“A Hunter?” Tai asked.

Valerie nodded her head, still transfixed by her looking glass. “He was trained by one of the American Chapters of the Saintly Knights of Michael.”

She frowned softly. “So not only does he possess the Mark of the Great Beast, he also belongs to the order of one of our greatest enemies. It's no wonder he is constantly haunted by dark creatures. But what is an American Hunter doing in Japan?”

“He used to belong to them,” Valerie very quickly corrected.

“He's been exiled?”

A slight frown formed across her lips. “The Order betrayed him some time ago.” She then added with a somber tone, “He has...nowhere to go.”

Tai clutched at her heart and her eyes closed in pain. “That poor boy.”

“And yet despite everything he's been through, he still persists. Coming so far as Japan to find the answers to his tragic fate.”

“To have made it this far with so many tracking him down…” Tai bit down on her lower lip, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Valerie couldn't help but chuckle at her Queen. “Do you understand now what I meant when I asked you about the definition of strength?”

She nodded, a look of heated intrigue on her face as she leaned over the President’s desk for a better view. “I do. And I think I understand why you've spent so much time in front of your looking glass as well.”

--

He’d been texting with Miya for over a week now. Which in all honesty, was several days longer than he normally would have cared to let something like this go on. Yet, he couldn’t help himself. She was such an interesting young woman, and the more he got to know her, the more he found himself being sucked right back into whatever conversation they were having, despite his repeated attempts to ignore her messages.

:: So I was thinking, if you’re interested maybe we could go back to the bar tonight??? ::

And there it was. The thing that made his stomach do a little nervous flip. Texting and hanging out on campus was one thing, but if he let this go on for much longer, he risked seriously hurting this girl. At some point, he was going to have to break this off completely. And the longer he waited to do that, the more he knew it was gonna suck.

:: Maybe not tonight. Stomach’s not doing so good. :( ::

:: Awww, well okies! ^.^ Maybe I’ll see you around campus then? ::

With a depressed sigh he responded.

:: Yeah. Catch you around. ::

He then placed his phone back in his pocket and took one last drag of his cigarette.

“You’re playing a dangerous game here, Jonny Boy,” he muttered to himself.

Jon tossed the cigarette on the curb and stubbed it out before ascending the stairs up to his college campus. Anju Academy was a decent university, for what it was worth. Small, quiet, and away from anything big enough to paint a target on his back. While it used to be a female only campus, the private university had recently opened its doors to male students as well.

Coming to Japan to seek asylum and attend school really was the best choice for Jon. Not only did he speak the language, he wouldn’t have been able to feel nearly this relaxed on an American campus. Unlike the US, Japanese universities were extremely difficult to get into, but once you were in, the atmosphere was surprisingly laid back. As luck would have it, Jon’s mixed heritage meant he qualified for a scholarship to Anju.

And the fact that it was a liberal arts campus meant he didn’t need to worry about the Church making any unwelcome visits.

Strangely enough, his sixth sense never seemed to kick in on campus. Something he wasn't entirely ungrateful for. It was nice having a place where he could at least pretend he was safe, and the energetic student population ensured his aura got lost in the crowd. All things considered, it was a decent enough hiding place while he attended his studies.

But he knew better than to believe this could ever be a permanent solution. Eventually, someone would find him again. It was only a matter of time.

“Jonathan Hyodo!!”

Jon's train of thought was interrupted by a loud voice screaming his name. A short bald twenty year old came running up to him before attempting a flying high kick to the gut. Jon easily sidestepped the attack, causing the assailant to go careening merrily into the wall behind him.

“Morning, Masu,” he calmly replied as his friend peeled himself from the brick he had smashed into.

“Cut the crap, you traitor!” Masu pointed at him accusingly after recovering from his head wound. “You totally ditched us again last night!”

“Hold on, Masu. Let's not jump to any hasty conclusions. We should give him a chance to explain his actions and plead his case.”

Jon looked behind him to see a familiar glasses-wearing male with a bowl cut. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “And a good morning to you as well, Takeshi. You two certainly seem on fire today.”

Takeshi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Jonathan Hyodo, you stand accused of severe violations to the Bro Code. Tell me, where were you the night of January 28th at 10:32 PM?”

He groaned while stuffing his hands back in his jacket. “I was with you two at the bar.”

Takeshi nodded before continuing his impeccable narration. “And were you or were you not seen leaving said bar with a smoking hot, perfect ten on your arm?”

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I might have been.”

“Mhmm.” An intense glare sheened off his glasses. “And did you not then take said beauty back to her apartment to make sweet, unbelievably passionate, love all night long?”

“Well, I wouldn't go that far. But we did end up back at her place,” Jon admitted.

“Mhmm! Mhmm!” That glare of his intensified the more riled up he got. “And since then, have you not been dodging your friends at every available opportunity to talk to this chick on campus?”

Jon coughed awkwardly and turned his head away. “Well...I wouldn’t say I was dodging ya, necessarily…”

“So the traitor confesses!” Takeshi pointed at him just as accusingly. “I have no choice but to find you guilty!”

“Ten consecutive life sentences! One for every day he’s bailed on his homies!” Masu added.

“Come on, fellas,” Jon intervened while raising his hands up defensively. “I know how this looks. But in my defense, I warned you not to let me drink too much that night. I didn't even know what I was doing.”

“This court finds your defense inadmissible! Ignorance of the party foul does not excuse it!” Takeshi replied.

“Look, if you two would see the figure this pretty thing has on her, you wouldn't blame me for taking off the way I have been,” Jon retorted.

“We have seen!” Masu responded angrily. “We see her perfectly every time you leave us in the dust!”

“Bust size forty-two D, waist twenty-eight, hips thirty-six inches,” Takeshi stated from memory.

“Now you see, that right there…” Jon pointed at Takeshi chastisingly. “...is why you got slapped the other night. I keep telling you two to tone it down a notch and quit behaving like a dog with a bone.”

“Hey, don't try to change the subject!” Takeshi shot back. “We're talking about your screw-ups here, not ours.”

“You were supposed to help us tap that perfect ass that night! Not run off with it yourself!”

Jon shook his head in disappointment. “Remind me why it is that I hang out with you two bozos?”

“Because we're the only guys on campus who speak enough English to understand that thick accent of yours,” Takeshi reminded him.

“Ah yeah, knew there had to be a reason.” He shrugged. “Look, I tell you what. To make it up to you, we can practice talking to a few ladies on campus after my class. Sound fair?”

They both looked at him warily.

“You promise to help us out this time?” Masu asked him suspiciously.

He raised his right hand in the air. “Scouts honor.”

They both looked at each other as if considering his proposition before nodding their heads.

“Fine. Consider this your community service.”