Chapter Text
August 6th, 2023.
Minato District, Bubble Central (Tokyo, Japan).
12:17 am JST.
5 years and 3 months after the Bubble Fall Phenomenon.
It had been almost a half an hour since Shin had been kidnapped by the Undertaker member at the mall, and they were walking up north presumably towards the Undertaker main base. His arms were starting to get sore from his hands being tied behind his back with a large version of the zip-tie, which also means that progress has been slow due to the lack of parkour.
With nothing else to do, Shin decided to break the tense silence.
“So…You like to kidnap people?” At this, the purple themed gun carrier tilted his head in what looked to be mock curiosity, as if the thought that his hostage was anything but terrified. The truth however, is that Shin had long since deduced his motives, and thus reasoned that the risk to his life is minimal.
Still, it’s probably best not to test the trigger happy fanatic.
“No, not really. But I meant it earlier when I said that I’m a fan of your work! Really! There are five known bubble hoppers in Bubble Central, including you. So that makes you something of a legend!” His hands started waving around, as if depicting the motions of bubble hopping in real time.
“Oh really? And what might be the name of my biggest fan?” Shin’s logic is simple: even if he couldn't get the Undertakers as a clan to be kicked out of Bubble Central for kidnapping, perhaps he can get this grunt removed for touching someone retired. If the unpopular clan is hoping to enter the political sphere of the region, they are going to have to make some concessions.
Shin’s gonna make sure that no one threatens to kill his family ever again. No one gets to hurt Kai and get away with it.
“The name’s Ross. Ross Sato! An honor!"
“Beleive me, the pleasure’s all mine.” Go fuck yourself, was the only thing that Shin thought was an appropriate reply, but wisely kept that to himself.
Ross chuckled as if to a joke only heard by himself. At Shin’s look of mild irritation, Ross spoke with a deeper tone that implied malicious intent. “I wonder how your friends are doing. Probably shitting themselves right about now”
Shin had never wanted to deck someone so strongly in his entire life. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the gun that sat in Ross’ back pocket, just out of reach, if Shin’s hands were available. Ross was still talking about how the Undertakers were better at Battlekour because of their gear, and Shin took that as a sign to zone out, walking on autopilot.
Still, the casual mention of the Blue Blazes brought them to the forefront of his mind, plaguing him with worry for the team. He knew that Kai was probably fine, physically if nothing else. Hibiki was worried sick no doubt. It had been amazing to see the shy and reserved boy become so obviously attached to the people close to him over the three years they had lived together. The raven haired teen still has a hard time being social and approaching people, but he’s come a long way from spending all his time away from the Reiyo, to who knows where.
Then there’s Uta, the new mystery. Hopefully Kai treats her well, and not putting all his stress on her about the whole kidnapping thing. The blue haired girl is so small and looked so lonely, Shin hoped that meeting the team would bring some life back into those pale and defensive eyes.
Osawa and Isozaki, Shin knew, would take his absence the hardest. He had been with the two boys for so long that to spend more than a day apart from them would be a huge adjustment, until a proper plan of action can be made for his release. Osawa is a natural caregiver and would likely be busy putting together a bed for Uta, taking care of her primary necessities, and her comfort, to think about Shin. Or rather, distracting himself with as many tasks as possible to think and break down crying in worry over the situation.
Isozaki is a planner, and logical thinker. Though he’s a bit of a stickler for the rules, Isozaki is the one to always be five steps ahead of everyone, the Battlekour strategist. Shin can imagine that the buzz cut teen is thinking ahead for meeting Jericho Suzuki and making contingency plans in case of failure. Shin knew that failure was Isozaki’s worst nightmare.
Last but not least, is Makoto. In truth, Shin had been friends with her for a few months before his leg injury had irreversibly changed the way he contributes to the team.
They had met during Minato’s semi-annual trades meeting in March, back when she was a new face on the block. She had used her corporation connections to get in touch with Jericho, and basically bribed her way into the meeting to get a scope of the works. Shin had been at that meeting as the representative of the Blue Blazes.
It was only after his major injury that Makoto had asked to move into the Reiyo to help him out during Shin’s difficult transition from bread-winner to couch potato. The recovery had been long, but Makoto had been super supportive about his mental baggage.
She didn’t make a fuss when he admitted that Battlekour scared him now, that even though he can run now, he’s too afraid to get injured again. It’s a fear Shin still could not get the courage to tell the rest of the team.
Instead, she’s the one that insisted he focus all his energy on training Hibiki as the replacement bubble hopper of the Blue Blazes. Shin did his very best to shove down the tiny part of himself that was jealous of the boy for his ability to still be fearless.
“Hey! Hey! Are you still listening?!” Nope, but thanks for reminding me that I have more pressing things to worry about.