Keigo searched for months to find Hanako, praying for any sign of her or the people that took her, but it was looking more and more hopeless. He had many sleepless nights and work relentlessly. Ryushi did his best to take care of the office work while Keigo was in the field, but even he had difficulties easing the hero's mind. Keigo worked with numerous other heroes and the local police- which they had thoroughly investigated and arrested all imposters within the department- but even then there was little to no sign or whisper of Hanako or the Yakuza's leader. That is, until nearly six months after Hanako's disappearance.

Word came to the Hawks Agency that the leader of the Yakuza in Fukuoka had been spotted in the Sawara-ku Ward with an armed guard, and amongst them was a woman with silvery eyes. Keigo jumped into action, getting together everyone who was available in the city and prepared for an assault on the Yakuza base of operations.

Keigo and the others hurried to the Sawara-ku Ward, fanning out and searching the area for any recent signs of the Yakuza or of Hanako.

An hour or so went by and everyone called in on their radios or earpieces to report in. As the reports come in, Keigo crouched atop a building and looked around- feeling a strange yet familiar presence.

He spotted a woman in a black jacket with her hood up and he watched her a moment, seeing a familiarity in the way she moved as she walked around the somewhat crowded street.

"Hawks, nothing on our end here, but Kusabi spotted a woman with silvery eyes wearing a black hooded jacket, black face mask."

Keigo's heart began to race when the woman turned and looked around, noting her silvery eyes peeking over the black face mask she wore. "Yeah, I see her, too." Keigo tapped his earpiece. "I'm going to take a closer look. Have Kusabi and his squad start moving in closer."

"Understood, sir."

Keigo started making his way after the woman, wanting so badly to be right about his suspicions. A wind blew through the streets, bringing a floral scent towards him. 'That's...' He took off after the woman when she made a break for it after she spotted Kusabi and his men closing in. She tried to lose them in the crowd as it began to grow, but Keigo was gaining on her quickly and followed her down an alleyway as she broke away from the crowd.

"Kusabi, move in."

"Understood, sir."

Keigo landed in the alleyway and looked around, his heart pounding. 'It's her, I know it is!' He followed the alleyways and streets until he spotted an inconspicuous looking building- the woman slipping inside just as he came around the corner.

"What's the play here, sir?"

Keigo barely glanced at Kusabi as he and his squad joined him. "That was Hanako, I'm sure of it. We need to find and apprehend the leader of the Yakuza and given the intel we've received, there's a good chance that she'll be with him."

Kusabi nodded and started issuing orders to his squad as Keigo looked for a better vantage point and higher point of entry.

Inside, the woman that Keigo and the others had followed stood before the leader of the Fukuoka Yakuza. "Master Shigeki, Hawks and the police are here."

Shigeki smirked and looked at her with interest. "Oh? Good, they've finally found us then." He stood and chuckled. "About time, I was beginning to get bored."

"What are your orders?"

"They'll probably storm the building, try to apprehend as many Yazkua members as they can while searching the building for me, and Hawks is bound to come straight for you, my dear Hanako," Shigeki lifted the woman's chin, "and take you back by force. I say let them try."

And just as he spoke those words, the doors burst open and shattered into pieces.

"See? I was correct," Shigeki said, looking towards the doors as a group of people entered. "Welcome, friends!"

"Cut the crap, you're all under arrest." Kusabi pointed his gun at Shigeki.

Shigeki looked at the one who spoke. "Oh?"

"I'm going to give you a choice: hand over Hanako Itami and surrender, and we'll go easy on you, or we can do it the hard way."

Shigeki regarded them with amusement. "Interesting. To be honest, I'd love to see you try."

"Enough with the games, Shigeki Fukuhara."

Shigeki looked over as Keigo came to stand on the balcony, perched on the banister. "Ah, Hawks, good. I was wondering where you were hiding." He smirked and draped an arm around the woman's shoulder as he turned his gaze to her. "You remember Hawks, don't you?"

Keigo shifted his gaze and his eyes widened when the woman let Shigeki pull down her mask to reveal who she was. "Hanako...!"

"I've grown rather fond of Hanako," Shigeki said, grinning darkly at him. "It did take a little persuading to get her to cooperate, though."

"I will not say this again," Kusabi shouted, "hand over Hanako Itami and surrender, or we will have to force you to."

Shigeki sighed. "You're all so boring. Well, then perhaps things will have to go the hard way after all." He looked at Hanako. "Would you deal with these morons, my dear?"

"Of course, Master Shigeki."

"Good girl, start with him," Shigeki said, pointing to Keigo.

Keigo heard a rumble sounding around him and took to the air as thick vines coiled themselves around the balcony where he had just been. He looked back at Hanako but was caught off guard by her lunging forward, attacking him with a speed and force she hadn't had before.

"Kusabi, take care of the Yakuza!" he ordered, then lured Hanako away from the others since Hanako was posing the greatest danger at the moment to them.

"Hanako, it's me!" Keigo tried calling out to her. "Wake up already!"

All hell broke loose and while Kusabi and his squad dealt with the Yakuza, and Keigo was distracted with Hanako, Shigeki took the opportunity to slip away. He didn't get very far though before the other local heroes found him and his bodyguards. The sounds of battle shook the building, some walls shattering either from Hanako's attacks or someone slamming into them.

Keigo tried to avoid Hanako's attacks, weaving back and forth as she shot vines and roots at him, but he was running out of room and he didn't know how much longer he could play defense. He didn't want to hurt Hanako, but subduing her and freeing her from whatever hold Shigeki had over her was going to be difficult. Hanako's vines and roots proved to be a powerful weapon, the thick projectiles limiting Keigo's range of movement and the buds on the vines exploding when they flowered.

'She must have been training all this time with that prick,' he thought, ducking underneath a thick root as it snaked towards him. He shook the thoughts of admiration from his mind, for the time being, trying to remain focused on how he could get to Hanako without hurting her.

Using his feathers to cut through the vines and roots, Keigo started hacking his way towards Hanako- sending a few of his feathers around and behind Hanako, in hopes that he could subdue her quickly before she could attack him again.

Hanako stood at the center of her vines, the plants lashing out like vipers. The feathers he sent around and behind her weaved their way through the vines and snagged her jacket sleeves, yanking her back until she was pinned against the wall behind her. Hanako struggled against the feathers, but Keigo had angled the feathers in such a way that they pierced her sleeves right under her wrists- preventing her from pulling her arms out of the jacket and freeing herself.

Keigo dove down when a window opened as her vines subsided a moment, and he took Hanako's face in his hands.

"Hanako, it's me, you have to wake up!"

Hanako struggled repeatedly, her vines whipping wildly against Keigo and anything else in their way.

Keigo's chest tightened, seeing her eyes glazed over as though she was hypnotized. "Hanako, please..! Come back to me..!"

"She's under my control until I release her, Hawks," Shigeki called, laughing and spitting out blood as he was dragged over by one of the heroes.

Keigo glared at him a moment, then turned his attention back to Hanako. "Hanako, please..." he begged, pressing his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. "Wake up, come back to me..."

Kusabi and the others watched as Keigo started talking about things that he and Hanako had done together- one of the heroes punching Shigeki when he tried to mock him- and noticed that the more he talked, the more her vines and roots subsided until finally- after what seemed like hours- they stilled entirely.

Keigo could see the fog lifting from Hanako's mind as a familiar glimmer in her eyes started to come back. "Hanako..?"

Hanako blinked a few times and groaned slightly. "What...?" She looked up at Keigo and he could see recognition in her eyes. "K-Keigo...?"

Keigo sighed with relief, offering her a smile. "Hey, beautiful, been a while."

Hanako could feel her mind clearing and felt more like herself than she had for a long time. She looked around. "What's going on..?" she asked, then spotted Shigeki and his retinue in cuffs and seated on the floor with guns pointed at them. "That's..."

"He's the one who ordered your kidnapping," Keigo explained, pulling the feathers restraining her free. "We're been trying to find him for nearly six months."

Hanako rubbed her wrists a moment and looked up at him. "Six months..?"

Keigo nodded, looking her over a moment before a medic came rushing over. "I'll explain everything later, I promise."

Hanako nodded, then let the medic start looking her over. 'I've been gone for six months...?' She watched Keigo make his way over to the other heroes and the police officers, seeing dozens of feathers scattered all over the place along with thick vines and roots, and rubble throughout the large room. 'What happened..?'