Exactly thirty-six hours passed before Ame woke up. Due to the severity of her injuries, the special regenerative pill she had swallowed had taken quite the toll on her body. However, after a thorough examination, Yagi assured there'd be no lasting damage nor trauma from the gunshot wound. Her ribs were almost fully healed, and the bruises coating her arms and legs had already vanished. In the end, the only thing that he couldn't treat was the trauma left by Inu's betrayal.

However, now was not the time to grieve her friend's treachery. Although he had been arrested, they couldn't risk staying in the same place anymore. Thankfully, Saru had apparently been preparing something for a while, already aware that there was a traitor in their midst, and so brand-new headquarters had already been set up. While Ame was unconscious, all of the members worked tirelessly in order to move out the equipment, modify the drop points, change the usual routes, alert their contacts, replace the phones and their numbers, etc, etc. There was no doubt in their mind that, now that he had been caught, Inu—no, the Reaper would do his utmost to bring them down with him, and they certainly weren't about to let him.

"Is there really nothing I can do to help?" Ame asked for the fourth time since she woke up.

"As I told you, there's nothing more to do, brat," grunted Yagi, putting away his medical supplies. "We've handled everything while you were in that semi-coma state. Still can't believe that bastard actually shot you…"

"Yeah, me neither," sighed Ame, still feeling a bit disoriented. "To think he'd turn on us like that… Ne, Yagi? Is it true? About… about Saru wanting me to—"

"He's called for a meeting," the gruff man cut her off, turning his back to her. "It's in an hour. Take that time to rest some more."

"Wait, what—"

But he didn't wait, simply leaving her to deal with her demons. Cursing under her breath, Ame laid back down, her mind swirling with unanswered questions and doubts. After what both Lovro and Inu—the Reaper said, it was actually a pretty stupid question: Saru was planning on making her his successor. However, the real question was… why? Why her? Why now?

And there's still the class to deal with, she then recalled, biting back a cringe. There's no way to lie my way through it this time around. I'll have to explain everything to them…

But there was no point in worrying about that for now. Until she and the others handled the Zodiac's business and all of the issues that came with the Reaper's betrayal, she wouldn't go back to school. Hopefully, though, it wouldn't take too long. Not because she missed school particularly, but because she knew that, if she took too long to come back, then her friends and their dumbass octopus teacher would surely come after her and 'cause all sorts of trouble.

Hana came to fetch her exactly fifty-six minutes later. Neither of them uttering a word, they went to the meeting room together. Ame had already started memorizing the layout of their new headquarters, but she couldn't help but feel a little lost, still. This wasn't the place where she had grown up, and suddenly moving out was only a bitter reminder of what had happened. However, her emotional pain was quickly brushed aside when they entered the meeting room, in which thirteen of the sixteen seats were already occupied. As Hana and Ame went to take their respective places, the girl glanced to the seat to her right. The drawing of a dog was clearly displayed on the seat, since this one was empty. Also, the ring she had recovered from the Reaper's finger had been placed on the table just before the empty seat. Shaking her head, she then looked around, surprised, and maybe a tad intimidated, too.

I've never seen us all gathered in the same place before, she mused internally. Though then again, I'm guessing a situation like this one never really came up before, uh?

"Alright, let's not waste any more time," stated flatly Saru, for once serious. Everyone reported their attention to him as he rose to his feet. "Inu has betrayed us. In order to fulfill his selfish ambitions, he attempted to kill Ame not two days ago. Now that the primary issues created by the situation have been handled, I believe it's time to make some more personal changes."

"Meaning?" Isana replied, unimpressed by his cryptic words.

"We've built up this organization on the basics of trust and teamwork. However, I have now come to understand that trusting people isn't just blindly accepting them, but accepting them when we actually know who they are." He then smiled. "You have known me as Saru for all these years, but my real name is Jason Clay. I joined the Zodiac sixteen years ago, when I was eighteen, because I was on the run from the American government due to the illegal weapon dealing market I had created when I was still an assassin-for-hire. Now, your turn!"

"W- wait!" instantly protested Ondori, not liking how things had taken such a drastic turn without any warning. "You want us to actually give away our names? I thought the point of this organization was keeping secrets!"

"We're info-brokers, but the rules have always been clear: the names, the pasts, and the lives of the members are their own. Anyone is forbidden from digging into those, and only the member in question can give away their personal information," confirmed Saru, unperturbed by the outburst. "However, this is the second instance of treason the Zodiac has had to deal with, and the problem stays the same: we let it happen because we didn't know anything. So, if we want to avoid a third instance of betrayal, I believe it's time we definitely turn things around."

The second time? Blinked Ame, confused. She looked around, but everyone else, saved for Red-Eye, seemed to understand what he was talking about. When did it happen—

::

"Ame, watch out!"

The gun fired.

::

Her breath hitched a bit. All this time, she had done her best to suppress the memory of that terrible night and, while she'd never forget the gun, she had forgotten the face and the name of the man she had shot. But now… Well, she still couldn't remember, but she was fairly certain that was the member who had betrayed them the first time around.

"If you don't agree with this change of rules, then you're welcome to leave," then announced Saru, gesturing to the door. "But understand that, as soon as you walk out of this door, you will no longer be a member, and you will have to remove your ring before stepping out. If you wish to stay, however…" He offered them a grin. "It's all cards on the table, right here, right now."

There was a moment of silence as everyone silently pondered over the ultimatum. In the end, they all understood that trust was merely a mean to an end—Saru's true goal was insurance. If one of them ever decided to jump ship, then the others would be quick to turn on them and use all of their personal information against them. It was a 'tell-on-me-and-I'll-tell-on-you' kind of situation and, while Ame wasn't exactly a fan of such an underhanded, manipulative technique, she couldn't deny its usefulness—and neither could anyone else.

"Dale, AKA Ryu," suddenly said the man in question. "I created the Zodiac twenty-two years ago, when I was seventeen, because the Army I was a part of at the time tried to sell me out to another country for some money. They used my loyalty against me, and so I decided to create this info-broking organization in order to bring them down."

"Samon, AKA Buru. I am also a founding member of the Zodiac. At the time, I was Dale's bodyguard. I was considered a fighting prodigy at age fourteen, hence why they tried to have me killed at the same time they sold out Dale, fearing I'd turn against them once he was gone," summarized darkly the buff man.

"Bach, AKA Buta. I'm also a founding member of the Zodiac. I met Dale and Samon when I was banned from my country due to an accident with one of my inventions, and I decided to tag along for the ride since it'd allow me to pursue my research without any government holding me back," resumed the oldest member, heaving out a sigh.

"… Mest, AKA Same. I'm the last founding member of the Zodiac. I used to live on the streets before government agents kidnapped me and conducted illegal experiments, which led me to develop my mimicking ability," explained flatly the infiltration master. "I escaped thanks to Dale, and agreed to join them as the first shadow member of the group."

"Okay, so we're actually doing this, uh?" Leaning back in his seat, Uma sighed in a resigned manner. "Well, the name's Tal. I'm a former assassin and I joined seventeen years ago, when I was fifteen. I infiltrated the country illegally in order to flee from a former client, and the Zodiac then took me in."

"Haku, AKA Usagi." The hacker scratched the back of his head, a tad nervous. "I'm the former member of another yakuza group that was disbanded by the Zodiac. Saru recruited me then, thirteen years ago. I'm actually albinos and I'm asthmatic, hence why I don't take part in on-field missions with the rest of you."

There was a moment of silence as all eyes fell on the next member.

"… do I really have to?"

"Kara-chan, you can't know everything about everyone and not say a single thing about yourself," deadpanned Uma.

"Fine! The real name's Cross, I'm from England, and I used to work as an info-broker for the English government before they turned on me when discovering I was also selling their info on the black market," grunted the know-it-all crow, crossing his arms over his chest. "I fled to Japan and ran into Uma, who then recruited me into the Zodiac. Happy?"

"You doubled-crossed the English government?" Uma apparently wasn't aware of that, and started laughing. "Way to go, Kara-chan! No wonder you're so quick at making enemies!"

"Aa? You're one to talk, you flirty dumbass!"

"Ahem," Yagi cut in, a tad annoyed by the childish bickering. "I'm a medical prodigy who was kicked out of every single hospital I worked in because they deemed my working methods lacked ethic. The name's Nawaki."

"Devit, AKA Ratto. I'm an ex-thief who stole from over two-hundred banks throughout the world before I finally got caught. Saru busted me out of jail and then recruited me into the Zodiac, though I can no longer go on the field due to a severe injury left by the gunshot that allowed my arrest in the first place," explained their treasurer with a small grin. "Also, Uma, you should really pay attention to your bank account. I've been steeling ten dollars each week from it for the past ten years, and you've never noticed a thing."

"WHAT!?"

"Hana, AKA Hebi," the red-haired woman then cut in before another argument could take place—though she'd surely check her bank account later. "I'm a former drug dealer who was picked up by Dale nine years ago. That's all."

"Actually—" Karasu stopped talking when she glared at him. "Ne- nevermind."

"Hana?" however insisted Saru, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed at that, lowering her eyes. "I… I have a child. I had him two years ago, but dropped him off in a foster home as soon as he no longer needed me."

A foster home—

Ame stiffened at that, snapping her eyes to her. "Leo's your son!?"

"… Aa."

"How- how come you've never told me!?"

"Because it doesn't matter," retorted the red-haired woman, a tad more harshly than necessary. "He's better off without me, and you're forbidden from ever telling him anything about me. Leave it at that."

Ame definitely had no intention of just leaving it at that, but she understood that now wasn't the time to bring up family issues. So, simply nodding, she leaned back in her seat.

"The name's Feitan," then announced Ondori, obviously annoyed. "I joined nine years ago because of a debt I owed to Saru after I lost a gamble with him."

"A gamble?" echoed Buta, curious.

"We gambled our lives," simply grinned Saru. "I won, so he gave me his life. Instead of taking it, I had him join the Zodiac. Ah, fun times~."

"Wow, and I thought I had issues," snorted Ame. "Gambling addict, uh?"

"Better than being a trouble magnet, brat," retorted snappily Ondori.

"Alright, moving on, children," then intervened the former spy. "The name's Isana, but most of you know me as Tora. I was once a part of the most elite government spying group of Japan, but, one day, they sent us on a suicide mission in order to safeguard all of the secrets we had learned over the years. I'm the only one who made it out alive, thanks to Samon and Yagi. That was also nine years ago."

"Well, I don't think there's much about me that you guys don't know about," deadpanned Ame, earning a few chuckles. "Ame, AKA Kitsune. I'm the third shadow member of the Zodiac, and I was recruited by Saru eight years ago, when I was seven. I still have no idea why, but I certainly won't complain."

Inu, now called the Reaper, was a former assassin who joined three years prior. However, since his seat was now empty, they moved on to their last member.

"Sasori, AKA Red-Eye. Before any of you ask, I only give my assassin name because I do not remember my real one," he admitted, clicking his tongue. "I was recruited by Ame a few months ago, after my assassination attempt on her monster-teacher failed. I am the fourth shadow member of the Zodiac."

Silence took over as everyone took a moment to digest the new information. They all felt pretty naked, to be honest, even if they hadn't said much that one member of the other didn't already know. It was like offering their necks to the wolves, and no one was really comfortable with that, even if they had decided to play along.

"Well, now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" then beamed Saru, clasping his hands together. "Now, on to the next matter: while the Reaper has been arrested and he won't find any proof to back up his claims if he were to sell us out, there's still an issue with Ame's bounty."

"It's still there!?" gasped Ame, eyes widening. "Damn it!"

"Even if it's still there, though, we've managed to figure out how exactly the assassins have always been able to track you down," then informed Usagi. He pulled out a little transparent box, in which was… a tracker? "It was in your shoulder. The Reaper surely put it there when treating one of your injuries. Now that we've taken it out, though, the assassins won't be able to find you as easily as before."

"Well, I guess that's good…" she relented. Then, her eyes hardened, and she turned to their leader. "Though, I think it's time we actually address the source of this shit-show: Saru, is it true that you intend for me to become your successor?"

Silence fell upon the group once again. Everyone exchanged unsure glances, before all eyes finally settled on the Leader. He stared at Ame for a moment, before letting out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

"Straight to the point, uh?"

"I don't like to be left in the dark," she simply replied, not wanting to play any games anymore.

"Well, yes. It's true," he finally confirmed. "I've been discussing it with the others for a while. However, we had all agreed not to tell you anything until you finished high school."

"Until I decided whether to fully join the Zodiac or to pursue my studies," she understood. Sighing, she rubbed her temples. "Lovro's the one who told me. He taught the knock-out technique to one of my classmates and, when I recognized it, he told me about the promise you made to him."

"I see. Well, now that you know, there's no point in hiding it," he mused.

Nodding, Ame then glanced to the other members. "What do you guys think? Surely you can't all agree with this."

"I don't," instantly confirmed Feitan with a scowl.

"Yeah, well, that's no surprise," sweatdropped the girl.

"I do," instantly replied Isana.

"For real?"

"I do too," nodded Hana.

"I don't mind," simply shrugged Devit.

"Could've been a worst choice," grumbled Nawaki. "Could've been better."

"I mean, at least it's not Uma," deadpanned Karasu.

"Oi, Kara-chan!" pouted the seduction master. He then grinned at Ame. "But I wouldn't mind having you on top—"

His partner simply whacked him over the head, effectively shutting him up.

"We've worked together for a long time," then stated Usagi with a small smile. "You're a lot like Leader, so I have no issue with it."

"No offense, kid, but I think you'd need a few more years before being considered for the position," then said Bach, offering her an apologetic smile.

She simply smiled back, taking no offense to it.

"I'm the one who brought it up to Saru," then admitted Dale.

"If Dale said it, then I don't see a problem with it," assured Samon.

"I have no objection," then announced Mest, startling most. He, too, didn't exactly get along with Ame. "Personal matters aside, I believe you would make a good candidate."

"What about you, Red-Eye?" then asked Ame, turning to the man in question. "You've been pretty quiet until now."

"W- well, I don't see how my input could really matter in such a situation," he admitted sheepishly. "I've only been here for a few months—"

"You're still a member, Red-Eye," smiled lightly Saru. "Your opinion counts as much as ours. So? What do you think?"

"… I agree with Bach," he finally admitted. "She needs more experience, at least."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not resigning right now, uh?" the Leader drawled. "The former plan was to let Ame decide whether or not she wanted to officially join. If she did, then she'd be informed of my intent to make her the new Leader of the Zodiac. After what, I would have spent the following years properly tutoring her so she could, one day, take up the mantle." He finally looked at the girl in question. "Ame? What do you think?"

"I think you're all fucking insane," she replied without an ounce of hesitation. A few snorts followed, and she threw her hands in the air. "I mean, seriously! I'm fifteen years old, for God's sake! I know I've been a member for almost a decade now, but there are still many other members who would be much more suited for the position than I am!"

"No matter what you might think, I didn't take this decision lightly," assured calmly Saru, apparently amused by her outburst. "I think you have the potential to bring the Zodiac to new heights, and the majority agrees. With more time and more experience, you could become an even greater Leader."

"Why not Ondori?" she instantly retorted, gesturing to the man, who startled a bit. "He's a good talker and already has many contacts in the Underworld. He has much more experience, and he's led more than a dozen of grand-scale field-missions. If anyone is suited for the position of Leader, it's him!"

Everyone seemed pretty surprised at her words. After all, it was no secret that she and Ondori hated each other's guts, so for her to acknowledge his skills so openly was unexpected.

"Ever since Korosensei came into the picture, I watched you grow beyond expectations," then admitted Saru, a small smile gracing his lips. "You learned from your mistakes, made friends, taught to others what you knew… You may not have noticed, but you're now leading your classmates like I am leading the Zodiac. Indirectly, but noticeably."

"I- I'm not—"

"They always seek your advice or your aid, ask for your input even if it's about meaningless issues, acknowledge your decisions and your skills, respect you as a person, and they trust you blindly even if they know that you're hiding much from them," he summarized. "In short, you earned their trust and respect through your actions, like a real leader would." Seeing how she no longer had any argument, he decided not to insist. "As I said before, I didn't take this decision lightly, and neither should you: don't decide anything until the school year is over with. Keep doing whatever you've been doing since the year started, and don't linger too much on it." He then snorted. "For all we know, we'll all die once the year is over anyway, if you fail to kill your teacher. So, no point in torturing yourself over it, alright?"

"… alright."

"Great! Now, moving on to the last matter we should handle in priority: what should we do about Ame's classmates?"

She stiffened at that. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I understand that you're now in a rather tight position," he pointed out. "They were all present when the Reaper shot you, and you unknowingly revealed some information about the organization. Adding to that that they now know you were once the Reaper's colleague, that they already started noticing a pattern with the rings, and that your assassin teacher Irina Jelavic actually knows about us, well, they know a lot. And, of course, they saw us."

"Otherwise said, they know too much and will probably end up talking about the wrong thing to the wrong person," resumed Feitan with a sneer. "Lovely."

"Well, they're already part of a secret organization themselves," then rationalized Bach. "What with the assassination classroom they're a part of, they're bound to secrecy by the government. If they've managed to keep quiet about it for so long, surely keeping quiet about the Zodiac won't be an issue for them, even more so considering the fact that it would put their friend in danger if that information was to land in the wrong hands."

"Frankly, it's not like we can do much about it," then remarked Hana with a shrug. "The real question is: do we allow Ame to tell them everything, or does she have to keep quiet?"

"They'll probably end up looking for answers themselves if she doesn't tell them," mused Karasu.

"But we can't just give away our existence to a bunch of kids!" then protested Nawaki. "They already know too much—let's leave it at that."

"Agreed," nodded Samon. "Once the year is up, we can't guarantee they won't turn on us."

"I trust every single member of my class with my life," instantly cut in Ame, her tone leaving no room to negotiation. "We've been through many trials together. They wouldn't betray us like that."

"You mean like Inu?" drawled Ondori.

She flinched, but didn't back down. "It's different."

"How so?"

"Alright, enough, children," Saru intervened. "Everyone in favor of telling the E-Class about the Zodiac, raise your hands."

Ame, Red-Eye, Hana, Isana, Karasu, Usagi, Saru, Uma, Buta, and Ryu all raised their hands.

"All those against?"

Feitan, Devit, Nawaki, Mest, and Samon raised their hands. In the end, it was ten voices against five, but it still wasn't good enough.

"Until we've come to an agreement, you will have to keep silent, Ame," decided Saru—no, Jason. "On this point, it has to be an unanimous decision."

"I understand," she nodded, though she was a tad bitter. "But I won't lie to them again. I'll simply tell them that, right now, I can't say anything. Agreed?"

"Anyone has any issue with this?" When no one answered, he nodded. "Agreed. Now, we've called your grandmother to let her know you were okay and that you were spending the night with your friend Rio. You should probably go back, though, once the day is over. That way, she'll think you were at school."

"Right. Are there any other matters to discuss?"

"None at the moment. Let us handle the technicalities, and we'll call you if we need your help with something," he concluded. "For now, just get some rest."

"Alright."

No matter how much she wanted to help, Ame was still extremely tired. So, the meeting concluded, everyone left the room one after the other to get back to their primary duties. They needed to get back to work as quickly as possible so as not to fall behind schedule.

I just hope the others won't be too mad about this, thought Ame with a frown. I told them I'd explain everything once I came back, but it'll have to wait. If I go against Saru's decision, it definitely won't go well for me.

.

.

A while later, Ame was escorted back home by Hana. They didn't say anything, the woman because she didn't want to talk about what had been said, and Ame because she didn't know what to do with this new information. Now that she knew that Leo was Hana's biological son, she knew keeping it a secret as he grew older would be hard. And, well, as an info-broker, she knew better than most that no secret was ever meant to stay secret. It could take years or decades or even longer, but the truth always got out, no matter how one might try to hide it.

"… I won't tell him." Hana startled a bit, and Ame gritted her teeth, but kept on talking. "I won't tell him, but you'll have to do it at some point."

"… thanks."

The goodbyes were less tensed when she finally arrived home, and Hana offered her an encouraging smile before taking off. Shaking her head, Ame then went inside. Much to her surprise, though, no one was there. The lights were turned off, saved for the one in the kitchen, which meant they had gone out. On the table, she found a note written by Itona:

We all went out to see a movie because your grandmother won some tickets. We didn't wait for you since we didn't know when you would be coming back. Obaa-san says there's food in the fridge if you're hungry, and I left your homework on your bed.

—Itona

The note was short and straight to the point, which made her chuckle a bit. Had it been from her grandmother, she'd surely have written of dozen of apologies for going out without warning her first. Tucking the note in her pocket, she then grabbed the small snack her grandmother had left for her in the fridge, before heading upstairs. It wasn't very late, so she'd try and catch up on the homework she had missed.

Dropping her bag on the bed, she then grabbed the notebooks and settled at the small desk, grateful for Itona's notes. The boy wasn't that much more interested than her in school, but he was still thorough in his note-taking. Barely a few minutes later, though, she heard… something. Or rather, she sensed it: someone had just entered the house. But who? I couldn't be her family, she'd have definitely heard the kids yelling outside.

"Itona?" she called out, a tad wary. "Is that you?"

No one answered, but someone was definitely coming up the stairs. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the knives that had been duct-taped under the desk and armed herself.

"Itona, if it's you, speak up now!" she snapped.

It couldn't be one of the Zodiac, they'd have warned her for sure since they knew very well of her paranoiac nature. However, Itona would have answered at her first call. If it wasn't her family, her colleagues, or one of her friends, then who?

Another assassin, came the easy answer.

The presence was much closer now. Goosebumps were covering her arms and her guts were churning, a telltale sign from her instincts that there was danger nearby. Whoever the intruder was, they had just finished climbing the stairs. Her door was still open, so she simply had to wait for them to show up—

'THUMP'

The roof!? She tensed, glancing up. Something, or rather someone, had just landed on the roof above her head. Damn it, how many of them are there!?

She grabbed her phone, before cursing loudly. In all of the confusion still reigning in their midst, she hadn't thought of asking Saru for the new one, meaning all of the numbers of the Zodiac members in her current possession were void. Having no other choice, she dialed Itona's number, since he was the only one with her family at the moment and her priority was to keep them safe, still. It took a few seconds, but he finally picked up.

"Ame, where—"

"I'm home. Assassins, two of them, probably more," she announced sharply, keeping an eye on both the open door and the window. "I can't contact the Zodiac, they're—"

Suddenly, a buzz started occupying the line. Her eyes widened when realizing that whoever was on the roof had managed to freeze her signal, completely cutting off her communication.

Well, at least I managed to warn him, she rationalized, throwing the phone aside. Now let's just hope I can hold down the fort until reinforcements arrive.

There was no sound nor movement, everything eerily still. She knew there was someone blocking the stairs, and there was someone else on the roof that would surely shoot her if the tried to escape through the window. The only thing she could do was wait for them to make the first move and play it by ear from there.

Ugh, I really can't catch a break, uh? And here I thought things would get better now that the traitor was found…

"Show yourself!" she snapped, growing impatient. "Stop playing around already! If you want my head, come and get it!"

As if on cue, the window to her right suddenly broke in a loud crash. She instantly jumped back, about to throw her knives, before realizing it was actually a small, black, metallic sphere. At the same time, though, the door to her left suddenly slammed shut. Her eyes widened when a hissing sound followed, before the sphere suddenly popped open, and a white smoke started flowing out of it. Since it was so close to her, she couldn't fully escape from it, and inhaled some of the smoke, which instantly made her dizzy.

Fuck! Sleeping gas!

She instantly tried to open her door, though her efforts were in vain. Whoever was on the other side was keeping it tightly locked. Cursing under her breath, she threw caution aside and made a run for the window. Just as she opened it, though, the assassin on the roof and down and slipped inside, kicking her in the guts. The blow sent her stumbling backward, right through the sleeping gas. She instantly slapped her hand over her mouth and nose, though she knew it wouldn't last for long. She had built an immunity, sure, but there was something in that gas that made it much stronger than what she was used to. She threw her knives at her assailant before jumping toward her bed and grabbed the first weapon she could get her hands upon.

Perfect!

Just as the masked assassin came at her, she pulled out none other than her katana and made a wide arc, effectively cutting her assailant. A muffled curse escaped as blood splattered on the carpet, and Ame instantly jumped on the opportunity to run back toward the window. However, just as she reached it, a whizzing sound caught her ear, and something suddenly slithered around her neck. The metallic rope tightened, cutting off her air supply as she was roughly pulled back inside. She fell smack in the middle of the white smoke, coughing and gasping for air, even though it was poisoned. Her vision blurred as she hopelessly clawed at the metallic rope still tied around her neck, and tears brimmed her eyes. Two shadows suddenly loomed over her. They were saying something but, before she could understand what, the sleeping gas and the lack of oxygen did their work and completely knocked her out.

As the sleeping gas dispersed thanks to the open window, the two masked assassins looked down at the now unconscious girl. They hadn't expected her to sense them, even less for her to call them out on it, but they should have probably expected such a thing. After all, this was the girl the oh-so-elusive Leader of the Zodiac had chosen as his successor.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I came in when I did, uh?" mused the one who had been blocking the door earlier. He unwrapped the metal whip he had used to hold the girl back. "He told us to be careful when handling her, but she'd have escaped if I didn't get a little rough. Are you getting too old for this or something? You're even leaving evidence all over the carpet."

"Shut up, Michael!" snapped the other, pressing his hand against his bleeding wound. "How was I supposed to know she'd pull a goddamn katana from under her bed!?"

"She's been trained by soldiers, spies, and assassins. You should have expected she'd pull out something dangerous, Chamuel," snorted Michael, kicking the sword aside. "Though I guess I wouldn't have seen the katana coming either."

"Right? Right?"

"Oi, you guys done already? She managed to call for help before we finished setting up the barrier, so we don't have much more time before her friends show up."

Michael pressed a finger to the device placed against his ear. "Yeah, the target's acquired. We're coming out, so send the cleanup unit. And tell them to bring a lot of bleach, too."

"Bleach?"

"Yeah, Cha's bleeding all over the girl's floor."

"Oi! Try to sound a little more concerned for your senior!" protested Chamuel.

"Alright, don't you two get started now. Bring her back to the Boss at once, we'll handle the rest."

"Thanks, Ariel. Later."

"Later."

Crouching down, the one named Michael wasted no time in putting cuffs around the girl's wrists and ankles. After all, since she had developed an immunity for most poisons, they didn't know for how long the sleeping gas they had used would keep her out of it, and he'd rather not deal with an escape attempt if he could save himself the trouble. Once done, he picked up her, then kicked the katana back under the bed, since the cleanup unit surely wouldn't have the time to clean it.

"Alright, let's go," he then ordered, heading out with their target. "Raphael will patch you up as soon as we get back."

"Right," nodded Chamuel, following after him.

A few minutes earlier

Winning tickets to go see a movie had been an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. Itona thought it'd be a good way to distract the kids from Ame's absence. Since he knew what was going on with the Zodiac, he understood her current situation better than their other classmates could, but it didn't mean he didn't worry a little. She had been gravely injured, after all, and while he didn't doubt she'd make a full recovery in no time, he'd rather see it for himself. Unfortunately, Ritsu had been unable to keep him updated, since the Zodiac had been very efficient in modifying their programs from A to Z in order to avoid the government hacking into their systems. She'd need Ame or Usagi to let her in but, until then, she was as much in the dark as Itona and everyone else.

It's already been two days… Surely she's home by now, right? I should try calling her—

As if on cue, his phone started ringing. Since they weren't in the movie room yet, he quickly excused himself before heading out. His eyes widened slightly when seeing who exactly was calling him, and he quickly picked up.

"Ame, where—"

"I'm home. Assassins, two of them, probably more," she announced sharply. He stiffened. "I can't contact the Zodiac, they're—"

Suddenly, a buzzing sound took over, cutting off whatever she had been about to say. However, he could tell enough from this one call and, while he couldn't warn her colleagues, he knew many other people who could help. So, he quickly called Terasaka, one of the few people he knew to possess the number he needed, since Itona himself didn't really converse with their other classmates.

"Itona, what do you want? It's getting late—"

"Ame's in trouble with some assassins at home," he quickly explained. "Do you have Korosensei's number?"

"W- what? Err, wait, no. But I know someone who does. Go ahead, we'll catch up! Hurry!"

"Roger that!"

Terasaka was relaxing at home, for once. His homework was surprisingly done, he didn't have any plans with his friends, and he was taking this free time to think some more upon the events that had happened two days earlier: they had almost died. Sure, he knew this assassination business was dangerous and, being one of those who had been poisoned back on the island, he understood better than most what it was like to have your life threatened. However, seeing Naoki Ame collapsing under gunfire had been honestly terrifying—none of them had ever come so close to dying before. He knew an incident like the one with the Reaper wouldn't happen again, since Karasuma was looking out for them, but still. And adding to that all of the mystery enshrouding Ame, well, it had been quite the mentally exhausting night—

"TUT-TUT-TUTUTUT-TUT-TUT-TUTUTUT—"

Startled at first, he then picked up, frowning a bit when noticing it was Itona. The boy had never called him before, even less at such a time.

"Itona, what do you want?" he asked gruffly. "It's getting late—"

"Ame's in trouble with some assassins at home. Do you have Korosensei's number?" he asked, his usually passive voice now filled with urgency.

Terasaka stayed silent for a moment, honestly taken aback, before the seriousness of the situation hit him.

"W- what? Err, wait, no. But I know someone who does. Go ahead, we'll catch up! Hurry!" he urged.

"Roger that!"

Seriously, can't this girl stay out of trouble? She was shot barely two days ago and she already has some assassins dropping by her house! He cursed internally, quickly dialing a new number. You better pick up, you damn smartass!

Karma was trying to focus on his homework but, frankly, he couldn't. With everything that had happened, and still no news of Ame's state or whereabouts, he couldn't help but worry about the girl. He was starting to get a better understanding of what exactly she was hiding from them, but he didn't have all of the answers, and he hated to be kept in the dark like that. Hopefully, once she came back, she'd tell them everything.

That is, if she comes back, he thought, a tad darkly. With what just happened with the Reaper, will she even be able to trust us? Or did his stupid stunt just destroyed all chance we had at ever earning it? That bastard—

His phone started buzzing, snapping him out of his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow when seeing it was Terasaka, of all people. He had given him his number a joke, telling him to use it if he ever was too dumb to resolve a math problem on his own, but…

"Hello?" he answered, smirking a bit. "So you're really too dumb to—"

"Not the time, Karma!" snapped the boy, startling him. "Ame's in trouble again! There's assassins at her house and she's stuck dealing with them!"

"Shit!" Karma didn't curse very often, but now was a special occasion. "I'm contacting Korosensei immediately, rally all the others!"

"Right on it!"

Ugh, you just can't stay still, can you, Ame? Karma gritted his teeth as he dialed Korosensei's number. You better be safe, you reckless girl!

.

.

Itona had apologized to Obaa-san and the children, before running off, saying he had completely forgotten about some homework that needed to be done for the next day. They had easily bought his lie, and he had wasted no time in heading back home. Thankfully, it wasn't too far, so he got there in under fifteen minutes. When he arrived, though, the front door was locked and all lights inside were turned off—which instantly put him on edge.

"Ame?" he called, warily stepping inside. "Ame, where are you?"

No one answered. His worry increasing, he quickly headed upstairs. Once he reached her room, he found the door closed, but not locked. Somewhat afraid of what he'd find inside, he slowly opened the door, bracing himself for something, anything—

"Uh."

Nothing. There was nothing. No blood, no corpse, no weapon lying around. The window was clean and closed shut, the bed was made, and even the desk was in order. However, the heavy scent of bleach lingering in the air and the half-eaten pizza on the desk were both out of place—one because why the hell would Ame use bleach in their room, and the other because the pizza was a definite sign that Ame had been home for long enough to start eating. She had even gotten started on her homework, if the opened notebooks were anything to go by.

"Oh, Itona-kun!"

The boy didn't even startle at the octopus's sudden appearance. "Korosensei."

"Is Naoki-san alright?" the octopus asked urgently.

"Don't know. I got here just a minute ago, and she wasn't there," admitted the boy, frowning. "There's no sign of a fight or a struggle, everything is perfectly in place… It's too clean, Korosensei. The room is always messy, and I doubt Ame would have wasted her time cleaning it up. Something's definitely wrong."

"Meaning someone else cleared away all evidence before we could get there," understood Korosensei, his tone growing somber. "I'll go take a look outside, to try to pick up a trail. Find what you can in here, then join everyone at the campus."

"Yes, sir!"

.

.

Itona, Terasaka, and Karma had managed to directly or indirectly contact all of their classmates and, about forty-five minutes after Ame's call, they had all gathered on the campus, saved for Itona and Korosensei. Even Karasuma and Bitch-sensei had somehow gotten wind of what had happened, probably from Ritsu, and they were now all waiting for news. After what felt like an eternity, Korosensei finally returned.

"Is she okay?" instantly asked Rio, worried. "What happened?"

"That… I do not know." Korosensei bowed his head. "Naoki-san was gone by the time I arrived."

"What!?"

"No way!"

"Everyone, calm down!" instantly urged Isogai, trying to keep the peace. "Korosensei said she was gone, meaning she was taken, right?" At his confirmative nod, Isogai's traits hardened a bit. "That means that, whoever were the people who took her, they weren't assassins."

"They'd have killed her on the spot," understood Kaede, calming down.

"We don't know that," grunted Terasaka. "For all we know, they killed her and dragged her body to a government office to claim the bounty!"

"Don't say that!" snapped Rio.

"Naoki's not dead," then assured Karasuma, checking his phone. "If she was, her name would have been taken off the Dark List, but it's still there."

Suddenly, the door of the classroom slid open, letting enter Itona. With a dark look, he threw something on the teacher's desk, and a collective gasp echoed when they saw the bloodied blade of the katana.

"It's- it's—"

"Not her blood, of that I'm convinced," instantly assured Itona. "The katana's hers, and it's usually hidden under the bed, which is where I found it. However, she's never used it before, meaning—"

"The blood on the blade is that of one of her kidnappers," understood Karma, narrowing his eyes. "Karasuma-sensei, can you check and see if it fits any governmental database?"

"Already on it."

"There's blood on the katana, but there wasn't any on the floor," then informed Itona. "Someone cleaned all of it with bleach. There were also no signs of struggle. I'm guessing that, whoever took her, they tried to cover up their tracks."

"Why would a normal assassin go through all of that trouble?" pointed out Fuwa. "I'm guessing we're not dealing with people who are after her bounty, but with people who are after her personally."

"Well, we all know she's a member of some weird organization," then remarked Yoshida, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe they're from a rival organization?"

"Well, well, well, you kids really figure things out quickly, uh?"

The voice didn't belong to any of the students nor any of the teachers, but it was familiar. At once, they all turned around to the window near the front of the class. On the windowsill was now casually sitting the man they recognized as Ame's colleague.

"You're that Saru guy!" instantly recognized Fuwa.

"Hey there, Fuwa-chan," he greeted with a small smile. He then glanced at the rest of the classroom. "Mind if I invite myself in?"

"Are you here about Naoki's kidnapping?" inquired Karasuma, narrowing his eyes.

"You got it in one, chief," nodded the man, standing up. "In fact, we all are."

"We?"

At once, thirteen masked shadows appeared near the windows. A few of the students let out startled screams, but they quickly recognized them as the people Ame had mysteriously disappeared with two days prior.

"We know who did it and why," Saru then admitted, now serious. "In order to save Ame, we're ready to tell you everything you need to know about our organization."

"Well, we can't really say no to that, can we?" mused Karma, echoing everyone's thoughts.

As the others nodded in agreement, Karasuma refrained the urge to facepalm. Things were becoming more and more complicated, much more than he had first anticipated when he agreed to become the agent in charge of the Assassination Classroom Project.

Thirteen masked figures now stood at the front of the class, with Saru just behind the teacher's desk. Karasuma, Bitch-sensei, and Korosensei were standing on the sides, waiting. As for the students, they were all back in their seats. If anyone had passed by in that moment, they'd surely have thought it was some sort of super-secret sect meeting, or something.

"Well, first thing first: Ame isn't in any immediate danger," announced Saru. The students instantly relaxed a bit at that. "In fact, she's not the actual target—I am. She's been taken as a hostage, of a sort, and until we've received the enemy's demands, she won't be harmed."

"Well, that's good to know. That means you have the time to explain everything, right?" asked slyly Rio. "Don't leave out any detail."

The man smiled slightly at that. "Of course. Well, as most of you know, my name is Saru. I am the Leader of the Zodiac, a secret info-brokers organization that has been created twenty-two years ago. Ame is one of our members, who has been recruited eight years ago."

"Info-brokers?"

"This sounds like a storyline from an anime…"

"For some reason, I'm not really surprised."

The students had come to expect much crazier stuff from Naoki Ame, after all, and while it was a little shock to think that she joined such an organization when she was just seven years old, it wasn't all that surprising. In fact, it already explained most of her personality quirks.

"There are exactly sixteen members in the Zodiac," pursued Saru, gesturing to the people behind him. "As you've learned two days ago, the Reaper, AKA Inu, was the sixteenth member. As Fuwa-chan noticed before, we can all be recognized thanks to the rings we wear on our middle-fingers."

Takebayashi raised his hand. "Aren't there only twelve animals in the Zodiac?"

At that, Saru's smile widened a bit. "In the tale of the Chinese Zodiac, yes. However, even our name is meant to lead potential foes astray, if they ever manage to dig up any of our secrets."

"You called Ame 'Kitsune', before," then recalled Takaoka, her eyes widening. "You're actually using the constellations?"

"Bingo! Ame and three others are our Shadow Members, those who'll pass more easily under the radar if we're ever found out," confirmed Saru, pleased that they caught on so quickly. "And now this little trap would have come in handy had we not been sold out to the enemy by Inu."

"You keep talking about the enemy, but who're they? Just spit it out already," grunted Terasaka.

"Of course, of course. The people who have taken Ame are members of a rival group known as Coup de Grâce. They've been trying to destroy the Zodiac for a long time, now, but never managed to get their hands on one of our members—until now."

"C- Coup de Grâce!?" echoed Bitch-sensei, her perfect French accent piercing through. "But they're a terrorist organization, a very feared one at that!"

"They almost managed to catch Ondori when you kids were infiltrating the Citadel, a few weeks ago," then nodded Saru, gesturing to the member wearing a rooster mask. "He escaped, but they did manage to figure out the business with our rings. For the rest, I'm guessing Inu gave them a description of Ame in the hopes that they'd take her out, but they're now planning on using her against me instead."

"Why, exactly? What happened?" asked Karma, eyes narrowed.

"It happened many years ago. A former member went rogue and turned on us, trying to sell us out to the highest bidder after having created an organization of his own. I ended up in a pinch, Ame got accidentally involved, and the former member was killed—though, you heard about that part, I believe."

Rio's eyes widened. "That's the guy Ame killed while protecting you?"

"What are you talking about!?" instantly snapped Ondori, startling most. "Saru is the one who shot his friend in order to protect that useless girl, so don't—"

"No, she's right," however cut in Saru. "Ame's the one who pulled the trigger that night, not me."

"WHAT!?"

This time, the outburst came from many of the masked members. Apparently, they hadn't been made aware of that particular detail.

"Ame was ashamed and thought you'd hate her for killing a former comrade, so I decided to take the blame for it, and that's the story you know," explained the Leader, unperturbed. "What really happened was that this member, the first Inu, actually managed to trap me in our headquarters. What we both didn't know was that Ame was also inside, and she showed up just when he was about to kill me. She managed to get her hands on a gun, he tried to kill her instead, but she fired first. That's what really happened."

"But what the hell was that whole trust spiel about, then!?" protested Ondori.

"You're right, we should have told you then," admitted Saru, rubbing the back of his head. "But…"

"But…?"

He offered a sheepish grin. "I forgot."

"Are you serious!?"

While Hebi took care of calming him down, and while the rest of the members quieted down, taking in this new information, he reported his attention on the students. "The one currently in charge of Coup de Grâce is Tanaka Sho, the son of this rogue member. He's been hell-bent on destroying our organization and took over Coup de Grâce, his father's creation, in hopes of achieving his vengeful ambitions."

"But since you lied to the other members, the Reaper gave away the wrong information," understood Isogai, eyes widening a little. "He thinks you're the one who killed his father, when Ame really is the one who did it."

"And as long as they believe that, then Ame will be safe," confirmed Saru.

"You think he'll ask for your life in exchange for hers?" suggested Fuwa.

"I think that's exactly what'll he do, except he'll then proceed to kill her and every other member in order to fully rid the world of the Zodiac," he admitted flatly.

They all paled a little at that.

"But why come to us?" then asked Karasuma, wary. "This is a personal matter. You wouldn't come out and tell us about yourself so freely if you didn't have something to gain."

"True," nodded Saru, unashamed. "I'm here to ask for your help."

"Help?" echoed Hayami. "You're a professional organization of info-brokers composed of members will all sorts of criminal backgrounds—what could you possibly need help with? And even more so from high school students?"

"Well, for starters, we all know you're not ordinary high school students." It was the red-haired woman with a snake mask that had spoken up. "We've been aware of Korosensei's existence since day one, and Ame couldn't really hide from us what your classroom had become—meaning a training camp for assassins. The skills you've acquired in the past few months are nothing to scoff at, and the training you've undergone is something many pros would kill for."

"Coup de Grâce established their headquarters in the Citadel," pursued the one with the rabbit mask. "If you remember correctly, that's the place you infiltrated in order to acquire the antidote to the poison that had been administered to your friends during your little vacation. That's also why you ran into Ondori when infiltrating it—he was on a scouting mission. This kind of experience is extremely valuable, and you know what to expect, which is a plus."

"Finally, Coup de Grâce knows what to expect from us," continued the woman with the tiger mask, stepping forward. "Because of the Reaper, they have pictures and other means to identify the members of the Zodiac and, while the shadow members such as Ame are not registered in our database in order to keep up appearances, they still know more or less what to expect. You, however, are an unknown enemy."

"Enough, enough!" Karasuma quickly walked up to them, placing himself between the students and the info-brokers. "You're asking these children to break into a highly protected facility and to face an armed enemy that won't hesitate to kill them. You're asking them to put their lives on the line! I can't accept this!"

"Karasuma-sensei, with all due respect…" Maehara drawled, drawing everyone's attention. "Wouldn't it be exactly like what happened back on the island? At that time, the others knew of the dangers, yet they still decided to try their luck, and you supported them. What's so different now?"

"This has nothing to do with the assassination—"

"This has to do with Ame's life!" snapped back Rio, jumping to her feet. "When I was poisoned, when we thought our lives were in danger, she didn't hesitate a single second and volunteered to go fetch the antidote herself, well-aware of the dangers, and even though she had been poisoned herself! And now you're asking me to, what, leave her be? Let her fend for herself? If we don't get her out, she'll die, and that's not something I'm going to accept." She then straightened her spine, staring straight at Saru. "Count me in."

"Nakamura!" snapped Karasuma. "You can't—"

"I'm in too," announced Karma, also getting up. "I owe a lot to Ame, and she helped me out more than once. I'd only be returning the favor."

"I remember most of the layout of the Citadel!" chirped in Fuwa, excitedly jumping to her feet.

"And climbing the mountainside was a piece of cake," added Okano, grinning confidently.

"Ame is one of us," stated Isogai with a small smile. "We'll definitely save her!"

"She- she risked herself many times in order to protect us!" spoke up Kanzaki. "She got hurt all the time so we'd be safe… What kind of friends would we be if we abandoned her now, after all that she's done for us?"

"Right!"

"Count me in!"

"We'll definitely do it!"

One after the other, all of the students rose to their feet, determination hardening their eyes. Karasuma gritted his teeth at that, before turning to Korosensei, who had yet to say anything.

"Oi, you dumb octopus!" he exclaimed. "Are you really going to let your students take such risks!?"

"They're ready to do anything in order to save their friend, Karasuma-san," simply replied the yellow octopus. "Nothing either you or I say will change their minds. In the end, if you can't stop them—" He suddenly vanished, only to reappear beside Saru, and placing a tentacle on the man's shoulder. "—join them, right?"

"No, not right!" He turned to his last potential ally. "Irina, say something! You of all people should understand how foolish this is!"

The woman simply shrugged, going to stand beside Yada and Kurahashi. "They'll do it no matter what we may try to do to stop them. If we don't want them to get hurt, then all we can do is tag along and ensure everything goes well."

"Damn it…" Seeing everyone staring at him, he finally gave in. "Fine! I don't condone this kind of reckless acting, but I'm not letting you do this alone. I'll simply call the government and tell them it'll be another assassination attempt, and they'll leave us be."

At that, the students started cheering. They now had powerful allies, and they were more than ready to go and save Ame.

"Wait, why can't Korosensei go and take her out of there himself?" suddenly asked Kurahashi, blinking a few times in apparent confusion.

"Because Coup de Grâce already knows about him, and they're actually expecting him to show up." Much to everyone's surprise, it was Ritsu who had spoken up, from Karasuma's phone. "I have already checked out the security measures put in place in the Citadel, and they are more than ready to face you, Korosensei. Also, the chances of them using Ame as a hostage against you if you do show up is of 99,87%, so I wouldn't recommend it."

"I thought as much," mused their teacher. "At best, I'll be a distraction. You, however, will all be the main actors of the rescue plan we'll be putting in place. However, since we will now be working together, I would like for you all to remove your masks. After all, we are ready to trust you with Naoki-san's life—the same level of trust should be returned, wouldn't you agree?"

The members of the Zodiac exchanged unsure glances at that. Had it only been the students, they probably wouldn't have hesitated—after all, training or no training, they couldn't do much against them. However, Karasuma was a high-level government agent who'd surely end up ratting them out to his superiors. While his help would definitely heighten Ame's chances of survival, it also meant endangering the entire organization—

"I'm afraid we can't give away our real names," then warned the snake-woman, before lowering her mask. She offered them a small grin. "But you've already seen my face anyway, so there's no helping it. You can call me Hebi."

"Gah! It's the hot babe!" squeaked out Okajima, seemingly about to faint.

"Well, it's not like I usually go out anyway," muttered another with a rabbit mask, before taking it off too. "Call me Usagi."

Saru soon followed, bemused, before being imitated by the others. Yagi, Same, and Ondori were more reluctant, and Buta, Karasu, and Tora weren't big fans of giving away their identities either, but they all ended up taking off their masks and introducing themselves as the animals represented on them.

"Alright. Happy now?" grunted Ondori, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Very," simply replied Korosensei, his eternal grin stretching a little wider. "Now that we seemingly stand on equal ground, let's get started." He then turned to face his class. "Everyone, this is a great opportunity to make use of the skills you've acquired in the past few months. With the help of pros, you will grow even more as students and as assassins. I'm counting on you to make the most of this chance you were given."

"Korosensei, this is a rescue mission, not a school trip," sweatdropped Maehara.

At that, though, Yoshida snorted. "Frankly, at that point, it's kinda one in the same for us."

At that, the others laughed in agreement. After all, they were the E-Class. When would they ever fit the mold?