Chapter 3: The daily bread.

Gin had no sooner walked out of the little bakery when his left foot stepped into a notable puddle of the many the storm had treated the island to. According to the talks he had had with some villagers, that wasn't much of a novelty for them – nor was the dismantlement of all telematics services which the harsh weather had caused. Unluckily, the latter left Sherry and Gin utterly and unavoidably incapable to communicate with any other members of the Organization, let alone its headquarters. Such situation didn't necessarily mean the failure of their mission, of course, but it surely was quite inconvenient. Paper bag in hand, the boy could only think he had been through worse. Way worse. And the repair would only take a couple of days, after all.

The sound of Sherry's new caramel-colored boots on the wet pavement dragged him out of his own thoughts. The girl had reached for his free hand, which he spread out in an invitation for her to hold it. With a nod of understanding, she tangled her fingers around his and the two started walking away from the now quiet shop.

'Do you want some bread?' he asked, moving the paper bag before her eyes.

'No, thanks,' Sherry responded. 'I hope you didn't buy it out of pity or anything.'

'That chap's business goes too well for anyone to buy things out of pity,' Gin objected. 'Quite a surprise, actually, that European bread and pastries are that successful in a Japanese village but, hey, who am I not to be happy for him? He even delivers bread to some people's houses daily – he leaves it hanging from their doorknobs early in the morning, from six to seven o'clock. Did you hear that?'

'I did.'

'One successful chap, I say,' Gin insisted. 'With delicious bread.'

'Now, what are we going to do today?' Sherry asked. 'Another stalking session, maybe?'

'Pretty much,' the boy admitted. 'I know what you're going to say, but it's better not to rush this kind of things – we need to have her well cornered and tracked down before we dare to make our next move.'

'You're the boss,' she sighed with a neutral wave of her free hand. 'I have no experience on this stuff. We'll do as you say.'

'The mission won't take much longer,' Gin hurried to add, trying to cheer her up. 'You'll be back home sooner than you expect. I promise.'

Sherry gave her boyfriend a side look and shrugged her shoulders.

'It's okay,' she spoke. 'Now, shall we get started with today's schedule?'

He nodded.

It was only many hours of stalking later that Gin and Sherry walked back into their hotel room.

'Do you think she saw us?' the girl inquired, walking towards the bed and then sitting down on it. 'By half past five, I mean, right before she visited that old woman.'

'I'm not sure,' Gin admitted. The room was rather warm when compared with the chilly streets, especially while still under half a dozen layers of clothing. The boy's fingers ran up to his coat and started unbuttoning it. 'She resumed speaking immediately, and she didn't even turn back – so, no, I don't think she saw us. And even if she did, I don't think she believed us to be more than a couple of tourists.'

'I hope you're right,' Sherry sighed. 'All our efforts would go to waste if she realized what we're doing.'

'Not necessarily,' he replied, finally dropping his coat on a hook. 'If we had for sure she knows about us, I could simply go and kill her. I could knock her door, and when she opened it, I would just shoot her in the head… Of course, it would be risky, and I would need to get out of there as soon as possible, but… '

Gin stopped. He turned back in a quick spin, expecting to see an armed intruder walking into their room – but the door was still shut, as he could verify with a mere glance at it, and Sherry and he were perfectly alone.

'What's wrong?'

Gin halted his own question, almost reaching the tip of his lips, as he heard Sherry address the very same words at him. He looked back at her, fighting not to repeat her query, and contemplated her for a moment. The face of horror she had displayed a few seconds ago and which had made him fear the worst had partially gone away – her lips still showed some unease, even if the look on her eyes had turned into what he identified better as astonishment. Suddenly remembering he had been asked a question, Gin hurried to make an answer out of his confused thoughts.

'I thought…' he began, 'I thought you were scared… I thought you had seen something which had scared you…'

Sherry's cheeks turned blushed in embarrassment at his response and she looked down, avoiding his gaze.

'I… It was nothing,' she muttered. 'Nothing at all…'

'It wasn't,' he retorted. 'What was it?'

Sherry looked back up. Fear had come back to her face, even if he didn't understand why, and she hesitated and bit her lower lip before speaking.

'It's only that…' the girl started timidly, 'that it surprised me how easily you talk about killing that woman, about death, about… about murder. So… coldly…'

Gin's heart seemed to twist at Sherry's words. He lowered his gaze, trying to control the sudden pain that invaded his chest, while his mind raced in anxiety.

'I'm sorry, just… forget it,' she apologized. 'It's only that I'm not used to these things, to this kind of missions – to all this chasing, and stalking and… '

'Murdering.'

Sherry nodded quietly.

'I'm no saint,' she continued. 'Who knows how many people might have been killed using my drugs – and let's not get started on the dozens of rats I've seen die before my very eyes and which I have killed myself. But it's just that… that…'

'I know what you mean,' Gin interrupted her. 'I don't like it, regardless of what other people may believe. I truly don't. The feeling when you take someone else's life is… awful. And who am I to do so?' he added, raising his voice along with his head. His eyes met hers, which still showed a little bit of fear. 'I don't like it – I am only used to it.'

'I know,' she responded. 'I don't blame you. It's them or you, after all. I understand.'

'I don't want you to fear me, Shiho', Gin added, calling her by her real name. The girl's look turned more serious. 'It's one of the last things I could ever want.'

'I don't fear you,' she protested, 'because I know who you truly are, what you're like. I know it's not your fault whatever you have to do in order to survive. I suffer from a similarly bad luck, after all' she added with a shy grin. 'I must kill in order to live, too, even if indirectly.'

'And you have lost lots, too,' he pointed out.

'But I still have you,' Shiho responded. 'And I still have my sister, too. And, for the time being, I consider you two to be more than enough.'

The boy couldn't help a smile at her final words. Moving closer to his girlfriend, he placed a soft peck on her forehead. Her smile widened and a hint of red colored her cheeks. When their faces moved away from each other's, they kept still and listened to the absolute silence of such peaceful evening.

Author's notes:

¡Hola! Hello! Hallo! こんにちは! Salut! Here comes Sherry Furude once more, ready for attack!

Here we are one week later! First of all, thank you for reading this far. It honors me very much! Thanks also to the guest who has sent me reviews for the first two chapters. You are lovely!

It may be a coincidence or not, but I don't really have much to talk about in this fic's author's notes. Usually, I would write lots and lots more. Why not now? I don't know.

Let me encourage you yet once more to tell me if you find any kind of mistake (of spelling, grammar, punctuation or anything else). With your help, I will be able to improve my writing! Also, I would be more than glad to read your opinions on this chapter and on the fic itself.

See you next week and lots of love!

Sherry F.