Rogue

Chapter 12

Akira laid face-up on her bed which was neatly made along with the rest of the room which had been tidied as she prepared to move out. She stared at the blank ceiling, praying that time would creep extra slowly as she wasn't ready to face Tachikawa and Izumi again. Yet, she knew from the stillness of the branch that her time was slowly closing in on her.

A certain brunette poked his head into the room, finding her glum attitude funny. He called her name, attempting to capture her focus. However, she continued to ignore him, completely lost in her thoughts.

"Akira," Jin called out for a second time. This time, her green eyes barely peeked up to look at him. "They're here." With a groan, the female dropped her head back onto the mattress. As much as she had wanted to be picked up before, the previous night had left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Do I have to go?" Though her voice was no more than a mumble, he heard her clearly and moved to lean his body against the door frame. Jin shoved his hands into his pants pockets and smiled even though she wasn't looking.

"You know we'd all love to have you here." The blonde finally tilted her torso up so that she was sitting. The shifting of her weight made her duffle bag roll and rest against her thigh. "But, Kido won't allow it. Two Neighbors and two Black Triggers at Tamakoma? It'll mess up the 'power balance'," he said, minorly sarcastic. "Plus, his boys found you first."

Akira pouted at the mention of Tachikawa Squad. She knew that she would be back under their watch in mere minutes but dreaded it as she felt that she could no longer trust them. Jin's shoulders slumped at the sight of unease on her face. However, he knew that there was nothing he could do about it at this moment. "I already told you, I don't see any kind of risk in your future. I promise I'll tell you right away if something changes."

He nodded his head toward the door, signaling her to follow him. "Come on." She watched him retreat from her room and stared at the entryway for a few seconds after. Akira wondered how they'd react to seeing her after all this time. How would she react?

With a sigh, the girl stood up from the bed and threw her bag over her shoulder. Better to get it over and done with. Akira trudged down the stairs, clenching her jaw as anxiety flooded her veins. She took one final breath as she approached the final steps and looked up to find two familiar pairs of eyes on her instantly.

Tachikawa looked as serene as ever with his arms crossed. Meanwhile, Izumi's eyes widened as big as saucers and a relieved smile fell upon his lips at the sight of the female. It was so refreshing to see her again, he couldn't disguise his excitement. On the other hand, Akira's posture fell as that same feeling of dread returned. A displeased frown fell on her face and she had to move away to avoid them seeing it.

The blonde set down her bag and glided toward Jin who stood away from everyone else. She quickly gripped him in a tight hug which he was reluctant to return with Izumi's eyes on him. However, he fell into it comfortably and patted her head as he usually did.

"Please tell me if anything changes," she mumbled into his chest.

"I promise," he whispered as she pulled away from him. She then moved to the other side of the room and high-fived the quiet Reiji as well as Shiori.

"Tell Rindo-san and Torimaru I said goodbye."

"Of course," the shorter woman replied. Akira then moved to the two younger kids that looked at her in anticipation. She dropped a heavy fist on the taller boy's head making him wince at the contact.

"Get stronger, Mikumo. Don't disappoint me."

"Y-Yes, ma'am." She then looked at Chika and gently stroked her short hair.

"Stay perfect, kiddo." The timid girl nodded at her departing request. Finally, it was time to bid her farewells to Konami who held the same blank stare as when Akira first arrived. Tachikawa and Izumi were both nervous about how this encounter would turn out, considering the girls practically bit each other's heads off during their first meeting.

The blonde stopped short in front of her, simply staring back. However, both were quick to break into grins, knocking the sides of their fists together.

"You're always welcome here," the redhead began. "Don't be a stranger." Akira hummed in amusement.

"Is that an invitation to come kick your ass in training again?"

"Yeah, and I'll definitely beat you next time!"

"You're on," the blonde smirked widely at the other girl, pulling her arm away. The two stared at each other in content, glad that their relationship had grown stronger than when it began.

Suddenly, the two girls embraced, shocking Tachikawa squad at how close they had gotten. "Thanks for listening to me," Akira whispered in the girl's ear.

"Of course. Come to me right away if those two idiots do something stupid, okay?" The blonde chuckled as she pulled away from Konami, nodding at her request.

Akira gave one final wave to everyone, retrieving her bag and sparing Tachikawa a quick glance.

"Let's go." With that, she made her way out of Tamakoma and to the car that awaited her. The two boys quickly followed after waving goodbye to the other members. As they stepped toward the vehicle, Izumi noticed the girl looking up at one of the many windows of the old building. She gave a small wave at it before sliding into the backseat.

Akira waved at Yuma and Replica, unable to give proper goodbyes as they feared that Tachikawa would try to use their welcome into Tamakoma to his advantage.

As the older male began driving back toward Headquarters, Izumi turned around in the passenger seat to get a good look at Akira who had been silently gazing out of the window. His excitement from before dwindled as he found her silence worrying. He had expected her to be so much more excited to see them, yet she was cold as stone. What could have happened that changed her attitude toward him so much?