The car came across the bridge, sunlight glinting off the glass
as they hurried down the lane. The car slowed as it neared the edge of
the great city, pulling over in a clear area. Around them buildings
soared towards the sky, the roads busy with traffic going into and out
of town. The drivers and passenger side doors opened almost at the same
time, two figures emerging.
The driver's pink hair fell into her eyes, a bit overlong. She
wore a simple white shirt and black pants, her blue eyes taking in her
surroundings with a frown. "Looks like we're back, Anthy," the woman
said with a sigh.
Her passenger smiled gently, her dusky skin seeming like
chocolate in the sunlight. She wore a nice skirt and blouse, her purple
hair flowing around her shoulders. Anthy nodded slightly, "That we are,"
her voice took on a teasing tone, "Utena-sama."
"Don't start that again," Utena chuckled. At some unspoken
signal both of them climbed back inside, Utena starting up the car.
"Sio whom do we go see first?" Anthy asked curiously as Utena
pulled back out into traffic, looking out at the massively built up city
of Megatokyo.
"Arisugawa Juri first," Utena said firmly while keeping a
careful eye out on the traffic, "then we'll see who else has arrived.
Miki should still be in town and I understand that Touga and Nanani both
have offices here."
"And Saionji?" Anthy asked curiously.
"He said that he was going on a training journey," Utena said
dryly, "but what that means exactly, I don't know."
Anthy smiled wryly, "Should be interesting."
Far from the city of Megatokyo, up in the hill country where the
trees and forests still remained, there was a ancient shrine. Few came
there, the mistress of the place being an exacting master, and even
fewer left with the secrets that she held in her heart and memory.
Saionji stood in a guard position, the wooden practice sword he
carried rock still. Green hair flowed around his shoulders, the
traditional garb he wore prestine. His eyes were shut, an aura of
complete calm about him as he stood, waiting.
"Now!" the woman's voice cried.
Saionji's eyes snapped open, moving with incredible speed as his
opponents fell on him. His sword was a blur, enemies flying away as he
ran forward to meet their attack. More emerged from the trees, knives
shining as they flew towards him but he parried easily. Onward he ran,
breaking through their ranks to reach his target.
"Rock splitting sword!" Saionji cried, hammering the wooden
blade down on the boulder that was his designated tasrget, focusing his
chi through the weapon. He hung there a moment, the ancient rock
standing fast, then it simply shattered.
"You're technique is that of a barbarian," the grey haired woman
noted, "your chi a blunt instrument rather than a fine blade. You are a
marginal student, at best."
"I've been here awhile, Motoko-sensei," Saionji said with a
slight smile on his face as the dust and rock settled around him, "from
you, that's high praise."
"He's got you there," the brown haired woman stood by Motoko's
side, smiling at her fondly. "So Saionji," Kitsune smiled at the man
gently, "What use are you going to put the techniques you learned here
to?"
"Fighting monsters," Saionji smiled slightly, "as they were
meant to be used." He sighed, "Though finding monsters these days is
harder than ever."
"Oh?" Motoko raised an eyebrow, a slight smile on her face.
Saionji smiled at her, "You have some knowledge that I lack,
sensei?"
"A message from an old friend, nothing more," Motoko said to him
serenely. "She suggested that there might be trouble worthy of a blade
in Megatokyo," she said.
Saionji didn't look worried, exactly, but his eyes widened
slightly. "I have friends in Megatokyo," he noted.
Motoko nodded, "You've learned all that you can of the ancient
techniques, Saionji. Now you must go forth and use them as they demand."
"Thank you, sensei," Saionji bowed respectfully before turning
and striding off to the shrine of this secluded community.
It was only a few hours later that Saionji had packed his bag
and wish his sensei and fellow students good fortune. He felt a bit of
regret, leaving the peace and contemplation of this place, but he also
knew a very simple fact. A sword must be used, less it become rusted
metal, and deep down he knew that he was a sword.
Saionji took to the road, only walking a short distance before
he noticed the sports car smoothly come up behind him. He turned,
smiling slightly as he recognized the man sitting behind the wheel,
"Touga, been a while."
Kiryuu Touga popped the passenger's side door open even as the
bold redhead said, "That it has. You finish your training?"
"Motoko has decided that I've learned all I can," Saionji calmly
climbed in and asked, "did you come out to get me?"
"Of course," Touga said, flashing a smile. "Got a call from
Anthy, we're all getting together in Megatokyo," he revealed.
"According to a friend of Motoko's there's trouble coming,"
Saionji said.
"Good," Touga smiled, "makes life more interesting."
Back in Megatokyo in a busy office building a dynamic young
woman was cursing softly, Kiryuu Nanami pushed her golden hair back to
where it had escaped from it's braid as she ran through the numbers once
again.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," her secretary said, the black haired young
man looking nervous as he said, "do you want me to ask for the numbers
again?"
"It won't change them, Gibson," Nanami sighed. "We're taking
losses due to the smuggling racket and we'll continue to until they get
shut down."
Gibson sighed softly, "Yes ma'am."
"That and all the coroprate espionage going on," Nanami added.
She was arguably the head of Kiryuu's internal security and what she was
seeing was alarming, to say the least. "What are the numbers on that?"
she asked.
"Going up," Gibson reported, "we've had attempted break-ins with
our secure research facilities and attacks on our computer systems."
"Put a report together and pass it on to the AD Police," Nanami
said calmly.
"Ma'am, that information could be used by our enemies if they
managed to acquire it," Gibson offered tentatively.
"The AD Police can't do anything if it isn't reported," Nanami
said calmly, "and I don't like keeping the police out of the loop." She
smiled grimly, "We're not that sort of company."
"Yes ma'am," Gibson nodded.
Nanami sighed softly to herself once he left. She's have to make
sure copies of the data were passed on to the AD Police herself, just to
be certain. Not that she distrusted her people, but sometimes it was
best to do it yourself.
'I wish I could hire Miki,' Nanami thought fondly. The blue
haired young man she loved was as honorable as they get, he'd be almost
the perfect counter to her own unscrupulous tendencies. 'Problem is he's
too honest,' she thought glumly, 'he doesn't want to use influence to
get the job.' With that in mind Nanami picked up the phone, dialing
numbers she knew from memory.
"Nanami," Miki smiled as he picked up the phone, his blue hair
falling messily into his eyes. The private studio he owned was in the
background and a set of old fashioned headphones were hanging around his
neck.
"I didn't interupt, did I?" Nanami asked with a smile.
"Thank you for doing so," Miki chuckled. "Vision is being even
more of a pain than normal," he said, "I could use a break."
"Care to meet me for lunch?" Nanami offered.
"I'd love to," Miki laughed, "I'm starving."
"Then I'll meet you at our usual place," Nanami smiled at him
cheerfully as she said, "in half an hour, all right?"
"Meet you there," Miki half waved as he disconnected.
Nanami fought back a smile as she cleared her desk, making sure
all her work was up to date. She grabbed her coat, slipping her coat on
as she left her tidy office behind. She nodded to her executive
assistant, "Gibson, I'll be out for two hours."
"Have a nice lunch," Gibson waved as she rushed by.
"Thanks," Nanami grinned before darting out the door.
To be continued....
Author's Note: the characters of Motoko and Kitsune are from Love Hina,
and the sword techniques that Saionji was learning are also from that
anime series.
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