Hours had passed since the group had formed and spoken at lunch. Yuma was already at home preparing himself for what was soon going to happen. Summoning his Hilt, he noticed it formed a full handle and guard. No blade yet, but more than what he started with, it stoked a fire of confidence in Yuma. Growth like this in a month is amazing. He felt as if he was on top of the world. Inspecting the Hilt, Yuma was lost in the intricate details of his sword. The guard wasn't a different color from the handle, but it seemed so much brighter. On its side were curved lines, as if it were an ancient script. Yuma got lost trying to decipher the script, even though he knew he wouldn't understand it. While inspecting it, A knock, then a sudden opening of his door, startled him. Immediately, he hid the hilt behind his back. Standing at the door, his mother looked at him with suspicion.
"Hey, Baba..." she asked curiously.
"Hey, Mama." Yuma replied instantly, praying she hadn't seen anything.
"What were you doing?"
Yuma looked around nervously at the question.
"Nothing... Just drugs..." Yuma responded, immediately regretting his choice of words.
His mom just sighed and rolled her eyes.
"If it were drugs, I would've known months ago... seriously, what are you hiding?" She clearly didn't believe him.
Approaching him, she caught him off guard and grabbed his arms, forcing them forward. In his hand was the hilt, gripped tightly. Yuma lost all composure in maintaining his lie; he understood now his best bet was a different lie.
"Mama, I can explain..." he sputtered out.
However, his mom just started, confused by both his hands.
"There's nothing... why did you hide your hands?" she asked, more confused by his behavior.
It then dawned on him that the hilt was composed of his energy. Of course, she wasn't going to see anything. Now the harder part had just come up: how was he going to explain his nervous behavior?
"I was pranking you...?" Yuma responded nervously.
It wasn't exactly a great idea, but this was the best he could do at the moment.
His mom stared blankly, not because she believed him or even had trouble believing him, but because she knew pressing the issue would get her nowhere. Letting go of his arms, she backed away and walked back to the door.
"Well... aside from whatever that way, dinner is ready. I left a plate out for you... I'm going to bed early." She stated, driving the point home, that she remained suspicious of him.
"Goodnight, Baba."
With that, she locked the door, already heading to her room. Yuma was now left alone in his room. He hadn't intended to, but his hilt dissolved like it had overstayed its welcome. As the rush of fear finally faded, Yuma turned and flopped on his bed almost immediately. The exhaustion he felt was far worse than he had ever experienced. Thought he knew fully well why, having discovered this during his training with Akira and Keisuke. His abilities weren't fueled by some magically stored energy nor some untapped inner energy like he would read about in the very minimal manga and comics he's managed actually to touch. All his power derived from his mental energy; it made sense, too, given that most of his abilities and connections require a deeper understanding of himself. Succumbing to the exhaustion, Yuma closed his eyes and curled up into a ball. It didn't take long, however, for his eyes to snap wide open.
Downstairs, the front door rattled as if whoever was behind it were planning to break it down, and glancing out into the hall. His mom had groggily walked past his room, confused by the commotion at the front. Not wanting her to really do anything, Yuma shot up and immediately went past her, grabbing her shoulder to reassure her, " He's got it covered. She gave him a light nod, rubbing her eyes, and stood behind him as he opened the door.
Standing on the other side of the door were two suits: a short woman and a man slightly taller behind her. Yuma looked down, slightly confused by the unknown people, trying to guess their purpose for being there, but before he could think of one reason, the woman spoke.
"Is this the Kanzukuri household?" The woman softly asked, taking in Yuma's disheveled look.
Yuma tilted his head a little before nodding for confirmation.
"I'm here for your mother, Amra... we're with the Rouge Arrow organization," the woman continued, trying her best to be as respectful as she could.
Yuma looked at her with total confusion.
'Rouge Arrow?'
As if sensing his confusion, she immediately motioned the man behind her to step forward.
"We are with the protection program... sent by Akira?' The man hesitated as he whispered Akira's name for a moment, a little unsure.
It was obvious to Yuma that he wasn't given much information by Akira other than his address.
'Typical.'
While Yuma thought about Akira's consistent ambiguity when it came to details, he was brought out of his thoughts by his mother tugging at his arm.
"Baba?" She asked softly, worried that the two outside might mention the protection program.
Looking at her, Yuma smiled at her reassuringly.
"It's alright, mama, I'll explain it all, sit on the couch, and I'll get to you..."
Turning back to the two from the organization, he gave them a curt nod before elaborating.
"Let me explain it all, and she'll be ready."
The two suits looked at Yuma, then at each other, before turning back to give him a nod. With that, Yuma left the door open unattended and walked to the couch where his mom sat, worried about him more than anything. The moment Yuma sat down next to her, he took her hand and held it tightly. That spiked her worries, her face shifting into a more expressive worry.
"Baba? Is everything okay? What's going on?" Her tone was inconsistent. Yuma heard her fear slowly intensify.
Yuma gave a soft sigh and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, trying his hardest to calm her down. Thinking quickly, he tried to twist the real situation into something that made it seem like it was about her more than him.
"Mama... A man is targeting..." Yuma's mind went blank.
What could he possibly actually say that wouldn't give him her natural reaction to stick around? After several moments of silence, Yuma's mother couldn't take it anymore. Her fear began to spiral out of control.
"Baba, did you get involved with a gang or something? Are they hunting you? Is someone dangerous after you? What's going on!?" she rambled out, her fear getting worse every second.
Yuma shook his head, more to snap out of his panicking state of finding an excuse for this to work. However, his mother took it differently.
"Then what is it? Why are we involved with a protection program?"
"Mama... I can't explain it fully... but you're in far more danger than I am. I called them to have you protected." Yuma sighed defeatedly, hoping she'd accept that.
She did not; she finally cracked. The stress outweighed any semblance of being calm.
"Ya walad. You'll explain this to me." She coldly snapped back.
She wasn't going to make it easy for Yuma; she wanted real answers and to protect her son. Unfortunately, Yuma was just as stubborn. After all, they both wanted to protect each other. Yuma sighed and gripped her hand even tighter, a silent gesture of begging her to trust him.
"Mama, even if I could tell you. You can't do anything. Just being here puts me in danger... Please trust me. These guys will take you somewhere safe until the situation is sorted out." Yuma reassured.
Cutting in perfectly, the woman outside walked into the living room and interjected in support of Yuma.
"Ma'am, believe him. We will ensure you and your son's safety. We'll even support him while you're gone."
Yuma's mother looked past Yuma and stared at the woman's sudden appearance. She looked offended by the woman's presence alongside her point, standing with Yuma. Just before she could launch a barrage of insults at the woman, Yuma squeezed her hand to gain her attention. His face was sincere and as honest as he could be.
"Mama, I beg you. Please trust them and me. I swear it's the only choice for both of our safety."
Yuma's mother looked at him, her features softening as she kept her eyes locked on his.
"... fine... I don't know what you got yourself caught in, but if you don't come out safe and healthy... wallahi, you'll need a protection program from me" she sighed begrudgingly.
She pulled her hand away from Yuma and hugged him tight before getting up and walking towards the woman. The two talked for a moment before his mother left for her room to pack her things. Yuma turned to the woman and nodded softly. The woman nodded back, quietly reassuring him that his mother was in good hands. With that, Yuma got up and stood by the doorway waiting for his mom to leave with them. Some time passed, and his mother left with a briefcase filled with clothes and whatever else she could need for the time being. Just as she crossed the doorway, Yuma couldn't help but hug her as tightly as possible before kissing her temple.
"I love you, mama. Stay safe, okay?"
Yuma's mother looked at him, tears welling in her eyes, before returning the kiss to his forehead and hugging him tighter.
"I love you too. I'm proud of you, and please, for your mom's sake... welcome me home unscathed?"
Yuma chuckled as tears of his own stung his eyes.
"Of course, Mama... I'll make dinner too."
Yuma's mother laughed softly at the concept.
"So the house will be burnt down then?" She chuckled.
Yuma couldn't hold the smile growing on his face back and hugged her again, burying his face into her shoulder.
"I'll see you super soon, okay?" he muttered into her shoulder.
"May god keep you safe and help you emerge victorious. I'll see you too."
With that, his mother left with the two suits and got into their blacked-out security car, which Yuma had failed to notice the first time.
Left alone in his home, Yuma closed the door the moment the car drove out of sight.
***
Staring into the horizon, Yuma found himself in the calm of the early morning on the school roof. Leaning against the railing, he admired the shifting colors, trying to keep his mind off his mother's departure. Slowly, however, the thought of his mother returned. It burdened him more than he'd like to handle.
Thud
The sudden bang at the roof entrance startled Yuma, leaving him alert. Spinning around, he saw Keisuke and Akira walk up to him, the usual banter existing between them.
"You need to learn to have more than a thin piece of cloth, man." Keisuke sighed, defeated.
"It's pointless if I can't feel the cold anyway... plus I don't move well if too much is on me." Akira explained, exhausted, clearly not the first time he'd mentioned it.
Yuma stared at the two with soft eyes as they spoke.
'At least some things will stay the same.'
The thought gave him some peace in the storm of emotions he was going through throughout the entire situation. Once Akira and Keisuke got close enough, the two greeted him. Keisuke greeted him with a smile, and Akira gave a simple nod. Yuma couldn't help but smirk a little.
"So..." Yuma broke the silence, unsure where to go now.
Akira gave him a simple look before taking the lead in the conversation.
"As you already know, I sent out people to take our families to safety." Akira started, "Now we need to find Naoto, Daya, and Aymar."
Keisuke's face got serious, and he nodded softly at Akira's layout. Yuma nodded at the plan as well, steeling himself for what's to come.
"Then I suppose we'll split into teams?' Yuma added, trying to confirm Akira's plans.
Akira nodded.
"Yes, just like we planned yesterday."
Looking around for a moment, Yuma noticed Kae wasn't there. He didn't realize until then. Catching on, Keisuke patted his shoulder.
"She's coming later, don't worry," He reassured him.
Yuma looked at him, pressing his lips together before nodding. Even though it wasn't consequential, it felt off not having her. After all, it was all because of her that they were able to plan against this mysterious person. Regardless, Yuma shook off the thought and focused back on the conversation.
"Okay then, I guess Keisuke and Kae will go find Naoto, while Akira and I find Daya and Aymar." Yuma laid out.
Akira nodded, agreeing with the team, but Keisuke looked at Yuma a little confused. It seemed he knew something Yuma didn't, but just as quickly as his face shifted, Keisuke shook his head a bit and nodded. Yuma, however, didn't let that go.
"What?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing... just figured you'd go with Kae." Keisuke mumbled with a smirk.
Yuma looked at him, confused, his face scrunched a little.
"Why... why would I? Do you dislike her or something?" Yuma asked, tilting his head.
Keisuke immediately shook his head vigorously.
"No! Nothing like that... I just figured you'd already noticed, but I guess not. Anyway, don't worry about it. Kae and I will handle Naoto."
Widening his eyes briefly, Yuma turned back to Akira, dismissing this strange interaction.
"Okayyyy.... Back to the plan... We don't know anything about Daya and Aymar other than that they're both foreigners. Shouldn't be hard to spot, but whatever else follows could be dangerous."
Turning to Keisuke, Yuma continued.
"As for Naoto, since Kae is familiar with him, you shouldn't have a hard time finding him, but do keep her away from him, yeah?"
Keisuke softly scoffed out a chuckle, again clearly knowing something to Yuma's growing annoyance.
"Okay, seriously, what is-"
Akira's phone rang, interrupting Yuma just as he was about to press Keisuke about what he was hiding. Akira looked at his screen before his face hardened at the sight of who was calling.
"It's from the organization..." Akira coldly told the others.
Whatever it was, Yuma knew it couldn't have been good. Judging from his reaction, he knew he shouldn't be getting a call from them yet. Akira stepped away from the two and answered the call on the far side of the roof. Keisuke watched him in silence for a moment before turning to Yuma.
"What do you think that was?" Keisuke whispered.
"Dunno... can't imagine it's good."