"Minoru, it looks like the dragon isn't so strong," Daisuke coughed out. "It looks like he hasn't changed since our 'god' had him, eh?"
I didn't like that. Miki had changed. I rescued him, I brought him here. He changed."Miki has changed. Before he wouldn't of been even able to look at you." I stared him down with frost in my eyes. "Not only are you horrid in appearance, you've been quite horrid to him."
Daisuke let out a hoarse laugh. "I haven't done a thing to the dragon. Not a thing of my own, that is. But what the king says is law. And I liked to follow the law." His eyes met mine with equal power.
I held my tongue. I was going to speak a name I hadn't said in a lifetime.
"Bishamon...Bishamon Sohma isn't our king. " The treason I spoke left a hole in my resolve. But it felt good to speak this way. To stand up for the kid. "His words are...just that. Just words. You had as much a choice as anyone whether or not to hit the boy. Whether or not to burn him."
His smile faded. "I don't recall ever hearing you say his name. I thought he was your king, and that was all you would ever call him. Ha, if anything, you ought to be more loyal than I ever was. I know," He drew himself close to my face. "Why you stole Miki away."
I pulled away. "I did it to save him. He didn't deserve the pain he got."
"Right, keep telling everyone that. But tell me the truth. I already know." I bit my tongue until it bled, holding in everything. I focused on the metallic taste. "You only took him because Bishamon,as you now call him," He smiled. "Wanted to play a game of catch. And tag and hide-and-seek. You stole him away so that Bishamon could find him. So that he could pull him back in."
I glared at him. "Don't you dare say that. Don't you dare. I saved him from our king. I didn't draw him out to be reeled back in. I drew him out so he could escape." He spat a drop of blood out of his stained teeth.
He believed I was lying. And I believed it too.
"And since when are you so loyal?" I inquired back.
"I've always been loyal. I'm the rat. It's my job. And your job, Minoru, is to serve the king."
"Why?" I questioned him. "Why do you follow him? After what he did to you?" He smiled sadly.
"You saved my life, Minoru. I would've killed myself. So my life is your fault. You struggled to keep me alive. The only one you have to blame for me is yourself. You knew I'd keep following him, it was your choice to save me. As you said earlier today, 'you had just as much choice as anyone.'"
"He cut off your leg!" I cried. His eyes were shining bright.
"And you kept me alive when I was begging to die. Who's evil?" He closed his eyes and leaned back into the shadows. "I'm tired. Let me sleep, Minoru."
I got up and started walking out the door. But just before I closed it, he whispered, "Oh ye faithful one."
I crept up to the bathroom. I heard sniffling inside. I considered opening it. Comforting Miki, especially since he was still crying. But then I heard something confusing from inside.
"G-g-gomene, Miki-San. I shouldn't have hugged you, it's just-" Was that Amaya-chan?
"No. Thank you, Ebasi-San."
I smiled. Looked like this girl really was our little angel. I think I'm going to start calling her that. Yeah. Angel-chan.
BBRRIINNNG! The phone shook me back into awareness. I sprinted over, hoping the lovebirds in the bathroom didn't hear it. I didn't want anything to ruin their moment. I was giggling as I answered the phone.
"Moshi Moshi?" I greeted the caller, twirling the wire around my finger.
"Oh Minoru, always answering the phone like that." My heart froze. No, it couldn't be. It wasn't.
It was our king.
"How are you?" He asked casually.
"What do you want?" I kept a calm voice.
"Oh, can't I call just to say hello? How about Miki-kun? Can I talk to my little pet? Oh, and how are the twins? I heard that someone was coming over for them. Something about their father. Probably another mental institute needing to talk to the close family."
"You've never called just for a hello. Miki is busy right now, he's not going to come to the phone." We spoke in a friendly matter, but our words were lined with ice. I had the power here. "The twins should be busy too then, with this visitor? What do you want, please just say."
"Fine. Enough small talk." I sat down. Whatever was coming, it was sure to be a lot to take. "Kill her."
"What?" I asked, confused.
"If Miki can't clear her memory, she's a threat. I want you to kill her." His words slowed down. The world slowed down. For an eternity, I couldn't comprehend his long, long words.
"W-who? What are you talking about?" My voice only wavered a bit in the beginning.
"Don't act like you don't know. Don't act like you thought I didn't know. I. know. Everything that happens in that house."
"How would you know what happens in this house? What, you got cameras in the toilet?" but then I realized it. Daisuke. It must be him. But...how did Daisuke know?
"Dreams." Well, I didn't expect that. "Me and Miki have a...special bond. I dream what he dreams. And he's been thinking about her a lot. Trying to find a way. But let's take that pressure off him, shall we? Let's take care of it for him. Kill her."
"Nice talk. Bye." I dropped the phone back into its charger absentmindedly. As the hole in my resolve grew, quick enough, it'll be able to swallow me whole. And then my choice will be stolen away from me, like a sword steals away your last quivering breath.
"Occhan! Occhan!" Aika-chan came running up to me. I smiled, for her sake.
"What is it, Aika-chan?" She grinned.
"A man came to talk to Taki! It's about his father!" I felt my stomach drop. Bishamon knew everything that will happen too, huh?
"What is he going to talk about?" More importantly, why was she so excited? Usually these talks just shut away the twins for days, which meant for her two less people to play with.
"He's coming over! He's in a car outside right now! He gets to visit them this time!" She jumped up and down. "Maybe he'll even stay out of...school? This time!" I laughed. She didn't understand what a mental institute was. I patted her head.
She ran back outside. I sighed. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Taki-Aki! Someone's here to see you!"
But my mind was elsewhere. The enemy had just refused our peace treaty. There's no other way than revolution.