Hello loyal readers!
Hope this chapter finds you all well! Thanks for being so understanding about posting every other week. It's helping me flesh things out more and not feel so rushed to produce SOMETHING.
On a fun side note, has anyone heard of/played Doki Doki Literature Club? It's a really great/ironic/creepy visual novel that starts off quirky and fun and quickly turns anime tropes on their heads and becomes REALLY eerie.
Today, we get a short visit with everyone's favorite creepy stalker and the Heel siblings finally meet Delta face to face.
Thank you all for reading! If you have time, please don't forget to write a review, add a fave or an alert. It really makes my day! :3
Enjoy!
-x-
CH27
"So… What happens now?"
"Huh? With what?"
"The election! I don't think I've ever seen the Houses split before."
Reino sighed. He tired of these wearisome simpletons. Did they not understand, for the Devil's sake, that their miserable voices carried down the hall from the guard station to his cell?
For not the first time that day, Reino cursed the doctor who had de-poisoned him, thus robbing him of the sweet, calming embrace of death. Instead, he had to deal with these meatheads…
"Uhh… I think I remember reading that if nothing changes after ten days, then it's the House of… Councillors' vote that counts?"
No… It was the Representatives…
"Man, you're an idiot! It's not the House of Councillors! It's the House of… What was the other one called again?"
"House of Representatives," Reino hissed under his breath. "It's the House of Representatives."
Taking a deep, calming breath to attempt to soothe his fraying nerves, Reino shifted on his cot and reached underneath to feel for the small glass bottle he had taped to the bottom of the metal bedframe. As his fingers closed around the vial, Reino let out a small, contented sigh.
It was a mild sedative and amnesiac he had painstakingly concocted over several months after distilling down various items taken from his cell and swiped from the guards. It was a beautiful poison – a labor of love – and Reino couldn't wait to use it.
"House of Representatives!" One of the guards shouted in a wild yet belated epiphany. "And since Ogata won that House, he'll win the election in ten days!"
"Man… That's such a shame."
"Huh? Why? I thought Ogata was a pretty good PM."
"Yeah he was. But that Saena lady's got a pretty good shape. If you know what I mean…"
Dropping his head to his hands, Reino ground the heels of his hands into his eyes and groaned.
Nine days. Nine more days until that day. Would he survive?
-x-
"We won!"
For the first time in her life, Kanae was so relieved and just plain happy that she didn't care about decorum or appearing composed. Wrinkling her carefully ironed blouse and suit skirt, she jumped up and down, pumping her fist into the air.
As she calmed down slightly, Kanae felt a warm trickle trace down her cheek. Wiping the moisture away, Kanae wondered how long it had been since she had cried tears of joy.
She felt Asami come up from behind and tug her into a fierce hug. Chuckling self-consciously, Kanae tried to wipe away the rest of her tears that just wouldn't seem to stop. Asami laughed as well, and let the LME agent go. Apparently the Prime Minister's wife was a bit teary as well.
"We won," Kanae repeated, almost in ecstatic disbelief. It had been a difficult campaign road and a nail-biting race against the New Change Party up until the very end. But they had done it!
Well. Almost. But their victory was essentially won! With the current layout of the Diet, Ogata would still maintain the majority of the votes in the House of Representatives. The ten days for the Upper and Lower House to wait out their stalemate was merely a formality. If none of the politicians changed their votes, the gridlock would resolve in Ogata's favor. There had been five such splits in all of Japan's democratic history, and none of them had ever gone to the party favored by the House of Councillors.
"Prime Minister Ogata," Kanae turned from Asami to face her interim boss. However, as she saw his expression, the joy began to seep from her body, replaced by a dreadful, heavy ice.
"Anata…"
Apparently Asami had seen Hiroaki's face as well.
Kanae stepped forward hesitantly, as if approaching a startled animal. "Prime Minister…?"
Ogata snapped out of his reverie, the look of fear still clinging closely to his features. But he attempted to hide behind a hastily painted-on smile. His politician's smile. "M-My apologies. I seemed to be staring off into space. What were you two saying?"
Kanae and Asami exchanged a worried glance.
Hand clutched to her chest, Asami stepped forward. "Hiroaki, you're acting quite strange. You should be celebrating, right? It's essentially your victory…"
At this, Ogata uttered a short, uneasy laugh. "I-Is that so…?"
"We've been over the statistics, Prime Minister," Kanae said with a frown, the weight of anxiety settling around her breastbone. "Historically, the Diet will either continue on in this stalemate or the Upper House will agree with the Lower… The record has always been quite consistent…"
Ogata paused, the haunted look looming back over his features. Then he shook his head and looked up at his wife and assistant, a sad smile ghosting over his lips. It looked, to Kanae, like the smile of a condemned man who has come to terms with his sentence. As the two women exchanged concerned looks, Ogata dropped his gaze to the floor.
"While that may be true," he said, his voice small and forlorn, "Unfortunately, the only consistency in life is that it's inconsistent."
-x-
On the outside, Setsu regarded her surroundings in boredom as the guards led her down the pristine, tiled hallway of Delta's hideout. After she had complained loudly for the umpteenth time that the blindfold was messing up her mascara, Konoe had finally given the ok that the Heel siblings could proceed without the blindfolds. However, by that time, the damage had been done.
Not to her mascara, of course, which looked fine with a minor touch-up. But the mirror compact that doubled as their GPS tracker was no longer broadcasting. Something was jamming its signal.
It was to be expected, Agent M rationalized in her mind. After such a complex game of cat and mouse, a smart man like Delta wouldn't carelessly give away the location of his hideout. But on one hand, there was caution and then there was just sheer paranoia.
After picking them up and patting them down for weapons, Konoe must have had his driver crisscross over the majority of Tokyo in traffic and down backstreets to get them to this location. Though she had memorized the first fifty or so turns, Kyoko eventually had to give up. Even Ren had been stumped, indicating to her later with a small shake of his head that attempting to memorize the route had been a fruitless endeavor.
The only clue Kyoko had was that when they exited the vehicle, she could hear echoes, as if they were inside a tunnel or were underground. The chill permeating the air had also supported this theory. However the echoes diminished as they were led into some manner of building then an elevator. Then Konoe had finally let them remove the blindfolds.
Now, Kyoko was trying to quell her inner panic, lest the crazy idea that Delta had somehow figured out their identities and had only brought the LME agents here to dispose of them – don't panic, Kyoko! – bled through to the outside and compromised her Setsu mask.
A small touch to her hand nearly sent her jumping, but Kyoko reeled back her fright just in time. It was merely Cain. Apparently he had noticed her anxiety. Without looking at her, he was reaching down to hold her hand, his fingers intertwining naturally with hers.
A small fuzzy jolt made Kyoko's heart skip a beat. Then the heavy, familiar pain settled back in the pit of her stomach. Given the mixed company, she couldn't avoid him like she had the past few days. She couldn't escape.
It hurt so much…
To prevent herself from instinctively clutching a hand to her chest, Kyoko clenched her empty hand into a fist, digging her nails into the palm of Setsu's fingerless leather glove.
'It's only an act,' she repeated in her mind like a desperate mantra. 'It means nothing.'
However, she couldn't help but berate herself, because if it really meant nothing, why did it hurt so much?
"Setsu."
Biting back a gasp, Kyoko froze. Melding back into her role, she looked up at Cain. Tilting her head to the side, Setsu intoned, "Yes, Nii-san?"
"We're here. Don't space out."
Setsu looked up sharply. Just as her brother had said, the guards had stopped in front of a pair of imposing brushed-steel double doors.
Delta.
Her heart felt like it catapulted to her throat.
Trying to hide her nervousness, Kyoko couldn't help but tighten her grip ever so slightly on her partner's hand before catching herself. Ren's thumb gently stroked the back of her hand once, sending another lightning bolt careening down her spine.
However, before the blush threatening to crest across her cheeks could appear, the guards were opening the doors.
The metal doors swung outward on smooth, silent hinges, revealing a large room shaped like a half-circle. Most strikingly, the curve of the entire wall across the room was comprised of floor-to-ceiling windows that framed an expansive view of Tokyo's twinkling city lights. The room was empty save for an impressive dark wood desk situated just inside the curve of the room across from the door.
Beyond the desk, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood gazing out the centermost window, was a man.
Kyoko felt her heartbeat quicken. It was him. Delta.
From some distant part of her mind, Kyoko stepped forward with Ren, past the guards carrying their automatic rifles and across the cold floor, which she noted had an intricate tile mosaic in the shape of Lady Justice, blindfolded and holding her scale and sword. As they drew closer to the center of the room, Kyoko saw that the man before them was not terribly imposing in appearance. Rather, he was middle-aged, of average height and build with black hair that he wore slicked back. His charcoal gray suit was neither exorbitantly expensive nor was he shabbily dressed.
As he turned from the window, Kyoko had a moment where she could imagine that his face was a friendly one. A face that, if she were to pass on the subway, would not give her cause to pause. A face that was built to blend into a crowd.
Then past his glasses, his eyes fixed on hers, and she felt that notion blown away by the sheer force of his cold, ruthless gaze.
This was a man who knew what he wanted from life and had the determination to get it. This was power. This was intelligence. This was Delta.
"So we finally meet. Chi. Sigma."
Kyoko had expected his voice to be low and menacing, yet it was surprisingly… normal. Blinking away her surprise, Kyoko regained her Setsu mask. Laying her free hand on a cocked hip, she listed her head to one side.
"Hmph. It took you long enough to recognize Nii-san's talent, old man."
Internally, Kyoko froze. That damn, reckless Setsu! So disrespectful! And at their first meeting too!
Contrary to her fears, Delta merely chuckled. "Just as Konoe reported. Brazen and with quite a bizarre sibling relationship to boot."
He pointedly eyed the Heel siblings' intertwined hands.
"What's wrong with that?" Instantly, Setsu wrapped herself around Cain's arm. "Nii-san is the most important. What's wrong with showing that to everyone in the world?"
Instead of recoiling in embarrassment like Konoe or in horror like Murasame, Delta simply chuckled again and strode around his desk to stand in the middle of the room before the Heels.
"Indeed," the leader remarked and eyed the two with amusement. "There is merit in protecting those you truly cherish."
Slightly unnerved but careful not to show it, Kyoko unfurled herself from around Cain's arm. However, though his hand was slack in her grip, Cain refused to let go. Puzzled, Kyoko tried to surreptitiously glance up at her partner.
"But enough of the idle pleasantries," Delta said, snapping Kyoko's attention back to him as he leaned against the front of his desk. He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I realize that I have been rude and have asked you to do many things on my behalf without any context."
Ren's grip on her hand tightened.
"Your work without context ends tonight." Delta gazed at them evenly. "You've shown yourselves to be trustworthy and industrious. I'm bringing you into the inner circle of Henshin."
Kyoko felt her heartbeat quicken. This was it. The culmination of all their missions for Henshin so far…
Ren's grip simply grew tighter.
"Before, you were just hired hands, but now I would like to share my vision with you before you agree to go any further." Appearing to consider their silence an invitation to continue, Delta paced back around to the front of the room, facing the wall with the windows. He seemed to stare out into the nightlights of the city. He suddenly asked, "Tell me. Why do good people suffer while the rich and powerful always manage to get off scot-free?"
Kyoko watched as Delta gripped a fist behind his back, his knuckles whitening.
"Why do the trash of society get ahead while others fall?" The dark-haired man turned his head slightly to regard the Heels out of the corner of his eye. "Surely even you have experienced this injustice."
For a moment, Kyoko forgot to breathe. It was as if Delta knew. But he couldn't know about Sho. That was impossible.
However, Delta had moved on in his speech, turning back to the window. "I am sure that you two have not become what you are today out of a desire for power or wealth. Likely, it was desperation that drove you to this lifestyle. Likely, you had been stepped on, used as a stepping stone by someone else so that they could get ahead.
"The reason why I am inviting you onboard is because I can tell. You are worthy. And our job is to crush those in power who are unworthy. Those in power, those with wealth, those who use and abuse the fortune of fate's blessing. We will get revenge for all those who have been mere stepping stones for the successes of others."
Then Kyoko noticed. Her partner's grip on her hand was getting immensely painful. Alarmed, Kyoko glanced up at Ren.
"However, society will not merely change on a whim. There need to be drastic changes–"
As Delta continued on, Kyoko looked up in horror at the murderous anger that had contorted her senpai's features. The man's gaze, fixed in the center of Delta's back –so dark and fierce and feral –sent a heavy jolt of fear shooting down Kyoko's spine.
Ren holding Reino aloft by his shirt collar. Ren chasing Murasame over the cargo containers. Ren coming home and locking himself in the shower for hours.
Ren at the top of the Edo Land ferris wheel frowning and murmuring, "I lost control of myself."
A cold finger of terror curled around her heart.
'Why now? Why here?'
Desperate to reset him, Agent M summoned Setsu and murmured, "Nii-san. Are you paying attention?"
For a moment, Kyoko felt a sliver of hope as Ren's hand relaxed his grip. Then, he dropped her hand entirely, moving his deathly tight grip to his left wrist.
The furious glare on his face began to morph into a manic, bloodthirsty grimace.
Beyond her fear, Kyoko began to panic. If Delta turned around like this, while Agent T was so wildly out of character–!
"–Our first goal is to infiltrate Japan's government and root out all the filth. Even if we get our hands dirty in the process, that is a small price to pay for a chance to change the world–"
Kyoko could tell Delta was winding down in his speech. Her heart racing, she glanced back and forth between Ren and Delta.
Ren's hand trembled as he continued to clutch at his left wrist, his grip so tight that it caused the muscles in his neck to stand out. A vein pulsated in his forehead, as if with a concentrated effort to hold himself back from whatever violent actions the rest of his body wished to perpetrate.
That's when the thought struck her. Ren was losing. Whatever darkness, whatever demons plagued his heart – he was losing to them.
'NO!'
Acting on pure instinct, before her logical mind and wounded heart could rationalize away such a course of action, Setsu had snatched her brother's hand back with one hand. With the other, she swiftly grabbed Cain by the collar of his coat, dragging him down to face her.
As his murderous rage turned on her, Kyoko felt a small shiver of fear race through her. But beyond that, she felt an absolute conviction. Ren should not be losing to whatever darkness had possessed him. He was Agent T. He was her partner. He was her… friend. He was much better than this!
So she brought her hand up and flicked him as hard as she could right in the center of his forehead.
"Baka Nii-san," Setsu hissed. "Nii-san has a weird look on his face again."
To her relief as she let go and he straightened, a small flicker of clarity cut through her partner's eyes.
"–And that is how we are close to swaying the necessary votes in the Diet to get our chosen member elected," Delta said as he turned from the window. He looked pointedly between the two siblings. "And you two, Chi and Sigma, will help us to obtain the last votes."
Not daring to remove her eyes from Delta to check on Ren, Kyoko watched as Delta strode around his desk again to stand before them. The man cocked his head to the side and smiled.
"So, will you two join me as we strive to build a society without corruption or abuse? Will you help me get revenge on those who have secretly destroyed so many innocent lives?"
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Hiding her nervousness, Kyoko as Setsu tilted her head to look up at Cain. "Well Nii-san… How about it?"
To her relief, Cain emanated from Ren's features. However, as he spoke, the cold sheen of malice in his eyes was not entirely from Cain.
"Sure. Why not," Ren said slowly, holding Delta's steady gaze. "After all. I am in the business of revenge."
-x-
NOTES:
Japanese Elections: I think I might have said before, but from my understanding, Japanese elections are done in two stages. First, the general public elects their Representatives in the Diet (Councillors are elected at a different time, I believe – so me saying in the last chapter that Toudou had to campaign was a bit of a slip!), then the Representatives and Councillors vote for a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister then appoints people to be his cabinet ministers. However, if the Upper (Councillors) and Lower (Representatives) Houses cannot agree on a candidate, they continue to discuss and vote until a decision is reached or until 10 days is up. Then, the tie-breaker is whomever the Representatives chose.
Anata – term of endearment that wives call their husbands.
-x-
MAILBAG
Sasusakufan2357 – Hahaha, I can picture the nervous Kermit gif that you're talking about! Are you even more nervous/worried after this chapter? :3 Sadly, I hadn't planned to write Koga into this fic. By the time I was planning out the storyline, the manga was only at the point where Kyoko is reading about Kimiko on her blog website. Koga hadn't even been introduced yet. Make sure you're near a hospital when you have your good heart attack! ;) As for the most recent manga chapter… ARGH! I sense that next chapter is going to be a "filler" – just serving the purpose of getting the characters from this new revelation about Kimiko to the next dramatic beat (showdown between Kyoko and Kimiko?). Their relationship goes so agonizingly slowly, that… maybe Nakamura-sensei is trying to turn us all into Yashiro-like-fanboys. Lol
Crazy4Animation – Thanks! I really appreciate the encouragement and praise! :) I'll keep on working hard in the future!
Guest – Thanks for the praise! I'm really glad that you liked the update, and are understanding about the extra wait time. Next time, leave a name so I can respond to you individually! :)
Aikori Ichijouji – Hehe, I saw your PM! It's such an amazing honor to have someone draw fanart of your fic! :D I'm so proud of you! Did you end up joining the FB group? Also, thanks for understanding about the extra time between chapters! Thanks as always for your weekly/bi-weekly support!
MWEH – I'm a part of a SB group on Facebook, and there have been quite a few posts by disappointed fans who are growing tired of the "slow" pace of the story due to the wait between chapters. Honestly, I wish she'd move from monthly to bi-monthly, but I heard that she was publishing chapters of SB twice a month but quickly burnt-out energy and health-wise. I guess I'd rather her survive and finish the series… lol! As for Kanae possibly seeing through Kyoko's lie, in an early translation of the chapter, it said that Kanae figured it out, but the final, cleaned version, that nuance was left out? Not sure if Kanae caught Kyoko or not in reality haha. My impression of Kimiko's reaction was that she was 110% maaaaaaajorly pissed off. At this point, I actually think that Kimiko would be capable of physical violence, like what happened to Erika. As for Rick being Delta…. Fufufufu… What on earth could today's chapter mean? ;3
Shizuhoe – I'm glad you found Saena to be a bit surprising! I like that Nakamura-sensei has made her more relatable with a relatively tragic backstory instead of just a grade A beeotch. It makes Saena much more believable – which I'm hoping to accomplish in this story. I've read so many great SB fanfics that have been destroyed by Saena being the main source of conflict and she is a heartless, inhuman monster… which let's face it, rarely happens in real life! As for Lory's bosses, in this universe, the LME unit is under the Public Security Intelligence Agency, which is kind of like the CIA of Japan. The LME is just a specialized unit run by Lory, therefore, Lory has bosses in the PSIA. The Hizuri's are back in America still. And is Rick Delta? Muhahaha, what on earth could today's chapter mean? Teeheehee… Sho is going to be on the sidelines for a loooong time, but he will appear for the final act and his most growth will be during that time. :) Please, by all means! Ask all the questions you want! I'm always happy to answer (without giving spoilers, of course!) Thanks for supporting my whole ass…ing my chapters. LOL
Brennakai – So… Did you squeal when Ren saw Delta's face? :3 hehehehe I'm guessing that wasn't the reaction you were expecting~! And to clarify, actually, Delta doesn't know that Kyoko is Setsu or that she is Saena's daughter. So she is actually safe – for the moment! Thanks for the reassurance that this isn't turning into an angst story. I'll have to check back with you for my Angst-meter after the next chapter. Haha As for the ice cream… maybe in a one shot ;) I'm thinking that if I'm still infatuated with this fandom after I'm done with this HUGE story – then I'm going to do a series of SB one shots.
-x-
Thank you all for reading! If you have time, please don't forget to write a review, add a fave or an alert. It really makes my day! :3 Have a good two weeks, guys and gals!