-Yaten-
He had just finished briefing Haruka on the latest security updates in her office when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Haruka commanded after she signalled for him to stay in his place.
Taiki entered with Noriko following him.
"Excuse my intrusion, Tenoh-dono." Noriko greeted them unusually formal.
"I take it you are here in official tea house business, Nakajima-san." Haruka addressed the other girl as she stood up from her chair behind her big office desk.
"Indeed, Tenoh-dono" Noriko bowed deep before handing Haruka an envelope.
Haruka took it, broke the seal, and read its content silently, with a stern look on her face while she remained standing like an immovable mountain.
The air was as if it had frozen in place and Yaten gave Taiki a quizzical look, which was only met with an almost imperceivable shrug of confusion.
Haruka put the letter down, opened the special ink pad reserved for important matters and pressed her seal in it resolutely before making her mark at the bottom of the letter with a firm motion before returning it to its envelope and resealing it.
"Please send my regards to your mistress and the master of the house. I trust Myamoto-san to pick an excellent tea for the occasion." Haruka resumed to speak to Noriko, who nodded in confirmation, as she handed her the envelope.
"Of course, Tenoh-dono." Noriko replied obediently before putting the envelope safely into her coat.
"Yaten-kun, please see Nakajima-san out and make sure she gets home safely." Haruka instructed Yaten with a sternness that was just as unusual as Noriko's almost excessive seriousness.
"Of course." Yaten replied and got up to show Noriko out.
"Please excuse me, Tenoh-dono. I will be taking my leave now." Noriko said before she bowed deeply one more time and left the office with Yaten.
Yaten watched how Taiki sat down in the chair that he had occupied before, a few shades paler than when he entered.
After they had exited and entered the elevator to the unground floors, Yaten tried to dissipate the tension in the air by striking up a conversation.
"So, are you getting ready for the New Year yet?" He asked casually but was quickly reminded by the cold stern look on Noriko's face why he preferred it when Shinobu came by as the messenger of the Myamotos.
They continued the ride down in silence and he walked her to the entrance that was reserved Yumi, but she ignored it and walked over to a small Suzuki Swift that was parked next to Haruka's Audi.
He opened her the door after the noticed that she had unlocked it.
Before she got in, she faced him squarely and spoke in a low, but very stern tone: "We, don't ger ready for anything, we are always prepared. I hope you can say the same about whatever is about to come."
Perplexed Yaten let go of the driver door and Noriko closed it firmly before she drove off without another word.
-Riko-
It smelled of disinfectants and medication through the surgical mask that she was wearing while she was holding the slender hand of her friend and mentor that lay unconscious on the bed in front of her. Even through the gloves, she could feel how cold the hands were, despite the climate controlled room that they were in.
She had already sent word to her mother through secure, but not exclusive channels, and she could only hope that her mother would get the news in time to make the needed adjustments in their plan.
Yuuko was drawing a few vials of fresh blood and placed them carefully into a small container before grabbing the tablet and indicating to her that they needed to leave.
"To be honest, I am not sure if I can help her, and even if I could, it would not be here…..you know?" Yuuko explained as they walked out of the quarantined room and took off the protective clothing.
"Thanks for letting me sit with her a bit. She always loved hugging people and the least I could do was to hold her hand for a bit, even if she will never know." Riko sighed, the sensation of the limb and slender hand of her unconscious dear friend still lingering in her own.
"I won't lie to you. This looks bleak….But …she is my friend as much as yours. There is nothing that I will leave untried. I already have a few the samples running a few tests in the lab that I need and will test these as soon as I get back to the lab." Yuuko assured her as they disposed of their used robes and Yuuko tugged the small box safely in her jacket when suddenly the door to the ward that they were on opened.
"Where did you leave the little one?" Yuuko asked Kumiko, as the blonde joined them at the hospital.
"In the tower." Kumiko replied nonchalant as she reached for the tablet with the medical history of their friend whom they were currently watching through the window to the quarantine room.
"Looks bad." Kumiko commented after a few minutes passed of complete silence as she flipped through the various charts and graphs.
"I have seen worse, but the decline is too fast to make me any more hopeful." Yuuko replied.
"Who is the attending?" Kumiko continued to ask while continuing to evaluate the data.
"Mizuno, Ami and Satomi." Riko answered for Yuuko and Kumiko looked up for a moment with a raised eyebrow but left it uncommented and continued reading the data.
"You sure it was a good idea to leave Michiru there alone?" Yuuko changed the topic.
"If she is a true Kaioh, she will have no problem getting out and if she is a worthy Kaioh, she will find us in ….." Kumiko looked at her watch "Maybe an hour?"
"Try a second." Riko smirked as she spotted her niece in the door behind her lover. Michiru looked lightly dishevelled, but the fire that was burning in her eyes made her determination impossible to dismiss.
"Huh, she is faster than you were." Kumiko poked fun at Riko.
"You are already mine after all and I always know where you are, so there was no need to rush." Kumiko chuckled as she waved for Michiru to come closer.
"I see you made it." Kumiko greeted Michiru with an acknowledging smirk and passed the tablet back to Yuuko, who scanned Michiru closely up and down with her eyes.
"Why are we…Sumiko…." Michiru stepped up to the window and looked onto the unconscious woman on the bed that was fighting for her life in her signature mode, silent dignity.
But before they could explain anything, Satomi joined them hastily.
"Get out. Now. The director is on the way here." She said hastily as she ushered them to an exit to the opposite side of where she had come from.
-Mamoru-
He was sitting in the car with his father and grandfather as they were driving through the dark streets of Tokyo to the tea house. The night felt darker than usual and the atmosphere in car was tense. Shinji and Shirou were following them in the car behind them.
This was it, they would officially demand justice for his sister before they would serve it.
The ride felt long and yet, before he was ready, they had arrived.
Another car was already parked in one of the guest parking spots. A Maserati he knew too well.
They exited the cars and were led into a tea room in which Haruka was already sitting calmly, after they had all been checked for weapons.
She was alone, only her walking stick was resting next to her and Mamoru wondered for he first time if he was struggling to recover, but he suppressed his inner doctor quickly and reminded himself why they were there in the first place, to revenge his sister.
Yumi was sitting as tea master ready in her spot and started to prepare tea for them as soon as they were all sitting.
No greetings were exchanged and the air was so heavy and thick in the room, it could have been even cut with a butter knife.
As the tea was served and the tea master left them to their own devices to have their private talk.
Haruka made no move to ask why she was invited here for tea and was just enjoying the tea, interspersed with having bites from her sweet that was placed in front of her.
"Don't you even want to know why you were called to come here?" Shirou broke impatiently the silence.
For just a tiny moment, Haruka's eyes seem to lit up like a supernova but as soon as that spark came it disappeared into thin air, behind he cold exterior that was Haruka's business demeanour.
"And your name was?" Haruka asked in return, her voice laden with disinterest.
"He, is my counsellor, Edelstein, Shirou." Mamoru's father answered for Shirou.
"Ah, foreign blood. Explains the lack of manners." Haruka smirked. "But I would be almost impolite if I didn't answer your question, Edelstein-san. I was invited by Chiba-san, and as the sitting mediator, as well as head chair of Overwatch, I decided to indulge Chiba-san with my presence so that he could bring his concerns to my attention, as is the custom, for members of the council and conglomerate to do so when they get the chance." Haruka replied nonchalant before she finished her last bite of her sweet. "So, any concerns, Masaru?" Haruka used a tone that was mockingly familiar with Mamoru's father that was rebuttal to the insolence that he had allowed to be used with her.
Before Masaru could state his accusation, there was a knock at the door and Katashi entered.
"Excuse the interruption, but your other guests have arrived." Katashi announced and stepped aside for Hiroko and Seiya to enter the room.
Mamoru could not believe his eyes. His sister was standing in the door, in flesh and blood, albeit shorter hair and a tinge paler than he remembered her, but alive. He turned to Haruka and wanted to apologise for his behaviour but he noticed the disgruntlement that was edged on her face.
Hiroko was looking at Haruka with defiance and the frown on the blonde's face only deepened.
"I apologise for my lateness. I should have been here way sooner." Hiroko greeted them.
"You shouldn't be here at all." Haruka just stated cold.
"Yet, I am." Hiroko replied defiant. "It takes more than death to keep me from my duties. I am sure you understand the sentiment."
Haruka sighed.
"What is the meaning of this?" Masaru demanded to know.
"Seiya here was supposed to erase me, but love is stronger than mere commands, so he helped me to come home rather than to disappear into thin air." Hiroko explained.
"Seiya-kun, is that, true?" Masaru commanded for Seiya to answer.
"Yes." Seiya just confirmed.
"I returned Hiroko-san's hair to the Chibas. If you truly want that Seiya, you will cut that hair of yours that you have grown under my protection and give it to me." Haruka demanded in turn as she signalled with one of her hands and a servant of the Myamotos' appeared at her side with a Tanto.
Without hesitation, Seiya grabbed the blade and cut off his long ponytail with one swift move and handed it to Haruka with resolve.
She took it and glanced over it shortly before looking up again.
"I see, you have invited me to humiliate me, Chiba-san." Haruka just stated cold as her cold gaze scanned everyone in the room.
Katashi had sent the sevant out again with the knife that Seiya had used, as if to prevent certain bloodshed and no one dared to speak a word as Haruka's anger filled the air as if it wanted to suffocate them all.
"Beware, all who betray my trust. Your fate will be death by my will and your own hands on the day of my choosing and no one else's." Haruka stated before she finished her tea, got up and left with Seiya's ponytail swinging in her fist.
