Yuriko had her belly full of thick udon noodles and warm, crispy tempura. She was staring at her phone, wondering if she should call Jayce again, having tried three times already. Not including when she called him the first time. Lifting her head, she saw her mother sending her farewells to a couple of the visitors – Akari and Tanaka. Matsuda was staying to have a chat with Yuriko, which she planned to not listen to at all. Finally, both Jun Lei and her teacher sat down in front of her, and she already knew by their thoughts what they wanted to discuss.
"Yuriko-" Matsuda started.
"No," She answered quickly.
"At least let him finish," Her mother hissed.
"I already know what you two want to discuss," Yuriko said, standing up and pushing her chair back. "And my answer is no. This issue is mine. I have to solve it before they get the rest of the people I care about. That includes you both."
"You cannot protect us all forever," Matsuda replied. "Wakizashi can't be part of your identity anymore."
"That is not for you to decide," She said sharply, turning away.
"And what will you do?" Jun Lei got to her feet. "Hole us up in one place forever?"
"I'll transfer," Yuriko said, lifting her head. "To the Americas."
Both of them stopped. "What?" They said at the same time.
"I will take care of this issue here with Flower and Vin," She explained. "And then I will go across the seas and leave everyone I care about in Japan. That way, nobody I… care about will be hurt anymore."
"Yuriko, you can't do that!" Her mother shouted. "I can't allow that! I won't! I-"
"It's not your choice!" Yuriko whirled around, slamming her fist against the table. "They already killed Naomi! Jiichan!" She felt her eyes tearing up, and she turned away again. "I can't have them take you away from me again…"
A moment of silence between all of them. She could hear their thoughts – Matsuda slowly accepting that this was her choice, and Jun Lei finding it hard to understand why she was about to lose her daughter again. With a sigh, Yuriko turned around, about to say something else. Then, her phone rang, and all three simultaneously looked down to see that Jayce was calling. She picked it up, answering it quickly and bringing it to her ear.
"Miller-" She started, but was soon interrupted.
"Yur-i-ko!" A long, drawn-out version of her name was said, and she stopped dead when she realised who it was. Flower. "I have a fun game for you."
"How did you get his phone," Yuriko demanded.
"Oh, I just paid him a little visit," A dark chuckle came. "But anyway, let's play! There are two destinations-"
"Where is he?" She yelled into the phone.
"-one is your darling lover, he put up quite a fight! You called him, what, four times? Ha-!"
"Where is he?!" Yuriko said louder.
"-the other is my poor, poor sister. You seem to like her! More than me, actually, but-"
"What?" She breathed.
"You can't reach both. The bombs go off in fifteen minutes! I wonder if you can reach either? Do you still want to know? You could just let them die-!"
"Tell me!" Yuriko shouted.
"Very well. One is in Myoekaiso Cemetery, the other across the way in Kotoku Park. I won't tell you who is which! You just have to guess and hope you make the right choice. But is there a wrong choice, I wonder?" She laughed maniacally. "Good luck!"
"Wait-!" She called, but the phone hung up. Cursing, she yelled into the device. "Bitch!"
"Yuriko?" Her mother said
She turned around rapidly, running over to the door and putting on her shoes. "Matsuda, get over here!" She yelled, and he got up and rushed to the door. "She has taken Petal and Jayce. We have to save them." He nodded, putting on his shoes as well. "Use your speed and get me to Myoekaiso Cemetery. As fast as you can!"
Matsuda opened the door, swooping Yuriko up in his arms like a princess before something strange happened. She saw lights blur past, holding on to him tightly, the flash of the white walls and then the stair's numbers as they rushed down them. Then, the fresh night sky, high above. The only thing that didn't move was the moon, the rest flashing by in a maddening spiral that almost made her sick.
Then, as quick as it happened, they stopped. Matsuda put her down, and she stumbled a little bit before he caught her. Looking around, she saw the entrance – a brick wall encased the cemetery except for the iron gate at the opening. She panted, finding it hard to breathe, before she turned to Matsuda with a determined look on her face.
"Go to Kotoku Park," She demanded. "One of them will be there."
He didn't ask questions as he nodded, then disappeared in a flash of light down the street. Yuriko faced the entrance again and ran for it. She checked the gate to see if it was locked – then saw it was previously broken into. Walking in, she took a quick look around; there was no obvious sign of him, so she started running about. Soon after, she began to yell his name, over and over as loud as she could.
It wasn't until she passed a columbarium building that she stopped, hearing a shuffling and moaning from inside and also thoughts. Turning to look, she saw the door was slightly ajar, not having been locked like the rest. Slowly, she approached, pushing it open to see what was inside. Unfortunately, what was in there made her gasp lightly, covering her mouth.
There laid a person on the floor in the back, arms and legs tied up with rope, their mouth gagged. They were covered in bruises and cuts, their jacket torn and ripped to shreds. Their feet were bare and sliced up from kicking against the stone, since it looked like they were trying to get out of their binds and struggling relentlessly. When their blue eyes raised to see her, a look of both relief and pain entered their gaze.
"Jayce!" Yuriko called, running up to him and falling to her knees. "Oh, gods, you look like shit."
He struggled to say something, nodding and wiggling. She pulled down his gag so he could speak. "The timer," He gasped, nodding to the right.
Yuriko looked to the side, seeing a box that had a red countdown on it. She stared as there were thirty seconds left. Panic encased her chest, and she looked back down at Jayce, seeing fear in his eyes. Realising she had no time to untie him, she scooped him up her arms, pulling him in as she stood up. Struggling to carry the much larger male, she rushed for the door, hearing the timer starting to tick faster.
Ten second warning.
She ran out the entrance, then as fast as she could through the cobbled together tombstones. Panting, she tripped and dropped him, only to get back up and start dragging him by his arms. Then, she gave up, throwing herself over his foetal position and closing her eyes in preparation for the explosion.
The heat against her back was first, burning like a thousand suns had crashed into her. The sound was next, booming loud as the light encased them. Only thirty metres away, she could quite literally feel the burns on her back as she felt her shirt catch fire. Once it was over, she got up and threw off her button up. Then, she continued to pick up Jayce and run.
Yuriko could feel him looking at her, staring at her face before she dropped to her knees at the entrance to the cemetery. Panting, she set him on the ground before taking up the knots and untying them. In a few seconds, he was sitting up, and then throwing his jacket at her. She stared at him, seeing him blushing, so she assumed he was embarrassed by her appearance. Standing, she turned away, putting on the coat and zipping it.
Then came the second explosion. They both turned in the direction of the park. Her heart pounded, hoping that Matsuda found Petal. However, her question was soon answered when a light came zipping their way. It stopped in front of them, and Matsuda stood there, holding a still form. His face was covered in soot and slight burns, his eyes tearing up.
"No…" Yuriko whispered.
"I got to the park in time," He said quietly. "But… I didn't find her… Until the bomb went off…"
Slowly, he fell to his knees, placing Petal on the ground. She wasn't breathing, her mind devoid of thoughts. Yuriko came up beside her, Jayce coming up to look at her with wide eyes. His connection with her was bigger than hers, but she still turned away, unable to look at the lifeless form of Petal. Even so, she could see the burned image in her mind, Petal covered in wounds and her dress barely hanging on by threads. She covered her mouth, stifling a sob.
She turned around again as she heard a fluttering sound. She saw it – Petal's form, dead and still, slowly dissolving into pink leaves. Like a flower in the wind, she dissipated into nothing, the rose buds flying away into the sky. Nothing but a memory in their minds. Then, it struck her. Anger. This was the last straw. She would find Vin and Flower… and she would kill them.