Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ The Strength of the Soul ❯ Obsession ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: see prologue

----------

The first morning light streamed through the overhanging limbs of the trees surrounding the small clearing, its path through the trees casting dappled shadows across the young woman's tranquil, sleeping face. She smiled faintly, then tilted her head towards the warmth of the sun, never waking.

He was positively addicted to her. Despite the angry, forceful façade that she presented to the world, she was truly a gentle and kind person deep within. It was this duality, this double-edged nature of hers that fascinated him and kept her hold on his heart so strong.

He'd loved her since he first laid eyes on her, even though she probably just thought of him as a 'friend'. But soon he could feel the love radiating from her as she smiled at him from across a crowded room. His heart clenched painfully in his chest every time he saw her, and it was agony to be apart from her for even a second. He'd never known that love could be so painful.

I've already lost you once, he thought to himself as he tentatively reached out one gloved hand and brushed aside a tendril of auburn hair that had fallen across her still-closed eyes, and it nearly killed me. I'll be damned if I let anyone take you away from me now that we're together again. You're mine.

That loving smile still in place, he gazed warmly at the sleeping beauty before him, silently pulling his gun from its holster at his hip and pressing the barrel against her temple.

"And if I can't have you, bitch, then nobody can."

----------

The ten hooded figures sat silently as they watched the screens of information flash before them, profiling Ash Ketchum and Misty Williams in excruciating detail. Their fury had been unimaginable when it had first been learned that the two had escaped, and they had immediately dispatched nearly all of their assassins in an attempt to capture the rogue trainers. Viridian City had all but been torn apart, but they were nowhere to be found. Frustration permeated the air as another screen flashed, once again bearing the empty words, "We will continue to search elsewhere." Meaning, of course, that their foot soldiers had thus proved completely incompetent.

The leader of the group narrowed his eyes once more and finally slammed his fist down upon the marble table, momentarily startling his companions. "This is utterly ridiculous!" he bellowed, pointing at the screen before them. "With all the power and resources we have, we can't find two brats that can't have gone more than fifty miles? What kind of idiocy is this!?"

One of the members to his right let out an exasperated sigh and calmly said, "Sir, please be patient. It is quite true that they cannot have traveled far, as we have grounded all flights and blocked all roads leading out of the city. The rails have also effectively been stopped, so escaping by train is impossible as well. It will not take much longer to find Ketchum and Williams."

"That's what you said an hour ago, Jensen!" the leader said angrily. "Ketchum is far too much of an asset to be lost! Do you understand just how dangerous it could be for our purposes if he were to--"

"Sirs, if I may?"

Ten pairs of narrowed eyes turned to observe the young messenger standing nervously by the heavy oak doors at the entrance of the hall. "What is it, boy?" the leader asked in an annoyed voice. "This had better be as important as all hell, because we're in a bit of a crisis at the moment."

"We've found them."

----------

His finger had just begun to tighten on the trigger when a sudden force slammed into the side of his head, knocking the pistol from his hand and sending him flying through the air and crashing against a nearby maple, the force of his impact causing a shower of leaves to rain down upon him. He clung desperately to consciousness as he tasted fresh blood filling his mouth, the faintly metallic taste filling his sense until he gagged violently. He spit once, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and turned his shaky gaze back to the origin of the attack.

The muscular young man's dark-brown eyes were narrowed in pure rage, and his hand still clenched into the same fist that had just plowed violently into his jaw. His spiky jet-black hair was soaking wet, and he was bare from the waist up; damn it all, he must've just walked to the nearby spring to bathe. She hadn't been alone at all. "Who the hell are you?" he asked in a low, dangerous voice, oblivious to the blood beginning to flow from the cuts on his knuckles caused by the force of his blow.

Ash Ketchum--that bastard who had taken Misty from him and deserted the League. The agent felt his blood begin to boil at the realization that it was the bane of his existence who had just dealt him what was beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the fiercest blows he'd ever received. And now that son-of-a-bitch was protectively holding a still-groggy Misty behind him as she rubbed her eyes sleepily, completely unaware of the dangerous situation before her. It was simply too much for him to bear. "Are you sure you don't recognize me, Ash?" he spat viciously, his gaze still alternating between the furious Master and his female charge. "Then again, it's been, what, five years? Maybe you should ask your little girlfriend there; after all, she and I know each other quite…" He smirked wickedly. "…intimately."

Ash heard a terrified gasp from behind him as Misty's hand went limp in his and she fell to her knees, completely frozen in fear. Ash didn't even hazard a glance at the man as he quickly turned to the young woman now sitting catatonically against the hard ground, her face now deathly pale. Misty's eyes seemed to simultaneously stare into space and at the man who had, unbeknownst to her, been half a second away from driving a bullet into her cerebrum. "P-please, not again," she whispered fearfully, unconsciously pressing her thighs together tightly and crossing her legs.

Ash's brows drew low against his face, giving him a wholly dangerous appearance. He gave Misty's hand a tender squeeze, then turned back to Misty's attacker, whose face now seemed to contain an air of…amusement? "You miserable bastard," he said in a tight voice, rage and hatred threading their way through his tone as his mind raced back to the sight of Misty's torn clothes strewn about back in her apartment. Dense as he was, even Ash had been able to deduct what had transpired mere hours before he and Misty had been reunited. And it was this man who had done it to her.

The slightest bit of fear touched the agent's mind as he observed Ash's face become dark with rage. The Pokemon Master had been known for his virtue, his kind nature, and his dedication to the preservation of humanity--but now he seemed little more than what was commonly referred to as 'League scum', those lowliest enforcers who often armed themselves with switchblades and slit innocent bystanders' throats simply for the thrill of it. High-ranking agents like he himself despised them, but they also secretly feared the power they contained, for such lowly-ranked members of the League had no compunctions with murdering their superiors as well.

"I'm going to make sure you never touch Misty again, asshole," Ash said dangerously, slowly advancing upon him.

"…Ash…"

The rage burning so intensely within Ash's eyes abruptly disappeared at the whispering of his name. He cast a warning glance at his opponent and knelt next to Misty, reaching out to hold one of the hands that she had clasped around her knees. "I was such a fool to trust him…" she managed to choke out. "I can't believe I was so stupid…"

"Shh, Misty, calm down. You can't blame yourself; the League is so goddamn corrupt and deceitful that even I didn't know about it until they'd already caught me."

"But we met him before all that happened," she said somewhat desperately, turning her tear-filled eyes to meet his. "Remember? Back on that island right before the Championships?"

Island?Ash's mind raced as he took Misty into his arms again, holding her as she cried for the millionth time since they'd been reunited only hours earlier. I remember that we were taking a vacation to try and take our minds off all the stress and everything, but what does she mean that we met this guy when we wer--

And then the memories came rushing back of that very vacation, memories of sun, surf…and a failed trainer who had immediately taken a liking to them. It can't be…

Renjiro?

----------

"I can't believe we've finally found the time to take a vacation!"

Ash turned to smile fondly at Misty as they watched the setting sun from the narrow bench upon the island's boardwalk, their cheeks nearly as crimson as the sunset as they slowly moved to clasp their hands together. There were only two weeks left until the Championships began, and Ash would be in the running for the title of Pokemon Master. His heart began to beat faster at the thought (thought Misty's resting her head against his shoulder and sighing contentedly may have been a factor), and he couldn't keep a proud smile from spreading across his face. "I'm glad we're here together like this," he responded, unsure as to whether he was referring to the actual vacation or the position he and Misty were currently in.

"It's…nice," Misty said softly, sighing again. "You know, we never really get to spend time together anymore, what with your getting ready to become a Pokemon Master and my classes at college…sometimes I think that we've already begun to drift apart. What'll happen to us once you're a Pokemon Master and you don't have any time for me anymore?"

The thought had crossed his mind repeatedly over the last few months. Ash frowned slightly as he imagined being separated from Misty once again--possibly for good. It'd been painful enough when she had left him to care for the Cerulean City gym in her sisters' absence several years before, but she'd finally returned, and they'd vowed never to separate again. However, Ash knew that once he became a Pokemon Master, much of his time would be devoted to battling, publicity events, interviews, modeling for miniature 'Ash Ketchum' figurines…there would hardly be any time for him at all, which meant that he and Misty would more than likely drift farther and farther apart as he began to climb the corporate ladder into a more glamorous lifestyle.

He really didn't know what it was; in fact, he'd spent the next few years wondering just what the hell had possessed him at that moment. Maybe it was the salt air, or maybe Misty's wistful tone, or maybe the realization of how utterly beautiful she looked in the golden light of the setting sun and knowing that he'd soon be losing her to the position he'd dreamt of his entire life…

He kissed her.

A bit timidly at first, his lips resting upon hers as he mentally wondered what the next step was. But soon his eyes had drifted shut and he was leaning into the kiss, his lips slanting over hers guided by years of unexpressed love and the fear of losing the girl he held so dear to his heart. This is…what I've wanted all along…

Suddenly, Misty broke away, an embarrassed blush spreading across her face. "Uh, h-hi, Renjiro!"

Ash turned to see the young man who had befriended Misty when they had first landed on the island six days before. He was darkly handsome, with longish dark-brown hair and the tall, muscular form that Misty had claimed to go so crazy for back when she adored "mature, intellectual types". But Renjiro projected such an unnerving aura that a chill never failed to run up Ash's spine whenever he came near. And then there were his eyes; they were the coldest, iciest shade of blue that Ash had ever seen, more akin to a chunk of ice slashed from a glacier than human eyes.

But Renjiro was also apparently a failed Pokemon trainer from a small town who had come to idolize Ash as everything he could never become. Ash felt his ego swell at the memory of that conversation, when Renjiro had first told them of his history as a trainer and then shyly asked for Ash's autograph. All in all, he'd seemed like a pretty great guy, one that they'd quickly befriended and had spent quite a bit of time with on their vacation. His idolization of Ash had resulted in an astounding knowledge of his career as a Pokemon trainer, and he had gone out of his way to be friendly and congenial towards them.

Yet now…Ash moved to untangle his hands from Misty's hair, mentally wondering when it was that he had put them there, and waved to Renjiro in what he hoped was a friendly manner. Ever since the other day, their new friend had grown cold towards them, ignoring Misty and casting some of the harshest glares humanly possible at Ash. He couldn't imagine what they could have done to annoy him so much…

"Sorry if I 'interrupted' you," Renjiro said sourly, adjusting the tinted sunglasses perched upon the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, it's no trouble!" Misty said earnestly, sliding down the bench and making a place for him. "Come on; you can watch the sunset with us."

Renjiro let out a derisive snort and waved away her invitation. "No thanks." He turned his attention to Ash for a moment, his eyebrows lowering. Ash sighed a bit at the action, knowing that it signified that Renjiro was once again glaring at him coldly. "I have some…business to attend to." He smirked and began to walk away, but not before Ash caught a glance of the tattoo just below his shoulder. Renjiro had made it a strange habit never to wear anything other than long-sleeved shirts and pants, always in shades of black, since they'd met him, but today the island's temperature seemed a few degrees warmer than the surface of the sun, and even he had opted for a simple white muscle tee.

"Hey, Renjiro, what's that?" Ash asked curiously, jogging over to him and inspecting the tattoo. "Wait a minute, that's the League's logo!"

Renjiro's features, which had remained frozen in a sort of apathetic annoyance since the other day, now contorted in rage. He angrily slapped Ash's hand away and said in a harsh whisper, "Don't try and fuck with me, kid; you have absolutely no idea who you're dealing with."

"Ash!Hey, what's going on?"

Ash's jaw remained open as Misty ran over to them, looking from Ash's shocked expression to Renjiro's now-cheerful one. "It's nothing, Misty," Renjiro said amiably, moving aside the fabric of his shirt so that she and Ash could better see the tattoo. "You're absolutely right, Ash; it's the League's logo. You see, I was so upset at having failed as a trainer that I enrolled as an intern at the League's headquarters in Viridian City. I'm actually part of a top-secret program there."

"Really?That's so cool!"

Ash finally regained his bearings enough to gape at Misty for being so excited; she obviously hadn't heard this bastard just maliciously threaten him. At any rate, this little incident only proved what he had suspected all along--Renjiro was dangerous, even if he was working for the honorable and prestigious Pokemon League. "So, um, Renjiro," Ash asked snidely, his irritation so strong that it was nearly tangible, "what exactly do you do for the League? Janitorial work? Racketeering? Assassinations?"

Ash had fully expected his facetiousness to be rewarded with another scowl-and-glare combo; he'd even half-expected that cocky bastard to punch him square in the jaw. But instead he found his blood running cold as Renjiro calmly removed his sunglasses, those ice-blue eyes boring into his dark-brown ones.

"Don't worry, Ash. You'll find out soon enough."

----------

"I see you've finally remembered, Ash."

Ash managed to pry his attention from Misty long enough to turn his gaze to the still-smirking League agent. "Renjiro," he spat, pulling Misty's gun from her nearby bag. "You bastard…how could you have done this to her!?"

Renjiro shrugged nonchalantly, paying no mind to the gun held in Ash's tight grip. "You act like it's such a bad thing," he responded indifferently, crossing his arms across his chest. "Misty's mine; she's been mine since I first laid eyes upon her back on Yasuragi Island. You just happened to be an annoying little obstacle." His features darkened. "At least, that's what I thought."

Before Ash could even react, Renjiro had rushed forward and seized the Magnum from Ash's hands, easily dodging the rogue bullet Ash had impetuously fired. He quickly pulled Misty against him and held the gun against her temple once again. "This little bitch loved you all along," he said angrily, twisting one of her wrists painfully. "And it was the stupidity of that love that blinded her; it kept her from realizing that we belonged together."

"You're insane!" Misty cried angrily, ignoring the danger of her situation.

Renjiro smiled at her, placing a soft kiss against her forehead. "That's so cute, Misty; you've only been away from me for a few hours and already you're back to your old fighting self." He moved the gun to press the barrel into the hollow of her throat and gripped her chin. "Now, how do I usually punish you for speaking back to me? Oh, yes, that's right…" He released her chin and moved his hand down to cover her breast.

"Don't you dare!"

Renjiro didn't even look up as he simply adjusted the gun's position and fired towards Ash. He relished in the sound of his nemesis' sharp cry, then taunted Misty, "I wasn't looking, sweetheart; how much blood was there?"

"Not…as much as you think, you fucking bastard."

Renjiro slowly turned to see Ash panting heavily and glaring directly at him, one hand clutching his bloodied shoulder. "Hm," Renjiro remarked with a shrug. "I missed." He raised the gun again. "Well, that's remedied easily enough." His finger tightened on the trigger once more.

Suddenly, Renjiro found himself falling backwards onto the hard ground as his feet were knocked out from under him, the shot firing into the air. He groaned as the force of the impact sent waves of pain radiating up his spine, but it was soon forgotten as he saw Misty quickly grab the injured Ash's hand and rush deep into the forest with him. "You're not getting away that easily, bitch!" he swore, then followed in hot pursuit.

----------

Ash and Misty were oblivious to the thorns and briars that tore at their clothes and skin as they dashed through the forest, weaving through the trees and double-backing in a desperate attempt to dodge their pursuer. After a few minutes of frantic running, they finally stopped to rest, hidden within a thicket of sturdy oaks. "Are you okay?" Ash whispered, gently stroking Misty's dirt-streaked face.

"What about you?" she asked seriously, turning her attention to the bullet wound in his right arm. "Renjiro may have missed, but you're still hit."

"Don't worry; it's pretty shallow," he responded, tearing a strip of fabric from his already-torn cargo pants and wrapping the wound. "I was lucky that it just grazed me." He let out a sigh and cast a wary glance around them. "So what now? Do we just wait until Renjiro catches up with us, or do we start running again? I mean, we're sitting ducks; we're completely unarmed."

A slight smile crossed Misty's features as she rolled up the bottom of her left pant leg, revealing a concealed ankle holster and removing a small handgun. "Not quite," she said with an impish smirk.

Ash suppressed a relieved laugh and hugged Misty to his bare chest. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

----------

Renjiro scowled as he tore through the forest, his mind completely focused upon finding Ash and Misty and obliterating them. His back still smarted, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt knowing that it was his Misty who had thwarted his attack on Ash and helped the traitor escape. He had long ago accepted that she loved Ash, though he had yet to understand exactly why, but he knew that she loved him as well.

His mind unconsciously flashed back to that first day he had met her, when his long-standing obsession with that fiery goddess had begun…

----------

Renjiro surveyed the vacationers strolling leisurely along the boardwalk as he tightened his hand on the small notebook. This was his first official spying mission for the League, and he was determined to get it just right. After all, how hard could it be to keep an eye on a potential Pokemon Master and make observations of his behavior? It was child's play, really, but Renjiro was just happy that the League considered him important enough to assign him a job at all.

Unfortunately, he hadn't run into this Ash Ketchum guy yet, so he'd spent much of the morning scouring the island in search of the young trainer. Occasionally his hand would drift inconspicuously to the notebook so that he could steal a glance at the small photograph taped to the inside cover, refreshing his memory as to what Ketchum looked like. He'd seen one or two people who resembled him, but so far no luck.

Renjiro sighed as he continued to observe the cheerful faces of the tourists chatting away happily with their friends and family, oblivious to his presence. There was a stout woman with a stroller loudly scolding the toddler at her side, an old man guarding a sandwich from a curious seagull, two children attempting to get a kite airborne, and…

Renjiro felt his heart stop in mid-beat as he observed the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen contentedly paging through a novel as she reclined comfortably upon one of the benches lining the boardwalk. Her long red hair flowed over her shoulders and nearly down to her waist, and the pale blue sundress she wore was just tight enough to display her lithe body and its tempting curves. Her pale skin seemed to shimmer in the light of the late-morning sun, and every so often her pink-tinged lips would turn up in a slight smile at the sound of laughing children running past.

At that exact moment, Renjiro fell head-over-heels in love with her.

You're supposed to be finding this trainer kid,his mind chastised him even as his feet were guiding him over to her side. This'll only cause you trouble.

That may be so, but this is the kind of trouble worth getting into.Renjiro smiled as he sat down on the bench and said, "Hello."

She smiled politely and looked up momentarily from her book. "Hi."

"Good book?"

"Yeah, actually.The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. It's pretty interesting."

"Chopin really does a great job with mood, doesn't she?"

She turned quizzically to him, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Yeah, she really does. You know her?"

"Of course, doesn't everybody?" He extended his hand. "I'm Renjiro Nanahara."

"Misty Williams. Are you on vacation here, too?"

"I'm actually on a business trip."

"Oh; my friend and I are taking a bit of a vacation. See, we've got this thing coming up, and…"

Renjiro listened intently as she continued to speak for the next ten minutes straight, reveling in being able to be so close to this young woman. He'd never felt so alive, and he prayed to God that nothing would come between them.

----------

Later that day, Renjiro anxiously glanced at his watch as he jogged towards the beach in complete elation. After spending much of the morning talking, Misty had invited him to come to dinner with herself and her friend, and he'd gladly accepted the invitation. Of course, he was slightly dismayed to discover that her friend was, in fact, male, but Misty was so adamant that they were "just friends" that his panic easily abated.

6:45…so I'm a little early,Renjiro thought with a shrug as he walked up the ramp to the boardwalk, shielding his eyes as the glare from the sunset assaulted his eyes. He was captivated by the brilliant red of the sunset, its fire and intensity reminding him of the red-haired beauty from earlier that day. I must really be falling for her.

Renjiro's mind was still focused solely upon Misty as he descended the wooden stairs onto the beach, removing his sandals and relishing the feeling of the soft sand against his bare feet. He wondered what it would be like to hold Misty in his arms as they sat together and watched this same beautiful sunset, just enjoying being together.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Renjiro turned sharply towards the sound of the voice carried to him on the wind. There she was, standing barefoot in the surf with the friend she had mentioned, her red hair tossed about by the wind. Renjiro felt his heart begin to pound at the mere sight of her and ducked behind the sand dune beside him. I've gotta calm down before I go over to meet up with them. Misty'll think I'm some kind of lunatic. After his heart had finally stopped pounding, he stood and turned back to face them--

--and felt his heart immediately break into a million pieces as he watched Misty and that…that…'friend' gaze lovingly at each other, then move closer and share a quick, soft kiss. Renjiro felt as though someone had just reached into his chest, ripped out his heart, poured salt onto it, then ground it into the soft sand with their heel. But…she said that they were just friends. Just friends, dammit! Friends…

It was only when his heart rate returned to normal that Renjiro regained his focus, squinting hard at the man now gently holding Misty in his arms. He frantically reached into his jeans pocket and extracted the bent photograph, holding it close to his face and alternating his gaze between it and the man. My God…that's him! He's that Ash Ketchum guy I've been searching for all day!

Renjiro felt a malicious smile tug at the corners of his mouth as recalled just what his orders were. I've been worried over nothing, he thought with a laugh, smiling genuinely as he strode across the beach to meet up with the two. Enjoy it now, Ash; she won't be yours for much longer.

----------

Tears suddenly stung Renjiro's eyes as his memory assaulted him with images of all the other times he'd seen Ash and Misty together on that vacation. Misty had been so kind towards him; they'd made a real connection, he could feel it, damn it! And then she'd turned around and given her love to another man? The pain from five years ago still plagued him.

Even when he'd succeeded in stealing Misty from Ash--when they'd been separated for the League's own nefarious purposes--he'd never received her love. That soft gaze in her eyes that he'd first seen directed towards Ash on the beach that day so many years ago…it had never been his to cherish.

Why, Misty? he thought silently as he continued to make his way through the dense forest. Why couldn't you ever look at…me that way?

----------

"I can't…run any farther..."

Ash cast a worried glance back at Misty, who had fallen to her knees against the forest floor and was now panting heavily. "Misty," he pleaded, kneeling next to her and tilting her head up. "We've come too far to give up now; we have to keep going!"

"I can't…I'm exhausted…"

"Misty, you have to--"

He stopped in mid-sentence as he detected the sound of rushing water coming from just beyond a nearby clump of trees. "It can't be…"

"What, Ash?" Misty managed to ask, her breaths slowly returning to normal.

Ash didn't answer her, carefully avoiding the thorny bushes nearby and edging his way through the trees, Misty following closely.

It was almost like a dream--the trees in the foreground, the sparkling river, the rushing waterfall crashing over the rocks below…

It was the place where they first met.

Ash's hand clasped Misty's tenderly, and together they emerged from the forest, battered and bleeding but altogether happy. "H-how did we end up here?" Misty asked in wonderment, gazing around as if in a daze.

"I honestly don't know," Ash said, his tone identical to hers. "But I'm really glad." His mind drifted back to their first meeting, when the beautiful woman beside him had been nothing more than a scrawny little girl…with the bad fate to catch a half-drowned boy and his Pikachu on her fishing line. Twelve years had passed since then, and the two of them once again stood together in the same exact spot. Ash pulled Misty into a tight embrace, squeezing his eyes shut as another wave of pain shot up his arm from the bullet wound. "We've been to Hell and back together, Misty," he said softly, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "And if I have to die, then I'm glad it's in this spot with you."

Tears formed in their eyes as they came together for one final kiss, their encompassing love and anticipation of death fueling their passion. After a few intense moments, they finally broke apart, breathing heavily. "I love you, Mist," Ash said after a moment's hesitation, resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you, too, Ash. God, it feels so good to finally say that," she responded with a slightly relieved laugh. It was so bittersweet; years of anguish and separation had forced the two of them to commit unspeakable horrors, and they had responded by pushing aside their emotions and committing themselves to a life of apathy. The Ash and Misty that the world had come to know had died, replaced by hollow representations who knew naught but what they were told and lived in misery.

But then they had been reunited, and the two of them had felt their long-dormant feelings awakening--not just love for each other, but hope, joy, and the sense of being alive. And they both knew that they'd rather die having once again experienced that happiness than returning to the hellish lives that they had been forced into.

"What a touching scene."

The two were wrenched from their reverie as two gunshots resounded through the clearing, shattering the tranquility of the forest. Ash and Misty looked simultaneously to see a smirking Renjiro holding Misty's smoking Magnum in his extended hands. Misty let out a choked groan at the sensation of the bullet tearing through her torso; the pain was absolutely excruciating. "I'll see you in hell, bitch," Renjiro said sweetly, then fired.

With his last ounce of strength, Ash tightened his arms around Misty and in one swift motion sent them both tumbling into the river. Misty…forgive me for not protecting you… And everything went black.

----------

"Agent? Agent! Agent Nanahara, answer your communicator at once!"

Renjiro slowly lowered the gun, looking dazedly at the wristwatch-like device strapped to his wrist. He silently pressed a small button upon its side.

"Nanahara? Where the hell have you been, Agent? We demand that you explain--"

The leader's voice ended abruptly as Renjiro tossed the device into the air and fired.

----------