JasonMay 9, 3:55 pm, Tokyo, j.a.pan
The street was quiet. There were a few people walking around, window shopping as the sun hung above them, still bright. Despite the bright light, there was a lazy vibe among the people in the street; a sort of drowsy alertness that came after a good lunch.
Slowly, a couple of dozen black sedans turned around the corner, driving in a line. The people were momentarily distracted from the displays to watch as the cars pa.s.sed by. Their windows were tinted, which only made the people more curious. Was a celebrity trying to drive around in secret?
If so, they were doing a terrible job. The cars, despite their color, windows, and speed, stuck out like a sore thumb among the sleepy shopping district. The more they moved, the more people seemed to notice them.
Eventually, as all eyes were on them, the cars all parked along the street, alongside a row of cafes and food places. Interestingly, the first of the dozen or so cars to open its door was one of the ones in the middle.
Jason stepped out of the car, and b.u.t.toned up his suit jacket. His father had taught him to always loosen the jacket b.u.t.tons while sitting down, lest he ruin the jacket. It was one of the few lessons Jason decided to pay attention to.
The rest he burned, along with the house they came in.
He grinned, noting the people all watching him. He knew his fair skin and light hair made him seem exotic here in j.a.pan, despite the fact that he grew up here. He was used to the stares now, even if they were mostly annoying. But every now and then, when Jason was feeling particularly handsome, he liked the attention.
He leaned over and checking himself out in the car"s mirror as his subordinates got out of their own cars. He slicked his hair back a little, grinning as he remembered what he had done to his old man. Ah...good memories. He finished his look with a pair of $500 sungla.s.ses, and turned to face the building he had pulled up in front of.
An internet cafe. A pretty decent one too, but not too fancy. Definitely not the sort of place you"d expect degenerates on the run.
Jason smirked. That was the weakness of these degenerates. They all thought he, and people like him, were all stupid.
"Get "em, boys."
With a single order, all the men Jason had prepared stormed the internet cafe. Jason leaned back against his car and lit a cigarette. He noted all the people around him pretending not to watch. Soon, screams and yells started coming from the internet cafe, causing the people around to start paying attention to that now.
Jason took his time, taking a long drag and blowing a puff in the air. It was only then that he noticed the No Smoking sign on the sidewalk. Funnily enough, he had been standing next to it this entire time.
For a while, he ignored the sign. Then, once he noticed the people watching him, he sighed and put out his cigarette on the sign itself. He flicked it away, then began walking into the internet cafe. It was about time anyway.
He walked into the internet cafe to find it in absolute chaos.
His men were ripping out monitors from their stalls, kicking over computers, confiscating all papers and receipts. The patrons were all being manhandled as they were moved to the back of the cafe, while a couple of his larger men dealt with the cafe owner.
"Stop this at once!" the owner cried. She was an older woman, in her late forties. How and why she had become the owner of an internet cafe, Jason couldn"t fathom.
"I"ll call the police."
That got Jason"s attention. He stopped walking towards the customers, and instead turned back to the old lady being. He grinned as he approached her, and took out something from his jacket pocket.
"I am the police," he said, flas.h.i.+ng a badge. The owner looked dumbstruck as Jason turned, showing the badge to anyone else who may be looking.
"So you all better SHUT UP AND DO AS I SAY! WE"RE OFFICIAL POLICE!"
Immediately, the screams died down. Jason"s men were still tras.h.i.+ng the place, taking what they wanted and breaking what they couldn"t. But Jason ignored them.
He was too busy watching as the people in the back of the room cowered in fear.
He struggled to contain the smile that was threatening to spread across his face. Some of the people here had their phones out, recording this. If a video got out of him enjoying this, that would be a whole nother headache.
But he let himself have a smirk. Just a little one.
As Jason walked up to the group at the back, he started looking around. All of them looked scared, tired, and nerdy. Figured. This was a gaming cafe; it was bound to be filled with geeky types.
He scanned the group, narrowing his eyes as he went over them.
"Marlon," he said, still looking at the group. Immediately, a short, j.a.panese-American man appeared beside Jason.
"Yes, Boss?"
"Did you check the bathrooms?"
Marlon checked his watch.
"They should be coming out..." Marlon started.
"...now."
On cue, a bunch of Jason"s men came out of the bathroom, frog-marching a group of people out. Jason watched as they were slowly added to the group.
Until he saw him.
A large, hairy man, with small, beady eyes like a bear. He knew that face.
Bunta Arakawa.
Bingo.
***
Sakura
May 10, 5:59 am, Tokyo, j.a.pan
Sakura grit her teeth as she dragged the monster by the tail. She had her phone to her ear as she slowly walked towards the sewer grate she had entered this place from. The stink of sewage was invisible to her, but she knew she reeked.
"Come on, pick up, pick up," Sakura muttered as she strained her arms and legs. Fresh blood slowly leaked out of her million cuts as her muscles strained from pulling the beast.
She wanted nothing more than to drop onto the floor and sleep for ten years. She didn"t even care about taking a shower of having somewhere soft to sleep.
She just wanted to rest. Just for a little.
"Hey, this is Michi"s voicemail. Just leave a message and-"
"F***!"
All of Sakura"s tiredness and frustration turned into rage, and she had to keep herself from throwing her phone. Instead, she gnashed her teeth, and focused on pulling the monster further. At the very least, she could use this anger that blocked out her aches and pains to fuel something good.
At last, Sakura had reached the manhole she had come in from.
"Gah!"
As soon as she reached the ladder, her legs gave out from under her. Sakura hadn"t been expecting that, and hit the ground hard. She groaned, her body finally, mercifully still.
If she could just rest. Her mind was clouding over, getting weaker. Her eyelids got heavier and heavier.
Just for a little. Just a little rest couldn"t hurt, could it?
It wasn"t like she could do anything at this time of day anyway, right?
Besides, she had managed to put the monster in a dream state that didn"t rely on her constant oversight. From her two days of training, Sakura was sure that the illusion mind-prison would hold for at least a week.
So it was okay to rest just a little. No one would be hurt.
Right?
Just as Sakura was about to close her eyes, she felt something vibrate in her hands.
"Ignore it," whispered the devil in her mind. "Just rest for a little. Just a little. You can get it once you"ve rested."
It was right. Sakura could get to it after a little rest. After all, she couldn"t help anyone in this battered state, could she?
It would be better to rest, then answer.
...
Sakura groaned and opened her eyes, and saw that it was Michi calling her. With herculean effort, she moved her finger to open her flip phone and answer the call.
"Sakura? Sakura, where are you?"
Instantly, a wave of pure happiness. .h.i.t Sakura, bringing tears to her eyes. She blinked, and realized that she had missed Michi. It was so good to hear his voice.
"Michi..." Sakura whispered.
"Sakura? h.e.l.lo? Is that you?"
Sakura was shocked at how weak her voice was. She tried speaking again, but her voice was hoa.r.s.e and raspy. She hadn"t noticed how dry her throat felt.
Was she really that tired? Was she really that weak? Panic began to set in, giving Sakura just a little bit more energy before.
"Michi," she gasped, wheezing. She was trying to shout, to yell, but this was all she could manage?
Thankfully, Michi seemed to hear her.
"Sakura? Is that you? Where are you?"
Sakura pulled the phone closer, groaning the whole time.
"...Sewers...under...Akihabara...near..."
She gave directions to her location.
"...need...water...and...bandages..."
"Okay Sakura, hold on, I"ll be right there!"
"...need...help...with...monster..." Sakura managed to gasp.
"Monster? Oh s*** Sakura are you okay? Stay on the line with me Sakura, just stay on the line, okay?"
"...so...tired..."
"No Sakura, that"s a bad idea! Do NOT close your eyes! Did you hit your head or anything?"
"...don"t...know..."
"What day is it?"
"...May...10..."
"Who is the Prime Minister right now?"
"...s.h.i.+nzo...Abe..."
"Okay, probably not a concussion, just stay on the line with me babe, just keep talking to me."
"...talk...hurts..."
Her eyelids were getting heavier. She tried to hold onto Michi"s voice, but it felt like it was coming from further and further away. A heavy fog was setting in Sakura"s mind, one caked in pain and lethargy.
She tried to fight it, moving her fingers, sc.r.a.ping her wounds against the ground to stimulate pain and keep her awake. The problem was that it was getting harder and harder to move even a finger, and the pain was getting duller and duller.
"...can"t...feel..." Sakura gasped. "...can"t...feel...pain..."
"Don"t worry babe, I"ve got...she"ll be able to..."
It was getting harder to speak too. And harder to hear. A high-pitched, ringing noise seemed to be resonating right in her ear, making it harder to even think.
"...help...me..."
Right before Sakura fell into the darkness, she felt a sudden rush of fresh air from above, along with a feminine voice yell something out.
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