Tokyo, Japan, 2010.
"Captain Angel Avenant, 17. Member of the Beowulf Senate Office of Investigations...I see...those old politicians had told me they were sending someone over. So...that makes you Akira's old partner, then. Getting past soldiers as elite as mine is no small feat, I'll have you know. I see here that you are an expert at manipulating a person," Mina observed as she placed Angel's file on her desk.
"Yes, your Majesty. That's why I was offered a position in your security division," Angel informed her.
"Complete erasure of all sense or sign of presence. It's something Angie's always been infuriatingly good at...you got us more than once with that tactic in training, and you managed to do it again," Akira praised as he placed a hand on Angel's right shoulder.
"Akira, would you be so kind as to bring your old friend some tea?" Mina suggested.
"I could go and get some-" Yuki went to offer but Akira shook his head.
"It's okay Yuki. I'll go," Akira refused politely as he went to leave.
"Would you? It's been so long since I last had your tea. Did you know that he brews a very nice cup? It's because he always used to make some for his mother," Angel notified us after Akira left.
"I see you are very knowledgable in regards to Akira," Mina pointed out and I caught a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
"Of course...we are Renri-no-Eda after all," Angel stated as he moved into a comfortable position on the sofa.
"Ren...what?" Yuki wondered in confusion.
"Renri-no-Eda. It's the Beowulf partnership system...warriors of the Earth Clan always work in pairs, always. Romulus and Remus, Leeroy and Heinrich, Hyunte and Kamil. Upon reaching adulthood, each warrior is bound to a partner, who will be their other half for the rest of their lives. I don't know when it started, but that bond came to be called Renri-no-Eda from Bai Juyi's poem The Song of Everlasting Sorrow," Mina explained.
"Like two branches wound around each other and then grown together, the partners once joined are never apart," Angel stated.
"Now I remember! Matsuo Basho also wrote about that! But...the implications of that phrase..." Yuki trailed off in realization.
"Mm'hmm. The eternal relationship between man and woman. That's because this bond is every bit as deep as that one...in the normal course of things, Akira and I should've been inseparable," Angel said.
"But instead, he's with me. Strange how these things work out...what?" Mina inquired irritably when Angel chuckled.
"Nothing, your Majesty. It's just...I had heard you were a wise, regal vampire who was centuries old. I was slightly intimidated at the prospect of meeting you, truth be told. But sitting here...I find that you are actually...cute," Angel stated with a smile, and the air in the room became tense.
"Akira was born and raised to serve me and only me," Mina declared stoically.
"The true measure of a bond between people is not its length, but its depth," Angel remarked.
"Are my hair ribbons not beautiful? Akira put them in for me. At first, he was clumsy and the knots were poorly shaped...but he has gotten better every night as he serves me during my bath," Mina informed him.
"Your bath?! Hime-sama, you actually make him do that?!" Yuki exclaimed in shock.
"And what's wrong with that?!" Mina retorted defensively.
"Akira has never been that bad at helping someone as they bathe, but I think he is way better when he bathes with the person," Angel said.
"With them?!" Mina and Yuki shouted in disbelief while I arched a brow at the new information I had learned.
"When we were in Siberia for our Ritual Ordeal, we stumbled across a hot spring. It was just the two of us, alone in a tiny hot spring hidden in the snowy mountains. I told Akira I'd wash his back, but he was so ticklish he could barely hold still," Angel explained, and I decided that things were getting a little too personal for me to stay.
"Pardon me Ma'am, but may I excuse myself so that you can get more acquainted with Mr. Avenant?" I chimed in politely.
"Very well...you may leave, Captain," Mina said, and I saluted before I went to leave.
"It was nice to meet you, Captain Temple. I have heard many things about you and I hope you live a long and healthy life," Angel stated as I left.
I waited outside, trying to ignore what Mina and Angel were saying just as Akira walked up with a tray that had a tea kettle and cups.
"What's going on in there?" Akira inquired while I heard Mina's voice getting louder.
"You don't want to know," I replied while I opened the door for him.
"What?!" Mina cried out in disbelief, prompting the two of us to head inside.
"Oh crap...this can't be good," Akira muttered and Mina shot a glare at him as he looked at Angel to ask, "Angie, what are you going on about this time?"
"Oh, nothing..." Angel hummed while smiling at him innocently.
"You! You, sit over here this instant!" Mina demanded in outrage, pointing at the other sofa.
"Huh? What the fuck did I do?" Akira wondered in confusion.
"Akira-kun, you letch!" Yuki shouted while blushing hard.
"You too, Yuki?! Cut me a damn break, will ya?!" Akira exclaimed defensively after he placed the tray down on the table to hold his hands up.
"Anyway, I'm going to get Angie's uniform from the office," Akira notified as he went to leave.
"Wait just one moment! He is going to be attending this school too?!" Mina cried in shock as Akira looked back.
"Of course he is, hard to be one of your guards otherwise. Angie," Akira said the last part to Angel.
"Yes?" Angel inquired curiously.
"Nothing...nevermind," Akira evaded as he left and everything became awkward quickly.
"I should probably familiarize myself with the school grounds. I need to have its layout memorized as soon as possible...Captain Temple, would you mind giving me a tour?" Angel asked while he went to leave.
"Of course," I agreed as I followed him, Angel looking back at Mina.
"Your Majesty...there is only one thing about Akira that I do not know. The number of new scars he's gotten since coming here, only you know the answer to that," Angel stated with a frown.
We left the office and Angel said, "I never thought I would meet the Grim Reaper himself...I've heard a lot about you, Captain Temple. Is it true that you are the last of the Supreme Alphas?"
"Affirmative," I replied quietly and Angel chuckled.
"Oh, you don't need to be so cold to me. If we are going to be in class together, we may as well get to know each other," Angel offered, but I stared impassively.
"I don't know you, so that gives me no reason to interact with you," I stated cooly just as we were approaching Akira, who was sitting on a bench with a pensive expression.
Angel sat down behind Akira and leaned against him, causing him to look back and say, "Angie, do me a favor...don't tease Hime-san too much, okay?"
"Heh, sorry...would you rather, I hadn't come?" Angel inquired while I stood nearby.
"No..." Akira trailed off.
"So, why haven't you come to see me once in two whole years? Because seeing me reminds you of Graham and Sanin? What happened to Graham couldn't be helped...if you hadn't done what you did, then it might've been us who-" Angel tried to reassure, but he was cut off.
"Couldn't be helped my ass! You know what I did to him!" Akira snapped irritably.
"I lost my friends that day too, you know! Stop thinking you have to grieve all alone! We wished to fly in heaven, two birds with the wings of one and to grow together on the Earth, two branches of one tree...weren't we supposed to be together forever? I've been so lonely without you," Angel admitted sorrowfully.
"I'm sorry," Akira said bitterly and I decided to let them have privacy.
I walked away and was heading to the classroom when I nearly bumped into Ryohei.
"David," Ryohei greeted cooly, looking at me with uncertainty.
"Ryohei," I responded evenly.
"Look...I heard you're with Yuki now and that you kept Akira safe...just, look after them, alright?" Ryohei warned.
"I will...you have my word that I would die before I let anything happen to them," I declared calmly.
"Huh, you changed since the last time I saw you. Maybe I was wrong about you," Ryohei muttered and we nodded to each other in a grudging respect as we went our separate ways.
As the day passed, school ended and Akira, Mina, and I went home in the limo.
"Not very talkative tonight, huh? Are you tired?" Akira inquired as Mina closed her eyes and leaned against him.
"Hm? What is it? Sleepy? Hey, you still awake, Hime-san? Hime-san...Hime-san? Princess?! David, something's wrong with her!" Akira exclaimed in complete panic.
I leaned over to lay her down and checked her vitals, only to recoil when I discovered that they were erratic.
"Jesus! Akira, call the Bund's hospital and tell them to prep the ER! I need to try and stabilize her!" I instructed urgently as I handed him my phone and started compressions.
I performed CPR and kept checking her vitals as the driver of the limo sped to the Bund, arriving at the hospital and the ER unit took her inside on a stretcher while we followed.
"I'm sorry, but we can't let you two pass this point," a doctor stopped us before Akira and I could enter the ER.
Akira was about to argue, but I put a hand on his shoulder and shook my head. Akira growled in frustration and we went back to the waiting room to be patient for any news.