XX
Shock
Opening her briefcase Mako pulled out the diagrams she had prepared for this meeting. "I have to ask of you first before I show you this material that you will give me your word not to let anything of what you are about to see to leak outside. It is important that this information remains between you and me."
Kogorou raised an eyebrow but other than that his face didn't betray any particular interest in the matter. Taking a sip from the cup of tea in front of him, he made no impression that he was honestly willing to make such a promise. "Takebe, you came here asking me for help over a matter you still haven't told me the finer details. Your companion basically assaulted my nephew and now you want me to give you my word that I will keep this information a secret? I had expected more from you. To be honest, I'm afraid that this is becoming a waste of my time."
As he was about to get up from his seat, Mako understood that she needed to take a big risk and just pray that it wouldn't blow up in her face. "Alright then," she sighed as with reluctance she handed him the entire map. "Please look inside and listen carefully."
Taking the map, he sat back down and opened it, going trough its contents at his own steady pace. "Very well, I will give you a few more minutes but make it worth it. My time is very precious and I would hate having to waste it on something that I deem to be boring, unimportant or simply idiotic."
She nodded. "What I am going to tell you goes back a good nine years by now, this entire affair has been covered up by the government." It was a bold statement and one that seemed rather overly dramatic to him. "Did you watch the news or read any of the papers following the incidents of the winter in Kamakura less than two years ago?" Mako kept it at that. Now she wanted to hear an answer from him. If he had then she hoped it would get him to be a bit more interested.
Still, he was going through the content of the map at his own leisure. "I did, rather tragic what happened that day. It wasn't just Kamakura but also Enoshima that suffered considerable damage and of course loss of life. If I recall correctly, it was attributed to a sudden heavy storm coupled with a tsunami. Plenty of people are still missing if I am not mistaken."
Mako had to swallow as she heard it again, the cover story created by the government. "What if I were to tell you that is not the truth. What really happened is far more sinister as well as disturbing. Our very own government was involved in clandestine research that violated nearly all human rights that exist. All that damage was caused because they made a grave mistake. Please have a look at that photo labeled nr. 001."
At those words his right eye opened, staring back at her. "What exactly am I looking at here? This wasn't faked in any way, now is it?" He asked as he noticed the abnormalities in the photo with the first glance.
"They're not; they are very real I can assure you. What you are looking at is indeed a CAT scan of a girl with horns protruding from her skull. She and those like her were called Diclonius by the scientists involved in the project, a mutation of the human genome. Said to be a new species that to this day we are still not certain on how it was started. But those horns aren't everything. There is more to them and that was what had people scared."
He kept studying the content. "A mutant? Apart from the horns, what is so special about them?" Shifting through the other pages he stopped, placing them back on the table as he reached for his cup and had another sip of it, finished with it he placed it back on his desk and grinned at her. "Alright, you have my interest for the time being, I will keep this a secret as you requested Takebe. Now keep talking and keep intriguing me."
And with hearing those words Mako pulled out a second envelope from the briefcase and handed it to him. As he opened it she started to talk about the biggest threat a Diclonius had; an ability called vectors.
Azusa had to stop as she was starting to run out of breath. She had been searching this entire wing for Saeko but it was to no avail. No matter how hard she searched she just couldn't find her, she was feeling terrible about the fact that despite their best efforts they still hadn't been able to find their friend. She was hoping that Yuzuka was having more luck in getting the older sister to help them look for Saeko. "Kayano-san, please hurry and come back," she whispered.
Leaning against the window, she wondered where her friend could possibly be hiding.
"Isuzu-san, where are you? Why did you run away all of a sudden? Why didn't you come and talk to us about it?" She didn't entirely understand why their friend had run away. Did it have something to do with that odd yet innocent question she had asked moments before?
It sounded a little awkward to her and for the moment she just couldn't see the harm in it, the question may have seemed a little silly to her but other than that there was nothing wrong with it. After all she and Yuzuka had noticed that Saeko was a rather curious girl who seemed to not know much about things that were rather common these days. She reasoned that it was pretty likely that Saeko had led a mostly secluded life. That was alright with her, they would help her when she didn't know. After all, that was what friends were for.
Feeling that she had rested enough for the time being she set out again, continuing with her search for Saeko. Not planning to give up until she had found her, she started to think hard about where students could easily hide themselves.
"I hope that Isuzu-senpai knows where she could be. I really hope she does." She would feel much better if she would be here right now. Sadly until that happened she had to go on her own. Already she had checked all of the girl's toilets in this wing of the school. That didn't say all that much as the school was large enough and more were present in the other wings. Of course she also needed to check out the vacant clubrooms, the storage rooms which were situated all over the building and off course places such as the roof even though it was actually forbidden for students to go up there.
She didn't believe that Saeko would go there, besides the access points to the roof were normally kept locked. Really, it wasn't leaving her with that many options. Hopefully she would get lucky quickly and find her.
Standing in front of the door to Arakawa's office, Kouta was feeling a little hesitant about knocking. He didn't like coming here for obvious reasons but somehow he got the distinct feeling that he needed to come here.
Taking a deep breath as he calmed himself, he gently knocked on the door, waiting for a reply it seemed that time almost slowed down. Nothing happened, no reply came and as the minutes went by painfully slow he thought about leaving.
"Come in, it isn't locked." He was about to leave when he heard that, stopping in his pace he gazed at the door. Well, it seemed that she was there after all. Grabbing the door, he opened it and stepped inside.
Arakawa had already noticed him. "Ah, it's you. So what brings you to my office?" she asked him while she was busy in collecting some books and other materials. "It had better not be for just a little social talk, I'm rather busy with my work I should add."
Kouta had noticed it even though he didn't really get the impression that she was actually that busy. Somehow it rather seemed that something else had prompted this. "It isn't, I just felt like I needed to come here. Don't know why but something just felt odd to me."
"Odd? Would you care to explain that to me?" Arakawa asked as she dropped another stack of books back on the shelf behind her. "That is just a little too vague for me to understand. Could you grab that report for me right next to you?"
Looking to his side, Kouta noticed the report lying there. Picking it up, he approached her desk and just as he was about to put it down he had a short glance at the cover. He noticed the title written on the front, "Biology of the Diclonius".
"What is the meaning of this?" He asked her as he held up the cover for her to see. "I think the one who needs to do some explaining right now is you. Didn't we all agree to keep all material related to the girls well hidden and out of sight?! You're leaving something as dangerous as this just lying here in the open?!" Somewhat enraged, he tossed it on the floor.
"No, no, no. Please let me explain. It's not what you think it is. Please, just calm down and have a seat. Give me a moment and I'll explain it to you," she told him, waving her hands in front of her frantically as she was clearly taken by surprise.
He didn't like the sudden change in her tone, it was too abrupt. Guess the uneasy feeling he had been having was about to prove to be true. He hated it, he really did. Letting out a sigh of disappointment, he dropped his rucksack and took a seat. "What exactly happened?" He asked.
All of a sudden ,she grew very tense. "N-Nothing big. What makes you even think so? Honestly it isn't really such a big thing you know."
He found that hard to believe given the change in her behavior, even he could tell that something had happened. And that something had clearly unnerved her. "I'm not that stupid Arakawa-san, please explain it to me so I can understand and maybe even help you. If something has happened, what do you think would happen if the others were to find out—and they will at some point." He could see that his words were having an effect on her, her face just started twitching in response.
Sighing as she dropped the few remaining books she had been holding. "Ah who am I kidding here anyway? Alright, you win kid. Just promise me that you won't think badly of me. I…" she fell silent, letting out an even deeper sigh as she sat down at the desk, her hands folded over her face it almost seemed like she was going to cry. "I-I-I… got a visit today, a visit from somebody really important you could say."
Kouta shot up as he heard that. "Who are you talking about? What important person came? What was the conversation about? Arakawa-san I need to know. Is there a risk for the girls?"
Dammit, he needed to know and fast. If there was any risk then they would need to act fast to prevent it from becoming worse. "I can't let them be in danger again, Arakawa-san. I need to know who this person is and what you discussed with each other! Please, for their sake, I implore you."
Her eyes stained with tears she looked up, their eyes locking. "It was with her, a young woman. She… she's the daughter of the former chief of the Diclonius Research Institute. I-I didn't know that she had survived she destruction of the island back then."
He didn't know what to say, that man actually had a daughter. He didn't like the thought of that. What if she harbored ill feelings towards the surviving Diclonius for having killed her father? He had heard the entire story from Arakawa once Dai had managed to get her out of the custody imposed by Saseba. Kaede had killed the chief, an act that he did not approve of himself but she likely had her reasons for doing so.
Leaning back in the chair he asked her what the woman had come for. Already dreading the possible answer that he could get in return from Arakawa. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for it.
"She wanted to know what ever happened to those Diclonius that had escaped the island, I did my best to try and play ignorant but she knows what she was talking about. She knows that a few Diclonius managed to escape from the island and have taken refuge on the mainland. Luckily for us though she didn't seem to be aware that they are here in the city."
Kouta kept on thinking on what to do. How much did this woman already know of them? What were her reasons for doing so? Was it possible that revenge was what drove her? Would it be aimed solely at Kaede or would she hold all Diclonius responsible?
"Like I need that coming from a brat like you. Consider yourself lucky that I was nearby."
As far as Bando was concerned he was done here anyway, he would just go back to his spot and wait while Mako and that weirdo professor were having their little conversation. "Now go on kid, get up and scram." About to turn on the spot he stopped as the boy asked him a question.
"Excuse me sir but why are you here to see my uncle?"
Raising an eyebrow, he turned back. "You're a little too curious for your own good. Our business with him is our business, none of yours. Now get lost before you ask another stupid question." About to walk away he stopped to give the boy one piece of advice. "You should stay out of complicated affairs kid. You'll only get yourself into trouble."
No longer willing to give the kid a break or to keep on wasting his time with the brat he simply left, he was done anyway. He was here to keep an eye on Mako and not some little punk. Well it wasn't like he could do all that much looking after her when he was stuck out here while she was inside.
All he could do right now was to wait for her to come back outside. The other option he had was to get back inside. That could be done either in a sneaky manner or his more personal preference by cracking a few heads. He certainly wouldn't mind teaching those security guards a lesson or two in how you actually subdued a person.
"As if those idiots would even remember that. Bah! My time is being wasted in this shit hole," he cursed as there was nothing for him to kill time with. Looking back it felt like a shame that those punks hadn't put up more of a fight or for that matter had fled. Honestly, it seemed to be rare for him to find a moment he could actually enjoy himself these days.
Had he become so fixated on getting revenge or wanting the next fight that he was no longer able to take pleasure in the simplest of things? Giving it some thought he found himself becoming painfully aware that maybe, just maybe, some of the things that Mako had accused him off in the past might be true after all.
What did he still have left in his life other than the next big fight? Damn, he wasn't exactly feeling so proud of that anymore. Shaking off the thought, he went back to the spot and waited. Gazing upwards, he took in the sight of the clouds gathering above the city. If his hunch was correct it was going be quite a downpour. That meant he would need to look for a spot to take shelter if that conversation those two above were having was going to run even later. "This is why I don't like keeping doctors and professors company. Totally out of their minds. Never thinking about the people outside."
It didn't bother him all that much. He had been drenched more than once. The good aspect of it was that it would force annoying people off the street. He was looking forward to that. Just being here by himself. Lighting a new cigarette he grinned.
"Ah it's you, didn't expect to see you here Saten," Kikuchi laughed, his arms folded behind his back as he took a step forward. "So what brings you here? Don't tell me you have decided to join that stupid club? Oh, you are just so pathetic." He spat.
Up above the two of them Saeko just kept hiding, she didn't like him at all as he had made fun of her several times in class. She felt angry with him being here, picking on another girl when she had done nothing wrong to him. 'He is just a bully, nothing more than a bully…'
"Wow." She could hear the girl whistle, whose name appeared to be Saten, acting all surprised and impressed by him. "Did you really come up with that on your own? Wow, you must have really worked hard on that, didn't you? I'm busy with other things so why don't you go and bother somebody else. I'll tell the senpai at our club. They will deal with somebody like you."
He laughed at her threat. "Oh really, you honestly think that your precious senpai will just come on over to help you. It will just be your word against mine, go on then."
The more he kept talking, the less Saeko liked him. She knew that he was a jerk in class but to see him like this was making her actually hate the kid. He was exactly the reason why she hadn't liked coming to school once she had noticed the atmosphere in her class. Maybe he had been bullying other students as well. It wouldn't surprise her; after all she was scared of him as well. Always preferring to keep herself as far away from him as was possible, she wondered if this girl was feeling the same emotions that she had in the past.
"Y-You're not scaring me, if I scream they will hear it," Saten mentioned as she folded her arms across her chest. Even if her gesture seemed to be one of confidence, Saeko had noticed the tone of fear in her voice. So she was scared of him just as she was. She could relate to that and it made her feel sorry for the girl having to go through this.
If Saeko had been confident in herself then she could go and help her, even so she didn't feel like it. What was there for her to gain to go and risk exposing herself? What if things went wrong and either of them was to see her horns? What if she got too scared and lashed out with her vectors instead? She wasn't that strong at all, not like other people such as Mayu.
The door closed behind his back, the faint light in the room turned to darkness. "I hope you're not scared of the dark, now are you Saten? Nobody is going to hear you like this either," moving in closer he kept his arms spread, making himself appear as wide as possible. Slowly he was goading her into a corner.
'No, you leave her alone. She did nothing wrong to you.' Her muscles were becoming tense as she understood what was going to happen next. She could end it right here and now but that would mean betraying that she had been here all this time.
It scared her to think about it but she couldn't just leave this girl at the mercy of that bully. She couldn't... could she? If she did she would be just as bad as him, just as terrible as the people back at the institute who had hurt so many of her kin sisters. No! She wouldn't want that! She didn't want to be like that! She was a good girl, honest.
"You should really know you place Saten. I'm just going to have to teach you a lesson about where you belong. You only have yourself to blame," Kikuchi chuckled as he began to crack his knuckles as he got ever closer to her.
Blinking away a tear Saeko allowed herself to drop to the ground below cautiously, landing on her feet without even making a sound. Neither of them had noticed her yet, taking in a deep breath she screamed as loud as she could. "L-Leave her alone, y-you bully!"
As he leaned back in his chair gazing over the files he had been going through for the past hour Kogorou had become very intrigued by what he had just been told. Honestly this was just the kind of work that would arouse his scientific curiosity and his desire for knowledge.
Noticing it that he was becoming more at ease and willing to listen to her request Mako began to calm down as well as she was growing more confident that this might work out for them.
"This truly is a fascinating subject if yet somewhat rather unpleasant, especially when it is caused by the evil intents of men seeking to expand their own power. Now tell me exactly about this one? The one with the problem that you cannot solve by your own, I'm very interested in it," he chuckled, the smirk on his face undeniable.
With him saying that Mako pulled out another map that she had been saving for last. "This map contains all of the relevant information. The problem with her is that the institute in a manner to exert more control over her utilized a device they call the ajina device."
Handing him the content of the map she waited until he had some time to go over what information of the device they had been able to recover. "She was subjected to surgery where they removed parts of her frontal lobes though we don't know to what extent."
He looked up as he heard her say that but just as quickly he resumed with reading. "Going through this I see that there isn't a lot of information on the exact nature of that procedure. There are a lot of important details that are missing from this document."
She nodded, that was the painful truth. In reality they had very little information on what precisely had been done to the clones, so much information had simply been lost and that was their biggest problem. "I know, that is also why I came to seek your help Hashiratani-hakase, this goes well beyond my capabilities as a pediatrician. The man who designed the device and oversaw the operation was as brilliant as he was insane."
He kept on listening, taking in every word that Mako said. "You're not giving me all that much to work with here Takebe, the material recorded in the files is enough to give a vague understanding but I would need more detailed material if I wanted to formulate a way to remove the device. Is there a chance for me to see this device for myself?"
She shook her head. "My apologies but will all due respect I would rather not expose to her to more people unnecessary, there are some issues with the way she might react. Given what I have told you on what a vector can do to a human I think you would agree with me."
He seemed to give it some consideration before he spoke again. "I see your point; still without being able to study the device myself it remains difficult to tell if it can be removed safely."
"I understand that but we can simply can't run that risk, both for her sake and that of others. I can look at providing you with additional information but until a firm answer can be given she will remain in a secluded location. I'm truly sorry but there is no other way." Likely this was going to complicate the matter but Mako had brought this up and every time it was agreed that Saori would not be allowed to come into contact with other people. They just had to enforce this to prevent Saori from hurting a killing a person, it was simply too dangerous otherwise.
"That doesn't make it an easier for me to help you with a solution, this is a delicate matter as you yourself have already mentioned. Without knowing exactly what I am dealing with here it come with risks and from what I have heard you don't seem eager to have those."
She didn't like where he was going with this, surely he wasn't trying to use her own logic and arguments against her. Even so the decision had been made regarding that matter, she also didn't have the final say in it. "I'm aware of that Hashiratani-hakase, still I can't do that. I'm sorry but this is the material that will have to suffice for now. As I said before I can look at providing you with more information but seeing the device and thus the girl in person is simply not possible for us at this moment."
"I see," he replied, his hands folded in front of him. "Then we reach the end of this little conversation Takebe-san. I would like to give this opportunity some consideration before I will give you my answer. Will you be staying in town? There is a good hotel nearby; I could give you an answer tomorrow if that would be alright with you?"
Mako considered it though honestly she much more preferred to go home. Furthermore she hadn't anticipated such an outcome and she was expected back at the practice tomorrow, she couldn't afford to stay in this city for the night. It simply wouldn't do which made her decision all the more painful. "My apologies Hashiratani-hakase but I can't permit that. I'm expected back at work tomorrow and I have a long journey back ahead of me, if you want to have some time to think about this that's fine with me. You can call me at the following number." Handing him a number she hoped that he was still willing to help them.
His hand resting on the files he asked the expected question. "Can I keep these here? I would help me if I could go over the information one more time."
Shaking her head she made it clear that she would take those papers with her. "The content of these papers is too sensitive for us to allow it with strangers. I'm sorry for this but I have to take them back with me, if these were to fall in the wrong hands then lives would be at stake."
Cracking a smile he got up from his chair. "You know that that sounds rather dramatic don't you? All right then, have a pleasant journey and I will be in touch tomorrow."
As if on sign the door opened behind her and one of the students stood ready to escort her out of the building. Mako wasn't sure what to make of it but for some reason she didn't like it.
"I will be looking forward to your call then. Goodbye Hashiratani-hakase and thank you for your time." And with that she closed the door behind her, painfully aware that her chances were very slim at best. If he were to say that he was not going through with it then it would not come as a surprise to her at all.
Taking by surprise, they both stood there motionless. Neither of them had expected her to show up. That was good for now but what was she going to do next? Saeko might have gone and bit off more than she could chew, she hadn't thought on what to do next.
"Well... what do you know, if it isn't the lovely Isuzu. Fancy seeing you here. Honestly I hadn't expected to see that lovely face of yours," Kikuchi grinned before turning his attention back to Saten. "Hey look at that Saten, it's the little pink haired crybaby coming to save you." He laughed, mocking both of them. "Now get lost Isuzu, I'll deal with you later!"
"Leave her alone you dummy!" Saten retorted in anger. "Are you just so pathetic that you can only pick on girls?! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
Saeko could see that his face contorted in reaction to that insult. She had come down in order to get him away from the girl, not for her to become the victim after all. Why was this girl doing this? Why was she trying to make him come after her?
"I can't let him hurt you!" Saeko objected. Why was the girl not trying to get away from him? "Please run away?! Why aren't you running?!"
The girl just returned with a smile. "Because even if I'm scared, I can take him. He's just a bully and I'm not going to let such a person get the better of me. Still, thanks for coming to help me, that means a lot to me."
"Having a little chit chat in here? Damn, you girls can be so annoying. Well, make no mistake Isuzu. After I'm done with Saten, I'm gonna be coming for you next. Honestly, it has been way too long and you really need to be put in place." His knuckles cracked as he approached Saten.
Terrified of seeing what would happen, Saeko couldn't move, much less, use her vectors even if she wanted to. "No, no, no, no! Just leave us alone! Why do you keep picking on us?!"
"Because it is so much fun to see wimps like you cry. Still, you are hardly a challenge Isuzu. You're the biggest crybaby in this entire school. Hell, I'd wager of this entire city." His words felt like a venomous spear plunged into her heart. That couldn't be true, could it?
"You're just worthless, you hear me? Fucking worthless! That stupid look on your face and those childish ribbons you keep wearing—and what is just up with that pathetic color you have? You think you are some stupid little five year old, you just disgust me! You worthless pink haired freak! You make me sick just by being in the same room," he kept on ranting and raging, throwing other insults and vulgarities towards her.
"Leave her alone! You are just the lowest, Kikuchi!" Saten screamed in vain, her words were falling on deaf ears as he seemed focused now on the other girl. "Pick me you jerk! Don't you see you're hurting here?! Pick me! I dare you!"
"No, no, no, no, I don't want to hear anymore, I don't want to, I don't." Saeko just couldn't take it anymore. This was becoming too much for her, it was too painful to hear. She wanted him to stop, to stop talking, to stop with everything. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUUUUT UPPPPPPPP!" And then she snapped. She simply snapped.
"Azurin?!" Yuzuka shouted as she could see her standing there at the edge of the hallway. "Did you find Saekorin?! Please tell me you found her!" Coming to a sudden halt, she placed her hands on her knees as she needed to catch her breath. Just behind her, Mayu stopped as well. "Well, did you find her?!"
Azusa shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I have looked through all of the available rooms in this wing but no sign of Isuzu-san." Turning her attention towards Mayu she made a deep bow to her. "I'm really sorry Isuzu-senpai. We should have taken better care of your sister. I promise you that we won't rest until we have found her."
"Thank you. What was the last thing that you saw before you lost sight of her?" Mayu asked, she felt better after seeing the reaction she had gotten from Azusa. Apparently, these girls were really serious about feeling guilty for what had happened. They could discuss that later because finding Saeko right now was more important.
"Nothing different than what Yuzuka-san has seen. Before we even knew it, she was already out of the room. We tried to keep up with her but she was too fast and in the crowd we lost sight of her. Once again my apologies Isuzu-senpai."
Mayu started to think. Having lost sight of Saeko that fast meant that they likely didn't see in which direction she had been running, that likely meant that she could be anywhere. It was going to be a big search given it would mean they would need to check the entire school which was a lot of ground for them to cover with just the three of them.
"Ichinose-san can you tell what rooms you have already looked through so far? Kayano-san and I have already gone through B-wing."
"I've looked mainly for those rooms that would be empty, I'm done with this wing though given that more clubs are closing it means that the number of rooms we have to search will only increase. The less students on the premises would also make it easier for Isuzu-san to move unnoticed. She could easily slip past us and go home without us finding out."
That could happen yes but right now Mayu reasoned that Saeko was more likely to stay where she was hiding, she wouldn't leave school that quickly, not until she could be sure that no students remained.
That still gave them some time but they would need to hurry. "Alright then we have still two more wings to go, I don't think she would have run outside so we don't need to worry about the club and storage rooms there. We should first go and check the B-wing, it is the closest to the main entrance, we each take a separate floor and then come back at the intersection."
Yuzuka and Azusa nodded, they agreed to the plan. That way they could quickly clear it.
"If you find her then warn me first. Don't approach her all of a sudden, you might make things worse," Mayu offered them a warning though she couldn't explain why they needed to be careful, she wished that she could but neither of the girls would understand or for that matter believe her.
They were likely never going to believe any of it and even if they were told they would most likely scream once they learned it was the truth, Saeko would likely lose them for good.
"B-But senpai? Why shouldn't we go to her? We're friends." Yuzuka objected, unaware of the exact reason for Mayu's explanation as well as her unusual concerns.
Mayu couldn't blame either of them for it though.
Letting out a little growl Bando was painfully reminded that he needed to take another dose of the painkillers, guess he had been a little optimistic when he had assumed that he could go on without the crutches. Picking a fight with those punks likely hadn't been such a good idea in hindsight. "Just my kind of luck eh? Should have stayed at home and not come here at all."
Not much he could do about it now, it happened. Right now he would just need to ease down a little and not overexert his leg until Mako came back from her little discussion with the good professor. "You sure know how to keep others waiting Takebe, your just like that idiot Dai."
Ah who was he kidding anyway, she wasn't going to pay any attention to him now. She was more concerned with helping that one little horned brat, then again calling her little just wasn't right when one considered that she had the body of a fully adult woman. Though when it came to her manners and behavior she seemed more like a six year old and to top it all off she wasn't even two years old, what kind of twisted mess was that?
"I don't even want to know what kind of insane doctor created that entire mess, seriously goddamn clones and shit. Maniacs playing with kids lives in such a way, honestly that just make me want shove my boot up their ass."
He didn't like the horned girls, he most certainly didn't. But that didn't take away that he had a strong sense of what was right and what wasn't. What had been done to those girls most certainly belonged in the what wasn't category, if those people hadn't died back then they he likely would have spent plenty of time hunting them down and take care of them by himself.
He sighed as he leaned back; already the leg was starting to ache. Guess it wasn't going to take long before those painkillers would have worn off.
"Takebe, you had better get your ass out here fast," he cursed as wrong move caused a surge of pain to flare up his leg. "Fuck you. I'm so going to rest when I get back." Damn he must still be in a bad shape if after a week he was feeling like this; right now he was feeling terrible. "Damn I have really gone soft alright; damn brats did this to me."
"And who may those brats happen to be? Better not be my daughters." Although he hadn't heard her he wasn't startled the least, turning around he saw that sure enough it was Mako standing there. He wondered if the conversation had already come to an end. "I didn't expect you, finished with that weirdo?" He asked though he didn't really care.
She nodded. "You could say that, though I'm no longer sure if he can help us. You might have been right from the start that this could have been a waste of time. Still we did try at least."
He could see the disappointment on her face, obviously it hadn't entirely gone as she had hoped but for now all they could do was to wait and see. "I could make a remark about having told you so but there is no need for it. Now can we at least get the fuck out of this city? I could really do with some rest and if it isn't too much trouble a shot of painkillers."
Her eye twitched in response to the tone he used. "You're a jerk; honestly you don't deserve that because you can't seem to behave yourself. You really need to learn more manners otherwise you are going to get into more trouble later on," she sighed as she reached into her briefcase though the reluctance was apparent enough in her face. "You really don't deserve this but I can't have you pass out here on the streets now can I? Just be grateful for it."
Taken the capsule he let out a really quick and disgruntled thank you that was about all he was going to say for now. "So what do we do next? We stay here and wait for the good professor to make up his mind or do we do the sensible thing and go home?" He grunted.
"We're going home, I don't like staying here. Also I don't like leaving the girls alone for the night and besides I don't think it will be possible for us to book a hotel on such short notice."
It was going to take some time before the painkiller would kick in again, until then they would need to take a little slower for Bando's sake. Looking at him she wondered if he wanted some rest for the time being. "I'll call a cab, let's get the earliest train."
Bando didn't object to that, he was fine with it. The sooner they would get back to Kamakura the better as far as he was concerned. God he hoped the painkiller would kick in really fast given the pain in his leg was only becoming more annoying by the second. He could also really do with some good coffee about right now; hopefully he could get some at the station. With nothing else left he made himself as comfortable as possible as Mako went ahead and called for a taxi, right now he would just have to wait for it to arrive.
Letting out a deep sigh Kouta wasn't so sure on what to say after having heard the entire story, to think that man actually had a daughter who knew that some Diclonius were still out there. 'What am I going to do when I see her again, will she find out about me?'
He had already left Arakawa's office earlier ago; there wasn't much point in staying there as she couldn't provide him with the answers he was now looking for. He was hoping, no praying, that they would not need to through it all again. The girls never liked the times when they had to be confined in the houses during the aftermath of Kaede's final moments.
'We can't let them go through that again, we just simply can't,' he wanted to avoid those times from happening again at all costs, they deserved a good life. The only question that now kept plaguing him was what they were going to do about this woman.
'I need to discuss this with the others, especially with Bando-san and Dai-san. They should know what to do and they also have the means to keep a watch on her, I just hope they don't have to undertake action should it come to that. I don't want to see people getting hurt because of the girls, we are not like those people.'
He shouldn't get ahead of himself, first things first. He would call a meeting with the others first and discuss what they knew of this woman. It would be important that Arakawa would attend as well and tell them what she knew.
'We need to be cautious, we shouldn't rush ahead. Besides I wouldn't mind hearing what she actually wants. Maybe I'm just worrying too much over this? Perhaps she doesn't mean us any harm? But what if she does? What is she wants to finish the job that her father started? If she wants revenge on all Diclonius for her father's death?'
Action would need to be taken but what that action was to exactly amount to he wasn't sure of, honestly he didn't really want to know it because he feared for the worst possible outcome.
No more lives could be allowed to be lost because of the Diclonius, those blood filled times needed to never happen again.
He was going to feel better when he could discuss this with Yuka, just to get it off his chest that was certain already. 'I need to discuss this with somebody, just to hear somebody tell me that I'm worrying too much and that it will all work out. I really need to hear that now.'
He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts as a vibration ran through his right leg, looking down in surprise he at first didn't know what to make of this but as it kept going he realized that it was just his cell phone. Now who could be calling him at a time like this?
"Isuzu Kouta," he said as he answered the phone.
"Ah Kouta-san, It's me Nana. Say are you done with school for already?"
He could hear the familiar voice of Nana, somehow he felt more at ease at hearing the sound of her voice. "Yes, I'm on my way home right now. Is there something you want me to get for you on the way home? Or did something happen? Don't tell me there is trouble? Is Saori-chan okay?""
His questions were met by her laughing, guess he was becoming a little too worried now.
"Kouta-san… no, no, no, no," she laughed. "There is something you can bring along." And then she began to talk about the phone call she had earlier with Dai, right now she was still at home watching over Saori but Saeko hadn't come home yet. For her it meant that she simply couldn't leave the inn for the time being.
"So I was wondering if it would be possible for you to head over to their house and tell them to come to the inn. Dai-san would feel better knowing the twins and little Sei wouldn't be alone tonight."
Kouta had let out a sigh; going to the Hirano's meant that he was going to have to in the other direction. He wasn't going to get home soon but he figured it wouldn't hurt having Kyou, Ryou and Sei stay over for the night, they certainly would make it pretty lively.
"I'll go and pick them, just don't expect me to get back within the hour. Can you make sure that we have extra for two more people? Also tell Yuka for me. Well I will be going then and bring along the twins, take care Nana-chan."
Looking at his phone it meant that he had something to keep himself busy with for now and while it did mean he had to make a long detour now, he also was to have the twins to keep him company on the way back. Maybe they could help him get over the concerns he was having, certainly seeing them happy and playing around had to be worth it to him.
"Well I should pick up the pace and bring them along. I do hope that Kyou-chan isn't going to be so clingy to me this time," he told himself as he placed the phone back in his pocket, he turned around and started to walk in the other direction. His mood already starting to lighten up. "I just hope that Kyou-chan isn't going to do any weird stuff when she sees me." He joked.
Kikuchi screamed in agony as he fell back, his nose likely broken by the blow to his face. Lying there with his back against the wall he gazed at his hands, covered in blood. "Y-You bitch… y-you hit me…h-how…?" he barely got passed his lips before he passed out and his body slumped against the wall before it dropped onto the floor.
Saten was standing there, an expression born of an equal mix of fear, confusion and disbelief etched on her face. She hadn't even comprehended what had just happened, it had all happened so fast that she found it hard belief that this girl had taken out a bully like Kikuchi in one move that had happened so fast that she hadn't even seen it.
"Y-You…" she couldn't say anything else as she kept staring at this girl, she had already noticed the odd pink color of her hair which meant that she had to be the girl of whom she had heard a few stories from people in her class. "A-Are you…?"
"Saekorin?!" The door on the other side was flung wide open as no less than three girls came rushing inside. "Oh my God you're here?! Oh I'm so glad we found you!"
Saten kept watching as the oldest of them, a second year student judging by the symbol on her uniform rushed in and kneeled down next to the girl.
Taking her in an embrace Mayu cried along with her. "Saeko-san? Are you alright? Please say something to me? Were you hurt? Oh why did you have to run away like that? I was so worried about you."
The girl just kept crying and apologizing in response. "… M-Mayu-chan… I-I-I'm… s-s-so… sorry… I-I-I… d-didn't… m-mean… t-to… h-h-he…. h-he… I-I-I… t-told…" she kept sobbing, the words barely making any sense now.
"Saeko-san, don't say another word. It's alright, I'm here now. So are your friends, they came towards me because they couldn't find you, they were so worried when you ran away."
The other two girls were just behind her, crying as well. Saten didn't understand why they were crying like this. "Ah… ehm… if I may? I'm Saten-," she said as she took a cautious step forward but she was interrupted.
"Did you hurt Saekorin?! The nearest one with a pony tail clenched her fists as she got in between her and the two girls crying. "I won't forgive you if you hurt her?!" A second girl with long black hair also placed herself next to the one opposing Saten.
"N-No, you got it all wrong. It was Kikuchi who bullied her," Saten said quickly as she pointed towards where the person in question was slumped against the wall, unconscious for the time being. "He kept calling her names and mocking her, I tried to stop him, I tried to get him to leave her alone but he wouldn't."
They kept looking at each other until, an uneasy silence setting in between them as neither side knew what to say, the only sound that could be heard was the joined crying of both Mayu and Saeko.
It took a while before Saten broke the silence. "Is she alright? She's going to be fine right?"
Nobody seemed to answer her, the two girls opposing her still making sure they were in between her and the two crying. She was still wondering who these people exactly were but apart from the obvious signs that told her that only one of them was a junior student while the others were like her also freshmen there was precious little.
'They called her Isuzu-san, I wonder if the older one is the famous Isuzu-san who already ranks in the top five students of the prefecture?' If so then the girl with the pink hair had to be the one she had heard all of those stories about, a gorgeous younger sister with bright pink hair and who was also an excellent student. Surely it had to be them; there could be no mistake about this, to think that she would just come into contact with two such famous students in the school.
"Saeko-san let's go home, you've been through enough already." Mayu mentioned as she stood up, helping Saeko to get back on her own feet. "You want that right? To go home?"
Saeko could do little more than nodding her head, her eyes stained by tears, her head hanging low. She mumbled a few words but nobody could understand them.
Even though Saten wanted to go and ask how she was doing, not to mention thank her for the effort she felt that perhaps now it would be better to just leave them. Still as she watched them approach the door she said one last thing. "Thank you for coming to my help, please get well soon." Making a bow she felt a sense of relief when the elder one smiled and nodded in return. She also made a promise to herself that one day she would repay the favor to this girl even though she wasn't sure on how to do that but she was determined.
Standing at the door, Kouta needed a moment to calm down. Strangely the closer he had gotten to the house, the more nervous he had become. Was it simply because in a few short moments he would come face to face with Kyou and become a victim to one of her glomps? He had experienced them before but somehow he never really got used to them.
His hand hanging over the bell he wondered. "I should really brace myself for this, if she makes a running start then she's going to knock me over for sure." Actually now that he thought about it was kind of funny. It was just her way of showing her affection and she only did it to people she really liked.
"Come to think of it, besides her parents the only person I have seen her do it to are me and Nozomi-chan. She doesn't do that with the other girls or with Yuka and Mayu-chan for that matter. I wonder?" Oh well, it didn't really matter all that much. Besides, as obstinate as she can be, she could also be one of the sweetest girls he had met.
Of course Ryou was always a sweet girl though she still remained shy. "I wonder what they have been doing all day. I'm willing to bet they both would love to come to the inn for the night. Hopefully though they won't distract the others from doing their homework."
Ringing the bell, he took a step back to make sure they could see him from one of the windows he waited at. The girls had been taught not to open the door if the person was a stranger so he had to make sure they could see him. "Which one will be at the door I wonder?"
From the corner of his eye he could just catch a glimpse of movement from behind one of the curtains. Had one of the girls seen him standing there?
"Isuzu-senpai? Do you need any help? Do you want us to carry your schoolbags for you?" Yuzuka kept moving around Mayu, constantly asking if there was a way for her to help. Was she still feeling guilty over what had happened? "Please, I want to help you and Saekorin."
"Kayano-san, Ichinose-san. You two have already been a help but right now what Saeko-san needs is some time alone. You'll see her again tomorrow in school alright?" And with that Mayu was hoping that Saeko's friends would leave them alone for the time being. It wasn't that she disliked them or blamed them for what had happened, far from it.
"They just wouldn't understand," she sighed as they made their way past the main entrance, the sun was still high in the sky which made it seem like it wasn't late but a quick look at her watch already told Mayu enough. "We're going to be late for dinner. Saeko-san we may have to try and take a bus or do you want it to be just the two of us?"
She didn't get a response but that already told her enough and she was afraid of it, Saeko had done something that she had been explicitly told not to. Likely the guilt she was feeling now as the realization of her action sank in with her was taking a toll. After a while and noticing that they were alone on the streets, Mayu decided that now might be a good time to have a little talk with her. At least now she didn't have to worry about people finding out.
Carefully she asked the question, "You used them didn't you? You used your vectors even though you aren't supposed to? What exactly happened? What did that boy do to you? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but you should know that Kouta-san and Yuka-san might find out about this at some point."
She could hear Saeko whimper a little as she mentioned that. Guess she couldn't blame her for being fearful of that. She wouldn't mind helping her but without knowing what had happened, there was little that she could do. Maybe she shouldn't have left so quickly in an effort to get Saeko away from it. Perhaps it would have been better if she had listened to what that girl had to say.
"… S-S-Sorry… M-Mayu-chan… I-I-I'm s-s-so t-t-terribly… s-s-sorry. I-I-I… d-didn't m-mean t-to… h-h-he…. h-he… I-I-I… t-told…" Saeko tried to formulate a response though with still sobbing and whimpering it was difficult for Mayu to understand what she was trying to say. Though it didn't take away that Mayu already was having as a pretty good idea on what had happened.
"… H-H-He…. h-he… h-he… h-hurt… me… he… hurt me… I-I-I…" The words were blurted. They didn't make sense and still Mayu only got more confirmation on what she was suspecting. She had heard from other students in her class that some freshman was starting to bully other students. If it was indeed that boy named Kikuchi then she was going to have a talk with him.
'I'm not going to let him get away with hurting Saeko-san like that. He needs to be taught a lesson, I will talk to sensei about this tomorrow at school after I've had a talk with that girl. Saten was her name if I remember correctly.' That would come tomorrow. Now she would rather make sure that Saeko was going to be alright after what she had been through.
Author's note: So next chapter is up for you people to read and enjoy, hope that you all are having good weekend.