On Freya’s day back after being suspended, she entered Tani’s compound again, and much to her disbelief, the first person she saw was Achiko, with an evil grin spreading across her lips.

‘So you’re back then,’ she stated, looking at Freya.

‘Looks that way.’

‘Oh well, you can’t win them all, I guess,’ replied Achiko. Freya felt an angry stirring in the pit of her stomach.

She pushed past Achiko, determined not to let her anger rise. She was not going to do anything else that might cause her to look even worse in Tani’s eyes than she already did.

‘It’s not been as fun without you to irritate the past two days. Very boring, in fact. I never thought that I would say this, but I’m pleased to see you again,’ called Achiko, as Freya walked off. She ignored the comment.

She carried on, Achiko having given up her comments - at least, for the time being - and went to find Tani. When her eyes rested on his face, she felt a sensation of lust deep inside of her, and also dread. When he noticed her standing there, he gave her a smile, but it was chillier than normal. Freya knew that he was still angry with her. She knew, that in his shoes, she would feel exactly the same, but that did not stop Tani’s resentment towards her from hurting. If only you knew the truth, Tani-san, she said silently to herself. If only you would believe me…

‘There’s a whole load of correspondence that needs to be taken care of, Freya,’ he icily told her, ‘so that can be your task for this morning. Do you understand?’

‘Yes sir,’ she meekly replied, looking at his shoes. She saw him take a step closer, and raised her view as he leant into her.

‘I don’t know exactly what went on the other day, but I have to say, what Achiko tells me sounds a lot more believable than your version of events. I am nearing the end of my tether, Freya, and I need you both to get along, right?’

‘Yes sir,’ repeated Freya, still as meek as ever. The sound of him telling her that he believed Achiko was unbearable. She felt, compared to the pair, that she was very small and insignificant.

She followed him to his office where he handed her a large pile of paperwork, which she came close to dropping.

‘If you’re going to send it flying everywhere, then sit at my desk and do it, instead of leaving a trail behind you,’ he snapped. She really wished that he could lose the icy demeanour.

She sat down in Tani’s seat as Achiko walked in, giving Tani a smile, and fixing Freya with a frosty glare. Freya wanted more than anything else to be away from the pair, where she could act normally without being judged or accused of lies.

She leant over the paperwork, scribbling furiously, and trying to ignore the presence of Achiko and Tani. But it was easier said than done when Achiko perched on the end of her desk and Tani was behind her, rubbing her shoulders. She started to let out soft moans as Tani ran his hands over back and neck. She shot the occasional look at Freya, who was determined not to give anybody her eyes. Achiko grinned to herself.

‘I bet you charm every woman who walks through your door, don’t you Tani?’ she said, jokingly. Tani chuckled.

‘Only those that are worth being charmed,’ he replied.

Freya bit her lip and held her breath. There was no way that Achiko could have said that deliberately. There was no way that Achiko could know her feelings for the General. She had been so careful to hide it…

Tani had started to run his fingers through Achiko’s long, sleek black hair. She closed her eyes and smiled as Tani continued to pet her like a cat. He looked at her with an expression of awe and love. He then stepped away, and cast both Corporals a glance.

‘There’s something that I need to do for a while, so you’ll be alone in here for a few minutes. I hope there’s the slightest chance that you can contains yourselves and not trash the office apart in my absence.’ This last comment was directed to Freya.

‘Yes sir,’ they both chorused. Tani smiled, which turned more stony as he looked at Freya. Achiko was still grinning, but this was through knowing that Freya was getting worked up.

Freya had been dreading the second that door would close, and she would be stuck with Achiko on her own. Sure enough, as soon as the door was shut, Achiko slipped off her desk and leant on Tani’s bringing her face only centimetres away from Freya’s.

‘I hope you’re not getting annoyed by Tani still being angry with you,’ Achiko taunted. ‘And quite justifiably so, as well.’

‘ ‘Justifiably’?’ spat Freya. ‘You practically throwing me across the office and then making it look like I had attacked you is justifiable? I haven’t done anything wrong!’

The tone in Freya’s voice was starting to get higher as she got more defiant. Achiko lowered her mouth level with Freya’s ear and whispered:

‘At least, you hope you haven’t done anything wrong…’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ she snapped. She watched Achiko closely as she picked up a letter opener, and pressed her thumb against the blade.

‘Just imagine…what could happen if you were carrying this, and slipped near Tani. Or if I was holding it, and my hand just happened to twitch, make one wrong movement. He might end up injured. I have to say, the latter is most likely. A letter opener could do a fair bit of damage.’

‘You do that,’ challenged Freya. ‘When you do, Tani’ll realise that I was right about you all along. That you’re nothing more than a-…a-’

‘Than a what?’ asked Achiko softly, knowing that Tani should be returning soon, ‘Go on, say it. I dare you.’

‘That you’re nothing more than an evil, spiteful, vindictive and malicious bitch - yes, bitch! -’ added Freya as Achiko looked slightly amazed ‘- who ought to crawl back under the rock you came from!’

‘Freya!’

She jumped, and saw Tani, standing in the doorway. Anger oozed from every pore. He looked as though he was about to go over and slap her. He hurried across and comforted Achiko, who had managed to pull together an expression of utter surprise and hurt.

‘Honestly, Tani, I don’t know what I’m meant to have done to her!’ she uttered, casting Freya a look from the General’s grasp. ‘She’s just being so evil to me, and I haven’t done anything! You know I haven’t!’

‘Shhh,’ soothed Tani, as Achiko pretended to be holding back tears. He shot Freya the most venomous look he could muster. ‘Go and wait outside, my darling. Just for a minute while I deal with this…unpleasantness…’

Achiko pulled herself free from Tani’s arms, and immediately covered her face with her hands and walked out, in the pretence of not wanting to be seen coming close to crying. She lowered one hand for a split second to leer at Freya, who looked pale. She was scared. Surely Tani was going to sack her for this.

‘What have I said to you Freya? What have I been saying?’ he said, furiously.

‘Uh -’ stammered Freya. She did not seem to be able to get a proper sentence out. ‘Uh, um…you - you said…’

‘What, Freya? Answer me!’ yelled Tani.

‘You…you said that you needed Achiko and me to get along…’ muttered Freya, hardly speaking any louder than a whisper.

‘Exactly. Both of you need to get along. So what happens when I leave the office for, well, hardly longer than a few seconds? I find you screaming and shouting at the poor woman, and calling her some names, which to be perfectly frank with you, I had never expected to hear coming out of your mouth. I’m ashamed, Freya,’ he coldly told her.

‘She threatened you!’ blurted out Freya. She had not meant to let this slip, because she knew that the General would never believe her in a million years. But it had come out. She said it, totally by mistake.

Tani fixed her with the most sceptical look he could.

‘Excuse me?’ he said. He was smiling uncertainly, in his disbelief.

‘It’s true! She made veiled threats about your safety, implying that her hand might twitch when she was holding a letter opener…she was making it sound like you were going to end up hurt!’

Tani sighed exasperatedly.

‘Grow up, Freya. Really. I have had it with all this. It’s stupidity. What is your problem? Do you not want me to be happy?’

‘Of course I do!’ exclaimed Freya, upset that Tani could ever suggest such a thing.

‘If you truly want me to be happy…’ he murmured in a low voice. ‘Then get on with Achiko. I don’t know what you’ve got against her, but it has to stop. If you meant it when you said you want me to be happy, then leave her alone. She makes me happy. Alright?’

‘Yes sir,’ mumbled Freya. She felt near to tears.

‘Go. Get out of my sight. You can finish off the paperwork later.’

Freya headed out of Tani’s office, where she was confronted by Achiko. She grabbed Freya and held her against the wall.

‘Don’t try and tell Tani tales about me,’ she growled, menacingly. ‘It won’t work, he won’t believe you. No matter what. There’s nothing that you can do, because he’s always going to pick me over you…’

‘That’s what you think,’ hissed Freya. ‘One day, he’s going to find out the truth about you. he’ll discover what a cow you really are.’

‘The only way he’ll discover anything,’ started Achiko, in a low voice, ‘would be if I was to do something to prove how evil I really am.’

Achiko released Freya from against the wall, and gave her a shove down the corridor, and then continued with the upset act as Tani opened the door to see her. He gave Freya’s back one last, lingering glare as she walked hurriedly away.

______________________________________________________

A figure slipped into Tani’s office when they were sure that it would be deserted from Tani himself or either of the Corporals. The intruder slipped a paper clip from the confines of her clothing and straightened it out. She picked at the lock of Tani’s filing cabinets and rifled through the General’s important documents.

Her hands rested on one, that, in the hands of Count Takeshi, or any of Tani’s enemies, could be almost potentially fatal. The figure slid it out of the filing cabinet and crept out of the office.

_______________________________________________________

Later in the day, Tani and Achiko burst into his office, both giggling like school children. Tani smiled affectionately at her, and brushed her black hair out of her face, before planting a kiss on her neck. She grinned, but pulled away, and sat down on the edge of her desk. Tani closed the door. Achiko’s eyes were watching im carefully, studying his every move.

‘Have you got anymore plans for attacking Takeshi’s castle?’ she asked, nonchalantly.

‘Actually, I have got one,’ replied the General. ‘I’ve been working on it for a while.’

Tani went over to his filing cabinet and started to open it, when he noticed that it was already unlocked.

‘What the hell -’ he started, looking puzzled. Achiko came over, her face as mask of confusion.

Tani looked through the files, and almost instantly noticed the missing document. He swore, and turned to look at Achiko. She frowned.

‘What? What is it? You look like you know something,’ he said, reading her expression. She fixed him with a thoughtful stare.

‘I think, if I remember correctly, I saw Freya in here earlier. It seemed to me like she was looking for something, but I couldn’t say what.’

‘Freya?’ repeated Tani, sounding stunned. ‘No…I know you and her haven’t exactly got on, but surely, she wouldn’t do anything like that.’

‘I’m just saying what I saw,’ stated Achiko. ‘She was in here, looking around, as though searching for something. Now your most valuable document is missing. Does it sound like a mere coincidence to you? Is there the slightest chance that you could have mislaid a document that important?’

‘No, of course not.’

‘Well, then it seems to me that your beloved Corporal Freya has stolen it.’

_______________________________________________________

Freya was lying on her bed, contemplating whether to take a nap when Tani and Achiko burst into her room. Freya jumped out of her skin and stood up, her heart racing. She looked confused and noticed Achiko staring at her, behind Tani with a malicious grin. Freya could feel panic creeping over her.

What has Achiko done now to get me into trouble with Tani? she wondered.

Achiko made her way to the far side of the room, and opened Freya’s wardrobe, and started nosing around.

‘Hey - what is going on here? Why is she going through my things?’ she snapped at Tani, who had started to search himself.

He shot her a glare, which told her plainly to shut up, and hefted her bag, resting it on her bed. Freya looked on as he unzipped it, and sifted through the contents, and pulled out a piece of paper.

‘I don’t believe it,’ he whispered, as he turned the stolen document over and over in his hands.

Achiko stopped what she was doing, and watched the unravelling scene. She shot another smug grin at Freya, which slid off her face quicker than blinking when Tani looked at her.

‘You were right,’ he said.

‘Excuse me? Can somebody fill me in on what I seem to be missing please?’ asked Freya.

She wanted to back away when Tani turned to face her again. His handsome face contorted by fury, anger, even hatred. Freya had expected his voice to be shaky when he spoke, or for him to yell at her. But, to her surprise, he sounded did not. Only his expression showed any hints of anger.

‘Go to my office, now. Then we can talk about…this,’ he snarled.

Freya hurried out, face turned down, not daring to catch Tani’s eye again, and not wanting to look at Achiko. She knew that if she and Achiko locked gazes, one of them would probably attack the other. That would be the last thing she needed.

After she had left, Tani embraced Achiko.

‘Don’t come back to my office. There’s probably going to be a lot of shouting, and I don’t want you to have to listen to it. Okay?’

‘Okay,’ she replied, giving him what he thought to be an understanding smile. He reached down and planted a kiss on her lips.

_______________________________________________________

Freya was dreading Tani coming back to talk to her. She paced around, breathing heavily, her fingers pressed to her lips. Then she stopped, and scolded herself.

‘I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I be so worried? It’s Achiko that’s done it, not me.’

She remembered all the other times that it had been Achiko doing something, yet it had not been Achiko that had suffered the consequences. The door opened, and Tani entered. He was tight lipped, and still looked furious. He ignored her as he walked to his desk, where he gave her his eyes and dropped the document onto the table.

‘Explain,’ he ordered.

Freya shivered at the coldness of his tone.

‘I didn’t take it. You know me, Tani-san, you know that I wouldn’t take it! Wouldn’t take anything!’ exclaimed Freya. Surely Tani would believe her.

‘No, Freya,’ he replied, looking icily at her. ‘I thought I knew you. The Freya that I did know wouldn’t pick petty fights with her fellow Corporal, and wouldn’t start arguments, and certainly would not steal.’

‘Please, Tani, I implore you, you have to believe me, I didn’t do it! I swear!’

‘Silence!’ roared the General, his eyes blazing.

_______________________________________________________

Outside Tani’s office, Achiko stopped, listening in. She grinned to herself as she heard Tani yelling at Freya.

_______________________________________________________

‘Why is it so difficult to believe that you’re wrong, for once, Tani?’ snapped Freya, her patience reaching its limit. Tani stopped, stunned. ‘It must be so nice, always being right. I’ve been telling the truth all the time, and you just refuse to acknowledge it! You’ve allowed yourself to become manipulated by that, that witch, that evil cow, Achiko! And things are bad now, but you just wait until that ring is on her finger! Then, then, you’ll really see what a nasty piece of work she is, and that I was right about her all along!’

Tani drew in breath and raised his hand to her, about to slap her. Freya flinched, and Tani stopped himself, just in time.

‘No…that’s not the answer,’ he muttered to himself. He closed his eyes and took long, deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. ‘I don’t claim to be perfect. I certainly don’t think that I’m always right, either.’

Freya snorted.

‘I’m not,’ he said.

‘Well, I don’t believe you. Now you know what it’s like to tell the truth, but have the other person so blinded by, lust, or rage, or whatever, that they can’t see it. Not nice, is it?’

‘This is getting out of hand. Going away from the reason why you are in here. If you didn’t steal that document, then what was it doing in your bag?’

‘I have no idea, except for that your precious fiancee slipped it in there!’

‘Stop blaming Achiko for everything that goes wrong!’ he hissed. ‘I personally think that it was you who stole the document, and you’re trying to say that Achiko framed you, just so that she looks bad. Well, it’s not working!’

‘You really believe it, don’t you? You really believe that I would go snooping through your private files, and steal something. I never knew that you thought so low of me.’

‘I never knew you could stoop so low. It’s not Achiko that’s changed my opinion of you. It’s you.’

‘Princess Achiko,’ muttered Freya, scornfully.

‘That’s it. Get out! I want you out of here, do you understand me? You’re sacked! You are no longer my Corporal, and believe me, you are bloody lucky that I don’t have you arrested for theft!’

‘Are you serious?’ asked Freya, dumbstruck.

‘More serious than I’ve ever been. Now, go! Get out of my sight, I don’t want you in my life anymore, I don’t give a toss what happens to you! As far as I can see, Achiko - my future wife -’ he had to say it, to rub Freya’s nose in it some more, ‘- and me are much better off without you trying to poison everybody against her! Now leave!’

Freya hesitated, as Tani’s cold, cruel words sank in.

‘What are you waiting for? Pack your things, leave your quarters and my compound and never return!’

Freya hurried out of Tani’s office, his words still ringing coldly in her ears. She had a hand placed over her mouth, as she tried to stifle the sobs that had started racking over her body.

She had half expected to see Achiko waiting outside, to taunt her some more, but thankfully, she was no where to be seen.

_______________________________________________________

Freya came to a stop as she closed her bedroom door behind her. A gasp rushed out of her throat, as a wave of sadness crashed over her. She made her way over to her bed and collapsed, kneeling on one side, her face buried in her arms. Tears were trickling endlessly from her eyes, moistening the bed clothes.

_______________________________________________________

For hours, Freya wandered through Yokohama in shock, feeling abandoned and alone. She didn't have many of her possessions with her, having left most of them packed and in storage at Tani's compound. In her dazed state she really couldn't think what to do. All she knew was that, at that point in time, everything dear to her had been lost. Her job, her home, but most of all her friendship with the man she loved more than anyone in the world, all of it was gone now. Freya shivered. In the fading daylight, she was getting cold. Putting her hand in her jacket pocket, she felt the smooth surface of her mobile phone. Flicking through the names she had stored, she suddenly realised there was someone she could turn to. She selected the name and pressed the call button.

_______________________________________________________

As soon as she'd got Freya back to her apartment, Kirsty made some tea. How Freya had coped, dragging herself round Yokohama for hours, Kirsty didn't know. The woman was still in shock. Handing Freya a cup of hot tea, Kirsty sat beside her on the sofa.

‘Thanks for letting me stay, Kirsty, it's really good of you.’ Freya said, gratefully.

‘Tell me what happened, Freya,’ she urged ‘how did you come to be wandering through Yokohama all day?’

‘He fired me.’ Freya told her, shakily ‘He told me he never wanted to see me again.’

‘Tani fired you?’ Kirsty was astonished ‘What for?’

‘He accused me of stealing some paper or other from his confidential files. I didn't take anything, Kirsty, I'd never do that.’ Freya's tired, tearful eyes searched Kirsty's for signs of belief ‘Achiko must have planted it in my bag, I didn't know anything about it, but he wouldn't believe me.’

Kirsty had heard about Achiko getting a job with Tani but didn't know much about her. She listened, appalled, as the distraught Freya recounted the whole story to her in between sobs. The day she'd arrived. The day Tani had asked her to marry him. The viciousness, the spite, the physical and verbal abuse. The veiled threats. Freya told Kirsty all of it.

‘I have a terrible feeling of dread about all this,’ she sobbed ‘she doesn't love him, she means to hurt him, I know it, I can feel it. I don't know what to do. He was so angry with me today, I thought he was going to slap me at one point. He's never been like that to me before. I pleaded with him, but he just said he doesn't care what happens to me from now on, he just doesn't want to see me ever again. I'm scared, Kirsty, I'm really scared for him.’

‘I don't understand him at times. Freya, don't let him get to you.’ Kirsty touched her friend's arm to comfort her.

‘It's kind of late for that.’ Freya replied quietly, looking down.

Kirsty studied Freya's expression thoughtfully. Suddenly it was obvious.

‘You're really in love with him, aren't you?’ she asked gently.

Freya nodded, fresh tears flowing. She looked at Kirsty with so much pain in her eyes.

‘Crazy, isn't it? But I've never been jealous of.…’

‘Hey it's okay, I know that.’ Kirsty assured her ‘You don't have to explain.’

‘I want him to be happy. He accused me of trying to wreck everything for him, but I'm not. And even though it hurts sometimes when he's with someone else, I really just want him to be happy.’

‘If anyone needs a slap, it's him, not you.’ Kirsty replied, irritably ‘I'm going to talk to him when we call at the compound to get your things, he needs someone to straighten him out. But before that, we need to find out what we can about Achiko. As you know, I have certain ‘skills’ with computers. Freya we'll get to the bottom of all this. You can stay here for a while. What you need right now is rest and a good night’s sleep. How long since you had either of those?’

Freya shrugged. She really couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept soundly. It was difficult to sleep when the person who meant everything to her was thinking such terrible things of her, and when memories of Achiko’s menacing attitude and thinly veiled threat with the letter opener kept coming back to her. Achiko had hinted darkly about harming Tani and Freya was petrified that the woman would carry out her threat. In the end, she fell into a dreamless sleep on Kirsty’s sofa through sheer exhaustion.

_______________________________________________________

Next morning, Kirsty shook her awake gently. It took Freya a few moments to remember where she was and why she was there. Then the weight of the memories hit her. Kirsty had been so kind to her, though, and that had helped.

‘Freya,’ she said ‘breakfast is almost ready. Go get dressed and after breakfast we’ll see what we can find on Achiko.’

_______________________________________________________

Tani sat glumly at the table, not speaking much. He thought that dismissing Freya would have been a relief, but to his dismay it wasn’t. Achiko watched him toying with his breakfast.

‘Hayato,’ she reached over to touch his hand ‘you’re supposed to eat that, not play with it.’

‘I’m sorry, my love,’ he sighed ‘I don’t really feel hungry. I just wish I knew what’s been going on in Freya’s head.’

‘Are you sorry you fired her?’ Achiko asked.

‘She didn’t leave me any choice, I had to fire her. I just wish it hadn’t been necessary. We used to be such close friends and I miss that.’

‘I know,’ Achiko took his hand in hers ‘but as you say, she left you no choice. She brought it on herself.’

‘I wish she could have been happy for us, Achiko, it would have meant a lot to me.’

‘Hayato, don’t let her make you sad. You have other friends, and you have me.’

Tani smiled at her, and squeezed her hand gently. He gazed into Achiko’s face, warmed by her beauty and her smile.

‘You’re right,’ he conceded ‘it’s her problem, let her deal with it.’

He pressed her fingers tenderly to his lips, feeling comforted.

‘I love you, Achiko,’ he told her softly

‘I love you too.’ she stood up and let him admire her slender body for a moment before moving around the table to him ‘You can be a little bit late today, can’t you?’

She let go of his hand and slipped her arms around him, giving him a gentle hug, before her fingers began to unfasten his uniform. Tani smiled, acutely aware of the quickening of his pulse.

‘I have a meeting later this morning.’ he protested, half-heartedly.

‘So....that’s later this morning,’ she whispered, her mouth right next to his ear ‘It’s early yet.’

‘Achiko.…’

Her hands caressed his neck and his body, stroking him lightly. He gave a soft moan as her hand slipped between his thighs.

‘Do you realise,’ she kissed his earlobe gently ‘that underneath these clothes I’m completely naked?’

‘Don’t do that to me,’ he grinned ‘you know I can’t resist.’

‘I know..…’ Achiko smiled mischievously as she pulled him out of his chair and led him towards the bedroom ‘...I know.’

_______________________________________________________

Freya sat beside Kirsty at the computer. She felt a deepening sense of impending disaster for Tani and was desperate to find out what was behind Achiko’s behaviour.

‘You know,’ Kirsty said ‘Tani’s lucky to have you on side. A lot of other people, if they’d gone through that, would have just said ‘stuff him’ and left him to it.’

‘I can’t, Kirsty. I can't abandon him like that.’ Freya's voice took on a certain tenderness whenever she spoke of him.

‘You never intended to tell him that you love him?’ Kirsty asked.

‘No!’ Freya looked horrified ‘I couldn't....I cherish his friendship too much to risk it. He'll never have those feelings for me and I wouldn't want to make him uncomfortable. It would change things too much between us if he knew. I've felt sad, sometimes, when he's introduced me to his girlfriends, but as long as he's loved and he's happy, I'm okay. I don't want to burden him with my feelings. I'm content to be the best friend I can possibly be to him. And I wouldn't hurt him for anything.’

‘I can see that.’ Kirsty nodded ‘It's a pity he can't.’

‘So where do we start?’ Freya asked, looking at the computer.

‘We start with.......her last known address.’ Kirsty began tapping at the keyboard.

_______________________________________________________

It was almost lunchtime. There weren't many people around Tani's office now. Achiko observed Tani through the window of his office, watched him concentrating on his work. Confident that he was too absorbed to notice, she took a small pair of wire cutters from her bag and snipped the wires to both her phone and his. Now all she had to do was wait till they were totally alone.

_______________________________________________________

‘Okay,’ Kirsty grinned ‘I've gained access to Count Takeshi's system, now let's see if I can find anything if I do a search. Personnel files coming up..…’

Freya watched the screen anxiously, praying that they'd find an answer.

‘Woah,’ said Kirsty suddenly ‘there's something here....no mention of Achiko, but there's someone listed here with the same surname. Hang on, it's in the 'deceased guards' file. What the hell....?’

Freya studied the information, feeling a sense of horror creeping over her.

‘The guy was named Hideo....he was killed last year, apparently, during an assault on the Castle by General Tani.’

Freya's terrified mind delved through her memories....it sounded so familiar.

‘What was the date?’ she asked.

Kirsty checked.

‘August 19th.’ she replied ‘It says here he died whilst trying to stop one of Tani's fighters from gaining access to the Castle via an uphill corridor, a boulder fell on him and he was killed outright.’

‘I remember that…’ Freya thought hard, recalling the details ‘I saw it happen, I was leading the charge on that particular part of the Castle. Tani wasn't there, he was leading some of the others over the Great Wall round the other side of the Castle. What else does it say about him?’

‘It says that he is survived by a sibling.....one sister.’

Freya and Kirsty stared at each other, realisation hitting them both at the same moment. Freya's blood froze, and her hands flew up to her face as her stomach knotted in terror.

‘Oh shite!’ she muttered through her fingers ‘She's out for revenge!’

Kirsty was on her feet in an instant, she grabbed the phone and punched in his number.

‘Shit!’ she snapped.

‘Busy signal?’

‘No signal.’ Kirsty looked back at her ‘It's just a dead line.’

Freya was shaking. Her mouth was dry and her heart was pounding. Kirsty seized her car keys with one hand and her katana with the other.

‘Let's go!’ she began to sprint for the door.

Once in Kirsty's car, Freya took out her mobile phone and tried to call Tani's mobile.

‘It's switched off.’ she tried desperately to stay calm as she keyed in another number ‘I'll try the compound gatehouse.......Damn it, damn it, damn it! The line's busy!’

‘Keep trying, Freya.’ Kirsty urged.

Please God, Freya prayed, please let us reach him in time.

_______________________________________________________

Achiko slinked into Tani’s office and perched on the edge of his desk. She was wearing a pair of tight fitting jeans and a baggy white top. Tani looked up from his work and smiled warmly at her. She returned the smile, but coldly. He stood up and leant over his desk to kiss her, but she jerked her head away, so he only caught the side of her mouth. His expression turned puzzled.

‘What’s the matter?’ he asked.

She slipped off his desk and reached behind her. She withdrew a pistol that she had tucked into the back of her jeans and pointed it directly at Tani. He froze, hardly even daring to breathe. He laughed nervously.

‘Don’t you dare laugh at me. Don’t you dare,’ she spat, her voice full of hatred and poison.

‘This is a joke, right?’ he asked. ‘Not a very funny one, but a joke nonetheless…isn’t it?’

‘How much are you prepared to bet?’

Tani considered this.

‘Probably not much,’ he replied, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Achiko reached over and slapped Tani roughly around the face with her free hand. His head snapped round from the force of the blow. He goggled at her, rubbing his neck, wondering what had gotten into his fiancee.

‘What the hell is the matter with you, Achiko?’

‘Do you really want to know?’ she asked, softly. Her voice was so frosty. Her demeanour towards him was so callous. Tani had never known her to be like this before. He was almost starting to see in her what Freya had been saying.

‘Why don’t you try me?’ he challenged.

‘Okay…I’ll try you…’

Achiko mention the name of an Emerald Guard that was killed last year, in one of his attempts to storm Takeshi’s Castle.

‘Do you remember him?’

Tani managed a half-hearted shrug, still uncomfortably aware of the gun that was trained on him. She slapped him again.

‘Bastard!’‘Enlighten me, then,’ demanded Tani, in a cool tone. ‘Who is he?’

‘My brother. My only sibling. My baby brother died in the hands of your men, and I have been wanting revenge ever since. Revenge against you is all that I have been able to think about ever since the fateful news reached my ears,’ explained Achiko.

Malicious, mirthless laughter spread over her. Her peals rang out in the office. Tani kept staring into her eyes, trying to find the warm flicker that he was used to seeing. But there was no warmth anywhere about her. The woman that stood before him was no longer his fiancee, he realised. She was nothing more than an icy entity.

‘So you want to get your own pay back against me. Fair enough. But…pretending to love me?’

‘It’s not like it was an easy thing to do. Only the thought of this moment, when I would be able to kill you was what made me bear sleeping with you,’ she snarled. ‘God, the thought of your hands on my flesh, pawing at me, ripping my clothes off, eugh, it was enough to make me want to puke. Every time you touched me, I wanted to scream. I wanted to rip off your hand.’

Tani listened to her venomous words, not uttering a single sound. He could feel his heart shattering deep inside of him.

‘I always knew when you were around, General. My skin used to start crawling. But I had to do this. I had to keep the act up, even if it meant allowing you to violate me. That was the worst, having to sleep with you. I am so pleased I’ll never have to go through that again.’

She chuckled.

‘Part of my plan was to make you think that I loved you. To make you love me, so I could break your heart…before my…finale…’

‘Which was?’ whispered Tani.

‘You mean to say that you can’t guess? I wanted to break your heart before I took your life!’

Tears had started to flood Tani’s eyes. He blinked them back, not wanting Achiko to see how hurt he was. He felt sharp pains in his chest as his heart was shredded even more. He felt as though his insides had shattered into a million tiny little shards.

Achiko took the safety cap off the gun, and moved it from pointing to his chest to pointing at his head.

‘Any last words?’

‘Sorry to disappoint you, but I refuse to beg for my life. If you want to kill me, then kill me.’

‘I don’t care whether you beg for your life or not. Either way, you’re going to die. You’re worthless. In fact, no, I take that back. You’re lower than worthless. How much of a friend have you been to dear little Freya?’

‘What?’ he murmured.

‘Oh yes. Your ex-Corporal. Sacked because she allegedly stole files from you. Tut, tut, you sacked her, just like that. She didn’t take that document. I did. I stole it from you, and planted it on her. Everything that she’s said to you about me is true. Everything that you accused her of, she hadn’t done. She was innocent. She’s probably the only person in this world stupid enough to love you, and you betrayed her. You turned your back on her. How does that make you feel?’

Achiko was destroying his entire being, with her vile words. He was suspecting that she did not need to physically kill him, because she was slaughtering him with what she was saying. He was starting to wish for any way to stop feeling this pain, for it all to vanish. And if that meant being killed physically…then so be it.

‘Are you just going to stand there, with your pistol and bitch…or are you going to shoot me?’

Once more, Achiko let out a little laugh, almost pleasantly.

‘Are you getting bored of my little speech, Tani-san? You want me to shut up and kill you now?’

_______________________________________________________

Freya and Kirsty sped through the compound, having alerted the authorities and ran towards Tani’s office. Freya wished that she had her katana with her, and was thankful that Kirsty did. At least one of them was armed.

They paused outside the office door, where they could hear Achiko’s menacing, frightening words, as she taunted Tani.

‘Do you think that you touched anybody, Tani? I’d be surprised if you had…I fail to see how anybody could like you, let alone fall for you. Maybe girlfriends you had in the past were trying out my plan, to mentally destroy you before blowing you away.’

They snuck a look through the office window, and saw the scene; Tani, not moving with the gun covering him, held tightly by Achiko. Freya and Kirsty knew that they were going to have to move quickly.

Freya, angered by hearing Achiko’s words, started to open the door, when Kirsty stopped her.

‘Wait a minute.’

She stopped one of the guards that was passing, and told him to go and bring more troops. He nodded and ran off.

Freya kicked the door open. It slammed against the wall loudly, shocking both Tani and Achiko. Quicker than a flash of lightning, she slid over Tani’s desk and behind him, holding the gun to his head. The bullet chamber was pressed against his temple.

‘Don’t do it, Achiko,’ said Kirsty, in a low voice.

‘Why shouldn’t I?’ she snapped in reply.

‘If you kill Tani, you’ll be making such a mistake,’ interrupted Freya. ‘I know why you’re doing this. I know why you want Tani dead so much. To avenge your brother. I know he died, when Tani attacked Takeshi, but it wasn’t Tani’s fault. He wasn’t even there when it happened.’

Achiko’s interest was piqued.

‘It wasn’t Tani,’ repeated Freya. ‘It was one of the warriors with him. I -’

‘If it hadn’t have been for Tani,’ growled Achiko, ‘then my brother would still be alive. So, no matter how you dress it up, it’s still Tani’s fault. Don’t try and save him, because there’s nothing that you can do for him.’

‘I saw it happen!’ yelled Freya. ‘So don’t you try and blame it on Tani, because it wasn’t his fault! It was one of the warriors! I was there, so if you really want to avenge your brother, kill me, not Tani. Kill me, because I witnessed the whole Goddamn thing!’

Kirsty was watching the unravelling scene with deep interest, waiting, waiting for the right moment. Her hand was on the hilt of her katana. As soon as Achiko let her guard down…she was going to be taken out.

Freya stepped closer.

‘Take me instead. It’s stupid to murder somebody who wasn’t even there when your brother was killed. So, if you have to kill somebody, kill a witness. Kill me.’

‘No, Freya, don’t!’ cried Tani.

‘Shut up!’ Freya snapped back. ‘I was there. He wasn’t.’

Achiko took a step away from Tani, her gun still pointing at him. She glanced at Freya, and then back at Tani. She took yet another step away, and swung her arms around, now aiming at Freya. Tani noticed that Achiko’s breathing was heavy and deep. She was getting confused, with a choice of two targets and not sure of which one to choose. She shot a glare at Tani, and then immediately turned her attention back to Freya.

Kirsty noted the uncertainly in Achiko’s body language and leapt forwards. The blade of the katana swung upwards, at the same second Achiko’s fingers squeezed the trigger. A deafening shot blasted out. After the gunshot resounded, the weapon was forced out of Achiko’s hand as Freya took a leap over Tani’s desk and forced him down to the floor. They landed side by side, heavily.

_______________________________________________________

Tani’s guards burst through the office door, to find Achiko pinned against a wall, with the tip of Kirsty’s katana pressed up against her throat. Achiko struggled, and Kirsty threateningly dug the point of her weapon into Achiko’s throat.

‘Give me an excuse, scumbucket! Just one!’ yelled Kirsty.

The blonde only backed away from Achiko when the guards came to take her away. All the while, she was kicking and screaming, all the while, uttering vile profanities at Tani.

He cautiously sat up as his ex-fiancee was dragged out of the office, and rubbed his head. He glanced at Freya. Her large, shining eyes were staring deeply into his. He nodded at her shoulder.

‘You’re bleeding.’

‘I know. It looks worse than it is, trust me,’ she replied, smiling at him.

Tani realised what when Achiko fired off her shot when Kirsty had attempted to disarm her, the bullet still caught Freya’s shoulder, just grazing it, but did not do much damage to her.

‘Kirsty, can you go and get the medical officer please? Just so we can get Freya’s injury cleaned.’

_______________________________________________________

Freya couldn’t sleep. The day’s events kept replaying in her head, over and over. Finally she got tired of lying restlessly in bed, and she got up. It was a warm, clear night, and the garden would be calm and peaceful….it would be nice to sit by the koi pool and watch the fish swimming. Perhaps it would still her mind and enable her to relax enough to sleep. She winced as she pulled on her yukata, momentarily feeling the pain of her shoulder injury.

_______________________________________________________

Tani couldn’t sleep either. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the woman he’d fallen deeply in love with pointing a gun at him, her eyes full of hatred, her beautiful face twisted with loathing. He took refuge in the solitude of his office, and in a couple of glasses of whisky. He knew that getting drunk wouldn’t solve anything but at that point he didn’t care. The woman he had wanted to marry had wanted to take his life. How could he have been so wrong about her? As the tears burned his eyes and he sobbed softly in the silence, he wondered how he could have been so easily taken in. Achiko had deceived him so completely and so cruelly, convincing him that she loved him as deeply as he loved her when all the time she detested him enough to want him dead. He had cherished her, given her all of himself, and in return she had heartlessly savaged him. How could she have feigned such love and passion? He recalled the heady excitement of lying naked beside Achiko, knowing they were going to make love. Well at least to him it had been making love. To her, it had just been sex. A necessary sacrifice to endure, nothing more. That knowledge brought the most appalling pain.

_______________________________________________________

Quietly padding down the stairs and across the corridor to the rear door, Freya passed Tani’s office. The blinds were drawn but there was a faint light inside. Puzzled, she paused by the door for a moment. She could hear soft sobbing from inside, and felt overwhelmed by a wave of sadness and concern. Softly, she knocked on the door. No response except for the continued sound of Tani’s breaking heart. She entered quietly, closing the door behind her. There he was on the sofa, leaning forward, clutching a glass of whisky which was for the most part consumed, his devastation and raw pain all too evident, and he looked like he’d been weeping for hours. It was all Freya could do not to run to him and take him in her arms. It broke her heart to see him hurting so much. Tani was a strong person, a tough and determined man, but she knew that beneath all that beat an incredibly tender, sensitive heart. He had a warm, gentle soul. There was something wonderful, magical and captivating about him. She’d seen him enthral so many people with a single smile. And now here he was, that beautiful, sensitive heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She wanted to cry with him.

_______________________________________________________

Tani knew it was Freya without even looking up. The sound of her soft footsteps had become familiar to him long ago. Her presence made him feel so ashamed and small. He thought over all the harsh things he’d said to her, all the tears she’d shed, how his words and actions had caused her so much pain, and yet she was here. He felt unworthy of Freya’s respect and friendship. She sat beside him on the sofa and he simply could not look at her, not even when she reached for his hand and her gentle fingers curled around his, he could feel her gaze but he could not meet it. He felt so vulnerable. Her compassion was all there in the touch of her hand, but he felt unable to accept it. He swallowed the last of the whisky and put the glass down on the floor. His hand remained unresponsive in hers. Tears continued to flow unchecked down his handsome face, and Freya tenderly stroked them from his cheeks. She brushed his hair back from his face. Finally, she spoke softly.

‘Tani-san, don’t you think you’d be better off in bed?’ she asked, concerned ‘You’ve been through a lot, you need rest.’

He shook his head, and she realised what bothered him about that. He’d be lonely there. The pain of Achiko’s absence and betrayal would be all the more acute. Feeling her heart ache for him, she longed to hold him and kiss away his tears.

‘You were right.’ He said, after a long pause ‘you were right about Achiko.’

‘Don't think that gives me any satisfaction. I wish I’d been wrong.’ She replied, sadly ‘I would have given anything to stop you being hurt like this.’

‘I’m surprised you still want to know me after the way I treated you.’ He remarked ‘I haven’t exactly been much of a friend to you.’

‘Don't say that. It wasn’t your fault.’ Freya put her fingertips gently to his velvet-soft lips for a moment ‘Achiko wanted to hurt you and she used me to do it. She manipulated us both. Tani-san, I don’t blame you at all.’

‘At least you stuck by me. That’s more than I did for you. You tried to warn me, I refused to listen to you. I labelled you a liar. I should have known better, I should have known you better. Maybe I got what I deserved.’

‘No, Tani-san, no!’ Freya's horrified reaction was sincere ‘You didn't deserve any of this, it was so cruel and vicious, and unjust.’

‘I was cruel to you,’ at last he turned his tearful gaze upon her ‘I was so blind about Achiko that I couldn't see the truth, I didn't want to see it. You tried to help me and protect me and all I did was hurt you and make you cry. You were right, Freya. I was blinkered. I'm so sorry.’

‘Tani-san.…’ there were tears in her eyes too ‘....you were Achiko's victim, you aren't to blame. Love can make helpless children out of all of us. I know how much you loved the woman you thought Achiko was, and of course you believed her, because she was your fiancee and she had to come first in your life, I knew that. I understood that. How could you have seen what was to come?’

‘You saw it.’

‘Only because she allowed me to. Achiko had us both jumping through hoops.’

Even hearing Freya speak Achiko's name hurt him now. Freya took both of his hands in hers, wishing so desperately that she had the power to heal his broken heart.

‘People like Achiko are persuasive, they can make victims of any person they choose, and no-one sees it until it's too late. Please believe me, it wasn't your fault. All you did was fall in love and give your trust.’ Freya felt his fingers tighten slightly around her hands ‘It's not a crime to love someone.’

‘How could she deceive me so easily?’ Tani wept ‘How could she pretend to love me? I loved her so much, I would have done anything for her. How could she sleep with me when she despised me enough to want to kill me? She said she hated touching me and hated it every time I touched her.’

Freya couldn't understand how any woman could hate his touch, or hate touching him. Kirsty was right when she had called Achiko a scumbucket. Achiko was the worst kind of scumbucket.

‘She's warped. A bitter, cruel, twisted bitch. I don't know how she could do all that to you.’ Freya shook her head ‘I'm not sure I want to know. To plumb the depths of a mind like hers would be way too disturbing. Best left to the professionals.’

‘She told me I was worthless, and that's how I feel right now.’ Tani said, looking away from Freya again ‘I certainly don't feel worthy of your care or your friendship.’

Freya was appalled. Her own tears spilled as she knelt before Tani and cupped his face between her hands and he found himself gazing directly into her face. He knew that she felt his pain, that she sensed the humiliation and the aching of his heart.

‘Tani-san, listen to me.…’ she spoke so tenderly and her hands were so soft and warm ‘....you're a good, decent, sweet, honourable man, who simply trusted the wrong person. I just wish...I really wish....that you could see yourself through my eyes, then you'd know that you're priceless, not worthless. Believe me, you're special. Every person here will back me up on that. Don't let her destroy you, you're way too good for that. If the shrinks can untwist that mind of hers, then she'll hurt a lot more than you, because she'll see what she could have had. She'll know what it is to lose someone precious. She'll have so much more to regret than you ever will. And even though it's the last thing you'll want to think about at the moment, in time you will fall in love with someone who will truly love you back. You're worth that, you deserve it.’

Tani was perplexed by her desire to be there with him, console him and show him so much tenderness and warmth.

‘The hurt will heal,’ she told him, so softly ‘I promise you.’

‘She might have killed you today. You almost talked her into murdering you.’ he said, incredulously ‘Why?’

‘I didn't want you to die.’ she said, simply.

He pulled Freya into his arms and held her tightly for some time, sobbing convulsively again. She ignored the pain in her shoulder, held him tenderly and let him cry, stroking his hair, whispering soft words of comfort to him. Achiko had torn him apart piece by piece and here Freya was, putting him back together again.

‘I really care about you, Freya, I always will.’ he told her ‘Our friendship means so much to me. For a while I forgot how much, but that will never happen again. What would I do without you?’

‘Your own filing.’ she teased, before adding ‘I really care about you too, I always will.’

When he released her, he was still tearful, but actually smiling. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. Freya smiled back at him, noticing that he seemed tired now. He leaned back on the sofa, and she picked up his glass and went to place it on the desk. Moments later, she turned back to him and was about to ask him if he wanted some coffee....but he had fallen asleep. The moment he had relaxed a little, sleep embraced him. She smiled, gazing admiringly at him for a moment, before going to the door and asking a nearby servant to bring a blanket. The servant hurried back with it and bowed politely. Tani was so deeply asleep that he didn't even stir when she lifted his legs onto the sofa, placed a soft, plump cushion under his head and covered him with the blanket.

‘O-yasumi nasai.’ she said, softly, as she switched off the desk lamp ‘pleasant dreams.’

THE END