-Oxford - Friday: Part 4-
Daiki stared at Kyoko sitting on his bed, her hands rested under her chin as she leaned forward on her knees. The whole thing had to be uncomfortable but not nearly as much as she was making him feel at the moment. It was almost as if she stopped blinking, he'd almost think she was off in her little world but anytime he moved to put his bowl of oatmeal and fresh fruit down her eyes would narrow slightly. He had already finished the egg on toast. It had been far too messy for his tastes and so was this bowl of oatmeal, he couldn't get his leg to stop bouncing up and down.
"Will you stop staring at me, it's creepy" he muttered the last part.
Kyoko tilted her head slightly before she smiled, too Daiki it only added to her creepiness at the moment and he mentally sighed telling himself the next time she makes something he doesn't finish to destroy all traces of it not store it. His eyes trailed towards one of his computer screens. Last night while Keiji had been with Kuon, 'No it's Ren, he doesn't want to be with us anymore' his eyes narrowed slightly 'but he's luring Keiji in and' his eyes turned slightly towards Kyoko. He shook his head slightly as he sighed 'No Keiji isn't doing this for him, it's to assure no shame falls on Kyoko' he knew how people would see her if she ever thought to become part of Lory's world. The real issue was that Kuon even if he was being Ren can't be trusted.
"Just eat" she sighed as he frowned. He knew she was liking thinking about him wanting to get back to his gaming world but it was more than that. Last night once his program had stopped running he had come across a certain issue. The fact that something that for the last five years, every time a modeling show happened in the general Oxford area, young women between the ages of 14 and 23 would disappear. Disappear was a nice way to say it really, not all of them were reported it seemed, only a few ever made it into the database but he needed to do more digging to make sure he wasn't wrong. Well not so much make sure he was wrong, he had contacted Leiko with the information and she wanted all the information. Which wasn't a problem but now she wanted him to double and triple check. They weren't really local girls from what he could tell either. He closed his eyes for a moment before sighing, Leiko was right of course, he had no real proof, just a theory and he had to find the connection.
Setting his bowl down he opened his eyes and looked at Kyoko, "Before I finish" he said seeing the look of unhappiness cross her features for a moment. "Alice Patterson" she sat straight, her hands resting on her knees now in little balls of fists. "I think you are right." No it wasn't so much he thought she was right but that they changed the type of targets, they were without a doubt looking for a way to make her disappear where no one would ever bother to look for her again. They hadn't bothered with anyone, not a single soul since they gotten their hands on Alice Patterson, that could mean they were ready to move but based on what he had found, this wasn't normal either. There had been a shift and change to in the type of girls that had disappeared, at least if the police records were any use and it happened when Heth had appeared in front of her and much to his distaste, Kuon saved her. Not that he wanted anything to happen to her, no she was too important to their family now, to him. Yet before the cameras started to fuck up... before the data had been attempted to be destroyed by outside forces. The little bits he had been able to see, there was no Ren Tsuruga in those moments, but it wasn't the old Kuon either. So who was that man now?
His eyes turned towards Kyoko her head was hanging, lost in her own world. "How many? How many were taken because of me?" her voice was low, full of guilt and pain. Daiki couldn't deny that girls were taken due to her that was the biggest problem, they have gotten into a typesetting. Yet how could he explain it wasn't her fault without going further into details? He ran a hand through his hair and it wasn't like he was supposed to know about the Ankou even if he did know about them. He frowned slightly as he picked up his oatmeal, partly wishing he hadn't brought it up just yet.
"It's not like that..." no he was only meant to look for a certain type, through his program. The issue was, none of them were in the database. "You can't blame yourself for it."
Kyoko face seemed to darken, "How many Daiki?"
Daiki stared at her again a sad smile played across his features as he looked back down at his oatmeal, "Five, not counting Alice Patterson." he watched her carefully as he ate the rest of his food, a plan already coming together, but first he needed more information and the only one that knew how they worked, how they really worked was the one who had lived through it. "What do they do to the ones that aren't suited for a replacement?"
Kyoko face paled, something cold was slowly wrapping around her middle that had nothing to do with her as she placed her hands in her hair, she alone had destroyed six people's lives, 'seven' a small voice inside of her said as she felt something inside of her stomach turn. Right now Ren Tsuruga was paying for her own failure in handling Heth, even if he said it was fine it wasn't really. To destroy someone's hard work and she wasn't stupid enough to think the same about the man anymore. No the moment that Shoutaro had... sold her. She had no longer the same the dislike she once held for anyone who couldn't see Shoutaro for how wonderful he really was. Of course, he was a wonder still, a wonderful pain in her side that she felt torn about. To hate him to curse or want his death, no, but she was thankful and that made her sick too.
Kyoko pushed those thoughts out of her head because while Shoutaro had sold her, yes tossed her away even for his dreams. Had she not in some way just done so with those six women? Was it not her own dreams, her own wishes that had cursed them in the end? She wrapped her arms around her side, trying to settle this pain in her heart, some costs... some loss... is it really worth it? 'Yes it is' she winced at the thought that entered her head. The answer was clear of course, even if she was the cause of those six women being raped, beaten, even likely killed if they didn't perform to Heth's tastes. The thought itself made her sick inside, because no matter what she knew he had to be stopped but how many people would be hurt because of her actions? 'Less than if left alone' she closed her eyes tight. All her life has been about making people happy, doing whatever it took to be loved, to be wanted. Now she was loved and wanted at least by her family. She felt a small twist in her heart knowing that she would never be worth anything to someone else when it came to that sort of love. 'But maybe...' she tilted her head thinking about those women '... yes maybe it won't be too late for them.' Yet deep down she knew not all of them would be saved, not all of them would make it even alive. That was all on her.
"Kyoko" her head spun looking back towards Daiki, her eyes darting quickly to his empty bowl before darting to his trash can. "I didn't throw it out." He sighed heavily, "I'd only get in more trouble" he muttered.
She smiled softly at him, feeling that perhaps the Gods would forgive her for her sins they did give her such a wonderful family after all. "No but I'm happy you finished," she said taking the bowl from him and the plate, "It really does make me very happy." She didn't notice the way Daiki looked at her, nor the slight flush of embarrassment that crossed his features, she didn't even hear him mutter something about how that was a stupid reason to be happy before he turned back to his computer screens.
"So, what will they do to them," he asked again.
"They haven't taken anyone else?" she asked warily, she was fearful and if they did take Alice Patterson, who already had a profile... she closed her eyes not wanting to think about it but again she knew she had no real choice.
"Not from what I can tell" she stared at him before nodding her head slightly.
"Well..." she sat the plate and bowl down off to the side of his desk not trusting herself to not drop them. "From what I was shown... and taught" she didn't want to admit even saw in some cases. "Regardless if they are a replacement, they will still be..." she closed her eyes tightly as she felt Daiki's hand rest on top of hers for a moment giving her a slight squeeze before releasing it. It wasn't much but it was enough. "Alice Patterson will be raped, they all will be... but it's deem as training them." She didn't really look at him, seeing more into the past than the present at the moment. "It's to make them less likely to fight back, so that won't matter. The others, they weren't good enough. They'll become flowers, roses or dead." she turned towards him, "the only one of real use right now is the artificial flower. They won't leave a mark on her... unless they seriously have too" which meant if the person they needed they would make that person look as much like the real thing as they could. Even if that meant, removing a limb or two. To them, an artificial flower was only slightly more important than a dead flower.
"Any idea what our time frame is?" Daiki asked, soon the people who would be able to protect her would be gone. He just like the others knew that was what she wanted, needed really. Her eyes lowered as she lifted up the dishes again and smiled softly at him.
"As long as she's smart and doesn't make Heth mad? As long as I'm not in their hands." She turned away walking out of the room. "As for the others until they no longer had worth."
No there was more than that of course, the truth of the matter it was very likely that soon, she would be seeing Heth again. Yet there was something she was missing, something that was brought up, something about the records. Her records. She chewed her lower lip as she stood at the sink washing the dishes so she could put them back where they belonged. 'Heth's not working alone, or at least that cop is helping... but... how did he get a cop on his side?' She sighed heavily as she stared at the bowl in her hand. 'Would the Ankou or a Banshee really aid in this? Help someone like Heth?' she shook her head 'No, only if order...' and she couldn't see her Aunt Mary, allowing that. So a Banshee was the likely person, someone who was no longer happy or someone under the orders of another noble connected to the royal family... one of King Philip's siblings.
Ruto's eyes stared down at the business card, with the words 110-006, Tokyo, Japan. Turning it over once more, he narrowed his eyes. Trying to see something more in the very simple black and white business card but there was nothing. Truth be told it seemed more like a hint than an anything, telling him where to look and nothing more. Still, it wouldn't be too hard to narrow it down with this amount of information.
Kendi Brown cleared his throat, a nasty habit really but his eyes moved back up towards the man as he slipped the card into his pocket. "The man wanted to speak to ArchDuke Lory." The way Kendi's eyes hinted that there was more but that he in truth wasn't supposed to say anything more caused Ruto's eyes to turn towards the woman who was known as Gayle King, for now.
True one could say that the man sought her out because of her role, but he doubted that was the case, it wasn't as if LME offices wouldn't have passed the information on in Tokyo itself which meant the man felt the need to come here on his own and seek out one of them. No, not one of them, one of the Ankou, his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her and he noticed her slight flinched as he did so. "Why is he still breathing?"
Gayle King crossed her legs not looking at him for the longest time, likely trying to get her emotions under control. 'Still young' he thought before she turned towards him. She did seem bothered by it as well but she chewed her lower lip before looking towards Kendi from the corner of his eyes he saw the man nod once and she sighed heavily.
"I wasn't planning on it, letting him live." No Ruto knew very well it was their duty to assure that no one ever learned about the Ankou, he was slightly different, he didn't need to hide as deeply, he would be forever Ruto until his last breath. It didn't mean much and it didn't always help when those who knew would bring it up regardless. Yet that was why rumors were useful, whispers, all added in the idea of mythologies. Wasn't that part of the reason why the founders created such names? "Yet there was this feeling..." she said looking towards Ruto, "I think he's one of hers."
Kendi sighed heavily as Ruto turned towards him. "She rarely allows them here."
This was true, she worked in other ways, Ruto knew that. So there was a reason why this one had been allowed to come, to seek one of them out. The fact that he knew exactly who to look for, was also likely due to her. Though perhaps it wasn't so much that he was looking for her, as more as watching her. His eyes studied the woman in front of him. 'Perhaps there is more than one person to look into' his eyes finally turned back towards Kendi. He gave a small bow of his head, "I'll pass on the information" with that he moved towards the door.
"Is she making her choice?" Ruto's eyes turned towards Kendi for just a moment and the man sighed, "Right, you wouldn't tell me even if she was." With that, he left.
A/N: Well I guess it's kinda out of the bag so to speak. So I'll just say, yes in a way there is indeed a Mafia "showdown" Which you know is why they be there in the story *grins*