Masane was running. What she was running from was a mystery, but she was running none the less. It wasn't a Cloneblade or an Ex-con, so whatever it was did not activate the Witchblade.
She ran through the streets of Tokyo, the street lamps the only light on the moonless night. She looked over her shoulder to see if the thing was still there and saw it wasn't there. She turned the corner and leaned on the wall, trying to catch her breath. She looked back around the corner and only saw the empty street.
She turned back and then was grabbed around the throat. She was lifted up and tried to look at her captor, but only saw her own reflection in a gold visor…
Masane wake with a start, breathing heavy. Her mind was spinning from the dream she just had.
No, a nightmare. She thought, looking at the clock. It read 06:50 A.M., so she decided to get up. What a weird dream though? Who was that that grabbed me?
"Morning mommy," Rihoko said, a massive smile on her face. Masane couldn't keep thinking about the nightmare with that cute face. "You ready for breakfast?"
"Sure am, what's on the menu this morning?" Masane asked, climbing out of bed and heading to the table.
"Well, I have your coffee ready and am cooking an omelet for you," the little girl said, smiling the whole time.
"That sound delicious," Masane said, taking a sip from her coffee. Her dream was forgotten and the day continued as normal for the pair.
As the evening came down on the city, the whole apartment residents sat in the downstairs dining area. Talk floated from person to person, the conversations light and cheerful. The talks all died though as a man in a trench coat walked in. His face was covered and he was massive, taller than even Michael. He walked right up to the counter and face forward, waiting for Mariko to take his order. Mariko got up and went around the back and stood in front of the standing man.
"What'll it be, honey," she said, her cigarette in her mouth.
"I am looking for someone. This person is extremely dangerous and in extreme danger. I'm to look after them," the man said, his voice neutral and deep. His face was still covered in the shadow of his hood.
"Sorry, don't know anyone like that. If you need to find someone, ask the police," Mariko said, taking another drag off her cigarette.
"Fine, may I have a cup of coffee. Mostly black with milk and two teaspoons of sugar," the man said. Mariko blinked once at his request, catching her by surprise.
"Sure," Mariko got the man his coffee. "That'll be two fifty."
The man reached into the coat and pulled out his wallet. The group saw he had gauntlets on and were all wondering why he was wearing something like that. He pulled out a hundred and handed it to Mariko.
"Here, keep the change," he said, moving away from the bar and sitting in a corner of the room facing the door. The chair creaked under his weight when he sat down.
The conversations continued in the room, all of them ignoring the man and enjoying each other's company. The sun started dipping lower and the liquor was pulled out by the group.
Everyone started to drink, and the man in the corner watched. He chuckled to himself, taking a sip from his half-empty coffee. He was like a creeper, looking at everyone and no one knowing he was there. After a few drinks, the group finally noticed the man and his lack of drink.
"Hey, you," Masane said, calling over the man. He looked up and saw Masane walking over to him.
"What do you want?"
"I just thought that you should join us. You seem lonely and could use a pick-me-up," Masane said, passing a drink to him. He caught it and looked at it for a second. It was a shot of something, and the man shrugged. In one swoop, he downed the drink.
"Sure, I'll join you," the man said, walking over to the group. He pulled back his hood and the group all stared at his face.
Shoulder, length brown hair sat on his head, it not in any particular style. A beard covered his jaw, making the group think him to be one of those no shaving people. His eyes were brown too, each one at peace within them. His face had a distinct mark; a scar running from his right eyebrow to his left jaw. He looked at them and had a puzzled look.
"What? Is something wrong?" he said, looking at the group.
"No, just that you look different," Tozawa said, thinking that he might make a good story.
"It's because I'm American. Name's Salcito, I'm an Interpol agent from the UN. You all know why I'm here, and I say that can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, drinks are on me," Salcito said, pulling out five hundred dollars and handing it to Mariko. "Keep the change."
The whole group drank to their hearts contempt into the late hours of the night. The group started to break up and all that was left was a drunk Masane and Salcito. Masane started to walk to the elevator to go to her room and she stumbled over herself. She would have hit her head on the counter had the man not been there.
He grabbed her under her arm and held her up. She looked at him with a dumb stare and swayed back and forth a little.
"Don't, *hic* touch me. You *hic* perve," she said, too drunk to know what she was saying.
"Let me help you to your room," he said, not asking but commanding. Masane agreed, being helped to the elevator and to her room. At the door, she asked him if he had somewhere he was staying.
"No, I don't do well in hotels," he said, waiting for her to enter her apartment.
"Then you should stay here tonight. It's supposed to be cold tonight, and I won't take no as an answer," Masane said, pointing her finger at him. She got distracted by her finger for a second and shook her head. Salcito sighed, knowing he had lost the battle.
"Fine, but I'm sleeping on the couch," he said. Masane had a smile grow on her face and the two entered the room together.
Salcito helped her to her bed and pulled the sheet over her, tucking her in. He saw that Rihoko was asleep, so he pulled the curtain to separate them from the rest of the place. He walked over to the couch and laid down, knowing that sleep would be difficult. He sighed and stared at the ceiling, listening to the silence. His eyes finally closed and he slipped into sleep.
That night, Masane was too drunk to have a proper dream, and didn't have any nightmares that night. A certain other person wasn't as luck. Salcito woke three times during the night just because of his dreams. Each time was in a cold sweat and his left hand shaking.
Damn, nightmares. Just won't leave me alone will they? He thought, choosing to just remain awake until morning. That was still hours away for him unfortunately.