Taming the Fires
Chapter One
He quietly crept through the streets of downtown Vancouver, his senses alert for any form of movement around him. His red hair swished as he abruptly turned around hearing a twig break. His sharp eyes scanned the area...nothing.
He sighed and continued on his route. This part of downtown was unusually quiet, too quiet. He was now near the beach and could see the moon reflected on the dark water. He leapt over the logs to land on the soft sand.
"Shit," he murmured to himself as a few grains of sand found their way into his runners.
Suddenly a soft yet gruff voice was heard through his fine nearly invisible earpiece. "Yo...Zanza here, we've found him. He's just about four hundred metres east from where you are on the beach. The son of a bitch is pretty fast, and he's armed. I've got an eye on him right now."
"Sou da..." the young man breathed as he adjusted his small mike piece that was attached to his earpiece. "I'm on it."
"We've got your back..."
"Hai." The young man leapt back on to the logs and landed on the boardwalk again. He walked over to the small tree area that was on the other side of the boardwalk. Under the camouflage of the trees, he began to sprint.
Another young man, this time taller watched a blond man from a branch of a tree. He had one hand on his kodachi hilt. Soon he heard the voice came through his earpiece, "See anything Okashira?"
"Yeah," the man replied brushing his black bangs out of his eyes. "Two other men, armed." The man peered closer, "Looks like just guns."
"Excellent...this is making it much easier," the other voice murmured. The dark haired man looked over and saw a person with spiky hair far away to the west of him leaning on a tree. Crouching lower on his thick branch, one hand grasping another branch a foot away he peered down. He saw Battousai running quickly towards him and stopped below his tree. The other man's head tilted up as he acknowledged Okashira.
"Go," Okashira whispered into his mouthpiece. "I got your back."
The young man walked out from the trees and made his way quietly down to the beach. He approached two of the men from behind them. The taller dark haired man approached their main target from behind as well.
"Patrick Lecross," the Battousai murmured in perfect English, his katana held against the neck of one of the two men with him.
"One hell of a son of bitch to catch," the spiky brunette replied coming out of nowhere shaking his head. He sighed, "You were also a bitch to find."
"You three..." the blond man replied calmly, "are smarter than you look."
"Where is Micaela Lavender," the raven-haired man asked, his kodachi tightening against Patrick Lecross' throat.
One of two men lashed out with his chain, however the spiky haired brunette was quick to catch the fist and the chains, binding the metal chains around the man's neck and pulled once harshly. The man landed on the sand, dead.
"Don't think we're incapable of this," the shorter young man said. "Either way you're going to end up dead, by our hand, or Miss. Lavender's. If you co-operate tonight, you'll live to see a few more days. If not...well...we'll just dispose you now."
"Oh, and what would Miss. Lavender do to me?" Patrick asked raising an eyebrow.
Zanza whipped out a small disk from somewhere. "Were you looking for this?"
The blond man eyes widened at the sight of the small black disk. "You..."
"Me what?" Zanza asked. "This was something you were supposed to give to Miss. Lavender. If I remember correctly, if you did not get this in to her, you would be dead. Is this not the new "contract" that Miss. Lavender needs to get a hold of?"
"How..."
"We have our sources," the Battousai replied with a small smirk. "Now...where is Miss. Lavender...I don't think you want to see anymore bloodshed tonight."
"She's in town..."
"Excellent," Zanza replied clapping his hands together. He then quickly punched the man that the Battousai was holding causing the man to cough up blood. The man in his injured state turned around dizzily and the Battousai brought his katana across the man's throat.
With one quick moment the Okashira slid open Patrick Lecross' throat, and then turned to stand in front of the blond dying man. "But you said..." the dying man was able to choke out.
The tall raven-haired man knelt down and looked the man in the eye. "The police are frustrated with you, and frankly they are fed up with trying to catch you. They know you can't be caught and contained, so they turned you over to someone else to try. So you ran into us. I'm sorry, but this is how we do it."
"Damn..." the man said, and then breathed his last breath.
Battousai found his cell phone in his pocket and quickly flipped it open. "It's done," he murmured to the person on the other line. He closed his phone and nodded to his partners. The night was finally over.
Chapter One
He quietly crept through the streets of downtown Vancouver, his senses alert for any form of movement around him. His red hair swished as he abruptly turned around hearing a twig break. His sharp eyes scanned the area...nothing.
He sighed and continued on his route. This part of downtown was unusually quiet, too quiet. He was now near the beach and could see the moon reflected on the dark water. He leapt over the logs to land on the soft sand.
"Shit," he murmured to himself as a few grains of sand found their way into his runners.
Suddenly a soft yet gruff voice was heard through his fine nearly invisible earpiece. "Yo...Zanza here, we've found him. He's just about four hundred metres east from where you are on the beach. The son of a bitch is pretty fast, and he's armed. I've got an eye on him right now."
"Sou da..." the young man breathed as he adjusted his small mike piece that was attached to his earpiece. "I'm on it."
"We've got your back..."
"Hai." The young man leapt back on to the logs and landed on the boardwalk again. He walked over to the small tree area that was on the other side of the boardwalk. Under the camouflage of the trees, he began to sprint.
Another young man, this time taller watched a blond man from a branch of a tree. He had one hand on his kodachi hilt. Soon he heard the voice came through his earpiece, "See anything Okashira?"
"Yeah," the man replied brushing his black bangs out of his eyes. "Two other men, armed." The man peered closer, "Looks like just guns."
"Excellent...this is making it much easier," the other voice murmured. The dark haired man looked over and saw a person with spiky hair far away to the west of him leaning on a tree. Crouching lower on his thick branch, one hand grasping another branch a foot away he peered down. He saw Battousai running quickly towards him and stopped below his tree. The other man's head tilted up as he acknowledged Okashira.
"Go," Okashira whispered into his mouthpiece. "I got your back."
The young man walked out from the trees and made his way quietly down to the beach. He approached two of the men from behind them. The taller dark haired man approached their main target from behind as well.
"Patrick Lecross," the Battousai murmured in perfect English, his katana held against the neck of one of the two men with him.
"One hell of a son of bitch to catch," the spiky brunette replied coming out of nowhere shaking his head. He sighed, "You were also a bitch to find."
"You three..." the blond man replied calmly, "are smarter than you look."
"Where is Micaela Lavender," the raven-haired man asked, his kodachi tightening against Patrick Lecross' throat.
One of two men lashed out with his chain, however the spiky haired brunette was quick to catch the fist and the chains, binding the metal chains around the man's neck and pulled once harshly. The man landed on the sand, dead.
"Don't think we're incapable of this," the shorter young man said. "Either way you're going to end up dead, by our hand, or Miss. Lavender's. If you co-operate tonight, you'll live to see a few more days. If not...well...we'll just dispose you now."
"Oh, and what would Miss. Lavender do to me?" Patrick asked raising an eyebrow.
Zanza whipped out a small disk from somewhere. "Were you looking for this?"
The blond man eyes widened at the sight of the small black disk. "You..."
"Me what?" Zanza asked. "This was something you were supposed to give to Miss. Lavender. If I remember correctly, if you did not get this in to her, you would be dead. Is this not the new "contract" that Miss. Lavender needs to get a hold of?"
"How..."
"We have our sources," the Battousai replied with a small smirk. "Now...where is Miss. Lavender...I don't think you want to see anymore bloodshed tonight."
"She's in town..."
"Excellent," Zanza replied clapping his hands together. He then quickly punched the man that the Battousai was holding causing the man to cough up blood. The man in his injured state turned around dizzily and the Battousai brought his katana across the man's throat.
With one quick moment the Okashira slid open Patrick Lecross' throat, and then turned to stand in front of the blond dying man. "But you said..." the dying man was able to choke out.
The tall raven-haired man knelt down and looked the man in the eye. "The police are frustrated with you, and frankly they are fed up with trying to catch you. They know you can't be caught and contained, so they turned you over to someone else to try. So you ran into us. I'm sorry, but this is how we do it."
"Damn..." the man said, and then breathed his last breath.
Battousai found his cell phone in his pocket and quickly flipped it open. "It's done," he murmured to the person on the other line. He closed his phone and nodded to his partners. The night was finally over.