Silence In Numbers: File One (26 page)

“You didn’t come to see me?” She switched to a very sad look; Law simply smirked, knowing what was coming.

Katsumi looked at her sister. “Well, of course, I just also have business.” Her eyes widened as Ayane sniffed a bit. Law looked at the wall to avoid laughing. “No, wait, stop crying! You know I hate that!”

Ayane rubbed a hand over her eyes. “It’s okay, focus on your important stuff…”

“That’s not fair! You’re more important than anything!”

The younger Samakura smiled happily. “I know!”

Katsumi blinked and then growled. “Ayane…”

Ayane grinned at her. “You’re too eas- ack!” She fell back as her pillow hit her, followed by her older sister who pinned her down.

“Apologize!”

“No!”

Katsumi gave a wicked grin as she lifted the pillow again. “Apologize or suffer.” Ayane simply stuck out her tongue, so Katsumi pulled back her arm only to blink and give her own exclamation of surprise as Law grabbed her wrist and lifted her off the bed into the air.

Ayane sat up and clapped. “Teamwork!”

Katsumi shot the big man a glare as she hung in the air suspended by her wrist in his hand. “You betray me?”

Law gave a shrug. “Sorry, boss. Blue-hair’s the sick one.”

Ayane nodded. “Yeah, I’m sick! How dare you attack a sick little girl!”

“You’re gonna be sick and
injured
when I get down from here!”

Law chuckled, setting her back on the bed. “C’mon, kids, play nice.”

Katsumi couldn’t hide her smile as she leaned back on her hands. Sometimes you really did need to just play. “Alright. Ayane, you’re forgiven.”

“Yay!”

“Law, you are of course fired.”

Law chuckled again. “Saw that comin’.”

Katsumi moved to the head of the bed so she could lean against the wall, where Ayane took the opportunity to lay her head on her older sister’s shoulder, bringing out another smile. “Since you’re loyal to Aya, however, you’re re-hired.”

“Truly you’re a forgiving boss.”

“Well, to tell the truth, seven-foot demolitions experts are hard to replace.”

“I don’t recall seein’ a lot of ‘em.”

“It’s a problem.” Katsumi sighed, resting her arm around Ayane and getting more comfortable. “Back to that business, any trace on that Shade? I’m worried about its next moves.”

Law shook his head. “Unfortunately, the thing vanished. I got its signature, though, and sent it to M, so if it has a lot of activity we should get something.”

“Good.”

“What about that girl you saved?” Ayane asked out of curiosity.

“She’s safe at HQ now,” Katsumi answered. “Strange part is, M thinks she’s a Silent.”

The other two started at that and Ayane tilted her head a bit to see her sister’s face. “A Silent? Like, a real one, not like us? We haven’t seen one of those in… six years?”

Katsumi let out a breath. “Yeah. Hopefully this won’t end the same way.”

Law leaned against the wall. “That explains why that demon was so interested in her.”

“Was she able to tell you what he wanted?”

“Not specifically,” Katsumi said with a frown. “She did think he wanted someone sacrificed, though. To what end I don’t know, but it does mean we should pay careful attention to any murders in the local area.”

“Do you think we could do anything about this, Sumi?”

“I’d rather not risk you out there with your health the way it is, Aya.”

Ayane looked up a bit, frowning.
You’re not much better
¸ she spoke over their cyber link.

Let’s not have this discussion again. Please. Besides…
“What you and I can do is help Hitomi learn about what she is and how to control it.”

“Oh! Of course! You’re right; the two of us can be great for her to talk to.”

“She needs it.” Katsumi looked over her sister’s head. “Law, you’ll be on the response team for when this Shade makes its move. So is Rufus.”

“Me providing back-up and escape prevention, Rufus going in with you?”

“That’ll be the basic plan. If we manage to corner it you’ll come in as well, otherwise we’ll try to push it your way. Reno will be transport.”

“What’ll Sano be doing? If I can ask.”

“I’m putting him on protection detail for Hitomi. He’s perfect for it; they seem to get along, he’s smart, and he’ll fit in best if she wants to go somewhere.”

“Got it. I’m gonna head back to HQ and get out the fun toys, then,” he grinned. He waved as he left the door. “Keep getting’ better, Blue-hair.”

“Escaping this place is a good motivator!” Ayane called after him, receiving a laugh in return.

Katsumi looked down at her sister. “It’s past midnight, by the way. You won’t ever get out of here if you don’t sleep.”

Ayane sighed. “Fine, I’ll go to sleep.” She pulled Katsumi down, getting comfortable with her head on her chest.

Katsumi smirked. “On me? I can’t get up if you do that.” In response, Ayane just pretended to be asleep already, leaving nothing for her older sister to do but turn off the light with a smile. “Fair enough. Goodnight, little sister.”

“Aww, they’re so cute!”

“They probably won’t like waking up to your face inches away, Yuri.”

Yuri gave Mikoto a look. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate my appreciation!” She was currently hovering over the two Samakura sisters, the younger of which was curled up against her older sister, whose arms were around her. Both were asleep, of course, which was why the three visitors were whispering.

Kyo leaned against the wall with a smirk. “Maybe you should poke them awake.”

Before the more sensible Mikoto could caution against that, Yuri was already poking Katsumi, which, of course, was a bad idea, as she found out when the pistol appeared in her face as Katsumi suddenly jerked awake. Yuri let out a squeak and dove behind the bed, and Kyo burst out laughing as Mikoto let out a sigh.

Fortunately these sounds woke Ayane, who blinked wearily as she lifted her head. “Sumi, you’re trying to shoot my friends.”

Katsumi clicked the safety back on and slid the pistol back under their pillow with a yawn. “Mmm, sorry.”

Ayane smiled as Yuri peeked over the edge of the bed. “You know how I said never to startle me awake? That goes double for my sister.”

“No kidding,” the pink-haired girl said as she stood up, “That’s dangerous!”

Mikoto looked at the two sisters. “I’m very sorry for disturbing you, we didn’t know.”

Katsumi attempted to sit up, but Ayane apparently refused to move, so she just smirked and laid her head back down. “It’s fine, but knocking would be more appropriate in the future.”

“That’s what I said,” she nodded, brushing a brown curl from her eye, “but Yuri thought you looked ‘cute’ as you were.”

Ayane smiled as she returned her head to its position. “Aww, Sumi, we’re cute!”

“You are. I’m not.”

“But you were in that situation!” Yuri sat on Ayane’s side of the bed. “I’ve seen you on the news before. You’re her sister, right?”

Mikoto rolled her eyes at the stupidly obvious question, but Katsumi just gave an amused smirk. “Yes, I’m her sister.”

Ayane looked up at Katsumi. “You did say you were going to meet my friends.”

“That I did.”

“Regret that decision?”

“Almost immediately.”

Ayane giggled. “Too bad. Guys?”

“Oh, right!” Yuri smiled and waved happily. “Yuri Amanake!”

“I figured,” Katsumi chuckled. “What do you do?”

The pink-haired girl blinked. “Lots of things. Or do you mean for a living? I’m a journalist!”

“Interesting. You must have a curious mind. You’re the youngest of this group, right?”

“Yep. I’m twenty-four. Ten years younger than you.”

Katsumi raised an eyebrow. “You know my exact age?”

Yuri smiled. “Well it’s hard not to remember all sorts of details, with how often we hear about you from Ayane.”

Kyo raised a hand from his spot against the wall, brushing aside his black bangs. “Moving along to spare Ayane the embarrassment, even though it’s funny… I’m Kyo Takagawa. I’m a researcher and inventor in cybernetics focusing on prosthetics and enhancements. Twenty-eight years old, if you’re curious.”

“Cybernetics?” Katsumi looked interested. “That’s a very advanced field.”

“Kyo’s the creative one,” Ayane explained. “He’s even worked on some things you’d be familiar with.”

“Consider me impressed,” Katsumi smiled, before looking to the final visitor. “And Mikoto Suigi. It’s good to see you again.”

The young woman smiled, nodding. “The pleasure is mine as last time, Miss Katsumi.”

Yuri looked at her older friend. “You already met her?”

“Of course,” the brown-haired woman answered. “I’ve known Ayane for eight years. I met them before she was in here, when they lived together.”

Katsumi nodded. “Hopefully we’ll be back to that soon. How is your practice, Miko?”

Mikoto smiled. “It’s doing very well, thank you for asking. It turns out a thirty-year-old lawyer is considered more trustworthy than one in her twenties.”

“Perception is a strange thing,” Katsumi chuckled.

“So how about you?” Yuri tilted her head. “What can you tell us about yourself? That’s what we’re interested in, since we always hear about you but never got to meet you.”

Katsumi smiled. “Well, what can I say that my sister hasn’t bragged about before…?”

Ayane blushed. “If you keep teasing me, Sumi, I’m gonna start telling all the bad things.”

Katsumi chuckled. “Alright. What can I say that you three don’t know already, though? You know my name, my age and my job.”

“Well…” Yuri thought for a moment. “What about your relationship, since we’ve heard it from Ayane’s side? Pay her back for it!”

Mikoto smiled. “Yes, let’s make it even.
You
talk about
her
some.”

Ayane grinned. “That’s perfect! You embarrassed
me
, now
you
do it.”

Katsumi gave a soft smile. “Talking about you never embarrasses me,” she replied before looking to the others. “You probably already know all about how incredible my sister is, being her friends. If you’d like to know the difference, it’s that she’s part of your lives, but she’s all of mine.”

Kyo tilted his head. “Nothing’s as important?”

“Not even close.” Katsumi looked down, seeing her sister’s smile as her hand ran down her pale blue hair. “Everything I do is focused around this girl, and I don’t have a problem saying it.”

“Wow,” Yuri breathed, ever the dreamer. “That’s so sweet!”

“Your relationship is very special,” Mikoto added with a smile. “Knowing something about your lives, I’m glad you have each other.”

Ayane looked at Katsumi. “I’m pretty sure neither of us could survive without the other.”

Katsumi met her sister’s eyes and nodded. “I can only hope we’ll never have to test that.”

Everyone fell silent then, their thoughts focusing on Katsumi’s dangerous job and Ayane’s sickness. All of them were hoping things would be okay. Mikoto spoke up for the others, as she often did, with a polite smile. “I know you don’t get to visit as often as you’d like, so we’ll leave you two to enjoy today and visit Ayane tomorrow.”

The sisters smiled at them and Katsumi nodded. “I appreciate it. Thank you. And thank you for visiting my sister more than I can.”

Yuri smiled. “She’s our friend…we want to keep her happy.”

“You know how much I appreciate that. Don’t hesitate to visit her when she’s back with me, either.”

“Just remember to knock then,” Ayane grinned.

Kyo smirked. “No worries, I think we all prefer not getting shot.”

They laughed and the three said their goodbyes, exiting the room with a final wave from Yuri.

Katsumi sighed, sitting against the wall. “Your friends are admirable.”

Ayane sat up, stretching. “Well, we both know how to pick good friends.”

“I was wondering what to do with today, since I’m just waiting for that demon to make a move.” Katsumi looked at her younger sister. “What do you say we take advantage of your friends’ suggestion and spend the day together?”

Ayane smiled, her eyes shining. “Really? You mean it?”

Katsumi patted her hand. “Yes. I don’t get to see enough of you; I’d rather not waste this opportunity for more. Once a week is just… not enough.”

“You already know I agree… I miss you.”

Her older sister smiled. “Well, let’s try to change things, then. I’ll visit more, and if you keep getting better, we’ll move up our plans.”

Ayane matched her smile. “Then we could move, and then we’d see each other every day.”

“Yes… It’d be perfect.” Katsumi grabbed her hand, getting out of bed. “No reason to put off joy, though. Let’s get started on our day.”

Ayane laughed as she was pulled up, grinning. “We should have more days.”

“I promise, we’re going to have as many as we can get.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Alright, got it boss. Sounds great.” Sano leaned against the wall. “Have fun. Thanks.”

Hitomi tilted her head as Sano shut his phone. “That was Katsumi?”

“Yep.” He smiled. “She’s spending the day with her sister, taking advantage of a day with nothing to do.”

“That sounds nice.”

“They need it.” Sano pushed off the wall. “That leaves me free, too. Anywhere you wanted to go?”

“Well, actually, if I could get my things from my apartment, that would be great.”

Sano chuckled. “Shooting low, huh?”

“We could go anywhere after that, of course.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sano said as he pointed at her. “Start thinkin’.”

Several minutes later they pulled up to the apartment, and Sano looked at the car next to them as they got out. “Looks like we’re not alone here; that car belongs to Rufus.”

“That actually makes me feel a bit better,” Hitomi said as they walked up the stairs.

As they approached the door, which was already open, they could hear a woman’s voice. “…had to bring that up, of course. I could have slapped him for doing so, I mean, these are important clients.”

“You’d think someone with his experience would know what he’s doing by now and wouldn’t stumble over himself and ruin it for you,” Rufus replied as he stood up from the kitchen’s bar. He spotted the two as they entered, smiling calmly. “Ah, Sano and Miss Saizen. I assume you’re here to pick up some things.”

The woman turned around as they entered, seeming to size them up a bit. She was very pretty but had a professional aura about her as well as a noble bearing; she wore a black business suit and skirt, and her blonde hair was long and neat, a darker blonde that matched her fierce blue eyes. She looked like she could be quite hard when she wanted to, but at the moment she smiled in a friendly manner. “Sano? The Kurasano from your team, Rufus?”

“That would be him,” Rufus acknowledged as he tucked his hands into his white coat’s pockets.

Sano raised an eyebrow. “Who’s the pretty lady who knows about me, Rufus?”

“Winter Leon,” the woman said with a smile that showed respect as she extended her hand. “I’m his girlfriend.”

Sano shook her hand with a smile of his own. “Oh, that’s- what?!” He pointed at Rufus. “You’re in a relationship?!”

Rufus smiled in amusement. “There are many things you don’t know about me, Sano.”

Hitomi sidestepped around the befuddled Sano, extending a friendly hand and smile to the woman. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Hitomi Saizen.”

“Oh, yes, you’re this apartment’s owner! You have a very nice place; I can tell you’re organized.”

“She likes that,” Rufus explained. “Efficiency is important.”

“Well thank you,” Hitomi replied with a grateful smile.

“Hey, are we just gonna skip past the crazy?” Sano looked between the three. “How did Rufus get a girlfriend when I don’t have one?” Winter looked amused at the statement, while Hitomi looked interested in it.

Rufus ran a hand over his light blond hair. “Perhaps, Mr. Lionel, it’s because I’m an adult.”

“I can beat you back to childhood if you’d like.”

Hitomi put a hand on Sano’s shoulder. “Um, as funny as your banter is, why don’t we move on? Why are you here, Mr.…?”

“Ivanov,” Rufus smiled, “but Rufus is fine. Captain Samakura requested that I place a sensor in here in case the culprit returns.”

“Oh?” Hitomi looked interested. “What kind of sensor can detect a-“

“Criminal?” Sano laughed loudly as he cut her off, rubbing his head. “Lots of kinds, Hitomi! It’s really boring tech stuff.”

Hitomi looked confused, but Rufus was nodding. “Needless to say, Miss Saizen, we shall catch the man- or men- if he or they return, and they often do return.”

“I’m very sorry for what happened,” Winter offered. “I’ve had experiences with burglars before, I know how it can shatter that feeling of safety a home is meant to provide. Rufus only needed to stop by here, actually…”

“Yes,” Rufus pushed up his shades, “we were only stopping by on our way to the restaurant.”

“Rufus doesn’t get many free days,” Winter explained, “so we were going to take advantage of his boss’ suddenly-gifted day off. Maybe you’d like to join us for lunch?” She looked back at Rufus as she asked, seeing him nod his agreement.

“Oh, that’s very kind of you,” Hitomi said with a smile, looking to Sano. “Wanna go?”

“Sure, why not?” Sano shrugged. “Maybe I can figure out what Winter sees in Blondie.”

Winter smirked. “You’re exactly like he described.”

Sano scratched his head. “Wish I knew if that was a compliment or an insult.”

Hitomi pointed to the bedroom. “Just let me gather up the things I came for and we’ll meet you out front?”