A and K Chapter 29 An Ultimatum

Kei quietly wakes up. Yui's head was still asleep on his shoulder. Shigure had decided to sleep opposite them from what he noticed. He could hear someone walking around outside. He moved slowly and made sure Yui was laying down gently so he didn't wake her up. He quietly walked out to the back porch. Aria had begun her morning ritual for the weekend. She sat cross-legged, her sword sitting on her lap, as she meditated. Kei quietly walked over to where she sat.
Aria: What do you want?
She said it without moving an inch. Kei got a good look at how she sat. Her eyes were closed. She sat with her hands on her knees.
Kei: Do you mind company?
Aria: Yes.
Kei: Thanks.
Kei sat next to her anyway and imitated her.
Aria: So you're not going to go away are you?
Kei: Not really.
Aria: If you're going to bother me, then I want to know something.
Kei: Fair enough.
Aria: Who was Lexi?
Kei: Not you too...
Aria: You said...
Kei: Yeah, I know, shut up.
Kei took a deep breath.
Kei: Lexi was a beastkin like myself.
Aria: Obviously.
Kei: Shut up and let me talk.
Aria: Then tell me something I don't know.
Kei: She was a siberian husky breed, like my sisters.
Aria: Okay then...
Kei: We met when were we younger. The two of us would go out into a big patch of grass and just stare at the stars.
Kei moved his body to fully lay his body on the grass. He stared up at the slowly moving clouds across the amber sky. The sun was only just coming up from the west.
Kei: The two of us, we would do everything together. The one thing we didn't...
Aria: The war.
Kei: Right.
Aria: Hmph.
Kei: Lexi was by no means a fighter. She had a heart for everything that moved. No matter how big or small, life was sacred.
Aria quietly listened as Kei talked fondly of Lexi. Kei kept his gaze on the sky.
Kei: When I came back from the war, we spent every day together. We had dreams of going places that we'd never been before. The most beautiful places across this big world. And while it wasn't one of those places, I proposed to her here, after I bought this house for us. She said yes. I was overjoyed. She fondly talked about having pups and spending our lives together. She looked at everything from cakes to clothes, to decorations.
Aria: ...she was excited...
Kei: Yeah, she was prepared to spend her life with me, but...
Kei seemed to hesitate.
Aria: The illness.
Kei: With two weeks left before the wedding, Lexi began to get sicker and sicker.
Aria: And you could do nothing?
Kei: No. There was nothing the best doctors could do. I was told that she wouldn't live to see our wedding.
Aria: I imagine you were there by her side the entire time.
Kei: Yeah. I was. I was by her side until she passed. The last thing she told me, 'Love never dies, it just comes back in a different form'.
Aria: ...
Kei: She was buried in a plot reserved for one of her parents. They didn't think she would pass before them.
Aria: And what about her parents?
Kei: We...don't talk much anymore.
Aria: Well, Lexi's words have come to pass.
Kei: What do you mean?
Aria: Are you blind to Shigure?
Kei: Well, no, I...
Aria: I warn you Kei, do not string a girl's heart along.
Kei: I won't Aria.
Aria: Then you should take her feelings seriously, not as a passing crush.
Kei: ...fair point.
Aria: Now then, if you don't mind leaving, I have my morning training to do.
Kei: Yeah, yeah.
With the rustling of grass underneath his feet, Kei stood up and left the backyard quietly. As he entered, Shigure stood there, all dressed up in a little black skirt and a white blouse, her black heels almost dug into the ground she stood on.
Shigure: You and I are going on a date today.
Kei: Um, we are?
Shigure grabs Kei's arm.
Shigure: We are.
Shigure drags Kei out with her. Yui wakes up to the commotion.
Yui: Oh right, those tickets were for today...
Yui yawned and then decided to go take a shower. A few quiet moments passed before Athena and Saori showed up at the house.
Athena: Huh? Nobody here?
Saori: Sounds like someone's in the shower.
Athena: Hmm? Well, don't think Kei would like it very much if we barged in on him.
The two walk out to the backyard to find Aria doing her morning routine.
Athena: Good Morning Aria!
Aria missed her next target as her focus briefly wavered.
Aria: I told you the last five times you said that, don't bother me when I'm training!!
Athena: Don't be such a morning grouch, Aria.
Aria: (I'm not a grouch, you're just annoying.)
Saori sits on the back porch quietly.
Saori: Why don't you go see if Alexandria is awake?
Athena: That's a great idea!
Athena walked into her room to see a quiet Alexandria sleeping. Athena got an evil look in her eye. She snuck up on her from the side her face wasn't looking. She then jumped.
Athena: Dogpile!
She jumped on top of Alexandria and wrapped herself around her. Alexandria sprung awake.
Alexandria: Mmph, Athena!
Athena: Your fault for being a little sleepyhead!
Alexandria struggled to escape Athena's clutches.
Alexandria: Its my day off! I wanted to sleep in!
Athena: No such luck for you sleepyhead.
Alexandria got her hand on a pillow and smacked Athena with it. This allowed Alexandira to escape her clutches. She sighed to herself.
Alexandria: Now out!
Athena quietly did so. Alexandria slammed the door behind her.
Athena: Hmm? She's more grumpy then usual. Is she picking up Kei's habits?
An hour passed and nothing much had changed. Yui and Alexandria had showered and dressed and athena was sprawled in front of the television.
Yui: So what are your plans for the day Alexandria?
Alexandria: I'm going to go through for a walk, would you like to join me?
Yui: No that's okay. You enjoy yourself.
Alexandria nodded. She headed out the front door. She made sure the door was closed quietly. She headed out on her own. Yui wondered what she would do with herself. That's when the phone rang. She walked over and picked it up.
Yui: Hello, Kei's residence.
A panicked shouting was heard over the phone.
Yui: M-mom! Calm down! M-mom! Slow down mom!
Alexandria walked down the road she always jogged with Kei. It was quiet for the morning. Then again, it wasn't usually that busy anyway. As she continued her walk, she looked up into the sky. It wasn't too cloudy, but cloudy enough. The sky was just getting its solid blue from the sun rising. Most of the colors from before having been washed away by the sea of blue. It seemed just like a lazy weekend day. Not much to do, just going out and having a chance to see the world around her. Kei's house was in more of a country setting, so she could walk a while without seeing anyone, and that's just how she liked it. This day was hers to do with how she wanted. At the end of every week, after all the training sessions with Kei and after all the tutoring from Shigure, it was a good chance to get away. She wondered what the others were up to. Her thoughts went to her friends back at the old house. She wondered what Miwa and Makoto had told them.
Alexandria: I hope they're all alright without me.
???: I think you're going to be the person they'll all be worrying about.
Alexandria's eyes grew wide, she turned around to see him standing there.
Alexandria: Michel.
Michel: Glad you remember me you little brat.
Alexandria: What are you doing here?
Michel: Isn't it obvious?
Alexandria: Kei's not here, so go away.
Michel: No, see, that's why I'm here.
Alexandria's eyes grew wide.
Michel: I need bait.
Alexandria took off running away from him. She didn't have anything to fight him with, and he had both his swords. It took Michel only a short moment to catch up with her.
Michel: You can run away from all your troubles, but not from me you brat.
Alexandria dug her the heels of her shoes into the ground to force a stop and turn around, but she didn't move very far to see Terra standing there.
Terra: Just come with us, Alex, I don't want to see dad hurt you.
Alexandria clenched her teeth. She turned back towards him.
Alexandria: Why are you doing this?
Michel: I have my mission, see, and my daughter here is going to make sure you come along. Oh, but I would like to do this the hard way. So please, run. I'd love the opportunity to get some fresh blood on my swords.
Alexandria just stared him down. Run, and she could put herself potentially putting her life at stake.
Alexandria: Fine.
Michel: Good girl.
Michel unsheathed one of his swords.
Alexandria: But you said-!
Michel smacked the top of her head with his hilt. She fell to the ground unconscious.
Michel: Just going to ask you to sleep for a little bit, you're not going to like seeing what I do to Kei anyway. Terra.
He looked sternly at the girl.
Michel: Is the note in place?
Terra nods.
Michel: Good. At least you can do that much right. Let's go. Won't be long before Kei finds that note and comes looking for his precious little girl.
A small amount of time passed and Kei and Shigure walked home on the same road that Alexandria had once been on. Shigure went on and on about the nature of the movie.
Kei: Yes, Shigure, I get it, you liked the movie.
Shigure: I really have to thank Yui for those tickets.
As Kei reached the door, there was a small envelope sitting on the front porch.
Kei: Hmm?
Shigure: Odd, didn't anybody grab the mail?
Kei leans down and picks it up, he retrieves the note within it, and reads it alone to himself then dashes inside.
Shigure: K-kei?! What is it?
Kei sprints down the hall and retrieves his weapon and then finds Shigure waiting for him in the doorway. Yui, Saori, Athena, and Aria, now alerted to what was happening.
Yui: Kei, what happened?
Shigure: What was in that envelope?
Kei: A note.
Shigure: What did it say?
Kei: Michel has Alexandria.
The others were all shocked. Shigure's face became downcast.
Shigure: This is my fault...
Kei: Shut up.
Shigure is surprised to hear him use such harshness towards her.
Kei: It isn't your damn fault and you know it.
Kei softly puts his hand on Shigure's cheek.
Kei: I was really happy I got to spend time with you Shigure. Don't ever regret it.
Shigure quietly moves aside, as with a fierce passion in his eyes, Kei walks out the door and begins to walk to the place Michel indicated in his note.
Kei: This time, Michel, I'll make you pay.
Category:A and K
Category:Novel Chapter