(Chapter 6 continues)
1
THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, DC
Kurama, for his part, had heard and seen a lot of things about Americans. He had, for example, heard them called cowboys.
"Nana is being held by whom?"
But whether these were cowboys he dealt with or not, it did seem fair at this point to call them the gang that couldn't shoot straight.
The Secret Service liaison shook his head rather nervously.
"Not-so much held, as taken aside by. Held implies terrorists and kidnapping. It's not that. At-at all."
Kurama sighed. His tolerance for vague explanations had died not long before the former employers who routinely fed such to him.
"Sir-the Queen with whom your President has asked to treat, also an ambassador from the court of his Heisei Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, has vanished while in the supposedly most secure home in your country. Now, where is my daughter?"
A man entered the room, and this was the temporary leaser of said home, at times said to be the most powerful man in the world.
"She is, Doctor Kurama, with my daughters. My lovely twin girls who tend to deal with being cooped up as well as their Daddy did, when I was their age."
This man's father walked in behind him, who, in a rarity of American history, had also once held the same office.
"Be fair to yourself, son. You only caused the Savings and Loan debacle. This tops that and anything else you did, easy. Oh, their grandmother is breaking out her big hair brushes on this one."
A third man, the President's most recent predecessor and, despite differences galore, a friend indeed, tried to reassure Kurama and rescue the man's dim view of their nation's security.
"Doctor, your daughter is safe. As to her recovery, I have personally called in the one person on Earth who knows these halls better than the Twins."
Kurama tried to not to laugh at the absurdity of a long journey coming to a sudden stop with the appearance of twin girls from out of nowhere.
"Since I have no choice but to do so, I accept these assurances, Mister President-and Mister President."
Now, the elder of the three checked over some notes.
"Frankly, I'm confused. You want the anti-Diclonius task force to be headed up by Marlon Brando?"
A typo, Kurama could forgive. But this, as was said, was ridiculous.
"No. His name is Jouji Bando. Unlike Mister Brando, he tends to himself BE an offer you can't refuse. He is as hard to turn back as any Diclonius."
Recovering before his son could return an earlier chastisement on names and facts, the older President pressed on.
"Doctor, your government didn't exactly send you and Miss Nana, did they? The Emperor did, using his own authority, because the Diet and Cabinet are in total disarray. Is that a fair assessment?"
Kurama was unsparing in his opinion of the state of his homeland.
"Our secret is out, gentlemen. Yet our government continues to act as though it can still all be contained and then silenced away. The truth be known, the internet forums ran red right from the night Maple House was raided. I broke with the Kakuzawas, when I realized for certain they were delusional. I may soon have to do the same with Saseba."
The middle, unrelated President formerly from Arkansas shook his head.
"Saseba?"
Before Kurama could respond, the eldest of the three Presidents spoke again.
"Yeah, Saseba. Sounds like it's the latest name for the section of Japanese intelligence that seeks to keep the Empire from being called to account on certain matters. Their version of plausible deniability. They always rename it for the crisis de jure. Usually after somebody's childhood friend."
Kurama now felt taken aback. He had felt certain that Saseba had formed entirely to deal with Chief Kakuzawa. A constant historical presence bespoke grimmer things than even he had believed up till then.
"Mister President, you sound very familiar with this subject, if I may inquire further."
The older President nodded, his New England accent coming through a bit stronger as he related his account.
"Basically, back in 1977, the former President from the state of Georgia, God Rest His Soul, fired me as CIA Director. But he asked me to perform one last duty before I sought higher office-his office. He related, and I agreed, that not only was Japan whitewashing its past in World War Two-it was doing a damned clumsy butcher job of it. So I went over and offered my help in getting these things done with a bit more subtlety. I guess, Doctor, what I'm saying is, I founded what you now call Saseba. More, it seems I did it too well. Things have reached the point where your citizens are approaching US Army personnel stationed in Japan to 'rescue' them from out-of-touch government leaders."
Kurama considered whether he was being fed a line to achieve an end. He then remembered that it was this man, in the capacity as head of his political party, who had been asked to tell no less than Richard Nixon his time was done. The current President asked the final question as they awaited Nana's recovery.
"Doctor, has it gotten that bad? Do we have to once again occupy your country until new elections can be called? Because that will go over well with no one."
Kurama knew that his nations' leaders had their heads in the sand, and their bodies in comfortable protected 'retreats' well outside the bloodiest areas. Yet he could not bring himself to say what he wanted to. That one line was still too much to contemplate crossing outright.
"We-may soon end up there."
2
The President's House, often called The White House, was nearing its own bicentennial, even with the burning of Washington during the War Of 1812. Any house or building that old had seen many a renovation, the new layered on top of the old layered on top of the even older.
This was a fact of life that now confronted a young girl who wished she was pulling weeds with Kouta right then. His sparse praise at least had a clear path to it.
"Nana has told you! She must go and meet with Mister President."
The first of the two twins smiled and shrugged.
"Like we said before, you're free to go whenever you want. Just good luck finding your way through the maze this place can be, without us."
Nana sat down, plainly frustrated.
"You girls are doing something wrong. The world needs me to talk to your Papa."
The twins now looked a bit shaken.
"You're-you're not gonna use your powers on us, are you?"
Nana shook her head.
"I should. But Nana doesn't like to hurt people. Even ones who hurt me, and you haven't."
The second twin waved her hands in front of her.
"Look, we've just been in lockdown since this crisis started. We thought it would be nice to actually meet and talk with the young queen-just us girls."
This appealed to Nana, who, for girls close to her own age, had really only ever had Mayu, though Anna had proven kind of fun, once she started leaving her room.
"We can talk, but then Nana has to go. The fate of my family depends on this."
Nana reached into her pocketbook, and produced a relatively recent picture.
"To the residents of the White House, may I present the residents of The Maple House."
The twins stared at the picture in apparent awe.
"Who's the one girl with pink hair? She has the sweetest smile. Bet she's got the cutest laugh, too."
Nana steadied her arms and legs, keeping them from falling off.
"That is Nyu. She is gone, now. And Nana didn't like her laugh at all."
Seeing she had put off the girls, Nana nodded.
"Nana loved Nyu, when she was Nyu. But she could turn into someone else, and that person was dangerous."
As if sensing the awkward territory they'd ventured into, they went for what they thought was a safe question. Much of their family could have told them there was no such thing.
"This one girl with the big eyes? I'll bet she has lots of boyfriends."
Nana looked at who they were talking about.
"That's Nana's sister, Mayu. She was hurt a lot by her old step-papa. She even gets nervous when Kouta gets too near her, though she knows he would never hurt her."
Their father had been knocked for his perceived lack of intellect. The girls felt that right then.
"O-kay. Well, that's sure one cute little doggie."
"Yeah! I'll bet everybody loves a puppy like that."
Nana smiled and nodded.
"We all love Wanta-chan! We were so happy he didn't die when that evil man kicked him."
The girls' shuddered as one.
"Some rude guy in the street?"
"A jerk who didn't like his barking?"
Nana shook her head.
"No, he was some kind of pervert. He came into our home, killed a girl he had already chopped in half, and then he used a crossbow that fired poisoned spike balls at Nana. They hurt. Then he kicked Wanta, who bit him when he tried to hurt Mayu. That was just before Mister Bando kicked him in the face."
The twins each looked to the other, shaking just a bit.
"Wow-things are-very different in Japan."
"I thought it was just no shoes in the house."
A question thought less safe, but not leading into the kind of harrowing ground they had fallen into before, was brought up.
"Do you have a boyfriend, Nana?"
Nana closed her eyes.
"There is this one guy, after Nana realized Papa just wants to remain Papa-no, he is not my Papa by blood. Nana used to really hate this other guy. I thought he was mean. But then Nana saw how much he cared. How gentle and kind he can be. But he is married now, and Nana loves his wife, too, so I guess I can never find out what we could have been. Nana is happy that he is happy. I just wish-"
Finally finding safe ground, the twins smiled.
"Sounds like a classic romance."
"Older guy?"
Another thing their elders could have told the twins was that, in Washington, safe ground never lasts for very long. A fourth voice joined the conversation.
"Guys, the Queen can't make girly-chat here and now. A White House brat should know better!"
The young woman was older, though not by too many years. She was the daughter of the former President, and with her were some chastened Secret Service agents, ready to escort Nana to the Oval Office. The twins stood up in alarm.
"CC? You can't take her now."
"We were just finally making friends."
Nana surprised her 'captors' by embracing them both.
"Nana feels like we did make friends. I have to check with Kouta-San, but I would like to invite you and your family to dinner at our home. Can you bring rolls? Nana likes buttered rolls."
A much older woman walked into the room, carrying a very large ornate metal hairbrush. The twins looked concerned and spoke as one.
"Hello, Grandma!"
Nana saw the brush and was impressed.
"What a nice hairbrush-so big!"
The older woman, a former First Lady, smiled a smile that did not fool her granddaughters one bit.
"Tell you what, dear. After I'm done using it, I'll have my son, The President, give it to you as a gift. CC-please make sure she gets to the office."
CC nodded, the cocky confidence of her parents just as apparent.
"Count on it, Ma'am."
The twins waved goodbye.
"See you at dinner, Nana."
"We'll be the ones standing up."
Nana whispered to CC as they left.
"Shouldn't people sit down at dinner?"
For her part, CC chuckled.
"Not when Grandma B is done with them."
Nana tried to reason out what she meant.
"She's your Grandma too?"
"Only in a friend of the family kind of way. I'm the kid of the President who left office in 2001, my Dad-who Grandma B scolded for-his use of the Oval Office. Heck, someday, I might be the President's daughter again-when my Mom runs for it."
Nana shook her head.
"Nana really thought that the Presidency didn't work that way. Umm, Nana has a question. How did you find us? The girls said no one knew the spot they chose."
CC nodded as they kept on through the halls.
"Yeah, well, even I didn't know about that place. But another Presidential kid-former kid-who lived here in the late 70's, did. Since my Mom and I just attended her Dad's funeral, she helped out."
Nana gained a sad look.
"How did her Papa die?"
CC stopped and looked at Nana, trying to see if she was sincere.
"Ummm-didn't your people kill him?"
Nana began to shake.
"NOOOO! Nana doesn't order those girls to do anything. I don't want to hurt anyone, especially a Papa."
Her own instincts and intelligence fairly sharp, CC made a leap.
"Nana, just who among the Diclonius do you give orders to?"
Nana stopped and thought.
"Not really any of them, I guess. Is that important?"
CC sighed, and moved them along at a good clip to their august hosts. Once at the Office, she gestured to her father in a way that showed she meant business. His eyes, and then the eyes of the elder President after that, went wide.
The current Chief Executive gestured Nana to a plate of food.
"Those crazy girls of mine. Your Majesty, let's have a snack before we start. I ordered up some of those Italian Rice Balls."
Nana raced over to the table, just in time for Kurama to return from consultations with various cabinet officers.
"Papa? Do Italian people make rice balls too? Oh, they're so wonderful!"
Now, though, Nana would find something not so wonderful as the two former Presidents spoke to the current one, who shook his head.
"Queen Nana, I was going to ask you to declare a cessation of hostilities. To publicly tell all Diclonius to stand down. Now I'm told you may not have any authority to make that happen."
Kurama winced. He had thought surely the Americans' Intelligence apparatus had already gained them this information. He hoped to salvage what he could, but Nana stood readier than him in this case.
"Sir, Nana is a Queen in that my actions guide the destiny of horned people. But I don't know that one single Diclonius will listen to me if I say that. I will say it anyway. Nana will also do one thing that is even more important."
Since the father of the current President had suggested just this predicament, he nodded at the other two to listen as Nana continued.
"Nana wishes that her people would live. But some are twisted by the wishes of Anna Kakuzawa's evil father. Nana can only sense them a little, and what I feel is rage and confusion. Others can listen, but have been treated so horribly, they might not. So all Nana can do is try to help those who will listen. Some may be like my friend Nyu, too lost to be saved from bad habits they learned in bad times. For them, Nana can offer no hope. They must be stopped. If you can spare those who can be saved, then Nana will help you to beat all the rest of them."
Kurama felt glowing pride and some wonder at the coherence and focus of his adopted daughter. This only swelled further when the current President responded to her words with apparent interest.
"Queen Nana-we're listening."
