chapter thirteen: phoenix and dragon

Usagi did not cry once. She had been gagged, blindfolded, shot at, and tied to a chair, but she did not cry. At all. Mamoru was worried--more than worried. He was sick from the unease he felt, queasy at the thought of his fiancé--his smiling, bright fiancé who radiated every single emotion she had in her--being so... distant. And, at the same time, he was proud of her for being so strong--ashamed at himself for being so weak.

He massaged his shoulder gently, frowning. He'd poured a little bit of energy to heal the gunshot wound earlier (because, he remembered briefly, that this was real--he'd been shot at, and he'd been hurt), but it still made him wince. He could never shake the image of Usagi's horrified face as he fell.

Mamoru leaned back, careful not to move Usagi. She was currently asleep, her head resting on his lap. He'd tried to convince her to use a pillow (the room they had been put in had come with the largest bed he'd ever seen, complete with a dozen pillows and fur blankets), but she'd refused. He brushed stray hairs away from her face, and smiled when she melted into his touch.

When they had followed the Rei's father's men out of the airport, they had not expected being abducted. The men had approached them right after they had exited the gate, claiming to be operating on Kaidou's orders--he had heard about their ties to Rei and wanted to invite them to a dinner. Mamoru had been skeptical, yes, but Usagi was all for it. She knew who he was and wanted to meet him, if not just for the fact she could reprimand him for how he treated Rei in the past. As soon as they got in the car, however, they were knocked unconscious and brought to an underground room in the parliament building.

Imagine the relief when a group of people (Usagi secretly called them the four psychotic woman) had come and rescued them. The group had brought them to a large house--Takatori Masafumi's mansion.

Having already been tricked by people who claimed to be associated with Rei, Mamoru was wary. Usagi, on the other hand, was delighted to have food and a bed. And, as they greeted Takatori Masafumi at the door and he mentioned having Rei come visit, she was ecstatic.

Mamoru, however, was not a fool. He knew something was wrong.

He only had to wait to find out.

xxx

"So," Youji said, "everything makes sense now."

Manx, Rei and the men of Weiss were seated around a small table. Beside Youji, Omi shifted his seat. He found his gaze straying every so often to Rei--to his sister. She, however, would not look him in the eye. He figured it wasn't anything personal to him; she avoided everyone's eyes, focusing instead to glare at the table. And Omi knew--she didn't know. She didn't know who he was, other than his given name, Tsukiyono Omi. She didn't know that they were blood, that he was her brother, that she was not alone in their messed up family. That he was there, and she could lean against him and cry.

A small wave of jealousy pierced his heart as he glanced over to Aya, remembering that the tall, stoic man had been the one to console her earlier. Aya, with his vengeance for the blood of Takatoris. How ironic.

"What does?" Ken was a little bit frustrated with the situation at hand. He felt deceived by Rei--she had known all about them, and they didn't even know the one small fact that Hino was not her true family name.

"Well," Youji drawled slightly, "She's been everywhere, and she's never asked any questions."

Ken glanced over at Rei and saw that a small frown was started to form at her lips. Youji knew he was getting to her. He continued to egg her on, watching her with scrutinizing eyes. Youji was seeing what she would do, how she would react--he was testing her. In the lowest of ways, he was testing her spirit.

"She even let her friend join us. Manx, this probably calls for an interrogation, right?"

And then, very suddenly, she stood up from her seat. No one made any move to stop her (not even Manx, who insisted on this little pow-wow in the first place), but Aya's fingers curled around the handle of his katana. Rei moved until she was directly in front of Youji, and she leaned over him, one hand on her hip and the other on the back of the couch.

She asked the question that everyone forgot:

"Where is Minako now?"

And all of a sudden, Youji fell quiet. He withdrew from her close form, leaning back and crossing his arms. Her eyes were sharp, piercing, and Youji saw, for the briefest seconds, Aya. She didn't pull back, though. She was unrelenting, fierce, and she was going to burn him.

And then she turned on her heel. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely to Manx, who simply shook her head, "but the country's in a mess. I'm sure my--brother's called together a press conference. If you want to be there personally, just contact my assistant."

And Rei paused. She had her back turned to them, but they could see the tension in her shoulders. Omi watched his sister, with the proud tilt of her head, and he wanted to run to her. Tell her everything. Ask her everything. How did this happen? Why did this happen?

"Please don't forget about Minako," Rei said, very quietly, and then she left. The bell chimed as the door swung against its frame, the wind propelling it back out. Ken hurried forward to close it gently. He took a look outside, watching her small figure disappear into the night.

"She didn't even take an umbrella," he murmured, but his comment went unnoticed. The rain was pounding against the door, and he winced in unison with a crash of thunder. She was tiny against the thunderstorm, and her figure was walking into darkness. There was a small part of him, buried deep within, that wanted to pull her back. He wanted to hold out his hand and let her hold it, let her walk away from the depths of hell--but Ken knew that he himself had already fallen too deep.

He turned back to the silent group before him. They looked pitiful, and he was sure he was in the same state. Mussing his hair up a bit, Ken sighed. He busied himself with cleaning the empty cups lining the counter. After a second thought, he switched on the stove to boil water for tea; he could still feel the cold from the two seconds the door was open, and he was pretty sure everyone else could use the warmth.

Within minutes, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Ken smiled, removing the water off the stove. He quickly set tea bags into the freshly cleaned cups, and called out to everyone else, "Hey, I'm making tea and it's all jasmine!"

He didn't expect a response, so he wasn't at all surprised when it was just Manx who smiled at him. The rest of Weiss was quiet, though Youji's eyes had settled on him briefly. Ken shrugged, balancing the tea on a tray. He set a cup of tea in front of each person, and was momentarily surprised when Aya nodded thanks at him.

He had forgotten that Aya used to be human. It had been so long since they had met, and Ken had already forgotten that his teammate was capable of emotion. He wondered for a moment how he himself had changed, but quickly changed that course of thought; he didn't want to lose himself now.

"Well then," he said in his best Super Ken voice," let's watch that press conference, shall we?"

He felt a little encouraged when Omi managed to squeeze out a small smile. Motivated, Ken switched on the TV and plopped down into his chair with a thud. He flipped a few channels before finally settling on a popular news broadcast. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aya sipping his tea quietly. The red-haired man tried not to make a face at the tea's strong flavor, and Ken chuckled to himself quietly.

On the screen, a limousine had pulled up. Cameras were flashing and news reporters were calling out incoherently. "Takatori-san, can you explain--?"

"Takatori-san, what is the meaning of--?"

"Takatori-san, how is the status of the--?"

The blue-haired woman who assisted Takatori Masafumi out of the car hushed the reporters with a raised hand. "Please, wait for the press conference to begin. Your questions will be answered then."

Masafumi smiled, and the cameras began flashing again. His woman bodyguard accompanied him up the steps of the police headquarters building. Ken watched their movements with narrowed eyes—to the public, they were politician and bodyguard, but to him, they were devil and mistress.

The video cameras trailed off Masafumi as another car pulled up. The door opened without the chauffer; Rei stepped out, and she had completely transformed. Ken was almost transfixed as he watched her on the screen--gone was the tired, angry young woman with the bloody clothes and tangled hair. Instead, Hino--no, Takatori Rei was charismatic.

Ken shook his head, almost unbelieving the sight. Her skirt was tight and her shirt was fitting; her legs and curves were teasing his eyes. In all the time he'd known her, she'd never been the type to strike him as showy--but the way she smiled and the way she sauntered was making him a little--well, hot.

Ken cleared his throat, downing the rest of his tea. He did not miss Youji's low whistle (talk about mood swing) and Omi's glare at the older man in response. As long as he wasn't on the receiving end of Omi's sudden overprotective younger brother tendencies, he was fine. Manx's glance at him, however, made him blush and he stuttered something about making more tea.

He returned and to see Masafumi embracing his younger sister with familial politeness. When they parted, Ken spotted a small figure standing off to the side just before the camera switched views. "That was--!"

"Ouka-san," Omi whispered, and his eyebrows drew together. "But what is she--?"

The press conference began, and Ouka was pushed to the back of their minds. Masafumi smiled, speaking to the audience with poise. He seemed to be a completely different man on the podium. Gone was the bumbling scientific politician; in his place was a man ready to accept the Takatori throne. It was his duty, his right to take over what his father and older brother had started.

He was promising the rising future of Japan. He was going to undo the mistakes of the past and create a new direction. He was going to bring justice to his father's name, because his father had been manipulated and murdered. He was going to fix things, and he was going to succeed.

"But most people believe that all this happened because of Takatori Reiji's greed. What comments do you have on this?"

Somehow, while Masafumi was pondering how to answer the question, Rei had leaned over the microphone (Ken blushed, reminded himself that he was no longer a teenager, and tried to focus) and spoke.

"Takatori Reiji was blind and could not see past his own reflection. He was simply one man, but he could not realize that. People have therefore suffered in ways that they do not deserve. There is nothing we can do to amend this--time can't travel backwards."

Masafumi was looking at her, and his hands were clenched.

"I am not my father, and he is obviously unable to make an apology himself. Regardless, I hope you will accept my apology for the burdens this family has put on you. Please, forgive me."

Her low bow was greeted with silence. Ken was frozen, because he knew that she speaking directly to the current occupants of Koneko no Sumu Ie. There was something about her words that chilled him. She had been speaking to him, penetrating his past (why, Kase?) and trying to end the futile war. But it wasn't her responsibility. He looked over to Omi and saw that the younger boy was shaking.

A reporter interrupted the awed silence, and his voice rang. "Takatori Rei-san, rumor has it that they are calling you a butterfly in the messy world of politics. That you are beautiful, you are free, and you are making epic changes. What do you think about that?"

Rei simply smiled, but the twinkle in her eyes was misinterpreted. "That's just silly. There's no such thing as a messy world of politics."

The polite laughter eased the heavy atmosphere, and Masafumi took back the podium. Rei settled into the background comfortably, but she outshined her brother effortlessly. It was then Manx came to a conclusion. While the rest of the world saw her as a pretty young face, the men of Weiss finally saw her as deadly.

xxx

Youji was left in the room with Omi. Aya had excused himself and left the shop without another word. Manx slowly followed his lead, though she was more informative about her whereabouts. "Don't hesitate to call me if anything comes up. Relax until then. I will contact you with the next mission."

Ken scowled at her as she left, and he disappeared back into the kitchen. Youji heard him mocking Manx under his breath, his voice in a falsetto, "Relax until then. Blah blah blah." He sighed long and slowly, running his hand through his hair. "Ah, Hidaka-kun, you need to sleep, it's been a long night..."

Youji rolled his eyes. Trust Ken to be overdramatic and talking to himself. He sipped at his tea and made a face. "Too hot."

"Mm," Omi responded blankly, and the older man looked up.

"Omi."

"Yes?"

"Smile," Youji said, and he leaned forward. "Your tyrant father is dead. Your gorgeous sister is alive. What more could you ask for?"

Omi stared at him. "Youji-kun... Persia is dead."

"That means we're free." Youji looked into his cup. It steamed at him, fogging his vision. He blew at it, and for a moment he could see the golden liquid.

"She doesn't know who I am," Omi said slowly, cupping his hands around the tea for warmth. He seemed to shrink into the chair. "All this time and she didn't know. I didn't know who she was."

"Ah," Youji said. He watched the younger boy, who was shaking--he was shaking, but the tea in his cup held steady. Not one drop spilled, not even as Omi gave a silent, unexpected sob. Youji found himself feeling--sad.

"Do you remember when she took Aya's katana? Or how she appeared Marine Cathedral? She was there--she's seen us kill, Youji-kun, and I've always wondered why she never asked. You were right. She never asked questions. She came in here, knowing that we're killers, and she's never said anything."

There was a stretched silence, in which Youji drained his tea and Omi drowned in his. And then, in the shakiest voice the older man had ever heard, Omi spoke.

"How do I know I can trust her?"

"You don't, Omittchi." Youji set his cup down and stood up, motioning for the boy to do the same. "You don't."

Omi stood up, meeting the older man's eyes with a lost gaze. "Then what do I do?"

Youji cradled the tea pot in his arms, fighting away the steam with his own breath. Then, as he headed to the kitchen, he said quietly, "Just talk to her."

Because when Youji held her, on that rainy day where she was so little in his jacket and in his arms, and her eyes were so fierce --on that rainy day when she reminded him so much of Asuka, Youji knew that she couldn't possibly have ulterior motives. He had felt her pain through the brief seconds they'd touched, and he knew then--she was suffering silently. She was calling out to him, and while he couldn't do anything, someone with that amount of pain should not go unanswered.

"Oi, Ken, get out of here," Youji drawled, and he ignored the indignant look on the ex-soccer player's face.

"'scuse me?" Ken put his hands on his hips, eyeing the teapot and the cups in Youji's hands. "I'm not cleaning that."

"I don't need you to, you oaf." Youji set the ceramics down, motioning Omi to do the same. Already he could see the blonde little boy was returning to his regular self--he wasn't smiling, but his eyes weren't looking down anymore.

"Lazy bum," Ken muttered, and he ducked the swinging arm. "Hey, be careful! If you get rid of me, who's gonna watch your back?"

"I'm sure Omittchi can handle that." Youji grinned and poked Ken in the forehead. The younger man made a strangled sort of noise in his throat as his limbs flailed about. This brought a final smile to Omi's face.

"Alright, alright, quit it you two. I'm fine."

"Who said this had anything to do with you?" Ken suddenly swooped down and caught him in a headlock. "Ne, Omi, stop hanging around this jobless womanizer. Sooner or later you'll turn into him!"

"It's better than turning into a clumsy jock."

Ken scowled again and was about to retort when the door jingled open. His features instead morphed into confusion. It was almost midnight, and he was pretty sure no one would think they were open.

"We're closed," he started to say, but fell silent as Rei opened her mouth. She closed it promptly, feeling a little awkward, and shuffled her feet--her feet, with those heels, that led to those legs, and--Ken blushed, but Youji smirked.

"Hey lady." And he winked.

"Bipolar, are we?" Rei looked at him with a dry expression, and his grin merely widened. He made his way towards her, snaking his arm around her body and leading her into the shop.

"How about we put all our differences behind us? Don't you remember that wonderful rainy day when we embraced? I dream about--"

"You-ji-kun," Omi said flatly, and the older man took three steps back.

"Tea, Takatori-chan?"

Rei glared at him and he held up the teapot. When she said nothing, he assumed that her answer was yes. He poured her a cup, hoping that it was still hot enough; the steam rose up slowly, and he approved. "Here," he said, and she took it.

"Ano, Rei," Ken started, and he hesitated. Then, "Why are you here?"

Rei looked at all three of them, and the smile she had on was grave. "I don't know what you guys are going to do now that my uncle is dead. The responsibility is no longer yours."

Her words were political, and Youji remembered--she had said something about a business meeting earlier that day. Back then it registered as unimportant; now he understood. She was slowly following in her brother's footsteps, becoming one of their father's lackeys.

As if she could read his thoughts, Rei smooth out her skirt. Despite being a simple skirt, it had been ridiculously expensive--some famous designer. Ouka had insisted on it when the two of them had gone shopping for her 'professional' clothes. She told herself she shouldn't really care; it hadn't been her money, but her father's.

At that thought, something bubbled in the pit of her stomach and she felt like she was going to vomit. She cleared her thought and ignored the unsettling feeling. The cup twirled slowly in her hands.

"It never should have been. Kritiker was created because of a rift between brothers. You never should have been caught up in this."

The smile was gone from Youji's face as he leaned back against the counter. She was serious, but her words were light. She was looking at him, speaking to Ken, and tearing Omi apart.

"Takatori Shuuichi created Kritiker. He is dead, without a successor."

"What are you saying, Rei?"

"I'm letting you go."

"No."

It was Omi that spoke, and Rei stared at him. She had expected refusal, but not the tone of voice. He was indignant, and there was a fury in his eyes that she'd never seen before. It didn't frighten her--instead, it was heartrending. In that particular moment, she wanted more than anything for Omi to smile again. It was always his smile that eased her mood.

"You have a brother, Rei."

"Masafumi won't do anything with Kritiker." Rei frowned. "You know that."

"That's not what I meant!"

Beside him, Youji tried to fight the grimace that was slowly starting to appear on his face. Talk to her, yes, but he hadn't meant right then and there. For being such a bright kid, Omi surprisingly lacked common sense when it came to his emotions.

"I killed Hirofumi."

A heart beat. Then, "I know."

"And you're okay with that?" Omi almost looked crestfallen. Slowly, Youji took Ken by the arm and motioned to the basement--leave the two alone. The conversation was private, and they were intruding. Ken seemed to be thinking along the same lines; he didn't argue but merely trudged his way down. Youji gave Omi a single, pointed look before going. He only hoped that the younger boy would understand--don't mess up.

"Hirofumi," Rei began, but stopped. Her deceased brother brought up too many emotions. He had destroyed any semblance of hope that Rei had for the family. Hirofumi was just a shadow of their father, and she could see Masafumi slowly following. Briefly she wondered what was happening now to the second eldest Takatori--he knew that she knew that he held Usagi at his house, but he hadn't mentioned anything to her.

She had told her father that Masafumi was going to die soon. It had been empty words back then, but she wondered now if there were true.

Omi was still watching her with those sad, sad eyes. Rei smiled a bit bitterly.

"He wasn't anything, Omi. Hirofumi wasn't anything to me."

The tears welled up in his eyes, and he opened his mouth. And then he choked on his words as he looked back at her. Everything that had wreaked his mind for the past five years--everything that made him doubt what he was doing, doubt the kind of life he was living, doubt his mental stability and abilities--all that poured out. He felt Rei's arms encircle him, and he let her hold him.

Omi let his older sister hold him as he cried.

He tried to tell her that he was alive, that he was alive damn it, but he couldn't. He had already lost that night an uncle and a father--and, deep in his heart, he wondered if he'd also lost his sister.

"Rei," he sobbed, and she shushed him. She was stroking his hair, rubbing his back, holding him as his heart cleansed itself. She was so warm, and he wanted to let her know that. She was strong and radiated a light that he never knew existed. His soul was lost, and all he wanted to do was just follow her. Let her take him by the hand and lead him through life. "Rei!"

"It's okay," she said quietly, and her voice soothed him. He believed her. He felt his tears stop and his mind calm down, but his heart was still aching. He had to tell her, right then. It was unlike any other pain he'd felt when she looked at him the same way she looked at everyone else. She was his sister. She had to know.

And then she spoke again, a bit after his sobbing stopped. "Can I ask you something?"

He was still silent, save for the occasional hiccup. He could hear her slow, steady heartbeat, and wondered if she realized their connection. Omi nodded.

"The Takatori family only fell because of my father. I have a grandfather still, who holds the Takatori name honorably. And a brother, save for Masafumi."

His breath caught in his throat. Did she already know? He pulled away from her, looking into her eyes--her deep, glorious eyes that radiated every kind of hope he could imagine.

"Forgive them."

"What?"

"Forgive them for being the bearer of such a tainted name."

Omi smiled and agreed, clasping her hand and promising. Inwardly, however, his world crashed.

notes

sry no action and no aya
ken is my favorite
next chapter: several people die ohohohoho

rei's so dumb :( her brother's right there!

okay thanks for reading and reviewing guys :)