Hikaro was likewise laying low for the time being. Unlike his brother, he preferred the darkness and quiet of an ancient ruin to the brightness and noise of the city. He was a creature of the wild now, his sanity almost completely gone. His team was made of three turncoats from Hakaija Tashikawa’s ranks that had sided with Hikaro with the promise of power and action from a younger leader. Their names were Amaya Suzume, a mysterious girl with dark hair, deep purple eyes, and fair skin; Takeru Tashikawa, Hakaija’s youngest brother, a brash and unpredictable young man with blonde hair and stunning blue eyes; and Tsuyoshi Kurushime, an enigmatic psychic with brown hair and golden brown eyes. This was Hikaro’s team, who hung on his every word, but secretly mistrusted him and kept wary lest what happened to his old team should happen to them as well.
Hikaro stood alone in the middle of the ruins, the moonlight giving him an eerie, ethereal look as he silently watched the darkness. He could tell without turning that Amaya was behind him; in fact, other than Tsuyoshi, he was probably the only one she could not sneak up on. The two stood silent, watching the same darkness, until Hikaro broke the silence.
“What is it?”
Amaya looked up at the moon, her pale face impassive.
“It is only coincidence. We both enjoy the solace the night gives us. We are the same, two wild things seeking solitude in a crowded world.”
“Your words are poetic.” He said, turning his eyes to the moon as well. “Indeed, the night does suit us.”
The two then stood and let the silence envelope them. Amaya was then by Hikaro’s side, putting her arm around his. Hikaro barely noticed.
“We have made the first move, Amaya. Let us see what my brother does in response.”
Amaya’s grip tightened.
“You are frightened.” Hikaro stated, closing his eyes and letting a stray breeze play through his hair. Amaya looked down.
“This will come to no good, Hikaro. Your brother may have been caught by surprise once, but it will not happen again.”
“Ah, but that’s where you are wrong.” Hikaro said, opening his eyes again. He pulled his arm away from Amaya and turned to face her, grabbing her shoulders.
“Look at me!” He hissed.
Amaya looked up, met his crazed stare, and held it.
“I am no longer as predictable as I once was, Amaya, and my brother will not be expecting that.” Hikaro let her stare into his eyes for a moment, then kissed her. She gasped in surprise and pulled away, wiping her lips. Hikaro smirked.
“And I know you weren’t expecting that.”
Amaya stared at him, eyes wide with surprise and apprehension. She then relaxed and sighed. Turning and walking away, she said in an icy voice.
“You would do well to keep your distance, Shonashara. Or you will find out the hard way just how unpredictable I can be.”
Hikaro stared after her as she faded into the darkness, then closed his eyes and smirked, whispering, “That’s why you’re here now, isn’t it?”
Raiden opened his eyes blinking in the sunlight filtering through the blinds on his bedroom window. He looked around and found himself sharing a hotel room with Kai. He sat up and swung his legs around to the side of his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and checking the time. His eyes widened.
“It’s one in the afternoon? We must’ve been tired to sleep this late.”
“Yeah, we are, and some of us would like to stay sleeping ‘til tomorrow.” Kai said, sitting up as well and rubbing his eyes.
“What are we doing here, Kai?”
Kai looked around.
“Lying low.”
Rai raised an eyebrow.
“In a hotel?”
“Well, we couldn’t stay at your house, now could we?”
Rai rolled his eyes.
“I guess so.”
Kai laughed, a real, genuine laugh, something that Rai hadn’t heard in a while. It made him laugh as well; washing away all of the sorrow and anxiety from the previous night in the bliss he felt when Kai laughed like this. It was only Kai and Mae that could make Raiden feel this way, and he treasured each moment. The two finished dressing and started to call for room service when they heard a knock on the door. They looked at each other and Kai walked over to the door, opening it to admit Mae with breakfast. Mae smiled.
“Hey, guys. Breakfast time!”
The three sat down at a small table as Mae set out rice and fish on the table. They ate and talked and laughed together like they used to before Hikaro’s accident. Afterwards, Rai pushed his chair back from the table and sighed with contentment.
“Haven’t felt this good in a while.” He said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing a full stomach.
Mae smiled.
“You haven’t eaten that much in a while. It’s good to see you laughing again. Both of you.” She said, taking both of their hands. The young men smiled and nodded in agreement.
The moment was interrupted by a frenzied knocking at the door. Rai jumped up and went to the door, opening it to find Yoshi Takai gasping for breath.
“Rai! It’s…Chason.” He said, tears gathering at the edges of his visage. Rai grabbed the boy by the shoulders to steady him and spoke in a calm voice.
“Yoshi, calm down.” He said, letting Yoshi take a few deep breaths before asking. “What’s wrong with Chason?”
Yoshi looked up.
“He went after Hikaro himself, said something about avenging his fallen comrades.”
Rai’s blood ran cold; this was the worst thing that could happen right now.
“How soon did he leave?”
“A few minutes ago.”
Rai looked back at Kai and Mae, and the two nodded in silent agreement. He looked at Yoshi and said, “Then there’s no time to lose. Gather up the rest of the Amaryllis Unit and meet us in the lobby in five minutes. Dismissed.”
Yoshi nodded and took off down the hall. Five minutes later, Rai and his team left their sanctuary to search for Chason. Rai pondered the fragility of his situation, he knew that no one was up to this; but he also knew that if Hikaro found Chason before they did, the young man’s life would be in danger.
Chason walked through the ruins of Hikaro’s hideout, taking care not to be seen or heard. Suddenly, he heard Hikaro’s eerie laughter echoing through the ruins, and he stopped to listen. In a flash of steel, he whipped his kunai[1] out to block the shuriken[2] that came flying out of the darkness. Hikaro stepped out of the shadows, clapping as the rest of his team was revealed.
“My, my, Chason. You certainly haven’t lost your edge, yet even with all of your cunning as a shinobi[3] warrior you couldn’t save your fallen comrades.”
“Well, at least I’m not a traitor!” Chason snarled, as he attacked Hikaro head on.
Tsuyoshi stepped forward and lifted his hand, and Chason was lifted from the ground and thrown back, crashing through the ruins until he came to rest at what was once the throne in this palace. Chason felt a weight on his chest and he looked up to see Hikaro sitting on the throne and resting his feet on his chest. Hikaro clucked disapprovingly.
“Charging at me without even taking in your surroundings? Oh, Chason, I’m so disappointed in you.” He said, slamming down his full weight on Chason’s chest. There was a sickening crack, and Chason screamed as his sternum was fractured. Hikaro cackled as he landed another kick in his opponent’s ribcage, getting another satisfying cry of pain as Chason’s ribcage shattered. Still Chason glared in hatred and defiance at Hikaro. Hikaro grabbed Chason by his hair and thrust his face into his opponent’s face.
“Still conscious are we?” He said in mock surprise, slamming Chason’s head back down. He walked off a few steps and hissed, “You just don’t know when to give up!”
Hikaro then jumped up in the air, landing on both of Chason’s legs and fracturing them as well. Chason gave out one last cry of pain and desperation, then blacked out. Hikaro looked back as his team materialized from the darkness, he turned to Tsuyoshi.
“Our position is compromised, we leave immediately.”
Tsuyoshi nodded, then vanished into the darkness. Hikaro followed with the rest of the team, one by one vanishing into darkness.
