As the two hostages passed by each other, it seemed to happen in slow motion. He held his Desert Eagle out in front of him, his gaze right down the sights, ready to fire if needed. He didn’t trust that Levi would just let this go, no, he was all too familiar with that look in Levi’s. The man had come too far and was still hell-bent on getting what he wanted in the end. The only question was how was he going to go about doing that? There was something more to this, he was sure of it. That surrender had been far too good to be true. Ivan was surely thinking the same thing he was.<br/><br/>Azrai was relieved when Shizu had come over to him and Ivan instead of ripping out David’s throat or turning and going after Levi. Or worse, Shizu losing it and deciding to go after the two people here to rescue her. He wanted to say something to her, and met her eye briefly, but he decided to keep focused on Levi instead. This wasn’t the time or place.<br/><br/>When Ivan spoke, he gave him a knowing look and nodded. “I am well aware,” He said quietly so only Ivan and Shizu could hear him. He knew that Ivan was probably a bit irritated that he was not quite sticking to the plan. To be honest, he knew he should be. It was something they had all agreed to prior to coming here, something they had planned out, it wasn’t right for him to just suddenly change things around out of the blue. But when he saw the way Shizu was struggling to stay in control and how oblivious Levi was to the situation he had placed everyone in he knew he had to change tactics otherwise something bad would have happened. Speaking to Levi, and going along with this, as much as he had wanted to blow David’s brains out, this impromptu plan was just the better option in his mind at this time.<br/><br/>It was a bit strange, if that was the right word for it. He had thought it out without even telling Ivan or making any indication that he was thinking differently. It was a habit of his, he supposed, and one of the many reasons why people thought he was difficult to work with sometimes. In a way, Azrai would agree with them. He always seemed to act on his own, and didn’t always stick to the plan. There were times where he and Ivan did stick together, of course, but more often than not, he always had something else going on in his mind. It was just how he operated. This particular situation was just Azrai trying to be reasonable. Some people might not see his logic or reasoning in the way he goes about things. Even Zachariah questioned him at times, despite having so much faith in him.<br/><br/>He clenched his jaw, trying to think of his next move. If he screwed up and things backfired, and there was no doubt in his mind that the plan would, he was sure that everyone would be dead. But this was a risk that he had been willing to take. In the end, things were going well so far, and it appeared to be smooth sailing. If this plan had failed, not only would he never be able to forgive himself, he wasn’t sure what he would have done. They were so close to losing Shizu, and he was so close to slipping into the darkness of his mind, that if they did not get this over with soon, everything would fall apart. He would be kicked from the organization. He didn’t even want to begin to think about what would happen afterward or what would happen to Shizu for that matter.<br/><br/>Looking over his shoulder at Shizu, he said, “Step out into the hallway…” He gave a nod, hopefully reassuring her. This was the best thing he could think of at the moment. God, he was shaking. This had to end quickly. Then he looked to Ivan and said, “Move as soon as I give the signal. He wasn’t sure how they were going to get to Levi, who seemed to be wondering what to do next as well, but he in the end he would have him. Incapacitating him seemed like the best option. Kill his partner, and then go after him right away. It would be as easy as that, right? Then again, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something far too easy about that option. Maybe it was what he wanted.<br/><br/>“Are you happy?” Levi snorted. His lips were curled in an ugly sneer. “You’ve gotten what you wanted. Good for you.” Azrai wasn’t sure where he was going with this, and he didn’t like it. There was something in Levi’s eye that just screamed devious. It was unsettling to say the least.<br/><br/>He didn’t give in and give Levi the satisfaction of a response. As much as he wanted to, it just wasn’t worth it. He was done with this. His focus was just getting this over with, trying to come up with a plan. As much as he didn’t want to give Levi the satisfaction of going with the obvious, that option was becoming more and more appealing as time passed. It was time to end this once and for all. He was going to make Levi pay for being so foolish… No. He had to stay in control. He wanted to blow his brains out; seeing his blood splattered all over the walls would be the most satisfying thing right now. In his mind, he could already hear the man screaming in agony. It was music to his ears. Levi deserved to have his brains blown out.<br/><br/>Taking in a deep breath, he shifted his weight slightly and started to back away. Levi moved forward a bit, gun aimed at them. “I wouldn’t try to leave if I were you,” he said in a dark tone. There was something oddly calm about him this time, in spite of the smug look on his face.<br/><br/>At that moment, Azrai stopped. He kept Levi but still did not give him the satisfaction of a response. It might have seemed like he was hesitating, like he didn’t want to kill Levi, but he really was just focused on getting Shizu out of here. Even though he knew that Zachariah wanted Levi alive, nobody would return alive if Shizu was not removed from the situation right now. He hoped that Ivan was in agreement with that. He was just trying to do what he thought was best. Unfortunately, Levi appeared to have other plans. Or at least that was what he had implied.<br/><br/>Part of him was curious as to what that might be. The other half of him wanted to wipe the look off his face. Shooting him was becoming more and more tempting as the minutes ticked by.  But he knew he had to stick to this plan, and he wasn’t about to blow it now. Not when everything was riding on his decisions.<br/><br/>Over his shoulder, he looked at Ivan with a glance that said now was the time to act.<br/><br/>As soon as he saw Levi turn his gaze away, he took that moment to strike. He fired off his gun, shooting Levi in the leg. He hoped that would give Ivan the edge he needed to get shit done.<br/><br/>Hoping that Ivan was taking care of Levi, Azrai bolted to where Shizu was. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “We are… finished here.” He looked as if he wanted to say more. But what else would he do? Ask if she was alright? It was clear she was not alright.<br/><br/>Giving her arm a light squeeze, he was about to turn and leave when he heard footsteps approaching and the next thing he knew, he had the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his head.<br/><br/>“Azriel? Fancy meeting you here, it has been a long time. Too long if you ask me.”<br/><br/>------------------------------------<br/><br/>That had been too close for comfort.<br/><br/>Levi had been worried that Azrai really would have killed David. He had to give up the Oni, and knew that David was displeased from the look in his eyes, but he did not care. If he didn’t have his partner in this, he might as well turn his gun on himself and end it that way. The thought was kind of tempting… But he would not. The only thing he regretted was being so stupid as to allow the situation to fall into Azrai’s hands. Nothing infuriated Levi more than that. He was supposed to have everything ready by now. Thinking of another plan was not something he was good at on the spot. That was what Hank was usually for. It was becoming more and more apparent just how much losing Hank was hurting this mission, the longer this dragged on. Now, his determination was reaching a point of no return.<br/><br/>He would have Azrai.<br/><br/>It did not matter that Azrai was not responding to him or taking the bait. When he first spoke out, he knew the man had been done with this. He was too focused on the woman, who looked absolutely terrifying. It was a good thing she had decided not to strike David as well. He would have killed the bitch if she had… then Azrai would not have anything left. He smirked at the thought. As cruel as it was, as much as David meant to him, he wished the Oni would have attacked. Seeing Azrai upset over her being harmed more than she already was, perhaps dying, would have been very satisfying. The thought made him even more worked up than he already was. He had been trying to keep his energy down, trying to keep a cool head as best he could, but now… now he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to control himself.<br/><br/>Levi didn’t really have a twitchy trigger finger, but his patience was pretty much nonexistent. He wanted this to be over with as much as everyone else. The thing was his rash nature was going to take over at any second, and when it did he knew this would be even more fucked. Speaking to Azrai was just a small hint that he was slipping, if it wasn’t evident he was slipping now. As soon as he showed concern for David, it was all over. He wasn’t even sure if what he had up his sleeve would work. He was beginning to have doubts and even some second thoughts about his plans. Well, perhaps calling them thoughts was more accurate. To him, a plan was something that was full-proof. Everything running through his mind right now was just a thought that could be disregarded or changed.<br/><br/>He let out a low growl when he saw Azrai beginning to back off. It was time to end this little standoff. Levi was tired, Azrai was tired. Levi wanted to be victorious. The sweet revenge was already on the tip of his tongue; it was delicious.<br/><br/>Levi turned away for a moment, looking at David out of the corner of his eye, “Now!” He murmured. But it was a mistake. No sooner had he spoke, pain suddenly shot through his leg and he was down on one knee before he even knew what hit him.<br/><br/>Then, before he could grasp what was going on, three men suddenly entered the room. Two men stayed behind while the third, who had a striking resemblance to Azrai.<br/><br/>“Oh, my,” the third man, who Levi assumed was the leader said, said, “this wasn’t what I had expected to walk into.” He had Azrai at gunpoint, and his hand was resting on the oni woman’s shoulder.<br/><br/>Levi recognized the voice immediately. “Ronen? You… you’re early?” He felt his heart rate increase. This was the first time he was seeing him in person, having spoken to him only over the phone or some messenger approaching him for the past few months, and he tried to hide the nervous look on his face through the pain he was in. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should be thankful, excited, or just pissed off.  Something was not right about this. Had two hours passed already? Honestly, Levi wasn’t even sure if an hour had passed; he’d lost track of time. What the hell was going on? Something felt wrong about this all of a sudden. Something felt very wrong.<br/><br/>Ronen grinned, “Early? No, I wouldn’t say I’m early. I told you two hours, didn’t I?”<br/><br/>“But…”<br/><br/>“An hour and… twenty minutes, I think. Yes. An hour and twenty minutes have passed. I don’t think that’s early…” Levi looked like he wanted to say something more, but Ronen shot him a glance that silenced him immediately. “But there are more important matters to deal with than my arrival.” He chuckled and pulled the hammer back on his pistol.<br/><br/>Levi swallowed hard. His situation had suddenly become a lot worse now. This was not how things were supposed to go! He hasn’t exacted his revenge. He was supposed to have had the bitch by now, he and David were supposed to… They were supposed to be on to better things. Damn it. Ronen could have at least allowed him to exact his revenge. Words could not even begin to describe the anger he was feeling toward everything right now. It was almost enough to drive him to tears.<br/><br/>----------------<br/><br/>In one day, two people he has not seen in years have resurfaced in his life.<br/><br/>He couldn’t believe it. Ronen. His older brother… It should have been a warm reunion, or at least for any normal person who didn’t have the past Azrai did. He just stood there, stunned. He wasn’t really focused on anything at the moment. His mind was wandering off toward a distant place, where the memories he shared with these two people were still good. Before everything turned sour. Though, his relationship with Levi was nowhere near as bad as the relationship he had with Ronen. Or lack thereof. It has been far too long since he has seen Ronen indeed. Frankly, he hoped he would not cross paths with him, especially like this.<br/><br/>The initial shock was over when it was known that Levi and Ronen knew each other. He couldn’t describe it, but something new burned inside of him. It… it almost felt like it was tampering with the dark place in his mind, which he was desperately trying to avoid, constantly clawing at him, wanting him to unleash it.<br/><br/>He clenched his jaw tightly and breathed in deeply.<br/><br/>“Why so quiet, Ariel?” Ronen inquired in a mocking tone. “You know, my little brother being here is a nice surprise. How long has it been since we’ve last seen each other?” He paused, probably expecting Azrai to say something. He had even cleared his throat as if he was trying hard to get a response out of him. But Azrai did not budge. If he said something, he knew it would be something he would regret. Keeping himself in check was hard enough right now. He wanted to this to end. This all should have been done by now.<br/><br/>Damn. How was he going to get out of this one? Now he really had to play his cards right. He hoped Ivan was alright, trusting that the Russian would have something in mind… maybe. Admittedly, he was hoping Ivan would just start killing people. That seemed to be the only thing that would get them out of this alive now, as much as he would rather not leave a mess. Levi might get killed in the process. If that happened, he knew they would be in deep shit. Knowing Ronen, he wasn’t going to play around; Levi’s death would be something they would need to prepare for. The question was when that would happen. He wasn’t looking forward to it.<br/><br/>He was not about to call it quits, but he was beginning to feel like this mission was a failure. Sure, he has been in tougher situations, looking back, but this was the first time he has been this pressured. If they didn’t get Shizu out of this now, they would all be in danger. Levi’s death wouldn’t be the only death they’d be worrying about.<br/><br/>“Ronen…” To his surprise, Levi had spoken up. He looked just as surprised as he was. “As you can see, I did have the girl. But I…”<br/><br/>“That’s enough Levi. I’m the one talking right now,” Ronen shot Levi a glance so intense that it really showed that he was indeed Azrai’s older brother. “You might have gotten the girl, but you didn’t follow through with everything, did you?”<br/><br/>“I… I didn’t have time… I mean…”<br/><br/>“I don’t want excuses, Levi.”<br/><br/>“I’m not giving you any excuses.”<br/><br/>“I hear differently.”<br/><br/>Azrai wasn’t sure whether he should take this opportunity to turn the tide in his and Ivan’s favor or just ride this out. Either way, they had to do something.<br/><br/>Now.<br/><br/>Things were about to get ugly. Very, very ugly.