Song referred to in this chapter is going to be "Moment of Peace" With Sarah & Amelia Brightman feat. Gregorian. (It's meant to be a song of healing in this chapter.)

Chapter 5

Silky raven hair, shimmering golden eyes, porcelain white skin, makeup so natural one could barely tell it was there, ruby red lips that matched the colors of the silk kimono and a regal air that captured the attentions of everyone in her path. She reminded him of the perfect example of what a Japanese girl was to him. All the historical pictures, old movies and stories his dad used to tell him, they were all her and he couldn't tear his eyes away for a moment. This can't possibly be the same girl. He told himself as he and Ruriko-chan stood in the hall and watched her pass them.

Even as she twirled and proclaimed that her hair, makeup and costume made her the happiest she had been in 16 years, all Ren saw was an adorable princess straight out of Feudal Japan. He chuckled at her antics, they were cute. He had to admit it. However, her declaration to Ruriko-chan and Shingai-san's reaction to said declaration somewhat shocked him. "I want to defeat you." The phrase sent a chill down his spine. What caught his attention even further was her ability to give the picky director exactly what he had envisioned when she acted out the scene, with a possibly broken ankle, perfectly.

Seiji Shingai was stunned. Why couldn't Lory have given this one to me? "Perfect..." He whispered and Ruriko's head whipped around to see a look of awe on the impressed director's face.

Her determination and fury spurred her through the tea ceremony and even brought a few old forgotten feelings to the surface that she quickly pushed down. Many things disturbed her about the day. Everything had happened so quickly and she wasn't quite sure she was prepared for the wonderful things that were going on. At least she didn't feel so alone anymore and she had decided that she would spend a little time in front of the camera. Acting had developed and evolved over the years. This was not the age of Homer's Odyssey or, Shakespeare's Hamlet. This was an entirely new animal and she was filled with anticipation. This was something much bigger. It was something that had the potential to be shared with the entire world. No wonder Father is involved in this. She marveled.

~ΑΩΑΩ~

AT THE HOSPITAL

She seemed as though she would be out for a little while, so Yukihito decided to stay by her side while they set her ankle in case she awakened. What he didn't expect was when the two male orderlies had began humming this strange haunting tune that wrapped his mind in a haze. Her eyes flew open and and she sat upright in a trance-like state and the most angelic voice began to emanate from her, bringing the entire emergency room floor to a calm, comfortable, healing silence. For over seven minutes her voice caressed the ears of every living being in that ward, in several different languages. After she had finished, her eyes closed once again and she resumed sleeping on the exam table as they finished covering her leg in the plaster cast with no memory of what had just happened.

"Aoidḗ..." Yashiro whispered after they were alone. He had awakened. His mind flooded with forgotten memories. "Thank you." He gently stroked her sleeping face.

"I miss you Deimos..."She murmured in her sleep.

Yashiro sighed. "We'll find him. I won't stop until we do." He promised the sleeping girl that he now knew to be his twin's most precious treasure.

~ΑΩΑΩ~

IN THE CAR ON THE WAY BACK

"Aoidḗ?" Yashiro glanced over at the young woman hoping that he wasn't making a huge mistake. One that would cause her to believe he was insane.

She sharply turned her gaze to meet his. "Phobos? Is it you Brother-in-law?"

Yashiro sighed in relief and scooped the girl into his arms. "It is you..." He chuckled and wiped a stray happy tear. "It's been too long without family." He could feel he had been away from his twin for too long.

She looked up at him after they had regained their composure. "Is Deimos with you?" She asked with hope in her voice.

He shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid I have only just realized who you and I are. I've been having these memories going through my mind for the past couple of weeks and couldn't make any sense of them until now." He confessed. "Had it not been for your song of healing, I'm not sure how long it would have been before it all came back to me." He chuckled. "Not to worry though. We will find him." He smiled softly. "But I'm afraid that if we say anything to him before he awakens, he will think we are insane."

She nodded solemnly. "That's true, I suppose. We should probably keep the information to ourselves, as to not ruin his awakening with our... excitement." She giggled knowing full well how Phobos and she could be when overcome with anticipation and joy.

He held out his hand. "Deal?"

She took his hand and shook it. "Deal... But try not to tease him so much when you do find him." She added.

Yashiro laughed. "I'm not certain I can hold up that part of the bargain."

She giggled. "I suppose you couldn't."

~ΑΩΑΩ~

BACK TO BUSINESS

All in all, by the afternoon, her day had not been completely ruined and Ruriko-chan turned out to be a somewhat tolerable being.

"You probably hate me for getting the part while you were at the hospital." Ruriko stated quietly.

Kyoko looked at the repentant girl. She's not as bad as I thought. She sighed inwardly. "Not really..."

Ruriko looked up at her in surprise.

"Someone once told me that those that are weak on the battlefield have no business being there. If you cannot fight, you deserve to die." She told her in a distant voice remembering what Deimos had told her once. The same words his own father had passed to him. She smiled at the memory.

"I suppose they were right." Ruriko agreed.

Kyoko looked up and her eyes met with Ren's as he stood outside speaking with the director while the girls were talking. "Next time I will be prepared." She commented.

A shiver ran down Ruriko's spine when she saw the look in her rival's eyes, thinking that the challenge was for her.

It wasn't losing to Ruriko that irritated her, it was the fact that she had lost to this man. She felt like he had controlled her as they were acting together. This was something that she refused to allow.

Yashiro's eyes glanced at his charge inconspicuously, noting the familiar brooding aura and attitude. He raised an eyebrow slightly as he mulled over his thoughts. What exactly are the odds of it being him? Out of the billions of mortals on this planet, how on Earth is it even possible? It was inconceivable. Well, I did find Aoidḗ. I suppose it's possible. How would I go about testing this theory? A test, but what? Hmm...

His manager was being awfully quiet. He had pretty much kept to himself during the entire ride back to the hotel and he'd been acting strangely since he came back with the LoveMe girl. What was her name? Kyoko... The name seemed to caress it's way into his mind without him noticing how smooth it was. Kind of like how a cat jumps up into your lap when you're reading a book and you start to pet it absentmindedly. Soft, warm and sleek, yet still with sharp claws and needle-like teeth.

"Almost time." Yashiro commented and Ren glanced up at him questioningly.

"I'm heading over to the photo studio. The director made arrangements for a photo shoot for Kyoko-chan. Would you like to join me?" He asked casually.

Ren sat staring across the room and sipping his drink. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Well, I heard it's a rather formal one. They're going through a lot of trouble for it, even using the hotel's studio." Yashiro explained.

"Not interested..." He took another sip of his Scotch.

"Hmm, I think you're more interested than you're letting on Ren. Otherwise, you wouldn't have acted with her seriously like you did." Yashiro explained.

Ren sighed. "That's right, I admire her determination. That is all."

"Suit yourself." Yashiro told him as he walked away with a nagging hunch eating away at the back of his mind. We shall see soon enough.