Akane woke up in the middle of the night, the unfamiliar bed keeping her from sleeping soundly. She stared up into the darkness, listening to Kuno's breathing. She figured it was Alexander's little joke to put them in the same room, albeit with two beds. It perfectly capped her day.
She rolled to her side, making out vague shapes in the blackness. About the only thing that got her to sleep at all were her pajamas. Ranma had told her they were silly and pointless when she packed them, but she had insisted.
She rolled to her other side, Kuno's bed a light blur. She was tired but just couldn't manage to get back to sleep. She tried to relax and let her eyes close on their own, but the strange environment was too unsettling. She tried to let sleep take her.
He was standing in front of the monster again. It was more hideous and grotesque than before. It seemed everyone he knew was standing behind it, captured by its power.
He made to raise his sword only to find he was empty-handed. His doubt surfaced and he took a step back. How could he fight without his weapon? There were so many of them... How could he fight them all?
"You stupid jerk! Just how big of an idiot are you?" Akane yelled. She was standing next to him, screaming in his ear. "How could you let this happen? You look at my family!" Her voice grew in pitch. "Can't you ever do anything right?"
"Take your time, Kuno-chan." Nabiki drifted out of the crowd, her face mutated, her eyes yellow. "My family doesn't really need your help. We're all fine."
He took another step back, Akane still screaming, the creature wailing, Nabiki smiling with pointed teeth, his sister laughing and holding a bloody hoop. He stepped back and tripped over something.
"You're such a loser! Why don't you just die?" Akane shoved him and he dropped to one knee.
He started to stand when there was a hand on his elbow. He looked up at the person and found himself breathless. A girl with shimmering black hair pulled into a pony-tail and a glaring third eye stood over him. She was wearing exactly the same thing as Akane and looked at him warmly.
All outside noise stopped and it was only her the he could hear. "Let's see what you're made of," she said and jerked him to his feet.
"What?"
She laughed, a sound he recognized. "Such a fool... I find you very interesting. I want to see how you act when confronted by your deepest, darkest memories. It will say a lot about you."
"But I don't want to..."
"Remember? It will all be as a dream in the morning."
She stepped back and gave him room. That was when his father stepped out of the swirling mist. He never noticed the creature or any of the people disappear, though Akane was still there, yelling at him.
"Aloha, boy. Don't you think it's about that time?" His smile widened and he waved his shears.
Kuno cursed and wished for his weapon so that he might finish off his father once and for all. He retreated, taking one step back for every one forward his father took. He looked over at Kamiko, who looked back and gave no indication that she would help him.
He looked back at his father, more frightened than anything. He lost his aggressive posture, feeling like he was 7 years old again. He was ready to turn and run when he backed into someone. He spun and suddenly found himself in his house and confronted by...
"Mother?" His eyes widened.
"Tatchi, I told you what would happen if you tried to run away again." Her hand dropped to his shoulder and gripped it tightly. "I'll have to punish you now." She started to drag him down the hall, towards his father.
"I didn't do anything wrong!" He struggled, but her grip was like a vice. "Please don't do this to me!" he begged.
"Shut up, Tatchi. You're setting a bad example for your sister." She pulled him past his father, who was in a business suit.
"Father, help me," he pleaded. "Tell her it's not my fault." He reached his hand out only to have his father knock it away.
"I wasted 14 years on you Tatewaki. Look at yourself. Crying like a girl. You're not my son." He turned his back.
"See that, Tatchi? Your father doesn't love you because you're so weak. I don't know why I care at all for you. I suppose a mother has to feel something for her children..." She slid open a black door and threw him in the room behind it.
He fell to the floor, the swinging naked bulb casting crazy shadows on the walls. He stood up as his mother slammed the door and approached him. "Mother, you can't..."
She slapped him, cutting off his sentence. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" She slapped him again for good measure. She grabbed one shoulder and spun him around to face the wall. "Take it like a man, Tatchi," his mother commanded. And then she hit him.
He cried out, the pain flaring in his back. He could see her silhouette on the wall in front of him, her body poised to swing again. He could see the shadow of the long shaft in her hands; most likely the shinnai she liked to use. She looked like a major league baseball player ready to hit one out of the park. The shadow swung.
He cried out again as the shinnai hit him in the side. "Mother! Please don't!" He was hit again across the back of his thigh. "Don't hit me any more!"
The shinnai made a whistling noise as it flew through the air and struck him right in the base of his spine. "How'd you like that, Tatchi?" his mother asked gleefully as he collapsed to the floor.
He tried to crawl away from his mother's wrath, but the shinnai found him over and over. His cries had turned into wails, punctuated by calls to his father and sister.
"Quiet, Tatchi." She pulled him to his feet. "You want your daddy?" she asked condescendingly. "Well, there he is. Run to him." A panel slid back revealing his father sitting in a folding chair in the middle of a black room. The elder Kuno looked at his son with disgust before the panel closed.
"Or your sister? You think Kodachi can help you? That little bitch is just as worthless as you are!" She turned him around so he could see his sister standing in the corner, crying.
"Ko... Kodachi."
She looked at him silently, the tears pouring down her face.
"Go on," his mother urged. "Talk to her." She got behind him and shoved him towards Kodachi.
He extended his hand, reaching for his sister. He took one step before the shinnai hit him in the back of the knee.
Akane opened her eyes to Kuno's restless form. He was groaning and rolling back and forth, kicking his legs and thrashing about. She sat up a little, her eyes puffy. She hadn't had any bad dreams, surprising under the circumstances, but Kuno apparently wasn't so lucky.
Kuno groaned loudly and mumbled something. He rolled over to face Akane, then kicked at the blankets. "Muh..."
Akane sat up fully and turned on the small bedside light. She squinted as she got used to the light, then she looked over at Kuno. He was clutching his pillow tightly and had his face pressed into the mattress.
"Kuno-sempai?" Akane said quietly.
He moved his head so his face was towards her. She could see he had a look of anguish on it. "Muh..."
"Kuno-sempai?" she asked a bit more loudly.
"Mother."
Akane frowned. She briefly considered getting out of bed and waking him up, but decided against it. "Kuno-sempai," she said in her regular voice.
"Do... Don't hit me," he said in a soft but plaintive voice. "Please don't, Mother..."
Akane found she couldn't move from under the covers. It was too horrible to even think that...
"Help me, Kodachi." Kuno released the pillow and reached out with his hand to Akane. "Please, Kodachi." His fingers opened and closed, trying to get a hold of something, anything. "Don't let her hurt me anymore."
Kodachi was just standing there, she wouldn't help him. He reached for her; she was a scant 12 inches away. He strained, stretched farther even as he was hit across the shoulder blades.
Kodachi slowly shook her head and shrunk away from him. She was still crying, but refused to save him.
He doubled his effort, trying to grab her, his arm quivering with the effort. "Please help me." He wanted to cry as the shinnai hit him on the arm and ribs.
"Tatchi, I can't let you behave like this. It's disrespectful. Now hold still so I can finish this."
Kuno felt his mother's foot in the small of his back, pushing him down to the floor. He knew what was to come. He closed his eyes, his hand still out. "Please, Kodachi... Please."
He heard the whooshing of the shinnai and waited to feel it crash down over his head and neck. Instead, there was a warm hand in his and he was pulled into his sister's arms.
He put his arms around her and held her close to him. He choked back a sob of relief. "Thank you," he said with his face pressed into his sister's shoulder.
She rubbed his back. "It's OK. She can't hurt you anymore." There was something different about his sister's voice. It was softer, more gentle. "Why? Why does she do it?"
"I don't know."
"Why doesn't..."
"...father love us any more?"
Akane swallowed hard, tears threatening to fall. "I... I don't know, Tatewaki."
He was silent after that and Akane assumed he had gone back to sleep. After a few minutes, his hold on her loosened and she slipped out of his bed. She got back under her own covers and pulled them up around her neck. She had a very hard time getting back to sleep.
"Who are they?"
"Just some kids. They were asking about the ningen."
"What? And you waited until just now to tell me this?"
"But they're just children. What could they possibly do? The girl is as frightened as a kitten."
One slender hand lashed out and struck his cheek. "You fool! Are you blind? It is HER!" the pale woman hissed. She glared at Alexander.
"You mean she's a..."
"She is the sanjiyan! And that boy must be her wu, no doubt." The woman looked thoughtful while Alexander looked nervous. "Hmm. I suppose it does not matter. They suspect nothing, they will find nothing." Her eyes glowed red as she bared her teeth. "Make sure they find nothing."
"Of course. How stup..."
"Don't test me. Any mistakes and you will find yourself not as healthy as you are now." She faded out of existence, leaving Alexander alone in the darkness.
"Bitch," he said under his breath.
Akane woke up feeling refreshed. She looked over at Kuno's bed to see that he was not in it. She got up and glanced around the room. The shades were open, letting sunlight stream in; her things were still stacked neatly next to the bed, as were Kuno's. There were three blooming roses in a vase on her bedside table.
She went into the connected bathroom and showered quickly, dressing in her favorite yellow dress. She wasn't sure what time it was, but her stomach was telling her it was time to eat.
There was a knock on the bedroom door as she was brushing her hair. "Come in."
The door opened and Kuno came in, carrying a tray. "Akane, here is some breakfast prepared for you." He set the tray down on the little table by the windows and watched her brush her hair.
"Thanks," she said, keeping her back to him. Even though her hair was short, she spent considerable time brushing it, making it shine. Once finished, she put her ribbon in it and tied a bow. She ran her fingers through the back, evening it out and smoothing it down.
"So what's..." She turned around to find Kuno staring at her, his eyes a little star struck. She stepped back, afraid he might charge her, but she relaxed when he got his most rational look on. Akane cleared her throat. "So what's for breakfast?" She walked over to the table to see what was on the tray.
"I am not sure. I did not recognize all of it, but it was a feast fit for a king... or queen."
Akane saw some fruit, a bowl of dry cereal, some juice and milk, and a bowl of... stuff she couldn't identify. "You're sure this is OK?" It was scary looking to say the least.
"Yes. I was quite surprised at how pleasing it was." In truth, he hadn't even been able to taste it as he ate. He had still been consumed by the feeling of dread his dream had left him with. It couldn't have been too bad, though. He hadn't thrown up.
Akane lifted the spoon and scooped up a bit of the mysterious food. She looked closely at it before lifting it to her mouth. She paused briefly, the spoon hovering at her open mouth. She took one deep breath and tasted the mysterious substance.
"Hey, this isn't bad," she said, her eyes widening in surprise. It was hard to describe, sort of fruity and spicy and most definitely foreign. She continued to finish off the bowl without hesitation.
Kuno sat on his bed, frowning to himself. The dream he had, combined with his distrust of Alexander set him on edge. He couldn't say he was in a very good mood, even after the delicious breakfast. He watched Akane eat, her appetite assuring him that she was fine, and tried to shake his feeling of discontent.
When he had gone to see about breakfast, before Akane was awake, he had found Alexander in the kitchen. He had found himself very much wanting to like his host, but his instincts weren't allowing it. In the end, he had remained polite but distant and had eaten in silence.
Akane was sipping some juice when she looked at her bedside table and the three roses. "Wasn't it nice of Alexander to bring those flowers?"
Definitely she was too trusting for her own good. She didn't even realize that what she asked meant Alexander was in the room, at her bedside, while she was asleep.
Kuno did and frowned. He didn't bother to correct the fact that he had gotten the roses, but he didn't like how friendly she seemed, if not with, then about Alexander. "I think it best that we remain as guests and not friends of Mr. Leung. I find it very difficult to trust him."
Akane rolled her eyes and started on the cereal. "You're just too paranoid, Kuno-sempai. There's nothing wrong with Alexander."
"You may feel that way, but I do not. If we were not here for a very important reason, I would insist we leave immediately." He looked sternly at her, trying to be upset with her nonchalant attitude. He couldn't though, couldn't find it within himself even when their lives depended on it.
Akane made a little tsking sound. "Please, sempai. What's to be worried about? He doesn't have the statue; it was stolen."
"Possibly, but I find it difficult to put my trust in him."
"What? You think he stole it from himself?" Akane set down her spoon. "Why would he do something like that if he already owned it?"
"I do not know, but I think it would be best if we left here as soon as possible after finishing our inquiry."
"That's fine. I just don't know why you're getting so worked up over it." Akane finished the cereal while Kuno inspected his katana.
He could tell there was most definitely something wrong.
"They're too close, even if they don't know anything. Call her, tell her."
The servant bowed and left the room.
Alexander sat in his chair and started to get very worried. It was bad enough that he hadn't realized who the girl was, but now the boy was getting far too suspicious. The boy was smarter than he first appeared... Something would have to be done about him.
"We really appreciate your hospitality," Akane said gratefully. "But if there's nothing more you can tell us about the statue, then we'll just be on our way." She bowed deeply.
Alexander put on his best smile. "I'm so sorry I couldn't help more. I know you were very interested."
"Yes, but we can't impose on you any longer. We should continue on our way." Akane was so disappointed that they knew nothing new about the statue. They had been so close... Well, not that close, but closer than they were in Japan.
"Of course. You must have many things to do. And forgive me for not being of more assistance." Alexander took her hand lightly in his.
Akane blushed a bit and pulled her hand away. "Yes... Well, I'll go get my friend and then we can get going." She turned and headed back to her room.
She expected to find Kuno there, packing things up, but he was nowhere to be found. "Kuno-sempai?" Akane looked between the beds and found their bags packed and waiting to go. "Ku..."
Akane's body stiffened as a hand was put over her mouth. She struggled a little as the arm encircled her. She was about to go all out when he spoke in her ear. "Please do not make any sound. I have something to show you." He released her.
She spun around, her face a study in anger. She was about to start yelling when he spoke softly again. "Please. I believe I have located the statue."
The anger faded and was replaced by surprise. "Here?" she asked.
Kuno nodded. "I will show you, but you must be quiet. I don't believe they wish us to find out."
Akane nodded, recalling how Alexander had apparently lied to her. She followed Kuno as he left the room.
Up a flight of stairs, down a musty hall to a dingy door. It resembled none of the cleanliness and beauty that was evident downstairs. Kuno pointed at the door without speaking; he had gotten a glimpse of a very comely statue through the keyhole.
He reached down, holding his sword at the ready, and slowly turned the knob. He pushed the door open, his body tensed for action. He could hear Akane breathing behind him, almost feel her heart beat.
Making a slight creaking noise, the door opened to reveal a dark and dusty room. Sitting on a table, under a spotlight no less, was the statue Akane had acquainted herself with closely.
"The ningen!" she said excitedly.