Rogue

Chapter 2

"What is it that you brought me, Tachikawa?" Kido rubbed at his temples from all of the stress that had built up over the past week. The group of boys then separated from each other, revealing the blonde female who had willingly followed them to meet the head of operations. Kinuta immediately began grumbling at the sight of the girl thinking that the team was simply wasting their time. "And you are?"

    "It's nice to meet you. My name is Enomoto Akira, but Akira is just fine by me. I'm what your people would call a Neighbor." She pointed a nimble finger at one of her horns and grinned at the older gentlemen's widening eyes. "Seems I crash-landed within your country. Oops," she shrugged her shoulders. Meanwhile, Kido glared at her.

    "Is this a joke to you?" Akira cocked a brow at his threatening tone, not quite understanding his hostility. "Neighbors aren't welcome here." While his furrowed brows deepened, Akira looked more serene than ever. Commander Kido had taken this chance to leer at the horns on her head. They were black with a slight sheen under the dim lighting of the room. They were small, like a devil's. Definitely not from Earth.

    "Listen, Sir. I'm not here to cause any harm. I'm simply," she paused to think for a moment, "a refugee, of sorts. Little ol' me is just seeking some shelter," she clasped her hands behind her back in a cute manner but her eyes turned fierce, screaming the exact opposite, "and protection."

    "Protection from who?" The girl then looked at her nails out of boredom.

    "Doesn't matter." Kido simply stared at her. There was no way in hell that he would allow her to just stay here freely. She was a Neighbor, after all. Her eyes then shot up to his in a fierce glare while her lips curled up into a smirk. "How about I cut you a deal?" He narrowed his eyes even further if that was possible. "In exchange for residence and food, I will offer you anything you wish to know about the vast Neighborhood that Meeden has yet to discover."

    "What information could a little girl like you possibly have that we don't?" Kinuta glowered.

    "I've been to about seventy different Nations on that side if that makes a difference."

    "Seventy?!" They all shared knowing glances. They had yet to discover that many.

    "There's plenty more, too. I'd like to travel to them all before I die, if possible. But with my circumstances, it's highly unlikely." She waved her hand about, quickly moving past her comment and back to the negotiation at hand. "So, what do you say?" Commander Kido simply stared at her while the other chairmen looked at him questioningly. The room was split; half saw her as a valuable asset (easy information) and the other thought she was dangerous just for being from a different dimension. The room was filled with a thick tension that made even the teenage boys uneasy. Meanwhile, Akira just smiled.

    Kido groaned and rubbed at his scar again. Sure, she had mentioned needing protection which seemed to have flown over everyone else's heads, but she was here offering valuable information in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He knew that for the sake of his own world's safety, it wouldn't be beneficial to pass it up.

    "Fine. Your background will be demanded," he said sternly, "but at a later date. A trigger will be issued to you by Kinuta. It must be active at all times in the public eye, both in and out of Border to conceal those things on your head." Akira feigned hurt and gently grazed her horns with her fingertips. I thought they were cute... "No weapons or special access will be granted to you except for a dormitory. Tachikawa squad will monitor you at their own discretion."

    "Okay, okay!" Akira skipped toward the table to look at Commander Kido just a bit closer. "You have my word!" The Commander looked toward the chubby man, silently urging him to get her out of his sight.