Cimmerian
Chapter One
-Sighting-
Kai whistled to himself as he walked down the streets of Tokyo. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans, and the hood of his jacket was pulled up, covering his white hair, and almost completely hiding the black undertones. Stormy grey eyes took in his surroundings, though they mostly focused on the building ahead of him next to a large wall. It was the facility known as the Physical-quantity Alteration Natural Deconstruction Organized Research Agency, or PANDORA.
PANDORA was a scientific building dedicated to researching Hell's Gate, an eerie, void-like area that had appeared in Japan almost fifty years ago. Not much was known about Hell's Gate itself, only what it caused. The night that it had appeared, all of the stars fell from the sky, only to be replaced by new ones. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that they weren't stars at all, but indicators of a Contractor's life and activity. And so, to keep people, and Contractors, away, a large wall had been built around the area to prevent anyone from getting too close. Because when you did, no matter who you were, strange things began to happen to you.
A small frown came to Kai's face as he thought about the reason for the change in the world. It wasn't really changed to him. At the ripe age of twenty-three, Kai had grown up knowing of Contractors and the threats they impose on the human population. He often wished he'd gotten to grow up in a world without such creatures, where you never knew if the person you were talking to was human or not. He sighed. It just wasn't meant to be.
His attention shifted as he walked past the Haburi Hotel, run by the Qing Long Tang Mafia. Everyone in Japan knew who owned the hotel, but nobody did anything about it. The police never had enough evidence to convict the generals of the gang, nor their leader. They were a guarded, well-run organization, and were secretly researching Hell's Gate so that they could sell their findings to the highest bidder.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. Too bad they wouldn't make a profit out of it. He was jarred from his thoughts suddenly as he bumped into someone, causing them to fall backwards. Kai's eyes widened as he took a step back to keep himself from falling, and he became even more horrified when he saw who he'd knocked over. For there, sitting on the sidewalk, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had midnight black hair and piercing jade eyes. Her clothes were also black, her pants and blazer forming to her wonderfully and showing off the exquisite figure beneath her white tank top. He felt his heart pounding in his chest by the mere sight of her, and it took him a few seconds to shake himself from his stupor and notice the glare she was sending his way.
"I'm so sorry miss." He said, holding a hand out to her. "Please, let me help you up."
She smacked his hand away and stood herself, dusting her clothes off and running her fingers through her long locks. "Try not to be such an oaf." She demanded, walking past him.
Kai blinked, startled by her rudeness. Then he turned and began to go after her, intent on lightening her mood. "Wait! At least let me buy you a cup of coffee or something as an apology." He smiled.
She sighed and stopped, turning to face him with the same dead yet angry expression. "Why? This could either end two ways." She explained, holding up one finger. "One, I get coffee, which I hate, or two, this ends in you attempting to win either affections or a sexual experience from me, both of which I gain nothing from. So no."
"Well…" he looked off, scratching his cheek before he shrugged and looked back at her. "Sex doesn't seem like it would end in you not gaining anything. And besides, it doesn't have to be coffee, that's just an expression. We could get juice, or ice cream…I could even take you to lunch, seeing as it's past noon." He tried.
The dark haired woman frowned, her aura only increasing in aggression as she stared at him. "The only rational thing to do in this situation is to accept I suppose." She sighed, turning and heading off once more. "Juice it is."
The white haired man walked after her, deciding to go ahead and accept this moment she was allowing him. "I'm Ryū Kai, by the way. What's your name?"
"Izayoi." She responded quickly, exhaling sharply. She looked around and then went into a nearby café before sitting down at one of the tables, quickly followed by Kai.
"That's a pretty name." he smiled. "So what were you doing at the Haburi? Are you new in town?"
"None of your business and no." she said simply, raising her hand and gesturing for the waitress to come over. When she did, Izayoi leaned back and began to order. "Cranberry juice, light on the ice, and a blackberry muffin."
The waitress nodded and scribbled the order down before she looked at Kai and smiled sheepishly. "And for you sir?"
"Apple juice and a blueberry muffin please." Kai said, nodding to her as she walked away. He returned his gaze to the woman across from him, who was just staring at him. Most people would look away in a situation like this, or be taking in the scenery. She did neither, meeting his gaze boldly, as if she had nothing to hide. This intrigued him. "So how come you're wound up so tight, hm? Got a stressful job or something?"
"No." she quipped. "I was just born this way."
The waitress came back with their juice and muffins and set them down, giving Kai a flirty smile. "Just ask if you need anything else." She giggled, hurrying off.
Izayoi arched a curious brow and watched the girl leave before focusing back on Kai. "You have an admirer."
"Do I?" he asked, glancing at the waitress and catching her ogling him. He smirked. "Well, it'd be rude for me to pay her any attention while sitting here with such a beautiful woman." Kai said, taking a bite of his muffin. "Besides, she's too young for me."
"One who scoffs at your affections and another who craves them. Yet you choose the first." Izayoi shook her head. "You make no sense to me."
"Ah but what if the one who scoffs at me is more valuable than the one who doesn't?" he replied with a small smile. "After all, the best things in life don't come to you easily."
"Hm." She looked down and started to eat her muffin, almost in a hurried fashion. When she was done with the juice and the pastry she stood. "I appreciate the small token of apology." She said, before walking past him and out the door.
Kai watched her walk out of the shop and sighed as he turned back to finish eating his own muffin. Izayoi was a strange woman, that was for sure. But there was something about her that he liked. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he'd discover what it was someday. In his line of work, finding information about people was as easy as tying his shoes.
Dead at night, a dark figure crept along the outside of the Haburi Hotel. They were dressed in a tight black outfit with boots and gloves on, a utility belt around their waist, and it was clear that whoever it was was a man that kept in really good shape. Strapped to their back was a sword, and covering their face was a plain, white mask, decorated to look like it had two black holes for eyes and a simple smile drawn on in blue.
They pulled out something that looked like a dagger and tossed it up to one of the higher stories, the string attached to it pulling him up onto the balcony. Once he landed he put his weapon away, before pulling out a small metal toothpick. Sticking it in the lock on the door, he managed to open it without any trouble. He slid the glass door open and shut it silently, before sneaking across the room to a large painting that was on the wall.
He was in Qing Tang Long's office, where all of the important information concerning the gang, and the research on the Gate, were kept. Pulling back the painting, he revealed a large safe that was imbedded into the wall of the office. He pressed his ear against it while turning the lock, waiting for the click so that he could open it. And when he did, it was to see a small vial filled with a purple liquid, sitting up on a stand.
It wasn't labeled, but he knew what it was just the same. So he reached into the safe and carefully picked it up, replacing it with a vial full of purple colored water. When his task was done he closed the safe and covered it once more with the painting. He ducked then, quickly rolling to the side and tossing one of his knives in the direction of the intruder, though he pulled it back when he knew that the projectile had missed.
"How…irritating." a feminine voice spoke from the corner of the room, wiping her cheek since there was a clean line of blood across her perfect face. A face that he recognized instantly, because it was the same emotionless one of the woman he'd met earlier that day. "You only have two choices." Izayoi ordered, staring at the masked man. She was also in black, though hers was a tight jumpsuit that accentuated all her perfect curves. There was a belt around her waist and she had high heeled boots on. "Hand over the vile…or die!" she snapped, her eyes glowing a bright red for a moment before sand shot out towards the masked man, acting like tentacles and swords all at the same time.
Kai's eyes widened and he rolled out of the way. A Contractor?! She was a Contractor? That explained a lot about her personality, but who was she working for? He didn't have time to ask her those questions though, because he needed to focus on getting out of here alive, and with his precious cargo. "Sorry, but first come first serve." He said, tossing the vile up and snatching it from the air before he slipped it into his belt. "And I was here first."
"Then die." She said simply, holding her hand out as more sand shot towards him, wrapping around him like a cocoon. He struggled against the grains, feeling them smothering and crushing his body, though he grit his teeth together in pain. She walked towards him and the sand moved around his waist, giving her just enough room to pull the vile from his pocket. "Now for payment." She whispered, unzipping the top of her suit and slipping the vile between her breasts.
She lifted her hands and pulled off the mask, her dark smirk vanishing almost instantly when she was met with stormy grey eyes. "You?" she whispered, actual shock showing on her face. Her sand began to loosen around him, but before it could fall she kissed him, holding his face in her hands to make sure her payment was accepted.
Before he could reciprocate anything she jerked away and flipped back, just as he broke free of the grains that had weakened, though they instantly returned to their master in a protective way. "Hello Izayoi." Kai panted slightly, regaining the air that had been denied him. He drew one of his knives. "I'm going to need that vial back." He said, charging at her and swiping at her midsection, dodging out of the way of the grains that were sent at him.
"Why don't you come and take it then?" she smirked, lifting her hand and rubbing it over her exposed cleavage. She grabbed the zipper and pulled it back up before she turned and dove out the window, taking her sand with her as it wrapped around her and slowed her fall.
Kai cursed and ran after her, using the rope of his knife to wrap around a nearby light, allowing him to swing towards the ebony haired woman. He reached out to grab her, though his fingers only managed to skim through her soft hair before he was carried off. And by the time he had landed, she was nowhere to be found. He let out a sigh as he headed back to where he'd parked. His employers were going to be pissed, that was for sure. But, ever the optimist, Kai easily found the silver lining in this scenario.
He would get to be the one to go after Izayoi.
Izayoi walked up to an old elaborate traditional Japanese house, sliding the door open and pulling off her shoes before she stepped up on the wood. She headed through the halls, before coming to a large room filled with the scent of lilacs and her family. She actually smiled upon seeing them, all gathered and doing their own things.
"I've returned." She announced to the group.
An ebony haired man looked up from his place on the couch cuddled with a pink haired woman. His deep forest green eyes took in her appearance, as if checking for wounds. Relief flashed in them and a small smile came to his face before disappearing. "You were successful then?"
"Of course." She nodded, unzipping her top a bit before pulling out the vile. "A man in a mask beat me there, but I managed to steal it from him and slip away." She said, walking over to the elder man and handing him the vile. "But it was nothing I couldn't handle…father."
There were two lookalikes a bit off on the floor. They were clearly twins, but also looked eerily similar to Izayoi. They watched her with mirrored jade gazes before returning to their task of playing shogi. "Did you kill him?" the harsher looking of the two asked.
Izayoi frowned and looked over to her brother, her triplets. "No."
"Why not?" another man asked, not even looking up from his book. He had the same dark eyes as their sire, and spiky black hair that rose in the back, similar to a chicken's rear. "He's seen your face, surely he will come for you."
"Yes but it'll be easier when I don't have something that could possibly kill me." She corrected with a small glare. "I didn't want to fight too much for fear it would break and take away my power, or worse."
"Did you see his face Iza?" a younger man asked, pausing in his task of flipping through the channels to look at her. He didn't seem as serious as the rest, and was almost an exact replica of their father.
She nodded. "I did."
"Then what's the problem?" the pink haired woman asked, standing from her spot on the sofa and resting her hands on her hips. "Seeing as there is a loose end, you need to go tie it." She said harshly, before her expression sobered and she shook the annoyed look from her face. "I'm sorry." She smiled, pressing her hand to her cheek. "Sometimes I still only react like that."
"Don't worry about it Natsumi." The first man spoke, reaching out and slowly bringing her back onto the couch with him so that he could hold her. "Izayoi knows what he looks like, and what needs to be done. She'll have him out of the way in no time." He said.
Natsumi nodded, kissing her husband. "I know." She whispered.
Izayoi nodded and headed out of the common room, off to her own so she could change into something more comfortable. As she entered her room, she couldn't help but think about the masked man, Kai, and what she was going to do when she found him. She smirked and looked at her reflection, seeing her wicked smile. He was going to die.
