Chapter Text
Something’s wrong.
Ken pauses outside the school gates. He absentmindedly steps aside as some of his rowdier classmates move past him, going home to happy, complete families.
He looks around, but nothing’s out of the ordinary. Just a bunch of kids excited that the day has ended, and exhausted teachers trying to maintain some semblance of control at the end of the school day.
It’s normal. So very, frustratingly normal.
But Ken still couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in his stomach. There is something very wrong right now. But what?
Maybe, if he was just a regular kid like all those around him, he would be able to convince himself he’s just imagining things. But he’s a member of S.E.E.S. He’s seen the Dark Hour. He’s not going to ignore his own instincts when it’s gotten him this far.
Ken starts walking again, changing his destination from the train station to Gekkoukan High. It’s closer than the dorm, and by the time he arrives, the others should be let out of class. Yamagishi or Aigis would be able to tell what’s wrong better than he can.
He does his best acting like everything is alright, but the uncomfortable feeling increasingly haunts him on his walk. He hopes it doesn’t show on his face, but he can’t bring himself to smile.
But it’s not like anyone bothers to look at him anyway, so it probably doesn’t matter.
Instead, Ken focuses on the twinge in his side, courtesy of last night’s venture into Tartarus. The shadows were particularly tough now that they’re fairly high into the tower, and the expedition was longer than normal.
One shadow had landed a brutal team-wide attack near the end of their run, and by the time Ken healed the others, he had practically no energy to heal himself.
Sanada had to carry him on his back all the way to the dorm, which was mortifying. You should conserve your energy better, Sanada had told him.
His team had assumed he was just tired, and Ken hadn’t bothered correcting them. He already has to deal with the fact that he’s years younger than them and not as useful, no need to add more disadvantages on top of that.
The injury isn’t dangerous, anyway. Sure, it left a giant bruise that’s blooming across his abdomen, and it’s made his sleep absolutely miserable, and he’s so exhausted that he could barely stay awake in class, but he’s fine!
Ken gets side-checked by a few other elementary schoolers on their way home. He groans and holds his side, taking deep breaths and holding in the urge to vomit.
…ok, he kinda just wants to drop like a sack of flour and never get up again. Even bending over sends a wave of pain all the way to his toes. But he doesn’t think anything’s broken, and he’s seen Sanada walk off with worse injuries.
He’ll be fine.
He arrives at the high school, only slightly limping from the dulling pain. Class should be ending just about now, so it’s only a matter of time before the others come out and see him.
He leans against the stone wall next to the gate with no small amount of relief, then takes a moment to look around. The off feeling hasn’t left him despite the new location, and something suspicious nibbles at the corner of his mind.
He’s watching some cars go by, and—
Wait.
There. Partially obscured by the trees across the street. A man who definitely doesn’t belong, staring right at him.
Ken doesn’t recognize him. He’s tall and lanky, shirtless for some reason, with long, wavy, light hair. He’s already looking at Ken when their eyes meet, and the man gives him a smile that strikes him right down to the bone.
In the next blink, he’s gone. Almost like he was just a trick of the light.
But Ken knows better.
He breaks out in a cold sweat. Someone’s been following him, all the way from his school.
And he only saw him because the man let him.
No matter how much Ken looks, he can’t find a glimpse of him again. But Ken can sense that he’s still there, watching him, stalking him. He’s never felt more like a little kid until now.
It’s not until Ken’s been standing outside the high school gates for ten minutes that he finally remembers that the second-years are on a one-day field trip, and that Sanada and Kirijo went with them as supervisors.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could he have forgotten? They were talking about it just yesterday. He must be more out of it than he thought.
Ken feels childish for even thinking about it, but he really wants one of them here right now. Just to make him feel a little bit safer, even if it makes him look weak.
And, well, he was hoping for Sanada and Kirijo, in particular.
Sanada would have helped him without hesitation, just like he had last night. He’s awesome like that; powerful, commanding, confident. Everything Ken wants to be, everything he is not.
Sanada means rough pats with his hand, the ruffling of his hair that Ken would bat away but actually loved, the proud smiles when Ken landed an attack, the eyes on his back that always made him feel protected even in the depths of Tartarus.
And Kirijo, she’s just amazing.
When Ken first met her, he was wary of her. Her demeanor was just like every adult that pretends they care, only to further their own interests when his back is turned.
But Kirijo is different. She actually cares, and would do anything to help not just Ken, but the rest of them too.
Kirijo means stern yet kind words when she helped him with homework, late night tea for when he couldn’t sleep, words of confidence and safety when even Yuki doesn’t know how to proceed, and safety net in the dark.
Not that Ken wouldn’t mind the others‘ company right now, but the second-years always seem so busy with each other, and Sanada and Kirijo always felt so safe and dependable and—
(He's scared.)
Ken’s never been stalked before. Why would anyone have bothered to? He’s just an orphan, unloved and unwanted.
But, no, don’t stalkers go after the vulnerable? The women, the young, the old. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about Ken himself.
He’s heard of ones that go after little kids, the kind his mother used to warn him about back when everything was normal and bearable and livable, and a shiver goes through him at the thought.
He doesn’t know what to do.
Sure, he’s more than capable of defending himself, but right now he’s at a severe disadvantage.
His persona doesn’t function outside of the Dark Hour, despite being able to hear Nemesis’ quiet voice in his head, and he doesn’t have any of his spears with him, and the school campus is rapidly emptying, and he’s going to be all alone soon.
Ken jumps in place, heart racing. No, he can’t be alone right now. He needs to leave before it’s too late.
He quickly makes his way towards the train station. If he makes it to the dorm, he’ll be able to protect himself. Koromaru will be there, so he won’t be alone, and maybe the others will be back from their trip already.
But what if…
No, he shouldn’t think like that. Koromaru’s smart, and loyal, and brave, and Ken will have his spear at the dorm, and it will all turn out ok.
Ken looks around him as he weaves his way to the station, but he can’t spot that man again among the throngs of people around him. He feels claustrophobic, anyway.
He bumps his side a few times, but the adrenaline keeps the pain to a minimum. His stalker knows that Ken had spotted him, but Ken still tries to maintain a calm exterior. There’s no sense in panicking.
He has a plan, he’ll be fine.
The station is packed, as is usual for this time of day. Ken relaxes just a smidge, the end in sight, but there again, a glint at the corner of his eye, at the door, the man staring at him in a gleam of gold, no, no, no.
Ken spins on his heel and scrambles away before his mind can catch up with what he saw. The nausea crashes back into him. He needs to go.
He runs into a back alley without thinking about it. He regrets it immediately, because there are a lot less people here, and he’s heard this place is dangerous from Iori, and the stalker can just follow him here and get him alone and, and—
Someone shifts behind him. “Amada?”
Ken lets out a high-pitched squeak and whirls around.
The hammering of his heart calms down slightly when he sees that it’s Aragaki, slouching and looking down at him with a raised eyebrow.
Ken’ll kick himself later for the relief he feels right now, but for once he’s glad to see him.
“Oh, um,” Ken stutters, shifting on his feet. It’s just him and Aragaki in the alley, but he’s sure that the man is watching still, just out of sight. “Hi,” he finishes lamely.
He’s avoided talking to Aragaki ever since the teen re-joined S.E.E.S, because what would he say to this, this murderer who ruined his life?
This might be the first time they’ve ever stood in front of each other without someone like Sanada or Yuki to act as a buffer.
After an awkward beat of silence, Aragaki just sighs and shakes his head. “Get out of here,” he grunts, already turning away. “This ain’t no place for a kid.”
Normally, Ken would bristle at being called a kid, especially by him, but his nerves are already frayed past the point of no return.
So instead, Ken puts aside all his pride. He grits his teeth and asks, “Can you walk me back to the dorm?”
Ken can feel his face start to flush before the sentence even leaves his mouth. He almost wants to snatch the words back, but it’s too late now. He waits to be laughed at and sent away anyway, because why would Aragaki even bother to help him?
But Aragaki actually…pauses, at that. He looks back down at Ken, a curious expression on his face. “Why can’t you make your own way home?”
Ken opens and closes his mouth a few times. For a second, he wants to say never mind and run to the train, because it’s just right there and he really doesn’t want to be around Aragaki.
But he still feels nauseous and the stalker is still watching him, Ken knows he is, and his side is starting to really hurt.
But he chokes on his words when he goes to explain, so instead Ken wraps his arms around his stomach, trying not to brush against the bruise on his side, and gives Aragaki the widest eyes he could bring himself to make.
“I don’t feel so good,” he reluctantly whines. And after a second, “Please?”
Please work, please work, please work. He doesn’t want to explain his weakness, and he definitely doesn’t want to be left alone. He hasn’t used this trick since his mother was still alive.
Aragaki stares down at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Ken starts sweating, already drawing up a backup plan when Aragaki inevitably refuses.
Then, impossibly, Aragaki sighs once more and agrees. “Come on, kid. Let’s go.”
What? Did he just imagine that?
No, he didn’t, because Aragaki jerks his head towards the train station, and Ken stumbles by his side with shaky, shocked, relieved legs.
Aragaki is so much taller than him, taller than anybody he knows, so frustratingly tall where Ken’s always been smaller than all the other kids, but the teen keeps pace with him despite that.
Ken can feel Aragaki’s eyes on him and it’s suffocating, but even that’s better than the stalker’s gaze, which has suddenly disappeared.
Not that Ken trusts that quite just yet.
They make it onto the train bound for the dorm without much trouble, aside from a few suspicious side-eyed looks at Aragaki from the security. The teen ignores them with practiced ease, and Ken follows his lead.
It’s only when the doors close and the train jolts to a start that Ken finally, finally, relaxes.
The sudden weight of the adrenaline crashing has him slumping in his seat, and he almost doesn’t notice Aragaki tense at the movement, though thankfully silence remains between them.
Ken takes deep, long breaths, just like his mother used to teach him when he was upset. His head feels heavy, and he’s almost dizzy with relief.
Safe, he’s safe, even as contradictory that thought is when he’s so near Aragaki.
The train is fairly packed, so they’re forced to sit close to each other. For once, Aragaki isn’t his biggest threat, so Ken’s eyes bounce among the other passengers, trying to reassure himself that they left his stalker back at the station.
He’s going back to the dorm. He’ll be with Koromaru and the others soon, he’ll have his spear and his gear and he won’t be scared of that man anymore.
His eyes grow heavier and heavier with the rocking of the train. Aragaki is a solid, warm, foreboding wall next to him.
The train sways around a turn, and he sinks into the teen’s side, the pain of his own side far away from his mind, and he just feels so tired, and he’s safe now, so it should be ok to close his eyes, just for a little while…
Ken wakes up. Or, he thinks he wakes up.
His head hurts and his thoughts are fuzzy. Memories float around in his head, but they slip through his fingers when he tries to focus on them. After a bit, he gives up. It’s much easier to stay in limbo.
He feels a rocking motion, and the sound of someone breathing.
He thinks that he’s on a train—no, he’s being carried in someone’s arms. Just like when he used to stay up too late and his mom carried him to bed.
He hears the sounds of cars, and people, and he smells cologne, but he’s too comfy to open his eyes, wrapped tight as he is.
Someone huffs above him, the air blowing against Ken’s hair. “Go back to sleep, kid. I got you.”
The voice is familiar, but Ken’s already back under before he can place it.
Ken wakes up, properly this time, under the covers of his bed.
He sits up slowly, being gentle with his side. He feels like one giant open wound. He looks down and sees that he’s still in his school uniform, and the memories of the day slam back into him.
Ken groans and sinks back under the covers. That must mean that Aragaki carried him from the train station to the dorm. How could he let that happen? He hopes no one else saw him…
His side doesn’t hurt as much as it did, at least.
After a few minutes of internal screaming, he slips out of his bed. He peeks outside of his blinds; it’s already dark. How long has he been asleep?
Ken slowly opens his door, and closes it behind him with a soft click. He can hear voices coming from the lobby downstairs, but the second-floor hallway is empty except for him.
He almost wants to turn back and sleep until morning, but he knows he’s too antsy to do that now, what with his mind being filled with thoughts of that man and Aragaki.
So, he takes a deep breath and heads downstairs, stopping when the lobby comes into view.
Everyone in S.E.E.S is gathered in the living room, discussing something in low voices, almost like they’re having one of their meetings. Only Ikutsuki is missing, Ken notices with no small amount of relief.
He’s never been comfortable around any adult since that day two years ago.
Aragaki is there, sitting on one of the chairs. His severe expression contrasting with the plush red fabric makes a comedic sight. His beanie is gripped in his hands, leaving his hair a frizzy mess.
Aside from Aragaki, Ken can only see Iori and Yamagishi’s faces.
Iori is frowning at whatever is being said, which is a pretty disturbing expression to see from the normally jubilant guy, and he’s pacing across the room in a bout of nervous energy.
Yamagishi's eyes are wide and shiny, and she’s biting her lip with an intensity that might break skin if she keeps it up. With a jolt, Ken realizes she might be crying, and he almost trips down the rest of the steps in surprise.
Unfortunately, that draws the attention of Aigis, whose head immediately turns towards him. Ken sighs and walks the rest of the way into the living room, knowing he won’t be able to escape Aigis’ superior senses.
Ken’s never been the most comfortable around Aigis. She’s a bit odd, as hypocritical as it is for him to think that, and she spends most of her time around Yuki anyway.
Ken’s never been the sole focus of her attention before now, and he tries not to feel like a mouse ready for dissection. His hands are clammy.
The discussion comes to an abrupt halt, and Ken realizes belatedly that he should have been listening to what they were saying instead of staring at their expressions.
“Amada,” Takeba greets, twisting in her seat with a smile that even Ken can tell is forced. “Glad to see you’re up. We were just talking about you.”
“Sorry,” Ken says, even though he doesn’t know what exactly he’s apologizing for. The way they’re all looking at him is making him antsy.
They’ve never looked at him that way before. Had he done something wrong?
Kirijo clears her throat, and everyone finally stops looking at him to turn to her. “I am sorry we didn’t notice your injury from last night. We should have been more vigilant in watching our team members.”
Oh. Hm. They were bound to find out at some point, but how did they figure it out? “Don’t feel guilty,” Ken says, not able to quite keep eye-contact. “It’s not your fault. It doesn’t even hurt anymore, anyway.”
Everyone’s quiet at that, and Koromaru whines. Ken doesn’t know why.
Yuki coughs and stands up. The tension in the room dissipates in an instant, and Koromaru comes up to nuzzle Ken’s hand.
“It’s late; we should continue this tomorrow.” Yuki brushes his hair out of his eyes, looking pointedly at everyone. He’s really come into himself as leader these last few months, and Ken finds himself going up the stairs back to his room without complaint.
Yuki gives him a small pat on his back, leaning down and whispering, “I’ll make sure they don’t gang up on you again.” Ken smiles up at him in gratitude before heading into his own room.
Koromaru bounds in before he can close the door behind him. “You want to sleep with me?” Ken asks, surprised. Koromaru usually sleeps down in the lobby, near the door as if guarding them.
But tonight Koromaru jumps on his bed, rolling around and barking in his sheets.
Ken smiles and gently crawls on the bed next to him, getting a faceful of fur immediately. They stay curled around each other until he falls asleep, thoughts of the day fading from his mind.
He doesn’t realize that he never told anyone else about the stalker.