Black Feathers

Unexpected Greetings

     Once all of the makeup was washed off and the dress removed, Hana went to visit her grandfather. She couldn't wait to tell him all about the night she'd just had. From meeting the Winchesters to helping defeat a demon. With a towel over her head, the young woman ducked into her grandfather's room.

     "Hey, gramps," she started with a breathless chuckle. "You won't believe what I did tonight..." her voice died inside her throat as she finally took in the state of her grandfather's room. It was completely trashed, the window broken and wood splintered all around. One sight horrified her the most; Daichi Yamamoto was nowhere to be seen.

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     After calling the police, Hana started pacing the living room. Her hands ran through and pulled at her short hair. How could this have happened? The house was under full lock down before Hana left. The police should have been notified on the intrusion as soon as it had happened. "What do I do? What do I do?!" She whined in utter hopelessness.

     Then, Sora flew in with news. "Your grandfather is alive," he announced. "But, there is an incantation cloaking his whereabouts; I cannot find him..." the man finished sulenly. He watched as Hana breathed heavily, holding back her tears. She couldn't even imagine what could happen to her grandfather. "What am I supposed to do, Sora?" The woman breathed, her hands sliding down her face to hide the tears.

     "I can't lose him, Sora," Hana seethed. "I am going to find him and bring him back home." By now, the tears had subsided as anger replaced her sorrow. She was determined to find the kidnapper and reap justice. Wiping at her face, the young woman missed the concerned look that passed over Sora's features. "You're not going to go alone," he stated.

     Looking up at the man, Hana pouted. "I have to do this on my own, Sora. You wouldn't understand-" she murmured, startled when the man interjected.

     "Hana, I would understand! I can't lose you and not because of that dumbass contract I have with Daichi," the man roared, stepping close to the girl with wings open. "I care about you, too, and I don't want to lose you if there was a chance that I could have protected you."

     The little woman was shocked, unable to find the words to argue with the man. She knew he was very much invested in her family (what was left of it, that is) and she couldn't bear to break his heart. Plus, having a deity by her side sounded better than going in alone. With a sigh, Hana caved in. "Fine...we will go and find gramps," she responded. "What about Kishi, though?"

     "He can come with," Sora shrugged nonchalantly. "He's a big boy; he's older than he looks, remember?"

     The woman nodded slowly, forgetting about the man's kotengu follower. "Then, we leave tomorrow..."

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     Hana sighed, having finished stuffing her first duffel bag with basic necessities. Now, she was working on going through gramps' emergency stash. This stash had been in the family ever since she could remember. The woman recalled many times where her mother would recount the heroic adventures of Daichi Yamamoto.

     How, when Daichi Yamamoto was a strong, young man, he would fight monsters and save people. How, when back in Japan, there were a band of men who kept the world safe from everything that went bump in the night. They were a part of something called the Tegami no Dansei. They were not only in Japan, but branched out around the entire globe.

     The Tegami no Dansei were super heroes in the eyes of Hana Kwon. She always wondered why her mother had never joined the society like her grandfather. Her mother always said that she did not want to be a part of her family business. But, Hana always fantasized about becoming a hero like her grandfather.

     When Hana reached ten years of age and after living with Daichi for a couple of years, the old man decided it was time to teach his granddaughter of his secret practices from back in the day. Of course, as Hana grew older, she realized she couldn't keep living a fairytale and decided not to enter her grandfather's work. Instead, she continued her schooling to hopefully become a successful technician like her late father. This was her decision and, although Daichi was slightly upset, the old man knew that Hana would be safer that way.

     Besides, there was no such thing as the Tegami no Dansei. It was just a story that her grandfather told Hana's mother, who passed it down. Daichi Yamamoto was a good, old man. No bad reputations following him from Japan. The stories the young woman grew up with were just that: stories. And, although Hana knew that the supernatural world existed, she never found any truth behind her grandfather's old escapades.

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     Slamming the trunk of her father's 1970 Monte Carlo, the young woman sighed. Looking up at the home she was leaving behind, Hana already felt homesick. Sora placed a hand on her back, though, to break her out of her trance. "Let's hit the road," he started. "Hopefully, one of Daichi's old colleagues will be of service to us."

     Nodding slowly, the woman took her place on her ash grey Hayabusa motorcycle and Sora, in the driver's seat of the Monte Carlo. To herself, Hana swore to find her grandfather and bring him home.

     But, first, Hana had to meet a man named Bobby Singer.