Chapter 25- Moonlighters

Zimmi drew a stick figure with a teal-colored crayon on a blank sheet of paper, next to a red stick figure. Then, she placed the crayon down into the pouch carefully before taking a purple crayon and drawing another stick figure with long hair.

She tore a few pieces of tape, holding the drawing up on a wall to the side of her bed. With one finger, she applied the tape smoothly over the corners of the painting.

Zimmi dropped the painting when she saw red blotches on her skin.

She dashed to her small bathroom, frantically washing off the red crayon color on her hands, lathering her hands with an excessive amount of soap. She looked up at the mirror before walking away, closing the bathroom door behind her.

Keith walked down the hallway, searching for Zimmi's room. He stopped when he saw Ruh at the opposite end of the hallway. The two locked glances, staring daggers at each other.

"Hello, Mr. Keith," Ruh said, with a forced smile.

"Hello, Ruh. I was looking for Zimmi's room. I need to speak to her." Keith smiled back.

"Yes, of course. It's right here, but she's not in a good mood, I'm afraid. I'm not sure she wants to speak with you." Ruh glared at Keith.

"Well, that's for her to decide now, isn't it?" Keith clenched his teeth, still smiling.

As the two walked to the door, Ruh stopped Keith before he could open the door.

"Zimmi? Mr. Keith's here to speak with you. Do you want me to tell him to go away?" Ruh asked her through the door, making Keith's eye twitch in annoyance.

Why don't you go away, you little brat?!

"Oh. N-no. Let him come in, Ruh. Thank you." A meek voice said from the other side of the door.

"Ok. Are you sure?" Ruh asked.

"Y…yes, please. It's fine." Zimmi said.

Keith had a smug grin as he looked down at Ruh, stepping away from the door. Ruh bit the inside of his cheek slightly, annoyed.

Let's see if he can do better than me.

Ruh shook his head, reminding himself it wasn't a competition. All that mattered was that Zimmi felt better in the end. Ruh walked away, going downstairs to see if Enteico needed any help.

"Don't mess it up," Ruh mumbled as he walked away.

Keith's nose flared in anger. "Yeah, sure."

Oh, boy. Suddenly I see why the Assassins beat the crap out of him, little…

Keith mumbled angry, jumbled words underneath his breath before opening the door to Zimmi's room.

Zimmi sat on a little stool, staring at the floor of her room when Keith entered. Keith noticed that she had hung up little drawings of tiny stick figures together on her walls.

"Nice drawings, kid," Keith remarked.

"Thank you, Mr. Keef," Zimmi muttered.

Keith stood near her, unsure of how to continue, wondering how he could comfort Zimmi and tell her what she wanted to hear.

"Are the Guards here to take me away?"

Keith raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Miss Silvia said that bad people will get locked away. The guards will come and take the bad people…take me away…" Zimmi said, her hair covering her face.

"No, no. If that was the case, then everyone here should go to jail. There's nothing wrong in-in defending yourself. Even the Guards should go to jail as well." Keith said, sitting down on her bed.

"But they were protecting people," Zimmi said.

"How is that any different from what you were doing?"

Zimmi couldn't answer. Keith sighed, taking a deep breath. He didn't even notice the shadow of a person standing near the door.

"Ok, kid. What are you afraid of? Are you scared that just because you killed one person, you'll keep killing others? You'll stop caring about their lives? That Assassin…that man…he wanted to kill Bob, and you stopped him. Nothing wrong with that." Keith said.

"But-but what if…" Zimmi said.

"What if you let him live? Let's see what could have happened. Maybe he would've changed. Turned over a new leaf. Started living an honest life, right?"

Zimmi nodded. "Exactly! I should have given him that second chance! I-I should've…"

Keith held out his hand, stopping her. "That's one possibility."

Keith decided that this was the only way for her to learn. Hiding the truth and sugarcoating it was not going to help her process what she had done. He leaned up against the wall, looking at the drawing she had just hung up.

"He was a trained killer. If he lived, he would be sent away for failing to carry out his job. Maybe one day, he gets a little too angry. Kills more people. Then, he remembers why he lost everything. He starts hunting you down, but he'll go slow. He'll kill Silvia, Ruh, Bob before he comes for you."

"Stop…stop…" Zimmi whimpered, holding her head in her hands.

"Then, maybe he gets more powerful. He realizes he can take over a few more towns and he starts a clan of killers on his own. Thousands of people die, maybe millions, all because you let him live." Keith continued.

"STOP!" Zimmi yelled.

Keith grabbed her by her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Every time we give someone a second chance, we give them a chance to do good or to do a lot worse. And, judging by the fact that that man was willing to attack an orphanage, filled with innocent people who he never knew, I think you know what he would've done with that chance."

Zimmi tried to stop her lip from quivering but ultimately failed to hold back her tears as Keith wiped them away.

"Kid, I don't need to tell you that taking someone's life is bad. That's about as useless as saying that people die when they are killed."

Keith paused before looking up directly, glaring at no one in particular.

"But what you need to understand is that this world isn't always filled with good and bad. Sometimes you have to do bad things to save good people."

"Doesn't that make me just as horrible as them?" Zimmi sniffed.

"Kid, you're one of the only people I know that tried to revive a man who was just mere moments away from not just killing you, but your friends too." Keith chuckled.

Keith bent down, looking the little girl in the eyes. "Somewhere along the line, we all lost our morality. We kill for power, greed, sometimes even just to protect our ideals. You reminded me that…that no matter how messed up this world can get, that's no excuse to throw away the good inside of us."

"T…Thank-Thank you, Mr. Keef," Zimmi whispered.

"It's ok. You're better than most of us, kid. You'll figure that out soon enough. Just…keep being you. Show the world the goopy-headed, giggly kid that I know. Got it?" Keith asked her, lifting up her chin.

Zimmi sniffed and nodded before she hugged Keith. The white-haired man patted her on the head, holding her in his arms for a brief moment. Closing his eyes, he made a silent promise that she would never become like him, but become better than him.

A knock on the door made Keith break away from the hug with a smile on his face. Zimmi rubbed her nose, wiping away her small tears before she smiled happily as well.

"C-Come in," Zimmi said.

Ruh peeked in from the other side of the door. "Hey, Zippy."

"Hey, Ruh." Zimmi smiled.

Ruh's smile grew wider when he heard the energy return to her voice, her little face brimming with a bright positive glow. "Sorry to interrupt, I-I just wanted to check in…"

Zimmi ran to the boy and hugged him. "I'm fine, Ruh. Come on, let's go finish up our homework and do some training."

Ruh laughed. "I doubt that we need to do it now, considering we did just get attacked by a bunch of Assassins."

"Do you really want to take that chance with Miss Silvia?" Zimmi shuddered.

Ruh's smile disappeared and his face paled. "Yeah, actually let's just go do some training and I'll help you out with your homework later. Race you to the training area!"

"Haha! You won't catch up with me, I'm Zippy! Wheeeeeeee!" Zimmi dashed away from her room, sprinting towards the training area.

Ruh stayed near the doorway, looking at Keith, who stared back with a blank expression.

"You better take care of her, or else you're next on my un-aliving list." Keith thought to himself.

"You'd better be a good role model to her, or else I'll punch you so hard you'll need to sell the Blades of Alysides to get dental treatment." Ruh thought to himself.

The two nodded at each other silently, before Ruh sprinted away to catch up with Zimmi. Keith waited until the boy left and then broke into a wide, derpy grin.

Slinging his jacket over his shoulder while his gaze lingered on the stick figure drawing next to Zimmi's bed briefly, Keith left the room, closing the door behind him with a soft chuckle.

________________________________________________________________

Bob rushed to take the lid off the large pot. "Hot, hot, hot!"

"I got it, Uncle Bob! Ow, hot, hot, hot!" Zimmi said, wincing as the handles stung her with heat even through her mittens.

"I told ya. Ask Ruh to take it while you squeeze the lime on the salad." Bob said, mixing two small spoons of sugar with a green liquid, before tasting it with his finger.

"No, hup! I can handle it!" Zimmi said, lifting the large pot and carrying it over to the giant table that the staff had carried out for the occasion. Enteico smiled as he watched everyone grab and carry plates, dishes and pots full of food.

Keith and Yokubo entered the cafeteria that was cleared for the feast. Silvia made sure the children were in bed, save for Zimmi and Ruh, who refused to sleep.

The Monarch Foundation had decided to throw a thank-you feast for the heroes who had saved their town. Ruh ran over to Zimmi, who was struggling to lift the pot.

"Need some help with-" Ruh asked.

"I said I can handle it, Ruuuuuh! Now, shoo, shoo! Hup, you can take the lime and get the salad for us. It's very healthy!" Zimmi huffed, wobbling to the table.

Enteico noticed that Ruh didn't leave to get the salad until Zimmi had safely placed the pot on the table. Zimmi smiled brightly, inviting Keith and Yokubo to sit next to each other. Ruh placed the salad on the table and squeezed the lime onto the green leaves.

Unfortunately, he was still focused on Zimmi, causing a jet of acid lime juice to spray into his eyes. Enteico noticed it and immediately held out a bottle of water, rinsing the juice out of his eyes. Keith looked at the two and snickered.

"Hey, Enteico. Why are you making children cry? That's my schtick." Keith snickered, making Yokubo nudge him slightly with her elbow.

Enteico ignored Keith and bent down, blowing into his eye. "Does it still sting, Ruh?"

"Y-Yeah, a little bit, but not a lot. Thanks." Ruh said, wiping his eyes with a cloth.

"Don't mention it, bud. If anything feels off with your eye, let me or someone else know." Enteico said, placing a salt and pepper shaker on the table. Ruh nodded, following the merchant around and helping him carry dishes back to the table.

"So, I see that Zimmi's much happier than when I first saw her. I presume your mission was successful?" Enteico smiled, his stomach grumbling when he saw the three sizzling, cheesy, gooey trays plated with mouth-watering lasagna.

"Well, I didn't really do anything that helped her out. In the end, Mr. Keith was the one who lifted her spirits up, not me. I mean, I tried…" Ruh mumbled, his stomach growling as well.

"Yeah, but you stuck around with her, right?" Enteico asked.

"Yes, like you said, but…"

"Then you did enough. Even though Keith was the one who talked to her and she needed him to comfort her, he wasn't there by her side the whole time. He's Keith, for god's sake." Enteico said.

"Hey, I don't know what it is you're saying about me, but it doesn't sound good with that tone of yours!" Keith called out.

"Don't worry, I'm just talking about how ridiculously strong you are!" Enteico looked at Ruh, shaking his head.

"Oh, really? Well, tell Ruh that I'm also absolutely handsome and the pinnacle of masculinity!" Keith said, making Ruh hold back a laugh.

"Don't sell yourself short, Ruh. There'll come a time in which everyone might be against Zimmi, even the world. But even if Zimmi's done wrong, it's your job to get her back on the right path." Enteico said, smiling at Zimmi, who was teasing Yokubo and Keith, asking about how they knew each other.

"That's what best friends are supposed to do?" Ruh asked Enteico.

"That's what best friends will do if they really care about you." Enteico nodded.

Enteico removed the stuffed roast chicken from the oven, careful not to burn his hands. Placing the chicken in the centre of the table, he waited until everyone took their seats. Silvia sat next to Zimmi, Ruh and Bob. Felix sat next to Enteico, with Yokubo and Keith beside them.

"You know, this is probably the first time we've celebrated a victory with other people. And not have Psoli jump out of nowhere, taking all the credit." Enteico chuckled.

"Yeah. Man, if I get to eat like this every day, then maybe saving people ain't so bad. Now then, it's time to cut the chicken." Keith said, rubbing his hands before reaching underneath the table.

He pulled out a bloody sword, ready to slice the chicken in half, much to the horror of everyone seated. Enteico yelled for Keith to stop. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm about to prepare the glorious meat for consumption, what does it look like I'm doing?" Keith said, still waving the long sword around.

"Well, maybe do it with a knife! Or something that isn't still stained with blood!"

Keith looked at the sword, nodding with understanding. "You know what? You're right. I don't think a sword would be the best way to cut the chicken…"

Enteico sighed with relief as he saw Keith place the sword back underneath the table. "Thank you-"

Keith dropped a large chainsaw onto the table with a heavy thump, shaking the table and clattering against a few plates. He pulled the cord to start the chainsaw repeatedly while Enteico struggled in vain to force him to stop.

"Huh, the chainsaw isn't working. I guess it's out of fuel…" Keith mumbled.

"Thank god it isn't! Put the damn thing away and just eat like a normal person!" Enteico said.

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Keith looked at the label of the chainsaw, squinting to read the small letter. "Oh! It seems like it's one of those new fancy-electrically powered chainsaws."

Enteico paled.

Oh no.

"I CAN HELP WITH THAT!!!" Zimmi jumped out of her seat, rushing towards Keith.

Enteico and Ruh looked at each other, their looks of concern giving way to a silent agreement to stop the impending chaos and destruction from befalling the table. Enteico looked at the others, who seemed more invested in who would win, apart from Yokubo, who was chowing down on a serving of lasagna, smiling with her mouth full.

Ruh vaulted over the table, placing a barrier between Keith and Zimmi, while Enteico made sure that there was no way for the girl to reach Keith.

Zimmi's body fizzled with electricity before she broke into a full sprint, rushing at the two trying to stop her from reaching Keith. Enteico and Ruh nodded. There was no way that Zimmi could rush past them…

The little girl's body was suddenly encompassed by a blue flash of electricity, becoming one with the rapidly approaching beam of energy. At the last second before colliding with either Ruh or Enteico, she launched outside the beam.

The girl flew above the two, landing on the other side next to Keith.

"I didn't know she could do that. Did you know she could do that?" Enteico asked Ruh.

"No, that's new. That's definitely new." Ruh gasped.

Zimmi's hands sparked before charging the chainsaw, making the blades rapidly spin.

"HAHAHAH! IT LIVES! IT LIVES!" Keith cackled manically.

The chainsaw exploded in a cloud of black smoke, breaking the machine into pieces and embedding the large saw blade into Yokubo's lasagna.

She used a fork and pulled a small portion apart from the bigger loaf. "Thanks!" Yokubo munched on the lasagna gratefully.

Keith coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. Zimmi's face poked out from underneath the table, covered in grease.

"Oops. I…I did it again, didn't I?" Zimmi mumbled.

Everyone at the table fell silent.

"I couldn't focus on how much…to…" Zimmi said, the smile fading from her face.

Keith grabbed the saw blade and chopped the chicken in half. "Hey, look! You did it! Chicken's now all sliced up!"

Zimmi peeked above the table. "I did?"

Everyone nodded with a smile on their face.

"I DID IT! WHOO! I DID THE THING, MR. KEEF!" She jumped, giggling.

"Yes, you did," Silvia said, her eye twitching.

"Uh oh," Keith muttered.

"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady. I expected you of all people to behave decently and to not partake in this madness." Silvia said.

"Bu-But…"

"No buts! You're going straight to bed after dinner!" Silvia said.

"Yes, Miss Silvia." Zimmi pouted.

"Aww, Silvia. Why you gotta be such a party pooper, man?" Keith chuckled.

"AND YOU! You know the influence you have on this little girl. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, acting so recklessly! What if that saw blade had taken off someone's hand or their head?" Silvia scolded Keith.

"When did you even bring that chainsaw in here?" Enteico wondered out loud.

"Ahh, you're overreacting. Don't worry about it, at this rate you'll stress yourself out and look a lot older than you already do…" Keith said before he realized his fatal mistake.

A deathly silence fell upon the table. Yokubo paused and looked at Keith in horror, mid-bite with her fork of lasagna inches away from her mouth.

"Listen carefully, Keith. You're going to clean up this mess after we're done, or so help me; I will make you scrub every inch of the Foundation building clean with a toothbrush. Do I make myself clear?" Silvia said, her voice an eerie whisper.

Keith gulped. "Crystal, Mis…umm…S-Silvia."

Silvia stomped back to her seat while Felix leant over to speak with her. "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?" Silvia asked him.

"That. Shutting Keith up. That was amazing." Felix said, getting closer to her.

"Oh, uh…it's nothing, I mean…yeah." Silvia scoffed, looking away from Felix's intense stare.

"You're absolutely incredible. I've never seen anyone do that." Felix said, awestruck.

"Heh. Ahem. Thank you. You're sweet." Silvia said, twirling her hair with her fingers.

Keith noticed that Silvia appeared to be in a good mood soon afterwards, chatting with Felix and laughing at something that he said.

She smiled at Keith, noticing Yokubo's brief glances at him. "So, Keith? Who's the pretty lady?"

Keith was about to answer, but he noticed the way Yokubo was looking at him, making him choke on a grape, coughing and beating his chest frantically as Yokubo performed the Heimlich maneuver on him.

"That's Yokubo. A good friend of his." Enteico explained.

"Just a friend?" Silvia asked, coyly.

"Oh, no. Actually, isn't she technically your fiancé?" Enteico asked Keith.

Keith coughed up the grape violently. The grape shot out of his mouth like a bullet, nearly poking out Enteico's eye.

"Oooh, fiancé? Do tell." Silvia said, smiling.

"Yeah! You're so cool, Mr. Keef! Even Miss Silvia doesn't have a fiancé yet! Maybe you can help her out!" Zimmi jumped with joy.

Silvia's smile faded. She thumped her head against the wood table repeatedly, silently crying on the inside.

"You ok, Miss Silvia?" Ruh asked her.

Silvia took a deep breath, smiling. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

Keith scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking at Yokubo. "We kinda decided to hold off on being…umm…engaged."

Zimmi gasped, horrified. "Oh no! Does that mean you're breaking up?!"

Keith chuckled in surprise. "Kid, we aren't even technically dating yet."

The group ate their food, laughing at ludicrous encounters throughout their lives with Zimmi occasionally asking Ruh the meaning of a subtle dirty joke that Keith would toss in every now and then.

"Hey, did you show Keith the new thing I did with your sweater?" Yokubo asked Zimmi.

Zimmi jumped out of her seat. "Ooh! Ooh! Mr. Keef! Look at what Miss Yo-yo made for me!"

Keith raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Yo-yo?"

"Don't ask," Yokubo mumbled.

Zimmi showed the corner of her favorite light blue sweater to Keith. "When the bad people came, I got my favorite sweater all torn up. But…But Miss Yo-yo stitched it back together! She also did this thing!"

Keith looked at the corner. It was a pink crescent moon, embroidered onto the front corner of her sweater.

"That's pretty sick! Hey, dude! Come look at this!" Keith called out to Enteico.

Enteico got up from his seat, inspecting the sweater. "Hey! That's pretty good! Would be a good design for our logo if we get the Moonlighter rebuilt."

"Moonlighter?" Zimmi asked curiously.

"It's a shop that we both worked at. Technically, we still do…it's just that the place is totaled. The Assassins wrecked it." Keith said.

"Oh. That's sad. I hope you fix it up soon. Maybe you can do it here! In Kleise!" Zimmi smiled.

Keith looked at Enteico, but the merchant shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, kid. Real estate prices in Kleise are way higher than in Spiti."

"Hmm. Ok. Ooh, ooh! I have a great idea! I've wanted to make a team name for all of us for a really long time, but uhh…the earlier team name was a little too long, so I've come up with a new one!" Zimmi clapped her hands with glee.

"Aww, but I loved the earlier name." Keith snickered.

Zimmi cleared her throat. "The world is filled with evil and villainy, but there will always be those who rise to challenge the bad meanies! And this team of super cool, awesome boys and girls will be called…"

Zimmi paused, smiling at Yokubo while the others waited in suspense.

"The Moonlighters!" The little girl smiled, clapping her hands.

"A little on the nose, but it should do the trick." Keith laughed.

"The Moonlighters. I kinda like it." Enteico nodded.

Yokubo placed her plate on the table, patting her belly. "Woof, I'm full!"

"Yeah, I'll help you guys out with cleaning up," Enteico said.

"I'll help too. I also need to talk about something with you, Enteico." Felix said, stacking the plates.

"Sure. Go on." Enteico nodded.

"I've got this place in a kingdom nearby. It used to be a vacation home for our family, but…no one really uses it anymore. So, since we don't have a place to set up shop, what if we head there? It's near the Central Kingdom and has a large population, enough to make a decent living…" Felix said, going into the kitchen with the merchant.

Keith was about to follow them inside, but he noticed Yokubo smirking at him.

"What?" Keith asked, smiling.

Yokubo shook her head, still smiling. "You know, I've never seen you this happy before. You're usually always so…cynical about stuff."

Keith scoffed. "I'm still cynical, don't you worry. The only difference now is that I don't have a purple-haired crazy woman forcing me to relive my nightmares." Keith chuckled, making Yokubo break into laughter.

"Aww, come on! I said I was sorry about that! Hehehe." Yokubo said, leaning on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. It's all in the past now. Now all that's left is to keep moving forward, huh?" Keith asked her.

"Yup. I'm heading upstairs to the rooftop. I need to get some air." Yokubo said, fixing Keith with a look.

"Ok. That's cool."

"All alone. By myself. With no one disturbing anything that might potentially happen up there if there was someone else." Yokubo said, hoping that Keith would pick up the hint.

Keith nodded. "Sure."

Yokubo got up, walking upstairs as Enteico and Felix came out of the kitchen.

"Someone's getting lucky tonight." Enteico chuckled.

"Dude, not cool. I'm panicking." Keith said, trying to sound calm.

"Why are you panicking? You've got this in the bag."

"Ok, let me explain why I'm panicking. That is Yokubo. She's one of my best friends since childhood and has always been there for me through thick and thin. She's not only obscenely gorgeous, unbelievably clever and ridiculously talented but on top of that, she's great with kids." Keith explained.

"And you aren't. Go on." Felix nodded.

"Now, let's say I go up there. She's standing there in that purple jacket that stops just above her leggings, with her silky hair undone and her eyes staring into the very essence of my soul, or whatever's left of it. If I fuck this up, I not only lose talented, clever, drop-dead gorgeous Yokubo…" Keith continued.

"Man, I wish I had one of those." Enteico sighed.

"But she's not going to let it go. Do you guys know how I ridicule you for every single slip-up that you've ever made?" Keith asked.

Enteico and Felix nodded simultaneously.

"Well, Yokubo's like that, but without the funny punchlines. It's fine if I mock other people, but when it's me getting mocked? Now, that's just not right." Keith mumbled.

"Fine, I see your point, but think of it this way. You could get to have Yokubo for the rest of your life, or until she finally gets fed up with your shit, which, considering the fact that she's stuck with you for this long, seems unlikely." Enteico said.

"But that's commitment. And responsibility…oh god, I think I'm going to vomit and pass out." Keith said, breathing heavily.

"No…don't…think of it like that. You guys went around town for the entire day. Did you feel like that was too much for you to handle?" Enteico asked Keith.

Keith remembered falling underneath the tree, with Yokubo on top of him. "No…not really."

"And you wouldn't trade that for anything else in the world?" Enteico asked.

"Well…I mean, if we're talking about that personal strip club, then…" Keith shrugged.

"Keith! Come on, I'm serious!" Enteico groaned.

"Ok! Ok! I was also serious about the club but…I guess…yeah. I…don't think I'd rather be anywhere else when I'm with her." Keith nodded slowly, struggling to get each word out.

"Then you know what to do. Also, wear protection. And not the Serpentine skin kind, please. I know you'll have a heart attack if Yokubo gets knocked up." Enteico said.

Keith blinked once in horror.

"Why on earth would you fucking say that?! Now I'm even more terrified of going up there!" Keith screamed.

"Well, too bad. Good luck." Felix said, walking away with Enteico.

Keith steeled himself, pulling up his pants and checking in the mirror to see if anything was stuck in his teeth, before walking upstairs to talk with Yokubo.

As he climbed up the stairs, Keith could hear the voices from downstairs laugh, talk and shout out incomprehensible words. He shook his head, smiling as he looked at his reflection in the window.

Keith could see himself stare back, with the moon shining through the window. With each step up the staircase, with each footstep that echoed through the empty halls, all that Keith could think about was reaching the top.

On the last floor, just before he reached the door to the rooftop to the entrance, Keith noticed something glint outside from a distance. Looking outside, he could see the lone tree atop the hill underneath the moon.

Thanks, Grandpa. Thanks for everything.

Keith climbed the last set of stairs, opening the door to the rooftop.

Yokubo stood near the edge of the rooftop railing, closing her eyes, letting the cold night air ripple across her skin. Keith gulped, taking a deep breath before walking towards her.

"Hey, Yo-yo!" Keith said.

Yokubo laughed, turning back to look at Keith. "Shut up, Keef. It's only cute when she does it."

"Aww, are you telling me I'm not cute?" Keith mimicked Zimmi's pout.

"No, I'm telling you that I like it when you call me by my actual name. It's a lot…sexier that way." Yokubo said, taking a step back as Keith walked closer towards her.

"Well, it is a very sexy name," Keith said, smiling.

"Why, thank you. About time you learned to show your appreciation for me." Yokubo giggled.

"That is why I'm here. And…" Keith said, stopping barely a few inches away from Yokubo, who was between Keith and the railing.

"And?" Yokubo tilted her head, smiling.

"I needed to tell you…say…you know. And that I…you know. And that I…you know?" Keith stuttered, shaking his head in disappointment.

Great job, Keith. Maybe go back to third grade and increase your vocabulary so that you know how to speak apart from the words "You know"!

"I know."

Yokubo was looking to the side, her face slightly red with her hands behind her back. Keith smiled at her shy face. She briefly looked at Keith's face, unable to stare at him for long.

"You do?" Keith asked.

"I-I think I do," Yokubo whispered.

"Hmm. No, I don't think you do." Keith teased her.

Yokubo looked up at him with a sly grin. "You wanna find out? Cuz I've got an idea."

"Oh really?" Keith asked, his gaze getting hazy as she got closer to his face.

"Yeah. It's a crazy one." Yokubo said, slowly closing her eyes.

"Crazy? How crazy?" Keith asked, slowly closing his eyes.

"Totally crazy," Yokubo whispered.

"Absolutely insane?" Keith asked with a smile.

"Completely mental." Yokubo giggled softly.

She was barely a few centimetres from his lips when she stopped.

"If…you don't want this…you can tell me stop if things get too crazy." She whispered, breathing heavily.

"I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. And I don't think you would either." Keith smiled.

"Yeah, you're right," Yokubo said, jumping onto Keith, wrapping her arms around him, kissing him.

Keith felt like a thousand fireworks were going off in his head, blowing his mind wide open. His body buzzed and hummed with tingles running rampant everywhere. He felt her hands bring his face closer to hers, allowing her to deepen their kiss.

They slowly drew apart, their lips separating with a light smack, their faces flushed and dazed from the experience. Keith's eyes were still half-lidded, his derpy smile stretching across his face before he chuckled softly.

"Whoo." They both swooned before Keith laughed again.

Yokubo giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck once again. "What's so funny?"

"I could taste a bit of lasagna and mouthwash." Keith snickered.

Yokubo blushed. "Shut up! Oh my god, how the hell did you…"

"I got an up-close inspection. Though there's still one more flavor dancing on the tip of my tongue. Can't tell what it is. Hmm." Keith smiled coyly.

"Want to take another guess?" Yokubo asked, pressing her body against his.

"I think you already know the answer to that," Keith said, pulling her by her hips and tasting her lips once again.

Their second kiss wasn't to prove anything, nor was it any big statement to each other. It was just so that they could both revel in the fact that they had finally taken the next step, getting used to the joys of loving each other.

Oh, boy. I could definitely get used to this.

Keith smiled, pulling away from her with his eyebrows raised in deep thought. "I got nothing. What is that flavor? I know it from somewhere, but it's on the tip of my tongue! Literally!"

Yokubo giggled softly, holding his hand in hers. "You want me to tell you?"

Keith nodded. Yokubo stood up on her tip-toes, breathing into Keith's right ear.

"It's my chocolate lipstick."

Keith suddenly inhaled, his eyes widening. He could've screamed in glee and Shujin would probably come back from the dead to whack him unconscious.

"I'm not convinced. Maybe I should get another taste…" Keith said, attempting to kiss Yokubo again, who giggled and put a finger on his lip.

"Nu-uh. Only one chocolate lipstick kiss per day. That's the rules." Yokubo smiled.

"Aww, come on. But I had two today." Keith genuinely pouted.

"Those puppy eyes aren't going to work. And today was a special day. I was in a good mood. But, in return for chocolate kisses, I get something too." Yokubo said.

"Ok, what would that be? Please don't tell me it's to go shopping with you." Keith groaned.

"No, it's for you to shut up. For one whole minute." Yokubo smiled.

"Now that's just rude-" Keith said, before Yokubo wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest, sighing contentedly.

"Shh. One whole minute. Please." Yokubo whispered, closing her eyes.

Keith chuckled, looking up at the night sky. "I can do that."

"If you do, I might even consider removing the one-choco-kiss per day limit," Yokubo said.

"Huh. And why is that?" Keith asked her.

"I wanna kiss you too. Once per day is too little for me." Yokubo pouted.

"You could just do it without the lipstick, right?" Keith chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for that." Yokubo laughed softly, making Keith groan in disappointment.

"Should not have said that. Damn it." Keith cursed.

"Now shush. Your one minute isn't up yet." Yokubo chuckled, nuzzling against Keith's chest once again.

Keith peered over the railing and saw the others silently clapping and cheering. He saw Enteico give him a thumbs up, smiling.

As he held Yokubo in his arms, Keith saw the town dimly illuminated by street lights and flaming torches lit outside their houses. Fireflies scattered the night sky, crickets chirping in the distance. He looked down, kissing Yokubo on the top of her head.

Yup, wouldn't trade this for anything else in the world.

__________________________________________END________________________________________

Epilogue

Mantis closed the file on his table, pressing the cigarette into the ceramic of the ashtray. He packed up most of his files into a small cabinet and re-arranged the case files on his shelf.

Just before he could place his new case file on the shelf, however, Miss Hudson knocked on the door. The old lady peeked in through the door.

"Mantis? Gemini's here to see you." She said.

"Of course. Send him in." Mantis smiled.

A few moments later, Gemini appeared from the doorway, holding a large pouch in his hand with a big smile on his face.

"Hey, there he is! The detective who steals from killers and feeds the conmen."

"I'm presuming the Assassins still haven't traced their information leak back to you, since you're still alive," Mantis said.

"Well, it's good to see you too, Mantis. But no, I've been playing this game for a long time. They try to trace the seller of the intel and they'll find themselves interrogating the manager of Charlie's Chonkers. I'm living a safe, Assassin-free life." Gemini bragged.

"For now." Mantis chuckled.

"Now, why'd you have to say something so ominous? Is an Assassin the one who ends my streak?" Gemini asked him.

"It's a possibility, but not a very likely one. Though these days, certain events that have transpired are very…bizarre." Mantis tapped his chin.

"New case?" Gemini asked.

"Yup. The suspect from the earlier case decided to hire me. He offered a decent price, but the case itself is the real kicker." Mantis said, walking around the table and tapping his hand on the file in front of him.

"Man, your charisma must be off the charts if you managed to get a job from your previous target," Gemini said, placing down the sack on the detective's table before opening the file.

"My charisma is always exemplary. I hope you are not being sarcastic." Mantis said, lighting another cigarette.

"Me? No. I wouldn't dream of it. Now, let's see…huh. This is the case?" Gemini asked Mantis.

"Yeah. Impressive, isn't it? I checked through the Central Kingdom records by asking a few favors..." Mantis puffed out a cloud of smoke, humming slowly.

"Nothing?" Gemini asked.

"Nothing. He's never been on the grid. No birth certificate records, no next of kin or blood relations, no graduation from any school or institute." Mantis said.

"That is strange. Maybe he just fell from the sky. Case solved." Gemini said.

"Always taking the easy solution. But I do have a lead. It's a small one, but it's still a lead nonetheless." Mantis said.

"Please don't tell me that we're going to have to break into another fortress or something." Gemini groaned.

"I never even brought up involving you or any of the others. Plus, I definitely recall that you enjoyed pulling off the heist." Mantis smirked.

"Yeah, because I survived. Did I like how stinking rich it made me? Yes. Would I do it again? Good god, no." Gemini chuckled.

"Well, that could change very soon," Mantis said.

"There we go, again with the ominous foreshadowing. No wonder you don't have any friends, apart from the two numpties and me." Gemini scoffed.

"I have friends?" Mantis wondered out loud.

"Regardless, I wanted to give you a bit of pocket change for making me loaded," Gemini said, shaking the sack on the table.

Mantis went through the sack, counting the money inside. "8 million Bitma is pocket change for you now? Who did you sell the intel to?"

"Confidential business. At least now you might be able to afford a bigger office space and maybe a proper house as well." Gemini laughed.

"Hmm. I suppose I should thank you." Mantis smirked.

"I suppose you should." Gemini nodded.

After a long silence where no one said anything, Gemini cleared his throat.

"Well? Are you going to?" Gemini asked.

"Oh. No, don't be daft. I've got better things to do." Mantis said nonchalantly.

A large number of horses passed by the office window on the street, while guards and Knights surrounded a handful of Elite Nobelists and town officials on their mounts.

"There seems to be an unusual amount of rich dickheads today," Mantis said.

Gemini didn't register the indirect insult. "I heard that the Central Kingdom's sending more security around this area since there were too many Assassin attacks recently. Good riddance."

Mantis squinted at a man who didn't appear to be from the Nobelist clan. He had a crest painted on the left side of his armor. It resembled two black wings covering a large white circle on either side.

That was all Mantis saw before the man turned away, talking to an Elite Nobelist riding next to him.

"No, I don't think it's that. It's something else." Mantis mumbled.

"Mantis?" Gemini asked, putting his hand on the detective's shoulder.

"Yes?" Mantis asked.

"Stop being so ominous and go spend the money any way you want. I'll be leaving before I…uhh…have any problems with the increased security. Don't want to get recognized." Gemini said, about to leave the office.

"Gemini, I wanted to say something," Mantis said immediately.

"What is it?" Gemini asked.

"If…I ever need to break into a place again, I am definitely going to tell you to bang an old lady, even if you don't have to." Mantis laughed.

"Well, screw you too, Mantis. Stay out of trouble." Gemini laughed, closing the door behind him.

Mantis sat down, opening the file in front of him and scribbled a note onto the side.

Name-Felix. Last name-Unknown.

Investigate possible connection with the Brimestone Foundation.

________________________________________________________________

The Moonlighters Will Return…