DTB Gen New Season Two: The Ideal Contractor

NOTE: This is the squeal to Generations New. If you have not read it yet, please do before continuing on.

Chapter One: The Rough in a Diamond…

Two Years After Richard Chaplin's Death

In the mid night hours somewhere around the northern portion of Alaska, there laid a fenced off two story facility. The brisk wind howled; blowing snow about, as more plummeted from above, showing no signs of coming to a standstill. Lights illuminated the perimeter and beyond, allowing armed guards stationed in four towers, sporting in heavy white suits, to observe the area while others frantically cleared away the soggy snow.

The perimeter was two hundred yards squared while the building was three-quarters the size. The facility itself was constructed out of metal with no windows, four doors and four bay doors on each side.

In the distance, two silhouettes struggled walking through the calf high snow towards it. Noticing them, a guard in a tower shined his light on the individuals, showing they wore dark and heavy hooded winter suits with masks that were drenched in snow. The unknown beings continued on, as though nothing was the matter.

Given orders to shoot first and ask questions later, the guard trained his M-16 on them. However, before he could pull the trigger, the intruder to his right highlighted in blue, and then the guard and tower exploded. Workers on ground level ceased his or her work to gaze at it astounded, as the remaining towers' lights shined on the destruction. Unfortunately, the other towers also exploded one after another.

The workers began to panic, storming and trampling, trying to enter the facility while more guards fought to file out. Once the guards had exited, they located the threat, drawing their weapons, but they too were ignited like a lump of charcoal.

The intruders approached the entrance gate after the Contractor demolished it, and entered the perimeter. More guards filed out, only to succumb to the excruciating demise as their comrades had.

The Contractor blew open the door, allowing them to enter. Inside the facility, it was massive but empty, except for more guards, a ten by four rectangular halo-like light and a cage underneath it. Inside was a coffin-like box.

"Fire!" shouted the lead guard.

However, his men were obliterated in a fiery eruption. Once the fire was extinguished, all that was left was a glob of scorched bodies. The two men walked up to the lead guard who was shivering in fear. One of the intruders pulled out a nine-millimeter and pointed it at the guard's head.

"Open the jail," he demanded.

"Please, you mustn't," begged the guard. "He'll kill anyone without any consequences."

"My partner can open it himself."

The Contractor removed his hood to show he had mangled long blond hair and a scar running between his dark blue eyes.

"And if I do, you'll still kill me."

The hooded man sighed and put a bullet in the guard's head, killing him instantly.

"The lock's all yours," he said.

The Contractor highlighted in blue and carefully destroyed the lock, swinging open the jail door. They entered the jail, as the Contractor pulled out a plastic box, opened it to release a stench, and scooped out some manure to eat it.

The hooded man stepped before the coffin, noticing it was locked and gestured for the monstrous brute to demolish it. The Contractor did so, taking another handful of manure and devouring it.

The hooded man opened the coffin to reveal a teenage boy lying inside wearing black spandex pants. The boy was skinny, muscularly toned, and had short light brown hair. He opened his eyes instantly, revealing they were dark green, and sat up straight. The teenager glared at the hooded man and began glowing blue.

"Hold on before you kill me. Hear me out," said the hooded man, calmly, as he raised his hands in gesture to cease his actions.

"Why?" the boy asked in an English accent.

"I freed you from your slumber. You owe me at least that much."

"That is not rational."

"It is if money is involved. You just can't walk out without some consequences."

The boy settled down. "Speak."

"I work for a group that wishes to employ you and are willing to pay you five hundred thousand U.S. dollars for every mission you take and another five hundred thousand for completing it."

The Contractor glared at him for a second, and then said, "That sounds rational."

"Good. In fact, I have your first job for you. Kill the Contractor I'm with. I'm sick of smelling his lunch."

The manure Contractor glanced at him baffled, but doing so gave the teenager time to highlight in blue and snap his neck. The former employee dropped like a ton of bricks.

"Telekinesis!" babbled the hooded man. "I like. You'll get your pay when we reach Yokohama, Japan to kill your next target there."

"Who are you?"

The hooded man removed his hood to reveal he had a sharp face and silky black hair.

"Suzuki Hachi. And your next target is an old partner of mine."

Xxx

In the city of Yokohama during prime hours, Itashi Megumi and Watanabe Katashi sat across from each other in a dimly lit restaurant. Katashi wore black kaki pants, black shoes and a blue button up shirt with the top two undone. His hair was mangled to give him a messy look.

Megumi wore a loose fitting red dress that fluttered to the ground, had a slit along the right side, and shoulder straps that helped show immense cleavage. Her curled hair hung down her back with a few strands lying over her shoulder. She wore light red lipstick and had on glowing like make-up.

To Katashi, it seemed she was trying to make him, and other men around them, uncomfortable in the southern region. To top it off, she wasn't wearing any undergarments. Looked as though somebody was getting lucky tonight.

"I'm surprised to get your message," she said. "Last minute dinner changes, hey? And how did you get dinner reservations?"

"I wanted it to be special. After all, it's our two year anniversary since our first date."

"You remembered the day of our first date?"

"Yes. Don't you?"

"No," she chuckled. "And all it was, was us going to see Gackt in that gay movie with Hyde. I think it was called, 'Moon Riled.' And I was supposed to go see it with Kanami-san, but she had to work late at the TCS HQ. Her co-worker had gotten sick. I was surprised you wanted to go. Of course, after you asked me out to see another movie and then kissed me on my doorstep, I figured out why."

"Surprised you didn't think of that beforehand."

"I thought you were just being a good friend. Glad you made a move."

"You weren't that night. You kneed me."

"Those were some tough times. I had just left Tokyo, I find out my mom's ashes were dumped in a sewer, and the lead Captain made me Lieutenant. I didn't want to be in charge after giving up being in charge. It's a stressful job. It's more stressful when someone in your team doesn't listen.

"And I'm getting stressed now." Megumi took a deep breath, motioning her arms downwards, as though to help with her nerves. "Anyways, of course I got over it and now," she smiled at him, "here we are."

"Megumi," he reached across the table to take her hands, "we've been together for two years now, and we've lived under the same roof for two-thirds of it. We know each other's thoughts, we tend to mimic each other, we almost always bathe together," they chuckled while blushing, knowing they do more than shower, "and, no matter how many times we fight, and no matter how many times you wanted to end our relationship, we always find our way back together."

Megumi felt a sickening swirl around in her stomach, making sense of everything that had been planned up to this moment. Her heart began to beat heavily to where she could hear it, the simplest of breathing felt so difficult and her palms started to sweat. It even seemed as though the restaurant had risen up the thermostat.

Apart of her hoped he was playing with her, or she was over thinking the matter, but another part prayed he wasn't. Ever since she was ten, she imagined a boy getting on his knees to propose, and then walk down an aisle to him with her father guiding her. Of course, she had no one by blood to give her away.

As on cue, Katashi released her sweaty hands and lowered to one knee while reaching into his pocket to pull out a small box. He opened it to show a glittering diamond ring inside. Megumi gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth, fighting to hold back her tears.

"It's not usually Japanese tradition to do this," continued Katashi, "but knowing your father was Canadian, I found this more appealing.

"Itashi Misaki Megumi, will you marry me?"

His last words had done it. Unable to control her emotions, tears streaked down her cheeks. She hadn't prepared herself for this moment. There was so much swirling around in her head that boggled her mind. She had been fighting with depression day in and day out concerning her loses. She had countless nightmares of her parent's and Hazuki's death. Even Hizumi had done its toll on her.

She still thought about him, how sweet he had been before she had found out the truth, and had thoughts about what kind of life they could have had. A small house either in Canada or Japan, kids with a cat or dog, and perhaps a nine-to-five job too. A few times late at night she had imagined being in bed with him. Megumi had even cheated with Katashi concerning her thoughts and had pictured Hizumi making love to her.

There was also Shoji and his gutsy kiss he had given her. She also had noticed how jealous he had been during her little unexpected journey back to Japan. He too had made it into her erotic dreams.

The reason why Megumi kept climbing into bed with Katashi was because of Amber's warning. The thought of following her mother's path and not being there for her unborn son frightened her more than any Contractor she would face or come across.

The path to her future lay before her, and she would take it. It's hard to say, but it was time for her to say goodbye to Hizumi and Shoji and start a new life with the man before her.

She dropped her hands, and said, "Yes. Yes, Katashi, yes I will."

He smiled, taking the ring out of its box to place it on her left ring finger and kissed as they rose. Guests around them began to clap, indicating to Megumi that they had had an audience.

Xxx

Heading down the street late at night in Tsuzuki, Yokohama was a policeman in uniform. He was short for an Asian man; face covered in acne and had thick dark hair.

He trotted down next to the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. It had dark and light brown stripes two feet in height, was twelve stories high, and two deep V-like grooves above the offices.

He walked across the street towards nine different types of apartment complexes, heading to a six story tan building that was rounded off on the left side of it in the mist of the structures.

The acne boy reach his complex, headed up to the fifth floor, and stepped before apartment 522. He stopped, noticing it was cracked open, and removed his gun before entering. Inside nothing seemed to be broken or stolen, but it didn't relax his nerves.

He checked his bathroom, seeing it was cleared, but before he could turn around, he was knocked out from behind.

Xxx

Hizumi lay on his futon in his rundown apartment trying to fall asleep. It was an impossible matter since Itashi Megumi was all he saw once he closed his eyes. The woman haunted him.

Feeling uncomfortable, he turned onto his side, but that did no good. In order for him to get a good night sleep, he had to peel her out of his brain. The problem was how?

There was a knock at his door.

Unable to drift off into slumber land, Hizumi stood and stepped before the door to peek through it. Cursing, the young reaper opened the door to reveal Madam Oreille. She wore a white button up blouse that bore cleavage, short black mini skirt and nylons, and black high-heels that seemed as though they could pierce the toughest of skins.

"Hi, Hizumi!" she smiled.

"Couldn't send your pet?" he asked.

"He hasn't been feeling well. Fur balls. I offered to take him to the vet, but he told me he'd swap bodies first."

"What is it that you want?"

"Megumi-chan's old partner, Hachi, escaped."

Hizumi knew since Hachi was out, he would go after one person.

"Where is she?"

"Yokohama." Hizumi stepped away from the door to begin gathering his stuff. He was going to leave tonight. "There's more. He also stole a very secret project the Americans had built."

He glared back at her and asked, "What kind of project?"

"Something even your father couldn't compete with."

Xxx

The acne man woke up, his head pounding with dry blood along the right side it, and found he was tied to a chair. He had blurry vision, but it slowly refocused and revealed he was in an abandon plant. Dim light was seeping through the demolished windows above, casting miniscule shadows from the supporting I-beams. The acne boy wasn't a detective, but he knew he was being held captive off the coast in a rundown shipping cargo plant.

"Awake finally," said a male voice. The acne boy turned to come face to face with Suzuki Hachi. "Hello, Officer Sakishima Akashi."

The officer's eyes widened, and babbled, "How…?"

"Did I escape? I didn't."

"But…? You were locked up in a secured cell. There was no way you could have walked out or just let go without the media knowing."

"I wouldn't worry about my release," Hachi squatted in front of him, "I'd be worried about you."

"What do you want?"

"For you to call Lieutenant Itashi Megumi here."

Xxx

Early in the morning at Katashi and Megumi's apartment in the Izumi ward, the young couple lay naked under the mangled sheets on a western style bed. Megumi's red dress and Katashi's outfit were spread out along a white rug. The window drapes had been shut to keep prying eyes out. A stand lay next to the bed with a holo clock that read ten a.m. next to Megumi and Katashi's phone.

In bed, Megumi lay on her stomach with the sheets covering the bottom portion of her body. Katashi was cuddled up next to her.

Unexpectedly, her phone began to ring.

Moaning, Megumi reached out for it, fiddled to turn on the speakerphone, and placed it to her ear.

"Itashi…" she sighed.

"Ah, hey, Lieutenant, it's officer Sakishima."

"Hm…!"

"Ah, Captain Fujita told me to call you and… and… to check out a homicide in an abandon warehouse off of Metropolitan Expressway Bayshore Route in the Naka ward."

"Hm…? You're jokin… righ…?" she mumbled. "It's my day off…"

"Sorry, Lieutenant, but he insisted on you."

"Fine… fine… But I'm going back to bed when the body's been cleared for departure."

"I don't think the Captain will have an issue, Lieutenant."

Megumi hung up her phone, tossing it back on the stand, and didn't move. It was peaceful like this. Her mind slightly awake, ready to fall back into a deep sleep next to her fiancé.

She loved the sound of that.

"You gonna go?" Katashi asked, whispering in her ear and bringing her back to reality.

"No… I lied… My day off… Capt'n can send someone else."

"He'll call back."

"Turned my phone off."

"I'll go with you, Megumi."

"Lets just stay… like this…" she sighed.

"I can't. I'm too wide awake now." Katashi slipped out from the bed, making her moan in protest. "I'll go for you."

Katashi entered the bathroom and turned on the shower moments later. Not wanting to move, Megumi laid miserably in bed from feeling abandoned. Growling in frustration, she threw off the covers and joined Katashi.

However, they had other ideas than cleansing their bodies.

"You think we have time?" Katashi asked.

"They can wait."

Xxx

Sakishima glared up at Hachi, showing anger in his eyes.

"I did what you asked, now let me go."

"Sorry, but I can't," replied Hachi, removing his gun and aiming it at him. "After all, you called in a homicide, and we can't disappoint Megumi."

He fired two shots, putting them in the left side of Sakishima's chest. He coughed up blood, as he glared down at the wounds, and then died.

Xxx

An hour later, Megumi and Katashi pulled up to the abandon building in a burgundy square-shaped car. Rain pummeled the city, cooling the air to give it a somewhat brisk feeling.

Behind the wheel sat Katashi, his hair neatly combed and dressed in a black suit with matching tie and dress shoes. However, Megumi was presented in yoga pants, tennis shoes, a Toronto Maple Leaf Jersey and her hair was done up in a ponytail.

"Don't know why you dressed up in this rain," she said, holstering her gun. "And besides, you're just going to slip out of it when we get back home."

"Its proper work attire, Megumi," he said, doing the same.

She smiled, but was short lived, as she noticed the abandon facility was truly abandon.

"Where is everybody?" she questioned. "They didn't take the body already, did they?" Megumi pulled out her phone and called Sakishima. Moments later, a male officer's hologram appeared. "Officer Yukawa, where's Officer Sakishima."

"He hasn't shown up for work yet," said the officer.

"What? That can't be?" she said, and repeated Officer Sakishima's statement.

"A homicide? That's news to me." The officer fiddled on his screen for a minute. "Nope. Nothing like that here."

"Send backup!"

"Why?"

"Cause something bad happened to Sakishima and he's here."

"On it, Lieutenant."

Megumi hung up her phone and removed her gun, as did Katashi. They exited the car, trying to shield their heads from the downpour, and ran for the building. Once they reached a door, Katashi grabbed the handle while standing off to the side, as did Megumi across from him, and counted down with his fingers…

One… two… three…

He swung open the door, allowing Megumi in first with him following. They began scanning the huge, dusty, and rank building until a police officer tied to a chair came into view.

Cautiously, the couple drew towards him, waiting for any surprises. After reaching the officer, Megumi could tell it was Sakishima. They continued patrolling the area, but there was nowhere to hide.

Suddenly, a shot rang out to have Katashi yelp in pain and fall onto the ground. Her heart pounding, Megumi turned to see he had been shot in the back but still alive. She began to head towards him, but stopped as a familiar voice echoed throughout the building.

"Ah, ah, ahhh…! Megumi!" warned Hachi, stepping from behind an I-beam while pointing his gun at Katashi. "I'll finish him off if you make another move."

Megumi looked on dumbfounded, but shook it off, and as she was about to shoot Hachi, her right arm somehow snapped, having her drop the gun while screaming in pain. The next thing she felt was her right leg breaking to have her drop to her knees. Before Hachi, a teenage boy who was glowing blue appeared from behind an I-beam.

"Tsk, wrong move, Megumi." Hachi shook his head and put two more rounds in Katashi. Within seconds, he was lying motionlessly.

"NNOOO!" yelled Megumi, as his blood pooled around him.

Using her left arm, Megumi began reaching for her gun but she was shot in the shoulder to have her spin and fall onto the ground. Her nemesis and the Contractor walked up to Megumi who was breathing heavily. Hachi grabbed her jersey and forced her back into a kneeling position.

"I would have spared Katashi, maybe," he shrugged, "if you didn't put me in your sight. You were always stubborn."

"Kill me, Hachi. You know you want to."

"That was my first intention when I shot you. You're a lucky broad. Guess I'll have some fun now!"

Hachi punched Megumi with a right, followed by a left, and another right, causing blood to spew from her mouth. For sport, he kicked her across the face, putting her on all fours, and then kicked her continuously in her stomach.

There was a pop, believing her spleen had ruptured. If this brutality continued, she would be dead in twenty to thirty minutes.

A crack sounded, indicating a rib had broken, along with a second and then a third. Hachi kicked her face, making her fall onto her back, spewing out blood. Not satisfied, he kicked her side three times, cringing as she tried blocking them, and then was kicked across her face. She rolled onto her stomach, coughing and spitting up blood in agony. Megumi's jaw had been shattered and her lips and eyes were the size of golf balls.

With anger still bottled in his gut, Hachi stomped on her back, sending a heavy pain through it and felt as though it had been snapped.

Believing it would be all right if she reached him, Megumi began to crawl towards her beloved while leaving a smothered blood trail.

"Where do you think you're going?" yelled Hachi, kicking her stomach. He looked at his companion. "Pick her up, and don't use your power. I'll get more pleasure out of this." The Contractor did so, his arms laced under hers. Hachi glared into Megumi's bloody eyes, and growled, "You always had to be number one."

In response to his answer, Megumi spat blood in his face. Angered by it, Hachi performed a right hook across her face, followed with a left, and then continuously punched her stomach. The pain was so severe; it felt as though she was bleeding from within.

Breathing heavily and somewhat satisfied, Hachi nodded for the Contractor to release her. She dropped to a kneeling position and glared up at her assaulter. Face twitching from her appearance, he performed an upper cut to bust his hand and have her fall and lie on her back.

While trying to shake the pain away, Hachi took out his gun and pointed it at a squirming Megumi.

"You should have accepted your death two years ago," he huffed out. "Your mother, her partner, and Katashi. They would still be alive if not for you." He snorted a smirk. "Looks like your luck runs out here. Goodbye, Megumi."

The last thing she saw was a flash from the gun.

Xxx

Megumi woke up, realizing she was sitting up against a tree in a forest somewhere near a lake. Before her was an old man fishing off the shoreline, wearing a brim hat and sandals, white shirt under a tan vest, and white pants.

"Awake, finally," said the man. "That long trip really took a toll on you."

Megumi knew that voice. She hadn't heard it in years.

"Grandpa Naoyasu?" she questioned. "Am I… dead?"

"What?" he asked while looking over his shoulder. "Whatever happened to calling me Ganpy?"

Megumi blinked at him baffled. "I was like five when I called you that. Are you going to answer me?"

"I don't know? Do you want to be?"

Megumi glared at him dumbfounded, wondering what he was going on about.

"Where am I, Grandpa?"

"Come sit next to me and help your Ganpy fish."

Sighing, Megumi did so, swatting the hook into the lake.

"What's going on, Grandpa?"

"We're fishing."

"Grandpa! Am I dead? Is this…? Heaven…?"

"I don't know. Do you want it to be?"

"Of course not!" she yelled, glaring at him, but averted her eyes. "Well, maybe. Perhaps it's best that I am dead. I don't have to watch anybody else die. First Li-chan, you, then Ryo, Saitou, Dad, Mom, Hazuki and now… now…"

She didn't want to say her fiancé's name, knowing if she did, then it would confirm his death.

"Your mom…? Dead? News to me?"

"What…?" Megumi asked, whipping her head towards him. "Wait, no… That can't be…? She's been dead for two years now. She died trying to protect me…"

"Sounds like Misaki." There was a tug on his line. "Oh! Your ganpy caught a big one." He spun in his line and pulled out a two-footer from the lake. "Oh, look at that! I'll be eating good tonight."

"Isn't that a sea Bass? Why is it in fresh water? Grandpa, would you talk to me!"

"All right. Am I a great Grandpa yet?"

"N—no…!" she shook her head in frustration. "Why am I here? What is here? Where do I go? What do I do?"

"Whatever reason you are here. Whatever you want it to be. Wherever you want to go. Do whatever you want."

"Grandpa! Stop talking in riddles and just tell me!"

"Me-chan. Do you remember what you asked me after Li-chan had died?"

"Yeah, I asked why God had to take him? I had asked my dad why Li-chan had died, and he told me because God had called upon him. I had asked him again why, he wouldn't give me an answer."

"And what was it that I told you?"

"We all have our purpose in life, whether if we believe in God or Buddha." A thought crossed her mind and glared at her grandfather. "Did you know about my curse too?"

"What do you think?"

"More riddles, Grandpa?"

"I'm not the one who is giving the riddles, Me-chan." Megumi glared at him baffled. "To get to my point about Li-chan. Even though his life was short, his purpose in life had been fulfilled."

"Meaning he had to die so I could continue living."

"And keep on living."

"Keep… on…?"

"Megumi, it's not your time yet. You still have much to do." Suddenly, her grandfather became hazy and started to fade out. "I love you, Me-chan…"

Xxx

Pain began to develop throughout Megumi's body. Uncertain what to do or what was going on, she slowly began opening her eyelids, finding them heavy. As they peeled apart, her eyes seemed a little hazy, which caused her to blink, and forced them to focus and stare up at a ceiling. She turned her head to her right and saw her mother's best friend sleeping in a chair.

Megumi opened her mouth to speak but found it difficult. It was as though her mouth and throat were bone dry and her vocal cords had been ripped out. Not only that, she tried swallowing, hoping to wet her tongue and throat, but she found that difficult as well.

Struggling, she opened her mouth and forced herself to say, "Ka—Kana—mi—san?"

Kanami slowly opened her eyes, blinking them, and then they became widen with joy, as she said, "You're awake!" She looked towards the door. "Nurse! Nurse!"

"Wha…? Wha…?"

"Don't speak, Megumi-chan. You've been in a coma for two months."

Megumi looked at her baffled at how much time had been lost. Remembering the last thing, she began moving her right hand, but it felt like a ton of bricks. Mustering up enough strength, she raised her hand to her head and noticed it was bandaged.

"The bullet barely missed your brain, but it did cause major swelling," said Kanami. "They had to cut part of your skull out to relieve some pressure. Once it went down, they put in a hard synthetic skull."

Megumi blinked, taking in everything, which seemed as though it was giving her a headache. Moments later, a nurse entered, holding a holo tablet. She walked up to the bed, checked her vitals on the holo screen next to Megumi, and then she shined a light into her eyes.

The nursed smiled, saying, "Welcome back, Itashi-san. You're a lucky woman. If you'll excuse me, I'll let the doctor know you're awake. You should get some rest. The road to recovery is going to be a long one."

She left while tapping a few things on her tablet.

"Ka—Kata—shi…?" babbled Megumi.

She knew the answer, but she had to hear it before she would accept it: hoping there was a slim chance he was still alive.

"Megumi-chan, I think you should listen to the nurse and…"

"Ka—na—mi… please."

Kanami averted her eyes, tears forming in them from the distress the news she was about to deliver.

"I'm sorry. He was pronounced dead at the scene. If you hadn't called in back up, you would have died as well. You had a half an hour window at the least, and that was just speculation."

Megumi's inside entwined with hate, sorrow and turmoil, knowing why she had survived and Katashi had died. It was her curse, indicating to her it was still in full force. The time her mother and Hazuki had saved her from the assassin Contractor, and the sniper having a heart attack had been because of it. In order to protect the people she loved, she had to stay away from them.

"Megumi-chan, there's more you need to hear," spoke up Kanami. Megumi glared at her. Kanami opened her mouth, wanting to say what was on her mind, but she was finding it difficult. "Megumi… I don't… err…? You… you didn't lose… just Katashi."

Megumi looked at Kanami baffled. Someone else had died?

"How…? How can I… put this…?" Kanami babbled under her breath, averting her eyes for a few seconds. "You were… you were… you were…" She burst into tears. "You were a month pregnant."

Kanami's words rang through her ears, but they felt kilometers away while she struggled to make sense of everything, but they were clear as day. She couldn't believe her life and future had been stripped in an instant.

Tears escaped Megumi's eyes to where Kanami hugged her.

Xxx

On a partly sunny and windy day, in the city of Venice, Italy, Madam Oreille walked into the Plaza San Marco, the Cathedral Basilica of San Marco to her left. The Cathedral was doused in white, had five arches on the base, the gate leading into the church in the center, and five arches above, including two small domes with a massive one in the center on the roof.

The square was surrounded by two story white buildings with arches along the second floor, and littered with pigeons, tourists and residences.

She approached the Campanile di San Marco, a tower built out of bricks, featuring a pointy white rooftop, that stood across from the Cathedral. An old man sat next to it feeding the pigeons. He wore a raggedy sweater, holey blue jeans, depleted boots and a stained hat. His blue eyes gave a cold feeling.

Madam Oreille sat next to him, and said, "You're a hard man to find."

"Not interested," said the old man.

"You haven't heard what I have to say!"

"Still not interested."

"To me, looking at your outfit, I think you could use more cash." She pulled out an envelope and sat it next to him. "Apparently, a top secret project was stolen from Alaska a few months ago. It has made its appearance in Japan. Itashi Megumi and her short-lived fiancé were caught in the crossfire. She lived but he didn't."

"What a shame."

"Heartless, but not," she smirked, causing the old man to glare at her baffled. "It looks as though 'it' is hopping from one country to another. I got your son tracking things in America." She stood and looked down at him. "If you're interested, meet me at Duomo Cathedral in Florence in two days. If I don't see you by then, I leave for Pisa International Airport."

"Sayonara, Kuro no Shinigami."

Madam Oreille walked off, scaring the pigeons in the process. Hei watched her, thinking of her options.

Xxx

Two days later, Madam Oreille stood outside the Duomo Cathedral waiting for BK201. Clouds hung over the city, wind howling throughout the city with drizzles scattered about.

After waiting over five hours, she began to leave, but stopped when she noticed a man in a white button up shirt, blue jeans and black shoes with graying black hair appearing in the mist of the crowd.

She smiled, gazing at his smooth collarbones, pleased they hadn't aged.