Haruka and Michiru raced back to the house. Opening the door, they saw a fire going in the small fireplace and Priss asleep with her head in Linna's lap. Haruka noted with a bit of surprise that, while Priss was back to wearing her usual hakama pants and plain top, she'd kept the braids in her hair. Michiru was about to say something, when Linna held her finger to her lips, motioning for the violinist to be quiet. The former geisha grabbed a pillow, and lifted Priss' head so she could get up, gingerly lowering her love's head back down onto the pillow. She then motioned for them to follow her into a side room where they would be less likely to be overheard. "Where have you been?" Linna gently scolded Michiru. "Priss and I have been worried sick." "I ran into Haruka." Michiru said, "And we both went into the auditorium where Reika Chang is performing. Linna-chan, Haruka saw a White Tiger mask there." "She what?" Linna asked excitedly. "I'm afraid it's true, Yamazaki-san. Reika, or one of her entourage, was behind the attack on Priss." Linna's face became hard to read. "I see." she said. "I'm going out. Wait one hour, then wake up Priss and tell her what you told me, and then go to the Silky Doll to get help." Haruka and Michiru looked at one another. "Cousin? You're not thing of going out alone, are you?" Michiru asked. "We can't let the trail get cold. Don't worry, Michi-chan. I'll be careful, I promise." and with that Linna put on a warm winter's cloak, slid her boots on, and went out. ------ Sylia came back to the Silky Doll after a full day of trying to follow up on leads on the French thief that Nancy and Yomiko had told her about. She didn't find anything, but she did get the impression she was being watched. She locked the door behind her with a sigh; being closed all day meant less money in the till. Not that money was a problem of course, but somehow for Sylia it still mattered. As the sky outside darkened, she went over to the Franklin stove to put some coals in to heat up the place. Nigel and the others had finished with the repairs, so they had all returned to the Kirkland Stables. She smiled wistfully as she thought of how good it had been to have her little brother around, to say nothing of waking up next to Nigel. Going up the stairs, she opened the door to her room, only to find it ransacked. Before she could react, however, she suddenly became aware of a sharp, searing pain in the back of her left arm. She began to almost immediately feel dizzy, sinking to her knees as she reached around with her right hand and pulled a small, hollow-tipped dart out of her now numb arm. "D... Drugged..." she slurred as she fell to the floor unconscious. As she lay there motionless, two men silently entered the room and picked her and the small dart up, a blood stain left on the carpet was the only clue left as to what had just happened. ------ Nene was walking alone down the street. She had the day off, so she thought she'd visit the still fairly new Russian Orthodox Church in downtown Tokyo. She was never very religious, but she did feel a bit sentimental for her childhood. As she looked over to her right, she thought she saw someone in an alleyway. From her vantage point, she watched as the person was surrounded by Chinese men. She was about to run for help, when the person turned and Nene realized it was Linna. She started to panic; she couldn't leave her alone to get help, yet she was no match for the number of men surrounding her friend and fellow Knight Saber. She then watched as a tall man wearing a white tiger mask came up behind the former geisha. That settled it; she was going over to help. Even if the numbers weren't in her favor, she wasn't about to just stand by while this happened. She began to run across the street, only to be cut off by a large wagon. By the time the vehicle was gone, so were Linna and her captors. Nene ran to where she'd last seen her. There wasn't a trace, and the snowfall was very quickly covering up the tracks. With a sinking feeling she realized she needed help. The nearest place she could think of was Yomiko and Nancy's residence, which Sylia had given her. She ran off frantically, unaware that someone was following her. Fifteen minutes later, Nene found herself staring in horror at the burnt remains of Yomiko and Nancy's residence. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at the burnt, blackened structure in despair. She turned around, only to jump when she saw Jeena Malso standing behind her. "Hey, it's my favorite Russian!" Jeena said with a smile. "I followed you for the last five blocks Roma... Nene?" Jeena said, noting the look of fear in the younger woman's face. "Nene, what's wrong?" "She... She's gone. Kidnapped! She..." "Okay, calm down." Jeena said, "Who's been kidnapped?" "Linna. She's been kidnapped by the White Tiger. We've got to get help, we..." "Whoa, slow down." Jeena said, trying to keep the young Russian from panicking. "The Silky Doll's about seven blocks from here. Let's go there and figure out what to do next, okay?" Nene took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. Finally calming down a bit, she and Jeena both headed for Sylia's. ------ "She what?" Priss gasped. Haruka and Michiru both became nervous when Priss got to her feet and stormed over to them. "She said to wait an hour before telling you." Michiru began. "No doubt to keep me from stopping her." Priss answered. "She also said that we were to go to the Silky Doll after an hour for help." Haruka added. Priss looked at the two young ladies in front of her. "Right. Let's go." "What?" Haruka asked, "You're coming too?" "Priss-san," Michiru said, "In your present condition, do you really think it's wise to go out?" The look Priss was giving them both immediately silenced any further argument. She silently put her coat on, wincing a bit as she buttoned it over the sling her arm was in. She then struggled to get her boots on, finally relenting a bit to allow Michiru to help. The three then quickly left for the Silky Doll. ------ Nene arrived with Jeena to find the front door left open. Going inside, they looked around the darkened storefront, and found no sign of the leader of the Knight Sabers. Jeena grabbed a candle, lighting it by striking a match against the wall, and passed it to Nene, allowing the blond to lead the way upstairs. As they entered Sylia's room, both women allowed a gasp to escape. While Jeena was doing a fairly good job keeping calm, Nene was now beside herself. There was a blood stain on the carpet in Sylia's trashed room, and she was nowhere to be found. Yomiko and Nancy were missing, Linna was kidnapped, and it now looked like Sylia was nabbed as well. Jeena came in behind her. "She's gone." Nene whispered, fear gripping her heart, "They're all gone. Oh God, oh Theotokos, I..." she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turning around was surprised to see a look of sympathy in Jeena's face. "Don't worry, Nene." she said in a low voice. "We'll find them." Nene was taken aback as the foul-mouthed, hard drinking former Knight Saber attempted to comfort her. Removing her hand, she quickly returned to her normal self. "Let's go into the den." the one-armed woman ordered more than suggested, "Maybe we can dig up something down there." Five minutes later, both women were down in the pit. Jeena was watching over Nene as the other woman struggled to remain calm. She was about to say something, when a sound from above alerted her and Nene they had company. A few seconds later, Priss emerged from the stairs, followed by Haruka and Michiru. Nene raced over to Priss and hugged the startled woman. Michiru, upon seeing Jeena, instinctively clutched onto Haruka's muscular arm. The police officer frowned. "What in the hell are you doing here?" she asked. "What am I... I used to be a Knight Saber, kid. I belong down here." she said, all traces of the gentler side she'd shown Nene now gone. "Besides, me and Romana have big news; Linna's been kidnapped, and Sylia's missing." Priss felt like all the wind had just been knocked out of her. "It's true, Priss." Nene said, "A group of those White Tiger creeps have Linna, and possibly Sylia as well. And I don't know where Nancy or Yomiko are, so there's little chance of help from them." "Linna-chan?" Michiru asked, fear evident in her voice. Haruka pulled her into her arms to comfort her. "Get a room you two." Jeena called over. Looking at Haruka, she shook her head. "I swear, some guys will take advantage of any situation to get a girl when her defenses are down." Michiru pulled away from Haruka. "She's not a guy!" she shouted, defending her girlfriend's honor. "And Haruka's not the kind of girl that would take advantage of someone like that!" She then took Haruka's hand in hers as a show of support. Jeena's reaction was to grimace as she let out a groan. "What the hell is this?" she asked, "I leave Japan for two years, and when I come back, all the women have turned into gomora (dykes)." Priss ignored the insult as she delicately removed her right arm from the sling, wincing as she forced her right hand to make a fist a few times. Haruka, on the other hand, was shaking with rage as she stared at the American. "What did you just say?" she asked, her low voice trembling with anger. Jeena just smirked. "I wasn't talking to you, otachi (bull dyke)." Jeena said, her smile widening as she noted the reaction she was getting from the blond officer, "So why don't you and your little neko (cat, i.e. femme) over there, go off and..." "Malso," Priss finally said, "You currently have one missing arm, and one black eye. Unless you want a matching set in either of those categories, shut your mouth." She then turned her attention to the young couple, especially the blond who had a look of murder in her eyes. "Haruka?" she called to the police officer who currently had her hands balled into fists as she glared at Malso. "Haruka!" Priss shouted, finally getting the younger woman's attention. Ten'ou closed her eyes and fought to regain control. She finally took a deep breath and turned back to Priss. "Asagiri-san," she said, her voice still very emotional, "Give me the word, and I can have the entire Tokyo police force combing the streets to..." "No." Priss said as she pulled out a drawer with her blue samurai armor in it from the wall, "The fewer outsiders, the better." She then surprised everyone by undoing her pants and letting them fall to the floor, followed by her top. "Priss, what do you think you're doing?" Nene asked, knowing all too well the answer. "Gee, I don't know Nene. I'm stripping down here in front of my armor, perhaps I'm thinking of going out to find Linna-chan and Sylia." "In your present condition?" Haruka asked. "You... uh, er..." she was at a loss for words when Priss undergarments fell to the floor. She looked from Haruka's now blushing face to that of Michiru's, and smiled. "Still got it." she quipped, as she began putting on the undergarments for the samurai armor. "Yeah, you've still got it all right." Jeena broke in, "Enough stitches in your body to embroider a quilt, and more bandages than an Egyptian mummy. You're nuts, you know that?" Everyone in the room gave Jeena a funny look. "What?" she asked. "You're not going out alone." Nene said, as she began to unbutton her petticoat. Priss turned to Haruka, "Hey, you armed?" she asked as she slid one of the hard pieces of shin armor on. Haruka shook her head no, and Priss smiled. "Here, let me give you something." she said as she passed Sylia's gun belt to her. In its holsters were two six-cylinder colts. "Know any martial arts?" "Judo." Haruka answered. "I have a black belt." Priss looked visibly impressed. Looking over to Michiru, she could see her blushing again, and guessed that Nene was in the middle of changing. "Okay," Priss began, "Here's my plan..." "What do you mean, 'your plan'?" Jeena asked. "Since when have you been boss?" "Since Sylia disappeared, that's when." Priss answered. Jeena shook her head. "Look kid, I was fighting as a Knight Saber back when you were still popping zits! Besides which, I'm nine months older than Sylia; I have seniority!" "You're also a Looney." Haruka said. Jeena scowled at her. "May I say something?" Michiru asked. "NO!" Priss, Haruka and Jeena all said at once. Priss then came over to Jeena. "You were a Knight Saber. You left. And the only reason you're concerned about Sylia now is that you want to kill her yourself, so shut up!" Taking a few steps back, she crossed her arms, "Right, now that that's settled; Haruka, you're coming with me. Nene, I need you to team up with Jeena to..." "What?" the blond asked, tying the laces on the side of her chest armor, "Why do I have to go with her?" "Because I don't like her, and I said so!" Priss answered back. "Besides which, for some inexplicable reason, she gets along with you." she added. Jeena came over to Nene and smiled. "Hear that, Romanokoff? We're together again." Nene rolled her eyes, "We were only together once before, Malso. That's when you promised to tell me how you lost your arm, and instead you got me drunk." "Now that's gratitude for you." Jeena said, "If I hadn't been there to stop you when you climbed up on that table and started to strip..." Nene's face turned beet red as she looked around at the startled faces in the pit. Priss spoke up. "As funny as I'm sure that story is, it'll have to wait. Michiru," she said to the young violinist, "I need you to go to the police precinct and tell officer Daley Wong what's happened. Also, go to the Kirkland stables and inform Mackie , Nigel and Henderson. Then go over to the British Military compound and... I can't believe I'm saying this... Tell Major Leon McNichol that..." "Whoa, wait a second." Jeena said, interrupting yet again. "Just how many people know about your identities?" "Well, let's see..." Nene began, "Besides Daley and Leon-poo, there's Chief Toodou, Colonel Roland, Emperor Meiji, Mackie..." Jeena's jaw dropped. "What?" she asked incredulously, "But... But... But that violates Knight Saber rule number one, on not divulging information on the organization!" Both Priss and Nene gave her blank stares. Jeena became incensed. "Come on, you know. The eleven rules of being a Knight Saber; don't act upon a personal grudge, don't gather information on your own, don't..." Again, she met only confused looks. "You mean Sylia never gave you the eleven rules? Well, that's just great! In my day, we were made up of weapons experts and martial artists, and were sworn to oaths that carried a penalty of death if broken. Now, it's all a bunch of geishas, singers and secretaries, and no blood oaths. Sylia's turned the Knight Sabers into a goddamned women's social club!" she finished bitterly. Priss patiently waited for Malso's tirade to end before going over to Nene. "She's all yours." she said sarcastically, patting Nene on the shoulder. Turning back to the two younger ladies in the pit, "Michiru, get going. Haruka, come with me." ------ Sylia dimly became aware of the fact that there was a great deal of cigarette smoke in the air. As she slowly lifted her head, she realized something was definitely wrong. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't. Also, she found that something was in her mouth. She slowly came to the realization that she was blindfolded, gagged, and bound to a chair. For someone who always felt the need to be in control, the thought was unsettling to say the least. As the drug wore off, she slowly began to hear voices, both French and Japanese. Concentrating hard, she was finally able to make out a bit of the conversation. "I said tell the boss she's awake." "Isn't the boss busy with..." "Don't worry; for this, he'll stop." As Sylia heard footsteps leave the room, she began to make a survey of her body. Outside of the rope cutting uncomfortably into her wrists, and the pain in her left tricep where the dart had got her, she didn't feel any pain anywhere else. She was also fairly certain that her captors had refrained from taking liberties while she was unconscious. The sound of footsteps alerted her that the "boss" had arrived. She heard someone saying something in French, and then another set of footsteps coming toward her. A few seconds later, her gag was removed as well as her blindfold. Slowly adjusting to the sudden flash of light, she saw a Japanese man dressed in the traditional garb of a samurai sitting next to a man with a beard wearing a dark suit, a wide-rimmed hat hiding his eyes. Next to them was a woman who was elegantly dressed and, finally, a man dressed in black with a rakish grin wearing a top hat, leering at her through a monocle. "Ah, you are finally awake I see." The man in the top hat said in a heavy French accent. Sylia glared angrily at him. "My, but you're quiet. Aren't you curious at least as to why we kidnapped you?" "The boss is talking to you." the ronin said, "Why don't you answer him?" Sylia turned to him, "Because I have nothing to say to a frog like him, or a sanpin (a derogatory term for a low-rank samurai) like you!" The man with the beard got up quickly to hold the ronin back. The Frenchman's smile only widened. "I would be careful who I called a sanpin, Mademoiselle Stingray. After all, for someone who graduated from Sensei Raven's dojo, you were surprisingly easy to capture." Sylia's eyes widened a bit at that. "How do you know..." "You'd be surprised by what I know, Mademoiselle. For instance, you were born in England, moved to Japan at age twelve after your parents died under mysterious circumstances, trained for the next several years at Sensei Raven's dojo, opened up a women's clothing store afterward, and have lately been seen with a pair of agents for the British Library. You also appear to have been a brouteuse (a nibbler, i.e. a lesbian) in your youth, if the reports my men have given me is true." Sylia was at a loss; she thought she'd been careful enough to cover her tracks. The amount of manpower and financial resources needed for the man in front of her to have uncovered all this about her would've been astronomical. "Very well." she said, fighting to regain her composure, "You've done your homework, you know all about me. Now tell me who you are." The Frenchman chuckled a bit, "Of course, how thoughtless of me." he said as he took his hat off and bowed before her. "Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Arsene Lupin." ---To Be Continued--- End Notes: Derogatory Japanese terms for lesbians come from Japanese Street Slang by Peter Constantine, the French slang for lesbian comes from Hide This French Book by Eve-Alice Roustang-Stoller, and the term "sanpin" comes from the glossary in the back of a Lone Wolf and Cub manga. Incidentally, I was surprised by just how many derogatory terms there are in Japanese for lesbians and lesbianism. One of the ones above, "gomora," apparently has its origin in the Christian missionaries, as it comes from "Gomorrah" as in "Sodom and Gomorrah," and is considered to be profoundly insulting. And finally, the part about Haruka having a black belt in Judo comes from the manga.
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