Burial

The battle between the Elements and Velocity had ended.

But–

The damage was already done.

The sky had begun to lighten.

The sun, rising slowly over the distant hills, painted the world in a soft, golden hue.

But that light did nothing to lift the heavy silence hanging in the air.

Hikaru, Haruto, and Moriya stood quietly at a distance, watching.

Teshii and Ikazuchi were working side by side, helping each other dig.

KRSSHHK!

The sharp scrape of shovel on earth echoed through the quiet morning.

The sound was rough.

But it was determined.

Then–

The digging stopped.

Teshii leaned on his shovel, wiping his brow with his sleeve.

Ikazuchi stood beside him, staring silently at the freshly dug grave.

His eyes were unreadable.

Teshii turned to Haruto and Moriya and gave them a small nod.

Haruto and Moriya nodded back.

They moved together with care–

Haruto held Enji's body by the shoulders.

Moriya supported his legs.

Together, they carried him gently.

As if he could still feel it.

They lowered Enji slowly into the grave.

Ikazuchi's eyes never left his father.

Not for a moment.

Teshii walked up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"So… Zeus," he said quietly. "Do you want to say your last words to him before we cover him up?"

Ikazuchi glanced at Teshii–

Then gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

He stepped forward.

Then crouched beside the grave, placing a hand on his father's chest.

His voice was soft. Barely a whisper.

"Dad… I'm sorry… for being such a brat towards you."

Hikaru watched, his heart heavy.

"…Ikazuchi," he murmured, almost to himself.

Ikazuchi's hand clenched slightly over Enji's shirt.

"I just wish… we had spent more time together. As a family. With Mom."

His fingers trembled.

His eyes stung.

"But… when you see her up there–"

He took a breath.

"…Tell her I'm doing okay."

Silence.

Then–

"Teshii."

Teshii blinked and looked at him.

"Huh?"

"I'm finished now. We can start covering him up."

Teshii gave a solemn nod.

Together, they lifted their shovels and began to return the dirt.

Thmp… thmp…

The sound of earth falling back into place was strangely soft.

It wasn't harsh or jarring.

It was respectful.

The final blanket.

The final goodbye.

Hikaru, Haruto, and Moriya stood motionless, watching them work.

No one said a word.

Until–

It was done.

Ikazuchi wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, the final shovelful of dirt smoothed over.

He stood there, motionless, staring at the mound of earth.

"…It's done," he murmured.

His voice was steady.

But heavy.

Hikaru slowly stepped forward, standing beside him.

"Are you… going to be okay, Ikazuchi?"

Ikazuhi didn't respond right away.

Then – he nodded, slowly.

"Yeah. I'll be okay."

Hikaru gave him a small, honest smile.

"If you ever need us, Ikazuchi… we're here."

Ikazuchi turned his head.

He looked at Hikaru.

Then at Haruto.

Then at Moriya.

And then, at Teshii.

His eyes – once burning with rage – were not just… tired.

But soft.

"…Thank you," he said quietly.

Then–

"Zeus!"

"Huh?"

Ikazuchi turned to the voice.

It was Teshii.

But this time, his face wasn't playful.

It was serious.

"So, Zeus," Teshii said, his tone calm but firm.

"What are you going to do from now on?"

Ikazuchi looked at him, silent.

The question hung in the air.

He turned to glance at Hikaru and the others, who stood nearby, watching.

Then – he looked back.

At his father's grave.

The dirt was still fresh.

The pain… still raw.

He remembered the moment he lost control.

The way the Element of Thunder consumed him.

The rage.

The storm.

He clenched his fists.

He couldn't let that happen again.

Not ever.

So–

He turned to Teshii.

Face serious.

Voice steady.

"I'll join the Order of the Elements."

Everyone's eyes widened slightly.

Ikazuchi then looked down at his hands, sparks faintly crackling across his fingers.

"I need to learn to control the Element of Thunder," he said. "And I can't lose control like that ever gain."

For a brief second–

Teshii's usual grin returned.

If that's that case…"

He extended his arm.

"Welcome to the Order!"

Ikazuchi smirked and shook his hand.

"Thanks."

Hikaru stepped forward, smiling warmly.

"Welcome, Ikazuchi."

Ikazuchi turned to him and gave a small nod of respect.

Haruto and Moriya exchanged proud glances.

The team was growing.

The Order was growing.

Teshii watched them – all of them – surrounding their newst member.

There was a warmth there.

But then…

His eyes drifted back toward the grave.

Enji Ikari.

"I hope you rest in peace, Enji Ikari," Teshii muttered under his breath.

Then–

A memory flashed.

It was just earlier.

That moment when Ikazuchi had stood over Velocity, arm raised, ready to kill.

"Lightning Gunshot."

Ikazuchi's voice had been cold.

Too cold.

Teshii's jaw clenched.

His fsts tighetend at his sides.

Behind his crimson glasses, his gaze was sharp. Piercing.

"Damn it," he thought.

"I can't believe that almost happened."

He looked over at the group.

Hikaru. Haruto. Moria. Ikazuchi.

His team.

His responsibility.

"As their mentor… I have to be responsible for their actions. I simply can't let them end up in a situation like that again."

He stared at them – expression blank.

And Hikaru noticed.

"Um… Teshii?" he asked, a bit hesitant. "Are you okay?"

Teshii snapped out of it.

"Huh? Oh… yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

He smiled.

But Hikaru frowned.

That smile didn't reach his eyes.

"…Sure."

Hikaru turned away, but he couldn't shake the feeling.

Teshii looked up at the sky, his grin fading once more.

"For now… I'll help them as much as I can."

"And…"

His gaze hardened.

"…I simply won't let a fellow mutant die."

Earlier

Yami was walking home after finishing his exam. He rubbed a hand over his face, visibly frustrated.

"Damn it," he muttered.

"I can't believe I almost struggled with that exam."

"…Why?

"Why was that picture stuck in my head the whole time?"

The picture Yami referred to – the same one from the photo album – kept flashing in his mind.

The photo of his mother, Hikaru's mother, Sayaka, and the unfamiliar red-haired woman holding a baby.

"That woman… and that baby…"

"Who were they?"

"And why do they look so… familiar?"

His thoughts spiralled with questions as he finally reached the front door of his house.

He sighed, not really looking forward to going inside.

It was always cold.

Not physically, but emotionally.

His father, Kazuya, worked long hours at the hospital.

And his mother, Misaki… she never smiled anymore. She barely spoke to him.

It was like she existed behind a glass wall.

Yami opened the front door.

"I'm home."

Silence.

Exactly what he expected.

The only sound he heard was the running sink water from the kitchen.

Hsssshhh…

"Mom's probably doing the dishes," Yami thought bitterly.

No footsteps. No greetings. Not even a glance.

Then–

"Welcome back home, Yami."

Yami froze.

His eyes widened and slowly turned to the source of the voice.

It was his father – Kazuya – sitting in the living room, looking through a photo album.

Yami blinked, stunned.

He wasn't supposed to be here.

He was supposed to be at the hospital, working.

"...Dad?"

"I thought you were at work."

Kazuya looked up from the album and offered a small smile.

"I had a day off today. So that's why I'm here."

"Oh… I see."

But then – Yami's eyes immediately locked onto the book in his father's hands.

The photo album.

The same one from yesterday.

His heartbeat skipped.

The image of the three women – the baby – flashed in his mind again.

Kazuya, still gazing at the photos, spoke quietly.

"This album… it holds a lot of good memories. Moments your mother and I shared. Happy ones."

"Yeah," Yami replied softly. "I saw."

Kazuya's smile faded slightly.

"…But it also holds memories that caused your mother a lot of pain."

Yami's expression shifted.

"…What?"

"What do you mean, 'memories that hurt Mom'?"

Kazuya looked up, his eyes meeting Yami's.

There was a weight in them.

A heaviness that Yami wasn't used to seeing.

"Come have a seat, Yami," Kazuya said gently.

"I'll show you."

Yami now sat beside his father, Kazuya, waiting – anxious – to hear about the memories that had once hurt his mother, Misaki.

Suddenly–

Kazuya smiled.

"Look at her."

Yami blinked, caught off guard. "Huh?"

Kazuya was staring down at a picture in the photo album.

It was the photo of Misaki holding a newly born Yami.

She was smiling.

Radiantly.

"Look at that beautiful smile of your mother, Yami," Kazuya said, voice soft.

"Yeah…" Yami replied quietly.

He liked that version of his mother. The version with warmth in her eyes. That glow. That joy.

That smile.

It felt so far away now. Almost like it belonged to someone else.

Yami's expression slowly shifted. The corners of his mouth dropped. His eyes lost focus, the moment of happiness slipping into disappointment.

Kazuya noticed it immediately.

"What's wrong, Yami?"

Yami looked at his father, hesitant. Unsure how much he should say.

"Um… it's just–" he started, but Kazuya cut in gently.

"Is it because your mother stopped smiling?"

Yami's eyes widened.

"H-How did you know?"

Kazuya glanced down at the album again, still smiling faintly at the picture of Misaki cradling their newborn son.

"Yami… do you want to know why your mother stopped smiling?"

Then–

Yami answered, instantly.

"Yes," he said. "I want to know why Mom stopped smiling."

Kazuya blinked, surprised by the urgency in his son's voice.

He hadn't expected such a quick answer.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Then–

"Okay," he said softly. "If you want to know, then…"

Kazuya opened his eyes and looked directly at Yami.

"Before you were born, there was another boy your mother took care of. Someone she loved very dearly."

Yami raised an eyebrow.

"Another boy?"

Kazuya nodded. "Yeah."

Then, carefully, he flipped to a specific page in the album.

The page Yami had already memorized.

The one that haunted him since the day before.

The photo with three women – Misaki, Sayaka, and the red-haired woman – standing together. And the baby.

Kazuya's face softened as he pointed.

"Your mother and Hikaru's mother… they helped take care of that boy," he said, his finger resting gently on the baby in the photo.

Yami leaned in, staring at the picture. "Mom helped take care of him?"

"Yes," Kazuya confirmed. "Your mother loved that boy very much. She even saw him as a son."

Yami's brow furrowed. "And… what happened?"

Kazuya's smile faded.

His voice lowered.

"He disappeared."

Yami's heart dropped.

"…What do you mean 'he disappeared'?"

Kazuya closed his eyes again, the memory clearly weighing on him.

"It's just like I said," he murmured. "One day… he was just gone. Vanished."

Yami's eyes widened in disbelief.

"And his sudden disappearance devasted your mother. It broke her. She saw him as another son… and losing him felt like losing one of her own."

Yami stared at the photo again.

His heart felt heavy – clenched tight in his chest.

All this time…

He looked down, voice low.

"All this time… I thought Mom stopped smiling because of me."

He swallowed the lump rising in his throat.

"I thought… she hated me."

Kazuya placed a steady hand on his son's shoulder.

"There is no way your mother could ever hate you," he said. "She loves you very much. Just as much as she loved this boy."

Yami stayed quiet, his thoughts spiralling. The weight of years of misunderstanding pressing down on him.

But then–

"…Dad?"

Kazuya turned toward him. "Hmm?"

Yami's voice was quiet, but firm.

"Can I ask… what was that boy's name?"

Kazuya closed his eyes again.

A beat passed.

Then he opened them.

His gaze met Yami's.

Steady. Unflinching.

"Yami… that boy's name is–"

TO BE CONTINUED!!!