Ark 20 Episode 98: The Hunt Part 3

Akiko Yano:   As soon as Eva took off Akiko followed behind her. As they were running towards Eva’s company building Akiko could not help but shed a few tears for Kin, he was not only her friend but he was her leader. He had given her a chance to save the city but she was unable to save him. The wolf growled deep in her head. –I know, I need to suck it up and wait until all of this is over.-  Akiko had learned to keep her feelings deep inside of herself, now it was time to use the skill to solve this hunter problem. "Almost there.." Eva’s words broke her thoughts and she looked forward wads they came towards a very tall building.

As the door opened up Eva went through the doors, still following behind her Akiko nodded to the several members that greeted Eva as she came into the building. Stepping into the elevator she listened to Eva explain what they were going to be doing once they got up to her office. Akiko had to think for a little about what she would say to answer Eva’s question. The elevator dinged at they arrived at the top of the building, the door slide open and Akiko walked it. She was shocked by the penthouse, she had assumed that it was only an office but it was so much more. Turning back around she decided to tell Eva everything she knew. “MY brother has been staying at our apartment every other week. On the weeks that he is not with me, he is at his girlfriend’s apartment; he is planning on proposing to her so he has been staying there more. The Hunter would have had to know that Takato was only spending every other week at the apartment. This morning I left the house around 8 am and headed to the book store and the grocery store, I got back around 10 and that was when I found the apartment destroyed. Why would the Hunter attack Takato is broad daylight?”  It made no sense to her, who kidnapped someone in the day light.

They knew so little about this hunter, they needed more help, but did she want to cause harm to anymore people. Taking her phone out of her pocket she peered down at the message that lingered there. It was a message from Akira, she had told him she was going to message him when she got home from shopping. She pulled up the message, her thumbs moving fast against the keys as she texted him back. ~Akira, something terrible has happened…. I really need you here to help.~ She looked up from her phone and asked Eva what the address was for the building they were at. Akiko would explain that she had someone in mind that might be able to help them create a plan. As she explained this something caught in her through, did she really want to bring Akira into this? -Oh god, what if he ended up like Kin- Biting her lower lip, her mind was in such turmoil. If Eva did share the address with her, Akiko would bunch it into the text and turn off her phone quickly. She held back even more tears that wished to fall from her eyes.

Akira Tetsu:  Akira would have been walking through the Hallways with nothing but a towel around his waist and one on his head which he was using to dry his hair off using his hands to rub the soft white towel around his head, he'd then make a left at the end of the hall walking into his Room"Man its been awhile" he said to himself. he had stayed over at Hegai's house for the week to get a little extra training in. Akira would have walked inside of his room closing the door behind him and casually flipping on the light switch and walking over to his dresser and pulling out the second draw on the right grabbing a pair of all black boxers letting the towel drop off him before sliding his legs through them and pulling them onto his waist before reach down again and grabbing a pair of black and grey camo cargo pants jean putting them on and connecting a chain to the side of them which hung down by his pocket, he'd then kick the draw close before moving to his right opening the first draw and grabbing all white v-Neck slipping it onto his Muscular Frame causing the shirt to fit a little tight which made his muscles pop even more, He'd look up into the mirror that was postioned onto of his dresser grabbing a comb and running it through his hair before taking his hand and messing it up again giving it a wildly groomed type look, He'd then grin before grabbing some colonge off his dresser spraying it on his neck and chest before tossing it onto his bed and exiting his room streching his arm into the air grabbing a black and white jacket off the top of the door as he walked out of it closing it behind him once he left the room he'd walk over to the elevator pressing the down button waiting for it to come down once it got to his floor he'd step into it and press the"G" button which took him to the garage area, once it stopped the elevators doors would slide open and right in fron of him would be his all white air force one waiting for him, he'd step into his shoes before prceeding fowards pulling a pair of keys out of his pocket and pressing a small button on it and suddenly a engine would roar to life and instantly a smile would appear on his face as he walked over to Hegai's Motocycle Akira would then hop on top of the bike and would back up using his feet before taking off out of the spot crusing casually well that was until he saw Hegai chasing him like a bat out of hell and he looked like one two cause his eyes was glowing bright red and due to it being prety dark his body was shadowed, Akira would then gas the thing making it speed up as ast as it could and luckily for him he managed to get away in time will get away wasn't the right words he knew Hegai could have caught him easily if he wanted to but he must have gotten lazy, once Akira reached a stop light, he'd feel his phone vibrate and seen that it was a message from Akiko, she finally texted him back so he got a smile on his face well that was until he actually saw the message his face would change instantly and head slip his phone into his pocket grabbing back hold of the handle and gassing it striaght through on coming traffic as he sped down the streets weaving in and out of traffic and white lining to get by quickly easily exceeding speed of 160 mph hour on the bust streets once he arrived at the said address he'd rush off the bike and ran into the building" Damn she didn't tell me what floor she was on" he'd say to himself pulling out his phone and calling though it went straight to voice mail(since she turned it off haha) he'd then place it in his pocket walked over to one of the people present"Excuse have you seen a girl long black hair blue eye bout this tall" he'd say motioning her height with his hands the man would look as if he was thinking before simply shaking his head though just as Akira was about to get mad another came up to him saying that he saw her with some girl going into an elevator "what floor" "may i ask you why you are looking for this wman Sir" the man said and instantly Akira was pissed things were gettingto him vry easlily at the momnt and the text message she sent him had him on edge "Does it really matter why " "well if it didn't iwouldn't have asked if you don't have a reason then i'll have to ask that you-" the males sentance would have been cut off by a fist to his face which sent him flying into a lobby chair"I'll just firgure it out myself Thanks" he' say walking into the elevator and sighing before he literally checked every floor and room till he reach the last one all the way at the top and banging his fist onto the door.

Eva Rose:  The elevator went up straight to the top floor, which was Eva Rose's apartment and office as she spends most of her time there anyways, at least if she wasn't in the garage fixing her motorcycle or taking it for a ride. Eva Rose's eyes slightly glanced over her shoulder, looking at Akiko, before the lift came to a stop as they both stepped out of the elevator as the doors had opened before them. Without time to be looking around, Eva Rose just straightly went for her head desk near the window, which had a great view over the city, giving her the opportunity to keep her eyes on the city and everyone below. "Please have a seat.." Eva Rose spoke as she sat down herself, but she saw that Akiko didn't take the offer, but just slammed her words down at the table. After all this is what Eva Rose had asked her to tell her. She needed to know everything about this 'brother' of Akiko and specially the place where he would normally be.

The line 'The Hunter would have had to know that Takato was only spending every other week at the apartment' making Eva Rose aware that the Hunter had spend some time observing the boy to get known with his routine. The line that concerned Eva Rose was 'Why would the Hunter attack Takato is broad daylight?' as it clearly made no sense to her as well. "Hmm.." Eva Rose lets out a soft sigh as she hits a button, making screens pop up everywhere at her desk, as she turned on her computer. It showed the footage of all the camera's in the building as well from her garage, which might come in handy to look back the scene that went on before the explosion at her garage. Not sure where to start, Eva Rose leans back in her seat as she heard the sudden question about the address of this building, which snapped her out of her thoughts as she was a bit taken by surprise taking her longer to answer. Once given her address her eyebrow rose in curiosity as she was wondering why Akiko needed it in the first place, then she noticed the phone, maybe she was asking someone else for help as well. That made her thoughts go back to Kin as she shakes her head trying to get the image out of her head of Kin's face being melted off just like that.

Silence took over in the room for quit a moment as she started staring at the screens in front of her as she then noticed a male walking into the building, who was quite strongly build as it made her sit up straight in her chair. 'What the..?' She thought to herself as she tried to zoom in as she saw that this unknown male to her, grabbed one of her staff and eventually hit him in the face as she felt her blood starting to boil. Eva Rose saw this male heading to the elevator and then was able to keep an eye on him, through the footage on the screen as she reached for a crossbow, that was underneath her desk as she pulls the hammer back, making it ready to fire at her will as she aimed it for the elevator doors, which were just meters away in front of her desk.

Eva Rose's eyes narrowed as she focused her gaze on the door as she spoke to Akiko. "I better hope that he is the help you asked for, otherwise we have more troubles than just the Hunter..". Right after she had finished her line, a loud BANG on the elevator doors was heard as it echoes through the room and the elevator shafts. The doors opened much slower than normal, probably because of the forge behind the male's banging on the doors, that they jammed a bit. 'He's so going to pay for that..' She thought as she then stood up, taking the crossbow from below the desk with her as she aimed it at Akira as she opens her mouth to speak to him in a serious and stern voice "Who are you and what do you want?". Eva Rose was aware that Akiko had asked someone for help, but was bringing this overly aggressive male here a good idea, he all ready slammed one of her workers in the face, which made her a bit more cautious on meeting new people.

Akiko Yano:  After messaging Akira, Akiko walked over to Eva as she sat at her desk. Akiko did not really feel like sitting, her nerves were too shot to relax now. She also feared that if she took the time to sit and relax then she might burst into tears, it was still not the time or place for that. Standing behind Eva she watched as she brought up all of the screens, Akiko was amazed that she had this many camera’s to survey her two companies. Peering over her shoulder she looked down at one of the videos, it was the front lobby that they had just entered through. That was when she saw Akira walk into the lobby, he looked so much stronger on the screen, by the way he walked into the lobby she could tell that he was not in the best of moods. She looked down at her phone, it had only been a few minutes since she had texted him the message. –How did he get here s fast.-  She was actually flattered that he had rushed here to help her. She was still very unsure as to what their relationship was, they had spent that afternoon kissing but nothing was really said about it. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered what had happened on that most interesting afternoon. She gasped when she saw his fists connect with one of the men’s in the lobby. –What the hell is he thinking?-  She thought to herself.

With her eyes still on the screen she did not notice Eva pulling back the hammer of the crossbow that she kept under her desk. "I better hope that he is the help you asked for, otherwise we have more troubles than just the Hunter..". The words did not really comprehend with Akiko; of course he was the help she had asked for. –But Eva wouldn’t really know that.-  Lifting up her hand Akiko nodded her head,  “He is the help I asked for.”  But her words were over powered by a large bang that came from within the elevator. She was unsure as to what was going on in there, why would Akira find the need to hit the wall of the elevator. The door opened slowly, she could see Akira’s face as the doors separated. Looking over at Eva Akiko finally noticed that she brought up the crossbow from under her desk. The crossbow was aimed straight at Akira, with a loud roar the wolf inside of her took great offense to that. Stepping out from behind Eva, she stepping in front of the crossbow, bringing up her hands she stood in its line of fire. “ Woah, woah, Eva hold on. We need to put the crossbow down or something very bad is going to happen.”  She arched her back as she could feel the wolf clawing to get out, Akiko got the impression that the wolf did not enjoy seeing a crossbow pointed at Akira. Her eyes shimmered their crimson red as she looked at Eva, “Let’s just all calm down.” Turning around to face Akira she frowned “And you, what were you thinking?”

Akira Tetsu:  As the elevators doors began to open up he'd see a woman with a crossbow aimed directly at him and his first reaction was to take her out before she shot, his lunar blue eyes would shift to a bright red color but just as he was about to move he saw Akiko jump in front of the woman who was aiming at him telling her to put the crossbow down before something bad happens  and then saying that all of them should calm down, Akira's eyes would have shifted to the girl with the bow still somewhat on guard considering she has a crossbow not that the arrow would do much though that's only assuming the crossbow was normal for all he knew it could fire some type of explosive arrow or something of that sort so he wasn't gonna take any chances his eyes then shifted over to Akiko who asked him what he was thinking. He wouldn't have said anything though instead he'd simply step from inside the elevator door and into the room walking casually towards her and once he was in range he'd extend his arm outwards and grab her shirt by the collar and pull her towards him which if successful he'd plant his lips onto her kissing her deeply for a few moments before breaking it and speaking "I'm glad your alright your text message scared me haha" he'd say with a small smile on his face before turning back to the girl with the bow "so you still gonna try to shoot me or can I relax a bit" he'd say, after a moment he'd place both his hands into his pockets "So what's the big emergency you spoke of" his facial expression becoming a little more serious along with his whole demeanor his eyes locking into Akiko's own blue eyes as he waited for one of them to tell him what's going on.

Eva Rose: 'Woah, woah, Eva hold on. We need to put the crossbow down or something very bad is going to happen', the words of Akiko reached Eva Rose and as soon as she noticed that Akiko was in front of her she couldn't help, but to lower her crossbow a bit. "Hmm..?" Eva Rose was a bit surprised at this action from Akiko, but it made her clear that this wasn't someone she should be fearing, he was here to help after all, but punching one of her co workers in the face was something, that was still bothering her.

The noticing the guy stepping out of the elevator, she just automatically tightens her grip on her crossbow, thinking about what he did, in the lobby downstairs as she just wanted to punch him in the face as well, without saying a thing. But when he was walking towards them, she was just giving him a glare, but he didn't seem to care as he went then straight for Akiko and kissed her, making Eva Rose turn her head for a moment. 'All right, didn't saw that one coming..' She thought to herself as she looked back, guessing they would be done by now. Before she could say anything, she heard the man speak to her with the words 'so you still gonna try to shoot me or can I relax a bit', which made her made a "Tsk.." sound as she lowers her crossbow. "I wish I could shoot you at this moment.. Punching one of my workers in the face, where are your manners" Eva Rose spoke as she walks back to her seat and sits down as she heard his other words 'So what's the big emergency you spoke of', she wasn't sure if she had to answer this one or Akiko, but seeing Akiko's face being still taken away by the kiss, she decided that she was more capable to explain it to him, Akira.

"Well.. Since you managed to ask this time, I'll be so polite to answer you with words, not my fist" Eva Rose started as she cleared her throat, giving herself some time to think about where she was going to start. When she finally had it, she started to explain the situation to Akira. "Let me first start with, who I am.. My name is Eva Rose, owner of this building and so owner of Motor Community, but to keep that aside and skip to the important part.. There is this figure, we have given him the name The Hunter, well Kin did.." When she spoke Kin's name, she went silent for a moment, but she was able to hold in her emotions as she spoke further. "We don't know much about the Hunter, all we know it that he took Akiko's brother and blew up my garage.. Also he.. He took Kin's life. Kin started fighting him and told us to make a run for it and we did.. All we saw when we looked back, was that the Hunter melted off Kin's head with the use of fire coming from his mouth.. This figure, the Hunter, has a skull as his head and he is just covered with flames. He spoke of himself as the Liberator, wanting to take Akiko and me straight to hell.. It had to do something with us being inhuman.." Eva Rose explained as she sighs softly, not sure if that was all that there was to tell or that she missed something, so she looked over to Akiko, hoping if she missed something, that Akiko was able to fill Akira in with the rest.

Akiko Yano: Akiko watched as Akira stepped out of the elevator and came straight for her. She took a step forward as he gripped hold of her collar and pulled her towards him. His lips came down upon hers, purely in the moment Akiko had her lips move gently against his. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, with him beside her she felt safe and protected. When he broke the kiss to spoke to Eva“So you still gonna try to shoot me or can I relax a bit”,  Akiko blushed as she remembered that Eva was right there in front of them, still holding onto her crossbow. Pushing her head into Akira’s chest, Akiko took a moment to gather herself.

"I wish I could shoot you at this moment. Punching one of my workers in the face, where are your manners"  The wolf growled once again at the statement that Eva was making but she could feel the wolf settle down when she saw Eva lower the crossbow. “Thank you Eva” She said quietly under her breath, glad that nothing had to happen. At this point she could feel her wolf right at the surface and she feared that if something more stressful happened then she would have to leave to shift. That was the last thing she needed to do at this time, especially if her theory about the hunter was wrong and he ended up showing up, she needed to be in control. Taking hold of Akira’s hand she lead him over to the sofa and plopped herself down, facing Eva as she explained what all was happening. She patted the sofa in hopes that Akira would sit down as well.

Listening to Eva she went over the events of the day in her head, agreeing with everything she was explaining to Akira. She sat there listening intently on the conversation, but when Kin’s name was brought up she knew that Eva would need a moment. She was almost glad that Eva was explaining this all to Akira, Akiko wasn’t sure she could talk about both her brother disappearance and Kin’s death. She was glad for Eva’s strength but knew that it must also be a toll on her. Akiko looked from Eva and Akira then she added. “The weird part though is that he did all of this is the daylight, is he that cocky?”   That one fact still boggled her mind at time. She looked over at Akira,  “We have no idea what we should do now? Where do we go from here?”

Akira Tetsu:  Akira eyes simply shifted to Eva when she said she wish she could shoot him for punching her workers in the face and asking where his manners were which made him smile a little"he was starting to annoy me but if it'll make you feel better you can go ahead and shoot not that it'll do much but if your really that sore about feel free" he'd say while taking a seat next to Akiko listening as the Woman Named Eva began to explain the situation to him and then to Akiko, Akira would the smile slightly "Well one I doubt Kins dead if it only took a bit of fire to kill him he would have died fighting me in the tournament" he'd then reaching his hands into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes sliding one out of the pack and placing it in between his lips before putting the pack in his pocket and pulling out a lighter and was about to light it but stopped and Look a Eva"You don't mind do you" he'd say referring to him smoking inside her place if so said he couldn't then he'd simply set it down but if she did he'd light it and stand up moving towards the window looking out of it he know he said Kin might not be dead but if he was he didn't want to give them a false sense of hope"For now let's assume the worst and say that Kins Dead this guy the hunter" he'd pause for a second exhaling the smoke outwards" you said he attack your brother right so did your brother have any enemies no wait it probably deeper than that there a chance that he was only using him to draw you out Akiko and if we really wanted to get down to it he probably knew that Kin would come to your aid as well but I won't know anything for sure until I encounter him but one thing that a question mark here is your involvement Eva I can imagine Kin and Akiko but your a mystery for me though we can talk about possibly all day so in the mean time Akiko you can stay with me for a while if you'd like its a building in D2 you'll be safe there as for you Eva your welcome to come also g as well unless you'd feel more comfortable here in your own place though without you being close it'll be difficult for me to get here in case something happens tho the choice is your and if your only defense is a crossbow and a few guards then you might as well hand yourself over to him" he'd say turning around to face the two of them waiting for their reply and after they'd give it he'd stop and think about something" how long ago did all of this happened actually"

Eva Rose:  Eva was listening to the words of Akiko as she then heard Akira speak to her saying 'he was starting to annoy me but if it'll make you feel better you can go ahead and shoot not that it'll do much but if you’re really that sore about feel free', his words made her blood starting to boil as she wanted to bring back up her cross bow, aim for his face and just go for it, but she just made a "Tsk.." sound as she looks away with an annoyed look on her face. 'Why do I have to listening to this guy.. Wish Kin was here..' Eva Rose thought to herself as she lets out a small sigh, before letting go of her irritation for Akira and faced him and Akiko again. Carefully listening to his words, taking them all in as she wasn't really sure if she had to believe him on the part that Kin would be still alive and the fact he spoke about him fighting Kin in the past, made her smirk, knowing that he had to be an inhuman as well.

When the words 'You don't mind do you' and her eyes fell down on the cigarette his was holding, she just simple shook her head, no, as she didn't mind at all. Hearing him go on with his story, she decided to listen even though it wasn't much of information he was giving them on the Hunter, but more about wanting to protect Akiko and eventually he wanted to take care of her as well. Eva Rose wasn't sure if she liked the idea, of moving out of her safe heaven and go with this guy, Akira, but staying close to Akiko was a main thing she wanted to make sure that she was save at any cost.

"Fine.." Eva Rose just spoke as he said '..as for you Eva your welcome to come also..', after all she wasn't planning to make a whole fuzz out of this as it was nothing but a waste of time. 'This isn't making us wiser on the Hunter at all.. But at least we have a place to stay at that might not be known by the Hunter at all, giving us a head start'. The thought off that made her relax a little as she stood up and took her arrows out of her drawer and took hold of her cross bow again as she walks until she was next to her desk. "Well we better be going then.. Last time the hunter found us a lot quicker than we thought he would.." Eva Rose spoke as she looks over to Akiko. "I will trust this guy, only because you seem to have a good relationship with him and you seem to be trusting him with your life.. I respect that and we have to stay together after all, until we have found your brother and killed that motherfucker of a Hunter"

 

Akiko Yano:   When Akira spoke the words about Kin still possibly being alive, her eyes lifted up and looked at his face. She was hoping that his words were could possibly be true; she needed a little good news right now. She watched as Akira pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips; she was glad that he had taken the time to ask Eva whether or not he could light it up in the room. She knew that Eva was not very pleased with Akira’s behavior but if she only knew that all he wanted to do was protect them. Akira had a rough exterior but after spending more and more time with him she had come to see just how caring he really was, not that she would share that with anyone. She knew he wanted to keep up that tough guy persona.

As Akira talked things through, she didn’t know if she should share with him the Eva was also an inhuman but it was not her fact to tell. She knew that Eva would eventually have to talk to Akira about her gifts, though she also remembered that she never shared that Akira was also inhuman but those particulars would have to wait for a later time. “In the mean time Akiko you can stay with me for a while if you'd like it’s a building in D2 you'll be safe there as for you Eva your welcome to come also”  Her train of thought was interrupted by this statement given by Akira. She agreed that it might be better for them to go to Akira’s place. So far the Hunter knew a lot of information about Eva and herself but he did not know that Akira was now into play. He would probably show up sooner or later to Eva’s company but if they stayed with Akira, they might bide them some time to think about their next move. She answered Akira’s questions about when this all took place. “I found Takato missing this morning, met up with Eva around 1, we went to the station afterward and we came back here after… the Kin incident. The hunter really did have things planned out. Hopefully we put a knot in his plan by bringing you, or we just played into his hand.”  Akiko was still worried that she had putt Akira into more danger by bringing him into this mess, with him being inhuman as well, the hunter would be hunting him too.

"I will trust this guy, only because you seem to have a good relationship with him and you seem to be trusting him with your life.. I respect that and we have to stay together after all, until we have found your brother and killed that motherfucker of a Hunter” Looking back at Eva, Akiko walked over to her and grasped her free hand. “Thank you Eva,  I agree that our best chance of staying hidden from this hunter, at least until we get some sort of plan, would be to stay at Akira’s.  I am glad you are agreeing to come with because we have gotten this far together, we need to stick together if we have any chance of surviving this.”  Akiko looked over her right shoulder towards Akira.  “I think we better hurry, last thing I want to do is get ambushed by the hunter again.”

Kin:  Kin rushed down the road. His hair flowing in the wind as he pushed forward. He couldn't help but feel like he had been being followed the whole time. Finally tracing Eva and Akiko's scent from where he had saw them last. It had drifted into night now... And the day was getting ready to start a new. Kin hadn't slept. As he ran he would have been halted to a stop as a man in a suit stood before him... Smiling. The smile had been.... Sickening. " Evening young man. " The elderly man said before placing both hands behind his back. " How are you liking him? The Specter... " " What? What are you tal- " " The specter, the one who's been trying to kill you... And your friends. " "...." " He's a real treat. Ah... He's be back at it again at 7am. You don't have much time now actcually. Tell me young sir. How will you face the hunt again? " Kin paused as the wind blew by the both of them. " Who are you? Are you the one behind all of this? " " Oni's onihoruda, there all a pain in my ass. Saiko Akuma are the most deadily of your kind. Ones like... Keyome Tasanagi , even... The young Connor Ryoji. But the weaker ones. The one who are more beast then man. You, Eva the one who hasn't tapped into her power. Akiko... The Torabasu family... Commendable enough shark was almost Saiko himself. You are all Yanban. The savage... Animal onihoruda and Oni who are the weakest. My specter has been eliminating Yanban all around the city. Picking them off for me one by one..."

Kin's pause continued. He watched closely as he listened to this mysterious man speak on his elimination. " why.." " WHY!? You all are a troublesome infestation. Even so much that the government has taken notice and that's a no noooo.." What about Akiko's brother..." " Ha! With him.... She's Easier to keep track of. And he'll make a great bargaining chip. Don't worry detective he isn't a demon. No... ' real ' harm will be bestowed upon him. Anyways. I suggest you get ready... The clocks... Ticking..." The man said disappearing into blue flame. Soon enough, the sun was up. Another day had risen. " I have to find the others..." Kin said rushing down the street as quickly as he could.

In the room that the trio had been in ( Eva, Akiko, Akira ) A random burst of flame would engulf the room in it's brace as 7am struck the clock. They would have more than likely been long gone into sleep by now. But if they had stayed up they would witness it first hand. From the bottom floor up... The flames would have been engulfing the building up! If they didn't find a way to escape now then they'd all surely die.