Disclaimer: I do not own the charecters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me.
Acknowledgement: Rociella: Thanks for revising this chapter for me!!! I really appreciate it! Thanks! Aga and AllJAG: Thanks for your compliments! I really appreciate them. Sorry for the cliffhanger..hehehe. Thanks Angelangie for your comments! And...takes a deep breath: No Name, Dream Weaver, NickeyWhite2, Steahl, lan-yue, gwen, Sato Aiko, me, Grinning Contrivance, Platerair Queen, Chareinami-chan, animecrazed, Serenity Moon, liwei, Le Demon, Satiana, lara, crystal-kitty2003, alias451, Sailorsun90, Nae, Koneko, Jenny, Jen, question tag, Raine, and last but not least nekonomiko and Liyah-chan: Thank you so much for your support and nice comments. I really appreciate them and I am really happy to read all of your comment. Thank you. :): I am sorry that I haven't been updating but I have so much things to do. Thanks for your patience. coconut: Yep, I came up with all these plot twists but I couldn't have done it without the manga and anime to help me out...hehehe...so all of the creativity all goes to the wonderful creator of Vampire Princess Miyu! Oh yeah...to the first person that ever give me a threat, Larva Lover, hehehe...sorry, Larva have to suffer. Thanks for your comment and suggestion, Dark Phoenix. Hmm...I've never watch those series before...I guess that means I have to start watching them. I wrote this story because I love to read mystery novel...hehehe. Briar: Uhmm...not actually finish with school yet. Still have summer classes. Sigh...life is horrible. Alright then...I hope I included everyone. Now on with the story.
Resurrection
"Trash...nothing but just damn trash!" Van angrily closed the file he was looking at and stood up from his chair. With two quick strides, he reached the door to his office and yanked it open. He quickly scanned around his department, while everyone was working diligently. Some of them looked upward and sighed when they heard Van opening his door. "What the hell is this?!" Van angrily waved the file in his hand. Aoi, Ichiro, and Ranka prepared themselves for another of Van's tirade. Ever since Miyu had disappeared five days ago, Van had been in a foul mood. "Can't you even do something right for the first time!" Van angrily slapped the file on a nearby desk, causing the person, who sat there, to jump upward in fright at the sudden impact. However, Van didn't noticed that person's discomfort. His eyes flared up with fire when he looked at Aoi. "Aoi!" Aoi sighed inwardly and shook his head. "I want a full report on last night's raid. I want to know what happen and why did it fail. Do you understand?!"
"Yes, sir," Aoi answered tiredly.
"Good," growled Van, while turning his glare to everyone in the room. "I don't want to hear anymore failure from anyone of you! If the Quarl thinks they can just get away with...with..." Van never finished his sentence but everyone knew what he was about to say. Although he never liked to admit it and loved to complain about her, everyone knew that Van loved Miyu like she was his own daughter. "I want them capture," demanded Van, as he turned to his door. "And I want them capture as soon as possible. Do I make myself clear?" Everyone mumbled yes and slightly winced when Van slammed the door right after he entered his office. Before they could all finally relax, Van reopened the door with two files in his hand. "Ichiro!" Ichiro quickly jumped upward from his seat and accidentally knocked his desk during the process. He muttered a curse when the piles of files on his desk, slid off his desk from the impact and splattered papers all over the floor. One look at Van's angry face was enough to send Ichiro running after his papers. Looking at the unfortunate boy, Van just slapped the two files on the nearest desk and demanded to have them finished by noon. He quickly walked back into his room with another slam from his door. The middle age lady, who happened to be stuck with the files that were suppose to be for Ichiro, gave one deadly glared at Ichiro's direction, before she hurried on to finish those files by this hour. Ranka sighed and stood up from her desk.
"Let me help you," said Ranka. She bent downward to pick up some of the papers. It didn't take long for Aoi to join her. After a few minutes, they finally gather all of the papers and put them back into their respective folders.
"Thanks," Ichiro muttered to Aoi and Ranka. He looked at the piles of files on his desk and rubbed his temples. "I apply to the police force so that I can help solve cases. If I would have known I will be stuck doing all the paper works, I would have applied to the secretary position at the first place."
"I understand how you feel," said Ranka. She looked at own piles of files that were on her desk. "But there is nothing we can do but to go over all of the past cases of the Quarl until we can find a flaw within their system." She flipped open one file and frowned. At the corner of her eyes, she noticed Aoi sat down on his chair dejectedly. He opened his file and started to write out his report. "Aoi," thought Ranka, as she continued to observe him through the corner of her eyes. His face tightened while he wrote the report and frowns were constantly appearing on his face. "It must be hard on him." Ranka closed the file in her hand and placed it in the box that contained all of the files that Ichiro, Aoi, and her just gone through. She slowly picked up another file and opened it. "Van been constantly picking on Aoi, since Miyu's disappearance. We all know that it is not Aoi's fault that most of the raid have failed." Her hands gripped the file angrily, causing the papers to crumble within her hand. "Our positions and tactics are flawless, but somehow the Quarl always knew our plan." She closed the file and placed it on her desk. "A spy." She silently looked at the people that are in the office. "They have a spy in here, but we don't even know who it is," she thought with great frustration. Ranka turned to look at Aoi and found him griping the pencil tightly in his hand. Unconsciously she reached out her right hand toward his direction and laid it on his arm, while picking up the file with her other hand. As she read her file, she unknowingly started to pat Aoi softly on his left arm.
Aoi lifted his head slightly from the file when he felt Ranka tapping him softly on his arm. He looked at her and found her absorbed in the file she was reading. With a smile on his face, he looked at Ranka's hand that was laid on his arm. "Ranka," Aoi thought affectionately as she flipped the file to another page, with her right hand still tapping him on his arm. It's an old habit that she had. It's an old habit that she shared only with him. Whenever he was sad or lost, she would always tap him on his arm. "It's something her father taught her before he die." That was what she told him. Aoi slowly put down his pencil and placed his right hand uncertainly on his left arm. "It's this little action that draw me to her in the first place," thought Aoi.
*Flashback*
"Aoi! Come back over here!" Aoi darted away from his father and threw down the katana on the grass. Tears streamed down his face as he ran away from his father as fast as he can. "AOI!!!" Ignoring his father's voice, he quickly ran into the forest. He knew his father could catch up to him anytime if he wanted to. However, he also knew his father would not chase after him and leave his students behind, just so he could catch his four year old son and teach him some discipline.
"Papa always care about his students more than me," Aoi thought sadly, while he continued to run through the forest. Unknowingly, his feet automatically brought him to the pond that was near his father's dojo. He sat down tiredly near the side of the pond and continued to cry. He cried even harder when he saw the red mark that appeared on his upper left arm. "Why does Papa have to be so mean to me? Why did he have to hit me so hard?" He lightly touched the red mark where his father's katana had struck him during the practice. He could still remember his terror when he fell off the stage. Instead of asking was he alright, his father started to scold him for being clumsy and for being distracted during the practice. Unable to bear the humiliation and his father's taunts anymore, Aoi ran out of there as fast as he could. "Stupid papa," he muttered angrily, while rubbing away the flow of tears that were still streaming down on his face.
"Are you alright?" Aoi looked up in shock to find a little girl standing next to him. She was dressed in a little kimono and her dark black hair were pin upward into a bun. Her dark black eyes stared back at him as he continued to look at her.
"She looks like one of those por-se-len dolls that mama have on the table," Aoi thought. He watched her when she sat down next to him.
"Why are you crying," the girl asked innocently. Aoi's face flushed from embarrassment and quickly rubbed his face on his sleeves.
"I am not crying," Aoi denied. He was not about to admit he was crying to a...a...girl! It was not right for a boy to cry in front of a girl.
The little girl frowned and shook her head. "Yes you were."
"No, I wasn't!"
"Fine! But if you were not crying then why is your face so wet and your eyes are so red?" She smiled in triumph when Aoi looked dumbfounded at her questions.
"Because...because..." Aoi stood up angrily and glared at the girl. "Because I was washing my face and some water got into my eyes, that's all." She looked at him with surprise when he turned away from her. "Just leave me alone." Aoi ran away from her before she could ask anymore question.
"Wait..." He didn't look back at her. By the time that he reached home, all of the students were gone. His father was waiting patiently in the living room for his return. Aoi slid open the door solemnly and placed his shoe near the doorway before he walked into the room. He bowed his head downward and approached his father. His father looked at him as Aoi stopped three feet away from him and kneeled down on the floor.
"Aoi," his father started.
"Yes, father," Aoi meekly replied. He didn't dare to look up at his father. He kneeled there waiting for the blow to come but to his surprise it never did came. His father just stood up and walked across the room. He picked up Aoi's katana and tossed it in front of him.
"Don't ever throw away your weapon again," said his father. "Keep it beside you like it is a part of you."
Aoi looked at his katana for a moment before he took it into his hands. He nodded his head silently and held on to his breath when his father approached him. Instead of hitting him, his father put his hand on Aoi's head and softly ran his hand through his son's hair. Aoi was so shocked by his father's suddenly display of affection that he had hardly heard what his father said to him next.
"I expect to see you tomorrow early in the morning. We will continue from where we left off." With a small pat on Aoi's head, he started to head to his own room. Aoi looked at his father retreating form, before he turned to stare at his katana.
"He didn't punish me," Aoi thought with bewilderment. A little smile appeared on his face as he set his katana next to his father's katana. However, it quickly disappeared when he looked at the entrance door. He walked up to the door and opened it. The sun already disappeared behind the mountain and coated the forest with a gloomy darkness. Aoi turned toward his shoe and was putting them on when his father walked out of his room.
"Where are you going, Aoi," his father asked calmly. With his shoes halfway on his feet, Aoi quickly tried to stand up without falling flat on his face.
"Fath...er." Aoi staggered around while he tried to get his balance. His father's lips tighten into a thin line as he watched his son, clumsily trying to regain his balance. With a few more awkward jerking, Aoi was finally able to face his father in a stable position. He quickly bowed to his father. "I...I was just going to see did we leave any important equipments outside," Aoi fibbed. He waited nervously under his father's gaze.
"I've already checked." He walked toward the door and closed it. "Take off your shoe and dinner will be ready in a minute." Aoi nodded his head feebly as his father walked away from him and walked toward the dinning room. Aoi took off his shoes slowly, before he started right after his father. But before he entered the dinning room, he took one last look at the door.
"I hope she's alright."
*****
Aoi pushed back down a yawn while he stood outside of the dojo with his father. He had a horrible time trying to fall asleep last night, just because he couldn't help wondering what happen to that little girl that he left inside the forest. He can't help but feel bad for abandoning her over there. He shifted the katana in his hands and looked out at the forest. "I wonder..." he muttered softly.
"Aoi." Aoi quickly turned to his father when he called out his name. To his surprise, the rest of the students have already arrived to the dojo and were already ready for today's lesson. Aoi blushed slightly when he jogged up to his father's side. He quickly cast his eyes downward when he saw the disapproval in his father's eyes. His father spared one last look at his son before he turned to the rest of the class. "Students." Everyone turned to look at him with great seriousness on their faces.
"Yes sensei," they replied.
"Before we start our class today, I would like to introduce you to a new student." Aoi was still looking down at the floor when the new student appeared to them from the dojo. He finally looked upward when he heard a gasp from some of the students. When he saw who that new student was, he could hardly contain his surprise.
"It's her," thought Aoi when he looked at the little girl with short black hair. She was dressed in a simple purple kimono with a red sash holding it back. She smiled slightly to him before she bowed down respectfully to the rest of her classmate.
"Ohayoo gozaimasu. Hajimemashite. My name is Ranka," said the little girl. The grassy field was filled with little murmured as everyone greeted her back. She straightened up from her bow and turned to look at Aoi. One of her eyebrow rose up significantly while she continued to look at him. It didn't take long for Aoi to realize what her little facial expression meant and noticed his own rudeness.
"Damn," Aoi muttered out loud and quickly clamped his hands over his mouth. He spared a quick glance at his father before he turned to greet Ranka. A look of disapproval already appeared on his father's face when he neglected to greet Ranka. It flared up even more when he had muttered such a rude comment in front of a girl. "The last thing I want is to anger my father more than he already is," thought Aoi as he straightened up from his bow. To his annoyance, Ranka was smiling at him. "She is mocking me!" He flared up in anger and turned abruptly away from her. While he indulged on his anger and his embarrassment, his father scanned the faces of the student in the class and cleared his throat.
"Ranka will personally train with me and Aoi," he said. Everyone gasped when they heard what he just said. Aoi stared at his father in shock. His father never personally trained anyone before...well...except him. But that was only because he will be the future master of this dojo. Ranka smiled at Aoi as he continued to look at her with confusion written all over his face.
"She must be really good," thought Aoi. He quickly shifted his attention back to his father when he gave them today's assignment. To Aoi's dismay, he was paired up with Ranka. The rest of the students rose up from the ground and bow respectfully to his father before they headed off to their training, while Aoi sighed nervously when Ranka approached him with her katana. "I better be on my guard."
*****
WHACK!
Aoi frowned and quickly threw down his katana on the grass. He rushed toward Ranka while she clutched her head. "You were suppose to block my blow with your katana," scolded Aoi as he tried to help her up. "Not with your head!" Ranka smiled ruefully at him. He worriedly looked at her.
"I will block your blow next time," Ranka said. Aoi stepped back with a frown.
"This was what you said the last time," he mumbled. When Ranka asked him what did he said, he just told her nothing. He walked away from her to pick back up his katana. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the rest of his classmates training far away from them two. "And I thought she was good," thought Aoi as he turned to look at Ranka. After they got split up into different team, his father intentionally took them away to another spot so they can train privately. Aoi was shocked to learn that Ranka didn't even know how to hold a katana. After an hour of instruction from his father, she finally managed to pull off some decent swings. His father nodded his head with approval and left them two to train with each other. Aoi can't help but feel guilty when he saw Ranka limping slightly from the blow she had received on her leg. "It's not my fault. I've tried to be nice to her, but she can't even fight." Aoi picked up his katana and looked at her while she swung her katana. "Do you..." Aoi hesitated. He looked at his father's direction and found him focusing all of his attention on the rest of the students. "Do you want to rest for a while," asked Aoi.
"It's okay." She held her katana steadily in her hands and turned to face him with a perfect defensive fighting stance that even surprised Aoi. "I'm ready when you are."
Aoi knew he should be aware that something was wrong over here, but as a child, he didn't bother to think it though. He didn't even catch the little smile that was displaying on her face. So...he charged right at her with his katana ready to strike her. When he reached her, he raised his katana upward to knock her on the chest. However, to his surprise, she managed to block his blow. "I didn't even see it move!" Before Aoi could get over his initial shock, Ranka slammed her elbow on his face, ramming his head backward. The air was knocked out of him when her katana hit him hard across the chest. His body flew up a few feet before it landed into a heap on the floor. His eyes rolled backward when he felt the darkness consuming him. He could have sworn he heard Ranka calling him before he lost himself to the darkness.
*****
"Where am I?" Aoi looked around him only to see nothing but darkness. "Hello," Aoi shouted to his surroundings. As soon as the word left his mouth, it was consumed by the darkness. Aoi looked around him in terror and sat down trembling. "Am I dead?" Tears started to fall down on his face as he rubbed his arms to keep himself warm. Somehow the room was colder that it was before. "I don't want to die! Daddy..." Aoi continued to cry softly to himself. He didn't even notice the tapping on his arm until he had cried his eyes out. He jumped up in alarm and looked around him when he felt the small little tapping on his arm. To his horror there was no one beside him. "A...a...ghost." Aoi trembled even more when he felt someone had taken his right hand. He could still feel the little taps on his right arm. Aoi tried to pull away but the grip only got stronger.
"I'm here." Aoi stopped his struggled when he heard someone calling to him. "I'm sorry." He noticed the voice belong to a girl but he couldn't recognize whom it belongs to. He strained his ear to catch more of her words but she never spoke again. Somehow the tapping and the grip in his right hand started to smooth away his fear.
"Who are you," Aoi asked. No one answered him, but the tapping was still there. He was suddenly tugged toward a direction. Aoi hesitated for a moment before he started to walk to the direction where the invisible hand was leading him to. It didn't take long for him to reach to the destination. Aoi looked at the door that stood before him with great suspicion. The grip on his right hand had left him once he reached there but the tapping was still there. "I hope it is brighter than this place." Aoi placed his hands on the door and pushed.
*****
Aoi groaned when the light in the room shined on his sensitive eyes. He quickly closed them back up and rubbed his eyes. "Where..." Aoi coughed suddenly when he felt a huge pain coming from his chest. His eyes snapped open when someone placed a hand softly on his chest.
"You're alright," Ranka said as she leaned toward him. To his surprise, tears were streaking down her worry face. She quickly wiped her tears away from her eyes with the sleeves from her kimono. He looked at her in puzzle when she started to giggle from relief. Aoi wanted to ask what was wrong with her but the pain in his chest prevented him from saying anything. The door to his room creaked when his father slid open the door and walked into his room. He looked at his son coldly and shook his head.
"You are lucky to only have your air knocked out from you," his father said with great disapproval. "If you would have observed Ranka's style much more closely, you would have notice she was just faking her own ignorance." Ranka blushed as she continued to wipe the tears from her cheek. "She intentionally hide her own strength and skills from you, in order to throw you off your guard and to measure your fighting tactics." Aoi lowered his eyes so he didn't have to meet his father's cold glare. "A boy like you should not have fallen for such tactics." He turned to look at Ranka and patted her on the shoulder. "You've did good for today." Ranka quickly muttered a thank you, while keeping her hands placed softly on Aoi's futon. A wave of jealousy and hatred washed over Aoi when he noticed how fondly his father looked at Ranka. His father took his hand away from Ranka's shoulder and headed for the door. Before he walked out, he looked at Aoi one last time. "You will continue your training tomorrow morning." Without another word, he walked out of the door, leaving Aoi and Ranka behind. For a moment, they both sat there in silence. Unable to look at her, Aoi turned his face away and tried to move away from her.
"She tricked me," Aoi thought angrily. "Now dad must think I am stupid! It's all her fault." To his astonishment, tears started to flow from his eyes. He tried to raise up his arms to wipe away his tears, but to his surprise, Ranka was touching him softly on his right arm. He was about to pull it away but quickly stopped himself when she started to tap softly on his arm. It didn't take long for him to realize that the tapings that he felt in his dream came from Ranka. Wiping his face with his left arm, Aoi could feel his anger fading away. Somehow, he can't just bring himself to hate the person that comforted him when he was so scared and lonely. But he still didn't want to look at her.
"My daddy told me this is how you make people feel better," Ranka said softly. "He said it is a way to let them know you are there for them." Before he knew it, Ranka placed one of her hands on his chest and laid her head softly on it. Her other hand was still tapping him on his arm. "I'm sorry." Aoi could feel something wet dropping on his shirt. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard. Can you forgive me?" She raised her eyes to his face but he still didn't look at her. Ranka sighed inwardly and was about to move away from him. However, to her relief, he placed his unoccupied hand on top of her head and started to pat her head softly. She smiled and closed her eyes as he continued to pat her. After a few minutes have past, Aoi turned to look at her when she suddenly stopped moving and continued to lie on his chest. To his surprise, he found her fast asleep. His groaned slightly and tried to shift her away. After a giving her a few gentle tug, he finally gave up when he realized she was holding tightly on to his shirt. Unwilling to give up his shirt and embarrass himself in front of her again, he just laid back on his bed and tried to go to sleep. Unfortunately, his chest still hurted and Ranka's pressure on it didn't help relieve the pain he was feeling.
"This is going to be a long night." Aoi rolled his eyes and looked at Ranka. A smile lifted up on his face. Somehow, he can't bring himself to stay mad with this girl. "She is going to a lot of trouble."
*Flashback*
"And she is," Aoi thought ruefully. He looked at her as she continued to go through files after files. "It didn't take long for her to realize how much the others hate her. Not only was she the only girl in the class, she also received special training from my father." Aoi sighed and covered her hand with his own. Ranka quickly looked up from her file and turned to him. "You are a lot of trouble, do you know that," Aoi said softly.
She raise up one of her eyebrow and slowly placed the file she was holding back onto her desk. "Excuse me?" She then looked at her hand that was in his grip. "I'm sorry but was I bothering you?"
"No." She continued to look at him in silence, waiting for him to explain himself for calling her troublesome. "I was just thinking about the past," Aoi explained. "I was just wondering since when did I decided to become your protector."
Ranka smiled softly at him and lift up her file once again. "Since the day we start training with each other." Aoi nodded his head and released her hand. He was about to turned back to his file when Ranka called out his name. Her face was hidden behind the file she was holding within her hand. "I've never thank you for what you have done for me in the past, Aoi. I just...thank you." He smiled slightly and took the file away from her face. He was surprise to see her blushing slightly. Ranka hardly revealed her emotion and when she did, it was one of the most beautiful and precious sights Aoi have ever seen.
"You don't have to thank me Ranka. I protect you because I wanted to." Ranka lifted her eyes to him and gave him a beautiful smile, while he held on to her hand. However, this moment was scattered when Ichiro angrily slammed his file on his desk and caused everyone in the office to jump up in shock. Ranka quickly turned her attention to Ichiro and frowned at his behavior.
"I can't take this anymore," moaned Ichiro. "If I look at another file, I am going to scream!"
"Ichiro, stop exaggerating," Ranka scolded. "It's not that bad."
"Not that bad," Ichiro exclaimed in disbelief. He tossed one of his files to Ranka's desk. "Look for yourself!" Ranka opened the file and frowned. "See what I mean?!" She calmly closed the file and handed it back to Ichiro. He quickly grabbed it away from her hand and tossed it back on his table. "I swear I will have to get a pair of glasses by the time I finish these files. What must Van thinking when he type these files in 8 size font!"
"Congratulation, Ichiro."
"Congratulation?"
"Yes." Ranka twisted her chair to face him. "That is Van's way to inform people of a promotion." She smiled at him and shook his hand. "I guess you will be promoted to our level."
"Oh..." Ichiro sat there in shock as he waited for the information to sink in. His face slowly lifted into a smile. "ALRIGHT!" Everyone in the office looked at him, when he jumped out of his chair and screamed out loud. His joy was swiftly extinguished when Van stormed out of his room and demanded who caused the noise. It didn't take him long to find himself with another pile of files on top of his desk. He can't help but glare at Ranka and Aoi as they tried unsuccessfully to hide their laughter. "You guys are great, do you know that?" He scowled slightly when they looked at him innocently. He picked up one of the file from the new pile and threw it on his desk in disgust when he discover it was in the same font as the rest of the files he had just went through. Pulling his short black hair in frustration, Ichiro slumped back on his chair and glanced around the room. A sigh left his mouth when he noticed everyone was frantically working in top speed. "Man...I don't think anyone of us can handle anymore of this torture. If Larva doesn't come back..." He left his sentence unfinished and turned toward Aoi's direction. "By the way, how is he holding up?"
Aoi shrugged his shoulder, while twirling the pencil in his hand. "I don't know," he said. "From what Spartoi told me, he is still moping in his home. Yui, Nagi, and Carlua have been trying to talk to him but he isolated himself."
"How about Yui?"
"She is still hoping they will find Miyu alive."
Ichiro sighed and leaned back on his chair. "I hate to admit it but...I want Larva back." He grimaced when he returned back to the files on his desk. "Even though he had caused me enough headache for a life time."
Ranka nodded her head in agreement. "So do I."
*That Night*
"That is the last one," Carlua thought as she dried the dish and placed it back into the cabinet. She closed it and turned to look at the kitchen. A frown appeared on her tired face when her eyes fell upon the pile of leftovers that were sitting on the table. She sighed while recalling how Larva and Nagi look when they arrived back home tonight. Like the previous days, they came back home with no clues of Miyu's whereabouts. Without pausing at the table, Larva went straight to his room and locked himself in there. Nagi stopped by to tell her the news before he went straight toward Yui's room to see how she was doing and report back to her about today's result. Sitting dejectedly on the table, she ended up eating her dinner in silent until Nagi came downstairs to grab some food for Larva, Yui, and himself. With a sigh, she pushed herself away from the sink and slowly walked toward the table. Before she reached there, she happened to pass a little vanity mirror that was embedded on one of the cabinet's door. Her eyes roam over her feature, causing her frown to deepen. Brushing her hair away from her face, Carlua noticed, somehow, she looked a year older that she really was. Her face bore the appearance of a person that had suffered extreme hardship and was tired of life. Somehow, she can't help but laughed at her reflection. Turning away from the mirror with a bitter chuckle, she grabbed the food from the table and opened the refrigerator. As she started to place them in the fridge, she could hear someone going down the stair and heading into the kitchen. She immediately knew whom it was, without having to turn around and looked at the person. "Hi Nagi."
Nagi walked up to the kitchen and poured himself some water. "Do you need any help, Carlua?" She shook her head. She placed the last dish into the refrigerator. When she turned to look at him, he was surprised to find how tired she looked. Placing the cup on the counter, he promptly pulled back a chair and gently guided Carlua toward it. She sat down on it gratefully and accepted the cup of water he gave her. Nagi took his cup of water from the counter and sat down across from her. "You look tired." Carlua smiled slightly and sipped her water. "I'm sorry." She was surprised to hear him apologizing. "I mean, Larva and I haven't been that much of a help lately, since we are constantly at the search site. Also...thanks for taking care of Yui when I am not here."
"It's alright," said Carlua. She noticed Nagi watching her with great concern. Remembering how she looked in the mirror, Carlua immediately waved her hand slight in a nonchalantly motion and laughed slight. "You don't have to look that worry. I might look tired but I didn't really do anything at home. I am not going to collapse."
"How about mentally?" Nagi silently noticed her face suddenly became more haggard that it was before. He was startled out from his thought when the bell to the front door rang. He stood up with Carlua and they rushed toward the door. Before Carlua can unlock the locks, Nagi placed a hand softly on top of her hand to stop her. Taking hold of his gun, he slowly withdrew the curtain from the side window and looked at the person who was paying them a visit so late at night. He quickly placed his gun back on his holster, when he realized who it was. With a nod from his head, Carlua let out the breath she was holding and undo the locks on the door. When she opened the door, she was shock to see who was standing outside in the cold night.
*******
His room was shrouded in darkness with only the moonlight as its source of light. Things were discarded carelessly around the room, and his computer was humming softly at the corner of the room. The clouds moved onward, allowing the moon to reveal more of its brilliant radiance into Larva's window. A brief ray of light passed Larva's dejected figure before it was covered again by another cloud. He was sitting near his door and with his knees propped up. His head hang down from his neck whilst his eyes stared at the item they found today in the site. Fiddling with the red ribbon in his hands, he closed his eyes in sorrow when he remembered how he had gave this ribbon to Miyu in the past. A soft knock came from his door but he didn't move. "Larva?" He could hear Carlua calling him, but still he didn't budge. He scowled slightly when he heard the lock on his door gave way when she inserted the key into the lock for his room. Lifting his head toward the direction of the door, he quickly squinted his eyes as the light from the hallway flew into his room. Two figures stood there looking at him. Larva quickly recognized Carlua as one of them because she was the one that called out to him. However, the other figure escaped his knowledge for the moment because his eyes have failed to adjust to the sudden glare of light. The unknown stranger did not waste time to make himself known to Larva.
"Larva." Larva quickly stood up when he realized whom it was. Blinking his eyes twice to clear the glare, he could not clearly see the stranger.
"Father," Larva murmured. Pazusu looked at Larva while he stood there trembling before him. He slightly grimace when he noticed Larva's condition. His beautiful blue hair was in a mess and his shirt and coat were filled with wrinkles. Pazusu turned to look at Carlua and softly told her to leave them two. With a nod on her head, she walked down the hallway. Before she went down the stairs, she gave one last glance at them. Once she was gone, Pazusu slowly walked into Larva's room.
"I was worried about you, Larva," said Pazusu, maneuvering around the clothes that were lying on the floor. "Carlua told me everything, and I try to come here as fast as I can." He reached Larva and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How are you holding up?" Without a word, Larva leaned into his Pazusu's embrace and silently cried on his shoulder.
*****
Stifling a yawn, Ichiro stepped out of the elevator and entered the police department for another new day of work. He took a small sip from the cup of coffee in his cup and nodded his sleepy head toward Aoi and Ranka. Like always, they were there before the other arrive. He slumped down on his chair when Aoi and Ranka greeted him. His hand automatically slipped toward a file on his desk, while he placed his coffee on his desk. The room was filled with silence with only the sound of rustling papers invading the silence. While they continued to look through the files, people started to pour into the office. After an hour, the office buzzed with noise as everyone hurried on with their work. Ichiro sighed when he finished the file in his hand and placed it in the box. When he reached for another file, he noticed the noise in his office suddenly disappeared. He raise his gaze from his desk and noticed everyone was staring at the door. His gaze immediately turned toward the direction of the door and froze. The file slipped out of his hand and slid on the floor as he stood up from his desk. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Ranka and Aoi standing up next to him.
Unconsciously, Larva lifted his hand toward the neck of his coat and touched the red ribbon that was pinned on that area. His cold red eyes scanned the room quickly and without a word, he stepped into the office. Ignoring the people that were staring at him, Larva headed toward his desk and sat down. He looked at the files that were placed on his desk. He took the oldest file on his desk and silently looked through it. After a moment of silence, the room slowly returned back to normal. Aoi looked at Ranka and she nodded her head. They slowly walked toward Larva, while Ichiro hurried off toward the lobby. Larva's eyes remained glue to the file when Aoi and Ranka reached him. They looked at each others and watched Larva in silence. Either he didn't noticed they were there or was ignoring them, Larva continued to flip through the files.
"Van told us to give you a copy of all of the raid that we made while you were gone," said Aoi. Larva nodded his head and turned to the next page. By the time he was done, Ichiro arrived with two cup of coffee and placed one of them on Larva's desk. He took a sip of his own coffee, while Larva placed the finished file on the other side of his desk.
"The line was long," said Ichiro. "How do you like it?" Larva sipped his cup of coffee and picked up another file.
"Miyu would want me here," Larva said softly before he opened the next file. Aoi, Ranka, and Ichiro nodded their heads before the head back to their own desk.
******
"Come on, Ranka," said Ichiro as he dragged Ranka toward the men's locker room. Ranka frowned at Ichiro when he continued to drag her down the hallway. They muttered a quick apology to the people they bumped on their way.
"Ichiro," Ranka said calmly. "Where are you trying to take me? The raid is about to start."
"I know," said Ichiro. "That is why...we're here!" He opened the men's locker room slightly and peered inside. "Uhm...if anyone is in here, you better leave now. Ranka is coming in."
Ranka growled when she heard his announcement. "You make it sound like I am a monster or something."
"Well..." He quickly closed his mouth and shrugged his shoulders. His unfinished statement caused Ranka to raise up one of her eyebrow when she looked at him. "Better recieve this kind of look than to have her mad at me," Ichiro thought to himself. "I don't want to tell her that all of the guys are scared of her because of what happened last time." He smiled slightly when he recalled how shock the male population of this department have looked like when Ranka strolled into the male's locker room, without any regard to whether they are dressed or not, and handed a smiling Aoi the document that he needed, before she strolled out of the locker room without even giving anyone of them a glance. The men cleared out of the locker room faster than a speeding bullet after that incident.
"Well...are you coming in?" Ranka's voice managed to knock him out of his reminiscence. To his surprise, Ranka was standing inside the locker room with the door wide open. "We don't have time to waste." He nodded his head and strolled inside. He passed by the rows of locker with Ranka's footsteps resonating on the floor right after him. He quickly stopped in front of his locker and started to play with his combination. "I'm getting a little bit impatient," Ranka said with her arms crossed in front of her.
"Alright. Just wait a sec...there!" Ichiro slipped off the lock and opened the locker. Without looking behind him, he quickly took one of the vests and tossed it behind him. Before it can hit Ranka right on her face, she rose up her hand and caught it.
"A bullet proof vest," she said dryly. "You took me all this way to show me this bullet proof vest." She tossed it back to Ichiro right when he turned back to look at her. He jumped up with surprise when it smacked him right on the face. "I can't believe you," she said, while sh started to walk away. "Our department provides the vest for us, and it take lesser time for us to get it from them than coming over here. The more time that we waste here, our chances for capturing the criminals are slimmer."
"Wait," said Ichiro when he managed to pry the vest off his face. He grabbed on to Ranka's hand and turned her around. "I know that, but this bullet proof vest is the best there is in the market. You and I both know that our department one's are falling apart. I just want to make sure that you are safe." Ranka's eyes soften when she heard his kind words. "Hey, Miyu is already gone. I don't want to lose another friend." She gave him a little smile and took the vest from him.
"Thank..." She left her gratitude unfinished when she heard the door to the locker room closing softly. "Who's there?" When no one answered, Ranka and Ichiro ran swiftly toward the door and looked around. "He might be a spy," she thought to herself. "Or else, why would he have to be that sneaky." She was about to run out of the door but stopped when Ichiro placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Larva." Ranka looked toward the direction that Ichiro was looking and sure enough, Larva was there. His back was faced toward them and he was sitting on the floor. His head was slumped forward, with his back leaning on the bench. If Ichiro hadn't look closely, they would missed his presence. "Larva?" Larva lifted his head up and silently stood up.
"I'm not going to the raid," he said without turning to look at them. Ichiro was about to ask him why but Larva cut him off. "They are leaving right now."
Ranka nodded her head and pulled Ichiro out of the door before he could say anything else. With them gone, Larva sat back down on the floor and looked up to the ceiling. His hand fiddled with Miyu's ribbon while he continued on with his thought before they were interrupted.
*******
"Get in there," Ichiro growled while pushing the struggling man into the police car. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around him proudly. Red and blue light flashed through the dark sky as the rest of the police cars load up the rest of the criminals. "Tonight's raid turned off nicely didn't it?" He gave a smirked to Ranka, who happened to be standing right beside him. However, his smirk immediately disappeared when he noticed the frown on her face. "Is it me or nothing satisfy you? You are always frowning."
"You wouldn't be that happy if you notice tonight's raid," Ranka said simply.
"What? We caught all of them," said Ichiro. "We even got the evidences to put them behind bars."
"Is that so," said Ranka. She walked up to the warehouse and nodded her head slightly to her fellow colleagues that were collecting the drugs to examine. Ichiro followed closely behind her.
"Ranka?"
She spun around to face him, while flinging her hand around her to indicate the warehouse. "Only fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes! That is how fast it took us to accomplish this raid." She walked up to the wall and hit the door. "Look at this, Ichiro. No bullet holes. Nothing!" She looked around her in frustration. "They just give up without a fight. Does that sound normal to you, Ichiro? Does it?!"
Ichiro shrugged his shoulder and looked around him. "I don't know. But...you are right. All we did was come over here and surround them. When we announced our presence, they just opened the door and walked up with their arms straight upward and allowed us to catch them." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But the Quarl are not like that. They would fight with us till the end, but they didn't. So...what the heck or they up to?"
"That is what I want to know," said Ranka. "If this was to serve as a decoy, they could just leave this place vacant. Instead, they set up this place exactly like they are preparing for a drug trade." She picked up a bag of drug from one of the nearby crate and looked at the other opened crates that were packed with drugs. "This whole trade is worth a few hundred thousands. Why would the Quarl waste so much of their money just to throw us off from their real trade? Why?!"
Ichiro sighed and shook his head. "Damn it. Where is Aoi when you need him," he muttered. The young man in question somehow disappeared when Van came out of his office to assign their role. Ichiro scowled when he recalled how Van yelled at him when he wasn't able to tell Van where Aoi disappeared. Luckily, Ranka took up Aoi's position to lead the raid.
Ranka frown deepen when she wondered where did Aoi disappeared. Her thought was interrupted when a member of the crew walked up to her.
"We are ready to return, Madam Ranka," said the young detective. Ranka nodded her head and walked out of the warehouse with Ichiro following right behind. She jumped into her car with Ichiro and started to drive off. Ichiro quickly strapped on the seat belt and grabbed hold of the car door when Ranka started to swerve around the cars.
"Uhm...Ranka?" Ichiro looked at Ranka when she suddenly braked in the middle of the road. The cars behind her swerved and honk wildly at her as they passed to avoid her. Ichiro gave a silent quick thank to his seat belt before turning to look at Ranka. To his surprise, he found her shaking in her seat with her head bow down to the wheel. "Ranka?" He reached over to her and touched her on her shoulder. Her grip on the wheel tightened slightly. He could hear her mumbling something but he wasn't able to understand what she is saying. "What are you....?" His sentence was cut off when her head suddenly snapped upward. She glared in front of her and before Ichiro could brace himself, she pressed on the gas pedal and speeded forward. "Ranka???"
"They did that to cover up their spy," Ranka said in a cold tone. "Our recent raids have come up with nothing because there is a spy in our department. Because of this, we suspect there is a spy in our department."
"I get it," said Ichiro when he finally caught on to what Ranka was indicating. "Our department must have singled out an individual and started to investigate that spy. So...in order to throw off the head of our department, they intentionally set up this trade so that we can successfully capture them. These guys are just the scapegoat for the spy! That spy must be worth something to waste hundreds of thousands of profit on him."
"I know," said Ranka as she made a sharp left.
"Ranka?!" Ichiro looked at her in surprise. "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the department."
"I know," said Ranka in a cold voice. "But Aoi's car is just right in front of us."
"Aoi?" He looked at the road ahead of them and found out she was right. "But why are we...YOU ARE NOT SUSPECTING AOI, ARE YOU?!" When Ranka didn't say anything, Ichiro threw up his hand in frustration. "COME ON, RANKA! How can you suspect Aoi?"
"It's not my option," said Ranka sadly. She reached for the glove department and opened it. She took the file in there and gave it to Ichiro. Ichiro quickly looked at the file cover and noticed it was marked confidential.
"Am I allow to look at it," asked Ichiro. Ranka shook her head but she continued to stare in front of her. "Damn...you are going to get us both in trouble." He quickly flipped it open and stifled a cry. "What the hell!" Ichiro rapidly flipped through pages of the document and stared at it in disbelief. Every single page in the documents was filled with information about Aoi and the activities he had done for these past few weeks. Ichiro closed the file and looked at Ranka. "All of them are just speculations. There is no actual truth."
"Who are you trying to convince, Ichiro," snapped Ranka. He looked down on his lap. "If there is no evidence against Aoi, do you think the department will waste their time to investigate him? Do you?!" They sat there in silence as they continued to follow Aoi. After following Aoi for half an hour, they finally reached an isolated area. Ranka immediately slowed down her car when the amount of cars on the road decreased significantly. Soon, there were only a few cars left on the street.
"Damn," Ichiro cursed when Aoi's car disappeared from their sight. "Where the heck did he disappear to?"
"He turned into the pier," Ranka said dryly as she made the same turn Aoi did a few seconds before. However, instead of driving into the parking lot, she stopped her car at the side of the road. Ichiro and her swiftly scrambled out of the car and ran into the parking lot. Ranka took out her gun and nodded her head when Ichiro took out his. It didn't take them long to locate Aoi's car. However, by the time that they did, the car was empty and Aoi was no where to be seen.
"Let's split up and search this area," Ichiro whispered. "Why don't we meet back at your car after an hour or so?" Ranka nodded her head and they both checked their clocks before they separated.
Holding the pistol tightly in her hand, Ranka carefully stepped around the crates that were piled along the pier waiting to be load. The warehouse, that was located right next to the pier, was dimly lit. Ranka slowly approached over there with her gun placed right in front of her. She froze when she reached there. Lying on the floor were two security guards. One of them had their head bashed in and the other laid on the bloody floor with a gunshot wound through his head. Ranka silently muttered a cursed as she moved behind the crates and into the shadows. Maneuvering through the darkness, she reached to the warehouse's wall undetected. Her breath was heavy as she leaned against the wall. Taking two breaths to calm her nerve, Ranka slowly moved to a window and peered inside. To her surprise, darkness shrouded the room. "I guess the activity is not in here," she thought to herself. But in order to be sure, she stood there for a few minutes to listen for any noises within the warehouse. After standing there for more than fifteen minutes, she decided that this must not be the correct location.
She moved away from the warehouse and continued on with her search. Her nerves shook with every step that she took. Her light footsteps seemed to echo loudly in her ears. Her heart beated faster as she continued to move through crates after crates. Sweat streamed down her face even though the icy wind chilled her bone.
"Everything is loaded." Ranka froze when a man shouted out the announcement. She looked at the pier's direction and quickly hurried over there. A loud slap resonated through the quite air just when Ranka approached toward the area of activity.
"Shut up, you damn idiot. You want to wake up everybody?" Ranka gasped lightly when she saw a ship loaded with cargos right beside the pier. Four men dressed in black stood at the edge of the pier and one of them was releasing the ropes that tied the ship to the pier. A woman, with light blond hair, turned her back toward Ranka's direction. Her long blond hair was tugged into a bun. Ranka hid behind a crate, and she watched the woman carefully. The woman took something out from her long black coat and turned toward the direction of one of the worker.
"I'm sorry," said the worker that shouted that announcement earlier. "I..." His sentence was cut off when a bullet ripped through his chest. With a gurgling sound, he fell off the ship and went into the ocean. The woman, who fired the gun, slowly lower her gun and delicately smooth away a lock of her hair away from her face.
"I don't tolerate loud mouths," she said coldly. She then turned to look at the rest of the crew, who stood there with fear in their eyes. "What are you standing here for?" Her question snapped them out of the trance. With one terrifying look at her, they quickly continued their work. Ranka caught a glimpse of her face when she had turned to look at her crew's labor. Her icy blue eyes flashed beautifully in the moonlight, and her angel face became distorted when she smirked at their reaction.
"Beautiful and deadly," thought Ranka. She released the safety on her gun. She was about to rise up when a male's voice rang lightly in the air.
"Gima...impatient as always." Ranka froze when she saw the blond hair woman turned around with a smile to look at the man that strolled toward her.
"Aoi," whispered Ranka when she saw Aoi walking to Gima with a smile on his face. Gima smiled and quickly wrapped her arms around Aoi's neck. Ignoring the look of the people around them, they kissed each other passionately. Tears streamed down from Ranka's cheek as she witness the scene before her. Up until now, she never did believed that Aoi would betrayed his team. She was determined that it was a mistake, and she almost got herself thrown off the case when she argued with Van about Aoi's innocence. But now...her heart felt lost and broken. "How can he betray us? How can he betray...me? After all these years..." Her sorrow quickly replaced with anger. She hastily stood up from her position, only to be knocked down by someone. Her gun flew away from her hand when a man hit her hard on the back. She crashed into the crate in front of her. Before she could react, she could feel the cold metal of the gun nudging her temple.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," a man warned. He grabbed Ranka by her hair and pulled her head upward. His partner silently picked up Ranka's gun and stored it in his coat. Ranka tried to look at her captor's face but whenever she tried to turn, he would twisted her lock of hair harder. Her eyes landed on Aoi and Gima when they looked toward her direction. Aoi's astonished face caused Ranka to laugh bitterly.
"Bring her here," ordered Gima. She watched Ranka coldly as the man pushed Ranka toward Gima and Aoi. A flash of irritation appeared in Gima's eyes when Ranka stared back at her defiantly. Her captor released her hair but he took the gun away from her temple and pointed it at her back. Within a second, he bound her hands behind her back. Gima slowly walked up to Ranka and stopped right in front of her. "Oh...so you are a detective." She laughed slightly and slapped Ranka hard on the face. She smirked when Ranka slowly turned her face back to her. The anger in Gima's heart boiled when Ranka continued to look at her with defiance. She quickly turned away from Ranka and looked at Aoi. His face registured no emotion when he looked at Ranka, kneeling on the floor. "Honey?" Aoi looked at her just as she slipped her arms around his neck. She silently smiled when she saw the flickering pain that flashed in Ranka's eyes. Gima kissed Aoi and nuzzled him on the neck. "Do you know this girl?"
"Yes," Aoi said simply. "She was my partner."
"Oh...partner," Gima said softly. She looked at Ranka and shook her head in a teasing way. "You poor girl. It must hurt you to see that your partner have betray you." Her mouth lifted into a cruel smile when Ranka tried to stand up but was pushed back on her knee. Gima turned her attention back at Aoi and played with his ear. "Does this hurt you, Aoi? Does it hurt you to see that I am hurting your partner?"
Although she tried to hide it, Ranka can help but gasped when Aoi looked at her coldly. "Her life mean nothing to me."
"Alright," said Gima in a singsong tone. She placed a gun in Aoi's hand and kissed him on the cheek. "Then kill her." She smiled at Aoi and stood away from him. Aoi looked at the gun for a moment before he pointed it at Ranka's chest. Ranka's captor lifted her back on the feet and dragged her near the edge of the pier. Gima's eyes gleamed with pleasure when Aoi continued to point his gun steadily at Ranka's chest.
"Aoi." Aoi's hand wavered slightly when Ranka softly called out his name. He stared at her eyes as she stood there in front of him. "Aoi."
"I'm sorry, Ranka," Aoi said with an emotionless tone. "But...you weren't able to give me what I wanted." He fired the gun at her chest. When the bullet hit her, her body was thrown backward. The sudden movement of her body caused her captor to lose his grip on her. Before they knew it, she plunged deep into the black ocean.
"Damn it," Gima cursed as she ran up to the area where Ranka disappeared. "Where is the flashlight?! Come here quick!" The crews scrambled toward the area and flashed their flashlights on the ocean. Fifteen minutes pass and there was no sight of her body. Gima frowned in frustration and looked at the pier's floor. To her pleasure, flesh crimson blood covered the area where Ranka stood a moment ago. She turned to Aoi and ran into his arms. "Good job, honey." They kissed each other passionately, while everyone continued to look for Ranka's body. She broke off the kissed and waved her hand to stop the crew's search. "I would love to see her dead body but this shipment must not be late or Cait Sith will not be happy." She wrapped her hand around Aoi's waist, while Aoi nuzzled her hair with a smile on his face. "Sail on with the shipment." The crew nodded their heads and a few minutes later, the ship sailed away from the pier and dissappeared into the darkness of the night. They were about to leave when Gima turned to look at the young man that managed to capture Ranka. She silently noted his long black hair that was tied into a ponytail. His green eyes looked at her steadily as she observed his handsome face. Although a light scar ran across his right cheek, Gima noted that he was indeed a handsome man. "What is your name," she called out to the young man.
"Duo," he replied bluntly. He continued to look at her as she looked at his slightly grown mustache. She smiled and nodded her head.
"I remember. The man that was sent here by Genzou, Genji, and Genta." She waved her hand and headed back to the car with Aoi's hand draped around her. "Tell your masters that I will see them later." Duo nodded his head. With that said, Gima and Aoi left the pier. The crews have already scattered, but before they did, Duo stopped his partner for this trade and took Ranka's gun from him. Duo gave one last glance at the ocean before he walked back to the parking lot and jumped on his motorcycle. He quickly speed away. The pier reverted back to its silent self. However, that silence became disrupted when Ichiro stood up from his hiding place. Tears streaked down his face when he ran down the pier.
"Ranka!" Ichiro kneeled down at the place where Ranka just disappeared. "Ranka!!" He silent cursed himself for doing nothing when he saw Ranka being dragged off by Duo. "Ranka!" Although he knew that Ranka was wearing a bulletproof vest, the blood on the pier threw all of his worries into chaos. "Please answer me, Ranka! Ran..." He stopped his shouting when he heard a muffled cried. Ichiro looked downward and cursed when he didn't saw anyone. He took a miniature flashlight from his pocked and flashed it on the ocean surface. He was about to panic when he heard the sound coming from right under the pier. He quickly bent downward and looked down the pier. His face lifted into relief when he saw Ranka hiding behind some poles of wood. "Ranka, thank god you are alright." To his surprise, tears flowed down from Ranka's face as she started to cry. Ichiro shook his head and reached out his hand to Ranka. She silently took it and he pulled her up. Wrapping his arms around her, he realized that nothing was alright. "Damn you, Aoi," Ichiro growled angrily.
"I wouldn't curse him so fast if I were you." Ichiro and Ranka looked up with surprise when they heard a voice coming from the shadow. Ichiro quickly pulled out his gun and almost fired when the figure appeared before them.
"Larva?!"
*That night at Aoi's Dojo*
"ARGHHH!!! I've lost again!" Spartoi tossed the cards in his hand on the card table with great frustration. "How lucky can you get?!"
"As lucky as the cards want me to," said Lemures as he happily gathered the cards on the table. "Another round?"
"Nah," said Spartoi, shaking his head. "I can't afford to lose anymore."
"What," asked Lemures in confusion. "We are not betting on anything."
"I know, but my pride is at stake. I've lost enough of it already." Spartoi sighed and turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Damn...it is so boring over here. Aoi is working late and Lemunia is off courting Carlua. Why the heck do I have to be stuck with you?!"
"Gee...I suddenly feel really wanted," Lemures said dryly. He placed the cards on the table just when the phone rang. Before he could reach for it, Spartoi already took the reciever in his hand.
"Hello," greeted Spartoi. Lemures started to place the cards back into the box, when Spartoi cursed.
"What is..." Lemures question was cut off when Spartoi slammed the receiver down back on the telephone handle.
"We got to get the hell out of here," said Spartoi, while he yanked Lemures up on his feet.
Duo watched the dojo quietly and took out the remote control. Without any hesitation, he pressed the button. The birds and animals of the forest were rudely awakened when the dojo exploded on this clear night sky. Duo watched the huge bon fire that burned before him. He smiled and silently noted that no one had escape.
*The Next Morning*
Van was enjoying his nice hot coffee when the door to his office violently slammed right open. He jumped up in surprise when the wall in his office shook viciously. "Thank god my coffee was on the table," he thought to himself. "The last thing I want is a damn burn the first thing in the morning." He quickly looked upward and planned to give that person a piece of his mind, when he saw Ranka glaring at him. "Ranka," he said softly. Somehow, from the way she looked at him, his throat felt as dry as the Sahara desert.
Ranka slowly slid her hand away from his door and stalked into his office. She turned around and glared at the people who were observing this scene with great curiosity. They instantly continued on with their work when they caught Ranka's glare. As far as they knew, the last thing they wanted to be was to be in Van's shoe. Ranka turned back to Van and slammed the door shut behind her. She ignored the little jump that Van gave when she closed the door. Van watched her nervously as she sat down across him.
"What do you...?" Ranka raise her hand to cut him off.
"From now on, I will be living in the conference room that is next to your office. That is all I have to say," Ranka said smoothly. She stood up and turned to walk away leaving a befuddled Van on his chair. She touched the handle of the door and before she opened it, she turned to look at Van one last time. "That is what you get for not telling me that Aoi was working undercover." She gave him a smile that can rival Miyu's smile. "I'll let you go easily this time, but next time don't try the same trick." Van stared at her with his mouth hanging wide opened. She opened the door and closed it softly when she left his office. "That should keep him thinking for a while," Ranka thought to herself. Without delay she turned to the conference door and opened the door to it.
"Ranka," said Ichiro, standing up from his chair to greet her. Ranka smiled at him and looked at the rest of the people that are in the room. "How did it went?"
"I think he would want a report from you," Ranka said to Larva.
"It's expected," said Larva. "He would like to have a full report from each one of us."
"No kidding," yawned Spartoi. He grimaced in pain when he tried to stand up. "Damn, I think I hurt my back for sleeping in this chair for the whole night." He looked at Lemures and shook him lightly. "Hey, wake up."
"I'm awake," Lemures said sleepily. He popped open one eye and yawned. "Remind me to kill Aoi once this thing is over."
"I'll let you have him once I am finish with him," said Ranka. "But now, I would like to have some answer. Larva?"
Larva silently sat down on the chair. His hand unconsciously went to Miyu's ribbon and started to play with it. "When the Quarl moved back to Japan, Aoi was immediately assigned to be an undercover agent for our department. I was informed about this decision when I was in America. Van and the head of our department have decided to give me this confidential information because I have knowledge of the Quarl's operation."
"Shortly after Larva left, our department assigned Spartoi and I to assist the Japanese police force with this problem," said Lemures. "Since Spartoi and I have been working with Larva, while he was working undercover, we also know how Quarl operates." He took out his gun and placed it on the table. "How else could we carry around our gun so freely?"
But I thought that you came here for Carlua," said Ichiro. Spartoi stood up slowly and rubbed his back. He glared at Ranka, Ichiro, and Lemures when they started to laugh. Even Larva spared him a smile. "When is the baby coming?"
"Shut up," Spartoi growled. "Anyways, we did came here to look for Carlua once we discover that she have disappeared. But our primary duty is to come here and help Larva and Aoi with the case."
Ranka nodded her head thoughtfully as she sat on the table. "And they intentionally send me to investigate Aoi because they want to make the Quarl believe that Aoi is loyal to the Quarl." She smiled a little bit. "What better way to show his loyalty than to have him kill his best friend?"
"Wrong," said Larva, while looking Ranka right in the eye. "What better way there is than to have him betray the person or reason that drives him to be a great cop?" A flush of redness appeared on Ranka's face when she caught on to Larva's hint. Larva ignored the looks that Spartoi, Lemures, and Ichiro were passing on to him and Ranka. "But Ranka and Ichiro weren't suppose to appear last night." He looked at Ranka and shook his head. "According to your order, your investigation on Aoi is not supposed to start till next week." He took out a file and placed it on the table. "We already planed what steps you are suppose to take for the investigation. What we didn't expect was for you show up yesterday night." He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Do you know your action destroy all of our hard work?"
"We still accomplish your objective," Ranka said dryly.
"Yes, you did," Larva agreed grimly. "But you also put yourself out of commission. In order to protect Aoi and yourself, you will have to remain dead. You cannot show yourself to the public until Aoi is safety back in our department."
"How can you be sure this department is safe," asked Ichiro. "Everyone in our department knows that Ranka is alive because they see her walking around today. What if they are spies?"
"I will be safe," Ranka assured him. "Larva wouldn't let me walk around freely if he isn't sure they are not spies. I believe our department head have done a full investigation on everyone of them, right?" Larva nodded his head. She sighed. "I do feel horrible that sensei's dojo was blown up."
"Yeah," said Lemures. "I enjoyed living there. But...Aoi knew the Quarl will blew up his house once his identity as a spy is discovered by us. So, he instructed Spartoi and I to evacuate the house once we receive a call from one of the colleagues."
"He also instructed us to place a bag that contain all of our identity near the door in case this happen," said Spartoi. "Yesterday night, we got a call from someone, that was instructed by Aoi, to tell us to evacuate the house. He told us that the Quarl have send a member of their team, and ordered them to kill any people that escape from the house. So, Aoi told that person to tell us to escape through the underground passage that is located at the middle of the fighting arena. Lemures and I managed to reach there in time and hid in there before the explosion." He looked at Ranka, Ichiro, and Larva and shrugged his shoulder. "The passage led us out to the middle of the forest and well...that's when we saw you waiting for us out in the forest. And...you know the rest of the story."
Lemures shifted from his seat and looked at Larva. "By the way, how is Lemunia?"
"He is informed," said Larva. He stood up from his chair and headed for the door. "From now on, you, Spartoi, and Ranka will be living in this conference room. Since you are not allowed to move around freely, you will have to help us with our paper works. Ichiro and I are assigned to provide you with your daily supply."
"Yeah sure," said Spartoi as Larva opened the door to leave. "I don't mind sharing my room with a beautiful looking girl." He gave Ranka a smile, while she gave him a disgusted look. Lemures sighed and shook his head.
"Make a move and you'll be flying out of this window in a second," warned Ichiro. "She can be as tough as Miyu when it comes down to it." He stood up to leave but before he did, he gave one last pat on Ranka's shoulder. Ranka slightly nodded her head and looked at him as he and Larva walked out of the door. She winced slightly when she lifted up her left arm. With her right hand, she tenderly touched the gash she received from yesterday night. Although Aoi's bullet was buried within her vest, her captor managed to slash her lower arm deeply. Ranka smiled slight when she recalled how surprised Ichiro looked when he discovered his shirt was covered with blood. But after that, she didn't remember anything because the next thing she knew, she had fainted. When she woke up, Spartoi and Lemures were already with them. It didn't take her long to discover that Larva helped her bandage her wound.
Ranka slid off the table and sat on one of the chair. She looked across her and saw Spartoi lying on the table with his eyes closed. Next to him sat Lemures, with his eyes closed. She leaned back on her chair and looked up to the ceiling. "Aoi," she thought. Unconsciously she lifted her hand to the area where Aoi had shot her and remembered what Larva told her before she went to sleep.
*Flashback*
"Ranka." Ranka stopped by the doorway to the conference room and turned around to face Larva. Her hand rested lightly on the door. "Aoi knew that Ichiro gave that bullet proof vest to you. If he didn't knew, he wouldn't have shot you."
"I know," Ranka replied. "I know that he knew I was wearing a bullet proof vest but..."
"I was in the locker room before you and Ichiro came in. I was supposed to meet Aoi over there and discuss about tonight's procedures. When neither one of you noticed that I was there, I just remain where I was at."
"You were thinking about Miyu, weren't you?" A flash of sadness that appeared in his eyes confirmed her answer.
"Aoi opened the door during your conversation," continued Larva in a monotone. "He over heard your conversation and left before you can discover him. After you two have left, he came back and we both talked about tonight's trade."
Ranka nodded her head and rose up one of her eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this?" Larva touched Miyu's ribbon and turned away from her.
"Good night."
"Good night, Larva." Without a glance, Larva left her standing at the doorway by herself. She smiled and shook her head. "Thank you, Larva."
*Flashback*
Ranka sighed and closed her eyes. "Aoi, I am going to kill you for this," she thought to herself. "But until then, you better keep yourself safe."
*Somewhere*
"Ami," a middle age woman called out as she slid the front door of the house open. She lifted up the skirt of her one two-layer kimono and stepped into her house before closing the door behind her. "Amy?" Her beautiful black eyes scanned around the living room, while she took off her pair of shoe near the doorway. A smile lifted up on her face when she heard her daughter running toward her from the kitchen.
"Mother," said the young teenager as she scrambled toward her mother. "How was the harvest today?" She kneeled down on her knee and gathered the basket of fish that her mother brought in. Her round brown eyes were filled with curiosity as she waited for her mother to enter the living room.
"We managed to catch a lot of fish today," said Ami's mother, stepping into the living room. She gently touched Ami's messy hair and shook her head with a smile. "And what have you been doing? You look like a mess." Ami blushed from embarrassment before she went to put the fishes in the kitchen. She quickly appeared back into the living room with a cup of tea. Her mother smiled when Ami presented the tea to her.
"I was cleaning up the house, mother," said Ami as she kneeled down beside her mother. Her hands unconsciously went up to her long brown hair and tried to straighten them.
"How is our guest," asked her mother, while taking a sip from her cup of tea.
"She is still sleeping," replied Ami. Her mother sighed and stood up from the tea table.
"She's been sleeping for three days already." Ami watched in silence when her mother walked up to the guest room. Her mother slid open the old wooden door to the guest room and looked inside. "I wonder is she okay."
Ami quickly stood up and walked up to her mother. "Father said that she is fine."
"We should have sent her to the city right when we first found her," her mother said regretfully. She turned to look at her daughter and shook her head sadly. "But if he did, then there wouldn't be anyone here to protect you." Ami gloomly looked down on the floor. "And if we did, those three brother's spies are guarding the entrance to the village and they won't let the poor girl go once they discover her." She sighed and walked into the guest room. The candles on the table dimly lit the room. Ami watched in silence as her mother approached the girl that laid on the guest bed. When her mother reached there, she softly placed her hand on top of the girl's forehead. She smiled slightly when she realized the girl's fever had disappeared. She turned to leave when the girl's eyes started to flutter. A moan escaped from her mouth as she started to return back to the conscious state. "Ami." Ami straighten up with alertness and noticed her mother calling out to her. "Go and get some water for the girl." Ami nodded her head and disappear from the room. Meanwhile, her mother kneeled down beside the girl's bed and looked at her. She smiled slightly when the girl's eyelid started to flutter open to reveal two hazy brown eyes. The girl gaze past her like she wasn't there. With two blink of her eyes, the guest was finally able to focus her eyes on her surrounding. With a turned of her head, her eyes show no emotion when she saw a lady looking at her. She opened her mouth to speak but end up coughing.
"Don't speak now," said Ami's mother in a tender voice. "You've just woke up and your throat must be dry. I've already asked my daughter to get some water for you." Right in cue, Ami ran into the room with a cool glass of water. She helped her mother shift the girl upward and poured the water into the girl's mouth. For the first two gulps, the girl choked and spited out the water. Afterward, she was able to drain the whole cup of water. Ami took the glassed of water away from her mother hand, and her mother slowly laid the girl back on the bed.
"Where am I," asked the girl. Her eyes roamed between the mother and daughter. Her voice was rasped and she coughed out her question.
"Don't worry about that," said the mother. "You need to rest right now." The girl nodded her head and slowly closed her eyes. Ami and her mother shared a glance before the silently headed out the door. They were about to close the door when the girl called out to them.
"Thank you." Ami and her mother smiled and closed the door behind them.
*That night*
Ami slid the door open to the guest room and quietly stepped inside. She took out a new candle from her kimono and lit it. As she replaced the old candle with the new one, the girl on the bed started to stir. Ami quickly blew out the old candle and walked up to the girl on the bed. "Hi," said Ami when the girl opened her eyes and focused them on Ami. The girl tried to say something but coughed instead. Ami promptly went to the table and poured a glass of water. She lifted the girl's upper body upward a little bit so that she could drink the water. After the girl drained the cup of water, Ami slowly lower the girl down to the bed. "Do you want anymore?" The girl shook her head, so Ami went and placed the glass of water back at the table. "You must be hungry. I'll go get you some porridge." With that said, Ami left the room, leaving the girl by herself.
"Where am I," thought the girl, looking and observing the old wooden room around her. She tried to sit up but the throbbing pain from her left arm caused her to collapse back downward. She groaned and lifted her right arm to touch her forehead. She looked at her arm with amusement when she noticed how much bruises and cuts she had on her arm. "Hm...I looked like a mummy." She sighed and closed her eyes. "But I got lucky I guess. I was really lucky to survive that fall." Her eyes snapped open when Ami entered the room. With a weak little smile, Ami walked up to the girl and lifted her upward again. It took half an hour to feed the girl and when Ami accomplished this task, she went out of the room to put the empty bowl into the washing pail. The girl waited quietly for Ami to come back. She didn't need to wait that long for her to return. Ami shyly stepped into the room and sat down on the chair near the table.
"Is...is there anything I can get for you," asked Ami. The girl shook her head.
"Where am I," asked the girl in a steady voice.
"You are in my village...actually, my father's village," Ami said with a smile. The girl nodded her head with her eyes closed. For a moment, silence filled the room and Ami thought the girl must have drifted off to sleep. She stood up to leave but the girl opened her eyes again.
"I'm sorry," said the girl in a calm tone. "I was gathering my thought." She looked at Ami with a clear and steady gaze. Ami was taken aback for a moment when she saw that gaze. "Can you tell me where is this village located at?"
"Uhmm...we are just a small village. The nearest city is about half a day or a day away." Ami sat down and looked at the girl. "You really recover fast." The girl smiled.
"Mentally, yes. But physically...that is another question. I would like to know whether your calculation is based on the movement of a car or a cart?"
"We...we hardly own a car over here. All of the houses around here don't even have electricity. We mostly use cart or carriage to move around."
The girl nodded her head. "So...if it takes a carriage to go to a city within one day, then it should take a car approximately eight hours, max." said the girl to herself. "What is the city called?"
"I think it is called Chiba." The girl's eyes widen when she heard the city name.
"So...I drifted that far. It is not that far from Tokyo." Ami leaned forward and looked at the girl with curiosity.
"Are you from Tokyo," asked Ami. The girl nodded her head. "Then how did you got here? I mean...why were in drifting in the middle of Tokyo Bay?"
"It's a long story," said the girl with a small groan. Ami quickly went to her side.
"If you don't want to talk about it, it is alright." The girl looked at Ami and gave her a small smile.
"You have the right to know," she said simply. "But...right now, I am not in the right condition to talk. I'll tell you once I get better."
"Alright," said Ami as she stood up from the chair. "You should rest now. I'll come back tomorrow."
"Thank you, Ami." Ami looked at the girl in surprise when she called out her name. The girl noticed the confusion in Ami's eyes. "I heard your mother called you by that name."
"Oh." Ami giggled a little bit before she headed for the door. "You're welcome...uh..."
"Miyu. Yamano Miyu."
"Alright, Miyu," said Ami as she slid the door open. "Good night."
Miyu watched Ami when she stepped out of the room and closed the door. She closed her eyes but the throbbing pain from her left shoulder prevented her from falling asleep. "I must have knocked my joint out of the socket," Miyu thought, while trying to ignore the pain. A small smile drifted across her face. "I'm alive...and it wasn't easy."
*Flashback*
"Yui...Larva..." These were the first thoughts that appeared in her head when her hand slipped from Larva's desperate grip. She could see Larva staring back at her in disbelief, with his hand reaching out toward her. A smile drifted on her face as she looked at him. "Live." Miyu quickly turned away from them and stared death right in the eye. Without blinking her eyes or looking away, she plunged deep into the water. The salt water stung her eyes while she waited for the sharp rocks to tear her body apart. However to her surprise, there were no rocks to greet her when she had hit the ocean. Before she could get over her initial shock, the wave pushed her toward the side of the cliff and crushed her against it. A jab of pain shot through her body when a sharp rock puncture through her coat and embedded itself into her bulletproof vest. Before Miyu could move away from the rock, the under current of the ocean proceeded to drag her out to the ocean.
Realizing she was lucky to be alive, Miyu relaxed her body and allow the current to draw her out to the ocean. She knew that if she were to fight the current, she would only be wasting her energy. Miyu silently noted that she was lucky to fall into a part of the ocean where the rocks in the cliff have already been eroded by the ocean. She also knew that she was lucky to land in the water just right when the tide was coming in. Because of that, the blood on her clothes were quickly washed away and distributed to the area that surrounded her. As these things flashed through her mind, Miyu knew that fate have given her another chance to live. A smile appeared on her face when she realized the irony of her thought. She never did believe in fate and now...Miyu pushed herself upward and toward the surface of the water. After taking a deep breath, she allowed the current to pulled her downward and out to the ocean. She shivered slightly as the dark cold water pulled her in all different directions. Rocks ripped her pants and tear at her bulletproof vest and thin coat as she drifted outward. Her body was bruised from all of the contacts that she made with the rocks. But Miyu continued to struggle for her life as she struggled to suppress her pain and pulled herself upward to the surface in order to breathe before the current dragged her back downward. Miyu didn't knew how long she have drifted but by the time the current started to weaken, her body throbbed with pain. She slowly pushed herself upward and headed for the surface, when something grabbed her coat and yanked it off of her. Her body spun out of control and was thrown across the ocean.
Air escaped from Miyu's mouth when her left shoulder rammed into something hard. Her vision threaten to disappear. She forced her right arm to move and used her pair of legs to propel herself toward the surface. Her left arm was knocked out of its socket and hanged limply by her side. Her head broke the surface of the water. Miyu was so focused on keeping herself up float that she fail to hear the voices that were floating right beside her.
"What was that," someone asked alamingly. "Did a fish just hit our boat?" Miyu silently noted the sound of footsteps near her and she closed her eyes. A loud cried rang out and someone screamed frantically.
"A girl! There is a girl in the middle of the ocean!" Miyu's closed her eyes when someone plunged down to the ocean and swam toward her. A pair of hand grabbed her and a moan escaped her mouth when that person touched her left shoulder. She let darkness claimed her when the pain became too unbearable.
*End of Flashback*
Miyu shook her head and relaxed herself when sleep started to consume her. Before she lost herself to unconscious, a thought drifted into her mind. "The Quarl is not going to like this. Not at all."
******
For the next three days, Ami watched over Miyu. Every time that Ami went into Miyu's room, Miyu would always smiled and closed her eyes, while lying on her bed. She listened intently as Ami told her about her life. To Ami's disappointment, Miyu mostly remained silence for these past few days. The only time that Miyu ever talk was when Ami asked her about the accident again.
"I don't remember much," said Miyu as she told Ami about her story. At that time, Ami would listen carefully but after that, she didn't say a word. On the fourth day, Ami woke up like always. She quickly slipped on her simple purple kimono and slid opened her door. To her surprise, she found Miyu sitting near the table, talking to her father. Miyu looked up when Ami came into the room. She gave Ami a little smile and thanked Ami's mother when she handed Miyu a cup of tea.
"Come over here, Ami," said Ami's mother as she sat down next to her husband. Ami nodded her head and walked up to Miyu. She sat down next to Miyu and looked at her.
"Are you alright, Miyu," asked Ami. Miyu sipped her tea and placed her cup of tea back on the table.
"Yes, I am fine," said Miyu. She stood up and to Ami's surprise, her legs steadily supporting her. Her father and mother widen their eyes when Miyu bowed down respectfully to them. "I thank you for rescuing me and taking care of me. Because of your help, I have regain back my health."
"Oh...you don't have to be so formal," said Ami's mother with a smile. She stood up and pushed Miyu lightly back on the floor. "Rest and don't stand up. You just barely gain back your strength."
"Thank you," said Miyu, sitting back down on the floor. "However, I gained back my strength for the last two days. Thanks to Ami's care, I am able to recover rapidly." Miyu sent Ami a little smile of gratitude. "However...I am sorry to admit but...I don't know the name of my saviors."
Ami's father laughed out loud and shook his head. "It is rare to see a young girl with good manner." He bowed to her and lifted his hand to Ami's mother. "She is Sota Kiko and I am Sota Tako."
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Sato and Mrs. Sato," said Miyu with a bow. "My name is Yamano Miyu. I am a detective." Miyu's eyes widen when Ami, Mr. Sato, and Mrs. Sato jumped up in shock. Before she knew it, Mrs. Sato ran up to Ami and pulled her away from Miyu. They looked at Miyu with terror in their eyes. Miyu stood up calmly and looked at them.
"Don't take my daughter," Mrs. Sato begged, hugging Ami tightly to her. "Please don't take my daughter!" Tears flowed down her face as Mr. Sato stood protectively over them. He grabbed a rod and pointed it at Miyu.
"Get out! Get out of my house," growled Mr. Sato. "I am not afraid of you! I am not going to give my daughter to you. If you want my daughter, you will have to go through me!" Miyu stood in silence as she looked at that middle age man, woman, and Ami. She slowly lowered herself back on the floor and placed her hand on the cup. "Get out!"
Miyu shook her head. "If you assault a police man, you are liable to be thrown into jail."
"You can't scared me with those word," sneered Tako.
Miyu looked him clearly in the eye. "I am not trying to scare you," she said calmly. "I am telling you the truth." She turned her gaze toward the cup of tea and started to play with it. "However, before you hit me, I want to know a few things." She then looked at Tako and gave him a cold smile. "Then I will decide whether I will take your daughter or not." With a scream, Tako charged toward her with the wooden rod. Miyu quickly jumped up on her feet and evaded the rod easily. As Tako brought the rod down on Miyu's head, Miyu lifted one of hand upward and blocked the hit. She grabbed hold of the rod and pulled it toward her. The sudden forward momentum caused Tako to lose his balance and tumbled forward. With a hard push, she shoved Tako on the chest and caused him to stumbled backward. The rod left his hand and he landed on the floor. Mrs. Sato and Ami rushed to him, while looking at Miyu with fear in their eyes.
"Don't hurt my husband," cried Mrs. Sato. "Please don't hurt my husband." Miyu placed the rod down beside her.
"I am not going to hurt him," Miyu said calmly. A wave of exhaustion flashed over her but she ignored it. Unconsciously, she used the rod beside her to support her weight. "I just want some answers to my questions."
"What do you want to know," asked Ami in a timid voice. Miyu looked at her with coldness in her eyes.
"I want to know, have you committed a crime. Have you committed a crime against the law?"
Ami looked shock for a while but she quickly shook her head. Tears fell down on her face as she hugged her father. "I haven't committed any crime. I didn't do anything against the law." Miyu nodded her head and sat down on the floor. She took up the rod and to their surprise, she tossed it softly toward Tako. Tako looked at the rod in daze when Miyu took the cup of tea in her hand. Her hand shook for a moment but it quickly regained its steadiness.
"Then I have no intention of arresting your daughter," said Miyu. She smiled at them and placed the cup of tea back on the table after she took a sip of it. "I am sorry for the misunderstanding. However, it seems like you have a very bad experience with the police. Now...would you tell me why are the policemen taking the girls in your village? Also, why have the police been threatening you with jail? Have you been assaulting the police?" Miyu frowned and shook her head. "No...let me rephrase the question. What did the police do to make you want to assault them?"
"Ha...hahaha," laughed Mr. Sota when he heard Miyu's questions. "Why are you asking all these questions," he snarled. "You know why!" Miyu's face remained expressionless as she looked at them. Mrs. Sato left her husband's side and grabbed Miyu by her kimono.
"Are you really not going to arrest Ami," asked Mrs. Sato in a hopeful tone. "Are you really not going to take her away?"
Miyu smiled and nodded her head. "If Ami haven't committed any crime, then I don't have any reason to take her away."
"Thank you," said Mrs. Sato. "Thank you so much." Relief appeared on her face. It was immediately replaced with horror when she remembered something. "But you won't tell Genzou, Genji, or Genta about it, would you? You wouldn't tell the other policemen about my daughter will you?"
"I have to fly back to Tokyo if I am to ever tell my comrade about it," said Miyu. She noticed they were looking at her in confusion. "Since you didn't seem eager to answer my other questions, then can you tell me who are Genzou, Genji, and Genta?"
"Tokyo," said Tako in bewilderment. He stood up slowly on his feet. He pulled his wife softly away from Miyu and held on to his daughter's hand. "You are from Tokyo? You are not a cop from our neighborhood village?"
"No," said Miyu. "I am from Tokyo police department. I work in the drug department."
Ami and Mrs. Sato sighed in relief but Mr. Sato was still skeptic about it. "How can I be sure you are telling the truth?"
"Do you have my wallet?" Mr. Sato nodded his head. He looked at Ami and she went to a nearby cabinet. She returned back with a basket. In the basket were a wallet, her cell phone, and a container that held a pair of contact lens. Ami handed the item to Miyu and Miyu silently opened her wallet. She frowned when she looked inside. The sea water ruined all of her identifications. She smiled slightly when she pulled out her ID. "At least my picture on my ID is recognizable," she thought to herself. However, the other information was smeared. She tossed her ID on the table and took out the metal badge that was clipped in her wallet. Miyu placed it next to her ID. Mr. Sato took it in his hand and looked at it. He slowly handed them back to Miyu.
"I'm sorry," said Mr. Sato, while bowing his head down to Miyu. "I was so scared that you were one of them. Ever since those three brothers came here, our girls are never safe."
"Three brothers," Miyu repeated as she put her badge back into her wallet. Miyu silently nodded her head in understanding. "So the cops are receiving bribes from them. And as an exchange for the extra money, the cops are providing your village girls to the three brothers."
"That's right," said Mr. Sato bitterly. He slammed his fist on the floor. "But we don't have any proof. We don't have anything we can do against them." Silence filled the room while Miyu waited for him to continue on with his story. Ami sat near her with her mother's hand tightly secured on her arm. She quickly stood up when she noticed the tea in Miyu's cup was almost gone. Noiselessly, Mrs. Sato scurried back into the kitchen to get the kettle of tea. Miyu expressed her gratitude with a nod of her head when Mrs. Sato poured a new batch of hot tea into her cup. She gave Miyu a gentle smile before settling back down with a cup of tea of her own. Miyu softly took Ami and Mr. Sato's cup and gave it to them. Ami silently thank her, while Mr. Sato looked at her with a stun expression on his face.
"Continue."
Mr. Sato took the cup from Miyu and smiled at her. He sat back down in comfort and took a sip of his tea. Before Mr. Sato could protest, Miyu lifted up the teakettle and poured some tea into their partially full cup. Mr. Sato nodded his head with approval. "Thank you Miss. Yamano."
"Miyu," she said cutting him off.
"Alright, Miyu," said Mr. Sato. "There is no need to hide anything from you. You have the right to know everything. And perhaps, you might be able to help our village." He looked hopefully at Miyu but her blank gaze gave him no reassurance. "Very well, then. About six months ago, the three brothers came to our village and asked to buy one of the land near the pier. That time, my wife and my daughter were visiting our neighbor so they didn't saw her. They came to see me because I am the village leader and all of the land that were to be sold and traded must have my approval." He sighed and shook his head. "If I didn't listen to them and if I just refused them, we wouldn't be like we are now." Ami silently took her father's hand to comfort him. Miyu silently sipped the tea. Although she knew that the three brothers were bound to find a way to own the property whether Mr. Sato agreed to it or not, she didn't say anything to comfort him. This was not the time for sympathy and finding people to blame. The most important thing was finding the solution to the problem and that was what Miyu strongly believed the people in this village really need.
Mr. Sato silently patted his daughter hand and continued on with his story. "After they got their property, they leveled the field and built a warehouse and mansion near the pier. The buildings finished in a miraculous rate. It only took four months for the construction workers to finish the job. At first, our villagers were uncomfortable with idea of having those two things built over there but since it was their property, we voted and decided it was not that harmless to our village. Their views changed drastically when the three brothers started to offer jobs to the villagers." He sighed and looked around him. He eyes took in the shabby wooden house that his family was currently presiding. "Although we get most of our money from fishing and are able to maintain a stable life, there are some of us that aren't satisfy with the condition that they were living in. So the opportunity for a new job quickly caught their attention. However, I soon suspected that something is wrong with it because they only hired girls and not men. The villagers were in a uproar when they discovered that the men were not being hired and demanded for a reason."
"So they told the villagers that they weren't hiring the men because you needed their help for fishing," continued Miyu. "Whereas, the girls and the women were not really that needed. The three brothers were just trying to maximize the villager's income by maintaining the same amount of fish being caught and having the girls go earn money instead of sitting at home." Mr. Sato looked at her with surprised when Miyu correctly predicted what the brothers told them. "A typical answer and a typical lie."
"Yes," confirmed Mr. Sato. "A straight out lie. And I knew something was strange with their explanation. I tried to warn the villagers about it but the villagers were all taken in with their lies and greed." He drained his tea and Miyu poured him some more. Ami stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab some food. "So the first batch of girl, consisting of twenty young ladies, left the village a month ago. The job required them to go to the city and worked in the factor over there. The products that they produced would then be moved into this warehouse and shipped off to other cities. For the first two weeks, the brothers delivered the girl's payment to the family. So the villagers were happy and more girls wanted to sign up for some future job. But on the middle of the third week, a villager was walking around the village at the middle of the night and discovered Mia's dead body."
"She was one of the girl that went to the city to work," Mrs. Sato explained in a quiet tone.
"Yes," said Mr. Sato. "And it surprised the whole village to find her there. What surprised us more was how we found her. Her body was covered with bruised and she had her front part of her kimono ripped apart, revealing her skins to us."
"Raped," Miyu said bluntly. "How was she killed?"
"She was strangled. But yes, you were right. She was raped and dumped over there." He smiled at Ami when she walked in with a plate of sushi, four bowls, some small sauce dish, a bottle of soy sauce, a plate of wasabi, and four pairs of chopsticks. She placed them down and went back into the kitchen and came back with four bowls of miso soups. They each politely said their thanks and settled down to eat. "We didn't suspect the brothers at first because the police claimed that Mia was raped and killed when she went back this night to visit her family. Their deduction was confirmed when a cop said he saw her and ignored her. So we left the investigation to them but before the third week was over, Qin, another girl that was sent away, came pounding at her father's door in the middle of the night. When her father opened the door, Qin was already lying on the floor with a huge wound on her chest. But before she died, she told her father that it was the three brother's doing." He popped a sushi into his mouth and chew silently. "So Qin's father came to me and we went to the nearest police department, which was located in the next village, and reported the problem to them. But after a few days, a person came in and admit he was the killer of Qin."
"A cover-up," said Miyu. "Nice move."
"Of course Qin's father and I knew that it was the three brothers but the cops seem to be helping the brothers," Mr. Sato growled. "But this managed to make the rest of the villagers suspect the brother's intention and they started to demand to see their daughters." He shook his head. "But the brothers told them that they don't have a clue to where the girls whereabouts because they quitted their job in the beginning of the third week. They even have the notices that the girls gave them when they quitted the job. But the villagers were not settle and there were nothing they could do when the brothers claimed once they have quitted, the ladies were not under their supervision."
"When the rest of the villagers tried to revolt against the brothers, the cops stopped them," Mrs. Sato continued. "But Qin's father didn't gave up. He knew that the three brothers were the cause of Qin's death and he wanted to go to Tokyo to ask for their help." The piece of sushi that was in his chopstick fell into his bowl. "I haven't heard from him since he had left the village. But after he left, Sai, another of the girls that wwere missing, was found dead in an alley."
"That was when the police came," Mrs. Sato said in her trembling voice. Her hands quivered as she held her cup of tea.
"They started to surround the village and placed guards at the entrance of our village," continued Mr. Sato. "They told us that they are placing a quarantine on our village until they find the murderer."
"Imprisonment," Miyu said flatly. "Illegal imprisonment. I believe they didn't provide any government agreement that justify their action, did they?" Miyu placed her bowl on the ground and placed the pair of chopsticks on top of it as she waited for their answer. She looked at them as they sat there in silence. "I suspect as much. Continue."
"After locking us up over here, the police started to arrest some of our villagers and question them," continued Mr. Sato. "At first, it seems like they are abiding by the law but I started to notice that they tend to keep the girls in prison and releasing back the men in our village. When I asked the police why they were keeping the girls in prison, they said that they were the most likely suspects. I didn't believe them. I knew they were up to something." He nodded his head toward Ami and placed his finished bowl down on the floor. Ami gathered the finished dishes and silently walked back to the kitchen. "But the real problem didn't occur when Xen, one of my helper, decided to visit his daughter in the prison and discovered that she was missing. When the police weren't able to show his daughter to him, he started to scream and attacked the police. The police arrested him. When Xen's daughter was found in the street a few days later and with the same symptoms as the first two victims, the rest of the villagers started to riot. The police were able to subdue them and as a consequence for their rioting, the police end up capturing more of the girls in our village." He shook his head sadly. "That was their intention all along. They intentionally made us go against them so they have an excuse to capture the girls within the village. As long as we live in this village, everyone is bound to be a suspect and are likely to be put into prison."
"If we attack the police, they would end up taking our girls and lock them in prison," said Mrs. Sato. "But if we don't do anything, they will still take our girls and accuse them for murder. There are hardly any girls in our village now. None of the girls ever came back." Tears well up in her eyes. "And the only time we see them is when their dead bodies are found in the street." She wiped the tears in her eyes. Ami walked out of the kitchen at this time and hugged her mother. Mrs. Sato looked at Ami and patted her softly on the head. "I am so glad that they never saw Ami, or else they would have taken her away from me right from the beginning. We were lucky to have hide her in here right from the beginning."
"That couldn't be the only reason," said Miyu. "If the police were acting like this, they would have barged in here to search for girls. Ami wouldn't be here by now." She turned to look at Mr. Sato. "Why are they afraid of you?"
"They aren't afraid of me," said Mr. Sato. "But the three brothers told them to leave me alone because I was the one that sold them the land." He ran his hand through his already thinning hair. "I know that isn't the real reason, but so far they haven't done anything against me. I don't know just what they are thinking." He turned to Miyu and suddenly bowed to her. "Please...if you are able to do anything. Anything. Please help us solve this problem."
Miyu thought silently for a moment before nodding her head. "I'll do what I can." Her voice sound strained from weariness. She quickly cleared her throat. "Who revolted?" They looked at her in surprise when she suddenly asked them this question. They gave her a puzzled look. She smiled and shook her head. "Of course..." She chuckled softly and softly mumbled to herself. Ami strained her ear to hear what she had said but she only hear Miyu saying something like 'Larva' and 'old man.' When her amusement passed, Miyu looked at them with the same cool composure she always displayed. "I assumed that all of the police men that didn't take the three brother's bribes were gotten rid of, am I correct?" To confirm her deduction, Mr. Sato nodded his head sadly.
He sadly shook his head. "Yes. When they refused to join in with the corruption, the first thing that they did was to contact Chiba's police department." He raised his arm and moved it in one smooth sweeping gesture. "Ami probably told you that we don't have electricity in this village. The only light that we can rely on comes from the sun or the candle that we use at night. Because of this reason, the police station, that looks over this village, is actually located in the next village." He sighed. "No doubt, they are suffering the same problem as we are. Although they have slightly better facility than we do, electricity is still scarce in their village. Only the local store and the police department have access to the phone line. But even then, the phones often disconnect and are constantly out of order. Because of this, the group that refused to join in the corruption failed to contact the Chiba's police force on their first tried." Mr. Sato snorted and bitterly smiled. "Now that I think about it, the corrupted policemen must have either disconnected the phone line or disable it so that the others could not reach Chiba's police force in time. Using this excuse and by keeping watch over the phone line that is placed in the local store, the three brothers and the rest of their followers slowly imprison the rebel group by either implanting drugs in their possession and arresting them for it or accusing them for the murder of the women in our village. Because of this, many of the rebels have switch side and joined with the corruption." He looked at Miyu with a frown on his face. Although her face remained impassive, Miyu was surprised when Mr. Sato moved before her and bowed his head down to the floor.
"I'm sorry," he said with his voice slightly muffled by the floor. "Now that I think of it, I have no right to ask you to help us in such a troublesome matter. I will escort you..."
"Whether you like it or not," said Miyu cutting him off with a wave of her hand. "I am interested in this case."
"But...I have no right to tell you to risk your life for our village," Mr. Sota exclaimed as he raised up his head to look at her.
"This matter is not only your village concern. Any crime committed against the law is a concern for every police officer." She leaned forward. "Especially with cases that involve corruption within a police department." She leaned back with a thoughtful expression on her face. "The case shouldn't be hard to prove against them especially when there are so many evidences against them." Miyu looked at him with a slight smile on her face. "And especially with so many witnesses to support the evidences."
"But the danger...and...and...how much can one girl do to the three brothers?" He stood up and started to pace around the room. He didn't noticed the slight frown that appeared on Miyu's face when he called her a 'girl.' "Most off our men that have stood against them have failed. Especially...especially when the three brothers have the Quarl to support them. We can't possibly...." He stopped when Miyu suddenly started to giggle. Ami and Mrs. Sota looked at Miyu with an unreadable expression.
"The Quarl," Miyu mused. "So they were behind this. I wonder...have they degraded themselves to such lowly stature?" Miyu shook her head slightly and ignored the bewilderness expressions that the three displayed on their faces. "No...that is not their style. Nor are they so sloppy with their work. The three brothers must be doing this on their own." A smile appeared on her face as she stood up and straighten the kimono Ami lended her. "I wonder...I do wonder indeed." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and giggled slightly. A glint of coldness appeared in Miyu's eyes as she continued with her amusement. "But, none the less, the three brothers are still a clue and this place is prefect. Perfect for accomplishing what they do best." Before Mr. Sato could stopped her, she walked up to the window and partially lifted open the curtain. What she saw confirmed her suspicion.
"What are you doing," exclaimed Mrs. Sato in panic. She rushed up to Miyu and yanked the curtain away from her hand. "If they saw you...if they saw you."
"If they did," said Miyu calmly. "I would go out and give myself to them." The three of them looked at her like she was insane.
"How can you say that so simply," said Mr. Sato. "Do you understand the danger I..."
"I understand," Miyu said coldly. "I understand perfectly well." She lifted up the sleeves of her kimono and show them her arm. Although she had healed a lot during these past few days, her arm was still tender from the scratches and bruises that she acquired. The rest of her body was not in any better condition. Only her left shoulder seem to be doing fine and recovered significantly well. She noticed the other winced when they looked at her bandaged arm. "I know because the Quarl was the one who did this to me." Ami gasped while her parents looked at her with a stun expression. She smiled slightly.
"But...why did they did this to you," asked Ami. Miyu shook her head.
"Because they want me to die," Miyu said simply with a unreadable smile on her face. "If the Quarl knew that I am over here, then they will not hesitate to kill you." She started to head back to the door. "I sincerely thank you for saving me. I want to help you with your problem, but this might put you in danger. It would be best if you can just drive me back to the next village and let me called for my family. You've told me that they have restricted the passage of strangers coming into the village and restricted the passage of exiting villagers. However, I do believe you have a method for passing through their security, am I correct?" Mr. Sato nodded his head unconsciously. She smiled at them and bowed her head. "In that case, I will need your help in escorting me out of your village. I will find another mean to get to the next village. Although I am gone...you will be seeing me soon. I will come back and settle this problem with the Quarl. I better start packing right now."
"Wait," said Mr. Sato. Miyu turned around and looked backward. He looked at his wife and daughter and sighed. "I'll drive you there tomorrow. I need you to wake up early in the morning. That way, we can go undetected." Miyu nodded her head and walked back into her room. Once the door closed behind her, Mr. Sato turned to his wife and daughter.
"Is it going to be safe for Miyu," asked Ami. "Won't they recognize her?"
"I will hide her," said Mr. Sato. He touched his wife and patted his daughter affectionately on the head. "But while I am gone, I want you to stay inside. Don't go outside, do you understand." They nodded their head.
For the rest of the day, Mr. Sato went out with some of the villager to bring in the catch. Ami and her mother silently cleaned the house. Miyu came out of her room once and politely asked for some rubber band. However, when they told her they didn't have any, she asked for some ribbons instead. After she received them, she just thanked them quietly. She walked back to the table and grabbed her wallet, cell phone, and contact lens before she headed back into her room. After that, Ami attempted to talk to Miyu but she just locked herself in the room. When it was time for lunch, Ami knocked on Miyu's door and placed the food outside. She then went back into the kitchen with her mother. When she returned, the food had disappeared from the doorway.
Ami jumped up with happiness when her father came back home with a handful of fish. He gave the fishes to his wife and looked at Miyu's door. He patted his daughter on her shoulder and smiled when Ami told him that Miyu have been staying in there. Ami placed the dinner outside of Miyu's room again but this time, Miyu never did took it. The night past without any special event and Ami gave one last glance at Miyu's door before going back into her room.
******
Miyu looked at the table in silent contemplation. After talking to the Sota family, she went back in her to do some thinking. "I shouldn't be surprise," thought Miyu. "This is a fishing village so it is not surprising to find it near a shore and near a little pier." She stood up and shifted her sore muscle. She turned to look at the wall. Her eyes seem to gaze through it and focused on the warehouse she saw when she looked outside the window. It was located near the shore and beside it stood a huge mansion. Unsurprisingly, the fancy mansion looked out of place in this small village. "So now they are taking over small villages and using them to store their drugs." She sat back down and her eyes caught the little mirror on the table. "Recognition is inevitable if I keep this look. I guess a disguise is necessary." She looked around her and brushed her loose brown hair away from her face. Her hand stopped in mid-brush and touched her hair softly. "Larva's ribbon." She stood up slowly with her right hand still twirling her hair and walked out of her room.
She silently noticed Mr. Sato absence and entered into the kitchen. After asking for some ribbons and receiving them from Mrs. Sato, Miyu was about to head back to her room when her gaze fell upon her wallet, cell phone, and contact lens on the table. She walked up to the table and quickly picked them up. She hurried to her room and closed the door. Miyu placed them on the table and stared at them for a moment. She picked up the cell phone and shook her head as she observed it. The phone was dead and battered. "It's a pity that it never work when one is in need of it," thought Miyu. She smiled as she placed it back on the table. "I could go to the mansion and asked them politely to use their phone. The mansion would definitely have electricity, but stupidity is never my specialty." She slid the cell phone to the far end of the table and looked at her wallet and contact lens container. "It is best not to bring my wallet with me. If I accidentally drop it, it will reveal my identity." Miyu opened it and took out some currency from it. "However, these might come in handy." She pushed her wallet to the cell phone area and took the contact lens. She smiled slightly and opened them. Inside was the pair of contact lens that Larva gave to her when they were in Los Angeles.
"It's not damage," Miyu noticed as she turned them around. Luckily, the container efficiently prevented the seawater from entering in it. "This will help. This will definitely help." Miyu placed the contact lens on the side and took the ribbons on the table. She sighed and set off to the tedious task of braiding her hair. She took three tiny strands of her hair and started to braid them. After she was done with one braid, she tied it with the ribbon and set off to braid another set. She only finished a small portion of her hair when she heard Ami knocking at her door. Miyu walked to the door and heard Ami retreating from the door. She grabbed the food and ate them in silence. For the rest of the day and into the night, Miyu continued to braid her hair. When she was done, her fingers were aching.
When Miyu lit the room with a candle, she heard another knock from Ami. However, this time, Miyu ignored the disturbance and continued on with her task. In order to disguise herself completely, she turned to the mirror and started to observed her posture. She slightly adjusted her posture and movements to transform herself into the necessary role she needed to act. After a few hours of observations and adjustments, Miyu found herself staring at a satisfying result. With that task finished, Miyu yawned and headed to her bed. She slipped in there and closed her eyes. Her braids irritate her and she shifted in her bed. Slowly the aches on her body and the strains she have forced her body to suffer for the day, dragged her into deep slumber.
******
Ami was placing two cups of tea to her father and mother on the table for breakfast, when Miyu slid her door open. Ami almost dropped the cup of tea when she saw Miyu. Instead of her beautiful straight brown hair, her hair was now frizzy and tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. Her usual brown eyes were golden. Although there were the only changes in Miyu's appearances, there was something that made herself appeared unlike the Miyu that Ami knew. For one thing, her eyes were missing the glint of intelligence and bravery that was in there when she first met Miyu. Instead, submissive and gentle look replaced the flame in her eyes. She also adapted a shy and graceful method of walking. Her shoulders were also lowered like she had a heavy burden placed on her shoulders. Her confident strides were missing as she walked slowly toward them.
"Miyu," asked Ami in disbelief. Miyu nodded her head.
"I am ready, Mr. Sato," said Miyu as she bowed toward him. Mr. Sato blinked twice before he replied back to her. He stood up and placed his cup of tea back on the table.
"Uhm...just...just follow me," said Mr. Sato. Miyu bowed her head to him and quickly thank Ami and Mrs. Sato for their generosity. Before Miyu left, Mrs. Sato gave her a huge sack of food for the journey. Miyu thanked her before she followed Mr. Sato quickly to the carriage and climbed inside. Mr. Sato stood outside and hesitated. "I have a set of man's clothing for your inside. Change into that. It would be better if you disguise yourself as a guy instead."
Miyu nodded her head as she stepped inside. She looked at the set of clothing before her and shook her head with amusement. To her dismay, it did not occurred to her to disguise herself as a man. "My physical and mental states still need to recover some more." Without wasting anytime, she quickly stripped off from her disguise and slipped into Mr. Sato's clothing. As she adjusted the neck of the shirt, she thoughtfully looked at her discarded kimono. "I might have usage for it," thought Miyu as she opened the sack of food. She carefully took out the four lunch boxes, some breads, and drinks, and folded the kimono carefully. After stuffing the kimono into the sack, she filled the extra spaces with the carefully wrapped bread.
Mr. Sato was preparing the horses for the trip while Miyu changed in the carriage. He was about to climb back on the driver's seat when Miyu walked out of the carriage. If he didn't knew that was Miyu, he wouldn't have recognize her. Her face was the same but it was hidden behind a huge fishing bamboo hat. Her long brown hair tucked securely in the bamboo hat. His clothing fit on her loosely as she lazily strolled toward him. She stopped walking and plucked a long strand of weed. Miyu placed the end in her mouth and started to chew on one of its end. She lightly swung a bag that held the kimono she was wearing, while carrying the four lunch boxes in her hand. She placed the bag and lunch boxes near the driver's seat before going back into the carriage to grab the drinks. Once she had secured their supplies, she pointed her finger at the cart of fish that was to be delivered to the next village.
"I will help you load it," Miyu said softly. Mr. Sato nodded his head as she helped Mr. Sato unload the carriage and attached the cart of fishes to the horses. After they were done, Mr. Sato and Miyu jumped up onto the driver's seat. Miyu leaned back and tilted her hat forward to cover her face. She placed her arms on the back of her head and slightly swung her leg on the side of the cart. Mr. Sato can't help but smiled at her demeanor. In just a few gestures, she transformed herself into a common boy. With soft sound coming from his voice and a pull on his string, the horses started to move according to his command. When they reached to the village gate, there were two cops standing on guard.
"Hey Mr. Sato," said one of the male guard. His smile lifted into a sneer. "What do you got there?"
"I'm delivering the fishes to the next village," Mr. Sato said coldly. One of the man walked up to the cart and looked at Miyu. He eyed her suspiciously.
"Who is this kid," he asked. Miyu snorted and spit on the ground. The guards look at her with disgust. She slowly rose from her back and yawned.
"What's going on," asked Miyu. Mr. Sato was surprised when he heard her voice. Her voice was deep and the words came out in a slur, like she was drunk or something.
"Nothing, Sei," said Mr. Sato. "It's nothing. Just go back to sleep." Miyu leaned back on the driver area. Mr. Sato turned to look at the two policemen. "This is just one of the boys that help me on my fishing. He is just helping me to deliver the cargo today." The guards gave one last glance at Miyu as she reached up her hand and scratched her stomach in a lazy way.
"Go," said the guard. "Don't try to sneak anyone out of the village, Mr. Sato. If you do, we will be force to arrest you." Mr. Sato nodded his head before he drove away. It wasn't until they were two miles away when he could finally relax. He turned to Miyu and smiled.
"That was very good," he said to Miyu. "How did you change your voice like that." He couldn't see it but he swore Miyu was smiling.
"Training," Miyu said simply. For the rest of the drive, they drove in silence. When they reached to the next village, Miyu slowly sat up on the seat. There weren't any guards on this village but the streets were quite empty. The only people that were walking in the streets were men. He drove into the village and greeted some of the people in the street. They grimly greeted him back and walked away. He stopped at a little store and dropped Miyu down over there.
"I'll come back and wait for your family to pick you up." Miyu nodded her head as she got off the wagon. She grabbed her bag and swung it over her right shoulder. With a wave of her hand, she slowly wobbled toward the store. Mr. Sato gave her one last glance before he went down the street to deliver the cart of fish.
Right at the entrance of the store stood a young handsome man with a light scar on his right cheek. He wore a cap and his long black hair was tied into a ponytail. A silver cross hung from his necklace and laid softly on his chest. His arms were crossed and his green eyes observed the village with a lazy gaze. His gaze landed on Miyu when she sloppily got down the cart. He continued to watch her while she was talking to the middle age man on the cart. With a nod from her head and a wave of her hand, Mr. Sota drove off. The young man's gaze continued to follow Miyu as she stumbled toward his direction.
"Oh hell!" Miyu looked up when she heard the young man exclaimed out loud. She looked at him and frowned. He stood up and walked toward her. "Oh hell!" Miyu chewed her piece of weed and rolled her eyes before she moved toward the store. However, before she reached there, the young man stopped her.
"What do you want," Miyu growled deeply, glaring at the young man. She took out the weed from her mouth and threw it on the ground. Her eyes widen when she took a close look at his face. She chuckled slightly and shook her head.
"Oh hell," said the young man again with a smile on his face. "I didn't expect to see you over here."
"Neither did I," Miyu said softly. She let her bag slip down from her hand. "I thought you were dead."
"Come on, I thought the same happen to you too. But after knowing you for such a long time, I must say, I am not surprise to see you here." He patted Miyu on her shoulder. He saw the smile on her face and quickly released his grip. "Damn it Miyu," he said softly in her ear. "Your smile is just as annoying as every. But I'll be lying if I said I am not glad to see you."
"Same here, Cain," Miyu whispered. "Same here." Cain laughed softly and patted her hard on the back.
"What do we have here," said Cain out loud. Miyu watched in silence when he narrowed his eyes and changed his voice into a cold and unemotional tone. His face-harden as he stared at a small wooden shaft located across the street. The light from the sun hit the wooden shaft and casted a little shadow on the street. Miyu turned to look at the wooden shaft and found a woman standing right underneath the shade. The shade hid her face but the shape of her shadow clearly indicated that she was a woman. "Come out." As if she was listening to his command, the woman slowly pushed herself away from the wall and stepped out of her hiding place. She calmly walked toward them with a cold smile fixed on her white complexion. Although Miyu and Cain's faces remain impassive, they recognized the young lady as soon as she stepped out to greet them.
"Long time no see...," Miyu started as she waited for her to fill in the space.
"Rei," said the girl when she reached them. "And you?"
"Sei," said Miyu.
"And I'm Duo," said Cain while lowering his voice to a whisper. "Now let's cut the crap and get to the point. What the hell are you doing here, Reiha? And especially why you are dressed like this?" Reiha looked at her clothing and shrugged. Her long blue hair was cut into shoulder length. She was dressed in a white kimono that was pulled tightly around her, allowing her figures to show.
"I don't see any problem with this," said Reiha nonchalantly. "What I am surprise is to see you here, Sei. I thought you were dead." She shook her head and smiled. "No...I guess you just don't die that easily."
"Setting yourself as a bait, aren't you," said Miyu. Reiha eyes widen a little bit.
"So you heard," Reiha said softly. "And you?"
"The Quarl," Miyu replied. Reiha nodded her head. They both looked at Cain when he muffled a cry of surprise.
"Damn it, how do you know," he muttered to Miyu. Miyu shrugged her shoulder and smiled at him.
"I have my sources, Duo dear," said Miyu.
"That is one damn thing I don't miss." He shivered slightly when he saw her smiling at her. To his dismay and relief, Miyu turned her attention away from him and looked at Reiha. For a moment, she stared at Reiha in silence. Although Reiha was trained to hide her discomfort, her smile looked strain on her face.
"I have no intention of wasting my time with you. I have..."
"I propose that we work together," Miyu interrupted suddenly. Cain looked at her in shock and even Reiha's impassionate face displayed a slight expression of surprise. A few second passed before Reiha started to giggle slightly.
"And why should I work with you," Reiha asked in a playful tone. "Have your partnership weaken your own abilities, Sei?"
"My abilities are not your concern in this matter," Miyu said calmly. "However, the murderers that you intend to capture are the same prey I have my sight on."
"So...our skills are finally put into test." She gave Miyu an icy smile. "You aren't scared are you, Sei?"
"Am I," Miyu replied back coldly. "I just have no intention of wasting my time to rescue you." She looked at Reiha and smiled. "You don't have a plan do you?" The icy stare that Reiha was directing toward Miyu faltered a little bit when Miyu hit the bull eyes. Miyu turned to look at Cain and directed the next question to him. "Intelligent?"
Cain snorted and shook his head. "They are stupid but they aren't complete idiots. They just tend to let their hormones do the thinking instead of their head." He grinned when he said those words but he quickly turned to look at Reiha with a serious look. "And if you think that you can just infiltrate their base by walking around the street, you are mistaken. First of all, what kind of sane girl is going to walk around the street with the knowledge that they have a hundred percentage of getting capture and rape?" He shifted his cap. "They are at least smart enough to realize that something is wrong with this girl. It won't take them long to realize that you are setting yourself as a bait and kill you off."
"That's correct." Miyu patted Cain softly on the shoulder. "You are smarter than I last saw you." She then turned to look at Reiha. "I can't say the same thing for you." A scowled appeared on Reiha's face. With great effort, her face reverted back to its unimpressionable feature.
"What are you suggesting," asked Reiha. She knew enough to acknowledge her defeat.
Miyu nodded her head. "If you want to infiltrate their base, it is best to act as one of the member of the villagers." Reiha nodded her head slightly. Although she was tempted to snap at Miyu by claiming that she already thought of that, she prevented herself from saying it.
"You've already have a plan." Miyu nodded her head.
"My conditions are not in my ideal state. I have no intention of staying here. However..." She looked at Duo and smiled. "I might make an exception." Miyu ignored the curses that Cain muttered right under his breath and continued on with her line of thinking. "I was fortunate to be rescued by the mayor of the neighboring village. If you and I imposed ourselves as the daughters of my rescuer, we might be able to infiltrate the brother's mansion and discover where they have hidden the girls." She lightly patted Duo on the arm. "I expect you will be helping us?"
"Want to but can't," said Cain. "Why? Because those three perverts are not as stupid as you think they are. So what if they bribe the police to capture those girls? What proof do you have against them? It will take you forever to look through all of their bank accounts. And don't expect me to help you guys out too. I didn't see them put money into those bastard's bank account. I just heard those three gorillas mentioning about it. If we go to court, it will just be their words against mine."
"The villagers," Reiha said dryly.
"I haven't forgotten about that." Cain snorted and shook his head. "Like what I said, those brothers are not that stupid. They got the girls capture and imprison but they haven't ship them off yet." Miyu and Reiha each raised one eyebrow as waited for him to explain himself. "No doubt, you both must have came up with the right reason for their operation. Whorehouse...what do you expect. That is where all those chicks are bound to end up in. But...if there are any investigation on the police force and on the three brothers, it is quite obvious that the villagers will start yapping about their stolen daughters. If that happen, then the policemen and the three brothers will be wallowing in deep waters." Cain smiled and tapped one finger on the side of his head. "That is when they start doing some thinking. Instead of shipping off those girls like some hot potato, they actually imprison them in a warehouse. Don't ask me where it is because I don't have a damn clue where that place is. I just know, as long as those girls are there, they are safe. While they are at it, they are thinking of ways to make them disappear in our records. Meaning, they will have to fake their death. How they are going to pull it off?" Cain shrugged his shoulders. "If they know that answer, they would have shipped the babes off a long time ago. So...before they can make these girls vanish like David Copperfield can, they will continue to keep them hidden. And if there is any investigations on this operation, then poof...out comes the girls again."
"Having the girls eliminated will not be that hard," said Reiha.
"In normal circumstances, that will be very simple," said Miyu. "However, while they are in prison, that task might tend to be impossible."
"Yep," Cain agreed. "Can't poison them because that will still have their full bodies in tack. Also...that will bring investigators flooding over here and snooping around trying to understand who the heck would be so clever and brave to poison the whole damn police station. So...that isn't good. Can't set the police station on fire and put someone else body to replace the girls either. That is because there is still something called DNA testing." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "We could bomb the damn place. But we still have to place a blindfold over our forensics to be able to pull that idea through. But...now that I think of it...we might be able to pull off with that idea. They just have to sacrifice some of the girls, but...there is also a risk to it." He shrugged his shoulder and grinned at them. "I know you won't listen to me but I'll still say it anyway because Larva will have my head off if I don't at least warn you two. So..."
"Larva is not my keeper," Miyu interrupted. Cain opened his mouth to protest and quickly closed his mouth with he saw Miyu smiling coldly at him. "I see you've been keeping contact with Larva."
"Well...I."
Miyu turned away from Cain and toward Reiha's direction. "I believe you know what this mean." Reiha nodded her head slightly.
"The only investigation we can do right now is on the first twenty girls and the murder victims," said Reiha.
"Damn," cursed Cain. He looked at both of them and sighed. "Alright...so I guess I don't have a heck of a chance to convince you two to back up. But...." He patted Miyu softly on the shoulder. "You, on the other hand, are not going to join in with this investigation."
"Excuse me?" Cain swallow when he saw Miyu innocently looking at him. He knew her long enough to know that he is treading on a dense mine field. If he chose the wrong words, the whole thing could blow up on his face. And having Reiha standing there staring at him didn't help the situation any better.
"Alright...listen. For one reason, this is not your department's business." Cain saw Miyu nodded her head softly, and he could have swear he saw a smile creeping up on Reiha's face. "Our department deals with drugs. If you want to join in with the investigation, you need the homicidal department's approval..."
"I don't mind a challenge." Cain scowled at Reiha while she stood there with an innocent smile.
"You are not making the situation easier than it have to be."
Reiha lifted up one of her hand to her face and hid her smile behind the sleeve of her kimono. "I see you are not as good as you claim yourself to be. If you can't handle such minor pressure like this situation, then you are not worth my time." She giggled slightly when Cain stared at her and sputtered in disbelief and anger. "Besides...your excuses would not hinder Sei from doing what he wants. I also have no intention of listening to any of your idiotic excuses, especially when the answer to your question is obviously right in front of you." She looked and Miyu and found her smiling.
"You may have the honor," Miyu said simply with a bow.
"Just answer me one question, Duo," said Reiha.
"What," snapped Cain. It was already irritating to have Miyu and Larva playing with his mind. It didn't help his nerve to have another one that is just as annoying as them both.
"Why are you here?" Cain stared at her with a stupid expression while Miyu and Reiha innocently smile at him.
"Crap," cursed Cain when he understood the significance of her question.
"Exactly," said Miyu. She looked down at the street and found Mr. Sato's cart coming down the street toward them. "We don't have time to waste on unnecessary argument." She bent downward to grab her bag and headed straight for the store before Cain and Reiha could stop her. "I will contact Larva, right now." Miyu looked back at Cain and give him one of her smile. "I believe that will ease your worry."
"Like hell it would," Cain muttered. "Come on." He grabbed Reiha by the arm and started to drag her toward the store. If he would have look back, he wouldn't miss the frown on Reiha's face and decided it would be wise to release her. However, he didn't and continued to drag her softly after Miyu. Reiha took two deep breaths and decided it was best that she hid her temper and prevented any public commotion. She could always throw him across the street anytime once this mission was over.
The store manager looked at Miyu as she walked toward him. When his eyes fell on Cain, the fear in his eyes and the trembles on his lips did not escape from Miyu's observation. His eyes continued to focus on Cain when Miyu reached to his counter. The store manager gave a slight jump when Miyu slammed her fist on the counter and glared at him. She plopped her bag right on the counter and spit on the dirt ground.
"The damn phone," barked Miyu, directing her glare at the cowering store manager. The store manager looked at Miyu and then turned to look at Cain, who stood right behind Miyu. Cain released Reiha's arm and slowly nodded his head. With his approval, the store manager quickly grabbed the phone from behind his counter and placed it on the counter. Miyu took some yens from her pocket and tossed it on the counter. "Keep the change." The store manager looked at Cain for approval and grabbed the coins when Cain nodded his head.
"Leave." It didn't take long for the store manager to scrambled to the back of his store when he heard Cain's command. Miyu smiled at Cain as she lifted the handle to the phone.
"I see you managed to elicit fear in these villager," Miyu whispered while dialing Larva's number.
"I learn it all from you." Cain let a smile appeared on his face before reverting back to his cool composure. He leaned his back to the counter and looked out to the street. "I'll keep watch." Reiha walked away from him and stood closed to Miyu.
With a nodded from her head, Miyu pressed the phone to her ear when she finished dialing Larva's cell phone number. She waited patiently when the ring tone appeared. By the second ring, a familiar voice appeared on the other end of the phone.
"Hello."
Miyu smiled slight before she returned his greeting. "Hello, old man."
*Police Department*
Larva closed the file he just finished and tossed it into a box. Her rubbed his weary eyes before he looked around him. After a few second of staring, his eyes finally adjusted themselves and allowed him to focus on the objects that were around the department. Already, the department was busting with noises and hurry footsteps as people scurry across the room to get to their destination. A small smile appeared on his face when he heard another groan coming from Ichiro's direction. Larva looked at Ichiro as he tossed another file into the box and looked helplessly at the piles of files that were on his desk.
"This is a never ending task," groaned Ichiro, leaning back on his chair and ran his hand through his hair in agony.
"Your pile would have been lesser if you haven't accidentally spill your coffee on Van's shirt early in the morning," Ranka said dryly. She closed the file in her hand triumphantly and tossed it into the finish pile. Ranka looked at her cleared desk and smile. "I'm done with mine." Her gaze fell on Ichiro's desk and she sighed. Without a word, she reached for one of his pile and placed it on her desk. Ichiro looked at her with a stun expression on his face. "I'll help you out or else you will be blind."
"Thank you!!!" Ichiro hugged her happily.
"Let go of me, Ichiro before I decided to stop helping you." Ichiro quickly released her and sat back on his desk. Larva shook his head slightly and drained the last drop from his cup of coffee. With one last glance at the three files on his desk, he decided it would be best to grab a fresh cup of coffee before he started to tackle them.
He silently strolled toward the coffee room and headed toward the coffee machine. He sighed softly when he noticed the container was empty and placed his empty cup next to the coffee maker. With a few expert moves, the coffee maker was humming softly and started to brew a new batch of fresh coffee. Larva leaned on the counter and stared at the room while he waited for the coffee to be done. While he stood there in a daze, his fingers unconsciously went up to the ribbon on the neck of his coat and fiddled with it. "Miyu," he whispered. He woke up from his daze when the coffee maker started to beep out loud to indicate its accomplished task. He poured himself a cup of coffee and poured in the cream and sugar. With a sigh and a new cup of coffee in his hand, Larva walked out of the coffee room and headed back to his desk. To his surprise, his cell phone was ringing on the top of his desk. Larva hurried toward his desk and quickly placed his cup of coffee on the desk, before he picked up his cell phone. He sat down on his desk and flipped open one of the file before he answered his phone.
"Hello," said Larva with his eyes focused on the file that was in his hand.
"Hello, old man."
The file slipped from Larva's hands and landed on his lap as he sat there in shock. His gaze fell upon a woman that was sitting across the room. The woman saw him looking at her direction and blushed before she looked back down to her work. Unknown to her, nothing was registering through Larva's mind except the sound of the voice that he just heard.
A giggle appeared on the other side of the line when Larva didn't answer her. "Grown any white hair lately?"
A smile slowly appeared on Larva's face and his usual cold eyes started to warm up. The woman, who was blushing before, blushed into a deeper shade of red when she looked up and saw Larva's tender look. To her dismay, Larva diverted his gaze and looked down on his desk. A small laughter erupted from him and it shook through his body. A warmth feeling melted through his icy cold wall and happiness appeared on his face as he leaned back on his chair. "Just some, little girl. Just some." Somehow or another he could feel Miyu smiling on the other side of the phone. "I've managed."
"But not enough." Larva sat up in alarm when the warmth from Miyu's voice disappeared. He pushed the files on his desk aside and took out a piece of paper. A serious expression appeared on his face when he took up a pen.
"What are you up to, Miyu," Larva asked.
Miyu giggled softly when she heard his question. "My...my...are you worry about me old man?" A smile appeared on her face when she felt Larva frowning at the other end of the phone.
"Miyu," Larva said with a warning tone in his voice. "Answer my question."
"I have some business to attend to," said Miyu. "Larva...I want you to..."
"Oh my, Sei," Reiha interrupted. "Have your skill deteriorated so much that you have to rely on your partner's help?"
"I want you to tell Yui that I have some business to attend to," Miyu continued, ignoring Reiha's comment. "I will come back when I am done with them."
"Miyu..." Larva clutched his pen tightly in his hand.
"Also...tell Van that I am taking a vacation."
"Miyu."
"Thank you, old man," said Miyu. "I'll keep in contact with you as soon as I can. Take care." Without another word, she hanged up the phone.
A scowl appeared on Larva's face when Miyu hang up on him. "Little girl..." He looked at his cell phone and looked around him. Everyone in the room continued on with their work and none of them paid any attention to him. Without wasting anytime, Larva quickly gave a call to his cell phone company. "I'm not going to let you go," mumbled Larva as he waited for the operator to pick up. After ten minutes of waiting and a few more minutes of talking to the operator, Larva finally scribbled something on a piece of paper and hanged up. A frowned appeared on his face as he stared at the writings on the piece of paper. He closed his eyes and tapped his hand on his table. "Reiha. That's right. It was her voice that I heard." With a little nod, he stood up and walked to Van's office.
Van was scrubbing the front of his shirt with a dry towel when Larva pushed open the door to his office and walked in. "What the heck," Van exclaimed in surprise. He quickly tossed the towel below his desk and button up his suit. "What do you think you are doing," demanded Van. Larva closed the door and calmly sat down on one of the chair.
"I will be gone for a couple of days. I have something important to do."
Van cupped his hands on top of the desk and looked at Larva. "What do you think this place is, huh," yelled Van. He was irritated with Larva. Not only did he burst into his room, he also caught him in a very embarrassing moment. It also annoyed him like heck when Larva demanded, not ask, to be excused for a couple of days. "This isn't a play ground! You can't just come in here and demand to be excused for a couple of days without any proper..."
"Miyu is alive." Larva smiled slightly when his words got the wanted effect. Not only did Van stopped his tirade, his mouth was hanging open as he stared at Larva in shock. Larva stood up from his chair and headed to the door. He opened the door and walked outside. Before he closed the door, he gave one last glace at Van. "I'll report to you as soon as I can." He closed the door and left a stunned Van still sitting on the chair.
Larva took out his cell phone and called Nagi. After exchanging a few words with Nagi and hearing Yui crying happily after hearing her sister was alive, Larva stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. As the elevator surged upward, Larva detached the ribbon from the neck of his coat and carefully folded it. He slipped it into his pocket and stepped out of the elevator when it stopped. Larva walked through the homicidal department with a few long stride and knocked on Sergeant Satou's door.
"Come in," barked Sergeant Satou. Larva opened the door and stepped in. Piles of folders were on his desk and he had just finished signing one of them when Larva walked in. He sighed inwardly and looked at Larva with great annoyance. "What do you want?"
"I need some answers," said Larva. He placed two of his hands on Satou's desk and leaned forward. "And you are going to give it to me." Although Larva is thinner than him, Satou couldn't help but shrink under Larva's gaze.
"What...what do you want?" Larva smiled at Satou's question.
*Miyu*
Miyu hanged up the phone with a slight smile on her face. She looked at Reiha and found her staring at her. Reiha silently directed Miyu's attention toward Cain when she pointed her finger to his direction.
"He does not seem please," said Reiha.
"No crap," Cain muttered. "You could at least tell Larva where you are."
"He knows where I am," said Miyu. Before Cain could asked her how, she looked at the street and found Mr. Sato waiting for her. "Duo, go and talk to Mr. Sato."
Cain snorted. "What...and have him running away from me faster than a speeding bullet. He knows who I am and the last thing he ever want is to talk to me."
"Then I will assist you," said Reiha. She gave one look at Cain before she headed straight out to the street. Before Cain could go after her, Miyu tapped him on the shoulder to stop him. She pulled him closed to her and whispered into his ear.
"Tell him that you are part of the Tokyo department and that you are under my order." When Cain was about to protest, Miyu gave him a sharp push to sent him on the way.
"Damn her," growled Cain right under his breath. He looked at Miyu one last time and found her heading to the back of the shop with her bag in her hand. By the time that he reached there, he found Mr. Sato staring at Reiha with a puzzle expression. Cain tapped Reiha softly on the shoulder to catch her attention. "What did you told him," he asked in a low voice.
"Miyu," said Reiha simply. Mr. Sato's gaze left Reiha and turned to focus on Cain. A mixture of horror, anger, and fear washed over his face when he saw Cain standing right in front of him. He backed up on his seat and pointed his finger at Cain.
"You," Mr. Sato sputtered in shock. "You...you.." With a low curse, Cain jumped up on Mr. Sato's wagon. Before Mr. Sato could move away, Cain grabbed him by the shoulder and took the rein away from his hand.
"Shut up and listen," Cain said harshly but in a low voice. He noticed the terror in Mr. Sato's eyes and he knew, if he didn't act fast, Mr. Sato will end up starting a commotion. Cain carefully chose his word and delivered them in a hurry. "I am an undercover cop from the Tokyo police department. Miyu and her partner are my supervisors. It might seems like I am working for the three butt heads, but my order is to infiltrate into their Quarl's organization and help my department bring their organization down." Cain wheezed out the last sentence and took a deep breath. The fear in Mr. Sato's eyes subsided but there was still doubt in it. "What I just reveal to you is top secret information. I might get fired for telling you this. But I need your help...no...Miyu needs your help in this operation." He pointed at Reiha. "That is Reiha and she is also a detective in our Tokyo department. She is sent here to investigate the murders that have occurred in your village."
"How...how can I trust you," asked Mr. Sato in a trembling voice. Without a word, Reiha immediately took out her wallet and handed it over to Mr. Sato.
"Open it." Mr. Sato obeyed Reiha's command and opened her wallet. The fear retreated from his eyes and joy appeared in them. His head turned in a sharp snapped and his eyes were radiating with new hope. Cain cursed and snatched the wallet from Mr. Sato's hand. He closed it and lightly grabbed Mr. Sato by the shoulder.
"Stay calm," warned Duo softly. "Don't blow our identity." He lightly pushed Mr. Sato down on his seat. "Relax and act normal."
"This wouldn't have happen if you didn't tell him our identity," Reiha said with a frown. "You have your own right to reveal your identity. However, you have no right to reveal mine. You will hear from my supervisor from this." Cain sighed and handed her back her wallet. She snatched it from his hand, while he leaned down toward her until their faces were only an inch apart.
"If I withheld our identity," hissed Cain. "We would have a huge crowd here already!" Reiha's eyes widen a little bit when Cain sweetly smiled at her. The way he imitate Miyu's smile to its perfection was really uncanny, and it worked perfectly to annoy Reiha. "Well, my dear Reiha...you will eventually have to tell him your identity, because you need his help. Or have you forgotten your situation?"
Reiha opened her mouth to retort back to him but a voice cut through their little argument. "Uncle Tako!" Cain, Reiha, and Mr. Sato turned to look at the direction of the voice and were shock to find Miyu standing a few feet behind the wagon. What surprise them was not due to their discovery of her appearance. It was her attire that managed to knock them into shock. Her fisherman's clothing was discarded and she had on the kimono she was wearing during her stay with the Sato. Her hair, which was hidden under the huge fisherman hat, fell down to her back and poof outward due to its fuzziness. It was tied into a ponytail by a blue ribbon.
A smile appeared on Reiha's face when the initial shock disappeared and looked at Cain. A scowled appeared on Cain's face and he cursed under his breath when he saw Miyu heading toward them. "I'm sorry, Uncle Tako," said Miyu happily. She ran up to them in a gently soft steps. "I got lost." She looked at Reiha and smiled lightly. "I'm glad that you found my sister." Mr. Sato sat there with a horrified and dumbfounded look on his face. Miyu gave Cain a curious look and tilted her head slightly to the left, while pointing her finger at him. "Who is he uncle Tako?"
"He...He...," Mr. Sato sputtered as he looked at Miyu. Cain's frowned deepen when Miyu's eyes clouded in confusion.
"I am just a local resident," Cain answered her coldly. "I will be escorting you and your sister back home." Miyu gave him a sweet smile and tossed the bag she had with her on the wagon.
"Thank you...Mr..." Miyu stopped her sentence and waited for him to fill his name in.
Cain suppressed a sigh. "Duo. Just call me Duo."
"Alright Duo," said Miyu with a bow. She giggled slightly when she looked at him. "Thank you. Oh yeah...my name is Miyako." Although he knew Miyu was acting, he can't help but feel a little bit surprise when Miyu threw her arm around Reiha's shoulder. Dismay immediately appeared on Reiha's face when she realized how affectionate Miyu was acting. "This is my sister, Rei."
Reiha glanced at Miyu before she turned to look at Cain. "We've already met."
"Oh, you did," Miyu asked in surprise. She blushed slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Enough," said Cain. He turned and shook Mr. Sato slightly on the shoulder. "We don't have time to waste on introduction. Climb in here so that we can start moving." Reiha nodded her head and silently climb on the empty cart. The cart still reeked with the smell of fish when Reiha stepped in it. Her face scrunch up in disgust when her nose caught that smell. Taking a handkerchief from the pocket of her kimono Reiha daintily placed it on one of the side rail and sat down on it. She crossed her arms in front of her as she waited for Miyu to climb in.
"You guys are no fun," Miyu said with a pout. She climbed up clumsily onto the wagon. A giggle escaped her when she slipped and fell down on Cain. "I'm sorry." Cain suppressed an groan and before Miyu knew it, he shoved her to the back of the wagon. Miyu frowned before she sat down next to Reiha.
"Go," commanded Cain in Mr. Sato's ear. Mr. Sato nodded in understanding and took the rein when Duo gave them to him. Miyu was almost thrown off the cart when the wagon started with a sharp tug. The four of them, except Miyu, rode in silence as they went toward the exit for the village. Miyu kicked her legs idly and looked around her with excitement radiating from her golden eyes. Once in a while, Reiha would roll her eyes upward and tried to move away from Miyu, when Miyu nudged her slightly on the arm and pointed at something in excitement. By the time they were out of the village and two miles away from it, Reiha was sitting across from Miyu and glaring at her.
Miyu smiled at Reiha. "What is the matter, Rei? Why do you look so grouchy," Miyu asked innocently.
"Stop it...stop it," Cain groaned. He turned to glare at Miyu. "I don't think I can handle it any longer. Hell, your cuteness is killing me! It is even more annoying than how you normally act!" The smile faded from Miyu's face and she stopped kicking her legs.
"It's all in the act, my dear Cain," said Miyu.
"Permit me to throw her off the cart," Reiha said coldly.
"Would love to but can't," said Cain. "Larva will have my head in a platter if something happen to her." He ignored Miyu's frown and took a quick glance around their surrounding before he turned back to them. "And just to be safe, why don't we call each other by our...err...given name, okay?"
"No objection," Miyu agreed.
"Okay...now that we got that through, why don't..."
"Would somebody tell me what is going on?" They all turned to look at Mr. Sato when he addressed them. He turned his gaze away from the road and looked at Miyu. "I was too shock to ask before but...can you please tell me what you are planning?"
"Whoa...don't take your eyes off the road," Cain exclaimed when the horses started to move away from the main road. He snatched the rein from Mr. Sato's hands and pulled on it to stop the horses. "Damn, horse. Can't take your eyes off them even for a minute." He snapped the rein and the horses jolted back into a trot. "I'll take over."
"Thanks," said Mr. Sato. "Miyu..."
"Miyako," said Miyu. "My name will be Miyako from now on." She moved toward Mr. Sato and so did Reiha. Her voice lowered into a whisper. "Rei and I will be disguised as your niece. We came here for a surprise visit."
"But...," started Mr. Sato.
"You didn't know that we were coming," Reiha continued. "We didn't even tell you that we were coming." She looked at Miyu and nodded her head. "Before we went to your village, Miyako and I decided to stop by on your neighboring village. Miyako and I split up to look for different supplies." She patted Cain on the shoulder.
"What," snapped Cain. His face is contorted with great concentration as he tried to keep the horses on the right track.
"Duo was talking to a friend when he accidentally discover me. He commanded me to walk up to him, which I did. After that, his friend..." Reiha nodded her head toward Miyu's direction. "He needed to use a phone and I went with them. The reason why I decided to follow Duo was because he told me that he knew where you were."
"And then my friend needed to use the restroom," said Cain. "And...hold on...let me think. Wait..oh yeah...I saw you driving your cart down the road. Since Rei said that she was looking for you, I took her along with me." He grinned. "Of course...Rei, being a newcomer over here, don't know who the heck I am. But you...on the other hand...know who I am. So...of course, you looked like you just seen a ghost when I started to walk toward you. WHOA!" He pulled on the rein of the horses and turned them back to the road when they started to stray. "Err...where was I?? Oh, right. Like I was saying, you were scared to see me. You wanted to drive your cart away but you saw Reiha with...OUCH!" Cain turned around the glared at Reiha when she jabbed her elbow sharply on his back. "What the hell!!" Reiha seemed unfazed by his outburst.
A small smile appeared on Miyu's face before she continued on with Cain's thought. "Rei," she said with emphasis. Cain scowled and turned his attention back to the horses. "She was with Duo. With her as his captive, you were obligated to listen to Duo's command. Remember this...." She looked at Mr. Sato sternly, and he nodded his head. "These are the questions that Duo had asked you. He would asked you is Rei your niece, which you will answer yes. He will then asked you whether she is the only girl that belonged to your family. Because you don't know whether I have traveled with Rei and in order to save your daughter, you will lie to him by answering yes. Just as Duo is about to take Rei into custody, I appeared. Because of my appearance, your answer became invalid. Duo began to doubt your honesty and forced you to remain silent. He lied to Rei and I and told us that he was going to escort us to your village. In reality, he would be investigating your household to see whether you are hiding any other girls."
Mr. Sato's face paled when he heard her words. "But...but...Ami...she will be pulled into this." He shook his head violently. "No! I WON'T HAVE THIS! I WON'T...!"
"Would you shut the hell up," hissed Cain in Mr. Sato's ear.
"I would not let my daughter get draw into this! I can't have those three...three...demons get their hands on my daughter!" Before Cain could stop him, Mr. Sato snatched the rein from Cain's hand and pulled the horses into a sharp halt. "Get out!" His eyes flashed with anger as he looked at them. "Get out of my cart! I want you to catch them but I will not put my daughter in danger. Get out!" Unfazed by his anger, Reiha and Miyu sat there in silence and looked at him with expressionless eyes.
"Calm down," Cain said. He stood up and softly put his hand on Mr. Sato's shoulder, but Mr. Sato shook it away.
"GET OFF," Mr. Sato said firmly.
"The three brothers already know about Ami. They know that you have a daughter for a long time." Although Cain had spoken those words softly, the effects of the words managed to knock Mr. Sato right off his feet. Darkness fell upon him and before he could hit his head on the wooden floor of the cart, Miyu quickly stood up and caught him. She lowered him softly on the seat while Cain moved forward to examine Mr. Sato. Reiha watched the scene quietly.
"He fainted." Cain swore and lightly shook Mr. Sato.
"Come on. Wake up. We don't have time to waste." He looked at Miyu ruefully. "Damn! I should have find a better way to tell him the news, huh?"
"He was upset," Reiha said frankly. "You did only what was necessary. Your words were straightforward and it got its points across. That's all it matter." Miyu didn't say anything but Reiha could have swear that Cain was muttering some curses about her. In a few seconds, Mr. Sato was brought back to the conscious world. Cain was relief for a second until Mr. Sato grabbed him by the neck of his coat and started to demand what he had meant with his words.
"What I was saying...would you just stop shaking me and calm down?!" The outburst from Cain managed to shake some sense into Mr. Sato. He slowly released his grip on Cain. Cain adjusted his coat and wryly looked at Mr. Sato. "As I was saying, we know that you have a daughter. We've known it for a long time."
"How," Mr. Sato asked hoarsely.
"How else. All you have to do is just bribe a villager or check the records and we will know who is in this village or not. But in your case, they got their information from one of your villager. I think you should know him. His name was Kuja."
"Kuja? Yes...I know him. He committed suicide when his daughter got taken away." A frown appeared on Mr. Sato's face when he recalled his reaction to Kuja's death. He felt pity at that time but the pity died when he heard what Cain said next.
"Yep...he committed suicide because he betray your whole village. The police were about to arrest his daughter and in order to save his daughter and gain her freedom, he told the police all the information that they needed." Cain laughed bitterly. "I've never saw anyone that stupid in my whole life. He should know these guys have no honor. What make him think they will returned his daughter back to him after he have told them everything that they needed?"
"Desperation," Miyu said simply. "Desperation can drive a man to lose all logic." She patted Mr. Sato softly on the shoulder. "We have no intention of dragging your daughter into this investigation. Rei and I are supposed to be the only girls that are in your household. That was our original plan." She paused. "Why didn't they capture Ami?" Her last question was addressed to Cain.
Unfortunately, he doesn't know the answer to it. "Eventually...they might. But not today...not today."
"Why not," Reiha asked quickly.
"Because Gima is coming." Miyu rapidly turned her attention to him. Confusion appeared in Reiha's eyes but she kept her silence. She knew that they will fill in the necessary pieces for her without her asking. And to prove her point, Miyu turned to her and quickly informed her about Gima.
"So she is one of Cain's most trusted follower." Reiha nodded her head slightly.
"Yes," said Miyu with a slight frown on her face. "Gio, Gia, Gigi, and Gima. They are Cain's most trusted follower. Gio and Gigi have died." Her hand clutched in anger. "And Gia is alive. Now...they are sending Gima out to eliminate Larva."
"You are kind of correct," said Cain. "But not quite. You see, Gima's original role, which she is still performing, is to seduce Aoi." A little smile quirked on Cain's face when Miyu and Reiha both gave him an astonishing look. He turned around and looked at the horses. "Might as well tell you the whole story, since neither one of you are backing down." He patted Mr. Sato softly on the back. "We better get going." Cain took the rein from Mr. Sato's hands and before they knew it, they were cruising down the road again.
"But what about Ami," asked Mr. Sato.
"They'll think of something. So, don't worry about it. Knowing Miyako and Rei, they are going to keep your daughter safe. Even if it means losing their badges." He scowled. "And risking mine too."
"Explain," Miyu said simply.
"What the heck do you mean but explain?! Do you know how many times I almost got my head blown off because of you? Do you know how many times..."
"Duo, shut up," Reiha said firmly, cutting off his tirade. "Unless you want to announce your identity to the entire universe, I would suggest you to quiet down yourself and answer Miyako's question."
"That is what I was doing until you interrupted."
"She meant Aoi and Gima."
"Oh..." Cain blushed from embarrassment. Although he didn't look back, he could have swore he heard Miyu giggling and Reiha smiling at his stupidity. "Damn those two women," he thought to himself. "Alright, listen up you two," he said. He leaned his back backward on the driver's seat and Miyu and Reiha leaned forward to hear his news. Neither one of them dare to risk having their conversation over heard by anybody else. And to their annoyance, the road that they were on, which was isolated before, started to have people, although only a few of them, traveling on it. Some pay no attention to them but others shot them a query look before passing their cart. Cain's face-harden and his eyes reverted back to its coldness. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Reiha turning her face away from him and her eyes focusing, but not really seeing, on the road that they have just left. A slight groan escaped from him when Miyu started to hum a small annoying tune, that seem too cheerful for the bleak situation they were in. Although Reiha and Miyu were each occupied with their own duties, their main attention were focused on the information that Cain was starting to reveal to them.
"Remember your accident in LA?" Miyu slightly nodded her head and continued to whistle. "Well...I don't have to tell you this, but when you were gone, the Quarl started to show their face again in Japan. At that time, I was just a rookie in their gang but I was able to find out that Gio and Gima were running the main operation. I wasn't able to find out what Gio was up to but if I have known about it, you wouldn't be here in the first place would you!"
"Get to the point," Reiha said impatiently.
"Hold your horses," Cain muttered. "Anyways, I was able to find out what Gima was up to. She was suppose to sent some goddamn spy into our department so they can know how our raid operates. But before they can do that, Van started to do some thinking and decided to do the pouncing instead of waiting for them to act. So he called in Aoi and asked him to infiltrate the Quarl's operation. Of course Aoi said yes and before you know it, they started to ring up Larva and asked him for some advice. Larva was upset to hear their plan but he knew that it was necessary. So without your knowledge...well...actually, Larva was suppose to tell you about it, once you get better and come back to Japan, but you know what happen."
Miyu nodded. "Continue."
"So under Larva's instruction, Aoi got some training in regarding to how the Quarl operates and before you know it, he was out in the street and acting his role. Gima snatched him up right away, especially when she found out that Aoi was bitter to lose his promotion to Ichiro." He smiled. "And that is a lie of course because we all know that Aoi's position is higher than Ichiro, and if Ichiro, that fool, is able to get himself promoted, he will be in the same position as Ranka and Aoi. But...Gima doesn't know that. She just knew that Aoi's faith in his job is starting to shatter and decided to seduce him. Hehe...Aoi have to play hard to get for the past few weeks, and believe me, he swore he was not acting. But in the end, he end up with Gima and betraying Ranka. Oh yeah...Ranka and Ichiro doesn't have a damn clue to what is going on." A smile appeared on Cain's face but it quickly disappeared. "Right now, he is scared out of his wit, because he doesn't know what Ranka is going to do to him once this thing is over."
"Aoi is the spy."
"Yep," Cain agreed. "He is the spy in our department. He has been their spy for quite a while. And that is when my cover in the Quarl was blown. Lady Luck seems to favor me because Aoi is the one that was ordered to kill me. On the day of my so call death, Aoi intentionally fake a stomach ache, so he didn't have to join in with the raid. He was sent to the doctors right away. Instead of having his stomach flushed out, Aoi and Van already told the doctor about their case and order the doctor to act as if Aoi did have food poisoning and is being treated for it. So...the doctor is doing his little deed in the hospital and while he is doing that, Aoi slipped out of the hospital and speed like hell to the pier where Ranka and the others were heading. And that is where I get to play my part...because you see, Gima doesn't trust Aoi entirely. She put some of her men to look over Aoi's loyalty. Because of that, Aoi has no choice but to shoot me." He touched his left arm tenderly. "He shot me, alright. First on the arm and then on my chest. But...he is just as smart as you, Miyako. He pulled the same trick that you did with Larva, and placed small bags of blood all over the bulletproof vest. All he have to do is just shoot at some of them and that is convincing enough for the others."
"Not to say, they didn't check my pulse because they did. But...they check it right after Aoi shot me a few times and I wasn't dead yet. They thought I was going to die because my pulse was slowing and god damn it, of course it was. Aoi really did shot me on my left arm and it took all of my restrain to pretend to play dead, while my arm is hurting like hell and my blood are squirting out of the arm like a faucet."
"You blacked out," Reiha mused.
"Like you wouldn't! Anyways, the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital with my left arm wrapped up like a mummy." He rapidly turned to Miyu. "You know what? I discovered that our department had no mercy or what so ever! Before I can fully recover, they disguise me again and threw me out into the street."
"Uhm...the road," muttered Mr. Sato when he noticed the horses were starting to go astray again.
"Sorry...but, hey...take over for me for a while," said Cain. He lightly tossed the rein to Mr. Sato and scrambled to the back of the cart. Miyu smile at him and Reiha gave him one annoyed look before she turned back to look at the disappearing road. Standing right between them, Cain crossed his arms and looked down on the floor. "My butt is killing me. I don't think I can sit in this cart any longer."
"Your discomfort does not interest me," said Reiha. "What I want is the actual facts."
"Now I understand why everyone stay clear from you," Cain grumbled. An icy glare from Reiha managed to make him regret his words. "Anyways...I joined in the Quarl again as Duo, and after a few days of working, I saw Aoi again. So...I punched him." Although his face remained devoid from any emotion, his words carry out all of his passion and feelings. He shrugged his shoulders. "Hey...what do you expect? I know he was acting but that shot hurt like hell. Anyways, after I had punched him and he decided not kill me for attacking him, he told me that Van ordered me to..uhmm...assist Aoi in finishing this mission."
"The objective," asked Miyu.
"To find out Cait Sith hideout."
"Did you find it," Reiha asked softly, so soft that Cain almost missed what she just asked.
"Do you think I would still be here if I have already found it?"
"Incompetent."
It took all of Cain's restrain to stop himself from whacking Reiha on the head for calling him that. "Incompetent as I am, you are still relying on me to help you out on this mission." Reiha said nothing. "Beside, Aoi and I discovered that it is basically impossible to find where Cait Sith is hiding. No one...and I meant no one, in the organization know where his hideout is. Even Gima and the three brothers have no clue. Gima told Aoi that she only saw Cait Sith when he summons her. And every time they met, they always met at different location. Besides...most of the orders that we got from him were sent by messengers. Believe me, we tried to trace those messengers and either they are dead or they have disappeared from the face of the Earth."
"And that explains why I am here," said Cain. "Because we don't have a clue to where Cait Sith's house is located at, Van decided to change our objective. So...now Aoi and I are responsible for finding their major warehouse. Meaning...the place where they store most of their drugs. Van is hoping that we can draw Cait Sith out like this. And the next thing I knew, I was sent here to work under the three brothers. At first, I was like all beginners. I was given a bunch of stupid jobs that even a cow can replace me. But on the third day of my transfer, something happened, something that I wasn't proud of, that got me promoted."
"Your story is insignificant to the case," said Reiha. "If you have any important information to report, report it. If you just want to waste your time and tell us your story, then don't bother speaking and wasting my time."
"Like the days before," Cain continued without paying any heed to what Reiha had just said. Miyu giggled slightly when she saw the frown that appeared on Reiha's face. "I was helping the rest of the crews with the loading. I had been working since eight in the morning on that day and I only had an hour break for lunch and dinner. So...on that night, around ten or so, I was just cranky and tired. I just want that day to end so I can just go to sleep. But, Genta, the oldest of the three, was cursing one of the workers on the pier. I got to admit, that guy had great restrain. He was able to withstand one whole minute of Genta's abuse before he went berserk. He took out his pocketknife and started to swipe at Genta. And stupid me, who happened to be carrying a cargo and passing right by them, didn't noticed what was going on until it was too late. Before I knew it, Genta had step back from the swipe and pushed me in between him and that crazy man." He touched one of his hand on the scar on his right cheek. "I was lucky that the man only scratched me with his knife. Even though it was a scratch, I was pissed. Before the man could apologize, I was beating him up like some crazy animal. I didn't stop until the rest of the crews started to pull me back from that guy."
"After that, Genta choose me to be his body guard. He said that I have guts. Before I know it, Genji, Genzou, and Genta were sending me off to all different sort of mission. I somehow became their most trusted man. But..." Cain quickly added when he saw Reiha opening her mouth to ask him a question. "They don't tell me anything. Even though they trust me, they never told me what they did with those girls. And before you wonder why the heck they won't tell me, I have to remind you that the Quarl deals mainly with drug. What the three brothers are doing are done without Cait Sith's approval. And that means, if Cait Sith found out they are acting without his order...bang...there goes their heads. That's why they are afraid to tell anyone about the girl's hiding."
"People will still know," said Miyu.
"That is why they haven't ship the girls off yet. If Cait Sith finds out, all they have to do is just release those girls and poof...everything is fine. And if Cait Sith questioned them, they are just going to tell him that they intentionally capture those girls so they can force the villagers to listen to their commands. Get what I mean?" Miyu and Reiha nodded their heads. "And that means, there will be no kidnapping or arresting for these past few days...starting with today. Why? Because Gima is coming and so is Aoi. Believe it or not, Gima is actually Cait Sith's lover. She is entirely devoted to Cait Sith and if she found out what the three brothers are up to, she will definitely report it to Cait Sith. That is why the three brothers would have to lie low for a while until she is gone."
"Meaning...our mission would have to be postpone till she is gone," said Reiha.
"Duo...what is the reason behind Gima's visit," asked Miyu.
"As far as I know, they are here to discuss the loading of the new huge shipment they are going to receive." A smile appeared on Cain's face. "If you haven't guess it, the warehouse, right next to the three brother's mansion, is one of Cait Sith's main warehouse." Pride resonated from his voice as he spoke the next sentence. "Even though I don't know how the heck I am going to do it, Van still told me to lead the raid for this warehouse. But before I can do that, I need to stay with the three brother's longer, so I can tell Aoi the location of the second main warehouse. And that is what I am hoping this meeting would tell us."
"Why two," Reiha asked automatically.
"Because Aoi is in danger," Cain replied grimly. "There are two reasons why Gima is seducing Aoi. First of all, she wants to know how our department operates. The second reason is because she wanted to use Aoi as a scapegoat. Well...not actually a scapegoat. How can I say it..." Cain stood there thoughtfully before he continued. "Actually, I have no idea why Gima is doing this. I think she is trying to break our sprit or something...or she is just doing this to hurt Ranka."
"What does Ranka have to do with this operation," asked Miyu.
"Ranka is a pawn in our plan. And I got a feeling she already gave Van a piece of her mind, now that she knows what the heck is going on."
"As I stated before..."
"I'm getting to the point," Cain snapped, interrupting Reiha. "When I said Ranka is our pawn, it means that she is the one that the head in our department have sent to capture Aoi. They sent her because they know she is damn good in her job, and they know that she will do all she can to capture Aoi, if he really did betray them. They also want to cut any ties Aoi have with the police for good, so he can put all of his focus in the Quarl. But...Ranka jump the gun! And I can't believe that Aoi was so stupid that he didn't know that Ranka was following right behind him." Taking a deep breath, he quickly reiterated the events that happened on that night. "Seeing her there basically scared the living daylight out of me! I didn't want to attack her but I was patrolling that area with another guy. If I don't attack her, my cover would've been blown. And that Aoi...I didn't figure out she was wearing a bulletproof vest until, I realized that Aoi was definitely going to shoot her. So I have to drag her to the tip of the pier and push her in when Aoi shot her. That way we can hide her body. But, then I remember that she is wearing a bulletproof vest and that means, when the gun hit her, there won't be any blood. Damn that Aoi...he didn't give me enough time to think and I was too busy trying to cut through Ranka's rope without the other people noticing."
"Before I know what the heck was going on, Aoi shot her. I only had time to cut her across the arm, when I was pushing her into the ocean." He looked at Miyu and Reiha and found them looking at him with dismay. "Hey, I have to cut her," he protested. "I know Gima and she is the suspicious type. She is the kind of people that will take the blood to a laboratory and try to figure out whether that blood belonged to Ranka. If I cut myself...she will know that I am Cain. Not only will she find out that the blood does not belong to Ranka, she will start to suspect Aoi." He sighed. "But because I did that, Aoi and Van are not the only one that are dreading to face her!"
He shivered slightly. "But most important of it all, I didn't know why Gima wanted to frame Aoi in the first place. Now, I think I do."
"Frame Aoi," Miyu echoed.
"Yep...frame him," Cain confirmed. "And this is what Aoi have been waiting for. Like I said, there is a new shipment that is going to arrive in these past few days. And when the shipment arrives, the cargos are going to be divided and stored in two warehouses. The first one will be here, and the second one...we don't know. That is what Aoi is going to find out. On that day, Gima is planning to place Aoi in one pier and tell him to help her watch over the shipment. But, in fact, the shipment will actually come in at another location. What Aoi will be watching over is just a small trade. Gima will spread the news of Aoi's trade, so the police will know about it and arrest him. In a way, she could finally get rid of Aoi, now that she knows how our raid operated. And second of all, all of the police attention will be focus on Aoi's arrest that none of them will be smart enough to figure out that Aoi was actually a scapegoat for the bigger shipment. With all of their concentration on something else, the big shipment won't be detected. And that is why, we have to find out where the second warehouse is located at before the shipment actually arrive."
"Benefits," asked Miyu. Her eyes landed on his cell phone when it rang.
Cain whistled as he started to flip open his cell phone. "A lot. This shipment will bring them in a lot of money. If they lose this shipment, it will be hard on their income. And I mean really hard." He quickly pressed the talk key and placed it on his ear. "Hello," Cain said coldly.
"Is Miyu with you?"
"WHAT THE HELL!" Everyone on the road turned to look at Cain when he started to curse out loud. Mr. Sato jolted out of his daydream and accidentally startled the horse and caused them to bolt. The sudden acceleration caused Cain to tumbled forward. His cell phone flew away from his hand and hit Reiha on her shoulder when Miyu and her lost their grip on the rail they were sitting on just when the horses started to rage down the road. They both fell down on the cart and to Reiha's annoyance, Cain landed right on top of her. The horses were quickly pulled into a halt under Mr. Sato's expert guiding but by the time the horses have calm down, Cain, Reiha, and Miyu were lying on the bottom of the cart in a pile of heap.
Meanwhile, Larva smiled at his phone with amusement when he heard all of the commotions that were happening on the other side of the line.
"Is she with him," Nagi asked anxiously.
"I believe the answer is yes," said Larva. Nagi smiled briefly and looked at the passengers that were in the subway. Larva's eyes quickly darted left and right to scan the area they are in. Since he had left Sergeant Satou's office and out of the building, he realized he was being followed. Although it didn't took him long to lose his followers, Larva was alert to any new followers. To his annoyance, he noticed a pair of spies that were standing at the street right across his apartment. He warned Nagi about their presences and within the next few minutes, they were able to lose them in a maze like back alley and make their way to the subway. "So the Quarl is on the move," thought Larva. His attention was brought back to the other line when Reiha's voice fluttered through the phone.
"Duo," Reiha said coldly. "Get off!" She placed her hand on his shoulder and shoved him off from her.
"May I ask what have caused your outburst," Miyu asked dryly. She slowly brushed her kimono and rose up from the cart's floor. Cain groaned and looked at Reiha as she glared at him. They both slowly rose up from the cart floor. Reiha winced slightly and touched her left leg tenderly.
"I just got a call from a devil," Cain replied grimly.
"And I thought you want us to be inconspicuous," said Reiha. "You seem to be really successful in accomplishing that." Cain growled at Reiha while he bent downward to pick up his cell phone.
"You would have been screaming like a banshee if you were the one that received this damn call," Cain mumbled.
"Is everyone alright," asked Mr. Sato as he brought the horses into a steady pace.
"Yes we are," said Miyu. Mr. Sato nodded his head and turned the horses down a small dirt path. They could see Mr. Sato's village slowly appearing within their sight.
"Here," said Cain into his phone.
"Cain," teased Larva with a smile on his face. "I take my eyes off of you for a moment, and you start going around and harassing girls."
"What," choked Cain. He quickly looked at Reiha and shook his head. Reiha lifted up her eyebrows and frowned. "That's a insult. That is really an insult. You can say that to me about any girl, but not her."
"Then I guess you prefer Miyu instead."
"God damn it! You are one annoying bastard! If I..."
"Calm down, Duo," Miyu said softly. "Calm down. Attention is not beneficial to us right now."
"Let me talk to her," said Larva.
"Gladly," Cain said in frustration. "Anything to get rid of you." He thrust the phone to Miyu. "Have fun." Miyu smiled and took his phone from him.
"Hello, old man," said Miyu. Her eyes widen in surprise when she heard the voice on the other end.
"Old man?" Nagi looked at Larva and found him smiling. "I hope you are joking, Miyu. I don't think I am that much older than you. Besides...how are you doing?"
While Miyu talked to Nagi, Reiha watched Cain as he stared straight ahead.
"Just as I thought," said Reiha. Cain turned around and looked at her. "You are just as incompetent as I think you are."
"And may I ask what did I do to deserve that insult," asked Cain, while trying to suppress his anger and stay a little bit more civilized.
"I presume that is Larva on the other line?"
"Yeah...but how do you know?"
"A brain is wasted upon you. So was your training."
"Cut the crap and just get to the point," Cain growled. "Hell forget about being civilized," he thought.
"Tracing." At first Cain have no idea what her word meant but after a few seconds of thinking, he finally slapped his hand on his forehead and berated himself for being such a thickhead. He turned back to look at the road when Reiha started to giggle from amusement.
"ICAC?" Reiha and Cain immediate turned to Miyu's direction when they heard her word.
"Yeah," said Nagi. "A few days ago, Larva informed me about the situation that is happening over there. He had already informed the Chiba police department about the corruption that is going over there, and they have already sent the information to ICAC. Larva thought I might be able to help out with the situation because I have some experience in that department."
"Have they found out any information about them?"
"Uh...Miyu? If we had found out some evidence against them, don't you think we would have done something about it already? I guess you really haven't recover yet." A smile quickly appeared on Larva's face, while Miyu sighed. Nagi saw Larva's amusement and silently gave the phone to him.
"I assume you were just waiting for the right opportunity to strike."
"Normally we would, little girl." A small twitched appeared on the corner of Miyu's mouth when she heard Larva's voice coming from the other line. "But this circumstance is different. Although we want to cripple the Quarl's operation, we cannot risk endangering the girls that are within their capture."
"I see your point."
"Good. Now that was have that point clear off, tell me. How is Cain reacting to your actions?"
Miyu smiled and turned to look at Cain. With his back faced toward her, he didn't noticed the query smile she was directing toward him. "He's ecstatic. Don't worry, old man. He said he will do all that he can to help me accomplish my mission." She ignored the choking noise that had erupted from Cain.
"That damn Miyu is going to get me killed," thought Cain. It took all of his restrain to remain cool and suppressed the urge to strangle Miyu by her neck. "These girls are really testing my limit!"
"I am very happy to hear that news," Larva said stiffly. A slight frown appeared on his face. "And how is your relationship with Reiha going?" The phone line remained silent for a few seconds before Miyu's voice appeared.
"I assume you heard her voice during our conversation."
"Yes. I heard her voice in our last conversation. And after hearing her voice, I decided to pay Satou a little visit. He was willing to give me all of the information that I needed, that is, after I have given him the right encouragement."
"You threaten him," Miyu said with a giggle. "My dear old man. This action could reserve you a space in jail, especially when you are applying this method to a higher superior than you."
"Have that reason ever stop you, little girl? I don't believe it ever did. And since I am a few years older than you are, I believe I have more experienced in providing the right encouragement to people that are...hmmm....unwilling to talk." Larva looked at Nagi when he started to chuckle in amusement. "Besides, little girl, I am given the full authority of supervising the mission that is occurring in that area. Reiha's appearance and investigation might hinder our mission. It is my right to know any factors that might ruin our mission." He paused. "And I mean anything, little girl."
Miyu looked at the cell phone and blinked innocently. "And what are you implying, old man?"
"You know perfectly well what I am implying," Larva said sternly. "Now that you know all of our operation, it would be wise of you to come back and abandon whatever you are planning to do."
"Wise?" Miyu giggled slightly. "My dear, I think you use the wrong word. I believe 'safe' is the word you would want to use instead."
"Miyu."
"You see, my dear. This is where we are similar to each other. You don't like to take order, and neither do I. And beside, my dear old man, you seem to have solved one more case than I have. I will just take this opportunity to even the score." Miyu turned to look at the road ahead. "I'm sorry, my dear, but we are approaching toward our destination. Our little tete-tete would have to continue next time. Good-bye." Miyu quickly hanged up the phone and smiled at Reiha.
"I see you both reach an agreement," asked Reiha without looking at her direction.
"Yes," replied Miyu. Cain groaned out loud.
Meanwhile, on the subway, Larva silently closed the cell phone and placed it back into his pocket. "Didn't work, did it," asked Nagi. His eyes twinkle from amusement.
"It was expected," Larva answered. He looked up at the roof of the subway and sighed. "There is one reason why I don't believe in god."
"What?"
"He never grants my prayers." A small smile appeared on his face. "If God is here, I would pray to him and ask him to stop Miyu from joining in this mission."
Nagi snorted. "I think that is even beyond God's capability."
"Exactly."
********
"We're here," said Cain. He looked around him. A frown appeared on his face when he noticed the commotion that was occurring around them as they rode into the village. "And I think there is something wrong over here."
"You think," asked Miyu when she noticed some of the people that were running frantically toward the middle of the village. A frown appeared on her face when she noticed the guards have disappeared from the gate.
"I wouldn't know if you didn't tell us," Reiha said sarcastically as she looked at the people that were closing the door.
"Would you guys just stop it with the sarcasm and find out what the heck is going on over here," growled Cain. As to answer his curiosity, one of the villager, who was running toward the commotion, stop in mid way when he saw them and ran up toward them.
"Mr. Sota," said the young man as he approached them. His eyes landed on Cain and fear appeared on his eyes. Mr. Sato jumped out of the cart and headed toward the other guy before he could run away.
"What is going on over here," asked Mr. Sato.
"I...I...," stuttered the young man. His eyes maintain on Cain until Cain turned his back toward them. Miyu and Reiha jumped out of the cart and headed toward Mr. Sato. The young man's gaze landed on them and he hissed. "Mr. Sato. What are you doing? Why are you bring two girls back into this village?" He looked at Miyu closely and his eyes widen from surprise. "And isn't that girl one that we found in the sea?"
"Uncle," called Reiha. "What is the matter?"
"Uncle," squeaked the man.
"That's right," Mr. Sato admitted sadly. "Both of them are my nieces. I was trying to bring them to safety when Duo caught up to us."
"Then fortune have turned away from you," said the young man in misery. "Because the police just went to your house and are arresting your daughter right now."
"WHAT!" Mr. Sato released him and quickly ran toward the crowd. Miyu and Reiha quickly followed him and by the time Cain turned around to look at them, they were already gone. He promptly jumped out of the cart and grabbed the young man by the neck of his shirt.
"Where did they go," he coldly demanded. The young man pointed toward Mr. Sato's house and without a word, Cain ran toward that direction.
Before Mr. Sato could reach there, he could already hear his wife wailing and screaming. He pushed his way through the crowd and to his horror, the two guards, that were stationed at the gate, were yanking his daughter toward the police car and pushing his wife to the ground.
"Let her go," roared Mr. Sato. He rushed up toward them and pounced on one of the man. Before he knew it, he was knocked down to the ground.
"Father," screamed Ami. She desperately yanked her hand away from one of the guard and tried to reach to her father. However, the man held on to her tightly and was about to pushed her into the car when a basket hit him squarely on the back of his head. The pain caused him to release Ami. The other guard, who was trying to keep Mr. Sato and Mrs. Sato down on the floor, turned around to intercept Ami as she ran toward them. But before he knew it, Miyu threw her whole body at him and knocked him down on the floor.
"What the heck," exclaimed the guard who was rubbing his head. He started to approached Miyu, who was sitting on top of the unconscious guard, but before he could reach her, Reiha swiftly knocked down to the ground by striking him on the back with a wooden board.
"Don't touch my sister," growled Reiha. She panted slightly and looked at her Ami, who was helping her father up. Because she was distracted, she didn't noticed the guard pushing himself off from the ground. He grabbed the board from Reiha's hands and yanked it away from her. Reiha's eyes widen in fear and backed away.
"Rei," screamed Miyu and rushed toward them. The guard saw her coming and when she reached him, he shoved her hard on the floor.
"Miyako," Reiha screamed. She kneeled down toward Miyu. Her eyed flashed with anger as she charged toward the guard. He grabbed her by the hand and yanked her toward him.
"I guess you two will be coming with us," he growled. He looked at his friend and found him slowly coming back to his conscious state. He was about to drag a kicking Reiha back into the police car when Cain placed his hand softly on his shoulder and stopped him.
"Release the girl," Cain coolly commanded. The guard was so shock that he released Reiha without knowing it. Reiha growled and kick the man on his shin before running back toward Miyu.
"Why you..." snarled the guard. He was about to go after Reiha but Cain stopped him.
"Go back to the gate and don't do anything," said Cain.
"But Duo," said the guard. "Genta ordered us to capture the girl."
"Leave," commanded Cain.
"We can't," said the other guard, while he rubbed his head and walked up to them. "We have order." Before they knew it, Cain grabbed them each by the neck of their shirt and pulled them toward him. Their eyes flashed with fear when they looked at Cain's angry face.
"You will release them. If Genta have any problem with it, tell him that Gima is coming, and if he is wise, he will stop this operation for the moment. If he still have any problem with it, tell him to come and see me." He shook them slightly. "Do you have any more question?" They shook their head. With a sigh, Cain just threw them toward the car. "Now go." The guards look at Cain for a moment before they climbed into their car and drove off. Cain turned to look at the crowd and then at Ami and her family. Reiha and Miyu were staring at him. To his surprise, Ami walked up to him and grabbed him by the hand. Tears fall down on her face.
"Thank you," said Ami. "Thank you."
Cain looked at her coldly and slapped her hands away. "Don't get your hopes up." Ami shivered when she saw the evil smile on Cain's face. With one last glance at Miyu and Reiha, he turned around and started to walk away. He paused and looked at Mr. Sato and his wife. "Treasure the time that you have with your daughter and your nieces. They will join the other girls soon." Reiha and Miyu went up to Ami and clutched her arms. Ami's eyes still remain on Cain's retreating back when Reiha and Miyu pulled her lightly back to Mr. Sato and Mrs. Sato. The crowds quickly disappeared and the only sound that could be heard was Mrs. Sato's crying.
"Go in," Reiha ordered. With the help of Miyu, they softly pushed the family back into the house. After they retreated back in there, Reiha silently guided them to the living room and toward the table. Miyu walked into the kitchen and while the family sat there in shock, she appeared back with some cups of tea. She sat down and handed them each a cup.
"That went fairly well didn't it," said Miyu to Reiha. "I have to applaud your acting."
"Your appreciation does not concern me," replied Reiha.
"Who is she," asked Mrs. Sato. Mr. Sato introduced her and with Miyu and Reiha's help, they explained their situation to Ami and Mrs. Sato. Miyu couldn't help but noticed the relief look that Ami appeared on her face when she heard that Cain was working with them. "Wouldn't that be dangerous," asked Mrs. Sato when they rounded up their story.
"Risk is necessary," said Reiha. "But my duty require me to put your safety as top priority." She took out a jade and placed it on the table. "And I am responsible for delivering this jade back to this village." She held it out to them. "A few days ago, a man stumbled into our police department and reported a homicidal case to us. He claimed his daughter, Qin, was killed by Genta, Genji, and Genzou." She noticed the gasp that came from Mr. and Mrs. Sato and Ami. She looked at Miyu for some explanations but found none. Reiha continued on her story with some irritation. "He wasn't able to provide any sufficient evidence, so his report was disregarded. He show disapproval of our conducts and methods and claimed he received the same treatment from Chiba's homicidal police department." She shrugged her shoulders. "Since his case provides no sufficient evidence, his words are not my concern. I didn't reconsider his story until I read about his death in the newspaper on the next day." She slowly placed her cup of tea on the table. "It was a murder."
"A murder," echoed Mrs. Sato in disbelief. Reiha nodded her head.
"This jade belongs to him." She placed it in Mr. Sato's hand. "Return it." Mr. Sato silently nodded his head.
"Is that why you are here," asked Ami. Reiha raised her eyebrow and looked at Ami with amusement. Miyu giggled slightly.
"Innocence is similar to inexperience. You can't expect much," said Miyu with a coy smile.
Reiha buried her annoyance inwardly before she answered Ami's question. "Yes." They sat there in silence for the moment until Ami spoke to them again.
"What are you planning to do now?"
"Nothing," said Reiha.
"We wait," Miyu replied.
*The Mansion that night*
Cain was standing at one of the corner of the dark living room and thinking to himself when Genta, Genji, and Genzou came storming into the room. He gave them one small glance before closing his eyes.
Duo," called out Genta as he switch opened the living room light. His dark brown eyes scan the area and found Duo standing in the shadow. Annoyance appeared on his face when he found Duo ignoring his call. Without looking, Genta tossed his long trench coat on a coat hanger and revealed his well-built body. With a few quick strides, Genta reached toward Cain and looked at him. Although Genta was towering over Cain, Cain just opened his eyes and gave him one little glance before closing his eyes again.
"Speak," Cain said.
Genta smiled at Duo. Although he was annoyed with Duo's attitude, this was also the quality that he admired the most. He could hear Genji and Genzou growling at Duo's rude behavior but a look from him caused them to scowl and hid their disapproval. "Duo," said Genta gently. "I heard that Gima is coming tonight. Is that true?" Cain opened his eyes and looked at his watch. His gaze went to the window. As to answer his gaze, a flash of car light stream through the window.
"Speak of the devil," said Cain. His eyes drifted toward Genji when he cursed out loud. He sank on a sofa and the sofa groaned under his weight. His black eyes were filled with fear and it make his grotesque face even more ugly than it was. His stubby fat hands ran though his already thin hair as he mumbled something. Genzou placed his lanky hand on Genji's shoulder and softly patted him. His eyes landed on Duo and saw him looking straight at him. Duo quickly diverted his gaze from him and hid his discomfort. Although Genzou looked extremely skinny and weak, he knew that Genzou used his appearance to deceive his opponent and overwhelm them with his power. But...Duo smirked inside. Like some of the strong people in this world, they lack the ability to use their brain, and Genzou happened to be one of them.
Cain was knocked out of his thought when Genta pushed him toward the door. "Go greet them for us," said Genta. Cain nodded his head and walked out of the living room and passed the stairs. The front door was already open by the servants and Gima and Aoi already have their coats off. They both looked at him as he walked calmly toward them.
"Hello...Duo, is it," asked Gima with a smile. Her left arm was snaked around Aoi's right arm and she delivered him a kiss. She raised up her right hand toward Cain. To her surprise and delight, instead of kissing her hand, Cain coldly looked at it and turned back to the direction of the living room.
"Follow me," said Cain. He didn't bother to look back to see whether they were following him or not. Gima smiled and nodded her head.
"He is special, isn't he," asked Gima. Aoi nodded his head. He was about to lead Gima toward the living room when she stopped him. "I'll be going in there myself. Why don't you wait for me outside, love." Aoi opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut his mouth. He nodded his head silently and turned to get back his coat. Without a word to her, he walked out of the mansion and headed toward the car. Aoi stood there by the car for a moment before he headed toward a tree. Aware of all of the eyes that were observing him, Aoi just leaned his back on the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. He yawned and stretched himself before he went back to his original position.
"There's another way to listen to a conversation," Aoi thought to himself as he adjusted the headphone he had put on when he faked his yawn.
"Aoi," whispered Cain to the button looking microphone attached to the neck of his coat. He strolled toward his corner and hid within the shadow. "She's alive and she is here." He grimaced. "And she knows what is going on."
The first person that came into Aoi's mind was Ranka. And after a quick surge of panic, he suddenly realized that it wasn't Ranka that Cain was referring to. "Then who is he talking about," wondered Aoi. He almost jump up with happiness when he figured out Cain was talking about Miyu. A smile spread across his face at the thought of the news, but it was quickly replaced with a groan when he realized this news also had a down side to it. "Knowing Miyu...this mission...this mission might just get a little bit out of hand and a little bit more interesting." He quickly cut short his musing when he heard Gima's voice coming clearly through his headphone.
"Hello boys," greeted Gima. She slithered into the room and gave them each a beautiful smile. Genta was standing behind the little bar, located at the middle of the right wall. He looked at Genzou, who sat at one of the sofa in the middle of the room, while he was mixing a drink for Gima. Genji laughed nervously when Gima tapped him softly on the shoulder before she sat on the chair that is right next to her. She silently eyed Genzou as he stared at her with desolated eyes.
"What kind of drink would like," asked Genta.
Gima waved her hand nonchalantly and lit up a cigarette. "Any will do." She looked around the room and spotted Duo hiding right in the shadow. If it weren't for the moonlight that was shining through the window, she would have missed him. "Hello Duo. How have you been?" Her right eyebrow raised up with surprised when Duo just opened his eyes and just looked at her, before closing his eyes again.
"That Duo is going to get us kill," thought Genji with sweat pouring down his face. Even Genta swore softly under his breath and quickly brought the drink to Gima. Without looking at him, she took the drink from his hand and continued to look at Duo with a predatory gaze. Her mouth lifted into a smile as she took a sip of the glass of tequila in her hand. Feeling the gaze of someone on him, Duo opened his eyes and saw Gima staring at him with a look he didn't like. He quickly turned his head away from her and heard her laughing out loud.
"Your woman is a damn cold slut," Cain whispered harshly into the microphone.
"She's not my woman," Aoi said firmly. "The only woman I care about is Ranka, and with my kind of luck, she is going to kill me if she ever see me again."
"Hey, don't make me laugh man," said Cain. "You don't want me to blow up our covers."
"Then shut up and let the other do the talking."
Cain sulked when he heard what Aoi had said and leaned back on his corner. He looked at Gima and Genta's direction and found them chatting something nonsense. He touched his watch on the wrist and increased the sensitivity of the microphone. Genta took out a bottle of red wine and poured one glass to Gima.
"I heard you boys were enjoying yourselves over here," said Gima while swirling the glass of wine in her hand, before taking a sip. Genzou and Genji stiffen, while Genta smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"It's alright," said Genta.
"Alright, huh. Would it make it better if you can find a way to kill off all of the girls that you capture without actually killing them. Am I right?" Genji, who was pouring himself a glass of wine, accidentally drop his glass on the floor and shattering it. Genzou continued to stare at her while Genta leaned back on his chair and looked at her shrewdly. "I'm right, ain't I?" Gima giggled.
"No use hiding it since you know about it," said Genta. He looked at Duo and addressed him. "Go outside and wait for us."
"No need," said Gima. Duo had moved from his position but a wave from Gima's hand caused him to go back to his position and wait there in silence. She drummed her fingers on the sofa's wooden armrest. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you." The only sound in the room was the drumming of her fingers. "I'm waiting."
"Because you need them." Gima quickly snapped her attention to Duo. Duo sighed and opened his eyes to look at her.
"I could always replace them."
"Yes...you can do that. But you can't kill them right now, because you need them to look over your shipment." He tapped his feet on the floor. "The police, in this area, only listen to these three, and they know this area the best. If you kill them right now, it will be your lost."
A smirk appeared on her face while she took a long draw from her cigarette. She leaned back on her sofa and looked up at the ceiling. The smoke slowly rose from her mouth. "Then I can kill two of them and leave one alive." Genji shivered slightly and looked back and forth between Genta and Genzou.
Duo looked at Genta and found him staring at him. "You can't do that either. If you kill one of them, the others won't work for you." Gima snapped up from her chair and glared hard into Cain's cold eyes.
"Are you threatening me? Do you think I am so desperate that I need these three cowards to watch over that shipment for me?"
"Yes." Admiration filled Gima mind when she noticed the unwavering stare that Duo was returning back to her. "Yes, I am threatening you. And yes, you need their help." A smile broke out on her face and she laughed out loud. By the time she was through, Duo had already retreated back to his old position.
"Alright, if you say so yourself," said Gima. She sat back down on the chair. A whoosh of air escaped from Genji when he let go of the air that he was holding. Genta looked at Duo with appreciation. Gima looked at them and took out a gun. A wave of disgust washed over her when she noticed that Genzou was still staring back at her with an empty expression. She ignored him and turned to smile at Genji, who was watching her gun with fear. "I'll let you boys go for now. But if you ever do something that isn't under Cait Sith's order..." The three of them flinched when she shot the flower vase that was located across the room. "I won't have any mercy." After flipping her gun, she puts it safely back into her holster. "As for the girls...I'll let this batch pass. I don't want to hear you catching anymore of the girls, understood?"
"Perfectly," said Genji. "W..we absolutely understand."
"Then that is a good boy." She reached for her glass of wine, which she placed on the table before. "Now, let's talk about something pleasant shall we? How about the shipment?"
"Don't worry about it," Genta assured. "I have already told my boys what to do. They know how to handle it. I will also be supervising the operation."
Gima nodded her head and took another draw from her cigarette. "Then how about the other land next to the pier? Have you got that property yet?"
"The old man would not sell it to us," said Genzou in a monotone.
"We were thinking...to...uhm...take his daughter today and threaten him to sell it to us," said Genji. "But...but..." He pointed his finger at Duo. "He stopped us. He was the one..." He quickly shut his mouth when Gima slammed her hand on the table.
"I saw what happened," said Gima. "And he didn't do anything wrong. Cait Sith ordered you to remain inconspicuous in this area. But what have you been doing?! Instead of listening to him, you went and draw attention to yourselves!" She took out her gun and aimed it at Genji's forehead. "And most of all, you don't even admit to your own fault!"
"I won't kill him, yet." She slowly put back her gun and looked at Genji's trembling form. "Not yet." She picked up her glass of wine and looked at Duo. Gima was not surprise to find him with his eyes closed. "As for the land...get it. I don't want you to catch anymore attention than you have already done."
"Th..then wha...what do you think we should do," asked Genji.
Gima flicked the ashes from her cigarette and gave them a cold smile. "Marry her." She looked at them. "I believe none of you are married yet." When they said nothing, she nodded her head. "Good. Once you married her, getting the property will be quite easy. With his daughter, legally in your hand, I think you can easily influence the old man to sell his land to you."
"Marry her," echoed Genzou.
"Mr. Sato...he won't give us his daughter that easily," said Genta.
"I think we can influence him," said Gima. She looked at Duo and smiled at him. "In fact, I have the ideal man to sent to do this. Duo." Duo looked at her. "I believe you can accomplish this task. Wait...there was two more girls that were there too, right?" Duo reluctantly nodded his head. Gima smile became wider and she looked at Genji and Genzou. "The more the merrier. Ask for their hand in marriage too. I expect they will help in convincing the old man to sell his property."
Duo cursed inward and he could hear Aoi muttering in anger. "I am not suitable for this mission."
"You are being too modest," said Gima. She stood up from her chair and blew him a kiss. "I expect to hear good news from you." She bent downward and kissed Genji, Genta, and Genzou. "I assure you, those girls are quite a looker." She headed toward Duo but before she reached him, he turned his back to her and quickly yanked off his earpiece. He growled in disgust when Gima wrapped her arms around him.
"Don't touch me." Gima smiled and released Duo.
"If that is what you want. But...I do love to break a man." She winked at him when Duo turned to look at her. Gima moved in for a kiss, but Duo gripped her firmly on her shoulders and pushed her away.
"Your spell might work for some men, but it doesn't work on me."
"It will work," said Gima. "It will work." She laughed and started to head out of the door. "I will expect you boys to fulfill your part of the bargain. Once you have the shipment secure, give me a call. I will be watching over the shipment at Tokyo Pier."
"Wait...aren't you suppose to be in Chofu's pier," asked Genta.
"Not the main shipment," said Gima. "Aoi will be watching over a smaller shipment for me at Chofu's pier." A cruel smile appeared on her face. "And I think that will be the last time I will be seeing him." Gima giggled and waved her hand at them before stepping out of the room. Her voice floated back into the room from the hallway. Genta, Genji, and Genzou sighed in relief when the door closed after her.
"Are we really getting marry," asked Genji.
"If you want your head to be on your shoulder, then yes," said Genta.
"I'm getting marry," thought Genzou. Somehow, an query smile appeared on his face.
"But....but...I don't want to marry any ugly girls," said Genji.
"Whether you like it or not, you will have to get marry," said Genta. "We can always divorce them. Remember, Gima said that we could use the girls to get the land. That means...she is not expecting us to be kind to them." He poured himself out a glass of wine and drank it all in one long swallow. "And beside...think of it as free sex. Just think of them as temporary prostitute." He smiled at them. "We get to have sex without paying them. Just think it like that and it wouldn't be a problem."
"I..I guess...I guess you're right," said Genji. He turned to look at Duo. "Are they pretty?"
Duo frowned at them. "I have no opinion in regarding to that matter."
"Pretty or not," said Genta. "We will have to marry them. Duo...I guess you will have to be the one to convince them. I think it will be your own benefit to accomplish this task."
"If you don't want to marry them," Duo said slowly. "You can have them sign a fake marriage license. They won't have to know about it. After you got the property, you can reveal that you were never legally married and that your certificate of marriage if fraud, so you can throw them out of your house without paying any alimony."
Genta snapped his finger and stood up from his chair. He patted Duo's back heartily. "Good thinking! I've never thought of that!"
"That's right," said Genji. He struggled from his chair and with a last hard tug, he finally got himself off the chair. "We don't have to pay them alimony."
"I'll get the fake license," said Duo.
"Thanks," said Genta. "I don't know what we will do without you."
Duo nodded his head and walked away. "You have no idea," he thought to himself. He quickly walked up the stairs and strolled toward his bedroom. He plopped back down on the bed and groaned. "And hell break loose. I'm going to kill Miyu and Reiha!!!!"
*The Next Day*
Ami and Miyu silently set the table for breakfast, while Reiha sat there in deep contemplation. Usually, by this time, Mr. Sato would be out in the sea with his crew. However, today he was sitting on the floor and near the table, while watching them with a blank stare. He didn't startled out of his stare until Mrs. Sato laid her hand on his shoulder and softly told him to eat the food that was before him.
They were just clearing the table when the door to their house slammed right open. Mrs. Sato dropped the dishes in her hand when she gasped, and they quickly shattered on the wooden floor. Mr. Sato quickly stepped in front of Ami. And to Miyu's annoyance, Reiha stepped protectively in front of her. All of their attention was focused on Duo as he started to walk into their house with two other men.
"Good morning," said Duo. He paused at the entrance and turned to look at his followers. "You wait out here."
"But...but...Genta told us to follow you," said one of the man.
"I don't like to work in front of other people," said Duo. "Leave, and I will do my job. If you don't leave, it will be fine with me. You will just have to take my place, instead. So what is your choice?" The two men mumbled something incoherent and quickly turned and walked back out into the street. "Wait for me at that building across the street." Duo looked at them for a while and made sure they were standing at where he commanded them to be at before he turned and closed the door. Fear and horror flashed into Ami, Mr. Sato, and Mrs. Sato eyes when Duo strolled calmly toward them. Miyu looked at him with amusement, while Reiha stared at him coldly.
"Wha...what d..do...you wa..want," asked Mrs. Sato.
"Me...that is a good question," said Duo. "First of all, I want to kill Miyu and Reiha because they sure got themselves into some bloody damn mess," Duo hissed at the two girls that happened to be the main cause of his insomnia for last night. "And worst of all, they have to drag me right into it too. What the hell did I do to deserve this????"
"Cain...speak," said Miyu. A smile tugged on her mouth when she noticed how Mrs. Sato and Ami were standing there with their mouth wide open at Duo's outburst. "Oh yes....watch your language."
"Watch my language....watch my language....we don't have time to worry about that!" He paced back and forth while he shook his head. He stopped suddenly and sighed. "Alright...I will have to tell you guys what the heck is going on but...first of all, you must promise me you will not kill me when you hear the news."
"Whether we promise you or not, you will tell us," said Reiha.
"I don't give a damn about you," snapped Cain. "What I am scare about are the others."
"Speak," Miyu softly commanded.
"Alright already! You..." He pointed at Ami. The he turned to point his finger at Miyu and Reiha. "And you two...are fortunate enough...well...not exactly what I will call a fortune...but you gals have been lucky enough to earn the privilege of being the three brother's wives!" Miyu raised her right eyebrow in amusement while Reiha's cold exterior shattered and was replaced with anger. Mr. Sato, his wife, and Ami stare at him in awe and in total shock. "Should I start congratulating you beautiful girls?"
His jokes were cut short when Reiha jumped up from the floor and grabbed him by the neck of his shirt. "What did you do," she growled.
"My daughter...marry," screamed Mr. Sato while Reiha was threatening Cain. "No! I won't let that happen! No!"
"Not Ami! Not Ami," wailed Mrs. Sato. Ami, who had finally let the news sink into her head, fainted dead away in Mrs. Sato's arm. Only Miyu was sitting there calmly and watching the whole scene with a smile.
"Hey, witch," said Cain while glaring back at Reiha. "I didn't do anything. Gima was the one that wanted you girls hitched."
"Then why didn't you stop her," roared Mr. Sato. He stormed forward and shook Cain angrily.
Miyu rapped the table sharply. "Be quiet," she said firmly. Although her voice was softer than their yelling, it managed to catch everyone's attention. Mr. Sato loosened his grip on Cain, but to Cain's dismay, Reiha continued to hold a tight grip on him. Mrs. Sato was still sobbing but it had decreased from its original hysterical wailing. A serious expression was plastered on Miyu's face as she eyed each one of them. "If you have no intention of dying, I would suggest you all to sit down and approach this matter calmly."
"Calmly," shouted Mr. Sato. "It is my daughter..." In a flash Miyu stood up from the floor and slapped Mr. Sato sharply across the right cheek. Mrs. Sato screamed out loud, while Mr. Sato was standing there in shock.
"Your daughter is not the only one that is put into this situation," Miyu said coldly. "Yelling would not help the matter." She slowly sat back down on the floor. Her eyes diverted sharply to Reiha and Cain. "Blaming other people will not help the situation, either." She giggled slightly. "And my dear Reiha, Cain will charge you for sexual harassment if you continues to hold on to him in such an affectionate way." Reiha released him and looked at Miyu. Her scowled disappeared and her face was replaced with a impassionate face.
"We must calmly talk over this matter," said Reiha. She ignored the little smile Miyu was directing toward her direction.
Cain was straightening up his shirt, while he slowly sat down on the floor. "Yeah...calmly. Let's see you guys acting like that for a change." He looked at Miyu. "Glad you are at least sane enough to stop them from killing me. But next time, can you react faster before I am almost choked to death?!"
Miyu innocently looked at him and smile. "But my dear Cain, seeing you suffer is one of the reason why I love you so much."
"Oh hell! I don't want to hear anymore words coming out of your mouth," growled Cain with great annoyance. "And besides, lets get back to the main point. And before I start...someone please wake up sleeping beauty. We don't have the whole day." Miyu and Reiha turned to look at the unconscious Ami that was lying in Mrs. Sato's arms. With a few sharp shakes and applying smelling salt to her, they managed to bring her back to the conscious world. Her eyes widen in fear when her gaze landed on Cain. "Oh hell no. Don't you dare faint on me again. If you do, I will drop you into a bucket of freezing water. Just kidding!" Cain quickly added the last phrase when he saw the angry look on Mr. Sato's face.
"Anyways, now that all of you are wide awake," started Cain. "Lets talk about the horrible mess that we somehow got into. As most of you know, Gima drop by yesterday."
"Who's Gima," asked Ami.
"Girls...explain it to her when I am gone," said Cain. "Don't have time to tell you right now, okay?" Ami nodded her head. "Anyways...she found out what the boys were doing...and what the hell does this have to do with your marriage anyways?!"
"You tell us," Miyu said dryly.
"Alright...to make this short, Gima wanted the other land that is next to the pier. But you..." He pointed his finger at Mr. Sato. "You refuse to sell them that land. Usually that will be good but this time it backfire. Gima...and I don't know how the heck her brains work but that b...." Cain looked at Ami and found her innocently looking at him. Miyu giggled slightly when Cain swallowed his curse. "Er...I mean that beauty didn't want us to take the land from you by force. She didn't want you to spill the bean on her and tell the police that they force you to sell your land, if you ever run into a policeman that is not under the three brother's control." He looked at Miyu and Reiha and pointed at them. "Like them."
"Incompetent and rude," Reiha said coolly.
"And you are just a pain in the a....side," Cain retorted. Miyu giggled when Cain banged his fist on the table. "Da...argh...this is harder that I thought it will be! Arg!!! Never mind! Anyways..Gima thought that it will be best if they just take your land by having your daughter marry off to one of the buffoon." He pointed at Miyu and Reiha. "Sorry girls...you were just the side dish. She happen to saw our little performance and probably decided to do you a favor by finding a husband for you." He ignored the glare Reiha was directing toward his direction. "She is hoping to swindle the property from you once you got marry." He sighed. "Believe me, the three brothers didn't want to marry you as much as you don't. But...I can't say the same thing once they see how you three look."
"Is that a compliment," asked Miyu with a smile.
"Yeah...I guess it is," said Cain. "But I bet the three brothers will be running once they discover Miyu and Reiha's foul attitude."
"I don't care about their attitude," said Mrs. Sato. "I just want my daughter to be safe."
"I'll give them the property," said Mr. Sato. "If it is the property they want, then they can have it." He stood up to get the deed but Cain stopped him by placing his hand on his arm.
"I won't work. The three brothers will marry them because Gima ordered them. And besides, they don't want to make any risk and have you running to the police and telling them that they force you to sell your land to them."
"I won't do that," said Mr. Sato desperately. "I won't tell. I swear."
"They won't believe in you. Besides...like I said, Gima ordered them. They don't dare to oppose her order...especially when she found out their activities over here. But the most important reason of all, you will end up blowing my cover. How the heck am I going to explain to Genta when I go to them with the deed in my hand? To them, I am a person with few words and there is no way I am going to tell you that they want to marry your daughter just because you were to stubborn to give them the deed. That doesn't fit the character that I am acting, and before you know it, they will start to suspect me and our whole operation are suddenly at a risk of being exposed." He tapped Mr. Sato softly on the arm. "Do you understand?"
"Then what can we do," Mr. Sato asked in despair.
"I've already thought about it already," said Cain with a proud smile. "I convinced the three brothers to actually use fake marriage license. So...in actuality, you won't be marry to them...legally."
"And what is your plan, Cain," Miyu asked softly.
"How do you know?"
"You look eager."
Mr. Sato banged his hand on the table. "I am not going to let my daughter marry any of those monsters!"
"We need your help," Miyu calmly. "To save your village and to put these people in jail, we will need your cooperation on this matter." She looked at Ami. "I understand your hardship." She tapped her finger on the table a few times before she started to speak again. "The decision is yours. We won't force you."
"She will help us," Reiha said flatly.
"Remember your duty," said Miyu. "Your duty is to protect the civilians."
"It is also my duty to accomplish this mission."
"While risking a civilian's life?"
"Her life is not my concern." Miyu and Reiha coldly stared at each other.
"And here I thought my training was useless," Cain said with sarcasm in his voice. "What happen to yours?"
"I will go," Ami said quietly but firmly. "I'll do whatever I can to help my village."
"Thank you," Miyu said politely. Reiha just silently nodded her head. "Now Cain, would you tell us your plan?"
"Uh...sure. Okay...here it goes." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "The trade is going to happen a week from today." Ami, Mr. Sato, and Mrs. Sato looked at Cain in confusion while Miyu and Reiha nodded their heads in understanding. "It will occur at around eleven o'clock at night. And this is where I come in. Remember what I told you before? Remember that I told you I am in charge of the raid once we found out where the other warehouse is located at?"
"It's quite obvious you have found the other location," said Reiha. "Now, stop wasting our time and get to the point."
"Have you ever heard that patience is a virtue?" Reiha gave him a icy glare and Cain smiled sweetly at her. "Anyways...like what she said, we know where the location is. Aoi will try to find a way to tell Ranka about it and as for me, I will stay here and wait for the trade to come so I can do the raid."
"And you plan to have the marriage on that particular day," Miyu deduced. "What reason do you have for having the wedding on that day instead of having it after the raid? We would have the three brothers in prison and the ability to freely search their house for evidence for the crime they have committed in this village."
"I know that," Cain agreed. "But the main problem with that plan is that they need the land for the trade to occur. You see, the stupid land that they brought didn't allow them full access to the pier. The oversize ship that is loaded with the good isn't able to dock over there. They need that land to dock and move the good onto the land." He grinned at Mr. Sato. "I guess that is why you didn't sold that land to him in the first place, right?"
"Yes," Mr. Sato affirmed.
"You see what I mean? They need the land for the trade. And to get the land, they will have to marry you gals." He shifted from his seat and smiled when Ami gave him a cup of tea. "Thank you. Anyways...the best option that they have is to get hitch with you as soon as possible. That way, they will have time to...err...convince you into selling...no...giving the land to them. But...I think I can convinced them to marry on the same day as the raid."
"Do you have a plan," asked Reiha.
"Err...haven't thought of one yet."
"Then listen," Miyu commanded. "You will tell them that the marriage will take place on the day of the trade. The marriage will serve as a diversion for the activities that are happening at the pier. You will tell them that you will help them supervise the operation. You will also tell them that the land they need will automatically be part of their properties because Mr. Sato's daughter is already his wife. They could claim that their wife has given them the full right to use the land if anyone questioned them about it. Do you understand?"
Cain thoughtfully nodded his head. "I think that will work. Yeah...I think that will work. So...all you gals have to do is to wait for us to start the raid and then..."
"We are not some damsels waiting to be rescue," said Reiha. "You have your raid, and I will have my own investigation. Once I returned back to the room with..." She hesitated. "With my husband..." Cain started to smirk but a glare from her wipe it off of his face. "I will knock him out and conduct my own part of the investigation."
"Hold on," complained Cain. "If you do that, you might blow up our cover."
"I will assist you," Miyu volunteered. She ignored the bewildered look on Cain's face. "After I rendered my own partner unconscious, I will go and assist Ami." She turned to look at Ami. "Do what you can to hinder him until I arrive. Do you understand?"
Ami looked a little bit pale but she nodded her head. "Hold on a minute," exclaimed Mr. Sato. "What if my daughter got rape before you arrive?"
"I can assure you that your daughter will not be rape before I get over there." Miyu turned to address Cain. "Draw me a map of the mansion. Give me specific details in regarding to the location of each of the brother's room and the guards that are station around there. Also, while you are drawing, give us your opinion in regarding to where you think they would hide the evidence to incriminate them for the crime they have committed against the girls."
"Oh hell," growled Cain. "You are placing me and yourselves in a huge mine field. One little wrong step and this whole thing can blow up in our face and blast us to bits and pieces while we are at it."
"Draw," commanded Reiha.
"Alright! Just give me some paper and pen." Ami went to fetch some paper while Reiha harshly placed her pen right in Cain's hand. "Anyways," said Cain when he waited for Ami to returned with the paper. "The room to Genta is located in the west wing." He pointed his hand at Ami when she returned back with the papers and handed them to him. "That is where she is going to be because Genta choose her to be his bride." He started to draw on the paper. "The west wing and the east wing are separated with a main hallway. The office of Genta is located right next to the stairs of the main hallway. Don't bother checking in there. I check that room over and over again and I didn't find anything in there. As for Genzou and Genji's room, they are located in the east wing. They are each located at the end of the hallway and away from each other. In between their room is the storage. I haven't check that room, so, it might be in there. As for who is with who, Miyu got Genji, the fatso, and Reiha got Genzou."
"There are always two guards placed at each of the brother's room," Cain continued. "So, if you need to do some traveling around the house, then you will also have to knock them out." Cain circled the storage room and the three brother's room, when he finished sketching out the main plan for that floor. "These areas are the only damn places I haven't check. You might find what you are looking for over there. If you can't, then it means that the incriminating evidence will have to be somewhere else. And that...I can't help you." He tossed the finished map to them. "Here." Reiha frowned when Cain slapped the pen into her hand. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He took out a piece of paper and gave it to Miyu. "Here is my cell phone number. Call me when you guys are done beating up everyone and snooping around. That way, I can make sure you are out of harm and I can start my raid."
Miyu nodded her head and rose up from the floor when Cain started to head for the door. "Now that we have everything settle," said Cain. "I think I better start praying to god that this will work. Man...you girls make my life into a living hell." He took two deep breath and opened the door. He hardened his look and nodded his head to his two comrades. They approached him slowly and Cain took this opportunity to looked at Miyu and Reiha. He winked at them and called out to them in an icy tone. "We will be expecting you." Miyu nodded her head in understanding before Cain closed the door.
"How did it go, Duo," asked one of the guys when he reached Cain.
"The wedding will take place on the night of the trade," Cain replied.
"But...but...the land. We need the land before that."
"Are you questioning me," Cain asked dangerously. When both of the men shook their heads, he turned to head back to the mansion. "It wouldn't be hard to convince those three blockheads to agree to my plan," thought Cain. "I just hope that this plan pulls off or else..." He grimaced slightly. "I don't even want to think what would happen if it didn't."
*Tokyo Police Office*
Spartoi groaned and tossed the finished file into the already overflow box. The file slid off from the pile and landed on the floor. He looked at Lemures and found him squinting his eyes to read the file that was in his hand.
"Hey, stop slacking off," scolded Ichiro. He handed another file to Spartoi and Spartoi reluctantly took it from his hand.
"Are you sure this is what Van told us to do," Spartoi asked as he opened another file. "I think I am going to be blind."
"I think I already am," Lemures mumbled. He rubbed his eyes and tossed his finish file into the pile. He let it slide down on the floor. "I am suppose to help out in the laboratory. This is not what I sign up for."
"As long as you are under this department and as long as people think you are dead, you are stuck here," said Ichiro. He handed another file to Lemures. "And you will have to read these files whether you like it or not." Lemures groaned and opened the file.
"Here," said Ranka. She handed a cup of coffee to Lemures. "You can rest until you finished it." Lemures happily took the cup from her and closed his file. Spartoi looked at her hopefully and was happy to closed his file when Ranka told him to take a break too. She bent downward to Ichiro and whispered into his ear. "If Van knew that you were using Spartoi and Lemures to do your portion of the job, he will not be happy about it."
Ichiro shrugged his shoulder. "He doesn't have to know, right?"
"He won't know, unless you continue to work them like slaves."
"Alright, I won't!" Ranka smiled at him and patted him on the head. "I'm not a child, you know," Ichiro growled and tried to move away from her hand. He flipped open another file and before he could start reading it, he noticed someone familiar was walking into their department. "Ranka," he exclaimed when he realized who that person was. "Look, it's Den! Remember Den Connell?" The man, who Ichiro was pointing at, turned to look at them. A smile appeared on his face when he saw Ranka and Ichiro.
"Yo, dude," he said as he approached them. Ichiro jumped up from his seat and ran up Den to give him a hearty hug. "How have you been doing?"
"Fine, Den," Ichiro replied.
"Hello, Den," said Ranka. She gave Den a small hug and smiled at him.
"Hello, Ranka," Den greeted. He looked her over and whistled. "You sure look pretty." He patted Ichiro right on the shoulder. "And you look good too. I haven't seen you guys for...hmmm...more than six years?"
"Yeah," Ichiro agreed. "We haven't seen you since you quitted the dojo and moved back to America. How have you been doing?"
"Fine. Nothing big. I am currently getting my college degree." He grinned at Ichiro and Ranka. "Glad to see you both achieved your dream. It must be cool to be able to go out and hunt for criminals."
"Well...not exactly." Ichiro looked at his desk and sighed. "Sometimes you get stuck with the paper works. And talking about paper works, I have to get these files done by five." He patted Den on the shoulder.
"In that case, I won't bother you. Maybe we can catch up some other time."
"Sure," Ichiro responded enthusiastically. "When I have time." He looked at the piles of files on his desk and frown. "Can't say when though." He nudged Ranka and received a frown from her. "But Ranka, over here, has all of the time she need. Why don't you talk to her."
"Alright," said Den. He waved good-bye to Ichiro and turned to look at Ranka. Ranka smiled at him and directed him to her desk.
"Why don't you sit down," Ranka suggested as she pulled a chair toward her desk.
"Thank you," said Den. He sat down on the chair and looked around. "You guys seem busy."
"Sometimes," said Ranka. "How long have to came back, Den?"
Den shrugged his shoulders. "I've been back here since last week. I'm taking a vacation off from my schoolwork and I was planning to visit the dojo when I came back. I didn't expect to see it blown into pieces."
"Yes," Ranka said sadly. "It was a pity."
"It is." For a moment, they sat there in a gloomy silence. Den finally broke the silence when he asked Ranka a question. "Do you know how I know where to find you?" Ranka shook her head and he grinned. "I know because I happened to ran into Aoi today and we just barely had lunch together a few hours ago." He didn't noticed that Ranka suddenly became fairly ridged in her seat. "And he told me that I can find you over here."
"Did he," Ranka said dryly.
"Yep. I thought for sure he was going to be a cop but he told me he is doing some business." He leaned backward on his chair and smiled at Ranka. "I told him that I will be leaving next week and he said it will be cool to have a get together at the dojo. He told me to invite you. Do you think you can go?"
Ranka raised her eyebrow and nodded her head. "Good," Den continued. "Since the dojo was destroyed, Aoi said it will be best if we meet at Yuki's pond."
"Yuki's pond," Ranka whispered.
"You know where it is, right," Den asked Ranka.
"Yes, I know where it is. That is where I first met Aoi."
"You did? I thought you both met at the dojo," Den said thoughtfully. "Anyways, legend said that pond is haunted by a vampire called Yuki. It said that she like to lure men over there and then kill them. That is why, whenever it is time for sunset, the pond would look like it is filled with blood." He shivered. "That is why I never went there. The crazy thing is that, Aoi wanted me to check that place out."
"Since Yuki like to lure men over there," Ranka reasoned. "And you are a man. Are you suggesting that I should check that place out?"
"Huh?" Den looked at Ranka in confusion. "I've never thought of that."
Ranka smiled and stood up. "It's alright. I will look that place over and tell you whether we will have the meeting over there. It shouldn't be a problem since Aoi and I constantly went there in the past and nothing have happened to both of us. But none the less, it might not be suitable after the explosion have occurred." Ranka took his hand and shook it. "How can I contact you?"
"What? Oh...here is my phone number," Den said in a daze. He quickly wrote his telephone on a piece of paper and gave it to Ranka. "Why did you suddenly became so business like?"
Ranka smiled and pointed her finger toward Van's door. It was opened and Van was looking at everyone that was working in the office. "Because of him." Den nodded his head in understanding and quickly stood up from his chair.
"I get it." He shook Ranka's hand again before he walked toward the door. "I'll talk to you later, then." Ranka nodded her head and waved good-bye to him. When he was gone, Ranka walked back into the conference room and went to get her bag. She looked around the room and grimace. The room was scattered with Spartoi and Lemures clothing and their socks were lying at everywhere. The only place that seemed decent enough was the corner where she occupied. She took out her bag and quickly pulled her hair upward. After she have clipped it up, she put a cap on her head. Ranka walked toward Lemures part of the room and grabbed one of his clean jacket and put it on. Before she left the room, she checked her reflection in the mirror. She took a sunglasses and put it on before she walked out of the room. Everyone ignored her as she strolled out of the office and toward the elevator. As she waited for the elevator to reach to her floor, she took a piece of gum from her pocket and popped it in her mouth. When the elevator reached her floor, she walked in there and silently pressed for the ground floor while chewing her gum. Once she had reached outside, she looked around her and found no one following her. Ranka hailed for a taxi and walked in there.
It took more than an hour to reach to her destination. She quickly paid the taxi driver for the fee and told him to wait for her to return before she plunged into the wood. In fifteen minutes, Ranka reached the dojo and was looking at its ruin. A tear fell down from her face as she observed the ruin. "Forgive him, sensei," Ranka whispered a prayer. "He wouldn't have done this if he have any choice." She closed her eyes for a moment and stood there in silence. When she could hear no one lurking around that area, she bowed her head three times before she headed straight to Yuki's pond. During her journey, she paused a few times to listen to her surrounding and only continued when she could hear no one following her.
By the time she reached the pond, the sun was already setting. Ranka wrapped her jacket tighter around her and looked at the crimson pond. Little ripples appeared on the surface of the water when the wind softly rustle the tree leaves and caused them to fall down on to the pond. Ranka looked around her and silently walked toward a pile of rocks that was near the shore of the pond. She sat down on it and looked at the pond. Her fingers tapped softly on the surface of the rocks. "This is where Aoi and I always meet," she thought. A sad look appeared on her face as she looked downward. Her eyes widen when she noticed something was wedged in between the crack in the pile of rocks. She bent downward to tie her shoelace. When she straightened up from her position, the object was safely in her pocket. She gave one last glance at the lake before she headed back to the dojo. Ranka gave three more bows to the dojo before she headed back to the main road. The taxi was still where she left it and she got on it quickly. After another hour of drive, she finally reached back to the police office. Ranka paid the driver his money and headed straight into the police office. When she reached up to the drug department, Ichiro, Lemures, and Spartoi were pacing around the room anxiously. They looked relief when they saw her.
"Where have you been," asked Ichiro.
"And why did you steal my jacket," asked Lemures.
Ranka smiled at them and silently walked toward a computer. She took out the object that she have found in the rock and placed it on the desk. Spartoi looked at it and frown.
"What's with this disk?"
"This disk," started Ranka as she waited for the computer to boot up. "Is the answer to all of our questions."
*Night time in Mr. Sato's village*
"Ami," Mr. Sato said nervously. "I...I."
"It's alright father," Ami said softly. "I will be fine."
Mrs. Sato turned to look at Miyu. "You will take care of my daughter, right," she whispered. Miyu silently nodded her head. Mrs. Sato turned to hug her daughter and started to cry softly. Reiha looked away and silently adjusted her white and blue kimono. As Mrs. Sato and Mr. Sato continue to talk to Ami, Miyu walked toward the window and lifted the curtain upward. She looked out to the mansion and toward the pier. The wind blew her frizzy brown hair softly around her face and her beautiful red kimono fluttered around her.
"Tonight," Miyu said determinedly. "Tonight." She let the curtain down when there was a sharp rap on the door to their house. Cain's voice drifted into the house.
"It's time." Mrs. Sato clutched tightly to her daughter while Mr. Sato clutched his fists in frustration. Miyu looked at Reiha and they both walked up to Ami. Miyu softly pulled Mrs. Sato away from Ami, while Reiha took Ami's hand and led her to the door. Miyu restrained Mrs. Sato when Reiha opened the door. Cain looked at them before he grabbed Ami's hand roughly and dragged her to the car. Ami yelped and Mr. Sato was about to jump Cain when Miyu restrained him.
"Don't," Miyu commanded softly. "Just wait." She patted him softly on the shoulder before she walked out of the house and entered the car with Reiha. Cain slammed the car door right behind them and jumped into the passenger seat. Once they were all securely in there, the driver started to head toward the mansion. Miyu looked outside from the window and found the villagers looking at them solemnly. Ami was sobbing quietly at the other end of the car.
"What happen to the reception," Reiha asked coldly.
"I told you before," Cain said coolly. "There will be no ceremony and no reception. You will just go to the mansion and sign the marriage license." Reiha scowled and looked away from him. In less than five minutes, they have managed to reach to the mansion. Cain quickly jumped out of the passenger seat. Before he could open the door for Miyu, Miyu opened the car door by herself and glared at him. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and walked her toward the mansion. Reiha and Ami silently followed them, with the driver right behind them. "Stop kicking," Cain commanded when Miyu angrily tried to step on his feet. He glared at the people who was standing at the door and silently commanded them to open it. The guards didn't need another warning and they proceeded to open the door as fast as they can.
"Get in," Cain commanded and pushed Miyu right through the door. Miyu stumbled inward and fell forward. She landed in someone's arms and angrily looked upward. Genta, who happened to caught her, looked at her with surprise. He was even more surprise when Miyu gave him a hard shove.
"Don't touch me," scowled Miyu. She moved away from Genta. By that time, Genji and Genzou have already reached down the stairs and they were staring at the girls.
"Shut up," Cain said coldly to Miyu, while he walked toward Genta. He bowed slightly and pointed his finger at Ami. "This is Sota Ami. She will be your bride." He then pointed at Miyu and Reiha and addressed Genji and Genzou respectively. "Sota Miyako will be the bride for Genji and Sota Rei will be the bride for Genzou." Genzou stared at Reiha, while she returned his stare with a challenging look.
Genji looked at Miyu and an ugly smirk appeared on his fat face. "I guess Gima is right. They are pretty."
"And you are ugly," Miyu snared. Genji's face turned purple in anger and he stormed up to Miyu. He was about to strike Miyu when Genta stepped between them. "Genta!"
"Don't touch her," Genta said sharply. Miyu, Reiha, Genzou, Genji, and Ami looked at him in surprise. For a moment, even Cain looked a little bit shock. Genta let go of Genji's hand and turned to look at Miyu. "Miyako, right?" Miyu didn't answer him but continued to glare at him. "I like you. You got spunk. Why don't you be my wife instead?"
"But Genta...," complained Genji. Genta raised one hand to stop him.
"You can have the other girl." He took Miyu's hand but Miyu yanked it away from him. He smiled and before Miyu could pull away from him, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.
"What do you think you are doing," growled Miyu.
"We are going to sign our marriage license," said Genta. He turned to Cain and addressed him. "It will arrive shortly."
"I know," said Cain. "I will go and supervise it right now." He gave one last glance at Ami before he walked out of the house. He walked to the pier and looked around him. The workers were already standing there and waiting impatiently for the ship to arrive. Cain took a few steps toward the end of the pier and grabbed a flashlight on the ground. He closed his eyes and silently stood there. He could hear whispers coming from the people around him. Cain didn't opened his eyes until he heard the water rustling close to him. He lifted the flashlight to his eye level and flashed it a few time. In a matter of second, the ship was heading toward them. It took fifteen minutes for it to dock and within half an hour, the goods were quickly being loaded down on the land. Cain watched them in silence and turned to look at the mansion. He walked up to the next supervisor and leaned toward him. "I'm going to go the house for a moment," he said. "You can go ahead and tell them to load the things into the warehouse." The guy gave Cain a questioning look but he didn't question Cain. Cain patted him on the shoulder and slowly walked toward the mansion. He looked to his left and found some of his policeman waiting patiently for his order. He silently signaled for them to wait. When there was no one in sight, he quickly went to the east wing and looked at the mansion. Making sure he was right under Genji's room, he started to climb up the mansion.
"Oh hell," thought Cain as he climbed up to the balcony. He panted and flattened himself on the wall once he got on to the balcony. The lights were out and he silently wished he was not too late. He pulled out some keys and started to picklock the entrance to the balcony. After two tries, he was in Genji's room and looking for a hiding place. He entered the closet, which faced the door, and hid in there. "I guess that means I have to wait. Damn that Miyu. If she didn't acted like that, then Ami wouldn't have gotten Genji. Ami won't be able to stale him in time for Miyu to arrive." He flattened himself on the closet and managed to open a small crack so he could see the outside. "I wonder how long I have to wait," he yawned.
When Cain left them, Miyu, Reiha, and Ami reluctantly signed the marriage documents that Genta, Genzou, and Genji have made them signed. For the next hour, Genta, Genji, and Genzou celebrated their marriage with some of their closest friends. Miyu growled at Genta whenever he tried to kiss her. She glared at Genji and found him sexually harassing Ami. Genji slowly ran his hand up Ami's leg while Ami tried to push him away. Reiha watched the scene with a scowled on her face. Genzou was looking at her with a query smile on his face.
"It's time I put this to an end," thought Miyu. When she was sure that Genta was looking at her direction, she pretended to yawn and blinked her eyes sleepily. As according to her plan, Genta quickly leaned toward her and kissed her on the cheek. She scowled and backed away from him but he had his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Are you getting sleepy, my dear," he asked. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "You will feel even more weary after I am done with you tonight." He laughed when Miyu glared at him. Genta stood up from his chair and looked at the little party around the living room. "Hey...it's already late and some of us is eager to go to bed, do you get what I mean?" The people in the room laughed and some of them stood up from their chair. "So...I guess, me and my new wife will just have to say goodnight to you. Feel free to continue on with the party, while we continue our somewhere else." Miyu have only just in time to give Reiha a slight nod before Genta pulled her up from her chair and wrapped his arms around her. She pushed him away slightly and noticed that Genji and Genzou were also taking Reiha and Ami upward to their chamber. When they reached up the stairs, there were six guards waiting up there. Genta turned to the west wing and waved good-bye to his brothers before he dragged Miyu right after him. The two guards that we assigned to him followed them in silence.
When they reached to his room, Genta told the guards to wait outside. One of the guard nodded his head and leaned backward on the right side of the door. The other guard just grunted and looked away when Genta entered the room with Miyu. Genta quickly closed the door on them and reached out for Miyu.
"It's only us now," he said, while he turned on the light. He grabbed Miyu by her hand and turned her toward him. Before he knew it, Miyu kneel him sharply on his stomach. He doubled forward and she slammed her fist on the back of his neck and rendered him unconscious.
"Yes," Miyu said coldly. "It is time." She looked around her and grabbed one of the blanket. In a few seconds, she had him tied up to the bedpost and gagged him. Miyu walked toward the door and slowly opened it. She was slightly surprise to find that there was only one guard standing outside the door. The guard lifted his cap a little bit to have a clearly look at her when she opened the door. His long blond hair was flatten on his back and he stood up to face her. "Ge...Genta...," Miyu stammered. "He..he..s.ssaid that he n..need to see you." The guard gave her a questioning look before he stepped into the room. Miyu quickly closed the door and turned to attack him.
"That was fast, little girl," said the guard when he turned around to block Miyu's attack. A smile appeared on his face as he held on tightly to Miyu wrist when she lifted her hand to strike him. "What is the matter, little girl? Have your skill deteriorated so much that you couldn't even recognize me?" He took off his cap and pulled off the yellow wig to reveal his beautiful blue hair. He pulled off the fake scar on his left cheek and took off his green contact lens.
Miyu smiled slightly and relaxed her stance. "You are full of surprises, old man. I didn't expect..." Her sentence was cut off when Larva pulled her into his arm and embraced her.
"Miyu," he whispered into her ear. He tightened his hug on her and closed his eyes. "Miyu."
Miyu was surprised when Larva suddenly embraced her, but she slowly relaxed in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him lightly and softly whispered his name. They stood there in each other's embrace until Miyu sudden pulled away and turned to the door.
"Ami is in trouble," she said. She was about to open the door but stopped and turned to look at Larva. "Who was the other guard?"
"Pazusu," answered Larva. He reached for the door and opened it. "He said he will go over to check on the other girl that was with Genji." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Nagi is also over here. He is disguise as one of the guards for Genzou." He waved his hand at the hallway. "Shall we?"
"In that case," started Miyu. She pulled Larva back into the room. "We better search this room first."
"And what about your friend, Ami?"
"My dear, Larva," Miyu said coyly. "I believe your brain is deteriorating. If Pazusu is not able to take care of himself, you wouldn't have let him join in this operation. He should be able to rescue Ami if you allowed him to work on his own." She smiled sweetly at him. "And, I haven't forgotten the fact that he was the one that trained you."
"You are right, my dear," said Larva with a smile. He walked up to Genta and found him stirring. "Your husband is waking up. May I have the honor?"
"Please do," said Miyu while she searched the desk.
"Thank you," said Larva. He lifted his hand and landed a blow on Genta's head and knocked him unconscious. "Found anything yet, my dear?"
"Nothing," replied Miyu. Larva nodded his head and started to look at the bookshelves. They searched in silence for a moment until Miyu broke the silence. "Tell me about your investigation with ICAC."
"It went fairly well," said Larva. "With Nagi's help, the investigation process was shorten." He shifted the books and knocked his knuckles on the wooden bookshelf. He shook his head and replaced the books. "They are just waiting for us to finish our operation over here before they make any arrest." After replacing the books, he moved to look at the drawings at the wall.
"I guess that means you are still ahead of me," said Miyu.
"I guess I am," Larva said smiling. "Because I have just found what you have been looking for." Miyu turned to look at him and found him taking a picture off the wall. A safe was embedded in the middle of the wall. "Now, do you know how to break into a safe?"
Miyu strolled up to him and placed her ear on the safe. She closed her eyes and started to twirl the knob. Larva waited in quiet and watched her as she adjusted the knob.
*****
Cain was about to doze off when he heard some noises coming from the hallway. He became alert and stared at the door. He could hear Genji dismissing the guards, and he could hear Ami crying softly. The door to the room finally opened and Cain held in his breath. Ami stumbled in and Genji's hands were clamped tightly on her wrist. She struggled to get away but Genji was just too strong for her. Without bothering to open the light, Genji just closed the door and pulled Ami toward him.
"Please...," sobbed Ami when Genji started to kiss her and ripped open her kimono. "Please...stop."
Cain growled and moved out of his hiding place quietly. He could see Genji's grotesque figure moving across the room and toward the bed.
"Don't worry, baby," panted Genji from excitement. "I promise I will be kind to you." Cain sneaked up behind him and raised his fist upward and brought it down hard on Genji's head. Genji plunged forward and Ami screamed out loud. Cain tossed Genji easily off from Ami and leaned toward her. He clamped his hand over her mouth to muffled her scream.
"It's me," he whispered. "Ami, it's me, Cain." Ami's tears fell down on his hand and he looked at her. To his relief, her kimono was only slightly torn in the front and only her shoulder was revealed. Cain used his free hand to grab the blanket and pulled it toward her. "Don't worry, Ami," Cain said softly. "You are safe." Ami nodded her head and he released his hand from her mouth. Tears were still streaming down her face, when he wrapped the blanket around her. To Cain's surprise, she wrapped her arms around him and started to cry.
"Whoa," Cain thought as he stroke her hair. "Rescuing beautiful girls and having them hugging you in return...hmmm...I think I can get use to this."
*****
When Genta closed the door on them, Pazusu patted Larva on the shoulder before he dashed down the hallway. "I'm going to help the other girl," he said softly to Larva. Larva nodded his head and watched his foster father sneaking down the hallway.
Pazusu turned around the corner from the west wing and calmly walked down the main hallway. He made another turn to the east wing and found Nagi and another guard position right outside Reiha's room.
"What are you doing here," asked the guard that stood right next to Nagi.
"Genta wanted a word with Genji," Pazusu replied. "He wanted to talk about the trade." The guard nodded his head and leaned back on the wall to let Pazusu pass. Nagi watched Pazusu closely and saw him approaching the two guards that watch over Genji's room. They were talking to each other when a scream from Genji's room rang clearly down the hallway. The other guards smirked when they heard the scream. Nagi saw Pazusu looking at him and nodded his head.
Simultaneously, Nagi punched the guard that was standing next to him right in the stomach and managed to knock the wind out of him. Pazusu quickly punched one guy on the stomach and smoothly placed himself in front of the second guard. Before the guard could registered what have happen, Pazusu slammed his hand on the side of his neck and knocked him unconscious. With the two guards down, Pazusu looked at Nagi to see whether he needed any help. Nagi signaled that he was alright and was about to kick open Reiha's door when Reiha opened the door by herself. Her eyes widen when she saw the unconscious guard lying on the floor.
"Reiha," Nagi asked cautiously. Reiha narrowed her eyes at him. "I am Nagi. I am a detective from the Los Angeles Homicidal Police Department."
"I know who you are," Reiha answered. She smiled coldly. "So Miyu isn't able to handle this situation herself, is she?"
Nagi watched her as he strolled into Genzou's room. "In case you haven't notice, I am here to help you." He paused a little bit when he saw Genzou lying on the floor out cold.
"As you can see," replied Reiha. "I do not need your help."
"I see. Then I guess that means you won't need help in tying up Genzou. In that case, I will take a look around while you tie him up." Reiha gave him an icy glare but Nagi ignored it and started to roam around the room.
While Nagi was introducing himself to Reiha, Pazusu took a step back to Genji's door and kicked it open. Cain immediately turned toward the direction of the door and pushed Ami protectively right behind him.
"Who are you," asked Cain when Pazusu reached for the light. Pazusu looked at Genji's unconscious form before he started to approach Cain. He smiled.
"I believe you are Cain, aren't you," said Pazusu. Cain was startled but he didn't move away from Ami. "I'm Pazusu." His name seemed to have an effect on Cain because he relaxed from his stance.
"Now I can see the resemblance," said Cain. "Larva shown me your picture before." He turned to Ami and patted her on the head. "Hey, don't worry, girl. He is with us."
"That's right," said Pazusu. He walked up to Cain and stood next to him. To his surprise, Cain stuck his hand out to him and shook his hand.
"Good," said Cain. "Now that you are here, I'll leave her with you. Damn that Miyu. She didn't even come at all."
"That is because she is with Larva," Pazusu answered. "He must have told her that I am here."
"What," Cain exclaimed in horror. "He's here too?" Pazusu was confused to see Cain panicking and he silently nodded his head. "Oh damn...I am dead." He hastily retreated to the door. "Don't tell him that you saw me."
"Wait," cried Ami. She rushed up to Cain and grabbed his arm. "Are you just going to leave me here?"
Cain smiled kindly at her. "Come on, girl. I have things to do. Pazusu will take care of you." He softly pulled her hands away from his arm. "You are safe, so don't worry." He headed out of the door but quickly ran back in. "Opps...forgot that I am suppose to go down the balcony." Cain paused and looked at Genji's body. He gave a little kick to Genji's chest before he ripped off the curtains and started to tie him up with them. "Someone ought to tie up the guards too. You might find some ropes in the storage room. It's the door in the middle of this hallway." Pazusu nodded his head and went outside. It didn't take long for him to arrive back with some ropes. Cain took one rope from him and proceeded out of the door. After a few minutes, Pazusu and Cain lifted the three unconscious guards and dumped them on Genji's bed. Pazusu went to the closet and took out one of Genji's shirt. Her ripped it and started to stuff the clothes in the guards and Genji's mouth. With that done, Cain waved goodbye to Pazusu and Ami before he disappeared down the balcony.
Ami continued to stare at the balcony until Pazusu lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "Why don't you rest for a while?" He guided Ami toward and chair and she sat down on it. Her eyes were still glued to the balcony, while Pazusu searched the area. A few minutes later, Nagi appeared at the entrance of the room and smiled when he saw Genji and the three guards were struggling against their binding.
"I see you can take care of things over here, huh," asked Nagi when Pazusu walked up to Genji with annoyance on his face and knocked him out with one strike. Pazusu nodded his head and smiled to Nagi as he proceeded to knock the other guards out. Nagi looked at Ami and found her sitting on the chair with her eyes still glued to the balcony. "What's wrong with her?"
"Shock," Pazusu replied.
"Poor girl," said Nagi. He turned his head back to the hallway and found Reiha opening the storage room. He turned back to address Pazusu. "Hey, we are going to look in the storage room. Once you are done here, why don't you come and give us a hand."
"Sure." Nagi waved goodbye before he disappeared from the doorway. Half an hour later, Pazusu finally straighten up from his search and walked up to Ami. He kneeled downward so they were in the same eye level. "I am going to go to the storage room to help them out. Why don't you stay here and I will come and get you once we are done, okay?" She turned to look at him and smiled slightly.
"Thank you," she said. Pazusu patted her on the head and stood up.
"It won't be long and this nightmare will be over." He looked over at the balcony. "Cain would be starting the raid any minute now. Just wait here." Pazusu patted her on the head again and headed out the door. When he reached there, Reiha was sitting on a desk and Nagi had his ear glued to the safe. His face screwed up in deep concentration as he turned the knob.
"Almost got it," Nagi said hoarsely.
"Good," said Pazusu. He looked at Reiha and found her coldly staring at him.
"Who are you," she asked.
"My name is Pazusu," he answered. "I am Larva's foster father. You must be Reiha."
Reiha didn't answer him. "Your son must not love you. He is willing to put you in danger just so he could save his partner."
"You're wrong," said Pazusu. "Larva trusts in my ability." He sat down next to her. Reiha looked at him when he sat down next to her but she didn't move away. "And to him, she is not only his partner."
"Then what does she means to him," Nagi asked.
"Yes, my dear Larva." Everyone turned to the direction of the doorway and found Miyu smiling at Larva, while Larva looked annoyed. "What am I to you?"
"An annoying partner," Larva replied back smoothly. Miyu giggled and he walked into the room. He lifted the papers in his hand and handed them over to Reiha. Reiha took it from his hand without a glance. She looked at the documents while Larva informed them what was in there. "They are the contracts that the first twenty girls have signed. Miyu and I have looked over it and there isn't anything that seems to be important."
"Maybe...maybe, we can find something in here," Nagi grunted. "Ah! Finally." He leaned backward when the door to the safe popped open. He started to pull the contents out of the safe and handed them over to Reiha. He paused when he had a book in his hand. "What's this?" Nagi opened it and started to read it. "It is a record of their accounts," he told them.
Reiha took his position and kneel down to take the rest of the documents out of the safe. She opened one folder and closed it quickly. Her face registered no surprise but by the way she tossed the file across the room, they could tell that something was wrong with the file. Pazusu took the file from the floor and opened it. He saw Larva and Miyu looking at him when he flipped through some of the pictures and closed it shut.
"Pornography," Pazusu said disgusted. He was about to toss it into the trashcan when Larva strolled up to him and took the file from his hand. He opened it and started to look through the files. A smile appeared on his face. Larva walked up to Nagi and tapped him on the head with the file. Nagi looked up and was a little bit confuse when Larva thrust the file right in front of his face.
"Look," said Larva. Nagi put down the accounting book and took the file from Larva's hand. He opened it and his face blushed from the sight. However, when he got to the third photo, he exclaimed out loud. That caught Reiha's attention and she took the photo from his hand. Her face remained expressionless but her eyes burned with fire.
"Mai," said Reiha.
"The first victim," said Miyu. She smiled when Reiha handed the photo back to Nagi, and Nagi placed it back into the file. He gave it to Reiha. "My dear Larva. We wouldn't have found this file if it weren't for your interest in this subject."
"That's an insult, my dear Miyu," Larva said angrily. "Have you forgotten how to use your brain? These photos must be so important to the three brothers if they went and put them in the safe." Miyu turned her head away with a playful pout on her face. This caused Larva to smile at her.
"We have to find which studio did these photos," said Reiha.
"Actually, I think I know," said Nagi. He placed the accounting book on the floor and pointed at an entry. "A large amount of money was paid to this photo studio. And..." He flipped over to the next page. "Here is the list of huge payments that have been made to their account. If I am correct, these must be the places where they sold the girls. All we have to do right now is to trace their account. It won't be easy...but I think we can do it."
"I guess this is all we need," said Pazusu. "Once you rescue the girls, you can use their statements to charge the three brothers for their crime."
"Now what do we do," asked Nagi. He started to place the rest of the documents into the safe. He took the rest of the incriminating documents and stood up from the floor. Larva reached into his pocket and gave a warrant to Reiha.
"That is the search warrant given to us by Sergeant Satou," he told her. "You will be able to legally confiscate these evidences." Nagi handed the evidence to her and she took it from him without a word.
"Like I said," said Nagi. "What do we do, now?"
"We wait for Cain's raid to start," said Miyu. Before she headed out of the door, she saw Larva making a call on a cellphone. He caught her eye and mouthed that he was calling Cain. She nodded her head and proceeded toward Genji's room. She found Ami snoozing on her chair. Larva entered the room with Pazusu. "Thank you, Pazusu," Miyu said softly so she wouldn't wake Ami up.
"No problem," Pazusu replied. "I wasn't the one who saved her. Cain knocked out Genji before I even got here."
Miyu nodded her head. "This is not what I had expected to happen."
"Don't blame yourself," Larva comforted. "No matter who she end up with, they will eventually try to rape her."
"Except Genzou," said Reiha, near the doorway. "He was coming on to me with a knife. It seems like he like to torture his victim, before he rape them." Their attention was turned to the balcony when they heard shots firing outside.
"The raid just started," Nagi announced. He burst into the room. "Come on! We have to block the rest of them from coming up to this floor."
"What is happen," asked Ami fearfully. The noises have managed to wake her up.
"The raid just started," Miyu answered. She stood up and started to head out to the door.
"Wait, Miyu," said Larva. "You and Reiha will just have to stay here. Neither one of you have a weapon. Nagi, Pazusu, and I will keep the others from coming up here." Miyu opened her mouth to protest but Larva had already disappeared from the room, along with Pazusu and Nagi.
"I never take orders from anyone," said Reiha. She headed out of the room and out to the hallway.
"Neither do I," Miyu said quietly. She turned to Ami and saw her trembling and staring at the bed. Genji and the two guards were also waking up to the noise too. Miyu strolled toward them and looked at them. She sighed before she knocked them out again. After that, she went to the drawer and started to search through it. She smiled when she found what she was looking for.
"What did you find," asked Ami. She walked up to Miyu and gasped when she saw Miyu holding a gun in her hand.
"Stay right behind me," commanded Miyu. She walked out of the room with Ami following obediently behind her. Shots were fired in the house as Larva, Pazusu, Nagi, and Reiha diligently prevented any of the gangs from reaching to the top. Miyu took out her gun and fired at one of the member when he pointed his gun at Larva. Larva looked at her and smiled before he turned back to the crossfire. Miyu stayed behind Pazusu and Larva so she could keep Ami in safety. The door to the mansion burst opened and policemen started to rush into the house.
"This is the police," Cain's voice resounded from the amplifier. "Hold your fire and surrender."
Larva, Pazusu, Nagi, and Reiha backed up to their hiding place as Cain and the rest of the policemen round up the gangs on the first level. They placed their gun down the floor when Cain came running up to the second level, along with a bunch of policemen behind him. He grinned at Larva and approached them, after ordering some of his men to go retrieve Genta from the west wing.
"Did you guys find what you needed," asked Cain as he approached them. His followers left him and entered the west wing to get Genji and Genzou.
"We did," answered Nagi. He looked around him and smiled. "Not bad for your first time."
Cain grinned and was surprise when Ami threw her arms around him. "Wow...now this is what I call a welcoming party," said Cain. "Anyways, Aoi just gave me a call. They have already arrested all of the people that are in Chofu pier." He grinned. "They even arrested Aoi. But...don't worry. They know that he is not part of the gang. In fact, he is heading toward Tokyo pier right now."
*Tokyo Pier*
"Good," said Gima. She closed her cell phone and looked at the last cargo that was being loaded on the pier. She placed two fingers on her lip and kissed it softly, before she waved it into the air. "Good bye, my dear Aoi. It had been sweet."
"Gima," said one of the workers. "Everything is loaded."
"Good," said Gima. "Now..." She froze when bright light suddenly blinded the whole pier and sounds of gun clicking could be heard around them.
"This is the police," announced Ichiro. "Put down your weapons down and place your hands on top of your head."
Gima broke into a run and took out her gun. Shots were fired when the workers dodged behind the cargo and started to fire back at the police. Gima ducked behind some of the cargos as she dodged the bullets. She fired back and shot two of the policemen right in the chest, before she disappeared into the shadow. "How," thought Gima as she headed toward her car. Amazingly there were no policemen guarding her car. She ran up to it and pushed her car key into the driver's door. But before she could open the door, the back door opened in a quick jerk and hit her from the back. She stumbled to the floor and her gun flew away from her hand. Gima looked up and was surprise to find Aoi pointing his gun directly at her.
"You are under arrest, Gima," said Aoi. "Please give up."
"Aoi," scowled Gima. She slowly rose from the floor. "So you betrayed me."
"I never was on your side, Gima," said Aoi. "Now put your hands up to the air." Gima slowly lifted her hand to her head but to Aoi's surprise, her eyes suddenly rolled upward and she slumped forward. She landed on the floor unconscious. Aoi lowered his gun when he saw Ranka standing right in front of him. She bent downward and picked up the tiny dagger that fell from Gima's hand.
"She was about to toss this right at you," said Ranka. She took out her handcuff and put them on Gima. "You should be more careful in the future, Aoi."
"Thank you, Ranka," said Aoi. He walked up to Ranka. Before he knew it, he was lying on the floor and clutching his right cheek in pain. Ranka lowered her fist and glared at him.
"That...that was for hiding your mission from me," she said angrily. Aoi stood up with a smile on his face. She tossed Gima's unconscious body to Aoi and stormed off toward the pier. "Look over her, while I help Ichiro out." She turned around and shook her finger dangerously at him. "And don't you dare disappear on me."
Aoi watched her disappear with a smile on his face. "Not this time, Ranka."
******
Some of the policemen were taken to the hospital and some of them had suffer a minor wound. Ichiro cheek was bleeding when Gima's shot gazed his cheek. Although he was in pain, he was grinning at the sight. He patted one of the officer on the shoulder as he pushed one of the gang members into the car. The pier was loaded with bullet holes and on the floor laid ten dead bodies. Some of the policemen were already opening the cargo and taking out the cocaine that was in them. "This is finally over," thought Ichiro. "Now come to think of it, where did Aoi and Ranka go?" After they have given Gima to him fifteen minutes ago, they both have disappeared. "Oh well."
Meanwhile, Ranka tightly held on to Aoi while he sped down the road. She closed her eyes and allowed the cold evening breeze to toss her hair softly behind her. They finally stopped when Aoi reached back to the dojo. He got off the motorcycle with Ranka, and they both walked silently toward the ruins. Aoi kneeled downward and clasped his hand in a prayer.
"Forgive me father," he prayed. "I am sorry for destroying this dojo. Please understand my reason." Ranka placed her hand softly on his shoulder. He prayed to his father for a few more minutes before he rose up on his feet and headed toward the pond with Ranka. When they reached Yuki's pond, they stood there in silence. Aoi slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Ranka," Aoi apologized.
Ranka lightly hugged him back. "Next time, just tell me." Aoi nodded his head.
*Two days later...Morning at Tokyo Police Department*
"You looked tired," said Larva. He parked his motorcycle at his parking space and looked behind him. Miyu slid off of the motorcycle and took off the helmet.
"I stayed up to talk to Yui," she replied. Miyu pulled a strand of her long brown hair away from her face. She turned toward the building. But before she could walk there, Larva grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the motorcycle.
"Miyu, there is something I want to give you," he said. He slid off of his seat and opened his coat. Larva reached into his pocket and took out a long red ribbon. "I believe this belongs to you."
Miyu took it from his hand and smiled slightly. "I thought I lost it."
"Here," said Larva. He took the ribbon from her hand and she sat down on the seat. He started to help her tied up her hair.
"I haven't heard from Nagi," said Miyu.
"He is helping ICAC in their investigation. They already got all of the corrupted policemen in jail. All they need to do is to wait for the trial."
"Cain said that they released the other girls. As for Reiha..."
"They found some of the girls that have been sold," said Larva. "Some of them have committed suicide." Miyu looked down on the floor with sadness in her eyes. She stood up when Larva finally finished tying up her hair. "The good news is that Cain seems to grow kind of fond of Ami. He asked me to beg you to try not to ruin this newly budding relationship."
Miyu gave him a smile as they headed toward the building. "I'll try not..." Her words were cut off when a loud explosion erupted from the upper level of the building. Larva threw his body over her and they both fell down on the floor. Debris came raining down on them and Larva stood up quickly. He pulled Miyu closed to his body and shielded her as they headed away from the building. "Larva!" She pulled Larva to a halt and pointed to the building. Fire raged from one area of the building. Larva's heart plunged when he realized the significance in Miyu's exclamation. "That's our department!"
"Oh my god," said Ranka. She pulled her car up to them and she got out of her car with Ichiro. Her eyes widen in horror. "Aoi is in the building! And so is Lemures, Spartoi, and Lemunia!" Without thinking, she rushed into the building with Ichiro, Miyu, and Larva right behind her.
Author's note:
Okay...now with that said then...Er..hi everyone. Sorry for such a late update. I have so much things to do for this year that I didn't have time to work on it. Also...I ran into a lot of problem, while I was writing this chapter. I have to figure them out before I can write it. Anyways...I hope you like this chapter.
By the way...the most important thing of all is that the next chapter is...THE LAST CHAPTER!!! Yep...this is reaching a conclusion. Yeah! And that means....Gio(oppss...correction...I mean Gia...hehehe) and Cait Sith will definately be there.
Hmm....what else do I want to say. Err...I can't think of anything else. But...if you have any comment, feel free to email me at digi_03@yahoo.com.