"Come on, girls, keep it up! We've almost reached the classroom, you know?"

"Damn it!"

Rio lunged at her, intent on bringing her down, but Ame easily avoided her and jumped in another tree, gaining an even higher ground than before. The blonde cursed yet again. If they kept this up, they wouldn't be able to grab the scarf and Ame would win again! After so many months of training, the thought truly didn't sit well with her—or any of the girls, for that matter.

"Yah!" yelled Fuwa, pouncing on Ame.

The black-haired girl jumped yet again to avoid her, smirking smugly. The smirk however quickly disappeared when she realized she was about to land smack in the middle of a trap. She twisted her body and managed to grab a lower branch, kicking her feet up just in time to avoid being grabbed by Kataoka. Exhaling in relief as she pulled herself up, she almost failed to notice the hand reaching out for her through the leaves above her head.

Keyword: almost.

"Not so fast!" she grinned.

Grabbing Hayami's forearm, she didn't hesitate and threw her down. The orange-haired girl landed on the ground below with a grunt, the new equipment absorbing the impact and preventing her from actually getting injured from the fall.

"Ooh? I see the building!" taunted Ame. Only a few more meters and they'd be there. "Time to wrap this up, don't you think?"

"No way!"

Kurahashi suddenly started climbing the tree. Some rustling from above also grabbed Ame's attention, and she suddenly noticed Okano. She narrowed her eyes when also realizing the only branches she could possibly grab were all occupied by Kayano, Kanzaki, Yada and Hazama respectively. Below, Hara and the rest of the girls were eagerly waiting for her to fall.

They're trying to force me back on firm ground!

Well, she refused to go down so easily. As the girls grew closer and closer, Ame braced herself… before leaping. Startled gasps followed as she quite literally crashed in the trunk of the tree farther down but, uninjured, Ame managed to hang on before pulling herself back up. She then turned around, grinning a tad arrogantly.

"Not bad, girls, but you've got to cover all possibilities when trying to corner an opponent," she teased and advised at the same time.

Much to her surprise, though, all of the girls grinned back. Before she could ponder over it for even a second, two arms suddenly latched themselves around her neck. The sudden added weight threw her off balance and her grip loosened, sending the both of them crash on the forest's floor. Ame groaned, the breath slightly knocked out of her.

"O- Okuda… what the hell…?"

"S- sorry, Ame-san! But- but I think we won!" apologized the bespectacled girl.

"Uh?"

It took Ame a moment to realize Okuda (who was the one who had taken her by surprise) had, during their fall, managed to take a hold of the scarf tied around her belt—clearly claiming their victory. Realizing this, the rest of the girls instantly started cheering. Gracefully accepting her loss, Ame let her head hit the ground with a sigh, but a small smile was dancing on her lips.

"Good job, girls," she congratulated, panting a little. "Guess you did cover all of the possibilities, uh?"

"It was Okuda-chan's idea!" grinned Rio, ruffling Okuda's hair. "And we finally caught you! That calls for a celebration, doesn't it?"

"Ooh, I know!" exclaimed Kurahashi, growing excited. "How about we all go shopping together after school? It'll be fun!"

"Well, the midterms are over, so we don't have any urgent studying right now," mused Takaoka.

"I don't think we ever really hung out together outside of school before, did we?" wondered Hara.

"Well, other than training or renovating buildings, not really," confirmed Okano.

"And that doesn't count 'cause the boys were with us. We need a girls' outing!" added Fuwa.

Ame, however, frowned slightly. "I don't know, girls… There's still the matter of the target on my back. Going out in public isn't the safest idea right now."

"Well, how about we all think over it today and we talk some more about it after school?" suggested Yada.

"Great idea!" beamed Kayano.

"Well, we do have to get to class," pointed out Hayami. "Let's go, else we'll be late."

Rio helped Ame back on her feet before slinging an arm around her neck, grinning triumphantly. The black-haired girl shook her head, amused and exasperated at the same time. There was no doubt that this victory would quickly get to Rio's head if it hadn't already. To be honest, though, she couldn't really bring herself to feel bitter about it. Just seeing how genuinely proud and happy her friend was warmed Ame's heart.

"Everyone!" The girls stopped as Maehara, Sugino, and Karma suddenly joined them. The flirt seemed to be planning something. "Did you know that it was Bitch-sensei's birthday four days ago?"

"Eh? For real?" wondered Kurahashi.

"That's right! She mentioned it once!" recalled Kataoka.

"What about it?" wondered Rio, confused.

"Well, we thought it'd be a good opportunity to try and bring her and Karasuma-sensei closer, if you see what I mean," grinned Maehara.

"I'm out," instantly decided Ame, going on ahead.

"W- what? You didn't even hear us out!" protested the flirt.

"I can do a lot of things, Maehara, but emotional manipulation isn't my cup of tea," she replied flatly. "If you want so badly for them to get together, don't go at it in an underhanded way. It'll end up hurting someone."

Her friends could only watch her leave, surprised by her words. In the end, though, they decided to go along with the plan. They could understand the logic behind her thoughts but, really, what harm could it do? They only wanted to make their precious teachers happy, after all.

.

.

The girls' shopping escapade was thus replaced with the matchmaking schemes and Ame left school as soon as class was over and done with. She wouldn't stop them if they wanted to do it this badly, but she sure as hell wasn't getting involved. As she was walking down the mountain, though, she received a message from Hana.

"Something came up so I can't come and fetch you. Wait for Ondori and Same."

- H

The orange-eyed girl scowled at that. She'd have to endure two out of the three members that couldn't stand her? Just peachy. However, it's not like she was stupid enough to run off on her own either. With what had happened during the mission with Inu and Samon, she needed to be even more cautious. Saru hadn't said anything about it after he spoke with Samon, but Ame could easily tell something fishy was going on: there was a traitor in their midst who wanted her dead.

It's crazy. We've all known each other for years, or even decades! To think someone would betray us… But for what? Money? Something more?

She shook her head, chasing those roguish thoughts. She couldn't let herself become blinded by suspicions. Any "evidence" they had of having a mole in their ranks was circumstantial, at best. She couldn't allow herself to lose faith now, of all times.

Ame decided to wait on the outskirt of the campus, hidden by the leaves of one of the trees. She didn't have to wait for long, thankfully: a familiar black car rolled in. A moment later, Ondori stepped out, quickly dialing what she guessed was her number. A deep scowl was adorning his face: he clearly wasn't happy with the arrangement either.

She answered as soon as her phone rang. "I'm here."

"Then stop wasting time and come on already. I've got better things to do."

She rolled her eyes at the attitude but jumped down from the tree and quickly headed toward the car. The man shot her a heavy glare as she climbed in, which she was quick to return, and they then left as quickly as he came.

"Where's Same?" she asked, curious.

"Ahead of us. He's scanning the perimeter," answered shortly Ondori. He glared at her yet again through the mirror. "You sure are a pain in the ass, aren't you? Can't even walk home on your own…"

"Well, how about we change places, uh? You get to have a bounty on your head and I get to be free from all this nonsense," she retorted, annoyed.

"Tche. You're just too weak to handle it, aren't you?"

"Considering I'm still alive, I'd say it's the other way around," she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I guess someone is just determined to put my head on a spike."

That jab had been a shot in the dark, hoping he'd take the bait and react in a way that would confirm her suspicions. After all, even if she hated herself for doubting a fellow Zodiac member, she couldn't deny Ondori was the most likely to want her dead. He hated her guts, after all. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of you), his glare didn't lessen in the least and not a hint of doubt flashed through his gaze.

"It's no wonder. You're fucking annoying," he simply replied. For once, though, there was no venom in his voice. "Still can't find that someone, then?"

"If we did, I wouldn't be a living target anymore," she pointed out, sighing heavily. "But I guess it's just as Hana said after all."

"Oh?"

"We either make the rules or break them." She grinned at that. "Some people are bound to hate us for that, don't you think?"

He snorted. "Obviously."

After what, neither of them said another word, content to end the more or less civil conversation. They were far from at peace, but both were too tired for an all-out war right now.

.

.

"It went just as you said."

"What did?"

"Bitch-sensei figured out the plan and stormed out," summarized Itona, not looking up from his video game. "She seemed pretty upset."

"Understandable," huffed Ame, checking one of her knives. It looked a little blunt, and it barely drew any blood when she pressed it against her finger. "No one likes to be manipulated, you of all people should know that, right?"

"Aa. Do you think she left for good?"

"Doubtful." Ame started looking around for her sharpener. "She's too proud for that. I can't say there won't be consequences, though. Ever since she got here, she's been opening up to us. My guess is that she'll put back on the assassin mask to better deal with her emotions. It might be a while before she comes back to normal."

"I see."

"What I don't see is my sharpener," grunted the girl, still looking. "Where is it?"

"Behind the curtains," answered Itona without missing a beat.

"What?" She went to check and, just as told, it was there. She was confused, though. "Why was it behind the curtain?"

"You put it there to hide it from Kiba when he barged into the room the other day," shrugged the boy, still caught up in his game.

"Oh, right…" She then remembered something else. "By the way, you shouldn't play for an extended period of time with that game."

At that, he did look up from the game to report his attention to her. "Why?"

"Because it's really old, and it tends to—" The screen suddenly turned black, and she sweatdropped. "—crash. It tends to crash."

"… does that mean I have to start over again?"

"Yes."

"Damn it."

.

.

Three days had passed since the failed matchmaking, and Irina had yet to come back to school, which greatly worried the students. If Ame had been a little smug at first about being right, she was now starting to wonder if she should ask Usagi to look into it. After all, it truly was out of character for their teacher to simply up and leave like that. Sure, she enjoyed dramatics but, if she wanted to leave, she'd do it with a bang. So, for her to simply vanish like that…

"Day three, uh?" sighed Maehara, leaning back in his seat.

"Maybe we went too far," frowned Yada.

"Call me if anything happens with Irina-sensei," demanded Korosensei, heading for the window. For one reason or another, his skin had taken the colors of a soccer ball. "I've got to get to Brazil to take in a soccer match!"

"Oh, wait!" Ame jumped to her feet, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Can you drop me off on the way? I also have a game to catch."

"Of course! I don't mind!"

"A game?" repeated Rio, surprised. "I didn't know you liked watching sports. I thought you'd rather play them."

"I do," nodded her friend. "But it's my brother's basketball game. It's important for him, so I want to cheer him on."

"Oh, it's tonight?" realized Itona. "I thought it was next week."

"It was, but they moved it up earlier for one reason or another," shrugged Ame. "Anyway, you don't have to come. I know you've been busy with catching up with class."

"Aa. Wish him good luck for me."

"Will do!" She waved as Korosensei wrapped his tentacles around her so they could move safely at Mach speed 20. "Later guys!"

"Bye-bye!"

And they were gone in a flash. The rest of the students started pondering over the assassin's location. Unfortunately, she wasn't answering her phone, and she didn't appear on the GPS or any public camera surveillance. Ritsu had also asked Usagi for some help already, but the man hadn't managed to find anything.

"She wouldn't leave over something like this, would she?" wondered Chiba.

"That's not it. There's still something you need her to do," pointed out the flower-selling clerk they had met earlier that day.

"Right? And besides, it's fun having her around," remarked Okano.

"Yes, you've bonded nicely, you and her," nodded the man, coming to stand at the front of the class. "My preliminary research has already verified that much. All I'll do is exploit that."

A moment of silence followed that statement. It took the students a few seconds to realize what was wrong with the situation: why was the flower-selling clerk in their classroom? He had walked in so casually none of them had noticed he wasn't even supposed to be there.

"I'm the assassin known as the Reaper," he introduced himself with a pleasant smile. "And now I have a lesson for you all."

"What the…"

"This guy…"

"A flower's beauty negates human caution and opens the heart," stated the assassin with a soft smile. "Just like I told you guys, Nagisa-kun. But the original reason flowers evolved to be lovely and fragrant—"

'TLING' Ritsu had received a message.

"Ritsu-san, bring up the image I sent you," asked nicely the man.

She did as told. A moment later, on the screen appeared a picture that sent chills running down their spines: Irina was lying on the ground, barely clothed and tied up like an animal being sent to the butcher.

"—was to attract insects," concluded the Reaper. He started outlining the woman on the board. "I'll cut to the chase: if you want to keep her alive, you must all come to the location I specify—and not a word to your teachers. You don't have to if you don't want to. I can send her to you." He finished drawing ominous lines over the drawn body. "To each of you, equally, in little pieces. And my next flower will likely be one of you."

"Oi, now, buddy…" Terasaka stepped up, gritting his teeth. "We have no real obligation to save that bossy bitch. Plus, did you think we wouldn't give you a beating right here, you kidnapper?"

"That's incorrect, Terasaka-kun," replied the Reaper, unbothered. "Wrong on all counts. You all like her more than you think. Also, a human could never cut down the Reaper." He suddenly threw the flower bouquet he had brought in the air, petals scattering around and blinding everyone. "Fear not. The Reaper only cuts people down."

And before any of them could do anything, he was gone, leaving behind him scattered petals, shell-shocked students and a map with a message written on the back.

"Come as a class to the location on the map before 6:00 pm tonight," read Isogai, frowning.

"Just like with Takaoka and Shiro," realized Chiba. "They must be looking to take us hostage and draw out Korosensei."

Sugino slammed his fist on his desk. "Damn it!"

A silence ensued, none of them knowing what to do or say. It's not like they had much of a choice in the matter, either. If they didn't go as told… then what would happen to their teacher?

"Should I call Ame?" then asked Rio, staring at her phone in worry. "He said to come as a class, but she's at that basketball game right now… Should I tell her to come with us?"

"She still has that bounty on her head," recalled Karma, still a tad shaken by the appearance of the Reaper. "If she comes with us, he'll surely kill her. She's just under Korosensei when it comes to people the government wants dead the most, after all."

"Don't contact her," decided Isogai, sighing heavily. "If worst comes to worst, she'll understand there's a problem and will come with Korosensei."

"But how would she find us?" wondered Yada.

"Ritsu." All eyes turned to the purple-haired program as Maehara called out to her. "If things go south, then send her the location and the picture immediately. She'll understand."

"Got it!"

"So we're really doing this, uh?" Terasaka ran a hand through his hair, annoyed. "In that case, should we take these?"

Most were surprised when seeing him pull out the new equipment and uniforms given to them by the government. Was it really okay to go armed and ready to fight?

"To protect someone, uh…?" Rio rose to her feet, deadly serious.

"Greatest assassin or not, we won't let his plan go off without a hitch!" assured the ruffian, pumped up. "Right!?"

On that, the others could only agree. If they had to play this sick game, then it'd be by their rules and no one else's.

.

.

Ame enjoyed the basketball game, and Kiba greatly appreciated her coming all the way to his school to cheer him on. He knew she had been busy with school and work lately, so it made him feel better knowing she still had some time for him and the others.

"Great game, Kiba!" praised the girl, ruffling his hair.

"I know, right?" he boasted smugly. "I was so pumped up! This big guy was blocking the way but I managed to bypass his defense and bam! Did you see it? That throw was amazing!"

"You're so full of it," snorted Ame. She then nudged him toward the door. "Go get changed, quickly. Obaa-san is waiting for us outside."

"Right!"

The boy rushed to the locker room, eager to speak of his exploits during the game to their caretaker. While he got changed, Ame checked her phone. There were no messages from the Zodiac, meaning no job for tonight, and she didn't have any missed calls.

So why do I have such a bad feeling…?

Because ever since she left the classroom earlier with Korosensei, her stomach had been twisting in knots. She had the distinct feeling something had happened, but she didn't know what. She had checked her phone many times during the game, but nothing. If something had happened, surely one of her classmates would have warned her, right?

Well, can't hurt to make sure.

Grabbing her phone, she quickly dialed Rio's number and waited for the girl to answer.

In the end, things had gone south. Unfortunately, Ritsu had been hacked and refused to help out the students by warning either Korosensei or even Ame. They had managed to escape the cell at first, but the Reaper had quickly caught up to them and knocked them out one after the other like useless flies. Much to their horror, Irina also proved herself to be a traitor and had helped him capture them. They were now back in a cell, handcuffed and unable to call for help.

"I don't know how you're going to try killing Korosensei, but will it really all go according to plan?" wondered Karma in his usual taunting tone.

"No matter how poor my intel is, I'll still get results," assured Reaper, obviously unbothered by the taunts. "That's the world's best assassin for you—hm?"

He frowned at his phone, before showing whatever it was to Irina, whose eyes widened.

"Karasuma?" she murmured.

Instantly, relief washed over the students. If Karasuma was there, then surely Korosensei was too, and both of them would surely be able to put up a fight and free them.

"How did he know?" mused Reaper, genuinely surprised.

"The octopus," shrugged Itona, as calm as ever. "He said if there was ever a wall his students couldn't get over, then it'd be his turn."

"… a tad annoying, but nothing I hadn't prepared for," remarked the pro assassin. "Though it's a shame, considering we're still short on one special guest."

"Uh?"

Reaper offered the students a pleasant smile. "Why, did you think I wouldn't notice you were missing someone? I have gathered quite a lot of information on all of you, and it's all thanks to that person, after all."

"W- what do you mean?" Kayano dared to ask, worried at what he was implying. "Are you saying that- that Ame-chan turned on us!?"

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort," chuckled the man. "She simply—"

"TUT-TUTUTUTUTUT-TUT-TUTUTUTUT—"

The assassin pulled out another phone from his pocket, and Rio gasped. "My- my phone!"

"Well, talking about the devil," mused Reaper. "Give me a moment, would you?"

The students could only watch with growing confusion and horror as the man accepted the call and put the phone on speaker so they could all hear the following conversation.

"Rio?" That was definitely Ame's voice. "Is everything alright? Did you find anything about Bitch-sensei?"

The blonde was about to answer but the gun suddenly pointed at her face made the warning die on her lips. She went pale, staring at the barrel in shock, frozen by terror. The rest of the students stiffened, instantly understanding the message: if they said a single word, they'd pay a heavy price.

"Ame, it's me," then replied Reaper, a smile growing on his lips. "I just found that phone outside. Is there a problem?"

"Inu? W- what do you mean, outside?" The students didn't understand how or why the girl seemed to know Reaper. "Where?"

"I'm sending you the location. I'm afraid your friends might be in trouble," he replied with fake concern. "I'll scout the area to see if there's any other clue as to their whereabouts."

"Please do. I'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks, Inu!"

"No problem."

And he hung up, before reporting his attention on the stunned students, lowering his gun. Though, even Irina seemed shocked by the strange turn of events, so she probably hadn't been made aware of that particular detail.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Reaper chuckled yet again, though it was much darker this time around. "Ame and I work together."

"This- this doesn't make any sense!" protested Rio, pale. "She's not an assassin!"

"Of course not. She doesn't have what it takes to kill people," he snorted, a tad derisively. "But she is a part of the show tonight. I'm afraid you'll have to wait for her to get here before getting any more answers, though."

"If you don't mind answering one more question…" Reaper reported his attention to Karma, who seemed pensive. "How'd you know which phone to pick? You were waiting for her to call, weren't you?"

The assassin seemed pleased by the question. "Perceptive boy, aren't you? Well, I know for a fact that outside of her colleagues and her grandmother, there are only three other people who have her number: you, Isogai-kun, and Nakamura-san. Since she's closer to the later, it was easy to guess she'd be the one being called. Though, I gotta say, that's quite the achievement! Ame doesn't trust many people, after all. You ought to feel privileged, really."

"This is crazy," muttered Fuwa. "You talk as if- as if—"

"As if I've known her for years?" completed the man, amused. "That's because I have. Though, as I said, you'll get your answers later—well, probably. In the meantime, we should get ready to handle our two other guests."

After talking to Inu, Ame received the location. It wasn't far from Kiba's school, so she'd be there in ten minutes at most. Thankfully, she had thought of bringing along her work uniform, just in case she received a surprise job. Sure, she wasn't supposed to wear it for anything else than Zodiac business but, right now, it was better than rushing ahead wearing her school uniform. So, after waving goodbye to Kiba and her grandmother, she quickly left them to get changed. Once done, she re-checked the location once more before she started running.

I can't contact Ritsu, so there must be a serious problem, she realized, jumping from one roof to the other. The sun had just set, so people wouldn't notice her. Karma and Isogai-kun aren't answering either. I don't have Karasuma-sensei's number, nor Korosensei's. This looks bad but there's Inu, at least. I know I can count on him.

When she reached the given location, though, all she found was an empty area and an open door that seemed to lead underground. Frowning, she tried calling on Rio's phone again but, this time, there was no signal. When she tried to contact Inu, he didn't answer either.

Something's definitely wrong. Should I contact the rest of the Zodiac? If Inu is missing… She shook her head. No, there's no time. I'll just have to be careful.

So, on guard, she quietly made her way inside.

Somehow, Reaper had managed to capture Korosensei, who was now stuck in the cell behind bars made of anti-sensei material. Karasuma could only follow the assassin downstairs since Irina had yet to say a word after turning on them and he still didn't fully understand who they were up against. Plus, he was now holding the students hostage, having attached bombs around their necks.

"Ooh?" Reaper smiled as he checked his phone. "Looks like she's finally here."

"Ame…!" gasped Rio. They had completely forgotten about her when Korosensei fell in the cell. "She's gonna be captured too!"

"Captured?" repeated Reaper, surprised. He then started laughing. "I have no plans of capturing her. Why, she'll be better off dead!"

They all froze at that. He couldn't mean—

"You're another after Naoki's bounty, then?" Karasuma gritted his teeth. "You—"

"Everyone!"

Ame suddenly showed up, using another door. She had checked around to make sure no enemy was around but, when she saw all of her friends, teachers, and Inu together, she felt relieved.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she exclaimed, quickly running down the stairs. "But why are you stuck in a place like that? What happened? Oh, no matter. Inu! Come on, help me get them out of here!"

"Wait, Ame, he's—"

'POW'

The fired shot echoed loudly, bouncing off the walls and making everyone flinch. The silence that followed was intense, all eyes widening in shock as Ame suddenly collapsed to the ground, holding her side. Her cry of pain was even more horrifying than the shot, though.

"AME!" panicked Rio.

"Damn it!" Karasuma tried to interfere, but Irina blocked off his path, her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing, Irina!?"

"Argh! D- damn it!" Ame tried to sit up, her face scrunched up in pain. Her gloves were already soaked in blood. "What the hell!?"

"I keep telling you, Ame," sighed Reaper, charging his gun again as he slowly stalked toward her. "You need to watch your left side. You tend to leave it open."

"I- Inu…?" She paled when seeing his gun. "What… what are you doing? What's the meaning of this…?"

"You've been a thorn in my side for quite a while, Ame," he replied, aiming his gun at her yet again. "At first I thought getting rid of you would be easy. You were just a brat, after all. Killing you should be a piece of cake, right? But, somehow, you managed to survive every single attempt on your life. Even when your bounty went up, you still managed to stay alive. That's really frustrating, you know that?"

"… you're the one who put up that bounty," she realized, feeling nauseous. "You're- you're the traitor!?"

"Surprise," he drawled. "Didn't see it coming, did you?"

"But- but why?" She was starting to feel a little light-headed thanks to the blood still profusely flowing from her wound. "Why would you- why would you do this? I- I thought we were friends, damn it!"

"Friends?" He cocked his head in confusion. "I don't have friends—only pawns. You were a pawn too, at first. That is, until you decided to get in my way."

"I didn't—"

"You were just a useless brat!" His temper rose, and he was suddenly angry. He roughly kicked her in the ribs, ignoring the yells and protests of the students. "He took you in out of pity because you were so fricking miserable! You were nothing! But then he goes and decides to choose you? You over me!? A stupid kid over the greatest assassin in the world!?"

At that, Ame's eyes widened in understanding.

::

"Naoki Ame. Although he's probably still waiting to tell you, I believe Saru has been training you to become the next leader of the Zodiac."

::

"… you want to become the leader of the Zodiac," she realized, shaking a little. "That's been your goal all along…?"

That seemed to calm him down somewhat. "So you do know."

That only sparked her own anger, though, and she somehow managed to find the strength to rise back to her feet.

"Are ya fucking mad!?" she snapped, her eyes blazing. "You've been trying ta have me killed for months 'cause ya decided ta throw a fucking jealousy fit!? 'Cause Saru supposedly chose me as his successor instead of ya!?"

"I've sacrificed too many things to get where I am now!" he snarled back, pointing his gun at her face. "I won't let a stupid girl like you take it all away! Just die!"

"AS IF!"

She rammed into him like an enraged bull, throwing him off balance. She used the opportunity to kick the gun out of his grasp, making it slip further away. Her victory was of short notice, though, as he harshly brought down his joined fists over her head, making her crash on the ground. She spat out some blood at that, having bit her tongue. He didn't let her rest and harshly kicked her in the ribs once again, making them crack. More blood pooled out of her wound and while she tried to apply pressure over it, she could tell it wasn't doing much. Easily noticing how out-of-strength she was, Inu grabbed her by the hair and threw her away as if she weighed no more than a feather. She harshly hit the bars of the cell, before collapsing yet again, completely out of it.

She wouldn't be able to get up again.

"No, Ame!" Rio rushed to her side, trying to nudge her with her shoulder. "Come on, wake up!"

"You ought to worry about yourself some more," then remarked Reaper, slowly walking up to them. "You see, I'm about to flood this place with water. This is a drainage canal. On my command from the control room up above, 200 tons of water per second will squeeze you into noodles against these bars." He then crouched before Ame, who was still unconscious. "I would have liked to play around some more, but I guess there's no time. I'll leave her here. She'll bleed out or drown, I don't really care—as long as she dies."

"Wait! Do you truly intend to kill the students, too?" then protested Karasuma, shoving Irina out of the way to reach Reaper and grab his shoulder. "You can't be serious!"

"Of course!" smiled pleasantly the assassin, all traces of anger having vanished. "It's too late to wait."

"Irina! You knew as much, and yet…"

"As a pro, I just prioritized results," she replied coldly. "That's all. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"True, it may be a little harsh…" Reaper shook off the agent's hold. "Or should I let our best chance of saving the world slip away before our eyes? And you can't really blame me about Ame: as an assassin, it's in my right to kill any target I come across, right?"

"You're a fraud!" instantly accused Rio, more than angry. "You're the one who put that bounty in the first place! Had it not been for you—"

"It's not like she never made enemies before," shrugged the man. "She just so happened to make the mistake of having me as one of them."

"If you're so skilled, then why didn't you kill her yourself the first time around?" then asked Karma. They were trying to win some time, but he knew it wouldn't last. "Why go through all the trouble of putting up a bounty and waiting for the results?"

"The organization we work for is well-versed in investigations and the likes. I would have been found out in the blink of an eye, and then I could kiss goodbye to my ambitions," he answered, obviously in a good mood. "But I guess I was fooling myself into thinking I could keep my hands clean. After all, as the saying goes: if you want a job done well, do it yourself. Right?"

"Actually, here's how the government sees it."

Before Reaper could react, Karasuma suddenly punched him in the face. He almost fell but managed to regain his balance, putting some distance between the two of them.

"The lives of twenty-eight people are weightier than the Earth," stated firmly the agent. "If you still plan on killing them, too… I'll stop you." He took off his jacket, revealing the guns hidden underneath. "And I'll tell you this, Irina: being a pro isn't quite so carefree."

"If it takes too long to kill Karasuma, my plans will come apart," then remarked Reaper, his tone a tad more somber. "And so…"

Without warning, he took off. He was fast, faster than anyone anticipated, and he managed to flee the tunnel before anyone could see him. Karasuma cursed, instantly running after him.

"W- wait! Karasuma-sensei!" called Korosensei. "Turn on your transceiver!"

But the man was already gone.

"Mmph. How rash." Irina easily took off the fake bomb attached to her neck. "Karasuma may stand apart from others… but he goes even further. Just look at how easily he trapped that octopus—"

"Bitch-sensei!" Rio exclaimed, tears in her eyes. "I don't care about whatever's happening right now, just help Ame! Please!"

At that, the woman lowered her eyes to the unconscious, bleeding teen lying on the ground. She was losing a lot of blood and she probably suffered from a concussion too. Right at that moment, the blonde beauty did feel a twinge of guilt. She knew that, if the girl survived this ordeal, her injuries wouldn't be the worst she'd have to deal with: it'd be the harsh and bitter pain of betrayal. It was a pain she could understand easily, even empathize with.

It wasn't a pain Irina could take away, though.

"Irina." Reaper was contacting her trough the transceiver. "I've set up a trap. While Karasuma is fiddling with him, shoot him from behind."

"… understood."

Without another look back, she too left the canal.

"Damn it!" Rio started banging against the bars. "Ame? Ame! Wake up, damn it!"

"Ugh… so noisy…" mumbled the girl, struggling to open her eyes.

"You're gonna be okay, alright? Just hang in there!" pleaded the blonde.

At that, her friend offered her a weak smile. "As if… as if I'd die… so easily…"

At the same time, numerous explosions started echoing around. Then, a bigger one made the entire canal shake on its foundations. Korosensei, who had been trying to get through to Karasuma, finally managed to connect their transceivers.

"I finally got through!" he exhaled in relief. "What was that explosion?"

"I'm all right, but Irina 's trapped under the debris. I don't have time for that, though. I'm going after the Reaper—"

"You can't!" instantly protested Kurahashi, taking a hold of the walkie-talkie. "Why won't you help her, Karasuma-sensei?"

"Kurahashi… Irina partnered with the Reaper to get results in her own way. A real pro accepts her own responsibility."

"What's being a pro has to do with it?" insisted the girl. "I know this is coming from a fifteen-year-old girl… but Bitch-sensei is only twenty-one! Growing up in an environment with no peace of mind, she probably forgot to pick up some of the pieces along the way that would make her a grown-up. So please… rescue her, Karasuma-sensei. Just like you forgive us, students, when we make mistakes."

"… alright."

Everyone sighed in relief at that, glad. Even though Irina had betrayed them, they knew better than to simply forsake her. After all, everyone made a mistake every once in a while—

"Wait," gasped Fuwa, her eyes going wide. "Where's Ame!?"

Because the girl was gone, leaving only a trail of blood behind her.

.

.

"Irina. Where's Karasuma?"

The woman slightly tilted her head so she could look at Reaper. His form was obscured, so she couldn't really see him, but he was oozing killing intent.

"He was already gone when I came to," she answered flatly. "That was awful of you, Reaper, blowing me up, too."

"Yeah, sorry about that!" smiled the man. "I wouldn't have been able to achieve my goal otherwise. Besides, our world is one of deceiving and being deceived."

"Oh, I don't mind. After all, I'm a bitch who hops from man to man," replied pleasantly Irina.

His eyes widened, but it was too late. Karasuma grabbed him from behind before throwing both of them off the floor, and they started falling. There was the distinct sound of bodies hitting the water, but it didn't take long for noises of the following battle to be heard.

"Man, you sure jump ship quickly, uh?"

Irina startled, her eyes snapping to Ame. "Na- Naoki! What the hell are you doing here?"

The girl let out a humorless chuckle. "As if I'd go down without a fight. He already got on my shit list for threatening you and everyone else, but now? Now, he managed to make it both business and personal."

"So you really worked together," understood Irina, narrowing her eyes. "The Zodiac… I had heard about it a few times from Lovro before, but I never thought you'd be a part of that legendary group. I wasn't even sure it existed for real."

"We like to stick to the shadows," simply replied the teen. "And we like to stick together, too, though I guess Inu… no, I guess Reaper never got the memo."

"… you'll have to tell your friends."

"I know. Now's not the time, though." Ame started heading for the stairs, limping a little and still holding her side, though it was awkwardly bandaged and no longer bleeding. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss this fight. Oh, here!"

She threw a bottle at the woman, who easily caught it. "What is that?"

"Special pills made by our unique doctor. They replenish blood and energy, though you'll crash in a few hours for at least a day after that," explained the girl. "Give them back later, 'kay?"

Before Irina could reply, the girl was already gone, which made her shudder a little. Now that she knew of their connection, she understood better why Reaper and Ame seemed to possess such similar skillsets.

When Ame finally got downstairs, it was only to find Reaper and Karasuma engaged in a harsh hand-to-hand battle. Both seemed evenly matched, and she couldn't deny she was impressed. Of course, seeing the man she once considered her friend now fighting so he could kill her and her friends made her stomach churn, but she couldn't deny his skills were greater than she anticipated. If she tried to take him head-on, she wouldn't last half-a-minute.

I can still use his inattention to my advantage. She went to hide behind one of the pillars, keeping a close eye on the fight. I just need to wait for the right moment to strike!

Grabbing one of her knives, she got into position, ready to jump into action. The two men were moving fast but, after getting used to Korosensei's movements, they actually looked slow. Out of nowhere, though, they stopped exchanging blows and Reaper threw… a rose?

A distraction! Ame frowned as he lifted his hand toward Karasuma. What is he—

A gunshot followed. Her eyes went wide as she realized there was actually a gun hidden in his very finger. It had fired a small bullet, too small to cause any real damage, but she instantly noticed where it had hit.

"The Reaper's hidden scythe," stated coolly the man. "Just a .10 caliber. Its minute bullets ass between muscle and bone to tear a hole in the aorta. The aorta's bloodstream pressure widens that hole—" Blood suddenly burst out of Karasuma's chest. "—until you die from major blood loss."

As Karasuma collapsed to his knees and Reaper started lowering his finger, Ame didn't think twice about it and threw her knife. It flew straight and fast, hitting its target dead on. A cry of pain followed as blood splattered around and tainted the water red, the man's finger falling in it along with the knife.

"Damn it!" he cursed, instantly turning his glare to her. "You stupid girl… You just keep getting in my way!"

"Inu. When you turned on me, you broke the trust of the Zodiac," she replied, calmly stepping out of her hiding place. She showed him her phone. "I already texted Saru to warn him. As we speak, measures are put into place so you can never come back. You know what that means, don't you?"

"No!" The man instantly threw his own knives, though she easily avoided them. His aim wasn't as true now that he was missing a finger. "Damn it! You're lying!"

"As of today, you are no longer part of the Zodiac," she announced clearly. "As of today, you are the one with a target on your back."

"DAMN YOU!"

She didn't even flinch as he started running at her, his face scrunched up like a madman's. Just as he reached her, Karasuma came at him from behind and harshly kicked him in the nuts. Letting out a yelp of pain, the assassin stumbled away.

"No- no way! How…" Through his teary eyes, he only then noticed the tentacle hanging over Karasuma's shoulder, from which was leaking 'blood'. "You were dummied up with juice!?"

"Ready, Reaper?" Karasuma moved to face him properly, and Ame was more than happy to leave the rest of the fight to him. "You messed with my precious students and colleagues."

"W- wait! Who else could kill him, if not me!?" protested Reaper, now on the verge of panic. His nuts hurt like hell, he was still missing a finger, and he had given away his Ace: there was no way out of this. "I'm the best there is! No one else could—"

"Our classroom has all the skills we need!" On which Karasuma pounced forward and fully decked him in the face. The assassin collapsed, down for the count. "So why don't you quit the killing game already? Your skills will come in handy at the employment office."

Ame snorted at that. "You're too cool for your own good, Karasuma-sensei."

That earned her a small smile. "And you're too reckless for your own good. Weren't you shot?"

"Can't you sound a little more worried?" she huffed.

"If you're still able to complain, I doubt there's much to worry about."

She rolled her eyes at that, but couldn't deny it. Yagi's pills were one of the greatest medicinal advances in the world and only he could make them. They accelerated the natural regenerative abilities of the body, allowing wounds of all sorts to closer faster. It also stopped injuries from bleeding out, numbed the pain and gave the user a boost of energy. Of course, as she'd explained earlier, she'd crash in an hour or two and wouldn't wake up for a while but, once she did, she'd have no injuries to worry about. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to use one of those pills for at least six months afterward, so she'd have to be more careful from here on out.

"We should go meet up with the rest of the students," then suggested Karasuma.

"Right. Just give me a minute."

There was still a small detail she needed to take care of. Looking around, it didn't take her long to find the finger she had cut off earlier. She picked it up and pulled off the ring without hesitation. The ring was made so that the only way to take it off was to cut off the finger since a needle passed through it to firmly attach the special jewelry to it. It was a way to ensure the members couldn't lose it, no matter the situation. And, well, she couldn't very well leave it here, either.

"That ring…" She startled as Karasuma arrived before her, eyeing the ring she was holding. "It's the same as yours, isn't it?"

"… yeah. I've got a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"

"I believe it can wait 'til tomorrow, at least," replied the man with a sigh. He then picked up the unconscious Reaper, propping him on his back. "Let's go."

"Right."

When they joined up with the rest of the class, they had already managed to free themselves from the cell. As soon as she saw Ame, Rio ran up to her and hugged her so tightly she almost suffocated the poor girl. Everyone was, of course, relieved to see that everyone was alright. It was obvious that they still had many questions, but they knew better than to ask them now.

"The man had marvelous skills, but put too much faith in them," stated quietly Karasuma, staring down at the unconscious Reaper lying on the floor.

"Whoever influenced him was a fool," sighed Korosensei, sounding almost like he was grieving. "He could have used his skills to follow a much straighter path."

"Sparing people or killing them… It's all up to the person and the world around them," added the agent.

"Exactly. Isn't that right, Irina-sensei?"

The woman startled at being called out so suddenly. She had been hanging in the farther back, obviously too ashamed to face them properly. In fact, she had been trying to slip away before any of the teens could notice her.

…

…

…

"YOU BITCH!" Most of the students instantly started running after her. "What's the big idea, trying to run away!?"

They easily caught up to her and forcefully dragged her back to the group. Holding her down so she couldn't escape, and bringing her to her knees. At that, the woman grew angry.

"Argh! Just do whatever you want!" she cursed. "The boys with their usual pent-up animal lust, the girls with their usual envy of my beauty—just let it all out in an explosion of sexual violence!"

"Her ideas are getting wild," sweatdropped Rio.

"She looks like a cornered animal," added Ame, sharing the feeling.

"Look, just come to school like always," then snapped Terasaka, shutting her up. "No more shirking your duties for days on end."

"I'm dying to know more about that story—swindling Arabian royalty until you were on the brink of war!" mused Yada.

"If you don't come back, I'll just keep that French Boys Over Flowers manga you lent me!" warned Kataoka.

"You do know I was this close to killing you all, right?" replied Irina, frowning.

"Is that a problem?" however retorted Takebayashi. "Backstabbing, treachery… Isn't that what makes you a bitch?"

"And if we can't even enjoy school with a bitch, what are we doing being junior-high assassins, anyway?" added Rio, grinning.

"That's how it is." Karasuma suddenly walked up to her and handed over the rose Reaper had thrown away earlier. "This flower wasn't borrowed from our students. I came by it intentionally, by defeating the enemy. Is that good enough for your birthday?"

"..." Irina seemed at a loss for word before she smiled softly—genuinely. "Yes."

Relieved, the students started laughing and cheering a little. Ame snorted internally. Who knew the government agent could be such a smooth talker?

"Karasuma-sensei, a word before things take a turn for the racy?" then asked Korosensei.

"It definitely won't, but please," replied flatly the man.

"I don't want the students involved in this kind of danger again," he then demanded, his tentacles reaching out to pat each student on the head. "I must insist on an environment where we can safely kill and be killed."

At that, Karasuma didn't even hesitate. "I know. I'll do all I can to ensure the students' safety."

They all exchanged smiles at that. After what, Korosensei took hold of Reaper, promising he'd be back as soon as he dropped him off at the nearest jail. The students then made their way outside, glad it was finally over. However, as soon as they returned to the surface, they found themselves surrounded by mysterious masked figures. The students instantly fell into a defensive position, while Karasuma quickly calculated the threat level.

There are fourteen of them… Do their masks represent animals? I've never heard of—

"Everyone, calm down." All eyes snapped to Ame, who seemed resigned. "They're with me."

At that, one of the figures stepped forward. It was obviously a woman if the curves were anything to go by, with familiar red hair and a mask representing a snake.

"It's good to see you safe," she stated mildly. "We came as soon as we received your message."

Ame nodded, before grabbing Inu's ring and throwing it at another figure, who was wearing a monkey mask. The man caught it and nodded in understanding, gesturing for the others to fall back. At the signal, they started vanishing one after the other.

"We're going back," he announced blankly. "Kitsune?"

Ignoring the bewildered stares, from her friends, Ame pulled out her own fox mask and quickly put it on, before moving to join the group. At the last moment, though, she stopped walking.

"I promise I'll explain everything when I come back," she assured quietly. "And I will come back. As soon as we've handled everything."

And without a sound, all of the masked people vanished, along with Ame.

Whew, finally got to that point, uh? I'm rather curious to see if anyone saw the Inu/Reaper coming, so please drop a review when you have the time, ah ah! Also, I don't have a specific publishing schedule since I'm kind of stuck in the end-of-term right now, but I promise I'll try to publish as soon as I can manage! See you guys later, and thank you to everyone reading and supporting this story!