Hikaru kept a watchful gaze on me. "I know who you are. Yeah, I know."
My heart raced. I swallowed hard. Fought the urge to run.
"Tanu?"
The little robot tilted his head. "Yes?"
"Bring a chair. Prepare a cabin for her to sleep in. Would you mind? It's small." He glanced at me.
I shook my head.
"Good."
A strange silence settled between us until Tanu returned.
I sat.
Hikaru scratched his chin. "I'd be suspicious too. But she and Kiara know about me. Also…" He seemed to reconsider. Fell silent.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." So what if he wasn't a mercenary? He could hand me over to one. I would need far more before revealing anything. Besides, Kiara was inoperative.
I discreetly assessed the room. My chances of reaching the long metal object beneath the table before he reached me with his katana were almost zero. Heat rose through my chest. The air grew heavy, as though someone had reduced the oxygen in the room. My muscles were ready to react, but my chances of escape were nonexistent. If he wanted, he could take me down in less than a second. Still, I would do something.
"I won't harm you." Hikaru shrugged slightly, as though reading my thoughts.
I pressed my fingers into my crossed arms. Why on earth was I so easy to read?
"If something happened to you… I wouldn't last long afterward. I value my life." His gaze grew distant. Almost melancholy. "If I despised it… I'd be on another plane now."
"No…"
"Maia made sure…" His metallic fingers drummed against the table. A dry, calculated sound. He hesitated, as though stepping onto fragile ground. "You would be protected above everything else." His voice carried a weight difficult to define.
Admiration? Guilt? Respect? Something unbreakable hid there. His black eyes studied me from head to toe. This time, the feeling struck me full force.
I shifted restlessly in the chair. What did he mean? What was he trying to say? Would he really leave me unharmed? Argh. Hikaru seemed trustworthy. I mean, what he said about knowing Maia… and Kiara had left me with him. That must mean something. She trusted him enough for that… right? My insecurity eased. I relaxed a little in his presence. They trusted him. That would have to do.
Hikaru tilted his head back and cracked his neck.
"Kiara said…" I scratched my ear, unsure how to continue. "You…" I searched for words. If he knew who I was, I could ask: what was his history with Maia? My reverie ended.
"What did she say?" Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Did she mention this?" He tapped his chest. The metal prosthetic resonated.
"No…" Impulse swept through me. "Why? Does Maia have something to do with it?" I regretted the words as they left my mouth. Could I have been a bit more cautious? Apparently, I had learned nothing!
Hikaru's expression tightened into a feline smile. "She has everything to do with this." His fingers slid over the katana's sheath, his thumb tracing an almost imperceptible groove in the metal. His eyes were far away. Caught on something unreachable. "I keep this story private, but telling the person who motivated it could be interesting."
The way he said it turned my stomach. What had Maia done to him? What had they been to each other? I frowned, intrigued.
Hikaru stroked the katana's hilt. His gaze empty. Frozen in dark feelings. He raised his unreadable eyes.
The little robots' background noise vanished. The lights brightened faintly, nanotechnology sensing the shift in atmosphere. The air grew denser.
The story of that day echoed through the room in a vibration that preceded language.