The Petshop-
Tet-chan-
"It's about damned time." Tet-chan grumbled, watching the last of the Souma's leave the Petshop. He slid the door closed behind them and rolled his shoulders to get ease the tension. Japan was a bad idea. They should have gone to China, not that he'd be so disrespectful as to say that to Count D. Japan was too noisy with too many people. At least in China one could escape the hordes of humanity in the deep forests.
"You shouldn't swear. The boss doesn't like it."
Tet-chan didn't bother to turn around, but moved to tidy the parlor. "He isn't here, Ten-chan. If you don't like it, leave." That stupid human Count D insisted on keeping always made a mess. Didn't even know how to wipe his shoes before he went into someone's home. Why didn't anyone bother to put their empty teacups in the kitchen to be washed? Honestly, it wasn't as if he really had time to be maid AND guard for the Petshop.
"Can't you relax now?" Ten-chan lazily draped himself over the sofa and reached out to take Tet-chan's hand, stopping him from his rounds of tidying. "All the hard stuff is over. The Count will be happy."
And that was the important thing, right? "Go to sleep, then. I've got things to do." He pulled away from Ten-chan and went to fluff the pillows that stupid human had been sitting on. That done, he moved on to straightening a tapestry that really didn't need straightening and studying the floor. It would need sweeping, but the dishes needed to be washed first and then there was breakfast to think about. "Stupid human…always making more work for me!"
A snickering laugh made Tet-chan snarl at Ten-chan. "Are you moaning about that, again? You really should find something new to complain about. Everyone's starting to think you're obsessed. Is it true?" He rolled over onto his stomach and leered at Tet-chan. "Do you think about the boss all the time?"
"Always." It didn't occur to Tet-chan to lie. He was too simple of a person. Why shouldn't he keep his mind always on his master? Count D certainly deserved it. He should give Count D all of his love and respect, no one else could have it. "Leave me alone, I've got work to do." Work, then sleep. Everyone else had already gone to bed - the humans, anyway. Most of the pets were likely to be awake all night, but that was the way with animals.
Tet-chan was a liar by nature, but not maliciously. He would lie for fun or on orders from Count D, but never just to hurt someone. He was the most independent of all Count D's pets, a saucy sharp-witted creature, the kitsune was also one of the most powerful of the pets. He was popular with wild good-looks, a long braid hanging down his back and laughing, mischievous eyes. Though very thin, Ten-chan was strong enough to have survived long enough to have grown all nine of his tails for Ten-chan was of the highest power level that a kitsune could attain. One would be a fool to risk such a powerful kitsune's wrath.
Tet-chan was a fool.
"Just leave!" He snapped, smacking Ten-chan's hand when the kitsune reached out for him, again. "Some of us work around here. Go back to your room and lounge by that river of yours. You're doing nothing but disturbing me."
A slow, wicked grin nearly split Ten-chan's face. "Good. I think I'd like to disturb you."
Tet-chan froze where he was in the doorway that led to the kitchen and puzzled over that remark. "Are you trying to insult me?"
"Hardly." Ten-chan pushed himself up onto his elbows. "You're not easy to seduce, are you?"
"What?" Tet-chan looked over his shoulder and scowled blackly.
"You heard."
Shaking his head, Tet-chan turned again and strode into the kitchen. That fool of a fox was always talking nonsense. Tet-chan had no time for mating or other such foolishness, even if Ten-chan were serious. He wasn't. Ten-chan couldn't be serious, he was just teasing, like he teased everyone. It wasn't as if Tet-chan was all that interesting.
We aren't even the same species. But he and Count D weren't the same species, either, and that didn't stop Tet-chan from being devoted to Count D. Ten-chan would drive me mad in an hour.
Fixing his mind on the more pleasant task of preparation for breakfast, Tet-chan did his best to forget Ten-chan's perplexing words. Count D liked his food perfect and Tet-chan was determined that nothing inferior would ever be served from his kitchen. As he did every night, Tet-chan searched the kitchen for ingredients before settling on what would be served. Chris would get a healthy, human breakfast - eggs, toast, milk, and a banana. Count D would get his usual light meal of rice with some steamed vegetables and tea with a little honey. That stupid human…Tet-chan paused in his rummage of the kitchen. He tapped his claws on the kitchen table and tapped his foot, the movement making his bracelets and anklets jangle. That stupid human would be there in the morning, in all likelihood. He was spending the night with Count D. Cornflakes for that one.
After a few hours of puttering around the Petshop and making sure he had everything prepared to make the Count breakfast, Tet-chan was finally ready to sleep and started making his way to Chris' room. He had his own room, of course. He was an important pet and, like Ten-chan and little Hon Ron, didn't have even to share with anyone else. However, it had been months since he'd slept in his snug little den and he didn't have any real urge to go back. Chris would need him, after all.
In the lonely corridors of the Petshop Tet-chan walked, but wasn't disturbed. He'd lived in the Petshop long enough not to be worried by the silence of the dark. If he listened carefully, he'd be able to hear the soft sounds of the pets in their rooms going about their lives.
Not far from Chris' room, Tet-chan noticed a painting that hadn't hung in the hallway before. He knew the Petshop very well and certainly knew the area around Chris' room. The painting wasn't supposed to be there. Moving closer for a better look, the painting made Tet-chan's blood run cold. He froze and stared, horrified.
Count D…not the master that Tet-chan currently served, but the older one. Long hair to his hips and purple eyes…Tet-chan remembered it so well. It was a painting of Count D's father. He stood in all his elegance with burning eyes looking right at Tet-chan.
Such unbelievable fear made Tet-chan stiffen, his arms and legs locking in place. Those eyes…those terrible eyes…
"Was she so important to you? Funny. I had not thought your kind were at all social."
It was a painting, just a painting like any other hanging in the Petshop. It was only a painting, it wasn't dangerous, but as Tet-chan stared at the painting he began remembering things he would rather have forgotten. He remembered his life before he'd come to live at Count D's Petshop and how he'd ended up in service to the Kami. He remembered the previous Count D. He remembered his small cage and the haunting laughter, the mocking smile, and he remembered the fingernails…the hands that on his current master brought such comfort and safety were identical to the hands which had clawed at Tet-chan's skin and pulled his hair from his scalp. The days and weeks and months of hunger, denied the human flesh his kind needed for survival. Back then, he'd cursed the name of Count D and wished for his own death.
I thought I'd gotten over it. Animals were concerned with only 'now', not with the past or the future. I'm safe. The Count takes care of me. He protects me. Lots of food. I'm safe. That's only a painting.
But he couldn't shake off the memories of his past or the terrible feeling that the painting of the elder Count D was watching him. Tet-chan pushed open the door of Chris' bedroom and slipped into the welcomed darkness. There was a little light from a nightlight, just enough for Tet-chan to see Chris' peaceful face and Pon-chan curled up beside him. The little raccoon adored Chris and took every opportunity to be with him.
Though he normally took time to see that Chris was asleep and tucked in and that the room was tidy, none of that seemed important compared with the thoughts distracting him. Tet-chan slid under Chris' bed where he could feel safely confined, and promptly fell to dreaming.
Dream-
"Won't you come closer?"
Tet-chan, who hadn't been called Tet-chan so long ago, crept a little closer. The stranger looked human, but smelled sweet. Like flowers, there was a perfume around him. Tet-chan had been younger then, so many years before Count D had welcomed him into the Petshop. "Who are you?"
The stranger was thin with a delicate face and long hair that was such a dark black it was almost green was so long that it stretched passed his hips. His skin was white like snow and his eyes were dark purple. "You may call me Count. And you are a Tou-Tetsu." He smiled, showing off pure white teeth. "Such a rare creature and how lovely you are."
Tet-chan felt strangely light-headed. The person was so beautiful, impossibly beautiful. "What are you?" He moved a little out of the concealing bushes. It was against his better judgment and made him nervous. There was a human village nearby, he could see the light from their fires, and he wasn't old enough to kill full-grown human males, yet. "I've never seen anyone like you."
"I'm not surprised. A little closer. I'd like a good look at you. Ah, there you are. Such splendid big eyes you have." He reached out and Tet-chan saw the terrible fingernails, talons that were capable of killing. "How old are you? You look quite young to be on your own."
His parents had died long ago. It seemed like everyone had died. "I don't know. A few seasons." He wanted to go to the Count. He wanted to touch that outstretched hand and rub himself against it. He wanted to put his hands on that shining hair and smell the Count. "You aren't human, are you?" Surely, if something smelled as good as the Count did, then it would taste even better.
"No. I'm just watching them. There will be a battle tonight. Another village will attack them for the sake of some metal and pretty rocks. Strange animals."
Tet-chan felt his heart light at the thought of battle. Battle was always a good thing. It meant easy food. "Really? Tonight?"
"Yes. I wanted to watch it. Would you like to join me?" The hands of the stranger reached out to Tet-chan, but suddenly changed. They became grasping and possessive and Tet-chan cringed away, but was unable to escape.
The dream shifted and the dark forest of China vanished.
Tet-chan was caged in a room with nothing in it but his small prison and that the beautiful Kami was his captor. "My sweet Tou-Tetsu. There is no way out." The voice vibrated in Tet-chan's mind. So familiar…strangely familiar. "You are shaking. Poor dear. There is no need to be frightened. It is much safer in here than out in the world. Too much danger out there."
Tet-chan lay on his stomach and cowered before the Kami, his hands protectively over his head. How long had he been held by the Kami? Days? Weeks? "Let me go. Please, let me go." He hated begging, hated asking for anything. He was Tou-Tetsu! The top of the food-chain, the only creature to deliberately hunt humans on a regular basis. To be bent to the will of anyone, even a Kami, rankled Tet-chan.
"Let you go?" The Kami's icy hand slid down Tet-chan's face and stroked his cheek. "Why?"
"My sister needs me. She's alone and she needs me."
"Oh! How sad." The Kami withdrew his hand. "She's dead."
"Dead?" She couldn't be dead. Chen-Mei was the strong one.
"The humans killed her. They found her lurking outside their village. I believe she was looking for you. What a sweet, loving sister she was. Perhaps I should have told her before I took you. Oh, come now. You really mustn't cry."
"Chen Mei!" Tet-chan wailed from where he lay on the floor of the cage. "Chen Mei!"
"Silly thing." A narrow hand reached between the bars of the cage and lightly touched Ten-chan's hair. "She's only dead. It is not as if she were all that important."
"My sister!" Tet-chan swiped with his claws at the hand touching him and moved to back away from his captor. He crawled to the back of the cage as far from the invasive hands as possible. "She was my sister! Murderers! All of them!" He couldn't stop the snarling accusation before it left his lips, "You! You could have saved her! You watched her be killed!"
"Such harsh words, little Tou-Tetsu." The hand came from behind Tet-chan and wrapped around his thin throat. The hand held Tet-chan securely, despite his wild struggles, then suddenly pulled him backwards and slammed him painfully against the bars. "I may come to think you dislike me."
Stars danced in front of his eyes, but Tet-chan tried to pull away and even went so far as to reach behind him and dug his claws into his captor's arm. Blood seeped from the wounds he made and when the blood touched his skin, Tet-chan screamed. The agony was unbelievable.
"Your sister was worthless. Too old to be trained, she would have been nothing but a nuisance to me. You however, are quite young enough. You'll be broken easily, my pet. I look forward to taming you." A white face, fine and elegant, peered at Tet-chan through the bars of the cage and smiled sweetly. "The pride of my collection, the last of the Tou-Tetsu." The Kami laughed manically. "All mine."
End Dream-
"Tet-chan! Tet-chan!"
He woke with a start to find that hated face looking down at him. Tet-chan froze and gaped at the face he'd seen so often in his nightmares. The thin, cool hands gripped him by the arms and Tet-chan felt that he should simply submit. It had been easier in the past and led to less pain.
"Are you awake? It is alright. You were having a nightmare…"
Tet-chan squirmed and wiggled, then burst out of Count D's grip. He rolled once then sprang to his feet and dashed out the door, still half-lost in the dream of his childhood. He'd been in that situation so many times before - held down, restrained, with that delicate face and sinful eyes looking down at him. He'd wanted to run, then. He did run, now.
There was a faint cry of, "Tet-chan! Wait!" But he ignored it and dashed through the halls. The terrifying painting was gone, but Tet-chan didn't stop to think about it. He just ran until his feet brought him back to a place of safety. A place no one else ever went and a place where Tet-chan himself rarely visited. His den.
The room was his alone, Count D had said when he'd first brought Tet-chan to the Petshop. "Yours and only yours." He'd promised, petting Tet-chan's hair, fondly. "I made it for you." It was just like home, China, had been.
Pushing open the door so hard that it slammed open and slammed shut behind him, Tet-chan ran into his room. It was, like many of the Petshop's other rooms, a world unto itself. Soaring mountains and dark green forests, the smell of earth in need of rain. It was all perfect and it all felt safe. Tet-chan scrambled through the trees until he found his den. It was small, little more than a hole in the ground that led to a dug out den only just big enough for two people.
The den was warm and sandy, perfectly clean just as Tou-Tetsu's den should be. Breathing hard and sweating more than he should have been from a simple run down the hall, Tet-chan curled himself into a ball and tried to calm himself.
It was the Count…it was master, not the other one. The other one is gone and the Count won't hurt me. Stupid. Ran away like a coward. He'll be angry. Disappointed. I'm Tou-Tetsu! Fiercest of all animals! Running away from a dream and I left poor Chris alone. If he ran away at such a slight thing, surely the Count wouldn't trust him to be guardian any longer. Stupid! Stupid! He's gone. Nothing to be scared of. Stupid painting, it probably wasn't even there. I must have imagined it. Tetp-chan lay his head down on his arms and closed his eyes., trying to forget his shame and fear.
"My dear one," It was Count D's voice from the entrance of the den and Tet-chan stiffened. "What has gotten you so upset? Chris and Pon-chan woke me up to tell me you were having a nightmare and now you run from me. Have I done something to upset you?"
"No, master."
Count D-
"Count! Count!" Pon-chan shook D's arm, waking him from a very pleasant dream. "Tet-chan's crying and he won't wake up!"
D was instantly awake and sitting up. That she had brought Chris with her showed how worried Pon-chan was. Chris was biting his bottom lip with worry. Sorry for waking you, but he doesn't cry often so we got worried.
"No need to apologize. Is he in your room, Chris?"
Yes, Count.
"Then you two crawl in with Leon." D checked to make sure his dearest one was still asleep then leaned over to kiss his cheek before he stepped out of bed and pulled on a robe. "I want a private word with Tet-chan."
He waited until they were both in bed and wondered what Leon would say once he woke up. It had taken poor Leon a long time to fall asleep - as it was an entirely new situation for him, falling asleep in someone else's bed - so D guessed that Leon would sleep until about noon.
Will Tet-chan be alright? Chris asked while D pulled the blankets over the two children.
"I will speak with him. He is strong." It was the best D would promise. In the unlikely event that Tet-chan would NOT be alright, he didn't want Chris to think him a liar. Not that it mattered, because Tet-chan WAS strong and he WOULD be alright. D had to believe that. He couldn't stand the idea of one of his favorites being hurt.
D gave Chris and his favorite raccoon, Pon-chan, each a kiss before he left the room and started thinking about what could have happened to set Tet-chan off crying. He was emotional, but not generally prone to tears. He was more likely to lash out in anger than anything else. How angry Tet-chan would be if D told him how alike he and Leon were.
It had been a good long while since Tet-chan had needed or wanted coddling and D couldn't help but think that he knew what had caused it. The Tou-Tetsu's pride was enormous and the fact that his charge, Chris, had been kidnapped and nearly killed must have shamed him greatly. It was the most likely reason for Tet-chan to be crying in his sleep, but still didn't seem like a very good reason.
It was outside Chris' room that D learned how wrong he had been. He knew what had set Tet-chan off. He stared in horrified realization at the painting hung outside Chris' room. "Sofu," He muttered. "What have you done? Why hang it here?" The painting never should have been hung so close to where Tet-chan roamed. It should have been hidden far from where any of the pets who had ever been owned by papa D would ever go.
There was power in that painting and it was no wonder. Sofu could never stand to harm his own child so the punishment had been the painting itself. It was no painting. That image of papa D WAS papa D. Imprisoned in the painting, papa D would stay there until Sofu decided that he'd learned his lesson and would stop hurting the poor, innocent animals - like the Souma family. The painting radiated power, an immense terrible power that showed D that his papa wasn't at all happy about being punished.
Serves him right. D thought. He didn't say it aloud for fear that his papa would actually hear him, but did take the painting off the wall and moved it to where his darling pets would be less likely to find it. Tet-chan wasn't the only pet who had been owned by papa D though he had suffered more than most. An unused room with a lock was the best place for the painting and that was where D hung it.
Once that had been done, D went to Chris' room where he found Tet-chan in just the state Chris and Pon-chan had left him. He heard the whimpering before he saw Tet-chan and found him under the bed. It was his favorite place. The comfort didn't go as well as D had hoped it would. His voice and a little shake woke Tet-chan, but Tet-chan's reaction wasn't positive. He stared at D, terrified before bolting from the room.
D watched him go, sadly. It had been a long time since Tet-chan's nightmares had affected him so badly. D stood again and went to where he knew Tet-chan would go - the same place he always went something bothered him. His den.
"My dear one, what has gotten you so upset? Chris and Pon-chan woke me up to tell me you were having a nightmare and now you run from me. Have I done something to upset you?"
"No, master."
"Then come out." He reached into the den and waited. Tet-chan seemed to have calmed himself down, but there was no reason to push it. If Tet-chan didn't feel safe coming out of his den, D would leave him there and wait. "Tet-chan, you know I will not hurt you. I would never want to hurt you. Please, believe me."
"I do. I just…" His voice trailed away and there was such a long silence that D feared that was all he would get out of Tet-chan.
"You do not have to explain. You do not have to tell me what you dreamed about."
Slowly, a clawed hand reached out of the den and up until it touched D's hand. "Promise?"
"Promise."
The fingers closed around D's hand and he let them. Like a rabbit out of its burrow - though he'd never say that to Tet-chan - the Tou-Tetsu crawled out with a guilty, defensive expression. "I'm no coward."
"No. You are not."
The night before, Souma Estate-
Ayame-
After tucking Yuki safely in bed and listening to a complaining Rin while she griped about being back in a sick bed, Ayame had gone downstairs to wait for Hatori. It had been a long wait. Even after he'd returned from seeing Akito Hatori had said nothing to Ayame when he'd walked into the house and went straight upstairs to see Yuki and Rin. It lasted almost as long as Hatori's visit to Akito.
Nearing midnight, Ayame still sat on the sofa in the living room. Momiji and Hatsuharu had long since drifted off to sleep on the floor where they'd spent the evening playing cards. The house was eerily silent, but Ayame didn't feel like falling asleep. He was wound up with tension and trying to relax hadn't done much good. His tension only heightened when he heard the soft tap-tap of Hatori's footsteps.
Hatori was tired. Dark circles under his eyes and a slouch in his normally ramrod straight posture all showed how tired he was. It seemed that lately, there was never any time to sleep. He stood at the bottom of the stairs and regarded Ayame for a long moment. "Let's go to bed."
It wasn't the earth-shaking moment Ayame had dreamed of.…it was more. The simple invitation was more than Ayame could have hoped for. He stood and made his way to Hatori, fearful that Hatori hadn't meant what Ayame was thinking. "Do you want…?"
"Right now, I want sleep. It would…comfort me," He said with a small degree of embarrassment. "To have you with me." Then he turned his face away. "You don't have to."
As if after all his years of waiting for Hatori, Ayame would leave.
Hours later, in the early dawn, Ayame woke and found himself in bed alone. Nothing had happened that night. He and Hatori had simply slept together. Although he'd been disappointed, Ayame had to admit that Hotori really wasn't up for anything more. Even if he hadn't been utterly exhausted, Hatori had to get used to an idea before he could fully embrace it. Still…this was a step in the right direction. So Ayame got up and dressed - why hadn't he thought to go home for clean clothes? - and went to find whoever was awake. It seemed that he and Rin were the only ones who'd been sleeping.
He watched Yuki set off for Shigure's house looking like an S&M dream in Hatsuharu's clothes and sat with Momiji and the nude Hatsuharu while they ate, thinking that he would have to give Hatsuharu his robe before the boy left for home. He certainly couldn't go around without his clothes and Momiji's would never fit him. The morning went well, quiet and peaceful until Hatori announced that he was headed to the Hot Springs after a shower to wash off the sweat from his archery.
"Are you going to stay with us, Aya?" Momiji asked. He'd taken time to say good-bye and 'see you at school' to Hatsuharu before he'd returned to the kitchen to do the washing up. "I think I'd like it if you did. Ritsu would visit more and I'm sure Ha'ri would be happier."
Ayame smiled brilliantly and gave out one of his normal responses as he draped himself in one of the kitchen chairs. "Of course he would! Everyone is happier when I'm around, it's one of my natural talents. I've always been very popular, everyone likes having me around." But he didn't actually say whether or not he would stay. That was something for Hatori to decide, it was his house, after all. Ayame could always go back to his shop.
Hatori looked like a god when he walked out of the shower, still damp with his shirt unthinkingly unbuttoned. Ayame caught only a glimpse of him as he passed through the hall to his bedroom, but it was enough to feel his heart start racing and prompt Ayame to follow him. "You're leaving then?" Ayame leaned against the doorway while Hatori double-checked his black bag, then searched for his coat in the closet. "I think I'll go with you. I haven't spoken with Ritsu, yet, and that's something that really has to be done. I'm starting to be afraid for him."
Hatori nodded. "Good idea. I need to recheck his injuries after I see Kyou and the children Kureno brought home." Upon seeing Ayame's confused expression, he added, "Shigure called a little while ago and explained. It seems we have refugees on our hands and they haven't been well-treated."
At the Hot Springs-
They walked in the gardens as they usually did when Ayame visited. It was quite and comforting, even though all the other children were milling about. Ayame would hear the whole story about that later when Hatori had time to explain it to him.
"Have you heard from Orcot-san?" Ritsu asked, softly. "I like your friend. He was very kind to me in America."
"Yes, about America." Ayame took hold of Ritsu's hand and gave it a little tug to stop Ritsu from walking. He led Ritsu to one of the small stone benches and they sat together. Ayame had always been fond of Ritsu and come to think of him as another little brother. "We never did get to have that little chat, did we, Rit-chan?" He smiled, but knew it didn't seem genuine. "About what we discussed on the phone when you called me from America."
Ritsu seemed to shrink into himself, pulling his head down close to his shoulders. "I really…"
"I really think it's a talk that's long over due, but in all honesty, I'm not sure what I can say." He took Ritsu's hands in his own and held them. "You truly think you're worthless, don't you? Everyone in the family loves you."
"I know." Ritsu looked down at his lap, letting his hair fall over his face. It was a defensive move, Ayame knew. Long hair could be used as a shield against the world, Ayame knew that from experience. "I DO know. It's just…" He paused and shook all over, as if he were on the verge of one of his manic attacks, then bit his lip and shyly looked at Ayame with a tiny smile. "I'm doing better. Aren't I?"
"Much better." It was a remarkable, miraculous event that Ritsu hadn't burst out in a fit. He had controlled himself.
"It was Orcot-san, I think. He yelled at me."
"Yelled? Leon?" It seemed impossible to think of sweet, gentle Leon as yelling at anyone.
"Yes, but it's not like he's really angry it's just…" Ritsu's voice trailed away and he stared fixedly at something over Ayame's shoulder. "That's Omi." Ritsu said, sounding as if he were somewhere between pleased and curious. "He's very quiet."
Ayame followed Ritsu's gaze and there saw a boy perhaps a little younger than Ritsu walking calmly across the yard to where Kazuma patiently waited for him. They spoke for a moment before Kazuma led the boy into the resort. "It must be time for his examination. Ha'ri said he was going to call them in one-by-one."
"His hands," Ritsu frowned even as Omi disappeared behind the doors of the resort. "I thought I saw…but I can't be right." Still, he stood and took a few steps away from Ayame before he turned and tears sprang to his eyes. "I'm walking away from you! A guest, and right in the middle of a conversation! And you came all this way just to talk to me and here I go on about something I'm not even sure about. I'm sorry!"
Ayame seized Ritsu by the wrists and gave the boy a sharp tug, pulling him to his knees and stopping the madness before it even got started. "Rit-chan, I've told you before so please, do believe me. You are NOT a shame to our family. All those times your mother apologized when you were little, that was HER feelings of failure. It really had nothing to do with you, at all. You could have been the brightest, strongest, most beautiful member of this family and she'd have found something to apologize for."
"But I give her so much reason to apologize. I just wish I were normal."
"What is normal?" Ayame reached up and ran his fingers through his long hair. "Should I cut my hair off and wear a black suit to look like a business man? Should I stop singing while I work so people will think I'm normal?"
"No!"
"Well, there you are!" Ayame released Ritsu's hands, certain that he was calm enough, and smiled, triumphantly. "Everyone in our family's just a little bit twisted, so why not you and I? Now, what is it about Omi-san that caught your attention?"
Ritsu blushed deeply. "Oh, everything! I can't stop watching him. Wait. You mean just now, don't you?" He sat back on his haunches and looked again at where Omi had come from, out of a small area of low bushes near the forest. "I could swear I saw blood on his hands. I might be wrong, but…do you think he hurt himself?"
"If he has, Hatori will take care of it." Ayame delicately licked his lips to smell the air, but the wind was blowing in the wrong direction so he couldn't taste anything. "Maybe we should have a look." But just as he said that his cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"…"
"Hello?" Ayame asked, again. He hated fools playing pranks like that. "Look, is anyone there?"
"…boss?"
There was only one person in the world who called him boss. "Mine-chan? What's wrong?" He'd never heard her sound so distant.
"Boss, come back to the shop. You have to come to the shop." There was a strange sound on the other end of the phone as if Mine-chan were choking. She hiccupped and sniffed. "You've got to come."
"I'm coming. I'm coming. I promise. Tell me what's wrong."
"Fire." She did choke them and let out pitiful mewling sound. "Fire…Jill told me to go find you at the estate, but the security wouldn't let me in. There's fire everywhere…Jill's inside. I think. What do I do? I can't get close. The firefighters and police, they won't let me near. I left her there. I left her alone in there!"
Ayame's mind went numb and he felt himself growing cold. "Fire? You're joking. Right? Please, tell me you're joking." But Mine-chan never joked like that. Not something so serious. "Mine, stay where you are. I'm coming. I'm coming now!" He switched off the cell phone, but also took Ritsu by the arm and pulled him to his feet. "Run and tell Hatori that I've gone to the shop and not to wait for me. I'll call him when I can. He and Ritsu ran together across the estate until they reached the door Omi had gone through just a few minutes ago when Ayame put a hand on Ritsu's shoulder to stop him. "Just wait here a minute. I'll be right out."
He ran into the private room where Hatori had Omi stripped down to his bare chest and shouted, "I need to borrow your car. Alright? Good. I'll see you as soon as I can. Sorry!" Ayame spoke as quickly as he could and snatched the keys from where Hatori had set them on a little table and ran out, ignoring Hatori's protesting. It was the fastest way to get into the city. "Go tell him, Ritsu!" He didn't stop running to the car for fear that someone or something would delay him. Ayame slid into the driver's seat of Hatori's car and frantically tried to remember the directions Shigure had once given him before speeding out of the parking lot and onto the street.
Petshop-
Leon-
There was a beeping that made Leon pull his cell phone from his pocket. After returning from the Hot Springs, Leon wanted nothing more than a cup of D's tea and maybe a sandwich, but there were other things to be done. As it was only midday, Leon had plenty of time to go back to the Souma estate to keep up with his original reason for traveling to Japan - to find Souma Kureno.
He'd woken up that morning to find Chris and D's pet raccoon asleep on the bed and had been rather disappointed that D hadn't been there. Finally get my courage up and he's not here when I wake up. But he smiled at Chris. "Hey," Leon whispered. "What's going on?"
The Count said we could stay here. Chris told Leon. Tet-chan was having nightmares and the Count went to see that he was alright. It's okay, right?
"Yeah, sure." Leon sat up and stretched before he remembered his ringing phone and reached for it while petting Pon-chan. It was funny. All the while he was growing up, they'd had raccoons in the woods and ma had always told him to keep away from them. They were dangerous and carried rabies and yet D kept one like a house cat. He'd probably had it since it had been a baby.
Chris was in the parlor when Leon walked in and told them that he was just stopping by for a bite to eat before he went out again.
Where? Chris asked.
"Over to the Souma place. We've been here weeks and I haven't done a damned…er…darned thing. Don't tell D I said that." Well, it wasn't precisely true. They'd managed to find all those poor kids and get them somewhere safe. At least they had Kazuma looking after them, now.
Can I go?
Leon looked at Chris, surprised. "Why?"
Because I want to. My new friends live there.
"What friends? I didn't think you knew anyone around here."
Only two kids. They're older than me, but nice. Well…the girl was nice. I'm not sure about Hiro. I ran into them the morning… He stopped talking very suddenly and only finished his sentence after Leon's prompting. The morning that woman took me, when there was all that shooting.
Leon clenched his fist. The woman was dead and Chris was safe. "I'm so sorry all that happened to you. You know I'd never let you get hurt if I could stop it." Should have put his foot down when he saw D at the airport. Should have shipped them all home.
I know. I'm alright, I promise. Chris smiled, tightly. I wasn't really hurt. It was just scary and the Count made me tea to help me sleep. I don't have nightmares often, anymore. I just want to see them. Kisa was nice to me.
Leon turned the request over in his mind. He really wanted to keep Chris where it was safe, at the Petshop. But, he knew perfectly well, that if he tried to keep Chris caged up too long he'd either rebel and just run off or he'd become too afraid to ever go out alone. In the end, he compromised. "Alright, but there are some conditions. I'll take you to the estate. If you can find your friends, and their parents don't mind, you can visit. You're to stay there until D or me comes to pick you up. You don't leave that estate for any reason, got it?"
Yes, Leon.
"And this," He handed Chris his cell phone. "Press 1 and you'll get the Petshop. D always answers on the fourth ring. Anything happens, you call him straight away." He would have to buy Chris his own cell phone, soon.
At the estate, they happened to be at the gate, just walking up to the suspicious looking guards when a tall blonde man, perhaps a bit older than Leon, turned the corner. He stopped in the gate and cocked his head to the side as he watched Leon and Chris approach.
"I saw you at the Petshop with the Souma's." Leon said. He held Chris' hand tightly, too aware that they were standing on the exact spot of the attack just a couple of weeks ago. It didn't slip by Leon that not only did some of the Souma's have the strangest colors of eyes, but also hair. Blonde hair, obviously dyed, didn't seem right on a Japanese person.
"Yes." The other studied Leon intently. "I am a Souma."
As the man didn't seem inclined to say anything more, Leon asked, "I'm looking for some people. I've got a friend in the family, but I'm not sure if he's here. Souma Ayame? He told me he stays here sometimes."
"He's gone, now. I'm going to see him."
"Gone where?"
"The Hot Springs. May I give him a message for you?"
Leon wanted to curse. He'd been hoping that Ayame would be able to get him onto the estate so he could hunt around for Kureno. "How about Shigure-san?" He couldn't really remember any other names other than Kazuma and he knew Kazuma was nowhere near the estate.
"He's missing."
Missing? Not just gone, but missing. There must be a story behind that, but Leon had enough to deal with. "Right. Well, who were those kids you were looking for?" He looked at Chris.
Kisa and Hiro.
"Yeah. Kisa and Hiro. Are they here? They're friends of my kid brother."
"Yes. They're at home." He stepped back and pointed behind him. "Follow this path until you find another wall. Go through that gate and ask anyone for them." To the guards at the gate, the blonde said, "This man is a guest of ours. He saved Akito's life."
That seemed to be all that was needed as the guards, looking a bit awed, stepped aside. "Yes, Kureno-san."
Kureno. Ah, now that was an interesting coincidence. "You know," Leon started as he kept pace with Kureno who had headed down the side-walk. "I've known Ayame for a good long while and he hasn't mentioned you much. I don't think I'd even know your name if it weren't for Ritsu."
"Ritsu talks a lot."
"He's a good kid. I met him in America. How's he doing, anyway? I haven't seen him besides the other day at the Petshop."
"He is with his mother at the Hot Springs and has been evaluated by our doctor. His injuries are healing adequately."
Kureno didn't sound cold when he spoke, but the way he said things were just odd. Leon couldn't think of a way to properly ask whether or not Kureno was a tattooed assassin or how to get him to take his shirt off without looking like a complete pervert. God! What would D do if he found out I was asking strangers to take their clothes off? Leon shivered at the thought.
Leon's second bus ride of the day to the Hot Springs was a long one and uncomfortable. Leon sat next to Kureno the whole way, puzzling over how to procede, but couldn't think of a discrete way to go about it. If Kureno was Black Scorpion, he was insanely dangerous. If he wasn't, Leon would risk jail time by tearing the man's shirt off. Sitting right next to his reason for traveling half-way around the world, Leon was at a loss as to what to do.
They arrived at the Hot Springs, the second time that day for Leon. It was like a fantasy garden with the anomaly of the children. Never one to think before speaking, Leon said, "At least it's cleaner here than where they were."
"You've been to the Pit?" It was the first time Kureno had initiated conversation with Leon. "I thought I'd missed some when I took them home."
Leon frowned and then remembered his unpleasant visit to the Pit. Those memories were mostly dominated by memories of what had been done to the children an the squalid conditions they'd lived in. He thought about the monstrous room that all the children were terrified of - the room of death where the bodies of dead children were disposed of. There were other things. Upon entering the Pit, Leon had seen the massacre in the arena where dozens of armed adults had been slaughtered along with one small girl. "You were there? You did…all that?"
Kureno blinked at Leon. He was polite and clean with neatly trimmed hair and bright eyes. Despite what his experience as a homicide detective told him about serial killers, Kureno did NOT look like a killer to Leon. Leon knew that Ritsu had said Kureno had the same tattoo as the Black Scorpion children and knew that Ritsu had no reason to lie about it. It was probable that Kureno was Black Scorpion which meant he was a killer, no matter what he looked like. "I have been there."
Leon's lips were suddenly dry as the bus pulled to a stop. "My partner and I brought some kinds to your estate. Looks like they're all here."
"Good." Kureno stood and straightened his jacket as he and Leon walked down the aisle of the bus. "I didn't like that place."
If Kureno was Black Scorpion, he would have good reason to hate the Pit and the people who ran it. "Those people looked like they'd been ripped apart."
"They were." But Kureno offered no further explanation before he stepped off the bus.
Almost immediately the scattered children began to migrate towards Kureno. Leon kept a distance away and watched, puzzled by the sight. They dropped whatever they were doing and went to Kureno as if by some unspoken signal. "They know you." Leon said. He recognized some of them. The little girl with the twisted leg was looking at him.
A scream in the distance caught everyone's attention and Leon found himself running with his hand going to where his gun should have been. 'Stupid gun laws!' He thought finding nothing. To Leon's surprise, it was Ritsu they found screaming. He had good lung power, Leon would give the boy that. Leon caught Ritsu by the shoulders and was shocked at how tense he was, stiff as a board his arms down at his side, Ritsu stared at whatever made him scream and didn't even look at Leon until Leon swung him around. "Hey! Hey! Come on, kid!"
The screaming faltered and Ritsu gasped for breath, choking a bit. "Dead. Dead. She's dead. Someone killed her." He pointed a shaking finger behind him and made as if he'd turn around again, but Leon held him firm.
"Stay still!" Leon snapped. He kept his hands on Ritsu's while he looked over the boy's shoulders. The back of woman's head and neck were covered in blood. A knife wound if Leon had ever seen one. Someone had stabbed her in the back of the head and left her in the bushes. "Who is she?"
"I don't know!" Ritsu wrung his hands and looked at Leon with teary eyes. "I've never seen her. She isn't family, I'm sure of it! She isn't supposed to be here!" He chocked again for breath and started flailing his hands around as if that could help him get his point across. "I was just curious, I didn't do anything . I don't think I did anything. Did I? Did I…I saw Omi-san coming from here and he had blood on him, I thought. I was just curious. I should have said something to Hatori-san before I came here." He tried to look over his shoulder, but Leon stopped him with a shake. "Did I have anything to do with this?" The kid's guilt complex was staggering.
"No. Of course not," Leon let his voice trail away when he saw Kureno roll the woman over onto her back. He hadn't even realized that Kureno had followed him. "Don't touch her!" Leon ordered, his training coming into play. "You'll disturb evidence. What are you doing?" Kureno had pulled down the woman's blouse and looked at her chest. "Jeeze, leave her some dignity."
"She's Black Scorpion." If Leon had any doubts about what Kureno knew, they were confirmed by Kureno's words.
Leon left Ritsu to kneel beside the body and looked at her chest. There was the infamous tattoo and it made Leon sweat to see it. The Black Scorpion knew where the children were and that put all Souma's in danger, but even more worrying was the fact that someone had killed a Black Scorpion and they were lurking somewhere around. Leon looked up and glared at the forest. Hiding out there, too close to the children. On that thought of children, Leon looked up at Ritsu and saw that he'd turned around and was staring at the body, looking more than a little pale. It was to be expected. It must have been the first murder Ritsu had ever seen.
"Orcot-san?" A voice, frail and delicate, called out. "Orcot-san? You have a phone call."
Ritsu's mouth fell open at that. He looked over his shoulder where the voice came from then back at the murder victim. "Mother." Quick as anything, he hiked up the hem of his kimono and dashed away from the body. "Mother! Don't come back here! I'll give him the phone! No, everything's alright. I promise. I'm not lying. I wouldn't lie to you."
While Ritsu appeased his mother, Leon looked at Kureno. "What do you know?"
"We were warned by Count D that the Black Scorpion may try to harm our family." Kureno told Leon, calmly. "Now that they know where the children are being held, it is unlikely that they will allow this to pass without incident. She must have been their agent." He spotted something on the ground and picked up a cell phone. "She's probably contacted her owners already. It's too late to stop what's to come."
"What is to come?"
Kureno opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Ritsu came back holding a cordless telephone. Finding both Leon and Kureno's eyes on him, Ritsu flushed a little. "I didn't want her to see…she's sensitive. Phone call for you, Orcot-san."
"Thanks. Who is it?"
"Mother didn't tell me."
All Leon could think of was that Chris had somehow managed to track him down and worried that something might have gone wrong. It was Ayame, instead, who was on the other end. "What's going on?"
"You're hard to track down. Leon, you should come to my shop."
"I'm kinda in the middle of something." Eventually, Ayame would find out what his family was involved with, but Leon intended to spare him as long as possible. He couldn't just leave. The police would have to be called - if they'd actually do anything to get involved! Leon still boiled about how uncaring they'd been when Jill had reported the Pit in the first place and when they'd tried to tell the police about the children. Why would they be any different for this dead woman? "Can it wait? I can come in a few hours."
"No." Ayame sniffed, miserably. "No, you need to come now. Right away, please."
"What?" There was something wrong with his voice. Ayame never sounded so dejected. "I can come, but why? Something wrong?"
"It's Jill-san. You have to come. Come right away." Ayame was quiet for a moment, but in that silence Leon could hear background noise that made him worry. Sirens and yelling all faint but definitely there. "Just come. I'll be here." Ayame hung up.
Jill? Leon's hand clenched around the phone. If it concerned Jill, he had to go. But he couldn't just leave. "Look, don't let anyone near here." Leon told Kureno. "Most of all, don't let any of the kids near…"
"They've seen death before."
"They don't need to see it again!" Leon snarled. Why make a bad thing worse? "Who's around this place? Who's a responsible adult?"
"My mother's runs the resort." Ritsu supplied. "But Hatori's here and he's more of less in charge of the whole family. He speaks for Akito."
"Hatori? The doctor? He'll do. Where is he?"
In fact, as Kureno, Ritsu, and Leon made their way to the resort, they found Hatori walking towards them with a particularly grim expression. He walked with Omi, the boy who had led Leon and Jill to the Pit, and held a carving knife in one hand. Leon looked at the knife, Hatori's hard eye, and Omi's neutral face and he knew what had happened.
"Kureno-Sir." Omi greeted Kureno with a nod of his head.
"Did you kill her?" Kureno asked, taking the knife from Hatori.
"Yes."
Kureno nodded, not seeming surprised at all, and handed the knife back to Omi. "He's no danger to us."
Hatori raised a hand to his head as if he were fighting a headache. "He told me he'd found someone lurking and had killed them. He shouldn't be armed!"
"Take it and he'll find another weapon." Kureno told him. "Please, come with me. We have something to take care of."
Later-
After leaving them and calling a cab, Leon couldn't stop the anxiety from taking control. Bad enough the trouble with that woman and Omi's unrepentant confession of murder. What to do about all that, Leon had no idea.
His anxiety almost made him throw up the closer he got to Ayame's shop, especially when the traffic was turned at a detour. Leon paid the driver his due and got out to walk the rest of the way. There were fire trucks and an ambulance with police cars and their flashing lights everywhere. With his mouth hanging open, Leon ran through the onlookers and pushed passed several people who didn't want to make way for him. It was then, when he stopped at the yellow police tape, that Leon saw the paramedics pull a white sheet over a body on a stretcher.
Jill. Ayame had said it was something about Jill. Leon lifted the police tape, ready to dash to the stretcher, when someone grabbed him and pulled him back. "Stop!" Leon shouted. "I have to…"
"No!" It was Ayame who held Leon's arms and pulled him away, pulled him back out of the crowd. Ayame didn't stop until they were alone, next to a flashy black car. "Stay with me. Please, stay here." Ayame hadn't let go of Leon even when they were well away from the scene. "I don't know what happened, yet. Mine-chan called me. The whole place was on fire." His eyes filled with tears. "Jill-san was inside. They just found her…I'm sorry."
Leon shook his head and turned away from Ayame. "I have to see her."
Ayame was a lot stronger than he looked and managed to keep hold of Leon. "You can't. Leon, I saw her when they brought her out." His narrow arms slid around Leon and held him close. "I know you cared for her deeply, but you can't see her like this."
Caught in a fire. She'd burnt to death. Jill's freckled face all black and blistered. Her pretty, curly hair turned to cinders. "Oh, God…she was awake? Did they say if she was awake when it happened?" Leon wanted to cry for her, but not in front of so many people. To burn to death must surely be one of the worst, most painful ways to die. "This can't be happening. Not Jill."
"Oh, Leon!" Ayame wailed, holding him tighter. "Sit. Sit in the car. I'll take you home." He opened the door of the black car and Leon found himself sitting next to Mine-chan. How much worse the pain must have been for her. If Leon had lost D in a fire, he didn't think he'd have the strength to go on. She was in a state of shock. Pale and shaking, Mine-chan didn't look at Leon. She stared at her knees and let tears run down her face freely.
"Mine-chan," Leon started. He wanted to say something comforting, something to help her with the pain, but he couldn't think of a thing. In fact, if he'd been in her shoes, he'd just want to be left the Hell alone. He wished D were there. D always knew what to say. After a moment, Leon turned away from her. There was nothing to say.
When Ayame got into the driver's seat and started off away from his shop and the chaos around it Mine-chan spoke to Leon. "Here." She held a computer desk out to Leon, but still didn't look at him. "Jill asked me to give it to you. It was just before…before…that's why I wasn't at home. I was at the estate looking for you. I went home when they said the boss wasn't at home. The fire fighters were already there. I don't know what's on the disk, but it's important."
Leon took the disk and Mine-chan went back to staring at her lap. The ride back to the estate was very quiet.
School-
Yuki-
It was undoubtedly the most humiliating day of Yuki's life - and he'd had quite a few to compare it again.
After waking so late at Hatori's house, Yuki tried to go home to change into his school's uniform, but there just wasn't time. He'd miss half the school day. Ordinarily, Yuki would have just skipped school. He had enough trouble with people following him around without the fiasco that Hatsuharu called clothes. But, he kept reminding himself even as he determinedly strode through the school, Tohru was at school. She never missed a day unless absolutely forced to. It was possible that he could just let her have a day at school alone, but if he didn't show up she'd worry. Tohru always worried and Yuki hated that. It distracted her and she was flighty enough without more distractions. The silly girl could fall down a flight of stairs. She might walk into traffic without thinking.
As much as he wanted to run away when the hall went silent at his appearance, Yuki walked bravely down the hall and did his best to ignore the gaping stares of his classmates as he wore Hatsuharu's preferred outfit of black leather and chains.
I'll never live this down! Just this once, he couldn't lent me a t-shirt and a pair of normal trousers?
As soon as Yuki knew that Tohru was alright and that she wouldn't worry for him, he would leave and just hope people were too polite to mention this the next time they saw him. His worry for Tohru kept him walking towards where she should be at this time of day, at her locker, Yuki saw Tohru's friends, looking furious, stalking down the hall away from him. Looking past them, Yuki saw Tohru, cornered by several of his more persistent stalkers and his worry turned to anger. Why did they have to pick on the only girl who ever made him feel normal?
Yuki found himself wishing that Kyou were there. A display of Kyou's anger might be enough to keep them from ever coming within one hundred feet of Tohru. As it was, Yuki didn't have it in him to use force. Instead, he relied on words.
Saki-
When they came out of the room Saki and Uotoni saw it immediately.
It was a usual scene and one Saki was getting sick of seeing. They had cornered poor Tohru, once again. The four crazy girls of the Souma Yuki fan club had backed Tohru into a corner and were threatening her with cried of 'where's the Prince!' and 'You both go missing at the same time? Where is he?' They barely even bothered to hide their bullying, but what made Saki more angry than anything, was the fact that there were dozens of students passing by who glanced at them and then passed right on by, doing absolutely nothing to help Tohru.
Evil happens when the good do nothing. She'd heard that quote somewhere, but couldn't remember where.
Uotoni, always Saki's staunchest supporter, growled menacingly. "Let's do it, girl." It was very easy to see how Uotoni must have been in her days before Tohru had come into her life. One of the terrible gang girls who'd terrorized the streets, Uotonihad been feared and respected by all the people who ran with her. When she'd left them, they'd taken it personally and only Tohru's mother, Honda-san, had been able to save Uotoni. Saki wished she'd been around to see that. She wished she'd been able to help Uotoni. Despite what everyone thought, Uotoni was really a very gentle, sensitive girl. It wasn't right that she'd had to go through something like that.
"No." Saki turned her eyes back to where Tohru cringed away from a particularly barbed comment. Saki felt her power roll through her in waves. She hated seeing Tohru afraid. "I will do this. You," She shot Uotoni a sever look. "Are in a 'delicate way'. You must be more careful. No more fighting."
Before Saki could do anything, a hand was lowered in front of them and both Saki and Uotoni looked to their left to see Souma-san looking at Tohru's situation with a less than pleased expression. Normally, Souma-san was a hard person to read, but it was clear that he was very, very unhappy at that moment.
"Ladies, please allow me to handle this." The Prince proved to both girls how he had earned his nickname. He strode forward with an uncommon smile on his face. "Please, excuse me." He muttered to the fan club girls as if they weren't doing anything unusual. They parted for him, shocked to see him and fairly drooling over the way he was dressed. They began talking to him very quickly, but he ignored them and stood very close to Torhu. "I'm sorry, Tohru-chan. I overslept today and wasn't able to walk you to school."
That single endearment was enough tocause all four fan club girls go green with envy and their mouths to hang open. They weren't the only ones, unfortunately. Saki felt a little ill, too.
"Chan? Did I hear right?" Uotoni whispered, unwilling to wreck whatever it was Yuki-san was trying to do. "He called her by her given name and chan? Christ!" Uotoni cursed and ran her fingers through her hair before her eyes widened in shock. "You think they've been up to something? They've both been missing for more than two weeks. Maybe the Prince there finally decided to make his move."
Saki wasn't happy.
"Yuki..." The familiar word came out of Tohru's mouth probably before she even though about it and something flashed between them. It was something impossible to miss for anyone else watching.
"So sorry I couldn't walk you to school. Why don't we walk home together, now? You only have home-economics and a study hall and the world knows you don't need lessons in cooking." Yuki did something that would forever haunt the fan club girls. He reached out and touched Tohru's arm, something he never did. In fact, he went to extremes to avoid touching anyone, except his cousin, Kyou. "I'll walk you to work and come pick you up later. We can stop for a late dinner, if you like. I'll buy you some of those pot stickers you like so much." Yuki leaned in and gave Tohru a tender kiss on the cheek before he seemed to notice his fan club. " Oh, hello." His voice was cold, andthe message clear. He didn't care for them. Not a bit. Yuki took Tohru's hand and pulled her away from the corner and through thecrowd of girls. "We should go now."
Yuki couldn't quite escape that easily, though. One of the fan club girls, the one with the very long hair, stopped him with a flustered look. She seemed to be trying to be polite, yet forceful at the same time. "Souma-san! What's going on! Y-you're being so familiar with that witch...with Honda-san!"
Yuki gave her his trademark heart-breaking smile with absolutely no warmth behind it at all. "Well, we are living together. I think it's only right we should be familiar with one another." If nothing else, it got the point. They thought exactly what Yuki had wanted them to think. He and Tohru walked away, Yuki holding his head high and Tohru flustered.
With that taken care of, Saki put a gentle hand on Uotoni's arm. "We should go now." She whispered.
"Go where?" Uotoni whispered back.
"The clinic. We can skip the rest of the day. This is important."Yuki would take care of Tohru, now that he'd seen she was in danger. How could he have missed it for so long? Since the first day they'd walked to school together, poor Tohru had been the target of those frenzied fan club girls. Saki and Uotoni watched Yuki and Tohru walk away together and Saki took a deep breath. It was over. She could love Tohru for the rest of her life, but she would say nothing. She only wished for Tohru's happiness. "We should confirm your 'delicate condition'. I would hate to be wrong about a thing like this."
Hong Kong-
Lung-
Po-Sin Lung listened carefully to Indihar when she explained what had happened in Japan. He wasn't happy to hear one of his two best weapons had been permanently disabled while the other one was possibly in the same state. His two best. But, at least one of them had been well enough to give the location of the missing subjects.
"Shall I prepare for the retrieval of the subjects?" Indihar asked.
"No." Po-Sin was no fool. "We wait. Wait and let them get comfortable. Surprises are always more fun."
To be continued…
Dear readers,
I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so far. Someone asked if I could give Ritsu a bigger role. If it makes you happy, Ritsu's going to end up having a very important role.
