Disclaimer: I do not own Street Fighter or any of the characters.
Author's Note: This is a story requested by bogey654. This story is close to M-rated, so beware.
It was just a simple assignment. Shadaloo wanted this person dead, but their lines were stretched. Naturally, they turned to their weapons division, S.I.N., to do the dirty task of assassination. But the grunts and guards of the division were only good for muscle and protection, and wouldn't be flexible enough to get inside the target location, kill the target, and leave before the authorities were called. A job like this called for a personal touch, not just a wimpy extension of power that shot hot lead.
No… it needed a woman's touch. Someone who had an eye for detail. Someone who could get the job done. Someone like Seth's South Korean confidante. She had done everything that had been asked of her, and more. Going above and beyond to sate her sadistic, cruel desires, she appeased the minds in S.I.N. and brought fear into the hearts of man. To be a fearmonger in an organization that contained the word 'intimidation' was something to look up to, and Juri thoroughly enjoyed what she did.
She took the assignment like she did any other one: confident, determined, and just itching for the fight ahead of her. She didn't aim to please others, and she certainly didn't set out to carry out the assignment because it would bring the organization some peace. Like a soldier in battle, peace was a foreign concept, to be sought after as one of the spoils of war. But Juri was no soldier, but a blood knight. She fought for herself, and to further her own gains. To hear the screams of her victim was what she wanted, to paint streaks of blood red on the canvas of life was what she desired.
The green, rolling hills of Italy were within her sight. While the golden wheat fields and cobblestone streets were beautiful to look at, she had a job to do. Besides, the cities were much more interesting to her. There were so many neon lights to marvel at, people to torment, and dark places to duck into. They held their own beauty, as if a city was its own little world amongst larger ones. Shaking her head from thinking too much about that, Juri turned to the cobblestone streets of a small Italian village.
This little village wasn't important enough to be remembered, having nothing to draw tourists to it. It was true idyllic village that seemed to only exist in stories. There were enough houses for those who lived here, enough jobs to keep the people occupied, and plenty to look at. The villagers kept a clean ship, fusing over their homes' outward appearance and keeping the area nice and tidy. Bits of ivy ran up a few of the brick walls, and flowers of various summer colors were abundant along the roadsides.
The driver who brought Juri here freely gave information about the village, mostly about the one main attraction, which, coincidentally, was the target. He babbled on and on about the gypsy woman, kind and considerate, serene and intelligent. Those traits wouldn't help her when she lay crumpled in a heap, begging for death as the only release from her pain. Not at all. This realization opened up new opportunities to tease, like a cat that callously played with the mouse before it killed it.
While many of the buildings looked alike, one of them had a small, almost insignificant sign out in front of it. Curious, Juri stepped forward and examined it, crouching down. She couldn't read Italian, but she knew by the crystal ball and tarot cards that this was a fortune teller's shop. The building was sunken into the ground, with another building on top of it; quite possibly the target's humble abode. A small set of stairs led down into the lower part of the building, one which Juri leisurely strode down.
She wore what she always wore on assignments: a black and purple breastplate, purple fighting gloves, purple tights, and her pair of white cut-up slacks. Of course it would look odd in Italy, especially if she walked around the village with it, but she didn't plan on sticking around for too long. She could still feel the taxi driver's eyes on her as she went to the green-colored door of the target's home. Mustn't make a scene...
Eventually, she heard the sound of the car's engine as it sputtered away and off into the distance. Breathing a sigh of relief, Juri leaned back and folded her arms, staring at the door in front of her. There was a window to look inside, but it was covered by a blue cloth on the other side. A few charms hung from the door handle, shifting left and right with the gentle breeze. One of them was of a small flower, a rose to be exact.
'Cute,' Juri thought sarcastically.
Since the target's building was sunken, there were no windows to jump through. No alternate paths or walls to exploit, just one way in, and one way out. A cheeky plan formed in Juri's mind. The driver said this woman was a dainty noblewoman of sorts? Surely she would answer the door if it someone was knocking at it. When it opened, she would not be greeted with a friendly face but rather a foot straight to her head.
Finding no flaws with a sudden quick attack, Juri raised her fist and rapped her knuckles against the green door. A cruel grin crossed her face, as if this was a simple prank. She crouched low and waited, already tasting the fear the woman would emit. Sounds of heels against carpet, usually hard to hear, were quickly identified by the Korean as she looked more and more like a spider ready to pounce. She saw the door handle twist, then the entire thing opened up towards her.
Without missing a beat, Juri sprung forward with her foot, striking her target.
…Or, she would have, if her target had actually opened the door physically. All Juri felt was the wind blowing through her hair and the absence of a body to pummel. Landing on her feet, she recovered from her missed attack and stared at the occupant, who was standing at a small table about 20 feet away. She was tall and all curves, with dark purple hair arranged in an outward flowing fashion. Her loose red evening gown stood out proudly amongst the dull, dark purples of the room. Her thighs were covered in a dark colored body stocking, but even Juri could see they were a delight to look at.
The gypsy's stern purple eyes were locked on Juri's own violet pools, performing her own analysis of her attacker. She studied the revealing attire for a moment before tilting her head up and turning her gaze to the ceiling, lips puckered. It seemed she was asking herself a question, and Juri had a question of her own. How did she open the door if she was standing right there? Nevermind, it wasn't important. Obviously, the woman knew she was being attacked. Taking the woman's state of contemplation as an opening, the Korean closed the distance between each other and twisted her body to perform a roundhouse kick.
Even when not looking directly at Juri, the gypsy raised her arm and deflected the blow. Blinking once, she hopped once into the air, giving herself enough room to avoid Juri's impromptu leg sweep. Pivoting on her heel, the gypsy twirled around her attacker and slammed an elbow into her side, jarring her from attacking again. Following up this attack was a stiff open palm to Juri's chin, thrusting her head high as she took the blunt of the blow.
Amidst the stars that rocketed into her vision, Juri could see the elegant charms and decorations littered around the tops of the walls and hung to the ceiling. This was definitely a fortune teller's shop. It was dark enough for business and held a mysterious air around inside, as if the owner was a very wise, knowledgeable woman who spoke in secrets and riddles. Recovering from the heavy blow, Juri backed away from the gypsy in an attempt to recover her ground. She had not expected the woman to be so quick.
A sharp pain erupted from her right foot, making Juri cringe. The gypsy had stepped on her uncovered toes with high heels! Instinctively she drew the injured foot back only to have the gypsy attack her left leg, throwing off her balance. Like an elegant dancer, the woman twirled around again and crouched, thrusting her fist into Juri's gut. Winded, the Korean fell to land on her back. Expecting to be stomped on, she drew her legs in only to twist them out and around, focusing on pushing the woman back and getting herself back up again.
What was with this woman? She seemed to know what Juri was going to do right from the start, avoiding the failed kicks and pursing her when she backed away. Fortune tellers were said to be psychic, but this was just uncanny. No, she was giving this woman way too much credit. In theory, the woman deserved no credit whatsoever if she was to be killed anyway. Pushing herself off the floor, Juri scowled at the gypsy as she leisurely turned her back to snatch up what looked to be a long, golden scarf.
Juri cursed the low ceiling for restricting her movements. She liked close quarters, but not being allowed to jump and leap over targets infuriated her. A good assassin could attack from any direction, but having an aerial route made things much more challenging and difficult for the one being attacked. She would have to fight in the small room by shuffling around her opponent, taking windows of opportunity only when they opened.
The gypsy turned and sidestepped a hard kick to her ribs, ducking afterwards to avoid yet another roundhouse. Having wrapped her scarf around her shoulders and arms, she grabbed onto Juri's arm to stop her backhand strike from landing. It wasn't very sportsmanlike, and yet there were no rules in this fight, but she used Juri's vulnerability to rocket a knee to her groin. The Korean's eyes practically bulged out from her sockets at such a vicious, unexpected attack. Wracked with pain, she didn't see the gypsy's second attack until it smashed against her nose.
Cartilage shifted around the strike, disturbing tissue. Juri swore that she felt blood flow down a nostril, but what was much more disturbing was that she knew the gypsy had broken her nose without taking a hit herself. If she was angry before, she was furious now. Using the energy behind the attack to position herself accordingly, Juri twirled and sent her leg upwards, licking at the gypsy's hair. She had missed the first strike, and, shouting out of a mixture of exasperation and desperation, missed the second when she cut down.
This couldn't be happening! She had trained for years; she had fought much tougher opponents than this! Why couldn't she get off an attack? She could continue fighting for hours, but having such a swift opponent disheartened her. She was supposed to be the fast one; the one who could rush in and torment before leaping back when the target flailed. Gripping her broken nose with one hand, Juri gave the gypsy a murderous look.
When she saw the woman take her scarf off from her shoulders and present it in front of her, she struggled to keep her scowl from turning into a sneer. She gestured to the woman with her wrists, thinking she was going to try to tie her up with that. Was she trying to impersonate her favorite Chinese officer? How cute that was! Leering at her now, Juri watched as the gypsy rolled up her scarf and swatted it uselessly at her face, like that would do any dama-
"Aghhh!"
Something was wrong with this woman! The scarf wasn't supposed to hurt, yet it felt as if a board had been slammed against her skull! Staggering to the left into a cabinet filled with memorabilia, Juri could only watch as the scarf came around for her head a second time. The golden color was gone, now replaced by a radiant purple. The last thing the Korean saw before her world went black was the gypsy's calm violet eyes, staring deeply and meaningfully into her own.
Rose had expected a visitor, and she knew she would not come seeking enlightenment, but pleasure. A blood knight was after her head, cloaked in a dark veil similar to the dictator's own. She despised this aura, but yet, there was something about it that tickled her curiosity. The aura around this new woman was not pure, undiluted evil, but rather a strong mixture of spite and something else. Rose mentally chastised herself for almost drawing a quick conclusion about the woman before fully seeing her for herself.
She was psychic, imbued with a mysterious energy referred to as soul power. It was a stark contrast to her true enemy's psycho power, like the sun was to the moon, or black was to white. With this power and her skill, she knew that the visitor would attack as soon as the door opened. This statement of foresight was reinforced when Rose opened the door from a distance, watching as the Korean woman leapt in with a leg extended in an attack.
While the attacker knew barely anything about her, Rose could immediately draw information from her with a simple look. An experienced assassin, fighting for her own pleasure rather than for the good of her employers. She would be dealing with a sadistic and cruel woman, but she was predictable. Rose had seen every attack before and properly positioned herself to avoid injury. The fire and anger in the attacker's eyes were prevalent, as the woman was furious and distraught that her attacks did not hit.
Deciding that she would rather not have her home and shop destroyed in a fight, Rose saw a chance open up and took it. Having knocked out the Korean with her heavy scarf imbued with soul power, she gently lifted her up and placed her on a chair reserved for customers receiving her readings. There was something about this woman that struck at her heartstrings, playing them like a harp. She wanted to understand this woman, and to learn about her importance. Besides, it was not Rose's destiny to die today by her hand.
She took her scarf and grabbed Juri's wrists, tying them together behind the chair. Since the article of clothing was an extension of her power, it would not unravel easily, keeping the woman confined to the chair. Rose looked around the room, searching for other items that she could use to restrain the woman. The string that held a few decorations would break, and Rose had no spare wires of any sort to use.
Rose turned back to the woman, hoping she had something on her that could solve this problem. Her raven-colored hair was held up in an intimidating horn style by four purple rings, all of which were made of a plastic material. They would not help the gypsy. The black and purple breastplate obscured the Korean's above-average sized breasts, of which Rose couldn't help but stare at. Despite all her sacrifices, she was still human, and she still felt the sting of lust every now and then. Lust didn't care about gender, and Rose didn't either.
Shaking her head to clear that thought, Rose decided to leave the woman's breastplate alone. The breastplate had straps that crossed over her back, straps that could be used to further restrain her, but taking that off would expose her. That wasn't what Rose was about to do, for she believed the woman wanted to retain her dignity. Strange… why did the woman wear such revealing attire? Was she that provocative, or was there an underlying meaning to it all?
'I do not know,' Rose thought, looking down at the Korean. 'But this isn't important at the moment. Perhaps this… will work…'
She looked at her attacker's black belt, which was wrapped twice around her waist. A little embarrassed at doing such a thing, Rose gripped the material in her hands and worked at the skull-shaped buckle, loosening the belt. She paid close attention to the white slacks, cut away at the inner thighs to reveal the purple tights that rested beneath. When she pulled the belt away, Juri's pants sagged down a little, showing Rose a bit of peach skin. Why, she wasn't wearing anything below! Those pants and her breastplate were all that she wore!
Cheeks flushed at such a discovery, Rose grasped the belt and lowered it to Juri's ankles, tying them together to one of the bottom support beams. For good measure, she took away the purple fingerless gloves as well as those particularly dangerous-looking spiked bracelets. Funny, those bracelets looked similar to Chun-Li's… Placing the items off in a side cabinet, Rose stood up and gave Juri a good look over again.
When she looked into those purple eyes, she saw something more than anger. She saw a weapon, a machine. There was no way to disable it completely, but Rose believed she could stop whatever terrible power emitted from it with her soul power and her mere presence. Blinding the woman would anger her more, and all Rose wanted was to examine her, to understand her, and, if she was a tortured soul, to comfort her.
She left the woman confined to the chair for a moment, leaving to procure a bandage for her nose. Just because she was attacked didn't mean she wasn't going to accommodate a guest, no matter how feral she seemed. Rose returned with a bandage and a small wet towel, wiping away the blood that had flowed from Juri's nose to her lip. Using her fingers, she checked the nose to see if it was out of place. Luckily, all it seemed to be was a bit of broken cartilage that would heal, leaving it looking as if it had never been broken. Rose applied the bandage to the nose, smoothing the white material out to the cheeks.
With that done, Rose took care of a few things around the area, cleaning up whatever might have been knocked over during the scuffle. She stole glances at the unconscious woman every now and then, just to ascertain she was still there. An idea formed in the gypsy's mind. She looked through a desk filled with papers to grab her set of tarot cards, placing them on the table. Yes… things would be set now.
The sound of the Korean woman stirring reached her ears, and she went to the table to sit across from her. As she sat down, she saw those violet eyes flutter as they opened slowly. Juri lifted her head with a drowsy expression, looking dully out at the woman sitting across from her. She was looking at her, but she didn't quite see her. When she tried to move her hands, she encountered resistance. Opening her eyes wide, she jarred her head up and gasped.
Turning to look at her bound hands, Juri growled as she attempted to move her feet. Much to her displeasure, she found her legs were bound to the chair. Her feet touched the carpet flooring, and she used that fact to push away from the table. Something held her in place, preventing her from falling over. Her wrists began to burn with pain as she struggled, and she yelled with fury to combat the feeling. She believed that golden scarf was hurting her, for it glowed a pale, unnatural blue light.
She glared at the gypsy woman, finding her lax expression to the situation infuriating. That bitch probably wanted to see her squirm, or at the very least attempt to get information out of her. Concentrating her energy, Juri focused on activating her eye. Her wrists flared up again with an unbearable amount of pain, as if the gypsy knew what she was planning. The wrists weren't the only place where she received pain, as she soon discovered by the stinging in her legs and chest. Despite the pain, which usually helped, Juri couldn't activate her eye.
"Let… me… go!" she growled, gritting her teeth against the pain she was feeling.
"I wish for you to calm yourself," Rose said calmly, crossing her right leg over her left. "Your binds will only bring you harm if you continue to struggle."
"Oh screw off!" was the cold response.
Although very tempted to continue struggling, Juri came to the realization that it was futile. She was firmly rooted to the chair, and that golden scarf would continue to hurt her if she even tried to escape. She was completely at the mercy of the gypsy, a realization that excited her to some extent. Ceasing her struggles, Juri licked her lips and sighed. She gave Rose an inquisitive look before opening her mouth.
"Don't get a lot of visitors I see. Is that because they all become your terrible bondage victims?"
Rose recoiled at such a question. All of her customers came to her seeking enlightenment, to receive a reading about their destiny. The woman must have come to a quick conclusion about her ties, but the gypsy would never do something like that. She narrowed her eyes at the Korean. It was an attempt to goad her, to start a verbal battle. Juri was trying to influence her anger.
"Not at all," Rose replied. "I simply need to keep you constrained to avoid hurting anyone at the moment, including yourself."
Juri scoffed at that.
"Hurt myself… what do I look like, some sort of whackjob?" She sniveled, widening her eyes slightly when she felt the bandage on her nose. "You cleaned me up… What do you want from me? A reason for my intrusion?"
Rose wisely chose to not reply to the first question. Instead, she folded her hands across her lap and smiled.
"I just want to talk. It's been a while since I've had company," she said truthfully, recounting the many uneventful days. "I know why you are here."
"Right, you're a psychic," Juri muttered with a roll of her eyes. "You probably know everything about me, don't you?"
"I'm afraid not. I can learn only so much from watching and listening." Rose's hand twitched slightly, as she wanted to extend it to the woman in a greeting. She would probably try to bite it. "My name is Rose. I am called a fortune teller, a revealer of destiny from Genoa. And you are?"
"Pissed off and not interested in your games," the Korean said with a scowl.
It seemed that Juri was not about to reveal her name, especially not to someone she didn't find to be credible. Besides, this gypsy woman was her target, and telling her about the person trying to kill her would be, in a way, counter-productive. She just wanted to escape at this point and return at a later time to finish her job. She had heard that the woman was a bit of a psychic, but she took that as figurative speaking, not in its literal sense.
There was something about this woman that caught Juri's eye. Even though she was essentially being interrogated by this woman, she couldn't help but realize something about her. That purple hair of hers was interesting to look at, enough to warrant a few strokes with her hands as Juri imagined feeling the strands of hair fall between her fingers. Turning her head slightly, Juri focused on the woman's eyes. Were they violet, like hers, or were they black? What a nice evening gown the woman wore… and it offered Juri a grand view of the gypsy's cleavage. She would have to admit, the gypsy was attractive to look at.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
Juri stared at the gypsy, wondering what her reason was for such a random question.
"No."
"No?" Rose repeated with a tilt of her head, curious. "Could you give me your reasons as to why?"
"Because destiny is stupid. If you believe in that crap, you'd believe that all you are going to do is go with the flow." Juri shook her head, grimacing. "If you were destined to die, you would face it directly with sad resignation and accept your fate. Someone with nerve and resolve would lash out that something like that."
"Destiny is but a path we look to, one that we all travel. Littered amongst the path are predetermined events that test us, and how we react to them determines our fate," Rose said. "Your path led you to my doorstep to cross with mine. You will not alter my path, nor end it. Mine continues on even after this encounter."
Pouting, Juri blinked twice before responding in a childish tone.
"You wouldn't kill a pretty face like me now, would you?"
Even though the response was an immature one, Rose could understand and decipher it. Juri thought the gypsy would try to kill her. The only being she attempted to kill was the one who shared the same soul as she, but she could not carry it out. They were too evenly matched, and fighting to the death would yield no victor. She had no intention of killing anyone else, especially the attractive woman in front of her.
"That was never on my mind. Just because my path continues on does not mean yours will not. Whether or not it bends…" Rose stopped and closed her eyes. She searched for an answer, for something to say to the Korean in front of her. "Ultimately, where your path leads you is determined by you, not by destiny, as you would believe?"
The Korean nodded, smiling triumphantly.
"You are entitled to your beliefs," Rose replied, leaning forward. She locked eyes with the woman, giving her some discomfort as she watched her smile fade. There was information in those eyes as well as more emotions than just anger. "You're young. Curious about the world. Curious about others, as well as yourself. You explore, yet you hide. You question much ab-"
"Hmm?" Juri leaned forward, a scowl on her lips. "Hide? Hide from what?" she asked, voice high-pitched.
"You hide behind the mask you created for yourself," Rose replied, calmly. "This isn't how you normally act, is it? Do you always wear such revealing attire, even going as far to not wear panties? Is this to compensate for something? I would say that you are sh-"
"I don't need a reason for the way I act, and I'm not giving any excuses for it either," Juri interjected, speaking quickly with a deadly glare. "Are you really psychic? How many fingers am I holding up back here?"
"One. Your middle finger."
Balling her hands into fists, Juri glowered at the woman. What was she playing at? She was trying to pry personal information from her, something Juri was unaccustomed to. No one asked about her, they just fled. And why wouldn't they? No one would take the time to get to know her if they were going to die by her hand. Screw destiny, the gypsy was going to die.
Meanwhile, Rose was staring innocently back at Juri. It was obvious the woman was hiding something. There was enough to warrant a theory about her, too. She believed that the woman was conflicted, that she was hurt from something in the past. She was also ignorant of her assignment, not knowing the name of her target beforehand or how important it was. Whatever organization sent her must have withheld such information beforehand… possibly to get rid of someone not needed.
She knew the woman was from S.I.N. They had been gaining public interest over the years, assassinating public officials and causing general unrest. The organization was an extension of Shadaloo, and at the head of that criminal syndicate was Rose's soul mate, M. Bison. The gypsy grimaced at the realization. Bison must have done something to this woman, transforming her into who she was now by some heinous act done onto her in the past. It was like him to prey on the innocent, twisting them into pitiful souls that were ripe for the plunder. What he didn't count on were strong-willed people to fight back, and he must have heard of this woman as one who survived and thrived.
Perhaps the woman was repressing her past, or was still angry about it and had not moved on.
"May I have your name?" Rose asked softly, giving a tilt of her head.
"Why? Why do you want to know?"
"I only want to help," was the genuine response.
"Help? I don't need any help! Stop trying to act like a psychiatrist!" Juri huffed once. "Don't you dare try to change who I am, you uptight bitch!"
Rose gave a sad nod.
"You're right. I cannot change who you are. Only you can do that," she said, looking away and closing her eyes. "But change comes gradually in the form of new situations, and who you are now and how you react to them changes your course for the future. Change is… frightening." She opened her eyes to look at Juri. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Juri said nothing, looking down at her legs. She didn't like this. This woman knew much about her just by looking at her, and also by this strange conversation they were having. She wanted to ignore her, to refuse to disclose anything else. A voice in the back of her head spoke up, telling her to continue speaking. She wanted to hear more about herself. She wanted to hear the voice of the gypsy again, who was calm and gentle even in the face of insults and anger.
"I haven't called the authorities at all," the gypsy said reassuringly. "I have no intention to. I just want to talk."
"…Juri Han," she said slowly, her voice cracking slightly when she said her last name. She lifted her head up to look into the gypsy's purple pools. "That's my name."
Smiling sincerely, Rose clasped her hands together.
"That is a pretty name."
'So is yours,' Juri thought as she continued to stare.
"Would you like a tarot reading?" Rose asked, pointing to her stack of cards.
"Tarot reading? What's that?" Juri asked, curious.
"Ah, well, the art of tarot card reading has been around for many, many years. The concept is divination through symbols on paper, or "Tarot cards", as they are now known. Using the cards, which consist of 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana, one can ascertain one's spiritual pathway, essentially unraveling the mysteries of the past, present, and future."
"So… destiny again?"
"Precisely. Would you like a reading?" Rose began to shuffle the cards as she continued to make eye contact. "Whether you believe in destiny or not, tarot reading remains a source of fun and fascination for many people."
"But they're not gypsies." Rose shook her head at the woman. Juri sighed. "Alright, hit me. What do I do?"
Rose kept a grin away from her face. Progress was being made, even if it was just a simple thing such as tarot reading. She had learned of her attacker's name, and now she was prepared to learn more about her. Using her powers, the gypsy would be able to find out more about her from this reading. While the cynic in her would say her past would be revealed with the fool card, she held onto a belief that the woman in front of her was not blessed with a carefree childhood.
"I figured we would stick with the Major Arcana cards. I have many different spreads for you to choose from, and all you need to do is pick one. There is the Celtic spread, a three stack spread, a simple yes or no spread, and many others."
"I have to pick three cards, right?" Juri said, looking at the shuffled cards in Rose's hand. "One for my past, present, and future?"
"Yes, that's right," Rose replied.
The golden scarf around Juri's wrists didn't burn anymore. All it was used for at the moment was to restrain her. She noticed that the gypsy had taken off her belt and used it to tie her ankles, feeling a mix of disgust and excitement. No doubt when Rose took off the belt, she realized that her pants practically slid off. Juri enjoyed going commando, if only for the feeling. She wanted to ask the woman if she liked what she saw, and if she wanted more, but she wasn't exactly sure she was interested. Besides, she said that she was just a fortune teller, and Juri herself was an assassin who tried to kill her. Any normal person would cringe at the thought of getting affectionate with their captor or attacker, but Juri wasn't an ordinary person.
It made things much more interesting…
"In that case, do that three stack spread. That way, I can pick a card from the top of each stack."
Rose obliged, tossing her cards around in her hands. With the way her hands masterfully manipulated the material, she could have passed for a gambler or street magician, but those were two statuses that were looked down upon. She made three stacks, placing them in front of the tied up woman. Waving her hand over them, she looked to Juri for which one to pick first.
"Left, right, then center," Juri said, watching the gypsy's hands.
A card from the top of the left stack was picked and dropped in front of Juri. Rose turned it over, revealing a skeleton riding a horse. Surrounding it were dead and dying people, making the symbolism clear: Death. Juri's gaze lowered and she sagged back in her chair, looking at the card with resignation. This was her past, and if she didn't know better, she would believe the gypsy knew about it beforehand and purposely picked it.
For the present, a card from the right was chosen and dropped down to the right of Death. While the skeleton riding a horse was concerning enough, this new card showed a burning tower atop a craggy mountain. Lightning struck at the top, jousting two people up and throwing them away out the windows, possibly to their deaths. Juri could read the text at the bottom of the card, which read 'The Tower'. She grimaced at this card before tilting her head up to look at the stacks of other cards.
She noticed that there were two stacks now, and that the one in the middle was gone. That last stack had the card that revealed her future, and while Juri stood by her word that she did not believe in destiny, she was curious to know what it could be. Looking up to Rose, she found a coy smile on her face and a hand full of cards. If she was playing with her, it would be a big mistake on her part. Before Juri could say anything, she caught sight of something sticking out from the woman's cleavage.
It was one of the tarot cards, nuzzled between the gypsy's bosoms. Because of its location, the Korean wasn't sure where to look or what to think. On one hand, she really wanted to know what the card was. Her curiosity was a thirst that needed to be sated. On the other hand, she enjoyed the sight of large breasts, especially the gypsy's. This presented a problem for her. Was the gypsy being… provocative? If she was, she was being provocative towards a woman who was already provocative herself.
She had made the first advance.
Rose took the card out from her cleavage and slowly waved it back and forth in front of her, her eyes on Juri. Her smile never faded from her face. In fact, the shocked expression from the Korean encouraged a grin. She very much enjoyed this part of her work, for it brought a playful air to the mundane. Interestingly enough, the woman seemed to be attracted to her. Her violet eyes were on Rose's breasts the whole time. Rose dropped the final card in front of the Korean with a satisfied smirk, leaning forward to decipher when asked.
Juri didn't realize that she had continued to stare at the gypsy's breasts until the card was dropped in front of her on her right. This card didn't seem to be as morbid as the others. On it was a woman in white robes, serene and beautiful. Clasped between her hands were the jaws of an angry lion, showcasing the strength the woman had. The text at the bottom of the card read 'Strength'. So… this was her future?
After looking at the three cards for a moment, Juri looked up at the gypsy.
"…Ok, tell me what these mean."
Death was picked up by the gypsy, who gestured to it with her other hand.
"Death. This, for you, is a reflection of your past." Juri refused to meet the gypsy's gaze, but yet Rose continued. "This does not always refer to a physical death, but change, renewal, transformation and abandonment. Like time, this is something we cannot escape. The changes were hard to take, for they tested you, pushed you to limits until you…" Rose's voice dropped off as she stared at the Korean. Saying that the young woman broke down wasn't the best thing to say. It was understandable she would do such a thing, granted what Bison may have done to her. "Well, they were uncomfortable."
The Korean said nothing after that. Rose returned Death to the left of Juri, reaching for The Tower.
"The Tower. This card represents chaos, disillusionment, ruin, and sudden change. You are going through hard times. This is… this is an ill omen," the gypsy said softly, knowing this wasn't making the Korean feel any better.
"Disillusion?" Juri repeated, still not looking up. "My life is one big ray of sunshine, isn't it? You sure your boobs picked the right card for my future?"
While sarcastic, the tone the Korean used was a hopeless one. She must have been thinking of her past, showing that she did indeed remember instead of repressing it like the gypsy had originally thought. Her expression changed to annoyance, directed more at herself than at the gypsy. To show weakness like this might not be allowed by the woman.
"There is hope here, though. While you may currently be in a crisis, you will come out ahead," Rose said with a sincere smile. "Chaos can bring forth positive transformation."
"And how do you know this?" Juri asked, snapping her head up, anger prevalent in her voice. "You're just looking at the final card and taking that as an assumption that things are going to get better! How do you know that? Answer me that!"
"Because you're strong," Rose replied. Juri leaned back in her chair, mouth slightly agape at what the woman had said. "When your parents died and your eye was taken, you swore vengeance. A strong woman would travel to the ends of the earth, gathering power by training tirelessly. You found opportunity in a branch of Shadaloo, hoping one day to get close enough to brush shoulders with the one who did the terrible deed." Standing up, Rose walked over to Juri, looking down at the final card. "His death will bring new life. New power. But power is nothing without skill."
Juri looked up at the tall woman from her seat, torn between anger, shame, sadness, and admiration. All four aspects spoke out at once. How dare that gypsy speak of her past! The things she did back then to get here were unforgiveable! The death of her parents and the loss of her eye could never be forgotten! The gypsy… she knew of this yet did not judge her? Like a child who makes a decision based on the last piece of information, Juri chose to stare at the woman in admiration, having that little voice come out to take control.
She couldn't remember the last time someone treated her like this with such compassion.
"This brings me to the final card, and your future: Strength." Rose pulled up a seat next to Juri, tapping at the card with the woman and lion. "You will struggle as you reach strength, but even you know that everything worth having is worked for. This card stresses balance and control, which you can achieve. But how?" Rose asked rhetorically. "That is a question for you to answer alone."
Rose allowed Juri to stare at her cards for a few minutes. During that time, she could see her violet eyes taking in every fold and wrinkle in the material, looking back at what the gypsy said to try to understand the cards herself. The past and present visibly troubled her, more so the present for she was ignorant of her current state. She knew what her actions caused, and that was why she continued to fight. In her chaotic state of mind, she loved the cries of anguish as she carried out her orders. In a way… bringing pain to others prevented her own pain from surfacing….
When Juri was finished, she turned away from the cards and from rose, her gaze cast to the floor. As Rose picked up her tarot cards, she could see that she was uncomfortable with these revelations. It was either that or she was thinking that someone wanted her gone by sending her to a target with little to in information. Rose believed the former. She was hurt, and she wanted to hide it for so long. An idea formed in the gypsy's mind, one that could help the woman.
She rose from her chair and deposited the tarot cards off to the side, moving over to Juri's right side.
"Would you like a massage?"
Juri widened her eyes at that, turning her head around to stare at the gypsy.
"W-what?"
"I noticed you're uncomfortable, not just with the meanings of these cards but with this situation you are in," Rose replied. Smiling sincerely, she added, "I don't have to be your enemy. I'd rather be a friend in your eyes. Would you allow me to relieve your tension?"
This was strange. Juri didn't have any friends, and she certainly didn't want any. No one wanted to get close to her, for it was like getting close to a wildfire. Once you were close enough, you would get burned until you were reduced to ashes. To have a friend meant opening yourself up to betrayal, and that would result in more hurt. Juri didn't want that in her life, but she did want a little reassurance, and a little relief.
"Alright," Juri muttered softly.
Rose blinked once before nodding, happy that she accepted. She reached out to Juri's right shoulder as she positioned herself behind her tied-up form. Taking her shoulders in her hands, the gypsy looked down to Juri for a second opinion, ascertaining whether or not she wanted this. The woman did not meet her gaze, but she did not resist the action. It seemed she was still alright with this, giving a tacit sign of agreement by staying silent. Rose knew this was awkward for the woman, since she had not expected something like this, especially from her target, the one she was sent to kill.
Gently the gypsy's hands kneaded Juri's shoulders, fingers reaching over her boney flesh. With every grasp, her thumbs would rub into the woman's skin, occasionally getting in deep to relieve tension. Given the tied-up position, it was challenging to move down, for the backrest blocked Rose's efforts. She did all she could with the Korean's shoulders before casting a glance at the eight black straps of her breastplate, which came together to form a spider-like emblem.
Juri leaned forward the best she could to offer her target more skin to treat. She sighed with relief when Rose pressed her hands against her back, massaging to the best of her abilities. When Juri thought about it, she realized she had nothing to compare this massage to. No one gave her one before in her life, since whoever laid a finger on her quickly found themselves in a bloody, mangled heap. This actually felt good in a calm, serene sense. While her physique was fine with this treatment, Juri's thoughts were going a mile a minute.
She had a job to do, and she was sitting here, tied-up, allowing her target to massage her. Had the gypsy suggested doing this right off the bat, Juri would have tried to do whatever was in her power to resist. She'd bite her hand if she touched her again. Now, after speaking and having the woman be empathetic towards her, Juri was compelled to not fight her. She had a job to do, but that was business. This was pleasure, born from lust.
But was it lust? Juri was tempted to believe that, but a new emotion arose to combat it. The gypsy had been nothing but kind and understanding, even in the face of her troubled attacker. When insulted and verbally attacked, the gypsy chose to reply in a calm tone, showing compassion. When Juri's past was discovered, Rose didn't lift an accusatory finger and judge her. She sympathized with her, she called her strong. She believed in her. Her, a South Korean murderess working for S.I.N., was supported and loved by the one she was out to kill. Blood slowly crept into her cheeks at this realization.
Loved…
Rose wanted to remove the straps on Juri's breastplate to cover more of her back, but she knew that once that article of clothing was off, things would spiral quickly out of control. She gingerly pinched one strap with her fingers, contemplating what action to take. The Korean didn't seem to notice this. In fact, she was staring off in the distance, violet eyes looking at nothing. Her lower lip quivered slightly and a blush was in her cheeks. The woman was embarrassed by this situation. She was disgusted with herself.
As much as she wanted to continue, the gypsy knew when things needed to stop. Juri didn't want this. She didn't want to be here. She had been humiliated by her target, too ashamed to even fight back at this point. Rose walked over to stand in front of the woman, noticing that she turned her head to avoid looking at her. No… she wouldn't fight back. All she wanted at this point was to leave, to put this incident behind her. It would just be another memory, repressed to prevent shame from surfacing.
"I… I'm sorry," Rose said softly. The golden scarf that was tied to Juri's wrists began to loosen by the gypsy's power. "You may leave. I apologize for this, for whatever feelings I may have inv-"
When the scarf dropped from Juri's wrists, she immediately lurched forward and grabbed the gypsy by the waist, cutting her off from her sentence. She pulled down, placing her target on her lap. Before Rose could even give a startled cry, she found the Korean's lips pressed against hers. Immediately her heart fluttered as she was kissed, not expecting something like this. She could see as she looked down that Juri's eyes were closed, moisture forming at her tear ducts. Juri's hands crawled up to the gypsy's back as she tore away from the kiss.
"Please," she said as she looked up at Rose. "I need this…"
The line between lust and love was blurred. Juri wanted this woman, not to harm or to play with, but to have and to hold. She didn't care if it was out of character, she wanted her tremendously. She needed someone to hold her, someone to care for her, someone to treat her based on the pretenses of who she was rather than on her actions. Too long had she gone without this in her life… ten long, miserable years…
And Rose wanted her as well. She would please her body and soothe her soul, only to heal. She would help this woman like no one else had ever done before for her, by taking her into her arms and showing her how much she meant to her. Nodding, Rose came down to press her lips against Juri's, using her psychic power to untie the belt from Juri's ankles. When she did this, the Korean pressed forward, deepening the kiss and allowing the gypsy in her arms to hold her herself.
After only a few minutes of passion, Juri could feel Rose's tongue pressing against her lips, requesting entry. She happily obliged, allowing the organ to enter and explore. She did the same to Rose, and soon both women were locked together by this passionate kiss. Although she would have liked to believe differently, Juri approached this situation with a shy nature. Her provocative appearance was merely a façade she hid behind, and her promiscuous behavior was simply covering up the fact she knew little about sex.
This is not to say she hadn't had any before. She indulged whenever the opportunity presented itself, but she never truly understood it. Sex to her was both a mental and physical thing, purely for entertainment and pleasure. It felt great and she knew it, but there was always something missing. When Rose began to explore more than her mouth, she understood the missing factor: emotional appeal. Because she was being touched by someone who cared for her and not her body, the ecstasy of the moment was more than Juri ever knew.
In a daze and in the heat of the moment, the Korean couldn't remember when the two got up and moved to the bed. There was comfort in the tall woman's arms, and there was a gentleness that was unparalleled in her hands. Her fingers caressed every fold and piece of her figure, and Juri did her best to recreate it for the gypsy. It was gentle and caring, something the Korean was unaccustomed to, as she preferred it rough. But she enjoyed this much more than anything else she had.
She mewed and shuddered at every touch the gypsy gave her, finding she could melt into those arms of hers and still feel filled and loved. Eventually she worked up her courage to take control, pleasuring her partner hot on her mind, more so than her own personal gain. It quickly turned into a back and forth battle to see who could do better, eventually dying out when the two found out they could go no further. Lasting a long time, the two held each other once it was finished, their violet eyes locked.
Juri's hair fell down to her shoulders, having come loose during the session. She looked at Rose for the longest time before leaning forward and pressing her lips against her again, melting with glee when her partner returned the gesture with much fervor. It wasn't the best she had ever had with another woman, but it was remarkably different than anything she had ever had. The woman gave her much pleasure, but even more so was the amount of care she was given. She was no longer a target, but an ally.
Sadly, she could not stay. Although the time with the gypsy had been an eye-opening experience that drove a new mindset into Juri, she was still an assassin working for S.I.N. She reluctantly pulled away from Rose and reached for her clothes, saying nothing. She didn't want to become attached, but she needed this woman. That love was something she terribly wanted, and that care was a goal. She would have to work for it to get it from others.
Adjusting the straps on her breastplate and pulling her pants up again, Juri sighed and turned back to Rose. She could see the accomplishment in the gypsy's eyes, as if she had known all along this would happen. She was a psychic after all, so it was plausible. Holding her inflamed cheeks, Juri shook her head before smiling. The gypsy had done wonders for her, and there was no longer a reason for Juri to kill her.
"What will you do now, Juri?" Rose asked, sitting up with a sheet covering herself.
"Now?" Juri said, turning away and moving to the door. She placed her hand on the handle and nodded once before looking back at Rose. "You know what I'm going to do."
"You are ready to face him," Rose replied. Juri nodded as she turned the handle, opening up the door. "I will be here for you when you need me. You no longer have to be alone with your demons, as long as you open your heart. Your destiny is set, and it is up to you to carry out the tasks."
"Thank you, Rose…"