To Lyger 0: That certainly sounds like a possibility.
Ryoku landed silently on the rooftop of a building just down the street from Hanabusa, Geber and Capricorn to either side of her. Crouching low to avoid the shadow of her head peeking up over the edge of the roof and being seen from the street, she quickly scanned the street in either direction, alert for anyone out this evening. The Yakuza brothel, Tengokuya, was just visible on the next block by lights in several rooms on the second floor. But the street in front of the brothel was mostly clear – a single car was parked on the opposite side of the street, and the occasional pedestrian walked past the front door. Satisfied, Ryoku leaned forward, finding the "Chaba" sign and searching the street in front of the teashop for the figure that Shiro had seen. Customers entered and left the teashop at a steady clip, though none fit Shiro's description. Frowning, Ryoku fixed her attention on Hanabusa, poised to act the moment she spotted her target. The moment Shiro had called, she had gotten on the phone back to Paris. Despite the middle-of-the-night call, within minutes Max had traced the phone logs, checked banking records, and even found footage from an ATM across from Hanabusa to corroborate the evidence. Everything checked out. Everything except for one thing.
"When you Heroes of Paris go on the warpath, you don't exactly do things by halves," a voice commented, as Kunoichi sprang up onto the roof behind them, landing catlike in a crouch and crawling across to drop prone next to Ryoku.
Ryoku's eyes narrowed. "Believe me: if a hero gets attacked, we will absolutely make the one responsible pay," she growled.
Kunoichi smirked predatorily. "You're my kind of people," she observed. Her eyes flashed. "I just got off the phone with Joey, and we have an Intervention Team on standby at the spaceport. Five minutes after I hit the button, Biladurang's team will drop in next to us."
Ryoku scoffed. "If it comes down to it, I'll race you for it: Pegasus can portal in a team in three – time zones be damned!"
Capricorn cracked his knuckles and gave his shepherd's staff a testing spin. "You really think we'll need more than the four of us to knock in a few skulls?"
"Depends on the number of skulls we're talking about," Kunoichi shot back, her lip curling. "Although there is something to be said for the use of overwhelming force…"
"So how is Yuki?" asked Geber, frowning.
Kunoichi's eyes narrowed, staring into the distance. "Still alive," she answered finally. "The poison kicked in fast, but it was designed to make the victim linger, not to kill right away. Fortunately for her, Shiro acted quickly. I haven't seen her yet, but according to Kamikaze, the doctor sounds hopeful. She's going to be in the hospital for a while, though."
"Glad to hear it," Capricorn responded. "I'm sorry I've only gotten to meet her a couple of times. She seems really nice, though. Very kind and welcoming."
Kunoichi's mouth worked subtly. "She is – she was one of the first friends I made in Japan."
Geber shared a look with Capricorn and put a hand on Kunoichi's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Her nostrils flared. "Not as much as they will be."
Ryoku's mouth set in a thin line. "Then let's catch us a poisoner."
Crawling on his elbows, Capricorn slowly moved across the roof until he could look out at Tengokuya. "We're still clear," he hissed, lying flat on his chest, his head barely visible in the fading light.
Ryoku nodded slowly in acknowledgment, all her attention on the front door of Hanabusa as the lights in the ochaya flickered and five figures emerged. One pair split off almost at once, walking to the right in the direction of Tengokuya; another pair stopped at the curb, the younger of the two looking expectantly in either direction until a car pulled up. The two figures climbed into the back of the car, and it drove away, taking a turn and heading north. The final lone figure turned to their left and started walking toward Chaba, a shamisen case in one hand and a bag in the other. "Here we go," Ryoku muttered, rising up slightly and moving to follow her.
Kunoichi furrowed her brows, her head cocked to one side. "Wait… you're sure this is the one responsible?" she asked, watching the door for another moment before shuffling after Ryoku along the roof. "But she and Yuki are friends."
"Well, according to Pegasus, Yuki's 'friend' placed a call only five minutes before she was poisoned," Ryoku confirmed, mouth set in a thin line. The geisha paused at the curb, adjusted her grip on the shamisen case, looked both ways, and shuffled across the street. Stealthily, Ryoku crawled along the rooftop, watching the geisha out of the corner of her eye. Silently, Geber took a position on one side of her, Kunoichi trailing behind. Bringing up the rear, Capricorn continued to watch the street behind them. As she went, Ryoku allowed herself to stand up, still running bent-over double to keep up with the geisha, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
After two blocks, the geisha turned to the right and, looking in either direction, Ryoku sprinted across the telephone wire running across the intersection, the other three close behind her. According to Pegasus' information, the ozashiki was supposed to take place at a restaurant a little more than a kilometer from here. Catching Kunoichi's attention, Ryoku pointed down to her wrist. Kunoichi nodded and pointed two fingers ahead before putting on a burst of speed. Matching her step for step, Ryoku and Capricorn raced down the street, past the geisha. Kunoichi jumped off of the roof and dropped down into an alleyway between two tall buildings. Bracing herself, Ryoku followed, with Capricorn right behind. Ryoku covered her mouth, trying to force herself to breathe slowly and quietly, and focused her senses on the street beyond, where she could hear the rhythmic shuffling of sandals. Beside Ryoku, Capricorn tensed, his shepherd's crook held in a tight grip. A light thud from above them indicated that Geber had stopped at the edge of the roof. The shuffling drew nearer, and Ryoku gave a curt nod. The geisha just came into sight, crossing in front of the alley's opening, and Capricorn reached out, hooked the crook around her chest and arms, and pulled her into the alley. Her eyes bulging wide open, her breathing hitched and she opened her mouth to scream. Instantly, Ryoku pounced on her, clamping one hand over her mouth and pinning her to the wall with the other. The geisha's eyes widened in terror, and Ryoku held a finger over her mouth, raising an eyebrow at her meaningfully. After a moment she nodded, and Ryoku released her, her muscles still tensed and ready to react.
Swallowing anxiously, the geisha looked back and forth between the three heroes. "Who–who are you?" she whispered hoarsely, her hands and arms trembling. "What–what are you going to do to me?"
Kunoichi's eyes narrowed. In Japanese, she asked, "What should we do to you… Haruna?"
She stared at her in shock. "How do you know my name?" She gasped, blinking. "Are–aren't you that hero…"
"We know a lot about you," Ryoku interrupted, fixing her with a severe look. "We know that your client for tonight paid you nearly triple the normal rate."
"That is how much he offered," she protested. "I was not going to object. Tonight alone will pay my loan balance for a week."
"He didn't offer that much to the other geisha he contracted," Kunoichi pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
"I–I didn't know." Haruna let out a breath. "We don't typically discuss those matters; we simply allow the client to set his own fees."
Ryoku frowned, folding her arms. "We also know that you called that client this afternoon."
"I was confirming some details with him," she answered, eyes wide. "It isn't uncommon for clients to request further contact, both before and after the ozashiki." She shook her head, unable to hide her mixed frustration and worry. "I should have waited anyways; I had to call an hour later to inform him of the change of plans."
"Oh?"
Haruna nodded jerkily. "I was supposed to work this ozashiki with a friend… but she was taken to the hospital."
"Isn't that convenient…" mused Kunoichi, arching an eyebrow meaningfully at Haruna.
Haruna cocked her head to one side. "What–you don't – no. You don't think–"
"What did you tell your client, exactly?" demanded Ryoku, her mouth set in a thin line.
She shrugged. "He asked for an itinerary – when we would be arriving, what his people should prepare for first, where they would meet us. I reminded him of the time we had agreed on, and he asked whether we were still planning to be there at that time. I assured him that I was prepared, and that Yuki would be there on time as well, though she was having tea with a client first. He asked why that should matter if she was doing so at Hanabusa. I told him that she was not here, but she was probably at a different teashop we like, just down the road." Ryoku's eyes narrowed, and Haruna's grip on her shamisen case tightened. "I was simply making conversation!"
"And in so doing you gave him all the information he needed!" Kunoichi growled.
"Your 'client' tonight gave you a fake name," Ryoku informed her. "He really works for the Yakuza."
The case fell from Haruna's hand. "W–what?" she gasped, staring back and forth between them in shock. "That–that's not possible!"
"It's possible, and it's the truth." Kunoichi folded her arms. "Your client used your information to attempt to kill your friend."
Haruna blinked, her eyes glimmering in the scant light coming from the street. "Yuki…"
"Now, you are going to tell us everything you know," Ryoku instructed her. "And then we will figure out what your next move should be."
Haruna looked back and forth between them, her mouth opening and closing. Finally, her shoulders dropped. "I–I don't know anything else. They just wanted me – us – for a corporate engagement." She looked down. "He claimed to be worried for Yuki when I told him what had happened to her… but I thought it sounded less than genuine."
Ryoku glanced over at Kunoichi. "What do we do with this one?"
Kunoichi frowned. "Can we trust you?"
Haruna's eyes narrowed, her hand clenching into a tight fist. "They hurt my friend. I may have envied her newfound success, but I wished none of this on her. Whatever you need – please, let me help."
Kunoichi let out a breath and nodded. "Very well. We are going to catch this person, but we need evidence. Currently, we have nothing but your word. But if you can ask him questions – enough for him to return to his boss, that might give us what we need."
Her eyes widened, and her eyes shifted back and forth between them. "Are–are these people dangerous? What if they try to hurt me?"
"You mean the way they hurt your friend?" Ryoku pointed out.
Haruna gulped.
"Look," Kunoichi told her. "Here's what I'll do for you: take this." Popping the cap off of the end of her trident, she pulled out an object no larger than a coin. "Keep it in your pocket – or your sleeve, or something. If you feel uncomfortable, squeeze it once; if they try to hurt you, squeeze and hold."
She nodded firmly, taking in a deep breath and picking up her shamisen case. "I can do that."
Three hours later, as Haruna left the restaurant, Ryoku finally sat up, rolling her shoulders, and nudged Kunoichi, Geber, and Capricorn. The four of them had taken up a position on the roof of a store across the street, from which they had a clear view of Haruna, as well as the large group of men and one woman who followed her out of the restaurant. Examining the faces carefully and trying to commit as many as possible to memory, Ryoku frowned. The group quickly started to split up into smaller groups. "Which do we follow?" she mouthed to Kunoichi.
Eyeing them up and down, Kunoichi pointed to one of the men, who was just climbing in the back of a vehicle. "That looks like Kamisenshi – we need to follow him."
Ryoku started to nod but paused, studying the woman carefully. "She looks like the woman Shiro described, though. She might be the poisoner."
Kunoichi raised an eyebrow. "Split up?" Ryoku nodded reluctantly. Kunoichi let out a breath. "I'll take Capricorn and go after Kamisenshi." She jerked her head to Capricorn. "The two of us have a better chance of staying hidden if it comes to it."
"Geber and I will follow the poisoner, then," Ryoku agreed.
As the car pulled away, Kunoichi and Capricorn vanished into the darkness after it, leaving Ryoku and Geber to tail the woman. She waited a few minutes for a bus, which she took halfway across the city, through enough turns for Ryoku to lose all sense of their location. Finally, the woman she got off the bus just on the outskirts of Tokyo in a nondescript neighborhood. Glancing in either direction, she entered a simple two-story building. Ryoku scanned the front, taking in the lotus flower painted on the wall, and frowned.
"'Tanoshi Endingu'?"
