I groaned as I felt the sunlight coming through the window and landing on my face "It can't be morning already" I muttered. I lay there contemplating whether to force myself up as my levels of consciousness slowly increased. My fingers run through the silk sheets as they come cross with a lace fabric. With my mind still zoned out a lifted the fabric to see what it was. I focused my gazed towards my hand. "A bra..." a mumbled, but i never finished my line as the door opened. My reaction was to throw the bra away. I thought i was safe. The bra was no more in my hands. I sat up and yawned. After all I was always aware of my actions. Maybe those two days I have been acting up oddly. But today there were serious stuff to handle. I wouldn't go down that road. Or at least that's what i thought.

I gazed at the door noticing that it was Toka the one that entered. Though I couldn't see her face. It was covered with the bra i was holding before. I lowered my gazed mumbling "You couldn't do anything worse." Then i stood up facing away from her as I noticed she was taking the bra of her face. I looked at her bed. Seemed i zoned out again last night. But that I ended up sleeping at her bed wasn't the issue here. I ended sleeping above her washed bra's and . It was the worse moment of my life. I had no idea how i would face her. But my luck was with me that morning Or the information that she brought were more important than my ert actions.

"Hashimoto Toru, the journalist is out of prison. I found his address. The others already had breakfast. You should join them and then we should leave. I took few days off work." Toka said with out looking at me at all and left. I followed few minutes after i washed my face. I only drank a cup of tea. The guys had already eaten, and Lala washed the dishes. Thankfully they acted like normal people. We then agree that me and Toka would pay a visit to Hashimoto. The others would go to the library and take a look at the articles around 1988 and 1994 when the events took place. Maybe there was something we had not noticed.

Lala, Pi and Takeshi took Toka's car. They drove at the library and went through any article that cloud be connected with the story we heard last night. Me, and Toka drove at the Hashimoto place. Only Toka wanted to do the driving. Normally I don't let anyone drive my bike. But since what had happened last night and since she knew the roads better, I simply agreed. The others looked at me confused. They knew me well. What kind of person i was. Lala even glared at Toka. I just climbed at the bike and didn't say anything.

It was almost noon when we reached Hashimoto's home. It was an old cottage close to no where. It was surrounded by trees. It was so peaceful. So quiet. Toka stopped the biked, and I got off. She turned the engine off and parked next to the cottage. We both placed our helmets at the drivers wheel. No, the helmets weren't mine. Toka owned them. She wouldn't drive off if i wouldn't agree to ware it. Odd woman she has me act all ert and oddly since i met her. Anyway, that wasn't so important at the time. I gazed at the ground. I noticed shredded glasses. I looked up, there was a window broken. We took few steps and went up the stairs. There were few different kind of foot prints at the sand. I noticed that too, when Toka knocked on the door.

Few seconds later a man opened the door. He seemed around forty, thin with a worried face. He didn't react as I thought, he let us inside. Then he asked us who we were. Toka showed her police ID and then asked him if he was Hashimoto Toru. The picture she had was really old. And it would be best to verify that it was Hashimoto. The man nodded and agreed with her. Toka then went on asking him about his articles. She pulled out from her bag few newspaper pages.

"These articles, are signed by HT. Did you Hashimoto-san write them?" she asked him at once. My gaze though scanned the place. There were not many things there. Maybe he had moved these days. Or maybe they were taken. "Do you live here alone?" I asked randomly him.

Toru took the newspaper pages and took a look. Though she pose for time to time and looked at the kitchen. Then he nodded "I do live on my own. No one really comes to see me anymore. Yes it was me. I wrote those. Years ago. Why?" he explained.

Toka sat back and let out a relieved groan. It was after long time she managed to come cross a clue that it wasn't leading to dead end. "Thankfully, it was you. There are few things we have to ask you about those articles. Are you alright about that? Have you time?" she asked.

Though she never took a reply back. As I jumped up from my chair, sending it back to crash against the nearest wall. Toka gazed at me more than confused. And the man that was sitting there started sweating. "That's not Toru!" I yelled and pointed to a picture that was to a desk next to us. In that picture was a man that looked the same with the picture we had. Only older. The man we were talking at was not the same. And it's not only that. The crashed window. The different kind of footsteps. "Didn't he said no one comes here any more?" I added. Causing Toka to stand up and pull her gun against the man.

"Who are you?" Toka asked him. But we would never get that answer at the moment, as we were interrupted.

"You are as good as dead." someone snarled. A bold man attacked with a big right overhand punch. I stepped out of range, but before I could bring my hands up to defend, he drove his shoulder into my chest, slamming me into the wall, where he started landing solid punches into my gut. I was taking by surprise. But my weak defense was broken as i dodged his next punch with my left hand and lifted my leg to answer with a double high kick. It send him to crash next to the table were Toka was standing. She pointed the gun at him telling him to stand down. Then looked at me somehow confused about the force i manage to kick the man. I cracked I smile feeling as it was a cool moment.

"Who're you people?" Toka asked again pointing the gun at both of them. The man looked each other but didn't answer.

"I don't think they will answer." I said as I looked at the kitchen. I could hear some odd sounds. "More are coming." I yelled and grabbed Toka making both of us step back.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she asked me as we were almost reaching the frond door. I opened it and we stepped out walking backwards.

"I don't think we are save here. They are more than we can handle." I said as we were already standing out side the door. And these time I was right. We were surrounded soon by more than twenty men. And they didn't look easy to fight.

"Let's run towards the bike." Toka suggested. But it was a goal that we couldn't reach easily. Having twenty men around us.

The man that identified himself as Toru came outside. "Get them!" he yelled at them. Toka placed away her gun. She, as well as me were getting in position to fight.

Drawing her arm back, Toka drove her fist into someone's nose. That's how the fight started. Head flying as her eyes locked around, as she turned so our back met mine. Now we had covered all 360 degrees. Her left foot slid on the concrete and she braced the heel of her sneaker against the rough ground. Her hands rose to cover her nose, eyes open widely. Then her fists started attacking. She was fast. And her hits seemed deadly. She reminded me that person that helped the other day when I come cross those seven.

Though my mind came back to reality as I had also few men to take care off. And it started. I had long ago to fight like that. Maybe since we fought with the Mighty warriors. I flipped into the air and landed in the center surrounded by ten men. I cracked a scary smile and rose my fists. My first punched had already landed against the first man, sending him few steps back. I didn't simply kicked and punched. I was a storm of combined movements. A kick, a punch, then a flip. I could kick twice and land on my back. Then turn and jump into the air and attack again. That didn't mean I didn't also get hit. If i manage to dodge one or twice, the third I would get hit. But that didn't bother me. I could handle the pain. Since I was not coughing any blood any more. Those men were no problem for me.

The fight lasted more than we thought. Those twenty men were strong. But not as strong and crazy as we were. Because the fight started to become more interested as Toka and I united our attacks. Toka wasn't the person that would flip or jump. But she was clever at reading my movements. And that helped a lot. Because now I had her on the air in no time. When ever it was possible i would lift and throw her against them. She would land against them crashing them against the ground. They kept moving, flying and keeping the fight alive until everyone from the twenty had reached their limit and faced the ground. Those who stood again up run away. Soon only me and Toka were left in that forsaken place; or so we thought.

It took me and Toka few minutes to catch our breaths. Our bruises were not serious. We looked at each other still breathless and laughed. I spotted something new. A good fighting partner. I think Toka had the same thought. Then we stood up and went into the cottage. We wanted to check the place. Or what was left from it. There was nothing much left. It seemed that all the documents, the computer were already taken. Toka went to search the rest of the room. But I stayed gazing at that picture from before. I walked close and picked the frame up. I flipped the frame and opened it. And i was lucky again. There was a SD card inside. I took it and closed the frame. Then i placed into my phone. I always love android smart phones. You can always add an extra SD card. Of course I couldn't read the files that were into the SD card. But at least our new clue was save.

I followed Toka in the next room. I found her on her knees, as she was looking at something. I walked closer, to find out a corpse against the ground. Toka turned him around and it was Toru. Our hopes had again reached a dead end. Toka gazed at me. Then she picked up her phone and called it in. The police would be soon there. Then she gazed at me "That's what i mean. Each time i get closer to something. I only manage to reach a dead end!" she said really annoyed.

I walked closer and placed my hand against her shoulder. I was ready to tell her, maybe now we have a new clue. But before I managed to open my lips, a muffed sound was heard. Something pierced through the window and broke it. Everything happened in nano-seconds. I gazed at the broken window as I felt a sudden pain against my chest. I lifted my hand and touched my chest and then looked at it. My shirt, my hand everything was red. Then I crashed against the ground hard. It seemed I was shot. Everything went down really fast. I gazed up and noticed Toka. She seemed worried and was all over me. It seemed she was trying to stop my bleeding. We both took our attention away from the dead Toru, that was already taken by "them". It seemed my luck ended there. My mind stopped thinking. My eyes were closed. And the place was filled in blood. Then there was nothing more... only darkness.

(( next chapter ))