1 Chapter Five – Across the Stars
"I'm sorry, you want what?" Kurei's dark eyes ran her over. "I must have heard you incorrectly. Could you repeat yourself, please?"
"I want to join the Uruha," Fuuko stated firmly.
A sculpted brow arched sceptically. "I don't think you understand fully what that means."
"I do. And I want to work for you."
Kurei was not polite enough to hide his smirk. "You want to work for me? You, who, if I remember correctly, said to Mikoto 'I hate evil-doers like you, and Kurei. You kill and you don't care about the people you kill' or something to that effect? You want to become that sort of person you hate?"
"Why do you care so much about my hatred?" Fuuko asked.
"Ah. I get it. It must be Raiha, am I right? You want to prove you love for him, or something silly like that," he waved a hand dismissively.
Fuuko blushed. "I will kill, if that means I am worthy of him," she said in a low voice.
"Ah. But does that mean you are worthy of me?"
She looked up, perplexed. "I don't understand."
"You are asking to work for me. Not for Raiha. My fighters are professionals, Fuuko. I don't care about their love lives. You want to fight for love. I want you to fight for duty. How, then, are you going to reconcile that?"
Fuuko tossed her head. "Is not love a stronger motivation than duty? Is not my loyalty to Raiha the same as loyalty to you?"
Kurei frowned. "Say I told you to kill someone who held Raiha captive. If you killed him, you would kill Raiha too. In such a situation, would you not let him go free and save Raiha instead?"
"You know as well as I do that no such situation will ever arise."
"What if it does?"
"I – oh, come on!"
"What if it does, Fuuko," he insisted.
"I would kill myself, I think."
"That's not a good answer. But I suppose it's good enough, particularly for one with such a high-level skill as yours." He stared at her. "Fine. I grant your request."
Fuuko's eyes sprang open. "You do?"
He looked contemptuously at her. "You must know that I command complete obedience."
"Yes. Uh. Sir."
"First thing I want you to do is tell Recca and Yanagi."
-
"You WHAT?" Recca jumped to his feet.
"Recca, sit down! You're making the baby cry," Yanagi shushed him.
"Funny," replied Fuuko drily, "that's what Kurei said too. Not with so much emotion though."
"You've got to be out of your mind," cried Recca. "What are you doing this for? What about all the times we fought them? What about all your friends? What about Mikagami? What about his sister? Why are you throwing all this away?"
"I can't live in the past," said Fuuko. "I am disloyal only to our memories and the memories of a man already dead. I love Raiha and I will do anything to be with him. Including this."
"But it's wrong, Fuuko! It's just wrong! It's evil!"
"It's not," she insisted. "It's not evil. What it is, is love."
"You're nuts!"
"You were ready to kill all the people who stood between you and Yanagi, were you not? You wouldn't like it, but you would have. You would have killed your own half-brother. Is this any different? I don't suppose the people Kurei goes after are all that innocent."
"What about Mikagami?" Yanagi asked.
Fuuko paused. "He, well, um. Well. He wasn't as innocent as all that, was he? Can you look me in the eye and tell me he was as pure as driven snow? I don't think so. Besides, there's no way he would have succeeded in his aim without getting killed in the process. I'm sure the way Raiha killed him was more humane than the way Meguri or Kurei would have."
"That doesn't make it right."
"What is right? Can you tell me? Are you so sure it does not make it right? I love Raiha more than life itself, and that is all I know. More than my own life. More than anybody's."
"Would you kill me, Fuuko? Would you kill me for your husband?" Yanagi asked softly. "Is it more valuable than our friendship?"
Fuuko buried her head in Yanagi's soft yellow sweater. "Please don't ask me these things. I don't know what I would do, and I can't tell you. All I know is that Raiha is important to me, and I don't want to live this sheltered illusion of a life any longer. I am his wife, and I want to always be by his side. Whatever that entails."
"Fuuko…"
"I'm really sorry for this, Recca, Yanagi. But I feel that I must make this sacrifice. For love. Because all I know is love, I do not know right or wrong."
"I'm sorry, you want what?" Kurei's dark eyes ran her over. "I must have heard you incorrectly. Could you repeat yourself, please?"
"I want to join the Uruha," Fuuko stated firmly.
A sculpted brow arched sceptically. "I don't think you understand fully what that means."
"I do. And I want to work for you."
Kurei was not polite enough to hide his smirk. "You want to work for me? You, who, if I remember correctly, said to Mikoto 'I hate evil-doers like you, and Kurei. You kill and you don't care about the people you kill' or something to that effect? You want to become that sort of person you hate?"
"Why do you care so much about my hatred?" Fuuko asked.
"Ah. I get it. It must be Raiha, am I right? You want to prove you love for him, or something silly like that," he waved a hand dismissively.
Fuuko blushed. "I will kill, if that means I am worthy of him," she said in a low voice.
"Ah. But does that mean you are worthy of me?"
She looked up, perplexed. "I don't understand."
"You are asking to work for me. Not for Raiha. My fighters are professionals, Fuuko. I don't care about their love lives. You want to fight for love. I want you to fight for duty. How, then, are you going to reconcile that?"
Fuuko tossed her head. "Is not love a stronger motivation than duty? Is not my loyalty to Raiha the same as loyalty to you?"
Kurei frowned. "Say I told you to kill someone who held Raiha captive. If you killed him, you would kill Raiha too. In such a situation, would you not let him go free and save Raiha instead?"
"You know as well as I do that no such situation will ever arise."
"What if it does?"
"I – oh, come on!"
"What if it does, Fuuko," he insisted.
"I would kill myself, I think."
"That's not a good answer. But I suppose it's good enough, particularly for one with such a high-level skill as yours." He stared at her. "Fine. I grant your request."
Fuuko's eyes sprang open. "You do?"
He looked contemptuously at her. "You must know that I command complete obedience."
"Yes. Uh. Sir."
"First thing I want you to do is tell Recca and Yanagi."
-
"You WHAT?" Recca jumped to his feet.
"Recca, sit down! You're making the baby cry," Yanagi shushed him.
"Funny," replied Fuuko drily, "that's what Kurei said too. Not with so much emotion though."
"You've got to be out of your mind," cried Recca. "What are you doing this for? What about all the times we fought them? What about all your friends? What about Mikagami? What about his sister? Why are you throwing all this away?"
"I can't live in the past," said Fuuko. "I am disloyal only to our memories and the memories of a man already dead. I love Raiha and I will do anything to be with him. Including this."
"But it's wrong, Fuuko! It's just wrong! It's evil!"
"It's not," she insisted. "It's not evil. What it is, is love."
"You're nuts!"
"You were ready to kill all the people who stood between you and Yanagi, were you not? You wouldn't like it, but you would have. You would have killed your own half-brother. Is this any different? I don't suppose the people Kurei goes after are all that innocent."
"What about Mikagami?" Yanagi asked.
Fuuko paused. "He, well, um. Well. He wasn't as innocent as all that, was he? Can you look me in the eye and tell me he was as pure as driven snow? I don't think so. Besides, there's no way he would have succeeded in his aim without getting killed in the process. I'm sure the way Raiha killed him was more humane than the way Meguri or Kurei would have."
"That doesn't make it right."
"What is right? Can you tell me? Are you so sure it does not make it right? I love Raiha more than life itself, and that is all I know. More than my own life. More than anybody's."
"Would you kill me, Fuuko? Would you kill me for your husband?" Yanagi asked softly. "Is it more valuable than our friendship?"
Fuuko buried her head in Yanagi's soft yellow sweater. "Please don't ask me these things. I don't know what I would do, and I can't tell you. All I know is that Raiha is important to me, and I don't want to live this sheltered illusion of a life any longer. I am his wife, and I want to always be by his side. Whatever that entails."
"Fuuko…"
"I'm really sorry for this, Recca, Yanagi. But I feel that I must make this sacrifice. For love. Because all I know is love, I do not know right or wrong."