A few opening words: Alright, I decided I'll most likely work on this one exclusively until It's done. So there. And also, just so no one gets all messed up here, there's just a little time-skip to the next morning.

Enjoy!

"Sakaki! Where do you think you're going?" Sakaki turned as she put on her coat. She didn't stop though.

"Going out."

"I'm coming. You aren't ricking your life on your own this time."

"How did you…?"

"Call it women's intuition or something, I dunno. You're not very discreet about it." Since there was no way she was going to convince Kagura otherwise, Sakaki let in.

"Fine. But under one condition: follow my orders. I don't need you running off and getting killed while we're there.

"Sounds good to me. Where is this next guy anyway?" she asked as Sakaki led her to the weapons closet.

"It's their third-in-command this time. An older man, mid 70s. He's in a warehouse in the harbor, heavily guarded, but there should be a back door."

"That doesn't sound too- whoa." Kagura cut herself off as Sakaki opened the door. She didn't think it was much herself, but she had already grown used to the sight of weapons. Kagura, on the other hand, had not.

"Uh… wow. So, what are we using?"

"I'll be using the pistols and the shotgun. I don't care what you use." Sakaki strapped the holsters on, and shouldered the shotgun. She was ready; but was Kagura? Sakaki checked to see what Kagura had grabbed. She looked around the room for a moment, before taking the assault rifle and it's silencer.

"This should do," she said, and threw the strap over her shoulder.

"Alright, hop in."

"Shouldn't we wake the others and let them know we're leaving?" she asked.

"If this goes right, we'll be back before they wake up. Plus, it's better not to worry them, especially Chiyo."

"Right, good plan."

"If there's nothing else, we should get going." Kagura nodded, and they both stepped inside the car. Sakaki started the motor, and they were off.

"So, is that the place?" Kagura asked. Sakaki had parked the car in a dark alley in the warehouse district, across from the building this member was in. From the outside, it didn't look like much. There weren't even any guards. But Sakaki knew not to judge a book by its cover.

"Yeah, that's the place. Let's go." Kagura pulled the charging lever on the M4 and chambered a round. She ensured the silencer was screwed on tight then nodded, bringing the sights to bear ahead. Though, how effective the silencer would be all depended on whether Sakaki needed to use the pump-action on her back. If she was able to make do with the two silenced pistols, then they would be able to, hopefully, get in and out unnoticed.

The pair crossed the street and headed into the alley beside their target building. Sakaki led the way to a side door. Opening it slowly, she ensured there were no guards before heading inside. The warehouse floor was lined with rows upon rows of two story tall shelving units full of crates and boxes, but there was still no sign of any henchmen around. Without a word, Sakaki and Kagura headed off silently towards the back of the building.

The two reached the back wall unimpeded, and followed it along until they reached another door. This time, however, Sakaki heard voices on the other side. Unable to make out what they were saying, she put her ear to the door in an attempt to rectify that. Unfortunately, the talking stopped, replaced by the sound of an engine revving, and then squealing tires. Fearing that her prey was escaping, Sakaki threw the door open and dashed into the room, Kagura right behind her.

The instant she passed through the door, Sakaki knew she'd made a tactical error. There was one remaining vehicle in the room – a garage, apparently – and near it, was the very man she was after. Beside him was another man, this one wearing a leather jacket (similar to those given to pilots), tan cargo pants, and black sunglasses. Other than the short buzzed-off haircut, he bore no resemblance to a henchman of the Grey Men.

Sakaki heard noise behind her, and turned just in time to see a third man, this one quite obviously a henchman, kick the rifle out of Kagura's hands. In a flash, he had his arm around her neck and his pistol pressed to Kagura's temple. Sakaki leveled her two pistols at the man, then, thinking wiser, turned sideways and pointed one at the second in command of the grey Men, the older man with grey hair and glasses, the one she was after. The man was unfazed however, and nodded to the man beside him. The man, who Sakaki assumed was a personal bodyguard, blurred into motion.

Sakaki barely had time to bring her other pistol to bear by the time he closed the distance between them. He kicked straight up, knocking one of her guns up into the air. Acting in rhythm, he spun low and swept Sakaki's feet out from under her, and she dropped like a sack of potatoes, her remaining pistol clattering to the floor just out of reach. The man jumped back up and snatched the first gun out of the air. He aimed it at Kagura and pulled the trigger.

Sakaki was barely able to keep up with all that was going on and just as she realized what this man had done, she was proven wrong yet again as the man that was holding Kagura dropped to the floor dead with a bullet in his head. Kagura was completely pale. Or, at least, as pale as someone as tanned as her could be. The man who had pulled the trigger lowered the gun and offered Sakaki a hand, which she cautiously grasped. With a quick tug, he pulled her to her feet. He then spun the gun around in his hand and offered it to her grip first. Sakaki took it, and holstered the weapon.

Bending over to pick up her other weapon, Sakaki saw Kagura retrieve the rifle. She joined her side, and the two leveled their weapons half-heartedly at the remaining two men in the room. The bodyguard had returned to the older man's side by now, and leaned back casually against the black limousine that dominated the center of the garage.

"I understand your caution, but we are short on time. I'm sure you have many questions to ask, and I'll gladly answer them in the car." The old man spoke calmly, and there was no malice in his voice.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Sakaki asked.

"You don't, so I'll understand if you choose not to come. But you'll have to forget about our differences if you wish to have your questions answered. Although, I think it's plain to see that we are not enemies, at least, if current events has anything to say." Sakaki looked from him, then to Kagura. Kagura shrugged her shoulders slightly, noting that she had no idea what to do. Deciding that the two were trustworthy, if only by the fact that the bodyguard had saved Kagura's life, Sakaki holstered her remaining pistol.

Kagura lowered her rifle as well, and followed Sakaki as she headed for the limo. The bodyguard ran around to the driver's door and started the car. The old man climbed in first, taking a seat near the front, facing backwards, and then Sakaki, who tossed the shotgun on the seat beside her. Kagura climbed in last, and rested the M4 in her lap. As the vehicle started to move, the old man spoke up again.

"As far as introductions go, I know you, my dear, as Sakaki Reiko. That is correct, is it not?" Sakaki nodded. "I thought so. I am Hiroshi Takanawa, former second in command of the Grey Men. And you are..?" he asked, motioning to Kagura.

"Oh, Kagura Oaru."

"Pleased to meet you. Now; onto business. I'll answer any questions you have to ask, to the best of my ability." Sakaki nodded, and started with the first question that came to mind.

"What do you mean by 'former second in command'?"

"Well, as would be somewhat obvious by my current situation, I have chosen to remove myself from the organization, along with my personal bodyguard, who goes by the alias Tarquin."

"That seems well enough. But how do you know me?"

"Ah, now that is a long story, one that ties in with why I am leaving my duties. I suppose I shall start from the beginning. Your father and I were good friends, Sakaki. He was the leader of a small time gang back in the day, and I the leader of a larger one. We met one day when both of us were hired on by the same man to take each other out. He was the leader of a third smaller gang. The two of us met and became brothers in arms, men with a shared goal. Together, we struck down the leader of the third gang and merged all three under our joint command, becoming one of the larger gangs in the city.

"Six months after that, his wife – your mother - gave birth to you. Now that he had a family, your father backed out of the organized crime business, leaving me to lead our gang. He still played a role and took his cut, but he largely left the running of it to me. I didn't mind though. Almost as soon as you were able to walk, he trained you in martial arts and self defense, which is why you know these skills by instinct. He wanted to make sure that if he wasn't there to protect you, you could do it yourself. We lived like this for 17 years, and then he came along. Shuji.

"Shuji was an eager young man, and I took a liking to him. He had brains, and good ideas. Within a few short weeks, I had promoted him to my second in command. But that was when things turned for the worse. The very same day I was about to visit your father and you – I did this quite often – I found out that he and your mother had been killed, along with you, or so I had thought. After a few weeks of investigation, I found out who it was that had murdered them. It was Shuji.

"I approached him about it, only to be forced, at gunpoint, to relieve myself of my position at the head of the gang. He took that position for himself, and renamed the gang the Grey Men. I would have left then and there, but I was forced on pain of death to serve as his second in command. Tarquin was always at my side, but we never had a chance to try anything. So, I bided my time.

"Then, just a few days ago, I found out that you were alive, and that you had taken out one of his other subordinates. It was then and there that we set our plan to escape into motion. It was only by sheer coincidence that you arrived her at this time. Originally, I had hoped that you would recognize me in the list, but shortly thereafter I found out that you had suffered memory loss due to your wounds. And that is the story of how I know you, and what brings us here today." Sakaki was silent for a long time, letting this sink in. She shed a silent tear for her mother and father who she knew better now than she ever had before, even with her current state of memory loss. Kagura was next to speak up.

"So, where are we going now?"

"I'll drop the two of you off near the train station; it's too busy there for anyone to track you there."

"But, what about our car?"

"It's been lo-jacked, as all our cars are. The Grey Men would be able to find out exactly where it is at all times." Sakaki was the next to ask a question.

"Where are you headed after this? Can I count on your help to take down the Grey Men?"

"Unfortunately no. This business is hard on an old man like me, and I believe it is time to take my permanent leave of absence. I wouldn't be of much help to you girls anyhow." The small window separating the passenger compartment and the driver's compartment slid open.

"We've arrived at the station, Mr. Takanawa."

"Alas, it seems this is where we part. If you ever wish to speak again sometime, come look me up in Hokkaido. I shouldn't be too hard to track down. Oh, and you should take this. You'll draw less attention." He tossed Sakaki a duffel bag, into which she put the shotgun and the M4. "Good luck, Miss Reiko, Miss Oaru. And, should you get the chance, give the little bastard a kick for me." Sakaki and Kagura got out of the car, and waved as it merged back into traffic.

As the two started the trek home, a thought came to mind.

"Kagura, what did he say about our car?" Kagura thought for a moment.

"That it was lo-jacked, and that the grey Men could track it anywhere…." Sakaki went pale.

"Oh, shit." She and Kagura made the connection at the same time. Without wasting another second, they broke into a sprint, pushing their bodies to the limit in an attempt to get back before anything could happen to their friends.

Author's notes: Suspense! Sorry for the long speech there, but it was needed. Plot points FTW!

Also, as you might have caught on by now, this story is nearing the end. That doesn't mean you can expect what'll happen next thought, or whether I'm actually telling the truth. Anyway, expect the unexpected.

Also, pump-action shotguns are forever the most badass form of shotgun, surpassed only by the dual-barreled ones where you have to 'break' it in half and load it manually. The more you know!

Whoever can guess where that last line is from gets a cookie.

Till next time!