Thanks a lot for the reviews, I love everyone who does! If ya got the time, drop a line! Reviews really make my day, and it helps to know what you'd prefer to read.
The general consensus seems to be, the longer the chapters, the better. Well, ask and I shall deliver! Here ya go! (I admit, this chapter is long only cause I didn't know where to stop.)

Would ya lookit that, I actually stuck to my schedule of updating every two weeks! *But this chapter was also rather dissatisfying, and ends somewhat depressingly. But y'all have to judge for yourselves ;)

Warning: Violence, swearing, and will probably have some girl-on-girl action in the future. All the good stuff. ;)
Disclaimer: Don't own a single darn thing, either James Bond or Mai Hime. T'is a shame, really..


London, England

Nao was sitting in the mess hall designated for trainees, absent-mindedly chewing on a sandwich, when Chie unceremoniously plopped down next to her and stared at the redhead.

Chie stole a french fry and popped it into her mouth, much to Nao's displeasure. The redhead quirked an eyebrow and pulled her tray away from Chie's reach. "Get your own food."

Chie mock-sighed. "If only my very good friend Nao would learn to share…"

"Sharing? What's that?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you were raised by wolves."

"Nope, even worse: prostitutes. The only things they shared were STDs."

Chie was torn between laughing and shaking her head at her friend's bluntness. "Anyways…guess what I managed to do?"

"Convince people that you're not a total stalker?"

"Hey! I just like being informed, okay? It comes in handy, as in this instance."

Nao yawned. "Get to the point already."

Chie scowled at her. "So you've noticed that Marguerite always has that small red earpiece on, the one that almost looks like an earring?"

"Yeah, the freak never takes it off."

Chie grinned. "Well, apparently it's not waterproof; she takes it off during her underwater survival class. It took some effort, but I programmed a nearly undetectable recording device in it. It has the added perk of doubling as a tracker."

"Uh-huh, and by 'I' you mean you and Aoi, right?"

"What can I say? The woman loves me too much for her own good."

Nao smirked. "So, did Marguerite say anything good?"

Chie shrugged. "Nothing much as of yet. She seems to mostly use it as an upgraded version of our own communicators."

"Well, that's disappointing—"

Nao was cut off when the receiver's light went on. "What's that mean?"

"It turns on when the bugged communication device is being used."

Nao poked Chie excitedly. "Well, what are you waiting for? Turn it on!"

Chie quickly flipped a switch. Red and dark gray hair clashed as the two leaned in to hear what was being said.

Chie's excited expression immediately turned deadly serious when she heard the name 'Kanzaki' come through the receiver. "Nao. Contact Midori."

Nao looked confused. "The Chief? Why?"

"Jeez, don't tell me you fell asleep in intelligence class again? Kanzaki, one of the leaders of the Viola Crime Syndicate!"

Nao swore. "That little bitch."

The redhead stood up and grabbed the nearest agent-in-training walking by. "You! Tell Chief Sugiura that we've caught a fucking snitch, so prepare the torture chamber."

The trainee's eyes widened. "T-the what?"

Nao snorted in disgust. "The interrogation room, dipshit." She pushed the man away, causing him to stumble backwards and scurry away with a metaphorical tail between his legs. "Fucking newbie!"

Chie looked up from the receiver. "Marguerite is half a klick towards the wharf."

"Well, let's go then!"

Chie raised a brow. "Ignore proper protocol and apprehend the target by ourselves? Isn't that against the rules?"

Nao and Chie shared a look before dissolving into hysterical laughter, attracting startled looks from the rest of the cafeteria.

Nao recovered first, wiping away a tear. "Good one, Chie."

"I try. Let's go kick Marguerite's ass."

The two agents sprinted towards Tomoe's last known location.

-000-000-

They spotted the teal-haired double agent standing along the waterfront, seemingly talking to herself.

Chie muttered, "How're we going to do this?"

Nao seemed to ponder for a moment. "Can't we just shoot the bitch?"

"Tempting, but too many civilians around."

"It wouldn't be fatal, just excruciatingly painful."

The two agents continued to observe Tomoe from their position across the street.

Chie squinted her eyes. "Geez, she looks like she's going to be sick."

Nao snickered. "Maybe she just saw her reflection."

"If we get behind her I can probably hit a pressure point—"

Nao ignored Chie and made a beeline for Tomoe.

"—Or not." Chie sighed and followed Nao.

They were converging on the teal haired woman when Tomoe turned around and saw them. Chie expected the double agent to run away, but Tomoe strangely seemed relieved to see them. "Zhang! You have no idea—"

Nao stepped up and punched her. Tomoe collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold. The people around them gasped in shock, while Chie smacked her forehead in exasperation.

"What just happened?"

"Is she okay?"

"Chick fight!"

Chie rolled her eyes at that last comment.

A concerned crowd began to form a ring around the three women. A police officer stepped out from the crowd, looking suspiciously between an exasperated Chie shaking her head and a smug Nao looking down triumphantly at an unconscious Tomoe.

"Is everything all right here?"

Chie grinned at the officer. "It's just a lovers' tiff, nothing to worry about."

She flinched when Nao gave her an intense death-stare. The officer snorted and switched his glare to Nao, who offered him an innocent smile. "Lovers who throw punches instead of kisses?"

Nao's grin turned flippant. "She had something on her face, I was just getting it off for her."

The officer scowled and pulled out a ticket book. "All right, wiseass, here's something to wipe the smirk off your face."

He handed the ticket to Nao and motioned to the unconscious Tomoe. "Get her off the street, she's blocking the sidewalk."

The crowd began to disperse, leaving Nao and Chie standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

Nao gave the cop a one-fingered salute when his back was turned. "Self-righteous prick."

Chie nudged Tomoe with the tip of her boot. "Well, that went fairly well."

Both Nao and Chie froze when a dry voice cut in. "Fairly well for whose standards? Trained monkeys?"

Chie looked up and gave a nervous laugh. "Fancy seeing you here, Chief."

Midori scowled at the two agents-in-training. "That was sloppy, very sloppy. I expected more from my two most promising trainees."

Nao shrugged sheepishly. "It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing."

Midori sighed. "At least the target was detained. Can you two handle carrying her to the interrogation room?" Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Sure thing, Chief!"

"You got it!"

"Trained monkeys," Midori repeated to herself, letting loose a small laugh.

-000-000-

Tomoe sputtered into consciousness when cold water was thrown into her face. She sat up with a gasp when the water trickled down her neck, and looked up with a glare at a smug Nao holding an empty bucket.

Nao gave her a sardonic smile. "Whoops."

"Nao, you idiot! That was supposed to be used for the water-boarding!" Chie glared at the redhead.

Tomoe gulped. Torture was not what she had in mind when she decided to surrender to MI6.

Another voice spoke up. "Calm down, Hallard, we can use the bucket for another purpose."

"How about a demonstration then, Chief." Nao spoke with a spark of macabre glee.

Midori grabbed the bucket from Nao with a smirk. "Watch and learn."

The second redhead in the room casually inspected Tomoe before swinging the bucket into her head. A crunch resounded throughout the room.

Tomoe fell to her knees with a groan. She spat out a wad of bloody saliva and was horrified to see that a tooth had also fallen out.

"That was for all the agents you killed, scumbag; agents that were twice the person you are."

Tomoe cringed at Midori's tone of voice. The Chief of Staff had never been any more terrifying than she was now.

Midori continued genially. "As much as I'd like to do that again, I won't, since I need you coherent to answer questions."

Tomoe felt the loose teeth in her mouth with her tongue. "Questions? On what?"

Midori roughly shoved Tomoe into a chair. "Acting dumb won't get you anywhere. We have very good information that you've been in contact with Reito Kanzaki for quite some time."

Chie and Nao exchanged smug looks at being named as "good information."

Tomoe started to sweat. "Ah—that…yes, well—"

The door flew open with a bang, startling all the occupants in the room. A formidable blonde woman stormed in.

Haruka glanced dismissively at Tomoe before turning her attention to Nao and Chie. "You two, outside."

The two MI6 operatives nodded and left the room. Haruka turned her piercing gaze on Tomoe. "Start talking."

"I don't know much, I'm just a information broker." Tomoe gave an impassive Haruka a pleading stare.

Midori cracked her knuckled threateningly. "Let's start with what you do know."

Haruka gripped Tomoe's jaw tightly between her fingers and looked her in the eyes. "I am in command of an entire agency of people who wouldn't hesitate to take your life. Let's not forget that there's a reason I'm in charge, okay?"

Tomoe sighed despondently. She was between a rock and a hard place, and there was nothing to do but spill her guts and pray.

-000-000-

Nao leaned nonchalantly against the wall as Chie stared at the door curiously. There had been no sounds from behind the door except for a few muted thuds.

Chie tilted her head in thought. "Do you think they're playing 'good cop/bad cop'?"

Nao gave a dry laugh. "We're talking about H and the Chief here. It's probably more like 'bad cop, worse cop.'"

The door to the interrogation room opened, cutting off their laughter. Haruka stalked out of the room, followed closely by Midori. The blonde looked at the two agents-in-training and raised a brow. "Good work. We've temporarily sealed our leak, thanks to you two."

"Temporarily?" Nao gave her boss a questioning look.

"Tomoe Marguerite is a free-lance information broker, works odd jobs for different people. She was recruited by Reito Kanzaki to pass on any tidbits of information to him. Unfortunately, she really doesn't know much about VCS affairs since she wasn't an official syndicate member, so we can't get anything out of her."

Midori added, "But she does know the identities of four other information brokers also hired by the VCS. None that we know of in MI6, but there are some in a couple other government agencies. You two need to go ferret them out and bring them here."

Chie and Nao exchanged confused glances. Chie spoke for both of them. "Uh, we're still agents-in-training."

Haruka smirked. "Not anymore, you've been promoted. Congratulations—now get to work."

She turned on her heel and headed back towards her office, grumbling about the stack of paperwork that was waiting for her.

Midori turned towards the newly promoted agents with a sigh. "Kanzaki's given Marguerite an expiration date, and I suspect he's done the same with all the other informants. He's not stupid; he probably knows that Marguerite has told us everything she knows by now."

"How long?"

Midori checked her watch. "Nine hours left."

Chie gaped. "We only have nine hours to gather four informants? Without any reconnaissance beforehand?"

"Do you know how slippery those bastards are?" Nao demanded.

Midori shrugged. "Eight hours and 59 minutes. If I were you, I'd get started. Yohko has everything you'll need."

Nao jerked her head in the direction of the interrogation room. "Did she give you get all the details on the moles?"

"Marguerite is going with you two. If she wants protection, she'll have to earn it, since she hasn't given us anything substantial to use against the VCS."

"No way in hell we're bringing her! What if she turns on us?"

"Then shoot her. It's no real loss to us if she's dead." Midori shrugged. "Protect her, but don't kill yourselves over it."

The two agents nodded. Nao flung open the door of the interrogation room and dragged out a disheveled Tomoe, complete with a black eye. "You're coming with us, fuckhead. If you try anything funny, I'll stick my gun so far up your ass you'll be spitting bullets."

Tomoe shook her head to clear the ringing in her ears and tried to smirk at Nao. "Charming as always, Zhang."

Chie smacked her roughly and shoved the teal-haired woman forwards. "You're no ray of sunshine, either. Tell us what we need to know and stay out of our way."

Midori sighed nostalgically. They grow up so fast.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Reito Kanzaki considered himself to be a reasonable man. His cousin keeping that MI6 agent around was unreasonable. In the same way that two plus two equals four, Reito decided it was his duty to show Shizuru the folly of her ways and persuade her to kill the British operative.

He drummed his fingers on his desk. It would be hard, because Shizuru had never listened to him, even though he was older than her. She was too headstrong, stubborn…but she would probably listen her uncle, albeit reluctantly.

Reito frowned at that thought. He was loath to call his father; their relationship didn't adhere to normal father-son relationship standards. The old man had always been rather indifferent to him, being more focused on running the western branches of VCS. Reito was glad that the old man had semi-retired. Akio Viola may be ruthless, but Reito Kanzaki was downright homicidal.

Akio and Kenji Viola had essentially divided the globe vertically in half, with the western branches going to Akio, the eastern to Kenji. The old man may have been content with controlling the west, but not him. No, Reito Kanzaki was more ambitious than his father, and he deserved to control the entire syndicate.

Restless dark eyes lingered on a framed photo that displayed Akio and Kenji with their children, taken during his childhood. Shizuru looked so much like her father…Reito, on the other hand, looked nothing like Akio. Sometimes he even wondered if Akio was his real father. He couldn't ask his mother, though; his mother had been one of Akio's numerous girlfriends, and she had been easily discarded after Reito had been born.

The cruelly handsome face sighed. Yet Akio, despite being his father, seemed to prefer that Shizuru take complete control, instead of him. That idea was the most ludicrous thing that Reito had ever heard. When Shizuru was younger, she was too involved with her frivolous parties to care about being part of VCS. After being sent away for a year, she had come back considerably more mature, but still unwilling to be involved in the family business and insisted on "making her own way" in the world. If Kenji hadn't died last year, Reito sincerely doubted that Shizuru would be involved with VCS at all, never mind controlling the eastern branches. Such weakness was a detriment to the future of their family's syndicate.

If there's one thing that father and I have in common, Reito mused, it is our sense of practicality. If Shizuru hadn't turned out to be such a good businesswoman and a popular leader, Reito would have already attempted to wrest control from her by now. As such, he was biding his time, until Operation Four Horsemen was ready to initiate.

It took him nearly a year, but soon, Reito would have complete control over VCS. Kenji had guided VCS brilliantly, but one of his few failings was that he raised Shizuru to have some degree of compassion. Reito didn't care if anyone lived or died. He could easily send a thousand men to their deaths and not lose any sleep over it, but Shizuru was different. And that would be her downfall.

Reito made up his mind. He would call Shizuru tomorrow and attempt to reason with her. If she desisted, as she probably would, he would drop a hint to his father. For now, he had to take care of that informant, Tomoe Marguerite.

The woman would probably have run to MI6 by now. She was definitely too weak to stand on her own against the VCS, and the woman struck him as the type to do anything to save her own life. Reito was positive that she would give up other informants, though he doubted that she knew about all of them. Regardless, he would kill them all of his current London informants, just in case.

"Takeda!"

The green-haired man looked up at his employer's call. "Kanzaki-san?"

Reito smiled calmly at his bodyguard. "Who is the best assassin you know?"

Masashi Takeda furrowed his brow. "There is one who goes by the name Kumo. He is almost assuredly the deadliest assassin in the history of the world."

"He can't be that good, if I've never heard of him."

The swordsman shrugged. "Anonymity is an assassin's greatest weapon, Kanzaki-san. Kumo is Japanese for spider. This man, he never lets any of his targets live. They all eventually succumb to his traps, like insects to a spider."

Reito mulled over Takeda's words. "All right, I want you to hire him. It's a rush job, eight targets in twelve hours. Can he do it?"

Takeda looked surprised. "Of course he would be able to, Kanzaki-san. But Kumo is retired; he doesn't take any jobs anymore."

Reito looked irritated. "Then why did you tell me about him?"

The swarthy Japanese man looked confused. "Kanzaki-san asked me who the best assassin I know of is."

The crime leader sighed impatiently at the dense man. Takeda, sensing his boss' annoyance, hastily tried to remedy his mistake. "Kumo's students are also very skilled assassins, among the best in the world. I can ask one of his students for their services."

Reito snapped, "Do that. All eight informants must be dead in twelve hours. I'll need confirmation before payment is delivered."

Takeda nodded and left the room. Reito sighed and leaned back. He felt tired and drained of energy as of late. The stress of ensuring Operation Four Horsemen's success was taking a toll on him.

He shifted in his chair. Perhaps he should return to his childhood summer home back in Japan. The remote island was perfect for relaxation, and perhaps he could even implement his plan while there. Operation Four Horseman was so close to completion…

Reito Kanzaki nearly laughed with delight at the thought of having the world at his mercy.

Tokyo, Japan

Natsuki surveyed the enormous penthouse with barely concealed admiration. The bathroom was the size of a small apartment, the kitchen looked like it belonged in a five-star restaurant, and the living room had its own home theater system. The bedroom boasted a single king-sized bed, as well as a balcony that showcased the lights of Tokyo twinkling below.

Shizuru certainly knew how to live in style.

Natsuki flopped onto the king-sized bed and nearly moaned at its softness. She was dead-tired after an entire day of interacting with criminals, be it yakuza or VCS. She lazily turned her head to grin cheekily at an amused Shizuru. "So where're you going to sleep?"

Shizuru leaned against the doorway. "I am going to sleep in my bed. Natsuki can sleep wherever she wishes, but the left side of the bed is mine."

"Sure thing, honey." Shizuru stifled a grin at the blatant sarcasm in the agent's voice.

"Ara, I never would've pinned Natsuki as the submissive one in the relationship."

"I draw the line at making sandwiches." Her sentence trailed off at the end, devolving into a yawn.

Shizuru chuckled. That was strangely endearing…I must be more tired than I thought. A glance at the clock showed that it was nearing 1:00 AM. I must be getting older if I'm ready to pass out at 1:00.

She got under the covers and settled next to a lightly dozing Natsuki. "Good night, Natsuki. Try not to molest me in your sleep."

Natsuki didn't even bother opening her eyes. "You wish, Viola."

With a last melodic chuckle, Shizuru shut her eyes and let dreams carry her away.

-000-000-

It was a chilly autumn night, and the streetlights overhead flickered on and off, highlighting the decrepit neighborhood. Natsuki recognized her surroundings with a growing dread. Not this again…

She sighed and shoved her hands in her pockets, knowing it would start very soon. Seconds later, the door of a particularly run-down house opened, and Natsuki watched as a younger version of herself cautiously stepped outside.

The teenaged Natsuki wrapped her hoodie tighter around her and started heading down the street. The agent didn't move from her spot, but merely started counting down in her head. Three…two…one.

The door to the house opened again, and a small blonde girl slipped out. She was wearing a heavy coat over a pair of too-short pajamas, and her breath formed small clouds in front of her. She started to silently follow the teenage Natsuki, while adult Natsuki in turn followed the girl.

They had reached the end of the block when the teenage Natsuki turned around and scowled at the girl. "Alyssa. Why are you following me? It's almost two in the morning!"

Alyssa Kruger scowled at her older sister. "Where are you going, Suki? I'm not going home until you do."

Natsuki knew what was coming, yet she still couldn't help but close her eyes in pain when she heard the old familiar nickname. Alyssa.

"Suki" sighed in aggravation. "I'm just going to the bar. We're almost out of cash, and the Asshole is drinking away the little money we have left."

"You know Daddy gets mad when you call him that."

"Fuck that bastard. All he does is waste my hard-earned money on drugs and booze."

Alyssa stared at Suki with a tinge of disapproval. "Stealing doesn't count as hard work, Suki."

The teenager scowled. "Yeah, yeah. You really not gonna go home?"

The small blond girl resolutely shook her head. Blue eyes clashed fiercely with green before the teenager sighed and jerked her head. "Alright kid, let's go."

Natsuki really didn't want to follow them, but her movements were involuntary. The two sisters and one reluctant agent made their way down the middle of the street, which was much safer than walking by the dark doorways that might have concealed druggies or muggers.

Suki and Alyssa entered a shady looking bar. Natsuki's steps faltered for a few seconds before following them in.

A few heads turned to stare at the teenager and her sister. Even at their young ages, it was apparent that the two would be extraordinarily beautiful when they grew up. If they grew up.

Natsuki glared at the men leering at the two girls, her hands tightening into fists. She knew that attempting to hit any of them would be a futile endeavor, though.

Suki glared at the bartender, opting not to place any parts of her body on the grimy countertop. "Where's Jerry?"

The greasy looking man continued to clean a glass. "The little fuck left a couple hours ago." He gave Suki a sharp glance. "Didn't pay for his drinks, either."

Suki sneered. "That's a fucking shame. Let's go, Alyssa."

The teenager turned and left the bar, flipping off the men who were staring at her. Natsuki's feet jerked her forwards, and she resigned herself to follow her younger self. The two girls were oblivious, but Natsuki glanced over her shoulder to see two men get up and speak to the bartender. The bartender nodded and pointed to Suki, and the two men began to follow the girls.

This was the part Natsuki hated herself the most for. If she had just been more vigilant, more suspicious, then she might've noticed the two men following…

Suki and Alyssa cut through a deserted alleyway that would lead to their street, but a shadow blocked their path ahead. Suki stiffened and pushed Alyssa behind her, beginning to back away.

"Going somewhere?"

Natsuki could only look on as her younger self spun around to see that the entrance was also blocked by another man.

The teenager sneered, "Fuck off. I don't have any money." Alyssa cowered behind her sister, too scared to move.

The first man, almost still a boy actually, slowly walked towards the two girls. "That's alright, love, we don't want your money." The two men couldn't have been more than twenty years old.

Suki frantically spun around, trying to keep an eye on the two approaching youths and shield her sister at the same time. "What d'you two shitheads want?"

The second man cackled. "You. You're Jerry's little girl, right?"

"None of your fucking business."

"Oh, but it is." The first man slowly drew a knife. "You see, daddy dearest sold you for two thousand dollars. You belong to the Brixton Bomber Gang now." He grabbed Suki's arm and jerked her forwards, placing the knife at her throat.

The second man crouched in front of Alyssa and gave her a leering smirk. "You can call me Uncle Teddy. How old are you, honey?"

Both the younger and older Natsuki growled in terrible rage as "Uncle Teddy" began to fondle Alyssa's blonde hair.

"E-eleven."

The man's perverted grin grew even larger. "Oh, very good. Very very good."

"Get your hands off her or I'll kill you!" Suki raged, even as the knife pressed harder against her throat. The man holding her laughed.

"Feisty, I like that. Bring the kid, she'll make a nice little bonus."

"I know." Teddy quickly licked the side of Alyssa's face, making her cringe violently. "She tastes good."

His companion grinned. "You've always liked them young."

Teddy licked his lips as he reached a hand towards Alyssa's front, slipping underneath her shirt…

"NO!" Suki thrust her captor's arm away from her, catching him off balance and throwing him to the side. Teddy spun around, drawing a gun, but Suki tackled him to the ground. Natsuki could only watch as her teenage self and the young gangster wrestled over control of the gun.

Natsuki closed her eyes. Three…two…one. BANG.

The agent opened her eyes and watched helplessly as her baby sister, young, sweet Alyssa, crumpled to the ground. Suki and Teddy froze. The first man sprang up from cold concrete, panic in his eyes.

"Oh shit Teddy, we have to go! There's a cop car stationed only a few blocks from here!"

"What about the girl—"

"Forget her! We'll get our money back, let's just go!"

The two young gangsters sprinted out of the alley, leaving behind a broken spirit.

"No, no, nononono! ALYSSA!" Two sets of green eyes filled with tears, but only the younger Natsuki allowed her tears to flow. Sirens filled the air as the teen gathered the smaller girl in her arms, desperately shaking her. "Please be okay, please!"

Natsuki gritted her teeth and closed her burning eyes. Unable to walk away from the scene, she forced herself to watch as the teen Natsuki bent over Alyssa, her body wracked with heaving sobs. A police car pulled up to the alleyway, and two officers got out. One, seeing the body, radioed in for an ambulance while the other stepped forwards and placed a hand on Suki's shoulder. "What happened, kid?"

The officer tried to pry the teen away from Alyssa to see the extent of the damage, but Suki knocked away the woman's hand and shakily pointed the gun at her. "Don't touch her! DON'T TOUCH MY SISTER!"

The officer backpedaled, pulling out her own gun. "On the ground, now! Don't make me shoot you!"

Suki swore and lunged for the woman, but the officer's partner kicked the gun out of the teen's hand and tackled her to the concrete. He flipped her onto her back and handcuffed her.

"You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence…"

Natsuki watched as they hauled her younger self off and shoved her into the backseat while other police cars pulled up. She watched as someone draped a blanket over the still form of her sister as windows of the apartments above opened and curious heads poked out. There was nothing for Natsuki to do but watch as the worst night of her life replayed right before her eyes.

-000-000-

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes. The absence of the sun's rays alerted her to the fact that she was awake far too early for her taste, but it was a habit of hers to wake up early if she wasn't sleeping alone in a bed, cultivated from years of having one-night stands with random girls. Natsuki had learned the hard way that waking up after someone she had sex with the night before was a surefire way of getting her an unwanted girlfriend.

However, whenever she had The Nightmare, she always woke up even earlier.

Natsuki sighed. It had been nearly a month since The Nightmare last occurred, and she had hoped at least another month would pass before she experienced it again.

Natsuki got up and headed for the shower. Turning on the water, the agent didn't even wait for it to warm up before she hopped in.

Natsuki leaned her forehead against the tiles as the freezing cold water drenched her skin. She mulled over her current position and frowned. Looking back on the past several days, Natsuki realized she had been getting rather friendly with a certain criminal.

Shizuru seems like a nice person, but is she really good? I barely even know the woman, and yet here I am, letting myself be distracted by her. Natsuki frowned.

Hurry up and get this mission over with, Kruger, and leave Shizuru alone. Getting mixed up with the likes of Shizuru Viola will only lead to a shitload of trouble.

-000-000-

Shizuru sipped at her tea with a slight frown. Natsuki had not been in bed when she woke up, despite it being four in the morning. It was now five and the agent had still not emerged from the bathroom.

The honey-brunette sighed and began to read the day's paper. Her mind, however, would not let her concentrate on the headlines. Why am I getting myself so concerned over her? It's not like we're lovers, or even friends!

Her ears perked up when she heard the bathroom door open. A few minutes later, Natsuki strode into the kitchen, bringing in the scent of freshly shampooed hair. Shizuru smiled at the agent, but was confused when she only received a terse nod of the head in return. Ara? She seems more taciturn than usual.

Natsuki poured herself a cup of coffee and grabbed a piece of toast. Shizuru noticed that the other woman was scanning the table for something. "Looking for something?"

Natsuki scowled. "Where's the mayonnaise?"

Is she on crack? "No, I'm afraid I don't have any...mayonnaise."

The agent muttered something darkly, but Shizuru only caught the words "fucking great." She quirked a brow but decided to refrain from commenting, since Natsuki seemed to be in a bad mood.

"So what's the deal for today?"

Shizuru set down the paper. "I have a meeting at eight with Akane and some of her lieutenants, which will probably take all day. Did Natsuki have something in mind?"

Natsuki shrugged darkly. "I'm just killing time until your yakuza business is settled."

An awkward silence settled around the two women. Shizuru was at a bit of a loss what to say. Awkward silences had never affected her before, but that was before Natsuki came along.

The honey-brunette cleared her throat. "It looks to be a nice day. Natsuki can explore the city, if she likes."

The agent gave her a cynical smile. Shizuru did not like this new bitter Natsuki.

"Sure, why not? I just wish I had my bike…"

Shizuru imperceptibly brightened. That was one thing she could help Natsuki with. She stood up and walked towards the door. "Ara, let's go to headquarters, shall we? I need to pick something up."

Natsuki nodded and followed Shizuru. As they descended in the elevator, Shizuru surreptitiously glanced at Natsuki. I don't know why you're being so moody, but I have something that might make you feel better.

-000-000-

Natsuki leaned back in the chair and propped her feet on the desk in front of her, causing some papers to scatter. Irina shot her a dirty look. "I know it's hard, but try not to mess something up, okay?"

Natsuki scowled at the teenager and stared at the ceiling. Shizuru had dragged her to the laboratory and told her to 'wait,' like she was some kind of dog. That, coupled with another encounter with The Nightmare, definitely did not put her in the mood to entertain smart-mouthed teenagers.

She looked at the young redhead. "What else do you do here anyways, besides play 'Super-Nerd'?"

Irina frowned at the moniker. "Whatever Shizuru-sama or Akane-san asks me to do."

"Anything?" Green eyes stared hard at the teenager.

Irina shifted uncomfortably under the piercing gaze. "Anything I feel comfortable doing. Shizuru-sama would never pressure me into doing something I didn't want to do. It's usually counterfeiting, background checks, small things like that."

Natsuki looked away, frowning. Her eyes fell on the scattered papers on the desk, and she sat up, intrigued by the photos attached to the files. The photos all were headshots of young children, and the papers they were attached to listed the kids' vital statistics. Natsuki's eyes were especially drawn to a little blonde girl.

She grabbed the photo and waved it in front of Irina's face, growling, "What the fuck is this?"

Irina blinked warily. "Files on the children from Tokyo Orphanage. Shizuru-sama requested them."

Natsuki looked at Irina with a fire in her green orbs. She felt tired and crankier than usual, and she had no qualms about taking her anger out on the people around her. Namely the certain redheaded brat sitting next to her.

"So what, are you saying that you sell these kids? Is VCS Tokyo into kiddie porn now?"

Irina looked bewildered and even a little frightened. "What? No!—"

"What's your part in this, Irina-chan?" Natsuki spat out. "Do you film while Shizuru or someone else directs? Does she rent the kids out at night? Or does she just sell them to the highest bidder?"

"Do you really believe that we're—that Shizuru-sama—is that evil?" Irina stared at Natsuki with wide eyes.

"Yes." The word slipped out before Natsuki could stop it. Wait—I didn't mean that—

Something heavy was slammed down on the desk, causing both Natsuki and Irina to jump. Natsuki turned her head to look into red eyes narrowed in anger.

"Ara, I had no idea Miss Kruger had such a high opinion of me."

Natsuki and Irina were struck silent by Shizuru's scathing words. Shizuru threw something at Natsuki, who instinctively raised a hand to catch it. It was a single key attached to a keychain.

"Since I am apparently such a monster in Miss Kruger's eyes, she'll be glad to get away from me. The bike is in the garage." Shizuru abruptly turned away, but not before Natsuki caught sight of the deep hurt that was entrenched in those cardinal orbs.

"Shizuru—"

The door slammed loudly behind the honey-brunette. Natsuki realized that a motorcycle helmet had been placed on the table. She stared miserably at the key in her hand.

Irina gave Natsuki the fiercest glare she could muster. "Those kids from the orphanage? Shizuru-sama is their only benefactor; she keeps those files because she pays for everything they need, from their housing to their health care bills."

Natsuki's heart sank. "But—"

Irina continued on, undeterred. "Did you know that Shizuru-sama has only been heading VCS for a year? And in that one year, VCS' enterprises have gone from being 15% legitimate to being 45% legitimate?"

"Why would—"

"You're a fucking jerk, Kruger-san, to attack her like that when you have no idea what kind of a person she is."

Natsuki felt something akin to shame overcome her, something she had not felt in a long time. "Okay, I was being somewhat of a jerk."

Irina's jaw dropped. "Only 'somewhat'? Forget 'jerk,' Kruger-san, you just got upgraded to 'grade-A asshole'."

Natsuki groaned and dropped her head onto the desk. "I know. Believe me, I know."

I called the younger version of Natsuki "Suki," just to avoid any confusion.

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