Haruto stuck to Genzi's back like a bug. He couldn't afford to lose the blonde no matter how much resentment he held towards him right now.
'Damnation'
He could see smoke intrude the air until it looked like a fog in places the blonde passed. People took powdery stuff into their noses. What's more? they smoked strange objects into their lungs in insane quantities.
'Aren't they literally frying their lungs?!'
Back on homeworld, only the King and his advisors were allowed the privilege of smoking, even so in very small quantities and special types of whatever they smoked that would cause little to no harm. Haruto sighed and looked forward to follow…
Haruto's face twitched.
'Goddamnit!! He's gone!'
His heart beat quickened almost instantly. If among the normal — at least that was the most normal here in the dregs — crowd, he could be grabbed by some lunatic. What's to say what would happen to him if he lingered here?.
'Damn it! Damn it!'
He looked around impatiently, he couldn't find any trace of the blonde. He seemed to have disappeared into the smoke!!.
'Curses! Wasn't it just now?'
He looked around. Instantly, his heart skipped a beat. He thought he saw a figure, it was advancing towards him.
'What the hell?!'
However, almost immediately, an impatient voice rang through the thick fog of smoke.
"Aren't you going to walk fast already?! I've got better things to do more than you think"
The blonde!.
Haruto quickly traced the voice and followed hastily, his nerves calming down a little.
***
After a while, Genzi finally led Haruto to a door which he suspected to be the back exit of the casino. On exit, what met the both of them was a silent road littered with a few lamps that illuminated it slightly.
Just across the road, there were a few buildings. Large and small.
Genzi let out a sigh.
"There you have it,"
"Congratulations on exiting the dregs"
'Huh? We're out of it?'
Genzi paused for a moment before he pointed accross the road. Haruto traced the blonde's finger, his eyes landed on a rather inconspicuous building. It looked really old and out of places here we're there was not a single storey building but magnificent bungalows. The building the blonde was pointing to was the only storey building here. It was just one though.
"That's the Tokyo Secret Combat Force"
Genzi quickly turned around, his work was done as it seemed. He hesitated a little.
"My regards to the Captain"
With a dry smile, he disappeared into the casino as if he was never there.
'The captain? Did he mean Mr Kentaro?'
Haruto quickly broke his line of thoughts, right now, there was no time for that. Haruto was now left alone on the lonely road.
'Crap! What's with the looming darkness?!'
He could already see the darkness — more like shadows — in places where the street lamps could not reach, form strange shapes.
He quickly started to walk towards the building, the longer he waited, the more fear gripped him. He wasn't afraid of the dark. Rather, he was afraid of what might be in the dark. The feeling of being watched alone was enough to fuel his fear. Combined with what the red head man had said before he left that day…
In a flash, he had already crossed the road and was approaching the only visible door etched into the building. All other openings were windows hanging higher above the walls of the building. Haruto could count about 6 in a row just by glancing at it.
He hastily reached out for the wooden door. It was small, not small enough not to contain him and leave a little centimeters above his head. His soft knock resounded. It managed to overshadow the sound of his fast-beating heart.
While waiting for an answer, he impatiently stole impatient glances behind him at close intervals. He was weary, really weary.
'Something is not right, something is wrong somewhere!!!'
'Curses'
Seeing his knock had not been attended to even after an eternity— so Haruto thought—, he knocked again. This time, with more vigour and impatience. After a few silent seconds and curses, he heard footsteps.
'Oh thank gods!' Haruto cried in his heart.
But, his celebration was short lived, he felt something just now. He hastily gasped and turned back. Something was coming. It was headed directly for him. Haruto's eyes widened instantly, his heart, sinking into his stomach.
'Open the damn door!!!'
Each passing second felt like an eternity, he could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer and faster. But whatever was coming for him was also rapidly approaching. Haruto felt goosebumps form all over his skin. His skin crawled and his spine stiffened. He could feel it. It was so…so…close. His heart beat paced up, beating at an insane speed. Then suddenly…
'Damnation!!!!'
The door opened and the feeling disappeared without a trace. Haruto gasped for air desperately. His knees had lost strength and he was struggling to stand. He reeked of sweat—not that he was already reeking of course —.
Momentarily at loss for words, the young lady that opened the door stared at him strangely before he finally heard her voice:
"Who are you?"
The moment he heard it, he was dumbstruck. He couldn't have made a mistake right? The voice he heard just now, wasn't it the sweet voice of a child? He couldn't have a made a mistake, right?!.
He quickly looked up. His eyes met that of a little girl's. She had yellow hair, tied into two ponytails on opposite sides her head. At least, she was half Haruto's height. Wearing just what Kentaro and Nagisa had worn that day. The army colour jacket on a white inner as well as an army colour trousers with a pink shoe to match. Her pink shoe was especially giving. He liked her sense of fashion. But…
'What the hell was a child doing here? Even so as to wearing their uniform?'
Haruto quickly composed himself. By now, his system was already settled a little, though his heart was still pounding. That wasn't to say that he wasn't afraid, he was still in the damn darkness after all!!!. With a hoarse voice, he spoke:
"I'm Gensei Haruto, I was directed here by Sato Kentaro"
The cute girl hesitated for a moment before she nodded and gestured for him to come in.
"Captain did inform me about you…" she paused, turning around to lock the door before turning to him.
"According to him, you were supposed to come in yesterday"
Haruto scratched the back of his neck and let out a sigh.
"Yeah well, I encountered some challenges" he simply said.
The young girl nodded slightly,
"I see, take the stairs, last room on your right" said the girl and went about her own duties — not that there was any, she just sat down behind the counter in the spacious room and started to scribble on an old notebook.
'Just like that?'
Haruto sighed and looked around. The place he was currently was built like a reception — or it was. In front of the counter behind which the young girl sat just to the right immediately you entered, there were two long sofas inclined at 90 degrees to each other and not exactly touching.
Right in front of this while spacious reception was the inclined staircase he was supposed to take. It led to a wall, In front of which was another staircase that was inclined even higher. It towered just above one if one got close enough, and it was supported by a rather sturdy pillar.
But, strangely there was no advanced technology in here, everything was natural. Even the source of light for the reception was four fire lamps fastened at four points across the wall, making the reception appear rather dim.
With a grim sigh, Haruto reached for the stairs.
'At least, I'm safe…for now'
***
Outside the building, silence loomed. The darkness was unmoving, until it did seem to flicker slightly. Two burning ruby eyes just a distance away slowly dimmed out of existence.