Akira Okuzaki had been following him since morning. When she first saw the large man, every fibre of her being told her that he was dangerous. Her training had been effective. His killing aura was unmistakable. It was steady, focused. It surrounded him like his finely tailored suit.
He had to be removed.
Akira wasn't sure if she was up to the task. This man was a professional. Even though Akira had been trained extensively in the ways of the shinobi, she was still young and inexperienced. She'd have to take this very slowly. She had to study him, his movements. Follow him to find the best opportunity.
She had to kill him.
She hid in the shadows, masking her presence in the darkness. Akira was confident in her skills. If the man knew he was being followed, he would have made moves to shake her.
He didn't.
He did little more than walk around town. He didn't seem to have any particular destination in mind. Occasionally he did some window shopping, looking at new suits in store windows. Sometimes he had ventured into the store. Akira slipped in after him unnoticed and kept watch. He tried on a few suits, but he never bought anything.
At lunch time, he made his way to a small outdoor café. There he met with some one else. He was a small, squirrely looking man with glasses. He chatted away happily while the larger man simply listened. Akira didn't dare venture close enough to hear their conversation. The small man then took out a case and slid it across the table. The large man opened it and checked the contents. The man's bulk blocked her view, so Akira couldn't tell what was inside it. The big guy closed the case and nodded slightly. The small guy beamed as the tall man reached into his pocket. He took out a thick envelope that Akira figured contained a wad of bills. She was proven correct as the squirrely guy opened the envelope and counted the money. Their business complete, the men parted ways. Akira wondered what was in the case her target was now carrying around, but it didn't matter. Once he was alone, she would strike.
The day wore on, but the man didn't do much of anything. He kept to crowded areas, never once letting his guard down. Perhaps he was getting a lay of the land for a job? Finding the best place to strike at whoever was his target.
When night fell, Akira knew she would have her chance soon. The crowds were thinning as everyone returned home for the night. The man didn't though. Instead he went to one of the town's night clubs. Peeking through the window, Akira saw that the club was more like a lounge. There wasn't any noisy partying, just people sitting in the smoky atmosphere, enjoying drinks and conversation. She saw her mark sitting with a woman. She was talking, but he didn't look too interested. Akira wondered if the woman was another of his business associates. When they went up the stairs into the upper level of the club together, Akira knew they were going to discuss their business privately. If the woman was that man's accomplice, Akira would need to remove her as well.
Akira climbed up to the roof. She removed the cover to the ventilation shaft and dropped inside. She landed soundlessly at the bottom and began crawling through the vents. She could still sense the man's aura, so she knew where she was going. When she heard the woman's cries, she wondered if their business had gone sour. She crawled at a faster pace. If he was preoccupied, it would be the perfect chance to strike.
When she peered into the room from which the cries originated, Akira saw that she had been mistaken. The woman was the one over the man.
Neither of them was wearing clothes.
Akira's face boiled over when she realised what was going on. The woman cried out in ecstasy as she rode the man, her hips pumping up and down furiously. Akira had been trained to be apathetic, to not let such sights affect her. However, for the briefest of moments, she pictured herself and Takumi in the same position.
Akira almost let out a gasp, but she forced it back. She couldn't give herself away. She crawled away from the world of adults as quickly as she could without making a sound. She made her way back out onto the roof, her hot face cooled down by the cold air. She told herself that she'd have to go through extra training later. She sat down cross-legged and began meditating. She needed to be calm if she was going to do what she set out to do.
About half an hour later, Akira sensed the man's aura on the move. He had finally finished his… 'business' and exited the club. The street now had a few drunks stumbling around, so she still couldn't make her move. Then the man decided to cut through an alley.
Now was her chance.
She summoned her element and dropped into the alley. Her ninja trained feet made no sound as she snuck him to the man's back, ready to slice his throat.
Unfortunately, Akira was unaware of the most important rule to remember when dealing with Golgo 13:
Don't stand behind him, if you value your life.
Akira was able to see his fist, but she wasn't able to react fast enough before it slammed into the side of her face. She was set flying and her back slammed into the wall. She tried to stand, but she was unable to.
She could feel his killing intent focused entirely on her.
And then there were five.