Chapter Twelve

Soon afterward the young son of the king took ill. Said Nebuchadnezzar, “Heal my son. If you don’t, I will kill you.” - The Alphabet of Ben-Sira

* * * *

In her dream, Hitomi Yagami looks like she did before she had died.

And Yuri was with her mother at some beach, both of them watching the fireworks in the sky which almost looks like flowers in the sky. It is merely one of Yuri’s childhood memories that she had never forgotten, and one of her last memories of her mother.

Troubled, Yuri woke in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep again for what seemed like a very long time. Yuri glanced at the clock sitting on her bedside table, and groaned when she saw that it was three o’clock in the morning. She fell back onto her pillows, one hand covering her eyes.

“You have to be kidding me…!” Yuri muttered beneath her breath irritably. After what seemed like a long while, Yuri removed her hand from her eyes to look up at her ceiling dotted full of the glow-in-the-dark stars that she’d used to decorate the ceiling of her room a few years back.

‘I’ve been having plenty of dreams like this lately…of the past. Of a time long past, and in a time where I know nothing about the harsh reality of the world.’

* * * *

The month that followed after that ‘botched-up mission’ was fairly quiet and relaxing for Yuri and her friends.

Unlike what most thought, the Phantoms as well as the Drifters don’t always get sent out on missions every two days or so. Assassin or not, they are still human, and the Elder and Riou are both quite well aware of this.

And during that one month of ‘holiday’, Yuri usually spent it in her room at the dormitory building, or in her favourite bookstore or music store in Shibuya. Whenever Yuri is not on missions, she usually likes reading or listening to music.

And it is on one of those days that Yuri found a rather solemn looking Tohya walking into the bookstore, heading towards her as she is running her eyes over the various book titles stocked under the young adult section.

“Tohya?” Yuri raised an eyebrow as Tohya approached her.

Tohya looked at her and ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair. “We have a mission from headquarters.” He informed Yuri. “I’m told to get you.”

“About time,” said Yuri. “I had been expecting an order like this coming my way soon enough.” She glanced at Tohya. “Let’s go.”

* * * *

A half-hour later, Yuri was standing before the Elder and Riou with Tohya and Ren standing on either side of her as they were briefed about the upcoming mission.

Riou switched on the remote controller in his hand. Photos which seemed to be that of several dead bodies taken at crime scenes, as well as copies of newspaper clippings, appeared as hologram images on the screens behind him.

Yuri frowned slightly as she studied the hologram images of the newspaper clippings. If she isn’t mistaken, Yuri was pretty sure that those were newspaper clippings of the various strange murders that have been occurring all over the world for the past three months or so.

Government agencies like the FBI and CIA believed that those murders were the work of a criminal syndicate. Though the reasons for the murders were currently unknown.

The Elder coughed to bring their attention to him. And upon closer scrutiny, Yuri noted that the Elder looked rather weary and tired, and looked as if he had just aged ten years.

“Alright, I’ve called the three of you here as there is an urgent mission that requires the immediate attention of the Phantoms, and the three of you are our best by far,” said the Elder. He then glanced at the hologram images before turning back towards Yuri, Ren and Tohya. “And judging by the looks on your faces, I can safely assume that you knew who those victims were.”

Yuri, Ren and Tohya nodded their heads. “Murder victims for the past few months around the world.” Tohya answered, and Riou nodded.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” said Riou. “Have the three of you heard of Reiko Tatsuyama?”

Yuri raised a brow. Who wouldn’t have heard of Reiko Tatsuyama? That woman is the world famous magician and illusionist, and her shows are always guaranteed to have full houses. It is pretty difficult to even get a ticket to one of her shows.

Yuri, Ren and Tohya had gone to one of her shows a few years back during one of their day-offs, having managed to get the tickets with much difficulty, and they were extremely impressed with the skill of the magician.

“The world famous magician?” asked Ren, and Riou nodded. Ren frowned. “But I heard that she died in a freak accident during one of her performances in Europe about a year ago. What has she got to do with our current mission?”

Riou sighed. “Lots,” he said grimly before clicking a switch on the remote controller before photographs of several people filled the screens, with the photo of Reiko Tatsuyama among them. “It is a little unknown fact to most. Only the people within Reiko Tatsuyama’s inner circle knew that Reiko Tatsuyama is an FBI agent.”

Yuri’s eyes widened a slight fraction, and both Ren and Tohya stiffened.

“She is one of their best undercover agents. And she usually uses her status as a world famous magician as an excuse for her undercover work, as she travelled all over the world to uncover the identities of notorious criminals that the FBI and the CIA have been after for who knows how long. However, it is also because of her work that she ended up on Raven’s Gate’s black list.”

Yuri immediately knew what was coming next, the moment that the captain of the Phantoms had mentioned Raven Gate’s name.

“The FBI believed that Reiko Tatsuyama’s death isn’t an accident, but a clever murder disguised as one,” said Riou. “And they’re right. But her murderer has never been found, though we have reason to believe that it was her student who had sabotaged the trick that resulted in Reiko Tatsuyama’s death. All done in order to get to Reiko Tatsuyama’s book of tricks which is a book full of details and description about each trick, as well as how to actually carry it out. After Reiko Tatsuyama’s death, her book of tricks mysteriously vanished from her belongings which made us believe that it was her student who had murdered her. But due to lack of evidence, and because Reiko Tatsuyama’s death has already been declared as an accident, we can do nothing.”

Riou paused, studying the faces of the three Phantoms currently standing before him.

“About three months ago, several of Reiko Tatsuyama’s informants and close friends were getting killed off one by one. All those were people who were in the same line of work as Reiko Tatsuyama were. The person or people who have murdered them have been proven to be members of Raven’s Gate. And now, one last person is left. Reiko Tatsuyama’s student. Sanada Fujiwara. As Reiko Tatsuyama’s student, he is well aware of her status as an FBI agent. Despite the fact that he is the prime suspect in Reiko Tatsuyama’s murder, we can do nothing about him now. The Japan government wants us to give him the utmost protection from Raven’s Gate whilst he is giving his performance in Japan a week from now.”

Yuri scowled inwardly upon hearing this.

Protecting a murderer?

Just how low have they fallen?

* * * *

Yuri was scowling so fiercely that everyone who saw it immediately gave her a wide berth as she looks as if she would like to murder someone.

Ren and Tohya who were both standing on either side of her sighed and exchanged looks over Yuri’s head. They both knew how Yuri feels about protecting a murderer who deserved death in her book anyway. Unfortunately for them however, Hati isn’t an organisation that upholds justice. They’re simply an organisation that kills the people that the police and the government can’t touch to maintain the balance and the peace of the world.

The three were currently at the magic show of Sanada Fujiwara, the student of the late Reiko Tatsuyama, held somewhere in Aoyama. The tents for the magic show were all set up by helpers and volunteers in a single day, and the stands were all packed with people. Yuri, Ren and Tohya were in corner seats in the front so that they could get to Sanada in time, if necessary.

Ren and Tohya would prefer it if Sanada Fujiwara dies as well, but they didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter as it is an order from the Elder. All members of Hati knew that the moment that they doubted the Elder, it is instant death for them. It is the one rule of Hati that one must never break.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Mystic Magic Show of Sanada Fujiwara-sama, the world’s greatest illusionist and magician!” The cheers that the crowd gave out nearly deafened Yuri, and she resisted the urge to cover her ears. “Let’s give a hand for the man himself!”

Yuri scowled as a beaming Sanada Fujiwara stepped out onto the stage. The man was handsome in a way, with his hair falling to the length of his chin, and he looked to be in his late twenties.

Ren frowned. “World’s greatest illusionist and magician, my ass,” he muttered to Yuri and Tohya. “He’s nothing but a plagariser. Those ‘tricks’ of his are those that he stole from his old teacher, didn’t he? Before he had murdered her in an ‘accident’, that is.”

“It was never proven, but the Elder and the captain believes so.” Tohya muttered back. “He’s the one with the greatest motive. Since when has Hati fallen so low as to protect a murderer like him?”

“We have no choice,” said Yuri with a fierce scowl. “I don’t like the idea of protecting him, but he’s being targeted by Raven’s Gate. Furthermore, bringing him to justice is not our job. Killing threats to Japan and the world is, as well as the people whom the government and the police can’t touch.”

Yuri, Ren and Tohya watched as Sanada gave some cock-and-bull speech – at least to them – about the trick that he’s going to perform that is supposedly a tribute to his late teacher, and Yuri snorted at this. The people might buy his act at being the poor student of the late Reiko Tatsuyama, but he can’t fool the people of Hati. They were trained to read lies and body language.

Yuri frowned as she straightened up in her seat, having a remarkably bad feeling all of a sudden. Her instincts hadn’t failed her yet, and judging by the fact that Tohya and Ren were both looking in several directions at once, they have felt it too.

“It’s coming,” muttered Ren, and both Tohya and Yuri nodded.

All three of them have one hand on their individual weapons…just in case.

And all of a sudden, the lights went out completely, leaving them in pitch black darkness, and there were several murmurings from within the stands, as some employee of Sanada Fujiwara tried to calm the panicked crowd.

“What the—?” Yuri heard Ren speaking from beside her, and she felt Tohya standing up from his seat. “The lights…went out?”

“What is going on?” Tohya demanded.

A stale smell which is one that Yuri was quite accustomed to smelling by now reaches her nostrils, and she froze for a second before standing up. “I…smell blood.”

Ren and Tohya froze beside her.

Just then, the lights turned on, and Yuri had to blink several times to allow her eyes to adjust to the sudden bright light. And she froze when she saw the dead body of Sanada Fujiwara lying in a pool of his own blood in the middle of the stage, and several blades of all sizes were driven through his body.

There was a loud and panicked scream from within the crowd, and Yuri immediately searched several directions at once, trying to locate the culprit, before Tohya grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to turn towards her right side.

“There!” Tohya pointed towards a fleeing figure dressed in all black, slipping out of the exit.

Yuri scowled before throwing herself over the safety railings which separated the audience stands from the stage, landing nimbly on both feet. Ren and Tohya landed behind her, and all three gave chase after the small fleeing figure which led them out of the tent which Yuri was thankful for. She sure does not want anyone present once they catch up to this person.

It might prove to be very ugly.

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“Ren, do something!” Tohya yelled to Ren as they chased after the figure who was a fast runner. “If we don’t do something, we’re going to either end up in a commercial district where there will be civilians around, or end up losing this guy!”

Ren grumbled something, before pulling out his Elvigar and strapping it onto his right hand. “It’s not my fault if this guy ends up losing both his legs!” Ren warned before clenching his right hand into a fist.

Yuri then caught the sight of something silver shining just before Ren thrust his right hand forwards, and several silver wires flew forwards from his right hand, and the person whom they were chasing after fell to the ground.

“Got him!” Ren shouted, grabbing onto the wires that were wrapped around the legs of the person whom they were pursuing. “Bind him quickly!”

Yuri was the first to reach the person whom they had been pursuing, and quickly bound him or her with some strong string that she took out of her pocket, before Ren snapped his wires and walked up to her.

“Let’s see who you really are,” said Tohya before he lifted the hood of the person who was fighting hand and foot to get free, and all three Phantoms froze when they saw the face of this person.

The defiant face of a girl who didn’t seem to be much older than nine or ten glared back at them. And despite her glare, all three Phantoms could still see an emotionless expression within those orbs.

“A child?!” Tohya gasped in horror.

“Did we get the wrong person?” Ren wondered.

“No,” said Yuri, shaking her head. “She’s the one who killed Sanada Fujiwara.” She gestured towards the blood that could vaguely be seen on the coat which is a little difficult to be seen with the naked eye because of the dark colour of the coat.

Yuri knelt down to the girl’s eye level, and Tohya and Ren knew enough to be silent. Yuri is the one who is skilled at interrogations and dealing with people. Most of the people whom they have captured usually confess their crimes by the time Yuri was done with them.

“What is your name?” asked Yuri softly, looking straight into the eyes of the girl who had by now, stopped struggling, realising that it’s futile.

The girl stared back at Yuri emotionlessly. “…No. 12.”

Yuri twitched a little. No. 12? “Who sent you?” she asked.

“Kami.”

That is all that Yuri needed to hear before she knocked the girl out. She knew from experience that most members of Raven’s Gate usually killed themselves before Hati even had a chance to interrogate them, and she isn’t about to take that chance with this girl.

Yuri then stood up and turned around to face Ren and Tohya who both looked stunned.

“A child…” said Ren, a blank expression on his face, repeating it like a mantra. “A child. You have to be freaking kidding me! A child assassin?”

“I thought that those were just mere rumours!” said Tohya, looking from Ren to Yuri and back again. Abused children, or missions dealing with children leave a bad aftertaste in their mouths, and not one of the three would ever take on missions that deals with children. “Is this ‘Kami’ really human?!”

“Hati is no different as well.” Ren said, and Tohya turned towards him.

“Ren?”

Ren ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair. “Yuri already has blood on her hands from when she was ten, doesn’t she?” he stated. “I don’t know about you, but so did I.”

“That’s different,” said Yuri with a sigh, looking at the unconscious girl. “I chose this life. That girl…probably didn’t.”

Tohya muttered something beneath his breath. “I hate this.”

* * * *

Riou Takeshi looked quite faint by the time that Yuri and Ren were both finished with their report. Tohya wasn’t present as he had taken the unconscious girl to Hati’s residential doctor to have her checked over, and someone must be with the girl at all times as well.

“Good Lord…!” Riou muttered, clasping one hand to his forehead. “A child?!”

Yuri sighed. “We were not that much older when we became assassins, taichou,” she said curtly, and Ren nodded from next to her. “Granted, I don’t like the idea of child assassins, but still, this is our way of life.”

Riou coughed into his hand before turning to face them. “Anyway, most probably, she’s one of those that we had missed when you apprehended Yoshiyuki back then.”

“Yeah.” Ren and Yuri exchanged glances, having come to the same conclusion earlier. “Probably.”

Riou sighed. “Killing children leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth,” he muttered. “I have to talk to the Elder and the rest of the Phantoms about this. But meanwhile, that girl is in your care, Yagami. You’re good with children and people, and thus, you’re the best to look after that girl. Kamizuki and Tanigawa will both help you.”

“Yes sir.”

“Why me?”

Yuri and Ren spoke simultaneously at the same time, before both glanced at the other and turned back towards their annoyed captain who had his hands planted on his hips as he glared at Ren.

“Because I said so,” said Riou, annoyed. “We don’t have enough manpower on this investigation as it is, and I can’t possibly just assign anyone to anything relating to Raven’s Gate, and you know it! Just do it, Kamizuki!”

Ren growled low in his throat. “Yes sir.”

* * * *

Phantom XIII of the Hati Phantoms grumbled to herself as she stomped into the recreation room of the dormitory building. The recreation room was mostly void of people save for Tohya, Sunny and Selina – the former who was currently curled up in a corner like a cat reading a book, whilst the latter two were having a game of billiards.

The three occupants looked up in surprise as Yuri Yagami stomped into the recreation room wearing such a dark look on her face that Tohya swore that the temperature of the room almost fell twenty degrees. All three occupants turned towards Yuri silently as she tossed her bag into a corner of the room where Tohya was at, and sat down beside her teammate, grabbing a nearby cushion and hugging it to her chest, growling all the while.

“That teme[1]…!” Yuri growled to herself.

Tohya, Selina and Sunny turned towards each other at this very un-Yuri-like statement and behaviour. Tohya was the one who found his voice first as he coughed into his hand and turned towards his friend.

“Yuri, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Yuri glared at Tohya before realising what she was doing. She then turned to glare at the floor instead, trying to burn a hole through the ground with sheer willpower alone. “Ren is an idiot!” she burst out.

Sunny, Selina and Tohya blinked simultaneously.

Everyone knew that Ren and Yuri have been arguing ever since Riou had assigned that strange girl to Yuri, Tohya and Ren’s care, and everyone in Hati have been treating the girl like a bomb that is about to explode. The Phantoms, save for Yuri, Ren and Tohya, have all been called in frequently by Riou for an emergency meeting regarding that girl ever since then as well.

And because they can’t possibly call that girl ‘you’ all the time, or call her by the number assigned to her by Raven’s Gate, Yuri had taken it upon herself to give the girl a name by naming her ‘Yuuki’ which meant snow in the Japanese language. Why Yuri had chosen this name, no one will ever know.

The truth behind the murder of Sanada Fujiwara was hidden behind the shadows by the authorities…once again, and it is no secret that the government has been arguing back and forth with Riou and the Elder about the girl.

Tohya was indifferent towards the girl, as he’s usually only there to keep an eye on Yuuki should Yuri not be around. Yuri seemed to have taken a liking to the girl for some reason that Tohya simply can’t comprehend, and even he knew that it’s dangerous to be so attached to a possible enemy.

As for Ren, he detested the girl, and didn’t even bother to hide his dislike for Yuuki, which explains the countless arguments between Ren and Yuri which had nearly escalated into fights, should Tohya not be there to break it up. It is quite strange, as Yuri is usually the peacekeeper among them.

There have been several occasions when Riou or the Elder have asked for Yuuki to be brought to them for them to do kami-knows-what, and today seems like one of those times. But that doesn’t explain why Yuri was so angry.

Tohya sighed before exchanging looks with Sunny and Selina who both shrugged, and the guy closed his book with a light clap, turning towards Yuri. “What did he do this time?” he asked tiredly.

Everyone is tired of seeing two of their best – Ren and Yuri, fighting all the time. And even Tohya is getting tired of having to break up their arguments before it actually escalated into full-blown fights.

And every single time that they fight, they won’t speak to each other for at least three days before one of them take the initiative to break the ice, and for some strange reason that no one could comprehend, they will be arguing yet again, and then the entire cycle will begin once more.

Everyone was getting tired of seeing the two best friends go at each other’s throats for no apparent reason. Only Tohya knew the reason why his two best friends have been fighting and at each other’s throats for nearly a month, and even the usually ever patient teen found that his patience was quickly running thin.

Yuri glared at the ground and didn’t answer Tohya, and the teen sighed. “Let me guess,” he said sarcastically, though he knew full well the real reason behind Yuri and Tohya’s argument that week which is the what – twentieth time that week? Or is it the thirtieth? Bah. Who cares? “About Yuuki again?”

Yuri’s low growl told Tohya that he had hit the nail on the head, and the teen sighed. He hated to admit it, but he was siding with Ren this time.

While she may still be a child, she is still an assassin, one trained by Raven’s Gate. And the Phantoms who were assigned to the investigation of Raven’s Gate knew just how dangerous they are, and the means that they would actually go to. And naturally, Yuri, Ren and Tohya knew this as well.

Ren on the other hand, is concerned that the girl is a living, ticking time bomb in Hati, and tried to minimise his contact with her. Not that Tohya thinks that Yuri will say anything important about Hati to the girl, but you never know. Usually, Yuri is the more level-headed and rational of the lot, but this time, even Tohya can see that Yuri is getting quite attached to the girl, and that is a definite big no-no.

But unlike Ren, Tohya would rather not voice his opinions out loud to his female teammate. He preferred living a long life, not a short one, thank you very much.

Tohya sighed as he exchanged looks with Selina and Sunny. He’s giving Ren and Yuri another three days tops before they would be at it again.

* * * *

Tohya groaned as he resisted the urge to bury his head beneath his pillow in his bedroom, the music blaring from his stereo. But even so, the music from the stereo was unable to drown the arguing voices coming from somewhere in the hallway of the Phantoms’ dormitory level.

It was late evening, and the sun was quickly setting, with the rays streaming in through the gaps of the curtains of Tohya’s room. Finally, Tohya gave up and got up from his bed before opening his room door, and almost immediately, the arguing voices were magnified ten times.

Sunny who had the room next to him was out of his room as well. And the moment that he noticed Tohya, he walked over to him, tilting a thumb over his shoulder. “They’re at it again.” The older Phantom said with a slight smirk.

Tohya sighed. “I’m used to it by now,” he grumbled. “They’ve been at it for a month. We’re lucky that the Elder hasn’t been assigning us any missions that require us to work as a team, or we’ll probably fail every mission that comes our way.”

* * * *

If looks could kill, Ren Kamizuki will be dead a hundred times over.

He groaned inwardly as he met the glare of his teammate and best friend head-on, with both of them currently in the hallway of the dormitory. If truth be told, he had never wanted to argue with Yuri. He merely wanted to remind her of her duties as a Phantom, and that getting this close to a potential enemy is definitely not a good idea.

The girl whom Yuri had given the name of Yuuki is like a living ticking time bomb. Ren isn’t even sure if she’s entirely trustworthy. But unfortunately, Yuri wouldn’t hear a single word against that girl, and Ren is at a loss as to what to do.

The teen knew that the real reason why Yuri is so against anyone speaking against Yuuki is because the girl’s past is similar to Yuri’s own. Like how Yuri was forced to take this path because circumstances had forced her hand back then, this girl probably didn’t choose this path of bloodshed willingly as well.

Ren knew for sure that Riou and the Elder were concerned over Yuri’s relationship with the girl which is more than that of a simple guard assignment. Yuri is one of their best, and they wouldn’t want to lose the girl as a Phantom and as a Hati assassin should they do anything to that Yuuki girl.

Thus, the best that they could do is to minimise Yuri’s contact with the girl as much as they could, which is why they have been sending Yuri on so many missions lately, or asking for Yuri to send the girl to them. Furthermore, they do not have enough manpower on this investigation assignment of the Raven’s Gate organisation as it is, and they couldn’t possibly afford to pull Yuri off this assignment.

“What part of ‘she’s a kid’ do you not understand?!”

Ren felt his own temper bubbling to the surface, and he tried hard to keep a tight hold on his temper. He knew that Yuri can do a lot of damage to him should their argument actually escalate into a full-blown fight. The only reason why it didn’t happen in the past several times when they have argued is because Tohya or Sunny were always present to break up their argument.

Ren is confident enough in his own combat skills, knowing that he is more than enough of a match for Yuri. But he also knew that if they were ever caught fighting which is not a simple sparring session, both of them would be punished severely. It is part of Hati’s rules that no Phantom is to turn against one of their own without a very valid reason.

Ren met Yuri’s glare head-on. “And what part of she’s a trained assassin do you not understand?!” He flared up, balling both his hands into fists by his sides.

Yuri growled low in her throat, looking as if she was barely restraining herself from leaping onto Ren or sending a bullet into his body, judging by the way that her hands were twitching by her sides. “You’re just biased against her just because she’s a Raven’s Gate assassin!”

“That’s not the point here!” Ren raised his voice, causing the sound to echo throughout the usually quiet hallway. “You’re just trying to protect her just because the situation is similar to your own past! You see that girl as your past self! Open your eyes! You’re a Phantom! A Hati assassin! You have your own duties and responsibilities as a Hati assassin! You can’t just think about that girl! Think about Hati and the world! We of Hati are responsible for the balance of power between the world, as well as the corruption that takes place! You know as well as any of us do that Raven’s Gate can’t be allowed to continue to live!”

Yuri glared at Ren, but she seemed to be calming down some. “Then you’re telling me that I should just let Yuuki die if the need arises for it?” she asked with a strange tone to her voice.

Ren looked at Yuri straight in the eye. “If it is required, yes. I’ll do it myself if I have to.”

The next moment, Ren soon found himself dodging a bullet that whizzed past his head which struck one of the ceiling lights, putting the light out instantly. He then placed one hand on the pouch that contained his Elvigar, turning surprised and shocked eyes towards Yuri who had her Odium out, and he is currently staring straight at the barrel of the gun.

Ren looked at Yuri’s cold and angry eyes with his own surprised and cautious ones. For as long as he had known Yuri, he knew that she rarely loses it like this. She has a type of control over her own emotions that Ren found scary. And even if she did get angry at Tohya or any of their colleagues in Hati at times, she had never turned her weapon upon them.

Not once. Until now, that is.

Ren stared at the barrel of the gun Odium wordlessly for several moments before turning his eyes upwards to meet Yuri’s own angry eyes. “You’re really serious, aren’t you?” he said softly, his hand slipping slowly into the pouch that held his Elvigar, and his fingers touched the smooth fabric of the glove. “Do you even know what you’re doing? Stop trying to deceive yourself. You know that the Elder and the captain will have to come to a decision regarding that girl sooner or later. Either we hand her over to the government for them to do who-knows-what, or…we execute her.”

Another bullet zipped past Ren’s head which he dodged narrowly, rendering the bullet stuck in the wall, and Ren turned his gaze towards Yuri who looked both angry and afraid. “I won’t let that happen!” She nearly hissed. “Yuuki didn’t have a choice in what she had to do! She’s the same as us! The only difference is that we were all taken in by Hati!”

“And how do you know that she didn’t choose this path?” Ren snapped back, getting tired of Yuri’s arguments about that girl. Giving people second chances are good and all, but it also depends on who deserves it! Furthermore, they’re assassins. Killers. Their job is to take lives, not preserve them! “For kami-sama’s sake, wake up, Yuri!”

“I won’t let her die!” Yuri snarled. “No harm will come to her as long as I’m alive!”

“And what will you do if it is a mission?” Ren snapped back. “What will you do if the Elder issued you a mission to kill that girl with your own hands? You can’t ignore the mission, and you know it. If you let her go on purpose, then we might have to execute you next.”

“Even if I have to leave Hati, I won’t let her die!” Yuri snarled, and another bullet struck past Ren which just whizzed above his head as he ducked down to the ground.

Ren glared at Yuri as he picked himself up from the ground, pulling his Elvigar out from his pouch and strapping it onto his right hand, flexing his fingers as he do so. “You’re really serious, aren’t you?” he stated more than asked, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as he saw the defiant look in Yuri’s eyes. “I understand. Even if I have to break every single bone in your body, I’m going to knock some sense into you!”

“You can try.”

Yuri threw herself backwards a little as she fired thrice with her gun which Ren managed to avoid, with the bullets peppering around his feet. He then clenched his right hand into a fist and threw his right hand forwards, and several silver wires were immediately flung forwards before wrapping itself around the front of Yuri’s gun. Ren then tugged onto the wires to tighten his hold on Yuri’s gun, hereby disabling the usage of her weapon.

“Give it up, Yuri,” said Ren. “You can’t use your gun now, and you stand no chance against me.”

“You under-estimate me, Ren,” muttered Yuri before something silver was slipped out from the holster on her arm which was hidden by the sleeve of her jacket.

Ren froze as Yuri slashed at the wires of his Elvigar with the dagger hidden within her sleeve, hereby releasing her gun from his hold, and she then pointed the gun at Ren who scowled, and made a motion to entrap Yuri’s limbs next.

But before either one of them could make a single move, there were two black blurs. It was soon followed by the sound of a clang of metal on metal, and Ren froze as he saw Sunny before him, slashing at the wires of Ren’s Elvigar with his katana Jormungand, a Japanese sword with a silver blade and a black hilt, with the engravings of dragons and snakes on it.

Ren’s eyes widened. “S-Sunny?”

Sunny growled low in his throat before he thrust the butt of the hilt of his katana into Ren’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him, causing him to fall on his butt onto the ground, clutching his abdomen in pain.

And when Ren looked up, he saw that Tohya had locked one of his twin spinning knives against Yuri’s Odium and had her pinned against the wall, his other dagger placed against her abdomen, the dagger that Yuri was using earlier was on the ground not too far away from her.

Tohya growled before glancing back and forth between Yuri and Ren. “Both of you, stop it this instance!” he commanded.

“Do you want to get arrested for this?” Sunny added, an angry tone to his voice.

“Using both Elvigar and Odium in a place like this.” Tohya hissed angrily, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he looked from Ren to Yuri and back again. “Are you both seriously out to kill each other?”

Ren narrowed his eyes at Yuri before getting to his feet shakily, removing Elvigar from his right hand, and stuffing it into his pouch with more force than necessary. Tohya and Sunny watched him warily, both not letting up their hold on their individual weapons.

Ren then snorted in distaste before stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking past Sunny, Tohya and Yuri down the hallway towards the direction of the lift, before Tohya called out to him. “Oi! Ren! Where are you going?”

“Taking a walk.”

Yuri muttered something incoherently beneath her breath as Ren vanished from their sight, and pushed Tohya away from her, slipping her Odium into her holster and picking up her dagger before slipping it into her arm holster concealed by the sleeve of her jacket, and walking down the hallway as well.

“And where are you going?” asked Tohya cautiously.

“To the bar.” She seriously needed a drink.

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[1] A Japanese expletive