He stood there amidst the noisy white walls, watching the Field-Men scramble across the hangar floor. His purple eyes remained locked on two figures—two blue-haired youths sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall.
He blinked once, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
Beep. Beep.
His comms chirped, breaking his focus.
"Yo, Leader. Come meet me in the SPINELs quarters."
Ryujin turned his head away from the pair.
"Copy that, Miss Gigi."
Ryujin arrived at the SPINELs quarters, standing straight with the disciplined posture of a man who had seen it all.
He saluted once.
"You've summoned me, Ma'am."
Miss Gigi faced the battlefield for a moment longer before turning to him. She nodded once, signaling for him to follow.
As the clatter of keyboards and the low mumble of the intelligence group filled the air, the two made their way toward a private meeting room.
Ryujin held the door open for her. Miss Gigi entered with quick, deliberate steps, her three-inch heels echoing against the floor.
She sat on the couch and crossed her legs, inhaling deeply from her cigarette. Ryujin took a seat on a wooden table, sitting upright with his focus entirely on her.
She blew out a cloud of smoke, watching it rise from her red lips.
"I've received new orders from Mr. Hasegawa. No—not just him."
She paused, locking her eyes onto Ryujin's.
"This came directly from the Skulls."
Ryujin lowered his gaze.
"What do you want to hear first? The good news or the bad news?"
Ryujin met her eyes again.
"You still think there could be good news in a battle like this, Ma'am?"
Miss Gigi scoffed, a small smile playing on her face.
"Mission-driven, are we? Did you even consider the chance that the 'good news' is that we found Ayro?"
Ryujin remained focused and straightforward.
"Have you?"
Miss Gigi shook her head.
"I'll take the good news,"
Ryujin finally answered.
"More field men are coming from the rear,"
She said.
"The Skulls have noticed the scale of this battle down south is larger than we expected. We're severely outnumbered right now."
She took another drag of her cigarette.
"That means more rest for you. We can pull your squad from the harsher battles, or you can stay on as rear guards."
She stood up.
"The bad news is, we're going to have to stretch you thin first."
Ryujin sat like a stone, only blinking as he listened.
"The nearest large-scale accumulation of field men is in Kumamoto. It'll take them twenty to forty minutes to get into position,"
She explained.
"Since we're running out of men, I need to deploy your squad to buy that cluster some time. Backup is on the way, but right now, the airport is on the verge of falling to the Seeles."
Ryujin nodded.
"Ok. Got it." He blinked. "How about Ayro?"
Flash. Flash. A man stood in the dark.
"We still have his signal,"
Miss Gigi answered.
Flash. Flash. Somewhere under the waning moon, a man fell to his knees, his breathing ragged and labored.
"But we're still unable to pinpoint his location. We think there's a disruptor nearby,"
She continued.
Ryujin gave one last firm nod before standing up.
"Got it. 663 will head out this instant."
As he bolted for the door, Miss Gigi called out to him.
"Oi."
Ryujin turned back, the door half-open. In her right palm sat a single, ear-worn comms unit.
"Bwoah! That felt good!"
Itoshi hushed, stretching his legs out as Kara sat beside him. He took one last bite of his bland ration and turned to her with his eyes closed.
"Thank you so much, Kara!"
When he opened them, her cyan eyes were already locked onto his fiery red ones.
"That big-ass one took quite a lot of work. Thankfully, me and Ryujin managed to take it down."
Tomori and Kirashi sat atop a nearby crate with Aldrin, watching the two on the floor.
"Hoh! Even with the costume? You've really adapted to that outfit, huh? Jayu-chan was right after all,"
Kara hushed, her voice sounding forced but excited.
"Ehh? Nah, it still feels like shit during battles. I hope people would trust me faster so I don't have to wear it anymore!"
Itoshi complained.
As the two spoke, the others remained silent. They could see right through it—Kara was pulling on a tough mask for her other half.
"Trust is something you gradually gain, though,"
Kara added softly.
"I know! But still! I—"
Before Itoshi could finish, four field men rushed into the hangar.
"Someone! Any SPIPO here?!"
One called out.
"The captain of Squad Alpha is badly injured!"
Another reported.
The four carried a Field captain they had recovered from the field. He was conscious and breathing, but he had already lost his left arm.
Blood trailed across the hangar floor as they settled him down. One man stayed by the captain's side, trying desperately to stop the bleeding from the torn limb.
Seeing this, Kara quickly stood up, her helmet barely staying on her head. Itoshi watched her, clueless. She only took a few steps before Tomori firmly grabbed her hand. Kara looked back, her gaze low.
"Kara-san. That's enough,"
Tomori stepped up.
Aldrin joined in, leaping down from the crates.
"Yeah! You should rest!"
Kara bit her lip before replying,
"H-He needs my help."
As the Field-men continued to call for a SPIPO, the five stood there in a rising tension.
Itoshi stood up, confused.
"W-Why are you stopping her? She's j-just trying to help."
"I'm okay,"
Kara quickly answered.
"W-what is going on?!"
Itoshi demanded.
Tomori held Kara's wrist firmly and turned slightly toward Itoshi
"She's overexhausted her magic."
She paused.
"If she uses more, her lifespan takes the toll."
Kara lowered her gaze as Tomori finally spilled the beans.
Itoshi's eyes widened.
"But she just healed me! Why didn't you stop her if that's the case?!"
From atop the crates, Kirashi answered bluntly.
"How could we?"
Itoshi froze, his vision blurring as he looked at Kirashi.
"No way..." he thought to himself. He blinked, and the next thing he saw was Kara sitting on the floor, her hands over her nose as Tomori and Aldrin rushed to assist her.
He stood there as the realization hit him, unable to move.
"Did I... No. She... She..."
"Kara-san! Please! Rest!"
Tomori pleaded. Kara tried to force herself up, a towel now covering her nose.
"He needs my help,"
She insisted.
A field man approached them, desperate.
"Squad 663... You guys have a healer, right? Our captain!"
Kara smiled, nodding.
"Kara-san!!"
Tomori shouted, grabbing her shoulder.
"Y-You can't do this!"
Aldrin spoke to the soldier, his voice pleading.
"S-sorry... our healer is overexhausted."
At that moment, another field man called out from across the hangar.
"We've got help! Let's go!
The soldier stood up, bowing to the squad before rushing back to his captain.
Aldrin turned back to Kara.
"See? You're not always required to do it."
Kara looked Aldrin in the eye, then lowered her gaze again with a single nod.
"Alright. I'll rest."
She sat back down, her bangs covering her eyes as she took a deep breath.
Itoshi sat beside her again. He was confused, angry, and worried, but the words wouldn't come out.
Kara knew it; she expected it. She curled into her knees, hiding from the frustration radiating off him.
Just when Itoshi was about to open his mouth—
Beep. Beep.
"We're moving out,"
Ryujin's voice crackled through the comms.
They all flinched. Itoshi noticed the shift immediately; Ryujin was speaking through a channel Itoshi didn't even have access to at the moment.
Kara raised her head, turning to Itoshi with a forced smile.
"We're moving out."
Itoshi's eyes widened, and he slowly shook his head.
"Nah. No way you're going out in that condition."
Kara stood up as Aldrin, Tomori, and Kirashi regrouped, surrounding the two of them.
"I'll be fine..."
Itoshi stood his ground, his brows furrowed in anger.
"Are you crazy?!"
The other three quickly stepped back. They knew what was coming.
"After all that? After I saw you bleed? You still think I'd let you out?"
He barked, gripping Kara's shoulder as her gaze drifted to the floor.
"Kara, I'm stupid, but I'm not blind."
He paused, taking a ragged breath.
"I'll speak to Ryujin. I'm sure he's aware of your condition. Sit down!"
Itoshi tried to push her back down, but to his shock, she resisted.
Kara clenched her fists, using every ounce of her remaining strength to fight against his hands.
"I—I can do it..." she insisted, her breathing labored.
Itoshi stopped, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"You can't be serious..."
At that moment, Ryujin arrived with a man following behind him.
"Aldrin, fire up our ride."
He turned to the stranger.
"Follow Aldrin."
Itoshi turned toward Ryujin, grabbing Kara's wrist as if to anchor her.
"Ryujin! She can't come with us! You know that, right?!"
Ryujin gave a single, firm nod as Tomori and Kirashi followed Aldrin toward the vehicles.
"She's not coming with us."
Kara's head snapped up.
"I—I can do it! I can still heal!"
She lunged forward, Itoshi's grip slipping from her wrist.
"Please! Give me another chance..."
She pleaded, chasing after Ryujin.
Ryujin didn't answer. He kept walking.
Itoshi stepped in, blocking her path as Ryujin passed.
"The Leader ordered it. You're staying here, Kara."
Kara looked directly into Itoshi's eyes, her voice breaking.
"Koya! Please! Just this once! Let me prove I can do it!"
Itoshi gritted his teeth, the sound of her desperation cutting through him.
"You know I can, right? You know it, right?"
Finally, Itoshi spoke. The decision was like lead in his throat.
"You're staying here."
Kara trembled, looking helpless, but she still tried to push past him. Without another word, Itoshi grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder. He carried her over to the crates and set her down firmly.
Kara didn't fight him anymore. She just sat there, frozen.
"You're staying here. We'll fight,"
Itoshi said, turning his back on her.
"I'll tell them to take care of themselves. Worry about yourself for now."
It was final. The order was set. Itoshi bolted toward the silent engines of their ride, leaving her behind.
Kara looked down at her trembling hands, a small, broken whimper escaping her lips.
"So... weak..." she muttered to herself.
Thud. Itoshi boarded the SUV, taking his spot in the backseat. Aldrin gripped the steering wheel while Tomori took the front passenger seat. Behind them, Ryujin sat directly behind Aldrin, with a stranger positioned in the center between Ryujin and Itoshi.
"Wha—wait, who are you?" Itoshi asked, his voice still tight from the confrontation with Kara.
"Sounds like it was a mess back there," the man muttered, his eyes never leaving the tablet he was fiddling with.
A long, exhausted sigh echoed from the very back as the vehicle surged forward. It was Kirashi, tucked into the rear space. "Arguments suck..."
They all glanced toward the back as Itoshi muttered, "No wonder something felt missing."
Finally, Ryujin broke the silence. "How's Kara?"
"Horrible," Itoshi answered instantly.
Ryujin let out a quick sigh before responding. "Someday she'll grow stronger. For now, we have to keep her from pushing herself too hard."
Itoshi turned back to the window, watching his own reflection as the dark scenery drifted past. "I know, I know!"
"On that note..." Ryujin moved on, his tone shifting back to the mission. He turned to the man sitting in the center. "Shawn? Can you tell them our operation?"
Shawn raised one hand, acknowledging the order. "Shawn here! Right now, the field men are continuing their push to defend the soils of Saga!" He paused to take a breath, checking the digital clock on his screen. "In about..."
He checked the time.
[22:32H]
"Twenty-five or so minutes,"
Shawn continued, switching the display on his tablet.
"Our backups are going to arrive. From that point on, Squad Segment 663 can have a long rest as the soldiers take turns."
He paused again, the light from the screen dancing off his glasses as he pulled up a new tactical map.
"Your mission is to hold the Seeles that managed to blow out from our defense line. You'll be assigned to different places according to your gift."
Then, he looked up, meeting the eyes of the squad.
"You guys already know the cycle, right?"
Just as everyone was about to answer a collective
"Ye—"
"Ah, okay! I'll tell you!"
Shawn cut them off, clearly a man who preferred the sound of his own briefing.
"Flame beats Wind. Wind beats Earth. Earth beats Water, and Water beats Flame."
He paused for dramatic effect.
"In huge masses, Seeles are, for some bizarre reason, naturally aware of this cycle. Let's say a Flame-type Seele... in masses of civilians, they'll naturally target the Wind-gifteds because—well, what can they do, right?"
He chuckled darkly.
"Knowing that, the Field-Men are in this formation: Flame-throwers, Wind-gifteds, Earth-gifteds, and Water-gifteds."
"We're hoping that in this formation, the Seeles will naturally move for the gifts they're strong against!"
Shawn continued, his finger tracing the concentric circles on the screen.
"Now... this is gonna be our counter,"
Shawn continued, his eyes darting across the tactical data.
"We'll be attacking the ones... well, the ones we can attack!"
"Now... the Field-Men will be quite far away from the Seeles they could effectively neutralize. The job of the faster-moving squad will be to guide the bulkier groups of Seeles into the place where we want them to go,"
Shawn explained, his eyes shifting from the map to the faces of the squad.
He paused for a beat.
"The squad will be up front, like shepherds herding their sheep! We've gotta make sure they go to their pens since it's already nighttime."
He kneeled down in the cramped space of the SUV, fiddling with the gadgets in his bag.
"The squad will also get this!"
He raised his hand, holding up a sleek device meant to be worn over the left eye.
"A lightweight night vision!"
He distributed the eyepieces to the squad as he continued,
"That'll be our whole operation- Operation Metal Bracing!. We're hoping this could work in our favor! But that depends on the squad."
He clicked off the tablet, the blue light vanishing and leaving the interior of the SUV in near-darkness. He asked one last time,
"Did you guys understand?"
He looked at everyone—Kirashi, Itoshi, Tomori, and Aldrin.
No one answered. They all just stared back, looking completely lost. The complex strategy, the elemental cycle, and the "shepherd" analogy had clearly flown right over their heads in the heat of the moment.
Finally, Tomori broke the silence, her sunset-colored eyes blinking behind the new gear.
"I tried..."
~~~To be Continued~~~