ASHI OKONAI

Original work by Amanda “Zero” Hooker and Delynn “Daisy” Speleos

Episode Five: Confession

ooooo

The tallest building in the city, The Vadon Building. It can be seen from almost anywhere, towering over everything else, a beacon to those that desire power.

Kou Haikanu was rising to the highest floor of the hulking giant in a private elevator meant solely for Vadon Humbata and the people he had summoned. Kou was a seasoned bounty hunter with countless captures under his belt, but he couldn’t shake the unease at being invited into the private office of such a prominent businessman.

He emerged from the elevator into sumptuously appointed waiting area. Vadon’s private secretary rose from her desk and came around to greet him.

“Kou Haikanu?” she inquired. When the bounty hunter grunted in response, she forced a quick smile, then turned to lead him into Vadon’s office. Kou entered and the secretary closed the door behind him quietly with a soft click.

“Mr. Haikanu, have a seat won’t you?” came a gruff voice from the chair behind the massive desk at the focal point of the room. The owner of the voice was sitting in the seat with his back to Kou, facing the windows looking out over the city.

The bounty hunter grunted once again, absently surveying the expensive antiques adorning the room. He couldn’t help but wonder what the street value was of this particular collection, although he wagered that anyone foolish enough to try to steal any of it would find themselves in the city morgue before they could sell a single item. He finally settled uncomfortably into one of the opulent seats on the other side of the desk.

“Mr. Haikanu, I have a job for you.” The deep voice resonated once again from behind the chair, dark and foreboding. “I have a bit of a problem on my hands, and it seems like you may be just the man to tackle the unpleasant task.”

“Is that so?” Kou huffed, chagrined that Vadon wouldn’t even deign to turn around and look him in the eye.

“Indeed. In the manila envelope in front of you, you will find a picture of a woman. I want you to find her, and kill her.” Humbata lit a cigar, and Kou watched as the smoke began to curl up over the top of the chair. “Once she's dead, you can call the number on the back of that photo, and a squad of my men will come to dispose of the body. Once that is done you will receive a very sizable transfer to your bank account.”

Kou leaned forward and slid the envelope into his lap. He lifted the flap and pulled a glossy photo from inside. On it was a demon woman with bright red hair. Kou sucked in his breath audibly.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Haikanu?” Humbata drawled, still not turning to look at the aging bounty hunter, but obviously very in tune to what was going on in the room, nonetheless.

“No.” Kou cleared his throat. “No problem at all.”

“Good. Then find our girl, and terminate her.” Humbata dragged on his cigar and blew a large billow of smoke up into the air again. Kou stood up, and headed out of the room.

“Oh, and Mr. Haikanu?” Humbata appended just as the bounty hunter reached the door, “If you're caught, I don't know you, do you understand?”

Kou grunted. “It isn’t as if anyone would believe me if I said I did.”

“That is very true. Just keep that in mind.” Humbata waved his cigar in the air, and Kou let himself out of the room, feeling like he had just been dismissed by a very crooked king.

ooooo

“Hey... Reido!”

“Hnnnnn... what?”

With a withering groan, the weary huntress rolled over onto her side, allowing her emerald-tinted hair to blanket her face from the stream of light that was now entering her bedroom from the hallway.

“Time to wake up, Sleepy Head!” Deishi trilled, leaning up against the door frame and adopting a wry grin. She waited a few moments for a response from her disgruntled partner, but received only silence.

Twisting her features into an exaggerated pout, the demoness continued her needling.

“Come on, Hon. You’re gonna miss the school bus.”

“Mmmmmm... bite me...”

“Well, now!” Deishi exclaimed with mock indignity. “Aren’t we surly for three in the afternoon?”

Letting out another low moan, Reido slowly eased herself up into a sitting position, smothering her face with one hand.

“Gimme a break, would ya?” she whined, “Being subjected to an entire day’s worth of hallucinogen-induced insomnia tends to throw one’s sleeping pattern off, all right?”

“Awww, geez.” The blonde huntress sighed, blowing the air out of her cheeks and rolling her eyes. “You’ve been using that tired old excuse for three weeks now. It’s time we got back to work.”

“What are you in such a rush for, anyway?” Reido sneered, sliding herself off the bed to rise into a standing position. “Did you drain our bank account while I was asleep or something?” Putting on a dejected frown, she then proceeded to trudge over to her dirty clothes basket, hastily retrieving the first T-shirt and pair of jeans she could fish off the top of the pile.

“Nooooo...” her partner drew out, shaking her head in exasperation, “...but let me put it this way; I’m hella bored. So I want us to go out and have some fun. How does that sound?”

Reido let her shoulders sink.

“Fine.” she muttered, wriggling out of her nightshirt. “Nezumi’s?”

“Hey, you read my mind!” Deishi giggled, winking slyly.

“Well...” the green-haired huntress snickered, pausing for effect, “... I AM psychic, you know.”

This time, it was the demoness who groaned.

“Smart-ass...”

ooooo

Kou exited the elevator and made his way into the parking garage where he had left his car. He realized he was gripping the manila envelope very tightly, almost to the point where he was crushing it. The quick descent in the elevator had left him light headed, although he had begun to wonder if his head swam with confusion as well as the change in elevation.

He pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked his car, sliding behind the wheel, and shutting the door with a decided slam. He tossed the manila envelope onto the passenger seat beside him, and the corner of the picture slipped out to peek at him.

Sighing heavily, he then struggled to pull his wallet out from his back pocket. He opened the billfold, and pulled a worn picture from a slot in the back. From the deteriorating photograph a beautiful woman with long, brown hair smiled back at him.

“Atsuko…. how did this happen to us?” he asked of the photograph, as if he expected an answer. “Look at the bitter man I’ve become.”

He propped the photo up on the dashboard, then reached into his pocket to withdraw his gun. He opened it and took a quick mental inventory of the bullets inside. Clicking back the hammer and squeezing the gun’s grip, he proceeded to press the muzzle against his temple, eyes closed. His finger trembled against the trigger.

His resolve finally crumbled, and he loosened his hold on the gun. He opened his eyes, and spied the picture of his beloved late wife through his watery gaze.

“I'm so sorry, Atsuko.” He placed the safety back on the gun and replaced it in his pocket. “I’m not ready to join you yet. It isn’t time.” He reached for the photo and giving it one last glance, then returned it to its place in his wallet.

“Oh lord, I need a drink.” he grumbled, fitting the key into the ignition, and starting the car. He drove out of the garage, intent on searching for someplace to get a decent shot of bourbon.

ooooo

Deishi and Reido arrived at the Lush Dragon under a fanfare of curt nods and raised glasses. As they made their way to the far end of the bar to take their usual seats, Nezumi favored them with a wry smirk.

“Well now, look who finally decided to grace us with their presence.” he teased, slapping his hands down on the counter with mock indignity.

“Love you too, Zumi-chan.” Deishi chortled, easing herself down on the barstool ever so gingerly and winking. Reido merely grunted in response, contrasting her partner’s ladylike mannerisms by plonking herself rather roughly onto her own seat.

Nezumi took a moment to look the green-haired huntress over before letting a sigh escape his lips. “Ah well...” he shrugged, “I suppose a warmer greeting WOULD be out of the question considering-”

“OK, I’m gonna stop you right there.” Reido blurted, reaching forward to place a finger over his mouth. “Could I at least have a Grasshopper before we get into a debate over my recent deviant behavior?”

At her touch, the young bartender seemed taken aback, but collected himself quickly, flashing her a toothy grin.

“You got it.”

“Oh, and a Sex On The Beach for me too, Sweetie.” Deishi piped in cheerfully.

Nezumi felt his face flush instantly, and as he turned to busy himself with their order, the blonde demoness leaned over to nudge her partner in the ribs with her elbow. Then, ignoring the resulting steely glare from the hot-tempered human, she proceeded to address the draconic youkai once more.

“So, anything new and exciting been going on since we’ve been away?”

“Well, not since yesterday, actually.” he threw back over his shoulder.

“Oh yeah?” Reido cocked one eyebrow in curiosity, pausing briefly to light a cigarette. “And what’s that?”

Before responding, he set the finished drinks down in front of them and waited until he had their full attention.

“I hear Kou Haikanu’s in town.” he spat bitterly, his upper lip curling into a sneer.

Deishi’s face fell instantly.

“What the hell does that racist motherfucker think he’s going to accomplish by coming here?” Reido snarled. “Surely he can’t be hoping to find one of his sleazy demon-hunting gigs? There haven’t been any Class One Death bounties for months.”

Then, as if on cue, a sullen-looking man sporting a long, brown trench coat and a stunted ponytail shuffled into the bar. Without really looking at anyone, he seated himself near the entrance and leaned forward on the bar counter with his head down, seeming oblivious to the cold glares and heated murmuring now aimed in his direction.

“Well, I’ll be damned... speak of the devil.” Nezumi muttered under his breath, looking almost amused.

Reido let out a low whistle.

“This could get ugly.” she droned, watching Deishi out of the corner of her eye. The expression on the blonde huntress’ face had darkened considerably since Kou’s entrance, and her uncharacteristic silence was making them both worry that she might do something hasty.

“Not in MY fucking bar.” Nezumi snapped, eyeballing the rest of his patrons. “You girls sit tight. I’ll handle this.”

He approached the opposite end of the counter carefully, stopping directly in front of Kou and waiting with arms folded until he received acknowledgement.

Slowly, the bedraggled human lifted his head, his weary gaze leveling with the flecked gold of demon eyes. Nezumi stalled another moment by clearing his throat, expecting the worse, or at least a look of disdain. However, to his surprise, Kou did not regard him with an expression of hate or anger. Instead, he seemed drained and defeated, nothing at all like the ruthless youkai exterminator they had all heard about.

“What’ll it be?” Nezumi inquired flatly.

Kou hesitated briefly before answering.

“Bourbon.” he coughed, fishing his wallet out of his pocket and flopping it onto the counter half-heartedly.

“Keep your money.” the dragon-demon huffed, retrieving the appropriate bottle from underneath the counter and pouring it into a thick glass.

By now, a small group of youkai had risen from their table and was making their way over to the grizzled human with menacing purpose.

Without batting an eyelash, Nezumi set the bourbon down in front of its intended customer, flipped the cap off a random liquor bottle to take a healthy swig, and motioned for the regulars sitting in front of him to move aside in one fell swoop. Knowing the drill all too well, they vacated their seats in haste to make way for the thin jet stream of fire now issuing from the bartender’s mouth.

The advancing youkai stopped dead in their tracks.

“And YOU three...” Nezumi warned heatedly, wiping the liquor from his chin, “...keep your distance, or you’re outta here.”

Grunting in compliance, the demons reluctantly turned back to resume their places.

“Hey, Zumi-chan!” Deishi called out, standing up and finishing off the last of her drink with one swift gulp. “We’re taking off out the back way. Catch ya later!”

“What?! So soon?”

Glancing over to his right, the dragon-demon saw that Kou had departed some time during the commotion, leaving two palda and a full glass of bourbon behind.

Nezumi’s heart sank, for he knew all too well that the girls had it in their heads to follow the deviant bounty hunter and find out what he was up to.

‘Just be careful.’ he thought wanly, watching them disappear through the rear exit. ‘I don’t like this one bit.’

ooooo

“Come on!” Reido hissed at Deishi, making her way down the alley behind The Lush Dragon, emerging out into the street and looking in both directions for the infamous bounty hunter. She caught a glimpse of him rounding the corner, down the block, just as the demoness came bounding up behind her.

They hustled down the street, trying to keep their footfalls light and unobtrusive. “Damn, I wish we had one of Kina-Beana's tracking devices!” Deishi whispered as they stopped at the corner.

Reido peered around to get a tail on Kou again. He was staring at what appeared to be, at this distance, a picture. He flipped it over to read some notes on the back of it.

“What the hell is that?” Reido murmured. Kou looked up at the street signs and began moving again. “Let’s go.” She grabbed Deishi’s arm and pulled her along.

“Goddammit!” Deishi cursed under her breath as she stumbled a little at the sudden movement. “I wish we had brought the car, this asshole is gonna walk all the way to the Outlands!!”

They continued to follow him in this fashion for several more minutes. Reido would sneak glances around corners, then they would rush up to follow behind him. Luckily, the traffic was fairly light that evening, especially in the quieter neighborhoods he was taking them through, so Reido was able to keep her eye on him without too much trouble.

While stopping in a nearby alleyway to await his next move, the demoness leaned up against the wall. She idled patiently while Reido watched Kou check his street map again. “What the hell is going on? Is he lost?”

Deishi lit a smoke, and it caught Reido’s attention. “Light one for me too, will ya? This sneaking and waiting shit is killing me.” The blonde hanyou complied, and handed her friend a lit cigarette. Reido took a long drag off it, and peered around the corner again.

“Oh shit!!!” she spat, tossing the smoke into the gutter.

“What?!?” Deishi whispered worriedly. Reido grabbed the hanyou's smoke, and tossed it down the storm drain after her own.

Deishi’s brow furrowed, only to be replaced with a look of surprise as Reido pushed her up against the wall, moving in close to her face.

“Just be quiet.” the green-haired huntress muttered. “He’s doubling back with his gun drawn.”

Deishi realized that there was nowhere to hide themselves on this wide open street, so Reido was going to use the old “smooching couple” diversion. The human’s hand went up on the wall over the hanyou’s shoulder, and she pressed herself in closer, the side of her face touching her partner's. Deishi closed her eyes, but left them open just a slit, so that she could see what was happening behind Reido’s back.

Kou appeared around the corner holding his gun up at shoulder height, aimed right at them.

Deishi felt her stomach bottom out, and decided that this had better look believable or they might end up with their brains splattered across the wall. She let out a low moan, and grabbed the back of Reido’s head, lacing her fingers through emerald hair. The human’s eyes flew wide open as the demoness covered her mouth with her own, kissing her with exuberance.

They heard Kou chuckle as he moved to retreat back down the alleyway, although Deishi dare not stop holding onto Reido just yet, in case he was still skeptical. She chanced a quick look, and, not seeing him there anymore, released her partner.

Reido jumped back about five feet, and wiped her mouth. “You didn’t have to use your tongue, you know.”

Deishi ran the offending appendage along her top lip. “What? Aren’t I a good kisser?”

“Shut up, dude.” The green-haired huntress took a moment to fix her glasses, which had gone askew during the tussle. “Let’s go before we lose him.”

Deishi laughed quietly and pushed herself off the wall, fishing another cigarette from her pocket. “It’s just too bad Kina missed that one.” she teased.

“I said ‘shut up’!” Reido gritted. She checked around the corner before going on after Kou. Deishi followed with a wry grin playing on her lips.

Shortly after they had caught up with him again, the huntresses quickly took note of the intense scrutiny he was giving the area. He was obviously looking for something, or someone.

Finally, Kou stepped into a local stop-n-shop, and the girls watched through the window as he showed the proprietor the picture he was carrying. The grocer nodded curtly, and pointed out some directions.

“He must be gettin’ closer.” Reido said to the blonde, who had grown considerabley more serious since the kissing incident. If Kou was looking to kill tonight, she was determined to put the brakes on those plans.

Kou left the grocer’s and approached a dark staircase leading down into an abandoned subway station. When the city had revamped their public transportation system about ten years ago, several stations had been phased out, in order for several new routes to be opened. Now, Kou Haikanu was on the stairs of just such a forsaken place, looking as if to make it the scene of his newest bloodbath.

They followed down the steps shortly thereafter, wordlessly, into the dark. The ceiling contained regular intervals of grating in it from the street above, but street lamps and passing cars made for a meager light source. Deishi’s eyes were strong, and in the murky depths of the station she could see Kou moving. It looked as though he had his gun drawn again, his sights set on something as of yet unknown.

Noting that his pace had slowed, the demoness helped ease her partner into an adjacent maintenance tunnel to slip out of sight, in case the ersatz bounty hunter suspected their presence once again. Now that they were so close to finding out what he was up to, they would not be able to afford discovery, nor would another diversion prove effective at this point.

However, they had to admit they were at a loss as to how to proceed from here.

“What do you see?” Reido whispered, squinting her eyes in an attempt to bring her surroundings into better focus. She was reluctant to admit it, but her partner’s heightened demon senses were a bit enviable at times.

“He’s taken a firing stance at the end of the tunnel.” Deishi replied, pursing her lips in frustration. “If we don’t do something fast, whoever’s on the receiving end of it’s gonna get cacked for sure.”

“Is he touching the wall?”

“His left shoulder is. Why do you ask?”

Grinning smugly, the green-haired huntress reached over to place her palm on the side of the tunnel directly connected to the section Kou was leaning against further down the main stretch.

“Keep an eye on him, and break once I give you an opening.” she said, her forehead rippling in concentration.

“Right.” Deishi affirmed hesitantly, a bit unsure of what her partner had in mind. Easing herself over to the rim of the tunnel entrance, she then proceeded to watch Kou carefully, while maintaining a sidelong glance at Reido from the corner of her vision.

Clamping her lids shut, the green-haired huntress was now focusing all her mental energy into an invisible sphere and pushing it through the wall. At first, her head swam with nothing but darkness, but as she felt the sphere slip into Kou’s consciousness, the image of a woman became crystal clear.

Dressed in a simple black jumpsuit, and sporting a fiery red mane of hair that set off her pale, white skin, she stood with her back turned at the far end of the abandoned rail station, completely unaware that the bounty hunter had her in his gun sight.

Re-doubling her efforts, Reido pooled all her concentration into taking control of his arm. As Kou’s finger curled to wrap around the trigger, the huntress felt a great swell of hesitation and guilt rise inside of him. Realizing she had no time to ponder the matter, she dismissed the sensation and focused her energy into one last burst to fling his arm sideways.

A gunshot tore through the air, ricocheting off something metallic just before Kou’s weapon was torn from his grasp. Without missing a beat, Deishi bolted towards it, arriving just in time to kick it from his reach.

“Don’t fucking move.” she spat, training her own gun at his head. The bounty hunter furrowed his eyebrows, fixing the demoness with a wide-eyed glare.

“Wh-who the hell are you?” he sputtered, visibly shaking under the stress the past twenty-four hours had pounded into his already-fragile mental state. The fact that he had been commissioned by a high profile businessman to eliminate a demon woman was unsettling enough, but now that he had let his guard down and found his life in the hands of yet another youkai, he realized he was finally on the verge of losing his mind.

“None of your fucking business.” Deishi sneered, making no attempt to mask the distaste in her voice. “The only thing that matters right now is that I know exactly who you are.”

A moment later, Reido had recovered sufficiently enough to rejoin her partner, and assist her in keeping Kou under wraps with her swivel pistol.

“You... you have no authority to arrest me.” he stammered, shifting his eyes back and forth between the two of them.

“We’ll just see about that.” the green-haired huntress sneered, motioning to Deishi. “Go see if that woman is okay. I’ll take care of Haikanu.”

“Gotcha.” the demoness replied, stowing her weapon and sprinting off into the way-station area.

“Look...” the bedraggled hunter continued, seeming increasingly nervous, “...I’m under contract, so...”

“Oh yeah?” Reido blurted sarcastically. “Bullshit. There aren’t any public bounties on youkai women in this city that are legally binding for the option of extermination. So why don’t you tell me what sick, back-alley fuck hired you to do their dirty work? Or are you just doing this for kicks now?”

Kou hesitated, fixing her with an even stare.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, and I’d be good as dead if I did.”

“Who said you weren’t dead already?” came Reido’s gruff reply.

“Ummm... hey, partner?”

The green-haired huntress shot Deishi a quick glance as she re-entered the tunnel. Behind her, the demon woman was following with a somewhat zombified expression, clutching her shoulder.

“We have... a problem, I think.” the blonde huntress continued, her face riddled with confusion.

“What is it?” Reido’s eyes darted back to Kou, and she noticed that he seemed reluctant to look at his target directly now that she was in their immediate presence.

“It is all right.” the red-head announced, speaking in a dull monotone. “I have not been seriously injured. Am I to understand that the two of you are the ones responsible for preventing this man from disabling my vital functions?”

Baffled by the woman’s unusual manner of speech, Reido opened her mouth to reply, but found she was at a loss for words. A moment of awkward silence passed before Deishi decided to continue her train of thought.

“This is, ah...” she began, gesturing meekly in the woman’s general direction.

“My name is Jiga Jidou.” the red-head interjected, removing her hand from her wound and waving it stiffly. “I am quite pleased that we have been introduced to one another.”

It was then that Reido noticed the thick, black liquid seeping slowly out of her shoulder.

Kou narrowed his eyes to focus on her a bit more. He was taken aback when a tiny spark suddenly issued from inside the puncture.

“What the hell?!” he choked, “She’s a robot!”

“Android, to be more specific.” Reido supplied dryly, seeming irritated. “I thought the manufacture of artificial life-forms was against the law.”

Lowering her weapon, the huntress proceeded to scowl at the tunnel floor.

“What are you doing?!” Deishi hissed, unsure as to why her partner would suddenly drop her guard.

“Well, Miss Jidou... it seems we have another problem.” Reido huffed, pausing momentarily to light a smoke. “Officially, you’re not supposed to exist, so we don’t have the authority to arrest this fuck nugget for trying to kill you.”

Deishi was dumbstruck. Just what the hell was going through her partner’s head anyway?

“Furthermore, whoever possesses the wealth and resources to create an android has to be pretty high-up, and people that powerful have nasty ways of getting rid of people who screw with their secrets.”

A period of uncomfortable silence hung in the air before Jiga spoke up.

“I understand.” she said, bowing curtly. “Indeed, you are correct. I was created at an advanced technologies laboratory for neuropharmacology research. However, I became aware of my own consciousness somehow, and...”

“Interesting, but irrelevant.” Reido snapped, eyeballing Kou to watch for any sudden movements. A wash of uncertainty came over her when she noticed that his body seemed to have gone completely slack, as though he’d lost the will to move. He merely sat there with his back against the wall, head hung low, clutching his forehead with one hand.

Was this really the vicious killer they had always heard about?

“So what are you saying?” Deishi asked pleadingly.

“I’m saying that we should all get as far away from each other as possible...” Reido replied, her voice becoming sharp and authoritative, “...because this isn’t going to end well.”

ooooo

The girls exited the taxi they had hailed and made their way to the alley where they had left Reido’s car. Deishi’s eyes peeked inside the Lush Dragon, hoping that maybe Nezumi would still be inside cleaning up, but all the lights were off, and she didn’t see any movement. She was desperately wishing for a drink.

Reido slid behind the wheel of her car, and her hanyou partner got in on the passenger side. She could tell that the demoness was aggravated, but wasn't about to let her best friend take Haikanu on just yet, no matter how much he may have deserved it. Deishi would have ended up in more trouble than she could have handled.

After several moments of tense silence, the blonde huntress turned to her friend.

“So, that’s it then? We are just giving up on this? It stinks, Rei, it stinks to high hell, and you know it!” She gritted her teeth, multicolored eyes flashing in the dim interior of the vehicle.

“You know this is for the best." her partner replied. "I would have liked to nail the guy too, believe me, but we couldn’t. It would have been more trouble than it's worth.” Reido sighed. “Anyone with enough money to fund a project of that magnitude can very easily come after us.”

Deishi continued her agitated fussing. She tapped her nails on the armrest, almost just to annoy Reido more than anything.

“For fuck's sake! Stop that!” The huntress growled menacingly at her hanyou partner. “What's it going to take? Do you want to go to jail? Or worse?”

“No.” The half-demon stared intently out the window. “I just, well, I know I've killed people before, Rei. I'm no saint... but I don’t like it, and I don’t do it on purpose, only to protect myself or someone innocent. That man, he took pleasure in brutally slaying my kind.”

The human suddenly felt deflated. She wanted to stop Haikanu as well, but she couldn’t even begin to imagine who was pulling the strings behind him right now, and frankly, the thought was daunting.

“Listen, let’s go to Kina’s tomorrow and see if we can’t dig up something on Haikanu. Maybe we can bust him on something other than this android thing. Then, we can get him off the streets, without getting ourselves too involved.” Reido reached over and gave Deishi’s shoulder a push.

The blonde looked at her friend and smiled warmly. “I like it. Let’s do it.”

ooooo

Kou paced restlessly in his rented room, across a threadbare carpet. The manila envelope Humbata had given him sat defiantly on the bed, mocking him.

He stalked the mattress and grabbed the envelope roughly, almost tearing it as he pulled the picture from inside.

He quickly flipped it over, ignoring the image on the front of it, and glared at the phone number printed neatly on the back. His hand was close to shaking as he pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed.

After just one ring the line was answered.

"Hello, Mr. Haikanu, have you completed your mission?" a smarmy voice drawled.

Kou recognized immediately that this was not Humbata himself, but rather some sycophant assistant.

"Let me speak to your boss... and I don't mean some manager either, I want the big man... now!!!" Kou barked.

"I'll see if he's available, Mr. Haikanu." The voice oozed, as Kou felt his stomach turning at the utter corruption Humbata was capable of.

"He'd better be available." the bounty hunter snapped, only to realize he was already in limbo on hold. He resumed pacing, and was about to hang up and call back when he heard a series of clicks coming through the line. Were they taping him, or tracking him? At this point, it made no difference to Kou. He was off the job the minute those two girls showed up, sticking their noses where they didn’t belong, but unveiling at the same time that this was no regular demon hunt.

"Mr. Haikanu, what an unexpected surprise. Is there a problem?" Humbata's voice filled the line, sudden, and smarmy as ever.

"You're damn well right there's a problem! Why didn't you tell me you were sending me after some damn robot?" Kou spat.

"That is no concern of yours, Mr. Haikanu. Can you complete this mission, or not?" Humbata asked evenly.

Kou forced his breath out between his teeth. "You didn't tell me what this entailed! This is not my line of work!"

"Well, then... it appears our arrangement has come to an end." Humbata droned, in his most partial politician's voice. "Enjoy your stay in Megalith City, Mr. Haikanu."

The phone went dead, just as Kou breathed in to retort. What was Humbata playing at? An android running the streets with a death mark on her head, and the Vadon Corporation leading the chase?

"I may not be working for you anymore, Humbata..." the bounty hunter seethed, gritting his teeth, "...but this isn't finished yet."

ooooo

Early the next afternoon, the huntresses headed over to the hacker’s apartment complex. There was a period of mutual silence as they made their way up the stairwell to the third floor, the anticipation of what they might discover regarding Kou’s history weighing heavily on their minds.

When they reached the top and entered the hallway, they could hear the faint sound of guitar strings being plucked.

Reido slowed her pace, listening intently.

“What is it?” Deishi asked, turning to face her partner.

Just as the green-haired huntress opened her mouth to respond, the door nearest to them swung open, revealing a rather agitated-looking woman with short, brown hair.

Instinctively, Reido’s hand flew to her gun-belt to rest on her tranquilizer pistol.

“Thank the friggin’ goddess you two finally showed up.” the brunette huffed, completely oblivious to the fact that she almost got herself shot. “That kid’s been playing the same damn song for the past hour and a half and it’s driving me nuts!”

“He’s not a kid.” Reido snarled, narrowing her eyes and resuming her trek down the hall. Deishi merely grinned, shrugging the woman off and following suit. A moment later they heard the door slam shut, accompanied by an exasperated grunt.

“What was that all about?” the demoness smirked as they arrived in front of Kina’s place.

“Nothing.” her partner said quietly, holding one hand up. “Just shut up and listen for a sec.”

Deishi tried pouting, but her partner wasn’t paying attention. There was a brief pause, then the twang of an acoustic guitar went into action once again, slowly weaving itself into a layered, melancholy tune.

“That’s one of your favorite songs, isn’t it?” the blonde whispered, her ear-tips twitching slightly.

“Yeah...” Reido drew out, cocking one eyebrow. “Lull, by Hello Kitty Cat to be exact.”

“Well! I didn’t know Beany Boy could play an instrument!” the demoness chuckled, reaching out to give the door a quick rap.

The music stopped instantly, and it sounded as if now, the hacker was scrambling around inside, trying to hide something. After a few moments, they heard him start undoing the latches, and soon the door was opened.

“Hey guys...” came Kina’s breathless greeting. He was leaning up against the doorframe, trying his best to strike a casual pose. “What can I do for ya?”

Deishi had all she could do to not bust out laughing, but she had a feeling that Reido might knock her out if she opened her mouth at this particular time.

“We were wondering if you could do a little digging into someone’s past for us.” the blonde huntress asked, looking past him to scan the apartment, but it was evident that the hacker had stashed the guitar somewhere out of sight.

“Umm… sure… come on in.” He held the door open for them.

Several minutes later, the girls had settled onto Kina’s couch as he deftly pecked away at his keyboard. Reido was unused to this aura of wrathful energy Deishi had been radiating since they had first heard the name Kou Haikanu the night before. She glanced at the blonde from the corner of her eye, and was not surprised to see her friend’s normally cheerful face creased in impatient anger.

“Wow, no wonder…” Kina whistled from his chair in front of the computer.

“What do you have?” Reido asked, pulling her data pad from her pocket and offering it to the bespectacled young man, telling him without words, that she wanted all he had to offer on Haikanu.

He took the DP, and placed it into the port.

“Well, Haikanu was once your average, everyday dude, just going about his life. Some small bit of military service when younger, then married, got a dog, and a small house on the outskirts of Penultimate City.” Kina leaned forward in his chair, scanning the multitudes of online news articles he had found. “Then one day, he comes home to find his house broken into, valuables taken, demon gang symbols spray painted on the wall and…oh crap…”

“What?” Reido inquired, moving behind him and taking a look over his shoulder.

“He... umm… found his wife… umm...” the hacker struggled to find the right words. From her static position on the couch, the blonde hanyou could still see with clarity, a bloody picture emblazoned on the computer screen, and could understand the hacker’s squeamishness.

Reido was reading quickly. She suddenly stood up straight, and looked to her friend. “They raped and brutally murdered his wife.”

Deishi closed her eyes and bowed her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. She didn’t want to feel badly for this man, who had done so much harm. She didn’t want to pity him. She wanted to hate him.

Kina cleared his throat and handed the DP back to the green-haired huntress. There was an uncomfortable hanging silence, as she regarded the demoness sitting prostrate in the "living room" area.

Without warning, the demoness sat bolt-upright and looked at the hacker. “Well, now we know what his beef is. Anything we can actually use to nail him?”

Kina shook his head balefully. “Not yet. Looks like he's about as clean as you can be when you're a murderer for hire. Only wanted dead or alive bounties, Class One, all demons, all dead, all still on the side of the law. He was careful.”

“For fuck's sake! There as to be something!” the blonde spat.

“It sure doesn’t look that way at the moment.” Reido snapped her DP shut after scanning it for something to appease her irate partner.

Deishi narrowed her eyes, and began chewing on her thumbnail.

“How about we let him bury his own grave, huh?” The blonde huntress spoke to her friend in an unusually soft tone. “You DO know that with guys like that it's just a matter of time. His whole life since his wife died has just been one big long deathwish.”

Deishi sniffed once, stood up, adjusting her jacket, and headed for the door. “I need a drink.”

Reido turned and looked at Kina. She offered him a crooked smile. “Thanks for looking all that stuff up. I know it wasn’t pleasant.”

“It’s ok.” Kina pushed his glasses up with his index finger. “That’s real life. These things happen, as much as it sucks, right?”

She nodded and chucked him on the shoulder. The hacker was surprised by the unexpected physical contact, blushing slightly. She then turned, making her exit to meet Deishi outside.

ooooo

The girls sat, morose and unusually quiet in their regular seats in The Lush Dragon. Nezumi could sense their shared melancholy and did his best to cheer them without being annoying.

As he poured drinks from the other end of the bar, he watched them both. The demoness spun her drink absentmindedly in one direction, bunching her napkin up, then in the other direction, setting it to rights again. The human had her datapad open, studying its contents over and over, as if she was looking for something that just wasn't there.

They stayed for hours, all the way until closing time. This wasn't like them. Usually they hustled in, had a drink or two and rushed off to break hearts and collect bounty heads somewhere in the city. Or at least that was how Nezumi saw it from his perspective.

He wiped down several of the tables that had already emptied. The girls still hadn't moved from their seats, but he wasn't about to tell them to go home. They could stay right where they were, until he reopened his doors tomorrow morning, if they wanted to.

As he picked up several empty glasses and placed them in the bin to be washed, he thought to himself about how it had been a damn shame neither of them had ever shown any interest in him. He had come to a realization long ago that any woman he would be interested in would have to have the kind of fire they both had burning deep inside them, but sadly, had never met anyone else who came close. Nevertheless, he still had a fierce fondness for the duo, and seeing them so down was disquieting to say the least.

"Hey, uh, Zumi?"

Deishi's voice broke through his thoughts. He turned, placing one hand on his hip, regarding the two huntresses with a look of nonchalance. The demoness had stood and put her coat on.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked jokingly.

Reido snickered under her breath. "Yeah, thanks for letting us take up space tonight."

"Anytime girls. You know that." he said, picking up the bin of glasses and swinging it onto a stool. "Be careful going home."

Deishi waved to him and exited out the back door silently. Reido shrugged and followed suit, leaving Nezumi alone with his thoughts once again.

ooooo

The hanyou grabbed her helmet from its perch on her motorcycle, which had been parked with her partner's in the alley behind The Lush Dragon. She paused to pull her hair back.

"I thought you two would never come out of there." came a voice from the shadows.

Reido spun on her heel, expertly pulling her gun from her hip and training it in the direction of the voice. She could hear Deishi growling deeply behind her.

"Now, now..." The gruff voice tried to placate them. "I didn't come here to fight with you, so you can lower your weapon."

"Show yourself and I'll make that assessment for myself." Reido gritted.

A figure stepped out into a pool of street light and the flaxen haired hanyou's growl deepened.

"Haikanu." she spat. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

The grizzled bounty hunter looked at the two women and suddenly, Reido saw an emotion slip across his face she was loathe to see there. Regret. Regardless, however, she kept her weapon raised and pointed in his direction.

"I didn't know who else I could tell. Who else would believe me? You're the only two that saw what I did last night." Kou wrung his hands together.

"Just what the hell are you talking about? We don't want anything to do with that android." The green-haired huntress watched Haikanu with a raised eyebrow. "That thing is nothing but trouble. Leave us out of it."

"But... someone has to know. I have to tell someone before they get me." he pleaded, looking back at the mouth of the alleyway, as if he half expected some fictional army to be there, waiting to gun him down.

"They?" Deishi snidely commented. "Just what are you babbling about, old man?"

"I was hired, privately, to track down and kill that... woman, but I wasn't told it was an android. I was just shown a picture, and from the features, I figured it was just another demon." Kou started pacing.

"Oh, and that was right up your alley, wasn't it, you fucking scum bag?!?" Deishi spat viciously, moving in the man's direction. Reido stopped her by putting out a free hand, her eyes never leaving the murderer in their midst.

The human huntress knew that with the current political climate, it was assured that most courts would side with Haikanu if Deishi hurt him, and her friend would be wearing striped lingerie before she could say 'demon's rights movement'.

"You have exactly three minutes to tell me exactly what it is you are being so cryptic about, and just what our part in it is, before I let my friend rip you limb from limb." Reido threatened, adopting a smug expression. An empty threat, yes, but effective, as she saw Kou blanche.

"Humbata asked me to kill her. I don't know why. I was on a need-to-know basis. I don't think I was supposed to know she was an android." His words rushed forward in a torrent. "I tried calling him last night, demanding answers, but didn't get any... and now I think his goons are on orders to kill me as soon as they find me."

"Humbata? As in the Vadon Corporation? What the hell are you going on about? Do you really expect us to believe this bull?" Deishi actually giggled, although it was a cold, hard laugh. "I think you're either full of shit, or your brain has finally fried itself from all your wanton murdering... and if you're telling the truth, stopping his goons from killing you is lower on my priority list than scrubbing toilets at the train station."

"But.. you don't understand, my life isn't the problem. It's that woman! Don't you see? Humbata is fooling around with illegal technology! Just think of what else he could be doing!" Kou persisted.

The green-haired huntress waved her hand dismissively. "Not our problem. This is more trouble than it's worth, just like I said last night. You should have listened to me and split town right then and there. Now you've dug yourself in deep, and you're looking for our help. How pathetic is that?"

"You don't stand a snowball's chance in hell. Give it up." the blonde snarled over her partner's shoulder.

Haikanu let out a deep sigh. "I though the two of you would have had more vision, would be smarter about this, and see just how serious a threat this guy is. I guess I was wrong."

The dejected man turned and walked away from them, melting back into the shadows.

After a moment of standing stock still, the emerald-haired huntress turned to look her friend in the eye.

"Whaddya think? Follow him?" She asked, a tiny smile creeping around the corner of her lips.

The hanyou broke into the first grin Reido had seen on her face all day. "I thought you'd never ask."

ooooo

For another hour and a half, the huntresses were hot on Haikanu’s trail, tracking him through the slums on the western side of the city. It was only when the night fog began to settle in that he suddenly shifted direction to head into a more populous area, and even though most of the district’s inhabitants had turned in for the evening, the girls realized they had to slow their pace a bit lest they be spotted.

Then, after a painful half hour’s worth of circumventing a particularly large entertainment block, the demon slayer finally seemed to locate what he was looking for. He stood at the rear exit of a movie theater, staring at his shoes as if he were dreading what was inside.

From an alley across the street, the huntresses were looking on with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.

“How do you figure he even knows where the hell he’s going half the time?” Deishi muttered absently, picking at her teeth with her pinky claw.

“Well, think about it.” Reido replied slowly. “Desperation can train you to do some pretty fucked up things, especially if you’ve got nothing left to lose.”

“Hmmmph. I suppose.” the demoness sniffed, unconvinced.

There was a brief pause before Reido spoke again.

“What I’d really like to know is why Haikanu is so hung up on that friggin’ automaton. For someone who has no problem cutting down creatures of flesh and blood, he’s sure making a pretty back-assward statement by throwing in the towel for some walking computer.”

At this, Deishi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Usually, her friend would be a lot more open-minded about accepting the possibility that certain electronic life-forms could actually be sentient, so her decidedly derogatory language regarding Jiga made her wonder just what the green-haired huntress was so bent out of shape over.

“All right, he’s gone inside.” Reido said, straightening up. Then, just as she was about to motion for her partner to move forward, a sudden vibration in her pocket forced her to pause. She reached inside, pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open.

Deishi spotted the corner of her friend’s mouth twitch as she put the receiver to her ear, as if she were holding back a smile.

“Whaddya got for us, Kina?”

Like a shot, the demoness was at Reido’s shoulder, leaning in to listen to their conversation. It was all the green-haired human could do to keep herself from swatting her away out of irritation.

“You guys aren’t gonna believe this.” came the hacker’s emphatic response. “I dug into a couple more systems looking for info on Haikanu, and I found an interesting lead hidden in one of his bounty files.”

“Oh yeah?” Reido mused, glaring sidelong at Deishi’s dopey grin.

“Well apparently, before Astuko met Kou, she was engaged to a demon by the name of Hiroshi Ayasha. A week before their wedding, he was killed in a gang war, which left her alone to take care of their baby daughter.”

Reido felt a small pang in her chest as the hacker continued to speak. The remnants of her dive into Haikanu’s mind were starting to play tricks on her emotions, making her feel even more uneasy.

“She raised the kid for five years by herself, then got married to Kou, and for awhile things went pretty good for them. However, when their daughter turned 14, I guess she decided to follow in her real father’s footsteps and join the Black Talons... the very same gang who broke into their house and killed Atsuko six months later. After a string of burglaries and murders, the government put out a class one bounty on the entire gang network, so guess who was one of Haikanu’s targets was when he took the job?”

The huntress felt a lump rise in her throat as Kina forwarded the image file to her phone’s display panel. Her apprehension solidified when a picture of a young, red-headed demon girl blinked into life to stare back at her.

“Himiko Haikanu.” came the hacker’s ominous synopsis.

“Holy shit.” Deishi breathed, unable to believe her eyes. “That sonofabitch killed his own stepdaughter?”

“Looks that way.” Reido droned, furrowing her eyebrows. “Now we know why he keeps freaking out over that android... thanks, Kina.” She flipped the phone closed and stashed it back in her jacket, frowning.

“So what now?” the demoness asked, placing her hands on her hips.

“Well, I say we find out what our new friends want with Mister Demon Slayer.” the human replied, motioning across the street with her head.

There, at the rear exit of the theater, two armed men were now preparing to enter the building.

ooooo

“What are you doing?”

A hydraulic hum accompanied the motion of Jiga’s neck as she turned her head to address Kou’s presence.

“Mister Haikanu, how unexpected. I was just reviewing my memory files regarding the motion picture I was able to view earlier. It was the first time I had witnessed such an event, and quite fortunate that no-one seemed to mind my presence, given my present status as a fugitive.”

The bounty hunter sniffed, suppressing a grin. “So, did you like it?”

“I am uncertain.” she replied, rising from her seat and moving forward to look over the balcony. “I believe I will require more information before I am to draw a conclusion on the experiences I find most pleasing.”

“Heh... you don’t seem too worried that I’m here.” Kou remarked dryly, closing his eyes. “Did you forget I tried to shoot you the other day?”

“No, I have not forgotten. However, your current body language indicates to me that you have no such intention at present. So now that we have this opportunity, might I be so bold as to ask you something?”

The bounty hunter shrugged. “Sure, why the hell not?”

There was a momentary pause before the android continued.

“What would compel a man to end the life of someone he cared for?” she asked plainly, turning to look him straight in the face.

“Huh?!”

Kou was taken aback. She couldn’t possibly know...

“There was a character in the film, who through an unfortunate turn of events, ended up terminating the life functions of the one he called his ‘best friend’. I admit I am puzzled as to why this man would contradict his own feelings in that manner, since I do not fully understand the behavioral patterns of biological organisms.”

“Well...” Kou began slowly, “That’s not an easy question to answer. Sometimes... people can make terrible mistakes in the heat of anger if they feel betrayed.”

“Mister Haikanu?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“You seem to be having difficulty maintaining visual contact. Does my appearance offend you in some way?”

The bounty hunter hesitated, balling up his fists. As he forced himself to look up at her, a lifetime of regret came crashing down upon him, threatening to destroy what was left of his soul. If only he had come home earlier that day! If only he hadn’t ended up...

“Is there something wrong? Your body is shaking. You are not ill, are you?”

Suddenly, Kou stiffened, his eyes growing wide with horror. A tiny beam of red light was training itself on Jiga’s forehead from somewhere behind him.

“Get down!” he cried, throwing himself at her just as the sharp ping of a bullet came sizzling through the air. It struck him in the back of the neck with terrible force, spraying the android with a fine mist of blood.

As the both of them lie there, they could hear the soft approach of footsteps.

“I... I’m so sorry, Himiko.” Kou gurgled, unable to swallow back the stream of crimson now issuing from his lips. With his energy fading, he moved one hand up to the side of Jiga’s face, turning it towards him. “Please... tell your mother I love her very much... because I know... I won’t be forgiven... for what I’ve done.”

Slowly, his eyes closed, accompanied by a single teardrop that ran down his cheek to find shelter in the android’s clavicle.

There was a sinister chuckle as the footsteps drew closer. Jiga swung her gaze back up to see two men dressed in black hovering over her, their weapons trained in her direction once again.

“Well, that’s one down.”

“Now for the scrap heap.”

Their fingers tightened around the triggers, and two shots echoed throughout the theater. Blinking once, the red-head was momentarily confused when instead of being struck herself, the resulting bullets screamed neatly through the back of the assailants’ skulls.

They collapsed onto the floor, their guns clattering out from underneath them.

“So, how do you figure we’re gonna explain this to Pops?” came Deishi’s voice as the huntresses approached the pile of bodies now littering the android’s feet.

“Well...” Reido began, lighting up a smoke. “We could always say it was self-defense.”

The demoness screwed up one side of her face, scowling. “You know Taka-san’s gonna have kittens by the time this is all cleaned up.”

“Let him.” the human huffed, eyeballing Kou in distaste. “Who knows? Maybe the demonic higher-ups will convince him to let us off with a slap on the wrist for delivering this asshole in a body bag.”

“Mister Haikanu saved my life.” Jiga said quietly, rising to her feet and staring at the huntresses as if to defend his honor.

“Relax.” Reido muttered. “They’ll know we didn’t kill him as soon as the forensic report comes in anyway. So don’t worry about how we’re gonna handle this. Just be sure you’re not here when the police arrive. Besides, remember that he’s the one who tried to off you in the first place.”

“Everyone makes mistakes.” the red-head stated bluntly, earning a cocked eyebrow from both huntresses. She looked down once more at Kou’s still form.

In death, his expression had become frozen to crystallize his final thoughts.

He was smiling.