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Stories:: Original:: Action/Adventure/Romance - Rating: Teen - Submit comments here                                                Chapters: [One] [Two]

It was a brisk autumn afternoon. On such afternoons, I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood. However, today, we had some business with an old friend.

The four of us were gathered around his door. Rei, the oldest at 27, was a bit like our leader. She told us where we were going to go and who we had appointments with. Next in age was Fay, at 26. She was the one we all looked to for information and advice, as she was quite wise. Sapphire was the motherly figure among us, though she was only 24. I, Mei, was the second youngest at 22. Yayuki, though not with us on the job today, was the youngest at 19.

Normally, we all worked at the restaurant and bar that Sapphire owned. Saph was the barmaid; Rei dealt with expenses and such, as the rest of us weren’t as good with sums; Fay cooked; I was the waitress and hostess; and Yayuki worked wherever she was needed. The restaurant was tucked away, behind some big department stores, so we didn’t get too much business. But we did have another source of income.

One might call the five of us “assassins”, though I always found that word…cruel, I guess. Whenever a client came in and asked for “Rei”, we never got too worried. Rei turned away more people than she took on. You see, Rei was rather kind-hearted for an assassin, I thought, and she never killed because someone told her that they “didn’t like” someone. Only if you could give Rei a good enough reason would she take you on.

We were also quite unorthodox in our methods. Most assassins kill quietly or in secret. We didn’t.

Anyway, outside the door of our old friend, Rei glanced around at the three of us.

“Ready?” she whispered. “Guns loaded?”

There were a couple of clicks as we all checked.

“Good,” Rei said, turning to the door. “On three, then, Sapphire,” she said to the girl next to her. “One…two…three!” The two girls’ feet shot out and came into sharp, sudden contact with the door. It jerked open—and straight off of its hinges.

“That’s…going to cost a bit to replace,” I muttered under my breath, casting it an amused eye as we spread out around the house, guns held at the ready.

I headed towards the kitchen, as I was instructed to do. I first listened to the door, and when I heard no sound, I tapped it open with my gun.

“Oh, gross,” I muttered, entering the kitchen. The door swung shut behind me, but I paid it no heed. I put my gun back at my waist and bent my knees, balancing on my toes. I glanced around the messy kitchen. “This guy seriously needs a housewife or something,” I told the half-eaten cup of ramen on the counter. I straightened up and nudged a garbage bag out of the way, taking my gun from my waist again. Something brushed against my elbow.

“Hah!” I shouted, spinning my gun around to face whatever it was.

Clink…. A beer bottle rolled across the counter. I gave a frustrated sort of sigh and righted the bottle next to the sink with another.

I continued on my way through the kitchen, nudging garbage bags out of the way every now-and-then. Think of the kitchen as pre-Tohru Shigure’s house from Fruits Basket.

“This is no fun,” I sighed eventually. I sat down at the kitchen table, fiddling with my gun. “I hate this. I want to kill. That’s why I’m an assassin. I didn’t become one for any other reason. These kinds of missions are so bori—”

“What the HELL is that for?!” a scream shattered the still, stale air.

I jumped up, raising my gun. Then I smiled and headed for the scream. Finally, I thought, some fun.

I entered the living room to see Rei standing angrily in front of a man who I recognized as Ryuki. Fay and Sapphire were standing aside, smiles plastered on their faces. They looked as if fighting the urge to laugh. There was a thin slit on Ryuki’s cheek, which I assumed had been caused by Rei’s dagger, which was clenched angrily in her fist.

“I heard intruders,” Ryuki was saying. “The gun was self-defense.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Please,” I said as he faced me, raising an eyebrow. “Do you actually think that anyone would want to break into this dump you call a house?” This caused a look from Sapphire and Fay that quite plainly said, “Please-Mei-don’t-argue-despite-the-fact-that-we-know-you’re-going-to!”

I ignored it.

Ryuki had narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry that I’ve lived alone ever since someone – ” he shot Rei a glare, “ – dumped me.”

Rei shrugged, turning away to hide her blushing face. She didn’t like the fact that he kept bringing up their past relationship.

“That’s no excuse,” I argued. “My ex has been living just fine since I dumped him.”

I heard Fay sigh. I was officially arguing, and there was no stopping me at this point.

“Well, I’m sorry we can’t all be like your ex,” Ryuki snapped at me. He, as Rei’s ex, knew how much I loved to argue. However, like everyone else who knew me, he didn’t like it.

“Trust me; I’m rather glad you don’t act like him. The world’s bad enough with just one of him,” I scoffed.

I heard Sapphire sigh at this point as well. “And somehow, this is now an argument between Mei and Ryuki. I knew she should have stayed at the bar.”

Ryuki and I glanced at her. Then we continued arguing.

“You’re still a slob,” I told him.

“That’s your opinion on this. I don’t mind the mess.”

“That’s because you made it. I don’t mind the mess in my room, but my roommate sure does!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I was just pointing out that you’re a slob and you can’t blame it on Rei. I dumped my boyfriend, and he’s living a fine life.”

“Who was your boyfriend anyway?”

“His name escapes me,” I said airily. “Why does it matter anyway?”

“He seems like his head’s in the right place,” Ryuki said, crossing his arms to match mine.

“Ha! What makes you say that?”

“He’s happy without you!”

The already stale air went stagnant. Nobody moved, and nobody seemed to breathe as Rei, Sapphire, and Fay turned worried eyes on me.

“What did you just say?” I asked, narrowing my eyes and taking a step forward threateningly.

“Unwise,” Sapphire whispered. “Getting Mei mad…!”

“Well, he’s fine without you, isn’t he?” Ryuki continued, completely unaware of the danger he had gotten himself into. “Only a fool would want you back. Curves don’t make up for a nasty temper.”

I raised my gun.

“Mei, no!” Rei said, stepping between us. “Don’t shoot him.”

“But Rei,” I said through gritted teeth, “you’ve always complained about how useless he is.”

“Well, yes, but—don’t shoot him!”

“Get out of the way,” I told her.

“Mei,” she said warningly, becoming stern. “Lower your gun.”

“Don’t make me shoot you, too,” I threatened, my finger tightening on the trigger.

Suddenly, Ryuki collapsed.

“Nice one, Mei!” Sapphire called. “Now look what you’ve done! You’ve gone and made him faint!”

My eyes were still narrowed, looking over Rei’s shoulder. A girl of about nineteen with silver hair past her shoulders and dark gray eyes was standing there, a syringe in her hand.

“What’d I miss?” she asked, looking around us and lowering the needle.

“Agh, dammit Yayu-chan!” I cursed at her, lowering my gun. “I finally had a chance to shoot the damn bastard!”

“Mei!” Rei said harshly. “Stop with the overuse of the language!”

“She’s just touchy because you were insulting him,” Sapphire told me as I joined them in the back of the room. I leaned up against the wall, arms crossed, watching the scene. Rei was helping Yayuki tie Ryuki’s hands behind his back and into a chair.

“You’ll have other chances, I’m sure,” Yayuki told me.

“Uh…” Ryuki moaned. Then he jerked awake. “What the hell was—?” He stopped as he saw Yayuki. “Oh. It was the doctor.”

“You should thank her for your life,” I muttered darkly.

He scowled at me.

“You’re late,” Rei commented to Yayuki.

She shrugged. “You should be lucky I showed at all. A patient came in who had a stick shoved up his ass—in both senses of the phrase. He was climbing a tree and slipped—anyway, I won’t give you the details. He was cursing like there was no tomorrow, though.”

Rei put up a hand to silence Yayuki. “Anyway, we did come here for a reason,” Rei said to Ryuki, who was scowling darkly at whomever he could—mostly, me.

“Really?” he said sarcastically. “A reason other than to criticize my way of living, tie me up, break down my door, or attempt to shoot me?” He glared at me. I merely shrugged.

“Yes,” Rei said, giving me a look that said, “don’t-say-anything-if-you-don’t-want-to-be-severely-injured”. “We have a proposition. Given the circumstances, it’s best if you come back to the bar with us.”

He grumbled something as he glared at me. Whatever he said earned him a smack on the head from Yayuki, who had up until now, been examining a picture on the wall, leaning back on the chair Ryuki was in.

“Watch it,” she warned. “Mei’s angry enough with you.”
It was a brisk autumn afternoon. On such afternoons, I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood. However, today, we had some business with an old friend.

The four of us were gathered around his door. Rei, the oldest at 27, was a bit like our leader. She told us where we were going to go and who we had appointments with. Next in age was Fay, at 26. She was the one we all looked to for information and advice, as she was quite wise. Sapphire was the motherly figure among us, though she was only 24. I, Mei, was the second youngest at 22. Yayuki, though not with us on the job today, was the youngest at 19.

Normally, we all worked at the restaurant and bar that Sapphire owned. Saph was the barmaid; Rei dealt with expenses and such, as the rest of us weren’t as good with sums; Fay cooked; I was the waitress and hostess; and Yayuki worked wherever she was needed. The restaurant was tucked away, behind some big department stores, so we didn’t get too much business. But we did have another source of income.

One might call the five of us “assassins”, though I always found that word…cruel, I guess. Whenever a client came in and asked for “Rei”, we never got too worried. Rei turned away more people than she took on. You see, Rei was rather kind-hearted for an assassin, I thought, and she never killed because someone told her that they “didn’t like” someone. Only if you could give Rei a good enough reason would she take you on.

We were also quite unorthodox in our methods. Most assassins kill quietly or in secret. We didn’t.

Anyway, outside the door of our old friend, Rei glanced around at the three of us.

“Ready?” she whispered. “Guns loaded?”

There were a couple of clicks as we all checked.

“Good,” Rei said, turning to the door. “On three, then, Sapphire,” she said to the girl next to her. “One…two…three!” The two girls’ feet shot out and came into sharp, sudden contact with the door. It jerked open—and straight off of its hinges.

“That’s…going to cost a bit to replace,” I muttered under my breath, casting it an amused eye as we spread out around the house, guns held at the ready.

I headed towards the kitchen, as I was instructed to do. I first listened to the door, and when I heard no sound, I tapped it open with my gun.

“Oh, gross,” I muttered, entering the kitchen. The door swung shut behind me, but I paid it no heed. I put my gun back at my waist and bent my knees, balancing on my toes. I glanced around the messy kitchen. “This guy seriously needs a housewife or something,” I told the half-eaten cup of ramen on the counter. I straightened up and nudged a garbage bag out of the way, taking my gun from my waist again. Something brushed against my elbow.

“Hah!” I shouted, spinning my gun around to face whatever it was.

Clink…. A beer bottle rolled across the counter. I gave a frustrated sort of sigh and righted the bottle next to the sink with another.

I continued on my way through the kitchen, nudging garbage bags out of the way every now-and-then. Think of the kitchen as pre-Tohru Shigure’s house from Fruits Basket.

“This is no fun,” I sighed eventually. I sat down at the kitchen table, fiddling with my gun. “I hate this. I want to kill. That’s why I’m an assassin. I didn’t become one for any other reason. These kinds of missions are so bori—”

“What the HELL is that for?!” a scream shattered the still, stale air.

I jumped up, raising my gun. Then I smiled and headed for the scream. Finally, I thought, some fun.

I entered the living room to see Rei standing angrily in front of a man who I recognized as Ryuki. Fay and Sapphire were standing aside, smiles plastered on their faces. They looked as if fighting the urge to laugh. There was a thin slit on Ryuki’s cheek, which I assumed had been caused by Rei’s dagger, which was clenched angrily in her fist.

“I heard intruders,” Ryuki was saying. “The gun was self-defense.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Please,” I said as he faced me, raising an eyebrow. “Do you actually think that anyone would want to break into this dump you call a house?” This caused a look from Sapphire and Fay that quite plainly said, “Please-Mei-don’t-argue-despite-the-fact-that-we-know-you’re-going-to!”

I ignored it.

Ryuki had narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry that I’ve lived alone ever since someone – ” he shot Rei a glare, “ – dumped me.”

Rei shrugged, turning away to hide her blushing face. She didn’t like the fact that he kept bringing up their past relationship.

“That’s no excuse,” I argued. “My ex has been living just fine since I dumped him.”

I heard Fay sigh. I was officially arguing, and there was no stopping me at this point.

“Well, I’m sorry we can’t all be like your ex,” Ryuki snapped at me. He, as Rei’s ex, knew how much I loved to argue. However, like everyone else who knew me, he didn’t like it.

“Trust me; I’m rather glad you don’t act like him. The world’s bad enough with just one of him,” I scoffed.

I heard Sapphire sigh at this point as well. “And somehow, this is now an argument between Mei and Ryuki. I knew she should have stayed at the bar.”

Ryuki and I glanced at her. Then we continued arguing.

“You’re still a slob,” I told him.

“That’s your opinion on this. I don’t mind the mess.”

“That’s because you made it. I don’t mind the mess in my room, but my roommate sure does!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I was just pointing out that you’re a slob and you can’t blame it on Rei. I dumped my boyfriend, and he’s living a fine life.”

“Who was your boyfriend anyway?”

“His name escapes me,” I said airily. “Why does it matter anyway?”

“He seems like his head’s in the right place,” Ryuki said, crossing his arms to match mine.

“Ha! What makes you say that?”

“He’s happy without you!”

The already stale air went stagnant. Nobody moved, and nobody seemed to breathe as Rei, Sapphire, and Fay turned worried eyes on me.

“What did you just say?” I asked, narrowing my eyes and taking a step forward threateningly.

“Unwise,” Sapphire whispered. “Getting Mei mad…!”

“Well, he’s fine without you, isn’t he?” Ryuki continued, completely unaware of the danger he had gotten himself into. “Only a fool would want you back. Curves don’t make up for a nasty temper.”

I raised my gun.

“Mei, no!” Rei said, stepping between us. “Don’t shoot him.”

“But Rei,” I said through gritted teeth, “you’ve always complained about how useless he is.”

“Well, yes, but—don’t shoot him!”

“Get out of the way,” I told her.

“Mei,” she said warningly, becoming stern. “Lower your gun.”

“Don’t make me shoot you, too,” I threatened, my finger tightening on the trigger.

Suddenly, Ryuki collapsed.

“Nice one, Mei!” Sapphire called. “Now look what you’ve done! You’ve gone and made him faint!”

My eyes were still narrowed, looking over Rei’s shoulder. A girl of about nineteen with silver hair past her shoulders and dark gray eyes was standing there, a syringe in her hand.

“What’d I miss?” she asked, looking around us and lowering the needle.

“Agh, dammit Yayu-chan!” I cursed at her, lowering my gun. “I finally had a chance to shoot the damn bastard!”

“Mei!” Rei said harshly. “Stop with the overuse of the language!”

“She’s just touchy because you were insulting him,” Sapphire told me as I joined them in the back of the room. I leaned up against the wall, arms crossed, watching the scene. Rei was helping Yayuki tie Ryuki’s hands behind his back and into a chair.

“You’ll have other chances, I’m sure,” Yayuki told me.

“Uh…” Ryuki moaned. Then he jerked awake. “What the hell was—?” He stopped as he saw Yayuki. “Oh. It was the doctor.”

“You should thank her for your life,” I muttered darkly.

He scowled at me.

“You’re late,” Rei commented to Yayuki.

She shrugged. “You should be lucky I showed at all. A patient came in who had a stick shoved up his ass—in both senses of the phrase. He was climbing a tree and slipped—anyway, I won’t give you the details. He was cursing like there was no tomorrow, though.”

Rei put up a hand to silence Yayuki. “Anyway, we did come here for a reason,” Rei said to Ryuki, who was scowling darkly at whomever he could—mostly, me.

“Really?” he said sarcastically. “A reason other than to criticize my way of living, tie me up, break down my door, or attempt to shoot me?” He glared at me. I merely shrugged.

“Yes,” Rei said, giving me a look that said, “don’t-say-anything-if-you-don’t-want-to-be-severely-injured”. “We have a proposition. Given the circumstances, it’s best if you come back to the bar with us.”

He grumbled something as he glared at me. Whatever he said earned him a smack on the head from Yayuki, who had up until now, been examining a picture on the wall, leaning back on the chair Ryuki was in.

“Watch it,” she warned. “Mei’s angry enough with you.”
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