Sapphire Vixen
--By SunFireVixen--
Vixen: -small timid voice- I know this is a short chapter, but please bear with me now... I'm stumped on chapter 41. -big grin-
And no, the last chapter wasn't based on any song, supershark1. '
Chapter 39: Riddles
Emerald eyed Sapphire. She turned to her clone.
"What?" Sapphire asked coldly.
Emerald crossed her arms across her chest. "Aren't you supposed to be fox-girl right now…?" She gazed out the small window letting the only small warmth of the outside come in. "…it's morning."
She had not noticed this… she has been in this form since the previous day….
Since she… saved Kai…
"I don't know why, and I really don't have time to care," Sapphire stated, retreating to her room. Emerald stared after her as she closed her door.
Silver eyes stared at Emerald as their owner entered the room, noticing her frown. "Not a very happy clone, are you?"
Emerald snorted. "I'm an idiot's clone, I live in a cold laboratory, and a mad teenage scientist is supposed to be my master. Yes, I am not a very happy camper."
Fei let an amused smile that Emerald did not like at all, even if it did not mean anything, it was just his eyes seemed to sneer at her, then that taunting smile…
She stared down at the floor, and Fei exited the room, noticing he had done his job, a large smirk on his face.
Emerald glared down at the floor. 'I can't believe I'm his servant again…'
As she walked back to the room she shared with Sapphire, she muttered swear words and something about guillotines and lots of fire.
Sapphire did not look up as Emerald entered the room. Emerald plopped into Sapphire's bed, and clapped her hands.
"You are squashing one of my lower ribs. Get off," Sapphire mumbled.
In a very odd cheerful voice, she said, "I don't care. Nobody here cares." Emerald walked to her own bed, lying back into the oh-not-so-soft-as-Sapphire's-couch-in-Sapphire's-room-in-Sapphire's-mansion pillows.
Emerald sat up and looked at Sapphire, who turned to her side, in a fetal position. She then wrapped her arms around herself. Emerald sighed, and sat on her knees on the floor, then whispered in her ear, "Sapphire, I promise I'll get you out of this."
She put a hand on her arm, staring down at her. Sapphire nodded, and Emerald said in a lower whisper, "Don't cry, Sapphire. Be strong like you have always been. Let Kai be the only one to see your tears."
Sapphire turned to her, tears already welling up in her eyes. "How did you-"
"I'm your feelings, and your clone. Aquamarine knows everything too…" Emerald said, with a smirk.
A blush crept up her face, and she stuttered, "But…"
"I've already told you, I'm not repeating myself," Emerald said, standing up and plopping into her bed. "Oh, and by the way, Kai's a really good k-"
"You're not supposed to know that!" Sapphire's face was completely red now.
"I thought you weren't the jealous type, how wrong I was-"
"I'm not jealous, I just feel uncomfortable-"
"Well, you'll get over it…"
"Emerald!"
"Relax…I'm just stating the truth-"
"No- you're stating my secrets-"
"Our secrets…you can't hide anything from me, I'm you-"
"No! I don't want you to know!"
"Too bad… and that rhymes, by the way…you know, the last sentence you used-"
"I don't care…" Sapphire whined, rolling to her side again. Emerald slumped her shoulders, leaning back.
"On the serious side- Sapphire," Emerald said, in a serious tone, "you have to do everything Fei says, he's capable of doing anything. I'm not human, and I can't get hurt…but you can-"
"I fear nothing," Sapphire murmured. Emerald smiled at her.
"Everyone has a fear. Whether they change, or you face them, new fears come. I have my own, believe it or not," Emerald stopped for a moment, and then said, "I know your fear, Sapphire…and it's not death."
Sapphire said nothing, and Emerald continued, "But even if you do not fear death- even when you feel when there is no purpose to life… someone will cry for your death."
"Like those cheesy dudes on TV say: To the world, you are a single person, but to one person, you can be the world. Sapphire… that person does not think you are the world- he thinks you are the universe. Don't die yet- he wants to see you again."
At this, Sapphire sat up, glaring at Emerald. "After I do what Fei says, he won't, I'm sure. After I do, I won't be the universe- I'll mean nothing to him!" she yelled, then hid under her bed sheets, her back turned to Emerald.
Emerald smiled, looking down at Sapphire. "Let's just wait, then. We'll see his reaction."
---
"Master, is there something wrong?"
Kai stared down at his empty hand, and then switched to the maid who looked up at him worriedly.
"We need to find Sapphire," Kai said calmly, pushing back some of his slate-grey hair back. The maid nodded, then another said, "I will tell Mistress Riza right away." she curtsied to Kai before exiting the room quickly.
"Master Kai, where did Sapphire go? I thought you would be with her, I mean, after all, she is your-"
"Master Kai! Should I tell Mistress Aquamarine about Mistress Sapphire's disappearance?"
"Master Kai- I think I found something you should see!"
"Master Kai! Would you like breakfast?"
"Master Kai!"
Kai felt dizzy, and said, "I don't know where Sapphire went- I don't want breakfast right now… Yes, tell Aquamarine- I'll be right there… and… what?" he asked to the maid that just plainly shouted at him.
She stared shyly up at him. "I told Mistress Riza..." she said with a nervous smile. Kai felt a migraine form before walking across the room towards the maid that had found something.
When his back was turned, all the maids gathered around the maid that had asked where Sapphire had gone. They spoke in Japanese.
"Baka! Why were you going to say-"
"Are you insane? Don't ask questions like that!"
"What? I don't know what you are talking about!"
"Don't be rude, Suuko-chan!"
"I'm sorry!"
"You better be… just stay out of Master Kai's way… I think he's a little bit mad right now."
The maids continued to whisper, as a maid handed Kai a small piece of paper. He quickly unfolded it, and scanned the writing.
Hiwatari-san…
Enemies are everywhere…
I want to tell you that Sapphire isn't the same anymore or on the same side of the battlefield.
Let me tell you that change isn't always a great thing…
I advise you to leave her alone- she's with me and nothing you do will bring her back.
Promises that I have told will not be broken…
If I find you trying to be near Sapphire, I will tear you apart.
Until we find a way…
We are with Fei, do not ask why. You will not get answers. We both hate you, you are…
Stupid.
Hating you, Emerald.
Kai stared at the strange letter, blinking a few times. The maids stared at him expectantly. He turned to them. "It just says that Sapphire's not coming back, and nothing we do will."
Tears started to well up in their eyes before they burst into sobs. Kai coughed, scratching the back of his head. "This is ridiculous… Sapphire's coming back, whether they want it or not…"
They looked up, hope in their eyes. He stared down at the letter again.
'Enemies are everywhere.
Let me tell you that change isn't always a great thing.
Promises that I have told will not be broken.
Until we find a way…'
Why had she written this? It wasn't threatening, except the first one… but the next three made no sense, and did not go at all with the rest of the threats she made.
What confused him the most is the formal opening… is this not supposed to be a threat?
Something really bothered him about the letter.
"So Mistress Sapphire w-will be ok-kay, Master Kai?" some of them asked, wiping away their tears. Kai nodded, not looking up.
"I need to do something, excuse me," Kai muttered, walking to the door.
They curtsied low as he closed the door.
"He looks uneasy…" one of the maids murmured, looking for anything else that would help in their search. They all nodded in agreement.
---
Kai lay down the letter in front of him, flat on his desk. He searched into the drawers for paper. He took a pen from the desk, and with the fine point, wrote the first letters in each sentence across the top of the paper in dark black ink.
He glared at the single word at the bottom of the letter.
'Stupid.'
He decided not to use the word, nor the opening or closing greetings. He looked down at the eight letters: E I L I P I U W.
'That's not a word…'
He scrambled the letters, and receiving words like 'lip', 'lie', and 'pie'. He grew irritated, and put his pen down as he heard a faint knock on the door.
Kai let the person come in, and Aquamarine's soft aqua eyes stared at him. Kai stared back, confused at her silence. She opened the door wider, and his eyes widened at her attire. She wore the same exact clothes Emerald did.
Kai stood up as he narrowed his eyes at Aquamarine. "You know where she is."
Se replied with a curt nod. "I just received my first orders this morning… I see you also received the letter-"
"Why are you doing this?"
She looked away. "My orders are not to inform you, but to send you a message. Do you accept?"
Kai stared at her closely before saying, "Yes."
Aquamarine walked to the balcony doors, opening them softly before stepping out. She jumped on the ledge. She stared down at him, and in a murmur said, "Do not doubt if you feel more than you did before."
She jumped off the ledge, disappearing into the jungle-like garden below. He grasped the ledge, looking down for any movement. He stared after her as she jumped farther away from him, in the direction only she knew.
Kai stepped away from the balcony, and back into his room.
Why were they talking in riddles?
Maybe it's April Fools Day… and all of this is some weird joke…
No.
Emerald had shot him with a tranquilizer!
And they were in early September anyway…
Kai sat back into his chair, staring down at the paper with all the words he could think of that included the letters he had written down. Some of them where in Russian, but not even in that way they made any sense to him.
He sat back into his chair, leaving the pen on the white paper, so it made a small puddle of black ink.
He sighed, thinking about what Aquamarine had told him before she left.
'Maybe they don't want to say…
Or maybe they can't say.
But who would be stopping them?
Exactly.
It must be Fei…
Give me a reason why they would go with him instead.
Kai thought harder, and then before he could think of it, a thought crept into his head,
And it's not bribery…
Kai let a grin form on his face. Sapphire had enough money…
He is holding someone as prisoner.
Now…to figure out who…