Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
Broken Mirrors, chapter 51
Sunday, March 13th. The Penthouse Suite of Kodachi Kuno.
Kodachi sat at her table and sipped her expensive tea, and barely noticed the taste of it. Last night had been a rather unique form of torture for the hedonist, as she had been able to feel the presence of Hikaru clearly as she had laid in bed, but had not dared do anything but just bask in it all night. It had been a very frustrating experience, but at the same time she found that it had been hard to get out of her bed that morning, and had only done so when his presence had moved first.
She found herself caught in a dilemma, did she reveal herself now, face the consequences and possibly get to spend time around Hikaru, or did she continue to hide and at least feel his presence? It was the kind of problem that the impulsive, desire driven succubus had always had issues with.
And a big part of the reason for the problems that she had with Hikaru in the first place.
As much as she wanted Nabiki to be present when she did meet up with Hikaru, she also wanted it to be as private as possible, partly to prove to the spiritualist that she was safe to be around. There was also the fact that Nabiki planned on meeting her top candidate for Ranko's body double here, in Las Vegas. Kodachi knew a fair amount about the middle sister's plans because she had been helping, behind the scenes. Her connections, money and influence gave her a rather unique advantage.
Plus, she was good with people, in her own way
Kodachi stood and stretched as she looked at the time and went to get dressed. As much as she enjoyed being naked, it was not yet acceptable here. And she didn't want to make Hikaru run, after all.
Nabiki would be busy right now meeting their best candidate from the United States, so Hikaru would be alone.
Perhaps it was time to join him. Just to make sure he was safe, after all.
Nabiki looked out the window of the private car as she rode to meet the best option, and sadly the last of their current batch. It would have been better if they could have done this meeting earlier, preferably in Japan, but the candidate's circumstances had not allowed it.
Nabiki opened the file again and looked it over for one last time. Cassandra Sato, age 28. Born in Denver, Colorado to Ai Sato and Daniel McCain. Her parents were never married, and she had been given her mother's last name. More than likely, AI's parents had not approved, so it had probably been an attempt to appease them.
Cassandra had been a gifted gymnast in high school and college, until she lost both her parents and the use of her legs in an accident that involved a semi truck. Since then, she had been living a rather reclusive life, only volunteering to help with some of her local programs for other disabled athletes.
She had no close friends or family, and only intermittent contact with those she worked with. She had been an up and coming gymnast, but without the kind of fame or notoriety that would make her too memorable. Physically, she looked like an excellent fit from the pictures they had gotten. She spoke Japanese fluently, with little trace of an accent.
If this meeting went well, then Nabiki would make the arrangements necessary for their private jet to pick up Ms. Sato and allow her to meet the siblings, along with Ukyo and Akane.
Besides the financial assistance, it was quite possible that they might be able to find other ways to help her. She would have a place to live when she was not acting as Ranko's double in public since she would have free reign of the Saotome compound outside of Tokyo. It would even serve to help maintain some of the deception, so that seemed like a positive for all of them.
They would also be able to provide better medical services for her than what she had access to in the states, even with the settlement and insurance. There were more than enough positives to counteract the negatives, now she just had to convince Ms. Sato of that as well.
Nabiki looked up from the folder as the car came to a halt and the driver got out to open her door for her. Nabiki nodded politely to the man, and looked over the small house that they had stopped at. The neighborhood was not a bad one, but it also was not one of the better ones. The sidewalk had a few cracks that were probably an issue for Ms. Sato, and the house itself was an older one that had been refurbished to meet her needs.
Nabiki slid the folder into her briefcase, and with that in hand made her way to the door. She rang the doorbell, and after a minute or so, she smiled down at the short red-head who sat in a wheel chair and looked up at her critically. Nabiki had to admit, the resemblance was almost uncanny.
"Ms. Sato? My name is Nabiki Tendo, and I want to thank you for agreeing to meet with me today." Nabiki said as she smiled openly at the woman before her.
Cassandra Sato smiled back and wheeled herself out of the doorway to let Nabiki into her modest house. "I have to admit, you asking to meet me so suddenly had me a bit curious, honestly. I have no idea what someone from Japan would want with me. If you are from the Paralympics committee of Japan, you already have my answer."
Nabiki followed behind the other woman, as she took a quick appraisal of the modest house. She had grown intimately familiar with all the little things that should be done to help with accessibility, and it was obvious that whoever had done the renovation had stuck to the bare minimum that they could do and still be in compliance. It made the professional part of Nabiki grit her teeth, while the part of her that saw the Saotome's as family wanted to really introduce whoever did this to the Ice Queen, and make them beg for a smidgen of mercy.
Nabiki looked at Cassandra as she settled her chair behind the table and motioned for Nabiki to sit as well. "I am not here to represent that organization, Ms. Sato. I represent a private family, and they are interested in hiring you for a job that you are particularly suited for."
"Okay, I'll bite. And please, just call me Cassandra, or Cassie.". Cassandra poured tea for Nabiki, and then another cup for herself. "So, what is this job, then?"
"Cassandra, then. As long as you call me Nabiki." Nabiki pulled a folder from her briefcase, and laid it out before Cassandra with a pen at hand. "Before I can continue, I will need you to sign this NDA, please. And once we discuss this, regardless of whether you choose to pursue this opportunity or not, you will be paid the amount that we had previously discussed."
Cassandra eyed Nabiki again before she picked up the pen and signed without a trace of hesitation. Once she had pushed it back towards Nabiki and the papers were tucked away after a look, she settled back in her wheelchair and regarded Nabiki. "So, what exactly is it you want of me, then?"
"Do you mind if we continue in Japanese? The job I am offering requires complete fluency." Nabiki stated as she pulled out a new folder
"Okay, then." Cassandra replied in Japanese with just a hint of an accent to it.
Nabiki nodded and made a mark on the cover sheet in the file. "And your literacy? How well do you read and write?" As she asked, she slid another form across to Cassandra with various phrases to transcribe into the three written systems of Japan.
Cassandra wrinkled her brow, but did as she had been asked. A few minutes later, Cassandra once more passed it back and was unsure how to react as Nabiki looked it over and quirked an eyebrow before she smiled and slipped that into the folder as well.
"We will need to work on your writing a little bit, but sadly enough it's already pretty close to hers, so that should be okay." Nabiki said, then folded her hands together over the folder and looked Cassandra over critically for a minute before she nodded.
"Okay, are you going to tell me what all of this is about?" Cassandra said as she reached for her tea once more.
"Yes, certainly. You see, I am here on behalf of my client, and she is looking for a body double to fill in for her at events that she is unable to attend because of her circumstances." Nabiki said, and hid the reaction when Cassandra slmmed her cup back onto the table.
"Fill in for her? You want me to be a body double? Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to do that! If you haven't noticed, I can't 'stand in' for anyone! Not anymore! If this is some sort of sick joke, you can just see yourself out. And you can keep your fucking money, as well!" Cassandra said as she angrily pushed herself back, then paused at the unruffled look on the other woman's face. "Did you not hear me? Leave!"
Nabiki calmly opened the folder, and slid a picture from within. "Actually, it is your very unfortunate circumstances that make you the perfect candidate to fill in for my client." Nabiki slid the picture across the table, and Cassandra took a look without thinking about it, then paused as the wind was pulled out of her sails as she looked at Ranko, seated in her wheelchair.
"I don't understand." Was all Cassandra said, as Nabiki calmly stood up and poured them both another cup of tea.
"If I may stay, I would be happy to explain as much as I am allowed to, at least until you have met my client in person." Nabiki said, as she sat back down once more.
Cassandra took one, then two slow breaths and nodded. "Okay, I am listening. And… I'm sorry I got angry there…."
Nabiki shook her head and smiled a genuine smile at the other woman. "It's perfectly understandable. I understand why you chose to distance yourself from the program that you had practically started after your accident. I know some of what happened, and why you no longer found it to be a program you wanted to be associated with. If someone had taken from me something that meant that much… Well, they would soon come to regret that decision." Nabiki said with a cold smile that did not reach her eyes, before her expression softened once more. "I honestly wish that you had come across our radar from the beginning, because I honestly think that you are the perfect candidate for this."
"So…. Who is she?" Cassandra asked as she looked at the short redhead in the wheelchair, and then bit her lip as she thought about something. "Is she related to me somehow? Is that why you chose me?"
"Her name is Saotome Ranko, and she is one of the heirs of the Saotome School of Martial Arts, and Saotome Enterprises. "And no, as far as we can tell, you have no direct relationship. But your hair color and features, your body type and size are remarkably close. Your eye color we can handle with contacts, if you pass the final interview." Nabiki said as she relaxed and smiled warmly.
"If you had found me earlier? I take it I was not your first choice, then?" Cassandra said, then took the other pictures that Nabiki offered her.
"Sadly, you were not. I received a tip about you from a person I work with in the States, and contacted you as quickly as I could. The best candidate we had before you failed for a reason that should have been obvious, but I didn't think about it." Nabiki said as she sighed.
"What caused the other candidate to fail, if I may ask?" Cassandra asked as she laid the picture down and took a drink of her tea.
"She was a good physical match, but I didn't think about the small, almost unconscious movements that people make when they shift, even when sitting in a wheelchair. Since she had use of her legs….." Nabiki said and trailed off, then sighed as Cassandra thought about it and nodded again.
"So…. If I decide to meet her for the final interview… Where will we be meeting, and when?" Cassandra said and Nabiki nodded.
"Because of the previous missteps… I would need to send you to Japan tomorrow. Now, you can return immediately if the interview doesn't work out and you will still be paid, and we will cover all your expenses both ways, of course." Nabiki said apologetically.
"Tomorrow?" Cassandra asked as she looked around. "What about my place here?"
"I can arrange for a housekeeping service to take care of things as long as you are out of the states, along with any other expenses that might come up." Nabiki said matter of factly.
"So… An all expenses paid vacation to Japan, and I can come back if the interview doesn't go well?" Cassandra said as she chewed on her lip.
"Yes. The only thing that we ask is that you don't tell anyone of the reason for your trip. You can let anyone you need to inform that you have been called to Japan suddenly to deal with a family matter." Nabiki said as she pulled a round-trip pass from within the briefcase and laid it on the table.
"I get the feeling that the event is a lot closer than you would like it to be, then?" Cassandra said as she lifted the pass and ran her finger over it thoughtfully.
"Sadly, yes. I'm just glad that we did not have the previous candidate meet Ranko yet." Nabiki said as she returned the folder to her briefcase.
"Can I think about this a little bit? I… Can give you an answer in an hour, if that is okay?" Cassandra said as she continued to slowly trace the pass with her fingers.
"Of course. And I assume that your visa is in order?" Nabiki asked as she stood up.
"It is." Cassandra placed the pass gently back on the table and looked at Nabiki. "You seem to be rather confident that I will go."
"I will be waiting for your call, Cassandra. Thank you very much for your hospitality." Nabiki said as she smiled and bowed before she walked out, with the check and the pass sitting on the table where Cassandra sat for a time and stared at them.
Less than an hour later, Nabiki received a text that said simply. 'I'm looking forward to meeting her in person.'
With a happy smile on her face, Nabiki sent all the details to Cassandra and finalized the arrangements that she had started that morning.
She was glad that at least this seemed to be working out. Now, she just had to manage Gosunkugi and Kodachi.