2010-10-27 - Chi Soffre, Speri

There was a taste of the approaching winter, a definate icy bite to the night air felt with each inhaled breath. It didn't help that several floors up, the wind was wilder as it gusted on occasion across the rooftops of the somewhat slumbering city of Tokyo. The random clang of metal on metal, a protesting whine of a joint tightning hinted that someone was forgoing the warm confines of a well padded bed on the apartment building roof. It lay darkened with pools of shadows thrown where the scant light failed to flood, including one area where a contruct was being erected with only a small portable lamp to offer the worker any way to see.

It was just as well, the minature signal-magnification capture tower was likely illegal as who had time to get permits. The number of laws and bylaws ignored, not to mention the fact that the equipment wasn't something a 'civillian' was supposed to have access too, let alone some kid, was just icing on the criminal cake. Sousuke Sagara, Mithril special agent and so far passing university student was busy trying to regain contact with his comrades.

He worked steadily and efficiently, all of his worries wiped clean from a stoic face, though it all lay there beneath in a tangled bundle, heavy on his mind. He was following his last orders, keeping Kaname safe where confusion was threatning to unfurl. But he needed to know more. Call it instinct, sixthed sense, experience-- but he couldn't remain still. With communications down and undependable due to the suns flare wreaking havock, the world could be ending and he'd never know before it was too late. It may already be too late-- and that is why he hurried.

He kept Kaname calm with his usual confident reassurances, never could he let any of his deeper worries surface, for her sake. She was a civillian still in his eyes, and though hardier than most...The sounds stilled for a brief lapse, as the teen's thoughts drifted to her below, sleeping in her apartment.

"That won't work, you know."

The voice comes from behind Sousuke. It is calm, polite -- yet it has just the faintest tinge of amusement on the fringes, as if taking some sort of a personal, light-hearted entertainment in Sousuke Sagara's plight. Yet, that isn't quite what makes the voice so odd.

What is odd is how abrupt it is.

And how it seems to come from directly behind Sousuke, a trained Mithril agent and dog of war, without any hint of having even been there beforehand. Like a specter. Like a ghost. Like--

Should Sousuke turn around, what he finds may very well be perceived as a ghost at first. A young man, wearing a three-piece, black suit, a long black duster, his clothes as impeccable as his youthful features. Yet it's those features that are most striking: long, silver hair. Gunmetal gray eyes. Almost feminine features. If not for height differences, the young man could pass as the spitting image of--

"No matter how you try to devise that magnification tower, it won't be able to break through interference this powerful. Solar flares this strong come about once a few centuries -- sometimes even millenia. And yet, with all our advancements, human beings still shouldn't have found a way to properly predict them yet." 'Should not.' Most people would say 'do not.' The youth smiles; at either side of him are two large figures, their bodies completely covered in thick jackets hooded over to conceal their faces, likely because of the weather.

"It's a commendable effort, though," says Leonard Testarossa, in a tone that suggests - through that wall of politeness - that he actually finds Sousuke's efforts laughable.

"But I wouldn't worry about your comrades for now." The words can't help but be ominous, even as Leonard smiles so pleasantly.

"Let's have a talk, Sergeant Sousuke Sagara."

Not unlike a coiled snake, Sousuke's immeadiate reaction to the voice is one of defense-- with a possible offense. The youth hunched over some particular bit of machinery spun, half rising in a ready crouch to spring aside from an attack or tackle himself the owner of the voice. The clatter of a dropped steel wrench was timed with the click of a readied gun, the dark gleam of his trusty glock catching the light of the lamp as its muzzle was trained on the source of the disturbance. That source being the fair of feature and hair'd man.

This was no ordinary civilian, he'd have picked up on his nolonger being alone on the roof, (not that he wasn't averse to pointing guns at hapless civilians anyways he thought may be threatning)and there was something else about this man before he even spoke further.

Standing before Leonard, Sousuke was immobile, firm and resolute in his stance. Aged by years of combat and knowing very little but the cold cruelty of war, even out of his armslave the dark haired teenager was not to be taken lightly. Grey-brown eyes made minute adjustments to note his companions in jackets, and then they were firmly fixed on the speaker. He already had memorised the layout of the entire block including the roof-tops, much less this one. Plans already ticking away incase...

And then he spoke on.

None of it was very heartning either, and served to only heighten his concern...down to the rank bestowed before his name. This was someone who knew him, who knew Mithril, and knew...about 'their' world. And thus, dangerous.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours." Sousuke didn't expect one. "Who are you, and why should I listen?" Instead of oh, just shooting or escaping. It didn't take long to think about Kaname sleeping below, and the raucus trying to defend himself could bring. The last thing he wanted was to have her involved in something dangerous...He kept the gun on Leonard.

The gun is almost instantly drawn upon Leonard. He knows, without even looking, it is aimed at a critical point on his body. At his heart, or his head - either would work. The chest is an easier target but the brain is a sure kill, and Sousuke likely has the skill to get such a shot in before most men could even blink.

And yet, Leonard does not even bother looking at that gun as it is fixed on him. He just smiles a placating smile, like an adult humoring a child, and focuses his steel gaze squarely on Sousuke's own. As if the gun was not a threat to him -- no, not that.

As if Leonard just did not consider Sousuke shooting him a possibility. Or rather...

... as if Leonard did not consider Sousuke himself a threat.

The two figures beside Leonard begin to lurch forward the second the gun is drawn, but the older Testarossa raises a gloved hand. Both retract, and then seem to go completely immobile -- as if the obvious bruisers were little more than statues decorating the comparatively dainty young man between them.

"You have roughly two dozen security systems and booby traps in place both inside this building and around the perimeter," Leonard speaks easily. "Some of them are cameras built to connect directly to the internet and the computer systems back in your own apartment, some of them are as mundane as trip wires. You have an expansive taste. Were you trained in making traps? They're all... very quaint. They weren't a lot of trouble to disable, but I could tell you put a lot of effort into installing and hiding them, sergeant."

And that vaguely condescending tangent is Leonard's answer to 'why should Sousuke listen.'

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to condescend to you," he says with the faintest of polite smiles, in a way that suggests he is lying completely. While still calm, Leonard's voice has a new edge to it today it rarely has: the faint, almost indistinguishable edge of contempt.

"I have an alias I'm supposed to tell you instead of my actual name, but I've always felt anonymity should only be used by people who have something they need to hide. Besides, your knowing my name is a rather moot threat at this point." Again, with those cryptic, ominous comments. He closes his eyes -- /closes his eyes/, with that gun trained on him, and smiles.

"My name is Leonard Testarossa.

"And I'm here to take Miss Chidori away from you."

Lesser men could break under the mental strain such a predicament could bring, but in an adrenaline-explosive fueled fast paced world Sousuke had been bred in, he took it in stride. Which is why when the threat of hesitation hinged on a fractured edge within, one of Mithril's best knew that this stand off was different from countless others he had faired against. And that was a lot. Leonard would be flattered if he knew the kind of turmoil that was barely fettered within, if he would deign to even consider that he deserved less. Which obviously he didn't.

Insulting Sousuke's intelligence with the condescending flare wasn't what pushed his buttons-- there would always be those smarter than him. Possibly, even more skilled if what he heard was true about the disarming of his plethora of traps.

There were two revelations on the other hand that would force him to make a swift decisive action, ignoring the barbs his pride.

Leonard's name, and his assured promise.

There was no denying what it was that had bothered him about the man's mere appearance-- it was there for all to see...easy once the link was made clear. The captain, this man...related.

The rammifications were numerous, was he here on some mission related to Mithril even he didn't know about? It wouldn't suprise him, there was a lot he wasn't privy too. But it didn't add up, his instincts were in an uproar, and then there was the part: 'Im here to take Miss Chidori away from you'. His mouth twitched. It was all the warning Leonard would have.

The staccatto serial shots from the glock echoed sharply as he threw himself to the side heavily-- bullets aimed at the left body-guard's head for a direct kill. His free hand had already procured from within his jacket a hand-grenade, grabbing the pin with his teeth and lobbing it in one smooth motion towards the other guard. Sousuke'd had his chance to try to kill Leonard first...but chose his guards.

He wanted Leonard alive to question after, and was counting on speed and force to try and subdue them quickly.

Or so was the plan. Sousuke was never one for lengthy chats. The situation'd been assessed, there was only one course of action. Protect Kaname.

...Orders you know.

"You really have only two options at this point. You can get out of the way now, and allow me to take Miss Chidori to a place that will be able to protect her better than you ever could, or--"

Leonard doesn't even so much as wince as Sousuke squeezes the trigger. No, more strangely -- he doesn't even try to /move./ It proves a moot point in either case; two bullets are fired, not at Leonard, but at the left guard. It may be difficult for Sousuke to notice the metal PANGS of impact each bullet makes as the guard's head is knocked back, lurching several heavy steps as the young man leaps to the side. Leonard looks down, sees the grenade --

--and /that/ is when he moves, darting just behind the staggering giant just as the other is introduced to the explosive force of a hand-held anti-personnel weapon detonating. The shrapnel flies, all of it impacting the heavy, clothed body of the shot guard. It's as if Leonard were using it as a human shield. The flash of flames engulfs the other, the force is enough to make the entire roof shudder.

Two down. It must be two dow--

"Going straight for kill shots? ... I suppose that should be expected from you. But I'm surprised; I was actually expecting you to shoot me first. Not that your plan wasn't sound in theory, but..."

From the flames, the ash and smoke, something fires. Sousuke might not even register it before a heavy artillery round EXPLODES the wall next to him in a deafening boom and raucous burst of stone.

And then it should start to register:

The guard he shot so clearly in the skull is still standing. Its hood has been knocked back, revealing a faceless metal mask... with several vague inward dents precisely where Sousuke fired his shots.

This is accompanied by the unnaturally heavy sound of footsteps to the right; from the dissipating flames, a single, large form steps out. Its clothes still burning away, the guard's metallic frame glistens dimly in light, its own faceless mask slowly lifting... to reveal a second, AS-like face beneath, a single red sensor glowing ominously in the light.

"... by the way," Leonard says as the Alastor points the barrel of its arm cannon towards Sousuke again. "Do you know what is happening to Mithril right now?"

Another artillery round is fired - this time for Sousuke himself.

If anyone had read up on Sousuke's dossier, they'd realise quickly that the Seargent was a tenacious little bastard once he'd sunken his teeth into a mission. No doubt this was part of Leonards farce at attempting to be magnanimous, or maybe he didn't realise just how quickly Sousuke'd decide to get down to business. It was risky to start forking out explosives with impunity, Kaname had developed a fine ear for picking out when he'd get himself into bruhaha's-- and having her come strolling onto the roof in the middle of it was hardly a fine way to protect her. He may aswell have stepped aside from the onset at that rate. Speaking of which, there were suprises to go around.

Were his guards any other person, armoured or not...They'd be suffering from the attacks he'd launched, and there was no reason for him to expect otherwise. Every precious second they stumbled to recover, if not outright killed, would be enough for him to finish the job-- and as he rolled back onto his feet with the ease of a preditorial cat he withdrew a wickedly notched but perfectly balanced combat blade. An armoured person always had open areas, if they planned to be mobile.

He heard Leonard speaking, it helped to zero in on his location through the tapering smoke. Tensing, Sousuke was ready to dart towards the man who may well be his superior's flesh and blood with pure intent to disable when he saw the barest flash of movement from the reminants of the grenade. Thrown clear off of his feet, his ears rang with the sound even as chunks of stone and reinforced metal peppered the area about him. It may well be he was stunned more by the force of retaliation than being knocked to the ground. The taste of the heavy smoke was acrid upon a tongue, and he shook his head violently to clear it, looking up again. And then he saw it. He saw /them/.

Shock. Finally an emotion different from his steely determination, it was fleeting in its recognition of an enemy he had little knowledge of, and failed to recognise. The heavy footsteps weren't armour, it was...

Sousuke /moved/.

Hauling himself up, the AS Specialist barely had time to get out of the way from a direct hit, the building shaking with the blast as car sirens triggered below. His precious statelite, partially build took some of the hit, and melted-fragmented into pieces that cut cleanly through the air. He tripped, almost thrown completly again before he regained his footing-- and instead of sticking around, he fled like a coward would.

Who wouldn't when faced with those odds? But Leonard should expect better from Sousuke. Right? Or maybe he was simply being...human.

His heart was pounding, his drive to survive and complete his mission taking the forefront-- and yet he couldn't quite erase the taunt, for what is what it was...What /WAS/ happening to Mithril?!

If there is one thing Leonard Testarossa is--

--he is a man who comes infinitely prepared for any situation.

He knows Sousuke. He knows his history, the wars he's participated in, even how many people he has killed right to the singles digit. And he also knows that because of that very background he read, Sousuke is dangerous. A beast, but a cunning one.

The first shots fired were expected. Even the grenade was something that could have been anticipated.

The fact that he shot the guards first tells Leonard one thing: Sousuke wants to capture him. In that case--

"Are you looking for information? If that's the only tenuous thing that is keeping you from thinking I'm expendable, then I can tell you." Leonard's voice carries smoothly and calmly, even through the haze of exploding concrete. By this time, amidst the background noise, the source of his voice is more difficult to make out -- and by the time the smoke clears, the young man is no longer behind the protective covering of the Alastors.

And so too has Sousuke seemingly disappeared. The Alastors continue to stomp forward, scanning the area slowly. Leonard inspected the building thoroughly, but he does not doubt that a man like Sousuke has some hiding places even he did not account for. So--

"Your organization, Mithril, has made some very dangerous enemies." Stomp, stomp, stomp go the Alastors, their mechanical heads craning down as they sweep the area with an uncanny myriad of sensors -- infrared, ultraviolet, anything any everything. "You pried too far into our business." Sousuke should know -- the Lambda Drivers. Gauron. "And we were content to simply let you be and gauge your strengths and weaknesses for a while... but I'm afraid that's all in the past. You pushed too hard. They want to deal with the irritants nipping at their heels once and for all." Sousuke is a resourceful young man, but--

"As of today, Mithril no longer exists. The order for a complete purge has been given.

"Including Merida Island."

An island that shouldn't exist.

An island that no one outside Katharon and Mithril should know about.

An island where all his friends are located.

An island Leonard's sister commands.

Sousuke is a resourceful young man, but how well does his emotions hold out?

"Tch...!" Barely more than a whisper, a scratched and dirtied Sousuke substituted the minor sound for a brace of Mao-like swears. Not only had Leonard disengaged a multitude of his traps, but he'd descovered several of his small caches of weapons. The empty dock that had housed a pair of special request cartridges for assault laser-guided assault rifles, six claymores, five stun grenades, ammunition for several shot guns and heavy caliber pistols lay empty. Like the other cache was. He was running out of options on this particular roof top, and he'd already calculated that the caliber of weapons he had stashed on him wouldn't be enough on their own to do much more than slow the pair of mechanical bodyguards. What exactly were they? They looked like minaturised AS's, but that kind of technology...

He had already ducked away from that area, creeping about, trying to circle around behind the stalking party. Using the backup and camoflaged AS was an option-- if he could somehow cover the distance without them deciding waiting for his return with a higher powered weapon instead of just /taking/ Kaname. Or getting killed. Something like that. He paused behind one of the stacks, steam pouring out from atop with white whisps, intermingled with the lingering coal-black from the simmering fires. The chill of approaching winter was completly unoticable now.

Sousuke listened though, listened carefully to Leonard's voice, counting that he wouldn't be willing to forgo his guards...and so where the voice, went, so did they. The content was secondary. Or so he thought. Sousuke wanted the information aswell, but at what price? He found himself padding to a sudden halt, soft soled shoes barely scuffing the ash dusted rooftop-- names he recognised. Guaron. Merida...Purge. It was as if he were knifed in the gut with assasins precision, a short hiss escaping from between clenched teeth. The worst part? He couldn't know if the man was lieing or not. The solar flares prevented any reliable contact.

And what if it were true? What if he were out here, while the rest of his friends were dieing? Paralized with indecision, his hesitation and distinctly verbal issuance may have cost him combined. He lost sight for a moment of what his true goal should be here tonight-- and that was to focus on the young woman several floors below. The truth was, there was nothing he /could/ do if it were true...and that inabillity, that helplessness...

"Before you decide that I'm lying, consider this: what reason could I have to lie to you? To spur you out of hiding?

"You're not /that/ skilled.

"To wear down your morale? Well... maybe.

"But I've always felt the truth does a much better job of that."

Sousuke continues to move. Wherever Leonard is is unclear, but it isn't entirely unsafe to assume that he remains with his mechanical guards. The Alastors provide decent protection, and if his sister is anything to go by, Leonard is likely not well trained for combat. The Alastors slowly duck down, peering with unnerving specificity at locations Sousuke has chosen to hide his weapons. The distinct groan of Muscle Packages can be heard with their every shuddering step. Their heads twist like predators on the prowl. They are not human. But an AS that small--

"We predicted the solar flare. Well... I guess I should say I predicted it.

"Why do you think I'm here today?"

Sousuke continues to creep forward. His plan is clever; if Leonard is with the Alastors, the best idea is to sneak behind them and then take the leader. But he hesitates. And in that hesitation:

"I apologize, but an organization like Mithril isn't suited for protecting a woman like Kaname Chidori."

The voice comes from -behind- Sousuke. Not with the Alastors.

Sousuke does not even have a second to realize the ruse before Leonard fires a single shot from an ornate silver revolver from behind Sousuke with unerring precision -- aimed not for the head, or the heart, or even the spine -- but for his right shoulder, to completely immobilize that arm.

"A person like /you/ isn't suited for protecting a woman like Kaname Chidori."

That one he does not apologize for.

...It would cost him.

The warning was scant, and the spat bullet from the decorative revolver slammed into him with a stagger. He'd barely begun to turn when it hit, perhaps sparing serious damage, it was enough to cause his arm and hand to spasm painfully, the glock slipping out of his fingers to fall at his feet as he gasped. This pain, this physical pain was like dousing a bucket of cold water on him, shocking him back to awareness. Blood quickly stained his clothing, its warmth running his skin to fall pitter patter on the roof at his feet. He twisted about, jaw clenched and grey-brown eyes reflecting the dimming flames with an unspoken...growing...fury. Though he wouldn't acknowledge it as such. His ash painted features would be enough to give anyone a pause, but Leonard may only find it amusing.

Wounded, trapped, and his foundation of support sapped out beneath him...his ward was nearby unprotected, what else was there for him to do?

Only a fool would count Sousuke finished. He flourished with his worst odds...Typically. But this was no typical scenario. He'd been outwitted, and out-gunned. What could he say in the face of such failure, aptly presented by Leonard? He didn't try to approach, cupping the wound with clenched fingers, staunching the bleeding briefly. He did try however to get the silver-haired twin fully in his sights,shifting slowly, circling out towards in the direction of the edge, seemingly having forgotten the two AS's.

"If you want Miss Chidori, you'll have to kill me to get to her." He finally spoke again, his voice edged and roughened by his exhertions. He didn't try to flee though, almost making this too easy for the trio. "And I'm not dead yet." Bold words. Almost made one wonder.

"I don't know why exactly you want to take her, or who you belong too...but," certain emphasis on this last, "I will make you regret trying." That sounded like a clear, very personal threat.

Smoke lifts off the barrel of Leonard's revolver; his expression is as calm as it was the moment Sousuke first trained that now fallen glock on him, yet there is a subtle - almost unnoticeable - look of displeasure in his gunmetal gray eyes. No, Leonard does not find it amusing.

And even if it is impossibly scant, Sousuke might find that emotion echoed in Leonard's own features.

Despite the fact that Leonard could fire again, he doesn't; the Alastors, having heard the noise, rear their heads up, their cycloptic sensors focusing squarely on the bloodied form of Sousuke in the distance.

'If you want Miss Chidori, you'll have to kill me to get her.'

"Is that the only way in which you can view the world?"

The words come almost bitingly; though Leonard does not remove Sousuke from his sights, he also does not fire the gun again. Maybe toying with Sousuke? Whatever the answer is, the slight young man's bearing is entirely different from before. Focused. Intent. He has the practiced air of a man who has been trained exactly like Sousuke has. A man who isn't normal.

"I actually have the exact number of people you've killed since you entered the Middle East conflict, if you'd like to know it," Leonard continues easily. "You've taken more than double - almost triple - the amount of lives some of the most notorious serial killers in the world have. What would Miss Chidori think, if she were to know how many people you've murdered? I wonder if we could estimate how many of them were in cold blood?"

Despite the malicious words, Leonard's tone is calm, displaying neither amusement nor spite in his words. His gray eyes focus squarely on Sousuke, even as the Alastors approach like an impending funeral march.

"Do you really think someone like you, who can only think in 'kill or be killed,' should protect her? You're no different than the man they sent to take her." Gauron. He's no different than--

'I don't know why exactly you want to take her--'

"Because I've fallen for her."

The response comes far more lightly than his other words, but it still comes with an astounding level of openness. He smiles, faintly, despite himself.

"You have, too, haven't you?" the hammer clicks. The Alastors lower themselves, both readying to pounce.

"Then let's agree to make one another mutually regret each other."

And the Alastors /lunge/.

Was Leonard actually going to...lecture Sousuke?

So what if that was how he viewed the world...he was a soldier, and he followed orders. In combat, death was an expected outcome, even the most skilled succumbed. Losing comrades was never easy, but the world he lived in had been very straight foward, black and white. Do as you were told, to the best of your ability, and trust in those of hire rank to do what was right. Obedient to the best of his abillity, atleast, he had been before he'd been assigned to protect Kaname. The introduction to living the life of a 'normal' teenager was a confusing one, adding in all these shades of grey...and threatning to overturn his perceptions. Once upon a time, those that he'd killed was only a matter of course to him. Now? He...cared what others thought. Others like Kaname. Comfort could be found, in that the deaths weren't without reason. Oh, not all had been 'bad' people...but he'd like to think now, that when he fought, it was for a more noble cause.

Who was Leonard to go on to remind him otherwise? It wasn't that he didn't know how he could be a clueless pawn...but was it, that he simply ignored it? Tough questions in a strained moment. Should he survive this encounter, the nagging jabs at his doubts and innermost desires would worm its way in-- and like the continuous freeze-thaw of ice on stalwart rock...widen faults through it, till eventually, it cracked.

On the outside, his gaze flicked to the AS movement, literally scenting 'blood'. And as Leonard could never for one second tolerate Sousuke having a lucid moment of thought, delivered yet another one-two verbal score. If there was a man he despised, it would be Gauron, the comparison was enough to stoke his fury, and almost as quickly as his sails billowed, the air was taken out of it. Not so much 'hes fallen for her', but daring to utter-- 'you have too'.

You have too.

He swayed, then fell to a knee, bracing himself on the debris strewn ground with a hand.

Leonard had successfully decimated Sousuke's-- "I couldn't agree more." A low barely audible utterance from lowered head. What, he does...?

Further inspection of Sousuke's prostration would reveal an object through his fingers where he 'braced' himself, half buried in the cracks from the previous explosions where he'd jammed it. Seems he wasn't out of grenades. As the Alastors lunged for him, he threw himself back-- over and towards the ledge, timing it perfectly for when it exploded...and ripped through the already weakened fault-lines, shearing off a large section of concrete, glass, and tiles as part of the apartment building's roof-top...crumbled down towards the streets below. He disappeared in the mess, surely...plummeting to his death.

The speed of the Alastors is impressive. Just like the M9 Sousuke is so intimately familiar with, their agility and coordination far outweigh their almost ungainly (even if not comparatively far smaller) size. It's almost unreal; without a doubt, these ARE ARM Slaves, most likely comparative to third generation types. Yet--

-- all the technological wonders in the world can't do much against an active grenade.

The Alastors are phenomenally tough, but there are things even they have a hard time withstanding. Leonard sees the grenade before the miniaturized ASes have the time to register it. He knows what comes next; he might be out of the blast radius, but the shrapnel --

As Sousuke Sagara falls, Leonard Testarossa lunges. The charging ARM Slaves are mid-leap toward Sousuke once the grenade goes off, both consumed in the blast. Concrete, glass, plaster, all break apart and collapse, taking the two Alastors - or what might remain of them - with it.

Shrapnel and debris ricochet off the concrete wall Leonard hides behind as dust invades and obscures his vision. He holds a gloved hand to his mouth, even as his free one holds up his silver gun. His ears are ringing; he ignores it, clawing back to his feet and walking towards where Sousuke once occupied--

... Only to stop at the new, makeship ledge of crumbling concrete Sousuke has fashioned for himself.

"... Well, that only went about half the way I predicted it would," Leonard admits to himself as he looks down towards the bottom of his precarious ledge. There's no way anyone could rightly survive that, right? And no way anyone could rightly believe--

"Still, as far as warnings go, I guess it went as well as could be expected. I think she would have been sad if you ended up dying so soon."

Begrudgingly admitting this, Leonard holsters his gun, and heaves an exhasperated sigh. If he's right - and he's sure he is - Kaname and Sousuke will probably both no longer be in this apartment complex by the time he reaches her room. And while he could pursue, and while the rest of Management would likely prefer him to pursue--

"In any case, it wouldn't really be gentlemanly to whisk her away without introducing myself first, would it?"

Leonard instead turns, and walks back towards the stairwell, content to take a leisurely pace even as chunks of building crumble behind him. He won't pursue them today.

After all, acquiring Kaname is just a matter of 'when.' And Leonard Testarossa is a patient man.

NOT TOO FAR AWAY

First there was peace and quiet, then an omnious rumble, pause, rumble, then thundering roaring crash as the entire building shook. Sounds of squealing metal and protesting infrastructure coupled with faint screams from the other tenants. Alarms triggered in the building, sprinklers too where they existed as if there was a fire somewhere...and should anyone be standing or gazing out the window at just the right time...they'd be able to witness the burning mess that used to part of the complex roof right before it ploughed into the streets in a jumbled mess.

It wouldn't be longer than a few seconds before a dripping wet Sousuke kicked down the door with prejudice. Arm in a makeshift sling, his clothing was badly torn in many places, withhints of red from where it hadn't bled out entirely markingspots of further injury. he also happened to have strapped across his back an RPG and rifles like he'd just gone shopping.

He came in with the single-minded determination to haul Kaname's ass out of the apartment. "Miss Chidori!" And before she started blaming him (somewhat true) "We need to get out of here, immeadiately! We can talk later...for now--" (come with me if you want to live!) "our survival depends on it!"