Miori was fuming to know Kisara was with Rentaro. She'd sent a minder to watch Rentaro just in case someone was planning to murder him. After the bombing she'd been worried about him. When the minder told her where he had gone she assumed when he was going to go see the doctor he'd been wanting to look more into the Enju situation. However, the minder had mentioned he'd seen a girl walk on before who Rentaro whom from the description Miori immediately recognised as her rival. Miori made sure the minder didn't interfere but just watched. The minder reported that Rentaro and Kisara had left separately. But given that Miori had no idea what happened in the doctor's office they easily could have been intimate there. It's not like the doctor would stop them.
she was relived to receive a text from Rentaro asking her if she had anybody nearby to pick him up. She quickly made sure she'd be there personally.
Miori turned up in her limo and opened up the door"Rentaro you're alone?" asked Miori expecting to see her rival around "I mean I figured you'd still be with the doctor." Miori lied to cover herself.
"no we finished up a little while ago." Explained Rentaro knowing he had a lot to explain and this conversation would be a difficult one.
"I see." Answered Miori giving nothing away.
"met up with Kisara by the way." Admitted Rentaro given he intended to mention to Enju later it was only fair to Miori. At times he really felt he needed to do more for the girl who had always been loyal to him.
"that's…nice." Answered Miori hoping the pain was not a visible as she assumed it was.
"thanks to her I've had an emotional day." Hoping that would be sufficient to explain.
"does she have a boyfriend?" Miori asked hoping the answer was yes. It would make this so much easier for her if she didn't have Kisara to worry about. She knew she had more to offer than Enju who was still a child but Kisara was probably his first love.
"no…. she found out a genetic test to identify my mother's current identity." Explained Rentaro reluctantly. He still felt numb about it.
"did it work?" asked Miori cautiously. Either answer would cause an emotional response but the better Miori understood the more she could help him through it.
"yes." He responded simply trying to decided what to tell Miori.
"don't worry Rentaro there's no pressure to meet her." Miori attempted to support him. She knew many people who had the ability to meet long lost family but never did.
"My mother is Doctor Sumire Muroto." Rentaro's stated again. He felt telling Miori was a little easier than leaving her to wonder. It also was helping him accept the truth.
"are you serious?" asked Miori. She'd always thought they seemed suspiciously similar but she'd just assumed it was mere paranoia.
"yeah." Now he had finally accepted the truth he couldn't help but question how he missed it. She once even told him where the 'Ren' part of Rentaro came from. Rentaro thought back and couldn't help but think that part of him had refused to believe it given that the signs were all there.
"are you ok?" asked Miori not used to a Rentaro this subdued. He wasn't sad in her opinion more stunned
"I'll be fine it'll just take some getting used to." He answered verifying her assumption was in fact correct. When you suddenly discover family you knew existed but assumed that you'd never meet it was inevitable going to be odd for you but then to discover you already knew them changed everything. Any idea you had about the person becomes more complicated. Rentaro had considered her to be an attractive woman and no he knew those kinds of thoughts had been slightly incestuous even though he hadn't known it at the time. Suddenly he was very relieved he'd had Miori around stopping him from going any further with Kisara if they did turn out to be related.
"and your father?" asked Miori concernedly given that the rumours she knew about the doctor implied one likely suspect
"she's not allowed to tell me yet. I think It might be Kisara's grandfather. She seems to think so and I can't lie I've heard people say we look similar."
"I don't see it." Responded Miori having met Rentaro's foster father once. She didn't think they looked similar. "You said yet?" asked Miori noticing the fact that the doctor would be able to tell him.
"we need to wait until he's formally confirmed dead if it is him." Stated Rentaro reluctantly expecting Miori to make a suggestion he avoid Kisara given they might be related however she seemed to be analysing a possibility
"any other suspects? On the off chance he's alive" asked Miori feeling like Rentaro was missing something obvious.
"none I can think of but if they are only they can tell me." Answered Rentaro reluctantly. He still didn't know the meaning of the empire protocol name but now he knew that much.
"anything I can do to help?" asked Miori realising any further speculation might make things worse. If she was correct it was better Rentaro never find out.
"I just need to relax for a bit. Need a bit less stress for the rest of the day." Answered Rentaro yawning. Between the long talks he had this day and the lack of sleep from the Enju incident he was completely exhausted.
"I think I should be able to help you with that" admitted Miori knowing her house was set up perfectly to help him relax.
"thanks I appreciate it." Before falling asleep. Between the last few days he had felt completely exhausted.
I'll give you something you can really appreciate later. She thought to herself.
Kisara was walking the place that she now counted as her home. After the situation with Rentaro, Sumire and then having to book the surgery for her transplant she was tired. It was easier for her to get a transplant than most as one had been put aside for her because of who she was. However, her senses were telling her she was not alone. She drew her sword. She waited for an attack but none came.
"so how did it go?" asked Kagetane who appeared from directly behind Kisara she swung her sword he ducked it.
"like you don't know?" she asked once she had worked out who it was. She stopped attacking him knowing he could easily block her attacks with his shield.
"whatever could you possibly mean?" asked Kagetane innocently idly looking around unconcerned the girl was armed with a sword.
Kisara sighed at the innocent act. "why do I get the feeling you know more than anybody? You set the whole thing up."
"set what up?" Kagetane enjoyed times like this where he could really mess with the girl. She despised him and knew she couldn't kill him so she just got madder and madder. It was the main reason he was keeping her alive.
Kisara was getting mad but decided to play Kagetane's game "you knew Seitenchi would lead us to a way to find out Rentaro's mother."
"how could I possibly know that?" asked Kagetane again. This time Kisara felt like he was mocking her.
"if anyone would know he's Dr Muroto's child it would be her fellow genius." Answered Kisara trying not to play Kagetane's game.
"so he's Dr. Muroto's child?" asked Kagetane insinuating he had no idea.
"don't bullshit me." Threated Kisara. She was confused enough by recent encounters that she could never be sure when it came to Kagetane.
"I might have known that…. or I may have simply been sending you on an assassination mission on our useless head of state." Responded Kagetane knowing it would confuse Kisara. He enjoyed messing with the girl knowing she posed very little threat.
"you would do that and you are insane. But I don't believe you" Responded Kisara knowing what Kagetane was capable and hi utter hatred of Seitenchi "before you ask she's alive."
"shame." Acknowledged the masked man. Part of him had hoped she'd finished him off.
"you're a madman." Declared Kisara frustrated at dealing with this man.
"there's a fine line between genius and madman. I like to crisscross that line." Teased Kagetane having been called mad for his entire life.
"I'm leaving," stated Kisara knowing she wasn't getting anywhere.
"so the doctor is now claiming to be a mother?" Kagetane asked Rhetorically. He knew it would annoy Kisara to make such an implication. To imply the doctor was an unfitting mother would grate on the girl.
Kisara was really struggling to keep her cool "she is a mother." Answered Kisara defiantly. For all her faults she would be proud to have the doctor as a mother. Even though she'd rather have her as a mother in law.
"and how did my young friend handle it?" asked Kagetane referring to Rentaro.
"he's shocked." Responded Kisara not liking the interest Kagetane took in Rentaro. She always felt there was something sinister about his interest in the teenager.
"well that means he's alive. If he wasn't shocked, I'd suggest checking for a pulse." Joked Kagetane. He found her attempt to be coy to be adorably pathetic given how transparent she was.
"tell me something. Why is Rentaro still alive? You've had ample chance to kill him. Virtually every other foe you faced was killed without a second thought yet Rentaro survived multiple including stabs from your homicidal daughter who is an expert killer." This had bothered her since the time she saw him in the hospital. He shouldn't have survived.
"perhaps he's just lucky." Shrugged Kagetane not giving anything away.
"no-one is that lucky." Kisara wasn't going to take such blatant lies from Kagetane. She knew he had some kind of plan.
"guess I'm just unlucky then." Kagetane enjoyed how much this was confusing Kisara that she couldn't work his motivation.
"ok if you won't answer that then tell me why did you make sure Tokyo survived the fall of the monolith when that's against your mission. You want the destruction that would have brought and yet you sided with us. You even kept Rentaro alive."
" he's no good to me dead. After all there is virtually no one capable of even hitting me. Life would be terribly boring without the challenge he poses. If he's going to die, I'll kill him myself just to make it amusing."
"that's it?" asked Kisara disappointed with the callousness.
"what were you hoping for?" asked Kagetane incredulously. It wasn't like he was known for his great caring.
"I actually thought for a moment you were going to tell me you wanted to help him find his mother and father." Stated Kisara in disbelief over what she was actually thinking about a monster like the masked man.
"I can't believe that you actually thought that and had the gall to call me insane." Mocked Kagetane
"fair point, guess you are just crazy." Kisara admitted having completely given up on the psychopath.
"perhaps but crazy like a fox I think you'll find." Argued Kagetane. He'd been called crazy many times and most later realised how clever he was.
"if you say so." Answered Kisara knowing she wasn't getting anywhere. She began to walk away again.
"so speaking of crazy who was crazy enough to sleep with the good doctor?" asked Kagetane knowing it would draw Kisara back. He wasn't done playing with her.
"I believe It was my grandfather." Suggested the sword wielding girl. Curious to see if Kagetane did know something about their possible relationship. Kisara knew they had spent at least some time together from her research into her family.
"that sly old dog. And here was me thinking it was Saitake." Mused the masked man "who incidentally has been sighted working with another one of my fellow geniuses apart from the doctor." He added very unsubtlety
"he's coming back with help?" asked Kisara worried. She knew something like this from Kagetane was more than just a joke. It was a warning.
"Professor Ayn Rand. Just consider how dangerous Saitake can be and imagine giving him a genius on my level. That's more than help." Added Kagetane. Of the four geniuses the most ridiculous code name of the lot but arguably the most dangerous in Kagetane's opinion. Certainly the hardest one to find.
"how long do we have?" asked Kisara concerned. Kagetane and the doctor had already shown how dangerous they could be. Another one made any situation destructive.
"not long. The war will start soon." answered Kagetane "I wonder who will win." He added seeming unconcerned.
"whose side are you on?" asked Kisara. Kagetane's very presence could win or lose you a war.
"the side that makes me a better offer." responded Kagetane "oh and one more thing I'd like you to pass on a message to the boy."
"what's the message?" asked Kisara uncertain if she wanted to deliver.
"'I'll be in touch soon. After all I intend to cash in the favour." Answered Kagetane curious to see Kisara's reaction.
Kisara realised she needed to warn Rentaro. Clearly they must have cut some sort of deal.
Kagetane phoned a number "Kohina I'm on my way."
"I'll see you later." Which meant to Kisara both a threat and yet also guaranteed she'd walk away from this alive. Kisara still watched as the masked man jumped away.
we may be in trouble. Kisara thought to herself.