Raphael's mind is shifting back and forth as he tries to decipher his next move. No matter which way he looks at it, either Boz and Lera are never going to stay in love or both of them are going to die, and it's all his fault....

He hears a movement to his right, but doesn't identify it. Suddenly, he feels a Taurus hand slap him across the face, knocking him out of his state of entrancement.

“Get a hold of yourself!” Miyra screams at him, her hand red from the hit. “You can fix this! Use your brain and think of something!”

Raphael rubs his cheek and then looks at Miyra with a smile, “Thanks, I needed that....” he says to Miyra for getting him out of his state of confusion. He then rubs his head as he begins to think....

After a few seconds, he shoots his head up and says “Alright, I've got it!” He points his hand at Miyra and then moves it to Boz as he speaks. “We're going to get to the location of the mugging, but Miyra, your staying behind to convince Boz to come along with us! Go down there, Give Boz a backup katana and tell him that Lera is in danger. He'll do most of the fighting and seeing him coming to her rescue, Lera will fall back in love with him!”

Miyra is struck by the unexpected order. As far as she knows about this mission, they’re supposed to be protecting these people, not putting them in danger. “You've got to be kidding me! You're seriously going to put him in harm's way to bring back the love that they have for each other!?”

“Calm down, there are going to only be a few muggers, nothing that someone trained in the art of the katana can't handle. Just give him the sword and bring him to the mugging location. It should be alright.” Raphael says before giving Miyra a salute and ordering his squad to accompany him and leaping onto another rooftop. June and Quib follow closer behind, running and jumping after Raphael and out of Miyra's visual range.

And so Miyra is left alone on the rooftop, staring down at a weeping Boz. The more she looks at him, the more she knows Raphael's plan is correct. With a sigh, she leaps off of the building and onto the streets below. She walks quickly through the open gate of Unimori High and up to the bench that Boz is sitting at.

“Boz....” she says to him in a deep tone. He looks up, his face cringing in pain. “Will you fight for her...?” she asks him, his face now showing signs of confusion.

“Wait, but who are-” he asks, his question being cut-off halfway through.

“The one you love is in danger, samurai.” she takes a katana out from her cloak and holds it out towards him. “If you truly love her, take this weapon and follow me....”

Although his brain is a mess from the earlier rejection, he is still able to make out what this cloaked figure is trying to say. “Wait, do you mean that Lera's in danger...?” Miyra nods her head, giving Boz enough of an answer. “What the hell are we waiting for then!” he says before grabbing the katana out of Miyra's hand. “Lead the damn way, lady!”

Miyra smiles underneath of her cloak at Boz's willingness to protect Lera. She nudges her head towards the school's gateway while turning and running out of it moments later with Boz following swiftly behind.

After going about a block away from the school towards Lera's house, Miyra gets a call from Raphael. While running, she reaches up and starts up her communicator. “Hey Raph, what's up?”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“We were wrong....” Raphael says back in a deep, confused tone.

“We're wrong? Wrong about what?” Miyra asks in confusion.

“These aren't normal muggers... I think we're dealing with this Japan's organized crime....” Raphael says with concern in his voice.

“Wait, organized crime!? How do you figure that? Is it by their weapons or their uniforms?” Miyra asks.

“No, I know this because there's a small army in the alleyway, all of them armed. Miyra, you need to get Boz away from the coming firefight, we'll handle this without you. As for Boz and Lera's relationship, we'll just have to figure something else out....”

“Alright, I got it! Boz, you need to go back.... What do you mean you can't go back.... Hey wait... shit! Raph, I can't stop him, he's too fast! I'll try to catch him, but I think we're headed there regardless!”

“... Just keep him safe....”

Lera wanders through the streets in her usual all-black decor, her mind in complete turmoil. The things that she had said to Boz have set a deep sadness in her heart. She never wanted to hurt him, but that mysterious man, that Guardian that had showed up the other day, has completely disturbed her feelings about Boz. A small tear drips down her right eye, her heart and her mind telling her two different things at once.

She walks down the street, not paying any attention to her surroundings, following the course that she generally takes to school. “I love him, I know I do, but that Guardian person truly does look like a bad omen towards what might happen between us....” she thinks, her mind pulled between logic and the paranormal. “If anything, I shouldn't have done that to him, not so suddenly at least. I know he deserves better than the conversation we had earlier. Boz is so nice, so cheerful, but yet very protective of me.... My god, this wasn't just a simple date... he loves me... he really does love me.... That's it, I don't care about superstitions, I love Boz and that's the end of it! When I see him at school, I'll tell him that I love him too and-”

As Lera was thinking to herself, she had walked half-mindlessly into the alleyway she takes as a shortcut to Unimori. She did not see the many men littering the alleyway, nor did she see them watching her as she walked, or see them closing into a half circle around her.

She looks up when she hears her name being called. She looks forward and sees a man wearing a tan business suit and pants and a pair of sunglasses walking towards her from the darkness of the alley. She stops in her tracks, feeling a sense of dread and soullessness coming from him. She backs up from him a few steps before spinning around, hoping to escape from his deathless stare, only to stop again when she sees the circle of thugs.

“You are an elusive one, Ms. Fuin.” says the man in the business suit. Lera spins around to look at him, not knowing of what this man's plans are. “Your father tried very hard to make you and your family invisible. Too bad your mother started spending money from his account, or we never would have found you.”

“You... what do you want? Are you here for money? I can give you as much as you wish, just let me leave.” Lera says, hoping for the best.

“Silence, little twerp!” the man says in anger. “You should learn not to talk when your elders are speaking!” The man calms himself moments later and clears his throat. “Kid, this is about cash, but right now, this is about your life! Your father borrowed a substantial amount of funds from us to start up his clothing business, but he never repaid us, and now that he is dead, we can do nothing but to take it back! Your death will be enough of a reason for your mother to give us the remaining cash from your father's company.”

“But I am a man of the hunt. I will give you five minutes to run! After which, we will chase you down and kill you. So run, Ms. Fuin, run as fast as you can from us!” The half circle behind Lera splits open, allowing Lera the ability to escape. “The clock is ticking....” the man says, pointing to the space that Lera has to escape.

With fear in her eyes, Lera begins backing up again, and then does a complete one-eighty and starts sprinting out of the alleyway. “Oh, did I say five minutes? I meant five seconds.” the man says with a satanic smile on his face. He draws out a silenced 9mm pistol from his business suit and aims it towards Lera's back.

She turns around as the man speaks and sees the barrel of the 9mm, and fear envelops her.

Then there is the sound of thunder....