Whatever It Takes, Part 1

It was past 5 pm when Yukio finished tidying up his room and packing up whatever little stuff he needed. He took out the phone to call Amanda, but then put it down, hesitatingly.

There’s still time…

Last night, after Amanda left, he chatted with Onee-san for quite some time. She told him about her husband, Arthur-san; about how they met each other during a trip, fell in love, managed their parents (Yukio remembers all the pleading she had to do for uncle’s approval), and decided to move to the States. Yukio glossed over most of the messages, but he could feel the energy radiating from them. She had always been like that, passionate about everything. Whatever ‘normal-ness’ Yukio has inside him, wouldn’t have been there without her.

While she was there beside him, Yukio didn’t have any problems. Sure, he didn’t have many friends, but he was content with the few people who talked to him. His life was never the same after his parents died… but he doesn’t know what kind of life he would’ve lived if Onee-san wasn’t there for him.

Wrong. He does know.

A life of uncertainty, restlessness, and apathy.

A life that began after she left.

Yukio checked MINE once more. There were no new messages. Only three people talked to him there; Onee-san, Amanda, and Hirata-san (although he just talked to Hirata-san once, about a class note he didn’t get).

He opened Onee-san’s chat. She hadn’t checked his last message yet.

He sent another message, “Going out. Wish me luck.”

After closing the app, Yukio took a deep breath.

Okay. It’s decided.

He called Amanda.

When they reached Kegmar, Yukio was surprised to see they were already inside a building.

After the call, it didn’t take long for Amanda to materialize out of thin air. She was wearing a jeans-and-tee combo, same as him. After asking him whether he was ready, she told him to ditch the suitcase. And also his phone.

“The phone won’t work there, and sleeping arrangements have been made already. Remember, you’re not going on a trip. As long as you’re there, you have to be alert.”

He thought they would go to Katori and meet up with others before setting out. But she had other plans.

“Okay, listen carefully. Your job is staying here, and keeping an eye on that entrance. As you can see, there aren’t many places to hide here, so you have to be careful. The Weimers will come through that door, since they haven’t been here before. The moment that door opens, hide behind the staircase and walkie us. One of us would come and get you, and the rest would be taken care of by the Rangers.”

That much he knew already.

“What is it we’re protecting here?”

Amanda said in a mysterious way, “Something really valuable. But since you just need to keep an eye on it, stationing one of the Navigators here would’ve been a waste of manpower. No offence, but you’re perfect for this job.”

“But… what is it?”

With a sigh, Amanda said, “Something we stole from them. They will be coming to look for it, and we cannot let it fall back into their hands.”

Looking at his quizzical expression, she sighed, “Look, I’ve already told you about Weimers, and whatever you needed to know. We don’t have much time now. Here is your walkie, and here’s your lunch.”

After giving him a walkie-talkie and a box, she said as an afterthought, “Trust me, if this mission succeeds, you won’t have any more questions ever again.”

Yukio felt a bit confused, but before he could say anything, she disappeared. Disappointed, he decided to check out his surroundings.

The building did look like a castle, but didn’t have any of its bells and whistles, i.e. fancy design, high ceilings, etc. He was at the ground floor, and all he could see here were smooth walls of white stone all around him, and a spiral staircase that connected him with the other floors. It was just one big square space, with a big wooden door at a corner of it.

Which he just needed to… observe.

He thought about checking out the other floors, but then decided otherwise. This was likely his final chance. If he made another mistake, he might never get the chance to use his powers…

Wait. That’s not it. I can still use my powers.

Yukio remembered how he seemingly jumped between buildings on Earth 2.0. Although he ended up somewhere he had never been before, that might’ve been due to some glitch. His mind was probably trying to process his newfound power, but since he never knew about it during his childhood, it was hard for him to control it now.

All pure guesswork, but probably not far from the target.

Keeping an eye on the door, he sat on a step of the staircase and waited.

Yukio was deciding whether to eat or not, when he heard a sound from above.

It was such a soft sound, he wrote it off as a byproduct of his bored mind. But when he heard the sound again, this time louder, he stood up.

There were people in this building, on the floor exactly above him.

Amanda said the Weimers would come from outside, since they haven’t been inside the building before. What if she was wrong? This was their land, after all.

For a few seconds, he contemplated whether to go upstairs or not. But the answer was obvious. Whatever he was protecting was at the upper floor, and clearly it was no longer empty.

Instinctively, Yukio clicked the walkie and waited with bated breath.

Nothing happened.

He clicked it a few more times, even tried to talk to the person on the other side. But other than the sound of the static, there was no response.

Taking deep breaths, he sat down again. Something was wrong. No one was coming, and the sound on the upper floor was getting louder. As if someone was not only walking, but banging his body somewhere.

Yukio closed his eyes.

Why is he here?

If it was anyone else, they would’ve abandoned all their dreams of heroism after witnessing the Ohara massacre. He still couldn’t use his powers properly, and he discovered just how big of a factor that is during the last Expedition. Then why was he still here?

The truth was, he had known the answer for a long time.

He slowly opened his eyes, and glanced upwards. Whoever was up there, it was now his responsibility to stop them.

That was his punishment.