"Come back to bed," Takeda says, holding a hand out. "You'll need your rest for tomorrow."

Ukai turns away from the window, back to Takeda. He's wearing a baggy t-shirt (Ukai's) and plaid boxers. His feet are bare and dangle off the edge of the bed. With the shirt slipping down off his shoulder, Takeda looks much younger than his thirty-six years. He's the type of gentle and beautiful that kept men home from war, that spoke of a happy family to be had between them.

If Ukai had met him sooner, he thinks things would have been very different.

He moves closer to Takeda, toe-to-toe. He takes Takeda's extended hand. Takeda's hands are soft and small like a woman's. To an untrained eye, they might look weak, but Ukai knows better. He knows these hands have kept the Jaeger Program afloat and saved their base from falling into chaos. Takeda unified—he smoothed things over. Just having him in the room brought a sense of calm, or maybe that was just Ukai, eased by having his partner at his side.

He lifts Takeda's hand to press it against his cheek. Takeda smiles. "You're all prickly," he says. "Did you forget to shave again?"

"Of course not," Ukai says, lying through his teeth.

"Fibber," Takeda says, laughing lightly and socking Ukai in the side with his free hand. "Honestly, who do you think I am? Your mother? I have to make sure you eat, make sure you sleep, make sure you shower, make sure you relax—"

"Alright, alright," Ukai says, laughing as well. "You've made your point. You're a better lover to me than I am to you."

"Don't feel too bad about it," Takeda says, cupping his face. "I only use you for your good looks."

"Oh, that is it," Ukai says solemnly. "Now you're gonna get it."

He climbs onto the bed after Takeda, who wisely scrambles away, squealing. Ukai's practiced hands find his sides anyway, tickling him until Takeda is wheezing and writhing in submission.

"Mercy!" he cries out. "Have mercy on this poor old man!"

"Old?" Ukai snorts. "You don't look any older than the day I met you."

"Twenty-nine?" Takeda says, raising an eyebrow. "Most people don't look back fondly on twenty-nine. That's one year away from truly middle-aged."

"And you?" Ukai asks. "What do you think about twenty-nine?"

Takeda leans forward, presses his mouth to Ukai's. He holds the kiss for a long, meaningful moment. Ukai's hand goes to his mess of curls without thinking, trailing through Takeda's hair when he pulls back, smiling and pink in the cheeks.

"Well," Takeda says. "My twenty-nine was pretty fortunate, if I do say so myself."

Ukai is painfully, painfully aware that thirty-six is not that old. Takeda had time for a family still. He had time for children and a dog and his own house in the mountains, away from the sad song of the ocean. Takeda had a future. He would grow old tending to his garden and fawning over his grandchildren until he passed away peacefully in his sleep. Ukai would make sure of it.

Still leaning over Takeda, Ukai asks, "What do you want to do, after the war?"

Takeda blinks. "That's a rather sudden question," he says. He taps his chin. "Well...I always wanted to be a teacher. I was going to university to become one, actually, when the kaiju showed up. Changed the course of my life pretty quickly." He smiles, distant and fond. "I've always loved children."

Point to Takeda having a family. "Science teacher?" Ukai asks.

"God, no," Takeda says. "I've had enough science to last me a lifetime. Japanese Literature, maybe. I love to read."

"I'm well aware," Ukai says dryly, gesturing to wealth of Takeda's books that had somehow overflowed into his room. Takeda flushes.

"You tease me too much," he says.

"Oh, and you don't tease me at all I guess," Ukai says, raising an eyebrow.

"I would never," Takeda gasps, scandalized. "Ukai-kun, how could you insinuate something like that?"

"Right, right," Ukai says fondly, flopping against the covers and wiggling back against Takeda. Takeda wraps himself around Ukai, stroking Ukai's arm.

Takeda's hands always find Ukai. He thinks that's probably why he fell in love with Takeda in the first place. Takeda's hands trace the shape of his bicep, down his forearm, across the back of his hand. His fingers dance over Ukai's bare back and up his neck, brushing against him so delicately it leaves something like finger trails tingling across his skin. Ukai takes care to remember every gentle stroke.

"What about you?" Takeda asks.

"What about me?" Ukai says.

"What do you want to do after all of this is over?" Takeda asks, carding his fingers through Ukai's hair.

"Oh, you know," Ukai says. "My Gramps has been doing this for as long as there have been kaiju kicking. We'll get a vacation, sure, but they'll be back. Someone's got to stay here and watch the coast. Family business and all."

"A Marshal, through to your bones," Takeda says. "How fitting. And noble of you!"

Ukai shrugs a shoulders and Takeda laughs lightly between his shoulder blades. "You'll have to hire a new head scientist," Takeda says.

"I guess I will," Ukai agrees.

"I'll get jealous," Takeda says. "All alone in my classroom, while you're saving the world. Who would take me seriously if I told them my heart belonged to a famous Jaeger pilot. That's everyone's dream."

"But it's your reality," Ukai says, turning in Takeda's arms. "My heart is yours. And I'll be missing your notes on my files and your presence at my back and your hand delivering me coffee. Do you really think I could replace you so easily?"

Takeda smiles at him, then snorts. "That's so cheesy, Keishin."

Ukai rolls his eyes. "Please. I can see you eating it all up. You love cheesy romantic shit."

"You're right," Takeda says. "You know me so well." He tangles their legs, pulling Ukai closer to him. Takeda takes Ukai's hand and rubs his thumb over it, eyes cast down.

"You despair," Ukai says. He frowns.

Takeda shakes his head. "No, no—that's not it," he says. "I believe in our pilots. They're strong. They've been through so much: grief, trauma, loss, joy, agony...if anyone can beat that kaiju, it's our pilots."

"Then...?" Ukai probes.

"You despair," Takeda says. "I see it in your body language; in your facial expressions. When you strategize, there's always an edge of desperation to your voice. Do you not believe in them, Keishin?"

"I do," Ukai says, averting his eyes. "I just believe the kaiju is stronger."

Takeda pulls Ukai's hand to his lips and kisses it once, twice, five times. "Have heart," Takeda says. "They will surprise you. They always do."

"Yeah, well," Ukai grumbles. "I wish they'd surprise me less with insubordination."

"You keep them on a long leash." Takeda grins.

"Don't be smiling like that's a good thing," Ukai says. "That's the reason we're in trouble in the first place. If I had guided them better—been stricter with them—"

"Stop," Takeda says, smile falling away. "You'll get nowhere blaming yourself for what might have been. They're headstrong—they would have found a way."

Ukai looks away, blinks rapidly. "If they die," he whispers. "I will never forgive myself."

"Keishin..." Takeda says softly.

"Their mistakes are their mistakes, fine," he says. "But they don't deserve to die because of those mistakes. They're still young, still green and stupid."

"Alright," Takeda says. "Alright, I'll let you have that. But you know what you can do? You can help them, now that this is our reality, instead of moping about what could have been. Keep them alive, Keishin. Do whatever you must do to keep them alive."

You don't know what you're saying, Ukai doesn't say. You don't know this cross I carry.

Ukai wants Takeda to say, don't sacrifice yourself for them. He wants Takeda to say, be selfish. He wants Takeda to say, stay here with me. But Ukai knows. He knows that he can't stay. To do so would be to endanger the world, all for the sake of his own happiness.

The world, or a man.

Ukai is very, very tired.

"I'm sorry," Takeda says. "You must have a lot weighing on your mind."

Ukai barks a laugh. "You can say that again," he sighs. He pulls Takeda's hand to his forehead and taps it against himself gently. "I don't want to think about this anymore," he says.

"That can be arranged," Takeda says.

Takeda kisses the pads of each of Ukai's fingers, down their length, nosing at his palm. Then he kisses Ukai's palm too, long warm kisses that spread from the center out in a circle. Takeda's breath fogs up his glasses and tickles Ukai's skin.

"Here, let me," Ukai says, pulling Takeda's glasses from his eyes. He looks a little more his age, like that. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes are more pronounced, the bags under his eyes visible. But then he smiles, and Ukai is twenty-six again, looking into the bright eyes of a man he'd just met and thinking that he'd never met anyone quite like Takeda Ittetsu.

Ukai leans in, kissing Takeda hard, like he needs him. (Because he does need him.)

His hands find the boniness of Takeda's shoulder blades through the fabric of the nightshirt, and he pulls Takeda tight against him. As long as I live, I will never let you go. He nips at Takeda's lips, never rough, but hungry for whatever last touches he could savor. I wish I could make you happy. His tongue presses against Takeda's, making Takeda arch against him. Ukai knows that's his favorite trick. I'm sorry that I can't stay like this forever.

"Stop despairing," Takeda says, as if reading his mind. "I can feel it in the way you love me—you are saying goodbye. Love me like you mean it."

So Ukai rolls on top of him, pressing Takeda warm and pliant against the mattress. Takeda blinks up at him, lids heavy. Ukai's hair is loose, falling around his shoulders. Takeda takes in Ukai's entire appearance, from hair to face to shoulders all the way down to his waist.

Not fair, Ukai wants to protest. You're saying goodbye, too.

He kisses Takeda again, slow and soft, and moves against him, chasing that distant look from his eyes.

When they curl together after the fact, Takeda draped comfortably over Ukai's side and breathing deeply into the back of his neck, Ukai allows his mind to wander, just a little. He thinks a little of the near future, the hell that tomorrow would bring. He think a little of the far future, of Takeda in his classroom, the window open and a breeze blowing through. He thinks a little of the impossible future, of him and Takeda sitting together in rocking chairs, hands intertwined, watching the children run up and down the mountainside with the kind of energy they wished they could have. Or not—in their old age, they found peacefulness to be just as compelling as adventure.

But if there were five Jaegers, Kenma had said.

-------------------------------------------

If there was one thing that should never be trifled with, it was hope. And that was the Precursors—the general's—first real mistake.

To destroy hope, it had to be systematically dismantled or else wiped out in one blow. If there was one survivor, one person left standing, hope remained. The tides could turn. But if one could break their enemies down, piece by piece, knocking them down whenever they dared to stand up, then hope could be smothered, as Hinata and Kageyama's hope had been smothered when literally facing the jaws of defeat.

But Beta Monarch embodied hope. She was a light in the darkness, a rope down a well, a ship to a lone survivor in a life raft. Like her sisters before her, like Apocalypto Alpha and Gamma Raptor, she was a beacon and a savior to Omega when he was weak and defeated. She returned what hope had been lost, as small a chance as it had been that the addition of one more Jaeger would make a difference. She had gotten to Omega, infected Omega, and she had given the three last fighters their sorely needed hope.

But it wasn't just Beta herself that got through to the last three; it had to be her pilots, too. Marshal Ukai, a seasoned war veteran and the guide to every person on the base. He had been with Hinata and Kageyama every step of the way. They could trust his lead, would follow his mark to the ends of the earth with a loyalty that could only be forged through months and years of hard work together. The fact that their Marshal was entering the fray meant Omega had a point again, someone to lead him.

And then Koushi. Beautiful, shattered Koushi who was scared of the ocean and scared of the kaiju had gotten in that Jaeger. He had swallowed all his fear and his pain and the memory of a lost co-pilot, still so fresh a wound in his mind and heart, and he piloted. He would risk it all to save them. If Ukai and Takeda were the head of the beast known as the Miyagi base, then Koushi was the backbone, the thread of hope incarnate who carried the spirit of both Daichi and AA with him when he fought.

To destroy that with one blow was a mistake.

The general snaps Beta Monarch down his throat, crushing her between his teeth and jaws. He swallows her whole and looks to Omega, still on his back as if to say 'look, you see? I have destroyed your last, flimsy shred of hope.'

But he didn't.

I'm still getting life signs from them, Saeko says desperately. Don't give up just yet!

"Don't worry, Saeko-neesan," Kageyama says. "I'd say right now, we are—"

"—mad fucking calm," Hinata finishes.

"You know what to do?" Kageyama asks.

"Do you even have to ask?" Hinata replies.

"It's a gamble," Kageyama says.

"It's always a gamble," Hinata says, and closes his eyes.

He feels for the third presence in their Drift, the agitated mass of slow-moving almost-thought that was Omega. Omega greets him in that strange way he always did, shadowy wisps of touch reaching out to feather along Hinata's consciousness, recognizing him as a friend. Hinata does not back down from the size and latent power of Omega's synthetic mind.

Do you know who they are? Hinata asks. Those men he swallowed just now.

Omega stirs but doesn't respond.

They are my mentors, Hinata says. They are very precious people to Kageyama and I. We don't want them to die. After all they've done for us, we can't just let them die.

We can beat him, Hinata thinks to Omega. I know we can. Ukai-san and Suga-san showed us the way. He reaches out to touch Omega's consciousness, the terrifying gray-black shadow of uncertainty that swirled in the Drift. Thank you for protecting us. You've done a wonderful job.

Hinata takes a breath. But we can't do this alone.

He immerses himself in the Drift, loses himself, chases the rabbit. He's not going after his own memories, though, or Kageyama's. He can feel the hivemind crawling at the edge of his mind, just under his skin. And he can feel Omega, strong and steady and a reliable presence as always, warm as coming home. I'm sorry, Hinata thinks to Omega, but right now I don't need a Jaeger. I need a kaiju.

With a hand buried in Omega and the other stretching out to pick at the scar in his mind, Hinata uses his mindspace as a bridge, linking Omega to the hivemind and the hivemind to Omega.

Omega rears away from him—or tries to. Neither Omega nor Kageyama can escape from the hivemind once Hinata opens his scar, allowing the madness and alien pressure to flood both their consciousnesses. The hivemind responds to them immediately. Kageyama, of course, is marked as an intruder, to be disposed of as quickly as possible. But Omega...Omega is not. The hivemind picks at his consciousness, deciding whether or not to accept this foreign body. It accepts him.

At once, Omega's consciousness starts to grow and solidify, absorbing the information that the hivemind pours into him, knowledge about the kaiju. About the Jaegers. About everything the Precursors knew to be true about the universe. Omega's consciousness is large but slow and dormant. It is not made to handle this excess of information, not as it is now.

To accommodate the data flooding his mind, Omega grows. Still parts of his mind rise and become active, waking up the beast that lay under the careful care of machinery and wires. Instincts of a monster rise to the surface, Noya's perfectly crafted pseudo-brain processing the information as a real brain might. Omega wakes up, becomes aware of himself. Starts to form what Hinata could only call a sense of self.

Kaiju. Machine. Kaiju. Machine. Kaiju. Machine.

Omega debates between the two identities, as clear in Hinata's and Kageyama's mind as a third human member of the Drift. Hinata can almost hear the who am I who am I who am I echoing in Omega's new mind.

You're one of us, Hinata thinks. Omega stills.

We're your family, Kageyama thinks. Do you remember all of our drops? Our missions? We've fought together for years.

Omega remembers.

The hivemind is open wide, whispering death into the minds of the two humans and hunt into the mind of the half-kaiju. Hunt, the Precursors demand. Kill. Destroy. Enemies. Omega shudders under the weight of thousands of voices.

You don't know them, Kageyama thinks. You know us. You'll always know us.

Over the com, Saeko is trying to get their attention, yelling for them to wake up. They're so deep in the Drift that they're in danger of being unable to rise out of it, as Kageyama had dragged them down once before. But Hinata is not afraid.

I am not afraid of you, he says to Omega. What you are is not important. But who you are—who you are is one of us.

One of us, the hivemind hisses. One of us. One of us. One of—

Omega shoves the hivemind away with a heave of a mind much powerful than Hinata's. He slams the bridge between them closed, linking instead with Hinata and Kageyama and forcing them to surge out of the depths of the Drift and back into consciousness. At Hinata' side, Kageyama gasps. Hinata's pants along with him, dizzy from being so deep, even for such a short period of time. His eyes snap open.

There's something else, though. The pressure of Omega's consciousness is gone. Instead, Hinata feels as though a massive, clawed paw has been placed on his shoulder and another on Kageyama's. But it doesn't feel menacing—just that same warm comfort that Omega gave off naturally.

Save them.

Hinata grins, baring his teeth in a snarl. "That's right," he says. "We're going to save them. So put everything you've got into this last fight."

"Fight with us," Kageyama says.

There's a moment of silence, and then all of their controls promptly go dark.

Kageyama's brow furrows and he taps at his gauntlet, but it doesn't come back to life. Their coms are down, too. Any movement control they had powers down. Projectile weapons, plasma cannons, swords—it's all gone.

"Omega," Hinata says. "What are you doing?"

In the next heartbeat, all the controls come back online, rebooting and shifting and readjusting themselves all on their own. Hinata catches a 'what the hell is going on there?' from Saeko, before Omega shifts down to a crouch with no input on the part of his pilots. Hinata screeches in surprise.

Lead.

The controls , Kageyama says. The controls are too slow. Our movements are translated to signals to his brain which are then translated to movements. He shut it down. Now we guide him, brain to brain, instantly.

Brilliant, Hinata says. He's brilliant. Hinata closes his eyes once more, ready to try it. He imagines the holes from which the tentacles burst out, thinks of the fleshy skin wall, thinks of breaking through and digging through the body of the general until they found it and blasted it to pieces. He thinks of Ukai and Koushi, stranded in their Conn-Pod, slowly suffocating.

Kill our enemy, Hinata and Kageyama say together. Save our allies.

There is a great cracking and trembling throughout the Conn-Pod, clacking Hinata's teeth together. For a second he panics—had the general finally tired of their stalling and started to attack?

"No," Kageyama says, in awe. "It's coming from Omega."

It builds like a tidal wave, a roar growing from deep inside Omega's belly and rising through his throat. Hinata and Kageyama feel it. They feel the need to scream, to shout, to let out a battle cry. There's a final, terrific crack, and Omega's pseudo-jaws turned very real-jaws break from their restraints and part to let out a roar of challenge at the general. Hinata and Kageyama howl with him, feeling every pump of blood through their veins.

And what about the mouth? Hinata had asked Noya so long ago, when they first saw Tyrant Omega.

It's nothing, just a design, Noya had said.

"Liar," Kageyama murmurs under his breath. "Liar, liar, liar. He's always been a kaiju in the disguise of a machine, and you knew it. From the moment we said we could feel his consciousness, you knew. You created a man-made kaiju, Noya-san."

Noya did what? Saeko's voice breaks in. Omega, for Christ's sake, what is happening?

"Coms are back," Hinata says. He presses the com. "Saeko-neesan, please tell Noya-san that he is one hell of a brilliant bastard."

Omega is...a kaiju? Saeko says.

"Yeah," Hinata says. "And because of that, we're going to win. We'll bring them home."

You're really and truly on your own this time Hinata, Kageyama, Saeko says. There's nothing we can do to help you.

"No need," Kageyama says. "Ukai-san and Suga-san showed us the key to winning, and Omega is our trump card. Shouyou? Let's go."

"Over and out, Saeko-neesan," Hinata says.

Let's go, Omega, they say in unison.

Omega drops to all fours and bounds across the general's back, Hinata and Kageyama guiding his path. They run over one, two shoulders, and then they dive into the biggest cavity between the first and second set of legs.

Go for the heart, they say.

Omega blasts his way in with both plasma cannons at once, blowing the skin of the kaiju apart in seconds. He aims deep—shooting straight for the insides of the general, away from the tentacles that could throw them out.

The general snarls in anger, but unlike the first time when Hinata and Kageyama had delved into his body, they had no hesitation in going deep, the folds of skin and muscle and blood sealing the path behind them and surrounding them in darkness within the cavern of his body. They have the faint sense of swaying—the general's attempt to dislodge them, but a futile effort given how fast they had gotten inside. He would have to carve himself up to remove them.

Omega turns on the floodlights, revealing more grey-blue wet kaiju muscle. He stops blasting altogether, with only two shots left in each of the clips. Instead he slices with the knives attached to his hands and with his teeth. Hinata and Kageyama are left without much to do but keep an eye out for the unexpected.

Suddenly, Omega turns on the outside microphone. The sound of tearing meat and the squish of their progress into the general's body fills the Conn-Pod.

Can you not, Hinata complains. It's gross.

No, wait, Kageyama says. Listen.

Omega stops moving, and then Hinata hears it too. A heavy, heavy heartbeat, rattling Omega himself with the power of the vibration. It's slow, steady—the confident heartbeat of a predator.

Omega, you're... Hinata says. You're following the heartbeat. Brilliant.

You said it again, Kageyama says.

He is though, isn't he? Hinata says.

He's a hunter, Kageyama says. He didn't learn that from the hivemind. Jaeger means 'hunter,' you know.

Omega moves forward, the sound of the heartbeat getting louder with every meter of progress they make. And then, they come to a halt.

What's wrong? Hinata asks. The HUD shows a large, grey wall blocking their path. The hell is that?

His rib, Kageyama says. We're close. Omega, you need to blast that with what we've got left in the clips.

Omega gives his assent by switching to plasma cannons and blowing a Jaeger-sized hole through the rib. The bone splitters and cracks, the sound traveling through the general's body. It is followed by a roar from deep in the general's belly of pure pain.

Hinata, Kageyama, Saeko says. She sounds eerily, forcibly calm. Whatever you do, I suggest you do it faster. He's coming for us—he's headed straight for the Miyagi base.

Hinata and Kageyama exchange wild, panicked glances. "He's what?" Kageyama asks.

He was rolling and scraping at his side, Saeko says. But I think he realizes whatever it is you're doing. He's going to kill everyone in this base out of vengeance.

"Not gonna happen," Hinata says. "Saeko-neesan, we're coming. Hold on as long as you can."

Scrapper is trying to distract him, but we can't hold on forever, she says. Please, hurry.

Omega, Hinata says. You have to hurry.

Omega feels his urgency. He snarls and tears at the muscles over the general's heaving lungs. He doesn't bother tearing through the lungs, instead, he goes under, following the curve of the general's body to slide below the lungs.

The sternum , Kageyama says. Follow it; you'll find the heart.

He crawls along it, each step moving closer to the beating of the general's heart, picking up as he rushes the Miyagi base. And then, they see it. The heart is ugly and misshapen, with far more than the four chambers of humans. It swells and shakes with every heartbeat. Omega draws the plasma swords.

No mercy, Hinata and Kageyama say.

Omega slices the swords cleanly through the general's heart, tearing the muscular walls apart and spilling kaiju blue all over himself and the inside of the kaiju, painting a bloody picture. The heart gives one final half-shudder, and then collapses. The general collapses, too. Hinata and Kageyama have the sensation of free-falling downwards.

It's not over, Hinata says. We have to save them.

So they do.

The three work their way up the general, searching for the trachea. When Omega finds it, he slices it open and climbs inside, clawing his way up the throat of the kaiju until they see the beaten and broken shape of Beta Monarch.

Quick! Hinata cries.

Omega launches himself at the Jaeger, tearing it open with teeth and knives, as a kaiju might have done to destroy them. He shred metal and snaps wires until the Conn-Pod is visible.

No, Kageyama whispers.

It's cracked. There's kaiju blue and mucus soaking through into the recesses of the Conn-Pod, no doubt covering the pilots with the inhospitable toxicity of the kaiju's fluids. There's no way they would be able to survive overexposure to that kind of environment.

They're not dead! Noya shouts over the com.

We still have faint life signs from Suga! Saeko says.

"From Suga-san?" Kageyama says. "But...Ukai-san..."

And then it's Takeda's voice, fragile and close to breaking. Please, he says. Please bring them home.

Omega doesn't need any prompting from Hinata or Kageyama. He ducks his head down and wraps his teeth carefully around the edges of the Conn-Pod. And then with the awful grating of metal on metal, he rips them out of Beta's fallen form and safely into the grasp of his mouth.

They burst from the general's mouth by blowing out enough teeth for Omega to squeeze through. He catapults into the ocean, covered in tissue and muscle and blood from head to toe. On all fours, he raises his head and lets out a rattling growl through teeth still holding Beta's Conn-Pod.

Jesus, Noya says softly. He's...he's a kaiju. He's really, really a kaiju.

Quickly, Saeko urges. He's fading.

Hinata and Kageyama urge Omega into a run, pushing the last of his strength into an all-out sprint to the base. They don't wait for the doors to open—they plow right through with Tanaka's guarantee that all staff members have been cleared. Omega collapses in the Shatterdome, finally opening his jaws to release Ukai and Koushi.

Hinata is sweating and still breathing fast. "What next, Saeko-neesan?" he says.

Now, we pry you out of your Jaeger, Saeko says.

Hinata frowns. "But—"

It's over, she says. He's dead. The breach is closed. You did it—you saved the world.

Hinata doesn't feel like he saved the world. He's still on-edge, ready for action. His nerves are strung tight, waiting to snap. He can feel Kageyama, too. They're both still tensed for a fight, no matter what Saeko says.

Rest.

Omega doesn't leave room for argument. With the general's death, the strength and presence of the hivemind is fading, the glow of his alien halo dying. Already, Hinata and Kageyama can feel Omega's consciousness slipping from their minds, regressing into the slow-moving half-alive thing they knew so well.

"Don't go," Hinata blurts out, can't control himself.

"Shouyou," Kageyama says. "It's okay. He knew this would happen."

"You did well," Hinata says. "They won't know that you saved us. But we will. We'll always know."

Family , Omega says, and Hinata feels a tear slide down his cheek.

---------------------------------

Hinata opens his eyes.

The sun beats down on the helipads, heating up the asphalt and warming Hinata's skin until he glows. There's not a cloud in the sky, just flawless blue as far as the eye can see. Hinata surveys the Miyagi base as if it were his kingdom, sun-kissed and golden. Even in his stiff uniform, Hinata finds he can be comfortable in the late morning light.

"It's time." Kageyama's voice calls to him, and Hinata turns in his wheelchair.

Kageyama holds out a hand and Hinata takes it, pressing it to his cheek. "Are they here?" he asks.

"Yes," Kageyama says. "We're just waiting for you."

"Then by all means," Hinata says, "lead the way."

The tides of Miyagi base staff flowing through the base is leisurely, content with peace time. Hinata and Kageyama get bows and greetings of 'sir' as they pass, moving just as slow as the rest of the base. The intensity of base life has been replaced with the ease of preparation. Rebuild, regrow. A squad of cadets runs by in formation, no doubt the latest batch to be tested and trained for the Jaeger Program.

The doors to the Shatterdome are open wide, welcoming. Hinata takes a deep breath as they pass through the doors. He breathes in the scent of motor oil and machinery, absorbs the sounds of shouting and pounding of metal on metal and drills and blowtorches. The Miyagi base could sleep for now, but the Shatterdome would never be truly quiet.

Above Hinata and Kageyama, the countdown clock shows seven years.

"Seven years will sneak up on us faster than we realize," Tsukishima mutters. "People shouldn't be so complacent."

"Aw, don't be like that Kei," Yamaguchi says with a grin, "People will think you're anxious to hop in a Jaeger again."

"Oh, did you make your decision?" Hinata asks, rolling up to the pair of pilots. "Are you staying?"

Tsukishima clicks his tongue. "Akiteru is getting transferred to the best hospital in Tokyo. They said they'll take care of him for the rest of his life, but I don't believe a word of it. I'm staying here to make sure he stays there."

"Also, he likes me," Yamaguchi says.

"Like hell I'd trust someone else Drifting with you," Tsukishima says, shrugging one shoulder. "There aren't that many jobs that say 'No right arm? No problem!'" The stump of his right arm is covered by the long sleeve of his uniform. Tsukishima reaches for it instinctually.

"No picking at it," Yamaguchi says. "You'll take out the stitches."

"Thanks, Mom," Tsukishima says. He ruffles Yamaguchi's hair fondly.

"Gross, affection," Bokuto says too cheerfully from behind Hinata and Kageyama. "How goes it, one-arm?"

"You tell me, one-eye," Tsukishima replies dryly.

Bokuto laughs. His eye is covered with a very pirate-looking eyepatch. Of all the injuries collected, Bokuto took to his the best. Although 'best' in this case meant that he adopted the persona of a pirate and proceeded to run into almost everything and everyone by accident because of his faulty depth perception. A few times into Akaashi and Kuroo on purpose, too, so that he could cop a feel.

Behind Bokuto, Akaashi moves slower, still recovering from the deep scarring on their back. The scarring wasn't visible unless they removed their shirt, but the damage was immense. Akaashi had sustained nerve damage and the complete shredding of their skin. they needed skin grafts, but even then, it was obvious that he had seen some action.

Akaashi is accompanied by Kuroo and Kenma, both looking more solemn than usual. "Kuroo has an announcement he'd like to make," Akaashi says.

Kuroo offers the group a lopsided smile. "Kou and Kenma already know what I'm going to tell you," Kuroo says. "In light of the loss of Marshal Ukai, I hate to be the bearer of more bad news. We've already lost so much—friends, functionality, innocence. All of us have been damaged irreparably in some way that will continue to haunt us.

"That being said," Kuroo continues. "You're alive. We're all alive. We beat an impossible enemy; we saved the world. We're like the Avengers or some shit, and that's pretty cool. So I want all of you to be happy and live long, prosperous lives. Seek help if you need it. Love with as much heart as you can. Experience what you can while you're still around."

Kuroo smiles. "I'm dying."

Kenma closes their eyes. Bokuto's smile grows brittle.

"It's okay," Kuroo says. "I knew something like this was bound to happen. Kenma and I couldn't pilot the way we do and not take damage. Kenma's got the Anteverse and I, I've got cancer. Too much pressure, moving that Jaeger all by myself. Did bad shit to my body."

"Kuroo..." Yamaguchi says softly.

Bokuto puts an arm around Kuroo and an arm around Yamaguchi, pulling them close. "Come on," he says. "Let's bring it in."

The pilots—even Tsukishima crowd together for a hug, holding each other tightly. All Rangers had some kind of connection, a shared life experience, but for them, it was something greater. They had grown together and fought together and laid down their life for each other. As long as any of them lived, there would never be a bond like this between Jaeger teams.

"Ugh, Take-chan, did I really have to be assigned to these losers?"

"They are a bit embarrassing, aren't they, Oikawa-san?"

Kuroo and Bokuto lift their heads, wonder in their eyes. "Tooru?" Kuroo says softly.

They break up the hug to see Oikawa Tooru, not a hair out of place and bomber jacket thrown over his uniform. He's got a duffle bag in one hand and the other on his hip. He shoots the pilots a grin. "Hey losers," he says.

Bokuto and Kuroo jump him, almost tackling him to the ground with the weight of their embrace.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Oikawa laughs. "I get it, you're happy to see me, Jesus."

"You got released from hospital?" Bokuto asks.

Oikawa shakes his head. "I was released a long while ago. No, I'm here on business."

"Not...not piloting," Kuroo says.

"Nah," Oikawa says. "I'm here for Take-chan—we're the co-Marshals assigned to this base now."

"A promotion!" Bokuto laughs. "Finally!"

"Oikawa Tooru," Koushi's voice breaks through. "I don't believe it."

Koushi joins the group wheeled in by Ennoshita. He has a soft, fond smile on his face looking at all the assembled. "It's alright," he says to their wide eyes. "I know I'm not a very pretty picture."

Even with Omega's rescue, they hadn't been fast enough to stop the acidic mucus and saliva and blood of the general from burning through Koushi's drivesuit and burning large portions of his skin. He's had skin grafts as well, but the evidence of his scarring is far more visible than Akaashi's, covering him from head to toe.

Oikawa approaches him and kneels, taking Koushi's hand and pressing a light kiss to it. "You still smile as beautifully as ever, Suga-chan," he says, offering a small smile. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"And I, yours," Koushi says softly, holding Oikawa's gaze.

"Suga-san," Kageyama says.

Koushi raises his eyes to Kageyama and Hinata. "My rookies," he says warmly. "Well, I suppose you're not really rookies anymore." He holds out his arms and they rush to his side, embracing him carefully.

"I owe you my life," he says. "I won't ever forget that. I'm sure Daichi and Ukai and Iwaizumi are looking down on you both right now with the greatest pride they've ever felt. You're two fine young Rangers."

Kageyama bows at the waist and Hinata dips his head, both with tears in their eyes.

"Takeda-san," Hinata says, turning to Takeda. "About Ukai-san, I—"

Takeda smiles. "He knew what he risked. There was nothing you or any of us could do, no matter how frustrating. I think—" Takeda breaks off, blinking rapidly. "No. I know he wanted to protect you. He had a responsibility and a debt—and he paid it. I think he rests easy now. I hope he does."

Koushi and Oikawa move to either side of Takeda, taking his hands in their own. "We're with you, Take-chan," Oikawa says.

"To the end," Koushi agrees.

"All of us are," Tsukishima says, getting nods from the other pilots.

"Oh jeez," Takeda says, wiping at his eyes. "I didn't mean to make this into a teary event. This is a celebration and a sendoff! Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san—you'll be headed off to Tokyo, won't you?"

"That's right," Akaashi says. "We'll be accompanying Tetsurou and Kenma back."

"You know us," Bokuto says, shrugging one shoulder. "We're loners; can't stay in one place for too long."

"You'll always have a home here if you need it," Koushi says.

"We appreciate it," Akaashi says, both of them bowing.

Takeda turns to Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. "Well!" he says. "I guess we're in need of a new point team, if you're up to it."

Yamaguchi snaps a smart salute, beaming.

Tsukishima sighs but bows his head. "Better us than the freaky kaiju-Jaeger duo."

"No need to worry about that," Hinata says. "We're retiring."

"Oh?" Yamaguchi says. "But I thought Tanaka-san and Noya-san said they could fix Omega?"

"They can," Kageyama says. "But it would probably be dangerous for us to continue."

"Hinata-san will be helping with the cadet selection, and Kageyama will be taking over as the Kwoon Room Master."

"Taking over?" Akaashi says, frowning. "Then, Shimizu-san—"

Takeda grins. "Allow me to introduce our new flank team—Shimizu-san and Yachi-san!"

Kiyoko approaches in a drivesuit, the same slim, wetsuit-like fit of Hinata and Kageyama's. Practically clinging to her back is a tiny fluff of blonde hair with frightened eyes peeping over her shoulder.

Kiyoko dips her head. "Shimizu Kiyoko, at your service," she says. "It will be my pleasure to pilot once more." She turns to the tiny girl behind her. "Go on." Her voice is warm. "Introduce yourself."

The girl steps from her mentor's shadow with wobbly knees. Her cheeks are flushed and she bows very deeply. "Y-Yachi Hitoka!" she introduces herself. "It's a pleasure to work with you—!"

"Yachi-san, huh?" Hinata says, smiling at her. "I didn't see your name on the cadet list."

Her eyes go wide. "I'm not—I'm not trying anything tricky!" she says, waving her hands. "I'm not trying to sneak in or, or cut ahead of other people!"

"I selected her personally," Kiyoko says. "She was signed up to train for Mission Control, but I spotted her and I knew she was my partner. We're Drift compatible; we'll be piloting the first Mark VI, Phoenix Empress, once she's complete."

"Um," Yachi says. "I know it may seem like I'm not fully committed to being a pilot, but..." She swallows. "I really admire the Jaeger pilots. I always thought, 'I'm not strong. I could never be like them.' But...but Kiyoko-san is showing be that there's more to strength than muscle or confidence." She straightens up, meets Hinata's eyes. "I'm persistent! And I'm committed! I won't stop until I can be a real pilot!"

Hinata grins. "You'll fit in just fine then."

Yachi beams.

"Is this base always so sappy?" Oikawa stage-whispers to Kageyama.

"It certainly is loud and dramatic," Kageyama says. "You'll fit right in, Oikawa-san."

Oikawa ruffles Kageyama's hair despite his grumbling. "You're a good kid, Tobio-chan," Oikawa says. "I look forward to annoying the hell out of you."

Koushi watches the pilots merge and mingle, new and old. They embrace and brush shoulders, familiarizing themselves with their allies, getting to know each other. This is the spirit of brotherhood in the Jaeger Program, the spirit of victory over impossible odds. To see war and hell, and to still have arms wide open and love in their hearts.

Koushi turns to Takeda. "Do you think they see all of this?" he asks.

Takeda nods. "They see us. And I think they're proud of what they see."

We slow for no one

We go where no one goes

We slow for no one

We go where no one,

We go where no one,

Goes