FACES
~+~
A/N: Thanks so much to Raven for the wonderful descriptions! Read her story on fictionpress, the Seventh Star! It's fantastic!
~+~
"It's not like that, you know."
Shinigami looked up, startled, to see Nyx leaning on the doorway to his room.
"What's not like that?"
"She loves you too."
"Who?"
"Ran."
Shinigami was shocked, then infuriated. He sprang up from his bed and slammed the door shut, leaving Nyx in the room. Through clenched teeth, he told her, "I --- don't --- know --- what --- you're --- talking --- about."
"Then what did you do that for?" Nyx smiled slyly. "There would be no point to get angry."
"Maybe I don't like people talking behind my back about something they know nothing about," Shinigami growled.
"Maybe you don't like hearing the truth."
"What are you talking about?"
"You and Ran. You love each other. It's painfully obvious to me."
"Stop spreading lies. You don't know anything."
"I thought you were more intelligent than this, Shinigami," Nyx said mockingly. "Duat's little pet."
Shinigami glared at her.
"Of course, I don't blame you if you're upset. I only want you to realize the truth. Flirting can be so annoying," she added lazily.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Ah, love . . . such a shallow emotion," Nyx said with a wave of her hand. "It ties us around its little finger without us even knowing it. It has such a powerful rule over us . . . and those who try not to let it are only sucked in even further. I suggest you don't resist."
"R-resist?"
"Shinigami. She loves you. Just like you love her. You have to be able to see that."
"I love her," he admitted finally. "But she doesn't love me."
"You may not think so, but she does. I can see it. Just like I see your love for her."
"How can you see love?"
Nyx sighed. "You lovers are so predictable. You don't realize how easy it is to tell. It's really pathetic."
Shinigami snorted.
"Just don't resist. Embrace Ran. Both literally and metaphorically." Nyx grinned.
Shinigami smirked. "Did the all-powerful, too-worthy, queen bitch Nyx actually crack a joke?"
Nyx smirked, eyebrow twitching. "You'd be surprised."
-----
Hermione awoke to a soft knocking on her door. She looked up to see Shinigami peering in, watching her sleep.
He looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, just . . . the mission's starting. I need you."
Hermione raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore the pleasure at what he said.
"Oh, I mean," Shinigami added, realizing his word choice, "for the group."
Hermione felt her face fall. 'Thank God for the mask.'
She stepped out in the hallway. Nemesis and Honir were already there, trying not to look at each other. Their feelings were painfully obvious. Hermione only hoped hers were not as clear.
Shinigami looked at the three Agents standing before him. "You all know what you are supposed to do. Honir, take Nemesis's hand. Ran, take mine. Honir and I know where to Apparate to. Then we will start the mission. Ran and I will stay on the fourth highest branch of the cedar tree in the front. Honir, you stay on the roof; Nemesis, you stay close to the house. We will strike in an hour."
"Why wait?" Nemesis asked. Her voice was cold and hard, and yet curious.
"We must discover the target's weaknesses. Ran must also observe how the other team works."
Nemesis nodded curtly.
"Let us go." Shinigami took Ran's hand and Apparated.
-----
Hermione felt the familiar feeling of Apparating. It had been a long time since she had done so . . . ever since the Betrayal.
Shinigami glanced at her. "Are you alright?"
Hermione looked down from his familiar penetrating stare. "I'm fine."
Shinigami looked out. "They're here."
Hermione jerked her head up. She saw more agents of Vengeance appear. This must be the other team. She saw Nyx and another agent hop onto the roof. Nyx glanced at them and seemed to be smiling under her dark hood. Hermione remembered their earlier conversation . . . what was it she had said when she left?
"The truth can sometimes be hard to bear. I will leave now . . . and do not think your feelings are unrequited."
Yes, Nyx had said that. But the feelings are not unrequited? What did that mean?
"Watch."
Hermione jumped as Shinigami whispered to her. "What am I supposed to be watching?"
"Them."
Hermione focused on Nyx and the three other team members. One positioned herself on the roof opposite Honir: she must be the Lookout. Nyx and another jumped to hide behind the bushes: this must be the Leader and the Magician. The last hid in a tree, eyes darting. This was the Killer.
"I think I understand it."
Shinigami looked out of the corner of his eye at Hermione. "Do you understand it enough to do it though?"
"Yes, I believe I do."
Shinigami sighed, and then motioned for Honir and Nemesis to begin. They glanced at each other, confused, but began the mission.
-----
Honir looked out. The coast was clear. He motioned to Nemesis. He watched as Nemesis moved slowly, stealthily, peering into windows until she motioned to him. The target was in there.
-----
"Ran."
"What?"
"Blast the window apart."
"What?"
"Do it."
She did it.
-----
Nemesis felt blood coat her hands from newly carved cuts. Shards of glass tore at her cloak. She looked back. Ran was powerful. Very powerful.
The target was watching the window fearfully. She could not attack when the target was watching so closely. She put her back to the house and looked at Shinigami and Ran. She mouthed something.
Other window.
-----
"Ran."
"Yes, Shinigami?"
"Do the same to the other window."
She did not question.
She did it.
-----
Honir saw.
He saw Nemesis wince as every shard of glass hit her. He saw the fresh blood ooze out of her wounds. He saw the fearless, painless look on her face. He saw her determination.
He saw Ran's wand wave. He saw her concentration. He saw the destruction of the window.
And the fright . . . he saw the target's fright.
-----
The target screamed shrilly. It was a man though he sounded much like a little girl, Nemesis thought wryly as she jumped out of the bushes, ignoring the crimson liquid -- her blood -- running down her face from the open wound on her forehead. Wiping it out of her eyes with her black, now stained, sleeve, she unsheathed her katana, silver, bright metal glinting in the target's eyes.
One hit was all it took.
He fell softly to the ground.
-----
Hermione watched in amazement. Nemesis was so smooth, so quick, and yet so vicious. She stared fixed at the dead body of the target. The poor man. What did he do to deserve this?
Apparating, as if pulling a muscle she hadn't used since she was an infant, she went down to the man. She felt Shinigami Apparate beside her.
"Ran, what are you doing?" His hand found her shaking shoulder. She turned from him to the body.
It seemed like someone had ripper her heart out of her breasts at what she saw. Her heart stopped and it felt like a cold clasping hand was holding her heart. Her lungs became heavy and it felt like her legs had turned to iron. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh my God . . . what have we done . . ."
"Ran, what is it?" Shinigami asked insistently.
"Ron!"
~+~
A/N: I hope you don't kill me. Please don't. I like the change in events. Don't see it often, do you?
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity
~+~
A/N: Thanks so much to Raven for the wonderful descriptions! Read her story on fictionpress, the Seventh Star! It's fantastic!
~+~
"It's not like that, you know."
Shinigami looked up, startled, to see Nyx leaning on the doorway to his room.
"What's not like that?"
"She loves you too."
"Who?"
"Ran."
Shinigami was shocked, then infuriated. He sprang up from his bed and slammed the door shut, leaving Nyx in the room. Through clenched teeth, he told her, "I --- don't --- know --- what --- you're --- talking --- about."
"Then what did you do that for?" Nyx smiled slyly. "There would be no point to get angry."
"Maybe I don't like people talking behind my back about something they know nothing about," Shinigami growled.
"Maybe you don't like hearing the truth."
"What are you talking about?"
"You and Ran. You love each other. It's painfully obvious to me."
"Stop spreading lies. You don't know anything."
"I thought you were more intelligent than this, Shinigami," Nyx said mockingly. "Duat's little pet."
Shinigami glared at her.
"Of course, I don't blame you if you're upset. I only want you to realize the truth. Flirting can be so annoying," she added lazily.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Ah, love . . . such a shallow emotion," Nyx said with a wave of her hand. "It ties us around its little finger without us even knowing it. It has such a powerful rule over us . . . and those who try not to let it are only sucked in even further. I suggest you don't resist."
"R-resist?"
"Shinigami. She loves you. Just like you love her. You have to be able to see that."
"I love her," he admitted finally. "But she doesn't love me."
"You may not think so, but she does. I can see it. Just like I see your love for her."
"How can you see love?"
Nyx sighed. "You lovers are so predictable. You don't realize how easy it is to tell. It's really pathetic."
Shinigami snorted.
"Just don't resist. Embrace Ran. Both literally and metaphorically." Nyx grinned.
Shinigami smirked. "Did the all-powerful, too-worthy, queen bitch Nyx actually crack a joke?"
Nyx smirked, eyebrow twitching. "You'd be surprised."
-----
Hermione awoke to a soft knocking on her door. She looked up to see Shinigami peering in, watching her sleep.
He looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, just . . . the mission's starting. I need you."
Hermione raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore the pleasure at what he said.
"Oh, I mean," Shinigami added, realizing his word choice, "for the group."
Hermione felt her face fall. 'Thank God for the mask.'
She stepped out in the hallway. Nemesis and Honir were already there, trying not to look at each other. Their feelings were painfully obvious. Hermione only hoped hers were not as clear.
Shinigami looked at the three Agents standing before him. "You all know what you are supposed to do. Honir, take Nemesis's hand. Ran, take mine. Honir and I know where to Apparate to. Then we will start the mission. Ran and I will stay on the fourth highest branch of the cedar tree in the front. Honir, you stay on the roof; Nemesis, you stay close to the house. We will strike in an hour."
"Why wait?" Nemesis asked. Her voice was cold and hard, and yet curious.
"We must discover the target's weaknesses. Ran must also observe how the other team works."
Nemesis nodded curtly.
"Let us go." Shinigami took Ran's hand and Apparated.
-----
Hermione felt the familiar feeling of Apparating. It had been a long time since she had done so . . . ever since the Betrayal.
Shinigami glanced at her. "Are you alright?"
Hermione looked down from his familiar penetrating stare. "I'm fine."
Shinigami looked out. "They're here."
Hermione jerked her head up. She saw more agents of Vengeance appear. This must be the other team. She saw Nyx and another agent hop onto the roof. Nyx glanced at them and seemed to be smiling under her dark hood. Hermione remembered their earlier conversation . . . what was it she had said when she left?
"The truth can sometimes be hard to bear. I will leave now . . . and do not think your feelings are unrequited."
Yes, Nyx had said that. But the feelings are not unrequited? What did that mean?
"Watch."
Hermione jumped as Shinigami whispered to her. "What am I supposed to be watching?"
"Them."
Hermione focused on Nyx and the three other team members. One positioned herself on the roof opposite Honir: she must be the Lookout. Nyx and another jumped to hide behind the bushes: this must be the Leader and the Magician. The last hid in a tree, eyes darting. This was the Killer.
"I think I understand it."
Shinigami looked out of the corner of his eye at Hermione. "Do you understand it enough to do it though?"
"Yes, I believe I do."
Shinigami sighed, and then motioned for Honir and Nemesis to begin. They glanced at each other, confused, but began the mission.
-----
Honir looked out. The coast was clear. He motioned to Nemesis. He watched as Nemesis moved slowly, stealthily, peering into windows until she motioned to him. The target was in there.
-----
"Ran."
"What?"
"Blast the window apart."
"What?"
"Do it."
She did it.
-----
Nemesis felt blood coat her hands from newly carved cuts. Shards of glass tore at her cloak. She looked back. Ran was powerful. Very powerful.
The target was watching the window fearfully. She could not attack when the target was watching so closely. She put her back to the house and looked at Shinigami and Ran. She mouthed something.
Other window.
-----
"Ran."
"Yes, Shinigami?"
"Do the same to the other window."
She did not question.
She did it.
-----
Honir saw.
He saw Nemesis wince as every shard of glass hit her. He saw the fresh blood ooze out of her wounds. He saw the fearless, painless look on her face. He saw her determination.
He saw Ran's wand wave. He saw her concentration. He saw the destruction of the window.
And the fright . . . he saw the target's fright.
-----
The target screamed shrilly. It was a man though he sounded much like a little girl, Nemesis thought wryly as she jumped out of the bushes, ignoring the crimson liquid -- her blood -- running down her face from the open wound on her forehead. Wiping it out of her eyes with her black, now stained, sleeve, she unsheathed her katana, silver, bright metal glinting in the target's eyes.
One hit was all it took.
He fell softly to the ground.
-----
Hermione watched in amazement. Nemesis was so smooth, so quick, and yet so vicious. She stared fixed at the dead body of the target. The poor man. What did he do to deserve this?
Apparating, as if pulling a muscle she hadn't used since she was an infant, she went down to the man. She felt Shinigami Apparate beside her.
"Ran, what are you doing?" His hand found her shaking shoulder. She turned from him to the body.
It seemed like someone had ripper her heart out of her breasts at what she saw. Her heart stopped and it felt like a cold clasping hand was holding her heart. Her lungs became heavy and it felt like her legs had turned to iron. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh my God . . . what have we done . . ."
"Ran, what is it?" Shinigami asked insistently.
"Ron!"
~+~
A/N: I hope you don't kill me. Please don't. I like the change in events. Don't see it often, do you?
~+~
LAHAK
Serenity