“Uepi’s missing!” Junno stormed in their office, successfully granting him the attention of the rest of his colleagues. Koki almost dropped his magazine at the sudden outburst.

“Well, where did you left him the last time?” Koki grumbled, eyes rolling in annoyance.

“Koki, I’m serious!” Junno wailed. “I was playing my Nintendo when he said something about hunting or something like that, and then he suddenly gone! He didn’t even pick up my calls! He never denied me before!”

“Fine!” Koki’s voice rose, tired of Junno’s exaggeration. “Have you checked his house?”

“I did! It’s messy, but he’s not at home!” Junno answered, grabbing Koki’s arms with hope. “He didn’t hate me, right? He didn’t reject me, right?”

“Why do you have the urge to pay attention to the messy part?” Koki snapped.

“Taguchi!” Kame interrupted, casting Junno a reproachful look. “Stop being dramatic, will you? This is Ueda we’re talking about, he would definitely be fine.”

“But...” Junno wanted to complain, but his words died when Koki kicked his shin. Kame sighed, didn’t really pay much attention to Junno and Koki’s bickering afterwards.

“Are you sure Tatsuya will be fine?” Nakamaru interrupted.

Kame sighed again. “Don’t tell me you too,” he slumped into his seat, resting his head on the head rest. “Tell me, Yucchi, among the six of us, who do you think is the strongest?”

Nakamaru’s eyebrows rose. “By strength, Tatsuya might win. But this is not just about strength, you know. In fact, none of you could ever catch a Liminal if I don’t play my role.”

Kame grinned. “Insecure much, Yucchi? I’m not comparing anyone. I’m just trying to kick some sense into these boys,” he chuckled. He didn’t actually mean to compare, really. But worrying over nothing would just waste their own time. “By the way, where’s Jin?”

Nakamaru shrugged. “Probably out to talk with one of his crushes. You know him,” and he put on his glasses, going back to concentrate on the papers scattered on his desk. But a few seconds later, he looked away, out of the window of their office. Something about what Junno just told them was bothering him. Tatsuya is hunting something.

*****

“Pi!” Jin whined over the phone. “Where are you? Don’t tell me you go on a trip with Ryo and left me behind! That’s just not fair!”

Yamapi laughed over the end of the line. “Well, you’re busy. And I wanted to cheer Ryo on.”

“Yeah, I know he just lost his lover a few months back, but you could’ve told me and I can apply for a few days off,” Jin pouted. “Sometimes it feels as if I’m being left out, as if there is something you both kept away from me. You and Ryo don’t hate me, right?”

Yamapi froze at that. And he let out a nervous chuckle. “What are you talking about? We won’t hate you, we can’t. You’re too adorable for us to hate. And you need to catch up with the rest of the Keepers, we can’t hold you back.”

Jin clicked his tongue, snorting in annoyance. “I care less about my achievement in KAT-TUN. Don’t try to imply that,” he mumbled. “Last week Kazu caught a sphinx. Such a strong creature. It was just a little 10-year-old girl, though. I kind of feel sorry for her. She totally lost control of herself.”

A sphinx? Yamapi unconsciously swallowed the lump in his throat. “That’s Kame for you. So, was the girl dead?”

“Of course, Kazu extracted the Liminal soul, she couldn’t live without the soul once affected. But we can’t help it. Whoever they are in human form, the Liminals are the form of evil. If someone is to be blamed, then it is the Liminal souls,” Jin sighed. “I didn’t scare you with this, right?”

“No, of course not!” Yamapi answered briskly. “It’s cool that Kame earned himself a golden pearl. You should catch up.”

Jin chuckled. “Don’t worry, next time I’ll just catch a dragon or a phoenix. He’ll definitely...” and he stopped on track when he realized something. “Wait, Pi. How do you know a sphinx’s soul is a golden pearl?”

“Eh?” Yamapi blinked, just realizing how stupid he had been. He almost blew his own cover. His eyes wondered around, trying to find an excuse, as if the walls around the living room painted with thousand of excuses. “Well, I kinda read something about it some time ago. I just know the color of felines Liminals, though,” he lied.

“Oh,” Jin nodded slowly. “Don’t get too involved in my world, Pi. It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll try,” Yamapi smiled. Neither should you, Jin.

Yamapi sighed after ending the phone call. Apparently Jin had something to do in the office, so he can’t be on the line for too long, which ironically made Yamapi felt relieved. It was strange, how they used to share everything together, growing up together in the lapping of mud and dirt. The memories are just too beautiful to forget. Yamapi had forgotten when it was when Jin actually decided to become a Keeper. He said it’s cool to fight for justice, because Liminals are just too ferocious and people died for nothing in their paws. But above all, Yamapi hoped he could actually forget the moment he became a Liminal more than anything else. It was a painful memory. The moment when he turned berserk and killed a pregnant woman dawned into him, it was too late. The only thing he could remember was his paws and his beak roaring up the sky, and then Takki’s appearance, jumping on Yamapi’s back as a unicorn, and stabbed his back with Takki’s spiral horn. Takki never really explained to him what Takki did, but if he could describe the state he was in, he was purified.

Whoever they are in human form, the Liminals are the form of evil. Yamapi sighed heavily. In a way, what Jin said was true. He already killed someone himself after all.

Slowly Yamapi walked back into the study room of Takki’s old house. He thought of seeing Ryo studying something from Takki’s book, but he caught Ryo staring at Takki’s white pearl instead. It was a crucial thing Takki left behind; his Liminal soul. It kept the soul and the ability of Takki inside after the death of the Liminal. The thing that, they both believed, Takki wanted Ryo to keep. Ryo quickly put the pearl away when he realized Yamapi’s presence.

“Sorry, I still couldn’t really understand Takki’s research about the Liminal souls,” Ryo flipped through one of the notebooks on the table.

Yamapi sighed. “It’s okay. We’ll work on it slowly,” he shifted his gaze towards Ueda’s sleeping figure at one corner of the room. “Any idea how to get rid of this guy?”

“No,” Ryo shrugged. “Can’t we just hire someone unknown to send him back to KAT-TUN’s headquarter?”

“Great idea!” Yamapi cheered. “And he can just go back clueless, and when he finally gained his memories back, he can just tell Jin and the others that Yamapi and Ryo are actually Liminals too,” he clasped his hands together. “You think that’s a brilliant idea?” Yamapi ended with a smack on the back of Ryo forehead. Ryo mumbled an ‘ouch’ at the act.

“What should we do then?” Ryo pouted, rubbing his aching head. “Besides, what is he doing here alone? And why the hell is he becoming a Liminal? I thought Keepers have something that would never make them a Liminal.”

“I’m more concern of why this Ueda guy didn’t bring anything else except this handkerchief and a G-lock17 gun without any bullets. It’s so unlike a Keeper,” Yamapi shrugged. “There are so many things we still couldn’t understand. That’s why I decided to come here. Takki left his research in this house, we should make use of that,” Yamapi sat on the chair, scrabbling for the pile of notebooks.

Ryo sighed, flipping over the notebook in his hand once again. “It would be much easier if Takki is still here with us.”

Yamapi bit his lips. He hated it if Ryo came out with the topic of Takki. It made him felt uneasy. Especially when he wasn’t good at comforting. “You know what I think though?”

“What?”

“You should get yourself a saddle. It would make it easier for me to ride your back next time,” Yamapi joked, trying to change the topic.

Ryo glared. “What do you think I am? A horse?”

*****

Junno swirled his keys between his fingers playfully, walking leisurely towards his car. It was almost night, and he hadn’t caught any Liminals the whole day. In a way, he was glad he didn’t have to. It wasn’t really a pleasant job to do, killing the Liminals when he actually knew he’ll kill the bearer of the Liminal souls too. Junno halted just when he noticed someone leaning against his car, hands dipping inside the pockets.

“Nakamaru,” Junno proclaimed. “What’s wrong?”

Nakamaru fixed Junno with his gaze, picking himself up from Junno’s car upon the younger’s presence. “Would you like to check out Ueda’s house? Something is bothering me.”

Junno thought he was the one thinking too much, but when he saw the determination in Nakamaru’s eyes, he gave up. It was well known between the Keepers, that Jin and Kame were the ones excellent in techniques, Ueda and Koki were the ones excellent in fighting. But above all, Nakamaru was the mastermind, stealthy crouching behind KAT-TUN’s work. As a Keeper, it sounded wrong that he didn’t keep any Liminal pearls, because in every way he never won over a Liminal. But there wasn’t a single KAT-TUN member who didn’t depend on him. He was the one who understands Liminal world the most. His words were never left without deliberation. And Junno decided not to be the first.

When they reached Ueda’s apartment, nothing looked suspicious at all. Or so Junno thought. The room was messy as always, but there wasn’t any sign of the house being broke in. There were a few papers scattered on Ueda’s desk. When Nakamaru took a closer look on what they were, there were hints of iridescence of the Liminal pearls, and how the rapid cycling of colors reached the prism polar. Nakamaru bit his lips, not liking where this is going. Carefully he pulled out a drawer, hesitantly reaching out for a blue velvet box inside. When he finally opened the box, he sighed deeply.

“I probably have said too much to Tatsuya,” Nakamaru said, turning the box around so Junno could have a better view of the content. There were a number of Liminal pearls of different colors – depending on the type of the Liminals he caught – lined up perfectly inside. “The last time I check this is the exact amount of Liminal pearls Tatsuya caught,” Nakamaru stated a fact. Junno looked at his colleague, puzzled.

“Tell me, Taguchi. What kind of hunter would go hunting without his ‘weapon’?” Nakamaru added, and the fact finally sunk into Junno’s logic. It would be extremely hard to fight a Liminal without any of the Liminal pearls.

“And these papers,” Nakamaru mused further. “The end polar of the Liminal iridescent prism is white,” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Tatsuya is targeting an equine Liminal. The white pearl.”

*****

Ueda’s eyes were opened a crack, scrunching a bit at the sudden intrusion of light. It was a matter of second that the view of a messy study room with two men facing their backs to him came into his sight. He couldn’t quite remember who, but he thought he was used to waking up with someone beside him. Slowly his lips parted, he wanted to ask where he was, but just as he moved he felt a sharp stinging pain on his head, and a soft ‘ouch’ escaped his lips instead. Carefully he massaged his scalp, trying to ease the pain. But when he withdrew his hand, his eyes went wide noticing stain of blood covering his fingers. His scream echoed throughout the room, successfully earning him the attention of the other two lads.

“Ueda-san, what’s wrong?” Yamapi rushed to the bed.

“I’m bleeding!” Ueda squeaked, his hand was shaking, and he thought he was going to faint. Again.

“It’s nothing, silly! You just knocked your head, stop being such a drama queen,” Ryo shot Ueda a baleful look and spun, paying the notebook in his hand the concentration it deserved again.

“But...” Ueda wanted to protest, but something was just not right in his mind. He took another look around him. “Wait... Where am I?” he asked, furrowing further as he decided to proceed to his next question. “Who am I?”

Yamapi blinked. He knew Ueda wouldn’t be able to remember for the first few days, but he still couldn’t manage to find an answer. Who is he? Yamapi didn’t know himself. Ueda Tatsuya was one of the colleagues of his childhood best friend. But he didn’t know in detail.

“You’re our friend, remember? You fell on the rock and knocked your head, and then you passed out,” Ryo suddenly answered on behalf of Yamapi, sounding as if he was stating the obvious. “I didn’t know you hit your head hard that you can’t even remember that.”

Yamapi turned to face Ryo, eyes flew up to meet Ryo’s with a questioning eyes. But he failed to see any hesitancy in them. “Well, yeah,” he finally decided to follow the lead. “You should rest more. Want some coffee?”



To be continued...