What a scary dark place the city could be. The cones of light, radiated from the headlights of cars and lamps were neither numerous, nor bright enough to deprive it of this darkness, and the air was thick, laying on the world like a cover that drowns out all the sounds. Yet, people in the shadowy streets seemed not to pay heed to that, and nobody cared much about the darkness, the thin crescent moon above the streets, or a thin figure that made its way through those streets towards a tall apartment complex.<br/><br/>Before the door, a pair of keys clinked in a bony white hand, being stuck into the door, and twisted to unlock it. It made a silent creaking sound upon opening and letting the boy in, and the same sound as it closed after him. The empty corridor created loud echoes from the sound of his footsteps, the clinking of keys, even his breath and the elevator that made its way down seemed loud. Compared to that, the opening of the automatic doors was like a scream. He appeared to ignore that completely, pinching and rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he walked in with a sigh.<br/><br/>The mirror in the lift. His old acquaintance. It showed him so clearly in the pale light that was inside... A mess of a hair shadowing dark eyes. Ghostly face, sinking in and giving out the appearance of someone who last ate and slept a week ago. That actually wasn't too inaccurate, as today, his meal consisted mainly of a few (plastic) cups of coffee and a hot-dog, and he slept in the bus on his way home. Definitely not too inaccurate. A sigh escaped him again as he raked through his hair, noticing a thin scratch on one of his cheekbones. Strange, he didn't remember that... Well, no matter. It wasn't the first time.<br/><br/>The elevator stopped on one of the highest floors, and Toshi, still looking like a ghost, exited it, followed by the sound of his shoes, brushing against the floor. He got to a very ordinary-looking door, and hardly even looking at the door, he stuck the keys in and unlocked it. It noiselessly opened, and let him into the interior of a dark apartment. He hung his coat on a hanger in the hallway, together with the black katana which he unbuckled from his chest, and put right next to it, as silently as he could. It was already over midnight, and he wasn't willing to wake anyone up.<br/><br/>Despite the difficulties walking quietly with a pair of steel-tipped shoes made, eventually he came into the kitchen, filling the kettle with water and opening the jar with instant coffee. One, two, three spoons into a large cup made a calming sound, like grains of sand. His eyes reflected the sight, appearing hollow and empty under the shadows of his eyes. He should most likely get a good night's sleep instead of a fifth cup of coffee...<br/><br/>The water boiled, and steam arose from it as he poured it into the cup. The smell of coffee was heavenly to him, every time just like if he came in contact with it for the first time. A slight smile appeared on his pale face as he picked the cup up, ready to drink from just a few seconds after pouring hot water in. He didn't wince as he put his hands on the hot surface, but what made him flinch was a somewhat different sensation. He felt someone watching him. The feeling of someone staring at his back was unnerving to the point where he almost dropped the cup onto the floor, and the smile disappeared, replaced by a disturbed grimace. He slowly turned around to face whichever of the three he lived with was there.<br/><br/>Even after two years, Toshi was still unnerved by them, appearing behind his back like that.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">______________________________________________________________________________________</div><br/><br/>Somewhere else, it was a different story. The large office in which the woman sat was bathed in golden sunlight of a late afternoon. It gave the black leather of the chair she sat in an interesting appearance, just like it did to her chestnut-colored hair, falling onto her shoulders in soft waves. She put the letter she just received down onto the desk with a slow, careful move, and one of her white hands reached after the phone, placed near. Turning in the chair around, she dialed a number, and put the phone by her ear, waiting for a reply.<br/><br/>The person on the other end picked it up. Very well...<br/><br/>"Kyris." her voice carried through the air like silk, without any emotions. It was calm and collected, a perfect sound for sure. "I request you return as soon as possible due to an emergency task. Transport has been secured for you. Do not waste any time. Everything will be explained to you back inside the facility." she explained in a very official tone, assured that her orders would be kept. After all, she trained the girl well since she was 3... Kyris would listen, or suffer the painful consequences.<br/><br/>Not like that idiot, who couldn't train his dog well enough to make him listen, and had to put him down afterwards. That dog was now off the chain... Who knows what mess it could make was it left like that.