Chapter 69 - 67

"… I did not."

"Then why do you call him Seiji? Seiji Koshiro… Hope you don't mind me calling you by your first name too, Seiji, I did it without thinking." I just shrug. Why should that bother me?

"Because that is his name." Asher continues, ignoring the attempt at formalities.

"…Yes?" Takamori says, insisting on getting an answer out.

Asher frowns a bit, but he is quick in getting control over his emotions again so his face looks akin to a statue when he starts talking.

"I saw his face in our second encounter. I recognized him."

"Recognized? His human form? Wait, did you know him? He wasn't like this before?"

I feel an uneasy feeling growing at each word, as if I'm losing myself amidst disputes and memories I did not comprehend. 

"Did know… as my enemy."

"How so?" Is mine and Takamori's time to frown.

"He was a great warriors from the Shinzaki army, and I have fought against him, older looking at the time."

"He was one of the Seven Great Samurais."

… The who now? I think, going with the flow for this is already too much to swallow.

"…The seven samurais… this fella here?" Takamori never seemed more astonished and bewildered than now, not even when we told about myself and our contract, which tells just how much of a big deal this is to him. "You don't mean those Seven Samurais… right? The Leading Hands of the Emperor? The Emperor's watchful eyes? The only ones beyond the wife, the teachers, to be allowed to look the Royal Leader in the eye?"

"…There is no doubt about it. I checked twice already."

"No way, but they went missing right before the ghoul attack happened, how come he simply appears here, and like this nonetheless?" 

"…I don't know." 

"Well I sure as hell want to know, things would have been a lot more different if they were around…But oh well, no point in thinking like that anymore, but still it's quite the mystery isn't it… do you think it has any relation with the state he is in right now?... Wait." He says, looking from myself towards Asher than back, almost in a comical way." Don't you think that perhaps it has something to do with the ghouls as well, you may even discover something about how they came to be, this… this is actually quite a big deal!"

"Uhm." Asher agrees without much excitement, Takamori however cannot contain it and starts walking back and forth with a smile on his face.

"Maybe we will know what happened, how they came to be, better understanding them can mean better fighting them off, perhaps we can even have a vaccine done!" He mumbles, going back and forth, and only stops when his thoughts calm down and he goes backs around it to ask:

"But what are you going to do about it Asher?"

"If the higher ups know they will kill him." He says, while Takamori nods.

"Yes they will… and any clue you may find will be stolen by them, we cannot trust it… plus he may be the key to understanding the situation better. Still that is quite the risk you are taking, I don't like it… Will you tell your troops about him?"

"…Yes."

Takamori frowns. " Why? Wouldn't be better if fewer people know about his identity?"

"I trust them, plus they will be included in this mission, they have the right to know what they are getting themselves into. Also…" He says, looking at me, making Takamori sight go to me, lowering to my wrist, were instead of a red line now a black one replaced it, exchanged this morning by that cold captain over there.

"No way, you… Are you sure this is ok? Accepting him on the team just like that?"

"As a captain I have the right to command sixty to two hundred men, and have just accepted my thirteen member, don't see what the problem is, plus they never cared much about the ones under my command if I keep a low number. No matter how good and well trained there are, I could not slash back with this few, or so they think."

"I see… still, I worry… the path you follow will be a hard one."

"It always has been, for both of us."

Silence finally settles in that small room after this very long conversation, and sighing Takamori looks away, somewhat sounding tired, and shushes Asher with his hand.

"Go now then, seems you will be very busy from now on, don't want to keep around any longer, chop chop, but be careful will you?"

"Always."

With one last look at the now sitting Takamori as, with his legs bent backward, kneeling and sitting on top of his legs as if it was nothing, he starts gathering the bowls and tea making utensils to leave too, however we do not wait around enough to see when he stops moving, a strange look in his eyes when they focus up towards the exit, aware that we were long gone and yet keeping his gaze there for a long time, as if we would appear back out of nowhere.

And yet, in this secluded VIP part of the building, not a soul could be seen passing by to take him away from his trance, until he looks down away, sighing.

"Asher, my friend, where have you got yourself into… This is far bigger than just us anymore…" At that, having put everything on the trail, he takes his cellphone off from inside the robe and types a memorized number, talks with someone until they recognize his voice and password, only then he can finally speak with the one he wanted from the beginning.

"Yes, I'm sure of it, he is one of the seven… Yes, he is in fighting condition, but I don't think he is ready yet, perhaps after we has more human than whatever that is inside him… no I don't think meeting him is a good idea now… Of course, I'll keep you updated… I think so too, with the ghouls attacking like that, is about time that things start to change here too… I understand, I will be prepared."

With a new heavy weight in his heart Takamori turns the phone off, looking at it moments later even when off fo a long time ago, his hand clenching the device as the silence of his lips does not reflex the chaotic thoughts whirling up in his mind.

For he knew that things are about to change, getting more and more complicated, and somehow his childhood friend finds himself right in the storm's eye.

He just hopes that we will manage to overcome this trial, like many others he has this far.

Takamori can only hope and prepare… for now.