Some days later...
Ogami closed his eyes, trying to relax into his chair. He fidgeted, feeling restless about what had happened in a very eventful day. New arrivals, a battle, a terrible news...
He sighed, knowing that the thoughts won't leave. He eyed his desk and saw his battered diary underneath a pile of paperwork. Biting his lower lip, he pulled out his journal and began to write...
It's been tough since the last time I wrote here. Let's see, the last entry was about Orihime's first battle and stage performance, both of which she did very well...
Despite the horror of seeing the man formerly known as Yamazaki Shinnosuke getting murdered right before our eyes, the night ended well.
We had a party, in fact. One would question the occasion, but we all needed something to help us forget. We're going to fight a new war after all, against the mysterious character known as the Demon King.
I think Yamazaki's death hit General Yoneda the hardest. Yamazaki was his colleague in the First Demon War. I wonder what Ayame-san would think about Yamazaki's death...
Well, on other things...
Orihime seems to have mellowed out a little after the battle. 'I find it interesting!' she had said in her peculiar accent. Her attitude seems to remind me of the old, proud and haughty Sumire described to me by Sakura and Kanna when I first became the Taicho... Maybe it will take some time, but I think Orihime will fit in well in the Hanagumi.
Still, I don't know why Jason and Orihime seem to bicker all the time... At least they are an entertaining pair. With Kanna and Sumire still absent, those two are more than making up their share of the noise volume in the theater...
Speaking of which, the kinematron's really handy. I couldn't believe that it was powered by steam. Unbelievable. Some features would need to be upgraded, like the picture quality, but at least it allowed me to converse with all the absentees and fill them in on what's happening. Maria seems particularly interested about Orihime, since they never really met in New Trafford.
The times are getting more interesting. We had another new member, his name is Reni...
Ogami paused, trying to remember the correct way to write the name of the newest addition to the Hanagumi. He grimaced as he wrote, remembering the impassive, unemotional face of the young member.
...Reni Milchstrasse, of Germany. He too, was from the Hoshigumi, and came complete with his own Eisenkleid. Orihime knows him quite well and vice-versa; they greeted each other at first sight.
But he seems so cold, almost like a machine. All his sentences are short and abrupt, every question answered with a curt "Yes" or "No". A very straight-forward person, I gather. He even tried to avoid the welcome party we prepared to head straight to his assigned room "to wait for further orders". Well, he made a big impression on Iris, I think.
At least...
A slight tint of pink crept up Ogami's face as he remembered another person's arrival at the theater.
...Yoneda-san's new personal secretary is, um, very friendly. Kageyama Saki, recommended by the army. Yoneda surprised Jason by introducing her as a relative of the doctor who had 'saved' Jason's life during the premiere of my play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream[i]".
Jason seemed ill at ease with Saki and Reni. Saki was... very friendly to him as well, but he seems even more troubled by her enthusiasm. And I think I saw him turn pale when he saw Reni for the first time. I have to ask him about it soon.
...Which reminds me, I don't think Orihime, Reni and Saki knew about who Jason really is. Well, I'm not sure about Orihime, she may have known about it from their New Trafford adventure, but she did not say or ask anyone else about it. In any case, it's better to keep my mouth shut, if Jason wants them to know, he will tell them himself.
Ogami's eyes hardened as he recalled what had happened. His writing became more determined.
Reading back, I feel I could have deceived the reader with such mundane happenings. In fact, Reni's abilities were tested (and proven) almost immediately after his arrival.
Finally we have a name for our new enemy... the Kokkikai. There were another two new faces that day, unfortunately, it was on their side.
One was Mokujiki, a wizened old man with a false jewel eye. His fingers had jewel rings; he had long earlobes and suffers from frequent coughing fits. A very strange individual... unfortunately, still very dangerous...
The other was a brute of a man, with scars on his cheek and across his muscular chest. Jason described Kongou looking like a gangster. He was dressed in casual yellow clothes and had a chain around his neck.
Each was driving a large and personalized steam-beast, and it was very difficult to defeat them.
We caught them leading a supply gathering mission for the Kokkikai, but it turned out to be a trap for us 'within his calculations'. They didn't expect Reni to appear and spoiled it. Reni and Iris really did well in this battle, they took out Mokujiki's fixed guns quickly. They had chemistry together even though this was Reni's first Hanagumi mission.
The enemy fled before anyone could cut them down, but their departing laughter promised more surprises for us from the Kokkikai.
We found out the hard way.
Saki broke the bad news: Yoneda-san was shot by a sniper on his way back from a Department of Defense meeting. He was in critical condition, but doctors have stabilized him and now he's resting in the army hospital.
I... everyone... we couldn't believe it. Who could have shot him and why? It was a normal sniper shot, so that rules out the supernatural forces of the Kokkikai... Or, does it? We don't know.
And that's not all the bad news we had that day. Kasumi rushed to tell me that the Ministry of Defense has decided to cut funding to the Grand Imperial Theater. The reason was that it was not required for the army to pay for the actual theater expenses. They conveniently did not mention that most of the theater's profits go into the maintenance of the Teikoku Kagekidan.
I'm not sure what we can do now. Yoneda-san is in the hospital, Ayame-san is off in a secret mission and unable to be contacted. From what Kasumi told me, we still have enough funds for at least six weeks. If we don't have a solution by six weeks, we won't have enough money to even run the theater, let alone the entire Teikoku Kagekidan...
This is turning out to be a far more interesting career choice than I had thought.
One thing's for sure, life is not going to be very peaceful with the Demon King running around. The Hanagumi will have to protect the Imperial Capital from a grave danger once more...
With a sigh of finality, Ogami closed the journal for the day. It did little to solve the problems in his head, but at least it made him feel better. Right now, he would take whatever relief he could find.
A knock on the door interrupted his increasingly dark mood.
"It's unlocked," he said, not bothering to ask who it was.
Jason opened the door. Ogami wondered what was doing through the Exodusian's mind; he and Yoneda were friends even before the First Demon War.
"Hey, whatcha doin'?" Jason asked nonchalantly, eyeing the journal on the desk.
"Just a diary," Ogami explained as he slid it into his desk and locked it.
"Hmm. Sakura wants to know if you could go with her to visit the old man today," Jason said.
"Of course... wait, you're not going?"
"Naw. He probably will be sick looking at me and my health," Jason said wryly.
"I understand. It's tough to see a friend in pain."
Jason nodded, inwardly marveling at the Japanese man's insight.
"Well, Sakura's downstairs at the cafeteria. Don't keep her waiting, young man," Jason said, trying to change the subject.
"You sure about not going?" Ogami asked again.
"Yeah... hey, lend me the kinematron while you're gone?" Jason asked suddenly.
"Sure. You know how to use it?"
Jason rolled his eyes. "I'm 400 years old; you think I can't handle a steam-powered TV-like contraption? I've eaten more salt than you have eaten rice, kid[ii]."
Ogami laughed and proceeded to retrieve the device. It was conveniently packed like a suitcase. He opened it.
"Just choose who you want to talk to here, and press here to dial or end the call," he motioned at the buttons.
"Yeah, I got it. Thanks... I'm going to call the Maria about what happened."
Ogami frowned. "You sure that is wise?"
"Well, she has to know sooner or later. 'Sides, it's not as if the old man is still in danger," Jason shrugged.
"Hmm, you're right. Well, better you than me, I suppose."
---
As soon as Jason waved goodbye to Ogami and Sakura, he went back to his room and prepared the kinematron.
After several beeps and suspicious mechanical clanks, the machine stirred. He fiddled with the dial and settings uncertainly before a voice called in answer.
"...this is Maria.... who's there?"
Jason's eyes lit up. Remembering what Ogami told him, he pressed the appropriate buttons.
"Hey Maria... Jason here. Are you free to talk?"
"Jason!" Maria's voice was delighted. "Hold on..."
Then the kinematron's larger screen came to life. A moment later, a fuzzy but visible image of the Russian woman appeared.
"How are you?" Jason asked with a smile.
"I'm fine. You're using the ensign's communication set?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah. How's your trip so far?"
"A nice walk down memory lane. It has been a while since I was here," she said.
"I see..."
Maria noticed his disquiet. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern.
Jason took a deep breath. "Our funding is cut. And the manager was shot by a sniper a few days ago."
Maria gasped.
"He was shot outside of the military headquarters, but he's now in the hospital and in stable condition," Jason continued.
"But... who? Why?"
Jason shrugged. "Who knows? Right now Ogami and Sakura are visiting him... maybe the old man would have some ideas on who might want him dead. And he could have a clue on why the Ministry of Defense cut off funding to the theater."
Maria bowed her head in thought. "Such a thing... Perhaps I should return now..."
"No, don't do that."
She looked up in surprise.
"Well, at least not yet," Jason clarified, "you're still needed at Count Hanakoji's side. Things are a little wild here right now, but everyone's doing their best to cope with the situation."
She smiled. "I'm quite pleased to hear that... I'm sure the Taicho must be doing well."
"Mm, they are all doing well. He's a good leader."
"And what about you?"
"Eh?" Jason was surprised by the question.
"Are you... doing well?" she asked slowly, uncertainly.
"Yeah I am... considering you're... umm..." Jason hesitated, embarrassed. He found himself unable to look at Maria's face.
If he did, he would saw Maria was the same. She smiled; his gesture was enough for her.
"...so, I heard about the troubles with the new arrivals?" Maria asked, changing the subject.
Jason rolled his eyes. "Don't get me started."
"The Taicho said you and Orihime aren't getting along well."
"An understatement," Jason grumbled. "She argues with me on practically everything I say."
The blonde Russian arched an eyebrow. "I would like to see her when I return. I wonder what kind of a person she is..."
"She's a bratty, annoying kid," Jason snorted, "with a tendency of thinking herself superior to everyone else. She's trouble the moment I saw her."
"Hmm... but you never mentioned her at all when we were in New Trafford," Maria remarked.
"Huh? Well, you know, I was just so relieved about you getting better after the monster's attack..."
"Of course you were."
Jason became flustered. "I don't like where this is going..." he said warily.
"And where is this going?" Maria asked with a disarming smile.
Fortunately, the kinematron beeped, interrupting the impromptu interrogation. Kohran appeared on the screen, dividing it vertically between herself and Maria.
"Jason-han!" she exclaimed anxiously. Jason could hear the roar of something moving very quickly in the background.
"Hey," Jason greeted.
"I just heard! The Hana-Yashiki people said Yoneda-shihainin's been shot! Is it true!?" she asked frantically.
"Kohran, calm down," Maria said. "Yes, it's true. But Jason has just told me that the manager is doing well in the hospital."
"Really?" Kohran asked, striving to hold back her tears.
"Yes, really," Jason said gently. "In fact, you can visit him at the army hospital today... Ogami and Sakura are on their way there."
Kohran wiped her eyes dry and smiled. "Thank goodness... I'm on the train back now actually."
"Oh, you're coming back today?" Jason asked.
"I kind of rushed back when I heard the news, but I'll be back tomorrow," Kohran explained.
"I'm sure the Hana-Yashiki people would understand," Maria said.
"I'll have to go back to fill in the needed forms first though," Kohran said, "I'll go and visit Yoneda-han tomorrow before I return to the theater."
"That's good. Please say hello for me to the manager," Maria said.
"I will. Oh, Jason-han, pick me up at the hospital when I call, ya? Maria-han! We'll talk soon!" Kohran said and cut off the transmission.
"Well, what are you going to do now?" Maria asked.
Jason took a deep breath. "I'm gonna call Kanna and Sumire next. I don't think they would know yet, the army's hushing this thing up."
"Why would they do that?"
"I'm not sure. But Yoneda being a big war hero in the army and all, maybe they just want to protect his image."
"You may be right. Then, I'll take my leave now. Try to break the news to them as gently as possible."
"I will," Jason said. Then, aware of the time difference, he added, "Good night."
He savored Maria's smile as he ended the call.
---
When Ogami and Sakura returned from the hospital, Jason got a considerable surprise.
"We found it at the hospital," Sakura explained, "and it was all alone, we couldn't bear leaving it there."
Jason nodded. The small dog was almost unbearably cute, with soft, fluffy white fur. Its small eyes and nose were like little black buttons. It yipped cheerfully when Jason stooped to ruffle its fur.
"Cute," Jason muttered dryly as he stood back up. "Hey, what the heck happened? What's with the busted lip?" he asked, pointing at the dried blood on Ogami's face.
Ogami shook his head, grimacing as he touched his face. "I'm going to clean this up first..." he managed to say as he left for the infirmary.
Jason turned to Sakura. "Well?"
In a somber manner, Sakura explained their unpleasant encounter with Kyougoku Keigo, the Minister of the Army. She explained how Ogami dived to save the dog from the minister's onrushing car. The minister's aide ridiculed the Teikoku Kagekidan and punched Ogami. Not only that, the minister himself insulted Sakura's father, saying his death in the First Demon War was in vain.
Abruptly, Jason turned to leave.
"Jason-san, where are you going?" Sakura asked in alarm.
"I will go and kill him[iii]," the Exodusian said darkly, his Protoculture-laden blood boiling with anger. To Sakura, his eyes were raging, as if a black aura was enveloping Jason.
"Jason-san!" Sakura pleaded and grasped his arm.
"Insulting the team or punching Ogami can be explained by heat of the moment, but insulting the memory of a great man who sacrificed his life to save others is absolutely unforgivable!" Jason said, all fired up.
"Stop!" Sakura yelled more forcefully. She increased her grip, digging her fingernails onto his arm.
The sudden pain seemingly lifted the blood haze from Jason's eyes. He blinked stupidly at Sakura.
"Why?" he asked.
She released him once she saw the clarity in his black eyes.
"Jason-san... thank you...," she said softly, eyes down, "...I appreciate your sincere feelings, but violence right now is not fitting. Ogami-san taught me that earlier."
She explained why Ogami took the punch and did not retaliate. He had said that with Yoneda's absence, the Teikoku Kagekidan could not afford to have a scandal with the Minister of the Army, since he was also the one who controlled the funding. To further antagonize the minister would only do more harm than good.
Jason sighed. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I just don't know what came over me, I should have known better," he said shamefacedly.
"You're a 400-year old Exodusian, Jason-san, but you're also human," Sakura said gently. "You still make mistakes all the time," she added.
Jason grinned. It was not often that he was reminded that he was still human. Then his grin faded quickly.
"What do you mean 'all the time'?" he demanded, much to Sakura's amusement.
---
Despite the light-hearted way the conversation ended, Jason couldn't help but brood over what Sakura had told him. The whole day he was inconspicuous in the theater, saying little, not even trading the usual verbal barbs with Orihime.
He lay on his bed after a subdued dinner, staring at the ceiling. The fact that he himself nearly lost control also weighed heavily on him.
'It's been a while since –that- happened,' he thought glumly.
A knock on the door interrupted his train thought.
"Yeah?"
"It's Ogami. Are you done with the kinematron?"
'Oops,' Jason thought. He opened the door.
"Sorry Ogami, but I need to use it a little longer. I couldn't get through to either Kanna or Sumire today," he apologized.
"It's alright. Just don't break it," Ogami warned in jest. Then he straightened up and said, "Don't think too much, I'm sure everything will turn out right."
Jason chuckled. "Like your jaw?"
Ogami grimaced, but then he smiled. "Yes, like my jaw."
"You're a good leader, Ogami. Thanks."
"It's nothing. Good night."
Jason shut the door, thought for a while and made up his mind. Refusing to dwell on the day's events, he prepared the kinematron.
Once again, Kanna did not respond. 'Probably sleeping like a log after a tough workout,' Jason rationalized. He then tried Sumire's frequency.
"...is that you, ensign?" her voice came.
"Yo Sumire. It's just me, Jason."
"...please wait a moment."
Jason frowned at her subdued tone. When the main screen lit up, he could see that she was obviously troubled.
"Hey little sister[iv], what's the matter?" he asked. He liked calling her that, although only in private.
She bit her lower lip in a show of indecision.
"Sumire?" Jason asked again, letting more concern into his voice.
"...Jason-san... I... I'm not sure on what I should do..." she finally said.
Jason frowned and bit back a witty reply. 'She's really shaken,' he thought to himself, finding it hard to believe that the normally proud and confident Kanzaki Sumire was so hesitant.
"I'm here for you, little sister."
"...you were a pirate once, right? Do you still have... your... results?" she asked suddenly.
Jason was taken aback. 'Trouble in Kanzaki Industries?' he wondered. He took a deep breath and shook his head.
"I'm sorry Sumire, but after I... uh, retired, I left most of everything with certain people and charities. It's a selfish way for me to try to ease my own conscience."
Sumire seemed to sink deeper in melancholy, she bowed her head. "I see... I'm sorry; it was rude for me to ask..."
"No offense taken. Is this about the fact the Ministry cut off our funding? How did you know?" Jason asked.
"...no..."
"Sumire, out with it!" Jason demanded, "Tell me what's wrong!"
She sighed in defeat, another unaccustomed act from her. She paused, gathering her thoughts.
"What do you think is more important, me or the Hanagumi?" she finally asked.
Jason glowered at her image on the screen.
"Sumire, if you had asked me that face to face, you would get one hell of an ear-pull from me," he growled.
She was startled by his vehemence. "But-"
"Quiet!" Jason interrupted. He closed his eyes.
"You wanted an answer right? I don't like saying mushy stuff, so let me say this: you and everyone else are important. We're a team, remember? Now get rid of that face! I don't like you like this!" Jason said, looking away from the screen and trying to affect a look of annoyance.
After a brief pause, Sumire smiled slightly.
"...elder brother... thank you," she said shyly.
"You're not the only one with troubles you know," Jason grumbled.
"Eh? What happened?" Sumire asked, surprised.
'Oh, nice going pal, giving her more worries,' Jason cursed himself. Not wanting to lie, he sighed and briefly explained the current situation regarding Yoneda.
"That's terrible!" Sumire gasped.
"Hey, he's not dead," Jason reminded her. "From what Sakura told me, it's just a shoulder wound. Other than that, he's still the same. As for the money, well, we'll find a way."
"...I guess that seals it for me..." she said sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"...nothing. Elder brother, thank you for everything," she replied, almost formally. The transmission ended before Jason could ask further.
"Damn it Sumire, what's wrong with you?" he whispered.
-----------------------------------
Author's Notes:
Hi,
I wish to thank the people who were kind enough to review my fic. Plus, they were brave enough to swim through the ugly mess in the first thousand words or so in the first chapter, heh.
To answer the questions, yes, I like Highlander. IMHO it's one of the best movies I ever watched. Shame about its lame sequels tho.
Yes, I'm a Malaysian.
Yes, I like writing very long stories.
Yes, this will largely follow the ST2 game storyline, though it is still in progress, there will be many, subtle differences.
Yes, I'm the same Arion Wong that is writing Project Twilight with Yoru no Angel. Then again, I'm the one doing most of the writing, but don't tell her that...
Yes, I have all three Sakura Taisen games for the PC, albeit in Chinese which I can't read.
Yes, Maria's my favorite character (doh).
And finally,
Yes, my story bears a resemblance to Craig Sander's 'Sakura Wars: The Outer Limits' in the sense that they are both self-insertions... Well, mine is a bit different, argh you get the idea. Despite the similarities, I assure you, I'm not copying his work (which is very good, btw).
Anyways, I hope that will answer all of your questions (all ten of you out there).
Until the next chapter....
[i] Doctor Kageyama – see 'Starting Over' for details. I did not know Saki's full name until I played ST2.
[ii] "I've eaten more salt...." – a poorly translated Chinese proverb.
[iii] "I will go and kill him" – a memorable quote from Huang Zhong the aged general in the epic Chinese novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' (Volume II pg 122, Brewitt-Taylor edition). Always wanted to write this, since we share the same surname ^^ Huang and Wong are written the same in Chinese.
[iv] Little sister – nearing the end of 'Starting Over', Sumire told Jason he was like an older brother.