December 20th

Shuhei had awoken to the sudden feeling of ice cold water thrown on his body.

His eyes snap open and he immediately shivers from the cold, trembling more against the faint winter breeze as he looks around frantically, but he finds himself restrained with his wrists tied behind his back and his ankles as well, laying on his side against a concrete floor. His head slightly pounded and his right shoulder felt sore.

"Hooo, that was cold wasn't it?" One of them snickers as the other guy tosses aside a yellow bucket and it makes a loud thud that rings through Shuhei's ears. He sees another bucket filled with ice and water, assuming they were going to throw it on him again at some point. Horrible. He thought. And it's winter too! He knew that he could try to form a small knife with his Aura and cut the cords free, but he was being watched and he didn't want to be drenched in water again.

He glances around his surrounding area but he was not in the alley as he remembered, instead, he was in a large, garage-like building with a few boats on trailers near the walls, pulleys hung from black rails on the ceiling and he could smell and hear the ocean. He strains as he reaches to his back pocket for his PDA, hoping he could try to send for help, but it wasn't there and he felt distressed.

"Yo, Shu.~ You were a bit tired this morning so I hope you're more awake now." He hears a familiar voice and glances up to see Ryu. A wave of anger washes over him and he clenches his fists as he kneels down in front of him.

"...Where am I?" Shuhei speaks through gritted teeth, controlling his voice even though his body was spazzing out from the cold.

"We're in Shizume City, can't you hear the ocean?" Ryu asks, grabbing Shuhei and forcing him onto his knees so the two could be eye level to each other.

"Shizume City?!" He asks, confused and shocked.

"Yep! But don't expect anyone to come after you since we ditched your PDA somewhere on the road, so it's just you and me here...and my goons, but anyways Shu, let's get to business and be real with me now. I don't want you acting as if you like me because you don't." He says as his aqua colored eyes give off a vicious glow and Shuhei grins, chuckling to himself.

"Well, I thought I was playing the role of, 'the brother who doesn't know what's going on between his sister and her psycho ex' pretty well, but I shouldn't be surprised that you were able to see through me." Shuhei speaks.

"Psycho, huh?" Ryu snickers, narrowing his eyes at him while rubbing his chin and standing up slowly, stepping a bit away, pondering for a moment and soon turning around and smashing his fist into Shuhei's jaw. He grunts, tasting blood in his mouth.

"I think I treat Inaba respectively. She is, after all, a cute girl with a conservative personality...and I wanted to break her from that. " Ryu scoffs as Shuhei spits out blood. "Don't get me wrong though, I'm very attracted to her and out of all the women I've dated, she's the best so far...but someone had to take her from me. " As Ryu explains, he brushes his fingers through his hair and has a confident sneer on his face, until Shuhei's laughter causes him to frown and his mouth twitches angrily

"So, were you really contracted to Glassvale?" Shuhei asks.

"No way. I just wanted to mess with your head before bringing you here." Ryu gives him a taunting sneer.

"Are you some kind of monster?" Shuhei asks and Ryu narrows his eyes at him again. "No...you're just a spoiled, bratty kid who throws fits when you don't get your way." He clenches his jaw as he grins, glaring at Ryu with hatred burning in his eyes, and he does the same, looking grim.

"So...I'm going to kill you, and then Inaba can be free from you." Shuhei was trembling with anger and Ryu laughs.

"I can't take you seriously with your teeth chattering, besides, you can't even touch me." He continues laughing and snaps his fingers. Shuhei watches Ryu's henchmen approach him and they grab him from under the arms, dragging him away.

"Hey! Lemme go! You can't seriously be doing this for him!" Shuhei shouts with fury, struggling to set himself free from their grasps but he was tossed into the trunk of car which was over flowing with loosely shaved ice. He was still able to see Ryu if he lifts his head but he was unable to move around with his clothes sticking to the now packed ice shaving.

"And the tables have turned!~" He sees Ryu stretching his arms out and approaching the car, a twisted, satisfied look on his face. "Take a break and go for a swim in the ocean, Shu. I'll even let you take your car...by the way, thanks for letting us borrow it." He joins his henchmen and they stare down at Shuhei. "Ah, but you won't be driving though."

Shuhei swallows hard, feeling the ice biting at his fingers and ears. He was beginning to feel drowsy and his body had slightly stopped shaking, but he felt humiliated, having to be seen like this by his enemy.

Suddenly, he sees a shadow approaching from behind Ryu and his men, faintly hearing the sound of high heels as Ryu was about to shut the hood of the trunk down, but they too hear the approaching guest and pause to turn around.

When they do, the person becomes more visible to Shuhei and his eyes widen, forgetting about the cold for a short moment as he fixates his eyes on Takahiro Shizuka.

"My, my...what have we here?" She stops slightly behind the ice bucket Shuhei saw earlier when he awoke, and she was smirking. Although she wasn't holding any weapons in her hands, the guns on her heels made her an immediate threat to Ryu and his men as they pull their guns out at her.

"Hah? Who is this woman?" Ryu questions with a stern face, "State your business here!" He demands, suddenly furrowing his eyebrows as if to realize something else. "And how did you get pass my snipers?"

"Now that isn't any way to talk to a lady, and we haven't even made any introductions either." Shizuka shrugs, looking past Ryu and his men, seeing that Shuhei was turning a very ghostly pale color and his clothes were drenched, slightly frozen and he was shivering uncontrollably with the snow inside of the trunk of the company car.

She lifts an eyebrow, slightly cocking her head to the side, knowing she didn't have much time before Shuhei undergoes severe hypothermia. He already looked like he was about to be on a moderate stage of it.

Ryu was irritated with the woman's attitude and he takes a gun out, the same one he used to threaten Shuhei with.

"I demand to know who you are and what you did to my men!" He shouts angrily and Shizuka sighs, placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight to one leg, analyzing her situation. This kid looks about Shin's age. She thought. Anyways, they don't seem like Red Clansmen, probably a private matter's going on here...but I wonder what history he has with Sumika-san. Well it doesn't matter at the moment...

"Come now, there's no need to yell, shall we dance on this instead? I prefer a nice slow waltz...that is...if you know how to anyways. It gives the dancers some time to talk and get to know each other, so what do you say?" Shizuka asks, striking a pose as if she was in a pageant show, a hip thrusted to the side, her right hand in the air and her left remains on her waist. Shuhei felt a little embarrassment with her little presentation.

Wh-What the hell?! I can't tell if she's being serious or not! He thought, glancing at Ryu and his men to see if he wasn't the only one thinking the same and they were also puzzled, but then he realizes that they weren't paying attention to him anymore.

"What a fucking weird ass woman." One of Ryu's henchmen comments.

"Yeah, I agree." The other replies.

It occurs to him that it didn't matter and how he can take this chance to use his Aura to make a small knife. He does so and begins cutting the cord around his wrists carefully but quickly, clenching his jaw and struggling with his fingers numb and slightly in pain.

"So, does she mean to talk about this or fight?" One henchmen asks, but then Ryu begins walking towards Shizuka with the gun still aimed at her, also unsure of what she was trying to say to the men. She drops her arm and gives a pleased smile as he approaches, but he doesn't drop his gun when he glances down at her high heels to see a pair of heavy autorevolvers latched on her shoes.

"Fine, you have my attention for the moment.." His eyes trail up her long legs and skirt, then hips and breasts and finally returns to looking at her in the eyes. He notices that she gave off this soft, radiating glow, and she seemed different from any other woman he's seen and met.

"My name's Hazuki Ryu, eighteen years old and a third year at Ashinaka High School. And you are?"

"Takahiro Shizuka, twenty-four years old and chairman of Iris Corporations where I also work as the monitor." She answers confidently "Well, I appreciate the introductions but I haven't had lunch yet and it's also the holidays so there's still much to be done before the party." She continues, puzzling Ryu and his men with her monologue. "And that man, Sumika Shuhei, is on a guest list we've prepared. So would you mind handing him over and we can be off on our merry way?" She was polite when asking, adding a pun to brighten the mood, but Ryu somehow felt insulted with the way she talked and stood his ground.

Shuhei was shocked that Shizuka remembered his name, or who he even was, despite the fact how this was the first time they met since he joined Iris.

"Ha! Nice try but even if he is the guest of honor I still wouldn't hand him over. He's my prey! I've been waiting for this moment for a long time and you can't take this away from me! You have no right!" Ryu shouts, his face burning with fury, but Shizuka didn't flinch from his words, maintaining a calm attitude in the situation, which made him even more aggravated

"Ah, but you see, I made a mess on the way here and broke some laws, so that Blue Clan will be coming if we don't settle this quickly, so let's can handle this peacefully without any trouble. You allow me to take Sumika-san back safely and you and I can both avoid being interrogated by them, ne?" She proposes as if there was nothing to worry about, but Ryu snickers doubtfully.

"Thank you for the warning, but I'm more satisfied ending things with Shu sunk to the bottom of the ocean and freezing to death. After that, I'll make you submit to me, and we'll be long gone before Scepter 4 finds us...yeah, that sounds nice." He flashes Shizuka one of his charming smiles, which he knew was effective to all women and they couldn't resist it. Shuhei felt grossed out and he hears Ryu's henchmen snickering and joking about something, which he assumed was perverted and he felt even more disgusted.

Shizuka lifts her chin up a little and softly grins at him. Ryu takes it that she was interested in serving him and feels powerful, chuckling to himself as a victory.

"Hmph. Wrong answer." She finally replies, brushing aside her bangs with her pinky finger, and he was drawn aback, seeing her giving him a devil-like sneer and he flinches, stunned that he was turned down and had wasted precious time, which makes him angry. She takes a step forward and the moment she moved, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, a strong desire to dispose her so he could continue his business with Shu overcomes him, but everything seemed to slow down.

In Shuhei's eyes, he watches Shizuka's pearl-like Aura shielding her from the bullet, stopping midair, and the barrier shatters like glass as it disappears in sparks.

Ryu was appalled, taking a step back as he continues shooting at her, the gunshots resonate against the shattering glass and it stops when he runs out of bullets, the gun clicking empty. He quickly reaches into his coat to pull out another magazine, but a sudden spark of light from Shizuka's heels blinds him as she kicks up the bucket that was in front of her. The ice and cold water sprays towards a surprised Ryu and he dodges it, but his right arm becomes soaked and he drops the magazine.

Meanwhile, Shuhei had managed to free his wrists, flexing his fingers to circulate the blood, and while Ryu's henchmen stood in awe as they watch everything go down, he sits up, fighting the drowsy feeling taking over his body as he carves away at the cords around his ankles.

"So close..." Shizuka laughs as she mocks Ryu, who was rooted to the ground, bewildered with the woman agility and powers as she kicks away the magazine and it slides underneath one of the trailers in the warehouse, kept out of reach for anyone. He then grits his teeth, hugging his right arm close to his body to keep it warm and slightly hunching over like a cornered animal. She then faces the henchmen who were still aiming their guns at her, unsure how they are suppose to respond, but before they make a move, Shizuka quickly performs a double bicycle kick, shots fired, and their weapons fly out of their hands, surprising them for a moment.

"What are you doing you clowns!? Get her!" Ryu shouts and they do as he commands, rushing towards her as he begins to flee the scene.

In the heat of the moment, Shuhei frees himself and sees Ryu running away. Slightly disorientated, he could feel his face burning with rage as he pushes himself out of the trunk, chasing him down, praying that he could catch the kid before he escapes.

At the same moment, Shizuka deals with the henchmen, chopping one of the men in the neck with her right hand and he falls on the floor, knocked out, and the other rushes to tackle her down but she leans into a back hand spring, her feet catching the man's torso and she flips with him soaring above and landing a few feet away. He groans in pain, rolling on the ground as Shizuka returns to her feet.

Everything was moving so fast but Shuhei felt slow, his body fighting against the frigidness as he closes in on Ryu, who was unaware that he was being chased, slowing his pace as he exits the warehouse to turn, but Shuhei catches up for finally, grabbing Ryu's arm, swinging him back into the warehouse.

"What the fuck?!" Ryu gasps, catching a quick glimpse of Shuhei's vengeful expression before a fist smashes into his face and he sees black and red. Shuhei pants heavily and kneels over Ryu's body. Rage overcomes his thoughts and his mind replays moments of when his sister came home with bruises and marks, he could almost hear her sobbing, and the conversation she had on the phone with Ryu before they finally broke up.

He grabs the collar of Ryu's shirt, who was unconscious, and punches him in the face again. Raising his fist once more, he concentrated his Aura around his knuckles, forming spikes at the end, ready to make the killing blow into Ryu's skull, until someone grabs his wrist and he was unable to move.

"Enough." He hears Shizuka and his eyes widen in shock, his red turned vision fades as he blinks, eyeing the unconscious Ryu, whose face was beginning to bruise , and taking a deep breath before standing, feeling cold once again as his rage disappears and he hugs himself, shivering.

Shizuka then tends to Ryu, leaning him up against the wall back in the warehouse and reaching into her coat pocket, pulling out a pale blue handkerchief and dabbing the blood from face. Shuhei stood a few feet away, not wanting to be near the kid as he trembles, his clothes beginning to feel stiff and his hair as well. It was weird how he hasn't frozen to death after being soaked with water out in the cold. Perhaps it was because he is a bit stronger than normal as an Iridescent Clansmen. He suddenly feels something warm placed over his shoulders, which he recognizes as another coat, and he turns around to see Shizuka giving him a childish grin, whom had offered it.

"Well now. Let's head out and get you warmed up...and a new set of clothes, my god! Let's hurry!" She pushes him in front of her, grinning happily and humming her favorite song.

"W-Wait, hold on, what's gonna happen now? What about the company car?" Shuhei questions as they walk outside, snow was beginning to fall and Shizuka makes sure Shuhei was doing alright as they return to her car, and he was also looking out for her since she didn't have a jacket. Inside the vehicle, she turns the heater on to full blast once she starts the engine.

"Oi, are you okay with Scepter 4 taking care of things here?" He continues holding his hands up to the heater and rubbing his hands together.

"Scepter 4, huh?" Shizuka mutters to herself as she buckles up, trying to recall the Blue Clan's insignia, wondering if they were really called by that name.

"What?" Shuhei asks.

"It's nothing. Anyways, they can deal with the boy and his hired goons, I got what I came for so it's not my problem, and I'm not too worried about facing them if they come knocking at my door." She steps on the gas pedal and makes an extremely sharp U-turn, driving away from the scene with Shuhei holding onto to dear life once again.

He was also a little troubled and confused with her answer, but he didn't want to question her. After witnessing her powers, he was confident she can take care of herself, nevertheless, she is a King.

Leaning back in his seat and hugging himself tighter, he breathes in, catching Shizuka's scent from her coat as he inhales a floral-like fragrance. It was a very subtle scent and he didn't dislike it, preferring the flower-like aroma over cotton candy or anything to that sort. Spring. He thought, imagining a meadow surrounded by different blossoming flowers and trees, soft rainfall and a rainbow overlooking the scenery.

"Sumika Shuhei." Shizuka speaks his name, interrupting his thoughts and he felt embarrassed for some reason, but also shocked as he looks at her with wide eyes, still impressed that she knew his name.

"Y-Yes?" He finally manages to answer.

"That boy..." She begins slowly. "What did he to do you that made you want to kill him?"

He rubs his hands together again, and he begins to explain what had happened between Ryu, him and his sister, then he explains about how his day started out as well as losing his PDA, angry that he was being toyed with. She listens carefully to his story as she navigates through Shizume City and returning to the interstate. It made him feel a little better talking about it, but at the same time, he didn't think he would ever forgive Ryu.

"With your help today...I'm sure things will settle down...for reals this time." He glances out the window, watching the cars fly by. "How did you find us anyways? You must have done some crazy detective work or something, which is really impressive."

Shizuka chuckles at his compliment.

"We have tracking devices on all of our company cars for theft purposes, and in situations like yours, it definitely proves that we need them. So, you are very fortunate." She explains, gently smiling as she turns on the windshield wipers with the snow coming in quick. "I'm always looking out for everyone."

He felt a little fuzzy in his stomach when she said that and finds himself slightly blushing, relieved he was facing away from her so she doesn't see him. He then questions why he was suddenly feeling so anxious and shuts his eyes tightly.

"By the way, are you feeling alright? I'm driving as fast as I could back to Iris to get you checked out." She suddenly asks, nearly frightening him with her outburst, opening his eyes.

"Y-Yeah I feel fine, surprisingly. I've never felt so cold in my life." He replies, remembering how drowsy he felt and how he stopped shaking when Ryu's men threw him in that pile of shaved ice in the trunk. He thought he had frozen for a bit, surprised he managed to be so quick chasing Ryu down even after all he's been through.

"You really are a lucky guy. That boy sure knows how to torture his subjects, I can't imagine the pain you went through." She replies and Shuhei rubs his eyes.

"Yeah...he's a sadist..." He answers and Shizuka quickly glances over at him, making sure he was really alright. The more Shuhei thought about what happened, he still hadn't thanked her for showing up at the right time, but he felt a bit guilty, knowing she went through a lot of trouble to be there for him.

"Er...I...you know...th-thanks for...thank you for your hard work." He says quietly, his face turning red and he hears her giggle, making him feel more timid.

"You're welcome."