Of Masquerades and Guns
Chapter One: The Girl and the Man
By: Eviltiger
Author's Note: NOT KUROSAKU! I HAVE DECIDED TO REVAMP THIS STORY COMPLETELY, SO THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY READ THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS PLEASE FORGET ALL YOU HAVE LEARNED! Thank you.
S-T-O-R-Y!
ONE POV
A lone man walked quickly down a small dark street. Every so often a lamp dotted the otherwise dark road, killing the shadows in that small spot. The man, or Mr. Danrort as he called himself, lingered in the lamp light whenever one illuminated his path, and moved very quickly in the darkness. It would have been quite comical, had the bespectacled man not been gripped by the claws of fear and anxiety. His terror, however, was founded well. Two hours earlier, a note was found on his desk, proclaiming his death.
Two figures crouched on a rooftop, one figure larger than the other. One was a man, the other a young woman. The man's red eyes flickered lazily down to look at the target below, a sneer growing on his face.
"Look. He runs like a little mouse, scared of the dark. Thinking he's safe as long as light touches him." The man shifted his head slightly to look at the young woman in front of him. "Want me to take care of him?"
The girl looked over at her partner, her jade eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "It's fine. You'd just drag it out, causing a scene."
The man tched before lying down comfortably. Putting his hands up behind his head, he said, "Hurry up then."
Nodding, the girl stood up, as silent as a feather. Then, she walked soundlessly towards the edge of the building, tucked her feet close to her body, and jumped off the edge into the air with her hands out. She flipped in the air several times before landing gracefully in the shadows of an alley that their target had already passed. The man watched, unimpressed by the sudden show of acrobatics.
She had made absolutely no sound upon landing, and still didn't as she moved in the shadows of the dark until she had left the alley and was in the street. Then, the maiden began to silently stalk the target, picking up speed as she kept walking. All the while blood-red eyes calmly observed everything from above.
Mr. Danrort kept walking at a fast pace, sweat beginning to bead down the man's forehead. While he was slim, the man wasn't one for exercise, and the prolonged running was taking his toll. A little relief shot through the man as he reached another lamplight and the man stood there for a moment, catching his breath. That one stop proved to be fatal for him.
All of a sudden the man heard footsteps approaching him from behind. Mr. Danrort turned quickly, fear shooting through his veins. The footsteps became louder and louder as they closed in on the man, but paralyzed with fear not so much as a hair on his ponytail could move an inch. As the figure finally stepped into the boundary of the light Mr. Danrort gave a tiny sigh of relief.
A girl had stepped out of the shadows, a teenager no older than 18. She had short auburn hair that fell to mid-neck, save for two long strands of hair falling to her shoulders. She wore a simple street garb that consisted of a light leather jacket, jeans, and black boots. Her peach skin was illuminated under the light, giving it a delicate look. The man was about to smile and talk to her, when he noticed her eyes.
The girl's eyes were a beautiful jade green, but that wasn't what Mr. Danrort was concerned about. It was the utter devoid of emotion in those eyes, the complete look of empathy that startled him. Taking just a tiny step back the man's fear suddenly heightened as he noticed that the teenager had never stopped walking at her fast pace, merely going straight ahead towards her destination: Him. Taking another few steps backward Mr. Danrort began to feel panic shoot through his veins, and he put up his arms, not quite sure why.
"H-Hey." The man said feebly, still walking backwards. The girl said nothing and simply walked faster to the man. "Hey!" The footsteps grew louder. "HE-" The man's last shout was cut off as the girl drove the poisoned needle she had been hiding in her hand straight into his throat exactly at the spot where she had intended, not a centimeter off.
The needle had killed the man in a way that was quick, silent, and left no blood. Stepping back she watched emotionlessly as the formerly alive man hit the sidewalk with a sickening thunk. She was efficient, a killing machine. There was no room for emotion. Crouching down near the body the girl removed the needle and slipped her thin hand into the man's coat, retrieving a brown package tightly wrapped in string. Mr. Rondart (as this was his true name) would never breathe again, and what was requested had been taken. The job was done.
Moments later the man with her earlier appeared from the shadows in front of the teenager. He had jumped down from the building and had been waiting in the shadows until she was finished. He was a stunning man around his twenties, with spiky black hair, crimson red eyes, and tan skin. He was very tall, and wore a long black coat that went to his feet and had a collar that was unfolded.
"You got it?" He asked the female in a deep voice. The girl looked at him with a steady gaze, replying,
"Of course I did. It what we're trained to do."
The man nodded, and looked around, surveying the surroundings.
"Let's get going, someone probably heard the racket that mouse made." The girl nodded, rubbing her hair tiredly.
"Right. Let's go." She started walking away from the body, knowing that even if it was found by the police they wouldn't be able to trace the crime back to her. The tall man looked down at the body once more before following the jade eyed girl. Catching up to the teenager in a few steps the man reached out and gently tousled the girl's hair.
The girl looked up, surprised for a moment, before her a ghost of a smile was seen in her eyes. For a moment the girl didn't do anything, allowing the small comfort, before her eyes steeled once more. The teenager removed his hand from her head, and began walking forward once more, her eyes towards the ground. Before she had taken the man's hand off her head the girl had spoken, as if answering an unspoken question.
"I'm fine."
The girl and man lived inside an old, abandoned, yet functional apartment building. The girl came out of the bathroom in the apartment and sank into a broken sofa that gave a squeak when she landed on it. Her auburn hair glistened with water droplets, while she gazed out of the taped up window. Her stormy jade green eyes took in every detail, from the tall buildings outside the window to the fist-sized stain near the edge of single rug on the otherwise bare floorboards of the room.
Even in their home she was armed. The belt on her pants had a gun attached, while her lace-up black boots held countless numbers of needles in easily reachable yet safe places. Three different poisons along with their antidotes sat gleaming secretly in a hidden drawer of a small cabinet, while most of the place was rigged with traps as well.
Her partner sat at the other end of the room, gun lying peacefully next to his side, while most of him was concealed completely in shadow. Standing up the man walked over to the girl. The moonlight showed that he had taken of the coat and he wore a simple white shirt with an unfolded collar. He had on jeans that stopped at the top of the barefoot toes. He looked down at the girl and said three words.
"Sleep. My watch."
The girl frowned slightly, and protested.
"I'm fine Kurogane; you've been keeping watch a lot." Kurogane rolled his eyes and picked up a blanket sitting haplessly on a chair. The girl had been about to continue protesting when said blanket hit her square in the face, although not with too much force.
"Night, Sakura." Was all the man said, and the discussion was over.
Sakura watched the man as he sat down once more over at the other side of the room, before the calling of sleep made her eyelids drag over her eyes. Giving up, Sakura pulled the covers over her, and murmured a quiet good-night, before sleep consumed her.
It was several hours later when the nightmare started. Kurogane sighed as he heard the girl whimper and toss slightly on the sofa. His brows furrowed he looked over at the girl before standing up and walking over to Sakura. It was no doubt the same nightmare as usual. The one about him.
The younger one in the room cried out and Kurogane's gaze slightly. The man reluctantly reached over to the shivering Sakura who had curled herself tightly into a small ball and pressed a pressure point in the back of her head. She would feel that tomorrow. Immediately the teenager went limp, though, and the only movement she made now was the rise and fall of her chest.
Frustration gnawed at the man as he looked down at the girl. She didn't deserve this. Her parents had abandoned her when she was seven, and was found by eighteen-year-old-at-the-time Kurogane. Together they led a life of crime, stealing, scavenging, and doing "jobs" for the agency that taught them how to survive. They had taught them how to live and kill, and the two killed for them. It was as simple as that.
Kurogane was a merciless killer. He could also be the best protector when he needed to be. He never heard the cries of his victims echoing in his head, was never chased by them in his dreams. But Sakura was different. She was too pure, too kind for this work. She remembered every voice she silenced. Every person she finished off would come back to haunt her in her dreams. Their cries would echo in her head. Especially his.
Kurogane sighed once more and looked out the broken window with moonlight streaming through. She really deserved better. She deserved freedom, and Sakura was going to get it. If she could manage to wait a little longer.
Elsewhere
BANG! BANG! BANG! The cloaked figure holding the still smoking gun lowered it and looked at the target in front of him. There was one hole in the dummy, directly in the middle of the head. The room was empty, save for him, the dummy, the table next to him, and the new presence behind him. The slow, almost bored sounding, clapping of a single person was heard from behind the cloaked figure. A cold smile crept onto the man's face. He didn't need to turn around, he knew who it was.
"Excellent shots, sir. Makes a man wonder why you need puppets to do the work you could do yourself." The person from behind him spoke in a bored tone. The cloaked figure smirked slightly, and took a glass of clear liquid into his hands that was sitting on a table nearby. After leisurely taking a sip, he set the glass back down and finally replied.
"You know me well enough by now to know that answer already. There is something that I must to, and only by using them will I be able to accomplish it." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a photo. It had been taken unbeknownst to the person in the picture, but it gave a clear enough view of her.
"Don't worry little pawn," The figure said with a dark chuckle, "things are about to get very interesting for you, my dear Sakura."
End of Chapter One
So, did ya like it? I hope I did better this time. I'm removing chapter two since it's going to be completely different, although some parts as you can see, I'm keeping. Thank you for reading!