A/N: Yey! First update of the year...not that it's a very remarkable one because I DO need to finish this story soon ...enjoy!xD

Apologizing in advance for the slight confusion this chapter may bring. I'll remind y'all about the village diagram once I've got it posted on my deviantArt account.

Oh yeah! Another thing, this chapter is also this story's defining moment! You'll see why as you read...

Unexpected

Chapter Nine

The night was annoyingly peaceful.

Crickets hidden amongst the plants and other growths were deafening. Kai in House C suddenly wondered whether the murderers bothered to follow them or would just let them rot in China. Daichi in House A suddenly felt sick, sincerely regretting the fact he ate more noodles back in Beijing than needed.

The evening's progression was marked by the decrease of sighs and shrieks from nocturnal woodland creatures. Soon enough, the only sounds that were heard were anxious breathing and occasional creaks of the floor boards in the houses.

Birds suddenly took off in a panicked flight. Miguel in the White Tiger temple felt Enrique stiffen beside him and he quietly cocked his gun, praying that the night would go smoothly as planned instead of the other way around.

The sound of a twig snapping resounded clearly in the air. In a flash, Kai grabbed Oliver's hand and escaped out the back of House C before bolting to House B.

"Shit! Shit!" Garland said breathlessly. "They're moving fast!"

From where the four were, they could see the second murderer terrorizing House I. More than five people where already shooting at him, but he didn't seem to get hit.

"You two," Kai said hurriedly. "Take Oliver and go to House A. If something bad happens, run to the North House." With that, he ran to house D, making the murderer change his course. He caught Julia and Mariah trying to shoot at different killers.

"Something's gone wrong..." whispered the bluenette to the two women.

Julia nodded to him and ran to alert Raul and Tala outside House F. They, in turn, ran to House G to help the others sort out the mess with the seemingly untouchable second murderer.

Mariah and Kai, along with those who transferred to the North House were trying to shoot at the first murderer. Spencer in the East House fired from behind a tree and all of a sudden, the murderer vanished.

Garland swore loudly and ran to the East House before going to House G. He and Ed went to House H, which Michael and Lee haven't left because the second murderer went to House K first.

Brooklyn ran to House J and was trying to get to Mathilda and Claude, who were in a dangerous situation. Raul, Tala and Julia were shooting from House G. The pair in the South House was desperately thinking on ways to save the people in Houses I and J.

"Where did the fist murderer go?" Max asked Rei.

"I don't know..." the latter responded anxiously.

Miguel and Enrique huddled closer together as they heard shots outside and fast-paced footfalls.

Somewhere by the Receiving Hall of the temple, the sound of a paper door sliding open echoed gently.

Both blondes almost cried out.

They were hiding behind the wall of the West Wing where a curious exit lay camouflaged in the wallpaper. The Spaniard occupied himself with looking for ways to open the clandestine door; the Italian backed up against him as the moonlight streaming through the window in the ceiling was suddenly blocked out by a hooded being.

His mace was clearly silhouetted against the light.

"M-miguel..."

"What?"

Enrique fired once, twice, thrice...bullet after bullet, aiming for various targets and weak spots of the murderer's body, but he was as strong as an ox and the playboy's delaying tactic wouldn't be effective for long.

Miguel wheeled about and swore momentarily before joining him in trying to shoot down the man.

The second murderer on the other hand had been lured to the vicinity of the four isolated Houses. He was being fired at from all sides. Mystel was watching over the commotion from the top of the cliff before carefully taking aim. He hesitated for a moment as the murderer shifted to the wrong angle. But after patiently waiting for the...perfect...moment, he pulled the trigger. Instantaneously, the second murderer fell to the ground, wounded. Another commotion by the White Tiger temple was heard.

Tala visibly paled. "Aw shit," he mumbled before running to the building along with few other people. "Keep him down!" he shouted over his shoulder to those who were left with the fallen killer.

Miguel was frantically clawing at the exit that wouldn't open. "HELP!" he cried repeatedly.

Enrique aimed a shot within the depths of the murderer's hood, hoping the mangle the face in it. Summer blue yes widened when he heard a loud clang, like that when you hit a suit of armor.

The first murderer raised his weapon and swung. Splinters flew as the lethal spikes of the steel ball landed on the space between Enrique's legs. The poor Italian looked just about ready to faint when the wall opened.

"C'mon!" his Spanish companion dragged him out while his killer was still engaged in freeing his mace from the wooden floor.

They ran to the West House and encountered a problem.

The second murderer was on his feet again, swinging his double-bladed axe like some crazed wild child. The group that was instructed to 'keep him down' had run out of bullets, expect Kenny, whose hand was shaking as he shot and missed.

"Onegai, Kami-sama! Iie!"

"They're wearing bullet-proof suits under those cloaks!" Enrique yelled.

The Chief paused and got an idea. Exactly when the second killer raised both arms to swing once more, he fired a bullet aimed for the waist. Behind the waterfall, Ian had done the same. Once more, the cloaked man fell to the grass.

"Watch out!" Daichi yelled and everyone wheeled to the direction of the White Tiger temple, where the first murderer came bolting out a hole in the wall.

Two shots rang out in unison: one from Oliver and one from Tyson. They both had aimed for the legs and got a hit. He too, finally fell.

"Run!" Lee instructed and the huge party split, hastily heading for either the cliff or the waterfall. The two murderers did not even think twice about making a retreat.

Dawn was approaching...but not till the sun was fully up in the sky did the bladers emerge from their safety zones.

Rick leaned against a tree, still slightly out of breath. "That didn't go so well..."

"How could they have known Enrique was in the temple?" Bryan said heatedly.

"We underestimated them." Rei was sad.

Ian passed out ammunition for refilling.

"How bad are the damages?" Enrique asked the neko-jins.

They shrugged and looked at one another. "Not much...just some minor repairs."

The blonde nodded. "I'll cover for everything."

Amber eyes of the White Tiger team captain widened. "Oh no, you don't have to do that Enrique--"

"Please. I insist."

There was momentary silence.

"What now?" Michael asked.

"The boys and I have a plan," Kai answered. "Right now we seriously need to track those murderers down. Our research wasn't enough. More suitable equipment may be found back in Russia, but first, our priority again is Enrique's safety."

The blonde's best friend looked at him with concern as the boy hung his head.

"We're going to the Philippines..." said Tala.

"Why there?" Tyson asked but the rest of the party had a blank look on their face.

"What's that?" Claude asked.

"It's a country." was the curt reply.

"Really?" Brooklyn's eyebrows went up. "I've never heard of it."

"That's exactly the reason why we're going there," said Kai. "Because it's unknown and it's the perfect place to hide. As for other plans, let's not discuss things here lest we be overheard. We go to Shanghai and travel from there."

- - - -

"You were hit!" Ralf exclaimed, voice dripping with concern.

The two had just hastily hobbled into their secret lodging and collapsed on the floor.

"Take off the cloak," he instructed and Nathan begrudgingly obeyed, wincing at his every move.

"Next time we do this, let's try to wear something less...heavy," the younger complained as Ralf took of his chain-mail shirt, designed to keep off bullets. "I mean...armor?"

The elder murderer shrugged. "I figured we needed head protection."

"Hey, you were hit too."

"Yeah. Enrique got me in the face."

"What? Let's see! Take off what you have on..."

"Don't fuss--"

This was done, nevertheless and Nathan clicked his tongue. "They got you at the waist too?"

Ralf huffed. "Oh let me bandage you first. See...you're bleeding! Remove that iron breastplate will you?"

The latter surveyed the damage the bullets had not to the former's smooth skin. "You were hit on the head too, were you not?" he added as an afterthought while treating the wounds.

"By Mystel..."

When Ralf finished, he and Nathan shifted positions so that he could be treated as well.

"We underestimated them," said Ralf.

Nathan uttered an annoyed noise. "They're stubborn morons, the entire lot of them! They're in the way and I'm impatient..."

"Don't let the others get under your skin, Nathe. Our target is only Enrique for the moment..."

When the younger finished bandaging, Ralf sat up and grunted out thanks. They looked at each other for a moment before the elder murderer said, "Let's take a look at those head wounds."

With twin audible sighs of relief, the boys took off their heavy protective head gear and threw them away. These landed to the floor with resounding clunks.

Nathan shook his spiky maroon-red hair and smoothed them upward. Ralf ran a hand through his own violently violet locks and smiled contentedly.

They were none other than Johnny and Robert.

TBC

A/N: Now THAT'S what ye call dropping the damned bomb! Tell me what you think! ...enjoy!xD