Chapter Text
Kairi was surprised by how light his backpack was, despite packing it with all of his possessions. He smirked as he thought just how little his life amounted to, just a few pictures and a memento or two. If it has been any other day he probably would have wallowed in self-pity, but today he was thankful.
Today, he and the others had to disappear.
Kairi, Umika and Touma had made one too many mistakes. They worked incredibly hard to keep their identities secret from the Patrangers but they know that the cops were starting to suspect. Keiichiro was asking questions about the dreamworld that Umika had gotten caught in. Tsukasa was always pensive and quiet at the Juror, but all three Lupinrangers had caught her staring at them just a little too long.
For the past week, after the Juror closed the arguments would start. Touma was very adamant that they should leave immediately and never turn back. Umika, scared out of her mind, tended to agree despite her friendship with Tsukasa. Kairi, however, argued that they could make it, that the Patrangers would never connect the dots. It wasn’t until tonight that Kairi finally agreed with his teammates.
After coming home from another evening of skipping work, Kairi opened the front door only to see Touma sitting at a dining table. When Touma noticed that Kairi had come in he uncrossed his legs and stood up, grabbing a framed picture from the table.
“Kairi, is it going to be your brother,” Touma held up the framed photograph from Kairi’s desk, “or Keiichiro?”
“Why you asking that?” Kairi was puzzled by the question.
“Every time you argue that we should stay – you’re picking Keiichiro” Touma said calmly, putting the photo back on the table and moving toward the stairs.
It took a few moments for Kairi to process what Touma had said. That he hadn’t been arguing to stay because he believed that they wouldn’t be caught, but because he didn’t want to leave Keiichiro behind. He realized how much he enjoyed their back and forth, the light teasing. That Keiichiro was what Kairi tried to fill the void that his brother left behind.
But Kairi knew he could let nothing – nothing – get in the way of seeing his brother again.
“You’re right.” Kairi called out just before Touma left the room. “I… we need to go.”
“How about tonight then?”
“Give me a half an hour.” Kairi agreed.
Barely taking fifteen minutes to pack up his things, Kairi had thought about using his remaining time to write a letter to leave behind. He wanted to apologize to Keiichiro, tell him not to worry. But his knew logically that he couldn’t leave any trace behind. And so he hoped that Keiichiro would understand, and if he couldn’t, that he would at least learn to get past it.
Kairi walked down the stairs and saw Touma and Umika packed and ready, their faces tight with resolve. They walked out the front door with their bags. Kairi grabbed his backpack’s straps and quickly came behind.
He passed through the door frame and turned back to look at the dining hall. He then turned off the lights one last time and closed the door behind him.