That's not me, Yukari.
Sayuri-mama?
Yes, it's me. It's Sayuri Murakami, the
journalist. You have to wake up, Yukari; think about what would
happen if Chronos managed to get their hands on the Control
Medal! You know that I was a guinea pig for Guyot's form; my
life was already over from the moment they took me. That's why
it doesn't matter if you kill me now.
No! I can't.
Think, Yukari! If you let Chronos defeat
you, and if they get their hands on the Control Medal, then what
was my life worth? I was used by Chronos, like so many other
people; I know what would happen if they ever got their hands on
the Guyver's Control Medal. You know what they would do with
that kind of power; you have to protect the people of this
world, at any cost.
But, I...
You have to fight, Yukari. It's the only
way to give my sacrifice any meaning.
Sayuri-mama...
As Yukari was jolted out of her
reminiscence by a sharp pain in her head, she woke to find Ms.
Murakami- no, Hikari Mirabilis' claws just starting to tear out
her Control Medal. Turning her arms inward, pressing her
retracted Vibration Blades against the Zoalord's flanks, Yukari
closed her eyes. I'm sorry...
Then she extended both blades.
XxXxXxXxX
Hikari screamed, as both of Yukari's
arm-mounted Vibration Blades suddenly drove themselves deep into
her sides and neatly impaled the female Zoalord. When the blades
were ripped out of her, taking a fair amount of her blood and
entrails with them, Hikari had only a moment to recover from the
pain, before she heard Yukari calling the Gigantic Guyver.
She dodged backwards, wounds healing
even as she watched the two Gigantic cocoons plunge into the
sea. Imakarum slipped his left arm around her waist, and Hikari
leaned into his support as she healed.
"Are they so stupid as to think that
they can hide from us merely by diving underwater?" Hikari
scoffed.
"Apparently they are still deluded
enough to believe that we will not carry out the orders that
Lord Alkanphel has given us."
"Either that, or they still believe that
we will betray our glorious cause."
"They are fools, then," Imakarum
sneered. "My Lady, do you think you would be able to fly on your
own now?"
"Yes, my body seems to have recovered
from the damage. Thank you, my Lord."
When Imakarum released her, Hikari only
fell a few centimeters before she steadied herself. She and
Imakarum both fired their Spiral Crushers at the surface of the
ocean beneath them, sending up two huge jets of water.
"They will not be able to resist a
shockwave this powerful," Imakarum said with certainty.
"No, my Lord, I do not think they will."
On the ocean floor, revealed for a
moment by the absence of water in that area, was a scene that
neither Zoalord had been expecting to see at all: The two
Gigantic Guyvers, protected by some kind of a barrier and
standing over the fallen forms of Guyver III, Aptom and Guyver
III's plural. The Gigantics each had one chestplate open, and
both Zoalords could clearly see the glow of the Hyper-Smasher as
it charged up.
"What on- Do you think they honestly
intend to fire, my Lord?"
"I'm not certain, my Lady. Neither of
them seemed particularly willing to do us such harm before."
"Perhaps-"
The rest of Hikari's intended statement
was cut off as the twin hyper-particle beams burned the air
scant centimeters in front of the two Zoalords. Imakarum
screamed; Hikari gasped, and both of the Zoalords closed their
inner eyelids before the terrible light could blind them. The
unleashed energies of what amounted to a single full
Hyper-Smasher blast caused a large storm in the area of Tokyo
bay. Kicking up large waves and starting a ferocious downpour.
Both Zoalords were soon soaked to the
skin.
Their eyes closed, since they had not
managed to fully avoid the effects of the Hyper-Smasher's
blinding light, they were nevertheless still able to hear and
feel and smell the hard, pounding rain all around them.
"They created this tempest merely to
cover their own escape," Hikari sneered. "It would be
impressive, it if weren't so utterly pathetic."
"They did make one fatal mistake,
though," Imakarum chuckled darkly, winding his arms around
Hikari's waist.
"Yes: they deliberately missed," Hikari
said maliciously, smiling as she caressed his hand.
The Zoalords quickly transformed back
into their human forms, feeling the rain and wind all the more
clearly against their skin while still being unaffected by the
cold.
"We will make them regret that,"
Imakarum promised, resting his left cheek against Hikari's hair.
"It will not be long before we face them again."
The howling wind whipped their long
curtains of black hair into the air, mingling the now-soaking
strands. Imakarum and Hikari stayed for a few moments, listening
to the rain as it fell, before they both teleported back to
Chronos Japan's Cloud Gate.
XxXxXxXxX
Still numb with shock as he was, Sho
didn't really notice the way that Yukari clung to his arm, using
his body to support herself as they both came stumbling in to
the apartment where the rest of their friends were staying. He
didn't notice her head resting on his shoulder; didn't notice
the way that Yukari was using him to support a fair amount of
her weight.
To be fair, though, Yukari herself
wasn't in any better shape than Sho was. Her dark eyes were
hollow as she stared at the floor in front of her feet. Akane
and Agito, though they were depressed by the loss of powerful
allies like the two Murakamis, were both far more trained in
concealing their emotions than Sho and Yukari would probably
ever be.
"Sho! Yukari! Everyone, Sho and Yukari
are... What's wrong?" Tetsuro asked, as he finally noticed the
near-identical expressions of pained dejection on Yukari and
Sho's faces.
Yukari moaned slightly, hugging Sho's
arm tighter, even as Sho himself slouched and tried to
unobtrusively make his way past Tetsuro and get to his room. He
was distantly grateful to Yukari for being there for him, but he
was really trying not to feel anything at all. If he let himself
feel anything, Sho was sure he would break apart.
Mr. Murakami... Mr. Murakami is-
Sho bit his tongue, determinedly not thinking about what Mr.
Murakami was. Thinking instead about what had nearly happened to
Yukari; Sho was glad that she had managed to avoid having her
Control Medal ripped out, since he wouldn't have been able to do
anything for her, because he was...
Sho, finding himself starting to think
about Mr. Murakami again, quickly stopped. Leaning his cheek
against the top of Yukari's head, Sho reached over and gently
stroked her left shoulder. Tetsuro was just concerned about
them, Sho knew, but at the moment he just wished his old friend
would leave him alone.
"Agito? Akane? Do either of you know
what's wrong with Sho and Yukari?"
One of them probably answered, because
the expression on Tetsuro's face changed from one of honest
excitement to concern, and then to shock and sorrow.
"What?! You mean Murakami-
both
of them?! How could this have happened?!"
Sho just shook his head, still trying
not to think or feel. He couldn't yet bring himself to walk
away, though. Yukari didn't seem to be any better off, with the
way she had started sniffling.
"Brother... brother they're showing the
Guyvers on TV," Mizuki said, shaken and trying to find anything
that would take her mind off of what she had just heard.
On the small screen, images of Akane,
Agito, Sho and Yukari were being displayed for all the world to
see. The newscaster was also giving an account of what had
happened; one with Chronos' own professional spin on it, of
course.
"These four people are the ones
responsible for the recent terrorist actions against Chronos
bases in this area; we have been informed by sources within
Chronos that the second pair of terrorists, previously unseen,
had been running an underground war before they joined up with
their fellow terrorists in this battle." The burning Cloud Gate
building was shown, and the newscaster went on. "At 21:30 last
night, these four attacked and severely damaged Chronos Japan's
Cloud Gate facility. Even a task force made up of their best
Zoanoids proved to be no match for the four."
Here, the image on the screen changed to
one that Tetsuro and the others recognized. These were the white
Zoanoids that had been fighting the Guyvers. "Fortunately, the
four terrorists were quickly overpowered by His Excellency
Imakarum Mirabilis as well as his sister, Her Excellency Hikari
Mirabilis. Both siblings were recently dispatched from Chronos
headquarters; however, they were unable to stop the four from
escaping. Her Excellency Hikari Mirabilis was injured during the
battle, but she was able to recover." The TV showed a recording
of Yukari, elbows turned inward, extending her blades directly
into Hikari's midsection.
"One of the members of Chronos' ruling
Council of Twelve, His Excellency Purg'stall, volunteered to
make a statement for us."
The image on the screen changed to that
of a middle-aged looking man with pale silver hair and pointed
ears. "As I am very sure you all have realized by now, these
Guyvers are not ordinary terrorists. Nor are they Zoanoids,
despite what some of you may have been led to believe. These
Guyvers are highly dangerous and very resourceful creatures;
they conspire to prevent the scientific progress of this world
and its people. In fact, the Guyvers are not of this world at
all; what we are dealing with now is the advance force of a
hostile extraterrestrial species. Their intent is to weaken us
and make this world easier for them to conquer when their man
force arrives. They have even gone so far as to enlist the aid
of humans."
Pictures of Akane, looking alternately
fierce and sly, appeared on the screen even as Purg'stall
continued its narration. "This woman is Akane Makishima, a
collaborator with the extraterrestrials." Next, a picture of
Yukari was shown. This one, in direct contrast to the pictures
of Akane that had been shown, of Yukari was one that had been
taken at school. In it, Yukari was smiling and waving to someone
off camera. "This unfortunate young woman is Yukari Fukamachi;
we have been able to ascertain that she was kidnapped and
brainwashed by these hostile forces."
"He's a fine one to talk about
brainwashing, with what Chronos did to Murakami," Akane scoffed.
A grainy video clip showing Yukari and
Tetsuro, in a very familiar abandoned warehouse, appeared on the
screen. "This footage, recovered from the site of the girl's
first disappearance, will give you at least some idea of her
currant situation."
The video showed Yukari and Tetsuro,
surrounded by some kind of vague, shadowy shapes that Sho,
Yukari and Tetsuro could clearly remember being a group of
Ramochis. The footage had obviously been altered, but only
someone who had been there would know it. Chronos had been very
thoughrough. Sho, remembering how bad a time he'd had with the
Ramochis who'd tried to interrogate him, was curious about just
what Yukari had gone through.
Yukari was dressed in a school uniform,
a girl's one of course, and she was looking around in fearful
confusion. One of the shadowy forms sprang forward, grabbing the
collar of Yukari's shirt and tearing it off entirely. Yukari
dodged behind Tetsuro, frantically trying to hold her ruined
shirt together. The hulking shapes, which those who had been
there recognized as Ramochis advanced with a distinctly menacing
attitude- and the video cut off suddenly.
"This was all we were able to recover-"
"What?!" Yukari shrieked, cutting off
the rest of whatever Purg'stall was going to say. "Those lying
bastards! Tetsuro and I were attacked by Zoanoids in that
warehouse!"
"Yukari, calm down," Tetsuro said,
slidling up next to her to put his hand on her shoulder. "I had
a feeling that Chronos would try something like this, but I have
to admit that I wasn't expecting them to make up something like
that."
"How can you be so calm about this,
brother?" Mizuki asked. "Weren't we going to tell the world
about what Chronos is trying to do? How can we even go to anyone
now, with how badly Chronos has made us out to be."
As Purg'stall started speaking again,
Tetsuro hushed his sister. He was curious to know just what the
Zoalord was going to say.
"Therefore, if by chance any of you
happen to encounter Ms Yukari Fukamachi, we of Chronos kindly
ask that you report this to the nearest Chronos operative. Do
not attempt to speak with the girl; the reconditioning that the
extraterrestrials performed on her mind was quite extensive, and
she is likely to resist any attempts to aid her."
Akane scoffed, but Yukari - whose mind
was now back on what had been done to Ms. Murakami - didn't even
notice.
"Yu-ka-ri!"
"Don't worry, my little Yukari-chan;
you'll be doing a great service for Chronos."
"Lord Alkanphel wants your Control
Medal; I'll bring it to him."
"All of Chronos' enemies will be
annihilated!"
Sho wrapped his arms around Yukari,
holding her close even as he remembered what Mr. Murakami had
said to him. She was really the only person who could understand
what he was going through; she'd had to fight Ms. Murakami at
the very same time that he'd been fighting Mr. Murakami.
Why? Why did we have to end up
fighting our friends? Sho
wondered sadly. It was bad
enough when we were forced to kill father, and now... I don't
know what to do; father, help me; help
us.
What is the right thing to do?
Mizuki, remembering that Tetsuro had
been about to tell them all how he thought Yukari, Akane and Ms.
Murakami had ended up here; when Sho, Agito and Mr. Murakami
were all already here. Looking over at her brother, unasked
questions plain in her expression, Mizuki saw her brother shake
his head firmly. Turning to watch as Sho, his arm draped around
Yukari's shoulders, walked away; Mizuki understood what her
brother was trying to convey.
It probably wasn't a good time to bring
up things like that.
XxXxXxXxX
Far away, though still close enough that
he would have been able to help if there was any real trouble
with his erstwhile allies, Aptom was brooding. At least, he was
brooding when he could forget what had actually happened. When
he remembered that; remembered the sheer weirdness of
confronting both Guyver Is, then he laughed his ass off.
This has got to be the weirdest
thing that has ever happened in the history of everything,
Aptom chuckled. I come out to
save Sho's - or maybe if was Yukari's, oh who the hell cares -
ass from a Zoalord, and then I end up having to baby-sit two
Guyvers. One little bastard who killed my only friends, and one
little bitch who did just the same thing.
Aptom chuckled again. I can't
decide if this is good luck or bad luck; hell, it's probably my
luck. But then, that's not really the issue here.
Aptom leaned back against the
support structure of the transmitter tower he was sitting on,
tucking his arms behind his head as he considered his next move.
The real issue, the one he'd been trying to avoid by thinking
about the recent strangeness, was what he was going to do next.
It's strange, how they think
of me as one of their own now; all I did was give their little
buddies some help. I guess that was all it took, though; it's
kind of nice to have friends again.
Aptom looked back into the center
of the city again; back toward the massive form of Cloud Gate
that towered over the surrounding area.
Then again, we all do have a common
enemy. And it isn't like I couldn't use the help.
Aptom glared at the huge Chronos building.
Bastards. They're the ones
responsible for all of this. Without Chronos, there never would
have been any Guyvers; any Lost Units. I'd have been leading a
normal life, maybe with my family. If I have any, that is.
Throwing one last glare at the
still-standing Chronos building, it was really too bad that even
four Guyvers hadn't been able to demolish that eyesore, Aptom
turned his thoughts inward again.
I guess I can't change what I am,
though. This drive to fight, to make myself stronger; it's a
part of me. I have to be the strongest; the most powerful. It's
the only way that I can satisfy my hunger. I'll be strong enough
to beat Chronos and the Guyver... someday. For the memory of my
comrades, and for myself.
Aptom smirked, looking back at
Cloud Gate. Now, there's only
the matter of which Guyver's head I'm going to bash in when I
evolve to that point. Sho's the one I have a real beef with, or
is that Yukari? Damn, this is getting surreal.
Huffing, Aptom turned to stare at the empty sky again.
Okay, let's start again: Yukari was
the one who- no that was Sho-AAARRRRRGGGHHH!! One more time!
Aptom, on the verge of screaming, settled back down to think.
First time I met up with Sho
was in that forest, after Chronos and their goons had hauled
Akane in to- FUCK!
Aptom, beating his head against
the support strut, finally calmed down to the point where he was
able to think rationally again.
Screw this; I'm going to go munch on
some Zoanoids. I'll figure something out; I always do.
XxXxXxXxX
It was just starting to get really dark
in the house where they were all staying, and Mizuki was dozing.
Sho and Yukari had been silent and withdrawn all day, though
Mizuki didn't really blame them for being like that. She hadn't
really been all that sociable herself today, either. Still, she
hoped Yukari would be okay; Mizuki was always sad when Yukari
got hurt.
Wait, what am I thinking about? I
didn't even know about Yukari until today,
Mizuki pondered. But the memories she had of Yukari were just as
clear as those she had of Sho; they all seemed just as real. And
she was just as worried about Sho as she was about Yukari.
Getting up, Mizuki left her room and
went out into the living room. Catching sight of Yukari, Mizuki
followed the other girl. It turned out that she was just getting
a glass of water; she still looked shell-shocked over the whole
ordeal with the two Murakamis, and so Mizuki decided to try and
comfort her.
"Yu-Yukari?"
"Mizuki? I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, I was having trouble getting to
sleep anyway," Mizuki said honestly.
"Sho and I are having the same problem,"
Yukari said, hanging her head. "He'll start remembering, or I'll
start remembering, and then we end up waking ourselves up. I
just don't know what we're going to be able to do."
The raw agony in Yukari's tone just
about broke Mizuki's heart, and before she knew what she was
doing Mizuki had wrapped her arms around Yukari's chest and
enfolded the older girl in a warm embrace. Pressing her lips
against Yukari's, Mizuki lost herself in the feel of the other
girl's skin. Yukari was hurt, and she was sad, and she was
lonely; but Yukari was also beautiful, and kind, and strong.
Mizuki just wanted to remind Yukari that
she was still all of these things; even though she was having a
bad time. Even though bad things had happened to her, that
didn't change who Yukari was; Mizuki just wanted to remind her
of that, and that was why she was... she was... She was kissing
Yukari!
Mizuki's eyes snapped open, looking into
the confused face of Yukari Fukamachi.
"I'm- I'm so sorry, Yukari!" Mizuki
said, bowing hurriedly as she let go and jumped backwards.
"Sorry!"
Mizuki dashed out of the room, her
cheeks feeling like they were on fire. She didn't look back, not
wanting to see the expression of disgust that she was sure
Yukari had on her face. Mizuki didn't know just what she'd been
thinking, kissing Yukari that way, but she knew that it hadn't
been good that she did that.
Sho liked her, and she was starting to
feel like that about him, too. Now that she'd had a chance to
get over her crush on Agito. And if he ever saw her kissing
Yukari... well, Mizuki didn't want to think about what would
happen then. Closing her door and leaning against it, Mizuki
tried not to think about the feel of Yukari's soft lips on her
own. This was silly!
She didn't really feel anything for
Yukari besides friendship, right? But, when Mizuki tried to
remember her - well, the other her - relationship with Yukari,
she found that it was a lot like the one she'd had with Agito
when they'd been in school together. Only that had been a lot
stronger than the crush she had once had on Agito. And, it had
only become more pronounced the longer she and Yukari had been
together.
Seeing Yukari fight against Chronos;
seeing the way she was willing to do so much to save people that
she didn't even know had only made Mizuki more fond of her.
But, then there was still the matter of
her feelings for Sho. And his feelings for her, too. She
couldn't just throw away what she and Sho were starting to build
together, even though she wasn't really quite sure what that
was. Mizuki sighed; she'd have to think more about this
tomorrow.
Lying back down on her futon, Mizuki
fell asleep.
XxXxXxXxX
When she woke up, Shizu had a bit of a
dilemma. On the one hand, she usually got up to make breakfast
for Master Agito at this hour; then again, there was the fact
that Mistress Akane was also here and she would be wanting food
as well. Shizu quickly made up her mind that she would make
breakfast for both of them. She could sort out her feelings
later.
Leaving her room, Shizu headed
unerringly for the mansion's large kitchen. It was very kind of
Professor Odagiri to have left this place to them; Shizu was
always mindful to recite a prayer of gratitude to the Professor
for all that he had done just before she went to sleep each
night. It was only fitting, after all.
Once she had made it to the kitchen,
Shizu set about making a double-batch of breakfast. She thought
that it was a little strange that Mistress Akane would have the
same favorite foods as Master Agito, but then they were both
essentially the same person. The differences were only details,
really.
XxXxXxXxX
When Sho woke up, Yukari's head still
nestled against his shoulder, he tried not to think about the
nightmares he'd been having. He didn't want to remember; not
ever again. Watching Yukari sleep helped him calm down a bit;
but only a bit, since it seemed like she'd been having
nightmares herself. Sho knew that Yukari wouldn't want to talk
about what she had gone through during the night.
Sho himself didn't, and he had come to
appreciate just how similar Yukari was to him over the time that
he had spent with her. As Yukari started to wake up, Sho turned
away and left the futon. He figured that he might as well get
cleaned up first, so that he would be done by the time she got
out of their room.
He and Yukari were the only ones who had
doubled-up on sleeping arrangements. Akane and Agito had each
found their own rooms to stay in, and Sho hadn't heard anything
about them for the rest of the night. They were probably all
right; Sho knew enough about Agito - and by extension Akane - to
know that the other Guyvers would have dealt with whatever
feelings they'd had about dealing with... what had happened on
their own.
When Sho was just about finished washing
up, he heard someone knocking on the door.
"I'll be out in just a minute, Yukari!"
"Thanks, Sho!"
Finishing up, Sho left the bathroom and
let Yukari in to use it herself. He knew that Mizuki and Shizu
were probably in the kitchen getting breakfast ready, at least
judging by the wonderful smells that were coming from that area
of the house. Sho was grateful to both of them for taking the
time to do these kinds of things.
Cooking was one of the just one of the
many things that Sho was grateful to have Mizuki for. The
foremost thing being the way he felt about her, of course. Once
Yukari had finished up in the bathroom, Sho took her hand and
led her to the kitchen. Yukari probably knew her way around the
house; Sho wasn't really sure, since the two of them hadn't
reached that point in their conversation before they'd gotten
tired enough to be able to fall asleep without dreaming.
Well, mostly without dreaming.
He and Yukari, after they were awakened
by the first bout of nightmares, had stayed up talking about all
of the things that were different between their lives. Sho
already knew most of the similarities from the conversation
they'd had when they had first met on the roof of the building
overlooking Cloud Gate.
Apparently, Yukari had been the Vice
President of the Student Council, and Mizuki had been Secretary.
Akane had still been President, somehow, and Sho still wasn't
completely clear about how that had been worked out. Still,
there were enough similarities between their lives that Sho felt
like he knew her already. It was also nice to have someone to
talk about things that he couldn't really discuss with Mizuki or
Tetsuro.
Things that only another Guyver would be
able to truly understand.
The two of them had soon arrived in the
kitchen, where Shizu and Mizuki were setting out the freshly
cooked meal.
"Good morning, you two," Tetsuro
greeted. "Did you sleep well?"
"We managed to eventually, thanks for
your concern, Tetsuro," Yukari said.
"We spent a lot of time talking," Sho
said, stifling a yawn. "But we did manage to get at least some
sleep last night."
"That's good," Tetsuro said, grinning.
"After all, I wouldn't want either of you to fall asleep while
I'm talking."
"What are you going to be talking about,
Tetsuro?" Sho asked.
"I think I have at least some idea of
how Yukari and Akane got here; well, a theory at least," Tetsuro
said.
"What would that theory be, Tetsuro?"
Akane asked, looking his way.
"I'll tell you all after we've finished
eating," Tetsuro said, smiling. "No sense letting all this great
food go to waste."
Akane sighed inaudibly; alternate
reality or not, Tetsuro would always be the same. The rest of
the meal was finished in relative silence, and then Sho and
Yukari helped to clear off the table and wash the dishes. The
four of them soon finished with that chore and joined the rest
of their friends in the living room.
"So, Tetsuro, what was this theory you
had?" Yukari asked.
"You know how I've sometimes talked
about parallel universes?" Tetsuro asked, wanting to be sure
that his friends had at least some grounding in what he was
going to be talking about before he started getting in too deep.
"I remember you used to write about them
when Natsuki asked you to write an article for the Sci-Fi Club's
newsletter," Yukari said.
"That's good, at least," Tetsuro
commented. "How about the rest of you?"
"Yes, we've heard about them," Agito
said, seeming slightly impatient. "Now, tell us your theory."
"All right; here's what I think
happened: somehow - don't ask me how; that's the one part I'm
not sure of - our two parallel universes were able to get to a
point where they merged. I think that's why some of us have two
sets of memories: the other set is from our counterparts in the
other reality. I think this is also why Yukari, Akane, and- that
other woman showed up, too: it would have been impossible to
merge them without causing... unpleasant consequences."
"Yes," Akane concurred. "I have no
desire at all to experience life as a hermaphrodite."
Sho and Yukari shivered, and even Agito
looked disgusted by the idea of such a thing.
"And that's how you think things
happened?" Yukari asked, Tetsuro nodded. "Would there be any way
to reverse it, do you think?"
"I don't know," Tetsuro shrugged. "I'm
not sure if something like this even can be reversed; much less
how any of us would go about doing it."
"I see," Akane said calmly.
XxXxXxXxX
It was just before lunch when Shizu
managed to find both Master Agito and Mistress Akane,
fortunately together and speaking about something. The thought
that either of them could have ended up like... that, wasn't
something that Shizu liked to think about. Though the currant
situation did present it's own problems.
"Shizu," Mistress Akane greeted
cordially.
"Is there something you wanted to
discuss?" Master Agito asked, seeing the expression on her face.
"I'd just like to ask for a little more
time."
"Time for what, Shizu?" Mistress Akane
asked.
"Time, before I have to decide which of
you I'll go with."
"Ah, so that's it," Master Agito said,
nodding to indicate his understanding. "We do intend to stay at
this place when circumstances permit, so that should give you
ample time to decide things for yourself."
"Thank you," Shizu said. "Mistress
Akane?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry, Mistress, but I- I care
for..."
"Yes, I thought that might be the case,"
Mistress Akane said, picking up where Shizu had trailed off. "I
must admit, I do make a rather handsome man."
Shizu laughed, but only a little. Even
Master Agito seemed to be amused; Shizu was happy to see the two
of them getting along so well. Maybe she would not be forced to
choose, after all.