QoH: by the way please note that, like this fics prequel, "Sacrifice," disregards the series past vol 2 (with the exception of Ryou, of course. i know plenty about the scuzball, so I manage), since I haven't read past it with any real continuity (read #5 and #6 from the "Change of Heart" thing, but when I did so, I was like "huh?" lol and i know jack squat about what happens beyond that) so, basically, this is pretty AU (ive never taken things so far off from the canon before) just so you all dont get confused

Chapter 5: Viper Raises Her "Pretty" Head

Kiley made a face and shifted his sling uncomfortably as he stepped outside after spending the last two nights in the hospital, with Mr. Shiori graciously paying the bill despite his new apprentice's expected protests. Glancing up at the dismal sky, he hoped he'd be able to make it to the antique store before it started the threatened flood. If it does, it does... but that doesn't make it any fun. He gave a one-shoulder shrug and started off down the street, his gaze drifting around the relatively new sights (to him at least).

He'd only gotten half a block or so, however, when he heard a car pull up beside him and someone call his name over the purr of the idling engine. He turned with a curious smile, wondering who else knew he was back in town. He knew full well that it wasn't Momo, as she'd told him the night before that she was already obligated to be somewhere else. His face fell in immense disappointment when he saw just who it was.

Sae Kashiwaga, of all people, was smiling cutely up at him from her cherry-red Porsche convertible and already had her door open in an obvious invitation for him to get in. Flicking her now long black hair over her shoulder in a well-practiced flirtatious move, she jerked her head at the passenger seat, "Come on... I'm not going to kill you."

He tossed her a suspicious glance as he resumed his little stroll, "I remember you just as well as you remember me, Sae. What possible reason could you have that would make me want to sit next to you for any length of time?"

Seeing that cars were currently parked along the sidewalk not far in front of her and that he was probably not going to stop in the meantime, she got out and slammed both doors before following him. "It's been almost a decade, Kiley. How can you still be mad at me? Hey, look at me!" She snatched at his elbow and forced him to face her.

"You're lucky you grabbed the right arm," he commented in a carefully controlled tone as he shook her hand off, eyes cold and hard. "What do you want?"

I guess those rumors about him going into the military were true. Those are the eyes of a true soldier. She shuddered inwardly and scowled up at him in irritation, "I want to know how long you're going to hold that stupid grudge against me, that's what!"

"Why shouldn't I?" Kiley asked before starting off again, unable to look at her face for more than a few moments without slugging her outright. After everything she did to Momo, she expects me to chitchat with her like it was nothing? Not likely. He sighed and sent up a muttered prayer for patience when she fell in step behind him, "Why can't you just go away like a good little girl? Oh," thinking about that for a second, he eyed her over his shoulder ironically before turning away, "never mind."

Sae wrinkled her nose at the insult but chose to let it slide as she looked him over appreciatively, "You look like you've done pretty well for yourself over the past few years. As frustrating as you're being right now, it's a nice view from back here."

The innuendo in her voice made him want to disappear from her sight immediately and run home to take a scalding shower. As it were, he flinched just slightly and quickened his pace, biting out, "Not even in your dreams."

Despite her efforts to keep up with him, his purposefully long strides were fast leaving her in the dust. Taking a chance on old memories, she stopped and called out to him, "Don't you want to hear about Toji and Momo? How their marriage is in trouble?"

Kiley paused for a moment and kept his gaze trained on a bird twittering on a signpost down the block, the fingers of his free hand lightly touching the ring beneath his shirt before stuffing a balled fist in his jean pocket as calmly as possible, "How would you know? Last I checked, you weren't exactly at the top of her confidante list."

"Rumors spread quickly, especially when the topic is so juicy," she shrugged and grinned wolfishly, having found his vulnerability. It's pathetic... after all these years, he's still ga-ga over her. This is going to be so much fun!

"And we both know you're the queen of the gossip mill," he turned back to her with a acidic smirk, seeing straight through her as always, "I'll bet you're the one who started those rumors to begin with, even if they actually exist. I'm sure Momo would've told me if they were having problems."

Mildly flustered at having been found out so easily once again by him, she went on the defensive, "Maybe I did and maybe I didn't, but that doesn't change the fact that they're true. Besides, why should she tell you anything? You've been away a long time, and a lot's changed since then."

"Well it has to do with something that you wouldn't understand, so..." he approached her and, with dark eyes flaring protectively, bent close on a terse growl riddled with warning, "shut your lying mouth."

"But, I'm not! Ask her yourself!" Sae insisted, stomping her foot like some spoiled three-year old who wasn't getting her way.

It was then the clouds finally decided to let loose with the downpour, prompting Kiley to swing the jacket he'd had draped over his shoulders around to protect the cast on his arm. "I'm done talking to you. Go back to whatever corner you're walking and leave me alone, all right? Or..." he flicked a glance to her car which, he noted with an immense amount of satisfaction, still had the top down, "whoever the poor sap is that has the unfortunate title of your 'husband.' I hope, for his sake, the damages aren't too severe."

She frowned and followed his line of sight, yelping when she saw the drenching her new black leather seats were getting before scrambling off to minimize what would surely be several hundred dollars, at least, in repairs.

Black widow, that one... he shook his head and hurried for shelter as well, the chill slipping down his spine only partially due to the cold rain. What if she really is telling the truth, for once in her life? Momo, you'd tell me if something were wrong, wouldn't you? Flashes of her scurried through his brain as he came up on the shop, especially of when she'd found him at the center. Maybe it had been the delirium, but it'd seemed that there'd been something deep in her eyes that he couldn't quite place.... did it have anything to do with Tojigamori? Never having been a fan of the guy, even though he'd gotten the two back together way back when, he scowled and shook off what moisture he could from his coat as he stepped inside. If you've hurt her again, your head will be my new favorite hockey puck.

"Surely, a little rain is not the cause of such a dour expression, my young friend," the owner observed mildly from behind him. He placed a vase filled with late-blooming flowers in the center of a little round table with a slight curve in it's legs and stood back to evaluate it's position.

"Gomen nasai, Shiori-san," smiling apologetically at his mentor, he hung his jacket on a hook by the door and came over to admire the profusion of color, "I had just run into an old... acquaintance out there when all this started."

"Oh?" the elderly man asked with sharpened curiosity, but kept his gaze on straightening the bouquet to his liking before moving away to take up a broom and start sweeping around the register. "It has been my experience that such a look implies one has encountered nothing less than their mortal enemy."

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" Embarrassed at his transparency, Kiley laughed and started helping with the cleaning as best he could, "Ok, here's the truth. This girl I went to school with thought it would be 'fun' to give me some disturbing information. But, since I've never trusted a hair on her sleazy head, I can't tell if she made it up or not."

"Considering what you have said of her character, and how she wounds people for sport, I would be inclined to believe that she did. However, it is always best to err on the side of caution." He leaned the broom against the counter and motioned him to the upper level of the building, where the living quarters were, "I am confident no one will brave this storm to come here, so why not be comfortable while talking about serious matters?"

He grinned and followed him up the stairs to the cozy den, "Yeah, right. You just want tea." The kettle let out a shrill whistle through the door of the kitchen just as he said those words and they both laughed.

"Too true," after pouring two cups and handing one to him, Mr. Shiori settled back into his favorite high-backed easy chair with his own and a grim expression, "but on to more important things. Tell me what she said to you."

"It'd be nice if I knew what's really going on here," he commented to no one in particular as he leaned his elbow against the window frame of his attic room, idly watching the wind and rain lash mercilessly outside. Unable to sleep, as restless as he was, he'd been standing there and watching the storm for the past hour or so after he'd finished talking with Shiori-san. And even if I were tired, all I'd be able to do is flop on my back like some beached fish. Man, I can't wait to get this sling off.

Kiley's mind traveled back to the conversation, wondering why he got the feeling there was something he was missing. His host, while sympathetic to his plight, hadn't given him anything he hadn't already known or guessed at, but there had been something decidedly odd in his eyes at certain points. Worried about something, just like Momo. But, though he'd tried multiple times to get the elderly dealer to tell all, he'd given the same answer every time, "It is not my place to say." Then, he would ask some mundane question to change the subject, like what it was like in America and other countries he'd visited over recent years.

Pushing away from the wall, he resumed his pacing for a while before stopping at the makeshift desk against the opposite wall, where his most treasured possessions were kept. He pulled back the wooden folding chair and sat down at the table, flipping open the small scrapbook he'd made with his mother's letters. First and foremost, of course, was the clipping she'd sent almost six years ago. From the society pages of her favorite newspaper, it showed a large and gloriously colored, a rare occasion for the medium, picture of an "up and coming young lawyer and his radiant bride." The couple was decked out in elegant wedding attire that had probably cost a small fortune and grinning for the camera in front of a gigantic cathedral. His gaze drawn, as always, to the beautiful young woman whose gaze shone in testament to her extreme joy, he smiled slightly and propped his chin on his hand while indulging in his favorite fantasy.

Dream Sequence

Cheers filled the air as the newlyweds emerged from the quaint little country church to immediately be doused with confetti and flower petals. They shared a shy, private smile and waved to the crowd as they ran, laughing breathlessly, through the gauntlet to the carriage that awaited them. The two high-spirited Arabians that drew it matched the snowy color of the vehicle perfectly, and the ten-dozen fire-and-ice roses spilling over the sides were secured with bright, curly ribbons whose ends trailed only a few inches from the ground. The sight made his ecstatic angel nearly faint in awe, and he tugged her close as he smiled tenderly into her adoring doe eyes with a silent promise. This little surprise is barely the beginning, Momo. I plan to make the rest of your life something that will make even fairy tales jealous.

End Dream Sequence

Yeah, don't I wish. Kiley chuckled slightly and shook his head, coming out of the daydream to sit back and let his fingers trace her image, admiring the dress she'd chosen. Even though the photo had faded a little with time, it still showed how well the almost blinding whiteness of the princess cut gown complimented that tawny skin he'd always loved, and the way each fair little ringlet dangled from her upswept hairdo. It all had a very... ethereal feeling to it, and every time he gave in to nostalgia and brought it out, he had the notion that he'd been lucky enough to know a miracle in flesh. It was a very humbling experience for him, really.

Which was exactly why he couldn't understand how Tojigamori had always managed to treat her as if she were just some ordinary girl, albeit one he was supposedly in love with, allowing Sae to repeatedly snow him with bold-faced lies. I sincerely hope he's changed over the years, for you and your son's sake, Momo. Otherwise, I will have to give him a royal butt-kicking. Either that, or shoot him in the face with a rocket launcher...

And speaking of guys he couldn't stand, Kiley thought with a smirk that it was probably time to visit his family and see what they were all up to. He still wanted to get Ryou back for the rather large role he'd had in sending him off to that infernal military school in the first place. Scowling at the memories of certain self-righteous cadets who thought they owned the world just because their daddies were filthy, stinking rich and relentless drill instructors that made everyone run, climb and shoot until they dropped from sheer exhaustion. Though, I have to admit... he grinned widely as he got up and wandered over to plop on the futon that had been provided for him, it was pretty funny seeing Yukimura and his cronies eat mud so many times.

While it was true some of his fellow "soldiers in training" had a superiority complex to one degree or another, if there had been a prize for inflated egos, Hinata Yukimura would've been the All-Time Grand Champion. The son of some mogul nobody had "officially" heard of, he honestly thought he would inherit the universe at some point. Though, the pathetic thing of it was, given his family's connections... he might not have been entirely wrong. Or, at least as far as the world itself goes. Kiley shook his head, somewhat disgusted with himself for having wandering around in the past so long, sleepless or not. He went back to the desk and tugged out his laptop, a relatively high-powered piece of equipment that had become essential to him in recent years, given the occasional "sensitive" assignment he and his friends received. And this is just as sensitive, if a lot more personal, he thought with resolution as he flicked it on, waited for it to boot up and typed in his password with a laugh. It feels weird doing this with only one hand. This is going to be a long night.

QoH: by the way, "Fire & Ice" is actually the name of a specific rose its white with red along the edge of the petal and, in the language of roses, is the epitome of unity. not to mention that its absolutely gorgeous! :D and i hope the length of this chap makes up for the late update... XD stupid pcs -twitch- theyre out to get meeee!!

Anhksenpaaten: -takes control- I highly doubt they wish to listen to you whine all day, hikari. I'll post this now, if you have nothing more constructive to add.

QoH: -mumbles from her soul room-