Okay, this is totally not where I was headed, but it just happened. Lol! Onto the reviews!

Review Replies:

FFF: OMG YOU ACTUALLY REPLIED! Oh, and you will hear from Lloyd soon enough. Even if it may not be preferable. :o

KRR: Thanks for your prayers! Lately it has felt like I'm cursed (like Morro :P), but your support has always kept me going! (I have considered Crystal, and he may be receiving a part soon enough!) :D

TheAmberShadow: Your reviews always warm my heart, and I will for sure get back to you each time! Thank you! ;D

Jens: Thanks! (oh, and Jade will for sure be making an appearance in the soon to near future!) ;)

frannylikesninja: Well, you can sure count on that! Appreciate your support! Oh, and here is that upload!

OCS THAT WILL BE ADDED IN LATER HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY DECIDED YET! I APOLOGIZE!


Cold, that's what it was. It was a frigid night, temperature in the City of Stixx dipping slightly below the marker of thirty degrees Fahrenheit. Along trudged a lone man, wandering the desolate streets of the ghost town. It was late at this hour; the peak of a freezing night.

The solitary male shuffled towards the furthest wharf from the public's eye, the ghastly, luminescent moon casting shadows behind his each and every move; each footfall, each turn of his head. He could see a figure awaiting his arrival on the far edge of the dock, beckoning for him to join them. Ronin picked up his pace, his heart skipping a beat as thoughts of riches danced in the back of his mind. He was receiving a hefty pay for this specific task, and this task alone. One-hundred-thousand dollars, that's how much he would earn, just for doing something that anyone could have been hired to do for a much cheaper price. Any goon could have executed this simple task, but perhaps they entrusted him, only because they knew that Ronin was a pawn when it came to money, tightly wound around their fingers.

The red-hatted man smiled to himself, teeth glinting in the moonlight. The satisfaction had already begun to show in his features through the thick veil of shade, evidently shrouding his eyes in darkness. It was probably for the best that they couldn't see into his eyes; they are the window to one's soul, after all. And Ronin's soul was not that of an angel's. It was tainted from various unforgivable deeds, crimes, and other miscellaneous blackmarket transactions that he had played a primary role in. He wasn't necessarily proud of who he was before, but he definitely wasn't prideful for who he was now. Immensely, he had changed throughout the years, but now; he was at a standstill in his forlorn career of trickery and ruining people's lives.

He had stepped out of line when he had spoke to the fire ninja; he was never supposed to speak of his deals with other customers, but he just couldn't help listening in on a phone conversation of his current boss with a shady figure. Ronin didn't prefer playing his cards directly into the enemy's hands, rather keeping a poker-face until his opponent laid down his own cards. And he would do just so. Hopefully, nobody would see through his act. Sure, Violet was right about one thing; Ronin could act accordingly under any circumstance that was thrown his way. Once, he had fooled the wife of a "deceased" colleague at a funeral. He had insisted that he was the manager of the burying staff, convincing the wife that her husband was in good hands. Unfortunately for her, her husband was not dead, rather lying deathly still in a coffin, but at all but dead. The man had faked his death, another thing Ronin was not proud of assisting someone with. He had read in a newspaper a few weeks later that the wife had passed on, due to the prolonged effects of a broken heart. It was literally heartbreaking.

Ronin approached the dark silhouette, hands stuck deep into the large pockets of his trench coat. He grinned cooly as he pulled a bone-cold hand from his pocket, preparing to shake the hand of the man hiding within the night.

But to his surprise, two lanky, thin men peeled out of their master's shadow, each wearing curved-bill hats. The con-artist cleared his throat, improving his posture, and took a few steps in the direction of the three awaiting figures - Wait, no, four...

"Well, this is flattering." Ronin looked to each of the taller people, gauging their first impressions of him. "Didn't know they'd send me my own welcoming party."

"Then I guess you don't know the master as well as you think you do." One of the men remarked, their voice low and nasally, yet surprisingly sinister at the same time.

Ronin laughed briefly, swallowing his minor anxiety. He extended his hand, palm faced upwards, a serious tone setting into the trade. "Where's my promised moola? I should get a discount for coming all the way out her in these below-zero temperatures."

The same man from before snorted haughtily. "Nice try, but we came all the way out here in order to collect our own prizes. You should be thankful we're not charging you a tariff, so I suggest that you should keep those wisecracks of yours to yourself."

Ronin frowned, irritation gnawing at his nerves. He was usually the one that came up with all of the witty remarks, not the people he was affiliated with. He was the one possessing the most common sense, not them.

"Is this all necessary? Shouldn't we be collecting our goods and splitting the scene by now? All of the locals in this odd town are like owls; nocturnal." A woman Ronin hadn't noticed earlier pointed out, one of which he had assumed was another male due to her outlandish attire.

"Good point. Now where are they?" The same man from before demanded, leering at Ronin with scrutinizing black eyes.

"Back in my shop. C'mon. I'll show you the way." The once-eyed man gestured over his shoulder, starting in the direction of his home, the four co-conspirators trailing shortly behind him as if on a leash.

NinjaChief547

"Well, here it is, the good-old shopkeep." Ronin burst through the door, stepping out of the way with a bow, allowing the group a peek at his items. Maybe he could make a few more hundred dollars before the night clashed with dawn.

"Where are they?!" Their leader shouted, slamming Ronin against a wall.

"Whoa, whoa, dude! What do you think you're doing?" One of the skinnier men wearing a curved-bill exclaimed, grabbing his boss by a shoulder.

"Yeah!" The other echoed in an almost identical voice, red brows knitted in sudden anger.

"Fine..." he muttered, releasing Ronin with one final shove, leaving him slumped against the wall. It seemed as if there was no use in arguing with the two. They were resilient, not to mention as annoying as hell. I can see where they get it from...

Ronin shook his head in bafflement, doing a double-take on the pair that had just saved his skin. Why had the sounded so alike? Even their composed demeanor was unsettling, and the fact that their voices were that of a prepubescent teenager; was just plain weird. But when he finally caught glimpse of the two's faces in a beam of starlight, everything suddenly made sense, the puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.

Whoa... these guys are identical twins... Cool, I guess... yet unsettling...

The con-man examined their definitive features, taking in their startling blue eyes and vibrant, scarlet hair sticking from underneath their blue hats. These men were dressed in the clothes of a mechanic; blue overalls and a light blue long-sleeved short worn underneath. In their average clothing, these twins appeared surprisingly formidable, despite the few, presumably oil stains here an there.

Ronin's curiosity got the better of him. "Wait, so are you two twins?"

"Yep," one of them replied brightly, beaming pridefully. "Identical to be precise-" The orange-hooded girl nudged him with an elbow, standing on her tippy-toes to whisper in his ear.

The man nodded absentmindedly, shrugging a shoulder. "Oh, sorry... almost forgot..." he mumbled glumly, his smile fading for a split second, but soon returning. He turned to face the shorter man once more, a gleeful glint in his eyes. "Sorry. She said that I'm not supposed to talk to you."

Ronin raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, gradually facing the much colder male. "Let's go," he signaled for them to follow. "Oh, and I warn you; they're feisty."

"Good to know..." he pursed his lips, folding his arms behind his back.

As Ronin led the four to a hidden door behind some panels on the wall directly across from the entrance, he felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. He truthfully felt guilty for deceiving the red ninja;

But at least he warned him.

It's the least he could do.

Especially since kidnapping his friend.


For those of you who have been wondering about Lloyd, worry not! He will be receiving a part in the next chapter or so, so please be patient with me! Trust me; it's nearly impossible not adding in your FAVORITE character on the first seven chapters. Wait, no, make that eight. I think he's mentioned in the next, but doesn't have a primary role. But before I let this drag in any longer, I've got to go! ;) For now, NinjaChief547...

OUT!