Shizuo Heiwajima made his way down another alley, trying to avoid the main streets if at all possible. Only an hour had passed since the event, but he was certain that the Awakusu would already be looking for him and it wouldn't be long until the police would soon follow. He was now the most wanted man in Ikebukuro, on both sides of the law, and his options for sanctuary were slim. The brief thought of running away, of leaving the city, had passed his mind, but he instantly tossed it aside. There were too many reasons to stay.

First, Akane had been kidnapped, and he couldn't allow that to stand. He couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the young girl, even though it was hardly his place to feel such things. She certainly hadn't done anything to deserve what had happened to her, at the very least, and he couldn't just stand by and pretend that he hadn't seen that injustice.

Second, he wasn't sure if his pride would have allowed him to do so. Whoever had actually kidnapped Akane had, by using his likeness, had dragged Shizuo into this mess. Whether it was on purpose or because the kidnapper had just used a look that he knew would draw attention away from himself didn't matter. The kidnapper had just made a very real mistake, one that Shizuo was certain to make him pay for.

Third, there were other people other than Akane that were linked with what had just happened. Kasuka and Vorona. He wasn't certain what each of them had to do with this, but he was determined to find out. Given what he knew, it would seem that Kasuka had meant for him, Shizuo, to intervene with what had just happened. Somehow, he had known what was going to happen, and had done his best to try to stop it. But how had he acquired such information? Somehow, his brother was wrapped up in this, but he didn't seem to be a willing participant. But what of Vorona? Shizuo could hardly hazard a guess. On the surface, it seemed likely she had been hired to help the kidnappers. But surely she wouldn't have agreed to that?

Or maybe she would have. Vorona had always kept her cards very close to her chest, and though he had believed that perhaps he had begun to understand her, there was the possibility that he really hadn't learned anything. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed that her whole personality had been a false one, a face put up by an expert assassin. And yet, he couldn't accept that. Not yet. Not without knowing more. He needed a clear answer.

And that's why he was now traversing the alleys of Ikebukuro instead of trying to book a flight that would take him as far away from here as possible. He had never been one to back down from a fight, and this time was no different. The kidnapper had called out Shizuo as an opponent, by using his likeness and the people around him, and whether this was intentional or not, Shizuo was not going to ignore it. He would crush whoever was behind this, make sure that they understood just how big of a mistake they had made.

But to do so, he'd need to be smart. There was a complex web of entanglements surrounding him, one that he would need to unweave if he were to ever exact justice on the one who had caused all of this. Getting caught by the police or the Awakusu and having to fight his way out of either would be extremely counterproductive, so avoiding them would be paramount. But he also couldn't just run headlong into every situation with idea that fighting would take care of the problem. Not right away, at least. He needed to gently remove strands from the web first, loosen its strength before launching his attack on the spider. If he charged in now, without knowing anything, the web would certainly trap him. And if he just started ripping apart the web with reckless abandon, then the spider would become alert to his presence and could either flee or prepare to fight. But if he were careful and quiet, if he could pull away strands bit by bit, he wouldn't draw the attention of the spider until it was much too late. Its fate would be sealed.

Shizuo understood all this, but knowing how to actually go about it was another matter entirely. And doing this the wrong way would be even more detrimental then just punching everything in the way. At least that way, he could inflict some damage. It would certainly be the more straightforward way, and he would at least generally know what he was doing. And then the rage that he was holding back would have an outlet.

But he should at least try the more subtle route, at least at first. If it didn't work right away, at least there would be time to change tactics.

But where to begin? Certainly, his first action would be to disappear, but then what? Kasuka knew something, but it would likely not be wise for Shizuo to contact him, at least until he understood a bit more about who he was confronting. It was clear that Kasuka hadn't felt safe to converse with Shizuo directly about what was going on, giving him the information in only a way that would have made sense to the two of them. Which likely meant that his brother was likely in some sort of constant danger from whoever was behind this, something that he couldn't escape. Which then meant that any contact with him would likely only increase that danger, something that Shizuo wanted to avoid at all costs. So, until he better understood what was going on, he would have to stay away from Kasuka.

If Kasuka was out of the picture, then there was only one other real lead that he had. It wasn't a great one, but given how little he knew about this situation, it was better than nothing.

He would need to find Vorona.

Vorona guided the scraped-up bike around a corner, the sounds of distant sirens reaching her ears. However, as long as they remained just that, distant, she wouldn't worry too much about them. And she doubted that she would be found here; she had taken a roundabout route, so that even if those from the highway were able to identify her and give the police a general direction, they would be thrown off for a couple hours at least. And by then, she and Kurai would be gone.

As she sped down the mostly empty street in the old industrial sector, Vorona wondered how her companion was handling this turn of events. She had yet to see him fail at anything, and could only wonder how he, as overly confident in his plans as he was, would respond to something like this. Could he be adaptable, or would he fall apart? At any rate, Kurai was back peddling, and Vorona was ready to take advantage of that.

Unfortunately, she herself was hurting. The crash had done some significant damage to her leg, and now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, a constant pain had settled all along the limb. She would need to get some sort of treatment; she couldn't tell if it was broken or not, but it was pretty torn up and infection would set in if it wasn't looked after. Going to a normal hospital was out of the question; the police would likely be using every bit of information in their investigation and she had foolishly not worn a helmet during the chase. Her face would be described by many eyewitnesses and traffic cameras would be consulted as well. Which meant she would need an underground doctor.

The sky had adopted an orange hue by the time Vorona reached the abandoned warehouse that Kurai had designated as their first rendezvous point. She wondered if he had somehow gotten here before her, but the question answered itself almost immediately as the large cargo door to the warehouse started to slide up, revealing her companion on the other side. Still in his suit and an unreadable expression of calm on his face, Kurai gestured her to enter, and she led her bike inside. The large open loading dock of the building had been cleared out, likely many years prior, and the struggling sound of the motorcycle's engine echoed throughout it. Behind her, Kurai slid the door back down and walked over to her, not saying a word.

Vorona cut the engine and slid herself off the motorcycle. Her leg ached in pain at even the slightest weight put on it, angry red, mangled flesh visible beneath the tattered remains of her jumpsuit pants. Kurai's eyes lingered there the longest, and while his face remained passive, she could tell he was running calculations in his head, likely trying to figure out how her condition would factor into his next move. Vorona couldn't help but wince as she hobbled over to a set of nearby stairs and set herself down on it, but she hoped that Kurai hadn't noticed. Show this man any sort of weakness and he would likely take advantage of it, even if you were his ally.

For a while, only silence passed between them, her sitting and assessing the damage to her leg, him standing several paces, his back turned to her. Vorona frowned; they should be discussing their next move and then get on with it. Sitting around like this wouldn't help anything; not in avoiding the police, not at getting her wounds treated, and certainly not in getting close to the answers that she wanted.

"I'm guessing all of that wasn't part of your plan," Vorona said, biting back the pain. "So what's our next move?"

Kurai remained turned away from her, but he did answer.

"I shall let you know when I see fit."

His voice was cool, lacking the false warmth that it so often seemed to have. He was apparently rattled and had, for the moment at least, abandoned some of the pretenses he normally put up. Good.

"Fine," Vorona replied, "But we shouldn't sit here for—"

"I'm wondering," Kurai said, now turning to her, "how foolish are you?"

Vorona cut her sentence short, caught off guard by Kurai's words. His eyes were dark, that what was normally concealed brought to the forefront. It was almost an inhuman look on his face, one of merciless cold. More unsettling was the lack of rage there; either he was adept at hiding it even now, or this was fueled by something darker than some as human as anger.

"Because I did not take you for one," Kurai said, taking steps towards her, "and yet, here we are."

Vorona tried to get to her feet as Kurai advanced on her, but her leg stopped her from reacting quickly. In no time at all, he was on her, gripping her face with a surprisingly strong hand and dragging her up the rest of the way. His palm against her cheek was ice cold and his violet eyes stared directly into hers.

"So," Kurai said, still gripping her face, "You will explain to me how Shizuo Heiwajima seemed to know exactly when and where we were to take possession of our sister?"

Vorona inwardly shuddered at the mention of "our sister." It served as a reminder of how deluded this man was, and how he believed that she was part of this delusion. She tried not to consider the alternative. But the first part of the message was the more important one for the time being. Kurai was suggesting that she had somehow betrayed him, even though she had been under his watchful eye almost the entire time since they had left Moscow.

She ripped her head sideways, removing herself from his grip and looked defiantly into his eyes.

"I cannot explain," Vorona said, "though I fully intend on finding the answer."

Kurai searched her eyes for a moment, and then a small smile came across his lips. The false warmth came back to his eyes, and suddenly, he was back, the ruse restored, the truth once again concealed behind layers of deceit. Apparently, whatever she had said had been exactly what he was looking for. Still, the way in which he could turn his entire exterior persona on and off was alarming.

"Indeed, you will," Kurai said, his smile continuing to curl upwards. "This was only a slight roadblock in our plan. While rescuing Akane there would have been the most efficient way, it was certainly not the only one. I understood that our time was limited, that everything had already been set in motion and by doing so, there was a possibility of this. I have a number of contingency plans prepared in case of this event."

He paused and Vorona could only wonder what he meant by "everything had been set in motion." There seemed to be more to this than just Kurai's own demented plan to kidnap a young girl, something that her companion had clearly been aware of but had not felt the need to pass on to her.

"If you know who got to her first, you need to start giving me more informa—"

But once again, Kurai stopped her. "I do know, as do you. Shizuo Heiwajima."

"But that…it doesn't—"

"What?" Kurai asked, almost playfully. It was disturbing how much his disposition had changed. "What about that fact confuses you? Hmm?"

"He wouldn't do that," Vorona said.

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because he's not like me, or like you," Vorona said.

"You say that with such confidence," Kurai noted, "And on one hand, you are quite correct. No one is like us. And yet, I believe that you know how inhuman many humans are capable of acting, no? So is it really so far out of the realm of possibility that—"

"Yes," Vorona said defiantly. "Shizuo Heiwajima would never do something like that."

"And yet," Kurai replied, apparently relishing this conversation, "he just did. You saw it with your own eyes, did you not? People change, my dear. Or they lie, or they disguise their true selves from—"

Once again, Vorona cut her companion short. "You speak to someone who is well aware of such things. I am capable at detecting when I am being lied to, or being fed a false persona."

"Then perhaps you have allowed something to blind you," Kurai said. "Because, despite all the evidence, you still refuse to accept the most obvious conclusion."

"I—" Vorona started, but then the words caught in her throat. Was it true? Had she somehow allowed her judgement to be clouded? That surely couldn't be the case…could it? Self-doubt suddenly ran rampant.

But she couldn't let that distract her. There was only one way to solve this, to find out if her defense of Shizuo Heiwajima was justified or if she had indeed allowed herself to become vulnerable in such a foolish way. She needed to discover the truth behind Shizuo's sudden involvement, and only then would her questions be sated. Luckily, or perhaps not so, her goals seemed to align with Kurai's.

"What I am saying," Vorona said, regathering herself, "is that this is an uncharacteristic action for Shizuo Heiwajima to make. Which makes me believe that there is more at play here." She paused, unsure if she should push the issue, but decided that it was worth the risk.

"Something that you aren't telling me. If you want me to help you, you need to start telling me everything."

At this, Kurai nodded, which surprised Vorona. "There is indeed much more to this game, more than I have let on. However, there is a time and place for this information to be passed on to you, and now is not that time."

"Why not?" Vorona growled. He openly admitted that he was withholding information, but what possible reason could he have for doing so? He believed her on his side, did he not?

"Because revealing such information now would not only be time consuming, but also pointless and perhaps counterproductive towards my goals. Because some of what I know may prove to be false, given what has happened today, and giving you false information would only make your next task possibly more difficult. And even if some of it is true, it should not apply directly to what I need of you. But while you are working on your next mission, I shall be working on tasks of my own, gathering and confirming information, collecting resources for our next move. But know that, when the time is right, I shall reveal what is going on."

Kurai smiled at her with that fake smile and Vorona shook her head.

"No," she said, "Not good enough. You tell me now."

"Or?" Kurai replied. "See, you have no position to bargain, my dear. Do you forget I have your friend with your father? Or that I could easily kill you now, if I wished? Besides, I believe that you will find that your next assignment will be as much to your liking as it is mine. A project to tide your curiosity over, until I can discover more about what we are dealing with.

"You see, while there was a possibility of some interference with our plans, the presence of Shizuo Heiwajima was a variable that I had not predicted. Given your similar interest in the man, as well as your intimate knowledge of him and those around him, I believe it would be best to send you off to discover why he kidnapped our poor Akane while I do my own investigations and prepare for our next step. Find Heiwajima and we, at the very least, are one step closer to finding Akane."

This seemed to be the best situation Vorona could hope for right now, and if it was between her and Kurai hunting down Shizuo, she'd rather it be her. While Shizuo Heiwajima was the strongest man she had ever encountered, there was certainly something very strange about Kurai, and whether or not his powers were real or not, it wasn't a risk worth taking. All the strength in the world couldn't defend against something like that. And, while she didn't like to admit it, Vorona knew that Kurai spoke the truth; she was indeed very invested in discovering the truth behind Shizuo's involvement. So, given her situation, she supposed that there were certainly worse outcomes, and fighting against this one would be a foolish endeavor.

"Very well," Vorona said. "I shall find Shizuo Heiwajima."

"Good," Kurai said, nodding. "But know this; I know he has now bested you twice, curiously both involving Akane. You cannot fail a third time. Do so, and I may rethink your usefulness to me."

"Understood."

"Excellent," Kurai said, "Our sister will be rescued soon, and then…well then our true plans can start to take fold. I shall have a new motorcycle, clothing, and rations sent to Rendezvous Point Three, where I believe you should spend the night." He paused and looked down to her leg. "I know of several doctors that could take care of that for you. I shall give you their contact information, if you wish."

"Thank you, but that is not necessary," Vorona said, "I know of one that could prove to be useful on multiple fronts."

Kurai raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. "As you see fit. Contact me when you reach the rendezvous. I have some calls to make, and somewhere I need to go, so it is here that I take my leave."

And with that, the man made his way to the exit. When he opened the door, the orange sky had deepened in its rich tone, signaling that night was nearing. And then the door closed behind him, leaving Vorona alone in the empty warehouse. She limped over to her damaged bike and, with a bit of effort, she managed to sling herself onto it. She knew she shouldn't stay here any longer; the sooner she could get to the old apartment building, and more specifically Apartment 7, which apparently Kurai had somehow come into the possession of, the better. Because the sooner she got there, the sooner she could get to her next destination without attracting too much attention to herself. And while she had never met Shinra Kishitani, she felt certain that he could help her, perhaps in more ways than one. And while she was unsure of so many things at this moment, there was one thing Vorona was certain of.

Whatever it takes, I will find you, Shizuo Heiwajima.