"After Kayin?!" Eiji said, enraged, "Why?"
"I don't know. I do know that if he's with her, and they are alone, then he is in a great deal of trouble. She has a remarkable record against men who are just as powerful as Kayin." Sofia said, coiling her whip and attaching it to her belt.
"We have to find him." Ellis insisted.
Eiji nodded in agreement. "Where would they be? They can't still be at dinner."
"She probably took him to her room." Ellis suggested.
"Then let's go down to the lobby and ask for her room number." Sofia said, opening the door before the others could respond.
Eiji and Ellis followed her, both of them anxious to make sure Kayin was okay.


"DEADLY RAISE!"
Allouette managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, but she was less than okay. The ceiling of the room was really inhibiting her ability to attack.
"This won't do at all." She said out loud. Kayin came in for another attack, only to watch her dart to the window.
"If you want to finish this fight, we'll do it on my terms, pretty boy."
"Have it your way." He said.
Allouette opened the window and climbed outside.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Kayin asked, chasing after her.
"My terms, pretty boy."
She landed on the fire escape and started climbing up the ladder to the top of the twentieth floor. Kayin was right after her, close enough that he could feel the edge of her cloak brushing against his face in the strong wind that had picked up while they were having dinner. He reached up and grabbed a handful of the silvery material in his hand, pulling on it, hoping to yank her back.
He almost fell off the fire escape when the cloak came loose, Allouette undoing the clasp the moment she felt his hand on the material. She wasn't going to let him take this fight back inside. Kayin let go of the cloak and watched it float down the twenty stories, mesmerized by the sight of it falling gently, like the feather of a bird.
Allouette leapt over the last two steps on the fire escape ladder and landed on the roof. The wind whipped her long hair around her face, her swords gleaming in the moonlight. Kayin reached the top and hopped over the edge to face her. She was standing in front of the pool, the large rectangle of water glistening behind her in a way that made him sorry that she had to turn out to be an assassin.
"Let's finish this." She said, raising one sword in front of her body, the other lifted parallel over her head.
"It's your funeral."
Allouette smiled, "I think not, pretty boy."
"SONIC SLASH!"
Allouette parried with both of her blades, knocking him to the side with a swift kick to his ribs. She lifted her elbows and came around, pounding one elbow into his jaw. She leapt into the air and crossed her blades, "SKYLARK!"
Allouette flipped in the air and came down blades first towards Kayin. He caught one of her blades on his own and popped it out of her left hand, the metal sparking as it slid across the concrete. She put both hands on the hilt of her remaining weapon and went on guard.
Kayin moved forward, slashing twice in feints before thrusting inside her defenses. Allouette spun around, reversing her grip and parrying his blow and bringing her leg up in a series of swift and powerful one-leg kicks while shouting, "CLOUD WALKER!"
Kayin fell to the concrete, feeling like he had been hit with a two by four. He stood and released his attack,
"HELL'S GATE!"
Allouette fell to the ground, her sword skittering away from her grasp in the process. She lay still for a moment, long enough for Kayin to stand over her, his sword poised.
"See you in hell, baby." He sneered.
"Not if I see you first."
He raised Excalibur for the finishing blow, but Allouette had already moved, bending her legs beneath her body. She sprung up and grabbed the front of Kayin's red jacket. Dropping her weight, she brought him off balance. Using her own momentum, she rocked onto her back, flipping Kayin over her head and into the pool.
Kayin immerged from the water, sputtering chlorine filled spring water. Allouette had picked up one of her swords and she was standing at the edge of the pool. She looked him in the eye briefly before jumping in as well. She came up calm, not panting for air like he had, water dripping from her hair and sword like a vicious Aphrodite.
"RISING SUN!"
Kayin attacked, hoping to surprise her. Allouette ducked him easily, throwing a fist into his stomach and turning quickly so she was facing him. Kayin sucked in a painful breath and faced her again.
"KETSURUI!"
Allouette sparkled with her silvery ki, her eyes blazing with inner fire. She spun around, hooking the cross piece of her sword on Kayin's popping his Excalibur into the pool. While Kayin watched it sink she finished her attack, bringing her knees up into his solar plexus while her elbows came down on the pressure points on his shoulders. Kayin blacked out just for a minute from the pain, and woke up floating in the water, Allouette's sword against his throat.
"Go ahead. Do it." Kayin said, determined to face death bravely.
Allouette's eyes narrowed, then she backed away, tossing her sword onto the cement. She took a deep breath in front of Kayin's surprised eyes and dove into the water, coming back up a few seconds later with Excalibur in her hands. She handed it to him, hilt first, and got out of the pool.
Silently, she kneeled down and reached out for him. Kayin warily took her hand and let her help him out of the water. When he was kneeling on the concrete, Allouette walked away, picking up her other sword and slipping it into it's sheath. She headed towards the fire escape, planning to leave as she came.
"Allouette! Wait!"
Kayin stood and ran after her, his boots squishing out excess water. He caught up with Allouette and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and face him.
"Why didn't you kill me?" He demanded.
She stared at him silently, her face stony and unreadable. Kayin shook her and asked again.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"It doesn't matter."
Allouette pulled her arm out of his grasp and walked towards the fire escape.
"Yes it does." He said, grabbing her arm again. "I came to the tournament only to win. Now my life has been put in jeopardy and I don't know why. I want some answers."
Allouette looked at Kayin with a mixture of anger and pity, "I'm sorry, but it's none of your business."
Kayin squeezed her arm, "Like hell it isn't! Now tell me."
Allouette pushed him away hard enough that he lost his balance and fell to his back. She stood over him glaring.
"I told you it's none of your business for a reason. The less you know the better off you are. I'm not going to kill you and that's all you need to know. Now lay off and go fight in your little tournament. I'll find a different way to save my father."
"Fine. Have it your way, babe. I never offered to help anyway."
Allouette turned and hopped onto the fire escape ladder back down to the nineteenth floor window to her suite. She slipped in the window and turned on the lights to find three other people in her room.
"What the hell?" She backed away, frowning.
"Where's Kayin?" Eiji demanded, his sword out and ready.
"On the roof."
Eiji frowned at her, "What's he doing up there?"
Allouette snickered, "Probably pouting because I wouldn't kill him."
Ellis had her dirks ready, "So you did try to kill him! Why?"
"That is no one's business but mine. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm wet and I'm cold. I'd like to shower and go to bed. I suggest you do the same."
Sofia moved to stand in her path, "We know who you are, Predator."
"Congratulations. As I didn't kill your friend, even though I could have, I don't think you people have any other reason to be here. Why don't you go up to the roof and bring pretty boy in before he catches a cold. We ended up in the pool, so we're both dripping wet." Allouette said, heading towards the bathroom again.
Kayin slipped in the window, Eiji sighing with relief.
"You're alive. Thank God."
Kayin nodded, holding his side, "I do have some cracked ribs though. She kicks hard."
"And for a good reason." Allouette put in.
Kayin frowned at her superior smile and brushed past her. "Though I still want to know why you were trying to kill me."
Allouette frowned at them all, then sighed. "Put your weapons away and let me shower. When I'm done, I'll try to explain."
"A shower." Kayin ran a hand through his wet hair, "That sounds like a good idea."
Eiji nodded, "Kayin, I'll come with you to your room and wait while you shower. Sofia and Ellis, wait for Allouette. When Kayin's done, we'll come back up here."
Kayin looked shocked, "Eiji, I didn't know you felt that way about me! This is so sudden."
"Shut up, Kayin."
"Can we get married overlooking a water fall?"
"Shut up, Kayin!"
Allouette couldn't help but chuckle a little. Ellis and Sofia smiled as Eiji walked out of the hotel room, Kayin following him, cooing in his ear, "I can't wait to call Naru and tell her the good news!"
Allouette took off her sheaths and laid them on the table to dry. She slipped off her gauntlets and noticed Sofia and Ellis were watching her intently.
"If you guys want to get something out of the fridge or watch TV or something, go ahead. I'm going to be a few minutes and personally, nothing against you, but I don't care to have you watching as I undress."
"Oh, yeah, sorry. It's just that your stuff is so unique." Ellis said, examining one of the gauntlets.
"Thanks. You can take a look if you'd like." Allouette said, shutting the bathroom door behind her. She turned on the hot water and stripped off her wet skirt and boots, happy she brought extras. Allouette peeled off the body suit and tossed it over a towel bar to dry for a while.
She stepped into the shower, suddenly realizing how cold she was. The water made her sigh in pleasure, the hot streams washing down her back and onto the white tiled floor. Allouette took her time, washing slowly, waiting for the hot water to run out. It never did and she was startled when she heard the knock at the door and the sounds of Eiji and Kayin arriving inside, still bickering.
Pressing her head against the wall, she turned off the shower and toweled off. Allouette dried her hair and slipped into a dry copy of her outfit, coming out into the bedroom. Sofia was standing next to the bed.
"We're all waiting for you." She said.
Allouette nodded and put on her sheaths and gauntlets. She came out after Sofia and sat down in one of the living room chairs. Kayin's hair was still wet, a bruise rising on his face from where she hit him. Eiji was sitting between Kayin and Ellis on the couch. Sofia stood, leaning against the wall, looking out the window occasionally.
"It's true. When I came here today, my goal was to end Kayin Amoh's life. I didn't kill him because it's one thing to kill someone for a bounty. It's another to kill an innocent man. My employer is Atyon Seraph. He wants me to kill Kayin because pretty boy here captured and turned over Atyon's brother for a bounty. Pelles Seraph was worth a lot because he was a murderer. I can tell you Atyon is ten times worse than his brother."
"Then why are you working for him?" Eiji asked.
"I'm getting to that. When I first met Atyon, I didn't know what he was capable of. He is a master of acting and proved it on several occasions. Before he let me know what he really was, he allowed me to fall in love with a handsome, intelligent, spectacular fighter. By the time I realized what he was, he already had used me for his purposes. To ensure I would still work for him, he captured my father, Garret James. My father is an old man, and the only reason that I am a bounty hunter. Now I have to find a different way to rescue him, because I'm not going to kill Kayin over this."