Burning Bright

Eden Project

It's already been five years since I met you..." Yoshimi said to Yuna, lying in his medical bed in his mansion, hooked up to an IV and a machine that monitored his vital signs.

"The lord has already absolved you of all sin. He loves thee still," the priest beside his bed said, performing the last rights on Yoshimi.

"Starting today, you'll be supervisor in place of me," Yoshimi continued to address Yuna. "I remember those promises that we exchanged long ago... Achieving the 'project'... the mission of those of us who remain..." He reached out a shaky hand to hold hers. "Right, Yuna-kun?"

"Yes..." Yuna said, determined. She placed her hand over her heart as if making a pledge. "Absolutely..."

"Hyoudou... I'm depending on you to be Yuna-kun's supporter," Yoshimi said.

"Yes! With all that I have," the same man who had come to bring her to the Isurugi mansion five years ago pledged with a bow.

"Hmm... That's good..." Yoshimi said. "Now then... I'm going to go where Miina is..." He closed his eyes, and his vitals flatlined. He had a peaceful expression on his face. The doctor checked to make sure he was really gone.

"Time of death is... 8:48PM," the doctor said, checking his watch.

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Amen," the priest said, finishing the last rites.

"How was he, at the end?" Ayako asked Yuna when Yuna returned to work later that day. Over the years, Ayako and Yuna had developed a sort of friendship.

"Peaceful. He's with his granddaughter again, after all," Yuna said. "How are things on your end?"

"No trouble yet. It helps that we're keeping everything a secret," Ayako said. She was in charge of security for the project.

"And what about personally? Is your husband still in denial?" Yuna asked.

"Yes... He still insists that our daughter is alive somewhere..." Ayako said, clenching her fists. "I guess he just can't accept it... The two of them used to be inseparable. But he knows how important this is to me."

"We'll keep working in their memory... together," Yuna said.

Ten years later, in the Isurugi building in Tokyo, on the top floor, a young man was in a hurry.

"G-Good morning!" he said, flashing his ID card at a security officer. He jammed the card into the reader by the door and slid it down, unlocking the door. "Good morning!" he greeted his superior.

"You're ten minutes late, Sakuraba-kun!" his superior said.

"I-I'm sorry Yanagi-san!" Sakuraba said.

"You've just transferred from the international office and you haven't gotten over your jet lag but be more reliable!" Yanagi said, typing away at his computer. He stopped for a moment to turn in his chair and face Sakuraba. "This is the Isurugi group's most important section, after all. Have some self-awareness."

"Y-Yes," Sakuraba said.

"Also, Sengoku-san is strict. You'd get the axe right away," Yanagi said, making the universal sign for getting your neck cut.

"R-Right..." Sakuraba said nervously. "Um... The boss is in there...?" Sakuraba asked, looking at the door to Yuna's office.

"Yeah, but unless you have important business with her, it's best to stay out of her way," Yanagi said. "Anyway, she's been closed up in that room since yesterday."