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Again sending my best to everyone reading this as our world is going through...well, lots. -___-

Part Twelve of "Deadly Reunion" hits here...like a right hook! You'll bear witness to tension-wracked moments as two Sapporo Scions the Inazuma Fighters know, Ai Sosuke and Ayato Kirigiri, will start having a bad day themselves. That's because the sins of their past and the kidnapping of Rika Tsukino are going to bite them on the ass. HARD. Prepare for intrigue and tension of the "Bourne" variety. (A quick aside, the first film with Matt and Franka was the best one! )

But as that's happening, an unwelcome and uninvited guest will arrive at the Temple of Vanquishers...and for our heroes, it ain't good timing!

She's a lady I first featured in my story "Brothers, Onward!", which told the story of how 's Spiral Brothers went to the temple to become Initiates in the Order of Vanquishers. Well, Touma and Yoshiro did so in spite of their aunt (also created by Kishi and brought to XNA life by !), a lady who has an ambition and drive to get what she wants equaled only by her singular beauty. (Her spectacular look reminds me of the Baroness from G.I. Joe! :333 ) You see, Yuko didn't want her nephews to become warriors, and she's been trying to make everyone else's lives crappy ever since. You'll find out lots more as you read on!

---
"Deadly Reunion" -- Part Twelve!

--1--

Just after high noon, in one of the great chambers of the Middle Ground temple, it was all set up. Several Special Operation Group soldiers were stationed at an array of military-grade digital comms systems, all networked and connected to Major Gozen. She and a large special forces unit and the Inazuma Fighters had just arrived in Sapporo with the utmost quiet. It was absolutely necessary that they make as small of a footprint as possible...they needed to get ahold of Ai Sosuke and Ayato Kirigiri, but do it in a way that wouldn't raise alarms for their clan, the Sapporo Scions. (The clan had clandestine connections most everywhere in Sapporo!) It was an annoying and surprisingly knowledgable Holy Nun who came up with the gameplan on the fly, and Gozen had to admit, the Angel knew what she was talking about. Still, so damned many things could go wrong in this mission to bust two of that criminal clan and haul their asses back to Demon City 7.

Sister Marie St. Augustine reassured that this wasn't just for gathering intel from the criminals, which alone could be of incredibly high value if they wanted to help Rika Tsukino. The Holy Nun also intimated that the capture of Sosuke and Kirigiri would give the forces for good some much needed leverage. Marie only hinted that the two Scions would make powerful bargaining chips. That was quietly annoying for everyone else: this was NOT some damned game for those who wanted to save Rika -- the girl's safety and maybe her life were in the balance.

But you honestly couldn't tell if Marie took this as seriously as everyone else did as she kicked back in a cozy chair in the heart of the chamber...she'd been given a mic so she could be in touch directly with Major Gozen as this mission of rendition (or you can be blunt and call it kidnapping) proceeded. In attendance with her besides the array of soliders and her aide Nanase were many Vanquishers like Emi Majima and others who held Rika dear: Kyoko and Misa, Reiko, Tomoe, Seira, the Masked Angel, Suzune and Haigo, Wayne, Enko, and Tobikage. The room was pretty crowded as everyone else involved could only wait anxiously in other chambers not far away.

Everyone in this chamber heard Major Gozen's voice from the main console: "Chalk Actual to Home Plate. All personnel and the civilians are in position and ready to execute operation, over." The forces had to move fast and managed to reach the target location, a huge mall in Sapporo's shopping district, where Sosuke and Kirigiri were at this time according to Marie's real time intel. The Major, among others, would have loved to know how the Holy Nun could have known, but the Angel who was secretly the leader of the High Choir would never tell them. Gozen herself quietly reckoned that it had to be something similar to the military spy sats retasked to provide surveillance for this mission, and they did confirm the targets were at the mall. The Major felt more than a little annoyed and creeped out by the thought. Who the blazes was this Holy Nun??

It took minutes longer for Gozen's people and the Fighters to get into position without anyone noticing. And those civilians who did were subdued and set aside harmlessly. In critical operations such as this, the military didn't play it soft when negating any possibility of a threat to their lives and their mission's success. Marie responded into her mic, "Copy that, Major, and I know you're not crazy about working with anyone who isn't enlisted. Let me take a second to advise you to get over it! We'll be monitoring your progress as you execute. I hope the gods have blessed you all, over." Again, though. It was like the Angel who appeared to be middle age (but she was LOTS older than that) wasn't treating this like any kind of big deal. Everyone, including Nanase, tried their best not to let Marie's mood get on their fraying nerves.

"Gozen to Home Plate, copy all. Muto, is your group in position, over?"

Everyone heard Shizuna Muto crisply answer, "Yes, Major! Over!"

"Remember we need to do this hard and fast, everyone, but take good care. Remember the mission plan." A plan which was finalized as the military and the Fighters working with them were en route to Sapporo. "Inazuma, proceed with your group and move in, over!"

Fubuki's voice quickly answered, "Inazuma moving now, and it's about damn time, over!"

Then, naturally, something else came up! Meiko Kusanagi and Hundra Chima quickly entered the room...the battle maiden bowed and said awkwardly, "Duomo sumimasen, everyone, we uh...we kind of have a problem!"

Kyoko asked, "What is wrong, kohai?"

"Someone's here demanding to see the masters of the temple. I know the masters don't just see anyone publicly -- !"

Emi Majima said sternly, "Then explain that to this visitor, Kusanagi-san. Tell them to leave and make a formal request to see the masters at another time -- !"

Meiko blurted, "B-but it's not that simple! It's Yuko Hiroyama!"

Wayne asked, "Who?" Wayne, Seira, Suzune, Tomoe, the Masked Angel, and others here didn't recognize the name. Others did, and they were those like Kyoko and Misa and Enko -- who were active Vanquishers -- and the impish Haigo, who was good friends with the Spiral Brothers Touma and Yoshiro. Their reactions were in the clear negative.

Only one of that holy fellowship wasn't so negative -- it was Emi, who simply nodded and said thoughtfully, "That's a name I haven't heard for a while. From Gohan City??"

Meiko nodded and answered, "Yes, she's the aunt of Touma and Yoshi Hibiki!"

Then Enko Inazuma said with a harsh tone, "I've heard of this bitch. She's been stirring up shit so hard, every Vanquisher from Chiyoda to Chiba is talking about her!"

Kyoko muttered, "Dammit, of all the worst times!"

The Masked Angel spoke for everybody who wasn't aware of Yuko by saying lamely, "I'm sorry, I have no idea what the deal is...!"

But it was Emi who enlightened the masked warrior: "The Hiroyama are a family of Vanquishers, sir, and their lineage goes back to the start of our order. I knew Yuko-san's sister, gods rest her. She was lost in battle along with her husband a few years ago. I regret to say I've been so busy in my work, I never got the chance to meet Yuko's nephews before today. I am truly happy to know that Touma and Yoshi are following in their mother's footsteps...!"

Meiko said with irritation, "Their aunt Yuko-san isn't, unfortunately!"

Tomoe, who left the order some time ago to become an independent demon slayer, asked, "Why? Isn't Yuko a Vanquisher?"

Emi said, "Yuko-san is part of the Hiroyama bloodline, just as blessed as her sister, but she was never part of our order. Her sister told me long ago Yuko-san chose a different path as a fashion designer."

Haigo said with a lot of annoyance, "Touma and Yoshi's aunt has been raising a helluva stink ever since those guys became Initiates. They told me about how she'd rather her nephews do anything but kick evil ass!"

Enko growled, "And she's been protesting from Gohan City ever since, sending messages online and off even to the Main Temple in Chiyoda demanding her nephews leave the Vanquishers. It's all pure harrassment, and the bitch has been getting on EVERYONE'S nerves."

Emi told her former protegee, "And she's succeeding if you insist on calling her that, girl."

Enko immediately softened and conceded, "Y-you're right, Emi-chan." She looked at Meiko and said, "I'll go talk to her!"

The Masked Angel volunteered, "I'll join you. Hopefully we can ask her to leave quietly."

Hundra said flatly, "You might change your mind when you meet this lady!"

"Damn, really?"

Sweet Meiko said, "Yes, really!"

Haigo bounced forward and asked, "Mind if I tag along? I'd rather do anything besides sit on my thumbs right now!"

Suzune was quickly at her girlfriend's side and said, "I'm coming, too. Just to make sure you behave, Haigo."

"Hey, you know me, Suzy!"

"Exactly!"

Enko said, "Let's go!" She, the Masked Angel, Haigo and Suzune began to leave with Meiko and Hundra in the lead as everyone else stayed to monitor the progress of the operation...

...and Marie, chill as heck, called after them, "Have fun! Let us know if you need a hand, and we'll call you if anything bad happens in Sapporo!"

Enko stopped briefly, turned, and told Marie with a cool tone, "Nothing bad will happen, Sister. My daughter will make sure of that."

--2--

As Enko and her friends went to talk to (let's be blunt) an interloper in present circumstances, Fubuki Inazuma, Marika Kato, and the Holy Gunslinger Herene Hakuryu were moving into the spacious food court of a mall in downtown Sapporo. This was one of three groups the Inazuma Fighters split into according to the hastily arranged mission plan. As they walked, Marika was close by Fubuki...the brunette said to the team leader, "Buki, you know I love you."

Fubuki gave Marika a glance and said with care, "Love you too, Marika."

Then Marika let her confident demeanor slip a little as she asked tensely, "But are you as scared shitless as I am??"

"I don't usually hear harsh language from you." Marika might as well have been the polar opposite of Herene, who swore often. (But as long as Seira wasn't present!)

Marika gave her BFF a look. "Girl, I don't usually work with the military! Just trying to relieve my stress. That's all."

Totally focused on the path ahead, Buki said thinly, "Everything will be all right, Marika."

Herene was close on Buki's other flank as she much more anxiously griped, "Everything will need to be, Inazuma. We're doing this for Rika-chan, and only the gods know what'll happen if we mess this up!"

Marika nodded and she said much more softly, "That's the biggest reason for my stress right now. If we make any mistakes, we have no idea what the Scions will do to her...!" Marika had never met Rika before today...after what Buki and Herene told her about the girl, Marika prayed she would have the chance to...!

Then Fubuki growled, "I've already made enough mistakes. Playing it soft with those Scions...letting them pull the wool over our eyes and using us...and now Rika's ass is on the line. We will not fuck this up, girls."

Deep within the food court itself, Ai Sosuke and Ayato Kirigiri were seated at a table across from each other, totally into each other...but not so much into the sushi and drinks they purchased. Or anything else. These past several months hadn't been good for them or their clan, to put it gently. You could say their lives had plenty of ups and downs before this, and for the most incidental reasons. Both lovers were born on Earth, yet markedly different in most every other way.

Ai was an Angel, as close to biologically perfect as one can be including having her heavenly wings she could generate at will...Ayato was a literal standout in a very different and painfully obvious way, descended from the group of Demons known by mortals as Cyclopes. Distinguished by his height (7-plus feet!), hyper-strength and his virtually defining feature of having only one eye on his face, the lore surrounding people like Ayato wasn't nearly as kind as that which distinguished Angels like Ai. If you know anything about Greek legends and a certain epic by Homer, then you know how unkind. Contrary to what you'd think, Ayato and his family weren't cannibalistic brutes; you might be surprised to know how normal they were.

But like most Demons in this world who simply wanted to live their lives and walk their own path, they were subject to high scrutiny and even prejudice (both low-key and regretfully high) on the part of what seemed like everyone else. Unfortunately, again, it was because of the darkest and most regretful lore and history that constantly associated Demonkind with the worst of evils...you'll really start to understand the depths of that stigma before this story is over. Some didn't let that shit get to them and soldiered on; others, like Taya Yagi, regretfully did internalize such things. But then there were those of Demonic lineage who toughened up in response, and in more ways than one -- Ayato Kirigiri, for instance, grew to adulthood as he developed a chip on his shoulder as big as a skyscraper! From the first moment he met Ai Sosuke, though, he realized the Angel of uncommon beauty could see him for who he was first and foremost, and she really liked who she saw. Ai's troubled cousin Yume Sokoba never judged him for what he was, either...regretfully, the same couldn't be said for the rest of Ai's family. Just to make things shittier, Ayato's family didn't have any love for Angels like Ai, too. Prejudice can cut in more than one direction, of course.

Ai and Ayato, like Yume, felt they were stuck in a world they never made and forced to live under rules they absolutely hated...that was the biggest reason the three of them became Sapporo Scions years ago, to rebel against an unkind and unfair world.

But today, right now, the lovers could hardly call themselves happier...due to recent events involving Barumusu Yuuma and the Oe family, things had never been bleaker for Ai and Ayato and their fellow Scions. All these two could do was really find comfort in each other as Ai worried endlessly for her cousin Yume, who had been seriously troubled since she lost her parents as a child...everything her beloved clan sister Caitlyn Yamane was suffering lately only made matters that much worse. Ai and Ayato didn't need anything strange to happen on top of it all, but it did earlier today. Every morning, before the lovers parted to go their respective paths, they usually set a time and place to meet each other for lunch. No big deal, but when they both tried to call each other to make sure lunch was still on, their phones wouldn't work. When they did see each other (and tried to ignore the usual fucking stares Ayato earned), they were both perplexed to know their devices were kaput. What the hell were the chances the same thing could happen to them both? Neither realized that this wasn't synchronicity, this was deliberate...but they were so distracted and mired in their own troubles, they didn't even begin to suspect.

Both so down in the dumps, even being together at the moment didn't help much...both were aimlessly playing with their sushi with their chopsticks as they tried to ignore the rest of the flawed world surrounding them. For better or worse, they wouldn't be able to ignore it for very long, because the ramifications of their Grandmistress' choices and the actions of Cait and three more Scions were moving in on them fast. Ayato said quietly to his lover, "Word of mouth I've been hearing from the rest of the clan hasn't gotten any better. If the shit's true, we may have to fold before the end of this year." He hated to say that, but then the Cyclops realized it seemed like Ai hardly listened to him. The beauty could only gaze at her food. Ayato said gently, "Ai? Hey, Earth to Ai?"

Ai responded quietly, "I'm here, baby. I heard what you said."

The dude tried to reassure, "It's never gonna get that bad, love. We survived those scum-suckin' Oes and killer cyborgs, right? Our clan will turn things around. Remember the Grandmistress said she and her mom have had somethin' in the works -- !"

Ai interrupted, "It would have to be a damn miracle, Ayato." The girl gazed at him. "I think that's the only thing that can help us. But would we even deserve it?"

His one big eye blinked. "What kinda question is that?"

"Well...what if everything does fall apart? We'll have to dissolve the clan and go our separate ways. It wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?" Ai finished with a lower tone, "We'd still be alive."

"Ai, remember we're talking about our clan here. We're family. We can't let that happen!"

Ai's expression became that much firmer as she asked, "But what if it does? Haven't you ever thought of doing something besides being a Scion? After everything we've been through lately, you must've thought of that, too?" She spoke of being forced to work for those godless Oes twice, and the first time resulted in a hellish response from Barumusu Yuuma. The second time they served that fucking family, they hardly had a real choice if they simply wanted to survive.

"Well yeah, but...!" His expression became gentler. "Look, I know things are bad now, my love. But they -- !" Ayato was about to say they couldn't get any worse, but he didn't. Because he nearly froze and stared past Ai, right over his lover's shoulder, as he began to fear things WERE gonna get worse.

Ai frowned and asked, "Baby?? What's -- !" The Angel turned in her seat and she froze then. She saw the three of them approaching in the throng of civilians about a hundred yards away. Buki, Herene and Marika. But Ai was fixed on the angry green eyes of the blonde leader staring right at them as they moved closer and she managed with quiet fear, "Inazuma...!" She remembered WELL how pissed off the leader of the Inazuma Fighters was last month, and she had every right to be...and now she looked even angrier.

Ayato quickly made note of that too and said with sudden worry, "They don't look happy, love."

Ai commented quietly, "They're looking at us." The couple knew two things in their gut then. They were in deep shit. And at the moment, being anywhere else was better than here!

Ayato quickly stood from the table and asked, "Let's skip frickin' lunch, huh?? C'mon!" He offered a big hand, Ai took it as she rose, and they both began to leave.

Buki and her group stayed on the march and kept locked on to the couple. Yeah, it was just like the blonde herself expected, the targets' first instinct would be to run, but quietly. They wouldn't want to draw attention and stir up a scene unless they got really desperate. The mission plan was created to take that into account as Buki snarled, "This is Inazuma, the assholes are on the move. Keeping up with 'em, over."

She heard the Major say into her earpiece: "Gozen to Inazuma, try to secure your language and remember the game plan. So far they're going where we want them to go. Muto, they should reach you and your group soon. Make sure they see you, over!"

Buki heard Shizuna answer, "They will, Major. Over!"

--3--

As that went down, a group of heroes moved to the main temple gate that permitted public entry to these tranquil grounds. Ideally though, you'd have to make an appointment first, and it isn't publicly known the area was heavily protected by supernatural detection fields that gave early warning to any threat from the Netherregions; the inner perimeter could then have much more formidable mystic barriers established accordingly depending on exactly what that threat was. That meant not just anyone could simply walk in. At the moment, just outside of the gate standing there with impatience and being watched by two members of the order like raptors, a brunette lady clad in skintight leather and with a heavy frown on her ruby lips was waiting -- and she wasn't in the mood to be told what she could or couldn't do by anyone!

In a world full of beauty, Yuko Hiroyama was a true standout in her own unique way...her glasses she wore even seemed to accent the lovely features of her face in most appealing ways...but after meeting this aggressive take-charge lady in her late forties, one would have to doubt she was just as beautiful on the inside. Especially right now! Enko and the rest of her group quickly got that impression...having already met the lady, though, Meiko and Hundra could have told them they didn't even know the half of it. Enko and the others stopped a respectful distance from the beauty with glasses on the public sidewalk, and the blonde never even bothered to bow as she said simply, "You must be Yuko Hiroyama."

Yuko said hotly, "And you're damned right, whoever you are. Are you one of the masters of this temple? You look old enough."

Enko might as well have been made of teflon. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Hiroyama-san. And no, I'm not. I am Vanquisher Enko Inazuma and I must ask you to leave, please. We're in the middle of a critical time, and your interference is distracting."

"Oh, so sorry to be an inconvenience! I want to talk to your masters now, Inazuma-san, and I'm not going to leave until I've had my say!"

Enko was really trying to keep hold of her patience...she could tell that the sentries here, both women, also wanted to kick Yuko's ass! The blonde kept her cool and notified Yuko: "You should know as well as anyone this ground is public, but with restrictions. More than that, the masters of our order at any of our temples don't just see anyone. You need to make a formal request, which the masters will consider approving. You can't just march in and see them like you own these grounds."

Yuko gave the blonde as old as she was a level look and asked, "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Oh, I know who you are. I know your late sister was a Vanquisher and your nephews Touma and Yoshiro are Initiates. I know you've been pissed about your nephews being part of our order, and you've been bitching about it in every way possible even to people who don't have the time for you. I know all of your messages and bulletins that have threatened to choke our online community went beyond harrassment a long time ago. You want to stir up a level of controversy just as bad as the crap Kyoko and Misa Asagi went through last month."

The Masked Angel gave the blonde a worried glance and tried to say, "Enko, we need to be diplomatic...!"

"Take a good look at her, Masked Angel. The last thing this woman wants is to be diplomatic."

Yuko snarled, "You're right about that, Inazuma-san."

"And that's why you're not gonna see the masters of this temple."

Yuko demanded even louder, "Then at the very least, I demand to see my nephews! Maybe I can finally talk some sense into those boys -- !"

Enko thanked the gods her nephews had no idea she was here (she hoped that, anyway!) and interrupted, "You mean you want to harrass them in the same way you've been doing everyone else."

Yuko was completely adamant. "This is family business, Inazuma-san. Not yours."

--4--

A Sapporo mall. Ai and Ayato held hands as they moved through the throng...Ai kept looking back and dammit, Buki and the others were following them and keeping pace. Then Ayato saw a sight not far ahead of them and he grunted, "Aw, damn! More Fighters."

Ai easily spotted them, too. She breathed with sudden fear, "Shizu...!" Barely fifty yards away and arrowing in their direction through the crowds, Shizuna Muto and the Demon Brothers Kotoya and Homare Miyano held firm expressions full of purpose on their faces. Ai asked anxiously, "What is going on?! The cops would have warned our clan if the Fighters set foot in Sapporo again!"

Ayato growled, "We should have gotten new phones before we ate, dammit. But we know the Fighters, Ai. They wouldn't do anything serious with so many innocents around."

Ai snapped, "Of course they wouldn't. They're not the bad guys, Ayato. They're nothing like -- " She stopped herself.

"What?"

Much, much more quietly the Angel said, "Nothing."

The tension ratcheted up for the couple as they kept moving, but both groups of Fighters were hot on their trail. Ayato asked nobody in particular, "What the hells do they want?! None of 'em look happy!"

His girlfriend asked tensely, "Do I have to remind you they have every justifiable reason to be pissed with us??"

"Doesn't make sense, though! If they're that angry about shit that happened before, they would have done something about it last month!"

"They didn't come looking for a fight, remember?" Ai said much more thoughtfully, "Something's changed."

"Yeah, but what??"

Ai couldn't answer that. Neither of them could have known. Then the Angel realized and she gave her boyfriend's big hand a squeeze. She purred, "Ayato, we can move a lot faster and get clear of them using the back corridors!" She was staring right at a marked maintenance door in this great hall dead ahead...!

Ayato nodded. "Good thinking, love. We shouldn't be far from the loading dock. Trying to walk around in daylight like a citizen ain't my style, anyway! C'mon!" The couple's trajectory changed and they moved right to that door marked for employees only, but they didn't care as they accessed it...

...as, only twenty yards away, Buki reported, "This is Inazuma, the targets just went into a maintenance door to the north of our position as expected, over." This was part of the mission strategy, of course. The heroes had to be noticed in some way so they could herd their targets in the direction they wanted the couple to go. Using Ai and Ayato's own desire to escape and do it without causing a stir made them predictable...so far.

The Major said into Buki's ear, "Then you and Muto's group follow them. Sakai, they're coming right to you, so be ready, over!"

They heard Kiki's voice say with deadly neutrality, "Me and my sister are standing by. Over."

--5--

The Masked Angel knew all about anger. He gave into it once during a regrettable time, which led to really bad and thankfully good things. That's why he more than anyone there knew that reason would win in a situation like this, not hot emotion. Evan Black tried to appeal to Yuko, "Listen, we can settle this situation reasonably. Please tell us what the exact nature of your grievance is -- !"

Yuko said with a clipped tone, "My nephews shouldn't be Vanquishers. That's all you need to know." Yeah. She wasn't in the mood to talk about this reasonably.

Enko said matter-of-factly, "That's a choice Touma and Yoshiro made. You have no say in what anyone else does with their lives."

"I do because I'm senior in our family! Do I have to remind you people like me have the last say in our culture?!?"

Enko shot back, "Times have changed, in case you haven't noticed. Besides, your older sister was senior to you. I'd think you would respect and honor her memory as a Vanquisher to let her nephews take the same path! Or are you just pissed that those guys didn't want to get into fashion the same as you?"

Yuko's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. She wasn't giving a damn inch. You'd have to wonder if she even could. "You watch how you talk to me, blondie."

Enko let herself smile a little as her friends watched with a heavy mix of annoyance and worry...gods, they were more worried about Rika Tsukino and didn't need to deal with Hiroyama's bullshit! Enko coolly asked, "Why? Because you have the privilege of being senior in your family? Or maybe it's because you have more money than I could imagine spending? Or maybe you're feeling privileged because you're a woman? That kind of political nonsense doesn't hold any weight with me."

"I hate politics, if you must know."

"Then at least we have that and Vanquisher heritage in common, Hiroyama-san."

Yuko Hiroyama might not have been a warrior, but Enko could feel the beauty's stare analyze her...then Yuko's tone shifted as she observed, "I know your name, Inazuma-san. You've done a lot as a Vanquisher. I've even heard stories of you supporting the Ryu Rangers in Dragon Village many times maybe oh, twenty years ago. That's not far from where I grew up."

Enko had to wonder what angle Yuko was going to attack from as she said, "That's right, back in my younger days. A lot changed for me since then."

Yuko nodded. "I heard one story that you lost a fellow Vanquisher a couple of decades ago. That girl who was the first tiefling to join the order. Mai Miyamoto, right?"

Enko suddenly felt a lot of discomfort and quiet pain...gods, she loved Mai and missed the young warrior and mother like her loss happened yesterday...and she asked very quietly, "What's the point of even mentioning Mai?"

Yuko knew she struck a nerve and smiled then, and it took all of Enko's self control to keep her calm. The tension in the air got THICK. Yuko said, "All of a sudden, bam! One day Mai Miyamoto disappeared without a trace. If she was your sister Vanquisher, if she was a friend, it must have hurt, huh?"

Enko said with barely-restrained sadness, "More than you could ever know. Now you had better get to the point."

Yuko then snarled with sudden, bitter emotion of her own, "It hurt to lose my nee-chan, too. It brings me a pain you couldn't even imagine, so you must be able to appreciate why I don't want my nephews to be part of the same thing that took her away from me!"

Everyone there really began to understand, but it wasn't much of a shock. Haigo took a step toward Yuko and said with an impatient tone, "Let me get this straight! These amazing people hold honor and virtue sacred, and you're blaming them for what happened to your sister?!"

Yuko yelled at the imp, "Their mission is pointless, shorty! Honor and virtue don't mean a damn thing if you have to give up your life for them!"

Everyone else could hardly believe Yuko said that...shit, she was THAT bitter?? Enko Inazuma marshalled her strength, and easily, as she fired back at Yuko: "Those truths mean everything, and that's why we risk our lives every day. That's why your sister gave her life. To protect you and her sons and all she must still hold sacred in the Heavens where she rests today." She shook her head softly and couldn't help but say, "Your words are a disgrace to your family and your sister's memory!"

Regrettably, Yuko took that like a physical attack...she stepped forward, got into Enko's face, and roared, "FUCK YOU! I WANT TO SEE MY NEPHEWS! RIGHT NOW!"

For a LONG moment, there was incendiary silence. Any damn thing could have happened next. Then Suzune suddenly asked, "Enko-san, do you want to press charges?"

Yuko glared at Suzy and said, "What?!"

"I'm sorry." The sentinel got out her badge, flashed it, and announced, "Lietuenant Suzune Shizumi, Middle Ground Police Department! You just committed verbal assault against Enko-san...I witnessed you do it, and she has every right to ask me to arrest you." Suzy asked Enko, "So?"

Enko considered Suzy's question, took a long look at Yuko, and said calmly, "That won't be necessary as long as this woman leaves now."

Yuko was resistant (naturally!) and yelled, "I'm not going ANYWHERE!"

Enko sighed and said, "Okay." She then looked at Suzy. "Please bust her!"

Suzune immediately broke out her handcuffs and began to approach Yuko as she said, "Madam, you are under arrest! I'd advise you to -- !"

Yuko stepped back FAST and shouted angrily, "The FUCK do you think YOU'RE doing?!?"

Suzune's eyes narrowed and she asked, "Are you going to resist?"

"Please do, Four-Eyes." She then realized Haigo was slowly approaching her too, and the imp had a big smile on her face. Haigo purred, "I'll be more than happy to help Suzy cuff you!" As a bounty hunter and officer of the court, the imp would have been well within her rights to support her girlfriend!

Almost comically, Yuko looked at Suzy and Haigo and back again, and she knew she was in trouble! But then Enko advised with a cold tone, "The Lieutenant will arrest you and you'll have to waste a lot of your money on a good lawyer! Or, you can simply leave peacefully and take your ass back to Gohan City. Which will it be, Hiroyama-san?"

Yuko Hiroyama was aggressive, but that didn't mean she was stupid...the lady stiffened and snapped at Enko, "You and your order haven't heard the last of this, dammit!" And she stormed away, much to everyone else's collective relief.

Enko Inazuma shook her head and growled, "That's what I'm afraid of!"

--6--

Sapporo. Ai and Ayato were moving a lot faster down a back corridor...so far, they hadn't run into anyone else. Neither of them could sense whether Fubuki and her teammates were still close behind or not. Neither of the lovers believed in the idea of luck, but Ayato felt now would be a damn good time to start! The one-eyed dude knew this mall well and he said, "We're about to reach the loading dock area." The door for it was dead ahead. They reached it, he grabbed the knob, and began to open it. The area for receiving shipments for the many, many stores in this mall would have been big and busy. Ai was totally focused on Ayato as the big guy said, "All we have to do is not attract any attention, and we should have a clear shot -- !" Then the lovers realized the situation and Ayato cried, "Shit!"

The couple barely had a second to register that the ordinarily bustling loading dock area was mostly vacant. There weren't lots of people here. That's because they were all hustled away and secured in neutral locations by the squads of camo-clad Special Operation Group soldiers. Those men and women were all around the couple, and they had a dead aim on Ai and Ayato with their high powered carbines. What also got the lovers' attention were the sisters Chikage Akuma and Kikyo Sakai just before Chi shouted, "Surprise!" Both sisters gestured --

-- and in the next instant, the Scions knew nothing but overwhelming pain and total disorientation. Chi and Kiki used the same kind of Telepathic magic that the girl in pink had used on Ai's cousin Yume last month to keep her from putting up any kind of fight. Ai and Ayato were driven to their knees, totally off balance, as they experienced what was only the worst headache EVER! They were both giving their all simply to hold each other's hands and resist the sudden and heavy urge to throw up. Then they felt themselves driven to lie face-down on the concrete floor by a couple of the soldiers, who immediately snapped thick supernatural inhibitor collars around their necks. Ai and Ayato might have had very different lineages, but wielding magic worked the same way for everyone: you needed focus if you want to use spells of one kind or another, and the collars tapped directly into the wearer's mind to deny that focus. Sure, you could move on your own. You could think. But if you wanted to marshall the willpower needed to use magic or simply even supernatural abilities? No chance!

Basically reduced to virtually the same threat level as an 'ordinary' Human, the couple immediately had their wrists efficiently and unkindly cuffed behind their backs as they laid prone, and they were scared as hell. One of the soldiers reported into his comm unit, "Major, both targets are collared and secure, over!"

Fubuki and the rest of the team entered the loading dock area as they heard Major Gozen's voice over the comms: "Pelican One, Pelican Two, drop your cloaks and land NOW, over!" Immediately outside, two huge military shuttles seemed to appear out of thin air as they descended and touched down on the asphalt fast!

Ai and Ayato were hauled up and made to sit on their knees, and they saw nothing but hostile faces looking down at them...the only cheerful face there was Herene's as she greeted, "Konichiwa!" But then it only took a heartbeat for the gunslinger to show how angry she was as she drew her pistols and aimed them both at the couple. Herene thought of dear Rika as she said in a hard tone, "You two don't even fucking breathe unless we want you to, okay?"

The lovers were forced to stand, pulled up fast by professional hands...Ai fixed on Shizuna and she began to cry, "Sh-Shizu, what in the name of -- !"

Shizuna simply looked back at Ai and said, "Not now, Ai."

"L-listen to me, I have no idea what -- !"

Shizuna Muto shouted, "I SAID NOT NOW. We will talk later, but not now!"

Then one of the soldiers in charge commanded the captive Scions, "Move it! Move!-Move!-Move!" The lovers were quickly hustled to the shuttles and all of the SOG soldiers and the Fighters moved with them. They quickly boarded both aircraft...

--7--

...and Marie, Enko, Kyoko and Misa and everyone heard Major Gozen report: "Home Plate, be advised: rendition complete. Pelican One and Pelican Two are loaded up, all personnel and targets are safe and secure. As far as we can tell, there were no witnesses. Reengaging Cloaks and taking off now, over." Again, Cloak was a highly effective spell that could render anyone (or anything) undetectable to living senses and electronic surveillance...and hell yes, the special forces of many countries knew how to employ such magic for maximum effect.

As everyone else felt relief, Marie was grinning as she praised, "Well done, Major! I'll give the Emperor the good news." She cut off her mic and stood, regarded everyone, and declared, "That didn't go as efficiently as I would have liked, but still pretty darn good work on such short notice! Don't you think?" Then, with a spring in her step, the Angel and Holy Nun left without bothering to know if anybody cared to respond.

In her wake, she left behind a room full of irritated people. One of them was Nanase Saionji. Even though the girl knew her boss in a way only a few in this world could -- actually, amend that. It was because she knew Marie so well she had more experience with her quirks, and so the aide had a lot more experience being irritated by the Holy Nun. Nana said lamely to everyone else, "Marie doesn't mean to be annoying. Really!"

　
TO BE CONTINUED!

---

Next: Ai and Ayato are gonna find out HOW MUCH trouble their clan is in as our heroes demand answers!

Giving credit where it's due!

XNALara created by Dusan Pavlicek; XPS by Dusan and XNAaraL

Model:

's Yuko Hiroyama by !

Description

Again sending my best to everyone reading this as our world is going through...well, lots. -___-

Part Twelve of "Deadly Reunion" hits here...like a right hook! You'll bear witness to tension-wracked moments as two Sapporo Scions the Inazuma Fighters know, Ai Sosuke and Ayato Kirigiri, will start having a bad day themselves. That's because the sins of their past and the kidnapping of Rika Tsukino are going to bite them on the ass. HARD. Prepare for intrigue and tension of the "Bourne" variety. (A quick aside, the first film with Matt and Franka was the best one! )

But as that's happening, an unwelcome and uninvited guest will arrive at the Temple of Vanquishers...and for our heroes, it ain't good timing!

She's a lady I first featured in my story "Brothers, Onward!", which told the story of how 's Spiral Brothers went to the temple to become Initiates in the Order of Vanquishers. Well, Touma and Yoshiro did so in spite of their aunt (also created by Kishi and brought to XNA life by !), a lady who has an ambition and drive to get what she wants equaled only by her singular beauty. (Her spectacular look reminds me of the Baroness from G.I. Joe! :333 ) You see, Yuko didn't want her nephews to become warriors, and she's been trying to make everyone else's lives crappy ever since. You'll find out lots more as you read on!

---
"Deadly Reunion" -- Part Twelve!

--1--

Just after high noon, in one of the great chambers of the Middle Ground temple, it was all set up. Several Special Operation Group soldiers were stationed at an array of military-grade digital comms systems, all networked and connected to Major Gozen. She and a large special forces unit and the Inazuma Fighters had just arrived in Sapporo with the utmost quiet. It was absolutely necessary that they make as small of a footprint as possible...they needed to get ahold of Ai Sosuke and Ayato Kirigiri, but do it in a way that wouldn't raise alarms for their clan, the Sapporo Scions. (The clan had clandestine connections most everywhere in Sapporo!) It was an annoying and surprisingly knowledgable Holy Nun who came up with the gameplan on the fly, and Gozen had to admit, the Angel knew what she was talking about. Still, so damned many things could go wrong in this mission to bust two of that criminal clan and haul their asses back to Demon City 7.

Sister Marie St. Augustine reassured that this wasn't just for gathering intel from the criminals, which alone could be of incredibly high value if they wanted to help Rika Tsukino. The Holy Nun also intimated that the capture of Sosuke and Kirigiri would give the forces for good some much needed leverage. Marie only hinted that the two Scions would make powerful bargaining chips. That was quietly annoying for everyone else: this was NOT some damned game for those who wanted to save Rika -- the girl's safety and maybe her life were in the balance.

But you honestly couldn't tell if Marie took this as seriously as everyone else did as she kicked back in a cozy chair in the heart of the chamber...she'd been given a mic so she could be in touch directly with Major Gozen as this mission of rendition (or you can be blunt and call it kidnapping) proceeded. In attendance with her besides the array of soliders and her aide Nanase were many Vanquishers like Emi Majima and others who held Rika dear: Kyoko and Misa, Reiko, Tomoe, Seira, the Masked Angel, Suzune and Haigo, Wayne, Enko, and Tobikage. The room was pretty crowded as everyone else involved could only wait anxiously in other chambers not far away.

Everyone in this chamber heard Major Gozen's voice from the main console: "Chalk Actual to Home Plate. All personnel and the civilians are in position and ready to execute operation, over." The forces had to move fast and managed to reach the target location, a huge mall in Sapporo's shopping district, where Sosuke and Kirigiri were at this time according to Marie's real time intel. The Major, among others, would have loved to know how the Holy Nun could have known, but the Angel who was secretly the leader of the High Choir would never tell them. Gozen herself quietly reckoned that it had to be something similar to the military spy sats retasked to provide surveillance for this mission, and they did confirm the targets were at the mall. The Major felt more than a little annoyed and creeped out by the thought. Who the blazes was this Holy Nun??

It took minutes longer for Gozen's people and the Fighters to get into position without anyone noticing. And those civilians who did were subdued and set aside harmlessly. In critical operations such as this, the military didn't play it soft when negating any possibility of a threat to their lives and their mission's success. Marie responded into her mic, "Copy that, Major, and I know you're not crazy about working with anyone who isn't enlisted. Let me take a second to advise you to get over it! We'll be monitoring your progress as you execute. I hope the gods have blessed you all, over." Again, though. It was like the Angel who appeared to be middle age (but she was LOTS older than that) wasn't treating this like any kind of big deal. Everyone, including Nanase, tried their best not to let Marie's mood get on their fraying nerves.

"Gozen to Home Plate, copy all. Muto, is your group in position, over?"

Everyone heard Shizuna Muto crisply answer, "Yes, Major! Over!"

"Remember we need to do this hard and fast, everyone, but take good care. Remember the mission plan." A plan which was finalized as the military and the Fighters working with them were en route to Sapporo. "Inazuma, proceed with your group and move in, over!"

Fubuki's voice quickly answered, "Inazuma moving now, and it's about damn time, over!"

Then, naturally, something else came up! Meiko Kusanagi and Hundra Chima quickly entered the room...the battle maiden bowed and said awkwardly, "Duomo sumimasen, everyone, we uh...we kind of have a problem!"

Kyoko asked, "What is wrong, kohai?"

"Someone's here demanding to see the masters of the temple. I know the masters don't just see anyone publicly -- !"

Emi Majima said sternly, "Then explain that to this visitor, Kusanagi-san. Tell them to leave and make a formal request to see the masters at another time -- !"

Meiko blurted, "B-but it's not that simple! It's Yuko Hiroyama!"

Wayne asked, "Who?" Wayne, Seira, Suzune, Tomoe, the Masked Angel, and others here didn't recognize the name. Others did, and they were those like Kyoko and Misa and Enko -- who were active Vanquishers -- and the impish Haigo, who was good friends with the Spiral Brothers Touma and Yoshiro. Their reactions were in the clear negative.

Only one of that holy fellowship wasn't so negative -- it was Emi, who simply nodded and said thoughtfully, "That's a name I haven't heard for a while. From Gohan City??"

Meiko nodded and answered, "Yes, she's the aunt of Touma and Yoshi Hibiki!"

Then Enko Inazuma said with a harsh tone, "I've heard of this bitch. She's been stirring up shit so hard, every Vanquisher from Chiyoda to Chiba is talking about her!"

Kyoko muttered, "Dammit, of all the worst times!"

The Masked Angel spoke for everybody who wasn't aware of Yuko by saying lamely, "I'm sorry, I have no idea what the deal is...!"

But it was Emi who enlightened the masked warrior: "The Hiroyama are a family of Vanquishers, sir, and their lineage goes back to the start of our order. I knew Yuko-san's sister, gods rest her. She was lost in battle along with her husband a few years ago. I regret to say I've been so busy in my work, I never got the chance to meet Yuko's nephews before today. I am truly happy to know that Touma and Yoshi are following in their mother's footsteps...!"

Meiko said with irritation, "Their aunt Yuko-san isn't, unfortunately!"

Tomoe, who left the order some time ago to become an independent demon slayer, asked, "Why? Isn't Yuko a Vanquisher?"

Emi said, "Yuko-san is part of the Hiroyama bloodline, just as blessed as her sister, but she was never part of our order. Her sister told me long ago Yuko-san chose a different path as a fashion designer."

Haigo said with a lot of annoyance, "Touma and Yoshi's aunt has been raising a helluva stink ever since those guys became Initiates. They told me about how she'd rather her nephews do anything but kick evil ass!"

Enko growled, "And she's been protesting from Gohan City ever since, sending messages online and off even to the Main Temple in Chiyoda demanding her nephews leave the Vanquishers. It's all pure harrassment, and the bitch has been getting on EVERYONE'S nerves."

Emi told her former protegee, "And she's succeeding if you insist on calling her that, girl."

Enko immediately softened and conceded, "Y-you're right, Emi-chan." She looked at Meiko and said, "I'll go talk to her!"

The Masked Angel volunteered, "I'll join you. Hopefully we can ask her to leave quietly."

Hundra said flatly, "You might change your mind when you meet this lady!"

"Damn, really?"

Sweet Meiko said, "Yes, really!"

Haigo bounced forward and asked, "Mind if I tag along? I'd rather do anything besides sit on my thumbs right now!"

Suzune was quickly at her girlfriend's side and said, "I'm coming, too. Just to make sure you behave, Haigo."

"Hey, you know me, Suzy!"

"Exactly!"

Enko said, "Let's go!" She, the Masked Angel, Haigo and Suzune began to leave with Meiko and Hundra in the lead as everyone else stayed to monitor the progress of the operation...

...and Marie, chill as heck, called after them, "Have fun! Let us know if you need a hand, and we'll call you if anything bad happens in Sapporo!"

Enko stopped briefly, turned, and told Marie with a cool tone, "Nothing bad will happen, Sister. My daughter will make sure of that."

--2--

As Enko and her friends went to talk to (let's be blunt) an interloper in present circumstances, Fubuki Inazuma, Marika Kato, and the Holy Gunslinger Herene Hakuryu were moving into the spacious food court of a mall in downtown Sapporo. This was one of three groups the Inazuma Fighters split into according to the hastily arranged mission plan. As they walked, Marika was close by Fubuki...the brunette said to the team leader, "Buki, you know I love you."

Fubuki gave Marika a glance and said with care, "Love you too, Marika."

Then Marika let her confident demeanor slip a little as she asked tensely, "But are you as scared shitless as I am??"

"I don't usually hear harsh language from you." Marika might as well have been the polar opposite of Herene, who swore often. (But as long as Seira wasn't present!)

Marika gave her BFF a look. "Girl, I don't usually work with the military! Just trying to relieve my stress. That's all."

Totally focused on the path ahead, Buki said thinly, "Everything will be all right, Marika."

Herene was close on Buki's other flank as she much more anxiously griped, "Everything will need to be, Inazuma. We're doing this for Rika-chan, and only the gods know what'll happen if we mess this up!"

Marika nodded and she said much more softly, "That's the biggest reason for my stress right now. If we make any mistakes, we have no idea what the Scions will do to her...!" Marika had never met Rika before today...after what Buki and Herene told her about the girl, Marika prayed she would have the chance to...!

Then Fubuki growled, "I've already made enough mistakes. Playing it soft with those Scions...letting them pull the wool over our eyes and using us...and now Rika's ass is on the line. We will not fuck this up, girls."

Deep within the food court itself, Ai Sosuke and Ayato Kirigiri were seated at a table across from each other, totally into each other...but not so much into the sushi and drinks they purchased. Or anything else. These past several months hadn't been good for them or their clan, to put it gently. You could say their lives had plenty of ups and downs before this, and for the most incidental reasons. Both lovers were born on Earth, yet markedly different in most every other way.

Ai was an Angel, as close to biologically perfect as one can be including having her heavenly wings she could generate at will...Ayato was a literal standout in a very different and painfully obvious way, descended from the group of Demons known by mortals as Cyclopes. Distinguished by his height (7-plus feet!), hyper-strength and his virtually defining feature of having only one eye on his face, the lore surrounding people like Ayato wasn't nearly as kind as that which distinguished Angels like Ai. If you know anything about Greek legends and a certain epic by Homer, then you know how unkind. Contrary to what you'd think, Ayato and his family weren't cannibalistic brutes; you might be surprised to know how normal they were.

But like most Demons in this world who simply wanted to live their lives and walk their own path, they were subject to high scrutiny and even prejudice (both low-key and regretfully high) on the part of what seemed like everyone else. Unfortunately, again, it was because of the darkest and most regretful lore and history that constantly associated Demonkind with the worst of evils...you'll really start to understand the depths of that stigma before this story is over. Some didn't let that shit get to them and soldiered on; others, like Taya Yagi, regretfully did internalize such things. But then there were those of Demonic lineage who toughened up in response, and in more ways than one -- Ayato Kirigiri, for instance, grew to adulthood as he developed a chip on his shoulder as big as a skyscraper! From the first moment he met Ai Sosuke, though, he realized the Angel of uncommon beauty could see him for who he was first and foremost, and she really liked who she saw. Ai's troubled cousin Yume Sokoba never judged him for what he was, either...regretfully, the same couldn't be said for the rest of Ai's family. Just to make things shittier, Ayato's family didn't have any love for Angels like Ai, too. Prejudice can cut in more than one direction, of course.

Ai and Ayato, like Yume, felt they were stuck in a world they never made and forced to live under rules they absolutely hated...that was the biggest reason the three of them became Sapporo Scions years ago, to rebel against an unkind and unfair world.

But today, right now, the lovers could hardly call themselves happier...due to recent events involving Barumusu Yuuma and the Oe family, things had never been bleaker for Ai and Ayato and their fellow Scions. All these two could do was really find comfort in each other as Ai worried endlessly for her cousin Yume, who had been seriously troubled since she lost her parents as a child...everything her beloved clan sister Caitlyn Yamane was suffering lately only made matters that much worse. Ai and Ayato didn't need anything strange to happen on top of it all, but it did earlier today. Every morning, before the lovers parted to go their respective paths, they usually set a time and place to meet each other for lunch. No big deal, but when they both tried to call each other to make sure lunch was still on, their phones wouldn't work. When they did see each other (and tried to ignore the usual fucking stares Ayato earned), they were both perplexed to know their devices were kaput. What the hell were the chances the same thing could happen to them both? Neither realized that this wasn't synchronicity, this was deliberate...but they were so distracted and mired in their own troubles, they didn't even begin to suspect.

Both so down in the dumps, even being together at the moment didn't help much...both were aimlessly playing with their sushi with their chopsticks as they tried to ignore the rest of the flawed world surrounding them. For better or worse, they wouldn't be able to ignore it for very long, because the ramifications of their Grandmistress' choices and the actions of Cait and three more Scions were moving in on them fast. Ayato said quietly to his lover, "Word of mouth I've been hearing from the rest of the clan hasn't gotten any better. If the shit's true, we may have to fold before the end of this year." He hated to say that, but then the Cyclops realized it seemed like Ai hardly listened to him. The beauty could only gaze at her food. Ayato said gently, "Ai? Hey, Earth to Ai?"

Ai responded quietly, "I'm here, baby. I heard what you said."

The dude tried to reassure, "It's never gonna get that bad, love. We survived those scum-suckin' Oes and killer cyborgs, right? Our clan will turn things around. Remember the Grandmistress said she and her mom have had somethin' in the works -- !"

Ai interrupted, "It would have to be a damn miracle, Ayato." The girl gazed at him. "I think that's the only thing that can help us. But would we even deserve it?"

His one big eye blinked. "What kinda question is that?"

"Well...what if everything does fall apart? We'll have to dissolve the clan and go our separate ways. It wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?" Ai finished with a lower tone, "We'd still be alive."

"Ai, remember we're talking about our clan here. We're family. We can't let that happen!"

Ai's expression became that much firmer as she asked, "But what if it does? Haven't you ever thought of doing something besides being a Scion? After everything we've been through lately, you must've thought of that, too?" She spoke of being forced to work for those godless Oes twice, and the first time resulted in a hellish response from Barumusu Yuuma. The second time they served that fucking family, they hardly had a real choice if they simply wanted to survive.

"Well yeah, but...!" His expression became gentler. "Look, I know things are bad now, my love. But they -- !" Ayato was about to say they couldn't get any worse, but he didn't. Because he nearly froze and stared past Ai, right over his lover's shoulder, as he began to fear things WERE gonna get worse.

Ai frowned and asked, "Baby?? What's -- !" The Angel turned in her seat and she froze then. She saw the three of them approaching in the throng of civilians about a hundred yards away. Buki, Herene and Marika. But Ai was fixed on the angry green eyes of the blonde leader staring right at them as they moved closer and she managed with quiet fear, "Inazuma...!" She remembered WELL how pissed off the leader of the Inazuma Fighters was last month, and she had every right to be...and now she looked even angrier.

Ayato quickly made note of that too and said with sudden worry, "They don't look happy, love."

Ai commented quietly, "They're looking at us." The couple knew two things in their gut then. They were in deep shit. And at the moment, being anywhere else was better than here!

Ayato quickly stood from the table and asked, "Let's skip frickin' lunch, huh?? C'mon!" He offered a big hand, Ai took it as she rose, and they both began to leave.

Buki and her group stayed on the march and kept locked on to the couple. Yeah, it was just like the blonde herself expected, the targets' first instinct would be to run, but quietly. They wouldn't want to draw attention and stir up a scene unless they got really desperate. The mission plan was created to take that into account as Buki snarled, "This is Inazuma, the assholes are on the move. Keeping up with 'em, over."

She heard the Major say into her earpiece: "Gozen to Inazuma, try to secure your language and remember the game plan. So far they're going where we want them to go. Muto, they should reach you and your group soon. Make sure they see you, over!"

Buki heard Shizuna answer, "They will, Major. Over!"

--3--

As that went down, a group of heroes moved to the main temple gate that permitted public entry to these tranquil grounds. Ideally though, you'd have to make an appointment first, and it isn't publicly known the area was heavily protected by supernatural detection fields that gave early warning to any threat from the Netherregions; the inner perimeter could then have much more formidable mystic barriers established accordingly depending on exactly what that threat was. That meant not just anyone could simply walk in. At the moment, just outside of the gate standing there with impatience and being watched by two members of the order like raptors, a brunette lady clad in skintight leather and with a heavy frown on her ruby lips was waiting -- and she wasn't in the mood to be told what she could or couldn't do by anyone!

In a world full of beauty, Yuko Hiroyama was a true standout in her own unique way...her glasses she wore even seemed to accent the lovely features of her face in most appealing ways...but after meeting this aggressive take-charge lady in her late forties, one would have to doubt she was just as beautiful on the inside. Especially right now! Enko and the rest of her group quickly got that impression...having already met the lady, though, Meiko and Hundra could have told them they didn't even know the half of it. Enko and the others stopped a respectful distance from the beauty with glasses on the public sidewalk, and the blonde never even bothered to bow as she said simply, "You must be Yuko Hiroyama."

Yuko said hotly, "And you're damned right, whoever you are. Are you one of the masters of this temple? You look old enough."

Enko might as well have been made of teflon. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Hiroyama-san. And no, I'm not. I am Vanquisher Enko Inazuma and I must ask you to leave, please. We're in the middle of a critical time, and your interference is distracting."

"Oh, so sorry to be an inconvenience! I want to talk to your masters now, Inazuma-san, and I'm not going to leave until I've had my say!"

Enko was really trying to keep hold of her patience...she could tell that the sentries here, both women, also wanted to kick Yuko's ass! The blonde kept her cool and notified Yuko: "You should know as well as anyone this ground is public, but with restrictions. More than that, the masters of our order at any of our temples don't just see anyone. You need to make a formal request, which the masters will consider approving. You can't just march in and see them like you own these grounds."

Yuko gave the blonde as old as she was a level look and asked, "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

"Oh, I know who you are. I know your late sister was a Vanquisher and your nephews Touma and Yoshiro are Initiates. I know you've been pissed about your nephews being part of our order, and you've been bitching about it in every way possible even to people who don't have the time for you. I know all of your messages and bulletins that have threatened to choke our online community went beyond harrassment a long time ago. You want to stir up a level of controversy just as bad as the crap Kyoko and Misa Asagi went through last month."

The Masked Angel gave the blonde a worried glance and tried to say, "Enko, we need to be diplomatic...!"

"Take a good look at her, Masked Angel. The last thing this woman wants is to be diplomatic."

Yuko snarled, "You're right about that, Inazuma-san."

"And that's why you're not gonna see the masters of this temple."

Yuko demanded even louder, "Then at the very least, I demand to see my nephews! Maybe I can finally talk some sense into those boys -- !"

Enko thanked the gods her nephews had no idea she was here (she hoped that, anyway!) and interrupted, "You mean you want to harrass them in the same way you've been doing everyone else."

Yuko was completely adamant. "This is family business, Inazuma-san. Not yours."

--4--

A Sapporo mall. Ai and Ayato held hands as they moved through the throng...Ai kept looking back and dammit, Buki and the others were following them and keeping pace. Then Ayato saw a sight not far ahead of them and he grunted, "Aw, damn! More Fighters."

Ai easily spotted them, too. She breathed with sudden fear, "Shizu...!" Barely fifty yards away and arrowing in their direction through the crowds, Shizuna Muto and the Demon Brothers Kotoya and Homare Miyano held firm expressions full of purpose on their faces. Ai asked anxiously, "What is going on?! The cops would have warned our clan if the Fighters set foot in Sapporo again!"

Ayato growled, "We should have gotten new phones before we ate, dammit. But we know the Fighters, Ai. They wouldn't do anything serious with so many innocents around."

Ai snapped, "Of course they wouldn't. They're not the bad guys, Ayato. They're nothing like -- " She stopped herself.

"What?"

Much, much more quietly the Angel said, "Nothing."

The tension ratcheted up for the couple as they kept moving, but both groups of Fighters were hot on their trail. Ayato asked nobody in particular, "What the hells do they want?! None of 'em look happy!"

His girlfriend asked tensely, "Do I have to remind you they have every justifiable reason to be pissed with us??"

"Doesn't make sense, though! If they're that angry about shit that happened before, they would have done something about it last month!"

"They didn't come looking for a fight, remember?" Ai said much more thoughtfully, "Something's changed."

"Yeah, but what??"

Ai couldn't answer that. Neither of them could have known. Then the Angel realized and she gave her boyfriend's big hand a squeeze. She purred, "Ayato, we can move a lot faster and get clear of them using the back corridors!" She was staring right at a marked maintenance door in this great hall dead ahead...!

Ayato nodded. "Good thinking, love. We shouldn't be far from the loading dock. Trying to walk around in daylight like a citizen ain't my style, anyway! C'mon!" The couple's trajectory changed and they moved right to that door marked for employees only, but they didn't care as they accessed it...

...as, only twenty yards away, Buki reported, "This is Inazuma, the targets just went into a maintenance door to the north of our position as expected, over." This was part of the mission strategy, of course. The heroes had to be noticed in some way so they could herd their targets in the direction they wanted the couple to go. Using Ai and Ayato's own desire to escape and do it without causing a stir made them predictable...so far.

The Major said into Buki's ear, "Then you and Muto's group follow them. Sakai, they're coming right to you, so be ready, over!"

They heard Kiki's voice say with deadly neutrality, "Me and my sister are standing by. Over."

--5--

The Masked Angel knew all about anger. He gave into it once during a regrettable time, which led to really bad and thankfully good things. That's why he more than anyone there knew that reason would win in a situation like this, not hot emotion. Evan Black tried to appeal to Yuko, "Listen, we can settle this situation reasonably. Please tell us what the exact nature of your grievance is -- !"

Yuko said with a clipped tone, "My nephews shouldn't be Vanquishers. That's all you need to know." Yeah. She wasn't in the mood to talk about this reasonably.

Enko said matter-of-factly, "That's a choice Touma and Yoshiro made. You have no say in what anyone else does with their lives."

"I do because I'm senior in our family! Do I have to remind you people like me have the last say in our culture?!?"

Enko shot back, "Times have changed, in case you haven't noticed. Besides, your older sister was senior to you. I'd think you would respect and honor her memory as a Vanquisher to let her nephews take the same path! Or are you just pissed that those guys didn't want to get into fashion the same as you?"

Yuko's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. She wasn't giving a damn inch. You'd have to wonder if she even could. "You watch how you talk to me, blondie."

Enko let herself smile a little as her friends watched with a heavy mix of annoyance and worry...gods, they were more worried about Rika Tsukino and didn't need to deal with Hiroyama's bullshit! Enko coolly asked, "Why? Because you have the privilege of being senior in your family? Or maybe it's because you have more money than I could imagine spending? Or maybe you're feeling privileged because you're a woman? That kind of political nonsense doesn't hold any weight with me."

"I hate politics, if you must know."

"Then at least we have that and Vanquisher heritage in common, Hiroyama-san."

Yuko Hiroyama might not have been a warrior, but Enko could feel the beauty's stare analyze her...then Yuko's tone shifted as she observed, "I know your name, Inazuma-san. You've done a lot as a Vanquisher. I've even heard stories of you supporting the Ryu Rangers in Dragon Village many times maybe oh, twenty years ago. That's not far from where I grew up."

Enko had to wonder what angle Yuko was going to attack from as she said, "That's right, back in my younger days. A lot changed for me since then."

Yuko nodded. "I heard one story that you lost a fellow Vanquisher a couple of decades ago. That girl who was the first tiefling to join the order. Mai Miyamoto, right?"

Enko suddenly felt a lot of discomfort and quiet pain...gods, she loved Mai and missed the young warrior and mother like her loss happened yesterday...and she asked very quietly, "What's the point of even mentioning Mai?"

Yuko knew she struck a nerve and smiled then, and it took all of Enko's self control to keep her calm. The tension in the air got THICK. Yuko said, "All of a sudden, bam! One day Mai Miyamoto disappeared without a trace. If she was your sister Vanquisher, if she was a friend, it must have hurt, huh?"

Enko said with barely-restrained sadness, "More than you could ever know. Now you had better get to the point."

Yuko then snarled with sudden, bitter emotion of her own, "It hurt to lose my nee-chan, too. It brings me a pain you couldn't even imagine, so you must be able to appreciate why I don't want my nephews to be part of the same thing that took her away from me!"

Everyone there really began to understand, but it wasn't much of a shock. Haigo took a step toward Yuko and said with an impatient tone, "Let me get this straight! These amazing people hold honor and virtue sacred, and you're blaming them for what happened to your sister?!"

Yuko yelled at the imp, "Their mission is pointless, shorty! Honor and virtue don't mean a damn thing if you have to give up your life for them!"

Everyone else could hardly believe Yuko said that...shit, she was THAT bitter?? Enko Inazuma marshalled her strength, and easily, as she fired back at Yuko: "Those truths mean everything, and that's why we risk our lives every day. That's why your sister gave her life. To protect you and her sons and all she must still hold sacred in the Heavens where she rests today." She shook her head softly and couldn't help but say, "Your words are a disgrace to your family and your sister's memory!"

Regrettably, Yuko took that like a physical attack...she stepped forward, got into Enko's face, and roared, "FUCK YOU! I WANT TO SEE MY NEPHEWS! RIGHT NOW!"

For a LONG moment, there was incendiary silence. Any damn thing could have happened next. Then Suzune suddenly asked, "Enko-san, do you want to press charges?"

Yuko glared at Suzy and said, "What?!"

"I'm sorry." The sentinel got out her badge, flashed it, and announced, "Lietuenant Suzune Shizumi, Middle Ground Police Department! You just committed verbal assault against Enko-san...I witnessed you do it, and she has every right to ask me to arrest you." Suzy asked Enko, "So?"

Enko considered Suzy's question, took a long look at Yuko, and said calmly, "That won't be necessary as long as this woman leaves now."

Yuko was resistant (naturally!) and yelled, "I'm not going ANYWHERE!"

Enko sighed and said, "Okay." She then looked at Suzy. "Please bust her!"

Suzune immediately broke out her handcuffs and began to approach Yuko as she said, "Madam, you are under arrest! I'd advise you to -- !"

Yuko stepped back FAST and shouted angrily, "The FUCK do you think YOU'RE doing?!?"

Suzune's eyes narrowed and she asked, "Are you going to resist?"

"Please do, Four-Eyes." She then realized Haigo was slowly approaching her too, and the imp had a big smile on her face. Haigo purred, "I'll be more than happy to help Suzy cuff you!" As a bounty hunter and officer of the court, the imp would have been well within her rights to support her girlfriend!

Almost comically, Yuko looked at Suzy and Haigo and back again, and she knew she was in trouble! But then Enko advised with a cold tone, "The Lieutenant will arrest you and you'll have to waste a lot of your money on a good lawyer! Or, you can simply leave peacefully and take your ass back to Gohan City. Which will it be, Hiroyama-san?"

Yuko Hiroyama was aggressive, but that didn't mean she was stupid...the lady stiffened and snapped at Enko, "You and your order haven't heard the last of this, dammit!" And she stormed away, much to everyone else's collective relief.

Enko Inazuma shook her head and growled, "That's what I'm afraid of!"

--6--

Sapporo. Ai and Ayato were moving a lot faster down a back corridor...so far, they hadn't run into anyone else. Neither of them could sense whether Fubuki and her teammates were still close behind or not. Neither of the lovers believed in the idea of luck, but Ayato felt now would be a damn good time to start! The one-eyed dude knew this mall well and he said, "We're about to reach the loading dock area." The door for it was dead ahead. They reached it, he grabbed the knob, and began to open it. The area for receiving shipments for the many, many stores in this mall would have been big and busy. Ai was totally focused on Ayato as the big guy said, "All we have to do is not attract any attention, and we should have a clear shot -- !" Then the lovers realized the situation and Ayato cried, "Shit!"

The couple barely had a second to register that the ordinarily bustling loading dock area was mostly vacant. There weren't lots of people here. That's because they were all hustled away and secured in neutral locations by the squads of camo-clad Special Operation Group soldiers. Those men and women were all around the couple, and they had a dead aim on Ai and Ayato with their high powered carbines. What also got the lovers' attention were the sisters Chikage Akuma and Kikyo Sakai just before Chi shouted, "Surprise!" Both sisters gestured --

-- and in the next instant, the Scions knew nothing but overwhelming pain and total disorientation. Chi and Kiki used the same kind of Telepathic magic that the girl in pink had used on Ai's cousin Yume last month to keep her from putting up any kind of fight. Ai and Ayato were driven to their knees, totally off balance, as they experienced what was only the worst headache EVER! They were both giving their all simply to hold each other's hands and resist the sudden and heavy urge to throw up. Then they felt themselves driven to lie face-down on the concrete floor by a couple of the soldiers, who immediately snapped thick supernatural inhibitor collars around their necks. Ai and Ayato might have had very different lineages, but wielding magic worked the same way for everyone: you needed focus if you want to use spells of one kind or another, and the collars tapped directly into the wearer's mind to deny that focus. Sure, you could move on your own. You could think. But if you wanted to marshall the willpower needed to use magic or simply even supernatural abilities? No chance!

Basically reduced to virtually the same threat level as an 'ordinary' Human, the couple immediately had their wrists efficiently and unkindly cuffed behind their backs as they laid prone, and they were scared as hell. One of the soldiers reported into his comm unit, "Major, both targets are collared and secure, over!"

Fubuki and the rest of the team entered the loading dock area as they heard Major Gozen's voice over the comms: "Pelican One, Pelican Two, drop your cloaks and land NOW, over!" Immediately outside, two huge military shuttles seemed to appear out of thin air as they descended and touched down on the asphalt fast!

Ai and Ayato were hauled up and made to sit on their knees, and they saw nothing but hostile faces looking down at them...the only cheerful face there was Herene's as she greeted, "Konichiwa!" But then it only took a heartbeat for the gunslinger to show how angry she was as she drew her pistols and aimed them both at the couple. Herene thought of dear Rika as she said in a hard tone, "You two don't even fucking breathe unless we want you to, okay?"

The lovers were forced to stand, pulled up fast by professional hands...Ai fixed on Shizuna and she began to cry, "Sh-Shizu, what in the name of -- !"

Shizuna simply looked back at Ai and said, "Not now, Ai."

"L-listen to me, I have no idea what -- !"

Shizuna Muto shouted, "I SAID NOT NOW. We will talk later, but not now!"

Then one of the soldiers in charge commanded the captive Scions, "Move it! Move!-Move!-Move!" The lovers were quickly hustled to the shuttles and all of the SOG soldiers and the Fighters moved with them. They quickly boarded both aircraft...

--7--

...and Marie, Enko, Kyoko and Misa and everyone heard Major Gozen report: "Home Plate, be advised: rendition complete. Pelican One and Pelican Two are loaded up, all personnel and targets are safe and secure. As far as we can tell, there were no witnesses. Reengaging Cloaks and taking off now, over." Again, Cloak was a highly effective spell that could render anyone (or anything) undetectable to living senses and electronic surveillance...and hell yes, the special forces of many countries knew how to employ such magic for maximum effect.

As everyone else felt relief, Marie was grinning as she praised, "Well done, Major! I'll give the Emperor the good news." She cut off her mic and stood, regarded everyone, and declared, "That didn't go as efficiently as I would have liked, but still pretty darn good work on such short notice! Don't you think?" Then, with a spring in her step, the Angel and Holy Nun left without bothering to know if anybody cared to respond.

In her wake, she left behind a room full of irritated people. One of them was Nanase Saionji. Even though the girl knew her boss in a way only a few in this world could -- actually, amend that. It was because she knew Marie so well she had more experience with her quirks, and so the aide had a lot more experience being irritated by the Holy Nun. Nana said lamely to everyone else, "Marie doesn't mean to be annoying. Really!"

　
TO BE CONTINUED!

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Next: Ai and Ayato are gonna find out HOW MUCH trouble their clan is in as our heroes demand answers!

Giving credit where it's due!

XNALara created by Dusan Pavlicek; XPS by Dusan and XNAaraL

Model:

's Yuko Hiroyama by !