Legend: "(...)" French dialogue. ------ She began to fidget uncomfortably with her hands, looking first one way and then another in an attempt to avoid the angry eyes in front of her. It was a dumb plan, a stupid plan, but she found she couldn't say no to the woman she loved. And now, she found herself in the small living room, sitting across from the irate woman scowling at her. She was being made to feel like an intruder, an interloper, and it was finally getting to her. At last, she met those eyes. "Look, it wasn't my idea to come here. I knew this would happen." she said defensively. Nenene Sumiregawa said nothing in reply as she silently continued to glare hatefully at the woman who stole Yomiko Readaman away from her. "Look, I know what you two once had." Nancy continued, "I tried to tell her this wouldn't work. Give me the word, and we'll leave." Nenene could feel the waves of hate washing over her for the woman in front of her, for the woman who took her sensei, her beloved muse away. Yomiko showed up on her doorstep two days ago, saying she and Nancy were in trouble and needed a place to hide. She wanted to say no, to slam the door in both their faces. She looked into Yomiko's eyes, full of fear and regret, and felt her heart break a second time. She let them both in, knowing the whole time she'd regret it. The sounds of someone humming Beethoven's Ode to Joy in another room of the author's house could suddenly be heard. Nenene let out a sigh as she felt her eyes begin to water up. "I won't... I can't do that, and you know it." she said bitterly as she wiped at her eyes, "If sensei's in danger, I... Tell me at least what's happening." Nancy took a deep breath, "I wish I could, but the less you know, the safer you'll be. You've already endangered yourself more than you realize by giving us sanctuary, which was another reason I was reluctant to come here." "Humph, don't worry about doing me any favors." Nenene replied. She then remembered something Yomiko had mentioned to her in passing. "I understand you and sensei got to meet the famed Knight Sabers." she mentioned in a half-hearted attempt at conversation. Nancy smiled involuntarily. "The Knight Sabers." she said fondly, "I wonder what they're up to right now." ------ The five determined women exited via the secret passage in the library in the back room, with Michiru in the lead. It was her job to get help, and she was trying to remember the directions Priss and Nene had given her. As she and the others were halfway to the door, Haruka stopped. Nene, her bow slung over her shoulder and her naginata in her right hand, looked back questioningly. "Officer Ten'ou, what are you waiting for?" she asked, getting the other's attention, "Come on." Haruka looked at Nene for a second, then back over to the stairs leading to the second floor. "Something doesn't make sense." she said. Priss turned to her, "What do you mean? What doesn't make sense?" Haruka turned to her and gave her an odd look. "Why would the Chinese want Sylia?" she asked. Jeena rolled her eyes, "Haven't you been listening to anything? Romastilskin here..." "Romanova, you dubina (blockhead)!" Nene yelled, slipping into Russian in her anger, "It's Ro-ma-no-va!" "Yeah, she said she saw Linna kidnapped by the Chinese..." "Right, but only after they caught her snooping around." Haruka pointed out. "So what would the connection be to Sylia?" The four other women looked at her steadily. "Are... Are you suggesting there might be another party involved?" Michiru asked. "Oh please, they probably just tortured Linna to get Sylia's name out of her." Jeena casually said, oblivious to the distress such an idea was causing Michiru and Priss. "I mean, come on, she was a geisha. How hard would it be to beat the information out of her? You know, a few lashes of the whip, a few broken fingers, a few teeth knocked out and..." Jeena was cut off as Priss violently grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. "Jeena," Priss hissed through gritted teeth, "One more word out of you, and I'll personally kill you right here and now! Understand?" Jeena glared back at her, "You touch me again, and you'll have to." she answered back in a low, threatening voice. "Knock it off!" Nene yelled, "This isn't getting us anywhere. Michiru," she said to Linna's cousin, "Leave now before it gets too dark. Priss, Jeena; lets go with Haruka back upstairs. Maybe we'll find something we missed the first time." As Nene and Jeena went upstairs, Michiru turned to leave, when she felt a firm hand grab onto her arm. Turning around, she saw a concerned look in Haruka's face. "Be careful... please." she said. "I don't want to loose you." Michiru cupped Haruka's cheek, "I will be. I promise." she said before standing on her tiptoes to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek. As Haruka let her go to leave, she turned to see Priss standing there waiting for her. A few seconds later, they were both up the stairs and headed for the bedroom where Jeena and Nene were already waiting for them. "Did you move anything around when you got here?" Haruka asked, slipping into her role as police officer. "No, nothing." Nene answered, "We came in, saw it like this, and went down into the pit." Haruka noted the ominous blood stain next to some clothes left sprawled on the floor. "Malso, give me your candle." she ordered. Jeena complied, and watched as Haruka got down on all fours and began combing the floor by the candlelight. "What are you looking for?" Priss asked out of curiosity. "I'm not really sure, I... hello, what's this?" she asked as she held up a small piece of paper. "It appears to be a card of some sort. It's not written in Japanese, however. Nene, can you read this?" she asked as she passed the card to the pink Knight Saber. The Russian let out a small gasp. "Guys, we've got trouble." she stated, "Haruka was right; there is a second party." "Who?" Priss demanded. Jeena came over and looked over Nene's shoulder. "Arsene Lupin, voleur." she read out loud. "Voleur? What's that?" "It's French for thief." Nene answered. "It's that French thief she and the British Library agents were investigating. He's got her." ------ "(Lupin?)" the elegantly dressed woman in the room spoke up, "(What's with the tying the girl to a chair routine? That's not your style.)" Lupin looked over at her irritated, "(Relax Fujiko, it's all for effect. I'm trying to scare her, to keep her off her guard.)" "(Well if that's the effect you're looking for,)" a third voice joined in, "(Why not just tie me to some railroad tracks and be done with it?)" "(No no, too clichéd, I...)" Lupin and the others looked over at Sylia, a smile teasing the Knight Saber's face. "Remind me not to underestimate you again, Mademoiselle." he said, switching to English. "Of course, Monsieur Lupin. And, incidentally, I know a thing or two about you as well." Lupin smiled with amusement, "Really mademoiselle? Then please, tell me about myself." "Your name is Monsieur Arsene Lupin, although your also known by your nickname, Le Gentleman Cambrioleur (the Gentleman Burglar). You are a thief, but you usually steal from gangsters, thugs, and other criminals far worse than yourself. You usually send a letter before your burglaries, warning your intended victim of what you're going to steal before the act. You also generally leave a calling card behind after the act." "C'est excellent." Lupin said with a smile as he scratched a bit at one of his sideburns, "Tell me more." "Very well; you have a habit of attracting danger like a magnet attracts steel, and wherever you show up disaster follows. Also, you have a weakness for women, and have been known to put yourself into incredibly dangerous situations for a pretty face. On the other hand, you've also been known to go out of your way to help both children and damsels in distress. I seem to remember during my research on you learning about an escapade you had at Cagliostro Castle, where you were almost killed while trying to help one young lady. All of which leads me to wonder why you would've wanted to steal those DaVinci papers. Helping others manufacture machines to kill innocent people doesn't seem to be your style, nor does kidnapping, actually." Lupin got up and casually walked over to Sylia, giving her a chance to take in his thin, wiry frame and slicked back hair by the candlelight of the room. "Mademoiselle, that is exactly why my gang and I brought you here; I didn't steal the DaVinci papers, nor did anyone else in my organization." Sylia raised an eyebrow, "Really? And who did? Genom?" Lupin leaned in close to the Knight Saber as he dropped his voice, "The British Library." he answered. Sylia laughed. "The British Library? Is that the best you can do? I've been working with two of their agents, remember?" "Yes, I know. Mademoiselles Yomiko Readaman and Nancy Makuhari. We've been watching them. They're in danger, mademoiselle." Sylia stopped laughing at that. "Apparently, they were as unsuspecting of the British Library as you are. That changed two days ago, when they were observed entering the Genom building. They left and went immediately to the British Military outpost in the Kioichio Province. From there, they simply disappeared. We think they may have gone into hiding at a friend's house, an author mademoiselle Readaman knows. My own little organization obtained an order from the British Library ordering their deaths. Apparently, they learned too much." Sylia studied the man's face, particularly his eyes. "You... you're not lying, are you?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "No, mademoiselle. And if we know about her author friend, you can best bet the British Library is aware of her as well." Sylia swallowed hard at that. The aching in her wrists, which were still bound behind her, was forgotten as she thought of the implications of what Arsene Lupin had said to her. His two henchmen sat passively watching the exchange, neither understanding English. The attractive looking woman, on the other hand, had a look of expectancy in her eyes as she waited for Sylia's response. "What... What do you want of me?" Sylia finally asked. Lupin once again flashed his trademark grin. "I thought you'd never ask." he answered. ------ The two riders came around the corner, immediately slowing their horses down. It was decided that a slow trot would attract less attention than a full gallop, and so they would go slowly the rest of the way. The one rider looked at the other, remembering the events from earlier at the Silky Doll. "Haruka," Priss began, "I want to apologize for what Jeena said to you earlier." Haruka smiled. "Think nothing of it. I've been called worse." she answered. Priss looked around at the darkened buildings and the slow but steady snowfall, and sighed fretfully. "We're not going to be getting much sleep tonight." she said wearily. "Good." Haruka blurted out, immediately regretting it when Priss looked over at her. "What do you mean, 'Good?'" she asked. "Nothing really, I..." "Don't give me that, Ten'ou. What did you mean?" Haruka sighed as she felt herself blush. "I... I've been having dreams." she mumbled. Priss tilted her head. "What kind of dreams?" she asked. "Weird dreams. They started shortly after I first met Michiru at the Silky Doll." "Really? Like what?" Part of Haruka wished Priss would drop the subject already; it was embarrassing. On the other hand, maybe it would make more sense if she talked about it out loud. At the very least, it would take Priss' mind off the peril Linna was in. "Well, I can only remember bits and pieces of the dreams, but there's this kingdom on the moon see, and... and there's a princess with long yellow hair. And..." all of a sudden, Haruka's voice took on a strange intensity, "And then a group of monsters come and destroy the moon kingdom. I keep having the same dream, each time remembering a bit more of it when I wake up, and I don't understand any of it. What do you make of it, Priss? Priss?" Haruka turned to see the Knight Saber lowering her head as she urged her steed forward, obviously lost in her own thoughts. "Priss..." "She's all alone." Priss answered, her voice almost a whisper. "She's better than me with a sword, but if she's already their prisoner... Oh... oh gods..." her voice betrayed the anguish she was in, and Haruka rode her horse over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She's so beautiful, so sweet. Did Michiru ever tell you Linna was a geisha? She was, you know." "Priss, don't do this..." "I was her first." she continued, "Me. She... she told me later she had saved herself for someone she truly loved, and..." Haruka wasn't sure what do say or do. After having been brought up in a loveless and abusive household, she'd learned to hide and repress her true feelings from others. And now, here was this woman, more of an acquaintance than a friend, who was opening up to her. While the short time she'd spent with Michiru had helped a bit to thaw out her cold exterior, she was still at a loss as to how to help her. All she could do was ride alongside the sad warrior beside her, her hand still resting on her shoulder. All of a sudden, Priss reached up and put her own hand over Haruka's. "Thanks." she said. Haruka was confused. "For what?" she asked. "For listening, I guess. And for being there." She then turned to the blond officer, "You're a good person, Ten'ou. Michiru's lucky to have you." Haruka was dumbfounded; it was the kindest thing anyone other than Michiru had ever said to her. Priss took her hand off hers and stopped her horse. "The auditorium is a block from here." she said to the blond officer, "We leave the horses here and walk the rest of the way." ------ "We don't know who she is, ma'am. She was caught snooping around outside. She was unarmed though, so we decided to keep her here pending your decision on what to do with her." "I see. Thank you. Open the door and leave us." Linna looked up as she saw the door open and a woman in a European dress enter. The woman looked at her, her hands bound behind her around a small pillar in the amphitheater basement, and frowned. "I know you don't understand what I'm saying," Reika Chang began, "But I'm sorry if you were treated roughly." Linna looked into her captor's eyes, "You're Reika Chang, aren't you?" Reika's eyes widened a bit, "You understand Chinese?" Linna nodded her head. Back when she was in the okiya in Kyoto, her martial arts instructor had taught her the Mandarin dialect. "Miss Chang, what's going on here? Why was I taken here?" she asked, hoping to get information out of her captor. "Before I answer any questions, what is your name?" "Linna, Linna Yamazaki." "Well Miss Yamazaki, have you ever heard of the Knight Sabers?" "I believe so, why?" "They, along with members of the yakuza, are responsible for the death of my sister and must be made to pay." Linna was taken aback. "The Knight Sabers killed your sister? How?" "Miss Yamazaki, my family, the Changs, have led the Hou Bang (the Tiger Corps), better known as the White Tiger, for generations. My sister and I both sought out though, I through my music, and she through Buddha. A few months ago she, along with several other priests, monks and nuns, were murdered behind the temple walls. Both the Knight Sabers and the yakuza were involved." Linna's face lost all of its color. "Chang." she whispered. "You... You're Irene Chang's sister." It was then Reika noticed the short length of Linna's hair. "Your head was once shaved, wasn't it?" she asked excitedly, "You were there in the temple when it happened, weren't you?" Linna silently nodded her head. Reika turned her head, unable to bear the gaze of a woman she perceived to have once been a Buddhist nun. "I... I'm sorry. You must think I'm a monster, but while this might not be the path of the Buddha, it is my path. I will... I must kill them. I'll teach them about the pain they caused me, I will have vengeance! On the Knight Sabers and the yakuza alike." "But don't you see, your sister wouldn't want this. She gave herself to Buddha to make up for the sins of your family, and..." "I know!" she cried, "Don't you think I know? But... But it hurts so much..." Linna watched as a tear trailed down Reika's cheek. "And what will you do after you kill them?" she asked. "My grandfather is an old man." she answered, "And both of my parents are passed on, so..." "So you will become the new head of the White Tiger? What of your singing career? What of the opera?" "What of it? My coming here to sing was phony from the start. And now that I know who you are," she continued, "I give you my solemn word no harm will come to you. However, you will remain a prisoner here until we leave; we cannot allow you to leave knowing what you know." she said as she turned to leave. "Reika, wait." Linna called out. "I will send someone to tend to you shortly. I'm sorry." she said as she left, locking the door behind her. ------ Clouds of steam rose from the horses' flared nostrils as the two galloped down the dark road. As Nene and Jeena rounded the corner, they pulled the reigns on their horses as something caught both their eyes. Under the Meiji government, freedom of religion was proclaimed, at last allowing the countries hidden Christians to practice out in the open. It meant freedom for other religions as well, however. "A synagogue?" Jeena asked in surprise, "Here?" Nene shrugged her shoulders. "With all the foreigners visiting Japan, I guess it was a bit inevitable." she answered noncommittally. As she rode on she looked back to see that Jeena was still looking at the structure. She stopped her own horse and waited. Meanwhile, as Jeena stared at the structure in front of her, a slow smile graced her face. "Baruch atta Hashem (Blessed are you, O Lord)." she whispered in the Hebrew of her youth. "Hey, Malso, are you coming or what?" Nene called over. "Hold your water, I'm coming damn it." Jeena called as she quickly rode up beside Nene. "Now tell me again why we're going back to that house that was burned down." "Because it's as good a place as any to start looking for her." "I still can't believe it; the great Sylia Stingray, kidnapped by a common sneak thief." she said with a laugh. "I mean, come on, how stupid... Oh shit." She gasped as she first heard, then saw the fleet flying high up above them. ------ Michiru was racing back to the Silky Doll. She'd been out for close to an hour and a half in the cold weather. Daley Wong was wonderful, immediately offering her a hot cup of coffee after he heard her message. She declined, of course; she still had two stops left to make. Nigel was strangely calm as he heard her out, his arms crossed and his face expressionless. She almost got the impression he didn't care, until he unexpectedly reached over and wrapped a warm green scarf around her neck with a promise that he'd do whatever it took to save her cousin and Sylia. Major McNichol wouldn't see her at first, apparently afraid she was a certain one-armed stalker who apparently had a crush on him. Once he finally did show, she found herself trying to fight off his advances long enough to ask for help. Back in the present, Michiru's eyes were burning from the icy wind whipping at them as she galloped along as fast as she dared down the icy streets. Her nose was slightly running, and her teeth were beginning to chatter. As a particularly cold blast blew into her face, she closed her eyes tightly out of reflex. The room was romantically lit as she looked out the window at the alien landscape. A hand gently touched her bare shoulder, sending a slight shiver down her spine. Turning, she found herself staring into familiar green eyes. Her lover stood there before her in her chamber, her clothes in a pile behind her nude form. Looking down ever so briefly, she saw that she, too, was naked. Looking back to the handsome blond in front of her, she felt her soul mate cup her cheeks in her hands. She could hear her blood thumping in her ears, and feel her temperature rise as desire and arousal awakened within her. "Neptune." her love whispered in a deep, throaty voice, evidencing her own yearning, her own need. She felt herself smile back as she drank in her lover's features. "Uranus." At the sound of her own voice, Michiru's opened her eyes to find herself back in the cold, dark streets of late nineteenth century Tokyo. Before she had the chance to even try to figure out what just happened, she heard an explosion in the distance, followed by a second and a third. Starting to panic, she raced down an alley just as a bomb exploded nearby. Startled, the horse she was riding reared up, causing her to fall off. She fell hard on her side, spraining her right wrist and giving herself a charley horse. Looking up, she saw the horse dart back out into the main road, only to be blown to bits less than fifty feet away from her. ---To Be Continued--- End Notes: Since neither the AD Police OVA or manga gave much information about Jeena's past, I thought it would be fun to give her a Jewish background. As you can probably guess, she isn't exactly a practicing Jew. Also, before anyone complains about the fact that Arsene Lupin would've been too young to begin his criminal career in 1880 (the original French novels have his birth as 1876), keep in mind this is an alternate universe. I mean, I've got the Knight Sabers running around in samurai armor, for crying out loud- don't start crying foul now! And anyways, the first Lupin III story by Monkey Punch appeared in 1967, which is still within reason of a slightly older Arsene Lupin being his grandfather. Also, since I doubt anyone here (myself included) has read any of the original French adventures, I've basically made him a hybrid between the original Lupin of Maurice LeBlanc and Lupin III of Monkey Punch. And finally, the 11 Rules of the Knight Sabers Jeena Malso mentioned in chapter eight comes from the OVA series. They are as follows: 1: Do not divulge any information concerning this organization. 2: Do not act upon a personal grudge. 3: Do not act without the mutual consent of all the members. 4: Do not secede from this organization. 5: Members are personally responsible for any damage done to the organization's equipment unless that damage was unavoidable. 6: Do not divulge any information concerning our clients. (In the original OVA, the Knight Sabers were mercenaries) 7: Do not gather information on your own. The task of intelligence gathering is to be distributed evenly among all the members. 8: Keep in contact with the other members regularly. 9: The members do not know each other outside this organization. 10: Do not get involved with a man. 11: The penalty for violating any of the ten regulations listed above is death. Special thanks to the Eastern Michigan University's Knight Sabers- Otaku Unite site for the rules
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