Chapter Three

Flashback

"So what's with your blue stone?" Reino asked out of curiosity.

An innocent smile crossed her lips as she thought of Corn. "My fairy prince gave it to me when I was very small." She whispered nostalgically.

Reino creased his brow in thought. "May I see?"

She was hesitant.

"I promise that it won't come to any harm and I'll give it right back." He told her in a comforting tone.

She nodded and gingerly placed it in his palm.

Reino winced at the images of a tormented boy, one that had been through trials that someone so young shouldn't experience. He quickly gave it back to her.

"Reino?" She asked in a worried voice.

Reino sighed. "Kyoko... The boy that gave you the stone was no fairy... He was just a little boy that had to deal with a lot of bad things and a lot of pain."

Kyoko's eyes went wide. "That can't be... Why would he lie to me?"

Reino stroked her hair to calm her. "I don't believe he intended to. Perhaps he only wanted to see you smile and make you happy." He told her.

She looked to be in deep thought. "What happened to him?" She thought out loud.

Reino shook his head. "I'm not really sure, but that much pain in someone so young would destroy them or, break them. Most wouldn't survive to be an adult." He paused to judge her reaction. "I think it should be cleansed."

"No! I don't want to lose his memories." She exclaimed as she pulled the stone sharply to her breast.

Reino shook his head. "Kyoko... You wouldn't lose his memories. The stone is seeping in despair. The emotions contained could curse you. Don't you think that those like us are cursed enough?"

"I don't see it as a curse Reino... I never have." She told him in a low growl then left, slamming the door behind her. I was born this way. She thought bitterly.

Current

"I think it's time." She told him as she set the little blue stone in front of him gently on the table on top of the music sheet he had been scribbling on with her.

Reino smiled gently and nodded. "You can watch. I promise, no harm will come to it." He told her as they walked into the sunlit room with a small altar.

He lit the herbs in a small bowl that was sitting between a bowl of water and a bowl of salt, he then lit the two candles they sat between. He began to murmur a small prayer as he passed the stone through the herbal smoke, then sprinkled the stone with the salt from the left bowl, held it over the flame of one of the candles then finally, carefully lay it in the small bowl of crystal clear water. He removed the stone and gave it back to her. It was no longer cloudy but a bright purplish, clear blue as if it had been polished.

"That's it?" She asked in confusion. Somehow she had expected quite a bit more.

"That's it..." He smiled. "What did you think I was going to do?"

"I don't know... I... I just expected it to be a bit more complicated or, destructive." She told him in a small voice.

Reino sighed. "I promised I wouldn't damage it, Kyoko. I wouldn't lie to you." He kissed her forehead.

She blushed fiercely. "Don't do that! It's embarrassing and inappropriate."

He laughed. "Alright, alright." He patted her shoulder and they left the small room to leave for their appointment with Lory Takarada at LME.

She stood at the front reception desk with her brothers. All were decked out in their visual style of leather, satin and lace. The top she wore had been a black princess type dress she had found at a second-hand store, with a corset and sheer long sleeves that looked as if she had gutted it by cutting the front out of the skirt to give it a high-low fashion and used the excess material to replace the ruffles that had been damaged. Under it she had donned a pair of black faux leather tight leggings and knee high boots that folded in a cuff beneath her knee. Her hair had been braided in cornrows on the left side and the rest of her white and sapphire blue streaked hair had been flipped over to the right to cascade past her shoulder in the front. Her eyes were masked in makeup to match her streaks with little black swirls in her liner and dotted with little blue crystals leading to her temples. Her lips were shiny and wet with a blue lipstick and a high glossy finish that matched her eye makeup. Around her neck she wore a black velvet choker with a little heart cameo that had dagger through it. Her aura was regal and untouchable and her eyes gave a stay away from me look to anyone that approached.

His ear twitched when he heard the voice of the little alpha and he glanced away from his companion to discreetly watch the group as they were instructed to their meeting place by the receptionist.

Yashiro noticed his charge's distraction. "Ren... Ren... Oi... You still have that meeting regarding that special project with director Shingai." Yashiro reminded him.

Ren sighed. "Yeah... I know. I'm just not to thrilled about being Boss' fixer." He told him as they boarded the next elevator up.

"So... I found quite a few videos of your band online and I was wondering which of you wrote the music." Lory asked the six young people that sat before him.

Reino piped up proudly. "Chouko wrote them all, I only helped a little." He rubbed her shoulder.

She blushed and cast her eyes down.

"You did? What was your inspiration?" He had to know who had caused this young lady so much pain to write such songs.

"I guess... A childhood friend that is no longer around." It pained her to think that Corn was truly gone as Reino had suggested. "A cockroach and my mother." She gritted her teeth when she thought of Sho, but not the reaction she used to have.

"So that song the other night... Memories?... That was for your friend Kuon?" Lory asked out of the absolute need to know for Ren's sake.

She nodded and looked as though she were about to cry. "I haven't seen him in a very long time. Since I was six."

Reino was now rubbing her back to comfort her. He knew how much this bothered her.

"I see." Lory dropped the subject due to the distress on the young woman's face. "I am willing to sign Company Of Wolves on one condition..." Lory smirked inwardly. She obviously needs this. It will be good for her. "You will need to participate in a new program that I have developed for all of my new talents."

"Ren-sama!" The little blonde imp cried excitedly as she bounded to him, hopped into his lap and wrapped him in a bear-hug. "Guess what?!"

Ren chuckled. "What would that be Maria-chan?"

"Grandfather is signing a dark princess today. I got to hear her music last night. It was so dark and beautiful." She gushed.

The doors to Lory's office flung open and said dark princess, irritatedly huffed out followed by her brothers.

"Imouto, calm down. You already said yes and agreed to the conditions so, you might as well just go with it." Miroku told her as the others hid their snickers from her. Reino shook his head. He kind of agreed with Lory on what she needed. Maybe this would help her further.

"Yeah, but why does he have to call it the LoveMe Section?" Her voice lilted in a whiny sarcastic tone at the words LoveMe.

"I'm sure he has his reasons little sister." Reino patted her on the head, earning a glare from her. "Don't forget to we have to see this Sawara-san to make an appointment to test our other talents." He reminded her.

Her shoulders slumped. "I know... I just don't understand why."

"He just wants to know what we're capable of." Dasuku piped in as he pressed the down button of the elevator.

"Was that her?" Yashiro asked with a bit of shock in his tone as he watched the band enter and leave to their next destination.

Maria nodded excitedly. "Wasn't she perfect?! So dark..." She felt like she had just watched a kindred spirit pass them.

Is that pack a family unit? A small one sided smile crept across Kuon's lips at the thought and he was jolted out of his reverie as they were called into Lory's office.