Intro song: https://youtu.be/MXkZ-eeGs6A / Borderline (Single Version) by Tame Impala
The trails of warmth leave marks on the otherwise overwhelming coldness covering everyone on that tragic day...
The sirens blaring out, the crowded noise both inside the school buildings and outside the school campus...
This fateful day upon which many have spent so much effort on, so they can progress in their lives, as they mature as responsible individuals...
It's...
It's been ruined...
A day that was supposed to be fulfilling and a celebration of such young brilliant minds-
It's now been contorted to a day full of trauma, death, and bitter pain...
No day has ever been more empty for this academy's history...
To think, this was only the start-
Of something more cruel and gruesome...
"Peace... is often taken for granted... it is the status quo, the bare minimum for life..." a voice mutters out into the void
"This is only the start, of more... senseless suffering..." he clenches his pain in forceful rage
"We took too long! and now... we don't pay the price, these people do..." he says looking over to his side
Rushiko stares at the absolutely devastating state of the main campus, filled with first aid huts, worried and broken-hearted parents and family... and the worst of all... dead children... dead students... being lifted outside of the campus...
This weight... being the heaviest it's ever been.
"Rushiko... you know- we all do... we have been preparing for this possibility... for so long... it looks- feels disgusting..." Suzushii repelled at the state everything is leading into
"Come on... let's go" Suzushii pats his back as he grabs his arm, dragging him to his parked SUV
"Senpai..." Rushiko calls out, Suzushii reaching for the car door, opening it slightly
"Yeah?"
"Are those three going to be alright?" Rushiko clearly worried, he stands there waiting for a response
"Don't worry Rushi-kun, they will be... but we have more important pressing matters to attend to" Suzushii calmly states, opening the door fully, strapping in for the drive
"Remember... you... you have the power to do something about all of this... never forget that..." Suzushii says, looking straight into Rushiko's distraught eyes, he looks away nodding slightly
He gets in...
.
.
The repetitive mechanical sound of the wipers moving-
left and right
left and right
The snow filling the windshield, being wiped away from side to side
A silence fills the air
"Senpai?"
"Hmmm?"
"Where are we going?" Rushiko asks him, unaware of their current objective/s
"Oh right! I didn't tell you! Haha!" Suzushii chuckles a bit
"We're going to all three of their houses, to inform... their families about what happened..."
"Oh"
"They have a right to know, and in this case... face to face... this is the least we owe them... but I will help them personally... since we are intending them for OUR team" Suzushii blasts through the snow-covered pavement, he flicks on the turn signal
"Whether they agree or not... that isn't up to us... but we... we are responsible for them... Ishiin agent or not" Suzushii turns the car around, closer to their destination
Suzushii looks at Rushiko, his quiet state looking outside the window, he sighs
Brushing his hair, he slowly turns his head
With a frown on his face, he lightly punches his shoulder
"Jeez, what are you doing?" he says in a disgruntled irritated manner
"Heh"
"Nothing"
Suzushii slightly smirks while reaching out to pat Rushiko's back... Rushiko pouts
"Rushiko..."
"Hmmm"
"She... she can't be saved... you know that right?"
Rushiko doesn't answer
"She's long gone now..."
"She probably isn't even the only one..."
"We'll find out... sooner or later"
The car stops, the snow being felt right beneath their feet, they both get out
They have arrived...
.
.
The wind continues to swerve about, a few knocks are heard on the door
A few rustling noises are discerned as a hand swipes the other one to reach for the door bell
"Natsuno! Someone's at the door, can you please get that for me darling?"
"Coming!"
The door creaks as it reveals the insides of the cozy little home
A small little girl is seen, Rushiko and Suzushii tower over her
Rushiko with his hands inside his pockets, looks under with a weak awkward smile while Suzushii gleefully waves and smiles sweetly, crouching over to meet her gaze
"Hey Natsuno!~ Long time no see! Wait actually-"
"I don't think you remember your uncle here that much, do you?"
"Umm n-no I don't t-think so mister, u-ummm-" the little girl stammers, intimidated by both of their presences, she loses her footing
Falls on her back, she calls out-
"M-mom! Can you please come over here?" she loudly says
"Hmmmm? Alright, what's wrong?" her mother says as her footsteps are heard getting closer and closer towards the main door
Suzushii scratches his head slightly chuckling over his clumsiness, Rushiko in seeing her mother, bows fully to apologize for his mentor's predicament
"H-hey Inari-san! Sorry about this!" Suzushii joins in Rushiko, he bows as well, Inari picks up Natsuno on her feet, brushing her hair and patting her head, embracing her
"Oh no! Don't worry, it was just an accident!" she looks over at Natsuno, asking
"Are you ok? Natsuno-chan?"
"I am! I was j-just a bit clumsy is all!" she politely replies
"Alright then, this is Suzushii-san, your father's comrade and long-time friend! Won't you say hello to him?"
"U-umm hello mister Suzushii! err- Uncle Suzushii-san!" she stammers on her words
"That's a good girl, just let me talk to Uncle Suzushii and his friend, go to your room, ok?"
"Yes mommmm" she says lazily prolonging her wording, she goes up the staircase
"Anyways, is there something wrong? What happened?-"
"Actually, I need to ask you about Atsushi-san" she says worryingly, her calm voice is wringed with a hint of shakiness
"Kaizen Academy has just been... infiltrated by Insurgent forces... Jisei is... severely wounded..." Suzushii said bluntly, the look in his face, tinged with stress
Inari quivers at hearing this... news
"Ummm, please! Make yourselves at home! I'll go and make some tea" she says, turning her back on the both of them, her face hidden
Rushiko looks at Suzushii, his face clearly affected by this, he feels as powerless as ever...
Just like when Kuroke died...
He wants to help...
But...
He can't...
He follows the awfully silent Suzushii to their living room, the way he just casually walks to it-
He's been here... soooo many times before
They both sit down as they hear the kettle boiling, making this loud whistling noise
Making the tension of such silence, all the more...
Palpable...
Suzushii stares into the distance, with many thoughts swirling around his head
A few taps on his shoulder are felt
"Senpai? Should we even mention wanting to recruit Jisei at all? We don't even know where Atsushi-san is..." Rushiko silently mentions into his ear
"Don't worry, I've got this... Besides... I know Jisei doesn't want to just sit around, knowing he has the capability to find his father! And she... Inari deserves to hear all of this..." Suzushii reassures him, he pats Rushiko's hand, Rushiko slightly nods
Inari comes into the living room, with a tray filled with cups of tea
She lays all of them down on the table, giving the both of them each cup along with a plate full of cookies
She sits down with them
"Suzushii... can you please tell me?" she softly says
"Where is my husband? What happened to my son?" she looks at him straight, waiting for his answers
He stammers a little before revealing all before her
"Inari-san, I'll say it clearly"
"Jisei is in critical condition, he- willingly volunteered to fight the infected students, and one student... who unclearly, went berserk... she was manipulated by the perpetrator... he fought the girl along with Manaka Yukinari, I assume you've heard of her?"
Inari slowly nods, the look in her face awaiting despair
"Well... the both of them suffered critical injuries, the worst of which is Jisei... he had the injury on his stomach... he lost a lot of blood..."
Inari suddenly stands, her eyes glaring at him, full of sorrow and anguish
She grabs him by the collar, grasping it strongly
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"Please tell me... Jisei's gonna be alright... I don't even know where my husband has gone! Don't tell me I'm about to lose my son as well!" she shouts at him, his shocked look filled with worry
She lets go of him, kneeling on the floor...
She sobs, grasping her head
"Inari-san... I'm sorry..." Suzushii calmly states, he goes lower to pat her back, her sobbing continues
"Jisei is in the hospital along with the other two girls, they are currently undergoing surgery at the moment, we'll be able to see them later this evening" he reassures her, she looks up at him, her sore glassy eyes filled with flowing tears
Her voice shakes
"I don't want to lose my family... they're all I have left!" she replied, breaking down further
Rushiko's face tenses as he squats down along with Suzushii to rub her back
"Please don't let them die!!!" she screamed right at Suzushii, pleading
His hand shakes, grabbing her face softly, he wipes her tears
She looks at him, her quivering lips twitching while she closed her eyes, her tears pouring downwards upon his hands
"I won't let Jisei die... and I will... find Atsushi..."
"I have a promise... I don't intend to break it..."
"But... I sense something in Jisei, Rushiko here has felt- seen it with his own eyes"
"Jisei... wants to become an Ishiin agent..."
"He wants to find his father..."
Her shocked reaction is filled with her wide-opened eyes
She embraces Suzushii tightly
"Promise me... you'll take care of Jisei... my son..."
"Promise me... you'll find Atsushi-san..."
"My love..."
"Please... he meant a lot to you... please... protect our family..." she softly says, tightening her embrace of him further
He embraces her back
"I will... he's one of my best mates after all..."
"And Jisei? He's a good kid... Rushiko here will take care of him too"
"Right?"
Rushiko stands up and salutes her
"Yes sir!"
"Yes ma'am!"
She smiles weakly but sweetly at Rushiko and then at Suzushii
"Thank you..."
Natsuno is seen peeking over by the staircase, Inari calms down and sits on her seat by the couch, she calls Natsuno over to her side as she sits close right beside her mother's side
Natsuno hugs her mother tight, Inari smiles at her, gladly doing the same
All three of them bond for the next few minutes, enjoying each other's company, refreshing themselves with the tea and delicious sweets
"Inari-san... you can talk to us, if you ever need our help just give us a call or a message! We'll be there for you!" Suzushii says while Inari pats Natsuno's head, her hair getting messy
Inari nods
"Thanks... I will, I hope this will all end soon... so we can have our families back, so we can stop all of this madness..." she said as she hugged Natsuno, Rushiko sipped his tea and grabbed a few pieces of the cookies, and in eating them.
His face changed as he reacted with the largest smile Suzushii's seen, his mouth shaking from its sweetness, he gobbled all of them up.
Suzushii chuckled as the both of Inari and Natsuno giggled.
"I'm glad you like them! We've been working on that recipe for days now! It's pretty satisfying seeing that kind of response!" she says this, clearly full of gratefulness and satisfaction, she sips her tea
Suzushii arches his back on the end of the couch
He crosses his arms
"The Insurgents have started their attack... that's why all of us have been scrambling on missions, trying to gather intel and also secure the locations affected by their assaults. Atsushi-san was sent on a mission to deal with one of their high ranking leaders, we haven't heard from him in 4 weeks now... or that's what they keep telling us, they keep saying most of the details are classified... that's where my suspicion comes in..." Suzushii states while opening his crossed arms, he holds a finger upwards
"They did it on purpose... they wanted to use Atsushi as bait for the stronger leaders who had grudges on him, so they can focus on all the weaker fodder... so that they don't use up of all our grade A and S Ishiins on them... yet... I do have an idea of where he is, but I'll have to go alone. I can't have inexperienced Ishiins go up against possibly grade A or S Insurgents..."
"Suzushii-san... why are you telling us this?" Inari asks, all of them waiting for his response
"Because the type of situation he's up against... is impossible for both him and me, we only have a slight chance to fight that many enemies with that type of caliber. And even then... I'll still need help. I'm telling you this because you need to know what your husband is facing, and let me say... he's not gonna last for any longer, that's why by tomorrow. I'll leave and find his whereabouts!" Inari started to fidget as she tightly embraced Natsuno, she stays quiet
Rushiko replies
"Suzushii-san... I can't train them all for too long... I'm not that powerful yet, I won't be able to teach them that many techniques or principles, we need you Sensei!" he said
Suzushii gets up and stood in front of him
"Remember, these are the same Insurgents that caused not only the beginning of this war, but multiple ones like the Osaka Conflict and the most infamous event... the Fukushima Incident, where they completely decimated not only all of the populace there but left a huge crater with nothing but dust and bones... you know what "we" had to face don't you? Rushiko, I'm about to face these overwhelming forces... So please don't rely on me for too long, I want to you to grow on your own..." Suzushii forcefully says, he grabs Rushiko's hand, tightening it, Rushiko painfully exerts his frustration on his hand
"But if you know anything about me... I'll obliterate them, no matter what..." Suzushii coldly says, Rushiko's skin getting chills all over
"I won't leave you Rushiko, just promise me... that you'll train your new comrades for me... that you'll show them what I've taught you..." he soothes his worries, Rushiko slightly jerks his head
The both of them got up, facing Inari
"Inari-san, unfortunately... we'll have to leave now. We've got to inform both Manaka and Koyo's parents now too, but you should go to Kenko Private Hospital later this evening. Just mention Jisei, and they'll let you see him"
Inari and Natusno both get up as well
Inari replied
"Thank you Suzushii-san... for sacrificing so much for us all... please don't die!" she says sadly, Suzushii grabbed her hand and clasped it
"Don't worry about me! I'll get Atsushi-san back! just... please watch over Rushiko and the others for me!" Suzushii spouts out, smiling at her
All of them bowed at each other's presence, Rushiko and Suzushii thanking them for their kind hospitality
The both of them left
"Goodbye Uncle Suzushii! Rushiko-kun!"
Suzushii carries his promises and their trust on his back
The weight, heavy
But he is willing to protect them...
To find his best mate...
No matter the cost...
.
.
Multiple rustling noises are heard, a bump here, a bump there
Weird gasping sounds, multiple voices scattered and spread all over the house
The door is blown wide open
A middle-aged man with messy hair and messy, well everything! is seen holding multiple papers, he isn't even paying attention to answering the door properly with how busy he looks
"Ummm wait a second, I'll get to you in a moment" he mutters under his breath
Rushiko looks dumbfounded by this, while Suzushii just shakes his head repeatedly, snickering
"Oh yeah, forgot about this"
"He's usually always this busy" he whispers to Rushiko, he looks at him with the same look of astonishment
A clear contrast of Jisei's home
The insides of the house are a mess! Papers scattered all over, another person is seen by the distant vicinity helping out by cleaning the mess, the man however seems to keep making the mess
It was chaos!
"There, and there, and there, and-" the man clicked his tongue, waving his pen and scribbling over his papers, too busy to even acknowledge those in front of him
"Jeez dad! Can't you even clean up your mess after making them?!?" the voice of a young girl berated him for, sounding more in authority and control than he does, their supposed "father"
He chuckled
"Heh sorry about that, everything's a mess at HQ! Something about-" he says this while turning his head to see-
Suzushii, one of the officers / agents he worked with and an unfamiliar boy who seems to be his accomplice, an Ishiin agent as well
"Oh! Agent Reckoner! Sorry it took me this long to realize you were here!" he laughed, scratching his head
"I'm just such a clutz today! My work is overflowing! You've heard about it? Yes?" he asked
"Ummm well all I know is that the Insurgents have started infiltrating Tokyo! They've even attacked- Well it is the main reason why we are here today" Suzushii sadly stated
"Oh? What happened" the man curious, unaware of the situation
"It'd be better to tell you inside"
"Ah yes! sorry about that once again, please come in!" he invited them in their home, the girls inside still cleaning up his mess as the printer by his work area keeps printing more and more papers, the girls on the brink of getting fed up
Another girl whimpered in seeing the Ishiin agents, opened the fridge and filled multiple glasses with water, laying them down upon the coffee table
All three of them sat down in the living room
"Oh thank you very much dear" the girl nodded as she made her way out, clearly startled by Suzushii and Rushiko
"So? Why are you agents here? Something related to work? Anything I need to correct?" he says, arranging his papers one by one
"Kaizen Academy has been attacked by the Insurgents" Suzushii bluntly cut to the chase
"Your daughter is among the casualties" the man dropped his papers in shock, his calm, casual, collected demeanour is shattered into pieces, his hands shook
"Wait- don't tell me"
"No, gladly she isn't THAT kind of casualty, don't worry Fuyu-kun" Suzushii reassured him
"But is she ok?!? please tell me Suzushii!" Fuyu clearly still in shock, separated his working personality for his true side
"Tell me my daughter is alright!" the girls hearing this, stopped dead in their tracks, their worlds shaken to their very core
"She's gonna be ok Fuyu-san, she's undergoing surgeries as we speak, along with Jisei and the girl who was controlled by the Insurgent, who inflicted their injuries"
"Good god, and here I thought we were as far from the danger possible, but here they are!"
"Knocking on our front door!" Fuyu raised his voice, clearly concerned
"No wonder HQ is sent into a frenzy, Suzushii, this isn't the only attack in Tokyo!'
Suzushii dumbfounded by this, thinking he knew the current state of the situation
"They've been infiltrating hospitals, malls, office spaces, and I'm sure you knew earlier, the other academies you've been to"
"But I never thought they'd even reach Manaka's school! Good lord..." Fuyu covered his mouth
"But those attacked... do they share the same characteristics and symptoms as the infected students?" Suzushii asked
"They do actually"
"Even to the casualties who were sadistically killed, like... someone enjoyed doing it... the sites were absolutely bloodied!"
"It's her... tell HQ it's her..."
"It's Kokko Yano"
"Wait THAT Kokko Yano?"
"But she's been MIA for years!"
"Yes, THAT Kokko Yano"
Fuyu stayed quiet for a bit before continuing further
"HQ is on lockdown, they sent us all assistant Ishiin agents and the other officers to work at home, hence the mess right here"
"Tokyo is on lockdown, hell multiple cities are joining too, the government is getting paranoid, they've turned jumpy..."
"Shit..." Suzushii clicked his tongue multiple times
"I know this sounds crazy, but..."
"Yeah?"
"I have a plan to search for Atsushi"
"I don't think that's such a great idea with how the entirety of the cities are locking down, travelling is gonna be hard, even for a high-ranking officer / agent like you" Fuyu stated
"But you're an operator too, can you call in a CSAR request?"
"I'll see what I can do-"
Suzushii grabbed his shoulder, his face more humbled than ever
By what he was going to ask for next
"Fuyu-san, you know where this is heading right?"
"I do Suzushii, but what's the matter?" Fuyu asked
"Well... it ain't a surprise Jisei can exert aura and being able to awaken abilities as he has history with his father exposing him to it, for years on end"
"But Manaka, she... she had aura residues all over her body, it is likely... she was able to not only exert aura, but to even use it!" Suzushii said, Fuyu's face contorting, knowing what comes next
"You want Manaka to be an agent, don't you?" Fuyu said outright
Rushiko jolted his head in hearing this
Suzushii nods
He crossed his fingers, bringing it up closer towards his lips
He opened them, grasping his head
His thoughts swirling all over his head
The young girl intervened
"But dad! I don't think-" she got closer and shouted, but the father raised his hand. The girl saw this and instantly stayed silent, He replied.
"I know the factors and conditions of being an Ishiin agent... and of the dangers, it imposes... but I, no "we" can't force her to be what she wants to become... only Manaka can decide what she wants... all we can do is support her..." he grabbed his glass of water and drank it, filling it back up with a pitcher, he grabbed his glass once more, raising it
He continues
"The thing is... Manaka isn't exactly inexperienced in fighting... she probably has more than both Jisei and the other girl's combined... well I don't want to delve into all of the details. Let's just say, she wanted to feel... what she couldn't... She's made decisions, that she isn't proud of. But after what Jisei's done for her, for what he's taught her. For what I couldn't do... I just want her to choose her own path..." he said this as he gulped it all down, slamming the glass at the coffee table. The young girl was looking away as he continued on.
"Me and her... we're not exactly on intimate terms, she resents me... and... I can't blame her for it. I just want you to know if she does want to become an Ishiin. Please take care of her, because I wasn't able to... I just don't know... if I even know what's best for her." he got up and stood right in front of Suzushii, his face strained and his eyes looking straight at his.
"Just take care of her... like how I couldn't... I've tried, and I still love her... but she doesn't love me back... I want to see her... I want to tell her..."
"That I'm sorry... for neglecting her..."
"I'm a terrible father..." he sadly said
"No you're aren't" Suzushii calmly replied, grabbing Fuyu's shoulder
"You've tried, hell you still are trying! Show her how much you care, despite how she feels about you"
"See her yourself, tell her yourself"
"Your her father after all..." Suzushii pats his shoulder
Fuyu nods a few times
"She's at Kenko Private Hospital, see her later this evening"
"Yeah... I will"
"Thanks..."
Suzushii smiled at him, Fuyu looks at his daughters
The both of them nodding at him
"Anyways, let me get request in for you! Wait here a bit" Fuyu said, going to his work area, the next room over to use his telephone
The young girl instantly stormed towards Suzushii, she grasped his jacket by the collar, tightly
Repeatedly shaking in frustration
"I know you're the one and only "Reckoner", but i don't trust you, I never did! And now you're here to make Manaka into an agent?!?" she raised her voice at him, Fuyu in hearing this, rushed over to the living room to stop her, carrying the telephone with him
"Enough!"
"That's enough!" Fuyu stopped her, she scoffs at him
"Whatever! Hmph!"
She stormed off to her room by the hallway
"I'm sorry about that Suzushii... forgive Kana... I get her, but she shouldn't snap at you like that"
"It's alright, I'm used to it..."
"I'll protect her... Rushiko will too"
Rushiko looked at Fuyu, who nods at him
The telephone starts ringing
Fuyu picks it up and leaves it on speaker mode
"Operator Yukinaki, please state your request to HQ" the other operator stated
"Ah yes, Request for CSAR (Combat Search and Rescue) operation, spearheaded by a one "Reckoner""
"Affirmative, and where is our "Reckoner"?"
Suzushii speaks out
"Right here!"
"The main objective is: to find Atsushi Suzuto, and the other objectives are: to relieve of the Insurgent threats in his area and to protect and evacuate the civilians affected in the said area." the voice took a minute to respond, with him confirming his request over with the higher-ups.
All of them anxiously waited for the response... because they were the ones that sent and made him "bait" in the first place! Surely they wouldn't want to rescu-
"They have greenlit the operation! however, you will only get two other ICA agents as backup for the said CSAR operation, they'll contact you by tomorrow please regroup at the ICA Headquarters on the next day... good luck Reckoner" All of them sighed relief, their determination finally pulled through!
The call ended
"Thank you Fuyu-kun"
"Thank you so much"
"Don't mention it, getting there will be the hard part, hell!"
"Getting him out will be the hardest"
Suzushii nods
The mission ahead of him will be arduous
"We'll be there at the hospital later, see you later this evening" All of them got up and in bowing each other, they started walking towards the front door, the other girl bowed at them
"Farewell Agent Reckoner and good luck tomorrow"
Fuyuki Yukinari, an assistant Ishiin; and associate. His work is extremely beneficial to the conflict, as they don't get a lot of these types of Ishii abilities anymore... without his intel and many others like him, they'd be at a very strong disadvantage...
.
.
The car door is shut
The SUV drove past their neighborhood, and across all the snow covered roads
Finally stopping at the Hospital of where THEY were at
Rushiko looked at Suzushii with confusion.
"Senpai, why are we at the hospital? isn't it a bit too early to check on them?" he concernedly asked me.
"I know, but I want you to not only keep them company. But to wait here, since I'll be making preparations for the operation today. Though I'll be there later this evening... you'll have to get closer and know them, since you'll be mostly training them while I'm gone. Don't worry you'll have a fellow Ishiin you know personally to help you out... and umm-" Suzushii paused as Rushiko was about to reach for the car door
"You shouldn't worry about me... I won't end up like Kuroke, I won't let any of that happen ever again... just trust me..." Suzushii said as Rushiko nodded, tightly embracing him, he lightly groans on his chest
He lets go...
"I will Senpai, I always have... see you" he softly said as Suzushii patted his back
He left the SUV facing the huge mass of white concrete that was the hospital, its height casting a shadow over them as the clouds cleared up with the sun clearly showing. He walked over to the main entrance over his position, the revolving doors in the middle slowly spinning as he and many others went in.
Suzushii left the hospital, going straight towards the ICA Headquarters, to plan out what should happen and how to deal with tomorrow's ordeal.
To extract Atsushi Suzuto out of Sendai...
Which is near... Fukushima...
-To Be Continued-
...
Ending song: https://youtu.be/FY5CAz6S9kE / There’d Better be a Mirrorball by Arctic Monkeys