Ante-Mortem

By: Wildfire Sky

I decided that a good 'welcome back' for me would be to post the next chapter to Ante-Mortem. I dredged up the courage to re-register after my fears had subsided...and when I figured that my fans were here and not So enjoy this new addition to my story! I hope I can get another 103 reviews before they shut me down again...

BTW, I've been to the fish market in Japan, but it was a while ago. I'm trying my hardest to remember what I saw there and how I felt when I first entered the place, so bare with me. I was only, what, 9 or 10 when I was there??

Ante-Mortem

Chapter Twelve



Early morning found the old fishing boat sauntering up to the docks in Tokyo Bay, the surf gently lapping up on the sides of the boat as it slid through the water, the engine chugging and spurting with each inch gained. Sea birds swirled over head, their high pitched cries more comforting to the young boy than annoying.

He leaned on the railings anxiously, his eyes wide with excitement at the sight of all the fishing boats and the men crowding the deck, tossing their catches from man to man and boxing them in crates and paper. Early shoppers and cooks stood inside of the massive warehouses shouting and bartering, trying to get the fresh catch as they fish were hauled in. There, in the background, were the monumental skyscrapers of Tokyo City, the mountains behind it and the sun just rising, illuminating the misty fog that had settled over the still sleeping city.

Mumei's grip tightened on the rails. All of this...the sights, the smells...it all seemed so familiar to him...as if it had once been his home. In the back of his mind, he tried to convince himself that it was his home, that he had been here before. Those towers...the city...he remembered them...they always came to him in his dreams. But then a dark shadow would fall over in mind, and he would jerk awake before the screams could come.

"Oi! Mumei! Ohayo!!"

Mumei barely looked up as Min bounded up next to him, wrapping a friendly arm around his tired shoulders. Waving a hand dramatically, Min declared in a loud, obnoxious voice: "Welcome to my kingdom, young squire!!"

Mumei blinked, "Young squire?"

Winking, Min continued in an overly dramatic way, "Of course! I have been ordered by the evil tyrant, Sotomo-sama, to take you into the forest of doom known as Tokyo, and show you the ropes. Will you join me on my quest to get drunk and pick up a few girls?"

"Uh..."

"Hark! Young squire, look!! The tyrant's evil executioner approaches! Stand behind me, I shall protect you from this monster!"

Kinto frowned, crossing his arms and setting Min with a glare, "Evil executioner? Mumei, what is this bastard filling your head with?"

Wielding an imaginary sword, Min leapt forward 'jabbing' Kinto with his blade, "Back, foul beast! Back!! I shall slaughter you and then take my squire away! Back!!"

Kinto ignored Min as the playful fisherman jabbed and parried at his body with his fingers, approaching Mumei to stand in front of him.

"Just ignore this son of a bitch, he's crazy."

"Not crazy!! Drunk!!"

Kinto sighed, "Anyways, I take it you're going into Tokyo today, am I right?"

Mumei nodded, "Yes. I think Sotomo-sama asked Min to take me...but I'm sure I can go by myself."

"Anyone but Min would be better to go with, especially in his drunken state of mind." Kinto grunted as Min's fingers connected with his side. He quickly swatted at the hand, earning him a barrage of pokes and punches.

"The beast attacks me! Die!!"

Kinto groaned, trying his hardest to ignore Min. "Listen, Mumei, as much as I hate to admit it, Min is the only one available to take you into Tokyo. I'd take you myself, but I have to supervise the dock workers. A bunch of ships have been robbed by workers when they were unloading the crates, so I'm here to prevent that. Tai would go but...well he just isn't as into it as his brother is..."

Min struck a pose behind Kinto, winking at Mumei, "You need me because I'm a damn good fighter! Am I right, Kinto?" A pulled back his arm and sent it flying into Kinto's side with as much power as he could muster.

The first-mate whirled around, grabbing Min's collar, "That's it!!"

The next moment found Min careening over the side of the boat with a scream. Kinto calmly turned away, tossing a life saver out to the sputtering man. Min clutched the circular tube, glaring up at the two men above him.

"You sick bastard, Kinto!! You no good son of a bitch! I swear when I get up there, I'm gonna make you pay! You're gonna regret doing that! Mumei! Shove his skinny ass in the water! Go on, do it! I'll drown him, I swear I will!"

Kinto sighed, turning at the sound of heavy footsteps, "Ohiyo, Soto. Sorry about the noise."
Sotomo shrugged, "It's alright, everyone's awake anyways. Tai was just wondering what Min did to earn himself a morning swim." He looked over the edge, "How you feeling Min?"

"Good enough to fuck your mother!!"

Soto turned away chuckling, "That's Min for you. Alright, Mumei...this is it. Min is going into Tokyo with you to let you see the sights and such. Now let me warn you, he'll probably drag you into every bar from here to downtown, so make sure you have cab money. The boat'll be here for the night and then we ship out a dawn."

Kinto nodded in confirmation, "Usually, the ships will start out just after midnight so they can get to go fishing grounds before mid-day and just fish to their hearts content...but we've learned long ago, that's just a waste of time."

Mumei looked between the two, "Why?"

"Because where we're going...you don't find the fish...the fish find you."

Soto grinned, "It's a fishing area that no one knows about but me. And I always have the men blindfolded so they can't see where we're going."

"A beautiful place...out in the middle of no where, but none the less, beautiful."

Mumei smirked, "Can't wait to see it."

Water sloshed on to the deck as Min managed to haul his body up from the dock waters. He cast Kinto a pitiful look before turning and bowing to Sotomo. "Morning, sir. I was just about to take young Mumei here into Tokyo like you asked."

"Well, I guess you better hop to it, huh?" Soto said, eyeing the soaked fishermen, "And for heaven's sake, change you damn cloths before you catch a cold."

"How could I catch one sir?" Min replied, "They're just too fast for me!"

Kinto groaned at the lame joke, wanting to shove Min back overboard. "I don't think the first dip was good enough."

Min shrugged, throwing a strong arm around Mumei's shoulders. "Well, buddies, Mumei and I are about to head ashore as soon as we land. Want anything back?"

Sotomo grunted, "Hell no. There is nothing in this shit town that I could possibly want." He stared out, hard eyes observing the tall skyscrapers, "This place only brings me bad memories."

Kinto nodded in agreement, "I know how you feel, Soto..."

"Well then," Min said, leading Mumei away, "We're going to go get ready to leave. Come along, Mumei, my good friend."

Mumei glanced over his shoulder, watching the two men who had become like family huddle close together, their conversation a faint whisper on the wind that whipped around the boat. He wanted to stay and talk with them...ask them questions about a past that they seemed to hate...maybe they could help him understand the fierce dreams that invaded his thoughts.


Diablo watched the fishing boats sliding in and out of the Tokyo fishing docks, his dark eyes scanning each one effectively. He snapped his fingers together, igniting and quenching flames in boredom. This mission was taking longer than expected. He should have had the target by now and finally return to Cuba as was promised to him.

Black Ghost is getting impatient...

The evil 'doctor', as the man described himself, had been calling upon Diablo many times now. Almost everyday, Diablo stood in the room Tagasuki had provided him, waiting for his master to request yet another update on his progress. And everyday, Diablo would tell him that the target was within his reach, and would be delivered soon.

Sitting on top of one of the tall warehousing, Diablo watched as a particular ship rumbled past...a ship that he'd been tracking ever since it began entry into the dock. The boy on board...a child that wasn't in the ship's records or known to Tagasuki. The wild mane and red eyes...he matched the target almost perfectly. Yet the men on board referred to him as Mumei.

Diablo brought his binoculars up, watching as the boy was approached by the other occupants of the boat, "How is it that this boy is so different...yet so similar?"

Mumei...no name...the boy didn't have a name.

"How...?" Diablo lowered the binoculars, pondering. His enhanced hear allowed him to listen in on their conversation, but he opted to ignore it all...he need to think at this time. "If this 'Mumei' is the same boy as the target...then why did he change his name? There's no reason to...he has no enemies in this city." The Cuban's eyes widened in revelation, "Could it be that...that his memory..."

The cell phone is his front pocket rumbled to life, the phone vibrating against his chest. Cursing silently, Diablo reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out the annoying contraption and bringing it to his ear.

"What the hell is it??"

"Nice to hear from you too," Tagasuki snapped in reply, "I'm just wondering where the hell you are."

"You don't need to worry about where I am, Tagasuki. The situation here is under control."

Tagasuki snorted, "Hardly. You stole one of my cars...the red one of all things."

"Yea well, the car's a piece of shit, Tagasuki," Diablo growled, bringing the binoculars back up to his eyes, "Now what do you want?"

"I take it you're out on surveillance, am I right? Searching for your ghost of a target."

"And I was doing just fine until you called."

"I'm only trying to help." Tagasuki coughed, "Actually, my friend, there is something the must be taken care of immediately. You are to return to the penthouse at once."

Diablo dropped the binoculars, heaving a sigh, "I'm not going anywhere, Tagasuki, got that? I already told you I'm on my own mission and..."

"You're on a mission using my supplies, boy, and don't you forget. As long as I am providing your transportation and equipment, you obey my orders."

"Tagasuki, you are in no position to boss me around. Especially when you barely know anything about me."

"What the hell are you...?"

Diablo nearly lurched from the warehouse as the fishing boat slid into a pier, letting off the target and another man, "I'll call you back, Tagasuki."

"Wait a damn---"

Snapping the cell phone shut, he silently watched as the boy and his companion shifted through the crowded roads of the pier, heading towards the big city of Tokyo. Diablo picked himself up, dusting off his jeans before leaping from the rooftop. He ignored the stunned looks of the pier workers, eyes locked on the brown haired boy as he stepped from the wharf into the busy streets of Tokyo.

Target locked...proceeding with mission.

The Cuban cyborg smirked as he followed at a distance, his hands itching towards his concealed gun. One clean shot and everything would be over...just let the little waif make one wrong move. He'd be dead quicker than a man blinks.

Suddenly, alarms began going off in Diablo's head, causing the cyborg to jerk to a stop. He watched painfully as the target disappeared into the crowds of Tokyo, his attention now captured by another problem. Cursing, the Cuban quickly glanced around his surroundings, trying to locate his annoying disturbance.

"Ok, so why are we here, 006?"

"Because Dr. Gilmore asked us to search Tokyo for any signs of 009."

Diablo sunk into the shadows as two men came around the corner of a nearby warehouse...a tall, bald man and a short, fat man. The Cuban stared at them through his beady eyes, carefully measuring the level of danger they presented.

They had addressed each other by their 00-coding, so they were cyborgs. No wonder his alarms had triggered so rapidly...these must be the friends of his target! But what should he do? He crouched down lower to avoid being spotted as he accessed his mission logs.

Mission data acquired...evade detection by other 00-cyborgs. Eliminate all possible threats to mission success. Return target alive. Failure not an option. Target profile...

Diablo quickly shut off his internal memory bank having already memorized the target's profile. He had found out what he wanted to know...the cyborgs were a danger to his mission and he had permission to destroy them if necessary. A bleak feeling settled over Diablo and he pawed at his concealed gun.

"Stay away from me, cyborgs..." he growled, "Stay back if you know what you're doing..."

He pulled out his weapon, caressing it lovingly before shoving it back in his waist band. Picking himself up, Diablo cast an annoyed glare at the staring fishermen, snorting as he turned away and disappeared into the bustling docks of the fishing pier, seeking out the target's ship. He would need more information and the best way to get it was from the crew...even if it meant by force.

He shoved past the shouting, boisterous workers, ducking fish and dodging speeding trucks filling with squirming catches. God how he hated fish...slimy, smelling, squirming nuisances...and his family always, always, had some sort of sea dish with very meal.

Diablo snorted at the bitter memory of his past home life. How thankful he was to Black Ghost for ridding him of such a foul lifestyle...yet at the same time the bastard had implanted only the bitterest memories into his brain. How annoying....

The Cuban paused, silently watching as the ship pulled up alongside a large boat filled pier, the crew scurrying about as a large crane whooshed overhead, preparing to drop its hook into the containment area. A large, burly man jumped off the boat, greeting a nearby pier officer. The two men shouted against the wailing and grinding of machinery, the blue, jumpsuit uniformed official handing the larger man a clipboard. The man nodded as he pulled a pen from his front pocket, scribbling on the papers. Diablo stepped forward to catch some of the conversation.

"I've got about four days of good catch in here," the large man said, nodding at his ship, "As soon as we load off and my crew returns from some downtime, we're heading back out again."

The uniformed official shrugged, "I really don't give a damn when you leave Japan, just as long as you get our boat up the holding pen and clear this area for more ships. That storm a while back was a jackpot and we've got big prizes up the ass!"

"Well I got me one too, buddy, don't forget. You just make sure I get my checks before we ship out."

The official sniffed, staring at the other man over the top of his wire glasses, "What checks? You know as well as I do that you're in debt to Tagasuki. He's already pissed that it's taken you so long...you're lucky he hasn't broken both your legs and burned your ship."

"He'll get the money, but right now I need the checks for repairs to my boat and to let the crew have some free time." The large man pressed closer, "Come on...you know I need this."

"And I feel very sorry for you," the official said turning away and glancing at the clipboard. "Rules are rules, Sotomo, and the rule is that until you're not knee deep in debt, Tagasuki gets everything. Now excuse me, I have other ships to record."

Diablo smirked at the noticeable slump in Tagasuki's form. The man was feeling defeated...open...the perfect opportunity to strike and go for the kill. Moving quickly, Diablo sauntered up to the large man, stepping in front of him with a small smile on his face.

"You are Sotomo, am I correct?" he held out a hand, "May I call you Soto?"

Sotomo glared at the foreigner before him, "No. Only my friends call me Soto...who the hell are you?"

Diablo's grin grew, "A friend actually. I work under Tagasuki and am in charge of inspecting the crew logs of each ship."

"Well this is new," Soto said skeptically, "I never realized Tagasuki had someone checking the ship logs."

"Let's just say it's his newest development."

Sotomo seemed to agree with this, a grim smile crossing his face, "Yea...the fat bastard has a way with changing the rules on ya."

The two men carefully boarded the ship, Diablo catching himself on the side rails and he slipped on the wet deck. Sotomo glanced over his shoulder, making no move to help the struggling lackey of Tagasuki. The man could fall overboard for all he cared. Diablo snarled at the deck in annoyance, his eyes daring it to make him slip again.

Glancing up, Diablo noticed the other crew members and dock workers staring at him in amusement, watching as he held the sides in a death grip. God he hated Tokyo...and God he hated the sea!

"This is Kinto, my first mate."

Diablo turned towards where Sotomo stood; hand clasped on the shoulder of an equally tall, broad shouldered man. He pushed himself away from the sides, managing a grip on the slick deck. He held out a hand to the cold-faced fisher before him. As Kinto gripped his hand around Diablo, their eyes caught for a moment, holding the stare as they shook.

"I don't think I've heard of anyone checking ship logs," Kinto said skeptically, his eyes turning hard and cold, "You said you worked for Tagasuki?"

"Just started."

Kinto withdrew his hand, holding his stare, "Well then, I'm gong to be honest with you, pal. I don't trust you at all...in fact, I would prefer it if you got the hell off my ship."

Diablo stiffened, "Isn't this Sotomo's ship, Kinto?"

"A joint partnership." The captain cut in with a sarcastic smirk, "I can't handle all of this myself."

"So why don't you leave, buddy...the ship's logs are off limits unless Tagasuki comes down here himself."

Diablo retreated a step as the other crew members glanced over, slowly pressing closer. He wasn't about to get in a fight with these large, muscular men and their dangerous looking tools. The one with the oversized wrench could do some damage to even his tempered body. He held up his hands in defeat, turning and walking back to the pier.

"Fine, I know when to leave...I won't push you..." jumping off the ship, Diablo turned, staring at Sotomo pointedly, "But know this...your crew is being watched carefully, even the new guy."

Kinto and Soto stared at the retreating form of Diablo in shock.

"How in the hell does he know about Mumei?" Kinto asked, his voice filled with worry, "We just pulled in less than fifteen minutes ago."

Soto groaned, "The ship is really being watched...he probably saw us dump off Mumei and Min earlier this morning. But that still doesn't explain his concern with our crew, ships take on stranded souls all the time."

"Maybe there's a connection between Mumei and Tagasuki."

"Don't be absurd," Soto snapped, "Mumei's just a kid, why would he be hanging around a shark like Tagasuki?"

Kinto shrugged, glancing over the pier. His entire body seemed to tense up as he roughly elbowed Sotomo, "Don't look now, but some of Tagasuki's real goons are coming."

Sotomo followed his gaze, suppressing a tired sigh, "Just great..."

"You think they were with that other guy?"

The old captain shrugged, walking over to the rails, "We'll find out in just a minute."

A group of three broad men approached Sotomo, their eyes hidden behind their dark sunglasses. Each wore the same black suit, the same black shoes, and the same watches. Their black hair was slicked back, one gracing his forehead with a slight widow's peak. He was the one who approached as the other two glanced around, taking up their positions at the front of the pier.

"Can I help you?" Sotomo said dryly, watching the man carefully.

The widow's peak opened his suit jacket, revealing his concealed Berretta.

"Let's talk inside."


"Come on, Francoise, will you just hear me out?"

"We have nothing to discuss."

Jet reached out and grabbed 003's arm, cutting off any further movement. His brown eyes met her own hard blue ones in an attempt to let the fuming woman see his sincerity. "We all know it's hopeless and there's no point in continuing."

Francoise tried to wrench her arm from Jet's firm hold, glaring at the long haired cyborg, "So you're just going to give up on him? Just leave him out in the middle of nowhere."

"Even if he is still alive, the Pacific Ocean is pretty damn big..."

"Don't you cuss at me, Jet."

"Look, I'm sorry I said 'damn', ok? It's just that it's not healthy for you to keep on like this..." he pulled her closer, pressing the young woman against his body, "Let me take care of you now."

Francoise sucked in a sharp breath, pulling away to look up at him, "Are you saying that I should just forget about him?"

"I'm saying let the dead die and the living live." 002 cupped her cheek gently, trying to muster as much love as he could to show in his touch and eyes, "You have to let him go, Francoise...I don't like it anymore that you but you have to face the facts. It's been a week since he jumped and, clearly, jumping over the side of a ship into the ocean is an act of suicide."

Francoise pushed away from Jet, "I can't believe you just said that."

She turned away, stiffly walking out to the balcony of Dr. Kasumi's beach villa. They'd come there the night before, dropping in on the old scientist in the black of midnight. Tired as he was, Kasumi made quick accommodations for the group, even with so little time to prepare for them. The old man was like a second father for all of them, and Francoise had found it extremely entertaining to watch Kasumi fall asleep in his lazy boy chair.

Jet followed Francoise out, keeping a cautious distance from her, "I guess you're not too happy about this."

"What do you think?" 003 snapped, "You just 'announced' the decision to abandon the entire search for 009...I never thought our team would fall apart like this..."

Jet bristled angrily, "Listen, 003, the vote was unanimous, everyone decided this as a team."

"Everyone but me!"

Jet winced at her accusatory tone, "Don't blame me, Francoise...I wanted to continue as long as we all could, but apparently that time has been spent. Let's enjoy Japan and move on with our lives."

Sighing miserably, Francoise wrapped her arms around her body, trying to shield herself from the pains of life. She would never openly admit it, but she'd always known the search for 009 was a waste of time. If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be...and in the pit of her heart, she couldn't shed the dark thought of his abandonment.

He's abandoned me...she thought, He left with hardly a good-bye and not one good reason!!

They could have protected him from Black Ghost and his evil plots...they still could have lived on peacefully.

Do you really think so? Even after all of those attacks on your personally?

It wasn't him...he couldn't help himself.

Well if he could barely control the situation, what makes you think the others could?

Francoise bowed her head in defeat. Her mind was right...caring for Joe would have caused her more pain that even she could suffer, and Joe would have eventually died anyways, if not committed suicide. His brain was being ripped apart as well as his heart. She was surprised that he hadn't killed himself earlier. All of this pain...all of this grief...

"Started by one little nightmare..."



Ah!! It feels so GOOD to be back again and writing...hopefully I haven't lost too many of you, even though I did lose all the reviews tear. But we all know I made it to at least 103!! I hope you'll forgive me for posting so slowly, but I didn't want to post and get thrown off again.

BTW: I heard of a petition going around a while back protecting authors from getting thrown off unexpectedly, and heard I was a mentioned case. I appreciate that SO much and maybe someone can tell me how that went. Anyways, thanks to all and I hope you'll welcome me back!!