FIFTH CHAPTER

:SHINIGAMI has entered the chat:

Epyon says: Hi there, Shinigami.

Shinigami says: hello

Epyon says: And to what do you owe the reason for such a dark nick?

Shinigami says: know what it means?

Epyons says: Of course. It means "god of death"

Shinigami says: impressive. I guess I just liked the way it sounds

Epyon says: really? It's got nothing to do with your hidden personality?

:TALLGEESE has entered the chat:

Tallgeese says: Who u talking 2?

Shinigami says: I am the lord of death!

Epyon says: Yup, it's him alright, tallgeese

Tallgeese says: Oh really? Well, nice to finally meet the hacking-wonder

Shinigami says: the what?

Epyon says: So, how's N.Y.? I bet you like it. It's big and an excellent hiding place. How could Winner know that his very prey is just underneath his nose, right?

:SHINIGAMI has left the chat:

Tallgeese says: bravo, u scared him.

Epyon says: Don't worry, he won't go far without me knowing

Tallgeese says: u think u're so special

Epyons says: the little fucker sent me a virus! Talk to you later

Tallgeese says: K.

XXX XXX XXX

"So, where to next?"

"I was thinking maybe South"

Aboard Wufei's new, black Hummer (1), the protesting Heero stared glumly through the window. He hated constant travel, as it was always so boring spending endless hours on a seemingly eternal road. He had never told Wufei, but the idea of retiring wasn't really that farfetched as of late.

"But why South?"

"On account of the weather," stated Wufei happily and turning the radio on. Winter was just around the corner and Wufei wasn't really a fanatic of it.

"So… we're going… where?"

"I was thinking maybe L.A."

Heero resigned himself to crossing his arms and reclining on his seat. It was going to be a hell of a long journey. Wufei didn't fail to notice this gesture.

"You could at least try to pretend you like the idea" he remarked.

"You know I don't like to travel… at least not like this" Heero answered after a little while.

"I've told you at least a thousand times that we can't travel any other way"

Heero rolled his eyes in reply. He knew that the only reason they wouldn't travel by plane, despite all Wufei's excuses of safety measures, was that he just plain hated airplanes and got sick as soon as the stewardess welcomed them and thanked them for choosing their airline (2). That only made things complicated whenever they had to go overseas.

"Don't you think we'll be wasting a lot of time in this little trip of yours?"

"Quite the contrary," Wufei seemed to be exited about something. His expressions didn't show it, but someone as observant as Heero could note the slight chance in his voice. Knowing him for as long as he did was also helpful, as the Chinese man was usually an impenetrable wall. "We don't have a lead on this hacker's current location, except that he's staying in the U.S.A. according to J. He also gave you some names, didn't he?"

"Not exactly. He gave me some aliases and some general facts, but nothing big. According to J, there are 5 big shots in this business good enough to pull such a job, but they're good in hiding as well."

"Well then, you'll have plenty of time to investigate on that now, without any distractions the big city might offer…" Wufei made an awkward pause. He wasn't really sure he should mention the guy in black again or not. Heero didn't seem to react to this, so he just went on. "It's just you, me, your laptop and many miles of road."

Heero could only sigh in reply this time.

XXX XXX XXX

Duo Maxwell closed his laptop. A small click filled the otherwise silent room. All right then, so a guy wasn't allowed to have a bit of distraction, big deal! Being all alone in such a big city was boring, especially at night. He wasn't afraid of going out, he could very well take care of himself. What concerned him the most was getting lost.

He sighed in defeat. Fine! If he wasn't allowed to have fun on the net, he'd just have to sit it out until the next morning and try to have some sleep.

Although… the fact that someone knew about him was disturbing. At first, he thought whomever he'd been talking to was just bluffing, with all his hacking-wonder shit. After they mentioned Winner, though, Duo began to worry. He only had one option left after that and it was sending one of them a virus and then get out, cutting all chances of being further tracked. So far, those people knew he was staying at N.Y., but he was certain that if they had known his exact location, he wouldn't be there anymore. With a reward the size Winner Co. was offering, no one would waste time.

He approached the bathroom mirror of his cheap motel room. It was dirty at the edges, but that didn't quite matter to him. His long braid was still tightly made, his eyes were just a bit red around the very shiny violet of his irises, and his skin was pale. Maybe he ought to go out more often while there was still sunlight.

Deciding that there was nothing he could, or wanted for that matter, to do with his outer appearance, he made his way towards his bed and flopped on top without bothering to get undressed. The hacker merely kicked off his boots and threw one disdainful look towards his laptop, still thinking about what had just happened.

Turning his face the other side, he stared into the wall's blackness. N.Y. had just become another dangerous city and he couldn't afford any mistakes from now on. True, he tended to be a bit careless when it came to his hacking abilities, but he was skillful enough to get off trouble easily. Now it would be no different, as he had to make a move fast, relying entirely on his devil's luck.

"Hn… L.A. sound good" he muttered into the pillow as he remembered a commercial about the place he'd seen earlier on T.V. "I've always wanted to visit that place… they say it's got perpetual summer…" and with that last thought, he dozed off.

XXX XXX XXX

A/N: Ok, I admit that was a short, crappy chapter. I actually sort of just made it to let you guys know I'm still here. Also, there was this part of the story I just couldn't quite figure out how to write… I guess insomnia helps as it's nearly 3 in the morning and I still feel with enough energy to rival that of a sugar-high induced sprint. Oh well, here's to not being able to go out of the house at this hour. Despite my self-inflicted sabotage at the beginning of this note, I really hope you enjoy this chapter… even if not much of the story is developed here… And just let me tell you that I'm still not gone (this is living proof), and that I'll come back to this fic with full attention as soon as I finish "In sickness and in health" (anyone care to take a look at it and leave me a review at the end of chapter nine?). Right, all that said, I leave, and I hope you guys review after reading this.

(1) I don't own the company, I don't own the brand… heck! I don't even own one of those cars myself, but I love cars, and I love Hummers, and I swear that one day, when I'm rich and famous I'll own at least 20 of them… in the meantime I'll let one of my story's characters own one… it's so sad to be a poor writer.

(2) This thought amuses me a lot!