Evelyn stood in the middle of the room, the bathroom door was still open, and the hallway light was glaring.
She held the cherry blossom petal between two fingers. Her face was not a mask of rage, but one of grief and an icy, concentrated emptiness.
She knew that Rin wouldn't just run away, she knew that the only person who could have ever manipulated her had done exactly that. The fact that Rin truly ran hurt her but she kept in mind that Rin must have been manipulated.
>>"Kaito. Tokasan. Status"<<
She said softly into the small microphone on her wrist, which served as a communication device.
Two figures stepped almost simultaneously out of the darkness of the hallway and into the doorframe.
Kaito looked like a ghost, his eyes immediately scanned the open window and Tokasan stood motionless, nose tilted slightly into the wind, as if he could still taste the traitors in the air.
>>"Two people"<<
Kaito said in his rough, monotonic voice.
>>"He caught her, he knows my patterns. He's using the stone slabs to minimize the footprint, but he is heavier than she is. 1.85 meters, about 80 kilos. He is leading her."<<
Tokasan growled softly, a dangerous sound deep in her throat.
>>"He jammed the signal, Evelyn but he couldn't erase the scent of fear. They headed North. He's cautious but he's arrogant, he thinks he's superior to us."<<
Evelyn looked at the cherry blossom petal in her hand and squeezed it until it crumpled.
>>"He believes he is saving her from me"<< She whispered, adding:
>>"While in truth, he is leading her straight back into the knife we snatched her away from."<<
Evelyn turned to her two shadows, her gaze now sharper than any scalpel.
>>"Kaito, find their trail. Tokasan, cut off their path to the edge of the forest I want her back and Yoshikage..."<<
She paused, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"...bring me his head if possible, No one takes what belongs to me."<<
While they waded through the ice-cold stream water, Evelyn stood in the deserted room. She wasn't just holding the petal, she walked over to the nightstand and touched the glass of water I had just used. It was still warm from my hands.
>>"She was nervous"<<
She said softly and paused.
Kaito stood in the shadow of the door, ready to rush off, waiting for Evelyn to finish her thought.
>>"She hesitated, she didn't want to go, Kaito."<<
Kaito nodded almost imperceptibly.
>>"He put her under psychological pressure, the pattern of his steps shows dominance. He is dragging her behind him. She isn't following voluntarily, she is being hauled away."<<
Evelyn took a deep breath and looked through the window, the wind blowing her hair into her face.
>>"He's leading her to the old quarry, Kaito. There are no cameras there, no witnesses. He believes he is safe there."<<
She turned around and in her eyes burned a light that was darker than the night outside.
>>"Bring Rin back to me unharmed but Yoshikage... I want him to feel what happens when someone takes from me and puts what I treasure at risk."<<
Tokasan, already crouching outside in the garden, replied over the radio:
>>"I have the trail. He's using the stream like an amateur, he forgets that I don't just follow scent but also the echo of the water. I'll have them in sight as soon as they reach the edge of the forest."<<
Kaito then disappeared and went searching with Tokasan.
While Rin disappeared into the shadows, a different kind of silence settled over the estate. Evelyn stood in Rin's room, her fingers tracing the indentation on the pillow where the girl's head had rested moments ago. She picked up the pink petal and her face was a mask of cold, concentrated calm Kaito was meanwhile, already on the road with Tokasan
>>"Kaito. Tokasan. Status"<<
She said into her wrist comms.
Kaito appeared in the doorway again to give Evelyn report, his eyes already scanning the windowsill and the ground outside.
>>"Two people. He caught her. He knows my patterns he used the stone tiles to minimize the imprint. He's approximately 1.85 meters, 80 kilos. He is leading her."<<
Tokasan's voice crackled through the radio from the garden below.
>>"He jammed the signal, Evelyn. But he couldn't jam the scent of fear. They headed north. He's taking the stream to mask the smell. Amateur move. He thinks water will stop me."<<
Evelyn squeezed the petal in her hand.
>>"She thinks he's saving her but she doesn't realize he's leading her back to the very knife we pulled her away from..."<<
>>"Kaito bring her back, find them"<<
Evelyn commanded, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
>>"Tokasan, cut off the forest exit. I want may Rin back unharmed but Yoshikage... I want him to learn what happens when you steal from me."<<