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There are several things Atobe Keigo does not do. He does not lose, he does not give up, and he certainly does not retreat with his tail tucked between his legs. That being said, Atobe Keigo is doing none of these three. He is merely delaying an inevitable showdown until he has better back-up. Mizuki is running away.
Jirou snuggles his head against Atobe's shoulder while Mizuki's men go about prepping their ship for departure. "Keigo, are you sure we can't take Hiyoshi back with us?"
Atobe curled a strand of Jirou's hair around one finger and tugged on it. The sleepy blond's half closed eyes widened before drooping again. "I think I've been away from Hyotei long enough." Atobe began to finger-comb Jirou's hair. "I'm beginning to miss even Oshitari."
"Yuushi missed you too, Keigo." Jirou giggled against Atobe's neck before he yawned, his body slowly becoming heavy dead weight as he fell asleep. "He dreams of you sometimes… mmm, Kei… Zzzzzzzz."
Atobe smirked and continued to stroke the sleeping somnapath's hair. He might be forced to rely on St. Rudolph for a little while longer, and he would of course repay them for their generosity once he was back within his own organization, but he would not allow St. Rudolph to beat him, and he certainly would not allow Rikkai to beat him. But he could be patient and he could wait. It had taken almost all of his life to build up the psychic network that had allowed Hyotei to grow into what it had been, if it hadn't been for Mizuki's help when Atobe was younger it never would have happened, but Atobe was better than Mizuki now.
And they both had different goals. Atobe's was all about Atobe, and Mizuki's was all about Mizuki, and neither man could give up even a portion of their goals to care about another.
There was a war coming. Atobe could sense it breathing along psychic wavelengths and shivering underneath the skin. A war between the factions, the space colonies, the schools of thought. It had started long ago with the death of Atobe's father and built for years as men and women disappeared into the confines of St. Rudolphs' Basilica, and when one looked back on the history books one was sure to see the assassination of Rokkaku's Ojii listed in the opening gambits of such a war.
The old man had always stood in the way of progress, anyway.
--
Atsushi watched as Mizuki fumed. It was odd for even a Miracle to get this close and to see their 'leader' lose his cool. Yuuta saw it, Atsushi was sure, but Atsushi had never been so close to Mizuki, not even after he had left Rokakku to be with St. Rudolph, blessed be his name. Mizuki hated being thwarted, Atsushi knew that.
"They're going to be hyper-vigilant about broadcasts now." Mizuki absent-mindedly curled one strand of hair over and over again, obsessively. Atsushi watched the action with cool detachment. "We never did well in this area anyway, too much static, too much interference…" More curling, his finger making the same movements over and over again while his mind raced. "I'm going to need something better than broadcasts to beat Yukimura."
One did not doubt Mizuki, or the church, not if one wanted to stay alive. And Atsushi had killed men for thinking thoughts less treasonous than the ones he was thinking now. "I could see the weakness inside of him, I could have triggered it..."
"None of us would have left the ship alive." Mizuki's voice was uncharacteristically harsh. "Yukimura is the one in charge but Sanada is the powerhouse. He's like a rabid dog without Yukimura or Yanagi around to hold his leash." The thought seemed to strike Mizuki out of the blue and his obsessive twirling stopped as a twisted smile flitted over his face. Then he began to chuckle. "Oh, that's brilliant. Nfufufufufu."
Atsushi had long ago realized that Mizuki was kind of crazy. But the best prophets always were.
--
Hiyoshi fidgeted. He did not like Yanagi's cool stare, or Kirihara's smirk, or that weird bubble popping guy who had gotten him into this trouble in the first place. He especially didn't like Kite touching him like he actually cared, just a casual hand placed on Hiyoshi's elbow as the two of them stood in front of Rikkai's psychics. It made Hiyoshi jumpy in a way he hadn't thought possible.
Especially since he still heard Jirou in the back of his head.
Don't you miss us, Wakashi?
Yes, more than Hiyoshi would like to admit.
"You've admitted that you have no reason to hold him, and I would like to take my cousin back to our ship, it's been a stressful day."
Kirihara crossed his arms in front of his chest and his smirk just seemed to get wider. Hiyoshi could remember what had happened in the dreamscape with Kirihara too. No more fluffy clouds just darkness everywhere and the weightlessness of space.
It'd made for some interesting dream sex.
"We don't have any reason to hold Hiyoshi." Yanagi said placidly and Hiyoshi was beginning to wonder if the guy was half-robot or something. "Or you, Kite." Kite didn't even bother to look surprised or stiffen. "Or any of the Yamabuki crew… except for Akutsu."
A sense of ruefulness filled the room and permeated everyone. Hiyoshi suppressed a shiver and drew his shields tight around him. He didn't like feeling vulnerable, and right now he did.
"But Hiyoshi here has some powerful enemies. The Church of St. Rudolph, his old employer... they're both powerful groups with cash and psychics to spare." Yanagi did not mention the fact that Atobe was alive which Hiyoshi only knew because of Jirou. It was an interesting bit of information to keep to himself, but maybe he just wished to keep it from Kite. Hiyoshi would like to keep it from Kite. "If he remains here we can offer him some protection, more if he offered to take a position within the moon base."
"I can make my own decisions." Hiyoshi shrugged off Kite's touch. "And I can protect myself."
No one in the room looked impressed or shocked. Hiyoshi burned silently with anger and the need to explode. "And I'm not staying."
The only doors in the conference room whooshed when they opened. Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichirou stood highlighted in the false lighting of the hallway. "I'm sorry to hear that, Hiyoshi." Yukimura's fake smile was sickle thin and just as sharp. "Perhaps there is an arrangement we could reach that you would enjoy and would allow us to offer you protection. There is, of course, the small matter of the Yamabuki crew being pirates. We could arrest you all."
"Or," Sengoku had been rather quiet from his corner of the room, everyone turned, surprised that they'd forgotten he was there. It was hard to forget Sengoku, generally he projected like a surround sound system. "You could put us to use." Sengoku's smile was cheerful and hid the edge of dangerousness that Yukimura's made so obvious. "Don't tell me you couldn't use a totally unauthorized totally inconspicuous totally unmemorable group of pirates, Yukimura."
"Banji lost a great successor when he lost you, Sengoku."
Everyone in the room felt a shudder go down their spines as Sengoku and Yukimura continued to smile at each other.
--
Minami was surprised when the message came through their systems. Not surprised that their systems worked, or surprised they were getting a message, but surprised because of what the message said.
"…I don't think we have to worry about Rikkai arresting us anymore."
Jirou snuggles his head against Atobe's shoulder while Mizuki's men go about prepping their ship for departure. "Keigo, are you sure we can't take Hiyoshi back with us?"
Atobe curled a strand of Jirou's hair around one finger and tugged on it. The sleepy blond's half closed eyes widened before drooping again. "I think I've been away from Hyotei long enough." Atobe began to finger-comb Jirou's hair. "I'm beginning to miss even Oshitari."
"Yuushi missed you too, Keigo." Jirou giggled against Atobe's neck before he yawned, his body slowly becoming heavy dead weight as he fell asleep. "He dreams of you sometimes… mmm, Kei… Zzzzzzzz."
Atobe smirked and continued to stroke the sleeping somnapath's hair. He might be forced to rely on St. Rudolph for a little while longer, and he would of course repay them for their generosity once he was back within his own organization, but he would not allow St. Rudolph to beat him, and he certainly would not allow Rikkai to beat him. But he could be patient and he could wait. It had taken almost all of his life to build up the psychic network that had allowed Hyotei to grow into what it had been, if it hadn't been for Mizuki's help when Atobe was younger it never would have happened, but Atobe was better than Mizuki now.
And they both had different goals. Atobe's was all about Atobe, and Mizuki's was all about Mizuki, and neither man could give up even a portion of their goals to care about another.
There was a war coming. Atobe could sense it breathing along psychic wavelengths and shivering underneath the skin. A war between the factions, the space colonies, the schools of thought. It had started long ago with the death of Atobe's father and built for years as men and women disappeared into the confines of St. Rudolphs' Basilica, and when one looked back on the history books one was sure to see the assassination of Rokkaku's Ojii listed in the opening gambits of such a war.
The old man had always stood in the way of progress, anyway.
--
Atsushi watched as Mizuki fumed. It was odd for even a Miracle to get this close and to see their 'leader' lose his cool. Yuuta saw it, Atsushi was sure, but Atsushi had never been so close to Mizuki, not even after he had left Rokakku to be with St. Rudolph, blessed be his name. Mizuki hated being thwarted, Atsushi knew that.
"They're going to be hyper-vigilant about broadcasts now." Mizuki absent-mindedly curled one strand of hair over and over again, obsessively. Atsushi watched the action with cool detachment. "We never did well in this area anyway, too much static, too much interference…" More curling, his finger making the same movements over and over again while his mind raced. "I'm going to need something better than broadcasts to beat Yukimura."
One did not doubt Mizuki, or the church, not if one wanted to stay alive. And Atsushi had killed men for thinking thoughts less treasonous than the ones he was thinking now. "I could see the weakness inside of him, I could have triggered it..."
"None of us would have left the ship alive." Mizuki's voice was uncharacteristically harsh. "Yukimura is the one in charge but Sanada is the powerhouse. He's like a rabid dog without Yukimura or Yanagi around to hold his leash." The thought seemed to strike Mizuki out of the blue and his obsessive twirling stopped as a twisted smile flitted over his face. Then he began to chuckle. "Oh, that's brilliant. Nfufufufufu."
Atsushi had long ago realized that Mizuki was kind of crazy. But the best prophets always were.
--
Hiyoshi fidgeted. He did not like Yanagi's cool stare, or Kirihara's smirk, or that weird bubble popping guy who had gotten him into this trouble in the first place. He especially didn't like Kite touching him like he actually cared, just a casual hand placed on Hiyoshi's elbow as the two of them stood in front of Rikkai's psychics. It made Hiyoshi jumpy in a way he hadn't thought possible.
Especially since he still heard Jirou in the back of his head.
Don't you miss us, Wakashi?
Yes, more than Hiyoshi would like to admit.
"You've admitted that you have no reason to hold him, and I would like to take my cousin back to our ship, it's been a stressful day."
Kirihara crossed his arms in front of his chest and his smirk just seemed to get wider. Hiyoshi could remember what had happened in the dreamscape with Kirihara too. No more fluffy clouds just darkness everywhere and the weightlessness of space.
It'd made for some interesting dream sex.
"We don't have any reason to hold Hiyoshi." Yanagi said placidly and Hiyoshi was beginning to wonder if the guy was half-robot or something. "Or you, Kite." Kite didn't even bother to look surprised or stiffen. "Or any of the Yamabuki crew… except for Akutsu."
A sense of ruefulness filled the room and permeated everyone. Hiyoshi suppressed a shiver and drew his shields tight around him. He didn't like feeling vulnerable, and right now he did.
"But Hiyoshi here has some powerful enemies. The Church of St. Rudolph, his old employer... they're both powerful groups with cash and psychics to spare." Yanagi did not mention the fact that Atobe was alive which Hiyoshi only knew because of Jirou. It was an interesting bit of information to keep to himself, but maybe he just wished to keep it from Kite. Hiyoshi would like to keep it from Kite. "If he remains here we can offer him some protection, more if he offered to take a position within the moon base."
"I can make my own decisions." Hiyoshi shrugged off Kite's touch. "And I can protect myself."
No one in the room looked impressed or shocked. Hiyoshi burned silently with anger and the need to explode. "And I'm not staying."
The only doors in the conference room whooshed when they opened. Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichirou stood highlighted in the false lighting of the hallway. "I'm sorry to hear that, Hiyoshi." Yukimura's fake smile was sickle thin and just as sharp. "Perhaps there is an arrangement we could reach that you would enjoy and would allow us to offer you protection. There is, of course, the small matter of the Yamabuki crew being pirates. We could arrest you all."
"Or," Sengoku had been rather quiet from his corner of the room, everyone turned, surprised that they'd forgotten he was there. It was hard to forget Sengoku, generally he projected like a surround sound system. "You could put us to use." Sengoku's smile was cheerful and hid the edge of dangerousness that Yukimura's made so obvious. "Don't tell me you couldn't use a totally unauthorized totally inconspicuous totally unmemorable group of pirates, Yukimura."
"Banji lost a great successor when he lost you, Sengoku."
Everyone in the room felt a shudder go down their spines as Sengoku and Yukimura continued to smile at each other.
--
Minami was surprised when the message came through their systems. Not surprised that their systems worked, or surprised they were getting a message, but surprised because of what the message said.
"…I don't think we have to worry about Rikkai arresting us anymore."