I'm bbbbaaaaaaccccccckkkkkkk! Filler Chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own. Shahin is mine. So is the Harem Women. And the plot is mine as well. Don't touch and we'll get along fine.

Chapter 25: Progress

I sighed as I sat in the shade. "Where are you, Altair?" I whispered. Even I could hear the exasperated tone in my voice. He'd been gone for hours and still hadn't shown up.

I knew better than to search the city for the former Master Assassin. That would just be a waste of time, especially if Altair didn't want to be found. So here I sat, on the top of the Assassin's Bureau in what little shade there was in the fading sun, waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

It was from my years of training to be patient that I was able to sit still even though I wanted to twitch and fidget and just do something. My mind was thoroughly bored and me and bored did not mix well. Bad things happen when I got bored.

I was almost smiling as I remembered those 'bad things' until I saw a flash of white. I looked out of the corner of my eye and sure enough, there was Altair casually jogging across the rooftops towards me. I sat completely still, waiting for him to come to me so he didn't run off again in his anger towards me. When his boots hit the Bureau's rooftop I stood up. Altair's head snapped up as he caught my movement and froze when he saw me approaching. I didn't have to see his face to see it harden. "What do you want?" he growled.

"To apologize," I answered easily as I looked over my friend and partner.

Altair shifted his weight from one foot to another and leaned back slightly, telling me he was surprised. He was silent for a few moments before he spat out a curse and I could almost see his amber eyes glaring at me from the shadows of his hood. "Are you sure? According to you I should be apologizing for acting like a child so much that you had to step in," he sneered.

I was silent, debating whether I should point out that he was acting like a child, then and now. But I knew it would only make him angrier. So how to continue without bringing that up? I thought for a moment before stating quietly, "From my view neither of you have a right to be so…furious with each other."

Altair stiffened and fisted his hands. "I have every right to hate that man," he spluttered angrily and defensively. "He has made my life a living hell and made everything—"

Just like with Malik I slashed my hand through the air, but this time I growled back at Altair. "Enough, Altair Ibn-La'Ahad. Both of you seem to think that both of you did what you did out of spite and hate for each other."

"He did! If he hadn't of accused me of abandoning them in the temple I wouldn't be here now."

I resisted the urge to shout that that was exactly what he did and spread my hands pleadingly. "How could you know that, Altair? Is it another of your abilities? The future is an uncertain thing and hindsight is always perfect. Besides, Malik only did what he did as his duty dictated him to do."

"So it was Malik's duty to rat me out," Altair hissed and I shook my head, stepping closer to the man and lightly tugging his sleeve.

"That is not what it is. One of our creeds is to never compromise the Brotherhood."

"I know," Altair growled, no doubt remembering his execution.

I continued on with no sign of hearing him. "Try and see this from Malik's view. You blatantly disregarded our three tenets while on your mission. You were forced to leave an abandon him and his brother and you never went back to try and retrieve the treasure or see if they were alive." When Altair stiffened and I saw him open his mouth to refute that I rushed on. "His brother was killed brutally on the mission you led. He was wounded so badly that he had to lose a limb and forfeit his career. And you led the Templars to Masyaf, killing or injuring his friends."

"What is the purpose of bringing this up? To rub salt in my wounds? How noble of you, Master Assassin." He jerked his arm out of my grip and began to storm away.

I leapt after him and held on to the back of his robes and raised my voice slightly. "I'm trying to get you to see! You have three sets of eyes and yet you do not see the big picture!"

My partner whirled on me and leaned down so he was in my face as he breathed heavy and hot on my face. "I see perfectly fine. I see that my world is crumbling from under me. I see that I am losing everything that I once held dear. I see that I am truly alone." The last was said quietly as he leaned back and looked me up and down coldly.

I fairly shook with rage at his subtly accusation and struggled against the urge to shake this man. Why was he so dense? "All you see is about you," I shot back. " You're world. Everything you once held dear. You. But you need to see from other people's eyes. See from Malik's eyes, Altair! Everything you did painted you as a rogue Assassin. Something that would compromise the Brotherhood. So yes, it was his duty to report you." My friend was quiet for a long time and I sighed, letting my anger leave me as I stepped back from the former Master Assassin. "I am only trying to help, Altair. I may have a backwards way of doing it, but my aim is always to help. I merely speak the truth and facts."

When I still did not get a response I slumped slightly. I had not gotten through to him. Damnit. I would have to try again later. I was just about to turn when Altair's quiet rumbling voice asked me something. "What do you see, Shahin?"

I blinked in surprise and looked up, trying to get a read on what my partner was feeling or thinking but got nothing, though I took heart in the considerate question. Maybe he was trying to see. "When you have seen what Malik has seen than maybe you'll see through my eyes," I answered back. There was a hesitation before Altair nodded slightly. This time I straightened my shoulders and resolutely decided to move on. "So what have you been up to today?" I asked casually, moving to sit in the shade again.

Altair cocked his head to the side and made a confused sound, obviously shaken from his thoughts before answering. "I have been out looking for information on Talal."

I stiffened. "Altair—" I began to protest.

"It was a simple beating, Shahin," the man interrupted me. "Quit worrying. I've been doing this for longer than you have. I'm sure that I won't die if I do something without you're supervision."

I snapped my mouth shut and leaned back against the wall as my friend came and sat next to me. I took his hand in mine and saw the flecks of blood still sticking to the leather. I rubbed it off silently before nodding. "I know, Altair," I conceded. "But you are without the weapons you used to depend on and there are still lone Templar knights in the Holy Land. What would you have done if one had found you?"

"Killed him." I dropped the hand and gave Altair a reproachful look. He looked incredulous and shrugged. "What?"

"It's really that attitude that makes it needed for me to keep you alive," I muttered. "You're pride will kill someone someday."

"It already had." I winced at the admission and was about to apologize when Altair dismissively waved a hand. "I'm trying to see," he explained. "Let the subject drop."

I nodded my acceptance, growing hopeful that maybe Altair could still learn to be a great man before I pulled out the two old scrolls in my pouch. "Maybe I could bring up a new subject," I suggested.

I could almost feel Altair frown in confusion as he regarded the frail, thin scrolls. "Where did you get those?"

"I went to Solomon's Temple to day to see things for myself," I explained, ignoring how Altair stiffened. "When I opened the chest that the treasure was resting on I found these in it."

Altair took one of the scrolls and opened it while I opened the other. I blinked in surprise at what I was seeing before looking at Altair's scroll and seeing the same thing. "Well that doesn't help," I muttered.

Altair turned the scroll this way and that along with his head, trying to make sense of the weird lines and characters that made up the lines on the small scroll. "What is this…gibberish?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never seen it before."

"Not even in any of your stolen books back in Masyaf?" Altair asked, half serious and half teasing.

I smiled a little as something relaxed in me at knowing that Altair had forgiven me enough to tease me. "They're borrowed and no. All those books are in Muslim or Arabic."

"So…" Altair began, looking at me to finish the sentence.

I looked back at my scroll and saw something familiar about the border of the text and looked closer. "Hey. These were on the chest too."

Altair leaned in, practically resting his face next to mine. I only ignored the closeness because he seemed to be ignoring it. "What? Those animals?"

I nodded and explained. "On the chest there was a ring of pair of animals. There were coyotes, snakes, wolves, fish and others. And they were defending this circle thing from other humans. Look. That's us." I pointed to the pair of birds of prey on the border of the scroll. There was a pair of cats and then a pair of wolves after the birds of prey. (AN: Hint hint wink wink).

Altair blew out a breath before rolling up his scroll. "What does it matter if we can't read this?" he demanded. "They're useless."

"We simply have to find a way to translate them," I murmured, regarding the circle thing that was painted at the top of the scroll. The same circle thing the animals were protecting on the chest.

I took the scroll Altair handed me and stowed them away again as we stood up and began making our way towards the Bureau entrance only a few feet from us. "How are you going to do that?" my friend asked.

"I'll figure something out." We sat on the pillows as it was getting darker and darker outside and we would need to rest soon to begin our information hunting tomorrow. In the other room I could hear Malik working quietly and see the glow of several candles. Altair uneasily glanced towards the door as he settled back on the uncomfortable pillows while I made my nest.

A few minutes later a sat in my temporary nest and tossed my hood back and pulled out my precious comb and began to work it through my hair. Altair glanced at me and then at the work room. "Aren't you worried?" he asked quietly. I shook my head and tapped my ear so he could understand me. Altair scooted closer to me after a brief hesitation and laid back down, probably doing it so he could talk without Malik overhearing him.

I glanced in the direction of the workroom as well before asking in a semi quiet voice, "How long as Malik known about you're wings?" I was just loud enough that if Malik wanted to listen in he could, but also quiet enough that I wasn't obvious.

Altair glanced at me sharply as he also pushed his hood back. "The first year we were roommates," he answered. "Why?"

"Oh. Nothing," I said coolly, closing my eyes as I swept my incredibly long hair over my other shoulder to get the other half. "I was just wondering why he hasn't told you're secret if you two hate each other."

I felt satisfied as the seed of thought and doubt took root, though Altair tried to refute it. "No one would have believed him."

I smiled in satisfaction. "I'll tell you the same thing when he said those words to me earlier, Altair," I said and Altair amber eyes flashed as he got what I was hinting at. "He could've lied and painted you like a demon or even cut your back open. And yet he hasn't."

Altair narrowed his eyes at me. "You are a meddling Assassin," he growled.

I chuckled lightly as he laid down and closed his eyes. "It's in my nature," I whispered back. "Good night, Altair."

"Night, Shahin," he grumbled back and turned over. I knew he would be thinking about a lot of things tonight.

I stayed up and finished combing and braiding my hair before lying down as well. But before I fell asleep I called, "Good night, Malik."

"Good night, Al-Hira," came the reply.

I smiled as I saw the progress, however tiny, being made.

God damnit. Why does all writing have to be done when I am ready to collapse in exhaustion? I want my sleep! And you guys want you're chapter. So I guess we win some and we lose some. Next chapter will be extremely long like the last assassination chapter, so look forward to it.

Btw, I have a friend of mine, Islandbacon, who is currently writing an Assassin's story, with my permission, that takes place in China. The Assassin is going to be part dragon. How epic is that? Anyway, if you really want to see this (I do. I don't get why Ubisoft is doing another Pirate Assassins game. I get Black Beard and all, but seriously. We need action in Asia.) PM Islandbacon and bug the hell outa the guy with support. It's gonna be an awesome story.

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Safety and Peace, Brothers and Sisters.