kurayami

Chapter One

Forsaken Dreams

Just like the previous nights before, Mitsuko found herself walking across the metal floor of the chamber she had become so familiar with. The room itself was surrounded by computers that lined the walls and gave off a dim light that illuminated the dull surface of the metal that covered everything around her. The room always seemed the same no matter how many times she saw it. As always she crossed the room to the one glass pained window that seemed to be the only other source besides the computers that gave off light. It was the only thing that she could do as she placed a hand on the smooth surface of the glass. All she could do was look through that window into the a joining chamber that lay on the other side of the glass. So many times she had found herself staring into the other room in wonder and this night was no exception. The room beyond was almost the same as the first. The room was covered in metal all except for one thing. In the center of the room lay a large glass cylinder that gave off a strange red light. She couldn't help but look into the bright surface of the glass as she leaned closer to see more clearly. It was as if the very thing itself was calling out to her and each time she saw it the feeling grew worse. This night was one of the worst. She longed to escape her prison of a chamber and join the one thing she could not touch. She longed with all her being to be reunited with this object but each time she had tried she had failed. The cylinder itself was filled with a red liquid that seemed to pulsate the more she looked at it.
Just as all the times before, Mitsuko felt the glass beneath her finger tips give way and she felt her body being propelled to the earth. She felt no fear for there was no need. Each time she always landed safely on the metal floor of the chamber and each time she ended up running to the cylinder of glass to find it disappear at her touch.
Mitsuko walked slowly to the cylinder and placed her hand on its cool surface. All she could see was her own worried expression in the glass. Her reflection showed her nothing but sadness as her blue eyes shone with the unshed tears that always seemed to form at this moment. Mitsuko brushed away her long white hair from her face in annoyance and looked more closely into the red liquid. All she could make out was a dark shape in amongst the rest. Each time she tried to see who it was inside the glass but each time she failed. She began to bang furiously on the thick glass as her tears flowed down her cheeks. She wanted more than anything to see what lie on the other side. She could feel the familiar pain as the blood began to trickle from her hands as she pounded even harder. This time for sure she would see who it was who was so denied of her. She would not leave until she got what she wanted. She would not give up. Not like all the others things in her life she had given up on.
When Mitsuko's fist came down for another blow she felt the glass beneath her fingers begin to evaporate just like it had always done before. Mitsuko screamed out her frustration as the vision changed before her eyes. Now Mitsuko stood in a well furnished chamber that resembled nothing of the room she had been in before. In the middle of this chamber stood a man in a white trench coat. His short white hair shimmered in the dim light as he slowly began to turn towards her. Mitsuko knew instantly what was to happen next and quickly turned away. She did not want to see the face of that man that stood so close to her. She did not want to look into those cruel grey eyes she had seen so many times before. Every time she saw them her heart sank into her chest and she felt nothing but pain.
Mitsuko ran to the nearest door and swung the thing open. She could not stay inthis room anymore. Not with that man so close to her. What lay on the other side caused her fear to worsen as she let go of the handle and stepped away from the thing that promised her such safety. There at the door stood the man she had so longed to escape. He stood smiling at her as she took another step back and clutched her chest in fear. She could not explain why the sight of him struck her with such fear but all she could think to do was run. Mitsuko looked around wildly for an exit and noticed a small door directly across the room from where she stood. Without hesitation, Mitsuko burst into a run towards the door and swung it open. This time what greeted her was complete darkness but this did not deter her and she stepped into the room with ease and shut the door behind her. This was the part that she was the most familiar with and waited patiently for the familiar voice to enter her mind. The one voice that had never left her mind since the first time she had encountered it. The one thing she knew she could deal with.
Mitsuko stepped further into the room until finally a single light draped over her shaking body and the voice greeted her once again.

*****WHO ARE YOU?*****

I am Mitsuko Moriyama.

*****WHO ARE YOU REALLY?*****

I am simply Mitsuko Moriyama like I said before.

*****DO YOU BELIEVE THAT HUMANS CAN BECOME GREATER THAN GODS THEMSELVES?*****

I am not sure....I don't think so.

*****YOU DON'T THINK OR YOU DON'T KNOW?*****

Well I don't know.....I don't think we can.

*****DO YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD BECOME GREATER THAN THE GODS IN HEAVEN?*****

No! I am just an average girl!

*****ARE YOU AN AVERAGE HUMAN?*****

Yes! Of course I am! What else would I be?!

*****BUT PERHAPS YOU ARE DIFFERENT!*****

No! I am not!

*****THEN WHY DOES YOUR VOICE HOLD SUCH FEAR?*****

I......I.....don't know.

*****THEN PERHAPS YOU ARE DIFFERENT.*****

Well maybe.....NO! I couldn't be!

*****THAT IS FOR FATE TO DECIDE! NOT YOU! BUT IT WILL BE YOU WHO WILL ACCEPT DESTINY AND FIND YOUR PLACE IN THIS HUMAN WORLD OR YOU WILL DIE JUST LIKE THE REST OF YOUR KIND! AND ALSO JUST LIKE THE ONE CLOSEST TO YOUR HEART! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?*****

I don't know! Just leave me alone! I want to be alone!

*****YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE! NOT EVER IN THIS WORLD OF CORRUPTION! NOT NOW! NOT EVER!*****

NO! I WILL BE ALONE! JUST LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN SO SHUT UP! Just let me leave this stupid dream world and let me get on with my regular life! I can't take this anymore....

*****YOU MUST ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY OR YOU WILL DIE! ACCEPT IT OR DIE!*****

NO! YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! YOU CAN'T! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!

Mitsuko woke up with a start to find that a dim light filtered through her curtains. No sound but the ticking of her clock broke the unearthly silence. Mitsuko sat up and looked over to her alarm clock. It was 6:00 a.m. Mitsuko placed the palm of her hand on her forehead that was now drenched with sweat. Once again she had dreamt of that strange figure in the glass cylinder. Every night for the past week she had been woken from her sleep by that same dream and still she could not rid herself of the horrible visions it brought her.
Mitsuko pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She had hoped that she would not have to wake up in fear for another night but now she could see that that wasn't going to happen any time soon. She sighed and looked to the door of her room that lay slightly ajar. A slight breeze arose from her bedroom window that caused goose bumps to appear on her arms and send shivers down her spine. She wore nothing but her t-shirt which did not provide her with sufficient warmth. She desperately wished to shut the window but refrained herself from rising to her feet. Perhaps the cold would help her forget the visions her dreams brought her every night. She had tried everything to stop the dreams from coming. She had even gone to her school counselor to see if there was a way to stop them from coming but nothing helped. No matter what, the visions would come. She could not find any reason for there sudden appearance in her life. The counselor had told her that perhaps the visions came because she had not fully accepted the death of her parents yet but that could not be true. Her parents had died two years earlier in a freak car accident and she had been left to look after there apartment. She had had plenty of time to morn there deaths and she knew very well that that could not be the case. The only reason that she could think of for having those nightmares was that perhaps she was not getting enough sleep. She had heard of such things happening to others and new it quite well herself for she had been plagued by sleepless nights when her parents had died.
Mitsuko's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the loud buzzing of her alarm clock as it rang the hour. Mitsuko turned quickly to the annoying thing and hit it hard with her hand. The noise immediately stopped and Mitsuko relaxed. She had forgotten that she was supposed to go to Nori's house at seven to help him study. She had not realized it was so late. Mitsuko quickly got up from her bed and grabbed the first pair of clothes she could find which happened to be her school uniform. She quickly through on the black skirt and top and ran out her room door and towards the exit to her apartment. There would be time enough later to ponder the idea of why she was still plagued by those unpleasant dreams. The only thing she could afford to have on her mind now was her friends and her life. Nothing else. She did not want to linger on the inner meaning of her dreams for she new if she did then she would not like the answer she got.
Mitsuko slipped on her shoes and ran out the door of her apartment She would be back later and then maybe she would try to find a solution to her nightmares but it would be then and only then.

Chapter Two

Unwanted Discovery

Izumi walked over to the computer that was closest to her left and typed in her password and registration number. She could see her tired expression reflected from the clear glass of the computer screen she now faced. Her red hair had been tied back in a badly made pony tail and her red ish brown eyes were surrounded by dark circles from lack of sleep. She had been up for days researching new ways to duplicate the kyuusei but all in vain. The only thing she had managed to discover was a headache.
Izumi sighed and waited for the familiar voice to greet her from the device that lay in front of her. In a matter of moments Mr. Kajita would be entering the research facility looking for an update of the progression of the kyuusei and she would have nothing for him. A part of her desperately wished that this whole project could be thrown in the trash and forgotten but the better part of her knew that that could not be allowed. She could not trash that project for she herself was a part of it. For years they had been working on the project only to find it fail again and again. She found that the very thought of failure had become a natural part of her life and this de-stressed her. She could not afford to fail now. Already she had so little time to spare if she wanted her plans to work. The key to the Project Arata Toshigoro would be taken in for experimentation that very same day. She could not afford to waist any time.
Izumi tapped against the keyboard of the computer impatiently until finally the computerized voice emitted from the speakers to her right and left.
"Good morning Miss Riyou. How may I help you?"
"I would like you to display for me the information on subject 0001."
"Yes Miss Riyou."
Izumi waited until finally the information on test subject 0001 appeared on the screen and quickly searched through the files. There had to be something she had missed when going through the information. Mr. Kajita had been convinced that the only way to complete Project Arata Toshigoro was to bring the girl to head quarters and use her to activate project 0001 but there had to be another way. She knew very little about this mysterious girl but what she did know was that she could not let that girl be taken to headquarters. There had to be a better way for the project to work then the way Mr. Kajita had wanted. She had always been Mr. Kajita's assistant and had always been the first one to tell him that he was right but this was something that she could not agree on. His plans were far more un calculated and rash while hers were more thought out and planned. He believed that the succession of the kyuusei should come as soon as possible and no matter the cost. There was to much danger in what he proposed and to much at risk for her to let him go through with it. If Mr. Kajita were to initiate project 0001 then there was a strong chance that all of Japan and every living human on the planet could be wiped out. .
Izumi shivered at the thought and quickly looked back to the screen. She knew quite well that there stood little chance of her convincing Mr. Kajita to lay down his own ideas and take up hers but she had to try. For years she had been searching for a safer way for the succession and she had almost succeeded until the day that Mr. Kajita had become the new head of the corporation. She had been young and foolish at the time and had believed in Mr. Kajita's sweet talk about a better world and how there corporation would be better of with him. She had been one of the first who helped him take over even though she had known of the power he possessed. She had been stupid and now she would pay for it. When he had proposed the idea of activating project 0001 she had been the first to agree with him but that had all changed when he became there leader. The ideas she had once thought to be brilliant turned out to be nothing more than the ideas of a conceded child who wanted more than what she bargained for. He had been so positive of the potential of the kyuusei succession that he had rushed into an idea that everyone but himself thought was right. She had been the only one brave enough to at least make an effort to stop him from making a stupid mistake. She had done everything in her power to delay the activation of subject 0001 and until now had managed to succeed. Only a week earlier she had been in a meeting with Mr. Kajita himself and he had told her that unless she discovered another way to create the succession then he himself would put matters into his own hands and activate subject 0001. This was her last desperate attempt to find out something new that she had not discovered on the subject. Mr. Kajita had been right about one thing and one thing alone. The key to everything was project 0001.
Izumi quickly looked over to the clock that was located on the far side of the room. She had but a few minutes to find what she needed or all her plans would have been for nothing. Izumi turned back to the computer and quickly began opening random files. What popped up in front of her were all files she had read on many occasions. The diagnostics of subject 0001 and its current state. No matter what file she opened nothing of interest seemed to reveal itself. There had to be something she had not looked at. One file she had missed. Izumi quickly began to open more files until finally she banged her fist in frustration against the screen of the computer. Why couldn't she find anything? Why was it so hard?
Izumi stumbled clumsily to the nearest chair. Fatigue finally catching up to her. She had spent so many hours up that she now found it hard to think. What could she do to find out more information? There had to be something that had been hidden from her. What she had read about subject 0001 could not be all the knowledge that there was on it but what could she do?
Suddenly it hit her. The one thing she had not tried and the one thing that could change everything. The very thought sent shivers down her spine but it was the only thing she could do. She had to use RED DRAGON. The program that she had made herself along with the help of other researchers that had believed in her and what she was doing. It was a program made to be able to hack into any computer system no matter how strong the protection. It had taken them three years to build. It was her only chance but it was a major risk. If she were caught in the act of hacking into the mainframe then she would surely be killed but she had to do it.
Izumi rose to her feet and walked to her leather bag where she kept her important files and anything else she needed. She quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a unnamed disk. This was what she had been looking for. The RED DRAGON program. She kept it with her at all times for emergencies like this. Izumi walked quickly back to her computer and slid the disk into it's slot and waited.
In an instant the computerized voice rang through the room once again but this time it had a different tone to it.
"Voice recognition please."
"I am Izumi Riyou."
"Welcome Miss Riyou. What would you like the RED DRAGON to find?"
"I would like you to run a search on subject 0001."
"Yes Miss Riyou."
In a matter of moments a series of files spread out in front of Izumi's eyes and she quickly scanned through them. They were all the same files she had read before. All except one.
Izumi quickly clicked on the file and waited for a moment. Nothing happened. She clicked again this time in exasperation. She could not afford for the RED DRAGON to fail her now.
Suddenly the computerized voice rang through the room again. This time louder then before.
"Speak the Password."
Izumi looked to the screen in shock. She had not thought that the file would need a password. Izumi cleared her throat again and looked to the screen.
"RED DRAGON, bypass the Password and open the file."
"Yes Miss Riyou."
Izumi waited for a moment until finally the file opened in front of her. A single page of information opened unto the screen and a single picture appeared before her eyes. The picture showed a girl that looked to be the age of fifteen or sixteen with long white hair that reached to her waist and a black school uniform. Her eyes shone a bright blue and seemed to almost glow but not with happiness but with another emotion. Her eyes showed a great sadness buried deep within.
Izumi lowered her eyes to the page of information and began to read while playing with a strand of her hair. Her heart sank as she skimmed the page of information. There was nothing but some useless information on some girl named Mitsuko Moriyama. All of it was useless to her.
Izumi sighed in frustration and looked back up to the picture of the girl. Why would there be a file on some girl named Mitsuko Moriyama? It seemed pointless unless she was something more. Perhaps she was simply another experiment of Project Arata Toshigoro. What ever it was it held no concern to her. Izumi looked down to the bottom of the picture and read the girls street name. Harajuku street. The name seemed familiar to her somehow. Izumi looked back up to the picture and the white haired girl that was photographed in it. She was quite beautiful for her age. Izumi examined her face more closely. Something in the back of her mind told her that something was odd about the picture. It was as if she had seen this girl somewhere before and recently. It was something about her eyes. That strange glow that emitted from them.
Suddenly it hit her. Where she had seen that face. Izumi staggered away from the computer screen. Her chair fell to the ground with a crash as she fell to her knees. It had been so obvious from the moment she had seen the picture but she had been so blind. Now she knew where she had seen that girl before. What she now looked at seemed impossible. This girl should not exist. Everything she had once believed in had now crashed down before her very eyes. All this time Mr. Kajita had been telling her of some girl that would be important to the project and she now knew what he had meant.
Izumi finally staggered to her feet and walked back to the computer. She reached down with a shaky hand and pressed the button that released the disk from it's slot. Instantly the RED DRAGON program shut down and with it all the files she had been looking at.
Her mind was still rasing from what she had found out when a knock sounded from the door and a voice rose up from the other side.
"Mam! Are you ok? Do you need any help? I heard a bang."
Izumi looked to the door with half comprehension as she finally realized that she should answer the voice on the other side.
"I am fine thank you. You may go." Izumi's voice was nothing but a whisper, as she pushed herself upright.
"One more thing Mam. Mr. Kajita was looking for you. He is in his office right now."
Izumi's heart skipped a beat as she heard the familiar name being spoken. She had forgotten all about her meeting with Mr. Kajita. She quickly rose to her feet and walked to the door in time to hear the footsteps of who ever had been at the door depart down the hall. The door slid open and she quickly turned to her right and walked down the hall. She had to compose herself. She had to push her thoughts away for the moment. She would have plenty of time later to ponder on what she had just found out but for now all she could do was hope that Mr. Kajita would not be angered by her. She had to be ready for questioning for he expected her to have news for him. From now on she would have to be extra careful. If Mr. Kajita were to find out that she knew the secret of Project Arata Toshigoro then he would surely have her killed. All she had to do was stay calm and he would not suspect anything of her. That would not be as easy as she made it sound.

Chapter Three

The Succession Begins

Hideaki lifted the mug on his desk to his lips and let the warm liquid run down his throat as he turned towards the only window the small office sported. He could see the lights of the city just outside his window. The streets were busy with traffic as people busied themselves with there day ly lives. All those innocent people with there own problems. Little did they know of his plans.
Hideaki sighed and turned to his desk and placed his mug back in its spot. He placed a shaking hand to his forehead and quickly ruffled through some of his papers on his desk until he finally managed to find the small bottle of pills he had left there in case of times like these. When his power grew out of check he was forced to take the specially made pills so his body could heal. It was the one flaw that he possessed but it was one he could deal with. His power was one that had helped him gain the position he now possessed. He was the leader of the Mashin corporation. Without his power he could have never routed out the traitors and sent them to there graves. He had honed his power for years until he had finally reached perfection but that had only caused more problems.
Hideaki quickly forced open the cap on the bottle and popped to pills into his mouth. He knew quite well what he was and he had accepted that long ago. He was another failed experiment of the Project Arata Toshigoro. He had been the hope of a new age ruled by the Tentei Raiku Jinteki but he had not been able to awaken subject 0001. He had been born in the laboratory thirty one years earlier and ever since he had practiced his gift and had learned to control his power but at a few consequences. One was that he was forced to measure the amount of power he used. Unlike subject 0001 he was not perfect and if he used to much of his power at one time he could wind up doing more damage to himself. Another was he had to regularly take those accursed pills just to stay alive. But in the end it would all be worth it. Without his power he would have never been able to kill off all the original researchers and would have never been able to take his place as leader. He also would have never been able to take his place as leader without the help of his servant Izumi.
Izumi, Another experiment of the same project as him. At the time he had thought he could trust her to be by his side in his work for as long as it would take to accomplish his goals but as it turned out she did not possess the same goal as he had originally thought. At first everything had been going well until Izumi had begun to harbor treacherous thoughts towards himself and the corporation. She did not believe that the key to everything was subject 0001 and from the start a part of him had known that. He had been to eager to rise up to power and had used her to gain control. Only later he had discovered what Izumi truly wished. Power for herself. As of yet Izumi did not know that he knew of her treacherous mind and for that she was a fool. She should have known what his power was and that he would know of her plans but she too had been a fool. Soon she would pay for her treacheries and it would be he who would strike her down and watch her bleed.
Hideaki smiled at this thought and turned back to the window that faced the city outside. Just as he did so there came a knock on the door. He instantly knew who it was and turned to face the direction of the sound. He knew even without the use of his powers who it must be.
"You may enter Ms. Riyou." He spoke softly as he watched the sliding door open to reveal Ms. Riyou's startled expression. "I have been expecting you Ms. Riyou. What took you so long?" He watched as Ms. Riyou took her seat directly in front of him as she always did. If only she knew of what he had in store for her in the future. She surely would not be sitting so close to him if she did.
"I am sorry I kept you waiting sir. I was just doing some more work on Project Arata Toshigoro."
Hideaki smiled as he looked across the table at his assistant. He had known very well what she had been doing. She had been trying to find more information on subject 0001. She had been a fool and had tried to use the RED DRAGON program without his knowing of it. She had been careless and for that she would pay. She would pay but it would be at a future time and not now. He still had plans for her. He had let her discover but one file on the subject she had been looking for. He's powers had immediately sensed that she was hacking into the mainframe and he had stopped her from gaining to much information. If he had not reacted sooner then she would have gotten much more information on the subject and he would have had to kill her. That would have ruined his plans for her. She thought that her precious RED DRAGON program was unstoppable and that would be her downfall. She did not even come close to realizing the extent of his knowledge on her plans.
"Well so you have been working on the project now have you.....I can only assume you have discovered something new or have you forgotten are little deal?" Hideaki waited as Izumi tried to collect herself and what she was going to say. It didn't matter what lie she tried to give him for he would know exactly what she planned. His powers would sense any lie that she might speak and he would instantly be able to find the truth hidden behind that lie. Even she did not realize how powerful he really was.
"I.....I.....am very sorry but I have discovered nothing new but that still does not change the fact that I still think there is another way. I am sure that we could find the means to awaken subject 0001 without the girl you spoke of the other day. If I could just have a little more tim-"
"I am sorry Ms. Riyou but I cannot waist anymore time searching for another solution to this problem. Please understand that I too wish there was another way but if the succession is to be completed soon then we must act quickly!" Hideaki sat back in his chair and waited for Izumi's response. He could see that she was struggling to find a way to convince him of her cause but it did not matter. She could not dissuade him of his plans no matter what she said or did.
"But Mr. Kajita! I am sure that there is another way if you'll let me have more time to work on the solution!" Hideaki did not miss the quaver in her voice as she rose to her feet in her determination to convince him of his folly.
"Please Mr. Kajita! I beg you not to rush into anything before we know all the facts!" Now it was his turn to rise to his feet and face the other.
"Do you doubt my methods Ms. Riyou!? Do not tell me that I am rushing into anything for I am the one who is leader of this corporation and it is I who make the decisions!" Hideaki felt the beginnings of anger rise up dangerously to take over his reasoning. He could not afford to lose his temper now of all times or he could risk giving everything away. He could see the look of alarm in the other's face.
"I am sorry that I lost my temper Ms. Riyou but I am just overtired. If I do not get any rest soon I will surely perish from fatigue." The other's expression softened for just a moment but became professional once again
"I understand Mr. Kajita and I am sorry if I have offended you in any way but I do think that we should wait a little longer before we act."
"I understand what you are saying Ms. Riyou but we must act now before it is to late. The girl is so close at hand and we cannot afford to lose her before it is to late. She is now of age and if she is killed or is lost before we can use her then we can just forget about the succession!" Hideaki's hand began to shake and he realized that he still clutched the bottle containing his pills tightly in his hand. He lowered the bottle and looked back to his assistant sitting just across from him. He could see the look of defeat in her eyes and he instantly knew that he had won the battle.
"Sir...if I may...I know that I cannot convince you other wise but will you consider giving me more time to work on the project on my own and see if I can discover any other way for the succession?" Her face shone with hope as he looked from his mug and back to her face. It would do no harm for her to search more on the subject. There was nothing she could fins without him knowing it and it would keep her in line for a little while longer.
"Yes Ms. Riyou. Of course you can work on another way but I do not think you will find anything new."
"Thank you sir....I shall take my leave now unless you have any objections."
"No Ms. Riyou.....I have none."
With that Izumi rose to her feet once again and walked to the door and exited the room. Hideaki sighed and lifted his mug back to his lips and drank more of the warm liquid. His plans would soon be in progress and once they were then nothing could stop him. All he had to do was find the girl and bring her to headquarters and that would be a simple task.
Hideaki pushed aside another pile of papers and pushed a large red button that was a direct link to the headquarters in Tokyo. Instantly a monitor lowered from the ceiling and stopped six feet from the ground. A picture began to materialize on the screen and soon he could see the balding head of his head council member in the Tokyo district Mr. Arata Ryouiki.
"Why what a nice surprise to see you sir! I had no idea you would call on me today. What is it you desire sir?"
"It is finally time for you to bring me the girl! You know what I mean." Hideaki smiled at the bald man as his face turned from a tanned color to a pale white.
"Surely you do not mean to.."
"Yes I do Mr. Ryouiki and I need you to bring her to me at all costs. You got that!" Hideaki waited as the man pondered on what to say next.
"Of course I shall do as you say sir but I must ask......do you think it is wise to call on the girl now?"
"I did not say you could question my authority Mr. Ryouiki!" Hideaki saw the look of fear that crossed the man's face as he searched for an answer.
"I am so sorry sir! I did not mean to question your authority on this matter.."
"Just find the girl and bring her to me immediately and don't mess this up!"
With that Hideaki pushed the red button once again and watched the frightened man's face disappear from the screen. Mr. Ryouiki was just a money hungry business man who would do anything for a dollar and he would make sure that the man would be taken cared of soon. He was getting tired of the man's incompetence.
Hideaki finally stood and began to make his way towards the door. He would have to prepare himself for his next meeting and he had no time to wait around for more news. In a matter of time everything would fall into place and his dreams would finally be a reality. All he had to do was wait.

Chapter Four

Despair and the Ashen Child

"See you later Mitsuko! Thanks for all the help! I'll see you later!" Nori's voice echoed across the hall as he stuck his head around the corner and waved goodbye to the already open door in which Mitsuko now stood. She gave him a small smile as she shoved her last shoe on and headed out the door, heaving a small sigh as the door closed behind her. She had spent the entirety of her day helping Nori with his algebra and that had not been an easy task. The child was as dim whetted as a four year old and she had not been to happy with his progress. Her whole life Nori had always been there to help her but the one thing he had been useless with was school work. He was her childhood friend and she was more than happy to visit him when he called but when it came to helping him with school work she would rather go shovel horse droppings. He was in nearly all of her classes and always seemed to be paying attention and yet he still couldn't get a single thing to stick into his brain. It was as if his brain had been replaced with that of a monkey.
Mitsuko smiled at the thought as she headed in the direction of the subway. It would be faster if she were to take the subway home and the thought seemed far more pleasant then walking home in the dark. There were all sorts of creeps that walked the streets at night and she didn't want to have to run into any on a day like this. For the entire day she had felt unease and had not been able to place why she felt that way. Her only answer was that it could have possibly had something to do with her dream. That did not explain all the other times she had dreamt of that weird place and not gotten the creeps during the hole day.
Mitsuko sighed once again and brushed the thought away. There was no point in pondering such a thing now. She would just have to wait until she got home to think of her dream.
The city quickly expanded in front of her eyes as she crossed the busy street to the other side. The buildings rose high into the air like towering beasts from a fantasy world. Crowds of people hurried down the streets, off to there own separate lives without a care for anyone else. Just like it had always been in her life. Just like her entire life had been spent. Alone. Ever since her parents had died she had been forced to look after herself and not depend on anyone else. Not once had someone offered to give her a helping hand. Not once had she been able to relax and live the life of any ordinary teenage girl. She had been forced to go to work just to stay alive. She had no other living relatives to look after her so she had worked and she had worked hard just to survive. That had not changed even now. She would soon be going to university and she still had no idea how she was going to afford it. Her parents had left her with no money and anything that had been of real value had been taken by the government. The thought of her future terrified her more then anything else. Without money she might as well give up on ever having a future let alone even having a social life. Her friends had tried to sympathize with her but all to no avail. They had no idea what her life was like. The only person who had actually ever been there for her was Nori and even he didn't understand her true pain. She had bottled up her feelings for so long now that she wasn't even sure if she had any feelings left to give. She wasn't even sure if she could shed another tear ever again.
Mitsuko tried in vain to rid herself of her thoughts. Why was she thinking of such things now? Why couldn't she just forget about her parents and move on? She was sure they would have wanted it that way.
But something was missing. She could feel it as surely as she could feel the pain in her heart. She had felt this pain her hole life even before her parents death but it had only grown stronger since that fateful day. She had received the news of her parents death on a Friday night at 2:00 a.m. in the morning. A police officer had arrived at her apartment and told her the news. She had been in shock for the next few weeks until finally she had felt her heart would surely explode.
A gust of wind blue a strand of her white hair across her face, effectively blurring her vision. She quickly pushed back the annoying strand and looked into the nearest glass window at her disheveled expression. Her black school uniform was wrinkled to the point of looking like a rag and her hair was a total mess. Her bangs were parted to reveal the symbol on her forehead that her parents had said had been there since birth. She quickly raised a hand to cover the symbol from sight. It was the Japanese symbol of light and it was still a mystery to her as to why it was there. She had asked her parents on many occasions for answers but they had refused to tell her anything more than that she had had it since birth. Another thing she wished her parents were still alive to tell her about.
Mitsuko's thoughts were interrupted by a gentile tug oh her shirt sleeve. Mitsuko looked down to find a young boy with short black hair and a white shirt with green overalls looking up at her. His eyes were the color of ash and his small hands clutched her sleeve tightly.
"Miss.....could you pick up my teddy for me? I dropped it and I can't reach it because I am to small." The young boy's voice was almost a whisper as he finally let go of her sleeve. Mitsuko felt a small smile form on her lips as she looked down at the young boy. It was good that such things still held joy for her. Helping a small child like this was nothing great but it did make her feel better as she lowered herself to be level with the child and gave him a broad smile.
"Of course I will get you your bear! Now where is it little guy?" Mitsuko waited as the small boy pointed to a van that was located only a few feet away. It was black in color and had tinted black windows. She could just see a small teddy bear located near the front wheel of the vehicle.
"Alright little guy I will get your teddy but just make sure you don't lose it this time ok!" Mitsuko smiled as the little boy nodded and stepped aside so she could make her way to the vehicle. With little effort she leaned down and scooped up the small bear and turned to the little boy who was waiting by a wooden bench decorated with flowers along it's side.
"Here you go little fellow. Don't lose that again." The small boy nodded and looked over to the van in which the bear had been lost.
"Thank you miss.....my name is Aki! What's yours?" Aki spread a small grin as he looked up at her with his ashen eyes.
"My name is Mitsuko Moriyama but you can call me Mitsuko!" Mitsuko smiled as the little boy bowed and turned away. In one leap he was off heading in the opposite direction. She had to strain her ears to hear his final words as he sped off.
"Bye miss Mitsuko! I hope you will be alright! Thank you for my teddy!" Then the boy was gone.
Mitsuko brushed another strand of hair away from her face. What had he meant by saying he hoped she would be alright? Mitsuko brushed the thought away quickly. He was only a kid. She was being to paranoid lately. She should try and remind herself to visit the school counselor to see if she might find a way to get rid of her dreams for good. Maybe that would solve the paranoia that she had been feeling.
As Mitsuko walked away she did not notice the small pair of eyes watching her every step as she headed towards the subway entrance.

Hachiro Nakahata smiled to himself as he watched the girl walk away from the black van he now sat in. The boy had done a good job in getting the girl close enough to examine her appearance. Kids were so gullible these days. Offer them a little candy and they would do anything for you no matter how suspicious the request. He would have to remember to use children more often.
"Well, well, well Mr. Nakahata I must commend you on a fine job. I did not think that plan of yours would work."
Hachiro looked over to the passenger's seat to his temporary partner. He smiled back at the man next to him and turned back to the window he had been looking out of. He could just make out the girl's white hair in the distance. A part of him wanted to climb out of the van and run after her. It would be far easier then just waiting around until the girl went to her apartment but the better part of him knew better. They had to be cautious if they wanted there plan to succeed. They could afford no mistakes or there lives would be at stake.
"You should have learned by now never to doubt my plans! They are always full proof.....besides it didn't really matter anyway. We both knew that she was the girl we are looking for!"
"Right but we had to make sure! She did have the mark just like Mr. Ryouiki said."
"Of course she did you fool! Do you doubt my capabilities as an agent!"
"Bu.....But" Hachiro turned away before the other man could speak. He had no time for such games. Mr. Ryouiki had ordered them to find and bring the girl back to headquarters alive at all costs and he would do just that. He knew quite well what would be in it for him if succeeded and he had no doubt he would. He wasn't the most talented agent for nothing.
"We better get going sir. We don't want to be late." The man's voice was small and shaky. He was obviously frightened. And for good reason.
Hachiro smiled and turned the key in the ignition. The van started up immediately and he quickly pulled out into the traffic. Once this job was over he could go have a relaxing bath. That would make this hole trip a lot better.

Chapter Five

Mitsuko's Plight and the Awakened Power

The subway ride to her apartment was as usual long and boring. The electrical lights zoomed by the glass pained windows as Mitsuko nonchalantly gazed back and forth across the small area where she had been crammed in with several other people. The room itself looked to be made only to carry a few passengers but from the looks of the crowd it was now carrying far more then it's capacity. She had little room to maneuver let alone breath. She had ridden on the subway on many an occasion but this time was the worst of all. Presently she was standing close to a hefty man with a suitcase and the smell of beef wafting from the man's breath. It was enough to make any normal person puke but to her it was a nightmare. All she could do was pray that her stop was soon.
The flashing of the lights outside her window caught her eye once again. Luckily she had been placed close to a window so she could at least have some enjoyment. The only thing besides the lights she could make out were the metal walls moving quickly by along with her wanted freedom. Those metal walls reminded her of those she had seen in her dream. It was a foolish thought for in a city like Tokyo many buildings were made of metal so this was not an irregular sight but there was something about them, perhaps the red lights against the cool surface of the metal that caught her eye. The light and the metal. Why was it that she could not rid herself of that cursed dream? All day it had haunted her even when she had been at Nori's it had not left. Why was it that today of all days it chose to bother her so? Only days earlier she had been plagued by the same dream and yet all those days it had not bothered her then. It seemed as if her day could only get worse and already it was nearly over. Her heart sank at the thought. She had spent all day with Nori when she could have done something productive like study herself. Her only hope to get to university was if she were to win a scholarship and they did not come at an easy price. She would have to make sure that her grades were perfect and that had always been a challenge for her. She had never been that great in her school work and at times would just simply ignore school altogether. Ever since her parents had died she had begun to realize that she could no longer have the life of a normal girl. She had begun to realize that if she wanted a future then she would have to work for it. The thought even now scared her. She had no idea even what school she was going to go to. Her best bet would be an art school but that too cost money. She had always been good at art and had always grown enjoyment from her talent and had nourished it since childhood. Her parents had always been supportive of her talents and had made plans for her future in art but that had all changed on the day of there death. Now she had to fend for herself and she didn't want anyone's help. They had chosen to ignore her when she needed them most so now she would refuse the help others tried to give her. So far she had done a great job of it.
Suddenly something caught her eye from outside the window. Mitsuko turned quickly almost knocking the hefty man out of her way as she stared out into the neon lights. She had seen something move just out of the corner of her eye. She had not mistaken it for it had been a flash of white. A color not common in the subway tracks. Mitsuko craned her head in an effort to find what ever had caught her eye. There had to be something there.....she could not have mistaken it. Could she? Perhaps she was just overtired. She had been woken up for the past few nights by her nightmares. That had to be the case. Mitsuko sighed in exasperation and began to turn away. She really did need to see a councilor if she was seeing things in a subway.
Just as she was about to push the thought aside as being nonsense another flash of white caught her eye. This time Mitsuko whirled around without hesitation to face the window. Just as she did so it seemed as if the world around her suddenly turned grey. Time itself seemed to stop and even the train seemed to halt in it's eternal dance along the rails. Only herself and the one figure remained. At first Mitsuko did not know how to react. Should she be scared? A part of her screamed to run and hide but something inside herself told her she had nothing to fear. A part of her wanted to shake the people around her to make sure they were not all dead but the other part of her told her that everything was alright. What was going on? Now she could see a sole silhouette besides her own in the eternal greyness. A pure white silhouette seemed to float high in the air. Long white hair reached down past her waist and what could only be a pale white dress fluttered in the wind. It took a moment for Mitsuko to realize there was no wind.
Suddenly just as quickly as it had happened everything returned back to normal. The train resumed its motion and the light chattering of the passengers resumed as usual. Color and movement now surrounded her and it seemed the only thing the silhouette had really affected was her. What was that thing? Was it a thing or a human? Was it a ghost? So many question flooded her mind at once that she could hardly breath. Only the jolting of the train brought her back to her senses and made her realize she had been panting. The hefty man that had been standing beside her was now staring in concern at her. She felt a slight blush rise up to her cheeks and she quickly turned away. It had been a hallucination. That was all. A simple hallucination.
Mitsuko gripped the railing more tightly as the train jolted again more so to reassure herself that everything was alright then to keep her balance. Could that have been a hallucination caused by lack of sleep? It seemed highly unlikely that something like that could be caused by so little a thing. There had to be something wrong with her. It was the only explanation. All her life then she had been right. There really was something different about her but why her?
The question still hung in the air as the bell toled telling her she had arrived at her destination. The crowd immediately began to file one by one out the sliding doors as more people waited to be let into the small cab. She quickly joined the crowd. Glad to have an excuse not to think more on the subject of her hallucination. It was just another thing she would have to think about when she got home. What could one more thing hurt? She had so many problems already that it really didn't seem to matter that much anymore. Her life was screwed up anyway.
A sigh escaped her lips as she located the stairs that led to the surface world and to her apartments. Luckily for her the apartment she lived in was just near the subway so it would take only a moment to finally reach her apartment where she could finally have some rest. The crowd relentlessly pushed her onwards towards the exit as if it were the only escape from a raging monster. Finally when the crown began to die she found herself standing along side the road adjacent to her apartment. The stars no longer visible for dark clouds now covered the sky. It would start to rain soon. She had to get to her apartment before then or she would be soaked from head to toe. Mitsuko did not hesitate but crossed the road and headed towards a large red brick building that was her home. The first drop of rain gently landed on her cheek as she looked back up to the heavens. The storm would soon be upon her. She quickened her pace and just managed to dodge the hefty man with his brief case as he trudged along past her without a thought for those around him. Mitsuko ignored this and kept to her path. If she had known a storm was coming then she would have took the earlier train. There was no point in thinking on the past. Past only brought pain.
The first thing Mitsuko noticed that struck her as odd was the two vans parked along side each other near the stone steps that led into the apartment building. Second was the light shining from the second story apartment that belonged to her. Every time she left the house she always turned the lights out. Why were they on now? Could she have left them on when she left? She had been in a hurry so it was possible. Mitsuko crossed the final road pathway that stood in her way and felt her feet touch the cement of the sidewalk so close to the shelter she wished to achieve. The small droplets of rain were now falling steadily and the only light that could be seen was from her own apartment. It was not yet dark enough for the street lights to come on so everything was bathed in darkness. Something was still wrong about this picture. Why were there two black vans parked side by side next to the stone steps where she was heading. From the dim light of what was left of the day she could see that there were still figures inside the vehicles. What were they doing in there? Could they be visiting someone in the apartment? No. Not this late and if they were they wouldn't just sit in there vehicles as if they were waiting for something. Waiting for something.....maybe they were but what? Every part of her screamed to just run but she did not move. There was nothing to fear. This was her apartment and she had no relation to them. Other people lived in the apartments as well so it was quite unlikely that one of them was looking for her.
Suddenly the doors to the vans opened and four men climbed out unto the streets, two from each car. They wore nothing but black suits and ties and looked to be business men but just from first glance she could already tell they were not. They were well built men who looked as if they were ready for anything and from the bulges in there coat pockets it was obvious they carried guns. The first of the four men to exit the first van took a step in her direction, a smile spread across his slightly handsome face. He wore black sunglasses and had dark brown hair. Just from the grin on his face she could tell he meant business.
"Excuse me Miss! Might you perchance be Miss Moriyama.......Mitsuko Moriyama? We have been looking for you for some time." The man gave a soft smile as he took a step towards her direction. She could feel her hands begin to shake as she stared at the other men behind the supposed leader. They all looked ready and willing to take her down if necessary. Why did they want her? She had to be mistaken.
"I......I am Miss Moriyama........what is it you want with me?" Her voice was nothing but a whisper as she involuntarily took a step back from the advancing men. A part of her wanted to scream but she knew that it would be no use. No one would hear her and no one would come even if they did. This could be a dangerous city and not many people would try to help just one defenseless girl.
"We just want to talk with you for a moment.....could you please come over here with us? It wont take long." The man's voice became suddenly colder as if he were impatient for something. Mitsuko looked behind her towards the street ahead. There were ally ways galore. There could be any number of those men hiding in them. She knew now that they meant her harm but she had no clue where she could flee to. If only there was a police station close by she could go there but unfortunately for her the chances of her escape was very low. Her very soul cried out to run but her legs would not move. No matter how hard she tried she could not move. It was as if fear itself had its icy grip on her heart. Finally it seemed the man's patience ran thin and he motioned for the three men to head forwards. Even then her feet would not budge. Just as all seemed lost a familiar voice spoke softly in her ear. A voice she could not recognize but that seemed all to familiar to her. She had to strain just to make out what the voice said but even so it seemed to loosen the grip that held hr legs in place.
~Run Mitsuko!~
Mitsuko obeyed without question. Her feet carried her away in a blur of speed that even she did not know she possessed. The very gracefulness of her movements sent a strange thrill through her core and she through her head back in laughter. She felt a strange power inside take hold that she had never knew was there. With ease she found herself running like a gazelle down the streets of Tokyo with the men close behind. But at that moment it seemed as if they were a world away.

Chapter Six

Mitsuko's Savior

Mitsuko ran quickly down an abandoned street as fast as her legs would carry her. She could sense the men were not far behind and all she knew was she had to run. If she stopped now she would surely be captured and who knew what they had planned for her. A part of her told her this was all foolish. They had not even threatened her and yet she felt the need to run. That very need was what propelled her down the streets. That need seemed to be powered by some unknown force inside of her. A force that had always been there but had only now shown itself. She could feel it as surely as she could feel her own heart beat. What ever it was it was guiding her to someplace. She could feel a gentile tugging at her heart that told her the way. A part of her wanted to ignore the feeling but a better part of her ignored that side. What ever was to happen she would trust her instincts and not her emotions.
Rain poured steadily down, covering her already soaked school uniform and sending chills down her spine. She had to find shelter and soon or she would freeze. The water sprinkled gently on the pavement and gave the streets a light glimmer. Her feet were slipping from under her. It would only be a matter of time before she would trip and hurt herself. The street was barely even crowded and the few people who were out simply ignored the scene taking place before them. Just as they had always done. They had always ignored her and her life. Not one had tried to help. Not one.
Mitsuko turned quickly down a corner leading to the main road where most of the people still left in the rain would be. If she could get there then just maybe she would be safe. Surely the men would not cause such a scene in so much public.
Mitsuko snuck a glimpse behind her. The men were catching up. Her speed had decreased a lot ever since the rain had started. Now they stood a great chance of catching her. She had to find shelter and quickly. But where? That was the real question. Where could she go where the men could not find her? They could easily fallow her wherever she went. There was no real escape.
Suddenly a gun shot cracked through the silence of the night and struck the lamp post close by. Mitsuko let out a scream as she turned another quick corner and headed down a small street that had very little people. All thoughts of hope forgotten Mitsuko ran as fast as her legs would take her. The fear that had been threatening to overwhelm her was now flowing through her body sending her speeding down the trail. Those men were really trying to kill her......they were gonna kill her. They had fired at her. So many questions were circulating through her head. Why were they after her? What did they want? Was she going to die? So many questions she could not answer. Her only thought was to get to safety.......wherever that was.
Mitsuko turned down another path that led to a small ally way. The path was tight and could only fit a few people at a time. Rain poured down the street even harder obscuring her vision. Hopefully the path she was taking did not lead to a dead end. She had been so caught up in her need to survive that she had lost all track of where she should be going. All she knew was that she was still in Tokyo and that didn't help her much.
The air that surrounded her smelled of must and garbage and an odder she could not name. Where ever she was she was certainly not near her apartment anymore. The road was lined with garbage cans which explained the musty garbage smell but other then the rats there seemed to be no other life forms to help her. She needed to escape. She needed to live. It was more then instinct that told her this. She could still hear the voice inside her head. It was persistent and wouldn't leave her mind.
~Run Mitsuko!~ The voice cried inside her mind but she could barely hear it over the beating of her own heart. No more did she want to listen to any strange voices. She had been plagued with them in her dreams and that was where they should stay. The voice had to be her imagination. That was all, her imagination. She could now hear the voices of the men behind her over the voice inside her head.
"HEY YOU! STOP! COME BACK HERE! COME BACK OR WE'LL SHOOT!" The voices were getting louder and closer. It would only be a matter of time before they would show up and kill her.....if that was what they wanted. The fear that had been boiling inside of her was now a river of flame. She could not hold it in any longer. She had to escape. She just had to.
~RUN MITSUKO!~ The voice was now deafening inside her mind. It filled her with the need to run faster and faster. She needed to feel safety. It was the only thing she really wanted and the only thing that kept her running anymore.
Suddenly Mitsuko felt her legs give way and she fell to her knees in both surprise and fear. She had tripped over a large rock. That was what had propelled her to the ground. In desperation Mitsuko tried to stand but fell back down in pain. A throb of pain lanced through her body from her ankle to her upper body and forced a small cry to escape her lips. The men were now close. She had lost the battle for survival. She could feel her heart sink as the voices of the men drew closer. She could run no longer. She felt a small sob escape her lips and she quickly wiped away her tears. She would show them no fear when they killed her. She would show them that she would fight till the end even if she had nothing left to fight for. She had never thought it would have ended this way. She had always thought she would die like her parents. In a car accident. But not like this.
The men finally slowed there pace and stopped all together when they reached the spot where Mitsuko lay. The first man to arrive was the man who had confronted her and had also fired the gun. He had a smile spread across his face as he stood over her fallen body.
"Well, Well, Well.......you gave us quite a chase little girl but it is finally over. I must admit you tried very hard to get away......harder then most and you even dodged a bullet which not many of my victims can say......by the way my name is Hachiro Nakahata.....I thought you might want to know the name of the man who is going to take you away from your home..." Hachiro laughed loudly as the other men stopped all around him and pointed there hand guns at Mitsuko. His smile was vicious and revealed a thirst for blood that Mitsuko had never thought existed. This man would kill her without a second thought. The fear she had felt before now intensified as he took another step towards her.
"Now if you will just come with me little girl..." Hachiro lowered his hand to help her up but she instantly recoiled from it causing more pain to lance through her already damaged ankle.
"Just leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you! Just go away!" Her voice was surprisingly loud as she raised a hand in self defense. A look of anger spread across Hachiro's face and he quickly pointed his gun towards her.
"I have no time for this nonsense! Get up and come with me! This is your last warning!" Hachiro took a final step towards her. She tried in vain to recoil. The fear was now so strong she could hardly breath. She could no longer hear the guiding voice inside her mind telling her what to do anymore. All she could hear was her beating heart.
"That's it! I warned you!" Hachiro stepped back and pointed the gun once again at her unprotected body. Mitsuko closed her eyes and readied herself for the worst. She knew this was it. Her final breath. At least there would be no more responsibilities. A small bonus for her death.
Suddenly a gust of wind seemed to blow past her and she heard a thud and a soft groan. Mitsuko opened her eyes wide and looked ahead of her. Where Hachiro had been standing stood a man with a long black trench coat and shoulder length black hair to match holding a long Japanese sword in one hand and his sheath in the other. The man that was called Hachiro was laying face down on the ground with an ugly wound to the chest. Blood leaked everywhere and stained his black trench coat. Instantly the men that had accompanied him began to fire there guns at the man with all there might. With speed that no man should possess the man whirled past the bullets and scored the first of the three men in the chest with his sheath. The man let out a soft cry and fell to the ground coughing up blood as he went. Before any of the other men could react he quickly charged at them with his sword. The sheath all but forgotten on the ground by the first man. The other two men lifted there guns and tried to fire but the man quickly swung his blade in a wide ark and slashed both men in the chest. Blood sprayed out of there wounds and they fell to there knees and finally fell flat on there faces just as Hachiro had done.
Mitsuko watched all of this in a state of horror. A small trickle of blood began to stain her kimono and she swallowed back a scream as she slid unto her knees. So much blood. So much death. She could feel something strange about this man. It was as if he had an aura of power about him. He had handled those men as if they were nothing even though they had been armed with guns and he had nothing but a sword. He had killed them like they were but a pest and nothing more. The fear inside of her should have dissipated but it only grew at the sight of this new arrival. He had saved her and yet she felt as if she had more to fear from him then anything else. Such power. He had radiated such power. More so then she had ever felt before. Who was this man?
Finally the man turned to her and began a slow walk towards her, his blade held out to his side while the rain cleaned it of any traces of blood that were left over from his kill. Mitsuko pushed herself back as far as she could go and looked up into the man's brown eyes. What she saw there seemed to ease her fear slightly and she relaxed the tension in her muscles and released the breath she had not known she had been holding. She saw concern in those eyes. Genuine concern. Something she did not see often. When the man finally reached her a small smile spread across his face and he offered his hand to help her up.
"Don't be frightened....my name is Daichi. I am here to help. I heard some screams and came to see what was going on and saw those men were after you so I took care of them." Daichi's smile faded as he looked back at the men who were lying motionless on the ground where he had left them.
"There still alive but barely.....someone will surely find them and take them to the hospital but we should really leave here soon if we want to avoid a confrontation."
Mitsuko stared up at the man who called himself Daichi in both wonder and fear. She should feel happy that she was still alive and yet she felt as if she should just get up and run again. Something about him was different then most men. He had an aura of power about him. The aura that surrounded him felt familiar to her in so many ways and yet it was different.
Mitsuko looked down to the hand that was still waiting for her touch. She should take it and leave this place. She should just let him help her and leave this place of death and blood but something held her back. What if this was a trick? What if he was working for the same people who were trying to kill her? Were there people trying to kill her? So many questions......to many questions.
Mitsuko raised a hand to her forehead and whipped away the sweat that had accumulated there. She was such an idiot. The man who had saved her life was waiting for her to take his hand so he could help her get home and she was sitting there doing what!? Acting like a fool. If he had planned to kill her he would have done it already. If anything she needed his help for her ankle was still in bad shape.
Mitsuko reached up and grasped the hand that was waiting for her. The second she did so the world around her seemed to melt away and begin to change. The touch of the rain she had felt before was now gone and all she could feel was cold. The dank smelly air was replaced with the smell of chemicals and other things that she remembered from her science class. The very ground she knelt on melted at her feet and was replaced with a cool metallic feeling and the walls turned a dark grey. Soon she began to realize the walls were made of metal and so was the floor. In an instant she realized where she was. She was back in her dream.
A flood of panic washed over her and she tried to stand but found she was completely paralyzed. Her limbs would not budge. More panic flooded her and she tried once again to move but to no avail. How could she be in her dream when she wasn't asleep? It wasn't possible. She had not dreamed the whole incident. She had been chased by those men. She had been saved by Daichi. All of it had happened. Hadn't it?
When she could finally see all around her she saw that she wasn't in her dream but in a room similar to it. The walls and floor were made entirely of metal and there were computers that lined the walls. The one major difference was that there was a young woman with red hair tied back in a ponytail standing in front of a large incubator like object to the far left of the room. Her eyes held the look of one who has not slept in a long time and her hands darted from a clipboard held at her waist to the controls on the incubator's glass and metal frame. A lone figure resided within the incubator. She could not make out clearly the man's face but she could tell he was a man. She could also tell he was muscular and took up nearly all of the space within the glass chamber.
As if reacting to her will the whole room seemed to lurch forward towards the incubator so she could finally make out who this man was inside the machine. When her eyes fell on the man's face she let out a scream that seemed to shake the very foundations of the room she sat in. Instantly the room melted away from her and faded back to the cold street where Daichi still held her hand. Daichi. The man she had seen in the incubator had been Daichi! It had been he who the red haired woman had been examining. Now she understood why she had felt such an aura around him. He was different from other people because he wasn't like other people. Maybe he wasn't even human.
Mitsuko pulled her hand away and recoiled back a few paces and caught her breath. The panic was now renewed and she could do nothing but look up at the man who had saved her. For the second time that day she had been forced to watch another vision and it had shown her the man who had saved her. Why? Why did she have to have another vision? What was the point? Why was this all happening to her?
When she finally looked back up she found Daichi was as dumb founded as her. His face revealed total confusion and he took back the hand he had held out to her.
"Are you all right miss? You seem a bit shaken up.....can I get you anything?" The look of concern reappeared as he walked gently towards her. She noticed with little interest that he had sheathed his sword. She knew she was acting like a fool. Maybe all she had seen was just a simple hallucination and nothing more. The majority of her knew this was not the case. She could not keep using that excuse forever.
When Daichi finally lowered his hand again she took it and let him help her up. She ignored the pain that resurfaced when he set her on her own to feet. He still held on to her hand tightly to help her keep her balance. Her hands were still shaking from what she had seen and all she could hope for was that he did not sense her fear. Maybe it had been a hallucination and not a vision. She had been very scared at the time so she could have made it all up. Somehow that seemed very unlikely.
Mitsuko looked over to Daichi who was now leading her back the way she came.
"I think maybe we should go to my apartment and we can figure things out from there. I don't know where you live but if those men were after you then there might still be more waiting for you at home so the safest place would be with me. Is that alright?" Daichi once again revealed concern on her part and she gave him a small smile and turned away. She knew he was right about her apartment. There was probably more men waiting there for her. Her best bet was to stick with him even if she was not yet sure if she could trust him. At this point she didn't really care what happened to her. All she wanted was to rest and forget about all of this. She needed a warm bed to sleep on and something to eat. Maybe when she woke up in the morning she could forget about all of this and go home......that is if she woke up in the morning.
She did not resist when Daichi pulled her towards the street and to civilization. At least she felt safe for the moment with him. If she could call it safety.

Chapter Seven

The Words of an Innocent

Nori stepped into the kitchen of his small apartment just as the door slammed shut behind him. He could hear a faint farewell from the outside of the door and footsteps quickly heading away. A small smile spread across his face as he set the pile of books he had been holding down on the counter top. Mitsuko had been enraged by the simple fact that he had been clueless on the subject of algebra. Since the time they had begun learning it in junior high he had never quite been able to grasp it. Many a time he had called Mitsuko over just to help him with a simple problem....simple for any other person. This case was no different from the rest. He had been having trouble with his homework that was dew on Monday and his only choice had been Mitsuko. She was the only person he knew from his math class. It also helped that they were such good friends. No regular person would have helped him on a Saturday. In a sense it seemed stupid to be doing homework on a Saturday but he had to do it. He was really bad at it and if he was gonna leave high school with good grades then he had to work hard. That was his only option.
Nori moved towards the fridge and swung the door open. He leaned forward, examining it's contents before closing the door in disgust. If he wanted something good to eat then he would have to go out for dinner again. He barely had enough money to pay for his rent and already he was scrounging for food. Ever since last year he had decided to move out on his own, away from his parents. That had been a mistake. He had thought it would be easy to live by himself with some crappy job at a run down café but as it turned out....life wasn't that forgiving. The last two years of Mitsuko's life had been spent alone so he had figured he could do the same. Now he really understood what trouble she was in. Mitsuko was always so determined and strong in the face of hardships but in truth he knew quite well how she felt. Ever since her parents had died she had stopped hanging out with her friends as much. All she ever did was go to school when she had to and to her job after school. She needed to work all the time just to stay in her parents apartment and pay the rent. It all seemed so cruel but life was like that.
With a heavy sigh Nori trudged his way towards his bedroom door. If he was lucky he might have enough spare change to get a burger at some fast food joint close by. He kept his money in the top drawer of his dresser along with his socks and undergarments. Once he had been absentminded and told Mitsuko to get some change from the drawer. When she had opened it he could remember quite well her first reaction. He smiled to himself as he remembered her scream of disgust and how she had slapped him across the head when he entered the room. Memories like that were something he would treasure when he was older.
Nori swung open his bedroom door and stopped at his dresser. A small mirror was located just above it and to his surprise he seemed to be in complete disarray. His light brown hair was messed up and his white plain shirt was all wrinkled. No wonder Mitsuko had looked at him in disgust when she had arrived. He had been that worried about hi math homework that he had forgot to actually make himself decent for company. "Can't change the past..." He mumbled to himself as he searched through his top drawer and finally to his great delight found just enough money for a burger and fries.
With a quick nudge he shoved the drawer shut and headed for the door. Just as he reached for the nob he noticed something read out of the corner of his eye. When he turned towards his bed he finally recognized what the red flash had been. Mitsuko's algebra book was lying on his bed where she had left it. She had been in such a hurry to get home that she had forgotten her book. All her notes and assignments were packed away neatly inside it. He would have to return it to her soon. If he didn't then she would have a fit. She needed those notes for Monday and he wouldn't be able to see her over the weekend. He was going to visit his parents on the other side of the city. He would only be back on Monday morning and she had said she wasn't going to school on that day. She had a dentist appointment or something along those lines.
He quickly grabbed the book from his bed and headed out into the kitchen. In truth he didn't mind returning her book to her. He loved to have any excuse to visit her even though it sometimes bothered her. It was always fun to just let himself in and see how she reacted. There was also another reason why he enjoyed visiting her that not even Mitsuko herself knew about. He kind of had a crush on her. He had only discovered this shortly after her parents had died and she had come to him for comfort. He had been glad to help her out and only then he had realized why. He wasn't sure exactly how Mitsuko felt about him but all he knew was that he had to at least ask her about it soon. He needed to know how she felt about him. Maybe he could use the book as an excuse for coming over then ask her about it.
With that decision made up he quickly slipped on his shoes and swung open the his apartment door. Outside it was pouring rain. Of all the times for rain why did it have to be now? With a heavy sigh he stepped outside into the light downpour. From the looks of things it seemed as if the rain would soon stop anyway. If he took the subway then he would be at Mitsuko's in no time. Then he could go for lunch.

Like he had previously thought it didn't take long to reach Mitsuko's house. Even less time then he had predicted. For some odd reason it seemed the subway wasn't that crowded. He had found it no problem to find a seat and ride out the rest of the way to her house. The one thing he hadn't predicted was how bad the rain storm would get. The minute he stepped off the subway and headed back up to the streets he was completely drenched from the downpour. Lightning and thunder seemed to greet him as he trudged towards Mitsuko's apartment. People with umbrellas were hurriedly making there way to there rightful homes. It seemed he was the only one who had been stupid enough not to bring a rain jacket or umbrella. The rain seemed to make the very pavement glow a dull grey and the roads were slick and dangerous.
Just as he rounded a corner he bumped into a small boy with an umbrella and a teddy bear. Almost instantaneously both he and the young boy fell back onto the wet pavement. As he was already wet he didn't really feel any anger. All he felt was worry for the young boy he had knocked over. Hopefully his mother wasn't around. Normally if something like this were to happen he would be furious but he had been stupid enough to actually go outside in the rain with no umbrella so it was his own fault.
He quickly rose to his feet and scrambled over to the young boy he had knocked over. He babbled an apology and lowered his hand to help the young boy up. In response the child quickly grabbed his bear and took the outstretched hand, a look of both fear and sadness in the child's eyes. The child's eyes.......something about them seemed to be different......... not right. The child looked down the street he had come and then looked back towards the soaking wet figure in front of him.
"The one who is key to all is in great peril.....please help her." The young boys eyes grew wide with what seemed like terror and in a flash he pulled his hand free from Nori's grasp and headed off into the night. Nori turned in surprise and just caught a glimpse of the child as he disappeared into an ally way. What had the kid said about the one who is key to all? Had he heard wrong? There was definitely something odd about that kid. He must have heard wrong. Maybe the kid was just playing some game. Kids these days seemed to be playing far more mature games then they had back in his day.
With a sigh of exasperation Nori continued on his way. He could now see the front of Mitsuko's apartment. There seemed to be two black vans parked along the road beside her apartment. Something was odd about them. No one ever parked on this road and it was unlikely that anyone would be visiting. No one ever visited those apartments. He quickly pushed away any concern. It wasn't like they were here robbing the place or something. They probably were visiting. It didn't happen often but it was possible that some people could have come to visit another patron.
Nori walked up the few steps and into the large building. As he walked past the vans he noticed there was no one in them. A small smile spread across his face. It was almost like one of those spy movies with men in black and dark scary looking cars. He moved towards the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. In moments the door swung open and he walked into the small cubicle. Music greeted him as he settled in the back of the room and waited for the elevator to stop moving. When the elevator stopped he walked out nonchalantly and headed for Mitsuko's room.
The first thing that caught his eye as being odd was the fact that Mitsuko's room door was wide open and light was streaming out. Mitsuko wouldn't be stupid enough to leave her door wide open. Perhaps she had just not noticed that her door had slipped open. The second thing he noticed that was odd was as he drew closer he could hear male voices coming from inside. It sounded as if there were at least four men inside her apartment. It didn't sound like the tv but he could not tell by just standing there. He felt like an idiot just listening to voices outside Mitsuko's room. With an effort he continued his walk and entered the room.
In an instant he felt a strong arm rap around his chest and a scented cloth was shoved directly over his mouth. He tried to scream but the cloth blocked out all sound. He could now see clearly the group of men standing in Mitsuko's apartment. There were four in total counting the one holding him down. The room itself was in shambles. They had been obviously rooting through her things. He could now feel a strange sensation within his body. He felt his limbs begin to grow weak. He realized in terror that there was some kind of sedative in the cloth held to his mouth.
The last thing he saw was a figure enter the room from behind him and shut the door before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Chapter Eight

Misery of a Lost Soul

The man who had hold of Nori's still body looked towards the other two men standing in the middle of the small apartment livingroom.
"So what do you think we should do with this kid anyway?" His words were greeted with complete silence. The two other men gave each other a perplexed look. The one closest to him gave a small shrug and looked to the door.
"The lady Aya told us only to look for traces of the girl. She didn't say anything about a kid. I guess the only thing we can really do is kill him. We can't have any witnesses. I think we can safely say that the girl isn't in here. We should soon head back. You can do the honors of getting rid of him if you know what I mean."
"Not before I have a look at him!" A female voice suddenly cut through the other man's words. A sudden chill ran through his spine and with an effort he turned himself around, still holding the young man, to face who he could only imagine would be his superior officer the lady Aya. His hunch was confirmed when a slim and beautiful woman entered the room with long flowing dark green hair and a crimson robe covering her enticing curves. Most men would have went limp in the site of her beauty but the only thing he could feel at the moment was fear.
"Yes Mam! I was just about to sedgiest that we wait for your decision Mam! You're the boss!" The man to his left who had just spoke gave a short bow and quickly turned back to his work more so to hide his embarrassment then to actually work.
"Yes I am sure that is what you were really going to do......sigh the people I have to work with." The lady Aya moved assuredly towards him with a grace no ordinary woman possessed and laid a soft hand on the boy's cheek. For a long moment she simply stared at him. Her face drawn in a look of deep concentration. All he could do was stand there and make sure not to move. If he moved even the slightest he was sure what would happen next. He would be demoted. He couldn't afford that. The Lady Aya was no one to mess with and her anger was quick to surface for no apparent reason. He had seen many a man fall under her deadly gaze. He did not want to be the next one of her victims.
Finally her gaze left the boy and centered on him. "I want him taken to the base. He might be useful to us. If he has come to this apartment then surely he knows the girl we seek. He might be able to give us the information we need. Surely Mr. Ryouiki will love to have a personal chat with this one." At that she quickly turned from him and headed towards the door. Without waiting for the others to follow he quickly fell in step behind her. It would seem that who ever this poor boy was he wasn't likely going to come out of this experience alive. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach he felt a wave of nausea come over him. If the boy even did come out of this alive he would never be the same again.

Mitsuko let Daichi help her to her feet and as assuredly as if he had known her his entire life he wrapped and arm around her waist and pulled her towards the street. Her mind was still swimming with everything that had just taken place and she was still not sure how to react. The only emotion she could grasp at the moment was fear. What had those men wanted with her? They had obviously not wanted to chat. But what was so special about her? Don't you get it? You have always been special.....in fact this should come as no surprise. Of course some strange men would chase you. Your life is weird enough. But that didn't explain why they had gone to so much trouble just to get a hold of her. All of it seemed to unreal. She was just a simple highschool girl. Nothing more........why did this have to happen now of all times?
Vaguely she was aware that Daichi was trying to say something to her. With an effort she turned her head in his direction and let her gaze fall on his deep brown eyes. His shoulder length black hair was plastered to his face from the rain and by the looks of things he didn't seem to pleased about something.
"This god damned rain! Is it ever gonna stop? At this rate we'll never make it to my apartment." Daichi spoke in almost a whisper which seemed to reverberate against the small alley way walls.
"So do you have any idea why those men were chasing you? I'd like to know if I had a good reason for saving you....although I really don't mind playing hero for a pretty young lady like yourself." His smile seemed to light up his face and for a brief moment quelled the fear that had been threatening to take hold of her. He was right to ask her that question. For all he knew she could be a wanted criminal and he could be blamed for her rescue. At the moment though she had no answer for him. She was still trying to figure things out for herself.
With a soft sigh Mitsuko turned her head away from Daichi's searching gaze and concentrated on the side walk just ahead of them. She needed time to think. If only she could make it back to her apartment. Oh and that's a great idea Mitsuko! Just walk back into there clutches and see what happens then. I am sure your knight in shining armor will come to save you! There could still be men searching her apartment. The very thought sent shivers down her spine. Why was she so important? That was the only question she needed answered at the moment. If she could just have that one answer then maybe she could have a little assurance.
Suddenly Daichi cleared his throat and pulled her around a sharp turn and into the busy street. The shock of all the noise hit her like a weight. She hadn't even realized they were that close to the street yet. She must have just imagined her run from those men had been longer. Fear could do that to a person.
"Well I can see my question isn't gonna be answered any time soon so I guess the only thing for it is to take you to my place and get you dried off. Maybe then you'll wanna talk. By the way I still haven't been properly introduced. May I ask you for your name. Like I said before my name is Daichi. Besides I would love to hear the sound of your pretty voice." Once again she could see the bright smile that crossed his face. That smile seemed to compel her to look him straight in the eye. Something she was not used to doing.
"My.......my name is Mitsuko." Her voice was barely a whisper but it seemed to light up Daichi's face immediately.
"A so the pretty lady has a voice....and what a voice indeed. The voice of an angel. It suits you." Daichi smiled one last time before he turned his head in the direction of the road in which they were taking as to avoid bumping into anyone as best he could. Mitsuko could feel her cheeks turning red so she quickly turned her gaze away from his. She wasn't used to all this attention. Most guys never even bothered to look at her when she entered a room but this man seemed to love grabbing her attention with his kind words. A part of her laughed at the way she felt around him but the better half feared him. Why was she getting so comfortable with him? She had seen how easily he had taken care of those men. She had seen all the blood he had shed. Oh how she remembered the way it ran across the cold earth. How it had frightened her and yet intrigued her. She had never truly seen blood run from a wound like that before. She had never experienced life trickle away like that. She never wanted to see a sight like that again.
And another thing. What had she seen when she had touched his hand for the first time. It had looked like a male figure in an incubator like object....one similar to the one she had seen in her dreams. That was something she didn't like thinking about. Why did she have those dreams? Why it is because you are special! You are different from everyone else......you don't belong in this world. No! She wasn't different....she was the same. Just a regular girl....
Suddenly Daichi stopped his steady walk and came to a halt in front of a red bricked building with a brown tiled roof.
"Home sweet home little angel. I hope you don't mind that my apartment is kinda small and cramped but at least it's dry." Without further comment Daichi pulled on the doorknob and gently helped her inside the buildings interior. The first thing she saw when she entered was the large stair case leading upwards towards three wide hallways which all seemed to connect and split off from each other. The stair case looked old and rickety but it seemed to be stable. A small desk lay in the corner of the waiting room and a young woman with glasses and dark brown hair greeted them both with a smile.
"Ah Daichi did you bring home another maiden in de-stress again? There sure seems to be a lot of them out there lately huh. I would have never thought there was so much danger afoot." The young woman gave her a small smile before going back to what she had been previously working on.
"Ah but you should realize yourself manager that in a city this size there is bound to be danger. If you ever need help I will be glad to come to your rescue." Daichi's grin seemed to spread from ear to ear as he hurriedly pushed Mitsuko towards the stairs before he could get in any more trouble with what Mitsuko could only assume was the manager. It would seem that this Daichi person was quite a ladies man. For some reason this didn't surprise her.
They quickly made there way up the large set of stairs and took the first hall which was located directly in the middle of the three halls. It didn't take them long before Daichi stopped in front of a red colored door with the number 225 on it and pulled out a small key.
"Now remember like I said......my apartment is cramped.....so don't mind the mess and make yourself comfortable while I find you something to wear until your clothes dry." Daichi gave her one last smile before turning the key and swinging the door open. When he had said cramped he had really meant cramped. Daichi gently ushered her in and set her down on what seemed like the only uncrowded chair in the room. The room itself seemed old and disheveled. Old clothes and trash lay everywhere and even the table was covered with what looked like empty beer cans. The site almost sickened her. On any normal occasion it would have but her stomach was already roiling from the past events to even care where she was. All she wanted to do was rest and try to think. If she could only go home....that was all she really wanted. She wanted to forget everything that had happened to her on this day and go back to her normal boring life. It all seemed to unfair to her but as it stood there was nothing she could do.
Finally as if from no where Daichi entered the room holding a short white one piece skirt in one hand and a small red towel in the other.
"I don't know if this will fit but it is the only thing I have that looks your size. There is a bathroom just behind that door over there if you wanna go change. I brought you a towel to dry off with." Daichi gave her a small grin and handed her the skirt and towel before turning towards a coffee pot located just behind him on a small table. She could only assume this was also the kitchen. It was hard to tell with all the clutter.
Mitsuko rose hesitantly to her feet. Her foot seemed to be well enough to walk on her own. To her relief Daichi made no move to fallow her. She moved towards the door he had said led to the bathroom. With a light tug the door came open and she quickly shut the door behind her. The room was indeed the bathroom. The walls were painted a stark white and all there was in the room was a toilet, counter, bathtub, and a small mirror. Nothing in the room seemed inviting but for once she was alone. Alone and able to think about all the things that happened and what she should do. As if on cue she felt tears well up at the corners of her eyes. Why had they chosen to appear now of all times? Why now did she have to cry? Before she could stop herself she fell to her knees and with and effort to stifle her moans she let all her emotion out in one great torrent of tears. Why was this happening to her!? ((I need my home....my friends.....my life back......))

*****YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE! NOT EVER IN THIS WORLD OF CORRUPTION! NOT NOW! NOT EVER!*****

Chapter Nine

State of Trepidation Part One

Daichi watched with little interest as the girl named Mitsuko took the clothes he offered her and headed slowly towards the bathroom. By the look on her face it was obvious she did not fully appreciate the kindness he was showing her. In fact she seemed distant, as if she wasn't really there. He supposed this was to be expected. She had been attacked by a bunch of thugs on the street. It was only natural to be a little shocked. But at the moment he did not feel concern nor pity for the girl, only wonder.
He watched as the door to the bathroom closed shut with a soft click. After a moment had passed he slowly headed towards the small stove in the corner of his apartment. The least he could do was make some tea for them both. It had been a long time since he had been blessed with a guest so he should at least make the best of it. Not that he had wanted a guest in the first place. He didn't have time to entertain company. It was little stunts like the one he had performed today that would alert those who sought him. The likelihood of remaining safe in this apartment without detection now was quite slim and it was all thanks to that girl.
Absentmindedly he reached into the nearest cupboard and pulled out a container filled with tea bags. He was quite used to this ritual for it was a regular morning occurrence. It seemed that he reached into this cupboard more often every day. He had a strange feeling that even this small comfort wasn't going to help him in the days to come. There were so many things to deal with all at once that he hardly knew where to start. The first thing he would have to do was deal with the girl. She was his immediate priority. He needed to get her back to safety. Or at least a semblance to safety. Those men looked serious and if they were from where he thought they were then this girl was in some serious trouble. She had been lucky that he had been in the area when those men attacked. She had also been lucky that he had chosen to bring along his weapons. Something he rarely did these days even though he had been told by Kasumi countless times before that he should carry them at all times. He found that his lust for battle only grew stronger when he had them with him. Something that in these reckless days must be suppressed.
Why had he chosen to rescue the girl? Perhaps the manager had been right after all. He truly did enjoy playing the hero far to much for his own good. He just couldn't resist a damsel in de-stress and in this case she had truly been in de-stress. If he had not shown up in time then she surely would have been killed. The eyes of those men had gleamed with joy at her pain. The moment he had seen them he had been overcome with the urge to fight. He had fought those men in the middle of an alley way. Something he should not have done. He was still in far too much danger yet to possibly risk drawing more attention on himself. He was only lucky that he had managed to stay on the low for the past few months. Now he had risked it all just to save a girl from some thugs on the street. He was going to get himself killed before this week was up.
The water he had set to boil began to steam ferociously in it's tin container and jarred him from his train of thought. He had completely forgotten about the tea. Absentmindedly he wondered if this Mitsuko girl even liked tea as he poured the steaming liquid into two mugs and added the tea bags. He didn't know that much about her. That being understandable since he had only known her for an hour at the most. The only thing he knew about her was that she was stunningly beautiful for her age. From her looks he could guess she was around fifteen or sixteen but her long white hair gave her a look of someone far more mature than your average highschool girl. He could still clearly remember her eyes. They had shone with a strange and unnatural light when he had first seen her. She had had that look of distance in her eyes even then. A quality he found slightly appealing.
Just as he was about to fall back into his train of thought he heard the door to the bathroom slowly creak open. With a start he looked in that direction to find Mitsuko standing in the doorway wearing the white skirt he had given her. She looked even more beautiful then he could remember. Her long white hair seemed to almost vanish against the white skirt and her eyes seemed to have cleared from there disillusion. She now seemed to be aware of her surroundings. From the looks of it she had recently shed a tear or two for her eyes were slightly red and swollen. At that moment he finally began to feel true pity for the girl. What must she be thinking? From the looks of it her whole life had been turned upside down. He knew quite well what that was like.
"Your.......your name is Daichi......am I correct?" Her voice barely rose to a whisper as she nervously looked around the room, looking as if she were seeing it for the first time.
"Yes it is little miss....or should I call you Mitsuko? Yes I think Mitsuko suits you a lot better. Your to pretty to be called by anything else." His voice seemed to boom across the small room. His words had been meant to comfort her but he could tell they had done the opposite. Mitsuko backed away a few steps but made no move towards the exit. If only Kasumi were here. She would know what to say.
"Sorry if I scared you but I guess I'm not used to having much lady company....but I guess these aren't normal circumstances." He gave her a small smile but she did not return it.
"I.......I am sorry to bother you......I should really leave....I have to go home.....I have things to do..." Her voice shook slightly as she spoke but still she made no move towards the door. It was as if her limbs were frozen in place.
"Are you crazy? You can't leave just yet...for all you know those men could be searching your apartment. Do you have a death wish? Why were those men chasing you anyway? They looked pretty serious. I'd just like to know how I can help." He looked from her to the door, almost expecting her to run. Then something came to him. Had he done the right thing? For all he knew she could be a wanted criminal. This he highly doubted but he could not afford anymore slip ups. If he was going to help this girl then he could at least find out a little bit about her first.
"I.......I don't know......may I please sit down?" As if on Que she began to wobble slightly. He quickly jumped to his feet and offered her a chair. He could tell that she still seemed to be in a sort of shock. She needed rest, it was the least he could do for her at the moment.
"Thank you.....I don't want to be any trouble....I should just go...I need to get home." Her voice quivered as she spoke and it seemed at any moment she would lose the little nerve she had left. He could tell she wasn't even registering his words. She was acting on instinct and fear. He had to reach her if he was going to get any explanation out of her.
"Listen to me...you can't just leave and go home right now...those men are probably still looking for you....for all I know they could be right outside this building...the safest thing for you to do is stay here for a while until things blow over a bit. In the meantime maybe you could explain to me what's going on...I at least think I deserve that much....don't you think?" He tried to sound as reassuring as possible but his words finally seemed to have sunken in. Mitsuko raised her head up to look at him and her eyes were now clear with understanding. He could see the fear in her eyes grow as she registered his words.
"Do you really think they could have found me this soon......I mean didn't you.....well....didn't you stop them back there? I saw what you did to them...they couldn't have walked away from something like that so soon...I'm sure I could manage to get home from here without meeting them." She seemed to be trying to reassure herself but he could see in her eyes that she did not truly believe what she said.
"You do realize that there are probably more of those goons searching your apartment at this very moment...you can't afford to go back home right now...maybe you should stay here for a few days...or you could go stay with some of your other relatives for a while....do you have any that live in the city?" He waited patiently for her response but she made no move to answer.
"Well....do you have any relatives you could stay with? Do they live close by?" He looked into her eyes and for just a moment could have sworn he saw a flash of pain there but she quickly turned away from his gaze and looked to the floor.
"No I don't have any relatives in the city....I live all alone...I should probably go to the police or something....I don't want to cause you any more trouble..." Once again her voice seemed to quiver as she spoke. Something in her eyes seemed to be distancing itself from the rest of the world. He still needed answers and from the looks of it he wasn't going to get them anytime soon.
"Listen...I need to know why those men were after you OK. I can't help you out if I don't know why they were after you in the first place. Would you please tell me what's going on!" He felt the little patience he had left begin to slip away. Why wasn't she responding? No matter what he did he just couldn't seem to get any answers from her. At this rate it would be all night before he could decide what to do with her.
Suddenly Mitsuko rose from her seat, her arms wrapped around her chest protectively. Her eyes were glistening with the beginnings of what looked to be tears. She seemed once again to have slipped into that distant world of hers as she took a hesitant step towards the door. He took a step towards her but she lifted a hand to stop him.
"I have to go now....I am going to the police and reporting those guys...I don't know what they were doing at my house and I don't particularly care....I just want to go home and go to bed....this has got to be a nightmare." She began to walk towards the door once again. Her legs seemed to want to give in and collapse but she somehow made it to the door. It took him only a strides to catch up with her and as gently as possible he swung her around to face him. Her eyes met his and he could see tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Listen to me! You aren't going anywhere! I know you're scared and everything but I don't want to see you get hurt! If you leave now you're going to get yourself killed! Do you wanna die!" He hadn't meant to yell but he could no longer contain his anger. She was just being stupid. Did she really think she could just go home and forget about all of this? He had seen people die to many times by making stupid mistakes like that and he was sick and tired of it. If he had to tie her down to make her understand then he would.
"I......please let me go.....I want to go home.." Her voice was almost a whisper but he could hear the desperation in her words.
"I'm sorry but I can't....I can't let you get hurt." This time his voice held a note of comfort but it seemed that Mitsuko was to far gone to even hear him. Instead this only seemed to make things worse.
"Please let me go.....I want to go home now..." Her voice seemed to have grown in strength but still he refused to let her go. She was being foolish. If he could only get her to sit down again.
"Let me go!" This time her voice held a note of command in it. She began to struggle futilely against his grip but he still refused to let go. He had to say something to try and calm her down or else she might end up hurting herself. If only Kasumi were here.
"I am only trying to help you OK. Just calm down and I'll get you something to eat...you must be hungry from that ordeal." He began to steer her towards but at that moment her eyes flashed with rage and it seemed that something inside her snapped.
"I want to go home! Let me go right now or you'll be sorry! Let me go! LET ME GO!"
Suddenly it was as if someone had covered the entire city in a veil of darkness. Everything around him grew black and he could no longer see two feet in front of him. He felt Mitsuko slip from his grasp and the floor give way under his weight. A rush of cold air greeted his lungs as he felt his body plunge into the nothingness that surrounded him. He desperately reached out to try and grab a hold of something but there was nothing to grab. He could feel a heavy weight spread across his chest and block out the air he so desperately needed. ((What the hell is happening?)) He needed air. He needed to find ground. He couldn't see. ((Why can't I see!?))
Just as suddenly as the darkness had appeared it seemed to dissolve around him. He could feel the ground begin to materialize beneath him and he fell to his knees in relief. The cold air and the weight that had pressed against his chest had vanished along with the darkness and he gratefully took a deep breath of air to calm his nerves. He closed his eyes tightly almost willing himself not to look around. He did not want to find out what had happened to Mitsuko. She had been in his arms until the darkness had appeared then she had vanished. Perhaps the darkness had taken her. ((Good! At least I won't have to deal with her!)) No! He couldn't think like that. He would not wish that fate even on his enemies. The cold weight he had felt. He had never experienced anything like it before. There was only one thing that could compare to the pain it had caused him and he dared not think of that place at a time like this. He still had a strange feeling that something was wrong. He could hear a beeping noise coming from all around him. Something was definitely wrong. He wasn't in his apartment anymore. With reluctance he opened his eyes and blinked to bring his vision into focus.
What met his gaze caused him to gasp in both apprehension and fear. He was directly in the middle of a room lined wall to wall with monitors. The ceiling and floor seemed to be made of polished metal. The monitors gave off a dull light that seemed to illuminate the room. There was a single glass pained window on the far side of the room that seemed to face another room. A strange red light was coming from the window. He recognized this room. He had been here before. This couldn't be what he thought it was.
He rose to his feet slowly and began to walk to the other side of the room. It took him only moments to reach his destination. He knew almost immediately what he must do. He stepped up to the window and peered into the adjoining room. Just as he did so he felt himself surge forward and the darkness returned. This time it only lasted a moment but when it cleared he was no longer standing near the window but in a completely different room. This room was more like an office and it contained a single computer. A mug of coffee was still steaming on an over crowded desk and from the looks of it the owner of the room had not been gone long. The computer screen was giving off a white light and he could just see a figure on the screen. He could not make out who this figure was for he was located once again on the far side of the room. ((What the hell is going on?)) He was definitely not in his apartment anymore. What had happened? Why was he here? He could feel a strange urge to move closer to the computer screen. It was as if he were in a dream. His body seemed to want to move on its own accord. The urge to move was becoming greater by the minute. He wanted to know who that figure was. ((Why do I feel so sick?)) He felt as if he were going to throw up at any minute. He couldn't afford to throw up. He still needed to know what was on that computer. He did not know why he had such a strong urge to find out who this figure was but he could resist it no longer. He slowly walked towards the desk at an agonizingly slow pace. He wanted to move faster but at the same time he knew he must stop. A voice inside his head seemed to be pushing him forwards. He could finally begin to make out some features of the figure on the screen. It was obviously a young woman. She had waist length hair and what looked to be a black school uniform. Something inside of him seemed to find this figure slightly familiar but he could not place where he had seen it before. Finally as he drew near he could make out the name at the bottom of the screen.

Subject Number: 0002
Documented September 14, 2007
Public Identification: Mitsuko Moriyama

"Mitsuko!"

Piczo