There was a chill in the morning air as the sun shine through scattered holes in the gray skies above them. The slight breeze was wet as the rain fell in a mist blown by the wind. The crowded streets were filled with students, teachers and workers dressed in a variety of rain gear. Many carried umbrellas as they maneuver down the Avenue. Mikoto, Shari were wearing long yellow raincoats and held umbrellas up to cover their heads. Ruiko was dressed in her school uniform only protected by an umbrella. She was leaning her head against his back for protection. Ronan was wearing a long Brown leather cattleman's coat that hung to his ankles.
"I cannot believe you don't own a raincoat…" He shook his head closing his eyes chuckling. He was laughing as his face became wet from the mist and he could feel her tightened her grasp on his coat.
"Is everyone okay…?"
"Yes…" Mikoto and Shirai looked at the ground, hoping not to get wet, as they followed behind him.
"Here…" He slowly opened his coat holding the edge out for her to slip inside his coat. Ruiko laughed, closing her umbrella and quickly running around in front of him. Then he slowly wrapped the coat around her leaving only her head peeking from underneath, her head leaning back on his chest.
"So warm…" She smiled as her teeth chattered. Mikoto and Shirai smirked as ruiko's cheeks slowly became red. They could see that the coat was gently wrapped around her; she was holding the arm pulling it tight as they walked, stepping in time with him.
Mikoto narrowed her eyes looking at the sleeve, "he took his arm out…" She whispered, "What…" Shari tilted her head looking at Mikoto and glanced at the coat, "where's his hand…"
They sped up hoping to get next to them and find out where his hand was. They could see ruiko's face glowing and her eyes were shining leaning her head against him. He looked at them from the corner of his eye with a smirk on his face and winked at them.
"No…" They raise their eyes in shock as their chins dropped.
He tilted his head, "oops..."
"What! …"
He laughed as they came closer to his apartment building. He waited for the light to change then they walked across the street in the crowd.
"Mikoto…"
"Right…" She quickly nodded her head taking a deep breath, reaching up to her ear and pressing a button on a small communication device that ran from her ear along her jaw.
"Uiharu…"
"How does it look…" Mikoto was eyeing the apartment building as people walk in and out of the entrance. Uiharu was in her judgment office looking at three monitors that were set up in front of her and the Ronin project computer. Each monitor displaying three views of the apartment building using different spectrums to locate bodies, a normal view and then a view with heat signatures and the last screen displayed movement or vibrations. She sighed, taking a bite of a cookie, looking at the screens, "it is pretty full of people, most are heading down to the ground level…" She nodded her head, she looked over to his computer, and she could see that he was accessing it, "Ronan is accessing his computer now."
Mikoto looked up at him, his eyes staring slowly moving looking at each level.
"Wow…" Uiharu whispered seeing what he could see, "amazing…"
In his left eye data was scrolling down as he ran through the different spectrums of light and sound, focusing on each floor . The number of occupants changing as his eyes moved.
"Uiharu…" Ronan spoke as he lowered his chin going to the next level.
"Yes…" He heard her voice inside his head, "any unnecessarily large heat signatures…"
"Um…" Her eyes quickly moved from screen to screen, "no…"
"What about around the apartment building… Say… 100 meters…"
"No… Nothing…" She paused, "wait…"
"What is it…?"
"I don't even see you…"
He nodded his head and sighed, "No… You wouldn't… it is part of my passive defense program…"
"Passive defense…" She shook her head narrowing her eyes, "what's that…"
"Whatever frequency the system detects it will produce the opposite frequency to nullify it…" He paused, "Kinda like using another propeller to turn the opposite direction at the same speed to quiet the sound on a helicopter…" He closed his eyes and nervously chuckled, "but that could mean they got it also…" He sighed as he continued scanning the building.
"Hmmm..."
Mikoto shook her head, "so…"
"Let's wait…"
"Okay…" Mikoto turned to look at Ruiko still beneath his coat, her head sticking out, she smiled blinking her eyes as she tilted her head looking at Mikoto.
Mikoto chuckled then spoke, "where's his hand…" She narrowed her eyes, Shirai blushed narrowing her eyes looking at Ruiko and then glared at Ronan. Ruiko could only let her smile grew large on her face as she quickly blinked her eyes.
"That's not the question you should be asking…" Ronan slowly ran his tongue across his lips, still eyeing the building.
"Really…" Mikoto narrowed her eyes then tilted her head, "then what…"
"Where's her hands…" He slowly smiled.