edelweiss - &team

24

Unfortunately, the rest of the gang had been well occupied while the four were away.

Yuma had tracked Death to the mountains, where one of the hearths was located. Harua was slightly uneasy about the location but all of them were already tense enough to worry about that.

Yudai had expected them to have to hike up the mountain, but instead Harua led them to the foot of the mountain. "I have a small lodge connected to this hearth," Harua informed, then looked bewildered when Yudai seemed surprised. "Did you not find it the last time?" Harua asked, confused.

"Me and Riki were...preoccupied," Yudai explained, and everyone took it as "we were arguing".

"Well, we have somewhere relatively safe to rest," Jo remarked, referring to Yuma more than anything. The psychic was silent, the second he entered the lodge he found somewhere comfortable to settle down and closed his eyes. After a while of searching and calling, Yuma's eyelids peeled open, looking blank and perplexed. Finally, he stood quickly, "I think the person I'm sensing isn't him, it's another guy." He looked a bit defeated and embarrassed, so Harua quickly said, "It's not a waste. If one of the others is around here, it might be good to protect the hearth."

"You guys rest up," Yudai suggested, "I'm gonna go out and look around." Maki raised his hand to offer to tag along, but surprisingly, Yudai asked for Jo.

The second they were out the door and out of earshot, Jo light-heartedly commented, "Am I here for emotional support?"

Yudai sighed, tilting his head up to the evening sky, "I feel like if I was here with Maki alone, we'd just fight."

Jo studied his friend's face for a bit, then said, "It's funny, you two are the closest yet you two can't get along." Yudai had no retort so Jo continued, "Riki is always missing and I live in a whole different city. If you think about it, Maki only really has you. Maybe you two should-"

Suddenly Yudai held up a hand to stop Jo, then looked around warily. "Someone's here," Yudai whispered. Jo nodded, then after a few beats of silence, said, "I think we should return. Not because I doubt your abilities but if something were to happen to us, we don't have a way of informing the others."

With no better alternative, the duo returned back. When they arrived, Yuma was in a meditation position, Maki gestured that Yuma was busy with finding Death and that Harua had headed up to check on the hearth.

"So it's just us," Jo shot a knowing look to Yudai, but before there could be any follow up, there was a thud on the roof of the lodge. Immediately Yudai and Maki were up and out, Jo following behind closely.

There wasn't a single person outside, it was so still and quiet as though they had hallucinated it. Then, Yudai called out, "Just come and fight us, coward."

Another soft thump, and they were greeted with a familiar but not welcomed face.

"You," Maki said in greeting, his expression unamused.

A lanky man stood before them, his body seemingly trembling, but knowing him personally, they knew he wasn't suffering from the cold, rather, his body was ready to dash in any direction. The man only hummed in response.

"Junwon, you look bad," Yudai added, eyeing the large blood red gash at his wrist. "I've had worse," Junwon replied darkly. And everyone knew what he was referring to. The man would have been intensely attractive, if not for the pale scar across his left eye socket, which was filled with a milky white colour but no pupil.

"Aren't you glad to see us?" Maki put an unnecessary amount of emphasis on his pun, evidently too eager to use that joke.

Junwon didn't take that too well. His body started to flicker slightly, which made the three be on their guard.

"Why are you guys coming to us one by one? It'll be a better fight if you came in a group," Yudai taunted. Junwon rolled his remaining eye, "So you're going to kill me with the power of friendship?"

"Yes, actually," Maki gave a simpering smile in response.

Junwon flicked an eyebrow up, "You'd be a fool to think I actually came alone. But it doesn't matter. You know my only goal is to kill off Yuma. So step aside and-"

"Yuma would snap you in half if he sneezed but we'll save him the effort. We're right here, so you gotta take us first," Jo bit back, the first time he spoke since they met.

Junwon looked unaffected, instead his eye flicked between the three, selecting his target carefully.

"Don't try him," Jo said under his breath to the other two, "I'll handle him, okay?" Yudai looked like he had something to say, then just as Jo raised his hand Junwon ran towards them. He was a blur of colour, lightening fast and soundless.

Thanks to Maki's quick reflexes, he managed to shield his torso as Junwon slammed into him. With Maki's strength, Junwon's high speed still did minimal damage. Junwon was draped over Maki's body sprawled out on the ground, but in a blink of an eye he was up and running.

"Junwon, over here-" Jo aimed for Junwon's eyes but failed to factor in the fact that Junwon only had one, making it harder for his illusions and persuasions to take hold of his target. Yudai tried to take on Junwon by shifting quickly as well but simply couldn't keep up.

"Junwon."

Everyone turned swiftly when a light, familiar voice suddenly called out. Running out from the shadows was a boy, his features child-like and innocent, now painted with urgency and worry, "We gotta go, Hikaru reported the other four are coming back soon."

"Good to see you, Yejun," Yudai said with no hint of joy, but mildly pleased to see the weaker immortal.

"Yejun, Jo is right there-" Junwon argued but Yejun grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the three, hissing, "We can't risk it. We have to go." Jo extended his hand again but Yejun swung his arm out and a bright silvery shield expanded over Junwon and Yejun. Jo looked frustrated, shuddering as he exerted but Yejun managed to urge Junwon off and they two vanished into the night.

Yudai looked, for lack of better word, pissed off. He was evidently annoyed that Jo held him back, but understood that had Jo not, he might have been careless. Maki looked stunned and more saddened than anything.