"Sister?"
Ryu was smiling at his friends' astonishment. Patty—Yua—was still holding onto him, as if afraid he would disappear if she let go. He shared the sentiment. "Yes. As hard as it is to believe, Patty…Yua…is my sister. I should have realized it sooner, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I mean, it's been ten years…."
"So the little boy finally finds the curious little sister," Nina said with a kind smile. "And the story comes to a happy end."
"For us, anyway," agreed the ranger. "But we still have the demon to deal with." He turned to his sister. "Yua, I need your help. You have to help us prove that the man posing as Prince Jean is an imposter."
Yua blinked. "How? I've only been here a day. It's not like I know any dirt on the guy."
"You're a thief," Ryu reminded her. "Can't you break into his room? Look around for anything?"
"I guess…but that's assuming he has anything incriminating." Despite her obvious reservations, Yua nodded fervently. "But I'll do it." She smiled happily. "I mean, after all, Ryu-niisan can't do anything without me, right?"
The ranger smiled wistfully and then bopped her on the head. "You should be more respectful of your brother," he said.
"Kid sister, huh?" murmured Katt, watching the siblings. Ryu's acting so differently now…he's…not so serious anymore. He's happy. The Woren felt a stab of jealousy and it made her lip twitch angrily. It's his sister, she reminded herself. Of course he'd be happy. Still, I wish it were me—or even Nina—who got to make him smile like that.
It was Sten who brought the reunion to an abrupt close. "As touching as it all is," he said grimly, "we'd best be moving out. The last thing we want is for guards to see us helping a convict escape."
"Already ahead of you, old man," Ryu said. He pointed down the hallway, toward the stairs leading to the main foyer. "We'll go in two separate groups, to lower the chances of us being spotted, and then meet in the woods south of here." He took Yua's shoulders, arresting her attention with his seriousness. "Yua, you and I are going to make a quick detour first—we're going to break into the prince's chamber."
Katt sat amidst the roots of a tree, idly tossing a piece of bark between her hands. She looked bored enough, but her soul was in turmoil. The woods outside of Simafort were quiet, giving the Woren plenty of peace in which to think. But she made little progress. I should be happy for him, she kept on thinking, but I can't help but feel…put out. Damn it, it's just his sister. Why the hell am I getting this wound up over it?
So caught up was she in her musings that she did not notice Nina approaching. The Windian sat down next to her, startling the Woren. "Jeez, Nina, I just about lost one of my nine lives there!"
The Windian's normally smooth features were creased in concern. "You're not usually so distracted, Katt. Something's bothering you. Want to talk about it? We have the privacy, since Sten's out fishing."
"Not particularly."
Nina looked hurt. "You needn't be so standoffish."
Katt sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way." She leaned against the tree, crossing her ankles and looking up into the canopy. "I guess I would feel better if I talked about it. Frankly, I'm bothered by Yua."
"Yua?"
"Yeah. She's…I dunno…Ryu's always been so controlled. Distant. You know, reserved." Katt closed her eyes thoughtfully and smiled dreamily. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Nina—it's kind of been my secret fantasy to be the girl that he opens up to. A little romantic, isn't it?"
Nina was smiling at her, slightly amused but also happy. "I didn't think a tough girl like you thought about things like that."
"Well, if we're going to be stereotyping, then its safe to say you've been gunning for the same thing, right? Being the soft, innocent type."
The Windian colored slightly, but she nodded. "I…would have liked to be the one, yes," she admitted quietly. "To see him smile or laugh or just enjoy himself for once…to be the reason for him to feel things like that…yes, I would have liked to be that."
Suddenly, Katt's expression hardened. "Yeah, well neither of us can claim that now. Now that Yua's here. You saw how he acted around her. He was practically bouncing out of his boots."
"Katt…."
The Woren dug up a fistful of dirt and grass and flung it away, venting her irritation. "Yeah, I know. She's his sister. He hasn't seen her in a decade. He should be happy. I should be happy for him. But I can't! I mean, here we are, you and me…we're declared rivals over him. I…I want him to love me so bad. It tears me up at night, wanting it…And then she comes out of nowhere and he doesn't even look at us anymore!"
Nina watched her friend fidget and gnash her teeth irritably. The Windian was at a loss. She wanted to say something comforting, something that would take Katt's mind off things…but the truth was that she felt the same.
"Katt," she said softly, "I know exactly how you feel. I really do. But Ryu…he's the kind of man who always looks behind him. I think that he's been clinging to the past for all these years and that's why he's always so detached. All his happiness, everything that he loved and cared about…it's in the past. I mean, that makes sense, doesn't it?"
Katt was looking at her curiously, her expression one of confusion but also of a desire to understand. Nina elucidated, "Having Yua back is like bringing his past into the present, don't you see? His happiness is back. He can live in the present again. You and I can't really to do that for him, no matter how much we want to."
"So you're saying that we're useless to him," Katt murmured, looking at the grass dejectedly. She suppressed the urge to sniffle.
"Not useless," Nina said sharply. "Not ever useless—Ryu would be the first one to tell you that, too." Her tone softened then. "But we aren't the ones who can make him open up. He doesn't want to open up because there's nothing for him here. He wanted what was lost ten years ago. And now, he's found it again."
Suddenly, impulsively, the Windian embraced the Woren. Katt was resistant at first, but then sank into her friend's calming embrace. Nina whispered, "We could never give him the happiness of ten years ago, Katt. But that doesn't mean we can't give him a new happiness. A different happiness. That's what I think. And that's what I want to give him."
The Woren was silent, mulling over Nina's words. "A new happiness," she repeated. A contented smile spread across her lips. "Yeah, I can live with that. Not as romantic as being the one to make him open up…but I wouldn't mind." Katt looked up at her friend. "You really love him, don't you, Nina?"
For some reason, Nina did not blush. She only nodded. "I think I finally figured out my feelings for him. I'm not entirely sure yet, but…I want things to be that way, between him and me. So do you. That's why I'm going to try and give him that new happiness."
Katt grinned. "Heh. Well, now that you know you love him, I guess my work as your rival will get a lot harder, huh?"
"Yes." A mischievous grin was on the Windian's lips. "But what's a little competition between friends?"
"So, is there something you want to tell me, Ryu-niisan?" Yua asked as she worked a lockpick inside one of the desk drawers.
The siblings were rifling through "Prince Jean's" private rooms, checking every book on the shelves, every closest, every piece of paper. They had been working for the past hour, but with no success. The imposter was good, they concluded. After all, he left no traces of any wrongdoing. Except the smell of sulfur that permeated the room.
Ryu was using his knife to splice the threads of a tapestry hanging on the wall. It depicted the victory of the de Tapeta family over their rivals during the war. "Tell you what?" Ryu replied distractedly. Crafty politicians learned how to hide papers within portraits and weavings…but he could find no such evidence hidden within the tapestry.
"About those two girlfriends you've got hanging around you," the thief said brightly. Ryu lurched and sputtered—and almost dropped his knife. Yua saw this and chuckled. "What? You think I didn't notice how they practically go goo-goo eyes over you? Not that I'm surprised or anything. Otousan was always fawning over Okasan and I know plenty of boys who tried to ask me out. I think it's because of the blue hair."
Ryu went over to the bed, cutting a slit into one of the pillows. He peered inside. Nothing. "There's nothing going on worth mentioning," he said evenly. "Did you get that drawer open yet?"
"Just about." There was a click. Yua grinned. "Got it. You sure there's nothing going on? I know tension when I see it. And there's plenty of it there. Or don't you want to talk about your little love triangle? Well, now it's a quadrilateral, isn't it? I mean, didn't you notice how jealous they got when you hugged me?" She smirked impishly. "Bet they just hate my guts now, heh, heh."
Yua bounded up and wrapped herself around Ryu's arm. "C'mon Ryu-niisan! You can tell me all the dirty details. I may be the little sister, but I'm not at all innocent!"
Ryu rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably. "I can tell, if your earlier vulgarity is anything to go by. And if there's a love triangle—quadrilateral, polygon, whatever—it's completely one-sided. The girls probably don't realize it, but I overheard them talking about their little rivalry. The terms were that they'd remain friends no matter what—except when it came to wooing me over."
Yua giggled. "How cute! When two boys fight over me, it usually ends with someone getting hurt. 'Course, I'm usually the one pounding them both into the ground because they're being stupid, but hey, who's keeping score?"
The ranger sighed, shook her off, and then proceeded to flip over the bedding. "Where would this bastard hide something? Was there anything in the drawer?"
"Just an itinerary for a meeting with the ambassadors from the satellite states," Yua answered. "Here's some tax reports, too. Looks like they're all legit. No signs of embezzlement or anything. This guy looks as clean as a Windian's arse." A wickedly mischievous look crossed the thief's face. She leaned over on the desk, cradling her chin in her hands. "Hey, Ryu-niisan, do you know how clean a Windian's arse is?"
"I'm not going to touch that with a ten-foot-pole," the ranger replied tartly. "There's nothing between me or Nina or Katt."
"You sure you're not just trying to hide your feelings?" the thief crooned. "Y'know, a lot of tough, silent guys are like that." Suddenly, she leapt onto her feet, theatrically hugging herself. "But I know my Ryu-niisan isn't like that at all!"
Continuing in the vein of drama, she curled one hand into a fist against her chest while thrusting her other fist powerfully before her. "I know my Ryu-niisan is the kind of guy who'd sweep a girl off her feet, serenade her with his beautiful singing voice, dance the most romantic of waltzes with her, and then whisper his declaration of love to her—for her ears only, of course!"
Yua then drew an imaginary sword and raised it aloft. "Should the fair damsel of his heart be placed in mortal danger, my Ryu-niisan would come to her rescue, a handsome avenging savior in polished white armor, a knight before whom all other knights cannot compare!" She smiled at Ryu. "What do you have to say to that?"
"I don't wear armor and I don't like white," he replied dryly. He was busily examining the bedposts, checking to see if they had any secret compartments.
Yua pouted. "You're no fun." She flopped onto the bed. "Ryu-niisan, I think you're just hiding how you really feel."
"And how would you know how I really feel?" he asked. "It's been ten years. For all you know, I'm someone who cut himself off from his feelings."
"If that were true, you wouldn't have kept looking for me," Yua said easily.
Ryu smiled at her cleverness. "Maybe you're right. About my feelings. Maybe I just don't want to explore them, because I'm afraid of what I'll see."
"It's not like it'll be bad," the thief said. "It's fun to be in love, y'know. If it wasn't, you and I wouldn't have been born."
"I've spent these past ten years relying on myself," Ryu said softly. He ran his fingers along the headboard, searching for any cracks or compartments. "I lived with a friend for most of that time. But even then, I kept relying on my own skills, my own hard work. I don't mind others leaning on me, but I don't want to lean on anyone else. Love…means I'd have to do that. Lean on someone else. Rely on someone else."
Yua looked at him with sad eyes and then at his fingers. She pressed her hand over his. The added pressure caused the release plates hidden in the headboard to snap open; it slid off, revealing a thin crevice within. A folder was inside.
She looked at Ryu meaningfully and said, "Sometimes it's okay to rely on others."