"So, how's it going?" the blonde asked, expectantly.
"Still want to murder him." Azusa sighed, sitting on her legs on the couch, holding a small, portable mirror in front of her.
"Come on, Yumi. We dealt with him all through Shibusen." Marie sighed. Azusa took off her glasses and shook her hair so it sat out of its usual neat appearance.
"I suppose it's slightly more tolerable than I expected. It's like having a pet that can buy groceries." Azusa said. Marie smiled and tilted her head to the side.
"Yeah, that's pretty much Stein for me in a nutshell." Marie giggled. Azusa groaned.
"But you're dating." Azusa stated. Marie raised her eyebrows expectantly.
"I'm not dating Albarn!" she exclaimed. Marie giggled, but her giggling was upped spontaneously.
"Not now! I'm talking to Yumi!" she turned away from the mirror. Azusa sighed and dropped her head.
"Hello to you too, Stein. Thanks for that, guys." Azusa winced. Marie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Sorry." Marie bit her lip. Azusa sighed and sat back.
"Well, I'd better take a nap," Azusa yawned, "we've got to leave at nine at night to start the attack." Azusa said.
"Okay, honey. You will be fine. Good luck." Marie smiled. Azusa nodded.
"Thanks, Marie." Azusa gave a small smiled. Marie nodded and the mirror went blank, Azusa putting the small mirror down as the redhead walked into the living room.
"You ready for tonight?" Spirit asked. Azusa sighed and crossed her arms.
"Please, Albarn, I'm always ready." she remarked. Spirit nodded and stretched his arms above his head, his shirt riding up and exposing a strip of toned chest.
"Aw, alright, 'cause I was gonna say, if you weren't ready, they say that sex before a big event helps-" Spirit's words were muffled by the pillow that hit him in the face, followed by an angry punch to the arm.
"Shut up, Albarn." Azusa hissed. Spirit rubbed his arm in pain and laughed.
"I think you've been spending far too much time with Marie. That hurt." he gave a small smirk. Azusa turned around and clenched her fists.
"Yeah, well, there's more where that came from." Azusa growled. Spirit laughed.
"Please, feel free to show me in any way you deem necessary, Committee." Spirit ducked behind the couch and avoided the wavelength-charged arrow that Azusa shot at him.
"Get some sleep, idiot." Azusa walked into her bedroom and slammed the door around. Spirit just sat down on the couch and rested his head back on his hands.
"She scares the hell out of me and won't let me do anything," he thought to himself, "so why the hell am I so attracted to her?"
"Just take your weapon form, Committee. It's easier and more subtle." Spirit whined. Azusa scoffed and strode in front of Spirit in the dark.
"Yeah, inconspicuous, a man with bright-red hair carrying a giant crossbow into this facility. Subtle." Azusa muttered.
"I'm sorry for having such sexy red hair, Committee, but-"
"Quit overestimating yourself and help me over this fence." Azusa said. Spirit crossed his arms.
"Why don't you just take your weapon form and I chuck you over the fence?" Spirit asked. Azusa sighed and dropped her head.
"Death, you're vapid." Azusa sighed. Spirit raised an eyebrow.
"What?" he asked. Azusa crossed her arms and sighed.
"Ivanov has pressure pads over that side of the gate. I need to get over there and disarm them before you can get through." Azusa stated.
"Why?" Spirit asked.
"Because you're about as dextrous as an elephant and I don't want you making them sic the dogs on us." Azusa snapped back. Spirit nodded reluctantly and leant down, bracing his fingers together as Azusa put her foot on his hands.
"Right, now, back up against that column next to the fence." Azusa instructed. Spirit shuffled backwards and felt Azusa grab his shoulders and push upwards on his shoulders before grabbing a nook in the fence.
As she did so, Spirit quickly realised that the positioning of the nook made for Azusa's chest resting in a rather awkward place.
"Uh… Committee?" Spirit asked, slightly muffled. It may just have been the focus on the mission, but Azusa did not notice neither the muffled tone of Spirit's voice nor the movement of his jaw in her cleavage.
"What?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
"Could you," Spirit turned his head to the side and took in a breath, "move the boobs?" he asked. Azusa scoffed and slapped him upside of the head.
"Shut up." Azusa clawed at the top of the fence and pulled herself to the top of the fence, crouching and scouting out the garden in front of Ivanov's estate. The black sweater that she wore over the black tights rode up slightly as she jumped in a crouch to the bush below. Spirit leant against the column, making sure not to draw any attention to himself.
"Is my hair really that bad?" Spirit asked through the radio. Azusa sighed and rolled her eyes.
"No, it's incomprehensibly sexy. Is that what you want to hear? Is that what I have to say in order for you to get your ass into gear?" Azusa asked. Spirit smirked and gave a cocky grin.
"Yeah." he nodded, using his considerable frame to reach up to the nook he had to boost Azusa to grab. He pulled himself using one hand and extended a blade from his other palm, using this to pull himself to the top of the column.
"Ha! Who are you calling – Shit!" Spirit fell backwards off of the column into the bush , his legs sprawling across and hitting the pressure pads.
"And that is why I disarmed those." Azusa got down on her hands and knees and began to crawl to the entrance of the underground compound. Spirit clambered behind her, doing the same. He looked up and, as any self-respecting man couldn't, he found himself unable to look away from the sway of Azusa's backside with every crawl.
However, Azusa must have had eyes in the back of her head (or, perhaps more likely, her butt) but she stopped crawling and extended one foot out and backwards, kicking Spirit in the arm.
"Stop that." she hissed.
"Duck!" Azusa yelled at the redheaded scythe who was currently acting as her meister.
"Alright!" he yelled back, tossing Azusa backwards.
Azusa would usually have everything under control, but there was something about the large, eight-foot-tall, lizard-like beast that rendered several of her abilities useless.
They couldn't quite believe that anything like this could have been hidden under Ivanov's estate, even less that they would encounter it before they even got to the Kishin device.
The underground cave looked almost untouched, with cobweb everywhere. However, both Spirit and Azusa suspected that the outer chambers were relatively untouched, but that the more central areas would have more evidence of life.
"Albarn, what in Death's name are you doing?" the disembodied voice of the crossbow called.
"I'm saving your ass!" Spirit called, running, full-pelt, at the creature and circling it. He took his half-form and stabbed it at the base of its tail, running away from it once more.
"Albarn, stop, you're going to get yourself killed!" Azusa cried, in human form once more. Spirit tried to run away from the creature, but it leapt onto four legs and grazed him with its claws.
"Albarn!" Azusa screamed. Spirit, with several cuts across his chest and back, scuttled backwards wincing in pain.
"Come on… come on!" Azusa focused hard on her wavelength and, as her arm turned into a bow-like weapon, she shot a large mass of her wavelength at the creature. It screeched and reared up into the air, falling flat onto its back and dying.
Azusa panted heavily, before noticing Spirit retching and spitting against the wall of the confine.
"Albarn! Are you okay?" Azusa ran over to the redhead, who then proceeded to throw up again.
"I don't do well with blood. I'm a wuss." he laughed, wincing and grabbing his abdomen as he did so.
"No, you're not. I'd have been killed if it weren't for you." Azusa reluctantly admitted.
"See. Not as useless as I look." Spirit adjusted against the walls of the confine
"Oh, Death, we've got to get you back." Azusa said, and Spirit tried to stand but found himself unable to.
"Do you think you can take your form?" Azusa asked. Spirit squeezed his eyes shut and, with some effort, he transformed into a scythe.
"I'm sorry I let you get hurt, Albarn." Azusa said, reluctantly. Spirit gave a small noise of affirmation.
"It's for the mission, Committee." Spirit said, and even through his weapon form, Azusa could sense the pain in his voice.
Azusa had always kept pride in the fact that nobody ever got injured on her watch.
The pool of blood which lingered where Spirit Albarn had sat before had broken that, and that scared Azusa. She would never admit it, but she was legitimately scared.
"Can you just keep making noise, please? So I know you're not dead." Azusa asked. Spirit chuckled and spoke.
"What would you like? A passionate moan every couple of minutes? Or something dirty? Just hold the blade next to your ear and I'll let you know I'm here, Committee."Spirit chuckled, and Azusa could sense the cockiness in his voice.
"Shut up, Albarn." she shook her head and rolled her eyes, beginning the secretive trek out of the confine. The scythe was up next to her ear, over her shoulder. After a couple of seconds, she heard a low whisper.
"So, what colour bra are you wearing?" Spirit rasped.
After that, the scythe was dragged across the ground, out of the confine.