It was rather annoying to watch such calmness on Kyoto. No rush, no emergency... The Dragons went into the shadows, waiting for a proper moment to strike. Such pauses could last for days, months or even years. Quietly counting a seconds Kenji have been waiting for at least anything to happen. From time to time he was closing eyes, opening them in a few moments, hoping to see a differense. Chuckling to his childish habit he then kept calmly watching the streets. His PDA started to ring all of a sudden. With a curious look, but rather lasy moves he pulled it out of the pocket on his jacket and viewed the message. It was another useless report, nothing quite interesting. The messages he have been expecting were not comming. Relieving a sigh he hid the PDA back and went to the doors. While locking it from outside, he decided that it would be useful to hear what is going on around, as he have not been doing it for a while. Calmly walking throughout the streets he headed to the local mostly known bar.
With no pause at the entrance he simply headed straight to the counter. As the bartender seen him a smirk appeared on his face. On Kenji's reply with annoyed smile he asked "Boring again, Shimizu-san?"
"It is not that obvious? Any news around here?" Kenji replied straight, but before he got an answer someone approached the bar counter and with a quiet voice ordered a tea. Kenji with a sign of annoyance looked over his shoulder on a person who interrupted him. The guy was wearing civil clothes and there was nothing special about him, apart of advanced looking glasses, or whatever it was, which were flashing red in the spots where supposedly the eyes of a person where pointing. When a person got his tea and left to one of the nearby tables Kenji asked "Who is that?"
"Some freelancer that was recently working with Yamo family. Not much I can say about him, he is a very silent type. I think they call him "Hawk" or something..." the bartender replied.
"A freelancer? Interesting." Kenji said, taking a look on a guy who made himself comfortable at the table and put out some data pad, reading from it and sipping tea from time to time. He didn't even heard what bartender was saying to him. The thoughts brought him to a simplier solution for a deal he have been looking for. Throwing a quick "Arigato." to the bartender Kenji headed to the table where freelancer was sitting. No reacting followed from him though.
"You are a freelancer I have heard about? Mr. Hawk?" Kenji said, keeping his expression at calm for the moment.
"Uhum." a man replied without even rising his head.
"Thought you might be interested in an easy work." Kenji lowered his head, slightly grinning in order to hold the irritation. That seemed to attract an attention of the freelancer, as he rose his head, putting down his data pad. With a quick look Kenji noticed some reports about robotic constructions.
"Depends on the kind of job. And the price." a man said, noticing his look and turning the pad upside down.
"It is easy one. Just use my intell and kidnap someone for me." Kenji said, observing the glasses of a freelancer "As for a price, I can offer one million, since it will be an easy assignment, and a good word for you among dragons. Seems like you are not very trusted yet."
Instead of answer Kenji heard a disappointed chuckle. He quietly squinted at the freelancer, still waiting for a clear answer. After a while a man said "Very well. I am looking for a job right now, so I would like to hear what is this deal about."
Without changing his look Kenji sat to the table in front of the freelancer "Your job will be easy. There are some details for you..."
While Kenji have been explain a deal a man have been calmly listening, sipping a tea from his cup from time to time. With the end of the briefing freelancer started to wonder about something and after a while approvingly nodded. Though in his expression he did not really seemed very enthusiastic towards this deal. The deal have been made and after saying "Sayonara." Kenji left the bar, heading back to his room. The conversation brought him some satisfaction. He felt that this man would return with success...
The shadow from the horisont have been covering one of most beautiful islands on Kyushu with a dark shadow. With every moment it have been becoming darker and darker as the less light from two suns were reaching this part of the planet. Night was closing, but Timothy wasn't moving away from his place. Since he appeared on the planet before the time he decided to wander around, what brought him on this small hill with clean view on the sky. Lying here, on the grass, he was looking up in the sky, observing the starts that started to appear. And it was worth of looking at. The unusual for him, light sky in a night time. He remembered his sister mentioning her habit of looking on the stars. That made him smile lightly underneath his mask, but in a second he frowned as his thoughts reminded him about the family that betrayed him. And the more he thought about it, the more this mission seemed ironical to him. Being involved in other families affairs... Twise... But after all, it was the way he choose to follow. There was no other way.
The PDA made a short ring. Timothy lasily pulled it out of the pocked on his coat, taking a look on the message. It was time to move on position as his targets were away. With a thoughtful grunt he got up from the ground and headed to one separated house in the vilage nearby. Before he reached it, he turned to the road that have been linking that house with other houses and slowly went down to them. By this time it became completely dark and the shadow from his hood covered the mask completely, turning him into a faceless stranger.
While relieving himself from the doubts he noticed two people comming his way. A young couple that was obviously heading to the house behind. With a night vision devise inside his mask Timothy managed to recognise his targets. Both were talking and laughing what made Tim feel some emptiness on his heart. But that lasted for an instant, as that feeling replaced with aversion to it. Without changing his tempo he kept walking towards the couple. A man seem to notice him and his expression immediately became rather careful. Timothy's heart beating have fasten, as the time to act was approaching. And from that very moment the success or failure of his mission will be seen. With another step the two men caught up with each other that mad droped a side look at Timothy, but because of the darkness it was impossible to see anything with such quick gaze. Timothy noticed that, and made another step forward...
In an instant he turned, attempting to hit a male with his fist, but the one obviously have been expecting this already and dodged it well, immediately trying to counter it. Not being given any pause to think Timothy just jumped back, pulling out his pistol and aiming it in the leg of a man. Everything happen so quickly that a lady just managed to let a quiet scream.
"Run, Ayame." a man said, but in this moment Timothy triggered his gun. The sound from the shot turned into an echo and slowly have disappeared in a distance. A man fell on the ground. The one he called Ayame have rushed to him with a cry "O'Nii-san!"
She sat right next to him, trying to close his wound, but Timothy didn't give them a time.
"You two are going with me. No objections, no questions, or I will take that woman and just kill you." he said calmly, hiding his gun somewhere under his coat and nodding on a girl added "Help him to get up and go off the road. Now."
It took half a minute for the two to realise their hopeless situation. Helping her brother to get up a scared girl was avoiding looking on Timothy, while her brother was looking at him with clear hate mixed with the pain and despair...
Some people gathered on a sound of shooting, but all they found was some blood, leading off the road. Some immediately went by a trace, some went back in their houses to call a police, but Timothy was far from the place to bother. As he reached more safe zone he pulled out his PDA. After a short pause someone picked a call and Timothy said dryly:
"The job is done. But I had to damage him a bit."
The voice, scrambled by communicator, replied "Girl is not harmed I hope?"
"No." the reply followed in a same tone.
"Good. I am sending a ship to pick you." the voice said and ended a call.
Timothy hid the PDA back in the pocket and turned to his prisoners. They did not say anything, the joy they had before have disappeared from their faces. Both were barely walking and a man seemed to be more tired because of blood loss then Timothy expected. Making a wry smile under his mask he said:
"Put him down." and as the girl helped her brother to sit Timothy approached her and gave her a scarf, adding "Stop the further bleeding."
She obeyed quietly, carefully wraping the scarf around the wounded place, while a man worriedly and guiltly have been looking back at her. Timothy quietly examined them both for a while. Reading such emotions on their faces made him feel uneasy, but in the end he managed to convince himself that it is nothing but illusion both were making for each other. Turning away from these two he went a bit to the side, hearing out into darkness for any sounds, be that a chase or the ship they were waiting for...
The last hope was lost when they entered the freighter. So many strangers suddenly appeared, all armed and inspiriting fear in even trained soldiers. A poor girl could not find any place to hide from the weight of that fear. The only help were hands of her brother, who yet could not even walk straight. Ayame snugled closer to him as some person approached them. They separated the two, taking Tetsuo away. She wanted to cry, but the fear was choking her. She was left alone with a mysterious man in mask and a single look upon her made her shudder again. Unable to even stand she just sat on the bench, moving closer to the corner, attempting to hide from the presense of that person, trying to find any even slightly safe place. Pressing her arms to her chest she turned away, still feeling the look of that person on her back...
Almost loosing consciousness from that hardness upon her Ayame did not notice how the freighter reached some base. On the order from a masked man to follow she did so, only weakly looking around in hopes to find Tetsuo. Though she only found more of the people, dressed much like the ones from before. Though she was still choked by the weight of the fear a lone tear ran down by her cheek.
Soon they reached a building and a stranger lead her to a big room. By the look of the furniture someone lived here not so long ago. It was a room for one person, however big enough for two to live here. A masked man let Ayame inside first. She carefully passed near him and then as quick as she could took some distance from a man. Taking a sit on the bed and leaning her head to the wall, she hopelessly pointed her look into nowhere. Being tired of the constand weight of her feelings she slowly started to loose consciousness. But in a moment she heard a voice of the stranger who seemed to remain quiet for most of the time:
"They won't hurt you or your brother if he do as they ask." he said.
Ayame weakly turned her head to the stranger. His mask was hiding his emotions and words were spelled so coldly. She could not say was he told to say it to her, or did he say it to cheer her. But in either case his words made her feel slightly better. In response she weakly smiled to him and said "A... Arigatou.."
This appreciation seem to surprise him as it took a couple of seconds for him to answer "You are welcome."
The man did not seem that scarry to her now as he was before. For a moment she forgot that he was a reason that all this happen. She thouht that she would feel safer in his presense then without him. Though she did not dare to ask this yet. Her mind was filled with worry. About Tetsuo... About her parents...
"Do you know where is my brother?" she managed to gather her courage and eventualy ask.
"No. I only know that two of you will be living here from now on. So you will see him."
The reply cheared Ayame even more. The fear let go of her almost completely. She still could not stop worrying about the people around. Fearing to stay alone she askingly looked on the man for a few moments, not daring to ask. It took a while for her to say with unsure voice "Can you please stay for a while longer?"
Those words seem to surprise a man enough to make him loose a ballance for a second. He made an uncareful step back, hitting a door with his elbow. Rushly grabbing a hurt place he pointed his look at Ayame, spelling with a light signs of pain in his voice "Your brother won't be glad to see me when he come back."
A girl chuckled for an instance. This person did not seem very scary to her any more. She would come close to check his arm, but the man turned back to the doors, dropping from behind his shoulder "You are a strange person.. I won't be too far.." and then he left.
Staying alone was not as depressing as it seemed to her before. Thanks to this person Ayame managed to drop the weight of fear she carried on the way here. Now she felt too tired, however somehow safer. Lying down on her side she calmly closed her eyes. Ayame thought that soon they will reunite with her brother again. She dreamt about it...