Welcome to Nozh – Otkriteye
It hadn't exactly been easy to get so far, but it was starting to feel as though it had been. Sneaking into high-security areas was second nature to him already, just a couple years since he had been put on the job. That was why they trained children, really, quick to learn and hardly any ingrained morals to quibble over. He was grateful that they had taken his talent and honed it as an assassin. The children that showed no sign of aptitude for the more stealthy killing arts had been trained into mindless soldiers, nothing but cannon fodder. He could almost feel bad for them, if he felt anything towards them in the first place. Being a solitary killer lent itself to having some amount of independence, needing to rely on his wit when on the job to see him through. Were he nothing but a drone he would never succeed at his work.
From his vantage point, he could see his target clearly, and it was just a matter of time before he could strike. Excitement was humming through his veins, not the kind that showed happiness as he had to wonder if he even knew what that was, but the hunt was soon to come to a close. Whenever he completed a kill he felt a certain sense of pride, a job well done leaving him fulfilled. There was nothing wrong with that, not when it preserved his life. Doing his work meant he was fed, was granted free time, was given proper exercise, and had a roof over his head. He was a simple child, his needs were being met. And as long as his keepers' needs were being met as well, then the two people who had become close to him were taken care of as well. Afanasiy and Dimah were allowed to live their lives relatively fear free now that they had him on their side. The people in charge were more concerned about their marks being made appropriate amounts of dead more so than having the opportunity to abuse a doctor and girl-child, so they allowed Sousuke his small desire.
Sitting in a false wall that had been set-up to keep valuables hidden, taking advantage of his small size, he kept watch from within through a hole by a piece of furniture cut into the board so that he could see into the room without being spotted easily. Sousuke would have felt more comfortable had he been able to find a point of assault where the man would be alone, but the target very much enjoyed his women which was unfortunate. Those women would have to die too now. Witnesses were not to be tolerated.
Finally, an opportunity presented itself, one where he would not have to kill any more than necessary. It wasn't that he minded, he just preferred to leave less of a mess behind and not to have to do so much work. Pushing all thoughts from his mind, he set to work with a practiced ease and single-minded intensity. The women giggled and disappeared behind the door to the bathroom, leaving the politician alone in the bedroom wearing a wide grin and about to strip down to nothing else. Not really wanting to see that, as well as not wanting to waste any more time, Sousuke emerged from his hiding spot.
Pulling the fake wall off silently, he replaced it before slinking forward, stealthily approaching his target. The less noise the better. Resisting the urge to shake his head as the man dropped his pants, he decided instead to just thank whatever might be responsible for the fact that the man made himself an even easier target. Since he was at a lower level now, it was much simpler for the child assassin to reach out and cover his mouth with a rather tiny hand, deftly slicing his throat so deep that the spine was visible. Lowering the man's body to the ground, he raced to the window, glancing around before throwing himself out. The building was made in a way far too convenient for those with ill-intent, and he had no need for any kind of equipment to make his way to the ground safely.
Once on land, he turned his head this way and that, keeping his ears open for all kinds of sounds. Just as he started his mad dash for the perimeter wall, he heard screeching from the room he'd just left, screeching that was far too loud. As he scaled the wall, he spared a glance at the building and realized he'd left the window wide open. Foolish! It was going to be a long night of covering up trails, leaving fake ones, and dodging flashlights and search hounds. Grumbling to himself inwardly, he took in a steeling breath and set his mind for the task ahead.
Exhausted, Sousuke fell into his bed while unsheathing his knife in one trained motion. Face first in the pillow, he allowed himself the action for just a moment before the blood rushing in his ears and hampering his hearing made him too paranoid. Rolling to his back, he stared blankly at the ceiling, eyes slowly closing as his body relaxed for sleep. It wasn't meant to be, however, as a knock on the door jolted him to awareness, however timid it may have been. Shaking his head, he edged over to the door carefully, taking caution as he opened it. Spotting Dimah and no one else, he pulled the door open the rest of the way.
She stood there in front of him, blonde hair done up in curls and pinned back, wearing a freshly pressed spring green dress. She stayed at the door, hands folded in front of her, staring at him as he looked on in confusion. Tilting his head, he looked into his room, then back at her with a small scowl on his face, "Are you coming in or wanting me to go somewhere?"
Clenching her hands at the harsh words, she looked down at her feet shyly, "Walk?"
With a sigh, he spared a glance for his under-used bed and then nodded to her, stepping out of the room and closing the door. She was as clean as he'd ever seen her, which he took to be a good sign. He had been trying to get better treatment for her for a long time now, and seeing her looking well was a pleasant surprise. Still though, he wished she would get more of a backbone. It took every bit of his trained hearing to understand her when she spoke most of the time, and the way she always sought out his company but never had anything to say or do was irksome. He had very little appreciation for the fact that she might just want to be in his presence, preferring instead for there to be a reason for her dragging him around and interrupting his sleep. Once again he wondered why it was he protected her so when he was mostly annoyed by her mannerisms.
She led them outside and across the training fields where the newest batch of children were being worked to the bone. They paused to watch, Sousuke feeling nothing but gratitude that he had finished that hell up as swiftly as he had, and Dimah frowning, looking between the group and her companion sadly. Shaking her head, she turned and continued walking, bringing them to the edge of the woods and beyond. There was a lake out there, one they visited often either together or alone. She took off her shoes and placed them on a rock before approaching the edge of the water, looking down as the mud came up between her toes.
Shrugging, Sousuke found his landmark and dug up the make-shift fishing supplies he'd hid away, setting up his line of plant fiber and hook of barbed wire. It wasn't hard to find some worms to dig up, and soon enough he had one hooked. Perching himself on a boulder, he cast the line in a clean motion, holding onto his stick in one hand as he turned to look over at Dimah. The girl was peering out at something in the water, and he followed her gaze to a bunch of aquatic plants. Blinking, he noticed a frog in the water, eyes looking out at them. Smiling a rare smile, Dimah tied up the skirt of her dress by shifting its sash around and then she waded out into the lake. With a shake of his head, Sousuke, wondered why it was she would willingly enter such filthy water, especially when she was looking so clean that day.
Slowly approaching the frog, circling around it with intent, Sousuke couldn't help but be impressed by the way she made so little disturbance in the water. Finally close enough, Dimah reached out and caught it, holding it gently and raising it to eye level. The frog kicked out a leg that was left hanging off her hand and she carefully set it right before placing her other hand on top of the creature. She carried it from the lake while holding it close to her chest, eyes trained on it with fondness. Watching her intently, he leaned away slightly as she walked up to him with the frog, holding it out for him to see. It wasn't any kind of disgust that had him recoiling, it was the bizarreness of the action leaving him feeling awkward.
Pouting, Dimah brought it back to her, stroking it lovingly, "No like?"
"Don't really care. Why'd you catch it?"
Shrugging, she brought it up to her face, looking into its eyes, "I like them."
"Why?"
"They're cute," she answered quickly, though he could tell she was thinking further on the question. He kept his mouth shut, waiting for her to elaborate. Bowing her head until her nose rested atop the frog's, she giggled softly at the feel of its slick and bumpy skin under hers, taking care not to disturb it too much. "They're strong, don't you think?"
Sousuke stared at her in disbelief, shaking his head, "Frogs? Strong?"
"Well, when you talk about how easy it is to beat someone, you compare it to hitting a fly out of the sky, right? Frogs eat flies, so they're strong."
"They say that because it's so easy to take out a fly."
"That's not the way I see it," was the stubborn reply. Realizing he wasn't going to get through to her and not really feeling any desire to be bothered to try, he left her to believe what she wanted. Nuzzling the frog, smiling as it croaked, she pulled away and looked at the animal affectionately. "They're pretty calm when you catch them, and they're nice to the touch. I like the way they look and move too. I wish there were more things that emulated frogs."
Making a non-committal noise of agreement, Sousuke turned his attention back to his fishing. He had felt his line twitch, and he started tugging experimentally. Satisfied, he pulled the line closer bit by bit until it was close enough for him to hook the line on a notch he made in the makeshift rod, and with a flick of his wrist he landed the fish beside him. Taking out his knife, he freed the fish from the hook.
Hugging the frog closely, Dimah looked on sadly, "You're going to kill it?"
"Yes"
"Why?"
"To eat it," he felt the response was rather obvious.
"But they feed you, right?"
"Yes. It's nice to catch my own food once in a while though," he had the fish bleeding out at that point and was removing the gills with deft and experienced actions.
Tilting her head, she regarded the fish sadly, feeling as though it were a kindred soul. Resting her chin on the patient frog, she stared at the dying fish with the thought that they both had been taken from their natural environments and were left to die slowly and agonizingly as they were used to suit someone else's purpose without being cared about in the slightest. Yes, they really were too much alike. "Poor thing," she murmured quietly, feeling a pang of rejection as Sousuke snorted in a rude response. Sighing, she looked at him directly, feeling comfortable enough with him at that point to do so. She talked more, at least to him, since Lutrova's death, though she was far from over what had happened. Nightmares plagued her sleep and she had panic attacks whenever she was touched by adults, but her relationship with Sousuke had grown stronger, despite the fact that he almost always seemed annoyed. At least he knew how to keep his hands to himself. "Do you enjoy killing?"
"No," he took the question in stride, answering simply and emotionlessly as he gutted the fish and then speared it on a stake he set by a fire pit he left there.
Watching as he built his fire, she stared at the small flames that grew, their soft blaze reflecting in her green eyes. "Then why do you do it?" her voice matched his in emptiness just then, and the frog sat almost forgotten in her hands held below her chin. He just shrugged, walking off to put away his crude fishing pole then returning to poke at the fire and keep an eye on his impromptu dinner. Plain fresh caught fish didn't really taste any worse than the slop he was fed at mess. If anything, it was an improvement. At least it had flavor!
It was several long moments before he elaborated, the silence stretching between them as it was like to do. The feel of her eyes boring into his back prompted him to explain, and he turned towards her with an expression as though it were all too obvious. "What else is there to do? As you said, they feed me. They also clothe me and keep me out of the weather, so I do what they ask. There's nothing wrong with completing a job."
"A family does those things without expecting anything from their child," she spoke wistfully. She barely remembered her family, but she knew that at one point she had a much better life than this. Or at least, she fantasized that she did. It was hard to say.
"Not true," was the muttered reply. He turned back to stare at his cooking fish, recalling his mother's last words. He didn't remember much of her, but the words 'Live' and 'Fight' sounded rather like he had something expected of him after all. And that was exactly what he was doing. Living and fighting, it was all he ever did.
That was the end of that conversation. Dimah took up residence on the boulder he had been on while fishing and they each sat there, lost in memories of pasts best left forgotten. Petting her frog, she looked out over the lake while Sousuke ate his fish and cleaned up his fire, not really wanting to see. Standing up once everything was set to rights, he stared out over the lake, noting that the sun was setting. It had been late when he had returned, usually getting back sometime early or mid-morning. His mistake had cost him many hours, and it wasn't until late in the afternoon that he had collapsed on his bed just to be awoken by Dimah.
Days without sleep weren't uncommon to him, but it didn't mean he liked them. Given the opportunity, he would have preferred to sleep, and he hoped she would be ready to leave at some point soon. He was loathe to leave her out there alone, and when she wanted to stay outside, she kept him there with her for as long as it took for her to be ready. Slipping off the rock, Dimah once more touched her nose to the frog's head, whispering softly to it before releasing it into the water. Turning to him, she nodded towards the path and then made her way out of the water and over to the rock where she had placed her shoes. Wiping off her feet as best as she could before slipping them off, she started the walk back, much to his relief.
As they crossed the now-empty training yards, their attention was drawn to a truck unloading equipment into a warehouse. Frowning in confusion, Sousuke wondered just what the bizarre machine they were maneuvering would be used for. Beside him, Dimah shivered, and he was shocked when she took off running. Shaking his head, he bolted after her, following her all the way back to the building she lived in. Double-over and panting, the girl was close to retching. Rubbing the back of his neck, he hesitantly offered to pat her back. The thought of someone touching her was the last straw though, and she turned to the bushes, heaving what little dinner she had eaten. Sighing, Sousuke looked around, wondering just what he should be doing in that situation. Something had her spooked, but since he didn't recognize anyone at the truck nor the machine, he had absolutely no idea just what it might have been.
Whimpering, Dimah wiped her mouth and straightened up, turning to him with fear reflected in her eyes, "I'm going to bed."
Not knowing what else to say, Sousuke just nodded his head, "All right. Until later then."
"Maybe," she replied cryptically, disappearing behind the door.
Still confused, he shook his head slowly to clear it and shrugged, turning towards his own barracks. When he entered the room one of the officers was standing there with a missive in hand. "You have your next assignment. You leave first thing in the morning so rest up."
Leaving the documents on the boy's bed, the man left now that his duty was done. Sighing, Sousuke picked up the papers and leafed through them with a frown. Well, his language lessons were about to come in handy, the reason for being taught Farsi now clear. He was going to have to go to the border with Afghanistan and cross over into the Panjshir valley to get to the next person he was to kill. General Majid, the Tiger of Bdakshon, leader of a set of Afghani Guerilla fighters bent on fixing their government and kicking the Russians out, that was the man he was to kill next. This one would likely prove difficult, he thought with a frown as he packed the notes up into a folder. Settling back into his bed, he drifted off immediately into sleep.
Morning came too soon, and his eyes shot open at the same time as they did every day, give or take a few minutes. Rolling out of bed, he made his way to take a quick, cold shower. Feeling more awake and alive, he returned to his room to dress, gearing up and packing what he would need. Glancing at his watch, he made his way to the infirmary, Afanasiy having requested he check in if he was going to be gone for some time so that way he knew to keep closer watch on Dimah. Walking in, he saw the man reading a report while sitting next to a forgotten meal. Hearing the door close, the doctor jumped and looked over at him. He was about to open his mouth and say something, but catching sight of all the gear his jaw snapped shut and he set aside the papers stiffly. Frowning, he nodded his head to the pack, "Going away?"
"Yes. Don't know when I'll be back."
"I see," Afanasiy trailed off, glancing nervously at the documents he'd been looking over.
Tilting his head, Sousuke glanced at the papers then back to the man, "Something wrong?"
Startled, he shook his head frantically, "No, no, nothing's wrong. Good luck. Come back soon."
Recognizing that the man was lying, Sousuke shook his head and left, not in the mood to get into it. As he left the barracks he saw a bunch of men removing a mattress from the building Dimah lived in. It was covered in blood and he frowned, wondering what had happened. Thinking back on the doctor's nervous behavior, he stiffened up, feeling sure that the blood there must have belonged to the young girl. Approaching his transport to the country border, Sousuke paused and stared up at one of the officers, "What happened?"
"Nothing that concerns you. Don't worry, the girl is safe. When you get back you'll be able to see her."
Not entirely convinced but not really having a choice, Sousuke just nodded and tossed his bag into the vehicle and hopped in after it. The job came first, that was set in stone. He could not put Afanasiy or Dimah before the job without putting them at further risk, and so he set off. If anything had happened then people would die when he returned, it was as simple as that. Leaning against the door, he looked out the window at the compound as it sped past, a strange feeling in his gut. A nervousness tugged at him, and he wanted to hop out of the vehicle right then and check on the girl. Something told him he'd never see her again, and he had to believe she was dead. It made him sick, having to leave like that, and he wondered if they had done it on purpose, giving him this job at that time. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm his nerves as the car sped down bumpy roads to the drop point for his next job. No matter what happened, he was sure everything would be different.
It was just a matter of different how.
AN: Well, it's over. I had wanted this to be two separate chapters, but when I finally started writing it out it just wasn't wanting to be worked out that way. It took me so long to get this out because what I'd initially written wasn't working and I had to scrap it and start over, which is rather unusual for me. But, well, all in all I'm pleased. I would have liked it had I been able to keep the story going longer, but it just didn't want to be written that way. I WILL do a sequel at some point, showing Sousuke in the Mujahideen, and I plan on doing a third story in this set as well where he's a mercenary before joining Mithril. I may or may not write a little Kaname backstory fic as well, depending. We know bits of her past without knowing what exactly made them occur and the events surrounding them, so it might be interesting to do.
Thanks for reading this, I know it's not the usual sort of fic, but for all that it was difficult, it was fun to write. I'm glad there are people that found enjoyment in it.