He sat alone in his room, waiting. He lived alone in a large space within one of the organization's many housing complexes – that is, when he wasn't doing travel for… work.
Currently, he was preoccupied with a beautiful utility knife that he had acquired from the subject of one of his "business meetings." It was obviously a rare, premium tool, with expensive jewels and lacquer inset within the silver handle, and various blades and saws sharp enough to cut metal. He had developed a particular fondness for it from the very onset, and was now using it to carve a sculpture of sort out of a hunk of wood.
It was then that he heard the footsteps coming down the hall, approaching his room. There were very few times when people would come to see HIM, as opposed to the other way around. And when they did, he almost always knew what they wanted of him…
The door slid open slowly. After a pause of a few seconds, a clear voice called through the air.
"Hinogami."
At the sound of his name, he dropped his playthings, and turned his pale, scarred face towards his superior. "Yes, sir."
"We have a new operation for you."
He pulled down the hood of his jacket from his head to see more clearly, his many silver piercings shining faintly in the dim light. "I see…"
"However, you should know that the procedures will be slightly different than usual. We will require you to gather information on a woman whom we want to… bring into our care."
Goh was surprised at this. "This… is not an assassination?"
"No, it is not. You are not to kill any of the family. To do so at this moment would endanger our interests. We only wish to discover the mental status of our subject and the best way we can reach out to her. However…"
"… yes, sir?"
"They certainly know about us, and may have taken additional security measures. In this case, you are to deal with this security by any means possible… as long as it's not messy or conspicuous."
His fingernails scraped the carpet idly. "So… you want me to act as a spy…"
"Of sorts, yes."
"But why, sir?" Goh said, confused. He wasn't one to question authority, but this made little sense. "Isn't an espionage person better for this?"
His superior seemed mildly annoyed. "Hinogami, do you not remember the tournament which we are planning to send you to?"
"…yes. I do, sir."
"This family will be participating there. We will commence our main operation during that time. We have planned far in advance to send you to this tournament, as well."
Goh nodded.
"They will be among your fiercest opponents there. Besides simply gathering information for our future preparations, you can learn about your upcoming competition. And, there is also the potential security problem, as we mentioned before. We know that you have exceptional skills in handling… obstacles."
There were other reasons, of course, but not even the most skilled soldiers within the J6 organization knew the full motives behind what the leaders commanded of them.
"We shall make preparations for your departure to America very soon, Hinogami. I trust that you will perform the excellent work we have come to expect from you."
Goh pulled the hood back over his dark, bluish-colored hair. "Yes, sir. I will carry out the task as best I can." He didn't have much choice as to whether or not to accept the jobs he was offered, nor did he even think to turn it down. J6 was his life, his meaning, his world…
"Good. I shall leave you, then. In the meantime, we ask that you work to refine your training for this new task. You shall not disappoint us, Hinogami."
As the man left, Goh picked up the knife and resumed working where he left off. He paused for a brief moment, and looked out the window into the night sky. The way it shone through the curtains upon his window projected a soft, silver-colored light upon him. It was a hue he particularly liked…
A blurred memory from long ago came into his mind with the passing breeze, suddenly unearthing itself after many years of inactivity. It was weeks after he had barely escaped being killed with the rest of his family, and after the operative had found him…
As he sat in the basement room with a group of other youths that had been taken into J6's care, he saw a group of researchers walking down a nearby hallway. They were carting a large table with a clear dome upon it with them. This wasn't unusual in and of itself – save for what was inside.
Within was an unconscious young girl, several years younger than he. He didn't know then what they were doing with her, but one thing immediately struck him – her shining, silver tresses, strewn about as she lay oblivious. The light in the hall caught upon them in such a way that it shown almost a pure, bright white, like the pendant he was wearing today… but for a brief moment, as she and her escorts passed out of sight.
He never saw them again.
It was something he had forgotten for many, many years, and had suddenly come into his mind. As blurred and messy as many of his old memories were, the hair of the young girl stood out as a detail which, even stored deep within the recesses of his mind, he could not possibly forget.
Goh folded the knife back up and rose from his sitting position. He walked slowly over to the window, and stopped next to its frame, looking outside.
It did seem strange that the past had come so prominently into his mind when he learned more of the future…
Currently, he was preoccupied with a beautiful utility knife that he had acquired from the subject of one of his "business meetings." It was obviously a rare, premium tool, with expensive jewels and lacquer inset within the silver handle, and various blades and saws sharp enough to cut metal. He had developed a particular fondness for it from the very onset, and was now using it to carve a sculpture of sort out of a hunk of wood.
It was then that he heard the footsteps coming down the hall, approaching his room. There were very few times when people would come to see HIM, as opposed to the other way around. And when they did, he almost always knew what they wanted of him…
The door slid open slowly. After a pause of a few seconds, a clear voice called through the air.
"Hinogami."
At the sound of his name, he dropped his playthings, and turned his pale, scarred face towards his superior. "Yes, sir."
"We have a new operation for you."
He pulled down the hood of his jacket from his head to see more clearly, his many silver piercings shining faintly in the dim light. "I see…"
"However, you should know that the procedures will be slightly different than usual. We will require you to gather information on a woman whom we want to… bring into our care."
Goh was surprised at this. "This… is not an assassination?"
"No, it is not. You are not to kill any of the family. To do so at this moment would endanger our interests. We only wish to discover the mental status of our subject and the best way we can reach out to her. However…"
"… yes, sir?"
"They certainly know about us, and may have taken additional security measures. In this case, you are to deal with this security by any means possible… as long as it's not messy or conspicuous."
His fingernails scraped the carpet idly. "So… you want me to act as a spy…"
"Of sorts, yes."
"But why, sir?" Goh said, confused. He wasn't one to question authority, but this made little sense. "Isn't an espionage person better for this?"
His superior seemed mildly annoyed. "Hinogami, do you not remember the tournament which we are planning to send you to?"
"…yes. I do, sir."
"This family will be participating there. We will commence our main operation during that time. We have planned far in advance to send you to this tournament, as well."
Goh nodded.
"They will be among your fiercest opponents there. Besides simply gathering information for our future preparations, you can learn about your upcoming competition. And, there is also the potential security problem, as we mentioned before. We know that you have exceptional skills in handling… obstacles."
There were other reasons, of course, but not even the most skilled soldiers within the J6 organization knew the full motives behind what the leaders commanded of them.
"We shall make preparations for your departure to America very soon, Hinogami. I trust that you will perform the excellent work we have come to expect from you."
Goh pulled the hood back over his dark, bluish-colored hair. "Yes, sir. I will carry out the task as best I can." He didn't have much choice as to whether or not to accept the jobs he was offered, nor did he even think to turn it down. J6 was his life, his meaning, his world…
"Good. I shall leave you, then. In the meantime, we ask that you work to refine your training for this new task. You shall not disappoint us, Hinogami."
As the man left, Goh picked up the knife and resumed working where he left off. He paused for a brief moment, and looked out the window into the night sky. The way it shone through the curtains upon his window projected a soft, silver-colored light upon him. It was a hue he particularly liked…
A blurred memory from long ago came into his mind with the passing breeze, suddenly unearthing itself after many years of inactivity. It was weeks after he had barely escaped being killed with the rest of his family, and after the operative had found him…
As he sat in the basement room with a group of other youths that had been taken into J6's care, he saw a group of researchers walking down a nearby hallway. They were carting a large table with a clear dome upon it with them. This wasn't unusual in and of itself – save for what was inside.
Within was an unconscious young girl, several years younger than he. He didn't know then what they were doing with her, but one thing immediately struck him – her shining, silver tresses, strewn about as she lay oblivious. The light in the hall caught upon them in such a way that it shown almost a pure, bright white, like the pendant he was wearing today… but for a brief moment, as she and her escorts passed out of sight.
He never saw them again.
It was something he had forgotten for many, many years, and had suddenly come into his mind. As blurred and messy as many of his old memories were, the hair of the young girl stood out as a detail which, even stored deep within the recesses of his mind, he could not possibly forget.
Goh folded the knife back up and rose from his sitting position. He walked slowly over to the window, and stopped next to its frame, looking outside.
It did seem strange that the past had come so prominently into his mind when he learned more of the future…