She almost had a heart attack when the woman behind her emitted an ear splitting scream, and just as Amira turned around, she doubled over, clutching her stomach.
She was going to have a baby.
Amira immediately made her way to the driver. " Hey, mister! " she clutched the pole as she came to a stop almost beside him, barely managing to avoid falling since she had been running in a moving vehicle. " Is there a hospital nearby? That woman's about to have a baby! "
The bus driver almost reared back at the sight of the black haired teenager who had run up to him, somewhat intimidated by her haunting beauty, and fierce approach. " Y-yeah, there is! " he stammered, trying not to lose sight of the road. " It's right around the corner. "
The black haired girl sighed with relief. " Thank goodness, " she breathed. " Can you please take us there? "
Earlier, he'd been intimidated by her fierceness; now, her polite request startled him just as bad. " S-sure thing, miss. "
The girl nodded. " Thanks. "
Amira made her way back to the woman. " We're almost at the hospital, " she announced. " Is there anyone I can call? "
At the sound of her voice, the woman looked up at her, momentarily forgetting the pain that announced the birth of a new life that was tearing through her. Like the driver, she was startled by Amira's appearance, her green eyes in particular. " Yes, there is, " she gasped, and gave out the number.
Her water broke just as the bus came to a stop, and she screamed once again before the black haired teenager got her arms around her, and pulled her to her feet.
Amira jogged beside the gurney as the responding medics wheeled her towards the delivery room, and as the doors closed behind her, she brought out her phone, and dialed the number that Inari Munakata had given her.
Taishi Munakata arrived barely thirty minutes after receiving her call, and he wasn't alone.
She heard him asking for directions at the admittance desk, and as the woman provided him the information, she also pointed out that the black haired girl was the one who had brought her. Amira rose to her feet as he approached her, and wondered if she should have stayed seated as her eyes came to rest on the man beside him.
She hadn't expected to see him again.
He was dressed the same way she had seen him on the night she had held him in her arms, and now, in the fading light of day, she was able to see him more clearly.
He was so beautiful…
Realizing that she was staring, she gave herself a mental shake and took a step back as the Blue King came to stand in front of her, his brow furrowing slightly when he saw her reaction.
" Were you the one who called me, Miss? " Taishi Munakata asked, drawing her eyes from the man beside him.
Grateful for the distraction, she turned to him. " Yes, Sir, " she answered. " Her water broke while she was on the bus. "
Taishi Munakata grimaced. " Good thing you were there, " he commented.
Amira snorted in a most unladylike way. " Good thing she was close to the hospital when it happened, you mean, " she corrected, her expression never changing.
She was trying desperately not to fidget, and blush at the sight of the Blue King.
Taishi Munakata's eyebrows rose at the girl's straightforward speech before he nodded towards the man beside him. " This is my younger brother, Reisi Munakata, " he introduced.
Now she was stumped. His brother?! Amira bowed in greeting, her heart racing. " Good afternoon, Sir. "
The Blue King greeted her in turn, never taking his eyes off her. " Good afternoon, Miss. "
" You're so formal, kid! " Taishi Munakata laughed.
Amira slid a glance at him. " I don't know you intimately to act casual with you, " she pointed out quietly. " And I'm not a child. " She turned at the sound of Inari Munakata's scream from the delivery room, followed by the sound of not one, but two babies crying, never giving Taishi Munakata a chance to respond to her blunt comment.
The newly appointed father rushed to the doctor who had just exited the delivery room, confirming that his wife and twin children were healthy and fine.
Amira smiled inwardly at the news, grateful that everything had gone smoothly. She turned to leave, and found herself looking up at the Blue King who had suddenly blocked her way. " Leaving so soon, Miss? " he asked teasingly, a light smile playing over his lips.
Amira almost melted at that smile, but kept her expression the same. " Yes, " she confirmed. " Your sister in law, and her babies are safe; your brother is here, too, so I don't see where I fit in. " With those words, Amira tried to move past the man who was making her heart race, only to have him stop her with a hand on her shoulder.
Munakata felt the girl tremble slightly at his touch before she met his eyes. " What? " she asked in the same monotone that she had greeted him and his brother with.
She may have spoken quietly, but Munakata didn't miss the flash of fear in her deep sea, crystal green eyes, or the way she had trembled when he touched her. " You should also be present since you are the one who brought them here, " he said gently. " I'm sure my sister in law would like to see you. "
She looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. " Maybe some other time, " she said softly before removing his hand from her shoulder, and turning towards the exit. " I have to go. "
She had only gone a few steps when he called her. " Miss. "
The girl stopped, and for a long moment, everything was still. Then slowly, reluctantly, she turned to look at him, waiting. " What is your name? " he asked, taking a step forward.
She took another step back. " Does it matter? "
Munakata raised an eyebrow. " Yes, Miss, " he answered. " It does. "
She was silent for a moment, obviously contemplating what her decision would be, before sighing tiredly. " Amira Arashikage, " she relented before turning and striding away.
Munakata didn't try to stop her.
The little girl saw the boy as she put the last shell in her bucket. He was sitting on the shore, watching the waves as they ebbed in their usual pattern.
There was something about him that made the girl forget her usual caution with strangers, and before she knew it, she was standing beside him, her green eyes looking at him curiously. When he realized that she was there, he turned to her, and she thought that she was looking at the most beautiful eyes – next to her mother's - in the world.
His eyes were violet, like amethysts in the moonlight, and they went perfectly with his handsome face, and black hair with its sapphire highlights.
Without saying a word, she reached into her pocket, and drew put the shell she'd found earlier. She offered it to the boy, and smiled shyly at the surprise on his face as he accepted her gift before she turned to leave.
The girl had been extremely cautious… perhaps terrified.
The thought occupied the Blue King's mind as he arrived back at headquarters and acknowledged the salutes of his men, relaying the order to have the files on water inclined Strains brought to his office; he intended to look through those that he hadn't been through yet.
He remembered her caution, and the recognition that lit her deep sea crystal green eyes when she saw him, along with the way she had trembled when he touched her. When she was leaving, he'd suddenly remembered the girl from the night he'd almost died as he watched her retreating back.
They'd looked the same…
To say that Amira Arashikage was beautiful would have been an understatement despite the fact that she hadn't smiled the entire time he'd spoken with her, although at one point, she had looked like she was about to before she caught herself.
She was a petite, slender girl, with milky white skin, a baby featured, oval shaped face, wide set, deep sea crystal green eyes, a small, pert nose, and naturally pink lips. Her thick, jet black hair had flowed down her back before curling at the ends that reached her knees. She had been dressed in the uniform of a student from Ashinaka High School, and judging by the length of her skirt, she was a conservative dresser.
Munakata had also noticed the natural grace with which she moved, her feet barely seeming to touch the ground…
As the unopened files were deposited on his desk, the topmost folder caught his eye when a large photograph fell out, revealing the girl who had occupied his thoughts.
Determined to know more about Amira Arashikage, the Blue King opened her file and began to read…
Amira Arashikage's life hadn't been an easy one. Everywhere she turned, she was met with pain and betrayal, and the only love she had known was what was taken from her.
Her father, Raijin Arashikage was a direct blood relative of the infamous Arashikage family, a clan that was notorious for being a family of killers who many suspected were responsible for the slaughter of many prominent figures in Japan. In short, the Arashikages were a clan of assassins. He was, however, a man who did not tolerate useless bloodshed, and refused to follow in his family's footsteps. Instead, he became an army helicopter pilot who was later discharged after an injury that left him unable to perform. His expertise in flying helicopters, however, was what saved him from going into retirement, and as a result, he became a flying instructor. He was reputed to be very strict, and somewhat bad tempered, never tolerating those who slacked off, or thought that they were too good to be taught. Many flying cadets failed under him as a result, but those who passed deserved the marks they received.
His wife, Amaria Hiruko, was a perfect match for him since she was a medical technologist at the most prestigious blood bank in Shizume City. She was the black sheep eldest daughter of a ruthless, tyrannical provincial politician who had wanted a son instead of a daughter, and tried to make her into a boy – something that she had resented. Her mother was no better than her husband, in fact, she was worse because she was even more ruthless than her husband, and very scheming. They had a total of six children, the majority of who had followed in their heartless parents' footsteps in their cruelty; only Amaria, and her youngest brother, Ryuujin whom she had helped flee to Canada were said to be the decent ones who refused to have their lives dictated by tyranny, hence their being considered the black sheep.
Amaria's father had intended to have her marry the equally cruel son of a political acquaintance, thus sealing a powerful alliance, but she had defied her parents, and married the man she loved, and they disapproved of: Raijin Arashikage.
When their families learned about their union, both husband and wife were officially disowned by their families, something that they were grateful for; the only family member they ever maintained any contact with was Amaria's youngest brother, Ryuujin, who eventually died in a plane crash when he was on his way back to Japan to visit his sister.
Both husband and wife distanced themselves physically and emotionally from their said families, brushing off any attempt at contact since they never trusted them, and they wanted the right to live their lives. When the Kagutsu Crater tragedy took place, claiming more than seven hundred thousand lives, both their families were among the casualties, leaving them and a few others as the only surviving members of their clans.
They had two daughters, Ayami and Amira, and both girls were as different as night and day: Ayami, the older one, inherited her father's gold skinned, raven haired, black eyed, stocky features, giving her an exotic look that attracted the attention of several men despite her age. She was also something of a tomboy, but at the same time, she easily panicked when it came to heights and the sight of blood. Ayami was very popular, not only among the male population, but also at school because of her outgoing attitude, and constant participation in extracurricular activities, which did a lot for her since studying wasn't her strongest point, resulting in average grade academics.
Amira, who was three years younger than her sister, had her mother's fragile, yet hauntingly beautiful features, along with her petite, slender body which seemed to intimidate many people; like her mother, she was often mistaken to be someone younger than her age, something that both annoyed and amused them. She was the quiet, introverted, and more observant of the two sisters, constantly following her mother around, but it was pretty noticeable how she was the one who was the more adventurous than her sister when it came to heights; she also didn't flinch at the sight of blood. Unlike her sister, Amira was noted to be something of a bookworm who was pretty smart in her academics, but she never showed any interest in extracurricular activities. It was also said that she had learned how to drive a car, and maneuver a helicopter before she could walk due to her father's habit of always bringing her with him whenever he was flying one, and putting her on his lap while he drove since she was five months old. She also had her mother's knack for medical knowledge, often acting as a sort of paramedic when there was no doctor around.
With parents descended from some of the most feared clans in Japan, both Ayami and Amira's lives were far from boring; like their parents, however, they preferred not to flaunt themselves to others since they knew that it would cause trouble for them. Since their lineage on both sides was well known, the Arashikages were treated with respect bordering on fear wherever they went.
Amaria was a Strain with the ability of weather and water manipulation, the latter which could also be used for healing and protection. She was an excellent swimmer, and could take on the form of a mermaid at will; instead of scales decorating her body, however, she was covered in turquoise crystals that were more green than blue, while Amira's crystals were more blue than green. Amira's powers slowly began to manifest when she was eight years old, but didn't come into full bloom until she was thirteen, though; her mother, recognizing that her daughter had inherited her powers, guided her in the harnessing and developing of her abilities.
Raijin Arashikage, despite his reputation for his strictness and bad temper, was shown to be a loving, protective father and husband; he was also noted to hate people who hurt children, and never raised a hand against a female, no matter how angry he was. He knew about his wife and youngest daughter being Strains, although Ayami was an ordinary human like him, and didn't seem the least bit phased by the fact; if anything, he resolved to protect his family even more because of that.
Raijin and Amaria weren't fighters only due to their stubborn attitudes, but were also excellent in hand to hand combat: Raijin was an expert in Judo Aikido, knife fighting, and a sharpshooter ( his favorite movie happened to Dirty Harry ), while Amaria was a champion in both Kendo, and Western Style fencing, skilled in Krav Maga. They taught their daughters how to defend themselves, but cautioned against using their skill the wrong way.
Trouble wasn't far away, though; in fact, it seemed to follow the family wherever they went.
They'd heard about how after the death of Jin Habari, many Strains – registered and unregistered – were being snatched off the streets by the Gold Clan, never to be seen again because their fates were to become guinea pigs for their nefarious experiments. Strains who adhered to the law by registering were said to be among the first to disappear, and because of that, many of them became fearful, and refused to register.
In the summer when Ayami was fourteen and Amira was eleven, their parents were approached by Koshi Mizuchi with the proposition for a supposed " cure " that could ensure that mother and daughter could live normal lives – in exchange for allowing him and his team to experiment on them. Both husband and wife refused, telling Mizuchi to go and do something anatomically impossible to himself because they would not cooperate with him no matter what he said.
They paid the price for their defiance, but even though, they would still make the same decision.
They were at their summer house for vacation when tragedy struck, scarring them forever.
Koshi Mizuchi was determined to have his way, no matter what.
One morning, when Raijin went to town to replenish their supplies, Mizuchi and his men ambushed his wife and two daughters while they waited for his return. All three men had put up a fight by barricading themselves in the house, and making use of the guns that were being kept for such emergencies, along with anything they could get their hands on.
Realizing that they were fighting a losing battle as their ammunition slowly ran out, Amaria resolved to hide her children, but the front door was kicked down before she could act, and she was gunned down alongside Amira who had refused to leave her side even after Ayami escaped, both mother and daughter being left for dead due to the wounds that they'd sustained.
Ayami had managed to escape through the back door, and fled through the woods, intending to run to town and find her father, but she never made it. As her mother and younger sister, lay side by side in pools of their own blood, Mizuchi and his men caught up with her; since she wasn't a Strain, the mad doctor decided that he had no use for her, and left while his men took turns with Ayami.
Raijin, while in town, had also been ambushed in his own way: two of Mizuchi's men tried to ambush him from both sides, but they had made the mistake of underestimating him due to his injury. Raijin made short work of his attackers, although he refrained from killing them; after they were brought to the precinct, and interrogated, Raijin learned of Mizuchi's intention towards his family, and rushed home with some of the local law officials.
The house was a wreck, the windows shattered, and the walls ridden with bullet holes, the sight filling him with an even worse feeling of foreboding as he searched for his wife and daughters.
What he found was the worst nightmare for any man who loved his family more than life itself.
Amaria was lying face down in a pool of blood, partly covering Amira who lay as still as the mother she loved and resembled, and a few feet away, was Ayami, with her clothes torn, her body violated, her spirit broken beyond repair.
The police were summoned, along with an ambulance, and Ayami had to be sedated just so she could be loaded onto the stretcher. Just as the medical examiner was about to load Amira Arashikage into a body bag like her mother before her, the young girl's eyes cracked open, and she gasped for breath, something that shocked everyone present, and confirming that she was alive. She was rushed to the hospital, like her sister, and underwent a grueling ten hour surgery to remove the bullet that had almost finished her; her mother's shielding her with her own body hadn't been in vain. Following the surgery, she was wheeled into the Intensive Care Unit where her father, who was also worrying about her sister's condition, received the news.
Amira had sustained extensive internal damage as a result of the bullet hitting high in her chest, ricocheting off the collarbone, nicking her heart muscle, and passing through her right lung; the doctor had removed it from the base of her spine.
The good news was that she had survived the ten hours of surgery without any complications; the next twelve hours under observation would be crucial, and determine if she would survive or not.
There was also a chance that she would never walk again.
Ayami committed suicide by jumping out the window during Amira's operation, but not before leaving her father a letter that told him what had happened; in her letter she also blamed the tragedy that had taken place on everyone: her mother and younger sister for being Strains, and her father for not being there to protect them.
Grief stricken by the death of his wife, the possible death of his youngest daughter, and the suicide of his eldest daughter, Raijin Arashikage finally allowed the slumbering beast in him to awaken so he could exact revenge on those who had taken his family from him. As the hours that determined whether his youngest daughter would survive or not passed, he made arrangements for the cremations of both his wife and eldest daughter, while making various calls related not only to the people who were responsible for the necessary details, but to others as well.
Yes, Amira had survived, but when she opened her eyes ten hours after her operation, she learned from the doctors present that neither her mother nor her sister had survived. Upon her father's request, Amira was only informed that her sister had been killed while going to get help; she was never told the truth about what really happened.
Her father didn't want her to know.
In addition to the grief of finding that her mother and sister were dead, Amira found that her father had left her, with only a letter on her bedside table. In the letter, he confirmed Amira's suspicions that he was going to find the people who had been responsible for what had happened to her, her mother, and sister.
He was going to make them pay, and make sure that they - and anyone connected to them - never hurt his only surviving daughter ever again.
He would protect her, no matter what.
Even if it cost him his life.
Her father, prior to leaving, had arranged for his daughter to receive the necessary treatment when she was ready, and to be home schooled so that she didn't miss out on her education while undergoing physical therapy. As Amira slowly began the path to her recovery, she heard news of the constant, almost unexplained deaths of several Gold Clansmen, many of whom were connected to the government. The investigations into their deaths eventually revealed their nefarious activities, and corruption that was allowed by the government, causing something of an uproar as the countless kidnappings and deaths of various " special foreigners " that were ignored by police officials due to the influence of the Gold Clan were brought to light.
Amira knew who was responsible for the deaths of the said Gold Clansmen, but never breathed a word about her knowledge.
Despite leaving his daughter alone, Raijin Arashikage never forgot that he was her father, and proved it by sending her various gifts with his letters each week. He had also opened a bank account in her name that was replenished handsomely every two weeks, something that only she was allowed to touch. Despite the attempts of their few surviving relatives to take control of her finances for their own purposes, Amira held firm, showing them that she wasn't one to be crossed, and she wasn't going to take things lying down.
The gifts and letters that she received, however, never showed any return address, something that didn't surprise the young Arashikage, but also saddened her since she knew that her father was working incognito. One his gifts, however, had contained a burner phone that he would call her on every now and then. Whether he knew it or not, those calls he made to Amira were as cherished as his letters, and far more precious than the gifts that he sent her each week, although they were bittersweet; their conversations, while keeping her father grounded, and connected to his humanity also revealed to the little girl that he'd left behind that she was slowly losing him to the vengeance that he was exacting on those who had wronged them. Each time their phone calls ended, Amira would start crying, feeling more helpless and alone than when she learned that he'd left her on her own.
Her twelfth and thirteenth birthdays were spent in the hospital, and after the latter dawned, chances of her making a full recovery became bigger since her Strain abilities – which seemed to have slowed in their development due to the tragedy that befell her – bloomed to their fullest. She was able to use the water in the pool where she did her leg exercises to heal her injuries, allowing her to walk again, although she had to do it slowly since her mother had warned her prior to her death that using too much power too soon would exhaust her for long periods of time.
Her father came to see her on the day she was discharged from the hospital, and despite the joy she felt at seeing him, she recognized the changes in him.
She also knew that he couldn't stay for long.
During their short time together, her father tried to make up for the time that they had lost, and the time that would be taken from them by taking his daughter flying in one of his helicopters, along with their favorite bookstores, and other places.
The night before he left her again, her father stood on the seashore as he watched his youngest daughter turn into a mermaid even more beautiful than those in the movie Pirates of Caribbean: Strange Tides; it was the first time that she had been able to change form since her mother died. It was also a memory that he would keep for when he was alone, along with the memory of how she had turned into a mermaid alongside her mother when they were all still happy.
It was also the last time that Amira would ever see her father alive in a moment of peace.
The killings caught the attention of the Gold Clan, and after Amira Arashikage was revealed not only to have survived the slaughter of her eleventh summer, but also made a full recovery, it didn't take Mizuchi and his men to realize who was behind it all.
One day, when she was fourteen years old, and still being home schooled, Mizuchi had two of his men ambush and chloroform the young mermaid, and brought her to their facility where she was held hostage while they used her phone to call her father. They let him hear his daughter's voice as they threatened her life, and because he loved his daughter, he agreed to exchange his life for hers.
It was during the entire drama that she met Anna Kushina, a Strain whose parents had been murdered by the same man who was holding Amira hostage, and whose aunt was also kidnapped by him in order to emotionally blackmail the little girl to go to their facility so he could torture her in order to sync her with the Dresden Slates to make her the Blue King.
The fact that a little girl was about to become another victim of the bastard who murdered her mother and sister made the black haired mermaid determined to protect the child; when they were brought into the laboratory where they would both be tortured, and experimented on, Amira kept her promise to Anna.
As Mizuchi approached them, Amira placed herself between him and the child, using her water inclined power to form an impenetrable shield around Anna, which allowed her to breathe, although the density of the liquid caused her to fall into a deep slumber, blocking out her senses so that she wouldn't be able to see what happened next. For that, Amira was grateful, because she didn't want the little girl who had become so precious to her to see what kind of agony she was forced to endure as she waited for her father to come and rescue her.
Because of her interference, and because he wanted to break the shield protecting Anna, Mizuchi repeatedly choked her to the brink of unconsciousness before burning Amira's arms with a blowtorch before submerging her in a basin of water. He would then heal her, and start the procedure all over again, probably forgetting that she could breathe underwater, and she would have continued to endure it if one of his men hadn't opened his mouth and revealed how they had taken turns at her older sister when she was trying to go and get help, which resulted in her suicide. The revelation made Amira snap, although she still kept her shield around Anna. Just as she was submerged once again, she used the water to her advantage by creating a whirlpool that struck her tormentors with the force of an eighteen wheeler, knocking several of them back, while others were sent flying.
While they struggled to their feet, she used the water to form a wall that protected her and Anna before picking up the blowtorch that had been used to burn her arms, and turning it on. She then tossed it towards the sprinklers, and the heat then made them turn on. Still keeping Anna shielded, Amira then created her own tidal wave that knocked several of Mizuchi's men back into the pool where they had tried to drown her, and as the water closed over them, she took a broken metal rod, and hurled it like a spear at the machines that were used to monitor her vital signs while she was being tortured. The machines fell into pool with the submerged men, electrocuting them to death.
Amira never blinked as it happened.
During the time that she was being tortured, she'd overheard that there was a way out through the water routes, and she knew that it was her chance. Releasing Anna from her watery cocoon, Amira carried the little girl in her arms as she ran through the corridors, pursued by other scientists in the facility. Telling Anna to hold onto her, Amira dived into one of the giant pools, and changed into her mermaid form. Camouflaging themselves so that they looked like the water, and becoming the water, they were able to escape, finally surfacing in one of the rivers outside where Anna saw Izumo Kusanagi with the rest of the Red Clan as they worked out how they would charge the place where the little girl and her aunt were being held. Amira set the child on the riverbank, and watched as she made her way towards the Red Clan; she only turned away when the Red King and his second in command turned at the sound of Anna calling out to them, knowing instinctively that she was safe with them.
Amira went back into the facility because she remembered that her father was said to be arriving before she and Anna had escaped. When she emerged, however, chaos was reigning because her father had singlehandedly charged in with his guns blazing, determined to save his daughter. Amira regained her human form, and picked up a gun, aiding her father in the gunfight that they were the very center of, and when she was out of bullets, she picked up a katana that had been used by one of the Gold Clansmen, showing her father that he and her mother had trained her well. Father and daughter fought side by side, and as he fell after being impaled by the enemy, he looked at his youngest daughter with pride.
Cutting her last opponent down, Amira turned in time to see her father falling to the floor while trying to hold his guts in, and ran towards him. Desperately, she tried to pull him towards the pool of water she had used to escape and come back so she could use it to heal him, but it was too late. Raijin Arashikage breathed his last in his youngest daughter's arms, breaking her heart for the very last time.
Not all of the enemy had been brought down, though. During the fight in the lab, Koshi Mizuchi had escaped, trying to regroup, and now, as the girl who had thwarted his plans more than once sat with her dead father in her arms, he strode towards her, determined to capture her once again.
They say that there is a paycheck for everything you do – whether good or bad; in this case, it was time for the Gold Clan, and Koshi Mizuchi to receive theirs.
Numb with grief over losing her father, Amira Arashikage rose to her feet, and faced the man who was responsible for it all. Using the same shield that she had used to protect Anna to keep her father out of harm's way, she fought Mizuchi as the Red Clan invaded the building to rescue her and Honami Kushina.
The battle was intense, and she was faintly aware of how the building was staring to come down as a result of all the power being used. When she got close enough to Mizuchi, she used her father's double bladed, combat knife to slash his stomach open, and rip his guts out while keeping him alive so he could witness the price of his crimes. As she wrapped his intestines around his throat, she used them to strangle him, and drag him back towards the lab where he had tortured her, her eyes bright with pain. When she reached the table where he'd strapped her so he could choke and burn her, she did the same with him while leaving his entrails hanging before dousing him with ethyl alcohol, and setting him on fire. She stood back and watched, only turning and away when he was completely engulfed in flames, and no longer screaming. Finding a gurney, she lay her father's body on it, and draped a long sheet over him before pulling him towards the exit at the far back. She moved through the back alleys so she wouldn't be seen, eventually leaving her father outside the hospital where she had been treated.
The death of her father weighed heavily on Amira Arashikage, especially since he was her last remaining family member, making her hate the Gold Clan even more than she already did. They tried to contact her several times, offering to let her join them, but she had flat out refused, never giving them a moment to catch their breath as she told them in very sharp tongued tones exactly what she thought of them.
The investigation into the destruction of the Nanakamado facility brought even more of the Gold Clan's crimes out into the open, and making them hide their heads in shame, despite their King being the ownr of the Dresden Slates.
In the midst of it all, Amira had heard about the rescue of Honami Kushina following her Anna's escape, although the trauma of the entire ordeal had made her forget the child, and the fact that she was her niece. Amira's heart ached for the child, but she didn't attempt to contact her despite knowing where she was staying.
It wasn't that she didn't care for Anna; the little girl was precious to her, and it was because she wanted to protect her that Amira never tried to go and see her. She knew that there were other members of the Gold Clan who were trying to capture her, and she didn't want the child to get into the eye of another storm with them.
Amira had heard rumors over the years of Koshi Mizuchi having a daughter who was a sadistic psychopath, and was often present during the torture sessions that various Strains had been through, delighting in their pain; those who couldn't withstand the torture, her father handed over to her so she could have fun with them before she killed them. She hadn't been present during the ambush that killed her mother, or when she herself had been tortured, simply because she thought that they would end too quickly for her.
However, since the destruction of the Nanakamado facility, Amira knew that it was only a matter of time that they would meet….
The Blue King closed the file on Amira Arashikage and sighed, realizing that night had fallen, and the hour was late.
No wonder the girl had been cautious with him, and quickly fled on the night that she'd saved him. Thanks to her horrible experiences at the hands of the Gold Clan, it was no surprise that she didn't trust the authorities, and considered them her enemy.
Still, the fact that she was possibly still in danger since Koshi Mizuchi's psychotic daughter was on the loose was a fact that couldn't be ignored. The girl may be enough to make the League of Assasins look like amateurs, as well as stubbornly independent, but she was still a child…
His decision made, Munakata sat back in his chair, his eyes on Amira Arashikage's picture.