-Oxford - Tuesday: Part 7-

Lory couldn't believe what he was hearing, his eyes turned towards Mary and Robert before looking at his Great Aunt. In the middle of a small conference room sat the four of them, with several of the Queen's Guards.

They were enjoying dinner when Leiko's cellphone went off. As Lory was not allowed to bring his to dinner anymore after getting in trouble he was surprised slightly to even hear a phone during this time. His aunt's face paled for a moment before her eyes sharpen. "Mary dear please call your personal guard." Lory watched as she rose to her feet pulling out her cell phone to taken several steps away. "Lory, it seems one of the kidnappers has appeared," she said the words simply but he understood well. "Children... please enjoy the rest of your meal." she said standing up, "Mary, Lory, Robert, I believe we should head to the smaller conference room" with that she left the room. The three adults following after her like a little duckling.

Once inside they had been given the information or at least the story that had been shared with them. Heth was the name given. He had cornered Kyoko in the elevator and attacked her, she had assured them that she was fine but that she was worried for the safety of the man who had come to her rescue. Pointing out that the man was dangerous and that he seemed to be part of a sex trafficking trade. The four of them knew about Bakkin Hana. They also knew that they were part of something much larger. They just didn't know who, the underworld was far different world and they had to work in the light as much as possible not allowing themselves to get dragged into the darkness any deeper than tipping a toe into the water. After all, it wasn't hard to fall in and find yourself drowning. It was a balancing act and both sides knew this and while they could do small things to damage them, taking them on would be near impossible because they didn't play by the rules and they had too, there were too many innocent people who would lose their lives if they pushed against the underworld to much.

Lory didn't blame Ruto for not being there as he listened to what was being said. He still found himself standing up and moving away from the three with the open line to Kyoko. Ruto needed to know, he needed to know that Kyoko had been in trouble and that he had to get back to her. It was clear to him that he was not allowed to make the trip this exact moment. Aunt Leiko had agreed there was a much larger picture here and she was looking at the bigger one, not the one that he himself was looking at. His aunt pushes the matter further by informing him if he left when his daughter said she was fine and safe now that he would only be installing the idea and notion that she was weak. That she was unable to battle her own battles. Lory didn't think that was very fair but he also knew that if any of Mary's children had said the same thing. That they would be in the same boat, wanting to do more but not allowing themselves to do more because that was how they learned to fight their own battles. They watched them and they help them grow. He hated it and if he couldn't be there, then he was damn sure going to make sure Ruto took Juliena back to the hotel so he could be there.

Then, he would come up a way to go around his Aunt and his Daughter's wishes and show up. This was his second scare today. He had to put his foot down somewhere he just needed a reasonable excuse that neither of them could deny him.

Ruto followed behind Juliena who had already chosen a phone for Kyoko and now had taken them further from the hotel for more shopping. At this point, Ruto was sure she was just punishing him for babysitting her. She had claimed that Lory had no right to send someone to babysit her because she was more than capable of handling herself. Ruto did not correct her, it wasn't his place and had not boy ask him not to say anything about why or who wanted her watched and protected. He was starting to wish he could say something about it being Ren's request and not Lory's.

Even then though he wasn't sure if that was the exact reason she had went off on the rant about how she didn't need a babysitter. He was sure it had more to do with the fact he had put his own foot down, taking into account Kyoko's wishes. They had settled in the end on a basic cellphone, it would allow her to surf the web and watch videos but it didn't have the memory or space for additional apps that she had tried to claim were important for a young woman to have. Most of them seemed to be pointless to him as one who had the ability to surf the internet could also gather all that information. Still, she has been in a rather unhappy mood since that little trip.

Ruto had excused himself from Juliena but had told her to stay within his eyesight as he moved just a bit away to answer the call from Lory.

"Ruto!" something was wrong, the way Lory said his name was enough to let him know that much. "Kyoko was attacked!" Ruto's face paled, had it not been for the mask one would have also seen his mouth tighten, as it was his hand had tightened around the phone and he was trying to calm himself down. Lory rushing in to let him know she was safe was the only reason he had been able to school himself one more. "She's alright, she's alright. Do you understand Ruto?"

"Yes sir..." his voice sounded off to him but he was madder at himself for not insisting that Kyoko come with him or that Juliena did not leave the hotel. Neither would have happened no matter how he handles unless he swung one of them over his shoulders and force it upon them. That too didn't seem like it would end well but clearly, it would have been a far better choice when he heard the next words Lory spoke.

"It was one of her kidnappers he was one of the models there." There were plenty of models there but why had she not noticed him prior? The answer he would have to look into. The fact that there were so many and Kyoko never crossed paths with him, meant there was the possibility of others too. He made a note that he would take pictures of everyone there working on the show.

"Forgive me sir for not being there." He kept his voice even and calm but he was not at all happy and found himself lacking in his job to keep the girl, his godchild safe. It made him worry if he could keep anyone safe at the moment, including Juliena. Then it hit him Ren had seen something and while he didn't tell him what he had seen, it had been enough to make him worry. "Perhaps he is the reason why the boy wanted me to watch over his mother." he said after a moment, "Perhaps he seen unwelcoming eyes upon her. Had I known more perhaps I could have found a way to keep them together or on the VIP floor."

"I'm not blaming you Ruto. You have too much on your plate at the moment. You can't be everywhere at once. That boy was always a good judge of character, he can see things that most people can't see because of the world he grew up within and the world he knew. If he saw anyone looking at his mother wrong I'm sure he would feel torn about it."

Ruto could understand this fact better than most people could. Still, it was unsettling, "As you say Sir, still. I am at fault. I should have taken better note to make sure that she was not alone at any time."

"She might not have listened anyways, still it worries me. The fact that someone like that was there." He could tell the pain Lory was in through his voice alone. "I should have been there." Yes, they were both feeling guilty about this. They had both swore upon themselves to keep her safe from any more harm like this but it seems that the underworld was trying to keep a firm hold on her. 'No that's not it... she draws people to her' his eyes fell upon Juliena as she shopped. 'All kinds...' he thought about Tomi Shiro and how he had assured her release by using the world he knew. 'She will always draw them to her...'

"No sir, neither of us knew. I believe that I finally understood something"

"What's that Ruto?" Lory's voice still held the worry and he wasn't sure if he should tell him or not.

"She is like honey for flies." it was simply but he knew that Lory would understand "She will in time need a personal guard. I believe as she ages these sort of things might become more common if we do not set up a protective net around her" even then he feared that people would still slip through the cracks. The older she got, the more likely she was to draw them to her. He heard Lory's heavy sigh, he knew that he would have much to think about on this matter. "I will head back and bring Juliena-san with me," he said taking the steps. "Besides Kuu will be there tomorrow night. As she has reported it there will be police protection… So no matter what she will be safe, and from the sounds of it, she had no plans to go home.

"No… there won't be any police protection." Ruto's eyes narrowed, that made no sense at all, still, if he got Kuu and with Lory there yes it might still be possible the three of them could manage three charges. "She won't allow it due to the show. I am at a lost of what to do. Leiko has said if this is her desire we should respect it. I do not like it…"

"Shall I inform the staff that you will be there?"

"No, I'm not allowed to go apparently. Robert will be informing Dachi about it though to hopefully pull in some extra protection that way. We just have to figure out a way to make it look… wait you said Kuu was coming didn't you?"

"Yes sir" Ruto stood in front of Juliena, he motioned for her pay for her things. She looked at him with considering before nodding her head and quickly left to pay for the additional items. He was sure she had seen the worry in his eyes but he could do nothing about that right now.

"Then Kuu is a perfect excuse. Inform Kuu when he lands, it will be a nice surprise. Juliena must not be made aware of anything that happened today. She might be an actress but she's a mother with a habit for worry." Yes, he could understand that and she had a flare about her as well that might draw more attention than needed. They didn't need that either. "I will be telling Kyoko to stay with Ren or Yashiro so she'll likely be with them. I want you to be there as soon as you can, however."

Ruto closed his eyes. He was surprised when he heard Lory repeat what he had said earlier as if it to make it him truly understand he was not at fault. "Ruto it's not your fault. Those kinds of men, target any kind of woman or girl that can be used. What's important is that he is now gone and Juliena who was likely his next target is safe and most of all Kyoko and other women are safer without him."

"I understand sir. We will be heading to the hotel. Depending on the traffic it should take about 30 minutes to reach her." He hung up his phone and looked back at the woman who had returned with her bags. "I'm afraid that I must see to my charges Juliena-san."

"What happened?"

"It seems Kyoko-sama had a little problem. She is fine but Lory is overprotective and I must say so am I. She is with Ren now, he was able to fix the problem and calm her down."

"If he's at her side then there is nothing to worry about." she closed her eyes taking a moment, "That boy won't let anything happen to her." No, she was sure after he ran out without so much of protest earlier that day, he cared deeply about her. He just might not know it because of the pain he himself is in after Rick's death.

"I would feel better to make sure with my own eyes."

"Yes of course." it was clear she didn't really believe in the words but he was not allowed to say anymore. Besides he already failed his godchild once he would not do it again. Even in this case. He was thankful that Ren had been there though. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing if that boy did fall in love with her. If he was already willing to go that far for her, then even if she never returned the love back. He would likely always watch over her. He wasn't sure.

Lory had been listening while on the phone with Ruto her plan was not one he was happy with but Leiko had put her foot down and what made it worse was that Mary and Robert had both agreed that it would be for the best. Such problems come up, as it would always. That's why The Ankou was created, and why even now they still lived within the shadows of their kingdom. This would be a task for the Queen's Guard that was stationed to be seen but hidden among the rest.

The order as Lory would call it name hadn't changed much over the years, just the way things were handled, and where they placed themselves. But if one wanted to dig throughout history they would find mention of the Ankou in the text. Whispers of folklore about them. Most found that Ankou was simply a death god but Lory and the Royal Family knew better. The Ankou was real and they had made a new home within the government of the United Kingdom. They weren't a huge group, no more than 100 members and most focus within the two factions of Protection Command and Queen's Royal Guard yet they were in many other branches and their loyalty went without question.

The ones who were stationed here in the Palace was who stood around them at this moment. Anyone from the outside would not know the truth, all that was what they wanted in this matter. Two had already been sent ahead to deal with the matter that was General Kendi Brown, the actual head of the Ankou and one member who now sat within the Protection Command, Gayle King. Together the problem at the hotel would be taken care of and no one would be the wiser. For this man, Heth was about to just disappear. It was through them that someone had taken over the call center, it wasn't surprising really that the Ankou member at 999 had taken over the call. It meant now things could be talked about more freely, the record would, of course, go missing shortly afterward and this Ankou member would be relocated and a new one would come in. Still knowing that they all chose their words carefully not wanting to go into to much detail about the cause and effect would be, this was more so on Kyoko's end than theirs.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Mary asked, they had been talking for the last 10 minutes and there were several ways to go about it. Their country had what one could call assassins but they would never use those words, yet that's what the outsiders would think about the Ankou. They would make sure it a nice clean up if they did this. To keep them under the European Convention on Human Rights, the rest of the world could not know about it. Could never know about the order if she gave it.

"He must not be allowed to be free. I can't go into the details… but trust me on this matter." Robert ran a hand through her hair before leaning in, he knew that she was struggling with this, knowing what it would do if it ever got out. As the general rule was that she as Queen could not be prosecuted. This wasn't the case for the rest of them but still, there were ways around even that. In her mind, the choice was not hers to make she had left it to this young girls and she would do as she requested in this one matter. She knew what she wanted but the burden would not be hers alone to make, those type of people didn't belong in the upper world. "The media can never know. The people here can never know either. It would destroy this show and it would carry on into the future ones as well if it was found out. It could destroy this place of business, people could lose their jobs. We cannot allow it to happen." She had to agree with Kyoko and the reason was sound.

Lory could understand where she was coming from but he still didn't like it. To have to pretend that nothing happened, what father would be? Besides what would this do to her, knowing she was going to be the cause of this man's life being taken from him? That his family would never know what happened to him? To just disappear. Did she really understand what she was about to do? "You understand what will happen to him don't you?" he asked carefully, "what it means you are doing?"

"Father… what this man has done to others." there was a pause as she took a deep breath, he was sure she was remembering something she didn't talk about. That she wanted to forget. "It is the right choice, there is no saving him." No Lory suppose there wasn't. Not everyone could be saved. He wanted to say more but Leiko held up her hand. It was clear that she was siding with his daughter and that meant that she agreed with this choice. It meant that the action was now needed, the talking for this matter was over. Part of him was starting to believe that his Aunt had chosen his daughter to be the head of the family when the time came. He wanted to laugh at the thought of seeing how long she had been part of this family but the two were close and they had a certain power that none of them seemed to have. The ability to command without commanding. Perhaps Ruto was correct... that she would only draw more people to her and not all of them would be good.

Leiko's head turned towards her daughter and Mary took a deep breath as Robert held her hand. "Then it will be done." She turned towards the true Queen's Guard, the Ankou "It is with great sadness that I sentence this man known only as Heth to death for crimes not limited to attacking a member of the Royal family, but his crimes against humanity. I want all the data we can find on this man to be sent to me immediately. So that my final judgment can handle down on the form of his sentence." Lory understood what this meant. It meant that death might not be quick or painless. It would come of course, but how it came depended on other things.

"No one outside my personal guard, the royal family, and one Ren Tsuruga are allowed to be included in this knowledge unless given permission by Lady Kyoko Takarada legal guardians. Her father Archduke Lory Takarada or her Great Aunt the Queen Mother Leiko. Excluding myself or my husband Prince Robert. You have my orders. See that it is done in a timely matter. You are dismissed" As one, they salute and left the room once the door was closed again she went on."Kyoko the order has been carried out. Please wait until security has come to take the man into custody, the story is an assault on your person. Mr. Tsuruga image must remain Kyoko, do you understand? They must not know he used physical force on him. It will not look good with his station."

Lory closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "The best course of action for him Kyoko is to say if asked is to say nothing on the matter if asked. Cry if you must. Ren will follow your lead. Wait for General Brown as will be there soon. He will be able to spin the story if need be any further. Yet I am ordering you to stay with Ren until Ruto gets there. I do not mind if you go with Yashiro but it must be with those two. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father… thank you Mary, Robert, Great Aunt Leiko and I am sorry." she paused for a moment "They are here. I must go. I will contact you later once I'm with Ruto or General Brown. I love you all."

A/N: Capital punishment in the UK doesn't exist anymore in the real world, for murder it was abolished in 1965 in Great Britain and in 1973 in Northern Ireland. It was on the books for treason before abolished in 1998. They have been prohibiting from restoring the death penalty as long as they are part of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Ankou - is a personification of death found in Breton, Cornish, Welsh and Norman French mythology. He goes and collects those who are dying/dead and carries them away.