A long gust of wind snapped at her long hair and coat, tossing her soft, black tresses wildly about. This sudden breeze also disturbed the neighboring foliage and the leaves rustled softly in respond, adding to the sweet melody of the night.

However, such beauty was lost to this particular individual.

Her steel cold eyes never missed any details as they scoured the sidewalks and the hospital’s parking lot for any nooks and darken corners that may harbor unwelcome guests.

It was her nature to be cautious.

Her gloved right hand slowly drew out a fine line of wire from the base of her trusty, modified Serrated Jaguar knife as she stole a cursory glance at the watch.

23:59:24

Not that she needed to do that; it came to her more as a habit than as a necessity. Keeping track of time with her mind was an innate ability; in fact, she can make do without a stopwatch.

23:59:58

Without looking, she conveniently cut the steel wire with the blade once she was satisfied with its length. After sheathing it, she flattened herself against the wall that served as her hiding place. She had chosen well for the overhanging branches and leaves had concealed it very well. Moreover, her jet-black trenchcoat made her almost invisible amongst the shadows.

00:00:00

All her senses tingled with a novel, albeit unpleasant sensation – it was an intoxicating excitement laced with a fusion of dread. She knew that her target was going to appear any moment. Bracing herself, she crouched even lower.

00:00:05

Her target came in a form of a young man in a stern looking business suit carrying a briefcase. His eyes darted around him, scrutinizing his vicinity as he hurried across the parking lot towards his awaiting jido-sha (car).

And she waited patiently for the marked man to draw nearer.

Six meters.

Four meters.

Two meters.

Then without warning, she fluidly leapt towards him in a blur, her gloved hands encircling his neck with the fine wire with such deadly accuracy. Her movements were so well coordinated that he had absolutely no time to react, let alone feel the crushing and snapping of his windpipe.

00:01:09

By the time her feet touched the ground, her victim was already dead. Sighing softly, she muttered a soft prayer before rummaging through the briefcase. Shortly afterwards, her search ended with a few diskettes and one mini CD-ROM labeled as ‘Classified’.

00:01:46

She quickly shoveled them into one of her pouches before she ran off and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Hiroaki Koshino sighed out loud; sometimes he really did not understand the person sitting beside him at all. His spiky top companion was spacing out, or put it plainly, daydreaming a lot more than usual for his comfort.

Suddenly, he detected a subtle change in his Sensei’s voice; then without thinking, he reached out in order to warn his unsuspecting pal.

Snap.

Koshino stared at him with his eyes widely opened in amazement. Perhaps he is not dreaming at all.

"Ha ha Sensei, you really aimed well, ever thought of joining basketball?" The spiky boy smoothly remarked before he opened his palm to show the white chalk she had thrown seconds earlier, "Oops, I’ve broken it. Gomen(Sorry)! Gomen!" He good naturally laughed.

The History Sensei only shook her head in defeat; it was always so hard for her to be angry with this charming boy. "I was asking the class what did they know of this person." Her slender finger jabbed at a name scrawled on the blackboard so as to emphasize her point.

He only looked at her blankly.

Abruptly, her left eyebrow alarmly shot up, "So?"

"Er……he loved fishing?"

At once, the whole of the classroom (except one) was uproar with laughter. Even the sides of the Sensei’s mouth twitched. However, Koshino only shook his head and groaned, Oh man! What the hell is he thinking about?

Riiiinng!

Once more, Akira Sendoh was saved by the bell.

Tomoyuki Uekusa suddenly nudged the person on his left with his elbow, "Heard that you nearly got your ass kicked by the History Sensei today." They were having a short break from their training and were resting on the floor.

Sendoh took another swing from his favorite drink; lemon tea. "Koshino-kun told you that? "

"You should pay more attention in class; your grades are slipping." Uekusa knew that as the next Sempai(Captain) of the team, he should be concerned about his studies; the school would certainly ban any player from the team if his performance was not up to satisfaction. "Anyway, a new student joined our school two days ago," he casually continued, changing the topic.

"So?" Aiming the empty can at a wastepaper bin a few feet away. "What does he got to do with me? " he nonchalantly replied before throwing it. The aluminum can went in perfectly.

"It is a ‘She’," Uekusa suddenly looked serious, "Actually, I heard that they are going to harass her for o-kane(money). "

Sendoh turned and stared at him in surprise, "I thought that the Principal ceased their activities a few months ago?"

"Iie (no), apparently not. I thought that you might be able to warn her about it," Looking down, Uekusa went on rather uncomfortably, "she is not what people will describe as……friendly."

Sendoh paused, thinking it over. Then he smiled, "Yoroshii(Alright)! Just leave it to me," he winked, "After all, girls are my specialty."

Sendoh strolled down the length of the busy corridor with his bag swung over his left shoulder.

As usual, this handsome teen caught the attention of all females within the area. They swarmed around him, attracted like bees to honey. Some demanded to have lunch with him, others wanted his autograph and the rest simply dropped by just to say hi.

He took it all in his stride; politely declining their offers and promising to sign his autograph next time (possibly during the next basketball competition) and all in all, he never failed to keep smiling all the while.

His tactics worked; the girls, charmed by their idol’s heart-melting smiles, finally dispersed peacefully after being satisfied by his explanation (he claimed that he was really in a hurry). Heaving a sigh of relief, he continued on with his disrupted walk.

"Long raven hair with some golden highlights." Now, that is pretty hard to miss. "Slender and of average height, fairly tanned with cold eyes"……why did Uekusa-kun say that? Cold eyes? Perhaps that is why he said that she was unfriendly, he pondered as he approached his destination.

He stepped into the classroom and glanced around; except for a few guys sitting in the back, the room was empty.

She had already left.

Disappointed, he was about to leave when one of the boys stopped him, "Hey! Looking for someone?"

He turned around, "Hai!(Yes), I was looking for……." What was her name? Er……he racked his brain furiously for it. Uekusa-kun mentioned that it was……it was……oh I give up! " I was looking for the new girl," he finally said.

Hearing this, they laughed and the guy replied, "She left with the Year 3s five minutes ago." And another cut in teasingly, "I know that she is kinda of pretty but surely she is not that attractive! " still roaring with laughter.

Year 3s? Shimata(Damn)! That could mean only one thing……

"Arigatoo(Thanks)!" Sendoh yelled before he dashed out of the room.

She calmly studied the people in front of her.

Four heavily-built but untidily dressed guys were in her presence. One of them was standing a good two feet away from her right and another was positioned slightly more to her left. The shortest one was posted by the only entrance to the rooftop, presumingly keeping a keen lookout for anyone who might disturb their business.

The last one stood menacing in front of her.

She quickly assessed this one with interest; he had a certain scowl on his face and there were a few visible long scars on his right cheek that made him looked even more threatening.

However she could tell that those scars were made by razor blades…….

……razor blades which were mundanely used for shaving; not the ones made by any types of knife she was aware of. Lacerations made by them would certainly lead to imperfect healing, with ugly uneven purplish cum pinkish regenerated flesh in-between.

And she had some over her body.

Scoffing, she realized that there was a possibility that he purposely cut himself to bestow himself with those so called ‘manly scars’.

"You are new here right? Goshimpai naku(Don’t worry), we are here to tell you the rules…….if you don’t want any troubles, just give us a daily allowance of 20000 yen." he threatened.

Motionlessly, she just looked at him with her icy eyes.

"Of course, if you don’t want this on your pretty face," he suddenly flashed out a small knife, "then you better obey."

A cheap knife, she wearily noted, with a weak blade that breaks easily. Not useful for killing or intimidating others.

The sun was streaming down and she could feel the scorching heat penetrating through the thin fabric of her uniform. The hot currents rose from the concrete floor, causing the afternoon air to shimmer a bit around her.

"Hey! Are you listening to me?!"

Decided, she looked away, ready to leave.

Infuriated, he bellowed, "Bitch! You want me to cut your f****** face?!"

Hearing this, she stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at him.

And he nearly choked on a list of vulgarities that were on the tip of his tongue.

For that glare was of such raw hatred and the primitive rage that it was enough to stop his puny intimidation. Breaking out in cold sweat, he vowed that her vehement gaze burned him more than the blazing sun.

Then she slowly reached out……

……and grasped the knife by the blade.

Bloodly slowly bubbled to the surface of her flesh and flowed freely down her right hand, making small rivulets of red along her arm as they slowly pooled on the heated ground between them……

……and swiftly twisted, breaking it by the handle.

The gangsters yelped in fright when they witnessed this unspoken challenge. All of them backed off immediately with this common thought in their mind.

She is f****** mad!

Sendoh swore.

Well, he did not normally swear but today was different. He was cursing at the gangsters for acting so fast and he was a step behind them.

He knew that they would not be happy if he showed his face; mainly because he, Koshino and the others were the ones who brought their illegal activities to the attention of the authorities when they were caught fighting on the rooftop. They had ordered a daily fee (when Sendoh demanded why, they claimed because they were doing so well in the recent competitions) from the members of the Ryonan basketball team, or else……

That was only a few months ago.

He was halfway up to the rooftop when he heard a distant slamming of the door, a general rustling of uniforms and finally the resonance of shoes (many pairs of shoes) scraping against the concrete steps echoing down the staircase.

So ka (I see). They are getting away.

He knew that it was near suicidal (well, his fighting skills was quite good) to face so many opponents (he thought that there were seven) at a time (btw, Koshino would kill him if he ever found out about this) but this narrow staircase gave him a unexpected edge; he could take on one at a time.

Smiling, he realized that it was too easy for him.

He did not have to wait long; the first one arrived in a matter of seconds.

However, instead of anticipating a fight, with his face aghast he ignored the spiky teen and dashed down the stairs. The same applied to the second, third and the finally the fourth; all of them were in such terrible haste that they had entirely overlooked Sendoh’s presence.

Was that fear written on their faces?

Almost immediately, he sensed that something was very wrong. Hasten his steps, he quickly ascended the stairs, two at a time. Once he arrived on the top, he pushed the rusty metal door open with one swift motion.

And the afternoon sun almost blinded him.

Footsteps.

Long lashed eyes narrowed.

Footsteps of someone lighter (compared to the thugs) and well-built; a male. Rapid and steadfast; possibly someone of athletic origin.

She threw the bloody blade on the floor, apparently disgusted at the gangsters’ reaction. She had deliberately broke it so as to drive home the point that she really did not find it entertaining to be disturbed. The last thing she needed was trouble from these school gangsters. Then turning her face towards the entrance, she shifted her attention to the newcomer.

Before long, the sound of the heavy door yielding so effortlessly to his shove reached her sharp ears.

Someone strong.

A tall young man standing before her quickly shielded his eyes from the glaring sunlight with his right hand.

Their companion? Somehow the thought of dealing with another troublemaker annoyed her.

Finally, after adjusting his eyes to his bright surroundings, he looked at her; and she at him.

Then he broke into a run…….

……towards her.

She took an involuntary step backward for the youth’s speed surprised her. However her vigilant eyes never left him in case her would be attacker strikes. Then she saw his face.

It was a mask of concern. Genuine concern.

"Why are you still standing here for?!" he scolded. His left hand shot out and grabbed her by her right arm, "You are bleeding!" He spun around and headed towards the doorway, pulling her behind him.

Too astonished for words, she mutely followed.

He was running, pulling her along behind him and the long corridor seemed endless. Her surroundings blurred into a shadowy blend of shades of black as he rushed her along.

Déjà vu.

"Hayaku(Hurry)!" His firm grip on her hand tighter, "They’ve found us!"

He tore through the thick forest, dragging her closely behind him.

She desperately tried to inhale air in bigger gulps so as to cease the dull aching of her air-deprived lungs. The outstretching branches ripped her hair, her face, arms and legs, bringing fresh flood of pain through her already exhausted body. Her black attire was completely soaked with sweat, rain and blood, and it cling to her skin uncomfortably.

Their pursuers seemed nearer than before and the air was thick with nauseating smell of impeding death.

She was trying to run as fast as possible but with each agonizing step she took, the pain in her left abdomen screamed at her and it took her all the energy not to cry out in agony.

For it was a gunshot wound.

And she knew that at this rate, he could not escape alive. Iie(No), not with her. She weakly reached out and covered her bloodied hand over his.

"Let go. Tasukeru(Save) yourself."

"Iie, I will never leave without you," he stubbornly replied. Then, she realized in horror that he was slowing down in order to accommodate her injured state.

Baka, don’t you understand? I can never forgive myself if you die because of me.

Without warning, crisp sounds of gunshots pulsated through the night air and the figure in front of her collapsed. Suddenly, she felt the world spun around her as both of them fell into the wet mud. The water splashed around them, temporary blinding her. However she felt the warm liquid which splattered across her face in a fine spray of coppery droplets.

And it smelled distinctively of blood.

"Is there anyone around?" Sendoh called out loud.

Silence.

Irritated, he banged on the door again, "Is anyone in?" Why is it called an Emergency Medical room when there are never people around?

Silence.

I guess this time is exception, he sighed before brunching his right hand into a fist and ramming it against the knob of the wooden door.

Creaking, it gave way under his deadly assault and the door swung open easily. Satisfied, he rushed into the room, pulling the bleeding girl behind him.

Once inside, he motioned her to sit on a chair at a corner. Then he went around rummaging the drawers for antiseptic liquid, some cotton wads and bandages. After gathering them in his arms, he dumped them unceremoniously on the tiny table set against the painted wall beside her.

He poured the yellowish liquid onto the cotton wads, ready to disinfect her cuts. However, he abruptly stopped.

Offering his left arm, he smiled, "This will certainly hurt so it is fine with me if you need to squeeze my arm a bit."

It seemed that she looked surprised at his gesture. Hesitantly, she placed her uninjured hand over his arm.

Still smiling, he went on in a comforting voice, "I will stop if the pain is too unbearable," he promised.

Gentle blue eyes.

Soothing voice.

It had been ages since someone with such kindness touched her heart. Wordlessly, she sat in silence.

Sendoh finally finished bandaging her hand.

"There you are!" He proudly declared.

She lightly fingered her bandaged palm the moment she removed her hand from his arm. She looked deep in thought.

Then she stood up and gathered her bag, preparing to go.

Confused, he called out to the departing girl, "Hey!"

She stopped, her back facing him.

"I mean, are you going to leave without any words of thanks?"

She stepped out of the room, softly closing the door behind her.

Sighing again, Sendoh began to clear the table of the soiled cotton wads. No wonder he mentioned that she was unfriendly. Suddenly, it occurred to him something:

She did not show any signs of pain while he was tending her wound.

The flat 17’ monitor suddenly flickered on with life.

Within microseconds, the black screen promptly displayed a small blue dialog box with the words: New Message Arrived.

Noticing this, she slipped onto the swivel chair and began to key rapidly a succession of keys before hitting Enter.

The black screen instantly dissolved away, revealing a screen pulsating in vibrant colors with state of the art software. She was not using an ordinary laptop, but a laptop that was equipped with the latest technology ever known to the computing industry.

She touched a button on the screen in order to open her message and at the same time, she took off her watch to unattach a tiny piece of decoding device as the messages were powerfully encrypted. Using her finger, she connected it to one of the ports at the side.

Then she keyed in the password prior hitting Enter again.

The message read:

Our intelligence has confirmed that the IRA terrorists have successfully infiltrated our country. From our sources, we conclude that they are planning to carry out their operation code named: Kowasu. A deadly form of chemical weapon, known as ArsineT04, will be used against a local institution: Ryonan High School. Their goal is to punish our government for not giving in to their demands to release their militia leader.

You are to seek and destroy the person responsible for administrating the toxin and bring the chemical back to us.