Assassin Angel

Yay, reviews! And yes, to join in with you, IT'S ALIVE! And muibadah, to reassure you, I don't think not writing made me better, it's just that the time between when this was first started, and how far I've come from that in my style and thought process just makes for a better read…in my opinion anyway. ReplicaRiku'sgirl, just to clarify, I did mean third year as in senior. Good eye for catching that, though. And I'd like to apologize for Lacus' inconsistencies in her personality, since I'm not quite sure what I'll make her true personality yet, though you can all just assume she's a great actress for now, since it's not far from the truth.

Commence Mission

Sitting in a car that was so unnoticeable, it blended in with the rest of the traffic that lived upon Heliopolis' streets; Lacus was begrudgingly going over her mission file once more. With her laptop settled on her knees, she lazily scrolled through the seemingly endless information. None of it was very new or very interesting, much of it focusing on Ulen Hibiki rather than her charge, Kira, which only served to irk her.

Much of the information alluded to and described some previous attempts on Hibiki's life, but that wasn't anything surprising. Being a Coordinator in a predominantly Natural population was a sure fire way to get you on someone's black list. But to make matters worse, for Hibiki at least, he was one of the head researchers at his firm, and his research was only available enough to know that it went towards promoting Coordinators, and advancing them even further.

Being a Coordinator, Lacus had sometimes wondered if that meant taking their side in the discrimination battles, but she could never find the right reasons to find any right on either edge of the knife. On one side, she was welcomed only because her parents had decided to have her modified before she was really anything of significance. On the other, she was hated and scorned, envied even, by those who'd been born naturally and who feared and were disgusted by the practices performed on the cells that became more Coordinators.

She'd always hated the politics, and despised the Naturals sometimes for so vehemently hating her, and sometimes hated her own for their airs of superiority. They were all human; every single one of them, but that never meant anything. Nothing except room for human flaws.

Nonetheless, Hibiki had recently uncovered a breakthrough with a new hidden chromosome, Lacus had never really been particularly advanced in such chemistry and science, but many scientific heads were spinning in joy, while others plotted hatefully off to the side. Apparently, her client had received some disturbing messages concerning his son, and after Lacus had sifted through some of the attached files, even she became disgusted.

Turning to the files that actually were about Kira, she looked over the information again, wanting to be sure she was mentally prepared. Given that Kira Hibiki was a Coordinator, his gifts surpassed even those standards, and he was an excellent student, receiving very high marks. He'd apparently been part of a few clubs as well, but given what she knew, Lacus wasn't surprised to have read that his father had taken him out of them not too recently. The school may have been a somewhat safe place, given the security it held, but Lacus knew long before this mission that very few buildings held enough security measures to be completely safe.

Glancing out the car window, Lacus frowned at the scenery that slowly was fading from the urban city sights, to the secluded suburbia of the rich and wealthy as the car wound its way into the gated community the Hibiki Estate was located. It was pretty, she'd admit, and from the maps she'd looked over just the other day, there was a lake that stretched around the peninsula that the manor was situated upon. She was looking forward to seeing it.

Ulen had supposedly arranged for a student exchange program in which Lacus would come to live in his home while attending Heliopolis Preparatory Academy for her studies. Though Lacus had memorized her back story, it was rather boring. Athrun hadn't even given her a new identity; she'd merely be Lacus Clyne, daughter of two average Coordinators whose names mattered little to her. She'd at least hoped Athrun would have given her a different last name, since questions often arose that made her uncomfortable. Perhaps it was a test in social blending.

Being reminded that her last name was so similar to the Clyne family; Lacus had usually pushed it off or ignored the inquiry. Never admitting, almost always denying it. This time, she'd have to play a young student who couldn't possibly care about the late Clyne family. Speaking of being a student…

Lacus found herself fuming towards Athrun, the moment he revealed that he'd already prepared for her mission, including much of the paperwork with the school and the retrieval of her school uniform and gym uniform. The school colors weren't horrid, at least, and contrary to the opinion of those on television, the skirt was a comfortable length down to her knees. The current seasonal uniform consisted of a white blouse and gray blazer with a red tie, and a green plaid skirt that didn't look as bad as one might have thought. But wearing a school uniform and going back to school, that was what had the young woman angry.

Just turned twenty, she still had the body of a teenager, having inherited petite and slim features from her mother, along with possibly genetic modifications. It actually made her perfect for some missions where looking younger would help, but this would be the first in a long while where she was actually going to be attending school. Not only that, of course, but she'd have to study again, do homework, and though a small part of her had wanted to weep for joy, having never finished her high school years in a classroom, she didn't want to go back now.

Following some eighteen year old boy around everywhere for almost every waking moment wasn't necessarily her idea of a good mission, and Athrun had crashed her hopes even more so when he revealed that the time she spent there would be indefinite, and until Hibiki called it off, stopped paying, or fell out of Athrun's interests, she was stuck babysitting his son.

"Miss Lacus, we've arrived," the driver spoke up suddenly, pulling Lacus out of her thoughts and back to the present where she was sitting in a stopped car, looking rather startled. The man smirked slightly, and Lacus narrowed her eyes at him. He was one of her colleagues from Roost, though he'd been assigned to be her driver for the charade of her arriving, if only for a bit of added protection, and it just made everything much more convenient. Nonetheless, Lacus gathered her laptop, typing in a password that would impossibly encrypt any files only her eyes were to see, and then shut it down before placing it in a bag whose strap she slung over her shoulder. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the door for her, and she stepped out, pulling up a smile to thank him, already slipping into the shoes of her role.

As the driver went to go get her bags from the trunk of the car, Lacus gazed up at the manor, not really surprised to see a grand house before her, but impressed nonetheless. It was an old Victorian style with beautiful woodwork, columns, and a wrap around porch, with balconies on the second story and flower boxes from many of the windows. Guessing from the condition of the front yard, Lacus knew that they must have very skilled gardeners. When the man returned to her side carrying her bags like a good chauffeur would, they began walking towards the house.

Before they could take one more step towards the front stairs, though, the front doors opened and out stepped the infamous Ulen Hibiki with his wife, Via, at his side. Both held pleasant welcoming looks on their faces, though Ulen, once looking over Lacus quickly, seemed unable to hide all of his surprise. This only made Lacus grin on the inside. Looking over the older blonde man, Lacus' gaze shifted to his wife. Via was a beautiful woman, no doubt, with long auburn hair and soft golden eyes. The long haired assassin knew that Kira must have inherited some of her looks, but his father's eyes it would seem.

Reaching the front steps, Lacus smiled brightly to them, her clear blue gaze falling on Ulen for a moment before a bit of shyness seemed to take place over her face. One hand fiddled with her skirt, an old habit from childhood she'd been encouraged to stop holding back.

"It's nice to meet you, ." she greeted in a clear, but innocent voice. "Thank you so much for opening your home to me," she added, bowing slightly in respect.

"Dear Lacus, it is our pleasure!" Via replied, reaching out to gently place her hands on the girl's shoulders to pull her into a friendly embrace, the surprised look on the slighter girl's face hidden in the woman's blouse.

"Yes, you coming here is surely a light of good in the gloomy darkness we've trudged through these past few months," Ulen added, one hand resting on the back of his wife.

After a few more pleasantries were exchanged, Ulen suggested they let Lacus come and settle in. The driver nodded, and set the bags down in the front foyer, bidding a polite farewell to Lacus before departing. Once alone, Ulen asked his wife where Kira was, and Lacus felt herself tense, but in a way that her body felt ready for anything on a moment's notice. Kira was her mission, protecting him was the only thing she was to allow in her thoughts. It wasn't odd that she'd feel alert at the mention of him.

Via thought for a moment, before revealing that he'd gone on a walk by the lake, promising to be back before dinner. Ulen nodded, and then asked her how dinner was coming along. Though Lacus suspected that they had hired help for everything, Via seemed to start in realization, and excused herself, rushing off towards where Lacus presumed was the kitchen. Perhaps she was more involved than Lacus suspected.

"Now, why don't I give you the tour?" Ulen asked, though both of them knew very well that Lacus had already memorized the floor plans of their house, knew where every room was, where every vent led to, and anything else of that nature. It was a rather basic step that all agents knew to do if they had the time and opportunity. Lacus nodded, and followed the man up a grand winding staircase to the second floor, where they walked through gently decorated hallways till they reached two double doors that were locked with an electronic device that could only be unlocked with a key card. Ulen pulled a card from his pocket and swiped it, opening the doors so that Lacus could walk in first.

The room was a large study; the tall windows reinforced with what Lacus guessed were thick glass, probably bulletproof. It held an air of novelty to it, possibly stemming from the bookcases lining the shelves and the fireplace on one side of the room. There was a desk on the far end of the room, and a chair before it. Lacus chose to stand by it while Ulen took his place by his desk, absently pushing a few papers around the surface. When he grew bored, he looked up at her again, and his eyes gave that same surprised look from before, though he looked a bit more impressed, now.

"I see…so Nightingale is a young girl, this is a surprise. One so young, and yet so dangerous," Ulen murmured to himself. Lacus didn't correct him, and knew that he had very little information on her. For all he knew, she was wearing a wig and contacts, and he apparently thought she really was a teenager. There was no need for anyone to know who Nightingale was, unless they were the police, and even if they were able to communicate with her, fear of a bullet in the head or a knife in your back tended to keep the curiosity of clients low.

"You're a Coordinator, if I'm not mistaken?" Lacus nodded solemnly, seeing the pleased look on Ulen's face. "Ah, of course…Would you happen to know who your technicians were?" Given the impatient look from Lacus, Ulen waved a hand, dismissing his question. "Hm, never mind…It is of no matter. But you will do well…given your reputation serves well on its word?"

At that, Lacus nodded, which seemed to be enough of an answer for Ulen. "I must say, though," he began, not seeming to be quite over his excitement. "Your…how would I say it, Boss? He chose an interesting identity for you, picking the same name as Siegel's daughter. He was a fine man, fine specimens of Coordinators he and Marianne were, but much too foolish wishing to bring Coordinators and Naturals together. Unrealistic ideals never take a man anywhere," Ulen mumbled. Lacus wondered if the man was a touch eccentric. He struck her as a prideful, chauvinistic narcissist.

"Truly, a wolf in sheep's clothing," the blonde man muttered, turning back to his desk. The folded laptop that sat atop it made a sound much like it had received a message, and the man sighed to himself. "Off with you then, I've my work to do, and you have yours. I'm sure you don't need my telling you what you're to do, so go on," he said waving her off disinterestedly now that he seemed to be more absorbed in an email than the deadly assassin standing not but four feet away. Lacus nodded, and turned to leave the strange man behind.

Lacus had already been told which room would be hers, and after retrieving her bags from downstairs, she set them down in the room and took a quick look around. The girl was a bit surprised to find it furnished in such a manor, since she'd honestly been expecting a sparse guest room. Though, given the distinctly feminine touch, the girl suspected it was Via's doing. Tartan curtains hung from the windows, their colors soft creams and russet browns to match the warm feeling of the room. The furniture was a matching wood set, stained a dark color to match the colors of the room. Her bed was moderately sized, and had far too many pillows Lacus decided, eyeing them. Everything appeared to be of a set, so it all matching accordingly. A white vase stood tall on the vanity table, bright yellow daffodils and some red flower Lacus couldn't name arranged within.

Setting about removing some equipment from one of her suitcases, Lacus set up her laptop on the vanity, and used a few codes provided by Athrun in the information profiles to access the Hibiki Manor security feeds. She'd made sure that Athrun handled asking Hibiki to have small cameras placed in all rooms of his home so that she could have eyes everywhere. As far as the more private rooms of the house, Lacus planned to dim the video enough and rely mostly upon the audio. Ulen had refused cameras in his private rooms, especially his office and the lab located underneath the house, but Lacus was not concerned, she was only told to concern herself with Kira. There were also cameras placed around the estate, and Lacus made sure that her access to them was satisfactory. Satisfied, she decided to unpack the clothes she'd been given for this mission.

Only a few of them were her own outfits, as Athrun had gotten someone to create a wardrobe typical to an average in-the-know teenage girl. Lacus didn't really have any complaints, though she had gone through much of the clothing and tossed out whatever she greatly disliked. For the most part, whoever was Athrun's personal shopper had done well. When the closet and dresser drawers were stocked up and the bags put away, Lacus decided she'd get a better look around the outside of the manor.

Making her way from her room, down the hall and staircase, and just as quickly out the front door, Lacus paused outside, trying to guess which way to go first to see the lake. Recalling the maps, she turned towards the garden towards the right of the house. Via had mentioned dinner would be ready soon, but Lacus guessed that gave her about twenty minutes to look around. The weather was nice, despite the cold spell that had passed over Heliopolis. Crossing her arms, Lacus absently rubbed the soft material of her sweater. Her outfit was actually rather comfortable, which was the reason she'd chosen it for the drive over. The sweater was a creamy white, and her pleated skirt was a dark pink in contrast. With high stockings and comfortable clogs, Lacus felt rather relaxed, and given the scenery as she made her way to the back of the house, it was almost like she could forget the fact that she was a hired gub. Grinning amusedly to herself, she shook her head.

Walking down a stone pathway that Lacus saw led down towards a large dock, the long haired girl wondered if Kira spent much time out here. Given her immediate liking to the scenery and atmosphere of the garden, the girl would really have no complaints if she was to spend time out here as well. Coming closer to the dock, Lacus stopped and gazed out over the water. But not long after, she was broken out of her thoughts when the loud barking of a dog met her ears, and alerted her to the animal's approach. Feeling her body tense and jerking around towards the direction she heard the sound, the girl widened her eyes when she saw a white form racing towards where she stood.

The dog barked again as it neared, leaping towards the girl in all its blazing glory, a young man rushing after it. But Lacus only spared him a glance before her eyes were drawn to the dog once more. Able to make out the details of it, she knew what sort of breed it was, despite the white coloring being a bit strange. German Shepard. The girl felt a bit of a tremble in her knees, and took a small step back, unable to take her eyes off the dog. Parts of her body throbbed as she subconsciously recollected her last encounter with a dog, or more like it, four dogs.

A target she'd been after not too long ago had had guard dogs, vicious things made of only teeth and claws. She'd not quite expected them to be such trouble, but her gun had been knocked away and the beasts were fast little bastards. She didn't have any physical scars, but she remembered where the things had sunk their teeth into her arms and legs. Three of the dogs had been of the German Shepard breed. Now there was another one just a few feet away barking at her and she couldn't help notice the sharp teeth inside its mouth. Just because she was trained, it didn't at all mean that Lacus had no fear.

He didn't quite understand it. One minute, he was playing with his dog, and the next minute the thing was bolting off back towards the dock barking like a loon. Chasing after her quickly, the boy sighed in annoyance; his dog was so easily sidetracked. The young man was close behind the dog, though when he glanced up, he saw an unfamiliar figure standing not but some feet away, and knew that the white beast must have caught the girl's scent.

Catching up to where the dog had stopped to observe the girl, the young man was just behind it, staring between the girl and his dog. He noticed the ashen look on the girl's face, and quickly reached forward to take a solid grip on the dog's collar. Looking up at her, his pale violet gaze looked her over a few times, wondering who she was before he remembered. Transfer student. And then it hit him. Transfer student was apparently very afraid of dogs.

"Hey, you don't have to be scared," he offered apologetically. "Angel's a good dog, she doesn't bite," he added, but as though to prove him wrong, the dog struggled against his hold, growling a bit with her teeth bared while staring in Lacus' direction. His grip around her collar loosened just a little by accident, but that was all she needed before she bounded over the few steps towards the strange girl and was curiously sniffing her, her apparent hostility from earlier clearing. But Lacus wasn't completely convinced, still staring down at the beast with anxious eyes.

"I…I'm not scared," she replied back, trying to pull herself together once more. Able to get some semblance of control, she stepped back a bit from the dog, discouraged when the dog merely trotted towards her once again, looking up at her expectantly.

"She wants you to pet her, she won't leave you alone if you don't," the boy added, walking closer to try and reach for the dog's collar again. Lacus gazed down at the thing, Angel he'd called it, and hesitantly reached out a hand, just barely brushing the dog's ear before she lifted her muzzle and pressed her cold nose to Lacus' hand, making the girl jerk back. The boy laughed, trying to pull the dog back some.

"I'm sorry," he said, holding out his free hand. "I'm Kira, I'm guessing you're the transfer student coming to stay with us?" he asked. Lacus stared at his hand for a moment, still a little shaken up by the dog, but took his hand anyway, nodding.

"Yes, I'm Lacus Clyne. It's nice to meet you, Kira," she replied, smiling slightly. 'Back into the role, back into the role,' Lacus just kept repeating the mantra in her head, urging herself to become the girl she needed to be. "Your home is lovely," she added, somewhat at a loss of what to say.

Kira's face colored some and he grinned back. "Thanks," he said, though Lacus could tell from the body language and his tone that he wasn't quite prideful of it. So he was modest…that wasn't a bad thing. Made protecting him easier if he was actually a person Lacus found worth protection.

"Oh, your mother said dinner would be ready soon…" Lacus pointed out, turning her head back towards the house. Kira's eyes widened and he glanced at his wristwatch, grinning nervously. Chuckling to himself, he murmured a soft command to Angel to sit before turning back to Lacus.

"I guess I lost track of the time…It's really relaxing out here, I guess it's kinda natural to not worry about time," he said, though from his tone he seemed to be searching for some agreement, or at least reassurance. Lacus felt some of her previous annoyances at taking the babysitting mission vanish. So far, the kid hadn't appeared to be a jerk, though Lacus was going to let the comment about her being scared slide.

"It is nice out here, very tranquil," she added, nodding slightly. Kira seemed a bit relieved, whether over an assurance that he wasn't lazy or that the girl didn't think him lazy, Lacus wasn't quite sure. She'd be learning how to read him from every little flinch to the smallest twitch of a finger within the next few days, then she might be able to figure him all out.

"Well then, we better get going!" Kira said, recalling the more important matter. "My mother doesn't like when anyone's late to dinner, she thinks it's the only time we spend as a family," the brown haired boy explained as they began to make their way back to the house.

Lacus was thoughtful for a moment, recalling all those times Lenore had chastised Athrun for being late to the table all those years ago. It was a rather happy thought, and made her lips pull into a small smile. She seemed able to ignore Angel for the most part, who was now trying to press her nose against Lacus' palm again. That would be something she'd have to work on, Lacus decided. Getting over her discomfort with dogs would be a good decision in the first place, but it would also make this mission easier.

Arriving back at the house, Lacus and Kira were met with Via, who stood waiting for them dressed in a different outfit than the long haired girl remembered. It was rather dressy…and as the woman began to chastise Kira about his lateness, the boy leaned over to say in the girl's ear, "Mother says it's proper to dress up for dinner," though he didn't get to finish his sentence because Via caught him and was even more peeved that he wasn't paying attention to her. Stepping forward to try and straighten out the boy's wild mess of dark brown hair, the boy's mother smiled affectionately towards her son.

"Kira, what am I going to do with you?" she teased, but then turned to Lacus with a wide smile. "Dear Lacus, I'm not sure if you know, but we like to present ourselves nicely for dinner, especially when we have company. Now, the food is already on the table and getting cold as we speak, so I won't ask the two of you to change, but just to know in the future," Via explained, though Lacus couldn't help cringing slightly. Really…the woman was a piece of work, it seemed.

Being ushered by Via into the dining room, Lacus saw that the long table had plenty of chairs, but only four places were set at one end of a table. 'At least they eat relatively close…' Lacus thought to herself, somewhat expecting one of those long tables with lonesome seats. Ulen was already sitting down, helping himself to the roast, though Via smacked his hand playfully, joking that he was as bad as their son. Lacus noticed amusedly as she said this that Kira reached towards the salad bowl and plucked a cherry from within, popping it into his mouth before his mother could see.

As it turned out, Lacus had been wrong about the hired help. During the meal, Via seemed to provide endless conversation, one of her conversation pieces being her pride in her skills as a chef. She apparently did some of the cleaning around the house by herself, but there was a woman who came once or twice a week to take care of the rest usually. Ulen seemed to do little else but smile at his wife, eat, and nod his head to whatever Via said. He asked Kira once about his studies, but it seemed like such a routine question, especially with Kira's short answer. "Well." Lacus sat quietly beside Kira, picking at her food out of old habit, but eating it nonetheless. It was quite good, she would admit.

Sitting next to Kira did come with a downside, and that was that Angel had sat herself between their chairs, resting her head on Kira's thigh. Lacus was a bit discomforted that the dog was so close, but it was a bit easier than she'd first thought to push it from her mind. Not to mention, Kira slipped bits of food to the dog, and Lacus couldn't really picture a bloodthirsty hound calmly and appreciatively licking someone's fingers after being offered a cherry from a salad. It seemed that Kira had a preference for the sweet, red fruit.

"Lacus, you went to public school? Are you a bit nervous about the transition into a private school, especially Heliopolis Preparatory Academy? It's quite the transition, certainly so if you went to a Natural school…" Via added, delicately stabbing an olive from her salad. Lacus merely smiled at the question.

"I'm sure I'll manage. Adapting to new things is a skill of mine," she added, though if she'd have glanced towards Ulen, she'd have seen his eyes narrow and his lips pulled into a humored smirk.

"Kira is always there to help you, of course," the woman added, smiling benignly. "He's quite the genius, and he's the president of the student council! They organize dances and other activities for the students…" Via gushed, clearly proud of her child. Kira seemed to grow stiff in his seat, and poked at the food on his plate he'd meant to eat just a moment ago.

"Used to be, mother," he murmured quietly, "I stepped down, so Tolle's president now," he added. Via bristled.

"Kira, I don't know why you're friends with that boy, nothing but trouble! A Natural, president of the student council? Ridiculous…" the woman muttered under her breath. But the gloom from her face melted when she looked back to Lacus. "Oh, but I'm so excited that you're here, Lacus! It'll be like I finally have a daughter of my own. I can take you shopping with me, and there won't be so much complaining," the woman said, emphasizing the last word as she sent a glance towards her son and husband. Lacus smiled at the offer, but didn't quite say anything either.

"Can I be excused?" Kira asked after a few moments, looking to his mother. Via paused for a moment, eying his plate that still held some food, but consented. Lacus asked as well, and was also given permission to leave the table.

She carried her plate to the kitchen and placed it in the sink where Kira had placed his, and glanced at him as he stood digging through what she guessed was the pantry. When he emerged, he held a box of cereal under his arm, and gave Angel a pat. Grinning over to Lacus, the boy shifted his grip on the box.

"Do you need help settling in or anything like that, Lacus?" Kira offered, violet eyes noticing her thoughtful expression beforehand. The girl shook herself out of her thoughts and shook her head with another smile.

"No, I actually unpacked my things already," she replied. "Do you plan on doing anything?" she asked after a moment, appearing curious. Kira shook his head.

"Just plan on taking this up to my room to snack on while I read." he answered, gesturing towards the box, and then there was nothing left to say.

Returning to her room, Lacus searched for something to wear for sleeping, and decided that as long as Kira was just in his room, she really didn't have much else to do. Holding her clothes over her arm and grabbing a small bag she'd left by the door, she left her room to go to the bathroom just across the hall. After a shower, she'd contact Athrun, and after that…she didn't know what she'd do. Lacus hadn't really thought to bring any books, and watching television didn't seem all that appealing. She supposed that she'd merely just go to sleep early.

It was Saturday, so she'd have tomorrow to better acquaint herself with Kira, and then they'd be going to school. In the time being, she doubted she'd have to work all that hard. After taking a nice hot shower, the girl toweled off and pulled her hair up atop her head in a messy bun before dressing in a silk pajama shirt and matching pants. She was more used to her oversized t-shirts, but these weren't horrible either.

Accessing her laptop, Lacus typed in the necessary codes and then sent a message to Athrun, since she'd received none from anyone else. All she typed were two words, not very important or extravagant, but they served their purpose: Mission Commenced. Now, just to sleep…that sounded really nice about then.