"Assassin's Creed: Elf Song"
By cdc100
Summary: As a child, Kaede is adopted, and now has a loving family. However, when her new father is kidnapped, she must learn the ways of the Assassins in order to save him.
Disclaimer: This is a work of pure non-profit fan fiction. I do not own any of the characters, their weapons, their abilities, or any of their universes, nor do I own any of the lyrics that will appear in later chapters, or any of the products mentioned in the story such as Coca-Cola, or PlayStation.
Chapter Two
"A Friend"
The next morning, Kaede woke up to find that her environment was the same as the previous night, only brighter. She looked up to see that the television in the room was on, and was playing some cartoons. She could see Gendo sound asleep inside the kennel on the floor. She was startled from her examination by a voice.
"Well, look who decided to wake up," said Joe, coming out of the bathroom wearing only a towel and a smile. "How did you sleep?" he asked.
Kaede sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes.
"Good. I slept really good," she said.
When she got done rubbing her eyes, she looked at Joe.
"And you and Gendo are both still here," she said.
"I told you we'd both be here when you woke up," said Joe, putting on some clothes.
He went over to the mirror and put on the same color of suit, but this time with a jade green dress shirt and an emerald tie. As he straightened the tie he looked into the mirror, at Kaede.
"You're awfully quiet," he said. "I hope you're feeling okay."
"I'm fine," said Kaede.
As she finished her sentence, Joe heard a loud growl. And it didn't come from Gendo.
"You're hungry, I take it?" asked Joe with a smile.
Kaede blushed a little bit.
"Yeah, I guess I am," she said.
"Well, you go get dressed and we'll go down and get some breakfast," said Joe.
Kaede inched her way out of bed, went over to the little suitcase she packed at the orphanage and fished out some clothes. She went into the bathroom and changed into a new white shirt, but with a dark blue skirt. When she came out, she found Joe holding out a jacket for her.
"Thought you might need this," said Joe. "It's kind of windy out there today."
Kaede put her arms through the jacket and zipped it up. Joe went over to one of his bags and pulled out a small strap of leather with a long, thin cord. He fastened the strap around the still-sleeping Gendo's neck. The dog woke almost instantly, and began panting in anticipation.
Joe led the dog by the cord attached to its collar, and handed the end to Kaede.
"Don't let go of the end," he said.
As they left the room, Joe took hold of the hand Kaede wasn't using to walk Gendo. They rode the elevator once again down to the lobby, and as they passed the front desk, Koji addressed Joe.
"Good morning, Mr. Martino," he said. "I trust you got the key you requested?"
"Got it this morning, Koji," said Joe with a smile. "Thank you."
Koji waved the trio goodbye, and as they walked out of the lobby, Joe turned to look at Kaede.
"So, after breakfast, do you want to do anything?" he asked.
"Um…well, not really," answered Kaede. "I can't really think of anything. Besides, I thought you'd be busy today."
Joe chuckled.
"Actually, I took care of all my scheduled business last night," he said. "Unless I get called about something else, I've got five days of vacation right now. I got an extra one because I'll need time to pack my things before I leave."
Kaede looked up at him.
"You don't live in Japan?" she asked.
"No," said Joe. "I actually live across the ocean, in the United States."
Kaede looked a little frightened.
"So, when you leave, you'll take me back with you?"
Joe ruffled her hair a bit.
"Are you scared?" he asked.
Kaede huddled close to him.
"Most people in the United States don't speak Japanese!" she said. "How am I possibly going to live there?"
Joe bent down and took Kaede's shoulders.
"You're a smart girl, Kaede," he said. "If you want to fit in, I can teach you English."
Kaede looked skeptical. Joe frowned playfully.
"Now, don't you look at me like I can't do it," he said. "I happen to be a professor."
Kaede flinched a bit, but then returned to her original skeptical look.
"Do you teach English?" she asked.
Joe chuckled again.
"Hah. I knew you'd call me on that one," he said. "I actually teach film and literature, but really, how hard could English be? It is my native language after all."
Kaede shrugged.
"Okay. I guess I could try learning English from you," she said.
"Good," said Joe. "We agree. Now, let's go get some breakfast!"
He led Kaede and Gendo to the car he brought them over in and unlocked the car. After they had all got in, Joe began driving slowly down the street, seeming to be looking for some place in particular. But he apparently wasn't distracted enough to neglect his passengers, as he spoke to Kaede.
"So, you really can't think of anything you'd like to do after breakfast?" he asked her.
"Not really," she said.
"There has to be something," said Joe. "Every kid your age wants to do something. I don't imagine you're any different."
Kaede thought for a minute.
"Well," she finally said, "I've never been to a park before. I've always wanted to go."
Joe continued scanning the streets as he answered her.
"You mean like a water park? An amusement park?" he asked.
"No," said Kaede. "Just a regular park. Or a playground."
Joe seemed to think for a minute.
"Alright," he finally said. "I'm sure there are tons of places for kids to play in this town. We'll find one after breakfast."
It seemed to Kaede that Joe finally caught sight of the place he was looking for. He turned the wheel and parallel parked outside a small eating place. Unfortunately, Gendo had to wait in the car again, but once again, Joe promised he'd get some food, and so Gendo laid down in the front passenger seat, deciding to take a nap.
Joe led Kaede into the diner and they were seated, by yet another friendly waitress who seemed to know Joe. This time, instead of picking something for her, he helped her pick something out. Joe had suggested half an omelet. She knew what an omelet was, but had never tried one. However, based on her experience in his taste of food, she trusted his judgment. Joe decided on some pancakes and promised to share if the omelet wasn't enough for her.
The waitress came to the table with a smile.
"Have you decided yet?" she asked.
"Yes, Akira," he said. "I would like some pancakes, with plenty of strawberry syrup."
Akira wrote down his order and turned to Kaede.
"And what about your little darling here?" she asked.
"Could you make her a half omelet with some bacon and cheese?" asked Joe.
Akira finished taking their orders and smiled.
"Your orders should be ready in a little while, sir," she said. "Can I get you anything to drink? Juice? Milk? Coffee-"
"Milk," said Joe, cutting her off. "I hate coffee."
Akira giggled.
"And what about you, sweetie?" she asked, turning to Kaede again.
Kaede stared at the table and shrugged slightly.
"Could I…get some apple juice?" she asked.
Akira took both their menus.
"Sure thing, little darling," she said as she scooted away from the table.
Joe tried to make eye contact with Kaede as they sat waiting for their orders to be filled.
"Kaede," he began, "I hope you realize now, that not everyone in this world is as mean as those kids at the orphanage. And anyone who is that mean isn't worth remembering."
Kaede slowly looked back up at him.
"I can see that now," she said. "I just…can't really get used to it."
Joe smiled and placed a hand on her cheek.
"It's just like your being adopted by me," he said. "It's just going to take some getting used to."
Kaede smiled slightly at him.
"Joe?" she asked.
"What is it?" asked Joe.
"I want to thank you," she said. "I want to thank you for showing me what people are like outside that place. I never thought that I would leave that place…at least not with a family."
Joe giggled.
"You have nothing to thank me for," he said. "I'm sure you would have done the same for any kid if you saw the misery in their life."
His expression then turned serious.
"But Kaede," he said, "I don't want you to kid yourself. While it is true that not every person on Earth is as mean as Tomoo and his friends, there is still evil in this world."
Kaede flinched a bit.
"But," Joe continued, "the more important thing to remember, Kaede, is that although evil things happen all the time, there are still people in this world who do whatever they can to make things right."
Kaede smiled again.
"Like you," she said.
Joe chuckled again.
"I do what I can," he said.
As their food came once again, Joe scarfed down about half his pile of pancakes, and Kaede daintily ate her half omelet. After she was finished, she took Joe up on his offer to have some of his pancakes. As they finished with their food, Kaede was somewhat anxious to get to the park and see what it was like, and so Joe wasted no time in paying for their meal so that they could get going.
The two got back in the car, and as Joe drove to the park, Kaede fed Gendo some of the pancake scraps that went uneaten. Joe drove for a good fifteen minutes before he brought them to what he deemed as a promising spot.
"This should do," he said.
He pulled the car over at a parking lot, which was empty except for two cars. After he got out of the car, he went over to Kaede's door and let her and Gendo out.
"You can play here as long as you want, Kaede," he said. "I think I'm going to go for a little bit of a walk. I won't wander too far from the park, so don't you either, okay?"
Kaede nodded her head.
"Okay, Joe. I won't," she said.
"Good," said Joe with a smile. "Now, before I go, I want you to promise me something."
Kaede cocked her head to the side.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Promise me you'll have fun," he said, ruffling her hair like he always did.
Kaede smiled that small smile of hers.
"I will," she said.
With that, Joe made for an asphalt track that circled the park where he dropped his two charges. Kaede watched as Joe walked a fair distance away from the park- not quite out of sight, but not directly noticeable, and took Gendo gently by the leash and began walking him through the park.
As she got further from Joe's car, she got closer to some playground equipment. She found a slide, some swings, a jungle gym, and some monkey bars. She smiled and led Gendo to the top of the slide. She sat down at the top of the slide, tucked the dog into her lap and let gravity do its thing.
As they reached the ground, Kaede laughed and Gendo yipped happily at her. Kaede frowned slightly as she realized that she didn't know what else she wanted to do.
At that moment, Kaede was startled out of her thoughts by a light chiming sound. The sound was followed by more chimes, which linked together to form a melody. It was beautiful, but somehow…sad.
Kaede turned around and came face-to-face with a young boy. He couldn't have been much older than her. He had short black hair, blue eyes and tanned skin. He wore a green shirt and blue shorts. Over his shoulders, he wore what looked like a green lunch box. He carried a book- a paper pad of sorts, in one hand, and in the other stood a small, open music box. Kaede's attention turned to the curious-looking boy, then drifted to the music box he held in his hands.
The boy looked at her for a few moments, blinked, and then followed her eyes to the music box in his hand.
"You like it?" he asked.
"What?" asked Kaede, startled from her trance again.
The boy closed the music box, silencing the soft melody.
"Why else would you be staring?" he asked.
Kaede turned away, and suddenly acquired an edge to her voice.
"I thought…I just thought it was a pretty song, that's all," she said.
The boy smiled.
"Really?" he asked.
His expression turned curious again as he looked at Kaede. He looked in a general upward direction, and in her annoyance, Kaede knew all too well what he was looking at.
"Are those growing out of your head?" he asked, affirming Kaede's thoughts. "They look like horns!"
Kaede growled under her breath and reached up her hands to cover her horns.
"I'm sure you think my horns are disgusting, don't you?" she asked.
"What?" asked the boy.
I am sick of this, thought Kaede. I'm sick of it all! …Wait…what is this? What's happening?
Kaede could feel something…it felt like…her. It felt like she was reaching toward the boy who bothered her so.
"That's cool!" exclaimed the boy.
Kaede let go of her horns, the feeling inside her vanished, and she turned her attention to the boy in front of her. As she did so, the boy ran up to her and grasped her shoulders gently, a smile enveloping his face, but strangely, one of kindness, and not of malice.
"They're so cool!" he said. "No way! That's totally awesome!"
At first, Kaede was flattered…
"I'm really jealous," said the boy.
Kaede's state of flattery ended with that statement. She scowled at the boy and pushed his arms away.
"You're jealous?" she spat. "You have no idea what trouble these horns have caused me."
The boy frowned.
"Uh…I'm not sure what you mean, but…I don't think I've ever seen anything that cool! I'm not kidding! I think they're great!"
Kaede turned around, away from the boy, picked Gendo up in her arms, and started to walk the other way, back toward the car.
"Leave me alone," she said. "You're not funny."
"Hey!" called the boy. "What do you think? Do you want to be friends? I'm staying with my relatives for the summer. I won't be here for long, but while I'm still in town, we should hang out and play together. How about it?"
Kaede frowned at that. He thought back to the orphanage, remembering the pigtailed girl who gained her trust, and then betrayed it. As she thought, she got angrier. She couldn't possibly trust another kid after what she nearly did to Gendo.
"You must be joking," she spat.
"What?" asked the boy. "Why's that?"
Kaede turned back and scowled once again.
"It's because I hate all of you," she said, in little more than a whisper.
She resumed walking back toward Joe's car, not noticing the disappointed expression on the boy's face.
"You hate all of us?" he asked.
He paused, but then yelled after her.
"Hold on!" he said. "Listen! My name is Kohta! Same time tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you right here! Don't forget to come! I'll be here, I promise!"
Kaede looked at the ground, and scoffed at the boy's promise. Gendo moaned in her arms, sensing the tension she felt.
"Don't worry, Gendo," she said. "I'm fine. I'm just tired of all these stupid people who think they can use me like that."
As she walked back to the car, she saw Joe returning himself. Unlike most times, however, he wasn't smiling.
"You don't look like you had fun here, Kaede," he said. "Is everything okay?"
Kaede set Gendo on the ground and led him to the passenger side of Joe's car.
"It's nothing, Joe," she said. "I just want to go back to your room."
Joe shrugged.
"Sure, Kaede," he said. "I'll bring you back here another time, alright?"
Kaede nodded and plopped herself and her dog into the passenger seat. Joe hadn't driven the car very long before they had arrived back at their hotel. The three got out of the car and went silently back to the room, where Kaede flung her jacket off and into the small armchair in the corner, and plopped onto her bed, face-first.
Joe noticed this, and shook his head. He sat down on one side of the bed and placed his hand on Kaede's head.
"I already asked you once, Kaede," he said. "And I know you don't want to bother me, but I would really prefer that you tell me the truth this time. Is everything okay?"
Kaede silently shook her head, not removing her face from the mattress.
"What's wrong?" asked Joe.
Kaede lifted her head up, but only enough that her words would escape her mouth.
"I met another kid at the playground," she said.
Joe quirked an eyebrow.
"Were they mean to you?" he asked.
Kaede heaved a sigh.
"No. They were…nice."
Joe brushed her hair gently with his fingers.
"Why do you look so miserable, then?" he asked.
Kaede shook her head with another heavy sigh.
"Joe…" she said, "that girl at the orphanage…the one who set me and Gendo up…she was nice to me, too."
Joe stopped his movements.
"I see," he said.
He picked Kaede up gently, and pulled her into a light hug.
"I can see why it would be hard for you to trust the kid after that," he said. "But you remember what I said before, right?"
Kaede nodded her head.
"Also…I get the feeling that if you were set on never trusting…whoever they are, I don't think that you would be this bothered by it," said Joe.
Kaede looked at the floor of their hotel room.
"They…want me to meet them at the park tomorrow," she said. "Same time as today."
Joe nodded his head.
"How about this, then?" he asked. "I'll take you there to meet them, but I'll go ahead and keep Gendo with me while you two meet up. That way, you don't have to worry about him getting hurt."
Kaede looked back up at Joe.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
Joe chuckled.
"Is that going to become a regular question with you?" he asked.
Kaede scoffed.
"I mean, why do you want me to meet them?" she asked. "They could turn out to be just as mean as those kids."
Joe frowned.
"Because like I said before," he said, "not everyone is as mean as them. I know that the world hasn't been kind to you, Kaede. But sometimes, the world deserves a second chance. Sometimes, it deserves a chance to earn your forgiveness. Every person in the world shouldn't miss out on having you for a friend just because some lowlifes screw up that chance for them."
Kaede shook her head again.
"But why would anyone want me for a friend?" she asked. "I'm so different. I look different from everybody else, and I feel different."
Joe hugged her a little tighter.
"We all have our differences, Kaede," he said. "Some differences are just easier to hide than others. But even if they're not, our being different doesn't have to be a bad thing. Quite the opposite. Being different can often be a good thing. And if you ever find yourself with a true friend- scratch that- when you find yourself with a true friend, they won't care about your differences, no matter what they are or how big they might be."
Kaede pushed herself in towards Joe and hugged him back.
"Hey," he said. "It'll be okay. You'll see."
Kaede pushed away from Joe to look up at him.
"Will you…take me to see him?" she asked.
Joe narrowed his eyes a bit.
"'Him?'" he asked.
Kaede blushed slightly.
"Yeah," she said. "The kid that I met…is a boy."
"Oh…" said Joe, smiling a bit. "Really?"
Kaede scowled.
"Will you stop?" she asked. "It's not like that."
Joe chuckled.
"Okay," he said. "Alright, I'll go ahead and take you there tomorrow. Same time."
"But what will you do while I'm gone?" asked Kaede.
Joe laughed a bit.
"Kaede, I may not always be busy, but I always have something to do," he said.
As if to emphasize his point, he placed Kaede gently on her bed, went over to the desk in the corner of the room, and opened up a laptop. After flicking the "on" switch, he waited for it to start by going over to the bedside table and picking up the TV remote. He then clicked on the television. He flipped through the channels as the content of his laptop started to load.
"Come on…every channel in this country is news, I swear," he said.
Finally he stopped flipping, coming to a cartoon depicting a bunch of giant robots.
"Yes!" exclaimed Joe. "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. Awesome."
He went over to his laptop, which had finally finished loading, and pulled up a document, on which he started to type furiously.
As he typed, he took side glances at the show that was playing on the TV.
"Joe?" asked Kaede, startling him slightly.
"Yeah, Kaede? What's up?" he asked, not taking his attention away from the computer.
"What is this?" she asked.
"What's what?" asked Joe.
Kaede simply pointed to the TV.
"What is this on the TV?" she asked.
"'What is-'" he started, but then cut himself off. "You've never heard of the Gundam series?"
Kaede blushed and shook her head. Joe laughed a bit.
"Hey, don't worry about it," he said. "If you haven't heard of it, I'll tell you about it later. Right now, just watch the show."
Kaede nodded her head and watched the show, fascinated. It was interesting to see what the robots could do. It kept her well-distracted from everything that had been bothering her up to this point. After a while, though, she got curious about what Joe was doing on his laptop.
"Joe?" she asked.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"What are you doing, exactly?" she asked.
"I'm writing down some ideas that I had for my next book," he said. "besides teaching film and literature, I also write books."
Kaede was even more curious now.
"Have you written anything I would have read?" she asked.
Joe shrugged.
"I highly doubt it," he said. "Most of my books are geared more toward adults and young adults. I'll let you read them at some point, if you want."
Kaede smiled.
"Thanks," she said, returning her attention to the TV.
Gendo hopped up on the bed and sat with Kaede for the last five minutes of the show. She stroked his fur while he kept his eyes glued to the TV, just like her.
As a new show came on, Joe closed his laptop and kicked off his shoes. He loosened his tie and carelessly threw his jacket onto the office chair in front of the desk before plopping down on the bed next to Kaede's. He turned his attention to her and saw her stroke Gendo as the dog wagged his tail.
"You know, eventually, we're going to have to take him in to the vet," he said.
"What for?" asked Kaede, somewhat apprehensive.
"Just for a check-up," said Joe, turning the volume on the TV down a little. "I'd like to make sure he isn't sick at all before we bring him to the U.S."
Kaede looked confused.
"But he looks fine," she said.
"Yeah, he does," said Joe. "But there are some sicknesses that dogs can get that don't really show symptoms. He's been fine so far, so I'm not too worried. But I think it'd be a good idea to make sure."
Kaede nodded.
"Okay," she said.
As they stayed in the room for the day, Joe sent for lunch and dinner from the hotel staff. When lunch came, they each had some pizza, which Kaede never tried before, but thoroughly enjoyed. The only thing she didn't care for was the crust end, which she fed to Gendo. When it was time for dinner, Joe ordered out for some usual Japanese take-out. Joe had some brown rice with teriyaki beef strips, while Kaede had white rice with chicken in orange sauce. Each time they ordered food, she was surprised at how generously Joe tipped the deliverers.
They watched a few more cartoons before Kaede decided to go to bed. She went to the bathroom and showered, put on her pajamas and then climbed into the bed. Joe set a sleep timer on the TV, so that the two of them could watch cartoons until they both fell asleep.
The next day, Joe, Kaede and Gendo left their room, and had breakfast at the same place they had it the previous day. After they were done, they all got in the car, and Joe drove to the park once again. Today, he wore a ruby tie with an orange dress shirt.
"So, when do I get to hear this kid's name?" asked Joe.
Kaede looked at him, then back out the side window.
"His name is Kohta. He says he's staying with some relatives over the summer."
Joe grunted in acknowledgement.
"I see. Well, I hope that you two have fun today," he said.
With that, he took a brief glance up at the sky. Clouds were forming above, and they looked like they could drop buckets and buckets of water.
"I hope you guys are able to enjoy today," said Joe. "because those clouds don't look too friendly."
Kaede nodded her head.
"We'll be fine, Joe," she said.
After she said that, the two continued to ride the car in silence until Joe pulled up to the park, and brought Gendo out on a leash.
"I'll take Gendo for a walk," he said.
He went to the back of his car, and opened it, bringing out two coats, slipping one on and handing the other to Kaede.
"You'd better take this," he said. "I don't want you to get too wet if it really does start raining. Good luck, honey."
With that, Joe took the end of Gendo's leash and led him to the track he had used the day before.
"Thank you, Joe," said Kaede, more to herself than to her guardian.
She turned toward the park and walked to the playground equipment. When she got to the swings, she took a seat. She didn't kick off the ground or anything, but merely waited.
As Kaede sat and waited, she thought about everything that had transpired since Joe came into her life. She was now away from the orphanage, people were being nice to her, the dog that she rescued was loved very heavily, and this boy that she ran into, Kohta…he seemed genuine; as though he really wanted to be her friend. However, her mind kept seesawing between Joe's advice about human nature, and her experience with her false best friend and three worst enemies. As she thought about these, she felt something. It was that familiar sense of something coming out of her in some way. It felt like her anger and her distrust were being channeled out of her through her back… and this voice…a friendly, but somehow evil voice, was telling her to take her revenge on the world…it told her that Joe, Kohta, and possibly even Gendo, would one day betray her, so it would be better to get rid of them before that happens. She did nothing to contradict what that voice was telling her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of thunder crashing up above. She looked to see that Joe was right about the weather conditions. She looked at the ground in front of her in anger.
"You promised," she said. "You said you'd be here, but you're not!"
Soon after her outburst, she felt water start to fall on top of her. The water seemed to have the effect of putting out the flaming anger that had just rose, but also dampened her mood down to what she felt the day before Joe adopted her. She closed her eyes and just let the rain fall on top of her.
"I know. There's no way he's coming," she said.
Suddenly, without warning, she felt something fuzzy being shoved over her head, stopping at her forehead. She yelped in response.
"Here you go!" she heard a voice say.
She turned around to see the smiling, friendly face of Kohta.
"If those horns are giving you trouble, maybe you should hide them," he said.
Kaede felt the hat that he put on her. It was a beanie. She surveyed Kohta for a moment. She noticed two things: One, unlike her, he wasn't wearing a coat. Two, his knee was sporting a mild gash.
"Did you hurt your knee?" she asked.
Kohta placed his hand on said knee.
"Oh, I banged it while I was sneaking out of the house," he said, dismissively.
"You had to sneak out?" asked Kaede.
Kohta looked back up at her.
"I hit it when I tried to jump into a tree from the second story window," he said. "Dad didn't want me to go outside. He said there were some weird things happening in town. People being killed all over the place."
Kaede gasped. She was less than half surprised that there were people being hurt, and more than half surprised that Kohta snuck out of his house, against his father's wishes, just for a chance to see her.
Kohta got up and led Kaede out of the rain, and underneath some of the playground equipment, where it was relatively dry.
"The rain…it's really coming down," he said.
He turned his attention to her, genuine curiosity on his face.
"Hey. What were you doing out here yesterday?" he asked.
"Nothing, really," said Kaede.
Kohta merely grunted in response.
"What about you?" asked Kaede. "Why did you want to…um…"
"What?" pressed Kohta.
"Make friends with… someone like me?" finished Kaede.
To respond to that, Kohta pulled out the tablet he'd been carrying with him.
"Okay," he said with a smile.
He opened the book to a particular page and showed it to his companion. Kaede could see a very pretty coloring of the mountains in the distance.
"I like drawing," said Kohta. "I came to the mountain to sketch yesterday. It's usually empty up here. But there you were. You looked so lonely somehow."
Kaede looked at the boy in awe, but then turned her head away.
"I don't need your sympathy," she said.
"And then there was this," said Kohta, pulling out his music box as well.
Kaede looked at it as Kohta smiled and lifted the lid, causing the song, which, by looking at the lid, Kaede learned was entitled "Lilium," to play.
"I've always loved this song," said Kohta. "I was happy that you liked it, too."
For a while, the two just sat beneath the playground equipment, listening to the music box. Kaede started to shiver after a while, even with the coat that Joe had given her.
"It's cold, isn't it?" asked Kohta.
"Yeah," said Kaede.
After a couple of moments, Kohta scooted closer to Kaede, which caused her to jump a bit.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Kohta merely smiled.
"It's a good way to stay warm," he said. "You don't want to catch a cold."
Kaede didn't know what to think. She merely blushed. She was thankful that this boy, who she hardly knew, cared that much about her well-being. She closed her eyes and scooted in closer to him as well.
"Thanks for the hat," she said.
The two sat there for until the rain stopped coming down, which didn't take too long, but to the two of them seemed like forever.
Eventually, the two of them stepped out from under the equipment, Kohta helping Kaede to her feet after he got out.
"Do you want to play again sometime?" asked Kohta.
Kaede smiled.
"Oh, yeah," she said.
"Well, great," said Kohta, waving to her and then running from the playground.
Kaede looked after the boy as he ran away. She smiled at the realization that Joe was right after all. Perhaps she could give the world a second chance and she might be rewarded for it.
Kaede heard a voice calling.
"Kaede!" it yelled.
It sounded like Joe. With that, Kaede ran back in the direction of the car.
Upon seeing Kaede, Joe started to speak.
"Oh, hey. Have you seen a- Kaede?" he asked, a little confused.
"What is it?" asked Kaede.
"Uh…what's with the hat?" asked Joe.
"Oh!" exclaimed Kaede.
She reached up on top of her head and pulled it off.
"Do you not like it?" she asked, frowning.
"No, that's not it," said Joe. "I just didn't expect it. That's all. Did Kohta give it to you?"
Kaede blushed.
"Yeah. Yesterday, I told him that these horns have been nothing but trouble. He gave it to me so I could hide them."
Joe smiled.
"So, I take it you guys had fun?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. "He showed me some drawings that he did. And we listened to a music box he carries with him."
"Oh, nice," said Joe, opening the doors to the car and gesturing for her to get in.
She found Gendo waiting for her as Joe got in next to her and turned over the engine.
"We didn't stay out for too long," he said. "Gendo was getting ticked at me for making him get all wet."
Kaede chuckled a bit as the dog shook some remaining moisture out of his fur. She took off her coat and wrapped it around him as Joe pulled out of the parking lot.
"So, Kohta was nice, then, huh?" asked Joe.
"He was," said Kaede. "He made sure that I didn't catch a cold in the rain. And, you know what?"
"What?" asked Joe.
"He snuck out of his house just to come see me," said Kaede.
Joe smiled.
"Wow. He really is nice."
"Um, Joe? You won't tell his parents he snuck out, will you?" asked Kaede.
"No, I won't," said Joe.
His eyes widened slightly as they came to a stop sign, and he turned to look at Kaede.
"Now, don't get any ideas that I'll be okay with it if you decide to sneak out of the house," he said. "Because I won't."
"But Joe," said Kaede. "I don't have any reason to sneak out of the house."
"You say that now," said Joe, as the light turned green, "but in about five years, I'll know otherwise."
"What do you mean?" asked Kaede.
"Well, every boy in school will want to date you, and you won't always say no," said Joe.
Kaede scoffed and shook her head. In a few moments she turned toward Joe again.
"Um…Joe?" she asked. "Would it be okay if I went by myself tomorrow?"
"Oh boy," said Joe. "I knew something like this might happen."
Kaede shrunk down into the seat as Joe took a turn that she didn't recognize.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Crazy," said Joe, deliberately not answering Kaede's question. They drove a couple of blocks before arriving at a small store, which sported a giant red checkmark as part of its logo.
"Come on, Kaede," said Joe, stepping out of the car. "You'll have to leave Gendo again."
"I don't think he'll complain," said Kaede. "But what are we doing here?"
After shutting the door, Kaede followed Joe into the storefront, which she then noticed sported pictures of cell phones all over.
"Can I help you sir?" a man at one of the counters asked Joe.
Joe made Kaede go look around as he spoke to the man. Kaede merely walked away from the counter, but stayed in one spot, not really paying attention to anything. It wasn't long before Kaede felt a tap on the shoulder.
"Come on, Kaede. Let's go," said Joe.
She followed him back out to the car, and once they were both inside, Joe set a small box on her lap.
"What is this?" asked Kaede, as Gendo started teething at a corner of the box.
"Well, first, let me tell Gendo what it's not: a chewtoy," said Joe.
Gendo grumbled under his breath.
"Okay," said Joe. "Now, to answer you, I am not going to let a girl that I just took out of a bad environment risk her life out on the town, on her own, without her own cell phone."
Kaede was shocked.
"A cell phone?" she asked. "Just for me?"
"Don't get too excited," said Joe, smiling. "It's for emergencies only."
Kaede started to pull the box apart, taking the contents out and seeing the phone was a small pink-lined device.
"Thank you, Joe," she said.
Joe smiled and patted her head, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Like I said, though. It's for emergencies only," he said. "However, as long as you keep that on you at all times, I don't care where you go, just as long as you keep it on, and I can reach you. And every time you decide you want to go someplace new, you call me and tell me."
Kaede smiled.
That night, they did the same thing at the hotel. They watched TV until they fell asleep, with Joe occasionally opening his laptop and putting in a new story idea.
The next few days, Kaede abided by Joe's wishes and brought her cell phone along with her to the same spot where she met Kohta. She even wore that hat he gave her. However, he was absent on all but the third day, on which he came up a path leading to the slide, where Kaede was sitting.
"It's been three days," said Kaede, not noticing Kohta. "I wonder if he isn't coming back."
However, to counter that thought, she heard rustling. She looked up and saw the boy standing a good ways from her. She smiled.
"Have you been waiting for me?" he yelled.
Kaede frowned and blushed at that.
"I-I wasn't really waiting!" she exclaimed, turning away from him.
"I was hoping I would run into you here," said Kohta, coming up behind her. "I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."
Kaede frowned at the news.
"I see…" she said.
"I thought it'd be nice if we hang out together all day," said Kohta.
"Hang out together?" asked Kaede, turning to him.
Kohta smiled and led Kaede away from the playground, to a station that held a strange vehicle on it… well, strange to her. Kohta paid someone at a booth for some tickets on the bus. He and Kaede got on, and were the only two riding it. Kaede took her phone out of her pocket and started typing on it.
"What are you doing?" asked Kohta, looking at her phone.
"Oh, uh…" Kaede trailed off, "I'm just sending a message. I'm telling someone where I'm going, just in case they start to wonder where I am."
"I see," said Kohta, smiling.
As they rode, Kohta started to talk about a place called the "zoo," which, by his description, didn't sound all that fun to Kaede.
"Are you serious?" asked Kohta. "You've never been to the zoo?"
"Is it fun looking at the stupid animals?" asked Kaede, remembering what the kids at the orphanage used to call her.
"Yeah," said Kohta, smiling. "It's fun. Really. These are animals you can't see anywhere else. My favorite part is looking at the really strange ones."
Kaede kept her eyes at the ground in frustration.
"I'm not interested," she whispered. "Stupid animals…"
However, when the two of them got to the zoo…
"WOW!" exclaimed Kaede, beaming at a large, gray animal with a long nose and huge ears. "What is that thing? He's so big! He's huge! How did he ever get this big?"
The elephant she was looking at then let out a trumpeting bellow.
"WOOOOOOW!" exclaimed Kaede, giggling. However, after a moment, she stopped herself, and looked back to see Kohta looking at her, dumbfounded. But he quickly smiled nervously at her. Kaede scowled as they walked away from the elephant's cage.
"It's not like I'm having fun," she said, defiantly. "He just surprised me, that's all, an- WHOA! Look at that neck!"
She spotted a tall yellow animal with a long neck, and ran up to its cage.
"How did he get such a long neck?" she asked. "It's amazing! I can't believe it!"
"I've never seen someone get so excited about giraffes and elephants," said Kohta, more to himself than to anyone.
After a while of looking at the animals, Kohta led Kaede to a bench, near a food vender. He went up to the vender and got two cups of a strange pink substance with spoons. He came up to her and handed her one.
"Here you go," he said as she took it. "My dad gave me a little extra allowance today, so everything is on me."
Kaede took a spoonful of the substance into her mouth. She smiled.
"This is good," she said, earning a smile from Kohta. "But it's a little cold."
"Of course," said Kohta. "It's made from ice."
After they were finished, they put their cups in a nearby trash bin. Kohta took Kaede's hand in his.
"Hey, let's look around a little more," he said.
Kaede smiled.
"Sure," she said.
Kohta started to lead her down the walkway they were on. Kaede looked at Kohta. She liked how nice he was to her. She placed her other hand on his, causing him to look back at her.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Kaede didn't answer for a long time.
"Tomorrow…what time are you leaving?" she asked.
"I think we're leaving at night," said Kohta. "Or we're taking a night train, anyway. Before that, I'm going to a festival with my cousin."
Kaede let go of his hand.
"Okay," she said.
Finally, they came to a map of the area they were in, and Kohta took a look at it.
"Okay, so where do you want to go next?" he asked. "This place is so big, it's hard to choose."
Kaede again didn't answer him, though. She overheard some people talking, not far from them.
"Did you hear?" asked a man. "There was another one of those murders."
Kaede turned her attention to the voice and found a woman speaking with a man.
"This is the third one, right?" asked the woman. "It's getting kind of scary."
"What have the police been doing?" asked the man. "It's a joke!"
Kaede bit her lip.
I wonder if these are the murders Kohta was talking about, she thought. They must have deserved it, though, on some level. Wait, they deserved it? Did I just say that? What is wrong with me? Why am I judging people like this?
As she stood there, thinking, she suddenly wasn't where she had been. She was in a dark plane, surrounded by mannequin-like figures, covered in bandages. She heard a voice speak back in response to her thoughts. The same voice that told her that Joe, Kohta and Gendo would someday betray her…
It's because you want to kill, it said, in a low, echoed voice, isn't it?
I don't! Kaede thought, defiantly. But the voice was persistent.
If you don't kill first, the humans will kill you, it said. It's only a matter of time.
But that's not an excuse, said Kaede. I can't kill people who haven't done anything wrong…What am I saying? I can't kill anybody!
You should know by now, said the voice, that it is your destiny to take human life…
Kaede put her hands on her head.
"SHUT UP!" she exclaimed.
"What?" asked Kohta.
Kaede looked around. She was back at the park with Kohta.
"Oh. Sorry, it's nothing," she said.
She took her hands off her head and looked away from Kohta.
"I'm just a little tired, because it's so hot," she said.
Kohta smiled.
"Well, then, I know where we can cool off," he said.
Kaede was confused, but didn't have time to question Kohta, as the boy took her hand and led her to a stream, not far from the park, but far enough that people wouldn't bother to come looking for them. It was a very shallow stream, and very beautiful. Kaede smiled upon seeing it. She placed her phone down on one of the rocks next to the stream, took off her shoes and socks, and took a step in.
"Wow," she said. "The water feels so good."
She stood there, reveling in the cool water until she heard Kohta speak.
"Hey," he said.
As Kaede turned her head, her face was met with a huge splash of water. Kohta giggled and pointed at her.
"Your face is dirty!" he said.
Kaede narrowed her eyes and smiled mirthlessly back at him. She lunged at him, using both her hands to knock him backwards, into the water.
She put her hands on her hips and giggled as Kohta picked himself back up.
"Now, it looks like you're the one who needs a bath," she said.
Kohta grunted, leaned forward, and pulled Kaede's feet out from under her, knocking her into the water, and putting his own hands on his hips.
"That was payback," he said.
"You started it!" exclaimed Kaede, kicking one of her legs and splashing Kohta again.
When she got back up, the two of them started splashing each other with water over and over again. Finally, however, they got tired of it, and walked out of the water together, sopping wet and laughing like mad. However, their laughter was cut short when Kohta sneezed.
It was then that they came to a realization. The two of them had gotten too wet to ride the bus. They blushed as they realized that they needed to dry out their clothes. The two of them stood back to back, both of them agreeing not to look, and pulled their clothes off, setting them on the rocks to dry. When they were done, the two of them sat on the ground, back to back.
"We won't be able to ride the bus until our clothes are dry," said Kohta, after sneezing again.
Kaede looked up at the sky mournfully. She was hoping today would never end.
"So…today's the day we say goodbye, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah," Kohta said, sadly.
After a moment of silence, Kohta started to hum the tune to Lilium. Kaede leaned forward, depressed.
After listening to him humming for a bit, Kaede turned to face Kohta.
"Kohta?" she asked.
Kohta turned slightly to hear her better, only to see her facing him fully. He yelped and turned the other direction.
"In my whole life, I've never had as much fun as I've had today," said Kaede. "Never in my whole life. Nothing even comes close."
Kohta scoffed.
"You're exaggerating," he said.
"I'll never forget about today," said Kaede. "Not for the rest of my life."
She leaned her head forward to rest on Kohta's shoulder, causing the boy to jump.
After a while, their clothes had dried out. The two got dressed and went to the bus station, where they rode back to the park. On the ride back, they were mostly silent. After a while, Kaede broke the silence.
"Kohta?" she asked.
The boy turned his head to show that she had his attention.
"You know… that festival you're going to?" asked Kaede.
"Yeah?" said Kohta.
"Do you think…do you think it'd be a problem if I came with you?" she asked.
"Oh," Kohta said, turning away. "I'm sorry."
He paused for a minute, and Kaede was slightly disappointed.
"I've already made a promise that I would go with my cousin," he said.
"I see," said Kaede. "That's how things go, I guess."
Kohta turned his attention back to her.
"I'm really sorry," he said. "If I hadn't made that promise-"
"Don't worry about it, Kohta," said Kaede, still focusing on the floor of the bus. "So, this cousin of yours…she's a girl, right?"
As she finished the question, the bus hit a large bump, sending Kaede falling into Kohta's lap. She blushed at the contact.
"Are you okay?" asked Kohta.
"Yeah," said Kaede, allowing Kohta to set her back up.
"So, what were you talking about?" asked Kohta.
"Oh, nothing," said Kaede, resigned.
A cousin? Kohta must be taking another girl to the festival, she heard a voice say.
It was that creepy voice again.
You'd hate it if that happened, wouldn't you? It would break your heart, wouldn't it?
She was off in that dark place again. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a figure with its head covered in bandages, on every part except its left eye.
Stop fooling around, said Kaede, in a small voice.
If he breaks your heart, it seems to me… that it's only fair if you kill him…
That's not fair at all! screamed Kaede.
If you kill him now…he won't get a chance to break your heart. It's just that simple.
Kaede put her hands on her head again.
Shut up! Who the hell are you?
As if you didn't know…
Kaede opened her eyes, and saw Kohta beneath her, being strangled. As she followed the hands around his neck, she realized that they belonged to her.
"I…I can't breathe," he said, straining.
Kaede let go of his neck, unnerved. Kohta sat back up, sputtering.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Are you alright?"
"Hey, you scared me," said Kohta. "What's with you all of a sudden?"
Kaede put her hands over her eyes and turned away from him.
"Kohta," she said.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Will you do me a favor?" asked Kaede in a trembling voice. "If I start killing people…if I can't stop myself from doing it…"
Kohta couldn't look more confused. Kaede uncovered her eyes and looked at Kohta in a pleading way.
"Kohta," she said, with tears in her eyes, "I want you to kill me."
"What?" asked Kohta.
Kaede buried her face in her hands again.
"Nothing," she said, her voice starting to crack.
Finally, the bus came to a stop, and Kohta led Kaede off, and brought her to a long set of stairs, beyond which was a glorious view of the ocean as the sun set.
"I really love the view of the ocean from up here," said Kohta.
"Thank you for today, Kohta," said Kaede.
Kohta smiled.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "I also had a lot of fun today. I really did."
Kaede turned to face him and smiled. She faced back forward, and started humming the tune to Lilium, which Kohta joined in with a few seconds after.
After a while of standing, looking at the ocean, the two faced each other.
"Well, I'm coming back next year," said Kohta. "I'll see you again."
Kaede didn't want to ask it again, but she just needed to know.
"Hey, Kohta?" she asked.
"What is it?" asked Kohta.
Kaede looked down and blushed.
"That cousin you're taking to the festival tomorrow? Did you say it was a boy? Or was it a girl?" she asked.
Kouta seemed to hesitate for a second.
"My cousin's a boy," he said.
Kaede looked at him and smiled.
"Oh, okay," she said. "That's great. Then… tomorrow…tomorrow night, I'll come see you off at the station, alright?"
"What?" asked Kohta.
"Bye!" exclaimed Kaede, running down the steps. She had called Joe earlier to let him know where to meet her.
As she ran down the steps, she thought about everything that happened that day. She couldn't wait to see Kohta again, even if it was only for a few minutes. But he did promise that she would see him again. So, she had that to look forward to. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she found Joe, Gendo and their car already waiting for her.
"Hey, Kaede," said Joe.
"Hey, Joe!" exclaimed Kaede, as she came to the bottom of the steps, still smiling.
"You look really happy," said Joe, smiling. "You must have had a lot of fun today."
"I did," said Kaede, getting into the passenger seat and letting Gendo into her lap.
As Joe got in and started the car, he smiled in Kaede's direction.
"Gendo's been wondering where you went all day," he said. "Had to run him around the block a few times before he settled down."
Kaede chuckled. However, shortly after, she frowned.
After a while of driving, Joe finally took notice of the frown on Kaede's face, and produced his own.
"Okay, spill it," he said. "What's wrong?"
Kaede looked down beneath the glove compartment. She sighed, deciding there was no point in hiding it.
"Kohta leaves tomorrow night…" she said. "I wanted to go with him to the festival he's going to tomorrow before he leaves, but he said he's taking his cousin to it."
Joe nodded.
"I see," he said. "Well, I guess I know what we're doing tomorrow night."
Kaede looked at him.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Tomorrow after breakfast, we'll get you a yukata so you can go to that festival," said Joe with a smile.
"But…Kohta said he's going with his cousin!" said Kaede. "I'll be intruding on him."
"No you won't," said Joe. "Just because he can be there with someone other than you doesn't mean you can't be there. Besides, you'll be going with me and Gendo. We'll be your dates."
Kaede blushed at that.
"Are you sure?"
"Hundred percent," said Joe. "Besides, who says that you only have to have fun with the person you go to the festival with, huh?"
Kaede smiled.
"Okay," she said. "Sounds good."
With that settled, the three of them drove back to the hotel. They decided to go to bed early that night, so that they would have plenty of time to look for a yukata for Kaede.
The next day, Joe took Kaede to a shop not far from the hotel which specialized in traditional Japanese clothing. They were led to where all the yukatas were, and Kaede picked out several of them. Joe and Gendo waited in front of the dressing room as Kaede came out dressed in each yukata. After a while, she decided on a violet one with red blossom-like patterns.
"Good choice," said Joe, clapping his hands.
Gendo barked in agreement.
Joe brought the yukata that Kaede picked out to the front and paid for it. When it was put on its hanger and wrapped up, the three drove back to the hotel, where Joe looked up directions to the festival. Kaede, in the meantime, was making sure that she knew how to properly put on the yukata. She still had not entirely figured out the obi, and so Joe had to look up directions on how to tie it. After a few tries, he got it right, and so Kaede sat on the bed, with her yukata done up so that she didn't have to figure it out later.
Kaede looked down at the hat that Kohta gave her, and looked at herself in the mirror.
"You want to wear that, Kaede?" asked Joe.
"Yeah," said Kaede. "I know it'll clash with my yukata, but I don't want…I don't want anybody to see my horns."
Joe patted her head.
"Wear whatever you like, Kaede," he said. "I don't think it'll make too big a difference if you want to use a gift your friend gave you."
Without any more hesitation, Kaede slipped the hat on, pulling it over her horns.
After they both knew they were ready, Kaede spent the time before the festival talking about the things she and Kohta had done the previous day. Joe didn't ask, but she was sure he was curious. And this man took her in, so she figured he at least deserved some details. She even spared a few details as they got into the car and drove to the festival's location.
Once there, Kaede looked in her side mirror and took a deep breath.
"Don't worry, Kaede," said Joe. "You look perfect. And me and Gendo will be with you."
Kaede smiled and nodded, summoning up her courage and opening her door. Joe took Kaede by the hand and put Gendo's leash in her other hand.
For a while, the three of them stopped at some booths, paying certain amounts of money to play games and take souvenirs. Joe brought a small bag and put each prize and souvenir into it. After a while, Kaede fell into the mood of the festival. She was no longer bothered about her appearance. What's more, nobody was stopping to stare at the top of her head. She smiled, and started to scan the crowd.
"Joe?" she asked.
"What's up?" asked Joe.
"Would it be alright if I went to look for Kohta?" asked Kaede.
Joe looked down.
"Sure," he said. "Me and Gendo will catch up to you in a few minutes. I'm not leaving this booth until I get you a really good prize."
Kaede smiled.
"I'll be happy with whatever you get me, Joe," she said.
With that, she walked away from the booth, and started looking around the crowd. It wasn't long before she found her friend, but what she saw shocked her.
"No!" exclaimed a girl with short, light brown hair. She had her arms wrapped around Kohta, and was squeezing him tight.
"Stop being dumb, Yuka," he said. "Other people can see us!"
"We won't be able to see each other for so long! Not until next summer!" exclaimed the girl as Kohta gently pushed her away from him.
The girl had tears in her eyes, and Kohta gently stroked her head.
"Hey, come on, now," said Kohta. "Don't cry."
Kaede trembled.
"But, why?" she asked.
It was then that a man came up behind her and bumped into her, knocking her face-first into the ground.
"Stupid kid! You're in the way!" he yelled, walking past her.
Kaede didn't even register the bump, as she was reeling from what she just saw.
"I see…Kohta already loves somebody…" she said.
Just as she was thinking, she was suddenly back in that dark place. She saw Kohta looking down at her with a sneer.
I told you…I like watching weird animals, he said. That's all I went to see you for. I could never fall for a girl with horns.
Kaede felt herself crying... She now felt she had no hope of ever finding true love… and if Kohta could betray her like this, what about Joe?
As she sat there crying, she felt a pat on her back. She turned to see the bandaged figure looking at her.
You should have figured it out by now, it said. This world wasn't made for people like me…
So…what should I do about it? asked Kaede.
It's so simple… answered the figure.
At that moment, the bandages slipped off its face…revealing it to be Kaede's face, only with an evil smile and one eye hidden beneath her bangs.
All you have to do is remake the world-
But the figure was cut off by a voice. It sounded distant, but Kaede recognized it as Joe.
As Kaede was thinking, she didn't realize it, but she was speaking.
"Get out of the way, you dumb brat!" said another man who'd come up behind her. "I'm sick of you street trash! Go sleep in a dumpster or something!"
In front of Kaede were two women looking down at her.
"Look at that girl," said one.
"She's so strung out on drugs, she's talking to herself," the other said.
"You sure she's the one who's high?" Kaede heard a voice say. "Because I'm wondering what the hell kind of kids you hang out with. And you…that 'dumb brat' is my daughter."
Kaede looked back up to see Joe's fierce face glaring at the women in front of Kaede and the thug who was complaining about her.
"I don't know why anyone would assume that a little girl would be doing drugs, but why you would be so rude when talking about a little girl you don't even know is a bigger mystery," he said. "It's no wonder you're both at a festival like this by yourselves. No respectable man would ask out a couple of judgmental wenches like you."
"What did you say?" asked the women, simultaneously.
"D-did I stutter?" asked Joe. "Or do you just not know what wench is? Either way, this conversation's over. Why don't you take porky here with you and get wasted?
Joe bent down and picked Kaede up off the ground.
"Are you okay, Kaede?" he asked.
Kaede frowned and looked down.
"I'm not hurt, but I'm not okay," she said.
"What's wrong?" asked Joe.
Kaede pointed over to where Kohta and the other girl were.
"I see…" said Joe.
He took her by the hand, and led her over to where they were. Kaede saw that Kohta and the other girl were still talking. When they got closer, Kohta turned towards them.
"Uh! You!" exclaimed Kohta, half-happy, half-nervous.
Kaede looked at him with a frown and a somewhat disappointed look.
"Look," said Kohta. "Listen. I promise, it's not what you think."
Kaede glared at him.
"Then, please explain it to me," she said.
"Kohta, who is this?" asked the other girl.
"Quiet, you," said Kaede.
"Kaede, that's not very nice," said Joe.
Kaede looked up at him, then back at Kohta.
"I'm sorry," she said to the girl. "Kohta…Why did you lie to me? You said that the cousin you were taking with you to the festival was a boy."
Kohta looked at the ground.
"I'm… really sorry," said Kohta. "It's just that…I knew what you wanted to hear. I knew that if I said it was a girl I was taking, you'd be disappointed. Believe me, that's the last thing I wanted! I know it was wrong, and I'm truly sorry. But I can't stand seeing you sad. Those days I met with you and you looked sad… they just tore me apart. I just wanted you to be happy."
Kaede looked at him for a long time, considering him.
Kohta got down on his knees and looked up at Kaede.
"I really am sorry," he said. "I just didn't want you to think that the time I spent with you didn't mean anything to me. Because it did."
Kaede looked at him, and her gaze softened.
"I'm sorry, too, Kohta," she said. "I'm sorry that I got mad at you like this.
Kohta got up and hugged her.
"I'll forgive you getting mad at me if you forgive me for lying to you," he said.
Kaede smiled.
"Okay," she said. With that, the two of them shook hands.
"Okay, I've waited long enough!" exclaimed the girl next to Kohta. "Who is this?"
"Oh," said Kohta. "Sorry, Yuka. This is that friend I told you, Dad and Kanae about."
"Told us about who, Kohta?" asked a voice.
The group looked behind Kohta and Yuka and saw a man carrying a little girl with a ribbon in her hair, who in turn was carrying a large stuffed bunny.
"Oh, hi, Dad!" said Kohta. "This is that friend of mine I told you about!"
Kohta's father and the little girl looked down at the girl and smiled.
"Hey there," said Kohta's father, while the little girl in his arms merely smiled and waved.
"H-hello," said Kaede.
"What's your name?" asked Kohta's father.
"My name is Kaede," she said.
"Kaede, huh?" repeated Kohta's father with a smile. "It's good to finally meet you."
He reached down and took Kaede's hand.
"Kaede," said Kohta. He groaned. "I can't believe I didn't ask about it before! That's a really pretty name!"
Kaede blushed at all the attention she was getting, but couldn't help but notice that the girl…Yuka? She seemed to be getting gradually edgy about the situation.
"Anyhow, Kaede," said Kohta. "This is my cousin, Yuka, my dad, Yoshi Hakuro, and this is my sister, Kanae."
The little girl jumped out of her father's grasp, went up to Kaede and threw her arms around her.
"It's nice to meet you!" she squeaked.
Kohta took the moment that Kaede and Kanae embraced to notice Joe, who smiled at him.
"So, you're the infamous Kohta, huh?" he asked.
Kohta looked a bit nervous in Joe's presence.
"Y-yeah. That's right," he said.
Joe bent down and offered a hand to Kohta.
"Nice to meet you," he said.
Kohta uneasily took the hand and shook it.
"It's a pleasure, sir," he answered.
"Kaede can't stop talking about you," said Joe. "She spent all this evening telling me how much fun you two have had together."
At that, Kaede blushed.
"Joe!" she exclaimed.
Joe shrugged.
"Just telling the truth, sweetheart," he said.
After the kids had all finished introducing themselves, the two adults locked eyes.
"So, you're Kaede's father?" asked Mr. Hakuro.
"Legal guardian," said Joe, smiling and reaching out a hand. "Joseph Martino. Film and Literature Professor, best-selling author. It's a pleasure."
Mr. Hakuro smiled and grabbed his hand, shaking it.
"Yoshi Hakuro. Travel agent, aspiring actor. The pleasure's all mine," he said.
As he said that, Joe suddenly lurched forward. He stumbled a bit before looking back and seeing a dazed woman wearing a lavender yukata shaking her head.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" she said, regaining her bearings.
Joe chuckled.
"See me, Mr. Hakuro?" he asked. "I'm a literal chick magnet!"
The two men laughed, causing the woman to blush.
"We're just playing," said Joe. "Can I help you with something?"
"Well, I noticed that girl with you," she said. "I thought I saw her passed out a few yards back. Is she okay?"
"She's perfectly fine. Just like you," he said, causing her to blush again.
Mr. Hakuro laughed again.
"Mr. Martino, you must be one hell of a drinking buddy," he said.
The woman was considering leaving the scene when suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Joe held her back.
"In all seriousness, miss, she is okay. And I appreciate your concern for her," he said. "What's your name?"
The woman stuttered before answering.
"My…name is Miyuki," she said.
"Are you by yourself?" asked Joe.
The woman gulped a bit.
"Yes," she said. "I didn't have anyone to come to the festival with."
Joe patted her shoulder.
"Why don't you join us?" he asked. "With all of these kids raising Cain out here, us adults need to stick together!"
Kaede chuckled at Joe's remark, and suddenly felt silly for all those things she thought. Things were just fine with her and Kohta, and his family seemed to like her well enough…though, Yuka's taste for her was questionable. She decided to remedy that situation right then and there.
She walked up to Yuka and offered her hand.
"I'm sorry that we met under these circumstances," said Kaede. "My name is Kaede, and I really hope we can be friends."
Yuka looked down at her hand for a moment, but then smiled softly.
"Okay," she said. "If Kohta can be friends with you, I guess I can."
She took her hand and shook it.
For a while, the three adults and four kids walked together. The adults talked about what was going on with their businesses while the kids just had fun. Kanae stopped everyone after a few minutes to look at Gendo. She picked him up and held him for five minutes until she had to be forced by Kohta to let him go. Everything seemed to be going fine until…
SCREEEEEEEECH!
Three large, black vans pulled up at different parts of the area. Everyone in the area, including the newly-made friends, stopped to stare at them.
A door on the side of each van opened up, and several groups of men wearing shades and black suits jumped out of them.
Everyone was now alarmed at these newcomers, including the group.
"Dad…what's going on?" asked Kohta.
"I don't know, son," said Mr. Hakuro.
"Everyone," said Joe, his voice suddenly hard. "Back away slowly and carefully."
As they started to do this, the men pulled out rifles, and trained them on the crowd. They didn't have them out for five seconds before they started to fire into the crowd, sending the people scattering.
"Everyone, around that corner, and stick together!" said Joe, pointing where they needed to go.
Everyone followed his command, and ducked behind a now empty kiosk. They could see people running from the men in all directions. Joe turned to Mr. Hakuro and his family.
"You guys are going out of town by train, right?" he asked.
"Yeah," said Mr. Hakuro. "We're actually supposed to be at the station in about thirty minutes."
Joe nodded.
"Take Miyuki, Kohta, Kanae and Yuka with you, go there, and don't stop until you've reached the station," he said. "Run as fast as you can."
"What about you?" asked Mr. Hakuro.
"We'll be fine," said Joe. "Go!"
With that, Mr. Hakuro gathered up his charges and made toward the train station. Meanwhile, Kaede, Joe and Gendo ran in another direction, ducking when they needed to.
"Joe, what's going on?" asked Kaede, panicked.
"We have to get out of here, Kaede," said Joe, all seriousness present. "These guys will hurt us really badly if we stay here."
Kaede looked back behind her, and saw Kohta and his family running away, but they didn't seem to notice that they were being chased by one of the men. The man shouldered his rifle and pulled out a long knife and a nightstick.
"NO!" exclaimed Kaede, running away from Joe and past a bunch of the attacking men.
"KAEDE!" exclaimed Joe.
Kaede didn't care about her own safety at that moment. She knew what the man that followed Kohta and his family was going to do, and she couldn't let it happen. She ran and ran, not even thinking about the route she was taking. All she cared about was finding that man and making sure that Kohta, Kanae, Mr. Hakuro, Miyuki, and even that brat Yuka, were safe.
Kanae, Kohta, their father and Yuka all made it to the platform. They couldn't stop to catch their breath as they hurriedly handed the conductor their tickets and got onboard.
"Are we going to be okay?" asked Kohta. "What about Kaede and her dad?"
"Just pray, Kohta," said Mr. Hakuro. "Mr. Martino and his daughter did a brave thing by helping us out the way they did."
Miyuki was shocked to silence.
"Are you going to be okay, Miyuki?" asked Mr. Hakuro.
Kohta dug into his backpack, and pulled out a can of soda. He cracked the can and handed it to Miyuki.
"Here," he said. "Drink this. It'll help with the shock."
Miyuki silently took it and sipped it.
Back outside, Kaede hurriedly chased after the man, who snuck around the back of the train and jumped on board. He pushed the back door open and went inside the back car. Kaede jumped on after him. She waited until he had closed the door and jumped onto the back car. She quietly opened the door and slipped inside. As soon as she shut the door, the train lurched, and started moving.
The rear car was dark, except for one really bright light on the other end that only remained for an instant. Kaede guessed that that light had to be the cause of the man she had followed opening and closing the door. She ran toward the other end of the car and opened the door slightly to see that the man had found Kohta, his family, and Miyuki. The group huddled together, and Kaede could see that they were praying that they would come out unharmed.
"What do you want from us?" asked Mr. Hakuro.
"Want?" asked the man, putting his two weapons away and pulling out his gun. "Nothing, really. The only reason I'm here is because of a few eyewitnesses who left a scene. I am under strict orders to dispatch said witnesses. It's as simple as that. Nothing personal."
It wasn't so much the man's response, but his delivery that left the car's occupants unnerved. He really didn't seem to care one way or the other about the idea of "dispatching" innocent people.
Kohta gulped. Kanae and Yuka were gripping him tightly, and Mr. Hakuro had his arms gripped around them and Miyuki.
Kaede scowled.
That monster! I have to help them…somehow…but what can I do?
She didn't remember opening the door, or running through it and kicking the man really hard in the back, but the next thing she knew, Kaede was standing on top of the man's back, stomping on him.
"Leave them alone, you bastard!" she exclaimed.
"Kaede!" exclaimed Kohta.
The man didn't take long to recover. He picked Kaede up by her neck, and threw her to the back of the car.
"Stay out of this, you little brat," he said. "I'll deal with you in a moment."
The man pulled a clip out of his pocket as Kaede recovered slowly from the blow. Her eyes widened as he carefully clicked the clip into the rifle, and took aim at Kohta's family.
"Goodbye," he said.
As he was about to load a cartridge, Kaede willed whatever force she could to help her save Kohta and his family. It was then she let out a loud yell.
"NO!" she exclaimed.
With those words, something strange happened. She felt something emerge from her back, and somehow, she had grabbed hold of the man. It must have been a painful hold, for the man was yelling in pain.
As the man was writhing in her grip, Kaede looked at her hands, and realized they were both empty, and yet somehow she felt four hands of some sort gripping on the man. She didn't bother wondering how this was possible, and started slamming the man down, up, and all around the car.
"LEAVE-THEM-ALONE!" yelled Kaede, accenting each word by throwing the man into the side of the car with her extra arms.
After a few slams, Kaede heard a voice behind her.
"Kaede! That's enough!"
She looked behind her and realized it was Joe, with Gendo in his hands..
She looked at him in fear, before using the last of her immediate strength to go over to one of the side doors of the car and throwing the man out.
She looked around the car, and saw everyone was staring at her. That was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.
When Kaede opened her eyes, she took a look around, and saw that she was laying inside the hotel room she shared with Joe, who was sitting on the bed on her right side.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," said Joe, with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Joe," she said, with tears coming from her eyes. "I had the most horrible dream. I went to a festival with you, and we met Kohta. After that, we got attacked. Kohta and his family were-"
Joe held up a hand.
"Actually, that wasn't a dream," he said.
"What?" asked Kaede.
"It's true," said a voice.
Kaede looked to her left, and saw Kohta, his family and Miyuki sitting on the bed opposite hers. They were all smiling at her, but all she could do was tremble.
"You have some visitors, Kaede," said Joe.
Kohta walked up to her bed and spoke.
"After what happened on the train, you blacked out," he said. "We were all really worried about you."
"Kohta has hardly left your side," said Joe.
Kaede blushed a bit, but turned her head away from everyone's face.
"My god…" she said. "I can't believe that I did all that stuff to that man."
"Yes, Kaede," said Joe. "You did."
Kaede pulled a pillow out from behind her and buried her face in it.
"I really am different," she said.
Everyone leaned forward to hear her better.
"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Hakuro.
Kaede reached up and pulled off her hat, revealing the two bone-like studs on her head.
"I mean that these aren't the only thing that make me different from everyone else anymore," she said, her voice cracking.
The horns surprised everyone who hadn't already seen them, but only for a moment. Joe rubbed Kaede's back. He was about to speak when Kohta beat him to the punch.
"Kaede," he said. "You did something great last night. You saved our lives!"
Kaede looked up at him, but kept everything but her eyes hidden in the pillow.
"Yes, Kohta," she said. "But…what I did to that man…I almost killed him. And I saw the looks you all had afterwards."
She put her face fully back into the pillow before speaking again.
"I can understand if you never want to be friends with me again," she said. "I'm not normal, no matter how much I wish I was. I'm too different. And don't try to tell me I'm not."
Kohta shook his head.
"Okay," he said. "Fine. You're really, really, really different. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend anymore. My family and I owe you our lives, Kaede. If it weren't for you, we'd probably all be dead."
Kaede lifted her head from the pillow and looked at Kohta and his family with tear-streaked eyes. True enough, everybody was happy. Kanae came up to Kaede and glomped her.
"Kaede! You are so amazing!" she squeaked.
Kaede was surprised.
Kanae pulled away from her, assumed a position on the floor, leaned her body forward, with her head bowed. She repeated this motion over and over.
"I am not worthy. I am not worthy," she chanted.
Everyone laughed at that, including Kaede, who carefully climbed out of her bed and hugged Kohta. When everyone was done laughing, Mr. Hakuro spoke.
"They're both right, Kaede," he said. "We owe you our lives. If you ever need anything from us, we'll gladly help you however we can."
Kaede blushed again.
"You see, Kaede?" said Joe. "I told you that your real friends wouldn't care about your differences, no matter what they are or how big they seem."
Kaede smiled.
"Yes, Joe," she said. "You were right."
For a moment, everyone was silent. But Kaede spoke to Joe again.
"Joe?" she asked. "Could I…ask you a favor?"
"What is it?" asked Joe.
"Would…would it be okay if I started calling you… 'Daddy?'" she asked.
Joe looked surprised for a moment, but then grinned.
"Kaede, you don't have to ask for that," he said. "And after what happened last night, I couldn't be more proud to call you my daughter."
Kaede leapt forward and hugged Joe, but only for a moment.
"Um, Daddy…boy, that's going to take some getting used to…I have one more thing to ask."
"Yes?" asked Joe.
"Could we…maybe come back here again next summer?" asked Kaede. "I really want to see all of them again."
Joe scoffed.
"Oh, Kaede, did I even have a choice in that matter?" he asked.
He ruffled her hair and turned his attention to Kohta and his family.
"You guys are coming back next summer, correct?" asked Joe.
"Yes," said Mr. Hakuro. "We come back every summer break."
Joe turned his attention to Miyuki.
"Hey," he said. "I'm sorry we dragged you into this."
"It's okay!" said Miyuki. "I know that last night was terrible, but that's the most excitement I've had in the last week. I didn't tell you this, but…I'm currently unemployed. I was at the summer festival last night to try and get out of my funk."
Joe let out a sound that sounded like a tsk.
"You never mentioned that at the festival," he said. "What did you do for your last job?"
Miyuki took a moment to answer.
"I worked as a secretary," she said. "I left for personal reasons."
Joe smirked a bit.
"Well, if I'm going to be coming back to Japan with Kaede, I'm going to need someone help me handle my workload while I'm in the country. How would you like to be my assistant?"
Miyuki's eyes widened.
"Are you…offering me a job?" she asked.
"Why not?" asked Joe. "Can you type?"
"Yes," said Miyuki.
"Do you have a basic understanding of finances?" asked Joe.
"Um…yes," said Miyuki.
"There's one more criterion I have for my assistant in Japan," said Joe. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," said Miyuki.
Joe paused for a long time.
"Are you from Japan?" he asked, causing everyone to laugh, even her.
"Yes," Miyuki said, nodding.
"Then, you're hired. I'll do a little bit of a delay on my return trip to the U.S., and we'll get all this stuff sorted out."
Both Kaede and Miyuki were happy that Joe decided to start coming to Japan.
After a while, Kohta and his family had decided they needed to leave. Before they did, Joe gave Mr. Hakuro some money to buy new train tickets. (Mr. Hakuro originally refused, but Joe insisted.) Kohta and his relatives came up to Kaede and hugged her one last time.
"We can't wait to see you next summer," said Kohta.
Kaede smiled.
"I'm looking forward to it," she said.
With that, the family left.
Over the next couple of days, Kaede, Joe and his new assistant, Miyuki, were taking care of things to solidify their connection with Japan. Joe decided to buy a house that would serve as their home whenever they were visiting the country. Miyuki liked her new job working for Joe, and Kaede and Gendo loved the view from their second-story bedroom in the house.
Joe decided to stay one night in the house before they had to go to the United States. At the end of the day, Kaede happily showered and got ready for bed. When she came to her room, she found Joe waiting for her.
"Hey, Daddy," said Kaede, smiling.
"Ready for bed?" asked Joe.
Kaede nodded and ran over to the bed. Joe pulled back the covers, and tucked her in.
"Have a pleasant sleep, Kaede."
"I will, Daddy," she said. She leaned up and kissed Joe on the cheek. "I love you."
Joe smiled.
"I love you too, sweetie."
With that, he turned around, turned off Kaede's light, and closed the door. Kaede squirmed down into the covers, rolled over, and dozed off in a matter of moments.
After tucking Kaede into bed, Joe walked to the room that would be his office. He locked the door upon entering, and turned on a dim light. He then opened a drawer in his desk, and took out a small earpiece. Sticking it in, he pushed on a small lever on the underside of his desk. On cue, part of the wall next to him opened, and he spoke into the earpiece.
"The arrangements have been made," he said, simply.
He heard static on the other end of the line before an answer.
"Excellent. As always, you've done superbly, Halcón," said the voice.
As he heard the voice start giving him directions, Joe pulled out a white hooded outfit and started putting it on. Once he was finished, he wrapped a bracer around each of his hands, and flicked them. Out of the bracers came identical short, thin blades. He opened the window to his office, and climbed to the rooftop, where he looked out over the Kamakura area bathed in moonlight.
To Be Continued.
A/N: Hey guys, just thought I'd put up a re-done version of chapter one and two for this story. If you are all wondering about chapter three…I'm working on it right now. Literally, I have Microsoft Word open right now, and I've just finished explaining how Joe came to be in Japan. For all of you who were aching for some ass-kicking to begin, you can expect a good deal of it in the next chapter. I hope you all like it. If you have any questions about the story, don't hesitate to ask. Catch you later!