Ga Rei Hime

Four

"Damn it. Where IS she?" Mai Tokhia blurted, the busty redhead throwing down a paper notebook in disgust. The group of women and one guy had pretty much took over one of the local safe houses belonging to the Agency, in a small town north of Tokyo.

"Now, now," Reito comforted her, bringing in the tea like a good serving boy. Well, serving boy, driver and sometimes man-ho.

Nao scowled as she sat back, the slim redhead looking deeply annoyed. "This makes no sense," she grumbled.

"I suppose we should have expected this," Shizuru noted as she took a cup of tea the dracefully took a small drink.

"Oh?" Mai looked sourly at their self appointed leader.

Shizuru sipped her drink then put it down with a soft clink. "Natsuki was employed by a similar agency to our own, and she has apparently retained her mental faculties. So, she clearly knows how we would hunt her and is using that to evade us."

The table was covered with maps and diagrams of the flows of spiritual energy across Japan. They also had updated maps that, supposedly, should have shown disturbances in the patterns where Natsuki probably was. Sadly, nothing was there.

Nao sipped her drink, happy to note Reito had spiked it with vodka, as usual. "So what do you think she's doing?" she asked.

"She could be doing two things," Shuizuru shrugged, "deliberately moving with the currents so we don't see a disturbance, or staying in one of the areas with hightened supernatural energy, where she would sort of blend in."

Mai nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose that makes sense."

"But what do we DO about it?" Nao asked crankily.

"The areas with higher supernatural energies usually have local operatives from the Agency," Shizuru noted calmly, "we can ask them to keep a eye out."

"And if she's playing vagabond?" Reito asked mildly.

"We get you behind the wheel and we go look for her," Mai said with a sigh, "which will ABSOLUTELY suck."

"Hate driving?" Nao asked.

"No, we just have to deal with him," Mai sighed, pointing at Reito.

Reito pouted, "I'm hurt. Really."

"No, you're not," Shizuru snickered at the stylish looking young man. "And stay away from Nao, or I'll..." she warned.

"Right, right," Reito decided descrection was the heart of valor and fled.

"Hey, I WANTED to ride his baloney pony," Nao joked with the others.

"Get him tested first," Mai advised, "and wait until you're legal."

"Eeep," Nao made a face, "hadn't thought of that..."

Privately Mai didn't think Reito had anything... but she wouldn't suggest anyone take chances. They boy had a rep as a giggolo, after all. Changing the subject Mai addressed Shizuru, "Is there any news on the Yomi case?"

"Nothing good," Shizuru answered, "her we can track, but she's wiping out any group of agents that find her. Our best hope is that Kagura can stop her."

"I thought Kagura was her little girlfriend?" Nao said dryly.

"No, they were family," Mai gave her a withering look. She sighed softly, "It has to be terrible for Kagura..."

"Hmm," Shizuru agreed. In fact she privately thought Kagura and Yomi had been dangerously close, which would make the hunt even harder.

"Arrgh," Mai sighed as she scowled at the maps and repeated, "Where IS Natsuki?!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ack!" the undead yelped as she ducked.

Rena scowled as she charged forward. "Stay still,it'll only hurt for a second, monster!"

The creature decided not to, of course, scrambling away as Rena chased her with her sword. Why couldn't they just give up?

Before she could land a killing blow in their sort of concealed corner, a attractive blond wearing... not much at all charged in. "Stop or I'll shoot!" she demanded, pointing her gun at Rena.

"Hey!" Rena yelped, "I'm not the bad guy here! That's a undead!"

"So?" the blonde shrugged.

"SO?!" Rena echoed.

"Ahem," the young woman cleared her throat, "Can we talk? Ideally with less of the shooting and stabbing?"

Rena looked at them warily, but... she needed to know what the hell was going on, here. With a gesture she shrunk the sword back to pendant size as she said flatly, "I'm listening."

"Okay," Sara holstered her gun in a concealed pocket in the back of her skimpy shorts, "let's get something to drink."

The three ended up at a local dive bar, one that already had some working girls hanging about. They took over a booth and ordered drinks, with Sara and Natsuki on one side and Rena on the other.

"What can I get ya?" the bored looking waitress snapped her gum.

"Beer," Rena said flatly, then made a face as Sara ordered a wine cooler and the undead asked for scotch. In a bottle.

"Be right back," she said, then returned with the booze.

"Guess I'll start," the black haired woman said as she uncapped the bottle, poured a shot then tossed it back. "Whew. I'm Natsuki Kasuga, a officer with the Ministry of Defense. Well, former officer since, as you noted, I'm dead."

Sara sipped her drink, "Funky. I'll have to tell my Aunt she was right."

"Does everyone freaking know?" Natsuki complained.

"I don't," Rena scowled. "Carry on."

"I was attacked by a supernatural entity that killed my team," Natsuki said flatly, "a creature who looked like a schoolgirl. She... revived me somehow, and since then I've been hunting her and her kind."

Rena looked at her blankly a moment. "Describe her," she said. After Natsuki did Rena began to curse softly.

"What?" Sara looked at her.

"That was Yomi Isayama," Rena said grimly, "half our Agency is hunting her! She must have hit your team shortly before she went bad."

"Wish the hell I knew why," Natsuki took another shot. The booze didn't really DO much for her anymore, but it tasted interesting going down.

"Wrong place at the wrong time?" Sara shrugged as she took her drink.

"That would suck." Natsuki sighed then looked over at Rena, "So, are you going to keep trying to kill me?"

Rena scowled. "You mean return you to your grave, I think," she said dryly.

"Either way," Natsuki said.

Sara waved for the waitress, "Can I get a refill?"

"Coming," the bugglegum chewing girl sighed, looking deeply bored with her job.

"Thanks," Sara paid for her drink. She looked at Rena, "More, too?"

"No thanks," Rena said. She looked at Sara thoughtfully, "You're taking this awfully calmly. Aren't you worried I'm going to kill your zombie friend?"

"I am NOT a zombie," Natsuki complained.

"Whatever," Rena waved that off. Looking at Sara she asked, "Well?"

"She's a person and a friend," Sara shrugged, "the rest doesn't matter."

Natsuki looked at her and smiled, "Thank you."

"And if you go full zombie and try to eat me, I'll cap your ass," Sara added impishly as she sipped her drink.

"Oh, thank you," Natsuki grumbled as Rena laughed.

Rena sighed. "All right, all right," she said, "I won't go after you, for now. But if I see any signs you might be becoming harmful, I will go after you."

"Fair enough," Natsuki conceded. She took another shot of scotch, then looked at her companions thoughtfully. "How much have you two drank, anyway...?

To be continued...