A/N:
Hi, I just need to clear some things before I write the fourth chapter.
Why Priestess/Assassin, aco/Assassin,(etcetc)? That is getting so old! …Why, you ask? It's simple. I like that pairing. :D They look good together, and it doesn't matter if it's too clique-ish, because that's how I like it. Hah:p
Are you Filipino? People started asking me this when the name of the Bartender was "Manong Buddy". Yes, I am Filipino. Manong Buddy is the guy who sells in our local sari-sari store. XD
WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MUCH TYPOS11!11, YOU SUUCK!11 Sorry. I'm lazy. Proofreading my own works is something I rarely do. You can do it for me if you want to, but other than that, no thanks.
Midnight Visits - I really don't know how to explain it… but, you know, in the middle of the night, when someone gets this strong urge to visit another room, and "stuff" happen. p
What
……
Chapter Four: Sea
Hmm, I went back to Izlude after sleeping in Manong Buddy's inn. My mom was so proud of me. I thought she was going to practically hurt our neighbor just to see me heal someone.
I'm not too fond of my healing skills right now. They're really weak. Even just after a few spells, I'm so tired already… Kira was really nice to me, he brought me around Prontera to heal some wounded strangers. He said that it would help me get used to healing more… Uhm… yeah.
I ate lunch with my mom, and though I wanted to introduce her to Kira, he said he didn't want to. So, after eating, we hung out by a bench near the docks. He asked my if I was still going to Payon, and I said yes. He told me to tell my mom that I was going. My mom seemed worried, when she found out it was a "stranger" who was going to escort me. But she let me go, anyway. I'm "mature" enough.
When I got back to the docks, Kira was nowhere. Cliff was there, though. Devastated is an understatement for what I felt. I HATE THAT GUY! He said Kira asked him (or threatened, in other terms) to take me aboard a three-day ship to Payon. He was going to meet us on the ship, how he would do that, I have no idea.
……
"There are a lot…" Rumi frowned as Cliff stood up straight to listen to what she as going to say. "A lot of thieves in this place."
He shook his head, him being one. "I'm aware of that."
About two or three people had already prodded for her pocket, looking for her coins. It was usual, for such a crowded place. They were aboard the ship, Vixen, to get to Payon. Much to Rumi's dismay, her and Cliff had to share a room.
To quote Cliff, he said, "Don't worry, it's going to take a million Baphomets to step on me before I even touch you. Get a grip."
Rumi was furious, of course.
"I wonder where Kira is…?" She blinked, as she watched the waves of the ocean. Dolphins were playfully swimming alongside the ship, which amused her. Beside her, Cliff yawned.
"Why are you going off to Payon again?" He asked.
"To meet some friends…" She blinked, remembering the siblings, Mint and Chent. How were they?
Cliff mumbled something incoherent under his breath and rolled his eyes, something that the acolyte chose to ignore. Rumi blinked, and blankly stared at his agitated face for a while. He was staring at the waves below. With a sigh, Rumi leaned her shoulders on the railing.
"Who's Kira?"
The thief blinked. "You know… the guy who saved you from the wolves… scarlet hair… err—"
"No!" Rumi said suddenly, going red in the face. She realized that her question must have sounded extremely stupid. "He's an assassin, right? Why won't he tell me where he got those wounds? Why's he wanted? That stuff…"
Cliff shrugged. "How the hell should I know?"
The young acolyte paused for a while.
"It's not so bad being an assassin, though." Cliff added. "They mostly deal with politicians who give people a hard time, anyway… the recent news that the kind was attempted to be assassinated… I don't even know if that's true."
Rumi blinked. He was right… Kira was supposedly wanted for being with a group of assassins who were caught to attempt to assassinate the king. Why they tried to do so was a mystery.
The acolyte felt something moving in her side pocket, and she looked downwards. Gasping, she realized that someone had grabbed her wallet and was starting to run away in the crowd. "AH! Thief!"
"Geh…" Cliff frowned at her. "Really, even if you tell the crew I'm one, nobody will really care."
"No, idiot!" Rumi wanted to kick him in the shin, even though it was against her nature. "T-that guy—" She pointed to the retreating figure in a panic. "H-he took my wallet! Our tickets and stuff are inside…!"
Cliff made a sound of annoyance, and pulled her wrist, and they started running after the figure that noticed them and started running even faster. The people around them didn't seem to care, as if it happened a lot in that ship. Even though it was a top-class ship, they were hanging out in the lower docks where the thieves liked hanging out in.
"You idiot…!" Cliff snarled at Rumi. "I knew I shouldn't have asked you to hold my ticket!" The last thing that they wanted to happen was to be accused of stowing away.
"I'm the idiot?" Rumi retorted back. "It's your kind who are idiots! Stupid thieves…"
Deciding to ignore her comeback, Cliff said, "I'll go ahead, you're slowing me down. I'll see you later."
With that, he ran ahead towards the figure. Jerk… Rumi thought with a scowl on her face, as she lost Cliff in the crowd.
"Ugh…" Cliff muttered under his breath as he jerked his way through the crowd of people, resulting in disturbed glares from them. His anger flared even more when he saw the thief who stole from them out of the crowd, and sticking his tongue out provokingly at him.
"Cliff! Hey!" A familiar voice called out, when Cliff had finally got out of the crowd and was about to run after the thief. It was Kira, looking a bit tired. He had appeared on the other side of the guy who took their belongings, blocking off his escape. The guy seemed to panic. "Where's Rumi?"
"Wait… bother me later, that guy took our stuff."
Kira made a face and threw a knife at the so-called thief, pinning his shirt down tightly to the floor. How he did it was a mystery. "Shut up for awhile. Hey, there's going to be a dance later out in the first-class deck…"
"Yeah, so?" Cliff walked up to the thief and took Rumi's wallet.
"Take Rumi, okay?" Kira grinned. "I want to dance with her later."
Cliff looked at him with disbelief. "What?"
With a sigh, Kira reverted to a low whisper, which only Cliff would be able to hear. "I have a job here… so I want Rumi to be out of the scene as possible, so just take her to the dance. I'll meet you guys there."
"Alright…" Cliff scratched the back of his neck. "But make it quick, she might think I like her or something."
Kira's eyes widened. "Hey! Don't take her as your date, you fool! She's going to my date, let's just say you're the chaperone!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
……
"Rumi!" A cheerful voice called out.
The acolyte, with a flushed face, turned around. She had been looking for Cliff in the crowd, to no avail. It was an older mage, one of their neighbors back in Izlude. It had been awhile since she last saw her. Her name was Ysa, and she was pretty popular. She had always looked out for Rumi in an older sister way.
"Oh wow, you're an acolyte now…!" Ysa practically screamed in excite, hugging Rumi in a tight embrace.
"A-ah…"
"So, what are you doing aboard the Vixen?" The mage gave a wink. "And are you alone? That's not good for a young lady."
The young acolyte smiled and gave a shake of her head. "I'm not alone… and I'm on my way to Payon to meet Mint and Chent."
"Oh, the notorious siblings, I see." Ysa gave an evil grin. She had always had a huge crush on Chent, the gallant knight. "Say, where are you friends you say you're with?"
She didn't want to tell the truth, that her wallet had gotten stolen and her "friend" had to chase the thief. "He… err—went to get something."
The mage paused for awhile, and ran her hands through her smooth blonde hair. "Are you attending the dance tonight?"
"There's a dance?"
Pause.
"You didn't know?"
"Uhm… no…"
"Rumi," Cliff called out, as he ran up next to her. He shot a confusing look at Ysa, then looked back at the acolyte, handing her the wallet back. "I got it back, idiot."
"Thanks, fool." Rumi rolled her eyes and grabbed it from his hands. "Ysa, meet Cliff and vice-versa."
"Is he your date?"
"NO." The two of them answered in an instant, hatred dripping in their voice. Ysa waved around her hand, ignoring their outbursts.
"Come with me," She said with a wink, grasping Rumi's wrist. "I'm going to make you a princess that even this cute thief here will beg to dance with you."
"Tsch." Cliff crossed his arms. "She wishes."
Rumi stuck her tongue at him in annoyance.
……
"He runs one of the biggest gambling centers in Comodo, illegally ran." A whisper said, as they sat in the shadows. An assassin with light brown hair scanned over the piece of parchment, and beside him was Kira who was yawning. "He's cheated a lot of people, even innocent ones, out of a lot of money…"
"I see." Kira massaged his back. "Of course, it doesn't tell who wants him killed, and why exactly."
His companion smiled. "Of course."
Now, all they had to do was wait until the gambler came back to his room, which someone tipped them he would do so before going to the dance. They didn't want to make a ruckus; especially not in such a place they had no chance of escaping. They were already in their tuxedos, ready to go to the dance right after the job.
"This guy doesn't seem so big." Maki frowned. "Why'd they need to assign two people?"
Kira grinned. "You know… they don't seem to trust me so much, after what happen in my last assignment…"
Maki shrugged. "Your fault for being so stupid."
"Hey, Maki…" Kira asked. "Do you know the name Izumi…?"
Maki seemed to think about it for a while, and he plopped his feet on a chair lazily. "It sounds familiar. Why?"
"I met this girl." The scarlet haired assassin replied. "Her last name's Izumi, and I know I've heard of that name somewhere…"
"Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry."
They paused for a while.
"You know you're not supposed to be getting any girlfriends, right?"
"Shut up."
Suddenly, the knob to the suite suddenly turned, and a husky grumbling was heard.
"About time…" Kira mumbled under his breath. They were still hiding in the shadows, out of view.
"Hic… stupid fools… hic…" Inside came a fat man, and he banged the door behind him. He was walking in a drunken stupor, and was mumbling something about his underlings. Maki stepped out of the shadows, and waved to the fat man with a smile.
"Who… hic… WHO ARE YOU? What's your… hic… BUSINESS in my… hic… suite?"
"You are." Kira replied simply, adjusting the tie around his neck.
……
"What the hell is taking them…" Cliff grumbled under his breath, as stared out at the dance floor. He was told to just wait for them there. He didn't like occasions like these… all those sophisticated people mingling and dancing to music. Seriously, what was the point?
Plus, he was forced to wear a tuxedo.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he blinked as Ysa turned him around. She had a smug look her face, as she announced, "Presenting… Rumiko Izumi, a perfect renovated one by me!"
"Y-ysa!" Rumi's face went scarlet in a second. "Sush!"
Cliff blinked, almost not recognizing her. She was wearing a long white, sleeveless silk dress with a slit in the left side. It seemed like the dress of a Priestess, except for the color, and collar, and the sleeves. Plus, the leggings. She was also forced by Ysa to let her hair flow loose, and she didn't look like herself at all.
"Who are you?" Cliff asked. Rumi shot him a glare.
Because of Ysa's exclamation of pride, a couple of guys had flocked over to Rumi, asking her to dance. Cliff shook his head in impatience and set off to get some drinks for himself. The guys surrounding Rumi didn't seem to mind she was only a fourteen year old minor, and they were already around seventeen to twenty.
"You are sooo adorable!" Ysa squealed. "Go on, dance with them…!"
"Y-Ysa, I don't know how to da—'
"Nonsense!"
Rumi whimpered under her breath, uncomfortable at all the stares she was getting. She wasn't used to so much attention. Against her protests, Ysa was able to force her to dance with a seemingly nice guy. He even taught her the most basic steps, and she didn't want to be rude, so she had to oblige. Before she knew it, she was amidst the crowd of dancing people.
"She is soo cute!" Ysa told Cliff, as they stared at the flushed Rumi out in the dance floor. Cliff shrugged and stuffed a kebab in his mouth. "Seriously, don't you just want to dance with her right now?"
The thief looked at her like she was crazy, which he could assure she was. She seemed so obsessed with the young acolyte.
Though she didn't want to admit it, Rumi was having fun. The nice guy Ysa paired her up with was actually pretty decent, and not to say good looking. His name was Maki, if she wasn't mistaken.
"Kira?" Cliff looked up from their table, where he and Ysa were staying. "What the hell are you staring at?"
Kira blinked, and realized Cliff was right behind him. He shot a glare at the thief. "Didn't I tell you to be her chaperone? What the hell is she doing there… dancing with… ugh, Maki off all people?"
Cliff gave a shrug and took another bite off her meal. Ysa raised her eyebrow at Kira, offended, since she was the one who set Rumi up.
"She looks different." Kira took a seat beside Ysa.
Rolling his eyes, Cliff replied, "Maybe because this girl here dressed her up in something completely different, you dolt."
"Oh, hi." Kira shot Ysa a confusing look. "I don't believe we've met."
"Ysa." She replied in an instant. "And I presume you're Kira."
He gave her a grin, and shot his attention back to the dance floor. Rumi's face seemed very uncomfortable and embarrassed, and Kira soon realized it was because Maki nonchalantly placed his hand near her bottom. Something he did a lot to pretty girls.
Without a second thought, Kira went back to his feet. "Okay, time to kick some Maki butt."
The assassin quickly walked up to his target, shooting a glare at Maki when his partner spotted him.
"Kira!" Rumi excitingly said with a huge smile. "I didn't even know you were able to get aboard…"
"Of course." Kira grinned, still looking at Maki with a glare. "I just had to take care of some things."
"Didn't know you knew each other." Maki told Kira.
Rumi blinked, not really noticing the tension between the two partners. She excused herself for awhile to get some water, and ran off to the beverages bar.
"Man, that kid's cute." Maki sighed, watching Rumi's retreating figure.
"Yeah, but you're going to have to stay away from her from this minute on." Kira said, smiling at him and patting his shoulder. "Alright?"
"If you say so…" His companion snorted. "I know better than to get in a fight with a guild mate. I'm not as dumb as you."
"Gee, thanks."
"But, if you should know." Maki gave a soft laugh. "I'll stay away, but I'll still look at her cute face any time I want, and that's something you can't avoid."
"Wanna bet?" Kira grinned.
Back in the table, Cliff and Ysa were staring off to the dance floor.
"How romantic…" Ysa sighed. "Having two people fight over a dance…"
What's wrong with this woman? Cliff thought in his mind.
"I'm back…" Rumi waved at them, when she finally struggled her way through the dance floor and to the middle, where the two men were conversing.
"Yes you are, cutie." Maki gave her a soft smile, which made her cheeks flare back to red.
"Let's dance, Rumi." Kira held out his hand to her. Rumi seemed confused for a while, but took it anyway.
When Rumi wasn't looking, Kira made an "L" sign to his partner. Out on the dance floor with nobody? What a loser.
Maki replied with a smug look, and made a signal that he was still spying at Rumi with his eyes, something that Kira had no control over.
"Kira, what was the busi--- Ah!" Rumi gasped as Kira suddenly nudged the back of her head with his palm, forcing the side of her face to be snugly leaning on his chest. "Kira?"
Kira stuck his tongue out as his partner, who chuckled in amusement. If there was one thing Kira was, that was stubborn and determined. If he wanted something, he'd fight for it, and he wanted this dance.
Maki made a gesture and waved at them, and started scouting for another girl he could dance with.
"What were you saying?" Kira asked, as he unconsciously started humming along to the music.
Rumi shivered, not really understanding why he wanted her to lean on his chest. Not that she was complaining, she had already decided before that he was warm. "What was the business?"
"None of yours."
She paused for a while, not really knowing what to reply. Finally, she said softly, "…alright."
He chuckled, playing with her hair gently. "Sorry… I just can't tell you."
"Did you kill someone?" She asked bluntly.
Kira paused for a while, and unconsciously tightened his grip around her. Killing was something he didn't choose to do, but it was his life now. The last thing he wanted was to get Rumi, or anyone else, involved.
"You smell like vanilla, Rumi." He chuckled.
"Excuse me?" Rumi replied with embarrassment.
Kira gave another chuckle in reply.
To be continued…