A black stretch limo pulled up to the unlit compound, the windows all tinted black so it was impossible to tell who was inside.
As the tired screeched to a halt, the driver's side door swung open, seemingly of its own accord, and a man in a tailored black suit exited, walking around to the passenger's door on the right, pulling it open and holding it that way while standing straight as a rail.
A tall brown-haired man stepped out, also clad in entirely black-except for his sleeveless white trenchcoat-and followed by two others.
"Why are we here, Kaiba?" the last man to exit the car asked tersely, casting an analyzing look around from behind the mirrored lenses of his black Aviators, the glare of the morning sun reflecting off them brightly.
The brunette-Kaiba-unfolded his arms and began to stride forward.
"I told you: this is one of the safehouses I keep on hold for my more covert employees," he answered flatly without meeting the other's gaze. "That place where Hiwatari had you staying was fine for when it was just him, but once the others you two plan to recruit for your crusade come aboard, you're going to need somewhere a little bit secure-and this is one of the most secure places in the world."
Kai didn't react to the dig on his choice of residence, instead remaining silent and focusing his attention on scoping out the compound with his enhanced vision.
It certainly looked like one of the most secure places in the world; the entrance was blocked by a pair of nearly ten-foot tall, solid iron gates with multiple locks and, with his vampire sight, Kai was able to make out a retina scanner, a password entry port and what looked like a satellite jammer.
The only thing was there were three other men who definitely didn't look like security personnel standing in front of the gates.
He jerked his chin in their direction. "Then, who are they?"
Kaiba wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, waiting until they were all face-to-face before stating, "They are three of the men on your list-,"
"The Legacies," Kanda finished for him concisely, lowering his sunglasses a fraction so he could scrutinize the others more closely. "Zane Truesdale, Chazz Princeton, and Aster Phoenix; three of the most powerful men in existence. The Eidolons have been using their arrangement with Kaiba, and, by extension, all of you to intimidate people for years."
"Well, we're putting a stop to that," the silver-haired man on the right of their group declared coldly, apparently unfazed by the thinly veiled distrust in Kanda's tone. He stared the other down, eyes stormy beneath his translucent lashes. "Kaiba wants us to help you defeat the Eidolons, and that means they're not going to be able to use us as a threat to anyone anymore."
Kanda glared back without blinking, unconvinced.
"And why should any of us believe that?" he challenged coldly, pale face schooled into a carefully blank expression.
Despite Kanda's harsh tone, the shorter man didn't appear at all intimidated, meeting the Panther's shielded eyes calmly and without flinching.
"Why did you believe Kaiba when he offered to help you? Why did you trust him to bring you here, and not to kill you the second you got in the car, or turn you into the Eidolons?" he retorted pointedly, folding his arms over his chest.
The silver-haired boy would have had a point-except Kanda hadn't trusted the crime lord to do any of those things. He'd been expecting some sort of double-cross on the way here, and had been surprised when none had come-something that didn't happen very often.
"I didn't," he said as much in a flat, icy voice. "The only reason I agreed to come was I've actually been eager for a fight-and I wanted to see the incendus here's powers in action."
"Well, I hope the fact that he did do what he said changed your mind about Kaiba: he is our leader and we stand behind him, no matter what," the younger declared firmly and without a single trace of deception.
"Fortunately, the Panther is not the one calling the shots here," Kai cut in smoothly, striding to the front of the group in a single, fluid motion, and piercing the three unfamiliar men with a scrutinizing look. "You can't lie to me-and I know you're being sincere."
The silverette smiled.
"Good," he commented before introducing them all. "In that case, I'm Aster; the one in the cloak here is Zane, and the black-haired guy with the scowl is Chazz."
Kai looked at each man as their names were spoken, mentally cataloguing what he knew about them: Aster was the prophet, able to see all the possible futures; Chazz was the Darkling, able to manipulate the shadows and torture people by making their worst nightmares come to life.
And Zane Truesdale was the legendary heir to the Cyber Legacy, and the ice incarnate. There was virtually no limit to what he was capable of.
Kai wasn't easily impressed, but these three definitely had a reputation to be admired and feared.
"Kai," he introduced himself respectfully.
Aster inclined his head in acknowledgement of the faith Kai was putting in him by revealing his real identity.
"So, you're the one the Eidolons turned into a vampire as punishment for not allowing your company to do business with them anymore," he surmised with what could have almost been veneration. He tilted his head toward the gated compound. "Why don't we show you around and you can tell us your plan for getting revenge on them for that?"
"You should know; apparently, it was your prophecy that predicted who could defeat the Eidolons, and that is what guidelines I have been instructed to follow."
"The Panther.
The White Dragon.
The Legacies.
The Reaper.
And the legendary Vampire Lords."
Three more to go
Booted feet swung up on top of the glass desk, long legs crossing at the ankles as he sat back in his leather chair with his hands clasped in his lap.
Unrest was stirring in the vampire community; he could feel it. He could sense the new addition to their ranks and knew exactly who had turned him; even a lamia who was a member of the Eidolons still had to answer to the Vampire Lords.
And he happened to be their leader.
Zero pressed his lips together, his thin face unreadable as he continued to reflect on recent events. He would have put a stop to the Eidolons' plan to turn one of their enemies, but he'd been told to let it happen by someone who he didn't have the luxury of saying 'no' to.
As if summoned by his thoughts, the shadows in the badly lit office came alive, suddenly coalescing into the distinctly familiar slim, muscular figure of the man he'd just been thinking about.
"I have another job for you, Knight," a deep, accented baritone punctuated the air, sounding as if it were coming from all around him.
Zero unlinked his fingers, spreading his arms and leaning them on his chair's metal armrests. He'd known this was coming. There was only one man who had the power to demand anything of the Vampire Lords and, because of their history, only one favour was not going to be enough.
"Let me guess: it has something to do with the Eidolons," he stated by way of a greeting, fixing the hidden figure with a piercing look. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.
He could make out the silhouette of the other man shifting to lean against the wall, but his expression was invisible, not only because of the lack of light, but also because of the curved obsidian mask covering the top half of his face.
"The fledgling they recently had Turned is looking for vengeance, and you and King are the two final pierces required to help him get it."
Zero's lips twitched. He'd known it was going ot be something like that.
"Well, it just so happens that Kuran and I were in the process of staging an attack against the ghosts ourselves," he replied truthfully. "So, it's actually perfect timing."
"Hn," the masked man let out a low, non-committal sound. "There is still one other favour I require of you, specifically."
He paused before elaborating.
"You will use whatever connections you have left with the Hunters' Association to keep them away from the incendus and out of this fight. They have no business interfering."
Zero let out a soundless exhale, then inclined his head in consent.
"Very well," he agreed without argument, the expression on his bloodless face carefully neutral, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Inside, though, he was filled with consternation. He hadn't spoken to anyone in the Associate since it had reassembled after being dismantled by him and Kaname; he wasn't sure they'd be willing to grant him any requests.
This is not a choice
Not anymore
The masked shadow shifted in the corner again, a single ray of sunlight catching his face from a crack in the blinds, revealing a single swirling, pupilless black eye.
"Inform Kuran of our discussion," he commanded softly, pushing himself off the wall. "And keep an eye out. This fight might bring out more than the Cursed Ones."
As he uttered those last words, the darkness around him began to move, enveloping him and allowing him to disappear as seamlessly as if he'd never been there at all.
After he had gone, Zero stared at his vacated spot, interlacing his fingers in front of him and pursing his lips.
The stage is almost set
The Eidolons had definitely made a fatal mistake in turning Kai Hiwatari into a vampire instead of executing him. The incendus should count himself lucky, Zero thought with the barest hint of a smile. The Reaper didn't pull all of these strings for just anyone.
Kai had just been shown to his room in the compound when the burner phone he'd only just bought began to ring in his pocket."
Since there was only one person who had the number, he knew immediately who was calling.
"Tala," he said into the mouthpiece, raising the navy blue device to his ear after pressing the answer button.
"I found the information you wanted, Kai," the caller responded, not bothering with any pleasantries. "It took a lot of sleuthing but, apparently, there is a woman who the Reaper is known to have been close with, and who might be able to help you find him now."
Though he knew Tala couldn't see him, Kai raised an eyebrow. A woman? That was rather…unexpected.
"Did you happen to find a name?" he asked.
The sound of rustling paper crackled faintly over the line as Tala, presumably, hastened to retrieve that bit of information.
"She goes by the codename Nyx, but her real name is Tekla Dezad," Tala told him after a brief pause. "According to the file, she was recruited at the same time as the Reaper and the two of them worked together on many occasions while they were both members."
"And she is standing right behind you," a female voice suddenly spoke from his back, prompting him to turn around, letting out an unwilling sharp breath.
"Kai? Is everything okay?" Tala's voice asked in his ear, a hint of concern in his Russian accent.
"I'm going to have to call you back," the incendus responded in a deceptively bland tone, hanging up the phone before turning his attention to his visitor.
It was a woman, sitting on the chair in the corner of his quarters, one of her jean-clad legs slung over the other and an elbow propped up on one of the armrests.
"Kai Hiwatari, right?" she continued, brown eyes sweeping impassively over him and giving him the peculiar sensation of being x-rayed. "The boy CEO who refused to bend to the Eidolons' will and lost his humanity as a price."
"And who are you?" Kai demanded coldly, concealing how unsettled he really was by this woman's sudden appearance.
The woman smiled, tossing a curtain of silky chestnut brown hair over her shoulder.
"I'm Tekla, better known as Nyx," she introduced herself cordially, tilting her chin towards the device he still held in his hand. "I know you had your friend looking for me, so I thought I'd save him some trouble."
She paused for a beat, then, and he took a moment to wonder how she had been able to find him if this place was as secure as Kaiba had said.
As if reading his mind, she answered his unspoken his question.
"Oh, and don't worry about the Eidolons finding you here. It's plenty safe; the only reason I was able to find you was because I have the power to track anyone in the world-and I can sense when someone desires to me find me as well."
Kai stared at her as she said that, his dark amethysts boring holes into her hazel orbs. He could tell she wasn't lying; which meant, hopefully, that she could get him what he wanted.
"Did any of your powers happen to clue you into why I was looking for you in the first place?" he questioned, arching a single slate eyebrow.
Tekla nodded.
"As a matter of fact, they did: you need someone to tell you about the Reaper and to help you find him so you can ask him to join your crusade. And you picked the right person: I can do both of those things."
Kai's other eyebrow rose to join the first; but, if his heart still beat, it would have racing right then.
Could this be the answer he needed? Could this woman really give him the information he'd been searching for?
And more importantly, would she?
"Prove it," he said in a deceptively flat, unimpressed tone, folding his arms over his chest.
Rather than looking offended by his command, Tekla actually seemed amused.
"As you wish," she consented, inclining her dark head.
"As well as being an Eidolon, the Reaper is also a former CIA member, who went by the handle Weasel; and he was the one who finally got me away from the Eidolons."
That single sentence brought a whole plethora of questions to Kai's mind, but he forced himself to ask only one. "So, you're in the same boat as Yu, then?"
"Kanda," Tekla corrected almost automatically. When Kai's eyebrows arched up higher, she added, "I know about him, and he can read minds; he knows when you use his first name. But, to answer your question, yes, the Panther and I are in the same boat-except they want him brought in alive. They've requisitioned their special forces to kill me."
"Why would they want you dead for leaving, but not him?" Kai queried, eyes narrowing as he searched her mind for the answer.
He needn't have bothered, though; she gave it to him without any pretense.
"Because they need his powers-and they know that I am the only one who can convince the Reaper to openly work against them," she stated bluntly.
"And you'll do that?" Kai said sceptically, refusing to believe that it was that easy. "What's the catch?"
Tekla looked back at him, acid creeping into her bronze eyes as she met his auburn ones without flinching.
"I want the privilege of killing the ghosts' leader, Orochimaru, myself," she declared firmly, making it clear that this was a nonnegotiable request.
Kai's gaze flashed red. If that was really all she wanted, then that was fine. He could afford to grant her that favour; after all, his main target wasn't the snake. It was someone distinctly lower on the totem pole.
"The privilege is yours," he consented smoothly. He cocked his head to the side. "So, do we have a deal, then?"
It was Tekla's turn to eye him, scrutinizing his face as if searching for any misgivings.
She must not have found any because a second later, she held out a glove hand to him in accord. "That we do."
Kai took her hand and shook it, sealing their agreement.
"So, are you going to call the Reaper, and tell him he's needed, then?" he prompted expectantly as he let go.
Tekla let out a quiet, unexpected giggle.
"Oh, he doesn't have a phone," she said. "If you want to talk to him, I'm going to have to take you to see him in person."
They arrived at the Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo in a dark sedan, Kaiba in the driver's seat and Tekla in the front, telling him where to go.
She was the first to get out once they'd parked, followed by Kanda, Kai, and the others.
Kanda stared up at the shrine with his usual blank expression as they stepped up onto the street. "This is where the Reaper's been hiding?" he queried, evidently unimpressed.
The corners of Tekla's mouth twitched as she lead them to the entrance.
"No, but he comes here a lot; he says it reminds him of his family shrine back home," she corrected, crossing under the arch at the front.
Kanda side-eyed her from behind his mirrored glasses; family shrines weren't really a thing in any of the Americas, nor, as far as he knew, either Mexico or anywhere in Australia or Europe. So, that had to mean that the Reaper was either Asian or African. Since the Eidolons were mainly based in Japan, Kanda was guessing the former.
The others seemed to be deep in thought as they walked through the red doors and entered the shrine's smoky inner chamber, but they all looked up when a voice suddenly rang out through the room.
"Tekla."
At first, none of them could pinpoint where the voice was coming from-but Tekla seemed to be the only one unbothered; she just launched right into the conversation.
"We need you, Itachi; it's time to make the Eidolons pay for everything they've done to us, and finally get some semblance of a life back."
A shadow detached itself from the wall, and the other men were finally able to see who she was talking to.
Though he didn't look like anything special in his mottled black cloak and simple black pants, his blood-red eyes and spinning, blade-shaped pupils contradicted that impression-and made him instantly recognizable. To Kanda, anyways.
"You're Itachi Uchiha," he declared, the barest hint of awe creeping unchecked into his voice.
Kai's eyes widened fractionally at that revelation, while Kaiba and the Legacies, strangely, looked as though this wasn't a surprise at all.
"I've heard you; you're that ninja from the Land of Fire who killed everyone in your family-except for your younger brother," the incendus said almost mechanically. He shook his head. "I should have guessed you were the Reaper."
Itachi removed his black half-mask, revealing a pale face, offset by premature lines above his cheekbones, but otherwise unmarked, and, instead of responding to the assumptions about his identity, he brought up another subject entirely.
"The ghosts have made their worse mistake; their leader has miscalculated, and it is going to cost him dearly," he declared cryptically, his voice so cold and void of emotion that it could have belonged to a machine. Kanda actually felt a slight chill when the Reaper's spinning eyes fell on him. "As will recruiting you, Panther."
The former Exorcist raised an eyebrow. "You know who I am?"
Again, instead of responding, Itachi turned away from him, and addressed Tekla next.
"The Vampire Lords want them eliminated as well. They're on Hiwatari's side."
"So, does that mean you are, too?" Tekla piped up with an expression that said she probably already knew the answer.
Kanda's eyes narrowed behind his Aviators, feeling a rush of irritation at having been ignored. There was something about this man that he really didn't like. Maybe it was knowing that he'd killed his entire family, or maybe it was the fact that, besides all the rumours about his days as an Eidolon, he really didn't know anything about him; but he didn't think he could trust him.
As if to compound Kanda's misgivings, the shadow wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer to Tekla's question, either-and when he finally did answer, it was only with a flick of his gloved fingers, and a barely audible noise from the back of his throat.
"Hn."
Tekla, though, just seemed amused by his lack of reply, shaking her head with a rueful smile on her unglossed lips.
"I'm taking that as a yes-and, since you said you got the Vampire Lords to help, that means we have everything we need," she turned to the dual-haired vampire for confirmation. "Right, Kai?"
The Hiwatari heir inclined his head, apparently satisfied; but Kanda was not. He knew the Reaper was powerful, but he still had reservations about working with him.
He was an unknown-and Kanda didn't like going into battle with a stranger by his side.
Unfortunately, it looked like he was going to have to.