Part 9

…

Kanako slept on her bed comfortably, unaware of Kana, standing by her door protectively. His eyes had deep, black rings under them, the result of years of sleeping with one eye open night after night. One night the left eye, the next he would use the right. He always did that, the open eye vigilantly watching Kanako's door. Whether it was paranoia or pure, unrelenting devotion, he didn't care. All that mattered was that Kanako was safe from harm. Now, his eye was seeing Kanako slowly awaken, which made him open his other eye. Whether Kana actually got any sleep over those many years of doing this or not, he didn't seem to care. Kanako was awake after a few moments, her eyes looking at Kana intently.

"Can't sleep?" Kana asked.

"I should be asking you that."

"Well, since you're awake, would you mind if I asked you something that's been bothering me for a while?" Kana asked, relaxing his crescent blade.

"Ask away." Kanako said as she sat herself up. She was wearing a black satin night gown, looking intently at the tired frame of Kana's. He needed a good night's sleep, she was sure of that. She'd drag him to her bed and make him get a decent night's sleep even if it killed her. "And when I answer it, get some sleep. You look like a dead-tired corpse."

"Fine, I'll sleep, but no funny stuff." Kana smiled slightly. "Anyway, this has been bothering me for a while now. Why is it that women claim they want the mature, sensitive, responsible guy when in the end, they fall for the bratty, useless, irritating, hormone-crazed kid?"

"Well, that's interesting."

"Not that I'm including you in that. You seem to know perfectly well what you want." Kana answered as the shadows lifted him from the chair and lay him down on the bed, his head on Kanako's lap. "I guess I'm asking you what women really want."

"Well, you know how men always say they can't figure out what women want from them?" Kanako smiled as she curled her fingers on Kana's white hair. "The answer is really simple, once you take the time to think about it. The reason why men can't figure out what women want is because even we women don't know what we want in a man."

"That makes no sense at all." Kana sighed before smiling a little. "You're a mystery to me, you've always been. That's what I love about you."

"I thought it was my dark, evil demeanor?" Kanako giggled a little, gently caressing Kana's white hair. Kana slowly closed both his yes, letting Kanako's sweet humming lull him to sleep. Finally, after so many years, he was sleeping soundly. Kanako smiled lovingly, softly kissing him on the forehead. "Sleep, my Dark Prince. Take your sweet rest and dream dreams of darkness and of me."

…

"I've done it!" The voice of Kaolla Su echoed throughout the hall. Shinobu, who was somewhere in the background, simply sighed. "I've done it!"

"Done what, Su-chan?" Shinobu asked.

"I've completed my greatest creation!" Su proudly declared as she pulled down the curtain on a massive machine. "I've made…Tama-zilla!"

Shinobu looked on in awe. It was massive, probably bigger than the SASA government complex. It was structured like a gigantic, bipedal, muscular version of Tama-chan with two large weapons on the shoulders. Shinobu could sense the power; the machine was armed to the teeth and powerful enough to destroy an entire platoon of the dreaded Liddo-walkers with ease. It was a dreadful creature and Kaolla was obviously unbearably proud of it. In any case, Shinobu smiled and left Kaolla to her work, walking out the door to her private garden. No one else in all of the SASA could enter this private sanctum; this place was her sanctuary, her place to think on things.

"Kana…he's gotten worse since I last saw him. He's not at all the man I worked with and to whom I owe the very existence of the SASA to." Shinobu whispered to herself as she held a small, ruby red rose in her hand. "His scars, his skin, his build, they're all completely different, they're much worse now. I'm worried about him. I hope he's doing alright despite his appearance."

"Why should you be worried?" one of the roses asked her. The core reason as to why she kept this garden her private sanctum was, whenever she would touch a rose, it would gain the power to speak to her. "You and he are not what you once were. You are just friends now, are you not?"

"Maybe…" Shinobu sighed as she forced a smile on her face. "Still, seeing him again…it reminded me of so many things. I wonder…can those hands still carve a slab of obsidian into a fine statuette? Can he still play magnificently on his violin?"

"You miss those things?"

"I guess so. He was incredibly creative, even on the battlefield. I actually still have one of those small statuettes of me that he carved a long time ago." Shinobu thought with a reminiscing smile. "It's actually a figure of me, dressed in a fine silk kimono. I still have it on my bedside."

"He must have really had feelings for you." A feminine figured black shadow rose from the ground behind Shinobu. It didn't startle the goddess of light; she had become used to her friend's rather unorthodox entrance. "Or was it the other way around?"

"Honestly, Shiara…" Shinobu didn't bother to turn around; she knew that this Shadow would leave once the question was answered. "I don't really know anymore."

…

"How do you like my new trick?" Kitsune grinned. She had her finger in the water of the bath, which had begun swirling around like a whirlpool. A new trick Kitsune picked up on. Among all of the goddesses, she was clearly the last one to pick up on the full extent of her powers. She had barely used them aside from impressing the horde with a dancing fountain of sake. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Oh…yes….Boss…." Eijentu trembled as the waters between her legs stirred rapidly, getting her excited. Even more exciting for her was the fact that the two women she had eyes for, her Boss Kitsune and bodyguard Forte, were there for her to gawk at. "Forte-san…"

"Y-yes…." Forte struggled with her nervousness, seeing that glimmer in Eijentu's eyes. "It's a nice trick."

…

"Silver…" Talon said as he looked at his whimpering second-in-command. It was odd, most of the Angel-tai were of higher rank than she was and Talon certainly had more than enough capable officers but he still had Silver, a mere lieutenant, as his second-in-command.

"I know what you're going to ask and no, it was nothing serious."

"Not from what I'd manage to gather from the Empress." Ranpha grinned. "And you were loo-…"

"Shut up Franboise." Frustrated and agitated, Silver shot a rather large, potentially lethal fireball Ranpha's way. Needless to say, she didn't speak much after that. "And I wasn't looking at it."

"Well, at least we got the Book of Shadows and I can only imagine what Naru is going to do to Kebinu after his failure." Talon showed a comfortable smirk. "I'm sure it'll be painful."

"Uhm…General Talon sir…" Milfeulle, the pink haired lucky one stopped and looked around nervously.

"You do have it, right Sakuraba?" Silver asked with a twitch.

"Well, no." Milfeulle answered nervously. She saw Talon's look of 'all that hard work for nothing' and Silver, trying to keep calm as she looked at the entire group. "Sorry. I think I left it in Hinata Sou and I got this pastry book instead."

"Talon, why did it have to be Mint that you passed on to the KoM?" Silver asked as she grabbed and twisted Talon's ear. "You can be such a baka sometimes."

…

"Psi-Corp, this is operative Mint, please make contact." Mint's telepathic mind sent the message over to the underground headquarters of Psi-Corp, an army of powerful telepaths that manipulated the minds almost everyone in the world.

"Report, Mint." One of the telepaths of high rank answered her.

"I am now official Knight Commander of the KoM. Subject Aoyama appears to be too frustrated to pay close attention to the military actions I will instigate and my assistant, Subject Edwards, does not seem to have the mental faculties to fully understand what we are doing." Mint answered, her ears raised up while she was in her meditative stance. "Do I have permission to continue with phase two of the operation?"

"High Control says no." another high ranking telepath answered. "Ensure that Subject Edwards will not be a security risk. If he proves to be one, terminate him."

"I understand." Mint answered as she slowly relaxed her mind. "Mint out."

"Excellent. One of our spies is now Knight Commander of the KoM." A voice from the darkness behind the telepaths declared proudly. "Everything is falling into place."

"All for the glory of the KFH." One of the telepaths answered. The telepaths didn't dare scan her; she was mentally shielded from such things. The only other beings with such shielding are the goddesses. The shadowy figure then walked out of the chamber. "Where are you going, ma'am?"

"I have arrangements to see to. Keep receiving the data from out spy network and prepare my copies for my return." The shadow declared. "Understood?"

"We understand, ma'am."

"Fools." The shadow grinned evilly as she stepped out of the underground chamber. She let out a low, conniving laugh. She was Shiara, the Sadistic Shadow, master spy of the CoKGB. "While the Psi-Corp thinks they are working for the KFH, all their information is going directly to mistress Kanako."

To Be Continued…

Kanako: Blight, I'm not hiding behind anyone. I m fully capable of fighting my own battles, under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, *taps belly* in case you forgot, I'm still carrying the twins. So Kana has to take care of any activities of mine that require too much physical exertion. You should at least be thankful I gave you a martyr's death. Now, where is Kana with my cookies and pizza? Not to mention my backrub. Anyway, next episode! Kana sings to Kanako! The ultimate weapon of the ENE revealed! Something's up at the KoM upper ranks! Naru sings! Baka-Alaskan's plot thickens...