XI.

"Thanks for meeting me," Natsuki sat at the outdoor table at the café, and Midori Suguira sat opposite her.

"Well, I've heard a few of the details from Mai and Nao already," Midori grinned, "Got yourself right into the middle of a love triangle, did you?"

"Shut up."

"And with two girls, no less. I mean, I always suspected, but when you turned down Nao, I thought maybe you were Ace or something…"

"If you're going to tease me, I'm leaving," Natsuki said firmly, "I get enough of that from Shizuru's ghost."

Midori looked serious, "Fine. Then let me tell you that I think you got yourself into something really troubling, Kuga. You say she can't leave the grounds of the Estate?"

"That's right."

Midori crossed her arms, closing her eyes and frowning, "There are typically only three reasons a ghost will be bound to a location. Murder. Suicide. Or Curse. And Ahn Lu told you that it was a suicide?"

"Yeah. But I didn't find anything in the police records on the incident. And I didn't find any evidence of an autopsy."

"Well, high class family. They wouldn't want the embarrassment. Money greasing a few palms, and there's a false report and a cremation without a report. What did your spooky girlfriend have to say when you asked her?"

"I didn't ask her," Natsuki looked away, "I felt like…like I'd be invading her privacy."

"Kuga, listen, suicides are people who gave in to despair. I know that there are those who romanticize it in our culture, especially over matters of romance and personal honor, but I'm not one of those people. I'm a scholar. I'm always looking for a solution. And suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems.

"But misery loves company. If Fujino is the sort of person who would give in to despair and take that final step, I'm not sure being involved with her is a good idea."

Natsuki put one hand flat over her face, then let it slide down, "I thought that we were supposed to try and be understanding and supportive of people who were feeling suicidal, to try to remind them of the things they have to live for."

"The key to that sentence, Kuga, is 'feeling suicidal', not, 'have already committed suicide'. If she gave in to that kind of despair, she could be trying to draw you in, as well. Just something to consider."

"I get your point," Natsuki sighed, "I'll ask her about it when I get home. But first I have to meet this Ahn Lu person."

"Ahn Lu. Was she the actress or the singer?"

"I don't even know," Natsuki sighed, "I stopped keeping track of my Dad's affairs after I woke up in the hospital and he wouldn't come see me."

And then Natsuki's mind clicked, and she felt a deep welling pit in her stomach.

"Oh, my God," she exhaled softly, "The accident. I died. Midori…do you think Dad cut off communication because…he thought I was just a cheap copy of his daughter?"

Midori reached over, taking her hand, "Kuga, are you alright?"

"I don't think I am," Natsuki finally admitted after a moment, "I think my whole life needs new perspective."

"Miss…Kuga?" a voice called quietly.

Natsuki turned to see a tall woman with short cut hair, similar in color to Shizuru's own tawny locks, three dots painted on her forehead.

"Ahn Lu?" Natsuki looked startled.

"I am. You…you seem upset. If you and your friend are busy…"

"Midori Suguira, researcher at Fuuka University," Midori offered her hand, "Kuga has been asking me to look into some stuff related to ghosts. I'm sure you can guess why."

"Indeed," Ahn Lu nodded, "I was the one who found dear Shizuru. She…she found me in a most compromising situation and I wanted…needed to explain to her..."

She wiped at her eyes, "I'm sorry, it's very hard to think about. To know that my own actions caused her to go that far."

"Why don't we discuss this somewhere else?" Midori suggested, "More private."

~~*~~

"I haven't been here in ages," Ahn Lu looked at the house with a mix of sorrow and dread, "When last I saw Shizuru, she was in her room, hanging from a rope…"

Natsuki frowned, "Ahn Lu, is Shizuru's room the one that's down the hall and to the left?"

Ahn Lu shook her head, "No. That was the master bedroom. Her parents' room. She, of course, had her own room. East wing, third door. She never moved into her parents' room. She was very fond of her own room."

The air in the foyer suddenly turned icy, and a frigid whisper came.

"Get out!"

"Shizuru?" Natsuki shivered.

"Get out, Ahn Lu! Traitor!"

"Shizuru, please," Ahn Lu fell to her knees, "I'm sorry. I should have discussed it with you. I should have…"

A ceramic bowl flew off of a shelf and shattered against a far wall.

"I said get out, you faithless beast!"

"SHIZURU!" Natsuki thundered, "Stop it!"

Shizuru materialized before them, a pained look on her face, "Natsuki? How could you bring this wretch before me? Even Nao is more tolerable than this creature. At least Nao is here out of love for you."

"She came to apologize to you, Shizuru," Natsuki said, "To ask your forgiveness."

"Shizuru, I never…I expected that your family would force you to honor the engagement to Homura. I did not believe that you and I could ever be together. And Genichiro offered me something you never could, no matter how devoted you were."

"I'm sure," Shizuru said acidly.

"A child! Shizuru, I wanted to have my own child! You could never give me that!"

"And yet, you were not with Genichiro when he passed. And I do not sense any hint of maternity about you," Shizuru looked at her with scorn.

"..The pregnancy was ectopic," Ahn Lu looked away, "I couldn't put myself through that again. I never made another attempt. I have lived my life as a celibate since you took your own life, because I believed that everything I had touched had turned to ruin."

"Took my own life?" Shizuru blinked, "I wasted away pining for you!"

"Shizuru, I found you, hanging from the rafters of your room by a rope!" Ahn Lu said, "But the paid the papers to keep out that detail, and…"

"No," Sakomizu entered the room, looking very tired, "They didn't. Mistress Fujino did not hang herself. She never left this house, after your relationship ended. And I know for a fact that no rope of that thickness existed on this estate. I tried to tell the police that, but they did not believe me."

Natsuki's eyes narrowed, "Are you saying…That Shizuru was murdered?"

Sakomizu nodded, "But I have neither the resources nor the skills to conduct my own investigation. And the evidence is long gone. The police were convinced that it was a suicide, and Mr. Homura convinced the police to conceal that so that the Fujino name would not be sullied. The idea was to be that Shizuru expired from grief and overwork."

"You told us she died of a broken heart!" Natsuki growled.

"I didn't know you at the time. I didn't know if you would believe me, given the official reports. And I had no reason to believe that Mistress Fujino would feel a connection to you."

Ahn Lu looked horrified, "But, who would have killed Shizuru? She was the sole heir to the family fortune. Once she died, her monies were divided between her company, her servants, and the lion's share taken by the national treasury. There was no one who stood to truly benefit."

"There's lots of reasons to kill someone," Natsuki said, "And it isn't always about money. She had a jilted fiance. She had a former lover, who had, herself, a lover. And that's not counting anyone who might have had a grudge against the Fujino estate."

"Those names would be endless," Sakomizu sighed, "But I know who it was."

"But you just said…"

"I said I didn't have the skills to conduct an investigation. I can claim it all I want. Proving it is another matter altogether. And he's far too powerful for me to move against him without concrete evidence."

"Who?" Natsuki demanded.

"Nagi Homura."

"Wait," Shizuru sat down, "Wouldn't I have any memories of being murdered?"

Midori shook her head, "Depends on how you died. There wasn't an autopsy, so I can't really say anything definitively, but you might have been murdered, then hung to make it look like suicide. Or the killer might have actually put you in a noose and hung you to kill you. It could have been poison, strangulation…"

"Poison!" Sakomizu exclaimed, "Of course. I didn't even…Mistress Shizuru complained that her tea tasted wrong that day. I didn't give it any thought, because she had been refusing to eat since the relationship with Ahn Lu failed…I'm sorry, Mistress!"

He bowed on the floor, prostrating himself before the spirit of his dead Mistress, "I'm sorry. Forgive your inattentive and foolish servant!"

Shizuru tilted her head, putting her hand on her cheek, "Ara, so many requests for forgiveness, today."

"I don't drink tea, myself," Sakomizu rose to his feet, "but I kept the Mistress's tea out of sentiment. Give me a half hour to retrieve it!"

He left the house.

Shizuru looked at Ahn Lu, "You never told me you wanted a child, Ahn Lu! We could have figured something out!"

"I did not have confidence that we could, Shizuru," Ahn Lu bowed, "Forgive me. And for my betrayal, I have been denied that which I desired most."

Shizuru's eyes were soft, "That…seems too high a penance."

Ahn Lu shook her head, "I deserved no less, for doubting you. And then I believed for ten years that you had taken your own life for my selfishness. I…never took another lover. Forgive me, Shizuru, for ever doubting you."

"Ahn Lu…" Shizuru started crying, "I wish I could have been more open about our feelings!"

The two women sobbed, and then Shizuru turned to Natsuki, "Thank you. For bringing my friend back to me. Natsuki is truly one who cares for me."

Natsuki scratched her cheek in embarrassment, "Yeah."

"Ara, so shy."

"Well," Midori looked at her, "If you truly love her, you can do a bit of reciprocating. Kuga just had a stark revelation, and she could use a bit of cheering up."

Midori took Ahn Lu by the arm, "Come on, let's go. I'll buy you a drink."

"Oh?"

"I was a big fan of your early work," Midori grinned.

They two walked out of the house.

"Ara, Natsuki is feeling blue? And what is bothering you, dearest?"

Natsuki explained the realization she'd had, that her father may well have suspected that she was merely a fake version of his daughter.

Shizuru looked sorrowful, "That is truly something to consider."

"Hey, 'sup," Nao came in, "What's going on?"

"Nao, may I borrow your arms. Our dear Natsuki is very much in need of a hug, and I cannot do that on my own."

Nao looked at the forlorn look on Natsuki's face, and the pleading look on Shizuru's. She gave a soft nod, and felt the sensation of Shizuru passing into her. This time, there was none of the usual antipathy between them, and Nao was imparted with the knowledge Shizuru had acquired about what was making Natsuki feel so down. It was telling that when she opened her eyes again, one was red, but the other was still the same lime green. This was a mutual expression of sympathy for Natsuki, and not a battle for possession of her.

No sooner was the hug released, though Natsuki had taken a moment to caress the arms that held her, then Sakomizu returned, carrying a tin box.

"This is Shizuru's tea," Sakomizu said. He opened the lid.

Nao fanned her nose, "Ugh. You liked garlic tea or something?"

"No," Natsuki, author of three mystery novels, and one spy thriller, stood up, "No, this isn't garlic tea. That's arsenic. That tea is poisoned, all right."