Darkness began to slowly fall over Tokyo, leaving behind specks of neon. No stars glittered and twinkled in the night sky; too many lights drowned them out. Unsavory characters now roamed the worse parts of the city, hiding in alleys with hushed voices and strange words. The occasional scantily-clad woman attempted to get customers of a very particular type.

Zaki didn't know why Yokai had told her to come here. This place frankly gave her the creeps. A young man tried to catcall at her, but when she shot a nasty look his way, he quickly subsided. Not that she had any right to judge a place like this. She used to live in this sort of area. Maybe she took Windermere for granted.

But he told her to go to a place called Hahenko Complex. Probably where he lived, she figured. It certainly sounded better than meeting on the streets.

If only she could find it.

Something strange suddenly caught her interest. A pale yellow rubbery object laid on the ground; a whitish liquid oozed from the open end. She instantly knew what it was. Disgusting, she thought disdainfully. Haven't these people heard of garbage cans?

When she looked up, Zaki saw Yokai leaning against a building, casually watching her with those catlike green eyes. She immediately headed towards him. He regarded her with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I figured you'd be lost," Yokai replied. "You seemed terribly distracted when I was giving you the directions to my apartment."

He was right on the mark there. Zaki remembered being preoccupied with her first day of class; it had not gone well, to say the least. She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind.

"I see you've realized what the local pastime is here," he added casually, gesturing towards the used condom. "Pathetic, really." Zaki nearly wanted to ask him why he lived in such a place, but it was pretty obvious: money problems. That was all it boiled down to.

"Could we get to your place soon? I have to be sure I get back to the school on time."

"Right. This way." He walked down an alley, and she followed; it might have been dangerous for most people, but no sane person would attack Yokai. Too tall, too muscular, and Zaki was with him, to boot.

Eventually, they reached a shabby little apartment building. Loose trash littered the area. Children ran about the parking lot, screaming, playing some game, oblivious to the possibility of getting hit by a car. Zaki thought she saw a drug deal going on by the trunk of someone's Honda, but she couldn't be sure.

They stopped walking. Now they stood in front of a door. Yokai pulled a keychain from his pocket, then unlocked the door. He opened the door, allowing Zaki to enter first. She did so; he followed her in, closing the door and locking it. Then he flicked on the lights. They lit the room dimly.

The inside of the apartment surprised her, especially given the exterior of it. It was sparsely decorated, true. Only a low table, a loveseat, and a pair of chairs sat on the floor (all black, or at least dark). A small traditional ink print hung from a wall. A telephone rested next to the small television set. This didn't shock her; what did was the fact that it was clean in here. Yokai obviously polished his belongings (at least, the ones that were supposed to be). Small, but comfortable. Zaki approved.

He must have been able to read her eyes well. "You were probably expecting it to be a dump in here, weren't you?"

"Well, judging from the rest of the place..."

"Didn't your mother tell you not to judge by appearances?" replied Yokai with a smirk.

Zaki's face fell; she tried to disguise it, but failed. "My mother's dead," she murmured. "So is my father."

"Oh." He cast her an apologetic look. "I apologize."

"It's all right. It's nothing, really." Zaki glanced upward, thinking desperately of a different subject. She found one. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, that. Well then. Take a seat. Wherever you want is fine." He gestured towards the furniture. She sat down in a chair. Yokai did likewise, his legs sprawling out. "So, you want to hear."

"Of course I do."

"I want you to spy on someone for me."

This statement got Zaki's attention quickly. She raised her head, looking at him with a puzzled expression. "Who? Why?"

"His name is Nikki Sato. The reason why is simple. He's been... attracting unwanted attention. I want you to watch over him. Just during the evening for the next few days."

"Oh. What does he look like?"

Yokai shrugged. "He's not a standout by any means. Average height, average weight, black hair. Red-violet eyes. He likes to wear a red jacket. Silhouette of a dragon on the back of that."

"Ahhh. Okay. Where does he live?"

"Just a few blocks from here. The Kamei Building. I don't remember the number, but he lives on the fourth floor, second door on the left just after you get off the elevator. If you prefer the stairs, it's the first door on the right."

Zaki forced herself to remember the directions, repeating them again and again in her mind. "That doesn't sound too complicated," she remarked.

"It's not." Yokai paused for a moment, lacing his fingers together, before adding, "Tea? I could make you some before you head out."

"Actually... I really should be off now." She stood up, discreetly not mentioning that she didn't trust him enough to remove her mask so she could drink. "So I start this tomorrow?"

"That's right. Today's Tuesday, right? I guess you could stop on Friday."

That sounded reasonable enough to her. "Fair enough. I'll be seeing you. I have a train to catch." She headed for the door; Yokai unlocked it for her, holding it open.

Just as she was about to leave, he asked Zaki a question. "Are you sure you can get back to the station on your own? You did have trouble finding this place, after all..."

"I'll be fine," Zaki replied tersely. "Goodbye." She made her exit soon after.

Zaki returned to Windermere at an extremely late hour. She couldn't remember there being a rule against being up too late, but hey; she really wasn't supposed to leave in the first place without permission.

Not that she cared.

Zaki's new funfilled task of stalking this Nikki kid started the next day.

Okay, so it wasn't technically stalking, but it was damn close to it. Like she really cared. It didn't matter to her. What did was that this idiot would go home soon, and she could go back to Windermere and try to get some sleep. But no. He just had to run around like a moron and do nothing except maybe freak out a few people. No point in doing this. He wasn't doing anything suspicious at all. Zaki wondered if Yokai distrusted people this much.

Yawn. This bored Zaki nearly to tears. He didn't even have the decency to beat someone up or do anything else, for that matter.

Too uneventful.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, but Zaki was always a pessimist), the next day proved to be much more interesting.

This time, she brought Katsumi with her. Mostly because Katsumi understood fun things, such as recording devices, long distances ones. Theirs had been borrowed from Yokai, with his permission; he, in fact, told them to be expecting something tonight. That he heard from one of his underlings that Nikki was going to stir up trouble tonight.

Ftt. Like someone that boring could even stir up soup.

He traveled with two other boys, named Katarou and... whatever the other's name was. She wasn't getting paid to remember, not in the least. Down the alleys they walked. They seemed to be actively looking for someone; she wasn't sure exactly what told her this, but it seemed that way to Zaki. The girls watched from a low rooftop, keeping low.

The next thing she knew, they reached another boy, this one dressed in garish pinks and purples, wearing enough hairspray to account for ozone problems all on its own. His back faced the others.

Nikki first spoke. "So, it's one of Kazama's boys, eh?"

The bright-colored boy, who she recognized as Edge (a higher-up in Daigo's gang), span around to face the others. He was so called because he carried a lot of knives with him.

"Yeah, I am. So?" he replied arrogantly.

Nikki drew closer. "We don't like Kazama's boys too much. They're scum. Full of themselves. Just because you're his lackey doesn't make you invincible. He can't be everywhere at once." Zaki's interest dulled at this typical clash of raging male ego. Yeah, that's right. Show the others you're a real man. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't need the Soubanchou's help. I can take care of myself. Want me to prove it?"

"Of course, but now isn't the time, Gedo boy. Tomorrow is much better. Our schedule is all filled up today, I'm afraid." After a pause, Nikki added, "Yes, tomorrow is better. Eight o' clock in the evening. Down at the old Teshoka warehouse. Go alone or with a friend. The end result will still be the same. Unless you're too much of a coward to face the challenge."

"You've got yourself a date. Don't forget to bring your bodybags!" Edge chirped, staring them down until they turned away.

"Yeah, it'll be your funeral."

Nikki laughed, then they walked away. Edge soon followed, in the opposite direction.

"Did you hear them?" Zaki asked. She knew Katsumi had, of course. She couldn't believe the arrogance of both sides. No wonder I never get involved with this stupidity.

"Of course." Katsumi nodded. "Allying with those Akuseizama nutjobs was a good idea, Zaki. They have such good sound equipment." She grinned. "All good and recorded."

"Good." Zaki's long pink ponytail and loose blue and white garb flapped lightly in the breeze. "But this makes our job so much more difficult, eh, Katsumi? I mean, the boss of the Akuseizama gang's not gonna be too thrilled about Nikki shooting off his mouth again." She sent a glare to Nikki below, who was still within her line of sight, and she grimaced harshly under the mask that shrouded her nose and mouth. She felt grateful for that mask; even if Katsumi was pretty important, she didn't want her knowing everything she felt. Her hand tightened around her chain in anticipation.

"Oh well, they're big boys. They can handle it." Katsumi laughed as she said this, the irony in the situation prevalent; they couldn't handle it at all. That was why Yokai had hired Zaki and her gang.

"Hmph. They'll get what's coming to them. They all will in the end. If you're strong, you win. If you're weak, you die."

Katsumi half-rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now let's get out of this dump. Rooftop climbing ain't exactly my idea of a good time."

That sounded all for the best, so they left.

The next day, Zaki cut class, under Yokai's orders, and instead spent her time finding out if Edge would come alone or not with Katsumi. Soon, it was confirmed that he would indeed come alone. Nothing else of importance happened.

After this, they headed for the abandoned warehouse Yokai was using as a makeshift hideout. A pretty stereotypical place to hide, she noted.

"Edge is coming alone," Zaki told Yokai. He smiled at this, pleased.

"You may stay out for now, but be sure to find a hiding place a quarter before eight. We want your arrival to be a surprise to him."

Time passed. Time passed in that stupid, uneventful way that it liked to. Yokai gave them all dinner, which was pretty good. He also played some chess, which was funny, because that was so European that it was insane. Then it reached the time to hide. So she did so, right behind the door.

Edge entered the warehouse, right on time. The others - Yokai, Nikki, Katarou, and a few more that she hadn't met yet - glared evil evil death at him. He returned with a stare of his own, or she assumed so, since she couldn't see his face.

"I assume you're Edge," Yokai announced in a clear voice. The other young men laughed like slightly hoarse hyenas.

"Of course I am," Edge affirmed.

Yokai nodded almost imperceivably to Zaki. She slapped the door shut again.

"Edge, you know why you're here. Do you think you could still take us?"

"Uh, yeah, I kinda do!"

Yokai frowned harshly. "I am Yokai. It was Nikki who challenged you."

Edge's attention turned to Nikki, who smirked. "I've been looking forward to this--"

"But he will not be the one fighting you."

"What?! But Yokai..." Nikki whined.

"No, I thought it better if we had Zaki handle this piece of trash." Yokai nearly smirked at this proclamation.

"That's right," Zaki said, tightening her grip on her chain.

He whirled to see her. For the first time, she got a good look at Edge. He looked, to her, like he tried too hard to be intimidating. He stood at an average height. His eyes probed her, looking for chinks in her armor. There were none. She did the same. She couldn't spot any immediate weaknesses.

Save for that damnable arrogance.

"You're a Seijun student, right?" he asked, after accessing her.

"Of course I am."

The others grew quiet, leaving only Edge and Zaki to speak.

"What's a Seijun girl like you doing in a place like this? I thought that school was rich 'n all..."

Zaki grinned under the mask. Stereotyping people was always the end of the people who did it.

"A girl's gotta pay for tuition somehow."

She struck like a snake in the grass. He hadn't even seen it coming. A quick kick, stepped into an elbow, then she swept him to the ground.

Now it was time for the chain. She swung it around in a casual circle a couple times before letting the momentum send it spiraling outward to slap him. He was bleeding now, and didn't look like he was getting up anytime soon.

She walked up to him and crouched down near his head, then smashed her chain-entwined fist into his face. Zaki didn't have any other choice, she thought. She wanted to end this fight quickly.

He couldn't walk the walk, after all.

A slam sounded. A red-headed girl walked in through the kicked-open door, shouting, "How dare you hurt a poor innocent boy!"

Time stopped just then. Everyone stared.

And they laughed.

"What? What's so funny?" she asked, quizzical.

Nikki sneered at the girl. "You are, Tori. Why do you keep on doing this?"

"Because... I am justice! Yah!" She struck a silly anime pose.

"Oh brother," one of the "nameless" muttered. "Not her again..."

"She's been here before?" Zaki asked, having not the slightest clue on this Tori girl.

"Yeah, countless times," Yokai said, amusement coloring his voice. "Forget it. I don't want to deal with her."

"Why not?" She is trespassing, after all.

"Because she," he started, "is too entertaining to beat up. I'm just not in the mood for it now. Just get her out of here..."

"And her boooooyfriend?" another nameless chirped.

"Edge, too. Just remember this, Gedo boy." Yokai paused dramatically. "You will regret the day you crossed us--"

What is he talking about?

Edge blinked, managing to get to his feet. "But I didn't cross you--"

"Silence! Just remember it. And go." Yokai gestured harshly towards the door.

Tori looked over at the brightly-dressed Daigo lackey. "Let's go, Edge-san!" she cried.

He headed out the door with a sigh, the annoying girl following.

"Well," Yokai said, "that should teach Daigo not to send his minions to meddle in our business."

But that's not what happened. I told him so.

"Yokai. I'd like to go back now. The trains are going to stop running fairly soon."

"Very well, Zaki. Thank you for reporting this to me." He smiled. "We will need to be speaking again in a few days. I'll send you a letter when that time comes."

Zaki bowed a tiny bow, then walked out.

I wish I could understand what that man is thinking. There's no real reason for him to be doing this. Why did I even go along with this stupid plan in the first place? I have no issue with Gedo. I never have. Our interests have never conflicted...

Then she thought that maybe, just maybe, she loved playing the rebel.

And, to boot, she was a sucker for the underdog.

Katsumi realized that she finally found her light.

The Gedo gang is standing up to these guys? That's great news! I didn't know that they knew about the Akuseizama gang! At least not this much. Maybe Daigo sent that Edge guy out to investigate!

She knew that Gedo had enough leverage to pull Zaki out of this sticky situation.

Now, it was all a matter of finding someone to utilize that leverage.

Edge. He's the only one I'd recognize. I could go to Gedo sometime and talk to him. Maybe he'll help us out. Ritsuko isn't happy about this situation, after all.

Tomorrow, then. She'd be off tomorrow.

Not off to see the wizard, mind, but the next best thing.