Pitch Black Chapter 1: Beaten to finish line

[Announcements: Okay. One thing is that I really hate flames, so if I made an error, feel free to point it out NICELY, and I'll be glad to fix it. One more thing: The two main characters are KAMEKO, 15, female, a theif/assassin, short green hair, serious, sarcastic, antisocial, mean, and everything far from being a girl. There's also SETOSHII, 17, boyish silver hair, not very good with his "people skills", straight-to-the-point, only gets along with a handful of people, but is an overall "nice" guy. Future characters profiles will appear soon :3

Copyrights/Disclaimers: I OWN Kameko and all the other invented characters in this story. I don't own Setoshii, however MY FRIEND OWNS HIM. Therefore no copying. If you do, man I will hurt you. D: I'm very touchy when it comes to copycats. I DO NOT OWN Payon town, or Ragnarok Online, however. I just don't. Don't ask why. You know I'm not going to answer. XD

-ON TO THE STORY-]

It was a night unlike any other night in the old-fashioned-Korea-style town of Payon. It was dark as usual, since the place wasn't that abundant in electricity. The villagers used the moon and stars as their lampposts, and normal candles as their indoor sources of illumination. But tonight, there were no stars. Strangely enough, the moon seemed to be hiding as well. In other words, Payon was filled with nothing but pitch-black. Because of that, not a single soul dared to leave their houses- seeing that it was completely dark. They were aware of the rumors, the rumors that there were ninjas haunting and lurking among the silent streets of Payon at night.

The rumors were right.

As the people suspected [but feared to clarify], two young ninjas, dressed in pitch-black clothes [for stealth], were silently perched on top of the Payon castle roof.

"Are you ready, Setoshii?"

"No. Wait. Give me a few seconds, Kameko."

"What? Goodness, Seto, there's no time for this! If we get caught—

"There."

"NOW are you ready?"

"Ye—Oh, wait a minute."

"Uuuurgh!"

Kameko put her hand to her forehead, much to her impatience. It seemed like everything was the other way around. The female was more serious about the job than the male. Shouldn't it be vice versa?

Looking about the castle grounds from above, Setoshii spotted two guards exactly below them. That's why he procrastinated. Kameko was too head-on for the assassination that she often forgot that ninjas were supposed to kill in stealth—and in style. Setoshii DID admit, though, that Kameko had been staying with the clan for quite a long time, considering her young age of fifteen.

"They're gone now."

"Oh is that why you weren't ready?"

"Yeah. Duh, Kame." Setoshii replied jokingly. "Anyway, if we go a bit further behind and jump off to the roof, I figured we might land approximately three feet away behind the garden fence. If we're lucky, the guard will be in FRONT of us. We could crouch once we land so he won't see us. Oh, and we could use our grapple hooks, too."

"Yeah." Kameko replied. "You play too much video games."

"Hey!"

"Anyway.. We could get rid of him from behind and then drag his body away, in case of other guards coming upon the sight. Then we run for the door. I think it leads to the kitchen. I visited the other day in a tourist disguise. I'm sure I'm correct."

"Exactly."

"So, you ready?"

"Why do you keep asking that?"

"Because I have to."

"Goodness gracious, just go already."

"You'll follow, wont you? I mean you HAVE to."

"I'll follow, I'll follow! What am I, a klutz?"

"Sometimes."

"Gee, thanks a lot."

"You're being too noisy. Just shut up and let's go already."

"Yeah.. who started it.."

"I said shut up."

"Yes ma'am…"

….

By the time they had gotten into the back part of the castle, the kitchen, rather, most of the guards inside were already alert, or if not suspicious about the intruders, thanks to Setoshii and Kameko's bickering. And if Kameko was not mistaken, they had failed to remain in stealth when doing away with the guards. It all resulted to hand-to-hand combat eventually.

Normally Kameko and Setoshii were both very good ninjas and partners all in all. Both very well-trained, they usually did their missions with great ease and perfection. But something wasn't right in this mission. Sure, the two young ninjas were bickering at every step they took, but they ALWAYS bickered and weren't usually caught for that. Something different was going on, and both Setoshii and Kameko were sure of it.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I heard the sound of a dagger."

"Wha-a?"

"It sounded like someone was slitting someone else's throat."

"What? You're going bonkers, woman."

"I'm serious, Seto."

The two young ninjas were now crouched on top of a tall fence in the indoor rock garden of the palace. They were watching over a guard, and apparently he seemed to be slacking off on the job. He had invited some of his other friends and they seemed to be camping out in the garden, drinking and dancing. Well, at least it LOOKED like dancing.

Kameko, at the same time, was busy wondering of what she heard. SURELY they were the only intruders inside the palace. It would be completely silly if another ninja had already decided to go on a mission that was already taken.

Then suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Kameko saw a shadow- or at least she thought it was a shadow- zoom by. She spun her head quickly to the direction of which she saw… What she thought she saw.

"Seto.."
"Haha. That man cant dance properly, look Kame, he's wigglin—

"Seto."

"What?"

"Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"Something went behind us."

"Like I said, bonkers?"

"No, I really DID see something.. Did I?"

"Bonkers."

Kameko merely rolled her eyes. She then saw Setoshii giving her the signal, and she nodded, thoughts of doubt still in mind.

They both jumped down from the fence, surprised the guards, and made short work of them.

….

"Now, we were assigned to kill the nasty old man living in the room not a few feet from here. The emperor's assistant. He supposedly works for the enemy side and is planning to assassinate the emperor not a few days from now, or at least until he earns the emperor's complete trust—

"So we kill the guy."

"-I'm not done yet. What were going to do is kill him and make sure his body is never found. This man could easily be tracked. He's allied with many people. Enemies mostly—

"So we kill the guy."

"—Will you let me finish? Make sure the emperor is aware of this man's evil deeds. Make up something, like, a forged letter to anyone—err, just blackmail him even if he's already dead. We need to let everyone know that he is—was-- up to no good---

"So we kill the guy."

"Ugh. Yeah. We kill the guy."

"Why didn't you say that? You really insist on wasting your saliva every now and then."

"Im just trying to—"

"Feel important? Psshhhh."

"Gee, thanks a lot for boosting my morale, Kame."

"You're always welcome. Now come on, lets go."

The two stopped dead in front of the door of which the person they were assigned to kill supposedly stayed in. Setoshii put his ear to the surface of the door and listened.

"I hear nothing."

"What? That's impossible. He's in there."

"But—"

"Oh let me."

Kameko breathed in, and then thrust her foot at the door, knocking it down.

The sight that stood before them was horrendous. The emperor's assistant, as it seemed..

Had already been killed. He was lying on his back, but his face and the terrifying expression that was glued onto it could be seen--- his head had been twisted completely backward.

There were also some shuriken sticking out of his back.

The two ninjas had killed before, so this wasn't such a mortifying sight to them. But the fact that he was already dead…

"Impossible." Kameko breathed.

"But true."

"!!"

The two ninjas looked up instantly to the place where the voice was coming from, the window. The face of a female ninja smiled maliciously at them. Her straight black hair was messy, but they still showed her piercingly blue eyes, and not even a trace of friendliness could be found.

"Sayuri..!!"

-To be continued.-