UNKNOWN COMPOUND.
A pale hand, with minimalist shaking in its otherwise steadfast actions, reached forth for the cup of herbal tea which was placed where it always was on the table just to his right. The genetically-given disease may be taking his sight and making him more frail with each passing month, but he had at least another four months before he could no longer read. As such, he chose to continue doing as much of the paperwork and perusing of the reports as possible before he could no longer directly, and literally, oversee his beloved organisation. Despite the protests of his children.
The other hand of his clutched some of those same reports, slowly reading over these ones for the more concerning attributes they held as he gently sipped his tea. Indeed, the only sign that the concern extended to the man was the slight downward mar in the wrinkles on his forehead, as the remainder of his expression remained in the composed and benign appearance it usually held. Other than that, the man dressed in the formal white robes remained sitting, sipping and quietly seeing the reports.
Five minutes later, the man finally seemed to move as he slowly put down his tea, gave a small sigh, before then gently raising the same hand with two extended fingers for a brief moment only as it then went to his lap. His summons were answered immediately, as a person dressed in a black, cloth uniform that extended down to their ankles had already crossed the room from their position of guarding the door as his hand was returned to his lap. The sheathed sword they carried at their hip gave a small clink as it made contact with the wooden floor as the uniformed figure knelt at the man's side, saying nothing as they awaited instead to be spoken to.
"I have instructions to give to a few of my children." The man stated with a gentle, quiet tone that the guard obviously had no problems hearing anyway as they gave a nod. "And to a couple of my Hashira."
That made the guard perk a bit, as any involvement with the so-called combat masters of the city was important business. "Please relay them, master." The guard responded with a patient tone.
"The Demon Virus that has started to infect the Southern districts has me worried." The man continued in the same tone, that nonetheless made the guard tense. It was not good if the master was worried. "Please kindly inform all those in any of the labelled 'red-zones' in the Southern districts that only those of rank Kanoe and above may remain there now, at least until we have more information available on the infected. My instructions to the Mist Pillar, Muichiro Tokito, is directly related to this. Please tell him he is to travel to a Southern red-zone of his choice, and to gather any preliminary data on the infected. His more stealthy briefing style should assist him in this endeavour - how he does this is of no consequence, but I would ideally like it within a week."
"Of course, master." The guard confirmed to the man, before then posing a question. "Did you have another set of instructions, too, master?"
"Yes, my child." The man answered with impeccable timing, as the entire time he had not once looked to the guard - but at the traditional painting on the wall. "Send word to the mission office that I want them to assign a mission of any rank to the Flame Pillar, Rengoku Kyojuro, so long as it is in the Cevar District. The Talon Syndicate there has become increasingly more active against my wishes and guidance, but I can ill afford to pull any of my children away from the violence in the Eastern Districts at the moment. The appearance of one of my strongest pillars there, however momentary, should quieten them long enough for me to have a solution in place before their rebellious actions rise again."
The guard gave another nod before pausing. "Do you wish for me to tell Mr Kyojuro this, my Lord?"
"No." Came the simple answer to the guard's inquiry as the man he knelt to finally looked to him with a soft smile. Angry, purple blotch marks covered the top of the man's head with a clear sign of the illness he was inflicted with, as light brown irises that seemed to be bleaching into the colour of pale white slowly made contact with the eyes of the guard. The misconfigurations seemed to hold no consequence in the man's demeanour, however, as the soft smile adorning his face conveyed a kind and caring complexion. "He's smart enough to figure it out himself." The man idly commented as he picked up the still-steaming cup of tea from the table, giving a singular stir with a spoon before relaying a final instruction. "You may take your leave now."
The guard did just that, straightening themselves up from where they knelt right into giving a bow to their master, before turning on their heel and exiting the room. The sliding mechanism on the traditional wooden doors built in the complex gave a soft whir as it was opened and closed, before the soft silence that suited the man just fine returned. It was just what he needed as thought and sipped in silence, as the thoughts in his head needed clairvoyance and orderly scheduling to provide a clear plan for the future.
One could not accuse Kagaya Ubuyashiki of not caring for his children.
INOISHIN DISTRICT, RESIDENTIAL FLAT.
Tanjiro was focused. Just as his master kept his equipment in the best condition it could possibly be, he did one better. It was how one strived to be the best - by being one better than their master, so then they could prove they were worthy. And when one proved they were worthy, they became the master - and thus the best.
Dark red irises glanced blankly to the weapon parts strewn across the low-lying table before him from where he sat on the sofa. Very dark burgundy hair to the extent that it looked to be a burnt-in red inhabited his scalp, tussled over and generally just kept to a medium length that was left to its own devices as long as it didn't get in his eyes. A crimson mark that seemed permanently carved into the skin of his forehead reached down from the top right from under the hair, shaped like an interwoven patch of scarred lines streaking for his right eyeball like a flame. A navy-blue t-shirt was worn whilst he was indoors, though he had put on the black, nylon gloves he always wore when handling his rifle for better grip and familiarity in his actions with the rifle.
"Are you ready, Tanjiro?" Came the bright and chipped-up voice from a tall man before him, that Tanjiro glanced to briefly before focusing back firmly upon the table. The man knelt down, revealing a hair of patterned orange and red that Tanjiro had often curiously wandered how it was such a thing could be natural, complete with piercing orange eyes that he knew very seldom missed something.
"Yes, master." The young adult of just nineteen responded, irises firmly set out on the parts of the rifle, stripped down on the table before him. They didn't waver as a hand placed a plastic timer down on the edge of the table in his vision.
"And it's been fully cleaned?" Came the simple, second question.
"You should know me by now." Came the response, a hint of determination in the quieter voice.
"Then you may begin as soon as I begin the timer!" The man's more booming voice made Tanjiro tense, before a pale finger pushed down the timers' button - and Tanjiro's own hand moved. Recognising the firing mechanism parts from long-time experience and familiarity, he'd already scooped up the firing pin hammer and slotted it into the according metal chamber before his eyes darted to the next familiar part in the strewn of scattered parts. It went accordingly so for the sequence of stripped-down weapon parts he'd already memorised the sequential list of, slotting the gas feeding pipe directly over the top of the barrel as one of the last parts.
Slamming down the cocking handle and snapping shut the dust cover, Tanjiro's hand shot out and halted the timer with sixty eight seconds on the clock. "Done." He simply announced, before leaning back into the chair as his proclaimed master stepped forth with a smile. Saying nothing, he merely picked up the now fully assembled rifle from the table, pointed it to a wall and pulled down the trigger. Hearing it give a hollow click, it was a simple matter to keep providing pressure to the trigger mechanism as the man performed a functions test. Cocking the weapon again, the man then simply released the trigger from where he held it - to hear another hollow click sound from within the chamber of the rifle.
"Good. Very good." The vibrantly-coloured haired man commented with a tone of proud bemusement, crossing his arms after having placed the rifle back down on the table with the safety applied. "Only five seconds off your best time. Your average grows better every day, Tanjiro, especially with your customised weapon."
The semi-automatic rifle, a stolen X-1 Gifuyu top-of-the-line model from the best contractor in the country, was indeed a customised job. Having been commissioned for Tanjiro by his master's contacts, it better suited Tanjiro's exact specifications as well as make it somewhat more lightweight for a young adult to wield around more adeptly. It wasn't that the rifle had been made any more deadly by the customisations done to it - but rather that it could be a lot more flexible. Flexibility with mounted rails for added modifications to the weapon was what made it deadlier.
A silencer put on an already deadened chamber was virtually undetectable in the right conditions and mindset.
"You got me the rifle, master." Tanjiro merely turned his head slightly to give a bemused smile to the man before him.
A short chuckle from the wider-smiling man made Tanjiro's own widen. "You'll never call me Rengoku, will you Tanjiro?" The now named Rengoku asked with a shake of his head, folding his arms in exaggerated exasperation.
Tanjiro picked up the X-1 rifle from the table as he attached a weapon sling to it which he immediately utilised in pulling the weapon over his shoulder, before standing up. The differences in height between the two men was instantly obvious, as Rengoku stood well above the six foot mark as Tanjiro stood quite a bit shorter at five foot ten. "Not so long as I'm able to." Tanjiro responded with a determined tone as he looked up to the man before him with a solid gaze. "You saved my life, before then continuing to help me with training and providing me with food and shelter. I owe you a debt that I shall continue to repay by being at your side."
Rengoku watched as his student began to move off towards the hallway, before making him stop dead in the middle of it as he asked another question. "And what happens upon the day I deem that debt redundant?"
Tanjiro merely looked back with a smile, the answer clear before he even spoke it. "Then you'll still need someone to watch your back, with the way you leap into fire!"
Rengoku's head shook with both muffled laughter and literal exasperation then, both from his student's stubbornness that he knew perhaps extended from the two years he'd trained under him, and the dig at his position as the flame Hashira. It only served to highlight the similarities and differences between master and student.
Unlike Tanjiro's perhaps obsession with maximising the efficiency and tactical set-up of a mission, Rengoku was different. Dressed instead in a suit of all things, it matched the black of Tanjiro's more tactical outfit for a differing reason to what the latter may have chosen, with only a red tie to stand out from the dark grey shirt and black blazer. The master and 'tsuguko', as Rengoku often affectionately called Tanjiro to his pupil's confusion, had similar styles due to the way the man liked to operate and style himself, and had thus tried to extend to his student. Focused more upon a stylish appearance that he could bring into battle without compromising the tactical set-up of his loadout, Tanjiro had known that this was just one of the many eccentricities that made up his master. Indeed, whilst Tanjiro wore a lot of black to blend into the shadows that he liked to hide in, Rengoku was the absolute opposite - he wore black to emphasise the blazing appearance of his hair and equipment.
Not that Tanjiro would ever be fooled by appearances - Rengoku was maybe smart in this regard. By appearing so impeccably dressed, it disguised the man very well on the streets as well as hid the bulletproof vest he wore under it. Despite Tanjiro's numerous suggestions, Rengoku always took the close combat role.
If Tanjiro was to say the first thing that came to mind about his master, it would be of the man's flair. His hair was styled to look just like the burning and shimmering fire his very sword style was created to emancipate - the very blade itself styled after fire with a sword guard of red, tattooed flames with a burning appearance right down the sword's metal. Known as one of the ten 'Hashira' - or combat masters of the city who were reputed to be the best, Rengoku Kyojuro took his style and appearance literally.
His pupil had once held fire in the scope to curiously watch his master fight in the evening sun - to watch the man literally cut a blazing trail right through a street gang using nothing but the dazzling reflections from the blade that seemed to endlessly flow. Not like water, but as in a superheated weapon that burned all before it out of its path.
Tanjiro's job often fell to 'keeping those who would put a dampener on his blazing fire' out of his master's way, as Rengoku had put it once.
The flame breathing style was a very sought-after style, and for good reason. As one of the five original elemental sword styles, it was a deadly style once mastered - which only three people knew. Rengoku, his father and Tanjiro - and Tanjiro knew that his master would rather commit Seppuku before ever allowing the family sword style instructions in the rather anonymous suburban house in the city to fall into another's hands. Rengoku's honour and pride were great, much greater than any monetary value that had been brought before him in trade for the valuable instructions.
ONE HOUR LATER.
"Tanjiro!" Rengoku called out from the living area of the flat as he didn't even bother to look behind him to see if his apprentice was coming. He knew that he was, and that was good enough - it didn't matter if he didn't know where Tanjiro was or what he was doing. His student had surpassed him long ago in matters such as stealth, as it wasn't his personal forte or interest. All he had to do was ask anyway.
"You called, master?" Came the quieter voice of his apprentice, making the man's eyes flicker to the right to see Tanjiro already standing there behind the second sofa, kind red eyes looking into eccentric blazing orange irises. So he'd been in the kitchen.
"Yes, I did Tanjiro!" Rengoku called out as he seemingly swept himself up from the sofa, before unrolling a map of the city onto the table before them both as Tanjiro walked closer to stand beside him. "We have a new mission, a commissioned job for us in the Cevar District."
"Who handed it down?" Tanjiro asked out of curiosity.
"The Slayer's mission office." Rengoku answered with an off-hand tone as his eyes perused the map, already knowing full well why his apprentice had asked that.
Tanjiro's face took on a brief, thoughtful appearance before turning back to it's considerate, normal expression. He'd have been much more serious if it wasn't for the fact that it was now clearly an easy contract - Hashira normally got missions from up top from those who controlled the criminal underground of the city. To get one from a mission office showed that it was not a mission that they needed someone's combat expertise for, and so it was undoubtedly just a request for Rengoku - an easy contract, by their standards.
"What's it about?" Tanjiro merely questioned as he now sat on the sofa, eyes now drifting to the map where his master's hand glided over the district in question, undoubtedly memorising it to its' last detail.
"Two small-time syndicate groups have organised an exchange of a box of goods." Rengoku answered as his finger now pointed to a specific alley in the back-end of the district, as Tanjiro's brain already began to analyse it. It was hidden from all view of the district, but it was also wide and most likely well-lit - they must be recently started syndicates. They clearly didn't trust one another, and didn't have established territory if they were negotiating on equal terms. "Eleven pm, tonight. We're to retrieve that box and deliver it back to the mission office. No other stated terms."
Tanjiro mused as he thought it over, thinking for a moment as Rengoku's amused eyes looked at him. He was thinking now, not too hard as it wasn't that hard, not just because it was his way of operating - but because he knew what his master was like.
"What do you think, Tanjiro?" Rengoku posed the question to his student, an amused, anticipatory expression on his face as he folded his arms whilst allowing time for Tanjiro to gather his thoughts.
A second passed, before Tanjiro brought his hands together in a contemplative pose and answered. "An easy contract, master." He simply stated to begin with, before explaining himself. "Recently started syndicates with likely no territory of their own. They are focusing upon defending themselves from trickery rather than a third party, unless there is watchers in the building windows surrounding the alley. Recommend I do just that whilst you take the ground level in the regular routine."
"Excellently put, my apprentice." Rengoku praised. "Yes, that will work just fine. Take your X-1 rifle to this vantage point on the roof of this building this time. There's a small mesh fence there that will provide you wish some obscurity. Wait for me to begin."
Tanjiro's eyes focused upon the building Rengoku had pointed to, and saw the advantageous principles of it for himself. Any watchers from the corresponding syndicates in any windows or rooftop positions would be easily spotted by himself at that point, and he'd just have to clear the building he'd be on before anything started so his master wasn't shot in the back. If it did start, he'd easily be able to dispatch a large amount of the syndicate shooters whilst his master cleared the ground level and secured the package.
Of course, on a rooftop position he would be exposed, but if what his master had said about fencing providing some camouflage to his position was correct; then he'd have time to dispatch of any enemy before they could pinpoint his location. Attaching a silencer to the weapon would further negate the element of being exposed.
That was if it started. Rengoku could very well just swoop in, knock out just a couple of enemies before disappearing through an exit, such was the movements granted by the breathing of the flame style. In which case, he'd just have to pack down his rifle and begone himself within the minute before their enemies tried to lockdown the surrounding alleys, and meet his master at the rendezvous point. But, his master could very well also decide that they should abolish the two new syndicates if it went against his principles of defending the innocent.
Such was the eccentrics of the flame pillar.
"The rendezvous point will be this small vegetable market on the other side of the district." Rengoku stated another point in the plan, as his finger moved swiftly across the district map to the left side of it. Looking at it, Tanjiro saw the instant defining factor of it that his master would've chosen it for - the underground access from it to the 'ratways', or the neutral travel grounds of the Slayer syndicate. Given how Rengoku often answered to the leader of the Slayers despite them being technically freelance, they were given a wide margin of free movement within such territory. "I shall wait at the cabbage stand."
Looking up, Tanjiro's face went dry with restrained annoyance as Rengoku's own expression became very amused, one step away from chuckling which the man was obviously restraining. He didn't appreciate the referenced inside joke.
TANJIRO'S ROOM, FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER.
Given it was a life that both master and student were constantly travelling and engaging in assignments with, the rooms of the safe house was accordingly stylised to be comfortable, but minimalistic. Only stocked big with supplies such as food, there existed only an emergency stash of supplies such as ammunition in a hidden place within the attic. It helped keep costs down in that they regularly only constantly updated Rengoku's favourite shelter with the supplies they needed, and for every other safe house took what they needed to it rather than rely on it for stocked supplies. It also helped keep the authorities at bay, for if they did discover the emergency stash, they would only suspect small-time syndicate players from only the couple of pistols stashed there rather than a full-on Hashira.
As such, Tanjiro's room was small. A single bed, wooden wardrobe and a desk with a chair. He couldn't keep track of how many rooms he'd slept in over the past two years had exactly the same set-up as this one, but he'd never complained. It was better than hotels, and a familiar set-up allowed for more fluent actions.
To this end, everything he ever needed was kept within the so called travel 'carry-on' backpack - large enough to hold everything he needed, but it would still be small enough to fit on the cabin of most airplanes. A good compromise for his needs. Thus, Tanjiro began the familiar actions of breaking down his rifle again, and now slotting each smaller piece into a tray on the desk as he sat in the chair, muzzle of the gun pointed up between his legs as his hands worked to take pieces off of it. As the 10x magnification sight was removed and placed in a larger part of his tray, the final pieces were also placed in other parts of it and the final three, large parts of the weapon were left connected. The barrel, weapon mechanism chamber at the back and complete bottom of the weapon, and the lockable top cover that held the gas parts and top modification rail in place.
Those three pieces were placed side-by-side next to the tray in the backpack, as everything else was light in the bag - travel tools, rations, water bottle and a small book among those. The important things, like phone and keys, were placed in his pockets.
"We move in ten, Tanjiro!" Rengoku's loud voice sounded throughout the flat, to which he didn't respond. He didn't like raising his voice, and his master had made clear what he considered to be disrespectful actions - which wouldn't be something he knew Tanjiro had heard.
Pulling on a black jacket, it was made mainly of the same thing as his trousers. Soft, durable material that could withstand the wear-and-tear of harsh usage, interlaced with reinforced, thin metal meshing to better give him protection before being finished with a final coating of weatherproof plastic. Though, the jacket had more of his own personalised style to it - with the soft lining fabric on the inside and other parts of the jacket where it stood out including the zip and wrist straps being coloured a dark, midnight green of his favourite colour. Two stripes up the outside of each arm as well as a small, chequered square pattern on the right shoulder utilised this colour scheme.
All that was left was a simple hat to place on the head. A perhaps cliché stealth outfit from the books he read, but it worked - especially when mesh lining was put in the hat. Not only did the visual recordings of the cameras in the green and yellow zones not capture him with a hat on to shield his face, but a mesh lining also helped to confuse and delay the other in-built devices in the cameras. Rengoku was by now well known to the authorities, but they did avoid most of the cameras - and were gone by the time authorities responded to a location, if they decided to at all. They did have bigger fish to catch with the recent demon virus outbreak, as well as Tanjiro had personally seen them have Rengoku on a lower threat list than some of the other Hashira, due to the way they operated.
They'd hardly tread on many toes at all if it wasn't for Rengoku's actions in trying to be a hero sometimes.
Emerging into the living area of the flat with the backpack slung over one shoulder, red irises looking towards Rengoku who was giving his sword a final polish before a potential battle, looking up as his apprentice entered the room. "Ah, Tanjiro." He spoke with a cheerful greeting. "Good, you're done. I've polished your sword as well, but you very likely will not need it."
"Thank you, master." Tanjiro answered to that as he accepted another held out sword, taking a polished black scabbard into his hands. The blade itself was a black deeper than that of the night sky, having been such a light-absorbing colour since it had passed into his hands as Tanjiro, though the rubber guard on the handle had red diamonds etched into it. Rengoku's own blade was much different, accordingly a crimson blade with a fire-styled sword guard and handle, with the scabbard itself being orange.
Attaching a sling to the sword, Tanjiro threw the cord sling first over the neck and shoulder before tucking the sword down the back confines of his jacket in order to hide it out from plain sight. It was illegal to have any weaponry in the city, after all, let alone the rifle he carried and the dual pistols Rengoku had - so it was kept out of sight. It wouldn't, of course, fool any of the metal detectors in government or large public buildings, but it would inconspicuous on public transport.
Rengoku's own method of hiding his weapons was much better than his own. The scabbard was hidden behind his back in the suit he was now wearing, but the flame pillar had previously let his grievances about not being able to access his sword be known. Thus, the metal briefcase he carried had been customarily designed for himself - being able to insert the sword specially down into the briefcase diagonally so only the handle stuck out. Given that it was designed to look like it was holding sports equipment, it would hold up to any outside visual inspections - but not to any that asked for it to be opened of course.
Given how they had to avoid police patrols and cameras due to Rengoku's known face anyway, it wasn't like it was an extra concern.
"OK!" Rengoku flamboyantly announced as he stood straight up from the sofa in an instant, twirling his crimson sword around to then sheath into the special briefcase, before looking to Tanjiro with alight, orange irises. "Let us move then!"
CEVAR DISTICT.
The Cevar district was the closest yellow district to the flat they had previously been in, and so they had caught the bus heading that way. Being driven down the main street, Rengoku pushed the stop button so they got off at the stop just before the Cevar bus station, which undoubtedly had a few cameras in it. They were lucky that given the dilapidated state of the public transport network in the outer districts of the city, nobody ever cared to stop Rengoku if they did recognise him - nor were there cameras on the buses.
"Cevar fruit and vegetable market." The automated voice on the bus announced as the bus slowed to a crawl on the side of the road.
"Thank you!" Rengoku announced loudly to the bus driver who didn't even react to that, but Tanjiro knew that his master didn't care as they both just stepped off of the bus and walked right into the market. It was a small place, set up within an empty square space perhaps just twenty metres wide, but nonetheless held all of the essentials the families in the district needed. Half the stalls had closed already at the time getting close to 8pm, with a good amount looking to be packing up, but there was still a few open as Rengoku walked right up to a fresh fruit stand.
Flicking an apple up out of the box and throwing it to Tanjiro, he took another out for himself before fluidly placing an entire note of money on the stand for just two apples and walking off without a word before the stand owner could even speak. Tanjiro, by now however, was well used to it as he just bit into the apple, waiting for the flame pillar to get to whatever point he undoubtedly wanted to state.
"Right, Tanjiro!" Rengoku suddenly announced to his student beside him as red irises snapped to meet his own. "Here is the rendezvous point. This stand here." They were indeed beside a stand that obviously sold cabbages, as a few were still left on display on the now vacated stall, but it was obvious the owner didn't care from the rotting state of the vegetables. "Meet back here in two hours. I have a contact I wish to meet in this district, which is why we got here three hours before the meet up point."
With that, he had already turned around and began to walk off back through the market, making Tanjiro tilt his head slightly in curious thought, before shrugging and slinking to a dark corner of the place. Finishing off the apple which was thrown into a bush, he took off his backpack and reached into it to retrieve two items - a professional harness of his size, and a hand-carved mask. Shrugging on the harness and clipping it together over his torso, he then turned the mask he had in his possession towards himself.
Rengoku had said it came from a good friend, passing it into Tanjiro's possession as it contained a 'protective charm' that was meant to protect him. A hand-carved mask of great quality and value, it was a plain white warding mask that contained red highlights around the eyes and triangular ears. Shaded black eyes with plain white irises and a carved black mouth completed the fox-shaped mask that was said to bring good luck - a Kitsune mask.
Attaching it to his face, he merely took a second to adjust to the familiar, slightly restrictive view that in some ways helped his perception to focus on what he wanted, before looking up to the top of three storey buildings surrounding the market. Taking out a spool of flexible metal wire that wound within a plastic mechanism housing on the front of the harness, the grapple hook on the front of it was launched upwards to snag on the rooftop edge. A couple of tugs on the line ensured its stability, before he began to climb upwards using window ledges and other purchases on the buildings in the corner of the market.
Fox. That was his public moniker. Unlike Rengoku who was flamboyant in style, fashion and sometimes publicity when he wanted it, Tanjiro wanted none of such things. That was why he wore the mask and partly why he wore such dark clothing - he didn't wish to stand out. It had worked, given how every wanted poster or list that carried his moniker on it contained few descriptive details about him but rather his style and mask. It also labelled him as a 'partner' rather than apprentice to Rengoku, showing the thinking of the city authorities in labelling him a separate criminal. It worked for them.
Reaching the top of the rooftops, he hauled himself over the top whilst grabbing the grappling hook on the way before just crouching close to the edge. Taking a moment to look over the scenery, he noted the approximate time of perhaps 8.15 now given the recent sunset - the early autumn giving way to sooner nights as a thin layer of red still graced the evening sky as he faced the west. Turning east towards the market, the night sky that now faced him was darkening with the setting of the sun - currently an almost dark royal blue that contained the twinkling of the few stars bright enough to combat the still luminescent atmosphere.
Looking down, he saw as the remainder of the market was now in the final stages of packing down. Obviously with some wanting to be away by 8.30, differing stall owners were carrying either boxes of produce to awaiting vans, or took down banners and parts of stands to take away with them. Knowing it would still be at least busy until 9, Tanjiro shifted his posture so that he rotated his legs from crouching to sitting fully on the edge of the rooftop to let his legs swing free in the breeze that even ruffled his crimson hair somewhat. Pulling out his phone, he knew he'd picked a good spot to burn time with as the sky darkened and the stars slowly emerged.
THREE HOURS LATER.
Kyojuro Rengoku stood in the shadow of the curtains, using only the tip of his left index finger to hold the fabric at bay just enough to see part of the alley without exposing himself. He could plainly see the exact point for which the exchange was to take place, with nine unmarked boxes of goods clearly placed on a table - exactly why he had chosen the vantage point he was in.
Approximately twelve enemies were close to the table holding the boxes, ten of which looked to be from the syndicate providing the goods for the exchange, and the remaining two being allowed for a close-up look. His mindset, though, was reflected in the confused and partly doubtful faces of the two syndicate members being allowed a close-up look. He'd been informed that there was one box of goods, and from the looks of it, so had the other syndicate.
There could be any number of reasons as to why there were nine boxes, but he wasn't particularly interested in it right then as he switched over to the other side of the curtains. He knew he could contact Tanjiro for a sit-rep of the situation, but there was no point in that when could see nearly all of the wide alley where it was taking place from where he was. Besides, words would never direct him to where he needed to strike his sword in time. He continued to sweep the alley, but a doubt began to creep into his mind.
ALLEY ROOFTOPS.
Having already taken care of two window watchers from the building he was now atop of, Tanjiro had found the perfect spot. A small gap in a piece of the steel mesh fence ringing the edge of the rooftop was a perfect spot to stick the gun muzzle through with room to turn it, whilst also camouflaging metal with metal in what little light reached the upper storeys of the buildings.
Looking through the magnified scope of the X-1 rifle, he merely took stock of the situation. He'd noticed the multiple boxes already instead of the singular, but he wasn't particularly interested in that at the moment - more in the targets he was lining up to see what they were doing. What they were holding, where they moved, and on what side they stood. What weapons they had, how far the guns were from reach of their hands, and how tense each individual was - that was always a good indication of who'd shoot first.
Details. That's what made a sniper good at their craft - the individualistic factors that made up the small pictures and paints so that the entire art could be envisioned in the mind. Failure to keep track of what your enemies did outside of the scope just might mean they slip away - or worse, have you in theirs.
"Something isn't right here..." Rengoku's voice muttered over the radio, making Tanjiro think for a second in that his master could actually be quiet when he wanted to. "Tanjiro, scan the boxes over with your rifle. Give me something."
Inhaling through the constant, total concentration breathing technique again to keep his focus, Tanjiro merely shifted his rifle an inch to swing the muzzle and sights to point towards the boxes. The soft breeze in the night wind across the rooftop was the only outside noise he heard rustling in his hair as he slowly flicked a switch on the side of the weapon sights, sending the real-time magnified view into a bloom of blacks, whites and oranges. Blobs that formed intrinsically lined shapes according to their heat and light emissions in shades of white, orange and patches of red against the black background lit up; as Tanjiro carefully surveyed the differing boxes.
A couple of fingers from his left hand pressed to the radio in his ear as the right hand kept the rifle sights tightly pressed to the eye hole of the mask, as Tanjiro began to speak. "The box on the second the from the far left..." He quietly intoned into the mask, taking a second to keep the sights locked onto the aforementioned box. "It either contains electronic components... or still alive organic material. The material is too small to confirm either way."
"Understood." Came the response over the radio, before it cut out and Tanjiro returned both hands to the rifle. A minute longer was spent looking over the area with the heat filter activated on the rifle, to memorise the locations of each potential target - before he flicked it off. It had always been his personal preference to take out his targets with no filter activated on the sights - cleaner, as well as he could get an actual view of the contextual situation. You couldn't tell what an enemy was holding if it was just an orange blob, after all.
The wind continued to rustle as Tanjiro heard shouting emerge from within the alley, carefully training the scope overlay on both leaders of the syndicates that were close to one another. From the way it was getting more confrontational, it was clear that the syndicate on the receiving end of the exchange thought they'd been tricked by whatever method had been employed with the multiple boxes instead of singular. Either it was a method of protection for the actual box of goods, or it really was a dupe.
Either way, it wasn't his problem. His job was to be the sniper who chose the strategic targets, and those who could actually threaten his master during his close combat. It was a weakness to be blatantly in the open, but that also drew out those who wished to take a shot at his master - who would then be in his sights.
The signal burst into his ear then in the form of a bit of static emit over the radio, which he reacted instantly to - the safety was flicked off at once as his face straightened to look the best he could through the scope. Time slowed down as white, visibly streamed trails of air sucked into his mouth in another inhalation of the total concentration breathing technique, left eye closing harder with visible creases in the skin as minute movements in his right hand on the handle of the rifle perfectly aligned both syndicate leaders in the scope overlay. Slowly putting pressure on the trigger at the same time as he breathed in, reacting at the apex of drawing in breath to heighten his state of mind and reflexes was when he properly applied pressure to the trigger to carry it past the critical point.
Both syndicate leaders fell to a headshot, scope overlay moving almost immediately right to line up with the central torso of the obvious second-in-command of one of the syndicates who had just flinched and recoiled away from the crimson blood that had just splattered their face. They didn't have to worry much longer, as an instant shot through the heart ended every thought they had - Tanjiro being able to see the body beginning to flop to the floor before the guiding right hand swung the weapon left to another target.
Two more shots fell into the now disorganised mass of what had previously been the shouting but otherwise neutral designated meeting point of two syndicates. Chaos now ensued as each side believed the other to have betrayed the deal - undoubtedly what his master had planned in order to soften up both sides as Tanjiro fired another shot. Gunfire blazed in the darkness of the night, criminals on both sides of the alley drawing pistols to aim and quickly begin lobbing shots at one another. A free-for-all in every sense of the phrase as Tanjiro watched what was most likely friendly fire take care of his chosen target, as he then dispatched the gunman who'd shot their own second-in-command before they lived to regret it.
The loud cracks and retorts of discharging guns covered up his own vantage point perfectly, deliberately ignoring the three gunmen in the windows around the alley as he saw they hadn't seen him yet. They were perfectly positioned themselves to cause more chaos in the firefight in the alley beneath them, as the yellow, momentary and flickering eruptions of light followed by the loud retorts of discharging noise joined his own. Though, his hadn't been spotted yet due to the precaution Tanjiro had taken in attaching a silencer - deadening the shot to even a quiet, muted metal echo in his own ears as the light that came from the barrel of his own sniper rifle was momentary and dull.
That was about to change, however, as he immediately swung his rifle to the syndicate watcher in the building on the right, which had the best view of the door his master had chosen as a point to breach the alley from. The closest enemies did not matter - Rengoku could cut them down in moments. It was those from a distance that were more his job. Sure enough, he heard his master blaze through the door with a gunshot from the heavy pistol he carried and an exclamation of a breathing form before the orange light of some fire technique filled the alley when he employed a sword manoeuvre. Everyone knew Rengoku was here now, and they'd know he was here too when he would take out two of the three window watchers and the third would likely pinpoint his muzzle flash before he could turn the sights on them.
Such was their job.
Two more deadened shots claimed the watchers in the building on the right, as he then hastily swung the rifle on its bipod to the building on the left - and flinched as he pressed himself lower to the floor as the smack of a bullet hit the mesh fence above his head. He'd been right - they had pinpointed his location, but a pistol was not accurate over the mid-long range they were fighting between - his was. Accordingly, as soon as two seconds had passed without any further shots close by to him, his eye was back to the scope and aligning it exactly with the clearly inexperienced gunman in the window. Experienced syndicate criminals would know not to leave their heads exposed so much to a sniper - as he expended the last shot in the magazine in a headshot to the last watcher.
Rengoku, meanwhile, had decided upon taking care of the entirety of both syndicates. It was a shame, but a necessity - the shouting between the two syndicate leaders showed how vivaciously greedy they were, as well as how close they were to shooting over just one box of goods. Such unrefined control was never good for anyone, innocent or the bigger syndicates, and so it was better to take care of them. Signalling Tanjiro, to first take a few shots to spread disorder and chaos between both sides, it was but thirty seconds later that he made his entrance.
Kicking open the fire door from the left building of the alley, the syndicate gunman immediately before him was dispatched with an unaided shot to the torso from his pistol - it was a heavy enough calibre that he a torso strike would down anyone. The person next to them was also accordingly knocked down in a similar fashion, the smell of burnt cordite briefly filling Rengoku's nose as his eyes darted the scene momentarily. His two shots had gone unnoticed in the full-out firefight now raging in the alley, proving Tanjiro had done a good job - and that he could do his next move. Spinning it in his right hand, the pistol took but a second to stuff in a big enough pocket as the left hand drew his sword from its metal scabbard.
"Third form - blazing universe!" He called out stylishly as he leapt from the raised step of the fire door right into the midst of a syndicate criminal who was stooping behind a metal dumpster as a piece of cover. It didn't matter for Rengoku as the blazing fire-like light that overcame his sword carved downwards and straight through flesh and bone as he exhaled from the breathing technique he utilised. Swiftly ducking as two gunshots from a criminal three metres sailed over his head, inhaling once more as he smoothly transitioned to the second form as his right foot quickly dragged itself through the gravel of the alley to bend behind himself.
It wasn't that the differing breathing styles allowed their users to travel faster than bullets - but rather elevated the focus, reflexes and other attributes of the breath users to such levels that they reacted faster and stronger than any other human. As such, so long as the breath user was aware of their surroundings, it wasn't that they outran bullets in combat situations - but rather moved faster than their opponents could pull or train their guns on them. That was exactly what Rengoku did as he sprang forth from his crouched position.
'Second form - rising scorching sun!' His mind seemed to speak as his mouth was busy focusing on the breathing style, no matter how much his eccentrics wished to flamboyantly announce his presence. A blazing orange mirage of flames overcame the sword once more as the image of fiery death swept over the second gunman from where Rengoku sprang upwards with the sharp edge oft he blade swiping ever round and up to carve through anything in its path.
"It's the flame Hashira!" Came the shout of another criminal behind Rengoku as he turned his face to the right to see three criminals at once scramble from cover to aim at him - and he reacted accordingly before they could even lift their arms.
The sword seemed to 'click' in the double-handed posture he held it in to reach out before his front, facing the left in an upwards diagonal motion with the sharp edge toward the ground. "Fourth form - blooming flame undulation!" He happily announced this time, and disappeared in a burst of unrecognisable speed and a flash of orange - before reappearing the next instant later in the midst of the three gunmen in what seemed to be teleportation with a thunderclap.
Instead, it had been a blazing burst of speed - the flaming linear trail of Rengoku's sword still leaving an afterimage burnt into the retina of all those that watched. The flaming arc of his sword slashed from the position ten metres away in the alley where he had been to the tornado it had become in the midst of the three criminals. Three spiralling strikes in a downward, circular motion was part of the afterimage to show that he had both decapitated and slashed his enemies in half twice more in a display of excessive strength.
Exhaling, he didn't even have to look as the head of the fourth enemy that had been unfortunately outside of his sword technique's reach exploded in a mist of red before the pistol in their hands could be lifted halfway up to where he stood. With an amused smirk, Rengoku lifted his sword once more - and shifted back into the second form as the metal blade began to light up orange again as he breathed in once more.
The remainder was over in the next thirty seconds.
Tanjiro watched through the scope as he started to play the role of close fire support, having taken care of all the more distant enemies as his master had dispatched of all the enemies in the lower half of the alley closest to his building. The flaming visage of his master's arcing sword was much more visible to him than any of their opponents as he used the concentration breathing technique himself to heighten his own reflexes and focus. However, it was still faster than he could produce with his own skill set, but in this instance it was negated by the fact that he could use a projectile weapon rather than a close combat weapon than the sword.
The minute and perfective touches on the handle of the rifle was all that was required to keep his master in view of the scope occasionally, just straying around in a circular motion to dispatch of all enemies Rengoku did not immediately go for. The blazing orange of the sword was a big teller to when he did disappear in a technique, as he quickly shot two enemies behind a low brick wall that his master had had to bypass to get to a bigger group of syndicate gunmen. The kickback of the rifle into the padded jacket on his shoulder didn't phase him, instead watching as Rengoku literally threw one man over a metal bin with a mere backhand from the strength given to him by the flame style.
The enemy was shot in the torso as soon as they flopped first to the floor, before the scope zoomed away back to the flaming trail of his master.
Rengoku stood over the last syndicate criminal left alive, sword held aloft as blazing orange irises burned into the scared brown eyes of the shaking woman on the floor. Undoubtedly Tanjiro had already swept the rest of the alley numerous times for any remaining enemies, and came up negative if the signal was anything to go by. A steadfast, red laser dot was firmly on the forehead of the trembling woman, as the signal that she was the last alive and allowing him to focus his full attention to her as he trusted Tanjiro to watch his back in case of otherwise.
"Tell me, who are you meant to be?" Rengoku suddenly asked aloud then, the woman noticeably flinching as his loud voice disturbed the silence of the alley ever since the retorts of shots had faded away.
The man frowned as the woman suddenly turned onto her side and vomited right onto the floor, no doubt right out of her mind in fright and other emotions. Given how young she was, combined with no visible holster or weapon on her, Rengoku could only imagine she was the delivery woman to exchange the box between both sides. With that, his morals reached a forked path - he couldn't just let a criminal belonging to a syndicate they'd just destroyed like her go, but from appearances alone she was also a non-combatant in all of this.
His brain reached a decision as the wails of sirens started to reach the confines of the alley, suggesting the police were but a minute off as blue and red light started to flicker from the street entrance to the confines. Quickly reverse-striking the criminal with the hilt of his sword to knock her unconscious, he left her where she lay for the police as he instead disappeared using the granted speed of a breathing technique - right to the second-to-last box on the left.
"Tanjiro, go! Rendezvous point!" He shouted into the radio on his ear, not awaiting any answer as he instead had already sheathed his sword and grabbed the small box into his arms - and vanishing through the open fire door he'd first emerged from.
Tanjiro, meanwhile, obeyed his master instantly. There was obviously no time to pack down his rifle this time as the police must've arrived quicker than the flame pillar had anticipated for this time - so he just had to go instantly. Taking but a second to secure his sword back into his sheath at his side from where it had laid, unused the entire time, on the floor, before grabbing the rifle in its entirety by the barrel in his left hand. Grabbing the securing hook from the easy access point on his belt, he dashed the twenty metres to the zipline he'd set up - and snapped the hook right over the rope line. Tightening it, he pushed right off down it to where it was attached to the tree on the ground below.
Using a gloved hand to reach out and grab a branch from where the harnessed hook collided with the tree and stop himself from swinging out the other side in suspended animation, he quickly found purchase on a steadfast branch below. Letting go of the branch in his right hand, he merely unsheathed the sword from his side and instantly cut the rope so he was able to jump right off from where it was attached - fluidly transitioning into a rolling sword technique as the ground ten metres below rushed to meet him.
The sword absorbed most of the energy of the fall from where it cut right into the dirt with the second form technique of the flame breathing technique as Tanjiro landed - before then uprooting the completely undamaged sword and taking off into a sprint. Sheathing the sword as he ran, he merely took the rifle from his left so that he held the weapon close to the torso with both arms. Secure in that he had all his equipment, he blended into the darkness without having to slow once in the dead sprint he enacted - the total concentration breathing technique but child's play for both master and student as they ran to meet up on the other side of the district.
INTURAI DISTRICT, CENTRE CITY.
Back at the flat which operated as the 'staging post' for the master and pupil's main base of operations, Rengoku gave a happy hum as he set his sword down by the armchair and sat into it. Putting his feet up and grabbing the remote for the window blinds, he set the mechanised system to fully allow the hustle and bustle of the city below them to be viewed from their vantage point. He didn't like to live too luxuriously, but the flat they rented out in Tomogai Towers was his favourite for the convenience it offered and excellent benefits like the view before them that made it one of the best residential places in the city.
His musing was cut short as Tanjiro appeared beside him, already holding out a steaming box of a convenience dinner. Tanjiro knew just how his master liked his dinners - fresh and prepared with lots to eat, as well as carrying all of the essentials the human body required. Which was why they never got takeout - if it was too late to cook something, then there was always a small stash of convenience dinner boxes in the fridge that he approved of to microwave.
"Ah, thank you Tanjiro!" Rengoku voiced with a happy tone, like he was truly glad for his pupil's actions and the respite he was having currently. "You treat me too well!"
"It's just dinner, master." Came the quiet tone from the young adult, as he took a second box and sat down at the sofa which was away from the window, and instead faced the television. Rengoku would've been bothered by the more introvert tendencies of his pupil, but he'd experienced this for two years now - he knew it was just Tanjiro. Losing your memory perhaps didn't help, either, but he saw the progressive signs in his student - he strived not only to impress him, but to also be better than him; - and he'd have it no other way.
Tanjiro was fully capable of his own actions and thinking too, as he merely sought to impress and prove his worthiness to Rengoku - not his undying adoration of the man. If that had been the case, then he'd have long ago proved himself unworthy. As proved by the fact that Tanjiro treated Rengoku's home as if it was his own, as he did fairly earn his own share of the money they got from missions. It was just convenient for the both of them that Rengoku, as the more experienced of the two of them in matters such as finances, was left to handle the money and other such factors.
The television got flicked on as Tanjiro sat and merely enjoyed his dinner. Set to the news, he watched for the wider events that occurred in the city rather than the more specific incidents that affected them that his master heard about from his mission sources.
"The Demon Virus has continued to spread slowly within the Red Zones of the city, including the recently labelled red zone of the Hashigara District. Residents of the city are once again reminded of the strict laws of the city to keep them safe - including of the 9pm curfew and the inability to access the Red Zones without special passes...' The news droned on, as Tanjiro just watched it with limited interest.
More interesting topics in his mind included that of which Rengoku had shown him that made the authorities' efforts look like jokes at times. It wasn't that his master disliked the authorities per se - indeed, they had done a couple of missions which had actually helped healthcare workers with badly needed supplies - but the chaotic state of the city meant there was a lot of gaps. The Red Zones may be heavily militarised, but they could be accessed with just a modicum of difficulty if you knew where to look. The sewer tunnels for instance, labelled mainly on construction plans that didn't reach the local government after the chaos started, was perhaps one of the few things that united the criminal elements of the city together. Mostly neutral grounds (albeit with a hand always close to a weapon), not one criminal swore to tell the government of their continuing existence.
"In good news, the District of Gerawa has now been declared a Green Zone after government forces cleared out the local syndicate there. The military presence there has accordingly been scaled back...' The TV was interrupted as Rengoku craned his head slightly to look to Tanjiro as he heard that.
"Tanjiro!" He called, making him look over at once. "Did you look through our stockpile of essentials?"
"Yes, master." Tanjiro replied, before delivering just what Rengoku wanted to hear - what they were running low on. "We are running low on Wisteria and antiviral medication, as well as the .45 ammunition your pistols use. We also only have enough ration food for eight days on missions."
A small frown covered Rengoku's face as he thought on that, before it disappeared as he nodded in thought. "Well, my apprentice, it looks like we will have to go shopping! Remind me tomorrow that we need to go visit my family, as well as take a trip through the Gerawa District underground."
"Of course, master." Tanjiro responded, getting a smile and complimentary gesture from Rengoku. The both of them knew that the syndicate mentioned on the news for the Gerawa District was merely the small-time drug dealers who operated out of there. There was little chance that Shinobu's Butterfly mansion and it's corresponding neutral grounds and thriving black market would be caught out when there were much bigger fish for the authorities in the city.
"Thank you, Tanjiro!" Rengoku announced happily then as he nodded to his pupil. "We shall hand in the box for the contract at Miss Kocho's Butterfly Mansion then, and collect our payment there. It will be good to see her again!"
Cocking his head slightly at the difference in his master to the other Hashira, he only nodded. Having met a few of the pillars already as a tsuguko, he knew that Rengoku was the odd one out in declaring it would be good to see the other 'combat masters' of the city. As most of them led a syndicate of their own design, they accordingly treated each other with some form of strict structure. Despite all being kept under check of the master of the city, head of the Slayers Syndicate, quite a few of them were not allies - they were just neutral.
That's what always made it somewhat more exciting to be on their territory. They could do it as Rengoku was a fellow pillar, and he was always classified as 'weird' by them - a form of private amusement to Tanjiro.