TWO

"…Mahoro…"

He faintly heard her name, and though he didn't remember saying it, he realized a moment later his own lips had shaped the word. He dragged his thick tongue over his chapped lips, trying to remember, but his head ached something fierce. He squeezed his eyes closed in an attempt to keep his world from spinning in circles, but failed miserably.

He heard her softly humming his favorite, lilting tune as she dabbed a cool, damp washcloth to his forehead. It felt so good, and for the longest time he allowed the fantasy to play over in his mind, though it could not last forever. The figure looming over him even vaguely looked like her, though he could not truly see, his vision blurred by the haze of haunting dreams.

As much as he wanted to believe that this was his own beloved Mahoro sitting at his side, singing him a song and washing away the muck of the despicable things he had been forced to do, to hear her scold him for the dark thoughts he had allowed to consume his being, Suguru knew that it was a desire with no ground in reality. Mahoro had gone away a long time ago. Duty consumed his thoughts. He had come seeking the Regulator.

He closed his eyes and drew a slow breath, swallowing his fears.

"Drop the act," he murmured through his pain.

"No act, Mr. Misato." The voice came as barely a whisper, but he heard it quite clearly, and it was certainly not Mahoro's. It was soft and feminine, velvety smooth in texture and hauntingly beautiful, but it was also certainly not Mahoro's. She spoke with a kindness that matched her gentle touch when she washed his face. "You've been out for four hours. I am merely tending to your needs until you are able to meet with my master again."

"Your master?"

"Master Roman."

"The Regulator," he grumbled. As he suspected, he was still in the Roman Family Tower. "Dammit. He's a sly bastard, isn't he?"

"This is true." He heard the smile in her reply. "My master is very cunning. However, regardless of what you may have heard, he isn't a bad man. He is simply an old fool who got caught in the middle of a terrible struggle and is trying his best against impossible odds to make a decent life for himself and those he holds dear."

"He's certainly devious. Attacking his assassin with a small arsenal of rubber bullets." Suguru grunted. "For a minute there I thought I was a dead man."

The young woman giggled. "My master can be considered many things. A killer he is not."

He grit his teeth, taking hold of his breath, and before she could protest, he had pushed himself upright. Pain rippled through him, as he'd expected, but it was more of a dull ache, something he could survive. He drew several slow breaths as he tried to calm his nerves, wondering just what he'd gotten himself into. He had fooled himself into believing he was ready, and it had landed him here… in the care of his enemy's servant.

"I'm such an idiot," he grumbled.

She chuckled softly. "I suppose it is better to feel the fool than to feel nothing at all. Death was permanent, you know. Idiocy could be remedied."

Suguru squeezed a fistful of the blanket bunched around his waist. "Didn't you know? Death is the ultimate symptom of idiocy."

"Perhaps."

He saw her, then, for the first time. Long, raven hair fell from her shoulders in luscious waves, an Asian beauty with big brown eyes. She sat on a stool at his bedside, dressed in a knee-length denim skirt and a white, silk blouse. The thin chain at her neck displayed a small, gold crucifix. Suguru eyed the piece of jewelry for a long moment, but when he realized her own eyes were upon him, he turned away, his cheeks afire.

"Master Roman gave it to me ages ago," she said softly. He cast her a sidelong glance, and saw her fingers close around the tiny cross. "As a reminder that the only true sacrifice in this world is the one we make for ourselves."

Suguru frowned, meeting her gaze. He knew full well the story of the Crucifixion. "That doesn't make much sense."

She turned a delightful shade of pink. "Honestly, I don't understand either."

"Maybe I'll just have to ask." Suguru stretched out as best he could, noticing for the first time that he was naked from the waist up, and he no longer wore the black jeans he had on before, but rather a pair of gray sweats. He tossed the blanket toward the end of the bed and swung his legs around so that he sat on the other side of the bed, feet firmly on the floor, his back to her. "So, you know who I am, I'm guessing. You have me at a disadvantage, though. I don't know a single thing about you. What's your name?"

"Kaede."

"That's a nice name," Suguru said as he studied the floor. "Kaede. Maybe we'll have some time to get to know one another. But right now, if I'm to meet with Mr. Roman later, I'm going to want to take a shower."

"If that is your wish." She gestured to a door across the room. "The bathroom is beyond that door. I've been asked to see to all your needs while you are beneath Master Roman's roof. Would you care for some tea?"

"No, thank you. Just a shower and a change of clothes for now."

Kaede smiled. "I'll see about your clothes, then."

Suguru pulled his hat low over his eyes and cast Kaede a sidelong glance as she reached up to press a button mounted on the doorframe. The door swished open before them, revealing a dining room straight out an eighteenth century Victorian household. He slipped inside and swept his gaze through the elaborate space, and specifically to long rectangular table near the far end, where an impressive meal awaited. Portraits not unlike those he'd seen in the primary hall at the ground level—though these were considerably larger—watched down on him, seemingly with disdain, and Suguru did his best not to meet their stone-cold gazes.

The carpet seemed to be spun in gold, a perfect match for the oak walls, and complemented also by gilded electric torches on marble mounts spaced every ten feet or so on the walls. Suguru tipped his head back to gaze to the ceiling and was met by a stunning sight: a star field so vast and brilliant that he could have sworn he was not in one of the world's greatest cities, a display so perfect it seemed not even a pane of glass barred them from the heavens beyond. Were they so far above and beyond the glow of city lights?

"A little toy Saint supplied me with years ago." Roman's voice whipped Suguru back to reality, and his hand went instinctively to the holster inside his leather coat, but paused halfway there when he remembered that Kaede had not returned that piece of his apparel. He grunted and continued on toward the table, where Roman had suddenly appeared. The stout, bearded man smiled and gestured for him to take a seat. "Seems a pristine display of the heavens, does it not? Of course, that is not it's only use, but in this case, it is the ideal use, I must say. It's a product only we of Roman Enterprises possess on this Earth, and one of the many great advantages for serving as the regulator of technology between the human race, and those who came to us from the stars. I hope one day to share this technology with the world."

"Something doesn't seem right," Suguru murmured, pausing with his back to the American, mind racing as he turned his gaze skyward once more. Suguru cast Roman a sidelong glance, waiting, but the Regulator simply watched right back. "What is this place?"

The Regulator smiled. "Don't you know?"

The young man tensed, but Kaede laid a hand on his arm. "Suguru." He glanced at her, having nearly forgotten that she at his side. "Mr. Roman means you no disrespect. He is like a child sometimes, showing off his toys… but he is also excited to have someone with whom to share his prized possessions."

Suguru continued to glare. "That so?" He sighed, lowering his arms. What she said only made sense. Roman had built his empire from the ground up, if with the help from alien technology. It seemed only natural that he would be so eager to display his collection, especially in the presence of a man he believed would understand. "All right then. Did you invite me here for dinner, or did you just want to gloat about all this technology you've accrued over the years?"

Roman shrugged. "I have no need to gloat. It is marvelous to have, but it is still only material. Our most precious resource will always be the people."

"Save perhaps a combat drone."

The heavyset man sighed heavily. "I told you, Mr. Misato… they are only security drones. Nothing more than that."

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm not prepared to accept everything you say as fact," Suguru grumbled. He pointed to the dome overhead. "What is this?" he asked. "The stars… there's something odd about all this. I've never seen that pattern before."

"Ah, but you've a keen eye, my friend," Roman chuckled. "Of course you are right. This pattern exists out there somewhere, but not on this Earth, beyond what you see above you. This is no mere view of the heavens, after all." He passed Suguru on his way to a small console on the wall next to the door where he'd come in. He inserted a cardkey into a slot and then pressed a sequence of buttons. Overhead the visual shifted, the stars abruptly rushing from view, spreading out away from the center of the dome. Soon a red glow appeared as a massive planet appeared in their place. Suguru quickly realized that the red glow came from a massive star could be seen in the background. "You see, Mr. Misato, this is no mere dome."

"A database," Suguru mumbled. "This is Saint technology all right. I would imagine they take a visual record of every planet they've ever explored."

"Ah, quite right, my friend. Though there is not a complete directory, they've mapped out a great deal more of the galaxy than have we here on Earth. More than we can possibly imagine."

He gestured up to the dome. "Silvaplana. The future of humanity in accordance with Saint."

Suguru blinked. "The future?"

Roman grinned. "Some day, I hope you have the opportunity to come to the understanding of what that means, my dear Suguru."

Suguru mulled over the verdict, and decided that dinner was… satisfactory. The food was actually quite good, but he didn't care so much for the company. He ate in silence, or at least he would have, had his host and Kaede allowed him that opportunity… but they seemed bound and determined to ask questions to which there were no answers, at least for him. Roman seemed most interested in his experiences five years ago, after Mahoro had come into his life, and Suguru wanted nothing to do with those dire, painful memories, so he made no effort to answer the man's questions. Kaede was curious about Vesper. What stake she had in that organization Suguru couldn't be sure, but she asked with wide eyes even though he had no real answers for her.

Suguru also had unanswered questions regarding that foolish organization. As far as he could tell, no one in Vesper cared for or seemed even remotely interested in the truth, from Mahoro all the way through to the top of the blasted food chain. He shoved in a forkful of the closest entrée whenever a question was asked for which he had not answer… or to which an answer brought up painful memories. Thankfully, neither Roman nor Kaede pressed him, though he suspected they were simply easing themselves into the situation, so they could ask again later when they felt he trusted them. That would never happen, Suguru vowed.

They steered as clear as possible of the personal issues, though he suspected they knew a great deal about his past. They knew enough of his past, at least, to refer to people that he knew… specifically Minawa, Ryoga, and Mahoro. His heart broke a little with each familiar name, and a longing to see their faces once more. Somehow, he maintained a calm that even impressed himself, and he doubted either suspected the depth of the sorrow that scarred his heart.

I promised myself. I thought that I would completely seal away the sights and sounds of that time. My friends, our hopes and dreams, and that precious memory itself. And yet… here I sit, suffering those despicable injustices all over again, all because someone on an ego-trip wants to dig deeper than the truth goes.

"Tell me something, if you would. The girl. The cyborg?"

"Minawa," Suguru grumbled, and shoved the remnants of a dinner roll into his mouth as an excuse from having to elaborate.

"Ah, yes, little Minawa," Roman said, a small smile on his face. "Poor child. A real sweetheart who never had an opportunity to truly grow, to expand her horizons until she was finally free of Management's enslavement. Damn shame. Humanity must learn to accept what Saint has to offer if we are to better our advancement as we turn to the stars, but first we must set all our prejudices aside."

"Opportunity," Suguru said as he poked his fork at the cooked cherry tomato on his plate. "Prejudice. You have high hopes for us all, don't you?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"Maybe you should lower your expectations."

"Some said the same of President Kennedy. Martin Luther King. The Dalai Lama. No, Suguru… this isn't about expectations. This is about making one's voice heard. We must overcome what is considered the standard of the human race and enable ourselves to create new standards. We must show our strengths through our actions, and rise above our weaknesses. Don't you agree?"

"I think you give the human race too much credit."

"Perhaps it is you who underestimates humanity," Kaede whispered. She averted her gaze when they both turned to her, surprised by her interruption. "I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."

"Nonsense, Kaede," Roman replied, waving his hand to dismiss the notion. "This is precisely the situation to which I am referring. We are individuals of differing minds. That we can set our differences aside and hold a rational conversation proves that we are people not only of strong character, but also of reason. This path we walk must be dictated by reason, or all is lost before the first step in our journey is made. People of reason must lead us into the future."

"You said you had no intentions of deciding the fate of the masses." Suguru stabbed a chunk of steak from his plate and popped it in his mouth.

"And that was no lie. I am a businessman. My part in the advancement of the human race is slight. I am an advocate of growth, of capitalism, but in the end, I am no leader. I prefer to leave the path of humanity in the hands of better men."

Suguru wondered who Roman considered to be "better men" but decided not to press the matter. "So Minawa," he said quietly, picking at his meal. The memory of the young, blonde cyborg returned to the forefront of his thoughts. Minawa had become Mahoro's little sister not only out of necessity but out of pure love as well in their brief time together. Suguru could not deny that he too had fallen in love with Minawa, with all his heart and soul. She was family. Of his regrets of leaving Japan behind four years ago, Minawa topped the list. He hoped she was faring well after all this time. After taking a sip of milk, Suguru drew a deep breath and glanced to the Regulator. "What do you want to know?"

"I am grateful for Saint's rousing success in alleviating the girl's pain," Roman said. He set down his silverware and leaned back in his chair, eyeing Suguru as if he were the prize pick in a tank of lobsters. A smile soon brightened his somber features. "When did you last have the opportunity to speak with her?"

"It's been four years, since before Saint took her."

"Ah yes. When it was finally made clear the cruelty of the design flaws of Minawa's cybernetic enhancements, Saint agreed to take her into their care until they could correct those flaws and free her from the agony of Management restrictions. I suppose your status as a rogue following Mahoro's death would disallow contact with the friends of your past."

"You seem to know a lot about this sort of thing."

Roman laughed. "Son, I am the Regulator. It is my business to know."

"If you already know so much, why bother asking these questions?"

"In order to accumulate knowledge, the desire to learn is essential."

"No offense, but I find your knowledge of my past creepy."

"Well, to be honest, you're not the first person to ever say those words to me. Yes, I know my approach is unsettling to those who do not understand… but rest assured, it is a stalwart approach."

Suguru ran his fingers through his hair, glancing from Roman to Kaede, and back. "This is nuts."

"Perhaps we need something to take our mind off of our concerns, at least for the moment." He touched a button on the armrest of his chair that Suguru hadn't seen before. "Miss Garcia… would you please send in the three battle drones, LX1400, 1401, and 1402?"

Battle drones? Suguru turned his suspicious gaze to the American. He wanted to jump the man, accuse him of lying from the very beginning, and beat him to a bloody pulp, but something held him back. Maybe it was the eyes of Kaede, watching him in silence. Those eyes upon him were familiar, peaceful orbs filled with conviction and devotion. She was sworn to this man, to the Regulator, and Suguru knew she would defend him to her dying breath.

But what was she, a mere woman, to him, Suguru Misato? He wasn't the weakling of a fourteen-year-old that he had been back then, when Mahoro had served his every whim. He was taller, stronger, more mature, and he had become everything in his heart that Mahoro would have hated. Her betrayal had taken so much from him. Now he was someone to be feared.

The door hiss open, and three lean silhouettes strode into the room. His first impression was that the three were human, so sleek and organic their forms, but with the first glint of the light reflecting off their metallic skin Suguru realized these were not flesh and blood people. The three silently drew swords that were sheathed over their right shoulders. Suguru stiffened.

"Kaede," Roman said slowly, his voice scarcely audible. Suguru recognized his soft tone as an order.

And then, in half the blink of an eye, Kaede was airborne. Stunned, Suguru hadn't even felt her move from his side. In her right hand she wielded a katana, when moments ago she had been unarmed. Suguru was on his feet a heartbeat later. The movement toppled over his glass on the table, sending milk splashing across the red, silk tablecloth. Instinctively he reached for the gun that was no longer there, lip curled in a dangerous snarl. He loosed a curse when he realized he wasn't armed, a low guttural oath that would have drawn the ire of Mahoro only four short years ago… but Mahoro was no longer in his life, was she?

Suguru, bound and determined to joined the fray, put a boot to the tabletop, but Roman's hand on his arm gave stayed him. "Calm down, Suguru. There is no battle to be waged here." He smiled and gestured to Kaede, and when the young man saw her, stepping gracefully between the trio of machines as she whipped her blade effortlessly through the air in a dance with death. The sight of her fiery determination nearly took his breath away. "Show patience, and I will explain."

Suguru glared down at the Roman, but he said nothing.

A lightning fast movement snagged his attention. Kaede moved with precise, violent grace. Her sword flashed as it caught the red light from the image in the dome overhead, and Suguru saw dark eyes that burned with righteous wrath. She had changed in only an instant from the calm, quiet, tormented girl, somber servant to Matthew Roman, the Regulator, to a fierce warrior whose hand was guided by the devil himself, a startling transformation. She was in her element now, skilled in the martial arts of her native Japan.

Her swordsmanship was simply spectacular. Metal clashed against metal in a violent challenge with death itself, sending a rain of sparks down upon the four in the heat of battle. Suguru's adamant desire to rush to Kaede's aid only a moment before melted away. He stood transfixed. It occurred to him that it had been Kaede who had come to his rescue as his first confrontation with the Regulator had ended in abysmal failure. In the blur between reality and dreams, his vision of the truth had been obscured, and he had even wondered if what he had seen had any validity in the waking world. He only remembered Mahoro's name on his lips when he woke earlier that evening. Now he realized he had mistaken Kaede for Mahoro.

The differences were all too clear. Kaede was several inches taller than Mahoro had been, with the slender, almost wiry frame of a dancer. Where Mahoro had been delicate and feminine and soft, Kaede was a ravaging beauty seemingly built to strut across a catwalk or flirt with a camera that captured her every movement. She had none of the baby fat that had bestowed innocence in Mahoro's smile. She also lacked the emotion with which Mahoro had watched him, though that was understandable in the grand scheme of things. This girl didn't know him. How was it possible to show true range of emotions for a complete stranger?

It was also possible, Suguru reasoned, that she held in her heart hatred for the man who had come with the intent of striking terror into the corporate ladder of Roman Enterprises. He wouldn't blame her if she hated him for his crime of intent. He didn't know if he would have been able to kill Roman if it had truly come to that moment, but he knew he had been on the verge, struggling with all the emotions and confusion involved. Some assassin he'd been.

"She's amazing," Suguru whispered as Kaede ducked the blow of one of the drones, which he realized that up until that point she had simply been toying with. She drove her blade home into the torso of the machine where a man's ribs would have been, near to the heart, and she slipped the free just in time to sidestep the attack of another drone as the first went limp and toppled to the floor. "I had no idea she could move like that. It's incredible."

Across the room, Kaede spun toward the second drone as she brought the weapon up to deflect an incoming attack. So strong was the blow that, when their swords clashed, the drone's hips rolled too far toward its target, leaving itself vulnerable for a split second. She took full advantage of that subtle error, burying her blade into the drone's neck. Through the shower of sparks, she identified the final drone as it backpedaled to steer clear of her blade. She ripped the weapon free with a ferocious battle cry and darted forward to press her advantage.

The Regulator rested his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers as he leaned forward. "Indeed. This, Suguru, is why I am content to keep her at my side. Not only is she beautiful, intelligent, dependable, and faithful to a fault, but she is also among the best martial artists of the western world. For Kaede, this is just a light workout, barely enough to break a sweat. Let's call it a demonstration."

Suguru cast the only man a sidelong glance. "Demonstration?"

"That's right. Tell me, Suguru… do you find what you see to your liking?"

He arched an eyebrow as his suspicion swirled anew. "Just what are you getting at, Roman?"

"I have a business proposition for you, son." The big man stabbed a bloody slice of steak from his plate with his fork as he slopped up the excess juices with a dinner roll. Suguru continued to glare at him as he popped the meat in his mouth and chewed slowly before he went on. "In all honesty, my proposition is the very reason you are here with me now, dining like a prince, and not huddled in some dark alleyway just hoping to stay dry and safe for the night, discarded like yesterday's garbage… which some might consider too good for the culprit who threatened to steal the life of the head of Roman Enterprises."

Suguru sighed, folding his arms over his chest as he looked away, and closed his eyes. "Fair enough. I'm listening."

"I would like to offer you a job." Suguru pried open an eye and peered darkly at the man without turning to face him, but Roman held up a hand to stay any objections before he could interrupt. "Now please, Suguru, hear me out."

"You want to hire me?"

"You are unique Suguru, a man torn between sides in a war he does not wish to fight," Roman said quietly as Kaede sliced the air with her sword, standing over the still remains of the final battle drone. She bowed her head in silent contemplation as the men watched her tip of the blade rested on the floor as she waited. "To be the head of a major corporation is a difficult enough task, as you might expect. As the Regulator, I am a man torn between not only the different facets of humanity but also between worlds, much as you are. Whether you wish to accept my importance for both humanity and Saint is irrelevant. I am expected to help to keep the peace, as best I can, between the three fronts in this devastating war. But to be a peacekeeper is not a duty without its own significant hazards."

"What? Now you're trying to turn yourself into some kind of martyr?"

"Oh, that is hardly the purpose, Suguru. The truth is, I've been the target of conspiracy for a good long time now. I am, after all, a threat to Management, and have been ever since I left the organization. In the past thirty years, they've assassinated two presidents, a presidential candidate, and a civil rights activist who had threatened their stance, and now they are plotting to come after me."

"I don't see how you can compare yourself to those men."

"I honestly don't mean to," Roman said through a sigh. "It is certainly not my intent. The truth is, I am a businessman, and I also know a bit about the battle being waged between Management and Saint, and Vesper's connection to both sides. This war is regrettable. It is unfortunate. But, at the same time, it is absolutely imperative that this war is fought, and Management must not come out on top. This is part of my duty as the Regulator, you see."

Suguru scowled. "And you want a guy like me why?"

"Because, my dear Suguru…"

Kaede's dark eyes turned slowly toward the two of them. She started forward, dragging the tip of her katana slowly along the ground as she walked. The soft scrape of metal against metal was the only sound for several long moments.

"You are a man who sees the world through unique eyes. You move forward much as I do, but unlike myself you hold no trust in your heart for anyone. I must face these challenges as one who sees advantage in all aspects of the course of the future, because as it stands today there are a great many paths the future may take."

Suguru watched Kaede's approach. "'Only a fool walks through life prepared for only one possible outcome.'"

Roman smiled. "Or so I've heard."

"That still doesn't explain why you want me at your side."

"You answered that yourself already. Only a fool walks through life prepared for one possible outcome, Suguru Misato."

Kaede arrived at the table. At the chair where she'd sat for their meal, she lifted her sword and returned it to the sheath hidden behind the chair back. She slid silently into her seat, her hands folded in her lap as she waited.

"I would like for Kaede to take you under her wing," Roman said quietly. "You are a man skilled in the martial arts, to some degree, but I believe Kaede can teach you a great deal more. I'd like you to learn to wield that sword she carries." He held out his hands in a somber gesture. "You will be paid handsomely for your services, of course. In the end, I would hope that you are better prepared to face this future. Whether we walk that path together, or you elect to walk your own in the end, is a choice I leave to you. Until then, you will be my guardian."