Prophetic Defense

[VampiricTouch]

The loud echo from the pistol's discharge that reverberated through the alley made her whimper as they, whoever they were, escorted her. She tried not to flinch as she heard the scream of another wounded man that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She could hear the man's knees buckle as he hit the ground in his agony but she ignored it. Fought to block the vision that came with the sound from her mind as they unceremoniously prodded her forward. She moved slowly as the the blindfold that stole her sight and cuffs that took her freedom hampered her. The hesitant steps she took only chafed at their patience as a hard tug and disgruntled push sent her staggering forward a few steps and a hand steadied her before she hit the ground.

"If you'd just came without a fuss, this wouldn't have happened you know." The snide drawl from her left spoke up as her head snapped towards the direction of the voice.

She could feel his smirk dripping from his words and it was all she could do to not shudder and bolt. She shifted her handcuffed hands again even though she knew she couldn't get free of them. It was a way to pass the time as she told herself to wait. The time to run would come. It just wasn't now. But it was soon.

-- The bullets whizzed by her head to slam into the man beside her and another two followed suit. The scream of her terror in the darkness was pitched higher than those dying by her feet as another pack arrived to claim her for their own interest. This path was gray. All other paths were black. --

It occurred immediately. The vision ended before her eyes and the ominous cracks of pistol fire broke the dull quiet as the bullets whizzed by her head. She could have run during the fray, but didn't. That path was black, ominously black. She held still. Knowing that she would not die. She had not seen her own death, only death to those around her. This path was gray... here, she stood a chance of survival. She didn't scream, having already seen it happen, but it didn't take away the shaking terror that rolled through her body leaving her hands clammy and cold.

"So nice of those idiots to capture you for us. There was a moment where you could've ran... did you know?" The voice she heard circled around, like he were stalking his prey before closing in for the kill. His hands trailed around her back, dragging across her shoulders before coming around to cup her chin in an almost bruising grip. "I suppose not, since they also did the honors of blindfolding you for us."

They turned in a different direction and silently she followed their brusque guidance. Soon. She had seen him in the flashes of her visions, and even in the darkness she knew he would come soon.

-- The path before her grew darker with every step. As if her hope of life were slowly squeezed out of all the possible choices she could take. It was then that the strange light of her intuition was illuminated before her. -- NOW!

The screech of cars was all she heard as the sudden calls for help and surprise rang in the air. She saw and understood none of it. Instead, she followed blindly that single line of her hope and ran, leaving the staccato of weapons fire in the wake of her path as two sides battled each other for the right to make claim on her. Strangely, even blindfolded, she ran without bumping anyone. Deftly she weaved through to suddenly stop short in front of a single person in her path. It was him.

"Save Me!!!" The despair that rung in her voice was etched in every line of her restrained body when the next vision hit her.

-- The volley of fire from the competing shooters roared louder than a dragon as both sides brought out their automatic weapons, seeking to end the fight as quickly as possible. He shuddered, stepping backward slightly as his torso blossomed with rapidly spreading pools of crimson that ran like water over his clothes. His legs buckled, falling backward from the knees to strike the ground with a sickening thud. -- They had to move.

"It's not safe here!" She turned and grabbed the corner of his sleeve with her cuffed hands, dragging him along as she ran unerringly through the zigzags of streets and alleyways. -- Back up will arrive from that corner, the cars from this street, the cops from that alley. -- She lost track of the visions that swept before her, as the possibilities raced to the limit of what she could mentally comprehend. Instead, she followed her intuition, the narrow path of gray that led her to a stop slowly bled out into white. She was out of danger. She had no idea why 'here' was safer than any other place, all she knew was that she was guided here, and that something here would insure his victory. With him, she would be safe. If he chose to defend her.

"Haruka. You can't do that. Running like that will do you no good. Now behave and come here, come towards my voice." She could hear the steps ring out, and as she shook her head, she backed away to hide behind the man she knew gave her a chance to hope.

"Save me please! I'll give you anything!" The plea rang out again at him as the approaching footsteps stopped.

"You're hiring me? I'm expensive."

She could almost see the skeptical arch of his brow in his voice as she responded with the desperation of darkness closing in. "I'll give you anything! Money, Jewels... Whatever you want!! Just please - "

"I'm not really interested... but, whatever. You've got a deal." She heard a gun cock as the men also heard his statement. "How long is this for..."

"Until death do us part." The humor in such words were lost in the gravity of her voice as she continued to deliver the point home, "I'm serious. If you don't save me, I WILL die."

The silence as he contemplated her words rang louder than the crossfire that had assaulted her ears earlier that night. She held her breath as she waited for his decision in the darkness of her blindfold. Waiting, hoping, praying that he'd take the offer.

"I'm taking care of her now. Fuck off." The air exploded from her lungs as relief washed over her. Everything would be alright now...

"I don't know what group you're from," Haruka heard someone's fingers snap and heavy footfalls approached them. "But I'd suggest you to back off now."

________________________
OOC: Many thanks to Marauder13 for the help on killing with firearms. I would've been much less creative about that sort of thing... definitely not my forte!
For those that know this manga I stole this idea from, hush. I know I took her name as well. That's a bit rare for me, but I couldn't find another name I liked so deal with it.

[Ahren1]

'Ten months... Shit, I was so close.'

His piercing blue eyes were hidden behind the glare of a nearby streetlight against his glasses, but they specifically focused on the three men approaching him, the fourth remaining behind obviously signifying his authority over the others. They who wore yellow and black bike jackets with a familiar symbol across the right breast... A Yakuza clan. He didn't need this, but... the girl's voice had a tone of horror to it he'd never heard before, even with all the things he had seen in the past.

"I don't know what group you're from," The man in the black suit and golden tie uttered as he gestured his men forward. "But I'd suggest you to back off now."

"Group? Just a... helpful stranger. Can't we talk this over like gentlemen?" He chuckled softly, replying in fluent but American-accented Japanese as he held up his hands to signify he was unarmed, though he still clutched a zippo lighter in his right palm, leaving it easily seen so it would not be mistaken for a weapon. As the guns cocked, the man's smile faded a bit. 'Kobra model...? They're not fucking around...'

"Guess that's a no. Don't say I didn't offer..." The blonde man continued, adjusting his crimson tie a bit beneath his black jacket slightly.

Suddenly, he flicked the lighter on and tossed it to the left of the alley. The henchmen continued to keep their eyes fixated on their target, but their leader watched as the lighter headed for a pool of liquid seeping out of a spilled barrel... conveniently next to two more... and the truck they had been set aside to fuel... The Japanese man's eyes widened as he dove to the ground, while the American grabbed the girl and ducked behind a large trash bin. The resulting explosion created a majestic display of flame, combined with a thunderous blast that shook the entire street. Shouts from the henchmen were heard, one particularly agonizing, but the blonde man didn't stick around to watch the results. As soon as the flaming pieces of shrapnel from the half-detonated truck had passed them by, he grabbed the girl and began to run, eventually reaching the end of the alley and out into a mostly deserted street.

Two of the henchmen and their leader made their way to their feet, only to be greeted by a horrifically charred corpse of the third.

"Akira!" One of them shouted in dismay until the lieutenant roughly grabbed him by the jacket.

"GET THE GIRL. ALIVE. OR OYABUN WILL HAVE OUR HEADS." He commanded. The men soon complied, the one running ahead before the other was released to follow.

The American and the girl were already out of sight, but the yellow-jacketed men had seen which way they went. The one in front rushed into the street, only to be soon greeted by an extended-fingered strike to the throat by the blonde man. Sounds of violent choking were heard as he then gripped the Yakuza's head and brought it down to collide with his raised knee, knocking him out cold. Grabbing the sleek handgun that he had dropped, the American didn't hesitate for a moment as he unloaded one round into the skull of his opponent.

The pair continued to run. The blonde man could only hope he was taking the right path back to his car. Thankfully, he soon came upon the parked black sedan and turned to the girl, ripping her blindfold off as he had nearly forgotten she was wearing one. After all, she had dragged him through alleyways with it on...

His eyes connected with hers for a moment, almost as if before then he wasn't emotionally invested in this task. The sincere terror in her voice had convinced him to help, but her eyes held a desperation that somehow made him know he had to. "Get in." He ordered, practically pushing her into the passenger seat. As he rounded to the driver's side, a shot came from behind, grazing his left shoulder as fibers from his jacket danced in their torn form, adorned by small drops of blood. He made no sound of pain however, just a small wince as he quickly got into the car and peeled out with an ear-piercing screech.

The henchmen stopped his shots there, as if he was too afraid of hitting the girl from that range. As the American sped down the street, it seemed as if they might be in the clear. However that wasn't the case quite yet. A minute or so later, the growing roar of a motorcycle could be heard from the rear. The sapphire-eyed man glanced in his rear-view and cursed under his breath. "Fucking give up already..."

His car was nice but it was no Formula-1 racer. The metallic yellow bike, on the other hand, seemed to be made for speed as it began to close in. As it did, the henchman felt safer about taking shots. "Keep your head down." The American spoke in an almost eerily calm tone as he weaved through what thankfully little traffic there was. Then an unnerving bang was heard following one of the gunshots and the car began to swerve. A tire had been shot out. He wasn't terribly unfamiliar with that sort of driving, though. After a few seconds, he straightened the vehicle out, but it was slowed even more now, and the scraping of the metal against the street was just asking for trouble.

Almost instinctively, the man slammed on the breaks. The motorcycle continued barreling toward them until the man in the crimson tie thrust his door open quickly. The motorcycle tried to break, but the speed was too much, causing the tires to just slide across the ground before the bike and door collided, ripping the door from the car, sending the cycle spinning out of control and the man flying, helmet-less, face first onto the pavement...

The blonde man quickly exited the car and ran up to the fallen Yakuza whose face was half-shredded and skull fractured, yet amazingly still conscious. He made a few unintelligable mumbling sounds, but the American couldn't care less about what he was saying. Instead he simply fished for his gun and returned to the car, speeding off again, only to leave their attacker bleeding and dying...

After a few more blocks where everything was quiet, the man turned into an alley and shut everything down. He quickly checked the guns. Each magazine held 30 rounds, but one had used a dozen already, and one was down ten. Finally, he turned to the girl and looked her over. Her rather drab clothing didn't explain much. The Yakuza were pretty big on running prostitution rings, but they seemed severely concerned about this girl being alive. There had to be something about her. He noticed it in her eyes from before. Something in them that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"We wait ten minutes, then we find a new car." He spoke first, almost as if he didn't want to hear her voice again. He reached into the back and pulled out a briefcase which he opened only slightly enough to pull out a lockpick. After only a few seconds, the girl was uncuffed and his eyes were focused back on the rearview again which angled into the street. He seemed against talking to her at all at first. Like the less he knew, the better, but certain words from before rang over and over in his mind.

"Until death do us part."

Was she serious? Were they together for good now? What stupid mess had he gotten himself into now? Was he even thinking? Of course not... Always acting on impulse. He had a gift for improvising, but it was also his curse. Whether or not he wanted to be in this situation was moot now. He was there, and they'd probably be looking for her, and now him. This would have been a lot easier a year ago...

Finally, he looked over to her again. She was actually very attractive, but for some reason he knew that really wasn't why they were after her. He still wasn't sure he wanted to know why. He wasn't sure this no-talking thing was going to go well either, though.

"Haruka, was it...?" He finally spoke again, with a bit more softness to his voice, though it was sort of obvious he still had a bit to go before he sounded genuinely sympathetic, though his next words did a better job. "I'm Adrian... You don't happen to speak English, do you...?"

[VampiricTouch]

The phone rang twice before he picked up. The urgency that blared through the earpiece made him wince and Kaibara immediately reported to the man demanding the whereabouts of the girl they'd still yet to capture. "Hirota ran into a bit of trouble securing the girl. His crew took out the Kakuhoukai group escorting her but were intercepted by their back up."

"And the girl? Where's she? Is she alone?"

"The girl is with a gaijin, an outsider. It doesn't seem like he's part of the Kakuhoukai or any other group we know of. The tracker we left on her says she's in the Totsuka district. We're sending the boys in that direction now."

"Dispose of the gaijin. That'll teach him to mess with the Inagawa-kai. I don't care how you do it, the girl needs to be brought back alive."

"Yes sir, If I may ask why we're taking an interest in the girl?"

"I heard it's because she's a precog capable of over 90% accuracy."

"Ex - excuse me?! A precog? Sir, are you sure we can capture her if she can predict the future?"

"She can predict the future, but she's not omnipotent. It's mostly an instinct to protect her life - or so I'm told."

~~~~****~~~~

She stole glances at the man who'd saved her. The accent she'd heard from him seemed different, but it was now in the lull of their running that it hit her - She'd recruited the help of a gaijin. Her instincts were almost never wrong... but a gaijin? She'd kept quiet for the duration of their time together, her gut instinct telling her that it'd be better that way. That, and he didn't seem to invite her opinion or her story. Her eyes drifted over him again, following the shock of blonde hair that marked him as a gaijin, a foreigner and catching his blue eyes as they weighed each other.

"It doesn't seem necessary now does it. But no, only Japanese." There was a pause before she continued, "Thank you for saving - " and the vision came again.

-- The screech of tires rounded the corner as they closed off both sides of the road with their vehicles and boxed them in. The barrage of weapon fire studded holes through the already wrecked car... and her world went up in flames as the gas tank exploded. --

"We don't have time to wait ten minutes. They're coming." She stood up and headed out of the street, past the row of parked cars and after a moment's pause, she pointed to the last car. "Can you take that one please?"

"Wouldn't have been my first choice... Used to being the one making decisions, are you?" He eyed the vehicle she pointed at and quipped. Deciding that there wasn't any time to argue, he gave her the benefit of the doubt in regards to the small, navy compact. Taking an automotive-style lockpicking device from his case and began to work.

"You're probably being tracked..." He spoke up after a few seconds. "Unless you can already tell me how, you should get rid of your clothing and check your body for a device."

There was a dull thud as the lock popped up, allowing Adrian into the car and to unlock the passenger side. He wasted no time ducking under the steering wheel as he began to hot-wire the car. "Hopefully they didn't inject it into you... Those can be quite a pain to disable... Literally."

She let him work in silence as she started searching her clothes and body. He was good. Maybe having the help of a gaijin wasn't so bad. Surprisingly, the alarm didn't go off as the lock popped open. "I don't know what I'm looking for though... I didn't get an injection, not that I remember anyways."

Adrian's eyes momentarily looked up from where he was working. "So... Why you? Actually, to be honest, right now I'm a bit more curious why me?"

She stopped searching at his question to choose the words for her answer "Would you understand if I told you it was instinct? The gut feeling that I stood a chance at getting away if you helped me?"

"I guess... As long as you're not telling me it was 'fate' or some bullshit like that." He sighed as if he were hoped for a more descriptive answer.

The car came to life just as the gunning of motorcycles came within range of their ears. Along with it came the blaring radio that was quickly silenced with Adrian's fist as the pair peeled out of the neighborhood. Haruka returned to her search for the tracker and finally gave up altogether when they approached a shopping district in Yokohama. With some insistence, he pulled up to park and headed into the closest store.

A change of clothes from bra to skirt to shoes were grabbed without ceremony. Haruka slammed the bills down in front of the cashier and ran for the fitting room without waiting for the change. They stepped out of the store as Haruka began fingering the blonde wig she'd taken on another streak of instinct when the road before her narrowed to a single point of white just in front of the store. She froze. They were coming... Neither direction was safe, but how was staying put safer than moving?? The flashes of approaching men on both sides told her that time was running out once more. There was something here... that would ensure their safety.

"I'm sorry, please bear with me." It was the only warning she gave him before she shoved Adrian onto the bench in front of the store. She sat down to straddle his lap, as the position pushed her skirt farther up her thighs, leaving just the shadowy hint of her panties for the people passing behind her. Her hands worked quickly to unbutton the top half of her blouse, pulling the shirt and bra strap loose to hang suggestively off her shoulders. The curls of her blond wig fell to cover part of her face as her hands lifted to cup his face in the imitation of a kiss. She knew that he could see the laced cup of her bra if he looked and despite the blush that flamed in her cheeks, she held her position. Her lips were a hairsbreadth away from his as she waited. She was so close she could smell him, the faint scent of cigarettes mixed well with the light cologne, all of which mingled with the ashy burn of their earlier explosions. Even with the thrumming of nervous adrenaline pounding in her veins, she couldn't help but notice the sapphire blue eyes that stared back at her...

"Fucking gaijin have no shame..." The words spat from someone passing behind her, she could almost feel him leer at her ass as he passed. "Aniki, did you find her? "

"No. The tracker said she'd be in this area... think she might've found it and ditched it?" The voice came from the other side of the store as the two groups passed to continue their search.



___________________

OOC notes:
Gaijin - Foreigner
Aniki - Older brother (term of respect that tends to be used more in a yakuza setting)

[Ahren1]

'What the fuck am I doing...' Adrian thought to himself as Haruka rushed through the store. There wasn't exactly time for this, but she insisted. Not to mention he did tell her to get rid of her clothing. What else was she supposed to do? Go naked? Thankfully the store was mostly empty due to the fact that closing time was near, so their odd and hurried manner didn't really alert anyone except cause the cashier. The woman did however manage to give a few curious looks when Haruka simply thrust the money at her and immediately went to get changed. He had ruled out prostitution as a reason the Yakuza wanted this girl. Now he could rule out money. Whether she was a ransom or just rich, it was unlikely they wouldn't have left her with any cash during her time in capture.

Honestly, such could have likely been crossed off the list of reasons much earlier. The Yakuza generally had plenty of other ways of making their money. They didn't need to hold people random or rob them. Though he still speculated she was well-off. After all, she offered up a lot of things to him for her safety. Then again, that was in the midst of a life or death moment. There was always the possibility she really couldn't back such offers up and simply hoped he would be more forgiving.

His thoughts were interrupted when Haruka returned from the changing room. It took him half a second to recognize her with the wig. It was a good call, but it would probably be ineffective seeing that he was the one who stuck out more. Out of the store they went, with the Japanese girl leading the way once again. How'd this keep happening? Following some strange girl's gut instinct without question was his purpose now? Fuck that. He was taking charge again, but his confusion at Haruka's sudden halt caused him to search for possible attackers instead.

"I'm sorry, please bear with me."

He didn't even have a time to open his mouth in protest before he was tossed onto a nearby bench with his lap subsequently being straddled by the young woman he had been protecting. He had seen some forward women in his time, but this was the perhaps the quickest shift in attitude he had ever seen. His thoughts became muddled as her unbuttoned blouse left her bra in clear view, leaving him no choice but to notice and stare for a moment. His attention was then directed back at her face when her hands caressed his face, bringing her lips less than an inch away from his own.

He very nearly leaned in the rest of the way to close the rest of the gap and lock their lips together when he read her expression. From the blush, to the look in her eyes; This was an act. They were here. Which meant that he'd look foolish with his hands just held off to the side. Adrian slipped into his role promptly, letting one hand run along the incredibly soft skin of her leg up to her thigh. The other slid up her side, stopping when his thumb began to brush the base of her right breast through the fabric. He decided to focus on her eyes, partially because it allowed him to see around her with peripheral vision and also because, well... They were rather beautiful.

It was then that he heard their voices... They were here after all. 'How the hell did she see them before me...?' Adrian began to wonder, sticking to his role as he moved his hands around a bit. In some backwards way he was glad they showed up when they did, because any longer focusing on Haruka's pleasing scent or her gentle touch, she'd likely begin to feel his rather genuine... excitement.

Once they had left, Adrian knew they were in the clear. They spoke of the tracker in a manner that convinced him it was indeed on her clothing and not her body. He wasn't going to make that assumption with 100% certainty but, regardless, it was time to go.

Right? Time to go. So... why was he still holding her? In fact, his right hand had managed to sneak higher up her thigh. Enough so that the tips were slipping under her panty line. "Uh... Sorry..." He spoke softly, his words only sounding halfway sincere, before helping her off him and hurrying back to the car.

"It's alright...I put you in that situation..." She answered in a bare whisper, the embarrassment etched in her voice as the flush darkened her face.

A light smirk etched across Adrian's lips. "Another gut feeling?"

"Yeah." She replied simply as she followed after him, her hands working to button her blouse as she ran.

The reasonable part of his mind was kicking his libido for taking over for a few moments there, and also for apologizing. It was her idea... but he shouldn't have gotten into it even for a second knowing it was just an act... At the very least, he wouldn't be bringing up the fact that he almost kissed her...

He tried to think of something else in the meantime. His previous thoughts... Why'd they want her? Did she hold a position in a powerful company, or perhaps was related to someone who did? Adrian tried to remind himself that he shouldn't know.

That used to be a rule. The less he knew, the better... but this was something new for him. He wasn't used to defending people. Just killing them. In this inverted situation, he felt he deserved to know everything. Who he was protecting her from, and why. The who was already partially answered, but 'Yakuza' was too general. That was the same as saying the Mafia wanted someone. The Mafia wasn't exactly a singular entity. There were many families. Each with their own goals.

The symbol on the jackets of the bikers looked vaguely familiar, but ever since he got to Japan he had stayed out of trouble, or learning the details of things related to anything that could even be considered trouble. Kinda boring, actually...

"Any more weird directions, like randomly knowing where's safe, or am I finally getting to decide?" The blonde man asked as they reached the vehicle and set off once again. After all, this had probably been the longest amount of time where she hadn't directed him somewhere.

"Not at the moment, no. We should be relatively safe now... " Haruka answered sheepishly, realizing that she'd been dragging him across Yokohama on the basis of instinct.

"Figures..." He sighed. Now he got to make the choices when there weren't any. Home was really the only place he could think to go. "My place it is..."

The rest of the drive through the city was thankfully uneventful, reinforcing Adrian's assumption that they had effectively ditched the tracker. Eventually they came across a small shopping complex that was quiet now due to most of the places being closed. One nice looking building still had the lights on, however. A tea shop.

The car was parked in a nearby alley and with a still-hurried pace, Adrian guided Haruka back to that very shop and entered, causing a small bell to jingle.

"Welcome, welcome! What can I get for- Oh, Adrian! How'd everything go?" An older, bald Japanese man with a white goatee looked up from the counter. Adrian grew a reluctant expression as he motioned for Haurka to wait at the door for a moment as he walked over to the shop owner, pulled out his wallet and slammed down ¥45,000 (~$500). The man first glanced at the money, then Adrian's face, then to the blonde girl still waiting at the front.

"I almost made it, Hideo-san... Two more months." Adrian shook his head, causing the man to chuckle and gaze back at him once again.

"Bringing home a call-girl doesn't count as getting into trouble, you know." Hideo lowered his voice and leaned in over the counter.

"That's not...!" Adrian shouted back at first before realizing his tone and lowering it in return. "That's not what she is!" He finished in a manner that made him sound more defensive of her character than his own. "I'll explain later..."

With that, Adrian began to guide Haruka upstairs, hearing Hideo call out once more. "Aren't you at least going to introduce me?!"

"LATER!" He shouted back, sighing afterward as he reached a door, eventually allowing them in to an apartment space. The first thing that one might notice is that the apartment was virtually spotless. As if no one really lived there. It also contained very little decor. The furnature was nice- mostly black leather, a flat screen TV, and a kitchen portion off to the side with stainless steel appliances. A small hallway lead to some closed doors which one could safely assume at the very least contained a bedroom and bathroom. The last could have been anything from a guest room to a ritualistic sacrifice chamber, however.

The blonde man set his briefcase onto the nearby counter, along with his wallet, keys... and the two Kobra pistols that he had concealed in his jacket pockets, all very casually. He slipped his glasses off next in order to rub the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "Well, you've managed to give me a fairly interesting evening, and predicament." Adrian chuckled softly, turning back to Haruka and placing his glasses on once again, adjusting them with his middle finger momentarily.

"I guess you're staying here tonight, as I really couldn't think of any alternative. You can use my bed... I'm fine with the sofa. I'd really like to talk about everything that happened tonight, but I suppose that can wait if you'd like a chance to relax... Is there anything you need?" Adrian spoke in that calm tone he'd had at the beginning. He had a lot of questions, but for once he made an attempt to be empathetic. She'd been through a lot. It was possible she brought it on herself somehow, but he'd give her the benefit of the doubt, at least for now. Maybe it was her little act from earlier that was making him go easy on her, but he wasn't going to admit that. He hadn't allowed women to manipulate him for years, but there was something about Haruka. In all her effort dragging him around on "gut instinct", he never got the impression that he was just being used. She had genuinely needed him, and likely still did...

[VampiricTouch]

Haruka screamed in the silence of her visions as she watched the girl turn the corner... Already the visions were coming in a torrid flood as the two men mugged the girl and raped her.... and left her for dead. The girl might have lived if they'd called an ambulance... but no. The two men waited, lurked in the shadows until her life expired before leaving the scene... and the police chalked it up as another mugging gone wrong.... But Haruka knew. From her visions, she knew they arranged for the girl's death. She knew even before they arrived to inform her that the girl had died in an accident of random violence, that they had killed her - her sister.

The dreams shifted as one door closed and another opened.

It was the first time she tried to run. They'd been lax with their watch on her, and she'd taken the opportunity to get away. The group holding her had been experimenting with the extent of her abilities... all of which she tried to down play. But it didn't change the fact that they watched her like a hawk and its prey. Always, she was escorted with their men at her sides and a loose spread of members that fanned out to block all 'routes' she could move. They understood that much when it came down to cornering her.... to cut away her choices so that she had to follow them... but she was in a rage that day. When they had told her that her sister had died... even so much as to say that her sister was hindering the development of her ability... So she ran. Regardless of the screaming alarm in her gut, she tried to get away. It didn't take long before they caught up to her. The bullet that grazed her thigh slowing her down. The fist that connected with her stomach knocking the wind from her voice as she tried to call for help... silencing the scream...

As she woke up.

The cold sweat beaded across her brow as she she gasped for air. The panic rose to suffocate her as she found herself in a strange room on a strange bed... and the events came rushing back to her. The light that filtered through the blinds told her that it was morning as she slid off of the bed. She found Adrian asleep on the couch and with a smile, gently pulled the blanket up to his chin.

A bit of wandering led her to the kitchen and she began to rummage for breakfast. What would a gaijin eat for breakfast...? She wondered as she opened the fridge. A memory of eggs bacon and toast came to mind as she found sufficient materials to make all of them.

It was with a satisfied smile when she settled down into a chair by the table laid for breakfast. It didn't take long before he stumbled into the room, the bleary eyes and disheveled hair telling her that he just rolled out of bed... or the couch.

"Good morning. I'm took the liberties of fixing breakfast... I hope it'll be okay." She greeted him as he pulled a chair and slumped in. "Itadakimasu"

She took a chomp into her toast, it was certainly different than her normal mornings of rice, fish and tea... She chewed for a few moments before finally breaching the subject he probably wanted to talk about. "You wanted to discuss what happened yesterday?"

____________
OOC: Itadakimasu: It means something like 'lets eat' or 'thank you for the meal' and it's polite to say before a meal.

[Ahren1]

Adrian looked down at the breakfast for a moment in quiet surprise before glancing back up to the once again dark-haired woman at the other end of the table. No one had made breakfast for him in... many years, and now this girl he had barely known 12 hours was doing so? He knew people in Japan put a lot of weight on being polite, and he had saved her life, but it was still unexpected.

"Breakfast. An American one... You didn't have to, but... thanks..." Oddly enough, it seemed as if Adrian was avoiding the question at first, despite his eagerness to figure everything out the previous evening.

Haruka shrugged, "The materials were there. So I used them. I've never really made an... American breakfast before... You're not a morning person are you?" She asked with a bit too much cheer in her voice for the hour it was in the morning.

He took a few moments to sample every portion, chuckling softly as he tapped the fork on the table as he swallowed. "It's... quite good actually..." He stated before looking up from his plate back to young woman. "I'm whatever person I need to be... but... had a bit of trouble sleeping last night, is all..." Adrian quickly glanced back down at his plate. He had kept one eye open nearly the entire night since he couldn't be totally sure the tracker had been ditched. After a bit of silence while they finished breakfast, the blonde man looked up to Haruka with a pensive gaze. "Let's go outside a minute, I need a bit of air..." He finally spoke up, not really saying the question on his mind. As he guided the girl downstairs, they stepped out the door into the cool morning air where Adrian proceeded to slip out a cigarrette. This was followed by a sigh as realized he no longer had his lighter. "Shit... You don't have a light do you?.... Sorry... Course not."

She eyed the cigarette held between his lips for a moment before plucking it and the original pack from his pocket. Taking a step back, she flung the pack as far as she could and watched as the cigarettes flew out of sight. "It's a good thing I don't have one. Smoking is bad for you." With that, she sauntered forward through the still quiet streets. Adrian blinked in utter confusion which was only worsened by Haruka apparently taking lead again; Walking away from him casually.

The blonde man quickly caught up, looking slightly annoyed. "Yeah listen, thanks for the advice, but I know that already."

"Then why do you still do it?"

He paused for a minute as if he had an answer but couldn't really word it correctly. "Because I feel like it..." He responded vaguely. "Anyway, we're supposed to be talking about you..."

"Alright... so what about me?" She continued with her rather straightforward responses.

Adrian was torn between scolding her about the cigarrettes and just asking what needed to be asked. The latter was definitely more important. "Exactly. What about you? Always going around on your gut instinct. I'd argue that's riskier than smoking."

She sighed, she knew that the question would come sooner or later... and he had a right to know. Without answering the question, she stopped by a lottery stand and asked for three scratch cards. The man at the stand handed her 10 to choose from. With her eyes closed, she waited for that intuition that vaguely preferred one over the other. From there she picked three cards. It was like a magic trick, the way she turned to show him the three cards, and then scratched off the film. It was only took a few seconds before she handed back the cards to be informed that all three cards had won cash. She turned around and handed Adrian the 7000 yen cash she'd won, knowing that the man at the stand still watched her with a touch of surprise. "Call it extreme good luck if you will... Or a sixth sense."

She hesitated a moment longer before she finally spoke softly, taking that step of faith to trust him with the information she'd been reluctant to admit. "They... they said that I'm a precog."

Adrian watched with a bit of an eye-roll as Haruka chose the scratch cards. His expression turned a bit more serious after each one turned out to win something. Still, she hadn't done anything impossible. Luck? He didn't really believe in that. A sixth sense? Even less so. As he stared at the money she handed him and admitted to being a 'precog', Adrian just stared back with his piercing sapphire eyes. "So... what, you're telling me you can see the future...?"

"No..." She drew out the sound with even more hesitation. "I... I don't see everything, and I can't see everything." Her voice dropped even lower as she tried to find the words to explain, "I can only occasionally see things that will directly happen to me, or someone connected to me."

Adrian sighed softly. She sounded quite serious, and he couldn't deny she had made some quick decisions that were definitely in the realm of 'improbable' like running through alleyways blindfolded. He couldn't help but be a bit skeptical nonetheless. Still, Haruka was in danger. That part was genuine, and he had still agreed to protect her. "So this is why 'they' want you. Can you elaborate a bit more on who 'they' are?"

"I don't think they are a single group. Otherwise I'd never had the chance to get away. "I know that 'they' were having issues with the group that controls Yokohama.... so that would be the Inagawa-kai. I don't know the original group that took me. They've been careful about what names they've dropped." Haruka's voice got softer and softer as she spoke, almost reluctant to remember the time she spent confined in her cell. "And you? Just who are you?"

Adrian hesitated for a moment. She'd been honest with him, as far as he could tell. Would it be right to show her the same courtesy? What if she resented him for it...? "I'm... a locksmith." He spoke finally, stopping there to gague her reaction to that first.

She arched a brow at the simple answer, "Really. Is that.... all?"

"It is now..."

"And it's common knowledge for locksmiths to be able to handle packs of rioting Yakuza." Her voice dripped with a touch of annoyance as she pressed for the information he was withholding. "So what were you before that?"

Adrian stopped their short stroll and looked Haruka directly in the eye. The street was thankfully still quiet, but his voice was low and intimidating nonetheless. "You don't need specifics nor is it really any of your business, but when you came up to me, I guess you had a vision, right? I probably really was the only one who could save your life then... There are more important matters at hand. Namely the fact that they've seen me now, and I don't think I can take them all on..."

"What do you suppose we do about that problem then?"

Adrian glanced down at the ground wishing he had a better answer than what he was about to give. "I'm not so sure. I'm not used to protecting people... My own 'gut' is telling me that you should probably get away from me... Get out of the country and get a new identity..."

"Will you help me? I'm not leaving your side. It would be dangerous... for both of us." Haruka replied, seeming to almost ignore the part where he said she should stay away from him.

Adrian observed the young girl for a few moments in silence. What about her made it impossible to say no when she asked for help. What about her made him want to stay by her side? Likely because he knew they'd find her again, and he was the only chance she had. "I'll do my best..." Out of nowhere, he chuckled and shook his head. "Hideo-san is going to kill me... We should head back. I'm sure the tracker was in your clothing now, but even so we don't have much time until they find us... Couple days at best. I'm going to make some calls and hopefully stall them as well as get us out of here before that happens..."

[VampiricTouch]

"The boys found a car in the suburban district of Totsuka, from the damages the wreck looks like it belongs to the gaijin." Kaibara reported passively, as if he never saw the half dressed girl being groped on Hideki, the Oyabun's lap.

"So, did the car pick up any leads on them?" Hideki asked before lathing his tongue from the base of her neck to her ear as the girl tried to hide the cringe of her distaste.

"They found the name it was registered under. Turns out it’s some average salary man as instead of the gaijin we’re looking for. They’ve been grilling him for information-"

He was interrupted as his radio came to life and chirped a scratchy–“Kid finally spilled the beans. We’re sending a few in to confirm the target.”

~~~~****~~~~

It had been a peaceful two days. Was this what it was like to be ‘free’? It was too good to last…. The quiet mornings where she fixed breakfast… was too easy to slip into and believe as normal. Money was easy to come by and she took the liberties of picking up another copy of the books she’d left at the university before they’d taken her.

It was that night she woke up in a cold sweat as the choke hold of her visions returned to haunt her. They were coming. She rolled out of bed to find Adrian, and discovered the couch empty and cold. The blanket was still folded as if he’d yet to sleep in it.

She ran through the apartment, throwing open the doors in search of him and found nothing. Finally, she ran down the steps to Hideo’s shop, “Adrian? Hideo, have you seen Adria-“

She stopped short to see Adrian, along with Hideo in the back of the shop. The expectant looks told her she'd intruded upon a serious conversation.

“They’ll be here soon…” She summoned the courage to break the silence as the pair turned to stare at her with askance.

[Ahren1]

Back in America, this would have been much easier. In Japan, Adrian was a ghost. That was the way he wanted it. That's how it had been, until Haruka came along. Did he resent her for it? No... After all, it wasn't her fault she was being hunted, or that he had been in the wrong place at the right time. If there was anyone to blame, it would be himself. He agreed to help her and he took her home. Everything would have been over with had he just walked away or left her somewhere else. He wasn't emotionless, and he would have felt guilty, but he would have moved on. One of the reasons he was so good at his past profession was because he had the ability to not let emotion get the best of him.

So why this time? Was it his subconscious informing him that his new life was an absolute bore? He wasn't really a huge thrill seeker. He'd rather be alive.

Or was there really something about her?

There wasn't really a lot of time to dwell on it. Adrian spent the last couple days re-establishing contacts, and that wasn't easy after he had gone through a lot of trouble to disappear. If it weren't for Hideo, he might not have been able to secure their ride out. He hadn't been able to speak with Haruka much lately, but she was surprisingly trusting that he would save her; Never once asking just what exactly his plan was. Could she their future was safe, or was it the lack of any predictions that made her feel secure? Regardless, their safety wasn't assured, even if they did manage to get away. All Adrian could do was hope some of his old contacts were... forgiving about his sudden disappearance.

"Good thing I saved some money. I have a feeling I might have to bribe some people just to get them to talk to me again." Adrian sighed as he looked down at two small booklets in his hands. The light in the back room of the Tea Shop was dim, but it was enough to make out the details. This would work for now. It had to.

"At the very least, you could rent a nice hotel room for yourselves, hmmmm?" Hideo responded, wiggling his eyebrows.

"This isn't a fuckin' honeymoon..." Adrian glared in response, causing Hideo to laugh which only served to annoy the blonde man further.

"But I can see you would not mind!"

"Geez, Is there some sort of creepiness quota you have to meet once you're an old man or something?"

Hideo finally stopped laughing to scowl which resulted in a smirk Adrian couldn't manage to hide. "Respect your elders!"

"I'm sorry!" Adrian quickly replied before allowing his smirk to fade, once again looking down to the booklets in his hand. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"I have a good thing here. Besides, I burned my bridges there. I would only slow you down."

"They'll find out I was here anytime now..."

"Then you better get going!" Hideo smiled slightly, showing no concern for himself. Adrian had to give the man credit. He had handled himself on his own quite well despite his past reputation... Before Adrian could add anything else, however, Haruka's concerned voice could be heard from the shop.

“Adrian? Hideo, have you seen Adria-“

She stopped short to see Adrian, along with Hideo in the back of the shop. The expectant looks told her she'd intruded upon a serious conversation.

“They’ll be here soon…” She summoned the courage to break the silence as the pair turned to stare at her with askance.

"That's why we're leaving sooner." Adrian replied without missing a beat, holding out a passport and plane ticket to Haruka. "Guess I'm really taking you home, this time." He added as she likely had noticed that the plane ticket took them to America. Miami, Florida to be more specific. Haruka looked as if she was going to keep her opinion on this matter to herself. It was hard to read her, but at least it seemed there were no objections. Not like she had much of a choice. If they stayed, they were just in for more running and hiding, and Adrian didn't know where else to go.

After gathering together one medium suitcase of luggage along with his briefcase, they were as ready as they could be. No weapons. They were going to the airport after all. The last thing they needed was to cause a stir. He could only hope that the Yakuza wouldn't follow. As the pair headed out the door, Hideo called to Adrian once more. "Bet you same as before that you'll be back here within a year!"

"Yeah... You're on." Adrian smirked back to the older man before rushing out with Haruka. Hideo sighed heavily and returned to the back room. Well.. That was that...