Chapter Thirty Two

Raleigh cleared off the kitchen table as Sage and Ryo managed to put Kento on the table. His eyes fluttered as he groaned in pain. He was covered in deep red blood from a wound in his side, and Hoshi ran in. She growled at Sage, "well..."

He shrugged, "I can't..."

"What do you mean, you can't?"

Cye grabbed some towels from the kitchen, "his powers aren't working on him Hoshi."

Kento's eyes fluttered opened and he grumbled, "Os..."

Hoshi grabbed a pair of scissors and a knife from the kitchen and she cut open his shirt and Cye placed the towels on immediately. She hissed at Ryo and Sage, "Keep him still."

Ryo scoffed, "this is Kento..."

Raleigh barked as she ran around the table to hold the man's feet, "you'll manage."

The door opened and Kay came in with Steve and Tony. She hissed at Kay, "get me the vodka in the cupboard."

Kayura knew the drinks cabinet and slid over to it easily grabbing the bottle and tossing it to the woman. She saw Hoshi cut into him with the kitchen knife, and she felt her stomach roll. She had seen plenty of dead and injured people, but she had never really seen a live surgery. Kento thrashed in pain, shaking Ryo. Hoshi hissed, "Steve, hold him."

Steve jumped to it and pinned the man's hands hard as Kayura dragged Ryo over to her and Tony, "what happened?"

Ryo shook his head, "he called us, he was running from someone. I think he broke in somewhere and they caught him. He wasn't exactly clear..."

Tony asked, "where did he go?"

Ryo shook his head, "we found him in alley downtown."

Kayura looked over and hissed at Tony, "don't let Junko and Seito come in here."

He nodded and walked out of the kitchen as Kayura pushed him towards the back door where Leah had now just appeared from wherever she had been hiding. She looked at Leah, "where did you crawl out of?"

Leah smirked, "just doing my what I normally do. Trying to find the shadow in the shadows with us."

Ryo crossed his arms, "and you aren't a traitor like Meep are you?"

Leah glared at him, "despite what you think, I don't hold anything against you for my brother. I completely understand your point of view."

Kayura glared at him, "not now. Obviously, he was doing something dangerous. What was he into while I was gone."

"You tell her," Leah giggled.

Ryo shook his head, "one of his cops found him here a while back. Saying that they were tracking someone from the states who helped the Yakuza with an assassination. They went looking for a man named the Shocker and they found him at a black market. There was a man interested in the Snow Event from when Sage was kidnapped. So after his friend took off, he went looking for the man again..."

Kayura shook her head, "what was his name?"

"No, clue, it was right after his fight with Hoshi. He took on this whole not talking to any of us...thing, I guess her sleep with Stark really made him pissed," he said quietly looking back. Kayura saw how focused Steve was on holding the man still as Hosi worked. She had ordered Sage to go get her the sewing kit. Kento had passed out from her working on him. He looked at them, "look, he must have stumbled onto the same thing you were looking for, but you know how it is...when he does his way...they're nosy."

Kay asked, "and why didn't you think to tell me this?"

He thought for a moment, "because, I didn't want you involved."

She grabbed Ryo by the wild hair, and shoved him over to counter. Sage hissed, "Ryo, now is not the time to piss her off."

Steve caught Kay's eyes, they were filled with a huge amount of anger. She grabbed a butcher's knife out of the drawer and stabbed it next to his face. Ryo yelped, "okay, okay...Kento wanted nab the bastards hoping that we could go back to the shadows but then you crashed Junko's birthday..."

"No wonder why Blaze has been hanging in downtown," she said yanking the knife out. "He's been uneasy about something."

Hoshi closed up the wound and wiped up off her hands before holding up a bullet, "bastard got himself shot. Thankfully, his ribs might as well be titanium." She looked at Sage, "you couldn't heal him because if you did, he would have died. The bullet was pressed lodged in a major artery, had you healed him, it would have caused a major blood cot that could have gone to his lungs or brain. Your armor is smart enough to know that sort of thing."

Sage rolled his eyes as Kayura put away the knife she had been threatening Ryo with. Raleigh suggested, "we can't let them keep poking at us.

Cye added, "Kento was being stupid and look what it got him."

Hoshi nodded, "I agree. Smythe right? His father was injured at Os Corp and that's the last time Rowen heard of him. Kayura called Dais, we're doing a late night surprise party."

Kayura looked at Ryo, "you're babysitting with Halo."

"Aye Aye, " he grumbled.

Kayura walked out of the kitchen and Steve jogged after her, "you can't go..."

She looked at him as she found prepaid cell in the hallways desk drawer, and sent a message out. "Hopefully, the old man, is around."

"Kay," Steve said. "These people have guns."

"So," she said. "We're pretty adept at dealing with situations like that. Hoshi probably has a stash herself."

He leaned on the desk, "something doesn't smell right. You really want to trust what Fisk said?"

"Look, I'm doing what my Queen asks of me, Steve," she said. "And honestly, I think we need to take initiative. Somebody has been toying with us far too long."

He leaned over as to kiss her, "look, I'm not going to stop you. I'm just going to ask that you be careful."

She stood on tippy toe and pulled him down to kiss his forehead, "look, me and the warlords got this human fighting thing down without using armor. We did that for years after all. Hoshi was a super spy at one point, and so was Raleigh. The other three are going to be here, just in case. Can you and Tony stay with them? Make sure they don't do anything even more stupid?"

He pulled her close by the waist, "I could tag along..."

"Steve, I don't need you to protect me, besides what if this person realizes that S.H.I.E.L.D is involved? You guys are already up the creek without a paddle because of Socovia," she said laying her hands on his chest.

"Yes, you were quite noisy, Captain," said a male voice from down the hall. Kayura looked and saw all three warlords but it was Dais who had spoken. "We specialize in quick and clean, unlike the rest of our group."

Hoshi came from the kitchen, she had changed outfits. She was wearing black fatigues and a tank top with a knife holster. "don't tell Tony."

Steve sighed, "you know he's going to get mad."

Raleigh sighed as she walked through. She wore a much similar outfit but instead of knives, she had more guns that he ever realized a woman could carry. She pulled her hair up, "and don't tell Maria. If they have artifacts, we don't want S.H.I.E.L.D to have them."

Kay gave him a kiss as she saw them walking out together, "I've got to go."

Steve grabbed her hand softly in his, "I love you, Kay."

"I love you too," she smiled ever so softly and leaving after them.

Steve turned around and went back into the kitchen. Cye was folding up a blanket to put under Kento's head as Sage worked on healing the sutured wound. Ryo seemed to be grumbling as he sat the bar. Steve saw Kento waking up, and slid in next, "Kento..."

Kento smiled dopily, although Steve couldn't tell if that was 'normal' Kento or anemic Kento. He patted Steve on the shoulder, "where's Hoshi?"

"Going to Oscorp," he said.

Kento's smile turned hard as he tried to sit up on his elbow, "no...fuck...you can't let them. He's a lunatic. I don't know how he found out about the armors, but he's doing the same weird shit Shikaisen was."

Ryo came over, "who?"

"That brat who used to work for Ro," he winced and looked at Sage and shoved him off. "I think I won't die now."

Steve got up, "I'll go after them."

Cye shook his head "that's no good, knowing them, they're halfway there."

"We can't just leave them, Cye," Kento said sitting up painfully.

"You are in no shape to go chasing after your wife. you stay here with the kids, and we'll go after them," Ryo ordered.

Cye smiled at Cap, "I'm sure you weren't expecting more a night with Kay."

Steve ignored his comment, "I'm going to grab my jacket and shield and we'll go."

Ryo, Cye, and Sage walked with other after the man. Cye asked, "we're going to leave Kento here with Stark? Is that good idea?"

Sage shook his head, "no, but Kento can't exactly kill the man either."

Ryo laughed, "there are guns in this house, and I'm sure Seito wouldn't mind target practice."