A few days passed in a heavy, suffocating silence. It was a very normal day in Nagasaki—or as normal as things could be in the year 2169.
May 16th. The sky was a bruised palette of charcoal and slate, the clouds hanging low and thick over the city. It had been exactly one week since Kara last saw Hoshi. One week of wondering if the kunoichi was even still alive.
Inside the quarters, Itoshi sat at the wooden table, deep in thought. His finger tapped rhythmically against the surface—tap, tap, tap—a steady, hollow sound that seemed to vibrate through the entire room.
His other hand was propped under his chin, eyes narrowed into thin slits of intense concentration.
"Hmmmmmm!" he groaned, the sound vibrating in his chest.
"Never seen you think so hard before,"
Ryujin muttered.
He leaned against the counter, blowing steam off his morning coffee. He watched the younger boy with a weary expression.
"Somethin' bothering you?"
"It's insanely quiet,"
Itoshi muttered, his finger never breaking its rhythm.
"It's been a week since that kunoichi left. A week, and Kara won't even talk to me. She barely looks at anyone."
"Ahh..."
Ryujin exhaled, the sound lost in the steam of his mug. He glanced toward the couch where Kirashi lay sprawled out, fast asleep.
The swordsman's mouth was wide open, and a light, rhythmic snore competed with Itoshi's tapping.
"Give her time, Itoshi. She's worried about the girl, that's all."
Itoshi snapped his head back, turning to face Ryujin.
"Yeah, I know! But that's the problem! She worries way more about that stranger than she does about herself now. It's like she's not even here."
Before Ryujin could respond, the door to the boys' room swung open. Ayro and Aldrin entered, carrying heavy trays of breakfast rations that had just arrived from the Defense quarters.
The smell of scorched protein and salted grains filled the air, but it did little to brighten the mood.
"We're back!.."
Aldrin announced, though his voice trailed off as he felt the tension.
"Eh?.. It's so quiet in here."
"Right?!"
Itoshi barked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
Across the hall, a door creaked open. Kara stepped out, her eyes landing on the food trays.
"Oh! Breakfast!" she said, her voice sounding forced and thin.
The group drifted into their usual morning routine, but the gears were grinding. Kara and Jayu began prepping the plates while Aldrin assisted, his movements careful and quiet.
The soft clatter of ceramic and the hiss of the stovetop filled the kitchen, but the silence from the rest of the boys felt like a physical weight.
Itoshi hadn't stopped. Tap. Tap. Tap. His gaze remained fixed on a knot in the wood of the table.
Ayro leaned toward Ryujin, whispering under his breath.
"Never seen our boy ponder so hard. It's starting to creep me out."
"It's strange, honestly,"
Ryujin added, keeping his voice barely audible.
Suddenly, from the depths of the couch, Kirashi's voice cut through the room, though his eyes remained closed.
"He's worried about Kara..."
Everyone froze. Kirashi was still deep in his slumber, one arm hanging limply over the edge of the cushions, his breathing steady.
"W-Wha? Who's worried about who?"
Kara asked, her eyes darting between the men, her hands hovering over a stack of plates.
Ryujin sighed and gently facepalmed.
"Didn't know he could reply even in his sleep..."
"Unconscious wisdom,"
Ayro muttered, raising an eyebrow at the snoring swordsman.
The tension finally snapped. Itoshi lurched up from his chair, the wood screeching against the floor, and pointed a finger straight at Kara.
"I am! We are! We're worried about you!"
Kara blinked, the color draining from her face. She forced a small, fragile smile and turned back to the stove.
"Ehh... Thank you for worrying, but I am alright!.. This is almost done. Get prepped, ya'll!"
Itoshi clenched his fist, his jaw tightening until his teeth creaked.
"Stop pretending, Kara! I know you better than that! You're putting someone else before yourself again. You didn't even leave your room yesterday. Not once!"
Kara said nothing. She flipped a portion of food with methodical, robotic precision.
"Oi! Don't you ignore me!"
Itoshi shouted. He stepped forward with sudden, violent force.
Jayu gasped, the sound sharp in the small kitchen. She dropped the spoon she was holding—it hit the tile with a silver clang—and scrambled behind Aldrin, clutching his sleeve with trembling hands.
Kara slowly turned, but before she could utter a word, Itoshi closed the distance. He slammed his hands onto the counter on either side of her, pinning her in place.
He loomed over her, his shadow swallowing her small frame. Kara looked down, her face obscured by the dark fall of her bangs.
"I'm right, aren't I?!"
Itoshi demanded.
The only answer was the faint, indifferent sizzle of the stovetop.
"Tsk. You're such a fool when it comes to these things. You really are,"
Itoshi spat, his eyes burning.
"You don't even know that kunoichi—yet you act like she's the only person in this world who matters!"
"She can be trusted..."
Kara's voice was low, vibrating with a quiet intensity.
"Hah?!"
Itoshi snapped, leaning closer.
"Trusted?! You knew her for a day! She even managed to hurt Ayro."
Itoshi stuttered.
"And she almost fucking killed you... YOU!"
"I can tell by her eyes... what she told us was genuine..."
Kara responded. Her voice trembled, but she didn't back down.
"Tsk, th—"
"Then what do you expect me to do?!"
Kara cut him off, her voice cracking as it rose in volume.
"Do nothing?! I can't just sit here when I know I can do something for someone! I can't turn that off!"
The room went deathly still. The air felt thin, charged with the static of their clashing wills.
"Koya... You're unfair..."
Kara whispered.
Ryujin finally moved. He walked over with a commanding stride, his hand gripping Itoshi's shoulder. He didn't use force, but the pressure was firm.
"Calm down now, Itoshi... I understand how you feel. We all do. But you have to give her space."
Itoshi let himself be pulled back, though he looked like he wanted to punch the wall. He dropped into his chair, sulking, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"Yeah! I know!"
Kara wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, the movement quick and jagged. She turned off the stove and began plating the food in silence.
Jayu crept out from behind Aldrin to help, her small face full of confusion and fear.
"Let me help you with that,"
Aldrin offered gently, stepping in to bridge the gap.
Together, they brought the meal to the table. Itoshi sat like a statue, his finger returning to its post. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound was no longer just a rhythm; it was a heartbeat of unresolved anger.
As Kara set the dishes down, tears began to stream silently down her cheeks. They fell onto the table, small salt-circles appearing on the dark wood.
She didn't sob. She didn't falter in her movements. She just stood there, leaking pain.
And then, the world outside decided for them.
The familiar, bone-chilling wail of the siren tore through the quiet. It was sharp, urgent, and unmistakable.
Itoshi was up in an instant, snatching his jacket before the first cycle of the siren had even finished.
Ryujin and Ayro were right behind him, their faces shifting from domestic frustration to the cold, hard masks of Field men.
On the couch, Kirashi jolted upright, his eyes snapping open with a wild, predatory light.
"Hoh! Fighting time!"
The four of them stormed out in perfect sync—no words, no glances back at the unfinished breakfast or the crying girl they left behind.
Kara dropped to her knees. Her shoulders shook as her bangs fell forward, hiding her face. "Kara-nee!" Jayu cried, rushing to her side. Aldrin knelt beside them, his face clouded with worry.
Outside, the siren continued to scream, but inside, the room felt fractured.
"Sorry... everyone..."
Kara whispered, wiping her face.
"It's not fair... Am I not allowed to get close to her?.."
Aldrin looked at the doorway, a small, sad smile touching his lips.
"Well... if something goes wrong, you're the one who will be held responsible. I think that's what Itoshi is actually worried about. He doesn't want to lose you to someone else's mess."
He glanced at her, his tone softening.
"Wanna come with them?"
Kara looked up in shock, her eyes wide and searching. Aldrin's smile broadened—he understood.
The four boys boarded the first SUV, the engine roaring to life with a violent growl before tearing out of the lot in a blur of speed.
A second, slower SUV pulled up for the rest. The female driver, the same one who had driven them before, sat behind the wheel with a bored expression that quickly changed as she saw the passengers. Aldrin took the front, while Kara and Jayu climbed into the back.
"Hoh?.. Everyone's quiet today,"
The driver noted, glancing in the rearview mirror.
"Oi, Aldrin, what did you do to them?"
Aldrin scratched the back of his head, looking everywhere but at the driver.
"I-It's complicated, m-ma'am."
The driver narrowed her eyes, a dangerous smirk playing on her lips.
"If you did something to these girls, I'll burn you alive. Understood?"
"Y-Yeah! Got it!"
Aldrin stammered, his hands flying up in surrender.
Meanwhile, in the lead SUV, Itoshi stared out the window.
He wasn't thinking about the mission. He was thinking about the look in Kara's eyes, and the shadow of the kunoichi that still hung over them all.
~~~To be Continued~~~