SMOKE AND MIRRORS

CHAPTER LII: ETERNAL SUNSHINE PART 2

"Maybe I have made mistakes and been through my fair share of pain. But all in all, it's been okay, I've lived well."

"ETERNAL SUNSHINE," ~ JHENE AIKO

XXX

"Whoa."

Namiko's first impression of the house they'd be staying at for the duration of their visit was a good one. It was like something out of an old Japanese samurai film or a Bruce Lee movie. It was enormous, at least three stories tall with erecting wooden columns built on top of flat foundations made of packed earth and stones.

The house was perched on top of a steep incline, surrounded by towering stone walls half-hidden by large, overhanging trees and overgrown vegetation. The teenager's foot was eagerly perched on the first step of the large, granite staircase that led up the hill.

"You lived here as a kid?!" she directed her question at her grandfather, who was also staring up at the house, but she didn't wear the same excited expression her granddaughter adopted. "It's amazing!"

Reagan shrugged. "It's alright."

"Be careful, Namiko," Shizuru cautioned as the family slowly made their way up the stairs. "The steps are slippery this time of year."

Of course the girl paid no heed to her mother's warning. The numerous bags that burdened her seemed weightless in her grasp as she made a beeline for the top.

Namiko had never seen her great-grandparents' magnificent home before because she spent the better half of her life in the United States. Born in the Windy City and raised in the Big Apple, this was the first time she's ever been to Japan.

The twins, however, grew up here. This was their home despite the hundreds they've occupied over the course of their still young lives. But the effect of the magnificent manor is, and always will be there.

Natsuki tried not to stare too long at the blackened edges of the staircase on the way up. Or the places in the prosperous garden out front where the damage couldn't be hidden. Shizuru looked at a bush decorated with Gardenias sadly. "We don't have to stay here." She said softly.

Natsuki sighed. "I can't run forever. And neither can she." She replied, her eyes fixed on her father's stiff form. "Besides, it'll be good for Namiko, you know? She's never been here before. I've always wanted to bring her around, but I never got the chance."

Namiko was seemingly the only one excited about being here. Even the twins and her grandmother were silent.

When the teenager reached the top, she was met with a massive black gate that prevented her from going any further. She set the luggage on the ground and pouted. An experimental push confirmed her suspicions about it being locked. "It's locked." She whined.

Reagan scratched her head trying to remember when she bothered to close and lock the gate, something she never really took the time to do before. The gates were ridiculously heavy and usually took the combined effort of two individuals to secure. "Huh," she crossed her arms, "Must've slipped my mind. I have no idea where my key is, but there's a spare hidden in the flower pot 'round back."

"I remember where it is." Kaiya piped up helpfully. "I'll get it."

"I'll go with you." Namiko offered, eager to see more of the fabulous manor.

"You never lock the gate." Natsuki said after the duo disappeared around the corner of the mansion.

Reagan was just about to reply before a peculiar sound originated from the other side of the gate. All heads immediately turned to inspect the source.

A figure was slowly but surely lumbering towards the family, their shoes scuffing loudly against the gravel and leaves littered on the damp pavement. Reagan clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "How'd you manage to get these things closed?" she questioned the intruder, who seemed to be in a great deal of discomfort judging by how slow they were walking. "They weigh a ton."

"...Run…" A pained groan erupted from the figure's lips as they finally stepped into the light. Reagan's eyes widened in horror as Riku's battered form slumped heavily against the bars. "It's… a trap." She warned before collapsing into a bloody heap on the floor.

"Dad!" Nina cried, surging forward with Nao and Natsuki hot on her heels. The two had been so quiet during the last few hours everyone forgot they were present.

Suddenly, the unexpecting family found themselves surrounded by countless men and women dressed in red. Natsuki gritted her teeth and pulled her wife and remaining child close to her side protectively while Reagan instinctively tucked the much smaller and admitabely weaker Saeko against her chest.

Nao whipped out her trusty stilettos and held them up defensively while her wife tried to tend to her injured father through the gate.

"At last!" A cheery voice reverberated throughout the now tense clearing. Natsuki's eyes darkened considerably as the seriousness of the situation dawned on her. She'd just led her family into an ambush.

Only this time, she didn't have the power of her army behind her.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru cried out as a large man roughly snatched her away from Natsuki's side.

"Bastard, get your hands off her!" Natsuki snarled, whirling around and ramming the heel of her palm into the man's chin. However, before Natsuki could act further, she found herself incapacitated at the hands of a stun gun, courtesy of a man who'd been admitabely as quick as she had.

The famed Rokudaime gritted her teeth in silent agony as 55,000 volts of electricity surged through her body all at once.

Another lackey, this time a slender woman with crazed black eyes, stepped forward and proceeded to search the incapacitated woman's body, extracting her beloved twin 44. Magnums from the hidden holsters attached to her waistband.

"Dad!" Keira's alarmed cry pierced the air next, and Natsuki felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as she was forced to watch her daughter be manhandled by a bunch of scumbags.

"Easy now gentlemen," the same cheery voice from earlier chided Keira's attackers, "She's still a lady."

Stark white loafers were suddenly positioned inches away from Natsuki's face as he came to a suspenseful stop before her. "My my," he cooed, "You are a hard woman to find, Kruger Natsuki."

Natsuki's pained gaze ascended to his face. He was incredibly handsome and well-kept, practically oozing fine dining and sophistication. Fair-skinned and strong-jawed with shoulder length chestnut brunette locks, high-cheekbones, and full pink lips, but the most captivating feature he possessed were his eerie crimson eyes

He wore a striking cardinal tuxedo complete with a black vest, red bowtie, and matching red slacks. Natsuki noticed an emblem of a red lotus flower positioned directly above his left breast. Of course.

Even though she and the Yakuza weren't on the best of terms, they would never harm a family member to get to her like these men and women had done with Riku.

"Judging by all the baggage you're carrying I can conclude that you've only just returned." the man said. His smile was warm, but the look in his eyes sent shivers down Natsuki's spine. "Just in the knick of time too. I was just about to send my sources to… escort you back."

The man chuckled to himself and looked around until his eyes found Shizuru, who was making her capture's life a living hell. His forearms were filled with deep scratches from Shizuru's nails. His shins and feet reduced to canvases of black and blue courtesy of Shizuru's insistent kicking.

He slowly made his way over.

"You're as beautiful as I've always imagined." He said to Shizuru, reaching out to stroke her cheek with all the gentleness a florist might possess when handling a delicate flower. "Do you know who I am?"

Shizuru's cold eyes roamed every inch of the young man's visage. The proud point of his nose, the fullness of his lips, the arrogant curve of his strong, angular jaw, the height of his cheekbones, the length of his lashes, each and every fleck of gold and amber in his beautiful wine-colored irises.

He was the spitting image of her. He was the spitting image of him. He was the spitting image of their father.

Her half-brother towered over her just like their father. She didn't like it. She didn't like the sinister gleam in his eyes, and she especially didn't like the warm smile plastered on his lips. God, they even had the same beauty mark positioned beneath the curve of their bottom lips.

"You're just like him," Shizuru sneered quietly, her hands quivering, "A monster."

The man looked hurt for a moment, but the emotion was gone almost as quickly as it came. "We've only just met and yet you're already labeling me as such, dear sister?"

"Look what you've done to her," Shizuru growled, tilting her chin in Riku's direction. "Only a monster would attack someone unable to defend herself." Then, in the most surprising, unladylike manner, the older Viola spat in her brother's direction.

The glob of saliva landed right on the Red Lotus insignia encrusted in his suit jacket. He frowned, retrieving the handkerchief from his jacket pocket and dabbed at the imperfection. His gaze turned cold. "Father was right about you." he said after a few moments. "You've spent the better half of your life with these… abominations, it's only logical that you've become one as well. Take her away."

He gave a flippant wave of his hand and the brute began dragged Shizuru down the stairs. He then looked at Keira. "I was told that there were three of you. I only count one."

"Want us to locate the other two, boss?" Another brute inquired curiously.

Hiroshi shook his head. "Don't waste your time. We have what we came for. After all, what's a teenager and a pregnant to an army? Come, my father is waiting. Bring the rest of them too. I don't want any stragglers."

Nao, who was unable to move throughout the whole ordeal because there had been multiple guns aimed at hers and Nina's heads, was knocked out by the same woman who'd liberated Natsuki of her weapons. Nina found herself being wrapped up by a man that was easily three times her size and four times her weight.

"What about her?" Crazy Eyes gestured to Riku, whose blood was beginning to pool out all around her. Her labored breathing was the only indication that she was still alive.

"Leave her." Hiroshi said. "She's worthless and serves no purpose to us or anyone else. I'm doing her a favor by letting her die at her own home."

Saeko was ripped away from Reagan and carried to a separate car along with Nina, Nao, and Keira.

Natsuki was forced to her feet, still struggling under the effects of the tasing. However, before she was led down the stairs, her green eyes found molten silver. Namiko was peeking around the corner of the house from when she'd accompanied her sister to the rear. She inched forward slightly, but Natsuki shook her head.

"No," she mouthed, "Stay hidden."

"They're going to kill you." Namiko mouthed back desperately.

Natsuki clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so helpless. Kaiya had her face buried in her younger sister's chest, unable to witness her strong father and everyone she loved be taken away by monsters.

"Namiko." Natsuki mouthed again, stalling her imminent departure by lowering herself to her knees feigning weakness.

The teenager perked up.

"Protect them."

Namiko's eyes glistened at the statement and its underlying meaning. Her father flashed her one last smile before she was taken away.

"Move out." Hiroshi barked.

Only when the last van disappeared out of view did Namiko finally move. Kaiya's grip on her shoulders was like steel, her nails digging into the thin fabric of her Giants hoodie. "Oh god," Kaiya trembled, her tear-stained face twisted in horror. "Namiko, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know." Namiko willed the shakiness out of her voice as her eyes darting to and fro searching for any remaining Red Lotus members. When she was certain there was no one around, she slowly rounded the corner, making sure to keep her sister huddled tightly to her chest.

"Riku!" Kaiya kneeled down beside the prone woman and placed a hand on her cheek. It was hot to the touch. She may not be a doctor, but Kaiya could easily sense a fever when one was present.

Namiko didn't know who exactly this woman was, but she can recall her name being mentioned on numerous occasions. "What did they do to her?" Namiko breathed, her eyes carefully taking in the broken woman's form.

Riku's bronze skin was dotted with sinister abrasions and lashes. Her clothes were nothing but tattered rags hanging hazardously off her lean body. Some wounds still bled freely and while some were nothing but yellowish-orange expanses of infection.

Namiko noticed a couple of terrible burn scars on Riku's body, but they seemed much too old to have been inflicted for however long she'd been captured and tortured for. They covered mostly the expanse of the left side of her body, ending just below the curve of her chin.

"She needs a hospital." Kaiya said, pulling Riku's dark head into her lap.

Namiko nodded in agreement.

"Namiko, what's that?"

Kaiya pointed to the object lying on the concrete a few feet away from them. Namiko scurried over to check it out.

"Keys!" Namiko exclaimed, holding up the lanyard and making the keys jingle. "Dad must've dropped them… no. Dad left them."

Namiko recognized a few of the keys; one was the key to the Ash Tray, another the key to their grandparents' mansion, and the other few were the keys to the vehicles they brought over from New York.

"Miyu!" Namiko exclaimed, startling Kaiya.

"What about Miyu?"

"We need to find Miyu! She can help us!"

Kaiya's face twisted with disdain. "Are you insane? Miyu's the number one reason why dad's in the hot seat now!"

"I know, but dad's still Lord of the Yakuza, which means Miyu's still under her command. The Yakuza can't kill dad, you know that! There has to be a trial." Namiko reasoned. "But there won't be anything if we don't do something now! The Yakuza might not kill dad, but the Red Lotus most certainly will."

As much as Kaiya hated to admit it, she knew her baby sister was right. The Yakuza prided themselves on their strict and honorable codes of conduct. They weren't savages by any means, which is what distinguished them from other criminal organizations and enabled them to somewhat coexist with the Japanese Law Enforcement.

Kaiya knew Miyu since she was a little girl. She was a constant presence in her and her sister's lives. Miyu wasn't heartless. Cold and distant, but not heartless. She was their father's biggest supporter and her most trusted advisor, and no matter what Yakuza tradition stated, Kaiya was entitled to believe that Miyu wouldn't intentionally do anything that could lead to their father's demise.

"Okay." Kaiya agreed after some time. "I think I remember where the hideout is."

Namiko sighed in relief. She was glad her sister was willing to enter hot territory in an effort to help their family rather than leave them to figure out something on their own. There was no telling what those bastards would do to them.

"There's gotta be a doctor around there somewhere to, right?" Namiko inquired as she carefully swung Riku's arm around her shoulder and lifted her up.

Kaiya was both relieved and regretful at the fact that everyone decided to split up to return to their own homes after they arrived. Like their father and everyone else, they believed they had more time to prepare for the ordeal. The extra firepower might've projected a different outcome from their current predicament, but at the same time she was glad that not everyone had been captured.

That provided them with more support on the rescue side of things.

Together the two remaining sisters heaved their injured kin into the backseat of the Ash Tray. There were bigger cars that would've provided them with more comfort, but Namiko knew that this particular car was too important to leave behind.

She fired up the engine and adjusted the mirrors. "Where am I going?"

"Just drive toward the Metropolitan Memorial. I know how to get there from there." Kaiya said.

Namiko nodded and thrusted the car in gear, mindful of the fact that the vehicle easily went from 0 to 60 in about 2.5 seconds. That would come in handy in the future.

XXX

"This ends now!"

Haruka's voice was tinged with irritation and barely surpressed fury. Her hands came down harshly on the polished wood of her superior's desk. "We've been on a wild goose chase for over a decade! Every time we come close to her, she manages to slip right between our fingers!"

"Please, Suzushiro-san, calm down." Her superior chided, brushing a long strand of auburn locks out of her field of view. Her slate blue eyes were sympathetic. "I'm aware of the strain your mission has put on you, but now is not the time to allow your emotions to get the best of you."

Yukino sighed as her grip on her clipboard tightened slightly. She hated seeing Haruka so worked up. It put a lot of strain on her already fragile heart. "Takamachi-san, we've only just returned from New York after just being sent there to apprehend Lord Kruger. I'm afraid we're all just tired."

"And Jet-lagged beyond comprehension." Dylan murmured.

Nanoha folded her hands neatly on the table top. The woman was young, far younger than the three of them, but she was a living breathing prodigy. She graduated top of her class at the FBI Academy at Quantico at only the age of nineteen. Her quick learning abilities allowed her to exceed even the highest of expectations, and awarded her the nickname, "the White Devil."

She was an extremely kind person who more often than not took the diplomatic approach to things, but wasn't afraid to resort to brute force if necessary.

"I know." Nanoha said apologetically. "But Lord Kruger can wait. We have a much bigger problem on our hands now." The young woman stood and pushed her chair neatly under her desk, striding over to the window where she gazed out at the beautiful skyline thoughtfully.

"This "Red Lotus" as they're called is causing quite a bit of trouble. Not only for the Yakuza, but the community as well. There have been a number of casualties in the last forty-six hours. And this has just surfaced." Nanoha retrieved a file from her desk and handed it to Haruka, who grudgingly opened it and proceeded to pour over the report.

"Chief Executive Officer of Searrs Enterprises John Searrs and his daughter Alyssa Searrs have gone missing. They were last seen enjoying a private dinner at the Wasabi Grill before witnesses say were "escorted" off by a group of men and women wearing red suits. Witnesses also say they heard cries of pain followed by loud screaming coming from the parking lot. A blood sample test found that the blood surrounding one of the vehicles belongs to Alyssa Searrs."

"What the hell would a bunch of two-bit gangsters want with a CEO and his daughter?" Haruka demanded.

"Money perhaps?" Nanoha shrugged. "Who knows. All I know is that we need to find them and put an end to this mayhem once and for all before anyone else gets hurt. Or worse - killed. I've already informed the StrikerS unit. They're on standby awaiting your orders."

Haruka gaped. The StrikerS unit was the most elite force in Japanese Law Enforcement, equivalent to the American FBI. "You're putting me in charge of the StrikerS?!"

Nanoha nodded. "You have the most experience dealing with these sorts of things. I trust your judgment above all else. I fear putting Signum or Fate in charge will result in more arguments than progress made. Those two are always at each other's throats." Nanoha's gentle demeanor brightened at the mention of her beloved wife.

They've been married for almost two years. Her wife, Fate, was apart of the legendary StrikerS unit that usually served under Nanoha's command. But she and her rival Signum had a habit of fighting each other rather than the opposing forces if she put one of them in charge.

Haruka's heart swelled up with pride, her violet eyes teeming with newfound determination. She clenched her fist and stared up at the ceiling, gaze fixed on nothing in particular. "I won't let this opportunity be in vain!" Haruka boomed. "The Brigadier will prevail!"

Yukino and Nanoha sweatdropped while Dylan uninterestedly flung a piece of earwax in no particular direction. "So, when do we move?"

"NOW!" Haruka barked, grabbing Dylan by the lapels of her jacket and tucking her under her arm like a laptop.

Yukino glanced at Nanoha. "You always lead the StrikerS."

"I know." Nanoha said. "But there's always a time when you need to just settle down and let someone else handle the reins." The beautiful brunette lovingly placed a hand on her belly, something Yukino noticed immediately.

"Are you…?"

"Yes."

"Congratulations, Takamachi-san!" Yukino whispered. "Does Fate know?"

"Not yet." Nanoha smiled. "But I plan on telling her soon."

"How, if I may ask?" Yukino inquired gently as to not cause offense.

"A brilliant woman by the name of Saeko Kruger's research made it all possible." Then, Nanoha's expression turned mischievous. "You know, it's not too late for you and…"

"T-Takamachi-san!" Yukino blushed furiously. She backed away slowly. "F-forgive me, but I must be on my way." And with that, the petite, mousy-haired woman darted out of the room, leaving the White Devil alone.

Nanoha giggled to herself and touched the picture of her and Fate centered on her desk. A few moments later, her gentle demeanor evaporated into a grim expression. She knew this particular mission was incredibly dangerous, which is why the Strikers were appointed for it. But she couldn't help but worry for Fate's safety. Her wife was one of the best of the best but anything could happen, especially when they were up against the unpredictable and elusive Red Lotus.

They didn't want another war like the one from almost two decades ago on their hands. That was one of the most tragic experiences in Japanese history right under the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the '09 tsunami. She prayed for a better outcome.

And she wasn't the only one either.

XXX

Uh-oh, Nagi must've spilled the beans, and now Natsuki and her family is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Will Miyu and the Yakuza come to their Lord's aid before it's too late or will Hiro Viola and the Red Lotus end an empire?

Will the Viola half-siblings be in for one bloody reunion? Will anyone be able to put a stop to Hiro's dark reign? And for the love of everything Shiznat, what does Nagi hope to accomplish?! Find out next time…

NRFTW update coming soon!