BROUGHT TO YOU BY MY EMERGENCY RESERVE: I dipped into the reserve again to bring you the new chapter. The next one will probably be pretty late (like, maybe a week late) as I am in mega crunch mode with work. I just got slammed with a huge project and an an obscenely short time in which to do it. Anyway, enough griping... enjoy the update!
"You're going to do what?" Kanae asked incredulously.
They were gathered together the following day as Lory shared the news of the resolution that had been decided upon. Lt. Inspector Konoe would be arriving later so he was only giving them an overview since Kanae was present. The finer details could be discussed when she was no longer in the room but she had a right to be informed as to what had been arranged thus far.
"I don't want anyone else to get hurt and we're being expertly backed into a corner here," he sighed.
"So you're just going to hand over the research that Kyoko poured herself into for an entire week like it was nothing?" she was enraged and Ren was silently grateful for her voicing the very concerns he also had.
"Kanae, it's okay," Kyoko tried to calm her friend. "If they really are threatening people's lives, I'd rather give that up then see anyone harmed. Besides, I can always come up with something better to replace it."
"Ever the pragmatist," she said with a derisive snort and rose from her seat with graceful indignation. "Well, do what you want. It's not like I really know what you are all talking about anyway short of code words and vague references. I'll see myself out."
When the door shut behind her, Lory turned to Kyoko, "I was told you are aware of Ren's true identity now, is that correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good," he nodded. "Then I can tell you that a threat was made regarding his family."
"Oh no," she gasped and looked over at him. "I'm so sorry. Please let me know what I can do to help."
"That won't be necessary," Lory waved a hand. "We both agreed that you were not to be involved."
Now that the chips were down, she was to be unceremoniously disavowed? It hurt more than she expected it to. While she knew they were doing it to protect her, there was an uneasiness inside of her when she thought about leaving him to deal with it on his own. She took this dismissal harder than the last one and decided that, this time, she was not about to give up with her mouth shut. There was a sudden fire sparked in her eyes and she straightened herself up in her chair with newfound conviction.
"I was involved the day you called me into your office to make me a part of this assignment," she countered willfully. "And, now that lives are at stake, you want to keep me out of it?"
"That is precisely why we want to keep you out of it. We are treading carefully to avoid an all-out war as well as protect as many lives as possible," the Grand Archweaver explained. "I respect you too much to pull rank but I'll do it if I have no other choice."
"Please, Kyoko," the man beside her begged. "I don't want to see anything else happen to you."
"And you," she turned to him again, her eyes narrowed. "You just dump all of this on me and now you're running off to do this on your own? What happened to working together?"
"When I couldn't protect my best friend, I was devastated. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't protect you too," he pled with her through his words, his eyes and through her amulet.
She swallowed hard and found it difficult to meet his eyes again, "Just… keep in contact with me alright?" Tapping at the amulet around her neck, she asked, "There's no distance restriction on these things, is there?"
"Not that I'm aware of. I'll do my best to keep you updated," he promised.
"When does he leave?" she turned back to Lory with her question.
"Most likely right after we meet with Lt. Inspector Konoe when he arrives."
"Not much time, then," the two men shook their heads in agreement.
"Will you at least say goodbye to Maria before you leave?"
"I'll make the rounds to see all of you before I have to go," he assured her with a nod.
A knock at the door sounded and someone entered to let everyone know that Lt. Inspector Konoe had arrived. Kyoko took that as her cue to leave and went off in search of Kanae and Maria. She was still upset with being shut out of the rest of the situation. Even though it was supposed to be arranged as a simple exchange of information, there was no doubt it could still be dangerous. Altria had proven that they were not worth trusting from the time they sent Reino after her. Turning back briefly to look at the closed study door, she hoped whatever they were planning would actually work.
Kanae was in the den tuning a violin she found when the tall Archweaver walked in. After playing a few notes, she pulled it from her shoulder to adjust the strings one more time. Raising it again to her chin she looked up to see him standing there, surveying her questioningly. She quirked an eyebrow at him, the bow in her other hand hovered in mid-air over the violin.
"What?" she asked finally.
He squinted and scratched idly at the back of his head. "I just never pegged you as someone who plays the violin."
"Well, I never pegged you as someone who'd have a thing for my best friend but here we are," she retorted.
"Hm, well played," he said with a light chuckle.
"If you're looking for her, she's out there," she pointed her chin towards the glass-paned double doors that led out to the terrace.
"I wanted to bid you farewell also," he said with a nod. "I don't know if she told you but I'll be gone for a few days to settle this."
"Oh I got an earful already about it," Kanae rolled her eyes. "She's still not happy you chose to do this alone. I know why you're doing it, however," she offered. "It's just that she's grown accustomed to fending for herself."
"I understand," he said solemnly. "I won't patronize either of you by asking you to look after her while I'm gone."
"I would've jabbed you in the ribs with this bow if you did," she smirked making a stab at the space between them with the implement she held. "Now, get out there and talk to her, lover-boy. She's worried about you."
He inclined his head to her in gratitude before exiting through the doors she pointed out earlier. Kyoko apparently took advantage the westward-facing balcony to watch the sun as it started its gradual descent below the horizon. Perched on the railing, her legs dangled dangerously off the edge as she stared into the distance. He stared at her as the light breeze blew her hair this way and that and suddenly found it difficult to breathe. The impulse he had to run away was as strong as the one he had to run to her and confess everything he was still keeping from her. Banishing both ideas, he straightened up and made slowly made his way towards her, quietly announcing his presence so as to not startle her. He leaned over the balcony railing beside her and rested his elbows on it.
"Hey," he said softly looking off in the same direction as her.
"Is it that time already?" she looked over at him and matched his tone with a sad smile.
"I'd rather leave sooner at this point," he turned to her. "That way, I can get back to you quicker."
"Oh," she turned red in an instant. "We do still have more to talk about, I guess."
"That's part of it, but I hope we'll have a chance to spend time together outside of… all this," he motioned with a hand to nothing in particular.
"I—that would be nice," she finished unsteadily.
Rather than interpreting her acceptance as more than what it appeared to be on the surface, he dug into the bag he was carrying and pulled out a small book. She looked at it curiously when he handed it to her and turned it back and forth, examining the cover. It was quite old, covered in various creases and wrinkles and the corners had rounded with age.
"It's a mineral lore book my mother gave me when I was very young," he explained. "She also gave me our stone at that time. I thought maybe it would be helpful in explaining some more about it while I'm gone."
"Thank you," she tilted her head, trying her best to cope with the fact he called it 'their stone'. "You'll be careful, won't you?"
"As careful as I can be, I suppose," he said with a shrug. "At least, I won't be going alone. They're sending someone with me, a Defender."
"Well someone's got to take care of you, after all," she let out a short laugh then became solemn. "You let me know if anything happens. I know there's not much I can do from here but—"
"You'll be the first to know," he finished for her. "If anything, it will be good to have an external contact they don't know about."
"You should probably get going, right?" as much as she did not want him to leave, she knew his time was limited. "I don't want to hold you up."
"You're not holding me up," he reassured. "I specifically requested time to speak to everyone before I left and you're the last one I have come to see."
Kyoko made a small sound of recognition. The way he was looking at her caused her throat to constrict slightly; not to mention the pounding of her pulse in her ears. She felt hot and cold at the same time and wondered if she was either going mad or getting sick.
"However, I would like to get this over with," he continued noticing her slight discomfort. "Wish me luck, I suppose."
Not knowing what came over her, she leaned to one side and her lips lightly touched his cheek, "Good luck, Kuon."
He looked shocked at first and she instantly regretted what she had done until the most brilliant smile crossed his face and he stood up straight, "Thanks."
He left her then, with a promise to return soon. Kyoko remained on the terrace with her head down, the sunset in the distance long forgotten. The sounds of a violin being softly played indoors came to an end and Kanae joined her outside, wrapping an arm around her friend.
"Oh, Kanae," she lamented. "I wish I didn't have such a bad feeling about this."
Not knowing exactly what they were walking in to, Lt. Inspector Konoe and his strategists tried to plan for every contingency they could foresee. Ren was slightly thankful that Lory neither confirmed nor denied the allegation of his identity, but he was unsure as to whether it would be a benefit or hindrance. He decided to stay quiet about it since it would most likely make him more of a liability than an asset.
The arrangement was to meet at an Altrian facility near the border. Ren would be accompanied by an operative trained in negotiations by the name of Kijima and other Defender personnel would be stationed nearby surrounding the facility. While the preference would be to accompany him with a full regiment of troops, it was prudent to keep up the appearance of an amicable meeting and not tip their hand too soon. The Council of Ten had been adamant about avoiding any conflicts with their neighbors to the West. Keeping a close watch on them was one thing; picking a fight was another thing entirely.
The meeting was scheduled for the following morning after he arrived at Rampart. He dressed slowly in the artificially lit room he occupied in the underground facility and took deep calming breaths as he went along. It would not do for him to meet with the opposing forces half-cocked and anxious. Archweaver Ren Tsuruga was the pinnacle of decorum and level-headedness and the pride of Spellweavers across the country. However, Kuon Hizuri was a walking ball of nerves and anger. He felt her then, it was as if she always knew when she was needed to help keep him in check. There was hope and reassurance conveyed to him through his amulet and a peaceful smile crossed his face. Perhaps he could do this after all.
The room he sat in with Kijima was stark and cold; all pristine greys and unadorned walls. A large glass-topped metal table separated him with the Altrian representatives and did nothing to soften the harshness of the room. If they specifically outfitted it to make their visitors uncomfortable, they did an amazing job. He made sure that it never showed on his face however, and maintained a placid look throughout the proceedings. The chill in the room seemed to be causing him to feel sleepy. He stifled his fifth yawn and listened as the other people sitting at the table droned on. Perhaps he would take a nap after this was done before heading back to the city as there was no way he could get any sort of quality sleep the night before. If this was ever going to be done; he had yet to be given a chance to speak as Kijima continued his negotiations beside him.
So far, everything seemed to be going fairly amicably—well as amicable as it could be considering the circumstances under which he was there. Half listening to the words being spoken, Ren would support the occasional statement with a firm nod. It was getting increasingly more difficult to stave off the wave of drowsiness that was sweeping over him. He swallowed another yawn from behind clenched teeth and fought to keep his drooping eyelids open. He heard the man beside him suddenly break the rhythm in his speech. It was an odd change and he noticed that it sounded almost as if he was having difficulty in getting his words out. It all clicked when Kijima let out a very small and quiet yawn.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. This feeling was not unlike the time he saved Kyoko from the stray wave pulse in the training arena. They were somehow being drained of their energy, he realized much to his horror. That was why everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly. Whatever they were doing must have needed some time to be able to fully drain him and his associate. He dreaded whatever waited for him and looked at the faces of the men sitting across from him as they swam in the rapidly dimming light of his vision. The last thing he was conscious of doing was reaching out to contact Kyoko in a haste before he passed out.
SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DEADLINES: I'll be back once things quiet down. Since the deadline for what I'm working on is so close, it'll be sooner rather than later. I'll just be really, stupid busy until then.
Oh, and I forgot to mention at the end of my last chapter that Scarto is an old card game that was originally played using tarot cards. I found it a fitting activity for little Maria and an obscure nod to her fascination with the occult.
Thanks, as always for the kind words, everyone. I'm glad some of you agreed with my decision to prolong the inevitable for just a bit more. This has been a very fun story to write so I hope it continues to be just as fun to read. Hit me up in the reviews when you can and I'll see you when I'm back on my feet again!
AUTHOR OUT!