Dolphin Rider Koishi - The End

[UndyingHunterKamigama]

Great work as always. Momiji's battle would be with someone that can fight with a sword, but then again you did show Komachi using guns and Sakuya using cards.


Shikieki's mind coil was pretty much dealt with. And Tsun-tsun Momiji~ I like that Momiji~ Are we going to see more of her on the future? Or will she be just appearing for this short while?


I can't wait for vengeance to strike back against Rinnosuke.

[Fetch()tirade]

You do a really good job at coming up with and painting a scene. It's to the point where I'm reading a few lines at a time and then stopping to imagine it as a show playing in my head.

A Fistful Of Yen

I laughed. Really hard.

Also relevant.

[KaiserKnuckle]

?What about Layla? She was just a little girl, she didn?t know what she was getting into...what about her family? They were calling on me to get their sister justice, but I let them down. And now he?s going to keep on ruining peoples? lives because I couldn?t get him a guilty verdict.?

Hooray you remember Layla

Good use btw.

[BT]

I liked the sudden change in Mindcoil Mechanics.

Get to writing on the Mokou-Kaguya side-story. Now. >:U

[FinnKaenbyou]

?Komeiji! Sit up straight!?

The teacher?s voice pulled Koishi out of her daze. She?d slept for two or three hours at most last night. After the whole Red Lily incident had come to an end, she?d returned to school several days behind on every single subject - and with major tests coming up within the week. That had been a difficult deficit to pull back, but with enough focus and an ample supply of caffeine just about anything was possible. For once, during the weekly study meetups, it had been Cirno teaching her rather than the other way around. That had been a refreshing change for both of them.

The time Koishi didn?t spend studying was usually spent training with Sango. It wasn?t an ?official? session, but Sango had insisted on training at every moment she could. She had changed since the incident at the dock, since she?d met that shark woman. She?d been getting stronger by the day, but it must have left her as little time to sleep as Koishi had.

Then again, Sango had mentioned dolphins could sleep with half of their brain at a time. Koishi?s partner was sitting upright at her desk, but her eyes seemed to have glazed over. Koishi waved a hand in front of her while the teacher wasn?t looking. Sango didn?t so much as blink.

Wish I could pull that off.

The period drew to a close, and Koishi stumbled out of her chair. She gave Sango a gentle shove on the shoulder.

In typical form, Sango fell to the floor.

?Hyaah! S-Sir, I can?t answer that question! It?s a tenet of my religio-oh hi, Koishi-san.?

Koishi giggled, helping Sango up to her feet. She took care to pull down Sango?s jacket so no-one got a glimpse of what was coming out of her back.

?Should I assume you?re going to need a copy of my notes for homework tonight??

?Please and thank you,? Sango answered with a bow. Nitori had managed to sneak her into the register, but she had to keep her scores above water so the school wouldn?t get suspicious. It would be awkward if the head office tried to call her parents only to learn that Sango had no official record in the database. Or the national census, for that matter.

The pair walked together, squeezing each others? hands to keep themselves awake. Next up was History, which had been a whole different class for the last few days. Professor Kamishirasawa had spent some time in a cell after the protest, but had recently been let out with an official pardon and a promise that the Morichika investigation would be looked into. The school had given her a break to recover from the incident, but no-one knew quite how long she?d be away for. A substitute teacher had taken the class in her absence, much to the relief of her students - there was no threat of erasers being thrown, or whatever it was that she did to students who forgot their homework.

Koishi physically deflated when she saw Keine behind her desk. At the sight of the Siren, the teacher's eyes popped open.

?Oh, my, Komeiji-san! Such a pleasure to see you. You got caught up in all of that nonsense with the court, didn?t you??

As Koishi nodded, she felt her head throb again. The injury she?d managed to give herself in the riot was healing, but it still ached now and then. It had made her sleep even less restful than it would have been otherwise.

?I?ll live,? she said as she rubbed the back of her head. ?Good to see the misunderstanding got cleared up.?

?Misunderstanding?? Keine folded her arms and pouted. ?There was no misunderstanding there! That was the government abusing its power, like it has throughout the annals of history. If there?s anything mankind struggles to do, it?s keep the peace. I was planning a special class on it to underline the point, in fact.?

She craned her head around to look behind Koishi. Sango was standing in the doorway, still holding Koishi?s hand.

?Tororetsu, take your seat. And take off that jacket of yours.?

The second sentence brought a look of fear to Sango?s face.

?Eh? B-But Kamishirasawa-sensei, the school rules say it?s okay to wear a jacket on top of the school uniform.?

Keine?s eyes burrowed straight into Sango. ?Well, the rules of this classroom say that it isn?t.?

Koishi gulped. Keine had seen something she shouldn?t have at the protest, and now she was intent on proving it true. She took a step around Koishi to get to Sango, ready to rip the jacket off herself.

?Uh, Kamishirasawa-sensei, Sango-san needs to wear that!? Koishi said as she stood in the way again. ?She?s from Okinawa, you see, and it?s a lot colder here, so she?s not quite used to the climate.? She turned to the students who had already taken their seats. ?Right, everyone??

She got a wave of mumbled agreements. No-one knew enough about Sango to say otherwise, which was exactly what Koishi had been banking on.

?See? No problem. Now, let?s go take our seats.?

Koishi pulled Sango along before Keine could press the point further. The teacher glowered at the pair, but ultimately conceded her defeat and turned to the chalkboard.

?Alright, students, you won?t need your textbooks. Today, I?m going to teach you why humanity will never have a trustworthy government...?

-----

?Thanks for coming to see me, Koishi-san. I really appreciate it.?

Iku was doing her best to ease Koishi in, a hand on her shoulder and a smile on her face. She was more or less ignoring Sango, who was standing outside the door and twiddling her thumbs.

?But does she always have to come over??

Her words made Koishi droop. She?d never had a good explanation, and it got harder with each passing day. Already Iku probably suspected that Sango was abusing her. Better than her finding out the truth, though.

Iku nodded without Koishi needing to say a word. She moved away, motioning for Koishi to lie on the bed at the back of the nurse?s office. Koishi did so.

?Now, Koishi-san, I wanted to talk about your family today.?

Koishi gasped without meaning to. Iku flinched.

?Ah, sorry,? she said, biting her lip. ?It?s just that we?ve never taken the time to talk about it. I?m worried you might be welling it all up, so I thought giving you a chance to talk about it would be a relief.?

Sweat trickled down Koishi?s face, her hands clenching into fists. Iku was right, she thought to herself. She?d put her family out of her mind for the last few months. It had been a pleasant experience. Orin, Okuu, Sango, the Sirens - they had become her new family to make up for the one she?d lost.

She had run away from it before. But she had been weaker then. Maybe she could deal with it now.

?Okay,? she said after a long silence, giving Iku a weak nod. The nurse smiled.

?Alright, then. Tell me about your mother, to start with.?

Koishi closed her eyes, trying to get a picture of her mother in her mind?s eye. The only memories she had of her were pictures that her father had shown her over the years. She saw a proud young woman with brilliant brunette hair and glittering eyes, but who stood a head beneath her husband.

?My mother...I don?t remember her. I never met her, and I heard she died giving birth to me. Father always had praises to sing for her, and I don?t think there was a day where he forgot her.?

Iku was scribbling notes down without looking at the paper, her eyes never straying from Koishi. ?Interesting. What about your father? What did he do??

This would be a little harder. Koishi steeled herself, taking a deep breath before she continued.

?My father was a vet. I think he met my mother when she brought one of her dogs in for a checkup, actually. He was a good man, always cheerful and smiling, but he had to work long hours to support the family on his own. That?s probably why he died so young.?

It hadn?t registered with Koishi when it happened. A heart attack at work, she?d been told. She?d been sad, of course, but she had never felt really alone without him. She saw so little of him that she was almost used to him being unavailable.

?So most of the time, it was just us around the house. Me, and...? Her voice grew hoarse, the last word flopping out of her mouth. ?Onee-chan.?

How long had it been since she?d used that word? It felt foreign to her now. Alien, even. Iku had noticed it as well, raising her head upwards and writing down a note on it.

?Your sister...Satori, right? Tell me about her.?

Iku?s voice grew more severe. This was the point that she?d been aiming towards all along, Koishi thought to herself. She heard the old voice in her head take form again, whispering warnings that this was too much and she should walk out of the room right now.

She silenced them. Iku was right. She had been bottling this up. It was time to talk about it.

?Onee-chan...?

She didn?t want to use that word. It reminded her too much of her old self. She?d been too clingy and dependent on Satori to get anywhere. She shook her head about as she started again.

?...No, Satori. She was my big sister, and she never let me forget about it. Ever since we could walk she was there for me. She would step through puddles on the way to school to check if they were too deep for me. She was there to show me how to do all the chores and look after the animals we kept around the house. She even helped me with homework when I got stuck.?

She could sit around all day listing all the things Satori had done for her. For years they had been more or less inseparable, to the point where Koishi struggled to remember moments when they?d been apart. That had made her disappearance a thousand times harder for Koishi.

?I don?t know where she?s gone. I don?t even know if she?s still alive. That?s the hardest part, I think. I keep hoping that she?ll just show up on the doorstep and come back into my life like magic. I know it?s silly, but...?

Koishi felt her face grow wet. She had known from the start talking about this would be difficult, but if she let it out now maybe it wouldn?t haunt her later.

?So I guess I haven?t come to terms with it yet. I dream about her sometimes, and that doesn?t help. I just want things to end, one way or the other.?

Iku was scribbling furiously, and Koishi couldn?t see her face for the notebook. When at last the nurse finished with her notes, she put the book to the side with a sigh.

?Alright, that?s enough for today. Thanks for being so open about it.?

Koishi shook her head as she sat up on the bed. She took a deep breath in, and it felt like something had been washed out of her.

?No, Nagae-san. Thanks for letting me get it off my chest.?

Maybe she wasn?t ready yet, but she felt stronger now than she had before. Maybe somewhere down the line she?d be able to look at it all and smile.

She stepped out of the office, waving at Iku on the way out. The nurse eyed her with concern, but made no attempt to stop her. Sango turned around and took her hand the moment she was out of the office.

?Hey, Koishi-san, have you been crying?? Sango looked into her eyes, seeing the red marks running across them. ?Are you okay??

Koishi took a deep breath, walking on with a brisk but steady pace.

?Yeah, Sango-san. I think I am.?

-----

Today for sure.

She?d been too busy with work to make her usual visit to the store, and the time away just made her more eager to get it over with. Maybe it was a good thing. Maybe that would be the extra boost that brought her into the building.

Into Eientei.

Mokou leaned against the window, right next to the entrance. Deep breaths. Focus. This wasn?t hard. It was a matter of walking in and asking to see Kaguya. There wasn?t any tough number-crunching or muscle-pumping involved. Walk in, open a door, say a few words.

She took a moment to laugh at herself. A few days ago she?d been helping a journalist fall off the grid without a care in the world, and now she was stumped by a door.

They hadn?t talked in months. Mokou closed her eyes, bringing Kaguya?s face to mind in her memory. She was a beautiful girl, more than anyone Mokou had ever met. The Siren couldn?t help but feel jealous thinking about her.

I had to work hard for this body, but she could eat sweets all day and still have a great complexion.

In fact, every time Mokou had seen Kaguya, she was helping herself to something sweet. Mokou had warned her about the dangers all the time, how all that candy would make her fat and so on. Kaguya had kept eating them in spite of Mokou?s warning, and she never suffered any ill effects.

Back then, Mokou had figured it was just metabolism. From what she knew of the world now, she wondered if eternal beauty was part of Kaguya?s bloodline. A silly idea, but it offput some of the tension she was wrestling with.

OK. I think I?m ready.

Another deep breath as Mokou stretched her arms out. This was it, she?d decided. This was the day she?d go in and get her discussion. She turned away from the window, walking towards the door with her eyes on the floor. There was a large stand at the front of the store advertising the Hourai Elixir, and looking at that would drain her will away.

As she opened the door and stepped into Eientei, she felt like she?d climbed a mountain with her bare hands.

She hid in the aisles, pretending to care about the products on display. Her eyes drifted, falling on one shiny box after another. Most of the products didn?t work - she could tell just from looking through the ingredients. Regardless, they sold, and thus they were here for gullible customers to buy.

Poking her head out from the end of the aisle, Mokou could see the counter. There was only one attendant, a young woman with long flowing hair. She must have had to skip her lunch break, because she was nibbling on a carrot as she waited on a customer. Mokou pulled away before the woman saw her.

Step 1 had been accomplished. Step 2 was to ask the attendant for an appointment with Kaguya. It was like stepping into the building - laughably easy on paper, but disturbingly difficult in reality. Mokou?s feet had jammed into the floor, refusing to move at her will. This was too much. She couldn?t do this. Kaguya would laugh her out, maybe even deny her entirely-

No!

Mokou pressed herself against the aisle, rubbing at her temples to try and work the unhelpful thoughts out of her head.

You?re gonna do this, Mokou. If she turns you down, at least you tried to make amends.

She gulped. Her foot slid forward, picking up speed as she stepped out of the aisle and down towards the counter. She didn?t stop to think about how she looked - if she hesitated for any reason, she might have never finished the journey. The employee at the counter snuck the carrot behind her back as she gave the customer a curious glance.

?Can I help you??

Mokou felt her face flare up. This was it. All she had to do was say a few words, and she was done.

?C...C...?

Why was her throat closing up? She was struggling to breathe, let alone speak.

?Condoms?? the shopkeeper answered, her expression dropping to a look of cloying friendliness. ?It?s alright to be nervous asking about it. Should I assume this is your first time??

Mokou shook her head, feeling like her skin had been lit on fire. Now she looked like a moron with a verbal tic and a new boyfriend. She swallowed, feeling the blockage in her throat pass on. She wasn?t sure if she?d mustered her courage, or if she just wanted to set the record straight.

?Co...could I speak to Kaguya-san, please??

The moment the words had leapt off her tongue, Mokou felt a weight lift from her stomach. She smiled to herself, paying no attention to the growing confusion of the employee standing across from her.

?Kaguya Houraisan?? She eyed Mokou for a moment, probably on the assumption that this was some sort of joke. Mokou looked back at her with the sternest expression she could manage. Finally the woman gave in and picked up a phone at the side of the counter. ?Hello? Yes, this is Reisen...?

Mokou felt her insides dancing about in ways they weren?t supposed to. Her stomach had swapped places with her lungs, and her intestines were wrapped up in each other. This could be the moment she?d been preparing for these last few months. A chance to talk to Kaguya, to clear the water, to put the entire affair into perspective. She watched Reisen with flaring anticipation.

?Ah, alright. I?ll let her know.? She put the phone down, then turned to Mokou with a frown. ?I?m afraid she?s not here right now. She?s away on a business trip.?

Mokou felt like she?d just been pronounced clinically dead.

?I see,? she mumbled. ?Any clue when she?ll be back??

?I?m afraid not,? the employee answered, hands cradled and head drooped forward in apology. ?She does have a habit of jetting off to new factories and advertising new products.?

Of course. What had she been thinking? This was Kaguya?s job now. She wasn?t going to be ready to talk whenever Mokou felt like it. She nodded along in understanding, shuffling towards the door.

?Alright, I?ll come back later.? It had been a resounding defeat, she thought to herself as she stumbled towards the door.

Reisen called out to her a few steps from the exit. ?Uh, can I take a message for her??

Mokou raised her head. That question reminded her of all the hurdles she?d crossed to get here. A few months ago she?d been too nervous to walk in the door, and before that she couldn?t even step into the building with losing herself to rage. Now she was on the verge of talking to Kaguya like a calm, rational human being.

?Tell her...? Mokou stopped, wondering if it was wise to give her name. It could give Kaguya reason to avoid her. But if she wanted Kaguya to be open about it, then she had to start by being open on her end. ?Tell her Mokou wanted a chance to talk things through.?

Reisen nodded, scribbling it down with one hand as she nibbled at the carrot she held in the other. Mokou straightened up, stepping out the door with a childish grin on her face. She?d never felt more proud about saying a few words to a woman she'd never met before.

-----

The place had really gone to pieces while she was away.

Sakuya wasn?t strong enough to juggle undercover work at the Bunbunmaru as well as her duties around the Scarlet household. She?d kept the girls fed, preparing their dinners early before leaving them for Meiling to serve while she took a much-needed rest. The Bakery had closed for another of its ?breaks? - money was no issue, but the frequent closing and opening of the store had won her no favour with Patchouli. By the time things had finally died down there was a good bit of dusting to do.

She decided to spend the weekend making up for lost time by cleaning every last inch of the building. It had become a habit for her, and when she worked time seemed to fly past her at a brilliant pace. She?d found the fun in cleaning - challenging herself to dust particularly rough spots, timing herself to beat records, and making it to distant corners of the room without having to shift away half the furniture.

Her duties eventually brought her down into the depths of the earth, more popularly known as the basement.

Sakuya had never understood why Patchouli had insisted on basing her library here. A room with a window was much more suited to reading, she figured. Maybe Patchouli wanted to experience the feeling of a world without sunlight for herself. What mattered was that it was here, it was dusty, and it wasn?t moving any time soon.

The books were still in good condition. From the looks of it, Patchouli had been giving the shelves a little sweep while she was away. The floors and walls, on the other hand, were in a dire state. The further from the centre of the room she got, the deeper the layers of dust she had to sweep at.

It was probably no coincidence that Patchouli?s desk was in the middle of this circle.

A small spluttering sound called Sakuya away from her work and towards the desk. Patchouli sat at her usual spot, with a handkerchief covering her mouth as she coughed. She looked up at Sakuya without much enthusiasm.

?So, the wandering maid has returned. Do you feel like doing your job today??

?Hello to you, too, Patchouli,? Sakuya answered as she gave the desk a quick brushing. It was probably unnecessary - Patchouli wouldn?t let so much as a speck of dust sit on her workspace - but she felt like having a chat. She?d been stalking the building on her own for hours, so conversation would be a good break. Even if her chatting partner wasn?t so keen on talking to her.

?So what pulled you away from work?? Patchouli asked, sitting upright. ?Flandre was back on her feet only a few weeks ago and now you?re disappearing again. I thought you said you were done with Morichika??

?I am,? Sakuya answered without a pause. ?I had personal business to attend to, though. Family matters, so to speak.?

That was enough to shut Patchouli up. A look of pain jumped to her face for a moment before she turned away.

?I...see. My apologies. Just be sure to make up for your absence.?

Sakuya nodded, walking off and returning to her dusting. It was not a lie she wanted to tell, but it was the only good reason she had. Patchouli was a doctor, and she?d been brought up with science all her life. She?d be the last person to buy the story of the Sirens.

About halfway through her duties, a thought jumped to Sakuya?s mind. She recalled an off-hand comment Flandre made to her some time before. As she walked back to the desk, she became vaguely aware of the wicked grin on her own face.

?Patchouli.?

?What is it?? Patchouli asked, not looking up from her work.

?I had a little discussion with Flandre earlier.?

?Yes, and??

?She told me about your penchant for magical girl stories.?

Silence. Patchouli didn?t so much as budge from her studying.

?What?s your point, Sakuya??

Sakuya frowned. She?d been looking for some sort of shy response from the librarian, going red in the face and denying the fact.

?Well, I imagined that sort of childish literature would be beneath someone of your standing.?

At last Patchouli put her book down and turned to Sakuya, but her expression was far from nervous. If anything, she seemed offended by the comment.

?You may not be aware, of this, but during my time at Cambridge I had many friends studying English degrees, and they recommended an array of ?wonderful? books to me. They had the bleakest tastes imaginable, and every time I tried to read through one of their stories I felt myself too depressed to complete it. So no, I?ve never been the sort to care for ?upper-class? literature.?

She reached under her desk to a drawer that Sakuya had never seen her open. Several volumes of manga were stored inside, all starring a young girl in a witch?s garb.

?After I moved here, the atmosphere of the house could be considered morose at best, so I decided to buy myself one or two of these books to lighten my spirits. I suppose somewhere down the line it became a habit, and I keep up to date when I can.?

Patchouli smiled. There was a warmth in that smile that Sakuya had never seen from her before. She pulled out one of the books and offered it to Sakuya.

?Go ahead. You wanted to mock me, so think of this as me throwing your plan back in your face.?

Sakuya felt slightly ashamed as she opened up the book, flickering through the pages. She had expected a run-of-the-mill manga about high school girls and fluffy mascots, but the story seemed much deeper than it had looked on the outside. The hero was a young witch who fought villains to keep her city safe, but in order to keep her identity hidden she?d been forced to run away from her family. The story made a point of showing how much the girl was struggling to survive away from home.

?This is what you consider uplifting?? Sakuya asked, furrowing her brow.

Patchouli sighed. ?Sakuya, magical girl stories have a transition into adulthood as a running theme. That story there is a prime example, though they take it more literally. The heroine has to learn independence and how to fend for herself, while still juggling her duties as the city?s guardian.?

The doctor spoke with a passion Sakuya hadn?t heard from her in years. Her words had a weight that made Sakuya stand up and listen, even on this ridiculous subject.

?There?s more to it, though. With magical girl series, no matter how tough or bleak things get there?s usually a happy ending. Maybe the hero has to fight for it, and maybe they have to lose something, but ultimately their morals win out and evil is defeated. That?s the sort of story that keeps me going - one where the heroes have to struggle for their victory, but they succeed in the end.?

Patchouli took the book from Sakuya and placed it in the drawer, sliding it back in under the desk. ?So does that satisfy your curiosity??

Sakuya nodded. She?d never been one for that kind of story herself - she preferred adventures where the hero won through quick wits and sheer guile - but she could understand what Patchouli was looking for with an explanation as thorough as that.

?One question, Patchouli. If you?re not ashamed of your interests, why is this the first time you?ve mentioned them to me??

Patchouli smirked.

?I wanted to disappoint you when you dug up the truth.?

-----

?...Yes, call it all off. For the last few days, I?ve been going through...some serious stress. ...Yes, I?d like some time off. ...Yes, I?ll attend the meeting. Send the letter to Onozuka, though - I?m staying at her place until I?ve got a grip on things. ...Thank you, sir. Bye.?

Eiki hung up the phone and threw herself face-first on the couch. It was a call she had never wanted to make - declaring herself unfit for work. She?d been making calls to the police as well, asking for overturnings of some of her own rulings - for example, the unlawful arrest of the Morichika protestors. She had been avoiding the media ever since, but she was sure they already had all the info they needed on her.

Komachi had done what she could to help Eiki. The judge lived alone, but now more than ever she needed some company. Komachi made breakfast for her every morning before heading off to the court. Now that she was trying to get to being a lawyer she had a lot of red tape to cut.

Eiki was left with more spare time than she was used to.

She was the sort who dove into her work whole-heartedly at the cost of her leisure time. She had always been of the opinion that her work brought her more relief than any sort of leisure activity could ever offer. Now that she?d been relieved from duty, she wasn?t quite sure what to do with herself.

Komachi?s abode didn?t offer much to do either. There was a computer that hadn?t seen an update in about ten years and still ran on dial-up. She would have been fine with that, but it was password protected. A few moldy board games were hidden under her bed, but all of them needed another player. She couldn?t even leave the house, because Komachi had the only set of keys.

The only option was the TV, and the endless piles of DVDs that had formed around it. She examined their contents for anything even mildly thought provoking. A Shakespearean play? A classic tale of love and loss? Anything that wasn?t another goddamn Western?

Nope. In Komachi?s world, Clint Eastwood stood as the undisputed king of cinema.

For half an hour she fiddled with the TV, refusing to accept the situation. She found out quickly that it didn?t even have any reception. No news, no finance, not even a talk show. There was almost nothing for her to do other than work her way through Komachi?s collection.

The first movie was an indie production on a shoestring budget, produced in black and white for ?authenticity?. Eiki had to stop the movie at several points to just glare at some of the blatant mistakes. At one point, a plane could be heard flying overhead, and at another the hero?s gun jumped from one hand to the other between cuts. With nothing else to do, Eiki looked for every little error and screwup on the part of the producers.

When she had finished with it, she threw in another movie without thinking about it. With a name like The Space Cowboy, there was no way it couldn?t be horrible. Sure enough, it was a barrage of tacky special effects and horrible costumes. When she got to the scene where the protagonist stormed the enemy UFO on horseback, she had to watch it three times in a row just so she could fully ?appreciate? the scene.

It wasn?t until halfway through the third movie that she realised she was enjoying herself.

?Yo, I?m back.?

Komachi let herself in, but Eiki found herself too caught up in the movie to notice. Vampires of San Francisco had been too good a title to let up, and it delivered on every expectation Eiki had.

?No way.? Komachi stepped into the room, looking as nervous as a soldier in a minefield. She was staring at the television in dumb shock. ?You?re watching that??

Eiki shrugged. ?Consider it a morbid curiosity. It?s so utterly bizarre that I can?t bring myself to look away.?

Komachi froze in place, eyes falling onto Eiki. The lawyer looked much more official than before, Eiki thought to herself. Her back was straight, her suit had been ironed, and her badge had been carefully pinned on. She looked ready to walk back into the profession any day now.

?Seriously, I got through about ten minutes of it before I had to stop.? She sat down next to Eiki, barely able to bring herself to look at the screen. ?The hero is some sorta vampire cowboy, right??

?Not exactly,? Eiki answered. ?In truth, he?s a vampire werewolf cowboy. The rest of his clan has shunned him, and he wanders the wasteland in search of-?

?Y?know what? Forget I asked.?

Komachi cradled her head in her hands as the movie continued, occasionally mustering the courage to take a peek at the action. Nine times out of ten, what was going on onscreen was so mindless or absurd that she pulled away. In comparison, Eiki laughed out loud at every little twist the movie made up as it went along.

?Komachi, do you know what you?re missing? I never believed I?d see the hero fight a zombie ninja, but this movie never fails to-?

?Actually, I think I have work to do.? Komachi stood up again, her face ash white. ??Scuse me. Dinner will be ready in an hour.? She stomped off, almost veering into the bathroom to throw up.

Eiki stuck her nose up. It won?t do her well not to see the funny side of things. The woman will die young at this rate...

-----

?Alright, that?s been a good session. Let?s take a break.?

Nitori couldn?t have said that at a better time. Sango fell forwards in the water, almost passing out from sheer exhaustion. They?d been brawling for an hour at least, and Sango had been worked to her limits. She?d learned a while back that Nitori wasn?t exactly fighting fair - she?d developed small braces for her arms and legs that improved her strength and endurance. Sango had no such luxuries, and fighting her off for so long had just about drained her.

She took some solace from the fact that Nitori was only a little better off. The kappa pulled herself to the surface and sat at the side of the pool, catching her breath. Sango let her own buoyancy carry her upwards - her arms and legs may as well have been made of stone right now.

?How?re you feeling?? Nitori asked, tipping her over so her face was above the surface. Sango gasped, panted, wheezed, did everything she could to get more air into her system. After two minutes without an answer, Nitori nodded.

If she?d had the energy to speak, Sango?s answer would have been along the lines of ?like I snapped every muscle in my body?.

The training had grown more intense after the Red Lily incident, with Nitori working Sango to the point of exhaustion. She would leave her bruised and battered, but stronger for the experience. Then in their next session she would push Sango to her new limits, in an endless cycle of breakdown and rebirth.

If they?d had more time, Sango would have settled for a less strenuous regimen. But they had months, maybe weeks until the next time she had to fight Jozu. She couldn?t afford anything other than the most brutal training Nitori had to offer. And brutal was the only word that really described what she was being put through.

Nitori refused to train her every night, out of concern for what Sango was doing to herself. Every other night she trained on her own - not quite as stressful on her body, but enough hard work that she was a little stronger next time she was around.

After about five minutes, Sango had regained feeling in her arms. She shuffled over to the poolside, and Nitori gave her a hand up. Sango couldn?t help but be jealous of her, still going strong. She?d offered to make Sango her own set of braces, but the dolphin had turned it down. That was cheating, and the last thing she wanted to do was cheat. She would beat Jozu legitimately.

?S...So,? she started, finding the strength to speak. She had to stop to gasp at several points. ?What?s...the plan...with the next Siren??

Nitori stared up into the sky, eyes locked on the stared in the distance. ?Have you noticed a pattern in the Sirens you?ve come across??

Sango thought for a moment. Mokou, then Sakuya, then Komachi...what did they have in common? Her brain was too busy counting her injuries to think too hard. Nitori sighed.

?Mokou-san developed the Hourai Elixir, the most potent health product in history. Sakuya-san staged one of the biggest heists Gensouto?s ever seen. And Komachi, of course, was the infamous Red Lily.?

Nitori looked to Sango for any hint of understanding. Half a minute later, Sango nodded.

?So...we want...famous people??

?Not famous so much as talented,? Nitori replied. ?You and Koishi-san did a sweep of most of the city, so we need to assume the remaining Sirens are living well out of sight. They?re busy, or they?re locked away all day, or something. We should focus our efforts on any big events to happen in the city - competitions, speeches, things like that."

Sango nodded slowly, mainly because her neck still hurt too much to move any faster. She had a point - if the rest of the Sirens were ordinary folk, she would have probably run into them by now. But as much sense as that line of reasoning made, it left one question.

?What about...Koishi-san??

Nitori shrugged. ?I dunno. She?s the black sheep, but like I said we?re running out of places to look. We?re going to have to assume she?s just an exception to the rule.?

It wasn?t an answer, but it was as good as she was likely to get. Yukari didn?t seem to like making her plans obvious, that was for sure.

?Oh, and as a warning. The Black Claw will probably be catching onto the same idea, so you might run into your shark friend more often now.?

Sango gasped. Her pain and fatigue began to fade away. Her youkai body was recovering, but her newfound anticipation cranked that healing into overdrive.

?Your orders are not to engage unless necessary, of course. But I get the feeling you two might just appreciate each others? company.?

Nitori understood better than Sango had thought. Under no circumstances would the dolphin ever consider Jozu a friend - they were still on opposite sides of the war, after all. But there was a respect they held for each other in spite of that, and she thought of the shark as a fierce rival.

A rival she wanted to beat into the ground.

?You gonna need help getting home tonight?? Nitori asked as she held out a hand. ?I can walk you to the door if you want.?

Sango was only just strong enough to take the kappa?s hand in return. ?That?d be great, thanks...? Nitori pulled her up, wrapped an arm over her shoulder, and started leading her away from the pool. Neither of them cared about the fact they were soaking wet - that was collateral damage from a good session.

By the time they were halfway to Koishi?s house, Sango had recovered enough to walk on her own, and insisted on doing as much. She swore she heard her legs creaking as she walked, and Nitori kept close to her in case she fell over mid-journey. It was a close call once or twice, but Sango managed to make it home without collapsing.

?Thanks again, boss,? she said as she opened the door. Koishi had cut her a key so she could leave for training sessions like these.

?Take care of yourself.? Nitori saluted as she turned around, heading back to her little safehouse. Sango closed the door as she stepped in. Koishi was asleep at this hour, but she had to check on her just to be sure nothing had happened. She found the little Siren asleep at her desk, with the cat lying asleep at her feet and the crow still perked up on the desk.

?Thanks a lot, guys. You?re doing great.?

Okuu nodded. The two youkai had insisted they could stand in for Sango while she was training, and so far they?d done the job pretty well. Sango offered them a thumbs up before heading to her own room and falling face-first onto bed. Within a few minutes, she was already drowsy and on the verge of falling asleep.

Every muscle in her body was complaining, but in spite of that Sango had to smile. Her training was going to hurt, but it would be soooooo worth it in the end.

-----

Author's Note: And that's just about the end of the Red Lily Arc.

I'll be honest and say that the next arc probably won't show up for a while. Given that I left this story mid-arc for about six months last time, I want to make sure that I've got a full arc written up before I start again. So far I've got about 8k written of the next segment, but there's a lot more I've got planned with it.

Thanks for bearing with me over the hiatus. I'm gonna do my best to finish this story outright before the end of 2012. I'm so far in now that it'd be a shame not to go all the way.

[Fetch()tirade]

That was a damn fine wrap-up, Rou.
Take all the time you need to write or relax, because you really make some quality stuff here in this thread (and in others).
Good job.

Also, some little parts that made me crack up:

Spoiler:

- Libertarian Keine
- Cashier Reisen
   + I could totally imagine her saying "What's up, doc?"
- B-movie enthusiast Eiki

[Hanzo K.]

Eiki was freakin' awesome. And the little thought about knowing when to enjoy yourself before you end up dying young was great.
Something I never would've expected to come out of her at least.

[Drake]

"Amply" is an adverb; "ample" is the adjective! ...But seriously I only noticed because it was in the first paragraph.

Wonderful work all around. Every wrap-up was satisfying in its own way. End of chapter foreshadowing was well put without being blatant. My favorite part is oddly enough, Komachi's house being, pretty much completely empty.

[FinnKaenbyou]

Well, it's the 14th of May (over here in Europe, that is). For those aren't aware, 5/14 is considered to be Koishi Day in Japan (5-1-4 = こ-い-し) which usually leads to a storm of fanwork and pictures of her.

And I thought to myself, why not jump on the bandwagon and post my own Koishi stuff? Or to be more precise, the stuff I've been writing for months but-was-waiting-until-the-arc-was-just-about-finished-to-start-posting?

That's right. I'm just putting the finishing touches on the arc's finale right now, but I'm sitting on roughly 40,000 words for this arc. I'm intending to update twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday, so on this regimen I should have enough material for about a month of constant updates.

So, without further ado, let's start the next arc of Dolphin Rider Koishi. Thanks for waiting. :3

-----

?Men!?

The young competitor brought her wooden blade down at her opponent?s head with at full speed. Her foe blocked, bringing the blade to the side before coming in with a swing of her own.

?Dou!?

Her blade struck true, crashing into the protective armour. She kept her form, bringing her sword around for another strike. At the side, three judges lifted red flags in unison.

?The match is complete! Challenger Hakesawa is victorious!?

With that, the atmosphere faded. Both girls lowered their stances and brought their blades to their sides. They hauled off their helmets, bowing towards each other and again towards the audience. This had been one of the last battles in a long day of fighting for them. The audience applauded them as they made their way out of the sports hall to make way for the finalists.

Among the audience was a small group of teenage girls. They were seated well away from the rest of the crowd, and had been eying up each contestant with such intensity that they may as well have been the judges.

?So you?re sure you haven?t detected anything, Sango-san?? Koishi asked. This had been her first time watching a kendo competition, and it had been an interesting experience. She?d seen these quiet, restrained young girls erupt into powerhouses in the name of battle. A little part of her wondered how different she would have been if she?d picked up kendo as a child.

Sango was leaning forward, eyes locked on the competition. Every few seconds she would give off another phwee and shake her head. As the competitors left the room, she leaned backwards with a sigh.

?Hauu...not getting anything. No Sirens here.?

Koishi shrugged. This wasn?t the first event they?d visited for the sake of surveillance - ever since meeting Komachi, they?d kept their inspections solely to formal events like this. They?d visited track meets, swim meets, Go tournaments (that had really made her head hurt), and every other event that had a chance of bringing out the talented girls of Gensouto. So far, none of it had led to any actual results - Sango hadn?t even found a trace of a Siren.

There were seven, Koishi thought to herself. She?d found Mokou easily enough, but Sakuya and Komachi had taken a little more work. There were still three Sirens out there, so why was it so hard to find them?

?Afternoon.? Sakuya stepped towards the group with a tray in her hand, effortlessly slipping past the members of the audience blocking her way. She laid the tray down on Koishi?s lap, and the smell of fresh cookies wafted up into the Siren?s nose.

?Ah, thanks, Sakuya-san,? Koishi said as she bit down on one. The dough was soft with a hint of vanilla. She let the taste flutter about in her mouth for a while before she swallowed it.

Sakuya looked down warmly at her own creation. ?You?ve kept me away from work with all of this surveillance, so I had to purge the baking urges somehow. Oh, and be careful.? She pointed to the slightly green cookies on the side. ?Those ones were made with that special mix that Mokou-san gave me. They taste...? Sakuya?s face twisted. ?Nothing like any cookie I?ve ever tried.?

?More for me, then!? The girl sitting behind Koishi promptly snatched one of the ?special? cookies off the tray. A strand of her hair whipped into Koishi?s face. ?Whoa, sorry,? Mokou said as she sat up again. ?Watching these girls smack each other with sticks really works up an appetite.?

Sango was polite enough to ask before she took one, at least. Sakuya helped herself because, after all, they were her cookies. The only Siren missing was Komachi, but that was because her duties had left her too busy for this sort of work. She?d met with Nitori a week after becoming a Siren, and the pair had agreed that she would only be called on when help was desperately needed. As it was, having four people monitor a kendo tournament was already more than enough.

The final was much of the same. While Koishi couldn?t deny that the girls fighting were much better with a sword than she was, she felt something absent in their form, a certain immaturity in their strikes. They had little interest in defense, focusing only on brushing the enemy away for long enough to make their own attack. It wasn?t as refined as she had expected, but that might have just been television getting to her.

As the final blow was struck, the referees declared the winner amidst a round of applause. Koishi and the rest of the Sirens clapped along as well, but she couldn?t help feeling a little disappointed that they?d failed in their search yet again. How many of these events would they have to attend before they found another Siren? The Claw would be on the hunt as well, and they couldn?t afford to keep being wrong.

An elderly man stepped out before the audience. He?d introduced himself earlier as the president of the local kendo club, and bowed towards the crowd in order to call for silence.

?Many thanks for visiting the 23rd Gensouto Annual Girls' Kendo Tournament. Before we begin with the prize giving, we have a small exhibition to present.?

Oohs and aahs drifted across the crowd. Koishi held her breath, hoping this was the appearance of another potential Siren.

?Today we give you a young man who has risen gradually up the ranks in the last few years. He is one of the city?s brightest new talents, having attained the title of third dan last month. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Youki Saigyouji.?

Half the crowd erupted into applause at the sound of that name. Koishi frowned, and Sango drooped her head alongside her. Another swing and a miss. The exhibition might be interesting, though.

All it took was three steps, and Koishi knew she was witnessing something special.

Youki Saigyouji had a form that none of his female counterparts could match. Even from this distance, Koishi could feel his presence pressing down on her. It was the force of a warrior, a man who?d trained with the blade his whole life. His pale brown hair was cut short, no lower than his ears.

He stepped out into the centre of the hall in a simple green gi, with no care for armour. At his side were two blades - a long katana and a wakizashi. They were real swords, glinting with light as he drew them from their sheaths.

?Is that even legal?? Koishi asked no-one in particular.

?Think so,? Mokou said, leaning forward with her head just above Koishi?s. ?It was banned for ages, but recently it?s come back into popularity.?

?Lemme guess. You looked that up last night??

Mokou grabbed the last of the ?healthy? cookies and stuffed it in her mouth. That was pretty much a yes.

Youki took a careful stance, drawing the longer blade with his left hand and the wakizashi in his right. He took a deep, careful breath, and Koishi couldn?t bring herself to look away.

Then he exploded.

?Taaaah!?

His voice was higher than she?d expected, but he roared with the bellow of a demon. He swiped forward, striking with one blade and then the other. He stepped around the hall, never dropping his guard, never resting for an instant. Every slash flowed like water through a stream, looking natural and fluid even to an inexperienced viewer like Koishi.

?Doryaah!?

Youki yelled with every swipe, as if it gave him strength. He circled the hall, fighting unseen assailants from every angle. The crowd was silent, enraptured by the display of grace and brilliance taking place before them. For two minutes he fought, the look of utter focus never fading from his brilliant blue eyes.

With his last swings he brought both swords forward, drawing an X in the air. In the same motion he sheathed the shorter blade. Reaching into a pocket with his now free hand, he pulled out an ball and threw it into the air.

By the time it hit the ground, the ball had been chopped into four pieces.

Youki flicked his sword downward in a calm but firm motion, placing it back into its sheath in a well-practiced ritual. Koishi clapped almost uncontrollably. In two minutes, he?d shown her exactly what she had thought was missing from the previous competitors. He had been focused, devoted, but at the same time passionate and furious. It was that paradox that had made his performance so enticing.

?Damn.? Mokou let out a low whistle. ?Now there?s a guy I wouldn?t mind coaching.?

?What makes you think you can coach him?? Koishi asked.

?I can coach anyone. I?m willing to bet his diet needs a little work.?

Koishi sniffed at the cookie crumbles falling from Mokou?s lap. They smelled less like cookies and more like broccoli. She casually shifted the conversation elsewhere.

?What did you think, Sakuya-san??

Sakuya didn?t answer. Her entire body had frozen in place, her eyes still locked on Youki. She was blushing, and only turned to react to Koishi a few seconds later.

?Oh. Well, he...was quite good, I suppose.?

She kept watching him as he left, following him up until he walked out of the hall again. The elderly president re-emerged to begin the awards ceremony. While he wasn?t looking, Sakuya stood up with a new look of conviction on her face.

?I?ll be right back.?

She shifted past the rest of the crowd, walking in the same direction Youki had left in. Koishi wasn?t quite sure what she?d missed in that small exchange.

?Ooh. Sounds like someone?s got a crush,? Mokou said, vaulting over the chair to sit next to Koishi. ?Can?t blame her, I guess. The guy?s a nice piece of work.?

?Maybe,? Koishi answered.

?Maybe?? Mokou lowered an eyebrow. ?You think she?s got some other reason for going back there??

That look on her face when she?d left. That determination wasn?t something that Koishi connected with having a crush. It was something much stronger, much more personal. She remembered something Sakuya had told her a long time beforehand.

?Well, she was in an accident when she was a kid...?

-----

She knew him.

Sakuya couldn?t put a word to the feeling, but somehow Youki Saigyouji had rung a vague bell in the back of her head. Her memory had been a hazy mist for years, tidbits jumping out to tease her now and then before falling back into the fog. Youki had brought up one of those fragments, but she wasn?t sure what about him was so familiar.

Did she have a brother? No, she didn?t think so. Maybe he was an acquaintance, then? Someone she?d known back at school. She?d only managed to look him in the eye for an instant during the exhibition, but as she looked him in the face she swore she?d seen him gasp. It had been such a small reaction that she was beginning to doubt her own instincts, and that was very rare for her.

It was easy to get into the back. She stood straight, keeping her pace steady. She did her best to look a few years older than she was. She'd learned that the easiest way to sneak in was simply to act natural. People were only attracted to something that looked out of place, so if she blended in no-one would care.

Two or three employees walked past in the other direction, but they barely looked at her. She?d dressed sensibly in a shirt and vest along with a pair of long jeans, so she looked just official enough to be here. No-one recognised her, but this event was large enough that no-one could be expected to know everyone involved. Maybe they?d ask questions about her later, but by then it would be too late.

She saw Youki as he stepped into a small room at the back of the building. His dressing room? If he was as famous as the president had made him out to be, she supposed it was the least they would have offered him. She had placed her hand on the doorknob when she suddenly realised she had no clue what to ask him.

Hello, Saigyouji-san! Do you remember me? Because I don?t, and I was wondering if you could help with that...

What was she trying to achieve here? Waltzing into his life when it had been years since he?d seen her - if he had seen her at all - and hoping that he could reconstruct her life story for her? It had been a silly idea, but now that she had come this far there was no reason to back down.

She knocked. ?Saigyouji-san??

?One moment,? Youki said from the other side of the door. Sakuya heard him shuffling about, presumably to change out of his training uniform. When he opened the door he was wearing a long green shirt, with a hakama covering his lower half. Sakuya raised her eyebrows at the sight - hakama were usually reserved for the most formal of occasions. Youki must have come from an upper-class family to be dressed like that.

?My face is here.?

His words were short, blunt and to the point. Sakuya moved her attention away from Youki?s choice of outfit, and looked up to him. He was a few inches taller than her, and he made the most of them as he stared her down. Already he was beginning to close the door.

?Uh...? Sakuya was lost for words for the first time in weeks. There was no witty retort, no clever comeback, just a stuttering and stammering as she tried to find something to say. Finally, all the words spewed out at once. ?Do you have any idea who I am??

Youki?s eyes widened. He seemed to come apart, his expression softening, his eyes looking down on her with pity rather than annoyance. The power behind his presence faded, and now he seemed more like an ordinary highschooler than a home-schooled prodigy. Sakuya?s heart soared at the sight - he did know her, he did!

He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. When he did, any compassion in him was long gone.

?No, I don?t. Goodbye.?

When he slammed the door, he almost smacked her in the face with it. She heard it lock with a final click.

What...just happened?

She had seen it in his eyes. It was more than just recognition. He knew her better than he should have. A total stranger wouldn?t have reacted to her like that.

But why had he turned her down? He had fought off that recognition and deliberately pushed her away. He?d teased her with a clue to her past only to yank it from her hands.

A new feeling of frustration flooded her. He was hiding something from her, and he was doing a poor job of acting otherwise. What hurt most was how clumsy he'd been about it.

She made her way out as quickly as she?d entered. By the time she was back in the hall the ceremony had ended, and the Sirens were among the crowds flooding towards the door.

She had an idea. But it would take some help.

?Hey, Sango-san,? she said, slipping into the crowd without a shove. ?Can I arrange a meeting with your boss? I have a favour I need to call in.?

-----

?You want me to do what??

Nitori?s expression sat somewhere between surprise and disappointment. Sakuya stood at the other side of the kappa?s desk, furrowing her brow and turning the look of disapproval right back at her.

?I said that I would like the White Pearl to perform reconnaissance on the Saigyouji family.?

?I heard that. I just missed the part where there was any good reason for us to do it.?

Nitori folded her arms. When Sango had called her last night saying that Sakuya wanted to see her, she had figured there was some sort of emergency that needed taken care of. Now the Siren was trying to act like her boss, and Nitori wasn?t the sort to take orders from her subordinates.

?Consider it paying back a favour,? Sakuya said. ?You?ve put me and the other Sirens into situations that could easily have got us all killed, and we aren?t here by choice. I?m a member of your team thanks to choices your boss made thousands of years ago. I think that earns me the right to ask something of you now and again.?

?And what if something comes up?? Nitori asked. ?We?re already spread thin enough without going on personal errands.?

?Last I checked, we had a good week of downtime before the next big event. Or are you going to start sending us on useless patrols again??

Nitori?s hands curled up into fists. She was being provoked, she told herself as she took a deep breath. She was above this. She was the leader here, and she was going to show some authority.

?Why are you so interested in the Saigyouji family??

?I think they might have a clue as to who I am.?

?On what grounds??

?I talked with the son, Youki. He was suspicious.?

Nitori almost slammed her hand into the desk. ?You want to have me send the team on a side-mission based on a hunch??

?I can hardly do it myself. He knows my face now.? Sakuya?s expression didn?t falter for an instant. There was something in those eyes that scared Nitori. It was a look of disregard, what could be politely referred to as pragmatism. She was grateful that Sakuya was on their side, because she would have made a dangerous enemy.

It also meant that even if Nitori turned her down, she would probably find another way to deal with the problem. With that in mind, there was no point in arguing the matter any further.

?Fine. If you can get the rest of the Sirens to go along with your plan, you?re free to do what you want until your next reconnaissance job. But I?d like to bring up one thing before you start on your recruitment.?

Nitori turned the computer on her desk towards Sakuya. Normally it functioned as a simple computer on the school network, but at the push of a hidden button it connected to the database she kept hidden in Room 495. She?d taken the measure of performing a quick search on the Saigyouji family after Sango had explained the situation.

?I already checked the records. There?s no sign of a missing child, and none of the families that the Saigyouji do business with have had any disappearances, either.?

She turned back to Sakuya with an icy glare.

?So more likely than not, you?re going on a wild goose chase. And if you aren?t, then you?re looking for something that?s been buried for years. You?re going to have to do a good bit of digging in order to find out the truth, and you?re asking people you?ve barely met to help you out. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this??

Sakuya?s expression changed then, ever so slightly. A new surge of life came to her, her doll-like eyes shining with new conviction.

?I?ve been looking for a clue for as long as I can remember. I don?t intend to let anything stop me.?

Especially not you. That was the ending that Sakuya had never put into words. Her voice echoed with determination, and Nitori believed her whole-heartedly. Nothing was going to stop her from investigating the Saigyouji family.

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, she hadn?t decided yet.

?Then there?s no point stopping you. I?ll arrange a cover job if you need one.? Nitori shrugged, slumping backwards into her chair. ?Just don?t let this get in the way of your work, understand? If you don?t have any results by the end of the week, I?m hauling you away for your own good. You know you get too wrapped up in these things.?

Sakuya smirked. ?What makes you think I?ll need a week??

-----

Lorelei?s was quiet in the evenings. It had earned a reputation for the infamous Mystia Mondays, when the owner would burst into song while her customers tried to enjoy their dinner. Her voice could be described as a cacophony at best, and when the police fined her for disturbance of the peace Mystia Mondays came to a very definite end.

The scars still remained in the minds of the customers, and evenings brought their fair share of empty tables. Sakuya quickly took the first empty chair she could find, counting the rest of the seats. Four more. Good.

A waiter came to the table, asking for an order. Sakuya took a minute to eye him - no, her - over. She?d caught herself halfway through a mistake. The waiter was a woman, but it was hard to tell at first glance. Only a hint of lipstick clued her in that she wasn?t being served by a man.

?I?ll be fine, thanks,? she told the waitress, waving her away with a hand. ?I?m waiting on someone.?

Sakuya had told the team to meet here at six, bur she?d shown up a few minutes early to be safe. She passed the time looking at the walls, examining the pictures of fishermen catching things like sharks and swordfish. From a casual glance, she was willing to guess that 80% of them were fake, and that was a generous estimate.

The first pair to arrive, of course, were the heroine and her steed.

?Phwee. I thought I did a lot of studying...?

?Sango-san, you only looked through the booklet once.?

?Exactly! I just had trouble with the remembering part.?

Koishi seemed to be in good spirits as she stepped into Lorelei?s. Sango was less so, trailing along behind her with her head slumped, almost shrinking to Koishi?s height. It was Koishi who saw Sakuya first, waving and leading Sango towards the table. The dolphin fell onto the chair with all the grace of a sack of bricks.

?School went badly, then?? Sakuya asked, her eyes falling onto Sango. The dolphin was fun to toy with, and her lack of education gave Sakuya plenty of ammunition.

?We got the results for our preliminaries,? Koishi said, tipping up the edge of her hat. Though her expression was cheerful, Sakuya could see red lines running across her eyes.

?I managed to get good grades all around,? she continued. ?All that work ended up paying off. But Sango-san...?

Koishi didn?t need to finish the sentence. Sango was staring longingly at the menu to distract herself. It was probably a good thing she wouldn?t need to look for a university when she graduated, Sakuya thought to herself.

Next to arrive was Mokou, rolling an arm about in its socket as she winced. The bone made an ugly crick as she sat down without so much as a wave. ?Evening.?

Koishi turned to her, concerned. ?Mokou-san, are you alright? What happened??

?Did you notice the new yoga club that started up today, Koishi-san??

?Huh? No, not really.?

?I decided to give it a shot. Figured it couldn?t be that hard, so I skipped the beginner course and went straight to intermediate.?

Mokou almost melted into her seat. ?I don?t think my skeleton is on speaking terms with me right now.?

She had taken the seat next to Sango, and the pair rubbed shoulders. Neither looked set to move unless the ceiling caved in. They shared idle chatter about the weather and the lack of progress in their investigations up until the last of their number stumbled through the door.

?Sorry, ladies! Had some last-minute paperwork to round up.?

Komachi sauntered into the restaurant, in the same suit Koishi had seen her in back when they?d first met. They hadn?t met often - Komachi was usually too busy getting back to her job to take part in the usual patrols. She was playing with a new badge on her lapel as she took the seat between Koishi and Sakuya.

?Guess who?s just been reinstated as a court prosecutor?? she said, beaming.

?Really? Komachi-san, that?s fantastic!? Koishi said, taking her hand and shaking it. Sango and Mokou only had the energy to mutter congratulations. Sakuya simply nodded.

She called the waitress over again, letting her companions make their orders. It was only when the woman was well out of earshot that Sakuya began to speak.

?You?re probably wondering why I called you out here.?

?No kiddin?,? Komachi grumbled. ?I?ve only got a couple?a days off duty before I start dealin? with real cases, so this had better be good.?

Sakuya gulped. She?d been rehearsing this discussion for an hour beforehand. She wasn?t used to making requests of others, and she definitely wasn?t used to doing it delicately. She took a deep breath before she started.

?I don?t say this very often, but I need your help with a very private matter.?

There were raised eyebrows all around. They hadn?t expected this from her. Sakuya didn?t blame them - even she had trouble hearing these words coming from her own mouth.

?This isn?t a simple situation, so let me lay out what I?m talking about. I need to find out about a man named Youki Saigyouji...?

Koishi blinked. ?The one from the kendo performance yesterday??

?That?s right. I?ve got a personal issue to take care of with him.?

?Like what?? Mokou asked. Sakuya paused before answering. She?d been trying to find the best way to say this without sounding absurd, but in the end there was no way around it.

?I don?t know.?

No-one spoke a word. Sakuya felt four pairs of eyes locking in on her. The next part of her story fell out of her mouth in one long stream of words.

?I?ve done my reading. The Saigyouji family live in a manor on the outskirts of town. I?m certain they know something about who I am, but the records I?ve found have shown nothing in the way of missing daughters. Still, I can?t help but feel that the family has something to hide.?

?On no evidence,? Komachi said.

Sakuya sighed. ?Yes, on no evidence. I wanted your help on that matter, in fact. Now that you?re reinstated as a lawyer, I?ll be needing your clearance to look into the family files. If there?s something hidden about this family, it?s buried really deep.?

She turned to the remaining three. ?You?ll be working undercover at the manor. I?ve convinced Kawashiro to prepare a cover story for you to get in. Your goal will be to find out if the Saigyouji are hiding something - and if so, figure out what. It?s a short-term operation - if you haven?t found something within a week, I?ll call the whole thing off.?

That was the entirety of her plan. She made no attempt to hide how weak her evidence was. Lying would do her no good here. The results were far from hopeful.

?So lemme get this straight,? Mokou said when Sakuya finally finished. ?You have no real evidence that this guy knows what happened to you, and no reason to think that this scouting is going to turn up anything at all??

Sakuya nodded. ?I?m a gambler, and sometimes gamblers have hunches that they can?t put words to. They follow them even when all the odds say they?re wrong.?

Mokou raised an eyebrow in bewilderment, slumping backwards into her chair. Her expression was complex, like she hadn?t decided whether she agreed yet. Across from her, Komachi was even less enthusiastic about the idea, eying the door and rocking in her chair. She was a busy woman, and there was no way she?d waste her free time on worthless leads like this.

Sakuya was just about ready to give up when Koishi spoke.

?Sakuya-san, how much does this mean to you??

Sakuya gasped. She?d been trying to avoid that question. She had distanced herself from the problem, because she knew that if she let her emotions seep in she would come apart. Now it seemed like coming out with it all was the only way she would be able to convince the Sirens to help her.

?It?s...? She struggled with the first few words, unsure of just what she should say. Mokou and Komachi looked at her with a new curiosity. Sakuya felt her face flash red and her eyes mist up.

?When I turned thirteen, I spent the best part of a year searching for my family. I had nothing to work with - no name, no occupation, not even an idea where I used to live. I barely ate, barely slept, barely thought of anything other than finding out who I was. Not that it got me anywhere - by my fourteenth birthday, I was just as lost as I had always been.?

She covered her face with one hand. She couldn?t let them see her crying. She rubbed at her eyes, letting out the odd sniffle as she spoke.

?But yesterday, I felt something. It wasn?t just a hunch. I?ve never had a feeling like this about anything. I don?t know if it?s intuition or instinct or something like that, but somehow I know that Youki Saigyouji is the first lead I?ve ever had.?

She put her elbow on the table, rubbing at her temples with her hand. She felt more powerless than she?d ever been in her life. ?But I can?t do it myself. He recognised me, and he made a point of locking me out.?

She hung her head low, bowing towards the rest of the Sirens. ?Please. One week. That's all I'm asking of you.?

Silence hung over the room for a few moments. Mokou and Komachi looked to one another, shrugging. It was the lawyer who spoke first.

?One condition,? Komachi said, putting a hand on Sakuya?s shoulder. ?I want a batch of those cookies you?ve been makin? for everyone else. Why?ve you gotta punish a woman for havin? a day job??

?I want a batch too,? Mokou added. ?The special stuff. I?ll get together another serving of my special formula after we?re done.?

Sakuya?s heart grew wings and flew. She lifted herself off the table, back into her seat. She almost asked Koishi for her opinion, but from the smile on her face there was no need to ask.

?I don?t need anything, Sakuya-san. I just want to do what I can to help.?

Of course. Koishi was too nice for her own good. The other Sirens had managed to talk themselves into some free cookies, but Koishi didn?t want any of it. Sakuya wasn?t sure if that compassion was something she envied or disliked.

?Hey, wait a minute,? Sango said, suddenly coming to life. ?How come no-one asked me??

?Because wherever Koishi-san goes, you?re right behind her,? Mokou answered.

?That?s not the point! ...OK, maybe it is, but you?re really making me feel left out here!?

Sakuya smiled as the dolphin began to protest. She wasn?t used to having friends outside of the mansion, and the girls' company was a refreshing change for her. She wondered if they would stay in touch when all of this Siren nonsense was over.

She hoped so.

?So, what?s the plan?? Sango asked, eager to be part of the conversation. ?You said the boss had a cover job for us to use. What is it??

Mokou nudged her with an elbow. ?Hey, whatever it is, there?s no way it?ll be as bad as our last gig. What could possibly be worse than working as a temp for some second-rate tabloid??

-----

?See? This isn?t so bad.?

Mokou had taken to her new uniform right away. The overalls had won her over in a way that a formal outfit never could, and she took advantage of the fact that she now had pockets to stick her hands in. She strolled towards the manor, whistling to pass the time.

Koishi wasn?t quite as pleased.

?Aren?t gardeners meant to be taller than this? There are going to be bushes that are larger than me.?

The outfit consisted of a shirt and pants, with the overalls worn on top of it. The extra layers made Koishi feel too warm, and the bagginess of her ensemble left her worried something would slip at any moment. Mokou?s taller, bustier frame had none of these issues.

Koishi felt Sango pat her on the head. ?No worries, Koishi-san. I?ll delegate you all the easy jobs.? Sango couldn?t use the same disguise thanks to her fin, so instead she was serving as their boss. Her outfit was casual, almost identical to her everyday fare, but she had added a very important touch.

She shuffled her square-rimmed glasses into place. ?Wow, the boss was right. These really do make you look smarter.?

Koishi rolled her eyes. She?d finally caved in to Nitori?s suggestion of contact lenses. They were magical, obviously, and served the same purpose as the glasses she?d been wearing up until now. They could be dismissed and replaced with a wave of her hand if she needed to see the magical world for any reason.

Not that she would need to get rid of them. As far as she was concerned, this was shaping up to be another routine recon job.

Wait. She gulped as she thought that statement over. Every time I think that, I?m wrong for some reason...

[Kasu]

Yessss.  I've been waiting for this~

This arc has certainly gotten off to an intriguing start. :3

[LaserTurtle]

WHOAMAN

THIS JUST UPDATED

THIS, THE REASON I GOT HOOKED ON ALL THESE STORIES AND MOTK IN GENERAL

YES.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. NO HOMO OR HETERO, BUT STILL.

Also caps lock is fun but that's besides the point I am in love with this series as much as it is possible to want to father a story's babies they will be half-human half-text monstrosities but I'm really losing my point here and what is a comma?

[KrackoCloud]

Ah man! UPDATE.
I'm very excited to see how this is going to turn out!

[Esifex]

Oh.

More of this dribble?

* Esifex sniffs derisively.

_{fuck yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah}

[Yaersulf]

Hoooray, it's back!
My days just weren't quite the same without the anticipation of a new DRK update. 

[D8ms]

That's right. I'm just putting the finishing touches on the arc's finale right now, but I'm sitting on roughly 40,000 words for this arc. I'm intending to update twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday, so on this regimen I should have enough material for about a month of constant updates.

Oh my god... I think I need a moment to calm my excited heart

[XephyrEnigma]

Excellent work as always. Good to see you've got it planned out. Looking forward to the next update.

[FinnKaenbyou]

The Saigyouji manor was on the opposite side of town, as far away from the Scarlet manor as possible. Supposedly the pair had been built at the same time, with families from the east and west bickering over whose architecture was the most beautiful. The argument had never been resolved, but everyone could agree that two stunning manors had been built as a result.

Where the Scarlet mansion had opted for sheer style and pizazz, the Saigyouji home was refined and almost minimalistic. As Koishi passed through the front gate she felt out of place, like she?d stepped several centuries into the past. The whole building had the feeling of a fairy-tale around it, from the little stream running through the front garden to the tiled walls keeping out intruders, all the way up to the cherry blossom symbol that had been painted on the manor?s roof. This was the place for a feudal lord to oversee his dealings.

It definitely wasn?t the place for a young girl wearing overalls.

?I?ll do the talking,? Sango said, stepping in front of the Sirens. ?I?m the boss, remember??  She made a cocky strut towards the door, fiddling incessantly at her glasses. Mokou bit her lip as she watched the dolphin make her way ahead.

?Are we sure it?s safe to let her act like that??

Koishi shrugged. ?She can?t do that much damage. And we did leave her doing nothing last time...?

They were a few paces behind Sango when she knocked at the door. There was no reply, and for thirty seconds none of them could even hear the sound of footsteps. Sango was about to knock again when the door was suddenly pulled open.

?Ah, so you?re the gardeners we were expecting? I hope I didn?t leave you waiting for long.?

The woman who opened the door belonged to same fairytale as the house she lived in. She bowed towards her employees, wearing a long blue kimono straight out of a history book. Her short brown hair was beginning to fade to grey, but her face wouldn?t have looked out of place on a woman half her age.

Mokou let out a low whistle at the sight. ?I?ve gotta learn her secret,? she whispered to Koishi.

Sango cleared her throat, straightening her back and putting on her most serious expression. She?d been practicing her speech on the journey here, and she nailed it.

?Good day, ma?am. We are here on behalf of Kawashiro Industries. We heard you were looking for a new team of gardeners, so I?ve brought two of my finest-?

Her speech was interrupted by the woman grabbing her by the neck and ruffling her hair. ?Oh, look at the little girl trying to act so formal! It?s just too adorable, isn?t it??

Sango squirmed and shuffled under the woman?s grip. Koishi saw her jerk away - not at full force, but strong enough that it should have overcome an elderly woman. Her opponent maintained her grip, running her fingers through Sango?s hair with a look of adoration on her face. She was stronger than she looked.

?P-Please, ma?am, I?d like to remind you that I?m an esteemed professional, and being embraced by my employer is not part of my job description...?

The woman gasped. ?Ah, forgive me. Sometimes I have trouble resisting certain...urges.? She pulled back, bowing to the trio again. ?I am Yuyuko Saigyouji, the lady of the house. You will be answering to me from now on, if I?m to understand our contract.?

Sango was too busy preening her hair and adjusting her glasses to offer a response, so Koishi stepped in. ?Saigyouji-san, may we have a tour of the manor? Your home seems rather spacious, so it?d be good to know where everything is.?

Yuyuko?s eyes fell on Koishi, with a smile that made her worry she?d be the next in line for a hug from her boss. Yuyuko seemed to change her mind at the last minute, thankfully. She cleared her throat. ?Certainly, ladies. If you would follow me, please.?

She stepped backwards into the manor, her footsteps so quiet that Koishi couldn?t hear them even if she tried. It was like her feet never touched the floor, merely hovering above the planks. Strong and subtle - that wasn?t a combination you saw in every housewife.

?Phwee...? Sango moaned as she trodded along, her hair still in a mess after Yuyuko?s meddling. ?What did I do wrong? I dressed smart, and I talked smart, so why did she hug me??

Koishi gave her a pat on the back. ?Sango-san, I think you were trying too hard...?

-----

The insides of the manor had been well maintained. This building had stood for decades, but the wooden walls looked as sturdy as they had been the day the manor was built. Koishi had seen reenactments of the Edo period that were less accurate than this.

Mokou was less impressed. Koishi saw her rolling her eyes. All this wood would react poorly to a spark of fire, so naturally she would feel uneasy.

The corridors continued on for longer than Koishi had thought possible. It felt as if the building was too large to fit inside itself. Paper walls and doors ran down the length of the corridor, but from the layer of dust most of them hadn?t seen any use in the last few years.

?Saigyouji-san, who lives here?? Koishi asked.

?Just me and my son. My husband passed away some time ago,? Yuyuko said. Her expression remained bright. ?I know that much of the mansion goes unused, but my husband loved it. I couldn?t bring myself to leave. There?ll be a good flow of newcomers, though - I have a new chief of security moving in tomorrow, so maybe I should give the place a little dusting...?

As they continued onward, Koishi heard another sound coming from the distance. She caught the swipe of a blade cutting through the air, along with its owner growling. Mokou had told her that the yell made your attack stronger, but Koishi had never seen fit to try it. Shouting made her throat hurt.

Yuyuko?s path deliberately brought them right past the room Youki was training in. Through the paper wall Koishi could see his silhouette shifting from one form to the next, striking with the same grace he?d shown in the exhibition.

He?s the one Sakuya-san had a hunch about, right?

She reached out for the door, intending to look inside, but the moment she stopped Yuyuko turned around.

?I wouldn?t do that if I were you. Youki practices very intently, and I doubt he?ll want to be disturbed.?

Koishi froze. How had Yuyuko heard her? No, it wasn?t what she heard, it was what she didn?t hear. Her feet had been creaking on the floorboards, and Yuyuko must have noticed when the creaking stopped. For a woman her age to notice that was totally abnormal.

?...Saigyouji-san, do you train like your son does??

Yuyuko giggled. ?I taught him everything he knows. The Saigyouji family doesn?t let things like gender get in the way of heritage. Why, I was quite the charmer back in my day...?

She turned around and continued to lead them onwards, murmuring about her childhood. Koishi was too bewildered to really pay attention.

Sango-san...this woman barely seems human. Is she a youkai or something?

Sango scratched her head.

No, but she does a damn good job of acting like it.

Mokou was eying her employer up with what looked like admiration. Koishi heard her muttering about how she ?needed to learn all of Saigyouji-san?s secrets now?. She pulled a little closer to Yuyuko, and at several points made to ask something, but the words never quite made it off of her lips.

At last, Yuyuko came to a stop in front of another paper door. Mokou nearly walked into her back, pulling away a few paces to step back in line with Koishi.

?I hope you aren?t put off by the size of the job,? Yuyuko said as she pulled the door open. ?I admit that this work is long overdue, and it may take some time for you to get the garden back in order. You?ll be paid handsomely, of course.?

Yuyuko stepped out into her garden, her gardeners following suit. Koishi felt the breath catch in her throat. A stone staircase stood in front of her, running up the mountain further than she could see. Yuyuko started to climb it, her steps still totally silent. Mokou and Sango climbed the steps two-at-a-time, while the mere mortal Koishi brought up the rear. At her sides stood two rows of cherry blossom trees, their petals fluttering off their branches and onto the stairs.

Koishi counted seventy steps in total, and she had to catch her breath as she came to the top. As she did, her eyes locked onto the crowning glory of the garden - another cherry blossom tree, larger than any two of its neighbours and taller than the manor itself. A sea of cherry blossoms had gathered beneath it, from newly-shed pink petals to long-dead brown. Sango eyed them curiously, judging the height of the piles.

Looks deep enough to swim in, don?t you think?

Koishi turned to Sango, mystified. She decided it was best not to inquire further. Yuyuko led the trio to the tip of the pile, pointing to a small shed in the corner.

?You?ll find some brooms in there, and some bags to hold the petals in. Normally I would just let them lie, but the weather reports say there?ll be strong winds tomorrow night, and I?d hate to bring a wave of dead leaves down upon Gensouto.?

With that, Yuyuko turned on her heels and made her way back to the manor. ?If it?s too much for two people, I?m sure that your adorable supervisor can lend a hand as well~!?

?That?s not what professionals do!? Sango yelled as Yuyuko fell out of sight. The elderly woman either didn?t hear her or paid her no mind. The trio were left on their own to consider the scale of their assignment.

?...Y?know, I think that grandma might?ve had a point,? Mokou said. She frowned as she turned towards Sango. ?Feel like giving us some help??

It took some convincing from Koishi - and a hefty amount of flattery from Mokou - but finally Sango allowed herself to take a part in the hard labour. Koishi grabbed three brooms from the shed, bringing out a dozen garbage bags for good measure.

?Just consider yourself lucky that I?m a generous boss,? Sango mumbled, adjusting her glasses yet again. ?I oughta give myself a promotion for this...?

-----

?I don?t get why you hadta come along,? Komachi grumbled.

She finished up the last of the official forms she?d needed to sign. Bringing a civilian into the district court wasn?t common, and she had been forced to come up with a good reason for it. She marked it down as research for a potential investigation, which was just vague enough to work. Handing it to the attendant, she made her way towards the court archives, her guest shadowing her movement.

?It seemed unfair for me to ask a favour of you all and do nothing myself,? Sakuya answered. ?This is the only way I can be of assistance. I?m sure you?ll find some legwork for me to do.?

?You?re gonna regret sayin? that. We?ve got fifty years of records to dig through - business deals, education, all the hard-brow stuff. It?d help if you had any idea what we were looking for.?

?Near death experiences have a habit of making me forgetful.?

Komachi sighed. She still thought this entire job was a farce, but when she?d seen how desperate Sakuya was about it she couldn?t bring herself to say no. She was getting soft in her old age, she told herself. She was turning twenty-eight next month, and it wasn?t an event she planned to celebrate.

A familiar face caught Komachi?s attention, pulling her out of her rumination. ?Sumire??

Her fellow prosecutor had been so caught up in the files she was reading over that she almost walked right into Komachi. Sumire only looked up when Komachi spoke, and looked immediately apologetic.

?Ah, Komachi! Sorry, I?m just looking over our files on Morichika again.?

?Morichika? Isn?t the investigation finished?? Komachi asked.

?Technically, yes. We can?t charge him for the crimes from the previous trial thanks to double jeopardy, but there are probably several other charges I can pin him to. We?ll take more care with our employees this time - keep it undercover, make sure that Morichika doesn?t have a chance to influence the verdict again.?

Komachi grinned. It was good to know that the court had been in good hands while she was out of action. Sumire was new but esteemed - she?d only been around for six months, but the court had high hopes for her. It was like looking down at a younger version of herself before things had started to come apart. She made a mental note to watch Sumire just to make sure she didn?t make the same mistakes Komachi had.

?I heard you were reinstated recently. Why did you take a break, again??

?Personal stuff.? Komachi?s tone was distant, and Sumire took it as a cue not to press the point. ?Anyway, can you do me a little favour??

Sumire glanced at her watch. ?Sure, but it?ll have to be quick. I?ve got a meeting to attend in fifteen minutes.?

?No worries. I just need clearance to the archives for a bit.?

?The archives? But I thought you weren?t on duty yet.?

?Call it a side-project. It?s all by-the-book, but I figure that getting an official OK would clear up some doubts.?

?You?ll have to be more precise than that, I?m afraid. I assume it has something to do with the girl standing behind you??

Sakuya had made no attempt to hide, and being blonde in a nation like Japan was an easy way to get noticed. She stepped forwards, offering Sumire a hand.

?Sakuya Izayoi. I?ve asked Onozuka-san to help me with a missing persons case.?

Sumire took Sakuya?s hand, but still seemed a little uneasy in her presence.

?Who?s the missing person??

?Me,? Sakuya answered, without a hint of sarcasm. Sumire spent a few seconds doing nothing other than stare into Sakuya?s eyes, looking for some sort of sign that this was a joke.

There wasn?t one.

?...I get the feeling I wouldn?t want to ask,? Sumire said as she pulled her hand back. ?Anyway, Komachi, I trust you enough to know you?ve probably got a good reason for this. I admit I haven?t known you for long, but I got to listen to six months of my cohorts going on about how great a prosecutor you were.?

?How great a prosecutor I am, you mean.? Komachi folded her arms and nodded to herself with a smirk.

?Yes, that. I?ll vouch for you if something comes up. You still remember how to get to the archives, right??

??Course I do. Eiki had me sortin? the files every week.?

Sumire glanced at her watch again, biting her lip as she started to walk. ?Anyway, good to see you again. Good luck, Komachi!? She waved with her spare hand as she left, her files on Morichika tucked under one arm. Komachi tried to wave back, but Sumire was out of sight before she could even raise her hand.

?Why aren?t you that busy?? Sakuya asked.

?Oh, don?t worry. I will be soon enough.? Komachi sighed. Work as Eiki?s assistant had given her loose hours and plenty of free time. Coming back to her real job was going to be a painful transition.

As Komachi led Sakuya towards the archives, several other members of the court passed by. Some of them nodded at Komachi with approval or muttered congratulations. Sakuya got a few looks, but nothing more than a passing glance, and most of them were looking at her hair more than anything else.

?I?m gonna go ahead and guess you?re not a natural blonde if you?re from around here,? Komachi said.

?Your guess would be correct.?

?So why?d you dye it blonde??

Sakuya shrugged. ?I used to do a little gambling,? she said, when the corridors were empty. ?Taking back some of Morichika?s dirty money, if you will. Acting like a fool is a good way to make your opponent drop their guard, and no-one suspects a blonde-bimbo foreigner. I even spent a few weeks un-teaching myself Japanese for the sake of authenticity.?

Komachi pondered for a while to try and find a good way to respond to that. She couldn?t condone gambling, and definitely not hustling, but at the same time hearing about Morichika losing a fortune couldn?t make her feel anything but content. She had heard stories of an incident at the Rabbit?s Foot some time ago, but it probably wasn?t something Sakuya would be keen on discussing. She decided it would be best to just take the conversation down another tangent.

?You thinking of dyin? it back? What is your natural colour, anyway??

?If I wash it out, you?ll know, but not a moment sooner. A woman is entitled to her secrets.?

Komachi shrugged. It didn?t really bother her either way. She was a lawyer, not a beautician. They stayed quiet up until they finally arrived at the archives. Komachi led Sakuya to the section on business affairs, which consisted of three full filing cabinets. She pulled out one of the drawers, thumbing through to find the file on the Saigyouji family.

?Hey, kid. You said you wanted to do some legwork.?

Sakuya nodded.

?In that case, you mind gettin? me some coffee? We?re probably gonna be here for a while.?

-----

?OK, I changed my mind,? Sango said, slumping onto the staircase. ?I?m giving myself two promotions.?

Koishi was too tired to comment. Four straight hours of work had taken their toll on her. She?d been packing the petals into bags, filling them to the brim, then hauling them down the neverending staircase towards the rest of the family refuse. The first few bags weren?t an issue, but as the number hit double digits stamina became a much bigger factor.

For the most part, Koishi was just an ordinary high-schooler. She wasn?t used to hard labour, and the work had worn away at her. She?d considered taking a break, but when she saw Mokou and Sango going at the job without any sort of pause she couldn?t let herself be the only one opting out. Her conscience was sated, but her muscles were complaining. Very loudly.

?Nothin? like a good workout, huh?? Mokou said, sitting down at Koishi?s other side. She wiped a layer of sweat from her brow, then leaned backwards on the staircase with her hands behind her head. She looked ready to leap back to her feet and start again at any moment. Koishi put a hand on her shoulder just to make sure she didn?t get any ideas.

?I never want to lift another petal in my life,? Koishi said, burying her face in her knees. She hoped that Yuyuko would at least offer them refreshments as thanks for their work.

?Too bad. We?ve gotta finish this up tomorrow, but I think we?re done for today.? Mokou looked over to Koishi, frowning. ?You okay? You pushed yourself pretty hard.?

?I?ll survive.? She?d be able to get through the next few hours as long as no lifting was involved. Her arms were on strike right now.

?So, what exactly is Sakuya-san looking for?? Sango asked. She had taken off the glasses during her work, and was taking great pleasure in putting them back on. ?All she said was that she figures they?re hiding something.?

Mokou shrugged. ?What, you think she gave me secret orders? I know as much as you do about it, and I?m just as lost. I figure we just watch and look for something outta place.?

?They live in a historical reenactment. That?s pretty out of place.?

?OK, outta place in the bad way.?

Koishi closed her eyes, turning about the problem in her head. It was like trying to solve a jigsaw when she only had one piece to work with. She craned her neck up, turning towards the dolphin.

?Sango-san, what exactly did the professor find out about the Saigyouji family??

?There really isn?t much to look at,? Sango said, rubbing at the back of her head. ?The Saigyouji family started off with a funeral service a couple of generations back. Through some wise investments and lucky breaks, they came into wealth, and Yuyuko Saigyouji gets by purely through playing the stock market. They?ve been skilled swordsmen for centuries, but it?s only the last few generations that have really stood out. Yuyuko was pretty much the brightest star of the lot - easily one of the top 100 kendo practitioners of her generation, and one of the top 5 women.?

?What about Youki? Or Yuyuko?s husband??

?Mr. Saigyouji was an architect. A descendant of the guy who built this house, actually. He was the one who bought the manor, but he died a few years later. Pretty frail, from what I heard. And Youki - well, Yuyuko?s been training him his whole life to be her successor. It?s working, too - he?s already a third-dan, and there?s talk that he might be challenging for fourth-dan later this year.?

Koishi?s eyes widened. She?d heard of men who trained for decades to reach a dan grade, and Youki had done it before the age of 20. A little part of her wished she had something to train for so fervently.

?So there?s no sign any of them are involved in anything suspicious??

Sango shook her head. ?The boss gave the whole family a look over. The late Mr. Saigyouji was clean, and there?s no sign Yuyuko is getting her hands dirty. As for Youki, he?s pretty much locked in the house whenever he?s not out performing at tournaments, so there isn?t much of a chance for him to do anything weird.?

Koishi?s brow furrowed. The man they?d been sent in to check on was a recluse with little contact with the outside world, yet Sakuya swore that she recognised him. The jigsaw remained as full of holes as ever, and the trio sat in silence for a few minutes trying to make something coherent of it. They were all pulled out of their thoughts by a set of quiet but audible footsteps.

?Are you fatigued??

Youki Saigyouji spoke with the same respect one would use to speak to an emperor. He bowed towards the gardeners as they rose to their feet. Koishi felt her face grow hot looking him over. The flawless posture, the small smile amidst his firm demeanour - he was like the hero of a feudal epic, the one who slew the demon king and rescued the princess. She had to take a deep breath and let her little fantasies drift off before she spoke.

?Y...Yes, we?re a little tired. We got most of the leaves cleared out, but we?ll get the rest of it done tomorrow.?

The young swordsman looked up the staircase, towards the massive tree that served as the garden?s main attraction. He sighed with a frustration that betrayed his expression.

?I wonder why Mother is only having it cleared up now. I used to train out here, under the cherry blossoms, but Mother told me it was too dangerous and I could fall down the steps.? For a moment, his expression grew intense, almost resentful. ?There are still days where she will barge into my room and make me breakfast or set out clothes for the day. It?s as if I?m still an eight-year-old. It?s charming in its own way, but-?

With a flash of realisation, Youki caught himself mid-rant and clammed up. He bowed deeply in apology, and his expression had recovered by the time his face was in view again. Koishi fought the urge to laugh at the young man?s awkwardness - she wouldn?t doubt his skill with a blade, but social grace was not his strong point.

?...Forgive my tangent. Mother was asking if you would care to dine with us tonight as thanks for your work today.?

Koishi blinked. She looked to Mokou and Sango for a moment, but she wasn?t really paying attention. Even if this wasn?t the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at the family interactions between Youki and his mother, the thought of free food after all that work was too good for Koishi to ignore.

?We?d love to. Right??

?Sure thing,? Mokou answered, flexing her arms and stretching. ?I?ll have something simple. I figure you guys eat pretty well, anyway.?

Sango bit her lip. ?I, uh...don?t suppose you?re eating fish tonight??

?Today is Monday, so dinner is shabu-shabu with miso soup and rice,? Youki replied, almost mechanically. ?If you?d like to decline, I understand. Dining is somewhat rigid in our household - a balanced diet leads to a healthy body.?

Sango seemed to seriously consider the idea for a moment, but her duty won out. ?On second thought, miso soup will be fine. Besides, I?d be a lousy boss if I let these two enjoy the benefits without enjoying them myself.?

Youki raised an eyebrow. ?You?re their superior? I never would have guessed.?

?Whaa-did you miss the glasses or something? How could I not be in charge wearing these things?!?

Another smile slipped across the swordsman?s face, but he didn?t allow his emotions to seep out beyond that. He turned on his heels, beginning the long trip down the stairway.

?Mother will be done soon. If you?ll follow me...?

Mokou was right behind him, already looking refreshed. Sango was next, pouting and muttering about professionalism and integrity. Koishi needed a moment to start her descent, still reeling from exhaustion. No matter how plain this dinner was, it would taste wonderful after a long day?s work-

d n t f r g t

?Huh??

Koishi jerked around. For a moment, she thought she?d heard a whisper as the wind had blown past her face. She?d caught a voice, so quiet that she couldn?t tell who had spoken it. Without knowing why, she climbed the last few steps and approached the mighty cherry blossom tree.

She focused, listening for the source of the sound, but the winds had died down. Was she wrong? No, she?d heard it, she knew she had - someone had spoken to her, but she didn?t know what they wanted to say-

?Hey, Koishi-san! What?re you doing up there??

Sango?s yell brought Koishi back to reality. She jerked awake, and the voice fell into the back of her mind. She turned around to see Sango looking towards her with concern.

?I?m fine,? Koishi answered, rubbing at her eyes. ?Just...I really think I overdid it.?

Sango frowned. ?Jeez, I told you that you should have taken a break.? She grumbled, holding out a hand. Koishi took it without a moment of hesitation. She was tired, she thought to herself. There were better things to do than listen to voices in the wind. She gave Sango?s hand a little squeeze as they started to retrace their steps.

?Going beyond the duty to help an ailing employee,? Sango said to herself with a smirk. ?At this rate, I?m going to be my own boss...?

[LaserTurtle]

Good to see the Saigyou Ayakashi being as creepy as a cherry tree can be. Talky talky talky.

And I just realized they're searching for sirens wrong! All the previous sirens did do some crazy big stuff but they never were publicly acclaimed for it!
...of course I might just be overthinking it like I always do.




_{no I do NOT incessantly stalk this story, why do you ask?}

[Kasu]

Did I detect some crossover in this update? :3

Anyway, can't wait to see if or how Youmu fits into this.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

And I just realized they're searching for sirens wrong! All the previous sirens did do some crazy big stuff but they never were publicly acclaimed for it!
...of course I might just be overthinking it like I always do.

They're not searching for sirens. They're searching for clues to Sakuya's past. Not that I expect this to stop them from finding a siren, presumably the conspicuously-absent Youmu.

[Esifex]

presumably the conspicuously-absent Youmu.

Shhhhhhhh you're giving away the story!

[UndyingHunterKamigama]

I've been away for too long or just enough time.
I thought this would never get updated!
I'm glad you proved me wrong!


And that


d n t f r g t


That's something from either the Netherworld tree or something else?
I'm surprised Youki looked so young though.
I can't be the only one.
And I'm glad its Friday today!

[FinnKaenbyou]

Koishi didn?t sit at the dinner table so much as she collapsed at it. She?d already discarded her shoes before stepping into the dining room, and her legs just about gave way as she plopped onto the floor. Without thinking, she pulled her legs to one side and straightened her back. Sango pursed her lips.

?What?re you doing that for, Koishi-san??

?It?s how you?re supposed to sit at a dinner table.?

Koishi had never really bothered with the usual etiquette at home. Satori had rammed it into her head, but after she?d disappeared Koishi ended up dropping the habit. Sango looked puzzled, but followed suit as she put her legs to the side in the same manner. Mokou had already done it without needing to be told. Koishi was unsurprised - of course the health nut was going to take dinner seriously.

Nothing had been served yet, so Koishi?s eyes wandered across the room. It was a traditional tatami room, and given the manor?s size it was almost claustrophobic in its size. Her back was almost pinned to the wall, and Sango could sit no more than a foot away from her. The wall behind her had a small recess with a scroll hanging from it. It was a tokonoma, and according to custom the most important guest of the house was to take their seat here. Sango had made a beeline for it as soon as Koishi had mentioned it, and she?d pulled Koishi along with her.

Mokou was sitting opposite them. To her left - and Koishi?s right - was the seat closest to the entrance, which was traditionally taken by the host. The spot was empty - Yuyuko was still making dinner, after all. Youki was first to emerge, taking the remaining edge opposite the entrance.

Sango looked at him with wonder. ?Koishi-san, why isn?t he sitting like we are??

Koishi poked her head around to look at the young swordsman. His legs were folded at the thighs as he sat on his heels, hands resting on his lap. He stared into the distance with intense focus.

?That?s seiza, Sango-san. It?s how people sit when they?re being formal.?

Was she meant to sit like that too? Koishi bit her lip. Seiza wasn?t something she?d practiced, and it was painful if you hadn?t been brought up with it. Youki caught her glance, and gave her a small shake of the head.

?Don?t worry. I won?t ask guests to partake in our rituals.?

His posture was flawless, Koishi noted. Seiza was a dying practice, but Youki was a prime example of how to do it right.

?Doesn?t that hurt?? Koishi asked, breaking the ice. Youki shook his head again.

?It did at first, but that was thanks to a lack of discipline. I?ve ironed out flaws like that with years of practice.?

He spoke about sitting with the same focus and intent some people would use to discuss their life ambitions. Koishi wasn?t sure whether to be impressed or disturbed. Mokou gave the man a small nod, then shuffled around to match his posture. Youki eyed her for a moment before nodding in approval.

?That doesn?t look so hard,? Sango said, tucking her legs in as well. She did her best to match Youki?s intensity as she copied his stance, but she had little success on either count. Within a few minutes Koishi could see the dolphin begin to fidget, until finally she pulled her legs out and grit her teeth in frustration.

Ow, ow, ow! Why do people do this to themselves?!

Pins and needles, most likely - that was what always happened when people tried seiza for the first time. It was why Koishi was keeping her legs firmly where they were.

This is my chance to talk to him, Koishi thought to herself. Maybe I can find something.

?So, I saw you perform at that tournament on the weekend,? she started. ?You put on an amazing show. I wasn?t the sort to care for kendo otherwise, but your performance really opened my eyes.?

Youki tilted his head. ?Your compliment is humbling, but I must ask what you were doing at a kendo tournament if you have no interest in the sport.?

Koishi flinched. ?Well, uh-?

?I pulled her along,? Mokou answered without skipping a beat. ?You were awesome, by the way. I screwed around with kendo for a couple of years, but that was only with one sword. Using two must be twice as hard, at least.?

?It?s the family style,? Youki said, with no emphasis or pride. ?I learned it from Mother, who learned it from her father, who learned it from his father. Such is the way of the Saigyouji family.?

?That?s it?? Sango raised an eyebrow. ?Surely you?ve got something else to do with your time. A guy your age must go out with friends or play video games or something.?

Youki inhaled deeply through the nose, the first hints of frustration seeping onto his face. His words were laced with venom.

?Oh yes, of course. Why should I maintain family tradition and practice an ancient art when I can whittle away my time playing some game where I pretend to practice an ancient art??

The words almost smacked Sango in the chest. She slumped down until sharp glares from everyone at the table convinced her to sit upright. Koishi frowned.

So he really does stay locked away...

The answer simply made the puzzle even murkier. How could Sakuya have recognised someone who she could have never met? Perhaps she was mistaken. That was the logical conclusion, but Koishi couldn?t shake the feeling that Sakuya wouldn?t ask for their help unless she really felt something strong about this lead.

The only problem was that Koishi had no idea what Sakuya had seen in this man. And the harder she looked, the less she found.

?Sorry to keep you!? a voice called from the kitchen. ?I?m just coming through!?

Yuyuko Saigyouji entered the room with a hefty tray in her hands, almost large enough to fill the table she was placing it on. In the midst of multiple plates of rice and soup, a pleasant steam was rising from a heaving pot of stew. Shabu-shabu was a classic dish made with thinly-sliced beef, and flavoured with tofu and whatever vegetables the cook thought fitting. The name came from the shaking sound the beef made as it was swung around the pot during cooking.

Koishi had never tried shabu-shabu before. It was too much effort to cook, and produced too many helpings to be worth the time when she lived alone. Still, as Yuyuko placed the tray in front of her, she was already starting to regret that choice. The smell of beef, onions and carrots wafted into her nose, and only well-trained manners kept her from taking a bite right then.

?Now, don?t be afraid to take as much as you want,? Yuyuko said with a smile as she passed out the bowls of rice and soup. ?There?s more than enough for everyone, and I?ll just keep the leftovers for another night.?

Mokou offered only a polite nod. Already Koishi could tell she didn?t plan on eating much - too fattening, or something like that. Sango stuck her nose up at the lack of fish in the mix, but the glorious aroma won her over in the end. Everyone at the table clasped their hands together to say their graces.

?Let?s eat.?

For a few minutes, the sheer desire to eat caused Koishi to forget the circumstances that had brought her here. The shabu-shabu was a new experience, and one well worth going through - Yuyuko clearly had experience beyond swordplay. The perfectly prepared beef, the careful balance between vegetables and meat, the sauce that Yuyuko had prepared to accompany the meal - it was like a 5-star restaurant, except instead of paying for it Koishi had worked for four hours straight. Much to her own surprise, this dinner ended up being worth the effort.

?This is great stuff,? Mokou said, though Koishi noticed she hadn?t put much on her plate. ?If you?re willing to pay us with dinner like this, I think I might work here for life.?

Sango looked conflicted. ?It could really use some salmon, but...I guess it?s good enough.?

Koishi got the point across through action, giving herself a heaping plate and working through it bite-by-bite. Yuyuko turned to her, nodding with a mother?s smile.

?You?ve got quite the face, Komeiji-san.? She turned to her own son, with a pout that suited her shoe size more than her age. ?Youki, why don?t you ever smile like that??

?It?s unbecoming of me,? Youki answered, never looking away from his plate. ?A warrior should remain resolute at all times.?

Yuyuko transformed into the most childish girl in the room within a second. She stood up from her spot in the host?s seat, circling around the table and digging her hand into Youki?s hair.

?Ah, Mother-?!?

The noble swordsman was defenseless against his mother?s onslaught as she ruffled his light brown hair out of place. She wore the mischievous grin of an infant who?d kicked over a sandcastle. Youki?s expression quickly shuffled from neutral to shocked to desperate.

?M-Mother, could you please leave your mollycoddling for when we are not seeing to guests??

?Why would I do that? What?s wrong with a mother showing affection for her son??

She nuzzled him, rubbing their cheeks together. Youki cried out in complaint, but for once he seemed unable to defend himself. The three gardeners looked each other over, silently debating on whether to intervene. Memories of Sango being assaulted by Yuyuko at the front entrance flooded Koishi's mind.

The vote was unanimous. Sorry, Youki-san, but you have to take one for the team.

The rest of dinner passed by in the same manner. Before Koishi knew what was going on, she was sitting in front of an empty pile of plates as Yuyuko scooped up the leftovers for tomorrow?s brunch. Koishi bowed, murmured her thanks for the meal, and made her way out along with Mokou and Sango. With dinner finished, they had no good reason to hang around anymore.

Youki led them to the entrance while Yuyuko began cleaning the dishes. The swordsman had done everything he could to regain his composure after his mother?s display, but the frayed and twisted hair killed any severity his expression may have had. Koishi felt almost welcome as he brought her to the door and wished them safe travels.

It wasn?t until they were out of the manor and well out of earshot that Koishi found her voice.

?Well, that was...strange.?

Mokou nodded in agreement. ?Toro-chan, are you sure your boss?s intel is legitimate? Because that woman did NOT look like a master swordsman to me.?

?What?re you looking at me like that for, phwee? I?m just the messenger, okay?!?

Sango looked hurt. Koishi couldn?t have imagined the day had went well for her. They?d learned nothing, and her pride had been trampled on from sunrise to sunset.

Why does no-one think I?m a good boss...?

Koishi gave the dolphin a little pat on the back as they started the long trip home. It was walks like this that made Koishi wish she?d taken the time to learn how to drive.

She?d learned one thing for certain - the Saigyouji family was odd. Beyond odd, even - verging on eccentric.

Suspicious, though? She?d need a little longer to figure that out.

-----

?Y?know, this is exactly what I was looking forward to when I went into law,? Komachi said, as she tossed another folder to the side. ?Nothing makes a day off like reading through the affairs of some well-off old woman.?

Sakuya was only half-listening. Her focus was entirely on the document in front of her, eyes darting across the paper and absorbing every word. She had decided it wasn?t thorough enough to look through the Saigyouji family history, and she?d pulled out files on every family that the Saigyouji had done business with as well. She had Komachi look over the files when she was done with then, just in case she had missed something.

The records told Sakuya little beyond what she already knew about Yuyuko Saigyouji. She had inherited a great deal of family wealth when she came of age. Educated in economics by some of the greatest minds in the country, and trained in swordsmanship by her father, she had blossomed on both counts. Sakuya made sure to examine all of Saigyouji?s dealings with great care, but she couldn?t find any link with Morichika?s underground dealings - every yen Yuyuko had made was legitimate.

The family engaged in the usual upper-class soirees, where rich people bragged to each other about how rich they were. Yuyuko was less verbal about her wealth and moreso about her son, whose brilliance she declared in public whenever she had a chance. She?d also challenged other families to formal duels on two separate occasions, with no-one honestly certain how serious she was being with the gesture. She was considered brilliant, but thoroughly unusual by her peers.

Sakuya?s search led her to skim over the details of most of these upper-class folk as well, just in the hope of finding a connection to the Saigyouji family. There was little to find - Yuyuko tended to work in the open market rather than engaging in buyouts and mergers with other companies. Most of them had never even set foot in Yuyuko?s home.

She did notice a few oddities in the finances of Yuyuko?s competitors, which she mentioned to Komachi as an afterthought. The lawyer had perked up at that, circling the incriminating lines and sticking them in a separate pile to bring up later. The chance to catch rich folk red-handed was likely the only thing keeping Komachi awake and focused at this point.

Without any leads among Yuyuko?s contacts, Sakuya zeroed in on the most important person in her investigation - Youki Saigyouji. There was even less to work with there than with his mother, because unless he was performing at an event Youki was almost always locked away in the Saigyouji household. Yuyuko made little effort to share his progress with the outside world - besides a period of illness as a child, his life was effectively a blank slate. She would have cursed, but she was already getting enough looks from passers-by without adding foul language to the mix.

After three hours of intense study, Sakuya put the last folder to the side. She put a hand against her face, sighing as her brain went into neutral. Even she could only focus for so long on a subject, and the monotony had gradually worn away at her concentration. Kawashiro had been telling the truth - there really was nothing to be found here. She felt something come loose in her stomach - despair was too strong a word, but frustration didn?t seem quite strong enough.

She was pulled out of her haze by the clink of a coffee cup being placed in front of her.

?Happy now?? Komachi asked, picking up the folders and starting on the job of returning them to their proper places. Sakuya watched her move, how she knew every folder and file down to the colour of the ink. Looking at her reminded Sakuya of her brief stint at the Bunbunmaru. She sighed to herself, relieved that she wouldn?t have to make a living as monotonous as that.

?Happy isn?t the word I?d use. ?Content? is more like it.? Sakuya took a sip from the cup. It was barely coffee, but she?d drank worse.

?Well, if it means I don?t have to haul you around like it?s Take-Your-Daughter-To-Work day, it?s good enough for me.? Komachi?s complaints were in stark contrast with her eagerness to clean up after herself. Sakuya wondered how much of it was a ruse; normally it would have been easy to gauge, but Komachi had always seemed the sort to keep her true feelings to herself. She held a faint aura of mystery about her, even after the Red Lily business was long finished.

Sakuya had to admit that mystery had a certain charm to it.

?Still, I didn?t think you?d keep at it for so long,? the lawyer said as she took a seat next to Sakuya. ?Are you this obsessive about all your hunches??

Sakuya shook her head. ?I?m a gambler, but that doesn?t make me an idiot. I know when to quit.?

?Then are you stoppin? now?? Komachi raised an eyebrow, her face caught in another expression Sakuya couldn?t really read. She was smiling, but something seemed a little off about her eyes, as if she was looking for something on Sakuya?s face. She was looking for a serious answer.

The maid pondered the question for a moment. She?d seen the evidence for herself, and it had amounted to nothing. There was no sign that the Saigyouji family had anything to do with her past, or even a sign they?d been involved in anything underhanded at all. There?d been no sign of anything suspicious from Koishi?s team, either - they were under orders to call Sakuya if they found anything worth looking into, but she hadn?t heard a thing.

She recalled her brief encounter with Youki in the corridor. In her mind she replayed the instant where his expression crumpled, where the otherwise-invincible swordsman showed his weakness. In that moment she?d felt her heart leap with certainty. She had convinced herself, there and then, that she was onto something.

That euphoria had long since dwindled, of course. But Sakuya could still feel something stirring in her chest, even when all the evidence was telling her to drop it. The feeling frustrated her. She had no suitable words to describe it with, but at the same time it pulsed with the resolve she needed to keep going.

?No,? she said at last, shortly but bluntly. ?Maybe there?s nothing official that incriminates Saigyouji, but there could be other sources we haven?t tried yet. It?ll take some more digging on our part, but we have a week to kill while Koishi-san?s team is at work anyway.?

Komachi blinked. For an instant, Sakuya saw a look of definite shock cross her face. It was quickly replaced with a disgruntled pout.

?You have a week to kill, y?mean,? she said, with the tone of a 5-year-old being sent to bed. ?I?ve got three days before I have to report for formal duty, and I can hardly miss that when I?ve just been reinstated.?

?Then you?d better work fast.? Sakuya?s smile was half-joking, half-smug. A few seconds later, Komachi?s face rose to match it.

?...Geez. Kid, you?re the craziest girl I?ve ever met.? Komachi grinned. ?And you oughta consider that a compliment.?

?I intended to.? Sakuya gave a small bow as she rose to her feet, stretching her legs for the first time in hours. She rubbed at her eyes, which had long since acclimated to the measly light of the archives. Komachi stood up soon afterward, rubbing at the back of her head as she made for the exit.

?Guess I?ll have to resort to her, then.?

Sakuya furrowed her brow. ?Excuse me??

The lawyer let out a long, troubled sigh. ?If you wanna find out what the Saigyouji family is up to, I can call in a favour. I know someone who?s good at that sort of stuff.?

?But you?re the Red Lily, aren?t you?? Sakuya spoke in hushed tones in case anyone passed by. ?I thought gathering information was your specialty.?

?All I did was tell Shameimaru stuff she wasn?t meant to know. I?m a damn good prosecutor, but that doesn?t make me a good investigator.?

?But you know someone who can fill in the blanks.? Sakuya already felt her strength returning, her stupor all but gone.

?Yeah, but...? Komachi was grumbling, visibly miserable. ?I?ll have to make some preparations for it. She?ll want a suitable tribute before she?s willing to work with me.?

Now Sakuya was the stunned one, raising an eyebrow. ?Tribute? What are you talking about??

?You?ll see tomorrow.? Komachi wore the smile of a woman who?d accepted her fate. ?Y?know how I said you?re the craziest girl I?ve ever met? Well, this girl is sitting pretty in second place. She calls herself Detective Kotohime...?

-----

Koishi still wasn?t used to doing this much cooking in the evenings.

She wasn?t cooking for herself, obviously. She and Sango had eaten more than their fair share during their time at the Saigyouji residence. But there were two mouths at home that demanded to be fed, and as of late they?d become a lot more picky about their meals. Almost as soon as Koishi had opened the satchel of cat food, the typical complaints came from the living room.

?Nyaaaaah, you went for the supermarket brand again?! I need some variety too, y?know!?

Rin had always preferred certain foods over others, but normally she would eat what she was given. Now that she could put her complaints into words, she was much less willing to go along quietly. Koishi let out a little sigh as she brought the food bowl in, holding a saucer of milk in her other hand. Rin was sitting on her knees, arms folded and cheeks puffed out as she refused to make eye contact.

?Rin, we discussed this earlier. They come in packs of twelve, and they expire fast, so if I switched it up the food would go bad.? Koishi placed the dinner down on the floor, giving the catgirl a little scratch behind the ears. ?I?ll get you something fancier once we?re done with these, okay??

The cat grumbled, but Koishi?s touch was enough to break down her frustrations. She nuzzled at the hand, letting off a small purr before bending down and starting on her dinner. Utsuho was sitting next to her, wings tucked in as she placed her legs under the table. Her bowl of birdseed was almost totally depleted.

?Koishi-sama,? she said, frowning, ?Can I have some ice cream when I?m done??

?Wouldn?t that be bad for you?? Koishi said. ?I thought some youkai were weak to food like that.?

?Ravens are sturdy, especially when it comes to their stomachs. ? Utsuho spoke matter-of-factly - she wasn't trying to act superior, but rather she was stating what seemed like a basic fact. She gave a pitiful look that Koishi struggled to resist.

?Hey, no fair!? Rin pulled up from her meal, livid once again. ?If Okuu gets to have ice cream, I want some too!? She joined in, although her expression was more aggressive than upset. The pressure from both of them was enough to break Koishi?s resistance.

?Alright, alright.? Sometimes Koishi wondered who was the owner in this relationship. ?Sango-san, you want any ice cream??

Sango didn?t seem to notice. Last night she?d found an old games console that Koishi had left in the attic a few months ago. She?d only found one game for it, but she had been playing it to death whenever they weren?t on duty. Unfortunately, the game was from the old generation where beating the first level was considered a major accolade.

A familiar death-cry burst out from the television. Sango?s complaints followed along a few seconds later. ?Phweeeeeeee! How was I meant to see that bad guy coming?! Now I have to start from the beginning again...?

In her defense, the furious outbursts were getting further and further apart, so Koishi had to assume Sango was getting the hang of it. She decided it was best not to interrupt the dolphin in the middle of her work, and focused on satisfying her pets.

After a few minutes, Rin wiped away the last few specks of meat on her face. Her ears twitched in excitement as Koishi stepped in with two bowls of ice cream, laying one down in front of each of them. A spoon had been laid in each bowl, but neither of them saw any use.

?I?ve always wanted to try this stuff,? Rin whispered, eyes glinting with excitement. She leaned forward, taking a small lick at the dessert - and a small lick was all she got, because within an instant she was flinching backwards as if the food was poisonous. ?Myaaaah! It?sh weally weally cold!?

Koishi wasn?t sure how to respond to that. For a moment she just stared at Rin in awe, before the obvious facts slipped out of her mouth.

?Uh, Rin...it?s called ice cream for a reason.?

?Yeah, yeah, I get it...Okuu, do you want my share??

Rin turned towards her companion, to find Utsuho looking down on an entirely empty bowl. While Rin tended to lick and nibble at her food, Utsuho preferred to skip the formalities. While Koishi?s attention had been on Rin, the raven had swallowed each scoop one after the other.

It was a few seconds before the consequences kicked in.

?Unyuuuu...my brain hurts...? Utsuho toppled to her side, clutching at her head and almost sliding under the table. Rin stared at her in shock, then looked at the leftovers in front of her. With something resembling terror, she nudged the bowl across the table in front of Koishi.

?Humans are scary,? she said, ears drooping. She helped Utsuho to sit up again, wrapping her arms around her to warm her up. Utsuho leaned into the hug, giving off a small coo as her wings flapped behind her.

Koishi smiled. ?You two are close, aren?t you? I?m guessing you knew each other before we took you in.?

?Something like that,? Rin answered. Her eyes lost focus for a moment in nostalgia. ?I was a street cat without anywhere to go. She was a little birdie that got separated from her flock. I?d never really talked to a youkai who wasn?t a cat before, so it was pretty awesome.?

?She told me I was bird-brained,? Utsuho murmured, still euphoric from the hug.

?Well, you kinda are,? Rin yelped in response. ?Remember that time you tried to snatch a pie from behind the shop window??

?How was I supposed to know which side of the window it was on?? Utsuho pouted, rubbing at her forehead as the memories struck her. Rin rolled her eyes.

?See, Koishi-sama? This was what I had to deal with. To be fair, Okuu saved my ass plenty of times as well. We made a pretty good living on the streets, though I heard there were a lotta youkai less lucky than we were.?

Koishi nodded. She imagined the pair of them rummaging for leftovers and robbing stores to keep themselves fed. It was remarkably easy - the pair had a natural chemistry she couldn?t put words to.

?So if you were so content on the streets, how did you end up becoming pets??

It took only an instant for Koishi to realise she?d asked the wrong question. Rin?s ears stood on end, and she started to lean into the raven?s hug.

?Well, uh...it?s a long story. Too long to be worth talking about-?

?Orin ran in front of a car,? Utsuho said without so much as blinking. The cat?s grip on her shifted to a vice.

?Okuu, you promised you weren?t going to tell! And I figured he was gonna brake earlier, okay?!?

For such a long story, Koishi had managed to get the general idea within a few sentences. Rin deflated now that the truth was out, lying on Utsuho?s back and letting out a small growl.

?She got lucky,? Utsuho continued. ?She only broke two legs, and she got sent off to the vet afterward. I went along with her and caused a ruckus until they brought our cages together. Then the vet let his daughter get some practice looking after us-?

Koishi knew the rest of the story. ?And that was Satori, right??

Utsuho nodded. ?Yes. We had never been tended to before, and if Orin had been able to walk she would have broken out onto the streets again. But Satori-sama didn?t just look after us - she talked to us, played with us, did everything she could to cheer us up. In the end she grew so attached to us that she asked her father to take us home, and..well, then we met you.?

Koishi could still remember the first day Satori had brought the pets home. From the moment they stepped in they adored their owner, Rin stroking at her ankles and Utsuho perched on her shoulder. Koishi had needed a little longer to work her way into their good books, but after a year or so she was as loved as Satori was.

?...Right.? Koishi gave her pets a sad smile. ?You miss her too, don?t you??

Rin emerged from behind Utsuho, looking more confused than she was upset. ?Koishi-sama, are you alright? Usually when you talk about this stuff, you get a little...?

?No, it?s fine.? Koishi shook her head, forcing herself to stay strong. ?I?ll just have to be as good a master as Satori was, won?t I??

Rin blinked. She looked at Utsuho, and the pair nodded at each other. They spoke at once, their voices in perfect unison.

??You already are, Koishi-sama.??

Koishi let out a little gasp. She felt her face warm up as she buried it in her hands. If her arms were long enough, she?d have hugged both of them at once.

?Thanks, you two. Really.? After a few seconds, she had recovered enough to look her pets in the eye again. ?Now, who wants to watch Sango fail at video games some more??

Both pets smiled at that. No-one in this house was willing to turn down a little schadenfreude.

?Wha?? Sango called from the living room. ?Koishi-san, don?t turn my suffering into a spectator spoooooooooort!?

Koishi let out a long, hearty laugh. This house had never felt so alive.

[Yaersulf]

Oooooh Kotohime, this is going to be FUN.

[FinnKaenbyou]

?Well, that was a lot safer than most of my car journeys.?

Sakuya couldn?t help but sound a little upset as she stepped out of the vehicle. The journey had taken twice as long as she had expected it to - then again, she was used to Meiling?s barely legal, death defying stunts on the road. Komachi had been more willing to stop at red lights and peacefully coexist with other drivers. Her car probably couldn?t handle that sort of exertion, anyway.

?I call her Ol' Rusty. She ain?t fast, and she ain?t pretty, but she gets the job done.? Komachi emerged from the other side, giving the car a loving tap on the hood. ?Bought it from a pal five years ago, and she hasn?t missed a beat.?

?Do you refer to everything you own as ?she??? Sakuya asked without looking her in the eye.

?Only the stuff I?d be willin? to hug in public.?

Komachi walked away, without bothering to elaborate. Sakuya followed, too distracted to ponder over the lawyer?s choice of words.

The street was a nigh-endless line of apartment blocks, housing roughly four-hundred people. They were cheaply built, but with just enough reinforcement to keep them standing should an earthquake hit. They looked more suited for a middle-class employee than a master investigator, but Komachi insisted this was her contact?s address. She approached one of the apartment blocks, Sakuya trailing behind.

?OK, so here?s the deal,? Komachi said, her voice now much more serious. ?Kotohime is, well...strange is the best word I can think of. She?s not the sorta girl I?d want at my next birthday party, but I can?t deny she?s good at what she does. But she?s gonna ask some strange things of you, so it?d really help if you just played along.?

Sakuya frowned. ?You?re putting me in a room with a lunatic, and you won?t even let me poke fun at her? You lawyers really are a dull lot.?

?Hey, not my fault if you piss her off and she decides not to help us. Just trying to help.?

The maid gulped. Perhaps she had been pushing her luck recently. She decided to keep quiet as Komachi pressed an unmarked buzzer. A few seconds later, the intercom crackled to life.

?State your business.? The voice on the other end of the line was hard to make out, but held a tone somewhere between gleeful and melodramatic. Komachi clenched her teeth.

?Let us in, Kotohime,? she muttered. There was silence for a few seconds as the voice pondered the idea, before a noble?s laugh resounded from the metal box.

?Ohohohoho...you know that?s not what you?re supposed to say, Onozuka.?

?Just lemme in already. I really don?t wanna play games with you today.?

This time there was no reply at all, but the faint crackling of the intercom remained. Kotohime was waiting for Komachi to say whatever she was supposed to, and there was no sign she?d let them in otherwise. Sakuya saw the lawyer?s eyes drift towards the door, and she could almost hear the woman ask herself whether it was worth breaking the door down.

Eventually, sensibility won out.

?...Princess Kotohime, may I request an audience?? Komachi spoke begrudgingly, looking set to vomit with every word. A childish giggle came from the intercom.

?Certainly!? With a buzz, the door unlocked. Komachi let herself in, shoulders slumped like she was struggling with her own weight. Sakuya kept a few paces away from  her, concerned her lack of enthusiasm was contagious.

Two flights of stairs later, Komachi came to a stop in front of an apartment door. The first thing Sakuya noticed was the flowery pattern engraved on the door. As she approached it became clear it was no engraving - rather, it had been painted meticulously to make the door look more fancy than it really was. She was beginning to understand why Komachi had been so worried about coming here.

The door was half-open, and Komachi let herself in. The apartment itself was everything Sakuya hadn?t been expecting - in short, it was a dump. She had to tread carefully across a minefield of empty soda cans and ready-meal wrappers to cross the hall. The wallpaper was peeling in places, and the ceiling fan whirled pitifully above her head. The whole place seemed designed to send Sakuya into overdrive - years as a maid had built certain instincts into her, and she had to fight the urge to overhaul the entire apartment without even being asked. The only saving grace was the faint smell of tea coming from the kitchen.

Kotohime?s room, thankfully, was only mildly tarnished. A few dozen cans of a popular energy drink were propped up next to one of the most impressive computers Sakuya had seen in her life. The whole rig hummed with power, letting off a faint blue light and whirring faster than any machine she?d ever witnessed. There was an electronic archive hidden away in the mansion for listing employees and finances, but against this behemoth it may as well have been a calculator.

The woman herself was seated in front of the computer, eyes jumping between three monitors at once. One screen displayed a database whose contents Sakuya couldn?t identify with a single glance. A second showed stock markets, reporting a gradually increasing stock in Kotohime?s favour. The final monitor was filled with numbers and symbols in what looked like a programming language - regrettably, one field in which Sakuya had never become fluent. Kotohime twirled about with deliberate flair as she swirled the chair about to face her guests.

?Onozuka. I?m surprised you haven?t cut ties with me by now.?

Sakuya gave the woman one of her cursory examinations. Late teens, maybe early twenties. Long brown hair, frayed and pointing in every direction. Vaguely red eyes, bright and curious. A nightgown with small gem-accessories sewn into it, perhaps as a makeshift robe. A small book in English hidden under her chair - Sakuya could just make out the words HANSEL AND GRETEL on the cover. She could draw many conclusions from her observations, but none of them seemed worth declaring given that she?d been ordered to keep quiet. She stayed in the doorway, allowing Komachi to do the talking on her behalf.

The lawyer grumbled, unable to look Kotohime in the eye. ?I?m not gonna pretend that I?ll enjoy this visit. I?m here for business, so if you wanna do away with the pleasantries that?d be wonderful.?

Kotohime sat up, a head shorter than Komachi but twice as proud. She waved a finger from side to side, tutting with disappointment.

?Oh, Onozuka. You know I request my payment in advance, don?t you??

Komachi grumbled, reaching into one of the pockets on her suit and pulling out a small bag. She flung it at Kotohime, and the ?inspector? caught it effortlessly in one hand. She opened it up, pulling out one of the dozen teabags held within. She held one close, took a sniff at it, and frowned.

?Darjeeling again? I hope you understand you?re becoming predictable now.?

?It was all I could get on short notice,? Komachi said with a shrug. ?It counts, right??

Kotohime thought it over for a moment, rustling at the tea leaves inside of the bag, before at last she nodded.

?Allow me to test it myself, and I will decide then.? She hurled it across the room, this time with a throw towards Sakuya. Her aim was better than the maid had expected, and Sakuya grabbed it with ease.

?Izayoi-san, would you mind making me a cup? I believe it?s your specialty.?

Sakuya felt her heart skip a beat. She turned to Komachi, mouth wide open in a rare look of surprise. The lawyer simply shrugged with a knowing smile. Thankfully, Kotohime was too vain to let her deduction go unexplained.

?When Onozuka made contact, I thought that a little background reading was in order. Sure enough, yesterday she was marked down as reading through court archives alongside a Sakuya Izayoi, who happens to be serving as a maid for the young Remilia Scarlet.? Every word sounded more smug than the one before it, her arms beginning to swing about in wild rotations. ?And for an encore, I found out that Izayoi-san has been doing some individual research throughout Gensouto?s public records - in particular, looking into the workings of the Saigyouji family.?

She held her arms out, awaiting a round of applause. ?So are you here to learn about the Saigyouji family, or have I made some sort of foolish miscalculation??

Sakuya wanted desperately to say she was wrong, but every deduction had hit its target. She settled for turning on her heels and heading to the kitchen, refusing to give the woman the attention she was looking for.

?A stubborn one,? Kotohime said as Sakuya departed. The maid couldn?t make out Komachi?s response before she was out of earshot.

The kitchen was at the end of the hallway, and Sakuya sighed as she looked within. Unlike every other room in the house, the kitchen had been given a great deal of care, and every surface was spotless. Sakuya felt more comfortable here than she had in Kotohime?s room, as if she had stepped into her natural environment. It was enough to make her forget the cocky grin on Kotohime?s face while she prepared the tea. Darjeeling wasn?t a brand she was intimately familiar with, but she knew enough about tea to have a general idea what she was doing.

A few minutes later, she returned with a perfectly made cup. She took care not to trip on the return journey, and was doubly careful not to give in to the urge to spray the boiling drink all over Kotohime. The ?princess? was chuckling to herself as Sakuya returned, telling a story that Komachi clearly wasn?t listening to.

?...And then I told him what HE could cyber, and-oh, you?re back.? Kotohime stretched an arm out to reach at the tea, refusing to leave her chair. Sakuya glared at her for a few seconds, waiting for her to stand up, but Kotohime was adamant about staying put. Finally Sakuya took the two steps necessary to place the cup right in Kotohime?s hand.

?Thank you. Was that so hard?? As the investigator took a tentative sip of the drink, Sakuya had to turn away and look towards Komachi. She didn?t trust herself to keep calm in the face of such blatant egotism. It was like talking to a caricature of herself, with every frustrating trait magnified by a factor of twenty.

Her cue to turn back was the small clink as Kotohime placed the cup on the desk, followed by a long sigh of satisfaction.

?Ahh, that really is a wonderful blend. Perhaps your taste is better than I thought.? Kotohime turned to Sakuya, that unbearable smile sliding onto her face again. ?I?d check the adoption records, if I were you.?

Sakuya raised an eyebrow. ?Excuse me?? The moment the words were out of her mouth, Sakuya already regretted them. Kotohime?s smile grew as she started another monologue on her own greatness.

?I assume by now you understand what Onozuka sees in me. I?m something of a technician, a fact-finder on the endless bounds of the internet. And since I was doing so much background reading on you, I decided to read up on this Saigyouji woman as well. An interesting madam, certainly, though I found no trace of anything blatantly illegal in her doings. What I did find, though, was a small anomaly looking through the public records.?

Now Sakuya couldn?t bring herself to look away. She knew she was giving Kotohime the public audience she was looking for, but this was the closest she?d had to an actual lead. She nodded for Kotohime to continue.

?Well, what I found was that Saigyouji?s name came up somewhere where it shouldn?t have. It was an old link, unavailable through standard methods, but with a few custom programs I found her name swimming around in the Gensouto adoption files. Only the name, though - the report itself seems to have been wiped from the system. Curious, that - they only store files when there?s a successful adoption, and usually every new parent gets a report written on them.?

?How certain are you about this?? Sakuya asked. ?I?ve searched through every public record I could find on Yuyuko Saigyouji, and I?ve found nothing referring to adoption.?

Kotohime shrugged. ?Anything can disappear if you throw enough money at it. Unless, of course, you have a princess on your side.? She winked, and Sakuya struggled to keep herself from throwing up at the sight of it. She turned away to Komachi again.

?Where does the court keep official adoption records?? she asked. ?They might have wiped the electronic file, but the paper copy might still be floating around.?

Komachi seemed startled, like the conversation had finally knocked her awake. She rubbed at the back of her head. ?Well, they?re in the archives like everything else. I figured if you were looking for that sorta stuff, you would go to the adoption agency...but if it?s something Saigyouji was trying to hide, the court record is the one she?s most likely to have missed.?

Sakuya nodded. She?d considered looking through adoption records before, but with no leads and a mountain of other options to look through it had been low on her list of priorities. She was frustrated that the answer had been so close from the beginning, but at least they were getting somewhere now.

?Thanks,? Sakuya muttered to Kotohime, offering her a small bow. Kotohime lapped up the praise, giving a noble wave to her as she left.

?Goodbye, Izayoi-san. If you need my services again, you know where to find me.?

Silently, Sakuya prayed to herself that this would be her first and last meeting with Kotohime. The look of relief on Komachi?s face as she closed the door behind her suggested she wasn?t alone in that thought.

?How often have you needed to work with her?? Sakuya asked as they stepped out onto the street.

Komachi grunted. ?More than enough. I hope this shows you how much I?m willing to help you out.?

?And I hope this lead shows you that sometimes a gambler?s hunch really does get you somewhere.?

Komachi?s face crumpled up. ?Yeah, whatever. Just get in the car. We?ve got some more reading to do.?

-----

?Aaaand that?s the last of them.?

Mokou threw the final bag into the pile, which by now was higher than she was tall. Koishi and Sango stood alongside her, taking a moment to witness their own work. Around them, the winds were beginning to pick up, which would have been a surefire sign of disaster if the leaves hadn?t been taken care of.

?It?s beautiful, isn?t it?? Sango said, one arm around Koishi?s shoulder and the other wiping at her eyes. ?It?s amazing what can happen when humans and dolphins put aside their differences and work together. It just gets me so emotional...?

Koishi wasn?t too impressed by the pile itself, but the feeling of a long day?s work had a definite appeal to her. Her muscles ached, but it was the sort of pain that came from doing something useful with herself, and it felt like she?d grow back a little stronger once the pain had passed. She leaned into Sango?s shoulder a little, almost falling asleep from relief.

The moment was ruined by a loud growling from Sango?s stomach.

?Oh...uh.? The dolphin looked down at herself, then to the Sirens. Koishi gave her a little pat on the stomach.

?You hungry, Sango-san??

?No!? Sango paused for a moment before pouting. ?Well, yeah. I was up late last night, so I kinda skipped breakfast...?

A door shuffled open behind her. ?Well, you?ll be grateful to know that dinner is served.? Youki Saigyouji stepped out to greet them once again, his expression as neutral as ever. He eyed the pile of leaf-filled bags for a moment, offering a small nod of approval before beckoning the trio inside. The gardeners gratefully followed in his footsteps as they started the labyrinthine journey to the dining room.

?What?re you having tonight?? Mokou asked, looking as if the exercise hadn?t fazed her at all. ?I?m a growing girl, so I can?t get by on something petty after a long day?s work.?

Youki didn?t even look back at her. ?On Tuesdays, we serve motsunabe. My mother is intent on hearty meals so that I grow big and strong.? He frowned. ?Her words, not mine.?

Sango tilted her head. ?Motsunabe??

?It?s a soup with beef offal and cabbage in it, basically,? Koishi said. ?And probably a bunch of extras too, if it?s like yesterday.?

Youki nodded. ?Not to worry, though. There?ll be an extra mouth at the table tonight.?

?Eh?? Now Sango tilted her head in the other direction.

?I believe my mother mentioned that we were hiring a new chief of security, correct?? Youki had a tone that wouldn?t sound out of place in a lecture room, Koishi thought to herself. ?She arrived a few hours ago, and she?s been getting on wonderfully with my mother. She?s been invited to dinner along with the rest of you, so you needn?t worry about leftovers.?

Koishi had to feel a little relieved at that. A hearty meal once in a while was good, but she couldn?t manage to eat that much two nights in a row. Sango would be willing to eat whatever Koishi didn?t, if it came down to it. She stepped into the dining room, smiling as the smell of dinner wafted into her nose.

The smile vanished from her face when she saw who was already seated at the table.

?You-? Sango was the one to cry out, pointing an arm towards the newcomer. Seated at the kotatsu was a woman in a baggy silver jacket, with a deeper tan than anyone native from Gensouto could be expected to have. Koishi?s eyes were locked on her back - she could only see it because she was looking for it, but the tip of the girl?s shark fin was barely visible beneath her clothes. Mokou needed a minute to understand what was going on - this was her first time meeting the woman in person, after all - but when it clicked, she was as shocked as the rest of the gardeners.

The woman paid little attention to them in comparison - other than giving Sango a playful wink. Youki looked puzzled as he turned to the dolphin.

?You two have met before?? he asked.

?Ah-? Sango stopped herself, going red in the face. ?N...No, actually. She just looked really similar to someone I know.?

The swordsman seemed unconvinced, but his expression carried a look of indifference. He simply took his seat at the table, taking the formal seiza position he?d been maintaining for all of yesterday. The security chief eyed him for a moment before copying his stance, tucking her legs in and sitting on them.

That, of course, was Sango?s cue to copy her.

...Sango-san, what are you doing?

Koishi looked to her side, raising an eyebrow. Sango didn?t look back, her focus solely on the shark sitting across from her.

I can?t let her show off like that, can I?

Koishi frowned. She had expected something more mature, but these two had a rivalry that would have seemed more fitting among middle-schoolers. She did her best to ignore them, but there was little else to look at. The table was silent, with Mokou looking as nervous as she was and Youki busy daydreaming about something.

After about five minutes, there were two small grunts as the youkai gave up. Both of them dropped the stance at once, giving each other the same proud smirks. Koishi sighed, wondering to herself how much longer dinner would take to arrive. Thankfully, she didn?t have to wait long.

?Evening~!? Yuyuko strolled into the room with pot of soup in her hand. Beef bubbled beneath the surface, the scent almost overpowering. In any other circumstance it would have been a wonderful meal.

The atmosphere was somewhere between tepid and outright dead. Beyond saying grace at the start of the meal, none of the guests spoke a word. The closest they had to interaction were the occasional glares that Sango and Jozu gave each other. Koishi and Mokou never looked away from the meal, leaving Yuyuko to wax poetic about her son?s achievements to an audience that wasn?t really listening.

?Youki, remember that time I took you to the beach?? she said, hand hanging over Youki?s head, ready to ruffle at his hair. Youki looked back at her, bewildered.

?Forgive me, mother, but I don?t recall that incident.?

Yuyuko went tense for a moment, frowning like a child. ?Oh, but of course you do! Surely you recall running from the waves when you learned you couldn?t cut them? You were only a boy when it happened, but if an old lady can remember it surely you can as well.?

Youki stared into his mother?s eyes for a moment, expressionless. Koishi saw him let out a small gasp, as if an idea had just struck him.

?...Ah, yes, now I remember,? he said at last, with obvious relief. ?Will we ever have another outing like that, mother??

?If you do well in nationals this year, who knows?? Yuyuko giggled, finally ruffling her son?s hair. Her plate was fuller than anyone else?s in spite of her age and health, she had a monstrous appetite. Even the youkai were taken aback by how much Yuyuko could put away.

A few minutes later, it was a beeping noise that broke the silence. Yuyuko reached into her kimono, pulling out a small cell phone. She didn?t seem to care for the anachronism as she put it to her ear.

?Saigyouji speaking. ...Now? Can it wait? ...How much? ...And you?re certain? ...Alright, I?ll be right there.?

She put it away, looking out to the table with a sigh. ?I?m sorry, ladies, but I must be off. An urgent business deal has come up that needs my attention. I trust that Youki will take care of you in my stead.?

She leaned down, giving her son a kiss on the cheek. ?I?ll see you later, Youki,? she said, sounding like a high-schooler bidding farewell to her boyfriend. She strolled leisurely towards the door, letting herself out and leaving her guests to finish their dinner.

It was two minutes later before Jozu stood up.

?May I be excused?? she asked, looking to Youki with brilliant blue eyes. The swordsman shrugged.

?Me too,? Sango chimed in, standing up the moment Jozu had left the room. ?I, uh...need to use the bathroom.?

Again, Youki gave her a nod of acceptance, mostly nonchalant at his guests? behaviour. Koishi wondered where his mind was right now - it wasn?t at the dinner table, that was for sure. He didn't even look at Sango as she followed behind Jozu.

?So, Koishi-san,? Mokou said, leaning over and speaking for the first time in over ten minutes. ?Should we ask Saigyouji-san to make shark soup tomorrow??

Koishi had to keep herself from laughing out loud.

-----

Jozu was waiting for Sango as she stepped out of the dining room. The pair walked at an even pace, moving two or three rooms out of earshot. The only person they were keeping out of the loop was Youki - Koishi and Mokou knew what the youkai really were, and there was nothing to hide there.

Eventually Jozu let herself into a small bedroom at the end of the corridor. It had never been furbished, and Sango stepped onto a cold stone floor as she followed the shark inside. A tiny window kept the room from being pitch-black.

?How?s the shoulder?? Sango asked. She could see the patchwork on the jacket where Jozu?s bullet-wound had been.

?Never been better,? Jozu answered, rolling her arm about in its socket. ?That which does not kill me makes me angrier.?

The pair grinned at each other. For a moment, Sango forgot that this woman was supposed to be her enemy.

?So what are you doing here?? Sango kept her distance, but she stayed tense, ready for Jozu to lash out at her at any moment. The shark had no such concerns, leaning on the back wall and never taking her eyes off the dolphin.

Jozu raised an eyebrow. ?You mean you don?t know?? She stifled a laugh, shaking her head in amazement and disapproval. ?Honestly, you White Pearl folks are luckier than you have any right to be.?

Sango felt her stomach drop. ?What?re you talking about??

?What do you think I?m talking about?? Jozu?s grin grew wider, giving Sango a glimpse of her brutally sharp teeth. ?I?m talking about the Siren in this building right now.?

Sango felt numb. Her mouth bobbed open and shut for a few moments before she regained her composure.

?You...you mean Yuyuko-san, right??

Jozu shook her head, watching intently as a look of awe rose to Sango?s face. If it wasn?t Yuyuko, that could only mean...

?It took me by surprise as well,? Jozu said, shrugging her shoulders. ?But if you look through the letter that the old hag left you guys, she never says that the Sirens are all girls, does she??

Sango couldn?t answer, her mouth still bobbing like a fish. She gripped her temples as the world begin to spin. It was a minute before she was calm enough to speak again.

?Why?? she asked, no longer sure which way was up. ?Why are you telling me this??

Jozu walked towards her, and Sango primed herself to fight. She went limp when Jozu placed an arm on her shoulder.

?You could have killed me in the courthouse. You didn?t. I don?t like owing anyone a favour, so let?s say we?re even now.?

The shark put on her menacing grin again. ?Besides, I want a fair rematch when everything kicks off.  If it takes you by surprise, that defeats the point, doesn?t it??

Jozu gave Sango a pat on the back, squeezing at the back-fin as she made her way out. She put her hands in her pockets, strolling into the corridor without a care in the world.

?Oh, and while I?m giving you hints...? she turned back, giving Sango a dead-serious expression. ?That wasn?t a business meeting that Saigyouji got hauled away to. She?s going to be a little...different when she gets back.?

Sango could only watch as Jozu walked away, her footsteps fading into silence as she vanished into the mansion. The dolphin muttered a profanity in a language that would have made her parents blush. The Siren had been right in front of her, and she?d missed it.

As she ran towards the dining room, she felt the fatigue from the day?s work fade away. Nothing was going to keep her from doing her job.

One failure was more than enough.

-----

Koishi pressed her face against the kotatsu, grumbling to herself as she rubbed at her stomach. With Yuyuko?s disappearance there was now far too much dinner to go around, and she was full enough that even looking at the pot made her feel queasy. Mokou leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, looking as full as Koishi was.

Youki scooped up the pot when he noticed his guests were finished, hauling it away into the kitchen. For a moment, the two Sirens were truly alone. Mokou?s expression darkened.

?The hell?s going on now? This place was already weird enough, but what does the Black Claw have to do here??

?Maybe they?re interested in Saigyouji-san,? Koishi said, staring at the wall opposite her. ?She?s rich and influential. Maybe they want a hand in the economy??

?Nah, that?s not it. They already have Morichika for their income. There?s gotta be something else here.?

?Hmm.? Koishi felt her thoughts wander, like her brain was looking in all directions for a sensible answer and finding nothing. ?Maybe Saigyouji-san is a Siren? Komachi-san is pretty old, but that didn?t rule her out.?

?We checked that. Toro-chan didn?t get any sort of response from her.? Mokou placed an elbow on the table, bending over and fiddling with a strand of her hair. ?Maybe she?s after us? Y?know, like an assassin.?

Koishi shook her head. ?I don?t think so. If she wanted to kill us, why wouldn?t she have attacked already? She?s trying too hard to fit in for it to be something as basic as that.?

Mokou opened her mouth to speak. Sango burst in before she could speak, face flushed and pace hurried.

?Where?s Youki-san?? the dolphin asked, standing rigid in the doorway.

Koishi tilted her head, pointing towards the kitchen. Sango nodded, and promptly followed after the swordsman. Koishi and Mokou looked at each other, each trying to see if their companion had a clue what was going on. Neither of them found much of anything.

?Phwee?! But...but...?

No more than thirty seconds later, Sango tumbled out of the doorway. She was scratching at her head so hard that a few strands of her hair were falling to the floor. She took a seat at the kotatsu, looking despondent.

?How did we miss this? This is...holy crap, this is...?

Koishi gave the dolphin a push on the shoulder. ?Calm down, Sango-san. What?s going on??

Sango frowned as she turned to Koishi. ?You wouldn?t believe me if I told you.?

?You?re a dolphin-girl leading me on a magical quest to save the world from evil animal people. Try me.?

The dolphin sighed, before she reluctantly spoke.

?I think...Youki-san is a Siren.?

Koishi flinched so hard her knees almost smacked against the bottom of the kotatsu. Mokou wore an expression verging on disappointment.

?I thought the Sirens were all meant to be girls. Why does this guy count as one? He doesn?t even act like a girl!?

?You?re not really that feminine either, Mokou-san,? Koishi said.

?Quiet, you.?

Sango looked like she?d managed to get over the initial shock now, straightening her back and taking a deep breath before she started again.

?I don?t know what?s going on, but Jozu is here to get rid of him. And they?ve probably sent off Saigyouji-san to get Mindcoiled, so we don?t have a lot of time.?

Koishi gulped. A little part of her had been expecting this from the start - whenever they were hauled out somewhere for a seemingly minor duty, it expanded into a full-blown Siren hunt. It was an expectation that flew in the face of common sense, but Koishi had given up on common sense a long time ago.

?Something wrong?? Youki stepped out from the kitchen, wiping his hands as he went. He must have finished cleaning the dishes. ?I heard your superior making some strange whining, so I was wondering if she had hurt herself.?

The three gardeners went silent. Koishi and Mokou both turned to Sango, waiting for the dolphin to explain herself.

?Oh, well...yeah! I stubbed my toe on something in the corridor. Don?t worry, I?ll survive. I?m a big girl now, see??

She fiddled with the glasses again for effect. Youki shrugged, the faint hint of concern vanishing from his face.

?I assume you can let yourselves out now. If there is any handiwork you feel needs to be done around the house, now is the time to do it. My mother will pay you accordingly so long as you keep a list of what?s been done. If you need me, I?ll be training - don?t disturb me unless something drastic comes up. Any questions??

Youki waited no longer than a second. When he saw no sign of his guests asking anything, he gave them a small nod before walking away. The icy atmosphere in the room shifted away along with him. Koishi felt like she could breathe again as he slipped out of earshot.

?He?s scary,? Koishi muttered to herself.

?Good thing he?s gonna be on our side.? Mokou rose to her feet, stretching to bring her body back to life. ?So what?s the plan, ladies??

?He looks pretty stubborn,? Sango said with a frown. ?I don?t think he?ll believe us unless we have evidence. Maybe if you transform in front of him, Koishi-san??

Koishi nodded. If there was anything she?d learned in her time as a Siren, it was that the best way to convince someone magic existed was to demonstrate.

?Uh, Koishi-san...? Mokou put an arm over Koishi?s shoulder, looking ready to console her. ?If you want me to do it instead, I?m fine with that. I mean, your outfit is...?

?Silly? Childish? Immature?? Koishi spouted out one word after another. Mokou grit her teeth before finally nodding in agreement.

Koishi just smiled back.

?Don?t worry, I?m used to the swimsuit jibes by now. And, well...the outfit?s kinda growing on me.?

Mokou returned the grin, stepping away and putting her hands in her pockets.

?Hey, Toro-chan,? Mokou asked, turning to Sango. ?How?d you figure all this out, anyway??

Sango rubbed at the back of her head, laughing nervously. ?Let?s just say a friend told me...?

-----

Koishi made the call on the trip over to Youki?s training room. Sakuya had told her to get in touch the moment she came across something worth mentioning. Koishi was relatively sure the discoveries she had made over the last half-hour would qualify as important.

She got an answer on the third ring.

?What is it?? Sakuya muttered from the other end of the line. ?Onozuka-san and I are following up a lead right now. Can this wait??

?Youki-san is a Siren, and the Black Claw already know about it.?

Sakuya was silent for five full seconds.

?Well, that?s...not what I was expecting to hear.?

?It wasn?t what I was expecting to tell you, either,? Koishi answered. ?They?ve got his mother under their control. Mokou-san and I will try to hold them off when they get here, but we might need some backup.?

?We?ll be there as soon as we?re done on our end.?

Koishi gasped. ?But Sakuya-san, they could be here any minute now-?

?I doubt your new companion will be as cooperative as you want him to be. I may have only met him once, but that?s enough for me to know he?s a stubborn son of a bitch. You?ll need more ammo if you want him to cooperate.?

Koishi?s grip on the phone tightened. ?You really think he?ll be that rough about it??

?I saw a lot of myself in him, so that?s probably a safe assumption.?

Sakuya spoke like she was the leading authority on Youki Saigyouji. Against that confidence, Koishi could only agree with her.

?Head over here as soon as you?re done, okay? We don?t know how big a force they?ll be sending.?

?Understood. Let me know if the situation worsens.?

Sakuya hung up without offering anything as genial as a goodbye. Koishi felt a wave of unease strike her as she put her phone away. Sakuya sounded too certain in herself to be wrong, and that meant Youki wasn?t going to be as friendly as she would have wanted.

Still, he probably won?t argue about a magical girl transforming right in front of him.

Koishi heard Youki before she saw him. The swordsman?s cries echoed through the corridors, and the entire building seemed to tremble in time with his swings. Eventually she found his silhouette on the other side of a paper wall, and she stood mesmerised for an instant at the sight of his swordplay. She only came back into the world of the living when she heard Mokou pulling the door open.

?Hm?? Youki finished his swing, lowering the swords he?d been wielding. Koishi could see the glint of real steel for an instant before the blades vanished into their sheaths. He folded his arms, looking mildly frustrated by the interruption.

?I hope this is an urgent matter,? he said, tapping at the floor with one foot. ?I have a national tournament to prepare for next month, and I won?t be in a fit state to compete if my training gets interrupted like this.?

The air felt heavy in the dojo as Youki?s eyes fell onto Koishi. Sakuya?s words floated through her mind as she took a deep breath. She had to word this carefully.

?Youki-san,? she started, stepping forward as she clutched her Teardrop in one hand. ?I have to talk to you about something important.?

Youki raised an eyebrow for an instant before his expression grew morose. ?I see. You?re one of the journalists, aren?t you? Working undercover to get close and personal with the young prodigy. Well, you can take your article and-?

Koishi lifted her arm into the air before Youki could finish. An orange light seeped out from between her fingers as she felt a familiar power creep across her body.

?Wherever evil forces be,
On the land or in the sea,
All who sin should cower and flee
From Dolphin Rider Koishi!?

The look of astonishment on Youki?s face as Koishi transformed was the largest display of emotion she?d seen from the swordsman in the two days she?d known him. He put a hand to the handle of his blade, ready to lash out at her.

?Just to make it clear, we don?t all look this silly,? Mokou said, waving at Youki from behind. The swordsman didn?t even turn to look at her.

Koishi placed her newfound trident on the floor as a peace offering, holding out a hand for Youki to shake. ?Now, I understand this is all going to be very sudden, but I need you to trust me, okay??

Youki remained rigid, beginning to draw one of his blades. His expression was torn between anger, fear and shock. Was he willing to attack Koishi? She didn?t know, and she certainly didn?t want to find out.

She thought of Yuyuko, undoubtedly on her way to becoming a slave of the Black Claw. That had to convince him, surely. She pulled her hand back, staring solemnly into his eyes.

?Youki-san...your mother is in a lot of danger right now, and so are you. I want to help you, but I need you to cooperate with us. Do you understand??

At the mention of his mother, Youki?s posture visibly loosened. His hand whipped away from the sword, and he reluctantly nodded in agreement. He looked exhausted, like his training regimen had finally caught up with him.

?I?ll say this - if you?re another trickster, you?re certainly much smarter than your predecessors. And if my mother truly is in danger, it?s my duty as her son to protect her.?

Koishi felt the weight on her shoulders begin to lift. Maybe this would be easier than Sakuya had been expecting. She?d made the right call in mentioning Youki?s mother, that was for sure.

?Alright. First of all, you?re not going to be able to fight like that. But you?ve got some special powers you can tap into...hopefully.?

Youki was hiding something. Koishi had seen from experience that every Siren had some sort of baggage dragging their heart down. Youki would be no different, and with Sakuya and Komachi preoccupied Koishi could use his help.

?Youki-san...we know you've been keeping a secret. We need you to tell us the truth about what?s going on here.?

The swordsman?s eyes wavered. It must have been the look he gave Sakuya when they met. Koishi could understand what had made Sakuya so suspicious now - the look didn?t belong on his face, like it had been taken from someone else and plastered onto him. It wasn?t an expression she expected from a fearless swordsman.

Then who did it belong to?

?If you want to become a Siren, you have to come to terms with whatever it is you?re hiding. We know there?s something wrong here, but we need you to tell us what. I?m not going to pretend it?s easy, but-?

?No.?

Youki was hanging his head, his hair blocking most of his face from view. He seemed to shrink, the frigid atmosphere fading away along with his composure.

?I won?t help you,? Youki repeated, shaking his head violently. ?I can?t.?

Koishi?s heart caved in on itself. Sakuya?s prediction had rung true after all. She looked back, seeing Mokou and Sango standing by the door in silence. They were willing to leave the talking to her, but Koishi wasn?t sure if she could make anything of this.

?Youki-san...please. This is really, really important. If you don?t help us, your mother might-?

?Die?? Youki pulled his head up, a look of cold fury on his face. ?That was what you were going to say, wasn?t it??

Koishi flinched, but slowly nodded in response. Youki laughed to himself for a moment, but it was a laugh that may as well have been a sob.

?You honestly don?t understand what you?ve stepped into. You don?t realise how much you are asking of me.? Every word was laced with finality, like Youki was resigned to a fate he couldn?t even speak of. ?Perhaps you speak the truth. Perhaps my mother may die if I stay silent. But if I tell you what you want to know, then I am forcing a fate worse than death upon her...and upon myself, as well.?

He fell to his knees, looking as if he was struggling to stay upright. His whole body trembled, cowering in fear like Koishi had never seen him before. Before she had struggled to speak out of fear; now she was silenced by sheer pity.

?Forgive me,? Youki said, his voice shrinking with every word. ?Perhaps you think me a coward. And...perhaps you are right. If my mother is in danger, I will do whatever it takes to protect her. Just...not that. I beg of you.?

He leaned forward, bowing at Koishi?s feet as deeply as he could. Koishi wanted to be sick at the sight of this once-proud man, reduced to a trembling wreck. What could have happened to bring this sort of change in him?

Whatever it was, it was clear Youki wasn?t going to talk about it. Koishi stepped backwards, whispering an apology and fighting the urge to flee the room in shame. She couldn?t push him any harder for fear that she would break him, but she had to find the truth somehow. Did she have no choice but to wait on Sakuya and hope her lead went somewhere useful?

d  n t o r  e  t

?Aah-?

Koishi froze. A voice leaped into her head, one that she had heard once before. It was louder, but still as hard to make out as it had been before. Either the source was stronger, or taking on this form had made her more sensitive to it.

In an instant, she knew what she had to do.

?Sango-san, Mokou-san. Keep this room protected. The Claw might arrive any minute.?

?Eh? Well, sure, but what about you?? Sango asked. ?Where are you going??

?I need to talk to someone.? Koishi was already opening the door before Sango could ask any more questions. This was good, given that Koishi honestly didn?t have any answers for her. She let instinct take over, pushing her through the labyrinthine corridors of the manor.

She understood what had driven Sakuya now. She was acting on something that was barely evidence, completely unprovable, but the idea seemed so real to her that she couldn?t ignore it. Explaining to Sango would have taken too long, if it was possible at all. What would the dolphin think if Koishi told her she?d been hearing disembodied voices in her head?

Her journey finally brought her out of the manor and into the garden. The winds were picking up, like the news had predicted. The cold gusts lashed at Koishi?s skin as she climbed up the stairs. As much as the outfit was growing on her, she wished it would offer her more protection from the elements.

At last, the mighty centerpiece of the garden came into view. No matter how many times she saw it, Koishi couldn?t help but be amazed by the sheer size of the tree at the end of the footpath. Several blossoms had been knocked from its branches by the wind, swirling around in a tiny tornado.

Standing in front of the tree was a child half of Koishi?s age.

The boy was a head shorter than Koishi, with a full head of hair and pale eyes. He was dressed in rags that had been through years of decay. Two wooden swords hung at his side, the blades worn away by the unerring hand of time. The dancing petals flew towards him, passing through as if he wasn?t there. He paid them no mind. His eyes were focused solely on Koishi.

She approached cautiously, but deep down she felt no fear. The young boy showed no signs of aggression. More than anything, it looked as if he was ready to cry. Koishi would have hugged him, but she doubted she could so much as touch him.

?You...? He spoke with the voice that Koishi had heard, echoing slightly as it reached her. ?You can see me??

Koishi nodded. The fact brought a light to the child?s face, his expression brightening.

?Yes, yes! They didn?t forget. They didn?t forget me! Mother didn?t-?

?Wait.? Koishi felt a growing pang of dread in her chest. ?Who...are you??

Koishi felt like she knew what she was going to hear before the boy spoke. He uttered the words with sheer conviction.

Words he?d waited years to say.

?My name is Youki Saigyouji.?

[Kasu]

Oh snap.  I think I finally see where you're going with this.

Holy crap.  This is all kinds of glorious.

[LaserTurtle]

All I have are ghosts of ideas.

_{haha get it because ghosts you know like Yuyuko and Youmu and I'll just stop talking now}

And in unrelated news, DOUBLE YOUKI ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SKY! But what does it mean? :derp:

[GuyYouMetOnline]

I was wondering about Youki myself, although I didn't have a reason for the... let's say extensive deception. Now that adoption is involved, there are all sorts of possible reasons. It seems, however, that the adopted child is pretending to be a pre-existing person (Youki), rather than just having a fake identity set up, which I suspect to be important.

[Esifex]

Serious spoilers here in my conjecture. Reveal at your own risk.

I mean it. And no, I don't have any insider info from Broukan.

Spoiler:

The Youki in the room with Sango and Mokou is actually Youmu, who is reverse-trapping to play the part of Youki as Yuyuko's replacement goldfish. Alternatively, that actually is Youki, and the ghost at the cherry blossom tree is Youki's ghost half

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Spoiler:

The Youki in the room with Sango and Mokou is actually Youmu

Which is the same thing I was saying.