A Stab in the Dark [Archive]

[SeiKeo]

oh god that's amazing.

[Kieran]

IIRC, we're getting up to mad fight scene so excited.

That tracks with that I remember, too - so yay!

[EVA-Saiyajin]

Great to hear!

[White]

Story Index:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six
• Part Seven
• Part Eight
• Part Nine (Current Post)
• Part Ten
• Part Eleven
• Part Twelve

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

It should have ended right there and then.

Ryogi gritted her teeth as she took cover behind a collapsed pillar, crouching low enough that she could catch a whiff of the courtyard's wet grass. Leaning against the algae-covered block of granite - visibly flinching each and every time it shook as it was pounded with high-caliber rounds - the girl tried to catch her breath as she counted each and every discharge, her eyes closed as she tensed herself with every impact.

As her count neared thirteen - she hoped to hell Salacia's dossier was as accurate about the pistol's ammo capacity as her target was uncannily handy with it - Ryogi sprang out of cover, her form blurring as she ran full-out. Another counter ticked down in her feverish mind - it took her prey three seconds to reload - and just as her mental count reached three, she was able to dive behind a sturdy-looking metal post before the barrage continued.

"You won't be able to hide forever, you know," the alchemist called out, mocking, insulting. "Arrogant wench. I'll have the pleasure of draining every drop of blood from your mangled corpse after I'm through with you."

Ryogi didn't answer, choosing to focus on tightening the torniquet she had lashed her bleeding arm with, the material appropriated from her kimono with a judicious slash from her knife. She tapped at the darkening spot at the cloth - the blood seemed to be clotting fairly well. This bought her enough time - fifteen, maybe twenty minutes if she's lucky - before the inevitable fall into shock. Enough time to take care of things. Anything beyond that, she found herself not particularly concerned with.

Her attack had been picture-perfect. She could not have arranged a more perfect kill herself - under the cover of darkness, shrouded in the blanket of noise that was the torrential downpour, with her target absolutely unaware that she was about to have eight inches of tempered steel shoved into her sternum.

Not even a novice could have messed it up, and Ryogi was certainly no novice herself. All it took was her dropping silently from her perch, vaulting down to the ground level and then, when she managed to get herself close enough, throwing herself bodily at the girl. The knife, already reared back to strike, found its target, and it sank into flesh without resistance.

Two things immediately happened, and immediately notified Ryogi of her failure. The first was that her prey, instead of exploding into a shower of black, negatively-charged dust, simply smiled wanly at her before collapsing in a heap of white thread. The other was the soft, almost gentle kiss of the mouth of a gun on her temple.

"You've got some nerve," the alchemist spat at her, purple eyes exquisitely-framed by long lashes flashing with incredulous fury. "Here I was, simply minding my own business, when suddenly a one-eyed thug with a knife comes into the scene and tries to stick her knife where it clearly doesn't belong. It's a good thing I made calculations in advance with the information I received - I really didn't anticipate having to apply them minutes after being alerted."

Her frown deepened, revealing horrible hairline cracks on an otherwise pretty face. "Now, before I decorate this place of worship with your brains, you will tell me who sent you. Or I can force the truth out of your corpse myself." A length of ethereal cord, tipped with a gilded shard of white quartz, swung to and from her other hand like a pendulum.

Ryogi stared with her one good eye. Alerted? That would mean that she knew, somehow, that she was going to be attacked. She refused to believe that her assault, as propitious and absurdly well-timed as it was, could have been telegraphed by anything she might have did. Nothing - absolutely nothing - could have given her away.

There was the chance that her target might have been blessed with precognition, of course, but that was neither here nor there, with that particular skill not stated in the dossier. The fact was, however, she was alerted - and with all advantages gone, Ryogi was back to square one. Which pretty much meant that she was, in all honesty, screwed.

She was outmatched, that much she knew. Fighting a Tatari clone, she had learned from Touko, pretty much meant that you were fighting a copy of someone that was at their peak fighting condition. And the fact that she was fighting a Tatari of Sion Eltnam Atlasia - an alchemist known for her no-nonsense approach to battle, with an impeccable-tactical mind and a body to match - it was going to certainly be a tough fight to try and win, much more survive.

"..." the Satsujinki replied as eloquently as she could, given her circumstances - and the silence seemed to incense the beret-wearing girl more, seemingly not used to being ignored. With a curse that sounded just as malicious as it sounded foreign, she pulled the trigger - and in doing so, gave Ryogi all the time she needed to strike.

As efficient and as deadly as the firearm was in delivering direct blasts of concussive, penetrative force that was strong enough to punch through granite, it had a dead spot to it - the half-second delay between the actual pulling of the trigger and the discharge itself. All but the most versed in firearms would have noticed this very small window of opportunity, barely imperceptible as it was - but for Ryogi, who needed every chance, every opening that she could muster, it was as good as Sion cheerfully bending over and asking her to be gentle.

The trigger clicked, and Ryogi sprang into action. Jerking her head to the side, she torqued her body forward, the move executed at practically the same time the Black Barrel's mouth spat hot leaden death. Ignoring the heat that singed her hair and the deafening report that filled her ears, the Satsujinki ducked under her opponent's outstretched arm, flashed the surprised Sion a predatory smile, and then smashed her jacket-clad elbow across the alchemist's face.

Stunned by the sudden physicality of the counterattack, Sion staggered backwards, and Ryogi quickly moved in to press her advantage. A quick switching of grips, Ryogi struck, slamming the butt of her knife into the hollow where the younger woman's ribs met, just below her sternum. Sion folded over at that point, deflated, the air expelled forcefully out her lungs and leaving her winded. This opening was all that Ryogi needed, hooking both arms and locking them around the girl's waist, flipping the girl onto her shoulders - and then slamming her hard into the ground, skull-first, in a throw so strong that tiling cracked and splintered under the impact.

Alright, she's down, Ryogi dimly thought, the burning pain of exertion smoldering in her arms and legs, a contrast to the biting cold that the rain brought. Untangling herself from the unconscious Tatari - grimly noting the halo of blood that had started to form underneath Sion's head - Ryogi made to finish things then and there, the dot manifesting as clear as day on the nape of the alchemist's neck. With one booted foot planted firmly on the small of Sion's back - it never hurt to be sure - she went for the kill.

The round that slammed into her right arm and shattered the bone underneath caught her completely by surprise. By complete and utter instinct, Ryogi dropped low to the ground - rolling behind a collapsed granite pillar as another shot rang out, piercing the air her head was happily occupying only mere moments ago. Clutching her arm - blood trickling out from between her fingers as she applied pressure - the Satsujinki peeked from behind her makeshift cover, her one eye widening as the Sion she had left unconscious suddenly decompose into yet another heap of white thread.

Another decoy. You must be joking.

"Oi, Satsujinki!" The voice was much rougher now. Gone was the cool, silken tones of the alchemical intelligentsia, replaced instead with a savage and primal ferocity that told Ryogi that this was her true opponent, and the first two had just been mere manifestations. "I must thank you for making this quite entertaining. It's been a while, really. Unfortunately, this has to end -- you'll have to forgive me, but I have other pressing issues." A laugh, shrill and grating. "Now, if you'd kindly step out of cover, we can finish this nasty business. It usually doesn't hurt, as long as I don't miss."

Ryogi sighed, leaning back against the pillar.

It was going to be a long night.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Kohaku watched the lines of water pouring down outside her window as they were briefly illuminated at seemingly random, the droning sound of rain broken up every now and then by the thunder's rumble. She had her chin resting on her forearms, which were in turn resting on the back of the chair she was sitting on backwards. Despite the hour, she didn't feel tired, although she didn't feel particularly restless either.

It wasn't the storm. Although sometimes the thunder would be close enough and loud enough to let her hear slight vibrations inside the mansion's walls and of the things in her room alongside, it wasn't something that bothered her.

In the end, it was simple mental preoccupation.

Maybe it did have a bit to do with the weather after all. Not in how it affected her, but in her wondering how it affected Ryogi.

She had to wonder what she was up to at the moment. She really did have no idea how Ryogi operated, or what went on in her line of work. Ideally, she thought, Ryogi might be asleep on the bed of some cheap hotel far away, able to still get some rest while searching for whatever it was she was looking for. Nice and safe from the downpour. Ideally.

..Of course, such a thought made her wonder how Ryogi looked while she was sleeping. Sleeping normally, anyway. She figured there was a difference between the woman doing so and passing out from wounds and fatigue. She wondered how it'd be.. All curled up? Sprawled out, almost spread-eagle? Something in-between? Did she kick the sheets off, or scrunch them up around her?

On the other hand.. At this moment Ryogi might be on the move, having to go about her unnatural tasks in this dreadful weather. Or, she wondered if she might have some special hiding spot she stayed in for hours, like some kind of sniper. Or an owl. ...Do owls do that? she pondered.

After a while longer of watching the rain, in thought, she stood. Stretching a bit, she decided to get some warm milk and try to sleep. After all, sleeping would let tomorrow come sooner, and for all she knew it'd be the day Ryogi came back.

The trip to the kitchen and back through the darkness of the mansion was uneventful. Sitting down again with the warm mug, she continued to look out the window. Thoughts of the kimono-clad warrior continued to make their mark at the front of her mind, long after the remains of the drink finally cooled. Distractedly, she eventually felt her mouth to be a little dry, and finally finished off the drink, then blinked as the cold liquid surprised her. She frowned at that, looking back out at the storm.

..Shiki-san.

She eventually readied for bed, tossing her ribbon on her dresser, and finally removed her earrings. Putting them neatly back in their box, she clicked it closed, and moved to set it down.

Kohaku bit her lip, hesitating.

She turned, brushing her fingers over the top of the small, velvet box as she looked at it. She didn't want to put it down. She felt lonely.. And as she was willing to admit, just a bit worried.

..Just for tonight. she thought, finally, as she moved over to her bed, and flopped down on her back. She looked up at the ceiling, blankly, as the little box lay in her right hand. The storm continued to roll outside.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Never let it be said that Ryogi Shiki had a bad temper.

No, she had a horrible one. Infamous even among her peers - and the rest of her defunct bloodline - the rage that could boil over in the small, frail-looking frame of Ryogi Shiki was known to be one of the few things in the world that one should very well be afraid of incurring, just like one should fear incurring the wrath of a Tyrannosaurus Rex with chainsaws for teeth. And as befitting a young woman who only carried a knife and nothing else in an assassination attempt, it was nothing to be trifled with.

What made Ryogi's anger a particularly scary thing to invoke is how it meant that you would have a perfectly-rational, perfectly-logical berserker that's handy with a knife after you. Stalking you. One that's relentless, tireless, and unstoppable. One would not be able to reason with an angry Ryogi. One would not have enough time to plead, to placate, to try and assuage the fury that turned the woman from a taciturn, socially-awkward recluse to something mothers would scare their children to having nightmares of. Bloody, horrific nightmares.

Her anger was not the usual sort of anger that usually came bursting forth from individuals who took others' lives into their hands, it was not the sort of anger that exploded. Unlike those whose anger was similar to that of an erupting volcano's, Ryogi's was more of a pyroclastic flow, or a veritable flood of molten lava. Slow, seemingly harmless, yet at the same time would leave a path of horrific destruction in its wake. But what was frightening the most was that her judgement was never clouded, her senses never impaired by the blood-red haze of fury that would lead to fatal mistakes. Instead, Ryogi would be lucid, terrifyingly focused and collected, ice-cold mercury running in her veins, making her an unerring and efficient machine of death.

This anger came to her readily in the past, in her infuriation and desperation to save Kohaku from the shade of Nero. Now, not only did it come to her, it rose up to meet her, to offer its assistance and help her destroy everything in sight - and Ryogi found herself readily accepting its help. As much as she loathed to - as much as she would regret it afterward, resorting to such a way out of her predicament - she had to. Else she wouldn't survive long enough to see her...

Ryogi closed her eyes shut as the searing pain of her broken arm cut through the wet cold of the storm. The round was still inside, lodged into a mess of splintered bone and torn muscle - and as much as she didn't mind cutting out the bullet herself, she knew that it would cause more harm than good, and she'd risk having a gimped arm for the rest of her life if she were to even attempt it. It would have to wait, and she would have to finish what she started first before she could even think of having it remedied.

She wasn't really worried about shock. Bullet wounds, broken arms, bloody cuts - these were all par for the course for Ryogi, and she had learned how to deal with that particular defensive mechanism of the human body. It was simply of forcing yourself to move, to act - to disregard the fact that yes, you will be hurting afterwards; yes, you will probably be in traction for quite some time; and yes, you may just end up losing the use of your injured body parts if you did anything else with them. Those cons, however, would always end up being outweighed by the simple pro that you would get to stand over the corpse of your enemy, and they would hear you laughing until the life faded out from their eyes. Ryogi made her decision based simply on the fact that she wanted - no, needed - to see Kohaku one more time, wearing the earrings she had bought for her.

Get up. Fight back. The voice murmured.

I have. I will. She whispered in return.

*

The Tatari of Sion Eltnam Atlasia was laughing, and laughing hard. She couldn't believe that the Satsujinki fell for it twice, how her would-be murderer was tricked by two of her own Etherite clones. She wished that the others could have seen it, how she had cornered what they had fearfully called the Ultimate Chimera in a layered trap - they would never have believed it even if she had told them - but she would satisfy herself by bringing them her severed head. Yes, that would be good enough.

One could not call her overconfident. She knew just what she had done - the mist of blood that had erupted from the Satsujinki's arm wasn't something she'd miss, even with the rain - and she knew that victory as all but another well-aimed shot away. The Tatari prayed that her next round would catch her prey in the lungs, or in the heart - so that she could watch the life slowly fade from that one remaining eye of the Satsujinki, before putting another bullet through it.

She fired another shot at the post where she knew the Satsujinki was cowering behind, a frown distorting the bloodthirsty grin that had been decorating her cracked face earlier. The comedy of the entire thing was beginning to wear out. While she knew that Ryogi's battle capacity was more or less cut in half, she also knew that going up against a Chokushi no Magan adept in close range was suicide. Not even the most efficient hand-to-hand defensive style could defend against a knife stab that could erase your existence completely.

She would have to find another vantage point, another angle of attack. Keeping the Black Barrel leveled, the Tatari analyzed the situation, and the alchemist's brain whirred and clicked and spun as it came up with a thousand different strategies at once. It was almost unfair - but then she stopped, seeing that there was no longer need for it, as Ryogi suddenly stepped out of cover, her one eye burning a cold blue in the darkness.

"Overconfident much?" Sion laughed harshly. "This'll be your end--"

"No." Came the murmured reply. "This will be yours."

Sion fired, again - and her blood-tinged eyes widened as the round hit nothing but a red leather sweater seemingly hanging in midair. It was then that a cold sweat, colder than the rain, broke out on the Tatari's skin as she recognized the treachery, the blatant trickery of it all. And it took her all of two seconds to realize that Ryogi had impossibly dodged a shot that should have pierced her heart, and was now rushing her with the knife gripped tightly between her teeth.

No--

She fired. Again and again and again, some shots nicking flesh, the others missing completely as they were discharged from a very shaky grip. Panic gripped the Tatari, a cloying fear that slowly wrung the breath of her lungs and made her backpedal away. At her fourteenth shot - the gun clicking impotently as it announced it no longer had any ammunition - Sion actually THREW the firearm, in a desperate overhand that had the ungainly handcannon hurtling towards Ryogi in a straight line.

It missed, crashing against the post that Ryogi had been behind earlier, the impact bending the projection into a grotesque angle.

It was the last that Sion saw before her opponent struck.

Crack. She heard, rather than felt, her ribs breaking as a knee slammed right into her sternum. The metallic tang of blood flooding her mouth and stinging her tongue, Sion coughed and spat crimson, moments before a palm suddenly slammed into her face, gripping her head by the temples. She clawed furiously at the iron grip, but it proved futile as she was suddenly slammed hard into the ground, again, and she knew that her skull was cracked.

It was then that her attacker let go, and instead gripped her left ankle in a vice-like grip. The Tatari screamed bloody murder as the world spun around her, going topsy-turvy for a moment before suddenly re-orienting itself hard as she was unceremoniously smashed against the windshield of a parked car. The song of glass shattering and alarms blaring filled the air as the action was repeated once, then twice, then three times in brutal succession, before a final swing that flung the clone clear across the courtyard.

"You..you can't stop us. Not all of us." She managed when she finally got up, black insectile blood dripping from her lips. The cracks in her face now pronounced and bleeding, the fangs in her mouth ever more apparent. "STOP TRYING TO FIGHT US! THIS DOES NOT CONCERN YOU--"

Instead or replying - instead of acknowledging her please - the Satsujinki merely took the knife from her mouth and then raised it, the blade pointing upwards. The point seemed to glow with the same light that burned from the woman's remaining eye.

Disappear.

The throw was almost casual, but the knife seemed to fly faster than any of the Black Barrel's rounds. A flicker of light, and Sion felt the force of a sledgehammer to the chest as the knife made contact, slamming her backwards and pinning her to a nearby wall.

The last thing the Tatari saw before she died was the Satsujinki's fiercely-glowing eye.

Only this time, it burned a hellish red.

*
The girl watched the corpse twitch, body tensed as she hoped to everything that was sacred that it did not fall into bits and pieces of string like the first two times - and when it did not, slowly disassembling itself into ashes, it was then that she finally was able to relax. Exhausted, injured, and bleeding nearly half to death, she collapsed right where she stood, letting the cold hard darkness of a well-deserved coma envelop her.

It was unfortunate that there was no amber-eyed girl to save her this time, to drag her home and tend to her injuries.

A short, blue-haired schoolgirl with glasses who had been watching the battle play out long before it even started would just have to do.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Sorry for taking so long, but work just kept piling up and made me forget this for a bit...

[White]

Story Index:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six
• Part Seven
• Part Eight
• Part Nine
• Part Ten (Current Post)
• Part Eleven
• Part Twelve

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

It had been a little too long.

Too long since Kohaku had seen hide or hair of one Ryogi Shiki.

Worried and lonely. Kohaku had seen people acting like that on television, people who missed their friends and loved ones. She had already known what it was like, of course.. But somehow experiencing it again and again didn't make it any easier. If anything, it was getting harder. Of course, she worked to control herself.

After all, breaking down and running out looking for her wasn't the proper thing to do, even if she really felt like it. She didn't trust what felt like such an unusual emotional reaction compared to.. Normal people.

Still.. She could only stand so much. It had been much longer than Ryogi had said.. And she believed that she would have done something, anything, to.. Let her know somehow, if she was going to be away for so long.

Troublesome.

Her sister had certainly noticed her change in attitude, and Akiha probably had as well. Luckily, it seemed that neither were in the mood to confront her about it. Kohaku had to be thankful for that much at least, as just knowing that she wasn't able to mask her feelings very well was frustrating enough at times.

She also didn't want to deal with having to refuse their well-meaning help in a polite and reassuring manner at this time.

In any case, time seemed to have slowed down around the Tohno household. The worry was making her miserable, every day dragging on just a little more than the last. It almost felt like a week had passed with each day, and she finally wanted to do something about it.

Holding out a bit longer on her trump card, Kohaku had decided to exhaust her other leads first.

She was hesitant to call Ryogi's number. She would have a dreadful imagined scenario about the hunter's own phone distracting her at an inopportune time and getting her killed, but she eventually decided that she was just making herself worry over nothing.

Still, considering that Ryogi hadn't called her - although she wondered if Ryogi still had the Tohno house number -, she assumed that Ryogi must have a decent reason for not doing so, such as not having her phone on her at all.

Naturally, there was no answer.

The curio shop, which she couldn't find in the phone book - perhaps for the best, as the little caretaker struck her as obviously less of a phone person that even Ryogi - ended up being closed after the long train ride and walk to get there. Strangely during store hours, too. She hadn't expected a miracle with that lead, given there was probably little reason for Ryogi to visit a little shop if she was that busy or out of town.

Still, sometimes you have to try even if there's only a one-percent chance, something she heard on a robot show recently.

The next lead was Ryogi's own apartment. Another real long shot, but she wanted to eliminate all other choices before the hard one. The apartment staff and tenants weren't very helpful, as it seemed they rarely knew when Ryogi came and went regardless, and some certainly preferred to stay out of her way.

In any case, she at least hadn't had her hopes up for that one either.

Before long, she had run out of the easy options.

Her last card would be played carefully.

*

Aozaki Touko. Owner of an architectural firm. Ryogi's obvious 'cover job' was within. The firm seemed far too small for this Aozaki to be unaware of someone like Ryogi doing much else on company time, and it seemed more certain that this woman was probably working with Ryogi, if not as her real boss after all.

Kohaku's research didn't draw out a whole lot other than that the firm didn't have very many clients or a whole lot work history. A little less than one would expect from even as small of a business as it seemed. And this Touko woman..

Despite Kohaku's life and place within the Tohno family, with access(much more than anyone else was aware) to more than a few of the family's stores of information, her ability to research into certain aspects of the other side of the world was still tragically limited. Plenty to be found about affiliated families and enemies, both past and present, but when it came to the name Aozaki, not much came up, especially not in the way of any demon hunters.

She found that somewhat surprising.

Still, she was able to get the gist that she wasn't a normal person even from more mundane forms of information gathering. While inconsistent, it seemed as if there was stigma associated with the Aozaki name. The kind that meant something else to Kohaku than it would to someone with no knowledge about what was going on in the shadows of the world.

While she didn't know what it all exactly meant, at least yet, obviously this would be her best chance after all.

*

It really wasn't much to look at, much as she had expected. In fact, Aozaki's office building really looked like one of those small, single-story old-fashioned places on the side of a street that you'd see in an old private eye film. The obscure, out of the way location certainly contributed to that.

The paint on the window showing the name of the firm in both Japanese and English seemed much newer than all the surrounding decor, and the place seemed to be one that must have been empty for some time before being recently moved into.

Infiltrating it had been a little troublesome, as it seemed that the woman on the phone wasn't in the mood to accept any business despite it obviously being business hours.

However, enough unrelenting positive inquiry and pressing eventually got her to cave in and see her for an appointment.

And so, Kohaku found herself sitting in a surprisingly cluttered office, books, half-unpacked cardboard boxes of things, and strange artifact-looking bits she couldn't make heads or tails of surrounding her. It seemed like much more than would comfortably fit into such a small building, so the outer size must have been somewhat deceptive.

The smell of coffee and cigarettes was strong, and sources of which being rather obvious. The coffee pot was visible in the lounge area right next to the office, looking quite warm, and the woman she had come to find was the perpetrator of the latter scent.

Her shorter hairstyle lent a professional air to her alongside the dress suit, smoking aside. Kohaku had expected someone a bit older to be in charge, but not by too much. In any case, she supposed this woman had a very classy kind of look to her.

"Ryogi Shiki? What did she do this time?"

The woman had a slight expression of boredom, her gaze seeming to be focused on the world outside of the small building, through the limited view the half-closed blinds offered. The fact that Kohaku had begun asking about an employee instead of elaborating on her architectural needs didn't seem to phase her in the slightest.

Kohaku was slightly puzzled, but stayed her course. Something about the way that cigarette looked between the woman's lips fascinated her a little, but she had more important things to concentrate on.

"Ah.. She hasn't done anything. I'm her friend, Kohaku. I haven't heard from her in a while.. She missed a brunch we had planned as well. Is she in?"

"..Her friend." The sitting woman echoed.

Kohaku nodded.

The bespectacled woman leaned forward slightly, reaching out lazily to flick her cigarette above the ashtray on her desk. Kohaku saw the woman's gaze finally return to her, giving her the once-over again, slower. A smile crept onto her lips as she reclined a little. "I have to admit, you're not quite what I expected."

"She spoke of me..?" said Kohaku, a bit surprised.

"Actually, no. But if you're her friend, you know what she's all about anyway. Not one for using things like 'words' or 'sentences', you know. Getting gossip out of her is like stirring dried concrete."

Kohaku felt a little deflated at that, but all the information to be analyzed from this conversation was pushed to the back of her mind at Touko's way of talking about her. That was hardly the way to speak about someone, but it definitely wasn't the way to speak about someone who was gone. In the same moment, she felt a renewed resolve. "But.. She's doing alright, yes?"

"She's.." Touko frowning slightly, and made a small, cyclical gesture with her smoking hand, apparently trying to find the right word. "Alive."

Kohaku felt a twinge up her back that she hoped didn't translate too much into an involuntary shiver. Something wasn't right at all with that, even if it was obviously good news. She leaned forward, looking at Touko strongly, her hands clenching her skirt. "Aozaki-san, please tell me where she is."

Touko closed her eyes and brought the cigarette to her lips. "Don't get all worked up, please." Kohaku took offense at that, but didn't voice it. "Ryogi was in an accident a little while back. She's unconscious and pretty beat up, but she's in no danger."

She's hurt. Oh, no, she's really hurt.. She was hurt after all. I knew something was wrong.. Kohaku looked down, wringing her skirt a little more with tightened hands. She heard the woman exhale a breath of smoke, and she continued. "She'll be fine, of course. She's a survivor."

"I.. See." Kohaku swallowed and looked back up, recovering her expression, despite the complex mixture of fear and relief welling up. "..If you don't mind, could you tell me which hospital she's at? I really want to visit her."

Touko looked her over again, seemed to consider a moment, and then nodded. "I still can't believe that girl and you.. Never mind." She put the cigarette out in the tray, and then opened up a desk drawer.

"If you have the time, I'll do you one better and let you tag along with me. I was going to visit her again today myself. I can't promise she'll be very conversational today obviously, but when is she ever, hmm?" she said, fishing out a set of keys.

*

It had been an interesting trip to the hospital. Luckily, instead of another scooter type vehicle, Touko revealed a rather classic-looking western car around the back of the building. Kohaku wasn't exactly a car person, but she could appreciate the aesthetics of the older, yet obviously well-maintained vehicle.

Ryogi and Touka seemed to have fairly differing driving philosophies, however.

In any case, the drive had been a quiet one between the two of them. Kohaku had felt lost in thought, and Touko didn't seem to be in the chatty mood herself. It struck Kohaku that Touko hadn't actually yet explained Ryogi's accident, or likewise any detail that would be abnormal to the average person.

She had a feeling Touko might suspect that she knew something already, but was keeping her cards close to her chest all the same. The same for both of us, then. Architect it is.

Touko got them past the front desk with barely a gesture, it seemed, and before long the two of them were on an elevator and down a hallway to Ryogi's room.

The familiar hospital smell and sounds surrounded her, but the sounds of their shoes - Touko's dress shoes much more so - on the tiled floor seemed to sound so incredibly loud and echoing to her ears at the moment. She felt her mouth and throat dry and tighten the closer they got to their destination.

She hadn't seen Ryogi in so long.. And to know she was wounded, apparently much more so than before. And that she could have just as easily never been able to see her again. She reached up, fidgeting with one of her earrings.

Touko pushed the door open, heading in, and Kohaku braced herself to follow.

Shiki-san.. Ohh, Shiki-san..

The woman who had saved her life was laying there helplessly on that white bed, motionless except for her slow breathing. One arm was in a sling and cast, the other heavily bandaged up on the forearm, and she seemed to be at least bandaged plenty elsewhere from the way the sheet bulged around her.

The way her skin seemed paler, the way her hair was mussed.. She really did seem to be so much worse off than she had been when Kohaku had first seen her injured. Even though she was at rest, she managed to somehow look tired still.

The diagnostic machinery beeped lightly in the private room, the only noise at the moment besides that of human breathing.

Kohaku stepped forward slowly, silently. Ryogi's face.. So expressionless. She noticed that Ryogi's gauze-like eye patch was gone, and replaced by.. It looked like a child's bandanna, with little frog designs on it.

She found that rather strange, but it was really the furthest thought from her mind as she looked at her prone friend.

I'm so sorry.. I should have known sooner. I'd have come to see you every day, Shiki-san. Or have never left, or.. ...No. Now's not the time to think like that. I'm here, she's here, and she's.. Alive. And she's going to be alright. That's all that matters.

She took a deep breath, feeling the anxiety drain away. Just seeing her again made her feel relieved now.

After a few moments, there was a small noise to her right. She turned, and saw a small figure curled up on the chair in the corner, stretching and rubbing an eye.

She realized it was the young shopkeeper of the curio store. The small girl yawned, and hopped out of the chair, blinking up at Kohaku from where she was, before nodding. Kohaku nodded back, although with the distraction of Ryogi's condition it was more reflex.

"She found Ryogi when she was hurt and got in touch with me." explained Touko, stepping further into the room. She and the young shopkeeper exchanged short nods as well.

Kohaku kneeled and patted the little girl on the head. "You have my greatest thanks for that, shopkeeper-san. You really do." she said, smiling at her.

The girl smiled back a little, and reached for her notepad, only to realize it wasn't there. She began looking around quickly for it, turning and seeing it on the floor by the chair, and scratched the back of her head at that. Kohaku giggled lightly, straightening up as the girl stooped to get her reply on paper.

The shopkeeper wrote down You're very welcome. Thank you for coming to see her.

All three of them turned to over watch Ryogi for a little bit.

Before long, she heard Touko shift beside her. She glanced at the woman silently, noting the hint of sympathy in her expression as she looked down at the unconscious Ryogi.

Touko glanced back at Kohaku, and then away, shaking her head. "That girl.. What a mess. In any case, the doctor said she should be coming around any day now. I have a business to run, so I can't stay much longer. Since you're here, you might as well take my place for a while. So I'll leave you kids alone." she said.

Kohaku thanked her again for bringing her there, and Touko departed.

As the sound of her footsteps vanished down the hallway, Kohaku lowered her gaze from her wounded friend to the medical chart at the end of the bed. She looked over, eyeing the little shopkeeper, and made a 'shhh' motion, before kneeling down and checking the paper.

Somehow the fact that the shopkeeper was small and didn't talk made her feel more like she could get away with something strange in front of her, as she read over the figures and medical jargon.

She could feel the questioning glance her way, as her eyes widened ever so slightly. I knew it probably wasn't an accident, but all of this is.. It's.. Crazy. She glanced at Ryogi. Gunshot wounds.. And this should be something like claw marks.. Just what all was she fighting?

In the end, though.. She didn't really care that much. She straightened up, and walked to the side of Ryogi's bed. She reached out, slowly, cautiously.

..Exactly. Shiki-san.. None of it matters. What you did doesn't matter. You're my best friend and I.. I'm so glad you're alive.

She smiled a little, feeling her eyes dampen somewhat, as she gently stroked Ryogi's hair and cheek, and then reached and placed her hand very carefully over the hand of Ryogi's bandaged arm.

She stayed like that for a long, long while.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

It was well into the afternoon when the girl with the eyepatch woke up.

And for the second time in this chapter of her life, Ryogi Shiki found herself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. While being completely naked under the covers, save for a thin gown that did nothing for modesty. Or warmth.

She dimly remembered what had happened. It came back to her in blurry scenes and oddly-timed cuts, like she was viewing something from a stretched-out videotape: how her textbook hunt of a Tatari quickly became a desperate struggle to stab someone in the face and not get shot; how her right arm felt oddly detached and leaden after she had a bullet buried deep inside it; and how badly she wanted to see and hold a particular amber-eyed redhead just before everything went black.

She also remembered snatches of conversations, about how someone needed to transform herself back into something human before someone else saw, and how someone would be docking someone's pay for a month if someone didn't wake themselves from their coma soon. But it was neither here nor there, and Ryogi found herself focusing on that one last thought - the one before she finally sank into oblivion - and realized with a cold dread how close she had been to losing her. Again.

Kohaku...

Everything hurt. Blinking her one good eye a couple of times to get it accustomed to seeing again after spending quite some time in the dark, she took stock of her injuries. Everything seemed to sting, yes, but at the same time everything also worked. Her right arm, the one trapped in a plaster cast, strangely felt odd for some reason, but at least she could still move all the necessary bits. Necessary bits meaning the parts she killed with, or at least bits she needed to use things that killed other things.

This wouldn't have happened if you've been paying attention, the nasty little voice was back, scratchy and shrill, a splinter in her mind. This wouldn't have happened if you'd been focused enough to realize that you were being led into a trap. You're going soft. You've GONE soft. What are you going to do when something really bad happens and you can't do it anymore? Ask Touko for a new body? This is the only thing you know how to do. What, are you going to take up gardening then? Maybe bake cakes? You can't--

She was in the process of making sure her toes could still wiggle when she realized Kohaku was in the same room as she was. Time for Ryogi then literally stopped, checked its watch, and wondered if it could take five minutes for a quick smoke. Everything fell silent, including the little voice that was doing a very good job of playing Devil's Advocate.

Kohaku...

The girl was slumped forward on the bed, using the matress and an arm for a pillow - while the other arm reached out towards her, dainty fingers placed on the cast. Craning her head to get a view of Kohaku's face - wincing once more as various muscles and bones creaked in protest - Ryogi's eye widened as she realized that Kohaku had been crying, tracks of dried tears staining her cheeks.

And it was then that she noticed that the girl was wearing earrings. THE earrings Ryogi bought for her. And even though she was in just as much pain as she would be if she had sat through Touko's karaoke singing, Ryogi felt overjoyed at this, a great pride swelling inside her. That Kohaku had deemed her present enough to wear them...it gave her hope that she might be doing things right for once.

A small rustle on her other side told her that someone else in the room, and while Ryogi already knew who it was, she turned around to see an obviously-relieved shopkeeper beside her. The girl held up her notepad - and while it was obvious from the doodles all over that she had written the message long before Ryogi woke up, the message itself was something that made coming around for a rather comfortable coma all the more worth it.

Welcome back. We missed you.

"Thank you for waiting," Ryogi murmured, nodding at the shopkeeper before reaching over with a bandaged hand and patting her on the head. The girl flushed crimson, and then hastily scribbled another note.

She's been waiting for you to wake up ever since she found out. You'll have some explaining to do, but I'll bet she'll be too busy fussing over you to remember. She's been worried sick.

Ryogi blinked at that, and then sighed. She thought as much, and whatever spark of happiness she felt soon died away as she realized she'd inconvenienced the girl once more. Maybe if you were just a bit better with your knife, she wouldn't be like this most of the time, The nasty little voice reminded her. Novice.

The shopkeeper's notepad landed on her lap.

She's been waiting for her prince to wake up. Why not do her the courtesy and wake her up too? said the shopkeeper's block script, and Ryogi looked up at her, slightly puzzled.

And then blushed crimson as she realized what it meant.

And blushed even more as she realized that it wasn't such a bad idea, and found herself leaning forward and down to plant a small kiss on top of Kohaku's head.

Lame. Said the crumpled piece of paper that bounced off her forehead.

"That's the best I could do!" Ryogi furiously whispered back, throwing her pillow at the giggling girl.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

[White]

Story Index:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six
• Part Seven
• Part Eight
• Part Nine
• Part Ten
• Part Eleven (Current Post)
• Part Twelve

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

An unfamiliar, quiet creaking sound, like some kind of metal furniture. Quite close. Right under where she was resting her head, in fact. There were other sounds.. She wondered for a moment where she was, and just what had awoken her.

Kohaku shifted. It took a moment to get her bearings, as she looked up, blinking.

A solitary dark eye met her gaze.

"Shiki-san!!" She said at once, standing up, the seat from which she came giving a short, unpleasant screech as it was pushed back. She could feel her own smile tugging the muscles of her face, as she fought the urge to simply hug the now slightly surprised-looking woman sitting before her.

She had to settle for reaching to rest her hands on one of Ryogi's, repressing the giddy energy that seemed to come from nowhere she could discern. She searched for the right words as she tried to compose herself.

Ryogi continued to look up at her from where she sat on the bed, her expression returning to that cool look she so often seemed to have. Cool, except of course, for the slow, slight lifting of the corners of her lips. "Hey." she said, breaking the short silence.

Kohaku took back one of her hands to wipe off her face a little, embarrassed at her onset of emotion and inability to articulate at the moment. She recovered herself, feeling better already at seeing Ryogi back to her old self. "..Hello, Shiki-san. I.. Thank goodness you're alright."

"Sorry to worry you.."

"Shiki-san, please don't apologize for something like that. You can tell me all about it later. For now, you should relax and recover your strength." said Kohaku, raising a finger. She smiled brightly at the wounded Ryogi.

Yes, you will tell me later, Shiki-san. Not because I'm forcing you, but because you can't hide it from me forever, and you feel bad enough by now that you have no choice. Am I right..?

***

Despite Kohaku's insisting, Ryogi seemed more intent on finishing her recovery at anywhere but the hospital. The horribly undignified hospital gown probably contributed to that, which Kohaku couldn't fault her for.

Also despite Kohaku's skepticism about Ryogi getting out before a last day of testing and resting, it seemed that she had a 'get out of the hospital free' card in the interference of the Aozaki woman. More things of interest.. she thought, after the call was placed.

While waiting for the architect to return, Kohaku decided to make the most of the time they had left there. While Ryogi stared at the hospital's lackluster provided meal, Kohaku set about procuring a marker from elsewhere in the building. She began decorating Ryogi's cast with the eagerness of someone years younger.

Before long, Ryogi had a host of well-wishes and cute, child-like doodles all over the plaster, which she seemed to look at favorably enough. Kohaku giggled, and handed the marker to the little shopkeeper then. The girl looked a bit perplexed, but was quickly prodded into adding something of her own.

Later, still waiting for Touko to arrive, Kohaku was pushing Ryogi around the halls in a wheelchair. Naturally, she was having a little too much fun doing so. It had taken some effort to convince her to sit in the chair, but after a few steps Ryogi had seemed a little more enthusiastic about the idea.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted to stay here after all and be doctored." said the amused older woman, folding her arms as she came from the elevator.

Kohaku turned the chair to face Touko, smiling in a somewhat embarrassed manner. Ryogi spoke up, sounding unfazed. "We can always steal the chair. Hurry up and get me signed out."

***

They didn't steal the wheelchair, obviously. (Ryogi seemed to have had her eye on a tray of scalpels on the way out, although nothing came of that either.) Regardless, they got a chair for her anyway. It sat folded, laying in the grass behind their bench, out of sight and out of mind now.

The evening sun still bathed the park in it's light, giving everything a light orange glow.

Kohaku looked over at her friend.

Ryogi seemed to be watching the sun's golden, fractured reflection on the water. Half of the time it seemed she had her eye closed, however. She looked relaxed just being there. Kohaku wondered what she was thinking about.

You missed this too, didn't you..? Enough to want to come straight here after getting dressed.

She found herself watching Ryogi for a while, through the comfortable silence. Something about the evening light seemed flattering on her for some reason. She's kind of a night person. Maybe she looks better the later it gets? she idly pondered.

(Of course, Ryogi's mostly dignified appearance was a little offset by the bandanna still covering her eye. Touko had commented on it during their departure, to which Kohaku assured Ryogi that it was indeed very cute.)

While thinking, Kohaku was caught off guard as Ryogi turned her head to face her. Their eyes met.

"Kohaku-san.."

Kohaku smiled a little more, tilting her head.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

For a brief moment, Ryogi forgot what she was about to say. She had been poised to apologize once more, to say how sorry she was that she had failed to look after herself even when she had promised the amber-haired girl that she would come back to her relatively...whole. She wasn't worth crying over, she decided. She wasn't worth worrying over. Wasn't worth being concerned over.

And then she saw Kohaku smiling in the orange glow of the setting sun. For that brief moment, the world became a softer, brighter, and less scarier place than Ryogi had previously been acquainted with.

She deserves to know.

Closing her one eye briefly to recover herself - her unbandaged hand running over the hard plaster surface of her cast, tracing over the doodles and the writings that both Kohaku and the shopkeeper had playfully scribbled upon it - Ryogi let out the breath that she had been holding, and finally spoke.

"I was out killing when I got injured."

It came out a bit louder and a bit more abrupt than she had anticipated, startling a few pond-dwelling swans into a panicked flight. While Ryogi herself winced at this, the sudden noise didn't seem to faze Kohaku at the least, seemingly in rapt attention. The smile was still there, at the very least, and encouraged by this fact Ryogi continued.

It was messy. It was awkward for the most part. But she managed to tell the girl everything she needed to know without going too much into the details. She told her about Touko, and how being architects was simply a working front for a detective agency for the...for the paranormal(she had said this in an unconsciously lowered voice, and Kohaku was hard-put to stop herself from giggling).

How every case they got seemed to involve her having to kill something or someone, much like an assassin. And how she was currently 'rented' to an organization that had her doing just that. She noted how the girl stiffened at the last part, but besides that small twitch, Kohaku was unreadable.

For such an absurd amount of information that was just as ridiculous, the girl seemed to soak it all in like a big sponge - that was, if the sponge had red hair, amber eyes, and the tantalizing scent of tangerines.

Ryogi also noticed that the girl never once stopped her for questions, merely nodding for her to continue whenever she finished this or that explanation - as if she was affirming something she had been guessing, that she had been expecting everything. She marveled silently at this, wondering if there would be anything to surprise Kohaku, barring Ryogi suddenly proclaiming a burning love for 80's speed metal.

After all was said and done - Ryogi finally looking away, back into the sunset that was now dwindling into dusk - it was Kohaku who made the first move, one dainty-fingered hand alighting gently on her bandaged arm.

No words needed to be said then. She understood what Ryogi had just revealed to her. She accepted it all without nary a blink or a gasp. And she was still there. She was staying.

And Ryogi found herself falling for the amber-eyed girl more and more.

"Kohaku, I--" Ryogi began, when suddenly a car's horn broke the subtle silence between them. Both turned to look, and saw Touko and the shopkeeper walking up the pathway leading into the park.

"Not to play sour grapes or anything, but it's getting late, and Shopkeeper-san here needs a ride home." Touko said around her unlit cigarette, ruffling the young girl's hair with one hand. "Let's continue this little talk somewhere indoors, shall we?"

*

'Somewhere indoors' turned out to be Ryogi's own apartment. With the shopkeeper dropped off near the curio shop - the girl receiving pats from all three women, Ryogi especially giving her an extra tickling behind the ears - the trio found themselves in the small apartment's living room, sitting around a kotatsu that Touko had helped set up (it was getting a bit chilly). The wheelchair ended up folded and stashed beside the other odds and ends in the apartment. ("You're going to pick up all this junk someday, right?" Ryogi had posed, a bit hopeful, a bit optimistic, when Touko gave the aparment a once-over. All she got was a non-committal shrug, and a guffaw when the older woman discovered the Victorian Era diving suit with the drill.)

After an awkward moment of silence where Ryogi and Kohaku spent almost an eternity staring at each other, Touko finally snapped, politely but a bit brusquely asking the red-haired girl if she could make some tea, and that she had to share a few words with Ryogi. Kohaku rallied quickly through her initial surprise, and cheerfully acquiesced.

As soon as she saw Kohaku disappear into the kitchen, the older woman took her glasses off.

"Can you still do this?"

Ryogi narrowed her one eye at this. She had been expecting Touko to be disappointed - even reproachful - but never this combative. This up front. Her statement alone had layers upon layers of meaning to it - and all translated to 'You're getting sloppy, you might want to quit before you're ahead.' Either way, she knew what her answer was before she even heard it.

"Yes, I still can. This is nothing." Ryogi murmured, her unbandaged hand rapping on her cast for emphasis. "I'm still the best at what I do. You don't need to worry about that--"

"Of course I need to worry." Touko leaned forward. "What's happening? Normally you'd be taking these things out in your sleep. Now you can't even vaporize one without getting sent to the hospital yourself. And don't tell me you didn't have any trouble with the Nero Wraith - the shopkeeper saw you getting carted off by that girl, all bloody and unconscious. You're getting sloppy, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting just a bit too distracted with...certain things to operate properly." She leaned back. "Are you sure this isn't going to be a problem?"

Ryogi sat still, unmoving, staring at Touko with as much venom as she could muster. Then, bile rising in her throat, she broke the stare, looking away.

"This isn't going to be a problem. I'm not getting distracted. I can still kill just as efficiently and as quickly as I did years ago."

Touko harrumphed, and then nodded at the cast on her arm. "I fixed that for you. Don't worry about the bone setting, you can take it off whenever you like. Call it a better replacement."

"I didn't need your help."

"Sooner or later, everyone does." Touko gave Ryogi a smile. "Just that you don't seem to need it as much as anyone else."

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Kohaku walked into the kitchen, absently stretching a hand to pat the metal decorative suit standing guard as usual. She paused in the motion, and turned her head slightly. Her expression shifted to one of curiosity as she shamelessly listened in on Ryogi and Touko's conversation.

Not that she suspected anything in particular from hearing them talk, but habitual eavesdropping was a honed instinct for her.

Touko was mostly understandable, while Ryogi's muttering was a bit more difficult to make out with the distance around the corner. However, something about Touko's voice.. The way she was speaking was a bit different than what she had heard previously. Maybe it was just the tone she was using with Ryogi. It wasn't overt, but..

Kohaku's expression faded slightly as she listened.

That woman.. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her.

She worked on making the tea, mulling over what she heard. Her good, almost ecstatic mood had soured ever so slightly, but obviously it didn't show in her work.

Eventually, after making a mental note to somehow get Ryogi some more dishes, she finished up and brought the tea into the front room. She gave a refreshed smile for the two women who looked up at her, as she came and set the tea down before them.

She felt her mood rise again to it's previous level upon noting Ryogi's expression brighten by a minuscule amount at her return.

"Thank you, Kohaku-san." said Touko, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "Well, sit down. We didn't really get a chance to talk, so I'd like to hear a little bit about you now."

There was plenty of time before..

"There really isn't a whole lot to say, I'm afraid.. I'm a pretty simple person, really." said Kohaku, taking her seat across from Ryogi again, still smiling.

Touko blew on her tea and tried it carefully. "Mm. It's good. But as I was saying, you should know enough about Ryogi here to know that she hasn't told me anything about you.." She eyed Ryogi coolly, who was starting to stare at her in return.

Unsure of what was going on between them now, Kohaku decided to not let things get awkward and quickly summed up herself. This included a greatly shortened version of her life story, one that was naturally with a great many things omitted and some creative liberties.

She mentally referred to this as "The Disney version".

In any case, Touko seemed attentive, giving Ryogi a smirk when Kohaku's profession came up. "With a uniform and everything?"

"Well, I guess you could call it that.."

"Has she seen you in it yet?" She gestured at Ryogi, who Kohaku realized appeared to be more annoyed all of a sudden.

Figuring this line of conversation wasn't going anywhere anyway, Kohaku worked to change the subject to how much time off Ryogi was getting to recover from her injuries. However, Touko was being maddeningly vague about it, and furthermore turned things back around to inquiring about how things were between her and Ryogi, which struck Kohaku as odd.

"So, I believe you patched her up that one time.. Did you get to see what was under the hood?" asked the smiling Touko. Ryogi cleared her throat.

"What do you mean?" asked Kohaku, forging a curious expression. She knew what Touko was asking, but was buying time to try and figure out what exactly she was getting at.

"You know, seen her body. She's in really good shape and all, so it's pretty surprising to anyone who sees her.." Touko's smile widened slightly. "I figured you would have by now if just because of playing doctor, as it were."

Kohaku was a bit confused by the sudden prying, and found herself at a bit of a loss for a suitable reaction, looking aside nervously.

This woman is getting on my nerves.. What is she after?

She recovered, and gave a slightly lecturing expression to Touko. "Now Aozaki-san, I don't think it's polite talk about her like that. And especially to keep talking as if she wasn't even in the room with us." She looked at Ryogi, who seemed a bit embarrassed.

Touko nodded to herself, as she raised the cup of tea to her lips. "Right. Sorry, sometimes she's so quiet I forget she's even there."

***

Before long, the darkness of night had fallen, and Kohaku planned to try and get that suddenly irritating woman out and on her way. Luckily, Touko seemed to recover some semblance of manners and decided it was time to go once the tea was gone.

I'm glad this meeting will be over.. And I'm sure Shiki-san will agree. ..Of course, I may end up troubling her a little with my request. But it's for her own good.

Kohaku returned back from the kitchen, after washing the cups and placing them back on the bare shelf. Touko checked the time. "Since it's pretty late, I'll drop you off on my way."

"Actually.." Kohaku turned to Ryogi, folding her hands together. "Shiki-san, I apologize for asking this, but may I stay the night?"

Touko and Ryogi both blinked.

"It's your first night home from the hospital, and I'd like to take care of you and make sure you're alright.. It's the least I can do, considering all you've done for me. So I really do insist.." said Kohaku, bowing.

Of course, with her head dipped it was impossible for the two to see the supremely confident expression her face briefly took.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Silence reigned in the Ryogi household as two of the three women currently occupying it tried their best to comprehend what had just been said. One of them, who was pretty well-known for never being at a loss for words failed her reputation, her mouth gaping once or twice as she turned what she had just heard over and over in her head.

The other one, who was renowned for never saying anything at all, held true to her legend - but in the place of the blank, expressionless facade that she could face anything with, a look of combined surprise, embarrassment and mollification contorted her delicate features. As much contortion as a slight opening of the lips, a miniscule furrowing of the eyebrows and a very faint blush spreading on her cheeks can make on a face not normally used to such trivial things as 'emotions'.

It was the most senior of the three women that broke the silence first, with a small discreet cough politely muffled with a fist. This was then followed with a rather loud clearing of the throat, and a brief if satisfied chuckle of someone who had been presented a particularly difficult puzzle and, after a short period of confusion, had immediately found the solution.

And that sound - that damnable love child of a snicker and a giggle - had so much meaning behind it, had so much unspoken things inside of it that the second person turned, slowly, to glare at the first, the lone eye blazing with promised death. If this affected the chuckle-er, she didn't show it, instead crossing her arms underneath an ample blouse-encased bosom and nodding to herself sagely.

"I see." Touko Aozaki mused, her eyes closing reverently behind her glasses as a beatific smile curled her lips. "Well, as Shiki-kun's employer and official guardian who has her charge's best interests and health concerns in mind--" she gamely ignored Ryogi's involuntary shudder at her words -- "I have to say that I agree with the idea. They do say that the first twenty-four hours after getting discharged is the most crucial part of the...recovery process."

Touko used the significant pause to open her eyes and gaze at Kohaku. "I'm sure having you over for the night will have a positive impact on Shiki-kun's overall well-being. It'll be up to you, of course, on just how much of an impact you'll make--"

It was then that Ryogi cut her off with a sharp gesture with her good arm, a gesture that looked amusingly like someone trying to choke an invisible throat. "I...Kohaku-san, it's not that I don't want to, but I wouldn't want to be a bother. I'm more than capable of looking after myself." She bit her lip briefly as she glared at Touko, before turning back to Kohaku with the expression of the worst liar in the universe. "I wouldn't want to impose on you, really--"

"Oh, nonsense, Shiki-kun!" Touko chirped, rolling the honorific on her tongue, grinning the glee of the determinedly sadistic. "You've got that bum arm of yours in a cast, you've just been discharged, and with the painkillers soon to wear off you'll be quite in need of Kohaku-san's services...whatever those may be."

Ryogi gritted her teeth and said nothing, since what she really wanted to say was something she'd rather not have Kohaku hear her say.

"And I'll take that as a sign of no objections, then." Touko's smile was all but friendly when she rose from the table. "Well, Kohaku-san, I'll leave Shiki-kun to you. I have to open up shop early tomorrow by myself, so I can't stay any longer. Please take good care of her."

"I'll see you off," Ryogi murmured quickly, getting up to her feet and following Touko to the door. Kohaku only had time to blink before both boss and employee had left her alone on the table to contemplate what just happened.

"What are you trying to do?" Hissed Ryogi as Touko bent down to pick up her shoes. "I'm fine, you said it yourself, I don't need any help--"

"You'll thank me for this." Touko stuck an unlit cigarette between her lips as she squeezed a well-manicured foot into a very expensive leather loafer. "Probably not today, certainly not tomorrow, but you will."

"..." Ryogi managed, speechless not out of her inherent disbelief for unnecessary communication, but out of sheer speech-robbing frustration. Touko blinked at this, before laughing and reaching into her pocket. When she pulled her hand out, she was clutching her own silver cigarette case.

"Normally, at times like these, I'd remind you to use protection. But taking current circumstances in consideration...well, you wouldn't need to worry about that." The sorceress then took Ryogi's good hand and pressed her cigarette case onto her palm. "Now, I know you're not a smoker, and don't think of me as someone trying to influence you in the wrong way, but the first one smoked immediately afterwards isn't something to sneeze at." Touko's grin was wide. "Give it a shot."

Ryogi slammed the apartment's door on that grin.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

[SeiKeo]

Never let it be said that Ryogi Shiki had a bad temper.

No, she had a horrible one. Infamous even among her peers - and the rest of her defunct bloodline - the rage that could boil over in the small, frail-looking frame of Ryogi Shiki was known to be one of the few things in the world that one should very well be afraid of incurring, just like one should fear incurring the wrath of a Tyrannosaurus Rex with chainsaws for teeth. And as befitting a young woman who only carried a knife and nothing else in an assassination attempt, it was nothing to be trifled with.

What made Ryogi's anger a particularly scary thing to invoke is how it meant that you would have a perfectly-rational, perfectly-logical berserker that's handy with a knife after you. Stalking you. One that's relentless, tireless, and unstoppable. One would not be able to reason with an angry Ryogi. One would not have enough time to plead, to placate, to try and assuage the fury that turned the woman from a taciturn, socially-awkward recluse to something mothers would scare their children to having nightmares of. Bloody, horrific nightmares.

Her anger was not the usual sort of anger that usually came bursting forth from individuals who took others' lives into their hands, it was not the sort of anger that exploded. Unlike those whose anger was similar to that of an erupting volcano's, Ryogi's was more of a pyroclastic flow, or a veritable flood of molten lava. Slow, seemingly harmless, yet at the same time would leave a path of horrific destruction in its wake. But what was frightening the most was that her judgement was never clouded, her senses never impaired by the blood-red haze of fury that would lead to fatal mistakes. Instead, Ryogi would be lucid, terrifyingly focused and collected, ice-cold mercury running in her veins, making her an unerring and efficient machine of death.

This anger came to her readily in the past, in her infuriation and desperation to save Kohaku from the shade of Nero. Now, not only did it come to her, it rose up to meet her, to offer its assistance and help her destroy everything in sight - and Ryogi found herself readily accepting its help. As much as she loathed to - as much as she would regret it afterward, resorting to such a way out of her predicament - she had to. Else she wouldn't survive long enough to see her...

Ryogi closed her eyes shut as the searing pain of her broken arm cut through the wet cold of the storm. The round was still inside, lodged into a mess of splintered bone and torn muscle - and as much as she didn't mind cutting out the bullet herself, she knew that it would cause more harm than good, and she'd risk having a gimped arm for the rest of her life if she were to even attempt it. It would have to wait, and she would have to finish what she started first before she could even think of having it remedied.

She wasn't really worried about shock. Bullet wounds, broken arms, bloody cuts - these were all par for the course for Ryogi, and she had learned how to deal with that particular defensive mechanism of the human body. It was simply of forcing yourself to move, to act - to disregard the fact that yes, you will be hurting afterwards; yes, you will probably be in traction for quite some time; and yes, you may just end up losing the use of your injured body parts if you did anything else with them. Those cons, however, would always end up being outweighed by the simple pro that you would get to stand over the corpse of your enemy, and they would hear you laughing until the life faded out from their eyes. Ryogi made her decision based simply on the fact that she wanted - no, needed - to see Kohaku one more time, wearing the earrings she had bought for her.

Get up. Fight back. The voice murmured.

I have. I will. She whispered in return.

This entire passage is just wonderful writing of the kind that I dream I could pull off.

[EVA-Saiyajin]

So another Kara no Kyoukai character meets the other side of the Nasuverse and vise-versa. Not bad at all.

[Peorth]

Oh yes...nyohohoho

[Fafnir]

I just finished reading. Somebody tie the authors to a desk so they can finish writing this.

[Kieran]

Tell me where they are, and I'll be happy to bring the duct tape.

[EVA-Saiyajin]

Don't forget the titanium chains!

[Peorth]

Don't forget the titanium chains!

Kinky.

[White]

Story Index:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six
• Part Seven
• Part Eight
• Part Nine
• Part Ten
• Part Eleven
• Part Twelve (Current Post)

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Kohaku had to slightly frown after the two vanished from view.

The woman's innuendo.. Well, it really was too strong and lacking in subtlety to rightfully be called that. It was innuendo with a sledgehammer.

She obviously thought they were much closer than they were.. Or suffered from an unusual case of wishful thinking.

Kohaku felt even worse for Ryogi, knowing she had to endure such comments.. In addition to all the other problems she seemed to have working for that tactless woman.

She really is going to be a problem. I just know it. ..Just, maybe a problem in a different way than I was anticipating. But, hopefully it won't matter. It could even work to my advantage somehow..

Still, it seemed she would have to wait and see. No sense in being too hasty as long as there wasn't any risk in waiting.

She heard the door slam.

She finally got that woman out of here.

The smile snapped back onto her face as Ryogi walked back from the front of the apartment.

Ryogi looked somewhat defeated, and her expression turned to sheepishness as she stopped at the table again. Her gaze seemed to be interested in everything around the room but Kohaku.

"I'm sorry about that.." She started in a low mumble, which climbed a little in volume, most likely merely so she could actually be heard. "You shouldn't pay any attention to her.."

"Please don't worry yourself, Shiki-san, she was amusing to listen to." Kohaku lowered her head a little, and pressed her fingertips together. "Although I do wonder.. You seemed a little upset. So without any interference this time, I'd like to ask you again. You really don't mind my staying, do you?"

As she looked up at Ryogi, she smiled, but let that small, fleeting touch of worry and pleading leak into her facial expression. She knew that Ryogi was going to say yes anyway, but nonetheless followed through with both barrels in sweet talking.

(Forging an expression was sometimes like cooking, she had decided. The right ingredients in the right amounts, never underestimating just a hint of something for extra spice, and when done correctly.. You were left with a magnificent work of art that nobody could say no to.)

Ryogi looked back at her, and blinked, surprise registering in her features. "It's.. Alright.. Really." She seemed to have to look away again. "..I don't mind."

"I'm glad.. Now, Shiki-san. Please relax.. I'll make you some dinner. You haven't had anything real to eat for a while, so let me treat you."

Ryogi looked like she wanted to say something, but then seemed to think the better of it.

Good. She's realized there's no talking me out of it.

"Have a seat and remember to keep that arm raised. I'll see what I can make you, okay?" Kohaku cheerily rose and made for the kitchen, smiling at Ryogi as she passed.

***

Before long, Kohaku had whipped up a meal of warm udon. She regretted not being able to do more, but Ryogi's kitchen had offered her little to work with. As it was, she had to scrape the cupboards just to give it any flavor.

If only I had more forewarning.. No, more forethought.

As it was, the first meal she had gotten to cook for Ryogi was so small and simple. Still, she wouldn't let that get her down.

After all, their entire friendship had started with small, uncertain steps.

She stood to the side of the table, somewhat out of habit. Ryogi sat with the bowl before her. Her eye closed, and she breathed in softly, seeming to be taking her time.

Kohaku watched her eventually lift the noodles to her mouth, those delicate lips pursing slightly as she blew the steam away. She couldn't help feeling a bit giddy as the woman finally tried her food. Ryogi ate slowly, closing her eye again, seeming to give a lot more gravity to the act of eating her food than it's simplicity warranted.

Her eyes were drawn to Ryogi's neck, as the woman swallowed. She looked up again as Ryogi turned to face her, meeting her eye.

"..This is good, Kohaku-san.. Thank you." She said, the corners of her lips turning up slightly.

Somehow, a compliment on something so simple like that really made her evening. The smile didn't hurt either.

"You're very welcome, Shiki-san!" said Kohaku, eventually feeling it proper for her to be able to take a seat and join in, as Ryogi continued to eat.

The two shared the simple dinner, sitting close.

***

Eventually, the meal was over, the empty bowls sitting for a little longer as Kohaku finished telling Ryogi about what she had been up to during her absence. It wasn't a whole lot, particularly since Kohaku decided to omit the parts she decided would make her sound slightly like a stalker. However, Ryogi had made the step forward in actually asking, so Kohaku obliged as well as she could.

After finally clearing the table, something else Ryogi was reluctant to let her do on her own, Kohaku returned and kneeled next to her. She brought up Ryogi's arm lightly, the one without the cast, and pulled up the sleeve a little to check the bandaging underneath.

"Are you comfortable enough here? This might take a little bit, so I want you to be sitting wherever is best for you."

Ryogi looked up at her, neutrally. "I'm fine here. ..But what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to check and fix your dressing. It's probably not in the best of shape after just leaving the hospital immediately like that, and some of it might need to be changed for fresh ones." said Kohaku, examining further up Ryogi's arm. She then looked back and met Ryogi's eye. "You don't mind, do you?"

"..No."

Kohaku smiled. "Of course. You can just think of me like a doctor, after all.." She shifted, moving behind Ryogi on her knees, and worked to undo Ryogi's kimono obi.

Just relax, Shiki-san..

Ryogi turned her head forward again, seeming to let Kohaku do as she wanted without issue. With fairly businesslike manner, albeit with a slightly bigger smile, she slid the shoulders of Ryogi's kimono open. Once again she was greeted by the sight of the woman's pale skin, although this time with her actually being conscious for it.

The woman's complete and utter lack of reaction to being undressed struck Kohaku as interesting, although she already knew the woman didn't have too many issues with modesty. In any case, it was something she related to.

She continued without much pause, the bare shoulders and neck soon joined by the upper back, and the arms, Kohaku taking extra care to get the material comfortably over the cast and bandaging.

Before long, the woman before her was naked from the waist up. The lack of any sort of bra was no surprise to Kohaku, considering the effort it'd take to get something on in such a state.

She gazed at Ryogi's back for a while, before setting to work again, checking the bandages. The woman tensed slightly as she touched her body, but it was a fleeting reaction, one that ceased entirely as she worked.

As it was, the bandages could stand to be a bit fresher. This won't do..

Eventually she ran her hands up to rest on Ryogi's shoulders, as she leaned forward a bit. The woman stiffened slightly again, before relaxing.

"I should probably change most of these.. ..You're still comfortable, right? Nothing is aching too much right now?"

Ryogi didn't react visibly. "I'm fine.."

Kohaku smiled again, and gave Ryogi's shoulders a small squeeze. "You're such a strong person, Shiki-san. You can shrug off almost anything.. It's quite amazing."

"..I wouldn't say that much, really."

"Oh? Well, it's what I honestly think.." Kohaku giggled lightly, and rubbed her shoulders a little. "I'm glad you are that way."

It wouldn't do me good for you to not be strong, Shiki-san.. I don't want you to disappear.

She felt Ryogi's muscles tense up again. She tilted her head a little, and realized it must have been in response to her impromptu massage.

I didn't even realize I was doing it at first. Poor Shiki-san.. I've triggered that little bit of shyness, haven't I?

She continued her motions nonetheless, expertly and gently kneading the woman's somewhat toned shoulders. It was a sort of relaxing practice for her, although she didn't get too many chances to do it.

Slowly, Ryogi started to relax under her touch, still silently facing forward, letting Kohaku do as she wanted. That's right, Shiki-san..

Kohaku leaned into her work a little more, her fingers lightly exerting themselves on the soft skin in her desire to treat her patient. She was going to ask Ryogi how it was, when she realized the smell of the woman's hair at this distance.

While normally she was sure it would have been quite nice, in this case, it was lightly telling of going for a while without being washed. Although not entirely in an unpleasant way..

A very.. Earthy, human kind of scent. She didn't know how to describe it, although she was familiar with it.

She wouldn't have minded it at all, but she began to think of how it may have been a while since Ryogi had properly bathed, thanks to that hospital stay. Poor Shiki-san.. And with that cast, it'll be more annoying to do so.

And then it all fell into place.

"Shiki-san.. Please pardon me for saying so.." She slowed in the massage.

The mostly bare woman still didn't turn around. Kohaku was hesitating long enough for her to eventually answer. "...Yes?"

"..Well, I was wondering.. It'll be difficult for you to bathe and wash your hair with this cast on. If you want, I'd like to help you do so tonight." She said, simply.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Ryogi Shiki had never felt so pampered in her whole life.

Sure, the household that she grew up with had enough maids to fill your normal everyday maid fetish eroge, and as such every move she made had no less than three or four hand servants assisting her - but she had made it a game to avoid these attentions, to do them quickly enough and quietly enough that even her personal handservant had to corner her just to help with her kimono.

It wasn't that she hated the luxury that her family's coffers enabled them to experience, or that she didn't like being attended to. It was simply that she chose to do things on her own, to be able to depend on herself should the time come that she would have to leave the opulence and well-financed indolence that was her home.

And the fact that her training - a daily torture session conducted one-on-one by a very sadistic and very exacting man with a bloody wooden sword - had taught her to never rely on anyone else to fight her own battles, she applied the same thinking to her everyday life as well. No one would be able to say that Ryogi Shiki grew up spoiled.

As it was, however, Kohaku's treatment of her so far had been nothing short of heavenly. The udon was incredible, and even more so when one considered that Kohaku had to manage it with only the paltry amount of supplies Ryogi had in her kitchen.

Having dinner with her was yet another unexpected treat, a refreshing change from eating alone in front of the television - and made the simple meal just a bit more delicious and meaningful. While Ryogi knew full well in her heart that she was still having reservations about Kohaku staying over, she also knew that saying she wasn't liking the current setup would be lying.

And then there was the massage.

She didn't mind being stripped to the waist. Kohaku could have asked her to disrobe right then and there, on the pretext of checking all her bandages, and Ryogi would have merely nodded in reaction before doing so. Modesty, after all, was not a trait that could survive a life where your clothes being torn up in combat was quite the possibility. So no, she wasn't at the least perturbed at the fact that she was, by all rights, naked in her own home, in full view of an unexpected guest.

It was the touching.

No one - not even Kokuto - had touched her in such a manner. There were hugs, yes, there was hand-holding, yes, and there even was the time that Kokuto accidentally slipped and got a handful of her chest - but those moments of intimate physical contact were but fleeting moments, ethereal...cold.

But Kohaku's gentle, slow rubbing of her shoulders, her fingers coaxing the painful, twisting tension in her muscles and nerves...well, even in such a state of undress and on such a chilly night, Ryogi felt warm all over. So warm she felt her own cheeks heating up. So warm she felt herself turning into putty in such skillful hands,her eyes glazing over as she teetered on the brink of utter relaxation that she was only but a moment away from sinking into a restful, hazy sleep.

And then Kohaku mentioned something about a bath. It was a simple enough request - the girl asking her so politely and so quietly if Ryogi needed help taking a bath. Still in the haze of pleasure, the raven-haired girl remembered murmuring something that sounded like an assent - and from the way Kohaku's fingers seemed to briefly freeze in mid-knead before continuing merrily, she had said the right thing.

Now, completely naked and getting drenched in the shower - her cast wrapped in a towel secured by medical tape to prevent it from being soaked - Ryogi idly wondered if she was doing the right thing. If letting Kohaku stay overnight was the right thing to do. If letting the girl do all these things - these things normally reserved for someone just a bit more special - for her.

Who...just who am I kidding? Ryogi stared balefully at her own reflection in the shower door's glass pane. This is just a concerned friend doing what she can to help. I don't need to read too much into it. And besides, she's probably done this all before - helping someone take a bath or giving them a massage should be in a maid's job description. So there's nothing behind it. Nothing at all.

Ryogi reached for the bar of soap, and then blinked in surprise as she found herself getting peeved at thought number six.

Nothing at all...eh?

Heaving a massive sigh - and making sure her 'broken' arm was well away from the shower's range - the Satsujinki began to wash up as best she could, at least with one hand anyway. This took quite a bit of time, as she took care not to interfere with some of the stitched-up wounds that were well on their way into healing. It was after the second rinse or so that she deemed herself clean enough for Kohaku. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the shower and called out.

"I'm done. You can come in now."

Taking the bottle of shampoo and conditioner from their usual spot near the head of the bathroom's tub, Ryogi knelt down carefully before taking a seat on the traditional bathing stool that every Japanese bath needed to have, her back facing the door. Placing the toiletries beside her - as well as a rinsing basin, just in case - Ryogi listened as Kohaku's footsteps came closing in.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

Before long, she heard Ryogi call for her.

It had taken a little longer than she had expected.. In thinking, she decided that Ryogi had either hesitated, or had worked more to try and clean herself as best as she could first. Both perfectly natural things to do in this case, although unnecessary.

Opening the door, she was immediately greeted by the mildly humid air and brighter room lighting. The contrast with the rest of the apartment in both senses took a moment to get used to, as she stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Kohaku noted the bandanna laying on the sink. It would have been troublesome to wash with it on, of course.. She assumed Ryogi must have replaced it with a fresh gauze eye patch, from the collection of them she had found earlier. (While snooping around in the bathroom, of course.)

She looked at Ryogi, who seemed to have settled in and prepared already. Her toned, pale back was facing her, covered in beads of water, some still running lazily down her skin. Most of them eventually ran to her bare rear, and ended in the small puddle where the soft-looking flesh met the wooden stool the woman was seated on.

She kept walking, her eyes lingering on the wet skin, until she reached the woman, kneeling behind her and gently touching her upper arms. She felt another, minuscule tensing. "Well, Shiki-san, let's get you all finished up.. Just relax, and leave everything to me."

"Thank you, Kohaku-san.." said the woman, quietly, turning her head a bit toward her.

Kohaku smiled more, and spoke more softly. "You're very welcome, Shiki-san, but there's no need to say anything. Just relax.."

She set to work, retrieving the soap, a nice lavender variety. It seemed to be what Ryogi usually used, but the scent was always so subtle as to be barely noticeable. She could already smell it on the woman at this distance, from her obvious work to get as much of herself cleaned as she could.

Kohaku picked up a wash cloth, and prepared to happily finish the job Ryogi started. Getting some warm water, she began to gently wash her back, taking her time with it.

Ryogi remained silent, and Kohaku felt that there wasn't much that needed to be said as it was. She felt an onset of nostalgia at this..

It seemed that she was fated to bathe the people close to her at least once in her lifetime. Other than the drip of water and the sound of skin being stroked with cloth or hands, it was always silent. No exchange of words.

And yet, no matter the circumstances, there was always still a sense of warmth and connection that she couldn't precisely explain. Even when she bathed Akiha, with her mind still rigidly set on the clockwork plan to take her life. After the fact and all was said and done.. She looked back on times like that with great fondness. When she no longer had her feelings pent up, she realized what a sense of closeness the activity had helped bring.

She hoped that would happen here, too, and from the feel of it, perhaps it would be so.

The gentle cleansing continued, as Kohaku began to work on other areas Ryogi would have had trouble reaching, while minding of possible ticklishness. It seemed the woman wasn't completely immune, from the way she tensed and seemed a bit jittery, then cleared her throat as Kohaku touched her ribs.

Kohaku had to smile again at that.

Of course, she had to wonder just how far she could press the cleaning without getting any questioning or complaint from Ryogi.

Considering she was already being trusted this far, she figured she could probably get away with a lot.

She wondered what would happen if she slid her hands along the woman's sides, to her front, and took her breasts in them. She could imagine holding the soft mounds of skin.. A little bigger than she had ever touched on anyone else before. She wondered what it'd be like, and what Ryogi would say.

It certainly couldn't be mistaken for washing them.

It'd be easy to give a shallow, lame excuse like that she was curious, or was wondering what her cup size was. Ryogi might be suspicious, but with reasoning like that, she was more or less in the clear.

So, she'd have to do more if she wanted her attention.. Maybe squeeze them. ..Still a bit explainable. No, gently caressing them would do it..

Kohaku froze in her motions, taking a moment to make sure she was still just touching the woman's sides, and not subconsciously acting out the scene going through her mind.

Of course, she wasn't.

She then resumed the washing, mentally berating herself. What are you doing? Why such a thought? This isn't the time for being odd, Kohaku.. She frowned. Shiki-san is trusting you with her bare, wounded body.. She already has enough to deal with, without worrying about how vulnerable she is to her good friend.

As it was, Kohaku took a breath, clearing her mind. She was used to having strange thoughts. At least it was a fairly benign, if weird, line of thinking.

Soon enough, she had slowly washed around most of the woman's body, and felt satisfied that she had been thorough. In an effort to cause her less embarrassment, she tried not to look at Ryogi's face. Although as she heard no complaints about where she put her hands, she figured it couldn't be that bad.

In any case, it was time for the next step, one Kohaku was partial to. The hairwashing.

Setting aside the cloth, she picked up the shampoo, looking at the directions just to be certain. It was a cheap brand.. She found herself disagreeing with it, and decided to suggest a better one for Ryogi after they were done. But, at least it would do it's job of making her hair smell nice and feel good. Always an important thing.

And so, the process began, as she delicately worked the lathery substance into the woman's scalp. Her fingers moved softly through the black strands, wanting to give Ryogi the nicest bath experience possible.

She always did it especially gently, and this time was no exception.

Continuing to try her hardest to spoil the woman rotten, she decided to continue the massage while the shampoo was setting. Her soapy hands moved again to Ryogi's shoulders, rubbing them.

The woman stiffened slightly, looking back a little, but offered no protest. Soon enough, she felt her relax yet again.

Kohaku was liking the new lack of resistance.

Ryogi seemed pretty independent, but it was for the best if she could keep it reeled in while being pampered, and deservedly so.

Looking at the wall clock to see how she was doing on time, she let her hands fall flat on Ryogi's back, resting for a bit. Her knees and hands were hurting from doing this for so long. She didn't mind, however. Even though it took longer, she preferred doing it this way. She wanted it to be a long, pleasant, relaxing experience. And for herself, she didn't mind stretching out such a moment as long as possible.

As long as her subject didn't fall asleep, at least. Of course, would that really be a bad thing either? She could imagine the sleeping Ryogi, bare and vulnerable, curled up on the floor with her head in her lap.

She would just stroke her hair gently, all through the night..

Kohaku shook her head a little. At least it wasn't a strange thought like earlier..

Looking at the clock again, she started on the first rinse, being careful of Ryogi's eye patch.

Before long, another round of washing was over, and then conditioning, and soon enough it was done. She smoothed over the slick black strands of hair, smelling them a little, satisfied with her work.

She considered another selfless act of repaying her savior to be complete. She smiled, speaking gently.

"There you go, Shiki-san.. All nice and clean."

Wrapping a towel around Ryogi's shoulders, she leaned in, speaking softly, in a whisper.

"..Since you saved my life, you can feel free to call upon my magic fingers whenever you wish, you know.. I really don't mind."

Taking another towel, she started to gently dry Ryogi's hair.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

"I'll...I'll remember that, Kohaku-san." Ryogi murmured in reply, thankful for the fact that she had been facing forward all this time, away from Kohaku, keeping the pink tinge on her cheeks out of the red-haired girl's view. "I will."

Magic fingers. It was an innocent enough remark - at any other situation, had it come from anybody else, Ryogi would have grinned at that, the Satsujinki having been exposed to Touko's colorful language and eyebrow-waggling malapropisms. But for it to come from someone who had not only given her the most relaxing bath she had ever had - those fingers themselves massaging what felt like ten years' worth of tension out of her frame - she was tempted to take it literally. Maybe even out of context.

Ryogi bit her lip, shook her head slightly, and tried to focus on other things.

In the muffled, humid intimacy of the bathroom - with Kohaku slowly but carefully squeezing the water out of her hair with the towel rather than going the fast but damaging route of scrubbing the scalp dry - Ryogi let herself fantasize. A foolish activity, to be sure - she had always berated Kokuto for having the irrational belief that the impossible could somehow turn out if you believed it hard enough - but with her sitting naked in her bathroom, her unprotected back towards a strange and curious girl - she let herself dream.

Idyllic. To never have to return to a dark and empty apartment after a hard night's work.

Shiki-san, welcome home.

To never have to rely on a mirror to see if she was indeed stitching close her wounds properly, or just merely performing bloody embroidery on her skin.

Shiki-san, stop moving so much. I've almost got it--!

To never have to eat alone, with only the sound of her noisy slurping as company, along with the other sounds that echoed loudly and painfully in the empty kitchen.

Is it good, Shiki-san?

To never have to re-arrange alone the ever-increasing mountain of odds and ends that Touko always sent her.

Shiki-san! Why don't we see if Drill-san fits you? You'd look so cute in it!

To never have to sleep on a futon that was as rumpled and mussed as it was the morning after she rose from it.

Good night, Shiki-san.

To always have a warm hand seeking hers.

Shiki-san...

To never be alone as she had always felt.

Shiki...

To have Kohaku as...as...

"There, Shiki-san. All done!"

Ryogi blinked at Kohaku's rather cheerful proclamation, the words suddenly uttered in the quiet bathroom snapping her out of whatever fantasy land she had foolishly let herself get lured into. The small smile that had turned up the corners of her face disappeared, leaving only the disappointed frown of one who had been granted their wildest wishes, only to have them taken away.

Tch. I should stop...

"Shiki-san? Is anything the matter?" Kohaku's voice lost a bit of its gaiety, now tinged with just a hint of worry. "Are you hurting--?"

Troublesome...

"...I'm fine." Ryogi managed after a while, standing up from her seat, slowly as not to upset Kohaku. "I drifted off for a second. I'm not used to having someone help me with bathing." Carefully wrapping the towel that Kohaku had given her around her frame - taking care not to use the one in the cast too much, as per Touko's specific instructions - the one-eyed Satsujinki turned to face her benefactor. "I...I'm sorry for you having to do all of this for my sake."

There was a rustle of cloth as Kohaku stood up. "You don't have to apologize, Shiki-san." The girl said, smiling. "Besides, I wanted to help. I wouldn't be that much of a friend if I let you do all these things with a broken arm, right?"

A friend...

Ryogi nodded in silent reply, before turning to the side briefly, averting her gaze from Kohaku's face. "I'll....I'll go get the sleeping arrangements ready. Please feel free to use the bath as much as you want. I'll leave your nemuki outside."

"Ah, thank you...but don't you want me to help you with that, Shiki-san?" Even without looking, Ryogi could somehow feel that the girl's smile was now tinged with just a bit of worry. "I mean, your arm--"

"--is fine." Ryogi finished for her. "It's...it's nothing, really. At least let me do this much, being the host and all." Turning to face Kohaku, she gave what she felt like a sincere smile - as much sincerity as you could display with a face not normally accustomed to showing emotion, anyway. "It won't be any trouble."

There was a moment's pause, a brief second of hesitation coming from both parties, before Kohaku finally replied. "I-if you say so, then, Shiki-san." The red-haired girl smiled again, and Ryogi felt her knees threaten to buckle underneath her. "Please be careful."

"I will." Ryogi turned to leave, bare feet barely making any noise on the tiled bathroom floor. "I promise."

==

"Are you sure she's going to need that? Isn't that a bit...excessive? Not to mention illegal?"

"It'd be downright criminal of us if we keep sending her out with just a paltry knife, Herr Aozaki. She has her eye, I'm well aware of that, but you've seen what sort of damage they can do, what shape she's in now. And we both know that it only gets harder on her from here on in. We certainly can't let her continue without something to help her along."

"But...something like that? Surely there are rules..."

"Why not? She's already a registered agent, after all, and weapons of this sort is certainly not above her station. While it's certainly not something we give to a newcomer, she's already had quite a lot of experience in combat, so it's more than fitting." A brief silence, a shuffling of paperwork. "If it's possible, I would like to give it to her personally, when she wakes up from that coma of hers."

Hesitation. A brief pull from a lit cigarette, its dying embers glowing faintly in the room's semi-darkness. A clearing of the throat.

"...well, you've made up your mind. I can't stop you. I can guarantee that she won't like it, though. She prefers doing things her own way, that one."

"I'm perfectly aware of that. Hence I made preparations to make sure that everything falls into order, just like I've planned it."

"What? What do you mean--"

Creak. Slam.

"--Oh."

"Good evening, Aozaki-san. Director. I've brought the item you've requested. I apologize for the delay, but the storm outside made travel a bit difficult." A voice, low but calm, polite yet collected. Water dripping from drenched clothes. "I made sure to arrive as quickly as I can, however."

"No need to worry about that, so long as it's here." Locks clicking open, paper being torn. "Perfect."

"I assume this means the end of my assignment, then, Director?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. I'm not yet done with you. Go find accommodations somewhere in this town - you're in for an extended stay, and I need you to be where I can easily get a hold of you."

"...Understood. May I inquire as to what I'm going to do with the rest of my time here, Director?"

"How irresistibly impertinent of you. Even now you still presume to talk above your station. My mother tolerated it, but I won't. But I'll let that one slide this time." A giggle. "You'll be teaching the Ultimate Chimera how to use her fangs."

"...I understand."

"Very good, Elesia. You may go."

"..."

"What are you waiting for?"

"...Can't I at least borrow an umbrella?"

==

The downpour began almost immediately, right after Ryogi had finished the necessary preparations. While it had been with her for quite some time, the futon looked just as soft and comfortable as it was the day she bought it. Touko had insisted that she buy the most expensive one she could find, rationalizing that it was way more cheaper to get a high-quality one that would last for a long time rather than buy a cheap, easily-worn out imitation again and again. Not really caring in particular but seeing the rare wisdom in the Aozaki's words, Ryogi relented.

It was a good thing, she considered in retrospect, that she took her employer's advice. She may have been a horrible host to her guest so far - even going so far as to letting them tend to her in her OWN house - but Kohaku would be sleeping properly, in a futon fit for a queen. She herself would be sleeping on the love chair - and while it was no futon, it was serviceable. Just so long that Kohaku was comfortable. Nobody would be able to call her the worst host in the world.

I can do at least this much.

A loud peal of thunder briefly drowning out the roar of the rain outside, Ryogi Shiki sat in the tatami-covered floor of the bedroom, quietly awaiting her esteemed guest.

∞~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~∞

This is as far as the story got before the old Beast's Lair went down.

Merry christmas!

[SeiKeo]

shoooooooooooooower.

[Peorth]

The plot thickens. Oh my~

[tomatoes]

I actually thought this was lost forever.

Thank you Eka for putting this back up, and thank you everyone else for reading!

I'm trying to get Constanze back into writing, myself. Hahaha.

[SeiKeo]

Oh man he's back!

[Fafnir]

Oh man he's back!

\o/

[Seika]

Rejoice!