"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: The following is a non-profit fanfiction. Elfen Lied is the property of AEsir Holdings, Madman Entertainment, Studio Arms, Anime Network and Lynn Okamoto. And Assassin's Creed is the property of Ubisoft, Patrice Desilets, Jade Raymond and Corey May. Please support the official releases.
Chapter Five
"Reunion"
Unbeknownst to Kaede, Joe came back from an assassination shortly before she finished her homework. Once inside his office, which he always kept locked whenever he was working or on a mission, Joe flipped a switch that opened a secret compartment in the wall, where he hung up his Assassin robes. He then unlocked the door and came out of his office just in time for Kaede and Gendo to come out of her room.
"Homework done, sweetie?" asked Joe.
"Yep!" chirped Kaede. "I'm ready for the Ducks!"
Gendo barked in agreement.
"Alright, then," said Joe. "I've got our tickets ready. Go get your coat."
Kaede ran with Gendo to the closet and pulled out her coat. Joe followed them and pulled out one of his signature suit jackets. When everyone had on some warm clothes, Joe led Kaede and Gendo to his car. They then drove out of the driveway of their house and into the city. It wasn't long before the trio was in range of a hockey rink. Kaede was giddy with excitement. She, Gendo and her father were on the way to see the Anaheim Ducks practicing for the next Hockey Season.
Kaede wasn't a big fan of sports growing up, but one sport that she always watched whenever she could was Hockey. She had watched the Mighty Ducks movies and some of the cartoon when she was younger, and thus the Anaheim Ducks became her favorite team. So, when it was announced that the Ducks would be playing a practice game nearby, Joe couldn't resist the opportunity to spoil his daughter with an up-close Anaheim Ducks experience.
Kaede was excited to hear what Joe had planned for her. When he told her about it and showed her the tickets, she noticed a third ticket. Joe explained that he paid for a ticket for Gendo. At first, Kaede was worried about what the people at the stadium might say, but then Joe told her that he had paid one of the people extra to let Kaede's first friend in with them.
When they arrived, Joe showed the ushers the tickets. When they saw Gendo, they at first were hesitant to let the dog in, but when their supervisor came by and told them it had been approved, they merely let him in. Joe and Kaede got their hands stamped, and the ticket taker nearly put away the stamp and ink when he noticed a big furry paw on his table. He looked over at Gendo who barked once. The ticket taker took his stamp back out hesitantly, to which Gendo seemed to nod, making the ticket taker wonder if he was going insane. The ticket taker pressed down hard into the ink, wetting the stamp good, and placed the stamp on Gendo's paw, after which Gendo promptly got back down onto the ground. The whole situation made Joe and Kaede laugh all the way to their seats. Along with Kaede, Gendo had grown up. He had matured and become a very smart dog.
"Kaede," said Joe, "I'm going to get us some treats. Would you two mind grabbing our seats?"
"Sure, Dad," said Kaede.
She turned to continue walking but then turned back in Joe's direction as he walked away.
"Wait, Dad!" she exclaimed.
"What's up?" asked Joe, turning back.
"No chocolate," said Kaede.
Joe held up his hands.
"Duh," he said, continuing toward the concession stands.
Kaede and Gendo took their seats, Gendo sitting right on the chair next to Kaede. Kaede sat in anticipation of her favorite team.
"This is going to be awesome, Gendo," she said. "You have no idea."
Gendo merely licked his mistress's ear in response.
Just as the team was about to come out, Joe returned to Kaede and Gendo, snacks in hand.
"I got us a little bit of everything," he said.
He sat down and placed a bucket of popcorn in Kaede's hands.
"That's for Gendo," he said, rummaging through the other snacks.
Kaede held the bucket so that Gendo could reach it if he wanted it. Once Joe had handed Kaede her other snacks, he dug into his own bag of popcorn.
"Alright," said Joe. "Let's have some fun."
Kaede smiled and Gendo barked in agreement.
All through the training session, the trio cheered for the ducks. To Kaede, what was great about this was that she could cheer no matter whose goal the puck went into.
However, though Kaede didn't notice it, Joe was only half-watching the game. Every once in a while, he would scan the crowd. He was looking for someone he was told would be at the game. Shortly after his assassination mission that day, he had been informed that one of the members of the crowd had been tasked by the Templars with identifying Assassins in the area. Obviously, the Assassins couldn't have the Templars learning of any of their agents working in the area. And thus, this man had to die.
Joe's superiors named him as Timothy Franks. He had apparently been a profiler, working for the LAPD before coming into the Templars' fold. He was a tall, fair-skinned man with an average physique.
Joe finally found Franks in his third attempt to scan the crowd, sitting on the exact opposite side of the rink from him and Kaede, all by himself. Joe turned toward Kaede.
"Kaede," he said, getting her attention.
"What's up?" asked Kaede, smiling.
"Would you like to drive us home tonight?" he asked, smiling back.
"Yeah," said Kaede. "I could use some practice."
"Good," said Joe. "Thanks a lot."
Kaede returned to watching the game, but Joe began to observe Franks more intently than the game. He decided that as soon as the game started to wind down, he would do Franks in as quietly as he could. With everyone getting ready to leave, he would have the perfect opportunity to do the deed and an ample excuse to keep it quiet.
As the game counted down its final minute, Joe got up from his seat.
"Well," he said, "I think we know how this one will turn out. Let's get going, sweetie."
"Alright, Dad," said Kaede, getting up and following him.
Gendo jumped out of his seat and followed them. Joe suddenly groaned.
"What is it, Dad?" asked Kaede.
"Oh, nothing," said Joe. "I just have to go to the freaking bathroom now. Awesome timing."
He reached into his pocket and took out his keys.
"Sweetie, would you mind bringing the car around front?" he asked, handing the keys to her.
"Uh… sure," said Kaede. "I'll give you a call when we're at the front."
"Thanks," said Joe.
He went toward the direction of the bathrooms, and when he was sure that Kaede and Gendo had left, he went in the direction of the other side of the bleachers.
Joe took a seat near Franks in the bleachers as the last thirty seconds of the game wound down. Joe said a silent prayer, and brought out his hidden blade. When the clock reached zero, the buzzer sounded long and loud, and Joe took that opportunity to stab Franks in the back with the hidden blade. Franks yelled out, but he was not heard over the buzzer combined with the cheering audience. As Franks sat in his seat, dead, Joe retracted his hidden blade and followed the crowd out of the rink.
Joe was careful not to draw any attention to himself as he walked through the halls and out toward the entrance. He felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket, pulled it out and answered it.
"Hello, Kaede," he said.
"Hey, Dad," came Kaede's voice from the receiver. "Me and Gendo are up front. Where are you?"
"Oh," said Joe. "As luck would have it, the game got over just as I finished up. I'll be out in a minute."
"Okay," said Kaede. "Be careful going through that crowd."
"I will," said Joe, hanging up the phone.
He only had to weave through the crowd for a minute or so more before finally reaching the car, which was parked just at the front. Joe got in and fastened his seatbelt.
"Alright," he said. "Let's go home."
On the way home, Joe texted the other Assassins to let them know that Franks was dead. He made sure not to attract Kaede's attention too much. As he texted them, he spoke to her.
"So, Kaede," he said, "do you feel ready for Finals?"
"It won't be a problem, Dad," she said. "I'll make sure to get high scores."
Joe chuckled.
"Kaede, just out of curiosity, do you get high scores because you want to?" he asked.
Kaede scrunched her face as she drove.
"Why would you ask me that?" she asked.
"Well, sometimes I wonder if you think I wouldn't bring you back to Japan for vacations unless you do really well in school," said Joe. "Which is fine, just not entirely correct."
Kaede shrugged.
"Well, in all honesty, I do think that sometimes," said Kaede. "I always try to do my best at school, not only because I want to see my friends again, but because I want to make you proud. You were one of the first people to treat me like a human being, so I thought it was the least I could do."
Joe chuckled.
"I'm glad that my approval matters that much to you," he said. "But I want you to understand, Kaede, that if you want to do something like go to Japan for vacations, you shouldn't feel so much like you have to earn it. I'm happy to do it for you if you just ask."
"Wouldn't that be spoiling me, Dad?" asked Kaede.
"From a certain point of view," said Joe. "Let me try and clarify. When I was your age, I was an A-B student at best. I didn't get straight A's, like you. My parents always told me to do my very best in school, and they would always be proud of me. My point is, you make me proud every day, Kaede. You always do your best in school, and get far better grades than I did. That's all you need to do to make me proud, sweetie."
Kaede smiled and blushed.
"Thanks, Dad," she said.
Joe continued texting the Brotherhood, as Kaede asked him a question.
"So, you'll be proud of me even if I get a C on one of my finals?" she asked.
"Within reason," said Joe, smiling. "If you have a class you just don't do well in, no matter how hard you try, I'll be proud of you even if you get an F."
Kaede giggled.
"I think we should start packing soon, Kaede," said Joe. "We've got a lot of it to do."
Kaede suddenly looked very confused.
"We do?" she asked. "We'll only be there for a couple of weeks, right?"
"Well, actually no," said Joe. "There's going to be a slight change of plans this time, honey."
"What do you mean?" asked Kaede.
"You know that college that Kohta's going to?" asked Joe.
"What about it?" asked Kaede.
"I got called up a while ago by their faculty and they asked me if I could teach a class there," said Joe, pausing momentarily before continuing. "I said yes."
"What are you saying?" asked Kaede, going wide-eyed.
"Why don't you pull over for a minute and I'll tell you?" asked Joe.
Kaede parked in the nearest parallel parking zone, having long since left the interstate, and faced Joe, waiting for his explanation.
Joe turned to face his adoptive daughter fully.
"I'm saying that you, me and Gendo are going to spend your whole summer vacation over in Kamakura," said Joe. "How do you like them apples?"
Kaede twitched in excitement, then suddenly let out a full-on squeal as she leapt at Joe and hugged him.
"Thank you, Dad!" she exclaimed.
"You're welcome, Kaede," said Joe. "I do have a couple of conditions, though."
"Name them," said Kaede.
"First and foremost, I will want you to enroll in the course," said Joe. "That will give you one semester class worth of college credit. It should be a relatively easy course, and I think you'll have fun with it."
Kaede nodded.
"What's the other condition?" she asked.
"I want you to have as much fun as possible while we're there," said Joe. "That means I want you to enjoy whatever that town has to offer, to the fullest."
Kaede nodded again.
"You've got yourself a deal," she said.
With that, Kaede started the car back up again.
Joe smirked at his daughter's reaction.
He didn't like deceiving her, but every time he was successful at it, he was thankful, as it meant that he would be keeping her safe. Unbeknownst to Kaede, Joe actually had an agenda whenever he brought her back to Japan. Allowing Kaede to spend time with the friends she'd made in Japan kept her happy and willing to stay with him, and bringing her back to Japan periodically allowed him to pull a very complicated trick on the Templars. In the simplest terms, allowing Kaede back to Japan every once in a while kept the Templars and whoever they were backing in the country thinking that she was still living in Japan.
What amazed Joe was that he'd managed to keep them looking for Kaede in Japan and not in the United States for eight years now. He occasionally wondered if the Templars were starting to catch on to his tricks, but he kept telling himself that if they had, they would have broken down his door and taken Kaede a long time ago.
This time, however, Joe had a mission from his superiors. They had told him that Templar activity had increased in Japan and was now even higher than it was when he first met Kaede. His mission was to meet with the Japanese Assassins, assess the threat, and quell it if he could.
Additionally, Joe remembered what he told the Japanese Assassins at the time he had taken Kaede under his wing: that she might one day become a valued member of the Brotherhood. Joe had turned it over in his head multiple times before this, and thought that perhaps Kaede was old enough that, during this trip to Japan, he might approach them about bringing her into the fold. After all, the Brotherhood had been the only life Altaïr had ever known, and Ezio wasn't any older than Kaede was now when he joined. Ratonhnhaké:ton was even younger when he began training with Achilles Davenport.
Joe secretly resolved to give Kaede the choice of becoming an Assassin whenever he could explain it all to her. For now, though, he would allow Kaede to have as much fun as possible. He would not force the decision on Kaede. He would not do as William Miles did and keep his daughter away from the outside world against her will. He respected William well enough, but in Joe's eyes, William was asserting control over his own son. And control of an individual's free will was exactly what the Assassins fought to prevent. Joe was certain that if he had done that to Kaede, she would have run away from home even sooner than Desmond had.
All of that certainly wasn't to say that Joe thought William to be a bad parent. He knew that he loved his son and merely kept Desmond sheltered in order to protect him. Kind of the definition of "sheltered," right? The two of them simply disagreed on the matter of raising children and being a part of the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood had been the only life Desmond knew, but he didn't choose it like Altaïr did. Joe's parents had presented him with a choice when he first learned of his lineage, telling him that they would not hold it against him if he decided not to become an Assassin, but he decided to join anyway, knowing that the Assassins would need all the help they could get. Joe therefore intended to present Kaede with the same choice, partly due to his parents, and partly because he had learned that Ezio had similar attitudes as him towards being an Assassin. Ezio once stated that nobody should fight in the Assassin's war with the Templars if they don't do so by choice.
Despite all of that, while Joe thought that Kaede could be a valuable asset to his allies, he wasn't absolutely sure that that was what he wanted for her. She had started out as a mere mission objective for him, but after he had legally adopted her as his daughter, he began to care for her as though she were his real daughter. Though, when he thought about it, it might have even been before that, when he saw how desperately she wanted to be loved. Regardless, Joe would make sure to ensure Kaede's happiness, and keep in mind what was best for her.
That was Joe's last thought as Kaede turned into their driveway and turned off the car. She let Gendo out and the trio went inside, at which point Kaede turned toward Joe and smiled.
"Let's watch a movie before we go to bed, Dad," she said.
"Why, Kaede?" asked Joe. "It's almost nine."
"I know," said Kaede. "But so far, my day's only consisted of defeating Terry Jenkins again, homework and my favorite team's practice game. Not that I'm complaining about the last part. It just doesn't feel like bedtime yet, though, you know?"
"You know, most fathers would ground their daughters for the first part of your after school activities," said Joe, smirking.
Kaede pouted slightly.
"Go put on your pajamas," said Joe. "I'll have some popcorn ready when you come out, and you can pick out the movie while I go change."
Kaede smiled and went toward her bedroom to change. While she was gone, Joe busied himself making some popcorn. As the popcorn started cooking, Joe bounded up the stairs and went into his office, where he took his newly-blood-soaked hidden blade and set it in the same closet as his outfit. He left his office and came back downstairs in time for popcorn maker to stop and Kaede to come back out of her bedroom, wearing her usual yellow button-up pajamas and sleeping cap.
"Where's Gendo?" asked Joe.
"He's up in my room," said Kaede. "He apparently decided to opt out of movie night with us. After we got inside, he went straight to his bed."
"Alright," said Joe, "go pick out the movie. I'm going to change out of this suit."
"You know, Dad," said Kaede, as Joe went up the stairs, "you should really try wearing some casual clothes every once in a while."
"I do," said Joe. "They're called pajamas. I'll be right back down."
Joe went back up to his room and changed into his pajamas, then came back down to find his daughter sitting on the couch, watching through the previews that came before the main menu of The Illusionist.
"Ah…very good choice, my young grasshopper," said Joe in his best impersonation of a kung fu master.
"Shut up," giggled Kaede.
They finally stopped laughing and watched as the movie progressed. While Joe was in fact one of the Brotherhood's most dangerous Assassins, he also took pride in his work as a film and literature teacher. As a film buff, one of his favorites was The Illusionist, which was one of the first movies he showed Kaede when she was old enough. The two of them were always enthralled with the story's twists and turns, and both felt it had one of the most satisfying endings in film history.
After the movie was over, the both of them yawned. Joe picked Kaede up in his arms bridal style and carried her upstairs.
"Dad," she said, around a yawn, "I'm not a little kid anymore. You don't have to carry me to bed anymore."
"I know," said Joe. "I'd just like to enjoy the privilege while I've still got it."
He gently nudged Kaede's door open, and just as she said, Gendo was asleep in his dog bed at the foot of her bed. Joe pulled the covers back on Kaede's bed and laid her down before pulling them back over her.
"Now, get some sleep," said Joe. "We've got a long couple of weeks ahead of us."
"I'll do my best on my finals, Dad," said Kaede.
"I know you will, sweetie," said Joe.
Joe leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.
"Good night," he said.
"Good night, Dad," said Kaede, closing her eyes.
Joe closed the door behind him and went to his office once again. Once he made sure the door was locked, he opened his computer and opened an email he received from the Assassins earlier that day. The email detailed the targets he would have to go after when he made it to Japan. He studied each of the dossiers carefully and reflected on what the Brotherhood had managed to learn lately. These targets he had been assigned all had something to do with Kaede, in that they were employed by a mysterious institute, which the Brotherhood automatically assumed was the same institute that had been after Kaede years earlier.
Little by little, they were learning more about this institute; for example, that they were in fact conducting experiments on "people with horns," like Kaede. This institute called Kaede's kind the "diclonius," people born with horns, unusual features and even more unusual powers. The Brotherhood had yet to learn much else, only that there were easily hundreds of "diclonii" at the institute.
Shortly after learning of the institute's focus, the Brotherhood started doing its own research. First, they piggybacked off the Templars' information in order to learn what they could about Kaede and her kind, and what the Templars could possibly want with them. This was the hard part, as just like with performing an assassination, they had to approach their target carefully, without drawing suspicion, and they could not do that by outright hacking their mainframe at Abstergo. Thus, that part of the process was taking some time. The second and easier way they were learning about Kaede was to order Joe to observe Kaede while she lived with him. For this purpose, Joe encouraged Kaede to be open with her powers and whatever else she could around him.
Joe didn't do that just for the Assassins' benefit, however. He felt that the best thing for Kaede was to be around someone she could be open with; someone from whom she didn't have to hide what she was…whatever that may be. That's why he encouraged her to use her powers however she wanted (within reason) around their home, and why he so often allowed her to visit her friends in Japan, who had long since accepted her for who or what she was. Joe chuckled at the memory of little Kanae worshipping his daughter like some sort of goddess, and naming her as her unofficial big sister.
Joe returned to his original demeanor, however, and looked at the review of what the Brotherhood had learned up to this point. They had learned that the institute had come to know the "arms" that Kaede and her kind could use as "vectors." They had learned that the vectors have a certain range depending on the diclonius who wielded them. The arms possessed amazing strength, and had an incredible cutting power. The diclonii vectors could apparently vibrate at such high frequencies that they were capable of cutting even the strongest substances, such as stone, clean in half.
Joe remembered walking in on Kaede one day and finding that she had accidentally cleaved her favorite Teddy bear in half with her vectors. She could not stop apologizing as he held her and tried to comfort her by telling her it was an accident and that he would fix her Teddy bear. He remembered thinking it was no wonder that Kaede came into his office one day and was worried that she would become a murderer. He remembered that time as though it had just happened.
Kaede had come into his office in the middle of the night. She looked at the floor as though she would be severely punished for looking anywhere else. Joe had turned to her and spoke in as assuring a voice as he could.
"Hi, sweetheart," he said. "What are you doing up so late?"
Kaede kept her gaze to the floor.
"I…I couldn't sleep," she said.
Joe put away his laptop, and crouched down to her level.
"What's the matter?" he asked, taking hold of her shoulders.
Joe could see Kaede hesitating before she answered.
"I can't stop thinking about that man on the train," she said. "I…I brutalized him."
"You were angry, Kaede," said Joe. "I'm sure nobody blames you for what you did. In fact, I'm quite sure the Hakuros were happy you were there, when it all comes down to it.
Kaede slowly shook her head.
"But what would have happened if I had gotten just a little angrier?" she asked. "What if instead of throwing him outside, I had crushed his spine? Smashed his head? Ground him against the train tracks?"
Joe was worried for the first time since the night on the train.
"Kaede, calm down," he said.
"Dad, I can't!" she almost yelled. She leveled her voice before continuing, "You don't understand. I don't know what I would have done if I had killed him. I don't want to become a murderer."
Joe made Kaede look at him.
"Kaede…" he began, "where is all of this coming from?"
Kaede gulped.
"Daddy…sometimes…I hear this voice," she said.
Joe pulled her in closer.
"A voice?" he asked.
"Yes," answered Kaede. "It tells me…it says to me that…you, Kohta and everyone will hurt me one day… and that I should hurt you first. It tells me that everyone would be better off dead."
Joe was slightly frightened by what Kaede told him, but decided to bear with it.
"When did this start happening?"
"It first happened…after you saved Gendo," said Kaede. "It told me that I should kill every last human in the world."
Kaede started to sniffle. Joe could see tears beginning to leak from her eyes.
"But…I don't want to," she said. "I don't want to hurt anyone, Daddy."
Joe hugged Kaede close as she started to cry without holding back.
"I don't want to kill anyone, Daddy!" she sobbed. "I don't want to become a murderer!"
Joe shushed her as he stroked her back.
"It's okay, Kaede," he said. "It's okay."
After Kaede had settled down, Joe stood up with her still in his arms. He had an idea.
"Let's go, Kaede," he said, starting to walk out of his office.
"Where are we going?" asked Kaede.
"To the study," said Joseph. "I want to show you something."
Kaede quietly allowed her new "father" to take her down the hallway to his study. She was afraid that he might be about to punish her, which would seem out of character for him, but then again, betrayal seemed out of character for that girl in the orphanage, too. As she remembered this, they arrived at the study and Joseph turned the light on. Kaede saw several large shelves of books.
"Here you go," said Joe, sitting her on the couch by the door. He then went over to the bookshelves and started to browse through them.
"It ought to be… here," said Joseph, picking a book off the shelves.
"What is that?" asked Kaede, as Joe walked over to her.
Joe sat down and showed her the front cover.
"It's a book series called 'I, Robot,' by a Russian author named Isaac Asimov."
"A science fiction book?" asked Kaede.
"Yes, Kaede, but let me explain. In this book, Asimov explains Three Laws of Robotics, which are applied to the robots that are placed in the stories."
"What were the laws?" asked Kaede, her interest peaked.
Joe opened the book to the place where the Three Laws are first listed.
"The First Law is, and I quote, 'A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.' The Second Law states that, 'A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.' And the Third Law says that 'A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.'"
"What does this have to do with me?" asked Kaede.
"I'm getting to that," said Joe. "In one of the stories, there is one robot that goes rogue. It's later discovered that this particular robot had the three laws programmed into his being, but he could choose not to obey them."
Joe placed the book on the coffee table in front of them and put his arm around Kaede.
"What I'm saying, Kaede, is that, in this situation, you're the robot," he said. "And that 'voice' you're hearing is the laws of robotics. You do not have to listen to that voice. You don't even have to acknowledge its existence if you don't want to."
Kaede looked up at Joe.
"So, you're saying…I don't have to hurt anyone?" she asked.
"I'm saying that that voice will only have power over you if you want it to," said Joe. "Whether you do what the voice says is your choice. You can listen to it, or you can not listen to it. It's all up to you, Kaede. You are the master of your own actions."
Somehow, Joe's explanation of Asimov's work made her feel better. He could see it. She smiled. It was slight, but it was a smile nonetheless.
"Thanks, Daddy," she said.
"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Joe, smiling.
"The next time I hear that voice…" said Kaede, "I'm going to tell it to go jump into the Pacific."
"That a girl," said Joe, picking her back up again. "Now you need to go back to bed. In the morning, I'll have a terrific breakfast for you."
After that, he tucked Kaede back into bed and went back to his office.
The incident with the Teddy bear did not sway Joe's thinking about Kaede. He had confidence that she would learn to control her powers and use them however she wanted, which she did. She spent time after the Teddy-cleaving incident around the house, experimenting with her vectors. She would use them to do menial chores around the house and grab things that were normally out of her reach. She occasionally broke things with them, but eventually learned to handle them better. If Joe remembered correctly, the last time she broke anything with them was when she was fourteen years old, after not having broken anything for over a year. He also learned from watching her that she could use her vectors up to about two meters in any direction from her body.
After learning what he did about Kaede's vectors, Joe wasted no time in telling the order what he knew. From that point on, they asked him to keep tabs on Kaede's doings, comings, goings, etc., and see if there were any ways in which she behaved differently from a human. Thus far, based on Kaede's behavior, he found nothing that makes a "diclonius" act any different from a human. While it wasn't normal, it wasn't exactly uncommon for a normal person to hear a voice telling them something, whether it was due to a dangerous delusion or the subject's own imagination. In a child, it was more likely that they might hear a voice or just imagine that they hear it. In Kaede's case, Joe felt she might have been imagining a voice telling her to hurt against her own wishes, and that that voice, along with all of Kaede's other behavioral attributes, were produced through years of social alienation by everyone she ever knew.
Because of all that, the Assassins were inclined to agree with Joe's assertion that the diclonii were not all that different from humans, in that both have the ability to kill, but are a product of their upbringing. The only difference that really seemed to matter was that a diclonius child losing its temper could have far more severe consequences than a normal child losing its temper. But Joe swore he would prove, should the need arise, that a diclonius could be taught right and wrong just as a human could. What was unfortunate was that the only proverbial "test subject" the Brotherhood had to go on was Kaede. And as the Templars had more scientific resources than the Brotherhood had, the Templars were likely to find more out about the diclonii than the Brotherhood was anytime soon.
Thinking on this, Joe saw his new mission to Japan as an opportunity. His job at present was to quell any possible Templar threat he encountered, but what if he also used it as an opportunity to learn more about diclonii? This institute the Templars had allied themselves with seemed as though they were making the children they were experimenting on into weapons. That was the only reason Joe could come up with for why they were putting mere children through such rigorous tests as the Brotherhood had learned about.
So, as Joe closed his email, he memorized his targets, and made his solemn decision to be on the lookout for diclonii sent by that institute, in addition to carrying out his own mission.
As for his actual mission, it seemed to revolve around a few targets the Brotherhood had been able to pick up from intruding into the Templars' information bank about the institute. None of them seemed high-ranked, except for one: a professor who worked at the college in which he would be teaching his film and literature classes: a scientist named Meito Kakuzawa. His mission was to assassinate the lower-ranked targets and find out what he could from Kakuzawa, but only kill Kakuzawa if he found, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was absolutely necessary.
With his new mission in mind, he went around the house and started picking up things he would need for the trip. He would pack a little bit now, and spend the rest of Kaede's finals week getting everything they would need together. Once he got everything he could think of at the moment, he went back upstairs to his room, and got into bed. He fell asleep that night praying for luck with his upcoming mission.
Kaede's finals week went by fast. When it was all done, Kaede wished all her friends a tearful goodbye, and promised her that when she and her father got back from Japan, the six of them would have fun together. Joe brought Kaede back to their house, where they finished packing their belongings. The last touch of their packing to do was for Joe to secretly pack away the tools he would need for his mission, and to put Gendo into a kennel they bought for trips overseas. Kaede hated having Gendo stowed in the cargo hold, but knew it would be unreasonable to ask that he be allowed to ride with the passengers.
Kaede spent the whole flight trying not to think about Gendo, down below, and focusing on the fact that she would soon get to see Kohta again. She wondered how he would look this year, and how they would spend their time together this year. She sincerely hoped she might convince Kohta, Yuka and Kanae to enroll in Joe's class. Joe soothed her exuberance by watching an in-flight movie with her, and outlining what his course at the college would entail, so that she knew what she would be getting into.
When they landed, Kaede had to restrain herself from jumping out of her seat and pushing past all the passengers. She waited as patiently as she could as she got off the plane and she and her father gathered their luggage. As soon as they got hold of Gendo's kennel, they let him out and made their way to the rental car that Joe had rented. As the three came to Japan often, Joe made a point to keep the car that he used for their trips on reserve with the rental company.
Once everything was packed, Joe drove the trio to the house they built in Japan specifically for their visits. The three entered the house and started setting everything up for their occupation. Kaede took all her luggage into her room and started putting it into her closet and drawers. She hooked up all of her electronics and then went into the main area to help her father with the rest of the unpacking. When everything was unpacked and set up, Joe turned to Kaede and Gendo.
"Well, I have to go get some groceries," he said. "What do you guys want to do?"
"I'd like to find out where Kohta and Yuka are, and meet them there," said Kaede. "Let me text them."
Kaede pulled out her cell and started to text Yuka. It wasn't long before she got a response back, saying she planned to meet Kohta at the train station. Kaede texted her back asking if Yuka and Kohta would like to go to the beach with her and Gendo. When she got Yuka's answer, she smiled.
"I'm going to meet Kohta and Yuka at the beach," said Kaede. "I'll have my cell on and I'll keep Gendo with me."
"Alright," said Joe. "You have fun, and call me when you're ready to come home. I'll come pick you up."
"Thanks, Dad," said Kaede, coming up and kissing Joe on the cheek.
She then ran upstairs and pulled out her swimsuit, a towel, and some other things she would bring with her. She took her clothes off, and put the swimsuit on underneath before coming back downstairs and putting on her shoes.
"Want me to drive you?" asked Joe, putting on his own shoes.
"No thanks, Dad," said Kaede. "I need the exercise. Plus, the beach isn't very far anyway."
"Just thought I'd offer," said Joe.
"Thanks, Dad," said Kaede. "See you later!"
With that, Kaede went out the door and walked to the beach, with Gendo keeping up with her, walking at her side. She petted Gendo on the head and smiled.
"You excited to see Kohta again?" she asked.
Gendo barked once.
"Me, too," said Kaede. "But I bet you're more excited to see Kanae, right? She used to play with you so much when we were growing up. She's in high school, now, but I'm sure she'd still give you a belly rub or two while you're here."
Gendo's tongue hung out of his mouth as he panted, seeming to smile at his mistress.
In no time at all, Kaede and Gendo had made it to the beach. For a moment, Kaede merely looked around at the scenery. She smiled as she remembered all the visits Joe had allowed her to take there, and laughed at the prospect of spending all of her summer vacation there with her friends. She intended to have as much fun with them as possible. Momentarily, she reached her hand up to where her horns were, and found that they were still obscured by the ribbon Joe bought for her years ago. She pulled the string on the ribbon, allowing it to fall into her hands, and revealing the horns she had once been thoroughly disgusted with being given. After years of being friends with Kohta and his family, she knew that it would not bother them at all.
Just as she was going to walk along the beach, she happened to look toward the main road, and saw a trio of people walk down the steps leading to the beach. Kaede knew them to be Kohta, his sister Kanae, and his cousin Yuka. Even though she came to visit them every year, she was always impressed with how much the three of them had changed. Yuka was now a little bit taller than she was, with an amazing figure. Kaede was still smaller than Kohta, but no longer wore the bow in her hair, and also had an amazing figure. Kohta was not a tall boy, but he now towered over Kaede, Yuka and Kanae, and was starting to develop a firm physique. His face was much the same as she remembered it: kind and understanding.
Upon seeing them, Kaede called out to them.
"Kohta! Kanae! Yuka!" she called. "It's good to see you!"
The three turned their attention to the voice.
"Kaede?" asked Kohta, smiling. "Hey! How are you?"
(A/N: Kohta Hakuro – Adam Conlon)
The four friends ran to each other, and stopped just a few feet from each other.
"Hi, Kaede!" exclaimed Kanae, glomping her. "It's been too long!"
(A/N: Kanae Hakuro – Monica Rial)
"It's good to see you, Kanae," said Kaede. "I'm glad you could all make it."
"We wouldn't have missed you for the world," said Kohta.
"I'm glad," said Kaede. "And how are you doing, Yuka?"
"I'm good," smiled Yuka, coming over to Kaede and giving her a hug of her own. "We're glad you were able to come back again."
(A/N: Yuka Hakuro – Nancy Novotny)
"And how are you doing, Gendo?" asked Kanae. "Look how big you got!"
Just as Kaede predicted, in mere moments, Kanae had Gendo wrestled to the sand, kicking his now massive legs in response to what Kaede guessed was a very enjoyable belly scratch.
Kaede looked at Kohta, who smiled at his sister's antics.
"Kohta must be feeling left out," said Kaede, smiling. "Here we are, hugging each other."
"Oh," said Kohta, his expression changing. "No, that's okay-"
Before he had the chance to protest further, Kaede had her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"How have you been doing, Kohta?" asked Kaede.
"N-not bad," said Kohta, nervously. "I…imagine…not as good as you've been doing in America, though."
Kaede let go of Kohta and smiled.
"Oh, yeah," she said. "Me and the others had another great year. Someday, I just have to introduce you."
"Yeah," deadpanned Kohta. "That Zeke you mentioned sounds like a thrill to be around."
"Oh, stop it," said Kaede. "Zeke's not that bad."
"If you say so," said Kanae. "Personally, I can't wait to meet Vito, Sandy and Laura."
"And Alan sounds like a nice guy," said Yuka.
"Oh, and you guys will not believe the fun we had last night," said Kaede.
"What happened?" asked Kanae.
"Joe took me to see the Ducks practice!" said Kaede. "They're going to take the cup this year."
"As God is my witness, I will find out why hockey is so appealing to you," said Yuka.
Kaede giggled and stuck her tongue out at Yuka.
"Well, enough about that," said Kaede. "Let's have some fun in the sun! You guys bring swimsuits?"
"It was kind of last minute, but we brought some with us," said Kohta, pulling out a pair of swim trunks.
"There's a hut over at the end of the beach where we can change," said Yuka.
"I'm already wearing mine," said Kaede, starting to take her clothes off.
"We'll be back, Kaede," said Kanae. "Don't start without us!"
When Kaede got finished undressing, she and Gendo had a race into the water, where the two of them jumped in and started swimming around. They swam toward the hut at the end of the beach and got out of the water, just in time for the three Hakuros to emerge. Kanae opted for a light pink one piece swimsuit, Kohta changed into the dark blue and green swim trunks he had, and Yuka wore a light green two-piece set.
"Oh, Kaede!" exclaimed Kanae. "I'm disappointed in you. You started without us!"
"I'm disappointed in all three of you," said Kaede, coming out of the water fully. "I'm the one with the boldest swimsuit."
She was right. The three Hakuros were shocked to see that for her swimsuit, Kaede had chosen a white string-tie bikini. Kohta had to turn away, as he had a blush that covered most of his face.
"Come on! Come in!" exclaimed Kaede, jumping back into the water.
The three joined Kaede in the water immediately (which helped Kohta immensely), and the four friends and the dog spent the next hour or so swimming around and splashing each other mercilessly.
After a while, they all got tired, and went up onto the beach to dry off with whatever sun was left. When everyone was all dried off and dressed, they went ahead and prepared to leave.
"So, you guys are living in town so you can go to classes, right?" asked Kaede.
"Yeah," said Kohta. "Yuka's mom is letting us use a house that's actually not that far from here. Me and Yuka are taking a summer course or two, and Kanae…well…"
"I'm taking some advanced courses!" exclaimed Kohta's sister.
"Really?" asked Kaede. "Good for you!"
"Anyway, if you'd like to come see the house…" began Kohta.
"Oh, sure," said Kaede. "Dad said he'd pick me up whenever, so I've got time."
"Alright," said Kohta. "We'll show you the way, so you can come visit whenever you want."
"Yeah," said Kaede.
Without warning, Kaede took off running ahead of them, and ran up the wall that came down to the beach from the main road. When she reached the road, she turned back and yelled.
"Come on!" exclaimed Kaede. "I can't wait to see it!"
"Kaede," said Kohta, "how did you do that?"
"What?" asked Kaede.
"You got up there so fast," said Yuka. "Did you need to use those arms of yours for that?"
Kaede chuckled.
"Oh, that," she said. "No, I didn't need them. I started getting into parkour some time ago."
"Parkour?" asked Kohta.
"Or freerunning, if you prefer," said Kaede. "Basically, you use your body's momentum to get you over obstacles in your path. Try it!"
"What?" asked Kohta. "Right now?"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Kaede. "Come on, Kohta. You can do it!"
"What? How?" asked Kohta, genuinely confused.
"Just run toward the wall, and when you get to it, don't stop," said Kaede.
Kohta looked at the wall Kaede was on top of.
"Okay," he said, taking a breath.
He exhaled, and started to run toward the wall. When he got to the wall, he closed his eyes, and just as the thought he was about to crash into it, his feet carried him up the wall. He opened his eyes, and as he was about to fall off the wall, Kaede caught his hand.
"I knew you could do it!" she said, pulling him up. "You just need some practice. Your turn, Yuka!"
Yuka looked at them from the sand below.
"I'll take the stairs," she said. "Sorry, Kaede."
"That's okay," said Kaede. "You can try it some other time. What about you, Kanae?"
"Sorry, Kaede," said Kanae. "I'll try later. Right now, I'm just too tired."
"Fair enough," said Kaede. "Now, let's go see your house."
Kohta led the way to their house, with Kaede and Yuka standing on either side of them, and Kanae and Gendo walking next to Kaede. Every once in a while, Gendo would shake, trying to get what little water remained out of his fur.
"See?" asked Kaede. "This is what happens when you don't let me and dad give you a trim."
Gendo growled slightly under his breath, shaking once again.
After the group crossed some streets, they went up some stairs, and finally made it to what Kaede learned used to be a traditional Japanese restaurant. Kaede scoffed when she learned the name of the place.
"Kaede House?" asked Kaede. "Seriously?"
"Hey," said Kohta. "We didn't name it."
The group took their shoes off at the door and came inside. Kaede was impressed with all the place had to offer. There was an indoor hot spring for bathing, generously-sized rooms, and a nice view of the front yard from the dining area. Kaede learned that Kohta, Yuka and Kanae each had their own rooms.
"How about…we set up a guest room for Kaede if she wants to visit?" asked Yuka.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," said Kaede.
"Oh, come on," said Kanae. "We would love to have you over a few times. You can stay in my room with me if you want."
Kaede smiled.
"Okay," she said. "As long as I'm not imposing."
"Never," said Kanae.
After that was settled, they all retired to the dining room for some rice balls. While they were eating, Kaede spotted a familiar wooden box on a shelf.
"Oh," she said. "You still have that?"
"Have what?" asked Kohta.
"That old music box," said Kaede, pointing to the object in question.
"Oh yeah, that," said Kohta. "I always loved that song. It was nice."
"Does it still work?" asked Kaede, getting up.
She didn't bother to wait for an answer before opening the box and hearing the familiar tune.
"Hearing this was always great," she said.
"I still think it's kind of sad," said Kanae.
"Me, too," said Yuka. "Though it really is a nice sound."
Kaede closed the box and went back to the table.
"I really should call my dad and let him know I'm ready to go home," she said. "Sorry to cut the visit short."
"It's alright," said Kohta. "We can visit again tomorrow, right?"
"Probably," said Kaede, reaching into her pockets. "Oh, that's right! I have something to talk to you guys about-"
She cut herself off as she realized that she was missing her phone.
"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "I forgot my phone!"
"That's not good," said Kohta.
"Where did you last have it?" asked Yuka.
"The beach!" exclaimed Kaede. "It must have fallen out of my pocket."
"You can use our phone here," said Yuka. "You could probably grab it in the morning."
"Grab it from what?" asked Kanae. "It's going to rain pretty soon. It'll be ruined."
Kaede sighed.
"I guess I'll just have to go back and grab it," she said.
"Wait!" said Kohta. "It's dark out! You shouldn't go look for it on your own."
"I'll be okay, Kohta," said Kaede. "The beach isn't that far, anyway."
"Still, though," said Kohta.
"Don't worry," said Kaede. "I'll call Dad as soon as I find it, and I'll let you guys know when Dad comes and gets me."
"O…kay," said Kohta.
With that, Kaede put her shoes on, and went out toward the beach.
"I'll see you guys later!" she exclaimed.
She ran to the beach and retraced her steps. Soon, she found the place where her clothes had been. Sure enough, the phone was half-buried in the sand. She picked it up and dialed Joe. Joe picked up after two rings.
"Hello, Kaede," he said.
"Hey, Dad," said Kaede. "I'm at the beach. Do you think you could come get me?"
"The beach?" asked Joe. "What are you doing there?"
"Well, long story short, I lost my phone," said Kaede. "I had to run back to the beach and grab it. I realize it's not an ideal time, but I didn't want you to have to buy me a new one."
"Just as long as you're safe, Kaede," said Joe. "At least tell me someone's with you."
Kaede hesitated, not saying a word.
"Oh, for- seriously?" asked Joe.
"I'm sorry, Dad!" exclaimed Kaede. "I didn't want to impose on them."
"I thought we covered the whole 'imposing' thing," said a voice behind Kaede.
Kaede turned around and found Kohta, standing behind her and holding an umbrella over her head.
"I stand corrected, Dad," said Kaede. "Kohta's out here with me."
"Good enough," said Joe. "Look, just go back to…
"Kaede House," said Kaede.
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.
"Seriously?" asked Joe, finally.
"I couldn't believe it, either," said Kaede.
"Well, just go back there, and I'll come pick you up," said Joe.
"Okay, Dad," said Kaede. "I love you."
"Love you too, sweetheart," said Joe, before hanging up.
Kaede hung her phone up and turned back to Kohta.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked.
"You're welcome," said Kohta, smiling.
Kaede rolled her eyes.
"Thank you for coming out with me," she said. "But you really didn't have to. You know I can take care of myself."
"Kaede, I have no doubt about your abilities," said Kohta. "But what if someone came and hurt you and they just got lucky? It's dark out and raining. I couldn't forgive myself if something were to happen to you."
Kaede smiled up at Kohta.
"Well, that's very sweet of you," she said.
Kohta blushed again, then cleared his throat.
"So…what should we do now?" he asked.
"Dad wants me to head back with you," said Kaede. "He says he'll pick me up there."
"Alright," said Kohta. "We'd better not keep him waiting, then. Let's g-"
Kohta was interrupted with a violent strike to the back of his head. In a matter of moments, he was on the ground, clutching his head in pain.
"Kohta!" exclaimed Kaede, crouching over him.
Kaede looked at Kohta, shocked, then looked behind him and saw a pair of tall, black-clad men carrying heavy firearms. One of them was on the follow-through of striking Kohta on the back of the head with his gun.
"Look at that," said one, in a gruff voice. "Horns. Just like the briefing said."
Kaede looked at the two armed men defiantly.
"What about them?" she demanded.
The two gunmen seemed to ignore her.
"What do we do about him?" asked the second gunman, pointing to Kohta.
The one who spoke before answered.
"They gave us the okay to kill any witnesses," he said.
"Kill?" asked Kohta, getting up from the sand.
"But…Bando," said the second gunman, "He's just a kid."
"So is she," said the one called Bando, pointing to Kaede, "And our orders are to terminate her, right?"
(A/N: Bando – Jason Douglas)
"No!" said Bando's confederate. "We're supposed to bring her in!"
Kohta suddenly got up from the ground and grabbed Kaede's hand.
"Run, Kaede!" he yelled.
With that, the two of them ran toward the stairs leading up from the beach, but the soldiers caught up to them, and Bando struck him on the head with the butt of his gun even harder than before, knocking him unconscious.
"No!" yelled Kaede. "Kohta! Kohta! Get up!"
Kaede heard the man's gun cock, and turned to see him pointing it right at her.
"They say you're supposed to be some kind of dangerous killer," he said, smiling. "That you've got some kind of secret weapon on you."
With that, he kicked her in the head.
"Go ahead," said Bando. "You got some kind of weapon? Let's see it!"
Kaede shook her head.
"That hurt," she said.
"Come on!" yelled Bando. "Let's see this weapon of yours!"
Kaede looked defiantly up at Bando.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," she spat.
Bando grimaced.
"Satou," he said. "Finish her off."
He took off his helmet and mask, pulled out a pack of cigarettes and started to light one. The other soldier looked at Bando, confused.
"But, sir!" exclaimed Satou.
"Do it," said Bando, finally managing to light his cigarette. "That's an order."
Kaede looked up at the two men with loathing and no small amount of fear as Satou pointed his gun at her.
"I'm sorry, miss…" said the Satou.
But before the man could pull the trigger, Kaede heard something that sounded like a thump, and the man rasped out sharply before falling forward. Kaede and Bando looked at the Satou on the ground, and then looked up from his unconscious body on the ground to see a man in a white hooded duster coat standing above him, a dart pistol in his right hand.
Bando was shocked for a moment, but came to his senses and drew his gun.
"Bastard!" he exclaimed.
But before he could fire, the attacker threw something at him that exploded on impact. There were no major wounds, but now Bando was blinded.
"MY EYES!" he exclaimed.
Bando still had the gun in his hands, but the attacker ran for Bando and wrestled the gun out of his grip, smacking him in the face with it.
The attacker beat him over the head with the butt of his gun a few more times before Bando caught it. Bando shoved the gun out of the hooded man's arms, and jumped on top of him. Bando moved his hands over the man's body until he found his neck.
"You're going to pay for my eyes, you bastard!" he exclaimed.
The man was now struggling to attack Bando back. As Kaede looked on, she could tell that the man who saved her life was now on the verge of being choked to death. She came to a decision. She didn't want to do it, but she couldn't just let this psychopath kill her savior. She summoned out her vectors, closed her eyes and swiped them in the man's direction.
"Forgive me, Daddy!" she yelled.
In one swift motion, Bando's right arm was cleaved clean off, and his left, feeling the impact of the vector, was snapped in half.
Bando screamed in pain, and rolled off the hooded man, who got up from the sand, and looked toward Kaede. Kaede couldn't see his face, but he bowed toward her and fled the scene.
With one of their attackers dead, and the other ready to bleed out, Kaede ran over to Kohta's unconscious body and lifted his arm over her shoulders. She steadied him with her vectors and began to walk him back toward Kaede House. The walk seemed to take forever with Kaede having to balance Kohta as she went up the stairs.
Kaede gently set Kohta by the front door as she knocked. While she waited for Yuka to answer, she picked Kohta back up. Yuka finally opened the door and gasped.
"Kaede!" she exclaimed. "What happened?!"
Kaede moved Kohta as carefully as she could.
"Kohta's been hurt," she said. "A couple of guys on the beach jumped us."
Yuka went to Kohta's legs and hoisted him up. The two girls brought him into his bedroom, where they set him down on his futon and set about taking care of him. Kaede took his pulse. It felt weak. They were about to go and grab a cold washcloth when they heard a knock at the door. Kaede checked before answering, and found that the person at the door was Joe. She opened the door and quickly ushered Joe in.
"Kaede, what's going on?" he asked.
"Dad, it's Kohta!" exclaimed Kaede. "He's been hurt!"
Joe slipped off his shoes and went inside. As soon as he got to Kohta's room, he opened his one eye and looked at it. He took his cell phone and flipped it on in front of Kohta's eye, then turned to the girls.
"Yuka, get a cold washcloth," he said. "Kaede, go get some ibuprofen. He'll need it when he wakes up."
The two girls did as they were told, grabbing the needed items and bringing them to Joe.
"Alright," said Joe. "He's going to be fine, health-wise, but I don't envy him with the headache he'll have when he wakes up…which should be in about…five minutes."
Joe looked over to Kaede.
"How did this happen?" he asked.
"Some punks ambushed us on the beach," she said. "We managed to get away…mostly intact."
"So I see," said Joe.
He looked at his watch, then at his phone.
"Kaede, go get a soda," he said. "The sugar will help."
Kaede left and did as Joe said. After she was done getting the soda, she went back to Kohta's room to drink it, hoping that she would finish it in time for him to wake up. The trio waited patiently, until they finally saw Kohta start to stir.
"I think he's coming to," said Yuka.
Kohta shifted from side to side.
"My head…" he said. "It hurts."
As soon as that was said, Joe took two tablets of ibuprofen and handed them to Kohta.
"Take these," said Joe.
Kohta took the two pills.
"Kaede…can I have a sip of that?" he asked.
Kaede handed Kohta her soda, of which he promptly took a gulp.
"You gave us a good scare there, son," said Joe.
Kohta looked over at Joe.
"Oh," he said. "Hey, Professor Martino."
"Hey yourself," said Joe. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, uh…" began Kohta. "Did I get hit by a truck?"
Joe, Kaede and Yuka smiled, but Joe quickly returned to being serious.
"You're in better shape than that," he said. "You took a pretty bad hit to the head, but I think you'll be better tomorrow."
"Thanks, Professor," said Kohta. "Kaede, how are you doing? You're not hurt are you?"
Kaede smiled at Kohta.
"Thanks to you, I'm not," she said.
"Hey, I didn't do that much," said Kohta. "They knocked me out."
"Well, you bought us some time," said Kaede. "That's something."
Joe got up from his spot on the floor.
"Well, I've done all I can do," he said. "Kaede, let's get going. Kohta will need some rest. I'll bring you over tomorrow so we can have a little talk with these two."
"Okay," said Kaede. "Kohta, call me if you need anything at all, or if you just want to hang."
"You got it," said Kohta.
Kaede and Joe found Gendo waiting in the living room for them. He looked at Kaede really grumpily.
"Hey," said Kaede. "I'm sorry I left you behind. I meant to just grab my phone and come back."
Gendo grumbled under his breath.
"Would you forgive me if I gave you one of your favorite treats?" asked Kaede.
At that, Gendo perked right up.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Kaede.
The three piled into the car and drove back home. When they got back to the house, Joe yawned rather loudly.
"I'm going to go to bed, Kaede," he said. "I highly recommend you do the same."
"Alright, Dad," said Kaede.
"So," said Joe, "how do you think you'll like spending your whole summer with your friends?"
Kaede smiled.
"I'm loving the idea," she said.
"I want you both to sleep in tomorrow," said Joe. "We're all jetlagged and need rest."
Kaede nodded as she let out a yawn of her own.
"Alright, then," she said, turning toward her room. "Good night, Dad."
"Good night, sweetie," said Joe.
Gendo followed Kaede to her room while Joe went to his own room, practically tearing off his business clothes as he went. He had not planned on a fight with a couple of Templar mercenaries, least of all over his own daughter and her pseudo-quasi-boyfriend, not two hours after they touched down in Japan.
To Be Continued.