Chapter 1 - Arriving of the Rivals
Weiss was standing on a rooftop looking out over their targets position. At the moment there was some confusion among some of them.
"You sure that this is where the target is?" Yohji asked looking at Omi.
"Yes Balinese, I'm sure" Omi said for the third time.
"Kay, just checking" Yohji replied.
"Let's move" Aya said and jumped with the rest of the team to the next roof stopping by the roof door where Ken immediately picked the lock in two red seconds and they went into the building and stood in front of a door with the number 7C on it.
"This is the place" Ken said letting his tiger-claw, or bugnuk, come forth as the other did the same with their various other weapons wile Aya kicked the door in going through it and continuing as the hall was empty and walked to check the living room where they saw their target sitting nice and ready. There was only one problem with the whole perfect mission so far.
The target was already dead.
They stared.
"Well looks like someone beat us to it" Yohji declared smartly.
Then they heard something heavy fall in one of the adjoining. They all put their weapons ready and slowly walked towards the door that would lead in to the room. Yohji stood at the side of the door bending over to open the open the door with the others ready before it. He slowly bent the handle downwards and opened it.
They were just in time to see someone jump out the window and as they got to it and looked down they could see four figures making their way down the fire escape stairs as the watched and calculated all the information.
"Hmn, what do you guys think?" Ken asked as he looked at the retreating figures.
"Well, they were female, that's for sure" Omi replied.
The others nodded quietly.
"So, we've got an all female team for competition" Yohji said happily smiling at the possibilities.
Aya rolled his eyes.
"Let's just go home, there's nothing more we can do here and we'll have to report the arriving of this new group to Kritiker" he said as they all turned and got out of the building.
~*_*~
A black-haired girl sat on the couch with a relieved sigh as the rest trooped in.
"That was a close call" she said to her three companions, all women and all dressed in a different set of black clothes.
"Well now Margay, that would be because your research wasn't complete" the auburn haired girl irritated said.
"No Cougar, they were assassins!" the red haired girl swiftly retorted.
"How do you know that Serval?" Cougar asked curious.
"Now really, don't you pay attention Cougar?" the last, a blonde, sighed tiredly.
"Then you can tell me Cheetah" Cougar said smartly settling down beside Margay.
"Well for one, they were armed, had their weapons drawn and the way they move. Only assassins can move like that. Only well trained assassins at that" Cheetah replied.
"This can prove to be interesting" Serval said tapping her shin.
"Come on guys, we're home, the target is dead and we're alive, so let's drop the codenames 'till the next mission!" Margay said exasperated.
"Akima's right" Cheetah said solemn.
"Thank you Risa" Akima sighed.
"Okay let's just sit down and chill" Cougar said.her real name Keiko as she and the rest still standing sat down.
"Tomorrow we'll open the shop and have our new cover" Serval sighed..her real name Zarifa.
(If you don't get it ---- . Zarifa = Serval . Keiko = Cougar . Risa = Cheetah . Akima = Margay .)
"Yeah, and I'll have to go back to school" Akima said with a sour face, "I'm a friggin' trained assassin you know!"
"Yes, but you're also seventeen years old and need an education" Zarifa said in a motherly voice.
"Come on kid, it won't be that bad" Keiko said trying to cheer the girl up.
"Yeah, and perhaps you'll meet a cute boy" Risa added with a grin.
"Right, and then we'll get a mission on the night of a date and I'll just walk up to him and say, ´Sorry can't come on our date, someone needs to get his lights snuffed out by me, how about tomorrow night?` I can just picture it" Akima replied sarcastically.
"I think that, ´Sorry, but I'm an assassin and I gotta kill someone tonight, see ya` would be more practical" Keiko said thoughtfully.
"Very funny" Akima said sourly.
The others laughed.
"Well let's go to bed, it's been a long day" Zarifa said getting up.
"Right after a shower" Risa said, as she looked at a bloodstain on her short leather jacket "I was careless."
"I call the shower" Akima said and fled up the stairs, her team-mates in hot pursuit. They did not get her though and thus had to wait half an hour.
~ The next morning ~
The four girls were sitting at the table eating breakfast, which in Akima's case was just a cup of hot, strong coffee.
"Do I have to go?" she whined while letting her head clonk! down on the table.
"Yes!" The others yelled.
"Okay I get the point" Akima muttered into the wood.
She gulped her coffee and went through an amazing transformation from snore retorting log to a girl who just can't wait to get up and kick some schoolteacher's ass, picked up her schoolbag and followed Zarifa into the front of the house, where the shop was. It was a bookshop called Haru Hon- ja which meant Spring Bookstore (a/n If my weak Japanese is correct). Akima helped Zarifa open the store and then left waving goodbye at Zarifa.
Akima started to walk but stopped at the shop next to hers. It was called Koneko (a/n don't know the rest, please tell me). It was a flower shop. Akima looked at some of the flower arrangements. Suddenly the door opened and a boy about her age was thrown out. She ran towards him and helped him up.
"Are you alright?" she asked holding out her hand.
"Yeah I'm fine, this is a daily routine for my friends and I" the boy replied taking her hand, getting up.
"I see" Akima said smiling.
The boy smiled back.
"My name is Tsukiyono, Omi by the way" Omi said and gave a little bow.
"Hajimemashite, I'm Murasaki, Akima" Akima replied and bowed.
(a/n; Japanese name system, first the surname and the first name)
"So do you go to Kimike (a/n I have no idea and just made this up) high school?" Omi asked.
"Yes, this is my first day" Akima replied.
"I was wondering why I'd never seen you before" Omi said smiling, "So where do you live?"
"Right next to you, my friends and I own the bookshop" Akima replied smiling.
"So we're neighbours" Omi said mimicking her smile.
"Yeah" Akima replied and gazed at her watch, "And we'd better run to school if we want to get there on time, I don't want to be late on my fist school day."
Omi and Akima shot of and ran all the way to school, non stop. When they got there they thought the same thing; that, aside from their team-mates, they hadn't met many people who could run so much, so fast, non stop without tiring.
"You're very fit" Omi said.
"Thanks, I train. You're not bad yourself" Akima replied nervously. She hadn't totally lied, she did train she just didn't say what.
"Well I gotta go to class. I'm sure we'll see each other later" Omi said walking off to the direction of his classroom.
"Yeah sure, bye" Akima said and waved.
She walked to the administration desk and there she received her schedule and base class nr. She was in class 6c.
(a/n: okay I'm going by the Dutch system here cause I still don't entirely get the Japanese system)
~ Back to Omi ~
Omi ran into his homeroom just in time for the bell.
"Mr. Tsukiyono that was a very close call" the teacher, Firumi Nuko, said.
"Gomen nasai, Firumi-sensei" Omi apologized.
"Very well. Class we have a new student today, she has just moved here from Kyoto" Firumi said to the class.
The door opened and in walked Akima. She noticed Omi and flashed him a bright smile.
"Please introduce yourself to the rest of the class" Firumi said.
"My name is Murasaki Akima and I moved here from Kyoto with my three friends. We just opened our bookshop today" Akima said and bowed.
The boys were just looking at her as if she was some treat. Akima's assassin skills made her common sense strain itself so she wouldn't draw her daggers, which were neatly hidden in her fuku (a/n I believe that the word for the Japanese school outfit) skirt, held in hip sheaths.
'I don't think that killing almost all male students in your class is a good thing to do on your first school day, or any other day for that matter' she thought to herself.
"There's still a spot next to Omi over there" Firumi said, pointing at Omi.
"Arigato" Akima said and went to sit down next to Omi.
"Fancy meeting you here" she whispered to him as Firumi began his lesson.
"Likewise" Omi whispered back.
«»«»«»
Some hours later Omi and Akima were walking home together talking about everything and nothing. Neither of them noticed the looks they got from their fellow students (both male and female). This being a strange thing as they were both assassins, not that they knew that of each other, but that could provide some interesting situations.
«»«»«»
Omi walked into the Koneko and went straight for the kitchen. Ken was there reading the newspaper before the daily stampede of schoolgirls would arrive.
"Afternoon Omi" Ken greeted.
"Hi" Omi replied.
"So." Ken began folding the paper and looking up.
"So what?" Omi asked.
Yohji and Aya walked into the kitchen.
"So who was that cute girl you talked to and ran to school with?" Yohji asked.
"She's one of our new neighbours" Omi replied casually.
"You mean the new bookshop?" Ken asked.
"Yeah, she and her three friends run it" Omi replied.
"Tell me are these three friends female?" Yohji asked.
"Yes Yohji, and don't you go harassing them!" Omi said sternly, his hands on his hips.
"Who? Me.I'm just as innocent as a new born kitten" Yohji replied with big puppydog eyes.
Ken and Aya snorted.
"We'd better go, the schoolgirl stampede is due in two" Aya said.
They all walked to the shop and prepared for the arrival, standing in different poses.
"Three.Two.One" Yohji counted down as usual.
"Oh...Kawaii!!!" "Nani!?!" "Oh he's so handsome!!!" the usual screams came.
'Here we go again'
~ Once more to Akima ~
Akima walked into the store and waved at Keiko who was behind the counter.
"Hey kid!" Keiko greeted.
"Hey Iko" Akima replied, using Keiko's hated, at least by Keiko, nickname as a pay-back for the kid comment.
"Hey Ima" Risa said as she came from the back.
"Hey Isa" Akima greeted.
"So tell us, who was that cute boy we saw you talking to this morning" Keiko asked grinning from ear to ear.
"He and his friend own the flower shop next door and he's one of my classmates" Akima replied.
"You two look cute together" Zarifa said as she walked in.
"Ifa, you know very well that such a thing can't be, I won't let it happen" Akima said.
(a/n; I hope you see the pattern, Ifa, Iko, Isa and Ima, I could've called Keiko Keika that would make it even more obvious but I just dind't like Keika as much as Keiko)
"Perhaps, oh well you'd better unpack you school stuff and dress in more comfy clothes, then you can help here" Zarifa said.
"Kay" Akima said, she ran up, unpacked her school stuff, dressed in comfy clothes and ran back down in less than five minutes. Being an assassin did pay off on some things.
Suddenly they heard a lot of screams.
The customers in their shop seemed to ignore it all but the four assassins couldn't restrain themselves. Curiosity killed the cat, but not the assassin. They stuck their heads out of the shop door.
(a/n; you know the anime style, one head above the other =P)
In front of the Koneko they saw a huge group of girls, seemed that all the girls from the local high schools were there.
"What the heck is going on?" Risa muttered while she gawked.
"Oh that has been going on for a long time" one of their customers said from behind them.
The four assassins turned around and faced the customer, a woman with long purple hair.
"It has?" Keiko asked with big eyes.
"Oh yes, listen to what they're screaming" the woman said.
The four did just that.
"Cute!!!" "Handsome!!!" "Oh if only he'd go out with me!!!" they heard.
"Well that explains it" Zarifa said. The four nodded their thanks to the customer and went back to work.
~ The next Morning ~
Zarifa was making coffee. She looked at the clock.
'Time to wake Ima up' she though.
At that moment Risa walked into the kitchen.
"Morning" she greeted.
"Good morning" Zarifa replied, "Would you mind waking Ima?"
"No praw, be right back" Risa said and walked upstairs with an evil smile.
A moment later Zarifa heard a loud bang and snickered. After all Risa's technique of waking people was known and feared by her friends. She would first remove the blankets and if that didn't work (which it never did) she went to a more drastic approach; she'd grab the mattress and lift it from one side so you'd roll onto the floor, which could be rather painful.
Risa entered the kitchen and took a cup of coffee from Zarifa. A minute later a sour faced Akima walked in rubbing her right side.
"Coffee" she grunted.
"Good morning sunshine" Zarifa said.
Akima just growled and took her coffee.
Then they heard a knock on the door.
"I'll go see who it is" Zarifa said.
She stood up and went to the front of the house. She opened the shop door and saw Omi looking a tad bit nervous.
"Hi! You're Omi, right?" Zarifa said smiling.
Omi smiled back. "Yeah" he replied.
"Come in, I'm Zarifa" Zarifa said.
"Uhm thanks, I was just wondering if Akima wanted to walk to school with me" Omi said and stepped in, Zarifa closed the door behind him.
"I'm sure she'll like that, she's a bit grumpy now but that'll change as soon as she drinks her second cup of coffee" Zarifa said and led Omi into the kitchen.
"Look who it is" Zarifa said.
Risa stood up and introduced herself while Akima just grunted a hello. Zarifa grabbed Akima's cup and filled it with coffee again. She offered Omi some but he declined. As soon as Akima had drunk her second cup she looked much more cheerful.
(a/n; don't make fun of coffee, it works trust me, I once spent 36 hours without sleeping, coffee got me through the last six of 'em)
"Kay done, let's get going" Akima said and dragged Omi away, afraid of what would happen if Keiko were to see him. She'd never hear the end of it.
Weiss was standing on a rooftop looking out over their targets position. At the moment there was some confusion among some of them.
"You sure that this is where the target is?" Yohji asked looking at Omi.
"Yes Balinese, I'm sure" Omi said for the third time.
"Kay, just checking" Yohji replied.
"Let's move" Aya said and jumped with the rest of the team to the next roof stopping by the roof door where Ken immediately picked the lock in two red seconds and they went into the building and stood in front of a door with the number 7C on it.
"This is the place" Ken said letting his tiger-claw, or bugnuk, come forth as the other did the same with their various other weapons wile Aya kicked the door in going through it and continuing as the hall was empty and walked to check the living room where they saw their target sitting nice and ready. There was only one problem with the whole perfect mission so far.
The target was already dead.
They stared.
"Well looks like someone beat us to it" Yohji declared smartly.
Then they heard something heavy fall in one of the adjoining. They all put their weapons ready and slowly walked towards the door that would lead in to the room. Yohji stood at the side of the door bending over to open the open the door with the others ready before it. He slowly bent the handle downwards and opened it.
They were just in time to see someone jump out the window and as they got to it and looked down they could see four figures making their way down the fire escape stairs as the watched and calculated all the information.
"Hmn, what do you guys think?" Ken asked as he looked at the retreating figures.
"Well, they were female, that's for sure" Omi replied.
The others nodded quietly.
"So, we've got an all female team for competition" Yohji said happily smiling at the possibilities.
Aya rolled his eyes.
"Let's just go home, there's nothing more we can do here and we'll have to report the arriving of this new group to Kritiker" he said as they all turned and got out of the building.
~*_*~
A black-haired girl sat on the couch with a relieved sigh as the rest trooped in.
"That was a close call" she said to her three companions, all women and all dressed in a different set of black clothes.
"Well now Margay, that would be because your research wasn't complete" the auburn haired girl irritated said.
"No Cougar, they were assassins!" the red haired girl swiftly retorted.
"How do you know that Serval?" Cougar asked curious.
"Now really, don't you pay attention Cougar?" the last, a blonde, sighed tiredly.
"Then you can tell me Cheetah" Cougar said smartly settling down beside Margay.
"Well for one, they were armed, had their weapons drawn and the way they move. Only assassins can move like that. Only well trained assassins at that" Cheetah replied.
"This can prove to be interesting" Serval said tapping her shin.
"Come on guys, we're home, the target is dead and we're alive, so let's drop the codenames 'till the next mission!" Margay said exasperated.
"Akima's right" Cheetah said solemn.
"Thank you Risa" Akima sighed.
"Okay let's just sit down and chill" Cougar said.her real name Keiko as she and the rest still standing sat down.
"Tomorrow we'll open the shop and have our new cover" Serval sighed..her real name Zarifa.
(If you don't get it ---- . Zarifa = Serval . Keiko = Cougar . Risa = Cheetah . Akima = Margay .)
"Yeah, and I'll have to go back to school" Akima said with a sour face, "I'm a friggin' trained assassin you know!"
"Yes, but you're also seventeen years old and need an education" Zarifa said in a motherly voice.
"Come on kid, it won't be that bad" Keiko said trying to cheer the girl up.
"Yeah, and perhaps you'll meet a cute boy" Risa added with a grin.
"Right, and then we'll get a mission on the night of a date and I'll just walk up to him and say, ´Sorry can't come on our date, someone needs to get his lights snuffed out by me, how about tomorrow night?` I can just picture it" Akima replied sarcastically.
"I think that, ´Sorry, but I'm an assassin and I gotta kill someone tonight, see ya` would be more practical" Keiko said thoughtfully.
"Very funny" Akima said sourly.
The others laughed.
"Well let's go to bed, it's been a long day" Zarifa said getting up.
"Right after a shower" Risa said, as she looked at a bloodstain on her short leather jacket "I was careless."
"I call the shower" Akima said and fled up the stairs, her team-mates in hot pursuit. They did not get her though and thus had to wait half an hour.
~ The next morning ~
The four girls were sitting at the table eating breakfast, which in Akima's case was just a cup of hot, strong coffee.
"Do I have to go?" she whined while letting her head clonk! down on the table.
"Yes!" The others yelled.
"Okay I get the point" Akima muttered into the wood.
She gulped her coffee and went through an amazing transformation from snore retorting log to a girl who just can't wait to get up and kick some schoolteacher's ass, picked up her schoolbag and followed Zarifa into the front of the house, where the shop was. It was a bookshop called Haru Hon- ja which meant Spring Bookstore (a/n If my weak Japanese is correct). Akima helped Zarifa open the store and then left waving goodbye at Zarifa.
Akima started to walk but stopped at the shop next to hers. It was called Koneko (a/n don't know the rest, please tell me). It was a flower shop. Akima looked at some of the flower arrangements. Suddenly the door opened and a boy about her age was thrown out. She ran towards him and helped him up.
"Are you alright?" she asked holding out her hand.
"Yeah I'm fine, this is a daily routine for my friends and I" the boy replied taking her hand, getting up.
"I see" Akima said smiling.
The boy smiled back.
"My name is Tsukiyono, Omi by the way" Omi said and gave a little bow.
"Hajimemashite, I'm Murasaki, Akima" Akima replied and bowed.
(a/n; Japanese name system, first the surname and the first name)
"So do you go to Kimike (a/n I have no idea and just made this up) high school?" Omi asked.
"Yes, this is my first day" Akima replied.
"I was wondering why I'd never seen you before" Omi said smiling, "So where do you live?"
"Right next to you, my friends and I own the bookshop" Akima replied smiling.
"So we're neighbours" Omi said mimicking her smile.
"Yeah" Akima replied and gazed at her watch, "And we'd better run to school if we want to get there on time, I don't want to be late on my fist school day."
Omi and Akima shot of and ran all the way to school, non stop. When they got there they thought the same thing; that, aside from their team-mates, they hadn't met many people who could run so much, so fast, non stop without tiring.
"You're very fit" Omi said.
"Thanks, I train. You're not bad yourself" Akima replied nervously. She hadn't totally lied, she did train she just didn't say what.
"Well I gotta go to class. I'm sure we'll see each other later" Omi said walking off to the direction of his classroom.
"Yeah sure, bye" Akima said and waved.
She walked to the administration desk and there she received her schedule and base class nr. She was in class 6c.
(a/n: okay I'm going by the Dutch system here cause I still don't entirely get the Japanese system)
~ Back to Omi ~
Omi ran into his homeroom just in time for the bell.
"Mr. Tsukiyono that was a very close call" the teacher, Firumi Nuko, said.
"Gomen nasai, Firumi-sensei" Omi apologized.
"Very well. Class we have a new student today, she has just moved here from Kyoto" Firumi said to the class.
The door opened and in walked Akima. She noticed Omi and flashed him a bright smile.
"Please introduce yourself to the rest of the class" Firumi said.
"My name is Murasaki Akima and I moved here from Kyoto with my three friends. We just opened our bookshop today" Akima said and bowed.
The boys were just looking at her as if she was some treat. Akima's assassin skills made her common sense strain itself so she wouldn't draw her daggers, which were neatly hidden in her fuku (a/n I believe that the word for the Japanese school outfit) skirt, held in hip sheaths.
'I don't think that killing almost all male students in your class is a good thing to do on your first school day, or any other day for that matter' she thought to herself.
"There's still a spot next to Omi over there" Firumi said, pointing at Omi.
"Arigato" Akima said and went to sit down next to Omi.
"Fancy meeting you here" she whispered to him as Firumi began his lesson.
"Likewise" Omi whispered back.
«»«»«»
Some hours later Omi and Akima were walking home together talking about everything and nothing. Neither of them noticed the looks they got from their fellow students (both male and female). This being a strange thing as they were both assassins, not that they knew that of each other, but that could provide some interesting situations.
«»«»«»
Omi walked into the Koneko and went straight for the kitchen. Ken was there reading the newspaper before the daily stampede of schoolgirls would arrive.
"Afternoon Omi" Ken greeted.
"Hi" Omi replied.
"So." Ken began folding the paper and looking up.
"So what?" Omi asked.
Yohji and Aya walked into the kitchen.
"So who was that cute girl you talked to and ran to school with?" Yohji asked.
"She's one of our new neighbours" Omi replied casually.
"You mean the new bookshop?" Ken asked.
"Yeah, she and her three friends run it" Omi replied.
"Tell me are these three friends female?" Yohji asked.
"Yes Yohji, and don't you go harassing them!" Omi said sternly, his hands on his hips.
"Who? Me.I'm just as innocent as a new born kitten" Yohji replied with big puppydog eyes.
Ken and Aya snorted.
"We'd better go, the schoolgirl stampede is due in two" Aya said.
They all walked to the shop and prepared for the arrival, standing in different poses.
"Three.Two.One" Yohji counted down as usual.
"Oh...Kawaii!!!" "Nani!?!" "Oh he's so handsome!!!" the usual screams came.
'Here we go again'
~ Once more to Akima ~
Akima walked into the store and waved at Keiko who was behind the counter.
"Hey kid!" Keiko greeted.
"Hey Iko" Akima replied, using Keiko's hated, at least by Keiko, nickname as a pay-back for the kid comment.
"Hey Ima" Risa said as she came from the back.
"Hey Isa" Akima greeted.
"So tell us, who was that cute boy we saw you talking to this morning" Keiko asked grinning from ear to ear.
"He and his friend own the flower shop next door and he's one of my classmates" Akima replied.
"You two look cute together" Zarifa said as she walked in.
"Ifa, you know very well that such a thing can't be, I won't let it happen" Akima said.
(a/n; I hope you see the pattern, Ifa, Iko, Isa and Ima, I could've called Keiko Keika that would make it even more obvious but I just dind't like Keika as much as Keiko)
"Perhaps, oh well you'd better unpack you school stuff and dress in more comfy clothes, then you can help here" Zarifa said.
"Kay" Akima said, she ran up, unpacked her school stuff, dressed in comfy clothes and ran back down in less than five minutes. Being an assassin did pay off on some things.
Suddenly they heard a lot of screams.
The customers in their shop seemed to ignore it all but the four assassins couldn't restrain themselves. Curiosity killed the cat, but not the assassin. They stuck their heads out of the shop door.
(a/n; you know the anime style, one head above the other =P)
In front of the Koneko they saw a huge group of girls, seemed that all the girls from the local high schools were there.
"What the heck is going on?" Risa muttered while she gawked.
"Oh that has been going on for a long time" one of their customers said from behind them.
The four assassins turned around and faced the customer, a woman with long purple hair.
"It has?" Keiko asked with big eyes.
"Oh yes, listen to what they're screaming" the woman said.
The four did just that.
"Cute!!!" "Handsome!!!" "Oh if only he'd go out with me!!!" they heard.
"Well that explains it" Zarifa said. The four nodded their thanks to the customer and went back to work.
~ The next Morning ~
Zarifa was making coffee. She looked at the clock.
'Time to wake Ima up' she though.
At that moment Risa walked into the kitchen.
"Morning" she greeted.
"Good morning" Zarifa replied, "Would you mind waking Ima?"
"No praw, be right back" Risa said and walked upstairs with an evil smile.
A moment later Zarifa heard a loud bang and snickered. After all Risa's technique of waking people was known and feared by her friends. She would first remove the blankets and if that didn't work (which it never did) she went to a more drastic approach; she'd grab the mattress and lift it from one side so you'd roll onto the floor, which could be rather painful.
Risa entered the kitchen and took a cup of coffee from Zarifa. A minute later a sour faced Akima walked in rubbing her right side.
"Coffee" she grunted.
"Good morning sunshine" Zarifa said.
Akima just growled and took her coffee.
Then they heard a knock on the door.
"I'll go see who it is" Zarifa said.
She stood up and went to the front of the house. She opened the shop door and saw Omi looking a tad bit nervous.
"Hi! You're Omi, right?" Zarifa said smiling.
Omi smiled back. "Yeah" he replied.
"Come in, I'm Zarifa" Zarifa said.
"Uhm thanks, I was just wondering if Akima wanted to walk to school with me" Omi said and stepped in, Zarifa closed the door behind him.
"I'm sure she'll like that, she's a bit grumpy now but that'll change as soon as she drinks her second cup of coffee" Zarifa said and led Omi into the kitchen.
"Look who it is" Zarifa said.
Risa stood up and introduced herself while Akima just grunted a hello. Zarifa grabbed Akima's cup and filled it with coffee again. She offered Omi some but he declined. As soon as Akima had drunk her second cup she looked much more cheerful.
(a/n; don't make fun of coffee, it works trust me, I once spent 36 hours without sleeping, coffee got me through the last six of 'em)
"Kay done, let's get going" Akima said and dragged Omi away, afraid of what would happen if Keiko were to see him. She'd never hear the end of it.