-Kakashi-
It had been two trialling days to get here and they had finally settled in in the small cabin before Seiya was able to report back to Taiki about their arrival.
Everything looked undisturbed from the last training trip Haruka and him had made here. The familiar smell of the wood filled his lungs and he had to think of how carefree they had been a bit over a year ago, in comparison to now.
It had been a long and turbulent flight and an even more exhausting drop off so that Kakashi could feel his age slowly getting to him. His joints ached slightly and his back was hurting, nonetheless, he knew he wouldn't get much sleep.
"I take the first shift. You can go to sleep first. Yaten has run the surveillance system and it seems that we still have a day or so before the guests will arrive." Seiya informed him.
"I am good. You should catch some sleep first. We will have our work cut out for us, once the tactical team arrives." Kakashi had walked up to the window and was observing the bleak looking surrounding. Autumns were short here and the winters long and harsh. He never understood why Haruka and Haruto bought this cottage instead of moving around with their training grounds as their father did, but he accepted their purchase without questioning and took advantage of this place himself whenever he needed seclusion and training outside of Japan.
Seiya didn't refuse the offer to get some rest first and made himself comfortable on the couch as he stretched tiredly. "In a few weeks, we would have had at least a nice view of the northern lights, couldn't those idiots at least wait that long before visiting?" the young man sighed as he tried to get comfortable.
"Since when do you care for some nature? If I remember correctly, you were the one who always complained the most whenever we left the city for training." Kakashi chuckled as he turned away from the window and walked to the fireplace that was lit and emitting welcomed heat.
"I am a city child at heart, I just acknowledge beauty when I see it." Seiya said defensively before turning to his side.
Kakashi stoked the fire in the fire place before sitting down at the table with the screens that were connected with the surveillance system. Usually he'd be sleeping peacefully on that couch when he was here with Haruka and she'd be manning the system but it irked him that Caine was on his way here and even with the best estimates of Yaten's, he knew not to underestimate Ernest and his team. The man was ruthless and efficient, just what was needed when you wanted to be sure a job would be done right. Definitely overkill to check on Haruka's presence here, so this couldn't be the only objective Ernest would need to fulfil here.
"Hey, I know we never talk about it in the tower, but … do you think she will make it?" Seiya asked quietly from the couch.
"What do you think?" Kakashi asked in return without turning around.
"I don't want to think, that is why I asked you what you think to know what to think." Seiya mumbled.
"Since when do you want to be told what to think? Isn't that the job of the 'good but stupid soldier that is just following orders'? I am just quoting you here. This question doesn't fit your profile." Kakashi chuckled without turning to Seiya.
"I know." Kakashi could hear Seiya sighing those words slowly before the couch creaked again, signalling further movement by Seiya.
"I have not felt this scared since Haruto's death. To be honest, it was kind of a relief when I was standing at his grave for the first time. I feel bad admitting this to you. He was your nephew after all..." Seiya muffled quietly into his blanket.
"I know what you mean." Kakashi tried to sound as compassionate as he could muster as he leaned back on his chair and stared at the ceiling. The death of his nephew was painful and yet a relief. The end of an era. The decades of watching them both suffer in silence, culminating in the ultimate sacrifice and tragedy, was painful and yet probably nothing in comparison to what the twins felt. "Did he suffer?" Kakashi heard himself ask the question he had never dared to ask Haruka.
"I don't think so. It didn't look as if he did. Haruka is very efficient after all. It was over in moments. They had their final goodbyes and then it was over. Just like that." Seiya recalled, a little detached.
"At least they got you boys out first…. Kind of." Kakashi thought back to the mission they were on.
"What needed to be done got done. The mission objective was met." Seiya said emotionlessly.
"Oh? Who are you? This isn't the scoundrel that I picked up close to a decade ago…" Kakashi laughed, visibly startling Seiya.
"The scoundrel grew up." Seiya eventually smirked.
"Since we are already brutally honest, I would have thought you would have packed your bags and travelled the word, once your contract was up." Kakashi chuckled.
"Well, there are not many places where an orphaned murderer like me can go…" Seiya sighed.
"We do what we need to do for the people we love and want to keep safe. Neither of us has unstained hands." Kakashi waved off easily, while knowing fully well what Seiya was talking about.
When he picked up the lone survivor of a big housefire at the hospital, he already knew that dealing with Seiya would be a hassle. The house had fully burned out and that definitely wasn't due to an electrical fire.
"Is it because Haruka killed Haruto or because of Setsuna that you are going easy on me?" Seiya asked sullen.
"What does this have to do with any of them?" Kakashi asked calmly back.
"I know that you know that I killed my father and lit my family home up. I read your report on me, you didn't report your findings, but your demeanour always showed your distrust in me in so many unspoken words. Just so you know: it wasn't an impulse decision." Seiya sighed.
"I only knew that you lit up your home and that both if your parents were already dead by the time the fire was started. I had a feeling that neither death was accidental, but what happened in your home was no one's business so I didn't add it. Also, I promised the person who asked me to help you, that I would give you a fair chance to a new start in life. So, I never questioned it further and did just that, give you a chance to a new life." Kakashi just shrugged as he watched a lone wolf making its way through the woods.
"You never wondered why I did it?" Seiya asked doubtfully.
"You had your reasons." Kakashi replied calmly as he turned around to face Seiya who had sat up on the couch.
"I could have been a raging lunatic who killed his parents for fun." Seiya argued.
"A psychopath would not have placed his parents lovingly into each other's arms as if they fell asleep on the couch and died of carbon monoxide poisoning before the fire got to them. Though I admit, I did wonder how and why your mother died." Kakashi said ponderingly.
"She committed suicide while I was at school…. I had killed my father the day earlier after he had been violent with her again. I had planned it so many times in my head but I never did it until that day. I don't know what came over me when I saw her busted lip and him towering over her. The thoughts I have had for a decade just turned into reality. I didn't even realise it until I felt his warm blood flowing over my hands after I had stabbed him. I only remember that it was a lot harder than imagined, and yet not as satisfying as I always dreamed it to be. My mother had just watched me silently and she told me she would take care of his body while I would be at school after I let go of the knife that was squarely thrust in his chest. " Seiya's voice was so quiet and sounded detached. Kakashi guessed that this was the first time Seiya was talking about it since it happened. The young man had refused always refused all counselling after the incidence but it seemed that the pressure and stress of the last few weeks had pushed him to breaking point. Kakashi just sat there, patiently waiting for him to continue talking.
"I don't know what I expected that she would do while I was gone, I should have known better. She suffered with him and she couldn't function without him. I should have stayed home and taken care of her." The insurmountable guilt in Seiya's voice was heart breaking and yet Kakashi only managed to sit there quietly and patiently. He watched how the Seiya's broken figure sat on the couch and hugged his legs. Silence filled the small cabin and besides the occasional crackling of the fire, it seemed as if the rest of the world was patiently waiting for Seiya to pour out his heart.
"I don't want to come home and find Haruka dead while we were gone." Seiya had finally turned his head to face Kakashi. Two sets of sad eyes met, just one pair with more despair while the other kept his cool. Kakashi could see the hopelessness that was consuming the other person. He stood up quietly and walked over to the wooden wall, tapped it carefully, revealing a hidden compartment with an almost empty bottle of whisky inside.
"This was one of the first whiskeys the twins ever tasted together." Kakashi explained as he poured each of them the rest in equal parts into two glasses. "We will get home as soon as we're done here, and then we both will suffer her wrath for finishing this without her." Kakashi chuckled as he passed one glass to Seiya and with a silent salute they emptied the glasses. The amber liquid burned its way down Kakashi's throat and he had to grit his teeth to suppress his body's natural reaction to the liquor.
"Oh my god, this is really awful." Seiya shuddered.
"This stuff gives you the worst hangover so you better catch some shut eye before it is your turn to be up." Kakashi laughed.
"Why would you think that she would even miss this stuff?" Seiya grimaced.
"This bottle was left behind for her and her brother by their father." Kakashi shrugged casually as he watched the colour drain from Seiya's face. Stowing the bottle back in its place he couldn't help himself but to chuckle. "Now it isn't so bad to be stuck here for a while and not to see her, isn't it?" Kakashi smirked.
-Michiru-
They had just returned to Tokyo and Michiru sitting quietly in the passenger's seat next to Makoto who offered to drive her home after their long day in Kyoto.
The company car was standing ready for them when they had arrived at the main station and the drop off service left it to them without much comment.
If there was one thing they could be assured off, then it would be that probably no one else had such a close eye over his subordinates like the elder Tenoh. Ironically, in this sense, Haruka and him had a lot in common, Michiru thought to herself as she looked out onto the well-lit streets of Tokyo as they drove in silence.
"You know, you don't need to feel bad. It was pretty farfetched to start off with that your father's camera could have gotten any footage from that day….." the consoling words of the brunette next to her interrupted her train of thought.
"Yea, you are probably right…you really didn't find anything while you looked through all the servers there?" Michiru asked again, seeking reassurance.
"I might not be as good as Ami or Yaten, but I can assure you, even they wouldn't have found anything. The camera was directed just those few degrees too far to the left to catch the warehouse. I know you took a high risk when you distracted your father's people while I raided the servers for any useful footage, and you can trust me, I definitely made sure that it was worth your time talking to so many people and shaking all their hands. Not to mention how many will now turn up at your next concert." Makoto chuckled. "Speaking of which, are those the concerts that Ami sometimes attends?" Makoto tried to change the topic which Michiru gladly accepted with a tired smile. After a short chat about Vivaldi, they arrived in front of Michiru's apartment and she waited patiently for her friend to drive off before she entered the building. She felt extremely guilty for not sharing the information but she needed to keep her family safe and needed to find out what was going on, on her own, before she would drag any unwitting third parties in to this mess. She really wanted, no, needed to talk to her father, but as it was often the case, it was hard to get in touch with him when he was on a business trip. If it even was a legitimate one. Tired from having stayed up all night last night, scrubbing her father's entire system from the footage she had seen the day before and making sure that it looked like that the camera was moved quite some time ago to its current position. That Makoto couldn't find anything was a relief, but no matter how much the brunette reassured her, she knew that Ami and Yaten would definitely do, if they knew what they were looking for. She stepped into the elevator with a sigh and enjoyed the few moments of solitary before she would reach her apartment and need to sneak into her own apartment. It was already very late, and while she knew that her aunt didn't mind her being noisy, she herself knew how hard it was to fall asleep when your mind was always occupied with a million things.
Opening the door with utmost care not to make any noise, she could hear her aunt chatting. Most likely she was on a call with one of her overseas contacts from a different time zone, Michiru thought to herself as she closed the door quietly behind her and put her bag down in hallway.
"…you glutton…fine, I will get you a pack, but just one" her aunt's voice sounded light, laced with a gentle laugh …nearly carefree. Michiru was surprised. Her aunt never displayed much affection to anyone unless it was very close family, and only her grandmother, her father and herself were part of that, as far as she knew. While she knew of her aunt's mischievous side, this was not a tone she had ever heard her aunt use before, so intimate and playful. Riko was more of a stern yet kind nature rather than a carefree and playful one.
"If you are going to Venice, can you please get me some of the glassware at Antonio's? Do you remember him? I trust you to make wise choices, but in doubt he'll know what I would want.… Are you jealous? ….no of course you aren't, but don't break his arm like you did last time, Ok my bear?...Thank you…oh I'll show you how grateful I will be when I come home. Now get packing, you still need to get your stuff ready before you can fly to Rome." Riko giggled some more before she ended the conversation and hung up.
Waiting an extra moment to be sure that she wasn't invading any private time her aunt was having, Michiru finally dropped her keys noisily in the bowl on the dresser, signalling her return and only moments later her aunt poked her head out of the living room with a warm and welcoming smile.
"Welcome back." Riko called out kindly before she came and picked up Michiru's bag off the ground.
"Thank you. I see you survived without me just fine." Michiru chuckled.
"I see you survived an unscheduled visit at your mum's." Riko smirked in return. "Have you had dinner yet?" her aunt proceeded to ask.
"Oh, you know mum, she wouldn't let us leave unless we had a balanced meal…" Michiru sighed.
"Wonderful, then I have the perfect counter balance for that. How about I just open the bottle of Koshu that I picked up with some snacks at Yamaguchi's on the way home and get those ready for us to indulge in, while I take care of this, you freshen up and get into something comfortable before you join me? " Riko asked her rhetorically with a wink and handing her the bag.
"Well, if you put it that way, how could I say no to that. Did you get any sashimi, by any chance?" Michiru smirked.
"Of course, how could I not for my favourite niece?" Riko laughed as they walked together further into the apartment.
Michiru hurried to freshen up and changed into something more comfortable, before joining her aunt in the living room in front of the TV. The small coffee table was covered with various dishes, making her wonder how her aunt kept up with that petite figure of hers despite her weakness for late night snacks. Her aunt had put on a video of the Tenoh twins when they were mere toddlers who still needed a lot of disciplining by their mother to stay focused on their piano practice.
"Wow, this is very old footage." Michiru commented as she sat down next to her aunt and reached for her chopsticks.
"Yes, it is." Her aunt laughed as she poured Michiru a glass of wine. "I can't believe that your father took the time to get the old taped digitalised. I haven't had a chance to filter out the good ones before you came back, so I thought we start with the first one and see where it goes." Riko explained before dipping a piece of karaage chicken in chilli mayo.
On the screen a blonde woman with long flowing hair and warm teal eyes sat with a Kokyu, ready in place, patiently waiting for her twins to get ready at the piano. "You know you can start as soon as you are ready kids." The blonde woman spoke with a warmth only a mother could have for her kids.
"Ok mum" it quickly echoed back from the twins and they nodded to each other before they started to play the melancholic song that Michiru had heard Haruka play so many times before on these tapes, this time in a duet with the Kokyu. The Kokyu gave the song so much more depth and caused Michiru's heart to twinge.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Riko commented "Tomoko was an excellent Kokyu player and she often played duets with Haruki on the piano for the twins. Naturally the kids wanted to pick up an instrument eventually as well, but at this stage they were too little for the Kokyu, or more, too impatient to hit the right notes." Riko chuckled and Michiru nodded understandingly with a snicker.
The song had barely finished when one of the twins suddenly sat up straight and looked alert like an alarmed meercat. "What's wrong Ruka?" Tomoko asked her child, but Haruka seemed to have a different idea than to respond to her mum, just looked at her brother before suddenly both hopped off the piano bench and ran out of the picture excitedly exclaiming "Dad!". Michiru watched that endearing scene and had to think of Hotaru, and how she got excited every time Haruka entered the room. Only moments later, a tall man with Haruto in his arms and Haruka on his shoulders entered the picture. It was obvious where the blonde had her handsome factor from. Haruki was well built and his eyes were sharp and cold at first glance, but his warm smile and the gentle gesture when he leaned down to his wife to kiss her cheek betrayed his strong man image. Haruka had meanwhile taken off his thick framed glasses and put them on herself. "Mommy, look, now I am dad!" Haruka laughed and Haruto chimed in "I want to try them, too." "No playing with dad's glasses." Tomoko chided her kids before picking Haruka off Haruki's shoulders and taking off the big glasses off her nose. "Those are special. I have some for you two to play with in the office." Tomoko immediately informed her kids to wipe that sullen look on their faces. "Did you bring any surprises dad?" Haruka immediately asked her father cheekily who just nodded and pointed in direction of the camera before the picture cut off. The last frame was just the twins with wide grins at what they saw.
"What did he bring them?" Michiru asked curiously.
"That's a secret." Her aunt just replied mischievously.
-Taiki-
It was his weekly night off from all his duties and he walked sullen through the streets of Tokyo. Haruka had always insisted that they needed some time for themselves, no matter how busy it got or how pressing issues became. They needed time for themselves.
He didn't particularly like his days or nights off and rather enjoyed his work at the Tenoh tower as well as everything that was linked to it. It gave him purpose and focus, but these few hours left to his own devices felt rather empty and hollow to him. He knew that there was no point lamenting his forced break, the system would detect his lack of hours outside of the tower and just lock him out of the vital parts until he took his compulsory four hours a week off. Yes, it was just four hours that he would have to spend outside and off duty and yet it felt like an eternity to him. He could have tried to fool the system and hidden on the roof, as Yaten often did to fill his quota, or driving around Tokyo like Seiya, but that wasn't him and he knew that there was no point to it. The system sometimes just had a mind of its own and would cause problems when the guys didn't fulfil their compulsory time off work. Until now Yaten couldn't explain how some things just worked and others just didn't, it was like it had a mind if its own and it could be as moody as Haruka, the owner of it, herself when things didn't go as she wanted it to. So, he walked quietly through the small alleys to one of the few remaining Sentos of Tokyo. He entered the small establishment and was immediately greeted with a knowing nod by the owner. Taiki paid for his entry and the old man gave him his personal basket before he proceeded to the changing room. Taiki appreciated the old man deeply since he was a man of very few words and kept his Sento in pristine condition, despite its age. It wasn't as luxurious as the sento that Haruka had in the tower, but it had its charms, and most important of all, it was not overrun by tourists or strangers. This was a hidden gem theoretically for anyone and yet no one besides a selected few to seek refuge in. Taiki put his clothes in his personal basket that had an added lock and fit into a special cupboard with added security. He looked at the other holes for the other baskets and it seemed that he would be alone tonight.
As he scrubbed himself raw and free of his general worries about the daily tasks at the tower, his mind started to clear and he tried to keep it that way, at least for his stay here.
He was sitting in the hot water, his eyes closed and head resting on the cool edge of the tub when he heard the door to the bath opening. Katashi Myamoto entered and sat down at one of the cleaning stations to proceed with washing himself. It wasn't the first time that Taiki met Yumi's husband here and they had established the unspoken rule to simply not to talk about each other's lives or anything work related when they were in the baths besides the usual pleasantries. It was a tradition that in the baths, no rank was pulled so neither was obliged to pay the other any particular high respect. Naked, they were equals.
"Evening Taiki " Katashi greeted him casually before joining him in the tub.
"Evening Katashi" Taiki nodded back before both men fell back into complete silence and enjoyed the tranquillity of the sound of flowing water.
When Taiki finally felt that his shoulders were finally fully relaxed he got out of the bath and nodded to Katashi to signal his departure. The other returned the gesture and Taiki left the bath.
Fully dressed he stepped out into the cool late summer night and enjoyed the fresh breeze. He looked around while he stretched himself in front of the Sento and spotted three of Katashi's well-hidden bodyguards with ease. Hearing the noise of drunk people coming closer, Taiki decided to make his way back to the tower, but he didn't get far before one of the drunks spoke to him.
"Hey aren't you the little prince boy of the old Kouyama clan?" the oldest one of them spoke.
"Kouyama? What are you bringing up the dead for?" His friend asked him slurred.
"They killed my brother!" the first one resumed his drunken rant.
"Dude! They don't exist anymore, they got wiped out by…" the third looked around with sudden fear "You know who…."
"I don't care. This guy looks like that princeling of the old Kouyama, I'd recognise those cold and arrogant eyes anywhere!" The oldest one insisted.
Taiki paid them no mind and tried to walk past them.
"Hey I am talking to you!" The drunk suddenly reached for Taiki's shoulder and Taiki threw him with a routine throw over his shoulder and towered over the man who lay with his back on the hard ground, revealing a red dragon tattoo on his wrist.
"You don't know who you're messing with boy" the man on the ground grunted.
"I don't think you do." The calm voice of Katashi joined the conversation and suddenly the colour of all three men drained from their faces drained as they saw Katashi with his eight body guards standing close to him. All men proudly wearing the Myamoto family crest on the lapel of their suit jackets.
The three drunks sobered up pretty quickly and got out of that alley as fast as they could.
"Are you alright Kou-san?" Katashi asked politely.
"I am fine. Thank you for asking Myamoto-san. It was just a simple misunderstanding." Taiki replied as he dusted off his jacket. "If there is anything I could do in return for your help…" Taiki offered out of courtesy.
"I know a bar near here if you care to share an after-bath drink with me." Katashi interrupted Taiki's polite verbiage.
"Sure..." Taiki agreed reluctantly with a polite nod and a quick glance on his watch.
"If you are busy, we can do that some other time." Katashi offered but Taiki understood well that he would miss out on something potentially important if he passed that opportunity as well as that this was by no means an offer, but more a compulsory request.
"No, I am not busy. Please lead the way Myamoto-san." Taiki insisted politely.
Katashi smiled pleasantly and dismissed, with a simple hand motion, his bodyguards who disappeared from sight but definitely not from their reach, before they proceeded their way to that bar that Katashi had mentioned.
They entered an old and well-hidden bar on the eighth floor of a non-descript building, the one in this area which Taiki had avoided for close to a decade. The owner was still the same old lady as Taiki remembered her to be, and while her eyes widened for just a moment at the sight of him, she quickly recovered her stoic demeanour before she led them to a private booth.
"What would you like to drink? The least I could do for helping me is inviting you for a drink." Taiki asked as looked over the menu.
"Oh please, I invited you so please be my guest and order anything you like. As you said, it was a mere misunderstanding so I didn't need to help you with anything." Katashi smiled and Taiki just nodded. "By the way, you may sweep for bugs if that will put you at ease. I won't feel offended. I know it is a good professional habit to have." Katashi shrugged.
Taiki raised an eyebrow, but placed his phone on the table between them anyway. Within seconds it had swept the area within listening range, for closed and open loop listening devices and found nothing.
The waitress came and they both ordered a whisky sour. After their drinks arrived, Taiki asked candidly: "I don't think you just invited me here to share with me an overpriced drink."
"I wouldn't call it overpriced, considering the service you are getting with your drink." Katashi chuckled. "At least that was what Tenoh told me the first time she took me here." Katashi said as he looked at Taiki evenly.
Taiki knew better than to react to that. He knew that there was possibly no bar that Haruka hadn't frequented yet in Tokyo for business and private matters, so this one wouldn't be an exception.
"Are we celebrating anything in particular? Like your new teahouses in Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur, or the three-year anniversary of the one in Hong Kong?" Taiki asked dryly as he put away his phone.
"Indeed, our global expansion has been going well. Japanese tea culture has been finally recognised for the beauty that it beholds. But as you know, it has only worked so well due to the demand that exists for our services and we are only responding to the requests that we are getting." Katashi responded unfazed. He raised his glass and Taiki did the same before each took a sip of the cool drink. "While our business is doing well, I have to say that Sora Inc. isn't doing so bad itself. Especially the various projects that you are undertaking." Katashi commented.
"Unlike with your expansion, I carry no credit for the projects of the company. I am not responsible for the Projects themselves. I am merely running the finances in the company. It is still Tenoh-sama who makes all executive decisions." Taiki replied calmly.
"Is that so? Well, that makes sense. It still amazes me that those low tier gangsters would mistake you for the son of the infamous Kouyama-san of the Kouyama clan. That man was truly a fierce and uncompromising leader of this area, well until Tenoh-san took him out, just took it under her jurisdiction and keeps it in check through our administration. Though his ruthless grip on this area is the stuff that legends are made of. Until now it still instils fear in the older generation. I doubt he would raise such a submissive child who could only follow orders." Katashi said casually.
Taiki had to pull all his self-restraint together not to grind his teeth and possibly reach across the table to mob the floor with Katashi's face. "Well, not all of us can be as fortunate as you and rise from a Kurosawa to a Miyamoto. Abandoning your family name couldn't have been a difficult step, considering the stigma it held as deserters of the Chiba clan." Taiki just smirked.
Katashi didn't react but merely lifted his glass, swirled its contents for a bit before speaking again. "A curse on a bloodline can only be broken by the one that carries it. I am grateful to the Miyamoto clan for overlooking my faults and giving me a new start as a Miyamoto. I am sure you understand that sentiment, Kou-san. We are mere pawns in the big game of the rich and powerful. Each day is a gift from someone above us who leads us. Like in the old Roman empire, a slave follows his owner to the death if he orders it. Even just breeds when he is allowed to do so. His life is up to the mercy of his owner and not himself. Isn't it?" Katashi asked rhetorically.
"Luckily we are in Japan. You know back in the days of Shoguns and Samurai in Japan, the Samurai would pledge their loyalty to their Shogun and they would be taken care of the rest of their lives, in return they had to fight the wars of the Shoguns for the Shoguns. Loyalty was rewarded and disobedience was punished. Free men dedicated themselves to a Lord they deemed worthy. Free men made their choice and reaped the consequences of that choice without regret." Taiki responded.
Katashi just smirked. "Indeed. Anyway, I am surprised that you, as Tenoh's master financier, would let her waste money on C137. It is amazing how Tenoh is willing to finance Professor Watanabe's crazy endeavours, even though it is said that she is supposedly cursed as well. Protected by an invisible force and free to do whatever she feels like, whenever she feels like. Even earning herself another professor title with no one in particular benefitting from it not even herself as she seems to constantly seek new frontiers. It is said that no one from the underworld has ever laid a finger on the professor, or survived to tell the tale, and yet there is a rumour that someone is trying to. If that rumour would turn out to be true, peace onto the poor soul that is attempting that, as Watanabe-sensei is supposedly under the protection of the heavens. A force, no one has ever seen, nor survived." Kakashi said deep in thought before he emptied his drink in one swift motion.
"Why are you telling me this?" Taiki asked the older man.
For a moment Katashi looked lost in thought into Taiki's eyes and then just sighed. "I am wondering that myself…" he half admitted. "Maybe it is because we have more in common than you think or maybe I am wondering if you are just a pawn in this game or an actual player." Katashi replied before he stood up and left the booth.
-Haruka-
Haruka was sitting pensively in front of the several game setups and was pondering her next moves as her brother stepped up behind her.
"Nee, what are you doing?" he asked calmly over her shoulder as Haruka had her attention focused in the chessboard in front of her.
"I am thinking." She just mumbled into her hands that were folded in front of her mouth.
"You look like dad if you keep frowning like that." Haruto chuckled as he sat down opposite to her. For a while she could feel him watching her but seemingly bored from watching her looking at the chessboard he got quietly up and looked at the various other games and their setups before eventually stopping at the Go board and adjusted some if the black and white stones.
Haruka watched him attentively before she turned back to her chessboard.
"Don't you want to do something about the threat to your territories?" Haruto asked with a hint of a challenge.
"You can't do anything significant to me the way you have set it up." Haruka replied unimpressed and strategically placed a black stone on the board.
Haruto immediately countered with a white one, but to no avail. Just a few moves later he had lost ground and Haruka emerged stronger.
"You have thought this through." Haruto chuckled
"Mum always said to think five moves ahead for five different scenarios." Haruka just shrugged and turned back to the chessboard.
"So what is eating you here? Don't know how to move?" Haruto asked as he came back to the chessboard Haruka was brooding over.
"It isn't my turn, but what bothers me more than that is this." She pointed at the position of her invisible opponent's knight. "He is out of place" She commented.
"How so?" Haruto asked curiously.
"He would be better placed here, or here, or even there." Haruka pointed at various other spots on the board.
"Why?" Haruto continued to ask.
"It would harm my side more, this position and this one would really harm my king, but here? There is no real purpose for him to be here." Haruka pointed out.
Haruto just smirked and moved onto the Chinese chessboard. After moving again a few pieces on both sides he looked at her challengingly. She sighed and joined him on that game. Several moves later, victory was again within Haruka's reach, even though she had to admit that he gave her a few intense moments filled with difficulty to move.
"Nee, why are you REALLY annoyed with that chessboard?" Harukto asked as he moved onto the checkers board.
"Is it because he could take out your queen or is it just how close he stands to her?" Haruto smirked.
"Proximity doesn't matter. She can just take him out before he even makes an attempt. He is no threat" Haruka replied annoyed.
They both played checkers and Haruka destroyed her brother and just a few moves.
"Pretty aggressive there Nee." Haruto chuckled.
"It's checkers. There was no need to drag out the inevitable." Haruka just shrugged and returned to the chessboard.
Haruto returned with her to the chessboard and inspected the pieces that she had already taken off from her opponent before walking off with the other knight to the poker table.
"Haruka, you remember what mum said about playing games, but what did dad always say?" Haruto asked as he pretended that the knight was jumping over the various cards that there laid out before he flipped them for her to see. His side had had three Jacks, a Queen and a king.
She opened hers and revealed three Aces and a pair of Queens. "Always play the player with the game and not the game." Haruka smirked.
"Indeed." Haruto turned his Queen face down again and tapped it with the knight before turning it over again. The card had turned into a Jack and the night into a pawn. Haruka had lost.
"Haruka, always remember, your opponents cheat." Haruto said sternly before giving her the pawn.
She looked at its base and there was Sayaka's face.
"Who are you really playing Haruka?" Haruto asked.
-Seiya-
The axe hit the block of wood smoothly and split it neatly in half. He picked up the split wood and put it on the pile next to the cabin. He needed to get this frustration about himself out of the system. He wasn't usually this whiny mess that displayed any emotions of weakness, especially not like he did to Kakashi yesterday. That just wasn't him. He was not easily scared nor easily rattled. He had sworn to himself on death row that even death itself could not scare him. All those weeks without knowing if the next knock at the door was for food or finally for his execution didn't bother him. This whole situation shouldn't be even getting to him. He was alive, he wasn't the one fighting for his life. He wasn't the one dying, at least for now. He swung the heavy axe again and felt the welcome impact with the stump as he split another piece in half.
"Are you preparing to stay here all winter?" Kakashi asked him mockingly as he joined Seiya outside.
"No, but I just enjoy sleeping when it's warm and I like my baths hot." Seiya retorted.
"Looks like Caine is having a few issues to get here. Kakashi chuckled.
"How so?" Seiya asked as he put down the axe and wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand.
"Remember the training grounds south east of here that you used two years ago but never cleaned up?" Kakashi grinned.
"Oh." Realisation dawned on Seiya as he recalled the boobytrapping training ground, where Haruka practiced their skills with animal friendly installations. Nothing fatal was installed but getting caught in them was easy and getting out of them was frustratingly tedious. The more one struggled, the worse one would be caught and there was no easy way to get out of them. They just never cleaned up after their training to use it as punishment ground that they had to run through if a certain training unit wasn't finished as needed. Failure would mean that they would have to run the course again and still try to avoid the traps of which they most likely had lost all memory off by then. The thought behind that was that all 800 traps would be set off eventually and that would count as clean up, as they would be all disarmed by then.
"How many were set off so far?" Seiya asked curiously.
"About six." Kakashi snickered. "Maybe they will realise that walking around that section might get them here faster, eventually. But we cannot wait until they figure that out, so let's start hunting the hunters and find out what they actually want from us." Kakashi threw him a towel and continued: "Get cleaned up and get changed. They brought dogs. No need to leave your scent signature wherever you are going."
-Ami-
Ami waited outside for Yaten to finish the daily brief for Haruka before she entered the treatment room again.
"How come Taiki isn't doing it today?" Ami asked Yaten casually.
"He hasn't completed his off hours." Yaten started to explain. "Haruka had programmed that anyone, who is working here permanently, has to spent compulsory hours off work every month or they get locked out of the system for double that time. Ironically Haruka gets locked out the most and she has not found a way around her own system to undo it, adjust the mandatory minimum or to trick it." Yaten chuckled.
"What does she do when that happens that she is about to get locked out?" Ami asked curiously.
"She usually hides on the roof. It's technically outside of the tower and she can't really work there. Though during less busy times, she just goes out and has some tea to fulfil her quota." Yaten clarified. "Speaking of tea, Yumi-nee called earlier that she'd be late, so I thought I entertain Haruka in the meantime with this." He pulled out a small speaker on which Michiru's violin music could be heard.
"Oh? Isn't this Michiru?" Ami was surprised, as she knew that Michiru never recorded any of her music unless it was for her own personal use to reassess the performance.
"I snuck into her last recital and made this. Riko-san smuggled me in to do it." Yaten grinned sheepishly as he got comfortable on the couch to stay with Haruka until Yumi would arrive.
-Haruka-
She was having a pounding headache from staring at the various game boards and her neck was killing her. Resigned, Haruka lay down on the ground and looked at the vividly painted ceiling. Two dragons were painted very intricately as if they were battling it out for the ultimate dominance over the other. Depending on the viewing angle, the dragon closer to the viewer would always look like it was winning. But here, right under the centre of it, it looked like both were getting ready for the fatal last bite of the other. Haruka traced the familiar outlines of the Dragons with her eyes before she closed them tiredly.
"Giving up?" Haruto asked with a chuckle.
"Unless you are bringing me some tea, you may go away again and give me headache on the Go board. I have surrounded you there." Haruka grunted without opening her eyes.
"Why so grumpy?" Haruto asked as he was inspecting the Go board. "Currently you are still having the upper hand on all boards." Haruto commented.
"There is no point in winning the battle if you are going to lose the war." Haruka sighed.
"Which war are we talking about?" Haruto asked as he readjusted the Go board.
"Good question." Haruka groaned and put her arm over her eyes to alleviate the pounding behind them. "I am aching all over, I need tea, coffee…or let's skip the niceties and just pour me a stiff one." Haruka mumbled.
"Instead of focusing on the pain, how about focusing on something nicer?" Haruto suggested.
"Such as?" Haruka replied dryly.
"The sound of the ocean perhaps, or the calls of the siren." Haruto chuckled and Haruka just frowned but gave it a chance nonetheless.
She put the other arm under her neck, focused and indeed, she could hear the gentle waves of the ocean. She thought back to the last time she had spent at their beach house and wondered what she was doing there at that time, but before she could remember though, the waves started to get louder and louder and she opened her eyes again and looked outside of the window.
An incredibly strong storm was rising from the horizon.
-Yumi-
The elevator doors had not opened completely yet when a loud argument could be heard coming from the direction of Haruka's treatment room.
"How dare you going behind my back and investigating Prof. Watanabe! Are you not busy enough here? Are you trying to do my job now as well?! You don't have the necessary training for this kind of intelligence gathering. Do you understand how dangerous your meddling is and in what situation it could get us in with the attention that it draws?" Taiki had obviously lost his usual cool with Kakyuu.
"Everyone, please calm down. We can discuss this all calmly in the meeting room." Yaten tried his best to stop this from becoming a screaming match.
"Did you know about her activities regarding the Professor or do you know why file C137 is blocked from my access?" Taiki turned to his brother.
"I..." Yaten hesitantly attempted to defend himself but was immediately interrupted by Kakyuu.
"For your information, I wasn't investigating her, I was looking for her whereabouts. I have informed you about this two weeks ago that I needed to get the Professor here and as usual you weren't listening! I have been doing my work here and my goal is still to get Haruka back. So that is why I am going to get the Professor here. She is the only one who can possibly help anymore." Kakyuu insisted. "And just for your information, Yaten only did what I told him to do. No matter the level of my training, I still outrank both of you and he was only following orders!" Kakyuu threw right back at Taiki, her irritation unmissable.
"Haruka is doing fine. She has been steadily improving, her viral count is way down and it is only a matter of time before we can wake her up." Taiki argued as Yaten and Ami stood between them, as if to stop them from ripping each other's head off.
"Look who is trying to do MY JOB now. Who is the one with the extensive medical training here? You or me? She is not doing fine. In fact, you know what, she is actually doing pretty shit and if she were awake, she would tell you that herself. Since you are questioning my judgement, how about getting another expert in for a second opinion? Guess who the highest authority on this is? Yes, Professor Watanabe. Either do YOUR job and get the Professor here or get out of my way and I get her here while there is still a chance and time to do so." Kakyuu had reached screaming levels.
"Enough!" Yumi stepped in. "You are not going anywhere Kakyuu. Everyone is going to stick to their designated jobs and no one is swapping around."
"Yumi, but I need the Professor here. Haruka is in a bad place" Kakyuu was closed to tears with her pent-up frustration and despair.
"I understand and exactly that is why you are staying right here and keep Haruka alive, while someone will be fetching Professor Watanabe for you. I have it on good authority that the Professor is being moved from the secure facility at the Vatican in the next 20 hours. This is our only chance to grab her with the means that we have at our disposal. We don't have time to spare." Yumi said calmly.
"I am going. Yaten has a better grip on the system here anyway." Taiki announced and walked off in the direction of the elevators.
"Shinobu, …go with him and assist him the best you can." Yumi said as she turned to her most loyal servant who just nodded. Yumi understood into which danger she was sending Shinobu and for a moment hesitated to continue with her request.
"I will bring Professor Watanabe to you at all costs, Yumi-sama." Shinobu just bowed.
"Safe travels and come home to me soon." Yumo just confirmed resolutely and Shinobu made her way to the elevators to join Taiki.
"Yaten, relay the plan we have made so far to Taiki and make sure he gears up to the highest equipment level." Kakyuu instructed the silver haired man who nodded and rushed after his brother.
They heard the elevator doors closing and the tension in the room slowly dissipated.
"Why the sudden rush?" Yumi finally asked Kakyuu as they stood outside of Haruka's room.
Kakyuu just broke out in tears in front of Yumi and Yumi tried her best to console her with a caring embrace.
"Watson just died this morning." Kakyuu sobbed into Yumi's shoulder.
-Ami-
Kakyuu had caught herself and was drying her last tears on her lab coat.
"I think we all need a cup of tea now." Yumi said calmly, as she straightened up and motioned for them to join her in Haruka's room. Her demeanour was calm and unyielding which left no space for discussions or decline of her offer, so Kakyuu and Ami entered the room and sat down on the couch.
Usually Yumi's servant Shinobu would be making the preparations for the tea ceremony for Haruka while Yumi would be getting the latest updates from Kakyuu in the laboratory, but even without her servant doing it, Yumi was not about to go without the whole set up. She refused all help and opened the small cupboard in which everything was stored for her, except the tea and sweets that she always brought freshly with her.
Yumi silently lit up a piece of one of her signature scents of incense and put it in its container to clear out the usual smell of disinfectants and medication in the room before she proceeded to lay out the pieces of cloth and utensils needed for the tea. The tea master moved purposeful and dignified as she laid out everything to absolute precision of a standard only she knew of. Even with her main patron was unaware of all that it took to prepare a simple cup of tea, she would not skimp on any detail. The incense died right at the moment when Yumi had served them all the customary pieces of sweets that would be accompanying the tea and finally sat down to prepare the tea. The whole room had transformed till then and if one closed their eyes, it wasn't even so farfetched to believe to believe to be sitting in a teahouse.
The whole-time Ami just watched Yumi's meticulous movements with awe while Kakyuu just soaked up the calm, strength and peace that Yumi exuded while she made them their tea.
Yumi passed Kakyuu the first cup and when it was Ami's turn, Ami finally got a hint of what Haruka came for when she went to have her weekly cup of tea. The tea was first refreshingly bitter that complimented with the sweets that had been served and with a sweet after taste that left the soul at peace, this wasn't just a mere cup of tea. It was a gift of peace and calm.
Yumi served Haruka last, and even the blonde's heart monitor displayed a peaceful calm as the scent of tea must have reached her.
They sat in silence, clearing their thoughts and calming their hearts, until all tea was drunk and sweets were eaten but eventually Kakyuu spoke up.
"I opened up Watson after his sudden death... his organs were liquified. I don't know what went wrong with him, but Sherlock is still alive, unconscious, but alive. I have immediately examined his inner organs, and while they are better than Watson's that doesn't have to mean much." Kakyuu tried to explain her previous panic as Yumi was packing away the utensils.
"I understand." Yumi just nodded as she straightened the piece of cloth on which she had sat while preparing the tea.
"I really don't know what to do anymore, I would not endanger us all if I would know of an alternative way to help Haruka." Kakyuu continued to explain herself.
"You are just doing absolutely all that is needed." Yumi reassured the doctor calmly and walked to Haruka's side. "I think you both are doing a great job, but for everyone's safety we will need to step up the systems and we cannot keep Ami here forever. Takashi had discussed with Thomas to send a bigger envoy than initially intended for the Dublin meeting. It is all hands on deck at the agency right now, therefore, most likely, you will be called back very soon, Ami." Yumi pondered aloud. "It is important to keep up the image that everything is going according to plan and that nothing is out of order. Any show of weakness could be fatal and disastrous right now, not just for Haruka. I can take you unseen back to your residence when I leave, Ami, but you better start packing now. And you, Kakyuu, rest up some more. Ami won't be backing you up and until the professor is here, you won't have a backup. I won't be leaving until Yaten is back from the airport, so catch as much rest as you can." Yumi stated resolutely.
-Taiki-
The plans that had been made, as well as the latest intelligence report on the Professor's movements, were given to him and he was reading them attentively, mainly to distract himself from the prior fight with Kakyuu but also to use the complete silence in the car while Yaten drove them to the airport. The report on Professor Watanabe read like an utter nightmare to anyone who worked in intelligence. Professor Watanabe was very much a ghost herself, keeping a very low profile and only occasionally making an appearance when she was collaborating on very large projects or particularly difficult surgeries. Nothing particularly worrying if there wouldn't be the persistent rumour that the professor was cursed by an unseen force that did not tolerate any unofficial contact with the professor and that no one has ever been treated by her who wasn't either high profile or her test subject. Her skillset was impressive, as well as having gotten her doctor, she had also extensive experience in Stem cell research and transplantations.
Taiki let out an unintentional groan, making his brother glance at him for a millisecond before concentrating back on the road.
"Kakyuu's file doesn't look much different at the agency to Watanabe's in your hands. She is not cursed, we just don't know who her benefactor is or who is keeping her safe." Yaten commented as he took another right turn to get to the private jet that was waiting for them.
"I can only imagine Kakyuu's file looking very similar to this one in the cabinets of other organisations." Taiki agreed. "But I also know that we are funding some of her research, or are indirectly linked with her, but I could not find any file which would give me the exact details of it. Do you know what she has to do with C137, how she is linked to it or what it actually is?" Taiki asked only half expecting an answer since he knew that his brother did not have a higher clearance than himself and that the file was locked down in Haruka's private partition of the network.
"…I do." Yaten answered with slight hesitation as he parked the car.
Taiki looked up from the file with surprise. From the look in the younger man's eyes, he could tell that his brother was uncomfortable sharing the information that he had in front of Shinobu and Taiki tried to ask as casually as possible. "Is Watanabe involved with it?"
"Kind of" Yaten responded vaguely.
"Is her involvement or the project itself pertinent to her retrieval?" Taiki continued to ask.
"No." Was Yaten's firm reply.
"Ok, then we talk about it when I get back." Taiki finished the topic and his brother nodded nervously.
They exited the car and Yaten reminded them where to wait for the contact that Kakyuu had arranged for them to meet there.
"This will confirm his identity." Yaten handed Taiki a small device. "Make sure to draw blood directly yourself." Yaten insisted as Taiki pocketed the small device.
"This is not my first mission." Taiki reminded his brother.
"Don't make it your last." Yaten said seriously and for a moment, Taiki was reminded of how Haruka always spoke like that before sending them on difficult missions.
"Order a feast for my return and look after Kakyuu for me." Taiki just said with a smirk before he boarded with Shinobu the waiting plane.
-Noriko-
She had just finished her last rounds on the Tomoes' grounds when she received a message from Shinobu to tighten security for Hotaru and to return to the teahouse as soon as she had ensured that the little girl could not be reached by any outside forces.
Immediately she commenced with the set protocols and assigned tasks to her most trusted members of her team.
After reassigning some people and leaving clear instructions to the other girls, who would be taking over her job, she made her way back to her mistress just in time to watch her entering the teahouse in the cover of night.
She was about to approach her mistress when her mistress's husband approached her instead, from shadows of the teahouse.
"Good evening my dear wife." He greeted her politely.
"Good evening my dear husband, how was your business trip?" Yumi asked routined.
"Fruitful. How was your evening stroll my dear?" Katashi asked Yumi unemotionally in return.
"Refreshing." The tea master replied detached.
"Where is Sasaki-san?" Katashi continued his interrogation.
"On an errand." Was Yumi's dispassionate reply.
"Are you heading to bed?" Katashi asked rhetorically to continue the conversation.
"Yes." Yumi continued with her dignified but nonetheless distant demeanour. "Are you coming to bed soon as well?" she added out of courtesy.
"Yes, soon. Please go ahead and sleep first. You need your rest. You have got three bookings tomorrows after all. I will be joining you soon." He answered politely. "Sleep well my darling." He added out of duty.
"Don't stay up too late yourself, my dear, you need to be well rested, too." Yumi responded in kind before she headed to her sleeping quarters.
She was barely out of sight as Katashi waved his hands and servants of the main house appeared to his side.
"The mistress is lacking her favourite servant. I entrust you to look after her, so she may not lack anything that she needs. I want hourly reports on her movements while I am not in her presence and her eyes and ears are not around." Without a hint of an emotion, he instructed the two men, who just nodded and disappeared into the night again.
-Taiki-
Yaten had dropped them off closest to the cargo holds as he could and they walked to the gate they needed to use to get through to the plane they would be using.
"Good evening Sasaki-san" An intimidatingly looking guard greeted his companion with a deep bow which Shinobu returned in kind.
"Good evening Sato-san" she said in her mild manner and showed the guard a small bag with the Myamoto clan seal on it. The guard took the bag and looked inside to confirm the authenticity of the order.
"I will be taking the package from here…." Sato started to say, but was gently interrupted by Shinobu. "I will be accompanying it." She said firmly and Sato just nodded stoically before he let them enter and showed them to another vehicle with which he would be taking them to the plane.
"This has been a very late request Sasaki-san, with a misunderstanding, I think, therefore I would like to apologise to have made unsuitable arrangements for you." The guard apologised eyeing Taiki through the rear-view mirror.
"I am sure that all you have done will be more than enough. Please don't worry. Myamoto-sama is aware of the limited possibilities that such a tight schedule poses. In the end, it is the result that counts." Shinobu reassured the concerned guard who nodded relieved.
"Safe journey, Sasaki-san" Sato bowed towards her again when he opened the door for her to exit the vehicle and silently nodded towards Taiki who returned the gesture in kind.
They were finally sitting in the cargo hold of a big commercial plane, bound for Rome, in a small but cosy hidden compartment and the plane took off momentarily, as soon as it got clearance.
Once the plane had reached cruising altitude, Taiki relaxed in his seat a bit.
"Feel free to get comfortable. It is a long flight." Shinobu told him as she passed him a blanket and a pillow from a box in corner.
"I am ok. I am not that tired." Taiki declined her offer.
"You will be of no use in Rome if you don't rest now." Shinobu insisted surprisingly firm.
"I still need to finish reading the complete plans and the situation that we are getting into." Taiki insisted slightly uncomfortable that he needed to work with so many unknown factors, starting whom Yuuko Watanabe was, to whom their contact in Rome would be, ending with how they would make their way back. Judging from the plans Yaten had given him, Kakyuu had reached out to several of her personal assets to get to Watanabe's whereabouts and Yumi had taken care of the logistics of getting there, but there was no clear exit strategy.
"This is going to be very dangerous." Taiki mumbled as he pondered over how to get out again.
"You mean for you?" Shinobu asked to clarify whom his concerns were directed towards.
"I meant us. Neither of us have met the contact in Rome so far and there is no way out of Rome once we have Professor Watanabe." Taiki clarified.
"I am not worried about that. I trust Myamoto-sama to have a way out as soon as we have the Professor." Shinobu replied calmly. "If I were you, I would be more worried about what will happen if Tenoh-sama doesn't wake up again." Shinobu continued ominously.
"What do you mean?" Taiki asked cautiously.
"News travels fast in the Myamoto network. Your little incident with your father's former subordinates didn't go unnoticed. Don't beat yourself up about your father. You might not remember the day I was given to your household has a repayment for my father's debts, but at least he didn't sell me to his underlings until I finished middle school, which he paid for, which I am grateful for. And in some way, I am where I am thanks to him. If my past was not what it is, I would not have the chance to get to where I am now." Shinobu explained as she noticed Taiki's ever concerned growing face. "If I wanted to harm you, Kou-san, I could have done that a million times before now, but I, like you, have abandoned my family name and its burden when I was adopted by Myamoto-sama's nursemaid." Shinobu explained calmly as she placed the blanket and pillow on his lap and went back to her seat to get comfortable herself.
"Did he…" Taiki felt a giant knot restricting his throat as she struggled to find the right words. He knew what kind of monster his father was, a monster he was running from all his life.
"Yes and no. I am fortunate to be a late bloomer, and while your father liked them young, he did not go for the too far underdeveloped. I merely had to watch and clean up afterwards." Shinobu recalled detached.
"I…I am sorry about that." Taiki managed quietly without being able to meet his companion's eyes.
"That won't bring back the lives lost to your father, but I appreciate the sentiment." Shinobu nodded before she leaned back in her reclined seat.
Taiki looked down to the pillow and blanket that had been put on him and suddenly they felt infinitely heavier than they did moments ago, which didn't go by unnoticed by Shinobu.
"In the olden days, you would be able to say that we that adopted the Samurai lifestyle. We have abandoned our pasts and put ourselves under our chosen lords to serve them till our time is up. We are living and fighting for them, but in the end, we are fighting for our own dignity and purpose in life the most. 'There is no point in wallowing in the past if there is a future that needs us and a present that takes up our full focus'. I am sure Tenoh-sama kept repeating that to you during your training as much as she did during mine. I live at the pleasure of Myamoto-sama, as you do for Tenoh-sama, we have chosen our own paths in life and the masters that we want to serve. Even if you hold higher position than I do, we are in the same boat here and I hope we will do all we can to lead this mission to success." Shinobu said kindly.
Taiki knew that Shinobu was playing down her role in Yumi's organisation. She was by far in a more powerful position than himself at this stage, she carried an emblem of the Myamoto's family clan. An insignia only given to people with significance, trust and value to the Myamoto clan. Harm to her would mean offence to them. Haruka could only keep them safe with the echo of her presence and her reputation since she was never approved by the family elder for her own seal and she had refused to use her father's seal. Haruka had made arrangements for them for the worst-case scenario, but he never opened the file for that emergency plan. He had to admit to himself it that didn't matter to him. He knew that if anything happened to Haruka, he would not be able to face Kakyuu, let alone himself. He owed her more than his life and she meant more to him than just another boss of whom he had to follow orders. She was his friend, she was his family. Shinobu was right, he was her Samurai, and a Samurai without a lord was worthless.
"I know why I am doing it, but why are you? You didn't have to come along. How can you even trust me after you, even more than me, knows who my father was?" Taiki asked, more himself than Shinobu.
"I owe Myamoto-sama my life. I was put to serve her needs during her capture and she shielded me of Tenoh-sama's wrath when Tenoh-sama came to free her. No one else has ever stood up for me before her or kept their word, I doubt anyone else would. During her capture, she took pity on me more than I took care of her. She was kind and promised to get me out of there with her, to help me to get a proper education and to start my life anew. I never believed her during that whole time but put it off as the kind words powerful people use to get low lives as myself to do their bidding. I had seen it too many times that ordinary people like myself just get used, abused and then discarded under your father's reign, but Myamoto-sama kept her word. When Tenoh-sama came in and massacred every single living being in that warehouse that wasn't Myamoto-sama, Myamoto-sama stood protectively in front of me. She didn't have to, but her honour code is second to none and she doesn't do things on a whim. I know that Tenoh-sama is of equal calibre in matters of honour and I trust her, as Myamoto-sama trusts her, that she has not taken you in lightly and trained you so hard for own sake. She had her reasons and I trust her judgment as much as I trust Myamoto-sama's. If you are scared for your safety, you can go in hiding in Rome. I believe the Kouyama's aren't that well known there, nor do they have as many enemies there as they do have in Japan. I will keep my word and bring Watanabe-sensei to Yumi-sama at all costs. What you do, is up to you. Stand in my way and I take you out without a second thought." Shinobu said resolutely.
"I do not intend to go into hiding, I have nothing to hide from. I am Tenoh-sama's right hand, the executor of her orders. I have never failed her and I do not intend to start doing so at any given time." Taiki voiced resolutely.
"Well then you should rest up Kou-san. We have an arduous task ahead of us." Shinobu smirked before she pulled her own blanket over her body and closed her eyes.
