by Thea Chin
“My big would never do something that would warrant that!” Jaiden shouts. “Who do you think you are, saying stuff like that?”
“Jaiden…”
“Keep your lips away from my name. Do you know how badly you hurt him? Hurt us? You filthy piece of trash!”
Her vision begins to blur as she looks at her best friend and takes in every ridicule and insult. No, she deserves this. She should have been ready for this the second she administered him the neuro repositioner with her own two hands all those months ago. She deserves this and more for abandoning him first. Still, she can’t let him be lied to any longer. The truth must come out, or what did she fight all this time for?
“No, Jaiden, please listen to me. Mark isn’t who you all think he is! The dead boy in the lab,” she turns to Darren, “the propane tank. Remember! Push through the headache and remember!”
Indeed, both boys grunt and lean over their podiums at her words. Sensing a loss of control, a Councilman bangs his gavel against some wood, redirecting their attention. “Now, let’s not make up scenarios just to muddle their brains, Tsukiko Tsujii. Their memories are already a little confused by the injuries you inflicted upon them.”
“No, the confusion was caused by you. You and your science experiments.”
“Science experiments? Dear, your violent tendencies must have gone to your head. We’re just governors. Even if what you say is true, wouldn’t it be the scientist’s fault?”
Tsukiko flinches.
“Now that the floor has spoken, members of the Council, please make your verdict.”
“Gu—”
Just then, the noise outside grows loud then muffled again as the wooden doors behind Tsukiko open and close. The first maker of the ruckus manages to push into the room, and a child’s cry can be heard. Although she cannot turn around to see who it is, she recognizes her immediately.
“Angela?” Darren gasps, running to his child.
“Order! Order!” the gavel bangs.
Of course, a toddler can care less about his commands. Instead of running to her father’s open arms, however, she runs into Tsukiko’s.
“Mama!” she cries.
“Mama?” Darren repeats.
“Daddy, why aren’t you helping Mama? She’s hurt!”
Tsukiko’s body reacts before she even processes what is happening. All she knows is that her bundle of joy, one that she’d jump off a ship for, is once again in her arms, so she embraces her however she could with her aches and injuries
“Take away the child!” someone demands.
Guards flood towards Angela, but the child would not let go of Tsukiko. As a result, they resort to brute force.
“Mama! Mama!” the toddler cries continuously.
“You’re hurting her! Stop!” yells Darren. When they don’t, Darren can feel himself turning. “I said STOP!” he growls, pouncing on the crowd.
The room is thrown into chaos at that point. Gavels bang and more men come to flock Darren and pull him away. Tsukiko’s mind, though, is clear. She looks directly into her soulmate’s eyes, finding them easily despite the mob of wolves and people, and sings.
“Each night I seek, yet each night he hides
Leaving at the altar his broken bride.”
Darren’s eyes widen at the tune. It’s as if the world fades away and all he can see is her, her, and her. Even his own body seems negligible as the words enter his ears.
“Tsu…ki…”
The guards take this opportunity to drag him and Angela away, and once more, the room is calm.
“Darren?” Jaiden gasps while looking between where he disappeared to and Tsukiko.
“Don’t worry; he’ll be fine. We’ve just taken him somewhere where he can rest, that’s all,” a Councilman lies. “Now, without further ado, the verdict?”
“Guilty,” the room choruses.
Jaiden shakes in his spot, looking down and grinding his teeth together.
Tsukiko is wheeled and tossed onto the center of the floor. It seems her punishment was already decided beforehand as they give her friend a sword. The noise outside grows louder.
“Come on,” the Council coaxes. “Remember what she did to you. Remember what she said about Matthews. Now it’s your chance to give her what she deserves.”
Jaiden is guided to the center where he looks down at Tsukiko.
“Kill her. Kill her. Kill her.”
“Hi,” Tsukiko greets with a small smile despite the chants.
Jaiden opens his mouth then closes it with no words escaping them. Tremblingly, he raises his weapon above his head. The noise is unignorable now.
“—my name’s Leiah. Leiah Takeda, but you call me Ki.”
“W-wha?”
Tsukiko takes this moment and pushes herself up, ignoring the screams of her body. She hopes that tingle she feels in her right leg holds up.
“Remember,” she whispers, then finds his lips with hers.
The sword drops to the ground with a forgotten clang as Jaiden’s hand finds its way into her hair immediately. The other one wraps around her waist to support her weight. His head feels like it’s splitting, but he doesn’t care. He can’t care. He doesn’t know why, but he feels so right like this, like he belongs right there, molded perfectly against her smaller frame like puzzle pieces.
He doesn’t know why, but he feels like he will, like she’s transferring all that is important to him with every quiver of her lips.
The moment cannot last, however, not when the Council is surrounding them. The gavel slams down once.
“Kill—”
“We know what you’ve done!” someone screeches.
The Council’s attention shifts to the door. At long last, the noise has broken through.
“How dare you lie to us?” hollers another. “Soulmates are nothing but a scam! A scheme you’ve used to control us!”
The guards flock to the doors, but they aren’t strong enough for the crowd outside. The entry bursts open, and wolves from all places near and far prowl in. Some of the Councilmembers screech and run from the situation while others attempt to hold back the crowd.
At the same time, Jaiden and Tsukiko are running out of breath.
“You’re her…” he breathes when they break, his fingers tracing the angle of her jaw. Then his brows furrow. “But you’re… not?”
“Whether I am Leiah or Ki, at the end of the day, I’m your best friend.”
Jaiden smiles with content at her answer. “I lo—”
“Jacque Taylor! I know you are here! The gig is up; give yourself up now!”
That voice! Mark? Tsukiko shouldn’t be surprised. After all, she made it out of the fire alive too. She whips her head in his direction angrily. Jaiden does the same, holding her protectively to his side.
“They said it was he who saved us and brought us to St. Valentine’s!” Jaiden gasps softly.
Mark steps up to the testifying podium. He’s holding the file. The very same files Tsukiko had Darren save from the flames while sacrificing her life. “I have uncovered the truth behind your tyranny. How could you use our love and emotions to turn us all into your mindless puppets?”
One of the Councilmen speaks. “Councilman M—”
“Don’t you dare address me as such anymore. You have made me ashamed to be a Councilman—no, a werewolf.”
He earns a hoot of agreement.
“And now we will fight. Fight for justice!”
“Yeah!”
A smirk spreads on Mark’s face as a hoard of wolves flies past him in either direction. Tsukiko is used to seeing him smirk, but not like this.
His gaze finally meets hers. “I know we haven’t seen eye to eye on a lot of things, Tsujii, but isn’t this what you wanted? For the truth to come out? It’s what you fought so hard for, isn’t it? It’s what you gave up your friends”—he looks at Jaiden—“and your chance at a new life for. I’m doing it for you, so aren’t you happy? These wolves will now be under my Co
uncil-less rule.”
“You’re no better than them!” she hisses.
“Better or not is subjective. Public opinion is just based on how well you twist your words.”
Jaiden lets out a growl and allows ears to pop out from the top of his head.
“Ah-ah-ah,” Mark warns with a wag of his finger. “You can either kill me and be killed yourselves by my followers, or save Darren. After all, you know his punishment isn’t going to be light after acting like he did earlier.”
Jaiden looks at Tsukiko and Tsukiko at him. There is no question what they are going to choose.
* * *
“You’re idiots!” Irene reminds them for the hundredth time. “If Chan didn’t find you in time back then, you’d… you’d..!”
“We know, we know. We’re sorry, Irene,” chuckles Jaiden.
Tsukiko smiles with him although it drops when she focuses her attention on Darren who lays lifelessly in the cot next to hers.
“Calm down, love. They did what they could given their options,” Chan laughs along, entering the hut.
It is just the six of them—Tsukiko, Jaiden, and the Dusts with Chan and Irene traveling in between here and the frat house—in this tiny village house in the countryside away from Lynford, and soon, it’ll just be five.
“How were the others?” Irene asks, taking his coat.
“Alright. Lee is going to have to adjust to being the new beta, especially when I’m not around, but he’ll be alright. They all took the pills and know what you told me, Miss Tsujii, but it’s safer that they pretend not to for now. Mother’s alright too,” he directs at his wife who sighs in relief. “She understands why we need to hide out for now, but I can bring her to visit once in a while.”
“I’m sorry…” Tsukiko mumbles, feeling responsible for tearing their families apart.
“Don’t be. You took down one villain, and it’s only a matter of time until we figure out how to take down the other.”
“They never found him, did they? Jacque Taylor, I mean,” asks Jaiden.
Chan shakes his head no. “Not yet, but that is the Mathonian regime’s problem now.” He places his hands on his hip. “Anyway, Han, if you’re up for it, can you help me round up the cows?”
“I’ll make sure Angela’s doing alright outside,” Irene says before disappearing through the door.
As Jaiden stands to head out with Chan, the older man turns to Tsukiko. “Oh, and someone told me to give you this after he heard about what you did.”
Tsukiko raises a concerned brow and takes the envelope with a “Thanks.” The men leave, leaving her with an unconscious Darren and the note.
“Dear Miss Tsujii,” it reads, “I apologize for misjudging you. Not only was it foolish of me to believe one’s worth is based on her standing as a soulmate, it was also atrocious for me to belittle and disrespect you in the time we had together, especially when that time was so short. I hope my apologies find you well despite the circumstances. I assure you that I will personally, along with the rest of Mu Alpha, finish what you started in your fight for a species that is not even your own. Thank you, and until next time, Xie Ming Zeng.”
Xie Ming? That’s someone she never expected a letter from. She tucks the envelope under her pillow and reaches for her wheelchair. Quickly, though, she retracts it as sharp burn pains travel up her arm. She clutches at her wrist, not neglecting to note how faded it has become.
When the pain subsides, she reaches for the chair again more slowly this time. Before she accomplishes her task, she feels something tugging on her other arm.
“Darren? You’re up?” she gasps, looking over. “Ch—!”
“Wait,” his hoarse voice cuts her off. “I want to talk to you.”
Tsukiko nods and gently holds a jug of water to his lips which he drinks from gratefully.
“What do you remember?”
He pulls back his head, and she caps the jug. The way that he casts his gaze down onto his lap tells her he remembers enough.
“How are you feeling?” she asks instead. Mark was right about the urgency of saving Darren. The amount of bandages he has right now is comparable to that of a mummy.
“Okay,” he mumbles. His fingers trace around her faint glow.
“Darren…”
“How much longer?”
It’s Tsukiko’s turn to look down at her lap. Darren doesn’t push the topic, knowing he’ll have his answer the next time he steps under the moon. Instead, he brings her hand to his face, embracing it and her warmth.
“All these memories and feelings… I can’t believe I forgot them…”
“That is my fault.” She bites her lip. “I forsook you for my own goals. I’m sorry.”
She feels his head shaking against her hand. “Just don’t do it again. What little time we have— Let me… let me spend it with you.”
“Darren, soulmates are just—”
“Made by the Council, I know, but they didn’t make the feelings I have for you. Even if none of this happened, even if we never were soulmates, I know I’d still feel the same. I still love you, Tsukiko.”
Her heart lurches in her chest. “I…” Tsukiko, unsure of what to say, turns her face away from him just in time to see the tip of a silver tail disappearing from the doorway.
T-1 Moons
Darren wakes up in cold sweat and heavy breaths from a familiar nightmare. Since his memories returned, he has been haunted by the same thing every night. As a matter of fact, he can’t even remember waking up without vivid images burning in his head anymore. He swallows with great effort as he recalls his most recent one.
Tsukiko lays in his arms with blood trickling from her lips onto the forest floor.
“Dar… ren…” she croaks as she attempts in vain to lift her hand up to caress his face.
“N-no,” he whimpers. “N-no! Don’t go! Please don’t go!”
She shakes her head, telling him to come to terms with her fate.
“Who did this to you? Tell me, who did this? I swear I will not let them see another day for doing this!” he cries while holding her tighter against himself.
“It’s…” Suddenly, the orbs of her eyes turn glassy and black. “… you.”
The orbs popped and dark liquid spills out of them. She disintegrates out of his arms, leaving nothing but blood in her wake.
Darren falls to the ground, clutching at the stained leaves as he cries.
“Tsukiko, please come back! Please! I… I… I’m sorry! I’m sorry!… Please don’t leave me alone. I’ll do anything!”
“Anything?”
Darren looks up and sees a fair lady standing before him. She looks at him with enchantingly cold eyes and points at the ground.
A cry sounds from under the leaves. Darren gasps in surprise at the sudden noise but wastes no time pushing away the bloodied fronds to find its source. Finally, his hands rub against something soft. He lifts it up off the ground and lets out a blood curdling scream.
Darren wills his breathing to slow as he pushes his sweaty bangs out of his face. He walks over to his daughter and picks her up into his arms. She wakes up, but is too tired to say anything as her father bounces her up and down gently.
He paces around the room, careful not to wake up anyone else there, with a heavy decision weighing down on him. He knows what he must do to save her, but can he? The stars against the moonless sky remind him that his time to decide is running out.
One more month.
“Anything?” he repeats out loud. He doesn’t have to dig through leaves to find what the question means. It’s right there in his arms this time.
The 42nd Moon
Tsukiko taps her pen on her old desk quietly.
I, Tsukiko Tsujii, being of sound and disposing mind, hereby declare the following:
A knock sounds at the door. It’s Jaiden.
“Hungry?” he asks. “They’re ready outside.”
I have no children and declare no spouse. Although I have not
hing of value left to my name, I offer this.
She tucks the paper she is looking at into an envelope while answering him. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”
She hears him walk down the Mu Alpha’s hall and knock on another door. She had asked Chan if it was alright to be here tonight, but he told her not to worry about it and that he’ll figure it out later if need be. Just enjoy yourself, he said.
“Darren?” Jaiden calls. “You coming?”
The sound of her chair scraping against the floor drowns out his response as she hoists herself into her wheelchair. She straightens out the envelope on her desk and makes her way out of her room.
“Want a drink?” Cain offers as soon as Tsukiko steps into the fraternity house’s kitchen.
She declines, and the male shrugs and downs the contents himself. She watches him walk away with a small smile on her lips.
To Cain Lee, I bequeath my encouragement. A new and rough road lies ahead of you, and you will face many trials and failures. I give my encouragement so that you will never lose the strength you need to support those you care about most, and strength to keep you ready for a new day each and every morning.
“How’s it going?” greets Finley with a chin tilt. This party is intended to celebrate the man’s recent promotion, but they all know the true reason behind it. After all, they wouldn’t risk being in the same kilometer radius as Tsukiko for something so small.
“Well,” she replies.
“Awesome,” he nods. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll be creaming Faith at some video games in the living room if you need me.”
“Hey! We’ll see about that!” objects his friend.
Tsukiko winces when she remembers the two’s new relationship. She knew this might happen to some couples once the Mathonian regime is established. At least they are still on good terms.
To Faith and Finley, I offer my hope. The recent discoveries have opened a reality full of unknowns for the two of you, unknowns which you once thought were as clear as day. Still, I know you will make the most of your every situation and hope that life has reserved the right partners for your futures.
“Hawaiian or Pepperoni?” you hear a voice call out to you from the kitchen island.
