Beneath a sky of flawless midnight velvet and stars so magnificent they dragged the eyes heaven-bound, Travis and Lachlan discreetly came up in the park, out across the seemingly black sea with the barrier to avoid slipping from within, to give each other briefings on their day-to-day task. Travis glanced at the moon's sparkling companions and their pattern that appears set but had ever-changing, faraway lights to beckon his heart. Such as pale grain entering the newly turned ground, and stars covering the sky. It was the promise of life in the dark, a feeling of warmth emerging from the cold. It was an enormity to induce sincerity and an unending space to convey thankfulness for the warmth of home. Regardless of the years that passed, both considered each night sky as a new gift. It was the moment anybody who knew them saw their eyes light up and their breaths expand slightly.
"So?" Travis spoke, wearing his serious face while leaning against the fixed metal bar with his elbows set on it, "How was Akari?"
Stars illuminate the night sky like snowflakes, but they had remained still, like an old snapshot. Travis smiled as the wind blew his hair into a tousled mane. The darkest midnight arrives as a tribute to the serene starlit vista. The constellations, who had seen the same things for decades and millennia, kept an eye on this brief instant. Akari, although she had rarely gotten to see the Headman— Travis, couldn't have gone so far as of now without his hand.
As Lachlan faced the dreamy horizon, placing both his elbows on the metal barrier upon sightseeing the night sky, he answered with his face irritated, "That woman pushed me down the stairs!"
Akari and Lachlan had ever been compatible with one another. Akari, in the eyes of everyone, was anyhow a gorilla-like or rather storm; so aggressive, never gentle, full of energy; calm at first but would bite you to death at the end, always excited about things yet easily get disappointed if hadn't met the expected result. Lachlan, however, was the opposite. He would take care of things he'd thought were precious; constantly careful; clumsy at times yet when it had to be about money, he'd never hesitated and would do the given task right away; a psycho hitman. Both may be pretty opposite to one another but they're like cats and dogs as well, although there may be times when Akari would cross the line, such as; playing with Lachlan's rifles as if they were her toys, doing pranks on him by putting cockroaches on his coffee, planting fart bombs on his shower, and giving him a hairstyle as compensation for what she had done but would just bald him anyway. Things like those had never been so easy with him whenever he was with Akari.
"Pfft." Travis had barely been able to stand on his knees without chortling.
With Akaris' full respect towards Travis as the Headman of the five Elites, she had never gone through abusing him or tormenting him unlike what she had continuously done to Lachlan. Like a dog and her owner, as if Akari was the dog and Travis was the owner, she had obeyed him and been a "different Akari" when it had come to Travis; Akari would never do pranks on him, but spoil him instead, hand him lots of snacks, would definitely melt in pleasure whenever she would have to hear a single word from him, would act behave in front of him. Everyone had noticed Akari's different ways of treating people as much as Travis would do to the individuals around him, and that could be why Akari admired him a lot— because Travis admired her as well; very determined that she would grow no reason to give up at all, would side to peace and equality even if she had to face combat or rather debate with whom she's close with who apparently sides with ideal or close-minded thoughts. But with how she had treated Lachlan so far, Travis had thought that maybe that could be her way of treating people, just in her own murderous way. They had seen her being so warlike, feisty, upbeat, and enthusiastic, but that was Akari herself, and they couldn't alter her.
"Hey! Don't laugh!" Lachlan felt a little embarrassed, "That idiot is a monster!"
"Okay, okay," wiping his tears off from laughing, Travis leaned again on the bar and grinned ear to ear.
Although Akari was a bit tough to everyone, but except for Travis, she had ever compensated them with all her manpower since she had also been aware of her behavior. In times of difficult situations, as to seek handle from the other agencies such as Lachlan's organization, she wouldn't think twice of lending him a hand. Beyond the five Elites, Lachlan and Akari had been consistently the Elites who sided with the Headman so it was invariably the two who would at times connect with one another. In fact, it should be the five Elites to help one another, but then evil and ill-intention couldn't be ignored, and so the Elites were affected as well, especially the three other Elites; Emil, Algos, and Woohyun. There had no clear determination as to whoever among the five Elites had the powerful systematic organizations, but Travis had believed that siding with the good would do better, unlike the other side— it would cause even more mayhem.
"Hey, I advice you to be careful," Lachlan glanced at the skies, and calmly continued, "I have received reports from my men that The Orions are here starting to hunt you."
Sugar poured over black stone glistened in the light, revealing stars. The moonlight was a welcome sight, emerging as if by magic at each dusk and promising to return as it faded in the first glimmer of day. There were times in the daytime, under skies of blue, Lachlan would think of those faraway stars and how they'd return after the shadows blended into the dark. Just like the shadows they had been feeling behind their backs, swiftly camouflaging as they may.
Since it was dark and the only light they had were the stars, moon, and few streetlights, the park seemed to appear and felt heavier as both felt someone— no, over ten people had been eyeing them; two behind the trees a distance of over thirty meters away from their behind, three people scattered from fifty meters away from Travis' left, and five people from the city buildings holding each a monoscope. They were pretty far away from each other for somebody who obviously joined the same teams, but spying on two people.
"I'm aware of that," Travis sighed, closing his eyes, hardly beaming.
"Then? Shouldn't you hide somewhere else? Don't worry about your students, my company and I will take care of them." Lachlan was worried.
There had been a possibility wherein Travis (if ever the plan beyond his group would fail) had to entrust his students in Class 11-5 to Lachlan. And so, he had particularly thought, "The present moment is a gift, and what we do with it determines whether we express gratitude or not. After all, the gift is in the hands of the recipient after it is presented. The provided moment is the leaf's budding bud, the young greens beckoning the eye to dwell and feel a growing sense of home." Travis meant only one thing based on all of his experiences even in the past. There were times when a person had chosen to stop smiling and stop being joyous knowing that person would face sadness or rather despair later on. But the thing had to be different. If one should have felt excitement, then one should be happy and feel the warmth while they still had the time. If one should have felt tightness in their chest cause of loneliness, emptiness, or whatsoever, then they should feel sorrow. At times during one's pleasant time, they should be delightful, not discern distress. While one still had the time to enjoy the moment, let it cherish. Present times could be the only thing we had, whether what we had felt during our present times, let it be a treasure to us.
Before he had reached his eyes to gaze in the night sky, Travis discerned that he would never give his students up to anyone, even if that anyone had to be either Lachlan or Akari. Since he started this all by himself, then he should end this all by himself as well. One of the motives he had was 'Never let anyone handle what you think they can't handle. It would be a burden to them if they ever felt pressure on their hands. And in the end, you won't meet what you had expected, everything will just end up a disappointment.' It would be really beneficial to have an ally at home, school, or work. However, the only person who could assist you is you yourself. And that applies to anyone whom Travis had thought they would be.
"Look, Lach. Never in my life had I run away from my problems." Travis faced the sea where Lachlan had faced as well. "I know you're much pretty concerned, Lach, and I thank you for that. But I will be the one to continue to take care of my students, and I know I can do it even if I won't have to rely on the Front Group, Head Group, Aries Team, or the Auriga Team," he grinned at him, "You should take care also. There are eyes looking at us right now so I guess, we have to double time."
Lachlan still felt the urge to help, but since it's the Headman's word, then he should be fine without anyone's help knowing he's the head and the top of everything. "Right."
There had several methods to spend a moment that made a better moment for others in order to multiply the impact of that wise decision. Accept them. Make use of these opportunities to set the gold standard for mankind. That could be why Travis also admired Lachlan a lot, not only as a friend but as his colleague as well. He took the notion simply for Travis and offered a hand without anyone telling him. That meant he's truly an ideal Elite.
"By the way, don't forget about later, alright? Bring Akari as well." Travis tapped Lachlan's back three times as they both gazed upon the skies, "Take a rest for now. We still have a long way to go."
