Disclaimer: I don't own DC or anything remotely related to it.

Stones in a Glass House
Chapter 2 –
01.06.05

The hurried, excited jostling of the marketplace buyers startled Shinichi as he wandered the crowded streets. Surprised by the vibrant activity, and accustomed to sedate palace life, Shinichi drew his dark cloak closer around his body and pulled the brim of his hat lower so that it obscured his face. Glancing at the pressing current of people flowing towards the marketplace, Shinichi felt adrift, like a small raft aimlessly floating in the ocean. What am I doing here? He asked himself as he looked down and mentally compared the dusty street to the pristine marble floor of his palace. The position of his shadows alerted Shinichi that it was lunchtime, so with a sigh, he headed into the nearest restaurant and asked for a seat on the balcony.

Once situated, Shinichi absently ordered the first dish offered, and turned his attention to observing the street below, trying to gain insight to the lives of his subjects. When the waiter served his meal, Shinichi was momentarily distracted, but after a few bites, he turned back to the scene below with his green tea cupped between his hands. Suddenly, a veiled figure caught his attention; while the direction of the crowd pressed towards the marketplace, the figure, a girl with red hair, seemed desperate to get away, and the crowds seemed to break against her like waves against stone. Shinichi raised his eyebrows in curiosity; the girl was in a hurry, and the glints off her red-gold hair soon became distant and finally disappeared. With nothing else to do, Shinichi began to amuse himself by pondering her motives; making deductions about his observations had been one of his favorite activities since he was young. However, since he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the girl, and knew nothing of her background or character, he could come up with nothing, so he leaned back in his chair and finished the rest of his meal at a leisurely pace, taking time to notice all the differences between his present meal and the fare he was used to at the palace. Presently, he stood up and gestured for the waiter, indicating that he was ready to pay. As he waited, he noticed the wave of people on the street was again being disturbed, this time by two men dressed completely in black, from whom who the crowd seemed to naturally shy away. Shrugging, Shinichi paid for his meal and went back out on the busy streets.

"Yes, a girl with red hair, it has glints of gold, and she's very slender. Come on, think, red-gold hair is extremely uncommon!" A voice with a crude accent caught Shinichi's attention. Turning, he saw that the source of the sound was one of the two men he'd observed earlier on the balcony. The woman who the heavyset man was addressing was clearly annoyed with the questioning, wanting only to carry on with her own business without disturbance.

"No I haven't seen any such girl, and I haven't got the leisure to be minding anyone else's business." The woman snapped pertly, turning her back on the man and continuing on her way to the market.

The heavyset man stuttered in indignation, then reached into his pocket, but was stopped by his companion.

"Leave it Vodka; we don't have any time to waste. We have to go after the main kill." The tall blond man spoke authoritatively. His voice cut the air like a knife, and Vodka immediately released the knife the he'd been grasping.

"Yes, Gin." Vodka replied meekly.

"Good." Gin said curtly. Suddenly, he bent down and scooped a handful of pebbles up from the ground. Fishing carefully, he pulled out single strand of red-gold hair, and grinned maliciously at Vodka.

"When we find her…" Gin trailed off, carefully pocketing the strand of hair with one hand, while the other hand crushed the pebbles he held into fine dust. Opening he palm, Gin blew the powder away, and looked back at Vodka, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"She'll wish she could have the fate of those stones when we catch her, right boss?" Vodka asked.

Gin didn't deign a reply, he merely turned and stalked off, giving Vodka a few seconds to collect his senses and follow.

Shinichi's eyes widened and a spasm of fear raced through his body, not for himself, but for the girl he'd seen earlier.