-Michiru-
They were sitting together at the breakfast table and were enjoying a relaxed meal together.
"You know, you could have just said that you were too tired to talk when you got home." Riko teased her with a wink.
Michiru had fallen asleep next to her aunt like a stone after just a few snacks and had woken up groggily despite having slept a good amount of time.
"I am sorry I fell asleep on you like that." Michiru apologised sheepishly. "Usually I can handle my wines a lot better than this." Michiru explained.
"I am not so sure if you should be bragging to your aunt that you can drink a lot, princess." Riko chuckled. "Must have been a really exhausting visit to your parents huh? Did anything interesting happen there?" Riko asked casually.
"Not really. I was just location scouting in the neighbourhood with a co-worker. You know how that can be. Not the right place, not the right time, not the right weather forecast. Outdoor events are notoriously hard to plan. By the way, do you know why dad had to go the USA for work but left mum at home? He rarely ever does that and I didn't get a chance to ask mum." Michiru tried to steer the conversation away from her work.
"Hmm, he did mention something about a troublesome subcontractor or something of the kind over there. He generally stopped taking your mum along once you had left the family home." Riko commented before sipping on her coffee.
"What exactly does dad actually do in the company?" Michiru continued to ask her aunt and Riko put down the mug in her hand.
"Well, if you wanted to know his exact job description, it would be probably best to ask your grandma, but knowing my mum, you just come back even more confused." Riko chuckled.
Thinking of her grandmother, Michiru couldn't help but chuckle. While she didn't get to see her grandmother a lot, it wasn't because she wasn't trying but more because her grandmother was always behind her and grabbed a box off the kitchen counter which she passed to Michiru.
Michiru hesitated for a millisecond before opening the box. Her training taught her better than to just open random boxes without inspecting it first, but she couldn't go all agent mode in front of her aunt so she settled for pretending to admire the plain packaging and gave it a quick glance all over before she opened it. Inside were two notes, one from Hotaru and one from Haruka, judging from the handwriting. Hotaru's note read: 'Hello Michiru-mama. Hope you like the pictures from our trip to Hokkaido. Hotaru.' While Haruka's note only read: 'Place in a bright spot, it's solar powered.'
"Well, turn it on. I want to see those pictures from Hokkaido that Hotaru told me so much about." Riko encouraged her and Michiru pushed the on button. First nothing happened and then a mechanical voice spoke out 'Identity confirmed' before a small video started. Hotaru was standing in a formal Kimono with the Tomoe clan crest prominently displayed on it and wide grin on her face, cheerfully saying : "Hello everyone. Thank you for coming with me on our trip. Hope we can do that next year again", before she bowed and the row of pictures started play across the screen.
"Oh, that reminds me of the family introduction of when Haruka and Haruto were that age. You were so much more manageable at that age." Riko chuckled.
"You mean, you were less around me than them, when I was that age." Michiru smirked.
"Not true," Riko countered defensively. "I had just started my first job in Tokyo, so it just seemed like I was there more, but you know how work is as a Musician. We are everywhere and nowhere really at the same time." Riko explained herself.
"That's true." Michiru nodded understandingly.
"Hey you went to the same Inn as we always went when we were younger." Riko's eyes fell on the group picture they had taken. Strangely, Haruka wasn't in that one, nor in any of the other ones and Riko seemed to not notice as she looked through the pictures with Michiru.
"Seems that Haruka really has her usual spots." Michiru chuckled.
"Yea, the Tenohs are a very habitual bunch. When they like it somewhere, they come back to it like some homing device." Riko sighed.
"So, you have been there yourself?" Michiru asked her aunt.
"Yea, but that was decades ago. Doesn't look like it has changed much." Riko reminisced.
"Dad was good friends with the Tenohs and so were you, how come I was never introduced to them when I was younger?" Michiru asked innocently making her aunt pause for a moment.
"The Tenohs are a complicated bunch." Riko eventually said deep in thought. "After the twins were born, Tomoko-nee was sick for a long time, even after you finally came to us. She was too weak to do much and Haruto was also a worry child with his health, so it was deemed best to wait for the families to have an official meet up as it was tradition for our families. If I remember correctly though, your mother had the adjacent room to Tomoko-nee, so you must have met when you were just born. Years later, something else happened and it was never brought up again to have a proper introduction of the kids to each other's families. Like I said, the Tenohs are a complicated and stubborn bunch who don't like to air their laundry with others, so sometimes they just make decisions that only they understand." Riko shrugged.
"How did you get to be Haruka's piano teacher if they are so complicated?" Michiru asked curiously.
"Well, as a woman at that time, you know as much as I do, I was never to succeed in taking over the company, so I started early in finding my own way in life. Luckily your grandmother was rather generous in letting me explore my options and I have always liked music. Your grandfather was less happy with my decision to go to work for the Tenohs but I had made up my mind and it was easy to finance my explorations that my parents didn't approve of. Don't get me wrong, I didn't need to work, nor do I need to do it now. We Kaiohs are very well off after all, but you know how it is when you make your own money, it is less hassle to explain your spending." Riko winked and Michiru just smirked.
-Haruka-
Haruka was labouring her way through a dense forest on the foot of a mountain. Her brother was by her side, happily whistling along their hike.
"Shouldn't have packed so much, then you wouldn't be carrying so much stuff up there now." He commented.
"Wasn't it you who always kept saying that we need to be prepared for every possible outcome?" Haruka smirked as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Her lungs were burning and her breath was extra ordinarily short.
"We could always turn around, you know." Haruto suggested with a light hearted shrug.
"We can't. We shouldn't drag out the inevitable." Haruka sighed between breaths.
"Have you figured out the chess game? We could always go back and work on that" Haruto asked curiously and tried to suggest an alternative activity than this hike.
"I have and there is no use. The game's outcome is not in our hand." Haruka said resolutely as she stood up straight again to continue the hike. "All moves in my hand have been made. The rest is not up to me." Haruka sighed and continued up the trodden path.
"But what if it were?" Haruto suggested.
"It's complicated and it is not really our game. We are mere pawns on the chessboard." Haruka sighed.
"But wouldn't that mean that we had a role to fulfil and that giving up now would just let down our side?" Haruto argued.
"We are replaceable. It is not about winning this fight, it is about winning a war." Haruka said calmly as she put one foot in front of the other. "A game solely relying on an impotent king is a worthless game to play. No figure should be more worth than the others."
"So, let's go back and play some Go." Haruto continued to hold her back.
"Where we are going, we'll be playing Go nonstop. Be patient and we will play so much, you will get sick of playing it." Haruka smirked and continued her path undeterred.
-Shinobu-
She woke up a couple of hours before they would be landing and stretched herself quietly in her seat before getting up and leaving the compartment to freshen up. Looking outside the window, she saw that the sun was slowly rising in their back, as if was chasing them. She knew that time was running out for them to fetch the professor and prepared herself for a long day ahead. For a moment, she wondered what Yumi was up to and if Noriko gotten to her in time. Shinobu hated proxy handovers but she knew that there was just no other option at this stage. The security in the inner circle had been tightened, in case anything unexpected were to happen in her short absence and all the girls knew better than to ask why. Their highest priority was to follow Yumi's orders, and those were final. The Co-pilot informed her that they would be arriving 45 minutes ahead of schedule just as she left the facilities and she hurried back to the compartment to finish her preparations for their mission. Failure was no option. When she had returned, she found Taiki already awake and back to his stoic self, for which he was notorious. No emotion could be read on his stern face as he was double and triple checking all the equipment, they had taken along with them.
"We will be arriving 45 minutes ahead of schedule." Shinobu told him as she entered the compartment and he nodded without looking up from the weapons that he was inspecting.
"I'll freshen up in the hotel." He informed her curtly. "I don't think we can rely on the contact over there to be of any assistance outside of being our transport. I have not had a chance to double check his information, therefore I suggest for you put these on and staying vigilant. We don't have room for errors." He continued as be passed her some body armour. "Have you read the whole plan?" Taiki continued to as her ask her as he turned his back to her so she could get changed.
"I have." Shinobu confirmed unfazed as she put on the protection on under her regular clothes.
"So, what's the plan?" He asked like a teacher grilling his student.
"We will be delivered to the cargo hold three. There, a car will be ready for us to take to the hotel near the Spanish steps. Worst case, we will have twelve minutes, best case fifty minutes, to meet up with Abe-sensei's contact who will only linger for exactly seven minutes for us to make contact and who will have further details on the whereabouts of the Professor. From the time of the handover of the information we will have five hours to plan and get the professor out of the Vatican's research facilities without alerting the professor's benefactors and to get back to the meeting point that will be set by the contact who will get us back into hangar where another plane should be available for us to board to return to Haneda airport and from there Yaten-san will be driving us back to the Tenoh tower." Shinobu summarised as she put her clothes back on. "To cause the least amount of commotion we will be using wire and knives with the priority to incapacitate but lethal force is used where it is most efficient. Each of us will have only one fire arm as back up. Three options of return are available in case we lose each other during the retrieval or do not make the time limit: this cargo plane in 24h, commercial plane if later or a body bag in the worst." Shinobu concluded after she put her jacket back on.
"Correct." Taiki confirmed as he handed her a gun. "Keep up or I leave you behind and you can find your own way back." He reminded her before they both sat down again in silence.
-Ami-
She had not slept since she got back to her apartment. When she had left the tower, Haruka's condition was worsening, and despite Kakyuu's reassurances that she would be able to handle Haruka on her own and Ami believing her, the blue haired Doctor didn't know how long Haruka would be able to stay stable and what could be done if the worst-case scenario took place. She was about to get up from her bed when her doorbell rang.
"Setsuna-san" Ami greeted her visitor surprised.
"Good morning to you, too, Ami." Setsuna smiled tiredly as Ami let her into her apartment.
"Would you like some coffee or tea?" Ami offered the other woman as Setsuna sat down on the living room couch.
"A coffee would be nice. Just milk, no sugar." Setsuna gratefully accepted the offer.
"What brings you here?" Ami asked to fill in the silence as she made them some coffee.
"I am here to deliver you, in person, the early termination of your sabbatical. We are kind of running low with highly qualified staff, so you are getting out of the dog house earlier than planned." Setsuna explained as Ami came over with the coffee. "Have you learned your lesson?" Setsuna asked her stern while she looked into Ami's eyes, as if to read her mind, looking for something that Ami might be hiding from her.
"Yes…I have." Ami answered hesitantly as Setsuna kept looking at her intensely.
A few more moments passed in tense silence and Ami started to wonder if she had done something wrong.
"Do you wish to stay on your sabbatical?" Setsuna asked her suddenly and Ami immediately shook her head.
"Do you need to stay on your sabbatical?" Setsuna continued to ask and Ami hesitated to respond.
"Your research has been that bad huh?" Setsuna progressed with her monologue and sighed before she drank her coffee and put the empty cup back onto the coffee table without another sound.
"I.." Ami started without really knowing what she wanted to say.
"Yes, you need to get ready to come back to work for me. I know you have done your best." Setsuna said reassuringly before she stood up again. "Your work has been placed in your lab. I will be out for the next two days, but if you have any questions, Minako will have all the necessary details that you will be needing to proceed. Thank you for the coffee, I will be seeing myself out and I expect you to get to work on time despite my absence. We have a lot of work that needs to get done." The older woman informed her before she left Ami behind in her apartment.
-Haruka-
She was lying motionless on the forest's ground and looking up through the dense foliage trying to catch a glimpse of the sky, but to no avail.
"What are you thinking Haruka-nee?" Haruto asked her as he stood by her side, looking down on her.
"I miss the ocean." Haruka answered absent minded.
"What do you miss about it?" Her brother continued to ask.
"I miss the sound that the gentle waves make." Haruka tried to explain.
"Uh huh. Not the feel, smell and taste of the surf?" Haruto chuckled.
"Sure, all that is pretty great, too." Haruka smirked.
"Are you sure you don't miss the open fields, the rivers, hills and valleys that you have visited, not to mention cities and your cars?" Haruto asked.
"Relax. I said I missed the ocean. It was no euphemism. I just genuinely miss our beach house and its beach." Haruka sighed before she closed her tired eyes. Her whole body was aching, and she desired nothing more than to just sleep off the pain.
"Time to get up Haruka. You can't stay here forever, just sighing and missing things." Haruto reminded and held his arm out for her to pull herself up with it.
Haruka got up groggily and put the heavy backpack, on which she had rested her head, back onto her shoulder.
"Ok, where to next? Where do you want to go from here?" Haruto asked as soon as she stood tall next to him.
"It's not about where I want to go, it is where I need to go." Haruka told him determined and they walked deeper into the forest.
-Kakashi-
He was returning to the cabin with a relatively small male moose he had shot in the woods. Dragging the big dead animal on a tarp, he paused for a moment and took a deep breath. He was getting a bit too old for this, he thought to himself. No, he was just extremely out of shape, he decided after his third lung full of clean Scandinavian air. It had been ages since he had been on longer assignments and besides the few on which he accompanied Haruka, he hardly ever got away from his desk. Having led a life of a desk warmer for the past few years had turned him into a paper tiger. Looking ahead to the cabin, he sighed and grabbed the rope to pull dinner back for the last few hundred meters. As soon as he was out of the woods, Seiya came running towards him.
"Are you planning for us to stay the winter or why did you shoot such a big thing?" Seiya asked exasperated.
"Don't lie, you're sick and tired of fish and rations as much as I am. Some meat protein will come as a welcome change of pace." Kakashi chuckled as both pulled the animal towards the cabin.
"That's hundreds of kilos of meat though." Seiya gave him to think about.
"Yea, you have never skinned a moose huh? We are not having it all once. Haruka likes smoked moose, so we might as well make some while we are here. You have chopped so much wood in the last couple of days, it looked like you are preparing for several winters here if we only heat with it." Kakashi smirked.
"You are not serious about smoking this thing, are you? Might as well make a giant light beacon for Caine and invite him for dinner. Now we definitely have enough food for his small army. He called for reinforcements by the way, since his little group got a bit decimated by the traps." Seiya informed him concerned.
"Yep. Because this is just the sort of arrogant thing Haruka would be doing, rubbing it into her opponents' faces that she isn't going to compromise on comfort and good food just to avoid them and we are pretending to be her, remember? He knows where we are anyway, we are so clearly on all the satellite pictures, even a blind man would know where we are. The only tricky thing about this place is how to get here in one piece and unnoticed. They know that the only way to actually harm us is to get us off guard and with all the hidden security, they should have noticed that that won't be easy." Kakashi reminded the younger man as they hoisted the carcass on the bleeding rack and drained the last of the blood of the animal. "You better start preparing the smoking room and the bathing water. I get the outdoor grill started and make us some real steaks, but I definitely need a bath after cleaning this." Kakashi instructed Seiya who started to frown.
"I am not your wife." The younger man said defiantly.
"Sorry, I don't swing that way and you'd make one ugly wife." Kakashi laughed brashly as he watched Seiya walking towards the cabin and grabbing fire wood.
"Just so you know, if we get raided by wolves tonight because of this, it will be all on you." Seiya grumbled.
"So, you don't want a nice juicy steak?" Kakashi asked him challengingly.
"I want mine medium done and not burned on any side." Seiya gave in with a sigh.
"Got it, princess." Kakashi laughed heartily.
-Taiki-
They had made it in good time to the Trevi fountain and were discretely but completely geared up to be ready to proceed with the extraction of the Professor at any minute. Their contact hadn't shown up so far and both were eating ice cream in front of a small café, among many tourists, taking pictures of their surroundings to fit in.
"Kou-san, you need to smile more if you want to pretend to be on vacation." Shinobu reminded him as she took a picture of him.
"I don't smile." Taiki grumbled back as he discretely scanned their surrounding through his sunglasses.
"You should though, I have spotted him." Shinobu smiled as she showed him her latest picture, and indeed, a tall man with dark hair and a green baseball cap was standing in one of the small alleys, unobtrusively overlooking his surroundings.
Shinobu took off her wide sun hat and put it on his head as the agreed signal and only moments later, the man stood beside them.
"My girlfriend used to have the very same hat." The stranger started a conversation with them.
"Oh, what happened to it?" Shinobu asked innocently.
"The wind carried her away." The stranger smiled mischievously.
"That memory must really rob your sleep." Taiki replied dryly as he patted the stranger's shoulder with the small device that he had brought with him and the stranger flinched for a micro second as the needle pierced his skin and drew some blood.
For a moment, all three were silent, until they heard a faint beep and Taiki withdrew his hand and looked at his watch. 'Identity confirmed' blinked momentarily behind the dials and he crushed the device in his fist before disposing it in the napkin of his ice cream.
"We have no time to waste." Taiki said stern.
"No chit chat? Your reputation precedes you, Kou. Just follow me." The stranger smirked and led them into the small alley from which he came.
-Yumi-
It was in the middle of the afternoon when she was getting ready for her last appointment of the day. Without Shinobu by her side, Naoko, her old nursemaid, helped her getting dressed into another Yukata. Summer was fading, but the heat near the tea stove and the strenuous rituals tended to make her feel uncomfortable over long periods of time in the same clothes.
"Ojou-sama, please lift your arm higher" Naoko instructed her as the belt was being adjusted.
Just when Yumi raised her arm, there was a knock at her door and a servant from the main house came in after being permitted to do so. Katashi knew that she hated having any servants that weren't chosen by herself, from the main house, but he had insisted in front of her grandfather to heighten security during the times that he would be having business partners over to advance their reach. It was a reasonable request and she couldn't deny him in front of her grandfather which irked her that she had gotten played like that during the last Obon meet up of the family. The only condition she could insist on at that stage was for them to stay out of as much of the daily conduct of the tea house as possible and to limit the number of guards she would have within her tea house that weren't hers.
The young man, Takumi Kimura, was kneeling on the ground and kept his head down with his eyes strictly on the Tatami mat as he started to speak. "Myamoto-sama, there is a Meioh-sama at entrance who said that she had an appointment with you, but it wasn't noted in your schedule." He informed her.
"I had it arranged myself, didn't I, Sasaki-san?" Yumi rhetorically asked Naoko.
"Yes Myamoto-sama, and the Chrysanthemum room has already been prepared for this, Ojou-sama." Naoko confirmed without missing a beat while knowing fully well that no such thing had been done.
"Did you use the new incense?" Yumi asked casually.
"My apologies Ojou-sama, it has slipped my mind. I have still used the summer scent, as for the previous tea ceremony." Naoko bowed her head humbly.
"I will finish dressing on my own." Yumi informed Naoko.
"Then I will go and immediately rectify the situation. I will light the right incense in another suitable room for you and start all necessary preparations for you now. I will let you know as soon as everything has been prepared." Naoko informed her.
"Yes, and please apologise my lateness when you guide Meioh-san into a suitable waiting room in the meantime to wait in." Yumi instructed.
"Of course, Ojou-sama." Naoko bowed again and excused herself.
"Kimura-san, .." Yumi addressed the young man who immediately flustered.
"Yes, Ojou-sama?" He fidgeted slightly nervous.
"Be of assistance to Sasaki-san, a tea room doesn't prepare itself." Yumi instructed him stern and he bowed some more before he left right on Naoko's heels.
Yumi finished adjusting her clothes and sat down in a cushion, closing her eyes and relishing the moment of solitude granted to her. Only minutes later, Setsuna came through one of the panels of her preparation room.
"I see you are under more scrutiny than usual, did something happen?" Setsuna asked as she sat down next to Yumi.
"My husband is back, but you should already know about that." Yumi sighed. "So, what brings you to my corner of the city." Yumi asked in return as she poured her guest a glass of water. "I would have made you tea in advance, if I had known that you'd be coming by." Yumi clarified.
"I am sure the tea in a minute will be as superb as usual. It is good to see that I can still surprise you." Setsuna chuckled.
"I think you are misunderstanding my position in the bigger scheme of things. I never anticipate unscheduled appointments. Unlike you, I am not here to listen and watch. I merely enable people to meet in private and to leave unseen." Yumi replied unimpressed.
"For someone who never anticipates that, you have a very well-prepared house." Setsuna noted before she enjoyed the cool water.
"I am always prepared; doesn't mean I anticipate of needing it." Yumi clarified.
"I am merely here to inform you that the counsel of the elders will be called to convene soon. I know your grandfather will enable them to meet in utmost secrecy, even hidden from you and the rest of the family and since I will not be around then, I thought you might want to be Haruka's eyes and ears there, in case….well…" Setsuna stopped as if she didn't know how to phrase it to not betray the faint hope or immense doubt she carried to meet up with the blonde again but that the information would be important for the blonde.
"How soon is soon?" Yumi just asked to alleviate the situation.
Setsuna shrugged. "Whenever the highest member will see it fit to conduct the meeting. I have only been informed that I will not be around for it." Setsuna explained before she got up again. "I believe I have taken up enough of your time here. Your next appointment is in an hour and your servants will start to wonder how long you will leave me waiting in the waiting room if we keep on chatting here. I will be looking forward to that tea and frivolous chat about flowers. Some peaceful silence is also welcome." Setsuna smiled faintly before disappearing through the panel again and Yumi got up to make her way through the main hallways to the waiting room.
-Shinobu-
The man that was called Tony by Kakyuu, or addressed as Antonio by Taiki, led them to one of the higher buildings in the neighbourhood and to an apartment overlooking the Vatican.
"It is a pity that my little Persimmon couldn't come after all. I was looking forward to see how she has grown up." Antonio sighed and Taiki just grit his teeth for a moment before he began to speak again.
"So where is the Professor?" Taiki asked rather curtly.
"Always right down to business. The Professor is at the moment in there." Antonio sighed and pointed to the back of the Vatican where the Pontifical Academy of Sciences was located. "Her schedule is to meet with two different Cardinals before she leaves in a few hours. She is meeting one of them right now, the other is scheduled for in two hours. After that she will return to her office in the Vatican's pharmacy, pack and await her pick up. In my experience, she has most likely already packed this morning and will use her free time to nap before the move. I would say that is the perfect time for you to go in for a consult. She will be able to give you the appropriate medications then as well. You don't have to worry, she might come off as a bit rough around the edges, but she is actually really nice. There is not a single patient that I know of that she couldn't help." Antonio explained as he patted Shinobu's head unasked.
"How do you know her schedule so well?" Shinobu asked curiously since he didn't seem to know that they hadn't just come for a mere unofficial consult.
"I am the designated transporter here and you could say that I am her personal errand boy when she is in town. As errand boy, I should always know where she is, in case she needs something. Professor Watanabe saved my life a few years ago so I owe her a lot." Antonio explained.
"And why are you helping Abe-sensei?" Shinobu continued to ask.
"See this beautiful face? She gave me this and gave me a second life with it. Isn't the nose particular well done?" Antonio asked with pride.
"It is very pretty….I mean handsome." Shinobu replied a little startled since she was never faced with such a question by a man.
"You think it's pretty, too? I have to say, for being one of her first facial reconstruction jobs, she has done a really good job. A real natural talent my little Persimmon." Antonio agreed proudly.
"So, what are the options for a quick getaway?" Taiki interrupted the friendly chat.
"He is really no fun at all." Antonio whispered to Shinobu before replying: "Why the rush to get out of Rome?" to which Taiki only replied with a frown.
"Ok, ok. Top secret. Of course. Well I can offer to have a car waiting for you at any point of entry. There at the west wall would be easiest." Anontio suggested.
"No. Wait for us at the north wall." Taiki instructed him.
"Whatever you say. I am only the driver. Just so you know, I don't wait up. Staying low key and parking there is close to impossible and general security by the families will be tightened just half an hour later after you plan to get out. You need to get there on time. Professor Watanabe's Patron is no joke. That person makes you disappear into thin air when you piss them off by ruining their plans." Antonio reminded Taiki who just nodded stoically before he turned back to the window.
"How do you know that about Watanabe's Patron?" Shinobu asked curiously.
"Well, I have the pleasure of meeting her once in a while. She is a scary woman." Antonio said with a mixture if reverie and utmost fear.
"Oh, it is a woman?" Shinobu asked surprised.
"Aren't women the more dangerous kind of people? Beautiful and graceful on the outside, but cold heartbreakers on the inside." Antonio mused with a smirk.
"What is her name?" Shinobu asked innocently.
"She doesn't have an official name. By her subordinates, she's just called chief, by her enemies the sudden death and by her peers, just the phantom." Antonio recalled for her as got comfortable in the chair next to Shinobu.
"Sudden death…Phantom…both not very flattering names." Shinobu noted.
"Well, I don't think it is meant to be flattering, but more of a warning. You don't see her, unless you have to. AND if you ever cross her, she will hunt you down, but she will not kill you straight away. She will cross your path like a phantom from time to time and only you will know why. But when she decides that your time has come…." Antonio made a cut-throat motion with his thumb.
"Scary….." Shinobu agreed. "But… couldn't they just kill her when they see her?" Shibobu wondered aloud.
"You cannot kill someone who is believed to be a vengeful ghost, roaming this earth just to pass judgment on those who got judged." Antonio smirked and Shinobu couldn't help but to pale a bit.
"Don't worry, you are only meeting the Phantom's doctor for a diagnosis. You should be fine." Antonio laughed reassuringly.
But Shinobu knew their real plan and looked over to Taiki who kept surveying the Vatican.
"If you are planning to go in via the south wall, let me tell you that there are dogs, so I wouldn't recommend it." Antonio chuckled as he turned his attention back to Taiki.
"How we get in or out is none of your concern. Just be at the north wall in 200 minutes and not a minute later." Taiki said curtly.
"I know the Professor is a genius, but it will take longer for her to diagnose the young lady here. She is very thorough." Antonio gave Taiki to consider.
Taiki just gave Shinobu a glance that told her not to ask any more questions and proceeded to reply to Antonio. "We only have that much time, so just be there."
"Ok, whatever you say boss." Antonio just shrugged with a shaking head. "And how do you intend to get in?" Their driver asked slightly mocking.
"We will be led inside, through the front door, right?" Taiki turned to Shinobu who just nodded.
-Michiru-
Michiru was standing in Takashi Tenoh's office awaiting his verdict on her preliminary report that she had sent to him that afternoon. The air was tense and Michiru wondered if she had forgotten anything.
"Kaioh-san, this is a very good report for such a short time. The circumstances were truly unfortunate for Zhao-san." Takashi answered evenly as he kept his eyes focused on her report. "As you know, we are very shorthanded at the agency at the moment, therefore I need you to help out Okamoto-san in the defence department. She is awaiting you to report to her as soon as we are done here. All of your other projects will stay on ice in the meantime." He informed her in passing as he put the file away and finally faced her. "But before you go, Kaioh-san, what has been your impression of working here in comparison to the Nagoya branch?" He asked her, his eyes steely focused on her.
"The Tokyo branch has a lot more interesting and high-profile cases as well as more modern equipment than the Nagoya branch, but nonetheless both branches are highly efficient with their work and crucial for the smooth operation of the whole network." Michiru answered calmly.
Takashi Tenoh stayed silent for a moment before he nodded in agreement. " A satisfactory statement." He conceded. "Very well, I expect you to work just as efficiently under Okamoto-san as you have under Takahashi-san." He finally dismissed her, to which she just nodded before she excused herself and left his office.
She passed Sayaka, who was on the phone, silently but noticed that the other woman practically ran into Tenoh Senior's office as soon as the doors of the lift were closing.
-Antonio-
He was sitting in his car cruising around Rome and double checking that all the planned escape routes they would be taking to Civitavecchia Port where Kakyuu's friends would be boarding a ship to leave tonight. When she told him that her friend was uptight and a stickler to detail, she never mentioned what a pain he was as well. Taiki made him repeat the plan three times and triple checked all the routes via satellite before he let the matter rest finally left to see the Professor.
Driving through the streets, he noticed how the local families started to meet up to get ready for the heightened security plans that he heard rumours of. Heavy hitters were already standing outside the main headquarters, making him wonder what they were expecting to happen. No one in their right mind would piss off the Phantom after all. The invisible hand that whipped the underworld when something didn't go as agreed upon among the families or in his known underworld in general.
His watch started to beep, indicating for him that he had only 90 seconds left to get to their meeting point, he turned the care around and leisurely drove to the wall, where Taiki and his friend were already waiting. Taiki was carrying a suspiciously large bag on his shoulders.
"Wow, you are more than on time." Antonio grinned as he stopped to let them in.
Taiki just put the bag onto the back seat and sat down next to it as his companion sat down in the passenger's seat.
He pulled out and off they were.
"So, what was the Professor's diagnosis, I hope she could help you." Antonio chatted away to ease the tension in the car.
"Pull over and get out." Taiki instructed him.
"Hey that wasn't the deal." Antonio protested but then noticed with horror that the bag moved.
"Just pull over get out." Taiki continued.
"Man, they will skin you alive and feed you to the fishes…no... they will skin US and feed US to the fishes ... Do you understand what you have done? Every family is on high alert in the next few minutes." Antonio started to panic.
"Exactly, that's why get out. I am taking your car." Taiki repeated.
"They will never believe me that I left my baby voluntarily. I will just be as dead as you are." Antonio said through gritted teeth to stop himself from screaming.
"You are right." Taiki agreed and pulled out his gun, placing it at Antonio's temple. " Pull over or I kill you right here."
"Man, do you have a death wish?" Antonio screamed as she stopped a traffic light.
"No and I am giving you one last chance to safe your own life." Taiki said calmly. "See that traffic light over there? It has a camera. You will stop there and I will get out, as will you, and I will hit you across the face, making this look like a carjacking." Taiki explained coldly.
"No way. This is my baby." Antonio refused and Taiki pulled on the safety of the gun.
"FINE , FINE!" Antonio did as he was instructed and got out of the car. "At least, please not the nose." He begged Taiki, but it was too late as he felt an all too familiar pain shooting up his face, which he covered with both hands, as he stumbled to the ground. The next thing he saw were the tail lights of his car shrinking in the distance.
"May God have mercy on your souls." He mumbled as he slowly got up.
-Yuuko-
When Yuuko Watanabe woke up this morning, she would have never thought, in a million years, that would end up tied up and in her own spare bag for random things that she had newly acquired to make the office that she occupied as homey as possible. The two people who had stealthily made their way into her office and pretty much swiftly "packed" her up were very polite about it, but that did not change the fact that they were kidnapping her in a rather difficult time. Still, having her tied up and in the bag in less than a minute was impressive. But no matter how often the girl apologised during the whole process, it didn't make Yuuko's predicament any more comfortable or their fate any less inevitable. This not being her first time being kidnapped, she slowly rubbed off the tape that was placed across her mouth and took a deep breath once that was gone. After her kidnappers had thrown out Antonio, they had quickly changed vehicles and were driving steadily into the opposite direction they had taken before. She had to hand it to these two, they weren't novices, and so polite, making their loss just such a waste for the future. The car drove quiet and steady, probably not attract any attention and then suddenly stopped again. Yuuko leaned carefully forward and removed her watch from her wrist with her teeth before she leaned back and relaxed her small body to get a bit more comfortable and to wait for the chip, that was implanted in her arm to send out a distress signal and her location to her friends.
"You know, we would be faster if you would let me drive." The female spoke up.
"I am not lost. We have just avoided three unofficial check points." The male replied frustrated.
"You know, I have an impeccable memory, I remember all check points and possible routes, I know the way out of here, but instead of me needing to focus on two things, the need to defend us AND telling you the directions, I could just drive while you contact the plane and make sure IF we do get chased, to get rid of them fast and efficient." The female reasoned.
"I don't know how well you can drive." The male rebutted.
"I took the same driving lessons from Tenoh-sama as you have." The female continued.
'Tenoh?' Yuuko listened up. It might be a rare name, but it wasn't impossible to encounter it.
"Many people have." The make countered.
"But not all passed. This is a compact car, you are clearly uncomfortable driving it. Please let me do my part as I have promised Myamoto-sama." The female insisted.
'Myamoto'….a name Yuuko hadn't heard in a long time outside of Japan.
"I can also just call Yaten and have him tell me the way out." The male insisted.
'Yaten?' many people are called Yaten, Yuuko told herself.
"He is busy manipulating all video feeds for us." The female argued, but before she could put in another reason, the car started again.
"We have no time for experiments in this traffic. The plane is leaving with or without us on it and Kakyuu said that Haruka doesn't have the time for any delay." The male said determined and drove more briskly off again.
Ok, now there were way too may coincidences, Yuuko thought to herself. Kakyuu, Haruka, Yaten….then again, all very common names…as is Myamoto…..but Tenoh…, Yuuko was struggling not to connect the dots that were screaming in her head.
"Abe-sensei also said …" but before the female could finish her sentence the car speed up further and sirens could be heard behind them.
"Shouldn't we stop for the police?" the female voiced.
"Those aren't police, those are from the Cosa Nostra." The male explained. "I saw them earlier when we walked the streets with Antonio, you are not the only one with a good memory."
'Oh no …no no no' Yuuko thought to herself…her tracker was faster than anticipated…or no, she should have waited with activating it until she was really sure who these two were.
Suddenly the driver made a sharp turn.
-Haruka-
She was lying on the forest ground again but no light was shining through the thick foliage above her. She felt insanely tired and she couldn't move any of her limbs. A sudden thunder in the distance indicated that the storm was coming closer but she had no energy to get up again. She was starting to think to herself that maybe this was it, the end of the road, and she was ok with that.
"Don't you even go there Ruka-nee." Haruto reminded her, as she noticed him sitting next to her.
"I am tired." Haruka sighed.
"I know sleepy head, but you are disgracing our training by staying here when it is obvious that a huge storm is coming our way. Come on. I carry you part of the way to the shelter over there." Haruto pointed at a cave in the foot of the mountain.
The mountain, they were nearly at their destination.
"Alright, lead the way." Haruka groaned as she got up and followed her brother.
The cave was dark but dry and Haruto got busy starting a fire. Just when the warmth of it hit her, Haruka realised how much she had been freezing.
"Don't sit too close to it, or you'll just start playing with it." Haruto warned her and she just nodded tired as lay down next to it.
"Hey, don't you fall asleep on me here. Who will play with me?" Haruto whined as Haruka closed her eyes.
"Five minutes. Let me just nap five minutes." Haruka grouched.
"I give you the whole night if you beat me in chess." Haruto challenged her.
Groggily she sat up again and nodded in agreement before she noticed that he had set up a whole array of chess boards.
-Taiki-
They were now being chased by three different cars and Taiki was pushing the small car to its limit as they drove through the various streets.
'Well, at least no one has started shooting yet,' he thought to himself as he took another turn to get out of Rome somehow.
"Kou-san, you need to take a right here." Shinobu instructed him and he took it as he saw that she pulled out her gun. Not a second later, the first shot flew just pass them and Shinobu climbed into the back of the car to retaliate as needed.
"Try not to kill anyone, it would be a diplomatic nightmare." Taiki reminded her.
"I only have 19 bullets, a quick head shot to the driver would be the most efficient and with the way you drive I cannot even be sure that I will only need three." Shinobu argued as she moved the bag with the professor into a safer position and positioned herself ready to shoot.
"We still need to get out and who knows when we might need them again." Taiki insisted.
Another shot flew this time through the back window, narrowly missing both of them.
"They clearly didn't get the memo of shooting to NOT kill." Shinobu mumbled but got back up nonetheless and shot with sniper precision into both shoulders of the driver of the car behind them, causing the car to swerve off the street.
But before he could commend Shinobu on her marksmanship, another two cars started to pursue them and if things couldn't get worse, a helicopter joined the chase.
"Oh great, we stepped into a hornets' nest." Taiki groaned.
"More like, the phantom found us. What now? No matter how convoluted we are driving, it is beyond clear now that we are not heading to the port and, with the helicopter, they will catch up either way. The plane is leaving in one hour and we cannot add anymore detours before we're missing take off." Shinobu reminded him when suddenly his phone rang.
"What?!" Taiki answered frustrated as Shinobu got busy eliminating the cars behind them.
"You two need help. You have been flagged on underground bulletin board. I am calling to help. Put me on speaker." Yaten spoke calmly.
"Why should I put you on speaker?" Taiki asked as he pulled into another street.
"Trust me, just do it." Yaten insisted.
"Yaten, I have no time for negotiations or experiments right now." Taiki responded annoyed as he avoided another set of bullets hailing down on them.
"Haruka's kidneys have now terminally shut down, who do you think has less time now? Kakyuu's at wit's end and I don't think she can hold it together much longer either." Yaten semi screamed into his ear.
"Alright" Taiki just cut him off and docked the phone to the car,
"Professor Watanabe, this is C137 here. I know I was never to establish open communication with you, but my Captain Tenoh, Haruka needs you, she has just slipped deeper into a coma, her kidneys have failed and if the current doctor could do it on her own, she would, but Abe-sensei is at the moment despairing with keeping her alive." Yaten spoke loud and clearly.
"Flying ducks! I knew it. Someone open this bag. It is pretty stuffy in here." The professor spoke up.
Dead silence followed before Shinobu proceeded to carefully open the bag.
"Flying ducks!" Watanabe exclaimed again, startling Taiki even more. "I need the phone NOW. Call back in 5 minutes and do not track the following call if you want to see your friends again, alive and unharmed, C137."
