"What is it that you treasure most?"
The Tai Kouma Butai were making their rounds about the city. An order had been given to them to check out the Ueno district on a call that a demon had been sighted. Though excited for the first assignment, Ayame tried to keep her mind off it so that she could fully concentrate when it came to confrontation. But the conversation that she started had taken a drastic turned when Yamazaki asked this question out of nowhere.
"What I treasure...?" she uttered. There were lots of things - how could she answer? Rubbing her chin, she thought long and hard. "Hmmm... very difficult..."
"Sakura," Kazuma blurted out. They all turned to him, a little surprised by his ready answer. He smiled and rubbed his head, the usual reaction he gave when put on the spot. "I love Sakura very much."
Ayame blinked at him. 'Cherry blossom...? What a strange answer... I admit I enjoy cherry blossoms, but I don't know if it would be a treasure to me... demo...' Her face instantly flushed as she recalled he used the word: love. 'Kyaaaa... this isn't good...!'
Not paying attention, she could've walked right into a lamppost. Fortunately, Yoneda snagged her over at the last minute and threw his arm around her. "Sake!" her old friend laughed, "Sake is a wonderful treasure!"
"Get serious for once in your life." Yamazaki mumbled, crossing his arms, "Ayame-kun, what about you?"
"Eto, I think..." she stammered, realizing now that everyone had stopped to wait for her answer, "M-my treasure is..." Smiling, she lifted her face up at the clear blue sky. "Teito! My treasure is Tokyo and everyone who lives in it!" The others nodded and agreed that this was a good treasure, while Ayame relaxed by being able to move out of the spotlight. "Shousa, what is your treasure?"
He kept walking on. "I refuse to answer such a silly question as that."
"D-Demo!!" she cried, breaking away from Yoneda with fire burning all around her, "You're the one who asked it in the first place...!"
But Yamazaki wasn't even listening to her. He was busy talking to some random group of guys on the sidewalk. "Sou sou... for 50,000 en - she's yours."
Ayame immediately turned SD-scary and clobbered him. "YOU JERK!!"
* * * * * * *
They arrived back home unsuccessful. "Hopefully the reports were wrong." Kazuma uttered, putting away his coat, "We'll go check it out again later." He then stopped to see a messenger arriving at the door. "Hai?"
"A telegram!" he replied, holding out the card to Ayame, "Please read it immediately, Fujieda Ayame-san."
"Hai," she said, going to open it as he made his departure. Her eyes widened at the contents. "Sonna...!" she gasped, covering her mouth, "Ka... Kaede-san...!"
"Nandai?" Kazuma asked, being the only one left in the hall. The others had gone ahead to get some lunch. He worriedly looked over her distressed face and waited for her to tell him. "Ayame-kun, we're a team. Any problem that we have, we have to work on it together."
"My little sister..." she uttered, "She's ran away from school. They said she broke out of the disciplinary room and injured three students in the process. No doubt she will be coming to see me."
Kazuma calmly took in this information. "Does she know where this place is?" Ayame shook her head. "At what time did they say she left?"
"This morning at eight o'clock."
"Then, she should be arriving soon at the train station." he replied, taking her hand, "Let's go and meet her, so that she doesn't get lost." Ayame gladly nodded her head.
Yoneda peered out into the hall just as the two were leaving. "Oi! Where you two going? We're about to have lunch!"
"We'll be right back, Yoneda-san!" Ayame replied, as Kazuma pulled her along, "We've got to go pick up my sister...!"
"OH! More lovely ladies at the butai then!" Yoneda exclaimed, even though they were already out the door, "What are we supposed to feed the girl?! Pick up some more groceries on your way back... oh, and get me another case of sake...!"
"Hai... hai...!!"
Yamazaki then turned peered out in the hallway. "Where did they go?"
"They went to get another girl." Yoneda explained.
Yamzaki shrugged. "Figures... we're fast becoming the first butai that accommodates under-aged girls."
* * * * * * *
At the train station, Kazuma and Ayame ran up down the tracks, checking in on any trains arriving in Tokyo from Kyoto. With luck on their side, they found the train that had Kaede on it. "Neesan!!" the girl cried, running into her sister's arms, "Neesan, I've missed you!"
"I've missed you too, Kaede-san." Ayame replied, hugging her tightly while Kazuma got the bags, "Demo, it's only been two weeks at your new school... couldn't you have waited until your next vacation to see me?"
"Datte!" Kaede exclaimed, "I had to come see you NOW! You're fighting the demons our parents fought! I want to fight with you, Neesan!"
Kazuma smiled and knelt down beside her. "What a brave young lady you are..."
In turn, Kaede suspiciously squinted at him. "Who is this Oniisan? Is this the rude jerk that's giving you trouble, Neesan?? If so, I cannot tolerate it! I may not know what a 'hooker' is - but anyone who upsets my sister will have hell to pay!!"
"Calm down, Kaede-chan!" Ayame gasped, tightening her hold on the girl, "Sumimasen, Taisa - she's only eleven and already has picked up a terrible vocabulary. I must say that I am to blame, because I am in charge of her."
"Iya," Kazuma replied cheerfully, "Raising kids is difficult... especially when you're growing up yourself. But what you've done is very admirable, Ayame-kun. Not many people can take care of themselves and someone else at the same time without any adults around."
"A-Arigatou gozaimasu!" Ayame replied, blushing. Kaede looked back and forth, putting the pieces together. Instantly the light bulb came above, but Ayame quickly hushed her. "Kaede-san, I'm sorry to say that you can't stay here. You must return back to school as soon as possible..."
"IYA YO!! I want to stay with you!" Kaede cried, breaking away from her, "Don't send me back to that awful place!!" She then tearfully ran away from them.
"KAEDE-SAN!" Ayame exclaimed, she and Kazuma trying to go after her. Pushing through the crowds, they soon lost sight of her. Ayame, greatly upset, could only burst into tears herself. "Kaede-san... This is all my fault. It was my fault the demons attacked our home to get to me, so I sent her away to school... But now this has happened! I've lost her!"
Kazuma turned towards her, cupping her face firmly with his warm hands. "Ayame-kun, don't worry. We'll find her - I promise you."
Somehow in the way that he said this, or by the way she still felt about him, Ayame couldn't anything but submit to his reasoning. "H-Hai! Please, let's hurry!"
* * *
Back at the house, Yoneda and Yamazaki sat waiting. "What's taking them so long," Yoneda sighed, kicking an empty bottle and watching it roll across the tatami mat.
"It's already been an hour," Yamazaki noted, glancing at his pocket watch, "Maybe they decided to go on a date."
"EH?! DATE?!" Yoneda fell backwards on his back, laughing, "Ayame-kun is cute and all, but I think Kazuma has better sense. He's married, dammit!"
"Was it a match-made?"
"Aa, it was... but, Kazuma loves the woman dearly!" Yoneda replied, resting his hand behind his head, "It just takes time for two people to fall in love... patience is all you need. Not to mention, Wakana is one hot lady so Kazuma couldn't possibly resist - AHAHAHAHAAA!"
Yamazaki sighed and covered his eyes. "You're sober and yet still acting the same. And when did you have the time to check out Taisa's wife, may I ask?"
Yoneda instantly grabbed him by the collar, "Don't you dare snitch on me - Kazuma's my best friend! I wouldn't want to get on his ugly side!"
Just as the two were glaring each other down, the door came flying open. "Minna...!" Ayame gasped, "It's an emergency!"
After gulping down a glass of water, she finally explained what was going on. "Sou ka," Yoneda uttered, "Kaede-chan has gone and done it again..."
Yamazaki looked lost. "What do you mean: AGAIN?"
Ayame stared towards the floor. "Kaede-san has the tendency to go a bit to extremes and has trouble with authority. Our father used to tell her to go with what she felt, and that's what she's been doing since. For example, one day she chopped ten inches off her hair... just because it was a hot day and she didn't want to wear it up."
"That's explainable. Even though long hair is stylish..." Yamazaki replied, crossing his arms, "Tonikaku, this little bundle of trouble is running mad around the Tokyo streets?"
"I wouldn't put it like that." Ayame sighed, "All I know is she's upset with me and probably lost somewhere. Shinguji-taisa already went to the police to give them a photo. It's up to us to split up and start looking for her."
"Yoshi!" Yoneda chimed, grabbing them both and pulling them out the door, "An assignment!! Let's go!"
* * *
So, the three split up and went looking for Kaede in the dimming city. 'The sun will be setting soon...' Ayame thought, worriedly going up and down the streets. 'What should I do? Where could she have gone? Kaede-san!'
"Any luck?" Yamazaki asked Yoneda when they ran into each other on a street in Ueno. Yoneda sadly shook his head. "It's getting colder. We've got to hurry up with the search."
"Right..." Yoneda sighed and rubbed his hands. "I could sure use some warm sake right now..."
"Is there any hint as to where we could find her?" Yamazaki asked, as they moved away from the passing crowd to discuss this in an alley, "I mean, did Ayame-kun ever mention any place in Tokyo that her sister would go to."
"I can't say that I know of any..." Yoneda replied, "We've already checked their old home and neighborhood - and so far no sign of her. Where could a little girl have gone?"
"I don't know either." Yamazaki uttered, "But we can't give up. Let's keep trying." Yoneda nodded and they decided to split up once again. Yamazaki gazed up at the darkened sky, trying to think. 'Hmmm...'
* * * * * * *
We flashback to this very morning - the Tai Kouma Butai are entering Ueno Park. "Waa, sugoi..." Ayame uttered, gazing up at the large temple and the cherry trees around them, "I'm always amazed when I come to this place."
"Sou yo!" Yoneda chuckled, "There's always some cute girls running around here during festivals..."
Yamazaki sighed and covered his face, while Kazuma led them into the temple. "Let's all make a prayer." He suggested, "Since we're here, that is."
"That's a wonderful idea, Taisa!" Ayame replied. The two of them went up first and threw in their coins. After having a turn to ring the bell, they folded their hands and concentrated on their wish.
Yoneda turned towards Yamazaki with an open hand. "Got a some money to spare?"
"I'm actually broke. Perhaps we can could ask Ayame over there, since she's a working woman."
"SHUT UP!!" Ayame boomed over her shoulder. She slowly calmed down when Kazuma touched her shoulder, "H-Hai?"
"What did you wish for, Ayame?" he asked.
"Aa... naishou desu!" she gasped, blushing very hard.
Meanwhile Yamazaki was still talking in the background, "I don't think they'll take her for so much. We better bargain for a good deal..."
"MOU!" Ayame stormed over to him and started waving a fist. "Were you not the one condemning such acts?! And do you really treasure money after all!! You ought to be ashamed of yourself after saying all that bull earlier!!"
Yamazaki grinned and tapped his finger on her forehead. "Jodan... jodan yo."
"A joke...?" she gasped. He and Yoneda fell into a fit of giggles as Ayame sunk down in embarrassment. She then lifted her face. "Aa, a joke!"
"Hmm? What are you talking about, Ayame-kun?" Kazuma asked.
"My father first approached my mother with a joke... she thought it was so funny, she agreed to go out with him," she explained, looking around, "And it was here - In this very temple that they met. Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot it."
"So, this is where they met." Yoneda said, rubbing his chin, "See, Yamazaki - this place is good to pick up girls..."
"URUSAI, JIJI!!"
Ayame cut in with a sigh. "Now that I think about it - I can't even remember what the joke was. Surely my sister would know - she used to beg to listen to that story every night. My parents would tell it without fail. I guess you can say it was a treasure of hers... if only I remembered how it went, so that I could tell her it once again."
Yamazaki stopped and turned towards her despondent face, as her mind could not reach back on such memories. He then uttered, "What is it that you treasure most?"
* * * * * *
"Aa! Sou da!!" Yamazaki exclaimed, grabbing hold of Yoneda's arm before he left, "Get Ayame-kun and tell her to go to the temple in Ueno right away!"
"Weren't we just there today??" Yoneda asked, looking a bit confused and frustrated, "And didn't we already check that place??"
"Look, I have a hunch, so I'll check it again! Now, hurry up and go tell her! It's getting dark!" Yamazaki snapped, breaking into a run, "Hurry up, old man!!"
Yoneda crossed his arms. "Where does this kid get off telling me what to do... If he has a hunch, then I guess I have no choice than to help him out... Now where could Ayame possibly be...?"
So, Yoneda set out to go look for Ayame. Somehow, he ended up, speaking with some young girls who had just come out from their waitress jobs. "Who wants to go out for a cup of tea~??"
"Eeew! Yagi!!" the girls shrieked and started to run away, "Get away, you perverted old man!"
Ayame happened to be on the opposite street when she saw Yoneda be shunned away by these disgusted girls. Rushing over, she immediately grabbed hold of his hands, "Shirei! Any word about my sister?!"
"Hah... oh... Ayame-kun!!" he exclaimed, remembering his orders, "Oh, Yamazaki had a hunch, so he went to the temple in Ueno."
"Ueno... temple...?" she repeated, a little slow to catch on, "Didn't we check that place already today?"
"For demons, not Kaede-chan!" Yoneda replied. He paused for a moment, "Although, sometimes I'm sure there's a thin line..."
"Shirei, I ran into Shinguji-taisa a block east from here. Tell him I'm going to Ueno." she said, ready to take off again. Night had already fallen and she was willing to follow any hunches, no matter where they came from. "Please wait for word at the house. I'll come back as soon as I can."
Yoneda nodded as she rushed down the street, trying to catch a taxi. "Ganbare, Ayame-kun..."
* * * * * * *
'Kaede-san...!' Ayame tearfully thought about her sister as she rushed up the steps to the temple. Deserted, she wondered how anyone could come here at this late hour. Stopping by the entrance, she stopped and stared up ahead, too speechless to move.
"... and then he said: 'that's too much?' and the guy said, 'I don't care - take her away.'" Kaede said, standing opposite of a kneeling Yamazaki. The two of them instantly broke out laughing.
Ayame watched with a heavy heart, trying not to burst with emotion as she gazed on what she thought she had lost. Slowly, she tried to take a step forward, but the emotion was too much, and she became still like the monuments around her in the moonlight.
"To tell you the truth, Oniisan, I miss my parents very much." Kaede sighed, clutching at the oversized jacket on her shoulders, "I don't want to miss Neesan... she's all I have... she's my treasure. Demo, if she fights these demons..."
Yamazaki lifted her chin up with his finger. "I assure you... no harm will come to your sister. I will personally look to this matter."
Kaede slowly smiled. "Oniisan, don't mind me asking but what is your treasure?"
"Ore no...?" He tilted his head to the side, rubbing his head. "Unfortunately, the answer has disappeared."
"What do you mean?" she asked. He simply pointed up. "Masaka... your father and mother... gone up to heaven too...?"
Yamazaki nodded his head. He then leaned his chin down onto his folded arms. "Yes, my parents... Just like the clear blue sky too. But at least the sky will come back to me."
"Sou desu ne! The blue sky in Teito is always wonderful! Oniisan, you have a precious treasure. And I'm very sorry about your parents. I know how that is..."
"Thanks..."
Ayame couldn't help herself but to make a small noise at this moment. Not only was she cold from standing out there, but she definitely felt something strange from this conversation. Yamazaki was never this kind to her. He was like a different man just now.
But the noise that escaped her throat instantly got Kaede's attention. She happily turned and ran into her sister's shivering arms. "Gomen nasai, Neesan!" she cried, "I didn't mean to worry you! It's just... I was worried about you!"
"I understand." Ayame replied, "Everything will be all right from here on. Don't worry." Over the top of Kaede's head, she gazed towards Yamazaki. He just turned his back to her. Sighing, Ayame took her sister's hand. "Shall we head back to the house and get warmed up?"
"Un!! But isn't Oniisan coming with us?"
"I'm coming." Yamazaki insisted, his hands in his pockets - not even affected by the cold even if he had given his jacket away. "You two go on ahead."
Ayame nodded and led her sister down the stairs. Yamazaki then turned towards the shrine. He took out a coin and tossed it in.
In the distance, Ayame thought she heard the bells ring... but she thought it was her imagination.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Next episode: "A night in Sendai"
Kaede-chan, our special training takes our butai up north to the mountains. All of us had high hopes for a fun experience... only to get just the opposite. Staying in Shinguji-taisa's home, I feel so much tension than I can take. The enemy made itself known to us, as well as the other side of Shinguji-san that I cannot bear to mention. Maybe cherry blossoms can help me forget this nightmare...
