Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 31
Manipulations
Three members of the Rose Council sat around the table. Izumi, Keuske, and Rika were present and accounted for. Mariko, however, was missing. The silence was thick for several minutes before Keuske sighed.
"I suppose losing was too much for her?" Keuske shook his head. "There were no letters this morning. End of the World must not be pleased."
The door to the room blew open suddenly, and Mariko walked in, long hair loose in the breeze. She looked somehow. different, and Keuske rose from his chair to meet her. "Mariko? What.?"
A finely manicured hand proffered a letter. "I have a letter from End of the World. He sends his regards." Mariko's voice brooked no opposition, and Keuske silently took the letter and retreated to the table with it. He opened it, skimmed it, looked at Mariko silently and then handed the letter to Izumi.
"I am displeased with the current lack of ability to compete against my sister in the Duel. Another must take place before the end of the week. Rika, you are too soft. Izumi is to issue the challenge. Defeat her before she can draw upon the power of the castle above." Izumi read the note aloud, and Rika made a face at the words.
The brunette rose, and walked over to Mariko. "Why would you have the letter? Did you meet End of the World? Have you seen who he is?"
Mariko smirked and looked at Rika. "I've seen him. He's quite the individual. I'm glad that I have met him. I doubt you'll have the chance."
Rika stopped, turned to look at Mariko, and bit back a sharp retort, stalking towards the door and leaving the room.
"Mariko! Was that entirely necessary?" Keuske asked, shocked. If ever there was a catfight, well, he had just seen it.
"End of the World is of the opinion that she is what isn't necessary. If she leaves, it will be of little consequence," Mariko replied archly.
Both men watched her in disbelief as she made herself a cup of tea and sat at the table. Something was amiss.
The brunette's footsteps echoed through the campus as she ran from the Rose Tower towards the dormitory where Anshii and Ayomi lived. Tears blurred her vision, so she almost knocked over the person who was walking along the hallway.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't looking. please forgive. me." her voice trailed off as she realized who it was that she had encountered. "Chairman Ohtori! Oh my goodness, please, I'm so sorry!"
Akio simply smiled at Rika, a deceptively gentle smile, and offered a hand to steady her. "Careful, young lady. One really shouldn't be running pell-mell through the hallways."
Rika's cheeks flamed red, and she nodded. "I know, I was upset. I apologize." She backed up a bit as his hand came up to touch her gently on the cheek, and her cheeks deepened in scarlet. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek, smiling as she got embarrassed and put a finger over her lips to keep her from stammering stupidly.
"Very well. We'll let you off this time. Now, go on and take care of whatever it was that you were going to do." Akio said, waving the now completely flustered Rika off. He watched her turn and walk away very quickly, smirking darkly before turning to go in a different direction, only to be accosted by his sister.
"Are you sleeping with all of them, Akio?" She put her hand to her brow for a moment. "Honestly, you never change."
Akio moved close to her, catching her by the wrist, pulling her towards him. "You know that the only one I truly want is you. It's the easiest way to end this you know, coming back to me, I mean."
Anshii yanked her wrist away from him, and as she stepped back and turned away, her free hand came up in a sharp slap across his face. "You disgust me. There may have been a time when I would have been pleased to hear those words, but now."
He looked at her, green eyes glittering at her back in the shadow. "Now, I hold the key to the one thing that you hold dear. How do you like the role reversal, sister mine?"
She spun around to face him, anger in her eyes, in her voice. With all the invective she could muster, she spat: "Dios awakens a little more every day. The Darkness cannot live where the Light rules. You will be defeated, Akio. You will fall, and I will find Utena."
She turned, stalking away from him, cheeks flaming and eyes furious.
Three members of the Rose Council sat around the table. Izumi, Keuske, and Rika were present and accounted for. Mariko, however, was missing. The silence was thick for several minutes before Keuske sighed.
"I suppose losing was too much for her?" Keuske shook his head. "There were no letters this morning. End of the World must not be pleased."
The door to the room blew open suddenly, and Mariko walked in, long hair loose in the breeze. She looked somehow. different, and Keuske rose from his chair to meet her. "Mariko? What.?"
A finely manicured hand proffered a letter. "I have a letter from End of the World. He sends his regards." Mariko's voice brooked no opposition, and Keuske silently took the letter and retreated to the table with it. He opened it, skimmed it, looked at Mariko silently and then handed the letter to Izumi.
"I am displeased with the current lack of ability to compete against my sister in the Duel. Another must take place before the end of the week. Rika, you are too soft. Izumi is to issue the challenge. Defeat her before she can draw upon the power of the castle above." Izumi read the note aloud, and Rika made a face at the words.
The brunette rose, and walked over to Mariko. "Why would you have the letter? Did you meet End of the World? Have you seen who he is?"
Mariko smirked and looked at Rika. "I've seen him. He's quite the individual. I'm glad that I have met him. I doubt you'll have the chance."
Rika stopped, turned to look at Mariko, and bit back a sharp retort, stalking towards the door and leaving the room.
"Mariko! Was that entirely necessary?" Keuske asked, shocked. If ever there was a catfight, well, he had just seen it.
"End of the World is of the opinion that she is what isn't necessary. If she leaves, it will be of little consequence," Mariko replied archly.
Both men watched her in disbelief as she made herself a cup of tea and sat at the table. Something was amiss.
The brunette's footsteps echoed through the campus as she ran from the Rose Tower towards the dormitory where Anshii and Ayomi lived. Tears blurred her vision, so she almost knocked over the person who was walking along the hallway.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't looking. please forgive. me." her voice trailed off as she realized who it was that she had encountered. "Chairman Ohtori! Oh my goodness, please, I'm so sorry!"
Akio simply smiled at Rika, a deceptively gentle smile, and offered a hand to steady her. "Careful, young lady. One really shouldn't be running pell-mell through the hallways."
Rika's cheeks flamed red, and she nodded. "I know, I was upset. I apologize." She backed up a bit as his hand came up to touch her gently on the cheek, and her cheeks deepened in scarlet. He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek, smiling as she got embarrassed and put a finger over her lips to keep her from stammering stupidly.
"Very well. We'll let you off this time. Now, go on and take care of whatever it was that you were going to do." Akio said, waving the now completely flustered Rika off. He watched her turn and walk away very quickly, smirking darkly before turning to go in a different direction, only to be accosted by his sister.
"Are you sleeping with all of them, Akio?" She put her hand to her brow for a moment. "Honestly, you never change."
Akio moved close to her, catching her by the wrist, pulling her towards him. "You know that the only one I truly want is you. It's the easiest way to end this you know, coming back to me, I mean."
Anshii yanked her wrist away from him, and as she stepped back and turned away, her free hand came up in a sharp slap across his face. "You disgust me. There may have been a time when I would have been pleased to hear those words, but now."
He looked at her, green eyes glittering at her back in the shadow. "Now, I hold the key to the one thing that you hold dear. How do you like the role reversal, sister mine?"
She spun around to face him, anger in her eyes, in her voice. With all the invective she could muster, she spat: "Dios awakens a little more every day. The Darkness cannot live where the Light rules. You will be defeated, Akio. You will fall, and I will find Utena."
She turned, stalking away from him, cheeks flaming and eyes furious.