She poured the red wine in Her glass and looked out at the city from afar. She leaned back in Her leather chair and slowly rested one leg over the other. She quickly swung around suddenly, Her short, black hair flapping behind and then resting behind Her neck and around Her ears. She straightened the hem of Her pale blue skirt and looked down at Her telephone. She set down her glass of wine and pressed the call button, and a bit of static was heard. "Kenji-san, please come in," She said and lifted Her finger. She waited a moment and rested Her chin on Her hands. She saw a light figure, distorted through the glass. The door opened and a tall man in his thirties walked in wearing a white and blue suit. He bowed slightly in front of Her. "You called, Kasumi-sama?" "Kenji-san, I have a mission for you," she said. Kasumi reached down into a drawer at her desk and pulled out a piece of paper. She set it down on the smooth surface and slid it forwards to Kenji. He picked it up and studied it. It was a picture of a young woman his age with a flower set in her long hair and light brown eyes. "This is your sister, Sakura," he said. "Is it not?" "Yes, it's my sister," she replied. "You can find her working at the Hanada Strip Club." "What about this?" "I want you to kill her." "Yes, Kasumi-sama." Kenji moistened his lips a little. The last few missions he had been on earned him little pay. It seemed to be lessening over the past week or so. "I know you can do a simple task like this," she said. "Of course," he asnwered. "You are dismissed," Kasumi said and turned around, facing the window again. Kenji left, shoving the photograph into his pocket. Kasumi sighed, resting her leg over the other once again. She heard the door open again and a man no older than her walked in with a Togechiiku rested on his arm. His jet black hair was a little bit jagged at the end, and was longer than Kenji's, but he wore the same colors. He held out his arm and the Togechiiku flew onto Kasumi's shoulder. She slowly petted its smooth skin, and its white-tainted wings. "Hiro-kun, what were you doing with Togechiiku? I was looking for it this morning, but I didn't find it," she said and rolled her eyes to him with concern of her lost monster. "Yes, I took it with me to the local shop a few cities away. Umm, I needed it to help me get you this," he said and set a suitcase on Kasumi's desk. She turned around and he opened it, revealing the hundreds of coins and paper money bundled up in rows. "How sweet of you," she said and stood up to kiss him on the cheek. Hiroshi nodded with a smile. * The sun was starting to set over the horizon, and shadows were long and tall along the streets of the city. There, a young boy ran down the sidewalk and entered the police station. He walked into an office and clenched a piece of paper. "I've recieved word that Kasumi has sent somebody out to kill a woman." "Really? What's her name?" "Sakura. There's no given last name, but we suspect she might be working at the Hanada Strip Club." "What did you just say?!" Seyou turned around. She glared at Taichi and he stuttered for a moment, but couldn't say anything. "Answer me, boy!" "The Hanada Strip Club?" he repeated. "No, the name of the victim! What is the name of the victim?!" "Sakura?" "But... but how could this be true?" she wondered. "M-may I ask just how this is so surprising?" queried Taichi. His ibui leaned against his leg to comfort him. "Sakura, Ayame, and Botan..." mumbled Seyou. "Who?" "Kasumi's sisters. Why would Kasumi want to kill one of her sisters?" "S-sisters?" repeated Taichi. "Don't you know anything!" screamed Seyou and slapped him. She put her arms on her waist. "You have to learn about your enemies before you go out to hunt them! Has Nanako taught you anything?!" "Well, I didn't think that...." "Oh forget it, Taichi," she said with a scowl. Seiyou straightened her back for a moment and put her hand on her chin thoughtfully. "Now why would Kasumi want to kill her own sisters?" "Sibling rivalry?" said a voice. Nanako came out into the open. She tossed her hair behind her back and stood next to Taichi, gripping his hand lightly. "Rivalry?" repeated Seiyou. "What other reason?" she said. "Preposterous!" Seiyou held her hands in the air and dropped them to her waist. "Sibling rivalry couldn't lead dea-" she paused. "Or maybe it could?" Taichi looked at Nanako, who shrugged back at him and rubbed her thumb against her arm "Taichi, you have three older brothers, don't you? How do you feel about them teasing you?" asked Seiyou, and moved her face up close to his, throwing daggers with her eyes. Nanako grew a little tense and moved closer to Taichi. "My brothers don't tease me at all..." he answered. "So I couldn't tell." "Damn this!" Seiyou threw her arms and hands along her desk, knocking over a few used bullets and paper work, which landed on the floor next to Nanako's chikoriita. Taichi and Nanako stood silently, staring at Seiyou. "Well?" Seiyou glared at them. "Don't just stand there! Go out and look for Sakura!" The two stepped back, slowly at first, then quickly ran out of the building, towards the east. Seiyou sighed and sat in her chair. As the chief of the group... she got the most stress. She wondered if maybe she should have been a teacher instead of an officer. "Hard day today?" asked a man. He walked into her office and stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Very," she replied and looked up at him. His hanging hair tickled her nose and she suddenly felt so relieved. "Kasumi... she's still continuing the crime wave." "Can I help in any way?" he asked. "You don't have to do anything, Shigeru-kun," she replied. Shigeru reached down at gently kissed her cheek. "Are you sure?" "I don't know what you can do." "I can turn in Kasumi," he declared. "She doesn't seem that tough." Seiyou stood up quickly and turned to him. "She's murdered over one thousand people! By now she's got the death sentance!" "Has she killed them, or has she sent people out to kill them?" he asked. She relaxed and looked to the side, staring at a cobweb in the corner of her walls. "Well, she usually sends them out, but..." "Then I can go out to fight her," Shigeru gripped his gun and revealed it just a little. Seiyou hugged him. "I don't want you to get hurt too badly..." "I... I'm sure that my sister would be able to take care of that." * "I saw my brother walking down to the police station a little while ago," said Nanami. Satoshi let out some of his breath and crossed his arms. "Maybe I should go now." They stopped in front of the Hanada Strip Club entrance. The sun was high above them with patchy clouds drifting above. A single red autumn leaf floated down to the ground in between the two. Nanami took a step back. "I have to get back to the station anyway." It was such a beautiful day. Especially for a monday. Why did their romantic time have to be interrupted by the little things in life? A gunshot suddenly broke loose and several ear-piercing screams and gasps were heard from inside the strip club. "What was that?" wondered Nanami. "I think it was a gunshot. I'll go get Nanako and Taichi," said Satoshi, and he ran off down the street. -- Kenji placed the gun back under his jacket. "Sorry, Sakura..." he said. He didn't say it loud enough for anybody to hear but himself, as several other girls were rushing to her side. He silently left through the emergency exit. Nanami rushed in, finding Nanako and Taichi already clearing the women away from Sakura. She sat down next to the dead body and placed her fingers on her neck, waited a moment, but found no pulse. "She's dead," said Nanami. One woman, only a year younger than Sakura ran over to them with a horrified look on her face. Her hair rested at her shoulders with one streak of pink on the side. It was Botan. "Onee-san! Onee-san!" she cried out and looked up at the three. "What happened?! What have you done to her?!" "Somebody came here and killed her," answered Nanako. "I was watching, but..." "You were watching?" asked Botan. Tears started forming in her eyes, "You, a police officer was watching but all you did was stand there and wait until the murderer was gone? How could you?! You could have saved her but you didn't, you heartless bi-" Taichi grabbed Botan by the neck and slapped his hand over her mouth. "Stop yelling at her like this! We didn't arrive until after the murderer had killed her so you have no right to blame us for not saving her!" Botan struggled and managed to rip Taichi's hand off her mouth. "You could have came sooner!" "Stop it, both of you!" said Nanami. "Now's not the time to fight about this sort of thing. We need to find out who did this." "It was one of Kasumi's minions, I'm sure," said Nanako. "We heard that one of her targets was Sakura." "But isn't she Kasumi's sister?" asked Nanami. "We don't know why she'd ever want her own sister killed, but she's not kidding with this order," Taichi looked at Sakura. * Kenji walked into Kasumi's office. He cleared his throat. "Sakura has been killed." "Good job," she said and gave him one bundle of money from the suitcase. Six-hundered yen. Gee, he could buy a new monster ball with that. "Here." "Umm... thank you, Kasumi-sama," said Kenji, taking the money. He went all the way to kill somebody and this is all he gets? Wasn't it supposed to be a few thousand more than that? "Kenji-san?" said Kasumi. "I have another job for you." "Yes," he answered. Oh boy... "I want you to destroy Botan," she held out another photograph and gave it to Kenji. It was the her other sister, Botan. "Yes, Kasumi-sama," he answered and nodded. He was about to leave, but looked up at Kasumi. "May I please ask you something?" She stroked the pale skin on Togechiiku's head. "Go ahead." "Will you be expecting me to destroy Ayame next?" Kasumi laughed a little bit, but then grew serious. "No. I think that Ayame deserves to live. She was really the only sister that... ever appreciated me. Besides, I don't want you to bother looking for her." Kenji closed his eyes and left. Kasumi could feel the sorrow in him. She felt his depression with the little money she had been giving him. But she knew what Kenji had to drive by when going to the Hanada Strip Club, and that's where he'd have to worry no more. This would be his last job, and after this she would send out her next employee. * "She could have sent me to kill them both at the same time," Kenji said as he drove down street, then stopped at a red light. "It'd save me the time, and I could get both bits of money sooner. Speaking of money..." Kenji looked up at the casino. Why not? Maybe he could actually win a game or two? He shrugged and walked inside. He sat down at the small bar, resting his head on his hand. "What'll you like?" asked the bartender. A flash of pink reached his eye and he igrnored the clerk. Pink? Botan had some pink dyed in her hair... "Would... would you excuse me for a moment?" he said and stood up from the stool. He rushed through the crowd of people and to the source of the bright pink. It was thrown off into another crowd and he lost it. Well... why would Botan be at the casino anyway? Wasn't she a pole dancer? But he suddenly saw it again. It went into the girl's bathroom and he immedieatly rummaged through the bustling people and through the door. He reached out blindly, and grabbed what he thought was her hair, planning to quickly yank it back and shoot the woman in the head. The thick door shut closed and he blinked. "Pervert!" he heard and he felt a hand slap at his face hard, leaving a sharp sting in his right cheek. He looked down at the woman. It wasn't hair at all, it was a cotton ribbon at the back of the woman's dress. She wasn't even a stripper. She was holding a tray full of candy and cigarettes. "A candy girl? Wait... Ayame?" he asked. She nodded in surprise, her rich brown eyes in worry. "Who are you?" Kenji slammed his fist against the wall. "Damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen!" he shouted. "Ugh... you shouldn't be here- no, I shouldn't be here! This is the girl's bathroom and I can't get aquainted with anybody, it's against my duty!" Ayame stood silently, running her fingers through her curly hair and took a step back and a click was heard from her shoes. Kenji turned around and looked at her. "I... I'm really sorry. I really am! I didn't mean to!" he pleaded and held out his gun. "What are you doing with that?!" she screamed. "Nothing..." He threw it on the floor and slid down against the wall and to the floor. He sighed and buried his head in his arms. "Oh, I shouldn't have gone in here..." "You have that right," she said. "You know, I could call the police." "No!" he yelled. "Please, they'll find out where I work and arrest your sister!" "My sister?" she asked. "How do you know my sister?" * "Shigeru-kun! Shigeru-kun!" Satoshi ran across the street and out to Shigeru. "Nn?" he said and looked around. "Sato-kun?" Satoshi hugged him tightly, laughing a little. "Sato-kun, what are you doing here?" Shigeru asked and he nudged away Satoshi a little. "Well, what are you doing here?" he replied. "Where are you going?" "I'm doing a favor for the police," he answered. God forbid he ever mentions his affairs with Seiyou in front of Satoshi. "What would that be?" he queried. He looked up at his shadowed face. "I need to fight Kasumi," he answered and straightened himself. "Kasumi? You mean, the Kasumi? The Kasumi who's been known for her multiple murders?" Shigeru nodded. "She can't be that bad. She's probably just a woman trying to act big." "I'll go with you," declared Satoshi. Shigeru walked around Satoshi. "You? Fight? I don't think so," he said. Satoshi rushed to him, grabbing onto his arm. "Oh, come on, Shigeru-koi! You said she's not that that bad, so why would you be worried?" "Fine..." he said in aggrivation. Satoshi smiled and walked enthusiastically along with Shigeru and his Pikachu at his side just as hyperactive. "So I heard from your sister that Kasumi's minion killed a pole dancer named Sakura," said Satoshi, striking up a conversation. "And that she's Kasumi's sister." "True. Kasumi was also first seen with a man named Hiroshi. He's been missing for years," Shigeru looked down at Satoshi, who had his look of curiosity masked over him. "She probably killed him, and that may have been the start of her crime wave. There's no evidence around the area she was in." "Where was the area?" "Someplace around one of the banks in this city. All people know is that somebody had robbed the bank and shot a few people. Ah... nobody could tell if it was Kasumi or Hiroshi or really anybody." * The sun was beginning to rise. Nanako stood quietly by a corner in the window of a large office building. Kasumi's headquarters. She peered in through the glass and could see Kasumi speaking to somebody and tried hard to listen in, but it was too muffled out for her to tell. "Nanako-san?" asked a familiar voice. She turned around quickly and shushed with her finger over her mouth. Taichi was beside her. How did he get there so quickly? Through all that security? Ugh. He always was good at following her around like that. "Tai-kun, what are you doing here? Spying is strictly my job," she hissed. "That meaning no junior officers." "What? You never told me that," he said. "It was a secret. Now be quiet and wait there," she said. Taichi nodded and she started climbing effortlessly up the wall, using the cracks and window sills as her foot holds. She reached the top and dangled down a rope for Taichi. "Here." Taichi grabbed onto it and made his way up and she helped him over the railing. They silently walked over the roof and peered down at an opening. -- "Takeshi-san, I trust you will do a fine job in your missions," said Kasumi. "Yes, Kasumi-sama," he replied. "I've seen your past work... so keep it up." "Yes, Kasumi-sama," he repeated. "I'm quite sure Kenji had not completed his last task, so you'll fill in for him," Kasumi held out a copy of the photograph to him. "I want you to kill this woman." "It will be done," Takeshi answered and put the picture in his pocket. -- "Did you hear that?" asked Nanako. "She's working a pattern. I'll bet all of her sisters will be dead by tomorrow." Taichi nodded. "We should try and keep Botan at the station with us until further notice." He took out a monster ball. He opened it to let out his ibui. Taichi took out a pen and paper and started to write a note onto it, and gave it to Ibui. "Give this to Seiyou, and make sure you don't make any sidetracks on the way." "Iuu!" it squealed and crawled down the side of the wall, almost as effortlessly as Nanako. "Taichi, look at this!" said Nanako, and she pointed down to the opening. "It's Hiroshi, that missing guy that was said to have been kidnapped by Kasumi!" Taichi crawled next to Nanako and peered in, seeing Hiroshi walked in front of Kasumi. -- "You let go of Kenji," said Hiroshi. Kasumi nodded. "I know where Ayame is, and I know Kenji has been getting tired of his duties. I decided now was his time to find a new life. They'll work out just fine together, I'm sure." "You seemed so nice to him. More than the others," said Hiroshi. He rested his hands behind his back. "What? Y-you're not jealous, are you?" asked Kasumi. -- "That didn't sound very good," said Taichi. "How would Hiroshi be jealous at all?" asked Nanako. -- "As I was saying, he was growing tired," Kasumi stood up. "I wanted to be nice to him on his final days. I did the same with Tooru." "I understand." "Hiro-kun..." she placed her hands on his sides. "You know I love you." She reached out and kissed him. -- "So Kasumi didn't kidnap Hiroshi," said Nanako. "She fell in love with him?" "I feel sorry for him," said Taichi. "Well, nobody would want somebody like that witch to fall in love with them," commented Nanako. "No, I don't mean it that way," he said. "I mean, we want to hunt down Kasumi... but wouldn't his heart be broken if we kill her? He loves her too, and he hasn't done anything bad. Would he really deserve something like that?" Nanako looked up at Taichi. He had a lot of empathy for them. But what if he was right? Maybe they were actually the enemies, rather than Kasumi? What if everybody was actually evil?