Lost & Found

Ch.12 - For Aoba

There was silence, before Mink suddenly grabbed Mizuki by the shoulders, causing the young man to squeak in surprise.

"Are you sure? Are you really sure it's them?! Can it just be fanatics, or anyone else?" Mink asked, almost shaking Mizuki around in despair. Koujaku quickly got Mink's hands off Mizuki.

"Calm down! You're going to hurt the guy!" Koujaku hissed. Mink blinked for a few moments and lowered his arms.

"Right...forgive me." Mink whispered.

Mizuki shook his head. "It's them. I'm sure. They came by your house earlier, but you guys were out, so they came over to my shop to ask where Aoba was. After I didn't tell them anything they walked away...I think they're still looking for him." Mizuki warned.

"Damn it all." Koujaku gritted his teeth. "They followed us all the way here."

"I knew we should have killed them when we had the chance." Mink murmured. Koujaku shook his head, turning to Mizuki.

"Thank you for telling us. You go back to your shop and get yourself patched up. We'll take care of this." Koukaku insisted.

"I want to help you guys!" Mizuki asked.

"I know, but until we can figure out a plan, we have to consider Aoba." Koujaku reminded him. "He's just now recovering from what those bastards did to him. I don't even know how we will be able to break it to him that they're back in the city. Besides, he will only freak out if he sees you all beat up."

Mizuki sighed. "Alright...please call me if anything. I'll ask my boys to keep an eye out for anything unusual too."

"Thank you, Mizuki." Mink said. Mizuki waved and hurried off to his own place, Koujaku and Mink returning back into the house. The two of them rounded up the rest, Noiz from the kitchen, Ren from the washroom and Clear from down the hall, bringing them over to the living room and ever so softly explaining to them what was happening. Needless to say, the responses were colorful.

"Shit." Noiz cursed, Ren's jaw dropping before his eyes filled with anger.

"Over my dead body they will get him." Ren hissed.

"We have to warn Aoba!" Clear said, about to stand up until both Mink and Ren stopped him.

"Wait, don't. Aoba is just barely recovering from...his events. We don't know how he might respond to the news. He might relapse." Mink said. Clear slowly frowned, before taking a seat again. "...what are we going to do?"

"We move." Noiz immediately said. "I can take him to Germany with my family, they won't be able to touch him there-!"

"We don't want you to end up endangering your family too, Noiz." Koujaku said. Though what he said was true, deeply he just didn't want Aoba to be taken away. Not again.

"We can hide until they give up." Ren suggested.

"Would they give up?" Mink asked, his eyes filled with worry. "They've come so far to look for him...would they really give up?"

Silence.

"...then we bring the fight to them." Clear suddenly suggested, gaining the glances of the rest. "They want Aoba, but we won't let them. So...let's just fight them."

"Clear-" Koujaku began, but Noiz interrupted.

"No, wait, he might actually have a point." Noiz said. "We didn't take them down then, and that was our mistake. But now we have a chance. We can lure them in and finally take them out before they even try to reach for Aoba. No mercy, no regrets. If we want this to really end, then we should end it now." Noiz explained. Silence filled the room, along with an eerie aura of confusion.

"But...what about Aoba?" Ren asked.

"We can have him hide, or stay with someone while we do the deed." Koujaku asked.

"Should we tell him, though?" Clear asked.

"I...don't think we should." Mink said, playing with his fingers. "If we tell him, he might feel guilt. He might panic. Who knows what might happen to him. After everything that he suffered, if he hears that they're back and they're after him again..." Mink gently held his head. "...I just don't want to see him broken again."

And just like that, everyone seemed to agree. They saw the worst of Aoba in those moments when they found him, and helped him recover in the hospital. They all just wanted him to be happy and safe again. They had to end this, for him.

"How are we going to find them before they find us, though?" Koujaku asked.

"I have a plan. Right now we have to think about where we are going to leave Aoba. Leaving him here would be too dangerous." Noiz said.

"Hm...there is the shop where he used to work. I could ask the old man if Aoba could stay over there for a while, at least, until we're done." Ren suggested.

"That's perfect. We can definitely do that." Mink said.

"Alright then." Noiz stood up. "Everyone gear up with everything you have. Clear, when Aoba's done bathing, you should go ahead and tell him to pack some of his stuff and get ready to visit the shop. Make up some excuse that we're going to do some shopping or something. Anything to make him stay."

"Right." Clear glanced around at the group of friends, the whole who had done everything, and would do whatever in this world to keep the love of their life, Aoba, safe and sound. "For Aoba." Clear said, suddenly getting his hand in the middle. The group glanced at each other for a bit, before Ren got his hand over Clear's.

"For Aoba." Ren said.

"For Aoba." Noiz joined in, getting his hand over Ren's.

"For Aoba." Koujaku smiled, getting his hand over Noiz's.

Mink paused for a moment, and then nodded, getting his hand over Koujaku's. "...for Aoba." And like that, it was a made promise that they would keep. They would end Aoba's nightmare once and for all. Regardless what it took.

If only they knew that Aoba sat at the top of the stairs, and had listened to every word, his eyes wide as tears began to fall down his cheek.