Chapter 67
“That was quite a gamble,” the figure remarked as Anastasia woke from her defragmentation process. “It worked. The Fourteenth is still alive.”
“It wasn’t a gamble,” said Anastasia, stretching as she stood. “I simmed the butterflies, and one of them turned out a hundred percent in the Fourteenth’s favor.”
“A hundred percent? I didn’t think time worked in absolutes…”
“Not without help.”
“…Have you simulated our plan at all?”
“No, why?”
“To determine it works. After all, we are only two people with a half-formed plan each, trying to make them come together.”
“I don’t need to sim for that. That’s only common logic. It’ll work.”
“Try it anyway.”
“Useless power drain…oh, well.” For awhile, she was quiet. Then, she shifted. “Oh, frag. He can’t have a glaring weakness like that!”
“What is it?”
“We can’t get him out of our way without killing him. He won’t break normally, and if we try to force the effects of PTSD directly on his brain like I’d planned, he’ll break down entirely and retgone Reiji! Now what!? He’s free to ice us!”
“He doesn’t even know we exist yet, Anastasia, calm yourself. I’ve programmed the searching mechanism. Now we’re just waiting for our little boost. Should be in by tomorrow.”
“And the Fourteenth will be able to trace it back to us, won’t he?”
“You give him too much credit. Reiji will say so himself once we find him. Wait just a little longer.”
“I hope so. It will take a week or so to find him, won’t it?”
“Indeed. The Corridor is expansive, after all. And with only one Hiruko left, we won’t have much power to search with. I think your calculation is accurate.”
“At least we have a Hiruko. The Red Capes didn’t exactly work out as planned…”
“Never underestimate the ability of Messians, even proto-Messians such as these, to twist a positive into a negative and vice-versa. It is a skill innate in them, it seems.”
“Well, the Red Capes didn’t work, but if our main plan goes through, I don’t think they’ll be able to shake it off. If they can shake that off, I’ll convert.”
The figure chuckled. “That makes two of us.”
<><><>
“…And then we snuck some spices into Father’s tooth-blackening stuff,” Gouto was telling Kaya, laughing almost too hard to get the words out. “Oh, man…I was a little terror back then. Haha…I don’t even remember my childhood name, but I remember that!”
“That’s mean,” Kaya gasped through her laughter. “But you’re right, he did deserve that after chewing you out like that. So…so did you do the teeth-blackening thing, too, when you got older?”
“Sure,” said Gouto. “It was considered handsome. Had that little pointed beard, too. …’Least, ‘til it got burned off. Took forever to grow it back…”
“Hey, guys?” said Moh Shuvuu. “Look at his eyes…”
“Hmm?” Gouto leapt onto the pillow by Raidou’s shoulder to get a better look at his face. Raidou’s eyes were darting rapidly beneath his closed eyelids.
Before any of them could say anything, the door slid open, and Rasputin walked into the room.
“Good afternoon,” greeted the Dark Summoner. “How is Raidou doing?”
“All right, I guess,” said Kaya. “As right as he can be, anyway…”
“Hmm, he seems to be dreaming. That is good.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means his sleep cycle is functioning. He is recovering.” Rasputin’s brow furrowed. “But…”
“But what?” Kaya asked.
“But his body appears to be in a state of stress. He is having a nightmare, perhaps?”
“Yeah, he’s sweating,” said Gouto. “And I can feel him shivering, ‘cause the pillow’s shaking.”
“His body is in a very delicate state right now. Under this much stress, he is likely to-”
Raidou gave a little choking sound, and soon enough, the blanket was soaking up the broth mixture Kaya had just fed him. Gouto jumped off, pawing at his nose, muttering under his breath about his feline sense of smell.
“…Vomit,” Rasputin finished. “He’ll be needing those nutrients he just expelled, though.”
“Guess it’s time to cook up another bowl,” Moh Shuvuu said.
“Poor Ryuu…” Kaya ran a hand through his hair, a sympathetic smile on her face. “It’s all right…” She gently wiped away the vomit on his face and chest, then walked around Rasputin to clean off the rag and cook another bowl of soup.
“Seems she is a caregiver at heart,” said Siegfried. “I must admit, I did not expect it of her.”
“She’ll make a good mom,” said Moh Shuvuu. “I wanna stick around and be friends with her kids, too! I’ll be her family’s guardian. See, that’s what living so long is all about, ‘Fried.”
“Regardless. If you will fetch a replacement blanket and pillows, I shall take it upon myself to clean the ones young Raidou hath dirtied.”
“Sure thing!” Moh Shuvuu flew around Rasputin, returning within minutes with the replacement items.
“It could be that she has a strong maternal instinct for the ill and wounded,” said Rasputin. “But something seems off to me.”
“Yeah?” said Moh Shuvuu, politely looking away while Siegfried swapped the blankets.
“I feel…a signal. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now that I think about it…It was not on my usual frequencies. Planned for me. …I’ll scan the room.”
Slowly, Rasputin began to walk around the edge of the room. He stopped near a crack in the wall. “It’s coming from here,” he said, reaching a finger into the crack. “…This crack appears to have been made only recently. Furthermore, it was artificially created. It does not match the pattern of any natural damage I know of. …Aha. There it is.”
He drew out a small metallic object. “Another microtransmitter. I recognize the setting, too. It’s used in abortion clinics to…ah, well beyond this time, never mind that. All you must know is, it amplifies a woman’s maternal instinct.”
“The Herald of Yatagarasu mentioned that Raidou reminded her of her son,” said Gouto. “Could that be why she li…um…”
“She lied for his sake?” said Rasputin, guessing Gouto’s words. “Hmm…someone wanted to keep Raidou alive. I know who placed this…”
“Should we be worried?” said Gouto.
“To be frank, I don’t know,” said Rasputin, thoughtfully stroking his beard. “I will have to find her and ask her what, exactly, her agenda is. I will deactivate this device, in case of an unforeseen side effect.”
“Your counterpart?” Siegfried asked, cleaning the blanket.
“Indeed…”
Kaya returned with the soup and knelt by Raidou’s side to feed him. As she did so, Moh Shuvuu began excitedly telling her all about what Rasputin had found.
“So that’s why I felt so protective of him…” Kaya said quietly. “Still, I’d like to think at least some of that was real…”
“Of course,” said Rasputin. “What you felt was only what you would feel normally, but amplified. If there was nothing to augment in the first place, then it would have had no effect on you.”
“Could the Herald use that in her defense if the Yatagarasu find out about her little white lie?” Gouto asked.
“I am unfamiliar with the politics of Yatagarasu, but I can only hope so.”
“Think you could ring the bell on your way out and tell her about it?”
“I don’t see why not. Well, I’ll return tomorrow. He should be awake by then, assuming he has less troubled dreams…”
But no sooner had Rasputin turned to leave, though, than he bumped into Satake. With a respectful, apologetic nod, the monk stepped around him and vanished around the corner.
“…You’re takin’ care of him all by yourself?” Satake asked Kaya.
“N…no, one of his demons is here, and I have a demon friend of my own.”
“Oh, got it. Sucks t’have a world y’can’t see before your very eyes, you know that?”
“Um…”
Satake stepped closer, tilting his head slightly as he looked down at Raidou. “Damn, Kuzunoha, you look like hell.” Beginning to walk slowly around him, he added, “And without your hat; that’s just indecent.” He paused behind Raidou to look at the top of his head. Kaya was surprised nobody else had done so before. “…I don’t get it. What were you tryin’ t’hide, Kuzunoha? Sure, it’s a bit boring, but…eh, I’m sure y’have your reasons. I ain’t gonna pry.”
The yakuza boss sighed and shook his head. He was still for a few moments. “What happened to him?” he asked at last.
“He…” Kaya began, but didn’t know where to finish.
“…was knocked out in a fight,” said Gouto. He went on to explain Raidou’s oath to the Irregular Incubi and the fight with Morimoto-Red Cape.
“So if Kuzunoha gets knocked out in a fight, he gets spirited away to the clan hall, and then gets bumped off, anyway?”
“That’s right,” said Gouto. “Only if they take his title. See, official documents say Summoners with the names hold on to their titles until death. So, when they lose their title…” he trailed off to let Satake fill in the blanks.
“That’s a pretty flawed system,” said Satake, scratching his head. “Ever thought of tryin’ to go against it?”
“This form means I’m on thin ice as it is. I can’t risk anything, or they’ll take me away from this job, too. And, much as I’ve said I hate it in the past, if there’s more like Raidou, here, I want to see ‘em.”
“Don’t blame you, cat.” Satake said, bending down to pet Gouto. “He’s definitely somethin’ else.” He straightened up and looked at Kaya. “Anything I can do to help out?”
“Um…no, I…we have everything. Th-thanks for offering, Mr. Satake.”
“A’right. If you say so. …I’d better head back to Senju.” With another look down at Raidou, he added, “Y’better wake up soon, Kuzunoha. You lyin’ there helpless is just pathetic.”
And with that, Satake left.
Kaya sighed, looking pityingly at Raidou. “If you’re dreaming, then are there times when you’re awake? Are you awake now, Ryuu? Can you hear me?”
“He won’t be able to respond yet, I don’t think,” said Gouto.
“I’m here for you, Ryuu, don’t worry. Everyone is. We’re all worried about you. And I…I…can’t say it…” Kaya closed her eyes, frustrated with herself. “You’re the only person who really understands what I’ve been through. I…want to talk with you some more. Please get better soon…”
Gouto’s sensitive hearing caught a slight falter in Raidou’s breathing pattern. “So you heard it,” he said mentally. “Don’t bother trying to answer me, just keep in mind what she was trying to say. And don’t screw it up this time.”
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“It wasn’t a gamble,” said Anastasia, stretching as she stood. “I simmed the butterflies, and one of them turned out a hundred percent in the Fourteenth’s favor.”
“A hundred percent? I didn’t think time worked in absolutes…”
“Not without help.”
“…Have you simulated our plan at all?”
“No, why?”
“To determine it works. After all, we are only two people with a half-formed plan each, trying to make them come together.”
“I don’t need to sim for that. That’s only common logic. It’ll work.”
“Try it anyway.”
“Useless power drain…oh, well.” For awhile, she was quiet. Then, she shifted. “Oh, frag. He can’t have a glaring weakness like that!”
“What is it?”
“We can’t get him out of our way without killing him. He won’t break normally, and if we try to force the effects of PTSD directly on his brain like I’d planned, he’ll break down entirely and retgone Reiji! Now what!? He’s free to ice us!”
“He doesn’t even know we exist yet, Anastasia, calm yourself. I’ve programmed the searching mechanism. Now we’re just waiting for our little boost. Should be in by tomorrow.”
“And the Fourteenth will be able to trace it back to us, won’t he?”
“You give him too much credit. Reiji will say so himself once we find him. Wait just a little longer.”
“I hope so. It will take a week or so to find him, won’t it?”
“Indeed. The Corridor is expansive, after all. And with only one Hiruko left, we won’t have much power to search with. I think your calculation is accurate.”
“At least we have a Hiruko. The Red Capes didn’t exactly work out as planned…”
“Never underestimate the ability of Messians, even proto-Messians such as these, to twist a positive into a negative and vice-versa. It is a skill innate in them, it seems.”
“Well, the Red Capes didn’t work, but if our main plan goes through, I don’t think they’ll be able to shake it off. If they can shake that off, I’ll convert.”
The figure chuckled. “That makes two of us.”
<><><>
“…And then we snuck some spices into Father’s tooth-blackening stuff,” Gouto was telling Kaya, laughing almost too hard to get the words out. “Oh, man…I was a little terror back then. Haha…I don’t even remember my childhood name, but I remember that!”
“That’s mean,” Kaya gasped through her laughter. “But you’re right, he did deserve that after chewing you out like that. So…so did you do the teeth-blackening thing, too, when you got older?”
“Sure,” said Gouto. “It was considered handsome. Had that little pointed beard, too. …’Least, ‘til it got burned off. Took forever to grow it back…”
“Hey, guys?” said Moh Shuvuu. “Look at his eyes…”
“Hmm?” Gouto leapt onto the pillow by Raidou’s shoulder to get a better look at his face. Raidou’s eyes were darting rapidly beneath his closed eyelids.
Before any of them could say anything, the door slid open, and Rasputin walked into the room.
“Good afternoon,” greeted the Dark Summoner. “How is Raidou doing?”
“All right, I guess,” said Kaya. “As right as he can be, anyway…”
“Hmm, he seems to be dreaming. That is good.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means his sleep cycle is functioning. He is recovering.” Rasputin’s brow furrowed. “But…”
“But what?” Kaya asked.
“But his body appears to be in a state of stress. He is having a nightmare, perhaps?”
“Yeah, he’s sweating,” said Gouto. “And I can feel him shivering, ‘cause the pillow’s shaking.”
“His body is in a very delicate state right now. Under this much stress, he is likely to-”
Raidou gave a little choking sound, and soon enough, the blanket was soaking up the broth mixture Kaya had just fed him. Gouto jumped off, pawing at his nose, muttering under his breath about his feline sense of smell.
“…Vomit,” Rasputin finished. “He’ll be needing those nutrients he just expelled, though.”
“Guess it’s time to cook up another bowl,” Moh Shuvuu said.
“Poor Ryuu…” Kaya ran a hand through his hair, a sympathetic smile on her face. “It’s all right…” She gently wiped away the vomit on his face and chest, then walked around Rasputin to clean off the rag and cook another bowl of soup.
“Seems she is a caregiver at heart,” said Siegfried. “I must admit, I did not expect it of her.”
“She’ll make a good mom,” said Moh Shuvuu. “I wanna stick around and be friends with her kids, too! I’ll be her family’s guardian. See, that’s what living so long is all about, ‘Fried.”
“Regardless. If you will fetch a replacement blanket and pillows, I shall take it upon myself to clean the ones young Raidou hath dirtied.”
“Sure thing!” Moh Shuvuu flew around Rasputin, returning within minutes with the replacement items.
“It could be that she has a strong maternal instinct for the ill and wounded,” said Rasputin. “But something seems off to me.”
“Yeah?” said Moh Shuvuu, politely looking away while Siegfried swapped the blankets.
“I feel…a signal. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now that I think about it…It was not on my usual frequencies. Planned for me. …I’ll scan the room.”
Slowly, Rasputin began to walk around the edge of the room. He stopped near a crack in the wall. “It’s coming from here,” he said, reaching a finger into the crack. “…This crack appears to have been made only recently. Furthermore, it was artificially created. It does not match the pattern of any natural damage I know of. …Aha. There it is.”
He drew out a small metallic object. “Another microtransmitter. I recognize the setting, too. It’s used in abortion clinics to…ah, well beyond this time, never mind that. All you must know is, it amplifies a woman’s maternal instinct.”
“The Herald of Yatagarasu mentioned that Raidou reminded her of her son,” said Gouto. “Could that be why she li…um…”
“She lied for his sake?” said Rasputin, guessing Gouto’s words. “Hmm…someone wanted to keep Raidou alive. I know who placed this…”
“Should we be worried?” said Gouto.
“To be frank, I don’t know,” said Rasputin, thoughtfully stroking his beard. “I will have to find her and ask her what, exactly, her agenda is. I will deactivate this device, in case of an unforeseen side effect.”
“Your counterpart?” Siegfried asked, cleaning the blanket.
“Indeed…”
Kaya returned with the soup and knelt by Raidou’s side to feed him. As she did so, Moh Shuvuu began excitedly telling her all about what Rasputin had found.
“So that’s why I felt so protective of him…” Kaya said quietly. “Still, I’d like to think at least some of that was real…”
“Of course,” said Rasputin. “What you felt was only what you would feel normally, but amplified. If there was nothing to augment in the first place, then it would have had no effect on you.”
“Could the Herald use that in her defense if the Yatagarasu find out about her little white lie?” Gouto asked.
“I am unfamiliar with the politics of Yatagarasu, but I can only hope so.”
“Think you could ring the bell on your way out and tell her about it?”
“I don’t see why not. Well, I’ll return tomorrow. He should be awake by then, assuming he has less troubled dreams…”
But no sooner had Rasputin turned to leave, though, than he bumped into Satake. With a respectful, apologetic nod, the monk stepped around him and vanished around the corner.
“…You’re takin’ care of him all by yourself?” Satake asked Kaya.
“N…no, one of his demons is here, and I have a demon friend of my own.”
“Oh, got it. Sucks t’have a world y’can’t see before your very eyes, you know that?”
“Um…”
Satake stepped closer, tilting his head slightly as he looked down at Raidou. “Damn, Kuzunoha, you look like hell.” Beginning to walk slowly around him, he added, “And without your hat; that’s just indecent.” He paused behind Raidou to look at the top of his head. Kaya was surprised nobody else had done so before. “…I don’t get it. What were you tryin’ t’hide, Kuzunoha? Sure, it’s a bit boring, but…eh, I’m sure y’have your reasons. I ain’t gonna pry.”
The yakuza boss sighed and shook his head. He was still for a few moments. “What happened to him?” he asked at last.
“He…” Kaya began, but didn’t know where to finish.
“…was knocked out in a fight,” said Gouto. He went on to explain Raidou’s oath to the Irregular Incubi and the fight with Morimoto-Red Cape.
“So if Kuzunoha gets knocked out in a fight, he gets spirited away to the clan hall, and then gets bumped off, anyway?”
“That’s right,” said Gouto. “Only if they take his title. See, official documents say Summoners with the names hold on to their titles until death. So, when they lose their title…” he trailed off to let Satake fill in the blanks.
“That’s a pretty flawed system,” said Satake, scratching his head. “Ever thought of tryin’ to go against it?”
“This form means I’m on thin ice as it is. I can’t risk anything, or they’ll take me away from this job, too. And, much as I’ve said I hate it in the past, if there’s more like Raidou, here, I want to see ‘em.”
“Don’t blame you, cat.” Satake said, bending down to pet Gouto. “He’s definitely somethin’ else.” He straightened up and looked at Kaya. “Anything I can do to help out?”
“Um…no, I…we have everything. Th-thanks for offering, Mr. Satake.”
“A’right. If you say so. …I’d better head back to Senju.” With another look down at Raidou, he added, “Y’better wake up soon, Kuzunoha. You lyin’ there helpless is just pathetic.”
And with that, Satake left.
Kaya sighed, looking pityingly at Raidou. “If you’re dreaming, then are there times when you’re awake? Are you awake now, Ryuu? Can you hear me?”
“He won’t be able to respond yet, I don’t think,” said Gouto.
“I’m here for you, Ryuu, don’t worry. Everyone is. We’re all worried about you. And I…I…can’t say it…” Kaya closed her eyes, frustrated with herself. “You’re the only person who really understands what I’ve been through. I…want to talk with you some more. Please get better soon…”
Gouto’s sensitive hearing caught a slight falter in Raidou’s breathing pattern. “So you heard it,” he said mentally. “Don’t bother trying to answer me, just keep in mind what she was trying to say. And don’t screw it up this time.”
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