The
Next Day
“Ohayougozaimasu!” (Welcome and good morning!)
As he saw a boy enter the café, he saw him nod his head at his greeting
and perch onto a stool facing the drinks area. “Ur… Ice coffee.”
“Hai! (Yes!) Coming right up!” Motoki beamed
at the boy who entered the café, although his service training already
kicked in to inform him of the fact that the boy did not look as though
he could pay for what he was ordering, in fact, the only thing that this
boy could seem to afford was a nice hot bath!
The scrawny long blond hair that had looked as though it had not been brushed
for days was tied back roughly with an elastic band, but locks of the curly
filth covered his drawn face. The scraggy wrinkled shirt and pants
that looked expensive enough, but like they had been picked up from the
bin from behind a rich man’s house. While Motoki busied himself with
pretending to make up the ice coffee, he continued to study the boy before
him. This boy’s eyes stared out vacantly into space, and the whites
of his eye seemed to be blood red from the veins that showed due to lack
of sleep, and the ash color of his face also confirmed the exhaustion…
Motoki could only guess that he was on drugs, an unwelcome visitor into
his café. The strange thing about this ‘customer’ was that
he was ordering coffee, a higher classed drink in Japan, and probably not
the combination most would have with drugs… He considered throwing
him out, but the serious eyes that caught him stealing glances told him
to suppress those instincts of his and continuing serving, yet those subconscious
thoughts did not go away.
He caught the service boy’s glance, him standing at the bar with a towel over his shoulder, ready to serve him and checking him out as discreetly as possible, but lately, his senses had been heightened, and even before then, he had always had a cold tickling feeling if he felt that someone was staring at him. He became slightly self-conscious about the unkempt and slightly wild way he looked; he had not brushed his hair nor changed the clothes on his back for days. His mind, however, was currently occupied on something else though, something more mind-boggling, without thinking, he pushed the tangled mess that he used to proudly call his hair back behind his face to not obstruct his vision and thus his train of thought. Then, a loud bang awoke him from his thoughts as the service boy seemingly dropped the large glass onto the counter as his arm slacked, he looked up and stared at the service boy again, and saw his mouth hanging wide open.
Ami stirred from deep sleep once again, expecting to awake at the sight
of Lord Takeuchi, once again, at her side. However, she was surprised
to find her maid, the same old lady who had first tended to her, waiting
patiently for her awakening. “Miyuki, where is my Lord?”
“Oh, milady, forgive me, for you woke so suddenly, first let me give you
some warm tea to replenish some of your strength, the doctor remarked on
your resilience as you have been wounded so greatly. His Lordship
was quite worried that it would be fatal, oh he will immensely pleased
to know that you have aroused.” The concerned old lady fluttered
around, pouring her Lady warm tea and touching sugar onto her lips so that
she would not fall again into unconsciousness.
“Have they found her, Miyuki, have they caught the person who so suddenly
attacked me?” Ami asked as soon as she had taken a sip of tea.
“Oh no! You see, Lady Kimiko Akiru arrived on the night that you
were attacked, and she was also injured, although it had been less serious
as it was limited to the hands, but she had seen a female attacker then
escaping through a porthole which had taken the distraction of the opening
of Lady Kimiko Akiru’s own porthole arrival. Thus with this information,
it has been deemed useless for further investigation.”
“Has there been no information from security? Speaking of which,
where security? I would have expected at least several guards in
here.” Ami looked around the empty room, surprised that there was no one
watching over her, and began to worry if it meant that she had lost Lord
Takeuchi’s favor. At least the fact that the intruder had escaped
without being captured meant that it was not an ‘inside job’ and that meant
that her secret of being SailorMercury remained safe.
Miyuki bit her lip and lowered her voice, “I’m afraid that Lady Kimiko
Akiru’s impromptu arrival has caused some disturbances to the availability
of guards, and due to the attack on her, many guards have been transferred
into the Wing at which she is staying. Guards are on alert of the
dangers to you, but they have not been able to spare any into the Medical
Wing…”
“And tell me, who is this lady?” Ami was curious, who was this woman
that had caused her to lose many of the privileges of being Lady Takeuchi.
At this, the old woman hesitated and bit her lip tightly as though she
did not wish to lie, but could not tell her, “milady, I am afraid that
I have been directly instructed to not disclose this information from you,
by the order of his Lordship himself. I must apologize, please forgive
milady, I don’t wish to withhold you information from you, but I cannot.”
Ami placed the cup of tea on her side table and reached forward to hold
Miyuki’s hand, “look at me, Miyuki, have I not always treated you well?
“Of course you have, Lady Takeuchi, but it is from his Lordship himself,
and also Lady Kimiko Akiru as well, I cannot disobey both of their demands.
Please, I do not want to earn your distrust, thus I cannot reveal this
secret that they hold from you or you may later question my loyalties to
you. I can only tell you to please be careful milady, she is a very
powerful woman, and your position here offends her deeply, if she must,
she can be quite torturous, do try to be patient with her, but there is
nothing more that I can say which will not betray their commands.”
“They have threatened you, have they not?”
“Oh no milady, his Lordship would never condescend such a level, he has
always been kindness himself when treating us.”
“Then the lady.”
“Her family has taken my children and grandchildren into hostage, she told
me that when her identity is revealed to you then she will free them, but
unless she tells you herself, if you are to know any other way, they will…
Oh please milady, I implore you not to question me any further for I do
not want to keep any secrets from you, but for the life of my children,
grandchildren, I cannot!”
Ami quietly stroked her hand soothingly and nodded, “very well then, I
will not question you any further, for I do not wish to upset you, you
have been very good to me while I have been here. Then tell me if
you can, when is she or my Lord to see me?”
“His Lordship knows of what this Lady is, he fears that if he displays
too much attention and affection on you, he will cause more anger and hatefulness
from the Lady, for she is already quite enraged about your identity and
position here. I am afraid that he will not be visiting you in the
near future, at least not until she has left the Kuriverse Go. But
as for the lady herself, I cannot speak for her…”
The door of her room was suddenly flung open when a grand lady wearing
a heavy veil appeared at the doorway, she smiled at the two women close
to each other at the bed, “of course you cannot speak for me, who do you
think you are? I have been hearing your conversation, excellent,
you did not reveal my identity to this, thing, this…” she shivered theatrically,
“this maggot, lowlife, but you will pay for the words that you have spoken
about me, those hateful hateful words. A life for a word, shall we
start with your children, or your grandchildren?” Seeing the shock
on her face, her eyes gleamed, “maybe, I’ll just be kind and not make you
choose, I’ll just arrange for all of them to be executed, tomorrow, it
is your birthday isn’t it? I see that as a fitting present for you,
you sickening insect.”
Miyuki immediately released herself from Ami, and rushed to this lady’s
feet, “have grace Lady Akiru, please, spare them, I apologize for my words,
take my life if you must, but spare them!”
“Who are you speaking to again?”
Correcting herself, she immediately gushed out, “I do mean, Lady Takeuchi!”
“Very well,” turning back to speak to her lady in waiting, she said loudly
for all to hear, “for this disgusting creature’s ‘moving’ words, arrange
for her the front seat of the execution, and that she may begin the procession.”
Looking at the woman at her feet who had a look of absolute horror on her
face, she kicked her out of the way as she continued, “I will make sure
that you will be able to see their faces and expressions clearly.”
Miyuki crumbled to the ground, and seeing that, Ami immediately began to
stand from her bed to try and defend her from those cruel words that were
being uttered from behind that dark veil, but she found herself sadly lacking
in strength and remained seated at her bed. She saw Miyuki being
dragged out of the room by security guards and gasped at her cruelty, and
then, a strangely familiar scene took place when this lady actually stepped
into the room, and the door was closed by her ladies-in-waiting from the
outside. She felt herself as though she was in a cage with a wild
animal as her heart began to jump at an erratic speed, and her ears begin
to throb from the heartbeat.