Everyday Stresses of Kazuki - Sci-Fi Action/Intrigue Webserial

Coils upon coils of steel that stuck within Eliza's heart were unbound across the matter of a few gunshots. Memories were vivid to Eliza, despite her attempts to block out the thoughts. She sat still on the bed, in a much looser fitting lounge wear… It wasn't as constricting as a dress.

She took her glasses off, not wanting to see the eyes looking down at her. Nihara was standing beside the door, leaning against it... Apparently, Kazuki had her guard her after Cyrus' death... She just came and said nothing after that.

An insult to them, perhaps? A feeling of guilt quickly rose in Eliza's chest. Does death mean so little to them?

Chloé wagged her finger in front of her. "Eliza! Do you hear me?! Dammit... You just had to do something stupid! You made all of us worry! Even Kaz! Still, you should have consulted me before running headlong into potential danger!"

Her beratement was with merits, Eliza thought. She did do something stupid, chasing a dream she knows cannot be achieved without proper backing. She feels so stupid! Talking with Chloé would have garnered her assistance… and with that: the wrath of the Theonar Kings.

"Sorry," was all Eliza could bite off.

"I..." Chloé trailed off, slowly sitting down beside Eliza. "Noah's safe, don't worry about that, I'm just glad you're okay, m'kay? I guess this sort of mess happened last Dassant."

Eliza nodded. The last Dassant had Kazuki starting the rebellion before it was ready; this time… Kazuki had… secured her information. "What should I have done?"

Chloé patted her on the back, before kicking up further onto her bed, so that she could lay out on it. "Are you asking that because you think I'll be hyper-critical, or because you think I'll help soothe your mind?"

Synthia projected herself onto the duvet cover, slowly climbing on top of Eliza's legs and sitting on her lap. 'Miss Elizabeth, whether or not you believe you could have chosen a different path, you must speak to Kazuki!'

"Yeah," Chloé said, jumping off Synthia's first suggestion. Oh no... This... How can she face Kazuki after what happened? "Me, Barclay and Archius all wagered on how long it'd take for you guys to finally start dating, what happened to you guys?"

Eliza's face turned red slightly, and she looked away from Chloé, hiding behind her pale hand.

"He lied to me," Eliza answered. "We promised each other that we'd keep nothing from the other, but there was information he kept from me..."

Chloé shot up. "Wait, what? You two are that close? I mean... damn... you worked fast."

In response, Synthia chuckled at Chloé's remark. 'My goodness, Miss Elizabeth, you are a fast learner and worker!'

Eliza's face turned into a bright tomato-red. "What?! I beg your pardon?! It's... we had a Contract… An agreement to tell truths."

She trailed off, not exactly finding the words that she could use to discuss what Kazuki is to her. He called himself her tool, yet this tool had lied to her… broke their pinky promise and… was rude, mean and cruel… Eliza's heart was tough against many things. She'd dealt with bullies before, with ridicule from her own father and peers… She rose with Kazuki to her station with pride, with Chloé and Archius too!

Yet now Kazuki threw in a haymaker of cruelty! It was most certainly vicious…

'I believe the correct term is: more than friends—'

"—Ah, that's what they all say," interjected Chloé, cutting Synthia off. She waved her hand in the air in front of Eliza.

A weak grasp hand chopped down on Chloé's head as Eliza grumbled. "Hey… It's not like that and you know that! So don't be getting the wrong idea, understood? Kaz and I are simply friends."

"Uh-huh." Chloé chuckled and glanced to the side, shaking her whilst glancing out into the rays of light beaming in from the galaxy. "So that's how you'd phrase it, sure!"

"Chloé…"

"Hey, hey, don't worry, I'm not gonna pry, alright?! We all have our secrets, but this is Kaz, what would he lie to you about?! Kaz never seemed like the guy that'd be brimming with lies, you know! That's Archius, I mean… he always slacked off and lied whenever we asked him to do work."

Eliza's red eyes thinned. "He was… a good Student Relations Officer, I'll let you know that!" she remarked. "He always dealt with club disputes, so I was quite happy to have him along with us."

Chloé shrugged, placing her hands in her trouser pockets. "Yeah, maybe Archius might know something about Kaz? They're practically inseparable, so…?"

Gulping down, Eliza nodded. She won't ask Archius, after all, he must know so much about him - but this secret seemed like something not even Kaz would tell Archius. The way Kazuki looked at Eliza… It felt unnatural like he was both stressed, worried and fearful.

"Maybe, maybe not," said Eliza. "I don't think Archius would give up any information like that, though, he'll probably want something in return…"

"Yeah," Chloé grumbled. "Dude seems to be leeching off people half the time, does he even have a place to stay?"

Eliza nodded. "He and Kaz are staying around at my abode," admitted Eliza. At that, Chloé snorted.

"Seems like Archius is leeching off of you for a place to stay," she said.

A click back came immediately from Eliza, "And you…"

"Fair, fair…"

Despite how much the conversation has strayed, Eliza still found the elephant to be quite un-ignorable. Just what could he be keeping from her. This wracked Eliza's head quite a lot. She cannot stand the confusion brewing within. Chloé took note and turned back to the door, then back to the distant solar systems - far away.

"Kaz won't hurt you, trust me," said Chloé.

Eliza grumbled in response.

'I do see merit in Miss Chloé's response, Miss Elizabeth.'. From my own independent analysis, he might be keeping something from you for your sake, he always seems somewhat more gentle around you, at least from what projections of the so-called 'Contract-Breaker' may state from reports and articles,' Synthia suggested.

"I don't know," Eliza said. She really had no idea what Kazuki would lie about. If it was something this bad, what could it possibly be? Her mind was flooded with a thousand viable solutions and ideas, all of them worse than the last.

What unthinkable things could Kazuki have not shared with her?! Would… this information change anything? Everything? More than that? Eliza feared the unknown - yet also feared learning the truth. The limbo of greed and ignorance swallowed her mind up.

She stopped herself from thinking anymore of it.
What would solicit such a response from Kazuki to the point where he has to lie to her? She's always seen him as someone she can depend on. Sure, he's rough around the edges, incredibly blunt and a social outcast for most of it: but he's her socially stunted blunt outcast.

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Chloé stood up. "Look, you got to talk to him either way. Talking's the best way to settle things, even if it feels uncomfortable: talking saves lives."

Patting Elza on the shoulder, Chloé dusted some lint off her clothes. "I don't know," murmured Eliza.

Her mind was filled with too much chaos for her to even understand. Everyone that has happened within the past year has been a mess for Eliza… Her life has never been the same ever since she met Kaz, and nothing's ever been calm since he started the rebellion. Everyone since… has been so stressful…

Eliza took in a deep breath, putting up a calm face.

The mere mention of saving lives struck Eliza's short-term memory. She could have saved Cyrus... Only if she just SAT DOWN.

"Eliza... Talk to him, whenever I have disagreements with Barclay, I talk to him," Chloé continued, patting Eliza on the back.

She doesn't understand this matter; Barclay is not Kazuki. The two are very much different beasts on their own. Eliza shook her head, clashing the ideas between her and Chloé.

"I don't think I can speak to him... I got one of his men killed," Eliza said. "They died because I foolishly ran into a trap, and fell into another one. Chloé, how am I to face him after all this?"

That caught Nihara's attention, but she didn't say anything. She didn't even seem to judge Eliza?! Why? Eliza got Cyrus killed yet she can be so calm about it?

Walking up to the door, Chloé was about to leave. Turning her head, she said, "Kaz isn't some deranged idiot, you know, you know that best of all, well: maybe Archius knows a bit more but I digress. Talk to him, get rid of any misunderstandings before it gets someone else killed… And… it's not your fault, the galaxy is just… sometimes that cruel."

Her words stuck somewhat in a way she did not expect. It was as if it was the final piece of the puzzle. Her grand puzzle to unlocking who Kazuki is. She shot up, as Eliza ran towards Chloé. Nihara opened the door, as the two left her room.

"Wait... you mean that—"

"—Yeah." Chloé started to make her way down the stairs. Eliza grabbed onto the bannister railing of the indoor balcony, looking down over her. Nihara walked out, leaning against the wall. "Promise me you won't immediately dismiss whatever he has to say, got it?"

Eliza nodded her head, as Chloé left, whistling the Theonar national anthem as she went. Now it was just her, Nihara and Synthia. Quite awkward, if someone were to ask her at this moment. Eliza turned around to face Nihara, who seemed rather apathetic at what Chloé and she were just talking about.

"Nihara," Eliza started. "Sorry about talking about this stuff…"

"Hmm? Right now, I'm Berserker, not Nihara… Alright?" Nihara piqued up. "I'm paid to protect, my ears are sealed."

"Berserker…" Eliza mumbled to herself. "Do you all call yourselves by your codenames?"

Nihara nodded.

"I know we haven't talked much since the incident, but... I'm sorry. You're probably the closest person to Cyrus, bar Václavos, so I feel like I can only say this to you," she started to elaborate on her thoughts.

Synthia chimed in, 'Miss Elizabeth...'

Nihara merely shook her head, casting Synthia's projective thoughts aside. "Don't apologise, Cyrus did his job. He fulfilled his contract to the letter, like how I am doing to you right now."

"To the death?!" Eliza exclaimed.

"To death," Nihara repeated nonchalantly. "Well, dying for an actual paycheque's better than dying for food… or someone else's medal. Eliza, you don't really seem to understand anything that we tell you, do you?"

That Elizabeth did not.

"We stink of death, Eliza," said Nihara. "Best get used to it, if you want to be around us. We call each other by our codenames to separate our lives from work."

Then, a small smirk crept onto Nihara's stale and monotone face.

"We called Václavos Sharpie because we drew on his face when he was asleep… He never noticed, not until rollcall at least." To that, she slowly chuckled, but the topic at hand contrasted too greatly with the severity of Eliza's guilt.

To that, she merely chuckled half-heartedly.

'Miss Elizabeth, I believe there's a fundamental misunderstanding between your upbringing and theirs.' Synthia made a good point, but Eliza was determined to get her feelings out…

Eliza's cold and sharp mind had accepted this reality, but her soul and heart had not. "I can't accept this. You're all so willing to just die, at a snap of his fingers?"

Nihara sighed. She slowly walked up to her, leaning against the balcony. "There's a lot you don't know about us, Eliza. Most contractors spent years in the military, bleeding for a country that doesn't love us. I don't know it myself, but half the shit I've heard... It's nightmares. This job pays good - we learnt how to die years ago."

"I still don't get it," Eliza murmured.

"I bet Riharia or Quinn or someone must have told you have privileged your life was," Nihara said, it attracted a weak glance and a nod from Eliza. "That's not me smack-talking you. We drink, we smoke, we do whatever crazy shit. Kazuki led us to victory time and time again, bleeding all the time. He's willing to bleed for us, so we are for him."

Riharia... Her name still stung Eliza's heart, an epiphany meeting her with what Nihara said. They all trust Kazuki to lead them to victory, even if they do not see the light of day - loyalty was what kept them to a bullet's tip. Eliza slowly nodded, finally understanding it within her heart.

"Riharia…" She frowned. "I… I thought I was changed for the better, but I'm no different from the Skyliner Operation, aren't I?"

Nihara remained calm. "Cyrus' death is not on you. I wasn't there… but I can tell, this isn't a… 'Riharia', if you understand. Cyrus always prioritised the mission… We always had it in our heads that we'd probably die somewhere along the way to retirement.

"My actions got both of them killed!" remarked Eliza.

The guard did not try to fight the statement.

"Your negligence got Riharia killed on a judicial mission. Cyrus died protecting you because that was his mission, to die for you," she continued. She let off a small, monotone chuckle, a display of the emotions hidden within her... "He died not because of you, but FOR you. That is different, he made the choice to go with you, even if it was a bad idea - he fulfilled his Contract."

Contract this… Contract that… This galaxy was so consumed with ancient rites and agreements, Eliza thought. Of course, they'd only think that such agreements were all that mattered, at any and all levels.

Even liars and diplomats would not dishonour treaties as such… Perhaps that was why the Pax Imperium lasted so long… Before a succession crisis destroyed the galaxy whole.

Eliza opened her mouth to speak, to reject the harshness of the galaxy. To say something to her... Though her mind fell short of her expectations of it. Her grandiose naivety finally started to dawn on her. Eliza looked at Nihara, seeing the dozens of scars she's hidden across her body and mind.

She wondered exactly what secrets each person within the AGENCY may hold, what loves, gossip, hobbies... It was a scary thought… But it was real: each statistic was a tragedy unto itself…

Just what might Kazuki know? Eliza knows Kaz has a memory that is next to perfect, it was why he made the best academic rival. He was the benchmark for perfection - yet what else could those cogs hold? What else did that database of a liar know? What tragedies does Kazuki know?

It was a harrowing realisation… Perhaps Kazuki has 'forgotten' more lives, wants, wishes and faces than Eliza has ever known.

By the end of it all, they will all be silenced. That was why they were so willing to accept a fast and loose life. -Even if that was true, Eliza could not wipe the guilt away with mere facts of the case.

Her pride. Her need for affirmation was what killed him. She chased after the chance Noah provided, only for a crisis to revolve around her. Noah… Noah… Eliza was a fool for not going with him. She should have gone with Noah then and there - forced Obadiah to choose between negotiation and her leaving…

That was Eliza's ace! And she threw it into the bin… Lady Antiar hadn't been forced by coin either by then, and Eliza had the perfect opportunity…

Hindsight dug its claws into Eliza's psyche.

Eliza thought she could do this on her own.

She was wrong. She aimed for a prize she knew not how to achieve, and she paid the price for it - and others did as well. The guild just kept piling up on top of her; it was like carrying boulders around her neck.

Any words she tried to choke out were filtered between the boulders that constricted her vocals.

Cutting her thoughts short, the door opened. Was it Chloé? Wait… did Chloé forget some of the gift packets? No… Eliza turned to the living room table, no… Her coat? No… Eliza quickly turned to face the person who entered. Wait... They had access to the suite without her buzzing them in. There was only one other person it could possibly be...

The Contract-Breaker Kazuki Izumi Geminorum-Ryzaku, Prince of Trasia... He kept his eyes away from her, simply striding into the suite. Each step gave off an aura of death… Eliza opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak to his intimidating presence.

Despite being only a centimetre taller than Kazuki, Eliza felt dwarfed by him.

He wore a haori jacket over a short kimono. Golden eyes… Those same eyes…

However, this time, the scars around his eyes haunted her… She caused that. Eliza has taken so much, bitten so much off and this was the consequence. Her heart sank continuously, falling step by step into the bottomless pits of guilt that awaited her - so much had changed, and yet she was still that naïve young woman.