Well here is the next chapter for you all...and terribly sorry it took so long...but you probably wouldn't want to hear about my preparations for finals so on with the story...
I own nothing...especially Beyblade and Cardcaptors...Kanna belongs to Musei Kage, Liika to Hellblazer, Chan Jamie and Li Mika along with the personalities and such of the Cardcaptor cast are Little Wolf LOVER's...and other non recognizable characters are mine...so I guess I do own something...
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Chapter 12: New Troubles Part 2
"Damn it! Why can't we figure this out?" a person cursed in his office. He vented out his frustration by slamming his fists on his desk then ruffling up his hair. He looked around on his desk that had stacks of countless files, all somehow connected to the one case he was looking at that very moment. He looked up when one of his officers opened his door.
"Inspector Shui, we have an update from our watchers," the officer said.
"Well? Out with it!" Shui commanded, sitting up to hear the report.
"Right! Our spies have said the Red Dragons seem to be up to something," the officer reported.
"Oh no," Shui groaned, resting his forehead on his palm. "Not more trouble."
"That's not all sir. It seems there are others who have joined Zhou-shin in whatever they are doing," the officer continued on. "Reports say they are not from around here, most likely Japanese."
"First we have this problem of ammunition imports and now the Red Dragons along with Japanese gangs are doing mischief. What next?" Shui groaned aloud once again after his rant.
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"Good to have you here Ian, but did you really have to take so long to get here?" Kumiko asked the short male.
"Hey! You said to bring everything and that's what I did. Plus the car you wanted had to get fixed up," Ian countered with mock anger in his voice. Pulling out a folder from his bag, he handed it to her who had a questioning look on her face. "Tala told me to give this to you. Said it was something you should look at and call him about it." Kumiko nodded and made a mental note to scan through it later.
"So the shrimp finally made it!" Ryuhei proclaimed when he entered the room. "Ryuhei Zhou-shin of the Red Dragons," he greeted formally with a teasing smirk.
"Ian Doleverich of the Dark Shadows," Ian greeted with an annoyed expression. "You better watch what you say Red Dragon. I could blow up this place instead of help you out."
"Now, now, no need for extremes," Ryuhei amended with a nervous laugh.
"Alright, let's get going," Kumiko said, breaking up their little dispute.
"So where are we going?" Ian questioned, following Kumiko and Ryuhei, who were leading the way.
"Our temporary lab which is downstairs in the basement of our most gracious host's home," Kumiko answered with a smirk, glancing toward the still slightly nervous Red Dragon. Ian smirked as well, already cooking up schemes. They finally made it to the room, which already had Kumiko's things she brought over, set up. Ian's stuff had yet to be placed around the room and at the moment were sitting innocently in the back of the room still in their boxes. They joined the occupants of the room who were Kai, Kanna, Shogo, and Liika. After the usual greeting, Ian went straight to the boxes and began opening them up.
"Anything broken?" Ryuhei asked, eyeing how Ian was handling the cases with care.
"You better hope not or else we're all gonna die," Ian replied, looking through a case full of containers of kami-knows-what. Ryuhei seemed to pale at the thought of his manor having the possibility of blowing up when Kumiko just smiled, obviously amused.
"Don't worry. Ian knows what he's doing. Have a little faith," Kumiko assured though she wondered if he would believe her. Only she and Ian knew exactly what they were messing with and one wrong move and there would be nothing but ashes left. However Ryuhei didn't need to know that. They'd be messing with small amounts anyway. "Plus I'll be here so there's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, right," Ryuhei said, still not entirely convinced that everything would be alright. Kumiko smiled cheekily and made her way toward the short Dark Shadow who was carefully placing all the containers onto a table that was placed on the side. They set to work immediately and after a few minutes everyone but the Dark Shadow members were there.
"Alright Ian, this is our competition," Kumiko said, pulling up an image on her laptop. Ian took one glance at the man and blanched.
"This gay bastard! Looks like he never got laid in his life," Ian commented, disgust evident on his face. "His face screams homosexual. Not like anyone would wanna fuck him anyway, not even a dead rat." Kumiko and Kai smirked at Ian's observation, amusement dancing in their eyes. They began their work and picked apart what chemicals Boris was using in his experiments. Kai made his escape when they started to use complex science and math terms and calculations, too confusing for him to keep up. He managed to dins Shogo and Ryuhei in the kitchen eating lunch. Both male leaders looked up when he entered.
"Too complex, huh?" Ryuhei asked with amusement. Both smirked when Kai nodded his head in response. "Take a seat and join us. We wouldn't have lasted a minute with they way they talk. You've lasted longer than most."
"Listening to the way they talk, you wouldn't be surprised if they were Einstein's kids or something," Shogo joked with a smile. He then turned toward Kai with curiosity making its way to his face. "So Hiwatari, how long have you been with the Dark Shadows?"
"Since the early fall. Why?" Kai replied with a questioning gaze.
"Well it seems you're pretty close to Kumiko for being someone pretty new," Shogo reasoned in a defending tone.
'Closer than you think,' Kai thought to himself while raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong with being close to her?" he inquired to the Black Chaos leader.
"No offense or anything, it's just that she seemed to open up to you pretty quick. I mean it took her a good while before she opened up to us and we've known her for years," Ryuhei explained as best he could without offending Kai.
"Maybe I should show you two how close she and I are," Kai suggested tot he two older guys. When Shogo was about to question what he meant, Kai turned his back to them and lifted his shirt, exposing his black phoenix tattoo. Ryuhei and Shogo stood there stunned at seeing the mystic bird and stumbled on their words.
"I didn't...who'd a thought...oh man. Hiwatari, you are one lucky guy," Ryuhei stated with a grin after the initial shock. Shogo just nodded in agreement, still too shocked to say anything. Kai pulled his shirt back down and turned to look at them, a smirk creeping its way onto his face. They stood that way in silence just staring at each other until two females entered the kitchen.
"What are you guys doing?" Kanna asked with a questioning glance as she and Liika started to make themselves something for lunch. The boys snapped out of their thoughts at the question and turned toward the two females with confused looks, for the exception of Kai who had an arrogant look on his face.
"We just found out that Kumiko and Hiwatari are" Ryuhei began but then was cut off by Kanna.
"are together. Revelation of the year," Kanna finished sarcastically, rolling her eyes at them.
"You knew?" Shogo asked incredulously, staring at the Red Dragon female.
"Of course we knew. We've been knowing," Liika replied with a wave of her hand, brushing it off like it was old news. "Surprised that Kumiko found someone she likes and is sticking with him til the end?"
"Its just that it's sudden is all," Ryuhei defended poorly.
"Jealous?" Kanna inquired in a teasing tone. She knew that her leader had quite the crush on the Dark Shadow female. Although it quieted down to more of a brotherly love, he was still pretty overprotective of the young girl. It was the same situation with Shogo but he seemed to be handling it better than Ryuhei. That was probably because Shogo knew Kumiko better and longer.
"No! Just surprised and curious as to why she didn't tell us. How did you two find out anyway?" Ryuhei questioned, trying to veer the attention off of him.
"We found out the last time she was here. Christmas," Kanna answered truthfully to her leader. Kai flinched the slightest bit at the mention of the past Christmas. He didn't wasn't to be reminded of his near fatal mistake. He was lucky she even accepted him back. "Well whatever. Let her tell everything to you. We're about to go out. You guys wanna come?"
"Where are you gonna go?" Shogo asked, glad to get off the subject.
"Where ever. Hiwatari, you should come with us and see the sights," Kanna suggested with a smile. She looked toward the other two with an expectant look. "Well?"
"I think I'll stay here. Someone's gotta look over the place while Kumiko and Ian are messing with chemicals," Shogo said declining the offer. Ryuhei gave his friend a hard glare, knowing that the two females were gonna drag him along. Shogo just smiled at the Red Dragon's misfortune. "You guys have a good time," he said with a wave and a smile.
"Then it's settled. The four of us will go out while Shogo stays here and watch over things. Meet at the garage in ten minutes," Kanna said and then taking her leave. The others followed suit with Ryuhei shooting Shogo with a death glare. Shogo just smiled smugly and got himself a drink before deciding to join the two working Dark Shadows. When he got to the basement door, he saw that it was opened and no one was in there. Wondering where they went, he set off in search of them. When he passed the door that was the entrance to the dojo, he heard a thump and a loud groan. Curiosity getting the better of him, he opened the door and saw the two very people he was looking for. The shorter of the two was sprawled on the ground while the other was standing. It was then that he was noticed.
"Shogo, what are you doing here?" Kumiko asked while helping the shorter teen up. Neither had changed out of the clothes they were wearing and were slightly sweating. Shogo walked up to them and had to hold back a grin when he saw Ian rub his stomach.
"I could ask you two the same thing. Aren't you two supposed to be working?" Shogo questioned with an accusing tone.
"We finished," Kumiko simply stated with a shrug.
"Already!" Shogo exclaimed incredulously.
"Yeah. It doesn't take a total genius to figure out what he was doing. We're just missing one thing," Ian said getting into stance with Kumiko following suit.
"And what's that?" Shogo asked with a raised eyebrow. He stood back as the two began to circle each other, anticipating the first move.
"A test subject," Kumiko said before she initiated the attack. They traded blow for blow. Although Ian was better suited with a weapon in his hands, he was still a decent sparring partner. In the end, he ended up on the floor breathing hard. Kumiko looked towards Shogo and with a simple gesture, offered to spar with him. He nodded and made his way toward the female leader as she helped her comrade off the ground. Ian sat down and leaned against the wall as he watched Shogo and Kumiko get into stance. Without warning, both lunged at each other and began their little bout. Ian watched with wide eyes as they exchanged blows with graceful and fluid like movements. In the end, it was a stalemate with a fist a centimeter away from each other's faces.
"You haven't lost your touch. If anything you've gotten better. I almost couldn't keep up," Shogo complimented not wavering from his position.
"You either although you need to change tactics a bit. I read your moves like an open book," Kumiko stated, not wavering from her spot either. Both stayed that way until someone came into the room. They didn't look up to see who it was, not letting their guard down until the fist was lowered. They slowly lowered their fist when the person at the door cleared their throat and looked to see that it was the butler with a telephone in his hand. All three occupants made their way toward the butler and waited for him to speak.
"I was informed by Master Zhou-shin that either Master Kawada or Miss Haraguchi are to take care of any matters while he was gone," the butler informed and handed the phone to Kumiko who gave him a questioning look. He just gave her a bow and took his leave, leaving the three to themselves. Kumiko just shrugged and talked to who ever was on the other line. She just gave short replies and then hung up the phone. Shogo and Ian gave her questioning looks.
"Seems like we're gonna have a full house this week. Apparently Ryuhei forgot to mention that his relatives are coming over for a visit and is staying a couple of days," Kumiko informed with slight frown.
"Do you think they will get in the way?" Shogo asked voicing out the same question that was on Ian's mind.
"Don't know. I've never met any of his relatives so I can't really say. We'll just have to talk to Ryuhei about this. They won't be coming until tomorrow anyway," Kumiko said and picked up anything she took off to spar with Ian. The shorter Dark Shadow followed suit and Shogo just picked up his cup from the ground. They made their way back toward the kitchen and relaxed a bit after a good work out. After deciding to freshen up, they figured they could relax in the den and watch something. Half an hour later they entered the den and Ian and Shogo debated about what to watch while Kumiko was reading into the file that Ian gave her earlier that morning.
"Horror!" Ian exclaimed with a glare at Shogo.
"Comedy!" Shogo countered back to the shorter teen.
"Shut the fuck up both of you. Put in action and shut your traps," Kumiko snapped, not even looking up at them. She was intently reading Tala's report on recent events and their annoying squabble was distracting her. She was intrigued by what was in the report and decided to call him about it. After she jotted down her own suspicions on the situation, she put it away and sat back to see what movie they chose. When they got into the movie, they were rudely interrupted by the others when they got back from sightseeing. Kumiko would have shot them dead if she had her gun with her. Instead she gave them a glare that said 'shut up or die' that quickly made them sit down and watch the end. The three original occupants stretched their limbs when the credits began rolling.
"Nice picking boys. Chose a movie with all three genres," Kumiko complimented with a smile. Shogo and Ian just beamed at her appraisal, as if they just discovered some great new mystery. The original three occupants looked toward the newly arrived occupants with questioning looks. "Have fun?"
"Shouldn't you two be working?" Kanna inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Done," Kumiko answered simply with a shrug. They received the same reaction as Shogo and quickly explained what they did to figure it out so fast. In the end, they were met with shocked expression while Ian arrogantly smirked and Kumiko gave a smile.
"By the way Ryuhei, your relatives are coming over tomorrow. Mind explaining that?" Shogo questioned with a raised eyebrow. Ryuhei groaned aloud at the mention of his relatives, obviously forgotten that they were coming.
"Are they gonna get in the way of what we're doing?" Ian asked, annoyance ringing in his voice. Everyone looked at the Red Dragon leader expectantly.
"Don't worry about the relatives. They know. They aren't gonna stay long anyway. One or two days at most and then taking a trip to Europe," Kanna explained, assuring the group that everything was okay. Everyone relaxed and just lounged around, thinking of nothing in particular.
"I'm going to the lab. I need to blow something up," Ian declared and left the room. A second later Ryuhei followed the short Dark Shadow in an attempt to stop him while everyone just chuckled.
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"Midori, you need to stop moping. He only left yesterday," Mariah complained to the said girl. Both went on a shopping trip that Mariah insisted on when Midori was pacing about, worried for her slightly shorter boyfriend. Midori lightened up a bit so her friend wouldn't worry about her but she still couldn't help but think of Ian. "Stop worrying! He's with Kumiko for kami's sake! She won't let anything wrong happen," Mariah reasoned.
"Yeah I guess you're right," Midori accepted with a smile.
"Guess? I know I'm right," Mariah said haughtily. They both laughed and made their way to leave the mall. Unknown to them, they were being followed. Both girls were chatting up a storm as they made their way to Mariah's car when they were suddenly grabbed from behind. They immediately began to struggle trying to get out of their captors' grasp as they were being dragged away. When they got to a secluded area, Mariah bit into the hand covering her mouth and jumped away. She fell into stance, remembering all the lessons she endured with her village's elders. She did a series of punches and kicks to anyone who came to her. Seeing that Midori was still in a hold, she ran toward her friend's captor and spun kicked him in his face allowing Midori to escape. They were about to make a run for it when guns were pointed at them from all around. They froze on the spot and saw nothing but black when they were knocked unconscious.
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"Kenny, have you and Sophie been able to find it?" Tala asked the shorter brunette. Both of them along with Hotaru were at a coffee shop. Tala and Hotaru just happened to see Kenny working on his laptop at the shop.
"Almost. We just need to get layouts and then we're ready," Kenny responded, deciding to take a break from his work. After chatting about nothing in particular, they decided to head to Kumiko's house for a bit of strategizing. As they were walking out of the shop, Tala spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Then he saw that they were practically surrounded. A scowl came upon his face at not noticing the company that they had. Hotaru noticing immediately the scowl on her boyfriend's face, and glanced around and saw what exactly got that scowl to show. Kenny clutched his laptop to him tightly, not a really good fighter but would if it came down to that. Tala glanced around trying to look for an opening and saw an alleyway toward their left. Hotaru and Kenny saw it as well and made a mad dash to it when Tala gave them a silent signal. Tala was right behind them and so were their pursuers. They kept turning corners trying to shake them off but their luck ran out when they reached a dead end. The Dark Shadow trio turned and faced their pursuers who arrived a few seconds later.
"Who the fuck are you? I've never seen you with the Radicals before," Tala questioned to the obvious leader of the group. He glanced around the small area for anything that he could use to defend himself. All he saw was trashcans and cardboard boxes. He focused his attention back onto the group before him and knew that they were outnumbered. He didn't say anything but gave a gesture for his men to attack. Tala tried to hold them off but they overwhelmed him. Soon he was on the ground while Hotaru and Kenny were captured, both struggling to get free. Hotaru desperately wanted to get to Tala and was relieved to see him struggle to get up. Tala charged at they group at seeing the two in their clutches, not really thinking it through. He didn't get to think anymore when a gunshot echoed through the area and he fell down to the ground.
"Iie! Tala!" Hotaru screamed loudly and struggled even more to get to the red head. She soon grew limp in her captor's grip when she was rendered unconscious, Kenny in the same state. The group left with the two Dark Shadow members and left the third in the secluded area.
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"I hate this fucking job. Manager can kiss my ass," Naomi grumbled as she walked toward her car after work. She didn't get very far when someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth and nose with a cloth. She held her breath for as long she could but knew she couldn't hold onto it forever. She struggled as hard as she could but soon breathed in and was soon engulfed in darkness.
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"I wonder when Miko-chan's coming back?" Karen asked her companions as they walked around the city.
"Not sure but I hope soon. The sooner we deal with the Radicals the better," Tyson stated with the others agreeing.
"Do you guys think that we'll be able to pull this off?" Max asked with a slight nervousness in his eyes.
"Of course we will Max! Has Miko ever steered us wrong?" Tyson assured to the blonde with a smile.
"Yeah Max, she never let us down before," Julie said with a smile to her boyfriend. Max nodded in agreement and they proceeded to walk around the busy city. They came to a secluded looking park and decided to stroll around and take in the beauty of the nature that wasn't spoiled by the city. As they walked, they failed to notice that they were being followed. Suddenly they were surrounded and stood back to back to each other when all the stalkers came out into the open. No words were exchanged as the four Dark Shadows fought their way through. Three weren't so lucky at getting out of the ambush. Karen turned around and was about to help them when Tyson stopped her.
"Karen get out of here! We'll be fine! Get going!" Tyson yelled, still struggling against the person above him. Karen hesitated but then ran out of the park and into the crowded streets where she would he hard to find and be followed. Although she had tears in her eyes, she held them in and kept strong for her friends and flagged down a taxi to get her to Kumiko' house.
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"What's going on here?" Ozuma asked to the occupants in the room. Rei, Johnny, and Sophie all had worried and angry expression on their faces. They were then joined by Salima, Mariam, and Kane who were wondering as well.
"I can't get a hold of Mariah. She and Midori went shopping hours ago and should have arrived at my house an hour ago," Rei informed to the group.
"Naomi was supposed to come over to my house after work too but she never showed up," Johnny said with a scowl on his face but everyone could tell that he was worried.
"I was suppose to meet Kenny here but he hasn't shown up yet." Sophie said with a worried tone. Everyone went silent, as they though about what could have happened to everyone when someone arrived at the mansion. The new arrival entered the room and all rushed to see a beaten up Karen. Salima and Mariam helped their fellow member to a seat and checked her over making sure that there was nothing severe. When everyone settled down again, they turned their attention to Karen to see what she had to say.
"What happened Karen?" Kane asked first, breaking the silence.
"Tyson, Max, Julie, and I were just walking around the city. We went to the park and got ambushed there. I got away obviously but the others were captured," Karen said, fighting back tears. She closed her eyes and relaxed her aching body when she got into a comfortable position.
"Who would do that and what for?" Salima questioned to no one in particular but received an answer.
"It was probably the Radicals. That new member that they have could be behind this. And if they are, then most likely the others are taken as well," Ozuma reasoned logically.
"What about Tala and Hotaru? Has anyone heard from them yet?" Sophie inquired with a bit of urgency. Everyone became alarmed thinking that they were taken as well.
"You guys have so much faith in me," a slightly pained voice said sarcastically from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Tala leaning against the doorframe while clutching his stomach. Ozuma and Kane rushed over to the red head and led him toward a comfortable seat among them. They began to look over him as well when Tala waved them off. "Nothing too serious. Just need a first aid kit." Mariam rushed off to find one and the others waited for her to get back to hear Tala's story. Once she did, she helped in cleaning and bandaging up the minor wounds. When she was done, everyone sat back to hear what he had to say.
"You look like shit Valkyrie," Johnny commented to lighten the mood.
"You think so? And here I thought it was the new style," Tala replied sarcastically to the Scot.
"So what happened Tala?" Ozuma inquired seriously the red head. Tala briefly told them what happened to him and everyone was surprised when he said he got shot. Ozuma looked him over again but saw no bullet wound. "Where did you get shot?"
"Right here," Tala said pointing to the hole in his shirt. It was dangerously close to his heart but everyone wondered where the wound was. "There isn't a wound. I'm wearing a new kind of bullet proof vest that Kumiko and I invented," he said, answering everyone's unspoken question.
"How come none of us know and why don't we have one?" Rei asked curiously, wondering why this was kept from them.
"We didn't know if it would really work. We wanted to make sure before we made more," Tala explained the group who accepted the reason. "It still hurts like a bitch to get shot though. The main difference is that it's thinner almost like a shirt but stronger. At least we know it works."
"So who has one of these?" Sophie asked.
"Only me and Kumiko. Which reminds me. We should call her and tell her what's happened," Tala said and reached into his pocket for his phone. What he found was a crumpled mess of metal and wires and just tossed the now useless phone onto the table. "I liked that phone too." Everyone chuckled at his statement and Ozuma took his out and dialed her number. After a couple of rings it was finally answered.
((Moshi moshi Kai speaking.))
"Kai? Where's Kumiko?" Ozuma questioned with a curious look on his face.
((Ano...kind of playing around with some experiment with Ian. Why? Something wrong?)) Kai asked with concern in his voice.
"Something big just happened and we need to tell her what happened. What experiment are they doing?" Ozuma questioned curiously. Everyone had questioning looks on their faces as they wondered what Kumiko and Ian could possibly be doing.
((Some big secret that they won't tell me. Well, if it's something big, then I'll go get her. Hang on.)) Kai said. Ozuma soon heard him shouting for Kumiko with said girl asking who it was. When Kai answered there a patter of feet and some kind of rustle. He was then greeted by his leader's voice.
((Moshi moshi Ozuma. What's happening?)) Kumiko questioned in a light voice. Ozuma couldn't help but grin at her happy tone. Everyone saw this and immediately knew that Kumiko was on the other line.
"Kumiko, we have a serious problem on our hands. How long can you talk?" Ozuma asked seriously, killing the light mood.
((As long as you need. Let's talk via satellite. Tala has access to otou-san's study. Go in there and we'll be waiting for you.)) Kumiko said quickly and cut off the connection. Ozuma closed his phone and glanced over the group, explaining what was told to him. They quickly made their way to Ryo's study with Tala extracting a key and opening it up. He immediately went to the desk and sat down on the chair.
"I've always wanted to sit here," Tala said with a boyish grin. Everyone smiled and shook their heads at the humor he was trying to make. He set up the large screen and waited for the connection. Everyone crowded behind the desk and waited for the screen to come up. When it did, Kumiko, Kai and Ian were there waiting for them. Kumiko noticed first and gestured for the others to come closer. The large group saw all of the chemicals and Ian's equipment and figured they were still in the lab doing their experiment.
"Shit Tala. What the fuck happened to you?" Ian questioned to the red head with a smirk. Tala just gave the short teen an annoyed expression that made Kumiko and Kai smile. Both sides observed the other and Kumiko noted the obvious smaller number and the bandaged up Tala and Karen.
"Alright, enough joking around. Report what had happened in our absence," Kumiko said authoritively. Tala began first at what happened to him with the others following afterwards. Ian nearly went berserk at hearing that Midori was in enemy hands but Kumiko held him in check. She herself nearly exploded at hearing nearly half of their members most likely were in the hands of the Radicals. She remained calm and had a calculating look on her face. The silence was long before anyone spoke.
"So what are we gonna do Kumiko?" Tala dared to ask after the silence.
"Kenny has all the layouts, right?" Kumiko questioned directly toward Sophie. She expected an affirmative answer but was slightly surprised to receive the complete opposite.
"We always transfer the files of everything we collect to a single computer that we keep here. Nothing but useless files are on our laptops we carry just in case," Sophie answered reasonably. She smiled when she received a nod of approval from the young leader.
"Alright, here's the plan. We have yet to hear any thing from them, so get everything ready to go. I'll be heading back over there and leave this small case to Kai. I'm going to inform the other leaders that we are going to take them out when they give word about the others," Kumiko explained briefly to everyone. "I'll tell all details when I get there."
"Uh Kumiko, do you think Kai is ready to handle something on his own?" Tala asked skeptically. He didn't think Kai should do something so soon by himself. "At least have someone to be with him."
"I trust Kai can handle this. He won't be alone. We've got some back up here," Kumiko replied with a smile. Her eyes shone with trust and confidence for the dual tone haired boy and Tala nodded in acceptance. "Okay, I'll be there at the latest tomorrow morning. I'll explain everything once I get there."
"Alright, we await your arrival and get everything else ready in the mean time. See you later," Ozuma said with a nod. Kumiko gave them a smile and small wave before cutting the connection. Tala turned off the computer and returned everything to where it was before. He stood up and turned toward the group.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get everything ready," Tala said getting everyone to rush out the study. Tala stayed behind and finally allowed a single tear escape his eye at the empty feeling of having Hotaru gone. He shook his head of melancholic thoughts and narrowed his eyes in determination. 'We'll get you back, all of you, no matter what the cost.'
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The next few hours for Kumiko after the call were rushed for her. She gave everyone a brief explanation and soon Shogo and Liika were off to Europe while Ryuhei and Kanna got ready as well. To her surprise, Ryuhei's relatives had offered to pitch in and help Kai, being that they were a gang called the Wolves. Ryuhei failed to inform them that his cousin was Li Xiaolang of Li Corporations and leader of the Wolves. He gave Kumiko a sheepish expression and went on with his business. She along with Ian were currently packing up the lab as Kai went over the things they found out.
"You'll be fine Kai. You've dealt with Balcov before, so you can handle anything he dishes out. Plus Li's going to be with you along with his best so nothing should go wrong," Kumiko assured as she sealed up a box that contained what she and Ian were working on in their spare time. She instructed the people who were helping to bring everything out and head for the airport. Making a double check to make sure she got everything, she headed out to make sure Ian was ready. She walked past the living room but was called back by Ryuhei. She soon saw the reason why when she was a large group of people around the room. She along with Kai, who was following her, quickly made their way toward Ryuhei as all eyes were on them.
"Good thing you're still here Kumiko. I wanted you to meet everyone before you left. Kumiko meet my cousins," Ryuhei introduced the young leader to the large group. A man with chestnut brown hair and amber eyes stood from his seat and made his way toward her. He looked at her through scrutinizing eyes and wondered if she truly was the favored Haraguchi of the Dark Shadows that he heard so much about. He gave her a cold glare and was mildly surprised to find that she returned it, not giving anything away. A second later both had gun barrels being aimed at their faces, eyes still locked in an intense glare. It was then that he noticed her other hand, which had a gun in it also, pointed directly at the woman he was sitting next to.
"Not bad. Just as the rumors say," he said and lowered his gun with a smirk on his face.
"And what exactly to the rumors say?" Kumiko questioned lightly, following suit in lowering her guns. She quickly placed them back into their respective place. Extending her hand, she introduced herself. "Kumiko Haraguchi of the Dark Shadows."
"Li Xiaolang," he said and shook her hand, surprised to find a firm grip in such a young woman. He moved aside when the woman that sat next to him came up beside him. She had long auburn hair and the brightest emerald green eyes Kumiko had ever seen. The woman smiled brightly and shook Kumiko's hand as well.
"I'm Li Sakura, Syaoran's wife," the woman introduced happily.
"Japanese?" Kumiko questioned with a surprised look on her face. Sakura just gave a knowing smile and was pulled into her husband's side by his arm. They were pushed aside by a fiery spirited woman that had black hair with red streaks that reminded her of Kimiko. She had defiant red eyes that shined with lust for action.
"Li Meiling and don't you forget it," she said proudly and turned around to introduce to everyone else. "The guy with blue hair and glasses is Hiiragizawa Eriol and his wife Tomoyo. The other couple is Li Mika and his wife Naoko."
"Hey Meiling! What about me?" a guy on a chair asked to the fiery young woman.
"You don't need to worry about him. He's a nobody," Meiling answered with a glare towards him.
"That's Chan Jamie but no relation to me," Kanna said with a smirk when she came into the room. She nodded a greeting toward everyone else in the room and made her way toward Kumiko.
"A pleasure and honor to meet all of you. Sorry I can't stay and chat but I have to get going. So much to do and so little time to do it," Kumiko said with an apologetic smile.
"Don't worry about it. Maybe another time. It was a pleasure and quite an honor to meet you as well. Good luck and we'll handle things with Hiwatari-san here," Sakura assured with her bright smile. Kumiko nodded with a smile and was about to leave when Kai pulled her in for a kiss. Although Kai wasn't one to show public intimacy, she didn't hesitate to respond to him. She smiled a bit through the kiss at hearing the others in the room cheer and giving catcalls. Breaking the kiss, Kai laid his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes. Emotions flew through their eyes, nothing betraying what they were feeling. With one final kiss to Kai, she left the group in a rush out the door.
"Reminds me of the old days, just hit and run," Meiling sighed, thinking about all the pleasant times she had. Everyone just rolled their eyes at her and turned toward Kai.
"Alright, let's get this over and done with. Hiwatari, tell us what's going on," Syaoran said and everyone settled into a seat. The rest of the day was spent explaining and coming up with a plan to handle Boris.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Ah! Itai!" a voice mumbled, not really expecting a response.
"Glad you're awake and alright," a voice stated, amusement laced in their tone.
"I feel like I just got hit by a fucking truck," Naomi stated, trying to move her had but found she couldn't. Her hands were tied behind her and her ankles were tied as well. She looked around saw her fellow Dark Shadows through the dim light and saw they were in the same predicament as herself. She turned to the only other awake who happened to Hotaru. "Where the fuck are we?"
"Don't know. I do know that the Radicals got us," Hotaru responded seriously. When she had woken up, she had been the first and was surprised to see the others there. She looked around at where they were being held and saw that it was just a square room with nothing in it.
"Chikuso!" Naomi cursed under her breath and looked around the room. Everything was the same except for the door, which had a small look-in window. She figured that they were in some kind of warehouse or something close to it. Both girls turned toward a groan ad saw that Tyson was waking up. They then heard the click of a lock and saw that the door was opening. They squinted to see who it was because of the light but quickly recognized the Radical second-in-command.
"So two more have woken up. How long until the others wake up?" Jake questioned to the awake trio.
"How are we supposed to know? We're not them so we wouldn't know," Naomi spat out angrily to the new arrival.
"But you should know them best since they're family. A family I shouldn't have given up," Jake said a bit quietly, regret edging into his voice. Hotaru was surprised at the regret and sadness in his tone and wondered if he really meant it. "In any case, we have already informed your condition to your other companions and expect them within three days time, if they can find us. We already know that your precious leader is in Hong Kong along with Hiwatari and the short demolition boy, but they should have already heard of your disappearances from the others. Thanks to the decoy who is unknowingly helping us, your leader can't be in two places at once. Looks like she has a serious problem on her hands. Will she risk her family to save the world? Or will she risk the world to save her family?"
"Kumiko will make the best judgment as she sees fit," Tyson defended angrily with narrowed eyes.
"We shall see," Jake said and turned to leave when Hotaru stopped him in his steps.
"You regret it, don't you?" Hotaru asked, more like stated to him who had his back toward them. She watched him for the slightest movements and saw him stiffen. "Why did you leave?" He turned his head to glance at her and Hotaru saw sadness and confusion written in his eyes.
"I'm still trying to figure that out myself." With that he left, closing and locking the door behind him.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Any word yet?" Kumiko asked right when she reached her home. She didn't waste any time in getting down to business. Tala and the others were following her, wondering why she was headed toward her father's study.
"We have, but they didn't say a location. Why are we here?" Tala questioned, looking at Kumiko who pulled out a book and the entire bookcase swung open. She went in with everyone else in tow. When they reached the bottom, they saw pretty advanced looking technology covering almost every inch of the rather large room. "The other stuff is ready," he informed. They saw her go to a computer and boot it up. After typing a few keys, a map and layout showed on the screen. They saw a red dot blinking in a certain spot and looked up to her with confused expressions. Kumiko just gave them a devious smirk.
"Let the games begin."
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Finally done with this chapter! Took so long to type...my hands were about to fall off...anyway, I hope to have the next chapter as soon as I can and with finals over, hopefully it'll be soon...
later days, kurai hoshi