Black Roses
By Wolfic
Chapter 6
A/N: First off, I would like to apologize for the long delay in this story. I know it has nearly been a year since I last updated, and for that, I am sorry.
Also, for those of you who have not checked my profile, I just wanted to alert you that I have edited all the chapters previous to this one, mainly due to a change in my writing style, as well as new creative insights with where I want to take this story. I would heavily recommend all to reread the story from the beginning as some scenes have been completely reworked.
However, I hope you will all enjoy the changes I have made.
The city was chaos.
An area constructed of nothing more than a variety of things tossed around and thrown together and mashed up with a hammer. And from the mess, dripped off feelings of desire and struggle that puddles into a strange structure that provided balance among the madness.
Such a paradoxical existence was perfect for the terrible twins.
Casually slipping among the crowds of unfamiliar faces, mere faceless constructs in their eyes, the Hitachiin twins approached their mission was the very same lackadaisical attitude they held for a majority of things.
With one arm slung lazily over each other, they walked with a mild slouch in their posture, their shoes kicking the pavement loudly.
The business building that approached them was a modest sized structure. Tall enough to tower over most stores and restaurants, it was still too short to contend with its lofty metal neighbors. The door, an automatic, slid open smoothly as they approached.
As a habitual gesture, their trained eyes immediately studied their new surroundings offhandedly.
Within the few seconds that passed with their entry into the building, they were able to note some of the important details of the room that required scrutiny. Ignoring the several men that rushed with stacks of crisp sheets crushed to the security of their chests, they glanced at the one pair of elevators, the three windows, and the single door that most likely lead to a stairwell. The four trained bodyguards, with their large beefy muscles and stiff posture were the focus of their observations.
They were only allowed three steps upon the smooth marble floor before the guards reacted. Such a speedy response meant these were most likely innocent professionals without ties to the Yakuza.
Which unfortunately, were some of the Hitachiin's least favorite people to deal with on a mission. These people ranked up on their list along with "good" cops and paid-by-the-job mercenaries and assassins.
Too innocent to kill, and yet too skilled to subdue without a serious injury.
And plus they were just too plain boring to deal with.
Ignoring the heated stares that they received from the security guards coupled by the determined gaze of the female receptionists, the twins slowed into a relaxed gait as they approached the elevator.
The sudden tenseness that rippled through the meaty frames of the guards did not escape the twin's detection. Clearly when a bunch of no good punks stumble into a business building reserved for the elite, there was a justified reason to be paranoid.
Predictably, Kaoru and Hikaru found themselves flanked by the four guards, their stony expressions still as impassive as the others. Completely trapped in a rough circle, the twins found the situation quite amusing.
"What business do you have in this building?" One of the guards spoke up first. His eyes were like perfectly cut slabs of steel, neutral and unfeeling.
Instead of addressing the question, the twins tilted their heads and glanced at each other. Silently exchanging words between their gaze, they tilted their heads back into the straight position as they had arrived at a mutual agreement of sorts.
"Well, speak!" Another one of the guards commanded. His eyes were like rattling quarters, chaotic, loud, and broken up. Clearly he had lost his patience with the twins as one of his thick stubby hands stretched out to grab one of the two.
However, that was exactly the action the twins were hoping for.
Sliding small knives down their thin arms and straight into their open hands, the Hitachiin twins sliced out instantaneously, their actions well placed with one another.
Kaoru had dropped down on one knee and sliced the knee tendons of the guards while Hikaru, who remained standing, sliced their wrist tendons. Pushing the guards away from them, they burst towards the stairs.
Amid the screams of rage that came from the guards, a large cry of alarm came from one of the receptionist, a feasibly attractive young woman with curly hair who had kept her attention on the twins the moment the guards had approached them.
And then chaos broke out.
That delicious chaos that the Hitachiin twins loved to savor.
As one of the receptionists quickly picked up their phones to dial for security, with the other pushing the alarm, the businessmen in the lobby rushed for the door, their important papers forgotten in their fearful exit.
But the twins were already gone by then.
Legs pumping, they climbed the spiraling stairwell two steps at a time.
As they broke past the third story of the thirteen story building, a single bullet struck sharply against the railing.
A sea of black suit wearing men burst through the doors and soon more bullets exploded from their fancy guns, each tiny piece of lead intending to maim the devious duo.
Weaving among the bullets, the Hitachiin brothers only reaction was to smile.
Turning the corner they found the stairs to the next floor blocked by the guards that were firing at them so adamantly. Without breaking stride, Kaoru ducked down allowing Hikaru to step onto his back and spring towards the guards,
Sailing through the air, body outstretched, Hikaru flew over the raging trail of bullets. Plunging both knives into the shoulders of the two guards in the front of the pack, he pushed them down the stairs with his nimble legs, yanking the knives out in the process.
As the two guards flopped down the stairs, Hikaru stepped quickly over the bulky mass of guards. Landing out the door and behind the group, Hikaru turned and snapped a front kick at the crowd.
Kaoru skipped up the stairs, bouncing off the tumbling bodies that rolled like forgotten barrels pouring out of a speeding wagon during a highway robbery. Soon he joined his brother. Sparing a glance at the pile of bruised guards who were spitting out a colorful variety of curses the twins broke out in a laugh.
Moving away from the door they found themselves in a long hallway. On the sides of the hallway were various doors with names and numbers neatly depicted with plastic font and one elevator located at one end.
"It's been a while since we could let loose like this, hasn't it?" Kaoru remarked, taking a pause in his laughter.
"Indeed Kaoru. I had almost forgotten how fun it was."
The floor that they now sprinted down was mostly empty. Traces of a hasty evacuation were present as there were papers and files littered across the floor.
However the evacuation did not include the security guards who stood at the end of the hallway. Behind their bodies stood the silver doors of the elevator.
Structuring themselves like the firing squads of days long forgotten they proceeded to fire their guns at the twins.
Rolling across the floor they tumbled into the open doorway of a nearby room.
Shutting the wooden door they squatted in the close to the wall, out of sight from the windows.
"Security guards are just no fun these days are they?" Hikaru noted.
Kaoru sighed in compliance with the disappointment their shared.
"It's always the same routine with them. Take out their guns and shoot. You'd think they'd do something more original."
"Well, you know what we have to do, don't you Hikaru?"
"Indeed. When things get boring, make them exciting. Do you have a plan Kaoru?"
Kaoru smiled. "Don't I always?" Placing his identical combat knives away, he dug into the right pocket of his jeans and produced two tiny round grenades.
"I like how you think Kaoru." Hikaru plucked the weapons out of Kaoru's hand.
By now the guards hand split their numbers up. As a few guards remained stationed by the elevator, a small group of five approached their closed room warily.
As their footsteps drew nearer, the twins resumed their mission.
The wooden door splintered and cracked easily under the combined weight of the two as they smashed through the flimsy obstacle and out of the room.
Shifting his weight Kaoru ended his maneuver in front of the group as Hikaru rolled onto his feet next to the wall.
With six miniature throwing knives clutched between his fingers, with three on each hand, Kaoru launched the blades, catching the guards off guard. With two blades reserved for the gun hand and shoulder of the guard closest to him, the remaining four struck the four guards bringing up the rear of the group.
Four guns clacked to the floor.
With a sweeping kick one stumbling guard with two knives stuck in him shortly followed.
As Kaoru contended with the remaining four guards, Hikaru confronted the group that played sentry to the elevator entrance.
With but five feet distance between the two conflicting parties, Hikaru tossed one of the grenades.
Instinctively the guards scattered as the fruit shaped object exploded. Upon its explosion, tiny rubber balls exploded from the Stinger grenade, rattling the guards.
Running past the tiny haze that resulted from the explosion Hikaru punched the elevator button anticipating calmly as the glowing number went from the eighth floor down to their fourth floor.
A musical ding sounded and the doors separated as Hikaru entered the tiny compartment, smiling gleefully as Kaoru joined him quickly.
Pressing the button for the thirteenth floor they smiled at the guards who were sprawled all over the floor their clutching their bodies at the ringing pain that assailed them.
"Well guys it's been fun. Here's a gift to show you our gratitude."
As the door started to close gently, Hikaru flung the other grenade in his hand through the hole between the doors.
A rewarding explosion greeted their ears not several moments later.
"How many grenades do you have left, Kaoru?"
"Three" Kaoru noted as he searched his left jean pocket as well as the pockets of his jacket.
"Alright. How about we have some more fun, Kaoru?"
With a resounding slap, Hikaru punched in the buttons for the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth floors accordingly.
Hikaru didn't have to look at Kaoru's face to know he was smiling as well.
Grabbing one of the grenades from Kaoru, Hikaru waited until they were on the tenth floor.
As the door opened Hikaru tossed a grenade out and pressed the button that closed the doors. Right into the surprised circle of guards.
And then he repeated the gesture for the eleventh and twelfth floor, all the while laughing with his brother.
"Did you see the expression on those guard's faces when they saw us?"
"Classical Hikaru. The perfect way to have some extra fun before we deal with our target."
The thirteenth floor was constructed rather differently than the rest of the previous floors. While it did indeed feature yet another long hallway, this one was bare of any room, save for the one located at the end of the hallway, directly across from the elevator.
The twins stopped to examine the design.
"Kind of makes you feel like a prisoner taking the long walk to his execution, doesn't it Hikaru?"
"Or a hero about to brave the dangers of the final boss."
Breaking into a full on run as they brushed against the single door with the weight of their right sides.
The door snapped off its hinges as the momentum of their run brought them into a tumbling roll that turned them onto their feet.
However, the room was empty.
Nothing more than a large wooden desk, chairs, several bookshelves, and a gigantic glass window that took up an entire wall, as well as various other obstructs that were quite fitting of such a business office.
But there were no guards with their guns trained on them, and their target was certainly not in sight.
"Hmmm, if I was a scared little Yakuza boss trying to hide from some dangerous killers, where would I be?"
"Where indeed Kaoru?"
They both walked towards the closet located close to the right side of the desk.
The door was predictably locked, nothing that the twins could deal with. Upon shattering the door, to their delighted surprise there was a long ascending stairwell on the other side.
A strange sound buffeted against the wooden door at the top of the stairs, a sound that the twins recognized rather quickly.
A helicopter.
Taking the stairs two or three steps at a time they bounded up to the roof.
Opening the door, the narrow gray walls suddenly expanded into bright surroundings. The lights of the city illuminated the rooftop, overthrowing the stars and moon. Long slender buildings and the night sky trapped the twin's vision from all around as the evening wind greeted them with loving caresses.
A large helicopter was parked on a landing pad as their target scrambled to get inside. Several guards were spread out in front of the helicopter, ready for the twins that had stumbled onto the rooftop.
Right in the sight of the guns.
In an instant the guns–machine guns now–were let loose. A flurry of bullets traveled in the twin's direction, death laced with each tiny piece of lead.
The twins tensed, their legs poised to tumble out of the way.
But it was already too late.
The twins' bodies jerked and twitched erratically under the gun fire before they crumpled to the floor.
Motionless. Bodies lifeless and still.
And from the helicopter, Kenji paused, before stepping back down onto the roof.
Dressed in a pinstriped suit of a dull gray color, Maki Kenji was best described as a businessman, both in dress and mannerism. His black hair was neat, short and well fashioned so that his broad face was well displayed. Thin rigid eyes, a stony chin, and a steep slope of his cheekbones made him to be older than he really was.
However, whereas Kenji was displayed to be stoic and smooth in any situation, this Kenji had an uncharacteristic tightness in his frame. His fingers were clenched into fists, his neatly trimmed nails digging into his skin. His arms were locked in position at his sides and his jaw was shut, his neck tight.
Leaning close to one of his guards, he managed a hesitant whisper through tight lips. "Are they dead?"
"They should be." The guard glanced at two of his men, motioning them to check on the corpses.
Nodding in compliance, the two walked confidently towards the two still bodies.
There was no way they could have survives that many bullets hitting their bodies.
Right?
Peering over the bodies, they checked for clear signs of death.
Sprawled among several bullet cartridges the clothes of these two men were torn and shredded, ruining their outfits completely.
But that was to be expected.
However, it was the unexpected that surprised the guards.
There was no blood.
And their masks, where the men were positive to have hit, were smooth, clean of any fractures or dents.
As if the bullets never hit them at all.
In alarm, the men brought forth their guns, and the Hitachiin twins reacted to their panic.
Lifting their right foots, they slammed them back down on the floor.
Thin blades popped out from the tip of their boots.
Kicking up, the twins aimed their kicks high into the inner thighs of the men, an uncomfortable distance inwards.
As the men screamed, fearing for the loss of their precious organs, the twins removed the blades, a quick tap against the floor to retract them.
Rolling into an upright position, they ran towards their target, pushing the disorientated men in the process. These men were to be used them as temporary shields before they quickly cast them aside, blunt blows with their knife handles to subdue them.
Kenji, quickly leapt back into the helicopter shrieking loudly at the pilot to fly away. All of his carefully compacted composure was gone, pouring out his body as the fear broke his image, the charging twins scaring him into a frenzy.
Gun fire sprung about around the twins. Completely parallel to one another, the twins leapt for the closest guards. One knife stabbed the wrist, the other, the shoulder.
Using these men as new shields the twins charged the guards. Once they brushed past the protective barrier, they turned and shoved the guards against their comrades causing them to tumble over.
Kaoru took the head start from brother and stopped just short of the roof's edge. Bending his knees he placed his hands together as he watched the helicopter wobble into the air.
Into Kaoru's open hands Hikaru went. One foot got a good hold of his brother's hands as the combined effort of the twins propelled the teenager into the air.
Arms extended outwards, Hikaru snatched the rails of the retreating helicopter. Quickly switching his hands he turned his body around so he faced away from the helicopter.
Swinging back and forth, he easily swung into the cockpit. In the helicopter were three men, the pilot, Kenji, and a large gorilla like man with a gun.
Turning around, his blades flashing in the process, Hikaru plunged them into the man's wrists, stapling them deep into the man's thighs.
Keeping them secure, Hikaru grabbed the frightened Kenji by the neck collar. Kenji began to splutter terrified phrases at Hikaru, all the while weeping and groaning. Hikaru nodded his head soothingly at him, as if he understood the man's gibberish.
And then he threw him out of the helicopter.
His mouth wide open, a scream threaded itself out of his throat as Kenji flew past the building and down into the streets below.
The deathly wail was still fresh in Hikaru's mind as he turned toward the pilot, who jolted briefly at the new attention.
Giving the scared pilot a mock salute, Hikaru freed his blades from their bloody locations and leapt out of the helicopter.
Arms spread wide Hikaru reveled in the rushing feeling that consumed him.
He was flying.
Joy and danger spun and thudded around in his heart as he screamed out an overjoyed yell.
And then waiting arms of Kaoru securely caught him.
Around Kaoru's feet were the rest of the guards. Though they were clearly consciousness, they were unable to pick up their weapons, as their profusely bleeding wrists and hands made it difficult to do so.
Hikaru glanced at the men briefly.
"Nice work." Hikaru patted his brother's back.
"I'd say the same for you. I see you tried something different this time?'
"Come on, I'm not heartless. I wanted him to experience the thrill of flying. Pity he was ungrateful about it."
The twins broke out in laughter at that statement, a deep euphoric laughter that bubbled and flowed like the waters of a fresh spring.
The whiny wail of police sirens caught their ears and ended their fun. "Time to go." They both said as they headed towards the back of the building.
Faster and faster their legs build up speed.
And, like devils leaping eagerly back into the flames of hell, the twins dashed for the roof's edge and jumped.
Knives gripped tightly in their hands they vanished over the edge, their loud childish laughter trailing behind them.
