Tactical Embarrassment

Return of the Jocks (Crossroads Gates) - Hitomi's POV

"Movement on the south forest path!" I called down from my watchtower position, squinting through the sights of my Sniper Gel Blaster. The enhanced scope allowed me to extend my vision range by almost fifty metres, giving me a clear view of the approaching figures while they were still partially concealed by trees.

Aoi scrambled up the ladder to join me, her perfectly styled hair somehow surviving the climb intact. "Is it Miyako's group? Or Kazuki's?"

"Neither," I replied, focusing harder through the scope. "It's... wait. Oh my god, Aoi! It's the jocks! It's Ryota and the others!"

Sure enough, six male figures were emerging from the treeline, making their way unsteadily toward Crossroads' main gate. I could make out Ryota's tall form supporting Naoki on one side, with Masato helping on the other. Behind them trudged Kenta, Tatsuya, and Shohei, weapons drawn and constantly scanning the surroundings.

"They made it!" Aoi gasped beside me, her usual cool gyaru demeanour cracking with genuine emotion. "They actually made it!"

We both scrambled down the watchtower's ladder in record time, shouting to the wolf-eared Lupyn guards as we went.

"Open the gates!" I yelled, already running toward the massive wooden entrance. "It's our classmates!"

The Lupyn guards exchanged quick glances before the captain nodded, signalling to his team. The heavy gates swung open just wide enough for a group to enter, and I slipped through the gap without waiting, Aoi close behind me.

"Ryota!" I called, sprinting toward them with every ounce of volleyball-trained speed I possessed. "Guys! You're alive!"

The basketball captain's face, filthy and streaked with what looked horribly like dried blood, broke into an exhausted smile. "Made it," he said simply, the usual cockiness entirely absent from his voice.

"Thanks to Ryuu," Masato added, adjusting his grip on Naoki, who was clearly favouring his left leg.

I reached them first, instinctively checking for injuries like I would for teammates after a particularly brutal match. "What happened? We've been so worried! Are you hurt? How did you—"

"Andie saved us," Kenta interrupted, his normally energetic face drawn with fatigue. "If he hadn't been there, if he hadn't healed us enough to move..."

My heart seemed to stutter in my chest. "Andie? He found you? Is he with you?"

"More importantly," Kenta pressed, his eyes sharp despite his exhaustion, "is he okay? We had to leave him behind at the sanctuary. Did he make it back here too?"

Aoi and I exchanged worried glances.

"A team went to the sanctuary," Aoi explained, stepping forward to help support Naoki's other side. "Miyako, Airi, the Kimochi sisters, and some others. They should be returning soon."

"We need to get you all to the inn," I added, noting how Shohei's hands trembled slightly as he lowered his makeshift spear. "You look ready to collapse."

"Amakata-sensei is going to be so relieved," I continued as we slowly made our way through the gates. "She's been worried sick about all of you."

As we moved through the morning-quiet streets of Crossroads, various residents: rabbit-eared Solenari, fox-eared Vulpyn, wolf-eared Lupyn, and cat-eared Nyxashi, Hestashi, and Eosashi, turned to watch our procession with undisguised curiosity. A few even approached, offering water skins or clean cloths which the exhausted boys accepted with grateful nods.

"So, this is Crossroads," Tatsuya murmured, looking around with weary wonder. "Never thought I'd be so happy to see civilisation again."

"It's safe here," I assured him, leading the group toward the Golden Hearth Inn. "The locals have been really helpful."

"And everyone else?" Naoki asked, wincing as he hobbled forward. "Who else made it?"

"We've lost some," I replied, trying to keep my tone light despite the weight of the words. "Daiki, Kaito, and Shota."

"We saw what happened to the delinquents," Ryota said flatly. "Shinji slaughtered them. He... he absorbed their abilities somehow."

I swallowed hard, the confirmation of something we'd suspected hitting me with fresh horror.

The Golden Hearth Inn was already bustling when we arrived, with Amakata-sensei directing the morning's preparations. She froze mid-sentence when the door opened, her clipboard clattering to the floor.

"Oh! Thank goodness!" she exclaimed, rushing forward with uncharacteristic emotion. "You're alive! You're all alive!"

The rest happened in a blur: the jocks collapsing into chairs, food and drink appearing before them, Amakata-sensei fussing over injuries while Emi immediately began preparing protein-rich meals for "her boys." Through it all, I noticed how they kept asking the same question:

"Andie," Ryota insisted between mouthfuls. "Is Andie okay?"

Amakata-sensei's smile faltered. "We don't know yet. Miyako and the others went to the sanctuary after we got word of... trouble there. Kazuki, Sora, and Yuto were heading that way too."

"You should have seen him," Tatsuya said, his normally boisterous face shadowed with awe. "He told us to leave because we were too injured to help. Said he was the only one who could face Shinji."

"He practically ordered us to get to safety," Shohei added. "We didn't want to leave him, but we could barely stand. He made us see that we'd be a liability in a fight."

A sombre silence fell over the group.

"Well," Amakata-sensei finally said, her teacher voice returning, "all we can do now is wait for the others to return. In the meantime, you all need medical attention and rest."

As the jocks were led away to be tended by healers, I moved to the window, looking out toward the forest path. Somewhere out there, Andie was either victorious, defeated, or... I couldn't finish the thought.

"Hurry back," I whispered, a prayer to whatever gods might be listening in this strange world. "We're all together now. Everyone who's left. Just hurry back."

As if in answer to my prayer, a shout came from the eastern watchtower. "Carriage approaching! It's one of ours!"

My heart leapt. Could it be them? Could they have made it back too?

Arrival and Initial Treatment (Crossroads) - Miyako's POV

The carriage jolted over another rut in the road, and I tightened my grip on Andie's limp hand. His face was deathly pale, his breathing shallow but, thank all the gods of this world and any other, steady. Across from us, the blue-skinned woman, Rurielle, lay equally unconscious, her normally vibrant skin ashen and dull.

"How much longer?" I asked, unable to keep the strain from my voice.

"We're nearly there," Noel replied from her seat by the window. "Just past that bend ahead, we'll see the gates."

I nodded, turning my attention back to Andie. The Kimochi sisters were monitoring both patients, their expressions professional but tinged with obvious concern. Miyuki's hands hovered over Andie's chest, a faint blue light pulsing between her palms and his body.

"His essence remains unstable," she murmured, more to herself than to us. "The integration is still in process."

"But he's not actively deteriorating anymore," Mochi added, her focus on Rurielle. "Thanks to her."

My fingers tightened around Andie's hand as Mochi's words hung in the air. 'Thanks to her.' My chest constricted, a knot forming in my throat as I stared at the exotic blue-skinned woman lying across from us. She had touched him, kissed him, in a way I never could. Bound herself to him through means I couldn't comprehend. Yet the steady rise and fall of Andie's chest, each breath he took now, existed only because of her intervention. I unclenched my jaw, forcing my shoulders to relax despite the urge to stand between them even in their unconscious state. He was alive. That had to matter more than who had saved him, didn't it?

This woman, this elegant, exotic creature from another world, had performed some unprecedented ritual that had saved Andie's life when he was beyond our help. She had kissed him, bound her essence to his in some mystical way I couldn't begin to understand. And now they were connected in a manner that I could never replicate or share.

Yet she had saved him. How could I resent the one who had brought him back from death itself?

The carriage rounded the bend, and Crossroads came into view: the impressive wooden gates, the watchtowers manned by alert guards, the sense of safety and civilisation after the nightmare we'd experienced at the sanctuary.

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"We'll need immediate medical attention," Noel called out to the gate guards as we approached. "Two critical patients!"

The gates swung open without delay, and our carriage was quickly waved through. I glimpsed curious faces peering from windows and doorways as we rolled down the main street toward the Golden Hearth Inn. When we finally pulled up in front of the familiar building, Ember the Hestashi innkeeper was already waiting with several rabbit-eared women in healer's robes.

"The rooms are prepared," she announced, her cat-ears twitching with concern. "This way, quickly!"

Everything happened with efficient precision: Andie and Rurielle transferred to stretchers, carried carefully into the inn and up to specially prepared rooms on the second floor. I followed Andie's stretcher like a shadow, refusing to let him out of my sight even as healers swarmed around him.

The room they brought him to had been hastily converted for medical use: bed positioned for easy access, additional tables for supplies, windows adjusted to let in fresh air while controlling the light. The Kimochi sisters immediately joined the rabbit-eared healers, their different techniques somehow harmonising as they worked.

"He needs stabilisation first," Miyuki directed, taking natural command of the medical team. "Physical injuries are severe but manageable. The essence fragmentation is our primary concern."

I backed against the wall, staying out of their way while remaining close enough to see Andie's face. His expression twitched occasionally, as if he were dreaming or perhaps fighting some internal battle. Once, his lips moved, forming what looked like my name, though no sound emerged.

After what felt like hours, Noel appeared beside me, her normally composed face showing signs of strain.

"The Luxuriveth will need special accommodations," she said quietly. "Her recovery requires darkness, shadow energy to replenish what she expended in the ritual."

"Whatever she needs," I heard myself say, surprising even myself with the lack of hesitation. "She saved him."

Noel studied me for a moment, then nodded. "I've arranged a room in the basement level, without windows. It's being prepared now."

A rabbit-eared woman I hadn't seen before appeared in the doorway, similar in bearing to Noel, with an air of authority that commanded immediate attention.

"Is this the Takejin otherworlder?" she asked, her gaze sweeping clinically over Andie.

"Yes, Sera," Noel replied with collegial respect. "This is Andie Ryuu, the one who defeated the corrupted Takejin and was saved by the shadow-sharing ritual."

Sera approached the bed, observing the healers' work without interfering. "And the Luxuriveth's condition?"

"Shadow exhaustion," Miyuki answered without looking up from her work. "Critical, but stabilising. She performed an unprecedented ritual, essence sharing to save his fragmenting soul."

"Hmm." Sera's expression revealed nothing. "I'll need a full report when they're stable. The council will want to know everything."

With that, she departed as smoothly as she'd arrived, leaving me wondering about the political complications this situation might create. But I couldn't focus on that now, not when Andie's life still hung in the balance.

Hours passed in a blur of activity. Healers came and went. The Kimochi sisters worked tirelessly, pausing only to consume restorative potions before continuing. At some point, food appeared beside me, though I barely touched it. Night fell, and still I remained by Andie's side, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, clinging to each breath as evidence that he remained with us.

"You should rest," Miyuki told me gently as she checked Andie's vitals for what must have been the hundredth time. "He's stable now. The crisis point has passed."

"I'm not leaving him," I replied, my voice hoarse from disuse.

Miyuki's expression softened with understanding. "Then at least take the cot," she said, gesturing to a small bed that had been set up against the wall. "You'll be no use to him if you collapse from exhaustion."

Reluctantly, I moved to the cot, positioning it as close to Andie's bed as possible. I must have fallen asleep almost instantly, because the next thing I knew, early morning light was filtering through the curtains, and Andie was still there, still breathing, still fighting his way back to us.

Back to me.

"Come back," I whispered, taking his hand in mine once more. "Whatever it takes, just come back to me."

Rurielle's Perspective (Recovery Room - Night) - Rurielle's POV

I woke suddenly and completely, my thoughts instantly clear despite the bone-deep exhaustion weighing down my limbs. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, simple wooden beams in a pattern I didn't recognise. Not my quarters in the Ebonveil Enclave. Not the sanctuary. Not anywhere I knew.

Where was I?

I tried to sit up, but my body refused the command, every muscle protesting the mere suggestion of movement. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I noticed how weak my shadow-sense had become; I could barely detect the edges of the room around me, when normally I could map an entire building through its shadows.

Then memory returned in a rush: Andie lying broken and dying on the forest floor, his soul fragmenting after defeating the corrupted Takejin. My desperate gamble, the shadow-sharing ritual. The kiss that bound our essences together, allowing me to pull him back from whatever void had claimed him.

I had performed a ritual that none of my kind had dared attempt with an outsider. I had shared my shadow-essence with someone not just outside our tribe, but outside our entire world. The risk had been enormous; had it gone wrong, both our souls might have been destroyed. And for what? A Takejin I barely knew?

The part of me trained in Enclave discipline whispered that I had been foolish, reckless, throwing away centuries of life and position for a momentary impulse. But something deeper, something truer, knew I would make the same choice again without hesitation.

There was something about him, the otherworlder with his ridiculous skills and earnest determination, that had awoken something in me I hadn't realised was dormant. In my centuries of life, few beings had surprised me as consistently as Andie Ryuu.

The door to my room opened, and a Solenari I recognised as the elegant diplomat from earlier entered. "Ah, you're awake," she said, her voice melodious and precise. "I am Noel Canan, Chief Diplomat and Trading Commissioner of Crossroads. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been trampled by a herd of shadow beasts," I admitted, my voice rasping from disuse.

A movement at the doorway caught my attention as another figure appeared, this one making even my Luxuriveth sensibilities pause. A Lunethnari woman entered, moving like liquid moonlight given form, her platinum hair cascading down her back with a single elegant braid framing her face. But it was her attire that was most striking: gossamer Lunespun silk so nearly transparent it barely qualified as clothing, revealing dark blue lace undergarments beneath that seemed more decorative than functional. Even in my weakened state, I could appreciate the bold confidence required to dress so provocatively in official settings.

Her rabbit ears were longer than Noel's, with a distinctive silvery pattern running along their length that caught what little light existed in my darkened recovery room. She moved with fluid grace that somehow combined dignity with raw sensuality as she approached my bedside.

"Since your arrival yesterday," the Lunethnari answered before Noel could speak. "Nearly a full night and much of today. That was quite the ritual you performed, shadow-sister."

"This is Ruri," Noel introduced with a slight sigh that suggested the Lunethnari's forward manner was a familiar annoyance. "She's one of our... consultants on magical matters."

"Moonveil Dancer," Ruri corrected with a wink. "And I must say, I'm absolutely fascinated by what you did. Shadow-essence sharing is quite the dangerous undertaking, isn't it? The Umbra practitioners I've encountered in my travels have been so boringly tight-lipped about such advanced techniques."

I narrowed my eyes, instantly wary. "You seem remarkably well-informed about matters most outsiders know nothing about."

Ruri just laughed, the sound like silver bells. "I make it my business to know interesting things, especially about interesting people. And you, sister of shadow, are very interesting indeed."

"What happened to An... to the Takejin?" I asked, turning my attention back to Noel, who seemed the more reliable source of information.

"Still unconscious, but stabilising," Noel replied. "The healers say his physical injuries are severe but manageable. The more concerning issue is the integration of your shadow-essence with his... unique system."

I frowned. "What do you mean, 'unique system'?"

Noel and Ruri exchanged glances. "The Takejin otherworlders appear to operate under different rules than natives of Voluptaria," Noel explained carefully. "They have abilities that manifest through what they call a 'system', something granted to them upon arrival."

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Ruri interjected, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. "And you've gone and tangled your shadow-essence with that system! I simply must observe how this develops!"

I managed to raise a hand, feeling the effort like lifting a mountain. "Hold a moment. Where exactly are we? And what will happen now?"

"You're in Crossroads, in a specially prepared room below the Golden Hearth Inn," Noel answered. "As for what happens next... that depends partially on you. And also on how the council reacts to recent developments."

A new voice joined the conversation as the door opened again. "Speaking of the council, they're quite eager to speak with both patients once they're recovered."

A third rabbit-eared woman entered, another Solenari, but with an air of authority equal to Noel's, her attire more formal with intricate embroidery denoting high status.

"Sera," Noel acknowledged with a respectful nod. "May I introduce Rurielle of the Luxuriveth. Rurielle, this is Sera, First Arbitress of Crossroads and fellow Chief Diplomat."

Sera approached my bed, her expression neutrally pleasant but her eyes sharply assessing. "You've caused quite a stir with your shadow ritual, Rurielle of the Luxuriveth. Such magic hasn't been witnessed in Crossroads for several centuries."

I met her gaze steadily. "I did what was necessary."

"Hmm." Sera's expression revealed nothing. "The necessity of binding your essence to a Takejin otherworlder is something the council will certainly wish to discuss. As will your enclave, I imagine."

The mention of the enclave sent a chill through me. Mistress Velaria would already be aware that something had happened; my magical signature would have flared across the shadow-realm during the ritual, impossible to hide.

"I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions," I said with as much dignity as I could muster while flat on my back in an unfamiliar bed.

"Naturally," Sera replied. "But first, you must recover. The council will convene tomorrow evening. If you are well enough to attend, your perspective would be... illuminating."

With that, she turned to Noel. "I'll handle things as we discussed. The paperwork is prepared when you're ready to make it official."

Noel nodded, something unspoken passing between them. "Thank you, Sera. I'll collect it before the council meeting."

As Sera departed, Ruri bounced onto the edge of my bed with inappropriate familiarity. "Politics," she said with a dismissive wave. "So tedious. What I want to know is what it felt like, the shadow-sharing. Did you experience his memories? Did he experience yours? Are you still connected somehow?"

Despite my exhaustion and precarious situation, I couldn't help but be amused by her unabashed curiosity. "It's not that simple," I began, then paused as fatigue washed over me again.

Noel noticed immediately. "That's enough for now, Ruri. She needs rest." To me, she added, "Food will be brought shortly. The healers say you should try to eat, even if you don't feel hungry."

As they left, Ruri turned back with a parting wink. "Rest well, shadow-sister. I can't wait to see how this all unfolds!"

Alone again, I closed my eyes and reached for my shadow-sense. Where normally I could extend my awareness throughout the building, now I could barely feel the edges of my own body. The shadow-sharing had drained me more thoroughly than I'd anticipated.

But I didn't regret it. Somehow, impossibly, I knew Andie was still alive. I could feel the faintest echo of his essence, linked to mine across whatever distance separated us now. It shouldn't have been possible; the connection should have faded once he was stabilized.

Yet there it was: a thin thread of awareness, a ghost of sensation that wasn't my own. What had I done? What had we become to each other?

More importantly, what would Mistress Velaria say when she discovered what I had done?