Hewwo, again! School's out, and I'm planning to write a bit more. I think I'll have one more chapter to put up today! Don't you just love me! Anyhow... all those out there who are reading and not reviewing, I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE BECAUSE I DO IT, TOO! You really should review... that would be really super...

In the Summoner's Shadow

Part II Chapter VIII

Sometimes, smart people do very, very stupid things…

It was three weeks after the assassination scare of Lucientio and his guardians. It was an entire month since the child known as Cricket was added to their plight and the duo became a group. It was two days since the death of Xiv through some mysterious outside force. His death had been quick. Painless? Not from the looks of things…

It was strange to Lucientio, how Xiv died. It was still confusing, even in his current position. To Sonja, whom Lucientio now found out was not the Cricket he knew, and she was not dying from some sort of untreatable cancerous disease- in fact, according to what he was currently learning, "Cricket" was a very healthy, and, quite contrary to what he thought he once knew, was anything but dying- his death was obvious.

Actually… from what he was seeing now from the elderly in appearance, yet youthful in strength grasp of who he thought was Cricket- or… Sonja's grandfather- his death was soon to come to pass, also...

"Rye! Please! Just… put him down!" Sonja was standing a few feet away from Rye, whose death-hold on Lucientio's throat kept the Summoner in suspense as to what was going on.Her screams echoed through thenight.At first,Lucientio's attention had been on thinking of a way to get down, but after a few moments of choking, struggling, choking, struggling, and choking, he realized he wasn't going anywhere for a while, so decided just to try and figure out what was going on.

"Sonja. Look, you already got in trouble with refusing to take your father out, which I highly doubt you should be punished for considering his relation to you. I will not allow you to get yourself into more trouble by refusing this case! Even if I have to kill your target myself, you will not send a termination!" Rye growled at the child.

"Why does he have to die!" she shouted back at the older Ronso.

"Because, he was targeted by someone. It doesn't matter who, and it's not your job to ask why. It's your job to kill," Rye told her.

"I don't want him to die!" she yelled, stomping her feet and glaring up at Rye with serious, teary eyes that demanded obedience.

"Sonja, Sonja, Sonja," he tsked. "You seem to have done the worst thing any assassin can do… you've become attached to your target…"

"No! Look, I've had this plan in my head for the past few days. Daddy is a Summoner… Lucientio is a Summoner… if I can get Lucientio to Sin before Daddy gets there, then… I can save Daddy…" she said, apparently fighting back tears.

"No, you can't. You're father's dead to you, child… just as you are dead to him…" Rye told her, walking away from her with Lucientio still in his grasp.

"Rye…" Sonja blinked when she heard those words. "He's… he's not dead… I saw him in the temple!"

"If he's not dead yet, Sonja, he will be soon…"

"Might I say something?" Lucientio choked out when he saw tears welling up in Sonja's eyes.

"What?" Rye shouted at him.

"The child… she's so young… she needs her father. I may not know who you are or who she is or what's going on, but if there is any way my Pilgrimage can save her father, please let me finish it and save him," Lucientio begged.

"He's gonna die anyway, Rye! Let him die constructively!" Sonja begged.

"Sorry, Sonja…" Rye shrugged and tightened his grip on Lucientio's throat to the point at which the Summoner found it rather difficult to even breathe.

"No! Rye! Please! Stop!" She cried.

Rye ignored her and slammed Lucientio's body onto the ground so hard, he snapped in two- flesh torn apart and all. Sonja gasped and turned her head away from the carnage.

"Get over Braska, Sonja. You already saved his life once," Rye glared at her and dropped the half of Lucientio he held onto the ground and walked away from the mess.

"L… Lucientio…" Sonja knelt at his side. He was still a little bit alive.

"Kill him and end his misery, then meet me back at base."

Sonja glared at Rye's back, hugging Lucientio's head to her shoulder.

"I hate you, Rye…" she told him. He turned and glanced at her as if it was nothing more than a simple comment.

"Of course you do. You know what, though? You'll love me later…"

"Y… you killed my father!" she screamed at him, standing up.

"I killed your father? How?" he asked, turning to her. She pointed down at Lucientio with one hand and shook her fist with the other.

"He was my last chance at saving Daddy and sparing him from destruction! You slaughtered my one hope of that! How could you! I hate you!"

"Hate is such a strong word, child. Don't use it so freely. Get back to base."

"Damn you to Hell, Rye…" she choked on her tears, then pulled out a dagger at her side. She shot through the air at Rye who was turned away from her. He heard her wild yell of fury, and turned only in time to hold his hand up to guard his face from being cut up. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and tried to wring the dagger from her.

"Let go!" He demanded, finding she had a death grip on it.

"You let go, murderer!" she shouted. A smirk grazed along his furry muzzle.

"I'm a murderer, eh?" He laughed, then threw her to the ground. She grunted when she bounced a few times before sliding to a halt. Sonja attempted to rise again, yet found Rye's large Ronso foot in the middle of her chest, pinning her to the ground. Sure, he was just merely a Red Mage, but still, he had his tiger-like strength, even in his ancient age.

"I… can't breathe!" Sonja choked out.

"You're not supposed to. Now shut up and listen. You seem to be on the rebellious side lately. I'm just going to dismiss it as nothing more than your youth keeping you thinking. However, you must learn to keep your mind from giving you ideas… it's not healthy for an assassin. Now… look at that mess…" he kicked her over to Lucientio's now dead form. "… if I remember correctly, you were the one assigned to this job. Why? Because you are the top assassin in the entire guild. You far surpass even the Generals themselves. You know how an assassin achieves that kind of greatness? By slaughtering and slaughtering every chance they get. You calling me a murderer is like the stove calling the kettle black. Now, if you don't mind, I must be getting back to the base. I'll meet you there…"

Rye's foot landed itself rather harshly into Sonja's chest and she choked out a cry of pain when a loud crack sounded its way all the way through her body into her skull. Her lungs took on a sudden hurt and she rolled over onto her side, unable to breathe.

"Don't be late, child…" he smiled devilishly, leaving her there to watch as the one that raised her since she was found half dead outside the place she called home walked away from her.

Darkness closed in around her, and the simplest breath of air was beauty to her lungs, though she could not get to it.

I know I said I'd have a new character in next chapter. I may or may not... I kinda want a little bit of fluff next chappie, but whatever... you never can tell what comes out of the black hole I call a Mind... have fun... Review... ALL REVIEWERS GET TO SOMEHOW MAKE A GUEST APPEARENCE IN UPCOMING CHAPTERS!