Daigo found it hard to take things seriously as Jin took some dark chocolate out of a drawer under his desk and placed it in a ceramic bowl, bowing to his altar as he set it in a front corner. But he patiently waited for Jin to set whatever ritual he was planning into motion.

"So, what's gonna happen?" Ken asked eagerly. Jin had instructed them and Daigo to sit on the floor and wait.

"I'm gonna meditate for a bit to get in the zone." Jin answered. "But I need you guys to do something for me."

"Yeah, what's that?" Daigo asked, now a bit curious.

"I need you to go back to your place and grab something Ryota really loved." Jin instructed him sincerely. "Y'know, like a stuffed animal or something. We gotta use it as an anchor."

Daigo's jaw clenched: he hadn't been in Ryota's room since he died. But if there was even the slightest chance that Jin might be able to contact him, then it was worth all the tear jerking memories.

"Okay, I'll do it." Daigo agreed at last.

"Want me to come with?" Ken offered.

"Nah, I got this - " Daigo stopped in his tracks as Ken grabbed his arm.

"You're not alone in this, sweetheart." Ken reminded him, green eyes stern.

Daigo relented with a softened heart and nodded.

"Move along, lovebirds," Jin sighed, though there was some warmth to his tone. "I'll set up the salt circle while you're gone."

~

Flick!

Daigo found himself instantly choked up as he came face to face with his brother's room. Dust gathered mercilessly in every corner, and a spiderweb hung in a corner of the ceiling. The juvenile mess Ryota had left behind still hadn't been cleaned up, even after over two months. It was hard to believe how fast it had all gone by: just over three months after Ryota had been admitted to the hospital, he was dead. It had barely given Daigo much time to process things. It made it all the more crushing.

"D'you think we should use his bey?" Ken suggested.

"No, Raiju was buried with him," Daigo responded, though he struggled to keep his voice steady. When Ken reached for his hand, he didn't hesitate to take it.

Ken's eyes drifted to Ryota's unmade bed. There was Mr. Invincible, mouth open, appearing dejected as though he missed his master. Still grasping Daigo's hand, Ken approached the bed and picked him up.

"I made this with him," Ken said as if to remind themselves, their eyes tearing up. Ryota had only been five. . . .

"That'll be perfect," Daigo assured them. It took some effort, but he managed a smile. "You were one of his favorite people in the world."

It was a relief that Tsakana was at work, as Ken and Daigo were able to leave without encountering her: she wouldn't like seeing anything leaving her baby's room. Besides, Daigo had yet to sit down and talk with her since deciding to stay with Ken and their family for a while. He knew it had to happen sooner or later, but he still dreaded it. What if one of them said the wrong thing and she exploded at him again?

Either way, Daigo and Ken were soon back at Jin's apartment, this time with Mr. Invincible as a token of their mission. They found Jin in his room, sitting cross legged in a circle of salt. An incense tray was sat in front of him, smoking pleasantly. Jin had replaced the cedar incense with rosemary, the foggy smell thickly filling the room like a sauna. In his right hand, Jin held a black crystal pendulum. In his left, he held the crystals he had picked out before.

Daigo was hesitant, but he cautiously handed Jin Mr. Invincible, and he placed it in his lap with care. Daigo and Ken sat down in front of Jin as he carefully cleansed the puppet with the incense. He placed the jet and amazonite in its mouth.

"What happens now?" Ken asked.

"I'm gonna meditate into the spirit realm and see if I can contact Ryota," Jin explained. "Since he didn't believe in any god, it'll hopefully be easy."

Daigo frowned at his friend.

"And you expect us to believe everything you tell us?" he spat skeptically.

"Why the fuck would I lie to you about this?" Jin shot back. His voice began to break. "I knew that kid for years, I adored him."

Daigo was taken aback, but he knew that Jin wasn't lying. Everyone had loved Ryota, whose grin was contagious and his joy no different. Jin cleared his throat.

"You guys just wait patiently, alright?" he pleaded with them. "I'm gonna do my best, I promise."

Daigo swallowed hard and nodded in understanding. Jin dangled the pendulum between two of his fingers, holding it as still as possible. Despite that, it began to spin around clockwise, and Jin closed his eyes. He sat completely motionless as he entered into a trance, inhaling the incense.

Daigo rested his chin in the heel of his palm. He didn't know how long this was going to take, but he was already getting anxious.

"So," Daigo whispered to Ken, "how long are we supposed to - "

"Shh!" Ken hissed urgently through gritted teeth, eyes wide. Daigo rolled his eyes, but remained quiet.

One minute . . . three minutes . . . five minutes . . . ten minutes . . . fourteen minutes . . . nineteen minutes. . . . With every minute that passed, Daigo was getting more and more frustrated. He was about to get up and leave when Jin's face suddenly contorted as though he was trying to hold back tears. When he spoke, his voice wobbled.

"Hey, kid."

Daigo's heart jumped as his whole body went tense. Ken gasped and grabbed his arm with both hands.

"I've missed you," Jin went on with his eyes still shut, speaking to seemingly no one.

Daigo rested a shaking hand over his mouth as he watched the spectacle. Jin kept talking, engaged in a conversation that blurred the line between living and dead.

"Daigo said you appeared in his dream. . . Yeah, I thought so. . . . Whaddya wanna tell him? . . . Are you sure? . . ."

What the fuck? Daigo felt a bit hazy, like he was going to faint. Was this really happening? He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to call out to Ryota in the fruitless notion that he would respond. Just to hear his voice one more time. . . .

"Okay, I'll tell 'im," Jin sighed. "Are you still in pain? . . . That's good to hear, bud. . . . I gotta go now. Thank you."

"No-!" Daigo gasped. But before he could protest further, Jin opened his now watery eyes and the pendulum stopped spinning. Daigo's heart sank.

"W-what'd he say?" Ken's voice was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Tears were silently trickling down their face.

Jin cleared his throat again, like he had done earlier. He turned to a trembling Daigo.

"Ryota wants you to get closure," he announced. "And by that, he meant talking to both your mom and Rantaro."

Daigo's whole body tensed up as a sudden anger burned within him. He had heard that wrong, right?

"Are you shitting me?" he blurted out.

Jin shook his head solemnly.

"I mean . . . it makes sense," Ken mumbled in agreement. "Remember how Gurei used to look down on me for using Keru and Besu to talk? We were able to make up before he left for med school."

Daigo glowered at his partner: that wasn't the only thing Gurei had looked down on Ken for. But deep down, Daigo knew that they were both right. Honcho had broken his promise, yes. . . . But it wasn't like he meant for Ryota to have that seizure; and they had known each other for so long. Still, no matter how long they had been friends, Daigo knew that he would never forgive him. What was he supposed to do?

"Did he say anything else?" Daigo muttered. His eyes began to fog over.

Jin's face softened.

"He wanted me to tell you that he loved you more than anything," he answered, "that he misses your battles, and that he's not in pain anymore."

Daigo could feel the waterworks coming on, but he bit his tongue to keep in a sob. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He could almost feel Ryota's arms around him. He wasn't sure whether or not that made him feel better.

"Thank you."

Soon after saying their thanks, Daigo and Ken left the apartment. Just as Jin locked the door behind them, he heard a wispy noise behind him. A few of his guardian spirits had dropped by to visit, it seemed. But there was a new one in the corner: sickly but smiling, his eyes gleaming a familiar indigo. Jin couldn't help but grin back.

"Glad to see you'll be sticking around," he remarked tearfully.