Nocturne [13/02 - Epilogue (END)]

[Yuuyami]

-DIBS-

[Saikami]

Yes, I am aware that I'm lazy with commenting, but I'm here.

-punts Yuuchan for taking my spot-

ANYWAY

I like this chapter, it'd make a cool movie >D Actually, this entire fic would be badass in movie form. But I like this chapter 'cause it's like a mystery. I've already chatted with you about my ideas on how Eri's father died, so I wont share them here

AI/ERI PERV! PLZKTHX

I find it funny how cute Eri is, it makes me just want to hug her, especially when she ignores her fiance. But I'm afraid Ai is gonna ditch her and make her emo =_=; I dun like emo characters...

...which leads me onto Gaki-san. I feel REALLY bad for her I thought it was really cute how Ai was there in the morning with the newspaper and OJ, but DAMN...I just want to slap the woman sometimes for putting Risa through all this. ;_; (But I still love Aichan more LMAO)

Write moar.

[ayase909]

i was supposed to sleep already when i decided to check the updates and tada!.........nyahaha

er,,,firstly, that hurts a lot, the tagaki scene,,,,i felt it, really. i know the feeling of biting my lower lip as to prevent my tears from pouring out......ehem!  ....poor gaki, i hope you'll find your shiawase soon......



eh???  eri's father....died already???  poor eri -chan! mission accomplished then! 
but.....will ai-chan leave her? abandoned her since she already got her mission completed???? but....but.....but.....but....but....but....but......but how about eri?????

[0508]

"Pouting doesn't work when I can't see you."

No Ai, you're wrong. This is KAMEI FUCKIN' ERI. Her pouts ALWAYS work over the phone. THEY WILL WORK EVEN IF YOU'VE HAD YOUR EYEBALLS REMOVED. There should be a 6th sense called "pout detection".

Ahh shit, I'm late for work!! Will actually comment properly later. I just had to make a point.

Don't worry, you'll have good company in hell. After all, I'll be there too.

Good company indeed! Then I'd tell my amazingly cold/lame jokes, cold enough to freeze hell over.

Ah, Risa Risa Risa, she should realize that it is time to move on with life. She had it spelled out to her, loud and clear. First step's the hardest, but once gets past that, she'll realize not everything has to be about Ai...and that she actually *gasp* can live without her. Be strong Risa, be strong kiddo.

The door clicked open, and Eri started, jerking her head upwards to look. Ai's hair was almost boyishly mussed, still wet from the shower and with parts of it sticking up in strange places. Ai was rubbing at her head with the towel, seeming completely at ease with her surroundings.

That must have been one adorable sight to witness.

"You'll have to be quiet." Ai warned, eyes burning dangerously. Eri swallowed nervously, but nodded anyway, closing her eyes submissively as Ai closed the remaining distance.

Their entwined fingers clenched together, digging deep into the sheets with growing force, almost ripping it but not quite. Sighs grew, almost in harmony with the background music, a peculiar concordance growing between that purr of pure pleasure with the stringed murmur.

PERV OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

Eri said nothing, only clinging to Ai next to her, her face completely unreadable, as if in shock. Her eyes though, were passively accepting, even as she continued to lean against Ai for support.

Seems like she aprroves, even if she won't admit it. Eri's probably a bit torn though, since she basically chose Ai over her father.
It's time to celebrate your freedom, Eri, withsomehotsecks. What's she gonna do now that she's out of her cage? Wonder if Ai will drop her here and disappear. Though I'm pretty sure if that happened Eri would give chase. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened, but then I DO hope that Eri did manage to somehow add a bit of warmth into Ai's cold heart. Perhaps the beast learned to love...a little? Or is it way too early? Maybe if Ai was threatened with something she could lose...something she cared about. But then, there isn't much she cares about to that extent...except for maybe Yuuka?

You actually scared me with the opening of that last scene. I thought she had killed Eri for a second. Man Ai, that rough in bed huh?

---

"Death confirmed. Cause of death appears to be cardiac arrest."

"Any suspicion of foul play?"

"Unconfirmed. We need post-mortem for confirmation."

Walking over to the side, he nodded apologetically to the mute girl who was staring blankly at the corpse of what was once her father lover.

"We will get to the bottom of Kamei-sama's death, don't you worry."

Little did they know, that Eri died the happiest person alive. By Ai's...hand.

[Fenrir]

Omg. This chapter was awesome. Ai-chan finally moves in for the kill!

Hmmm, after the breakfast encounter between Ai and Risa, I feel this is like a pull/push relationship, although its seems Ai finally tells Risa a more direct comment of there's no way of them being together is going to happen. Yet, Ai-chan seems to enjoy dangling a carrot in front of Risa. Oh, Ai, how evil you are. I suppose this reinforces Rokun's idea of Risa being a pet However, Ai does seem to care for Risa well being as she gets rid of the sleeping pills, but then again... can't have your pet dying on you. o.O I'm just using a bunch of contradiction words today.
All this talk of pets now reminds me of Kimi wa Pet.... Name only. I don't think the story fits Takagaki's relationship...

Anyways, maybe Ai is finally telling Risa to let go by telling her to grow up. Or is it Ai finally letting Risa go... or both? Hmmm.... >.> lol

Ai-chan finally moves in for the kill!! Otosuke is finally dead! Woot!  I mean, nooo! Poor Eri! >.> *cough*
Of course, now we are all curious on how Ai-chan did it. I'm guessing that there is something in the champagne that Kobayashi brought and when mixed with the pills that Otosuke took later, it caused a cardiac arrest. That's only because Kobayashi drank the champagne as well and unless he's dead too, I believe that it was the champagne and his pills. And is she perhaps framing Kobayashi for it? Hmm... *taps chin*

I love it when Ai-chan has her "I won" smirk and says, "Checkmate." 

[poets]

*stares blankly at screen while scratching back of head*

I've missed alot...huh? *smiles sheepishly* 

This is alot to take in considering my long ass absence from the forum so forgive my lacking post.

But this whole "ERI ARC" WAS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!! from how it start to the climax, the character development was fun and natural.. i loved it!

I promise you... this story should be made into an HBO mini series or something ! I read it and imagine it like episodes of a show ! It cannot be helped! I blame it one the way you let out details of the characters' past.

Anywho... im now looking forward to the next "file"... keep up the good work... or else ~.~

Yes, I am aware that I'm lazy with commenting...

AND READING!

Oh wait... that's just me ^^;;;; I've been lazy about both 


*punts yuuchan aswell for no real reason* =) yay for cyber bullying 

[strawb3rrykream]

^
OMFG Poe-chan!!!!!

I'm back now. Hmm, perhaps Gaki slept well b/c of certain "activities" she and Ai-chan partook in the night before? Just kidding but gah.... I don't know how to feel about the TakaGaki situation we have here. On one hand, I feel grateful towards Ai-chan for not leaving and making Gaki breakfast, as well as disposing of the pills which I just don't think were a good idea. (I know Gaki needs them though....) But on the other hand, I'm so pissed that Ai-chan is basically choosing to ignore what she knows Gaki is feeling and saying such harsh (but true) things. Even though this relationship is almost poison for Gaki's well-being, it seems that Ai-chan actually makes her better...if you get what I mean. I don't know how to explain it. It's just like losing Ai-chan as even just a friend will totally kill her. And I DEFINITELY don't want that. (You hear me, Estrea?! ) All in all, TakaGaki is TakaGaki, whether it involves fluff or angst.
  Family dinner. I can just picture Ai/Eri making subtle faces at each other while Papa Kamei and Kobayashi blab about business and stuff. I like how even Kobayashi notices Ai-chan's sexiness. Papa Kamei's invitation was a nice save for Eri. B/C I don't like this Kobayashi guy too much. He could have tried to make a move on Eri (I know they're engaged but still), but with Ai-chan's protection, he won't have a chance. Aiya, should have known the engagement was also a business deal. Hmm, so Eri's room doesn't have cameras, huh? All the easier for Ai/Eri.
Oh damn, Papa Kamei's dead?! I knew it was coming but I didn't think it would be this quick. I was starting to like the old man. But poor poor Eri. She loses her father and on top of that, part of the company is now hers. Can't say she had much time to plan or learn the ropes.
Keep it up, Estrea!

[lil_hamz]

OMG!!!!! I finally realized why Risa is still so hung on Ai even after all that she has done to her *sigh* I can almost understand her

However, I can't forgive Takahashi for treating poor Gaki-san's place like a cheap hotel room. Waltzing in and out whenever she feels like it. I mean wth, she didn't do anything nice to her during that visit. Unless you count the dumping of the pills.

And don't get me started on poor Eri~~~!! She's completely in love with the woman who killed her father. And she used her too. OMG...this is all to much for me *faints*

On a happier note, I'm all for turning this into a movie...no make it a drama. 11 episodes would be much longer than a 2-3 hr film no?? ALL HAIL ESSY THE MOVIE DIRECTOR cum script writer

[JFC]

File #19

It was the most restful sleep she had gotten in 3 weeks or more, if the loose feeling in her muscles and the lingering sensation of absolute contentment was any indication.

Is it because of Aichan's presence, isn't it?

And noted that the usual bottle of pills was no longer at its customary place.

Hmmm...going to be interesting to see Aichan's reaction to finding out about Risa's prescription. More importantly, will Risa tell her (or will she find out through other means) the reason WHY Risa has said prescription?

Turning again, she stepped into her kitchen. And stopped.

Froze. Halted. What have you.

Takahashi Ai very calmly turned the page of her newspaper, one hand reaching out and taking a sip of orange juice from a clear glass. A steaming plate of pancakes was just beyond her glass, with a loosely capped pot of jam next to it.

All in all, it looked absolutely normal. Except that it wasn't. Risa continued to gape, unable to come to terms with the fact that Ai was actually there.

"Morning. Breakfast?" Ai asked without looking up.

Now...this part of Aichan is actually starting to get a bit frustrating to deal with. She either has absolutely NO clue that she's causing so much angst/drama for Risa, or she simply doesn't care or think that it's that big of a deal.


Well, at least she thought enough to make Risa breakfast.

"By the way, I dumped the pills. Stop using them, it's not good for you." Ai reached over for another pancake

Gah, like I said, this seeming "indifference" of hers is starting to get to be a pain in the ass to deal with. Can't help but want to just shake her by the shoulders and yell "IT'S YOUR DAMN FAULT RISA HAS TO TAKE THEM TO BEGIN WITH!"   

"Who is it?" Risa asked, more to break the strange silence between them than out of any real curiosity. Ai was reading the text message even more intently than she had been scrutinising the newspaper. A hint of a smile curved her lips, though it was so brief that Risa thought that she might have been imagining it.

"My little sister." Ai said a bit tersely, even as she snapped the phone shut again.

Ah, Yuuka's accomplished the next phase of the plan, I take it?

"Take better care of yourself, Risa. I can't be there for you all the time."

"So you do care." The bitterness of her own response surprised Risa. Ai did not seem to turn a hair at the unspoken rebuke. In fact, her reply was most unruffled.

"We've been together for a long time, Risa." A pause. "Don't be catty, it doesn't suit you."

A deluge of angry remarks built up behind that emotional dam of hers, threatening to break through...but didn't. Risa simply sat there, unsure of whether she should burst into tears or throw a fit. Or both.

You know what, at this point, I can't really see that there'd be any harm done if she did both...or either.  Sometimes it almost seems like Aichan can't see/deal with other peoples' emotions unless she's trying to manipulate them for her won goals. If Aichan's clueless about what Risa's going through, then telling her straight out might actually open her eyes a bit.

Stepping past a still silent Risa, Ai stopped just as she passed the girl. Her voice was once again neutral, almost friendly in advice.

"Grow up, Risa. It doesn't get any better than this."

Ok, looks like maybe Aichan's not that clueless after all, which means that it's more likely that she just isn't concerning herself with it. If this is Aichan's way of telling Risa that she needs to move on and get over her, then she needs more practice at psychology and using tact. She's been trained all her life to control her emotions, practically to a point where she can show or hide them as easily as you or I could turn a faucet. Problem is, Aichan's the exception, not the rule. Most people in general can't stop that faucet completely that easily. Risa can't just "move on", not when she's felt this way for her for so long. 

Her eyes remained fixated on a random spot directly in front of her, which just happened to be the abandoned newspaper open on the Business pages.

Since when was Ai-chan ever interested in that?

Doing a little research into Otosuke's business empire, perhaps?

I don't want it to end like this...

Sorry Risa, but you might not have a choice here.

Otosuke, the host of the evening and master of the house, appeared almost regal at the head of the table, presiding over a minor court. With Ai on his left and Kobayashi on his right, he engaged both, as well as his daughter, with light conversation, the focus being mainly on his future son-in-law. His appearance was perfectly composed, though he did not touch his wine as much as he would have liked, as per his doctor's advice.

His doctor told him to cut back on wine? Hmmmmmmm...

Lightning flashed outside the windows even as the two men clinked their glasses together, sipping as thunder rumbled in anticipation of a downpour. Eri flicked a glance at the worsening weather.

"It's getting late, and it looks like rain..." She observed, looking back at her father. Otosuke lowered his glass, now half-empty.

"Perhaps our guests should stay the night. Would it be inconvenient for you, Keisuke?"

"Not at all. My chauffeur can come pick me up in the morning with a fresh change of clothes." Kobayashi glanced briefly at Eri next to him, his face and neck still flushed from the alcohol. Eri pointedly ignored him, directing her interest at her almost finished dessert.

Are we sure that it's the booze that's making Kobayashi flush like that? 

"Maybe I should leave then. It is getting rather late..." Ai spoke up quietly, laying her spoon down. Eri jerked upwards slightly, her own spoon clinking against the glass bowl.

"I want you to stay too." The request tumbled out of her lips, heedless of her audience. Eri continued to stare at Ai intently, the message in eyes clear.

Don't leave me alone with him.

Otosuke broke the moment with a light cough. His eyes steered to Ai after settling briefly on Kobayashi, reassuring the man while intimidating the woman.

"Of course, Takahashi-san is welcome to stay as well." His voice was neutral, betraying nothing of his personal feelings on the matter.

Otosuke a strict parent, but even he knows there are some things he shouldn't push too far, especially when someone like Aichan (who can push back just as hard) is involved.

Even as she was being hauled up the stairs, Ai half turned to face the open doors of the lounge, a self satisfied smirk on her face as she whispered.

"Checkmate."

Here we go. Only question is, what exactly is Aichan going to do, and who is her target?

"The proposed merger of our companies after the marriage will surely boost our operations, Kamei-san." Kobayashi said earnestly as he leaned foward on the lounge chair.

"I would prefer if certain branches remained independent though." Otosuke leaned back into his chair, studying the young man across from him.

"You understand that of course, my daughter will retain her shares in the corporation, regardless." The meaning behind his words could not be missed, not for someone like Kobayashi.

The younger man straightened a bit, but did not reveal his own reaction to that declaration. He was, after all, also an experienced businessman who knew when to hide his own feelings.

"I see." Kobayashi nodded, studying the older man. "I hope that I can meet your expectations, Kamei-san."

Looks like Kobayashi was expecting to gain 100% control over EVERYTHING after the merger. To now hear that Eri was to keep her own part of the empire, independant from what would be his control, seems to have caught Kobayashi off-guard a bit.

He was tempted to look in on the girls, but decided that not even someone like Takahashi would try anything at a time like this.

Eri's room though, was the one place without cameras. Otosuke did respect her privacy enough to leave that one area untouched. Although, of course, he still had listening devices in there. Anything to guarantee the safety of his precious daughter.

Listening devices? Is Otosuke sure that he can handle hearing what might be going on in there?

He entered his own room, closing and locking the door behind him, before heading towards the elaborate set-up off to one side, hidden by a screen. There he sat, and with practiced hands administered the medication his doctor had instructed, to keep his condition under control.

...

 Silently he sat, observing the monitors arrayed around him, deep in thought even as the drug pumped through his system, alleviating the heart block that had plagued him for some time.

Ah, so it's a heart condition that he has, eh?

*ERI'S ROOM*

Dayum.

"Death confirmed. Cause of death appears to be cardiac arrest."

Oh shit.

Looks like Otosuke's medicine might not have helped him as much as he needed it to.

"Any suspicion of foul play?"

"Unconfirmed. We need post-mortem for confirmation."

Detective Saehara looked around the large, severe-looking room, eyes falling on the uncorked bottle of champagne that lay on its side, cushioned by the impact of its fall by the carpeted surface. Its contents lay spilled in a mess on the rug that lay by the dead man's body.

"Take samples for analysis. We'll need to look into this closely." Saehara's face was grim. "Not everyday that an important person dies on us like this. Can't let any evidence pass if there really was foul play involved." He wiped at the beads of sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief, stepping away to allow his subordinates to collect the rest of the evidence.

Good move by the cop. With his heart condition, it's only prudent to take a look at other potential evidence to rule out any chance of foul play.  After all, it wouldn't have taken much to induce a heart attack in him and make it look like it happened naturally.

Eri said nothing, only clinging to Ai next to her, her face completely unreadable, as if in shock. Her eyes though, were passively accepting, even as she continued to lean against Ai for support.

Now then, when you said "her face completely unreadable, as if in shock", I saw 2 possible ways that it can be looked at. If it was a reference to Eri, then it's quite obvious. No one, after all, actually expects to wake up and find their father dead of a heart attack. IF, on the other hand, it was a reference to Aichan...then this would be the first instance of surprise that we've seen in her. It would be the first time here that something had happened that she had not accounted/planned for.  There are a lot more "IFs" that can be brought out into the story if it was indeed a reference to the latter.

[Sukoshi]

Ah...darn the way you end your chapters.  You always make me forget what I wanted to say about the first half

It was the most restful sleep she had gotten in 3 weeks or more, if the loose feeling in her muscles and the lingering sensation of absolute contentment was any indication.

I can't help but think this is from Ai chan's point of view.  Probably because it was my initial thought and because the next sentence has Risa flailing about in her sleep.

It's always interesting reading things from Risa's point of view.  I love how everything seems a little distorted. 

With the talk about the sleeping pills, I half wondered to myself if Ai chan would resort to replacing the pills with something else.  Why?  No idea but the thought did cross my mind. 

"Doing alright." She bit of a chunk and chewed, then swallowed. "Better than you, at any rate."

I can't believe her!  Yes, Risa, go slap her or shake her or something! 

After reading about Otosuke...I'm back to wondering if Ai chan swapped the pills or perhaps tampered with the champagne, since she did decline on it.  I hope we get a chapter on Otosuke's death...I don't want death from just poisoning...cause that's just too easy.  Well the champagne bottle on the carpet does give me hope though.  Perhaps of guns or swords  (yes, very unlikely since his body seemed perfectly intact to commoners but I'm sure they have crazy skills) or maybe of...bare hands and the champagne bottle   I guess I'll have to wait and see.

[Haruka]

Damn this is just like Killing myself xD

Ai-chan have no more mission ._.

mmmmmm...

Poor Eri T_T... Poor Risa T_T...

the hell!!!  This is spoil me xD

[kawaii beam]

  Oh...my...GOD!
my poor risa-chan! >.< half of me just wants to beat ai up, but the other half agrees with her! i want risa to "grow up" as you put it, but at the same time i want her to keep lovin' ai >.< aw man!
poor papa kamei! >.< eack poor eri!

[kRisZ]

Aww, TakaGaki's relationship's  kinda   Ai's trying to be a normal bff but Risa wanted more, kinda complicated. Risa should try her best not to push on something Ai can never give her because that would make Ai uncomfortable and lost her on the process, but then again how can you teach your heart not to beat the way it does  love is too complicated to comprehend sometimes... or maybe Ai's just hiding her true feeling for Risa... makes me think  Their relationship's mysterious and i love it 

"Morning." Pause. "Don't sound so excited this early in the day." Smirk. "Pouting doesn't work when I can't see you." Another pause. "Dinner? Alright. What time?" A half nod. "I'll be there. See you later." She snapped the phone shut.

If I was Risa, I'd steal the phone that instant and bang it on the wall, or maybe not 



A recollection of the 'thunderous night' would be awesome 

[XiaoAi]

checkmate..wow..

poor risa.. ..but somehow i have the feeling that ai love risa..but she doesn't want risa to know what bad things happen on her and change her to the current state..so using both hard and soft way..she wanna risa to put her down..she wan risa to be happy..
seem like if the truth is out..ai chan killing people..risa,kamei and sayumi will leave her all alone..


and now so so so wants to know what cause ai to change..i think it will be a bad incident and bad memory to her for her changes..and i htink e others will know it only when your story is finishing..
no matter what..still hope ai have a happy ending..

[ShikyoxYaiba]

OMG!!!! Frick, so much happened that my brain is numb (even more than that, since I just came out of a calculus review). Papa Kamei is dead... I lack...information...need...next chapter... *curls up in a ball* o-o

[Estrea]

I am back! Whoa I see that the events of the last chapter garnered some attention. Hehe.

Comment reply time~ And you know what that means by now. :3


Yuuyami: ...wtf.

Saikami: -punts Yuuchan with you too- Anyway! Yup I really imagined the whole story panning out like a movie. Damnit Sai, become a director so we can produce kickass movies together! Lol. You'll see how Eri copes with the situation soon enough. Hurhur. As for Gaki-san, well, she got the short end of the stick here so...too bad for her. Lol. Don't we all love Aichan no matter what she does?

ayase909: How about Eri indeed. Hehe. You'll see here, this chapter really concludes the Eri arc...sort of.

rev2hd: As usual, you make me laugh. Pout detection FTW! Why does everyone keep demanding perv, hmm... Love in Ai's cold heart? HMMM. I wonder. Btw that last part cracked me up. If I end up writing an omake it will entirely be YOUR FAULT. Feel ashamed (or proud?) of yourself!

Fenrir: Hehe Ai's attitude towards Risa really is rather ambivalent, isn't it? A pet? That's a nice description. Pretty accurate too. Lol. Ah, the TakaGaki in this story makes my inner author happy because of the tangled relations between them. I adore complication. The modus operandi regarding Otosuke's death will be revealed in the coming chapter. Hehe. You'll see what happens.

poets: THERE YOU ARE. *huggles* Don't disappear so much. D: I'm glad you like the Eri arc though. Hope it doesn't disappoint you.

Ichigo-chan: Aww you and your loyalty to the TakaGaki pairing. Too bad my heart is made of stone~ Yeah I don't like Kobayashi too much, but still...*cough* You'll see what happens to him. I was liking Otosuke too, but he had to die. Oh well. Lol. Thanks for the continued support!

lil_hamz: I wish to correct your assertion that Ai did nothing nice to Gaki during the visit. She did make breakfast for her. *fans Hammy* Are you ok? Don't faint on me! Lol. Turning Nocturne into a drama...if only we could get the girls to act in it......

JFC: I would reply more coherently to all the points you've made, but my brain is on the verge of shutdown...and there's still so many comments to go. Lol. About the last bit, it was in reference to Eri. If you want something interesting to see about Aichan, it's in this coming chapter instead. You'll see. I won't spoil you any further~

Sukoshi: Yeah Risa's point of view in this story is really, well, warped. It reflects the instability of her mental and emotional state. Which goes to show that we shouldn't trust the narrator implicitly since everything is colored by their own perceptions. What is true and what is not? Who knows? Someone finally notices the champagne bottle...lol. I hope I won't disappoint you with the actual modus operandi though...well, you'll have to judge for yourself about that.

Haruka: Yup Ai-chan's mission is technically over. Whatever will she do next~ I have plans. The story isn't over yet~

kawaii beam: Yeah it's hard to decide whether to let Risa continue loving Ai in her deluded way, or just move on and grow up. Especially if you're a TakaGaki fan. Hehe. Yeah poor Papa Kamei...he just had to die...

kRisZ: Amazing how you can still hold some hope that Ai actually does love Risa. Ah, optimism. Yeah, complicated relationships are always fun. Another perv request? ...hmm, I'll think about it.

XiaoAi: I wonder if Ai's double life will truly alienate her...I don't think Risa would ditch her even after finding out. She's in too deep. Sayu though, I wonder? And Eri's an unknown factor in this case. Ai? Happy ending? Hmm. How to give her a happy ending that doesn't have random pairing fans trying to kill me......

SxY: Aww poor you. *pats and gives cookie* Calculus is evil. *nods* Next chapter coming up!


Alright, that has been a lot of comments to reply too, but keep them coming people! I love seeing comments, it's very motivating...and it gives me a lot of opportunity to at people. Hehe. >D

[Yuuyami]

-RUNS TO WEDGE-

-Falls face flat in it- '_'

[Estrea]

File #20


"Oneesama! Takeda-niisama was very pleased with the results...Oneesama, are you listening?"

Yuuka trotted over to where Ai was staring off into space, waving one hand in front of her sister while her other hand clutched a cellphone. Ai blinked and focused briefly back on the little one, who looked concerned.

"Ai-oneesama...you've been awfully distracted for a while. Is something bothering you?" Yuuka took the initiative and sat down next to Ai on the single bed. They had moved their base of operations some time before the whole incident had reached its inevitable conclusion. The seedy little motel probably didn't have the best reputation or environment, but it did come in handy when one was seeking anonymity. No questions asked, no records left, and no attention given unless one caused trouble. A useful hideout, all things considered.

Ai continued to sit in a contemplative sort of silence for a few more moments, having returned her attention to the far wall she had been staring at previously, with Yuuka fidgeting a bit anxiously next to her. It was times like this when Yuuka truly felt the distance between her and her beloved big sister. The inability to guess what the older woman was thinking and feeling left the little girl more than a little edgy.

"Did something happen?" Yuuka asked a bit more cautiously now, peering around nervously. In a smaller voice, she added.

"Did I do something wrong?"

The uncertain tone seemed to draw Ai back out of her reverie, for she turned fully this time to regard her little sister with a smile tinged with something a lot like parental pride.

"No, you did everything perfectly. It's not about you." Ai assured her, patting Yuuka on the head fondly. Abruptly standing up, Ai paced around the spartan area, coming to a halt by the meager little window that was only feebly shuttered, allowing for a limited view of the dark street outside.

"Did something else happen outside of Oneesama's plans...?" Yuuka deduced intuitively, watching the impassive back of her sister intently. Ai pulled away from the window.

"Everything went as planned."

Yuuka cocked her head curiously. "But Oneesama still isn't satisfied about something."

Ai started ticking off her fingers as she walked slowly back towards the bed.

"The files, the medical condition, the dinner." She closed her hand into a fist, then opened it again, palm up. Yuuka nodded, picking up where Ai left off.

"I switched the critical files some time ago, while Oneesama was the distraction." Yuuka raised another finger. "We already had the target's medical records before we even started, so it was a matter of engineering a situation from which the target could not escape."

Ai nodded, continuing. "The dinner was...convenient. You did an excellent job in staging the scene afterwards, Yuukarin."

Yuuka flushed at the praise, beaming widely up at her sister. Ai smiled vaguely again, brows knitted together in thought as she started pacing once more.

"The catalyst will be found in the bottle, because you left it there..."

Yuuka grinned just a little deviously. "But the key was in the IV drip...or rather, the needle."

Ai's lip twisted into a mocking little smile. "I'll have to thank Mitsui for that little suggestion. A biological toxin that dissolves almost instantly into the bloodstream and leaves no traces on an ordinary toxin test." She smirked. "Not that anyone would suspect that he died of that sort of poison, since it works too slowly and isn't as effective as other poisons."

"And the irony was that his medication was what really killed him in the end..." Yuuka added.

Ai looked slightly smug about that. "Botulism takes too long to take effect, with too many obvious symptoms which would alert the victim, but the atropine he uses for his heart condition speeds up the process significantly." Ai tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It helps that the relatively long incubation period of wound botulism as opposed to its food-borne counterpart definitely meshes with the staged situation we were aiming for."

"Oneesama is a genius." Yuuka concluded proudly, beaming at her sister. Ai shook her head, once more returning to her contemplative mood. Yuuka frowned.

"So if everything went as Oneesama expected, then what are you bothered about?" Yuuka blinked, then asked in a smaller voice. "Could it be that you didn't get to...you know...with..."

Ai chuckled out loud at the embarrassed expression on her little sister's face, reaching over to pat the young one on the head. Yuuka looked down at her toes, awkward.

"Don't worry, I did get what I want...and I made sure the old guy heard the good parts before his heart gave out." Ai smirked. "His pure, precious little daughter moaning and begging for more...that might still have given him a heart attack even if the toxin hadn't worked."

Yuuka blushed at the implications, quickly changing the subject to avoid any more detailed reminiscing about that night. "Then, what bothers you is..."

Ai tapped the side of her forehead. "Instinct."

Yuuka stared uncomprehendingly at her. "What?"

Settling down on a little stool, Ai crossed her arms pensively. Yuuka waited patiently for an answer. Finally, Ai replied.

"When you've been in the business long enough, you get...hunches." Ai struggled for a moment to convey her meaning. "It's like a little feeling that you get, that something isn't quite right."

"Oh." Yuuka didn't really know what to say to that. Ai smiled grimly, staring at a spot in the floor as she started tapping her foot restlessly.

"I'll figure it out." Hands clenched into fists, in a symbol for determination. "Definitely."

Because I really hate being led around by the nose.

~*~*~

"I am truly sorry for your loss. Your father was a great man." Another face in the endless procession that had come before him, cut from the same cloth, their faces a patchwork of careworn years and grim experience. Men much like her father had been; friends, colleagues, comrades. All there to pay their final respects to someone who had been both feared and respected in life.

Kamei Eri, age 19, her youth obscured by the sober black outfit she wore, only nodded and repeated the lines expected of her as a filial daughter. Her face felt strained by the expression she felt compelled to wear, her nerves strung by the oddly tense atmosphere surrounding the funeral.

She was gifted with an all too welcome break from the monotony when a familiar arm whisked her away, retreating from public view if only briefly to an isolated corner. Eri did not fight it, only contentedly snuggling up into the arms that now loosely encircled her.

"I'm so tired, Ai-chan..." Eri mumbled, massaging her temples wearily. "There's so much ahead of me, so many things I have to settle..."

"Hush, I know..." Ai laid a tender kiss on the younger girl's cheek, then another further down, near her collarbone. The shiver that ran through Eri's body at the latter brought a smile to Ai's lips.

"We're in public..." Eri protested weakly, though she didn't try to move away at all. Ai blew lightly into the younger's ear, making Eri tremble lightly in her embrace.

"You're too stressed..." Ai's voice was a husky murmur, and Eri turned around, her eyes reflecting the desires of her body. The two girls backed further into the dark corner.

"Not now..." Eri broke off as her lover deliberately nibbled at her earlobe, Ai's hands already breaking the bounds of propriety. Fortunately, or would that be unfortunately, the sound of approaching footsteps quickly curbed Ai's actions, the two girls separating into a more friendly and neutral position next to each other, though Eri's face still carried faint traces of a blush.

"Ah, Kamei-sama, there you are! We need you to speak with the guests..." The obsequious young man bowed as he delivered the message, not daring to look directly at the young successor to the Kamei name.

"I understand. I'll be right along." Eri reverted to the stiffly correct pose required of her in an instant, though her fingers were still interlaced with Ai's. Half turning around, she smiled a bit wanly at the shorter Ai, leaning close to quickly land a friendly peck on the older girl's cheek. Their eyes met briefly, dark on dark, and Ai stiffened suddenly as Eri let go of her hand, turning to throw a dismissive glance at her follower as she headed out to the crowd.

Ai watched as Eri mingled easily into the waiting crowd; jackals, every last one of them, truth to be told. Yet she felt no trepidation about that, her gaze solely focused on that newly released fledgling, completely at ease in a den of wolves as if she had been born to it.

At last, everything fell into place, and a chill settled over Ai, her jaw clenching with suppressed frustration. Vaguely, she felt like she had been cheated somehow.

Her hand twitched as she eased it back to her side, fingers closing into a trembling fist. Letting out a quick breath, she closed her eyes briefly, then turned and exited as silently as she had come.

Her hand did not stop shaking until she was some miles away, absolutely alone on a wandering road leading away from the grounds. Slowing down, Ai exhaled sharply, tension still running through her muscles. Grimly, she thought back of Otosuke and his Go board, the game undecided still.

Looks like you knew exactly what you were doing, old man. Head bowed, Ai hit the dashboard with one tightly clenched fist.

"Damn it."

~*~*~

"On other news, the successor of Kobayashi Industries was just arrested early this morning on suspicion of involvement in the murder of respected ex-government agent, Kamei Otosuke..."

The phone rang, breaking off her concentration on the tiny television screen perched on top of an equally tiny dresser. One Michishige Sayumi frowned as she put down the nail polish, careful not to disfigure the still wet nails as she gingerly picked up her phone.

"Hello, who is...oh, it's you." Some surprise, mixed in with a slightly flat note. Sayumi would have been more pleased with the identity of the caller had it not been for the fact that she had quite a few bones to pick with the other woman.

"Now?" An incredulous note, followed by a glance out of the window. It was already almost full dark outside, not to mention the heavy smell of approaching rain in the air.

"But I'm still doing my nails..." Some feeble protests later, Sayumi hung up in a huff, pouting.

"To hell with my nails she says...the nerve of her..." The college girl muttered to herself even as she reluctantly put her things away, ignoring the ongoing news broadcast as she started getting ready to go out.

"...the daughter of the late Kamei-sama will assume full control of the corporation her father has left behind. Addressing the press, she states that she would not dishonor the joint legacy of both her deceased parents. Kamei Corp, formerly known as Hikusei Inc, was founded by the wife of the late Kamei Otosuke...

"Bag...bag...ah, there it is." Sayumi scrambled around trying to pull everything together in a hurry. Ai did not like to be kept waiting, and Sayumi didn't feel like pissing the woman off. There had been something atypically edgy about Ai's voice on the phone earlier, and Sayu rightly felt that she really shouldn't provoke the woman any more than absolutely necessary.

"Heels, mirror..." She got ready in what was probably record time for her. The things Ai demanded of her... Sayumi sighed as she made a grab for her keys on her dressing table.

"...Japan waits eagerly to see how a young girl will run a mega-corporation that is one of the engines to her economy. And on other financial news...

The television blinked off. Sayumi looked around her room speculatively, hands on her hips.

"Yosh, I'm ready." She headed to the exit, turning off the lights on her way out.

And the door closed behind her.


====================================================================


There. How was it? Hehe.

The difference between the incubation period of the different transmission methods of botulism toxin is as such: wound botulism takes anywhere from 7-14 days to take effect, longer sometimes. Food-borne botulism can take effect within 24 hours. Atropine speeds up the process either way. I researched. Hehe.

Anyway, hope you guys had fun reading this~ *ninja pops away*

[Yuuyami]

-Dibs-

I swear I'll comment this time! O_O

And so I shall~

Seeing the aftermath of the Eri arc is interesting... Like Ai, I also felt like something was off, and with the way you wrote the chapter, you seem to be subtly hinting at something, yet it's not there no matter how hard I look... o_O

It's a bit creepy, Essy.... >_>; <_<;

Maybe as readers following Ai's story, we've slowly developed Ai's hunches too? '_'...

Though, the poison thing was genius xDDD Gotta heart that. Though I was surprised to find that Eri was readily accepting the Kamei empire... OH GAHH, remember those star wars turtle jokes back in AA?! The turtle strikes back '_'... But yes, it's weird to see her toughen up so quick. You'd think that she'd have a fragile pushover personality where she'd be freaking out 'cause her father died and now she has responsibility over the empire...But nope, she accepts it no sweat? That's a bit suspicious~ '_'....

Anywho, now that we see Ai and Sayu meeting up again, let's see what happens~! Seeing that Sayu wanted to scold Ai for being rawr to poor Gaki-san o___o... Conflict~

[Fenrir]

Whee!! What an awesome morning. More updates!

I feel like Sherlock Holmes. The champagne, the medication, the arrest of Kobayashi. A well thought out plan indeed. And Mitsui! I'm guessing she's like the scientist/techie person that helps her out with more complicated medical stuff?

And there seems to be a more darker, complicated plot to all of this now that Ai's spider sense is tingling. While I don't think Ai has fallen in love with Eri, it wouldn't be Ai if she did , is it because Eri has become the head of the company and with the ease she moved into that corporate world? It was exactly what Otosuke hoped for. For Eri to basically take control of the entire company and leave Kobayashi in the dust? And basically become what Otosuke was? Hmm.....or maybe it's just Ai can't have her way with Eri as often as she likes now.

Ah, I wonder if Sayu will give Ai a piece of her mind.

Edit: Just thought of this, but did Otosuke basically use Ai to set Eri up?!!!! Omg, that would be an awesome plot twist.