Disclaimer: I don't own crap diddly squat. And most especially I do not own any characters in the original WHR. I do own all the original characters in Five Witches and the Edo Coven though... and any semblance to any other work of fanfiction is purely coincidental.


Five Witches

By Yaya


Act I, Scene II

Keisuke Nagira was good at his job – damned good. At thirty, he was already within striking distance of Juliano Colegui's record. Just one more kill to tie and then he was leaving Colegui in the dust.

"Kei, you get way too much pleasure out of this, man," his partner Rayne Saito warned as they took a break in the courtyard of the STN-J headquarter in Tokyo. "Colegui's watching."

Literally, he was watching. Keisuke, a fall of raven hair covering his keen eyes, glanced upwards at the top balcony where the man watched them. Colegui and Director Yue Miritani stood speaking to each other. Miritani's back was to them but the priest's eyes did not move from the pair below.

A no smoking sign hung right above the pillar Kei leaned against. In defiance, he blew smoke into the air – strictly prohibited on headquarter property except in designated areas – and let the ash fall into a planter at his left.

"Nothing to look at," Keisuke shrugged. Rayne sat on the ground, leaning against the pillar to Kei's right pouring over a shojo magazine. Sadly single – as Rayne referred to herself – she spent most of her time engrossed in reading manga and romance novels.

"Stupid old shit, isn't he?" She asked, flipping the page to the left. She had no use for Colegui. After all, he was the one who had sent her to Japan as punishment for her affair with one of the young priests under him. As an example to the rest of the Fifteen Families – as the echelon of Solomon were called – she had been sent to Japan. Her exile though was coming to an end.

Kei shrugged, using the toe of his shoe to push at Rayne's shoulder.

"Quit it," she scolded automatically. She lifted her gaze, speculation on her face, "He's changed. I think his power is fading."

"Still I wouldn't call him stupid… that would be stupid." Kei said. Colegui ruled with an iron fist and reputation. Once he had been the world's greatest hunter.

Big freaking deal, Kei thought, your time is done, old man. Make way for the young blood. Colegui was by no means ancient, but very few Hunters worked after their mid-thirties. They moved on to administrative or teaching positions, satisfied to live their glory days among themselves. Colegui on the other hand had written the training manuals, had designed Hunter protocol, the reminded everyone constantly. Solomon's most prolific and devout hunter.

They had a long standing feud between them, the priest and the Japanese hunter. Kei had thought to exact his justice once and for all by beating the old man at his own game. Tonight it begins. Soon I'll get my next target and I will prove that I am the greatest Hunter Solomon has ever produced. Soon you will become obsolete, old man.

He couldn't fail. Not with Rayne Saito at his side. Funny thing, this slip of a girl was the most capable partner he had ever had in all his 12 years as a hunter. At first, Kei did not think he would have use for her, the report he had received hours before he met her had described her as the youngest daughter of Director Matthias Saito, United States Branch. He had expected a spoiled rich brat… not a woman with such an impressive Craft. He was saddened that her time in Japan was coming to end, but glad that he would have her at his side during this most important hunt.

Both their units went off, and when Kei looked up at the balcony the two men had returned inside.

Rayne reached for her unit and read the message that flashed on the small screen. "They're ready for us," She said, and he dragged her up.

Crossing the courtyard, entered made their way to the main conference room. As they paused at the front door, Rayne reached to turn the handle, her hand coming into contact with the metal.

Keisuke Nagira watched as emotions crossed her face in rapid succession from plain curiosity to caution.

"Wh-what is it?" He asked, reading her face as he did his own wife's. Hell, he spent more time with Rayne than Ryka.

"Colegui… he feels… triumphant."

Her instincts were faultless. A feeling of dread washed over him… no, I have not underestimated him. It ends here. Tonight.

They walked in, Keisuke taking the lead. Colegui sat behind the massive metal desk, Director Miritani nowhere in sight. A single manila folder lay on the desk.

"Father Colegui," Keisuke and Rayne spoke. Neither bowed, it would have been too hypocritical.

The priest sat back against his chair, hands steepled in front of him as the two Hunters – one of the best teams in all of Solomon – regarded him. Both their eyes held loathing, and he relished it. As long as you were hated, Juliano believed, you continued to exist. Once they thought you were not a threat… then you were obsolete.

"Nagira. Saito. All the information you need on your next assignment is in that folder… She has been spotted in Edo, frequenting the walled city."

"They always seem to end up there," Rayne muttered, her dislike for the place plain. In Japan, witches hid and were treated as less than citizens. It went against her basic belief system. Still, it was a merry chase against those that had crossed the realm of sanity.

"Like finds like," Colegui answered. He waited for one of them to reach for the file, not asking them to sit, but instead taking their measure.

Rayne Saito was the look of the new world, a mix of Asian and Caucasian. With golden brown eyes and black hair, she was deceptively innocent in her beauty. Keisuke Nagira towered over her by a good half a foot. With his dark eyes and dark hair, he looked more like a pop star than a trained killer. Until one looked into his cold eyes. It was a look the priest saw every day in the mirror, he had create killers aplenty after all.

Keisuke tired of the silence, time here was time wasted. He pulled the file – a thin one for once and opened it. An full page picture of the Witch greeted him.

And his eyes darkened. Anna...

"Do we have a problem, Nagira?" Colegui asked, his voice challenging.

Rayne glanced at it, her own eyes widening as she took the picture in, her own memories threatening to suffocate her.