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Chapter Two

Day before Kasumi's capture...

Sunday, December 11

11:58 P.M.

Jack's Apartment

Kasumi and Jack stayed in close contact over the next five months and became very good friends. She never said much about her personal life or problems, trying her best to keep Jack oblivious to her personal dilemma. Jack had noticed that she had often seemed depressed and distant, but whenever he asked about it she usually tried to make up a quick excuse or ignore the question and move on to another subject.

One time, Jack used some of his old investigation tactics to try to figure out the situation, but he couldn't find anything. Not just on her immediate problems, but on her actual existence. It was like she just appeared one day, out of thin air. He was suspicious at first, and decided to talk to Kasumi about it. But when he saw her, he just couldn't bring himself to ruin her day with his snooping. It was one of those rare days when she was in high spirits, trying her best to have fun and ignore anything else. He just couldn't take that away from her, so he left it alone, trusting that she would tell him when she was ready.

However, the past week they had been hanging out together he noticed that Kasumi wasn't herself. She didn't look like she had been sleeping well and she was always watching her back. Jack could clearly see that behind her beautiful copper eyes, something dark was plaguing her thoughts. He had learned not to bug her about it, knowing that she'd only ask what he was talking about or deny whatever he thought it was. But he didn't fail to hide his discontent at her secrecy, wishing she'd just let him in. It was roughly midnight when she called on that stormy Sunday night.

The thunder split the air as Jack answered his phone. "Hello?"

Kasumi heard his tired voice drift through the ear piece of the pay phone, but said nothing as she stood in the cold rain, wondering if she should bother Jack with her plight.

"Hello?" he repeated.

There was a sound on the other end of the line, then finally Kasumi responded. "Jack, I need your help," she said reluctantly. "I didn't want to bother you, but--"

"Kasumi? Where are you? Is everything okay?"

She paused a moment. "No, it isn't." Jack noticed a slight waver in her voice, and he could tell she was tired. "I need you to meet me at the old parking garage on the edge of the forest. Can you make it?"

"Sure. What time do you have in mind?" Jack asked as he sat up in bed, rubbing his dark brown eyes.

A loud noise crashed through Jack's end of the phone. "Kasumi!"

After a few seconds, her soft voice returned, slightly slurred with exhaustion. "I'm okay, I just tripped on something. I was hoping you could come over now. Is that okay?" The truth was, she had drifted to sleep on her feet and fell against the pay phone she was using, dropping the receiver on the ground.

Jack nodded as a bolt of lighting flashed brightly outside his window. "Don't worry. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"I appreciate it, Jack. I've gotta go." Her voice immediately changed tones from being distressed to being relieved.

He heard a distinct click as she quickly hung up the phone.

This was very strange. It wasn't like Kasumi to call in the middle of the night. Jack scrambled out of his big bed and hastily put on a dark blue shirt and a pair of old jeans. After he had put on his black boots, he grabbed his black leather jacket. As he ran through his kitchen, he reached into a nearby drawer and grabbed his dark black 9mm Beretta pistol. He checked the load and rushed out the door heading for the elevator in his building. It was always best to be prepared for anything on a night like this.

Soon, he was in his green Jeep Wrangler and driving through the torrential rain towards the old parking garage. It had been abandoned about a year back when the local paper refinery burnt down. He remembered that day well because it happened around the time he arrived in Japan. The refinery's ruins were soon taken over by the forest vegetation and the garage was covered with thick vines, inhabited by all kinds of local wildlife. Although there weren't many trees at the site yet, the undergrowth was so thick that any signs of any ruins being there were hard to find, unless you knew what you were looking for. Fortunately, Jack knew where to look.

As he pulled the Jeep onto the scarcely visible road leading to the refinery, Jack spotted the parking garage in the bright beams of his headlights. The walls were covered with graffiti and the main entrance had long ago collapsed on itself, so he had to go around to the side of the building an park his car. With his pistol in one hand and a small penlight in the other, Jack got out of his Jeep and into the pouring rain. He clicked the light on and searched for a point of entry. After a few minutes of wading through the thick mud, he located a large hole big enough for him to squeeze through.

He scrambled through the hole and took a moment to observe his surroundings. The second level had a large opening in the floor, exposing the rusted metal frame of the condemned structure. The concrete support columns of the lower level were cracked, and the floor was covered with vines and roots. He saw miniature waterfalls flowing down from the damaged roof and into the garage, making large puddles on the cold floor. He quietly stepped past a big rusty sign the had an arrow pointing to the remains of an old security checkpoint. He walked slowly and with his weapon ready, being careful not to give away his presence. He noticed that it would've been very hard to find anywhere to hide in the area. Maybe that's why Kasumi had picked this location.

After he cleared the first level, Jack walked up the steep ramp leading to the second level, being careful to avoid the broken cables hanging from the ceiling and stepping around holes in the floor. Kasumi was sitting in an old collapsible lawn chair with peeling white paint at the top of the dark ramp, fast asleep. As he approached her, Jack uncocked the Beretta and put it in its holster. Kasumi snapped awake as the slight clicking noise made its way into her ears. Reflexively, she jumped out of the chair poised for attack, instantly sending a fast and powerful kick at where she thought her assailant might be standing.

Jack jumped backwards barely avoiding her swift attack, but still feeling the wind from her leg sweep across his face. Kasumi was just about to strike again when she realized who her 'assailant' was.

"Remind me to never wake you up again," Jack said.

"Oh, it's only you. You scared me," she mumbled drowsily as she sank back into the cold metal chair.

Jack was amazed at her current condition. Her red hair hung heavily around her shoulders, wet from the rain. Her clothes were also soaked from her walk to the pay phone and back to the garage. She was obviously very cold.

Jack took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shivering shoulders. "Look at you. You're freezing!"

Kasumi tightly gripped the warm coat around her trembling body. "I'm okay, really."

"Kasumi, I think you should tell me what's going on. You need some help," Jack said warmly.

"Not right now, Jack. There isn't any time. I just want--"

Kasumi stopped mid-sentence when she noticed that Jack had spotted her things lying in a nice little pile next to the cold concrete wall. Her medium sized sleeping bag was neatly rolled up, sitting next the black duffel bag that contained most of her clothing. There was also an small dented space heater pointed towards the chair with the knob cranked all the way up, but Jack saw that it definitely wasn't keeping her warm. Off in the corner there was an old fashioned manual mashing machine, frozen water gathered in the bottom of the tub.

Jack was awe struck. "You live here?!"

Kasumi buried her face in her hands to hide her embarrassment, and Jack instantly regretted the remark.

As she took her hands away from her face to tighten the jacket's embrace, Jack noticed the pleading look of desperation in her eyes. "That's sort of why you're here, Jack. It's not safe for me here anymore. Now they know where I am. Can you please lend me some money? Just a little--"

Jack kneeled down in front of the chair and looked her in the eye, placing both of his hands on her quaking shoulders. "Kasumi, why didn't you just tell me about this? You could have always stayed with me." He had noticed the remark about someone knowing where she was, but he decided to wait until she was safe before asking about it.

She sighed and shook her head. "That's so sweet of you, but I could never impose on you like that."

"Kasumi, look at this place!" Jack waved his arms at her stuff and the bedraggled building they were sitting in. "I don't want you to ever think you can't ask me for help. C'mon, I'm taking you back to my place, where it's nice and warm. I have more than enough room and the security in my building is pretty good. Now, let's go before you get hypothermia or something."

"You don't mind then?" she asked, "Just until I can get back on my feet and things cool down here."

"You can stay with me for as long as you need to. I'll get your things," he said.

Jack escorted her to his dark green Jeep waiting outside in the storm and then left to get her stuff. By the time he returned, she was already fast asleep. He started the car and turned towards town. Kasumi woke up frequently, but after she remembered where she was, she relaxed and drifted back into a restless sleep.

When they got back to Jack's apartment it was roughly two in the morning. He gently shook her shoulder, ready to dodge a punch. But she woke up easily and didn't even raise a finger at him. "Are we there already?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. Let's go sleepy head."

He led her up to his apartment and opened the door, waving her in ahead of him. Kasumi groggily walked inside and looked around the cozy room. There was a lush green fern in the corner by a crystal clear window. Next to the wall opposite the window there was a large plush brown couch and a black leather recliner with a television set sitting directly in front of them. The living room was directly connected to the kitchen and there was a short hall leading out of the room towards the back of the apartment. She took off Jack's leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack by the door. Then she peeled her damp pink sweater off and hung it up as well.

"You can stay in my room. It's always warmer back there."

Kasumi shook her head. "I couldn't--"

"Don't worry about it. I really don't care where I sleep. I stay on the couch half the time anyway. Follow me."

She nodded and followed him down the short hallway to where his bedroom was. He straightened a few things up and pointed towards the bed. As she sat down on the mattress to take off her soaked shoes, Jack took a large black T-shirt from his dresser and handed it to her along with a pair of gray sweats.

"Here, change into these and let me dry your other clothes."

Kasumi eagerly took the soft dry clothes from Jack's outstretched arms. He turned away as she changed, and took her moist clothing to where he kept the rest of his laundry, ready to be washed in the morning.

"I'll give you the grand tour in the morning, but you look tired now and you should probably get some sleep," he said.

As Kasumi climbed underneath the thick warm comforter, she was at a loss for words. It was too much. As Jack turned out the light and started out of the room she finally spoke. "Thanks so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"It's no problem. Sleep tight," he said as he walked out of the room.

He looked back one last time before returning to the living room and noticed she was already sound asleep once again.


­­Monday, December 12

11:16 A.M.

Jack's Apartment

Kasumi's eyes fluttered open as she awakened to the smell of something delicious cooking in the kitchen. She sat up and stretched her arms high above her head. Jack smiled as she groggily walked into the kitchen from the back room.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yeah." She couldn't remember when she had last slept so well. She didn't have to worry about the assassins or an animal attacking her in her sleep. And for the first time in weeks she hadn't been kept awake by the frigid temperatures of the outdoors. It was truly wonderful.

"Well, I'm making us some breakfast, and the coffee will be ready in a minute. I like it strong, so I have a lot of cream for guests," he said.

She nodded and walked over to the table and took a seat in one of the two chairs.

Jack finished stirring the gravy and sat down across from her. "Kasumi, we have to talk. If you're going to stay here I need you to tell me what's going on. Last night you said someone knew where you were, like you were being hunted down. I'm concerned about you," Jack said warmly, hoping that he wouldn't upset her.

Kasumi looked down at the table. "I can't tell you. You couldn't understand."

"How do you know I won't if you ever say anything to me?"

"Where's the bathroom?" she asked, trying to ignore Jack's last remark.

He sighed. "It's down the hall, first door to the left."

"Thanks," she said, as she got up and walked away.

Jack didn't understand. Didn't she trust him at all? This problem appeared to be very serious, yet she wouldn't accept any offer for help. Wouldn't someone with a serious problem be asking for help instead of rejecting it?

The biscuits and gravy he was making were finished now and the bacon was done too. He fixed a plate for Kasumi and himself and put them on the table. She walked out of the bathroom dressed in a clean white T-shirt and a long blue skirt, finishing tying her long red hair back with her golden ribbon. When she spotted the plate of food on the table, she just stared at it.

"Is something wrong?"

Kasumi shook her head. "No, no. It looks great."

It looked better than great. All she had eaten for the last two weeks was fish from a nearby stream and some cold vegetables.

Jack watched with worry as she ate her food. She ate as though she had been starving, and maybe she had been for all he knew. However, she looked way too healthy to be short on food. Still, he was a little concerned.

"I'm not going to give up on this, Kasumi. You need to tell someone what's happening," he said.

"Jack, I can't. I...I..." Kasumi closed her eyes against the tears that were building up behind them.

"Never mind. Just enjoy your breakfast. I've got some errands to run but I'll be back by around three thirty. Stay here and don't open the door for anyone," Jack said as he got up from the table.

"I'll be here when you get back."

She watched him walk out of the door, with the distinct feeling that she had hurt her friend. She didn't want him to think she didn't trust him, it's just that if anyone ever found out about the Shinobi village, she would always blame herself. She couldn't stand that kind of guilt. It would be far worse than what she felt now, so she had to keep quiet. And if she mentioned the fact that they were hunting her down, it would only cause trouble. It was safer to just say nothing, than to talk and endanger Jack's life.

She finished her breakfast and cleaned up the dishes. It was almost a quarter until noon now. Had she really slept in that late? Kasumi shrugged and decided to watch a little TV until Jack returned.

When Jack finally returned from his trip through town, he found Kasumi asleep on the couch, the TV turned on and the window was open. He noticed that she had cleaned up the dishes and was grateful for that. It just made him feel even worse about how he had been grilling her for answers, especially after the hard night she had been through. He set the bag of groceries he was carrying on the table and proceeded to put them away.

"You're late," Kasumi said drowsily from behind him.

Jack looked over to the digital clock on the microwave, which read four thirty. "I guess I am. Traffic in town is thick right now. You know how it is when everyone gets off work."

She got up and walked into the kitchen. "Jack, I trust you with my life. You do know that don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I just can't figure out why you won't tell me about your problem. I only want to help you."

Kasumi sighed. "I'm afraid that someone might find out what I tell you. I could never forgive myself if this information got out."

"I promise on my own life that I will never say a word to anyone," Jack said.

"It's not that you would tell, because I know you would never do anything like that. But someone could always be listening. It's just too dangerous to talk about it, with you or anyone else. Please understand."

Jack nodded. "Don't worry, Kasumi, I understand completely. I don't want to put you in any kind of danger, so I promise that I'll stop pestering you about it. I hope that I wasn't making you too upset."

She shook her head. "Not at all. I know you were just trying to help, but it would be better for both of us if we just dropped the subject."

Jack was about to say something, when the fern in the living room fell over and made a loud crash.

"Go hide in the closet," he whispered in Kasumi's ear as he reached into a drawer and grabbed his pistol.

She nodded and quietly made her way towards the end of the hall.

He knew that she could easily defeat any common thief but the whole point of her being here was to hide her. He walked into the living room with his weapon ready and looked for any evidence of someone being there. Jack closed the window, put his gun back and went back to the closet in the rear of the hall.

"It's all clear. I guess it was the wind. I forgot to tell you not to open the window. The heating bill here is through the roof," Jack said.

Kasumi stood up and walked out of the small space. "I thought you opened the window when you got back."

"No, I didn't touch it."

That meant that someone knew she was here. She felt so despaired and trapped inside. Was there nowhere she could turn? Was there no escape from them? She couldn't return to the garage, but she couldn't stay here either.

Jack caught her hopeless expression an placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I locked the window and I always lock the door. You're safe here."

She'd be careless to stay, but it did sound convincing. The Shinobi didn't have many locks in the village, so they wouldn't really know how to pick them. And they rarely came to town, except when they needed supplies.

Kasumi relaxed and Jack grabbed a red deck of cards from the tile counter top.

"Hey, let's play some cards for a while. I want to see if you still have any skills left from Zack Island."

Kasumi smiled brightly. "You're on, Jack. Prepare to lose."

They played for hours, and Kasumi was clearly winning. But Jack kept demanding rematches, and she kept beating him. But he didn't mind, as long as it kept her focus off of the harsh reality she was stuck in. Besides, even when he lost a game, he was rewarded with her sparkling smile or a joyous laugh, which made it all worthwhile. It was about nine o'clock when they called it quits.

"I guess it's not too late to order out. Are you very hungry?" Jack asked.

Kasumi nodded. "Yeah. I haven't eaten since noon. What do you plan on getting?"

"How about Chinese?"

"Sounds delicious. Listen, I'm going to go for a walk. I need to get some fresh air and clear my head. I should be back in about thirty minutes, though. Don't start eating without me, okay?" she asked.

Jack gave her a strange look. "Isn't that kind of risky?"

"Don't worry. You know I can take care of myself in a fight, and if I run into any serious trouble, I know every hiding spot on this side of the mountain. I'll be fine."

Jack accepted the response and picked up the phone. "Be careful."

Kasumi nodded and grabbed her pink sweater as she walked out of the door.


Monday, December 12

10:52 P.M.

Forest Park

It had been nearly two hours since Kasumi had left Jack's apartment to take her walk, and she hadn't returned yet. Worried, Jack had been combing the area for any signs of trouble, but the search did nothing but frustrate him, and fuel his guilt.

I should've gone with her, he thought to himself. I knew the risks, but I still let her go alone. How could I have done that?

Of course, he had assumed she stayed in town and hadn't gone into the forest, because of the imminent danger it would have held, but maybe he was wrong. Finally, he decided to head back to his apartment and look for her again in the morning, but he wasn't happy about the decision. He could barely sleep that night because he felt so awful for not continuing his search, but there was nothing he could do that night. Unless he wanted to freeze to death in the cold dark woods.

The next morning he resolved to check in the woods closest to the edge of town. He knew there was a path at the local park that lead straight into the forest. Since it was closest to the apartments, he thought that it would be most likely that she would go there if she went into the woods at all.

As Jack slowly walked on the forest path, he almost immediately found what he had been searching for. Not twenty feet from rocky the path, lay her pink sweater, bunched up in a ball. Quickly, he ran over to investigate the scene, hoping that there would be some kind of clue telling him where she was and if she was okay. He scanned the ground closely and spotted several large footprints, and a few matching Kasumi. Something bad had happened here and he was going to find out what it was, and for Kasumi's sake, he hoped that would be soon.