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The Moon	By : theProphet Category: Dir en grey > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1373 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I don't know Dir en grey and make no money from this.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Author comment: So, I’m much happier with this chapter, than with the previous one ^^ Hope I didn’t leave any silly mistakes this time :O Your feedback would be so much appreciated! ^^
Also, hoping Kyo will get well soon! I want a happily-ever-after for his voice… :(

CHAPTER 11

Die glanced worriedly at Kaoru buried deep in a mountain of papers. Kaoru was always a workaholic type, but after the recent events he immersed himself into work more vigorously than ever before and Die easily guessed why. Whenever Kaoru would be worried about something that was out of his power to fix, he tended to occupy himself with other things like work, so that he could forget whatever is troubling him at least for a short time.
And these days not to be worried was a luxury only for the most ignorant ones.
That evening when they sat to have dinner and turned the news on, they were met with the most shocking thing ever. There was no news on, none of the channels showed their usual programs. All channels were translating one and only thing over and over again.
It was Kyo, seated in front of the camera, white wall behind him, telling the whole Japan of what he had to go through in The Moon – constant lack of sleep, dangerous work in the pipes where he could have stuck and hurt himself any day, where the pipes could have simply crumbled upon him; other worker dead, torn to pieces and Kyo drilling through his flesh and bones to unclog the pipe; of self-inflicted punishment of injecting into his own body drugs that sent agonising spasms to his muscles, writhing and screaming in pain for the longest time, almost biting his tongue off once; of coming back home sick and unwell in his mind.
Telling the whole Japan how his dearest friend Shinya managed to hack into the system and call him and was punished for that – killed together with his friend who helped him. Two families destroyed by the loss of their sons, brothers, lovers and friends.
Telling how he had no happiness and relief after coming back to poverty, being refused to get a job, being followed and monitored, being terrorized into keeping his mouth shut and leaving other people oblivious to the truth.
Telling that there must be tens, hundreds of people like him, restrained like prisoners in their houses by the Emperor.
And promising that all soon will change.
And this message was broadcasted over and over again, until finally the screen went to blank, stayed dead silent for a few moments and then the picture of the weather prognoses sprang to the screen, the weather girl telling it’s going to be rainy tomorrow like nothing has happened.
Surprisingly, there was nothing in the newspapers about that the next day, nothing on the internet of any magazine, TV station and anything alike. And that, to the more intelligent ones, was a very unnerving sign that, unfortunately, all that was said yesterday by Kyo was true. And the Emperor had all the power in the country to even silence the media.
People in the streets, shops, cafes and on the buses all looked like yesterday they got to know their neighbour was cruelly murdered – desperate to get more details on what had happened, but afraid to ask in case they’ll be misunderstood or worse, accused themselves.
Die was as shocked as Kaoru, but slightly reluctant to go to Kyo’s house immediately. They did try calling, but Kyo’s house phone was dead as well as his mobile. When they arrived at the dead of the night, they found nothing. Kyo’s house was unlocked, but empty. No sign of any fight or struggle, no sign of hurried leave, just a tidy room after room, empty of any occupiers.
Kaoru called Toshiya, but his phone was turned off. That made Die and Kaoru really worried and they went to Toshiya’s place then. Again, nothing. This time the door was locked, the windows dark. No sign of Toshiya.
In the later days they tried to contact Kyo’s parents, but nobody answered the phone as much as they called. Kyo didn’t have any other friends that they knew of. They didn’t have any numbers of Toshiya’s relatives or other friends. Soon they felt stuck, both of their friends missing.
Die did wonder out loud about the option of going to police. But they both knew that they couldn’t go to police asking about Kyo. They did try going to ask about Toshiya, but police dismissed them, saying he was an adult who perhaps was on vacation and that they had other, more important things to worry about.
And they felt stuck, not knowing what else they could do. Die found himself thinking about his last meeting with Kyo and how he regretted being so cruel and heartless to him. And Kaoru, he looked devastated.
Die put the pen down (he wasn’t writing or reading any of those papers anyway) and went to make a cup of tea for himself and his lover.
It’s been almost two weeks since Kyo’s message appeared on TV and already he noticed some changes. Policemen appeared in the streets, sour-faced and undisputable. There always used to be some of them, but now it seemed like every bigger street had its own guardian. Suddenly people appeared on their doorstep, asking for the passports, documents proving the ownerships of the flats or houses, job contracts, bank accounts’ checks. Who knew what else was silently happening, without being reported anywhere on the news.
But Die felt it – something was festering deep within the long-forgotten wound. Something foul, contagious and dangerous, something that was out of his reach to control.
The sound of the kettle boiling startled Die from his thoughts. He slowly poured tea in the cups and brought them back to the table. The bottom of a porcelain cup hitting wooden table sounded loud in an empty office at midnight, but Kaoru didn’t even glance at it.
Die waited for a moment, but as Kaoru made no sign of taking his eyes from the papers, he extended his hand and put it gently on Kaoru’s palm. Finally Kaoru slowly lifted his eyes and looked at Die.
“Let’s go home, Kao, it’s Friday. We’re ahead of the schedule anyway.”
“Yeah… I guess we do need some sleep…”
Die smiled, happy he didn’t need to keep persuading Kaoru to get his agreement.
“We’ll come back on Monday and will find the papers exactly in the same spot, don’t worry!”
Kaoru nodded, and took the cup of tea. He sipped the hot green liquid and closed his eyes for a moment. Die was still grasping his hand and this small gesture felt reassuring and calming. Die was this constant presence, calming him, taking care of him, making him laugh, making him ecstatic, making him happy.
And still…
“Die, I don’t know wh–“
Kaoru stopped, turning sharply to the direction of the hall leading to the exit. Die was also suddenly tense and looking at the door. They both heard it – a loud knock on the front door of their band’s office.
They sat still, barely breathing, waiting.
Less than five seconds passed and the knocking reassumed, harder and more persistent than before.
Die stoop up, but Kaoru followed right behind him and grabbed Die’s hand, stopping him. Unspoken words passed through them as they stared each other in the eyes, but the knocking repeated the third time and Die tore his hand out of Kaoru’s grasp and went for the door.
Kaoru was right behind him, feeling very nervous and scared, even though he had no idea why he thought he should be scared or of whom.
Die didn’t hesitate, he unlocked the door and opened it widely. A tall dark figure pushed inside immediately and closed the door again, grasping at the lock until his long fingers managed to finally lock it. The next second the hood, shielding the face, fell down and both Kaoru and Die gasped in surprise.
“Toshiya!”
He looked worn and tired, dirty and hungry, scared and stressed out.
“What happened to you? Where’ve you been?” Kaoru grabbed his arm and dragged him to the room they were just sitting. But Toshiya didn’t let himself be seated immediately. He went to the window and closed the blinds securely, then made a little gap with his fingers and peaked outside, watching and listening.
When he was satisfied, he then finally turned to his friends and looked at them. And the look he gave was one of a very tired man.
“God, Totchi, come, sit down, are you hungry?” Kaoru ushered him to the table once more and this time Toshiya obliged.
Die rummaged through the cabinets of the office, finding some apples and biscuits. The boxes barely managed to touch the table’s surface, as Toshiya just tore the packet open and ate the biscuits barely chewing.
In the white light of the office Die and Kaoru now could observe their friend more closely. They saw him in muddy jeans and shoes covered in dirt, saw his white shirt that hasn’t been washed for ages, yellow under his armpits, saw his hoody crumpled, his hands shaking a little as he grasped at the food with his dirty skin and black fingernails, his hair dishevelled and tangled like a bird’s nest.
“What the hell happened to you, Toshiya?” Die asked, sitting down next to his friend.
Toshiya was still stuffing the food in his mouth and Kaoru got him a bottle of mineral water. Only after all the food he was offered was gone and he washed it with a drink, Toshiya finally sat back in his chair and looked at his friends.
“Totchi, where have you been? What happened?”
“I didn’t believe him when he told me all of that” Toshiya said, his voice sounding weak.
“Who?”
“Kyo, of course!” Toshiya raised his voice for a fraction of a moment, then slumped down over the table. “He told me everything and I dismissed it all as his illusions…”
“Toshiya, you need to be more precise” Kaoru said gently, but firmly.
Slowly, stumbling over words, Toshiya recounted his day at the Ferris Wheel and all Kyo told him.
“And after less than three days he was gone. And then… then police came and started questioning me about Kyo. I didn’t tell them a thing of our conversation, but they kept me for nine hours, questioning me over and over again about Kyo’s behaviour, anything strange that I noticed, any strange people that he met.
And then when they let me go, day in and day out I felt I was being followed. There were men constantly behind me, shadowy figures outside my building, constantly turned to my windows. I couldn’t talk on the telephone with anyone, I was afraid I was being listened to.
And then, eight days ago, when I left in the morning for work, a man started coming in quick steps towards me as I was stepping outside the building, and I swear he had a gun in his hand, half-hiding it behind his coat. And I didn’t even think before I started running.”
Toshiya fell silent and drank the remaining mineral water from the bottle.
“Since then I was hiding. I saw Kyo on TV. After that it became even harder to be unnoticed as police where on every corner. But I just ran out of money, and I’ve got nowhere to go anymore. I don’t know what to do now…”
Die and Kaoru were silent, starring at Toshiya in shock.
“Shit, this is bad” Die finally said, looking at Kaoru.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Don’t be stupid, Toshiya, we’ll help you” Kaoru said, looking worried. Though he had a hard time imagining where they could find a place for Toshiya at the moment. Certainly their flat wasn’t the best idea.
“D’you think we’re also being followed?” Die asked.
“I don’t know” Kaoru answered, glancing at Toshiya worriedly.
Toshiya looked very tired, his eyes were already half closed, his whole body relaxed on the chair.
“Where you’ve been all this time?” Kaoru asked.
“I was staying in some cheap love hotels, registering by a false name. But I ran out of money and the last couple of nights I had to spend in the streets, I was afraid to go back home.”
“You did the right thing staying out of it” Die agreed.
They fell silent, each of them thinking their own thoughts. Toshiya was more dozing, than anything else. In the safety of his friends company he let himself relax for the first time after many days of being on the run.
In the middle of a silent night a car driving into the car park in front of their office was obnoxiously loud. Toshiya’s head immediately snapped up and he stared at the window, eyes wide with fear. Die looked at Kaoru and stood up. Toshiya extended his hand as if to stop Die, but Die was already out of his reach.
Die went to the window cautiously and moved the blinds a few millimetres apart. He stared outside for a few moments, then turned back to look at his friends, pale in the face.
“Four men are getting out of a black Jaguar.”
And just a few more seconds passed when they heard a silent bump at the front door.
They were not knocking to be let in.
Toshiya was on his feet, looking scared and almost panicking.
“Is there another way out?” he asked, barely keeping his voice low.
“Yes!” Kaoru nodded. He grabbed his wallet and car keys, Die doing the same, and then went to the hall, but turned completely the other way. They hurried down the hall and down the steps to another dark hall. They could barely see anything, but were afraid to turn the lights off, in case the men would get in the building and would see a clearly lit escape path.
Die, Kaoru and Toshiya struggled through the dark hall until its end, then turned right and went down another hall in total darkness. There were no windows anymore, but Kaoru knew his way and led his friends. Soon they bumped into the door and Kaoru swiped his key-card to get it opened. They got inside and Kaoru locked the door, then after a few moments the light went on.
They found themselves in a big storage room, full of boxes, unused furniture and other junk. Kaoru crossed the room and found another door. It was locked, but Kaoru fished out a key and opened it. He never used this fire escape way before except for those few times in safety training.
Finally they were greeted with the outside of the building. It was a dark alleyway, no people, no cars around. Kaoru closed the door behind him and locked it. But as soon as he put the key in his pocket, they heard steps coming from the corner of the building, right were the main entrance to the building was.
“Go!” Die pushed Kaoru and Toshiya the other way, and they ran. Before they managed to turn the corner, a bullet hit the ground at their feet. This made Toshiya stumble over his feet, momentarily panicking, but Die grabbed his hand and helped him keep the pace.
They ran straight ahead, then turned right again and found themselves in another dark alleyway, littered with boxes and garbage bags. Soon Die understood that Toshiya wasn’t able to keep up with them and they both fell behind Kaoru.
There was an old abandoned building just a few metres away and Kaoru saw the chance. As soon as they got near it, Kaoru assaulted the first door he saw with his body and it gave in, opening up a notch. They slipped inside and pushed the door closed again.
Quietly they went deeper into the building, keeping close to the wall. There was nothing inside, so as soon as they hit another wall, they found a gaping hole in it that once was a door and slipped into another room. Then the three of them slumped down on the ground, breathing heavily, and fell silent.
They didn’t have to wait long. Even though they were inside a building, they still heard distant footsteps, running on the outside. They passed and Die couldn’t help but release a sigh in relief.
They sat, waiting and a few moments later more footsteps were heard coming closer and then passing.
Then for a long time all was very silent.
Soon it started to get cold and they sat closer together, trying to keep themselves warm.
Sitting in total darkness, in a silent eerie night it was hard to say how much time passed. For a very long time nobody even dared to speak, let alone walk outside. They all waited and waited and waited.
Only when their muscles started to ache because of the uncomfortable position, and the fear slowly left their bodies, freeing their limbs from its locks, only then did Kaoru and Die slowly stood up and grabbed each other’s arms, wanting to feel where the other was.
“Do you think it’s safe already?” Kaoru whispered.
“It must be at least four hours since we’ve been here.”
“Where will we go?” Toshiya’s teary voice reached them.
Toshiya was on the run for days and this was not helping to his weakened state of body and mind. He had nothing positive to think about.
“We’ll think of something” Kaoru said.
So they stood up and slowly, quietly made their way to the door. Die tried to peek outside from the gap, but saw nothing. Only the first light of the morning painting the sky a light pink. They pushed the door open and cautiously stepped outside.
And then, as if out of nowhere, a short skinny guy appeared in front of them.
Toshiya recoiled, white as a sheet from fear, Kaoru’s heart sank to his stomach and Die could only think of extending his hands in front of his lover and his friend, having nothing else to defend them with.
“There is no time” the guy spoke, looking concerned. “Come with me, I’ll take you to a safe place.”
He turned and started walking. Die, Kaoru and Toshiya looked at each other and an unspoken agreement was reached.
They slowly moved and followed the guy. Just round the corner they saw an old, grey Subaru and the guy already getting into the passenger’s seat.
They followed still hesitantly, but there was nothing else they could do. And for some reason, something about this guy made them feel they could trust him.
Sitting at the front together with the stranger Kaoru observed him from the corner of his eye. And soon he had to admit that he thought the stranger had Kyo’s Chrome Hearts skull bracelet hanging proudly from his right wrist.
***
Kaoru and Die sat on one tiny bed, while Toshiya sat opposite them on another. They were huddled in a tiny room that only had three single beds, a table and a small cupboard. And they’ve been waiting for what felt like hours.
They argued and agreed and then argued again so many times, that at the end all they could actually do was wait. There was no point in wondering now if they made a right decision by getting into that guy’s car. There was always a possibility that they made a mistake. But somehow all of them felt he was their saviour.
“How long is he expecting us to sit here waiting?” Die huffed, annoyed.
As if on cue the doors unlocked and opened and the same short skinny guy came in. He looked much less worried than he was before, but still there was a hint of uneasiness in his features. Die, Toshiya and Kaoru stood up, looking at him expectantly.
“I’m sorry for all the inconvenience and worry I made you go through, but there was no time for explanations. You all were in a very tight spot.”
“Yes, and we’re very grateful that you helped us out” Kaoru smiled, bowing slightly. “But we would like to know now who you are and where are we. And what exactly is going on.”
The guy drove a while until he got to some underground passage and then for some time they were driving through a tunnel. When they stopped, he led the three friends through dimly lit corridors with doors and no windows until they came to this room and when Die, Kaoru and Toshiya got in, he told them he’ll be back soon and locked the door from outside. That’s where the three of them stayed since then, waiting.
The guy smiled and put his hands into pockets, visibly relaxing a little.
“My name is Ryuu Hoshi. You are at one of the smaller headquarters of the resistance fighters. But I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you about the ‘where’ part. And I can’t tell you much about the ‘what’ part as well. You watch TV, don’t you?”
“We saw Kyo on TV, if that’s what you’re referring at” Die said a little impatiently.
“Well then, that’s all you need to know. For the safety of the entire organization I cannot tell you more information in case something goes wrong and you get captured. Or in case you work for the Emperor.”
“We don’t’–” Die started, but Kaoru grabbed his hand harshly, to calm his temper.
“I know you don’t” Ryuu answered calmly. “But the people I report to don’t. And they have all the right to be cautious. The whole destiny of the country and peoples’ lives depend on the success of our mission and mistakes like that cannot happen. That’s why, I’m afraid, you’re going to have to stay here.”
Ryuu paused, looking at all three men in front of him.
“I confess, I did a very unprofessional thing and let my emotions take over my senses. I shouldn’t have interfered and let you go on your own, even I knew you would’ve been captured in no time, questioned and then killed. But I did it for Kyo.”
“Kyo?” Toshiya’s undivided attention now was on Ryuu. “You know where he is?”
“I constantly visit him and monitor his progress. He’s the only one who came back from the Moon being so sane. He’s more valuable to us than he thinks he is. Not only now, but most probably more after the Emperor is dead.”
Toshiya stared at Ryuu, his attention undivided.
“I did one thing I wasn’t allowed to – I got a tracking bug placed into your stomach with food, so that when Kyo was gone, I could know where you are and keep an eye on you for him.”
Now all three ex-band members stared at Ryuu.
“Don’t worry, it’s easily removable. You only need to drink a dissolving agent and it will slowly detach itself from your stomach and leave your system with meals. We can do it even tomorrow, if you’d like to, Toshiya-san.
So anyway, when Kyo disappeared, I know you were questioned and they showed more interest to you than I expected. And that was a bad sign. And after Kyo’s appearance on TV, you were as good as dead. I was surprised you managed to hide from them for so long and I even dared to hope that maybe I won’t need to interfere. But sadly, I should have known better.
With a bit of an effort I managed to get you out of trouble tonight. And with even more effort I finally got permission for you to stay here until we overtake the country. But I’m afraid that’s all I can do. You’ll have to live in this room together and do some work for us to earn your food and shelter. Nothing dangerous, on the contrary, very boring manual labour. But, as my superiors said, you’ve got no place in our plan, you don’t fit in anywhere, so if you want our organization to give you food and shelter, you have to earn it.
I’m sorry that’s all I can offer, but I’m pretty sure that if you were on your own, you’d soon be dead.”
And they knew Ryuu was right. They barely had any cash and they were certain that any usage of their credit cards was already being followed.
“That’s a bit a lot to process” Kaoru said slowly, not sure how to feel about all of this.
“How long we’ll have to stay here?” Die asked.
Ryuu was about to answer, but Toshiya beat him.
“Can I see Kyo?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Why not? I want to see him! I want to know he’s alright!”
“He’s alright, but you won’t be able to see him until it’s all over. But I guess there’s no harm in you talking to him.”
Toshiya’s face immediately beamed and he looked at Ryuu expectantly. Ryuu took out a mobile from his pocket and put in a number. He had to wait only for a moment before somebody on the other end picked up.
“Hey, Kyo!” Ryuu smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. I actually got somebody here who wants to talk to you. I’ll put you on speakers, Kyo, but remember what we told you about talking on the phone! … OK, wait just a second.”
Ryuu took the phone from his ear and turned the speakers on. Toshiya leaned closer to the phone, barely managing not to grin.
“Hey, Kyo!”
“T-totchi?” Kyo’s voice sounded incredulous.
“Yes, it’s me. How are you, Kyo? Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Better tell me what you and Ryuu are doing together?”
“I was in a bit of a trouble and Ryuu helped me out.”
“Shit… they… they got you, didn’t they?” Kyo sounded remorseful and sad.
“Yes, but Ryuu helped me out and I’m somewhere where he took us. We’ll stay here until everything finishes.”

“We?”
“Kaoru and Die are also here.”
“…”
“Hi, Kyo” Kaoru said quietly.
“…”
“I had nowhere to go, the only ones I could think of going for help where Kaoru and Die, but as soon as I got to their studio, we were chased by some guys with guns and Ryuu saved us. I didn’t want to drag them into any of this, but… well, what’s done is done...”
“I see…” Kyo finally said.
“Kyo, listen, I’m very sorry for not believing you, I know you must have felt like –“
“Don’t worry, Toshiya” Kyo interrupted him. “I understand how it all must have looked to you. They’re giving me pills here, trying to put my mind back to normal and I am finally seeing things how they truly are. The Man… that man is gone… And recently I’ve been sleeping for 6 or even 7 hours straight.”
“That’s amazing, Kyo!”
They could hear Kyo chuckle in amusement.
“It feels strange, but… good. It’s only been a while since I’m on treatment, but I feel the differences myself already. I feel like the broken pieces of me fit nicely back together, even though they are put back together unevenly and forced to stick together with super glue…”
“I’m… I’m so happy to hear that, Kyo…”
“Ryuu?” Kyo asked.
“Yeah?”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“I was allowed to keep them here, they’ll be perfectly safe until everything ends.”
“That’s good, that’s actually amazing! You said you can’t keep anyone else safe apart my family.”
“I can’t, but I said I’m taking full responsibility of them and with some convincing on my part they were allowed to stay.”
“We’re very grateful for that” Kaoru interfered, looking at Ryuu. “We don’t want you to think any other way.”
Ryuu just smiled at Kaoru, nodding curtly.
“Kaoru?” Kyo asked, sounding a little unsure.
“Yes, Kyo?”
“I’m sorry you and… and Die had been dragged into this, but I think you’ll be safer being here than outside.”
“Don’t worry about us, Kyo. We’re fine. I think we’re much better off being here than anywhere else.”
There was a pause of silence, then Ryuu said he had to go and Kyo had to say his goodbyes. Ryuu promised he will let them talk whenever he would have time to come to see Die, Kaoru and Toshiya himself.
Kaoru still had tons of questions to Ryuu, but had to swallow them down and see Ryuu go out and lock the door, his last words being that somebody will come to bring them pyjamas and essentials and will bring dinner as well. For more instructions of what they were going to do they’ll have to wait for tomorrow.
Die didn’t like the fact that door was being locked and they couldn’t get out of the small room.
“But that’s the whole point, isn’t it?” Toshiya mused loudly, starring at Die. “If we go out, we can see what this building is, who the people are, how well armed and prepared they are, how big is this place and so on. If we somehow venture outside and get captured by a chance, we would know too much.”
And Die knew Toshiya was right, but he couldn’t help but still hate it. It took Kaoru’s arm over his shoulders and his other arm on Die’s thigh to make him less irritable.
At first Toshiya just stared, but then shyly turned his eyes away from the evidence of affection and laid down on the bunk.
He hadn’t slept for ages. As soon as he closed his eyes, sleep claimed him.
***
Days went by slowly and tortuously. They worked, mostly doing their work in the laundry or cleaning kitchens. Die counted the days impatiently, being the least inclined to sit around doing nothing and wait.
Ryuu came a few times and told what was happening in Tokyo. How a little drop in the water made the surface ripple and slowly grow into big waves. Events were escalating as Ryuu had predicted they will after Kyo’s announcement. Nobody could pretend anymore that all was well.
Last time he came, he brought news about Die, Kaoru and Toshiya’s families. The Emperor, not managing to capture the three of them, turned his attention to their parents and siblings. Toshiya, being the only child, had his parents living quietly in a small town. Ryuu said the parents were in police custody, on the pretence of unpaid taxes, but questioned relentlessly about Toshiya’s whereabouts without hope of being released anytime soon.
Kaoru’s parents, as soon as they got to know their son was missing, put one and one together. But they weren’t prepared for Kaoru’s father being fired from his job and for Kaoru’s mother being hit by a car on the street. She had her leg and two ribs broken.
Die’s parents suffered similar fate. Die’s father’s business went bankrupt in less than a week and he and his wife found themselves without the source of income that provided for them their entire lives. Their house was robbed and the savings they kept there together with anything that was remotely valuable was gone. The hair salon where Die’s brother worked was set on fire and Die’s brother barely managed to get out alive. He burned his hands and was admitted to hospital, doctors were hopeful that his hands will heal well enough to work again, but not knowing when exactly he will be able to go back to that.
After Ryuu was gone, the rest of the day was spent in restless anger and grief. Kaoru had to put a lot of effort to subdue Die and stop him from hitting somebody. Toshiya was pale and silent, Kaoru apprehensive and composed, Die furious and easily angered.
And then nothing changed for a while, Ryuu didn’t come anymore and the three of them felt neglected and totally useless.
Finally, what Die thought was the middle of the third week, Ryuu came to see them late in the evening, looking tired and worn out. He barely spared them a glance and went to sit on one of the beds and Kaoru couldn’t help but sense something bad has happened.
“What is it, Ryuu?” he asked, looking anxious.
“They got Kyo. At the break of dawn they targeted out headquarters and they got Kyo. We’ve been betrayed.”
Toshiya slumped on the seat opposite Ryuu, looking shocked.
“The plan has altered, we thought we knew who the traitors were and were monitoring them 24/7, using them for our own purposes. But apparently there was one more and that somebody sold us out.”
“So what now?” Die asked.
“We shorten the time span of our plans. We’re going for the Emperor very soon, maybe even less than a week.”
“What about Kyo?” Toshiya asked.
Ryuu bowed his head and kept silent.
“You’re going to just abandon him, don’t you?” Kaoru asked coldly.
“There is nothing to be done about it. There is only one thing that’s important – take the Emperor down. Everything else is in the second place.”
“You can’t just leave him for those rabid dogs to tear him into pieces!” Toshiya spat angrily. “Wasn’t he supposed to be a part of your team now?”
“If I was captured as well as him, it would be exactly the same” Ryuu said, finally lifting his eyes to look at the three guys in front of him. “Nobody would risk the failure of the whole operation just to save me.”
“Where are they keeping him, do you know?” Toshiya asked.
“Most probably in the Palace’s cells.”
“And you’re going there?”
“Yes, but I said that our –”
“Yes, yours, but not mine” Toshiya cut him off.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll go together with you when you go for the Emperor, but instead my sole mission will be just to save Kyo.”
Ryuu stared, a little surprised to hear this kind of proposal.
“Have you ever held a gun in your hands?” Ryuu asked.
“No, but I’ve got a few days to learn to do it. How hard can it be?”
“I cannot protect you. I will be going straight for the Emperor.”
“I’m not asking your protection. Or your permission as well. I’m saying I’m going to get Kyo back.”
“I’ll go with you” Kaoru intervened.
“No” Die was quick to add. “I won’t let you go alone. I’m coming with you!”
Now the three guys turned and looked Ryuu in the eyes and Ryuu just stared back, a little still shaken. Then slowly he smiled and stood up.
He slowly nodded.
“I’m sure that in between the betrayal, loss of headquarters and a quickened plan to kill the Emperor, nobody will notice or care about the three of you coming together. But you have to understand, that it’s going to be a full–on war at the Palace and you might get shot. Or killed.”
“We understand” Toshiya nodded, looking grim and serious.
In a blink of an eye Ryuu drew something from under his jacket and the next second Toshiya found himself facing a gun pressed to his forehead. He stared, frozen to the spot, feeling the cool metal surface of the gun touch his skin. Die and Kaoru recoiled, starring at both of them wide eyed.
“It takes just one click and you’re dead” Ryuu said coldly.
“I’m not afraid” Toshiya breathed out, certainly looking a little frightened, but still determined.
As quickly as he drew out his gun, Ryuu hid it away.
“Kyo–san is a lucky man – he has such extraordinarily devoted friends.”
He smiled and it looked like finally he did feel a little easier about everything.
“As we lost headquarters, I’ll be staying here, so I’ll be able to teach you quick basics of what you need to know. I’ll get you the uniforms and a plan of the Palace, so that you’d at least have an idea where we will be going and where Kyo might be. You’ll need to learn the paths by hard. After that you’re on your own.”
They nodded, showing that they understand.
“Well then, I’ll be off now, but I’ll come back as soon as I can. I guess since I won’t be going back to the Palace to work, I’ll be around more often.”
“You work in the Palace?” Die aske incredulously.
“Worked” Ryuu smiled and there was something crazy in his smile. Something freeing. “And I can’t wait to get my hands on the Emperor and slit his throat.”
He then turned and left.
Die, Toshiya and Kaoru were left to wait for him to get back.
Very soon the fate of the whole country will be decided, but all they could think of was if it still wasn’t too late for Kyo.
***
The next day every channel on TV showed the same thing – it was Kyo, naked, his hands chained over his head on a pole, standing in the middle of the Palace square and angry people standing all around him, chanting death threats and insults, some of them even throwing rocks at him.
And a presenter saying that all traitors of The Emperor will be subject to horrible torture and death.
Finally all pretences were gone.

TBC
- 10
- 11
- 12
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The Moon