“Rikki… Rikki! Respond.. Please...” Tamaki’s tears landed onto Riki’s face, “Just when I had someone else to talk to…”
She assumed the worst, but not for the sake of keeping her expectations low. Her expectations were always just low. She placed the back of her hand near Rikki’s face. If there was a time for reassurance, some hope to hold on to, it would be now. She was thankfully given that as she feels the slight breathing on her hand.
Rikki laid there unconscious. His entire body is covered head to toe in first degree burns. Luckily at that moment, the burst had somehow traveled upward enough so that Riki didn’t get any worse damage than he already did. It wasn’t serious enough to be considered life threatening.
As the figure with the clothing from centuries ago adjusted their vest, Tamaki didn’t hesitate to demand answers. Because she saw them take out another cigarette from his pouch.
“Were… were you the one who’s responsible for the town’s crime rate?”
The mask bearer was silent and stood still. One more good look of his figure, however, was the glint of silver alongside a red gemstone. Hanging off of one of the pants loops, was the item that started this mess.
“The earrings!” she exclaimed, “Those were... Komiya’s...”
Before she knew it, once again Tamaki was helpless. Another person was going to die because of her actions. If she hadn’t asked Rikki to help out on finding something she lost, he wouldn’t have died. He would have survived, somehow. This time, however, she was going to die with them.
A stupid life.
Instead of feeling the pain, the mask bearer disappeared. Exactly how Rikki had described that man in his story.
“Huh…?” Tamaki stared at the empty space where the figure once stood.
The inn wasn’t completely destroyed like the future Tamaki had seen. They prevented it.
(“Take the key, Rikki. You have to be the one to prevent this from happening.”)
In his vision where he stood, there was a person in front of him. He was battered. He saw bodies surrounding him, bodies of people he didn’t know. It was an unknown location. He couldn’t discern anything.
(“I’m sorry for dumping all of the responsibility on you. Who knows how many times you would have to keep going until you reach a fitting future.”)
He felt his lips move but he couldn’t hear what he was speaking. In the end, the person only nodded, and lost grip of the vision.
Tamaki walked through her childhood home once again. She stared off at the familiar light fixtures, the antique furniture, and the million pieces of art on the walls. The light beaming from the window was cut into intrinsic designs from the shapes of the grilles. It reflected the few dust particles floating in the air. These were the things that she would see every single day of her life. When Tamaki received the news that she will be going to the capital city in order to take her exam, she was more than thrilled. This exam, if passed, would act as a ticket to understand the world she was thrusted upon. But now that she was a couple of days early, her father wouldn’t be so pleased.
I always have Kaori to back me up. With her, I don’t fear anything.
She was, of course, greeted by all of the guards around the mansion. They were all probably wondering, ‘why is she home?’. That didn’t matter. She had her reasons for coming back early. Yes, the boy that was heavily injured was one of them, but also for the fact that there was an arsonist.
“What are you doing back here when you’re supposed to be waiting for the exam?”
Currently, Tamaki was seated at a table with Kaori standing by silently. On the opposite side of the table sat Tamaki’s father. Just as she expected, he didn’t look so pleased.
“...Not even a ‘welcome back’, father?” Tamaki utters.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Ah, where are my manners? My apologies. Welcome home, Tamaki.”
Still expecting an answer, Tamaki decided to be blunt about the situation.
“I’m sorry, but there was an emergency, father.”
“And I’m assuming this emergency was that boy who had burn marks on him?”
“Yes. He—”
“Tamaki… who said you could bring in a person to our mansion?”
Her heart was palpitating. It was like everyone she knew knows how to make her feel anxious.
“I’m sorry father, but he was injured during a confrontation of a stranger who attempted to burn down the inn! That is why I came back. That stranger stole my precious earrings. Is there any way we can possibly track them down?”
“Ridiculous. The inn is guarded by numerous guards! No one can even come close to it’s yard. There is no possible way a man could waltz in and take whatever he wants.”
The head of the family would take extra precaution of his child’s safety. Of course, he would assign extra guards just to be sure.
“There weren’t any guards in the slightest…”
That was when it clicked for him. How could he have missed this one detail?
“That was the wrong inn.”
“...Wr... Wrong inn…?”
“Yes. The location you described where you stayed is a little off from the directions I gave you. In fact, that location is supposed to be an ordinary field of weeds.”
The expression on her face did not change, but her father had spent long enough around her to read what feeling she was hiding.
“...Listen Tamaki. Leave the boy. Leave and go to the correct inn this time, but don’t take him along.”
“Father…”
“I’ve already had our workers examine the amnesiac’s background. He comes from a country in the far south, a region not as modernized as ours. Tonight, I will have him be escorted back to his home.”
“...”
“But it is indeed such a shame that the earrings given to you by your friend was stolen. I’ll place an order for a new set if you would like—”
“NO!” Tamaki jumped out of her chair.
Everyone in the room was surprised by her jolt, the looks were enough to make Tamaki snap back into reality. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, Kaori only gave her a nod.
“...If you would excuse me.”
The head of the household, the head of one of the most well known families in the area, had a difficult relationship with his daughter. As he watched his own daughter tear up and ran out of the room, he wondered what he could have done better.
The father was trying his best. In fact, he had already sent out a search party for this mysterious stranger in a plague mask. Unbeknown to him, however, they had an ability. More importantly, there were abilities, and that they were a kept secret from those that do not have one. He had no idea that in one morning, his own daughter woke up with the ability to see into the future.
Rikki got up. Once again, he didn’t recognize the ceiling he saw after waking up. Though, this time, a chandelier was the first thing that welcomed his vision. He more or less understood the situation. The bandage tape wrapped all throughout his body was enough information.
“I’m alive.”
The vision of red suddenly sprung out of the deep sockets of his memories. It made his whole body shudder. He put his face in the palm of his hands, noticing the cold sweat on his forehead. Now that he thought about it, his hearing was lessened a bit. The rustling of the sheets of the bed was less audible from the previous night. That explosion did that. And he thought he could rescue that white-haired girl, the one with an ability.
What a load of shit I am.
Rikki didn’t dwell on it. The fact of the matter was that he was saved himself by those two he had just met. He would have a lot of thanking to do. When Rikki walked out, he saw the appearance of short grey hair tied in a black ribbon. That same black uniform and deep blue eyes staring back at him can only mean one thing. Kaori was standing by the doorway. It was really the first time he got a close up look of her appearance in full.
“Kaori?”
“Peace. You’re finally awake. How are you feeling?”
“Ok-ish. Just a little soreness.”
Rikki didn’t know why he was keeping a broad persona. A soon as he said that, he knew that didn’t fit him and he could tell Kaori thought so as well. Right now, he could tell he was still just a blank slate trying to find his footing on the ground.
“Being blasted off like that and only experiencing soreness… You would have to thank this household for their medical expertise.”
“Oh right, thank you for nursing my wounds! Say, since I’m here, how long have I been out?” He feared whatever answer she’ll give.
“It’s been two days since the attack on the inn. After you’ve been knocked out, Tamaki hurriedly rushed back to the ship and immediately ushered the order to return home. She needed to speak to her father about the incident.”
“Oh…” Rikki, yet again, was a burden, “and that thing in the plague mask let us go?”
“Correct and we still don’t know why.”
He sighed and spoke his mind.
“I don’t deserve this kindness.”
“Hm?”
“I mean. The only thing that I did was to agree to help you guys find something you lost. Me, a random person. And yet, I hadn’t done much to return that. How could one person be so kind?”
“That is something you might want to ask Tamaki personally about.” Kaori said, looking down at the carpet, “But if I had to speak for her, it’s that you are one of the first people she met who talks so casually to her.”
“I am? Is it because of her family?”
“That’s right. Tamaki is a sheltered girl, you see. She is a daughter of a rich family, so she was raised to one day lead that family. From my point of view, the pressure her father puts on her is too much. The only escape she had was with me and one other person named Komiya. I was ordered by her to not speak about her to people by Tamaki, though, so I won’t spare any more details.”
“I always wondered, what exactly is your relationship with Tamaki?”
“Her valet. Although clearly she would have been a goner if she was left without an assistant. But… I’m glad I was selected to be her assistant in spite of everything that I just said. Yes, she is a klutz, soft, and indecisive. But that just gives her a charm I’ve never seen anyone else has. I wouldn’t give up my current position for anything else in the world.”
“You wouldn’t normally say that to someone who’s ‘just’ their employer.”
“Good judgement. Tamaki and I have known each other since we were kids. That’s why I know that side of her.”
“I see.”
If he did have any childhood friends, or friends in general, he had little options to contact them.
“And how about on your end? Have your memories come back at all?”
Memories? Oh that’s right. I did have something. Was that even a memory? Could you even call that a memory? It was like being relayed a vision or something…
“Oh? The chief is back…?”
They heard the footsteps. There, was Tamaki without the knowledge that the two would be outside. If she had known, she would’ve waited for a few more minutes. Her eyes were red from her tears.
