Fan Fiction ❯ Aquarian Age-Stand Alone Complex ❯ arrogance ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

“After all the trouble we went through to get Benzaiten away from the Dark Lore, you the leader of the western Arayashiki, go and get yourself involved with one of them! What in the world are you thinking!” Sakamoto Rumiko managed to say, despite her outrage at what the woman across the table from her had just confessed.

“I didn't know before we became `involved'. I don't go shouting `Hey, I'm Sakurazawa Sumire and I'm an Arayashiki! If I'm hitting on you and you happen to be a Dark lore, WIZ-DOM, E.G.O., or Eraser, please tell me before we sleep together!' It doesn't work like that Rumiko”

The girl remained silent for a moment as she struggled to control her anger.

“You want to keep seeing her don't you?” Sumire sighed.

“I can't help it Rumi-chan. Dark Lore or not, I still love her.”

“…Does she know who you really are?”

“There's no way that she could. Kamikurata wouldn't let me interfere when she challenged Benzaiten. He said `Yokko needs to experience things like this first hand. Otherwise she'll start to rely on the Arayashiki to handle her enemies for her and will be handicapped if and when the other factions choose to oppose her' He keeps forgetting that Yoriko-chan, Whether she's Benzaiten or Sarasvati is different from the rest of the players.” The blond woman pushed the glasses she wore back into place and shrugged her shoulders. “Regardless of what's going on with Yoriko-chan and Kamikurata-kun, I can not and will not leave Ichigo.” It was Rumiko's turn to sigh now.

“…How do you think Yori will react? Knowing that you've willingly taken up with a Dark lore?” Sumire thought about her answer for a moment or two, trying to figure out the best way to go about so as to not piss off the other girl any further.

“…Even though I know she won't, I'd like to think that Benzaiten would give Ichigo a chance. She isn't a normal Dark Lore. Her mind breaker is the only thing that keeps her from separating herself from all other players and disassociating herself with the war. She's tried to run away several times but her mind breaker, who also happens to be her brother, keeps a tracking collar on her to prevent that sort of thing.”

“…Are you sure about this?” Sumire smiled grimly.

“For better or worse, one of my powers as an Arayashiki is empathy. I can feel what other people feel and to an extent think. There's practically nothing I can't find out a person with that. Hareda Ichigo is slave to her brother, Ikuya. He awakened her and brought her into thins to use her for her own personal gain. I won't leave her because of what she and I happen to be.” Sumire stood up and smoothed out the winkles in her coal gray skirt before dropped a few yen onto the table to pay for that coffee she'd had. “Tell Benzaiten whatever you want, Rumiko, but know that nothing will stop me from being with her. Not even a mind breaker who thinks he's working for the best interest of the Arayashiki.”

Rumiko sighed again as Sumire strode out of the café, all thoughts of the Arayashiki and Dark lore slipping out of her mind and going back to being Sakurazawa Sumire, acting head of a multi-billion yen conglomerate that she directed in place of her father. At the age of twenty-three, Sumire was already one of the most powerful women in the world.

Rumiko smiled slightly, thinking that a great number of influential players, as well as mind breakers, were very high profile people.

Sumire's lover, Hareda Ichigo was no exception. She was a world famous classical violinist and was, even Rumiko had to admit, an outstanding talent (despite being a Dark Lore).

“That looked like it went well.” Rumiko jumped, startled at hearing the familiar voice behind her.

“Y-Yori!” Yoriko smiled.

“Sorry I scared you. Do you mind if I sit down?” Rumiko shook her head. “So Kyota was right, huh?” The former actress asked as she sat down ordering a cup of green tea from the waiter who had come scurrying over.

“Right about what?”

“Sumire sleeping with a Dark Lore.” Rumiko frowned.

“Yes and she refuses to listen to reason. I've been trying to explain to her why she shouldn't let this continue but she doesn't care!” Yoriko frowned as well.

“Well it wouldn't be Sumire if she gave in without a fight. She's an Arayashiki after all.”

“But Yori!”

“And Hareda-san truly did not want to fight me. It was like she was in physical pain with every attack she launched. Her mind breaker insisted and she had not choice. I could tell that she truly hates being a Dark Lore as well as being a player period.” Rumiko raised an eyebrow.

“You got all of that from fighting her once?” Yoriko smirked.

“ `The eyes are the windows of the soul' haven't you heard that? I could tell what she was going through with one look into her eyes.” The leader of the Arayashiki calmly sipped her tea for a few moments before delivering a bombshell that she thought might give her younger cousin a heart attack or aneurysm or both. “If we can sever her ties with her mind breaker as well as with the Dark Lore…Then I want Hareda Ichigo to join the Arayashiki.”

Rumiko was speechless for a moment.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND! She's a Dark Lore! She's the enemy! Have you forgotten that they forced you to awaken as Sarasvati and nearly destroy everything in existence!”

“There are `good' and `evil' players in every faction Rumi. Abuto and Kenae happened to be of the `evil' kind. Ichigo happens to good to be the `good' kind. The Dark Lore as a whole was not responsible for that incident. They're too disorganized for anything to represent the actions of the entire faction so I'm willing to give one of them a chance. Just like we gave Asumi-chan and Kiriko-chan. They're E.G.O. but they're still our allies. Same with Misato-san.” She paused to exhale slowly “Hareda-San is a `good' Dark Lore and Sumire…Sumire is the third most powerful Arayashiki after you and I. She has no moral restraints about using her powers to get what she wants which in some ways makes her more powerful than us and should we choose to force her to leave Hareda-san…Sumire might decide to join another faction just to be with her. If that's the outcome of our latest dilemma then the Arayshiki don't stand a chance.”

“But Yori!”

“There's nothing we can do about the situation at this point. Not even Kyota can stop her from being with Hareda-san. She said it herself.”

“This is completely wrong, Yori! She's a Dark Lore! She tired to kill you!”

“Love doesn't know the difference between right and wrong, Rumiko.”

Authors Notes: For got to say it in the beginning but I don't own Aquarian age. I've only seen up to the eighth episode so I may not know every detail of the plot. If you see something that I got wrong then please tell me so I cant fix it. All of my information about the different factions came from ADV's official Aquarian age website.