-Ichiro-
He stood with dread deeply seated in his stomach in front of the door to the living room and took one last long and slow breath to calm his nerves before he opened the door to greet his guest who was standing by the window and looked out into the garden.
It hadn't been that long since he had seen Haruka last at the funeral of his sister in law but it seemed that the blonde had aged decades since. Her features were still energetic, vibrant, almost gushing with the arrogance of youth, but the look in her eyes spoke of Millenia of acquired knowledge and pain and Ichiro knew that his unease was well justified. He knew that look all too well as his own father always looked at him with such eyes when he had come from work and spent with him the little precious free time he had between work and training the next generation that would take over his legacy, namely Haruki Tenoh. Ichiro couldn't help but to conjure up the image of his deceased friend in this moment as he looked at the blonde. She was just as tall as him, just as confident, if not even more unshakable in her convictions and unwavering in her principles than his late friend and senior that he grew up admiring. In Ichiro's experience, the more time his father took to spend with him, the more important and dangerous the next trip would be and Ichiro was always acutely aware that when his father left the house after those times, each time it could have been the last. For a moment he was glad that Hotaru was still too young to understand that, yet, he hoped that she would have the luxury to have as much of her family around as long as he did and not as short as Haruka had.
"Have a seat Haruka-san." Ichiro gestured to Haruka who nodded and stepped away from the window.
"Thank you, Ichiro-san" Haruka replied before she sat down opposite to him on the couch. "I don't want to take more of your precious time than needed on this subject, therefor I trust you to have read the proposal that I had left with you before my trip with Hotaru to Hokkaido."
"I did." Ichiro confirmed and nodded with a heavy heart.
"You do not have to choose today which one of your sons will join me for special training, but I do recommend you to prepare them for the training in the IIA even if neither might ever join me and my work, for their sake and your peace of mind." Haruka reiterated.
"I understand. As Hotaru's legal guardian I have already made the arrangements for Hotaru's future schooling as you requested and I have made sure that my brother's rights and influences with and on her are as minimal as possible. Hotaru is a Tomoe and we look out for one another." He informed the blonde who nodded satisfied with his report.
"I shall take my leave now. Please don't get up, I know my way out. Enjoy the rest of your day." Haruka's tone of voice left no room to breathe, let alone to argue, as she stood up and made her way out of the room, hand steady on her cane, the sound of it against the floor only emphasising her resolve.
He listened to the steady tapping the cane made as the blonde made an almost silent exit and leaned back on the couch to watch the children playing carefree in the garden as Haruka did before he had entered the room.
His mind was racing through all the possible scenarios that the blonde had implied but his body was so stiff as if it was frozen in place so that he almost felt like suffocating under the burden of his knowledge, incapable to react to what was about to come.
-Kakyuu-
She stood in the elevator on her way down to the vault as her palm print was rejected and the system refused to authorise her descent. Confounded, she tried a few more times before she gave up and made her way to the office level to look for Yaten.
The young man was asleep at his desk when she found him and looked even more perplexed than her when she told him what the issue was for which she had come to see him.
"Maybe the panel is broken…" he mused aloud as tried to find the problem in the system through his computer but found nothing. "Did you try to use any of the other elevators to get there or did you just use that one?" Yaten asked her as he checked the rest of the transportation system of the tower.
"No, I didn't think of it in that moment…" Kakyuu admitted sheepishly.
"Don't worry. It happens to the best of us. I will grab some tools and take care of it if in a moment. Oh, before I forget, this is your new phone that should start working at midnight. Take this in the meantime…" He grabbed a phone with its foils still in place and a small radio with an ear piece and passed it to her "… keep this on you till the new system is up. Just in case there is a glitch at the switch over or during the transition period." He explained as he connected his own radio to his belt and put the ear piece into his left ear.
Kakyuu slipped her new phone into her pocket and attached the radio to her own belt begrudgingly. "Such a hassle, now I have to transfer all my data and settings to the new phone…"
"No need. It did that all by itself. The new phone can detect everything on your old one automatically and grabs it of it up to a distance of 20 metres." Yaten explained proudly.
"Ok genius. Enough boasting and onto real work." Kakyuu teased him and pointed to the shelves with the tools.
"Aye, aye ma'am" Yaten just chuckled and headed to get his tools.
They ended up walking together to the elevators and Yaten got to work while Kakyuu waited on for the other elevator to arrive.
Before she could get onto it, Yuuko stepped out of the other one that had just arrived and stopped Kakyuu in her tracks.
Yuuko gave Kakyuu a long and pondering look, that made Kakyuu slightly uneasy, before she turned to Yaten and noticed the tool bag in his hand.
"There is nothing wrong with the elevators. I have shut you all out of the vault floor. Precautionary measure since I dropped a vile of a highly contagious virus in front of the vault." Yuuko said nonchalant as she gave Kakyuu a notebook, before she passed both of them and headed to the kitchen to grab coffee.
Yaten and Kakyuu only looked at each other confused and Kakyuu didn't really know what to do with the notebook in that moment, but before she could open it, Yuuko returned with a whole thermos with coffee.
"Don't just stand around uselessly. Look for your boss. Those are the notes on her that I have made on her health and the treatment plan that she is supposed to be following. Make sure that she does." Yuuko ordered before she took the elevator down again.
"If she dropped a virus, why would she go back down there?" Yaten asked Kakyuu without averting his gaze from the closed elevator doors.
"I am more worried about the 'contagious' part and that she came up here without wearing the decontamination suit." Kakyuu replied, the book still firmly gripped in her hand.
-Michiru-
"Do you understand what that means?" Riko asked her while she sat on the other side of the looked at her intently.
Michiru nodded, but while her brain had processed the words that her aunt had uttered her mind, and even more so her heart, refused to. Instead of replying, Michiru just nodded and turned her head to watch the night sky. The sun had long set and the winter wind was blowing hard, making the trees that were covered in Christmas lights perform an angry swaying dance.
Kumiko joined them with a towel across her shoulders, sweat drenched from her usual workout routine.
"What's with the gloom here?" The blonde woman asked curiously but the knot in Michiru's throat stopped her from responding to her.
"We were just chit chatting about destiny and the circle of life." Riko replied nonchalant, but Michiru could tell that Kumiko didn't like that at all.
"You shouldn't be discussing those matters; it is not for us to meddle in it. You should have more faith in the path that has been chosen." Kumiko frowned.
"I have faith but I prefer to be prepared for all outcomes. It is better when she knows what is about to come than being the only one who doesn't. She has the right to know." Riko argued.
Kumiko looked into Michiru's eyes piercingly and as if she had found what even Michiru didn't know yet, she turned back to Riko with an even deeper frown. "But she has no right to choose whatever she wants to do with that knowledge. It is not her turn; it is not her fate." Kumiko retorted displeased but let the matter rest by walking off to get a drink from the small fridge on the floor.
Michiru turned silently away from the other two women and looked out of the window.
The emptiness of tower floor reflected in the dim light against the vast darkness of the night outside while Michiru was trying to locate the Tenoh Tower.
She wondered what Haruka was doing in this moment and how long the blonde had known what she had just learned as the lump in her throat grew bigger and heavier as if it was trying to suffocate her, but she knew she had to fight it.
"There is nothing to worry about. I understand that what needs to be done, needs to be done, no matter the cost." Her voice was more even and steadfast than even she could believe and Michiru noticed how the other two women exchanged argumentative silent looks between each other behind her back but didn't say a word.
She kept her eyes steadfast to the horizon, listening to the howling of the gust of wind that was passing by the tower and then there was utter silence.
-Katashi-
He was sitting in the Sento alone, peacefully soaking in the wet heat that was surrounding him. His eyes were closed and he could feel the tensions in his muscles fighting hard against the relaxation that he was forcing them into. As his body slowly succumbed to the tender caress of the hot water, his mind stayed highly alert. He could even hear his own even heartbeat in his ears.
The moment the other man entered the premise, he could already tell the troubles the other would bring by the weight of his steps. As the dull heavy slapping of bare feet echoed towards the bath, Katashi didn't bother to open his eyes, nor to move in any manner as he heard the old sliding doors rattle open and shut again before the other man sat down to wash himself.
The scrubbing seemed furiously harsh and yet frustratedly slow, as if the other wanted to scrub his own skin off, Katashi thought as he leaned back more into the wall behind him.
Angry splashes echoed from full buckets being emptied over a weary body that wasn't his own and Katashi put alertness back into his body without moving it to prepare for the inevitable encounter.
"I am not sure how much longer I can last in there." The other sighed as he sat down next Katashi and Katashi could tell the weariness that wore the other down that he himself knew too well.
"It is a necessary evil. We are almost there. How is the hot head doing?" Katashi asked with his eyes still closed and his shoulders relaxed.
"He is proving himself useful to keep any unwanted attention off me. His distractions are convenient, but add to my workload when he fails to babysit the princesses. She is causing too much trouble to stay overlooked much longer." The other sighed defeated again and Katashi could tell that the other was rubbing his temples by the way the water moved.
"As long he doesn't cause more trouble than he is worth, tolerate him. Otherwise you know the order, take him out cleanly, any excuse will do." Katashi reminded the other.
Another resigned sigh escaped the other man before he continued the talk. "The preparations are almost done, I'd say the old man will make the announcement of his claim at New Year's."
With every dread filled breath that Katashi heard the other man take, the more he felt sorry for the other and wondered if that was the source of pity that enabled his own escape back in the days, but now was not the time to get nostalgic. The present was pressing on fast.
Katashi stood up, put his towel across his neck and shoulders and towered over the taller man sitting in the pool. "You know what is at stake, you know what your reward will be when you succeed. It is your choice if you want to continue or not. There is still time to back out unscathed, today is your last chance to retreat, after that, I cannot guarantee anything."
"Is that what your boss told you?" The other looked at him, half exhausted, half defiant.
"Right now, I am the only authority that you need to worry about and the only authority that is willing to give you anything at all for your work that remotely resembles what you truly want." Kakashi replied cold, reminding himself that empathy in this game would only get himself killed, and that was the last thing he wanted.
"This is just a friendly advice from one who used to be a pawn to another. When you do this, you will just exchange one master for another, one risk for another. The price you pay for your mistakes will always be the same. Choose wisely." Katashi smirked before he turned around and walked out without waiting for an answer.
Frantic splashes of water echoed behind him and a heavy hand reached for his shoulder to stop him from leaving.
"Better a pawn in the hand of a master than between the claws of a rabid dog." The other man stated steadfast as he looked into his eyes.
-Haruka-
A loud howl of the wind woke her up from her nap and almost caused her to fall off the couch on which she had fallen asleep. Her body was freezing and her joints hurt. The apartment had gone completely quiet. No quiet steps from Hotaru nor her voice could be heard and for a moment Haruka panicked until she remembered that she had dropped the little girl off a few days ago. Time had become an abstract concept for her since she had left the child with the Tomoes and had it not been for her rigid training plan, she would not even know what time it was, let alome day of the week it would be. Haruka sat up and looked out into the darkness, outside her window. Only few lights were still on outside and Haruka willed herself to stand up and to walk towards the window to have a closer look at the happenings outside. It was not as much as her willing herself towards the window but as if she was pulled by something outside to come closer, something irresistible to her. Haruka's steps were still a little unsteady and the moment she reached the window she closed her eyes as she leaned against the cold window. Her mind was rushing with so much information, it seemed to want to burst, but her thick skull kept it all in place. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked down to the world that seemed fast asleep despite the howling of the wind that roared by every now and then. Trouble was on the horizon, she could feel it in every fibre of her being that just wanted to run away from it, but there was no way back anymore.
She could hear the elevator arriving on her floor and the familiar steps coming closer.
"Ah, the sleepy head is finally up for her vitamins." Kakyuu called out to her, with her evening dose in hand.
Haruka turned around slowly as not to fall over and tried to walk as nonchalant as possible back to the couch where she dropped herself unceremoniously.
"Let's get it over and done with." Haruka just mumbled unenthusiastically as she stretched out her hand for the pills.
Kakyuu gave it to her wordlessly with a glass of water before she started the timer the moment Haruka had swallowed the medication.
They had their routine down and let the time pass by in silence as Haruka rolled up her sleeve in anticipation of sound of the timer.
Kakyuu meanwhile laid out the tubes and readied the needle for the daily take.
The beeping sound broke the silence and Haruka could barely feel the insertion of the needle in her arm.
As they watched the tubes being filled with blood, Haruka noticed that Kakyuu was more sombre than usual.
"What's eating you up now?" Haruka asked light hearted to which Kakyuu didn't respond but only put the last tube away into the special container that would be sent down to the vault.
"Did Taiki do something that pissed you off? Shall I punish him for your amusement?" Haruka suggested in jest, expecting for her friend to defend the other man, but instead Kakyuu only punched her in the arm that had not been drained.
"She only has this one concert left this year and you have been moping around almost unbearable since Hotaru is not here anymore." Kakyuu replied as she proceeded to clean up and put a simple envelope onto the coffee table. "The world as we know it might end any day now, doesn't mean you have to deny yourself all joy."
"….and what does this cost me?" Haruka eyed the envelope suspiciously.
"Nothing. I just called in an overdue favour." Kakyuu just shrugged nonchalant. "Just don't let it go to waste."
Haruka reached for the envelope and opened it, inside a ticket for a Christmas Eve concert that had been in the back of her mind.
