The bright sun was shining right in her eyes, and Minako blinked. Hands automatically rushed around in search of glasses, which as always were not in place at the right time. After finding the accessory in the glove compartment and wearing the big Shiels sunglasses in a green frame, the girl sighed and started enjoying the changing view outside the windows of their car. The glossy glass of luxurious skyscrapers, colorful billboards and highways sparkling like a mirror - all these attributes of the big city were attracting her as the strongest ferromagnetic.
"How long, Yaten?" She whimpered miserably and frowned cautiously, not forgetting to check how she looked in the mirror.
"Mina, how can you be so impatient? In the last hour, you asked me six times already. We have already reached Tokyo, and if the GPS shows right, then there are twenty minutes left".
"Twenty minutes," the blonde repeated thoughtfully and shook off the non-existent dust from the phone's screen, "Just a little more left. I am getting goosebumps thinking about it. And even my feet start sweating. Are you worried?
Instead of answering, her companion grinned and, with one hand relaxed behind the wheel, added a little more speed - they drove the inbound restriction.
"You're so boring, Yaten." As always, you are silent and not answering!
"Should t I?" The blond man said with the same grin, raising an eyebrow. "Skip the foreplay. Tell me how excited you are".
Minako looked suspiciously at the guy but burst out laughing at once good-naturedly. In their tandem, she was emotional but absolutely easy-going.
" It will be so cool! Mina blurted out passionately. We will conquer this City. We'll all do it. Like Beyoncé and Jay Zee, like Bonnie and Clyde. How... how... I do not even know what other comparisons to tell. But we will go down in history".
" How many emotions, how many prophecies. Do not get too excited my dear, "Yaten sang in a deliberately high voice and immediately received the phone on the head.
"Once more, Mina, and you'll have to walk to the prosecutor's house." There was a slight threat in the guy`s voice.
"Well, forgive me, love." You're just so arrogant sometimes. Oh, wait, no, not sometimes. Always!
-"So what? Somehow I made it to 29 years old. Nobody complained, "the guy said, turning to the left. The GPS showed that there was less than a mile left.
" I am complaining. Be considerate to Setsuna and Kunzite!"
"I'll be an angel," Yaten smiled, winking at the girl. "Everything will be okay, baby. Listen, let's slow down near McDonald's, I need to go somewhere. Can I get you something?
"From McDonald's?" I'm the future star of all Japan, the voice of the musical and the first face of all the covers of magazines in McDonald's?
" Okay, I understand, I'll take your favorite Mc Nuggets."
"Six pieces!"
Returning with a box of Mc Nuggets and a hamburger with coke, Yaten quickly returned to the driver's seat.
As soon as they were done with food, Yaten took out empty bags in a nearby litter box. His face suddenly turned serious and concentrated. Minako looked at the young man with caution- she knew, at such times, Yaten was thinking about something serious.
"You do not regret that we started all this, do you?" Minako touched his palm of the hand gently, and he squeezed her tightly. Green eyes reflected in her.
"No, of course not, baby. It's just a big adventure that we started. You know, I'm not like you. I love peace and balance."
"I know," Minako lowered her head, "you do not even know how much I'm grateful to you."
"Stop it," the guy carefully raised Minako's chin, "I'm not doing this for you." I'm glad we are doing this. Honestly.
" Really? Minako smiled, and something in Yaten's chest fell. Even after so many years, she had incredible control over him. For one her smile, he was ready...
" Really."
A minute later, the car quickly rushed to meet an optimistic future.
Luxurious mansion, furnished with Spartan asceticism, where one of the most famous and awe-inspiring couples in the world of Tokyo crime lived, was filled on fire. Usually, the melancholic and balanced Setsuna Mayo and Kunzite Hashimoto were clearly out of humor now.
"You do not understand," Setsuna's usually even voice was trembling with anger, "you do not understand that my mother would have killed me if I had refused Aunt Martha."
"No, you do not understand this, Sets, that now we are conducting one of the most serious cases in our career. We finally caught Mamoru Chiba, the elusive leader of the Pack. We have two of his men under the Witness Protection Program. And his gang, who likes to play these manic games, can appear at any moment and just shoot everyone to hell! And at such a time, are you inviting your cousin and your boyfriend to stay with us? Let me pay and get them an apartment, or even a room in the Hilton, "the blond man looked angrily at his bride.
"We have a securely fenced plot. Our house is protected, and the Pack will not attack, "Setsuna said coldly.
"Where did you get that from ?!"
"We both know that, Kunzite. We've been running this business for almost three years, or rather I'm a half, and you're three. We know that the Pack kills only the criminals that our judicial system missed for some reason. And those who protect them. They do not touch innocent people. Moreover, we know what kind of game these bastards are constantly playing. You have me, I have you. You are an orphan, my parents are far away, and they will not get to them ... We are safe".
Kunzite sighed heavily, but a moment later he put his arms around her and set her on his knees.
"I know, but who knows what to expect from them ..."
... The Flock of Avengers, as they called themselves, showed themselves about three and a half years ago, when someone started murdering criminals, those whom the Justice system had missed or failed to reach for some reason. The ones who either paid off or agreed to cooperate with the investigation and all charges were dropped and files tossed off.
At first, the investigator Rice, who was leading the case, was at a loss and thought that this was a showdown or the revenge of the organized criminal group, but each new attack was striking more cruelty and some theatrical versatility of the killing. Victims were often tortured and even had parts of the bodies cut off. This case would have remained a matter of average complexity - how many criminals die, especially when it involves emptying bank accounts, and everything could be attributed to robbery. But after some time, when it came to the most serious and dangerous criminals (previous victims were mostly couriers of the mafia and curators of heroin supplies), the murders crossed the line of cynicism and cruelty. It began with Chuck Maran, who was imprisoned for organizing a sect and brutally killing people. The law recognized Chuck as insane and imprisoned him for life. Everyone knew he was faking the mental illness, but it was impossible to prove. But one day, a parcel got delivered to the prison where Maren was held. In this recording, accompanied by some terrible heavy music, they showed Maran's wife and twenty-year-old daughter. Bound by ropes and with gags in the mouth. A man in an iron mask and a black robe appeared next to him in the video and made an ultimatum - to choose either a daughter or a wife. Time - one hour. The answer was to be delivered by calling a Skype number. The best programmers of the police and special services were immediately involved, but the Flock outsmarted them. Their hackers registered the name on the encrypted e-mail, which came from different proxy servers, and it was impossible to find their location in an hour. Maren, who at once became sane and simultaneously gray with horror, telephoned Skype. The chief of the prison who stood with him began to talk, but the man in the mask brutally struck the daughter of Maran in the face with his stock. Chuck began begging and begging to take his life, but the man in the mask was adamant, saying that if Maren did not give an answer, he would kill both. The father and husband read the answer in the eyes of his wife. He chose the life of his daughter. Later, the prison governor would tell Kunzite that he did not see anything worse than that moment in his entire professional career: Maren lost, he did become insane. A series of terrible attacks followed in a month. True, now they did not contact the prisoners (it was deemed dangerous). They were kidnapping close people, only the loved ones, where the choice was impossible which was followed by a video tape with an ultimatum to the former executioners and murderers. If a victim dared to go to the police, both victims were murdered. In a year and a half, when the old investigator Rice resigned, and the new investigator Mayo came, the number of victims of the Game exceeded forty. Not counting, those victims, who often put a bullet in the mouth after the game.
The pack consisted of professionals, it was evident from their handwriting and elusiveness, and therefore it was incredibly difficult to catch them. Until one beautiful day, two men appeared. Members of the pack, they could no longer live in such a rhythm of Hell and decided to surrender their Leader. He was a former military pilot Mamoru Chiba, the son of a rich military admiral. It was an incredible success- to drag the two mercenaries of the pack to their side and keep the most dangerous predator and leader in the cage. But the main thing was now to catch the rest of the demoralized group and prevent two major witnesses from escaping...
"But why do they have to stay with us?" Even if they do not attack our house, why do we need extra people?
"Well, Kun, you know, my relatives are not so well-off." They have a wonderful farm and land, but you know how difficult it all is in this industry these days. But even this is not the main thing, Aunt Ikuko is conservative, she wants us to take care of the girl.
"How old is this girl?"
"Twenty-five, I think. I saw her when I was ten, and she was five, she was so funny with her pigtails running. Even then, she was singing along MTV, she always wanted to be a singer.
"Isn`t it too late to become a singer at twenty-five?" Kun asked glumly.
"You're wicked," smiled Setsuna's lips, "I promise they will not stay long with us." Suddenly they heard the sound of the intercom system - a car drove into the secured territory, and the guard asked permission to let them through ...
Standing on the veranda, Kunzite relaxed, looking at the sun already beginning to roll. The joy of a quick victory over a long case intoxicated. Two got off the old green Ford came two: a tall, thin guy with platinum hair, carelessly tied in a tail and a tall slender blonde with endless legs and short shorts. Jumping out of their car seat, she immediately, with her sweet and sugary perfume irritating Kunzite`s scent, rushed to kiss Setsuna.
"Sets! Long time no see! "Setsuna cordially and humbly embraced her sister, whom she had not seen for so many years.
"Nice to meet you, Yaten." The young man approached Kunzite and extended his hand politely. The owner of the house liked it.
" I'm Kun, nice to meet you too."
Having disengaged from Setsuna, after almost strangling her in her arms, Minako threw herself on Kunzite`s neck. The guy closed his eyes expecting another attack of cheap sweet perfume, but surprisingly, the girl's hair smelled of pleasant herbal shampoo.
" Oh, you are handsome, Mr. Not surprised mom said that Aunt Reiko should be worried because "a handsome husband is an everybody`s husband," - Minako laughed loudly with her stupid joke.
Kunzite painted his lips in a half-smile. He was interested to see Setsuna's sister, and fortunately, or unfortunately, she was not his type at all. She was diametrically different from Setsuna. His bride had a matte olive skin, thin lips and large deep maroon eyes. She looked like an Arab princess, the image was completed by thick black eyebrows and guttural laughter. Minako was like another dummy from a Hollywood movie about a silly blonde. Only her height and body structure resembled of her cousin (although Minako was slightly shorter) - she had the same long beautiful legs and thin-boned hands. Was this the fault of the tasteless make-up, but Kunzite could not call the girl attractive, puffy lips surrounded by thick pink lipstick, pale skin that shone through the tanning cream, round blue eyes with false eyelashes and blue shadows betrayed the hostess's intelligence. But the tastes differ.
"So you are our future stars of the pop industry," Kunzite said politely and noticed how Yaten grimaced at the same time. Definitely, this young man was to his liking
But Minako beamed.
"Yes, we definitely will be huge here! You would hear Yaten playing the guitar and singing. He has a talent! And I have good abilities both at singing and acting. I already filed online for three castings. So, that a new life begins. To hell with this farmyard!
Yaten smiled slightly and, embracing the girl, kissed her on the temple, unintentionally grazing and dropping her glasses, which the girl pulled on her hair. He managed to catch them, but Minako did not even notice it. She was only a little embarrassed and as if slightly annoyed at such a sudden manifestation of feelings, but she got distracted from the criticism of her farm life.
"Welcome, my dear. I'll show you the room". - Setsuna smiled, and after a minute all four came into the house. A new life has begun. And Yaten grinned at his thoughts, squeezing the sunglasses in his pocket and sighing deeply. The path to stardom was about to start.