Bound Trilogy: Budding: A Supernatural Story (WLW)

Chapter Two

"Maki has been reassigned." Kimiko's head agent told her as soon as she sat down across from him. She shrugged, somewhat amused, but he was fuming. His face had grown so red, she was expecting to see steam escaping his ears any moment. "Do you know how important it was that he never saw combat? He is a direct descendant of Okami-sama."

Kiyoshi Fujiwara was definitely fighting to keep his voice steady, but even if he did actually show his anger, it wouldn't have bothered her. Why should Kimiko care if one of those royal dogs wasn't cut out for field duty? Most of them couldn't even wipe their own ass, so at least Maki was ahead of the game in that capacity. He can feed himself, too. He should be proud. She thought with a small chortle.

"He didn't, technically." Kimiko eased back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. This would be yet another tedious discussion she didn't need. Just give me my assignment already. "I was the one doing all the fighting and he just shrunk away like a typical sub."

"Really, Kimiko?" Her uncle banged his fist on his desk and growled. "Dammit! This is the fifth one!"

"Seriously? Thought I had a few others under my belt." She smirked and he gritted his teeth.

Kiyoshi's face went beet red. "I thought that you'd maybe show some pride if I let a royal tag along, as you call it, but you really don't get how this works do you?"

"What's not to get?" Kimiko sighed and shook her head in utter indifference. She sat forward and gestured with her hands as she spoke. "There's a bad guy, I find them, take them down, then come home and move on to the next assignment tomorrow. It's all pretty cut and dry, self-explanatory."

"Well, not this time."

Kimiko sat up and snarled at her uncle. Another one of his idiotic powerplays... Why did Kiyoshi insist on doing this time and time again, expecting different results? It was the definition of insane and a complete waste of time. That wasn't one of Kimiko's interests and if he thought she wanted to play games again, he had another thing coming.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're being transferred." Kiyoshi let out a long sigh and rubbed his face, before continuing with, "I can't take the heat you cause each time you screw up any longer. I warned you this was coming and you didn't heed that. It is all out of my hands now, niece. You know I have those to whom I must answer as well."

She stood and banged her fist onto the top of his desk just the same as he did, and they began staring daringly into one another's eyes. She saw his lips twitch in that smile he always got when he watched her mimicking his actions and she knew her face must have been odd by the expression he gave her. Ever since she was a kid, he always did this and it only enraged her all the more.

Regardless of his laughter, she remained pensive. "What the hell are you going on about, old man? Spit it out."

"That fuckin' tongue of yours is going to get you snuffed one day." He shook his head with a sigh. "And you're belligerent as shit. Fix it, Kimi." She clicked her tongue and sarcastically chuckled as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're being moved to the Ronin."

"The fuck I am!" The Ronin aren't even what the name means! They're a squad, for fuck's sake! How can there be a squad of Ronin? And it isn't like they even fight their battles with blades any more, so what the hell? "You're casting me off?"

"I'm not casting you off, but you don't bond and never have! I don't know what else to do!" He calmed his wolf and walked around the desk, taking her shoulders in hand. "You have to try, Kimiko. If you don't, this will be your downfall. You're nearly twenty-eight and still act like a pup in so many ways. I see so much damn potential in you, but you're wasting it on deflection and anger. You need--"

"To leave. Got it." She shrugged his hands off of her shoulders and walked toward the other end of the desk. "Who am I reporting to, sir?"

Her uncle knew what that meant. It was code for: Shut the hell up and tell me what I need to know. There was no need to say it aloud. He sighed and sat on his desk in a disheveled heap of emotion.

"Have you even tried? Have you tried to bond with anyone?"

"No." Kimiko threw her hands into the air and guffawed, full of irritation and ready to take someone's head off. Kiyoshi needed to dismiss her and now. "You already know that I can't."

"The doctor said--"

"That I can, but I don't give a shit what he said 'cause I've told you I've tried and can't." She held out her hand and glanced away. "Just give me my assignment details and stay out of my business. That's how this works, right? You give me the details of where I'm meant to report now, and then we have nothing more to talk about until my next assignment. Except this time, it can be for a lot longer."

She peered back over at him as tears filled his eyes, urging her to look away once more. Not those damn things again. Fuckin' Crocodile Dundee over here. If Kiyoshi thought that would change her mind or affect her, he'd be sorely mistaken. Just as he was with most things concerning her.

She held her hand out and watched out of the corner of her eye as he grabbed a folder and extended it toward her. Kimiko yanked on it, but he still didn't let go.

"I hope one day you can activate at least one more bond, Kimiko." His voice shook with the gravity of his statement, but she didn't dare glance into his eyes. "And you may walk out of here, head held high like always, but I know you're still hurting. Know that I am here for you and always will be."

She turned to him and mustered up as much annoyance and revulsion as she could with one expression. "I'll never need you and never have, so keep the sentiments to yourself. And the past is the past. It's where it goddamn belongs, old man." She pulled the folder from his grasp and walked to the door. "See you never."

With that, Kimiko left.