13

Being back inside the walls of the Assassin's Academy felt like putting on a striped, wool sweater from your childhood. It was itchy and uncomfortable, yet familiar and definitely where some very awkward moments took place.

And, yes, there was photographic evidence. Yet, Ianto had perspective now that only came from leaving behind unhealthy people and places. As he slipped through the shadows of the building, passing places where he'd lived fought and cried, he felt the sting of the memories, but he knew they couldn't harm him any longer.

Not unless he let them.

Andy's betrayal hadn't ended with the capture the flag drill. He had revealed so much more to the other students. Confidences he'd told him in secret with the idea that he was his friend and wouldn't hurt him.

Unfortunately, he hadn't realized the truth until it was too late. Andy was training to be an assassin, and he wanted to be the best. The minute Ianto started showing promise, Andy had befriended him.

However, it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart. It was so that he could keep his competition close, gather intelligence on him, and then use it to rise above him. The reality had nearly broken Ianto's spirit, but he'd managed not to let it show.

Nevertheless, he withdrew from all activities other than his academics and learned not to trust anyone but himself. Now, as he eased around the corridors, Doc at his side, he stealthily made his way to his old dorm room.

Though, he wasn't entirely certain he was on the right path, his mother's note had said he would find what he was looking for where his new life began. His new life had to be the day he was sent to the Academy. Everything changed then. He only saw his parents on holidays, and he never felt safe.

His first day as an assassin had been the worst day of his young life and not too many more good ones followed after that.

Outside of his dorm room, he paused, hand on the doorknob. This was his one sanctuary in the entire school. he hoped the book was here, and the room saved him once more.

"I don't know quite why we're just standing here. Do you plan to go inside anytime soon?"

He glared down at Doc 's scrunched-up face. He could tell he was proud of his smartassery. Ianto wanted to conjure a mass of fleas for him to wear from now until eternity, but he stuck out his tongue at him and twisted the doorknob instead.

He had expected it to be locked from the inside, but, surprisingly, it opened immediately. As a student, he'd been sure to lock his door every night. The consequence, otherwise, was usually a late-night prank by the other students.

Yet as he slowly peeked through the crack in the door he realized why the door had been unsecured. The room was empty. As he swung the door wide, he saw a skeletal layout of furniture—two unmade beds, two desks, two dressers, and one bedside table. Everything was exactly the same as he remembered, but the room was a blank canvas just waiting for students to arrive.

It was a stroke of good luck that they were here between terms, but Ianto didn't waste any time congratulating himself for catching a break. Instead, he began opening drawers and closet doors, hoping to find the book left forgotten and unused. The odds of that, though, were not good.

"I don't even know where to look for it." He sighed. "It wasn't anything I remember seeing when I was a student here."

"What a cruel trick it would be if you'd lived here for years with the answer to your problems right under your nose, and you never knew about it."

"Yeah, that would be viciously ironic."

"Who had the room before you?"

He had lived in this room all his years at the Academy, since he was five years old, only going home for holiday breaks and summer. It had never occurred to him that anyone would have lived in the room before him.

Of course, there had to be another occupant before him. Yet, he'd never had any inclination to find out who it would have been. "I really don't know."

"Let's see. The Mages and warlocks who have come out of this academy who would have not only been good assassins but also good spell casters which narrows it down to two possible candidates who would be at the right age. It was either Scowler the Salty or Kraken the Crafty. I know them both well." Doc skulked around the room, sniffing and rubbing against the furniture, stopping occasionally to lick his fur before moving on to the next item. He paused and said, "Scowler the Salty isn't well known for relying on his blending skills. He sticks out like a sore thumb, as do all of his assassinations. He mostly kills Mages and warlocks who've pissed him off. However, Kraken is different. He often hides in plain sight before he strikes. He's so well camouflaged, it's near to impossible to see him coming before its too late. I think he would have hidden his stuff the same way."

"You think Kraken the Crafty stayed in this room before me?"

Doc nodded. "And I think he hid the book in plain sight. We are just overlooking it."

Ianto traced the wall, knocking lightly on the surface and listening for an unexpected sound. Yet, nothing sounded out of the ordinary. He searched the bed frame and ripped open the mattresses.

With precision, he went over every inch of the tile floor, but once again nothing about any of the places he looked was significant. He sat back on his haunches and looked up at the ceiling, hoping he wouldn't have to try to climb up there to search.

The wording in his mother's letter kept playing through his head. Where your new life began. Were the words talking about the day he came into this room or the day he left it forever? he couldn't definitively say one way or the other.

Then, it hit him.

A new life begins at the door.

Whether going in or out in this case, it started a new facet of his life. He ran to the door, and swung it open again, running his hands along the doorframe, searching for any small break in the framing. When he found it, he nearly danced, but something about being in the Assassin's Academy once more brought back his strict training and sent his emotions into a deep, dark hole.

His hand found the handle of his dagger and he pulled it from the sheath. he used the sharply curved edge of the blade to begin carving out the outline of the spine of the book, rolling it back and forth over the exposed crack. "I think you're on to something, you little whippersnapper."

It took him nearly an hour to get the book free, but once he held it in his hands, he dusted the excess plaster off it and lovingly stroked the answer to all that was wrong with his world.

"I can't believe you found it."

"I wouldn't have without your help, Doc. Thank you."

"Stop it. You're going to make me blush."

Both wore grins as they stared at each other. Ianto had never experienced a cat grinning. It was slightly creepy. He'd also never had a moment quite like this. Clearly, there was a connection between Doc and him and for the first time he understood why Mages took familiars.

It was strange, and Ianto wasn't quite sure what to do with the realization just yet.

One thing he knew though, he didn't have time to analyze the tentative relationship. They needed to get out of the Academy before anyone realized they were there.

Before the moment got any more awkward, Ianto sheathed his dagger and placed the book in his backpack. he stood and found a shadow in the hallway where he could slowly make his way back to the window that she'd crawled through to get inside.

Though Doc 's plan hadn't been anything more than sneaking into an open window, he had found the perfect one. He'd lived a long time getting into and out of places, and this particular one was in an area without surveillance. It was an easy trek back to his mode of escape.

Too easy.

he began to wonder if he might be missing something. Where was everyone? Why hadn't anyone tried to stop him even once?

As he dropped from the second-story window, he suddenly understood why. As Doc dropped to the ground beside Ianto said, "Uh oh, spaghettio. We're in deep doo-doo, kiddo."

Ianto spun around just as a blinding light the size of an industrial-sized barrel flicked on, causing instant pain in his eyes and a complete loss of sight.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Prince Ianto. I thought you were gone or dead or both. This is rather unexpected."

Using his arms to try to block out the intense spotlight, Ianto tried to confirm what he suspected. he couldn't see more than a short silhouette behind the spotlight, but something about the way the speaker sounded was recognizable. The voice was deeper and, perhaps, sharper, but the intonations were exactly the same as they had been when they were students here.

"Isn't this the night of the five-year reunion, Andy? I thought there'd be a little more fanfare. Where is everyone?"

His laugh held no humour. "It's Mr. Pandyshytt now. I'm a tenured professor at the Academy now and I'll thank you for giving me the respect I deserve. I think I've earned it."

Ianto couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped his lips. he couldn't help when it turned into a full-on laugh, or even when tears were streaming down his cheeks at the uncontrollable mirth.

"What's so funny, Ianto?"

"Sorry...I just forgot...that your name is...Andy Pandyshytt. It really is...an unfortunate name." he grabbed his stomach as his laughter began to make his muscles ache there. "Andy Panda Shit!"

Even Doc dropped to his side rolling in the grass, making noises like cat-laughter.

It only made Ianto laugh that much harder.

"Shut up! My parents were wannabe poets. It's no big deal. Lots of people have weird names. I know a girl named Ginger Snapp. There's another guy named Richard Hertz. People call him Dick. It's not that strange of a name. It could be worse, right?"

Ianto's laughter finally began to die down as he wiped his face and said, "You're probably right. It just struck me as funny. It's just that you were talking about giving you respect, but your name sounds like someone mocking you. Oh, never mind. I'm sure you get the irony."

"This is ridiculous! I don't want to talk about my name anymore. You have something I want."

This sobered Ianto quickly. He straightened as he asked, "What could I possibly have of yours?"

"Tonight, you took something from your old dorm room. Give it to me."

He wanted the book? No way was he giving that up now. "I didn't find anything. It was empty."

"You found Kraken the Crafty's spell book. Hand it over, and I'll let you live...for now."

How did he even know about the book? If it weren't for his father, he wouldn't have known about it. He'd been researching time spells for a long time. "What if I don't want to give you the book? What if you haven't earned it?"

"Then, I'll kill you and your familiar, and the book will be mine anyway."

"Come on, Andy. I could defeat you any day of the week. I'd just like to see you try to take it from me."

Yet, as his small army of followers spread out beside him, he could make out about twenty or so people who didn't look like spectators. They were cracking knuckles and maybe even growling.

Really? Who growls?

The light made it impossible to see how many he was actually up against, and his heart began to race. From the ground, Doc said, "You can't give him the book."

"I don't have a choice."

"That's the spirit." Andy chortled.

Ianto hated his smarmy tone. He wanted to knock the words right out of his mouth, but instead, he reached for her backpack, setting it on the ground as he unzipped it.

He stuck his hand inside and fiddled around for a moment before pulling a red-covered book from his bag. He laid it carefully on the concrete of the parking lot where they stood and with a hard shove using the toe of his boot, pushed it across the ground to Andy's feet.

From the lowered position, the light no longer blinded him completely and he could see the wide-eyed grin Andy wore as he stared at the book on the ground. The look said it all. He'd won. Or, at least, he thought he had.

Ianto zipped up his backpack and stood up slowly just as Andy picked up the book.

"You said you'd let us live."

"Sure. Go. It doesn't matter. The Protectorate will find you soon enough. You're already a dead Mage walking."

With his assurance, Ianto took off for the tall metal gates standing slightly open at the end of the long driveway. Doc was fast on his heels.

Ianto heard Andy's infuriated yell just as he wrapped a hand around the cool metal of the gate. Ianto looked back once to watch him transform. He gave several loud honks, to which his small army seemed to think meant they should run into each other and fall down several times before turning toward him and giving chase.

"Shit! Looks like Andy Pandyshytt the Unfriendly Goose has fairly predictable orders. We got to jet."

Ianto ran, Doc sprinting alongside him keeping pace though he knew he could easily outrun him. As he looked back, he realized the flaw in his plan. Assassins were not long-distance runners by nature.

They were stealth-hunters.

He wasn't going to be able to get away like this.

"Ianto! Over here!"

With a quick glance to his right, he caught sight of Jackson behind some low bushes. He wasn't quite sure why he did it, other than the alternative was Andy's crew, but he turned toward Jack, hoping he was the better alternative. As soon as he ran into Jack's open arms, he felt like he'd made the right decision.

Doc jumped onto his leg and Jack spanned away, leaving Andy Pandyshytt as a freaking goose and his army chasing no one.