Sector 13: Residential District [10:30]
“Don’t be so nervous,” Hiro finally broke the silence between them as they walked through the street, “The officers have nailed this place before.”
Ryu smiled and waved at a woman and her child as they walked by, “I can’t help it that I’m worried. I don’t wanna be demoted to an officer...”
Hiro rolled his eyes, “We’ll be in and out in 5 minutes.”
Ryu rubbed the back of his neck and motioned to the green house just ahead, “That it?”
Hiro nodded, “I’ll take the back,” he took a step back and wrapped around the adjacent house.
Ryu took his steps carefully up to the front door of the house and knocked loudly on the door, “STAM agents open up!”
He listened closely through the door and heard glass shatter and a scream. Without hesitating he slammed his gloved fist into the door, knocking it off its hinges, and ran into the house. He saw Hiro standing in the backyard, the glass door shattered, “Hiro!”
Hiro snapped around to glare at him, “You idiot!”
Ryu was taken aback, unsure of why Hiro was angry.
“Did you expect 2 mazoku to just open the door for a STAM agent?” Hiro tugged on a metal string to show the mazoku couple he had captured tied up in the strings.
Ryu laughed nervously, “I knew you’d grab ‘em...”
Hiro groaned, “Get the cage. Let’s get out of here.”
Sector 8: Chaoshi Luu [10:25]
Aku held Kenji by the collar- her eye throbbed as it swelled with blood. She punched him in the face over and over again- wishing he would pass out.
Kenji grabbed her fist and punched her in the stomach, but Aku tightened her grip on his collar and flipped him into the bath.
“Get away from them!” Aku wearily called out as she pushed her body toward Arisa, “Get away!!” She picked her katana up from the ground and pointed it at Kyoushirou.
Kyou stood in front of Arisa, who stood in front of Mei Lin, “Look you don’t have to do this,” he glanced behind her and saw that Kenji had resurfaced from the bath, his hands groping for his spear that was just beyond his reach, “We can work something out,”
Aku slashed her blade and gave Kyoushirou a shallow gash across his arm, “I said step away from her.”
Arisa gasped and covered her mouth immediately.
Something clicked in his head at the sound of her gasp. Something about it felt so familiar, yet he couldn’t place it. Kyoushirou stood a step to the side and saw Kenji draw back his spear and throw it as hard as he could from the bath.
Aku’s senses pulled her to dodge the flying spear on reflex- even though she couldn’t see it.
Kyoushirou saw it- headed right for the shapeshifter. His instincts screamed at him to move- to act. He turned to te shapeshifter- his body moved completely on its own and wrapped his hand over her waist and pulled her over to him and to the ground.
Aku was shocked at the sight of Kyou protecting Arisa from injury, but before she could rush to save her, she knew Kenji needed to be dealt with first. She turned to him and lunged to once again attack.
Arisa jumped up from the ground- unable to think about how Kyoushirou had saved her life- to see that the spear had gone through Mei Lin. Her body no longer still, she fell to the ground, already dead. “No!” Arisa screamed and turned to Kyoushirou, “How could you do this?!?!” her body shifted back into her 00 form. She knelt beside the dead Mei Lin, “HOW COULD YOU?!?!”
Kyou stood there in shock just staring at her. I saved the shapeshifter?! Why? Why did I do that?!
Kenji pulled the small knife from his boot, holding it with a reverse grip in his clenched fists. Aku grinned slightly. He wants ya’ close eh?
She closed the gap between them, dropping her katana into the void and throwing punches at him, being careful to dodge his knife. The two exchanged blows seemingly evenly matched. Feeling impatient, Aku slammed her foot on Kenji’s.
He screamed and swung the knife at her. She grabbed his wrist using her leverage to turn him around and push him into the ground. She grabbed his head by the bun and slammed his face into the ground, knocking him out.
“HALT! We have you surrounded!!!” from the doorway stood STAM officers- their guns pointed at them.
Immediately, Aku fell into her shadow.
Arisa stood paralyzed.
“You’re under arrest...shapeshifter,” Kyou grabbed her wrist and pulled it behind her back to cuff her.
Keiko fell to her knees with a scream, finally breaking free from the paralysis. She took a deep breath and when she let it out the water from the baths flew out washing everyone into a current of water.
In the murky bath water, Aku came through the shadows to grab Arisa and Keiko.
[10:40]
The bathhouse was crawling with officers. Beneath the floor of the bath house they found a massive supply of the mazoku drug. All of the paralyzed mazoku were detained and loaded into STAM’s custody- they would be taken in for processing, testing, and executing. Mei Lin’s body was documented and Kyoushirou had just gotten off the phone with Shizune to report on their successful mission.
As he hung up he looked at Kenji, his partner that had almost killed the shapeshifter, he felt an anger boil up inside of him, “You better watch your place Kenji!”
Kenji turned to him and raised his eyebrow, “What do you mean? I did exactly what I was supposed to do.”
Kyou glared at him, his anger lashed out in place of his confusion. What had he been thinking earlier? How could he save a mazoku? “I had to dodge your attack!”
Kenji remained confused, “You looked right at me! Besides YOU didn’t have to dodge- in fact if you wouldn’t have pulled the shifter out of the way I would have had a two for one,” Kenji grinned.
Kyou’s temper flared up but he found himself, “Our mission was to capture MeiLin and you killed her!” Kenji was technically right. He had been following orders. But Kyou- he had broken orders. If he wasn’t careful he could end up jeopardizing his rank, “Just be more careful next time,” Kyou huffed as he walked away.
“Hey where are you goin?! We have to oversee the process!" Kenji panicked as Kyou waved to him as he left.
Kenji grinned slightly, “Protecting a mazoku? That’s an interesting development…”
Sector 1- STAM HQ [11:50]
Ryu and Hiro were coming back from the mazoku drop-off area of STAM. Hiro looked at his watch nervously.
“Do you have to be somewhere?” Ryu was munching on some chips as they walked.
“My mother’s Party brunch..”
“Ah...” Ryu looked away awkwardly.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
[12:00]
“Yes, yes I’m on my way now. I won’t be late,” Hiro yawned as he walked out of the STAM building talking into his phone, “No I’m not wearing my uniform to a brunch mother-”
Unlike the other agents, Hiro kept in contact with his family. His mother often hosted brunches with other political figures to help boost the reach of the Light Party and every so often Hiroto would attend as some kind of power play for his mother. All of the agents of STAM were revered and respected for the work that they do and Hiroto was no exception. Although his mother had begged him in the past to bring Kyoushirou along because he was the top agent, Hiro never did. It was a nuisance enough for him to come.
Hiroto’s mother lived in a penthouse apartment right across the street from the Government Quarter, a 4 block stretch of all the government-related buildings and offices. As he walked into the familiar building the man at the desk bowed deeply. Hiroto waved at him without looking and tapped the button for the elevator.
The lobby had a few people in it, all staring at Hiroto. Some had recognized him he was sure, but some were just curious about why the desk man would bow at someone so young like himself.
Hiroto walked into the elevator and tapped the button for the top floor. The doors started to close but were blocked by an arm that held the door open, “Ah got it!” The man in a pressed suit grinned to himself and nodded at Hiro, “Hurry up!” the man hurriedly pulled a small boy, no doubt his son, onto the elevator and hit the button for floor 12.
The man, distracted by fixing his tie and checking his hair in the bronze elevator reflection, didn’t notice his son push every single button for the elevator.
The elevator lurched to a stop and the father glared at his son, “Daniel!” he snatched the boy’s arm to pull him by his side and gave a short apologetic nod to Hiro.
Hiro sighed softly and let his head rest against the cool metal wall and listened to the uniform sounds of the elevator: huuuum, brake, ding, “floor 2”, the closing door, huuum, brake, ding, “floor 3”. It relaxed him.
He fell asleep.
Hiro awoke to his phone ringing in his pocket. His eyes opened lazily as his hand fished through his pocket, “Hello?”
“Where are you?!” his mother barked at him, “It’s been half an hour! I thought you were 5 minutes away?!”
Hiro sighed, “I’m here, I’m here-” he hung up before she could respond, yawned widely, and stretched his neck. It hadn’t been a good nap.
He hit the top floor of the elevator again and the doors opened to the small entryway. It was all white and large enough for 10 people to step off the elevator before knocking on his mother’s door. He rang the doorbell to alert his mother of his arrival and opened the door without waiting.
Nothing had changed about this place since he was a child. Everything was white: the walls, floors, dishes, frames, cabinets, furniture- all of it white.
“Oh Hiroto!!” his mother, in a white dress too tight for her and shoes too tall for her, took quick short steps over to him and escorted him to the main room where the guests were, “You all know my son, Hiroto,” she smiled widely and patted his arm as she said his name.
He bowed and held back a yawn, “Nice to see you all,”
An elderly man with round, golden glasses nodded and waved at him, “How are things at STAM lately?”
Hiroto poured himself a cup of coffee at the long table against the wall, “No different than usual.”
A young man that Hiroto hadn’t met before scooched forward to the edge of the white couch, “Ah you’re the Rank 3 disposer right?”
Hiro nodded and took a sip from his black coffee.
“Ah Hiroto,” his mother hurried over and motioned to the young man, “This is Tao Smith, a judge from the Bridge party-”
Hiro raised his brow, “The bridge party?” It was rare for his mother to even share the same air as a Bridge supporter much less allow one to sit on her couch.
She gave him a forced smile, “Now, Now Hiro. Mr.Smith has been nominated for the new Bridge party head position. You know, after that terrible news about Mr. Brown-” the group mumbled their condolences.
He nodded. It made sense now, his mother would get close to Mr.Smith’s and help the bridge party, in doing so making her own Light party look good. In the end she would throw him under the bus, scorning the Bridge Party and gaining momentum.
Tao Smith’s focus was on Hiroto, “So uh-” he stumbled, unsure what to call a STAM agent in person. Rank 3 Disposer sounded so stiff and formal, Mr.Moru felt strange considering his age,”What should I call you?”
Hiro sipped his coffee, “Hiroto is fine, I don’t mind.”
Mr.Smith nodded, “Hiroto then, what exactly is your job as a disposer?”
The other brunch goers laughed and patted Tao Smith on the back. The old man with the glasses grinned ear to ear, “Oh Tao ma boy-” he chuckled, “Hiroto is doing God’s work!”
The other brunchers nodded in agreement.
One woman with a large hat clapped her gloved hands together, “He cleans the streets of filth!”
Hiro’s mother poked her head out from the kitchen, “My Hiro keeps us humans safe from those rats!” she shuddered.
Tao’s jaw hung open in shock, “Excuse me?” his brow furrowed in rage.
The old man patted Tao’s back again, “Excuse us. You’re a mazoku lover-” the room gave a soft chuckle at his tone.
Tao stood up outraged, “Those “filthy rats” are living, breathing people! They have jobs, dreams, families-”
The gloved woman laughed, “Families! Have you seen how one of those things is born?”
The man beside her nodded, “They’re murders!”
Tao couldn’t believe how casually the room spoke of the matter. He wheeled around and saw Hiro casually sipping his coffee, hardly paying attention to the situation unfolding, “Hiroto, as an agent you must understand. You have seen mazoku, how they live-”
Hiro set his coffee down, “My job is to kill mazoku.”
Sector 27: MRPA HQ [12:05]
“I don’t want you on any more missions with the STAM members!” Keiko snapped at Arisa as they left the meeting with Hong. They had all acted calmly and explained the situation to Hong, but now that they had left the meeting room- Keiko finally let out her anger.
Arisa reeled back in surprise, “What why?!”
Keiko groaned, frustrated,“Did you not see what happened on that mission??”
Aku sighed, “You have to let her experience these things if she is ever going to be a solo agent-”
“They were putting cuffs on her!!” Keiko shouted at Aku. She turned back to Arisa, “No more. Do you understand? You’re not ready!”
Arisa bit back tears, “If you wouldn’t have walked away from us then you wouldn’t have been paralyzed to begin with!! Why am I in trouble for your mistake?!?”
Keiko huffed, she wasn’t sure what had come over her then and she certainly wasn’t ready to explain herself to Arisa, “I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger recklessly!”
A tear slipped from Arisa’s eye and she quickly wiped it away, “You don’t want me to be an agent? You don’t think...you don’t think I could protect them?”
Keiko bit her tongue. Who is going to protect the ones you care about?
Arisa felt her heart break. She had been trying so hard lately. She had been working so hard to be an agent, to make Keiko proud- but she was just in the way. She quickly turned and ran off, tears falling from her eyes.
Aku sighed and glared at Keiko, “Why do you have to be like that?”
“I’m not losing anyone else….”
Aku sighed, “You just lost 20 mazoku,” she turned and ran after Arisa.
Keiko ruffled her hair angrily as she turned the opposite direction and walked down the hall. She wanted to think about Arisa but the old man from the bathhouse was stuck in her head. Why was she drawn to him? Where did he vanish to after STAM arrived? She whispered to herself, “The true King will transcend onto the Queen Stone- and from their union shall the great evil finally fall…..what could it mean? Why does my heart race?....” she thought as she walked- the true King? She touched the scales on her face and neck as she walked; the true King.
Aku had run after Arisa almost immediately, but she was gone. Aku searched through the hallways. Why are ya lookin’ for the lil’ one? …. What’s she matter?
As she ran, flashes of her childhood flowed over her. It was just her back then. A child, alone in her room. Ya’re a loner m’ lamby you don’t need anybody else...attachments will make you weak….you will only betray them..
She wondered where Arisa would be and suddenly thought of it. She threw open the stairwell and went down a floor and threw open the door to the hall of agents. A final memory flashed, the first day she had met Keiko and Arisa after spending so long at Mr.Black’s. The two smiled out at her and welcomed her immediately. They were her first family.
“Arisa!” Aku came to a stop before her.
Arisa was sitting in front Ojii’s stone in the hall of agents. Arisa was still crying, but she tried to sniff the tears away now that Aku had arrived, “I just-”
“She’s just worried about you,” Aku interrupted, “She just doesn’t want you to get hurt...”
“I know,” Arisa sighed, “But I can’t-” she paused, frustrated trying to find the right words. She clenched a fist, thinking about how frozen she felt before Kyou. How all those mazoku were taken by STAM because she was too weak, “He was my teacher too you know?” she motioned to Ojii’s picture, “When we were little, little, Keiko used to stand outside his training rooms. She would copy what Ojii did, and I would follow along.” she crossed her arms over her knees and rested her head there, “He was my basic training coach when I finally started training…but he moved from active to recovery in just a few years.”
Aku considered this, “Kei never mentioned that…”
“She really looked up to him too. He was more than just a teacher to her…he was her mentor….”
Aku nodded, jus’ like me eyyy lamby?
“Aku!” Arisa turned to face her suddenly.
Aku jumped at her name, “What?”
“Will you train me?” She wiped the last of the tears from her eyes, “Will you help me control my shifting? I’m sure if I could just do that, maybe Kei would understand...”
Aku smiled briefly at Arisa. The look of determination on her was so pure and unyielding. ya’re just gon’ kill t’is one too ya know? “Of course I’ll train with you.”