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The new apartment was too big. It threw of Sora?s pacing and kept him unbalanced, physically and emotionally. He sighed and grumbled and ran a hand through his hair every time he turned. It was annoying. It kept Kana unbalanced. And annoyed. And he needed his cool right now, and he needed to think, and prepare.
?Would you please stop pacing?, he begged, exasperated.
Sora stopped dead in his tracks.
?How can you bee so calm?, he moaned.
Kana tilted his head to one side.
?If that is what you think, I must be a better actor than I give myself credit for?, he said quietly. ?I worry, too.?
?I?m sorry, anata?, Sora was crestfallen. ?I didn?t mean??
?I know. I shouldn?t be??
The front door opened. Both men turned to see who was coming. It was Sae.
?I know where he is?, she announced.
?He was caught in the net?, Kana guessed.
?Yes. And worse than that, they know something about him. They took him to the LAHC.?
Sora promptly lost all strength in his legs and sank onto the coffee table, face even more unnaturally pale than usual. Kana reached for his phone.
?I need to make a call?, he said, walking away.
?Aito Mori, 25, from Yokosuka, Japan. Reported missing age 16, and never returned to his loving family.?
Aito looked up from the gleaming white tabletop he?d been inspecting out of boredom, not that there was anything to see. Two men and a woman stood at the other side of the table, looking grim. One of the men, he realised, was not human.
?So, tell me, Aito?, the man who?d read from the file slammed it down on the table and threw himself into a chair. ?Where have you been for 9 years??
?Around?, Aito answered, hearing Kana?s voice at the back of his head. ?If the truth is inconsequential, tell the truth?, it murmured.
?Oh, come now?, the woman said. ?You can do better than that.?
Aito shrugged.
?There, for a while.?
Turning quite suddenly to the alien man, he said curiously:
?Is it true that you have machines that can fully dissect the history of a human? All memories and events they?ve been through and all??
The alien smiled.
?Indeed?, he said. ?I hear you pay attention.?
Aito feigned apprehension as he thought ?You really don?t, do you, you utterly lousy liar.?
?So let us do this civilly and comfortably?, the man said. ?Tell the truth and we don?t need such measures. Now, 9 years. Where have you been??
?Well, there, as I said?, Aito replied calmly. ?Yokohama. Nagasaki. Fuji. Seoul.?
?Seoul? How did you get there? Getting across borders is not easy.?
?Ship.?
?Stow-away?, the woman asked.
Aito shook his head.
?Cabin boy.?
The woman looked sad. Clearly, she was aware of the euphemism.
?How did you get back??
?Ticket.?
?And then you landed in Tokyo long-term?, the man said. ?You?ve been here for a while now, right. Three years??
?Four, and some.?
?Right?, he took something out of the inner pocket of his jacket, placed it on the table, and pressed the top. A holographic picture of Aito and Kana appeared on the table. ?And you met this man.?
Aito pressed his tongue against his teeth. So here it was. The reason he was here. ?Stay calm?, Kana?s voice echoed in the back of his head. ?No need to rush. They will show their hand.?
?I?ve met a lot of men in Tokyo?, he said, studying the picture. It was old, he realised.
?This, in case you don?t remember, is Kana?, the woman said.
?Poor guy?, Aito murmured with a sardonic smile.
?We?re looking for him. Do you know where he is??
?No.?
It wasn?t a lie.
?Did you know that when this picture was taken, Kana was a prominent member of the resistance?, the alien said.
?I don?t think he mentioned that?, Aito replied.
?Did you know that rumours say he is a vampire??
?Sounds outlandish.?
The woman reached for the device showing the picture, swiping her hand across it. Another picture, much newer, showed Aito in the midst of packing a crate with blood packs.
?If you don?t know the man believing himself to be a vampire, what are you doing with all that blood?, she asked.
?I volunteer for the ARF. In Blast Zone 6.?
?The council apparently longs to kill me.?
Kana dropped down onto the couch. He had been gone for half an hour, and during that time Sogo, Meeka, Ray and Kris had joined Sora and Sae. Sighing, Kana tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.
?Well?, Meeka said, trying to guess the conversation. ?Second time wanting to save a single man in less than six months, a man who is not a key player for the cause and you also happen to be in love with. Are you surprised that the council doesn?t want to spend resources on that? I bet they told you that you?re not thinking clearly.?
?You don?t understand, Meeka?, Kana said to the ceiling. ?Just like they don?t understand.?
?Understand what, old-timer?, Ray asked in his usual, irreverent turn of phrase.
?Aito IS the cause.?
Kana turned his head to look at Sogo. It was a though he had never divulged to anyone, even Sora or Aito. Sogo however was probably the most perceptive person Kana had ever had to deal with. He was glad Sogo was on their side. Dread he?d be with the Aliens or their loyalists.
