Chapter 3

A couple months passed and people stopped caring. There were a good amount of people at the funeral that I didn't even know. Strangers telling me how great of a man my father was and how he would be missed. I appreciated that my dad would be remembered so highly. But Friends stopped dropping by to see if I was ok and teachers stopped cutting me any slack on my undone homework and my zoning out in class. One mans death wasn't much to many people. Haru continued to drop by food sometimes made by his wife and as I guessed, some bills never showed up at my house because they had already been paid off. But me, I was just as bad. But most of my anger and sadness turned into vengeance.

After full proofing my plan to get information from the SSS main building, I decided to tell Kana about it. One day after school I invited her over to my house. We went in and threw our back packs down and plopped on the couch.

"So what's up?" she asked me curious as to why I invited her over so randomly. I explained to her how I went to the main office after I found out about my fathers passing.

"They wouldn't give me any information on his mission. Who it was or why he was even on it. Somethings fishy." I told her.

"So what are you planning on doing?" she asked. She knew I was going to get the information, just wasn't sure how. The place didn't let random people wander around the office.

"So I was thinking, we'll go in for an interview. Since were going to get our weapons soon it won't be to suspicious. We may even be able to get permission from our teacher. So while we're in there, you can excuse yourself to the 'bathroom'. Instead of going there, go to where they hold records and all the information of missions. You've always been good at hacking so you should be able to log into their system. Get the info and come back like nothing happened." I explained to her. Hopefully she didn't think I had completely lost my mind. At first she just stared at me, then a mischievous grin spread across her face.

"Lets do it!" she said a little to over excitedly. Her whole body was now facing me with her knees tucked under her. She bounced on the couch as she spoke to show her enthusiasm.

"Now hold on, we have to go over the details." I told her slowing her down. "We can't just run in there blind." I explained. She started to frown that her eagerness had been shot down. "Now, when we go in we will need to scope the area, we need to figure out where the information room is. We need to find out where the emergency exits are just in case. If something goes wrong we have to get out. And fast. Also I want to use fake names, just in case it shows up that their system was hacked while we were there. We need to change our looks as well a little bit. I want this to be completely untraceable. Because I think the only way I will be able to find my fathers killer is through the SSS. And if we are caught doing this, we could be in severe trouble." I was very serious when telling her everything. This wasn't some goofy play mission. This was serious and we had to take it that way. "Are you still sure you want to do this. I will understand if..."

"Of course. I understand the dangers and the consequences, but you are my best friend. And this is important to you. I'm here for you, for whatever you need. And you need me for this, so I will do it." I couldn't help but smile. I should have known my best friend would be there beside me. I grinned as we sat and talked out more details of our mission.

A week later we walked into the main SSS heads office for a meeting with Misaaki. We had in fact easily gotten a grant from the teacher saying that this meeting was a "learning experience" for the two of us. But of course we didn't want the people in the building to know who we were. So I became 'Yuki' and Kana became 'Mai'. We were loads of make up, where we usually wore close to none, and we were blonde wigs to change our appearance even more.

We walked up to the counter and waited for the same lady as last time to acknowledge our entrance. After typing away at her computer for a minute she finally looked up at us. We smiled as sweetly as possible.

"Yes?" she asked us as we just stood there and smiled at her dumbly.

"Hi." Kana said not adding anything more to tell her what we were here for. She needed to stall for time. I started looking around, taking in everything. The people, the walls, the different doors and looking into each one to see where they lead to.

"Do you need something?" the lady asked. I could tell she was confused and slightly annoyed at our lack of help.

"Yes." I heard Kana, or 'Mai' say then pause for a minute. "We have a meeting." Her red lipstick smile twitched at the lack of information as to when and with who.

"Ok, with whom?" she asked.

"Uhm..." Kana acted like she couldn't remember the name. "It was a man. I think the boss or something." she looked at me for help and I twisted my mouth to the side like I was thinking. Nobody said anything for a while as we 'thought'. "OH! I think his name was Misaako or something." she made it seem more like a question than a statement.

"Misaaki?" the lady asked.

"Yeah that's it! Misaaki."

"Ok, what are your two names?" she asked.

"My names Mai and this is Yuki. Were doing a school thing." Kana informed her. Exasperated, the desk lady turned to her computer and started typing on the keyboard. Kana turned and looked at me and I nodded that I had everything figured out as far as the layout went.

"Yes you two have a meeting with Mr. Misaaki at 2:30. If you wouldn't mind sitting at the waiting area until you are called back." she said sweetly with her lipstick painted red smile back on her face. I have to give it to her, she is good at her job. Always seeming happy for the client. I couldn't do that.

We walked over to the chairs, I went and sat down while Kana grabbed a magazine off a table and came to sit beside me. I looked and made sure no one was looking at me when I pulled a hand drawn sketch of the building out of my pocket. Kana opened the magazine and I placed in over one of the pages so it looked like we were just looking at the magazine.

"Ok ." I whispered "So this room seems to be a janitors closet, these three are meeting rooms. It seems that this room has a lot of computers and file cabinets in it, so I am guessing that's the room we're looking for." the whole time I whisper to her I point and smile at the magazine as if I'm looking at the cool ideas and cute products. Which I could care less about. She nodded and took in everything. Comparing the room and its doors to the sketch of them in the magazine. We continued to watch the doors and try to see as much as we could as to what was in each without seeming to suspicious.

After approximately 15 minutes of waiting and finalizing the last details, we got called to go through one of the meeting hall doors. We rose and grabbed our bags we had brought with us that held our notebooks to write what we were "learning". I slung my strap over my shoulder and walked to the man standing in a doorway. He led us down the hall all the way to the that door at the end that opened to Mr. Misaaki. We stood outside his door while the man in short black hair and a suit knocked. I was getting kind of nervous. What if something went wrong and we were caught? What if the information wasn't there to be found in the first place? What if the mission was something terrible and against the normal morals of an SSS member? Would I be able to handle my father being involved in something dirty? So many thoughts were swirling in my head when the door opened and we stepped into that terribly familiar office.

Kana POV

I walked into a large office. It was odd because it had no window, but then I remembered we were underground. The whole place was just so bright and active it made you forget you were below the ground. I saw a bigger man in a slightly nicer suit behind the desk. He stood from his spinning office chair and extended his arm to shake hands. Kurayami shook it first then my hand took the unwanted plunge to shake it. His hands were warm and sweaty. I had to fight the urge to crinkle my nose and wipe my hand on my skirt. We decided to dress businessy today. Me in a business suit and skirt and Kurayami in slacks and nice white blouse. He sat in his swivel chair and leaned back.

I need to save up my money and get me one of those, I could spin in it for ever. I thought to myself. I let a smile escape my lips at the thought. He started blabbing on about the history of the SSS and how it came to be and all that boring stuff. Learning things through words bored me, which is probably why I'm failing history, I like to learn through experience. Trial and error. I glanced around his office and took in the lack of stuff. There was nothing personal on any of his shelves besides one photo of an elderly lady. Must be his mother, haha a mama's boy. I guess he does like to keep things professional . I waited for him to shut up about the history and morals and stuff of the SSS. Then we started questioning.

We really didn't have all that much to question but we made stuff up so it looked like an actually interview, not just a distraction.

"So how are the missions ranked?" I asked.

"Well," he said In smooth voice, I bet he got this job because he is a good speaker. "the beginners take simple missions, like catching petty thieves around town and such. As you experience more in the field and become stronger we start sending you on missions farther away and more dangerous. Now in this profession you will have assassination missions. You understand that don't you." he asked as if we didn't already get told this when we signed up.

"We have to kill bad people and things. Got it." I said, then before he could get a chance to say something else I stood.

"Please excuse me but where is your restroom?" I asked as politely as I could, he told me although I didn't listen. I wasn't going there any ways. Insert evil grin. I nodded and thanked him and left. I slipped out of the office and looked around. I walked with an air as someone who knew what the hell they were doing, which I didn't. I walked to the front and tried to keep out of eyesight of the front desk lady. I saw the door that we thought to have the information. I saw all the people minding there own business not thinking twice about somebody in a business outfit walking around. I sucked in a deep breath and held it as I opened the door. I didn't want to look around and seem suspicious but I was so scared someone would catch me. I walked in and closed the door. I wanted to slam it so it could go ahead and hide me, but I just closed it casually. As soon as it clicked I let out a breath. The room was empty of a body and full of cabinets and computers. I immediately went searching.

"Ok, Hataku, Hataku." I mumbled to myself as I shifted through the 'H' files. I found it and pulled out the manilla folder. On the tab it said 'Yutaka Hataku' in black typed letters. I was surprised how small in seemed. As I flipped through I found his profile. A picture of him from a couple years back, and another from a few more years later and all the way to when he first became apart of the SSS. He was so young. He wasn't bad looking when he was young either, huh. I flipped through and just saw codes and stuff. What the heck? Then I realized, all their information was in the computers. The files were to tell you how to get to them. But how could one computer hold so much data from everybody. All the computers were just your average nice computers. Nothing that seemed to hold a lot of memory really. How do I know which one to use. I looked around and saw on top of each file cabinet a number. This one had the number 17 on it. Maybe that's the computer number I need to use. I turned to the computers to see if they had any numbers on them. And I was correct. Each had a number on the top right hand corner. I walked over to the one with 17 on it and brought the folder with me.

So I started on hacking the computer to get passed all the passwords. I was sitting at the computer looking in the folder to figure out which codes got to his information, when the door knob turned. I looked up the door wide eyed scared to death. I sat frozen. My facial features relaxed when I saw an average guy pop his head in.

"Oh! Whoops sorry. I'm looking for the restroom." he said apologetically.

"Oh it's fine. Its down the next door down." I told him. Even though I sort of ignored Mr. Misaaki when he told me where it was at I still heard. He nodded his thanks and left. Thank god he thought I worked here. I finished as quickly as I could and put everything exactly how it was. I slipped out the door and power walked back to the office. I had already been gone to long. But I had everything I needed downloaded on a little flash drive hidden in my bra.

Kurayami POV

We went in and shook hands with Mr. Misaaki. He was dressed the same as he was last time I saw him. We sat down and I took out my pad of paper with questions written on them and spare paper to write down what he said that I though was important. While I am here and have this opportunity to learn somethings about the SSS I didn't already know, I might as well take advantage of it. We introduced ourselves and he started talking about how and when the Secret Slayer Society came to be.

"Now we started when demons were at large in the early 1850's. People and villages were massacred do to the over population of these beasts. Since then we have become a large group that doesn't just kill demons. Some people might as well be demons. Now we do not slay people on a normal bases, usually we just restrain them and take them to the police officials. But with the technology now and days humans have the ability to overcome us, so unless we kill them they will kill us." This made me think about my dad. I wonder if it was some demon that killed him, or was it another human being? He continued to talk as I absorbed everything he said, most of which I already knew. Finally he asked if we had questions for him. Which we had of course planned out from the night before. I started off asking a few and then Kana asked some.

After a few questions she excused herself to the bathroom. This is when I knew I had to up the questioning. Ask the more detailed questions that required him to think more. He couldn't be suspicious on how long she was gone. I asked him a question that I truly wanted to know myself and was a difficult one to answer.

"Ok, say you are killed in action. Does your partner get to know all the details in which how they died if they were not there?" I asked. It seemed like Haru, My fathers partner and weapon, knew more than he was letting on.

"Yes, the partner of the deceased is aloud to know everything, but they are bound by secrecy. They are not aloud to tell anyone or face either imprisonment or at least being fired." he explained. Oh so that's why he wouldn't tell me anything. I thought. Even though I understood why he couldn't, I still felt betrayed that he hadn't told me what happened to my own father when he knew how badly I wanted to know. Just then there was a knock on the door. No way Kana could be back already... had she been caught? Could she not find it? My heart beat started going ecstatic.

The lady at the front desk opened the door. "You have a call on line one." she told him. He nodded and she left.

"Excuse me for a moment." he said and I nodded and smiled at him. He picked up his phone and pressed a button. He started to talk to someone on the other line but nothing he said gave away what it was they were discussing. I was so nervous. What if she had been caught and they were discussing what to do with her. And then me since I am accompanying her. Which means I am already a part of it. Guilty by association. He finished his phone call and turned back to me. I held my breath while my right hand squeezed the hell out of my left. His business smile returned.

"Ok, I'm sorry about that. Now what was your question?" he asked. I smiled. The phone call had nothing to do with me and Kana. We continued with my questioning and him answering each question without skipping a beat. I started to worry. For a 'bathroom' break, she was taking to long. I hoped he wasn't noticing. Maybe it was just my nerves that made the time seem longer than it actually was. Once again I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Mr. Misaaki's voice shouted. Kana walked through the doorway and took her seat beside me. She pulled out her paper of questions again and started up her part of the questioning. After another 10 or so minutes we told him that was all the questioning we had and thanked him for his time. We all stood and once again shook hands. He stayed behind his desk as we walked out of the office. I was still nervous. My heart was in my throat and I felt like I was being watched. I hoped this would get easier, because if not, then I would be a terrible slayer. Once we stepped into the elevator I calmed down. I looked at her and she smiled and nodded. I released my breath and leaned back against the walls of the elevator as it rode up. We walked out without saying a word and got into her car. We both had are license but I hadn't gotten a car yet.

I sunk into the passenger seat. "Oh my god. I can't believe we just did that."

"Yeah! I know! Were such good little spies!" she exclaimed. Even though the door was shut I felt the need to look around as if someone over heard her and were now going to come after us. She started the engine as she laughed. She then proceeded to act as if we were in a car chase and sped off like an idiot determined to kill us both in her reckless driving. But she had never been in an accident yet, and she had been driving for a year more than me.

"Let me see it." I told her. She waited until we got stopped at the red light to stick her hand down her shirt and pull out a flash drive. I took it and looked at her like she was weird.

"What? My boobs are big enough to hide it." she said.

I chuckled. "Yeah you could hide a TV in there." we both laughed as she turned onto the road which eventually lead to my house.