Work Text:
Azuma wakes, disoriented, to the sound of quiet crying. He sits up, holding his head, trying to make sense of the situation. He’d been trying to retrieve Taichi, or at least the cube he’d been turned into. The Neighbor had hit him with something that stunned him - he’d tried to bail out, but–
Other thoughts fly out of his head when he registers that Taichi is in the small, bare room along with him. The younger sniper is sitting against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest, eyes wide and unfocused, staring at nothing. He’s trembling. Azuma hurries over to him, kneeling beside him.
“Taichi? Taichi! Just breathe, okay? I’m right here.” He puts an arm around Taichi’s back, feeling the boy shaking like a leaf. “Deep breaths. In, out. Focus on my voice, Taichi.”
There’s little point to breathing in a trion body, but it’s still an instinct, and Taichi is hyperventilating. As Azuma speaks softly, Taichi leans against him, shuddering and struggling to control his breath.
“A… Azuma… san…”
“I’ve got you. It’s all right.” It brings back a sharp, bittersweet memory of Shuuji, the panics he used to get sometimes on defense duty. He’d conquered them well before Miwa Squad was formed, but when he’d first enlisted, Azuma had grown used to talking him through those episodes, holding him in the rubble of the forbidden zone until he calmed down. He’s never seen Taichi like this, but the boy is always full of emotion, easily excitable and easily shattered. And unlike Shuuji, he’s never seen real casualties, never been in this kind of danger; Azuma doesn’t blame him for panicking.
Maybe we were complacent. Maybe we should have prepared them better for something like this.
He shoves the thought out of his mind as Taichi comes back to himself, his trembling starting to subside. “Better?” he asks gently.
“Azuma-san…” Taichi shudders, looks up at the older agent. “What’s - what’s happening? Where are we?”
“I… I don’t know. The Neighbors must have captured us.” They might be on their ship, or - depending on how long they were trapped in cube form - in the Neighborhood itself. He doesn’t want to speculate and give Taichi any more reason for panic.
“But Border will come and get us, right?” There’s an edge of desperation in Taichi’s voice. “They’ve got to.”
“I hope so,” Azuma murmurs. “But for now, we need to stay calm and–”
“Azuma-san!” Taichi points across the room, looking alarmed, and Azuma looks over his shoulder.
There’s another cube, glowing so brightly it’s hard to look at. His stomach clenches. Who…?
As they watch, the cube expands and shifts, and then abruptly stops glowing, leaving behind the huddled human form of a trion body. It takes a moment for Azuma to see clearly, but when he recognizes the third person in the room it’s like a punch to the gut.
“Okudera,” he breathes. Not just Taichi. He failed Okudera too.
“...Azuma-san? Taichi?” The tension in Okudera relaxes a little when he realizes he’s not alone. “Where are we…?”
***
Okudera is disoriented; the last thing he remembers is getting cornered by the Trion soldier that had taken Azuma, after a failed attempt to retrieve him. But he takes it well, outwardly calm at least as Azuma explains the situation, which seems to help steady Taichi as well. They investigate the room, not that there’s much to see. It’s uniform and bare, the walls and floor made of the same grayish, faintly iridescent substance that’s probably just trion. None of them can find a door, or even a seam to indicate an opening. Okudera even tries striking at the wall a few times with his Kogetsu, but it doesn’t even leave a mark, and Azuma tells him to stop, not wanting to attract attention or trigger any automated defense systems.
“Try with Ibis,” Okudera pleads, but Azuma shakes his head.
“These walls are probably made of reinforced trion, like the ones at headquarters. I doubt we can put a dent in them with anything we have.” None of them is Amatori, after all. He raps his knuckles against the smooth surface, frowning. “They left us here knowing we’d still be in trion bodies, which makes me think they aren’t concerned about our triggers.”
“Oh, that’s true.” Okudera looks thoughtful. “That cube thing would only work if we were already made of trion…”
He’s right, and in combination with the cell that seems designed to contain trigger users, it leaves Azuma feeling distinctly unsettled. Trion soldiers with a capture objective are nothing new, but in his experience they’ve only ever gone after civilians. This time - it’s starting to seem like Border agents were the target from the start.
And if that’s true, did they get anyone else? It’s entirely possible. He has no idea what happened to Izumi, Midorikawa and Yoneya after they were separated from the others in the fight with the humanoid neighbor. Arafune, he hopes, had the sense to remain hidden. And some A-rank squads had been engaging the trion soldiers that took Suwa and Kitora, last he heard. Maybe they had better luck retrieving them than Azuma did with Taichi. Or maybe they were taken too.
It’s some comfort to know that at least Koarai is safely back at headquarters. And while he knows Ninomiya can look after himself and trusts the younger man’s abilities completely, there’s still a part of him selfishly glad that Ninomiya and his squad weren’t on duty when the invasion hit. They’ll likely still be deployed, but at least there’s less of a chance they’ll be caught off guard. By the time they’re in the fight, they’ll have a better idea what they’re facing. Or - had. The battle might be over already. Azuma wishes he had any idea how much time has passed while they were in the cubes.
Eventually, he sits down and leans against the wall, Okudera and Taichi sitting close on either side. Taichi leans against his shoulder, looking exhausted in a way Azuma knows must be more emotional than physical. Okudera is still alert and on edge, though he’s not panicking. He’s handling this surprisingly well, and Azuma is proud of him, though this is hardly the way he wanted to find out how Okudera has grown. Neither of the boys should have to go through this.
“I’m sorry, Azuma-san,” Okudera mutters after a while. “I should have fallen back, but I wasn’t thinking. You warned Koarai before and I just did the same thing.”
Azuma shakes his head. “There’s no point in beating yourself up about it,” he says. “What’s done is done. Now we can only focus on what comes next.”
“...what does come next?” His voice sounds small. Azuma reaches over to squeeze his hand, though any reassurance he can give feels hollow right now.
“I don’t know,” Azuma admits quietly.
A silence falls over the three of them after that. Taichi huddles against his shoulder and Okudera curls up on his other side, head on his lap; Azuma finds himself putting an arm around each of them. Sleep is unnecessary in a trion body - in fact, many people can’t sleep in a trion body - but they can at least take advantage of the time to rest while they have it. Azuma doesn’t close his eyes, though, staying quiet and watchful as the boys doze beside him. It’s almost like a stakeout, except this isn’t going to end in a single precise shot to dispatch their enemies. His weapons aren’t going to help him protect the boys at all.
The silence is broken perhaps a few hours later when someone finally enters their cell. A rectangular space opens up in the wall and Azuma gets to his feet, carefully disentangling himself from Okudera and Taichi. He immediately recognizes the man who steps into the room: the horned, red-haired soldier they’d fought back in Mikado City. As he walks towards them, Azuma has to fight the urge to take a step back; he’s a fairly tall man, but this horned soldier towers over him, and Azuma has to crane his neck to meet his eyes. Okudera and Taichi have stood up as well, and he’s careful to keep them both behind him.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” The man stops right in front of him and breaks into a triumphant grin as he searches Azuma’s face. “You’re the commander who directed the fight against me.”
Azuma nods. “I was.”
The man actually laughs aloud, looking delighted. “I knew it! I thought it had to be you, or else that shooter my brother took such an interest in. I’m glad. My name is Ranbanein, of House Beltiston. The three of you will apprentice under me.”
Shooter? Brother? Is he talking about Izumi? But there are more pressing questions, and Azuma focuses on that last sentence. “Apprentice? I was under the impression that we were prisoners.”
Ranbanein tilts his head, unfazed by Azuma’s barely-concealed hostility. “In a sense. But I’d far rather have you as a soldier. You’ll be treated well, you know. We value strong fighters and those strong in trion here.”
“You have to know we’ll be reluctant to betray our homeland,” Azuma says.
“I don’t intend to make you,” Ranbanein says frankly. “We’re moving away from Meeden now, so we don’t expect to engage with them again any time soon. You won’t have to fight them, or reveal their secrets. All I want is for you to use your strength in the service of Aftokrator.”
“And you seriously think we’ll just do it if you just ask nicely?” Okudera spits.
“Okudera,” Azuma hisses in warning, reflexively putting a hand out - whether to shield Okudera or stop him from moving forward, he’s not sure. But Ranbanein only laughs.
“Maybe not. But whether or not you cooperate, returning to Meeden is not an option for you. We’ve already returned to Aftokrator, and we’ve left Meeden’s orbit. No one can cross over from here anymore.” His eyes flick to Azuma’s, once again addressing him directly. “Let me be clear. I am not telling you to serve me, Meeden tactician. I am offering you the chance to become part of Aftokrator, to join the greatest of its Great Houses, and that is not something that is given lightly. When you have proven your worth you will be free, and honored. And until the day you take those vows, you will be under my protection. You have my word as a scion of House Beltiston.”
Azuma narrows his eyes, not turning to look at Okudera or Taichi but suddenly keenly aware of their presence behind him. “If we comply, you will guarantee our safety?” he says quietly. “My students as well?”
Ranbanein nods. “All three of you.”
“...and if we don’t?”
“If you don’t, you will be prisoners, and your fate will not be up to me. Or to you.”
And Azuma will be in no position to protect Okudera or Taichi.
All at once, he’s made up his mind. “Okay,” he says quietly. “Fine. We’ll cooperate.” There’s a sharp intake of breath behind him, and he ignores it. “So long as you can ensure their safety.”
“Azuma-san…!” It’s Okudera’s voice, quiet and incredulous. Thankfully, Ranbanein ignores him, scrutinizing Azuma’s face. The man nods once, accepting his answer.
“Then all of you need to deactivate your triggers and hand them over.”
Azuma takes a deep, controlled breath. He hates this, hates having to give the two boys an order that will only make them more vulnerable. But there’s clearly no point in resisting right now. He’s not equipped for a fight at close range, and even if he was, he’s in enemy territory. Reinforcements or defense systems would almost certainly cut him down as soon as he tried to attack. And he can’t give their captors any excuse to treat the boys more roughly. It’s better to go along with this for now and wait for a better opportunity. He only hopes Okudera and Taichi will trust him enough to follow suit.
“Okudera, Taichi,” he says quietly. “Stand down. Do as he says.”
“But–” Okudera quickly bites off his protest, glaring down at the floor with his fists clenched. “Trigger off,” he spits, and his Azuma Squad uniform is replaced by his street clothes. Taichi and Azuma do the same.
The boys hand their triggers to Azuma without a word, and he holds them out to Ranbanein, stony-faced. Ranbanein takes them, tucks them away inside his uniform pocket, and nods gravely.
“Thank you,” he says. “May I ask your name, Meeden tactician?”
“Azuma Haruaki.”
“And your students - Okudera and Taichi, you called them?” Azuma nods, and Ranbanein grins at him. “Good. I look forward to the day when you can fight at my side, warriors of Meeden.”
“Are there any others?” Azuma ventures to ask. “Other… prisoners, apprentices, from Bor- from Meeden?”
“Mm! Two others in House Beltiston, under my brother; I am sure you’ll be seeing them. And…” Ranbanein’s smile fades, and he grimaces a little, as if he finds the next part distasteful. "Three claimed by House Velona - which was their right, of course, with representatives on the expedition, but…" He sighs. "Ah, well. Your baby birds are being treated as noncombatants, so they’ve not yet been claimed, but Hyrein is having them trained here as well.”
Baby birds? The C-ranks? “Claimed,” Azuma repeats, narrowing his eyes. “As if they’re the spoils of war.”
“Well.” Ranbanein shrugs. “Yes. Soldiers are a valuable resource. You must know that’s one of the reasons we come to Meeden from this side, even if your customs are different."
“I… yes. I suppose we do.” It’s certainly what seems to motivate the usual abductions of civilians, and it matches up with the new tactics Aftokrator had employed in the invasion. It’s still difficult for Azuma to wrap his head around it, the rationale behind abducting enemy combatants as recruits.
Ranbanein has pulled something out of his pocket, three black half-circles that look a little like bangles. Azuma thinks they must be triggers of some sort. “You’ll be collared, until you’ve proven you can be trusted,” Ranbanein says, almost apologetically, and Azuma swallows. “To seal your trion outside of training and monitor your locations.”
He steps forward and gestures to Azuma’s neck. Reluctantly Azuma tilts his head back, and Ranbanein pulls his hair away from his neck before deploying the device. It latches around his throat in an instant. As Ranbanein steps back, Azuma lifts his hand to his neck, tracing the collar’s smooth, unbroken surface. There’s no apparent way to remove it. It’s not uncomfortable, but it’s impossible to forget it’s there. Azuma guesses that’s part of its purpose as well: a permanent, visible, tangible reminder of their position here.
Ranbanein reaches toward Okudera next, and without thinking Azuma moves to intercept, stepping in front of him. “Don’t touch him.”
“It’s the same as yours. It won’t hurt them.”
“...Let me do it.”
Ranbanein raises a brow, but then nods, handing the remaining two collars to Azuma. Okudera stands perfectly still as Azuma puts the collar on him, meeting his captain’s eyes with a resolute expression and giving him a tiny, barely visible nod when it snaps into place. Taichi’s gaze is distant, and he can feel the boy trembling under his fingers, just a little. When the collar is in place Azuma gives his shoulder a quick, encouraging squeeze before letting go of him and turning back to Ranbanein. It’s the most reassurance he dares give right now.
There’s something almost like sympathy in Ranbanein’s eyes as he watches them. “Good. I’ll show you to the barracks and have a meal sent to you there. In the morning, when you’ve settled in, we can begin your training.”
***
Their quarters are somewhat larger than the cell where they woke up, if nearly as bare; there are three narrow, identical beds and a window set high in one wall. It’s too high up for even Azuma to see out of, but Okudera makes a futile attempt to scramble up the wall and then turns a pleading look to Azuma over his shoulder. Once perched atop his captain’s shoulders, Okudera leans into the window alcove, and Azuma hears him gasp quietly.
“What do you see?” Azuma asks him.
“It’s… there’s a whole city out there,” Okudera says softly. “We must be up high, I can see pretty far. It’s got to be as big as Mikado City, maybe even bigger. And I don’t see any power lines, or cars, or even railways…” His voice falters suddenly. “We really are in the Neighborhood, aren’t we, Azuma-san?”
Azuma helps Okudera get back down to the floor and sits down on the edge of one of the beds. “I’ve only been on a couple of expeditions,” he says, “but my understanding is that Mikado City is considered a very large city by Neighbor standards. Our intel named Aftokrator as the largest military nation in the Neighborhood… I can believe it.”
“I want to go home,” Taichi says quietly. It’s the first time he’s spoken in a while.
Okudera casts a sympathetic look to the other boy. “Are we really… joining them, Azuma-san?” His voice is low and worried. “I’m not betraying Border, whatever that man says.”
“We’re not,” Azuma says. “We’re in enemy territory, and we don’t have many options. Right now, my first priority is keeping the two of you safe, and if we make ourselves valuable to them, they’ll be less likely to harm us. The best thing we can do for now is be patient and wait for an opportunity. Believe me, I have no intention of giving up on finding a way home.”
And Ranbanein has to know that, too. Despite his genial attitude and bombastic fighting style, the man is no fool; that’s been clear to him since the fight in Mikado City. He’s clearly confident about winning them over, but there’s no way he trusts them yet. Azuma wouldn’t either.
“They’ll come after us,” Okudera says, though his confidence sounds slightly forced. “Right? They’ll send an away mission. All we have to do is hold out until they get here.”
“You may be right,” Azuma says. “But there are still things we can do while we’re waiting. We must convince Ranbanein that we can be trusted, so we can act more freely. And I want to find out who else was taken. We have allies here, if we can make contact.” And the look of distaste on Ranbanein’s face when he mentioned House Velona was… troubling. Perhaps he was merely frustrated that his House wasn’t able to take charge of all the prisoners, but Azuma has a nasty feeling about it all the same.
“Yeah. Yeah.” Okudera is nodding like he’s trying to convince himself, like he’s talking himself into trying a strategy he’s not sure about. “We’ll find them. You’re the senior agent here, Azuma-san, we’ll follow your lead.”
Taichi nods at this. He’s still pale and uncharacteristically quiet, but his gaze looks more focused than it had before in the cell. “Me too.”
Azuma looks at both of them, and silently reminds himself again what the stakes are here. They are his responsibility, both of them, and he has to be worthy of the trust they have in him. He’s never been prone to doubting himself or his decisions, but right now, he hopes desperately that he has made the right call.
He’ll take care of them, whatever it takes.