CHAPTER 13 - SECRET SKILL

Kanae, you've gone crazy, that's what I tell myself. I don't know how Chiori is justifying to herself what the two of us are doing, but to me it is insanity. I accepted the crazy proposition and now I'm trying to orient myself in the desert with the equally crazy Chiori. Grotto of the Hanged, East. Devil's Cup, Northeast. Death Row, North. Trust the nomads. Bridge Rock. I go through the instructions in my mind as if it makes me feel less suicidal. As if the instructions themselves did not contain terrifying benchmarks.

Previous day, Love Me Center

"I knew you were with those freaks!"

"No, I'm not"

"You're sending us there, aren't you? Straight into the lair of the rebels!"

"Yes but-"

"It's only a matter of time before the Council finds their hiding place. Then, it will be public execution for the leaders and labor camps for the others, which is no better than death. And you still want us to join them?"

"No, not them: me"

"What the fuck difference does it make?"

"The difference is that they are like battering rams: very useful but without any coordination"

"And what are you?"

"The coordination"

"In other words..."

"In other words, I am not with them: they are with me. Sort of"

"Sort of?"

"They listen to me. They do what I suggest. They know I'm... different. I indicate what they should do, how they should survive, how they need to organize themselves"

"That is, you are their leader!"

"No! Listen, what they want and what I want is not the same. They're... trying, but they have no idea. It's as if they are agitated children and I am the bored adult who sporadically says things like 'don't run with scissors!', 'don't chop your brother's head off!'"

"So much worse! How do you still expect us to join them?"

"With what I have taught you both in the last three years and with the guidance I gave them, I am sure you will prosper together. And when the right time comes, you will know what to do"

I stare at the gaunt slim man of indefinable age before me. It's been four years since I've known him, three years since his periodic visits to Chiori and me began, and he did not grow an inch. The kid must be sick, even dying. He should be taking care of his own health instead of spending a fortune with us.

"Nothing personal, Rat. I even like you and the things you taught me, but however much this life sucks, it's the best crap I've ever been able to achieve. You would need to offer me more than a suicide raid in the desert, relying on a people who obviously don't trust anyone, straight into the hiding place of doomed people to convince me to accept your proposal"

It seems that Chiori thinks as I do. "Not to mention that the word of the near-leader of a bunch of rebels isn't the best of guarantees, is it not? You're just the 'major nutcase'", I add.

I watch him bring his hands to his neck and slowly unbuckle his helmet.

"The best crap you've been able to achieve, you say?"

He removes the helmet and lowers the overalls to the hips. I don't know Chiori, but I'm astonished.

"Far from wanting to make little of your conquest, but... have you ever thought there could be more... that there must be more to people like us than the Council and society offer us? Haven't you ever wondered if it's really true that all we can do is give birth?"

His voice... I mean, her voice has changed!

"Wow, Kanae! The fag is a woman!"

"I know I'm making a bold proposition and that there is no easy answer. I cannot guarantee your life ... hell, I cannot even guarantee my own life! However, I offer you a role that doesn't involve procreation. I want you to use your minds, not your bodies. The choice is solely yours"

Current moment

Deep down, Chiori and I had to choose between the certainty of reproductive life or the uncertainty of rebellious life. It was exactly the same proposal that Rat made to us, but everything changed when the proposal came from Kyoko. A woman, like us... no, in a situation even worse than ours, considering her identity and that Maria is probably her daughter... is coordinating a rebellion. Sort of, as she said.

It would be shameful not to join her, especially when she filled us with something I suspect is pride. I cannot say for sure, since this is the first time I feel this.

"No one at Bridge Rock knows who I am. It would not be safe for them or for me. I have already given you all the instructions you need: where to go, with whom to speak, what message to convey. The rest is with me. As soon as my schemes in Tsuruga territory are completed, we will meet again"

Chiori is excited, it is noticeable by her walking. It's almost as if she bounced, which is annoying but also strangely reassuring. Maybe I'm the more realistic of the two, or maybe she's just more transparent about what we're feeling now: the purpose of living for a day as part of something bigger is incomparably better than living the rest of our life in connivance with a rotten society.

###

I pretended to be asleep while he was getting ready for the day. I don't know if he believed it, since he watched me for a few seconds before leaving the room, but at least he left without saying a word.

I don't know how to evaluate what just happened between us. I did not expect... I don't know what I expected, but certainly nothing like his behavior or my body's reactions. It's almost as if I could still feel his hands on me; almost as if his warmth had been embedded in my bones. My ears still reverberate the whispered words, the hoarse groans, and the gasping, ragged breath.

I couldn't see him; I'm glad I couldn't see him. I concentrated on looking only at his face, nothing more. At least my vision remains intact. And my taste. My other senses, however, were all dominated. Corrupted. Descartes was right, one shouldn't rely on the senses.

It's like he's contaminating every single one of my thoughts. I need to find a way to make it stop!

I have no reason to stay in bed, so I search and find the clothes he left for me. Pants. He certainly wants me to lower my guard, that's the only reasonable explanation.

Okay, time to gather information.

"Hey, you must be Kyoko!"

Damn it! I barely put a foot out of the room!

"Master Ren told me to come and greet you"

I don't recognize the man. What he has of tall and blond, has of talkative. And smiles excessively, too. What is so funny? First Ten, now him!

"Ah, but I'm being rude! Nice to meet you, I'm Nick! I'm the one in charge here. Master Ren told me that I should show you the place"

Without waiting for a response from me, he simply started walking. I have no choice but to follow him.

"He commented something about you being a cook, which is a surprise, since you're the only woman I've heard who knows how to cook, so... did you say anything?"

Yes, I had just whispered how unwise it would be for men to leave women near knives, but my intention was not to be heard by Nick, so I just shook my head.

"No? Well, as I said, it will be great to be able to talk to someone about cooking. Maybe you can even get Master Ren to eat. Honestly, I don't know how he can stand up eating so little. Hey, you are really quiet, huh?"

Is he real?

"Well, we're in the East Wing. The entire private part of Tsuruga Manor is here, including the Master's quarters. The procreators are in the West Wing and aren't allowed to leave there at all"

Huh?

"So, I suppose you're special!"

He turns his head back to look at me and winks at me.

"The first one he took to his room. The other two must be furious, I tell you, which automatically makes me like you. I'm escorting you to the area of the procreators, to make sure they don't set something against you... and... fucking hell!"

The scene before us is so cliché that it makes me want to laugh. Therefore, I remember my life as Exiled and the revolt makes me regain my seriousness almost immediately.

"I suppose this is my room?"

Nick is transfixed. I've known him for only a few minutes, but I suspect that it must be a real thing to shut him up. What I imagine were clothes, sheets, bedspreads and pillows turned into a heap of patches and fillings. A real waste, first by the absurd amount of articles destined to a single person, second by the audacity of those who tried to destroy them.

"Yes... I mean, no... It was never the Master's intention..."

"Eh? Oh my God, what happened here? Oh no, oh no, what horror! Who would be capable of such wickedness?"

I did not understand what Nick meant. What was not the Master's intention? I turn and face a beautiful woman behind me, looking into the room with shocked, tearful eyes. Nick bristled the instant he heard her voice, so she must be one of the procreators.

"Hey you-"

"Oh no, how cruel! Just because you don't like me you will accuse me!"

Thick tears roll from her eyes. It is a behavior so obviously staged and childlike that it is almost nauseating. Whoever she is, she seems to be less mature than Maria.

"I was not accusing you! I was just going to ask if you know who did this!"

"Oh, really?" The tears stop immediately. "Why, of course it could only have been Ruriko, that envious witch! Spent the last two days complaining that the newcomer would have the biggest room! And speaking of the newcomer, where is she?"

Nick just points at me.

"Eh? Eh? Eeeeeeehhhhh? You are a woman?"

Ouch. She hits hard for a "child."

"Kimiko, have manners!"

"But Nick, I cannot help it! I could have sworn she was a boy!"

I didn't even tie my breasts this morning. Great! I'm a woman for just a couple of hours and I'm already insecure about my body.

"Kimiko!"

It's almost embarrassing to see Nick scold Kimiko. I mean, they must be the same age...

"Gee, you're not very pretty, are you? They were all talking about a 'singular beauty'! Well, I guess they'll be disappointed, right? After all, you look so ordinary! Everyone will wonder what Ren saw in you"

Yeah, yeah. I also don't know what he wants with me, but I intend to find out.

"Kimiko, don't be rude!"

"But Nick, I'm just a sincere woman! It's not my fault if I was taught to speak only the truth!"

"Ah, the old fallacy of rudeness camouflaged as sincerity! A good classic never goes out of style!"

Why are they both silent and looking at me like that? Wait... did I say it aloud?

Now Nick is laughing and Kimiko's beautiful face has become a sneer of hatred.

"Well, maybe Ren felt sorry for you. I know he doesn't seem at first sight and that his fame is terrible, but the truth is that he has a soft heart. Yes, you must be one of his charity cases. Where you starving, sweetie? No man wanted you? Yeah, I bet that was the case, poor thing. But don't worry, even when Ren and I get married, you will not be forsaken"

She hits hard and retaliates even harder. However, why are her words affecting me so much?

"Kimiko, for the last time, Master Ren will not marry you!"

"Why, Nick! Of course, he will! I may be pregnant, you know?"

Why… am I so disappointed?

"Of course not! Nothing would grow into this trap you call a womb!"

A new female voice. Probably the commotion in the hallway attracted the attention of someone who can only be Ruriko, another beautiful woman. My mind is in chaos now. What is this oppressive feeling?

"Great, the 'bitch number two' joined the freak show! Let's use the distraction and get out of here. Master Ren will take care of them later. Or not. Hopefully, they will kill themselves right here, right now!"

I hear Nick's whisper and follow him through a succession of doors and corridors, but I cannot pay attention to the information he's giving me about the rooms we're going through. All I know is that there's a pain in my chest that I cannot handle.

"You know what, Kyoko? I don't know what is fallacy or classic or style, much less where you learned to talk like that, but hell, you were so badass back there! And Kimiko's twisted face, pfffffttt, priceless!" He's laughing again. "Just be careful with those two, okay? They will not stay here much longer, which means they are more desperate. Master Ren knows what he does, and it is not by chance that he is keeping you with him. Those two are trouble, I tell you. Especially Kimiko. Argh, but what am I saying? I shouldn't talk like that about the Clan's procreators. It must be because I liked you!"

He is blabbering again. However, I stopped listening when I finally understood what Nick meant earlier.

"So, I suppose you're special! The first one he took to his room"

"Yes... I mean, no... It was never the Master's intention..."

"Master Ren knows what he does, and it isn't by chance that he is keeping you with him"

Ren is keeping me in his room to keep me away from Kimiko and Ruriko. To protect me from them? Of course not: to protect them from me! Because he knows that if they attack me physically, I will retaliate physically, and they are just two normal women, while he has seen me overthrow three Exceptional men.

I should be proud. Yes, that's what I'm going to do: swallow the tears and be proud of myself. In fact, I don't even know why I'm crying. The Five are right, I've always been a crybaby and it seems that I haven't improved a bit in recent years. I quickly dry my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief as I realize that Nick is absentmindedly speaking and walking in front of me. When I regain my notion of where we are, I can only say that it is a corridor. If I had to retrace the path we've just gone through, I would have to use my skill.

Finally, the kitchen.

"This is where magic happens! Come on, I want to show you the vegetable garden!"

He practically pulls me into the outside area with the bustle I would expect in a child and proudly shows me the plantations.

"Isn't that incredible? Tomato, pepper, potato, cabbage... all this Master Ren personally took care of cultivating. See, eggplants, spinach... "

He looks ridiculously happy.

"Oh yeah. Everything here is practically weed"

I regret the instant the words leave my mouth. I did not mean to be ruthless or petty of what is clearly Nick's source of pride. He seems to be a good guy, after all. However, the unpleasant feeling of before is spreading and-

"Why, you're hard to impress, huh?"

Shit, Ren is just behind me. Nick smiles and walks away.

"Kyoko, what's the matter? You look like you just smashed something important with your foot"

Am I making such a painful expression? I don't know what to say. I don't understand. There's something squeezing my chest and making my eyes sting. Ren's face is only making things worse. Why is he showing me such a worried expression?

"Your procreators ruined my clothes. My room is a mess"

I said the first thing that came to mind. Of course, I'm not whining about something as trivial as Ren's layette for my use, let alone the mess in a room I'll never understand as my own, but I had to say something.

I see a flash of fury light up his eyes, and in the next moment he's nesting my head in his chest.

"Don't worry, I'll give you more clothes"

Kiss, caress. Oh no, stop it.

"As many as you want"

Kiss, caress. Just stop, please!

"And that room is just a facade"

Kiss, caress. I don't know how to deal with you when you do these things!

"So they don't spread out that you live with me"

Kiss, caress. My heart is going to...

###

She is petrified in my arms, but I cannot help but hug her tightly. I can feel her heart galloping and wonder if the nervousness she's obviously feeling is the good or the bad kind of nervousness.

I spent the last two hours trying to concentrate on what Yashiro was telling me, but I could only think of her: what she would be doing, how she would be feeling, what she would be thinking about me. About us.

We haven't had the best of beginnings. However, am I the only one who feels a strange happiness when we are together? Am I the only one who feels that our relationship is changing?

I could spend the whole day like this, with her in my arms, my fingers in her hair, and-

GROOOOWWWWLLLLLLL.

"Hm? A beast, here?"

GROOOOWWWWLLLLLLL.

Wait, is the sound coming from Kyoko? I pull her away from me and look at her. Her face is a deep red. How can she be so adorable?

"Oh, I understand. Yes, you must be hungry. I'm leaving you with Nick, then. After breakfast, however, you should rest"

Oh no, you will not argue against this!

"Kyoko, please!"

Yes, I understand her perplexed expression; I am also perplexed. "Please" is not a word I usually use. Nevertheless, since a certain possibility has infiltrated my mind, I cannot rule it out without first testing it.

"Your eyes are so red... you could hardly sleep tonight, could you?"

I trace the deep dark circles under her eyes with my thumbs and smile when I hear a shuddering sigh.

Yes, my guess is right. I was doing it all wrong! I thought I could tame her by being severe, but all I could do was cultivate her hatred and her grudge. However, with a little tenderness...

"Just for a few hours, okay? I'll be worried if you don't rest. Please?"

Her annoyance would have convinced me, were it not for the lovely blush. And the pout I bet she doesn't know she's doing. Kyoko finally confirms with a nod and I celebrate intimately. Yes, tenderness is the key. I thank her with a smile and she blushes a little more. Is it a wishful thinking or is she opening up a bit more for me?

Hours later, Ren's room

How am I going to protect myself against the unusual skill he has? I knew about the strength and the agility, but... how am I going to call what he does to me? How to name Ren's ability to extract the reactions he draws from me?

(Sex appeal?)

(Pheromones?)

(Alpha male?)

(And does the name matter? We should focus on preventing that she becomes modeling mass in his hands!)

(Or maybe we should let her become modeling mass in his hands. Let's face it, she seriously needs a real man!)

(Natsu, you succubus! How can you think Kyoko will have a chance against him? Did not you see the chaos he created here in just a few hours with her?)

Yes, chaos. I need to focus on the plan, just the plan, and this involves Ren. I need to figure out how to manipulate him, but shamefully I can only think of how to prevent him from manipulating me!

What a useless day. I've never been so long doing nothing. I practically slept and ate all day! Okay, I helped Nick in the kitchen and with the cleaning of the room I should be occupying. Luckily, we did not cross paths with the "two vipers", as Nick calls them. They were probably surrounding the alpha male. I also brought all the torn pieces of cloth here, since I can reuse them. Even so, it was such easy tasks that I cannot feel useful at all.

Where are the risk of death, the fatigue, the worn-out muscles?

"Is this a doll?"

Protective-deity-of-distracted-women, this man is going to be the death of me! Not to mention that I practically sewed my finger!

"Shit! Let me see it!" He takes my hand and examines it. Wait a minute, what is he-

"KYYYYAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Fuck, fuck, fuck! I tried to pull my hand, but he did not let go. Now my finger is in his mouth. And he is sucking. And licking. And laughing! Son of a bitch is laughing, and I must be the color of a ripe tomato!

###

I found her absently sitting on the floor, sewing furiously. Frankly, how many more things does she know how to do?

Dinner today was way better than usual, so I figured she helped Nick. When I looked for her in the kitchen, I found him gazing out of the window and had to put up with his excitement about her as soon as he saw me.

"Master Ren, such a wonderful woman you found! Have you tried the soup? What was that? Who would have thought a little coriander would make such a difference? Hey, she's special, isn't she? Please tell me you're going to marry her! Even if she doesn't get pregnant, I mean, she knows how to clean! And sew! And cook! And she taught me about fallacy and style and classics and she knows some songs I've never heard of! She was humming about this woman, Billie Jean. Did you know that in the past many men did not want to take on the paternity of children? Why would a man do such a thing? Dude, if a woman told me 'take it, it's your baby', I'd be so happy I could die and-"

"Nick, slow down. Billie Jean, you say? Who is she?"

"I don't know either! I asked Kyoko, but all she told me was 'a woman Michael Jackson doesn't want to assume as a lover even though the baby has his eyes.' Do you know who Michael Jackson is? Because if the guy doesn't want the baby, I want it!"

It was at this time that I realized that Kyoko did more than dig up and read some books. Only the ancestors used surnames, so she found more of our past than the information that the Council itself gathered. It's a bold thought, but... what if she found an Ark? What if she had access to the data the ancestors tried to protect for future generations when the destruction of half the planet became imminent?

My immediate intention was to question her, but as soon as I saw her surrounded by torn fabrics and so concentrated on a small piece, I couldn't resist the urge to just talk to her. Just... sit next to her on the floor and watch her. The questions could wait.

She was so focused she did not notice me. I was not trying to be sneaky, so her fright was a surprise to me. Obviously, she's worried about something and I suppose it has to do with me. With us. Kyoko was probably prepared to deal with both the Monster and Master Tsuruga, but she doesn't know how to react to me. How to react to Ren.

There is blood sprouting from her finger and I act without thinking. Of course, with so much cloth around us, the most logical thing would be to use any of them to stanch the blood, but I did the first thing that came to my mind. When she tried to remove her hand from my grasp, the idea seemed too perfect to let her escape from me.

The scream was an unexpected and comical bonus. I figured she'd use her strange ability to pull me away, but no, she's bravely enduring the assault of my mouth. Is Kyoko consciously avoiding using her skill? I have seen her resort to her gift in times of fear and fright. Why not now?

She has her head down, refusing to look at me. It's all right. As long as she blushes to her ears and shivers every time I lick her finger, I'll be satisfied.

A/N - I had to cut the chapter here because it was getting colossally big! (Why does everything I write lately seem to have double meaning? XD)

So many references to the manga today!

New update soon, probably to supply the levels of fluff and lemon that we all need and that Nakamura-Sensei insists on leaving us without T_T (Why, sensei? Why ? TT_TT)

Kisses and thanks for the support!