Akira hesitated, then dropped into the seat on the other side of her roommate from his sister and wrapped her arms around him. "Fumi and Shiho are dead," she said. "Fumi had been... beaten... and Shiho... there were witnesses. St. Vrus."
"Sou ka." Midori looked back down. "Sister... she could believe in a Golden Milennium. And if SEARRS managed to get to Kazuya-kun... Akane-chan would do anything for him. Nao..." she chuckled. "I'm actually a little surprised at Nao."
Natsuki, right across from her, shook her head. "Don't be. SEARRS has the best hospitals in the world. Her mother..." She didn't finish, and didn't need to. All of them had noticed that Nao's concern for and dedication to her injured parent was as deep as it was denied.
"Why Yuuichi?" Mai whispered.
"They've had him for more than a month," Shizuru pointed out gently. "and given what they can do to people's memories..."
Akira shook her head. "No. Whatever they did to let him use an Element... the ability is too basic to our systems. Changing that in him would take time."
"They wouldn't need much." Mai took a deep breath. "Just to convince him that the Festival was more likely to work than our plan."
"You're missing the worst part," Midori pointed out, and raised her head to meet their startled looks. "If they can change him this way, what's to stop them doing it to their own people?"
Blah. Talking heads.
And I'll certainly agree that having a coauthor to compe^H^H^H^H^H work with seems to agree with my muse.
Ja, -n
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"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"