The night was starless and quiet. There were few cars on the street below and even fewer people on the sidewalks.
On the roof of an office building crouched a lone figure donned in black, complete with a mask. She calmly but expediently assembled her rifle and lied down on her stomach with her weapon propped up in front of her, ready to take down her target at any moment.
Across the street, on the very top floor of the Tanoku hotel, is one of the most luxurious penthouses in the city. And tonight, it was occupied by Shokuru Manuku, a wealthy TV producer, who also happens to have a very high price on his head.
Through her night vision goggles, Kikyo patiently waited as Manuku paced about the room, talking on the phone while slipping whisky out of a crystal glass. The walls of the penthouse are strengthened with a layer of steel and every piece of window and glass door is made out of the best bullet-proof material. However, there was a two centimeter crack where the window was not shut entirely, and it was enough for a bullet to pass through.
Kikyo positioned her index finger over the trigger as her target turned again and started walking toward the back to the other side of the room. In the split second when his heart, the crack in the window, and the gun barrow aligned, Kikyo pulled the trigger, planting a bullet into the beating heart of her target. Before Manuku's body even hit the ground, Kikyo dropped her weapon, ran across the roof, and leaped onto the next building, and then the next, disappearing into the night before Manuku's bodyguards busted into the penhouse and found their boss dead on the ground.
Across the town, Sesshomaru sat in the backseat of his limo, going home after a long day at the office. One of the richest men in the world, Sesshomaru owns 90 of Japan's technology market and significant portions across the world. But right now business is the farthest thing from his mind, instead he was thinking about a certain raven-headed beauty and their tryst later tonight.
On the plasma TV inside of his limo flashed the breaking news of Manuku's assassination, and Sesshomaru knew exactly who did it. It was the same beauty that was occupying his mind. Kikyo was one of the best assassins in the world, and he knows of no other who can complete such a complicated job so cleanly and successfully.
Yes, the assassin and the wealthy businessman are lovers. Not lovers in the sense that they hold hands and celebrate Valentines over romantic dinners, but more because they share the same bed on a frequent basis. Both parties had come to an agreement to keep the relationship purely physical.
"Step on it." Sesshomaru commanded his driver.
He knows that after a high-staked job such as Manuku's assassination Kikyo would always come to him, and he's not waiting a second longer than he has to.
As the elevator doors opened to the living room of his penthouse, Sesshomaru immediately saw a figure standing in front of the glass wall. Her shadow was easy enough to see, but he could not see details because of the lack of light in the room. Sesshomaru reached for the light switch but stopped when she told him otherwise. Kikyo had always wanted to have their meetings in the dark.
"I don't need to see who I'm fucking."
She had told him once. It was how she keeps things emotionally detached. But they have seen each other. Her ivory skin glows under the moonlight and his silvery mane was shined with the minimal light. Her onyx-colored eyes are like bottomless holes whereas his gold globes sparkled like gems. They had memorized every curve of each other's body during their past encounters. Light would not have disclosed anything that they don't already know.
He relieved himself of his overcoat and his suit jacket as he made his way to the figure in front of the window. His arms encircled around her slim waist and he dug his nose into her silky hair to take a deep breath of her sweet scent. Sesshomaru knew that they were not in love, or at least they weren't suppose to be, but he could not calm his racing heart or ease the knot in his stomach whenever he's near her, or holding her in his arms. Yes, he wasn't supposed to love her, but he does.
"Kikyo, I…"
"Don't."
Sesshomaru stopped upon her command. Although he was not surprised that she stopped him from confessing his feelings, he was caught of guard by the tone of her voice. It wasn't mechanical or cold as he had expected, but rather tinged with pain and sadness. He was more surprised when she turned around, still in his embrace, but with her face lowered so that her bangs and heavy eyelashes are hiding her beautiful eyes. Her hands reached up to his face. One went around his neck and buried inside his hair while the other traced the length of his lips, before being replaced by her own lips. Sesshomaru kissed back, with all the passion and love that he wasn't able to express in words. Their hands roamed over each other's body, touching what they've touched thousands of times before but still yearned.
Outside police sirens can be heard in the distance, but for these two lovers, there is no one in the world but themselves.