Just one more inch. Only one more—
"Now!"
A quiet whistle. An indignant yelp. A pair of satisfied smirks.
"Oh, would the two of you grow up already?"
Desmond smugly high-fived Alex, all the while ignoring the now-soaked Shaun who was glowering down at the two of them.
"You're getting all your... your Americanness all over the poor boy!" the British man exclaimed, pointing down at Alex, who was glaring at the offending finger.
"In my defense, he had the slingshot before I could stop him," Desmond retorted, doing a very poor job of hiding his own amusement. "He's got a pretty good shot."
"He is also bloody barmy! What if he decided to use a knife or, or some kind Japanese thing!"
"Well, Shaun, then we'd have taken it away from him. Come on, it was just a water balloon."
Shaun simply stalked off. Desmond sighed, looking down at Alex, who merely flipped the slingshot in his hands easily enough. The American tried not to roll his eyes, or make a face, or anything. It was tempting, with Shaun's back turned. A sneeze brought his attention back to the smaller boy beside him, however. He chuckled.
"Don't get sick on me," Desmond said, patting Alex on the shoulder. He could safely say that, after a couple more days, he was beginning to feel a little comfortable with the Japanese boy around. Rebecca and Lucy flat-out adored him, though the latter would never admit it out loud. He swore that even Shaun was taking to the Japanese boy.
Of course, the coughing only seemed to get a lot worse as time went on in the day, no matter how many bottles of water the younger boy was given. The next day had him sleeping most of the time in Desmond's sleeping bag, and by the third day, it was pretty clear that Alex was seriously ill with... something. They didn't know what, exactly, but it couldn't be the common cold if he was reacting so... violently.
"His fever's sitting at about forty degrees," Shaun stated bluntly. He sighed with exasperation at the astounded looks on the three Americans. "Celsius, people! Forty degrees Celsius!"
"That's... what, is that high?" Desmond asked.
"That's about a hundred and four in Fahrenheit," Lucy informed, saving Shaun the trouble.
"Oh... "
"As long as he doesn't get any higher, we won't need to take him to a doctor. We're gonna need to get his temperature down, though, and fast."
"What about those?" Rebecca asked, who was sitting next to Alex and gesturing to the golden wings twitching weakly behind him. The boy had outright refused to roll onto his back because of them. "They haven't done anything yet, but we don't know how long that'll last."
"I could stay with him?" Desmond suggested, though that earned him a swift glare from Shaun.
"Absolutely not. We need you in the Animus, we need Rebecca running it, and we need Lucy and I backing you up every step of the way. Just because he's sick, doesn't mean we drop everything to take care of him," the Brit snapped.
"Shaun's right," Lucy sighed, stepping in and forcing Desmond to keep his mouth shut. "We can't really afford to. We can check on him during breaks and throughout the day, but that's about all we can do. Maybe... " She sighed, crossing her arms. "Maybe I can move my stuff over and watch over him while we work. But that's about all I—we can do."
And so that was what was done. It took a little rearranging, testing, and reorganizing, but Lucy was able to relocate her work station to be closer to Alex. Needless to say, despite what she had said, Lucy seemed to focus more on taking care of Alex than actual work. She would make sure he had water, make sure there was some way to keep his fever from spiking any higher. Somehow she was still able to provide the information he needed while in the Animus.
"Focus, Desmond. You're gonna end up desynchronizing if you keep getting distracted like that."
"I know, Shaun, I know," he bit back while making Ezio do a series of intricate swipes of the hidden blade. Always, out of the corner of his eye, there was Kouwashi just dancing away with his own swordplay. If he didn't focus, he could see the moves well enough. The Japanese Ancestor was nimble, just as small as Alex, but was also much more hidden in his attire.
A cry of pain got him distracted just enough for a guard to swipe at his—Ezio's vambraces. It didn't sound like it was coming from inside the Animus, and he didn't dare chance a glance at Kouwashi. Well, he did... or rather, Ezio did.
His first good look at Kouwashi was to see the Japanese ancestor sent flying into a wall. Desmond knew he couldn't control any of Ezio's next actions, simply gave in as he watched his own ancestor fly into a rage and successfully kill off the remaining three guards, including the one lucky (or stupid) enough to injure Kouwashi. He found himself feeling a slight sense of pity for the guard.
Ezio knelt next to Kouwashi after that, looking right at him and helping the boy up, asking if he was okay but only receiving a biting remark in Japanese in return. Desmond didn't miss the single Italian-spoken 'I'm fine,' though. Kouwashi looked almost identical to Alex (or the other way around). His traditional Assassin's garb reminded him a lot of a ninja, but there was no mistaking the red sash, the Assassin symbol. The leather vambraces that Kouwashi wore were unusual, though, and from his view point, he couldn't tell exactly where the hidden blade was, or how it worked, or anything.
"This is... really fascinating," he heard Shaun say, and Desmond made Ezio look up despite himself before he just shook his head and continued to listen while moving about. "Ezio must have been able to teach him a few words. How is beyond me, but... it's clear that they had some kind of understanding. And then there's the level of skill—how old is Kouwashi here? He doesn't look older than twenty, but he fights like he's done this his whole life."
"Maybe he has?"
"The Syrian Assassins were like that," came Lucy's voice. "They trained from a young age. It wouldn't surprise me if the Japanese were the same way."
"So Kouwashi is like Altair now... "
"More or less."
It was a breakthrough for them, to get any kind of information on Kouwashi, let alone what he looked like. A few more hours at the endeavor, however, proved fruitless as the Kouwashi Memories quickly became far too glitchy beyond what they had seen. They called it quits, kept at it for a few more hours to advance Ezio's story in relation to the Piece of Eden in order to find it, before Desmond was allowed to step out of the Animus.
Alex was there.
Staring.
"Holy shit!" the American yelped, practically falling out of the Animus when he jumped. Rebecca's indignant cry and shove was enough to right his balance, and he moved swiftly out of her way as she inspected the Animus (her 'poor Baby,' as she kept cooing at it) for some kind of damage. He resisted the urge roll his eyes, instead focusing on Alex, then to Lucy, who was sighing. She was right next to the Japanese boy, he realized.
"He woke up a little while ago," she explained, "and I couldn't get him back to sleep."
"He's like your own personal puppy dog!" Shaun shot from his work station, and Desmond glared at his shaking back. Ass.
Sighing, the American knelt in front of Alex, who had the sleeping bag draped over him like a blanket, and that was when he noticed that he was fingering an invisible something on his wrist. He arched a brow, looking into the slightly dazed, otherwise lucid eyes of the teen. He gestured to Alex's wrist. "Fammi vedere?"
Desmond was immediately surprised by how compliant Alex was. The teen pulled back his jacket's sleeve, revealing a carefully crafted, old vambrace. It wasn't hard at all to piece together what it was.
"No. Way," Rebecca breathed, the first to break the growing silence. "Is that actually—"
Alex pulled whatever trigger was on the vambrace to reveal the hidden blade on the side. The engineer let out a whistle.
"I'm... not sure how I feel about having him armed," Shaun said, having joined them finally. "He may be an Assassin, and he may have those... things... on his back, but he's still lost his marbles."
"Oh, come on. At least give him a little credit," Desmond sighed.
"Excuse me for not wanting a schizophrenic to shove a knife into my back during a panic attack!"
While Ezio could say that Kouwashi was a more than capable fighter, there were still a lot of things about the boy that confused him, things that didn't relate to where he had come from (of which progress had been made, but all they knew now was that it was a place called "Nihon").
First and foremost was the wings and what other abilities they had. It was obvious by their texture and otherworldly presence that they were in some way related to the Apple of Eden, which he and Machiavelli easily agreed upon.
Next was Kouwashi's wardrobe. He had received a chance at better examining the garbs after the alien boy had a bad fightt with a few too many Borgia guards, and had needed quite some time to heal. Ezio had assigned some novices to the task of washing them, but everyone had been more than a little amazed at the lack of armour... anywhere. In fact, the only piece of armour he saw on Kouwashi, noted with further pondering, was the pair of vambraces housing his hidden blades and his boots, which also seemed to have blades coming out from the sides. As far as he saw, Kouwashi was armoured almost as much as the Novices. He suspected the wings perhaps had some ability to turn into armour, but he would never get a chance to investigate further.
And then finally... there was the hidden blade.
It made no sense to him. There were two on each vambrace — that he was aware, because for all he knew, there could be a third! It seemed impractical to him, no matter how many times Ezio had Kouwashi show him how the blasted things worked. Clench a fist, and the side blade would pop out. Flick the wrist, and the straight one would come out. Two separate muscle movements for two different blades that, for whatever reason, the alien boy had deemed necessary.
Ezio didn't like it.
"How is it practical?" he asks, though he doesn't really expect an answer from the boy currently staring at him in confusion. "Why not just one blade? And why in such strange places?"
"Perhaps it is the style," Machiavelli suggested, examining the vambrace now. "It does a fair amount of damage. From the side, the blade can act as a form of defense as well as added power to a punch. As for the boots—" He gestured to Kouwashi who was wearing them, and the boy did something to make the much thicker, sturdier blades on them pop out. "—I can imagine that is because he kicks. Quite well, in fact."
"He's like a dancer, then."
"A deadly dancer, if you'd like to put it like that."
"È stupido (1). He puts his body at greater risk to look like a ballerina with weapons?"
"Sei stupido! (2)" Kouwashi snapped, startling the two Italians. Ezio only scowled at him, a fair bit of surprise in his eyes, while Machiavelli struggled to contain his laughter — a rare sight indeed.
"It seems our little alien is picking up phrases," the nobleman finally managed.
After that, Kouwashi seemed to get even more silent than usual, which admittedly unnerved Ezio. He found it difficult to keep track of the foreign Assassin and even switched to Eagle Vision a few times just to make sure the boy wasn't about to attack him.
"Well, you did mock his style," Claudia had tried to reason the day he'd gone to visit the Rosa in Fiora. "So it's no wonder he's upset."
"He does not even know what I'm saying. What is he getting offended about?"
"Ora che tu sia testardo (3). He still hears your tone of voice. And I bet you were even pointing at him."
Ezio kept his mouth shut, not liking that his sister was correct. He sighed as he slumped in his chair, looking around the Rosa in Fiora. He'd needed to get some information on a target and to introduce the newest Assassin recruits, and naturally Kouwashi had followed (however moodily).
Kouwashi, who was currently surrounded by the courtesans not occupied by clients, looked ready to jump out of his own skin.
It was an entertaining scene, to say the least. The Novices were having a hard time trying not to laugh, though were failing miserably. Ezio even admitted to having a hard time trying not to grin.
"He's soooo cute," he heard one of the girls say.
"And young, too! He can't be that old at all!" said another.
"Do you think Ezio would let us keep him?"
If nothing else, Kouwashi was skittish. When one of the girls had tried to take off his mask, he'd panicked and ended up scampering behind an unsuspecting Maria, who had been amused just as much. She ended the fun by giving the girls some things to do, and she hadn't seemed to mind when Kouwashi refused to leave her side even once they were gone.
"Why don't you duel him?" Claudia suggested, bringing Ezio's attention back to her.
"Scusi?"
"Sí. You doubt his skills and his weapons," she went on. "Why not see if they are as bad as you say? If they are, you should have no problem beating him."
"We are Assassins, not mercenaries," Ezio stated.
"Then think of it as training! He has a different style; and if you can adapt to it, perhaps you can even improve your own abilities!"
"I would like to see the Maestro fight against the alien," one of the Assassin recruits chipped in, though swiftly backed down at the scowl he received.
"We have room in the back!" Claudia said excitedly.
Ezio resigned his fate, and just a few minutes later found himself on the back balcony, adjusting his vambraces while standing opposite of Kouwashi, who seemed wary, if more confused. Maria had managed to at least keep the younger Assassin from fleeing the scene... somehow.
"No wings," he said simply, pulling his hood forward a bit more when Kouwashi pulled his mask up. "No tsubasa," he repeated, using the word he'd heard the other call the strange wings on his back."
He took a stance, and it was in that moment that he knew Kouwashi understood what was going on. Instantly, the foreigner dropped into his own stance, looking like a boxer more than anything with his arms in front of his face. Ezio knew, though, that those clenched fists would trigger whatever hidden blade hid in those gauntlets. He wasn't naive enough to underestimate Kouwashi.
The younger Assassin acted first, rushing in at a speed that caught Ezio off-guard. He struggled to bring up his own hidden blade in time to deflect the punch thrown his way, only to hiss as his cheek was cut. The Italian grit his teeth, wondering now if maybe he should fight with at least his dagger.
Kouwashi threw a punch again, only this time Ezio managed to counter it and get in a flurry of his own strikes, forcing the foreign Assassin onto the defensive for the time being. He grunted in pain, however, when something sharp pierced his right shoulder. His hand immediately clasped onto it, finding a long needle in it. Hazel eyes looked up into golden ones, then down to the boy's hands. He couldn't see anything there.
"Clever child," Ezio murmured, making a note to find out where the needles came from. He pulled the one on him out, dropping it to the ground and ignoring the small prick of pain, ushering for Kouwashi to come at him again.
They went at it for hours. Ezio would try to knock Kouwashi off-balance and land a strike, and Kouwashi would keep Ezio on the defensive with his quick but powerful strikes. He was very nimble, the Italian noted. So nimble, in fact, that when Ezio knocked him off balance enough to make him stumble backwards, the alien boy used the momentum of it to flip back, push off with his hand, and get back onto his feet. This maneuver earned several gasps and cheers of excitement and surprise.
Even Ezio felt his jaw drop.
It only got more serious after that. Now, whenever Kouwashi was knocked off-balance, he would twist his body to compensate, and would use the momentum of the turn to land a particularly harsh kick. Often, the kick sent Ezio skidding back. He'd had no choice but to follow the force or risk breaking his arms.
He did find an opening. Kouwashi kicked out, a bit too far out. Ezio took the chance to grab the offending leg, smirking at the off-guard look in the boy's eyes. He twisted, the foreign Assassin forced to follow the momentum or risk breaking his leg. The alien recovered, attempting a back kick, which the Italian dodged by letting go. Ezio took advantage of Kouwashi not having balanced yet and quickly went in, hidden blades popping out as he lunged at him. One, two, three strikes he got in, pulling his right arm back for momentum to attempt a forth. Kouwashi used it against him, grabbing said arm and forcing an undignified yelp to escape Ezio as he found himself being thrown around his sparring partner. He lost his balance, rolling on the ground and back to his feet to regain it, bringing up his left bracer half a second before Kouwashi could strike him down.
Their blades locked. Hazel eyes looked directly into golden eyes for all but a few seconds. Ezio attempted a swipe at Kouwashi with his free blade, forcing him to jump back or risk getting a serious injury.
A few more maneuvers, several more cuts and torn clothing, a few more minutes, and Ezio had to end the fight when Kouwashi's hidden blade (the normal-looking one) got too close to his throat.
He was defeated.
Both fighters jumped at the sudden, loud cheers erupting around them. Apparently, all the occupants of the Rosa in Fiora had come down at some point to watch the fight. Kouwashi immediately pulled at his hood in an effort to hide his face as much as possible. Ezio only rubbed the back of his neck. Finally, he stepped forward, offering a hand out to Kouwashi. The foreign Assassin stared at it with suspicion. After a few moments of held breath, Kouwashi finally took it, and the two Assassins shook.
A/N - HAHA. HA. Yeah, I've been a bit... sick. And busy. Busy and sick. In fact, I'm still sick. Sorry. I won't be posting a double update, though, out of sheer fact that I don't quiiiite have that big a stockpile of chapters at my disposal.
(1) - "That's stupid."
(2) - "You're stupid!"
(3) - "Now you're being pig-headed." This one is really, really rough. Yeah.