Disclaimer: I own nothing. I have nothing. Get off my case!
Author's Notes: This chapter is dedicated to my parents, the two people I miss so much. I love you guys...
ASSASSIN by rei-chan
CHAPTER FOUR: Unexpected Visitor
==Kinomoto Residence, 10:13 AM==
Fujitaka snapped out of the horrendous dream he was having when the telephone suddenly rang. Shaking his head to clear himself of sleep, the sandy-haired man reached over and picked up the contraption, stiffling a tired yawn as he answered, "Moshi moshi."
"Sensei?" A young voice called out uncertainly from the other end.
"Yes." Fujitaka replied thickly, stretching his free arm over his head as he slowly stood up from his perch on his swivel desk chair. "Who is this?" He wanted to know as he slowly rotated his stiff shoulders, grimacing as he heard all his joints pop. Falling asleep slumped on a huge mahogany desk was NOT his idea of comfort.
"It's Hamaki."
The grip that the professor had on the receiver tightened, and Fujitaka sank back down on his chair, weakened. From relief or from fear, he didn't know. "Hamaki-san!" He exclaimed, his heart thumping loudly in his chest as one of his hands unconsciously fingered the set of keys he always kept hidden in his breast pocket. Hamaki Kenji was his right hand man and partner in research. He was also one of the few living excavationers left working on their 'discovery'. "Any news?"
"Yes, sensei. But we're going to need to exhaust all your connections for this."
Despite his growing worry, Fujitaka was intrigued. "What do you mean?" He inquired from the other man, his mind racing.
There were some shuffling sounds coming from Hamaki's end. A moment later, his partner's voice came back on the line. "Is your fax connected right now, sensei?"
The professor glanced at one corner of his study where his fax machine was sitting, green light blinking innocently in the grim daylight. "Yes."
He heard a soft beep, and then the steady hum of a working machine. "I'm faxing you some of the documents I've gathered from my German contact. Read through them, then call me. We'll need to exhaust all of your resources to break this one."
"Ok." He couldn't think of anything more to say. The fact that they were so near from uncovering the truth regarding their 'discovery' left him speechless and completely overwhelmed. He thanked Hamaki for his news, returned the phone back on its cradle, and headed towards his fax to wait for the documents. Closing his eyes, the professor silently said a prayer for the souls of his comrades, who had died because of this discovery.
'May all your lives be a worthy sarifice for this, my friends.'
*****
Syaoran was silently making his way back to where he parked his car via a narrow alley way when a strong hand suddenly grabbed him from behind. In a blink of an eye, one of his hands had grabbed the hand holding him and twisted it in a vise grip, while his other held a primed Beretta aimed at his assailant's temple.
Yue(1) stared back at him calmly, his eyes flickering with something akin to amusement. "Nice to see you, too, Li." The long-haired man said sweetly as he met Syaoran's livid gaze.
Grunting, the young assassin immediately released his grip and placed his gun back in its holster. "What do you want, Yue?" He spat out harshly, amber eyes blazing with anger as he took in the other fellow's smiling face. His whole body was shaking. Not with fear, but with anger.
Yue nonchalantly brushed a feather-light kiss on Syaoran's cheek, which the amber-eyed man fended off easily. Tutting, Yue stepped back and flapped the tails of his business coat, as if showing off the gun barely visible from under his shirt. "Really, Syaoran. Is that the way to welcome a good friend?" He asked lightly.
Syaoran snorted. "You were _NEVER_ my friend." He retorted, amber eyes blazing with raw fury as he watched Yue nonchalantly flick a stray lint off his gray black coat. "So don't feed your ego."
The older assassin made a dramatic show of clutching his heart, all the while managing to sneer at the other man. Syaoran merely stared at him, disgust clearly reflected in his eyes.
Seeing that his melodrama was unfazing his companion, Yue straightened up and cleared his throat, his whole expression transforming from boyish mischief to that of complete detachment. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a long white envelope. He handed it to Syaoran with a smirk. "The Capo has a little project for you." He stated blandly, waving the envelope in front of the other's face like a banner. "Double pay with a huge bonus. Interested?"
Syaoran glared daggers at him. "I don't accept orders from that bastard. Not anymore." He declared forcefully, reaching forward to clamp a hand around Yue's flapping arm and holding it firmly in place.
Yue shook his head, his long, loose mane of hair swishing with the slight breeze. "My, my! Our little wolf," He mourned in fake disappointment and hurt, "How you have changed!" Heaving a tragic sigh, he pulled his arm out of Syaoran's grip and held the envelope with both hands. "It's not like you to turn down an assignment." The long-haired man mused, his expression contemplative, "Let alone one that offers double rewards."
The amber-eyed assassin deftly crossed his arms across his lean chest. "I work for the Federation now." Was his flat response.
Yue shrugged. "Killing is killing, Syaoran." He reasoned, tapping the envelope on his palm a couple of times. Noticing that his rationalism still failed to elicit a response from his taciturn companion, Yue ripped the envelope open and pulled out a single piece of folded paper. Unfolding it gently, he held it to Syaoran. "Besides, I think you'll be greatly interested in this project, seeing that the Federation has asked you to get rid of the sensei."
Syaoran saw red. In one swift motion he had a death grip on Yue's jugular and had the older man pinned against the alley wall. Once more pulling out his gun, he aimed it directly between Yue's calm eyes. "I've told you time and time again not to meddle in my affairs, you bastard!" He raged through gritted teeth, eyes blazing.
His captive held up both hands in mock surrender. "I don't really have that much of a choice, do I, Syaoran? The Capo is paying me to track your down." Again, he waved the piece of paper in Syaoran's face, unmindful of the dangerous proximity of the gun. "I suggest you read through this first before pulling that trigger on me."
The amber-eyed man glared one last time at him before releasing his hold and pulling the paper out of his grasp. "This better not happen again." He growled as he forcefully pocketed the wired message.
Yue gracefully stood up from the dirty street where he had landed after Syaoran had let go of his throat. There was a large reddish mark on his neck from where the other assassin had almost closed off his windpipe, but he didn't seem to mind this at all. He smiled, and the smile was soft. Almost sincere.
"As you wish, Syaoran. As you wish."
With that, he turned and headed the other direction, leaving the scowling young man behind.
*****
==The Renaissance, 10:45 AM==
Sakura shouldered her small bag before waving an exuberant goodbye at her co-workers. "Ja ne!" She called out cheerfully as she headed out of the locker rooms. Making her way towards the back stair case, the emerald-eyed receptionist hummed tunelessly to herself, her spirits soaring. In spite of the incredibly bad night she had had with the infamous Li Syaoran, her shift for that working day went quite well under the circumsances. She earned lots of tips, and more than one guest commended on her spectacular service.
Pushing open the back doors leading outside the hotel, Sakura's eyebrows knitted together when she caught sight of a completely hysterical Nikira huddled with a few of their co-workers. Immediately she made her way towards the group, calling out, "What's going on?!"
Nikira took one look at her and was in Sakura's arms in an instant. "It was horrible--too much blood--everyone was screaming--lost all my groceries for this week--scared me to death--" The blue-eyed Japanese woman babbled almost incoherently, latching herself on Sakura's waist as she turned horrified eyes at her friend.
Sakura let her colleague babble on for a few seconds before pushing her off her chest and giving her slender shoulders a firm shake. The sound of her teeth rattling inside her head seemed to snap Nikira out of the horrific nightmare she caught herself in, and she immediately burst into tears. The emerald-eyed woman gently patted her on the back while she wept.
"Daijoubo yo, Nikira-chan. You're safe here." Sakura mumbled soothingly by Nikira's ear. Over the crying woman's shoulder, she mouthed an inquiry to their colleagues.
Sam, a bellhop and one of Sakura's good friends at work, step forward. "She went to buy groceries at the shopping district before heading home." he began, shooting a sympathetic glance at the still-sobbing Nikira cradled in Sakura's arms, "She saw Certrude-sama dead with a bullet hole on his head in front of the restaurant."
Sakura's knees turned to jelly at the news. Her head swan. "Ce-certrude-sama?" She repeated faintly, her face draining of color. Slowly she sank to the ground with Nikira still wrapped around her waist, stunned.
Sam knelt beside her and made her lean against his knee as support. "Hai." He quietly confirmed as he stared down at the auburn-haired girl in concern. "Nikira-chan came running all the way back, screaming and crying." He shook his head. "The police are already there at the scene, but they couldn't find any evidence of foul play. I heard from Marco that they suspect it as a government assassination."
Sakura wasn't listening entirely at the young man's words. His earlier news was still echoing in her head. 'She saw Certrude-sama dead with a bullet hole on his head in front of the restaurant...'
'The Blue Ale,' Her mind corrected her unwanted thoughts unconsciously. 'You were just giving him directions earlier...'
Sakura felt dizzy. She felt a light hand touch her shoulder.
"Sa-sakura-san?" Sam's deep baritone wavered a bit as he noticed the glazed look on his friend's normally bright eyes. "Daijoubo ka?" He gently grabbed both her shoulders.
She forced an unnatural smile for him. "Aa. Daijoubo." Gently pushing Nikira upright, she deposited her sniffling burden over to another colleague and stood up. "I have to go home." She announced, closing her eyes briefly as another wave of dizziness threatened to engulf her.
Sam touched her shoulder. "I'll drive you." He told her firmly.
"Iie." Sakura shook her head. "I'm ok. Just a bit shaken by the news. I mean, I was just giving the man direction earlier before this--before he--"
Nikira sniffled.
Sakura gently pushed Sam's hand off her shoulder. "Ja ne." She bade cheerfully but firmly as she walked down the back exit. As soon as she was sure that her friends were out of sight, Sakura held one hand against the wall as she instructed herself to breathe.
'Certrude-sama is dead.'
She bit her lip as bile rose up to her throat.
'Certrude-sama is dead.'
She didn't even know why she was so affected by the news of the emissary of negotiation's sudden and violent demise. She didn't even know him that well.
'He's dead.'
Another wave of nausea almost made her pass out, but she ventured on her walk boldly, one hand still against the wall to help her balance herself. Soon her ambling brought her to the end of the street. The bus stop was just across it. Taking a huge breath, she let go of the wall, and immediately started to collapse.
Instead of meeting with solid ground and asphalt, a warm body cushioned her fall. Sakura had the briefest view of a pair of incredible amber eyes before she completely passed out.
*****
==Kinomoto Residence, 11:24 AM==
Eriol glanced at his watch. Sakura should have been home thirty minutes ago.
Without turning off his laptop, Eriol proceeded to pack it back in its case, careful not to disturb the cord connecting his computer to his mobile phone. He could have easily left the machine on the table while he drove around in search of Sakura, but it was just too risky. Whoever was the assassin the Federation had sent after Fujitaka didn't know that there was an EIU agent monitoring the Kinomoto family. He wasn't about to make the mistake and reveal his well-guarded identity to the enemy.
Shouldering his pack, Eriol swiftly headed for the front door.
'Stay safe while I'm gone, sensei.'
TBC
==well, there..hope you liked it...*scuffs a shoe against the floor* Man!!! I feel so inferior!!!*sits down in front of the PC and mopes. MuMu watches her mistress with big, sad eyes*
FOOTNOTES:
1. Oh my gosh!!! I can just IMAGINE the scene...can you?
Author's Notes: This chapter is dedicated to my parents, the two people I miss so much. I love you guys...
ASSASSIN by rei-chan
CHAPTER FOUR: Unexpected Visitor
==Kinomoto Residence, 10:13 AM==
Fujitaka snapped out of the horrendous dream he was having when the telephone suddenly rang. Shaking his head to clear himself of sleep, the sandy-haired man reached over and picked up the contraption, stiffling a tired yawn as he answered, "Moshi moshi."
"Sensei?" A young voice called out uncertainly from the other end.
"Yes." Fujitaka replied thickly, stretching his free arm over his head as he slowly stood up from his perch on his swivel desk chair. "Who is this?" He wanted to know as he slowly rotated his stiff shoulders, grimacing as he heard all his joints pop. Falling asleep slumped on a huge mahogany desk was NOT his idea of comfort.
"It's Hamaki."
The grip that the professor had on the receiver tightened, and Fujitaka sank back down on his chair, weakened. From relief or from fear, he didn't know. "Hamaki-san!" He exclaimed, his heart thumping loudly in his chest as one of his hands unconsciously fingered the set of keys he always kept hidden in his breast pocket. Hamaki Kenji was his right hand man and partner in research. He was also one of the few living excavationers left working on their 'discovery'. "Any news?"
"Yes, sensei. But we're going to need to exhaust all your connections for this."
Despite his growing worry, Fujitaka was intrigued. "What do you mean?" He inquired from the other man, his mind racing.
There were some shuffling sounds coming from Hamaki's end. A moment later, his partner's voice came back on the line. "Is your fax connected right now, sensei?"
The professor glanced at one corner of his study where his fax machine was sitting, green light blinking innocently in the grim daylight. "Yes."
He heard a soft beep, and then the steady hum of a working machine. "I'm faxing you some of the documents I've gathered from my German contact. Read through them, then call me. We'll need to exhaust all of your resources to break this one."
"Ok." He couldn't think of anything more to say. The fact that they were so near from uncovering the truth regarding their 'discovery' left him speechless and completely overwhelmed. He thanked Hamaki for his news, returned the phone back on its cradle, and headed towards his fax to wait for the documents. Closing his eyes, the professor silently said a prayer for the souls of his comrades, who had died because of this discovery.
'May all your lives be a worthy sarifice for this, my friends.'
*****
Syaoran was silently making his way back to where he parked his car via a narrow alley way when a strong hand suddenly grabbed him from behind. In a blink of an eye, one of his hands had grabbed the hand holding him and twisted it in a vise grip, while his other held a primed Beretta aimed at his assailant's temple.
Yue(1) stared back at him calmly, his eyes flickering with something akin to amusement. "Nice to see you, too, Li." The long-haired man said sweetly as he met Syaoran's livid gaze.
Grunting, the young assassin immediately released his grip and placed his gun back in its holster. "What do you want, Yue?" He spat out harshly, amber eyes blazing with anger as he took in the other fellow's smiling face. His whole body was shaking. Not with fear, but with anger.
Yue nonchalantly brushed a feather-light kiss on Syaoran's cheek, which the amber-eyed man fended off easily. Tutting, Yue stepped back and flapped the tails of his business coat, as if showing off the gun barely visible from under his shirt. "Really, Syaoran. Is that the way to welcome a good friend?" He asked lightly.
Syaoran snorted. "You were _NEVER_ my friend." He retorted, amber eyes blazing with raw fury as he watched Yue nonchalantly flick a stray lint off his gray black coat. "So don't feed your ego."
The older assassin made a dramatic show of clutching his heart, all the while managing to sneer at the other man. Syaoran merely stared at him, disgust clearly reflected in his eyes.
Seeing that his melodrama was unfazing his companion, Yue straightened up and cleared his throat, his whole expression transforming from boyish mischief to that of complete detachment. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a long white envelope. He handed it to Syaoran with a smirk. "The Capo has a little project for you." He stated blandly, waving the envelope in front of the other's face like a banner. "Double pay with a huge bonus. Interested?"
Syaoran glared daggers at him. "I don't accept orders from that bastard. Not anymore." He declared forcefully, reaching forward to clamp a hand around Yue's flapping arm and holding it firmly in place.
Yue shook his head, his long, loose mane of hair swishing with the slight breeze. "My, my! Our little wolf," He mourned in fake disappointment and hurt, "How you have changed!" Heaving a tragic sigh, he pulled his arm out of Syaoran's grip and held the envelope with both hands. "It's not like you to turn down an assignment." The long-haired man mused, his expression contemplative, "Let alone one that offers double rewards."
The amber-eyed assassin deftly crossed his arms across his lean chest. "I work for the Federation now." Was his flat response.
Yue shrugged. "Killing is killing, Syaoran." He reasoned, tapping the envelope on his palm a couple of times. Noticing that his rationalism still failed to elicit a response from his taciturn companion, Yue ripped the envelope open and pulled out a single piece of folded paper. Unfolding it gently, he held it to Syaoran. "Besides, I think you'll be greatly interested in this project, seeing that the Federation has asked you to get rid of the sensei."
Syaoran saw red. In one swift motion he had a death grip on Yue's jugular and had the older man pinned against the alley wall. Once more pulling out his gun, he aimed it directly between Yue's calm eyes. "I've told you time and time again not to meddle in my affairs, you bastard!" He raged through gritted teeth, eyes blazing.
His captive held up both hands in mock surrender. "I don't really have that much of a choice, do I, Syaoran? The Capo is paying me to track your down." Again, he waved the piece of paper in Syaoran's face, unmindful of the dangerous proximity of the gun. "I suggest you read through this first before pulling that trigger on me."
The amber-eyed man glared one last time at him before releasing his hold and pulling the paper out of his grasp. "This better not happen again." He growled as he forcefully pocketed the wired message.
Yue gracefully stood up from the dirty street where he had landed after Syaoran had let go of his throat. There was a large reddish mark on his neck from where the other assassin had almost closed off his windpipe, but he didn't seem to mind this at all. He smiled, and the smile was soft. Almost sincere.
"As you wish, Syaoran. As you wish."
With that, he turned and headed the other direction, leaving the scowling young man behind.
*****
==The Renaissance, 10:45 AM==
Sakura shouldered her small bag before waving an exuberant goodbye at her co-workers. "Ja ne!" She called out cheerfully as she headed out of the locker rooms. Making her way towards the back stair case, the emerald-eyed receptionist hummed tunelessly to herself, her spirits soaring. In spite of the incredibly bad night she had had with the infamous Li Syaoran, her shift for that working day went quite well under the circumsances. She earned lots of tips, and more than one guest commended on her spectacular service.
Pushing open the back doors leading outside the hotel, Sakura's eyebrows knitted together when she caught sight of a completely hysterical Nikira huddled with a few of their co-workers. Immediately she made her way towards the group, calling out, "What's going on?!"
Nikira took one look at her and was in Sakura's arms in an instant. "It was horrible--too much blood--everyone was screaming--lost all my groceries for this week--scared me to death--" The blue-eyed Japanese woman babbled almost incoherently, latching herself on Sakura's waist as she turned horrified eyes at her friend.
Sakura let her colleague babble on for a few seconds before pushing her off her chest and giving her slender shoulders a firm shake. The sound of her teeth rattling inside her head seemed to snap Nikira out of the horrific nightmare she caught herself in, and she immediately burst into tears. The emerald-eyed woman gently patted her on the back while she wept.
"Daijoubo yo, Nikira-chan. You're safe here." Sakura mumbled soothingly by Nikira's ear. Over the crying woman's shoulder, she mouthed an inquiry to their colleagues.
Sam, a bellhop and one of Sakura's good friends at work, step forward. "She went to buy groceries at the shopping district before heading home." he began, shooting a sympathetic glance at the still-sobbing Nikira cradled in Sakura's arms, "She saw Certrude-sama dead with a bullet hole on his head in front of the restaurant."
Sakura's knees turned to jelly at the news. Her head swan. "Ce-certrude-sama?" She repeated faintly, her face draining of color. Slowly she sank to the ground with Nikira still wrapped around her waist, stunned.
Sam knelt beside her and made her lean against his knee as support. "Hai." He quietly confirmed as he stared down at the auburn-haired girl in concern. "Nikira-chan came running all the way back, screaming and crying." He shook his head. "The police are already there at the scene, but they couldn't find any evidence of foul play. I heard from Marco that they suspect it as a government assassination."
Sakura wasn't listening entirely at the young man's words. His earlier news was still echoing in her head. 'She saw Certrude-sama dead with a bullet hole on his head in front of the restaurant...'
'The Blue Ale,' Her mind corrected her unwanted thoughts unconsciously. 'You were just giving him directions earlier...'
Sakura felt dizzy. She felt a light hand touch her shoulder.
"Sa-sakura-san?" Sam's deep baritone wavered a bit as he noticed the glazed look on his friend's normally bright eyes. "Daijoubo ka?" He gently grabbed both her shoulders.
She forced an unnatural smile for him. "Aa. Daijoubo." Gently pushing Nikira upright, she deposited her sniffling burden over to another colleague and stood up. "I have to go home." She announced, closing her eyes briefly as another wave of dizziness threatened to engulf her.
Sam touched her shoulder. "I'll drive you." He told her firmly.
"Iie." Sakura shook her head. "I'm ok. Just a bit shaken by the news. I mean, I was just giving the man direction earlier before this--before he--"
Nikira sniffled.
Sakura gently pushed Sam's hand off her shoulder. "Ja ne." She bade cheerfully but firmly as she walked down the back exit. As soon as she was sure that her friends were out of sight, Sakura held one hand against the wall as she instructed herself to breathe.
'Certrude-sama is dead.'
She bit her lip as bile rose up to her throat.
'Certrude-sama is dead.'
She didn't even know why she was so affected by the news of the emissary of negotiation's sudden and violent demise. She didn't even know him that well.
'He's dead.'
Another wave of nausea almost made her pass out, but she ventured on her walk boldly, one hand still against the wall to help her balance herself. Soon her ambling brought her to the end of the street. The bus stop was just across it. Taking a huge breath, she let go of the wall, and immediately started to collapse.
Instead of meeting with solid ground and asphalt, a warm body cushioned her fall. Sakura had the briefest view of a pair of incredible amber eyes before she completely passed out.
*****
==Kinomoto Residence, 11:24 AM==
Eriol glanced at his watch. Sakura should have been home thirty minutes ago.
Without turning off his laptop, Eriol proceeded to pack it back in its case, careful not to disturb the cord connecting his computer to his mobile phone. He could have easily left the machine on the table while he drove around in search of Sakura, but it was just too risky. Whoever was the assassin the Federation had sent after Fujitaka didn't know that there was an EIU agent monitoring the Kinomoto family. He wasn't about to make the mistake and reveal his well-guarded identity to the enemy.
Shouldering his pack, Eriol swiftly headed for the front door.
'Stay safe while I'm gone, sensei.'
TBC
==well, there..hope you liked it...*scuffs a shoe against the floor* Man!!! I feel so inferior!!!*sits down in front of the PC and mopes. MuMu watches her mistress with big, sad eyes*
FOOTNOTES:
1. Oh my gosh!!! I can just IMAGINE the scene...can you?