They regrouped by the bus, discussing their gains and losses.
Mostly their losses.
Despite having beaten Zanark, as they were not an official team from El Dorado, their timeline was still in danger. Fei stated that if they had enough power to beat El Dorado, they may have to go to the future themselves and take them on there.
Meanwhile, Sakamoto went to confront General Lord Tokugawa Yoshinobu about their deal. He agreed to it, though he didn't seem all that reluctant, almost as if imperial restoration is precisely what he wanted. Though of course, no matter how confusing it is, it was a good thing. This event would lead to the Japan they know.
With that confirmed, Tsurugi turned to find the swordsman that helped him, smiling at them. With a smile of his own, he approached him.
"I'm grateful. Your power enables us to fight and protect what's important to us." He bowed in respect.
"So even my power can be useful..." The swordsman said. "No, I should be the one giving thanks."
"Huh?"
"I already knew that the Bakufu had decayed greatly beyond repair. And yet, I still tried to protect that Bakufu. Maybe I was panicking over leaving behind evidence that I had existed. But now I know that there is something more important than that."
"More important?"
The wind blew around them, scattering the bright autumn leaves. His smile seemed to widen at them.
"That I am alive. That I feel for myself that I am alive." He turned back to him. "Thanks to you, I could feel life within me. It's a feeling I had long forgotten."
"Okita-san..."
He nodded at him before continuing to ask, "How is your friend?"
Tsurugi felt the corner of his lips tugging upwards. "She's alright, thankfully. She's already resting inside our ride."
"That's good." He chuckled. "With how much she cried in that soccer match, and how hard you were fighting for her sake, I can tell you both mean quite a lot to each other. Irreplaceable, even."
"That's... Yes." He looked down, a little embarrassed. "We've been friends for a very long time now."
"I see. Then, I hope you two will continue to stay by each other's side."
"Thank you."
After saying their parting words, they headed back to their present.
~~~~~
"Then?"
She shook her head. "Sorry. I barely have the energy to stand, let alone walk..."
"I was afraid of that." He crossed his arms. "I don't think I can carry you back either."
"Oh yeah, I still have to slap you for that."
"I'll slice your arm off."
"Haha, with what? You're too tired to call out Lancelot."
"You two..." Kariya sighed, not knowing what more to say.
They had arrived below the bridge that led to the soccer building, but Kimiko's legs had given in before she could reach even half way up the steps. They had been there for about ten minutes, but she was still too weak to get up. Tsurugi was able to stand and walk, but the exhaustion was clear on his face. No one could blame him since he took on quite a beating in the previous match.
Or at least, none of the team did.
Kimiko was still rather bitter about him not listening to her about it.
"Well, we can always―" Tenma was cut off by the sound of ringing.
The navy haired boy pulled out his phone and answered it. "Hello? ...Mom? You're back?"
Kimiko blinked before grinning wide. "Hi aunty!"
"Don't yell in my ear!" He shot back before focusing back on the call. "Yes, I'm still at school... Dad too? That means you're driving home, right?" He turned to the blonde, and then to the parking lot not too far from their position. "... Could you pick us up? ... Kimiko's staying over, yes... We'll explain everything later, if that's alright... Thanks. See you."
"Your parents are picking us up?"
"Yeah." He put his phone back in his pocket and turned to the brunette. "Tenma, you were saying?"
"Ah! N-Nothing!" He laughed sheepishly. "I was going to suggest we all help you get back, but it looks like you have it covered."
"Are you actually planning on helping us or did you just want to spend another night over?"
"Ahahaha..."
He rolled his eyes before pulling his friend up to her feet, helping her stay steady. "Come on, they're almost here."
The others bid them goodbye, which got them a flick of his wrist and her smile in response. They got to the parking lot and didn't have to wait long for a black hatchback to arrive. His mother rolled her window down and smiled at them, his father next to her on the driver's seat with a similar expression.
As they drove to his home, the two explained most of the things that had been happening, leaving out the details about time traveling and her keshin problems.
"Although... Since you're both back, I guess tonight's my last night..."
"Oh, don't be like that, sweety." His mother said, giving her a kind smile. "You're like a daughter to us, so stay as long as you like! Besides, Kyousuke doesn't mind, right?"
"Whatever..." The boy grumbled under his breath.
"See?"
She chuckled. "Well, if you insist..."
~~~~~
"Thanks for letting me have the bed again."
"You need it more than I do."
She smiled down at him. "By the way, have you read the group chat? Everyone's saying tomorrow is an off day. I guess it's mostly because of our conditions."
"You mean yours?" His eyes were closed as he laid on the futon, but his tone was the same as ever.
"Hey! You aren't exactly at 100% either!"
"A single night's worth of sleep is enough for me. You on the other hand had that happening two days in a row." He turned to his side, facing her with a serious expression. "Not to mention what Zanark did..."
She frowned. "He knew exactly what to do to stop it... According to him, he's done it before. That's why I owe him two things."
"But you don't remember when that first time was."
"No, but... He said I destroyed a forest, which doesn't make sense since I've lived in the city all this time so..."
"...That means he knew you even before you were adopted."
"And he might be the reason why I don't remember anything about it."
His gaze went down in thought before going back up to her again. "Does the name 'Kiko' mean anything to you?"
She shook her head.
"So it's their nickname for you then... Wait. If they knew you from before you were adopted, then how would they have that nickname? You only got your name after, right?"
"Um... Actually, I named myself."
"...What."
"When they first asked me for my name, I racked my brain as hard as I could, and there was a mix of voices telling me it's Kimiko, so..."
"A mix of voices? Is one of them Zanark?"
"I... don't know. It's been a long time since then that I forgot." Seeing him go silent again, she turned and laid her back on the bed. "You know... Thinking back, Zanark isn't... all that bad."
He raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"
"I know he's a huge bully. He kept egging Taiyou, scaring Shinsuke, making fun of Nishiki-san, and sent his team to beat you up, but..."
"He didn't have to help you, but he did."
She nodded. "I heard... Was it Shinjami? She said something about a seal... And it made sense with what I figured out during the match. The power that was trying to keep my keshin's true form down wasn't mine. It was Zanark's."
"But Shuu said―"
"He might've mistaken it because our powers are similar in properties. He gets stronger the better he gets at soccer too." Her eyes narrowed. "He put this 'seal' inside me and it clashed with my own power that was forcing out my keshin."
"The forced MixiMax..." He hummed. "The Protocol Omega we ran into in France seemed to be under his control, so it was probably the same for you. Putting all that together, it meant that he took control of you to stop your keshin from going berserk, and left his power inside you to keep it in check."
"But that power's no longer enough to hold it back. I've lost control of it three times now. Within a single year too." She sighed, holding her hand up. "Zanark said he took it back... So that should mean I won't feel that ripping and burning pain next time, but..."
"That doesn't mean you have control over it."
"Mmhm. I still don't know its name, and I barely ever make progress since I never play on the pitch." Her arm fell to her face, covering her eyes. "Could barely even move when I see more than two people in front of me in a game..."
"..."
"..."
"Do you want to try?"
A single eye peeked out. "Hm?"
"Do you want to try joining our practice some time?"
Her frown deepened. "I already did..."
"Then try again. Your skills are more than enough to match us, so it's not like we'll be wasting time either. In fact, you'd only help us get even better." Seeing she wouldn't reply, he let out a sigh. "It doesn't have to be right now. Once you're all better, we can talk more."
Hesitantly, she gave a nod. "I'll think about it."
He smiled a little, reaching up to flick her forehead. "That's all I'm asking for."
"Hey!" She rubbed at the spot while laughing. "Maybe you're the real bully here."
"I don't see the issue since you said you love me." He smirked.
She huffed, rolling her eyes playfully. "I might just take that back."
"And pretend you weren't crying for me just a few hours ago?"
"You little...!" She turned over and let an arm dangle from the bed, weakly tossing it to his face. "There. That's the slap I promised."
"Weak."
"I'll redo it when I get my energy back."
"If you can catch up."
"Don't get cocky just because you got Okita's MixiMax. I still have my telekinesis powers. I can stop you anytime."
"That's cheating!"
Their banter continued into the night. Neither of them realized when they fell asleep, nor did they realize how tightly their fingers were entwined.