Hey everyone! Long time no see.

It's been a while since I last put up chapter 1. I apologize for the wait. Life has definitely thrown me many curveballs. Got a new job and balancing many different things. However, at least I have been slowly working on the other projects as well as this one.

I want to thank my friend Rachael for her suggestions in how to finish this chapter. Without her I would never have finished this chapter.

Let me know what you all think!

Chapter 2

~9:58 pm~

The rest of the shift was pretty standard. Once Chuuya finished his usual paperwork to complete Dazai's processing, he went down to the cafe on the bottom level of the station building to get something for Dazai to eat and drink. The cafe would generally be open until the late hours at night, so this would be very beneficial to those working at the station. A red haired girl in pigtails was working the front line, taking customers' orders and shouting them out to the baristas and cooks working next to her. As she was preparing a pot of coffee and cleaning the work station, she noticed Chuuya walking in. "Oh hey there! Back for more coffee?" She greeted him.

"Hey Lucy," Chuuya greeted back as he took a menu, "I was hoping that I would order some food for a…" He paused for a moment, thinking what kind of person Dazai was to him, "a person I know and care for."

"Oh?" Lucy was interested now. "A girlfriend? Boyfriend maybe," She blushed a bit as she fangirled earning a look from the other redhead, "or maybe a close friend?"

"He…was a close friend," Chuuya said as he looked through the menu, "Truthfully I don't know where I stand with him. He has been screwing up…a lot lately. I want to call him a friend, but even that gives me so much nausea… All those bad decisions and yet he would rather waste his life away buying cheap booze and turning to suicide. Truth is…I don't want to give up on him just yet. I just want to give him the help he needs because that's how I do things, you know? I can't just abandon him, you know?"

Lucy hummed in thought as she imagined the sort of stress the officer had been dealing with. "Sounds like this guy is a piece of work. Suppose you do give him the help he needs. What then?"

Chuuya shrugged. "Not sure." He put the menu down and looked at her. "I'll get a black coffee and a few of those crab cakes with colesaw, please."

"You got it, hon," Lucy said as she wrote the order down. Then she called out to the cooks to make that order. Once it was heard loud and clear, she turned the coffee on so that it would start boiling. "You were in luck. I just put on a fresh pot of coffee."

"That's good," Chuuya said with a smile. "Now back to my issue… There is someone that I want to protect." He pulled his voice down to a whisper as he leaned closer. "I have a little girl named Hikari and she is the only family I have. She is my precious treasure that I need to make sure that no harm comes to her…ever."

Lucy gasped when she heard this and gave him a knowing smile. "Don't worry. I completely understand. That's why you got this job huh?"

"More or less," Chuuya shrugged.

"Can I see a picture of her?" Lucy asked as she rested her arms on the counter.

Chuuya nodded as he reached into his wallet, took out a small photograph and showed it to her. Lucy looked at the photograph excitedly. She saw a little girl with blue eyes and salmon pink colored hair with bangs that covered one of her eyes. The long hair was tied in a loose ponytail. She had a wide smile that was just adorable, and she looked sharp in a brown elementary school uniform. The moment when she saw her, Lucy instantly fell in love. "Chuuya, she's an angel…" She said dreamily as she returned the picture back to him. "Now I can see why you want to protect her. Truthfully, I'm sure that if any of us in this building saw her, we would want the same thing. Is there anyone watching over her right now?"

"Oh yeah," Chuuya said, "This young woman around my age who's a single mother too."

"I see, well if you want to give her a break, you can bring Hikari-chan to the station if you want. I can look after her or any of my coworkers," Lucy offered as the coffee pot alerted her that it was ready, so she poured the hot beverage into a paper cup before putting a sleeve around it and topping it with a lid. "There you go. Going to see how those cakes and slaw are doing." She headed toward the kitchen.
Chuuya watched her leave for a moment and thought about how Dazai is doing. He was certain that he was lonely in that cell. He hoped that he would be grateful to have this food there…that is if he could look at him at all.

He didn't wait too long until Lucy came back with the food in a paper container. "All hot and ready! Good to see you again, Chuuya and we will chat soon alright?"

Chuuya took the food and coffee and smiled at her. "Yeah, you bet. Later." He headed upstairs to where the holding cell was. He didn't have to pay for his meal because since the station owned this cafe, everything was already charged to a tab that was held by each employee. It was one of the many perks that Chuuya enjoyed about his job.

Dazai sat on a bench in the empty cell, staring at the wall beyond the bars. Right now he was so bored as he counted the bars that held him inside. He even imagined what he would paint on these plain looking walls as well - skulls, bones, ghosts, a strange-looking black monster with a misshapen head and limbs. Then when he was done…

"Hey Dazai," Chuuya said as he approached the bars. "I promised I'd return with some food and drinks."

"Oh hey…scumbag," Dazai coldly said as he looked away.

Chuuya sighed. "Look, I'm sorry that this is happening but I warned you that I would rather do things the easy way. You brought this onto yourself."

"You left me," Dazai stubbornly responded.

"I didn't leave you," Chuuya said, "I had a life that I wanted to fight for. I was still by your side. You just let your issues get the better of you that you failed to see that I was fighting for you too."

"You don't even see me as a close friend anymore," Dazai accused.

"Maybe…" Chuuya agreed, "but you made it harder and harder for me to fight for you. How can I fight for you if you don't want to actually try? I want to see you succeed. You make great paintings and art… You will get a buyer for them… But you also need to get a job to put food on the table and pay your rent in the meantime. That's what your welfare money is used for. How you acted tonight was immature and completely out of line."

"What? You think that I will be like you?" Dazai scoffed. "You were in the same boat as I was and yet all you cared about was to get out of that life. You didn't have anything to fight for and I thought that we would be fighting for each other. That guy spoke to you. I saw what he said. He whispered things in your ear that made you want to get up and go."

"No," Chuuya shook his head, "That wasn't it at all. I chose to fight out of that lifestyle for myself. That guy simply told me to choose what was best for me and I walked down that path. Being on the streets isn't as fun. I wanted an education, a roof over my head, a home cooked meal… all of that. It wasn't easy but here we are. I hoped that you would be able to fight too."

Dazai said nothing to that, so Chuuya continued. "At least I'm here to visit you… Despite how things turned out for us… I still care about you and I will continue to fight for you even though you give me a god damn headache." He paused for a moment as he took out his wallet. "And you think that I don't have anything to fight for?" He slipped the photograph onto the container. "She is all I have." Dazai looked at Chuuya at the word "she". "You can have it if you want…as a reminder of what I'm fighting for," Chuuya offered, "I got many copies of the same picture. Perhaps this can help you decide what you want to fight for if you want to keep this friendship going. Have a good night." He turned and walked away from the cell.

Dazai pondered those words for a moment. "To keep the friendship going?" He made a clicking noise with his tongue and then softened his eyes. He knew that the shorter man cared about him. They were on the streets together and had each other's backs at the same time. He looked through the bars at the one he used to call a friend. So he had a job. So he had people to confide in… All of that meant nothing to the brunette. He was just tired of life in general, so tired of people with their selfishness. He wanted people to see him for what he was, to see those beautiful paintings that he put his heart into so that he could show this was the life he had lived. It helped him open up to the outside world that he had hid from all these years. However, no one was really interested in that. How could they be? He may have had a roof over his head now and money from the government, but inside he still felt hollow…like something was missing. Chuuya may have had all these people around him…but what did Dazai have? He was just a ghost with an outer shell, walking aimlessly in this world.

His stomach growled a little as he looked at the food. Perhaps he was a bit hungry. Maybe he should also take a look at this picture that Chuuya held dear. There couldn't possibly be a daughter in the picture, right?

Dazai got up off his seat and looked at the picture of the little girl with a face full of shock and bewilderment. There was… He racked his brains to figure out who the other man knocked up, but his intoxicated mind was making it hard to concentrate. He looked at the coffee and food and sighed. Well at least he got me my favourites, He thought to himself as he sat down on the floor and helped himself to the food and drink. "Maybe…some food and coffee will do me some good. I can't think straight right now."

~2:40 am~

Chuuya was exhausted when he came home that night. As he locked his door and put his bag down on the chair, he took his hat off, stretched and yawned. He had to talk at his daughter's elementary school, so he knew he had at least a few hours of sleep before he could give his talk. So here was his plan for the next day: he would have enough coffee to make him last, take his daughter to school, have a little nap until it was time to talk, and then come home to have a nap before his daughter would come home. Then he would spend some time with her before he would go to work. He was supposed to be off at 4:30, but he was grateful that he was close to Mark and Fukuzawa.

He owed those two with every gratitude he had. They were like family to him ever since he met them at the academy, and they always knew that family always came first. Also, nothing much was happening after the Dazai incident, so they told him to go home and get some sleep.

He walked toward his room but stopped as he looked into the open door on the way there. The room was dimly lit by a Japanese-style lantern that slowly spun on a wheel. Shadows of sakura blossoms danced across the room as soft music played from the center piece. This was a music box and nightlight that Chuuya gave Hikari for a Christmas present, and it was her most prized possession. As he watched her sleep, his heart was full. She was the one who saved him from a life of sadness, and for that alone, he vowed to protect her with everything he had and more. She was the most important person in his life after all.

He could have stood there all night if he wanted to, but he had to go to sleep. With one more look at her, he whispered into the room, "Sweet dreams…my little princess… Daddy will always love you."

He silently walked to his own room, hung up his hat and just collapsed into bed, not bothering to get dressed at all. The moment he closed his eyes, the same recurring dream plagued his mind.

The blast shook him to the core as he felt the heat from the flames… The smile from the blonde boy in front of him was the last thing he saw before it all went to hell. Chuuya's knees buckled from the weight of the shock that overcame his body, and even though he fell into the snow, he couldn't feel the frigid cold as the snow soaked into his knees. The inferno blazed into the sky, swallowing the house like a monster from the depths of hell. His eyes lost all colour as he watched, unmoving, as the house and everyone in it turned to ash before his eyes. He would not see his family again; the explosion completely erased them…and he was alone.

Chuuya grit his teeth as he turned onto his back. "Don't go back in the house…"

A hand was placed on Chuuya's shoulder, jolting him back to reality. However, this spurred a fight or flight response, a response where Chuuya was only made to do the latter.

However, that hand woke Chuuya up this time, and the gesture made him almost fall of the bed in fright. After catching himself in time, the redhead could see his little girl standing next to his bedside. "Daddy?" Came the small voice of the 7-year-old child. "Are you having bad dreams again?"

Chuuya looked at his bedside clock - 4:59 am. He looked back at his little girl. "Yes I was, sweetie," He said.

"Can I stay with you so you won't be scared again?" Hikari asked.

Chuuya patted the bed next to him, allowing the little girl to climb the bed and lie down next to him. "Thank you, Hikari.. Daddy will be alright now."

"Do you think…you will feel better when you catch the bad guys that hurt you?" Hikari asked.

Chuuya thought about the case that he looked at. What if there was a strong possibility that whoever the bomb terrorist was could have had some kind of part in the bombing of his family home? He never really thought too much about finding those answers. All he thought about was surviving and nothing else, and when he learned of Hikari's existence, those thoughts shifted to providing for and protecting her. However, when he got the paperwork for the case, he thought: "what if that bomber targeted him and Hikari next? Or maybe the next door neighbour? Or anyone else in this city?" He was certain that Mark was waiting for an answer. Also, if he received that closure then perhaps he would be able to sleep better during the nights.

"I'd feel much better if those jerks were behind bars…and not for what they did to me…but for what they did to other people and could do if they're not caught," Chuuya answered. "They didn't just hurt me…but they hurt a ton of other people too."

"Daddy will catch them," Hikari said, proudly. "Because my daddy is a superhero."

Those words almost brought tears to Chuuya's eyes. No one believed in him quite like Hikari did, and all he wanted was to make her proud. Sure his bosses and co-workers had faith in him, but they were different from his daughter. He may not be a superhero, and he knew there were people in the world who wouldn't see him as such either. However, his daughter had such kindness in her heart. She believed in him the most, and that was what motivated him to carry on his day.

"Thank you…Hikari…" He trailed off before he went to sleep.

~8:15 am~

Even though his sleep was very brief, it was just enough of what he needed. Since Chuuya lived on the streets, he was used to having little sleep so this was nothing new for him. However, he knew he would have a nap later on to feel more refreshed before he goes to his night shift later.

He changed out of last night's uniform, which he didn't bother changing out of, and put fresh clothes on. The uniform consisted of a pair of black dress pants, a baby blue dress shirt, and a navy blue tie. The hat was a standard policeman's hat, of navy blue. As he adjusted his tie with one hand, he reached out his other hand to grab his hat but realized that it wasn't on the rack where he hung it. "Where's my hat?" He asked as he looked around. When he noticed a box next to the stand and his eyebrows twitched.

As if on cue, little feet ran down the hall as siren noises were being made. He knew immediately that Hikari took his hat when she woke up, leaving the box next to the stand as evidence. "Hiiiiikarrrriiiii," He said with a drawl when he poked his head out of the doorway.

The little girl in question froze like a deer in headlights and quickly put the hat behind her back. "Yes daddy?" She said with an air of innocence.

Chuuya held out his hand. "Can I have my hat please?"

"Guess what hand it's in," Hikari said, playfully.

"We need to go to school," Chuuya pointed out, "I am talking about my job in class, remember? We can't be late."

"Guess," Hikari repeated with a giggle.

Heaving out a sigh, Chuuya decided to play the little girl's game to get this over with. "It's the right hand."

She held out an empty right hand. "Nope!"

"Okay left," Chuuya guessed.

She held up her left hand. "Nope!"

"You're just switching hands," Chuuya observed with an amused smile. "Also," he looked at the wall behind her, "If you wanted to play that game with me, you need to make sure that you're not standing in front of a mirror where I can see what's happening."

Hikari immediately spun around with a surprised yelp, and that was just the distraction that Chuuya needed to take back his hat from her hands. Putting it on with a chuckle, he jerked his head to the stairs. "Let's go. We both slept in a little bit this morning, so I will get you some McDonalds on the way."

"Yay!" Hikari excitedly ran past her father.

"Be careful when you're going down the stairs!" Chuuya warned as he followed after her.

"I will, daddy!" Hikari shouted back.

They stopped at a McDonalds for a quick breakfast sandwich on the way to the school and made it to the front door just when the kids were lining up. Chuuya looked at his daughter and let go of her hand. "I'll see you in your classroom, okay? Get in line."

"Okay!" Hikari chirped as she got in line just when the kids were walking into the school.

A teacher noticed Chuuya and walked up to him. She had red hair in a loose bun, held together in a white kanzashi comb. She was wearing a cream dress decorated with lilies that appeared to match quite nicely with her scarlet hair. Her smile was elegant and her eyes had held an expression of seniority.

Koyou was a former mentor of Chuuya's and was the reason why he was better. When he lived on the streets, he had an attitude problem, where he would swear at everyone. He would also often be very aggressive too. However, he owed a great deal to Koyou for teaching him to be a better and more civilized person. "Chuuya Nakahara," she greeted. "I was hoping that I'd see you today."

Chuuya bowed in return to the greeting. "Pleasure to be here, Miss Koyou," He said.

"I know that I taught you manners a few years ago, but you don't need to be so formal," Koyou said. "Are you ready?"

Chuuya straightened and looked at her, "Yes I am. Though I am not sure what exactly happens on career day."

"Usually the child introduces their parent, and then that parent gives a speech of what they do," Koyou explained. "It's a very educational thing and usually we would allow the parents to talk for about 5 minutes before questions are brought up."

"Makes sense," Chuuya nodded in understanding.

"How has work been treating you? I understand that you have to work nights."

Chuuya sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, "I manage somehow. I have a great boss, a few amazing co-workers. Honestly…I don't have any surviving family members…except my daughter of course. So I have to rely on whomever I can. Life is good, honestly." He dropped his hand but his sheepish smile didn't falter.

"But?" Koyou pressed.

"But there's that pressing matter with my old friend from the streets," Chuuya continued. "What should I do? Should I continue to get him help? Or should I cut ties with him completely? I can't really abandon him because he has been dealing with things and he often tries to end his life. Last night, I arrested him because he attacked me. Did I do the right thing?"

Koyou sighed. "I thought you weren't friends anymore."

"It's…complicated," Chuuya said.

"If you want my advice," Koyou said, "I suggest that you give him the help he needs but keep your distance. You said that he often tries to end his life. How many times?"

"14 times this year alone…" Chuuya trailed off.

"Looking at you, this gives you stress. I know you care, but if Dazai won't try anymore, then give him this thing and then deal with your own business. Right now, Hikari is the one who matters the most to you. You did it all for her, did you not?"

"Mostly for her," Chuuya corrected. Suffice to say, he made this decision before she was born. It was learning of her existence that made him work even harder to earn her and show the judges in court that he was the better person for her. Ugh, how he remembered that case well, but he would never give up and he got full custody of her. Her mother, Yuan, would get visitation rights often once she straightens her own life. However, that's a story for another time.

"You're a good father and you've come a long way," Koyou said as she placed a motherly hand on Chuuya's shoulder. "I remember when you were a boy with a criminal record and a bad attitude. You were just so angry at the world. However, you straightened up your act and you grew up. I couldn't be more proud of you."

Chuuya smiled as he heard her words. He could feel a bit of emotion welling up within his heart, and the urge to hug the woman was getting stronger. "I was such a bratty kid back then…but you drilled everything you knew into me and made me who I am today. I can never thank you enough…Koyou-sensei."

As if she sensed what he really wanted, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. "If you need anything, be sure to call me. Make sure you feed yourself and Hikari well. Drink lots of water. Get lots of sleep. I know you two will do just fine. I may not be your mother, but I can still be someone you can rely on like a mother."

Chuuya wrapped his arms around the teacher and buried his face in her neck. It's true he needed a mother in his life. He may have been young when she was killed, but he was still old enough to remember her. Her passing left a scar that could never be healed, and it was the same for his little sister, older brother, and father too. Right now, he needed all the support he could get, and it was slightly overwhelming how nice everyone was to him. Sometimes he wondered how long it would last, but who can really tell? All he knew was that he needed this more than anything.

Koyou stopped hugging Chuuya and adjusted his clothes. "Let's leave this touching moment aside and go inside. The kids are waiting."

"I agree," Chuuya agreed as he followed her inside the school.

In the school, the redhead watched the kids talk about their parents as they watched with great pride. It was one of those typical show and tell type things, and Chuuya was definitely expecting something like this to happen. He was told that this is what will happen anyway.

When it was Hikari's turn, she strode up to the front of the class and enunciated her voice into a cheerful and confident speech. "My daddy is a police officer. He hasn't been in the job for long, but he keeps everyone safe from all the bad guys that do bad things." Chuuya nodded with pride as his daughter made her introduction. "He is my hero and everybody else's. But my daddy is single." That is when the smile began to get tense as Chuuya grit his teeth. Okay, now things are getting a bit south here. "But that's okay because the next door lady has the hots for him!"

"Hots…?" Chuuya repeated inwardly as he twitched his brow. "Where did she learn…that word…?" Must have been her children that she is also looking after. The woman worked from home, so she would be there to make sure her children as well as his daughter were better taken care of. She also had an assistant who was also very helpful, so she was not alone. Still, taking care of four children inside her place as well as his daughter must have been very taxing.

Koyou held a death glare on her former student, and Chuuya could feel in his soul that the woman wanted to blame him for teaching her that word. "Clearly…not me…" He mouthed back to her, clearly embarrassed by what his daughter said. He loved her, no question, but he could not get over what she said about the next door neighbour. The fact that everyone else was staring at him didn't make things better. He wished for a hole to open underneath him so he could sink down into the abyss.

"Here is my daddy to talk to you some more about what he does! Thank you for listening!" Hikari bowed as though she had just finished a performance. The class clapped while Chuuya awkwardly walked up to the front. He gave Hikari a look saying "We will talk later." Hikari just giggled as she went back to her seat, as though she was proud of what she had done.

"Hello everyone," Chuuya said as he cleared his throat a little, "For starters, I did not teach my daughter any of those things. So please don't think any less of me because of all that." Hikari continued to giggle, and Chuuya inwardly cursed himself for allowing himself to be this embarrassed. He always was very insecure and that would mean being embarrassed so easily. However, he also told himself to be strong and get his confidence back. "Second, so about my job-"

Suddenly Mark's voice on his handheld radio seemed to issue a report. Chuuya stopped his speech to listen.

"Attention all officers, we have a Code Silver at the Yokohama Shopping Centre. A group of 12…no… 13 have overtaken the building with a vast number of hostages inside. I NEED EVERYONE HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

Chuuya's eyes narrowed in a steely glare, and he apologetically looked at Koyou. "I-"

Koyou shook her head. "No apologies. Just go."

Chuuya nodded and with one final glance at his daughter, he exited the classroom in a hurry.

Hikari sulked in her seat, a disappointed look on her face. She understood that her father had work to do, but she was looking forward to this proud moment. All she wanted was to show her father off because she was proud of him. She crossed her arms on her desk and buried her face within the small frame. Perhaps she was being selfish, but she was only 6 years old. This was what she was looking forward to for weeks. Chuuya knew this, and he would make it up to her whenever he could.

Koyou walked over to the little girl's side and gently touched her arm. She looked at the rest of the classroom and said, "You can go ahead with the next one." She stood up and gently led the little girl outside the classroom to talk to her.

Once she closed the door, she knelt in front of the girl so that their faces were adjacent to each other. By the time she was eye-level, however, Hikari was already starting to cry. "Hey sweetheart," Koyou whispered the way a mother would, "It's going to be okay. Your father didn't know that any of this would happen."

"I know…" Hikari hiccuped. "I was looking forward to this day. All I wanted was for my daddy to talk about his job to everyone because he's my hero." She sniffled a couple of times as tears ran down her cheeks.

"I know, sweetheart," Koyou replied, "I know. But think of it this way…mommies, daddies and even little girls and boys your age are scared right now. They might not see tomorrow, so your daddy wants to make sure that happens. He will always be your hero…but right now he needs to be a hero to other people. Right now, he just needs your prayers…because if something goes wrong…" She paused for a moment, not wanting to make the girl feel more sad. "Well…"

"I know," Hikari said, knowing exactly what the teacher was trying to say. "Was I wrong…to want my daddy in the class?"

"Of course not, honey," Koyou replied as she stood up. "Here, let's go to the bathroom and clean yourself up. Then I can get you something from the cafeteria. Anything you like."

"Are you sure?" Hikari questioned.

"Yes," Koyou replied as she took the girl by the hand. "We can even pray for your father to return safely, okay?"

"Okay," Hikari followed the older woman to the washroom.

~Yokohama Central Mall~

Chuuya raced to the site in his cruiser faster than the allowed speed limit. With his police sirens on, he weaved through traffic as he tried to reach his destination. Even though the light turned red, he ran the red light as legally requested in an emergency situation. He anxiously tapped on the steering wheel as he drove, inwardly praying that he would arrive at the mall on time.

He thought about those people. Children hugging their parents and people staying as close as possible. He could be damned if any of this happened to those who he cared about. If anything, if his daughter was mixed up in that, he knew that there would be hard justice to pay. However, if that were the case, he wasn't sure if he would stop himself. That would probably give him too many consequences. Even still, he was sure that any of his officers would awaken some kind of dangerous side to them if their loved ones were harmed in any way.

He sped to the site immediately, bringing up gravel as he slid to a halt. Opening the door, he immediately hopped out of the vehicle and slammed it shut. "Sir! I'm here!" He rushed to the chief.

Mark had gathered with 8 other officers. Lights flashed from the cruisers as they were in a semi-circle around the mall parking lot. Barricades were put in place as everyone there was strategizing on what to do next.

"Good, Chuuya, you came," Mark noted as he welcomed the young man into the circle. "We were just assigning who will be going in there. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir," Chuuya nodded. "Tell me what I need to do and I will do it."

"Fine, you, Gin and Michizo will be going in from the west," Mark instructed as he also looked at the officer with short, light brown, spiky hair and a young woman next to him with long black hair and a medical mask that covered half of her face. "Keep hidden while Yukichi and I try to keep the hostage-takers busy. From a run-down of the place, it appeared to have some explosives that would prevent us from getting in. However, the loading dock on the west end appeared to be the safest according to our hacker." He looked at a man in his mid-20s who was wrapped in a thick, pink futon and holding a laptop on his lap. Glasses hung loosely at the man's nose as his anxious eyes darted back and forth through the screen as he continued to scan the rooms.

Chuuya recognized the man as Katai Kayama, an elusive hacker who only came out of his apartment whenever necessary. This man hardly ever went out and his apartment was always dirty, filled with dirty dishes and trash bags. He guessed someone must have motivated him to come out and help.

"Katai, see if you can tell us the safest route," Tachihara said.

The awkward man looked up at the others standing by and watching him. "Y-yes, sorry," he stammered as he reached into his pocket and took out some small silver cases. He handed each of them to the three who were heading into the mall. If they opened those cases, they would find a pair of state-of-the-art communication pieces. "Put these on," Katai instructed. "Then I will give you guys detailed directions on how to navigate the mall before you rescue the hostages." He pointed at the laptop. "According to the cameras, the hostages are held in the food court on the third floor. I have pinpointed what the safest route is so please listen carefully."

"Right," Chuuya, Gin and Tachihara said in unison as they inserted the ear-pieces.

"Now you have an idea of what you should be doing, move out!" Mark bellowed as he looked at Fukuzawa and nodded. The silver-haired man nodded back at his partner as the three headed toward the loading dock on the west wing. Determination rose within Chuuya as he got closer with his squad. This would be his time to shine and prove to everyone that he had what it took. Flashes of Hikari flashed in his mind as he edged closer. This was all for her, and he was ready for it.

The group of three entered the west side of the mall. Because their entrance was the loading dock, Michizo punched the button on the side of the large metal door while Chuuya used his upper body strength to pry the steel door open. Gin slipped through like a cat before she opened the door from the other side, making it easier for the two men to enter.

"Okay Katai, we're in," Chuuya said through his communicator.

"Okay, listen very carefully," Katai said through their ear pieces. He instructed them to head straight through the loading hall and through the double doors to the left. This would lead them to the main part of the mall where the goods would be distributed to their rightful stores. However, this would be the obvious choice because that was where the hostages were. So instead, Katai instructed them to make a right hand turn that would lead to the administration elevators.

"I have also hacked into the elevators so you have temporary access to them. Just hit the up button and see what this baby can do."

"This is why you're the best hacker in town," Michizo remarked with a grin as he pressed the button on the elevator once all three boarded.

"So what's the plan then?" Chuuya asked while they rode up the elevator.

"You're going to the third floor," Katai said. "Then, you will be attacking from above. Michizo-kun, you have that bag with you right?"

"Yes sir," Michizo said.

"Good, when you arrive at the third floor, you will be going into the hallway hidden from the view of the mall and putting on the contents of that bag," Katai directed.

"Mountain climber harnesses," Gin guessed.

"Correct," Katai said. "But once again, be careful. There are explosives. I have managed to deactivate as many as I possibly can. There could be some I may have missed but I am working on rectifying that immediately."

The elevator dinged while it arrived on the third floor, and the trio walked into the hidden hallway towards the left. Chuuya led the way, his eyes darting to and fro while Gin kept her ears on what was happening on the main floor below. Michizo was on comms, listening to Katai's instructions clearly. He told them to continue going straight, also assuring them that this should be the safest route considering that not many people would take this way anyways. However, that doesn't mean that he can't be careful and check thoroughly.

The redhead suddenly noticed Chuuya step on a point in front of the customer washrooms. While nothing would be out of the ordinary, it was what he saw on the floor that caught him by surprise. Without a second thought, his body moved on its own by instinct as he lunged forward. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as every inner voice was screaming at him to protect his friend. With brute force, he tackled Chuuya several feet onto the floor. "GET DOWN!" He screamed.

At that second, a cloud of dust filled the air. It took a moment for Gin to realize what was going on and when she saw the cloud ignite, she dove out of the way.

The explosion would follow a moment later, alerting everyone outside and inside of what was going on. Katai could only watch in shock when smoke billowed in the air. He realized that he had made a major oversight.