Seventh, ta-dah! At long last, it is out. It has been an eternity since...okay, okay, so it's only been a minute. Sue me. blinks and sweatdrops Uh, I didn't mean that literally...oh, just read and review ! Note, Trowa goes wild!


Wakai Kyoushu

Young Assassins

Storm


He jumped out a window, tripping an alarm he didn't really pay attention to and disappeared into the night. Just the darkness and he, as one, as Night Wraith. The darkness, he, and one small yellow bear...

Quatre choked back a sob at the memory of it and brought back into place his blocker, the technique he used to keep from feeling anything. His eyes stopped tearing. A good thing, because if he cried, he would only fog up his goggles or maybe fill them with tears. He had done that once before...

Quatre jumped as a hand touched his shoulder, and stared into the blinking eyes of Trowa.

"Class is over," the normally silent boy said, pointing. Quatre followed his gaze and saw the other three and Hilde waiting at the door as students filed out past them, and a few new ones came in.

"Oh." Quatre stood up, gathering the new math book he had gotten in his arms. "Sorry. I was zoning out there. Remembering something."

"What?" Trowa asked, while nodding to Heero. The others left ahead of them to avoid the incoming mob.

Quatre hesistated to tell him, then recalled Trowa was an assassin as well. He would understand. "An assignment."

"Oh...," Trowa's eyes became half lidded for a moment.

"My target was a man, like normal," Quatre said. He wanted to appease any curiousity Trowa had as well as get it off his chest. Share the burden with someone. Though that made it seem as though he was torturing Trowa. "I snuck in at night, completed the assignment, and was on my way out...when I hesitated for a split second." Quatre wasn't quite ready to share why with Trowa or anyone yet. "A door opened behind me and I turned and shot..." Quatre swallowed and reaffirmed his blocker. "It was a girl, about seven or so, I think."

"What happened?" Trowa asked, though he could guess.

"The bullet entered her skull and killed her," Quatre shrugged it off, his blocker in place. "I messed up on my assignment by accidentally killing a little girl. And then a maid saw me and I had to kill her as well. Three deaths when there should have only been one." Quatre chuckled. "I messed up."

"We all do." Nanashi looked in wonder at Night Wraith. He was surprised and impressed that the boy could simply shrug and laugh at the story he had just heard. Nanashi himself would have been shaken, though he wouldn't let anyone know. But, then again, maybe Night Wraith was simply hiding it as well...

The line of students entering wavered off and Nanashi stepped through. Night Wraith followed him, and they saw Zero, Shinigami, and Dragon way ahead with Hilde. Nanashi and Night Wraith rushed to catch up, but the others got into the next classroom before they did. They arrived right after and Nanashi took a seat, again next to Night Wraith, the others a couple seats away. Nanashi didn't know why, but he seemed to have a connection with Night Wraith. He talked way more concerning him than the others. Maybe it was the fact that they were both mysteries. Nanashi was silent and unreadable, and Night Wraith was simply black clothes with a voice and nice personality. Both were strange enigmas...

"Trowa."

Who's Trowa? Oh, right! Nanashi...no, Trowa mentally berated himself for forgetting and using the codenames again. But he was just so used to reffering to them by their codenames and himself as well. "Yes?"

"You're staring again."

"Oh," Trowa blinked at Quatre and then sheepishly looked down at his desk. The bell rang, and the teacher entered at that moment. She was a strict woman, Nanashi could tell. Her hair was pulled up into a bun tighter than Dragon's ponytail, and her lips were drawn in a tight line. She wore a plain grey skirt suit, and flat shoes, no heels. Strict. Her sharp, steel brown eyes surveyed the room, and every student, who had all stopped talking the moment she entered, sat up a little straighter and still. The boys simply stared, curiously. Nanashi saw Shinigami turn to Zero to say something when her hand slammed down on top of his desk, causing him to jump.

"No talking!" she snapped. Shinigami looked at her as though she was psychotic, and stuck out his tongue at her as soon as she turned. Hilde barely contained her laughter, but somehow managed to stay silent. Staying silent was no problem for Nanashi, though.

The teacher proceeded down the row of desks, then she stopped abruptly and turned an accusng eye at Night Wraith. "Where is your school uniform, young man?" she demanded to know, walking over. Night Wraith started, as did Nanashi. Une should have had this covered for today.

"I...," Night Wraith started.

"Well, answer me!" she snapped. Nanashi nearly growled. She had barely given him a chance in the first place. "Where is it?"

"It's on my bed at the Preventors base." A few students dares to turn their heads toward him as they heard this. These kids lived at the Preventors base!

"And why are you not wearing it?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't!"

"Why not dear?" Nanashi did growl this time, very softly. She was badgering Night Wraith, and he didn't like it. It was clear the black clad boy didn't know what to do.

"Because it exposes me to sunlight!" Night Wraith yelled, leaning forward. "Why the hell do you think I'm wearing this?" Night Wraith waved his arms at his clothes and goggles.

"Oh, dear!" the teacher mock whined. "Afraid you'll get too bad of a tan. Afraid of a sunburn?"

Nanashi couldn't stand this anymore. He stood up, stepping silently inbetween Night Wraith and the teacher. "Leave him alone." The class gasped. No one had ever stood up to this teacher before.

"Sit back down, boy!" the teacher snapped, moving her arm to Nanashi's to push him aside.

He took her hand in his own and pulled it off him. "No." More gasps. "Now, leave him alone." He threw her hand down to her side roughly as he clipped his words.

"Sit down now!" Aware she couldn't just shove Nanashi away, she put both hands on his side and pushed him as hard as she could aside. "Now take those goggles off!" She reached a hand out to snatch Night Wraith's goggles away. Night Wraith cried out and reached up to intercept her hands.

Nanashi did the first thing he could think of. When an enemy attacks, either kill him or knock him out so he isn't a distraction. He acted on his assassin instincts, based by a deep sense of anger at this violation of Night Wraith. His fist shot out, catching the teachers jaw. Her hand went limp and she slumped like a log onto the floor, ending up between the two desks. Nanashi was surprised. He had barely brushed her jaw, and she was out cold. Talk about weak. He looked at her and was glad he hadn't broken her jaw. That would not have been good.

Nanashi noticed that everyone was staring at him with mouths agape and eyes wide. Then Shinigami jumped up onto his chair and pumped a fist.

"Go, Tro-man!" he yelled. Nanashi was confused. Tro-man. He had to think a while before he figured out it was a nickname for Trowa, who was him. He kept forgetting. Quitting his way of thinking, his assassin sense, was incredibly hard.

"Holy shit!" Hilde yelled. "Someone finally stood up to Miss Harrone!"

"And knocked her out, too!" someone laughed after her. All the students including Shinigami burst out in cheers and celebration. Someone suddenly shook his hand, and Nanashi pulled away at the sudden touch, turning to Night Wraith.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Quatre replied, adjusting his goggles carefully. Miss Harrone had managed to nudge them before Trowa hit her. He looked up at Trowa. "Thank you for helping me." Quatre wondered why Trowa had done that. He seemed so silent, and not an impulsive person. Knocking a teacher out seemed very impulsive. "I don't think knocking her out was exactly the right thing to do, though."

"She was badgering you," Trowa replied in defense.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to doubt you," Quatre assured him. "I just think that we're going to get into trouble now." Quatre pointed and Trowa turned to look at Terrigan standing at the door, attracted by the noise of the cheers. He saw Miss Harone lying on the floor and gasped, rushing to her. Seeing Trowa and Quatre standing nearby, he set in his mind what had happened and called another teacher to tend to the classroom and the nurse to come collect Miss Harrone, who was moaning. He then took Trowa and Quatre out of the classroom and to his office, seating them both in chairs.

"Okay, explain!" he ordered.

"You were supposed to have told every teacher that Night...that Quatre is allowed to wear his outfit," Trowa started up immediately. Quatre was grateful that Trowa was handling everything. He really wasn't too good with words or people yet. And that sentence was the longest he had ever heard Trowa say. He wondered why Trowa had started to say his codename, though.

"Yes, I was," Terrigan said, steepling his fingers. "And so far, I have told every teacher of your classes. I had not managed to tell those who were not teaching you as of yet, like Miss Harrone."

"Not teaching us?" Quatre asked, confused.

"Miss Harrone is not one of your teachers, boys," Terrigan sighed. "You aren't in that class."

"Then why were we in that class?" Quatre asked.

"I followed Heero who followed Hilde. We assumed our next class was hers," Trowa said.

"You assumed wrong. You should have been in art right now with Mr. Grangehin," Terrigan leaned forward. "Why weren't you?"

"No one told us that!" Quatre exclaimed. "You just said follow Hilde to your class to get situated. We don't have a list or anything of where we're supposed to be!"

"You...you don't have a schedule?" Terrigan sputtered out. "Why not?"

"You tell us," Trowa stated calmly.

Terrigan frowned for a moment, then said. "No matter. The secretary will give you a schedule when you leave. But, there is still the matter of assaulting a teacher to deal with."

"She assaulted Quatre first," Trowa crossed his arms. "It was simply defending a friend."

"It was assault. If it had been Quatre, then it might be considered self defense, but it was you, Trowa. Like it or not, you knocked a teacher and an elder out, and you're going to be punished for that."

Trowa simply stared at Terrigan, and he averted his gaze after a moment and cleared his throat. "I'll be calling Lady Une tonight instead of right now, to give you a chance to explain first if you'd like. Tommorrow you start detentions after school. I'll decide for how long at a later time."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Terrigan blooked at Trowa.

"I see no reason to do detention if I haven't committed a wrong."

"That's in your opinion, Mister Barton," Terrigan sighed. "In Miss Harrone's opinion, it is a wrong. And you will do your detentions, whether you like it or not."

Trowa stood up, motioning Quatre to the door. Terrigan opened his mouth to protest their leaving when Trowa turned to him. "No," he said again, no emotions showing. "I am Nanashi. I do what I like." And he let Quatre through the door and closed it behind them.


Ooooh, I love it, I love it. I hope you love it...review and tell me ifyou love it!

Storm