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They say the world goes quiet during a hunt. When the birds know someone's going to die or how the crickets wait for the end. They always talk about how everything gets so loud after it all, when everyone runs for safety.
But hardly anyone talks about how it feels to be the one with teeth, the gun. Or, how it feels to be the target.
To be so unaware of your end until it happens. But no matter the situation, be the prey or predator, it is a simple fact that everyone agrees with... someone will always get hurt.
And right now, at this very moment, his knees feel like shit.
Leo perches at a hotel window, 300 feet above ground, rifle poised. He fixes on a door across the street, his gaze steady. Time crawls by, slow and heavy, as he waits. Since the sun had finished setting and the first neon sign flickered to life, he's been there, waiting. He shifted for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes. The sound of his combat uniform was the only noise in the room. Even then, only a trained ear could have heard it.
"You really gotta loosen up there, Lee."
Leo grumbled. He shot a quick glare behind his shoulder to his partner, a rabbit yokai. The yokai was resting his head on the bag with the rest of Leo's equipment. Yuichi laid there with a smirk on his (dumb) face.
A quiet laugh came from him, "I'm serious. You know your joints will get stuck, like when -."
"Yes, yes, I know! You have got to stop bringing up Hangzhou..." Yes, the stiffness in his knees was becoming a problem. But he couldn't admit that to the smug jerk.
"But back to what I was saying -" 'here we go again' "-karaage has nothing on dragon rolls! The mango, the shrimp, the spicy mayo - mwah! Perfect dish. You know, with you being a turtle, you'd think you'd be a vegetarian."
Leo rolled his eyes fondly with a small grin. Somehow, without fail, food always came up during long waits. Whenever they went to a new city, they always made it a mini mission to try a hole-in-the-wall that locals praised.
During the stakeouts, they'd compare and judge each other's meal choices. He remembers how Yuichi had ordered something he'd claim was very spicy. No matter how many times Leo had pointed out the rabbit's tears and begged him to stop with a laugh, Yuichi had finished the dish. He'd since learned to ask the waiter if any dish was spicy.
The turtle turned back to his rifle, "Well, most turtles are omniver-"
Finally
Choi Byung-Duk was a yokai that resembled a weird mix of an owl and a goat. He finally walked out the doors of the casino with a scantily dressed snake hanging off his arm. He walked with a wide grin on his face. His hair was messy, and he was clearly drunk. It was as if he had won something.
According to what he knew, the man had a nasty gambling habit. Two months prior, he made the mistake of gambling with a chaebol. The yokai had gotten a hefty debt and had been evading all attempts at payment. Instead of saving any pretty penny he could, he'd painted a pretty target on his head with an equally attractive reward, and Leo was here to collect.
Leo positioned the barrel precisely and pulled the trigger with a flick of his claw. His bullet hitting true. A muffled explosion echoed through the silencer. He held his breath before releasing it in satisfaction.
The first scream rang through the air.
With that, he leaned back onto his haunches, his head tilted back, his eyes closed. Leo remained like that as he turned down his hearing aid, basking in his silent surroundings.
The way the dust in the air caught the little light that was there.
The bright neon lights paint streaks on the carpeted floor.
The way his heart and lungs create symphonies within his chest.
But he sadly has to let it all go.
He is sitting in an active crime scene now.
With a shake of his shoulders, Leo pushes himself up and turns the aid back on. His brow crinkles as the high-pitched tones of screaming passersby down below ring out. He turns around and begins to pack up. He folds the rifle and flicks the safety on. Then, he casts a small glance around the empty room.
Shaking his head, Leo quickens his pace, not wanting to remember that he's been alone for months now.
That Yuichi died.
That the only thing keeping him company at the moment is the memories. He took a deep breath to calm down before having to hold his nose for a sneeze. Whoever cleaned this room didn't do it well enough, he could still smell what the earlier tenants had done in here.
Once he had finished packing, he started walking out of the hotel room. He fished out his phone to report to his informant. As he opened the door, he could hear the screech of police cars and the following of an ambulance siren. Luckily, he had already scrambled the cameras along his path to the stairs, leaving him with an easy exit. By the time Leo reached the bottom, his informant had given him a drop point for the reward. Once he reached the alley where his ride was hiding, a news van had already pulled in.
Revving up his bike, he takes off into the streets of Neo Edo and lets his mind slip. Focusing on wind cutting little patterns into his scales.
A dazed look stays in his eyes throughout the twisting streets and to the secluded bus station where a lone bag sits. A glance at the contents and a simple weigh with his hand, he could tell all the money was inside. Strapping the bag onto the bike he speeds off, heading off to one of the many tolls that led to the human world.
Once Leo’s through he's already tuned out the world again, driving until the city around him turns into nothing but trees and soon enough his cabin peeks through.
Though his far-off thoughts realign themselves back to the living when he sees a package on his porch. Being out in the middle of the woods usually means that no one should know if you live there, so his hackles immediately rise, and he heightens the sensitivity of his aid.
Nictitating sliding over gold eyes and fangs bared, Leo carefully makes the trek over pine needles all the while keeping an eye out on his surroundings. Though simply glancing around and a quick whiff the air can tell him that he’s alone.
He still doesn’t relax, just in case.
Once the stairs are in front of him the parcel enters his line is sight completely, he freezes once it fully registers what’s in front of him. The paper package in it itself is simple, brown paper wrapped by twine and the contents inside was clearly fabric like. It’s about as thick as his arm and just as long. However, it was what the bundle was sitting on that held his attention.
Yuichi’s sword.
Slowly, Leo crouches down on the steps as he picks up the sword, placing the package aside. His eyes wide in disbelief, this really was Yui’s sword, he never thought he’d see it again. Tears start to form as memories flash by, days of watching the rabbit yokai take such good care of the sacred blade.
With a choked laugh Leo turns and sits on the stairs, a hand covers his mouth, covering up his shaky breaths. Quiet sobs start shaking his form, thoughts of
Maybes
Couldn’t I’ves
What ifs
Flickering throughout his mind like a dying lightbulb as he bows his head, resting his head on the flat of the blade. He doesn’t move, sitting there quietly, despair pining him down for hours. He only looks up when the first note of birdsong rings out, lifting his head to watch the deep purple sky lighten, still scattered with specks of stars and the pale moon remaining resilient at the dawn.
Raising his head to the sky above, Leo closes his eyes and takes a breath of the August air, trying to stabilize himself before he moves on to the next item on his list of things to hopefully not cry at. He stares at the package sitting innocently by him, knowing that whatever was inside would be important considering what it had been sitting on.
Giving into his curiosity with a sigh, he leans the sword beside him carefully and picks up the bundle in question. Now in his hands he can tell that whatever was inside wasn’t heavy nor particularly light, the paper crumpled then flattened when wrapping and the knot obviously rushed. Cautiously, Leo pulls the twine apart with a simple tug of his claw and unfolds the paper.
Inside was a set of folded black fabric, a shinobi his mind supplied, he definitely recalls Yuichi giving him a lecture about them. Tucked inside the collar was a note and what he thinks is a necklace. Picking up the note first, Leo immediately recognizes Yuichi’s chicken scratch that the rabbit called hand writing.
“Something big is happening
I need your help
This should help you find me
Hurry”
The many questions running laps in his head made his brow furrow at the note, he flipped the card to check the back and found nothing. Leo turned his focus back out to the forest to try and reel everything back in, apparently, he didn’t have time for a mental breakdown.
Once his breathing and heart were back to normal, he returned his attention to the guilty item in his lap. The brown cord was the only sign that there was more, pulling it free of its hiding spot, Leo held a familiar insignia on the brass pendant attached in his palm.
And with a groan of utter despair, he flopped backwards.
Covering his face to muffle his scream of indignation. Finished with his tiny tantrum, he picks everything up and moves his way inside all the while hissing and growling in annoyance. Dropping the offending items on the small dining table before settling down on the couch, thinking on what he should do.
If he were to take up on this ghost rabbit’s request, he’d have to leave his home for the past 11 years. From the living room with its beat-up fireplace, coffee table that’s been propped up by a book, and worn couch with the softest blankets. To an adjoining kitchen where he’s broken a number of plates and ate with his Pai. Then the last two bedrooms in the cabin, his and Pai…
While considered small by some, this is his home; he couldn’t just leave.
Leo’s broken from his thoughts by a wet tongue dragging against his cheek, he startles with a small jump that he would never admit to. Looking at the guilty culprit, the Airedale terrier stands innocently with a tilt to his head before jumping onto his lap. Leo laughs and pets the dog for a few minutes.
“What do you think Caesar, huh, should I go?”
Boof.
Sigh.
He turns around on the couch, looking back at the offending pendant about to change his life. Leo stares for a long moment before getting up with a loud groan and heading to his room to pack a bag. He tosses a gray rucksack and backpack onto his bed and goes through his closet, pulling out black combat uniforms given to him by Abilio and folding them into the bag.
He moves to the dresser, digging around trying to find the proper documents needed to board the Nexus Speed-Train with weapons in hand. Caesar follows a minute, jumping onto the bed to watch Leo upheave his things into the bags.
Once Leo deems that everything needed was packed, he throws both around his shoulders and walks out the door, Caesar padding behind him. He stops by the dining table and pauses, should he take the package?
Leo rolls his eyes hard with a groan as he stuffs it inside, ‘This better be worth it.’
He stops at his bike, dropping his bags next to it before walking to the shed to move the modified sidecar and attach it to his motorcycle. Caesar sits patiently, watching the turtle before hopping in the car. Leo clips a leash on the dog and places his rucksack at the bottom of the sidecar.
He then stops and looks out at his cabin, ingraining the image in his mind. Leo knows without a doubt that he wouldn’t be able to see his home for a long time. So, with that in mind he walks up to the door and locks it, pulling out a chunk of chalk and drawing a protection charm on the porch. Then on the door he drew a notice-me-not spell, just so no one could see the cabin.
‘Just in case’ he thinks.
Leo turns and walks to the motorcycle, picking up his helmet and one last glance at his surroundings. He kick-starts the engine and drives off, tall pine speeding past turns into rolling hills, a scent of on-coming rain in the air. He slows down enough to pull the cover over the sidecar before driving on.
The first taps of rain against his visor bring a sense of calm, though he hunches in on himself at the chill creeping under his clothes. He shakes himself slightly when he spots the first of dozens of skyscrapers, soft rain drops turning into a harsh downpour once he got onto the first numbered street.
Leo continues until he spots the entrance for the Neo Edo hidden city, riding in and making his way to the Nexus Train station. He pulls out the required documents and passes them to the security guard in red, with a wave of his hand, Leo drives to the train car that holds vehicles with the tickets in hand.
Once parked, he places the special lock given to him on the bike and a purple bubble covers it. With a nod of his head, he takes a hold of Caesar’s leash. “Come on boy,” he moves them to the car the tickets specified, they walk in on a bird yokai dressed in a business suit snoring. Leo shoves his bags on the shelves above while his dog sits on the bench after a quick sniff of the business-yokai.
They settle down for the long ride, Leo resting his head on the top of the backrest and Caesar laying down on his lap. Soon enough, the two of them fall asleep.
When the train pulls out and speeds off for the next five hours, no one sees the bright blue glow come from Leo’s backpack, the necklace returning to normal a few moments later.
The sun rises for those in Japan, and it falls for the inhabitants of New York, and somehow, he knows that everything will change.
Boo.