Nemesis, Vol. 4

Unclear Targets

Momo was still quite far from the 3rd Division's current location, but drew closer to them from her campsite. Now, she met up with her back up, the one simply known as a rook.

"You think you can take them?" Momo asked. 

The man just across from her stood at seven feet at the very least and appeared to have weighed just over three hundred pounds. In other words, he literally looked like a giant snowman. His entire suit was white as well, which gave good camouflage to blend in with the snow.

"Yes."

Not a drop of emotion was present within the abominable snowman's voice.

"Good. We'll go in when they find him. After all, they aren't our target. Our target is Rollan." Momo said.

"Am I allowed to kill the others then?"

"I don't care as long as we kill Rollan you can kill all of them if you want... Let's just keep an eye on them for now."

The 3rd division began to spread out, all looking for the very elusive man of the hour. Anastasia shot through the reserve, looking around as she ran through the snow for possible clues of her father's whereabouts on the reserve. Susan, on the other hand, decided to take the high ground and pan from there, looking for any signs of life.

"You find anything over there?" Susan said through an earpiece.

"No, not yet. I'll try to use my kyo to cover more ground." Sebastian delayed.

"Same here." Zevi delayed.

"I got something here..." Anastasia delayed. 

Anastasia was standing in front of a damaged home and tired from running. She spotted a recently put out fire with a teapot, along with a chair beside the teapot, on the ground next to it as the door remained open to the home.

"He was here..." Anastasia thought. 

Anastasia then gets closer to the teapot. The smoke was still in the air from the recently put out fire as Anastasia touched the teapot.

"Still hot..." Anastasia said. 

What Anastasia didn't know is that she was being watched from the exterior of the house she just stepped in. Momo was anything but a terrible hunter, and she did use the bait quite well. 

Momo activated her Gan from the rooftop across the building Anastasia walked into, as she no longer could see what was happening from the outside, but with the Gan technique she could. She closed her eyes and was able to see a spot yellow within the darkness.

One person... I can't be certain though... a man like Rollan could easily stay hidden from even my Gan technique..., Momo thought.

"I know you're here..." Anastasia said as she stood up within the quiet and cold abandoned home. She knew that this was the only way to track her father, through his messy table manners.

"Why did you come back..." Rollan asked.

Rollan stepped from the darkness within the home and revealed himself to his daughter. He still had tea drenched within his beard as his breath clouded the air.

"We're here to get you out..." Anastasia replied.

Anastasia knew that this wasn't over until her father was back within Kashitama, and as much as she wanted to give her father a proper greeting with a hug, now was not the time.

"We? You brought people here even after I told you not to?"

Rollan didn't want anyone else involved in his problems, he felt that was too selfish to ask for help when that could easily cost the life of someone who never was involved in the first place.

"I'm working with Agent Wells now, and he said he can get you a job at the IJA." Anastasia replied. 

Her words didn't really matter much to Rollan though, who was still worried about the safety of his daughter rather than a promise that could easily be wiped from existence with one motion.

"Were you followed?" Rollan asked.

"What? That doesn't matter..." Anastasia replied, hoping he saw the hopeful vision she had.

"What? You don't know do you?"

"No, I figured if we get you out of here, they wouldn't stand a chance."

He was still avoiding the hope she had, and his caution was too prepared for the worst case scenario to spring up at any moment.

"Arrogance killed your mother, and almost me, it isn't smart to be arrogant Ana..." Rollan said.

What is he talking for, we need to get out of here and now..., Anastasia thought, then said, "We need to leave, Father."

"I can't remember the last time you called me that..." Rollan said.

Rollan always thought his daughter resented him for allowing the terrible things to occur to their family, but with her calling him that, he began to think differently. Is there still some love left within her cold surface?

"We don't have time for this..." Anastasia said. 

As soon as the calm came, it left. Something bursts from the floorboards and startles the father and daughter reunion. 

"What the?!" Anastasia said in shock.

Rollan didn't hesitate to act during surprise, he grabbed Anastasia swiftly which surprised her just as much as the initial explosion.

"What are you doing?!" Anastasia shouted at her father as he began to pull her away.

"It's not safe here." Rollan said.

Rollan immediately tossed Anastasia out of the building from the same way she entered. 

He then gazes upon the dark crater that sat within the center of this empty room, the uninvited guests suddenly got stage fright for some reason.

"You can come out now..." Rollan said. 

But to his surprise no reply from the gaping hole, just silence.

"I sensed you from outside earlier." Rollan said. 

That was enough confirmation that hiding any longer was pointless. Momo then leaps out of the hole.

"I'm surprised you hid your presence that much, sad that your daughter couldn't do the same." Momo said.

"I'm guessing Saijo sent you here..." Rollan said. 

Rollan kept his defense up even though he seemed as calm as a still lake. Anastasia, on the other hand, dug herself out from the snow after being tossed out of the building.

"Dammit... Why did he do that?" Anastasia said. 

Then suddenly the Rook assassin plummets right in front of her, creating a large bloom of snow erupt from the ground.

Dammit... He's cutting me off from helping father..., Anastasia thought.

His presence didn't surprise her, merely the fact that he remained stiff like a wall, possibly in preparation to  deflect whatever advances came by. 

Rollan sees Ana being cornered by the rook assassin from the doorway that he mostly covered. He couldn't help but feel cornered and stuck, he would go help his daughter if it didn't cost it his life currently.

"Dammit... Was she your target?" Rollan said.

"No Rollan, I'm here to kill you." Momo said.