"Oh, come, number 75. I've been waiting for you."

A female figure emerged from the darkness, sharp eyes watching intently like a hawk.

"I have a present for you~"

XXXXX

Ten years. Had it been that long? Mako idly played with the gold coin on her hand, fumbling with it and tossing it to the air. Her eyes focused on something distant, way to her past.

"Good morning, princess."

She gritted her teeth, clamping the coin until her knuckles turned white. The raven-haired girl let out an angry huff, before fiddling with the coin again. Bored with the piece of metal, she switched her gaze outside the moving wagon, past the busy town, way to the sorrowful gray sky.

When did everything turn into this? She closed her eyes and breathed to the black scarf on her neck. Its familiar scent washed over her; the thick scent of blood. How ironic. She who as a child could never hurt a single bug, she who was born in a guardian clan, ended up as a cold-blooded murderer after a lost of someone she just met. Everything changed in a blink of eye. She turned the coin on her palm, showing the other side of it. Yes, as easy as that; her world turned up-side down. The girl laughed bitterly to herself, clutching the ugly scar on her left shoulder; the place where her symbol as a Hashirama clan supposedly was.

That was way in the past, and she bore no regret. She was grateful of it; she was not blinded by the fake beauty of the world anymore. She now understood that the sky was simply reflected the bluish color, yet never had the color of its own. It was plain empty, just like the rest of the world; just like her heart.

"Your stop, miss."

Mako nodded and tossed the gold coin to the wagoner, silently slipping out of the wooden box in one swift movement. She criss-crossed the crowded street with ease and descended the staicase hidden in the dark alleyway. A large wooden door blocked her path; she knocked on it with a pattern that she had mentally noted. Another knocking sound was heard on the other side and she replied with another knock. Silence lingered for a while before the door creaked open.

"Welcome to the Vipper's lair."

XXXXX

"Now, now. Don't get impatient. I know this is the feast you've been waiting."

The man snickered. He tossed a scroll to air, which the woman caught without difficulty.

"Surprise~! Your new mission is to assassinate the Kasane lord~"

He clapped his hands like an overjoyed child, laughing happily all the while.

"But there is not all to it. You have to infiltrate a—"

XXXXX

"—royal ball? Aww, I wish I was the one given this mission."

Mako shot a glare to her fellow assassin at that. The other female held up her hands in defense, rabbit ears tensed in alert.

"Geez, I was only kidding! But really, you're like being possessed everytime the Kasane was mentioned."

The black-haired female ignored the statement. There was no need for her to tell anything. There was no need for any of them to try and understand each other; they were no friends.

"Do you have any friend, Ritsu?"

"Friend? Are you kidding, princess?"

Yes, that was a taboo word for those who lived from spilling innocent's blood like them. Her blonde companion understood this as much as she did; the bunny girl kept silent and resumed on reading the rest of the mission scroll. Meanwhile, Mako was having a bit difficulty with her dress. She frowned.

She had never worn anything so lady-like like this; it bothered her to no end. It was hard to move around with and felt like exposing her weakness to the whole world. Still, wasn't that what disguise do? To make her look as harmless as possible to lure out her prey. She silently laughed at the thought.

"Having trouble with your dress, your highness?"

Mako tried to look menacing, but this time it was more like a pathetic kind of look with her tangled between layers of clothing. She backed down for now, letting the other female helped her with the annoying piece of clothes.

XXXXX

"Your time will be up as the clock strike twelve. Then the back-up will arrive, providing your escape route. Meanwhile you can dance with him to your heart content."

The man twirled around in false joy.

"Now that I mention it, doesn't it sound like a certain fairytale to you?"

XXXXX

"The householder of the Kasane family; Ted Kasane. Do you know how to find him?"

Mako nodded. She didn't care if the man could see her from the front seat of the carriage or not; he always knew. The man continued.

"He was known for his red hair. It was catchy; you'll find him right away."

Red-hair, huh? Irony after irony; fate had always known how to make her life more miserable. But she wouldn't back down. This was something that she had been waiting for; the very reason for her to survive the cruel world. She wouldn't stop. She would swallow her pain and move on.

"We have arrived."

Her cold eyes sharpened. This was it; she mentally suppressed the filthy grudge she had hold ever since that day. She tried keep herself from charging in and taking some unnecessary slaughter to satisfy the unhealthy desire. It was hard; her body shook from the hidden bloodlust that had been piled up for years.

"As an assassin, you need to always keep your calm. When you don't, then that would be the end of you."

The mere thought rendered her silent. Calmness flooded her like waterfall as she gracefully stepped outside the carriage, eyes soft and stern in the same time. She walked in a slow steady steps toward the dance hall.

It was like the Cendrillon, the way she was now. Unknown to anyone at the room; a foreign beauty gracefully walked across the dance hall as thousand of eyes were locked at her figure. And just like in the fairytale, her prince was waiting for her at the stairway, one hand extended to take hers on its warm embrace. She let him took her away, leading her as their bodies glided over the dance floor. Still, reality never told a false story filled with such beautiful lies.

She wouldn't leave a glass slipper on her wake. She wouldn't need the prince to find her and take her with him; she would be the one taking him away. Yes, with one thrust of the cold blade hidden under her silky white dress, she would left nothing but a sick scent of death. She was a princess overwhelmed by the smell of gunpowder.

Mako understood that with her whole being. Yet, she couldn't bear to hold her face straight. The flaming red hair, the calm green eyes with an eyepatch over the left one; it was as if the prince charming from her childhood had came back to her. She was drawn into his powerful yet tender embrace. As their dance slowed toward the empty balcony, she hesitantly leaned on him, listening to his heartbeat that would soon vanish with the last sounding bell. She didn't want to let go.

"You have become so beautiful, princess."

The last word struck her stronger than lightning. As she finally turned her eyes upon his, her breath was caught on her throat; her eyes widened in shock as memories of her childhood flooded into her at once.

"Ri..tsu..?"

"Yes, princess?"

His voice was low and husky, as he breathed those words onto her milky white skin.

"What happened? Did you come to find me?"

The red-haired prince brushed his finger over the thin layer of her sleeve, leaving ghostly trail over the scar on her left shoulder; she shivered under the touch. She couldn't think anymore. The resolved pride she once had disappeared into the thin air as the man pulled her closer into his warm body. He tilted her chin with his free hand, brushing her tears that had decided to silently trickle down her face. She sobbed.

"Ritsu...I—"

DING

Twelve o'clock; the bell rang loudly and snapped the assassin off her fairytale. She backed away, covering her tears. The blade kept hidden under her clothing fell to the floor with a clank; she stared at it in horror before retreating down the balcony.

Mako ran. She ran and ran without looking back. She ran as fast as she could, all the way to the deep dark forest.

XXXXX

"There was not much known of that Kasane; he was the householder yet rarely show himself!"

The man threw his arms in childish annoyance.

"But he do have the trademark red hair of the Kasane. Speaking of which, I think I know a little someone with red hair as well. I wonder who..."

XXXXX

She was breaking down. She wept on a large tree stump, dress shattered from her non-stop running. It was pathetic of her, huh? She had been living all this time to revenge his death, and yet there he was, posing as the one she should have killed. She didn't understand anymore; everything was more than complicated for her. As she dried her tears, she hugged herself. Oh how fragile she had always been, hiding behind the facade of cold-blooded murderer. Maybe, deep down, she had always been the gentle little girl she once was, simply blinded by sheer anger and grudge.

"What are you doing here, princess?"

Mako gasped. She slowly turned her face to the direction of the voice, to her awaiting prince. But there was no such thing. Instead, a dark twisted figure of an assassin was there, one green eye cold and devoid of emotion. Her forming smile vanished.

"Stand up."

He tossed her knife that previously fell in her failed attempt of assassination. She stared down at it blankly, raven-colored bangs shadowed her face.

"Fight. Fight or you'll be killed."

She hung her head low as the other assassin raised his blade, ready to strike. She wanted to stay put, wanted to let everything end now. But she couldn't. Her reflexes took over and she dodged the killing blow, taking her knife as she rolled on the grass. Gripping the blunt end tightly, she let out a battle cry and lunged herself at the male assassin.

Their dance resumed there; a lot more robust and rough than their previous waltz. Basking in the moonlight, the calm forest became their new dancefloor; the sound of the nocturnes and the clashing of their blades became a music that accompanied their movements in perfect synch.

Mako unconsciously smiled; this fight that might take away her life felt like the most peaceful moment for her. They were atoning their sin and making another; they were embracing each other presence, telling one another story of their cursed souls. Thus, she grinned as she thrust her knife to an opening, aiming for his heart. Their dance stopped, with both of them holding close as if embracing their first and last reunion. Mako coughed, blood spilling out from her mouth. It was foolish to charge blindly at the once most fearsome assassin. She knew, but she did it anyway. To her surprise, he didn't dodge her at all, but flashed her his trademark smile she had yearn to see for years. He chuckled.

"You have improved so much, princess."

Mako would've laughed, if it wasn't for the blade that was piercing through her upper torso; she sighed contently instead, leaning her face to the fabric of his shirt as they both fell to the cold ground. They stay like that; with her snuggling to the warm of his body as he hugged her close. Their blood silently pooled under them like a luxurios red carpet; Mako stared down at it in irony as she felt her conscious started to slip. Ritsu stroked her hair gently.

"It's time to go, princess."

She nodded.

Mako closed her eyes. There was a brief darkness, before everything turned white. She could see him standing not far from her, with his huge playful grin, waiting for her with an offering hand. She smiled and took his hand, as they finally walked down the red carpet toward the awaiting future.

"Let's live on our fairytale now. Together, forever..."

Whoops, finally the end of the main story.

There'll be about two more chapters though, just to reveal some important things.

Enjoy the chapter! XD