Fight or Flight?

The boys re-enter the classroom, taking their seats once again. The classroom appeared to have settled down and their classmates gossip reached a complete halt. Taro feels eyes burning him from all angles, but he keeps his head down as he keeps busy in his work while avoiding the others in the class.

The silence is deafening. No other sound than the pencils scratching on paper and pages being turned echo throughout the room. There was an uneasy feeling, one that felt as though there was a time bomb that was about to detonate any second. Taro felt a tightness in his chest.

He takes a glance over to Daisuke who's eyes haven't left the front of the classroom for what feels like an eternity. But Taro quickly realises that Daisuke isn't looking at him, but rather has a thousand yard stare into the infinite nothingness ahead of him. He can only really guess at the millions of thoughts that are swimming around in his head, or maybe there's no thoughts in it at all - it's hard to tell.

Daisuke sees movement in front of his eyes, but it takes a moment for him to adjust back to reality.

SNAP SNAP SNAP

Taro began clicking his fingers in front of Daisuke's face, and it quickly brings him back to the present moment. Everyone had already left and it was just him, Taro, and Shiro left in the classroom. Although at least it was people he was more comfortable with.

"Sorry, sorry!" Daisuke panics, shaking his head as though to remove the thoughts in his head. He looks to Taro who wears the face of a concerned friend, then to Shiro who seems to be trying to hold back her laughter. Although, Shiro doesn't know the full extent to what he and Taro talked about in the corridor, so Daisuke tries not to judge her to harshly for her tone-deafness.

"So, what now?" Daisuke continues, as the three stand together, waiting for him to make his next more.

"I think we need to head back to Ren's house after school," Taro starts, considering his words very carefully, "With the amount of people going missing, it's best we play it safe and let him know that the police are investigating." his eyes glide to the floor, as though disappointed with this realisation, Daisuke places his hand on Taro's shoulder, comforting him. Although, Shiro appears unsatisfied with this answer too.

"How about we go to the station?" Taro and Daisuke both quickly look up to Shiro, surprised that she'd even make such a suggestion. It was hasty and rash, but could she have had a point? "I mean, we have information about the disappearance of hundreds, if not thousands of people. The least we could do is tell them what we know."

"No way," Daisuke huffs angrily, "We're not going to the cops, Hidetoshi and I don't get along. Me showing up there is like a lamb to the slaughter. It's not going to end well."

"Well then maybe it doesn't need to be you who goes in?" Shiro asks, trying to think of a way to convince the two boys that this is the way to go forward, that cooperating in the investigation will solve the mystery of the missing people.

"Even if we do go ahead with it, they won't take us seriously." Taro states, pensively. He thinks for a moment, considering all of the repercussions of going to the police. "The officers barely know you or me, Shiro. For all they know it's just two kids making up a story about monsters and angels, it won't work unless it's Ren and Daisuke that do it."

The room is filled with a silence that suffocated everyone in it. All three trying to think of a way to fill this new gap in conversation, but none of them can. Daisuke gets up from the desk and swings his bag over his shoulder and begins heading to the door.

"Let's walk and talk." Daisuke states, leaving the classroom with the other two following shortly behind him. Taro jogs to catch up with Daisuke, who's walking just a few paces ahead, though with how tall he is, he naturally walks much faster than his peers.

"I'm trying to make heads and tails of it, but I really think that Ren and you should talk to Officer Hidetoshi. It only makes sense, right?"

"And what makes you think they'll believe me and him over you?"

Taro pauses for a moment. Realistically there was no chance of Daisuke and Ren talking to Hidetoshi without asking for him specifically, and even then he would be busy with the case of the missing people.

"Both you and Ren know Hidetoshi more than all of us, he'll know its serious because you and Ren normally fight like rabid dogs." Taro's brows furrow with focus as he tries to convince Daisuke - and, to some extent, himself - that it's a good idea, however Daisuke's eyes meet the ground. He wants to say something, but he keeps his mouth shut.

There's a moment of silence between the trio as they approach the door to their next class, Daisuke reaches out for the handle before pausing. He lets out a gust of breath, looking over his shoulder to Taro.

"We'll chat about it with Ren and Kami when we get the chance. For now just focus on work until we have an idea of how to handle this." Daisuke sighs, turning the door handle and stepping inside the classroom.  The three take their seats, Daisuke behind Taro, as usual, and the class passes.

Daisuke tosses a small scrap of paper at the back of Taro's head to get his attention causing him to almost leap out of the chair he was sat on. Daisuke leans forwards at the teacher talks about the lesson.

"What would we even say to the cops? There's no way they're going to believe that an heaven-sent illness is kidnapping people." Taro hadn't thought of that, how would they explain it so that it was believable, but also honest. There just wasn't a way of doing both effectively. At least not one that sacrificed their credibility.

Taro falls silent, there's no good response to Daisuke's question. He turns back to continue his work but his mind won't let him concentrate, he spins his pen around his fingers his mind racing... but not on the topic he should be thinking about. He looks up to Daisuke for inspiration, but it's clear that the dark-haired boy had already moved on to the work sitting before him.

The only thing stopping Daisuke from going to the police is evidence, or lack-there-of. Taro's mind raced with all sorts of methods and strategies to get a smidge of evidence for Daisuke to hang on to. He pressed his fingers to his temple, as though trying to summon a miracle thought and somehow, it worked.

"What if we followed one?" Taro whispered to Daisuke, causing him to raise an eyebrow at the suggestion.

Obviously the suggestion was incredibly dangerous, there was no doubt about that. But as it currently stood, the monsters had only been spotted at night, so they must have been hiding somewhere during the daylight hours.

Daisuke hesitated for a moment before nodding, a devious grin appearing across his face. Taro knew the way to his heart was through causing trouble and chaos. Ren and Kami weren't going to like the idea and would probably try to stop them, but they didn't need to know.

And Taro sure as hell wasn't going to let Shiro join in this expedition, there was far too much at risk for her to come with them. Taro knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.

"Alright, I like the idea." Daisuke agrees, with a somewhat devious look in his eyes. His sanpaku eyes didn't help either, a chill ran up Taro's spine as he looked into his eyes.

* * *

The trio; Taro, Daisuke, and Shiro sit at their table in the cafeteria as they wait for Kami to make her appearance. For the boys, it was difficult to make idle chatter with so much on their mind.

"NO! NO! NO!" Kami raged towards the table that they were seated at. "You are absolutely NOT going to be following one of the corrupted to their nest!" Taro and Daisuke sink further down in their seats, defeated.

Shiro jolts up from her seat, shooting daggers at Taro as though he'd just set up a plot to kill the emperor. In the back of his mind, Taro knew Ren wouldn't approve of his idea either, and although they were still not on speaking terms, Taro still respected Ren.

Daisuke momentarily managed to lock eyes with Kami. "I don't see any other way around it! We can't just go to the cops and tell them that the world is stealing people, it's just not something people believe!"

"This isn't about having people believe us though, Daisuke! This is about protecting them from the reality of the situation. The less they all know, the better it is for all of us!"

Taro shoots his seat back with a terrible screeching sound and slams his fist on the desk, his face drooped into an uncharacteristically serious expression for him. He glares intensely at Kami as the thoughts in his mind attempt to form into words.

"So we're just going to keep lying then? I've been sitting on the other end of a lie for years, not even knowing that my best friend since birth has been an angel, not metaphorically either! Like an actual, real angel!"

"Taro-"

"You know what.  I'm sick of the lies, I'm sick of you two pretending that you're protecting me- No protecting us from the harsh realities that the world needs us to know. If we can just prove without a shadow of a doubt that the threat is real, then people with more power than us can do something about it!" Taro's voice begins to shake as though he's trying his best to hold it together, to seem strong in front of his friends.

"And what if there's nobody who can stop them, Taro? What will you do when you send tens, if not hundreds of police officers to be killed?" Kami's sentiment makes Taro freeze for a moment. He didn't even consider that he'd be putting others at risk, Taro wanted to make excuses like they knew what they were getting into when they signed up for the job, but realistically he knew that what he was sending them in to do was not what they signed up to do.

This wasn't just petty theft or a routine drug stop anymore, this was life or death that they'd be fighting with. Taro stood as he thought about what the consequences of his actions could be, his eyes glided down to the floor, defeated. He could only mutter up a "Right..."

"...So what will we do then? If we can't ask for help and we can't deal with it ourselves, then it just sounds like you're telling us to give up and just accept death." As Taro says this, he raises his head to meet Kami's eyes yet again.

"There isn't much you all can do, realistically." Kami warns, looking unsatisfied with her own answer. "I've spoken with the other gods, we're looking at a battle plan already. Although, it worries me slightly, if I have to fight, then you won't be protected by myself. Ren will still be able to, but his power is waning a lot." 

"So we wait it out is what you're saying?" Daisuke chimes in, a scowl on his face as though he were a child who was rejected candy. "I'm sorry, but I ain't just going to sit here and let those bastards take my friends one by one without a bit of a fight!"

There's a pause for the moment, the room falls silent and the mood bitters. Nobody can agree on the next move. Daisuke looks at Kami as though he wants to continue with another thought, and he's fighting back as the words want to spill out his mouth.

"What if it was him." Daisuke nods towards Taro. "I bet if he'd been taken, you'd stop at nothing to save him. I know I would."

Kami tries looking at Taro, but her eyes just can't meet his. She knows when push comes to shove, whether she was his guardian angel or not, she wanted to be there for him, and knew he would be there for her. But this wasn't about them - at least, not yet - this was about the already hundreds of missing people.

"It's no use trying to convince you this is a bad idea, you'll just go anyway" Kami sighs, defeated after Daisuke's comment. "Just please know what you're getting into is dangerous."

"Don't worry, I'm gonna keep Taro safe. If anything happens, they're gonna need to get through me first." Daisuke sits up confidently, his fists clenched as though the fight was nearby.

Kami crosses her arms, as though comforting herself with a hug. As much as she wanted to believe Daisuke, it wasn't easy. Taro and Daisuke following those monsters was like them throwing themselves into a pit full of hungry lions: They're not making it back... at least not unscathed.

Shiro's hand reaches over to Taro, tugging on his sleeve to get his attention. She mouths words but he can't make them out, so he leans in closer so she can whisper into his ear.

"Please don't do this." she has a waver in her voice as though she's on the verge of tears. Taro freezes for a moment and his heart sinks as though it's going to break, the way she spoke made him feel like he was making one of the worst choices in his life.

But Taro doesn't want to make the promise that he won't hunt the corrupted nest. If there's a chance that they can save people then they need to take it, and yet if he becomes corrupted, then he's leaving Shiro alone. Taro sits in silence for a moment, contemplating his choices.

A few more minutes pass and the bell rings for the next class. Everyone but Taro leaves the table and exits the dining hall, his head held in his hands. Shiro turns back trying her best to reach out to Taro purely through her sight and her thoughts, as though their hearts were connected, and Taro might be comforted by this notion.

But his thoughts were cluttered like desk drawers, and his eyes acted as dams, fighting back the flood of tears that would inevitably come from this choice. He wasn't sure if he should go with Daisuke to collect evidence and betray Shiro and Kami's trust, or stay and hope everything worked itself out.

Shiro, still concerned for her friend, hesitantly leaves the cafeteria and starts making her way to the next class. She balls her hands, as though trying to be strong for both herself and Taro, but her heart still wavered, like she knew Taro would end up making the rash decision that she knew he was going to. Trying her best not to think about it, she leaves.

The chair rattles against the floor as Taro stands up, clutching his snow white hair in his hands with a grip so tight it would make a gorilla look like nothing. The boy paces out of the cafeteria, wanting to catch up with his friends, but his legs won't let him move that fast. His knees wobble and every step feels like he's over excreting himself.

Just keep moving slowly Taro thinks to himself, Shiro's soft, yet concerned voice still ringing in his ears. His head felt like it was pumped full of helium and the room started spinning around him.

Please don't do this.

But what if I have to? Taro asks internally to himself, his vision getting blurry and his body becoming stiff. Taro didn't want to mistrust Kami, after all, she had been through this before, but not getting help from more people would devastate everything. 

The room spun faster around him, and he felt a pit in his stomach like he was going to be sick at any moment.

And then, suddenly, Taro collapsed to his knees, and the dams that kept the flood from flowing broke. Kami, as though hearing his cries from half the world away, came to his aid and held him close.

"I know it's stressful, Taro. But please trust me, you shouldn't need to endanger yourself just to prove that the problem exists. I'll handle everything, so please don't worry about a thing." She wipes the tears from his cheek with her thumbs, holding his face in her hands. Her voice soothing him like a sweet piano melody composed by the greatest artist of all time.

"I'm scared." Taro's voice wavers, tears still streaming down his face. "What's the point in me doing anything if it doesn't help other people. I can't just sit here and wait, hoping that the world just won't end. It's like you're telling me to not worry, meanwhile there's a bomb strapped to my back set to a timer that I can't see. Can you see why I'd want to do something about it?"

Kami doesn't speak back, but continues comforting him, combing her fingers through his hair, the silence settles him a little bit and his thoughts become a little more clear. Taro wraps his arms around Kami, still sobbing into her shoulder.

"Shiro begged me not to go, and Daisuke wants me to go with him. I don't want to betray either of their trust, it like no matter what choice I make, it'll always be the wrong one. I don't want her to have to worry about me, but at the same time I can't do anything useful without someone worrying about me. You, Ren, Shiro, Daisuke... You'll all worry about me one way or another, regardless on what I do." Taro sighs, filling his lungs with air again.

Kami's fingers find their way out of Taro's hair and down his cheek, where she rests her hand for a moment. Taro leans into her hand, closing his eyes as though she was draining him of all of his worries and his fears.

"I know you're scared. I know you want to do something to calm your fear, but if you keep putting others before yourself, all you'll feel is fear. Let other people help you too." Kami places her fingers under his chin, guiding his face towards hers, the two lock eyes for a moment. "You're lucky you have such great friends, Taro. Not a lot of people can say they have people that would stick with them through thick and thin. If you want to go with Daisuke, I don't think there is much I can do to stop you, you'll just go anyway. But promise me that you'll stay safe, you'll look after Daisuke, and keep him safe, just as how I expect him to keep you safe."

Taro, his legs still like jelly, gets up off the ground by using Kami's shoulder for support. He knew what he was going to do, Shiro and Ren weren't going to like it, but at the end of the day, Taro felt like it had to be done. The two held on to each other as they shuffled their way back to the classroom.