Author's Message: Hello, minna-san. My mind's spinning. I've watched a lot of animes lately (only 2, actually), yet I got inspiration to write this one.
Disclaimer: I don't own Letter Bee (Tegami Bachi).
Additional Notes: In the anime, the time being used is in reference with the word "bell." In my FanFic, I will also use this as an equivalent for the time 12:00AM/PM. In short, the bell might mean "noon" or "midnight", depending on the time setting of the particular chapter.
06/30/2010: To avoid confusion, I decided to change the time notation into our standard usage. The "bell" will remain as it is.
-The Shadow's Message-
Largo Lloyd continued to gaze out of his window from the Bee Hive. The building boastfully showed its marvel to all the people in Yuusari Central, though it showed no aggression in its wake. It was a building that housed the ever-courageous and industrious bees, the people who brought letters throughout the country. Beautiful as it was, what the Bee Hive was really trying to show was the people that ran the errands inside – it didn't really matter what structure brought an adobe to the Letter Bees.
The sky was clearer over Yuusari. The light from the artificial sun that was hovering just above Akatsuki, Amberground's capital, was enough for the whole Yuusari Central to enjoy the day without too much burden and fear. The dim light that was a small spectacle from the artificial sun brought the minutest amount of assurance to the people. And in Amberground, nobody could simply judge the triviality of things just because of its extent – everything, even the smallest one, had an importance.
The sky was clearer over Yuusari, but it was still a distant star from Yodoka. Hailed as the poorest of the three divisions of Amberground, Yodoka often experience the most pitiful life in the whole country. It was a place where the government was sought as one of the greatest criminal that had ever lived. It was a place where the people would often step over the border of morality and perform wicked task just to live. Yodoka was a place deprived of happiness. Yet what lies in the dark often had a hidden light in it…
Largo Lloyd sighed as he twisted his chair and proceeded in facing his table inside the office. It was very difficult for the head of the Bee Hive to manage the Letter Bees. Even though in an office-suited position, being the master of the bees was no better than those of the people that risked their lives in the field. Being the leader of the bees was almost as dangerous as risking oneself against the strong and resilient gaichuus outside the towns. Even though there wasn't any physical effort that required him to work, what tormented him inside that four-cornered room was the mental and emotional assault that pestered him to no end.
He was the master of the bees – he ordered them around and led them. Therefore, he was responsible for them. He was the master, and so he was the father of all the bees. And as a father that always guide the young, he felt responsible for the well-being of all the bees that worked for him.
No, he blurted in his mind, massaging his temples to relieve him of the pain that was building in his head. They don't work for me… they work for the people. They work hard for their precious letters to be delivered. Largo Lloyd corrected himself.
There was a knock that sounded from the door. Master Lloyd raised his head and looked over the huge double-winged doors that served as the entrance to his office. After some seconds that the knock ended, a feminine voice followed and respectfully talked to the person inside.
"Sub-master Aria Link is here to bring you something," announced the voice.
Without even telling the woman to enter, Master Lloyd had the idea that Aria was to enter the room after declaring her arrival. It was already standard operating procedure inside the Bee Hive. Everyone may enter a room as they willed, but it was required that a person was to make a sufficient announcement of his entrance. It may be unorthodox for the bees to make an entry without them being permitted verbally, but Master Lloyd preferred things by his own. As long as they ask a permission; nobody does not even care if he is allowed or not, he added.
"Well, Sub-master Aria Link, what makes you enter the office in a sudden arrival?" He greeted the young woman in a question after she entered, though he made sure his tone was in his usual friendly manner.
"There have been some… interesting letters that arrived here in the Bee Hive," she quickly started answering, not minding if she had not reached the table where the master was seated. She remained standing near the door, making sure it was still open. It seemed that she was hiding someone outside.
"Interesting is the word that always come here in the Bee Hive." Largo Lloyd clarified, showing a curious glance towards the woman. "So what's different this time?"
After hearing the words of her master, Aria Link slowly opened the door a little bit and let someone entered inside. Largo Lloyd briefly studied the young man that now stood beside Aria. Silvery-white hair… small frame… the same bee clothing, he continued narrating the features he was currently observing from the young man Aria let to enter. Ah, how can someone miss the long bangs that covered his left eye? He smiled and then proceeded talking. "So, what has a Letter Bee has to do with this?"
"Sir, if you were listening, what I told you is about letters. Well, this man is a Letter bee." Aria answered.
"Sorry if I'm missing my common sense, Aria." Largo answered, grinning wide towards the woman. "So, Lag Seeing, what do you bring for me?"
"It's a letter that I got this afternoon that I must deliver, master." Lag answered, with hints of unobvious distress written all over his face. Largo quickly saw the panicked form of Lag, and quickly dismissed the aura of snicker that was already forming inside his mind. He bent his body forward and motioned the young boy to move forward to him.
"Is there something I should be worried about?" Master Lloyd quickly asked.
"Master, when I got this letter, it was actually addressed here inside the Bee Hive. I've got no one in mind but to give it to you." Lag answered. After reaching the spot just in front of the table, the young Letter Bee handed over the envelope to his master.
Master Lloyd scanned the envelope at first, quickly flipping the paper material onto its back. The stamps were complete and it had an addressed location – the Bee Hive, just what Lag had said – although there was no written piece of information regarding the one who sent the letter. Unsealing paper with ease, Largo Lloyd opened the envelope and proceeded in reading the letter.
After a minute of reading the letter, Largo Lloyd held an unexplainable expression of surprise and fear masking his face. His body suddenly slumped over the backrest of his chair. He unknowingly stared up the ceiling, his eyes still shaking abnormally as if he'd seen a gaichuu eating the heart of a human.
"Master, are you alright?" Aria quickly noticed the change of aura in her master. Almost running towards Largo Lloyd, Aria instantly checked her master. "Master Lloyd, what happened to you?" She asked, shaking her master's shoulder.
"Someone's going to wipe out the Bee hive…?"
Those were the words that came out from Largo Lloyd, before Aria ordered the Letter Bees to guard the premises of the whole Bee Hive.
An hour before, 04:00 o'clock in the afternoon
A certain letter bee was standing inside the Bee Hive receiving area that afternoon, carrying with him an unusual load for people like him. He readjusted his hold of his load, while observing different people enter the premises and take their letters to the workers that sort their items out. Many individuals were filling-up forms that were necessary for their letters to be delivered, while others were patiently waiting in their line for their turn. He didn't scrutinize people, but he just didn't have anything to do that moment – observing how busy the Bee Hive was indeed a great comparison to how real bee hives work.
"Gus, you know you're a little heavy," he told his load that was clinging on his back, a dog with droopy eyes that were threatening to escape into the realm of sleep. Feeling how his dog seemed to begin to wander into the deep slumber, he slight nudge the dog to awaken him into the reality. "Don't you sleep on me, Gus!"
The dog opened its right eye and looked into his owner. After some five seconds of study, it shrugged off its master's pleads for him to go down from his back and leaned his head on his shoulder.
"Gus…" The Letter Bee sighed. "So much for a resilient dingo…" He proceeded walking inside and decided to wait on the benches that were placed in some locations inside the receiving and working area. Some civilians were wondering around, others were working out their time by talking to other people or even some bees that were just passing by. There were indeed too many things that were being done inside the Bee Hive – be it a Letter Bee job or a civilian socialization.
After some minutes of idling, he finally saw a familiar figure that was excitedly entering the Bee Hive. Without too much difficulty, he quickly discerned who the person was. He stood up from his seat and quickly paced towards the fellow Letter Bee that he just saw. Giving a good support of his dingo that was currently attached at his back, the man gathered some speed and met up the other one.
"Lag!" He called out the name. "Niche, Steak, it's good to see you!" He waved his free hand to the trio.
"Good afternoon, Connor-san!" Lag replied enthusiastically. "You're on another delivery?"
"Nope," Connor answered. "I got my hands free for the rest of this day. I just finish a task that left me out in the open for days." He readjusted Gus on his back, who was seriously giving him a backache now. "Uh… are you just late? Entering the bee hive this time is a little tardy, you think?" He observed. Connor hadn't seen Lag from the time he'd entered the building.
"I actually just finished a delivery, Connor-san." Lag responded. "I'm actually here to hand over the delivery slip and ask if there is another letter that can be delivered."
"Whoa," Connor almost gasped. "You're taking your job very seriously."
"Don't worry, Connor-san. The delivery I made earlier just took me on the outskirts of Yuusari Central. I'll make it sure that my next delivery will just be within this city as well." He told his senior bee. He saw Niche suddenly chasing Steak away – for some reasons he didn't even know. "I think I can handle another one. And––" Lag rapidly stopped speaking and ran towards the windows where the mail sorters were working at.
"Niche! Stop! Don't!" He yelled at the golden-haired girl that were hopping at almost impossible heights, still chasing the white rare animal that seemed to be running for its life. Being the slower one between the two, Lag wasn't able to reach Niche in time. Lag's dingo easily entered one window and some hell broke loose upon her entry. All what Lag could do was to cover his ears to avoid the sounds of crashing and falling that ensued inside. He quickly ran to see what horror had happened there.
"Lag," Niche suddenly spoke, emerging from the stack of letters that flooded the cramped space where she and Steak had landed upon. "There are many letters here."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Lag was frantically throwing his arms in the air as he approached the window where his dingo was. "I'm sorry! I promise I'll help in fixing––" he paused in his ranting when he saw no one besides Niche and Steak. "Eh?" He mumbled, seeing that the person who was supposed to be working in the window was absent. Lag took the liberty to enter the seemingly confined place and had the chance to scan it. "I know I saw the man here this morning."
"Lag, Niche, Steak… are you fine?" Connor peered through the window and saw the ruckus that Niche brought inside. Seeing how Niche normally stood up and Steak jumped on her head, while Lag was standing with his face dumfounded, Connor knew that they three were fine. "That's a lot of letters…" Connor commented.
. . .
Zaji was walking with his hands inside his vest pockets, his eyes slightly closed as he tried to relax from his work even at the time of the day. Being a Letter Bee was a difficult task, and he had been using every available that time that he could have to muster his lost strength for possible additional works that he'd be receiving.
Vashka was trailing beside him, her dark panther eyes intently looking at the forward direction. As a highly trained dingo that supported her master with pure hardiness, she had already learned that she didn't need to always rely to Zaji's every orders. There were times that she needed to act on her own, in order to protect and serve her master better. In facing forward, she knew she'd do much more.
"I thought Letter Bees are supposed to deliver letters," Zaji started to talk, most likely directed to his dingo. "I could not understand why they need me to relay a message… Can they just have other people to do that?"
Vashka turned her head to the direction of her master, making a sound that was bordering a purr and a small growl.
"Perhaps you're right, Vashka…" Zaji just said, increasing his pace to go to receiving and working area.
From the second floor, Zaji walked down the stairs and continued his way to one of the windows where the letter sorters work. Walking with outmost boredom, Zaji approached the opening and see if the person working–– a head suddenly appeared from the window.
"Ah-!" Zaji jumped back in surprise, which made him go in an attacking stance. As he revealed his shindanjuu, Zaji motioned Vashka to be prepared for an incoming attack. "You!" He yelled at the figure now in the window. "What––Gus?" Zaji quickly discerned the dingo whose head was now sleeping at the available space in the window. He calmed himself down and hid his weapon. "If you're here, then Connor must be here too," he said in a very low and soft tone.
"Looking for me?" A voice talked from behind him, as its owner placed a hand on Zaji's shoulder.
"Ah-!" Zaji was taken by surprise for the second time. He quickly whirled and saw that it was Connor.
"Hey, take it easy, Zaji." Connor said, before munching on his burger. "Nothing is really better than satisfying your hunger, ne?" He offered Zaji his share but the latter refused.
"What are you doing here, guys?" Zaji asked, as he pretended that he really wasn't surprised with the sudden appearance of his fellow Letter Bee.
"'Am just helping," Connor replied.
"Helping with what?"
"Lag."
"Niche! Don't-!" The voice of the albisian Letter Bee resonated from inside the window, quickly gathering the attention of both Zaji and Connor. The two Letter Bees instantly tried to see what had happened inside, peering through the window where Gus was sleeping.
"Yo, Lag," Zaji greeted the young Letter Bee. "What are you doing there?"
"Just helping cleaning this mess," Lag answered, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, how come this 'mess' happened?"
"Uh… the usual?" Lag responded. Niche and Steak, again, was his translation of his answer in his mind.
"Ah," Zaji replied, quickly understanding the hidden message with the statement. "You do know that the mail sorter there was pulled out, right?" He swiftly shared, while resting his elbows in the window and watched Lag and Niche stack the letters in their respective places.
"Pulled out?" Lag answered, glancing at Zaji before focusing his eyes on his task.
"Oh," Zaji mumbled before looking at his left, seemingly evading the prying looks of Niche and Connor. "I mean, I must be the one to have told you that." He said, scratching the back of his head as he chuckled. "I was told by medical team to bring the mail sorters into their clinic for check-up, who, in turn, have asked me to inform the bees that they're out for a while," he explained, but he trailed off when he remembered something. "That reminds me… what brings you here to the Yuusari sorting window?"
"Ah? So that's why it's empty," Connor commented. After saying that, he let his eyes wander around, observing the fullness of the receiving and sorting areas. "But, Zaji, there are still other sorters around here." He pointed out the people who were working with the letters.
"Only the Yuusari mail sorters were pulled out…" Zaji said.
"That's tough luck," Connor spoke. "Lag, how are you getting a letter to be delivered if the sorter's not around?"
"That's why you're here…" Zaji concluded. "Well, I've been told by the sorter himself that the already arranged letters are the ones only to be delivered until he's back for his shift. For some reason he'd pointed out that the unsorted ones are the letters that can be delivered any moment." The young man told Lag. Zaji then scratched his forehead, his eyes telling the other Letter Bees that he was trying to remember something. "Although I think he tried to tell me something before I left him… I just didn't hear him."
"But the unsorted ones––" Lag paused when he lost balance upon carrying a stack of letters. "I've only seen one." He continued after he regained control and placed them to the proper shelves. He took a glance to a side table near the nearest letter shelf, looking at the lone envelope that was placed atop it.
"Aren't you glad that it's only one?" Zaji and Connor chorused.
"I think it's better if I can deliver more, ne?" Lag said with a smile.
"You're hopeless," Zaji remarked, before turning back and raising his right hand. "I'll be leaving now though. Good luck with your delivery, Lag." He motioned Vashka to follow him. "By the way," he stopped in his way. "Don't overdo your food again, Connor!" After saying his final words, Zaji departed from the Bee Hive, disappearing from sight when he exited the door.
It was really weird to have a letter that is already addressed to the Bee Hive, Lag thought as he continued to observe the ruckus that was starting to unfold at the very office of the Bee Hive's master. There was suddenly flood of senior bees – whose experience and knowledge – could easily outclass the younger ones' status. In the midst of the commotion, he suddenly felt lightheaded in confusion. What letter have I brought? He started to ask himself, as he finally felt the gravity of the letter he had carried inside.
"Someone's going to wipe the Bee Hive," The master spoke, now his statement carrying no tone of doubt and question. After some shakes from Aria and the arrival of several bees, Largo Lloyd had finally regained his composure and repeated reading the letter. "It's obviously a threat… in a letter. I cannot still assure if this letter conveys the truth or this is a serious play of joke."
"What if it's the Reverse?" One of the bees inside raised the opinion. Some rumblings among some bees ensued, covering the whole office with muffled sounds and secretive tones.
"That's an assumption, but we cannot prove it yet." Largo Lloyd clarified. "We may have been under the list of Reverse for possible targets, but I could not see any logic in sending us a letter." He told them.
"Lag!" From the people the flooded the office, Zaji came from amongst the crowd, with Vashka still trailing along with him. "I've heard of what happened." He told his younger counterpart. "But I still don't know what that letter contained."
"Zaji?" Lag said, with his face looked like he came from a subconscious trance of himself. After recognizing the fellow Letter Bee, Lag's eyes suddenly welled with tears, drops of liquid threatening to fall in any moment. "Zaji, I didn't know what the letter contained – I swear." He glanced at the master, who seemed looking agitated already. "Master Lloyd said someone was going to wipe off the Bee Hive."
"Wipe the Bee Hive?" Zaji repeated, before yelling. "That's foolish!"
"Zaji… you should have not left me," Connor squeezed himself out of the thick crowd of bees and other hive personnel. Upon seeing Lag and Zaji in a corner, he quickly approached them. "Lag! Are you alright?" He asked when he saw the teary-eyed friend of his.
"I'm fine, Connor-san," Lag answered.
Lag Seeing tried to look again at Largo Lloyd. He could only see him talking to Aria Link. His mind continued to flurry around his body and was already trying to flutter out of his consciousness. He started to feel dizzy as his eyes cloud into an unexplainable sensation. Yet he could still see the confusion among the faces of his fellow bees and the people he'd worked with.
At the moment of his observation, he'd seen the blurred figure of a doctor – he could not miss the white gown atop of the long-sleeved button shirt paired with pants… Doctor Thunderland Jr.? Lag quickly remembered the identity of the doctor, even though his mind was starting to get bleak. He's hushing his breath… where did he come from?
Lag could still see everything – less the clarity of the images. He saw Dr. Thunderland approached the table where the master was seated. He saw when Largo Lloyd seemed to look dangerously at the doctor. He saw when the Dr. Thunderland pointed his finger towards Aria Link and the other bees.
Lag could still hear everything – less the understanding of the words. He heard it when Dr. Thunderland raised his voice for no apparent reason. He heard it when Largo Lloyd replied with a calm voice. He heard it when Aria Link said something.
Lag saw and heard it. But he didn't understand any. But what he was sure of was that no one of the bees inside the office saw the quick exchange – they were busy talking to themselves that it occupied all of their senses. The confusion was overwhelming…
"I propose that everyone leave the office," the voice of Largo Lloyd thundered inside the office. Everyone – the bees and the other members of the hive alike – turned their heads to the direction of the voice. With no more hesitation, every single individual left the room – except for Lag and Zaji and Connor, with their dingos. Apparently, Aria Link prevented them from leaving the room.
"We need your services, bees," Aria said, mildly pushing the trio further inside.
"You mean…" Zaji blurted, "Lag?" He looked at the younger Letter Bee and noticed the change in the latter. "Oi, Lag, are you––" It took him some seconds more before he noticed that Lag's skin was paler than usual. His eyelids were also attempting to close, trying to hide the orbs that seemed to denote sudden fatigue. "Sub-master, I think Lag can't do it now."
"He can't shoot a shindan?" Aria asked. "We need that to verify who wrote the letter."
"He'd just come from an earlier delivery today, Sub-master Aria Link." Connor replied, trying to speak for Lag. "Please let him rest; the delivery today wasn't really meant for him to do."
Quirking an eyebrow, Largo Lloyd threw his glance at the chubby Letter Bee, then to Aria Link, and then finally to Dr. Thunderland, who remained inside as well. He sighed. "Well, if Lag needs resting, then we will not deprive him of that… It seems that we need to wait."
After telling Dr. Thunderland Jr. to return to his post and letting Zaji and Connor take Lag to Sylvette's house for him to rest, Largo Lloyd and Aria Link remained inside the office, watching the lights from the buildings just near the Bee hive. The afternoon had given them some unwanted and shocking surprises, and it really brought them to their limits – physically damped and emotionally disturbed.
"Aria," Largo Lloyd called out the name of his assistant. "Do you know that I lied in front of all them?"
"Master," Aria looked bewildered. "What are you saying?"
"I intentionally left out one part of the letter away from most of the people inside the Bee Hive." Master Lloyd told the sub-master. "I feared for all of your safety, that's why I kept it all from you."
"Master…"
"The sender was someone from the Bee Hive…" Largo Lloyd said in a low tone. "He threatened to kill a bee if I dare tell it to all of them."
- End of Chapter -
I'm not sure if I'm going to finish this one, because I'm still dedicated to my other FanFic. Though it's always very hard to leave a story hanging.
I've got a lot in mind, but the problem is when I start to write/type it. I always got the disease called 'laziness.'
Have a Good day!