Chapter 1

It all started after he… I still can't bring myself to accept the fact, but it has to be. Who would have foreseen that this would happen? He was always the best of us, the one who would refuse to give up, no matter the odds. He kept fighting on, even when there seemed to be no hope. For this to happen… no one expected it.

As for Yanagi… her reaction was kind of surprising, to be honest. I guess she has changed… for the better after returning from H&H. She handled it better that any of us expected. I guess her brush with death changed her somehow… perhaps given her a new perspective of life. Fuuko was very surprised at first, thinking that Yanagi might do something stupid, but inwardly pleased when she took it calmly.

In a way, I guess that it is a blessing in disguise that Koganei chose to go back in time with Kurei. He would not have to experience all this... If he had stayed, I suppose he would be in junior high now… the age where we started all our adventures. It seems an age ago… has it only been 6 years? Time does fly, doesn't it?

25th July, 2001

"Chief, we have a hit."

Recca looked up from his paperwork, glad to have something to distract him from it. Hanabishi Recca, newly-promoted Lieutenant, having been in the National Police Agency for a couple of years, managed to build up a decent reputation as a gung-ho leader who led by example. Graduating from high school soon after the Tendo Jigoku affair, he joined the police force and worked his way up the ranks.

Recca loved his job. Preventing crimes and apprehending criminals were things that certainly agreed with his justice streak, something that he had since young. The only downside was that being a police officer was certainly not the most safest job in the world, which was a constant source of friction between him and Yanagi.

The case he was working on now involved a serial rapist and killer, possibly even a small gang, mainly targeting young women. Weeks, sometimes months would elapse between killings, with the bodies dumped at various locations. This made tracking the killers down difficult.

"How reliable is the source?" Recca asked, hopeful for a break in the case.

"Apparently, someone saw two men forcibly dragging a girl away. He heard the girl while he was out taking a leak," his assistant replied.

"In the middle of the night?" Recca asked, more hopeful now.

"The guy was unable to sleep," his assistant said, shrugging.

"Do we have an address?"

"Here," his assistant replied, handing over a slip of paper.

"Get a team in Briefing Room 2 in an hour," Recca ordered. "Let me think this through."

A few hours later, Recca and his men were at their destination, an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

"Fujita, take 2 men to the back entrance," Recca ordered, striding forward to the front entrance. "We'll hit them simultaneously. You know what to do."

Gesturing to the rest of his men to follow him, he spoke to each of them, reminding them of their responsibilities in the operation and making sure that they were prepared for whatever might happen. His troopers, good men all, had worked with Recca before and knew him to be a brave leader, never asking anyone to do anything that he would not do himself.

The plan was a straightforward one. Two teams would storm in at the same time, causing confusion. That should catch the criminals unaware. While they were still in a state of shock, it would be a simple task then, to rescue the hostage and take the baddies down. Of course, there also exists the old adage of 'All plans go to hell once the first shot is fired', so contingency plans were in place, just in case. Confidence was high. They did not expect it to be easy, but they were sure they would get the job done quickly.

How wrong they were.

The warehouse appeared abandoned. However, appearances can be deceiving. In a room in a corner of the warehouse were 6 men, heavily tattooed. Sipping his tea, Kurosawa Tetsuo waited patiently for an update by his lackeys. Ever since his brother was arrested by the police and thrown into prison, Tetsuo had wanted revenge. Especially on this young upstart Hanabishi Recca - the one who arrested his brother.

He will rue the day he crosses paths with the Yakuza.

The Yakuza, collectively known, are actually made up of 'families' each led by an oyabun, or family boss. They are further subdivided into smaller groups or clans, each possibly focusing on a different aspect of organised crime. A particular yakuza group may forbid drug trafficking while others may actively thrive in it. Some deal in human trafficking, prostitution and even in weapons. Tetsuo was from a family that had links with weapons dealers. Though it is difficult to obtain firearms in Japan, it is not impossible, which led to his 5 men holding Ingram MAC-10s, with 2 extra magazines each. He himself preferred a SIG P226 pistol.

"Boss, they're outside now," one of his henchman reported.

"Get ready. We'll give them a reception they won't forget," Tetsuo said calmly, cocking his P226.

Recca peeked his head around the entrance. Not a soul to be seen. Inside were huge rows of shelves lined with boxes. There were some wooden crates lying on the floor, with a forklift nearby. Recca drew his standard issue police revolver and reached for his radio.

"Fujita, now."

Recca waited for a few seconds, then heard the sound of a shotgun blast, likely one of Fujita's men blasting open a lock. He immediately rushed in, followed by 2 of his troopers. He saw a flash at the corner of his eye and instinctively slid down behind a large crate. And not a moment too soon, as bullets raked the position he was in just 2 seconds earlier. There was no mistaking the sound of automatic weapons fire. One of his men wasn't as lucky, however, and a stray round clipped him in the leg. Screaming as he went down, his partner quickly dragged him into cover.

"Shit!" Recca cursed, reaching for his radio again, back against the crate. "Command! This is Lieutenant Hanabishi! We have an officer down and need backup immediately! Under heavy weapons fire!" I repeat: send backup immediately!" Recca had to practically shout to be heard over the weapons fire.

This is turning into hell! It's as if they knew we were coming!

Recca knew that he had to take control of the situation, and that means knowing the enemy. How many of them. What sort of weapons they have. How much ammo. Whether they are working in a team. Experience. He risked a quick peep over the side of the crate.

There!

One of the enemy was standing partially behind a pillar, maybe 15 metres away. Recca aimed his revolver at his direction and fired. He did not hit, for it was not his intention to. He wanted to see how the enemy would react. The thug kept firing at Recca, then *click*

Now!

Recca turned and dashed toward the thug, who was frantically trying to change his magazine. His face registered a look of surprise when Recca fired two rounds into him.

One down.

Just then, he heard a shot being fired, which he recognised as being from a revolver, followed by a scream. Attributing it to one of his men, he smiled grimly.

That's number two.

Recca looked at the corpse in front of him. The first thing he noticed was the tattoos all over the body. Which means Yakuza.

Crap.

Faced with this revelation, Recca was caught in a quandary. The Yakuza were not foes to be trifled with. He could pull his team out and wait for backup. Besides, one of his men was injured. However, this would give the criminals an opportunity to escape. There was the hostage to consider as well. Alternatively, he could continue the operation. The two dead thugs taught Recca much. It was very likely that the thugs did not have much teamwork. If the thug Recca killed had a partner with him, Recca would be the one lying dead now. Furthermore, the thug could have managed his ammunition better. This suggests inexperience. The second thug apparently died alone. It was a fair chance that they could be stopped.

His decision made, Recca carefully walked forward, eyes and ears alert. After walking across a row of shelves, he saw a girl wearing a high school uniform sitting on a chair, bound and gagged. She was unconscious. Recca crouched down beside another crate and observed the situation.

Tetsuo walked slowly, along the outer wall, away from the action. He held his P226 in a two-armed grip, pointing toward the ground. Holding a weapon close to your face, pointing upwards like they did in the movies was totally useless. At close range, it was easier to shoot the feet than the head.

He stopped when he had a clear line of sight to the hostage. Here was where he would wait. Recca would show up eventually. She simply happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Fairly attractive even. Tetsuo decided he and his men would have some fun with her after this whole affair was over.

After Recca Hanabishi lay dead at his feet.

Tetsuo knelt behind a pillar, not making any noise.

This part of the warehouse seemed to be quiet. He made his decision. Recca ran quickly, trying to reach the hostage. He knew it was a risk as he was exposing himself, but he simply could not bring himself to wait. Not when there was someone worth saving.

Tetsuo carefully took aim at the running police officer. Holding his P226 with both hands, he took a small breath and exhaled most of it, holding the rest in. His arms were steady. Taking careful aim, he squeezed the trigger.

As the trigger is squeezed, the bolt mechanism of the weapon is pushed forward, free of the spring behind the bolt assembly. The firing pin strikes the chambered round, which ignites the primer, exploding the propellant in the cartridge. The force of the mini explosion drives the bullet down the barrel of the P226 and the empty cartridge is ejected from the weapon.

Recca was hit before he even heard the gunshot.

The round ripping through his insides, he falls. Lying on the ground, he saw the one who shot at him. Lifting his head up slightly, he raised his revolver and pointed it toward the figure. His hand was shaking and his vision was getting blurred. It was a momentous effort, but the managed to squeeze the trigger. The blurred figure fell.

Breathe in. Breathe out. The pain hit him.

Yanagi… I…

Then darkness.