...06/10/2009 Tuesday; Night...
Hiro and Ken walked through the streets of Tatsumi Port Island in silence.
But it wasn't the heavy silence from before—it was a light silence, the kind shared by those who had finally managed to say what needed to be said. Both were smiling. Small, tired, but relieved smiles.
The streetlights guided the way back to the dorm. Their footsteps echoed on the empty sidewalk, rhythmic, steady.
Hiro walked slightly ahead, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders less tense than they had been in recent nights. Ken followed close behind.
But there was something that still weighed on the boy's mind.
Something he hadn't told anyone. Something that had been stuck in his throat since the night of the shot, growing like a stone he couldn't swallow. He needed to speak. He needed to tell the truth.
Ken reached out and grabbed Hiro's arm.
Hiro stopped. The tug had been weak, but urgent. He turned, surprised, and found Ken with his head down, his eyes fixed on the ground. The smile had vanished from the boy's face.
"Hmm, what is it, Ken?"
Ken shut his eyes tightly. His mind was dragged back to the alley—but not to the moment of death. To the moment before.
Takaya.
"The Strega..."
Ken's voice came out broken, nervous. His hands closed into trembling fists.
He raised his face and looked Hiro in the eyes—and there was something there that hadn't been before. Determination.
"It was Takaya. He's the one who killed Aragaki-senpai."
Hiro's world froze.
The words hit his chest like a punch. Takaya. The Strega.
How had he not thought of that before? They were the ones who wanted to stop S.E.E.S. from destroying the Dark Hour.
And they were the ones responsible for summoning the Void Shadow.
Hiro's blood boiled. His hand clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
For an instant, his eyes flashed red. Rage throbbed in his mind. Burned in his chest.
"It was the Strega?!" His voice came out in a frustrated murmur.
Ken nodded, scratching his head. "Yes. He found me and Aragaki-senpai in the alley and said he was after our navigator. But he didn't know it was Yamagishi-senpai. So I lied and said I was the navigator, so he wouldn't go after her."
Hiro stepped back. He ran a hand over his face, his fingers pressing against his eyelids as if he wanted to erase the images forming in his mind.
Takaya wanted to kill Fuuka. He killed Shinjiro. The same man. The same target—S.E.E.S.
Something inside him awakened.
It was an old flame, a fury he had kept locked away since the night of the funeral. He wanted one thing.
Before he hurt anyone else. Before he took another person away.
He wants to... kill Takaya.
Hiro began to pace in circles. His feet scuffed the sidewalk with erratic movements, while his mind tried to organize itself.
But the rage wouldn't let him. It was like a constant buzzing, a drum beating at the base of his skull, muffling any rational thought.
Takaya. The name burned in his thoughts.
A growl escaped his throat.
And then, without thinking, Hiro spun his body and punched the nearest streetlight.
The impact echoed through the empty street like a dry thunderclap. The metal groaned. A small dent was left marked on the silver surface.
"Motherfucker!"
Hiro's voice came out loud, furious, laden with everything he had been holding back since the alley.
He stopped pacing. His shoulders rose and fell with heavy breathing.
"Does he know Fuuka is our navigator?"
Ken was paralyzed, his eyes wide. The shock of the punch still kept him motionless. But when Hiro spoke, he shook his head quickly. "No. He thinks it's me."
Hiro closed his eyes. He breathed deeply. Once. Twice. Three times. His foot tapped the ground in a nervous rhythm, but gradually his posture began to relax.
The rage was still there, but he pushed it into a corner. He couldn't let it take control. Not yet.
"Okay..." He sighed, finally calming down. "When we get back, you have to tell the others. All right?"
Ken nodded.
The two resumed walking. The dented streetlight was left behind. The lights of the dorm began to appear on the horizon.
MEANWHILE...
Everyone was scattered around the lounge—on the sofa, on the armchairs, leaning against the wall. Their eyes drifted toward the door every minute. Their ears perked up at every sound from the street.
Akihiko had returned earlier. He had said Ken needed space, that Hiro was with him, that everything was fine.
But "everything was fine" was hard to believe when the twelve-year-old boy they had sworn to protect had simply vanished without warning.
Should they have gone after him? Should they have left him alone? The doubt gnawed at each of them in its own way.
Until Koromaru was the first to hear.
The dog's ears pricked up when he caught the sound of footsteps approaching. A low whine escaped his throat, and then he barked—loud, insistent, his tail beginning to wag.
The door opened.
Ken entered first. His eyes were still a little red, but there was something different in his posture—his shoulders less slumped, his chin held a little higher.
Hiro came right behind, his hand still on the doorknob.
Koromaru bolted. His little paws slid on the wooden floor before he reached Ken and began jumping around him, barking nonstop. Yukari and Fuuka rose with a start and ran over to the boy.
"Amada-kun!" Fuuka crouched down beside him, her eyes scanning his face for anything wrong. "Thank God! Are you okay?"
Ken blushed slightly at the attention. He held Koromaru so the dog wouldn't knock him over while jumping. "Ah... I'm okay. I'm sorry..."
Yukari examined him from head to toe, her arms crossed, her brow furrowed. "You trying to give us a heart attack?! We were worried!"
"Ah... you were?" Ken blinked, genuinely surprised.
Yukari sighed, irritation giving way to relief. "Of course! You vanished out of nowhere! Not to mention you hadn't left your room yesterday."
The others gradually came closer. Junpei let out a "thank goodness, man" from the sofa.
Minato just watched, his eyes serene, but a small nod showed he was also relieved.
Aigis tilted her head as she approached Ken, relieved.
Hiro smiled faintly. Seeing everyone around Ken, worried, relieved—it warmed something inside him. But the warmth didn't last. Ken's words still echoed in his mind. Takaya. The Strega.
He needed to process it.
"Mitsuru." His voice came out calm, but it was a fragile calm. "I'm going to my room. Take care of him."
Mitsuru raised her eyebrows, surprised by his restrained tone, but nodded. "All right. I'll send a message to the President to let him know Amada is back."
Hiro nodded and moved away. His steps led him to the stairs, leaving the buzz of the lounge behind.
But his mind spun with countless thoughts.
What would they do when the next full moon arrived? How would they face Takaya and the Shadow Arcana at the same time?
He stopped in front of his room door.
Then he looked to the side. And noticed the door to Shinjiro's room was ajar.
A crack. Small. Enough for the darkness inside to peek out into the hallway.
Hiro stood still, his eyes fixed on that sliver of shadow. The name on the plate was still there. Shinjiro Aragaki.
As if at any moment he might open the door and come out grumbling about something.
Hiro took a deep breath. He gathered what courage he had left. And walked slowly toward the door.
TO BE CONTINUED...