The Originals

What Remains

"What the fuck are you doing, Yumida?" Hiro says, his voice stern and confident. Sweat slowly trickles down his head as the heat from Yumida's fingers burns against his chin.

Yumida is as silent as a statue, his fingers staying directly under Hiro's chin, his body stiff. Then, within a split second, the fire goes out, and Yumida grabs onto Hiro.

"I'm just fuckin' with ya, buddy!" Yumida bursts into laughter while hugging Hiro. Hiro, wearing a similar expression, lets out a heavy sigh as if he had been holding his breath during that whole interaction.

"The hell, Yumida?" Taka asks, splashing a small bit of water on Hiro's chin.

"What?" Yumida asks, looking back at Taka with a dumbfounded look on his face. "I was just joking with him." He looks back and forth between the two.

"Why are you here?" Taka says, slumping back into his chair.

"I felt the commotion. Two Originals fighting has a tendency to alert those around." He sits on the edge of the desk that separates Hiro and Taka. Silence engulfs the room.

"What were you guys talking about before I got here?" Yumida asks, his curiosity piqued as he tilts his head.

Hiro hesitates, looking between Yumida and Taka. "I want to know what's going on. Ever since Yeon came to talk to me, things have slowly turned upside down." He crosses his arms, his expression a mixture of concern and frustration.

Yumida raises an eyebrow, his playful demeanor faltering for a moment. "Yeon? That guy's always got some wild ideas, huh? What did he say?"

Taka's demeanor shifts, his eyes clouding with a mix of sadness and hesitation. "You... you don't know, do you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hiro's heart races, confusion flooding his mind. "He was here just the other day, he—"

Yumida's face grows serious, his goofiness slipping away. "Hirito, Yeon... he's been gone for over a year now."

"What?" Hiro's voice rises, disbelief coloring his tone. "I saw him! He was alive! How can he be dead?"

Taka rubs the back of his neck, his expression softening but firm. "It was complications with his powers. They... they were too much for him to handle. We thought he was getting better, but it all went south pretty fast."

"No way," Hiro shakes his head, a sense of denial creeping in. "No, he was right there, he was alive, I talked to him."

Yumida leans back slightly, sensing the tension in Hiro's posture. "I know it sounds crazy, but you've got to believe us. Yeon was the Original Lunar; he carried a heavy burden. It's why he was so often... well, unpredictable."

Taka nods, his gaze steady. "We need to know what he told you, Hirito. It might give us clues about what's happening now."

Hiro struggles to absorb the shock, his thoughts swirling. "He said he needed help. That something dark was coming. I thought he was being cryptic, but... maybe he knew more than he let on." He looks up at both of them, searching their faces for answers. Hiro purposefully left out that Yeon said Yumida was missing. There's something more he's not being told.

Yumida's usual levity returns just slightly, a smirk creeping onto his face. "So, you're telling me the Original Lunar popped by to chat, and you thought that was normal?"

"Shut up, Yumida," Taka interjects, the faintest hint of a smile breaking through his serious facade. "This is serious."

"Right, right," Yumida says, his grin widening. "Serious business. Well, if you're looking for answers, maybe we should figure out what Yeon left behind. He always had a plan, even when we thought he didn't."