The B and B

The Ties that Bind Part Two

Written By Joshua King

"The meaning of life is change. Regardless of how sudden, how quietly, how small, or how often, change lets you know that life is never boring and it is always has purpose."

Golem Darkhand

It was six a.m. in the Thieves Guild and the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the caves and the buildings near them. It meant the beginning of another beautiful day.

For one person, however, it meant that it was time for him to become scarce. If he'd done his job correctly, no one would notice that a large file was missing from the shelves of the archives or that an entire folder of files was missing from the computer within the archive.

Unfortunately for this person, his activities had been discovered in advance, predicted by the message within a letter on Golem Darkhand's desk. The mood of the supreme leader of the Thieves Guild was outrage at best.

This person, caught red-handed, soon found himself sitting before Golem with his ill-gotten gains taken away and nothing but his now pulsating fears to keep him company.

"I'm going to cut to the quick, Kazuya. I don't care about your concerns for your sister, I don't give a hoot about your right to protect her, and I definitely don't want to hear your continuous rants about Kanrik Crestmere. You tried to steal documents that weren't yours to take and had I not been forewarned of your intentions, you could've very well destroyed this guild!" Golem yelled as he pounded his fist on his heavy oak desk.

"How could my exposure of Kanrik's past…" Kazuya started to say as Golem walked closer to him and glared into his eyes.

"Do you have any idea why we do not have to hide in the shadows anymore? The Bringer War, and our heroic role in it, has given us a chance. It is a chance to keep our identity while being shielded from the public eye. This is why we haven't had problems with law enforcement or the Neopian Revenue Service in years!" Golem responded as the lump in Kazuya's throat got tighter.

"But all it will take for that to fall apart like a house of cards is for you to go flashing Kanrik's skeletons around to the citizens of Neopia, who will then be reminded of why they're supposed to hate our guts!"

"So my sister is sacrificed to that monster to protect our great and glorious guild?" Kazuya yelled with contempt as Golem grabbed him by the shirt.

"Kanrik is no monster, he is a changed man. I envy him. He doesn't have to feel dirty with the stench of ruined lives anymore. He's not trapped here by an inescapable fate like I am. He's free, as free as they come."

"That is only because he fled from this place like a rotten coward!"

"No, Kazuya Oshii, Kanrik Crestmere left this guild with my permission. He was released because I owed him a life debt, which I have paid in full."

At this statement, Kazuya fell back in his chair. He couldn't believe that Kanrik had left on good terms. It was unheard of: once you joined the Guild, you joined for life.

"Because of this, I'm giving you a simple order: you will keep silent about Kanrik's past for the good of this guild and because it would be dishonorable for his clean slate to be re-sullied." Golem Darkhand said firmly as Kazuya shook his head.

"In that case, I'll get some of my goons to rough him up and then I will finish him personally."

As Kazuya started to walk away, grinning evilly as he thought about what he would do to Kanrik, Golem sighed heavily as he prepared to rock Kazuya's world once more.

"So this is how you'll pay your life debt, and Mariko's, and seven other guild members? You were unconscious at the time, Mariko was still suffering from having her eyes rendered inoperable, and the rest of us were trapped in that ice cave with an army of the Bringer's soldiers only minutes away." Golem began as Kazuya turned around, completely shocked to silence at what he was hearing.

"It was Kanrik who discovered a tunnel which, though a dead end, held three things which saved us that day. A small hole on the top of the dead end told us that it would lead outside. A large pocket in the wall to the left filled with crates of TNT told us that we could blast our way out. The legions of Bori and heroes on the other side told us that we'd be safe from the Bringer's armies which found themselves completely defeated by the day's end."

Kazuya still had nothing to say as he slowly walked out of Golem's office. He walked outside and began to journey towards Meridell. It seemed that he owed Kanrik two life debts…and he always fulfilled his obligations.

Meanwhile, at Hannah and Ferny's Bed and Breakfast…

Kanrik and Mariko were glad when they could work together at the same time, even if the task was simply pulling weeds from the flower boxes around the bed and breakfast. The sun was out in all of its strength and a light breeze caressed their faces as they exerted themselves.

Suddenly they both heard the faint sound of Sticks N' Stones "Welcome to the Jungle". Kanrik popped open his cell phone and nodded to Mariko.

"He's coming here and he knows…hmm, this is good news. Yeah, we'll sit tight and wait…thanks again, G." Kanrik answered as he clicked his phone shut.

"So my brother's heading this way. I hope he's coming to apologize for his outrageous behavior."

"I hope he does more than that, love. You know, we were like brothers back in the Thieves Guild. A lot of memories, most I'd like to forget, at least one that was forgotten without my knowledge."

"The time in the ice caves, I bet. That's where I lost my sight, but I don't remember how it happened or how I got out of there." Mariko added.

"I don't either, but if you were there then Kazuya must have been with you. It certainly explains why I felt a connection between myself and you when we first met…or should I say reunited?" Kanrik pondered as they pulled the last weed from the flower box before them.

"Well, that does it. Let's get these weeds thrown away. I'm feeling quite trashed myself and only a shower will cure it." Mariko chuckled as she and Kanrik threw the bag of weeds away and went inside.

It was almost nine o' clock at night when Kazuya Oshii walked into the bed and breakfast and confronted Kanrik and his sister. Despite the assuring phone call from Golem Darkhand that afternoon, the hearts of Kanrik and Mariko were still a bit fearful. But the look of sorrow in Kazuya's eyes helped to cancel out their worries.

"I learned about what you did for me, Mariko, Golem, and the other members of our guild. Because of the amnesia that gripped us afterward, all I could remember from that time in the caves was about how Mariko became blind. When that grunt was tossed into the pool of acid and the caustic substance splashed into my sister's unprotected eyes, when you tossed him, my world crashed. For years I blamed you for what was a simple accident not realizing that you saved both my life and hers. I owe you a well overdue apology and two life debts." Kazuya said as he hugged Kanrik and shed a tear.

Kanrik returned the embrace as Mariko smiled and kissed her brother on the cheek. She also hugged him while Kanrik expressed his deepest feelings.

"You were once a brother to me and you still are. I have nothing to forgive anymore. Just allow Mariko and me our happiness as a couple and soon to be husband and wife, brother-in-law." Kanrik said as he walked over to one of the tables. Kazuya and Mariko were in shock as they walked over to the center table themselves.

Taped underneath it was a small black box which held a 6- carat diamond ring: the very emblem of eternal bliss. Placing the ring on Mariko's finger, he got down to one knee and proposed. Mariko took one look at Kazuya as he nodded his assent. As Mariko screamed yes to Kanrik's request, he stood up and kissed her deeply. Kazuya could only watch with a response that none of them had expected only a few days ago…a smile.