She wasn't really sure as to what made her stay here. She should've had Elias tell her to meet whoever was going to get her at another spot. She was pretty good with directions and she could withstand the cold a little longer but she still stayed within the comforts of the building. One thing that kept her rooted in the longue was the fact that she wasn't sure if she was still safe. If she stayed inside the building then she would be able to hear if anyone entered. She wasn't out in the open either but maybe she would have had better luck if she left. Maybe there were more men coming here. She checked the clip in the gun that she had taken, she had one bullet left and she really didn't feel like searching the other bodies. So, she simply sat on one of the chairs in the longue, waiting.<br/><br/>She stared at the floor, trying to ignore the fact that she had killed once more. When she had left Israel, she had told herself that she would never have to kill again. That she would never have to use her Oni side again, but look at where those thoughts had gotten her. She let out a heavy breathe as she ran her hands over her face, cradling her head. She needed to figure out what exactly had happened to her. Everything seemed to be in a blur, she still didn't know how long she had been gone. Maybe if she thought about it long enough, then things would start to come back to her. Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms over her chest trying to think of the night that she had been taken.<br/><br/>She sat there for a long time, trying to think of something. All she could think about was how she wanted to leave; this all brought back memories that were familiar to her. She ignored the awful stench that permeated her senses, her mind lost in thought. Thinking back to the night of her capture, she had just got off of work, pulling a double shift that day. She had dealt with the usual customers and overall, the shift had been easy enough. She was heading home on her usual route, noting that it was awfully quiet that night. She hadn't noticed anything strange until she was a block away from her house. Not too far off behind her, there was a man who had been following her since she left the cafe. He had been a customer she was sure of it, he had been sitting in the booth next to bar, drinking coffee. Overall, he was not someone that she had paid much attention to though now he was following her.<br/><br/>Casually, she looked down into her bag, searching for her gun, but she realized she had left it on her nightstand the night before. Trying not to act suspicious, she had pulled out her phone, acting like she was checking a few messages. She had been close to her home and she didn't want the man to know where she lived so she walked past her apartment complex, looking for somewhere else to go. She didnâ€™t want the man to follow her to Elias or Lucian's place, so she figured she would make a huge circle back to the grocery store then have someone come walk her home. As she rounded the corner, she could hear footsteps jogging up towards her. She felt fear course through her and she immediately took off away from the man. That was when she had made her mistake.<br/><br/>As she ran down the sidewalk, she was caught off guard by arms the grabbed her from the alley. She let out a surprised noise as she was pulled into the alley. She fought against the male, shoving him off of her. She was prepared to kill when the thought hit her, she couldn't do that. She had promised herself to ignore the fact that she was Oni and to live a normal human life. Besides, people would go into a panic if they saw what she could do. So instead, she would have to try to knock them unconscious, which would be difficult since she could barely manage her own strength. She moved to head back out of the alley, knocking aside one of the men though he grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her back towards him. She stumbled backwards, her head hitting the ground and she swore she could see stars. Then there was that foul rag that came over her nose and mouth, knocking her out after a few moments of struggling.<br/><br/>Blinking slightly, her gaze flickered over to the dead bodies, wondering if it had been them who captured her. The few memories she had chilled her and she almost felt sick. The fact that she had woken up nude haunted her, even if they had done nothing to her, she still felt paranoid. It had happened before, so it could happen again. She let out a short breath, feeling panicked. She breathed heavily, her breaths coming out as puffs in the frigid air. She held herself in her arms, telling herself that she wouldn't cry. She would be strong; she couldn't let this affect her. However, the idea was already tainting her mind and it fueled the anxiety that was growing in her chest. It was like she was practically reliving her time in the Tsukino Compound but the conditions here were worse. She didn't know what happened to her and that terrified her to no end. Biting her lower lip, she was close to losing it but she had to convince herself that she shouldn't.<br/><br/><br/>She flinched when she heard footsteps creep slowly across the floor. She listened for a while, wondering if another person had shown up or was it the people that Elias had sent. She felt her hand reach for the gun in her lap, gripping it tightly and she slowly stood up. She was prepared to kill once more, if that meant that she was going to get out of this hell hole. Taking a few steps away from the opening of the door, she froze at the voice. It was certainly not a voice she recognized and she wondered if Elias had sent someone. Raising the gun up as the man entered the area, she glared at him long and hard, unsure if he was an enemy. He continued to creep closer to her and she slowly backed up, his intentions were unclear. Had this really been the person that Elias sent? Maybe he should question him, which sounded like a good plan. If he knew Elias, she would go with him and if not, she would plant a bullet in the poor fucker's head.<br/><br/>She cocked back the hammer of the gun as he extended his hand towards her, a low growl leaving her. He gave off a vibe that she didn't feel comfortable with. There was honestly no way that he was an ally, especially with the way he talked to her or how cautious he was. She was prepared to shot him when he was tackled to the ground. There were more people here? How had she not noticed? She had been too preoccupied with keeping an eye on the stranger that she hadn't sensed anyone else. Was this her back-up? She glanced as another person appeared and the color in her face drained. It was Ivan and she almost didn't want to look down to see who had tackled the other man. It was Azrai. Shizu felt like she was about to pass out.<br/><br/>Out of all the people who Elias could have contacted, it had to be the two of them. She was grateful that they came to her rescue but this wasn't how she had wanted to see them again, especially not Azrai. She felt tears fill her eyes as became disgusted with herself once more. She was supposed to show him that she was living a happy life and that she was a strong woman. Yet, here he was, coming to rescue her again from practically the same situation she was in nearly half a year ago. Biting her lower lip, she lowered her gun and tried to remain strong in this situation but how could she? She wasn't really injured but mentally, she had been damaged. The fact that she had to see either of them right now only pushed her closer to having a breakdown.<br/><br/>Their meeting wasn't supposed to happen like this.<br/><br/>---------------------<br/><br/>Ivan knew that this was the moment that Azrai had been waiting for, hell; it had been the moment they were all waiting for. Shizu had been found and she was alive, the condition that she was in was unknown, but she was alive. The Russian had grabbed his SIG and a few extra clips. It was better than to be safe than sorry when it came to rescue missions. Who knew how many people Shizu had taken down but the fact that they didn't know how many more there were, put him on edge. Ivan had done these kinds of missions far too many times and still he was overly cautious when came to infiltration of any building. Especially with the assholes who decided to take Shizu away, back in Israel he remembered the enemy being heavily armed. So why not take the extra clips.<br/><br/>Both he and Azrai had become better marksmen since the war in Israel, the fact that they had lost so many really drove Ivan to becoming better at his job. The fact that he had been close to losing his closest friend was another driving force, he could never allow anything like that to happen again. Ivan knew that Azrai still cared about Shizu though he kept his mouth shut about it all. He knew better than to even think about getting information about of Azrai when it came to her, especially since it seemed he wanted to cut ties with that attachment. However, fate and God did not seem to want him to forget about her, or anyone else for that matter. Seeing how she had been taken so easily really caused him worry, he knew that Elias was good at monitoring people and the fact that he lived a few blocks away from Shizu meant that he was constantly near her. Ivan knew that Elias had weekly luncheons with her and knew that he saw her at least four days out of the week, so the fact that she still managed to be taken away truly bothered him.<br/><br/>For a while, Zachariah had been against the idea of sending Azrai out of the country again. Ivan had to reassure him that it would be fine and that Ivan truly would need Azrai on this mission. There was also the fact that Azrai had blown up on Ivan and that showed how much he still cared. Ivan had honestly been surprised though a part of him knew he still cared. Still, it took a lot to make Azrai tick and even more to make him explode, Ivan had hated that conversation but it could have been worse. He felt bad for Elias as well, who had never liked dealing with Azrai when he was upset. Ivan was just glad that Azrai had gone a bit easy on chewing Elias out. Ivan was used to getting bitched at from time to time so that was why he could say that the conversation had gone rather smoothly. Still, Ivan hoped that Azrai wouldn't do anything too stupid this time around, though when it came to Shizu, no one could be sure.<br/><br/>The weather here wasn't as bad as Azrai made it seem, the drama queen. Then again, Ivan had grown up in the unforgiving Russian winters, so to see Azrai bundled up like he was about to become a snowman made him smirk. Not like this was the time to point it out, things were getting serious now. Ivan let out a sigh as he hardly flinched in this weather, though it was a tad bit chilly. Living in Israel for several years had caused him to get used to the heat but he wasnâ€™t about to let this chill bother him. Hopping into the car, Ivan took off through the city, speeding slightly. He was used to driving fast when it came to finding people, so he was better suited for the drive. As soon as they made it out of the city's limit, he pressed down on the gas pedal, heading towards the location that Elias and sent him. He set his phone on top of the arm rest, keeping his eyes open for anything that would hinder their pace.<br/><br/>He was quiet most of the drive, not really used to having someone else join him for this kind of mission. Ivan typically liked to handle these cases with only one person relaying information to him and he being the only one on the field. He wasn't sure if he should give any kind of order to Azrai on how to go about things when they reached location. Hopefully, it would be a quick then out kind of deal but lately, things had not been going their way. He briefly glanced over at Azrai as he spoke, nodding his head slowly. It really didn't surprise him that Azrai wanted to help keep her safe. Despite all that had happened months prior, Azrai had done his best to keep her safe and he did a damned good job at it, even with the severe injuries that he obtained.<br/><br/>Taking a hand off the steering wheel, Ivan pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes, they had discussed this many times prior to the phone call and prior to even coming to Canada. No one really wanted to go down the same road that they had gone in Japan and Israel, so he was still skeptical with letting Azrai help out. Yet, Shizu had been taken under someone else's watch and that was one of the reasons why Azrai would want to help, despite being attached. Ivan had always casually answered Azrai's mention at being involved but now was the time to formulate a solid answer. "It would be best...if you were involved with protecting her," Ivan stated in a slow manner. "Once we get her, we will have to see where to go from there." Ivan was thinking of taking her back to Israel with them, that way she would have better protection, but that place wasn't safe for her either. Hell anywhere was probably not safe for her. If only people didn't lust after the power that she symbolized then she would be a free woman.<br/><br/>Arriving at the location, Ivan fell into a more professional mood. He scanned the area, knowing that on missions like these it was dangerous to not be careful. A few times he had gone in and fallen into an ambush but that was when he had still been wet behind the ears. Parking the car and shutting it off, he slowly exited the car, his hand reaching for his SIG. "She should still be here," Ivan murmured knowing that he was right. If she had told Elias she needed to be picked up then she would definitely be here. Looking behind them, he could see tire tracks in the snow, going this way and that. It seemed like someone had left prior to their arrival and some even went around back. Were there still more people here? A frown touched his lips as he, too, noticed someone slip inside the building.<br/><br/>Before he could say anything to Azrai, the man was already going after the figure. He let out a foul curse as he followed after Azrai, covering him from behind. If there was one man then surely there had to be another around here somewhere. Going into the building, Ivan knew this scene as he had seen it many times before; a shanty building to lock away victims in order to sell them in the underground markets as slaves. His jaw tightened as he thought of Shizu being sold at one of the auctions. It made sense why someone would kidnap her now. She was one of the more exotic looking women walking around the streets of Toronto. Although she hardly brought attention to herself, working at a cafe brought in many different types of people. Surely, someone had been interested in her looks.<br/><br/>He was creeping along quietly until he heard a commotion from down the hall. He picked up his pace, boots pounding down on the floor beneath. Every opening that he passed, he held up his gun, ready to shoot down anything that moved. When it was clear, he rounded the corner seeing Azrai holding down someone and Shizu standing there shocked. She looked like shit and Ivan wondered what they had done to her, on second thought, he'd rather not. He could already feel his blood boil at the sight of her. She was covered in filth and blood, which he assumed was not hers, considering the bodies that littered the ground. There was nasty bruised on her forehead, blood trickled down her nose and her lip was split. She was wearing clothing that was far too big for her, which led him to believe that she had none when she escaped. Ivan gripped the gun in his hand tightly, the rage in him steaming. This was why he did what he did, in order to save women from this life; they deserved something more than being treated like toys.<br/><br/>When she looked over at him, the color in her face was gone like she was slowly figuring who they were. Ivan could see that she was struggling with the disgust she had for herself but they needed to leave. "Azrai, finish him off. I don't like the feeling I'm getting from here," Ivan called out while motioning for Shizu to come closer to him. She was reluctant to move at first but she immediately moved around the scuffling men towards him. He offered her a slight smile but she didnâ€™t respond to his kind gesture. He wondered if Elias had mentioned who exactly was coming to get her; from the looks of it she had not been informed. Shrugging off his jacket, he offered it to her and she took it after staring at him for a moment.<br/><br/>He was about to lead her to the car when he could hear the sound of a car door shutting outside. He held out his arm, telling Shizu to stop. From the sounds of it, they had some company and Ivan let out a heavy breath. "Shit," he muttered as he heard footsteps coming from down the hall. "We've got company," Ivan called to Azrai. More than likely some form of back-up for whoever had been trying to take Shizu away. He peered over from around the edge of the wall, only to see a gun being pointed at him a little further down the hall. The shot was fired and Ivan moved out of the line of fire. Cocking the hammer in his SIG, he glanced at Shizu. "Stay close, alright," he said and she nodded in compliance.<br/><br/>"We need to get out of here, Azrai. Who knows if there are more of them?"<br/><br/>As confident as he was in their abilities, he still didn't like the odds of a group against the three of them. Shizu seemed to be in a state of shock right now, so she wouldn't be of any use, especially with the way that gun was trembling in her hands. She reminded him of how his normal victims looked when he rescued them, which was not a good thing. Even though he would put his life in Azraiâ€™s hands, he knew how pissed off he was and that could lead to unfortunate events as well.<br/><br/>------------<br/><br/>He liked Levi; he was a good man to work with. That meaning that he didnâ€™t put up with any form of bullshit which was something that he liked. Then again, the man seemed to be a bit too overconfident. He had seen the women escape, leaving the red eyed woman behind. It was obvious that she had been the one to get them out yet she didn't leave. That had been strange. If it wasn't for his loyalty to Levi he would not have done this job. He absolutely hated watching people; he preferred being in the midst of action more than anything. After meeting up with Levi, he was told to go back to the hideout but something told him to stay behind. Levi usually became a little too careless when it came to obtaining things that he desired, he almost felt bad for the woman that he was after. Especially since he knew some of what Levi was planning on doing with her.<br/><br/>He pretended to leave as Levi made his way into the building, though he parked in the woods, in a small alcove. He waited for a while, there was a reason that the woman had yet to leave and he was sure it was because she was waiting for someone. After a few minutes, he looked through the trees to see another car pull up, one that he had yet to see at this location. Pulling out his Glock, he was ready to attack though he stopped when he realized that both of the other men were loaded. So, this was that woman's back-up, huh? He cursed knowing that he should've brought along a few other people with him. Then again, he didn't think that the woman would be able to over throw the men inside. He sat in the seat, trying to figure out what he was going to do. If anything, he would have to go in there and cause some sort of ruckus while getting Levi out of there.<br/><br/>He waited for a few minutes as he had yet to hear any sort of gunshot and that concerned him. If they caught Levi then they were probably going to try and interrogate him, torture him maybe. Hopping out of his car, he slammed the door shut. He would have preferred to have been quieter about this but he needed the men to be distracted. Heading into the building he made sure to make a bit of noise, if he heard a gunshot he was sure that would be the sound of Levi's death. He could hear someone talking and he crouched down behind a pile of boxes. Aiming his gun, he waited for someone to appear around the corner and he shot when he saw the man move.<br/><br/>He would slowly work his way closer before he would attack him. He had to worry about the other man in the woman as well. He certainly didn't like the cards that were handed to him but he was a gambler, the risk was worth the thrill. He quickly darted into a room adjacent from his current hiding spot, if he could continue to get closer. He could pick off one f the men and then the other before knocking out the woman. He wasn't fully knowledgeable as to why Levi wanted this woman so bad but he would be sure to deliver her to him in the end. He would fulfill his duty.