It wasn't too bad of a flight, considering that Hayami nor Chiba had ever flown before. Despite the few people standing in the middle of the isle or the annoying assholes who decided to be as loud as possible, it was actually a pleasent experience.
After exiting the airport, Hayami and Chiba were struck with a shocking realization: Las Vegas isn't all it is said to be.
This time, Hayami called the Uber. They were in the parking lot of a small doctor's clinic, as Hayami decided that it would be safer than to wait outside the airport. Soon enough, the driver, named Scott, picked them up and was driving to the location Karasuma had specified.
Hayami looked out the window at Las Vegas. It was very different than Japan in almost every way. Everything from the trees to the roads to the building style was different. There were homeless scattered along the streets and under bridges.
And the people were very different. In Japan, everyone was really shy and polite. In America, however, people were rude, extroverted, and loud. Pretty much the complete opposite of Hayami.
But she loved it. Something about the new, unfamiliar city was refreshing and brought a surge of excitement, which was uncommon for Hayami. She showed indifference on her face, but inside she was burning with curiosity.
Hayami glanced over at Chiba. His eyes were hidden by his hair, but the wonderous look on his face was obvious. He must have felt her looking at him, because he turned his head and swept a piece of hair out of his eyes, revealing a small part of his left eye. Their eyes met and stayed that way for a moment.
"This place is.. Different. Interesting."
Hayami nodded in agreement. "Yeah.."
She looked away and out her own window. They were driving through a nicer part of town. The houses were big and beautiful and varied in styles, and they were more spread out. She realized, to her disappointment, that they were leaving town.
The moment the last house passed, she realized how unnatural Las Vegas seemed compared to the bleak desert. It was green and filled with roads and buildings and so many people. The place was totally artificial. But then Hayami realized that most things these days are.
The next ten miles out of town were very uneventful, until the car passed through a metal chain link fence and reached a road barrier, where a small building waited on the side of the road. And who stepped out? Irina Jelavic.
She waved at the car and when it stopped and tapped on the window. Scott rolled down the window and looked at her expectantly.
"Hiya! I'm here for these two." She waved cheerfully at the driver and pointed at Hayami and Chiba.
"May I ask why?" Scott asked.
"No." Irina smiled as the two ex-college students climbed out of the car.
Scott shrugged and thrned the car around, heading back into town.
Irina and Chiba made small talk, while Hayami watched for the armored vehicle that was to pick them up. It soon arrived, and Hayami found that Aaron was driving again.
No one spoke as the car drove another five miles into the empty desert. Soon, a large gray building caught Hayami's attention. It blended almost perfectly into the pale sand. In fact, the only thing that gave it away was the few black tinted windows, the small parking lot, and the chain-link fence which surrounded the building.
After unlocking the gate and parking, Aaron and Irina led the two younger adults into the building. Despite the few cars in the parking lot, it was absolutely teeming with activity.
Irina led them to a room that had no windows and appeared to be a gutted out training center. It was filled with a table, several chairs, and a large whiteboard that Karasuma, a few other people Hayami didn't know, and Karma Akabane were staring at.
Karma and Karasuma noticed Hayami and Chiba's presence. Karma walked cool over to the pair, while Karasuma dragged Irina to the whiteboard.
"Karma, I didn't think you were able to make it." Hayami eyed Karma closely. He looked much different. More professional.
And cute, Hayami thought.
"Well, I happened to have this month off. Not only that, but I couldn't possibly miss out on this." Karma ran his hand through his hair, slicking it back.
Karma noticed Chiba. "Oh, hey, Chiba! Long time no see!"
After the boys did that weird handshake hug thing that only boys do, Karma spoke again. "I see you still refuse to show your eyes. That will change."
Chiba nodded. "Yeah. Never really worked up the guts to cut it. And what do you mean, 'that will change?'"
Karma smirked. "Haven't you heard? We are all getting makeovers."
Karasuma approached them. "Yeah. In fact, let me take you there now. Then we can talk business."
Karasuma led them down a few halls to what seemed to be a real fashion studio while Karma and Chiba talked quietly.
A stylist greeted them at the door. Hayami took one look at the man and cringed away from him. Half of his head was shaved and the rest was short, spiky purple hair. His face was covered in piercings and his arms and neck were crowded with tattoos. He was wearing business casual clothing, as if to hide his freaky look.
"Hello, I'm Chris! Whatcha here for?"
Karasuma answered for them. "Make them look as different but natural as possible. And make them masks too, if you will."
"Of course! Who goes first?"
Karma stepped forward with a smirk. "I will, if you'd like. "
"Sure thing, dear! Just follow me!" Chris lead Karma to a corner of the room that was covered by a curtain and went to work. Hayami and Chiba sat in chairs nearby and waited while Karasuma left to attend to business.
About an hour later, Karma stepped out from the curtain, his stylist absolutely doting over him. Even Hayami had to admit, he looked good. His hair was dyed a temporary Raven black and styled in a messy but stylish undercut. He was wearing a black and white suit and black shoes that looked both professional and sturdy. He looked to be in his early 30's from the light makeup that was applied to his face.
Chiba was next. He took an hour and a half, but looked stunning when he stepped out of the curtain. Hayami couldn't hide the light blush that appeared on her face upon seeing him.
His hair was dyed a dark brown and cut so short that his eyes were revealed. He was wearing green contact lenses to hide his intimidating red eyes. And to match this, he was wearing a business casual outfit and a light jacket over it. Chiba looked more confident than usual, but still kept his shy appearance. He could easily be compared to a young, geeky history teacher.
Finally, it was Hayami's turn. The stylist had the most fun changing her appearance. Chris lined her eyes lightly with eyeliner and applied small amounts of makeup to her delicate features. He then dyed her hair a silky, raven black and had her dress in her usual clothing, which surprised Hayami. Upon asking why her usual dark clothing instead of a revealing dress, Chris responded with, "Can you fight in a short, skinny dress? I didn't think so."
Hayami finally stepped out from the curtain and earned stares from Chiba and Karma. She looked stunning, even though she was wearing a dark shirt, a half zipped blue sweater, and black jeans. Her piercing green eyes contrasted perfectly with her black hair, and the new piercing in her lip added a touch of rebellion to her look.
Karma smirked. "Nice. You look good."
Chiba nodded in agreement, and they all walked back to the room where Karasuma was waiting.
There Karasuma stood by the whiteboard, three files in his hand. He handed Karma, Hayami, and Chiba a file.
"These are your new identities. You are being assigned a new name to use for the mission, as well as other information such as family records. This is all to ensure your safety after the mission is over."
Karma was smirking. "Quite the measures you are taking here."
Without missing a beat, Karasuma replied, "We don't want to be liable for your safety after this is over. That's all. Take a few minutes to memorize all of that information, then we talk battle plans. Got that?"
They all nodded.
Hayami's new name was Carrie Fores, and apparently she had a boyfriend that lived in Ohio. Everything in the file was predetermined, from her religion, to her place of birth, to even her middle school attendance record. Hayami wondered if they had used someone else's personal information to make up the file, or if it was randomly generated on a computer. The latter seemed more likely.
Karma's new name was Tobias Harp, and Chiba's was Matthew Nex.
After discussing each other's new identity, the three diverted their attention to Karasuma.
"Ready? Let's talk battle plans," He said.