This may contain some new errors or mistakes, but I will blame the time I'm updating, 01:44 AM. xP

Read, and enjoy please!

Mandalore18 - Yes, luck favours me once again! Thank you. :)

Angelzdawn - Feels like PoP? Great! :D Yes, I guess I'll continue with some errors here and there, but I'll try and correct as many as I can find. It nice that you like Maiid too! Heh, no, poor Altaïr do not knew the way of women...yet. ;)

Nun-woman - Yeah, armless dude. Do the "Who am I" - dance, please. ;D

Gaignun Girl - Thank you for reviewing! No rape? Read and find out...;p


Maiid's tears stopped when she recognised the familiar voice. She opened her eyes and glanced at her left side, where she spotted a man who she never would've thought to be relieved to see. The girl opened her mouth to utter his name, but he seemed to see that small movement of hers. His face was calm, yet cold, and with his eyes fixed on her mouth, his hand squeezed her neck gently. Maiid, who caught the wink just in time, closed her mouth and turned carefully away from him. As she did, she could feel his thumb circulate in slowly movements again, and the girl took his touch as a sign of him having the situation under control.

Altaïr let go of her with his sight, and faced the four men in front of him. He didn't know any of them, but made sure to remember their looks. He and the assassin that still got a hold of Maiid's arms, were the only one with hoods on.

"You shall let go of her."

The assassin behind her laughed and must have turned to his comrades, because Maiid saw that one of them grinned back. But the swarthy man and one next to him just continued to stare at Altaïr. The girl felt how the one behind her moved again, maybe to answer her company, but then she felt how he froze. His face and also his expression were out of her sight, but when she glanced out of the corner of her eye to Altaïr, she saw what must have made the assassin to tens up. Boundless fear.

However, his hand moved as gently as before in her neck, and Maiid herself didn't feel frightened anymore. But still, it was too early to relax.

"Are you not…the Altaïr…?" The swarthy assassin took a step closer and eyes Altaïr carefully. Then he grinned, pleased with the correct observation of his.

"Yes, it is you. How come you are still here?" Altaïr said nothing, but Maiid felt how his hand stiffened. What was he talking about?

"Hmm? I thought that you would have to pay for that enormous mistake of yours with your life? No? Even though the fault was all yours that Kadar died and Malik lost his arm…" His teasing voice went right through Maiid's head. What?

His touch in her neck changed all of a sudden. The movements of his thumb slowed down, to stop completely. Instead, his hand moved up her neck and landed on what seemed to him a special point. Altaïr held his thumb still and ready, and waited.

People were watching them now. Maiid didn't move, but she could still see that many of the faces in the room were directed at her. And also Malik's. That's right; he has no arm on his left side. Was this man saying that it was because of Altaïr that he lost it? And who is Kadar?

She looked at Malik again, and saw that his face darkened when he glanced over at Altaïr. He, on the other hand, had not yet seen the glare.

Altaïr stood still, watching the swarthy man in a pending way, and had yet not said anything. But now he spoke.

"The past has indeed nothing to do with this." He spoke in a monotone way, but still there was anger behind his words. The man had crossed the line now, and Altaïr had made it clear enough to them all. The swarthy assassin twitched at first, but then the grin returned.

"Oh, but is has something to do with this." He saw at Maiid, and she stared back with defiant in her look. He winked at her before turning back to face Altaïr, and missed the funny face the girl made.

"Why would you help this woman? We all know that the only one you desire to help is yourself. "

"So what if that is the intention of mine? Altaïr hissed back. "You are dishonouring the Creed with those shameful acts of yours, against a mere woman."

The swarthy man laughed hard at the answer.

"You talk about dishonouring the Creed? Do you have any idea of what kind of consequences you have brought over the Brotherhood?"

Before the assassin had time to say any more, Altaïr pushed his thumb hard in Maiid's neck. Suddenly, the whole room and all the men went into a blur of moving colours. The girl felt her feet left the ground, and landed in a warm grasp. The last thing that she heard was a surprised shout. "What are you…?!"

Then it all went black.


Maiid?

She opened her eyes, seeing nothing. What is this place, a world of darkness?

Maiid.

"Yes, I am here! Where are you and who are you?"

Maiid…

"Yes…But where?"

She got to her feet, stumbled, searched after the voice. She felt how the atmosphere slowly went cold, and she ran and ran. The coldness, the darkness, the wetness, embraced her…

"Leave me alone!"

Figures appeared out of the dark and tried to get a hold of her. Maiid screamed and tried to found a way out of the circle of black creatures, but found no. Then her legs gave after, and she fell down to the cold ground, sobbing out of control.

Janan, why are you here?

She looked up. Was this the same that had called her before? No, this one was someone else…

"I do not know..." She saw that the one was a dark shadow as for all the others around them, but this one didn't try to catch her. Instead, the creature reached out a fuzzy hand.

You shall not be at this place. I will bring you away, as soon as you give me your hand.

Maiid didn't know how to think or react. It all felt so strange and unnatural. Her mind was numb, and her body as well. But the shadow stood still, waiting with the hand, and finally she managed to take it.


She sat up in her bed with a combination of both screaming and gasping. Her body was all covered in sweat, and her heart pounded so hard that it hurt. Maiid looked around and recognised Altaïr's room. She was in her bed, which also meant that she had no sight over to his bed. Was there any breaths? The girl concentrated on her listening instead and tried to calm down her heart at the same time. Where on earth had she been? She wasn't even sure if that had been a dream, it felt so wrong and real. But, those dreams with Adin had felt real too, and yet they were dreams?

Shaking her head, Maiid went up from her bed and walked silently around the shelf to Altaïr's bed. It was empty.

She suddenly recalled what the assassin had said.

"Even though the fault was all yours that Kadar died and Malik lost his arm…"

Maybe she had misjudged him. Maybe he was worse than she thought? Maybe…

"We all know that the only one you desire to help is yourself... "

But he had saved her, had he not? For the third time too, and what did he earn by doing that? Of course there was more than just egoism in that man…

But she wasn't so sure anymore. If he killed this Kadar and hurt Malik, perhaps that could also mean that…

Maiid turned around and almost bumped into Altaïr, who had returned to his room without a sound. The girl stepped back, and looked at him. His glance back contained what she searched for. The glint by one who had taken the lives of many.

…that he could be her father's killer after all?


Neither of them said anything, and the silence grew big. Maiid did break it, however.

"What…happened?" She eyed him sharply. "What did you do…?"

Altaïr stood still, staring back at her.

"I stopped your heart."

His words sank in, but Maiid couldn't believe her ears.

"You did what?"

"I stopped your heart, as I said." He continued when he saw her questioning expression, deciding that he would not have this conversation forever if he just gave her the answers she wanted.

"It helped both of us past the unwelcome situation. Short after you went unconscious, Al Mualim entered the dining room, preventing the others from continued their…doubting."

It felt like that had not been the whole truth. But still, his words made some things a bit clearer for Maiid, and she nodded.

"I see then. So where did I go?"

"Go?" Altaïr did a gesture at her bed.

"You have not moved since I left you here."

The girl snorted.

"No, I am talking about that world of blackness, where every shadow tried to drown me…"

Altaïr looked at her for a while. If he was frowning, she could not tell. I guess it was just a dream then. But hell, it felt real…

Then the assassin finally spoke.

"Then, I assume," He said as he stepped closer, eyeing her carefully. "I did kill you for a while…"

Maiid just stared at him and her jaw fell down.

"You…killed me?! How could you!? You...you…cripple!"

Altaïr twitched right on place. Cripple?

"It was indeed not my intention, but so be it…" He said as the girl in front of him sighed out in a hard and angry way.

"Then you shall tell me," She said and poked him hard in the chest. "What it is up with all this 'killing of comrades'? Who is this Kadar, and what happened to the one called Malik?"

Right after stating it, Maiid realised that she had went straight to the point a bit too early. Still, this man was a dangerous one, and if she made him angry…
Altaïr stared at a point behind her, ad refused to answer her. After a long moment in silence, the woman jumped in his sight to call back the attention, but the assassin just walked away. He stopped in front of one of the windows and raised his left arm.

"The Creed is a tool."

Maiid frowned. The Creed? Is he meaning what they all believe in? But what do they believe in anyway? These killers…these assassins…

"There are rules to follow however. But still, they are just merely tools, they too."

Altaïr moved his left hand and the hidden blade shot out and through the place of his gone ring finger. The girl watched the beauty of the weapon as the sun from outside reflected into it. Then she caught a glimpse of a brown, widen eye. What is he…?

"A tool is just a tool, is it not? And a tool is not something you must use in every moment that passes you?" Altaïr raised his voice while uttering the last words, and Maiid flinched back. She wondered if she had to answer him, and hoped it wasn't necessary. What is he talking about? He must have gone mad…

"A tool…" The assassin whispered and the shining eye in the reflection became smaller and smaller until it finally closed.

"But still…"

The blade went back into the equipment on his arm with a soft clicking sound. Maiid found herself holding her breath, and let go of it with a sigh. At the sound, Altaïr turned to her. Their eyes met, and the girl wondered what kind of things this man had been through. The Creed, which were these rules that played such an importance for the assassins? Was his world really so strange comparing to hers, or did the both just seeing it through two different views?

Altaïr tilted his head at her new found expression and crossed his arms.

"'Killing of comrades'? You do judge things too fast, Janan."

The girl made one of her famous funny faces and crossed her arms as well, snorting.

"Cripple…"