She wanted to comfort him more than anything, to put her hand on his and assure him everything would be fine, she would always be there for him, they would figure this out together.
But that would make things worse right now, it was the worst possible time for her to say such things. So she kept her hands folded firmly in her lap and her eyes to the floor.
After a moment, Nagato broke the unbearably tense silence, "How could things go so wrong in only a few days..?"
Konan figured it was a rhetorical question and only offered a quiet, "I'm sorry.."
"They had her.. And they let her get away.. When she has an IBM.. And not only that, two other Ajin are now on the loose, and they made those ridiculous demands on national live television.. The whole world is going to see that, and no one is going to give them what they want.. They're going to attack people over it.. Japan and our Ajin are going to become targets of every major country.. How could things possibly go so wrong..?"
Is giving basic human rights to Ajin really so ridiculous..? Konan thought.
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
"It doesn't matter. We just need to capture them before anyone else does."
Mirai struggled to catch her breath after the long descent of the fire escape followed by the sprint to the small woods nearby, and getting her thoughts in order was an even more difficult task.
But that could wait; most importantly of all, she had to get as far from that building and the crowd outside it as she could.
As she followed the forest away from the events taking place in front of the News cameras and shocked bystanders, she came to a suburb like area of the city with tiny backyards, and after a little while of searching, she managed to find a clothesline with laundry hanging on it to dry overnight that appeared to have dried off already. It only took a few minutes to grab some of the clean clothes from the line and disappear back into the woods to tear off the bloodied bandages and replace them with a presentable outfit. Other than the fact they were a size too big for her, which she covered up a little by rolling up the pants' legs and throwing on a hoodie that had been among the laundry, she figured she would be able to be relatively safe if someone caught only a quick glimpse of her from afar, especially if she pulled up the hood.
She felt guilty for stealing the clothes, and the motorcycle before, but it wasn't something that could be helped. She couldn't very well ask for the clothes, and even if she could have walked into a store, she didn't have any money with her, or any possessions other than Danzo's handgun for that matter.
However, she was about to feel even guiltier in a moment.
She needed a getaway vehicle, that was for certain. And she didn't have much time to search or afford being picky either. No motorcycles were to be seen, and though she felt more comfortable driving them, it was probably for the best. She'd already been known to have stolen one before and it was by no means a safe transportation option when trying not to be seen, shot, or run off the road.
Mirai stopped by a house with a light brown mini van and started to move on, but doubled back to reconsider. It wasn't exactly fast, sure, but no one would expect a mini van as a getaway car for one person, would they? And it wouldn't be an easy car to knock off the road, and it could probably handle off road decently enough.
She tried the door handle; unlocked.
At least I don't have to break the window..
Mirai slipped into the driver's seat, then felt realization slam into her. She needed the key.
She glanced out the windshield at the quiet, dark house and bit her lip. Breaking and entering wasn't something she wanted to do at all, but none of these cars were going to have their keys in them like the motorcycle had, and a car was a necessity.
Leaving the car door open, Mirai carefully approached the front door and pulled her hood down a little lower; she didn't see any security cameras, but it was better safe than sorry. Hesitantly, she reached out and tried the door handle. Locked. Obviously they were more cautious with their house than their car. Next she tried the windows next to the door, but they stuck fast. She started loosing her nerve, debating about trying a different house or attempting to make a getaway with no vehicle at all. Taking a deep breath, she decided one more try at one of the side windows.
The one she chose was a bit higher off the ground and was smaller than the front windows, and she jumped up to grab the sill before slowly pulling herself up to peer inside. The bathroom; dark and empty. She hauled herself higher up onto the sill until she was resting all her weight on her elbows, then shifted it all to one and used the other to push the window up. It didn't budge at first either, but after shifting her position a little to get better leverage, it came unstuck and shoved halfway open.
Sighing in relief, she pushed it the rest of the way open and lifted herself to put a knee on the sill, rotating her body on the narrow space much like a cat before sliding backwards into the room and landing nearly silently next to the white metal bathtub.
The bathroom door was open to inky blackness of the hallway and she decided to stay there for several moments until her eyes had adjusted to the low light after having been out under the nearly full moon and street lamps.
Cautiously, she crept toward the doorway and glanced both way down the hall, seeing no one and heading toward the front door. She hoped the keys would be on some sort of hook or in a little basket next to the door.
Mirai used the wall as a guide with her fingertips lightly brushing against it as she watched the floor for any obstacles she might trip over, freezing and feeling her heart stop at every creaky floorboard she stepped on. She strained to hear for footsteps or sleep-roused mumbles, but the house remained silent each time.
Every second in the hall felt like an hour, and she was almost certain someone would wake up for a trip to the bathroom or fridge on her slow trek, but no one did, and soon she was at the front door, heart in her throat at the sight of no hooks and no basket.
The kitchen was the next room over, and she prayed to have better luck there. By then, panic had been setting in and she crossed this space much quicker and less cautiously than the hall, only grimacing and continuing on when the floor groaned at her weight.
Moonlight filtered in through the kitchen window better than the bathroom had, so seeing was a bit less of a struggle, and she could scan through and move about the room much faster. At one side there was a large stainless steel fridge that reflected the light sharply; it was almost blinding. The rest of that wall, as well as the adjacent and opposite walls were covered by counters and cupboards, both low and high, with a double sink and dishwasher beneath, an oven a little further down. A long rectangular table dominated the center of the room.
The table was empty other than a vase of flowers in the center, and the counters only had cooking utensils and some cereal boxes adorning it. The walls were bare except for a clock and still life painting of fruits and a rose bouquet. No hooks, no basket, no keys.
Frustration welled up inside her, and she whirled around to return to the bathroom and leave; she'd wasted far too much time here and it seemed she wouldn't be able to find the keys, but a noise that sounded like it was at the hall caught her attention and she froze, straining to hear it again to see if she'd been mistaken. No, she definitely heard the floorboards creak again, closer now.
Her mind shut down on her; she just held her breath, feeling her heart beat against her ribcage, and stared - wide-eyed - at the kitchen doorway. A silhouette appeared at the doorway and the lights flicked on, and Mirai flinched at the sudden brightness that slammed into her retinas.
The figure turned out to be a woman; she looked to be about in her early thirties with dark eyes and long curly black hair. Their eyes locked, and instinctively the woman opened her mouth to say something, but the fear that it would be to scream or call for her husband drove Mirai into action.
Her hand went straight for the gun in her jacket, and she pointed it at the woman's head. She had absolutely no intentions of using it, but she just needed her to stay quiet or everything would fall apart.
"Don't make a sound, and I won't hurt you.." Her voice was low, and shook when she said it, but the woman closed her mouth and nodded. Mirai felt her resolve waver at the sight of the poor lady's eyes watering in fear.
"All I want is your car keys.. Just please give them to me, and I'll leave.."
The woman nodded again, shakily, and very softly replied, "I'll have to go get them.."
"Okay.. I'll follow you.. Just don't say anything.."
The lady turned around and walked out of the room at a slow pace, keeping the floorboards quiet as Mirai followed behind her. She lowered the gun a little now that her back was turned; she didn't have the heart to keep it pointed at her head.
They came to a bedroom a few doors down the hall from the bathroom, and Mirai waited outside as the woman disappeared inside, listening carefully for any voices or sounds that could be alerting someone else in the room. But everything was silent, and she returned a few moments later with a keychain that had a single key on it.
Mirai slowly extended her hand to take it, she didn't want to alarm her with any quick movements, then murmured a quiet, "Thank you" before retreating to the bathroom and climbing back out the window. She'd wanted to ask her not to call the police, or at least to wait until morning, but that was ridiculous. Of course she would call as soon as she could, it wasn't like she'd be here to stop her.
As soon as she landed on the grass outside, she sprinted to the car and practically jumped inside, then closed the door a bit slower to keep it from making too much noise. She inserted the key into the ignition and turned; the car engine wasn't too loud at least, and made a quick attempt at adjusting the mirrors before pulling out of the drive and starting down the street in the opposite direction of the building.
Mirai kept expecting to hear sirens after her already, but no red and blue lights appeared in the rearview mirrors, and after ten minutes had passed, and she'd left the suburb area behind to an open road with dense trees on one side and a guard rail protecting from a steep drop into more forest on the other, she began to relax a little and catch her breath. she had no idea where she was going, or where she could go, and she really couldn't bother herself to try and think about it. She wouldn't find any good answer, so there was no point in stressing herself out worse over it. She'd just stop and hide out at wherever she ran out of gas, she supposed.
She soon started to grow uncomfortable with the silence though, and turned on the radio to quietly play in the background. No music came on though, instead a breaking news report sounded through the speakers. Her blood went cold and she had to turn the volume up a bit to hear over the background noise of a talking crowd and the beating of helicopter blades.
"..explain what is going on here, Mr. Shimura?" a female reporter's voice she couldn't recognize was asking.
Danzo's voice replied, "Well, this certainly wasn't the way I'd hoped for anyone to find out, especially not the press, but as you can probably assume with Mr. Uchiha standing here next to me, I must admit that I am an Ajin, and have known so for a while."
The background crowd suddenly sounded even more uneasy.
This was exactly how you wanted it to be found out.. On national TV and News..
He continued, "As for the reason we're here, there's something I've wanted to say for a long time now, and this seems like a good opportunity, being how I have your rapt attention.. I demand from the government a law to be passed for Ajin rights, to be granted citizenship and allowed to walk freely among the humans, for the cruel and unjust treatment that goes on in these facilities to be stopped. There are Ajin experimentation going on here, and it's not even for the good of humankind. It's simply for their twisted fascination of seeing how many times they can kill a helpless, trapped being. If, however, my demands are not agreed with, well.. I suggest keep watch on Ajin .net. I'll give a more detailed explanation there.."
Their earlier conversation in the shelf room came to mind.
"What's plan A..?" "I'm sure by now the police and news stations are out there, don't you think? Plan A is to give them a good talk, and make a few demands about Ajin rights. And if they don't listen to reason, well.." "You resort to slaughter.." "Yes, more or less."
She felt sick, and turned off the radio.
Hiding didn't feel like the right thing to do at all..
Today was the kind of day he didn't want to get out of bed. His alarm had went off nearly ten minutes ago, but he hadn't mustered the energy to move yet, let alone get up. He knew he had to, else he'd get a much ruder awakening from Temari. She'd mostly returned to her usual self since Shikadai had returned, looking dazed and not even remembering where he'd been, though Shikamaru had noticed she'd been more aggressive lately; he wasn't surprised. It was her natural defense mechanism to hide her worry and anxiety over Shikadai's disappearance, and Mirai's predicament.
Yesterday still weighed heavy on his mind, and he hadn't been able to sleep much last night. All the events kept turning over and over in his mind, and no solution presented itself.
A part of him was glad Mirai had escaped, but if she was caught again, she was in even worse trouble than before. The entire police station was in absolute panic to the point of complete breakdown; even Captain Tsunade could hardly get control of her own subordinates. By now word had spread to the other countries of Japan's Ajin situation, and it was only a matter of time before they took action.
And then that video..
Danzo's terms of Ajin rights weren't pleasant. The government would never agree to let Ajin walk among humans and lead normal lives; other countries would seek to capture them for war, and having them out and about would make that too easy. And Ajin had the capability of being too dangerous; the things everyone knew that they were capable of and feared.. And worse, the fear people held of what they didn't know about them yet.
However, if his terms weren't met, Danzo had produced a list of important Japanese government officials; the people who ran the whole country and kept everything in order, and he threatened to assassinate them all if his demands weren't met. It was a bold claim, and would be difficult to accomplish, even for an Ajin. But guards and high security had immediately been placed on all the people whose name had appeared on that list.
Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed. There wasn't much point thinking about it; this was all beyond him anyways. He didn't have any sort of power or influence enough to make any difference even if he did know what to do.
He sat up in bed, stretching and yawning, and attempting to summon the courage to stand up to go downstairs when his cell phone on the night stand buzzed.
He picked it up and frowned when it showed and unknown caller, but picked up anyways and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Shika, it's me. Look, I really need to talk to you in person right now, and-"
Shikamru's eyes widened a bit and he interrupted, "Wait, Mirai? Where are you right now?"
"Some little gas station just outside Yoshida. Don't worry, it's deserted other than the clerk inside and I'm calling you on a pay phone. But please, you have to get here and help me figure this all out, I don't know what to-"
"Alright, alright.. I'll figure out how to get there, just hold on and stay out of sight, okay?"
"Yeah, I.. I can do that. I'll stay just a bit down from the gas station; you'll know it when you see it if you leave from the South side of Yoshida. I'll stay off the road too, and I'll just keep lookout for you."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't hold your breath though, I might be a while.."
"Just as long as you get here, that's good enough for me."
Shikamaru said a quick goodbye and ended the call, rubbing his forehead before standing up and heading for the closet to change.
Tsunade glared over her desk at the utter chaos the station was in; everyone was in such a panicked rush to get everything done, that nothing was getting done at all. Nagato Uzumaki had obviously been disappointed and frustrated with the state of her police branch when he'd left to get some rest after the trying day, and Konan Ame had drifted out after him like a ghost.
She'd tried several times to get things back in proper working order, but with new updates and orders being given from other sources, such as the FBI and Nagato's Ajin Unit, it was really a lost cause. The only ones who'd seemed to be able to keep their heads on straight through it all were herself, Shizune, Nagato, Konan, and Shikamaru. And worse, Shikamaru hadn't shown up today, and Nagato and Konan were late. It was early in the morning still, sure, but they should have been here half an hour ago.
Shizune approached Tsunade's desk carefully, she could see the foul mood she was in from miles away, and knew she would have to tread carefully or risk setting her off. She cleared her throat to get the Captain's attention from the death glare she was casting at her subordinates, and hoped her voice was steady when that look was turned onto her.
"I have an update report.." she offered, probably barely audible over the noise of the others, but Tsunade saw the papers in her hands and already figured out what they were anyways.
She sighed heavily and held out her hand to accept them, quickly scanning through them, and was irritated to find it was the same as the last report. Still no sign of all three of their missing Ajin. The last page of the report did catch her attention though.
The United States were taking action, and were reported to be moving in. If they caught the missing Ajin first, Japan would take quite a blow.
Tsunade didn't know what she was supposed to do about this. This was more the government's area, or at very least the FBI's or the Ajin Unit's.
"What should we do?" Shizune asked hesitantly.
Tsunade scowled and gestured sharply at what was on the other side of the window of her office. "There's nothing we can do!"
There wasn't much time to visit, so they didn't go into his room.
Konan's hands were clasped together in front of her and she kept her head down so she didn't have to look through the window; coming here made her feel sick, and it was the one place she allowed herself to show her weakness, though only a little.
The slow but steady beep of an electrocardiograph was the only noise from the room, and that's the way it had been for so long now.
They'd only been 15 when they been the unfortunate victims of a small town in Japan that had been targeted by an Ajin named Hanzo; he'd destroyed nearly the entire place before being captured by the English. Nagato had been injured when shrapnel had impaled his back, but had miraculously survived. His body never fully recovered, and he still had moments of muscle weakness and illness. Yahiko was left in a coma, and he had been for 20 years now. He was most likely never going to wake up again, but Nagato refused to remove him from life support.
And Konan got out of the incident without a single scratch, if you didn't want to take emotional wounds into account. She usually didn't, and the thought of not having been physically injured at all while her friends were put through such pain made her internally hate herself. She wished she had their injuries, that she'd gotten the worst of it all. It wouldn't have even mattered if it had been her. But no, life wasn't that kind, and it had to be them.
Neither her or Nagato had said a word during their visit, but she was brought out of her thoughts when he finally turned away from the window. "Come on, Tsunade's probably waiting on us."
Konan nodded, and glanced once more at Yahiko before turning away and following after Nagato like a loyal shadow.
