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When Yamaguchi had signed up to help save the world from the Kaiju invasion, he had been expecting to land a job as an engineer, or a technician, or even a scientist. Currently, his class were supposed to be meeting in the welding room, for a face-to-face experience with what 50% of their group would end up doing. Yamaguchi had woken up early, gotten ready quicker than usual... And then realised that his paperwork hadn’t yet been filed. He had turned up to an empty classroom with his papers in hand, the rest of the class already on their expedition. Yamaguchi knew where the engineering rooms were, he just had to get there before the class were suited up in safety gear, pass his paperwork to Instructor Shimada, and he could join in.
Breathing heavily as he ran through the halls, Yamaguchi knew he would be in huge trouble if he was caught. At this time in the schedule, only Jaeger pilots or over-graduates were allowed in the hallways. His cheeks were flushed with exertion as he ran. He cursed himself for skipping gym classes back before the Kaiju invasion. He skidded into a lift to hide as he heard voices coming down the corridor, jamming the button for Floor 2 multiple times, as if that would close the doors quicker. There was a gush of air as the lift doors closed and it begun its descent. Yamaguchi breathed in relief, but his jitters started up again when he realised he had no idea who could be on the other side of the door. He bounced on his toes impatiently, anxiously. More dire than hiding, however, was filing his paperwork and getting to the engineering rooms on time. As soon as the lift doors started to re-open on Floor 2, he ran out.
“Oof!” He wished he hadn’t. A startled gasp escaped him as he crashed into someone and his paperwork went flying.
“I- I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry! I’m sor-!” He cut himself off when he realised exactly who he had crashed into. A small ginger puff shook his head fast and hard to clear dizziness from the impact and then beamed up at him with warm, friendly eyes. Yamaguchi had seen that face so many times during his lessons. Jaeger Pilot, Hinata Shouyo. And if Hinata was here...
His gaze drifted up and he winced under the glares of two others. These were Hinata’s co-pilots, a three pilot team that was fondly referred to as ‘The First Years’. Despite their young ages, they were incredibly experienced. Kageyama Tobio and Tsukishima Kei were much more intimidating up close, he decided.
“I- I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, please forgive me...” Their faces twisted into displeased sneers, but Kageyama just walked past into the lift. They must’ve been heading down to The Bay, a restricted area for Jaeger pilots and their main teams only.
“Don’t worry about it! Oh hey, this is paperwork for the rookie group, isn’t it?!” Hinata was a bubble of excitement, almost putting Yamaguchi at ease with how informally he spoke.
“A-Ah, yes... I’m late for a class so- I’m late!” He gasped again and scrambled to pick up the papers that had fallen to the floor, Hinata chirruping before he started to dart around to pick up the ones that had slipped into the further distance.
“Tch. Not only are you clumsy, you’re tardy, unreliable, and breaking the rules.” The harsh words, almost spat like venom pierced through Yamaguchi’s shallow confidence and he bit into his bottom lip to stop any sassy comebacks that he could have made. He glanced up at Tsukishima with a deep respect in his eyes. He may have been rude, but he was one of the best.
“Maybe... But I’ll be better than that someday.” His words must have changed something, because Tsukishima raised an eyebrow with a faint look of shock before he bent down and started to pick up the papers closest to him. What happened next, Yamaguchi wasn’t sure how to describe it. It was like he could see a shadow of Tsukishima moving before he actually moved, allowing him to make movement and weave around him with no trouble at all.
It was like a fine dance, like everything was in slow motion, like the only thing that existed in that moment was Tsukishima and the papers he was collecting. They straightened up at the same time, eyes meeting. Tsukishima’s gold reflected Yamaguchi’s own moss-brown, the colours swirling and flickering together. He could hear Tsukishima’s calm, comforting breaths, and a glow like moonlight lingered over his skin. Tsukishima passed back the paperwork and Yamaguchi gathered it from his hands without even looking.
Suddenly, a strange noise from their left broke the illusion, and the clamour of the Shatterdome came back to them full force. Hinata was standing with his feet shoulder width apart, openly squawking at the two, gesturing his palms out flat in front of him in disbelief. Tsukishima clicked his tongue, averting his gaze to avoid questioning on the spot. Even Kageyama was looking at him mildly shocked.
“Eep! Th- Thank you for helping me and I’m sorry for bumping into you!” Yamaguchi held his paperwork close and then darted off, towards his classroom. He could feel his chest restricting as something changed in his chest, completely unaware that just behind him, golden eyes watched him leave whilst the owner clutched a hand over his own chest. His heartbeat had changed, had synced with someone else.
“Tadashi!” He skidded to halt before he could bump into anyone else, his instructor appearing at the end of the hallway.
“Thank goodness! I was worried you’d miss this completely, or had gotten lost!” Shimada ruffled his hair and Yamaguchi spared a small smile as he held out his paperwork.
“No, I just dropped this and had to pick it up again. Umm... Sorry if it’s not in order. I tried to, but I had some help, so it might not be-.”
“Stop worrying~. I can always piece it back together when I file it. Come on; let’s get you in the safety gear!” Yamaguchi followed his instructor into the room, changing into a protective suit and entering. He was well-aware of the unhappy looks from his classmates, who had been forced to wait for him. He wasn’t well-liked, too shy to interact with people, too weird for them to interact with him. Plus, there was that vile rumour going around that the only reason he got this far was by sleeping with the Instructor.
That physically sickened him. The only reason he and Shimada were closer than most Instructor and Rookie was because Yamaguchi had been the first to treat Shimada with respect as person, rather than as an authoritarian. Similarly, because Yamaguchi had approached him for help, Shimada had taken him on as an apprentice, taught him things that the rest of the class would never learn, and helped him to believe in himself.
Watching golden sparks fly off a connecting joint as the engineer welded it together; Yamaguchi’s mind pulsed with the image of golden eyes staring back at him, the glow of moonlight illuminating them against a silver backdrop. He swallowed and shakily took notes on the engineering process, trying to ignore that dragging feeling in the back of his mind. He wasn’t aware quite how intently he was focusing to ignore it until a hand swept across his back. He looked up and Shimada gestured his head back towards the room where the safety suits were stored.
Through the unbreakable window, he could see the Marshall leaning casually against the wall, cigarette in hand. A shiver ran down Yamaguchi’s spine. The Jaeger pilots he’d bumped into... They must have reported him for being in the Shatterdome corridors out of schedule! He was going to be in huge trouble! Shimada pushed him towards the door with a reassuring hand. Breathing deeply and shakily, Yamaguchi entered the small room. His voice pitched up as he saluted.
“... Sir.” Marshall Ukai puffed out a cloud of cigarette smoke that stung Yamaguchi’s eyes.
“Follow me.” The voice was rough and yet, warm. He made him feel like this was someone he could trust with his life. Ukai causally exited the room, hands in his trouser pockets as he waited for Yamaguchi to scramble out of the safe suit and follow after him. The freckled brunette was undoubtedly nervous; he could pick that up even from having watched him through the window.
“Is he coming~?!” Ukai looked down to the Jaeger pilot at his side.
“Yes, Hinata, he’s coming.” The door reopened and Yamaguchi’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape in realisation when he saw Hinata. He bowed deeply at the waist.
“I- I’m sorry for earlier!” Hinata blinked. Then laughed, reaching out and grabbing Yamaguchi by both shoulders, shaking him.
“You already said that~! This isn’t about that, come on! We have something cool to show you!”
“E-eh?” The confusion Yamaguchi felt doubled when he concluded that he wasn’t in trouble, and that Hinata was excited to see him. Still, as Hinata bounced ahead at the Marshall’s side, babbling on excitedly about their last mission with interesting sound effects, Yamaguchi felt at peace. He was deeply sad that he was missing out on the engineering experience, when it was something he showed an affinity for, but he had a feeling in his gut that whatever Hinata and Marshall Ukai had in store for him, it was going to be bigger, better. He stayed three strides behind until they reached the lift, and then there was no escaping the way they looked over him. Hinata’s bubbly, ditzy gaze had turned into something much more serious.
“Your name is Yamaguchi, right?”
“Y-Yeah...” Hinata was about to speak again when Ukai cuffed him over the head.
“What’re you asking that for, you idiot?! You’re the one who picked the lock of my office, broke into my file cabinet, and stole his file! You know his name!”
“Owww! Actually, Tsukishima picked the lock, and Kageyama broke the file cabinet. He used a crow bar.” The irony was not lost on Yamaguchi who couldn’t hold back his snort of amusement. The three-pilot Jaeger team of Hinata, Kageyama, and Tsukishima manned ‘Dancing Crow’, the fastest and most unpredictable Jaeger on the block. Using a crow bar, of all things. Hinata beamed up at Yamaguchi as if the sun shone from his freckles.
“You’re the first person to get that other than ‘Shima and Kags!”
“Shima?”
“Yeah, Tsukishima! The absolute bastard that you, Yamaguchi, happen to have the strongest drift compatibility I’ve ever seen with.” Yamaguchi blinked in shock, his hands raised defensively.
“M-Me?! Drift compatible? Oh- Oh no, I think you saw wrong! I have the lowest scores on all the tests in my class!” Ukai removed the cigarette from his lips and exhaled slowly.
“See, that’s why I don’t agree with those tests. Because they never account for the fact that there could be just one person you sync with. Hinata and Kageyama were both rejects until our current veteran team, Daichi and Suga, saw them fighting in the corridor and realised they weren’t landing any hits on each other. They knew what the other was going to do before it happened. It’s what we call ‘paradox drift’, when you momentarily synchronise together outside of a Jaeger. It only happens with the strongest of teams, and if it’s happening to you and Tsukishima, we need to test this, now.”
“What? Why?” Ukai sighed, dragging a hand over his face.
“We’re in the last year of war, Yamaguchi. There’s a 364 day deadline until we surmount all our efforts with the rest of the world, into one huge attack on The Breach. The Kaiju won’t stand a chance, but only if we can stop them.” Yamaguchi tilted his head in mild confusion.
“I- I still don’t understand. How does this involve me?”
“We’re gathering all our strongest, and training up our most promising recruits. It’s all about pitting our numbers against theirs, and taking the Kaiju down simultaneously with strength in packs. IF you and Tsukishima have as strong compatibility as Hinata claims-”
“They do!”
“- Then you two will man your own Jaeger.” For a second, Yamaguchi stared at the Marshall dumbly. Then, his gaze darted over to the lift buttons where the symbol for Training Centre was lit up in orange. He almost shrieked. It was the very top floor of the Shatterdome, a prestigious area where Jaeger pilots could test their strengths against each other and deepen their bond. There was a simulation for fighting Kaiju, there was Kwoon room, and there was a gymnasium!
It was a fabled area, a platform where only those who were considered for actual piloting would be taken in their groups, to partner up with rookies of their own level. It only happened three times a year, and this was not one of those times. To be taken up to this platform, Hinata must have seen something really special, something convincing. The pressure on Yamaguchi was almost crushing.
“I... I’m not cut out for this... I’m not athletic, not brave, and- and I’m more likely to be the one getting beaten up! I can’t... Be a Jaeger pilot, it’s just impossible...” He frowned as he gazed down at his own feet, face scrunched up with the pain and anger that he had just disappointed the Marshall, of all people. Gently, with no warning, two small hands clasped around his own and he looked up to find Hinata staring back at him with slight confusion, but mostly encouragement.
“I have no idea what you said, but... If I was a rejected cadet and still became one of the most renowned pilots in the world, don’tcha think you could be too?” Swallowing, Yamaguchi nodded. Not because he agreed, but because Hinata was being friendly to him, was being nice. It sort of stunned him. The lift reached its destination and Hinata pulled away to run ahead with a loud shout.
“HE’S HERE~!” The Marshall gave Yamaguchi a pointed look and he walked out with shaky legs, keeping his head down to try and hide his nervousness. Ukai rolled his eyes. The boy was trying to hide his nervousness by hunching over in the most vulnerable gesture possible. Hinata waved from the entrance to a room, enthusiastically beckoning them over. Yamaguchi stepped into the light beaming through the doorway and fought his instinct to run. Tsukishima was standing in the middle of the Kwoon room; bandages wrapped around his ankles and wrists for extra padding, and was wearing his workout clothes. A black loose tank-top and some maroon Yoga pants. That would have been highly amusing if he didn’t look so menacing, holding the pole in his hands so that it pointed at Yamaguchi.
“You. Grab a pole and get over here. You’ve kept me waiting long enough.” A surge of irritation swelled up in Yamaguchi’s chest, along with that same feeling that he was about to say something sassy. This time, he didn’t bother to bite it back.
“Would you like me to grab my sequin leotard and bunny ears too? Those always look best when dancing around a pole.” Tsukishima blinked in rebuke and Yamaguchi was aware of Hinata bursting out into laughter next to him. Even the Marshall snorted in amusement. The tips of Yamaguchi’s ears heated up in embarrassment when he realised they weren’t the only ones in the room.
From over by the cabinet that stored poles of different materials, lengths, and weights, there were two people leaning against each other and fighting down their own laughter. Yamaguchi recognised them as the supreme veterans of Karasuno Shatterdome, Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koushi, the pilots of the aptly named Jaeger, ‘Victory.’ To his left, Kageyama cackled without restraint, earning a sharp glare from Tsukishima. That deathly look, a golden glare that promised pain, returned to Yamaguchi with utter hatred.
“Using words because you’re too useless to even try? Pathetic.” Yamaguchi was usually sweet. Yamaguchi was usually kind, and patient. Yamaguchi didn’t usually kick his shoes off, storm up to a smirking bastard, and snatch a pole off him before whacking his legs out from under him. He didn’t usually do that, but today was an exception. Whilst Tsukishima stared up at him in disbelief from the floor, Yamaguchi blinked and studied the pole he now held. He spun it in his grip experimentally, testing it.
“Hmm... Well, you did say grab a pole. I think this one works out well.” Tsukishima clicked his tongue in annoyance, picking himself up and storming over to the cabinet to pick out an identical pole. Yamaguchi’s sensitive hearing picked up Hinata stage-whispering to Ukai.
“See? They’re so in sync; they use the same branded pole!”
“Hinata, that could be coincidence. Just because he’s the first person to hand Tsukishima his ass on a platter, doesn’t mean they’re compatible.” A sudden smack to his arm had Yamaguchi yelp and he looked to find Tsukishima had whacked the pole against his arm, hard enough that it would bruise later.
“That’s 1 for me.”
“Tsukishima, play nice!” The silver haired veteran scolded Tsukishima from the side and he dipped his head respectfully to Sugawara before sliding back into the traditional position for the battle to begin. Yamaguchi gulped and poorly imitated. Before Kageyama could announce for them to begin whilst he took scores, Daichi spoke up.
“Remember, this is about compatibility. It’s a dialogue, not a fight.”
“Noted, Captain.”
“Y-Yes, sir.” The pole shook in Yamaguchi’s hands. He wasn’t good at fighting. He wasn’t good at anything physical! Why would they want him in a Jaeger? He gave another harsh yelp as a pole swept under his feet, smacking his ankles and leaving him flat on his back with a groan.
“2 to me. Better start trying, Yamaguchi.” His name was said mockingly, and Yamaguchi frowned up at Tsukishima before he stood. Instantly, the end of Tsukishima’s pole thudded into his chest, winding him before he was pushed backwards. He rubbed sorely at the spot before returning to his his feet, again. For a couple of minutes, the routine remained. As soon as Yamaguchi was on his feet, he was knocked back down again. Sugawara looked like he was about to intervene after the twentieth-something hit, but Daichi only held out his arm, blocking his co-pilot from interfering. Yamaguchi breathed heavily and his aching limbs shook. From behind, he heard a sigh. The Marshall rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“I think that’s enough. I’m not seeing any compatibility despite what you said, Hinata. Both of you, lower your weapon- Tsukishima!” Disobeying completely, whilst Yamaguchi had set the pole to the ground, Tsukishima swept it upwards, the end of the pole perfectly lined up to smack the underside of Yamaguchi’s jaw.
Except it didn’t. Yamaguchi very slightly tilted his head so that the pole missed by a millimetre. All of a sudden, everything was slow-motion, glowing with faded white moonlight around the edges, and nothing else existed but him and Tsukishima. Yamaguchi swiped his own pole from the ground, spinning it towards Tsukishima’s ankles. The blond jumped just enough that it avoided both feet, twisting his body to bring his weapon down across Yamaguchi’s back. Yamaguchi rolled to the left, sliding himself closer so that he was looking up at Tsukishima from the floor, and jousted his pole upwards. The blond leaned back to avoid being whacked in the chin and the two separated to the other sides of the room.
When they ran at each other, poles colliding defensively, there was a class of moon and stars, gold and moss mixing together, heartbeats beating in sync, and a background of swirling silver mixing with vivid violet to create soft lavender. They breathed in unison, before they parted and lowered the poles. The world around them slowly ebbed back into being. Yamaguchi could still hear the low, trembling baritones of music that Tsukishima imagined stars would play, and Tsukishima could feel the cold yet tender breeze of a moonlit midnight, as Yamaguchi would imagine it. They could hear, see, feel themselves in each other, from another perspective. They were in the drift.
“... Hinata, go and find Nishinoya and ask him for the current status of the new Jaeger. Kageyama, I need a status report from Asahi on the Breach progress. Ask him to calculate success rates with two new pilots. Daichi, Sugawara, you know what to do.” The veterans nodded as the Marshall made a swift exit to his office, still processing what he had just seen. Yamaguchi slid to the ground, completely out of breath. A hand appeared in his vision, too smooth and light to be Tsukishima. Sugawara smiled down at him kindly.
“Welcome to the team, Yamaguchi.” He took the hand with a wobbly smile, thankful for the assistance in standing. He rubbed the back of his head shyly.
“Th-thanks~... Wait, what do you mean by ‘welcome’? I lost really badly!” Sugawara laughed, but it wasn’t hostile or mocking, it was gentle and motherly.
“You didn’t feel the intensity of that drift?”
“Drift...? You mean, the stars? And moonlight? And the- the lavender thingy?” Suga tilted his head curiously.
“Well, it’s different for every pair that drift, but yes, that’s your compatibility with Tsukishima~.” Yamaguchi wasn’t sure how to react. He was elated that he was drift compatible, but he was terrified of having to go and fight Kaiju on the frontline. From his side, Tsukishima clicked his tongue.
“It appears that I’m stuck working with you. Still, anything is better than those two idiots. Meet me here tomorrow at six sharp for training. We need to correct your sloppy stance.”
“I’ll work on my stance if you work on your attitude.” The spitfire between them seemed... More light-hearted. Anticipated. He saw the corner of Tsukishima’s lips twist into a smirk before he calmly stalked off. Yamaguchi wasn’t aware he was watching Tsukishima until he jumped under the contact of a large tan hand on his shoulder. Daichi, Captain of ‘Victory’, smiled down at him encouragingly.
“You handled him extremely well. But, some things he said were true. You stance is sloppy, and you need to try, rather than hesitate.” Yamaguchi sighed.
“I- I’m not really cut out for this. Fighting isn’t.. My style, I guess?”
“It’ll come to you in time~. It just takes practice!”
“Yeah, Suga took three weeks before he could pull off a lunge without falling over~.” Daichi brushed affectionately up against his Jaeger partner, laughing when he was elbowed in the ribs in response.
“Daichi pissed himself the first time we went against a Category four in the simulator.”
“SUGA!” Daichi looked at Suga in absolute mortification that he would tell someone that, whilst Suga just burst out into laughter. The situation was so ridiculous that it strung forth a peel of giggles from Yamaguchi. He quietened before the two had stopped teasing each other, just waiting for them to finish so that he could either be dismissed, or told what to do next. Daichi cleared his throat and turned back to Yamaguchi, trying to brush off any lingering embarrassment.
“Fall into stance.” He tried best to remember how Tsukishima had done it, sticking his tongue out the corner of his mouth in concentration as he shuffled about. Daichi only frowned.
“You’re not comfortable at all. Try to just... Naturally sink into it. Stand up once more and try again.” With a sigh, Yamaguchi obeyed. ‘Sink into it, sink into it, sink into it...’He was well aware that his stance was now completely different from any textbook example, which Tsukishima seemed to have perfected. His front foot lunged too far forwards, his toes curling down into the mat instead of lying tense and flat. His back leg swept around him, like a ballerina ready to kick out to the side with an elegant point to their foot. If he swished his back leg around to a standing motion, he would be brushing the mat beneath them for the majority of the movement. And yet, Suga clapped impressively and Daichi nodded with an authoritative hum of approval.
“You have a very flexible momentum, a bit like water in a stream. See, being drift compatible isn’t about being similar to your partner, or being the same. It’s about complimenting them. Filling in the holes in their defence, or striking in attack where they lack the strength. Tsukishima is a very by-the-textbook, rock solid pilot. He’s analytical and straightforward. But, he’s not flexible at all. If a situation arises where he can’t figure out what to do, your skill will get him out of that pinch. Not to mention, you’re fast. Tsukishima only had time to make tiny movements to avoid your hits, minimal effort as always. I have a feeling, you might be able to inject some enthusiasm into his style... Balance him out. In return, Tsukishima should give you more confidence, and a foundation for trust. If you are water, and Tsukishima is rock, then together you can bring a Tsunami.”
“A Tsunami...” Yamaguchi whispered the words in awe, inspired and influenced by Daichi’s strong words. From the corner of his eye, he caught movement, and reacted quickly to catch the pole that came towards him. He held it in his hands as Sugawara passed Daichi a medium-length, heavy steel rod. His own was a weapon secured around the wrists that extended into an arc across the knuckles. It was only made of soft cork, but if it had been blades, they would have been a deadly weapon indeed. Yamaguchi gulped when they both fell into their own individual stances.
“Once you can defend five hits in a row, we’ll call break.”
“R-Right!” He held the long wooden pole out in front of him with a loose grip, allowing him to roll it around in his palm. Daichi lunged first, a sharp jab that stopped a centimetre before his face.
“Defend yourself, Yamaguchi! A Kaiju isn’t going to pull its punches just because you aren’t ready!”
“Yes Sir!” Yamaguchi inhaled and exhaled lengthily to focus, nodding with determination, his eyes half-lidded in intense concentration. It took another half hour before Yamaguchi defended his first hit. Sugawara had approached from the side, aiming a curved punch at his ribs. Yamaguchi, dripping with sweat and breathing heavily, had twisted his upper body to stand the pole up straight, intersecting Suga’s attempt and blocking the attack. Sugawara beamed brightly, and the silent encouragement felt like a breath of fresh air. As the Jaeger pilot backed away to regroup, Yamaguchi turned to face his second opponent with a refreshed mindset.
Daichi quirked an eyebrow and swung the rod straight down. Yamaguchi blocked it with his pole, but it left him completely open to attack from Suga. It was one of the many combination moves they had used against him, completely experienced in working together, reading each other’s moves, and training rookie cadets. With a cry of frustration, Yamaguchi slid one foot around to behind Daichi and followed it with his other, sidestepping with enough flexibility that he created an arc with his body before he swung his torso around to stand up straight behind Daichi. The soft punch that would have tapped the centre of Yamaguchi’s back instead tapped Daichi’s chest.
“Nice dodge!” He didn’t have the energy to reply before his legs gave way beneath him. Daichi laughed and held out a hand for him.
“I think we’ll take that break now~.”
“I didn’t-... F-five... Defend...” Sugawara crouched down behind him, linking his arms underneath Yamaguchi’s and giving him a helpful boost upwards. Daichi caught him as he stumbled, barely able to breathe out his thanks.
“I said that more as a goal, so that you’d put all your effort in. You lasted half an hour, which is incredibly impressive! By the end of it, you avoided three hits in a row, by blocking two and dodging one. That’s valuable instinct that could save you and your partner in a Jaeger.”
“Instinct? S’more learnt from... Being bullied...” As he was softly put down against the wall, he caught Sugawara’s concerned look, and brought a hand up to wave in dismissal.
“Before the Kaiju...” The kind veteran sighed in relief before kneeling down by Yamaguchi’s side and softly pressing his thumbs into Yamaguchi’s aching arm muscles. Daichi was doing the same to his legs, and Yamaguchi hissed in pain as his leg twitched.
“Hinata didn’t make sure you did warm-up stretches, did he?” Yamaguchi shook his head and Daichi mumbled under his breath about Hinata having a brain like a sieve, unable to remember important information. Suga reached over and flicked his forehead before returning to massaging Yamaguchi’s painful arms. The muscles throbbed and he regretted not having the common sense, or the courage, to ask if he could warm up before the testing with Tsukishima. He may have drifted off to sleep right on the spot.
“Ngn...” Yamaguchi squirmed with a low groan of pain as he awoke. His muscles were on fire. His room was far too hot. His bed was comfy but did nothing for his sore back. Suddenly, Yamaguchi sat up with wide eyes.
‘My bed?! But I was in the Kwoon room!’ He glanced around the room and realised that he was indeed in his own bed. He wondered if it had all been a dream, and he’d just moved too much in his sleep to go unaffected. As he stood to peer out his door and ask someone the day, he noticed a little folded note on the counter closest to his bed, along with a bottle of sports drink. His mouth was dry... As he drunk, he opened the note with one hand and read it from an angle.
“Good morning Yamaguchi! You passed out on us after that training session, so remember to stretch and rehydrate as soon as you wake! Luckily, Hinata still had your file, so we could put you to bed in the right room. I hope you don’t mind! We told Tsukishima to wait until afternoon, so don’t forget to meet him in the Kwoon room at 3. Keep up the good work! ٩ʕ◕౪◕ʔو– Suga.” Yamaguchi couldn’t help a laugh at the cute little drawing. He wouldn’t have expected any less from the kind veteran.
Still, he took the note seriously and started to do a few stretches, feeling the pang in his muscles, but continuing nonetheless. By the time he was done, everything felt limber and less achy. There was a soft chime over the intercom, signalling that it was breakfast already. Part of Yamaguchi was glad that he’d woken up in time because he’d missed an entire day’s meal. Another part of him was dreading it because he’d been called away from his class by the Marshall, and hadn’t returned. He speculated how many more nasty rumours were started in his absence. Probably a few, but he was use to just brushing them off by now. Yamaguchi finished the last of the sports drink, then headed out to the large meal room. He lined up, just as everyone else, got his serving of... Whatever this slop was, and walked to the table his class was assigned to. Shimada was already there, along with a few other early risers. They looked at Yamaguchi with smugness and hushed whispers to each other as he took his usual spot next to the Instructor. He rolled his eyes. The rumours were already on the fly.
“Good morning, Tadashi~.”
“Morning, Makoto~. Did I miss anything important yesterday?”
“A little bit, but I’ll lend you the lesson plan so you can take notes.”
“Great! I don’t want to fall behind, there’s some pretty good competition this training sect~.” The instructor laughed and then glanced over Yamaguchi’s shoulder.
“Tadashi, push your food aside a second.” He did, with confusion warping his expression. Suddenly, something impacted him from behind and his face would have slammed into the table at the force had Shimada not put his hand in the way. Luckily, it hadn’t been his food.
“YAMAGUCHIIIII~!” Hinata’s loud voice made Yamaguchi wince this early in the morning, but the arms wrapped childishly around him and the warmth against his back was fully welcome. Hinata must’ve run up from all the way across the room to launch himself at Yamaguchi.
“Aha, morning Hinata~.” He turned his head just enough that he could see Hinata’s bright, cheery grin, almost blinding him with happiness. How on earth was the pilot even fully awake this early?
“Guess who just took down a Category 5 whilst you were snoring~?!” Ah, that was why. Yamaguchi hummed softly in thought with a playful smile dawning on his face, relaxing back into Hinata’s comfortable hug.
“Hmm... Maybe... Daichi and Sugawara~?”
“Noooo! Try again!”
“Maybeeee... Tsukishima and Kageyama~?”
“You’re so meeeeaaan.” Hinata pouted and Yamaguchi laughed, before looking up from his seat at Hinata with a sleepy grin.
“How did you do it~?” Hinata’s smile returned full force and he retracted his arms from around Yamaguchi to bounce excitedly a little before slipping into the seat next to him. His mouth moved as fast as his motions, vivid hand gestures playing out the last battle with flamboyant sound effects and such a dramatic retelling, that Yamaguchi would have though Hinata a professional storyteller, had this not been all too real. Even as he interacted with Hinata, persuaded and swayed by his enthusiasm into copying some of the movements as Hinata ‘taught’ him, Yamaguchi was aware of his classmates gawping.
Famous Jaeger pilot Hinata Shouyo was sitting at their table, talking to their classmate. Yamaguchi was also aware of the harsh whispers that passed between them. Because obviously, if he’d already slept with their instructor and the Marshall, what was to say he wasn’t messing with Jaeger pilots too? Hinata noticed the falling expression, and then his ears picked up on something a large, brawny lad was saying just a few seats away.
“- not up to par with us, so just sleeps around like a slut to buy ‘success’. He wouldn’t be in our class otherwise.” Hinata’s eye darkened and he instantly gained this aura of intimidation. It was battle worthy and chilling to see from an angle. Yamaguchi certainly didn’t want to be the one receiving that.
“Excuse me. What did you just say about my friend?” The boy didn’t reply and Hinata snarled.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Oh, and by the way, he’s going to be more successful than you will ever be. Yamaguchi’s going to be a Jaeger pilot.” The unnamed boy looked at Yamaguchi in disgust, and Hinata reacted viciously by grabbing the front of his shirt. Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a tray smacking down on his ginger floof.
“Oi, dumbass! Stop picking on the rookies!” Kageyama’s appearance put Hinata back into pouting mode, and he whined as he sat back in the seat next to Yamaguchi.
“But he was being mean about Yama! He said Yama was a slut!” Blue eyes that were already intimidating glared at the boy and then turned to Yamaguchi. He shuffled uncomfortably. Kageyama just tilted his head to the side and then sighed.
“Words are just words. Come on. Daichi and Suga are already at the pilot tables.” The pilot tables. They were an elevated platform above the rest of the meal room, only accessible by stairs. The Jaeger pilots, and ranking officers, congregated up there every mealtime. They spoke of things only a pilot could experience, or developments in battle plans.
Occasionally, the top ranking scientist, Asahi, would emerge from his lab to join them and share data, but that was only if engineering genius Nishinoya dragged him out. Nishinoya designed practically all the Jaegers at Karasuno Shatterdome, and took a key role in their construction. He was considered partner-in-crime of the younger Tanaka sibling, a technician who helped Noya out with the communications part of the design, and the all important neural interface. No Jaeger would work without two drifted pilots and their neural connection to that Jaeger. ‘Dancing crow’ had been their greatest achievement, a three-person Jaeger with speed, multiple weapon systems, and a bundle of secrets still to be discovered as the pilots evolved. Of course, if Yamaguchi were to become a pilot with Tsukishima, it would break up the three person team... He bit into his bottom lip, turning back to his meal.
“Yamaguchi, aren’tcha coming with us?” He looked back over his shoulder at Hinata’s gaze, stuck between frown and a pout.
“To- to the pilot tables? I can’t! I’m just a Rookie!”
“No way! You’re a pilot in training! And besides, you’re gonna work with Tsukishima, so you have to sit next to him!” Kageyama calmly piped up from besides his tiny co-pilot.
“Basically, we don’t want to have to sit next to him, and you can actually handle him.”
“Oh...” Yamaguchi debated it for a second. He technically was a pilot in training, and he did need to talk to Tsukishima more... But he was still a Rookie. His internal argument was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. Shimada smiled at him and gestured towards the waiting pilots.
“Go~.” Yamaguchi breathed in relief at the decision being made for him and quickly got up to abandon his usual spot at the class table. He carried his tray with shaking hands, quivering with nerves and excitement. As they approached the stairs, Suga caught sight of them and waved welcomingly. He nodded back in deep respect and followed Hinata up the stairs. As soon as he reached the top, there was suddenly someone shorter than Hinata shoving papers in his face.
“Eep!” He would have fallen backwards had Kageyama not been there, easily holding his tray in one hand and pushing Yamaguchi to his feet with the other. Yamaguchi’s attempt to thank him was cut off by an enthusiastic shout from the person in front of him. He knew who it was from the distinctive spiky hair, a blond fringe the only part that obeyed gravity. Nishinoya Yuu, genius engineer, was standing right in front of him. And holding sketches in his face. Very detailed sketches.
“What do you think~?! Super cool, yeah~!?” Sugawara laughed gently and intercepted, both hands on Nishinoya’s shoulders.
“Noya, let him eat down first! The poor boy looks starved!”
“But the plans for the Jaeger tech!”
“They can wait~.” Suga threw Yamaguchi a wink as a gesture to escape whilst he still could, and pointed over to the corner where Tsukishima sat. Hinata was opposite him, babbling away, and Kageyama next to Hinata. Slightly anxious, Yamaguchi made his way over and slipped into the seat next to Tsukishima. He was expecting a tut, or to be told to leave, but Tsukishima only nodded at him very slightly. It was still a start. He smiled back and then began to eat in silence, highly amused by the bickering between Hinata and Kageyama, as well as the jovial conversation from further down the table.
Nishinoya was trying to show off the sketches he had thrust in Yamaguchi’s face, whilst the bald technician next to him enthusiastically intervened when he found suitable. They made for quite the duo, and whilst Daichi tried to calm them every few minutes, Sugawara asked questions and engaged with them. A tall, scary looking man- boy- scientist sat opposite them. After a simple minute of observation, Yamaguchi picked up on the fact that he was about as timid as a person came. The Marshall and his advisor, Takeda, sat off to the side at a small two-person table. They were most likely discussing the big attack that took place in a year, if the tension on their faces was anything to go by. Yamaguchi suddenly flinched as he realised Tsukishima had been staring at him.
“... What?”
“I would have expected you to be just as annoying in the morning as the afternoon.”
“Well, I see you’re the same pompous ass, no matter the time of day.”
“Tch. I hope you’ve at least improved your stance since yesterday.”
“I told you, I’ll improve my stance when you improve your attitude.”
“My attitude depends on you. And seeing as you’re not worthy of respect, I won’t give it to you.”
“Oh, rude. Who shoved that massive stick up there?”
“Are you insinuating that I have a stick up my ass?”
“Or maybe a silver spoon, if your pretentiousness anything to go by.”
“At least I wash my face in the morning. You’ve still got dirt on your cheeks.” Yamaguchi looked at him with complete and utter distress. Although their banter had been heavy, it had been careful, nothing that would truly offend. Tsukishima’s smirk slowly fell from his face as he watched the saltwater build in Yamaguchi’s eyes.
“Oh. Oh. Oh shit. I didn’t know they were freckles. Umm. Sorry?” The pilot table had completely silenced, staring at Tsukishima in comical shock. Not only had he just apologised, but he had meant it, even if it did sound unsure. Yamaguchi blinked slowly and pushed his tray over to Hinata before he just stood and walked away.
“Yamaguchi! Yamaguchi, wait!” Sugawara was right behind him, and he sped up until he was running, shutting his door behind him as he sank against it, face in his knees. The heavy metal door didn’t block out all the sound, and he could hear Sugawara knocking relentlessly, pleading him to open the door, but he didn’t move. Then, a new voice interceded. The same voice that had asked him about Jaeger tech sketches.
“Heey! We haven’t met officially yet, so let me in and I’ll show you the designs for your suit!” It was such an innocent and optimistic request, that Yamaguchi couldn’t deny it. He slowly stood and opened the door a fraction. Nishinoya squeezed through the gap and grinned harmlessly as he held out the papers once more. Yamaguchi took them tentatively, breathing out in awe. They were beautiful. Sleek, modern designs with armour that extended off the elbows like scales, the armour plates painted in silver with lavender detailing, and violet edges to each silver scale.
“This- This is astounding... How did you know to use these colours?” Noya shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Tsukishima helped me on the design! He told me ‘bout your drift, so I used ‘em to make it more... You!” Yamaguchi thought about the midnight blue and sunrise orange of ‘Dancing Crow’ amour suits, and the forest green with river blue suits for ‘Victory’. He had never realised that the pilots helped design their suits, and that it was based on the paradox drift.
“So these- umm- Suits... They’re for me and Tsukki...?”
“Yup~! I’ve already started creating the basic plating, and Ryuu’s starting on the neural connectors, so it’s gonna take a couple of days. But it shall be done, and it shall be yours!” Nishinoya paused with a curious glance at Yamaguchi.
“That is, if you accept it. I mean, Tsukishima’s an asshole, but I’ve never seen him apologise to anyone before. And Ryuu is like, some kind of mind-reader, he says Tsukishima’s excited on the inside, ‘cus he’s getting really involved with the planning.” That struck a chord in Yamaguchi and he sighed.
“I shouldn’t have walked off like that, should I?” Nishinoya clapped a hand on his back, surprisingly strong for one so small.
“Nah, I think you made the right choice! It’ll teach him to stop taking things at face value and think about what he’s saying!” The corners of Yamaguchi’s lips twitched upwards and he deeply appreciated Noya’s company. He didn’t know if he believed that or not, but he did believe that maybe, he could just help Tsukishima deconstruct that strict wall he had built to stop others getting in. He reckoned that all would be displayed in the drift. If it ever happened.
“Oh! And one more thing!” Nishinoya had left the sketches with Yamaguchi, already one foot out the door.
“Don’t forgive him until he apologises again!”
“O-Okay~.” Nishinoya left like a hurricane, and Sugawara peered in through the open doorway.
“You okay?” Yamaguchi nodded, gesturing with his hand that it was okay for the older to enter his room. Sugawara took the invite, shutting the door behind him.
“You were having quite the argument~...”
“Aha, it was more... Banter? I think... It didn’t feel harsh or vicious.”
“He said something that hurt you though...” A soft thumb brushed over Yamaguchi’s cheek, over his freckles, and he leaned into the touch. It reminded him of his mother, before this whole Kaiju mess started.
“It’s not too bad. It just brought up some unpleasant memories.” Suga frowned in concern.
“Have you ever drifted with anyone, Yamaguchi?”
“No... My scores were so low, they never let me try.” Suga paused thoughtfully.
“When you drift... All your memories flash through your mind in the flicker of a few seconds. Your life literally passes in front of you. But, there are little traps, dark pockets knows as RABIT’s. Whatever you do, you mustn’t chase the RABIT. They pull you into a memory, as vivid as the day it happened, and it really messes up your mind. A lot of pilots have collapsed or even suffered brain damage. Tanaka’s trying his best, but... The human mind is extensive, he can’t account for all variables. A traumatic past, especially if it hasn’t been talked about, can lead a pilot into danger for the first drift.” Yamaguchi listened carefully, moving to sit on his bed.
“I-... I think my past is a tiny bit traumatic or maybe not, but... There’ll probably be rabbits everywhere...” Despite the situation, Sugawara giggled.
“RABIT’s. R-A-B-I-T~. It’d be cute if there were bunnies all over the place, but I don’t think Ukai will let that happen~.” Yamaguchi snorted, before he too dissolved into giggles. Fuelled by each other, they both laughed loudly until there was a quiet knock on the open door. Tsukishima shuffled awkwardly.
“May I... Come in?”
“Oh.. Umm.. Yeah, sure...” Sugawara shared look with Yamaguchi before he lifted his hand as a farewell and brushed that same hand over Tsukishima’s shoulder whilst he exited. Tsukishima shuddered, understanding the hidden threat.
“Upset the new pilot again, and you’ll be the one crying in the end.”
Sugawara threats were not to be taken lightly.
“You wanted to say something?” Yamaguchi crossed his arms as he waited for a second apology, heeding Nishinoya’s advice.
“Yeah, I’m... Tch. I’m sorry.” Yamaguchi broke into a smile, patting the space on the bed next to him. The uneasiness between them seemed to dissolve as they got talking, although it was Yamaguchi doing more of the talking. They could feel that were on the same page, connected and drift compatible. They got the chance to test that three days later. Tsukishima was officially released from the three-pilot team when Yachi Hitoka, a young girl from another base, transferred in and instantly drifted with the Hinata and Kageyama. Tsukishima had smiled that day and stated he was ‘saved’ from their idiocy. Now, at this point in time, he stood in the entrance to the Jaeger Conn pod.
“So, you ready for this, rookie?”
“Are you ready for me to be in your head, Tsukki~?” Tsukishima sent a smug glance to his soon-to-be Jaeger co-pilot, stepping into the left side for their first drift test. Yamaguchi was amazed at how quickly Noya and Tanaka had constructed the pod section of their Jaeger already. They were warned that a real drift would be much heavier, with a higher strain, because it would involve connecting to every piston and motor on their Jaeger. For now, it was amazing to just be wearing their Jaeger tech, the silver and lavender and violet covering every inch of their bodies except the face. That was about to change, as Tanaka passed them each a shiny new helmet.
“Okay guys. I’ve already told you this is gonna be heavier once we’ve attached the pod to the body, but we still need to check the neural interface. This is a practice drift, to get ya used to being in each other’s heads. And, unfortunately, to dodging RABIT’s. This is going to be difficult, especially for you Yamaguchi, ‘cus it’s your first drift. All I can say is just let it flow, don’t try to latch onto memories ‘cus that hitches the neurons and interrupts the neural bridge. You’ll fall outta sync and a lot can go wrong from there. Good luck!” Tanaka slapped them both on the shoulder closest to him and Yamaguchi sighed shakily. Tsukishima pulled on his helmet, the fluid draining from the screen as it read over every molecule in his being. Yamaguchi watched him until the blond nodded at him, golden eyes a shade darker. He gulped and pulled the helmet over, trying to hold his breath and not to open his mouth whilst the fluid drained. It was a tense 10 seconds before he could breathe again. Tsukishima’s voice came through the helmet, clear as day.
“Congratulations, you didn’t drown yourself like a moron.”
“Has anybody actually done that~?”
“Hinata.” That was all Tsukishima needed to say to prompt Yamaguchi to laugh. Tanaka must’ve reached the observation deck because his voice crackled over the Jaeger pod intercom.
“Okie-dokie! Give me the word and I’ll instigate the neural bridge!”
“We’re all good on the left. Yamaguchi?”
“G-Good on the right!”
“Guys, you’re drifting in three...”
“Hey Tsukki?”
“Mhm?”
“Two...”
“Watch out for rabbits~.”
“...You’re so weird.”
“One!”
“Left hemisphere, calibrated.”
“Right hemisphere, calibrated!”
“Alright you smug assholes, let’s see if you can work the Conn Pod interface!” The drift was a complete success. Neither of them fell into a RABIT. Neither of them was rejected from their partners mind. And more importantly, they were accepted by the Jaeger pod, which proved promising for when the whole thing was put together. Yamaguchi hadn’t seen what she- He picked that up from the Jaeger tech connection- looked like yet. Tanaka and Noya had begged that it be a surprise, had blindfolded them both for the walk from deck to pod. Yamaguchi’s body tingled with delight as he stepped out, but before he could turn around to sneak a peek, Nishinoya was there with a cloth.
“Don’t you dare!” Yamaguchi laughed. He presumed Tsukishima was undergoing the same treatment from Tanaka, before they were lead off. Once they got past the 1,030th step, Yamaguchi started to get suspicious.
“Where are you taking us?” Tsukishima was first to ask though. There were two devious chuckles behind them before the whirring and banging and clanging and noise of construction caught their attention.
“It’s done, boys!” Tanaka Saeko’s voice echoed through a megaphone, the tinny sound reaching the four below. Construction noise ceased, and all of a sudden, it was deafeningly quiet. The blindfolds were removed at the same time. Yamaguchi felt Tsukishima’s astounded gasp through the lingering drift, echoing it with his own physical sound of astonishment.
In front of them, roughly 30ft tall, was a giant. A metallic beast, fitted with ball-joints to allow superior flexibility, whilst the tension cords wrapped aroung the torso section hid a duel-engine, a stable power source that gave strength to each and every piston. Her plating was a beautiful lavender, darker violent tones in areas that had reinforced protection, like the ribcage and outer thighs. Silver ran around the joints, reflecting the light that breached the plating with a magnificent glow.
“Solid steel hull, forty five acres of synthetic muscle, reinforced with two tons of cable and a fluid synapse system. Pretty sweet, huh~?!” Nishinoya spoke so proudly of his own creation, that he didn’t realise he was being completely ignored. Yamaguchi eyes were fixed up the Jaeger – their Jaeger- and he breathed out in awe, giving her a name without any hesitation. He felt Tsukishima agree, and he whispered it just loud enough for Tanaka to hear when he asked what their Jaeger was called. Rock and water, working together, bringing an indestructible, swift force.
“Tsunami... Her name is, Tsunami.”