Well, I've written another chapter. I'd like to give a big THANK YOU
to Ally-chan...She was the ONLY PERSON WHO REVIEWED! ::sniffle:: Thank
you. Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter, and see if you
can guess who the assassins are...(just a hint, they haven't all been
introduced yet)
Chapter Two
Yohji wasn't really listening to the man instructed to show him around the high-rise building that was home to the Riot organization. He already knew where everything was, and if he got lost, he had maps. He was more interested in coming up with creative ways to kill this pain-in-the- ass. Not only was he a huge pervert, but he was annoying as hell!
"So, Kudo-san, what kind of lady were you interested in, again?" the man asked. Yohji snapped out of his daze, and looked down at the little man.
"I suppose it's stupid to ask if you have any virgins in a place like this." Yohji sighed. He kind of hoped there were. If so, he could be nice to them, and keep them alive. That way, they would have lost their virginity, but at least he could insure their survival and show them that not all men were evil.
"Actually, we just got two new ones in earlier this morning. They'll cost quite a bit more, though. Virgins are hard to come across. They'll be seventy-five million yen each." Yohji stared in disbelief at the Riot member. Seventy-five million yen? That was an ass-load of money. He quickly regained his composure, though. Riot collected dues at the end of each week from its members, giving itself time to go through all the paperwork. He wouldn't have to pay anything, since Riot was going down tomorrow.
"Let's have a look at them." He said. Knowing his luck, they were probably both fourteen and half-starved.
"This way. You won't be disappointed. I saw them when they came in this morning. They're both gorgeous." The man chuckled in a way that made Yohji even more desperate to kill him.
It took only a moment to go up a flight of stairs and down the hall. They ended up opening the door to a fairly large room. The furnishings were elegant, and the carpet was plush. It had the look of a room in a mansion or hotel suite. The man had been right on the money about the girls, though.
A blond girl sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She wore a light blue dress that was obviously given to her to show off her slim figure. Her crystal blue eyes glittered, and she had an air of innocence about her that made Yohji want to hug her. However, she looked like she was only fifteen or so.
The other girl sat in a large, overstuffed chair, reading a book. Her copper hair was pulled into a braid and slung over her shoulder. Her blue-green eyes skimmed over the words in the book so fast, Yohji wondered if she was really reading. From what he could see of her, she was wearing a dark blue dress, though her position curled up in the chair hid her form from view.
"Alright...I'll take both of them." Yohji decided.
"Both? Can you afford it?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"You'll have your hundred fifty million yen at the end of the week. That is how the payment works, correct?"
"Yes. Very well. I'll leave you alone, now." The man grinned evilly and left. The redhead lowered her book and sent him a look that said 'don't mess with me.'
"God, I want to kill that man." He muttered.
"Can I help?" The blond girl asked, looking at him a bit too eagerly.
"Uhhh...no, you're to little to be a murderer. How old are you? Fifteen?" He looked her up and down quickly, before locking his gaze on her eyes.
"I'm seventeen, thank you." She glared. Apparently, she was a bit sensitive about her size.
"Well, either way, is there some place else you can go? I don't sleep with minors."
"You paid, what, seventy-five million yen just to let me run around free?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I've got a feeling Riot won't be around by the end of the week. I decided I might as well let you two know what it's like to have someone nice hiring you, as opposed to letting you get killed by some sick pervert when the whole operation is crumbling under his feet. Run along, little one." He indicated to the door, making a 'shooing' noise to urge her to leave. She giggled and kissed his cheek before grabbing a small backpack from a corner and leaving.
"You're quite the arrogant one, aren't you?" The redhead asked, amused. "What makes you think Riot is going down?" She set her book on the chair as she stood up.
Yohji had to catch his breath when he caught full sight of her. It wasn't that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, or that she had the best body ever. It was more the way she held herself, and the presence she emitted. She was strong physically, as was evident by the way her muscles flexed in her arms and legs when she moved. She had a strong soul as well. She looked him in the eye, held herself tall, and kept a look on her face that would make most men back down.
"Call it a hunch." He smirked.
"Do I know you?" The confident look on her face shifted to one of wonder. "You look really familiar."
"I don't remember ever meeting you. What's your name?"
"Aiko. And you are?"
"Kudo Yohji." He bowed, a seductive smile appearing on his face. In bowing, he missed the look that flashed briefly across the girl's face. "A pleasure. How...old are you?"
"Just turned nineteen a few weeks ago. I don't see why someone involved in Riot cares about whether or not a girl is underage. I've seen girls around here who haven't even hit puberty yet." She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a look that he didn't quite understand.
"That's just gross." He shuddered at the thought of sleeping with a child. "You really know how to turn a guy off."
"Good. Maybe I won't have to do anything." She smirked and sat back down, picking up her book and opening it back to the marked page. Yohji sat down in another chair and contented himself to watching her read for a few minutes.
The image he projected to most people was that of a stereotypical playboy. He seemed to enjoy women and sex, and spent most of his time in pursuit of them. The people who saw him as only a playboy did not know him, though. While it was true that he liked women and sex, it was not true that those were the only things he cared about.
His obvious quest for women brought about misconceptions about his true personality. He enjoyed the company of women, the sights and the smells and the laughter. Sex was simply another way to be close to women, and the most open women wanted nothing more. The women who avoided sex, who wanted a firm relationship, did not understand his love of the company of women, and would be made jealous easily every time he complimented another woman.
Watching this girl reading, and enjoying her book made him just a little bit happier. Happy women made happy Yohji. He enjoyed just watching, noticing the little quirks that made each woman unique, and memorizing every detail he could about them. Some women were upset by this excess attention, but this girl didn't seem to mind. She just went on with her eyes flying over the page, her long, elegant fingers occasionally turning the page.
Eventually, she reached what she deemed a decent stopping point. She'd finished the chapter, and, although it was a bit of a cliffhanger leaving her desperate to finish, she marked the page and closed the book. Then, she lifted her eyes to meet his, a slight smile on her face.
"Do you enjoy watching people read?" she asked, a bemused look on her face. Laughter danced in her eyes, though her lips were silent.
"Only pretty people." He shrugged.
"Then you are confused, in more ways that one. You are paying an insane amount of money for my services, so let's get this over with." She stood up. He rose as well, a smirk on his face.
"You're depressing, you know that? You're all cynical and pouty. I think it's rather obvious you don't go around looking for men's attention."
"What's the point?" She sent him a cool look. "I've yet to meet a man who gives a flying fuck about me, except for my uncle. Why should I act all sweet when I'm not a naturally sweet person?" She tried to step back as he closed the gap between them, but the chair was in her way.
"Honest..." He whispered, reaching up a hand to caress her cheek.
She was a good fifteen centimeters shorter than he was, so he was forced to bend a bit to kiss her. He quickly moved his arms to pull her closer, and in doing so, noted that she was by no means soft. Firm muscle was evident in most of her body, and he could detect no trace of fat anywhere on her. Her chest was the only soft thing about her, but he didn't really mind.
"You may not have a sweet personality, but you taste sweet." He whispered after he broke the kiss. She blushed, slightly, and stared down at her feet. He smiled and bent to kiss her again, moving her toward the bed.
* * *
Yohji smiled at the sleeping figure and approached the bed one last time. He should have left by now, but he didn't want to rush in leaving this girl. There was something about her that made him want to hold her; protect her for eternity. He wasn't sure what drove him to feel like this, especially since he'd only known her for a few hours, and he hadn't really had a conversation with her.
And, despite the things he didn't know, there were so many things he knew about her that he was sure others hadn't picked up on; even those close to her. She was stubborn, and made it clear to everyone. She was strong, too, but she was hurting inside. She held in the pain, kept it locked away from the world. But, obviously, she had some kind of outlet.
Most who kept pain locked inside ended up cracking. They'd loose it and go crazy. But she was perfectly calm, normal. He didn't know what this outlet was, but he didn't really care. So long as she never lost her strong, stubborn attitude. So long as she was happy, he didn't care.
He reached out to brush his fingers across her cheek. Something reminded him of the true mission at hand, and he pulled back. He forced himself to leave the room, glancing back at her over his shoulder once, just to be sure. Finally, he closed the door, closing the girl out of his life forever.
* * *
"Are you done yet?" An impatient, annoyed voice complained.
"Hold your horses. I still have to break through the encryption. It'll be a few more minutes."
"Damnit." A hand reached up to brush a few blond locks out of a pair of glaring eyes.
"Alright, here we go. They're getting together tonight." The hacker grinned. "Round up the others and we'll finalize our plan. Riot is going down."
"It's about frickin time." The blond snorted, but went to finish the task at hand.
* * *
Ken's face lit up in a triumphant grin as he finally found the room he was looking for. In his eyes, this building was too big for it's own good. He'd been lost for a good fifteen minutes now, but finally, he'd found the room. The manager of operations for the entire Riot operation was inside, and completely unaware of his own imminent destruction.
Silently, Ken opened the door, sliding in unnoticed by the figure at the computer. Squeezing his hand into a fist to unsheathe the steel claws, he approached the person. It came as a shock to him to see that someone had beaten him to the kill. An arrow was sticking out of the back of a man who had been dead for only a few minutes. Attacked was a note, which Ken pulled off. It read:
Too slow, Weiß.
Siren
Growling, he pocketed the note. Hopefully, Omi could come up with something using it. He turned and left the room, hoping...something. And something it was, too. Just as he looked up, he saw a figure rounding the corner. The figure was pig-tailed and wearing a black leather trench coat. Strapped to her...he assumed it was a girl because of the pigtails...back was a black compound bow, similar to the one Omi used on occasion.
He ran to the corner to look, but came face to face with an empty hallway. Confused, he turned back and headed to meet up with the others. He was pretty sure that girl had been the one to kill his target, but he wanted to know who she was.
* * *
He let the tears fall freely as he placed the cattaleya in her folded hands. The others had left him to his tears and his misery, knowing that none of them could offer much comfort. Despite all the times they teased him for his thing for women, they understood better than anyone else who claimed to be his friend. They would leave him alone until he felt up to talking.
A noise from the door pulled his attention away from the lifeless body. The door had been left slightly open, and someone had discovered him. He hoped to God the person was of no threat. He pulled the door open and would have smiled, if he'd felt up to smiling. Aiko stood there, looking at her feet and acting like a puppy caught doing something bad.
"Aiko..." He whispered. She looked up at him, and he was rather surprised to see the depressed look on her face.
"Is...is that Maki?" She asked. The look in her eyes told Yohji that she was hoping to God it wasn't.
"You...knew her? I'm sorry..."
Aiko sank to the floor, staring blankly at the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared. The emptiness in her eyes broke Yohji's heart. Without saying anything, he knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She made no attempt to push him away, but didn't stop staring blankly, either.
"It's okay...to cry." He whispered. "I won't tell anyone." She turned to him, her eyes shifting slightly. No tears came.
"I can't cry." She murmured, huddling against him. "I don't have the right, anymore."
They stayed that way forever and for only a moment. Yohji wouldn't have minded staying that way for the rest of eternity, but all too soon, Aiko pulled back and stood up. He followed suit, never taking his eyes off her. She forced herself to smile.
"Maki never liked anyone to be sad." She said.
"Have you eaten yet? 'Cause I'm hungry...and we can swap stories." Yohji grinned, slightly embarrassed. Aiko smiled and nodded.
* * *
Yohji was glad Aiko was lightening up. He'd been scared, when he'd seen her staring blankly at the wall like that, but now she seemed back to her calm, cool collected self. The bemused look in her eye told him that she would not stay depressed over Maki's death. Now, he intended on finding out just how she knew Maki. As soon as their drinks were ordered, she began her story.
"I met Maki about a year ago, shortly before she got mixed up with Riot. My uncle, Ringo, started a special home for girls who had no place left to go. Maki was in and out every couple of days, running away from home, staying with boyfriends, stuff like that. I make sure things run smoothly at the house, so I got to know her well. She was a good girl, deep down." Aiko sighed and munched on a nacho chip.
Yohji packed away a great deal of what she'd said, his detective instincts kicking in the second he heard the name 'Ringo.' When she finished her story, he told her about how he'd met Maki, and what they'd gone through. He left out some of the major Weiß details, but Aiko got most of the picture. Then, he told her about Asuka, something he didn't tell most girls or even his close friends.
As they got their drinks, Aiko shifted the conversation over to more lighthearted things. She began with a rather humorous story about a friend of her's named Kohana whose boyfriend purposely super-glued his hands together. Needless to say, they were no longer dating. By the time they had their food, they were chatting easily and laughing like nothing had happened.
Dinner ended all too soon for Yohji. He didn't want to leave Aiko yet, but he could tell she was getting sleepy. It was getting late, he had to admit. He was hoping to get her phone number, so he could hopefully see her again. For now, he'd settle for driving her home.
"So, where do you live?" He asked as they slid into his car. She gave him the address and some directions, and he hid a smirk. So this uncle Ringo of hers really was Ringo Starr. This was too good to be true.
* * *
When Aiko got home, she was surprised to see so many of her friends up. The small blond, who had joined her at Riot, sat sideways in a lounge chair, dangling her legs over the arm of the chair. She was munching on a granola bar and staring at the ceiling. Another blond, Kohana, was sitting elegantly on the sofa, reading a novel that appeared to be in French...or some other European language. Another girl just entered the room, her brown hair up in pigtails.
"Yoko...why are you wearing pigtails? Has Michi worn off on you?" Aiko teased, swatting playfully at the older girl's hair.
"Atticus thinks it's cute..." Yoko blushed. Aiko chuckled.
"Yoko, you don't need pigtails to make Atticus think you're cute." Kohana stated matter-of-factly. "He adores you. You should go to bed, you have that concert tomorrow..."
"Yeah..." Yoko smiled and left the room.
"So, what's wrong?" The blond girl sprawled on the chair asked. "Was that cute blond guy mean to you?" She made a mock-pouty face. Aiko glared at her.
"Mai, don't start. Maki's dead." Aiko sank down onto the sofa next to Kohana, who'd dropped her book and was staring at her hands in disbelief.
"Who's Maki?" Mai asked, looking innocently at the other girls.
"She used to come here every few days, about a year ago. She got caught by Riot, and they killed her." Aiko sighed.
"Why...would anyone want to kill Maki? She...she was such a sweetie." Kohana, unlike Aiko, allowed herself a few tears.
"I dunno. We should all get to sleep. We have to help Yoko and the others with the concert." Aiko stood, pulling Kohana up with her. Kohanna wiped her eyes and went to her room. Mai, always the happy one, bounced up and found her way to her room as well.
Aiko picked Kohana's book up and set it on the table. Then, she turned off all the lamps. She let out a sigh and she went upstairs to her room, the thoughts of the day confusing her. Maki...Yohji...Riot...it was all so complicated, despite how simple it seemed at first glance. No doubt she would get little sleep tonight.
* * *
Early the next morning, before the Koneko no Sumu Ie opened, Yohji came down into the shop with a bright grin on his face. The others assumed he'd had 'fun' on his little date last night. None of them suspected that his 'date' had been the niece of one Ringo Starr.
"I take it you had fun last night?" Ken said, glaring slightly.
"I suppose you could say that. Omi, I suggest you get on your computer as soon as you can and dig up everything you can on Takahashi Aiko. She's Ringo Starr's niece." The other three assassins stared at Yohji. "What?"
"How...exactly did you learn this?" Aya asked.
"Well, that house is a shelter for women who don't have anywhere else to go. Aiko knew Maki, so we went out to dinner to talk about her. She said her uncle Ringo started the shelter, and when I took her home, it was the same mansion. I doubt this guy would use his own niece as an assassin, 'cause that's just cruel, but there may be some friends of hers who live there who fit the criteria we're looking for."
"Yohji, most of the time you act like an idiot, but sometimes you surprise us like this...you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days." Ken muttered.
"Thanks, Yohji." Omi said, ignoring Ken's comment. "I'll look into it. I've got to get to school, though. Oh, and you guys might want to look at this. It's about the two names signed on the note's we've received from those assassins." He picked up a book and handed it to Aya. Two different pages were marked with Post-it notes.
The first page marked contained information on harpies, as seen in Greek mythology. Apparently, they were storm goddesses who carried away the week and wounded. The second page marked was about sirens, also from Greek mythology. The sirens were sea nymphs who used their songs to lure sailors to their doom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Whew...another chapter done. I'd really like some more reviews. I only got one on my last chapter. ::sniffle:: That's just mean. If you don't review, I'll cry. I'll even accept flames! Anything, I swear!
Chapter Two
Yohji wasn't really listening to the man instructed to show him around the high-rise building that was home to the Riot organization. He already knew where everything was, and if he got lost, he had maps. He was more interested in coming up with creative ways to kill this pain-in-the- ass. Not only was he a huge pervert, but he was annoying as hell!
"So, Kudo-san, what kind of lady were you interested in, again?" the man asked. Yohji snapped out of his daze, and looked down at the little man.
"I suppose it's stupid to ask if you have any virgins in a place like this." Yohji sighed. He kind of hoped there were. If so, he could be nice to them, and keep them alive. That way, they would have lost their virginity, but at least he could insure their survival and show them that not all men were evil.
"Actually, we just got two new ones in earlier this morning. They'll cost quite a bit more, though. Virgins are hard to come across. They'll be seventy-five million yen each." Yohji stared in disbelief at the Riot member. Seventy-five million yen? That was an ass-load of money. He quickly regained his composure, though. Riot collected dues at the end of each week from its members, giving itself time to go through all the paperwork. He wouldn't have to pay anything, since Riot was going down tomorrow.
"Let's have a look at them." He said. Knowing his luck, they were probably both fourteen and half-starved.
"This way. You won't be disappointed. I saw them when they came in this morning. They're both gorgeous." The man chuckled in a way that made Yohji even more desperate to kill him.
It took only a moment to go up a flight of stairs and down the hall. They ended up opening the door to a fairly large room. The furnishings were elegant, and the carpet was plush. It had the look of a room in a mansion or hotel suite. The man had been right on the money about the girls, though.
A blond girl sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She wore a light blue dress that was obviously given to her to show off her slim figure. Her crystal blue eyes glittered, and she had an air of innocence about her that made Yohji want to hug her. However, she looked like she was only fifteen or so.
The other girl sat in a large, overstuffed chair, reading a book. Her copper hair was pulled into a braid and slung over her shoulder. Her blue-green eyes skimmed over the words in the book so fast, Yohji wondered if she was really reading. From what he could see of her, she was wearing a dark blue dress, though her position curled up in the chair hid her form from view.
"Alright...I'll take both of them." Yohji decided.
"Both? Can you afford it?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"You'll have your hundred fifty million yen at the end of the week. That is how the payment works, correct?"
"Yes. Very well. I'll leave you alone, now." The man grinned evilly and left. The redhead lowered her book and sent him a look that said 'don't mess with me.'
"God, I want to kill that man." He muttered.
"Can I help?" The blond girl asked, looking at him a bit too eagerly.
"Uhhh...no, you're to little to be a murderer. How old are you? Fifteen?" He looked her up and down quickly, before locking his gaze on her eyes.
"I'm seventeen, thank you." She glared. Apparently, she was a bit sensitive about her size.
"Well, either way, is there some place else you can go? I don't sleep with minors."
"You paid, what, seventy-five million yen just to let me run around free?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I've got a feeling Riot won't be around by the end of the week. I decided I might as well let you two know what it's like to have someone nice hiring you, as opposed to letting you get killed by some sick pervert when the whole operation is crumbling under his feet. Run along, little one." He indicated to the door, making a 'shooing' noise to urge her to leave. She giggled and kissed his cheek before grabbing a small backpack from a corner and leaving.
"You're quite the arrogant one, aren't you?" The redhead asked, amused. "What makes you think Riot is going down?" She set her book on the chair as she stood up.
Yohji had to catch his breath when he caught full sight of her. It wasn't that she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, or that she had the best body ever. It was more the way she held herself, and the presence she emitted. She was strong physically, as was evident by the way her muscles flexed in her arms and legs when she moved. She had a strong soul as well. She looked him in the eye, held herself tall, and kept a look on her face that would make most men back down.
"Call it a hunch." He smirked.
"Do I know you?" The confident look on her face shifted to one of wonder. "You look really familiar."
"I don't remember ever meeting you. What's your name?"
"Aiko. And you are?"
"Kudo Yohji." He bowed, a seductive smile appearing on his face. In bowing, he missed the look that flashed briefly across the girl's face. "A pleasure. How...old are you?"
"Just turned nineteen a few weeks ago. I don't see why someone involved in Riot cares about whether or not a girl is underage. I've seen girls around here who haven't even hit puberty yet." She crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a look that he didn't quite understand.
"That's just gross." He shuddered at the thought of sleeping with a child. "You really know how to turn a guy off."
"Good. Maybe I won't have to do anything." She smirked and sat back down, picking up her book and opening it back to the marked page. Yohji sat down in another chair and contented himself to watching her read for a few minutes.
The image he projected to most people was that of a stereotypical playboy. He seemed to enjoy women and sex, and spent most of his time in pursuit of them. The people who saw him as only a playboy did not know him, though. While it was true that he liked women and sex, it was not true that those were the only things he cared about.
His obvious quest for women brought about misconceptions about his true personality. He enjoyed the company of women, the sights and the smells and the laughter. Sex was simply another way to be close to women, and the most open women wanted nothing more. The women who avoided sex, who wanted a firm relationship, did not understand his love of the company of women, and would be made jealous easily every time he complimented another woman.
Watching this girl reading, and enjoying her book made him just a little bit happier. Happy women made happy Yohji. He enjoyed just watching, noticing the little quirks that made each woman unique, and memorizing every detail he could about them. Some women were upset by this excess attention, but this girl didn't seem to mind. She just went on with her eyes flying over the page, her long, elegant fingers occasionally turning the page.
Eventually, she reached what she deemed a decent stopping point. She'd finished the chapter, and, although it was a bit of a cliffhanger leaving her desperate to finish, she marked the page and closed the book. Then, she lifted her eyes to meet his, a slight smile on her face.
"Do you enjoy watching people read?" she asked, a bemused look on her face. Laughter danced in her eyes, though her lips were silent.
"Only pretty people." He shrugged.
"Then you are confused, in more ways that one. You are paying an insane amount of money for my services, so let's get this over with." She stood up. He rose as well, a smirk on his face.
"You're depressing, you know that? You're all cynical and pouty. I think it's rather obvious you don't go around looking for men's attention."
"What's the point?" She sent him a cool look. "I've yet to meet a man who gives a flying fuck about me, except for my uncle. Why should I act all sweet when I'm not a naturally sweet person?" She tried to step back as he closed the gap between them, but the chair was in her way.
"Honest..." He whispered, reaching up a hand to caress her cheek.
She was a good fifteen centimeters shorter than he was, so he was forced to bend a bit to kiss her. He quickly moved his arms to pull her closer, and in doing so, noted that she was by no means soft. Firm muscle was evident in most of her body, and he could detect no trace of fat anywhere on her. Her chest was the only soft thing about her, but he didn't really mind.
"You may not have a sweet personality, but you taste sweet." He whispered after he broke the kiss. She blushed, slightly, and stared down at her feet. He smiled and bent to kiss her again, moving her toward the bed.
* * *
Yohji smiled at the sleeping figure and approached the bed one last time. He should have left by now, but he didn't want to rush in leaving this girl. There was something about her that made him want to hold her; protect her for eternity. He wasn't sure what drove him to feel like this, especially since he'd only known her for a few hours, and he hadn't really had a conversation with her.
And, despite the things he didn't know, there were so many things he knew about her that he was sure others hadn't picked up on; even those close to her. She was stubborn, and made it clear to everyone. She was strong, too, but she was hurting inside. She held in the pain, kept it locked away from the world. But, obviously, she had some kind of outlet.
Most who kept pain locked inside ended up cracking. They'd loose it and go crazy. But she was perfectly calm, normal. He didn't know what this outlet was, but he didn't really care. So long as she never lost her strong, stubborn attitude. So long as she was happy, he didn't care.
He reached out to brush his fingers across her cheek. Something reminded him of the true mission at hand, and he pulled back. He forced himself to leave the room, glancing back at her over his shoulder once, just to be sure. Finally, he closed the door, closing the girl out of his life forever.
* * *
"Are you done yet?" An impatient, annoyed voice complained.
"Hold your horses. I still have to break through the encryption. It'll be a few more minutes."
"Damnit." A hand reached up to brush a few blond locks out of a pair of glaring eyes.
"Alright, here we go. They're getting together tonight." The hacker grinned. "Round up the others and we'll finalize our plan. Riot is going down."
"It's about frickin time." The blond snorted, but went to finish the task at hand.
* * *
Ken's face lit up in a triumphant grin as he finally found the room he was looking for. In his eyes, this building was too big for it's own good. He'd been lost for a good fifteen minutes now, but finally, he'd found the room. The manager of operations for the entire Riot operation was inside, and completely unaware of his own imminent destruction.
Silently, Ken opened the door, sliding in unnoticed by the figure at the computer. Squeezing his hand into a fist to unsheathe the steel claws, he approached the person. It came as a shock to him to see that someone had beaten him to the kill. An arrow was sticking out of the back of a man who had been dead for only a few minutes. Attacked was a note, which Ken pulled off. It read:
Too slow, Weiß.
Siren
Growling, he pocketed the note. Hopefully, Omi could come up with something using it. He turned and left the room, hoping...something. And something it was, too. Just as he looked up, he saw a figure rounding the corner. The figure was pig-tailed and wearing a black leather trench coat. Strapped to her...he assumed it was a girl because of the pigtails...back was a black compound bow, similar to the one Omi used on occasion.
He ran to the corner to look, but came face to face with an empty hallway. Confused, he turned back and headed to meet up with the others. He was pretty sure that girl had been the one to kill his target, but he wanted to know who she was.
* * *
He let the tears fall freely as he placed the cattaleya in her folded hands. The others had left him to his tears and his misery, knowing that none of them could offer much comfort. Despite all the times they teased him for his thing for women, they understood better than anyone else who claimed to be his friend. They would leave him alone until he felt up to talking.
A noise from the door pulled his attention away from the lifeless body. The door had been left slightly open, and someone had discovered him. He hoped to God the person was of no threat. He pulled the door open and would have smiled, if he'd felt up to smiling. Aiko stood there, looking at her feet and acting like a puppy caught doing something bad.
"Aiko..." He whispered. She looked up at him, and he was rather surprised to see the depressed look on her face.
"Is...is that Maki?" She asked. The look in her eyes told Yohji that she was hoping to God it wasn't.
"You...knew her? I'm sorry..."
Aiko sank to the floor, staring blankly at the wall. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared. The emptiness in her eyes broke Yohji's heart. Without saying anything, he knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She made no attempt to push him away, but didn't stop staring blankly, either.
"It's okay...to cry." He whispered. "I won't tell anyone." She turned to him, her eyes shifting slightly. No tears came.
"I can't cry." She murmured, huddling against him. "I don't have the right, anymore."
They stayed that way forever and for only a moment. Yohji wouldn't have minded staying that way for the rest of eternity, but all too soon, Aiko pulled back and stood up. He followed suit, never taking his eyes off her. She forced herself to smile.
"Maki never liked anyone to be sad." She said.
"Have you eaten yet? 'Cause I'm hungry...and we can swap stories." Yohji grinned, slightly embarrassed. Aiko smiled and nodded.
* * *
Yohji was glad Aiko was lightening up. He'd been scared, when he'd seen her staring blankly at the wall like that, but now she seemed back to her calm, cool collected self. The bemused look in her eye told him that she would not stay depressed over Maki's death. Now, he intended on finding out just how she knew Maki. As soon as their drinks were ordered, she began her story.
"I met Maki about a year ago, shortly before she got mixed up with Riot. My uncle, Ringo, started a special home for girls who had no place left to go. Maki was in and out every couple of days, running away from home, staying with boyfriends, stuff like that. I make sure things run smoothly at the house, so I got to know her well. She was a good girl, deep down." Aiko sighed and munched on a nacho chip.
Yohji packed away a great deal of what she'd said, his detective instincts kicking in the second he heard the name 'Ringo.' When she finished her story, he told her about how he'd met Maki, and what they'd gone through. He left out some of the major Weiß details, but Aiko got most of the picture. Then, he told her about Asuka, something he didn't tell most girls or even his close friends.
As they got their drinks, Aiko shifted the conversation over to more lighthearted things. She began with a rather humorous story about a friend of her's named Kohana whose boyfriend purposely super-glued his hands together. Needless to say, they were no longer dating. By the time they had their food, they were chatting easily and laughing like nothing had happened.
Dinner ended all too soon for Yohji. He didn't want to leave Aiko yet, but he could tell she was getting sleepy. It was getting late, he had to admit. He was hoping to get her phone number, so he could hopefully see her again. For now, he'd settle for driving her home.
"So, where do you live?" He asked as they slid into his car. She gave him the address and some directions, and he hid a smirk. So this uncle Ringo of hers really was Ringo Starr. This was too good to be true.
* * *
When Aiko got home, she was surprised to see so many of her friends up. The small blond, who had joined her at Riot, sat sideways in a lounge chair, dangling her legs over the arm of the chair. She was munching on a granola bar and staring at the ceiling. Another blond, Kohana, was sitting elegantly on the sofa, reading a novel that appeared to be in French...or some other European language. Another girl just entered the room, her brown hair up in pigtails.
"Yoko...why are you wearing pigtails? Has Michi worn off on you?" Aiko teased, swatting playfully at the older girl's hair.
"Atticus thinks it's cute..." Yoko blushed. Aiko chuckled.
"Yoko, you don't need pigtails to make Atticus think you're cute." Kohana stated matter-of-factly. "He adores you. You should go to bed, you have that concert tomorrow..."
"Yeah..." Yoko smiled and left the room.
"So, what's wrong?" The blond girl sprawled on the chair asked. "Was that cute blond guy mean to you?" She made a mock-pouty face. Aiko glared at her.
"Mai, don't start. Maki's dead." Aiko sank down onto the sofa next to Kohana, who'd dropped her book and was staring at her hands in disbelief.
"Who's Maki?" Mai asked, looking innocently at the other girls.
"She used to come here every few days, about a year ago. She got caught by Riot, and they killed her." Aiko sighed.
"Why...would anyone want to kill Maki? She...she was such a sweetie." Kohana, unlike Aiko, allowed herself a few tears.
"I dunno. We should all get to sleep. We have to help Yoko and the others with the concert." Aiko stood, pulling Kohana up with her. Kohanna wiped her eyes and went to her room. Mai, always the happy one, bounced up and found her way to her room as well.
Aiko picked Kohana's book up and set it on the table. Then, she turned off all the lamps. She let out a sigh and she went upstairs to her room, the thoughts of the day confusing her. Maki...Yohji...Riot...it was all so complicated, despite how simple it seemed at first glance. No doubt she would get little sleep tonight.
* * *
Early the next morning, before the Koneko no Sumu Ie opened, Yohji came down into the shop with a bright grin on his face. The others assumed he'd had 'fun' on his little date last night. None of them suspected that his 'date' had been the niece of one Ringo Starr.
"I take it you had fun last night?" Ken said, glaring slightly.
"I suppose you could say that. Omi, I suggest you get on your computer as soon as you can and dig up everything you can on Takahashi Aiko. She's Ringo Starr's niece." The other three assassins stared at Yohji. "What?"
"How...exactly did you learn this?" Aya asked.
"Well, that house is a shelter for women who don't have anywhere else to go. Aiko knew Maki, so we went out to dinner to talk about her. She said her uncle Ringo started the shelter, and when I took her home, it was the same mansion. I doubt this guy would use his own niece as an assassin, 'cause that's just cruel, but there may be some friends of hers who live there who fit the criteria we're looking for."
"Yohji, most of the time you act like an idiot, but sometimes you surprise us like this...you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days." Ken muttered.
"Thanks, Yohji." Omi said, ignoring Ken's comment. "I'll look into it. I've got to get to school, though. Oh, and you guys might want to look at this. It's about the two names signed on the note's we've received from those assassins." He picked up a book and handed it to Aya. Two different pages were marked with Post-it notes.
The first page marked contained information on harpies, as seen in Greek mythology. Apparently, they were storm goddesses who carried away the week and wounded. The second page marked was about sirens, also from Greek mythology. The sirens were sea nymphs who used their songs to lure sailors to their doom.
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Whew...another chapter done. I'd really like some more reviews. I only got one on my last chapter. ::sniffle:: That's just mean. If you don't review, I'll cry. I'll even accept flames! Anything, I swear!