Izanami no Jidō: Chichi no Tsumi

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Where We Are...
"Forgive me, Brina, for I do this for not duty's sake, but for our own,"....

"I will be DAMNED, BEFORE I WOULD BECOME YOUR FUCKING DOLL!!!"....

"I'd hope you would be strong and that instead of me dealing the killing blow, you'd be able to spend a moment with her..."

Words uttered in darkness, followed by haunting echoes were all that filled the void of her head. These were words that brought scars back on her broken body, lying in bed, all on her own. Memories from a time that she'd long hoped to forget, a time that she wanted to go back and change with all of her might, but even in a world with endless possibilities, she had no means to do so. All she could do was lay there in her lonesome torment, hearing these words again, just like every night before this one.

"I'll just have to beat you like the bitch you are.... master."

''Please, Brina! Come back with me!"''

''Please, Brina! Come back with me!"''

Come back with me!"

COME BACK!!!

Her lavender eyes shot open with an audible gasp, immediately pulling herself up from a laying position to a sitting position. Sweat matted the pillow her head was on and her short blue hair draped the back of her neck, wet with sweat as well. "Oh... Oh god..." she said in a sorrowed murmer, covering her mouth with her right hand and panting in it heavily as her bloodshot eyes stared at the short, orange handled katana leaned up against the wall, one whose blade had been soaked in blood of her enemies... and at one point, her dearest friend.

"Another sleepless night..." she thought inwardly, pulling herself off of the bed within the rather empty, black room and standing on her two feet. She looked down to see that she was still wearing her Stealth Force attire; she had been at work for so long yesterday that she'd forgotten to take it off. But at this point in time, that was the least of her concerns. She was in Yūrei Ōkoku for important reasons, not clothing desires. She grabbed the katana up against the wall, staring at it for a few moments before sighing and strapping it on her back like it always was before.

"Captain Suì-Fēng?" a knock at the door, followed by a voice came, turning her attention towards it. "If you're awake, we have someone important here to see you."

"I'm coming." she said as she popped her neck into place, and calmly went for the door.

"...and another meritless day."

On the outside of what was the the woman's home, the one who had called for her was standing on her doorstep.

He had black hair that reached down to neck length, carrying jagged and pointed edges. He had blue eyes that, currently, held a pleasant serenity even with the rather firm expression he had. He wore a white and short-sleeved dress shirt with brown pants and formal-looking tennis shoes. His weapon of choice, a Kidō revolver pistol, was kept within a holster on his waist. He had his hands within his pockets, standing before the guards with a collected and almost inappropriately casual gait. There were few that could identify him by appearance alone, but his name was quite common... at least amongst his people.

When the freshly awake Suì-Fēng came to the door, he put on a polite but formal smile and gave an acknowledging nod. "Captain Suì-Fēng, I presume?" He questioned, pulling one of his hands out of his pockets and extending it to her for a handshake. "I'm Kenta Sonoda, commander of the Sector 3 Yūrei Police Overwatch. Sorry I had to disturb you from what I assume was a pleasant slumber," His eyes could be seen looking over her bedridden form with a subtle grimace. "But this was too important to not come to you with."

"I'm glad to hear it." Sui-Feng responded plainly, grabbing her long, black leather trenchcoat off of the coat rack next to the door and putting it over her stealth uniform before coming out onto the porch with Kenta, standing next to the guard rail. There were two guards, both dressed in similar attire as her, standing next to her door and maintaining a constant vigilant stance to protect their leader. Paying no mind to his attempted handshake and instead crossing her arms, she spoke in a staunch, but nevertheless cooperative tone. "I'm tired of standing in this... pompous room for days on end. What do you have for me?"

It was a motion that slightly wounded Kenta's positive attitude. He retracted his hand and returned it to his side, restraining the slight wince that would've come to his face, otherwise. But he kept up his composure. The last thing he wanted was to look less than professional in front of the hardened Stealth Force operative. He was also a leader, after all. Besides, she looked as if she had a rather rough day if not a harsh sleep altogether. Many people had those moments, and he understood well enough to know not to undermine that. So he continued to explain his presence.

But before he said anything else, he allowed his gaze to sweep the area before resting it back on Suì-Fēng. He raised his hands out in a gesture of placating in the event that the Captain had any objections. "I'd rather not talk out in the open about sensitive information such as this. It's concerning a certain," He tilted his head to convey a sense of knowing. "Criminal that has been on the run for quite some time. I'm sure you can pick up on who I speak of?"

A visible flinch sparked in her expression, knowing fully well who exactly Kenta was referring to and it almost made her want to immediately push him for information; it was something she truly couldn't wait for, but she restrained herself, choosing instead to ease his concerns of being out in the open.

"This area is cleared." she replied in the same tone, also glancing around at their surroundings, noticing that there was little to no real activity happening, minus the every day pedestrian moving around in the streets far below them. "I specifically chose this apartment because of it's height and relative distance from others, and I have sleeper cells on a constant lookout. Or are you doubting my competence as a tactician, Sonoda-san?"

In truth, talking out in the open would be an advantage for her. If there were snitches listening in, or assassins putting her in their crosshairs, she would have them caught in no time, giving her even more opprotunities to dig out information.

It wasn't exactly a pleasing thing to hear. For a brief moment, it broke his collected composure in a way that didn't pass over the limit; his eyes closed, he lowered his head for a moment and he shook it lightly while letting out a soft sigh. But he knew that at this point, the Captain was going to be stubborn in not going back inside. He needed to move things along, and arguing over location wasn't going to help that. So as the situation required it, he relented.

"If you insist..." He muttered, a hint of reluctance within his words. He folded his hands behind his back, taking on a straighter stance and meeting her gaze. "Recon drones centered around the borders of the Material World have been keeping recent taps on your target. The exact location cannot be specified, as technological reach within that world is limited. But reports have repeatedly claimed that possible locations were centered in the country of Japan. It's up to you to round down and find her." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tablet to hand over to the Captain. "You can use that to mark down what places you've hit and what you haven't, in case it happens to slip your mind."

Calmly, she reached out and took the tablet from his outstretched hand, looking over it herself. "No need to know where I'm going..." she murmered quietly, before sticking it into her own coat pocket. "...just need to know where I've been." She then looked back up at him, retaining her tone and stance, but clearly desiring more information. "That can't be all you have to tell me. The weight of this criminal's existance is becoming a serious burden to me and my organization. If there is anything else that you're able to share with me, you need to, now."

But the police commander shook his head. "I apologize, Captain." He answered. "But it was hard enough trying to pinpoint where the target was. Any other information is vague and unreliable at this point. Besides," He turned himself away, shoving his hands back into his pockets. "She was a subordinate of yours. I believe that'll be all the information you'll need, if not more than enough. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you'll see justice through." With that being said, he strode off the porch and walked off into the day of sunrise. The sun that peeked over the horizon illuminated the area showed a horse tied to a post - his way of having traveled to the area.

She clenched her fists slightly; hearing his last words before departing stung at her heart. Because of this meager lead that he had left her with, in many ways, she was now more lost than ever on chasing down her quarry. Had her prey truly eluded her again? She couldn't tell at this point; the only thing she could do was keep finding more clues and leads.

"Men." she said to her two guards, beginning to walk towards their vehicle. "We're moving out. It's time to find a few more leads."

In the material world - more specifically, in the isolated community that was Motuo County, one of those leads would be sitting in a house lit only by candlelight.

Inside, several tables were set out. A multitude of candles were placed to create a rather eerie yet peaceful setting within the darkened place. Within a room upstairs, a man of middle age was sitting on his bed and looking at a picture on his drawer. It would contain an image of him with an arm wrapped around a woman's waist, with the two of them putting on casual smiles. In front of him sat two much younger individuals, with a girl having her own arm's wrapped around a boy's waist. While the girl had a bright smile on her face, the boy seemed rather irritated and uncomfortable with the proximity she was at with him.

He reached over to take the photo from off of his drawer and held it in his hands, staring at it for a long while. His voice spoke, grizzled by time and weariness. "It would pain you to see me like this, Evelyn." He said softly. "Sitting in some isolated house in China, still moping about you and the children even after all the years that passed. Well... I'd like to think that I've stopped moping. To tell the truth, I think I've gotten rather used to the quiet. No more civvies throwing rocks in your general direction. No more worrying about children getting lynched. But despite the peace... it just leaves too much of a void behind. Sometimes, I just lie on my bed and wonder just what could I have done differently. Maybe then you would still be here... maybe then, we would still be together."

Slowly, he set the photo back where it was and reached beside it, grasping the neck of an acoustic guitar. He gently set it on his lap, his fingers moving to place themselves onto the strings. "But," He continued, his tone showing resignation than anything else. "I suppose the only thing I can do about that is play this song on my guitar. You always used to play it, taught me how when we first got together... I never could figure out just why you loved it so much. But right now, it's the only thing real I have left to remember you by." He took in a deep breath, taking in the memory of the notes and timing of the song before beginning to pluck at the strings.

"I hope you like it."

Then, he began to play, filling the air with a sad yet haunting melody. His eyes were closed, and all of his concentration was on his playing. He hit each and every note with decent accuracy, the timing a little off but not enough to turn any potential listeners off. One could feel the mourning rolling off of his fingers and into the air as he played, the remnants of his family still within his mind. When he finished, he set the guitar down and stood up from his bed. With a casual shift in expression from weary to relaxed, he strode out.

"Think it's time I headed out for a little while. I'm sure the house won't mind..."