On the Hunt Pt. 1

The winds howl a cold tune, yet those who wander are oblivious to its meaning. Such tunes are fit for a night that will see the color of blood.

Upon the bustling streets, a lonely assassin is speeding down the road on a motorcycle, ignorant of the accidents he might cause.

"How ya doing, Tsuki?" a cheerful girl's voice came in through the comms.

"...Megumi no Hana," Tsuki replied. "Wasn't expecting you of all people."

"Hey, be grateful. I've taken time out of my busy schedule to help you out. Saving little Taiyori Ayaka again, huh? Hehe... It really does bring back memories."

"As much as I would like to stop and catch up, I'm not exactly in the position to do so right now. What do you have for me?"

"Sheesh, fine. CCTV footage shows that the vehicle used to kidnap the little missy turned into a dockyard further east. Sending you the coordinates. Mujihina no Hato and Higeki no Shijin are heading there now."

Strapped to the handle of the motorcycle was his phone, and it rang with a notification screen.

"Closing in on the coordinates," Tsuki said. "Do we know the identity of the assailants?"

"Well, we know for sure it ain't the yakuza," Sakuno scoffed. "More likely a nameless syndicate. Still, we should stay on our guard. Worst case scenario, they might be in the possession of firearms."

"That's the least of my worries."

Tsuki accelerated his already illegal speed, passing cars that honked out of frustration. He paid them no mind. The only concern in his head was saving Taiyori, and something as trivial as traffic would not deter him.

Meanwhile, within a secluded warehouse, the hostage was tied to a chair in the middle of an empty room. Her skin was pale, and the color of her eyes seemingly drained away.

Apart from her, there were five men in that room, watching her.

"So for how long are we just gonna sit around, Goro?" one of them groaned. "My ass is numbed."

"We wait," Goro said. "That old man will eventually find out that his precious little daughter is missing. Once it's on the news, we'll make the first contact."

"He won't come," Taiyori muttered.

At the same time, the two of them looked over at her. She slightly tilted her head up, allowing them to see her apathetic glare.

"You think my father gives a shit about me?" she asked. "You're wasting your time."

"Hah!" the first man scoffed as he approached her. "Is this your way of bluffing? Call me crazy, but I don't think it's gonna work, girly."

"Then you're just as blind as the rest."

In a fit of rage, he snatched her up by the chin with a malicious smile. However, she didn't even flinch. It seemed as though she harbored nothing more than contempt. No anxiety, no fear, not even the slightest hint of distress.

"Got a feisty little one here," he chuckled. "Keep talking, and you won't be leaving here with all of your limbs intact."

"Do it, then," Taiyori said.

"...What was that?"

"I said, 'Do it.' You think you're so tough, huh? Think this little girl is scared of you? Sorry, but this has happened way too many times for me to be fazed."

The man quickly lifted his gun and poked her head with the barrel. However, he was surprised when Taiyori still kept her gaze of contempt steady. In those eyes were the eyes of a person who had nothing to lose, yet it made no sense that she would have such a mindset.

"You really don't care, huh?" the man smirked. "A rich and snobby bitch like you?"

"Pull the trigger and find out," Taiyori said. "Trust me. Compared to all the other times... Compared to that 'one' time... You're nothing but a freak circus show."

As the daughter and sole heiress of a corporate empire, Taiyori had always lived with a target on her back. When she was just a child, she had been kidnapped in a situation eerily similar to her current predicament. She had nearly been smuggled out of the country, saved only at the last possible moment. One of her deepest regrets is that she doesn’t remember the faces of those who rescued her.

The difference between then and now is that Taiyori has learned to adapt. She understands that the world is a cruel place for people like her, and the only way to survive is to adjust to its harsh realities.

"Say that again, girly," the man growled as he lifted a knife. "You know I can do some real bad things to a beautiful chick like you."

The tension between them was powerful. On one end was a lion threatening his prey, and on the other end was a prey that refused to back down.

"Shinji," Goro called out. "Get away from her. If this is gonna work, we need her as clean as possible."

"Or how about you don't?" Taiyori scoffed tauntingly. "You scared or something? Too much of a coward, are you?"

Shinji's grip on his knife tightened, so much so that the veins on his arm became visible. "You... You're pushing your luck here, girly."

"You went through all this trouble to get me, didn't you? Well, now you've got me, so go ahead. Do your worst. Kill me even. I promise you... that old man won't even bat an eye."

"Shinji!" Goro said much more sternly. "Stand down! Don't make me put a fucking bullet through your head."

"Tch... Fuck!" Shinji shouted.

He stomped back to the side and threw his back against the wall, full of rage. Taiyori let out a slight laugh as she dropped her head. This is her reality, she thought to herself.

Unbeknownst to them, a trio of lurkers were making their rounds just outside of the warehouse. Quiet, calm, and hidden by shadows. In the darkness where nothing can be seen, bodies were dropping to the ground without notice.

"Hey, girl," Goro said. "You actually think your father ain't gonna come to save you?"

"Hah. Why would he?" Taiyori muttered. "He never once saw me as a human being, much less his own daughter."

"Ain't that just sad? Well, it doesn't matter either way. I'm sure there's some creepy asshole out there who's willing to pay a hefty sum for a beauty like you."

Taiyori began to speak again when a loud thud echoed from outside the door. Everyone's attention snapped toward the sound. They waited in tense silence, but nothing followed.

Goro motioned to one of his men, who cautiously approached the door with his gun raised. He barely cracked it open when he was yanked into a sudden struggle.

"Hey!" Shinji yelled, rushing toward the door.

Grunts and sharp blows filled the air, but before he could reach it, the sounds abruptly ceased. A thick, unnerving silence followed as a dark pool of blood slowly spread from beneath the door.

No one moved. No one breathed. The blood inched forward, closer and closer, until it stopped just at their feet.

"W-who the fuck is out there?!" Shinji shouted. "Jin, is that you?!"

Yet, no one replied. It was clear that the person they sent out, Jin, was dead, and the oozing blood belonged to him.

Suddenly, the doors slammed open, and they opened fire. It took them only seconds to realize that what came through was the corpse of their fallen comrade.

Just then, a man rushed out from behind the corner, landing a clean shot on Shinji's head. He rolled in and shot the other two before they could react, leaving only Goro himself.

"You bastard!" he shouted.

Without his gun, Goro charged at the stranger, who quickly turned with his pistol. He fired a shot into his leg, forcing him to kneel. Instead of killing him immediately as he did to the rest, he fired two more shots, one into each shoulder.

Goro howled in pain, but he was silenced when the man lunged forward and plunged a dagger into his chest.

"The Hunt sends their regards," he whispered angrily as he sank the blade deeper and deeper.

Goro looked up, and in the piercing gaze of his killer, he saw the abyss creeping in. At that moment, absolute terror washed over him, for those eyes belonged to someone he encountered far in the past.

"Y-you..." he muttered. "Tsuki no—!"

The man pulled his knife to the side, violently slashing through Goro's torso before he could finish. Just like that, all five of the guards were dead. The man twisted his head just slightly to look at Taiyori, who was fearfully staring back at him.