Sato represented a distant district in Western Japan, and like many Japanese salarymen, spent long periods of time away from his home and family. Accordingly, Sato was a rather dreamy and quiet fellow, prone to bouts of melancholic reverie and mostly keeping to himself. This particularly evening it was well past the end of the business day, and most Diet members had dispersed to their various tasks, be they the trek home, or leaving in groups to hit the bars. Sato alone sat in his office, nominally working on some bill proposed by his home district, actually doing little more than staring out into space. "Sato-san!" The man rose from his reverie at the voice, looking to the doorway. It was an office lady... no, it was the Chairman's secretary. Unconsciously he straightened. What would Oda want with a nobody like him? "There's been a last minute communiqué from the Chairman." The woman handed Sato a neatly folded piece of paper, stepping back respectfully as he opened and read the message. "Me? Tonight?" he squeaked, trying not to seem unworthy of this attention while still trying to get out of the responsibility. "That is quite last minute. And the purpose... this seems out of our jurisdiction." The secretary's face hardened imperceptibly. "This is the message from Chairman Oda. He will expect to see your presentation tonight. Excuse me now, I must tell the others. Please, if you see anyone else around, tell them of the meeting as well." "Um, sure." The girl bowed, then hurried off. How strange, Sato mused. But there was little he could do but abide by Oda's wishes. He sighed, walking to the Diet library. He had a lot of research to do. + + + Arcana started by Scott Schimmel Chapter 35: Illness Illusion written by Erin Ellis + + + Healer was gone when consciousness once more washed around Ishido. He missed... He barely knew the man, but somehow he felt so familiar, as if they had once met, a lifetime ago. Maybe one of the previous Fools. But the other Fools were gone now. There was nothing he could do. He was nothing. ...Everything seemed so cloudy... Ishido wished he could sit up. But it hurt to rise... "I can do nothing for you," Healer had said apologetically. Ishido remembered protesting only to be stopped by a soothing touch upon his forehead. "I have no control over my destiny. The Page is led where others will. I don't expect sympathy, but I hope you will understand. Then he drifted away, or maybe Ishido did, and everything was hazy and in a brief moment of clarity, Ishido knew he was entering another dream. But it passed, and then -- A warm, familiar presence beside him, and he felt his guard automatically lower. It was her... his weakness. "Will you stop it?" Hotaru grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. "I don't want to end up like you!" Ishido stiffened. He knew this. He remembered this. But it still hurt. She immediately let go of him, staring downwards. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." By itself, his hand lifted her chin, and he stared into her beautiful, innocent face. "Am I really that bad?" His voice was rough, somewhat because he knew the answer, somewhat because he wondered what her answer would be now. "I-" He hesitated. Before he had another thought, she reached for him, quickly pulling him into a fierce, passionate kiss. This was... unexpected. But not altogether unwelcome. He began to let himself relax into the contact when she pulled away, breathless. "Fi--" The face he met was not Hotaru's. It was flawless but cold, pale and long with a pointed chin, longish indigo hair and piercing amber eyes. "For you, the Firefly is dead," the High Priestess stated. "Just as you already are to her." Grinning far wider than should be possible, his teeth seemed to double in length and sharpness. He bent again to Ishido and began to devour him alive. + + + Natsu Forrester stood, watching as the judges filed into the courtroom. It was finally time. She would testify today, and be judged, and then everyone's lives could go on. The presiding magistrate took his place, and she sat, giving a brief glance at Rusty. Her attorney had done his best to collaborate her testimony, but... Natsu couldn't determine why, but she did not want to "fix" any of the results. She would be fairly judged, and whatever the decision was, she could rest with a good conscience. Relationship with Uncle Will or no, something about Mr. Smith-Date triggered a flag in her, and she could not feel completely at ease around him. "A call to order." The presiding judge rustled in his desk, producing reading glasses and an official-looking document. "I have here a notice from the National Diet. "'By the power vested in me as representative of the Diet, which has met in full session and decided as follows; "'Miss Natsu Forrester is hereby absolved of all fault in the present or any future case of the State versus the aforementioned. "'Signed, "'Oda Kazuhiro "'House of Representatives "'Sato Junji "'House of Councillors'" The judge removed his glasses, then continued. "Let it be known that this 30th day of June, the parliament pardoned Ms. Forrester of any alleged guilt. This court is dismissed." The gavel pounded, and immediately the crowd erupted at the news. As if in a dream, Natsu saw Hotaru and her family pushing her way through the crowd towards her. They looked ecstatic. "Well, looks like it's over," Rusty commented, patting her arm. His face was set in a business-like expression. "Don't say anything stupid now, just because you can't get arrested." The blonde nodded dully. "You aren't happy with the outcome?" "Neither are you." She nodded, almost embarrassed by the fact that he could read her so easily. "I didn't want it to end like this." "Like this?" He snorted, continuing almost to himself. "It was pretty sneaky, especially to wait until right before our testimony. Someone's got a right bit of power to deny my win this way..." Natsu was about to ask what the attorney meant by that, but then her family was upon her, showering her with congratulations and good wishes. Natsu wished she felt deserving. + + + Ishido woke with a stifled gasp. His hands immediately groped at his chest, which, thankfully, was only dripping sweat, not blood, then wiped at his lips. A laugh from the doorway of the small room -- this time instead of Healer, High Priestess himself had appeared, his voluminous robes hanging open to reveal a slender yet solid build. "What do you want from me?" Joker's voice was dark, uncertain, frightened. This never would have happened before. "What?" Petulant lips curved into a smile. "Your mind. Your body. Your spirit. Everything that is yours. Anything that you would offer the Magician. All that, I will take and press to my will." He drew closer, caressing his cheek, his touch icy petals across Ishido's skin. The boy shuddered involuntarily at the contact, and found himself shying away from the larger figure. "Do I frighten you?" "No," Joker lied, regaining a bit of his old composure. "Just that you're getting so fresh on the first date, poor Healer will be awfully jealous." The biseinen pulled back, an obviously disgusted expression crossing his face. "Speak not of the Page, Fool. His usefulness will soon be outlived." "Kicking him to the curb after so many years of service? How cruel. I mean--" "Silence." High Priestess shot a look that froze him where he lay. "I know that the Page has called for aid. I may even allow them to find him." He chuckled again, a low breathy sound that niggled at Ishido like nails over a blackboard. "Of course, in what condition shall they find him?" + + + "What?!" The response came out sharper than intended, but only because its question had taken Oda completely by surprise. For her part, Chairman Oda's secretary was nonplussed, and repeated the question. "There are some press on the line that want to talk to you about the pardon of the Forrester girl." "What pardon of the Forrester girl?" Now the secretary looked a little shaken. "The pardon... you called an emergency Diet meeting last night... for that murder case out in Ikebukuro..." She trailed, obviously waiting for him to interrupt her and take charge. "But I wasn't at the meeting," he asked without it sounding like asking. "No sir," she shook her head, seeming to gain a bit of steam. "You said you had a previous appointment and couldn't make it. Councillor Sato from Ise made sure everything went as per your instructions." "Oh." The party chairman was terribly confused, and there was not much he hated more than being confused. But... Oda hadn't gotten to where he was without learning to think on his feet. "Ah, of course, the pardon. Thank Sato for me when you have a chance. I don't know where my mind has been; a family emergency came up last night, and so..." "Oh, I'm so sorry," his secretary said, now looking slightly guilty. "I'll tell the press you aren't available, then?" "Yes, no comment at this time. We'll release an official statement to the press later today, and ask Sato to write it up since he did so well last time. Now, if you'll excuse me." Oda turned and entered his office, closing the door and his composed mask shattering. Someone had a lot of nerve to do something as big as this behind his back. Will Forrester would have issues with this, butting in to his business, or some foolish qualm like that. Accordingly, Oda found a message that Forrester had called while he was out lying on his desk. Also, a niece Maki... Called to gloat? Hierophant's eyes narrowed. He severely doubted that the Queen of Pentacles really had the power to have orchestrated power over the whole Diet. But one could never be too careful, especially when concerning the rich, spoiled, and overconfident. Or... He snapped closed the compact without calling Hanged Man. Oda hadn't gotten to where he was by entrusting secrets to others, either. He would find out who was trying to play him, but alone. + + + Izumo was a full day and a half's trip from Tokyo, so by the time Sumire and Arisa had packed a few belongings, obtained train tickets and gotten into the town proper, it was early morning. The Knight of Blades surveyed the area with a cool gaze. "So, where are we going?" Her companion found the broken silence rather surprising; they hadn't spoken much on the train, though Sumire had not felt the silence particularly uncomfortable. "The Page of Cups must be somewhere nearby, else Fortune would not have led us here." "Aka, you have no idea. I never figured out why you can't just admit when you have no clue." Arisa's face and tone seemed at odds with each other, a nonplussed expression belying a frustrated tone... or perhaps the other way around. "I'm sure there's a simple solution," Sumire continued stiffly. "Think about it. Every Arcana has a certain aura -- you can feel it when you're near one, like a crackle of electricity. What says that if someone wants to be found, like say, the Page of Cups, they can't somehow increase the strength of their aura?" The Knight considered this, the look on her face revealing a lack of confidence. "Maybe if this guy's supposed to be able to cure Shirosawa, we should look around medicine shops, look for an herbal, faith healer- type. At least," she continued over the beginnings of Sumire's protests, "it gives us a place to start while you're waiting for your spider sense to tingle." Silence for a beat. "All right." Despite herself, the Ace felt a faint smile begin to creep across her features. It wasn't often that she was second guessed like this, and to be honest, she found it refreshing. It was nice to have Arisa back. The two Blades made their way into the city. + + + Once upon a time, there was a little boy. He was utterly unexceptional in everything he did, except for the things that he was particularly poor at. No one paid a great deal of attention to the boy except for the bullies who grabbed him and took his spending money every day. After a while, it became routine, expected. Welcome. Then the voices came. The boy was reborn. No longer did he run from others. No longer did he shy away from the spotlight. No longer was he alone. He deserved more, the voices told him. And they showed him how. And for the first time, the boy was satisfied. Then he met her. She was a lot like he had been, unexceptional. And she was a lot like he was, made special. And while he had a duty against her, he first would know her, see her potential. Recognize why the others had such an interest in her. But he let down his guard. And she unknowingly got inside it. He deserved life, she told him. And she demonstrated how. And for the first time, the boy was happy. Then things began to fall apart. And she was a weakness, and he became her weakness. And the voices left him, and she left him. /No, I left her. For her own good./ She left him and he was deathly alone again, worthless again, of any note only because of his lack thereof. /No.../ Then he met me. And the boy's life was redefined once more. And he followed my wishes, because they were his wishes. He listened to the feelings within him, and knew it to be true. /.../ He hated the Magician. Hated everything she'd done to him. And he would destroy her. + + + The boy's will was strong, High Priestess had to agree. But what was the fun without a challenge? He would soon fall, like all the others. + + + Elsewhere, a woman smiled. + + + tbc. + + + notes: - my muses abandoned me this week. About 90% of this was written today; no prereaders, no nothin. sorry. - thanks to Brett and Lady Brick for the ideas. Didn't use most of them, but at least the damned trial is over... - che, Chris and Atsuko's date. Well, assume it went well; they probably ate food and played video games. Geek love, ain't it grand? - biseinen is a beautiful young man. Technically you are no longer a shounen (boy) once you are old enough to shave. Blame four years of Japanese class. eme 25.7.01