The rain outside of Konoju High School had been going on since noon, and it showed no signs of stopping. It was 9 o' clock, and all the students had gone home a long time ago, all of them except one.
Inside a dim classroom, a lone, solemn student sat staring at the blank chalkboard in front of him. His name was Seiji Azukarani, and he was a junior at Konoju. Seiji's hair was as black as a moonless night. His eyes had an eerie gleam about them, and they were silver to black in color, depending on his mood.
Seiji continued to sit silently inside the classroom. When the door of the classroom opened behind him, Seiji's silver eyes flicked towards the vague shadow on the wall. The fall of footsteps stopped. "I've been waiting, Ikasanata-san," Seiji said in a dull, flat tone.
Sukoro Ikasanata was a tall, lean man with dark brown hair and sharp green eyes. Sukoro's heavy footsteps came up behind Seiji and then around so that the two were facing each other. Sukoro then took a seat atop a table and stared at Seiji. There was a complete silence for a few minutes, save for the sound of the pattering rain outside.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Sukoro finally said, breaking the silence. "Are you ready for another job?" The question caused Seiji to stiffen. "Yes," he said. Sukoro nodded his head and began walking around the classroom. "Good. Shall I brief you know or later?"
"I have secured this room from intruders. Feel free to brief me now," Seiji answered quickly. Sukoro nodded his head and leaned on the wall before speaking again. "The Hell Angels are back. Their leader, Thefen, broke out of his prison under Tokyo and proceeded to release his allies. Your job is to kill Thefen and however many of his followers as you can. You must be faster than the government though; if the government gets them first, the same thing will happen again."
"What do I have to work with?"
"You've got all your usual things, and I've also found a partner for you. Come in Toujujan."
A skinny boy walked in. Though he was trying his best to act tough, Seiji could easily see that this Toujujan was thoroughly frightened. Seiji's silver eyes flicked from Toujujan back to Sukoro. "He doesn't look like much. What skills does he have?" he asked bluntly.
Toujujan blushed and shuffled his feet. Sukoro sighed. "He's not much of a fighter, but he's one hell of an expert with computers and electronics. I figured you would need someone with this type of skill on this mission."
Seiji said nothing, but nodded his head. Sukoro smiled grimly and walked away. "Toujujan is under your command now. Take good care of him; he's still an assassin in training. Good luck." With those words, Sukoro left the room.
Seiji lifted his silver eyes and gazed at Toujujan. The young boy stared at the floor and shuffled his feet. "Lift your head," Seiji commanded. Toujujan slowly lifted his head; he was biting his lip nervously. Seiji bore a hole into Toujujan's brown eyes with his stern gaze. A smirk formed on Seiji's features as he stood up and strode over to where Toujujan was shifting nervously.
Seiji was a full head taller than Toujujan, and this fact did not comfort the younger boy very much. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to kill you." Toujujan cringed when Seiji ruffled his light brown hair. "We'll make a great team. I'm sure of it."
"Toujujan, have you got any info on the Hell Angels? Or did Ikasanata-san give you to me with no info?" Seiji asked as they walked home.
For the first time since Seiji had met Toujujan, the boy smiled. "Yup! The Hell Angels are currently spread all over Japan. This group enjoys everything and anything that has to do with death and blood. If we watch the news, it'll be fairly easy to find their locations."
"That's nothing new. I consider that nothing."
Toujujan's smiled fell and he mumbled, "Oh."
Seiji reached into his drenched schoolbag and took out his house keys. Before opening the door, Seiji gave Toujujan a stern look. "Once you enter this house, you are to say nothing about our other lives. You are going to be an exchange student who will be staying with us. Understand?"
Toujujan nodded his head. Seiji looked away from the young boy and opened the door.
"Seiji! You're finally home! I was so worried about you," a short lady said while drying Seiji off with a towel. "Oh! You brought a friend home, Seiji?"
Seiji pulled the towel off his head and then said, "Mom, this is Toujujan. He's an exchange student, and he's staying with us."
Toujujan smiled at the kind lady. Seiji's mother smiled back and motioned for the two to come into the kitchen. "Oh silly me! Seiji-chan, go get something to dry off your new friend."
Seiji walked off while muttering something under his breathe that sounded vaguely like, "Seiji-chan.. hmph." Seiji's mother laughed and returned to the counter where she was distributing the food. "Honey! Dinner is ready!"
"COMING!" shouted a man from a nearby room. Seiji's father walked into the kitchen and gave his wife a hug. After the warm embrace, Seiji's father turned and grinned at the young boy. "Hello there! Are you Seiji's new friend that I heard his mother calling Toujujan?"
Toujujan smiled politely and nodded his head. "WELL WELCOME!!" Seiji's father boomed.
At this time, Seiji came back into the kitchen with a towel hanging loosely in his hand. A smile tugged at Seiji's lips as he watched Toujujan chat with his parents. After sever seconds of observing, Seiji joined in the laughter and good food.
After dinner, the Azukarani's and Toujujan went into the living room and watched television. About fifteen minutes after the four people had begun watching television, the program they were watching was interupted.
"We interrupt this program to give you breaking news. In five cities this past hour, twenty people have been killed. It appears to be the work of the Hell Angels and their leader Thefen," exclaimed the news reporter.
"People are advised to stay at home and make sure all doors and windows are secured. The police and the government have already sent men out to find this group of escapees.
"More breaking news! Six more people have been found dead!!"
As Seiji's parents gawked at the screen, Seiji drew Toujujan away. "We've gotta go now. If we don't head out tonight, this mission will be a failure!"
"But how do we get out without your parents knowing?"
"That's easy. My parents are of the oblivious type."
Creeping into Seiji's room was not hard because Seiji's parents were still glued to the screen. Once Toujujan had slipped into the room, Seiji closed and locked the door. Seiji then quickly walked to his closet and flung the closet doors open. After grabbing a small black schoolbag, Seiji closed his closet doors. He then proceeded to open the window.
Toujujan's eyes opened wide in shock. "Are you telling me that I have to jump out of this window?!" he exclaimed.
"Shut up!" Seiji hissed as he covered Toujujan's mouth with his hand. "Are you trying to get us caught?" Toujujan shook his head. Seiji glared at the young boy with his now cold, gray eyes.
Seiji then motioned for Toujujan to go out the window. It was not until after much glaring and persuasion that Toujujan leapt out the window. Seiji quickly followed and landed in a neat crouch, very much unlike Toujujan who had landed in a sprawl.
Seiji shook his head and waited until Toujujan was standing again before walking away from the house. "Come on. We've got a lot of ground to cover tonight."
Toujujan nearly had to run to keep up with Seiji's quick pace. After what seemed like hours of traveling, the black-haired teenager stopped at a shrine just outside of Tokyo. "A shrine? Are we going inside to pray?" Toujujan panted as he leaned against a nearby wall.
Seiji shook his head and proceeded into the temple; behind him, Toujujan teetered along. When Seiji encountered a wall with many engraved characters on it, he stopped. "Here we are," he murmured as his right index finger traced several of the characters.
When Seiji was done tracing, all the characters on the wall glowed before fading away. Once the characters faded the wall slide smoothly to the right to reveal a long stairwell leading deep into the ground. Once the two were inside the stairwell, the wall slid back in place, leaving Seiji and Toujujan in the dark.
Seiji quickly pressed several buttons on a panel nearby. Soon after, bright lights all along the walls lighted the stairwell; the entrance had also been locked.
Toujujan gasped in awe when he reached the bottom of the stairs. "How do you afford all this stuff?!¡¨ he exclaimed. Seiji calmly moved into a nearby room before answering. "I'm an assassin with rich sponsors. What can I say? Plus, my pay's always very nice."
"Do you only do this for the money?"
Seiji walked back into the main room with some food and drink. After placing the tray down on a table located in the room, Seiji finally answered. "No. No, I don't sell my soul just for money. A long time ago, my little brother was killed by a bunch of criminals. I swore on the day of his funeral that I would go out and perform my own type of justice. The government agencies are too slow for this job, so I take things into my own hands."
"Oh. I see," Toujujan said quietly.
Seiji nodded and motioned at the food and drink. "Help yourself. I've got to do some preparations; feel free to look about," Seiji said as he walked out of the room.
Toujujan sat alone in the eerie silence of Seiji's hideout. The boy had eaten his share of the food and drink and was now staring into space out of boredom.
The twelve-year old then remembered that Seiji had given him permission to explore. Toujujan stood up and walked down a hallway on the left side of the main room. As he continued to walk down the hallway, Toujujan could hear the soft tap, tap of a person typing. The sound made the boy nervous, but he proceeded to keep walking towards the sound.
As Toujujan turned a corner, he saw that one of the doors was slightly ajar, and light was spilling into the dim hallway. The twelve-year old inched toward the door and peered inside.
"Come in, if you want," Seiji called from inside the room. Toujujan let out a sigh of relief and went into the room. Seiji looked up briefly from the laptop screen and flashed a grim smile in Toujujan¡¦s direction. "What are you doing?" Toujujan asked.
"I'm trying to crack into the government's network, but I've run into dead end after dead end," Seiji grumbled as he creased his brow in frustration. "Dammit! Cracking codes for these stupid computers is something I've never liked."
"Well, um, can I help?" Toujujan asked tentatively. Seiji's eyes changed from gray to silver as he looked up at the younger boy. "Go for it!" Seiji said as he moved away from the desk, vacating the seat in front of the laptop.
Once Toujujan was in front of the computer, he seemed to become a totally different person. His nimble fingers flew across the keyboard as the screen in front of him filled with codes.
"For an amateur hacker, you're not bad! Yes! Security level five cleared!" Toujujan exclaimed as he continued his infiltration. Seiji stood quietly to the side and waited.
Several minutes later, a loud cheer erupted from Toujujan. "Yes! All levels cleared! Yahoo! Now then, what did you want to do?¡¨
Seiji leaned on the desk. "Get as much information about the government's actions against the Hell Angels. See if they are planning any advancements. If they are going after any certain one Hell Angel first, we'll have to get that guy first."
"No problem!" Toujujan said as he tapped away.
It was not until very late the next morning that the twosome went to sleep after finding all the information that they needed.
Toujujan awoke on a couch and found that a soft, knitted blanket had been placed on top of him. He sat up and found that he was also not in the same room that he had been in last night.
After standing up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Toujujan steeped into the hallway. To his dismay, the young boy found that he was in an unknown part of the hideout. "Looks like I'll have to find my way outta this maze," muttered Toujujan as he walked down the hallway.
Several seconds later, Toujujan heard a light, joyous laugh. "Huh? Either there's a girl here, or Seiji has a really girly laugh!"
"I heard that," Seiji said from behind Toujujan. The young boy whirled around. The brunette's face became a bright pink as he mumbled an apology. Seiji waved it off and motioned for Toujujan to go into the room where the laughter had come from.
"Seiji-kun!" said a woman with long blond hair tied in a loose braid. She glided over to where Seiji was standing and embraced the taller teenager. "Hello to you too, Sakura-chan," Seiji said as a faint blush appeared on his face.
Toujujan's mouth dropped open. "Is she Sakura Tsukinoyto? Sakura Tsukinoyto the supermodel?!" he asked excitedly, his voice becoming a high squeak.
Sakura laughed. "Yes I am. And who are you, little one?" she said, her voice as sweet as honey.
"I- I- My name is Toujujan. But Miss Tsukinoyto, why are you here? And how do you know Seiji?"
Sakura smiled and looked at Seiji with her gently blue eyes. "Your partner's adorable, Seiji-kun!"¨ The woman turned back to Toujujan. "Seiji-kun and I work under the same sponsor. We also have gone on a few missions together."
Toujujan was dumbstruck. "Japan's most famous supermodel is an assassin? But- but- but why?!"
Sakura's face darkened. "There are too many injustices in this world. These injustices, these horrid injustices! The government is incapable to stop them or do anything for that matter! The government isn¡¦t corrupt, it¡¦s just incapable of stopping these super criminals!¡¨ she shouted shrilly.
Seiji laid a comforting hand on Sakura¡¦s quivering should. "It's all right. Everything will work out."
The blond began crying silently and buried her head in Seiji's shirt. The high school student held the woman in his arms until she had stopped crying.
Sakura wiped the last remaining tears off her cheek and from her eyes and smiled at Toujujan. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break down in tears." Then she faced Seiji. "Is he coming?"
Seiji glanced at Toujujan. "I don't know. Toujujan, listen to me. Sakura has come to tell me that Ikasanata-san has discovered that the Hell Angels are all gathering tonight at Tokyo Tower. He has asked Sakura-chan and me to stop them there. Do you want to come?"
"Well, I-"
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Sakura said as she smiled sweetly. Toujujan creased his brow and shook his head resolutely. "I'm going."
Thefen was a dark, gaunt man. His hair was deep crimson red, and his were amber in color. The leader of the Hell Angels wore a black trench coat that enveloped his entire figure in its dark folds.
Another figure appeared next to Thefen. "They are coming," the man hissed. Thefen slowly turned his head to face the messenger. "Get everyone onto the tower. We shall slay anyone who comes near. We are the Hell Angels, and we shall bring Hell to earth!"
The messenger vanished back into the shadow. Thefen smirked and looked up at the Tokyo Tower that was looming before him. "Death shall come to these assassins before the sun rises again!"
The man laughed and walked into the tower to join his companions.
Seiji motioned for his companions to be silent as he peered around a fat tree trunk to look at the Tokyo Tower. As he scanned the tower, Seiji noticed that several human figures were silhouetted by the full moon.
Seiji turned to face Sakura and Toujujan. "They're on the tower. Sakura, can you pick them off from here?"
Sakura smiled and took aim with her sniper rifle. "After I fire, roll away from here. They may retaliate," Sakura whispered as her finger tightened on the trigger.
There was a click, and then all three assassins saw one of the figures fall from the tower. There was a loud shout from the tower, and bullets began whizzing over the three assassins' heads.
Sakura fired the rest of her sniper rifle's ammunition and put it down on the ground. She then drew a long, shining blade. "Whenever you give the word, Seiji," Sakura said as she glanced at the tower.
Seiji looked at Toujujan. The twelve-year old was trembling with fear. "Are you ok?" Seiji asked. Toujujan nodded and tightened his grip on the throwing knives he held in his hands. "Let's go, Seiji. Give the word!" Toujujan said through grit teeth.
"Very well then! Move out!" Seiji said as he quickly slinked towards the tower. "Toujujan, go with Sakura!"
Sakura nodded at Toujujan, and the threesome moved out.
As Seiji got closer to the Tokyo Tower, he increased his speed to that of a run. When the teenager was directly underneath the tower, Seiji drew his katana from its sheathe. "Let the slaughter begin!" Seiji breathed as he leapt onto the tower. Down on the ground far below, Sakura ran inside the tower to ride the elevator up.
"Sever the elevator cables! And block the stairwell!" ordered Thefen as he paced along the metal framework of the Tokyo Tower, his eyes following the leaping figure. There was a scramble of feet as the Hell Angels went to carry out their leader's order.
When Toujujan's finger was about to press the elevator button, Sakura drew him away from the elevator doors; there were loud, strange sounds coming from the elevator shaft. "They've cut the cables," Sakura whispered as she pushed Toujujan to safety. A second later, there was a loud crash, and small puffs of dust and dirt escaped through the crack between the elevator doors.
Sakura slowly stood up and surveyed the situation. "No doubt that they've blocked the stairwell, but it's the only way up unless you¡¦re Seiji. Come on, Toujujan; we've got a flight of stairs of climb!"
Seiji took one last leapt and cleared the metal rail surrounding the landing where the Hell Angels were located. "Fire!" Thefen shouted when Seiji barely had his planted on the ground. The Hell Angels fired round after round of ammunition as Seiji dove behind a cement pole.
Seiji's hand drifted inside his jacket and drew out a grenade. With a deft throw, the grenade exploded in the midst of the Hell Angels. At this time when the hell Angels' screams were ringing through the night, Seiji charged with his katana drawn.
Thefen moved toward the back of the Hell Angels' ranks. As he watched, the silver blade of Seiji was like a light in the darkness of the night. The number of Thefen's men was plummeting rapidly. "Retreat to the top! Our ride should be coming soon!¡¨ Thefen shouted. "Damn you Azukarani! Damn you and your little friends!"
Without another word, Thefen and the rest of the Hell Angels leapt to the top of the tower. Up above, a black helicopter hovered with a rope ladder dangling from it.
Seiji was about to follow when he heard a loud racket coming from his left. The assassin faced the door from which the noise was coming from. Suddenly the door swung open, and Toujujan tumbled out, throwing knives at ready. Soon after, Sakura ran out with her saber drawn.
"No! We were too slow!" Sakura screamed as she sliced the air angrily. Toujujan shook his head and ran to the edge of the landing. With a quick flick of his wrist, the young boy threw a set of his throwing knives at the helicopter.
One of the men in the helicopter saw Toujujan and slammed the previously open helicopter door shut. As soon as the door was closed, three thin blade tips appeared on the interior side of the metal door.
Thefen cursed and ordered his men to return fire. The helicopter door was flung open again, and the Hell Angels fired their mini-guns at the three lone figures on the Tokyo Tower.
Seiji, Toujujan, and Sakura all dived behind the metal columns forming the skeleton of the Tokyo Tower. The hails of bullets buried themselves into the metal as the Hell Angels continued their assault. "Move in closer!" Thefen shouted. The helicopter pilot obliged.
After the helicopter hovered for several minutes, Thefen ordered his men to stop firing. Tendrils of smoke rose from the nearly overheated mini-guns. "Discard those things. Use the rifles now," Thefen ordered. There was some shifting within the helicopter cabin as the Hell Angels pushed the mini-guns out of the helicopter; the mini-guns fell to the ground with a loud crash.
At this time, Seiji moved away from the column he had been standing behind and raised his katana behind his head; he was going to throw his katana at the helicopter.
One of the men in the black helicopter fired his rifle. Sakura screamed and leapt into Seiji, knocking him down. The bullet buried itself in Sakura's side as she left out a shout of agony. Seiji's katana flew into the air and feel to the ground; the blade tip buried itself in the ground below.
There was the sound of laughter, and then the sounds of a helicopter slowly disappeared.
Sakura's breathing came in short, ragged gasps. Her left hand was pressed over the bleeding wound as her right hand supported her in a sitting position. The woman winced in pain as Seiji moved her off of himself. Toujujan ran over and knelt down beside by Sakura.
Moist, red blood dripped from Sakura's wound and created a small puddle of red fluid on the concrete floor. "Sakura-san! You've been hit really badly!" Toujujan exclaimed as he attempted to put Sakura in a lying position. Seiji look away as he held the blonde¡¦s head in his hands.
"You'll be all right, Sakura-san!" Toujujan whispered as Sakura's eyes began to cloud over. Tears filled the woman's eyes and spilled onto her pale cheeks. "It was nice meeting you, Toujujan. Seiji-kun, take care of yourself. I will watch over you, may it be from Heaven or Hell," Sakura murmured, her voice barely audible.
"Don¡" talk like that, Sakura-chan," Seiji said softly as he smiled glumly as Sakura. Sakura smiled weakly and caressed Seiji's face. "Don't forget me!" Sakura's gentle hand dropped to the ground, and she was no more.
At Sakura's sides, Seiji and Toujujan wept in silence over their friend's death.
For three days, Seiji and Toujujan sat in silence inside their hideout. The two sat motionless in front of the television, which was still going on about the fight at the Tokyo Tower.
"Investigators are still trying to figure out what happened at the Tokyo Tower, and why supermodel Sakura Tsukinoyto was found dead there. It appears to be that the infamous group known as the Hell Angels were fighting someone, but who exactly is unknown. We will return with more about Tokyo Tower in a few minutes."
"Fools."
Seiji turned around and faced Sukoro with dull gray eyes. "When did you get here?" Toujujan asked flatly, his eyes lacking all their usual vigor. Sukoro shrugged and sat down in a nearby chair. "Just a while ago."
The black-haired assassin closed his eyes and creased his brow. "Why did you come here?" he asked in a tired voice. The threesome sat in silence until the news program came on again.
Ikasanata sighed and shook his head sadly as the television program showed Sakura getting covered by a white sheet. "You've got to finish the job, Seiji."
Seiji stood up abruptly and glared at the man. "Why?! Why should I?" he shouted angrily. Toujujan slowly stood up and faced the fuming Seiji. "Please. Please Seiji-kun!! Listen to him! I beg of you!" the boy said, his voice a low murmur.
Sukoro and Toujujan stood silently as Seiji glared at the two. "Fine. I'll do it, but only to take revenge for Sakura's death," Seiji finally said. "Toujujan, get that information we gathered a few days back; it'll finally come in handy."
The brunette nodded and jogged off. "I'm sorry for doing this to you Seiji. I should've never thrown you into this life. I'm sorry. I am so sorry," Ikasanata said. Seiji looked at Ikasanata with stormy black eyes. "Why didn't you do anything? Why didn't you become an assassin? Why do you let people like Sakura-chan die? WHY?!"
Seiji shook his head angrily and left the room. Sukoro sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry."
Seiji angrily grabbed his katana and slipped on his black gloves. "Let's go Toujujan!" he shouted when he passed the room where the twelve-year old was gathering his things.
"But Seiji! You don't even know where to go!"
The black-haired assassin stopped and slowly sank to the ground. "I don't know why I do this anymore. And I can't just leave this life style either. My hands are drenched in too much blood for me to just return to a normal life. And then there's you. Why did Ikasanata-san send you to me? Does he want me to teach you how to kill? The only thing you'll get out of all of this is remorse for doing what you do."
Seiji shook his head and stood up. "Get out of this life it you can, Toujujan. You are still unstained. You can return to society without the fear of your past on your shoulders."
Toujujan said nothing, but went over to the computer table and retrieved some papers. "Like you, I can't leave this life."
Seiji gazed over at the small figure. Toujujan looked over at Seiji. "Sukoro Ikasanata is my father. He asked you to train me in an indirect way so that you wouldn't have to kill anymore. After my training was done, you were to be allowed to return to your normal life. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but it¡¦s too late to take back what I said."
Seiji's mouth was slightly open with shock. "Oh my God."
Sukoro took a deep breath and rapped on the door three times. Several seconds later a red-eyed man and a teary woman answered. "Who are you? What are you doing here? How come you don't stay at home like the government advises??"
"Azukarani-san, I assume? I am Sukoro Ikasanata, and I know where your son is."
The teary-eyed woman pushed her husband aside. Tightly clenching Sukoro's hands, Seiji's mother begged, "Where is he? Where is my Seiji-chan? The police won't help us find him because they're all looking for the Hell Angels."
Sukoro removed the woman's trembling hands from his own. "I can't tell you, but I promise you that he will return home alive."
"And well?" asked Seiji's father. Sukoro look away. "I'll try, but he's in a dangerous position right now."
Seiji's mother broke down into tears. Her husband wrapped his arms around her and faced Sukoro. "We believe you."
Sukoro nodded. "I must be off if I am to be of any help to Seiji. He's a fine boy. You have my word that he will return."
Without another word, Sukoro vanished into the dark, cloudy night.
"You sure this is it?" Seiji asked Toujujan as they stood next to a run-down warehouse on the outskirts of Tokyo. Toujujan nodded his head in response after checking the small notebook in his hands. "This is it."
Toujujan shoved the notebook into his pocket and grabbed his throwing knives. Seiji unsheathed his katana and dropped the wooden sheathe on the ground. A light rain began to patter down onto the earth. "Let's go," Seiji said as he strode toward the dark, looming edifice.
"Thefen! They've found us!" shouted the sentry that Thefen had posted to watch for intruders. The gaunt man turned and fingered his handguns. "This is it. Only one of us is leaving this fight alive, Seiji. Only one."
Seiji kicked in the thin wooden board that blocked the doorway. As soon as the board hit the ground, bullets flew by the two assassins like angry bees. Luckily, Seiji had seen this coming and dived behind the side of the doorframe; Toujujan did the same. ¡§Toujujan! Gimme your throwing knives!" hissed Seiji as the onslaught continued.
"But Seiji! Do you even know how to use them?" Seiji cast his black eyes in Toujujan's direction. "Just give them to me. I'm not letting you kill anyone. I'm not!" The twelve-year old gulped and pushed the blades across the cement ground.
Seiji picked up the blades and leapt in front of the door way. In a mere second, all of Toujujan's gleaming throwing knives were buried in the bodies of those men who had previously been shooting at the assassins. Toujujan gave a shout of joy, but it quickly became a shout of horror. "Seiji!"
The black-haired assassin was kneeling on the ground with a hand gripping his left shoulder. "I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth. "But Seiji! You're bleeding rather heavily!"
"Just the shoulder. It's just a wound to my shoulder. Let's go; we haven't a second to lose!" Seiji grunted and heaved himself into a standing position. The teenager scowled and shouted, "I'm coming Thefen!" With that the assassin dashed off, leaving Toujujan staring blankly into the abandoned warehouse.
Sukoro entered the empty warehouse breathless. He looked from side to side and then ran to the left. As he ran he could here the shouts of dying men. "God, I hope that not Seiji shouting," he muttered as he ascended a flight of stairs. As he climbed he pulled out a pair of handguns from his wet trench coat.
when he reached the second floor, Sukoro did a flip into the doorway. The man's fingers rested nervously on the triggers as he surveyed the empty floor. Ikasanata gave a sigh of relief. "He's still alive." Sukoro ran across the blood-drenched floor to the next flight of stairs. When he reached the stairwell, Sukoro gasped in horror: the walls and floor of the stairwell were splattered with fresh blood. The marks on the wall appeared to be that of a person stopping and leaning against the wall. ¡§Oh no. If that's Seiji's blood, he's in serious trouble."
Sukoro clambered up the flight of stairs and found another floor filled with dead bodies. "How the hell does he do this?!" Ikasanata wondered aloud. The man ran across the floor to the stairwell. Once again there was blood on the floor and walls. From up above there were more sounds of dying men and then there were intelligible words.
"Well Seiji, I must congratulate you on making it so far. Boy, those are some nasty wounds you've got there! Here! Let me put you to rest!"
There were sounds of gunshots. Sukoro screamed and bolted upstairs.
Toujujan had gotten lost on the first floor, but he finally stumbled up to the third floor where he heard shouting and gunshots. The boy chanced a look around the doorframe and saw Seiji, Thefen, and his father fighting. Toujujan stood rigidly in spot as he looked on in horror as the three danced with death.
Thefen sneered and dropped the two handguns he was using on the ground. The man leapt behind a concrete column before anyone could do anything and yanked out a pair of uzis. With a devilish smile on his lips, Thefen aimed the guns at Seiji. "Go to Hell!"
Sukoro screamed and ran in front of Seiji just as the bullets began leaving the muzzle of the gun. Seiji looked on in horror as Sukoro absorbed bullet after bullet. As each bullet lodged itself in Sukoro's body, Thefen's smile became more and more cruel and devilish.
Finally the guns were out of ammunition. Toujujan sank to the ground and screamed. Thefen whirled around and smiled mockingly at the young boy. "Sorry little fellow! Did I kill your old man? Why don't I let you join him?!"
Thefen whipped out a pistol and aimed at Toujujan. The brown-haired boy was rooted to the spot. Thefen's finger tightened on the trigger.
"Never turn your back on your opponents!"
Thefen gurgled and fired his gun. The man looked down where there appeared to be a sword growing out of his chest. The bullet that Thefen had fired buried itself in the concrete wall mere inches from where Toujujan sat.
"You bastard! You God-damn bastard!" Thefen gasped as he sank to the ground. Seiji withdrew his blade, and Thefen lay in a crumpled, bloody heap. The man's eyes glazed over in death as he breathed his last gasp of air.
Seiji looked at the dead heap in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, he removed the blood off his blade. "It's all over," he murmured as he sank to the ground in an exhausted heap. The black-haired assassin looked blankly at the ceiling. Blood flowed steadily from his various gunshot wounds, adding onto the bloody mess that covered the floor.
Toujujan sniffed one last time and walked over to Seiji's side. "I won't let you die, Seiji-kun. My father's life will not be given in vain." The young boy looked over at the bloody mass that was all that remained of his father. "Sayonara, oto-sama."
Seiji blinked twice and found himself in a pristine, white room. All around him were pieces of medical equipment. "Hospital. Guess I'm alive." The teenager turned his head and found Toujujan snoozing with his head resting on his arms on the side of the bed. Seiji smiled.
Toujujan yawned and lifted his head. As his eyes focused, the young boy found himself looking into Seiji's silver eyes. "Seiji-kun!"
Seiji nodded. Tears came to Toujujan's eyes as he smiled at his friend's return to the conscious world. "Toujujan," Seiji said, "Please forgive me. I'm responsible for your father's death."
Toujujan shook his head. "My father gave up his life so that you don't have to kill anymore. From now on there will be no more missions or jobs; my father was the sponsor, and now he's gone."
Seiji smiled. "Thanks Toujujan. But what about yourself?" Toujujan's smile spread across his entire face. ¡"I've been adopted. I"m your new brother."
Seiji slowly nodded his head. "I've got my little brother back. I've also got peace." Seiji closed his silver eyes. "Yes, peace."