Chapter 4: Hello Again

Masane and Alex changed back into there regular forms and walked back to the apartment.

"You didn't have to be so rude to that girl." Masane said after a while.

"I've never been one to beat around the bush when I think people are being stupid, and someone walking alone at ten o'clock at night is stupid to me." Alex responded.

"Maybe." she said quietly.

"Alex, what are those things?" she said pointing toward the gremlins which Alex had following them on the rooftops.

"They're called Darklings. I can create them using the darkness, they pack a pretty mean punch." Alex told her.

Remembering something "How was your physical?" he asked.

"Fine. Karen said I could travel in a couple days." she said in a cheery voice.

"Well we can leave as soon as you want to." Alex replied. Masane smiled; then thought about something.

"Hey Alex, why do you want to come with me?" she asked curious to his reasons.

"For two reasons, one I'm a nice guy and want to help you find your daughter; and two paranoia." He replied.

"Paranoia?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, do you remember that other power I told you about? The Angelus?" Alex said.

"Yeah." Masane said remembering him mention the name.

"Well the Angelus and the Darkness are mortal enemies, and the Angelus is not like the Darkness in that it fully possesses the host. Plus in the past the Angelus either teams up with another power or tries to kill them." Alex said.

"Other powers? You mean like the Witchblade?" Masane asked.

"Yeah." Alex said.

"Do you think I would try to kill you?" she asked.

"I don't know. I don't think so but, I've known people who I wouldn't think would betray me and did." he responded.

"Well don't worry. I'm not gonna team up with this Angelus anytime soon." Masane said.

As she and Alex walked down the sidewalk they didn't notice the mysterious figure standing on the building a few blocks away from them, even as it spread it's wing and flew in the other direction.

When they reached the apartment Alex told Masane he was going to bed. Masane tried to go to sleep in the room across the apartment but she couldn't, she was thinking about Rihoko and if she would be able to find her, if she was okay, or who she was living with. She got up and went to try and watch TV. She found that nothing was on. She went into the kitchen and tried to find something to eat. She opened a cabinet and found something she liked.

Alex woke up to a strange sound, he looked at the clock 12:00 am he tried to figure out what the sound was. He looked toward the door and saw Masane standing at the door.

"Masane?" he said, Masane responded by stumbling toward Alex and falling next to him. He leaned over the side of the bed to see if she was okay. She raised herself up and shushed him, he saw there was something wrong as he leaned on his elbow.

"Ya know, Al-Ale-Alex." her speech was slurred.

"Yo-you-your kinda cute." she said raising her hand to his face.

"Well look who found the booze." Alex said realizing what was going on.

"And tho-tho-those eyezzzzz!" she murmured while looking into his green eyes.

"Masane who much did you drink?" Alex asked.

She responded by leaning forward. Slowly she closed her eyes as she got closer, Alex didn't close his eyes because he had a feeling this wouldn't go anywhere. He was right because just before she got close she slipped and quickly passed out.

"Saw that one coming." Alex said quickly hopping out of bed and picking up Masane.

It's not that Alex didn't think Masane was hot but he was respectful to women. He carried Masane to her room while she wormed in his arms, he plopped her in her bed and threw her blankets over her. He looked at her, she looked peaceful, about as peaceful as a drunk person could be. He turned back to go back to bed.

The next morning Masane woke up to a massive headache and extreme nausea. She stumbled out of her room and looked around. Alex was sitting on the couch eating a burger and fries.

"You missed breakfast, just in time for lunch." he said holding up a bag from the burger place, without even looking away from the TV.

"Oh. No thanks."she said holding her stomach, heading toward the couch.

"You remember anything from last night?" Alex asked not stopping with his burger.

"No." Masane said with a wince of pain.

"Well, you tried to make-out with me." he said calmly, waiting for her reaction.

"WHAT!" Masane screamed just hurting her head more.

"Yeah. Stumbled into my room fell on the floor and almost made-out with me before you passed out." Alex said unfazed.

"Oh Alex! I'm so sorry!" she said ashamed of her actions.

"Don't worry about it. Karen did the same thing at a Christmas party once. I was drunk too, but we didn't let it get in the way of out friendship." he said finishing his fries.

"Yeah but" she started.

"Masane leave it alone, nothing happened." Alex said reassuring her.

Masane calmed down and took some medicine that Alex had given her for her hangover.

"The next train for Tokyo leaves tomorrow at one o'clock, we should leave for the station by noon. Just incase, I'm hiding the booze." he said jokingly.

Alex looked out the window and saw something on the building across the street, he rubbed his eyes make sure he wasn't seeing things, but when he looked again nothing was there.

"Something wrong?" Masane asked seeing he looked confused.

"It's nothing." he said moving away from the window.

The next day Masane and Alex headed toward the train station. Masane had bought some clothes yesterday after her hangover.

"Come on! Come on!" she cried back to Alex who was shoving himself through the crowd trying to keep up.

"I'm trying!" he said trying to keep himself standing in the crowd.

As Masane was waiting for a street light to change a shadow flew very fast over her, she looked up to try to figure out what it was, she saw a large white feather floating down toward her. She caught it and looked at it, it was about a foot long. When Alex caught up with her she at the street light she showed him the feather.

"Any idea where this came from?" She asked.

"One damn big pigeon." Alex said looking up.

After a few minutes they got to the train station.

"Made it!" Masane exclaimed.

"Yeah." Alex said panting because he had to run after Masane for about the last mile and a half.

Masane sat on a bench while Alex checked to make sure they're train was going to be on time. While she was waiting she waited she looked around, she suddenly saw these piercing eyes staring at her from the other side of the platform where people were waiting for there train. She leaned into the stare she couldn't see the face the eyes belonged to but she could see they were staring directly at her. Just as she was about to stand up a train went through the station and when it left the eyes were gone.

"What is it?" Alex asked from behind her, Masane looked back at Alex and said.

"Nothing"

"Big pigeons again?" He said trying to lighten the mood.

Masane laughed at his comment.

"Well the trains not gonna be here for twenty minutes so we can relax." he told her.

"That long?" she asked.

"Well we wouldn't have to wait so long if you hadn't been trying to get here in under five seconds." He reminded her.

"All passengers of the 1:00 o'clock to Tokyo your train will be boarding in ten minutes." A voice said over the intercom.

"Well, we better head for the platform." Alex said grabbing his guitar case.

While Masane and Alex were walking toward the platform, Alex suddenly grabbed Masane's shoulder and threw himself and her behind a column just as a huge blast of fire hit exactly where they were standing just a moment ago. As people were scurrying away screaming Alex was rifling through his guitar case searching for a weapon to fight their opponent.

"You might want to change." Alex said while still searching.

"What is it?" Masane said her eyes already glowing.

"The Angelus." Alex said pulling out a shot gun and checking to see it loaded.

"Why don't you change?" Masane now changed asks with a noticeable hint of anger.

"The Darkness only works with darkness in broad daylight I can't use most of my powers."

"Fine." she said leaping out looking around for the attacker.

"Well, well, well." said a voice behind her.

She turned around to see a woman in a armor similar to hers, with large white wings floating in mid air.

"I take it you're the Angelus?" Masane said.

Not waiting for an answer she leapt at the woman bringing her blade to full length.

"Oh no you do-" before she could finish she was shot in the shoulder by Alex and then slammed into by Masane bringing her blade into the woman's stomach.

The Angelus was slammed into a near by column while Masane landed lightly on her feet.

"Nice shot." she said turning toward Alex.

"It's not over!" Alex said pointing toward the column that the Angelus was.

"You die!" She cried flying full speed toward Masane slamming her into the nearest wall.

"You will have to do more than that to get rid of me." Angelus said calmly, her stomach wound healing quickly.

"Well then, lets try this." Masane said charging straight at Angelus trying to slash at her but Angelus was dodging very easily.

"Like I said your gonna have to do better than that." Angelus said literally flicking Masane away from her.

Masane left a big hole in the wall where she hit it, she slumped to the ground trying to stay conscious; she was still not at her full strength and Angelus was stronger in most areas of this fight. Masane couldn't move, Angelus started toward Alex who was now searching through his case again.
"Now Darkness you die." she said making a sword appear out of no where.

"Sorry I have other plans." Alex said calmly pulling out an RPG and shooting directly at Angelus.

It hit it's target, Angelus flew several feet back hitting a wall. She was stunned but not out she tried to re-focus on Alex but, Alex had dealt with Angelus before and knew this, he was at a disadvantage so he threw a couple grenades at her making the wall fall on her.

"Masane!" Alex said running toward the injured woman.

"You alright."he asked leaning down to check her.

"Yeah." she said slowly getting up.

"Well come on, that won't hold her for long, and we have a train to catch." he said looking toward the pile Angelus was in.

Masane got up and Alex helped her run toward the platform they're train was at. She hoped the train hadn't left during the fight.

"Good it hasn't left." Alex said slowing down slightly.

They both got on the train quickly in hopes that Angelus wouldn't find them. The train was rather empty and there were only a few people in the car they were in , so they both sat toward the back of the car.

Angelus awakened after a few minutes and bashed out of the ruble she was under. She looked around and saw nothing, scowling she flew up into the air several dozen feet up, she looked around but Alex and Masane were no where to be found , there were several trains around and by the time she checked them a few of them the train containing the two could be gone. She gave an angered looked to no one and flew off, accepting defeat, for now.

The rest of the trip was uneventful but, the duo of supernatural beings kept there guards up and frequently looked out the windows to make sure there attacker wasn't following them. They stepped out of the train car and proceeded to head toward the exit.

"I guess you want to head straight to the Douji Group, right?" Alex asked as they got out of the station, Masane looked at him incredulously as he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Yeah, you coming?" she answered.

"Only if you want me too." Alex said.

"Sure." she answered back.

They were able to hail a cab and headed toward the Douji Group headquarters. They soon arrived at the large building.

Masane walked hurriedly up toward the large reception desk.

"Yes how may I help you?" the receptionist said.

"I would like to see Mr. Takayama." Masane said trying to be cheerful but really only cared about trying to find her daughter.

"Do you have an appointment?" the lady behind the desk asked.

"No, I don't." Masane said.

"Well I'm sorry but I can't let you see Mr. Takayama without an appointment." the lady said with a fake apology.

Alex walked up next to Masane at the desk being left to pay the cab fare.

"Well can you maybe call him and tell him I'm here? He knows me." Masane said with a glint of hope in her eyes.

The woman sighed heavily, obviously not wanting to have to get her boss mad because one of his what she assumed "girlfriends" wanted to talk.

"Alright" with an obvious amount of annoyance in her voice.

She picked up the phone and started dialing numbers.

"What's your name?" the lady said raising the phone to her ear.

"Masane Amaha." she said happily.

The person on the other end answered after a few seconds.

"Yes, Mr. Takayama there's a person here to see you. She says her name is Masane Amaha." she said looking at Masane and Alex thinking that this would end up with security escorting them out of the building.

"What?" she said with a shocked look on her face, Masane and Alex both raised a brow and looked at each other because of this.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Takayama. I'll send her up right now." she said while hanging up the phone.

She pointed toward an elevator and told them that "she" was supposed to go up to the twentieth floor, putting emphasizing the word she.

"He's with me." Masane said heading toward the elevator.

"Come on Alex." Alex just followed without really caring at this point.

The receptionist just went back to her work thinking "I guess she's not his girlfriend."

Alex and Masane stood in the elevator. Masane still wondered how Alex was able to read her so well.

"Alex, how are you so good at reading people?" Masane asked confusing Alex.

"Well I used to trust people very easily, but later those people would stab me in the back, so I started acting a little more cautiously and looking for peoples tells." he said still kinda confused.

"Oh. You haven't had a very easy life have you?" she said with sadness in her voice.

"Nah, I've had my share of bad luck but all around a pretty easy life." he said while the doors opened.

Standing at the doors was a skinny man with long hair and glasses.

"Hello Masane, nice to see you again." he said calmly then looked at Alex with a confused look on his face.

"Segawa, this is a friend of mine Alex Estacado." she said knowing what question was coming.

"Well then hello Mr. Estacado. Masane Mr. Takayama was expecting you." Segawa said while turning around wanting them to follow him.

"He was?" Masane said confused, she didn't think Alex had ever met Takayama let alone told him that she was alive.

"We didn't think that you were dead after all the Witchblade is incredibly powerful, we hoped that you had survived even through that explosion you caused six months ago." he said without turning his head around to see them.

He led them to a large wooden door and opened them so the two could go through sitting at the desk with his hands folded and his eyes closed was a large man with slightly messy hair and a blue suit on. He opened his eyes and saw the trio of people who had entered his office he stared intently at Alex trying to figure out who he was.

"This is a friend of Masane's Mr. Takayama, Alex Estacado." Segawa said quickly, Takayama shuffled slightly in his seat.

"It's nice to see you again Masane." he said with a slight smile "Yeah, yeah, yeah cut the small talk Takayama, where's Rihoko?" Masane said loudly "Rihoko?" he said confused "Yeah my daughter!" she nearly screamed at him. "Calm down! After the explosion she wanted to continue living with the reporter at that inn, I didn't care where she lived since I didn't want to care for a child. I still talk to her every so often but I haven't in several weeks." Takayama said louder than he was a minute ago but still calm. "Ms. Marry still has the inn?" Masane said after a minute "Yes, she was able to get a building in the parts of the city that wasn't destroyed and all of her tenants actually returned to the complex." he said calmly. "Well where is the building?" Masane asked calming down finally "I'll give you the address Masane." Segawa said "Good after that we have a job for you." Takayama said. Alex who had been quiet the whole time smirked slightly at this.