Shorter chapter this time, but again, I'll try to update the next one today, and that one is long.

Thanks for the reviews and words of encouragement!

QUOTE:

"Violence can only be concealed by a lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence. Any man who has once proclaimed violence as his method is inevitably forced to take the lie as his principle."
- Alexander Solzehnitsyn

CHAPTER 8

Morgan and Prentiss had scanned the crowd several times, had checked the men's restrooms, searched the offices, backstage, and had not found the suspect. They looked at each other and at Seaver who had kept an eye on Hotch and the girl, and shook their heads. The blond agent then made eye contact with Hotch and shook her head to let him know there was a problem.

Hotch thought he could excuse himself "to go to the restroom" to talk with Morgan, but he wanted to make sure the woman was not going anywhere in his absence.

"Can I buy you a drink? We could sit down, too, if we can find a table..." he offered, already eyeing Seaver's table; the young agent nodded her understanding to him.

"I'm sorry, Adam, but I won't be able to. It's actually getting late and I need to get back to the dorm."

"It's not that late; couldn't you stay a while longer?" Hotch suggested.

"I have an understanding with my roommate, and it involves coming back by a certain time, I'm sorry," she apologized again. "But you can walk me to the bus stop, if you like. It's not far from here, and I would feel safer..."

"Of course. Could you give me a minute, though? I'll be right back," he asked. Yukie looked at her watch and agreed: she had time. Pretending to head for the restrooms, he went down the hallway.

Morgan was already in the back office, waiting for Hotch.

"What have you found out?" Hotch hurriedly asked.

Morgan showed him Takumi Nakamura's picture, and updated him on what they had found out about Yukie's brother. The team could follow the conversation through Hotch's wire, including Rossi and Reid, still hunting the truck outside.

"If he left the bar already, he probably knows we're on to him," concluded Hotch. "I'll escort Yukie to the bus stop, you try to see if he's following us... I don't think she's in on it. But this could be our last chance of catching him at this location. Hopefully, he won't be able to resist another easy kill, but he has to think you're all still in the bar, he can't see you outside."

"We'll be careful," Morgan answered, and they heard the others on his cell acknowledging the new plan. "I wish you were wearing a Kevlar vest, though..." he hinted to Hotch.

Hotch had no choice, the vest would give him away to Yukie.

"This guy aims for the face anyway," Hotch quipped and tapped Morgan's shoulder, thanking him without words.

oooooooooo

Rossi and Reid had searched the parking lot and a couple of side-streets, but had not found the pick-up truck. They split to continue searching the nearby streets.

Prentiss and Seaver were following Hotch and Yukie, acting as if they were drunk, giggling and stumbling, knowing that it was their best cover if the killer was watching them. Prentiss had tied her hair back and borrowed Seaver's scarf and wrapped it around her shoulders to change the appearance of her clothes: she knew the unsub had seen her in the bar; she was hoping she'd go unnoticed in the dark, or rather, unrecognized.

Morgan knew where the bus stop was, thanks to Garcia, and he decided to take a different route. Instead of following them, he made a detour and aimed to overshoot the stop, going one block further east and hoping to catch the suspect while he was stalking the couple. He was now wearing his earpiece, and like the rest of the team, was also following the conversation with Yukie..

"I can't believe you go out to a bar at night all by yourself! That's not safe, you know?" Hotch was asking Yukie.

"Well, I actually have a brother, who accompanies me, sometimes..."

"You do? He's here, in Princeton?"

"Yes, he moved here last fall, he wasn't doing well by himself, back home..." Yukie said, uncomfortable about giving more details.

"You are troubled by him, Yukie, is he helping you, or...?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, he's... I'd rather we..." she hesitated, a heavy look darkening her eyes. "My brother is not a happy person and he has difficulty making friends, keeping jobs..." she sighed, revealing more about Tak than she had ever before, but feeling a bit relieved in the process.

"It sounds like you've been worried about him for a long time," Hotch sympathized.

She smiled sadly, "Since we were children," she admitted. She turned to him, suddenly curious to know his opinion about her brother. "Do you think it is normal for a boy to be possessive and jealous of his older sister? To control who she talks to, whom she befriends, boys and girls alike? For the longest time, I did not dare talk to boys, I was afraid of what he would do, he would embarrass me..."

"It sounds like you did not grow up having a normal childhood, no," he answered gently. "And now? Now that you are both adults?"

"I thought I had found freedom this year, my life was finally beginning when I moved here. Then Tak arrived and I feel I have to protect my new life from being overtaken again, from falling under his control... It's hard to explain, but... I do love him, he has a sweet side to him, and my father was very strict and hard on him growing up, so... I do not want to send him away, but I wish..." Yukie looked away, then she heard the bus approach. She looked up to Hotch: "Will I see you again, Adam?"

"Yes, I'll see you again, Yukie, I promise," Hotch calmly replied. She smiled, delighted, but Hotch felt guilty, knowing that the next time he'd see her, it would be as S.S.A. Aaron Hotchner, and they would be talking about her brother, the serial killer...

oooo

Takumi was watching the couple at the bus stop through his binoculars. He had found a good parking spot, but it was farther away than the previous week and it was harder to see. He noticed the brunette from the bar; she was standing at the far corner near the bus stop with a blond. They both looked like they were having a good time, laughing and whispering to each other as they also watched the couple. He was perplexed: he thought she was a cop, what was she doing following his sister and laughing at her and the stranger? When did she become so tipsy? Who was the blond?

He wished he was smarter. His instincts told him she was a cop, but he did not understand how he knew his sister. Or did she know the stranger? She did seem to like him, in the bar. Maybe he's a cop, too!

At this moment, he saw his sister kiss the man on the cheek as he was shaking her hand. She had never kissed anyone before, and the jealous rage that arose from his insides consumed his whole being. He could not think rationally. He could have killed her on the spot. He could have shot him, and the brunette, and the blond... His sister got on the bus as the stranger stood there, without moving.

Takumi threw his binoculars on the seat next to him with such violence that they bounced and broke when they hit the side door. He grabbed his long gun, and checked that it was loaded. He hesitated for a moment: the dark stranger had sat on the bench, and then rose again; he was now crossing the street and heading towards him. He was still almost three blocks away, but Takumi could see his white shirt coming down the street. Then, he headed north, taking the same direction the bus had taken. Takumi had a nasty smirk: he was heading for a more quiet area; all he had to do is wait a few minutes.