Nobody needed to tell Levi twice that he was in a bad position here. Not only did the girl not want to trust him, which was pretty common in a situation like that, but he had been tackled to the ground. In a way he was grateful since the girl would have most likely blown his head off. On top of that, the man who tackled him to the ground, most likely Azrai, had company with him which was strange considering the man was a lone wolf. He had been relying on the fact that he would be working alone. It would have made him such an easy target and he would have rethought his strategy in order to have what he wanted. Perhaps he should have known better, especially in a situation like this. Hell, he was beginning to think he should have brought in some back up with him.<br/><br/>Today has just been a bad day in general and it really made him furious.<br/><br/>He had everything he needed right in front of him yet he was in the losing position, waiting for the moment where his life would be ended. That moment didnâ€™t come. So now Levi was stuck wondering what the hell he should do in order to prevent that from happening. He was not going to walk out of here without having his revenge. If it meant taking the other guy down as well so be it, he refused to walk out of here empty handed. Not with everything laid out for him. He needed to think something upâ€¦ he just had to get out of here, maybe he should flee altogether and some up with another plan. It was a shame. He really wanted to just get this over with so he wouldnâ€™t be stuck with any more planning. He was a smart man but plans took a lot of time, but that was something he didnâ€™t have right now.<br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>Alright, he had to admit that perhaps storming in like that had been pretty reckless. Usually when an area was too quiet it meant one of two things: there were people waiting in ambush or there were more inside. There was also the chance of back up arriving. It was just a standard rule in this line of business and it was something that should always be kept in mind. He knew he should have not been so jumpy like that, taking off without a second thought, he should have thought rationally and had a plan of action before making his move, but when he saw that figure slip in he just had to see if Shizu was safe. If something else happened to her the world was not going to be a happy place. So he had acted hoping he could reach her before whoever slipped into the building got their hands on her.<br/><br/>When he finally did get to see Shizu the condition she was in pissed him off even more. That was what had led him to tackle that man, he knew he only wanted to hurt her even if he might not have seemed like he would. This was not how he wanted their reunion to be like at all. He wanted to see her smiling, happy with her new life, not thrown back into a place where she was only going to be abused. Not only was she filthy, she was not wearing clothes he would have pictured her in at all, and she was terrified. In fact he was sure that she had been completely naked and got those clothes from someone she killed which made his blood boil even more. Ivan was the one who got people out of these situations, but Azrai was the one who tracked down and killed the people who ran businesses like this.<br/><br/>He really hated these places and it tore him apart seeing that Shizu had been thrown into this Hell. It made him wonder if there really was a safe place for her to live in peace. Was it strange that he wanted to comfort her? To be honest it was not often that Azrai went out of his way to comfort someone. He really was not the best at comforting. Nonetheless, if there was anything he could do for her, all that she had to do was say something and he would do it. When this mess was straightened out he was definitely going to need to have a word with Elias. He was going to make sure that this did not happen to her again. What if an organization like Sanctus Unum got to her, looking to use her Oni powers for something? The organization might not be able to survive an attack from something that powerful especially so soon.<br/><br/>But first thing was first. This man who had tried to hurt Shizu had to be dealt with. He didnâ€™t seem to be concerned about the gun against his head at all. Since he had tackled the man he had been trying to figure out just who he was and where he remembered him from. He was familiar, he knew that much, and he searched his past memories trying to figure out when he could have seen him. There was a part of him that wanted to start asking questions but the man just lay there with a smug look on his face. His brow furrowed as he took in the manâ€™s facial features and build. The more he examined the man the more the puzzle was slowly piecing itself together yet something didnâ€™t seem right about this at all. Perhaps that was why he hesitated ending this manâ€™s life.<br/><br/>When Ivan mentioned they had company a low growl left him and he looked at the Russian out of the corner of his eye. â€œWonderfulâ€¦ If there are more then we shall not waste any more time here.â€ He paused and looked at the man he was holding down. â€œI think we shouldâ€¦ take him along. He might have some useful information to share with us.â€ Deep in his subconscious, he knew who this man was already. The first thing that came to mind was maybe he was one of his enemies. As soon as they were out of here he would make sure to get a good location to do the interrogation from Elias. Once they got him talking, they would know everything. Guns were more his thing but when it came down to it he was ruthless whenever he interrogated someone. He was undoubtedly a rival to Ivan in that regard, who was also quite ruthless when it came to interrogations.<br/><br/>â€œYou think I have anything to say to you? Oh, Azrai, youâ€™re the same man you were six years ago.â€ The man chuckled. â€œI canâ€™t say Iâ€™m surprised. You never did like change, did you?â€<br/><br/>Azrai pressed his gun harder against the man. All he needed was to hear the manâ€™s voice, and that jogged his memory. This was Levi, Cassandraâ€™s younger brother. He was only younger than her by two years but that really was not important; it was just of those odd things his memory decided to spit out probably from the surprise of this encounter. When Cassandra died, Levi had been extremely upset with him. He had told him that if he didnâ€™t kill him he was going to hunt him down one day. It seems he was sticking true to his word. When he looked at the man, all he could see was the lust for blood. He remembers Levi as someone who was pretty quiet, kept to himself, not someone who was out for revenge. Revenge really does seem to change a person when they let it consume their life. It was evident by how Levi was be a very different person now than he remembered.<br/><br/>He was about to respond when he heard a shot fired from down the hall. Azrai looked to see if Ivan had been hit, and had been distracted by the gunfire just long enough for Levi to take the advantage and pull out his own gun. The action was caught just in time. Swearing under his breath at his stupidity, he acted quickly. He managed to get out of the way of nearly having his face blown off. Instead he had been shot in the shoulder. It felt like dÃ©jÃ  vu all over again, making him think back to his time in Japan, and only added to his foul mood. Luckily like last time the wound had not been fatal but it still hurt like hell and would need to get checked out. He was sure Ivan was going to be thrilled that he had managed to get himself injured especially since he had just got done recovering.<br/><br/>His shoulder was already starting to feel a bit numb, though he could still move it thankfully. This was just his luck. There was no way he would go another five months without being on the field and hoped it was nothing major. But he didnâ€™t want to think about that now. He was too focused on Levi at the moment. One way or another he had to get this asshole in a restraint or knock him out somehow so he could get him out of there with them. Whoever was out there shooting at them probably worked for Levi. There could be more out there as well, they needed to get out of there right now or risk losing Shizu and having to start over. If he started crying over his injuries now then he might as well be giving up. Heâ€™d be damned if he allowed Levi to have Shizu.<br/><br/>Then, everything seemed to happen in one big flash.<br/><br/>Thanks to Azraiâ€™s injury, Levi was no longer holding down as roughly as he had been. He was able to gain the upper hand by taking the opportunity to get out from under Azrai. As quickly as he could he got to his feet and wrapped one hand around Azraiâ€™s neck while the other was keeping the gun away. He was feeling pretty confident that he was going to kill this son of a bitch right here and now. Forget the girl. As much as he would have enjoyed torturing her in front of him this moment was far more satisfying. If he was lucky, which was something he admittedly was not feeling at the moment, this day was just about to turn around for him. Something told him that the person who came to his rescue was the man he had told to head back to the hideout. The idiot never listened, but Levi supposed he was thankful.<br/><br/>Azrai, on the other hand, knew that he couldnâ€™t afford to waste any more time here. Outside, he could hear the sound of tires screeching to a halt. Levi seemed to stop and look to look in the direction where the sound was heard as well. He swore under his breath as Levi took the opportunity to shove him against the wall and escape into a room down the hall. He probably went to go regroup with his buddy. With everything happening around them so quickly it was difficult to keep focus but he was doing his best regardless. Levi was evidently a slippery little bastard.. The other person in the building with them had either called in some reinforcements or there were more people who ran this business checking to see what the commotion was about. He was sure that everyone who ran this place was dead, by the looks of things, but he could never be too sure.<br/><br/>At that moment, he was almost at a loss for what to do.<br/><br/>He wanted to go after Levi, he needed answers, but at the same time Shizuâ€™s safety was top priority. Getting her out of here and calmed down was probably the best option anyway. Deciding to forget about Levi, he got up and grabbed his gun. Keeping it out in front of him, he peered into a room looking to see if he could see anything through the few windows that were around the building. Deciding that had been a waste of time, he quickly darted towards where Ivan was. It was best that they stuck together.<br/><br/>â€œIvan!â€ He called out in a hushed tone the moment he caught up to him. â€œI was unable to finish him off, the slippery bastard had escaped during the commotion.â€ He had said that apologetically but didnâ€™t seem to let that get him down. â€œI think we should forget about those two for now and get out of hereâ€¦ We are wasting time.â€ The less time they spent in here, the better. He didnâ€™t want to stick around and find out just how many more were here, they needed to clear a path and get out of there. His heart was still racing, but despite that somehow he managed to keep his composure. When he looked at Shizu he so desperately wanted to be in a better mood seeing she was still alive but the fact she was still terrified didnâ€™t help things. It probably wasnâ€™t a good idea, but he gently placed a hand on Shizuâ€™s shoulder once he was next to her.<br/><br/>It was a small gesture but he wanted her to be reassured that she was safe now. Maybe he would let her take a few swings at Levi once they dealt with him, so she could let out some of her emotions. Part of him wanted to see her rip him apartâ€¦ No. He knew that was wrong and he shouldnâ€™t encourage that. He knew she didnâ€™t really want to use her Oni powers or have to deal with violence ever again. That was what everyone wanted for her. These thoughts were only coming to him because he was angry, and feeling a mixture of other emotions he couldnâ€™t accurately describe. In a way he felt like he was breaking a promise to her, once again, because this had happened to her. He wanted to say something but he knew it was best not to right now. She seemed like she needed her space.<br/><br/>The sad reality of it was, if she had people still coming after her, she was probably going to need protection a lot longer than anyone wanted.<br/><br/>The two of them hurried out of the building as fast and as quiet they could, only to be greeted by three men waiting for them outside. They were trapped! He swore under his breath and took in the scene, trying to find a way for them to slip past without too much confrontation but it looks like they werenâ€™t going to be that lucky. Part of him wanted to do something reckless but he was thinking about Shizu. He didnâ€™t want to put her life at risk. The men appeared to be heavily armed and he had a feeling that they were not allies. As soon as the men outside spotted Ivan and Azrai they ducked behind their car and shot at them. He quickly moved back inside the doorway, somehow narrowly avoiding getting shot. Again. He then aimed his Desert Eagle and fired off a round, seconds later one of the men dropped, he quickly moved out of their line of fire so he wouldnâ€™t get hit.<br/><br/><br/>If they were just dealing with the men outside it would be fine, but they had Levi to take into consideration. He looked to Ivan, knowing the Russian was not enjoying this situation any more than he was. What the hell have they gotten into this time? â€œWe areâ€¦ more than likely going to have to fight our way through.â€ He growled lowly. If it came down to it he was more than ready to just go in guns blazing. He was sure that Ivan knew this better than anyone. That protectiveness was coming back to him a lot quicker than he wanted it to, though as always he was keeping professional about the situation. He couldnâ€™t afford not to. It really was like dÃ©jÃ  vu; he had the same professional air about him like the first time he had rescued Shizu. â€œDo whatever is necessary to keep Shizu safe.â€ He paused, and, realizing he was being obvious again, added, â€œI do not think I need to tell you twice.â€<br/><br/>Well, it wasnâ€™t necessarily him being obvious. It was more like Ivan always knew what he was going to say before he said it in these types of situations. But even then he felt like he needed reassurance. Perhaps, in a way, he was nervous.<br/><br/><br/>------------------------------<br/><br/>Levi stood there in one of the empty, horrible smelling rooms with his back pressed against the wall, hands shaking, trying to calm down. Adrenaline was still coursing through his veins; his pulse was racing at what seemed to be a million miles. He was pissed that he made the decision to retreat into the room but it was better than losing his life. Perhaps he had been a little too careless coming in here by himself, he should have known better. Thatâ€™s what he gets for letting his confidence get the best of him. He was not expecting to have Azrai show up so soon and with some company as well. If only Azrai had been aloneâ€¦ those words kept repeating in his mind over and over. In a way, as much as he hated to admit it, it was better this way, this gave him the opportunity to go back and actually form a plan and get what he wanted.<br/><br/>He was thankful for whoever had been there to distract Azrai and his partner, though he did have a word for that moron for deciding to stay behind. It was almost a miracle that he had managed to get out of that alive. If it werenâ€™t for those two things he was sure he would have been a dead man. He this was whatever higher being was out there giving him a second chance, though he was disappointed that he had not been able to blow Azraiâ€™s face off. He would be sure not to fuck it up. Second chances only come a few times in a life time, it just so happens that he was not always someone who was given a second chance. Usually, he just takes what he has and is satisfied, he lived on the edge a little, in the end he was always someone who got what he wanted.<br/><br/>â€œWhy doesnâ€™t it surprise me you didnâ€™t head back?â€ He spoke suddenly, holstering his gun. He contemplated mentioning that he was loyal as hell but bad at taking orders at the same time but decided to let it go. Right now he had bigger fish to fry. Like those other people who had appeared. He wondered if they were more reinforcements. â€œMore importantly,â€ he continued, looking his partner in the eye with a mildly displeased yet curious gaze. He groaned inwardly at the thought of having competition. He really didnâ€™t need this shit right now. â€œWho the fuck are these assholes who crashed our party? Did you call for some reinforcements?â€ He was certain that they did not belong to him, unless his partner had actually called in the reinforcements himself. Even then he was sure that they would not have gotten there as fast as they had.<br/><br/>He wondered briefly if he had been followed.<br/><br/>He doubted that, as he was usually careful to make sure that he was not followed. But that could be a possibility especially since he had drove like a maniac just to get here. These people would most likely need to be dealt with as well, if they were not on his side. Levi was a man who liked to take risks, stopping at nothing to get what he wanted, but he did have his moments where rational thought clicked in his mind. What if someone had followed him here? Surely someone would have taken notice to the mess he left in the mansion by now as well. He didnâ€™t want to be face to face with some of the people who worked for Dean. The guy might have been a pig, but the men who worked for him were some scary motherfuckers. Well, whoever these people were he needed to deal with them.<br/><br/>â€œWe grab the woman first, and then we deal with the others. Weâ€™ll kill every last fucker here if we have to.â€ Levi said with a malicious grin. â€œWe will move as soon as I give the signal.â€ From the looks of things, Azrai was busy taking care of the people outside but his partner seemed to be focused more on the girl. He had to think this through carefullyâ€¦ There had to be a way for him to make his move without any sort of trouble but he was having a hard time coming up with a plan. He was cornered, and that only made things worse. Normally he was not someone who would take a risk in this sort of situation, where everything seemed to be going wrong, but he hoped to catch them off guard. â€œNow!â€ He said suddenly. â€œGrab the woman, Iâ€™ll cover you and deal with the other two.â€