CH340

CH339
Ryuu
Letting her go to work was the hardest thing I would do all day. Yes, I rode in the car with her to drop her off on some excuse that I was heading in the same direction. Yes, I really did want her to feel at ease and not think about what had happened, but I still didn't want to be parted from her. I had never so acutely felt distance from someone before. But every block, every turn, every mile felt more and more irritating. I could feel exactly how far away I was from her.
I thought back to what Mai said. She had to be right. What other explanation could it be? We had to have known each other before, in an intimate capacity, for how easily intimate had come with her. Would we remember exactly how we knew each other before? Something told me that we would. And I was excited to find out.
If this sense of distance and irritation wasn’t enough, then there were the visions that had only grown worse since I let Ren out of the car. Not worse, as in disastrous, but more persistent, more real, more tangible. They stirred up amounts of longing and other heavy, crushing emotions that I wasn't ready to deal with.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Morgan. Not as she was now but younger, softer, cloaked in some half-familiar memory that set my teeth on edge. I wanted to reach out to that Morgan, and I wanted to hold her in my arms. My soul told me that Morgan had to be Ren now.
My instincts hadn’t failed me before. So why her face on the Morgan of now, who was nothing like that Morgan? Felt like torture from the universe...
Though I suppose, if our connection was truly that strong, it would make sense that in this life she would have to be here too, somehow. I wasn't exactly sure how much control celestials really had over the turn of the universe. But if Maya was right and we had lived a different life, surely, the Celestials had some hand in creating this world. Perhaps ensuring that someone near me, someone close enough to me, would have that Morgan's face so I wouldn't forget her, so we could maybe find each other again, was my hand in it. It was a shame that I couldn't control who was actually going to have that face.
Then again, if I was right, maybe it didn't matter.
I settled into my seat, letting my mind turn it over. Ren had been born here, lived here for so long. Sure, there was an interlude in which she lived in Hotaru’s city, but for the most part, she was right here, close enough to me... Depending on where she'd worked before, what school she attended, what sort of life she’d had before Adele kicked her out, I should have run into her at least a hundred times by now. And yet I hadn't. Not until I walked into Haruka’s shop...
There had only been the Morgan now.
I set my jaw. It seemed... deliberate that I hadn’t met Ren until that day in Haruka’s shop. Morgan was the most likely culprit if it was deliberate, but that didn't make much sense. She may be a celestial, but she wasn't that strong. I couldn't see how her say in creating the universe, or this life, at least, would have overridden my own.
I put the thought out of my mind and started to work. I had a lot of things to get done that really needed my attention. I had been putting it all on hold since watching over Ren in the hospital. I glanced at the clock, taking note of how much time it would be before I saw her again.

Something was wrong. It was a creeping something, coming towards me from a distance, whispering through the ether that something was coming. Something was changing. Something was going absolutely wrong, and the world was conspiring against me. Then it was gone like I had imagined it. Or rather, it turned into a type of anticipation. Like I knew something was going to come, but I wasn't sure if it would be good or bad.
The call came just before I was headed to the noodle shop to have dinner with Ren. It was the voice of one of my men.
“Lord Ryuu, there’s been an attack on Lady Haruka’s shop.” My blood turned to ice. “Is she alright? Is Ren alright?”
“Lady Haruka has been evacuated safely, but Ms. Black... she was taken.”
I grit my teeth. There was no doubt about who was behind this. I got dressed and headed downstairs, getting in the waiting car.
“Take me to wherever Tora Hangui is. Quickly.”
I wouldn’t bother looking for Morgan because there was no sense in denying that at the first opportunity, I was likely to kill her.
To my surprise, Tora Hangui wasn’t at the Pearl Palace. No, the bastard had the nerve to be at his family’s company. It was pretty well known that he was looking for a chance to turn it over to me and to be done with running the day-to-day so he could go out and gallivant as much as he pleased. But that wouldn't happen so long as Morgan wasn't married.
I didn't truly want the company anyway. From what I knew of it, it was slowly draining due to mismanagement, and it would be a lot more trouble to save than it was really worth.
Still, at the end of this, I was looking forward to ruining Tora’s life, either because I dismantled it for parts or burned it down because he and his daughter have irritated me.
I didn’t wait for a receptionist to walk me up or even glance at the security. They knew better. Probably spooked by the fact that the scales on my neck were already glinting in the light. Tora had the gall to smirk when I stormed into his study. He lounged in his chair, looking up from his desk.
“I assume you’ve heard the news,” he said smoothly, folding his hands over his knee.
“If you mean the assault on a favored and treasured place of business in my territory, yes.”
“No,” he said with a chuckle that grated like sandpaper. He waved his hand. “After what you did to Hotaru, I’m not surprised about the retaliation.”
I narrowed my eyes, taking note that it was possible that Tora knew nothing about it and had nothing to do with it. That meant it was even more likely that I’d kill Morgan sooner rather than later.
I should have killed her ages ago.
I blinked at the deep, dark voice in the back of my mind. It was mine, but it wasn’t exactly mine.
“...the wedding. It’s going to be tonight. It’s all been arranged.”
I cocked an eyebrow at him, realizing what he was saying.
“Arranged, hm?”
“Well, Morgan said that you’ve been busy, so she went ahead and organized it.”