Seat Number Zero

Part 32

"I'm going to go find the other Aldini." Yumi teetered down and picked up the wooden guillotine by its polished handle. She gave it a good look of contempt before handing it over to Megumi. Megumi yelped, surprised to suddenly be handed a dangerous item,

"I'll have to trouble you again." Yumi laughed with a wink. "Take care of it for me, okay?"

"Wait Yumi!" She exclaims as her hands shook. While holding it with a clueless look on her face.

"Bye, I'll meet up with you guys later." She waved and left the arena.

Once she had speedwalked a good distance out of there she slowed down her pace and looked around. She let out a sigh. She looked up and stared at the ceiling that are meters off the ground. This establishment is just too much, where would she even begin her search? She rubbed her fingers against her temple, groaning in frustration.

"That noir..." She stopped in her tracks, thinking back to the bartender that is Takumi's opponent. "One of Asahi's..."

'You can't taste anything can you?' His words echoed through her mind.

She frowned and shot the idea down immediately, shaking her head. "I'd rather drive a sword through my gut."

"Guess I'll solve this the only way I know how." Yumi reaches into her hood and takes out her mask, along with a short brown wig. After a bit of consideration, she took the wig and tossed it aside.

The mask is white in color; the eyes are blacked out only revealing two tiny holes and a gold outline right below the eyeline. Yumi glanced down and over the detail on the mask as she wiped off the spec of dust and dirt off the surface. She sighs at the blank spaces where the gold eyeliner flaked off. It's a pretty mask she randomly bought at an arcade and it had its fair share of discoloration; the plastic mask meant for costumes slowly grew on her through the years she wore it. It even became part of her noir persona.

"Maybe I should retire you for good," She slides the mask onto her face and heads in a different direction. "After this event, of course."

**********

"Isami?" Yumi knocked once on the door as a muffled scream answered. On the floor around her were a couple men in black suits, as well as others that didn't. They were already fighting when she got there and since she was too lazy to stop them for a conversation she just beat them all up.

"I don't know what you said but clear the way please." Yumi swung her leg and kicked the door.

...

She tilted her head when nothing significant happened. "You know? I really thought that would work." She scrummages through the disorganized straps surrounding her, pulling out various metal sticks and picks, a lock picking kit. "Plan B it is." She spent a hot minute picking at the single lock and opened it to reveal the person she was looking for.

Isami struggled to lift his head to look up, he squinted at the brightness of the light before making a series of muffled noises.

"Geez, I get tying him up and all but is the gag really necessary? I have no idea what you are saying." Yumi frowned, sticking the picks into a random pocket in exchange brought out a jagged knife. She knelt down and tugged at the rope around his arm. "Stay still, I would rather not injure you after spending so much time finding you."

"Thanks," Isami said as soon as he pulled the gag out of his mouth and shook off the rest of the rope. "Uhh... "

"Oh." Yumi blinked and took off her mask, revealing her identity to him. "Long time no see."

"Yumi?"

She nods in response. "How did you get caught?" She stepped out of the dark room and back into the hallway