war)

“Are you sure they are not lost?”

“Oh I am pretty sure they are,” Taiga laughed, but took the tea cup from the bench and took a calm sip instead of worrying. After all they weren’t in any hurry and there was no reason to fear for their safety, except them being chased by some bears down the mountain on their way. “You are making me nervous, can’t you sit down?”

With a sigh Hokuto finally gave up and sat down next to Taiga at the small store which was located at a small road near a mountain path. The store owner came out of the shop seconds later to hand them a few dango and Hokuto took them with a grateful nod and handed one to Taiga. “I guess I will need a bit more time to stop worrying about everything.”

“The fact that you’re even worrying for them on this calm day makes me fear that you will worry for me for the rest of your life,” Taiga said and bit one of the dango off from the wooden stick, almost choking on it.

“See, I have all right to worry,” Hokuto scolded him and patted his back a few times while Taiga laughed between a few coughs. Then he turned to look down the street with a smile.

“At least you have one less reason to worry now.”

Taiga’s words made Hokuto turn to the entrance area of the small town they had chosen to meet up at and he saw Shin, Jesse, Juri and Kochi walking towards them. Shintaro was already waving, Jesse started running towards them and suddenly they were racing their way up to them.

“I was first,” Shintaro said after he had tried to shove Jesse to the side right before they made it.

“Cheater,” Jesse replied and when they wanted to start quarreling, Hokuto held a dango right between them, both of their eyes suddenly sparkling and Hokuto gave them the food so that they would stay quiet.

“How have you been?” Juri asked and finally Taiga got up as well and stopped next to Hokuto with a smile.

“Great, actually. A lot still needs to be figured out, but I am really happy that a lot of people actually wanted to move away from the Capitol now that the communities around the Centers are stable.”

“Do you still prefer living out here?” Kochi asked.

“Sometimes I miss the Capitol. I can't deny that,” Taiga said. “But it’s not like we are not visiting you. But taking care of the people in the countryside is our priority.”

The Capitol had changed drastically over the last few years and now that people had calmed down and their lives had returned to a normal routine they had decided to change their era as well to create a new beginning for everyone. Two years after the fall of the Government they had entered Shinowa, their new era of peace. After their overseas teams brought a lot of good news and a new world war wasn’t something they feared for now, they were trying to focus more on their own futures.

“I bet you would like it out here as well,” Hokuto said towards Kochi who actually seemed to enjoy the quiet nature around him.

“Trust me, it was so difficult to get him away from his desk,” Juri laughed. “But we left Shizu, Miyata, Noel and Tama in charge so it will be fine.”

“I just hate burdening them with so much responsibility. They have the hospital to take care of too,” Kochi added.

The Bunker was eventually renovated and was now part of the Underground City. The entire location was now the central Headquarter of all Centers. They had held an open election and of course they had voted for Kochi as the leader, but Kochi had only accepted under the condition that each Center would also get leaders who would then protect the new build communities around them and they would all come together to make political decisions together. At the headquarter Tama and Miyata had also established a central hospital and they were now teaching everyone who was willing to learn about medical care so that they could help out at the communities.

“For a few days I am sure they are thrilled to take over for you. You really deserve a break,” Taiga said before he looked at Juri. “How are you feeling by the way?”

“I got used to it,” Juri said and looked at his own arms as if he had seen them for the first time. The same as Taiga though his Vestige mark hadn’t vanished. “Weird how you can actually forget how it feels to be human. The worst part is getting used to the basics again.”

“Eating, sleeping, not getting hurt,” Taiga said with a knowing smile and Juri laughed, as he was right.

That their research had eventually worked was a miracle to them all, no one had actually believed that it could be possible, but thanks to Noel, Tama and a lot of the other researchers, Kochi had finally found the missing parts to his research and while Juri had to go through some tough phases while they had several setbacks, he was now a healthy human again, without any aftereffects even after a year. A change that had others follow him now that Kochi felt like it was safe to offer the change back to human to everyone.

“What the hell is up with them?” Shintaro suddenly asked his words almost not understandable as he had three dangos in his mouth at once while he was pointing down the street.

Everyone turned to look and then they could see someone throwing his arms in the air and running forth and back between some houses, squealing and yelling.

“He is the worst kind of human ever, he should have stayed an Elite-Vestige,” Hokuto said and shook his head, but at the same time he was smiling like the others.

“Make it go away! KONPI TAKE IT AWAY!”

“I won’t touch that thing,” Konpi yelled at Taiko, while he hid behind Reia to not get involved. Reia just rolled his eyes and looked at Taiko in amusement as the boy kept running away from a chicken. A chicken, nothing more.

“Taiko, we fought Fallen, come on, this isn’t that bad,” Reia reminded him, but then Taiko squealed again as the chicken actually tried to pick his leg.

“THIS IS WORSE THAN FIGHTING FALLEN,” Taiko screamed from the depth of his lunges while he kept running and then he saw the others and immediately ran towards them.

“Oh no,” Juri said and shoved Kochi out of the way, knowing what was going to happen. Luckily Jesse was up next and Taiko jumped right on Jesse, the boy lifting him up so that the chicken couldn’t get to him anymore.

“My new lifesaver,” Taiko said so grateful as if he was really about to die and Jesse laughed, but slowly let him down when the chicken moved away.

“Such a crybaby,” Konpi said, but then the chicken actually went for him and Reia, and this time Konpi squealed as well and hid behind Reia.

“Are you any better?”

“Leave me alone, I only recently became human again. I need to get used to this.”

“Are we all going to get scared of chicken if we become human?” Reia asked Kochi who gave him a dumbfounded look.

A moment later they all started laughing and Taiga moved to the front with a smile. First Reia hesitated, but when Taiga opened his arms he jumped into a hug.

“I’ve missed you,” Taiga said and hugged the other one tightly. “How are things overseas?”

“A bit chaotic, but everyone is safe, at least the ones who were with me.” Reia had joined one overseas team for the last year and things were way smoother overseas than he had imagined. After the Fallen searching team had succeeded in finding and turning the remaining registered Fallen they felt safe enough to move on to other teams.

“The other teams are also okay, no worries. We are in contact,” Kochi explained. “Everyone has come back at least once by now.”

“Are you planning on going again?” Taiga asked and Reia stepped back with a thoughtful expression. “Maybe. I am not sure yet. Rinne, Katsuki and Yabana are still out there so I want to check up on them.”

“By the way, who else is coming?” Taiko asked now that he had calmed down.

“The ones who don’t seem afraid of chickens,” Hokuto said and looked ahead where another group of people arrived, but right after he had said that, one of them actually jumped away from the same chicken and got a slap on the back of his head from Kentaro.

“What the hell Chaka. Since when are you a scared cat?”

“I don’t know, I just feel like this chicken is evil,” Chaka replied, making Reo laugh.

“He isn’t wrong,” Taiko greeted them.

“But at least there seems to be the proof that not everyone who turned back is afraid of chicken now,” Juri pointed out and on that everyone turned towards the two who were walking behind Chaka, Kentaro and Reo.

“Why would I be afraid of a chicken?” Aran asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked at Myuto who shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t ask me, I am still a Fallen after all.”

“Which we need to change. Kochi, I think you will soon have your next volunteer,” Kentaro teased, but Myuto gave him a warning glare for that statement.

“Everyone is welcome to go through the change. A lot of the Elite-Vestige have gone through it already and they are grateful for their returned human lives. I know the progress is a bit longer and more complicated than with a simple serum, but I can ensure you that it is worth it.”

“Even Hirano’s group seems to do really well with Hikaru’s group in the communities, right?” Reia asked and Shintaro nodded.

“At the West Center their members are helping out really well with the people. I never thought Hirano’s group would go through the change this early, but they are really well suited for a human life.”

“So what, am I more suited for a Fallen life?” Kentaro let out a bit of challenging, Reo joining his threatening game, making Shintaro fall silent for a moment before they both laughed.

“Are you really planning on changing?” Taiga asked as he approached Myuto who flashed him a bright smile and went to hug him before he actually replied.

“Maybe. We talked about it and Aran is more than happy to be back to human, but I guess I need a bit more time. Aran wants to go overseas again and I feel better if I am still a Fallen when I go with him.”

“Right, the overprotectiveness is a part of a lot of you,” Taiga laughed and looked back at Hokuto who was now quarreling with Kentaro and Reo about him and Taiga not coming back to the Capitol often enough.

“But if I do it, then I think I will choose to live outside the Capitol the same way you do,” Myuto added with a calm look towards Aran who was speaking to Kochi and Juri.

“The Centers are all in good care and no matter where our paths lead us we will all still be there for each other,” Taiga assured him.

“Did you hear back from them?” Myuto asked and Taiga knew of course who he was talking about.

“I only spoke to Shime before he left. But I am happy for them. They deserve a new start, no matter where in the world.”

Shime had eventually joined Taisuke overseas, but at some point they had split from the group Mitsu was leading. Yet they still reported back to Kochi from time to time.

“We’ve all changed a lot that is for sure, but I think we will all eventually find happiness in one way or the other,” Myuto assured him and patted his shoulder with an encouraging smile. “Which reminds me, there is something we need to do before I leave again.”

Which would be?” Taiga asked in confusion on Myuto’s teasing smile.

“You know there is a coffee shop now at the community at the West Center, we should check it out the next time you come to the Capitol.”

Now Taiga formed a bright smile as well and nodded. “Finally we can have another coffee together.”

“Let’s go or we won’t make it until nightfall,” Shintaro said and started walking. All they were aiming for was a walk to the next town to stay the night at one of the guest houses, but something harmless and calm like this was something they all hadn’t done even once in their lives. Taiga smiled ahead at all of them. They all seemed so excited and hyped about this small come together. Of course it was sad that they couldn’t all meet up together after such a long time, but someone had to keep an eye on the headquarter and Centers after all.

“Are you okay?” Hokuto asked as he let himself fall back to walk next to Taiga after Myuto had walked up to Aran.

“Yes, why?” Taiga asked, but Hokuto gave him a knowing look, making Taiga smile.

“I know it’s a weird choice, but it was also the only place I knew and I am happy that some people decided to study our history and actually rebuild this historical street.”

The place Taiga had chosen for them all to meet up was the place where he had fought against Taisuke and lost to his Fallen self for the first time. But he didn’t feel in any way uncomfortable being back at this place. He had hoped back then already that a calm era would come for them all to enjoy such peaceful days and finally his wish had become reality.

“You’ve changed,” Hokuto said after a moment and Taiga looked at him in confusion. “How to say it. You’ve become calmer, maybe? More mature?”

“That is something we all have become,” Taiga replied with a calm smile. “But I guess you also made your decision because you realized that change?” Taiga asked and for a moment Hokuto was in his thoughts, but then he flinched and cursed when Shintaro was suddenly next to him and pinched him into the arm.

“What takes you so long? You are missing all the fun. Did you know that Juri has a pet penguin now?”

I DON’T OWN A PENGUIN, SHIN!” Juri yelled from the front.

“Seriously, Shintaro is reading too many of our history books recently,” Jesse said, shaking his head.

“But how much fun would it be to have a pet penguin?” Reo asked with sparkling eyes.

“Guys, we were talking about zoos, not about pets. A penguin is no pet,” Juri scolded them.

“Then why do you own one?”

Kentaro’s question made Juri explode and he dashed after the Fallen, the others laughing at them and chasing after them.

“The chaos will never end,” Hokuto said and rubbed his forearm. Taiga stopped him and took his arm in his hands, to lift it up. The red spot where Shintaro had pinched him was still visible and Taiga was smiling in peace as he moved his fingers over it and put a soft kiss on it.

“Now I guess I am the one who will need to get used to this,” Taiga admitted.

Hokuto smiled on hearing that before he put his hand on Taiga’s cheek. “I promise you that I won’t run off to fight with the others overseas now, so you don’t have to worry, okay? I made this choice, because I felt that we were both ready for this change.”

“And even if we are not, we will have the others to help us out,” Taiga reminded him.

Hokuto nodded and leaned in for a slow kiss. For him everything felt new, every touch, every move, even the sunlight on his skin and the cold of the night felt as if he had never experienced it before, but he knew that he had made the right decision in becoming human again.

From now on they would all live in an era of peace and they knew that their friends would always have their backs, so now it was time for them to create their own future!