Bwahaha, another chapter done. I've been working on this for a while. Between school, games and sleep, I'm beginning to feel that there aren't enough hours in a day. Well, here you go. Just a warning: a bit of language and drug reference.

DISCLAIMER: SEED and SEED DESTINY, own not, I do.

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Hunting Shadows - Observations
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Kira blinked and raised a hand to block the blinding sunlight that streamed through the open window. The brunet heard the birds chirping outside and rolled over to look at the clock. The flashing digits read nine o'clock. Kira turned on the TV to catch the morning news and tried to remember what happened last night.

'Stayed late to write the report for today's meeting. Got home and called...'

The Coordinator frantically reached under the pillow and groped for his cell phone. Finding it, he checked the screen and found that it had been left on vibrate all night. He flopped back onto the bed and rubbed his face tiredly. Suddenly the phone rang and startled Kira, who dropped it on the floor.

"Hello?"

It was Athrun. "Kira? Your briefing's been pushed up. Cagalli says that if you're not here in the next fifteen minutes, she'll castrate you for making her listen to the Emirs rant again."

"Fifteen minutes?" Kira repeated in disbelief. "There's no way I can get there in fifteen minutes. Thirty at least with all the traffic."

The phone beeped. "Hold on, there's another call."

"Lad, we've got another body. You haven't left for the brief yet, have you?" Tony asked.

"No, sir."

"Good, meet me at Twenty Third and North and get ready to take some notes." The Operations leader hung up.

Kira switched back to Athrun. "Cancel that. They found another body."

"Another one? Fine, I'll tell her, but she won't like it."

"Thanks, Athrun."

---

Akira and Shinji sat at a Pacific Coffee Company shop and observed the scene across the street at the police cordon. The blue and white plastic tape closed off an entire alley between two high rise apartment buildings. A small army of reporters were broadcasting from the street but the two paid no attention.

Shinji idly played with the stirrer in his coffee. "Well, last night was fun. And don't you try to disagree with me."

---

Shinji parked the black sedan at the entrance of the alley and popped the trunk.

Akira frowned at the smell drifting out of the back. "Well, great. She's crapped herself."

"Not my fault. All set?"

"Yeah. One, two three."

They lifted the squirming body of Executive Secretary Natalie Littlefield out and unceremoniously dumped her on a pile of wet cardboard boxes.

Shinji got back in the car. "Three minutes?"

"Yeah, that's good and get an air freshener or something." As the car drove off to keep a lookout, Akira turned to Natalie and pulled out a syringe filled with back liquid. "No one can hear you." He ripped the tape off her mouth. "I might kill you quickly, I might not."

"Do you expect me to talk?" she ground out around the pain.

"No, I expect you to die. Your usefullness had come to an end. You've given us a name. That's all we need."

"We know all about your operations. I'll be replaced by another."

"What do I care about how many people you have?" He grinned. "We're the unstoppable invisible hand of Orb." Natalie shook her head furiously. "You can't kill me. You can't." "Don't presume to tell me what I can and can't do. If you know so much, then you know that, statistically, you won't survive the night. With Liquid Void, it won't be a surprise to anyone that you accidentally overdose and die. Its more than you deserve, traitor." With one motion, he slid the needle into her arm and depressed the plunger. Her eyes opened wide and she let out a quiet gasp before going limp. After cutting loose her bonds, the killer arranged her hand around the syringe with a gentleness that belied his inner anger. After all, it would not do to leave behind any evidence of physical assault. He stepped back to make one last check and was blinded by a bright white light.

"Hey! What are you doing?" A blue uniform came into view and stepped closer. "Turn around and put your hands on your head now!"

Akira glanced at his watch as he slowly complied. There were about thirty seconds left until Shinji returned.

The man stepped closer and glanced at the body. "Jesus!"

That was what Akira was waiting for. The soldier's knee impacted on the police officer's solar plexus. The opponent doubled over and Akira's gloved hands clamped down on the man's gun arm. With a quick twist, the officer's body crashed down onto the pavement. Another strike followed and the target fell unconcious. He ran for the alley entrance.

Shinji pulled up behind the police car. He took in Akira's heavy breathing and asked, "What happened?"

"The lass is dead but I had a spot of bother." Akira smashed the window and opened the door.

Shinji sat down on the hood. "What the hell, are you channelling a Brit again? Anyways, did you kill him?"

"Do I look like a bloody idiot?" He scrolled through the patrol car's logs. "Looks like he didn't submit a report, so let's just get out of here."

---

"No shit, last night a massive cluster fsck." Akira frowned into his expresso.

"Then, o great strategist, explain to me why we're here again where everything went wrong?"

"We're looking for someone. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

Everything was different now. One broken rule and one name had flipped the tables and now they sank deeper into a maelstorm of destruction; except that this time they were not up against Atlantic Federation occupation forces, but dealing with enemies that hid in shadows. The only assurance was that if they stumbled around blindly, they would die. Now the two soldiers were back at the scene to find a hiding place darker than their adversaries'. From there, they would be able to strike with overwhelming power.

"Someone like that guy?" the braided man wondered. "Haven't we seen him before?"

"Who?" Akira twisted around in his seat to see. "Oh, him? That's the guy at the Morgenroete office the other day."

"He might remember Littlefield. Is he the one you're looking for?"

"Are you kidding? Coordinator or not, he's way too young to have any real rank. Majestic Twelve is the cream of the crop, remember."

"Oh yeah, oops. What about that old geezer he's talking to?" Shinji pointed at another man.

Akira stared long and hard. "Interesting." He took in the man's close cropped hair, his large moustache, and the smouldering cigar clamped firmly in his mouth. "Maybe, just maybe."

---

"Lad, glad you could make it. This'll look like hell on your report."

Kira flipped open a notebook to take notes. "Yeah, if the Emirs don't decide to replace me with someone else for being late."

"Like I always say, it's easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission."

"I'll be begging, alright." Kira muttered under his breath. "Begging to retain my manhood."

"What's that? In a spot of trouble with the missus, are we?"

"No, Gunny, just with my sister."

"Ouch. Well, I'll leave you with Avery, then." The Operations head strolled away. "Jenkins, let's go knock on some doors."

Avery waved Kira over to the body. "Kira, this is the body Police Constable Marcus Fleming found last night. Constable Fleming's in the hospital recovering right now, but he gave a written statement. The killer or one of the killers is definitely a male, about six feet, hundred seventy pounds. He's strong and moves very, very quickly. As for the body, it looks like an overdose on Liquid Void. Nasty shit, that is. Expensive as hell, too. Oddly, it's got a MSS label on it. Either they're distributing it or they've got quite a budget."

Kira bent down for a closer look. "What's this on the back?"

"What's what?" Avery leaned over.

"Look at the back of the label behind the plunger. Look like there's something written on there."

The senior agent reached out and gently turned the syringe. "Well, I'll be damned, there really is something on here. Elena, what the hell is this?"

"Eh? Oh damn, I never noticed that before. Two three seven four three three one. I'll have my people take a look at the previous notes."

Elena's phone rang. "Yeah, ok. That's fine. Later." She turned back. "We've got an ID on her. Natalie Littlefield, Erica Simmons' secretary. Her house-"

"-blew up last night! I knew I'd heard that name somewhere before. Tony!" Avery called. "Get someone over to Morgenroete. We may have to take Director Simmons into protective custody."

---

"FSB agents under Majestic Twelve have been assigned to Morgenroete. If there are no further questions, this briefing is concluded," Kira collected his notes and ducked out of the room.

Athrun was waiting outside. "You know, she was this close to doing it." The Coordinator raised his hand, index and thumb millimetres apart. "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. Actually I should take your bed and make you sleep on a couch."

"Come on, you wouldn't be that mean would you?" Kira grumbled. "You're my best friend and you're kicking me out because my sister is taking her frustration out on you."

"She's pissed off because of you, Kira," he reminded. "So of course I get to steal your bed."

---

Akira stood on the balcony and shivered slightly in the cool sea breeze. The sun had gone down long ago and city lights lit up the sky. His thoughts tumbled and scattered in the confines of his mind as he pondered their next move.

"Hey, if you're just going to stand there, close the door."

"If you're just going to sit there and play games, get me a refill." Akira threw the travel mug through the open doorway and into Shinji's lap.

Shinji tossed it back. "Hell no, do it yourself."

"You know, if it's true, the whole plan's screwed."

"So?" Shinji paused the game. "I'm going to be serious for a moment. Laugh if you want," he said as Akira smiled. "We're doing this for our buddies. I don't care how high up the ladder we have to kill, but we can't just tear up the country."

"Yeah, it'd be a shame if I can't retire here."

---

Kira curled up on the couch under a blanket. True to his word, Athrun had come over and shamelessly kicked him out of his own bed. It was Friday so the two had watched a few movies. Kira turned his back to the flickering television set and grabbed his cell phone. He hesistated a moment, then hit a number on speeddial.

"Hello?" a quiet voice asked.

"It's Kira, Megumi."

"Kira? KIRA! IT'S KIRA!"

He winced at the loud shouting.

"MISS LACUS, IT'S KIRA!"

"Shh, Megumi. You'll wake everyone up. Kira?"

"Hello, Lacus. Sorry, I fell asleep last night."

She laughed. "I thought so. So, how's work going?"

"Well, it definitely hasn't been boring. Cagalli's mad so Athrun kicked me out of my bed tonight. Are the children giving you a hard time?"

"Not really, but they keep asking when you'll come back. Everyone here misses you."

"I don't know if I can take some time off because I'm always on call. Megumi's birthday is coming up in a next week, right? How about you two and a few children come here for the weekend?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

They continued to chat until near midnight, catching up. Kira told Lacus about the new apartment and the nearby park. Lacus described how Len was almost pulled into water while fishing the day before. It was a chance for them to unwind after the week's trials. All too soon, Reverend Malchio's grandfather clock was chiming three and Lacus had to get some rest for another day of excitement that only a band of orphans could bring.
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No cliffhanger this time, after the last chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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