*Bad language warning.
Satsuki sighed as she touched the metal secured at her waist. She walked down the alley, careful to keep her footsteps light. She can't afford to show any sense of weakness when she meets her client. She shifted her gray suit to cover the weapons beneath, and morphed her face into a cheerful smile.
She finds her supposed client already waiting, leaning on a garbage can, eyes glaring at the sight of her form.
" You're late." The woman - no - girl, is no innocent person, Satsuki muses. The way she stands, the dark in her eyes; yes, she's definitely part of the underworld. Satsuki laughs inwardly. A girl no older than eighteen already a member of the world. It seems that the beauty of society just keeps sinking.
"I was just on time, my lady. I would lose my professionalism if I was ever late." The cheerful façade is still plastered on her cheeks.
"Cut the crap. You'll do what I paid you for, right?" The girl is murderous with her gaze, but hands her the portable memory stick regardless.
Satsuki's grin only widens. If it were any other in the same field of work, they would see, and fear, the sharp glint that lit the pink orbs.
"Of course."
0000
This would be easy. Her target is a middle aged man, in a rather good shape, but is a much less capable individual to be able to even pull off a proper fight. The job would take half the usual time with him. Good grief to the girl who paid her the bucks for the work.
Not that she was complaining.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the the man asleep. On a train. When he should be aware for his life, given the world he works in. Satsuki rolled her eyes. This entire day was a pointless feat. She sighs, and ponders whether to just get off at this stop. She already knows her target's schedule for the next four days, anyway.
Just as she was about to get up and out -
"Anyone sittin' here?"
Satsuki's head shoots up to reach the face of the voice's owner: a tall, rather muscular man around her age. Her mouth parts slightly, because she didn't even sense his presence. Her hand instantly moves for her chest, right above the knife she hides. Who was he? She bites her lip, and forces all of her instincts down the moment she recomposes herself. Satsuki pulls out her smile, and sticks it on her before-expressionless face. Defense mode, on.
"Nope! Go ahead!" She says, and shifts her herself to give the huge man some space.
He narrows his eyes, and for a second, Satsuki's scared that he caught the moment of shock she had. But he only sighs, and plops himself - rather gruffly, so to speak - beside her. It's amusing, because the moment he sits, he falls asleep, and is completely unconscious. She almost laughs at herself for even being afraid of the man.
While she is, the train's doors close, and Satsuki's lost her chance of going home early. She mentally swears, because the next stop was a good twenty minutes away. She glances at her target, still asleep across the aisle from her, and slumps into her seat. She whips her head around to glare at the man beside her, and questions whether or not to slap him awake for interrupting her schedule.
She stops herself when she finds interest in the man's form. She observes, because, although sleeping, the man was definitely "on guard". She could feel how his muscles were bunched, and how his position allowed for him to spring upwards if anything happened. Satsuki's curious, as his sleeping posture was exactly the same as hers. Once she realizes this, her brain scrolls through all of the people in the underworld with a similar description as the man. If he's another member, she's going to have to leave immediately. She's not interested in a scuffle here.
She's already raised herself to leave for another seat when he stirs. Her breath intakes, and she forces herself to sit again.
"Ugh," He yawns, and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Are we at the next station yet?"
No one around her answers, so she does him the favor.
"Still another ten minutes. Are you in a rush?" The perfect opportunity to reveal his identity.
He yawns again. "Nah. Just tired, and waiting to go home. Thanks, by the way, for the seat."
His voice drawls so much she's unsure if he's even awake. (Satsuki also notes that he definitely wasn't suited to saying "thank you".)
"No problem." She wants to ask more, though she doesn't trust him enough to do so.
He runs a hand through his short navy blue tresses, and the motion stirs something in her. She feels a sense of familiarity when he does, though the feeling leaves almost just as fast as it came.
"Well, what about you?" He asks, turning his head to face her.
She's tempted to stay silent, but plays along anyway. "What about me?"
"I'm asking about where you're going. You don't look like you've slept much either." He's blatant and rude when he answers.
He shocks her again, since he's right, because she hasn't slept for a good thirty-six hours. Rather, she hasn't slept since three target cases ago.
"Well, I was planning to see a friend before going home!"
She flinches and scolds herself for the bad lie. This man is definitely not good news.
He turns away, with an obvious expression of distrust and boredom. "Hmmm….is that right?"
She wants to smack him.
"And you? What makes you so tired, when it's only Monday afternoon? It would be painful the next few days if you're in this state already," She says. She snickers when he gives her a small glare. An eye for an eye, my dear.
"Oh, nothing to worry yourself about. I'm already given a vacation from work, so really, miss, you should be worrying about yourself more. Those bags under your eyes are ruining your pretty face." He scowls.
By now, Satsuki could feel her eyebrow twitching. "Good sir, I can handle a few bags under my eyes. You should watch out though, because I really don't think your boss giving you a vacation on Monday is anything good. Perhaps the first thing you should do at home is to call for a cancellation, kind mister."
They smile at each other after that, but glare with their eyes. It's odd, because Satsuki feels like she's been doing this for ages. The train makes a stop, and the man gets up to leave. Satsuki does too, and they don't speak another word. She doesn't even care to see her target wake up, as she just stomps out onto the platform and swings herself around the opposite direction of the man. She speeds off to her next train.
"Wait, little miss!" The man calls her, as though calling a stray dog.
She's reluctant to turn around.
"What might it be, good sir?"
He grins at her. "You're pretty good, 'cause I don't think anyone's actually been able to hold a bicker with me for so long."
She snorts. "Oh? You flatter me."
Satsuki almost jumps when he starts to laugh. By now, he had walked to stand in front of her. (When he does, she realizes just how big he actually is.) "I'm serious, you know."
"Is that right? Well, care to tell me why you actually thought to turn around and tell me that?"
He shrugs at her. "I live off of my instincts."
Satsuki scoffs, loud enough for him to hear. "I can clearly see that."
She gives him one last glare and turns heel, heading off towards home.
"Aomine Daiki, by the way."
She whips around to punch him, though he'd already started walking off. Satsuki's sure the next time she sees him (which she feels is definitely going to happen), she's going to give him a knuckle sandwich.
0000
Satsuki is cursing all of the deities she knows when he interrupts her job, the same job, again. She was finishing it today, damnit, and was going to receive her paycheck. Yet here he is, starting another insult war.
"Can you just leave, Aomine-san? I'm quite busy here," She growled at him, sliding her knife back into her sleeve. Her target had already turned the corner.
"You think I want to? I too, was in the middle of work, and you jump literally on me, and not a single sorry for it! I was freaking going to finally get a few bucks today, and here I've now lost it!"
"Good sir, understand that other people have their issues too, you know. So stop interfering with my life!"
"Haah? I'm interfering with your life? Cut the crap, woman. We both know that you were the one who f*cking tripped on me! You better give me my payment back,"
"Well you better pay me first, for running in my way. You know, if I were to tell the cops that you harassed me…"
"You damned….!"
Satsuki flips her hair. "Your fault for blocking my way."
She inwardly smiles when he (Daiki, was it?) bites his lip.
"Arggh, fine. You win. But I'm not paying you."
She grins there. "Then….get on your knees and say, I'm so sorry, Milady."
He punches the wall then and there. "Who's harassing who, now?!"
She crosses her arms over her chest, and smiles at him. "Then….treat me to the most expensive dinner you can find."
He swears at her and tells her she'll pay for this, but agrees on the terms. Satsuki rather admires his stubbornness and pride.
"Call me Satsuki."
0000
He actually takes her to dinner, and she's honestly surprised. As much as she revelled at his pride, she didn't expect him to actually buy her dinner. Considering he brought her to a well-enough family restaurant, Satsuki is definitely suspicious. Not a chance someone would take another out when they both just met. They converse like normal, which really does cause Satsuki, in all her professionalism, to tense up. She's certain that Daiki knows too; both only agreed to eat together to suit their suspicions.
It's clear to Satsuki when he asks about her work: the underlying question of her identity. She, in turn, also tries to pry Daiki; offering to take his jacket, faking curiosity when he drops a notebook. He doesn't let his guard down either way.
Satsuki grumbled inwardly, because not a single person she's met had been this tough with personal security. Daiki is impossible to break open.
So she makes a bold move.
"Daiki, what field of work do you do? I mean, there aren't many that include chasing people." She could feel her lip twitching from the nervousness (Can you believe it? Satsuki, nervous?).
He picks up his glass of water. "Nothing special. Not exactly a beautiful job, so I ain't gonna say it. I could say the same for you, though. I saw a person's shadow to the direction you ran in."
Oh, game on.
Satsuki isn't going to let him win this one.
"My job's not pretty, or flashy either, so there I have trouble telling it too, especially to a gentleman."
Daiki grunts in response. He checks his watch, and pulls out his wallet.
"Leaving already, Daiki-san?"
He cracks his knuckles and picks up his suit jacket, raising himself from the seat across from her as he walks to the cashier to pay.
"Yeah. They're things that need to be done."
Satsuki narrows her eyes. She has a rough idea of who exactly Daiki is now, but doesn't speak to clarify.
But…
"Wait, Daiki-san… could I have your phone number?"
…there isn't any harm in getting to know him better, right?
He turns around abruptly back to their seats, and looks at her. It's a moment of uncomfortable silence, and Satsuki is fidgeting for the first time since passing twenty years.
It's a sigh of relief from her when he holds his hand out for her phone.
0000
Satsuki hates herself. She knows that this is wrong, wrong, wrong, that this will only hurt them both. She tosses on her bed, staring at the number in her phone.
It's been a year since she had her first dinner with Daiki, a year since she added his number to her log. A year of constantly meeting up together. A year since knowing him. And Satsuki's miserable. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to ask for a number that day, wasn't supposed to grow affection towards this man.
She simply couldn't help it though. Satsuki knows that what spurred her to ask that day was not just a whim. Since the first time she's met him, she's known. That that wasn't the first time they've met. She knows so.
Though it hurts nonetheless, she can't do this anymore. Satsuki's a hitman: she's not supposed to love another, to be attached to a man that could very possibly be her weakness. Also, given Daiki's background…
She can't do this to him, to them. So she flips the phone open, scrolls to the number again, and deletes it.
She can't love him.
0000
Satsuki is back to work again, with the familiar holster strapped to her waist. She hasn't talked to Daiki for two weeks. She swings her head, flipping her ponytail, erasing the name from her head. She has to concentrate on the target.
This time, it's a woman. She's beautiful, and fittingly built. Satsuki has no idea why anyone would need to hire any hitman to slice her throat, but she doesn't ponder on the thought. What she does zoom into are the four bodyguards around her, all armed.
This wasn't going to be easy. She'll have to strike now, or miss having this chance.
She almost does, before a familiar, gruff voice shouts for her target. Satsuki's heart stops when she hears it.
"Sorry, miss, but we've got a few things to ask you." His close-cropped blue hair is the same as always.
Her target flips her hair in obvious annoyance. "Sorry, but I'm on a schedule. Just ask my dad if you need the details. Besides, I've already answered you once. Don't you police know the definition of personal space? My dad could easily kick you out of your position, you know."
Daiki doesn't even flinch as she slaps the threat at him. Satsuki laughs at his partner, though, who seemingly is already pulling at his arm to leave.
"Miss, even if your daddy is gonna kick me out, I'd at the very least get to the bottom of this case that very much involves you." Daiki glares at her, unmoving.
The girl grits her teeth, and finally agrees to be questioned.
Satsuki bites her lip. With them questioning her, she'll be unable to strike. She'll have to leave. Before she does, though, she makes a glance to the blue-haired officer. Her chest feels like it's been squeezed when she fully takes in the black suit he's wearing, and the card that he wears on his neck. She sees the familiar bulge of a weapon that she's so used to using on his waist, only that his was legal, was filled with justice. Unlike hers.
She gives her heart a light punch, a futile attempt to stop the clenching. She's known. She's always known, this whole time of being with him, she's known. That this was the outcome. That they were never meant to be.
She flips her hair, and melts into the alleyway.
0000
Daiki sees a flick of pink from the corner of his eye, as he's questioning the spoiled girl. He turns his head for a split second to follow the flash of color, but is met with a silent alley. He resumes to his job.
He's known. He's always known, this whole time being with her, he's known. He'll have to put her slender hands through silver cuffs one day, and see her receive her sentence for all the lives she's taken.
He's known, and he clenches his teeth to forget about the weight in his chest.
0000
"Dai-chan, what's your family like?" Satsuki asks, playing with the sundae in front of her.
He huffs, taking another bite out of his cake. "Don't have any. Murdered by a serial killer when I was four, so don't really remember what they're like. My gran raised me, but she died four years ago, a while after I finished school."
"Oh… Sorry, Dai-chan."
"It's nothin'. What about you?"
Satsuki smiled at her sundae. "Dead too. Though it's because they suicided. My father was in debt, you see, pushed to bankruptcy by some b****. They almost had me die with them too, so guess it's lucky I survived."
"Ha… Seems like the both of us sure did get the short end of the straw." Daiki said, finishing his meal.
"Yeah. Probably some debt we gotta pay from our past lives." She smiles at him mirthlessly.
Daiki smiled back. "You sure are a hopeless romantic, Satsuki."
0000
It's been three months since Satsuki last saw Daiki. Despite that though, her heart still hurts from the absence.
But that's completely wiped by rage.
Satsuki snarls through her helmet as she zips through the roads on her motorcycle.
"I finally found you, you f*cker, I won't forgive you. I won't let you live after they've died. Just you wait…"
0000
"Daiki-san! We've received information that the company's owner has left for the airport! It's an immediate dispatch, 'cause apparently he's holding firearms."
Daiki sighed, pulling his jacket over. "So they've finally found him…"
The criminal, a seventy year-old man, was a well-known millionaire who was recently found for various crimes with money scandals, violent offences, and sexual harassment. In other words, to Daiki, a complete piece of crap.
Daiki closed his eyes. He wouldn't like this case.
After all, considering the criminal in question, he's positively sure that Satsuki would be there.
0000
She finds him, in all of his portly glory, at the underground airport parking lot. He and his men were piling their van, shuffling as many bags in as possible.
Four, she counts, including the b**ch. This would be easy. Although the three hired ones are surrounding him like a wall, she can tell they're complete trash with guns. Though she'll at least have to use five of her bullets to take them down.
She narrows her eyes, and pulls out her own handgun. She'll have to be quick.
Daiki will be here soon.
0000
Once they park the van at the parking lot, Daiki jumps out, and is running full force at the sound of gunfire. He could hear his colleagues behind him, trying hard to catch up to him.
He doesn't slow down, despite the fact that he knows that they can't match his agility.
He has to hurry. He can't let her lose herself.
0000
"You b**ch… do you even remember who I am?" Satsuki points her gun at the portly man, the point of her rage.
The man is scared s***less, his legs shaking uncontrollably as he drops to his butt in fear. She doesn't blame him. She killed all three of his best muscle in fifteen seconds, after all.
"I-I-I don't know-know… what you're talking about. I'm sure you… just got it wrong, milady." She glares at him harder and threatens to pull the trigger. "
He squeals. "Yes! O-o-f course, that family who owned that little sweets shop. S-s-so you're the daughter! Please, I will repay my sins… I'll pay for all your expenses! I'll give you everything you want! I'll touch my head to your parent's grave till I bleed out and die! Just… spare me, please!"
He's dripping with sweat, his hand frantically throwing stacks of cash at her. Her rage only flares up more.
"You b**ch… You'll pay for this!"
She stills her hand, shaking with rage, points the weapon at his head, and fires.
0000
Daiki can see the fat man throwing cash at the familiar pinkette. He sees her, eyes flooded with tears and rage, as she prepares herself to fire.
He raises his gun. No, he won't make it. Too many cars are in the way; she'll still be able to fire. He'll have to run. Half a second, and he'll make it, if he dives.
He makes one burst of speed, and dives in front of the criminal. He can't bear to let her lose herself anymore.
0000
When the tears have left her eyes, and her rage somewhat subsided, she can clearly see the victim in front of her. She expects a dead, portly sinner.
But she sees, instead, dark skin, blue hair, and a muscular form. She's frozen as she takes the scene in. When she does, she jumps to catch him. She doesn't even care about the portly man who had fainted in the corner, sitting in his own piss.
She cradles the dying man's head, and examines his wounds. It hit him on his lung, very near, or even on, his heart. She doesn't need to take off his shirt to know that he's only got a few seconds. She's horrified by it.
He tries to speak. She strains to hear his words.
"Satsuki… please…" He says, and it's the first time she thinks his voice sounds ugly. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying to speak through the red that convulses through his throat. But he isn't given the chance, and soon his jaws slack. His eyes, oh, his beautiful eyes, glaze over, and the light is gone.
She screams. She doesn't even care if the other police have arrived, pointing their guns at her head. A few teary officers scream at her to let go of her beloved. She only clutches him harder. She screams till her voice grows hoarse and dry.
0000
Half of the officers take care of the fat man. The others order her to drop her gun. She flings it at them. She doesn't care anymore. She moves her tongue, and reaches the pill that she keeps in her molar.
She doesn't know which officer finds out of her next move, but she doesn't care. They might all be diving to stop her, but they won't make it.
The one man, the one man she would have let kill her, who had the right to judge her, is gone.
She's not going to let them have her life. She clamps her jaw together, crushing the pill, and waits for the lethal poison to work its way.
They shout at her, as she drops next to her beloved, the numbness taking over her body.
She takes in his form one last time. He is gone, but she will not be joining him. She does not wish to see him afterwards. She isn't selfish enough to ask him to come with her, because she knows that she can't go to the same place he is.
She's known, from the moment she drew the blood of another, that she'll be burned in flames. So she won't be seeing Daiki. She won't ever see her beloved again.
Somewhere, though, she prays. Prays to see him, feel his warmth again.
It's ironic. So ironic that she can't help but laugh.