There's an image for this chapter in Ao3 too! An Aster x Alexis bit.
Chapter XVII
Intrusion
Inside the guest's room, glass shards reflect the shattered windows and the transient mix of colors of an imminent dawn. From the opening, a gust of wind invades the apartment, flowing towards the living room.
The breeze blows softly some strands of Rie's pink hair, a bead of sweat rolls down her cheekbone, Jinzo holds her head in place with his cold, merciless fingers.
The intruder greets first, in a good mood."Heyo! It's been a while, Zake Truesdale."
"It's Zane," he corrects, his feet skidding ahead but a millimeter before his enemy raises a hand in a warning motion.
"Stop right there! Your name doesn't matter."
"How did you get here?"
"Easy-peasy, give Jinzo some power and he can manipulate even camera footage as well as make illusions for all the residents in this building, that guard at the entrance must still be dreaming too, and ah, I might have broken one of your windows, I hope you don't mind." He points his thumb to the guest room's corridor, showing his teeth in a grin.
"Why are you here, Makoto Inotsume? I thought we'd settled our scores."
"I must say, Zake," his eyes roam around ignoring the question, nodding his head in approval, his lips angling down in admiration. "You have quite the fancy apartment here, good furniture, high up floor, and a bonus cute toy to fuck," he slides a strand of her pink hair on his finger, for fun. "The dream of every man, huh?"
"Would you leave my secretary alone?" Zane cuts off his speech in a grave voice, "I reckon your business is with me."
Makoto Inotsume sways his hand, his duel monster floating backwards, on standby until the next master's orders. He fiercely hated this unchanged, composed expression of his that wouldn't crumble apart. It's the same as he remembers from their last encounter.
"You live with your secretary?" His eyes scrutinize her from tip to toe, raising a brow and bobbing his head again, "You gotta tell me where to find one. I hate you, but I admit you have good taste in apartments and women."
"You're wasting my time."
He blurts out uninterested, stepping onwards, the next second, Jinzo is behind Rie again, his hands grabbing her head, a disgruntled frown twisting his brows, this guy is annoying.
"I told you to not move. Got wax inside your ears, huh?" a smirk plays on his lips, "You know what, Zake? Unlike your bland, tasteless Cyber Dragons, my Jinzo style has many artifices, for instance, Jinzo here could fry the brain of your lovely secretary. When he gets into someone's mind, it's really horrid. I think even wannabe tough guys like you would succumb to the pain," his eyes squint wickedly, "It sends an electric current through their bodies and brains and affect very specific areas to be as painful as possible, usually my prey stays in a coma for a long time, that is, if they even wake up alive…"
His fingers wrap both sides of her face, squeezing it harshly as his thumb brushes on her puffed lips. "We wouldn't want such beauty to be foaming out from this charming mouth like a rabid animal, would we?"
She scowls at him in response, shoving his hand away, he cackles at her reaction, slapping his own thigh a bit as if he'd seen a comedy skit.
"A feisty one, hah?"
"Would you get to the point? What do you want from me here?"
Zane blinks unfazed, his tone not raising a single bit, that frustratingly stoic semblance of his won't be reshaped by emotions, but Makoto knows he hit a nerve.
"First of all, I don't want any funny tricks being pulled on me, knowing you, you'd summon those Cyber Dragons of yours not paying heed to your whole apartment going boom, so take this!"
Rummaging on the inner pocket of his vest, he tosses a chubby syringe, a transparent liquid inside, it's a pump injection that will automatically do the job and retract, Zane's brows come together:
"Anti-summoning drug, really?"
"Surely the underground taught you how to use those and what they do, right? Just a precaution, now take it before we give this lady the Jinzo-style treatment."
Rie swings her head to tell him no, her eyes tearing up. Zane takes a deep breath before uncapping the hidden teeth-alike twin needles, positioning it on his skin. Glaring at the other summoner, a hint of despise in it, the catalyst shakes her head briskly, but it's hopeless.
Her eyes widen and she closes them in reflex the next second, without hesitation, the teal-haired summoner plugs his neck with a single press of a button on the top, his head banging down instantly at the prickle, his hair falling over his face.
"Fuck…" a groan slides between his teeth.
His whole body convulses, his trembling hand unwittingly losing grip of the syringe, dropping it to the ground with a clattering noise as it bounces off a few times before stopping still.
The solution burns as it courses through his insides, suppressing his duel energy, weakening his muscles. How strong of a dose did he put there? It shouldn't be this much unless he wanted to make him fall flat to the floor, not that he isn't used to the trickery of the underground.
"Oh, would you look at that, he really manned up and did it!" he claps his hands, "That's like a horse dose! I figured the underground trained you and made it a bit stronger, but didn't expect it to be this level! Tough one, aren't you?"
He pushes the girl to the side brusquely, making her fall sideways on the couch, in a sign he doesn't need her anymore, she sits up, biting her lips to restrict a whimper.
The Hell Kaiser's head raises high again, an arrogant smirk set on his face, looking down on his opponent even though the situation wasn't favorable, his voice coming off raspy along with a muffled laughter:
"You're so screwed when I get you, Makoto."
"I think we both understand you're the only one screwed up here, Zane," for the first time his tone is serious, dire even, "Your little escapade to the East got many big fish out for your blood, did you know?" he clicks his tongue, hissing while grimacing at his own imagination of what would happen to his rival, "Provoking those people? Your death sentence! No one likes the guy who breaks one of the most profitable slave business in the country! I've heard you made barbecue of that slave master!"
"What does that have to do with you?"
"Me? Nothing, I just got a job hunting heads and yours has a lofty price on it. I thought, hey, I know the guy, might give him a greeting for the sake of old times."
There's a bounty on his head? Not surprising, but bold nonetheless. An UR summoner whose underground of the whole Domino belongs to him and there are still people who contest his rule? Jean Bonaparte seems to have left a huge hole behind for them to be this desperate. Since Inotsume isn't the smartest tool in the shed, he might as well get more info from him, scoffing, he incites the other:
"So you're just a paid gun… Living small as usual, Makoto. That's why you'll never beat me, I always aim for victory at the top."
"Zake, I'm probably not the only one after your heavy neck and you know how business is, you gotta be a step ahead. With how much your head is worth, no doubt more will come soon. Why did you attack Bonaparte?"
"Someone had to clean the trash in the East."
"Argh! Stop this act of the fearless one!"
"What? I'm qualified for the job and I can't say I don't enjoy it. Scum like you are the best to take down."
"Scum?" a nerve snaps on his forehead, "I'm disappointed because I'll only get the bounty if you're alive. Nothing against beating you up a bit, though, I'm sure as long as you arrive in one piece…"
"So that's why you recurred to the summoning drug, huh? Did you have no confidence you could stop me with your skills? And you say you're a challenger of the Cyber Art style, what a threat you are."
A sizzling anger sparks inside Makoto's eyes, Zane but sniggers, his provocations are getting somewhere.
"Hey, hey! I beat the ass of that master of yours and I almost beat yours too!"
"Oh, I heard about it, taking his disciple kids hostage just like you did to my secretary? Says a lot about your abilities to fight one-to-one…"
"My Jinzo style is much better! You all from the Cyber style have no clue! No talent for the true arts of summoning! Now, to the business," he grabs Rie's arm, "We're not done with your boss yet, would you do the honor, lady?"
From the belt strapped around his martial arts kimono, he takes a pair of handcuffs, lifting her palms from below and putting it there:
"Let's dress him up for the contractor! You must also be used to those because of the underground, aren't you, Zake?"
He tilts his head for the Jinzo to follow the girl, she looks at Zane dreading the command, he only spares a brief glance at her, his orbs focus on the enemy. Inotsume gives a firm slap on her back propelling her a few steps forward, the center table in between them.
Zane's voice goes a tune lower as if to reassure her. "It's alright."
His arms are stretched in front of him, wrists up to make it easier to restrain him, keeping an eye on the Jinzo tagging behind, he can see how her hands quiver. Someone breaking into the house must've scared her, a pity she got caught into his problems like this.
"Tighten it as much as you can, or your brain will become toast!"
"Do as he says."
Reluctantly, she obeys, her shoulders springing up unwittingly at the sound of the lock closing, constraining his wrists. Her gaze flying back, the red corners of her eyes narrowing resentfully, he could still see the lanes of tears leftover, shining on her skin. She was reminded of her times at Bonaparte's mansion, her hands clutching the thick metallic handcuffs unknowingly.
"Rie…?"
That's all he can pronounce, a chill creeping under his skin, this is the first time he's seen her this upset. A trail of duel energy leaks into the air, muddy colored sand streams floating towards her. Inotsume stands up in an instant, bloodshot eyes, as unhinged as Zane recollects. This is bad.
"What's the meaning of this?!"
The energy emanates out of his hands, drained without his will, his eyes follow it as it slowly forms a wavy path to the woman. Zane gasps, looking at his own body, but nothing is coming out of him. Inotsume should be out of range for her to drain it too, does that mean Rie is controlling it?
He gnarls, exhaling hot fumes. "You're a catalyst?! Zake, you're dead meat!"
"Rie, you have to sto-"
"Jinzo! Get her!"
The creature's image blinks before appearing right in front of her, his hand looming over her head, in a second, Zane knocks her out of the way with his shoulder, she's hurled to the side, falling to the ground, Jinzo's attack landing on him as an evil current of electricity spreads through his body. Rie squeezes her eyes, covering them with both hands, shouting silently.
His whole structure shudders before a sly smirk dances on his lips, turning into a small laughter that evolves into a guffaw as he dashes forward tackling the monster away. The shocks simply do not affect him, in fact, enduring it is his specialty.
"Is that all your Jinzo has?"
"Tsk, damn underground summoners! Jinzo, the woman!"
He points out to her, power pouring out of his fingers, but Zane blocks his sight, jumping over the center table and darting towards him with an elbow to hit his chin, Makoto holds it with a fistful.
In the background, Rie runs away from the duel monster chasing her viciously, evading his attempts to grab her head. The dark-haired thief shouts:
"You're not winning this Truesdale-"
Zane grins, bending his head back in an impulse headbutting his foe, their foreheads bouncing apart, each more bruised than the other, but he's not content with it, dealing a low chop to Inotsume's ankles, his body flinging backwards as Zane crashes his whole arm against his nose, cracking it, blood gushing out.
In retaliation, Makoto also hits his elbow to Zane's cheekbone then a kick to his knee joints. Staggering a step to the side, Zane skillfully hooks Makoto's head between his arms, yanking him closer and strangling his foe with the chains connecting his handcuffs.
"Ugh! You-" he struggles to pull the chain away from him, but the summoner keeps him locked.
The monster is in a state of stasis, the shadow of his hand hovering above Rie's face, her eyes wrenched open as she crawls backwards. Makoto tries to stop his bleeding nose with a single hand.
"Touch a strand of her hair again and I'll break this thin neck of yours, Inotsume!"
"Jin...zo-" he stretches his arm to his subordinate, his face deep red, lacking air, "Urgh! Attack the wom-"
From behind them, glass shatters, all the windows making the walls of the living room are broken, the shards bolting into the air, plummeting in droves as a group of tactical officers invade the apartment, fully armored, protective helmets concealing their identities.
Zane's forced to let go of Makoto to protect his own eyes, before he knows, darts fly and hit both his nape and his rivals', a contained grunt of complaint coming out of him, his vision blurring, senses dizzying out as he wiggles a step to the right, getting a hold of himself. Rie avoided the dart by dunking down at the last second.
"Get down!"
A female soldier urges, pointing a rifle at them, a laser sight attached to it, aimed at his forehead, the male soldier takes down Makoto by butting the back of his heavy gun onto the man's head, squatting and pinning his head to the ground while handcuffing him. His Jinzo fades as his duel energy dissipates. The radios of the soldiers buzz as they receive communications in the form of unrecognizable mutters.
"Who are you?!"
The teal-haired summoner growls infuriated, how many more people are planning on invading his home today?
"Arms up!" The woman shouts, pointing the rifle at him.
Under a heavy breath of disagreement, he raises his handcuffed arms, hands behind his head. "Can't you see I'm the owner of the house and the victim of that guy?"
"You! Get up, scum!"
Grabbing Inotsume by the arm, the bulky officer pulls him up, slamming his back. He totters some steps, another soldier accompanying him, holding his other arm as they both try to escort him out, Zane huffs as laser sights are still pointed at his forehead, his rival doesn't leave him unscathed, scuffling to get free from the guards:
"He's a criminal too! He's sheltering a catalyst!"
Is all they can hear as Makoto is dragged away, red veins spreading on his eyes as he shouts his lungs out while forced out of the apartment:
"I'll remember this, Zane Truesdale! Next time we meet, it'll be your end and the end of your Cyber legacy!"
The female soldier walks towards Rie, helping her up while the guy comes closer to Zane, keeping him in sight, clicking a button on his padded arm, an holographic small screen projects on his eyes' height, Zane's picture is there and a besides it, a long profile text rolls quickly until it disappears. The soldier tilts his shotgun for him to lower the arms.
"Zane Truesdale, are you the owner of this apartment?"
"Yes."
Another duo soldiers venture to scout the rest of the house at the command of the others, to investigate the scene of the crime while the others stay in the living room with the suspects.
Cold sweat runs down the summoner's face, he can't pinpoint whether it's because of the excess of drugs in his body, the exhaustion from the underground night or just the tension that installed now, perhaps a blend of it all.
They are Imperial police from the uniform and unseemly crest etched on it. As if an old enemy wasn't bad enough, more of them come. How will he deal with this now?
The policeman steadies the gun. "Explain yourself."
At an old temple
A bell chimes a few times announcing morning, the first rays of sunlight bedding the horizon, the room lightens up with brightness, but all the doors are closed, from the single window, the faint sound of the early birds chirping makes for a peaceful environment along with a humid, pleasant fresh wind that smells like morning dew.
Aster's piercing eyes skim through the long lines of a document, a constant, unchanging crease amidst his eyebrows. He owns an apartment in the noble area of the city, but in truth he rarely goes there, he feels the most comfortable here in his friend's house and often stays overnight. The warmth of the place contrasts to his chilly, empty apartment.
The sliding door interrupts his reading, Sarina greets him with a smile, bringing a tray and kneeling down on the green tatami to put a cup of hot tea on his table.
"Have you spent the night awake?"
"Yes, there's a lot to look at…" he pinches his temples, "Good morning, Sarina."
"Breakfast will be ready soon, my brother is anxious to talk to you, but I brought some green tea in advance, it will wake you up a bit. You should still wash your face, though."
"Do I look that bad?"
"You know you're celebrity-level pretty no matter what, but we don't want to alarm my brother by showing your tiredness."
"You're right. I'll come soon."
She gets up, spinning around to leave but halts, her hand hesitating to open the door, he's engrossed in his reading again but stops upon hearing her light footsteps approach once more.
"Is there a problem?"
"Did you find anything yet, Aster?"
Sitting down, she places the tray aside, he's as worried as her about Sartorius' condition, but from what he heard and saw, last night he seemed completely normal, he smiled, talked calmly and showed Aster his new designs for jewelry that he sold to other summoners as if nothing was off. Thinking back on it, was he disguising his true state? His eyes become foggy, lost in thought, but he recomposes himself:
"Not much to go from. Ancients are mysterious entities."
"The leader of the rebels was endowed with powers by an Ancient, have you tried talking to her?"
"Lady Kisara? Yeah, I've attempted to contact the rebels, but ever since the capital went into martial law, things have been difficult and that's an understatement. I haven't been answered yet and I fear they have other priorities at the moment with how the Empire started a witch hunt."
"What about the books? This professor you sought gave you some old documents, right? You said he's reliable."
"He is, but even his knowledge in the subject is limited. The best I got from these documents was an intriguing mention of the name 'Fujiwara'."
"Fujiwara?" she pales, putting a hand to her chin. "You don't mean the Clan Fujiwara, do you?"
"You know them? They're mentioned along with two entities referred to as 'Light' and 'Darkness'. I don't know why, but apparently those two entities are the only ones documented and named, others only get general mentions as Ancients."
"Light, you say?" she averts her gaze, gulping hoarsely.
"Yes. I was also reminded of what Sartorius told us, that's why it's important to pay attention to all details, I'm finally onto something here. Do you know anything about the Fujiwara family or why they're mentioned along with those entities?"
"I do know a bit, but not good things. They're too stuck to their old ways and refuse change, since they're an independent island under the Empire's territory, they still follow laws to the public, but technically they're a sect that have their own rules like an autonomous region. Among the sorcerers and sorceresses from different beliefs, we all have rituals to follow, but I've heard their rituals are 'extreme' and often border the limits of ethics."
"Unorthodox practices? Rumors can be misleading. What else did you hear?"
"I'm not sure of why exactly, but one time, before we met you, when our parents were alive, I remember my father who was the head of the temple at the time refused a partnership with them."
"They wanted a partnership with your temple? Why? And why would it be refused?"
"It seems they wanted to make use of both my powers and my brother's."
"The divination? I guess with how many people were watching you two like vultures, it's not out of context…"
"Yes, but because we were so young, my father vehemently refused and used our age as an excuse. They were still willing to try and even offered to give us education so we could work for them in the future, but for some reason, father found the suggestion ghastly."
"Hm, doesn't sound like a normal reaction if they were just offering business, does it? From what you and Sartorius described to me, your father didn't strike me as overprotective."
"I was a kid at the time, but when I think about it now, yes, it was unlike our father to behave like that. Well, they never came back after being rejected, yet, I remember clearly as if it was today, during their visit, there was this woman, she had long, beautiful green hair, the matriarch of the Clan, I think. She was smiling the whole time during the visit while I hid behind father… Something about her smile gave me the creeps."
"They have a matriarch?"
"Yes, the patriarch died at some point before she took over the leadership. Although they are not a prominent Clan in terms of fame among citizens, I believe the reason why they're so ostracized by most sorcerers is because of the unpleasant rumors of how they work in the shadows, that they are… Assassins."
"You're telling me they're like a mafia of the temples that everyone knows about but does not do anything?"
"Hah, that's an interesting way to put it," she giggles behind the sleeve of her kimono, "I don't understand why they're mentioned with Ancients, but it's possible they know more about those entities than we do. It's a basis for temples to worship deities, perhaps they're just worshipping both this 'Light' and 'Darkness' at the same time as their gods? Which means they might understand them better."
"It seems I'll have to dig more on them, this is the best clue we've got so far… But thanks for your contribution, this helps a lot, Sarina."
"It's my pleasure to help you and my brother, Aster. And please, we're family, you do not need to be so formal."
"Thanks, for now I'd like some more time alone to think about things."
Bowing politely, she takes her leave, his kind smile turning into a carved frown. He heard the name Fujiwara before. His fingers dial a number he knows by head, the female voice on the others side of the line is quite surprised:
"Aster?"
"Hey, Alexis, it's been a while… I'm sorry for calling so early and on a workday too…"
"It's not a problem," from the other side of the line she leans against the chest of drawers in her room, "So, why did you call?"
"Wasn't the other person who went MIA with your brother called Fujiwara?"
"Yes. Yusuke Fujiwara!" she straightens up in alert the same second, "Why do you ask? Did you-"
"Sorry, it's not about your brother. This time, I'm trying to find more about this Fujiwara family. If he was a student in the Duel Academy, would you be able to help me and check on his school profile? You have access to those as a teacher, right?"
He berates himself inwardly for going straight to the point, it's not that he wants her to think he's taking advantage of her profession to extract information.
"Actually, I've checked his file a few days ago," she chuckles at the twist of fate, Aster would definitely call it destiny, "Unfortunately, all written there are his school records and that he went missing in action, same for Atty."
"Was there anything about him that caught the eye? What about his friends or people that knew him?"
"He was one of Atticus' best friends, but aside that I haven't personally met him many times, he was a timid type of guy without many friends, his grades were brilliant and he was a well-renowned student with many proposals of companies who got their eyes on him to work as a summoner for them after he graduates, then the war happened…"
"I apologize for bringing this up thoughtlessly. I didn't mean to let you on the edge about your brother…"
"No, it's fine. I got pumped up for no reason. Fujiwara was a student here until 2050, when they summoned him for war. It all happened before your time in the academy, so you couldn't know, had you gotten here one year earlier, maybe you'd get to meet everyone… Anyways, I can't help you much. If there's anyone who'd know more about him is Zane, they were good friends too."
"Zane? Okay, I'll try talking to him…" he trails off, staring at the outside sun as if pondering what to say next, "Thank you for helping. I'll send you a gift when I can. What would you like this time? A necklace? A wristlet? Bracelet?"
"Another one? If you keep sending those I'll run out of places in my body to put them…"
He can sense the abashed, uncomfortable tone on her voice and accurately portray as she readjusts her posture.
"You just need to switch them every once in a while. Do you not like the last gift I sent you?"
"Ah, that's not it, I love it."
Her eyes squint slightly, a fond blush on her cheeks as she admires the golden chain wristlet from where different gems in many shapes and colors dangle, the details on each of them as how well they were polished, it was eximious work done by a professional lapidarist, it tinkles and gleams as she moves her hand.
Aster gave her other presents before, most of the accessories she owns were given by him, he's always showering her with gifts like that even though they're not dating anymore.
This wristlet in particular had a special meaning to it, she got it after being accepted to train as a teacher for the duel academy, he gave her the excuse that it would help her have examples to lecture the students about gems and she couldn't deny.
"You don't need to be so modest, you need good quality gems," he disrupts her thoughts, "Ritual summoning is more demanding than normal summons, right? I'll make sure to thank you properly later for your help."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see," a faint smile flashes on his lips, "Have a nice day, Alexis."
"Wait-"
The phone call ends from the other side, she almost grumbles frustrated, but can't contain the smile spreading on her lips, a flutter inside her as she looks out to the sun. It's a good way to start the morning.
At the temple, Asters almost crushes the cellphone between his fingers, sighing in disappointment. As much as he'd like to enjoy a whole morning talking about many things to her, he can't afford to do it. A conflict churns inside him, he'd love to tell about the problems Sartorius is having and ask for her help, but she has her plate full with her brother's disappearance, it would be unfair to strain her even more with other worries.
He has to get a hold of himself, after he settles the issues Sartorius is having, then maybe… Maybe he can allow himself to take a break and talk with her.
Back at Zane's apartment,
The current situation is: a red dot from a laser sight marks the middle of his forehead; a female officer is watching over Rie and at least two other guys are rummaging through his apartment to find clues of what happened. He doesn't like this one bit.
"Who called you here?"
"We've received a report of a disturbance in this building and we came to check."
"Oh right, we're under martial law…" he sneers, stinging with words while massaging his wrists after having his handcuffs unlocked by the guard, "The leaders are putting heavy guard everywhere now, so much that someone literally just crashed into my building… I feel so safe."
"Stop dawdling, summoner! Explain yourself!"
"What is there to explain? I was in my house, suddenly my windows were broken and when I came to check, that criminal had my secretary hostage. By the way, he already forced me to take an anti-summoning drug…" he rubs his pained nape, a pinch of contempt in his tone as he stares sharply into the officer's helmet, "You didn't need to inject more."
"Do you confirm the story?"
The female officer pokes Rie with the gun, she panicky looks at Zane, her lips babbling something unrecognizable as the other woman blurts out impatiently.
"Don't look at him, I asked you! Speak at once!"
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Zane reacts in reflex, his torso blocked midway to a step ahead by a hefty shotgun.
"Stay still, Mr. Truesdale!" he bumps the gun onto his face, forcing him to comply, "Raise your arms, please!"
The other officer enforces by aligning the laser on Rie's head. "Talk!"
"She's mute!" Zane snaps, "Unable to speak, get it?! I'll do all the talking!"
The officers relax their guard subtly, exchanging a distrustful glance, the summoner didn't have the expression of the most trustworthy, innocent citizen, there's even a faint smell of ashes and blood stains on his clothes. As his hands are positioned behind his head, the soldier localizes distinct marks from electrodes around his wrists.
"Fold your sleeves."
He scoffs, smiling disdainfully at the request, showing his freshly seared skin, he can hear the low huff of the officer who uses the gun to pull down his turtleneck collar shirt, finding another burn mark there and three sore holes from needles.
"Are you acquainted with the underground world, Mr. Truesdale?"
"What?" he maintains his composure, an icy, controlled voice, "Am I going to be interrogated now? I thought I'm the victim and my house was invaded."
"Answer the question!"
The officer swats the gun onto his chest like a brute, he lurches backward. Of course the imperial police are on his tail, they've been seeking an opportunity to catch him red-handed and have him answer for the "crime" of participating in illegal summoning rings and having all sorts of connections to underworld business. If they find out Rie is a catalyst, they'll take her and imprison him right now.
A wicked smirk curves his mouth as he replies in a shameless, cynical lie, lying was after all, a natural part of his routine.
"Last I heard, it's not a crime to have pleasure."
"What?"
"My secretary here is wilder than she lets on," he sniggers sarcastically. "Nothing wrong with being playful if we both consent and like it, right?"
Rie's eyes bulge out, she would sink in a hole now if possible but she has to go along with the story to not get them in trouble. Both officers are left breathless, they know very well how underground shock devices work and they can tell from his smirk and brazen tale that so does he.
"Do you think this is funny, Mr. Truesdale?!"
"You are the ones prying into my private life here, I thought your job is investigating outlaws, not finding out people's sexual preferences. Just saying, it's not illegal."
He's driving the soldiers to the corner with both his unhidden derision and audacity with words. The female officer pressures:
"Are you truly his secretary?" a firm nod is the response she gets, "Were you in any way forced to come here? Did he coerce you?"
The catalyst moves her head briskly in denial, casting some side glances at Zane as if asking how they'd zip away from the situation. Putting her hands to her chest, her shoulders shrink, no matter how she looks at it, even though Zane is the one lying, those soldiers aren't on her side, the Empire had ties to Bonaparte and those people work for them, they're in no way on the side of any catalyst in the world.
"Of course I didn't hurt her! Which part of 'she's my secretary' do you not get?!"
He raises his voice to the female officer, maintaining his gaze on the man ahead of him, as if to show he's not afraid of them.
"Mr. Truesdale, we received a report about a catalyst who escaped a hospital with a stranger a few weeks ago. You would not happen to know anything about it, would you?"
"Why would I know anything about a catalyst? You must be mistaking me with someone else," he shrugs off.
Unconvinced, he blatantly requests. "Make a body check on her!"
The female officer prods Rie's arm with the rifle. "Undress!"
Zane casts a side glance, but the man slaps the gun onto his cheek, his fingers pointing at Zane's eyes, then at his own:
"Eyes on me, Mr. Truesdale!"
His nostrils flare up in disgust, this is what they've been waiting for, if they find that gem in Rie's body, he'll have to be very crafty and a bit violent to get out intact. His mind already devising a plan, the man continues as he hears the sound of clothes shuffling.
"We have a description of a fugitive catalyst: a young woman in her early twenties, pale white skin, pink hair, blue eyes and a gem encrusted on her lower spine. Isn't it disturbingly coincidental that your secretary matches the profile so far? For how long have you been trying to acquire a catalyst?"
"I wasn't aware that the police force relies on coincidences to do their jobs. Also, from all I know it's the Empire who hogs them all like goods on display."
"The Empire protects them from people like you. Do you know that owning, sheltering and attempting to smuggle catalysts is a crime? I can bet you do."
"Bet all you want, I have no interest in catalysts."
"We'll know for sure once we find whether she has a gem on her body or not."
Zane's heartbeats taper profusely, he can but take a peek to the side in a tense posture, the female officer inspects Rie that's only wearing her underwear by now, demanding:
"Arms behind your head and turn around!"
Rie accepts the commands, slowly whirling around as her hands remain behind her head. Zane's breath hitches in his throat before his vision clears. There's absolutely nothing there, no filigree, no gem, not even scars. It's a healthy, untarnished back. How?
"She's… She's clean!" the policewoman stutters in disbelief.
"That can't be!"
Seizing the chance when they're all flabbergasted, he slams the gun away from his face, trespassing by the officers. He doesn't know what Rie did, but it's dangerous to let them do further inspections, they may run short on luck.
Taking off his overcoat as he walks, he flaps it around her dainty silhouette, swaddling her and getting a hold of her shoulders, tugging her closer in a protective motion:
"You've harassed me and my secretary enough! You see she's not a catalyst, now leave us alone! We are the victims here and we should be treated as such!" he glares at them both feigning indignation.
"I don't know which trick you pulled on us, Mr. Truesdale, but-"
"Article 9, line 3 of the Imperial decree," he recites like a machine repeating a recorded text, "Misconduct and abuse of power exerted by military forces shall be punished severely, regardless of intents, save the necessity of protection of the Empire."
They are taken aback, indeed his profile said he was part of the army during the war, notwithstanding, his disregard for rules is absurd and he uses it against them.
"This has been the most stressful dawn ever. My apartment was raided, I was forced to clog my veins with drugs, physically assaulted by a criminal, and all you've been done since you've arrived is treat us like the villains, on top of that, law also ensures that once we give our testimony, we're not obligate to involve ourselves more, it's on you to finish the investigation and I believe I've already explained for both of us what we know. So I'd appreciate it if you would politely inspect whatever you need and leave us alone or I'll have to file a complaint for your higher ups on how you've been conducting the procedures without a care for our safety and well-being here."
The man almost snaps the gun under the grip, he dares lecture them about conduct when he was the sleaziest eel in the precinct. True enough, officers like him don't have enough power to go against an UR ranked summoner, not by lawful means at least.
"Don't think you're free with your shady background, Truesdale."
"Accusing someone without proof is a crime called defamation, by the way, vituperation also adds to the insult. Are we gonna list your offenses here the whole morning, officer?"
"This isn't over, you're on our radar!"
"I've been on it for far too long already," he rolls his eyes at the cookie-cutter villain speech, "But you're welcome."
His orbs follow as the remaining soldiers all leave from the place, lingering at the door a murky, eerie thoughtfulness in his semblance.
"Finally, it's over. That was close," the stern lines of his expression soothe when he asks, "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Why is he asking this when it's visible he's the only one hurt here? Her gaze is ensnared by his as she sways her head ruefully to answer his question. It takes but a split second, his arms suddenly enfolding her in an embrace.
"Thanks, God."
As if letting out the breath he's been holding ever since the police officers appeared, he sighs deeply, dispelling the tension. Her hair entangles between his fingers as he leans over, closing his eyes in utmost relief, her cheeks flushing slightly when she's brought so close to him, but she pats his back, it looked as if he needed that hug more than her.
The wind runs through the broken windows of the living room, grazing on his face like sharp, frosty needles, awakening him, his hands still holding her shoulders as he pulls away, looking down.
A flinch as he's blessed with an unexpected sight, her strawberry-patterned white underwear catches the eye and it's hard to not see what's coming out in between it too.
Strawberries, really? An image pops on his mind, of nurse Fontaine making a V with her fingers and winking at him, is she behind this cutesy choice? Does she think Rie is a dress up doll or what?
Her eyes are up here, Zane, up here. He scolds himself mentally while lifting his gaze.
"You sure you're okay?"
She nods once. A fast scan is enough to see the weary traits on his expression, her head swinging to one side, then another, staring at his hands. He undoes the grip, mistakenly understanding it as a sign he might have been holding her for more than courtesy allows.
Without a warning, her slim fingers tug his long sleeve up, he stumbles back in response.
"Whoa, what are you-" she tugs the other sleeve, then her hand stretches towards his neck, he evades it once, but his cloak starts sliding off her shoulders, he reacts by grappling it and quickly wrapping it around her as she gets to check him.
"Did this become an inspection now?"
Retreating her hands, her nose wrinkles pained as she looks at him, those collar marks are everywhere and they're recent too. She can't look into his face anymore, her blue pearly eyes shining with tears about to fall.
Why did he not notice it before? Of course it would bother her. Rie has come from a background of slavery, this must have ensued some unwanted memories, someone who's been abused without a choice like her wouldn't want to hear anything from him who's willingly diving into the unspeakable pains of underground. Some tactfulness might improve her distraught mood.
"It doesn't hurt as much as it looks. I'm fine, it's just part of my work. I won't be able to summon anything for a while, though," he makes a brief, dense pause, "This isn't your fault. Makoto is an old enemy and those soldiers are just tracking me for the Empire. They didn't come here for you, though the soldiers did have a profile on you, which is worrisome, their target was me."
Zane had a double-faced personality, a performance he executes it in front of others. It was hardly believable that this stoic man who speaks so considerately to her is the same who not long ago grinned nefariously to the soldiers with that deranged sense of excitement. He enjoyed every spelled letter of his sassy remarks, yet as soon as they disappeared from sight, his emotions went along with them, leaving only a hollow and aloof expression.
It's unusual, summoners and the Empire should get along. How many times did she see them visiting Bonaparte's mansion for trades? But the Empire and catalysts aren't in friendly terms, and that's an euphemism. What did the Empire do to summoners like him to warrant such loathe? Was it the war? Their laws? Or something else…? She can't think why he would benefit in objecting to them.
His voice ripples her thoughts away like waves. "How did you hide your gem?" a sprinkle of curiosity lights in his orbs, "I thought I'd need to bloody my hands there." It was a joke, but she jolted at it, convinced he was deadly serious.
Her lips almost pout uncomfortably, her hand moving underneath the cloak until she takes the Kaiba Corp. watch from below the cloth, only the main visor, the wristbands were detached from it, she even played around enough to find that out.
Wait. Where was she hiding it?
He blinks in awe, but he feels he shouldn't ask where she took it from as a picture of her cleavage flashes on his mind. When did she put it there…?
Forget it.
Shaking his head to disperse the evil thoughts, he continues with a proud smile. "So you used this? That's some real fast and clever thinking!"
A victorious chuckle soars, his happiness about it just comes to show how much he'd hate the Empire. Those waning peaks of mood whenever the Empire is mentioned made her believe he's flirting with insanity. Whatever he's doing in the underground, it must've corroded his mind. Going against a whole government and living in an unending skirmish like this, he'll end up getting himself killed, won't he? And he's not even aware of it, or perhaps, he doesn't care anymore like at that time he saved the slaves.
"Had you not done anything, we'd be runaways by now, but they can't arrest us without proof due to my status as a high rank summoner, that's why they left with their tails between their legs. They can't act so quickly, so don't worry, you'll be out of the capital before they can get you."
Her index points at his neck, a depressing, gloomy air around her, she could do nothing to help.
"Me? I'm used to this amount of fighting…" he covers the needle injuries on his nape with a palm, "You don't have to make that face. It's because of me you wound up in some nasty situation. That said, I'm glad it worked out in the end," he crosses his arms, his brows furrowing so subtly she wonders if he was trying to look strict, "But… Rie, that time, did you drain Makoto's energy out of your own will? My duel energy wasn't drained any bit..."
With a nod, she confirms his suspicions, so it wasn't related to the anti-summoning drug. This whole time, she's been training and finally learned how to control it, the books did help. Even though he didn't do much in that regard to support her, he's somewhat proud of it. Another step ahead, as small as it seems.
"I'm happy to hear that and that your efforts paid off, but what you did was dangerous, Makoto could have hurt you badly. I was waiting for a chance to reduce the distance between me and him and fight in close combat since I couldn't summon. Next time, you should not act on impulse."
He concludes, quickly accessing the surroundings, there's so much glass on the ground, his brows twirling up disgruntled.
"Ugh, there's a lot of cleaning to do, you should get changed and I'll take care of this mess."
Luckily they didn't find the forbidden books about catalysts, but just because they couldn't prove Rie is a catalyst or his connections to the underground, he shouldn't let his guard down. Syrus will have more work to do in finding who put a bounty on his head.
As expected, the Empire had a full description of Rie, even though Syrus did his best to hide it, it was unavoidable. As he picks up glass shards, his vision distorts, stumbling ahead, he supports his hand on the back of the couch, finding his balance again.
A dry throat, frosty beads of sweat, and warped sight intercalating with vertigo at spaced intervals. He certainly got an overdose of the anti-summoning drug. Now that all the adrenaline is gone his body is starting to collapse at the effects, had he not been trained to deal with this, he'd be on the floor already.
Slapping his cheeks, he forces himself awake, unaware of the pair of marbles watching silently from behind. Rie makes herself noticed by walking a few steps ahead, fully changed into her own clothes, holding a box.
"Did you bring this for me?"
He's answered as she pushes a small emergency kit onto him, he grabs clumsily wondering how she found it.
"I will help you clean the apartment."
It's the only message he can read on the bright screen of the PDA, making twilights on her dim expression. She finally started using the device more.
"Right. Be careful to not cut yourself."
At that time, he attributed that doubtful, saddened gleam in her eyes to the previous events, unaware of the perilous thoughts boiling inside her. It all ended well, but after the close call with the soldiers and Makoto, he better start watching over his back more. He won't lose to any of them.
