` If That's What It Takes `

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Saffir stared at Hotaru for a few moments before finding his voice again. "So -- Hotaru --"

The girl shifted in her chair, her eyes so dark and violet shadowed. "Yes?"

Saffir wanted desperately to ask her if she remembered him; there was something very peculiar to him about this entire set-up. It was the stupidest coincidence that in his two visits to twentieth-century Tokyo, he would run into the same three people. And all on the same day, at that.

However, she stared at him without blinking, those incredible eyes not moving from his. It made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, but there was something highly fascinating about this girl.

The former prince of Nemesis looked away, closing his eyes for a brief second. He felt like he was getting a headache. "Nothing," he murmured softly.

She cleared her throat slightly, that pretty voice like satin. "So, have you always lived in Tokyo, Hirosada-san?"

Saffir thought for a moment; he honestly couldn't remember what his fabricated history had stated as his birthplace. All he really remembered was that he had apparently lived in Osaka for most of his life. "No."

Hotaru nodded, looking intrigued. "You are Japanese, aren't you?" As he nodded, Hotaru seemed to think to herself quite deeply. "It's just odd -- even though you speak perfect Japanese, you have the strangest accent."

Saffir's dusky blue eyes jolted up, snapping over to meet Hotaru's. "Excuse me?"

She stared at him for a second; she then ducked her own eyes, looking slightly embarrassed. "Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to offend you, I just noticed --"

"It's all right," he broke in suddenly, not wanting to arouse her obvious suspicion any further. From what she had already said, he had the impression that she did remember some, if not all, of their earlier meeting, she was just toying with the information before admitting that she had it.

He knew why he was being so paranoid; it was in his nature to be so. However, he smiled slightly falsely, looking back to Hotaru. "It's all right. I spent my childhood holidays and the like overseas, that probably had an influence on my accent. I also speak several languages, that probably affects my inflection."

The dark-haired girl nodded though she didn't seem really convinced, Saffir noted. There was definitely something very strange about this girl; she seemed much more intelligent than her actual age warranted. He noted something else with that; she was not the same girl he had met in the bookstore. There he had noticed some kind of dark tint to her brilliant violet aura, but it had not been enough to really detract from her inner, silent beauty. However, now it was more concentrated, noticeable. Even though there was something about it which told him it was not natural to the girl, she still set him ill-at-ease, while still fascinating him. As a scholar of magic, he found such paradox intriguing, mysterious. Naturally curious, he merely wanted to know more.

With a small smile, he turned back to Hotaru. "Tell me, Hotaru-san, have you read any good books lately?"

The girl blinked, her only out-of-the-ordinary reaction to the question. "Not really. How about you?"

Even though her answer was polite, it was cursory, and something told him that she was really trying to avoid bringing up their previous meeting.

Odd. It's like she doesn't want to remember it -- perhaps there really is something to this girl -- it's like she doesn't want to bring up your past. Your real past.

However, before he could formulate any kind of reply to that, the professor entered the room, bearing a tray of tea and coffee. Saffir dragged his attention away from the intriguing young girl. It seemed that if she did remember him, she wasn't going to admit it. Yet, anyway.

a a a

After half an hour of small talk in the living room of the immense mansion, Kaori had made her reappearance, looking somewhat subdued. The four of them had then made their way to an immaculate dining room illuminated by candles and decorative soft-light gas lamps.

In that shadowed light, Hotaru appeared even more delicately beautiful, and she looked so much older than her true age. It wasn't in an outer sense; she still looked to be little more than a child. It was as if the age inside her, which was far beyond her years, was coming out to lurk just below the surface. It unnerved Saffir for one reason only; he wasn't entirely sure that this older, wiser personality was exactly Hotaru herself.

The conversation was light and easy despite the uneasy auras Saffir could easily sense about his three companions. He briefly contemplated invoking powers he hadn't used in some time; Saffir had a good degree of psychic talent. However, his powers were altogether too random to be properly trained into any semblance of a true magical talent, but he could occasionally use them at will.

However, when he brushed the surfaces of their minds, he found all three to be carefully veiled, Hotaru's the most of all. Intrigued, Saffir pressed deeper, experiencing a solid psychic wall the likes of which he hadn't seen since he attempted to probe the Wiseman's psyche.

He withdrew quietly, noting to himself that no-one seemed to have noticed his subconscious wanderings. It appeared that Kaori had directed a question at him, however.

"I'm sorry, would you mind repeating that? I didn't quite catch it then," Saffir apologised, looking directly into the violet eyes of the red-head. Curiously he noted the faint sheen they seemed to have taken, a characteristic he could only attribute to psychic or magical exertion. Certainly, she didn't seem physically tired at all.

Kaori took a sip of her wine, long manicured nails clicking against the expensive crystal glass. "I merely asked if you had met anyone particularly interesting at the laboratories."

"There's Mimete, I suppose," he replied, noting with glee that Kaori didn't seem overly enthused by the reference to the woman. "However, the most intriguing people I've met thus far are two students of the senior high school. First year students, I think."

The professor arched an eyebrow, looking interested. "And who might they be? If they're truly extraordinary, they would stand out even at Mugen Gakuen."

Saffir cast a look at Hotaru as he said the names, wondering if she knew them. "Ten'ou Haruka and Kaiou Michiru." Saffir was somewhat disappointed to note Hotaru's reaction to these names was apparently non-existent. "The first is apparently some kind of sportswoman, the second a musical and artistic prodigy. However, I assume both of them are highly intelligent in academic matters as well -- as far as I can ascertain, you have to almost be a genius to even consider applying to Mugen Gakuen."

"Yes, they're all geniuses at Mugen Gakuen -- well, apart from Hotaru," Kaori remarked glibly, taking a sip from the delicate wine glass, her violet eyes giving Hotaru a looked that shocked Saffir. That was because there was definitely a flash of maliciousness in that look -- and the way the girl shrank beneath Kaori's scrutiny was a pretty good indication that this happened fairly often.

Professor Tomoe looked up, appearing a little startled by that comment. "That's unfair, Kaori-kun. You're not meaning to imply that she's only at Mugen because her father is the principal, are you?"

"I'm not stupid," Hotaru cut in softly, staring at her plate as if no longer hungry.

"But didn't you fail your test yesterday?" asked Kaori with a look of actual pleasure and satisfaction, earning herself an almost annoyed look from the pale-haired professor.

"I think that's quite enough, Kaori-kun," he remarked sharply, shooting a glare at the red-haired woman. She ducked her eyes from his, but Saffir couldn't miss the smirk on those crimson lips.

Hotaru was pushing the food about her plate with her fork, obviously not hungry anymore. "The only reason I failed that test was because I was taken ill in the middle of it, Kaori-san."

The professor looked concerned, putting down his own glass of wine. However, across the table, Saffir took a large sip of water, desperately wishing he had pulled out of this conversation even before it had begun. "I was never told about this."

The dark-haired girl did not look up to meet the concerned violet of her father's eyes. "They sent me home with Kaori-san -- didn't she tell you?"

The professor gave Kaori a sideways look before abruptly shaking his head. "Never mind; we're forgetting that we have a guest. Do excuse us, Saburo-kun, we didn't mean to get involved in such a conversation in your presence."

Saffir nodded, wrapping his long fingers even more tightly about the glass. "Of course not, kyouju, I understand completely."

Then there was silence.

Uncomfortable, Saffir cleared his throat and looked to Kaori. "Excuse me for asking, but what was it that took you away from us earlier?"

Kaori jumped, as if she hadn't been expecting such a question. Saffir honestly couldn't see what bothered her about the inquiry, but it interested him to see that it did bother her. "It was just something I had forgotten to do at the school earlier," she replied carefully, giving the professor an odd look.

"I take it that there was nothing of interest therein?" asked Tomoe in a funny voice, his eyes taking on a hard look that surprised Saffir. It was a look he knew quite well; Demando had often used it when he was asking one of his court about some mission gone awry. It was a disappointed, annoyed kind of look, and he had to wonder what on Earth he had walked into.

It was then that Saffir first began to realise that he had walked into something most strange, and it was probably far too late to get out of it now.

a a a

Serpentine stood in the empty reactor chamber, wondering what it was about this room that seemed to so attract Demando-sama. It kept pulling him back here repeatedly, as if it called to him on some level that nobody else could hear.

Serpentine couldn't see the attraction of the place. It was desolate, dark and cold, even more so than the rest of Nemesis. It was also yawningly empty without the dominant presence of the huge, branched black crystal construct.

The jakozuishou. Oh, Serpentine could remember that thing quite well. He had never really been interested in the damnable thing; it had been Demando-sama's latest toy, a gift from the Wiseman.

It still made Serpentine shudder to remember that accursed sorcerer; even though he had never had Saffir's deep suspicions of the counsellor, he had certainly never liked him. Actually, nobody on Demando's court had ever really liked the Wiseman. He had been too hidden in secrets and mystery, which was not something overly common on Nemesis. Nemesians, as a rule, were a startlingly open people, never making secrets of their intentions or the like. Glossing them over, yes -- euphemisms were an average part of conversation -- but never directly lying about or concealing them. The Wiseman had been far too secretive for anybody's liking, except Demando's. And as Demando was the White Prince of Nemesis, there was really no debate about the credibility of the cowled sorcerer. Saffir had been the only one who could openly protest the presence of the counsellor, but then, Saffir had been the only one besides Rudra-sama who could ever have more than a one-sided conversation with Demando re'Adamant.

Resting his hands on the railing, Serpentine wondered. This room had often been frequented by the Blue Prince; perhaps that was why Demando had such a fascination with the place. Certainly, there was nothing else even remotely attractive about it. Without the jakozuishou, it was little more than a quiet, abandoned chamber with little appeal.

"Do you mind if I ask you why you're in here, Serpentine? It certainly made you difficult to find."

The man jumped at least a foot into the air; it wasn't the fact that he was startled, it was the recognition of the voice which got him. Only one creature held that deep, resounding bass, so level and emotionless, yet commanding and somehow arrogant.

He turned to face the cat, bowing his head hurriedly. Rudra never really had been one for all the pomposity of royal protocol outside of official events, but Serpentine knew that annoying him wouldn't bode well for the future. A cat he may have been, but he certainly had a lot of sway over the entire moon of Nemesis.

When he finally raised his head, he noted that Rudra was staring at him with those large, cold azure eyes, looking as annoyed as a cat was able to look. That was truly the damnedest thing about Rudra; it was next to impossible to read his emotions because he simply wasn't able to show them as a human might. Even though that brain was as calculating and coherent as that of the most talented Savant, he appeared on the outside bored and only vaguely amused by the goings-on of the human world. In some ways, Rudra seemed very human; it was only in his emotions that one really realised that he was a cat. However, he gave weight to the thought that when an animal looks at a human, the animal is merely laughing inside at the human. Serpentine always felt that way around the Siamese Mooncat; it was as if Rudra was laughing internally at everything that went on in Nemesis, he just never deigned to show it on the outside.

"I am just -- thinking, Lord Rudra-sama," he replied finally, realising that the cat wasn't going to speak until he answered the question placed Rudra had placed before him.

Rudra cocked his head to one side, still appearing slightly bored. His voice reflected this; it was monotonous and less-than-enthused about anything. "How interesting for you. However, that is not why I came here, for if I wanted to hear interesting thoughts, I surely wouldn't come to see you."

Serpentine didn't flinch; it was customary of the Prime Minister to throw in vague insults like that. It wasn't that he was purposely trying to be malicious, he was simply being honest. Besides, Serpentine was used to such insults, after having spent an entire childhood with his father.

"I wanted to talk to you," the Mooncat continued on, his back straight as he sat on the floor. It was a good example of Rudra's commanding presence that even though Serpentine, unusually tall for a Nemesian, felt small and unimportant in Rudra's presence. The Mooncat was so much smaller than him, but his presence was such that one couldn't help but feel inadequate in his company. Rudra was the very definition of "larger than life."

"About what, my Lord?" asked Serpentine carefully, meeting the pale eyes of the Mooncat with respect. He had discovered rather early on in his dealings with the Prime Minister that it was often easier just to look him in the eye, unsettling as that was. If one didn't do as such, the Mooncat typically made it his duty to discover what it was you were hiding from him. He was apparently a great believer in the impossibility of lying with one's eyes.

"About Demando-sama," he replied casually, even though this made Serpentine stiffen. If the eternal Prime Minister of Nemesis wanted to speak to the heir to the throne about the current sovereign, it obviously couldn't bode well.

He cleared his throat quietly, somehow managing to keep looking at the cat. "What do you want to say about him, Rudra-sama?"

The cat gave the purple-haired man an opaque look for a full minute. Serpentine thought he detected the faintest smile on his feline features, but it was impossible to tell. "I wanted to ask you what your opinion on his recent behaviour is."

"Recent behaviour?" asked Serpentine, wondering what on Nemesis Rudra could be getting at. As a rule, the cat loved to play games with his people; the game of houses had been one of his favourite activities before Demando had more-or-less isolated his clan as being the indisputable leaders of the Black Moon.

"Indeed," the Mooncat replied, and Serpentine could've sworn that he actually smirked. However, the impression passed as quickly as it had come, the cat resuming his characteristic bored look. "He has been behaving most oddly lately; I would like to hear your impressions on this, they may be worth something."

"He hasn't been at all well," Serpentine replied carefully, trying to gauge Rudra's reactions to see what it was the Mooncat was really trying to obtain from this conversation. "After all, there has been the small matter of the treaty with the Neo-Queen-"

"-and the death of his brother," Rudra put in, his features now completely unreadable.

"And the death of his brother," Serpentine echoed, wondering why Rudra, of all creatures on Nemesis, was bringing up this sensitive topic. "Why do you mention him?"

"I am curious as to what happened to him," Rudra replied guardedly, and Serpentine realised with a start that not even Rudra knew of the prince's fate! Oh, how it must irk the Mooncat to not know such a thing!

It struck Serpentine then that it was true; there was something terribly odd about the death of Saffir re'Adamant. If Rudra himself didn't even know -- Rudra being the equivalent of a God on Nemesis -- there was obviously something horribly wrong here.

He took a second to collect his words before replying, realising what Rudra was asking. He knew that the Mooncat didn't really expect him to have any great deal of information about the fate of the Blue Prince, but Rudra was meticulous in his methods. He wouldn't leave any stone unturned in his little endeavour to broaden the horizons of his knowledge. "Demando-sama has more or less refused to divulge details of his death to me, Rudra-sama. I can't say that I know anything about what happened to him."

The Prime Minister stared at him in a manner that made Serpentine feel stripped of all outer layers. Rudra was obviously trying to determine if he were telling the truth, a talent all knew the Mooncat genuinely had. In a world of political intrigue, it was certainly something a Prime Minister needed, even though lying was not something Nemesians did a lot. No, they merely bent the truth to suit their own ends. Rudra, however, was a master at putting them straight.

The Mooncat's cold pale eyes clouded over slightly with disinterest; Serpentine realised that he was about to dismiss him. His lack of knowledge had obviously not particularly surprised the feline, but it obviously continued to annoy him. If there was one thing that frustrated Rudra, it was not knowing everything that went on in his electorate.

When he thought about it, Serpentine realised that Rudra couldn't have been any more fond of the Wiseman than Saffir had been. Odd; from what he had heard, Saffir and Rudra had rarely agreed on anything.

The cat merely vanished a second later, without preamble or farewell. It didn't surprise Serpentine in the slightest; he knew that to the Mooncat, he was little more than another citizen. Rudra tended to place himself above others without a thought, and it was something one just had to learn to live with.

Serpentine looked back to the gaping chamber, once the proud holder of the jakozuishou. There was most definitely something awfully wrong if Rudra had to lower himself to the level of asking others for such information. If Demando was being tight-lipped about something, it indicated a good degree of wrongness.

For not the first time, Serpentine wondered what had happened to Saffir. As he stared at the empty area, he decided something on a complete whim, one that he wasn't sure was completely sane.

I think I'm going to try and unravel this little twisted web -- what are you hiding, Demando?

a a a

As Hotaru and the professor walked him to the door, Saffir had never been so glad to see the back of Kaori. The woman had never been anything less than polite and eternally helpful -- to him at least -- but she still gave him a constant, cold and prickly feeling.

Hotaru looked up at the sky as they wandered out to the gate; her father followed her lead, frowning slightly. "It looks like rain, poppa."

"I think you're right, Hotaru," he said thoughtfully, then turning his gaze back to Saffir. "Saburo-kun, would you like a ride home? Those clouds blew up awfully quickly, that means that it will most likely begin to rain soon."

Saffir shook his dark head, giving the ominous clouds only a cursory glance. "I'll be fine, kyouju. After all, my hotel isn't terribly far away from here."

"Are you sure?" asked a sweet, low voice from beside him; he looked down to find himself falling into those anomalous dark eyes. Yes, Tomoe Hotaru had the most remarkable eyes he had ever seen. For the first time in his life, Saffir began to wish he had had a little sister, just like Hotaru. There was something just so incredibly peaceful about her, not to mention a wisdom that outstripped someone ten times her age.

Smiling affectionately at her, Saffir nodded. "I'll be fine, Hotaru-chan."

The professor smiled, placing one arm about his frail daughter. "It was good to speak with you again, Saburo-kun. We should do this again sometime, when I'm less busy."

"It would be good to see you again," Hotaru agreed, a small smile on her pale face. "After all, we don't get many visitors."

The professor looked somewhat startled by that remark; the look he shot Hotaru was both annoyed and saddened. Hotaru's anaemic little face, so dominated by those huge dark eyes, looked so wistful and lonely that it truthfully almost broke Saffir's heart.

It was the same look he had given his oniisan on so many occasions when Demando had left him alone to attend to his "business," neglecting Saffir in favour of his work. It wasn't true negligence -- Saffir knew his brother had his responsibilities -- but it still hurt every time Demando had brushed him aside so carelessly.

Saffir impulsively stepped back to Hotaru, leaning down slightly so he was more at the tiny girl's level. He knew all too well the pain of having the one you love not have any time for you, and Rudra be damned if he was going to let this young girl to go through what he had. "Tell you what, Hotaru-chan -- I'll stop by and visit you after work tomorrow. I could help you with your homework or something -- I'm supposedly very good at calculus, you know."

Hotaru smiled in such bemusement it almost made Saffir cry. It was obvious to him that she had never really had any friends in her life, and that his offer confused her in some way. She obviously didn't have many friends at all.

Professor Tomoe smiled slightly, giving his daughter a brief look before meeting Saffir's eyes evenly. "Would you like to help Hotaru out with her studies, Saburo-kun? We would be most grateful -- and we could pay you for your time."

"Oh, no, not at all!" Saffir shook his head, a little embarrassed. "If I do it, I'll do it because I want to. You don't have to pay me at all."

Hotaru's face broke into a sunny smile, which was the equivalent of a rain-cloud becoming a rainbow. "Do you really want to?"

He nodded, smiling back at her. "I think I'll drop around tomorrow afternoon, about five -- or would you prefer that I came after dinner?"

"Come whenever you want, Saburo-kun, you're entirely welcome in our home," the professor said easily, tightening his grip about his daughter's shoulders. "I may see you tomorrow, then."

Saffir bowed his head respectfully, still smiling. "Mochiron, kyouju."

The former prince then made to turn to leave, but the gentle voice of Hotaru stopped him dead in his tracks. "Saburo-san?"

He turned back, wondering why his heart sank with the movement. "Yes?"

"Say hello to your brother for me."

She then turned and disappeared inside, leaving her father staring after her, perplexed. "What -- ?" He looked back to Saffir, intent on asking him what Hotaru had meant, and got something of a shock. Saffir's face seemed to have lost all of its blood; all colour had drained from his features.

Concerned -- Saffir looked just like Hotaru before one of her episodes -- the professor moved to Saffir's side, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. "Saburo-kun? Do you need to lie down?"

Saffir jumped; the professor almost recoiled when he turned large, haunted eyes on him. Even though he was possessed by an evil entity, a good proportion of Tomoe Souichi was still human, and that look hit him hard. It was because this young man somehow reminded him of his own daughter...

"I'll be all right," he whispered softly. He then almost ran from the compound, leaving the professor staring after him. And wondering.