"I know that she's going to send someone after me! I just know it! There's no escaping! They'll kill you and then they'll kill me and go after my son!" The man threw himself down onto the couch, sobbing and holding his face in his hands. There was an unmistakable tan-line on his left ring finger from where a certain ornament had been worn for years.
Seated on the couch beside him was a small, trembling boy of only five years. He looked to his father with deep concern in his eyes, not knowing what to do. The two had already been through so much. The only thing that he could think to do to make him feel better was pat him on the back and look to the third figure in the hotel room. "You're gonna protect us, right?"
This figure gave a simple nod and kept their gaze fixed upon the door. True to the man's word, his ex-wife had sent someone after him and the child. This was already known. It was obvious from the day that this man had approached the figure with the job offer. "I'll keep you safe. Get behind the couch and stay low."
"It's no use! Even if this one doesn't kill me, the next one will! Or the one after that!" The father continued to blubber as his son took his hand and tried to lead him behind the couch.
"Daddy, we've got to hide!"
"I'd rather you die than she take you!"
At this, the figure snapped their head in the man's direction. They crossed the room swiftly and slapped him across the face. More tears rolled down his rosy cheeks as he stared into their honey-colored eyes and he shakily lifted a hand to his bright red cheek. "You…heh…you don't know. What kind of horrible bullshit you're spouting. Right? You must be hysterical. Heheh. Because…if you meant to say that…to that poor little kid…I'll end your life right now. Okay?"
Trembling with fear, he took a step back. "I-I hired you to protect us!"
"And by "us", you mean yourself and him. So if I have to protect him from you…heheheh…I'll have no problem slitting your throat! In front of him! Okay?! Now get behind the couch before I throw you!" She quickly distanced herself from the father, wrapping her arms around herself and trying to take deep breaths to calm down.
I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay! I am okay! I could just cut off his head and throw it at the assassin and-! No! Don't do that! Don't kill him! The kid, right?! He needs his dad! Don't kill him! Don't scare the kid! Keep the kid alive! A shiver ran down her spine as she took a shaky breath, her eyes focused on the door again. She felt a chill race through her veins and smiled behind her thick, black scarf. Activated.
"Watch out!" the child screamed shrilly.
The protector twisted and raised her arm just in time to block a downward swinging blade. Ice coated her forearm to act as a shield and her other arm was soon sheathed in a thick layer of it. It raced along her right forearm and covered her hand, ending in a sharp point to act as a knife. She thrust it forward, but the man attacking her dodged and leapt back.
Near the couch?! You think you can sneak up on me, kill my charges, and-! And what?! What are you going to do, huh? You think you're better than me? I'll show you! Let me show you how weak you are! She rushed forward, wielding her ice-incased arm like a blade as it sharpened along the side of her forearm. He was fast, but she was determined. Not only was she fueled by the desire to get paid for doing her job, she was also fueled by madness.
The man she was fighting was taller than her. He was thin, wearing a tight bodysuit that showed off his build like a second skin. A thin black fabric hid the lower half of his face, a purple scarf billowing around his neck. The eyes that watched her from above the partial mask were a steely grey that were narrowing. He lifted his katana again, taking on a fighting stance and watching her.
The blade seared off part of the ice on her arm. It would have taken her arm off at the elbow had it not been for her layer of protection. You think you're tough?! Huh? I'll show you tough! A terrifying high-pitched giggle escaped her as ice coated the floor of the hotel room, extending out from just beneath her feet. The result was instantaneous. The man leapt back to avoid the swinging of her arm and struggled to maintain his footing on the slick surface.
She drew her arm back, prepared to stab for his abdomen, and sprinted toward him. Fury ignited in her when he leapt up and got a grip on the wall and ceiling. He was now in the corner of the ceiling, staring down at her with glee in his eyes. To her surprise, he tugged down the mask and displayed a wide grin. She shifted her legs, prepared to attack the second that he came down.
Meanwhile, the father and son behind the couch were crying loudly. "Just get rid of him! Please! Kill him! I don't want to die! I don't want to lose my son!" the man wailed.
"Heh! Heheheh! Will you just shut the fuck up?! I'm so sick of your crying! You want to protect your son?! Why don't you do it yourself? Why were you so damn weak that you stayed with that bitch and let her hurt your son? And that bullshit you were spouting about letting your son die instead of his mom taking him?!" The protector turned, looking at the man with a raised eyebrow. "Just…heheh…what's wrong with you? People say I'm fucked up…and here you are…wanting to kill your own son?!"
The assassin on the ceiling watched this exchange and was clearly a little confused. When the protector turned back to him, she had to quickly raise her arm and block a kick. The ice blade on her right arm skimmed over his side, shallowly slicing into him, and he returned to the ceiling. When she spoke, she had pulled her scarf down to speak and now she half-grinned up at him. "I'm not letting that man leave alive," he told her.
"I didn't think you would…so..." Ice built up beneath her, elevating her so she was closer to him. The tip of the ice blade prodded his chest and she tilted her head. Her honey-colored eyes were wide and appeared wild. "My job is to keep him and his kid safe. Your job is to kill him and…deliver the kid to his mom?"
"I'm a perfectionist. I'm not leaving this job unfinished," he stated.
"Yeah…?" Her grin grew and she pulled her arm back, appearing to almost threaten him. "Same here. I like doing my job…and I like doing it right. So how about a compromise?" She felt his katana against her throat and was suddenly looking at an empty space of ceiling. Warm breath could be felt at the side of her neck and she snickered. "You're…really something, aren't you?"
"What are you?"
She shifted her arm around behind her, pressing the tip of her ice blade into his lower back. "An assassin…an errand girl…a delivery girl…a thug…a coffee drinker. I guess today…hehehe…I'm a bodyguard!"
"What are you?" he demanded, growing impatient.
"I'm just a little cold." She pulled back and thrust her right arm hard against his lower back, nicking his skin. In the same instant, the blade nicked her neck and she felt hot blood rushing down her shirt. The two separated soon after, but now she was in a corner and facing the rest of the room.
He could feel ice rushing up his legs, collecting just beneath his knees, and it made him grin again. He did enjoy a good challenge and this protector was certainly providing him with one. She was resilient and she was good at countering. She had even made him bleed. "You wanted to compromise?"
"I did!" Her smile grew and she took a step forward, her heart racing with excitement. "We can't both win, right? You need to kill him and take the kid. I need to protect him and the kid. If we both fail and both win, we can just call it a "win", right? Right?! So here's what we're going to do! You can go ahead and kill the creep! Just slice his head clean off his shoulders, tear out his guts, do whatever it is his ex-wife wanted you to do! And I…heh…I'll take the kid somewhere safe from both of them! Because…"
The protector peered around the man in front of her, meeting the father's gaze. "You…and your wormy ex-wife…are both trash and don't deserve to live! Neither of you deserve this kid and I won't give you the chance to mess him up! I hate failing and I know I won't get paid, but I'm willing to give up money and success if it means keeping the kid safe from you bastards!"
"Y-you said that you would protect us!"
"And…I fucking lied. I heard you say that to him…about killing him so his mom couldn't have him…and in that moment, you sealed your fate. I was going to kill you after I got paid, but I'll let…?" She gave the assassin a curious look. "Name?"
His grin spread wider as he looked toward his target. "Speed o' Sound Sonic."
"I'll let him do his job…and I'll do mine! Come on, kid!" To her surprise, the boy ran to her from around the couch with tears in his eyes. He knows. He knows that his father would have hurt him. It became even more obvious when he clung to her side, sobbing. She hoisted him onto her back and started for the door, her ice receding back into her body.
"You're leaving?" the assassin inquired. There was a thud behind the protector to indicate that his job was done.
"I-I have to take him…somewhere safe," she answered quietly. She was trembling, her cheeks pink within the hood of her shirt. I'm fading…fading…I can't keep this up! I have to get out of here! Don't let him see! Don't let him see you make this face! Her adrenaline spiked and she sprinted out of the room, rushing down the hallway with the child bouncing on her back.
"Daddy…he's…"
"Heheheh! Your dad's gone! Off into the afterlife! But don't you worry, kid, I'll get you somewhere nice and safe and get you some food and whatever you want! Anyone that wants to hurt you, has to hurt me first!" Tsuyu began to skip, giggling to herself as she moved down the corridor.
"Wh-what about the assassin?!"
She smirked. "I'm saving him for later~" Her heart raced as she remembered his grin. Yeah. I'll have to do that again sometime. He was stronger than the usual guys I fight! It was a pretty good workout! As they emerged from the hotel, she heard a voice from above and twisted in time to send up a wall of ice to protect herself from Sonic's blade.
