Hello! Please, enjoy what you read at your own will, within reason and respect. Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: I do not claim nor own anything. All rights are reserved to their respective owners and no copyright infringement intended. This fiction is for pure entertainment only and not for commercial purposes.
Behind the warehouses, there was a zigzagged pathway towards a lighthouse. Mikoto was going there to see her friend, whom she met coincidentally at the cross-section bridge between the harbour and warehouses. Mikoto's friend had asked of her to help with something at the lighthouse. Nothing too serious at least, Mikoto hoped.
Reaching at the end of the path, there was a set of stairs going up the stone-platform. After taking a short climb up the stairs, Mikoto looked around on the platform to find her friend. There was no one around. Suddenly, a flickering red dot on the ground caught Mikoto's attention. The red dot 'hopped' on the ground towards the lighthouse. Mikoto looked at the lighthouse and searched for the source of the light.
At the peak of the lighthouse, Mikoto saw a figure casually leaning on the rail and the source of the red dot. Mikoto amusedly shook her head and continued into the lighthouse to the top. The door to the lighthouse was unlocked, and so was the gate up the rotating stairs. Climbing another long set of stairs, Mikoto wondered what her friend was doing at the top of the lighthouse.
Mikoto knew her friend was a private investigator, or freelancer as her friend instated. It helped that Mikoto had someone to contact and get information from her friend. In return, Mikoto 'externally' helped her friend in exposing hideouts, illegal dealings, or find people. Someone else could have done a better job at all three of those than Mikoto, but her friend believed in her instincts. In any case, this must be another search and raid case Mikoto presumed. What else could it be?
Finally, as Mikoto reached the peak of the lighthouse and looked to her friend, her presumption was wrong. A red-haired woman a quarter taller than her was by the railing of the platform. The red-haired woman had her hands on her hips, looking at the compass lying on the flat of the railing with a tiny flashlight on top of it.
"Hope I didn't interrupt your date back there." The red-haired woman said and scratched the side of her head.
"Nah, we were taking a stroll. Whatcha' got there, Nao?" Mikoto stood beside the haired woman and looked at the items on the rail.
The compass's red needle was spinning, because the flashlight was on top of it. The travel-arrow on the baseplate of the compass was pointing at the harbour. The flashlight was off facing towards the lighthouse.
"I had a tip-off about a black market from a riddle." Nao took the flashlight off and added, "Thing is, you have to find the market with these items."
"Is that it? It's kinda' difficult using a compass up here." Mikoto looked at the unstable needle swinging off and in the oriental arrow beneath it.
"There's no direction. The key here is to precisely pinpoint the warehouses between the black needle's swinging arcs." Nao said and put the flashlight beside the compass.
"What about the red needle?" Mikoto enquired, as Nao took out a binocular from the pack at Nao's hip.
"That's for the flashlight to point at." Nao gave the binocular to Mikoto.
Mikoto took the binocular and asked, "Okay. So what is Mikoto supposed to look for?" She raised the binocular to her eyes and looked to the warehouses.
Nao grinned and replied, "Look for the red dot. It should be pointing directly at the number on one of the warehouses."
"Aye, aye! Captain!" Mikoto responded and received a light tap of a hand to her arm.
Nao lopsidedly grinned and spoke about the riddle as she adjusted the compass and flashlight: Red arrow is the red light towards the lamp. Black arrow should wave across the numbers. Face the harbour whilst in position at the peak by the lamp. You will find the black market precisely highlighted in the reflection.
It was a little difficult since the compass was on high altitude, making Nao constantly shift it until she found the spot that stabilised the needle. The needle was still moving, but not as much. Nao memorised the red needle's direction, and then she put the flashlight on the compass with the light on. The red beam of light shone towards the lamp, and then reflected the light from the lenses around the lamp. Nobody could see the beam of the reflected light, but the dot should be visible.
"See anything?" Nao asked.
Mikoto looked across with the binoculars on the warehouse and answered, "Nope."
"Keep looking until you see the red dotted light." Nao shifted the flashlight a little side-to-side so that the reflected light was waving.
Mikoto zoomed the scope further and slowly looked across for the light.
"Still nothing. Maybe a stronger light is needed?" Mikoto said.
"It's the best I got with my budget. You sure you don't see the red dot on any of the numbers." Nao sighed and stopped fiddling with the items.
Mikoto lowered the binoculars and shook her head. Nao crossed her arms and leaned back on the railing, biting the corner of her lips in contemplation. Mikoto looked to the items on the railing curiously. Mikoto scratched her head and wondered what in the world Nao was thinking. Rather than asking, Mikoto looked to the glass-panelled walls protecting the lamp of the lighthouse. The flashlight was still on and reflecting the beam off from the lenses.
There beam of light seemed to form a zigzagged pattern: through the glass-panelled wall, bouncing from lenses to lenses, and finally directing the beam upwards to the glass-roof. Mikoto's eyes followed the beams length and noticed something off. One of the lens appeared to be a little unaligned with the other lenses around the lamp, at least it looked that way to Mikoto.
However, giving the unaligned lens one long look, there was actually something on its reflection. Mikoto turned to Nao and snapped her fingers. Nao looked to Mikoto who beckoned her to come over. Nao walked to Mikoto's side and looked to where Mikoto was pointing.
"Great. The lens is unaligned, and the lock is preventing us from going inside." Nao said with a sigh, and as she looked to Mikoto, she frowned and glared at Mikoto.
Mikoto grinned, "Nao should look very closely at it beyond the naked eye." She amusedly said as Nao murmured in mimic.
Nao raised the binoculars to her eyes and focused in on the unaligned lens. Nao hummed interestedly as the reflection in the lens became clearer, but did not feel right as it was mirroring a ship at the harbour. Nao lowered the binocular and circled around the glass-panelled walls whilst keeping an eye on the unaligned lens's reflection. Nao stopped at a particular radius of the wall facing the harbour and looked to the reflection again with the binocular.
There on the reflection of the lens, a factory was clearly highlighted in pale red-colour. The building was nowhere here, but at the other side of the coast. Nao frowned and ruffled her hair with an annoyed sigh. Mikoto came over to Nao's side and wordlessly gave her the binocular. Mikoto took the binocular and looked to the lens, while Nao sighed and went to turn off the flashlight and put it away from the compass.
"That's a banned factory on the centre of a border. What's Nao gonna' do there?" Mikoto lowered the binocular and walked over to Nao's side.
Nao tapped on the railing as she answered, "Something stupid." She vaguely answered with a smirk.
Mikoto quirked a brow and did not press on the matter. As Nao put the compass and flashlight into her hip pack, she pulled out a book and showed it to Mikoto. Nao took the binocular off Mikoto's hand after taking the book from her.
Mikoto looked at the book's hardcover and immediately recognised her grandfather's handwriting. The book was called, Miroku and the Obsidian Law. Mikoto traced with her index finger along the lines of the alphabets, wistfully smiling.
"Thank you, Nao." Mikoto toothily smiled as she looked to Nao full of gratitude and sincerity.
Nao grunted tersely with a lopsided grin and said, "We're even." She briefly tilted the binocular at Mikoto, and then put it in her hip pack.
"Yes~, sister~." Mikoto teased and laughed as Nao shivered from head-to-toe whilst reeling away and glaring at her.
"Do Not! …Do That! ...Ever." Nao belched, grimaced, and rubbed her face to rid away the uncomfortable tingling vibes.
"Sorry, sorry. Mikoto is very happy that Nao found this book. How did you get it?" Mikoto asked.
Nao shrugged and cockily answered, "My gal found it. What took me three years to find it, turned into two weeks for her. You know her, mystics and voodoo stuff."
"Hmhm~, you rarely believe in Shiho's 'hocus-pocus'." Mikoto hopped away from the swipe of Nao's arm.
Nao huffed and stared at Mikoto, "Well excuse me. I had no idea that the book you're looking for was not registered in any library or database; let alone anybody who has a copy of it. And most of all, why in the world was that book found in a rickety hut full of freaking bears!"
Mikoto gulped and sheepishly laughed, "Did it happen to be a hut next to a cave?" She meekly asked, and received a burrowing glare from Nao.
Nao sighed and tiredly rubbed the side of her neck, "In any case, I'm not sure if that is the book you're looking for about your sword."
Mikoto smiled and answered, "There's Gramp's writing here on the cover. Mikoto knows it very well since he taught me to write as he did." Just as she was about to flip open the book's cover, Nao stopped her.
"We're done here. You can read that elsewhere." Nao said and left suddenly, going down the stairs without a look back.
Mikoto quirked a brow and wondered what had Nao leaving so suddenly. Mikoto decided not to press on the matter and put the book into her coat's pocket. Thankfully, the coat had a zipper to protect the book from slipping off. Mikoto went down the stairs with Nao a little further from her. As they went down the stairs, Mikoto kept glancing at Nao's sombre expression. However, once they were on the stone platform and out of the lighthouse, Nao's expression changed into her usual laidback self.
"Nao, is-" Mikoto fell silent when Nao looked to her with a grin.
"You're too trusting kitty. You'll never know what kind of things other people should not hear but yourself." Nao advised, her green-eyes staring at Mikoto intensely.
Mikoto blinked her eyes briefly puzzled. Nao chuckled and went over to bop Mikoto on the head.
"Don't think too hard it on kitty. I didn't read the contents, but that book is dangerous." Nao warned and departed.
Mikoto hummed thoughtfully and followed Nao back to the warehouses.
"So, are you still chasing after Aristocrat?" Nao inquired casually.
"Yes, but not for now. There's something Mikoto really needs to find out and be certain of." Mikoto answered as she pat on her pocket with the book.
Nao nodded, and they slipped into casual conversations and catching up on things. Nao was someone Mikoto could talk and work together when it came to Aristocrat. Although Nao was not interested in Aristocrat, she was interested in the cases involving Aristocrat – the mystery and identity of Aristocrat to be precise. If Nao accomplished that, she would earn a lot of money to be paid for the information. Hence, Mikoto received Nao's information about Aristocrat's crimes and places, so that Nao could sneak up and compile information about Aristocrat.
Sadly, Nao had to stop helping Mikoto when her mother and her friend were threatened. Aristocrat knew where Nao's mother resided, and would use extreme force to destroy both home and dignity. Mikoto did not blame Nao for not helping her, but suggested Nao to find a way to keep Nao's mother safe from harm. Aristocrat will not torment people, but make them suffer from loss of home and fame.
Nao's mother was safe with the help of another friend. Nao would not say who, as it would endanger and leak the secret out. Nao did mention that it was someone who had fallen in love with her mother. Nao has two moms and a stepsister, which she does her best be discreet about in order to protect her family.
As for Shiho, Mikoto met her during a visit at a shrine to find out about a legend, Miroku. The swords name was said to be from a god's name, or an ogre's name. Mikoto was wrong. The sword was named after it was forged from an ogre-like warrior. Shiho told Mikoto about the warrior who became the lord's right-hand to protect people. The sword's name was established the same time the warrior made his law and oath upon the sword.
There were very little legends about the sword and its purpose, because the warrior died and kept its secrets. The sword survived and was stabbed in the midst of a thousand dead warriors, and then fell into the unworthy hands of the lord. The lord asked his men to retrieve the warrior's sword, so that he may carry and conquer the world with it.
However, the sword was heavy and unwieldy, but the lord persisted to lift and wield it in his own hands. The lord knew of its sharpness, unbreakable edge, and the difficulty of polishing the sword. Soon and not for long, the lord succeeded in wielding sword for a short while and a few conquest that led his arms and hands to become crippled, numb, and dull of pain and feelings. No cure could remedy the lord's hand, until a monk visited him.
The monk was a woman who spoke to the lord that his hand was stained with cruelty and tyranny. The monk went on to say that, the warrior was furious and placed a curse onto the lord for his abuse and devastation to the innocent. To be relieved of the curse, the lord must establish an order that is just, fair, compassionate, and progressively understanding of the will around him. If not, Miroku will be heavier and heavier to wield, for he is his own will.
The lord had the monk executed for hogwash tales told unto him. The monk fought back and defeated his man, thousands of them. Frightened and losing the manpower to defend a castle, the lord asked the monk to leave him be. The monk shook her head and asked to take the sword. The lord laughed and allowed the woman to take it.
Easily and to the lord's shock, the monk weightlessly took the sword in both her hands and leave. After recovering from the shock, a book lay there in the sword's place. The lord ignored it and asked his scholars to take it away do whatever of it. That however, started a new legend; an old scholar read the book that had him enamoured, and took the book with him home.
From that onwards, history and myths have been mixed up about the sword, the book, the monk, and the scholar. Mikoto told Shiho that the sword was real and wanted to find the book. Shiho answered that while the sword exists, the book did not, as it had been rewritten repeatedly by different people that have passed on the sword to another. Shiho would help Mikoto if she brought or told her where Nao was.
"Never thought I'd see you again, kitty; saved me years worth of finding you." Nao turned to face Mikoto as they went pass the cross-section to the harbour.
Mikoto grinned, "Nao knows where I'm usually at." She chuckled as Nao tilted her head and glared at her.
"Oh yeah, it sure is, in all the parks and harbours and playgrounds and docks-" Nao stopped and stepped away swiftly from Mikoto's jumping embrace.
Mikoto did it again and had her arms wrapped around Nao's stomach, "Nao's the bestest private eye in the world!"
Nao rolled her eyes as she smirked and grinded her knuckles on both sides of Mikoto's head, "Don't even try slipping away from my wrath kitty."
Mikoto laughed and was shortly released from Nao, "Mou… Nao messed my hair." She whined as she brushed and fixed her hair.
"Tch! Your hair has always been like that, but nice texture. What shampoo did you use?" Nao asked.
"Uh… Mikoto was using Mai's shampoo, so…" Mikoto shrugged her shoulder and pulled her braids to the front of her shoulders.
"Huh, I guess her endorsements were trustworthy after all. That makes it easier to find Shiho's present." Nao said and could not believe her luck this night.
"Shiho is hosting a Christmas party?" Mikoto earned a shake of Nao's head.
"Just us two, kitty. Gotta' calm our friend before she strung up another doll in my apartment. Ciao~." Nao amusedly said and went off after a two-finger salute.
"Give Shiho my regards." Mikoto giggled as Nao turned and blew a mocking raspberry at her.
After Nao left, Mikoto looked around the harbour for Mai. Mai found Mikoto instead, sneaking behind Mikoto with a mischievous grin on her face. Just as Mai was right behind Mikoto, Mikoto turned around with an amused grin and a raised eyebrow.
Mai blinked her eyes, and then frowned, "You knew?"
Mikoto chuckled, "The wind helped me." She answered.
Mai furrowed her brows and gave a lopsided grin, "Are you implying that I am large?"
"Yes." Mikoto simply answered, and just Mai was about to reply.
Mikoto stepped forward and immediately embraced Mai, "But that makes Mai super warm!"
Mai laughed and wrapped her arms around Mikoto, "Been out in the cold for too long huh?" She earned a hum from Mikoto.
"Then let's go and warm ourselves up on the way back." Mai said, and suddenly, Mikoto turned around, pulled her arms and wrapped them around Mikoto.
"What are you doing?" Mai inquired.
"Hug me, 'cause Mikoto's cold, and I'm a young growing girl~." Mikoto replied, and had her cheeks lightly pinched.
"Getting cheeky with me aren't you~." Mai said, grinning amusedly as Mikoto giggled.
"I'll shout that Mai's bullying me." Mikoto said, and smiled as Mai laughed.
"Jeez, you're really sly for being a little short." Mai said and smiled, as they walked… waddled off the harbour.
