2064

Haruka landed with a dull thud, the time portal having opened right above a dumpster back some dark alley. She pulled herself out of the dumpster, glancing to her shoulder and picked off a rotten banana peel from her jacket.

"That boy needs to learn how to navigate a little better. A dumpster? Seriously?" She quickly checked the chamber of her M1911 pistol before tucking it into the holster that hugged her ribs, a large hunting knife strapped to her thigh. She adjusted her leather jacket to better conceal the bulge of the large pistol of merged into the stream of people that were walking down the sidewalk. She checked the small note Akihiko had given her which held directions to the Phoenix groups location in this time. The blonde kept her eyes on the street signs, thanking whatever was above that the fashion hadn't changed much in those twenty years she had jumped backwards, and she kept her head down, pulling the hood of her jacket up. A gruff voice caused her to look up.

"Where are you headed?" She looked at the man, and had to actually look up. He was nearly six inches taller than she was, his blonde hair trimmed neatly to his jawline. His deep grey eyes scanned every inch of her, and she did nothing to hide the astonishment at how greatly he resembled her.

"Home, sir. Is that a problem?" She kept her senses open as he circled her, the lamplight reflecting from his hair and golden tie. A Cougar, one of the highest ranks you could achieve if you were in the Agents. She suppressed a shudder as he leaned closer to her, the man not blinking.

"No. I suppose not. Be home before curfew." He kept his eyes on her, snow beginning to fall around them. She could tell in just the way he continued to gaze at her, that he noticed the resemblance as well. And he didn't have an answer for it. He took one last glance at her grey eyes before turning to seemingly vanish into the crowd. She let out a sigh, and continued on her way.

-0-

Her knock echoed along the stone walls of the forgotten subway system, the door in front of her made of rusted steel. She heard someone cough from behind the door, a small slat that had been welded as a type of peep hole for the people inside. The man looked around 30, both of his eyes blackened, and his front teeth knocked out. His nose was at an odd angle, as if it had broken very recently.

"Business."

"I've come to see Akihiko." She gauged his reaction, inwardly smirking as she saw his face drain of color.

"I've never seen you before. How do you know of Akihiko? And how do I know you're not an Agent in resistance clothing?"

"The Phoenix is burning." She felt a tingle of warmth spread to her toes at those words. The man eyed her once more and undid the door, allowing her to step inside. "Thank you."

"I don't know who you are...but you knew the phrase. If you betray us... I will kill you myself. Clear?"

"Crystal. Mr...?"

"Don't get chummy with me, girl. I don't trust people who saunter in here, because you're type will saunter back out as soon as the trouble begins. So go ask to see Akihiko, and get out." He moved back to his grubby little chair. She paused, hoping he would point her in the right direction, but when he put his headphones back on, she knew their conversation was finished.

The underground hide-away was dingy and dimly lit, with the stone walls appearing to be stained green. Haruka weaved her way through the tunnels to a large central chamber where at least a hundred people were, some hunkered around tables with maps, others talking amongst themselves. She stepped over to a table where three people sat, all immersed in their conversation. The blonde paused, taking them all in.

The first was a male who was nearly her age, if not older. His black hair was shaggy and he had an unkept beard. His eyes were a deep brown, almost black, and were sunk back in his head, the bags under his eyes revealing just how tired he was. His shirt was wrinkled and in need of a wash, the leather vest he wore having two holsters built into it, his pistols missing. Akihiko was not the man she had expected, but he was still himself. She was expecting him as he was twenty years in the future: stiff and graying. This man, however, seemed to be much easier to get along with, and would actually listen to reason. Before she made her presence known, however, she turned her attention to the other two that occupied his attentions.

To his right sat another man, this one having hair that was almost white with skin that appeared to have never seen the sun. His eyes were a very pale gray, making him seem almost alien like. Haruka felt herself shiver at his appearance, his eyes seeming to stare right through whomever he looked at.

And then, there was her. The blonde felt herself blush as she saw the beautiful woman, wondering what a woman like her was doing one step above Hell. She was young, at least ten years younger than Haruka, her long aqua hair tied back in loose ponytail. Her sapphire eyes were bright, yet held the horrors that the Fox party had brought to the world in their depths. She turned, as if she could sense Haruka watching them, her lips curling into a smile.

"Akihiko...can this wait... We have a guest." She smiled at Haruka once again, motioning for the blonde to come forward. Young Akihiko frowned and took a breath, but was silent. "And you are?"

"My name is Haruka. I came to see Akihiko." She smiled back to the nameless woman, wanting to continue to speak with her, but knowing full well that her mission was crucial. She shouldn't get attached to anyone here, not even Akihiko.

"Haruka, hm? Odd." She spoke to her again, giving Akihiko time to put away his folder and to slip on his glasses. The blonde raised a brow, her eyes scanning over the young woman.

"Why is that odd?"

"It's just...I'd never heard the name Haruka until a few months ago. My girlfriends daughter's name is Haruka... Just...odd." She smiled again. Haruka felt her heart jump into her throat. The angel in front of her was taken, but why wouldn't she be?

"You are here to see me, girl?" Akihiko spoke up, moving to stand between Haruka and the young woman she had been speaking to.

"Oh...yes. This will explain everything, I am sure." She fished a sealed envelope out of her pocket, a letter from the future Akihiko to the current Akihiko, and handed it to him. He snatched it from her fingers and opened it, scanning it quickly. His face paled, and he glanced up to her, silent for a moment. He refolded the envelope, and tucked it into his folder.

"Follow me. Michiru, Yutaka... we will discuss the plan later. I must speak with Miss Haruka regarding this letter." He turned without another word and began to walk, rather quickly, across the room. Haruka gave one last smile to Michiru and followed him. Akihiko's office was very similar as to the office he still occupied, minus some of the maps the older Akihiko had acquired. The desk was large and covered in papers, an ancient laptop computer in the center. He snapped the door shut behind her, and shut the blinds before moving to stand by his desk.

"Who wants Michiru dead, and how can I help save her?"

A/N: I want to apologize for my incredibly late updates on all my other stories. I currently have good internet (visiting my love's family, because where we live, we barely have internet) and I felt like writing. I hope everyone is finding this story satisfactory. I will try to update regularly. This story won't be super long, perhaps ten chapters. I hope you all had a lovely holiday, and thank you for being so patient with me during my time of absence. Please leave a review, as it is the fuel for my creative fires (and I am running low on that. -_-)

(I did get two messages during my hiatus. One from tenou and kaiou (which I never did reply to, dammit!) and one from imjce. I wanted to apologize to both of them, now for taking so long.