Well, here's chapter four. At the end, I'll put in a character guide of
all the new characters that will pop up throughout the story. Some will be
more important than others, so I'll be sure to let you know which
characters you need to know. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^_^
* * *
Ken stared up at the enormous mansion, a lump forming in his throat and a thick cloud of doubts descending. It might just be a trap set by the mysterious assassins, trying to lure him onto their turf so they could get information. He sighed. Then again he had seen Michiko with Kase and had seen her crying when he was wheeled away. She was probably just really sad about his death and wanted to talk about him with someone who had known him. Gathering his courage once more, he mounted the steps and reached out to knock on the door.
Before he could do so however, the door was nearly ripped off its hinges by a girl who towered over him, obviously at least 6'0" tall, and with wide shoulders, muscular arms, and some kind of knife in one hand. Ken felt his courage leave him and had the ridiculous urge to giggle, which he held rigidly in check while gazing up at the giant. For a few seconds the girl stared at him in surprise, then smiled and opened the door a little wider.
"You must be Hidaka-san. I am Sunomi Taka." She said kindly. "Michi- chan's been expecting you in the library for some time now. Please, come in." She turned and began leading Ken through a labyrinth of corridors, past at least a dozen different men and women engaged in various activities that including chess, Ping-Pong, and pool. Many of them waved at the tall woman who led him along, calling out her name and cheerful greetings. She returned them in kind, and before he knew it Ken was standing in front of a pair of wide oak doors. As they came to a stop there the doors opened, and a familiar redhead stepped out with a thick book in her arms.
"Oh, hi Taka." She smiled at the tall girl, then glanced at Ken. "Is this Michi's friend?" she inquired, and Taka nodded. "Well then, by all means Hidaka-san, enter." She swept to the side and waved a hand at the doors. Ken gulped, nodded his thanks and entered the room. Behind him he heard the redhead laugh. "Don't worry Hidaka-san, she doesn't bite." And Taka muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like,
"At least not very hard."
And then the doors closed and he was forced to walk further into the well-lit room. A sneeze sounded from the area near the windows, and he followed the sound to where the dark-haired Michiko was sitting in a comfortable chair with a dusty book in her lap. When he cleared his throat she looked up, surprised, then smiled widely. It didn't look like she'd been doing much grieving, despite the fact that most of her attire consisted of black articles of clothing. The only non-black things on her were her cast and her hair ribbons, both of which were bright pink.
"There you are Hidaka-san. I was beginning to wonder if you'd come at all." At this Ken shrugged, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.
"I had a few last minute things to take care of before I left." He explained. "So, why did you ask me here?"
At this, Michiko plucked a pair of headphones from the table and motioned for him to sit down in a leather chair across from where she had been seated a moment before. When he had obeyed she came forward and slid the headphones over his ears, leaning back to stand at his side while she flipped the on-switch.
Almost immediately Ken tore the headphones off, throwing them at the floor and struggling to get up. Michiko stopped him with a firm hand and he blinked, surprised at her strength. Then she put her hand on the side of his face and leaned in a little closer, true sympathy in her eyes as she spoke to him.
"I know it's hard, but I wanted you to know just what kind of information I have on your old friend." Ken stared up at her, not comprehending what she was saying.
"What are you talking about?"
"I got one of my friends to hack into the mansion's security system and record this a few days ago. I plan on taking it to the J-League officials along with a few other tidbits of proof that you had nothing to do with the gambling ring. They'll have to apologize and open up a position for you again. The choice to take it or not is yours."
For a long time Ken could only stare, but then he heard a giggle behind them and craned his neck to see the young blonde granola-bar lover standing a few feet away. The realization of what the situation must have looked like to the blonde made him blush.
"Whoo hoo." She giggled again. "I'm going to Aiko's play and the other's are getting ready to go see Atticus's show. You'll have the house, and it's bedrooms, to your self." And then with another giggle and a raised eyebrow she left the room. Michiko pulled her hand away from Ken's face, smiling slightly as she backed away a few steps.
"I just wanted to let you know what I planned on doing so you wouldn't be surprised when the J-League gives you a call and begs you to accept a position on a team again."
"Why are you doing this for me?" Ken asked finally, and Michiko smiled.
"I was Kase's girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I supported what he did to you." And then she was walking back to her chair and picking up the dusty book. "I believe Taka is at the door still, probably to ensure that Mai didn't try to kill you. She'll help you find the door. Oh, and by the way, I suggest you act appropriately around me from now on, so that Mai doesn't get upset about the whole breaking into our house thing."
And just like that Ken was dismissed from her presence, as casually as if he were a servant. On shaky legs he made his way to the door, then out into the hall following Taka as she led him back to the entrance.
"Come back sometime and we'll see how you are at basketball." She called after him, and he merely gulped, stumbling down the driveway toward his motorcycle. He didn't like surprising days.
* * *
Yohji glanced around the backstage area, searching the crowds for Aiko and not finding her anywhere about. A frown touched his mouth and he shifted his grip on the cattelayas he held in his hands, suddenly uncomfortable. Then he caught sight of a flash of red hair, and started off in that direction only to find a woman in costume getting ready to go on stage; definitely not Aiko. He sighed and was just turning to go out into the audience when he caught sight of her, clipboard in hand, pencil tucked over her ear, voice raised as she dictated to the actors and stagehands around her. With a winning smile he made his way toward her.
He waited until she was done talking and the people had dispersed somewhat before he approached her, extending the flowers in front of her before letting her see his face. She smiled, although it was somewhat absent and set the bouquet on a nearby dressing table. Just as Yohji was about to say hello, a tearful costume-mistress hurried over bewailing a fallen hem. Aiko gave her a few quick instructions, pointed a few directions, and sent the girl off to repair the damage. Then she turned to him once again only to find another stagehand asking for her opinion on the last-minute lighting adjustments.
"Uh, maybe I should wait until later." He stated when she was finally allowed to focus on him. "You seem pretty busy back here and I don't want to get in the way." For a moment she was silent, and he could tell that she was debating over whether or not to send him away. It was obvious that she wanted to see him, which made him happy, but it was also obvious that she had a lot of work to do. Finally she sighed.
"You wouldn't mind, would you?" and when he shook his head she smiled widely, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks." Then five more stagehands appeared all vying for her attention, and Yohji was dismissed. He retreated out to his seat in the audience, and sat down to enjoy the show.
Yohji was not a fan of opera. He'd never actually been to one, but he'd seen snippets on TV, and decided that it wasn't his thing. However, he wanted to see Aiko again, and didn't want her to get suspicious, so he'd shown up anyway. The opera was called Tosca, and was in German. He was lucky that the building had superscripts with the translation located above the stage so that he could understand what was going on.
A few hours later he stood backstage once more, staring around in surprise at the debris left over from the play. According to the stagehands he had spoken to, the entire mess would be cleaned up the next day in a cast-party, before the work on a new play would begin. He whistled amazed at the amount of work it must take to keep the place going year-round, to keep shows going almost non-stop. Then Aiko appeared before him, clipboard dented and papers creased, pencil sharpened down to a nub that stuck out like a horn from behind her ear. She looked exhausted, but satisfied and he smiled.
"That was really good." He complimented her, but she waved the words away as though she had not even heard them.
"I have to get home; I'm on the early shift at the office tomorrow and I don't want to be falling asleep on the job." She yawned wearily, collected her things, and began to head for the door.
"Can I drive you home?" Yohji inquired. "I don't think there are many people left, and the stagehand said you came with one of the actors." At this Aiko looked up, nodded gratefully, and followed him through the parking lot to his car.
"I really appreciate this." She said, yawning again as she sat in the passenger seat. "I was afraid that I'd have to call a cab or something. Yoko was going to give me a ride, but she and Atticus decided to go out and celebrate."
"It's no problem." Yohji assured her, revving the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. "Since I didn't really get to talk to you before the show this is nice, you know?" Another yawn, and he looked over in the darkness to see her head lolling slightly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry about that, but things are really hectic before the last showing of the current play." Her voice slurred slightly with sleepiness, and he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she tried to lean against the window but pulled away at the hardness of it.
"Here." He said, stretching his arm out to her.
She hesitated for a moment, then came into his embrace and leaned her head against his shoulder with another mighty yawn. Her hair drifted into his face and he enjoyed the feel of it against his cheek, inhaling deeply of the scent of her.
"Thank you Yohji." She murmured. "I really mean that." And then she was asleep, her flowers still grasped in one hand and her head against his shoulder. Yohji smiled and kissed her hair.
"Sure thing." He whispered, and continued on toward the mansion.
* * *
Aya was recording profits in the flower shop when Yohji and Ken approached him, hopeful expressions on their faces. Omi followed behind as well, looking shy as usual and holding his hands behind his back. He groaned inside as he recognized the light in their eyes and the way they moved to surround him so that he could not get away. He never stopped tallying prices, merely continued on and spoke without looking up.
"Whatever it is, no." he stated firmly, and saw Ken and Yohji exchange a look.
"But..."Ken began.
"I said no." Aya repeated. "I don't care what you're doing, I'm not coming along." Another silence, then Yohji spoke up.
"It involves a mission." He suggested, and for the first time the redhead glanced up at the three of them. "You see, we're going to volunteer at the mansion, er, shelter where those assassins are living. Hopefully we'll get some information, but we have to play basketball with some of the girls there in order to stay long enough." For a moment Aya frowned, glanced down at the profits, and sighed.
"Fine." He grumbled, and stood up to follow them out of the shop. Ken and Yohji smiled in front of him, triumphant and Omi followed shyly behind.
* * *
Aya was breathing hard. When he'd seen the girls waiting on the court he'd sighed inwardly, thinking this was going to be too easy. Then a tall girl called Taka came out with a whistle and the group went from eyes downcast to arms in his face and bodies shoving him out of the way. He ached all over from constant pummeling, and with a look around at his friends it seemed they were feeling much the same way.
Yohji took it all in stride, flirting with a few of them while managing to take the ball away for a few brief moments. Ken was looking bewildered, gaze darting around in confusion as the ball moved in a flurry on all sides. Even goalies didn't use their hands this much. In the far corner Omi was on the floor again, laughing as Taka helped him to stand up and hit him solidly on the shoulder.
"You've got some moves kid, even if you haven't got the height to go behind it." She informed him pleasantly, before shooing him back onto the court with a smile. Then the double doors opened, and eight young men entered followed by a trio of girls. Omi recognized two of them from school; Yasuo and Mika.
"Got some new recruits for you Taka." One of the new girls called, grinning. Her name was Koto, and he recognized her from school as well. "They finished working in the yard early so we decided they could come in here and give you a hand instead."
"Sure thing Koto." Taka replied with a cheerful salute. "All right guys, I want four of you on each team. You can either play or retrieve stray balls, your choice but you have to be doing something." Then she blew the whistle again and the game resumed with cheerful, if ferocious shouts.
* * *
A few hours later the four Weiß assassins were making their way back through the mansion, sore and exhausted but knowing they were in for a lot worse the next day. Staying in shape for their job was one thing, but running back and forth across a basketball court for an hour before going out to swim for another two was something altogether different. On their way the heard raised voices coming from a partially opened door. Curious and finding the voices familiar, they stopped outside to listen.
"I don't care how much of a help they're being, I'm telling you that they are getting too close!" a male voice was saying angrily.
"Gregory, we have them under control. They see nothing that we don't permit them to see, and they know nothing that we haven't told them. You're overreacting." This voice was feminine, firm, utterly calm and made Yohji frown as he tried to place it.
"If you think they're under control then you're as blind as you think them to be." The man named Gregory retorted. "They're assassins, Valkyrie, just like you four and that makes them a lot smarter than you're giving them credit."
"But that's just it. We know they're smart and we know their capabilities. The only reason we're allowing them to help us here is because we could use the extra hands, and there are no signs to point to us. They already know that the assassins live here, but they are as clueless as Schwarz when it comes to who we actually are." Ken gave a start and glanced at the others when they heard this. Who was this 'Schwarz'? Another assassin group, possibly? They'd have to watch their backs even more closely.
"You're all just too overconfident for your own good." Gregory grumbled at last. Then, an aged voice spoke up.
"Let them be Gregory. They know what they're doing."
"But..."
"Enough. Let them do as they see fit and you shall see in the end that they are right. Sometimes you let your concern for the other girls war with your good sense and your faith in our little assassins. Now, why don't we go to the kitchen for a nice dessert?"
At this the four members of Weiß hurried away from the door and down the hall. They missed the opportunity to see who the assassins were, but it was more important to not be discovered. When they returned to the flower shop, they found they had another mission.
* * *
"Ms. Tomoe, what does it feel like to be without a kidney?" one reporter shoved a microphone in Sakura's face and she ducked away, trying avoid the questions.
"Ms. Tomoe, can we see your scar?"
"Please Ms. Tomoe, tell us what you thought when you woke up in that pool all by yourself."
The crowds of people were driving her crazy, shutting out her ability to think about anything. She began to cry, and the cameras began to flash as the crews took her picture repeatedly, giving her no peace. Suddenly a car appeared at the edge of the crowd and honked, the door opening and a young man motioning for her to get in.
"Hurry." He called gruffly, and without protest she slid into the passenger's seat. When the door had closed behind her he revved his engine and sped away down the street, leaving the reporters and their questions far behind. "Take a deep breath." He instructed. "You're really pale." After a moment Sakura complied, and felt a little better.
"Thank you. Whoever you are." She glanced over at him, and noted that he didn't seem intent upon answering her. "So ah, where are you taking me?" she asked, as he turned off onto a secluded road. This worried her a bit.
"There's a shelter up here where a lot of girls go when they need time. I know some people who work there and they'll be able to help you." Sakura frowned.
"I'm not abused or anything like that." She protested.
"Neither are some of the girls there. Like I said, it's a place where girls go when they need some time. A few were abused or raped, but a lot of them either ran away or were orphaned, or perhaps they were once addicted to drugs and some are like you, just need a place to stay so they can calm down and get away from the world. It' a wide variety and the people there know what to do to help all kinds of situations." There was a long silence after this, and they pulled in front of a large mansion.
"Um, did you get lost or something?" Sakura asked.
"No, why?"
"This is the Starr Mansion, that's why." She pointed out, and her companion nodded, getting out of the car.
"Mr. Starr gave this building to his niece and she turned it into a shelter, much like the theater downtown that is now hers to use for her plays. Come on."
Sakura got slowly out of the car, feeling shy as she followed her unknown savior up to the door. She noted, mortified, that he didn't even ring the doorbell when he reached the house. He merely walked in like he owned the place.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, hurrying up to try and stop him.
"Going inside, what does it look like? Besides, they get really annoyed when you ring the doorbell without good reason. It means one of the caretakers has to come down and answer it when they could be doing something more productive with their time." They entered the main hall of the mansion, to find a girl standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hello Aya. We saw you driving up from the window and Aiko sent me down to see what you needed." She smiled at Sakura. "Come on in, I think we can find a room here for your friend."
Sakura was glad that this girl didn't look so bad. The girl looked to be about the same age as herself, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and her pretty, dark brown eyes were partially hidden behind glasses. A few freckles dotted her nose, but other than that her skin was clear and smooth. She was rather pretty, but didn't spend time on makeup or fancy clothes.
Aya nodded to the girl. "This is Kumi. She's nice; she'll take care of you."
He left it at that and turned to leave the mansion. Kumi called out to him in a friendly tone, telling him to have a nice day, but he did not reply. He grunted slightly and closed the front door behind him. Sakura looked at the door for a moment before turning to Kumi.
"Come on upstairs, and we'll find you a room, ne? We'll be having lunch in about an hour, so you can freshen up and make yourself comfortable. We'll send someone up to help you find the dining room, since the house is so big and we don't want you to get lost."
Kumi led her through a few hallways, and they came to a rather elegant looking staircase. Kumi ascended it with practiced ease and led Sakura through a few more hallways before stopping in front of a closed door. It was painted white, and next to it, a small dry-erase board was hanging on the wall. It proclaimed 'Empty.'
"This will be your room for as long as you want to stay here. There's no cost, and everything you could possibly need will be provided. Someone will give you the grand tour after lunch."
Kumi erased the 'Empty' on the dry-erase board and wrote 'Tomoe Sakura' in its place. She then opened the door and motioned for Sakura to go inside. Sakura giggled at the sight of the room, a smile dancing in her eyes for the first time since before her operation.
The simple elegance of the room appealed to Sakura. The walls were painted a pale color that she couldn't determine in the lack of light, but the furniture was white. The bed had fluffy pillows and soft-looking sheets. A desk and chest of drawers stood at either end of the room. Another door occupied the space next to the chest of drawers, and most likely led to a bathroom or a closet.
When Sakura turned to ask which it was, Kumi was gone. While it seemed a little strange that person could just disappear like that, Sakura didn't think very much of it. It was a big house, and Kumi knew her way around much better than she did.
* * *
The room was fairly quiet, set back in the corner of the house where it was dark and isolated from the rest of the place. Candles flickered at the edges, casting their uncertain glow toward the center of the room where a figure reclined in a chair, a crystal glass of wine balanced in one hand. Music played in the background, a pure, haunting melody that reflected the shadows that filled the space from wall to wall. Crawford took a sip of his wine and turned toward the door even as it opened, revealing a tall red- haired German wearing a headband.
"Should I let him out now?" he inquired, and the dark-haired man frowned slightly as he considered the request. At last he took another sip of wine and shook his head.
"No. Give him another three hours before you untie him. He needs to understand that his games will not be permitted to continue if he wants to remain within Schwarz." The German nodded and turned to go, pausing in the doorway and glancing over his shoulder.
"Nagi says that Shi no Megami has struck again. It was on the news just this morning. Their target this time was a wealthy and influential organization known on the street for using women to smooth over their business deals. If you know what I mean." Crawford nodded slightly.
"Either they're women, or they are like Weiß and believe themselves to be dispensers of justice. Maybe both." He swirled the glass in his hand and glanced at his companion. "Have Nagi run a few more scans of the information we've gathered and see if the computer can come up with some leads. We have work to do tonight and I want this whole thing solved by the day of the banquet next week. Understood?"
"I gotcha." The redhead was gone then, leaving the dark-hared man alone with his thoughts. In the background, the music continued to play, a never-ending symphony giving a concert to a very disturbed man. He also happened to be an assassin.
* * *
I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but I don't have many reviews, so I haven't really been all that inspired. (hint hint) However, I think I know what's going to happen in the next chapter, so hopefully I can get it started fairly well. If you review, I might just get it out faster. ^_^ Now, as promised, a character guide. I suggest you learn all the characters that are noted with MUY MUY IMPORTANTE because they are muy muy importante.
AIKO: Ringo's niece, the caretaker of the shelter and the owner of the playhouse. Red hair, blue-green eyes, kinda tall, Yohji's girlfriend at first. Age 19. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
TAKA: Chick at shelter, plays bassoon at playhouse. Thick brown hair, gray eyes, REALLY TALL and BUFF. Age 18. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
KOHANA: Other chick at shelter, concertmaster at playhouse (violin for those of you who don't know what a concertmaster is) and assistant Latin teacher at Nagi's school. Thick blond hair, blue eyes, tall-ish and skinny. Age 21. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
MICHIKO: Other other chick at shelter, singer/violinist at playhouse, spiffy soccer player (goalkeeper). Dated Kase. Brown hair, blue eyes, tall-ish. Age 18. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
YOKO: Other other other chick at shelter, spiffy singer at playhouse. In love with Atticus. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 20. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
ATTICUS: Ringo's assistant guy, helps watch over shelter, sings at playhouse, American, knew Crawford a billion years ago. Sandy blond hair, blue eyes, tall. Age 25. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
MAI: Other x 4 chick at shelter, clarinet at playhouse, loves granola bars. Blond hair, blue eyes, very short. Age 17. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
AHIRU: American exchange student type person. Starts working at Koneko no Sumu Ie. Real name: Ashley, nicknamed Ahiru 'cause she likes rubber duckies. Blond hair, brown eyes, kinda tall. Age 19. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
TRAVIS: Other American exchange student type person. Plays viola at playhouse. Brown hair, brown eyes, kinda short. Age 19. KINDA IMPORTANTE!!!
NORI: Politician's daughter, knows Ouka and interacts a lot with Taketori. Lives at shelter since mother died. Good with computers. Thick blond hair, blue eyes, average height. Age 17. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
KUMI: Other x 5 chick at shelter. Super nice, plays violin at playhouse. Long brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age16. KINDA IMPORTANTE!!!
SHINO: Random chick at shelter. Almost super nice, plays keyboard at playhouse. Dirty blond hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 18. Not very importante.
TORI: Other random chick at shelter. Psycho weird, though usually quiet. Goes to school with Omi. Brown hair, brown eyes, tall and skinny. Age 17. Not very importante.
KOTO: Other other random chick at shelter. Goes to school with Omi, plays cello at playhouse. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 17. Not very importante.
LEIKO: Other other other random chick at shelter. Drummer at playhouse. Really long brown hair, gray eyes, age 19. Not very importante.
KYOKO: Goes to Nagi's school, is in his class. Lives at shelter, plays cello sometimes and is in plays sometimes. Strawberry blond hair, gray eyes, short. Age 16. Not very importante.
TOSHIHIRO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Owns restaurant. Brown hair, brown eyes, tall-ish. Age 18. Not very importante.
BOTAN: Omi's friend from the internet. Helps at shelter and acts at playhouse. Spiffy hacker guy. Blond-ish hair, blue eyes, short and scrawny. Age 19. SORTA IMPORTANTE!!!
TEN-KU: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays bass at playhouse. Flirts with Weiß (AKA he's gay). Black hair, blue eyes, average height. Age 19. SORTA IMPORTANTE!!!
AKAKO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays guitar at playhouse. Light brown hair, gray eyes, kinda short. Age 18. Not very importante.
HIROSHI: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays cello at playhouse. Black/purple hair (was bright red, died black and turned purple) black eyes, average height. Age 18. Not very importante.
YASUO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Goes to school with Omi. Brown hair, brown eyes, kinda tall. Age 17. Not very importante.
MIKO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Goes to school with Omi. Black hair, black eyes, short. Age 17. Not very importante.
* * *
Ken stared up at the enormous mansion, a lump forming in his throat and a thick cloud of doubts descending. It might just be a trap set by the mysterious assassins, trying to lure him onto their turf so they could get information. He sighed. Then again he had seen Michiko with Kase and had seen her crying when he was wheeled away. She was probably just really sad about his death and wanted to talk about him with someone who had known him. Gathering his courage once more, he mounted the steps and reached out to knock on the door.
Before he could do so however, the door was nearly ripped off its hinges by a girl who towered over him, obviously at least 6'0" tall, and with wide shoulders, muscular arms, and some kind of knife in one hand. Ken felt his courage leave him and had the ridiculous urge to giggle, which he held rigidly in check while gazing up at the giant. For a few seconds the girl stared at him in surprise, then smiled and opened the door a little wider.
"You must be Hidaka-san. I am Sunomi Taka." She said kindly. "Michi- chan's been expecting you in the library for some time now. Please, come in." She turned and began leading Ken through a labyrinth of corridors, past at least a dozen different men and women engaged in various activities that including chess, Ping-Pong, and pool. Many of them waved at the tall woman who led him along, calling out her name and cheerful greetings. She returned them in kind, and before he knew it Ken was standing in front of a pair of wide oak doors. As they came to a stop there the doors opened, and a familiar redhead stepped out with a thick book in her arms.
"Oh, hi Taka." She smiled at the tall girl, then glanced at Ken. "Is this Michi's friend?" she inquired, and Taka nodded. "Well then, by all means Hidaka-san, enter." She swept to the side and waved a hand at the doors. Ken gulped, nodded his thanks and entered the room. Behind him he heard the redhead laugh. "Don't worry Hidaka-san, she doesn't bite." And Taka muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like,
"At least not very hard."
And then the doors closed and he was forced to walk further into the well-lit room. A sneeze sounded from the area near the windows, and he followed the sound to where the dark-haired Michiko was sitting in a comfortable chair with a dusty book in her lap. When he cleared his throat she looked up, surprised, then smiled widely. It didn't look like she'd been doing much grieving, despite the fact that most of her attire consisted of black articles of clothing. The only non-black things on her were her cast and her hair ribbons, both of which were bright pink.
"There you are Hidaka-san. I was beginning to wonder if you'd come at all." At this Ken shrugged, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.
"I had a few last minute things to take care of before I left." He explained. "So, why did you ask me here?"
At this, Michiko plucked a pair of headphones from the table and motioned for him to sit down in a leather chair across from where she had been seated a moment before. When he had obeyed she came forward and slid the headphones over his ears, leaning back to stand at his side while she flipped the on-switch.
Almost immediately Ken tore the headphones off, throwing them at the floor and struggling to get up. Michiko stopped him with a firm hand and he blinked, surprised at her strength. Then she put her hand on the side of his face and leaned in a little closer, true sympathy in her eyes as she spoke to him.
"I know it's hard, but I wanted you to know just what kind of information I have on your old friend." Ken stared up at her, not comprehending what she was saying.
"What are you talking about?"
"I got one of my friends to hack into the mansion's security system and record this a few days ago. I plan on taking it to the J-League officials along with a few other tidbits of proof that you had nothing to do with the gambling ring. They'll have to apologize and open up a position for you again. The choice to take it or not is yours."
For a long time Ken could only stare, but then he heard a giggle behind them and craned his neck to see the young blonde granola-bar lover standing a few feet away. The realization of what the situation must have looked like to the blonde made him blush.
"Whoo hoo." She giggled again. "I'm going to Aiko's play and the other's are getting ready to go see Atticus's show. You'll have the house, and it's bedrooms, to your self." And then with another giggle and a raised eyebrow she left the room. Michiko pulled her hand away from Ken's face, smiling slightly as she backed away a few steps.
"I just wanted to let you know what I planned on doing so you wouldn't be surprised when the J-League gives you a call and begs you to accept a position on a team again."
"Why are you doing this for me?" Ken asked finally, and Michiko smiled.
"I was Kase's girlfriend, but that doesn't mean I supported what he did to you." And then she was walking back to her chair and picking up the dusty book. "I believe Taka is at the door still, probably to ensure that Mai didn't try to kill you. She'll help you find the door. Oh, and by the way, I suggest you act appropriately around me from now on, so that Mai doesn't get upset about the whole breaking into our house thing."
And just like that Ken was dismissed from her presence, as casually as if he were a servant. On shaky legs he made his way to the door, then out into the hall following Taka as she led him back to the entrance.
"Come back sometime and we'll see how you are at basketball." She called after him, and he merely gulped, stumbling down the driveway toward his motorcycle. He didn't like surprising days.
* * *
Yohji glanced around the backstage area, searching the crowds for Aiko and not finding her anywhere about. A frown touched his mouth and he shifted his grip on the cattelayas he held in his hands, suddenly uncomfortable. Then he caught sight of a flash of red hair, and started off in that direction only to find a woman in costume getting ready to go on stage; definitely not Aiko. He sighed and was just turning to go out into the audience when he caught sight of her, clipboard in hand, pencil tucked over her ear, voice raised as she dictated to the actors and stagehands around her. With a winning smile he made his way toward her.
He waited until she was done talking and the people had dispersed somewhat before he approached her, extending the flowers in front of her before letting her see his face. She smiled, although it was somewhat absent and set the bouquet on a nearby dressing table. Just as Yohji was about to say hello, a tearful costume-mistress hurried over bewailing a fallen hem. Aiko gave her a few quick instructions, pointed a few directions, and sent the girl off to repair the damage. Then she turned to him once again only to find another stagehand asking for her opinion on the last-minute lighting adjustments.
"Uh, maybe I should wait until later." He stated when she was finally allowed to focus on him. "You seem pretty busy back here and I don't want to get in the way." For a moment she was silent, and he could tell that she was debating over whether or not to send him away. It was obvious that she wanted to see him, which made him happy, but it was also obvious that she had a lot of work to do. Finally she sighed.
"You wouldn't mind, would you?" and when he shook his head she smiled widely, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks." Then five more stagehands appeared all vying for her attention, and Yohji was dismissed. He retreated out to his seat in the audience, and sat down to enjoy the show.
Yohji was not a fan of opera. He'd never actually been to one, but he'd seen snippets on TV, and decided that it wasn't his thing. However, he wanted to see Aiko again, and didn't want her to get suspicious, so he'd shown up anyway. The opera was called Tosca, and was in German. He was lucky that the building had superscripts with the translation located above the stage so that he could understand what was going on.
A few hours later he stood backstage once more, staring around in surprise at the debris left over from the play. According to the stagehands he had spoken to, the entire mess would be cleaned up the next day in a cast-party, before the work on a new play would begin. He whistled amazed at the amount of work it must take to keep the place going year-round, to keep shows going almost non-stop. Then Aiko appeared before him, clipboard dented and papers creased, pencil sharpened down to a nub that stuck out like a horn from behind her ear. She looked exhausted, but satisfied and he smiled.
"That was really good." He complimented her, but she waved the words away as though she had not even heard them.
"I have to get home; I'm on the early shift at the office tomorrow and I don't want to be falling asleep on the job." She yawned wearily, collected her things, and began to head for the door.
"Can I drive you home?" Yohji inquired. "I don't think there are many people left, and the stagehand said you came with one of the actors." At this Aiko looked up, nodded gratefully, and followed him through the parking lot to his car.
"I really appreciate this." She said, yawning again as she sat in the passenger seat. "I was afraid that I'd have to call a cab or something. Yoko was going to give me a ride, but she and Atticus decided to go out and celebrate."
"It's no problem." Yohji assured her, revving the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. "Since I didn't really get to talk to you before the show this is nice, you know?" Another yawn, and he looked over in the darkness to see her head lolling slightly.
"Yeah. I'm sorry about that, but things are really hectic before the last showing of the current play." Her voice slurred slightly with sleepiness, and he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she tried to lean against the window but pulled away at the hardness of it.
"Here." He said, stretching his arm out to her.
She hesitated for a moment, then came into his embrace and leaned her head against his shoulder with another mighty yawn. Her hair drifted into his face and he enjoyed the feel of it against his cheek, inhaling deeply of the scent of her.
"Thank you Yohji." She murmured. "I really mean that." And then she was asleep, her flowers still grasped in one hand and her head against his shoulder. Yohji smiled and kissed her hair.
"Sure thing." He whispered, and continued on toward the mansion.
* * *
Aya was recording profits in the flower shop when Yohji and Ken approached him, hopeful expressions on their faces. Omi followed behind as well, looking shy as usual and holding his hands behind his back. He groaned inside as he recognized the light in their eyes and the way they moved to surround him so that he could not get away. He never stopped tallying prices, merely continued on and spoke without looking up.
"Whatever it is, no." he stated firmly, and saw Ken and Yohji exchange a look.
"But..."Ken began.
"I said no." Aya repeated. "I don't care what you're doing, I'm not coming along." Another silence, then Yohji spoke up.
"It involves a mission." He suggested, and for the first time the redhead glanced up at the three of them. "You see, we're going to volunteer at the mansion, er, shelter where those assassins are living. Hopefully we'll get some information, but we have to play basketball with some of the girls there in order to stay long enough." For a moment Aya frowned, glanced down at the profits, and sighed.
"Fine." He grumbled, and stood up to follow them out of the shop. Ken and Yohji smiled in front of him, triumphant and Omi followed shyly behind.
* * *
Aya was breathing hard. When he'd seen the girls waiting on the court he'd sighed inwardly, thinking this was going to be too easy. Then a tall girl called Taka came out with a whistle and the group went from eyes downcast to arms in his face and bodies shoving him out of the way. He ached all over from constant pummeling, and with a look around at his friends it seemed they were feeling much the same way.
Yohji took it all in stride, flirting with a few of them while managing to take the ball away for a few brief moments. Ken was looking bewildered, gaze darting around in confusion as the ball moved in a flurry on all sides. Even goalies didn't use their hands this much. In the far corner Omi was on the floor again, laughing as Taka helped him to stand up and hit him solidly on the shoulder.
"You've got some moves kid, even if you haven't got the height to go behind it." She informed him pleasantly, before shooing him back onto the court with a smile. Then the double doors opened, and eight young men entered followed by a trio of girls. Omi recognized two of them from school; Yasuo and Mika.
"Got some new recruits for you Taka." One of the new girls called, grinning. Her name was Koto, and he recognized her from school as well. "They finished working in the yard early so we decided they could come in here and give you a hand instead."
"Sure thing Koto." Taka replied with a cheerful salute. "All right guys, I want four of you on each team. You can either play or retrieve stray balls, your choice but you have to be doing something." Then she blew the whistle again and the game resumed with cheerful, if ferocious shouts.
* * *
A few hours later the four Weiß assassins were making their way back through the mansion, sore and exhausted but knowing they were in for a lot worse the next day. Staying in shape for their job was one thing, but running back and forth across a basketball court for an hour before going out to swim for another two was something altogether different. On their way the heard raised voices coming from a partially opened door. Curious and finding the voices familiar, they stopped outside to listen.
"I don't care how much of a help they're being, I'm telling you that they are getting too close!" a male voice was saying angrily.
"Gregory, we have them under control. They see nothing that we don't permit them to see, and they know nothing that we haven't told them. You're overreacting." This voice was feminine, firm, utterly calm and made Yohji frown as he tried to place it.
"If you think they're under control then you're as blind as you think them to be." The man named Gregory retorted. "They're assassins, Valkyrie, just like you four and that makes them a lot smarter than you're giving them credit."
"But that's just it. We know they're smart and we know their capabilities. The only reason we're allowing them to help us here is because we could use the extra hands, and there are no signs to point to us. They already know that the assassins live here, but they are as clueless as Schwarz when it comes to who we actually are." Ken gave a start and glanced at the others when they heard this. Who was this 'Schwarz'? Another assassin group, possibly? They'd have to watch their backs even more closely.
"You're all just too overconfident for your own good." Gregory grumbled at last. Then, an aged voice spoke up.
"Let them be Gregory. They know what they're doing."
"But..."
"Enough. Let them do as they see fit and you shall see in the end that they are right. Sometimes you let your concern for the other girls war with your good sense and your faith in our little assassins. Now, why don't we go to the kitchen for a nice dessert?"
At this the four members of Weiß hurried away from the door and down the hall. They missed the opportunity to see who the assassins were, but it was more important to not be discovered. When they returned to the flower shop, they found they had another mission.
* * *
"Ms. Tomoe, what does it feel like to be without a kidney?" one reporter shoved a microphone in Sakura's face and she ducked away, trying avoid the questions.
"Ms. Tomoe, can we see your scar?"
"Please Ms. Tomoe, tell us what you thought when you woke up in that pool all by yourself."
The crowds of people were driving her crazy, shutting out her ability to think about anything. She began to cry, and the cameras began to flash as the crews took her picture repeatedly, giving her no peace. Suddenly a car appeared at the edge of the crowd and honked, the door opening and a young man motioning for her to get in.
"Hurry." He called gruffly, and without protest she slid into the passenger's seat. When the door had closed behind her he revved his engine and sped away down the street, leaving the reporters and their questions far behind. "Take a deep breath." He instructed. "You're really pale." After a moment Sakura complied, and felt a little better.
"Thank you. Whoever you are." She glanced over at him, and noted that he didn't seem intent upon answering her. "So ah, where are you taking me?" she asked, as he turned off onto a secluded road. This worried her a bit.
"There's a shelter up here where a lot of girls go when they need time. I know some people who work there and they'll be able to help you." Sakura frowned.
"I'm not abused or anything like that." She protested.
"Neither are some of the girls there. Like I said, it's a place where girls go when they need some time. A few were abused or raped, but a lot of them either ran away or were orphaned, or perhaps they were once addicted to drugs and some are like you, just need a place to stay so they can calm down and get away from the world. It' a wide variety and the people there know what to do to help all kinds of situations." There was a long silence after this, and they pulled in front of a large mansion.
"Um, did you get lost or something?" Sakura asked.
"No, why?"
"This is the Starr Mansion, that's why." She pointed out, and her companion nodded, getting out of the car.
"Mr. Starr gave this building to his niece and she turned it into a shelter, much like the theater downtown that is now hers to use for her plays. Come on."
Sakura got slowly out of the car, feeling shy as she followed her unknown savior up to the door. She noted, mortified, that he didn't even ring the doorbell when he reached the house. He merely walked in like he owned the place.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, hurrying up to try and stop him.
"Going inside, what does it look like? Besides, they get really annoyed when you ring the doorbell without good reason. It means one of the caretakers has to come down and answer it when they could be doing something more productive with their time." They entered the main hall of the mansion, to find a girl standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hello Aya. We saw you driving up from the window and Aiko sent me down to see what you needed." She smiled at Sakura. "Come on in, I think we can find a room here for your friend."
Sakura was glad that this girl didn't look so bad. The girl looked to be about the same age as herself, maybe fifteen or sixteen. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and her pretty, dark brown eyes were partially hidden behind glasses. A few freckles dotted her nose, but other than that her skin was clear and smooth. She was rather pretty, but didn't spend time on makeup or fancy clothes.
Aya nodded to the girl. "This is Kumi. She's nice; she'll take care of you."
He left it at that and turned to leave the mansion. Kumi called out to him in a friendly tone, telling him to have a nice day, but he did not reply. He grunted slightly and closed the front door behind him. Sakura looked at the door for a moment before turning to Kumi.
"Come on upstairs, and we'll find you a room, ne? We'll be having lunch in about an hour, so you can freshen up and make yourself comfortable. We'll send someone up to help you find the dining room, since the house is so big and we don't want you to get lost."
Kumi led her through a few hallways, and they came to a rather elegant looking staircase. Kumi ascended it with practiced ease and led Sakura through a few more hallways before stopping in front of a closed door. It was painted white, and next to it, a small dry-erase board was hanging on the wall. It proclaimed 'Empty.'
"This will be your room for as long as you want to stay here. There's no cost, and everything you could possibly need will be provided. Someone will give you the grand tour after lunch."
Kumi erased the 'Empty' on the dry-erase board and wrote 'Tomoe Sakura' in its place. She then opened the door and motioned for Sakura to go inside. Sakura giggled at the sight of the room, a smile dancing in her eyes for the first time since before her operation.
The simple elegance of the room appealed to Sakura. The walls were painted a pale color that she couldn't determine in the lack of light, but the furniture was white. The bed had fluffy pillows and soft-looking sheets. A desk and chest of drawers stood at either end of the room. Another door occupied the space next to the chest of drawers, and most likely led to a bathroom or a closet.
When Sakura turned to ask which it was, Kumi was gone. While it seemed a little strange that person could just disappear like that, Sakura didn't think very much of it. It was a big house, and Kumi knew her way around much better than she did.
* * *
The room was fairly quiet, set back in the corner of the house where it was dark and isolated from the rest of the place. Candles flickered at the edges, casting their uncertain glow toward the center of the room where a figure reclined in a chair, a crystal glass of wine balanced in one hand. Music played in the background, a pure, haunting melody that reflected the shadows that filled the space from wall to wall. Crawford took a sip of his wine and turned toward the door even as it opened, revealing a tall red- haired German wearing a headband.
"Should I let him out now?" he inquired, and the dark-haired man frowned slightly as he considered the request. At last he took another sip of wine and shook his head.
"No. Give him another three hours before you untie him. He needs to understand that his games will not be permitted to continue if he wants to remain within Schwarz." The German nodded and turned to go, pausing in the doorway and glancing over his shoulder.
"Nagi says that Shi no Megami has struck again. It was on the news just this morning. Their target this time was a wealthy and influential organization known on the street for using women to smooth over their business deals. If you know what I mean." Crawford nodded slightly.
"Either they're women, or they are like Weiß and believe themselves to be dispensers of justice. Maybe both." He swirled the glass in his hand and glanced at his companion. "Have Nagi run a few more scans of the information we've gathered and see if the computer can come up with some leads. We have work to do tonight and I want this whole thing solved by the day of the banquet next week. Understood?"
"I gotcha." The redhead was gone then, leaving the dark-hared man alone with his thoughts. In the background, the music continued to play, a never-ending symphony giving a concert to a very disturbed man. He also happened to be an assassin.
* * *
I'm sorry this took so long to get out, but I don't have many reviews, so I haven't really been all that inspired. (hint hint) However, I think I know what's going to happen in the next chapter, so hopefully I can get it started fairly well. If you review, I might just get it out faster. ^_^ Now, as promised, a character guide. I suggest you learn all the characters that are noted with MUY MUY IMPORTANTE because they are muy muy importante.
AIKO: Ringo's niece, the caretaker of the shelter and the owner of the playhouse. Red hair, blue-green eyes, kinda tall, Yohji's girlfriend at first. Age 19. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
TAKA: Chick at shelter, plays bassoon at playhouse. Thick brown hair, gray eyes, REALLY TALL and BUFF. Age 18. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
KOHANA: Other chick at shelter, concertmaster at playhouse (violin for those of you who don't know what a concertmaster is) and assistant Latin teacher at Nagi's school. Thick blond hair, blue eyes, tall-ish and skinny. Age 21. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
MICHIKO: Other other chick at shelter, singer/violinist at playhouse, spiffy soccer player (goalkeeper). Dated Kase. Brown hair, blue eyes, tall-ish. Age 18. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
YOKO: Other other other chick at shelter, spiffy singer at playhouse. In love with Atticus. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 20. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
ATTICUS: Ringo's assistant guy, helps watch over shelter, sings at playhouse, American, knew Crawford a billion years ago. Sandy blond hair, blue eyes, tall. Age 25. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
MAI: Other x 4 chick at shelter, clarinet at playhouse, loves granola bars. Blond hair, blue eyes, very short. Age 17. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
AHIRU: American exchange student type person. Starts working at Koneko no Sumu Ie. Real name: Ashley, nicknamed Ahiru 'cause she likes rubber duckies. Blond hair, brown eyes, kinda tall. Age 19. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
TRAVIS: Other American exchange student type person. Plays viola at playhouse. Brown hair, brown eyes, kinda short. Age 19. KINDA IMPORTANTE!!!
NORI: Politician's daughter, knows Ouka and interacts a lot with Taketori. Lives at shelter since mother died. Good with computers. Thick blond hair, blue eyes, average height. Age 17. MUY MUY IMPORTANTE!!!
KUMI: Other x 5 chick at shelter. Super nice, plays violin at playhouse. Long brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age16. KINDA IMPORTANTE!!!
SHINO: Random chick at shelter. Almost super nice, plays keyboard at playhouse. Dirty blond hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 18. Not very importante.
TORI: Other random chick at shelter. Psycho weird, though usually quiet. Goes to school with Omi. Brown hair, brown eyes, tall and skinny. Age 17. Not very importante.
KOTO: Other other random chick at shelter. Goes to school with Omi, plays cello at playhouse. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height. Age 17. Not very importante.
LEIKO: Other other other random chick at shelter. Drummer at playhouse. Really long brown hair, gray eyes, age 19. Not very importante.
KYOKO: Goes to Nagi's school, is in his class. Lives at shelter, plays cello sometimes and is in plays sometimes. Strawberry blond hair, gray eyes, short. Age 16. Not very importante.
TOSHIHIRO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Owns restaurant. Brown hair, brown eyes, tall-ish. Age 18. Not very importante.
BOTAN: Omi's friend from the internet. Helps at shelter and acts at playhouse. Spiffy hacker guy. Blond-ish hair, blue eyes, short and scrawny. Age 19. SORTA IMPORTANTE!!!
TEN-KU: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays bass at playhouse. Flirts with Weiß (AKA he's gay). Black hair, blue eyes, average height. Age 19. SORTA IMPORTANTE!!!
AKAKO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays guitar at playhouse. Light brown hair, gray eyes, kinda short. Age 18. Not very importante.
HIROSHI: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Plays cello at playhouse. Black/purple hair (was bright red, died black and turned purple) black eyes, average height. Age 18. Not very importante.
YASUO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Goes to school with Omi. Brown hair, brown eyes, kinda tall. Age 17. Not very importante.
MIKO: Random guy who helps at shelter randomly. Goes to school with Omi. Black hair, black eyes, short. Age 17. Not very importante.