Side note, this would have come out a lot sooner if URF HADN'T BEEN ON THE PBE!?!?!?!?!
I was addicted :(
Doesn't matter though, here it is…
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The door slid open to reveal a delicious figure of a mature woman in her prime, sauntering in with a grin on her face like she was about to converse with an old friend from days long past.
Tsuki : “Hiiii Sara!! I heard that you needed to talk to me, whatever you need, just ask!”
The girl on the bed looked at the smile skeptically for a second, before breaking into a grin of her own. She moved over to clear some space on the bed for the new arrival, then patted the now open spot, inviting the new arrival to take it.
Tsuki walked over to it, then sat down with refined dignity, before turning towards Sara and waiting for an answer.
Sara : “Ya, I did… But first, we need to have a little chat…”
Tsuki’s smile faltered for a second, instantly regaining it’s serenity, as she fixed her posture on the bed to one more befitting of conversation.
Tsuki : “Whatever could this be about Sara?”
Sara : “I am uncomfortable at being spied upon Sara.”
Tsuki’s mind froze, her smile fading, replaced by an emotionless poker face. Her once cheery voice came out as a monotone, as her facade faded. She made a mental note to punish the person whom had taken the picture, for getting caught by the person they were supposed to be spying on.
Tsuki : “Whatever do you mean child?”
Sara gave a knowing smirk, but continued on anyway with the conversation.
Sara : “Ok? Now that that is over with. What we talk about in this room must not reach the ear’s of Vargo, until our actions of been completed.”
Tsuki snorted, but made no outward comment towards the command that Sara gave her.
Sara paused for a moment, waiting for a reply that wouldn’t come.
Sara : “You don’t have to sulk about it, just hear me out for a minute. I have something for you here…”
Sara leaned backwards, took a small sheet of paper from one of the bedside tables, and handed it to Tsuki before turning her entire body to face her, sitting down on the bed with both legs under her.
Tsuki : “And this is?”
Sara : “Someone very important…”
Tsuki’s eyes, which had remained locked on to Sara’s, finally broke their stare and glanced at what she had been handed. Depicted on the sheet of paper was a man. Unremarkable really, just a man in his 50’s, average looks average clothing. Seemingly unimportant…
Tsuki once more stared at her after drinking in the details of the picture for a few seconds. Her gaze was solid and clear, giving no insight into her feelings on the matter.
Sara gave a slight smile before continuing with her explanation.
Sara : “This person is the first in a chain of people who can lead us to the man who seduced Vargo’s whore of a lover.”
Tsuki’s gaze, although resolute and unwavering, still twitched upon the mention of “lover” and “whore” as a certain rage filled her eyesight.
*Whore of a lover? I already know where that person is… In the hallway fucking my husband…* (This is thought, not spoken, in case anyone was wondering)
Sara was oblivious to the events that had unfolded while she was getting the information, so she assumed that the hatred and rage in the gaze was directed towards the pair of people who had sent Vargo into depression, instead of Zu. So she continued onto the paper thin ice that seemed as solid as a tundra.
Sara : “This is the first of many, leading us back like a breadcrumb trail to the man who put Vargo in that prison and stole away his wi- ehem, lover. I was asked, by Vargo, to find him, and so I am asking you to locate him, so that I can find the next person, all the way down the line till we reach the end.”
Tsuki’s glazed over eyes had already been cleared up when she heard the words “put Vargo in that prison”, as the events of today ran through her mind. Her latent fury resurfaced at the prospects of finding the perpetrators, as she decided to put aside the treacherous actions of those around her until the man in question was reduced to a shriveled squealing mass of meat beneath her heels. How she reveled in the fantasy of locking him in a dark room in a hellhole, to be tortured endlessly till the end of time.
Tsuki’s eyes sharpened further, directing themselves to the man on the paper, know recognizing his importance, yet still unaware how it relates to the matter at hand. Her piercing gaze switched to Sara, inquiringly.
Sara : “The man we are looking for is one of a very very large group. He is remaining anonymous amongst the group as we speak, but as we… “narrow” the group down, he will become easier and easier to find. The members which I can pull out from the group are random, like the lottery, the one we are looking for could be the second one, or the last one and anywhere in the middle. I have no control over that. I also don’t have the ability to find more than one person at a time, for now. As the group gets smaller, I will be able to extract more from their virtual footprint. I am a bit rusty at this, having not done it in so long, but given time I can surely find him and his accomplices. When we do-”
Tsuki : “The maggots shall wish for death...”
Tsuki spoke melodramatically, almost without emotion, but seething within her lay a vortex of intense hatred and loathing.
Sara : “We… We shall kill them all Tsuki. I am happy to share the experience with you and yours, but I shall be there to witness how they suffer at your hands. I too am emotionally invested in this…
Tsuki glanced up from the picture, looking at Sara’s calm eyes. She saw no trickery, no falsehood, no anger, no burning hatred. Tsuki’s eyes saw none of these things, instead she saw a calm sociopath, looking to avenge transgressions against the one thing it holds dear.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The gaze that was directed at her from those calm eyes forced a shiver down her spine, making her realize that her actions and assumptions towards this little girl were incorrect. Nay, incorrect is an understatement. She had assumed the exact opposite of what was, saw black for white, darkness for light.
She was livid at herself, she had jumped to conclusions, acted in a way that was unbefitting of her position, even worse, she had questioned Vargo’s decisions. Her gaze fell once more on the picture of the man in her hand, as she clenched her fist tightly.
Sara : “No need to be so cautious Tsuki. I am an ally, I am loyal to Vargo and Vargo alone, none other shall control that which is rightfully his. I too, shall have my vengeance upon those who have harmed him.”
Tsuki looked up, meeting the resolute and calm eyes of the little girl before her. She could think of only one thing to say before this knowing girl. This marvelous young genius, so aware of the thoughts of those around her.
Tsuki : “Sara… I am sorry, I made assumptions about your character without evidence, I have disgraced my position and as such I sincerely apologize. This shall not happen again. Our words today, as per your wish, shall not leave this room until we find the man we are looking for. At that point in time, we, together, shall drag his hardly living carcass towards our lord so that he may see the culmination of our hard work.”
Sara nodded, her calm eyes showing a bit of glee, and a hint of pride, for whatever reason.
Sara : “You are a smart girl Tsuki. Don’t beat yourself up about your actions, those were actions of your instinctual programing. Be proud of your skepticism and caution. In my humble opinion, you are just perfect the way you are. I wouldn’t change a thing about you if I could… Together, nothing shall stop us…”
Tsuki’s spine shivered a bit at her words, sensing a deeper meaning, but her mind instantly snapped back on track, nodding towards the girl’s words, then turning around to leave the room.
Sara : “Goodbye Tsuki…”
As she was at the door, she turned around to say goodbye, but instead she saw a small smile upon the girl’s face. The grin was something parents gave to children who did something that they were supposed to without even asking. Tsuki’s words caught in her throat, as cold sweat broke out upon her back. She exited from the room without saying goodbye, as the image from that smile burned itself into her mind.
Once outside she took a deep breath, steadying her trembling hands. Her aid, Kaori was still waiting patiently. Tsuki turned towards her, handed her the picture then started walking towards Vargo’s room.
Tsuki : “Find that man, within 24 hours… And ready my jet, I am going to deal with this one personally…”
Kaori : “Y-yes Mistress…”
Kaori gave a humble nod, then hurried off in her high heels to do the task she was given.
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??? : “hmm-mmm”
A child opened its eyes to a strange room, different from the normal view it gets when it opens its eyes every morning. There was no light seeping in through the windows, indicating the time to still be night.
It was confused at this, not aware of why it wasn’t in its normal and comfortable bed. It couldn’t remember last night very well after the court trial. It’s parents had a fight and it was serious. It didn’t know much more then that, just that Mommy had sent Daddy away for a while, saying that he did something very very bad.
As its mind woke up from deep sleep, curiosity filled it, wondering where it was and how it got there.
It fought its body’s cries to stay asleep, as it opened its eyes further and scanned it’s new accommodations. The lights were dim throughout the house, but a narrow light beam could be seen through the door. Yellow light, not white light like normal.
The room, illuminated by the yellow light, was completely foreign to the girl, as she looked around, finding only a big suitcase in the corner by the door. The suitcase was hers, bright pink with flowers on it.
Outside the room, it could hear its Mother’s words as she spoke to someone else.
Mother : “I don’t care about that, tell me what happened to Edward. He isn’t picking up his phone. The whole city has gone dark for crying out loud!!!”
Her mother was talking into a cell phone, arguing with someone else loudly. She couldn’t make out what the person on the other side of the phone was saying, but it obviously wasn’t what her mom wanted to hear, as they were arguing very loudly.
She looked at the clock on the wall, rubbing her eyes to get a clear view of the time.
[1:27 AM]
She gave a groan at the early time, catching her mother’s attention. Her mother put the phone down after a grumbled “hold on”, then knelt down infront of her.
Mother : “Oh, did I wake you up Melody? I didn’t mean too, here, come give Mommy a hug…”
The girl walked up to her mother, giving her a hug. They held that for a few moments, just embracing each other in silence in the dead hours of the morning.
??? : “Found you, slut…”
Emerging from the corner of the room was a strange woman, with crimson skin and dark flames for hair, as if from a fairy tale story.
The woman was beautiful, and totally naked, her skin reflecting the dim light of the hallway. On that skin, it could be seen that she had faint glowing patterns, like circuits on a circuit board. In her slender arms she held a man they both knew well, and on her face was a crude cruel smile, as if she were a predator finally arriving at the tired and worn down prey, just waiting to be eaten.
??? : “I was wondering where you went… Turns out you made it easy on me, using a phone and all that…”