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For the majority of the Akuta cleaners the day started out about as normal as it could be on the ground. The sun was shining down on the headquarters, seeping through the windows, illuminating the hallways in a somewhat peaceful glow. The bustle of various cleaners and members making their way to the dining hall was a sign that it was time to get up and start moving. Three out of the four givers of team Akuta were sitting at a table picking at some food, waiting on the fourth and newest member to join them.
They had a mission today, and they were supposed to leave after breakfast. However, the newbie seemed to be late, as usual. “Your turn” Enjin spoke casually, though with a light teasing undertone with a fork pointed at Zanka. The staff wielder glanced over at the leader with a huff, crossing his arms. “Oh come on, why do I have to fetch the brat? That never goes well. You do it.” He added a displeased frown for emphasis, no longer interested in whatever food he was picking at previously.
Enjin only leaned back in his seat, getting comfortable and shrugging at the other. “Riyo went last time, and I've gone twice before that. Someone clearly has to get him or we're gonna be late. Sooo, I volunteered you.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table with a knowing smirk “figured you could handle anything. Besides, you're his trainer, so who better for the job of making sure he's not late?” As usual, that did the trick. Zanka lit up as Enjin praised him and placed faith in him, his eyes taking on that familiar gleam. The frown was long since lost, replaced with a smug smile. “Alright then, If you insist.” He said as he got up from the table.
Riyo giggled from her seat, shooting a playful grin at the blue eyed cleaner, pointing casually. “Just don't hurt him too bad, we still need him for the mission.” This earned her a scoff and an eyeroll from the blue eyed cleaner in question. “No promises.” And like that he was off. Riyo turned towards Enjin with the same playful look, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. “How long do you think it'll take them?” Enjin only shrugged, raising his palms up for added effect. “Hopefully not long, we have a long drive.”
Thankfully, Zanka returned rather quickly, casually walking up to the table with an especially tired looking Rudo in tow. “didn't even have much of an issue with the brat.” he said proudly, taking it as a win. Enjin raised a brow, subtly glancing past the smug teen to look at the disheveled mess of white hair. “Look what the trash beast dragged in. You look like a rat made a nest in your hair, kid…" after a moment of silence, Enjin spoke again. "Alright,” he stood up and dusted himself off, beginning to make his way towards the door. “Now that Zanka finished his side quest, we can get rolling.”
>●•●•●•●•●
The dust had mostly settled along the vast desert stretching across the landscape, providing a clear view of the surrounding area. Well, mostly clear that is. Team Akuta as well as their supporters were piled in the Jeep as usual, with Enjin at the wheel. Unfortunately for the passengers, Enjin was even less focused on the path in front of them than usual. He had hit large holes in the ground or bumps, each time sending the occupants up in the air before roughly landing back in their seats. The reason for his distraction? A certain cleaner that fell from the Sphere sitting against the door, barely paying attention to the red head laying on his shoulder, staring out the window with a blank look on his face.
He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all the night before, though that wasn't much of a shock with how little the Spherite slept in the first place. What really bothered Enjin was the kid's silence. He hadn't spoken a single word since Zanka brought him into the dining hall, even when Enjin playfully insulted him to try and get a rise out of him. Looking in the rear view at the spherite, Enjin noted that he seemed lost in thought as he looked out the window, a slight frown on his face. Something was bothering him, and the umbrella wielder couldn't help but be curious as to what it was.
Gris, who was in the passenger seat as usual, smacked him on the shoulder once more, bringing his attention back on the road in time to swerve around a massive rock. He gave the older cleaner an unbothered shrug in response to the questioning glare he was given. Enjin glanced back towards Rudo, Gris following his gaze before turning back with a slight nod of understanding. It was a silent conversation and mutual agreement between the two adults. They were worried about the youngest member of Akuta.
>●•●•●•●•●
The cleaners eventually arrived at the city, Enjin sliding the Jeep into a safe spot to park. They all filed out, everyone stretching their limbs aside from Rudo as usual. It didn't take them long to find the place they were supposed to meet the client, receiving better instructions on where the beasts were located. Supposedly some trash beasts who were particularly aggressive were spotted near the barricades, trying to attack not only the people that went near, but smaller beasts as well. They casually made their way to the area, scouting it for any sightings.
Finally, the large beasts emerged, shaped somewhat like wolves, and seemingly moving in a pack. There were about 8 or 9 wolves, all chasing a smaller trash beast closer to the border. “Whoa, who let the dogs out?” The umbrella wielder chuckled at his own reference, not getting a response from any of them. “Tough crowd.” he muttered “No wonder all of us were sent. They're fast.” he continued, glancing back at the group, Umbreaker casually propped on his shoulder. Still getting no response, he turned around, frowning at the team “Come on guys, wake up. If we're done here quickly, we can go downtown to get some food.” He then turned his gaze to Rudo to add on with a knowing smirk “and maybe some dessert too.”
Finally, he got a response out of the teen, his eyes lighting up with excitement, a muttered "dessert" coming out of his mouth as he held his treasure of the day, a hand mixer. This earned a chuckle from the rest of the cleaners, Gris speaking up. “Let's make this quick, then.” Enjin turned around, activating his umbrella as the wolves finally noticed them. “Alright then, let's get to cleaning.” The beasts were fast, agile, and strong. It made the battle more of a challenge, despite having the whole team there. The beasts also fought as a team, two teaming up on each cleaner, and one to keep Gris busy.
Zanka had a little trouble, having only enough time to keep them at bay before one would lunge. The staff wielder had to dodge or wack it out of the way. When he lifted up the Lovely Assistaff for an attack the other would lunge, forcing him to redirect his hit. He cursed under his breath, scowling at the beasts. “Bad dogs! You mutts are gonna have to be trained.” He prepared for an attack, feeling a sudden unexpected pressure against his back. Someone ran into him, and based on the height he could guess who it was. “Oi, pay attention dumbass. Almost knocked me over.”
Rudo groaned behind him, the unmistakable sound of the trash beasts following suit. “I am paying attention, asshole.” Zanka scoffed, before realizing something. With Rudo behind him, he didn't have to worry about watching his own back. Was this the brat’s plan, or was it just coincidence? Probably just a coincidence. “Fine. Let's make this work.” That was his own way of saying ‘you watch my back and I'll watch yours.’ The positioning helped them take care of the beasts, as soon as two of them were dealt with, the rest was easy.
Riyo didn't have as much trouble with her pair, flawlessly avoiding the strikes and counteracting the attacks with her Ripper. As for Enjin, he made quick work of the two, quickly figuring out a pattern of attacks and blasting through them, going to help Gris finish off the last of the big ones. The commotion drew out some smaller beasts, Enjin, Gris, and Follo getting to work on them, keeping them from the other three cleaners. When all were taken care of, the team regrouped, Zanka and Rudo bantering back and forth about their fight. Enjin, Gris, Follo, and Riyo all chuckled at the sight, knowing they didn't really hate each other, despite them shouting it back and forth.
“Alright.” Enjin said, Umbreaker back to normal, resting on his shoulder. “Who's up for some food?” Riyo was the first to speak up, putting her scissors back in their spot and propping her arms behind her head. “Good. I'm staaaarving. You're payin, though.” She added the end with a sly smile, already starting to walk towards the city. Enjin's mouth dropped open, walking after her. “Hey, wait a minute, why do I gotta pay? You have your own money.” Rudo spoke up, a scowl on his face. “You still owe me for selling my clothes.” The older man groaned dramatically, swiping a hand over his face. “I already told you, I had to sell them. They were a dead giveaway.” Rudo practically growled at him, crossing his arms “You also used my money to pay for things. And that's also after you dropped me off at those kidnappers.”
Zanka chimed in with a “yeah, and you owe me for making me train him.” Riyo hummed ahead of them, glancing back over her shoulder with a mischievous smile at Enjin. “Sounds like you owe them anyway, so yupp, you're paying this time.” Enjin groaned at this, dropping his head in defeat for a second. “Fiiiiiiine.” The crew walked on for a while, glancing around at the people in the city, the streets lively with people heading out for the night or going home, outside tables at various restaurants bustling with customers. Suddenly Rudo stopped with a gasp.
Rudo was looking around while walking, casually checking out the different kinds of people in the city. Then he saw him. The man sitting at a table about 30 feet away. The man had an average build, medium length wavy black hair, and was wearing an off-white coat. The guy turned around to look at something while talking to who he was sitting with, and Rudo saw that the man had a black goatee. He looked exactly like Regto. He froze.
•~•~•~•
The images flooded in, the outer world fading away around the man, slowly shifting into a slew of painful memories. Rudo was walking through the door of their shared home, imagining his dad turning around to greet him before reality set in, seeing the person straddled over his dying father. “No..” He watched as that blade was driven deeper, his dad's body twitching from the pain, his air being forced out of his body in the form of a pained choke. “No.. WHY?” He felt like he was running, yet he was somehow getting nowhere. Regto was laying there in front of him, blood bright red and far too visible to ignore, and it was everywhere.
The asshole that did such an unspeakable act was walking past him, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't move, he could hardly even think. “Why did you..” he growled out, barely even aware of his own voice. He was met with no answer as the person left. Left him alone with his dead father. Was he really dead, or was he dying.. or maybe injured? Rudo wasn't sure, everything was fuzzy. He just knew he was alone and he could only smell blood. The blood of Regto. “Rudo.” The teen choked as Regto spoke, his voice nowhere near as lively as it used to be.
He tried his best to get to him, not even aware of the moment, just that he was far away and suddenly Regto was right under his face. “R.. Regto..” “Rudo.. I'm here.” Regto spoke to him, though it somehow seemed off. “Why? Why did they?..” Rudo squeaked out, his voice wavering, still not in control of it. “Rudo, it's okay. I'm here.” Rudo let out a confused and angry breath, his heart pounding in his chest. “No. No. You're- you're hurt. I'll- I'll get help.” Suddenly he was being grabbed from behind, voices mixing together and accusing him of murder and Rudo freaked out. They were going to take him away from Regto. “No! NO! I didn't do it! Help him! It wasn't me!!”
He felt his shoulder being grabbed from the front, and he looked down at it, seeing the bloodied hand of the tribesfolk. “Hey, kid, it's okay. Focus on my words.” He felt dizzy, his stomach churning and his heart on the edge of exploding. The figures behind him disappeared, hands no longer on his back. “No.. no.. no.. You're.. you're dying. Let me get help for you.” He was suddenly pulled closer into a hug, the feeling of blood against his clothes, staining it. “I'm right here. We're here together.”
Rudo started to shake, confusion starting to set in. This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. He wasn't sure if he was in the right time, or if he was remembering something. Was it past or present? Where was he? All he knew was that he could see Regto and he didn't want to lose him. “Please. You're all I have. Please don’t leave me.” He felt his back being rubbed by the hand that was previously on his shoulder, and Regto's voice sounded wrong, but familiar when he spoke again. “I’m not going anywhere, kid. I'm right here. We're all here.” He furrowed his brows, confusion starting to overshadow his other feelings. “W.. we?” The voice started to sound more clear, Regto's voice fading out from it, though the feeling of his back being rubbed, and the warmth of the blood against his chest was still there. No wait, that wasn't blood he was feeling, it was.. body heat? “Yes, we. Do you know where you are? Close your eyes and breathe with me, okay? Can you do that?” Rudo nodded, closing his eyes tightly.
He began to breathe shakily, listening to the voice telling him when to inhale and exhale. Slowly the noises around him started to fade back in, a strange familiarity to it. He felt dizzy and confused, but he continued to obey the voice, breath starting to even out. Regto's tone was completely gone from the voice, leaving behind someone completely different. Someone Rudo knew. Enjin. He pried open his eyes, being met with a completely different scene from before.
Enjin was kneeling on the ground, having pulled Rudo into a tight hug, rubbing his back and gently instructing him on how to breathe. Two figures were standing behind Enjin, looking nervously down at him. It took a second before the names came back to him, Gris and Riyo. He glanced behind him, seeing two more figures staring down at him with hurt and concern in their eyes. Follo and Zanka. The memories came flooding back to him, remembering where he was and why they were there. “I'm.. I'm on the ground..” He spoke quietly, voice filled with raw emotion.
•~•~•~•
The others continued on for a moment until Enjin went to glance at Rudo, noticing he wasn't next to them anymore. He stopped, looking back and seeing the unmoving Rudo staring off in the distance, eyes blown wide, body vibrating and hands twitching. “Kid?” He got nothing in response, the teen completely zoned out. Enjin sighed, walking back towards the Spherite. “No..” he heard the kid mutter out, his voice shaking with pure fear and pain. That caused him to pause, worried that he was scared of him for a moment. The rest of the team had turned when Enjin did, Zanka taking another step towards him when Enjin paused. “Oi. Snap outta it and let's go.” When he was met with a “No.. WHY?” Zanka groaned, taking a step forward before a hand shot up in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. “I don't think he hears you.” muttered the adult.
Rudo started shaking more, tightening his hands into fists, his eyes still not moving from where they were fixated. “Why did you?” he growled, and Enjin was walking towards him again. When he got close, he tried getting his attention. “Rudo.” The kid looked up at him, but his eyes were glazed over, it being clear that he was looking straight through him and not actually seeing him. “R.. Regto.” He frowned, knowing who the Spherite was imagining. “Rudo.. I'm here.”. Rudo's voice was filled with emotion as he asked the next question. “Why? Why did they?..” Enjin wasn't sure exactly what he should do, but he knew staying quiet would only make it worse. “Rudo, it's okay. I'm here.” He kneeled down to get to his level, and Rudo choked out his next words. “No. No. You're- you're hurt. I'll- I'll get help.”
The umbrella wielder frowned deeper, worried about what he was seeing. Zanka and Follo tried to show their support towards the teen, trying to ground him. They each placed a hand on either shoulder, telling him things along the lines of that they were there for him, and it was okay. However, this only made things worse, Rudo’s eyes widening further, his body shaking with fear and anger. “No! NO! I didn't do it! Help him! It wasn't me!!” he suddenly shouted, mindlessly moving to get out of their grip despite the fact that they already removed their hands. This caused a pain to grow in Enjin's heart, worried about what Rudo was seeing and remembering. He was sure this was a flashback now.
The adult placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, visibly calming him, the teen looking at his hand. “Hey, kid, it's okay. Focus on my words.” He said as gently as he could. “No.. no.. no.. You're.. you're dying. Let me get help for you.” Enjin's heart threatened to break right there, but he pushed through. He needed him to get back to the present. He grabbed the teen, pulling him into a hug, hoping the pressure would help ground him. “I'm right here. We're here together.” He wasn't sure if he was even saying the right thing, but damnit he was trying. It was quiet for a moment, only the sounds of Rudo's heavy breathing filling the immediate area before he weakly pleaded with him. “Please. You're all I have. Please don’t leave me.” Enjin tightened his grip, rubbing his back “I’m not going anywhere, kid. I'm right here. We're all here.”
This seemed to be helping, at least a bit when the kid stuttered out a confused “w.. we?” He continued to rub his back, nodding even though he knew he wasn't seen at the moment. “Yes, we. Do you know where you are? Close your eyes and breathe with me, okay? Can you do that?” He breathed out a small sigh of relief as Rudo nodded, beginning to breathe with him. He didn't stop comforting Rudo, keeping a steady pace as he instructed him on the calming breaths. He smiled when he heard Rudo speak again, this time seemingly in the present. “I’m.. I'm on the ground.."
The umbrella wielder nodded, still holding the other tightly. “Good. That's right. You're here on the ground, with us.” Rudo looked around once more at the onlookers before looking down at the ground, fists clenched, and an embarrassed look on his face. “Sorry.. I.. don't know what happened there.” he mumbled out, Enjin shaking his head. “Nope. You don't haveta apologize. You were stuck in a flashback, that's not something you can control, kid. I'm just glad we were able to get you back to the present before you hurt yourself or something.” Rudo made a choked sound, his lip quivering, leaning into the adult holding him. It was Enjin who spoke again, giving him another squeeze. “We can talk about it later if you want to, but I think we should go get some much needed food and sweets now.” Riyo hummed, speaking up behind the blond adult. “Agreed. I'm sure we're all hungry.”
Enjin stood up when Rudo finally leaned away, placing a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. Zanka scoffed behind him, acting as if he wasn't just worried “Come on, I don't want to waste any more time here in the street. I wanna get back to take a shower.” They started walking again, Enjin slowing down his pace to walk with Rudo. He lowered his voice so only the teen could hear him, slinging an arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer to make sure he had his attention. “I'm not fully sure what caused that, and I'm not sure how much you remember about it, but I was serious. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. And just for the record, you can come to me for anything at any time. I know you didn't sleep much last night, if at all. I don’t mind company if you need it, even if you just wanna raid the pantry for a midnight snack with someone.”
Rudo looked up at Enjin to meet a face he knew all too well. He had no other word to use than fatherly to describe it, but he wasn't going to admit that out loud. Instead, he nodded, glancing back down at the ground as he walked. “Okay.” He then felt the need to explain himself with a shrug. “I just.. I couldn't sleep.. too much thinking.” Enjin only nodded, looking back ahead of them at the group engaged in a conversation. “Gotcha. Still. My door’s always open, still might want to knock first though.” He said the last part with a slight smirk, playfully pulling the Spherite into him some more, giving him a side hug as they walked. It was for Rudo's comfort after that horrible flashback just as much as it was a comfort to the adult, a reminder that he had gotten the kid out of such a dark place.