Still unaccountably warm from what she had seen earlier, Nanoha opted to leave her jacket off. Letting it drape over one shoulder, she instead fussed over the scarf Fate was putting back on, tugging and fluffing so that it would provide the best coverage and warmth to her AVP. Nanoha would be damned if anyone else saw what she had. Fate simply stood still to let the meticulous executive adjust things to her satisfaction, this was all part of why she was in love with the woman anyway.
"There. Ready to go find toys for a toddler?"
"Lead on, O Fearless Leader." The blonde felt her hand wrapped up in Nanoha's once more and threw the woman a faint smile, "Be sure you don't let go, Nanoha-chan. I might get lost here."
"We could always meet up by the panties vending machine…" Twitted the executive, causing Fate to burst out in giggles. "Oh gods, what is even up with that thing?" Nanoha shrugged, "They're my countrymen and even I don't get it. It's just a Japanese thing, I suppose." Spotting a machine that dispensed live crabs, Nanoha distracted the blonde by pointing out a store packed full with plushies.
"That place looks promising." Making a sound of agreement, Fate grinned and ended up being the one to tug Nanoha along. Such things were deemed childish in Midchilda, and yet people of all ages were free to enjoy cartoons or toys to their heart's content in Asia. It felt so liberating to indulge in what she enjoyed and being able to do so with Nanoha was the absolute icing on the cake.
The store was packed with soft toys from all sorts of Japanese-based media. The rest of the customers browsing were adults and no one looked askance at the pair, other than to peer curiously at the tall gaijin woman who seemed to appreciate the finer things in life. Even so, she was just a passing curiosity to them; Akihabara was a Mecca to millions of anime fans around the world, not just locals, and it wasn't all that rare to find foreigners in the area, too.
"That's the one you won," Fate pointed out the Cat Bus plush that was a replica of the one she had at home. She hadn't told Nanoha that it held a special place on her bed, or that she used it for a pillow at night. Nanoha felt Fate grab her arm, "They have Mononoke Hime's Yakul as a plush!" Fate exclaimed, eyes shining at the cute little beanbag thing.
Peering at the adorable thing with soft antlers, Nanoha plucked it off of the shelf it was on. "Feito-chan needs an omiyage, too," the executive stated mildly, meaning to purchase it for Fate.
"N-Nanoha!" The blonde protested to the unhearing Japanese woman. Sighing, she threw the woman an exasperated look. Well, two could play that game. Laughing, she found a giant soot sprite plush she could barely get her arms around. Hugging it to her chest, she looked over the top of it to give Nanoha a triumphant smirk that melted her companion on the spot. Arching one finely curved brow, Nanoha lifted an arm, about to point to the humongous Yakul holding pride of place on the display shelves behind the cashier's counter. It was almost big enough to count as chair furniture.
"Aaaa! No, Nanoha! I wouldn't have space for it!" Fate grabbed at Nanoha's arm, trying to push it back down and struggling while juggling the big soot sprite she had found. A wickedly low laugh, and she was being booped in the nose with the small Yakul plush.
"Ow!" She fought back instinctively with her soot sprite and they were soon being asked to buy something or leave. Fate was mortified when Nanoha translated what the shop attendant had said. About to bow and stammer an apology, Nanoha simply plucked up another bunch of soft toys and handed them all to the staff to ring up. The significant sale seemed to have mollified the irritated staff who left to punch in the purchases into the register.
Blue eyes glinted wickedly at Fate and the blonde sighed to herself, falling hopelessly in love all over again. The only devilish part of Nanoha was her sense of humour, honestly. Cautiously approaching the cashier, Fate handed over the soot sprite for them to ring up as well, half-afraid that Nanoha would ask for the giant Yakul while she was distracted.
Gesturing to all the plushies both women had purchased, Nanoha rattled off a quick series of sentences. Taking the pen and paper presented, she wrote with her bold left-handed script and handed both back to the staff with a bow, along with her credit card. Seeing Fate's curious look, she explained, "I asked them to deliver it to the ryokan. I'll get the front desk to post everything to Operations back in Singapore. Should arrive by Monday or Tuesday with express shipping."
"You think of everything," Fate murmured, throwing the executive a grateful look. She was just wondering how she would wrestle that big plush through the airport security checkpoints and immigration.
"Part of the job," voice dry, Nanoha accepted her card back from the staff and with another bow, headed back out onto the streets with Fate. The rest of their day was spent taking in the intense sights and sounds of the district. Oceans of LED lights clamoured for attention, most flashing in time with promotional jingles that fought for primacy over their neighbouring competitors.
At one point, Fate had pulled Nanoha into a camera store, partly to escape the cacophony outside. Her new role meant that life was quite comfortable for the blonde now, and the first thing she had truly wished to get with her new hefty paycheck was a camera. With Nanoha's help translating, Fate had left the store the owner of a brand new digital SLR camera and a set of lenses to go with.
"We'll get the VAT refund at Haneda," Nanoha set a reminder in her phone. They had found a cute little cafe serving parfaits in a quiet corner of a street and were enjoying the sweet treat while Fate fiddled around with her new toy. The blonde had hardly heard her, she was so focused on learning everything right away. It was too adorable to see that look of concentration on the angel's face.
Elbow on the table, Nanoha propped her chin on her raised palm and just watched while the blonde flipped through the tiny pages of the instruction manual, "You'll go blind reading that in this light." It was evening and fairly dark with the shortening of days. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Fate conceded Nanoha's point, "You're right, and I don't have my reading glasses with me." She reluctantly put her precious haul away, "I want you for my first subject," the blonde stated plainly, digging into their kiwi and orange parfait with guilty pleasure.
Nanoha gave a faint snort, "There are more interesting things to capture, Feito-chan."
"That's for me to decide," Fate countered, "And you are the most interesting to me." That got her the lopsided smile which was one of the top things she wanted on film. The shop had already loaded in the memory card and batteries, even mounting the lens for her to try out. That service had won Fate over and she'd proceeded to purchase everything with the camera body, enduring Nanoha's teases about the blonde being so easily won over by good customer service. Thus, it was the most natural thing for Fate to bring the viewfinder to her admiring eye to capture Nanoha's smiling portrait.
"Already?" Nanoha blinked, "Goodness, Feito-chan doesn't waste time either."
"I've missed the first twenty-eight years of your life. I have a lot to catch up on," The blonde murmured from behind her camera. That got her a full bellied laugh and her shutter clicked again. "So if we grew up together as babies, you would've crawled after me with a Fisherprice camera to take pictures?"
"Absolutely," Fate affirmed, her amused voice muffled by the large SLR in her hands. Lowering the instrument, she reviewed the pictures she had taken, delighted at the quality of the images she saw. "This will do very nicely indeed."
Nanoha's smile grew indulgent at the satisfaction in the blonde's voice and she nudged a booted toe at her under the table, "Say 'ah'." They had opted to share the high-calorie treat, Fate begging out of ordering one for herself by saying her clothes were getting tight. Accepting the spoonful with thanks, the blonde was just licking away at some cream at the corner of her mouth when her tongue felt the calloused pad of Nanoha's thumb.
Snatching her hand back, the executive coughed, "S-Sorry, was going to wipe that for you." Ka-chick! That abashed look while Nanoha looked down at her offending hand was too cute to resist and Fate's instincts as a photographer had the blonde quickly snapping a picture before the executive could react.
She giggled at the outraged glare Nanoha threw her way, "If I snooze, I lose." Fate declared with a sniff, "I'm supposed to be honing my instincts for TSAB's sake, aren't I?"
"You're lucky I like you so much," Nanoha groused, prodding roughly at the parfait. "Nanoha-chan," Fate laid a hand over Nanoha's, eyes serious as she met the azure gaze that was raised to look at her. "One word from you and I will delete everything." She squeezed the executive's hand, "My wish for pictures of my gorgeous friend does not supersede your wishes for me to trash them." Fate bit her lip at her slip.
'Gorgeous? What?' Nanoha appeared to be flummoxed, wondering if she had heard the blonde correctly.
'Er, I mean, my best friend." 'Good save, Testarossa,' Fate thought sarcastically to herself.
Held by Fate's sincere gaze, Nanoha felt any hint of grumpiness melt away. "Nah." She flashed Fate a reassuring smile, "I was just being bitchy out of habit. It was… difficult to find privacy back in school." She offered Fate another sweet spoonful. "Ikeda-san really did save my hide back then. I worked some weekends at her parents', now her, shop." She shrugged one bare shoulder, "If people were going to mindlessly stalk me, I may as well lure them to Ikeda's place to help their business out."
Fate accepted the offered spoonful and stole the spoon from Nanoha to feed her a mouthful too. It felt like Fate was being fed everything at this point, she had to reciprocate or else. "You think of everyone," the blonde commented, spooning up a heaping helping and giving Nanoha a beady-eyed look until she accepted the mouthful.
"Mmm," Nanoha pondered the blonde's comment, "Maybe because I slipped under everyone's radar, being so much younger." Her voice turned droll, "Until I was mopping the dojo floor with my siblings, at least." Fate could imagine the sort of drive that would spur Nanoha into being that good, the blonde being no stranger to outside influences pushing her either.
Fate had begged off being accompanied by Nanoha to the ladies, asking that the auburn-haired woman help look after her new camera equipment instead. Idly stirring the melting confectionery, Nanoha felt her phone buzz and saw it was a call from Teana.
"Hey Tea."
"Boss! Sorry it took us so long. That guy had government help blacking out his profile. Took us all this time to get past that. His name's Regius Gaiz."
Nanoha hummed thoughtfully, unsurprised, "I figured he had some powerful backing…"
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"No, there's more. We tracked his movement, and he's in Japan…"
"What?!"
"He's an associate of Jail Scaglietti, a biochemist who was caught doing illegal genetic experiments some years back. He was granted asylum in Midchilda before authorities could get to him. Regius moves where he can't, except this time Scaglietti is with him."
A commotion outside the public washrooms drew Nanoha's attention. Parfait spoon clattering to the brick pavement, the auburn-haired woman bounded the fifty metres distance in seconds. "What happened?" She demanded in japanese. Heart sinking, Nanoha spied Fate's sunglasses lying cracked and bent on the washroom floor and feared the answer she would get. 'NO!'
"Some lady fainted inside. Her friend said she would be all right and she and another friend carried the woman out."
"What did the fainted lady look like?"
"Um, blonde, tall…"
The roar of a speeding car drowned out the bystander's words and Nanoha watched in horror as a black sedan sped down the narrow streets of the district, forcing pedestrians to spill out of its way or risk being run over.
"Shit shit shit shit…" Hastily using Fate's camera, Nanoha zoomed in and took a snapshot of the sedan's rear plate.
"Boss? Boss?! What's…"
Sticking her phone into the crook of her ear and shoulder, Nanoha ran back to drop a few thousand yen bills on her table before sprinting to where she had parked their rental car.
"Tea, Feito was grabbed."
"What the fuck?!"
Nanoha tore open the car door, stowing Fate's precious belongings into the glove compartment before connecting her phone to the car's system. The Operations manager could be heard in the background yelling for the whereabouts of her fellow manager, Subaru.
"Hook Hayashibara in," Nanoha snapped, revving her engine impatiently, "Give him this plate number. Tell him to step on toes if he has to. I'll answer for it."
Heart in her throat, Nanoha put aside the urge to scream and curse at herself for being careless. That wasn't what Fate needed right now. Fate needed her to stay calm and see this through.
"Got it, Boss. What do you need from us?"
"Accidents. Disrupt whatever accounts and payment methods Gaiz used. Witnesses said there were two women who carried Fate away." She rattled off the name of the area she and Fate had been in, "I want CCTV footage from an hour ago till now. FaceRec them and kill their cards if you can. I want all of them locked down and stuck here."
"Get back to me soon as you can." Killing the call, Nanoha punched at her phone's screen while collecting yet another speeding ticket as she raced through the evening traffic.
"Nano-chan, you're supposed to be on break…"
"Hayate, I'm just calling to warn you, I'm going dark for a while. Don't know how long. Granscenic needs to take over for me." Tires screeched as she took a turn at breakneck speed.
"...What happened?" The frown in the CEO's voice was obvious through the line.
"They took Feito!" The executive failed at keeping the choked anguish out of her voice though her body still did what it needed to get the woman to her destination.
A string of colourful curses in Osaka-ben spilled into the stark confines of the rented car. "I knew they were arrogant bastards but to go this far…"
"Warn Signum. I don't know how quiet I can keep this."
"Do what you have to. I'll let the family know."
"Thanks Haya-chan."
Pulling up outside a large traditional Japanese compound, Nanoha squared her shoulders under her leather jacket and schooled herself into calmness. It had been almost an hour's drive into the outskirts of Tokyo proper at the breakneck speed she'd been going at. Every passing moment, the auburn-haired woman could feel her soul fighting against the knowledge that she was moving further and further away from Fate, but the logical part of her wrestled the threatening tsunami into submission. Without information, she knew she'd only be charging in blind and that wouldn't help the blonde or herself.
It was so hard, though. "Feito-chan…" She couldn't break. Not now. Not yet.
The area around the compound was peaceful, surrounded by thick foliage now shedding its verdant green for the colours of autumn. The small road she had driven up had been deserted. No one would have reason to be on it, since the entire side of the hill was privately owned.
She reached up to pull at the rope hanging by the side of the wide wooden two-door entrance, a mere formality, since she knew the sound of her car would have alerted the inhabitants of the clan home. After interminable minutes, one of the doors swung open with nary a sound, a testament to the meticulous maintenance it was under.
"The prodigal scion returns." Of all the people, her own father was the last person Nanoha would've expected to have greeting her at the door. That was typically the ken of the servants or, in the case of the disgraced black sheep, maybe one of the clan's guard dogs would have been more suitable.
She wasn't here to play patsy to a decade of disappointed barbs, however.
"Otou-san," she greeted with a stiff bow, "I will not inconvenience the family for too long…"
From behind, a hand came up to whap the stern head of the family in the back of the head. "Ow!"
"Shiro! You haven't seen your youngest in years and that's the best you can do?" Stepping out past the man, a woman who looked like an older, shorter version of Nanoha appeared, foregoing all formalities to pull Nanoha into a hug. "Na-chan, it's so good to see you."
"Kaa-san…" The taller daughter took a moment to hug her mother, wondering when the woman who'd always seemed bigger felt so small now. When did she have white in her hair? Even her father looked older, wrinkles deepening the furrows that were already present in his forehead before Nanoha had taken leave of her life in Japan.
Takamachi Momoko pulled back to study the lines of tension in her youngest's face. The last time she'd looked like that was when she thought her best friend had died because of her. Save that this time, that strain appeared to have an outlet. Pulling her daughter's calloused hand, she led the woman inside, "Let's just have some tea, hai?" Instructing a hovering servant to prepare some tea and snacks, she dismissed her stodgy husband in favour of catching up with her baby.
"I appreciate it, Kaa-san, but I have to… I can't stay." Brushing past her mother, Nanoha felt her phone buzz and answered it as she strode by memory into the compound. With a smoothly powerful gait invoking a pure bloodlust that gave anyone seeing her daughter pause, Nanoha side-stepped the few brave bodies attempting to make a token effort of staying the stranger's progress. Momoko swiftly ordered the men to stand down for their sakes. A simple glance was all it took for them to identify that this woman had to be Momoko's daughter, their resemblance was that strong. Bodies initially summoned to stop the intruder now parted easily, affording Nanoha no further hindrances into the inner compound.
She could feel her parents following her, but she had no time. No time. The mantra kept repeating in her head while Hayashibara spoke over the phone, with Tea and Subaru interjecting occasionally with additional information.
"The car has been spotted in the Tsukiji area, near the Outer Market. There are some abandoned warehouses that we think they might be holed up in. We've alerted the Coast Guard about possible illegal activities in the area so they've stepped up patrols in case they try to make a run to Oshima or further. We don't think they've realised they're locked in yet, but it's only a matter of time. Out of all the warehouses, only one was rented in the last two months, it's marked on the map we've sent in the package."
The Tsukiji Fish Market was an area famous to locals and tourists alike for the seafood markets and tuna auctions that epitomised Japan's obsession with the freshest seafood possible. Less well known were the Outer Markets where other produce could also be traded for. The more remote parts of the area held warehouses built to serve the markets. After the recent pandemic, many were still left in disuse while markets attempted to recover.
"Good thinking, Hayashibara-san." Nanoha's room on the second floor of the main building in the compound appeared the same as when she'd left it years ago, a fact that she was grateful for. She slid aside the shoji doors of a storeroom built to hold the life and legacy she had abandoned for one in the corporate world, her shadowed gaze taking in war-like accoutrements and gear she had assumed she'd never need again.
"Na-chan, what…" Her raised palm cut her mother's question off, and she mouthed 'Later' to her perplexed parent. Shiro stood behind his wife, arms crossed while his youngest sought out things she had denounced through no little blood, sweat and tears so long ago. He turned silently on his heel and left.
"We pinpointed a few names that were part of Gaiz's party entering Japan." Teana added, "There were seven in total. Two of them match the women we saw in the CCTV footage. There were three other females and one male. Everything is in an encrypted package keyed to your retina." Cutting in, voice worried, Subaru said, "Boss, If they're as dangerous in real life as they are on paper... you better have back-up. Do you want me to call..."
"It's fine, Subaru," Nanoha interjected, unwilling to go down that thorny path, "I'll think of something. Thanks guys." Cutting the line, she tossed her phone onto the desk in her room. The lack of dust spoke of the consideration still afforded to the family pariah and a distant part of Nanoha was touched. She couldn't afford any distractions, however, and began to unceremoniously strip herself down to her undergarments.
Momoko watched her daughter regress into her role as the family's premier warrior and frowned. "Na-chan, talk to me."
"Kaa-san…" Her mother could see the muscle in her daughter's jaw clench. "Someone has my… best friend." Nanoha pulled on a tight mesh top, followed closely by the rest of her shinobi garments, all dyed to the darkest midnight hues. A Kevlar vest, her one concession to modern times, was velcroed on over her torso. Her long auburn hair was still in the plait Fate had tied for her just this morning and she hesitated, before ruthlessly loosening it to tie into a more functional style, securing it under the dark blue scarf and mask she proceeded to put on.
Momoko drew in a quick breath at the mention of a best friend. Nanoha hadn't called anyone that in… Since she was seventeen. She watched her baby strap on a bandolier of throwing knives over her vest before securing a belt around one thigh, and another around her waist, her movements deadly efficient and driven by a single-minded focus that was reflected in the flint shards of eyes that spelt death in the very near future. "I will replace any lost equipment when I can," Nanoha stated softly, knowing she was more of an outsider by now.
"Nonsense. Who else would use all of this?" Momoko scoffed, urging her feet forward to help her daughter adjust the straps on her gear. Eyes so reminiscent of her own settled on her, peering past the mask that rendered her child a genderless killing machine. There was unspeakable urgency in them, but she still took a moment to address the woman who had borne her. "I've missed you, Kaa-san." The face mask muffled her voice, though it didn't hide the depth of emotions simmering within the coldly efficient exterior of the executive-turned-assassin.
"And I you. We will catch up when all this is over, hai? That is my price for the gear you are taking." She smiled warmly, reaching up to tuck a strand of auburn hair back up into the scarf covering her girl's head. Nanoha's ocean blue eyes shimmered with unvoiced gratitude. Wordlessly accepting her mother's help, she felt the tightening of baldrics lining the outside of either thigh. Their solid scabbards were worn and scarred, meant to act as secondary armour should the need arise. Into both, she slid razor sharp tanto, or short swords.
Descending down a narrow back stairway into the shadows of night, a poetic illustration of the devil's return to whence it had come, Nanoha pulled up short to see three others gathered at the foot of the stairs. She easily recognised them by build and stance, if not by the insignias they sported, barely visible in the darkness. Nanoha had none of her own, claiming no ties after severing them a decade ago.
"Minna…" Everyone. Alto rough, she shook her head, "I cannot ask this of you." Her intonations were excruciatingly formal. This was not their fight.
"It's a good thing you didn't ask then, Imouto-chan." Little sister. Takamachi Miyuki's voice was full of amusement. "You disappear for years, and come back with a mission, yet you don't invite family? How rude."
Nanoha turned back to Momoko who had followed her down the same stairwell, eyes pleading for back-up. The small smile told her there was none to be found. The family matriarch had long come to terms with the dangers her husband's ancestral duties would entail. Whether it was the Sengoku Period or modern day, there would always be work that needed accomplishing in the shadows, such were the centuries-old traditions of the Takamachi clan.
"Did you think you would be allowed to act with impunity without the clan's backing?" Her father's voice was like a blade being run across a whetstone. "Foolishness."
"What your Otou-san no baka is trying to say is that you need us to help your friend with as little fuss as possible to avoid censure from the Diet." Momoko elaborated, ignoring Shiro's outraged clearing of the throat. Nanoha couldn't afford the time needed to dissuade anyone and sighed in defeat. "Please avoid being hurt at all costs."
"You forget who you're speaking to," her brother's deep voice was laced with irony. "Just don't catch us in the crossfire."
An unmarked van sat idling in the back of the compound and Nanoha clenched her jaw so hard she felt her teeth grinding. "Kaa-san… I don't want to jinx anything but…"
"I will call our associates at the hospital. Go save your friend." Giving her daughter a tight hug, she pushed the woman towards where the rest of their similarly-garbed family waited.