Chapter Two

"Heero!" Quatre was running after him.

Heero stopped and turned to face Quatre.

"Where are you doing in a such a hurry? The hunt won't be starting till the moon's out. And it's barely evening!"

"Anywhere there isn't a Maxwell around." Heero scowled.

"He's not that bad a person. What did he do?" Quatre said.

"He couldn't stop telling me how he good he is and how he can be trusted with the mission tonight."

He laughed, "I can say he's at least better than the witness you left me with."

"What about her?" Heero shot him a look of curiosity.

"And you have the cheek to ask. You know she kept me awake all night long?" said Quatre in a reprimanding tone.

Heero raised a skeptical brow.

"No, no! Not what you are thinking!" Quatre blushed as he blabbered on, (At this point, Heero raised another brow because it was obvious they were thinking among different lines.) "It's just that she wouldn't stop asking about us and what we do instead of showing any signs of trauma, like the usual witnesses. You would think a nurse like her, would at least be more concern about the whole idea of supernatural beings, rather than taking things in her stride."

"Did you make her sign a paper of secrecy?"

"You doubt my working ability? She was adamant about being forced to secrecy, but was dutifully convinced it was important to do so." Quatre smiled smugly; it had been a hard-earned victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Heero snorted.

"I am in charge of 'cleaning up' and I do a clean job of it." Quatre paused thoughtfully. "And, oh! You made me forget what I wanted to tell you in the first place! You know, in exchange for letting her sign the paper of secrecy, she wants me to pass you this."

Quatre stuffed a piece of paper onto Heero's hand. Heero looked at it, puzzled.

"You know, most of her questions about us were all about you!" Quatre winked at Heero and ran away leaving a stumped Heero, clutching the crumpled piece of paper.

He pried it open. Written on it was the person's telephone number and name. He eyed the note for a moment and threw it into the nearest dustbin.

Heero had on the darkest face he had in a while.

The person beside him was certainly oblivious to it as he chattered merrily turning the steering wheels of their vehicle with complete ease.

"We'll be so kicking their asses today man!" the merry tone was getting on his nerves.

"What do you mean by 'we'?" Heero said, "I told you no stepping in until I call for it."

"Don't fret about it. You will need my help no matter what you like to think."

Heero turned to shoot him daggers with a sharp look. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, Duo was a responsible driver; he was focusing at the road in front of them, therefore unaware of his being the target of intense loathing.

"'Sides, i betcha heard about me and my partner all the way from West District? We were so good in our job the people at the office practically worship the ground we walked!"

Heero sighed, leaning his head closer to the window staring out at the slightly drizzling streets. He felt a headache coming up. It will be nightfall in an hour's time; he would need a plan, if he were to go against an unfavorable number, alone. No one, not even a superb hunter like Duo, had to be involved. All the while Heero was frying his brain with all his thought process, Duo droned on his one-sided conversation in the background.

The car stopped in a deserted parking lot at the outskirts of the East District. As Duo stepped out of the car, he could not stop the shiver the cold air hit him with. The intelligence had told them they would be attacking here, but Duo highly doubted so. Heero had similar ideas, it seemed, when the car behind Duo promptly drove off, leaving him stranded in the middle of the parking lot.

"Heero!" he called after the departing car, running after it.

The car sped off on the shady roads till Duo could see it no more.

"Damnit." He cursed, flipping out his mobile.

Heero grinned maniacally. Well, it was an impromptu plan, but so far it worked. He got himself alone on the hunt. Okay, so maybe it was not as impromptu, after all, he did conveniently forget to correct Duo on the mixed-up information they received from the intelligence.

He stopped his car in the stretch of road bordering on 4th avenue of East district where nightlife was pretty abundant. Where they would likely find their prey falling into their trap willingly, with the fake promises and lies. Luring them into their grotesque deaths.

A drunkard was walking in a jagged zigzag line. He tried to reach for his car, hand fishing for keys and moving unsteadily towards the keyhole.

Heero pushed himself off leaning on his car and walked towards the drunkard. The hunt had started.

"Thanks for coming, partner." Duo grinned at the driver in the black convertible. "You are a life-saver. Or you are about to be one anyway."

"Whatever. As long as this is the last time you made me drive 20 plus miles from the next district just to drive your troublesome butt around." The driver shooed Duo's arms that are leaning onto the car. "Get in."

"Your wish is my command." Duo opened the passenger door and got in with one swift movement. "Lead the way, Trowa old pal."

"And that would be?" Trowa rolled his eyes at Duo.

"Well, I guess we just have to go with our instinct."

"In other words, you have no idea."

"Hey!" Duo smacked Trowa on the arm. "I was stranded in the middle of nowhere by my new partner who is now going on his merry way to his 'solo' mission and my old partner is sneering at me. I may be a man but I have a fragile psyche, yanno!"

"Whatever you say, Duo."

"Oi."

"So where do we head?"

"Take the lane on the left."

"That leads to the main road. Further onwards, to 4th Avenue, the night town." Trowa released the handbrake.

"A town that hardly sleeps in the dark. Perfectly apt for creatures of the night, ya think?"

Trowa shrugged and stepped on the acceleration.

Heero leaned forward to touch the drunkard on his shoulder. Before he could reach, the figure emitted a weird hissing noise and shied away from his approaching hand. Heero stepped back, right hand on his sword, ready to draw it out at any threat.

Bastard. They got to him first. Heero mentally cursed.

A black blur shot past him on his right side.

Heero jumped away from the black object, sword drawn, sliver glinting wildly under the moonlight. He sniffed about in the air. There was an inhumanly stench. No doubt it was everything, short of the real thing.

He shoved the drunkard back on the hood of car and slashed a deep but small cut on the upper arm. Blood gushed out of the wound immediately; except that, unlike a living human, it was not exactly the oxygen-rich red but deoxygenated purplish blood. A freaking walking corpse. Damn bastards made him, no, it, into their minions. Those Onis were serious this time. And they were of superior breed no less, to be able to make and control the Undeads.

He ran to a nearby alley and rummaged through the garbage. He came up a reel of abandoned wire. He used the makeshift rope to wound about the dead drunkard.

No fire tonight. No unexplained burnt corpse. There was a superior to answer to. It was a modern and law controlled era. There are innocents everywhere. He repeatedly told himself as he tied the corpse securely and depositing it into the back of its car.

He combed his hair backwards with his hand. His stubbornly soft hair fell back messily to its original place as he sighed into the night. There was a black blur to hunt down and numerous Onis with numerous unknown skills to kill. Did he mention numerous?

Boy, what fun.

Gripping his sword tightly, he stalked onwards, in one of the bloodiest night to come.