I had been getting really hopeful the past couple of days. As the end of winter break got nearer and Easter still didn't communicate with me at all, it seemed very likely that maybe they'd forgotten about me. Or maybe they just didn't want to deal with me anymore. If Nikaido really told them that I wasn't the obedient little minion that they wanted, then it would make sense that they didn't want to fight to control me. As my hopes continued to build with each passing hour, I tried to ignore that little rational part of me that said that a corporation like Easter doesn't give up that easily.
So when Sunday came around (the day before school started back up), I felt downright optimistic. Not only had I had no trouble from Easter, but the X-energy had hardly bothered me during the past week or so. Even with Nadeshiko leaving, the Darkness stayed at a manageable, not-affecting-me level. Of course, they say that there's always a calm before the storm. But if that was true, then I was enjoying the calm too much to think about the storm.
I was in my room, talking with Azami and petting Ginger as I tried to completely wake up, when my phone did ring. Or rather, it vibrated. I had turned off the sound and set it on my dresser, hoping that maybe I'd get lucky and not hear it if Easter did call. But no dice. I heard it vibrating, but hoped that it might be one of the Guardians or Mai or some clueless person who accidentally dialed the wrong number. So I picked it up and flipped it open, and only then did I deny myself the luxury of hope. It was a text message. From Easter. Great...
It told me to be ready at nine 'o clock A.M., because I was going to be picked up and taken over to the Easter building for instructions. I figured there was probably more to it than that, but tried not to think about it too much. I glanced at the time - 8:30. I quickly dropped Ginger, put on some actual clothes (I was still in my pajamas at the time I got the text), and got ready. I told Azami what the text said.
"So what are you going to do?" Azami asked.
I shrugged. For as much as I had been dreading this, I was actually taking it calmly. "Depends what they're planning on doing. I don't think they can force me to do anything - if they could, Nikaido would have already tried," I said, as much to reassure myself as to tell Azami. "I don't mind working for them, and I don't even mind them ordering me around - at least, I don't mind as long as it's something I want to do."
"Why don't we just quit?" asked Azami as I quickly brushed my blond and purple hair down. "Maybe you're not tired of them, but I am. If you like getting X-eggs so much, then we can keep on doing that by ourselves."
"I don't like collecting X-eggs that much," I said. "But we won't get any more power if we quit now. Have you noticed? It seems like we're getting better at controlling the energy."
"That's true," Azami said. Then she shrugged. "Just do what you like. Either way works with me."
I headed downstairs and wolfed down some cereal, finishing right as a car pulled up. It was black, though I could tell it wasn't Nikaido's. That wouldn't have made sense, anyway - Nikaido had been fired. Like I would be, if I was lucky. Getting fired would make the whole decision-making process so much easier. I got in the back seat of the car. A big, secret-service-looking guy was driving, and he said nothing as I got in. That was exactly what I didn't want Easter to turn me into: a mindless, speechless goon just there for them to order around. As Azami sat on my shoulder as the car drove along, I realized just how glad I was that Ginger wasn't around, for once. As cute as she was, her attention-seeking got annoying.
When we got to Easter, another goon opened the car door for me and had me follow him into the building and to the elevators. I felt a bit offended - did they not trust me to get there by myself? Then again, I didn't even know where 'there' was, and I wouldn't blame them for not trusting me. The guy got us off at the floor where the office of the director/manager/whatsisname is, so I guessed I would be speaking with him. Sure enough, the goon led me to the office, opened to door for me, gestured for me to go inside, then shut the door behind me.
This was the second time I'd been in here, and his dark office wasn't nearly as ominous now that I'd been here before. He was sitting in his desk, silhouetted like the first time I'd seen him. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't worried at all. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. I was somewhat worried, and the Darkness was starting to try and feed that worry. But it still wasn't bad. I think, by this point in time, I was so worn out from all the worrying that I'd done that I just didn't have the capacity to do it properly anymore. Which was a good thing, as I saw it.
I thought about starting the conversation, and I think Azami could tell what I was thinking, because I ended up chara-changing. "So what do you need?" I asked casually, which probably sounded really impertinent coming from a fifth grader talking to a company director.
It looked like he might have tensed slightly in annoyance, but his voice didn't show it. "Yamada-san, I have received some very... unflattering reports about your behavior. Would you like to give me your account of what happened with Nikaido Yuu's project?"
I rolled my eyes, my chara-change making me rebellious. "What is this, a meeting about my behavior? Are you suddenly my teacher or something? Or maybe this is an interrogation? Well, whatever. Basically, Nikaido ordered me to do something I didn't want to do, and so I didn't do it. It's as simple as that. By the way, I don't think you've ever told me your name, which seems rather rude."
The man smiled. "Didn't I tell you before? You're dealing with Easter, so who I am isn't important."
"Well, I'm not going to answer any more questions unless you tell me who I'm talking to." I said defiantly.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," The man said, sounding amused at my persistance. "I am Hoshina Kazuomi." If not for my chara-change, I probably would have flinched or said something really stupid in surprise. Hoshina? Did that mean he was related to Utau? Then again, that would make perfect sense as to how Utau got involved with Easter.
Kazuomi paused for a moment, as if to let that sink in, then continued, "And did what Nikaido order you to do violate your contract in any way?"
I tilted my head and put my hand to my chin, as if in deep thought. Then I shrugged. "Not that I can think of."
"So are you refusing to abide by your terms of the contract?" he asked, his tone suddenly dangerous.
"When you put it that way, I guess I am." I love my chara-changed self. I mean, how fun was this? He's over there in his desk, doing his best to look and sound threatening, and I'm just a kid who basically doesn't care about what he says. I was enjoying it. A lot.
Though his face was almost hidden in the shadows, I could see his expression change as he got slightly more serious. "If that's the case," he said as he pushed out his chair and stood up, "then I'd like you to follow me." He walked towards me, and my chara-change went away. I stepped to the side so that he could get to the door, then followed him out of the office. Two security goons, who had been waiting outside the office, started to follow us, but the director waved them back to their spots.
I was getting more worried by now. He didn't seem phased by the fact that I wouldn't listen to his orders anymore, which had to mean that he had some way of controlling me that I didn't know about. My heart started to pound as we stopped in front of the elevator. And the Darkness, as if sensing a ripe opportunity, flared up as well. Still, I stayed in control of myself. I considered character-transforming and getting out of here, but that seemed too cowardly for a dragon.
Kazuomi didn't immediately press the down button, but rather turned towards me. His face was still serious, but there was a definite glint in his eyes. Like he knew a secret that I needed to know, but that he wasn't going to tell. "Before we go anywhere, let me say that Easter appreciates what work you have done, and would like nothing more than to have your continued service." This surprised me. I thought I was going somewhere to be punished. Which, if that had been the case, I wouldn't have let it happen. Kazuomi continued, "I was going to take you to meet the person who will be in charge of managing your activities, since Nikaido has left us. However, perhaps you'd like some more X-energy before we go to do that? Consider it Easter's way of thanking you for your diligent service."
What. In. The. World. Easter was thanking me? That didn't make sense at all.
Azami apparently thought the same thing. "He's leading you into a trap, or something," Azami whispered into my ear, quiet enough so that she wouldn't be heard. "I wouldn't suggest getting more power today." Even though it was an obvious trap, I was still tempted by the offer. What can I say? I like power. On the other hand, I wasn't going to be stupid.
In my pause I took to think about the offer, Kazuomi must have seen that I was open to the idea. "Or maybe, if you didn't want to do that," he said, "perhaps our scientists could explain about how the crystal works. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you seem like the type who would be interested in gaining knowledge like that."
He was being way too polite to not be hiding something, but he was right; I did want to know how the whole X-energy crystal worked. If I understood the concept, maybe I could find a way to do it myself. And if I could do it myself, there would be almost no reason to continue working for Easter. And if it really was a trap and they tried to take me by force or something like that, I could always chara-nari and get away. There couldn't be any harm in just learning something, could there?
"All right," I said, which I guessed I was probably going to regret. "I would like to learn more about how I get the X-energy."
A faint smile appeared on his face, and I could tell that he felt he had gained a victory in some way. "Then follow me." he said, pushing the down button and getting in. I came in after him, knowing that I'd probably just agreed to the most idiotic thing in the world. I looked to Azami, and she simply shrugged her shoulders. Maybe walking into a trap wasn't that big of a deal to a dragon. Getting out of it was what mattered.
We stopped at the usual floor where I went for power-ups, and walked to the lab. The three scientists were in there, looking prepared.
The girl scientist greeted us, bowing her head respectfully to Kazuomi. "We have everything ready." Then she turned to me, saying, "Are you ready for another power transferal, Yamada-san?" Something seemed wrong, besides the fact that they knew ahead of time that Kazuomi was going to offer me another power boost. The lady's voice was courteous, yet something in her expression revealed a sort of sadness. Maybe I was overly-paranoid at this point, but I doubted it.
Kazuomi explained, "Yamada-san isn't in the mood for that today. She was hoping that you might be able to tell her how the process works."
The smaller male scientist, who had been messing with some dials on a nearby machine, immediately perked up and came over.
"The mechanics of the procedure are really quite amazing." He said enthusiastically. "The molecules of the crystal emit a peculiar oscillations that-"
"In basic terms, please." I said. The man looked dejected, and the woman instead took over.
"Simply put, we'll just say it's a very special crystal," she said. "It puts out a kind of invisible wave, though it's not sound or light. Every person - and even animals and plants to some extent - has a similar kind of wave that they give off, though the individual waves vary in many ways. Our findings show that charas are somehow related to this wave, since the wave they emit synchronizes with that of the person they came from. Are you getting it so far?" She seemed like she truly wanted me to understand it. I suppose all scientists were probably like that; they wanted to learn things so that they could tell others.
I nodded. It was actually kind of interesting. The lady continued, "As I said before, it's a special crystal. Not only does it give off these waves, but it also has the ability to match its wave to another wave. It does this through direct physical contact, when the other source is working to match up with it as well. That corresponds to the first time Azami touched the crystal. The reason you get X-energy from it is because the crystal also has some properties of absorption. We leave it in prolonged contact with X-energy, and it sucks the energy in. Whenever Azami touches the crystal, the contact allows the X-energy to travel through the matching waves, using Azami as a kind of channel. Is that making sense?"
"Yes, I think I get it." I said, pondering the concept for a moment. I wasn't entirely sure if I liked the idea of somehow being connected to this crystal, but at this point I guessed that it didn't matter whether or not I liked it. "So where did you get the crystal?"
Kazuomi interrupted whatever answer the lady was going to give, saying, "There's something else I'd like to show you." His tone sounded venomous, though it was a very subtle change. "Please wait here." Kazuomi moved towards the door to the opposite room, where I could see the crystal we had been talking about. The larger guy scientist, as if expecting this, rushed ahead of him, went in the door, and came out with the crystal. He carefully handed it over to the director. Kazuomi pulled something out of his pocket, which vaguely resembled a garage door opener with two thin metal rods sticking out at one end. Although it was quite a bit more modern-looking than a garage door opener, with one large button on it and curved corners. He placed the crystal on the rods, and I heard a soft click as it fit perfectly into place. I wasn't liking this much.
Kazuomi, still on the opposite side of the rather large lab, began to speak. "I wanted you to hear that explanation so that you could begin to understand what you've gotten yourself into." My stomach practically dropped to the floor. That wasn't exactly the most encouraging thing to hear. "There's actually a bit more to the crystal than you've been told so far. Each time Azami has touched the crystal, more than X-energy was exchanged. Though we don't know much about them, these waves come from a very definite source that is a part of each person. And this source is very necessary, if these scientists are to be believed. The two times your chara has come in contact with, a bit of your source was absorbed into the crystal. Though you-"
I didn't wait any longer. I could see where this was going, and I wasn't going to just sit around and watch. I chara-changed and leaped forward, pushing the lady scientist out of my way as I rushed furiously towards Kazuomi. Almost in slow motion, I saw Kazuomi smile, then raise his hand so that the crystal in it's strange holder was in view. Then, he pressed the button.
The effect was instantaneous. I fell to the ground, lacking the energy to even stand. It felt like something had just been ripped out of me, something that I couldn't live without. It hurt, physically and mentally. I curled up on my side, as if making myself smaller would help hold me together. It felt like my soul had been ripped out, if there really was such a thing.
Then, the X-energy flooded me, but with none of the helpful power that it usually came with. Now, it felt like an infection, something that absolutely should not be there. It was like it was trying to fill the hole that I had felt just a moment before, but it seemed acidic. My entire body felt like it was on fire, especially my chest. I curled up tighter. The Darkness suffocated me, and hurt me, and tried to burst me open, all at the same time. And even beyond that, beyond the mere physical pain, my mind was in a hopeless state of disrepair. I am broken. I shouldn't even exist. Just kill me now. Let it all be over. There is no joy, no happiness, no love - only suffering. It was so much more than those times when the Darkness by itself had overcome me. Those times, I lost the will to live. But now, in addition to the pain, I actually wanted to die. Even in those spans of utter despair, I had never actually desired death.
It was all over in a few seconds, but that was long enough. I continued to lay on the ground, shaking. And though I neither saw nor heard Azami, I knew she was somewhere nearby, shocked by the pain just as much as I was. Gradually, my body relaxed enough for me to uncurl myself and try to sit up. I managed to get into a cross-legged position, despite the violent quaking of my body. I noticed Azami sitting nearby, her hands clenched and her eyes furious. Instinctually, I grabbed her and put her down on my knee. I didn't see how that rage could be in her eyes; all I had was fear.
Kazuomi walked over until he was just a couple feet in front of me. I didn't look up at him, instead deciding to stare at the floor. "It's very rude to interrupt me while I'm talking, Yamada-san," Kazuomi said, his voice full of triumph. "As I was saying, though you can go as far away from the crystal as you want, it still contains a vital part of you. You have still been able to go on normally with your life, but that's only because your waves and the crystal's waves can match up, no matter the distance. However, when I disrupt the waves that the crystal releases... it's a bit less pleasant, isn't it? You lose all connection with the part of you that is in the crystal. You are the only one who knows what this feels like."
"Now, look up at me." I didn't want to, but I was afraid of what he would do if I didn't. I slowly moved my head, until I was looking him straight in the face. I saw no feeling of triumph there, and when he spoke again it was all business. "You will do as Easter says. I am not afraid to do this to you anytime I hear of you doing something that Easter doesn't want. However, just do what you're ordered and we can all get along just fine. Do you understand?"
I closed my eyes and nodded. I had no choice. I realized that my eyes were watering, and I did my best to wipe the extra wetness away.
"That's no way to answer your superior," Kazuomi said.
"Y-yes, Hoshina-san." I managed to stutter out, looking at ground.
"Better," he said. "Now, as your first order, Azami is to touch this crystal. There's X-energy stored in it, as always, and it would be a shame to let that go to waste."
Azami looked outraged, but I didn't want to go through the pain again. "Just do it, Azami. There's no use fighting." Azami glared at me, but she didn't want to have to deal with the pain any more than I did. She floated up to where Kazuomi was holding out the crystal, which was firmly secured to his little remote. The woman scientist came up to me, kneeled down, and gently took off the bracelet that normally hid my X-energy. I remembered that I'd had to take it off last time, as well. Maybe, if she would leave it on, it would mess up the process somehow... but that was an empty hope. It would never happen.
It hurt as Azami first touched the crystal, as it had in the past. I saw the purple fog surround Azami, then get sucked into the crystal. Now I knew what this was. It had to be the source of the waves, or whatever they called it. But that lasted only a moment, and then X-energy was flooding into me, more than the last two times combined. The strength it gave me was almost overwhelming, and I noticed that Azami seemed to be absorbing a lot more of the black fog than she had the other times. I was almost afraid that my body wouldn't be able to take this massive amount of power, but it was over soon enough. I was left with my whole body tingling. I was stronger than I had ever felt before. I wanted to jump up and grab the crystal from Kazuomi, but I knew that he could press the button faster than I could take it from him. Despite my new surge of strength, I didn't get up from the floor. Though the weakness had left, the memory of the pain remained. I felt dejected, and I just wished that everyone would go away and leave me alone.
Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. "Miyuki, come along." Kazuomi said, walking towards the door. "I wasn't lying earlier when I said that you would be meeting your new manager." I got up soundlessly from the floor, and he thankfully didn't ask for a response this time. The woman scientist gave me back my bracelet, which I put back on. I had none of the confidence that I usually had after getting X-energy. If it weren't for the fact that there were people around, the Darkness would have overcome me then and there. But whenever there was at least one other person with me, no matter who it was, it seemed like the Darkness couldn't get a firm hold. I looked at the scientists once as I left the room, and saw that all three of them look ashamed. As much as they loved science, it didn't look like they enjoyed torturing a young girl like me. But, in their own way, they were probably as helpless as I was to do anything about it.
I followed Kazuomi back to the elevators, with Azami sitting on my shoulder. We went back up to the floor where his office was. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I saw that someone (other than the security goons) was already here, waiting outside the office doors. One was that lady who had been with Utau that one time and who had fought with Nikaido, though I couldn't remember her name. Next to her was a boy about my age. He had dark, almost greenish hair, which was parted and somewhat long in front. He wore glasses, his eyes were olive green, and his expression serious. And while it was surprising enough that there was another kid here, what shocked me more was that a samurai shugo chara was hovering next to his shoulder. I think he might have been a bit shocked to see me as well, but if so, he did a good job at hiding it. Kazuomi greeted them, and opened the door to his office.
Kazuomi went straight to his desk and sat down. I sort of moved over to one side of the room, putting a bit of distance between me and the other two people. Kazuomi started the introductions.
"Yamada-san, this is Sanjo Yukari and her brother, Kairi. Yukari is going to be in charge of you from now on, like Nikaido used to be. That means if she tells you to do something, you do it." Kazuomi was implying something to the extent of, 'don't disobey her like you disobeyed Nikaido, or you-know-what happens.' I got what he was really saying. Then he continued, "Kairi is going to go to Seiyo with you, and has been selected as the replacement Jack for the Guardians. You two will be working together as Easter's spies in the Guardians."
Another spy in the Guardians? That would make two out of five of us traitors. Two out of six, if there was a new Queen as well. I have to say, I would be glad for the company. Other than Azami (who didn't really count), there wasn't anyone I could talk to about working for Easter. I guess it depended in part on if we got along okay, but I was kind of desperate. Especially with today's latest development. Even if I ended up hating his guts, I probably would have still talked to him.
Then Kazuomi turned to face the other two. "Yukari and Kairi, this is Yamada Miyuki. I believe I've already let you know everything you need to know about her." Kazuomi paused, and I realized that he wanted us to greet each other, or something like that. Not wanting to make him angry, I stepped forward.
"Nice to meet you." I said, somewhat awkwardly. Kairi dipped his head in polite recognition, but said nothing.
Yukari, for her part, skipped any acknowledgement and instead asked, "What are you able to do with your character change and transformation?"
I would have thought that she would already have been told this. Maybe she just wanted to hear it in my own words. "Well... in my chara-change I can create smoke, which draws out X-eggs. And I can scratch people, which also brings out X-eggs. And I can do a sort of hypnotizing glare. When I transform, I can create a lot more of the same smoke, I can fly, and I can attack with fire." I didn't once think about not answering. I was still in fear of the punishment.
Yukari nodded. Then Kazuomi spoke, "Sanjo-san, how are your plans for finding the Embryo coming?"
She turned to face him. "Slowly but surely, we are making progress. Following Nikaido's example, we have started to collect the X-eggs that Utau pulls out of people. The scientists are working on finding a way to use these to amplify Utau's abilities. Unlike Nikaido, I will succeed in delivering the Embryo."
"Good," Kazuomi said. "Be sure that you do. You and your brother are dismissed; Yamada-san, stay here for a while longer." As the two of them left the room, I remained where I was, wondering what more Kazuomi could possibly want with me.
Once they were gone, he got right to the point. "I have already told Yukari that you are to do everything she asks. If you don't, she will inform me, and you will be punished for your disobedience. Yukari knows about the crystal, but Kairi does not. You are to keep it that way. You will not speak with anyone about the crystal, aside from those who already know about it. Other than that, your orders are to continue deceiving the Guardians and to do what Yukari says. If it comes to the point where Yukari orders you to stop hiding your allegiances, then you are to do as she says immediately. Do you understand?"
At this point, the fear from the shock was leaving, and now I was more angry than anything. But I didn't want to be insolent, in case he decided to try out his little button again, which I noticed he was still holding in his hand.
"Yes, Hoshina-san. I understand."
He sat back in his chair and smiled, probably content in the fact that he now had control over me. "Good. You may go now."
I gladly left. As I closed the door behind me, I noted that Yukari and Kairi were gone, but an extra goon was waiting for me. He took me down the elevator, out the front doors, and back to the same car as before. When I got back home and opened the front door, Ginger came rushing to greet me. She seemed worried. That probably made sense: animals are more perceptive than humans, and she could probably tell what a horrible mood I was in. It was sort of a mix between depression, anger, and fear. Once I made it up to my room, I talked with Azami about everything, hoping that letting my cat overhear the news wouldn't get me in trouble somehow.
But our conversation was almost pure emotion, with hardly any solution at all. Azami was simply outraged, and would rant about how anyone could possibly do this to a dragon, and how she would show him. I shared her rage some of the time. Other times, I started shaking with terror, remembering the pain. Whenever the shaking started, the Darkness would try and take over, but Azami and Ginger always managed to ward it off. But it was stronger than before, and no matter how many times Ginger would rub against me and help me to forget about it, it always came back.
This was not how I wanted to start the new school year. But with Easter in control of me, what I wanted was no longer of any importance. As much as I hated to admit it, I had been made into a pawn. And no matter how much X-energy I had, it was Easter who held the real power.
Reviews make me happy. Just thought I'd mention that. Also, I just put a fun fact about something in this chapter on my profile, it you're curious~.
Edit: just wanted to mention that the thing that the crystal goes into is not the tuning fork used to control Ikuto in the anime and manga. The tuning fork doesn't have a button. This does. However, I realize now that they sort of resemble each other when I just use words to describe them (eg, two metal prongs on one end), so I just thought I'd clear that up. It's not that important what it looks like, in truth, but I don't want to confuse anyone~
