Chapter 10

Blood Soaked Fingers

Ayane didn't have much time to develop a plan, due in large part to the fire. But in the spare moments she had, she believed she created a fairly ingenious one. Although she couldn't see her adversaries, she could tell they were there. There had to be many of them. They ran like roaches, trying to find a better position on adversaries they couldn't see. Chris had to be somewhere in this room, considering there were no other exits and either she or Christie would have seen him if he left. Ayane's impromptu plan didn't require confidence. But at the moment, she desperately needed it. She resorted to a good old fashioned countdown.

"10… 9…8…7…6…. 5… 4… 3… 2…Oh what the heck is going on now!"

Bullets zipped in front of her face, and screams suddenly erupted from the silence.

"CHRISTIE!" Ayane snarled.

Ayane leapt down, rushing into a fight she knew would be bloody as hell. Hiding in a dark corner, she threw all of her kunai into almost every lamp in the room. She kept the one in the middle, however. Knowing that she could easily scale the machinery, she could simply scope out any enemies. The candles were just used for the element of surprise and fright. If anyone caught sight of her dark figure rushing past lights, they'd more than likely be scared out of their wits. Indeed, an ingenious plan. Atop one very warm and very loud machine, she threw her blades at anything moving, except for Christie of course.

She completely forgot the other assassin. Her mission details required Christie dead, but there was something that kept her from lodging her lethal blades in Christie's back. Ayane saw Christie's lithe figured dipping and darting out of shadows, unloading bullets into her unsuspecting victims. She could feel something telling her not to kill this woman. Ayane tried desperately to resist but couldn't oppose her instincts. Ayane could see no enemies. But just to be safe, she jumped down. In front of her she could hear the rustling of someone's clothing, and she threw her shuriken. He fell to the ground. More came from the same direction and she easily dispatched them all.

Everything was silent and even Christie had stopped moving. Obviously she had tensed up. This silence was deafening, pregnant with death and things that would drive any normal person berserk. But Ayane and Christie weren't even close to being normal people. She grew tired of the silence and jumped down from her perch onto the cold ground. Just as she had done that, a door slammed shut in the back of the room.

Chris…

Ayane dashed toward the door, Christie having the same idea. The door closed with a resounding bang and they followed close behind. Christie grabbed onto the knob and twisted. However, as she twisted the lock remained in place.

That pussy locked the door...I guess he can't fight very well.

Christie pulled a pistol seemingly out of thin air and shot the lock three times. It whined softly and fell to the floor.

Ayane whistled, "Hate to meet you in a dark alley."

"You already have." Christie cocked a half smile, seemingly looking into Ayane's very soul. She shivered a bit and stood at the door.

"Lovers first," Ayane cackled a bit. Christie, clearly infuriated at her past relationship with the guy she planned to kill, gave her the middle finger. Both women stared at each other, holding back the overwhelming dread they both knew they shared. They both knew this could be their last endeavor, but they both know they were going to go down with flare. With a nod, Christie kicked the door down, aiming her gun into the darkness. Nothing could be heard in this room, laden in candles and some more lanterns. The room was relatively plain with no machinery, just a few storage boxes. Ayane caught something moving in the back of the room, slowly advancing.

"So you finally caught up with me Christie…I thought DOATEC let go of lackeys like you when they laid them off."

"The only lackey was you and you let yourself go. Fortunately for me, you pissed them off. And now I get to plant a bullet in your head….." Christie put some bullets into her gun. "I'm going to enjoy this." Christie jumped ahead, clearly taken over by her emotions. Ayane readied her weapons, preparing to kill Christie and possibly Chris at the same time. Ayane stood.

He sucks at fighting but he can sure shoot a gun.

Ayane watched him pull a shotgun from out of nowhere and blast it straight in Christie's direction. Christie leapt aside, narrowly dodging the spray of bullets. Christie, growing more and more aggravated, shot three bullets that whistled in Chris' direction. He leapt behind the one solitary machine in the room and prepared for his next assault.

Ayane felt a growing anxiety in her chest. She couldn't quite explain it. It was pulling her to Christie and it wasn't just the urge to kill. She actually felt compelled to…help her.

She cursed herself for this inevitable friendship. She jumped up, grabbing at two short swords that were stashed away and dashed ahead. But as she ran, the lights went completely dead. Not unlike her previous tactics, Chris kept one light in the middle on. The lantern dangled back and forth, sending light bouncing from the left to the right.

Christie's tiny but muscular frame dodged from in and out of the shadows. Bullets rang clear through the air, ripping through the silence and disturbing the peace. In the passing light, Ayane could just barely make out Chris and with this opportunity the purple headed assassin rushed in. Twirling her blades, she could feel them connect but after a while her blades began striking the wind. Suddenly, Chris landed one solid punch at her jaw and she dropped like a rock. Although the strike wasn't hard, it had just enough force to knock her off her feet. Dazed and confused, Ayane struggled to stand. Wincing, she managed to get up. Everything was silent and Christie remained directly in the light's path.

Bad move Christie.

Sure enough, a dark figure lurched from behind her, creeping and stealthily moving. It was Chris, taking the easy way out of his assassination and taking advantage of Christie. Ayane boiled with anger, seeing this type of thing before, hell she had done it. But the way his slimy body rolled up behind her made her stomach lurch. However, the pressing issue of Christie's death still remained. Ayane's mind buzzed and hummed until it seemed that her thinking was out loud. Ayane knew that her clan would severely chastise her for her failure, and she would probably be demoted in her rank. However, what were these things compared to a human life?

Fine time to get a damn conscious!

Ayane shook off her fears and grabbed the two remaining blades in her sash. Taking precise aim she lunged both and prayed they would hit their mark. The blades sang and whistled like an in tune song and harmonized with the deafening silence. One light went out and she could hear one of her blades sink into flesh. A bullet rang out. Moaning followed, the gender being uncertain. Scuffling ensued and it grew louder.

"Thanks a lot." Christie limped to Ayane, barely managing a bullet wound to her leg.

Ayane stifled a smile, "No problem. I should've killed you back there you know."

"Why didn't you. There was a perfect shot at me."

Ayane grit her teeth, "I don't want to go home with blood soaked fingers tonight. I weighed my options and surprisingly your pathetic life came first."

Christie smiled, "Well, are you going to help me out or are you going to stand there ogling at my chest?" Ayane had forgotten about Christie's wound and simply cast her arm over her own shoulder. By now the fire had spread quickly and it was busting through the pathway that at one time held the door. Christie and Ayane frantically searched for an exit until they saw a hatch lying right above them. The hinges were rather old so Christie shot above her head and the hatch flung open. Giving Christie a boost, she struggled to grab up and onto the ladder but finally managed. She was moving like a slug.

"What the hell are you doing? Hurry up!" Christie simply looked back and went along.

The fire was an inch away from Ayane's foot when she nimbly jumped up and climbed up. The two women raced to the top, leading onto a relatively empty road. The fire roared beneath them, licking at Ayane's toes ever so slightly. Christie slowly climbed up, easing her way upward. Ayane, agitated at her sloth thrust her up and they landed safely in the street. Both women ran, not knowing where to go or where their path would lead. The fire was soon raging up from underground and the results of their actions would soon be made public. Ayane giggled, Christie could limp like the wind. Christie's face was beaded with sweat, as was Ayane's. However, Ayane's face was beaded with sweat solely because she hadn't killed her target. Furthermore, she had become friends with the target! She cursed herself once again for her stupidity and loss of control. The two women reached their hotel and sped through packing their things. Ayane, not wanting to kill Christie for lack of a better reason besides they were now "friends", headed toward the door. As she made it through, a hand grabbed her wrist. Spinning around, she caught Christie's eyes.

"Thank you."

Ayane's heart stopped. Christie finally let her icy eyes melt and she bared her soul. Ayane could tell what she had just said was genuine, and it ironically put a smile to her face.

"Don't mention it. I'm serious don't mention this anywhere. Or I WILL have to kill you."

Ayane smirked and raced away into the night, desperately trying not to turn back and point a knife at Christie's neck. It took all of her might to dismiss the urgent need to wipe her out and be done with her mission. However, her sense of "decency" forced her to keep running. The moonlight shown brightly on her face, her eyes basked in its heavenly light. It was as if someone above was commending her on a job well done. Wind sifted through her hair, and she looked up at the stars as if to respond.

I'm not coming home with blood soaked fingers tonight.