Report 3
It was over. They had lost to Urameshi's team.
Touya was furious with himself. "Unacceptable! I. Do. Not. Lose!" His thoughts were punctuated by sharp strikes at the air. The fight played over in his mind. He should have rushed in right away, and slashed Kurama down the moment the fight started. If he had, he wouldn't have had to listen to Bakken beating the unconscious boy half to death. The sickening thuds against the unresponsive vessel echoed in his mind.
Shinobi were better than that! That was the kind of behaviour that ruined the honour of the once respected shinobi! And Risho! He wanted to pulverize him. Such blatant disrespect for their opponents. Team Urameshi already had the deck stacked against them. Touya wanted the victory, too. "Not like that!"
He stilled at last and sat down on the rock, staring at the sky, unfocused eyes wandering over the clouds. His body was aching and his open wound pained between twitching muscles, reminding him that he should change the bandaging. What now? He wasn't sure if he trusted Risho, anymore. Touya knew he wasn't "leader material", and Jin - No! Their people would need guidance.
"If you lose your match …" Touya sighed and stood, deciding it was worth a shot.
Starla stood clutching the vase tightly, arm held back. It was probably expensive and the boss would not like to see the price on the expense report. Stiffly, she set the pretty vase back on the table and calmly rearranged the flowers to an optimal position before resuming pacing the floor.
Today she had spent triple her usual amount betting against Team Urameshi. The bastards had won, twice in a row! She snarled and snatched the vase up, hurling it across the room. It shattered, like the fine china it was, glass, water and petals decorating the wall.
Worth. Every. Yen!
The second victory of the day was against Team Masho, after being worn down. How could they be so strong?! How could shinobi lose?!
She should be in the red, and suffering at the hands of her target. She wasn't having any luck flushing him out by gambling. No, it seemed that the angel sent by Raziel misunderstood her intentions; she had made an additional twenty-five million!
Touya! What if he died from that injury? She hadn't thought of any other back-up plans. She put her shoes back on, she needed to check on the ice shinobi.
Starla checked in with the front desk, then attempted to call the room. After receiving no answer, she knocked on their door, and when that failed, she headed to the arena to seek information. Finally, when all else had failed, she sought out the hidden path leading up into the mountain.
More failure awaited her when she reached the top, the cliff where whence she had met Touya before was void of any trace of him. It was growing dark by the time she returned to the hotel, exhausted and concerned. She climbed into an empty elevator, leaning against the wall, feeling her defeat.
Slowly, she made her way down the hall, reaching for her room key. The moment she had the key in the lock, she was hit by a feeling of deja vu. Something wasn't right. Without turning the key she removed it and twisted the knob with caution. It moved easily in her hand and she felt the cylinder rotate, heard the bolt slide open. To be safe, she checked the number on the door, making sure it matched.
She let door creak open as she reached for her gun. The light was on. "May God have mercy on any who are within. Because I sure as hell won't." She entered silently in hunter mode, senses alert and nearly choking when she caught the scent of fresh tea permeating the air. There was a service cart sitting in the living room.
