Chapter Text
Jin bit his lip, hard. He had to keep that from happening. At all costs, he had to keep them from having the worst future.
The agony on his kohais’ faces was imprinted in his mind, unable to be wiped clean. Just more faces to lock away where he would hopefully (but he knew he never would really) forget them.
By capturing Hyuse, he’d steered the future in the right direction, but for some reason, that one was still there. Haunting him, becoming clearer at times, and Jin’s stomach would twist, before it faded into the background again.
As long as Miwa saved Osamu, everything would be fine, not completely but… well as fine as things could be at this point. But for whatever reason, that future wasn’t very likely. Jin knew Miwa, and he knew that he’d save anyone in need, whether he hated them or not, if they were in serious danger. He’d most definitely save Osamu. Which means that he might get defeated.
A small trickle of trion particles started to flow, blocking his left eye a bit, and he focused back on the present. Damn it. Jin really couldn’t afford to lose any Trion, and yet here he was. Biting his lip so hard it broke the avatar’s skin. Damn it .
He couldn’t afford to lose himself to panic. Not when his kohai needed him, not when he could help. The odds of Yuma beating Viza were about 30/70, he was much more likely to lose, but Jin had a feeling he’d win. There wasn’t going to be much of a problem there. He had faith in the little shrimp.
The real problems were Chika and Osamu. Chika was already a cube, nothing that Jin could do about it. That future was almost inevitable, though he couldn’t have told Four-eyes that. Sometimes the things Jin said about the future only made things worse… He was getting distracted again. Mentally slapping himself, Jin cursed his train of thought. All this would be for nothing if he couldn't save his kouhai. He had to stay focused.
Jin saw Konami off in the distance, fighting neighbors. Almost at once, ten dozen futures disappeared. Blinking quickly, Jin assessed the ones that were still possible. Yuma and Osamu’s death was still there.
Jin grit his teeth, it might be the least likely future with the current circumstances, but he knew that the least likely future could sneak up on you. It was something that tended to happen a lot when it came to his kohai. Whether that was a good future, or a bad one.
And then Jin came to realization. His run slowed to a walk, until finally he stopped entirely. Frustration laced through him, and he took a deep breath. He hadn’t noticed it before - he was too caught up in the possibility of Osamu and Yuma’s deaths.
There was nothing, absolutely nothing, Jin could do to steer the future anymore. In all of the branches, and different outcomes, he was no longer a variable. Which effectively made him helpless.
Instead of standing there, he opted to sprint forward and continue running, if only to catch sight of a person, to get another glimpse at the shifting futures.
Anything to watch their deaths fade away, to be nonexistent.
~~~
Jin felt horribly about Osamu being hurt. It was nothing compared to the amount of relief he felt that it wasn’t fatal though. He stepped into the hospital room, bowing to Osamu’s mother, and apologizing. She wouldn’t know it, but he was also apologizing for letting the future in which they died be a possibility for so long.
Looking at Four-eyes, Jin smiled slightly. He was going to make a splash as always when it came to Border, but it was just the way Osamu was. Jin couldn’t wait to see him grow into what would surely be a top A-Rank agent. He couldn’t wait to watch all of them grow, and mature, and make the world even better.
He laughed at himself. Getting sappy, what am I, a middle-aged man? Jin shook his head and stood up from the chair next to Osamu’s bed. Yuma would be there soon, and those two needed to talk.
Jin would hear about it later anyway, he was sure.