Chapter 32- Surprise

Mary Frances was far from happy when she arrived back at Omoro. Kai was rattled when she came through the door, streaming like a freight train. She did not respond to his question as she stormed up the stairs and slammed the door to George's old room.

It was a moment later that Kanade came in followed by Hibiki, both looking guilty.

With a spatula in hand and the sound of frying food behind him, Kai wore a look of complete bewilderment. "What happened at Sakura's house? Mary Frances looked really angry."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Hibiki asked as both girls shared the same look on their face as their father- for totally different reasons. They thought he had found out and called Uncle Hagi.

Kanade looked thoughtful for a moment before she finally blurted out, "We went to a club last night and ended up spending the night at Uncle Hagi's."

Hibiki's face went through many changes in the course of the next thirty seconds. At first, she was dumbfounded, then bewildered, next was betrayal, then fear, before it all came back to speechless.

Kanade answered the unasked question of her sister, "Now that Uncle Hagi knows where we were, it's only a matter of time before he calls Kai to say that we were at his house." She shrugged, "May as well get this over with quickly."

Finally finding her voice, Hibiki shrieked, "Are you insane? Kai's gonna kill us for this." It seems the shocked blue-eyed queen forgot where she was for a moment as well as who was standing in front of her. "If you learned to keep your mouth shut, I'd probably be able to…"

"Able. To. What?" Kai ground out, causing his daughters to both turn their stunned expressions to him. He then went on, "As a matter of fact, I'd like to know all about this 'night at the club and Uncle Hagi's place'."

Kanade looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car as Hibiki rubbed her face in her hands before deciding to keep her face permanently buried there.

"Well?" Kai growled expectantly.

It took a moment before Hibiki's face decided to make its appearance from her hands. When she did, her curiosity overwhelmed her better judgment. "Wait. Hagi called us this morning saying that you told him about everything."

Kai raised an eyebrow as he was overwhelmed with curiosity too. "What are you talking about? He called here to tell me about your Aunt Saya and then asked where Mary Frances was and if she was giving me any problems. I told him you guys were at a friend's house for the night."

The girls still didn't understand how the chevalier had figured it out. It was the perfect alibi. Sakura had even agreed to covering for them.

After a moment of trying to wrap his head around how the chevalier put two and two together and got 116, he realized that Hibiki had pulled one of her distraction tactics on him. The girls were nearly at the stairs when Kai bellowed, "Get your skinny back side's back here right now!"

Hibiki had figured it all out. When Kai told Hagi they were spending the night somewhere else, he knew his daughter well enough to know how her mind would work on the situation. She was left with a key to an empty apartment. With a smirk, she thought that she'd never ever try to pull a fast one on her uncle the way she did her adopted father.

~0~

It had been 6 hours since they arrived back at Omoro. Mary Frances stared at the ceiling with her hands laced behind her head. Her thoughts were a million miles away- strike that. They were on the other side of the world. There was a reason for her never even opening one of Jack's letters or even responding to his messages and texts.

With a huff, she rolled over and tried to rid her thoughts of that beautiful piece of eye candy. The rendezvous last night was merely a distraction from her racing thoughts of their lust-hazed past. That guy from last night was cute, but he was not the greatest lover. While he was slightly rough, he wasn't rough in the way she wanted.

Jack.

Her thoughts were consumed and she needed another distraction. With that thought in mind, she rose to head to Hibiki and Kanade's room. That would be a perfect distraction from their punishment. They had all been grounded until David came for them.

As she made her way there, the voices of the twins brought her to a halt. At first, a scowl etched her features, but once the words registered, her jaw hung open in shock mixed with rage. How the two got a hold of those letters she didn't know, but they would soon be rid of their pretty little heads.

"Have you ever heard a guy talk like he's so completely head-over-heels before?" Hibiki's voice was muffled.

"Not unless you count one of those wonderful romance movies," Kanade answered. "I am so glad I took that English class in college."

"I am so glad you saved these letters, Kanade," Hibiki commented. She then added, "What is wrong with her? If I had a guy that sent letters like this, I'd be all over him! They'd have to surgically remove him from me."

Kanade was silent for a moment, no doubt giving her sister a disgusted look. After a time, her voice began again- translating the letter into Japanese as she read.

My Love, M.F.

I don't think I'll ever understand why you want to just forget me. I will never forget you. My heart will always be yours and even though you do not act as if you want me, I know the truth. Your past can't be so terrible that I would leave you.

I went to The Center and met all your old friends. Do you think it was supposed to surprise me that you were a hooker? That's how I met you! You were some kid on a street corner and I was looking for a quick lay.

Remember? I was the one that told you about The Center…

At that moment, Kanade's voice stopped. It was obvious that she was confused.

In the next instant, Mary Frances burst into the room. She had to stop them before they discovered more of what she was hiding. Damn it! That Jack! She'd have to write him now and she would tell him to keep the gory details to himself. Obviously, there were two overly curious queens that not only looked like teenage girls, they acted like it too.

She roughly snatched the letter from the stunned brown-eyed queen's hand. She wasted no time in shredding the letters with her bare hands as tears filled her eyes angrily.

Kanade and Hibiki sat there stunned. What was this about? Mary Frances was glaring down at them while tears filled her eyes. She looked utterly betrayed, but the two queens weren't sure if it was them or the man named Jack that her emotion was directed toward.

It took a moment, but finally Kanade spoke in a broken whisper, "I'm sorry, Mary Frances."

Hibiki was broken from her shock by Kanade's words. She looked at her sister like the girl had grown two heads and then turned to the woman that stood before them. "Well, I'm not," she spat. "I want to know who you are! Obviously you are not Mary Frances Reyes. How would he have said that he met you on the street when Mary Reyes was a reformed prostitute?"

Before she could continue her tirade, the girl's hands went up and she spoke, "Hey, you should be sorry! I ought to ring your skinny neck for going through my shit!" Turning her head, she had to control her breathing before she added, "Well, since you two had to meddle and not leave it alone, I'll tell you."

She took a seat in the desk side chair after she pulled it to the bedside. The posture and the way she sat in the exact chair their uncle always sat in when he had to have "a little talk" with his nieces was not lost on them. "Okay," she said as she rubbed her face in her hands, "I didn't want to tell anyone, but I guess you guys will keep it to yourselves."

"I didn't want to tell my mom that I was prostituting on the side to earn money. It's also how I met some of the girls that needed help."

Both girls looked on completely stunned. "Are you serious?" Kanade asked. "Why would you do something like that, knowing what your mom went through to get out?"

Mary Frances shrugged, "Curiosity, I guess."

Both sisters looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces. It took a moment before they both spoke as one, "I can't imagine being that curious."

The taller woman raised an eyebrow at what she had deemed "the freaky twin thing". Now she really looked like her father. All she needed was a wavy ponytail and suit and the sisters would have felt like they were being scolded for something they had done.

Hibiki finally waved her hands in front of her and said, "Never mind all that, I want to know what the deal is between you and this guy. I mean, look at the way he talks to you! How long have you been together?"

Mary Frances shrugged, "I dunno. I guess since he started working for Daddy Green a year back. He was always sniffing after me like some horny teenager. I gave him one night of fun and it turned into two, then three, and now I don't even know if I can count the number of times."

Kanade's nose crinkled slightly at the thought of just bedding someone like an animal in heat. Civilized people don't do those kinds of things, do they?

Hibiki was a little surprised, but for a different reason. The way Mary Frances was talking about him sounded like a couple of heated creatures that were just in it for pleasure, but the tone of the girl's voice gave her away- she did have feelings for the guy she left behind.

Hibiki crinkled her brow and brushed stray hair from her eyebrow as it began tickling her. "If you're so crazy about him, why not write back? Why throw his letters out like this?"

Mary Frances' gaze darkened as the look of thunder returned to her brown eyes. "Why the hell did you think you could take those letters from the trash in the first place?"

Kanade was now riled by the sudden anger in her 'cousin's' voice. "First of all, leave Hibiki out of this," Kanade commanded. "Second of all, I didn't think it was a crime to take something from the garbage. You threw these letters away! Third, you shouldn't get upset when all she is doing is trying to help you and the poor guy out."

Mary Frances then turned her angry glare to the brown eyed queen. "Oh? I suppose you think that opening a letter that was never opened by the recipient was just an okay thing to do? Those letters are meant to be private!"

Kanade finally wore a contrite look and felt genuinely sorry. Finally she spoke up in a hushed tone, "I'm sorry, Mary Frances." Before the girl could respond, Kanade turned a cold glare up at the girl and demanded, "But what I did was nothing compared to what you are doing now. You break Jack's heart and then drag it through the dirt! He loves you and you love him, yet all you do is betray him at every turn."

"What are you…" Mary Frances tried as she wore a look of confusion.

Hibiki, deciding to add her two cents interrupted, "What the hell would you call last night? Do you even know the guy's name?"

Mary Frances was not one to be shamed by her actions- especially when it came to her promiscuous behavior. "I'm not like you. I was raised in the US- where it is sometimes okay to be with many partners."

Kanade raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest, "I don't think that it matters where you're from. You don't do that kind of stuff when you're in love."

Hibiki added, looking at the girl incredulously, "You really think that it matters where you're from? Are you kidding? I may not have been out there as much as you, but I do know that right now, I don't want to even imagine being in the arms of any guy other than Raoul."

"And I don't want to be in the arms of anyone other than Hojo," Kanade chimed in. She then added with feeling, "I can bet anything that Saya can't imagine being with anyone other than Uncle Hagi."

Mary Frances winced at the thought of it.

Kanade moved to place a hand on the younger girl's shoulder but was stopped by her sister. "Forget it, Kanade. We were wrong. There's no way she's in love with him." The blue-eyed queen stood and looked down at Mary Frances with contempt.

Kanade felt bad for the girl, but she needed this. Someone had to force the girl's hand.

It was a little while before Mary Frances buried her face in her hands and then groaned, "I don't want to feel this way." She looked up at the wall in front of her and added, "I can't let Jack get involved in my life- it's already complicated enough with finding out that my father is some kind of immortal creature and that I will never be normal- ever."

Now Kanade did place a hand on her shoulder as Hibiki returned to the bed. Kanade reassured, "So tell him. Let him know what he's getting involved with. I told Hojo."

"Raoul was with the Red Shield, so he already knew," Hibiki chimed.

She smiled, but then gave a thin-lipped expression as she thought about what was coming next for the group of chiropterans. Another war. She shook her head. "I can't let him… Not now. I can't let him get involved. If he was somehow caught up in all this shit, I'd lose my mind."

The other two nodded. It really would be a bad idea to let another human get involved in this. It was bad enough that they already knew what Kai was planning. He was going to have Riku stay behind while he hopped a flight to Germany. They didn't want to think how many Red Shield members had lost their lives and their families to this dispute.

"Well," Kanade reassured, "at least you can tell him how you feel. Maybe when this is all over, he can move here."

Mary Frances scoffed, "Fat-ass chance. I'm moving back there."

The sisters looked at each other and shared the thought, "We'll talk later."

Deciding a change in direction with the conversation was needed, Kanade suggested, "Why don't we open the most recent letter? It came this morning and I was going to give it to you." She handed the white envelope to Mary Frances, who slightly scowled at the queen.

Mary Frances slid a fingernail along the top of the letter and pulled the single sheet from inside.

M.F.

I will keep this letter short. You have my gut twisted in knots right now. I have been writing and writing, waiting for you to answer me. I know I wasn't supposed to expect much- in fact, I shouldn't expect anything.

I can't do this anymore! I have to see you! I need to talk to you and convince you that we are perfect together. I don't give a shit about your past. I only want you. Please just hear me out. Please just write me back.

I wake up every day, go to work, but all see while I'm there is you. It sounds crazy but the damn place smells like you. I can't go home and I can't go to work- you've left me with nothing but a memory.

Please, at let me know you are listening.

Jack

She lifted her eyes. She didn't see the twins dumbfounded looks at the heart felt words of the boy she'd left behind. She didn't hear the sounds of the patrons filling Omoro for the evening or the shouts of her uncle for the girls to come down and help.

Without a word, she dashed to George's old room and grabbed her cell phone. It wasn't long ago that she had asked for international calling, but she wasn't sure why until now. Her fingers shakily hit the numbers she knew so well. The sound of the voice on the other end caused tears to fall from her eyes and a smile to cross her face. "I love you, too," she uttered into the phone.

"MF, is that you?" his voice asked. He sounded so unsure.

"Who else would it be, bitch?" she asked.

All she could hear was his breathing for a moment. "Did you just…"

"You're right. I am an idiot. I am an idiot that loves you, Jack."

"Ma…" he tried. His tongue seemed to be stuck as his heart was pounding like thunder in his chest. "Oh my god, I love you, too," he finally breathed out. He looked at his alarm clock to see that it was nearly 4am, but he didn't care. "I have to see you."

She shook her head. "Not right now," she responded. "It's not settled here yet. I'm still at war with my brother."

"I don't give a shit! I want to see you. I need to see you!"

"Please, Jack," she begged, "give me a couple of weeks."

She could almost feel the need in his voice as he responded with a grunt. "God, MF, you're killing me. You tell me you don't want me and that you won't be back, ignore me for weeks and weeks- then out of the blue, you call me at fucking 4 am and tell me you love me." She waited while he gathered his thoughts. With a deep breath he added, "Just tell me it's not a dream."

How her hands itched to cup his cheeks and look into his soulful eyes. With a few tears in her eyes she answered, "It's not. I love you, Jack."

"God, MF, I love you too… so damn much it nearly kills me."

~0~

Kai was done breaking down everything and Riku was nearly done in the kitchen. Mary Frances and the girls had left earlier with David on their mission. He was quite surprised with Mary Frances' arsenal and the fact that she could carry all that stuff within the confines of her black cloak. She modeled the ensemble before she left, causing Riku to shout animatedly, "She's the grim reaper!"

The owner of Omoro knew that David was long gone and it was time to set his plan into motion. He turned to his son and informed him, "Riku, I will be going out of town for a few weeks. Please stay with the Takahashi family, I've already talked to them."

"No, Dad."

Kai turned, completely stunned by what he had just heard. When he finally found his voice, he asked, "What do you mean? This is a war!"

"I mean no, Dad," the 20-year-old responded. His arms were now crossed over his chest and his expression looked to be set in stone. It caused Kai to wonder if the boy had been taking lessons from Hagi. "Mr. David said it was too dangerous for you."

Kai rolled his eyes and then placed a hand on his son's arm. "I know Mr. David always says that," Kai reassured, "but believe me, your old man is a lot tougher than you think. I'll be just fine and I'll protect your sisters and your cousin."

"Dad," Riku argued.

"Trust me," Kai requested.

"Dad, it's not that. Mr. David and Mr. Joel both said this was a chiropteran war and humans need to stay out."

Kai smirked, "He basically said the same thing 30 years ago when he left your Uncle Riku and I in a hotel in Vietnam. I didn't listen to them then and I won't listen now."

As Kai rose to go get his things together, his son followed with a determined glint in his eye. Kai didn't hear the boy or see him as he packed his things in a suitcase. Riku still had his headphones around his neck, but didn't put them in his ears.

He didn't tell his father that he had already packed his clothes and a few other items as well. The timing had to be right to tell him. He wanted to tell his father when Kanade and Hibiki were here, but both had refused to let him come with them, forcing him to do this another way.

The black haired boy cut the silence with his comment, "I'm going, too."

Kai turned his eyes to his son who stared him down. "You are staying here."

He shook his head. "Dad, if you're going, then I go too. Someone has to protect you."

Kai scoffed, "I have trained myself for years with specialized bullets. I know how to kill these things. They aren't the kind of monsters you see on tv, son."

"I know," the boy answered as he pulled out a red jeweled dagger that was given to him by his mentor. He sliced through his palm and made a fist. Blood trickled down in a few droplets.

Kai saw the gaping wound before the boy shut his hand. When the hand opened again, Kai gasped. The wound was gone.

"Father, I am a chevalier," Riku informed him.