The next day, Takako hurriedly did her chores to make sure that she would be able to meet with Taru.
At four o'clock, Takako was taking a seat at the ice cream parlor. She looked around, hoping that Taru would recognize her, since she hadn't changed much. She wondered what Taru would look like now. 'Would he be the same handsome, tall, skinny guy with disheveled caramel colored hair?'
After only a minute or two of searching, she heard a voice from behind her.
"Takako?"
She turned around and saw a man who resembled Taru in front of her. He was easy on the eyes, still tall and skinny, but his caramel colored hair was combed and styled. His green eyes were hidden by tinted glasses and he was dressed in a nice business shirt and dress slacks.
"Is vanilla still your favorite?" Taru asked as he smiled and held out an ice cream cone to Takako.
"Thanks Taru. I'm amazed you still remember." Takako took the ice cream cone from his hand and looked to see what flavor he had. "Strawberry? You never liked strawberry when I knew you."
"It's grown on me," Taru said, surprisingly flatly.
As the two ate their ice cream very little was said until they had finished. Takako felt a little awkward around Taru. He had changed since she had known him, and was surprised at how little he said considering he had said he wanted to "catch up."
"So Taru… what's happened since I've seen you last. You've been pretty quiet. I thought you wanted to catch up?"
Taru finished his ice cream and said, "How about we take a walk to the park?"
Takako agreed and the two walked over to a nearby park. They walked along the path and then Taru started walking into a patch of trees, motioning to Takako to follow. Once they were in a secluded area, Taru finally started to talk.
"Now I can talk to you," he said in an odd tone. He gave a strange grin and said, "I have a secret for you."
At this point, Takako was feeling rather uneasy, but she told herself that she was just being silly. Nevertheless, she rather timidly asked, "What's your secret?"
"This…" Taru said. Suddenly, a bright aura formed around him. Takako watched as the man she thought was Taru changed. The man became rather old, short and stout, his hair turned gray and scraggly and a lengthy beard grew from his chin. After another flash his outfit changed into a dull purple robe.
Takako stepped backward and gasped. She recognized the man, rather the creature, that now stood before her. It was not her former friend Taru, but another from her past. Her dark past. It was Tsui.
::flashback::
"So Fenryl, I see you finally escaped from that tree where those pathetic Leafe knights imprisoned you."
"Yes, Tsui. I have waited for a long time to be free, and now I long for revenge. Revenge on the knights, and revenge on the whole Earth. They'll pay for what they did to me."
"How do you intend to do that?"
"I want to take all the leafe from the Earth."
"Sounds like fun. I would like to help."
"I don't want your help."
"Ah… but I can create something for you to help you with your evil plans. I can create a tree that will suck all the leafe from the Earth. This tree will save you a lot of time, and it will be very powerful. So it will be hard to destroy it. All you would need to do is collect enough leafe to awaken it and let it feed off the heart of a person in ultimate despair, and then it will serve you for your dark purpose. What do you think? I will even name it after you," Tsui said with a maniacal grin on his face.
"Hmmm," Fenryl pondered aloud. "I agree. Make this tree for me Tsui, and I shall use it with much pleasure."
"Very well then."
::end flashback::
Tsui had created the tree of Fenryl and joyfully gave it to Fenryl to steal all the Earth's leafe. But now, the tree was defeated and destroyed. Takako was no longer Fenryl.
Finally, Takako was able to say something. "Tsui, why are you here?" she asked, her voice wavering.
Tsui stepped toward her, grabbed her by the arms, and pulled her right in front of his face. "You let my creation die and now you must pay the consequences," he said in a low, eerie voice.
Takako struggled to get free from Tsui's grip, but his bony fingers held her arms tightly and she couldn't get loose. "There's no escaping me, and you know it. Just accept the consequences."
"No…" Takako said angrily.
"You will pay one way or another. Trust me. If you won't accept your punishment I can make other arrangements. Let me think… ah yes… how about that Knight of Sound… Sasame is it?" Tsui said, watching Takako gasp at mentioning Sasame's name. "If you don't do exactly what I ask you to do, I will kill him."
Tsui pulled out of his robe a clear box that had an odd-looking pocketknife inside. It had a wooden handle and the blade of it was pointy and green, seeming to look more like a green extension of the handle instead of a metallic bladed object in it. "And this is what I shall use to do it. Let's just say it's a bit of a project I've been working on. It's a huge, poisonous thorn. Let me demonstrate." Tsui delicately took the thorn out of the box. He then yanked off a green leaf from a nearby tree and stabbed the thorn through the leaf. Within seconds the whole leaf turned brown and the leaf started to crumble as the wind blew against it.
When Takako saw what Tsui could do she could feel her anger rise, while at the same time tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I must say, I don't know what this thorn could do to a leafe knight. What fun it would be to use Sasame as my lab rat."
"Tsui," Takako started reluctantly. "I will do whatever you ask, but please… don't hurt Sasame. I beg you," she finished as she started to cry.
"That's more like it. Compliance. You really have softened Fenryl… or should I say Takako. That's what happens when you turn good, you become weak. Now, stop crying, you need to listen to what I say."
After a few moments Takako forced herself to stop crying. Then after some more deep breaths Takako tried to calm herself best she could so she could focus on the wishes of her enemy Tsui.
"See… I could do something like kill you, but I figure that my plan I'm about to share with you will be so much more fun for me and painful for you. It's a rather devious plan I must admit. Fenryl would have appreciated it, but I'm sure you'll hate me… then again you probably already do. But anyway, I will tell you what to do, and if you don't comply in any way, shape, or form I will kill Sasame. Here is what you must do. First, you must not tell anyone about our meeting, except that you went out for ice cream with Taru. You aren't to mention me or anything else we've said. Second, you need to have a date with me, but I will be disguised as Taru. Tell me, when were you and Sasame going to do something together next?"
Takako looked down at the ground. She frowned and then reluctantly answered, "Tomorrow afternoon at two."
"Oh, excellent. You will cancel your date with him and go out with me instead; and when you cancel your date, I want you to be heartless about it, too. In fact, I want him to hate you. You can meet me here at 1:30. Then, I will tell you more of my plan. How does that sound?"
Takako weakly nodded.
"Good. Now, go find Sasame and tell him the news. And remember… I have my ways of watching you. No funny business."
Without another word, Tsui disappeared. Takako fell to her knees and began to cry. After a half hour or so, Takako realized she had better go back home for dinner and to figure out how she was going to break off her date with Sasame.
