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Kazuhiko nodded. "I like it. But can you make it smaller?" he asked, tilting his head. "Easy to hide? That seems to be the theme tonight... Maybe next fight we'll all have REALLY big guns. Or ki. Nothing but ki! Mum wouldn't like that, she's not very good with it yet...."

But that was one ability that Morrigan still had knowledge of, that Konton didn't count on.
She was back to brooding and plotting again, trying to gauge her inner reserves of power.
She'd have to wait until the others came, however... While she didn't have half the power or ability Po-ar had, she could do something. She doubted she could kill Aoki or Konton---then again, she had to remember Aoikage.
Her eyes flickered over to him for a moment, mentally cursing to herself.
Ok. In her mind... how would it go down?
For starters, Kazuhiko and Po-ar would be there.
Who else?
Kaguyo. She wouldn't leave Ainsu here.
And...?
Ashuri perhaps. Maybe Aled. The entire family line, showing up here?
She didn't like the sound of that, but better everyone together than separated. Konton could sneak someone off to attack the remaining people while the others came to the rescue.
Stalemate.
So, all together. Would Shiori be there? Yuki and Watari would most likely stay behind. Aled and Shiori wouldn't leave either; Aled was Ou, and a planet full of people had higher value than her life.
Hn. So that meant Po-ar, Kazuhiko, and Kaguyo for certain---almost certain, then again, especially after her hand... if they didn't love eachother anymore, they would certainly look to fight again. Kaguyo wasn't the type to let grudges go without tossing a fist or a fistful of verbal grenades.
So that made three. Po-ar would most likely fight alongside Kazuhiko as a team, while Kaguyo would probably go after Aoki. Since Aoki tried to kill her, it was only natural she'd want to slaughter him.
Konton would probably take her hostage after the fighting died down. She had a tough decision.
After the fights were concluded---in blunt honesty, the odds weren't exactly in their favor---would she use her energy when Konton tried to play bargain, possibly giving them a chance?
Or would she try something the minute Po-ar and Kazuhiko arrived, endeavoring to help them from the get-go?
Decisions, decisions...

Shiori smiled. "Well then I believe we're in good hands." she moved to take his hands in hers, kissing his fingers tenderly. "Although, you may say you're confident... your expression and voice seem to argue otherwise. You're really worried for him, aren't you?"

Shiori nodded slowly. "He has a lot of heart though." she murmured softly. "Who all is going for this mission, Aled-kun?? Are you??"

Kazuhiko nodded. "Alright." he agreed. "This isn't too bad. Da could hide it I bet...."

Shiori nodded sagely. "Wise decision." she agreed. "What about Ashuri, or anyone else?? Kaguyo?? Is she going??"
"I am." the woman answered, lingering in the doorway. "No hard feelings Shiori."
"None at all." she nodded, although she wasn't sure she meant it. "Anyone else???"
"We won't need too many people." Kaguyo assured the woman, glancing to Aled. "After Kazuhiko is done healing my hand, we're taking our secret weapons and headed out."
"Secret weapons?" Shiori's eyebrows raised.
Kaguyo smirked at this. "Yes. We have special surprises for Konton specifically. I'm waiting for Aoki myself... Ashuri and Trunks will probably come." the woman leaned in the doorway, tapping her lip. "So that makes... Quite a few of us, although, no lie, I regret that Ainsu went instead of me.... I just wanted to make sure everything was clear before I left." she looked at Shiori specifically. "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."
"No, not at all... actually, if you'll excuse me..."
Shiori took this moment to duck out into the halls, disappearing to her room.
Kaguyo raised an eyebrow. "I don't think she likes me very much, does she?"


No, Shiori didn't.
But there was more than met the eye with the woman...
"I have what you need." she whispered to the wind, closing her eyes. "Where are you??"

Kazuhiko nodded. "Good idea." he agreed. "That way we can ALL carry one."

Shiori hung her head, refusing to look at Aoki at all.
It was clear that she was barely willing to do what she was about to at all; she was having a hard time with her conscience.
"A good bite." she murmured quietly, staring at the floor. "You'll be chewing on this for a long while. There's at least three attacking, maybe four or five. It's all terribly planned, to be honest."
She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to say anything about the secret weapons, though. She crossed her arms, closing her eyes for a moment.
To betray someone who understood betrayal as well as she did...
But then again, what other choice did she have?
She hesitated before sighing deeply. "Ainsu's betrayal was a ruse." she added quietly, deciding to see how much she could keep and how much she could give away. "He and Kaguyo were acting."
**Let's see how content he is with that...** she thought to herself, keeping her thoughts as closely guarded as she could. "Aled's going to stay here, however. He doesn't want you to try and usurp him again."
Seemed like an appropriate ending.
Would he buy that that was all of it?
....Probably not, but she was hopeful.


Kaguyo raised an eyebrow. "Ehhh?? Then what???" she tilted her head, likewise watching her go. "You don't think...."
She didn't even dare ask the question. "Yuki's loyal.." she shook her head, "There's no way... no way that she'd even be involved with them, not without Yuki knowing. Yuki's only loyalties are family and Watari-kun... Shiori has barely been---"
But then again, Shiori had nothing to lose, everything to gain. Her fire dancing certainly attracted a lot of attention, the type of girl Aled would notice immediately.
Konton was notorious for his illusions. Aoki wasn't much better off.
The way Aoki had infiltrated her rebellion bases was a prime example of his far-reaching influence.
She just shook her head, refusing to even consider the notion. "I think she just hates me Aled." she watched him closely, worried. "She wasn't telling the truth when she said there were no hard feelings. Her eyes could've shot me down the second I arrived...!"

Kazuhiko nodded. "Good idea." he agreed. "You should make me some little-kid secret weapons too! Something I can fight with! He'd NEVER expect that."

"Weapons that are really, really small, but really, really strong." Kazuhiko replied enthusiastically. "Maybe some that look harmless like toys."

Shiori's mind, ears and senses followed Aoki's movement, although she hardly could blink. "He won't go." she shook her head. "He cares more about the people. Someone strong has to guard them after all...."
It seemed like she was in the clear, well, sorta.
She had to stay calm, collected, or Aoki would know something was up.
Stay sharp.
"The only way you're going to manage to attack him is here." she crossed her arms, smirking slightly. "Are you afraid to attack him in his own domain again?"

Shiori humbled immediately, eyes widening. "I mean it, there's no way I can convince him. He's even more stubborn than I am, Aoki-san..."
She actually turned to face him, clearly worried. "He wouldn't even go if I went, hell, he wouldn't let me go. I can arrange a trap here once the others are gone, but that's the most that I can do Aoki-san. I worry that Aled-kun's already suspicious..." she added, "I can tell by his eyes. If you have doubles, or clones, couldn't we work with that?" she tried to compromise, looking up at the man.
Granted, Shiori was pretty petite to begin with, but against Aoki she felt tiny. She was well aware of the damage the man could do if he decided it was in his interest.
"Please, Aoki-san, I can hardly move around this palace without him keeping an eye on me... I'm too sick to go to battle. You of all people should know how protective he becomes of those he cares about.. He wouldn't leave me here, Aoki-san, it goes against everything he is now that he's sane."

Kazuhiko nodded. "Good! Can I help too Mizu-san??"
He was already starting to doodle on paper; granted, he wasn't very good yet, but he was better than most kids his age.
"I want one that makes biiiiiiiiiig 'splosions, maybe a few that amplify ki like yours." he added.
Oh good gods.
That sort of thing in Kazuhiko's hands?
Utterly destructive.

"How did...?" Kazuhiko asked, wide-eyed. "Did that come from..... WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! DA!!! DA!! COME LOOK AT THIS!" he gushed suddenly, nearly tackling the man. "LOOK LOOK LOOK!"
Clearly this was one of those things Kazuhiko wanted to own---and create.

Shiori looked at the cuffs suspiciously.
If she remembered correctly, the last pair that looked like this nearly blew Po-ar up.... They still had to get the cuff off him, at least last she saw him.
Then again, that was almost a week ago.
"And they explode when you take them off?" she asked gently, not making eye contact with him again. Honestly, Aoki's slightest presence gave her the creeps.
Something about his eyes...
Maybe just about him. He was always watching, everywhere and nowhere all at once.
She was grateful he didn't pry more into her knowledge. That would've been a disaster. The others still needed an edge...
She was finding it harder and harder to betray Aled with every day that passed.


Kaguyo paused for a moment, trying to read Aled. "You're not suggesting.....?" she whispered in disbelief. "Shiori?? Watari would've said something, or Kazuhiko or someone. You know he hates liars... He kills them outright. You're not really suggesting what I think you are, are you?? If so, why?? What exact---hn...."
She was starting to think it over too, and now that he mentioned it, the woman WAS a bit suspicious.
"Keep a close eye on her." she suggested. "Like you did with me for my first year. I was practically on house arrest." she smiled slightly. "It'll be for the best either way."

"Before she started acting like this, I liked her." Kaguyo frowned, leaning in the doorway. "You had finally met your match verbally; she's abused you like no other, completely unafraid. You eat that s**t up." she smiled slightly. "She wasn't the type to fall to you easily... She still isn't. That's her, I knew that much." she closed her eyes, thinking. "I think you've seen her truest self better than any of us. My judgments are pale wisps of smoke where you've seen the embers beneath it. Yours are much more solid and lasting than mine.... What do you think of her, Aled-kun? It seems to me like you're falling pretty hard. You're never uncertain like this."
Of course, Kaguyo could still read him like a book.

Kazuhiko blinked in amazement. "You're gonna teach me." he decided. "How did you charm the notebook??"
He was determined that it had something to do with it.... but what?
How???
"I need to hang out with you more often." he grinned mischievously.

Shiori stared down at the cuffs, silent for a moment. "How could I forget?" she asked quietly, "I tried to leave and couldn't even move him from the door."
Was this real? She almost felt sick to her stomach holding them; something was definitely disturbing about the cuffs. They weren't holy by any means.
God, what was she getting herself into???