บท 26: Chapter Twenty-Five

POV: still Takamori

I wasn't scared of sharing any information with Asher, even when I start saying that a fellow military personal was the one responsible for it, but when I reach the part where I'm awakened by that boy… I hesitate, no in regards of trust, but in regards of how should I put this.

He is a mystery for me too, so how could I explain him to another?

"Well, after that I was… rescued by someone, I don't know his name." I say, unsure if rescued was the word I should be using. I've reached this far so might as well tell him everything, and even when I describe the situation I woke up in he doesn't react, sitting straight and looking like a statue, cold eyes attentive looking at me, only moving to sip the tea and break the spell.

When I finish is like nothing was said, the bamboo hitting the rock once more, as if pacing our talk.

"Are you hurt?" He asks, worried in his own way even if nothing showed on his face or voice.

"I'm alright, I'm alright, had enough of these jealous sick people to know how not to wrinkle my beautiful skin worrying about it." I say, brushing his words aside; hurt? Nothing more than my pride is hurt, I think as he puts his empty small bowl down. "More tea?"

"Yes."

That brings a smile to my face as I prepare another serving, he has always enjoyed the food and drinks I prepared for him, and even if he never asks for me to prepare for him nor said anything he has always accepted second servings.

"But what about you?" I ask as the green liquid is mixed once more. "I heard your team was out in a mission but in the end they had to send a rescue team to get you. Shouldn't you be in the hospital or in isolation?"

"… I'm fine."

Alright then, that's all he is going to say about it, but I'm used to it, even though by the nature of my job I had always being nosy in other people's business, I've never got much from Asher, especially in regards of his missions.

I wouldn't let such a silly thing affect our friendship though, even more that he wasn't the only one with secrets…

He doesn't linger on the subject however, practical as he is. "… What do you think of the boy that rescued you?"

"Well… that's a difficult question…" Even more when I haven't time to form an opinion about him myself, but I do now, staying in silence for a while as I think.

What could I say, or rather, what do I think about him? The boy had left quite the first impression, trying to kill the kid and almost managing that too, rather indifferent with what he was doing, almost like putting the garbage out of the house.

And yet…I've seen my fair amount of lost souls around here, and something tells me that, like many, he may only need a guide out of the place he is in.

War broke even the most gentle and poor soul into pieces… and then came the ghouls to steal the pieces away and with them any hope for the Shinzaki people had for their own.

Losing loved ones is hard enough as it is… but when followed by losing our homes, our land, then our rights and dignity… many simply gave up, and others… well, turned out differently, an oddity.

"I haven't seen him before around here, but he is wearing a red bracelet. He took me away to his room, I don't think he was living there but he chose to stay away from this place, so I know he is not looking for a job…"

"He is odd in a way too, he did not speak to me and yet saved me, he did try to kill that kid and yet let me walk away unharmed… To be frank I think he is… studying us, watching, learning. But this is as far as I have come to understand him, there is far too much that I still don't know and too little that I got from our short encounter."

"…You will meet him again, won't you?"

"…Yes, I intend to. If he is a lost soul than I'll try to teach and guide him."

"You cannot save all of them." He says in a monotone voice, making me cast my eyes down then back at him.

"…I know�� But doesn't mean I should stop trying."

At that he sighs, such small normal reaction for most is a rarity to see coming from him, just to show how tired of me acting this way he was.

But as always, he keeps his opinion to himself, one of the good things about him… and a bad one too.

We chat for a while before putting the bowls down once more, all the green powder gone, but before he leaves from the back door, however, there is one last thing to do.

"I want to see your security cameras." Of course, the cameras! There is only one side of this building that doesn't have it, and there is where the VIP of this room comes from, the rest; especially the worker's entrance; has at least one.

"It was a little bit off from the camera so we might not see much, but we can go have a look." I say just before calling out to one of my girls out to clean the hallways towards the security to avoid people scoping about, at the same moment that I take a white mask from one of the drawers on the wall and give it to Asher, just to be safe.

The security room is the only one that I did not care about the style nor the furniture, after all that's what one could call the backstage room, and mostly only workers would set foot in this part of the building.

"Good Night." I say to the only guard left behind, not that there were many to begin with, not only for being really expensive, but because most wouldn't work for us, even worst in this part of town, bigger budgets at the army or any rich guy from the golden district.

Is the same reason most doctors don't work at the slums; too much work with the poor and too little in return, not worth it.

"I want to see the recordings of my attack yesterday."

"Of course, I figure you would want to see it so I already separated for you. And I'm sorry madam, I should have-"

"No worries, you would only get yourself in trouble, you did well in staying inside. Your job is to protect my girls from bad customers, and that's all there is to it, ok?"

"… Alright." He doesn't seem satisfied, but lets the subject drop as the dark alleyway from yesterday pops on the screen.

We watch in silence, the darkness blending most details in but cities like these are hardly completely dim, so we could still see when I appear with White Lily, as well as the chat, followed by our fight, flashing lights blinding us for seconds from time to time as my lightning crisscrossed their way towards my enemies.

That's the first time however that I see how close I got to dying, he even took aim! I gulp down and try not to think too much about it, but still… to think that everything could have ended up here and there, just like that...

I see from the corner of my eyes that Asher is looking at me, but he doesn't say anything and I understand; there is nothing he can do for me, not without making things worse for us both.

"There." We stop once the boy drops in, coming out of nowhere, and as we watch at first I see nothing wrong, but as Asher repeats the video a few times, lowering the speed and pausing at places, I too notice something is odd.

"What is this shadow behind him…? And how does he simply drops the other down from that distance? There is nothing on his hands is there?"

"…Taka, do you remember where he took you?"

"Ahm? Ah, yes, of course, is at the slums in the south grey area, near the border."

"Take me there." The final tone on this voice makes me shut any questions I may have and go back inside to grab a grey coat, and soon after we were walking the streets at night.

"… Do you think he is dangerous? Perhaps some sort of criminal? Then why save me?" I whisper as we walk, but he does not respond while keeping an eye out, which makes me think that the situation may be more complicated than that.

My thoughts go wild as I guide him through the streets, but I come to no conclusion whatsoever by the time we reach his place.

Asher puts his arm out, motioning for me to back out, and with a firm grip on the handle of his pistol, ready to use it if needed, his other hand reaches for the door, the suspense killing me as the knob turns and the wood creaks slowly, opening up to reveal the inside.