A/N: Thank you all for the comments as always. They mean a great deal to me. I hope that you enjoyed the last few chapters with all the fluffiness between them. Please remember there is a happy ending at the very end of this series [There will be at least two books all under this title, of course, so keep that in mind as you read] With that said, don't hate me too much but time to focus once again on the drama side of it [sorry!]
-Oxford - Wednesday: Part 36-
"Lady Kyoko" she turned slightly to see a young Asian man stepped forward and around her, his accent was strong. Yet that wasn't what had drawn her attention to him, it was the startling blue eyes. Even though they were so clear looking she couldn't read him. All she knew there were her dark children didn't seem to be drawn to him. He also was about Keiji size and she knew for sure that Keiji was sawed as short compared to the average height of Asian men even if both were taller than her. This man didn't look more than a couple inches taller than her. She placed her arm around her right side as he bowed his head as his black hair fell in front of his eyes, "That was a remarkable display of dancing I have seen outside of the Professional Ballroom." He lifted his head looking at her and she found her heart racing in her chest and her breath was caught. He closed the distance between them a bit more, "with a proper dance partner I'm sure you would outshine even Adophite herself."
Kyoko mentally shook her head she couldn't believe she had let him get so close, 'How...' she tried to push the fuzzy feeling that was wrapping around her mind as she smiled at him. 'I can do this, I've worked with high fevers in the past,' she took a deep breath, slowly releasing it, "Thank you, that was very kind of you to say..." she paused waiting for him to give his name.
He smiled in such a way that she felt almost overwhelmed, "Zakai Ling, I'm afraid I'm no one famous, not like Kuu Hizuri." He said looking beyond her, she turned without much thought but she couldn't see Kuu or Juliena from here. No, she was nowhere near the dancefloor, having made up her mind to return to the table. She raised an eyebrow as she turned back towards him and he must have seen it, "I must admit I followed you." That worried her more than she wanted to admit and she found herself taking a step back from him. "No please, you have nothing to fear from me," he said holding a hand out before running it through his hair and sighing heavily. "It's just the person you were with, scared me... and I wasn't brave enough to talk to you with him so close by."
Kyoko chewed her lower lip, she supposed to anyone who didn't know Ren Tsuruga true self would be scared of him. He had scared even Heth hadn't he, enough that he seemed to dip into the world of madness. She closed her eyes trying to push out the sound of his laughter that had echoed in that elevator. She wrapped her arms tightly around her, the pain brought her back out of the madness she found herself slipping into. 'My mind is strong, can't let getting sick bring me down' she said to herself slowly trying to rebuild her mental barriers. Yet it was hard to focus for some reason.
"Lady Kyoko?" Her eyes snapped open refocusing on Ling. "You look like you are about to get sick, we should find you a place to sit," he said looking around the area and she couldn't help but smile. His hand hoover around her waist, not touching but clearly wanting to take her somewhere she could sit and rest. It was a kind gesture and the fact he wasn't touching her. It was hard not to feel relaxed around him. Then she felt two arms wrap around her waist pulling her away, it was like a jolt of lightning paralyzing her.
Kuu pulled Juliena closer to him, his eyes trailing after Kyoko who had left his son no correction left Ren on the dance floor. It hadn't taken long before two different women were at his side. 'If he was Kuon right now...' for some reason while he was Ren he was able to attract women still once he was in his natural state even as teen women and girls seemed to swam him more. Even now they got calls from young women when he traveled and images were caught of him as they tend to happen. The house would get calls, women flocked to his son but they also seemed to flock to his alter ego as well. Well all of them but the one his wife was so very fond of it would seem. Even Kuu was growing rather fond of the young woman.
"What's wrong Kuu?" he looked down at the woman he loved and kissed her forehead.
"Just thinking about how Ren pales compared to our Kuon's beauty" she sighed softly as she buried her face in his chest.
"I miss him..." she said softly and he kissed the top of her head. He knew that it was hard for her to pretend that Ren was not really Kuon. It wasn't as hard on him. Ren Tsuruga wasn't his son, he was just borrowing his son's body and when Ren was no longer required, when Kuon felt that he reached the place where he could reveal his true self to the world then he would be back. After all, Kuu himself had used a stage name. Not for the exact same reasons that Kuon was but for reasons of his own. It had been Juliena's love, her desire to be with him, the real him and no longer wanting to hide behind that stage name that he was able to come out and say exactly who he was.
"I know, but didn't he tell you he would return to you?" he felt her nod, he had to thank Kyoko for that as well he supposed. Yet he wasn't sure how to do that just yet either. Kyoko to him was odd, a girl who had no interested in showbiz but could act, 'I'm surprised she is not a professional dancer. Lory really should push her towards that career if nothing else.'
Reino was done with this place. His Ghost Waiter had disappeared shortly after the incident with Sho and Kyoko, he had been too distracted at the time to realize that at first. Yet after getting a text message from Igor one of Vas personal bodyguards not that the man needed any protection, no one would be stupid enough to go against Vas, not if they wanted to actually live. No, if they wanted Vas' place in the underworld they would need to take him down by other means. Regardless, the Ghost Waiter had been able to move on due to being part of the group that had stopped what Reino was sure would have been a rape regardless what Sho seemed to believe their relationship was. No, if he had done the deed he could almost be assured the man would be dead likely by Tomi's own hands. The overlay image of his Aunt Natasha played in his head again. Place and time different even the people but far too much alike for his taste.
"I'm tired," his eyes trailed towards Miroku's for a moment before falling towards his other three friends. "You can stay if you want." He knew that they likely wouldn't be staying here, this wasn't exactly the place to pick up girls. Not that you couldn't do so here, it just wasn't known as a place for business at all, it was a place for relaxation and privacy. It was why the reporters from what he had picked up from the Ghost Waiter before he had disappeared seemed to point at. They allowed people to meet up and enjoy each other's company while making sure that things didn't turn wrong, like sexual assault or rape.
Kiyora leaned back in his chair as he looked up slightly, "Well we could stay a bit longer, not like we got a bill to worry about." He sighed as he noticed that Mirkou and Shizuru were already standing up to leave with Reino, his eyes turned towards Dasuku who shrugged slightly. Kiyora frowned, "Guess we're all leaving then," he said putting his hands on the table. He rose to his feet and Dasuku chuckled slightly as he drowns back his drink before following after Kiyora.
Reino placed his hands in his pockets as they headed out. He had no plans at first to do anything but leave, but he saw several spirits lingering around a single person. Far too many for someone to be haunted by, even with all the men his uncles have killed, they didn't have lingering ghosts. It stroked him as odd to see so many gathered together, it was possible that the young man that they seemed to be surrounding was like him able to see spirits but the way they were fawning over him, the way they seemed to want to be touched almost begging at him. He found it troubling beyond anything he could even understand. He slowly took in each and every one of the spirits, men who looked more torn to pieces no longer hold, women who seemed almost half starved, no these were spirits who may not even know they were dead, yet Reino couldn't be sure. As he looked over each spirit his eyes caught sight of her almost buried among the spirits that he almost had missed her completely.
The image of his Aunt Natasha once again played in his head and he moved without thinking about it. He pushed the hand of the living man away from her as he made contact with the man many images flooded in his mind but he pushed all out and perhaps because he had been looking at the spirit of a young woman, pretty as she was that was the one his mind seemed to focus upon.
The room was bare stone, a man was forced to his knees by two stronger looking men, but there was a fire in his eyes. One that would not be allowed to put out by the man he was staring at. "Hello, Brother" I twisted inside the mind that found myself looking out of, it always bothered me to be staring out of someone else's eyes as I was the one forced to relived someone else's memories. The things I've seen, sometimes felt like I was the one doing the deed and I wondered sometimes if I would end up going mad. Yet I had to see this memory though if nothing else. Everything in my being was telling me this would give me a clue to what I was dealing with. Information that I felt Tomi might want if he didn't find it boring.
The man on his knees smiled up at him. It was always best if I remembered that I was not that person. "Hello back little brother, what do I owe this great honor from Father's little Carp?"
He chuckled as he knelt before him, "I heard you disagree with father's choice. Too weak I believe you said to do things on his own?" I could see his reflection in the man's eyes before him. "I thought we could come to an agreement, you will tell Father that you agree with his choice to back me as the Carp and I won't have to hurt her."
"Her?" he chuckled, "You think you have something over me?"
"Ah, I have found someone who makes you weak. You have fallen in love" he snapped his fingers and two more men entered the chamber, a small black hair girl, a beauty by even American standards was brought in. The fear that was coming off of her I could see as she looked around the room back towards the man on his knees. His head turned back towards his brother, he saw the anger. "You did pick such a pretty girl. I heard you ask father to marry her even." He had turned back towards the woman running his hand across her cheek and down her side.
"Father approved of her, you can't touch her." His voice was full of warning and he turned to look over his shoulder.
"Actually I can." He said running a hand up her leg. "There hasn't been an official announcement. How would I know exactly who she is to you Brother?" his hands ran up under her dress and I could tell she was shivering, "Now I can make sure she comes back to you mostly whole or not at all." He nodded his head and the two men forced her onto her hands and knees. "But first I want a taste, you know brothers should always share their toys."
Reino felt physically sick but he had been able to push through the memory enough and while time hadn't really moved forward for the rest of them his arms were around Kyoko's waist pulling her to his chest. He really hated these memories that came but this one wasn't so bad. He could live with the only one that seemed to echo in his mind at the moment. He was thankful that her mind was for the most part blank. If he only had to live through tears of getting a 97% this time around. It was mindless and one that confused him slightly but all that seemed to be in her mind was how she was stupid. He found himself relaxing as he felt Shizuru hand on his head followed by Miroku shoulder against his own. Multi-people always seemed to cancel out everything and he was thankful for that.
None of them had been prepared for the turn that Reino had made. One Reino made a plan he almost never went off course at least not without warning them that something caught his eyes. Yet that's what had happened. Miroku had been surprised to see Reino pushed another living person's hand away from a chestnut hair girl. It took him a moment to realize that this was Lady Kyoko the one who had paid for their bill as a thank you. While he was surprised it had been Shizuru who had acted faster than anyone of them. He might not talk much and was a year older than all of them but he knew something was wrong faster than any of them had.
Shizuru hand fell upon Reino's head almost as if he was the big brother soothing his younger brother and it had been enough for Miroku to move. He had quickly found his place next to Reino their shoulders touching and he felt his friend relax, the girl, however, he was holding looked like she had been frozen in spot and Miroku knew he had that ability. Something to deal with the spiritual powers that had allowed him to see the memories of others and spirits.
"Hello again Lady Kyoko," said Miroku as the other two members of their group moved so that they surrounded Reino and the girl he was holding to his chest. It seemed almost at once to Miroku she relaxed slightly realizing who they were finally.
"Oh... it's you..." her eyes lifted up towards she couldn't really believe who she was looking at. The fact that he hadn't moved at all, was not looking at her but was staring straight at Zakai worried her. What was she not seeing? "Reino" a small smile played across her features.
Miroku noted that it was actually a very pretty smile. Slowly her eyes turned back towards she said looking back towards him and the smile held the same sort of warmth that it had shown Reino. He knew exactly what she was wondering, he leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Miroku," He lifted his eyes towards Reino for a moment he was starting to feel worried about his friend as his eyes turned back towards the Chinese man., "Who's your friend?"
Kyoko eyes slowly turned back towards the other man she almost forgot he was there for a moment, "Oh his name is Zakai Ling" she frowned slightly, "I just met him actually." It was odd, her side didn't hurt at all anymore and that was startling.
Shizuru looked at her for a moment before his eyes fell upon the man called Zakai Ling, "Zakai is a Hebrew name. Are you Hebrew?" If he had been startled by the question it didn't show at all on his features. He almost seemed shy as he shook his head.
"No. It's just a name my mother was very fond of," his turned towards Kyoko. It was clear he was uncomfortable to her and she didn't know what to do about that at the moment. He looked down slightly, "Well seeing as your friends are here, I don't feel so bad about leaving you now." His words were kind and she felt as though they should warm her but something was off.
'Something's wrong' she thought to herself, it seemed to slowly dawn on her, she couldn't believe how foggy her mind was at the moment whenever that man looked at her or spoke to her, 'I can't move. I want to though, why can't I move towards him?' She closed her eyes trying to calm herself some, she felt the arms around her tighten slightly and she realized then that Reino had somehow the cause of why she couldn't move. Why she was not following the man in front of her, this Zakai.
"I will take my leave, I hope we can meet again soon Lady Kyoko," he said taking her hand before kissing the top of her hand. "It was wonderful to meet you" His eyes turned towards the five men who were around her, "Gentlemen," he said nodding his hand still in hers as he slowly turned to look back at her his smile caught her breath again as he bowed once more towards her releasing her hand and walked away. She found it hard to tear her eyes from him.
A/N: Ling: Chinese for clever; intelligent, spiritual and Zakai: Hebrew for pure, clear or blameless. His name in my mind is basically being translated to "Pure Intelligence" or "Clearly Clever."