Operation: Commence

Two shadows melted into the darkness of the night.

Kai and Glen crept through the now-silent streets and made their way to the Hideaki residence. The black gate in front of the home reflected the moonlight above, casting an eery glow against the metal.

"Follow me," Glen whispered.

With no other instruction, Glen scaled the gate and snuck to the side of the house, hidden in the shadows. Using the gate as a sort of stepping stone, he suddenly leaped from the edge of the gate, onto the roof of the Hideaki residence. Yet despite the daring feat, Glen surprisingly made no sound whatsoever when he hit the roof.

Kai was watching closely. It looked as though he had shifted the weight of his body from his legs to his fingertips just after he jumped, landing belly first, before feet. This made for a quiet landing, without the usual 'thump' of the feet hitting the surface.

Following Glen's example, Kai swiftly climbed over the black gate, making sure to keep his balance as he stood on the edge. Carefully but quickly, he bent his legs and sprang from the gate to the roof - making sure to transfer his weight to his fingertips, rather than his legs.

It was a terrible moment when he had jumped from the gate to the roof. Just as he had landed, a light flicked on in the Hideaki home. Kai and Glen had held their breath, expecting the worst, however to their relief, the light flicked off a minute later without any further action.

"I suppose it's too late to go back now, isn't it?" Kai hissed under his breath.

Glen looked at Kai with arched eyebrows, then turned back to inspect the Hideaki grounds. Kai hated to admit it, but the residence was absolutely stunning. Out front was a perfectly trimmed garden, filled with beautiful flowers of all kinds and colors. Stiff hedges cut into different statues lined the lawn, giving the area a sort of mannequin kind of feeling. It was a little creepy, but magnificent all the same.

A small marble path led from the black gate to the front door of the home, curving around, and through the mannequin garden. However, that was the least of the impressive Hideaki residence. Just as Kai had seen back on the hill, the door was imprinted with a blazing golden eagle on it, wings spread on either side of it. It gave an aura of power - neither threatening nor welcoming.

The house itself was also a work of art. It was a traditional Japanese irimoya-zukuri designed home. The roof of the home was elegantly slanted, with a section of the front and back arched outwards towards the sky, and the lower part of the roof gently sloping downwards to all four sides.

The intricately built home and pristine garden were nothing Kai had ever seen before. Everything about this place just screamed 'wealth.' It was marvelous... yet enraging, when he thought of his own poor village in comparison.

"Keep your eyes sharp."

Glen's voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. They were there on a mission, not to admire the architecture of the Hideaki home.

"Are we just going to wait until we see the ser-" Kai whispered.

Glen interrupted him, holding a finger to his lips. He made a small gesture, pointing somewhere ahead. Kai stopped talking, and looked in the direction he was motioning to. He couldn't believe it.

It was the servant.

In the garden.

Alone.

The two partners stared at each other in wonder. Glen's mouth was slightly open in an astonished-excited kind of way, while Kai, on the other hand, stared in shock. He had never actually expected this plan of Glen to really work... they would've needed lots of luck, and lots of patience if the servant were to come to the garden... especially in the middle of the night.

Kai peered through the darkness at the servant. It was a boy. He looked a little younger than Kai, maybe in his 16's or 17's. The robe he wore was nothing special, it was a simple red and white uniform, indicating his role as a servant in the house.

But what was he doing out in the garden so late at night?

As if on cue, Kai heard the gentle sound of running water. 'Ah.' Kai thought. He was watering the plants. The servant boy was holding a medium-sized watering can, visible only by the faint light of the moon. To see someone watering the plants this late at night... it was odd, but not suspiciously strange.

"Okay kid, here's the plan: you're going to go down and stop him from making any noise, then I'll follow up and tranquilize him. Sound good?" Glen whispered.

Glen made the plan sound easy enough, but Kai looked down at the servant uncertainly. "And what if the Hideakis hear us?"

Glen smiled, "Then we're dead."

That was certainly the last thing Kai wanted to hear before starting the operation.

"Let's go." Glen hissed under his breath.

Without missing a beat, Kai slunk down the side of the roof, into the shadows of the bushes below. He could see the servant watering the flowers not too far away. The boy was slowly moving from the open, moonlit parts of the garden, to the more shadowed-area in order to water the flowers closer to the gate.

Hardly daring to breathe, Kai silently jumped from shadow to shadow, hardly more than a whisper in the night. He crept closer and closer to the servant boy, who had not yet noticed his presence. Kai waited, double checking where his partner's position was. Not too far away, shrouded in the shade of one of the garden trees - was Glen. Kai saw him give a barely noticeable nod, and Kai tensed.

That was his cue.

As quick as a snake, Kai melted out of the shadows and grabbed the boy. He clamped his palm firmly across the boy's mouth, preventing him from shouting for help. As soon as his hand was over his mouth, Glen appeared out of nowhere, swiftly injecting something into the boy's neck. Within a matter of mere minutes, the boy was out cold. Kai dragged him into a more shadowed part of the garden, both giving him, and Glen more cover.

Noticing the fallen water can beside them, Glen hastily moved it into the shadows, putting it neatly at the side of the tree he had hid under.

Glen signaled something with his hand. Though he was barely visible in the shadows, Kai understood his message all the same. 'Let's get out of here.'

He handed the boy's limp body over to Glen, who settled him comfortably on his back. He'd be able to carry him easier than Kai. Without a moment to waste, Kai held his hands out, crossing them over each other in an X shape, palms facing upwards. Glen swiftly stepped on Kai's hands, using them as a boost to get over the gate.

Glen gave a faint grunt as he landed on the other side. The servant boy's weight was clearly straining him.

Kai on the other hand, was quicker. He scaled the gate in a few seconds, just as he had done when they'd first entered the garden. As soon as he had made it over to the other side, they ran. Quickly and quietly, they dashed through the shadows of the alleys, back to the inn.

"Wait," Kai said, stopping Glen from entering the inn. "Cover him with your cloak. Otherwise, it'll be obvious that he's the Hideaki servant."

Glen nodded, glancing at the boy's bright red and white uniform. He took off his cloak and put it on the servant boy. With the cloak on, he looked no more than a simple villager. Glen hoisted the boy up with one arm, hooking it through the servant boy's.

"Why are you holding him like that?" Kai asked.

Without much of an answer, Glen said, "Come, hook your arm around his."

Kai hesitated for a moment, then simply obeyed. He was getting used to these incomplete answers from Glen. He hooked his arm around the boy's, then the three of them made their way into the inn.

They stumbled past the clerk behind the desk, and she smiled at them. To her, the three of them looked no more than friends who had had a little too much to drink. Glen led the way to their room, and hastily unlocked the door.

"Alright, we're back." He chuckled, giving the full weight of the boy to Kai.

Glen held the door open while Kai carried the boy to the bed. He settled the boy down, who looked to be peacefully sleeping. Glen closed the door behind him, and gave a deep, relieved sigh.

"Looks like we did it, partner."

Kai cringed. He very much disliked being called Glen's 'partner.' However, nonetheless, it was true that they'd succeeded in abducting the servant boy...

"Won't the Hideaki family notice he's gone in the morning?" Kai asked.

Glen shook his head. "They've got too many servants there to realize whether one of them was missing or not."

Kai made a 'Tch' sound, then continued. "Well... won't the other servants in the house alert the Hideakis about his disappearance then?" He asked, tilting his head towards the sleeping boy.

With that, an awkward silence ensued between the two of them.

"Well... let's just hope they don't."

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

Elsewhere:

"You know how important this is, don't you?" A ghostly voice asked.

"O-Of course I do, I just don't understand why I have to be the one to do this..." A quiet voice replied.

"You have been chosen, young one. You are the twelfth."

"Yes, but why me? Why have I never known about any of this?"

"Your rightful knowledge was ripped away from you. However, do not fear, for I will guide you.

I will make you strong,

Rin."