Chapter 5: Authority

"Fuck, this is boring…" Bando growled heavily under his breath, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it up. "Trying to find either of those two horned bitches is a pain in my ass. Just when I think I'm getting somewhere, they run off again."

Bando was at the scene of Onyara's latest crime, the bodies now stuffed in bags he hissed a curse under his breath. Always one step behind those brats. He pocketed his hands and walked over to one of the police chiefs.

"Do you know where the girl went?"

"The last thing we know she went over that away, from what some of the witnesses said." The chief answered.

"Got it…clean up the mess I suppose." Bando answered back and strolled his way over to the next scene. "I swear when I find that bitch I'll put a bullet in her head. Obnoxious horned brats all of them! Huh?" he hadn't realized it until now but something was holding his hands. His soldier instincts kicked in, in a flash his desert eagle was pointing up, his metallic finger pressing against the helix.

Problem was that there was nobody in front of him. Until he looked down and saw much to his surprise and an even more to his annoyance was a young girl with horns, her hair the color of lilac was holding his hand with a quizzical look on her face. She had to be around 5 years old, give or take a little and she wore a cute but thin silver dress and matching shoes.

Bando glared at her for a few seconds before pulling his hand away. "What do you want kid? Someone like you shouldn't be walking around alone." While Anti-Diclonius forces littered the area, the area itself was remarkably Pro-Diclonius. It wouldn't have been too shocking to see one or two horned girls walking around out in the open but in these days even doing so in a Pro-Diclonius area was dangerous.

She didn't say anything, just looked up at him with a curious look in her eyes. Bando tensed up, still holding his gun. You could never tell what these horned girls would do but luckily for him, years of training and made him rather adept at dealing with their kind. But the girl said nothing and did nothing, just looked at him like was a strange piece of art.

Bando clicked his tongue and moved on.

Until about 10 minutes later when he felt something grab his hand again. Instincts hit once again, gun went out and…he saw her down on the ground again, holding his hand and looking back up at him.

There was a limit to people's patience.

Bando finally bent down and shoved his angry face in front of the girl. "Listen here brat, you're being obnoxious as all hell! Get out of my sight!" He glared at her and the girl continue to stare back at him with the same curious gaze as before. She didn't appear to be looking at his face but around it and with a bound she finally jumped up and grabbed his sunglasses.

"Bah! Stupid kid! Hand those over!"

She looked over at him and held the sunglasses to her small chest shaking her head. A vein appeared to pop on the man's head. "I told your punkass to hand it over." The little girl looked up at him, sadness clouding her eyes but with no words she handed over his sunglasses. Dropping her back down the poor girl held her hands and kept her head bowed down.

Bando once more turned around and left.

Ten minutes later.

"Do you have a problem kid!?" Bando roared at the girl when she once more grabbed his hand. She opened her mouth and pointed at it.

"Hungry? Find some food then!"

She pointed at her mouth again.

"What the fuck do I look like kid, your daddy? You want some food, find it yourself!"

She pointed at her mouth again.

"Grrrr!" He picked the girl up by her dress, carried her over to a park bench and sat her down. "Listen here kid, you're being a pain in the ass. I got things I need to do, things that involve unfortunately helping save your pitiful kind. Fuck…" He cursed and thought to himself. "Did that horned bitch set this up somehow? I swear I'm being played for the fool."

The lilac haired girl tilted her head to the side and opened up her mouth, pointing to it.

"Can you not speak kid? I already told you I ain't feeding you now get lost!" Bando left…ten minutes later, he held the girl up by her dress again, pressing his forehead against her own.

"You're this close to getting a beating kid, stop pressing your luck."

She pointed at her mouth again.

"…"

Bando brought her to the bench one more time and sat her down. "Stay there, I'll be back in a moment. I swear if you move again I'll wring your neck." The girl didn't seem to realize the point of the threat but she did obediently sit on the bench, kicking her little legs all the while. About five minutes later, the burly soldier came up with hotdogs from a vending machine. Groaning as he sat down and holding back the number of curses ready to spill from his tongue, he handed one over to the little girl.

Taking it tentatively, she looked at with another curious gaze, widely opened her mouth and chomped on it. She said nothing but her eyes lit up excited and she took another bite.

"I swear the things I have to do…" Bando hissed, calling a certain someone on his cell. Once the person answered, Bando began spitting back at her.

"Why the hell are you making me take care of this brat!?"

"What are you drunk again?" Kaede uttered on the other end, not really feeling the need to talk to the guy who tried to kill her in the past.

"Don't act dumb, this stupid kid you got me looking at. Been following me everywhere!"

"Why on earth would I send a kid with you? Next time I got listen to you, at least call for something important…idiot."

The call ended before Bando could retort.

"Kuh! I swear I'll fucking kill that bitch one of these days. There kid you happy?" He groaned at his little companion who turned her head towards him, still eating her food. She made no response.

"Got a name kid?"

Still no answer.

"Gah…forget it." Bando uttered, leaning back in his chair and eating his own food. "Stupid horned brats…" The next few minutes was kept in silence, the two eating their hotdogs before Bando finally got up and walked away. He heard, to his greatest of annoyance the sound of feet pattering behind him.

"Fine then…" He answered back in a gruff voice. "Following me if you want but listen up kid, I ain't your guardian angel. I'm not going to be saving your ass whenever it gets in trouble, you got it?"

The kid didn't answer.

"Things are gonna get dangerous brat, you should head home or wherever you live. You'll just get in my way."

The kid once more did not respond.

"…Bah…whatever…" And with that, Bando and his new…"partner"…went off. The grumbling from the soldier did not end for a while.

*BANG!*

Callous as he was, Director Kakuzawa was a surprisingly good shot. Each fired hit a man dead in the head before the ex-Director and Kurama leaned against the wall to peer across the other side of the hallway. They both cocked their weapons, Kurama thinking of just kind of team up this had turned into.

*BANG!* *BANG!*

Two shots fired out, two bodies fell. Kurama felt the cold killer weapon in his hand. It was a good thing taking lives was not new to him, although admittedly he had never taken an adult human life before. The years of having to kill countless Diclonius infants though at least made him less hesitant to pull the trigger. Kakuzawa though? How many times had he killed someone? Each time he pulled the trigger, it was like pulling out weeds. There was no emotion on his face, no fear, no disgust, no sadness. He killed simply because he could and simply because he was superior to those he killed. It was the same as stepping on an ant that you didn't even notice. Every shot fired, Kakuzawa walked past the body and forgot all about them later on.

*Click*

"Damn…" Kakuzawa mumbled, his clip now empty. He could see that Kurama didn't have any other weapons on him and in another two shots, his gun to was empty. The good thing though was that they were already at the exit of the prison. Sliding the door slowly open, Kakuzawa peered outside.

"Tsk.." The old man clicked his teeth, seeing more guards around. Well at the very least he did have a nice meat shield with him if things got too rough. The two snuck around as the guards were looking the other way, the old man's body moving slowly due to age and lack of nutrients. But despite that, Kakuzawa made no complaints. They circled around the building, taking the long way as Kurama began to take them to their designated spot.

It was going fine for about five minutes until.

"Stop!"

Kurama jumped but Kakuzawa only glared coldly at the guard with his gun raised.

The finger pulled the trigger and the man suddenly fell down dead. The cause, the man who had slashed his corporeal hand through his head, breaking off his blood vessels in the brain.

Julius Javel.

"Julius-san." Kurama replied. "Thanks."

"Of course…It's a good thing I came here when I did. I've got our ride waiting. Let's go you two."

"It's you…the male Diclonius from before." The old man stated as he remembered him.

"Yes and we have no need for introductions do we Director Kakuzawa."

"Where's Victoria-san?" Kurama asked.

"She's back at the dock waiting for us."

The three returned to a black car, Kurama sitting in the back with Kakuzawa in the front and Julius taking the wheel. It was a plain car, hardly suspicious and thus hardly one to ever be caught. Of course the three made sure before entering that they were safe and weren't being followed.

Kakuzawa crossed his arms and lowered his head while in the seat. He said nothing but it was true to anyone who saw him. He was glad to be out of that prison. No longer confined to bars of iron, he had finally been set free. Yet his thoughts lingered on a few things. He was heading over to where they gathered. He was going to meet her again, that person he once desired and now hated.

"There is something else you should probably know Kakuzawa." Julius stated as he made a turn. "You're daughter, Anna, is also with us. She helps to teach the Diclonius at our educational facility."

"I see…" The old man muttered.

"I heard someone's coming…" A young horned girl on board the S.S. Diclonius replied to her friend as they got out of school.

"I heard about it too! It's someone apparently they need but…you know…"

"I know…I haven't heard anything good about the person."

"Who are you talking about?" Kanae said as she joined them, waving goodbye to Carlin who had other things to do.

"You haven't heard?" One of them stated. "There's some new guy coming on board to help out. But from what I've heard he doesn't sound like a good person. Your mother doesn't seem to be too happy on him coming aboard."

Kanae perked her head up.

"Really? I haven't heard anything about it. If my mother doesn't want the person around, why is she bringing him on?"

The second Diclonius answered. "I heard he might be really helpful for some reason. He's got a lot of knowledge on our kind that could help us." Kanae wouldn't understand but some of the older Diclonius would. More knowledge usually meant that they were the ones who worked in the facility and experimented on them.

"Kanae and the others however would hear more about it during the meeting that was to take place at center of the ship where all of the Diclonius were currently walking towards. Near the end, a young woman with bright pink hair and horns, one arm hanging out the other showing only the sleeves of her jacket.

The horned girls obediently waited for the words of their Queen. The young girl Kanae curiously waited to see what her mother had to say.

"As some of you already know…" Kaede began, sounding less like a figure of authority and more like a person who really didn't want this to be happening right now. "…A certain…ummmm…guest…is going to be coming aboard. Some of you may not know him that well, especially the younger ones here." Kaede wasn't having a problem with speaking to a crowd, she was a dominant force in this place.

But damn she really didn't want this guy here.

"But…we need all the help that we can get and so I have to ask you all to remain calm. I know it might be hard for some of you. But…"

"Who's coming!?" Kanae finally called out to her mother.

But the answer to that was given when the door behind her opened up. Two people that many of the Diclonius would recongnize came out. One was Dr. Kurama, the surrogate guardian of Nana. The other one was the male Diclonius Julius Javel that truthfully only a few had seen and the last was…

The outrage that appeared was obvious. Kaede and everyone else who knew that the guest would be arriving would have reacted the same way no matter what. In the corner, a certain Turkish girl glared spitefully at the old man. Unpleasant memories surfaced to the top of Caren's brain.

"Kakuzawa…" She growled the name as the old man came in with his typical suit. A few years back she too had been inside of the facility run by that deranged old man. Her mind before had been broken and she had actually seen the man as a figure she could look up. She had even changed her name then until the truth came back. To think she had ever thought of anything about that man before.

On another place of the ship, Kouta and his family were holding tight. Kouta nor any of his family members other than Kaede and Nana had ever known or met Kakuzawa before. But goodness knows the stories that were told would have given anyone nightmares. This was the man who had turned Kaede's life upside down it seemed. Heck due to that man's ego, he had nearly destroyed everything the world held dear.

Even Nyuu Jr. who knew nothing about the old man, felt something cold run down her spine. The only thing she knew was that she wanted nothing to do with that terrible looking person.

Kakuzawa did not show any fear towards the hundreds of horned girls who not wanted but very well could have ripped into so many pieces the body wouldn't have even resembled something human anymore. He only kept walking forward; passed the glaring eyes of the horned girls that wanted him dead. At one point he caught the eyes of Caren who looked away. It wasn't by fear, she just didn't want to have to see his face.

"You…" One older girl stood in front of him. A slight wind radiating around her. She only came up to his chest but her tone was deadly serious. "Listen here carefully…Kakuzawa!" She spat the name angrily out. "The only reason we're letting you on here is because…d-don't ignore me!" She yelled as the old man walked passed her. He didn't even seem to notice her.

"You bastard! Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you. I can kill you in an instant if I…' And she got his attention. The girl paused when the old man in the suit turned on the spot and walked back towards her. His footsteps echoing loudly in the silence of the room he came right back at the Diclonius and scowled down at her.

Once more, the look Kakuzawa gave the girl was the same look he gave his own employees. Like looking a tool in a shed that could be used and discarded at any time that he desired. He might as well have been looking at a sheet of blank paper smacked on a wall like an advertisement. No, even that wouldn't have been a good example as an advertisement was meant to be eye catching.

It was more like a leaf in the corner of the eyes being slightly rustled by the wind. This girl who could kill armed guards perhaps, was someone that to even get his attention was a remarkable feat.

"Even if you have the power to kill me do you really think you have the nerve?" Kakuzawa growled in his low soft voice. He looked around at everyone. "I already told Kurama this so I'll say it once more. I am not here under your orders. I am here under my own volition. Do not forget that."

Though his words were spoken to everyone, he kept a very cold glare at Kaede who recognized the distinctive challenge but bit back her retort. The sad part about it was that he was right. They sought him out, not the other way. If there was anyone around here who could give orders, it was him. Sure they could kill him, easily too at that, but what would that accomplish?

The girls were stunned silence. Surprise and fury traveling through every point in their bodies.

Kakuzawa walked away and went towards the pink haired woman.

Kaede turned on the spot slightly, glaring at the old man who had locked her up years ago.

The two stood there, eying one another with cold distinction.

"…Welcome aboard…you bastard." Kaede hissed.

"…Thanks…you traitor." Kakuzawa Senior replied in a low voice.

Author's Notes: Bando found a friend!