Hatsuharu Yamato

Morning, even though the sun was rising outside, the black curtains kept the light at bay. For a moment, all was still within the room. Slowly however, a mass upon the bed slightly stirred. Under the covers, Hatsuharu Yamato woke from yet another restless night of sleep. His head was pounding a bit, and it made him dizzy as he sat up within bed. He pushed the covers aside effortlessly, before standing. He was not in a hurry this morning, to get to the organization. Many referred to him simply by his last name of Yamato, it was known throughout the organization and the world.

It was both feared and respected by those who knew it, and for good reason to. His family was definitely one who would live on past their ending, for all they had accomplished. One of the least known but most important, was C.R.O.N.O.S. An organization named after the god of gods so to speak, it had not been his choice in a name. It was an organization passed down from generation to generation in his family. At the age of fourteen, he had taken over, few had been happy about that. The organization, was created to contain and eliminate threats that were…against nature…evil…monsters?

He sighed, he had heard many reasons for why they were doing this. They were bringing in and bringing down those known as the Shi No Ban’nin…death keepers. Ironically, Yamato himself was one of these beings, which made those in the organization question him and his leadership even more. The ‘Shi’ as they were called for short, were those who had come to deaths door by some event. They should have died, and for a given amount of time were dead. But they did not stay as such. Yamato had heard stories of a red room, of a large god like being who offered them life and power once more.

It was rumored that they met the god of death itself, weather one believed that to be Hades or Ares or whoever was up to them. Some even believed they met with the devil, for when they came back even though they looked human, they did things no human should ever be able to do. Yamato did not remember much about his death, though he had been questioned about it countless times before. It was when he was fourteen…when he took over. His parents and he were at one of their homes in Paris, his father on a business trip….He shook the thoughts from his head, now was not the time to be thinking about all of this. He made his way to the bathroom, letting steam fill it as he took a hot shower.

He closed his eyes, the heat helping to relax and wake him. He needed it. Slowly he made his way out to dress, adorning his usual military style clothing, it gave him an added air of power and authority to his own already natural aura. Moving to the curtains, he brushed one of them aside. The sun stung his eyes for a moment, as he looked out. This was seen as C.R.O.N.O.S’ base, his castle and home…on the surface it seemed perfectly natural, but underground… It had taken years to build and establish the substructure beneath the castle which served as the base for operations. There were posts all over the world, but this was the main one. No one was stupid enough to attack his home and the base.

Many people were already arriving, many were already here. It was time to get to work, he could not put it off forever. As soon as he stepped out of the room and to the stairs, he was approached by several men. Some trying to get him to look at and sign paperwork, others speaking about tasks that needed his attention. It was the same every day, unless he was in his chambers where he was not to be disturbed, he was almost never alone. They made their way down through the elaborate and slightly darkened castle, their footsteps and voices echoing off of the hall ceiling. Within the main hall, between two grand staircases leading to the upper levels, stood a simple grandfather’s clock. He opened the front, turning the hour hand to the six and the minute hand to the twelve. The clock chimed three times, after which he moved the hour hand up to sit alongside the minute hand on the twelve.

The clock chimed three more times, before swinging forward to reveal a white elevator. He stepped inside, followed by the men. Moments later, the clock swung shut and the hands on the face swung back to their normal time. The elevator had no buttons, it needed none. This one was only designated to go to and from the main floor of the substructure base. There were various other entranced and exits, but this one was used most often. The men refused to be silent during the decent, though Yamato himself did not speak at all. A ding soon sounded, and the elevator doors opened up to reveal a walkway.

Stepping out, he looked down below, to where rows of stations containing desks, computers and other technical gadgets sat. A large screen covering the wall adjacent from him. On either side, were staircases that led down into the level, and halls that branched out to lead to various other parts of the structure. It was known that certain reaches of it spanned out over the underground of the city, some places needing a car like vehicle to reach. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. It was time for another day.



Yue

The city looked beautiful within the morning sun. One would not have guessed that it was a hotspot for quite a lot of activity below the surface. A young man stood on a roof, looking out over the scene. His hair was silver, matched by his deep gray eyes. Usually he would have been wearing his glasses, but at the moment he had them off. People liked to say he looked intellectual and handsome with them on, though he often was told he looked well without them as well. He did not care much for looks though, it was what was beneath the surface that mattered...much like with the city. His name was Yue, no last name, merely Yue.

Little was known about him, even from those who were designated as being close to him. He was one of the Shi No Ban’nin, but he was not a monster or freak like others preferred to label them as. He was the leader of the Light, a group who valued the good and sought to create a more peaceful and better world for the Shi. Even if this meant they had to cross paths with some not to friendly enemies. C.R.O.N.O.S was the major one, out to kill them all…Loki’d was close behind, since they were partially responsible for giving the Shi a bad reputation.

They were a band of darker people, who would rather use their abilities for fun and for gain. It did not help that many of the Shi around the world who were not even within one of these two bands often followed the way of darkness. There were those who were good, who just wanted to live and a better future. Those were the ones Yue was searching for. He had come to this city awhile back, and had quickly made it to the top of C.R.O.N.O.S radar, after freeing a group of Shi who had been rounded up and were being taken in for processing. A nice way of saying locked up or killed.

There were those of the Shi who were working for C.R.O.N.O.S, only to keep on living…they were hunting and killing their own kind. A sigh passed his lips, as his eyes slid closed. He needed to find a way to speak to both sides, to get them to understand before something bad happened. It didn’t take a genius to know that there was something really dangerous on the horizon if neither side could back down or compromise. He moved a hand to the sheath on his back, slipping from it a silver sword. The blade was long, the hilt black. In the reflection, he looked at himself a bit.

He was one of them…human and Shi...he could not just sit by and watch them all destroy themselves, it had to be stopped. He replaced the blade in the sheath, before turning away from the edge of the building. He knew Loki’s base was nearby, and that would have made many Shi hesitate around this area, but he was unafraid of the other, and he needed to speak with him. Sooner or later the other would pick up on his presence here either before or after they were face to face. He was not looking for a fight, but if the other made a move he would have little choice but to defend himself. He could not allow himself to be killed, not now so early within this.

It was all a game most of the time to one side or the other, moving the pieces in an attempt to gain desired effects. The board was set…it was time to make the first move.

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