Chapter 2:
Two Years Later…
Nene Saikyo travelled to visit her longtime friend, Shizuku Kurogane. It had been years since they had last seen each other. Nene originally met Shizuku when Nene was an instructor at Hagun Academy. At the academy, Nene also met Shizuku's older brother, Ikki Kurogane and their fellow student, Stella Vermillion, the second princess of the Vermillion Empire. She grew quite fond of the trio. Ikki would go on to win the Seven Star Sword Art Festival that year and later marry Stella. Not long after, Shizuku also moved to Vermillion to live with her brother and sister-in-law, eventually marrying a senior official in the Vermillion court.
Nene arrived in time to watch an evening sparring session taking place in a small barn behind Shizuku's house. Sitting on a wooden bench alongside the wall, she observed the dance of master and student. The student was really performing well for one so young. Nene also observed that Shizuku still maintained most of her sword skills as well, despite years of inactivity.
"Her sword skills really are impressive," Nene told her friend, later that evening as they enjoyed some tea. "Her skill at such a young age reminds me of Kurono and I when we were young. You've trained her well, Shizuku."
"Yes. Kumiko is doing better than I would have imagined."
"Kumiko? You call her Kumiko even when no one is around?" Nene asked.
Looking up from her tea, Shizuku could only sigh.
"Yes, that is her name now. No one can ever know that she is really Hikari. Not even her. I would also appreciate if you would call me Riko. You know that if anyone found our who we really are, we could be in serious danger."
"I'm sorry, it's been so long since I saw you last, your new name slipped my mind."
Shizuku rose from the table and went to pour herself some more tea.
"Well, the less contact we have with anyone from our past, the better our chance to stay hidden," she replied.
Of course, Nene understood the danger as well. Her mind wandered back to the night Shizuku and Hikari showed up at her door eight years ago.
Flashback…
Nene was surprised and relieved to find a weary Shizuku at her back door, holding a sleeping Hikari in her arms. Just two weeks prior to that, news broke that the Vermillion mansion was the scene of a massive assault by rogue blazers. When she heard about the attack, Nene was immediately concerned. An attack on the Vermillion mansion probably occurred when her friends, Ikki Stella, and Shizuku were present. In follow on reports, Nene had been crushed to hear that Ikki Kurogane, his wife Stella, and Shizuku's husband Rin had all been killed in the attack. The whereabouts of Shizuku and young Hikari had been unknown.
After Shizuku had arrived, Nene quietly contacted Kurono Shinguuji. They spent the first part of the night listening to Shizuku's tearful retelling of the attack. After the attack began, the two families grouped up in a corner with two personal security members. The assault was quick and violent. Party guests were frantically trying to escape the melee. Perhaps most unsettling of all was the sight of Vermillion guards assisting the attackers.
Stella was furious and had to be restrained from rushing out to attack the traitorous guards. It was Ikki who figured it out. The guards were not assisting the attackers of their own will. They were being controlled. It had to be the work of Or-Guael and his Marionette ability. Rin speculated that the attack was revenge for Or-Gauel losing control over Cradleland at the hands of Stella and Team Vermillion during the Vermillion/Cradleland tournament.
Nene remembered those events well, having been right in the middle of it all herself. First, in the battle of Kardia and later in the actual tournament as a member of Team Vermillion. Those events not only cost Or-Gauel control of Cradleland, but also one of his arms. It was easy to understand how that could cause Or-Gauel and his followers to seek revenge.
Shizuku continued to explain how they had escaped.
Given the uncertainty with who could be trusted and not wanting to harm anyone under Or-Gauel's control, it was decided that escape was the best option to fighting. They agreed to head for a Vermillion retreat in the mountains to hold out until things calmed down. The retreat was several miles downriver, so Stella suggested that they flee the mansion through a nearby escape tunnel that led to the marina. The group fought their way to the tunnel, becoming separated from their personal security detail. Shizuku's voice cracked and she broke down while trying to relate the events of the tunnel and of Rin holding off the attackers as she ran.
Pausing a moment to collect herself, she finished detailing the escape.
Approaching the marina, she was relieved to see that one of the security detail had made it to the boat ahead of them and had the boat ready to go. She handed Hikari off to the guard and started to head back towards the fight. The guard grabbed her, restraining her from leaving. She screamed for him to let her go, but he refused, saying it was too late, that they had to go. Validation came in the form of aerial attacks by range blazers attempting to destroy the boat. Shizuku called forth a giant water wall to create a protective barrier, a barrier she knew would only hold them back for so long. Left with no choice, she and Hikari escaped on the boat with security guard.
Unfortunately, a blast must have gotten through, damaging one of the engines. The guard piloted the boat as best he could down the river, but it was obvious they would never make it to the retreat. They were going to have to escape some other way, so the guard pulled the boat into a nearby dock. Sneaking up to the house, he stole a car and they drove off into the night.
Shizuku awoke the next morning in the back of the car. The guard had pulled over in a small town for gas and food. In a local diner, the news was reporting on the attack and the suspicion against the former members of the Rebellion. The news also confirmed her worst fears… Ikki, Stella, and Rin were all dead. However, there was nothing about her and Hikari being missing. When she mentioned this to the guard, he also found this suspicious.
Back outside in the car, it took Shizuku some time to compose herself, but she finally pulled herself together. Left with few little options and not knowing who to trust, she decided to return to Japan in secret. She told the guard of her intentions and he agreed to help them. He continued to travel with them through Eastern Europe and Russia, arranging all travel for him, his "wife", and "daughter". Once they reached Eastern Russia, he got Shizuku and Hikari passage onto an ocean liner bound for Japan and he wished them best of luck.
After arriving back in Japan, she wasn't about to go to her father for help. She still hated her father for neglecting her brother. The same hatred that led her to move to Vermillion in the first place. Now that Ikki was dead, she hated her father even more. With nowhere else to go, she headed off to Nene's house.
Having finished all the details of the escape, the conversation eventually shifted to what to do next. Nene was fired up and her killing intent was raging. Slamming her hands on the table as she got to her feet, she angrily said that they should hunt down Or-Gauel and his followers. Once they were found, she would use Hadou Tensei to destroy the very ground under their feet.
Kurono, always the level-headed of the two, cautioned against such a response. Tensions throughout the world were already running high and Kurono couldn't help but think that there was something much deeper than just simple revenge by Or-Gauel and his followers. It wasn't just as simple as finding Or-Gauel and killing him.
For decades, Union and the League of Mage-Knights Nation have had at a very tense Cold War relationship that was somewhat held in check by Rebellion. When Or-Gauel and his followers broke away from Rebellion and killed several of its members, Rebellion's influence in the world diminished. The motivation behind the betrayal was still a mystery.
Additionally, there was Bakuga Tsukikage's vision of Japan being destroyed in a war between Union and the League. Since Nene was affiliated with the League of Mage-Knights Nations, her attack might be the very justification Union needs to start a war with the League. They needed to know more about what was going on before they took any sort of action.
As for Shizuku, there was a natural desire to seek out those responsible and exact revenge, but she couldn't let her anger get the better of her either. Nothing was going to bring Ikki, Stella, or Rin back. Taking on Or-Gauel and is followers was dangerous and she also had to think about Hikari. To make matters worse, the Japan branch of the League of Mage-Knight Nations, led by her father, seemed to have no interest in pursuing Or-Gauel and his supporters. No surprise, given the distain her father always held for Ikki.
With fatigue setting in, they decided to let the matter rest and head to bed. The next morning, the emotions from the night before had ebbed somewhat allowing for clearer thoughts. In the end, they reluctantly agreed that there was nothing they could do about Or-Gauel and his followers at the moment. It was also agreed that things were far too dangerous for Shizuku and Hikari to be found by anyone. So, Nene and Kurono worked secretly to hide Skizuku and Hikari in a village, away from any large city, but also close enough to keep an eye out for them.
End Flashback…
Shizuku came back to the table with a fresh cup of tea. When she sat down, it shook Nene out of her thoughts of the past and back to the present. After a few moments of silence, Nene spoke up.
"So, it must be important for you to ask me to come out here after so long, Riko," Nene mentioned, with a little added emphasis on Shizuku's new name.
"It is. I need your help training Kumiko."