Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 9 of Zootopian Assassins! I will be having this chapter include a few time skips, but it hasn't been a year yet. That'll be Chapter 11. Thinking of doing one year for every ten chapters, but that'll probably change. It may not, though. Just was to wait and see, I suppose. But yeah, this chapter will start with the hospital visit from Beta and Alpha, which is just Nick and Judy for this Chapter, to see Persalus. Which is what I'll be calling Daedalus and Perseus from now on instead of a Greek Alphabet type deal with Team names. They are the last two characters to be introduced as Assassins after this, not counting Brotherhood members not yet introduced. I will be having Associates, though. You can believe that. And I purposefully left a Translation out at the end, mainly because I want it to be earned. Nothing like making your readers work for it, right? And just a warning, but this chapter gets kinda dark. Better warn you before people get triggered and try to find out where I live. Anyway, that's enough blabbering, I think it's time to get...onto the story!
"I'm coming down, you two!" Fantasma shouted, Lumi and Is taking a few steps away from the pipe. The Black Panther leaped, the Lapine and Vulpine covering their ears as the cat's claws scraped the metal.
"Ah, gud som suger!" Is exclaimed, grimacing.
"Jeesus Kristus moottoripyörällä!" Lumi exclaimed, Is hearing it over the scratching noise. When Fantasma landed, he cast a look of worry at them.
"Sorry about that. I guess it was a reflex or something." He said meekly, hunching his shoulders higher and lowering his head, offering an apologetic smile.
"It's fine. Just hurt a bit." Lumi said, shaking her head. When Is nodded his agreement, Fantasma perked up instantly. He nodded once in thanks, then walked past them.
Is took his paws off his ears, looking at Lumi with an amused expression.
"Really? A motorbike?" He asked, Lumi shrugging.
"It was the first that that came to mind." She said, Is chuckling at that.
"It'd be an interesting thing to see, for sure." He said, shaking his head.
"Let's just go see these two Recluta." Lumi said, huffing slightly at Is and following Fantasma. Is followed, still chuckling at her wording.
When they entered, they walked over to the reception desk where a young looking Jaguar sat, looking at her claws in a critical manner.
"Uh, ma'am?" Fantasma asked when she didn't react, startling the Jaguar.
"Oh! Yes. Sorry. Are you here to see somebody?" She asked, Fantasma looking around quickly.
"Yes." He said, leaning closer to the desk. "There should be a Lynx going by the name of Perseus in one of the rooms for a back injury. We're friends of his." He said, gesturing to Lumi and Is after himself.
"Okay..." The Jaguar said, looking at her computer. "Yeah! Floor five. Room E512." She said, Fantasma nodding his gratitude, moving to leave. "Oh! Would you mind leaving your names here? For visitors, it's necessary. And could I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, looking at Fantasma, who blinked in surprise. After about five full seconds had passed, he smiled.
"No problem, bonita." He said, scribbling their names on the piece of paper she handed him. He missed the Jaguar blush at the word, though Lumi nudged Is and jerked her head softly. The Hare nodded, and the duo walked towards the elevator.
"So...Fantasma, huh?" The Jaguar asked, looking at his name.
"Sim. That is me." He said, placing a paw over his chest and bowing respectively. "At your service."
"Oh, you don't have to be so kind, really. I mean, I'm not saying you shouldn't be kind, obviously! Just that I wasn't expecting you to be so much of a gentlemammal. No, wait, that sounds wrong. Uh..." She trailed off when Fantasma chuckled.
"I was raised to treat all mammals with respect. Especially females. So it is no bother for me, I promise you." He said, and he smiled reassuringly.
"I really shouldn't ask you this but...você é solteiro?" She asked, Fantasma blinking in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that.
"Eu sou." He answered, the Jaguar blushing slightly.
"Sério? Eu não posso imaginar por que!" She said, Fantasma laughing quietly at that.
"E se você?" He asked, leaning against the desk slightly.
"Sim. Eu sou um pouco ocupado para um relacionamento..." She answered, blushing even more now at the confession.
"Eu conheço o sentimento..." He said, smiling sadly.
"Talvez pudéssemos...entontrar para jantar algum tempo?" The Jaguar asked, Fantasma staring at her in shock.
"Eu...adoriara." He said, the Jaguar smiling at him. "May I ask your name?" He asked, turning his head to the left slightly.
"Amanda. Amanda Acosta." She answered, smiling at him.
"Nice to meet you, senhorita Acosta." Fantasma said, smiling back and bowing again. He turned and walked after Lumi and Is, who stood on each side of the elevator.
"Cat's in the bag." Is said, smirking teasingly at Fantasma and entering the elevator. Lumi rolled her eyes, shaking her head and following.
"You could say that." He said when he entered, turning and pressing the button for floor five. He faced the doors, unaware of the silent conversation that was about to erupt behind him.
Lumi turned to face Is, annoyance in her eyes.
'Is there a problem?' He asked in sign, Lumi narrowing her eyes.
'That was not funny.' She said, Is shrugging.
'He chuckled at it. So somebody found it funny besides me.' He said, looking at her smugly.
'Pity chuckle.' She said, Is about to respond when the doors opened.
"What room was it again? E512?" He asked, looking at the Arctic Fox.
"That is correct, yes." She said, glaring at Is when he opened his mouth to say something. He closed it, groaning in annoyance quietly. She watched Fantasma as he stood in front of a map of the rooms, arms crossed and head tilted slightly.
"This way." Fantasma said, pointing to the left. They followed him as he made his way down the hallway, looking for the room. After a few minutes of searching, they found it. Fantasma entered and Is closed the door behind them, only for a blade to touch Fantasma's throat when he opened the divider.
"Who are you?" Somebody asked, Fantasma staring directly ahead at the Lynx in the bed.
"I'm looking for a Daedalus and Perseus." He said, the blade pressing harder. He grimaced, growling in annoyance.
"Good to know, but not what I want to know right now. Who are you?" The voice asked, Fantasma flicking his tail.
"A friend of Nick and Judy's." He answered, the blade retreating after a few seconds.
"I'm Daedalus. What is it you want?" The voice asked, Fantasma looking to his left to see a Coywolf sheath a knife.
"Judy tasked us with keeping an eye on you. Make sure nothing...happened." He answered, earning a snort from the Coywolf.
"So if you're Daedalus, I assume he's Perseus." Lumi said, gesturing to the Lynx in the bed.
"You'd be correct. And if you were curious, Nick shot me in the back." Perseus said, making Beta consecutively blink at the same time.
"Uh...why?" Is asked, arching an eyebrow.
"We were members of the Templar Hit Squad sent after them." Daedalus answered, Fantasma rounding on him, only to find the blade already at his throat like the Coywolf had expected the reaction.
"We're...reformed, if you will, now." Perseus said, watching the event play out with an amused expression.
"So you're Assassins now." Lumi stated, Perseus nodding. Daedalus smiled at Fantasma, flipping the knife fancily before sheathing it.
"Yep. Docs say the wound isn't too serious, but I will be bedded for a few days so it can heal." Perseus said, shrugging.
"Bedded?" Is asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Not like that. Stop it." Lumi said, smacking upside the head playfully.
"Ow. You act like we're mates or something." He said, chuckling and shaking his head.
"Right..." Lumi said, smiling sadly. Perseus glanced at Daedalus, and he glanced at Fantasma. Is seemed to realize he said something wrong when it went incredibly silent in the room, because he turned to look at Lumi with a questioning gaze.
"Is...something wrong, Lumi?" He asked, the Arctic Fox blinking at being addressed, like she was lost in thought.
"No. I just...need a second." She said, turning around and walking out, an uncomfortable look on her face.
About ten seconds later, Judy and Nick walked in, bewildered looks on their faces as they looked between the door and the other mammals in the room.
"Um...what just happened?" Judy asked, concern in her voice.
"Not sure. Perseus said he was going to be bedded for a few days and I repeated it in a questioning way, and I guess Lumi thought I was being perverted or something. She smacked me upside the head and I told her she was acting like we're mates or something." Is said, Judy and Nick exchanging glances. "Did I say something wrong?" Is asked, apparently just realizing that he may have accidentally insulted Lumi.
"Well...Foxes mate for life, Is. So to some, it's considered inappropriate to joke about that kind of thing. So I'd assume it's that." Nick answered, though it was obvious he didn't actually know.
"Great. So I should probably apologize, right?" Is asked, Nick sighing.
"It's...more complicated than that. It may be she just got uncomfortable and isn't into that sort of thing. Or...the comment hit a little close to home." He said, Is blinking in confusion. After a few seconds, understanding seemed to hit him, because his eyes widened and he dashed out the door.
"You do realize that if she just got uncomfortable, you may be making Is do something that could damage whatever chance they have, right?" Judy asked, Nick shrugging.
"I have faith, Judy." Nick said, Judy snorting at that.
"Right. Sure you do." She said, Nick rolling his eyes and walking over to Perseus.
POV Switch: Reclute Is And Lumi
Is looked around upon exiting the room Perseus was confined to for a few days. The idea of accidentally insulting Lumi was quite high on his list of things not to do.
He saw a security guard at the corner, and he ran over.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" The security guard asked, looking down at the Hare with an indifferent expression.
"An Arctic Fox just left the room I was in. Did you see which way she went?" He asked, the guard nodding.
"She went the other way. Some Wolf followed her." He said, Is nodding his thanks and running in the other direction.
Lumi entered the janitor's closet and sat down in the nearest chair, then immediately bent over and clenched her teeth in an effort to keep the cry on anguish from escaping. Her paw clenched and punched the table next to her, hot tears spilling from her eyes.
"Se ei ole reilua! Se ei ole reilua! Se ei ole reilua..." She cried out, clenching her teeth again as all her emotions rocked her body, tears still streaming from her eyes.
"Well, what's a pretty little Fox like yourself doing in here crying your eyes out?" Somebody asked, Lumi looking up to see a Wolf looking at her from the doorway, a hungry look in his eyes. He took a step closer, gently closing the door with his foot.
"Don't...don't come any closer!" She said, already knowing where this was going. The one time her love of Animalian TV films was actually helpful.
"Oh come on. Don't be shy! I'm sure you have plenty of tricks, after all." The Wolf said, stepping closer.
"I don't want to hurt you." Lumi said, her gaze slowly hardening as she realized the Canine had no intention of leaving either satisfied or hurt beyond measure.
"What? You think that you, a female, can do something against me?" He asked, Lumi narrowing her eyes. So he was that kind of mammal.
"I've taken down tougher." She said, her response earning a snort and another step from the Wolf.
"Why should I believe you?" He asked, taking another step. He was now close enough for either of them to make a move, if they so chose.
"I don't need you to believe me. I need you to experience me." She said, immediately realizing her phrasing when the Wolf grinned lecherously at her.
"I like the sound of that." He said, suddenly in front of her and gripping her arms before she knew he had even taken a step.
"No! I will not-" She was cut off by a knee to the stomach, driving all the wind from her.
"I don't need you to." The Wolf said, bringing his muzzle in close and trailing a long, wet lick up the side of her neck. She clenched her teeth, trying to hold in the noises he wanted to elicit.
He nipped lightly, a small chuckle escaping him as Lumi squirmed.
"Stop! Please!" She begged, crying for a different reason now.
"Hey!" Somebody shouted from the door, Lumi looking past the Wolf to see Is standing there, a look of anger on his face. The Wolf was suddenly behind her, a butterfly knife open and against her throat. She was not liking how he could move before she knew he was.
"I don't need her alive. Just warm." He said, pressing the knife harder. A small droplet of blood collected on the flat of the blade, the Wolf trailing another lick up her neck.
"Just...go. I'm not worth it." She said, Is blinking in shock.
"Yes. Listen to the pretty Vixen. Go on back to your burrow. Maybe pop out a few more children." The Wolf said, Is clenching a paw at the words.
"You know...there are two cops just a few rooms down. I'm sure they'd love to have their attention gained for something like this." Is said, the Wolf's eyes widening slightly at that. Then the grin was back seconds later.
"I can be done before they arrive." He said, Lumi smiling despite the situation.
"I was wondering why you didn't have a girlfriend to try this with." She said, the Wolf growling at her. His jaws snapped close to her ear, making her flinch.
"Shut up! You aren't being addressed right now!" He said, teeth bared now. Lumi threw her head back, catching the Wolf in the nose and teeth. She tried to run, but he managed to grab her by the arm before she could get more than a foot away. She was pulled back against him, the knife back and a disturbing feature pressing against her leg.
"You're lucky I like feisty." He said, chuckling maniacally and noisily licking his jaws, trying to make her afraid.
Is was there suddenly, a leg coming up and between the Wolf's legs. It was awfully close to hitting her, but he managed to only hit the male behind her.
The Wolf yelped in pain, knife disappearing from her neck as his paws automatically clutched his wounded bits.
Lumi swung back around sending a leg into the side of his head and into the wall, where it hit with a sickening crunch.
"Ugh. I am so going to kill both of you." The Wolf groaned out, growling and swiping a paw at Is. The Hare caught the paw across his side, sending him skidding away.
"Is!" Lumi shouted, worry taking place of the fear she had been feeling only moments ago. She faced the Wolf, who stood up with a growl.
"Though...I wouldn't mind a little taste before I do it." He said, Lumi gulping slightly.
"You won't get far." She said, keeping an eye on the knife that had fallen from the Wolf's grip.
"I'll get far enough." He said, lunging at her. She sent out her leg, ducking her his arms and tripping him up. Then she leaped for the knife, barely managing to grab it before he pulled her towards him. He flipped her over and she struck, sinking the knife into his shoulder. He shouted in pain, standing up and backing away from her as his paw rested on his shoulder, just beside his wound.
Lumi stood, her gaze hard.
Her paw went behind her, where she had left her gun.
"No. You won't." She said, yanking the sidearm from it's holster and pointing the barrel at the Wolf. He seemed to realize she was serious, because his gaze lit up with fear.
"No hold on a mi-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, Lumi sending her first shot right between his eyes. He crumpled to the ground, and seconds later paws pounded outside the door. Lumi sank to her knees at the realization of what she'd done, legs spayed out to either side of her and pistol resting it's barrel against the ground.
"Anyone hurt-" Judy stopped her question at the site of Lumi, her gaze flicking to the Wolf only briefly. "Lumi..." She said, running over and wrapping her paws around her neck comfortably.
"I...I am being fine. Check Is." She said, looking over her shoulder at where the Hare lay against the wall, not having moved from where he'd struck.
"Nick!" Judy shouted, said Fox running in. He also only spared a passing glance at the dead Wolf, looking at Judy for instruction. "Is." She said, pointing at the Hare. He nodded, running over and kneeling by the Hare, fingers prodding the mammal's neck. He looked at Judy and let out a relieved breath, nodding.
"He's alive. Just stunned." He said, Lumi turning away from Judy. She stood, walking over towards Is. Nick moved over to Judy, nudging her and gesturing to the door.
"We'll be right back, you two." Judy said, though her words fell on deaf ears as Lumi kneeled next to the Hare.
"Is..." Lumi said, placing a paw on his shoulder and shaking slightly.
"Ugh. Stop shaking. Side sore." He said, Lumi immediately retracting her paw.
"Are...are you being okay?" She asked, worry evident.
"If you were a Bunny I'd say you cared about me." He teased, earning a small laugh from Lumi despite her worry.
"You idiot. I do not need to be a Bunny to care!" Lumi exclaimed, Is chuckling lightly. He stopped with a grimace, clutching his side.
"Lumi...it's fine." He said, reaching up to place a comforting paw on her shoulder.
"It is not! You could have died, Is! And...and I realized I couldn't live with that! Without you! You were so nice to me when we met...and I reacted so negatively when you tried to comfort me! I pushed you away when I needed somebody the most! I...I know why I came back, now." She said, having shrugged his paw off in her tirade.
"Lumi, please...stop." He said, getting uncomfortable with where her tone was going. He wasn't against the thought, necessarily, but he knew it could decrease performance on the job and this wasn't a very forgiving lifestyle.
"I...I can't, Is. If I don't get it out now I never will. I came back to you...back then...because...koska rakastan sinua!" She shouted, Is freezing at the confession. "Minä...en panisi pahakseni kutsutaan rakastaja...vaikka jouduin odottamaan milijoona vuotta!" She said, tears streaming down her face again as she sank to her knees again in front of Is, who had no idea how to react.
So, he did what logic told him to do.
He cupped Lumi's face gently and pressed his lips against hers, Lumi making a noise of shock. When they broke apart, Lumi's eyes were unfocused, almost glazed.
"Jag älskar dig också, snö." Is said, Lumi's eyes snapping back to reality at his first word. When he finished, her eyes began to water again. "Det är oprofessionellt. Men...Jag börjar inse att jag bryr mig ite." He added, Lumi laughing despite the hurricane of emotions she felt.
"Sinjä ja ammattitaito..." She said, coming in for another kiss.
Is gladly gave it.
And that does it for Chapter 9 of Zootopian Assassins! This is much shorter than I'd prefer, but I just couldn't bring myself to write any more after sitting here for hours thinking of how I could. All the results were super cringe inducing, and I just couldn't. I'm not gonna lie...the thing with the Wolf may or may not have been inspired by watching Kirito's fight against...uh...what's his name? The guy that tries to do the do with Asuna while he makes Kirito watch. Him. Yeah. The anime may have it's issues, but I stand by that it is a good anime. Plus...I watch Elfen Lied regularly so it's not that bothersome to me. Plus it's anime. It's not real, so I see no reason to get so bent out of shape about it. Anyway, this is getting off track. Yes, I very much intend on writing a Oneshot with Lumis. When? Don't know. Some day. Maybe soon. Maybe after the ending where I gouge out your hearts and feast on your misery. Maybe never, because I'm a forgetful piece of crap. Let's be honest, though. Say "I" in the comments or reviews if you knew they were gonna get together. I bet you all did. I didn't until I wrote the ending to last Chapter, which was slightly different at first. But that's because most of my plot is made up as I go. There are going to be two to three Contracts per arc, separated by each ten Chapters. Next Chapter will end the First Blood arc, obviously named after the fact almost all the main characters draw their first drop of blood in this arc. Probably gonna have Is draw his First Blood next chapter, but maybe not. And the Oneshot with Lumis will be at least ten thousand words, since I want to both include their history and a little bit extra for those who like them. They've known each other for a long time, I assure you. And, be warned, Lumi's backstory may look and sound oddly like Riina's from Sounds of the Heart by Selaxes. This is because Riina was a major inspiration for Lumi. Bailey was kind of inspiration for Is as well, though I changed a few things about him. Although Lumi also has a small amount of inspiration from Kaede and Mayu's backstories as well from Elfen Lied. If you've seen the anime, you know what to expect. And yes, I did just give Fantasma a possible love interest. Why, you ask? Well, because it's only fair since almost every single main character has one. Alright, it's late when I'm writing this so I'm gonna go to bed. No Translation this Chapter because I want to see you guys work for it. Anyway, that's enough of that, I'll see you guys...next update. Word Count: 3,936