A peak deep in the mountains.

A big mansion at the summit of a high mountain. Three elderly people are dining at a large table on a terrace with good sun exposure.
A: What nice, clear weather.
B: It really is a pleasant day.
He strokes the cat on his lap.
A: Now then, for our information... The Japanese division head, Mr. Takatori, seems to have chosen the path to ruin.
C: He is driven by his desire for control, with foolish results.
A: As ye shall sow, so ye shall reap, eh? It seems Mr. Takatori was special after all.
Close-up of the old man with a monocle.
C: Hmm. But it is a problem, isn't it. We must strengthen the Japanese division. (We can't allow the Japanese division to get stronger?)
B: I have already had a new one tagged.
Close-up of the three. They are a man with a monocle, an old woman, and a man with a moustache.
C: Will he be reliable, I wonder.
A: It's best to change heads when things have become futile, that's all.
The three laugh quietly.

Mission 16: Schatten / Tatakai e no Kaiki (Shadow / Return to Battle)

A street.

A man and a woman arm in arm. Yohji is walking with a woman.
Yohji (voice-over): Now that that abominable incident is over, what kind of life am I starting?
A man (Botan) is following Yohji.
The woman is in line to buy ice cream; Yohji waits a short distance away.
Yohji (voice-over): I'll probably be working as a private investigator like I used to, now that Weiss has broken up.
A woman in sunglasses (Neu) passes by. Yohji gasps and turns to stare after her.
Yohji: Asuka!
Yohji breaks into a run. The other woman comes back with her hands full of ice cream.
Woman: Wait, Yohji, where are you going?
He is already on the other side of a crowd of people.
Yohji: Sorry! Some urgent business came up!
He just waves without turning around.
Woman: What am I supposed to do with this?

He pursues Neu, parting the crowd.
Yohji: Wait! Asuka!
He finally catches up to her and blocks her way.
Yohji: Asuka.
Neu takes off her sunglasses.
Yohji: Ah... You're not Asuka...
Neu: Kyoko.
Yohji: Ah... Sorry... I used to know a girl who looked a lot like you, so...
Neu: You're good, aren't you.
Yohji: No! It's not like that! I don't go around calling out to girls like this all the time, you really do look like a girl I know. It's true, honestly!
Neu laughs, fu.
Neu: Cute.
Yohji, feeling awkward, hangs his head.

A coffee shop.

Yohji watches Neu drinking iced coffee.
Yohji: You really do look like her. But you're elegant... calm... there's something mysterious about you.
Some high school girls are laugh loudly.
Neu: I want to go someplace quiet. Just the two of us.
Yohji is a little surprised. Then he smiles.

School (exterior).

A red car is stopped on the slope in front of the school. A woman (Burman) is watching the school grounds.

School (a classroom).

The screen of a laptop computer.
Omi (voice-over): Aya-kun, are you used to living in the seaside town?
The classroom is mostly empty. Omi is facing the computer. Behind him, some gathered students are talking.
Girl: Ehh? Eww! Is it really true?
Girl B: It's scary!
A magazine article. A photograph of a person crucified.
Boy: The series of abductions turned out to be bizarre murder.
Mika: Why? Why did he have to kidnap young girls and burn them?
Girl: That's too cruel!
Boy: This criminal is ultra-dangerous.
Omi stops typing and strains his ears.
Girl B: So, have they caught the killer?
Boy: Nope. Not even close--the abductions will probably continue. More victims will turn up.
Omi looks severe.
Girl: What?!
Mika: Oh no, I won't be able to walk alone.
Boy: It's okay. This criminal only attacks cute girls.
Mika: You're so mean! Hey, Tsukiyono-kun, what do you think?
Omi turns.
Omi: Huh? I think Mika-san is a beauty, so she should be careful.
Mika: Really? Tsukiyono-kun, I love you!
Boy: What are you doing, Omi! Don't flatter her too much, 'cause it goes straight to her head.
Mika: What's that supposed to mean?
Omi laughs and turns back to the computer.
Boy: But it's true, isn't it?
Mika: How come you're always so quick to say things like that?
Omi starts to type.
Omi (voice-over): Horrible incidents happen as always. But since I quit Weiss...
He stops typing. "...it doesn't concern me." is on the screen.

A construction site.

Aya is wearing a helmet, working.
Omi (voice-over): Aya-kun, how has Aya-chan been since then?
The same red car that was outside the school overlooks the sea.

A hospital.

Omi (voice-over): Since she was transferred to the good environment of that hospital near the sea, I believe she will get better.
The hospital at night. Aya climbs the stairs to a room.
Omi (voice-over): The other day, I happened to run into Sakura Tomoe-san in the street.
Sign: "Aya Fujimiya." Aya enters.
Omi (voice-over): She looked terribly lonely because you had gone far away.
Aya-chan continues to sleep as always.
Omi (voice-over): If you ever happen to come here, please meet with her.
A door closes slowly. The sky is full of stars.

A classroom.

Sign: Third year, C group. Omi comes into the room.
Omi: Good morning.
Classmates: Good morning.
Behind him, the boy from the day before rushes in, flustered.
Boy: Hey! This is terrible! Mika's been kidnapped!
Omi: Huh?
Omi turns. Everyone's eyes are on the boy.
Boy: Apparently, on the way to school this morning, some men suddenly jumped out of a car and grabbed her.
Girl: Stop it! That kind of joke...
Boy: I'm not lying! Keiko and Mami were there, too. They went into the staff room crying (shot of two girls talking to a teacher in the staff room) and said Mika was kidnapped.
Girl: So it's true?
The students make a fuss.
Boy: Mika's pretty good-looking, so this is bad.
Girl: Does this mean Mika's going to be burned to death?
Boy: Well...
Girl: It's true?
Boy: How should I know?!
A girl grabs his arm from the side.
Girl B: Say, what do we do? What should we do?
Boy: Let go of me, there's nothing we can do! Right, Omi?
Omi: Huh? Oh, yeah.
Omi hangs his head. The students clamor again.
Omi: 'There's nothing we can do'... For some reason, my friend's words stay with me.

A soccer ground.

A foot kicks a soccer ball. Children start running.
Ken: Hey! Right side! Spread out more!
Omi (voice-over): What do you think, Ken-kun?
The children run to get the ball. Ken is lost in thought.
Ken: Omi, we are no longer Weiss. The affairs of the world don't concern us.
Child: Ken-niichan!
Ken comes to himself and looks up. Disconcerted, he catches the ball.
Ken: Ootto!
He glimpses Hell in the shadows of a tree. When he looks again after kicking the ball back, she is gone.

A car (interior).

A car speeds along a mountain road. It is Yohji and Neu. Yohji glances sideways at Neu.
Yohji: I can't believe it after all.
Neu: What can't you believe?
Yohji: That you're someone else. You really do...
Neu leans against his shoulder.
Neu: I'm Kyoko.
Yohji: ...Sorry.
The car keeps on going.
Neu: This warmth... I have a feeling like I spent time like this with someone like you...
For an instant, a sparkle returns to her eye.
Yohji: What did you say?
Neu draws away from him.
Neu: Just that I had that kind of feeling.
Yohji's expression changes. A car is reflected in the rear-view mirror.
Neu: What?
Yohji: Oh, no, it's nothing.
He increases the speed and pulls away from the other car.

The lodge from episode 1 (exterior).

The two get out of the car.
Neu: What a lovely place!
Yohji: You like it?
Neu: Yes!
Yohji stares intently at Neu enjoying it. Becoming aware of his gaze, she turns to face him. She approaches him slowly, offers her lips. Neu gently closes her eyes.

A man (Botan) watches from a short distance away. The same car that was reflected in the mirror. A light goes on in the lodge.

The lodge (interior).

Yohji puts luggage on the table.
Yohji: You must be tired. Why don't you take a shower first?
Neu: Yes, I think will.
Neu goes off to the bathroom.
Yohji: Looks like my effort paid off.
He takes wine out of the bag and puts it on the table.

Nighttime. Yohji comes out onto the second-floor terrace. He looks back inside once. Neu is asleep in the bed.
Yohji: So it's Kyoko. Yeah, that's Kyoko. Not Asuka.
As though hearing himself, he bows his head and closes his eyes.
Yohji: That time, to save me, Asuka...
Hearing the sound of a wire, he turns, but he's a split-second too late; it is already wrapped around his neck. He is being strangled from behind. The one strangling him is an already-dressed Neu. The wire digs into his neck. Just as he thinks it's no use, a paper airplane flies in. In the moment she is distracted, Yohji kicks her, and she falls to the ground below.
Yohji: You!
The man from the daytime appears from the shrubbery and pursues Neu. Yohji stays there and just looks at the wire in his hand.

The hospital.

As usual, Aya goes to the hospital room. He goes up the stairs and realizes the door to the room is open. Alarmed, he dashes in.
Aya: Aya!
The window is open. Aya is not in her bed.
Aya: A... Aya...
He sinks to his knees. A cross has been cut into the sheets.

Eyecatch: Yohji
CM
Eyecatch: Aya

A sidewalk.

Evening. Ken, carrying a soccer ball, is walking home from practice with three children.

Boy A: I wonder if we'll win our next game.
Ken: It depends on how much you practice.
Boy B: What? We've got to practice some more?
The children grumble.
Ken: You've still got a long way to go! The basics are the most important!
A huge truck appears in front of them, but it's not on the road, it's on the sidewalk, headed straight for them. At the last moment, Ken grabs the children and they tumble out of the way.
Ken: Are you okay?
He confirms that the children are unhurt, then approaches the truck and opens the passenger-side door.
Ken: Hey! That was dangerous! Watch where you're going!
But the driver has collapsed onto the passenger seat.
Ken: Hey!
The driver's neck shows signs of strangulation.
Ken: This is...
The fact that Schoen's weapon is a whip and what he spotted during the day cross Ken's mind.
Ken: It can't be...
A crowd has gathered and people are calling out to the children. An ambulance siren is heard in the distance.
Ken: The target was... me?
The soccer ball lies flattened under the tires of the truck.

A street.

It is a rainy night. Omi walks alone on a nearly deserted sidewalk, carrying an umbrella.
Flashback: The article about the serial abductions.
"That's too cruel!" "More victims will turn up." Cut of Mika's kidnapping. "Mika's been kidnapped!" "She's going to be burned to death?" "There's nothing we can do." "Right, Omi?"
Omi stops and looks up. There's Koneko no Sumu Ie, already closed. Omi stares at it.

Koneko no Sumu Ie.

The interior is in a shambles; flowers are scattered all around. Omi goes down the stairs to the basement. He turns on the light and is startled.
Omi: All of you...
Yohji is on the sofa on the left; Ken is on the chair on the right. Aya stands near the broken TV.
Omi: Why...
Nobody answers.
Omi: Why are you here?
Ken: It's a shameful story. I ended up coming back here after all.
Yohji: Even though nobody called us back, you know?
Omi: The three of you...
Ken: Maybe we were summoned by Persia's ghost.
Omi: What happened?
Yohji: Girls are scary, all right. Dangerous, dangerous.
Omi: Huh?
Ken: Yohji was attacked by Schreiend. And I was too, probably.
Omi: What? Schreiend? They're still alive?
Yohji: One came after me, and apparently, a different one attacked Ken. It looks like they just won't leave us alone. So I thought, if that's the case, I'm going to need this.
He shows his wristwatch with the wire inside.
Yohji: The reason I came back was to get this.
Omi: Aya-kun, were you attacked too?
Aya remains standing with his eyes closed and doesn't respond.
Ken: It's no use asking him. I don't know what happened, but obviously he's not going to tell us about it.
Omi: But to leave Aya-chan in the hospital to come here... it can't be... something's happened to Aya-chan?
Aya's expression changes. He bites his lip.
Aya: She's been kidnapped.
Omi: What?
Ken: Aya-chan?
Yohji: Kidnapped?
Aya nods.
Yohji: So is that Schreiend's work, too?
Aya recalls the cross cut into the bed.
Aya: Probably.
Yohji: Just what is going on?
Ken: Shit! What should we do?
The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.
Botan: The shadow of a new black beast has begun to move.
Ken: Who are you?
Omi: How long have you been there?
Yohji scowls.
Yohji: That time!
Botan: It's a giant organization spread throughout the whole world.
Two people come down the stairs.
Botan: Now, that ill wind has begun to blow in Japan.
Aya: Who are you?
Botan: I'm Botan, of Kritiker. And she is Burman.
Omi: Kritiker!
Ken: It still exists?
Botan: We've been looking for you since Persia died, to regroup Weiss.
Burman: The abduction case stirring up the public right now is just the prologue.
Omi: To regroup Weiss...
Ken: I don't want to hear this talk!
Yohji: Yeah.
Another voice comes from above.
Manx: No, you must hear this.
Omi: Manx!
Ken: We're not Weiss anymore.
Manx: No matter how much you try to avoid it, you are already wrapped up in this.

A theater stage.

A group in masks and capes, brandishing things like spears, recite a strange incantation. On the stage, they crucify Mika and the other abducted girls.

Koneko no Sumu Ie.

Manx: This organization is called SS. (pronounced Esutsetto)
Omi: SS...
Manx: We haven't been able to obtain the name of their leader or their actual conditions yet. We're trying to prevent their activities.
Burman: There's a high probability that the abduction case is connected to SS.
Yohji: Is Schreiend connected to SS, too?
Manx: Probably.
Omi: And Aya-chan's abduction, too...
Manx: It's related.
Aya says nothing but looks up.
Manx: For Japan, there's no mistaking that SS is going to cause a great shock. We've got to strike right away.
Exterior shot. The rain continues to fall.
Yohji: You can't mean you're giving us...
Omi: A mission...
Ken: This late, you've got to be kidding!
Aya: Where is their hideout?
Shot returns to the basement.
Omi: Huh?
Manx: Here.
She holds out a paper.
Omi: Aya-kun.
Aya silently takes the paper and climbs the stairs.
Omi: Aya-kun!
Ken: Hey!
The remaining three look at each other. Manx and the others observe.

The theater stage.

A caped, masked man pours kerosene on firewood. On the side, a person waits with a giant candle. The crucified girls hang listlessly as though unconscious. Kerosene is poured on the kindling at each girl's feet.

A street.

In the rain, Aya goes to his mission. The other three, having changed their clothes, walk behind him.
Persia (voice-over): Hunt the tomorrow of this black beast!

The theater stage.

Three masked men holding candles approach the girls.
Man A: Fu fu fu. The time for the revival of the holy Gesse (?) has come!
Man B: Miracles will occur!
Man C: He will admonish foolish human sins!
Man A: Those who oppose him shall face retribution!
Man B: Now is the time to offer sacrifices!
All three: Illuminate the writing of the soul!
One is about to light the kindling; in that instant, the flame of the candle goes out.
Man C: What's this?
Man A: Who dares disturb the holy ceremony?
They look back towards the audience seats. There in the doorway stand the four members of Weiss.
Man A: That's...
Man B: Who are you?
Omi: Those who deal with the dirty beast that spreads over the world, the white hunters.
The four line up around Aya.
Omi: Weiss!
Man B: What!?
Man A: You goddamned...
One man lights the fire with a cigarette lighter.
Omi: Ah!
Yohji: That son of a bitch did it...
The men flee: Ken and Yohji pursue them. Omi goes up on the stage and stamps out the fire.
Omi: Mika-san!
Aya wanders around, looking for Aya-chan.
Aya: Aya, where are you...

Inside the theater (stairs).

The man climbs the stairs laughing.
Yohji: Wait!
The man thrusts his spear at Yohji below. Yohji dodges, wraps his wire around the spear, and pulls the man down behind him.
Yohji: A woman's enemy is mine.
The man falls from the building behind Yohji. The wire becomes entangled with the handrail and hangs him by the neck.
Yohji: To someone who knows nothing of heaven, I won't say go peacefully to hell.

Inside the theater (rooftop).

The man swings his spear at Ken. Ken pulls back and disappears. The man looks for Ken.
Man: Dammit! Who the hell are you? Weiss, you said? Don't interfere with our ritual! Get lost!
Ken jumps down from the water tank behind the man.
Ken: Sorry about that.
He reveals the teeth of his bugnuks. The man collapses.
Ken: I wanted to disappear if I could... I didn't want to return to Weiss.

Inside the theater (back door).

The man runs out with Aya in hot pursuit.
Aya: Tell me! Where is my sister?
Panicking, the man gets into a truck and starts the engine.
Man: I don't know! I don't know anything!
Aya approaches the car.
Man: It's true! I don't know anything!
Omi's bolt goes through the front glass and into the man. Omi stands on top of the building.
Omi: Never forgive the bad ones.

The stage.

The freed girls gather together, crying. Aya watches from the emergency exit, but leaves.

The back door.

Aya comes outside.
Aya: Aya, where are you? Please, be alive...

The rooftop.

Ken stands, getting soaked by the rain, looking up at the sky.

The stairs.

Yohji, gripping the handrail, closes his eyes and bows his head.

(location unknown).

Omi stands, bowgun in hand.

The back door.

Aya looks at the rainy sky. The rain falls endlessly.

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