*I am getting really pooped of writing a chapter daily XD... I slightly feel like I'm rushing and I know my last three chapters could be much better. So I will probably start posting new chapters every other day ^-^*

Chapter Eleven

"I'll catch you alright?" I promised having my arms stretched open looking up at the rooftop. Dalal squatted down as if looking into a snake's hole.

"It's not that I don't trust you," she said for the third time, "it's just that I don't think I'll land softly," she casts a dark look over Altair suspiciously as if she expected him to push her in the Bureau.

"I just don't see why you really want to get into the Assassin Bureau. There's only two rooms in here with no windows!" I reflected scratching the side of my head. This was just about enticing a cat to go back its den without causing a ruckus. "I suppose I'll make Altair push you in if you don't jump down here," I tapped my foot in sporadic short bursts of rhythm.

"Okay, okay I'm coming down!" Dalal shrieked but I caught her safely in my arms if that counts as her landing on top of me.

"Uhhh..." I groaned hoarsely. "I said to sit on the ledge then jump down not jump down!" I crawled out from under Dalal just thankful that she didn't snap my crossbow or that I got impaled by my own swords.

"Oh my it just slipped," she said cheekily restoring me to my feet. I swayed back and forth getting those weird blurred visions and temporarily woozy five second headaches. I stuck out my hand to support me up against the cool bleached wall. Something about this headache wasn't normal though. "I can get you some water," Dalal offered rushing to the fountain.

"No...no," I avoided opening my eyes because every time I did fast blinking shade of light blue would blind my sight. I pulled back my head eyes closed I knew Altair was blocking the sun where he stood. I blinked my eyes a couple of times the blue flashing died away like a dying pulse. "Why aren't you down here yet?" The amber eyes scorched through my clothes and I felt the heat of his eyes to my bones. What makes him so afflicting unlike months before? He lifted his head up high as if he heard something.

"I'm not coming down," he finally squeezed between each staggering breath.

"Great not you too," I backed away when he left his spot letting the sun shine through.

"Sarraf..." there was a twinge of sorrow as he exhaled my last name.

"Yes?" I responded propelling myself off the smooth wall but still had my left hand touching the wall. The answer did not come soon enough to ease my hunger. "What is it Altair?" I bit back on my tongue as it sounded too demanding.

"You will know my side of the story because you'll always wait," Altair jumped over the open gate of the Bureau as I heard his leather boots swiftly padding away.

"What?" I looked down at Dalal not expecting to see her toy with her hair in the water's reflection. She curled the spiral ends of her hair behind her ears giggling. "Dalal what are you-"

"Natasha," a voice cracked as in a surreal state. I turned on my heels to find a tall man with assassin robes underneath like mine but drenched in an oversized black robe. The sun beamed down on the cool toned coffee beaned skin with the tossed short black hair. His hood thrown back. A style commonly worn by Kadar but I stood before only a more mature and bolder version of Kadar.

"Malik!" Dalal blindly launched me out of her path into a pile of pillows as I was pulled face first by gravity.

"...and Dalal," Malik said again equally as surprised as I was hitting the ground. Dalal grasped onto Malik's arm coiling it around her waist and nudging her head in on his shoulder smiling.

"I haven't seen you since the attack on Masyaf," she spoke clearly enthused by the fact he smelled of herbs and ink. He laughed her off literally to help me up off the ground.

"You alright Natasha?" his right hand gently holding my hand that had grown rough instead of dainty petals as they were before I was accepted into the Creed. Even if Kadar wasn't here right now I needed to hug someone that wasn't cold all the time. Dalal snuggled her way in under Malik's armpit as we all shared a friendly embrace. Malik's one arm compressed around my waist, his hand almost unpleasantly pinching my back. At the disadvantage of only one arm... his strength evolved after the trip to the temple it seemed. I looked up at the ceiling thinking critically when Altair would return to tell me what he meant by "his side of the story".

"Whatever happened after I was ordered to leave Masyaf?" I pushed away from Malik but his arm resisted my full departure as our hips still touched. He took a long sigh and I knew I had regret asking such an open but personal question. Dalal clinging onto Malik's stub resting her head on his shoulder. It dawned on me that Dalal had wanted to see Malik and that she expected to stay for such loyalty. They would make a lovely couple.

"I retired early with not much of a choice elsewhere to go," he finally released me showing me the black robes. Assassins of old age were given the robes for their long service to the Creed. Few were given their black robe at Malik's age unless it was some unforgivable injury. But even then, most did not survive an unforgivable injury. Was it bad that I had dabs of doubts that Malik would not pull through such trauma?

"Sorry," I shook my head, "now it seems that I am the insensible one," I stared at my boots thinking that they were the most interesting thing right now. The chimes of a still day clinked and clattered as tattered, worn brown boots swooped down onto stone. Altair had returned reserved in his ways but still a pompous through his body language.

"Safety and peace Malik," eyes so sharp could not bare to look at those they addressed. Dalal and I stepped back getting the taste that we should not tamper with this grudge of old friends.

"Your presence here deprives me of both," Malik rasped pacing around in small circles. His heels scraped the surface of stone regenerating dormant anger.

"I-" Altair began.

"No," Malik accented being the first to interrupt the assassin and not get knifed. "Let me guess," he paused glancing up at random places in the room, "Al Mualim sent you to do some amiable task to redeem your honor to the Creed?" Malik scowled over at the proud assassin. Altair was still running from Malik's blazing black eyes with every word it would singe him around the edges. "But I have no time for a traitor who walks like an innocent man. Al Mualim should have slain you right where you stood, unable to achieve what the Master wanted in the first place," Malik spat.

Altair rebounded shooting his head up, "You knew there was nothing more I could do. Robert de Sable through me over and the scaffolding collapsed. I could not turn back to help," Altair said sharply.

Malik growled, "I am not satisfied with what you have become. Your arrogance had cost the people of Masyaf and my brother!" he roared jabbing a finger into Altair's face.

"What!" I bounced off the wall walking into a war zone of itself.

"He had not told you then tsk! Typical for Altair to flee from admitting his wrong doings. Yes, Kadar has long been gone because of this traitor who still lives accountable for it!" Malik steamed eyes watery, nails digging in at his side as he resisted the impulse to attack Altair.

"You..." was all that I could muster from waves of emotions I had dreaded six years ago to escape. "What more haven't you told me already?" I stormed past him but Altair grasped onto my elbow jerking me back.

"Forbid your hands to handle a woman in that way," Malik defended but I punched Altair in his gut letting me go I climbed freely out of the Assassin Bureau. To much in shock to gather the energy to speak to anyone I ran.

I ran across the lifeless rooftops to find some place of piece. Kadar... Kadar I'm sorry I did not know. I knew all of Jerusalem remembering all the shops I visited at nineteen had been boarded. They were no longer there as I jumped down from the rooftops onto the streets running southwest of the Assassin Bureau. Wasn't there one thing that remained, my mind caved in? I had just about reached the border of the rich district almost crossing into the middle district just a few more streets down when I stopped. My feet had taken me to this spot. I never knew that the only path I knew would sweep me here. I jumped over the high walls landing in the brown grass. I noticed that this grass had been dead for a long time. A fountain that had not been used in so long had puddles of dirty rain water in the bottom.

"Assassin!" a German Templar screech coming to a rusty stop in challenging me. I had no time for this... no patience as I was cracking into a mental break down. It was a massacre the time I pulled out one sword. I didn't even need another to slay the Templar with one aggressive swing to the mouth. The blade slithered out from the Templar's mouth not much more to it. I forcefully pushed my arm against the stuck iron gate opening to my memories. Walking in hoping to find everything like it was, vacancy left me even more bitter. The old fireplace blackened abused of being lit. Cobwebs ate away at every room I walked in. All nice lavish furniture and pieces were gone from my memories. I crumbled to me knees pawing at the tried blood in the middle of the living room. Two drops here and a smear not far from it. A flash of my mother's bloody cheek and lip and my virginity being lost replayed. Sun light's taunting rays padded through the cracks of every boarded window. Darkness on my back at my sides in a binding death grip. I got up letting hot tears stain the faded stone.

I leaned in on the doorway of my bedchambers. Everything gone except for the shabby nightstand passed down through my family to the first born daughter. Dust and decay of rotting animals sat and stared at me. More involuntary tears pooled at the rim of my auburn eyes. My mother would be the one to soothe me with lofty lullabies but she was dead. Majeed, my brother dead. My father dead. The smell of mildew powered my senses as I touched the corner of the nightstand-all that remained. I glided my fingers and the dust of stories and countless moons flew up kissing the skin of my fingertips. I did not know how long a good cry came such as this time right now. All the grief that weighed my heart broke out as I cried against the nightstand. I sobbed for an eternity, temples pounding, eyes tingling bloodshot red. I whacked the side of my head against the wooden side of my nightstand hearing a: Clink! I scratched out the bottom draw to find a bottle. Half full of perfume I attached it to my heart stashing it in my pouch. The strip of sun light filtered to my bedchambers in teasing rays of happiness. I scrunched my face into my hands but there were no more tears that would fall. I had cried myself out completely.

"Sarraf..." I dropped my hands into my lap not wanting to check if it was true. Altair descended to eye level with me. I coiled my legs under me in reply signally him not to get too comfortable. The physical evidence of me crying disappeared only with dry eyes in its tracks. Altair could not look at me but his mouth was moving under his hood. "You must listen now," he wasn't pleading but wanting too much from me.

"No you have to listen because you haven't gotten the concept of the mistake you created," I spat cold venom to his face. He inched closer with his hands but I refused the interactions with the assassin.

"Sarraf, everything is true, nothing is permitted," he quoted the phrase of the assassins.

"Don't say what you will never mean," I hissed between my lips.

"Do not test my intelligence for it is what I already know," his tone broadened.

"Liar," I met amber eyes with auburn. "You think I have the misfortune to cry over such incompetence like you? You are the reason for Kadar's death and you have betrayed me still," I reacted by leaning forward inches from Altair's features so prominent. The room fogged with hatred and something began to die again.

"So then you trusted me at one point," Altair pointed out.

"Yes, and it was a great mistake to think you could redeem yourself."

"I'll prove all of you wrong," he murmured.

"I hope you do," a sly hand had crept onto the assassin's robes. My hand stroking his chest. Altair longing for a sign allowed my hand to graze his robes. But as if a switch had been flicked I pushed that hand out knocking Altair back across the room. I made a dash for it out the doorway and kicked the hinges of the front door out into the streets. People of Jerusalem gasped startled as I weaved my way in and out of the crowd leaving new memories behind.

*So what did you think of this chapter? I'm trying to stray (but not too far) away from what you already know playing the game. I want to add events that you don't know because you all know the investigations and what not. I hoped you enjoyed and Thank You for reading my Beautiful Souls ~MissKayoko*