Chapter 6: Save my life. Part III.

Witold took a sip from his cup of coffee looking at the city from over his balcony. Routine going around him on the streets and the sky oblivious to the battles recently fought or the inminent danger that the Kobayashi gang was about to face. The city welcomed Witold into a new morning, and his troubled mind.

He smiled as he felt the wind surround him and closed his eyes.

-"You control the wind...no Nessa? (he asked to no one) the wind is calling...but who answers it?" he said to himself as he drank another sip from his cup of coffee.

He smiled as he saw the sakura leaves dance with the wind suddenly, and went inside his room to pickup his jacket from a nearby chair. He looked back toward the balcony, seeing the sakura leaves play still in the wind,then he left the room.


Nessa stirred slightly and opened her eyes to see the beautiful blue Neo Tokyo sky, she smiled slightly and stretched her arms. She noticed she had as a cover a jacket that wasn't hers, she quickly looked around her to find Aleksandr lying down beside her, still sleeping near Charles Daniel's grave.

She smiled as she saw Aleksandr fast asleep still even with the sun blaring upon them. She sat up on the floor, her back to the tombstone. She closed her eyes and smiled.

-"You can come out now Charlie..." and beside her sat Charles Daniel.

-"Good morning Nessa dear..." he said softly.

-"Morning..." she said nonchalantly.

-"My apologies for leaving yesterday so...unexpected.." he said shyly.

-"No need to apologize Charlie..."

-"I still can't tell you what I know...although my guess is that the seer will fill you in due time..."

-"The seer can tell me things, but the dead travel the obscure, the dead allow me to see intention and behavior more clearly..." she said moving a strand of hair from Aleksandr's face.

-"That young man right there...knows more than meets the eye, remember that..." said Charles Daniel smiling, getting up from the floor and walking away waving a 'goodbye'. Nessa waved back with a smile.


Kenji Kobayashi looked at the city from his office, savouring the traits that it showed, sipping a bit of tea as he did so. A knock on his door brought him back from his reverie looking toward it seeing Richard bowing slightly, walking into his office.

-"Yes Richard (he said with a smile) how are you my boy?" he said greeting Richard shaking his hand.

-"Alright sir...considering the situation..." Richard said sitting down in a nearby chair.

-"Yes...have you got new intel on who might be behind all this?"

-"Not clear sir, many factions can be behind this but none of them has claimed responsability. We are still looking and for the time being I have instructed the team to be on guard at all times. Specially after Yevgeni's readings we saw the other day sir..."

Kobayashi turned back to the view of the city, sighing, he took another sip of his tea.

-"This are hard times my friend, humanity has proven to have enormous capacity for building and union, but also to destroy and divide. Even as everything seems peaceful and nonchalant at the moment. Deep down human beings have a battle to either join good or evil and exploit them within themselves. Exploit the hate among others as well and attack without having a mindless clue as to why..."

-"My goal is to avoid another war for the team...it would be devastating for them..."

-"Alas we are not subject only to wars among people that use the craft as weapons, but as to people without it...humanity sometimes is so dense...(he then turned back toward Richard) my petition to you is to keep them safe...and keep them together...many trials await them and without each other they won't survive"

Richard nodded and bowed.


Aleksandr and Nessa walked the streets of Juuban, holding a cup of coffee in hand, talking about general issues regarding their lives.

-"I missed this (Aleksandr said taking a sip from his coffee) Neo Tokyo mornings are magnificent, the sakura leaves dancing in the air, the clear skies...the busy people on the streets, hey even the traffic seems like an orquestrated incident..."

-"You went away for too long" she said with a smile.

-"True that...next time I'm telling Richard to get me at least one of you guys to accompany me..."

-"Oh really...who would that be?"

-"Hmmm...someone that likes to enjoy a good cup of coffee and exploring cities and new places..." he said looking at her with a playful smile. She laughed heartily.

He laughed along for bit,then he suddenly turned into a serious tone of voice.

-"I heard Witold came back..." he said almost in a whisper, as if being afraid of her reaction.

-"Yes...(she looked at him with a shy smile) he did..."

-"And...(he looked at her shyly) how are things with him?" She looked at him puzzled.

-"What 'things'? You don't know Witold?"

-"I was kinda guessing he would get his mind together to at least ask you out on a date..." she laughed a little.

-"We are not dating if that is what you are asking...when he left he kinda closed the door on that one, if he wants to have a relationship he shows no signs of it..." Aleksandr looked up at the sky and smiled a little.

-"Do you want to...have a relationship with him...after all this time?" he asked shyly, she looked at him with a smile and mockingly lifting an eyebrow.

-"Mighty curious aren't we?" she said with a smile.

-"Just asking a normal question..." he said looking away whistling slightly.

Nessa felt the air heavy around her. She stopped walking suddenly and looked around, Aleksandr followed her motion, looking at her puzzled.

-"Nessa..?"

-"Go...(she said in a whisper) go run Alek..."

-"I'm not leaving you here..." he said taking her hand.

-"Go!..." she said the cup of coffee falling from her other hand as she tumbled a bit. Aleksandr held her not knowing what was going on.

-"Nessa!!" he said as she started mumbling something, Aleksandr looked around them, everything seems to stop around them, he was feeling more and more puzzled. Nessa mumbled what appeared to be a spell and the wind started to play around them both.

Aleksandr held her closer as he felt the wind's strength around him.

-"You are not getting me out of here....I'm staying with you damn it!" he said to her as he held her closer.

The wind roared around them, and suddenly they were gone...

Chapter 6: Save my life. Part II.

It was mid afternoon in Shibuya, a man walked the streets with a smile in his face, his brown hair playing in the wind, he closed his eyes to feel the fresh Neo Tokyo air as he listened to his music through his headphones, full blast with some Sonata Arctica on his ipod. He strolled through town marveling at how it looks and feels. He got into a cab onto Juubangai, where his home lay, and where his mates are. He smiled as the cab drove him around the city, he had been gone for a while, and he was happy to be back.

The taxi left him on his apartment building in Juubangai, he looked at the surroundings of his building with a smile and proceeded to go inside. He said 'hello' to the doorman and to the recepcionist as he walked the carpeted floor toward the elevator. He rode it humming a song, whistling slightly.

Inside his apartment he threw the keys onto the nearby table, still whistling, he went toward the phone to check his messages.

-"Hi honey, it's mom...just saying hi, call when you can sweetie" a woman said in Russian. Next message, he smiled.

-"Hey Aleksandr!! I know you come back this week to Tokyo, please call me to go partyyyyy, Yevgeni needs to go down partyyyy, he has been uptight! we miss ya man!!!!" said Joe Armand in a slurry drunk voice and he heard Yevgeni scolding Joe for saying he was uptight, Aleksandr laughed at the message and kept listening for more.

Aleksandr Maldievich, 'the seer', had come back to Neo Tokyo after working in legal procedures around the globe for Kobayashi, he had been gone for almost a year, missing what has been going on at least on physical.

He threw his bag into his room and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. He kept listening to the messages on his phone as he worked around in his kitchen, there was one message that made him stop in his tracks.

-"As you may know, things are good I guess, the usual craziness and weirdness, I don't call you on your mobile 'cause what you need to know right now is a home matter and we would deal with it when you come back...when you get this please gimme a call mate but something tells me you already know what I have to tell you...cheers mate." Said Richard calmly in his English accent, you could tell he was smoking as he spoke.

Aleksandr turned toward the phone, he almost dropped his cup of coffee in surprise. He has been dreaming about the attacks and other dreadful things for weeks, but never thought they would occur. His head filled with worry for his friends, he grabbed his mobile inmediately and dialed for Richard in a hurry.



Night came in Neo Tokyo with its clear sky, Nessa walked through Juuban toward Hikawa Cemetery. It was thursday night, and as each thursday, Nessa went to the cemetery. She opened the huge doors and went inside, she greeted the dead that laid on the ground, some even may think that they greeted her back, for Nessa sees and hears the dead.

She walked slowly, as if always pondering something, her black skirt playing in the wind a little and hair playing along, the night greeted her in such an unusual place for a girl her age, some might think or ponder, but no, Nessa was no stranger in that land. Nessa finally got where she wanted to go, Charles Daniel's resting place.

She smiled and kneeled to dust off some fallen leaves from the tombstone with a spell controlling a gust of wind, she sang as she did so, as she usually did. She then sat down leaning toward it.

-"You can come out now..." She said with a smile.

-"Hello Nessa dear..." Said Charles sitting beside her, smiling a little.

-"I need to ask the dead a question..." she said calmly, looking at the stars as she spoke.

-"Tell me.." He smiled at her.

-"Yevgeni did a star reading, not a precise one, but enough for me to guess...I want to know something..."

-"Yevgeni? his powers are increasing...such as yours...I'm glad" Charles said with an air of nostalgia, she nodded and smiled slightly.

-"Do you know what i am going to ask you?" Charles nodded.

-"The dead can't answer that...not yet Nessa..." Charles said firmly.

-"Charles...I need to know...I don't want the surprise..." she pushed him to answer her with her thoughts with a hint of frustration and fatigue.

-"I can't!...what is it? what did he see?!" he said desperately.

"-We die! death comes for us and we can't stop it Charles!...like I couldn't stop yours..." she said almost in tears, tired and frustrated, the last phrase in a whisper.

-"I wouldn't have let you..." Charles said in a whisper and suddenly disappeared, leaving Nessa beside the tombstone, tears falling from her face, but refusing to make a sound, refusing to really cry. The wind blew around her, making a howling sound, she knew she was alone, except for the company of the other dead souls, but felt utterly alone without consolation at that moment.

She whispered suddenly...

-"I can't hear you....not right now..." the wind howled louder, she shook her head 'no', but she looked up from the ground and she saw the figure of a man, she blinked a few times to try and see who it was. She got up from the ground, the wind played around her, soundless, she gasped as she finally distinguished who it was and started her walk toward the man.

The man started to walk toward her as well, she suddenly started running toward him and when she got to him she embraced him tightly, she called his name in his embrace and he held her tightly, her tears fled down her face, but she never made a sound for them.

-"You see me die..." she whispered as her tears stained his shirt.

-"Nothing is absolute, remember that" Aleksandr replied firmly but soothing, he held her as he felt her inner strength fading, he felt her emotional turmoil, her doubts, her fears, all into one hurting him a little, but still he held onto her trying to absorb it all, relieve her of some of it at least. Aleksandr Maldievich had come to her aid.

-"Whatever I have seen and heard, it can all be changed...we have the upper hand now, don't you dare not hope on me, we are all here now, the team is complete...we can beat this!" he said trying to calm her with his words. She did not make a sound, but her tears flowed still.

The wind played around them both, making a soft howling sound. He stayed with her in the cemetery, he joined her in her dealings with the dead that night, always watching, always holding her hand when she needed strength to ask the dead about the questions in her head. He stayed and watched it all and how her energy was drained as she spoke with each dead soul.

Charles Daniel didn't go back to his grave that night, and Nessa never knew where he went, but she waited for him as well.

Chapter 6: Save my life. Part I.

Morning broke in the city, the birds started to make their usual rounds in the neighborhoods, it all seemed quiet and peaceful.

Nessa awoke suddenly in her bedroom, looked around to see no one beside her nor around in the room, the last thing she remembered was being in the park with both Charles Daniel's spirit and Witold, after that is some sort of blur.

-"Was it a dream then?" she asked softly.

She got up and grabbed her robe that sat in the nearby chair and went out of the room having a feeling that someone she knew was nearby as if feeling the presence or that person very close to her.

The apartment seemed quiet, she walked toward Alex's room and peeked inside, he laid asleep on his bed, all covers thrown on the floor. She smiled in amusement and went inside the room picking them up and put them on the bed again, covering the young boy. She got out of the room and walked toward the kitchen.

She heard the sound of the wind coming from the window, she closed her eyes feeling the wind surround her...she felt a presence, harmless toward her, but she felt weary of it. Then she heard the doorbell, which took her out of her reverie.

-"In a minute!" she yelled toward the door, as she quickly went to her room to change into something more visit worthy.

She opened the door to find Yevgeny at her doorstep, he said hello and she told him to go inside the apartment.

-"I need to ask you something...that and I came to check on you.." He said with a small smile. She smiled and greeted him and motioned him to sit on the living room couch.

-"What is troubling you my friend?"

-"I did a star reading last night...I saw some things...but...you know you are the one that can confirm what i saw..."

-"Ok, not a problem...show me..." Yevgeni closed his eyes, concentrating in the images he saw last night, trying to tell her, to show her in her mind what he had seen.

Nessa saw in her head pictures and scenes, the night as star of that wicked movie Yevgeni was showing her, she saw Witold fighting and getting hurt badly, she saw Joe and Alex in the verge of tears. Richard running away with Yevgeni at his side. She saw herself dead on the ground, a man at her side crying and holding her. She saw many more things, things that made tears fall from her face, that made her feel great pain in her chest.

Her breath was ragged, she was losing air, she felt as if being drowned. She tried to yell or cry for help but couldn't, the magnitude of the images and feelings were too great. She only managed to grab Yevegeni's hand tighter, hurting it with her nails. Yevgeni opened his eyes suddenly breaking his trance and gasped.

-"Nessa?! Nessa!..." He said grabbing her shoulders, but she didn't seem to stop crying, her pain was too great in her heart, her mind telling her things, many voices, many screams, tears. Suddenly she colapsed on the couch. Alex yelled from his doorway and ran to her side, Yevgeni held her, trying to make her come to.

-"What happened?!!?!?!" Alex yelled.

-"She was watching my star reading...but..I think she saw more than I did!" Yevgeni replied.

-"Call someone...call Witold...anybody!!" he said grabbing Nessa's hand, he began to chant something. Yevgeny dialed his phone inmediately, suddenly, her hand moved. They both stopped what they were doing in an instant, Nessa groaned and opened her eyes slowly. She muttered something the boys not understanding at first.

-"Help me get up" she whispered, Alex helped her sit on the couch, Yevgeni checked her pulse on her wrist and sighed in relief.

-"What the hell happened?!?!?!" Alex said to her frantic.

-"I guess I wasn't as recuperated as I thought I was..." She said smiling slightly.

-"You scared me mama..." Alex said hugging her tight almost in tears, she hugged him back with equal force, Yevgeni joined them, apologizing to her.

-"No need Yev...I thought I could handle it...I guess i'm getting old" she said laughing slightly.

-"You have been fighting so much lately...I should have waited but I thought I..." Yevgeni said in a whisper. Nessa shook her head.

-"Nothing I can't handle, I'm just still a bit weak...it happens..." she said calmly. In her mind, millions of thoughts came to be, questions that needed answers, worries about her friends and herself, for the first time in a long time...Nessa felt afraid.