Shadow Justice

2: Arrival at Starling City

Kaiba Seto flipped the page of James Clavell's The Shogun  before glancing out the window of the plane. It had been a grueling 10  hour flight but at last they were on final approach to Portland  International Airport. Once they landed and made it through security,  Kaiba planned on taking a short cut to Starling City alone while his  entourage followed. That way, whatever attention his arrival gathered  would be focused on them and he could slip away in the Shadows without a  hitch. He wanted to see what he could of Starling City before he  officially arrived and his movements were watched.

Officially,  he was going to Starling City to promote his newest virtual reality and  holographic technology. Unofficially, he was there to investigate the  unauthorized Shadow Games. If there was someone out there who could  utilize the Shadows to the extent the Court could without their  knowledge, that could cause more than a few issues. Every time someone  like that had appeared, souls were ripped out, lives were lost, and  general madness and chaos reigned. It was a nuisance.

He watched  the lights from the city fast approaching the height of the wingtips as  they dropped in altitude. Setting his book aside, Kaiba stood and  entered the cockpit strapping into the jump seat. He wanted to watch the  pilots' procedures for this particular runway partially out of  curiosity, partially out of need. If he had to make a return trip here  in his Blue Eyes Jet, he intended to be able to make the approach and  landing alone.

The landing was as smooth as to be expected and  Kaiba took the chance to glance out the side of the windshield to the  city of Portland. It was a rare clear night and the young CEO could see  the sparkling buildings twinkle on the skyline mingling with the  brighter lights from the closer airport facilities in between. The  Columbia River absorbed most of the faint lights from the airport and  the Vancouver suburbs across the state line in Washington state.

He  waited patiently until the plane was fully stopped on the tarmac before  unbuckling and exiting the cockpit. He waited for the air stewardess to  open the airplane door before nodding to her and leaning out into the  cool night air. The stairs were being driven up to the door so he  stepped back to give them room to secure it before walking down to meet  the dark SUV parked nearby. Several men in suits stood nearby watching  him and the surroundings. He knew a couple but the rest only by face and  reputation. Consequently, he did not trust them.

Kaiba caught  himself before looking for Isono Roland, his chief bodyguard and right  hand man. He missed the man in his own way but was glad Roland had  remained behind to watch Mokuba. Instead, Kaiba turned to Fuguta, the  brunette Japanese bodyguard standing loyally at his left and nodded  approvingly. Casting a glance at the other suits by the SUV, Kaiba spoke  in Japanese.

"I believe you understand the importance of this  trip so I won't patronize you," he began. "But I will be taking my leave  the moment I get the chance. I'll meet you in the hotel room early  tomorrow morning. Text me the room number but otherwise no contact  unless absolutely necessary, understood?"

The stern bodyguard nodded. "Yes sir. Our reservations are for The Haven hotel in downtown Starling City, room 1402."

Kaiba  raised an eyebrow, lips twitching up in a smirk of approval. "Good.  I'll be there by 5 tomorrow morning. I expect you up when I get there.  I'll text you if plans change."

"Of course," Fuguta replied, stern but secretly proud.

Isono  Fuguta may not have been as close to the young CEO as his cousin  Roland, but he was still ridiculously loyal to him. The bodyguard would  gladly take a bullet for Kaiba Seto without a second thought and  consider it an honor. The fact he was one of the precious few who were  aware of Kaiba's place as the Regent of the Shadow Court was proof  enough of his CEO's trust. Trust was not something Kaiba threw about  heedlessly. He kept it close, only giving it to those who proved  themselves absolutely loyal to him and him alone. Fuguta planned on  seeing that loyalty through no matter what to prove that trust was not  misplaced.